Kinross-shire Winter Festival 2020

Kinross-shire

Winter Festival 2020 Design & illustration: www.estherkent.co.uk

www.kleo.org.uk

Welcome Due to the obvious restrictions imposed as a result of the Covid epidemic this year’s Kinross-shire Winter Festival is severely reduced in size.

Nevertheless, we are delighted to announce that some events are still going ahead. This year we are introducing three special routes that you can walk or cycle at your own leisure: a poetry route with poems from writer Jackie Kay and other local poets around Loch Leven, a story route with Christopher Brookmyre, and a children’s activity trail with local author Esther Kent.

Enjoy the great outdoors on your doorstep! The Festive Market will this year take place on Saturday 28 November at the Market Park (opposite Green Hotel).

Community activities Walking routes Festive market Check www.kleo.org.uk and Facebook for updates.

Kinross-shire Local Events Organisation (KLEO) is a registered charity SCO44056

Come out for a cycle or a walk! | 16-22 November KLEO is delighted to be a Book Week Scotland 2020 partner. KLEO has created three cycle/walking routes around the area which you can do at any time during the week. Walk or cycle in the company of poet Jackie Kay, author Christopher Brookmyre or local children’s author Esther Kent.

Children’s Activities Route

Who can you make from a pine-cone and a feather? What’s your favourite bird to draw? Take a walk around Kirkgate Park and pick up some actvity ideas on the way, from local children’s author and illustrator Esther Kent. Don’t forget to take a picture of your creations and share on the KLEO Facebook page!

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= activity signpost

Esther Kent Esther is an illustrator, designer and author living in Kinross. Her first picture book, Molly’s Circus, was published earlier this year. Esther is inspired by memories of childhood and loves helping children explore creative mark-making and story-making for themselves.

Story Route with Christopher Brookmyre Go for a stroll around Kinross and read, bit by bit, the unpublished story ‘Puck Knows’ by Christopher Brookmyre. The QR codes on the signs link to the author himself reading the story. Start the route at The Boathouse, Pier Road, Kinross KY13 8UF. The first signpoint is at the start of the boardwalk.

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Follow this road straight ahead to the end, there is a bend to the left.

Turn left. You will find a pedestrian path, 6 follow this and turn left on Station Rd. Cross road and turn right into Swansacre 7. Turn right into Bowton Rd and then take 2nd road left into Curate Wynd. Follow this to the end and turn right into 8 Montgomery St then take an immediate left into Smith St. Follow Smith St 9 to the end, cross the High St and walk through Gace Gdns. 10 Turn left at Sandport and at the end of that road turn right into Pier Rd.

Follow the boardwalk into Kirkgate Pk and leave the park 2 via the main exit along Kirkgate Rd. Take the steep hill up to the right following the high wall. Pass the entrance gates to Kinross House crossing Avenue Rd into Talla Pk. 3 Walk along Talla Pk following the bend to the left at the end.

You will find a pedestrian path. Go along the path and turn left into St 4 Ronans Dr. Turn right at the High St and cross at pedestrian crossing. Turn left into Green Rd. Take second road on your left 5 into Alexander Dr.

Christopher Brookmyre Christopher Brookmyre was a journalist before becoming a full-time novelist with the publication of his award-winning debut Quite Ugly One Morning, which established him as one of Britain’s leading crime novelists. His 2016 novel Black Widow won both the McIlvanney Prize and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award. Brookmyre’s novels have sold more than two million copies in the UK alone.

Image © Chris Close

Poetry Route While walking or cycling around Loch Leven you will find poems dotted at the benches (marked as * on the map) from poets Jackie Kay, James Annandale and Graham King. Start the route at any point around the heritage trail.

James Annandale James is a spoken word poet from South Wales, now based in Kirkcaldy. He has been writing and reciting his own poems for the last three years and enjoys writing about life, love and overcoming adversity. You can read, listen and watch him perform on his social media outlets, Instagram, Soundcloud and Facebook as ‘The Artist Explorer’.

Jackie Kay The current Scots Makar – or Scotland’s National Poet – Jackie Kay has been producing nuanced and compassionate verse for over thirty years. The child of a Nigerian mother, Kay was adopted by a white Scottish couple at an early age, growing up in a household where political activism was prevalent. The issues of cultural identity and social justice that her childhood instilled in her became recurring themes in Kay’s verse. She is Chancellor of the University of Salford and Professor of Creative Writing at Newcastle University.

Image: Mary McCartney

* = poem signpost

Graham King Graham King (‘armadillozenith’) lives in Dunfermline. Since 2012 he’s been entering magazine competitions and had poems and short prose published.

He’s taken part in evenings of poetry and song hosted at Falkland Estate in the past few years, and participated in other joint events – on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in Dunfermline’s Kingsgate Centre, and at the Rothes Halls.

Festive Market at the Market Park | 28 November, 11am-3pm The Festive Street Market will look a bit different this year.

Due to Covid guidelines it can’t go ahead at its usual ‘venue’ on the High Street. Therefore, this year’s Festive Market will take place on Saturday 28 November from 11am to 3pm at the Market Park (opposite Green Hotel). Social distancing measures will be in place and there will be a one-way system through the Market. Please wear a face mask when you visit the market. Also, keep an eye on the KLEO website or Facebook page in case there are any last-minute changes.

Light Up the Night 28 & 29 November, 5-10pm Let’s light up Kinross-shire from our own homes and businesses!

Image: Edgbaston Community Art Forum

Homes, businesses and organisations across the town are invited to ‘light up the night’ with a light display in a front window, visible to neighbours and passers-by. Let’s create a festive atmosphere in the town in the lead up to Christmas. A great opportunity to walk around the town after dusk and enjoy a lights display trail from a distance.

Find out more and share ideas by joining the ‘Light Up the Night Kinross’ Facebook group.

Homebrew Concert | 5 December, 3pm An afternoon of music provided by local talent of all ages.

You can watch this concert from the comfort of your own home.

Go to www.kleo.org.uk on the day and you will find the link to the concert.

Loch Leven Story Map A historical story map of local tales around Loch Leven has been produced by Kinross (Marshall) Museum Trust and KLEO. You can pick up this FREE map from Morgans Estate Agent (Kinross) and Light Up My Heart (Milnathort) and enjoy exploring some of the many stories connected to the place we live.