Kindness Midlothian: Community spirit on show in new video to mark St Andrew’s Day

People from all walks of life across Midlothian have been brought together to recognise and inspire kindness in a new video to celebrate St Andrew's Day.

Kindness Midlothian

Locate in Midlothian has collaborated with local firm The Wee Book Company to produce the video, which ties in with the Scottish Government's One Scotland campaign and its theme of bringing everyone together in a show of kindness.

'Reach oot'

The video features local people and businesses and is accompanied by a poem entitled 'Dig In', performed in broad Scots by The Wee Book Company's Director, Susan Cohen. Its uniquely Scottish humour recognises that a lot of us feel that “wur get up an' go hus got up an' gone” and concludes with a plea to people to “reach oot” if they feel like they're reaching the end of their tether.

You are not alone

“It's been such a difficult year and we Scots tend to put a brave on things when the going gets tough,” said Susan. “We wanted to convey that folk are not alone oot there. A lot of us feel wabbit an' puggled but if we stick the gither, we'll get through.”

Community spirit thriving

Annie Watt and Jenny Corbett from Midlothian’s Economic Development team agree that working on the video has been an adventure. “It has given us the opportunity to work closely with creative individuals such as Susan and the inspirational artist, Heather McLennan,” said Annie. “We wanted to show that Midlothian is a place of resilience and creativity and where community spirit thrives.”

Celebrating St Andrew’s Day

Midlothian Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Economic Development, Councillor Russell Imrie, congratulated those involved in producing the video: “This is a fantastic way to help celebrate our national day and is a great opportunity to highlight just some of the amazing acts of kindness demonstrated throughout Midlothian during the pandemic. I am immensely proud of the outstanding level of kindness that has been, and continues to be shown by local residents, businesses, local groups and key workers.”

Help us share the Kindness on social media

The new video is available across the Locate in Midlothian and The Wee Book Company’s social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.