A Year o' Growth, Learnin, an Celebratin Doric Culture wi Doric Books CIC! Here's oor year endin Mey 2024 report fur Companies Hoose

As we mark oor third year in existence, it’s bin anither braw chapter fur Doric Books CIC! Oor mission tae promote an celebrate e rich culture an heritage o Doric language his continued tae thrive, thanks tae aa e support fae oor community. Let’s tak a keek at fit we’ve bin up tae ower e past year:

We got startit bi publishin nae jist een, nae twa, bit three pictur beuks fur bairns—aa written in Doric! Foreby, we broucht a fresh twist tae oor collection wi a graphic novel fur teenagers, ay, in Doric, an we’re affa excitit tae share it wi a nyew generation o readers.

Access tae oor beuks his niver bin easier! We’ve expanded oor retail netwirk, bringin oor beuks tae 37 retailers iss year, makin thim mair accessible tae e public. Ilka nyew retailer means mair fowk can dive intae e beauty o Doric!

Bit aat’s nae aa—we love supportin e neist generation, an we’re prood tae hae gien placemints tae three talented students fae Robert Gordon’s University, fa workit on digital marketin an content creation fur oor social media platforms. We wur thrilled tae hae a sixth-year student fae a local secondary school fur her Foundation Apprenticeship inna. Aat helpit her gain valuable experience in e warld o publishin.

Iss year saa us rollin up oor sleeves an collaboratin wi twa rare primary skweels in Aiberdeen inna. Igither, we workit on a lang-term project far e bairns learnt e ins an oots o creatin a beuk—writin, illustratin, an publishin thir ain Doric stories! It wis rare tae see thir creativity comin tae life.

Oor verra ain Sheena Blackhall, een o e voices o Doric, spent time recordin her poetry fur’s. Ye micht hae heard sum o e recordins on oor social media posts an they’ll seen be available on oor YouTube Channel. Sum o thim’ll be shared on e Scottish Book Trust website inna, giein even mair fowk e chance tae hear Sheena’s braw Doric poetry.

Ower e year, we’ve kept busy wi a hale heap o community engagement activities. We’ve delivert saxteen storytelling sessions in libraries, skweels an nurseries, as weel as eicht talks tae a variety o organisations like Rotary, Probus, WRI, an Heritage groups. We’ve carried on wi oor monthly Doric Blethers sessions inna.  Iss gies fowk e chunce tae cum igither tae blether in Doric, keepin e language an culture alive.

An let’s nae forget e Doric Rhyme Time fur Bairns sessions! We’ve held eicht o ese fun-filled rhyme sessions in libraries an nurseries aa ower Aberdeenshire, introducing bairns tae e joy o singin in e Doric language.

It’s bin an gran year, an we couldnae hae deen it athoot e support o oor community, skweels, retailers, an aabody aat hauds gaun wi e Doric language an culture. As we leuk aheid tae 2024, we’re excitit tae keep growin, learnin, an sharin e Doric wi e warld.

Here’s tae anither year o stories, learnin, an celebratin oor granDoric heritage!

 

 

A Year of Growth, Learning, and Celebrating Doric Culture with Doric Books CIC! Here's our year ending May 2024 report for Companies House

As we mark our third year in existence, it’s been another fantastic chapter for Doric Books CIC! Our mission to promote and celebrate the rich culture and heritage of Doric language has continued to thrive, thanks to all the wonderful support from our community. Let’s take a look at what we’ve been up to over the past year:

We kicked things off by publishing not one, not two, but three picture books for children—all written in Doric! Plus, we brought a fresh twist to our collection with a graphic novel for teenagers, also in Doric, which we’re so excited to share with a new generation of readers.

Access to our books has never been easier! We've expanded our retail network, bringing our books to 37 retailers this year, making them more accessible to the public. Every new retailer means even more folks can dive into the beauty of Doric!

But that’s not all—we love supporting the next generation, and we’re proud to have provided placements for three talented students from Robert Gordon’s University, who worked on digital marketing and content creation for our social media platforms. We were also thrilled to host a sixth-year student from a local secondary school for her Foundation Apprenticeship, helping her gain valuable experience in the world of publishing.

This year also saw us roll up our sleeves and collaborate with two fantastic primary schools in Aberdeen. Together, we worked on a long-term project where students learned the ins and outs of creating a book—writing, illustrating, and publishing their very own Doric stories! It was a joy to watch their creativity come to life.

Our very own Sheena Blackhall, one of the voices of Doric, spent time recording her poetry for us, which will soon be available on our YouTube Channel. Sheena’s poems will also be shared on the Scottish Book Trust website, giving even more people the chance to hear the beauty of Doric poetry.

Throughout the year, we’ve kept busy with a whole host of community engagement activities. We’ve delivered 16 free storytelling sessions in libraries, schools, nurseries, and community groups, as well as 8 talks to a variety of organizations like Rotary, Probus, WRI, and Heritage groups. We’ve also continued our monthly ‘Doric Blethers’ sessions (except in January and February) where folks come together to chat in Doric, keeping the language and culture alive.

And let’s not forget the ‘Doric Rhyme Time for Bairns’ sessions! We’ve held 8 of these fun-filled rhyme sessions in libraries and nurseries across Aberdeenshire, sparking young minds and introducing them to the joy of the Doric language.

It’s been an incredible year, and we couldn’t have done it without the support of our community, schools, retailers, and everyone who continues to embrace Doric language and culture. As we look ahead to 2024, we’re excited to keep growing, learning, and sharing the beauty of Doric with the world.

Here’s to another year of stories, learning, and celebrating our wonderful Doric heritage!