Up The Middle Road

Delighted to be working with VisitScotland and Museums Galleries Scotland this year to document a range of Year of Stories events.

All across the country, in every local authority, communities are telling tales as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories. A fascinating programme of storytelling events and activity is being delivered by a diverse mix of community groups, museums, and culture and heritage organisations, supported by the Year of Stories 2022 Community Stories Fund.

‘Up the Middle Road’ is the local name for the former Crichton Royal Asylum, founded 1838 in Dumfries. This event shares its lived experiences of mental health – until recently, buried in a culture of silence.

Through words and music, the voices of former patients, nurses, support staff and those who grew up on site are heard, where they happened: powerful and authentic, reflecting life from the 1930s to 1990s. Recorded by the event director, Dr Valentina Bold, as part of an oral history project, these powerful, authentic accounts are compassionate and inspiring: stories of resilience and recovery.

The event brings together storyteller Amanda Edmiston, who specialises in healing tales, award-winning tour guide Kathleen Cronie and internationally-renowned singers and musicians, Emily Smith and Jamie McClennan.

This dynamic performance takes place out of doors. Audience and performers pass together through the centre of The Crichton’s parkland, rock gardens, sports fields and woods, pausing by the historic buildings — which many remember as a ‘village’.

You can find out more about Year of Stories here: https://www.visitscotland.com/about/themed-years/stories/