Pedal on Parliament – Musselburgh Racecourse in the running for an award – Wester Hailes Fun Run 2013 – Friends of Lorne Primary Summer Fair – Queen’s Hall gets funding for repairs
Jim Eadie MSP for Edinburgh Southern has lodged the following motion at Holyrood:-
“Pedal on Parliament
That the Parliament congratulates the organisers of, and participants in, the Pedal on Parliament event, which it considers a success; understands that over 3,000 cyclists rode to the Parliament to demand action in order to make Scotland a cycle-friendly nation; applauds the dedication of this grassroots group in its campaign to make Scotland’s roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians; welcomes its eight-point manifesto, which includes calls for sustained investment in cycling infrastructure, safer speeds where people live, work and play and the integration of cycling into local transport strategies; believes that such an approach would bring tangible benefits to the health, wellbeing and safety of people across the country, and considers that, while the Scottish Government has published its Cycling Action Plan for Scotland, which, it believes, confirms a commitment to have a low-carbon future with cycling at its heart, there must be renewed efforts to ensure that cycling provision in Scotland can rival other countries across Europe.”
***
Musselburgh Racecourse has been shortlisted as a regional finalist in the Scottish Thistle Awards. The East Lothian course will compete with other premier tourism facilities in central and south east Scotland in the Best Visitor Attraction category. If successful at the regional awards on June 6, the racecourse goes forward to the national finals in November.
The Scottish Thistle Awards celebrates innovation and excellence within the Scottish tourism industry and each finalist has demonstrated their commitment to enhancing the visitor experience.
Manuela Calchini, regional director for VisitScotland, said: “Next year we will play host to the Homecoming Scotland 2014 programme, the Ryder Cup and the Commonwealth Games which all throw Scotland into the international spotlight. The tourism industry as a whole needs to be as polished as it can be to drive up quality and businesses need to think about what can help them to be the best they can be whether it’s a Scottish Thistle Award or being graded in our world leading Quality Assurance scheme.”
Sarah Montgomery, Musselburgh Racecourse commercial manager, said: “To ensure horseracing can compete in a very demanding leisure market we have to make each visit to Musselburgh extra special for the paying customer. We are constantly reviewing how we perform and how we can offer visitors real value for money and being nominated for this prestigious award is a sign that we are on the right track.”
Musselburgh Racecourse is Scotland’s only racetrack which holds VisitScotland five star visitor attraction status.
***
You have a couple of days left to register for the Wester Hailes Fun Run 2013.
Entries close on 7 June. The fun run is 5K and takes place on 16 June 2013. It starts at 10:00am in Hailes Quarry Park. To enter telephone Caroline Richards 0131 272 5025 or you can download the entry form here.
***
***
The Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh is to receive a £259,159 Building Repair Grant from Historic Scotland.
The Historic Building Repair Grant for The Queen’s Hall along with nine other projects across Scotland was announced yesterday by Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs as part of a £2.6 million package of funding.
The Queen’s Hall is a category A building, a well preserved and sensitively converted former Georgian church, designed in 1823 by Robert Brown, an architect who shaped most of urban Edinburgh.
The Building Repair Grant scheme makes financial help available to property owners to meet the cost of high-quality repairs using traditional materials and specialist craftsman to conserve original features in buildings of special architectural or historic interest. In return, owners must maintain the building and allow some access to visitors.
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs said: “Historic buildings, such as the Queen’s Hall offer great opportunities for education as well as providing important landmarks in our towns and cities which are key to our identity, community and memories. This is an exciting and worthwhile project and I am delighted that it has been supported through the Building Repair Grants.
“It is important to ensure that historically significant buildings such as Scotland’s oldest working smiddy, a building type which would once have existed in huge numbers, are maintained so future generations can learn about our fascinating history”.
Queen’s Hall Chief Executive Adrian Harris said: “The Queen’s Hall is one of Edinburgh’s Georgian jewels and this grant will allow us to carry out essential repairs to the external stonework and refurbish the original 19th century windows and railings at the front of the building. The Hall has been a fixture in the city’s civic life since 1823 and this will help guarantee the building’s future for many years to come.”
Grant Recipients:
1. Avenue Bridge, Dumfries House. £ 400,000
2. Provan Hall, Glasgow. £ 165,000
3. Earlstoun Castle, Town of Dalry £ 146,082
4. The Queens Hall, Edinburgh £ 259,159
5. The Temple Cumnock. £ 268,800
6. St Martin’s Church, Glasgow £ 500,000
7. Kirkintilloch Town Hall, Kirkintilloch £ 475,000
8. Smyllum House, Lanark £ 285,000
9. Cousland Smiddy, Midlothian £ 35,000
10. Huntly Castle Bridge, Aberdeenshire £ 100,000
TOTAL £2,634,041
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
