We're happy to share news of a positive new development in our journey to a national memorial in remembrance of all women and men accused of witchcraft in Scotland.
On Tuesday 22nd March, representatives from Remembering the Accused Witches of Scotland were hosted on-site at National Pride's proposed St Ninians eco-therapy wellness park development site in Kelty, Fife.
National Pride’s recently declared their full support for a national memorial to be built at St Ninians, and we're excited to partner with them in bringing forward proposals to Fife Council for the development of the overall site.
The proposed Eco-Therapy Wellness and Leisure Park is located on the location of the former St Ninians opencast coal mine and Loch Fitty. It aims to be an ecologically friendly and environmentally sensitive health, wellness and leisure destination. With the focus on nature-based healing, we believe it could be a fitting location for a national memorial.
Along with Andy and Irene from National Pride, we looked at potential locations at the site and discussed the ongoing campaign for a national memorial, which has gained renewed traction following the Scottish Government’s posthumous apology to the thousands of people persecuted as witches in Scotland in March 2022.
Elizabeth McMann, RAWS Trustee said: “We set out to get a pardon from the state, an apology from the church, and a memorial to commemorate the accused witches in Scotland, as well as those throughout the world. Having visited St Ninians, we believe that this is an ideal place to put the much-desired memorial and it is especially relevant as a location given the major role that Fife played in pursuing those accused of witchcraft.”
Sara Kelly, co-founder of RAWS, said: “St Ninians is a beautiful site and you can see its immense potential to host such a memorial. It fits in very much with our ethos of communities, the environment and that the people who we want to be remembered are in a respectful and beautiful place. St Ninians would be the ideal location, it is highly accessible, and is somewhere that anyone who is interested could visit on a regular basis. Educating the general public and school children as part of this is also very important to us.”
We will seek to engage extensively on the potential design for this memorial, as we move ahead with next steps for the proposal. Check back here on our website for more updates in the coming months.
Hear more from Liz and Sara, on location in St Ninians:
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