What Do You See When You Look At Me? is a collection of personal life stories co-ordinated by long-term Winchburgh resident Hazel McLeod.
Stories of wartime rationing in West Lothian, missionary work in Africa and school life in Winchburgh in the 1940s and 50s are packed into a new book featuring accounts of local older people – and recorded by secondary school pupils.
What Do You See When You Look At Me? is a collection of personal life stories co-ordinated by long-term Winchburgh resident Hazel McLeod.
The stories were compiled by 16 children aged 12-15, who paired up with 16 people aged 65 and older to interview them and convert the written and spoken word using modern technology.
It is the third book published by Hazel, who previously published Show and Tell, a catalogue of gardening experiences of local people, and Kitchen Conversations, a series of stories by women in Winchburgh.
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Her latest project was funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.
“Throughout my careers in Nursing and Community Education I have had the privilege of listening to a wide range of people’s personal stories,” said Hazel, who formerly worked for Marie Curie and in a hospital accident and emergency department.
“This used to be a village where everyone used to know everyone and it’s so important, as the village grows into a town and becomes more youthful and culturally diverse, that we bring people together.
“Winchburgh is, by its nature, a caring community, and this project is really about connecting people. AI and social media are here to stay, but we still have to have a conversation that initiates relationships.
“We advertised locally for people to become involved, which they did in great numbers, and the teachers at both Winchburgh Academy and Sinclair Academy were brilliant at co-ordinating the pupils.
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“The children all had a wonderful way of presenting their stories. At some of their initial meetings with the older people at the school and in the church hall took a while to get going, but with more meetings came lots of nonsense and chatting and they built really nice relationships.
“Jenny is now 87 and walks with a stick, and she stimulated the children’s minds recalling her work as a missionary in Africa. Charlie, who’s 96, worked on local farms and talked about the depression, wartime ration books and identity cards – subjects on which the children previously had no understanding.
“People have a wide range of perceptions of older people and don’t realise what phenomenal contributions some people have made to local life and the wider world.
“Hopefully this book will change that – at least in a small way. It is my belief that it is people, not houses, that build strong, caring communities.”
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John Hamilton, CEO of Winchburgh Developments Ltd, the lead developer of the growing town projected to grow from 6000 to 14,000 in the next ten years, said: “Having attended the book launch, I want to offer warm congratulations to Hazel on her third book that tells the stories so important to the history and heritage of our community.
“It’s projects like these, and people like Hazel, who really help bind our community together and help engender Winchburgh’s ‘village’ feel even as it grows in size.”
To enquire about obtaining a copy of What Do You See When You Look At Me?, email winchburghcdt@gmail.com
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