Community project Lockdown Snakes

Lucy Mark 12 Finlay Mark 5 at Newmill Primary

Apainted stone snake is to be made into a permanent feature in Portsoy as a reminder of thanks to local keyworkers who have worked tirelessly during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Cammy Rae, age 4, and younger sister Macey (1) took inspiration from a similar idea that was shared online. They painted stones collected from the local beach and started to place them into snake formations, firstly near the Portsoy Bowling Club, and then at the Portsoy Church Centre and the town’s Liberty Boat Garden.

They have since been watching the snakes grow rapidly as children and adults from the town have been decorating stones and adding them to the creations. The snakes have become

Cammy Rae 4 and Macey Rae 1 with stone snake at Portsoy’s Liberty Boat Garden

Bay Morrison 7 and Fearne Morrison 3 at Newmil popular attractions with residents of all ages who have been admiring the brightly coloured artistic designs.

Cammy commented, “I really love counting the stones on our walks, it’s exciting seeing the snakes growing so quickly, I think there are more than 130 stones on the Bowling Club snake now. We had good fun painting the stones and have been asking our friends and family to paint some too for us to add.”

Members of the Portsoy Area Action Team (PAAT), who have been providing practical help and support within the community during lockdown, have pledged to secure one of the snakes permanently, and hope the Liberty Boat Garden by the Old Harbour will be the location.

Angela Drummond, one of around 20 members of the PAAT said, “One of our group members saw a news story about decorated stones being cemented into a wall and thought this would be a great idea for the Portsoy stone snake. It will be a bright and cheerful feature that can be enjoyed by the people of Portsoy and visitors for some time to come.”

There have been a number of stone snakes across the country and quite a few across the North East.

One other one was in the village of Newmill.

It was started in the bottom playground by Lucy Mark (12) and her brother Finlay (5) after seeing the idea elsewhere.

Over the months it has been added to by numerous children and adults alike.

It very soon out grew the bottom playground as access was needed and it was moved up to the top playground. This is now where it stays where its future is yet to be decided. 43

We are certainly living through an extremely strange time and at the start of this crisis we all had no idea how the Coronavirus would impact on all our lives!

As a Genealogist and Historian social history is a big part of my job and being honest it is something that fascinates me! I often wish that I could transport myself back in time to live a day in the life of my Ancestors.

Social History is so important as it tells us about how people lived; what events impacted on their lives & often what horrors they had to go through.

Coronavirus in many ways is reminiscent of the Spanish Flu of over 100 years ago. The Spanish Flu is said to have killed close to 100 million people. Yet it was not covered by the media in the way that you might have expected! So many lives had been lost during the Great War that it was felt by the public and authorities that the country could take no more trauma, the result being an unnatural silence….. so unlike today’s news coverage.

As we all progress through this current crisis it does make you wonder how our own crisis will be portrayed in the generations to come and that is why the Covid Archive Project is so important.

If you live in Scotland or spent time there during the crisis, we want you to tell us about your experiences, this could be through the sights, sounds, testimonies, thoughts, feelings and even44 oddities you have come up against. We welcome Individuals, Businesses and Organisations to submit images, audio recordings, short videos, drawings, writings, newspaper cuttings and anything else that you feel not only represents your own experience but would make an interesting addition to the Archive for future Generations.

Why not submit a collection on behalf of your School, Organisation or Business relating to how the crisis has impacted on your business or group and what adjustments had to be made. We would even be happy to feature your stories via our Facebook group or within future talks with community groups relating to the project.

Submissions could include experiences relating to home schooling, daily exercise, empty streets or supermarket shelves, queues at shops, working from home, working to keep the country going, being separated from friend or family, new hobbies or pastimes, NHS work, volunteering or something else… the list is endless and it is open to your own interpretation, every story is different so feel free to tell your story how ‘YOU’ see it.

I am sure that most of us already have media on our phones or social media accounts already that would make a suitable contribution to the project!

On completion of this project the Collection will be handed over to an Archive or Museum on the agreement that the project will be closed for a period of 40 years. Who knows

perhaps your Children Grandchildren will be able to view the collection in the years to come will get an idea of what we are all experiencing at this current time.

To get involved and find out more about this worthwhile project please visit the ‘Covid Archive Project’ webpage at www.

treehousegenealogy. co.uk/covid

A flyer is available on the project webpage which can be downloaded and displayed in your premises or shared with family and friends.

You are also free as an individual, business or group to join our Facebook Group to discuss the project and chat with others about your experiences, you can find the group on Facebook by searching

@covidarchive

Do your part in preserving Scotland’s Experiences for the future!

Home baking. Taking exercise.

Crafts making masks.