podcast - Museums and Heritage Highland

Brand-new podcast ‘Highlands Reimagined’ asks why young people leave northwest Sutherland

Nicola Henderson Blog 26 August, 202526 August, 2025heritage, highlandmuseums, highlands, podcast, strathnaver 0 Comment

picture of a tall, narrow standing stone with circular image and the word 'failte' written on it. In the background is a a pointed mountain and blue sky with white fluffy clouds

On 2nd September 2025, Strathnaver Museum launches a new podcast series called ‘Highlands Reimagined’.

The podcast was commissioned by Strathnaver Museum, is produced by Anya Media and published in partnership with the Wild for Scotland podcast.

The ‘Highlands Reimagined’ podcast explores why young people leave northwest Sutherland and what will encourage them to build their futures in the region. It features interviews with students from Farr High School, local entrepreneurs and remote workers across three thirty-minute episodes.

Using objects in the museum collection, the young people explore the age-old problem of Highland depopulation and outward economic migration. Through interviews with national and regional representatives from government, agencies and community organisations, the young people discuss their hopes and fears for their future as part of their Highland community.

The podcast emerged from Will Sadler’s successful 2024 Artist in Residence project with Strathnaver Museum, where he used objects in the museum collection to explore issues relevant to Highland communities today. The Artist Residency Programme has been part funded by Museums Galleries Scotland, The William Syson Foundation, the Children’s and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, and has received £5,755 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Fiona Mackenzie, Strathnaver Museum manager, explains: “We have many fascinating objects in our collection which can help us explore and understand issues which affect us today. We are incredibly excited about the launch of ‘Highlands Reimagined’ which provides a vehicle for our young people to share their hopes and concerns for their future within their Highland community.”
Will Sadler, the podcast’s producer says: “This podcast explores the differences between the picture-postcard Highlands of my childhood holidays and the complex reality of growing up there. The goal isn’t to dismiss an appreciation for Scotland’s natural beauty, but to enrich it by revealing the nuances of life in one of Western Europe’s most sparsely populated areas as it faces ongoing population challenges. Fundamentally, I hope the show encourages us all to consider what role we play in helping to build a more resilient future for this beautiful place.”

Kathi Kamleitner, co-producer of the Wild for Scotland travel podcast, notes: “The northern Highlands are often presented as a ‘wild’ and rugged landscape to be enjoyed by tourists seeking vastness and space. But it’s important not to lose sight of the people who call these landscapes their home. ‘Highlands Reimagined’ paints a complex picture of modern life in the Highlands and centres the lived experiences that often get omitted in favour of a romanticised landscape.

To find out more visit highlandsreimagined.com

Remarkable Highland women remembered in newly-released podcast

Nicola Henderson Blog 15 December, 202215 December, 2022heritage, highlandmuseums, highlands, highlandwomen, museumsgalleriesscotland, podcast, thebiglight, UHW, unforgottenhighlandwomen, visitscotland, women 0 Comment

The long-buried stories of extraordinary Highland women have found themselves amplified to a new audience thanks to a podcast series which goes live this week.

Commissioned by Museums and Heritage Highlands and in collaboration with Highlands and Islands creative business support organisation XpoNorth Digital, the podcast series is hosted by Pauline Moore, formerly from the BBC who is now an award-winning freelance podcast host and producer. Focussing on uncovering the previously obscured stories of remarkable Highland women, each podcast uses archived material to highlight fascinating individual narratives.

The first in the series, for example, recounts the intriguing rags-to-riches story of Mary Marjory MacDonald, who became a prolific jewel thief after having been orphaned as a teenager. Subsequent episodes, meanwhile, spotlight artist Margaret Swanson, who was ahead of her time when she became a champion of women’s creativity in the 1800s, and Orkney-born doctor and photographer Beatrice Garvie, who blazed the trail for women in medicine when she became one of the UK’s first female GPs in the 1930s.

Nicola Henderson, Heritage specialist at XpoNorth Digital, said: “Over a year ago now, Nick Lindsay from Clyne Heritage Society approached Museums and Heritage Highland with the story of Caroline Ross, a powerful story of a brave young woman. A story that had been lost to time that he believed the world needed to hear. This idea then came to XpoNorth and with support from the team went on a journey to discover the many amazing stories of remarkable women from across the Highlands. I am delighted that we can finally tell these stories to the world and hope that these pilot episodes lead to people wanting to know more not just about these women, but about the many more amazing women from Highland history whose stories have been hidden for far too long.”

Having been recorded live at a series of events earlier in the year, the podcast series has been facilitated by audio production company and network, The Big Light, whose mission is to connect an international community of listeners with Scottish history and culture.

Janice Forsyth, co-founder of The Big Light Network, added: “We are delighted to host Unforgotten Highland Women on The Big Light Network. Pauline Moore is a world-class producer and presenter and we’re thrilled that she’s bringing these extraordinary Highland women to life in this 6-part boxset. Fiona White and I co-founded the network to tell powerful and important stories and share them with audiences around the world. Unforgotten Highland Women proudly takes its place alongside more than 20 other titles.”

This event and podcast series has been supported by the Year of Stories 2022 Community Stories Fund, and is one of the final projects being launched in celebration of this theme. The fund is being delivered in partnership between VisitScotland and Museums Galleries Scotland with support from National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery players.

Marie Christie, Head of Development at VisitScotland added “We are delighted to be supporting the Unforgotten Women podcast through the Year of Stories 2022 Community Stories Fund. Events play an important role in our communities as they sustain livelihoods and help to celebrate and promote our unique places, spaces and stories. Themed Years are all about collaboration and Museums Galleries Scotland, National Lottery Heritage Fund and VisitScotland are pleased to work in partnership to create this fund to showcase community stories. By supporting events taking place within our communities, including the Unforgotten Women podcast series, new opportunities will be provided for locals and visitors to come together and find out more about the diverse stories, past and present, that our communities have to share.”

Have a listen here ‘Unforgotten Highland Women‘