HMS Edinburgh – MP urges applications for Heritage Lottery – Scottish Government announce aid for school trips – Leith Festival – WeDO Conference
HMS Edinburgh will set sail from the capital for the final time this morning at around 11 o’clock. On Friday the crew marched along the Royal Mile and were inspected by The Lord Provost who had also given the ship the Freedom of the City. This morning he will be on board!
After a six-day visit to her adopted city, HMS Edinburgh will take a final bow today as she sails from Leith for the last time.
The Lord Provost, The Right Honourable Donald Wilson, will be amongst a handful of senior guests on board as she slips quietly from her berth bound for Liverpool, her penultimate destination before re-entering her home port of Portsmouth at the end of the month.
The Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines Scotland will mark the occasion from the pontoon beside Britannia, along with a number of young people from local Sea Cadet units at Musselburgh, Leith and Dunbar.
It is bound to be both a celebratory moment of the 28 years’ relationship the Type 42 destroyer – affectionately known as the ‘Fortress of the Sea’ – has had with her namesake city, as well as a sad goodbye for sailors and local people alike, who have enjoyed not only this final tour, but also the benefits of almost three decades of strong links.
The final sail brings to an end this last visit which has included the pride of exercising the ship’s privilege to march through the city on Friday, followed by a chance for the public to get on board on Saturday.
Bowing out after three decades and with 695,000 miles of global operational service under her belt, the ship will progress to Liverpool to mark the 70th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of the Atlantic. The Mersey also holds a special place at the heart of the ship’s history, for she was launched from Cammell Laird’s shipyard in Birkenhead in 1983, before joining the Fleet in 1985.
“We are preparing ourselves for what will certainly be a heartfelt wrench,” said HMS Edinburgh’s Commanding Officer, Commander Nick Borbone. “As the ship leaves her berth, enters the lock and then quietly slips away from the backdrop of one of the world’s most famous cities, there will not be a single person on board who has not been proud to call Edinburgh our spiritual home for almost three decades.
“To watch the city’s skyline slowly disappear from view will, no doubt, detain many of the ship’s company on deck – just to catch that last glimpse.
“We are absolutely honoured to have been welcomed so affectionately this weekend and took particular pride in exercising our Freedom of the City with a Privilege Parade on Friday. And the level of support we received during our open day for visitors was humbling and a real joy – the enthusiasm was infectious.”
Lord Provost Donald Wilson said: “It was my honour to confer the Freedom of the City to ‘The Fortress of the Sea’ during Friday’s fantastic Privilege Parade. The Royal Mile was alive with colour and I was delighted that the public turned out in such force to help celebrate a long and proud association with the City.
‘It was, of course, also an occasion tinged with sadness as we prepared to say our farewells to HMS Edinburgh and I’m sure tomorrow’s final sailing will be an emotional time for the crew members and everyone associated with this great ship.”
HMS Edinburgh, the last of the Type 42 destroyers, recently returned to the UK from her final deployment – six months patrolling the Atlantic. She left her home port of Portsmouth in September 2012 for routine operations across the North and South Atlantic in support of British interests worldwide.
The Type 42s for more than 40 years have patrolled the world’s oceans on behalf of the UK, protecting the nation’s interests both in home waters and further afield. As HMS Edinburgh bows out of service she hands the mantle firmly on to the new state-of-the-art, ultra-capable Type 45 Daring Class destroyers – all built on the Clyde.
***
Mark Lazarowicz MP urges people in Edinburgh North and Leith to apply for grants to mark centenary – £6million available
Mark Lazarowicz MP attended the launch of the Heritage Lottery Fund’s (HLF) new small grants programme First World War: then and now at the House of Commons to find out how people from his Edinburgh North and Leith constituency could secure funding to mark the centenary of the First World War.
No part of the UK was left unaffected by the First World War as war memorials in small rural villages testify. Its relevance is as great as ever with at the last count 37 armed conflicts taking place around the world including continued instability and fighting in the Congo which has seen the death of more than 5.4 million people since 1998.
HLF is making at least £1million available per year for six years until 2019. It will provide grants of between £3,000 to £10,000 enabling groups right across the UK to explore, conserve and share their First World War heritage and deepen their understanding of the impact of the conflict.
Mark, said:-“It is good that the Heritage Lottery Fund is making this money available to local communities. Like many areas across the UK, the impact of the First World War on people here in Edinburgh North and Leith was extensive.
“Around 2,500 men from Leith alone gave their lives in the First World War. The commemoration of the First World War should be a reminder of the devastation it caused to humanity and a spur to work towards a more peaceful world.”
An example of the way that Edinburgh North and Leith was marked by the conflict was the Gretna train disaster in May 1915 which resulted in the death of 227 men from the local regiment, the Royal Scots, when a train carrying the troops crashed into a local train near Gretna Green. There is a memorial to those who lost their lives in the tragic accident in Rosebank Cemetery.
Mark Lazarowicz MP is urging people locally to think about how they would like to mark the Centenary. The kind of projects that could be funded include:
- researching, identifying and recording local heritage;
- creating a community archive or collection;
- developing new interpretation of heritage through exhibitions, trails, smartphone apps etc;
- researching, writing and performing creative material based on heritage sources; and the new programme can also provide funding for the conservation of war memorials.
HLF has already invested £12million in projects – large and small – that will mark the centenary of First World War.
Application packs are available at http://www.hlf.org.uk/ThenAndNow. If a group needs a grant of more than £10,000 for a First World War project, it can apply to HLF through its open programmes.
***
And in more news about the First World War….
Every secondary school in Scotland will be offered financial help to carry out educational visits to European battlefields as part of the Scottish Government’s plans to commemorate the centenary of the Great War, First Minister Alex Salmond has announced.
A £2,000 grant will be made available to every senior school in the country to help them meet the costs of trips to Western Front battlefields and war graves so pupils can learn more about the sacrifice made by the many thousands from Scotland and elsewhere during the First World War.
The £1 million fund, which will be administered by Historic Scotland, will include additional subsidies for groups travelling to the continent from schools not on the Scottish mainland.
The educational grant scheme, which will span the six school years from 2013, comes after the First Minister announced a £1 million fund to allow communities across Scotland to refurbish and maintain their war memorials ahead of the commemorations. A full programme of commemorations in Scotland is expected to be announced by the First Minister shortly.
The First Minister said:
“The sacrifice made by the many thousands of Scots and those fighting for Scottish battalions during the First World War must never be forgotten, and it is absolutely crucial that we take the opportunity presented by the centenary to help young people develop a deeper understanding of the causes, consequences and horrors of war and the devastation wrought by the conflict on communities in all corners of the country.
“Many of the soldiers who were sent to War in 1914 were not much older than school age and educational trips to see WWI battlefields provide an unforgettable experience for our young people, giving them a powerful insight into the trench warfare endured by millions on the Western Front.
“Many schools already run educational trips to the European battlefields, but this additional £1 million in funding will ensure that every secondary school in Scotland is offered financial help to take pupils and teachers to Europe during the centenary of the War, broadening the pupils’ knowledge of the conflict and ensuring that a new generation of Scots never forgets the unimaginable price paid by their forbears a century ago.”
Rev Norman Drummond, the chair of the Scottish Commemorations Panel body set up by the Scottish Government to recommend a preferred approach to Scotland’s commemorations of the Great War, welcomed the announcement.
Rev Drummond said:-“I am delighted that the Scottish Government will be funding Battlefield visits for our secondary schools.
“It is vital that we create an educational legacy as part of Scotland’s commemorative programme and these visits will enable our pupils and teachers to experience at first-hand the significant service and sacrifice given by so many Scottish servicemen and women throughout World War One.”
Denise Dunlop, President of the Scottish Association of Teachers of History, said:-“This is a fantastic initiative that I hope all of Scotland’s secondary schools will welcome.
“Battlefield visits are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for school pupils to learn first-hand about war and its horrible consequences.
“Many of these conflicts are glamourised in today’s society, and these trips offer a chance for young people to learn the truth about what happened to so many thousands of soldiers – many of whom were not much older than school age.”
***
One of Edinburgh’s longest running community celebrations is gearing up for its annual extravaganza in June – promising an exciting mix of everything from premieres to premiership players.
The Leith Festival which aims to celebrate the rich culture, heritage, diversity and creativity of the city, will run over nine days in June.
More than 50 different activities – covering live music, art, sporting events, guided tours, dancing, theatre performances and family events – are taking place across 38 different venues within a one mile radius of the centre of Leith.
And the Festival will once again have as it centrepiece the ever popular Leith Festival Gala Day and Pageant – the Pageant has been a piece of Leith history for more than 100 years.
Patricia Romero, Leith Festival Marketing, said: “We are delighted to be bringing Leith its annual Festival once again.
“Leith Festival is a major event in the community calendar and we will be expecting some 10,000 people to get involved in the Gala Day itself.
“But this year we have tried to ensure there is a wide programme of events and activities that run across the nine days of the festival
“The atmosphere is always great especially as the whole family can get involved with so many different activities.”
The festival will officially run from June 8-16 but this year it will begin with a street launch at the Kirkgate Shopping Centre on June 7 from 6pm-8pm.
This will be followed by the hugely popular Gala Day and Pageant on June 8.
Performers, visitors and locals will begin the Pageant on Balfour Street from 11am before making their way through the streets down Leith Walk and towards Leith Links.
Some of the headline events on the nine-day programme include the premiere of ‘Sinatra: The Final Curtain, theatre performances from Black Dingo Productions and Absolute Improv and Hibs legends playing for The Pete Smith Memorial Charity March.
There will also be a choice of music rhythms from around the world, from Balkan Beats & Swing Grooves, Blues on the Cruz, classical music in The Clanjamfrie, and history and family entertainment with Molly’s Magical Mystery Mayhem. There is also a documentary in the planning with production company, ‘Broken Blonde’.
Patricia added: “We are all grateful to all sponsors, partners, and all the fantastic people who have been so hands on, that have made it possible for this year’s festival to happen.
“With their help it has allowed us to organise a show that will be bigger and better than ever, allowing everyone involved to enjoy themselves.”
The Festival Radio Show on 98.8 Castle FM will also be broadcasting a three-hour-weekly live show leading up to the festival, and a daily programme during Festival week.
For more information on everything that’s going on, visits the Leith Festival website: www.leithfestival.com
***
The cream of the Scottish business community, including former executive editor of the Scotsman and founder of online media website ‘Scot-Buzz’, Bill Jamieson, will come together soon for the annual WeDO Scotland annual conference.
The WeDO Scotland conference will take place at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh on the 23rd of May and is the second to be hosted by the leading entrepreneurial network. The conference will give high flyers from across the country the chance to learn from each other as well as hear invaluable advice from some of the industry’s most acclaimed experts.
Speakers at the event include Bill Jamieson, founder of Scot-Buzz, who previously held the role of executive editor of the Scotsman newspaper; along with David Sole Associates founder David Sole OBE, who is also the co-founder of the School for CEOs; and Gavin Oattes, co-founder of Tree of Knowledge and winner of the WeDO Scotland Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2012.
Alongside the expert talks there will also be various business workshops available and attendees will be given the chance to pick the brains of their peers and Scottish business leaders at the networking lunch.
Founder of WeDO Scotland, Belinda Roberts, said: “WeDO Scotland has an ethos firmly built on nurturing Scottish business and through events such as the WeDO Scotland conference, we strive to celebrate and encourage the amazing entrepreneurial spirit we have on offer in this small but feisty country.
“WeDO Scotland’s first ever conference, which was held last year, arrived with a bang and this year’s conference will no doubt do the same.”
Open to Scottish business owners and founders, WeDO Scotland members meet regularly to share ideas, experiences and knowledge at topic-based events which are selected for their relevance to entrepreneurs. Those involved in the organisation range from start-up businesses with high growth potential to multi-million pound turnover companies.
The conference will take place at Dynamic Earth, 112-116 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh. Registration will start at 8:45am with the event running from 9:25am to 5:30pm.
Ticket Price for members is:
Standard Ticket £120 + £3.65 online booking fee
Ticket Price for non-members is:
Standard Ticket £140 + £4.15 online booking fee
To book your place at the conference please email: support@wedoscotland.co or call 08708 759793.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
