THE MAKING HISTORY JOURNAL

OFFICIAL FIRST PRESS RELEASE

Taking Back Tartan
 
A historic campaign is being launched by Highlanders to officially recognise the region’s role in the story of tartan and the creation of the iconic fabric in the region for the future.
 
The group are seeking to ensure an official Act of Parliament similar to the 1993 Harris Tweed Act is created, where the Highland Tartan Act will legally, after many centuries in the making, give back to the people of the region.
 
Lovers of the iconic cloth are being urged to buy an “Angel of Reparation” patch which would be available to add to existing tartan products retrospectively.  The Angel has been embroidered onto tartan woven in the Highland region.
 
The first “poster girl” for this is none other than Dolly the Sheep.  Fibres from the famous cloned Scottish ewe have been sewn into the first patch and presented to Karen Walker, Dolly’s ‘dad’ who is one of the leading scientists behind the stem cell breakthrough, that was a world first.
 
The campaign is being spearheaded by Clare Campbell, founder of the only weaving mill in the mainland Highland region. Clare and her team at Prickly Thistle in Evanton set up in 2018 and hope the creation of an Act through Government will in time support the creation of other micro mills, fibre processing hubs across the region.
 
Clare says, “Many people all over the world wear tartan but won’t know that the only the tiniest amount of ‘Highland Dress’ is actually made here, in the Highlands.  We want our ‘Angel’ to help redress the balance and give us our recognised place to be a larger part of this global industry.
 
“ Over the last 6 months many conversations have been held to respectfully understand how others who may be affected feel about it and with those who will need to be involved feel about the idea.’ 
 
‘We want to ensure we add to the future story not just for the Highlands but for all of Scotland.’ 
 
“It has been a rollercoaster of tartan journey over the last 6 years at our mill but what a privilege to be part of a campaign like this, and we hope anyone who is Scottish or just loves Tartan will want to get on board.” 
 
Dolly the Sheep creator Karen Walker says, “I am thrilled and very proud to be able to provide a little piece of Dolly wool to support the future Highland tartan industry.  I hope Dolly’s iconic status helps spread the word and makes this exciting project another piece of important Scottish history.”
 
The patch depicts an Angel playing tartan-clad bagpipes and has been created by infamous Highland pop surreal artist Michael Forbes.
 
Michael says, “The Angel is a symbol of hope and rebellion.  I took inspiration from a stained glass window panel at Fort George, a site that’s so tied to the banning of Highland Dress.  The Fort was built to quash rebellious Jacobites after the 1745 Battle of Culloden and the Act of Proscription brought in to ban the wearing of Highland “garb”, the playing of pipes and the speaking of Gaelic.’
 
“Our ‘Angel of Reparation’ wears tartan and plays the bagpipes, adorned by the Scottish primrose which is a hardy little flower, blooming in wild rugged places – just like the us Highlander Scots.  The design of the patch is symbolic on many levels and I hope people will adopt her with pride and a bit of rebellion too!”
 
Like Dolly, the Angel patch will be cloned and available to pre-order in January 2025 when a new not-for-profit Highland Caim Dion Trust is fully live.  Meanwhile all are invited to subscribe to email updates via their website www.hcdtrust.org.   Funds generated from the angel will seedfund the efforts to secure this historic Tartan Act, one that goes full circle and legitimises the role of the region in its making.  Better late than never.