About Our Project

What is Spirit: Stories?

Spirit: Stories is a growing digital archive of the Highlands and Islands built from a unique collection of stories told by the people who live, work and visit here. 

Spirit: Stories tells the stories behind the headlines of history; the stories that people tell one another at ceilidhs, the uncle who worked on the hydro schemes, the mother who created a community group, the niece who kayaked the Great Glen in record time. These personal stories provide a gateway into the contemporary life and broad history of the Highlands and Islands.  

Spirit: Stories is part of The Spirit of the Highlands and Islands project which is being delivered by High Life Highland, on behalf of The Highland Council. The project aims to showcase the diverse natural and cultural heritage of the region by developing new and innovative digital assets to support local communities and encourage visitors to explore responsibly. 

It is supported by a grant from the Natural and Cultural Heritage Fund (NCHF) led by NatureScot and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). It will be delivered in partnership with VisitScotland.  

Inverness Castle: Spirit of the Highlands

The Spirit of the Highlands and Islands project is part of the wider Inverness Castle: Spirit of the Highlands project. The overarching project will see the transformation of Inverness Castle through £30m investment from the Scottish and UK Governments, The Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and a range of other partners. 

The Inverness Castle project is part of the Inverness and Highland City Region deal, which is a joint initiative supported by up to £315m investment from the UK and Scottish governments, The Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and University of the Highlands and Islands, aimed at stimulating sustainable regional economic growth.’ 

Reflecting the Spirit of the Highlands and Islands theme, the project will encourage people to visit all parts of the Highlands and Islands in a sustainable way.  

Spirit: 360

Spirit Stories has inspired a new commissioning programme Spirit:360 for emerging and established creative professionals’ writers, musicians, filmmakers, visual artists, and others – to create new work inspired by local stories that reflect the theme ‘Spirit of the Highlands’. 

Supported by the Highland Place Partnership through Creative Scotland Place Partnership funding, commissions of up to £1,000 were made available to creative professionals based within, or originally from, The Highland Council area, and successful commissions will soon be showcased on a new online platform. 

If you are a creative professional interested in the Spirit of the Highlands project and would like to be kept up to date with any future commissioning opportunities for those based both within and outwith the Highland Council area, please click this link to register your interest.