MORE than 1000 people, from as far afield as New Zealand and Australia, have visited The Great Tapestry of Scotland in Alloa.

It arrived in the Speirs Centre in May and will remain in the venue until Friday, August 18, where it is available to view free of charge.

Measuring in at around 143 metres, the 160 hand-stitched cloth panels depict aspects of Scotland's history from 8500BC until 2013.

And the world's longest tapestry, which involved more than 1000 volunteers from sewing groups, is proving popular.

Hannah Ford, creative heritage officer for the exhibition, is delighted with the response so far.

She said: “The numbers visiting the tapestry are growing now and the feedback from everyone young and old is that there's something for everyone to get from a visit – so be prepared to spend the day taking a trip through our history.”

Hosted by CTSI and Clackmannanshire Council, the display is supported by over 60 local volunteers and many businesses.

The project aims to promote the county as a cultured destination and to strengthen links within the community.

CTSI and the local authority have organised a series of free workshops to coincide with this, working with organisations such as Tullibody History Group, Resonate and Reachout with Arts in Mind, along with individual stitchers – some who worked on the tapestry itself.

These include a fleece to yarn workshop, drop spinning, history of sport, introduction to crewelwork, Romans in Clacks and the history of Patons and Baldwin.

Hannah has also been working with schools and community groups to teach them how artworks like the tapestry can be used to record and celebrate history, and to think about the key points that would visually represent the story of Clackmannanshire.

She invites locals to look at the rich heritage of Clacks, including the fortunate positioning between the Ochil streams and the Forth allowing for trade and industry – such as mills, breweries and glassworks.

St Mungo’s Primary School and Redwell Primary Schools have already taken part in the programme and Hannah has been delighted with the creative response.

She said: “The children really got how important art has been in telling the history of Scotland since the beginning of time and even produced their own amazing pieces of artwork.

“I hope many families will use the summer holidays to now bring children and grandchildren along to the tapestry so they can see the story of Scotland come alive.”

Events are free, booking is essential via Eventbrite.

To find out more about the workshops contact hannahord@ctsiorg.uk, visit ctsi.org.uk or find CTSI on Facebook for additional information.