The Stowaways

Heritage Inverclyde – A Quest For Learning In 2012, Inverclyde Council secured funding from the Coastal Communities fund to create a new heritage trail, featuring new signage and benches, running from Parklea down to Wemyss Bay. The Heritage Inverclyde – A Quest for Learning project, was developed to build on the heritage trail, by creating more opportunities for people to understand and interact with the heritage which was represented on the trail. Inverclyde Council secured funding for the project from Heritage Lottery Fund Scotland, and the programme was delivered by Inverclyde Community Development Trust, who have been developing and running successful heritage projects in Inverclyde for over a decade.

The focus for HIQL, was not so much the points of the trail itself, but all the stories and memories which happened in between and around those points, spanning the whole of the Inverclyde community.

The project started in 2014 and since then has involved hundreds of local people in exploring and celebrating the heritage of Inverclyde through creative projects – everything from songwriting and dancing to storytelling and stained glass. All of the project outputs will soon be available to read, view or download for free online at www.heritageinverclyde.co.uk.

The tale of the Arran Stowaways was one of those stories which cropped up and had an immediate emotional impact on everyone. A number of different versions of the tragic tale have been documented, this graphic novel primarily uses the version set down by Greenock writer John Donald in his 1928 book The Stowaways and Other Sea Sketches. However you can also read an in depth exploration of the events in Heritage Tales From The Waters Edge which was published by the HIQL project in 2016.

Past projects have shown us that comics can be an ideal way to engage with and explore heritage and history with new and younger audiences - and that is how we chose to retell the story of The Stowaways. During April and May 2016, we worked with a hugely imaginative Primary 6 /7 class in Ardgowan Primary School to rework elements of the story into the start of a comic script, and also worked with the class to create their own stories of being a stowaway. We hope you enjoy the result.

Paul Bristow