Latest news with #Cheviot
The National
4 days ago
- General
- The National
What would this play's cast say about the Scotland we live in today?
What if a group of 2025 creatives set out, like John McGrath and his 7:84 company once did, to dramatise power, land, resources and belonging in Scotland? What would they say now? And how would they say it? It might be worth jumping back and forth between the eras, to see what persists of the Cheviot's original themes to this day. Start with the very title. The structure of the play – dramatised as a wild ceilidh night – maps to three historical periods of dispossession in Scottish history. The Cheviot is the sheep that replaced those human Highlanders cleared from their lands in the 18th century. READ MORE: Man jailed for 'despicable' wildlife crimes after setting dogs on other animals The stag populates the hunting grounds that many of those clearances became, at the hands of aristocratic landowners in the 19th century. And the black, black oil is obviously the 1960s and 70s discovery of fossil fuels in Scotland's coastal waters. The Cheviot today? Still nibbling away. They take up 55% of land dedicated to agriculture in Scotland – around 3.6 million hectares. But the sheep farming sector makes up only 7% of our overall national income from farming. In terms of their destructive impact on the environment, George Monbiot once described rural Scotland as being 'sheep-wrecked'. Vegans, rewilders and methane watchers have sheep-farming on notice, never might the weight of history from the Clearances. The stag's symbolism has hardly diminished as a misuse of the Scottish landscape, the extraction represented by hunting grounds still continuing. The campaign group Revive tell us that 12-18% of Scottish land is currently being used for grouse-shooting – about the size of Wales – while contributing a tiny amount to GDP. Wildlife tourism – which protects the diversity of species in landscapes, rather than blast away at them to keep game numbers up – brings in five times as much revenue as hunting. The case against is as strong now as in the 70s. The black, black oil was in its early potent surge when McGrath did the play's first performance in Aberdeen, April 1973. The following year, the SNP eventually elected 11 MPs on a proprietary slogan, 'It's Scotland's Oil'. But could the legacy of the black stuff be more complex? In the play, with amazing foresight, the American oilman Texas Jim thanks God that the UK Government 'didn't believe in all these pesky godless government controls like they do in Norway'. This anticipates the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund from oil and gas established in 1990, its trillions now invested in 1.5% of the globe's company stocks. Feel the pain. Which can be trebled. Firstly, the loss of such anchoring capital, because a tax-frittering Westminster had full sovereignty over the North Sea fields. Second, we have to admit the contribution that the exploitation of oil and gas has made towards what now looks like irreversible climate worsening. And thirdly, the pressure to leave remaining reserves where they are. Climate scientists urge that every ounce of carbon saved is worth it, if only to prevent an even more calamitous outcome. What a troubling, ethics-bending, dark-and-sticky mess this turned out to be. In 2025, the great theme of McGrath's play – extraction without consent – rolls back round again, with the stampede to develop renewable energy in Scotland. After the black, black oil comes the endless saving wind. READ MORE: I was homeless and using drugs. Now I'm playing at the Edinburgh Fringe But are the enemies as clear as the Cheviot identified them, with all the brutal clarity of seventies Marxists? Lesley Riddoch reported this week on the miasma of political and economic snarl-ups involved in wind-farm applications across the Highlands and Islands. It is, shall we say, a dramatic scene. Ed Miliband rejects zonal pricing, which would lower electricity costs in Scotland. MSPs raise their hands, saying they're legally bound by Westminster climate targets to allow rampant corporate and commercial developers to dominate bids – over that of community owners. Rural communities themselves are divided – between their commitments to the planet (which you'd expect, given their proximity to wildness). And then the despoiling of these conditions under breakneck imperatives – the 'industrialisation of the Highlands', as Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis puts it). They're suffering all the environmental chaos and disruption of next-stage renewable engineering, but on the poorest of terms. Turbines and pylons are on the march, sending clean energy to England. Meanwhile localities endure high domestic energy prices, as well as a structural prejudice against them benefitting directly from wind developments. Great and stormy meetings take place among and between communities. Rural electoral parties are mooted for next May. They look like they're urging a plague on all existing party-political houses. What theatrical drama could encompass such live political and social drama? The 2025 forms that might comprise a follow-up to the Cheviot are a really intriguing question. So many of the reports around its 50th anniversary in 2023 emphasised how much the play answered its audiences' thirst – for themselves and for their history to be represented on stage. The energy of the play seems to parallel Billy Connolly's explosion into the TV and concert mainstream. Both 7:84 and the Big Yin were relentless giggers, adapting themselves to whatever church hall or community centre could house them. However, we are also social media people in 2025, wherever we are strewn across Scotland. The young are on TikTok, but even the oldies are on Facebook and WhatsApp. And Zoom or Teams are the default organisational tools for many. What kind of single dramatic 'representation' could take purchase, when we have so many ways and means to represent ourselves? Creatives worth their salt should rise to such a challenge. Another major difference between these eras may be the acute need to foment less an anti-capitalist critique, more a pro-planet tendency. What's the bigger vision we can land, that makes Nigel Farage and his anti-green populism seem small and petty, in a Scottish context? Between makars and folk, can we co-compose 'cli-fi' – climate fiction – that puts emotional and dramatic flesh on the lives of Scots in this future? We can also be eclectic about the forms this cultural intervention takes. What's the 2025 equivalent – EDM club night, immersive event, game platform, social cosplay: let's explore – of the ceilidh which originally frames the Cheviot? And which often continued onwards, for real, after the final call? READ MORE: TRNSMT main stage act calls out politicians' attempts to cancel Kneecap Many stories from the Cheviot's past cherish the interaction between performer and audience. Again, assuming the presence of digital networks, how could culture and performance click directly into other democratic and self-determining behaviours? Both face-to-face and virtually? Powerful, co-created arts should be one motivating element to help you persist with the planning and deliberation of projects like community energy, civic assemblies, collective envisioning. To defeat the Faragists, we need a dollop of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's advice about projects: 'If you want to build a ship, don't drum up folks to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.' And reflecting on the Cheviot, it may not be that we need a 'theatre of the oppressed', as the Brazilian Augusto Boal once asked for. But what Simon Starkey, one of the founders of the National Theatre of Scotland, calls a 'theatre of opportunity'. Let's push back against yet more 'extraction without consent'. But as many of Scotland's greatest artists would agree, let's raise visions of a desirably complex and alternative Scotland at the same time. That's the kind of new Cheviot I'd yearn to see – and maybe even help shape. Something vast and unruly enough to hold our anger, our grief, our planetary hopes, all at once. So what's your version? Who's your cast? Where's your stage?
Telegraph
03-07-2025
- Telegraph
The 10 best pubs in Northumberland
It would be hard to find a Northumbrian village without a pub. Often former coaching inns or drovers' inns, they retain the same sense of welcome and refreshment to allcomers (nowadays, including dogs, cyclists and walkers) but with more comforts. The food may be more refined and the décor smarter but the best still have original features such as exposed-stone walls and toasty fires. Central, of course, are the beers, with many pubs sourcing from within the county boundaries; evocative brewery names to look out for include Hexhamshire, Cheviot, Rigg & Furrow, and First & Last. Northumbrian gins, vodkas and even whisky and rum keep the spirits proudly local, too. All our recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best pubs in Northumberland. Find out more below, or for more Northumberland inspiration, see our guides to the region's best hotels, restaurants, things to do and beaches. Find a pub by type: Best for beer aficionados The Ship Tucked in the corner of the village green in tiny Low Newton-by-the-Sea, this whitewashed, one-room pub could equally claim to be 'best for views': the village green, which doubles as its unofficial beer garden, opens to the beach. Beers and lagers, with names such as 'Sandcastles at Dawn' and 'Sea Dog', are brewed next door with, at any one time, between four and five on the bar. With scrubbed wooden floors and tables, the bar has regular folk nights and pie nights. Twice Brewed Inn A five-minute march from Hadrian's Wall, this roadside pub is big and unpretentious with a large L-shaped bar. It's popular with families in the daytime thanks to its spacious beer garden. The six hand-pulled ales, produced in the next-door brewery, constantly rotate – apart from the ever-popular Sycamore Gap pale ale. Others might include Steel Rigg (a porter), Ale Caesar (an amber ale) or the thumping 7.5 per cent wheat beer, All My Friends Are Dead. Try the adjacent Tap Room for a 'taster plank' of three different beers. The Curfew This micro-pub up a narrow alley near the Old Bridge in Berwick-upon-Tweed is easily missed. With its regularly changing cask ales and traditional ciders (between three and four of each at any one time), plus bottled craft beers from around the world, it's one for the ale-curious. The choice could range from a sour fruit beer to a New Zealand Pale Ale or a full-bodied Yorkshire stout. As well as a slip of a bar, there's a covered courtyard; great for summer drinking. Return to index Best for views The Duke of Wellington Inn In the tiny village of Newton, this inn is easily missed, unless you're a local or have heard about its rather good food. The paved terrace, with horizon-stretching views across the Tyne valley, is where you want to be in the warm weather. If it's chilly, you're best off in the dog- and muddy-walker-friendly stone-flagged bar. The bar usually stocks three cask ales plus a good range of gins, including several distilled in Northumberland, as well as a fine choice of single malt whiskies. The Red Lion Inn Half way down Alnmouth's main street, this 18th-century coaching inn's secret card is the rear beer garden. From here there are far-reaching views over the estuary of the River Aln and down the coastline. It's a relaxing spot to enjoy one of the pub's beers, a rotating selection of local craft and traditional ales, or one of its popular Aperol and passionfruit spritzes. There are summer pizzas, too. Return to index Best traditional pubs Holly Bush Inn Away in the National Park, where roads grow narrower and sheep more numerous, this sweet-looking pub, a former 18th-century drovers' inn now tricked out with hanging baskets and window-boxes, delivers a friendly welcome and a proper fire-warmed bar (food is served in the separate dining rooms). The five regular cask ales come from within a 35-mile radius – Grainger Ale, from Hadrian Border Brewery, always 'flies out the door' – with a changing guest ale. Area: Greenhaugh, mid-Northumberland Website: Price: £ The Olde Ship Inn It takes a while for first-timers to adjust to this small, L-shaped bar with its wood-panelling, red banquettes and copper-topped tables. And every bit of wall and ceiling is hung with nautical paraphernalia from lobster pots, model ships and brass clocks, to knotted ropes, lifebelts and naval caps. The polished bar, with its gleaming brass rail, offers up to 10 hand-pulled ales – a mix of local, Newcastle, Yorkshire and sometimes Edinburgh brews. It's cramped but good-humoured and there's a rear terrace overlooking Seahouses' harbour. Return to index Best all-rounders The Angel of Corbridge In the centre of handsome Corbridge, with its chi-chi shops and tearooms, the Angel, as it's affectionately known, is a popular meeting place for locals, whether that's for a morning coffee, lunch or an evening drink. Either take a stool in the large bar with its white-washed plaster walls and scrubbed tables, or hole up in a comfy leather sofa in the fire-warmed, wood-panelled lounge. For a sunny sundowner, the paved south-facing terrace is a perfect spot for people-watching. Four cask ales include a custom-made brew, The Angel's Share. Area: Corbridge, Hadrian's Wall Website: Price: £ The Northumberland Arms This handsome Georgian inn – built by the Duke of Northumberland for guests to his nearby home of Alnwick castle – in the well-heeled village of Felton is a good spot for a quiet lunchtime or early evening drink (later it can get busy with diners). With a modern-rustic style the bar keeps around five real ales plus a cracking cocktail selection. Perfect for sipping while sitting on the small terrace overlooking the River Coquet. The Joiners Arms After a romp on the beach at Low Newton-by-the-Sea, head 10 minutes up the hill to this cute-looking bohemian-decorated pub with its exposed-stone walls, leather banquettes, red-velvet stools, oversized floral lampshades and fake pot-plants. The bar keeps around five beers brewed in the North East, plus a guest ale, but you can be easily tempted by a cocktail such as an Elderflower Tom Collins or Apple Fog Old Fashioned, especially if it's sunny enough for the terrace. Return to index How we choose Every pub, venue or experience in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from casual pubs to exquisite cocktail bars – to best suit every type of traveller – and consider the service, drinks, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up to date recommendations. About our expert My introduction to Northumberland was pretending to be a Roman centurion on a childhood Hadrian's Wall holiday. Now, living near the Wall, I've discovered far more; not least horizon-stretching views, puffins, crab sandwiches, and wild, empty beaches.
Fashion Network
11-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
John Smedley becomes brand partner and key sponsor of Great British Wool Revival
It's part of a wider movement across fashion that sees natural materials promoted as a more environmentally-friendly option and also that increasingly sees companies embracing local sourcing. GBWR said wool 'is perfectly positioned to play a pivotal role in sustainable and regenerative fashion systems, and to support local economies, from rural farmers to designers and businesses of all sizes'. Over 200 companies have joined it to date as it 'aims to support the collective ambition to increase the uptake of British wool'. As the oldest knitwear manufacturer in the world that also focuses on the benefits of British craftsmanship across its manufacturing, it's no surprise that John Smedley is now deeply involved. The brand introduced British wool in 2015 and it has become a mainstay of limited-edition and mainline winter collections, 'showcasing the best of British sheep including the heralded Blue Faced Leicester and Cheviot breeds, wools from the Duchy of Cornwall Estate, Alpaca and Guanaco fibres'. It uses the yarn for machine knits made at its factory in Lea Mills, Matlock, and also for hand-knitted pieces by individual artisans that take over 100 hours to knit. So what will its GBWR link-up involve? The collaboration covering this year and next will see the platforming of British wools across a range of projects. For instance, working alongside Derby Museums, John Smedley's Sustainable School Uniform Project aims to educate the young on the benefits of British wool, allowing students to create the school jumper of the future. And its winter campaign will showcase the capabilities of British wool across both commercial machine-knitted products and hand-knitted yarn and one-off pieces, 'allowing the audience to engage with the textile and the stories of the farmers, spinners and knitters within these processes'. As mentioned, this will also mark the first time John Smedley makes available its yarns and knitting patterns to enable consumers to make their own sustainable sweater. Meanwhile, next spring John Smedley and GBWR will come together for the UK Wool Conference in association with The King's Foundation 'to address the current challenges and potential opportunities for British wool, with the view to provide more brands with support in developing collections with British wool from AW26'. The company's MD Jess Mcguire-Dudley said: 'For over 10 years since I first joined the John Smedley company, we have been championing British wools across our collections, and since that time our use of British wools has grown by over 50%, I am delighted that one of my first acts as Managing Director is to further our support for this wonderful fibre by partnering with The Great British Wool Revival to ensure the tools they are creating can continue to support the wider industry. 'We saw how much our offer to support brands with British manufacturing by opening up our third-party manufacturing resonated, and I would urge these brands now also look to British wools to create truly traceable collections full of provenance. Together we can hope to rebuild the wonderful traditions and crafts of the UK by supporting the many artisans across farm, spinning, design, manufacturing and many other areas.' And Fashion Roundtable founder Tamara Cincik added: 'The Great British Wool Revival is a timely initiative, which we created to plug a systems gap from farm to designer and industry. This supported the fantastic Modern Artisans Programme for the King's Foundation and aligns with our shared values of provenance, local supply chains, textile craft and best of British. We are delighted to be partnering with John Smedley to continue this important and timely work.'
Fashion Network
11-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
John Smedley becomes brand partner and key sponsor of Great British Wool Revival
British heritage knitwear brand John Smedley and the Great British Wool Revival (GBWR) are teaming up 'to champion British wool'. The partnership will see a number of marketing, educational, community and industry initiatives involving John Smedley and will be visible in its campaigns, as well as it making yarns and patterns available for consumers to create their own pieces for the first time in its history. GBWR is a support and storytelling project launched last year by think tank Fashion Roundtable and originally partnered with Yoox Net-a-Porter. It's part of a wider movement across fashion that sees natural materials promoted as a more environmentally-friendly option and also that increasingly sees companies embracing local sourcing. GBWR said wool 'is perfectly positioned to play a pivotal role in sustainable and regenerative fashion systems, and to support local economies, from rural farmers to designers and businesses of all sizes'. Over 200 companies have joined it to date as it 'aims to support the collective ambition to increase the uptake of British wool'. As the oldest knitwear manufacturer in the world that also focuses on the benefits of British craftsmanship across its manufacturing, it's no surprise that John Smedley is now deeply involved. The brand introduced British wool in 2015 and it has become a mainstay of limited-edition and mainline winter collections, 'showcasing the best of British sheep including the heralded Blue Faced Leicester and Cheviot breeds, wools from the Duchy of Cornwall Estate, Alpaca and Guanaco fibres'. It uses the yarn for machine knits made at its factory in Lea Mills, Matlock, and also for hand-knitted pieces by individual artisans that take over 100 hours to knit. So what will its GBWR link-up involve? The collaboration covering this year and next will see the platforming of British wools across a range of projects. For instance, working alongside Derby Museums, John Smedley's Sustainable School Uniform Project aims to educate the young on the benefits of British wool, allowing students to create the school jumper of the future. And its winter campaign will showcase the capabilities of British wool across both commercial machine-knitted products and hand-knitted yarn and one-off pieces, 'allowing the audience to engage with the textile and the stories of the farmers, spinners and knitters within these processes'. As mentioned, this will also mark the first time John Smedley makes available its yarns and knitting patterns to enable consumers to make their own sustainable sweater. Meanwhile, next spring John Smedley and GBWR will come together for the UK Wool Conference in association with The King's Foundation 'to address the current challenges and potential opportunities for British wool, with the view to provide more brands with support in developing collections with British wool from AW26'. The company's MD Jess Mcguire-Dudley said: 'For over 10 years since I first joined the John Smedley company, we have been championing British wools across our collections, and since that time our use of British wools has grown by over 50%, I am delighted that one of my first acts as Managing Director is to further our support for this wonderful fibre by partnering with The Great British Wool Revival to ensure the tools they are creating can continue to support the wider industry. 'We saw how much our offer to support brands with British manufacturing by opening up our third-party manufacturing resonated, and I would urge these brands now also look to British wools to create truly traceable collections full of provenance. Together we can hope to rebuild the wonderful traditions and crafts of the UK by supporting the many artisans across farm, spinning, design, manufacturing and many other areas.' And Fashion Roundtable founder Tamara Cincik added: 'The Great British Wool Revival is a timely initiative, which we created to plug a systems gap from farm to designer and industry. This supported the fantastic Modern Artisans Programme for the King's Foundation and aligns with our shared values of provenance, local supply chains, textile craft and best of British. We are delighted to be partnering with John Smedley to continue this important and timely work.'
Fashion Network
11-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
John Smedley becomes brand partner and key sponsor of Great British Wool Revival
It's part of a wider movement across fashion that sees natural materials promoted as a more environmentally-friendly option and also that increasingly sees companies embracing local sourcing. GBWR said wool 'is perfectly positioned to play a pivotal role in sustainable and regenerative fashion systems, and to support local economies, from rural farmers to designers and businesses of all sizes'. Over 200 companies have joined it to date as it 'aims to support the collective ambition to increase the uptake of British wool'. As the oldest knitwear manufacturer in the world that also focuses on the benefits of British craftsmanship across its manufacturing, it's no surprise that John Smedley is now deeply involved. The brand introduced British wool in 2015 and it has become a mainstay of limited-edition and mainline winter collections, 'showcasing the best of British sheep including the heralded Blue Faced Leicester and Cheviot breeds, wools from the Duchy of Cornwall Estate, Alpaca and Guanaco fibres'. It uses the yarn for machine knits made at its factory in Lea Mills, Matlock, and also for hand-knitted pieces by individual artisans that take over 100 hours to knit. So what will its GBWR link-up involve? The collaboration covering this year and next will see the platforming of British wools across a range of projects. For instance, working alongside Derby Museums, John Smedley's Sustainable School Uniform Project aims to educate the young on the benefits of British wool, allowing students to create the school jumper of the future. And its winter campaign will showcase the capabilities of British wool across both commercial machine-knitted products and hand-knitted yarn and one-off pieces, 'allowing the audience to engage with the textile and the stories of the farmers, spinners and knitters within these processes'. As mentioned, this will also mark the first time John Smedley makes available its yarns and knitting patterns to enable consumers to make their own sustainable sweater. Meanwhile, next spring John Smedley and GBWR will come together for the UK Wool Conference in association with The King's Foundation 'to address the current challenges and potential opportunities for British wool, with the view to provide more brands with support in developing collections with British wool from AW26'. The company's MD Jess Mcguire-Dudley said: 'For over 10 years since I first joined the John Smedley company, we have been championing British wools across our collections, and since that time our use of British wools has grown by over 50%, I am delighted that one of my first acts as Managing Director is to further our support for this wonderful fibre by partnering with The Great British Wool Revival to ensure the tools they are creating can continue to support the wider industry. 'We saw how much our offer to support brands with British manufacturing by opening up our third-party manufacturing resonated, and I would urge these brands now also look to British wools to create truly traceable collections full of provenance. Together we can hope to rebuild the wonderful traditions and crafts of the UK by supporting the many artisans across farm, spinning, design, manufacturing and many other areas.' And Fashion Roundtable founder Tamara Cincik added: 'The Great British Wool Revival is a timely initiative, which we created to plug a systems gap from farm to designer and industry. This supported the fantastic Modern Artisans Programme for the King's Foundation and aligns with our shared values of provenance, local supply chains, textile craft and best of British. We are delighted to be partnering with John Smedley to continue this important and timely work.'
