New podcast explores Highlands and Islands stories

Issued by High Life Highland

This month sees the launch of a new podcast ‘Spirit: Discovering the Highlands and Islands’ exploring all aspects of life across the Highlands and Islands.

In the four-part series people who live and work in the Highlands and Islands talk about the ‘spirit’ of the area from their own perspective. Interviews were carried out in communities across the length and breadth of the Highlands and Islands, providing a unique snapshot of contemporary life in this part of the country. The podcasts were produced as part of the Spirit of the Highlands and Islands project.

Each episode focuses on people who live and work in the Highlands and Islands, as they discuss their own stories and thoughts on what the ‘spirit’ of the Highlands and Islands means for each one. A different theme related to Highlands/Islands cultural identity is also explored in each episode; for example, our hospitality and music, as well as the nature and wellbeing.

Cllr Ian Brown, Leader of Inverness City and Area Committee and co-chair of the Inverness Castle Project Delivery Group, said:  

“The Spirit of the Highlands and Islands podcasts do an incredible job of collaborating and capturing some very special audio conversations that will be a great legacy for the project and for the area. I’m delighted that we have this unique resource as one of the benefits leading from the project.”

The interviews for the series were conducted by global audio guide producers Smartify. Peter Knowles, their Content and Partnerships Manager, said:

“While travelling around collecting stories for the Spirit of the Highlands and Islands project last year, we realised quickly that the stars of the show were the people we were interviewing. The range of experiences, perspectives, and lives lived they shared with us was nothing short of magical, so we knew we had to do as much with that audio as possible.”

Working with the fabulous High Life Highland team, we came up with the idea of putting together a podcast mini-series: part time capsule of our four trips around the region, and part an attempt to answer that elusive question: just what is the spirit of the Highlands and Islands?”

The Spirit of the Highlands and Islands project is a partnership project between The Highland Council and High Life Highland, which is delivered in collaboration with VisitScotland.

The Spirit of the Highlands and Islands project will encourage visitors to explore and experience all parts of the Highlands and Islands, as well as inspiring them to attend and support festivals and events, visitor attractions and outdoor locations across the area.

The Spirit of the Highlands and Islands project is supported by a grant from the Natural and Cultural Heritage Fund (NCHF), led by NatureScot and funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The Spirit of the Highlands and Islands project is part of the Inverness Castle project. The Castle, opening in 2025, will benefit from £30m investment to support its redevelopment from the Scottish and UK Governments, The Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and a range of other partners.   

The Inverness Castle project is part of the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal, which is a joint initiative supported by up to £315m investment from the UK and Scottish governments, The Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and University of the Highlands and Islands, aimed at stimulating sustainable regional economic growth.

The podcast can be found at https://rss.com/podcasts/spiritofthehighlands/