Audio archive now open in the Community Library, Cove Burgh Hal (Credit: Lochside Press article)

Gauri Raje, Ruth Wishart and David Francis with the Listening Post

Credit to Lochside Press article

An audio archive featuring personal histories of Cove and Kilcreggan was launched today.

A ‘listening post’ in the village library will allow residents and visitors to hear the interviews via a new i-pad and wireless headphones.

Edited sections of interviews with 13 people are available already, and organisers Gauri Raje and Ruth Wishart say they want to expand the project with additional interviews, as well as involving schoolchildren.

“It has been a real pleasure to get to know the village through interviewing the people who came on board,” Gauri said at the launch in Cove Burgh Hall today.

“I had just arrived in the village three or four years ago, and it was a real gain to know the history of the village, getting to know what people’s experiences were and some really interesting material that I would never have expected to happen in Kilcreggan and Cove!

“We hope that by listening to the archive people will come forward, and if you know of anyone who has an interesting story of living in Kilcreggan and Cove, have lived here for a long time, would like to tell their story and be in the archive, please do get in touch with me.

“We are going to continue this project and keep building up the archive and we hope that younger people will be interested in these stories, because really what we are doing is building a history of the villages.”

Joyce Devenny is one of those who were interviewed

Interviews are available with:

• Piermaster Gavin Walker

• Helen Bain, a former teacher at Kilcreggan Primary School

• Naval architect Ian Nicholson

• Funeral director James Auld

• Angler Jane Wright

• Peace activist Jeanne Brady

• Former midwife Joyce Devenny

• Nick Davies, a former Royal Navy Officer and chair of the community council

• Historian Richard Reeve

• Nurse Sheena Edwards

• Long time resident Sheen Lamont

• Youth Café founder Susie Will

• and the late Val Walker, who chaired the village film society and raised tens of thousands of pounds for Cancer Research by running ‘Cove Barras’ events.

The equipment was funded by TRACS (traditional arts and culture Scotland) as part of its The People’s Parish project.

David Francis of TRACS said: “We take the view that wherever you have people you have culture – local history, folklore, traditions, local culture of all different kinds.

“And also what we look to do is connect communities with their local culture

“The idea is that communities tell their own stories to themselves and also to the outside world.”

“We’re very pleased to be able to support this.”

The volunteer-run Cove Community Library, in the burgh hall, is open from 2pm to 5pm on Mondays, 10am to 4pm on Wednesdays and 10am to 1pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

Gauri can be contacted at gauriraje2@gmail.com .