About - Angus Remembers

Who We Are

Angus Remembers is part of the national Remembering Together project. It is managed by Greenspace and funded by the Scottish government. Greenspace’s local delivery partner in Angus is Hospitalfield. The aim of Remembering Together is to create COVID-19 memorials of the pandemic across Scotland. A memorial is something to remind people of a person or event.

Local artists were commissioned in all 32 local authority areas in Scotland to work with their communities. The memorials are co-created, collective acts of reflection. Co-created means the communities led the work that was made. They embody remembrance, hope, and healing. They acknowledge and explore the ways in which COVID continues to affect us all.

Angus is our county; please watch the film that the Angus Remembers community made about Angus; click here (accessible version available here).

A grayscale image of the archway entrance at Hospitalfield House.

Angus Remembers, Phase 1

In 2022, Hospitalfield House selected a local lead artist, Abbey Craig and an associate artist Lily Garget. They led an initial 6 month consultation. This means they met with the community and heard people’s opinions.

Abbey and Lily invited people living in Angus to share their pandemic experiences. They asked them to join together to explore ideas for a space to remember the pandemic. They used conversation, art, music, dance, drama, photography, and made video and audio recordings.

An image of Abbey and Lily standing at a microphone.

The themes that emerged included:

Bereavement before, during and since the pandemic, including rituals of love and death. Bereaved is how people are described when someone special to them has died.
Being required to ‘shield’. The Scottish Government's Shielding strategy was “designed to protect those who may be at significantly increased risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19 by supporting them to stay at home and limit their exposure to the virus.” This included people who were older and/or living with illness or an underlying health condition
Community support and responding to the changing needs of communities
Friendship and support networks, including the special role that animals played
Creativity during lockdown
Caring
Angus outdoors

As Phase 1 drew to a close at the end of December 2022, the co-creators came together to celebrate their achievements with an exhibition at Hospitalfield House. The findings of the consultation, including what people wanted for an Angus COVID-19 memorial, were presented in a written report to Greenspace that included lots of pictures.

An image of a group of school children and teacher in a large tent. They are sitting cross legged and are all wearing lots of layers.

Phase 2

In 2023 Angus Remembers moved into the second phase of the project. We focused on the most popular memorial ideas and those that connected more to what people felt was most important. These included a definite desire to create accessible memorials through further co-creation with Angus communities. Every person in Angus had their own pandemic experience. People felt it was important to remember those lost and those who had suffered bereavement. People also felt it was important to consider the individuals and communities most negatively affected by COVID-19.

Other people joined our wide and welcoming Angus Remembers community. We came together to remember and share, and to extend and evolve opportunities for people worst affected by COVID-19. Phase 2 also introduced additional artists. Mickey Fenton was commissioned to co-create a series of fully accessible memorial benches and a mobile memory box. Michela Zoppi was appointed to design this website.

A grayscale image of a room full of people. Two people are in focus and they are smiling at each other and one is giving the other the thumbs up sign.

What is Phase 3?

Phase 3 is you! You are the continuing, evolving part of the Angus Remembers project. You are invited to share in our creative responses to the pandemic and our collection of COVID-19 Angus artefacts. We hope you might create your own responses.

An image of three people discussing the project at a focus day.

Ongoing Projects

1. Benches

Perhaps you are accessing our website through a QR code found at one of our 3 memorial benches in Kirriemuir, Arbroath or Montrose? Carnoustie artist and maker Mickey Fenton co-created with the team and Angus community to design and build our benches. Our benches offer a place for anyone to reflect on the time of the pandemic, to remember a loved one, or to simply connect with the Angus outdoors or with other people.

To find out more about the co-creative bench process please see our Accessible Angus page.

A grayscale image of Mickey in a plaid shift standing next to his printed out proposed bench design.

2. Memory Box

Our mobile COVID-19 memory box offers the opportunity to display, handle, and explore our unique Angus pandemic artefacts. Artefacts are things that have been made in the past and they can help to tell us about a certain time. Our artefacts include an NHS paramedic uniform, various PPE (personal protective equipment), music, examples of collections and creative responses made during and after the pandemic. The collection is connected with our website, and may be borrowed for educational purposes.

Mikey, the bencher's designer and maker sitting on the first bench, installed in front of the Montrose Picture House

3. Website

This website is a result of Phases 1 and 2. It represents the voices of Angus and our experiences of the pandemic. Our communities explored what might create better experiences for people in Angus, where another pandemic occurred. These ideas are explored in this website. It aims to offer an accessible, hopeful space for healing, remembering and sharing.

Each area of this website tries to represent a part of Angus. They are our voices; they are the experiences of the county through the pandemic and since. Some areas of the website include video. There are suggested activities for each area of the website and we hope you find these fun! This is a community-led project and, as such, includes personal accounts of the pandemic. Discretion is advised, which means we’d like you to make up your own mind about what bits you read or watch.

Our Community

A smiling woman with a long face, in her 40’s, curly blonde hair, wearing a striped top and a thin chain necklace with a small pendant.

A busy, colourful picture. There’s a section of a striped puppet booth, with a moustached papier-mâché puppet wearing a top hat and bow tie, popping out. Lots of props and objects beginning with the sound ‘a’ are laid out, for example an aardvark and an apple tree.

Abbey Craig is a creative practitioner, facilitator and writer (www.worrydollstories.co.uk). She led the project through both phases with associate artist Lily Garget. They co-created with the community all of the content for our website and memory box and Abbey devised the Together Apart, Farm and Sea, Fresh Air and Care Homes (Shoe boxes) projects.

Woman in her 40’s, smiling happily because of winning 2 medals for boccia

1 bronze medal with a dark blue ribbon and 1 white medal, also with a dark blue ribbon. They both have a Scottish flag pattern and the words ‘Scottish Learning Disability Sport’ on them.

Amanda Taylor shared her particularly difficult pandemic experience with us at a drop-in session during Phase 1. She has since been an active and enthusiastic member of our community group. Amanda came on our site visits to advise on accessibility, and to share her insights and creative
ideas with designer Mickey Fenton.

Ann Craig was part of our Phase 1 celebration, performing some of her pandemic writing at our gathering. Her work is featured on our Sharing Stories page.

A man dressed in outdoor gear, beside the sea and surrounded by cliffs, looking happy and assured.

A drone shot looking directly down at a coastal cliff scene. There is a large U shaped inlet filled with blue water which is surrounded by vibrant green grass and maroon coloured cliffs. In the centre of the sea is a small person floating on their back like a starfish.

Cameron Smith shared the footage and photographs included on our Farm and Sea page. As a tour guide of local sea caves reached by kayak, Cameron has a unique perspective of often unseen places and of life in Angus.

Photo is taken in a spare bedroom, I've got glasses on and have a shaved head.

My special photo is of the Round O where I've worked for 45 years and shot at night. This is where the monks put a lantern in place to show the fishers where to go into the harbour in the old days.

Carey Gibb is one of two Angus Remembers Community representatives who have helped to lead Phase 2 of the project. He has been instrumental in moving all aspects of the project forward. Carey has particularly helped to keep accessibility at the core of our outcomes and helped to create the document, Angus Accessibility. Carey has worked for a number of years with Historic Environment Scotland, bringing lots of relevant experience to our project.

A bearded man in his early 50s wearing a waterproof jacket and hat ready to head out to the next drone flying adventure.

A shot taken from the air looking along Glen Doll on a lovely summer day with just a couple of puffy white clouds in the blue sky

David Spink’s bird’s eye drone footage features in our Angus County film. The views of our Angus land, sea, and hills are breath-taking.

Deborah Chapman led with her company How It Felt a puppet project with an Angus group for people with mild to moderate dementia. The outcome of this project and more from How It Felt can be found here.

A seventy something woman, hair streaked red, with a tentative smile.

green glass jug on the window sill, filled with flowers of Spring.

Eleanor Fordyce first shared her pandemic experience through an in-depth, face to face interview with Abbey in Phase 1. Her writing is included in Sharing Stories, our Angus County film where she also narrates and in Farm and Sea she shares some special recipes.

Fraser Lindsay wrote ‘Reach Across (Live On)’ to raise awareness of, and funds for Reach Across, an Angus-based mental health support charity. He kindly donated the use of his song for our Mindfulness activities.

A lady in the third quarter of her life. Still plenty tread on the spare tyre.

An abstract landscape painted in chunks and waves of muted colours with a full moon in a pitch black sky

Helen Mcdiarmid created a unique memorial to her cartoonist husband Frank, who died during the pandemic, a booklet named ‘Franky Frank’. She first met with us in Phase 1 where she shared her pandemic experience and joined workshops that helped to lead to the final outcome proposals. Helen is one of our Phase 2 community team that helped to co-create our benches.

A woman with dark hair in pigtails, round glasses, a nose ring and necklace, wearing a black vest top looking at the camera, smiling.

A cold-looking, wintery beach, the sun behind wispy clouds reflecting onto the water, the sky bright blue, and a bright orange buoy and seaweed on the sand.

Kerry Flemming is a member of Angus Writer’s Circle, and her work is featured on our Sharing Stories page.

A white woman with brown curly hair smiling at the camera against a stone wall background.

A woodland walk near my home that I took every day during lockdown. This photo shows it in heavy snow.

Kirsten Wilson is Hospitalifield’s Engagement & Volunteer Programme Manager. Hospitalfield is Greenspace’s local delivery partner in Angus, and the Angus Remembers’ project manager.

Lily has light coloured hair and is smiling brightly.

A cropped image of a blue hand knitted jumper with purple detailing is laid flat on a wooden table. A half finished cream jumper is placed over the top, being compared for size.

Lily Garget worked from the beginning of Phase 1 as Associate Artist, and has continued this role throughout Phase 2, alongside Abbey Craig. Lily devised and co-created work in Clay Faces of Angus, Postcards, and Memory Quilt.

A smiling woman with a mass of curls, wearing a cosy jumper and sheltering from the north sea breeze in front of a red sandstone wall.

The sun shining down from a blue sky onto a beautiful coast line and a black slimline bike helmet sitting on a rock.

Lois Speed is an independent councillor for Arbroath East and Lunan Angus. Lois helped us to put accessibility at the core of our process and helped to adapt spaces and literature for accessibility. Lois shared her lived experience as a carer for her 2, now adult, children during the pandemic with a 1:1 interview in Phase 1 of Angus Remembers.

A woman with light-coloured hair pinned up, smiling at the camera

Lucy Byatt is the Director at Hospitalfield who are Greenspace’s local delivery partner in Angus and the Angus Remembers’ project manager.

A picture of a 40 something lady wearing glasses, hating doing a selfie, in a shirt with checks.

Nose of a paddleboard, enjoying the sunset over Carnoustie.

Lyne Souter is a project worker with Arbroath Connections (a social group for people with mild to moderate dementia). Lyne supported the Angus Remembers’ How It Felt Puppets project.

A smiling woman with glasses on top of her head and a chic scarf half tied half held around her neck. She is wearing a delicate silver bracelet on her wrist and a dangling earring on her ear.

The film poster for Disney- Pixar’s Brave, featuring a cartoon of a young and fearless looking woman in historical dress brandishing a bow and arrow. Her defining feature is a huge, tousled head of auburn curls.

Margaret was part of our Phase 1 celebration, performing some of her pandemic writing at our gathering. She has contributed to some of our Phase 2 writing workshops.

Mark McGreehin worked alongside Deborah on the Angus Remembers How It Felt Puppets project and created the final film for it. He also collaborated with Angus Remembers to make our Angus film and Fishing film for the Farm and Sea page.

A man in his forties, wearing a light shirt, with glasses, a beard and short thinning hair.

An abstract photo of light blue material with pearl adornments, unfocused at the bottom of the picture. It is not clear what the item is.

Matthew Buchanan is the Venue Manager at the Montrose Playhouse and helped Angus Remembers’ search for bench sites. He supported opportunities for us to engage with the public in and around the cinema.

Mhairi Edwards’s photography has recorded the Phases of our project and helped to tell our pandemic stories. Her photographs feature throughout the website including: Angus Geology, Together Apart, Farm and Sea, Care Homes (Shoe boxes), Fresh Air and Angus Remembers People (biography shots).

A woman in her thirties, black hair and hair, mediterranean complexion, smiling at the camera.

A picture of the swimming reservoir in London. The weather is cloudy but looks warm, there is a table indicating the water temperature and the swimming loop on the front left.

Michela Zoppi is a London-based designer, curator, lecturer and writer. Michela collaborated with Abbey and Lily from Phase 2 to the creation of Angus Remember identity and has been responsible for the design of the website.

A smiling man in his 20's with a bit of stubble on his chin, longish brown hair tucked behind his ears, wearing a checked shirt with a t-shirt showing at the neck.

In the foreground is one of the concrete ramps at the Carnoustie skatepark, overlooking the rocks, sandy beach and blue waves of the North Sea.

Mickey Fenton joined our team as the designer and maker of our Angus Remembers Benches and Box in Phase 2. Mickey worked with all of our community, including collaborating with Angus Remembers’ artists, Michela Zoppi and Lily Garget to create a cohesion between all of our project outcomes.

Photo of a woman in her 40s with green eyes and wavy light brown hair, wearing a grey jacket and a smile.

Photo of Lunan bay taken from the top of dunes looking north towards the lime kilns.

Morag Smith has been an integral part of our project since Phase 1. Morag has created artwork and content for our website and collated items for our box. A geologist, Morag created our Angus Geology page assisted by her geologist husband Robert, and has donated a collection of local rocks to our box. She also contributed photographs and background knowledge for our film The Fishing Trade, which features her dad, Alex.

A moody red photograph showing a small section of a darkroom; a light attached to the wall beside a ceramic sink. An analogue print is being processed, floating in a small tank of solution.

Oonagh Devoy became involved with our project in Phase 2 as the head of the Contemporary Art course at Dundee and Angus College. The students contributed illustrations for our Sharing Stories page in collaboration with the Angus Writers circle. Oonagh photographed the artwork for the page. Oonagh’s own collection of pandemic photographs feature in our Farm and Sea page, with her record of life on an Angus farm during lockdown.

A small framed woman smiling, wearing bright lipstick and a flick of mascara. Her hair is in shoulder length waves with a substantial straight fringe meeting her eyes.

A luminescent pink and purple sky with a silver tinted rainbow arching into a full semi-circle over water, the rainbow’s reflection makes a complete circle. It is Broughty Ferry, the castle and harbour wall are also in the picture. In the bottom left corner, in white text it reads, ‘Amanda 28/06/2021.

Paula Peeks's first involvement with the project was during Phase 1, when she shared her personal experience of dealing with her own primary cancer, the deaths of her dad and her best friend, and other difficulties she faced during the pandemic. She is a qualified pluralistic counsellor and owns Authentic Counselling. Paula recorded a series of meditations for our Mindfulness page.

Phil Petrie joined our Angus Remembers project in Phase 2, contributing time and fabulous original drone footage taken all over Angus. Philip’s work features in our Angus film (as do his family!), and Fishing film in the Farm and Sea page. Philip also shared with us his newfound passion for local geology and his subsequent expeditions around Angus.

A young woman in her 20's with long light brown hair and freckles, wearing a blue shirt over a white t-shirt, looking at the camera, smiling.

A photo of Arbroath beach looking towards the horizon to the right. Taken late afternoon on a spring day with clear blue skies and frothy waves, with footsteps on the sand in the foreground.

Rachel Simpson supported Deborah and Mark on the Angus Remembers How It Felt Puppets project.

Woman with shoulder length brown hair curled back away from her face, wearing makeup including a light pink lipstick and is smiling with her lips closed.

A long flat of sand and sea with a blindingly bright sky, looks like a winter sun.

Rebecca Connolly’s (of Red Rock Music) relationship with Angus Remembers expanded in Phase 2. She collaborated with Sarah and Abbey to devise the Isla Primary School project and created the song featured in the Fresh Air page with the pupils. Rebecca’s beautiful Songbird features in our Angus County film.

Photo of a man in his forties with dark straight hair, glasses and a goatee beard, sitting in the sun on a deckchair wearing a white cotton shirt.

Photo of a wooden Mollenhauer Modern treble recorder with keys on the foot joint.

Ruaraidh Wishart is an archivist at Abertay University. He took our team on a journey to learn about archives: what they are, and what they aren’t. He gently guided us to an understanding about what we wanted to achieve with our outcomes. One of Ruaraidh’s tracks from his EP A Sough O’ War, created during the pandemic under the name “Little League Rebellion”, provides a meditative moment on our Mindfulness page.

A b&w shot of a woman in a white flowered top, wearing glasses, against a blurred stony background.

A sunrise at Westhaven, Carnoustie. The skies during lockdown were so beautiful, but perhaps it was because we had time to stop and observe them. Taking photos like this one really gave me hope and kept me going.

Sandra Ireland was part of our Phase 1 celebration, performing some of her pandemic writing. Her work is also featured on our Sharing Stories page. Sandra became a member of our community team in Phase 2, with a focus on co-creating content for our website and box. Sandra devised and ran our Postcards workshop, in collaboration with artist Lily Garget. The cards are part of our box collection.

A friendly looking woman in her 20’s with a wide but slightly uncertain smile, straight, shoulder length hair with a sweeping side fringe, wearing a broad- checked outdoor jacket.

A small yellow dog (mixed breed but looks like a terrier) looking up into the camera on a sunny day at a park.

Sarah is one of 2 Angus Remembers Community representatives who helped to lead Phase 2. Sarah has been instrumental in moving the project forward, her extensive knowledge of Angus has helped and supported the team’s learning journey. Sarah collaborated with Red Rock Music and Abbey Craig to create the Isla Primary School camping project. She also shared her experience as a Traveller living in Angus in our Fresh Air page.

A black and white image of a man in his 40s with short dark hair, in dark clothing, facing the camera.

A black drum kit on a stage in a theatre with a whale mandala image on the front of the bass drum.

Scott Burrell (of Red Rock Music) supported and recorded “The Singing Buddies” and Robert Howat who are featured in our Together Apart page.

Woman in her early 20’s, with shoulder-length hair half brushed and glasses, wearing a rose quartz crystal necklace and a work lanyard.

A muddy Sunday at the woods but a gorgeous blue sky and beautiful browns on the trees.

Shannon Evans is a project worker with Arbroath Connections (a social group for people with mild to moderate dementia). Shannon supported the Angus Remembers How It Felt Puppets project.

A 76 year old woman wearing a stripey top and a BIG necklace. She has short hair and glasses.

An abstract patterned mosaic lockdown project, made with little green and blue tiles interspersed with swirls of glass beads in various colours, in the background is a section of a garage with some bit of furniture and the tiled ground.

Violet Thomson has been part of Angus Remembers since Phase 1, advising on accessibility for our benches, sharing her knowledge of creating archives, and finding ways to bring local history to life. Violet represents the HAAR group in our film presented in the Farm and Sea page as she describes the historical role of women in the local fishing industry.

A woman with dark hair tied back from her face, wearing a white soft looking hooded top with a patterned scarf wrapped through the top and around her neck.

Tear-shapes of amber amulet on silver chain.

Wanda McGregor was part of our Phase 1 celebration, performing some of her pandemic writing. Her work is featured on our Sharing Stories page and her piece “Sorry” is featured in our Care Homes page and was included in our final report of Phase 1.

William Richmond joined the project at the end of Phase 1 after a chance meeting with Abbey at a local art gallery. He became an integral part of our project and a valued member of the team. William shares his experience with long-COVID on our dedicated page, and helped to co-create our outcomes, including content for this website.

In partnership with:

Angus Remembers is part of the Scottish wide Remembering Together Community and has been supported by that community throughout Phase 1 and 2 of our project.

Angus Remembers is a team of organisers, partnerships and collaborators; together we have co-created the 3 outcomes of our project. As we emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals and organisations from across Angus came together in person or online, and shared memories, ideas, skills and their creativity. Without the generosity of all of those people, this project would not exist.

Angus Remembers Community: Margaret Bowman, Matthew Buchanan, Scott Burrell, Lucy Byatt, Deborah Chapman, Rebecca Connelly, Abbey Craig, Ann Craig, Oonagh Devoy, ,Mhairi Edwards, Shannon Evans, Kerry L Fleming, Eleanor Fordyce, Mickey Fenton, Lily Garget, Carey Gibb , Sandra Ireland, Fraser Lindsay, Helen McDiarmid, Mark McGreehin, Wanda McGregor, Paula Peeks , Philip Petrie, William Richmond, Sarah, Rachel Simpson, Cami Smith, Morag Smith, Lyne Souter, Lois Speed, David Spin , Amanda Taylor, Violet Thomson, Kirsten Wilson, Ruaraidh Wishart, and Michela Zoppi.

Project Organisers: Lucy Byatt, Abbey Craig, Eleanor Fordyce, Mickey Fenton, Lily Garget, Carey Gibb, Sandra Ireland, Helen McDiarmid, Paula Peeks, William Richmond, Sarah, Morag Smith, Lois Speed, Amanda Taylor, Violet Thomson, Kirsten Wilson, Ruaraidh Wishart, and Michela Zoppi.

With special thanks to, Adverikie Estate, Fiona Ainley, James Anderson, Kevin Anderson, The Angus District Postcard and Stamp Collectors Club, Steven Barnes, Walter Barnes, Katie Baxter, Jill Boni, Brechin Pantry, Heather Beattie, Aaron Bruce, Alan Bruce, Daniel Bruce, Busy Bees Brechin, Care for a Cuppy group Forfar, Care for a Cuppy group Kirriemuir, Alex Cargill, Hannah Christie, Julie Christie Spence, Rikki Craig, Mhairi Dickson , Ben Dovie, Douglas, the agate man, Maureen Duggan, Donna Egred, Lauren Espinoza, Lynne Findlay, Fordmill Care Home, Tobias Forrest, Elizabeth Frattaroli, June Gibson, Stefan Gogolinksi, Robert Howat, Hayley Howe, HND Contemporary Art students, D&A College, Arbroath Campus, Grant Hutchison, David Irelend, Krystalle Ireland, Lauren Ireland, Michele Ireland, Isla Primary School staff and pupils, Andrew Jackson, Adeline Kinsella, Irena Krasinska-Lobban, Ian Lamb, Jamie Livingston, Ashley Lorimer, Carol Malone, Emily Mann, Victor Mazella, Emma McCarthy, Frank McDiarmid, Kay McQueen Hughes, Kenny Merrilees, Helen Parcell, pARTicipate artists and staff, Brian Petrie, Brenda Reid, Jenni Reid, Duncan Robertson, Rotary Club of Arbroath, Celeste Scott, Cean Scott, Robert Scott, Barry Smale, Alex Smith, The Smith Family, May Smith, Claire Spink, Sharon Spink, Brian Stewart, Nicola Stockton, Jan Strickland, Sarah Stuart, Audrey Thomson, Fiona Walsh, John Walsh, Dan Ward, Ann Williamson, and Jordan Wyness (Van Damn).

Angus Remembers
Creating together through shared memories to offer hope and healing

Angus Remembers is part of the national Remembering Together project. It is managed by Greenspace and funded by the Scottish government. Greenspace’s local delivery partner in Angus is Hospitalfield House. The aim of Remembering Together is to establish COVID-19 memorials of the pandemic across Scotland.

Design and art direction by Michela Zoppi
Programming by Arnas Ziedavicius

Email: angusremembers@gmail.com Follow us: Instagram, Facebook, Vimeo

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