Edinburgh Castle is going green
New audio described photo exhibition
New parking arrangements on Leith Walk
Tonight at the Queen’s Hall
Leith Memories
Edinburgh Castle will be bathed in green light to mark St Patrick’s Day, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop announced during a visit to Dublin.
Ms Hyslop said that Scotland and Ireland greatly valued their relationship, and that it was fitting that one of Scotland’s most iconic buildings would turn green for Ireland’s national day.
The Castle joins a host of global landmarks celebrating Ireland’s national day, including the Colosseum in Rome and the Sacre-Coeur Basilica in Paris.
Ms Hyslop said:
“Turning one of Scotland’s most iconic buildings green for St Patrick’s Day is a fitting way to show the importance we place on our relationship with Ireland, and a celebration of the friendship which exists between our two nations.
“Our economic links with Ireland, our work together in the European Union, and the shared value we place on our membership of that union, show how much we have to gain from strengthening our relationship.
“Irish investment makes a substantial contribution to Scotland’s economy. Irish-owned companies in Scotland are responsible for nearly 6,000 jobs and turnover of £2.4 billion, while Scottish exports to Ireland are worth £815 million a year.
“Ireland and Scotland have different identities and experiences, but we are united by elements of shared history, culture and language – and so it’s appropriate that Edinburgh Castle, with its important place in Scotland’s history and culture, goes green for St Patrick’s Day.”
Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan, who visited Edinburgh just a fortnight ago, warmly welcomed the announcement that Edinburgh Castle will be illuminated in green to mark Ireland’s national day.
He stated: ‘I very much appreciate this generous gesture from the Scottish Government. The addition of such a landmark to the already impressive list of iconic locations going green on St Patrick’s Day is another important moment in the friendship between Ireland and Scotland and literally highlights our ever-strengthening links. The theme for my recent visit to Edinburgh was embarking on a ‘new chapter’ in Irish-Scottish relations. Today’s announcement is a really significant and visible way to underline that.’
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A unique photographic exhibition comprising 22 portraits of blind and partially sighted people living in Scotland is being launched in Edinburgh on Thursday 5 March.
‘Connecting Visions’ aims to overturn perceptions of people with sight loss as passive and dependent.
Its subjects include Dennis Robertson (MSP for Aberdeenshire West), Gordon Anthony (author of historical thrillers), Lindsay Scott (café manager), Sandra Wilson (retired careers adviser) and Jamie McDonald (stand-up comedian).
Edinburgh-based photographer Trudy Stade was inspired to put together the exhibition after watching McDonald perform live on stage alongside her husband, comedian Tom Stade (‘Live at the Apollo’). “I realised his talent immediately and found myself chatting away to Jamie after the show,” she said.
“I knew someone at the sight loss charity RNIB Scotland and put forward the concept of portraits as something I, as a photographer, wanted to do. To challenge the misperceptions, including my own, that those affected with sight loss experience in their daily lives.
“I didn’t want to push aside the difficulties or frustrations of those living with little or no sight, but capture the essence of who they are through empowering and positive images. The photographs are shot in locations that express their personal determination, dignity and passions. Overall, the spread of subjects is amazing.”
Many of the people photographed will be attending the opening in the Summerhall venue. Ken Reid from North Berwick, who lost his sight in is 20s, commented: “I hope Trudy’s exhibition will make people think more about what blind people can do, rather than what they can’t.”
Dennis Robertson MSP said: “Being blind has not debilitated me; on the contrary, it has enabled me to achieve many things that I otherwise would not have been able to do. Trudy’s exhibit highlights just how much can be achieved by blind and partially sighted individuals, or anyone for that matter, with the right support.”
Audiences will also get a chance to find out what being blind or partially sighted loss is like themselves. Volunteers from RNIB Scotland will be handing out special spectacles that simulate different sight loss conditions. All photos will also be audio-described.
Proceeds from the opening are being donated to RNIB Scotland. The event has been organised by the charity’s Edinburgh Volunteer Fundraising Group, which is looking for new members to join.
* ‘Connecting Visions’ runs until Sunday, March 8, at Summerhall, Summerhall Place, Edinburgh. Tickets for tonight’s launch event are £5.
http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/connecting-visions-grand-opening-at-summerhall-tickets-15696193738
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New parking/loading/unloading arrangements will come into effect on Monday, 2 March 2015 in the immediate area north of the Iona/Pilrig Street junction off Leith Walk.
The new arrangements will allow for the loading and unloading of goods and will also provide opportunities for customer parking for up to one hour.
These arrangements will be phased in and during the week commencing Monday 2 March, if a vehicle is found to be parked in a way that would breach the new arrangements, a warning notice will be issued. From Monday 9 March, drivers found to be misusing the bays will be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice and their vehicle may be removed.
A deliberate 0.5 metre space has been designed in between the parking bay and the cycle lane to allow for vehicle doors to be opened without affecting cyclists using the lane. Encroaching onto the cycle lane will also incur a Penalty Charge Notice and possible vehicle removal.
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Tonight at the Queen’s Hall they have something very different for your delectation and delight!
Founded in 2000, the Beijing Red Poppy Ladies Percussion Group is China’s top female percussion band. They have performed more that 2500 shows in over 30 countries, including venues such as the Sydney Opera House, the Cairo Opera House and the Kennedy Art Centre. In 2008, the group choreographed the drum sequence at the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games.
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A unique local community project has captured a series of personal stories, shedding new light on the rich history of Scotland’s once bustling chief port of Leith.
The Memories of Maritime Leith project saw members of the local Leith community invited to share their own personal tales and memories of the area, which was once the focus of the seafaring community for centuries.
Over a number of months, the project involved four residents of Leith who shared their own accounts, memories and experiences of the city’s nautical history, inspired by objects held at Trinity House Maritime Museum – once the former headquarters of the Incorporation of Masters and Mariners. The collection at Trinity House includes a vast array of objects and special items from naval history, from navigational instruments and models of ships to furniture, maps and even a 200-year-old harpoon.
These stories charting the memories of four ordinary people, have now been made into four special short-length films, capturing new insights into Edinburgh’s seafaring past.
The digital stories, featuring the participants’ memoirs are paired with personal photographs as well as other images, objects and paintings from the collection at Trinity House. All four short audio stories will be screened at a special event for those involved with the project to celebrate Leith’s maritime heritage and history.
The Memories of Maritime Leith films include:
- A Bow-Tow Remembers by Sophia Abrahamsen
- From Lerwick to Leith by Stephen Hall
- Leith Docks by Ramsay Tubb
- All at Sea by Andrew Grant
The Memories of Maritime Leith project was created in partnership with Historic Scotland, The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) and The Living Memory Association.
The completed films form a learning and educational resource, helping to raise awareness and engagement with Leith’s colourful maritime past. Trinity House will regularly screen the films as part of their community learning programmes and will be shared through talks for community groups and care homes in the area.
Commenting on the project, Craig Fletcher, Senior Learning Manager at Historic Scotland, said: “The Memories of Maritime Leith project engaged with older members of Leith’s community and encouraged them to share their own stories and memories of the area during the height of its maritime past.
“Each of the four films and story-tellers offer a truly unique perspective and insight into a different part of Edinburgh’s nautical heritage, bringing it to life with their own story and personal photographs.
“These digital stories will enable several individual’s personal accounts of Leith’s maritime past to be recorded and shared at a wider level for current and future generations.”
Miles Tubb, Project Coordinator at The Living Memory Association, added: “This community project provided the opportunity for Leith’s residents to revisit a part of their past and share their own individual account of their local community’s heritage with others around them.”
“We hope that people will enjoy hearing their stories first hand, and more about the objects which helped inspire them.”
The Memories of Maritime Leith project was funded by The Historic Scotland Foundation. The films will shortly be made available on the Historic Scotland website and YouTube channel.
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
