The 100 Day Challenge
Inspired and encouraged by my wife, watercolorist Frances
Douglas, a long‑time participant in the 100 Days Project Scotland, I
embraced the project’s guiding principle: repeat a simple creative
act each day for 100 days and mark each day with its own record.
With her support, I undertook the challenge of photographing Balfron
daily for one hundred days.
Each day, I posted a short
article and photograph on the Balfron Facebook page. By the end of
the project, those daily posts had accumulated over 107,000 views, a
response that far exceeded anything I expected. The book that
followed became both a record of the journey and the result of it.
I have lived in Balfron
since 1990 — not quite a “local” yet, perhaps — but I have a
long‑standing interest in the village’s past and a keen eye on its
future.
100 Days in Balfron is available by mail order
through the website, or from Balfron Library and Willow & The Olive
Branch gift shop.
The 2025 Challenge |
The 2026 Challenge |
|
| Throughout the 2025 project, I documented daily life, seasonal
shifts, and the evolving landscapes of our village. Every day, I set
out to capture Balfron as it was lived — its physical changes, its
quiet routines, and the small, often overlooked details that shape
our shared environment. From the changing colours of the seasons to
the stillness of early mornings, I tried to record the essence of
daily existence. Along the way, familiar and new faces appeared, helping to shape a story of community, resilience, and tradition. The architecture, the weather, and the subtle transformations in the landscape each told their own tale. Over time, the visual archive grew into something more than a collection of images — it became a testament to the enduring charm, challenges, and connections that define Balfron and its people. Each photograph was accompanied by a brief description of its subject. I drew on personal knowledge, conversations with people in the village, and several publications from my own shelves, with further research carried out online. I welcomed comments, corrections, and suggestions to enrich the stories and improve them. Each photograph was accompanied by a brief description of its subject. I drew on personal knowledge, conversations with people in the village, and several publications from my own shelves, with further research carried out online. |
In 2026, my 100 Days Project aims to identify places, objects, people
and events from the past demonstrating our evolvement over the
years. I welcome comments, corrections and suggestions to add to the stories and improve them. |
William Douglas
whose project this is, has been a resident of Balfron since 1990. So not quite a 'local' yet! He does, however, have a keen interest in the village's past - and in it's future.