HAHA - Helen Avenell Heritage Associates

25/03/2026

We’ll be there next week supporting Moray Arts Development Engagement with chats, cake & capturing some picture perfect portraits 🖼️

Did you work in the GORDON ARMS HOTEL in Elgin? We want to chat to you!

As part of our research into the history of the building before redevelopment, this coming Monday 30th March, we will be meeting at 10am at Starbucks on the High Street.

If you would like to come along and share some stories, photos or memorabilia we would love to hear from you.

Tea, coffee and cake included. Send us a message to let us know you will drop by 😃

13/03/2026

In my happy place 🙌🏻

It’s not often these days that I get to spend real time working with museum collections. Privileged to be undertaking some work documenting collections in the Moray Museums Service stores… and there’s nothing better than encountering a little wildlife along the way 🦡

09/03/2026

05/03/2026

We’ll be pitching up at 1496 in Forres Monday 9th between 10am-12pm. Pop along to share your ‘blackening’ story ☺️

11/02/2026

High St Histories… new beginnings for a project documenting the people, places and stories of Forres.

23/01/2026

Great couple of days in Birmingham with the team at the UK Accreditation Panel Committee… Ozzy & the pre-Raphelites all in one afternoon!

08/12/2025

Back from extended travels to some exciting new projects! A perfect Monday morning in my happy place researching local heritage records at Moray Heritage Archives 😎

04/12/2025

So excited about being part of this project 🙌🏻

🎉 Funding Success 🎉

MADE has been awarded £10k from the Museums Galleries Scotland 'Protection Through Connection' initiative that aims to raise the profile of Scotland's living traditions.

You might remember we put a shout out to you all a wee while back to ask for you to share your experiences with our Northern ritual of 'blackenings', a custom tied to pre-wedding celebrations.

Your overwhelming response gave us our most popular socials post this year, reaching over 17k!, and was almost certainly an important part of us being awarded this support - so thank you so much.

From Jan-June next year we will work with HAHA - Helen Avenell Heritage Associates to research and collect info around 'balckenings', so watch this space for ways to get involved.

We are 1 of only 7 projects being supported nationally, with others exploring traditions from food to dialect. Read more here: https://www.museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/news/awards-to-help-keep-intangible-cultural-heritage-alive/

10/11/2025

Our last full day in Japan… sending us off with these beautiful autumn colours at Okayama Korakuen Garden 🍁🍃🍂

09/11/2025

Loving all things fabric, couldn’t come to Japan without hunting out some gorgeous finds… (not including any of the new fabric, buttons, fastenings, haberdashery purchases that Japan does so well 🫣) 🧵🪡

1. Vintage kimono from
2. Just a glimpse of some of the other gorgeous kimono in this Aladdin’s cave in Kurashiki 👘
3. Antique indigo Kurume Kasuri. ‘Kurume kasuri’ is a traditional Japanese ikat textile created in the Yame area of Fukuoka Prefecture. Known for its intricate patterns created by pre-dying threads, the craft is registered as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.
4. Textile factory at where the heritage craft of Kurume-Kasuri is preserved using traditional techniques.
5. Vintage silk tsumugi kimono. ‘tsumugi’ is a Japanese rough textured silk created by weaving hand-spun, rougher silk threads.
6. Vintage Silk ‘haori’ - traditional Japanese jacket, similar to a shortened kimono.

09/11/2025

Loving all things fabric, couldn’t come to Japan without hunting out some gorgeous finds… (not including any of the new fabric, buttons, fastenings, haberdashery purchases 🫣) 🧵🪡

1. Vintage kimono from a lovely shop in Kurashiki
2. Just a glimpse of some of the other gorgeous kimono in this Aladdin’s cave in Kurashiki 👘
3. Antique indigo Kurume Kasuri. Kurume kasuri’ is a traditional Japanese textile made in the Yame area of Fukuoka Prefecture. Known for its intricate patterns created by pre-dying threads, the craft is registered as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.
4. Textile factory at Sakata-Orimono where the heritage craft of Kurume-Kasuri is preserved using traditional techniques.
5. Vintage silk tsumugi kimono. ‘tsumugi’ is a Japanese rough textured silk created by weaving hand-spun, rougher silk threads.
6. Vintage Silk ‘haori’ - traditional Japanese jacket, similar to a shortened kimono.