Robin Jenkins lived and worked in Toward he was an accomplished writer one of his many works was Fergus Lamont One of the original copies is housed in the Lamont museum.
The Robin Jenkins Literary Award, the UK’s first environmental book prize sponsored by Forestry Commission Scotland and managed by Cowalfest, announced its shortlist in July after what the judges described as ‘a detailed and challenging judging process.’ “The Commission today delivers an increasing range of economic, environmental, activity and social benefits from the National Forest Estate”, explained Dr McIntosh, Director, Forestry Commission Scotland, adding “Scotland’s landscape and forests continue to be a source of inspiration to many, including our writers, and we are proud to be involved with this Award celebrating a former forestry worker who is now widely regarded as one of Scotland’s greatest contemporary writers.”

The Award shortlist in alphabetical order by author was -

Myrtle and Philip Ashmole : The Carrifran Wildwood Story
Linda Cracknell : Doubling Back: Ten Paths Trodden in Memory
Louisa Gairn : Ecology in Modern Scottish Literature
Mandy Haggith : The Last Bear
Linda Gillard : Star Gazing
Gregory Norminton : Serious Things

At the Edinburgh International Book Festival in the Studio Theatre on 24th August, a large and appreciative audience gathered to hear the judges discuss the judging process, with Culture Minister Michael Russell MSP announcing the winner, The Last Bear by Mandy Haggith, published by Two Ravens Press. Mandy is a freelance writer, researcher and environmental activist who has spent the past decade campaigning for the world’s forests, including lobbying at the United Nations, and working as a consultant for Greenpeace and WWF. Initially she studied Philosophy and Mathematics and then Artificial Intelligence, then a decade ago she left academia to pursue a life of writing. She has since travelled the world researching forests and the people dependent on them, and campaigning for their protection. In 2003, she returned to Glasgow University to study for an MPhil in Creative Writing, gaining a distinction. She lives on a woodland croft in Assynt, in the Scottish Highlands. We are also grateful to HI-arts for their suport of the award.

The Concert
The stage was set for an exciting evening in which Dunoon’s Queen’s Hall was swinging, jumping, rocking with an atmosphere of a major rock festival. There was a wide range of age groups from those who’d jived to jazz to those only a few summers old and all joined in the spirit of it. While the Peatbog Faeries strutted their stuff on stage the audience danced in the isles, whooping and whistling. The Queen’s Hall came alive in response to the rhythm, beat and joie de vivre of the Peatbogs.
“Having a wide range of choices of styles of music and events on over the weekend is essen­tial to the future health of the Games”, wrote Mark Morpurgo of Lochgoil Fiddle Workshop in his review of the concert, “and seems to be appreciated by residents and visitors alike. It is clear, from the enormous and diverse efforts that were put in for ‘Gathering Around’ this year that the way forward is for groups and individuals to cooperate and be in a constructive part­nership to deliver the best possible result for the area.”

The Homecoming Parade
It was colourful, it was fun, it showcased a diversity of clans, groups and organisations, it embraced all ages from four upwards, and it was different from those of past years when com­peting bands had marched through the town to the stadium. This was a community Home­coming Parade that celebrated its past, its present and looked forward to its future. It was the sort of parade that could be built on on future years with one group indicating they’d be keen to organise a fancy dress parade as part of it next year. Of course there was some criticism from those who were unwilling to let go of the past and the free spectacle of bands marching through the town in the morning, but as a representa­tive of one group of participants responded, “Well it was a grand games this year, with a lot of potential to build upon it for the future. A big well done to us all I think.” At the Stadium there was a reported spike in admissions as the Parade participants and those who had joined in along the way went into watch the Cowal Gathering events, causing long queues at the admissions gate.

The Cowal Family Gathering
The Cowal Family Gathering at Strachur on the Sunday was an afternoon to wind down, to relax, to savour quieter, more intimate music along with afternoon tea with a distinctly retro feel. Music, painting, a children’s walk, and a chance to learn about village history in the church and smiddy was rounded off by our piper who had played around the village all afternoon being joined by three others for a Cowal Farewell. Flags of the nations were again paraded and then lowered to the haunting tones of the pipes drifting over the village and loch.

Images clockwise:
Lowering the flags
Struchur Pipe Band
Jim & Mary Lamb