Bill Scott's Blog - Posts Tagged "andrew-ewing"
Buttercup Article
I wrote this article for the Edinburgh Reporter in August 2013. For those who are undecided about buying the book, this is an excellent taster!
http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk...
http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk...
The Buttercup - Giveaway
Visit the Buttercup Website
To find out more about the Buttercup and Andrew Ewing, visit The Buttercup website
http://www.buttercupdairycompany.co.uk/
http://www.buttercupdairycompany.co.uk/
Thanks very much mister!
Tales of Andrew Ewing's kindness and generosity were part of my daily life as a child, since I was brought up on his Edinburgh farm. Some were amusing, like this one, often related by my grandfather - about a trip by Andrew to Glasgow in his chauffeur driven Rover, in the late 1940s
On leaving Edinburgh they picked up some drunk football supporters, on their way to Glasgow to watch the ‘old firm’ football match between Rangers and Celtic. Once they arrived in Glasgow, Andrew gave them £5 each (a fortune at this time) and told them to go and enjoy themselves – to which one replied “Thanks very much mister. I hope we meet you again next week!”
On leaving Edinburgh they picked up some drunk football supporters, on their way to Glasgow to watch the ‘old firm’ football match between Rangers and Celtic. Once they arrived in Glasgow, Andrew gave them £5 each (a fortune at this time) and told them to go and enjoy themselves – to which one replied “Thanks very much mister. I hope we meet you again next week!”
Some Terrific Reviews
Following the publication of the Buttercup, many readers were kind enough to express their views about the book, either by letter or email to me or posts on the Internet. One lady liked it so much that she ordered a dozen more for her friends, adding - "just like the eggs"!
These are some more reader comments:
"A cracking book, and story...entrepreneur who absolutely insists he wants to die poor? Gold dust."
"A tremendous piece of storytelling"
"I love this book, I've read it twice. This is social history with a difference, written in a more personal way, allowing you more than a glimpse into the life of an extraordinary man, Andrew Ewing ... The book includes many lovely stories from the memories of customers and employees.
"A truly wonderful story of a man whose generosity to people less fortunate than himself was incredible"
"Beautifully written with superb pictures. A wonderful insight into a man whose generosity of spirit helped so many less fortunate people."
"I loved this book... I found in places I could not put it down and that I was on a journey into the past with a very remarkable man"
" By the time I had finished reading your book I felt the same warmth for the very human Andrew Ewing that all that knew him seemed to feel."
"For a man to have done so much is inspiring".
"'Your book is a work of art - beautiful paper, font, layout and reproductions."
" It's excellent. I'm really enjoying the stories and the photographs.. A great tribute to an amazing man".
"The quality and attractiveness of the book is quite stunning"
" It's a fantastic story"
These are some more reader comments:
"A cracking book, and story...entrepreneur who absolutely insists he wants to die poor? Gold dust."
"A tremendous piece of storytelling"
"I love this book, I've read it twice. This is social history with a difference, written in a more personal way, allowing you more than a glimpse into the life of an extraordinary man, Andrew Ewing ... The book includes many lovely stories from the memories of customers and employees.
"A truly wonderful story of a man whose generosity to people less fortunate than himself was incredible"
"Beautifully written with superb pictures. A wonderful insight into a man whose generosity of spirit helped so many less fortunate people."
"I loved this book... I found in places I could not put it down and that I was on a journey into the past with a very remarkable man"
" By the time I had finished reading your book I felt the same warmth for the very human Andrew Ewing that all that knew him seemed to feel."
"For a man to have done so much is inspiring".
"'Your book is a work of art - beautiful paper, font, layout and reproductions."
" It's excellent. I'm really enjoying the stories and the photographs.. A great tribute to an amazing man".
"The quality and attractiveness of the book is quite stunning"
" It's a fantastic story"
Margaret Thatcher and the Buttercup
In the spring of last year I was in discussions with the Scottish Daily Mail about a feature article on the Buttercup. The article had been drafted, I had sent them a number of pictures and it was due to be published on 9 April 2013.
The day before the planned publication date I got a telephone call from Jim McBeth, who had written the article, telling me that Margaret Thatcher had died and there would be no space for the feature - and that's the last I heard of it.
Margaret Thatcher has been blamed for many things but I bet you didn't know that she put the mockers on my book!
The day before the planned publication date I got a telephone call from Jim McBeth, who had written the article, telling me that Margaret Thatcher had died and there would be no space for the feature - and that's the last I heard of it.
Margaret Thatcher has been blamed for many things but I bet you didn't know that she put the mockers on my book!
Never knew I was writing Creative Non-Fiction
I have never been a fan of dry historic facts so, when I wrote 'The Buttercup', I was determined to write it as a story that brought out the spirit of the company and its employees, as well as the compassion and generosity of Andrew Ewing – the man I so fondly remembered from my childhood. The book is, of course, factually accurate, but I also wrote it 'from the heart' and in a style similar to that used by a writer of fiction.
I knew I was writing something a little different but I had no idea that it had a name, until I recently came across the term 'creative non –fiction' - where the goal is to make nonfiction stories read like fiction, "so that your readers are as enthralled by fact as they are by fantasy". That was certainly my aim but it is up to readers to decide whether I succeeded.
I knew I was writing something a little different but I had no idea that it had a name, until I recently came across the term 'creative non –fiction' - where the goal is to make nonfiction stories read like fiction, "so that your readers are as enthralled by fact as they are by fantasy". That was certainly my aim but it is up to readers to decide whether I succeeded.
A bit of a challenge? You bet!
What do you do if you want to write a true story that is fifty to a hundred years old, with few written references or published photographs? That was the problem that faced me when I decided to write the story of The Buttercup and it's remarkable founder, Andrew Ewing, who gave away a fortune in his wish to die a poor man.
I knew the basic story, since I was born and brought up on Andrew Ewing's farm and my grandparents had told me the tale - but there was barely enough for an article, never mind a book, and all I had to illustrate it, were a few family photographs. The only answer was to track down down and interview those who worked for the company and the nieces and nephews of Andrew Ewing - for he had no children. But how, and also, many would be well into old age, since Andrew Ewing died in 1956?
I must have been mad to take on the challenge but I then commenced a three year period of research, which involved appealing for information in every local newspaper in Scotland and going through the birth death and marriage records of the Ewing family.I was lucky, since enough former employees responded to my appeal - some well into their nineties - and amazingly I eventually found most of Andrew Ewing's nieces and nephews. However,for a long time, key pieces of the story were missing and it took me ages to find Andrew Ewing's family photos.
To make my task even harder, I had decided to write the book as a story - which is a bit of a problem when there are key pieces missing and you can't just make it up!
Eventually and amazingly it all came together, but then came the next problem - I had to publish quickly since so many of the people who had contributed were very old and I wanted them to see it. But that's another story and subject for a later blog!The Buttercup: The Remarkable Story of Andrew Ewing and the Buttercup Dairy Company
I knew the basic story, since I was born and brought up on Andrew Ewing's farm and my grandparents had told me the tale - but there was barely enough for an article, never mind a book, and all I had to illustrate it, were a few family photographs. The only answer was to track down down and interview those who worked for the company and the nieces and nephews of Andrew Ewing - for he had no children. But how, and also, many would be well into old age, since Andrew Ewing died in 1956?
I must have been mad to take on the challenge but I then commenced a three year period of research, which involved appealing for information in every local newspaper in Scotland and going through the birth death and marriage records of the Ewing family.I was lucky, since enough former employees responded to my appeal - some well into their nineties - and amazingly I eventually found most of Andrew Ewing's nieces and nephews. However,for a long time, key pieces of the story were missing and it took me ages to find Andrew Ewing's family photos.
To make my task even harder, I had decided to write the book as a story - which is a bit of a problem when there are key pieces missing and you can't just make it up!
Eventually and amazingly it all came together, but then came the next problem - I had to publish quickly since so many of the people who had contributed were very old and I wanted them to see it. But that's another story and subject for a later blog!The Buttercup: The Remarkable Story of Andrew Ewing and the Buttercup Dairy Company
5 million eggs given away every year
Five million eggs given away every year by Andrew Ewing's Buttercup Dairy during the 1930s - and that is only the headline in the life of a man who gave everything away in his desire to die penniless!
You would think that such a man would be well known - but Andrew Ewing didn't want any credit and avoided all publicity. I only know the story because I was born and brought up on his farm in the 1950s and have been able to track down many former employees and members of the Ewing family.
The result is my book - The Buttercup: The remarkable story of Andrew Ewing and the Buttercup Dairy Company, which tells the tale from his lowly birth in south west Scotland through the building of a business empire and finally the giving of it all away.
The 17th century English churchman once wrote "The great and the good are seldom the same man". He obviously didn't know Andrew Ewing.The Buttercup: The Remarkable Story of Andrew Ewing and the Buttercup Dairy Company
You would think that such a man would be well known - but Andrew Ewing didn't want any credit and avoided all publicity. I only know the story because I was born and brought up on his farm in the 1950s and have been able to track down many former employees and members of the Ewing family.
The result is my book - The Buttercup: The remarkable story of Andrew Ewing and the Buttercup Dairy Company, which tells the tale from his lowly birth in south west Scotland through the building of a business empire and finally the giving of it all away.
The 17th century English churchman once wrote "The great and the good are seldom the same man". He obviously didn't know Andrew Ewing.The Buttercup: The Remarkable Story of Andrew Ewing and the Buttercup Dairy Company
Euphemia and me
One of the joys of writing 'The Buttercup' was meeting some wonderful old ladies who worked for the company as far back as the 1920s. The oldest was Euphemia Murray, who was 96 when I interviewed her in 2009.Unfortunately,I broke my ankle a couple of weeks before our meeting, so I arrived at her home on crutches sporting a big blue plaster cast. Euphemia, by contrast, was the picture of health!
Although I had never met Euphemia before, it felt like going home and there was an immediate affinity between us. The forty years age difference made no difference - we had both grown up at the Buttercup and understood the 'magic' that was hard to share with others.
Euphemia enthusiastically related many tales of her time as a Buttercup message girl, where she started work in 1926, as a fourteen year old. Although it was hard work, she was happy there - she also instantly recognised the picture of Andrew Ewing I had brought with me.
Two years after I met Euphemia I paid a surprise visit to her nursing home, with her family, to give her a signed copy of my newly published book. The staff gathered round to watch the presentation and treated her like a celebrity. She was so pleased to receive the book that it brought tears to my eyes.
Up to that point I had mainly been thinking of book sales, but that experience made me realise that there was more to life than commercial success - something that was well understood by Andrew Ewing! The Buttercup: The Remarkable Story of Andrew Ewing and the Buttercup Dairy Company
Although I had never met Euphemia before, it felt like going home and there was an immediate affinity between us. The forty years age difference made no difference - we had both grown up at the Buttercup and understood the 'magic' that was hard to share with others.
Euphemia enthusiastically related many tales of her time as a Buttercup message girl, where she started work in 1926, as a fourteen year old. Although it was hard work, she was happy there - she also instantly recognised the picture of Andrew Ewing I had brought with me.
Two years after I met Euphemia I paid a surprise visit to her nursing home, with her family, to give her a signed copy of my newly published book. The staff gathered round to watch the presentation and treated her like a celebrity. She was so pleased to receive the book that it brought tears to my eyes.
Up to that point I had mainly been thinking of book sales, but that experience made me realise that there was more to life than commercial success - something that was well understood by Andrew Ewing! The Buttercup: The Remarkable Story of Andrew Ewing and the Buttercup Dairy Company
