Welcome to the 'This Is The North' Podcast, your source of transformative conversations. An intentional challenge to the systems holding back the North of England. Hosted by Alison Dunn, an award-winning charity chief executive and former solicitor. This podcast is supported by the Society Matters Foundation and is dedicated to curating and sharing knowledge, powering the change we need for a more equal and inclusive society.
In this episode, Alison speaks with Eileen Ferguson, co-founder of Ad Gefrin, Northumberland's first whiskey distillery, who turned a derelict family transport depot into a £4million+ cultural destination that employs 60 people in a town where young adults typically plan their escape.
Ferguson's story begins with her great-grandmother, widowed at 36 with three children already buried and pregnant with her sixth. Standing at the graveside with no inheritance or support, she started taking in washing, then bought a corn mill, then owned the farm. Four generations later, Ferguson faced a similar choice with the family's abandoned depot: sell it for housing or build something that could regenerate Wooler.
The numbers reveal what traditional rural development misses. During public consultation, 4,000 people walked through the doors —double Wooler's population—because someone finally asked what they wanted. One hundred percent community support. Not for a distillery, but for what a distillery made possible: five interconnected businesses including tourism, hospitality, retail, and a museum celebrating the Anglo-Saxon palace that once stood nearby.
Timestamps:
00:00 A Legacy of Resilience
02:30 Introducing Eileen Ferguson and Ad Gefrin
04:29 Transforming a Family Site
07:47 The Importance of People and Community
11:48 Community Response and Impact
16:42 Environmental Considerations
18:28 Challenges and Achievements
24:46 Future Vision and Legacy
Ferguson accidentally proved that rural areas don't need saving, they need someone who refuses to accept that they deserve less. When a place has been "forgotten by successive governments," the choice is simple: wait for systems to save you, or build the system you need.
Host: Alison Dunn
Guest: Eileen Ferguson
This podcast is produced by Purpose Made.
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