Souplin Scots nutrional wellbeing group

  Souplin is a Scots word for the shoot of a tree. 

PCH is oor muckle tree heres awe aboot, this wee branch cawd Souplin, Anglised below

    Polmont Community Hub champions the use of the Scots language, which is a significant part of our heritage and culture that we are proud of. Our Scots language group is working to reverse the culturecide committed against Scotland's languages since the King James Bible was first printed in 1611. 

    The hub's Scots language champion also serves as our transition and sustainability lead. At his insistence, the hub served "stewp" at the Just Transition Burns Night; a broth so thick it was like stew. This event was a treemendous (puns always intended)introduction to the accessible pathways we offer into permaculture skills, nutrient-dense local food, and the opportunity to explore the potential role of community-scale food growing—without the need for slaughtering animals—in the ecological, social, and cultural regeneration of our communities. This stewp was a successful example of how we can and must embrace the transition while respecting local traditions. 

    In the hub's very successful first year of operation, our focus was primarily on planning what we wanted to establish on our nearly 3-acre site while navigating the complex legal process for community asset transfer. A small group of dedicated volunteers worked on a holistically designed living landscape of food and shelter. They partnered with organisations including Social Farms and Gardens, Keep Scotland Beautiful, It's Your Neighbourhood, FELScotland, the International Transition Movement, and the Global Climate Action Network. 

    Permaculture knowledge is growing continuously because these organisations are actively sharing insights. At the hub, we explored how social farms and orchards could address inequality, food poverty, waste habits, and diet-related health issues. This exploration led to the creation of a group called Souplin, which has branched out internationally with the transition movement, which has thousands of examples of what communities are achieving globally, including efforts in language justice for language weavers. 

    Souplin aims to offer free workshops, videos, and resources focused on cooking with local and seasonal ingredients. They have already begun growing food at the hub and aim to scale this up by engaging with children and local schools. The education system is undergoing a global transition, and we aim to ensure that Scotland is not left out of this reimagining of the world's systems. 

    Through Souplin's community food growing initiatives, we aim to demonstrate not only our capabilities but also what is being achieved globally in cultivating a culture of plastic-free organic produce. By creating delicious meals from the food we grow and prepare in our kitchen, Souplin will evolve into an engaged permaculture community. We have initiated this growth by working toward the creation of a community of practising citizens rather than mere consumers, through regular and open communication, volunteer programs, community events, feasts, and open days. Additionally, we are nurturing strategic partnerships locally, nationally, and internationally.

.

    The hubs planning for transforming the former playgroup into a community kitchen and an outdoor cooking and learning centre has already begun. In the future, we envision a system where local health services can prescribe natural remedies and green social prescriptions instead of pharmaceuticals. Initiatives started by Souplin are supported by PCH, LIOH, and Transition Falkirk, which showcase various ways to ease the burden on local health services. In the near future, they aim to scale up efforts to significantly reduce the pressure on the National Health Service caused by individuals who lack access to natural remedies and may feel socially isolated, impacting their mental health and well-being.

    Our zero-waste team is also collaborating with these groups to develop composting systems, a herb garden, water storage, and sustainable urban drainage systems that encourage biodiversity. With a wormery already established, we are exploring the feasibility of mushroom-growing facilities to enable year-round food production. This approach will provide access to nutritious and delicious food grown here at the hub, utilising a combination of ancestral wisdom and modern sustainable, regenerative, and permaculture practices. 

    The hub and Souplin are passionate about employing various agroecological practices in our growing spaces. Additionally, we are committed to learning about Scottish indigenous farming practices that work in harmony with the land. We believe in promoting sustainable agriculture and aim to educate our community about moving away from harmful agribusiness practices.