Glasgow anti-bigotry book used in 1000 schools across Scotland

Nil by Mouth’s Neeps and Tatties story, about warring vegetable tribes encouraged to put the past behind them to create a better future, has now been used in 1000 primary schools.

To mark the milestone, the charity was joined by the Scots Language Centre at an event in the Scottish Parliament, where free copies were given away to members of the public.

Laura Green of the Scots Language Centre, outside the Scottish Parliament (Image: Nil by Mouth)

Nil by Mouth was founded by former Glasgow Times Scotswoman of the Year Cara Henderson in 2000, in response to the brutal sectarian murder of her school friend Mark Scott as he made his way home from a football match in the city.

The Neeps and Tatties education project is the most successful programme the charity has ever run.

Launched in January 2021, the book – which is written entirely in Scots by author Carey Morning and illustrated by Anna York – has been used in all 32 local authorities across the country, with South Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire Councils putting copies in all of their primaries and funding from the Templeton Goodwill Trust providing copies for Glasgow schools.

Nil by Mouth has also devised a series of classroom games and activities which encourage children to explore different cultures, including looking at the significance of food and festivals in different traditions.

The book has also been brought to life by a range of artists visiting schools across the country, delivering workshops with a focus on how the arts and the Scots language can bring together people from different cultures.

Nil by Mouth director Dave Scott said: “We originally launched Neeps and Tatties as a way of maintaining connection with schools during Covid.

“The Scots Language Centre then got in touch and were a massive help by making a digital version freely available for children to use at home. It quickly became clear there was a huge appetite for the project with hundreds of parents downloading the materials, so we developed resource packs and a special YouTube version was produced, narrated by singer Iona Fyfe.”

He added: “It’s snowballed since and we have now had requests for books and resources from more than 1000 schools right across Scotland.

“Better still, we’ve seen schools take the project in all sorts of directions with it being used in school assemblies, art projects, inter-faith gatherings and even a project promoting inter-generational reading.

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“Each term we receive hundreds of messages from teachers highlighting how pupils are enjoying taking part and there remains an inescapable magic in a teacher capturing the imagination of a child through reading.

“With slightly more than 2000 primary schools in the country, we are now aiming to go even further and ensure every single one has its own copy.”