Auldearn artist sets up portrait fundraiser to revive village heritage trail
An Auldearn artist is offering to paint portraits in a bid to raise funds to revive a historical village trail.
Local storyteller Helen Wright, who is behind a popular mural dedicated to the witch of Auldearn Isobel Gowdie, is calling for people to support her cause, trying to bring back signs for the local Heritage trail.
She said that it was after the Samhain celebrations held in the village last October that she noticed how the trail, which highlighted some of the key moments in the history of the village, had faded.
“When we moved here in 2006, there was a very definite trail that you could follow and there were leaflets that you could collect from the pub,” she explained.
“It gave quite a background to every part of the history of Auldearn. But that’s all gone now.
“When we hosted our Samhain celebrations last October, a good friend of mine, Ash William Mills - who owns the uh Museum of Witchcraft in Edinburgh came up and noticed that the sign outside our house, in what we call the Rose Garden in Auldearn, had the dates of Isabel Gowdie's execution wrong.
“Then we looked around for other signs - some of them had disappeared altogether.”
She said that seeing two prints shown at a local pub sparked the idea to reintroduce the heritage trail, with signs and leaflets reprinted to help visitors discover the fascinating history of the village.
“We thought that next year, we could use the Samhain event to raise funds for the project,” she explained.
As part of the fundraiser, she decided she will be offering portraits for people at £25 each for the sitter, or if people want to purchase another portrait they can bid for it at the starting price of £25.
“I am hoping it will generate some money,” she continued.
“So far I have made two portraits, but I hope that word will get out there and more people will come forward.
“It has been word of mouth so far, but I am hoping it will pick up. There is no time limit, but it would be great to be able to do something this summer.”
Helen, who is also a volunteer at Nairn Museum, said: “I just want to revise the history of the of Auldearn, which has been forgotten, and not made so public.”
From the Pictish heritage to the trial of Isobel Gowdie and the Battle of Auldearn (which saw more people slain than in the battle of Culloden itself), the village is full of stories that Helen hopes can be commemorated and remembered.
“Auldearn has got such a rich history,” she added.
“Speaking to others, we thought it would be wonderful to have some kind of visitor centre here. Just a small one, you know, but it might bring some life back into the village. That’s a long-term wish.
Anyone wishing to contact Helen about the portraits or to support the cause can write her at wrighth33@gmail.com.
Museum of Witchcraft in Edinburgh -
