Who’s who
Abundancers introduce themselves!
If you are involved in Abundance Edinburgh and would like to appear on this page, please email .
Fergus McInnes
I joined the Abundance group in 2010 after hearing about it from my neighbour Kim, took part in a few events that year, got more involved in 2011 and am now on the committee. My Abundance activities have included picking apples and plums and pears, foraging for blackberries and elderberries, making jam and chutney, pressing apples and updating the website. I like climbing trees and drinking cider (but haven’t tried doing both at once). I work in speech recognition research at the University of Edinburgh, play and organise croquet in Edinburgh and elsewhere, and am an occasional hillwalker, geocacher and World Development Movement campaigner. If you want to know more, see http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/fmi/brain/About_me.htm.
Valla Moodie
I became involved in August 2010 having been on the mailing list for a while and quickly became addicted.
I’m really interested in local food initatives and gardening and foraging and being outdoors and cooking and making things and preserving things and pulling things behind your bike and traditional things and eating things. All of which can be done with Abundance!
I’ve been lucky enough to get the post of the Abundance officer (ends in December 2011) but I work as a support worker with adults with autism as well. I’m also a participant in Bridgend Growing Communities (http://bridgendcommunity.blogspot.com), a community allotment, as well as a director and occasional employee of Boe (www.boe.org.uk), a Community Interest Company which runs catering and events with an ethical and sustainable bent. And I try to find time to get out on my bike or walking and to see gigs when not busy with all of these other things.
Samantha Swartzman
Roland Playle
You just can’t beat a piece of fruit freshly picked from a tree or bush! Well, the cakes, juices, tarts, crumbles, jams, chutneys, ciders, wines, vinegars are all pretty amazing too!! Abundance is great, it connects people old and young, there’s always laughter and lots to eat!, we all get outdoors, some of us climb trees, we learn and teach each other cooking and preserving techniques which are gradually getting lost, we share food supplies which keep us warm and happy through winter and it just brings health and goodness all round.
I’ve been learning to forage and use plants as medicine for a while but what I like about Abundance is that it takes these ideas out into the community in a way that encourages others to see how simple and delicious this all is. It brings me back to my senses, connects me to what I eat, saves me from going into supermarkets!! and goes a long way towards making me feel complete!
Ross Pirie
I joined Abundance in 2010 after the promise of tree climbing and free apples. Since then I’ve picked all sorts of fruit, made mountains of jam and chutney and learned to forage my own herbs. Plus, I’ve eaten more than a few free apples. I’m now a committee member and actively involved in the organisation. I’m particularly keen on turning Abundance apples into apple juice with our pressing equipment and in turn brewing cider and cider vinegar. Participating in Abundance allows you to eat seasonally, reduce food waste and share what is on our doorstep with members of the community. I’ve found that being a participant has introduced me to a diverse range of people who all share the same enthusiasm for putting the wealth of fruit growing in the city to good use. Abundance is a unique exerience and I’m very glad to be part of it.
