The Scottish International Storytelling Festival is committed to promoting folks’ involvement in the wonderful art of live storytelling. We particularly recognise the importance of nurturing future generations of storytellers in Scotland, and this year are pleased to announce a new project called Betsy’s Bairns. This initiative encourages and inspires children to be storytellers, introducing them to storytelling skills and knowledge whilst also honouring the memory and legacy of the remarkable storyteller and singer, Betsy Whyte.

The project is in a pilot phase this year, currently running in three primary schools in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and East Lothian, working with different ages of children, some of whom also have care responsibilities. There are plans to expand the project into more schools in the years to come.

Sitting alongside the festival’s Big Scottish Story Ripple project, our aim is that Betsy’s Bairns will inspire young people to discover the joy of storytelling, develop their own voices and connect with the incredible cultural legacy of storytelling from Scotland’s Traveller community, which makes up a precious part of our cultural heritage.

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Betsy’s Bairns was devised by Ruth Kirkpatrick, storyteller and freelance Creative Producer for SISF 2026, who has led the project and helped shape the work alongside other storytellers. Ruth says:

‘I feel a particular gratitude to the Scottish Traveller community and to those field workers who captured their songs and stories, as I love to tell them. It’s fantastic to hear of children retelling these brilliant stories whilst Betsy’s memory is celebrated. It’s the ‘Carrying Stream’ in action.’

Below are some comments from the storytellers who have been involved so far.

Tim Porteus says, ‘It’s been a wonderful opportunity to introduce and celebrate Betsy’s life and memories as a Traveller and entwine them into an understanding of how stories, riddles and songs have been created and passed on around the open hearth. We sit round our own hearth (fake of course) and create, listen and share just as people of the Travelling community did.’

David Pullar comments, ‘Having spent many years highlighting my Great Granny Betsy’s legacy, I’m delighted to be participating in Betsy’s Bairns alongside the graciously talented Grace Banks. Sharing and building stories with children is not only rewarding but crucial for a child’s development.’

Claire McNicol has been working with a group from Edinburgh Young Carers Project, she adds: ‘I began my professional storytelling life in symbiosis with a children’s storytelling group and Betsy’s Bairns has afforded a wonderful opportunity to circle back there. Last week my co-facilitator Gary Shaw from Young Carers and myself sat wide-eyed as the children retold a story with shadow puppets, having so much fun. Their natural collaboration was a joy to watch.’

Grace Banks said, ‘It’s been a privilege to offer story journeying to these young folk, providing the backdrop of our rich Traveller heritage; dropping seeds of wonder and beauty, stirring their imaginations; encouraging, allowing playful interaction in class and with their natural environment, where eye-to-eye, heart-to-heart listening and sharing have been equally treasured. These are valuable first steps.’

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Betsy Whyte (1919 – 1988), was a Scottish Traveller, born in 1919 in Old Rattray, a suburb of Blairgowrie, to Alexander (Sandy) Whyte and Margaret (Maggie) Townsley. She was an accomplished singer and storyteller, with many recordings of her performances now held in the permanent Tobar an Dualchais – Kist o Riches collection of the School of Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh. These recordings of Betsy performing songs, traditional tales, riddles and stories of the supernatural are a wonderful resource for storytellers, and her recounting of Traveller cant, customs and beliefs make her an outstanding contributor to Scotland’s intangible cultural heritage.

Dr. Linda Williamson, whilst a student at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Scottish Studies received hearty hospitality whilst she recorded Betsy’s songs, stories, folklore and family history at her home in Montrose. Linda recalls:

‘Betsy Whyte and I had a very close working relationship; while she was my mentor on all aspects of Travelling life, I was her catalyst for writing and creative storytelling. She shared the platform for traditional song and story in the Folk Song Revival of the 1970-80s along with the Stewarts of Blair and the Robertsons of Aberdeenshire. Along with her endless, hearty hospitality and a husband who was always happy to sing and support Betsy’s great joy in sharing Traveller lore, there was quite simply no other place or time on earth, in our experience, that was comparable. Our deep longing to understand the culture of the Scottish Travelling People became the motive of her own life-story, told in writing, ‘The Yellow on the Broom: the early years of a Traveller woman’ – dedicated ‘To Mother and Father and Linda’ when it was published.’

As a child, Betsy was awarded a scholarship to Brechin High School, where she was the only pupil from a Traveller family. Although she loved learning, she experienced a lot of prejudice and bullying so eventually left school one day never to return.

Betsy wrote her autobiography in two parts: Yellow on the Broom, published in 1979, and its sequel, Red Rowans and Wild Honey, published posthumously in 1990. The Yellow on the Broom was the first memoir published by a Scottish Traveller and these celebrated books provide a special window through which to see the culture and lifestyle of Scotland’s Traveller community. The title of her first book was immortalised in Adam McNaughtan’s iconic song which has since taken on a life of its own in the folk singing scene, and poignantly, it was also the final song Betsy sang, the night before she died during the Auchtermuchty Folk Festival in August 1988.

Recordings of Betsy Whyte (Map of Stories)

https://mapofstories.scot/the-story-of-the-two-brothers/

https://mapofstories.scot/the-story-of-the-laird-of-the-black-arts/

TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) is delighted to be delivering another cycle of TRACS Traditional Arts Mentoring, with the support of Creative Scotland and partners.

This programme supports the professional and personal development of traditional arts practitioners in Scotland, reinforcing TRACS’ key work in enhancing the knowledge, practice, access and sustainability of music, song, storytelling, dance, crafts, customs and languages. The cycle will run from January – June 2027 and is led by TRACS Traditional Arts Mentoring Co-ordinator, Jo Miller.

What is mentoring?

Mentoring is a process in which an experienced individual (‘mentor’) helps another person (‘mentee’) to develop goals and skills through a series of time-limited, confidential, one-to-one conversations. This process is known as mentorship.

Mentors also benefit through sharing their own learning, evolving their thinking, developing new relationships, and deepening their mentoring skills.

How does TRACS Traditional Arts Mentoring work?

Two mentorship opportunities for mentees will be offered in the following artforms:

• Traditional Dance
• Traditional Music
• Traditional Song
• Traditional Storytelling
• Gaelic language (in combination with one of the above artforms)
• Scots language (in combination with one of the above artforms)

Successful applicants will have the opportunity to work one-to-one over 6 months with an experienced mentor in their chosen artform. This will be a mutually supportive dialogue, responding to mentees’ individual priorities and respecting different backgrounds and learning styles. Conversations may deal with topics such as creative approaches, professional challenges, confidence, and identifying training needs.

Meetings are likely to be mostly online, but some in-person contact is strongly encouraged. There will also be gatherings involving all participants, providing opportunities for peer learning.

Mentees receive a bursary to cover expenses such as travel and materials.

Am I eligible?

Applicants should:

• be based in Scotland
• be early- or mid-career traditional arts practitioners
• not be in full-time education
• not be participating in the Scottish Storytelling Forum Apprenticeship Scheme

How do I apply?

To apply for TRACS Traditional Arts Mentoring, please do the following by Tuesday 3rd November 2026:

1. Complete the application form
2. Send a concise CV relevant to your application (no more than 2 x A4 pages) to Jo Miller jo@tracscotland.org

If you have any questions, please contact the Mentoring Co-ordinator, Jo Miller jo@tracscotland.org

This programme is supported by Creative Scotland Multi-Year Funding.

Hear from Simon Cooper as he talks about his journey into becoming a basketeer. What started as a moment of curiosity turned into a passion for traditional crafts. In this blog, Simon opens up about swapping stress for split oak, stumbling into brush making at a festival, and the wonderfully generous community of makers he’s met along the way. It’s a story of curiosity, craftsmanship, and community – and a reminder why it matters that these skills don’t disappear.

Where it started

My route into traditional craft was perhaps a mixture of curiosity, necessity and a fair amount of serendipity.

I work as a GP in Perthshire and have always enjoyed making things. Woodworking, furniture making and drawing have all been hobbies over the years, but I first became fascinated by oak swill basketry after watching Owen Jones making a basket on the television programme Victorian Farm. I have always loved oak as both a timber and a tree, and there was something magical about seeing a basket emerge from the split oak, which was then strong enough to stand on.

Following the pandemic, and after a difficult period with work-related stress, I started looking for something different. My first thought was to learn directly from Owen, but by then he was no longer teaching regular swill basket courses. Through sheer luck, I discovered Lorna Singleton’s year-long Wood Water Weave programme. Lorna had herself learned swill basketry from Owen, and the course promised ten monthly instalments of learning different split-wood basket traditions.

I immediately applied, then promptly panicked because I had never made a basket in my life.

Before the course began, I made my first willow basket and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Wood Water Weave course exceeded all expectations. It wasn’t simply about basket making. It connected woodland management, seasonal cycles, traditional skills and community in a way I had never experienced before.

Brush making entered my life in a similar way. While helping Lorna at a festival, I noticed a brush-making workshop being run by Rosa Haradine. I signed up out of curiosity and immediately fell in love with the craft. Since then, I have continued to develop both brush-making and basketry, working from my own workshop in Perthshire.

Roots and Tradition

Heritage and place are deeply important to my work, particularly in oak swill basketry.

Swill basketry is now listed as a critically endangered craft. Apart from makers such as Owen Jones and Lorna Singleton, very few people regularly make swill baskets, and even fewer are in a position to pass the skills on. Yet historically these baskets were everywhere. They were made across parts of northern Britain and Scotland and used in agriculture, industry and the home.

One of my favourite experiences was taking swill baskets to the Edinburgh Smallholders Festival. Older visitors would often stop and tell me stories of using them when they were young. In Scotland, many people knew them as “tattie baskets” because they were used for lifting potatoes. Their faces would light up with recognition. A few admitted they were glad when wire baskets arrived because they were lighter and didn’t clog up with mud, but there was always real affection for the old baskets.

What strikes me is that these were never luxury objects. They were practical tools made for everyday work. Yet people still remember them seventy years later.

Traditional crafts teach us patience, resourcefulness and respect for materials. They remind us that useful objects can also be beautiful. They also have much to teach us about sustainability. A swill basket begins with a coppiced tree. The carbon remains locked within the basket while the tree regenerates and continues growing. A well-made basket can last for generations.

I once met a woman who had used a swill basket for over seventy years to dry the withers of her Clydesdale horses. When it finally failed, she sent it to Owen Jones for repair. The basket was restored and returned to use. The idea that a handmade object can serve one family for well over a century feels remarkable in today’s disposable world.

Creative Practice

Much of my work begins by looking at historic examples and learning from those who have gone before.

Oak swill basketry is a highly structured craft. There are established forms, proportions and techniques which have evolved through centuries of use. My goal is not necessarily to reinvent these forms, but to become increasingly skilled in making them well.

At the same time, I enjoy exploring related basket traditions and learning from makers around the world. One particularly memorable connection was with an American basket maker called Billy Ray Sims. I had admired a white oak fishing creel he had made and sent him a message asking for advice. What followed was an extraordinary act of generosity. We exchanged emails and video calls, and he eventually sent me materials, leather straps, a lid, and even a former for shaping these baskets.

That experience reinforced something I have found repeatedly within traditional crafts: people genuinely want these skills to survive. The generosity of makers is one of the most rewarding aspects of being involved in these communities.

I sometimes wonder whether working so closely with natural materials and landscapes encourages a particular outlook. Whatever the reason, almost everyone I have met through basketry and traditional crafts has been welcoming, generous and eager to share knowledge.

Sharing

Sharing these skills is becoming an increasingly important part of my practice.

At present I teach hand-bound brush making and am preparing to teach hazel basketry. My ambition is also to teach oak swill basketry, but there are practical challenges. Swill basketry requires specialist tools, access to suitable materials, large boilers for preparing oak, and enough space for students to work safely.

One of the greatest barriers is actually the availability of raw material. Traditional coppice woodlands that once supplied basket makers have largely disappeared. The future of these crafts depends not only on teaching the skills but also on restoring the woodland systems that produced the materials in the first place.

When people encounter these crafts, however, the response is overwhelmingly positive. Many have never seen a swill basket before. Others remember them from childhood. Almost everyone becomes fascinated when they discover that a basket can begin as a standing tree and be transformed entirely by hand.

Hopes for the Future

Looking ahead, I hope to continue developing both my own making and opportunities for others to learn.

One of my long-term ambitions is to establish or manage a coppice specifically for basketry and traditional crafts. The oak planted today may never be harvested in my lifetime, but perhaps someone I teach in the future will use it. There is something rather wonderful about working on that timescale.

Hazel offers a shorter-term opportunity, and I hope to grow and manage hazel for basket making in the years ahead. I am also increasingly interested in learning and teaching birch besom broom making, another critically endangered craft which deserves a future.Traditional crafts survive because people choose to learn them, practise them and pass them on. I see myself as only one small link in that chain.

If I could offer one piece of advice to anyone starting out, it would be simply to have a go. Almost every opportunity I have had in craft began by asking a question, signing up for a course or sending an email to someone whose work I admired. Traditional crafts can seem daunting from the outside, but they are full of generous people willing to share their knowledge. I am certainly glad I took that first step.

Connect with Simon:

Instagram: @the_bumbling_basketeer
Website: Link Here

TRACS (Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland) is looking for a committed, dynamic and experienced Chair to lead its Board of Trustees from Autumn 2026.

TRACS is a co-operative network which champions our shared traditions of music, song, storytelling, dance, crafts, customs and indigenous languages. In 2025 TRACS was awarded Multi-Year Funding from Creative Scotland to deliver a 3-year programme celebrating and advocating for Scotland’s traditional arts in communities across the country. During this period, we seek to advance our role as a recently appointed expert NGO advisor to UNESCO on Intangible Cultural Heritage. Find out more from our website https://tracscotland.org/

The Chair has a leadership role and is responsible for convening and chairing board meetings, focusing the board on strategic matters, setting high standards of governance and ensuring TRACS is meeting its charitable objectives.  The Chair also line-manages TRACS’ CEO.

The role of Chair is an unpaid position but is a crucial part of governance and leadership within TRACS.

In Brief

• Role Title: Board Chair
• Member of/elected by: Board of Trustees
• Reports to: Board of Trustees
• Main staff contacts: TRACS’ Chief Executive Officer
• Term of Office: Three years; with up to 2 re-elections (max. 9 years)
• Position: Voluntary (unpaid); reasonable expenses

Could this be me? 

The TRACS Board is looking for an enthusiastic, energetic and effective advocate for the traditional arts and the part they play within the life of Scotland and of all its people.

Among other attributes they will have:

• A personal understanding of and involvement in the range of traditional arts communities in Scotland
• Experience of performance, promotion, administration or governance within the arts sector
• Direct experience of working across sectors in forming and nurturing partnerships and the ability to facilitate or lead multi-stakeholder development processes
• Engagement with the funding and policy environment for the arts in Scotland, the UK and internationally
• Demonstrable experience of networking and communications at a strategic level
• Knowledge of fundraising and advocacy work

How much of my time would it take up?

• Board Meetings: The Chair convenes and chairs up to 6 full TRACS board meetings per year.  These are held in person or online and generally last around 2 hours.
• Other meetings: The Chair also plays a crucial role on 2 of the 3 Board Committees – Finance & Risk, Governance & Constitution – which meet additionally throughout the year, as well as convening meetings of the Board Chairs of TRACS’ partner organisations (Scottish Storytelling Forum, Traditional Music Forum of Scotland and other artform networks for dance and crafts).
• Line Management:  Regular check-ins with the TRACS CEO
• Other commitments: Additional time is required for preparing agendas, in consultation with staff and other trustees, and reviewing papers in advance of board meetings; liaising with fellow office bearers and other board members/staff; and attending occasional board training sessions.

How to apply

If you’re interested in leading the board of TRACS through a crucial and exciting time in the charity’s development, please:

1. Download the TRACS Board Chair application pack here.
2. Send an email to recruitment@tracscotland.org outlining your interest and providing details of the relevant skills, experience and/or qualifications you would bring to the role.

TRACS has a strong commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and to Fair Work.  We welcome applications from individuals of all ages, genders, ethnicities, disabilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, socio-economic backgrounds, religions and/or beliefs.

If you would like any further information or to have an informal conversation with current Board Chair Andrew Bachell before applying, please email him to arrange a suitable time.

Deadline for expressions of interest: Wednesday 30th September 2026*

Overview and Hours

• Total Internship Fee: £1,500, paid on a freelance/self-employed basis
• Contract Length: w/c 10 August to end of October 2026 (approximately 11 weeks)
• Working Hours: Approximately 10 hours per week
• Schedule: Working hours and schedule to be agreed in advance depending on festival activity and content needs
• Reports to: Digital Marketing and Communications Officer
• Location: Edinburgh, Scottish Storytelling Centre

The role will include some evening and weekend work during the festival period to capture live events, rehearsals, and related activities. Travel expenses may be reimbursed depending on location and travel requirements.

About SISF

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival (SISF) is organised by TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland). Taking place annually in the autumn since 1989, the festival is a leading cultural event that celebrates the art of live oral storytelling through performances, workshops, discussions, and community activities. Bringing together storytellers, artists, and audiences from Scotland and around the world, the festival promotes cultural exchange, creativity, and the sustainability of storytelling traditions while exploring contemporary themes and diverse voices.

Role Overview

The Festival Content Intern will support the SISF Marketing Team in documenting and promoting the festival through engaging digital content. This role is ideal for someone interested in festival marketing, social media, photography, videography, editing, and creative storytelling.
The intern will support the creation of digital content in the lead-up to the festival and throughout the live festival period, helping to promote and document events and activities while contributing throughout the festival’s key marketing campaign period.

Festival equipment will be available for use, including:

• Digital camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
• Handheld video camera: DJI Osmo Creator Kit

The intern may also use their own phone or equipment if preferred. Training and guidance on festival equipment and content workflows will be provided where required.

Key Responsibilities

• Content Creation
  • Capture video footage and photography in the lead-up to the festival and at festival rehearsals, workshops, live events, and behind-the-scenes activities
  • Create short-form social media content for Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn
  • Assist with gathering artist interviews and related content where appropriate and support the Digital Marketing and Communications Officer in the creative execution of SISF’s Digital Content Strategy

• Editing and Post-Production
  • Edit short videos, reels, and promotional clips for social media and marketing use
  • Resize and format content for different platforms
  • Organise and archive digital media files

• Content Administration
  • Attend relevant planning meetings and check-ins with the SISF Marketing Team
  • Help maintain content calendars and shot lists
  • Support the delivery of marketing content and campaign deadlines during busy festival periods.
  • Work collaboratively with festival staff, artists, and volunteers

Desired Skills and Experience

• Interest in culture, festivals, and digital marketing
• Photography and videography skills
• Experience using editing software/apps (e.g. Premiere Pro, CapCut, Canva, Lightroom, etc.)
• Understanding of social media platforms and current trends
• Strong organisational and communication skills
• Ability to work independently and flexibly during live events

What You Will Gain

• Hands-on experience working within a live arts festival environment
• Experience in arts marketing and digital communications
• Opportunities to develop creative ideas and campaign skills
• Networking opportunities with artists and cultural organisations
• Portfolio-building experience through real-time festival content creation

How to Apply

• Send your CV with a covering letter to recruitment@tracscotland.org
• Application Deadline: Sunday 5 July 2026, 5pm

If you require any support with regards to your application, please email recruitment@tracscotland.org

All applicants must be eligible to work in the UK and registered as self-employed where applicable.

TRACS commits itself to meeting the aims and commitments set out in its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy. This includes not discriminating under the Equality Act 2010 and building an accurate picture of the make-up of the workforce in encouraging equality and diversity.

TRACS is an accredited Living Wage Employer, committed to paying a wage based on the cost of living to our staff.

This role is supported by Creative Scotland Multi-Year Funding.

Applications are now live for the Andy Hunter Storytelling Bursaries 2026

• Five bursaries, to the value of £1,500 each will be awarded, applications close Friday 26 June – Find Out More!
• Scottish International Storytelling Festival (21 to 31 Oct 2026), confirms programme launch date as Tuesday, 15 September.

To mark World Environment Day (Friday 5 June), the next round of storytelling bursaries, set up to commemorate the life and work of storyteller Andy Hunter, who was a true advocate for our natural environment, is now open.

Andy Hunter, who died in 2015, was passionate about the Earth, its people and live oral storytelling. He was an avid cyclist and through his project Storybikes, he combined storytelling, sustainable travel and deep attention to place, encouraging people to slow down, listen, and connect more meaningfully with landscapes, communities and one another.

His Bursary fund, set up by his wife Anne in 2018, is administered by TRACS (Traditional Arts and Crafts Scotland) and five awards of £1,500 each will be made this year. The fund aims to nurture the work of storytellers whose practice is rooted in place, sustainability, community, and the living tradition of oral storytelling. Since its inception, it has supported nearly many storytellers and new projects across Scotland including, storytelling walks for New Scots in Holyrood Park, projects working with disabled people, intergenerational cèilidhs in libraries and schools, foraging and rope-making workshops, nature-connected papercraft and storytelling installations, and sustainable storytelling journeys such as Ian Stephen’s sailing trip from Lewis to Iceland and the Faroes, which was shared with audiences during the 2025 Scottish International Storytelling Festival.

Speaking about her late husband, fellow storyteller Anne Hunter who has generously provided funding for the bursaries since 2018 said:

‘Andy believed in the power of storytelling to facilitate contemplation, attention and deep connections between people, place and the natural world. For me and Jacinta (Andy’s daughter) the bursary engenders a dynamic conversation with Andy’s core principles, facilitating projects and ideas that are always developing and often going beyond anything we, or he, might have imagined. I hope storytellers are encouraged to be audacious in their research and explorations, to share generously and continue to find meaningful ways to bring people together through story and our precious, fragile earth.’

This year’s Scottish International Storytelling Festival, which returns from Wednesday 21 to Saturday 31 October, will also explore the rich relationships between storytelling and the natural environment under the theme ‘Bird and Beast’.  Led by the Festival’s new Director Daniel Abercrombie, the festival programme will look at the traditional and contemporary ties between humans, birds and the animal world and will include ten pieces of new work supported by the festival’s open call; guest storytellers from Turkey, Italy, Ireland and North America amongst others; Scotland-wide storytelling events, talks, workshops, and exhibitions for children and adults; and the return of the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Words of the Wild nature writing competition.

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival is made possible thanks to continued support from Creative Scotland’s Multi-Year Funding and the Scottish Government Expanded Festivals Fund. Full details of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival programme will be announced on Tuesday, 15 September.

To apply for one of the Andy Hunter Storytelling Bursaries and this year’s Scottish International Storytelling Festival visit www.sisf.org.uk.