Photograph by Raymond Keith
Clovenstone Voices is an exhibition which explores the relationship between place and identity and celebrate the Clovenstone community. It contains photographs of Clovenstone Residents and staff, taken by local photographer Raymond Keith, alongside interviews by Digital Sentinel reporter Craig Tyrie.
The project was managed by Meghan Bidwell, WHALE Arts, with support from Prospect Community Housing.
Below are the photographs and interview with Agnes Scoular who speaks about her time living in Clovenstone, the community spirit there and her involvement with the Clovenstone Community Centre.
You can listen to the interview with Agnes here:
If you are unable to listen to the interview here is a transcript of what was said:
I’m Agnes Scoular
How long have you lived in Clovenstone?
I’ve been back up here for 2 year, but I’ve lived in Clovenstone for about 24, 25 years.
What’s your favourite thing about the area?
I just like the area. They actually moved me down to Westburn for a year but a didnae like it. I actually moved in to Clovenstone Park when I first moved up and then we moved over to the Drive and then they moved us down to Westburn for a year. I ended up getting an exchange with the woman who stayed in here. I just, all my friends are up here. I’ve got my friends across the road, I’ve got my daughter across the road, I ken all the neighbours.
Was there a different feel between Westburn and Clovenstone?
Oh aye, aye. I just felt, I felt trapped. The house was nice it was just your kitchen was to the front and your living room was to the back and my granddaughter, I look after my granddaughter and she’s special needs. Everybody knew her up here. You know. She used to sit by the window and watch everybody go by and everybody waved at her. Down there it was just. we just never knew anybody. Aye so, I was glad when we moved back up here again.
Do you think theres a real community feeling up here?
Oh aye! aye, aye, aye. Always has been. We’ve got the community centre and that. Jamie-Lee she goes to the hubs at the community centre. We’ve got the cafe over there, you can just pop in anytime. You could probably knock on anybody’s door and ask for help if you needed it. It’s really quite good.
Are you involved with any sort of community events in the area?
Well, I’m on the management committee over there at the community centre. If there’s any sort of things going that I like, I’ll go to them. Twice I’ve done the computing course. They do arts and crafts but I’m no an arts and crafts person! I just dinnae like it all! I usually go but I sort of moan like a 2 year old “oh I cannae do that!”.
Women’s day, we never had it this year right enough, I get involved with things. We usually get someone in to cook and we get massages, we get our nails done, someone comes in and does our nails. Just all sorts of different information going about all day, but as I say it didnae happen this year cause the roofs leaking and we were just a bit scared if it was raining we’d all get soaked.
I’m on the management committee, we sort of decide what’s going to go on at the community centre. We try and raise money for the kids Christmas parties and Halloween parties. Things like that. We usually sometimes do things like discos, we usually do one for Sport’s Relief or Red Nose Day. We do a Halloween one, we do Christmas ones.
I’m actually proud of them all. I dinnae usually get right involved as I say, but I help with the Summer play scheme and we do a Fun Day. So I usually help on the tombola, so I like doing that eh. It’s okay as long as they don’t mess up the numbers like they usually do. They did that last year! We do that and I usually help with the wee things like picking up the fish and get sweeties. Things like that.
How has the area changed?
It definitely has changed. When we moved up here it was eight in a block and they decanted us and built all the houses like this. I think its changed for the better. I like the houses like this, well I’m lucky I’ve got my own back and front garden. They are a lot better. I feel like they are a lot better than the eight in a block, you know.
The back, the backs all decking my Husband and his friend helped us to do that because it was really like a swamp, yeah. We had to do something else the kid, the wee one, couldnae go out the back garden. We’ve had a couple of barbecues out there. Once the weathers come in we are out there all the time with the granddaughter. We’ve got a big trampoline out there and she loved being in there. Apart from that I just sit outside in it when there’s nice weather and I can get peace! When she’s at school!
Is there anything you’d like to add at all?
I would just say its a nice place to live. We’ve all had our ups and downs, we’ve all probably argued with one another but you know, as I say, there’s so many people you can go to. They’re all quite old neighbours now as well. I’ve known them since I moved up here as well, as a say my friend across the road, my daughter, my daughter’s pal who is just around the corner. I’ve been here a long time!
