People in Lochaber have been given the opportunity to take part in a unique project that is creating a tapestry telling the story of Scotland’s people.
And among those adding their stitches to the people’s panel of The Great Tapestry of Scotland were members of the Nimble Fingers craft group in Fort William.
The Scottish Parliament held two of its committee meetings in the Lochaber town today as part of a move to bring parliament to the people.
And its presiding officer, Tricia Marwick MSP, used Fort William Parliament Day as an opportunity to involve local people in the tapestry project.
The Nimble Fingers group, which meets once a week in Inverlochy, is a social enterprise in which recycled materials are used to produce crafts and then sold.
Its chairwoman, Lyn Johnson, explained that it was initially set up to enable adults with learning disabilities to develop their creativity, opinions and ideas, but has expanded to include local school pupils and others from the community.
She said: “The visit from the presiding officer has given us an opportunity to showcase the things we do here.
“The tapestry is very special and it’s wonderful that she has brought it along so we can all have the opportunity to add a few stitches.”
Group member Donna MacKay, 26, of Inverlochy, thoroughly enjoyed the event and was delighted to take her turn at stitching.
She said: “It’s nice to meet new people and exciting to take part in this.”
Ms Marwick said she was impressed by the work the group were doing, adding that she now had Christmas “partially sorted” after buying a selection of their crafts.
She said: “This project is inspirational. It provides people, who perhaps feel less secure than others, with a safe space to learn new skills and enjoy company, while growing in confidence and self-esteem. You can see the difference it is making to their lives.”
And the presiding officer, who made the very first stitch in the tapestry, was delighted to see the group joining in with the project.
The artwork, which will include the work of thousands of people from across Scotland, will be the world’s longest tapestry and will hang in Holyrood as part of the permanent art collection.