About this episode

The episode discusses small-scale horticulture and alternative food systems on Arran, featuring guests who promote community growing and pollinator conservation.

In this episode we meet four inspiring guests who are championing small-scale horticulture, alternative food systems and pollinator conservation on Arran. We learn how market gardens, community growing projects and foraging initiatives are helping to celebrate local produce, reconnect people with the land and strengthen social wellbeing. We also explore the important role that bees and honey production play in supporting biodiversity and food production across the island.  Episode guests Simon Ross-Gill Simon is the Director and Project Coordinator of  The Arran Pioneer Project CIC , a project working to regenerate Scotland’s wild and natural landscapes in a way that incorporates rural communities while securing jobs and livelihoods for young people. The Pioneer Project runs several community gardens around Arran. Simon also works as a graphic designer specialising in books, handbooks, flyers and interpretive materials focussed on landscape, environment and community. He is passionate about working with local people to build a more sustainable and self-sufficient food system. Robin Gray Robin is a chef, grower and owner of  Robin Gray’s Island Gourmet , a…

People in this episode

Host: Wallace Currie

Guests: Simon Ross-Gill, Robin Gray, Zoë Hughes

Topics covered

• agroecology
• community gardening
• food systems
• pollinator conservation
• biodiversity
• local produce

Keywords

• agroecology
• community gardens
• foraging
• biodiversity
• local food
• sustainable agriculture

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Arran Pioneer Project CIC, Robin Gray’s Island Gourmet, Wild Food Arran

Places: Arran, Scotland, Whiting Bay

More episodes of R2Kast - People in Food and Farming/All In

• Field to Front Door – Episode 11 on regenerative farming, harvest decisions and learning from failure · July 20, 2026 · 59 min
• R2Kast 431 – Sally-Ann Spence on Britain’s Got Talent, dung beetles and saying yes to adventure · July 17, 2026 · 1h 30m
• Tales of a Nuffield Scholar with Andrew Richardson, Lucia Slack, Natasha Edwards, Peter Green and Sharon May · July 15, 2026 · 1h 23m
• TwoCan Podcast - Becci Berry and Andrew Ferguson · July 13, 2026 · 46 min
• Field to Front Door – Episode 10 on Groundswell, regenerative farming and learning from each other · July 6, 2026 · 40 min
• R2Kast 430 – Lauren Gourlay on food, content creation and championing British produce · July 3, 2026 · 1h 8m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the R2Kast - People in Food and Farming/All In podcast page.