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Farming Today: The Weaving Crofters

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The Weaving Crofters

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, The Weaving Crofters

How crofting in the Western Isles and the weaving of Harris Tweed are intricately linked.

Nancy Nicolson joins crofter Calum George Buchanan in his loom shed in the Outer Hebrides to discover the link between the land and the production of Harris tweed.

Harris tweed and Western Isles crofting go hand-in-hand. An Act of Parliament stipulates this cloth, which is in demand by designers across the globe, can only be produced in these islands - and the majority of the men and women who peddle traditional looms in sheds beside their homes have a close connection to crofting. The income they earn from weaving the cloth underpins the fragile nature of small scale farming on the most westerly edge of Europe. Nancy Nicolson meets crofter Calum George Buchanan while he works in  his  loom shed on the shores of the Atlantic. 

Produced and presented by Nancy Nicolson

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