Hearst & Gaither
Hearst and gaither together this September for the Highlands & Islands Climate Festival. The Highlands & Islands Climate Hub and the Highland Good Food Partnership are delighted to be partnering to celebrate and encourage communities, families and friends to hearst and gaither throughout the festival period.
What is hearst and gaither?
Harvest and gather, of course but it sounds better in Scots doesn’t it? September is traditionally the time that the harvest would begin in the Highlands & Islands. Whether from your own growing in the fields, community garden, allotment, your own garden growing spaces or foraging from the wilder places. Anyone for bramble jelly?
We’d love to encourage communities, individuals, businesses, friends and families to get involved in celebrating the abundance of local food available in Highlands & Islands throughout the festival and there are many ways that you can get involved, we even have funding available to support. Leading up to the festival in September we’ll be sharing many hints, tips and information about our local sustainable food. Having a sustainable, resilient food system is really important in how we adapt to climate change in Scotland and we aim through the partnership and encouraging as many of you as we can to hearst & gaither to shine a light on how accessible local food can be and share your gatherings with us.
Below you will find ideas on how to get involved. We’d love if you do to record and share your hearst and gaithering with us by either sending us an image or a ten second snapshot of video footage. More details on how to do this are below but first, how to get involved…
Community Groups
Community organisations can get involved by hosting a local picnic and we have funding available to help! Funding is up to £200 for a local picnic which can be held indoor or outdoors at any time from 1st - 30th September. If you are planning a larger event and think that you would need more funds please outline this on your application and a member of the Highlands & Islands Climate Hub Team will get back in touch with you. To apply for funding click the link below
Friends, Families, Individuals
Want to celebrate local food with your friends, family or as an individual? Please do and follow along for information from both us and the Highland Good Food Partnership on how to make your food local, sustainable and low carbon. You can find on the Highland Good Food Partnership a directory of local food producers. You might want to share with us that you have been along to your favourite local producer or bought locally from a local shop. Tell us about it by using the hashtag #higaither on social media (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter) and we will be able to pick it up and share. We would love for you to send us your pictures and video clips directly so please do so via the link below.
Local Businesses
Are you a local food producer? Are you hearsting during the Highlands & Islands Climate Festival. Tell us about it by using the hashtag #higaither on social media or by tagging Highland Good Food Partnership or Highlands & Islands Climate Festival in your socials posts. If you have time, we know how busy this part of the year is for you, then send in your images or ten second video clips using the link below.
Not a food producer or food business? You can still get involved. Encourage your staff to gaither, host an event in your canteen with local food, volunteer at one of the many amazing community growing spaces to help them to hearst. Sit down with a cuppa and do some gaithering together.
Submit your images
To submit your images use the form below, we are looking for either still images portrait orientation or video clips of 10 seconds or less also in portrait mode. If you have any issues with submission please contact us and we will do our best to help.
