A national project which celebrates the traditional Scottish link between trees and writing concludes its first phase with two events, one in Edinburgh and one in Helmsdale. Known as the Tree Ogham, or Tree Alphabet, each letter of the Gaelic alphabet has an associated tree or shrub, and the A-B-Tree project’s first phase is a series of creative writing events, one for each tree. The project is led by Sutherland-based writer Mandy Haggith and is part of the International Year of Forests.

Upcoming events:

Hawthorn – Sunday 20 November, 2pm, Edinburgh Botanic Gardens

Willow – Sunday 27 November, 2pm, Timespan, Helmsdale

Mandy said, ‘I love trees and I find them a great inspiration for writing, not least because of all the legends about them and the amazing facts about their historical uses. This project is a way for me to encourage people to connect with the rich tradition rooted in the Gaelic tree alphabet, pick up a pencil and paper (both of which come from trees) and let their imaginations run riot.’

The Gaelic alphabet has 18 letters, so the first phase has involved 18 events. These blend folklore, practical uses and ecology of trees while being playful with words during a walk in the woods. Most of the events are public and they are being hosted by schools, community woodland groups and environmental organisations around Scotland, from Borgie to Stranraer and from Skye to Angus, including three of the four Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh, the Borders and Argyll.

Events so far have included an afternoon with Stoer and Lochinver Primary Schools, a morning with some mental health service users from Inverness, a session in the woods on Skye with children from Shetland, Orkney, Argyll and the Western Isles. There have also been public events with the Woodland Trust, Trees for Life and the Falkland Centre for Stewardship.

Mandy said, ‘I’ve been delighted so far by all the leafy words sprouting from participants’ pencils!’

As part of the second phase of the project, from 1 to 18 December 2011, Mandy will be tweeting facts and figures about the ecology, folklore and practical uses of trees, working through the tree alphabet, one tree per day.

ABOUT MANDY HAGGITH:

Mandy is a writer who lives on a coastal woodland croft in Assynt. She has published dozens of nature poems in literary magazines, has two poetry collections (letting light in and Castings) and her novel, The Last Bear, won the Robin Jenkins Literary Award for environmental writing in 2009. This novel is structured around the Ogham: each of its chapters is called after a tree and draws on the Celtic tree lore for that species.

Mandy has been a forest researcher and activist for the past fourteen years, prior to which she was an academic specialising in computer tools to support environmental decisions. She has worked on forest issues for many organisations, including the Centre for International Forestry Research, WWF, Greenpeace, the Taiga Rescue Network, Culag Woods and Assynt Foundation. She was the co-ordinator of the European Environmental Paper Network from 2005-2009. Mandy is an experienced facilitator of writing events, she has led many creative writing retreat weeks and poetry courses, as well as evening classes, guided writing walks and workshops.

The A-B-Tree project is made possible by funding from Forestry Commission Scotland and HI-Arts.

For more information contact Mandy Haggith on 01571 844020 or mobile 07734 235704.

Email: hag@worldforests.org , Website: http://mandyhaggith.worldforests.org/a-b-tree.asp

 Source: M Haggith