306 MARCH 20 – Gryffe Advertizer

Next deadline - Wednesday 11th March
Gryffe Advertizer | www.advertizer.co.uk
Lochwinnoch
The Lochwinnoch Festival is in its 19th year. The
brainchild of Lochwinnoch residents, Morag Thow
and Rowena Murray, it has grown from being an
afternoon book festival involving a few local authors
to a three-week, multi-art event that is well-known
throughout Renfrewshire. We discuss beginnings...
“Well, it started 19 years ago as a small afternoon
book event in the village hall because there were
quite a few authors in the village....It grew to
be a weekend, then a long weekend... Then two
weekends, then we joined the bit in the middle!”
The village certainly has more than its fair share
of artistic residents. From much celebrated local
poet, Betty McKellar to Edinburgh Festival star,
Alan Bisset and award-winning writer, Kirsten Innis
and many more besides - there’s a thriving creative
scene.
Q. What makes the festival different from other
small art festivals?
We are more ‘multi-arts’ than a lot of other festivals
in the area. We’re probably the only arts festival
in the area that covers everything from visual art,
performance, music and so on. And we really try to
be as inclusive as possible.
Q. Why is it Important?
We have an absolutely shambolic public transport
system. We’ve one tiny wee bus that takes people
to Johnstone Train Station and that is it. But
disadvantaged people, OAPs, low income people,
they can’t get to Paisley, or to Glasgow – even the
last train means you’d have to miss half your show.
We run it because it allows people here to have a
bit of a binge of lots of different kinds of art. We
keep the prices as low as we can, so people can go
to multiple events.
Q. Do you have any top tips for the festival?
Christine Bovill is coming back – she’s lovely and
such a phenomenal performer. Also The Rose
Room, who have been with us five years in a row
- a fantastic act. Melanie Read is with us too - a
wonderful writer. She had a horse riding accident
a few years ago, leaving her paralysed, and now
writes the ‘Spinal Column’ for The Times. She has
become a real advocate for people with disabilities.
Such a brave, inspiring girl.
Q. Do you have a stand out moment from any of
the festivals so far?
Yes, Dougie Mclean about two years ago. Och it was
hilarious. He was just back from Australia playing,
would you believe, at the Sydney Opera House in
Australia. And I introduced him saying “Here he is,
Dougie Mclean! He’s come all the way from Sydney
Opera House to Lochwinnoch Village Hall.
Morag told me that Dougie had parked his motor
home in the village car park so after the gig they
all traversed to the Three Churches (pub) for more
14
Morag Thow
Co-Founder
I caught up with Morag to ask her
about the festival, how it started,
her favourite moments and other
village projects.
“tellin’ old stories” and “singing songs!”
The Festival tagline is “The Friendly Festival”
and this certainly bears out. They treat the
performers as part of the village. They’re taken
for tea or invited out to the pub and made to
feel part of the community. Morag says:
We’re apt to kinda adopt people!
And this friendliness breeds loyalty from the
performers, many of whom keep returning.
You get the feeling that making connections
and linking up people and communities is what
makes Morag tick. In 2018 Lochwinnoch became
a Dementia Friendly Village – a partnership
scheme which aims to include people with
dementia in village life and also support carers
– a direct result of The Lochwinnoch Arts
Festival.
In 2017 the festival committee selected
Alzheimer’s Scotland as the beneficiary charity
of the festival. Morag decided they could go
one step further. Her hometown of Prestwick
had recently been given the title of Dementia
Friendly Town. Using her connections she set
Lochwinnoch on the same path.
It is interesting you are involved in linking up
so many community projects...
Ach, I taught in university and that was just part
of our job – organising things! And the festival
has a wonderful committee. All of them artistic
in their own way.
But I suppose a lot of it is linked to my interest
in mental and social health. This is true of the
arts festival too. We like having acts on in the
pubs too – free of charge – which, again, is
about the community feeling connected with
one another.
Morag’s academic background is in cardiac
rehabilitation. In addition to the festival and
Dementia Friendly Village, she, along with
her colleague Liz, run the local HeartStart
program, which aims to teach emergency life
saving skills to the local community. They
have signed up over 800 people so far and
are aiming for 1,000 (see page 18). This is a
woman with many strings to her bow.
With over 40 acts to choose from, The
Lochwinnoch Arts Festival has gone from
strength to strength. They now attract acts
and artists from all over Scotland. Talent
abounds, but there can be little doubt, after
my discussion with Morag Thow, that a lot of
the talent also resides behind the scenes!
The festival runs from 6th - 29th March
in various venues throughout the village.
www.lochwinnochartsfestival.com.uk
Image credit top left: Di Finn
6TH - 13TH MARCH
Photography Exhibition
Library. Free
FRIDAY 13TH
Fusioneers
Bowling club 7.30pm £8/£6
Songs and Stories
in the Shop with Kirstin Innes and
Outi Smith ReMode, 39 High Street
£8/£6 BYOB
SATURDAY 14TH
Laura Telford Exhibition
Golf Club 12 to 5pm free
Hesu and Zuba
Golf Club 7.30pm £8/£6
Ragin’ Twilight
Three Churches 9pm free
WEDNESDAY 18TH
Opening of Art Exhibition
Library 7pm By invitation
THURSDAY 19TH
Christine Bovill Paris Show
McKillop 7.30pm £10/£8
FRIDAY 20TH - FRIDAY 27TH
Art Exhibition
Library hours free
FRIDAY 20TH
Moira Monologues
McKillop 7.30pm £10/£8
Calder Church Production
Calder Church Donation
Billy Hampson
Corner Bar 9pm free
John Hinshelwood Band
Brown Bull 9pm free
SATURDAY 21ST
All day Craft Fair
McKillop 11am to 4pm free
Travelling Gallery
McKillop 10am to 4pm free
Rose Room & John Goldie
McKillop 7.30pm £10/£8
Sean Middleton
Corner Bar 9pm free
SUNDAY 22ND
Largs Gaelic Choir, Lochwinnoch
Bop Choir and Renfrewshire
Community Gospel Choir
Parish Church £8/£6
Call For Artists!
Lochwinnoch Arts Festival
2020 Art Exhibition will run
from Wednesday 18th March to
Saturday 28th March.
They are on the look out for
artists to exhibit. Optional
theme this year is Coasts and
Water.
Submission forms and
information for exhibitors can
be downloaded from the web
site and forms must be returned
by 28th February.
Contact Gill Bell: 07761 172726.