Prejudice brought to book through county-wide school project

Pupils at Gorebridge Primary took part in a special event with Councillor Ellen Scott, exploring the Scots language as part of leading equality charity Nil by Mouth’s ‘Neeps and Tatties’ project.

The scheme uses a storybook written in the language to explore religious and cultural differences between people. ‘Neeps & Tatties’ tells the story of two warring vegetable tribes who are finally encouraged to put the past behind them in the interests of a better future. The book examines issues such as discrimination and prejudice and includes a series of classroom games and activities that explore different cultures.

Since its launch in January 2021 it has been used in over 1200 schools across Scotland and during January the charity brings together a range of public figures and Scottish artists to bring the book to life in classrooms. Cllr Scot read the story to the pupils and free copies of the book are to be made available to teachers across Midlothian thanks to support from the Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust.

​Cllr Ellen Scott is pictured with Primary 1 pupils at Gorebridge Primary School.

Nil by Mouth is one of Scotland’s leading equalities charities and works to tackle religious and racial discrimination through education programmes in schools, colleges, workplaces and communities.

Cllr Scott said: “This is a beautifully written and illustrated book with an important message about the type of welcoming place we all want Scotland to be. It provides a way of helping children learn more about cultures and traditions different to their own and uses the associated activities like ‘what’s on your plate’ to think about different festivals and religious requirements when sharing food with each other.

Nil by Mouth director Dave Scott added: “Teachers repeatedly tell us that ‘Neeps & Tatties’ provides a gentle way of approaching some difficult issues and having local leaders like Ellen come along to bring the story to life is a huge bonus for our campaign, to create a Scotland that is bigger, better and bolder than bigotry.”