Fergus Walker's Friends

Fergus Walker's Groups

Fergus Walker and Mike are now friends

Mar 29, 2010

Welcome! FierySpirits is for activists and professionals who are building vibrant, resilient rural communities. Tell us a little about why you'd like to join?: I am currently in my final year studying Product Design at Dundee University. The subject of my final year project is local food, Slow food: what could I design, I wondered, to encourage people to either produce their own food or to buy locally? It seems (at least in the case of the Fife Diet, a challenge to eat just food from Fife for a year) that the most difficult foodstuff to source locally is flour. What I'm now designing is the People Powered Flour Mill, a bike powered grain grinding mill to be used for demonstration and inspiration, working in partnership with Mike S. and the Falkland Centre for Stewardship in Fife. The idea is to create a beacon, a symbol for change which will fire people's imagination.

About Me (areas of expertise/interest I can share): Although now studying Product Design in Dundee, I grew up in Camuscross in the Isle of Skye, where I helped out on the croft, planting, harvesting, working with cattle. I realise how lucky I was to grow up in a small community - but that I am even more so now that Camuscross is suddenly springing into life with all sorts of fun community events and plans for shops, affordable housing and the like.
Apart from Camuscross and Dundee, I also spent two years in Norway learning how to build traditional wooden boats at Fosen Folk School

At 12:50 on May 12, 2009, Helen Lawrenson said…: Hi Fergus - after the launch (and good publicity!) I've had lots of folk asking when the next outing of the bike will be. Is it Big Tent or do you have plans for something earlier? Helen

At 17:24 on April 29, 2009, Nick Wilding said…: hi fergus - check it out:

http://ruralresilience.ning.com/video/flour-power

At 9:38 on March 20, 2009, Margaret Hannah said…: Dear Fergus
I loved looking at how your work is unfolding. HOpe you get those stones grinding soon!
Best wishes
Margaret

At 13:20 on January 16, 2009, Tara O'Leary said…: Hi Fergus
I was wondering if you explored the Fair-Trade dimensions of the local food debate. From an international justice point of view it seems that we need to move to an international fair trade system running along side a local food diet?
Any thoughts? Might be best to have this discussion in the food group actually....I'll paste it in there as well.

best for now
Tara

At 11:37 on January 16, 2009, Kirsty Tait said…: Hi Fergus
I'm Kirsty from Carnegie - read your profile about building a community flour mill and thought you would be interested in a working windmill near where my brother lives in East Sussex. It is in Clayton and called the Jill windmill and produces a small amount of flour for tourists. More details can be found here: http://www.jillwindmill.org.uk/
There is also a Sussex Mills group: http://www.sussexmillsgroup.org.uk- they must a huge collection of knowledge and experience that you could tap into.
Good luck
Kirsty

At 22:20 on December 16, 2008, Susan Walker said…: All hail, Flour of Scotland!
is all I can say, given the combination of the picture and the content above,
S

At 17:37 on December 16, 2008, Ninian Stuart said…: Hi Fergus
Welcome with great picture and inspiring beacon. Also good to see you at Helen Browning's talk - and hope that some cross-pollination might come about with your interest in a community flour mill - and our slow beginnings in that direction here, as you know. best Ninian

At 13:34 on December 16, 2008, Nick Wilding said…: Welcome Fergus - great you can get involved... Feel free to join the 'food' group if you haven't already done so, and you could post a blog about looking for millers etc. to see if anyone here knows something...

best for now
nick