AUTHOR Chris McQueer has been commissioned by the Scottish Government to create a new piece of spoken word to mark St Andrew’s Day 2020.
The award-winning Hings writer was enlisted to write and narrate six passages on what kindness means to him ahead of the national holiday.
It comes as the Scottish Government’s St Andrew’s Day 2020 campaign asks people across the country to recognise the value of connecting with and helping others by reaching out and sending messages to friends, family, neighbours and communities in an effort to generate One Million Words of Kindness by Monday.
McQueer now hopes to enlist friends and online followers to share their messages of kindness, either virtually or on specially created kindness postcards by illustrator Emily Hogarth.
The author said: “Scotland is a wee country to be proud of - its cities, its countryside, its food and drink, its music and arts scene, but I’d say, most importantly, its people. We’re a generous bunch and we’re friendly - most of the time!
“St Andrew’s Day is a great chance to celebrate Scotland and all its worth, especially after a hard year up and down the country. So that’s why I’m sharing my thoughts on Scottish kindness and will be sending my kindness postcard to Jay Gray, my wee brother, to say thanks for being a pal this year.”
More than 100,000 of the free postcards – which feature a matt laminate finish for Covid-19 safety – are available in Scottish Lidl stores this week. It’s also available from the Scottish Government website here.
Below is an excerpt from McQueer’s Scottish Government commission:
"It’s your pals and family looking out for you. It’s a quick text to see how you’re doing. It’s lifting you up when you’re feeling down. It’s a friendly wave from the window. It’s a toot of the horn and a thumbs up. It’s dropping off some goodies at your front door. It’s a phone call to say they love and miss you. It’s the wee things that get you through. It’s a simple act of kindness. It’s what we do best."
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