Last week we said goodbye to the first Remembering Together programme manager, Kim Simpson, as she moved on to take up the role of Head of Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion at Creative Scotland.

Reflecting on her time with greenspace scotland and working with so many partners and artists on Remembering Together, Kim said:

“I am really struck by a sense of having been on a journey. We have worked together in a strange digital world that is new for many of us, taking leaps of faith together whether we work here at greenspace scotland, at an arts organisation, in a local authority, or as an artist in the community. There has been a seed of trust, a sense of goodwill, that we have gradually grown over time by keeping the communication open, listening to our co-creators and asking, ‘How could we do that?’ when something is asked of us.

Remembering Together is the product of many, many people’s desires to carve out a small piece of time and space to consider what the last few years means for us today. I am just incredibly moved by what we have achieved, by the sheer tenacity, warmth and compassion our artists have demonstrated and the will of so many people, communities and partners to be part of this programme.

I doubt I will ever work on anything like this again – it's been really special. I hope many more people find their way to the memorials in their area as they start to come to life through 2023 and beyond.”

As we near the end of the Phase 1, when artists have been meeting people up and down the country to find out what they are reflecting on from Covid, we are reflecting on how we got here. We’ve been visiting communities and artists to hear what has been coming up for them, and have been struck by the layers of meaning, positive moments in the dark times and the diversity of experiences we have heard about. Over the coming months we will be sharing more of the images and reflections from these encounters on the Remembering Together website

You can find your local memorial by visiting the In Your Area pages

As we move into Phase 2 of the programme, we’ll be recruiting to the Remembering Together team in early January.