IT started last year as a one off, one-day festival celebrating the life of the great Scottish poet, songwriter, independence campaigner, soldier and intellectual, Hamish Henderson.

Now in his home town of Blairgowrie, and organised by Stuart Paterson and his coleagues, the Hamish Matters Festival of 2018 has expanded to five days and looks set to become an annual event.

East Perthshire school pupils will be performing songs and poems written and collected by Hamish Henderson in the first of the Hamish Matters events on Friday, November 9, at 1.30pm at St Catharine’s Centre, Blairgowrie.

The organisers say: “All are welcome to come along and be blown away by fabulous local young talent."

Fred Freeman will speak on Hamish and other Scots writers at Blairgowrie Library on Wednesday at 7.30pm. Entry is free.

The Gig on William Street will host a music and poetry event, Gigs and Dreels, on Thursday night at 7.30pm. Tickets priced £7 are available from the Eventbrite website.

Friday evening at The Dome restaurant will see family storytelling from 6.30pm while Saturday will see two events, starting with a Gaelic and Scots Bookbug session at Blairgowrie Library in Leslie Street at 10.30am. Youngsters of any age are welcome.

At 1.30pm in the Library, Margaret Bennett and Fiona Ritchie will combine in a session exploring Hamish Henderson’s life, work and legac.

Dr Margaret Bennett is a folklorist, writer, singer and broadcaster who was inspired in the mid-sixties by Hamish to make her career choice.

Fiona Ritchie MBE is a Scottish radio broadcaster best known as the producer and host of The Thistle & Shamrock.

Meanwhile, the Campaign for a Clean Scottish Currency (CCSC) has set up a network which has been meeting once a month for the last couple of months in the Yes Bar, Glasgow.

The aim of the campaign is to stimulate some discussion about currency, fiscal policy and banking issues in the run up to the next independence referendum.

Andy Anderson, one of the key driving forces behind the campaign said: “The debate about currency needs to be aired in a constructive way before the next independence referendum.

“We are not saying what currency the Scottish Government should pursue after independence. What we are saying is that there are alternatives, like a Scottish currency, for example.

“The banking crisis has been a disaster for western economies. It is certain that there will be another economic crisis in the near future. In an independent Scotland we should be considering a banking system that does not operate casino banking.”