Derek Bowman is the Fifer showcasing his kingdom with a camera.
The 33-year-old – whose army of followers know him as Ginger Man With A Cam – has become a web hit with his videos capturing the best of the region’s towns and villages.
Fuelled by a childlike sense of wonder and a penchant for tree swings, he has endeared himself to fans on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram by finding something positive in every place he visits.
Derek, a residential home carer from Rosyth, started recording his travels around Fife in June 2020 to preserve his own mental health during a difficult time.
A year-and-a-half on, he now receives messages from nostalgic ex-pats around the world.
‘It’s got to be Ginger Man With A Cam’
Derek, whose vlogs were inspired by similar videos about communities across Europe, told The Courier: “I thought, ‘I could do that’, so I gave it a go.”
At the time, he was working in Edinburgh with adults who have profound disabilities.
The travelling, as well as the stress of keeping everyone safe, was taking its toll.
But the vlogs quickly became a cathartic experience for him.
Derek adds: “I struggled to come up with a name for it.
“But then one day I woke up from a nap and thought, I’m ginger and I’ve got a camera – it’s got to be Ginger Man With A Cam.”
First up was a walk in the park in his home town of Rosyth.
Derek, who edits his videos in his bedroom, says: “I went into the woodland and it was covered in litter.
“It was disgusting so I filmed myself picking it up.
“I love the countryside and hate litter so I wanted to lead by example.”
His friend made up a theme tune and he uploaded the video to YouTube. And he was off and running.
More popular in Kirkcaldy than Dunfermline
Since then, Derek has visited towns and villages the length and breadth of Fife.
His videos have a couthy, heart-warming feel to them and he never criticises.
Instead, he learns about the places he is in and always finds something to celebrate, even if it’s just a comfy bench or a banister to slide down.
Oh, and if there’s a tree swing to play on, then it has to be tried!
But has any place surprised him and where does he like best?
“Methil surprised me,” he says. “It was the views over the water – I wasn’t expecting that.
“And the friendliness of the people – I met a man who ran a community gym and he invited me in to see it.
“It was awesome.”
That was in April last year and his Methil video has since been viewed 15,000 times.
Derek also enjoyed Kennoway and Kettle, again because the people were friendly, but one of his best experiences was in Newburgh.
“I’d just finished walking the Fife coast and I was so thirsty for a cup of tea,” he laughs.
“I met a woman and she took me to her house for a cup of tea and some cake.
“It was such a good feeling.”
And how many people watch his videos?
“It depends on the towns and villages,” says Derek.
“Certain places get more views. The biggest one is still Markinch with between 40,000 and 50,000 views.
“They usually get around 10,000. I’m more popular in Kirkcaldy (14,000 views) than Dunfermline (5,500 views) for some reason.”
‘People live vicariously through me’
Derek lives with his mum and step-dad and little dog Angus, a stone’s throw from the care home where he works.
He’s also a member of the Dalgety Bay Players theatre group and has written pantomimes for them.
He puts his videos together in his spare time and the positive feedback from viewers keeps him going.
“It’s an opportunity for people who aren’t able to get up and about to live vicariously through me in my videos,” says Derek.
Try tree swings – they’re fun.”
Derek Bowman, aka Ginger Man With A Cam.
“When I worked with profoundly disabled adults, they couldn’t get out but they liked the videos.
“It was about putting more wholesome content out against the sphere of the world polarising.
“I’m getting messages from people all over the world now – Canada, Singapore, Australia.
“They’re all ex-pats who can’t come back just now and they’re saying the videos mean so much to them.
“Some say they watch with tears in their eyes.”
Derek wants to keep posting as long as he enjoys doing it and plans to film a trek along the Fife Pilgrim Way in April.
“People say don’t lose that sense of childlike wonder,” he says.
“It’s important not to go in with any preconceptions. And to try tree swings – they’re fun.”
