CuparNow Podcast

For more than 200 years, an annual Show has been held in Fife to encourage and showcase the breeding of livestock. Today, The Fife Show - held annually on the second last Saturday of May - is one of the most popular one-day agricultural shows in the country.

We caught up with show President, James Smith, whilst he was preparing the ground for this year's show. We grabbed a few minutes: he and the show's army of volunteers were super-busy ... you may hear his phone buzzing in the background as traders, exhibitors and more were trying to get in touch!

Last year's was a record show: it retains the feel of a traditional agricultural event, but has extended into the realms of wider environmental and countryside-related issues with the introduction of a Game Fair area. Main ring entertainment, as well as the Food & Drink sections including a cookery theatre, alongside more than 150 trade stands and amusements for the children ensure that the Show provides a great day out for the whole family.

It is busy and there can be queues for traffic: please follow all the signs and be patient with the volunteer stewards on the day.

Click here for the show's website and this link to buy your tickets in advance and beat the queues at the gate!

We have also published a Blog referenced in the podcast and delves a little deeper into the company's history and heritage. You can read this by clicking on this link. The Blog profile also includes all the relevant links you'll need to find more - on both company's - with website and social media feeds provided.

YMCA-YWCA Cupar on Bonnygate has organised and is hosting a Cupar Wellbeing Coffee Morning & Roadshow on Tuesday 15th November from 10am until noon. 

To help spread the word, we caught up with Norma at Cupar Y to find out more ... about the event as well as their work with others, including the Cupar Youth Cafe. 

Come the 15th, there will be information stalls and free refreshments. Most importantly, there will be a warm welcome, friendly faces and listening ears. There’s also a free goodie bag to take home too!

Please share with anyone who might be interested - especially with any family and friends who are caring for those who would benefit from being a part of this event. Thank you. 

Our latest podcast is somewhat different: our recording coincided with the BBC's visit to Cupar for their filming of the upcoming 'My Kind of Town'. We'd met with presenter, Ian Hamilton, to discuss CuparNow. One of the reasons they'd chosen Cupar was because we are Scotland's only 'digital improvement district'. He asked how we might be able to show the digital work being delivered within their filming schedule. Ian is blind, so we suggested a sensorial experience, joining us at Luvians Bottle Shop so he might be able to taste some of their famous ice cream ... still made to the family's secret recipe in Cupar. He didn't need persuading! 

And so we met with Emili and Christopher - cousins in the business and respective children of two of the shop's founders. 

Please excuse some of the sound quality: we wanted to film in situ and so the section with Ian is recorded by the ice cream freezer cabinet. You'll hear the hums as well as the 'mmmmms' ... and we had to cut and splice some of the content to reflect their filming, and Ian's enjoyment of the ice cream! 

Ian's time in town will also capture part of Cupar's Celebration & Commemoration Weekend (16-18 September 2022) that sees a whole host of events and activities created by a collaboration of more than 30 community groups. Initially billed as a celebration of Cupar and its community, the organisers added commemorative elements to mark the death of her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, and to create a focus for the town and district to come together as this time. 

We have published this today to help launch the weekend: a focus on food and drink - highlighting the Food & Drink Trails launched earlier this year, seven in total that start and end in the town. One is on Cupar alone - showcasing the 40+ food & drink businesses in the town. 

After Ian left, we continued the conversation with Emili and Christopher ... 

We hope you enjoy it. 

Bell Baxter High School has around 1,300 pupils and, every year, a number of them progress into the working world. There are many that help in that process - from teachers and mentors to families and friends. This podcast is with two people who are helping to bridge the gap for youngsters who are looking for opportunities beyond school. 

Amanda Liddell and Forbes Walker both help to deliver support through the DYW programme - Developing the Young Workforce. Amanda is based at Fife Chamber as 'DYW Fife' and Forbes is the dedicated DYW and employability coordinator at Bell Baxter. 

We chat about the challenges youngsters face when looking for that all-important first step of experience - and look at how businesses and community groups in and around Cupar can become part of the support network to deliver help: work experience, volunteering opportunities, internships, training programmes, part and full time jobs and more. 

And the main reason for this podcast? To flag an upcoming event hosted by CuparNow that will invite businesses and organisations from across Cupar and the town's catchment to a Business Breakfast on Thursday 25th August (0730-0930) to be held at Castlehill Community Centre. 

We'll share more as we countdown on our Blog and social media channels including an EventBrite link to ask folk to register. 

Sunday 5th June 2022 saw people from across Cupar and beyond gather to commemorate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Picnic In The Park. 

At the bandstand, all manner of events, activities and performances entertained hundreds of folk who enjoyed what was a great community gathering. And those present heard a reading of an historic proclamation that had been first heard in the town 470 years earlier - almost to the day. 

The medieval proclamation was read by Guthrie Hutton of Cupar Museum & Heritage Centre. We couldn't record it on the day so caught up with Guthrie at the museum soon after and he was kind enough to introduce the piece - and then read it for us to capture for Cupar's Year of Stories 2022. 

This podcast features as part of Cupar's celebration of Old Scots and the role the town played in the history of the language - captured in a series of ongoing talks and lectures delivered by a wide range of expert speakers under the umbrella of Cupar's Development Trust and Three Estates Cupar ... all helping to recognise the life, times and works of Sir David Lyndsay, aka Scotland's Shakespeare! 

Our latest podcast is a conversation with Elaine Miller and Andrew Stevenson - respective organiser and president of the Fife Show. 

On Saturday 21st May, the Show will celebrate its 200th anniversary - two centuries of shows in various guises that have brought together communities across north east Fife to showcase the area's agriculture and farming expertise. 

We discuss the huge effort taken to put on the show that will see more than 150 stands across the 60 acre site at Kinloss on the north edge of the town. 

Our latest podcast is a conversation to help raise awareness of the Ciaran Reilly's Memorial Tournament taking place on Sunday 1st May 2022. 

Tragically, Ciaran took his own life at the end of last year. Our conversation is with Kev, Ciaran's dad, and Lewis - one of his friends. Please help by sharing this podcast with friends, family and colleagues.

The tournament will help to raise funds for the mental health charity Back Onside. They promote mental health primarily through sport. They have been a great support to Kev, his wife, Debbie, and their wider family. 

Our latest podcast is a conversation with Andy Jones, Trustee of the new charity, Heids & Herts. 

We met Andy - virtually - on a recent Zoom with other community groups, part of the Cupar Forum that is helping to foster collaboration with numerous organisations across the town and its district.  

Heids & Herts was established in June 2021 to "create, inspire, and promote social connections in the Howe of Fife through community arts  projects". Our conversation touches on the folk behind the charity, their vision and key projects that are being launched in 2022 - Community Art Workshops, 'My Village Hall' - an initiative to capture the faces and voices of those behind the Howe of Fife's village halls - and Haver FM, a new community radio station for the area. 

In our latest podcast, we caught up with Erin McNee and her partner, Scott Honeyman - co-owners of the newly opened Occhiali Bespoke Eyewear Boutique in Cupar. 

In our conversation, we discussed the drive and passion both have brought to the new venture - from Erin's significant experience in the optics industry to their shared love of all things Italian ... together with their belief that eyewear should be seen not only as a necessity but also as an uplifting accessory, worn with pride as you would a treasured piece of jewellery. 

The new boutique - at 13 Bonnygate - has undergone a beautiful transformation to create their new store. 

For all who know Bonnygate, you'll be aware it is a busy place, so please excuse some of the background noise of passing traffic! 

Alison Etheridge is one of seven trustees helping to run the unique Toby's Magical Journey charity in Cupar. 

We met with Alison in the charity's community room at 126 Bonnygate to discover more. Our conversation covers how the charity came to be including the remarkable journey that her son, Toby, has taken from his initial diagnosis almost seven years ago when just nine years old, through "the rollercoaster" since ... setting up and running a charity that helps local children and young people across Scotland on their cancer journeys. 

Before the charity, Alison worked with the NAAFI and the National Trust of Scotland - roles that gave her the skills required to develop and deliver her work today. 

The core of our conversation is about the biggest challenge: money. The charity is always needing support - never knowing what tomorrow may bring. And we also discuss their latest support for a new project in Cupar, Scoot About Toon, a community club for those at home and alone as well as for those who want to get out, meet new friends or reconnect with lost friends. Most importantly ... "to have a giggle!"

Guthrie Hutton is Chair of Cupar Museum & Heritage Centre, celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2021. We met with Guthrie at the Museum for our first face-to-face podcast recording. The conversation took us from Guthrie's boyhood in Scotland to his first steps in the world of media on the other side of the world. His return to the UK from Australia in the 1960s was followed by more than three decades with the BBC - and then a second career that's encapsulated research, writing and voluntary work. And we talk about a brick ... that isn't a brick! 

Gayle Nelson is Project Manager for The Sunshine Kitchen - a unique project for young adults with Additional Needs. Gayle has a fascinating background that touches on fine art, teaching and times spent in the States and France - though not skiing! She talks through her motivation for helping to create The Sunshine Kitchen, the challenges they have faced through 2020 and their hopes and aspirations for the future. 

Pat and April are members of the town's Cupar in Bloom team. Pat (Chair) and April (Secretary) work with a group of dedicated volunteers who continue to build on the vision of the late Mary Law, the first ever Chair of Cupar in Bloom when it was formed in 2004. Pat and April talk of their passion for the group's work, the challenges faced through 2020 resulting from the various lockdowns affecting the town - and the plans for the future. They also highlight the fantastic support they receive from the town's business sponsors as well as a variety of other community groups who all pull together to help to make Cupar's blooming displays such a success. 

Ali Murray is a trustee and chair of the Fife Family History Society - a unique organisation based at Cupar Library on Crossgate. Ali talks to us about her work with the society as well as her life in and around Cupar and Fife. We touch on her role's rewards and challenges and take a look at how the society has embraced digital connectivity to grow its membership through lockdown ... engaging with people at home and abroad as never before. 

When Sandy Green was asked to 'look after' the archive documents for Cupar Amateur Musical Society, he didn't know that the end result would be a book on CAMS. Sandy talks about the Society's history, the family of 'Camsters' and the dedicated army of volunteers and members make it all possible - as well as his book that is at the printers and will be available soon!

In our sixth episode, we catch up with Mairi Lumsden, mum of three, Chair of Tarvit Woodland Park Development Group, member of The Royal Burgh of Cupar & District Community Council. Mairi's enthusiasm and passion for our community has been a key driver behind the Woodland Park project's success, but - as you will hear - she is keen to acknowledge the immense support from the group's fellow volunteers ... and all in the town who have helped to date. We discover more on Mairi's life, work and family - as well as a disability that she says has been the making of her. 

Yvonne Gray has been dancing since the age of five. Many will know Yvonne and her dance school team - and (she’s lost count!) - hundreds of children have benefited from her teaching and passion for dance. We caught up to discover more.

Fife Properties is a company built on embracing digital. We catch up with Jim Parker to discover more on his life, his passion for property and just what makes him tick.

A conversation with Bill Pagan, Chair of Cupar’s Development Trust ... touching on Bill’s family’s long association with the town and his work with CDT.