Hill-farmers in Northumberland’s Cheviot Hills are about to become podcast hosts, schoolroom guides, and museum subjects, as researchers turn 19 hours of oral history interviews into a permanent public record of upland farming traditions. The project addresses a quiet but real problem: the knowledge held by shepherds and land managers—about managing heather, water, and grazing on marginal land—is largely oral and at risk of being lost as older farmers retire. Historical maps and archaeological surveys exist, but they sit in archives, not in the hands of schoolchildren or visitors to Northumberland National Park. If successful, the outreach materials—podcasts, interactive resource packs for schools and dementia-friendly community groups, and a permanent display at the local information centre—will embed that expertise into everyday public life. QR codes on the display will link to the podcast series, creating a connected resource that visitors, residents, and tour guides can use without specialist training. The project does not aim to change farming practice or policy; it aims to ensure that a living heritage of hill-farming is not forgotten.
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This proposal builds on the UK element of a highly successful JPICH Cultural Heritage (Conservation, Protection and Use call) project called 'Inspiring Rural Heritage' (IRIS). That research, which ended in January 2024, explored the contribution of local farmers in sustaining their rural upland environment in the UK, Italy, Spain, France, Montenegro. The UK JPICH case study centred on the hill-farmers of the Cheviot Hills in Northumberland and gathered evidence through 19 hours of in-person structured oral interviews with shepherds, farmers, land managers and communities. This was complemented by fresh research into historical processes and land use practices through the analysis of archaeological sites, documents, maps and unpublished surveys (earthworks, excavations, watching briefs, standing buildings on farms). Workshops with local stakeholders delivered a new understanding of their expertise and traditions and contributed to a genuinely collaborative approach which has generated fresh possibilities. Now we wish to take our project further and embed our new understanding in local communities, particularly local schools, community groups for older adults, and the many visitors to the area, which is widely known for its cultural heritage and landscapes and falls within the Northumberland National Park. For this we require support for new elements of outreach which would build on the strengths of our results. These new activities are 1) a series of podcast episodes for local residents and visitors to the area incorporating oral history clips drawn from our existing archive of interviews and linked to new local artwork commissioned by Glendale Gateway Trust (the local community development trust) and Wooler Parish Council, 2) a resource pack of user-friendly interactive information adaptable for in-person delivery to local schools and community groups for older people, particularly those with dementia or experiencing social isolation, and 3) a permanent display in the local community information centre for residents and visitors. The podcast series, resource pack and display will be launched together at an event in the local area which we will organise in collaboration with our local partners. The different outreach elements will be connected to each other, each forming part of an integrated whole (e.g. QR codes on the display will link to the podcast series) and we will promote these resources through local authorities, local tour guides, charities and landowners, all of whom are project partners.
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