Meeting of the Parliament 06 January 2015
I hope that everyone had a good break this winter. I wish all members a happy new year.
Scotland’s winter festivals celebrate our nation’s rich cultural heritage, and they showcase Scotland on the international stage. There is a fantastic programme of events across the country, which incorporates three of Scotland’s most celebrated days—St Andrew’s day, hogmanay and Burns night—and rounds off the year of homecoming.
The festivals encourage everyone to get out and about in Scotland in the winter. There is so much going on. St Andrew’s day and hogmanay have passed, but we can look forward to the Burns night events. I look forward to my vegetarian or halal haggis, which I assure members that I enjoy.
Scotland is renowned for its warm hospitality. In 2014 we showed the world what a great country Scotland is. Celebratory nights—around the world—offer great opportunities for residents and visitors to continue to do that and to celebrate our rich culture and diversity.
In my constituency, Glasgow on ice returned to George Square. It promised to be better than ever and it certainly delivered, bringing the square alive on St Andrew’s day, in a celebration of everything Scottish, and continuing throughout the festive period. There was skating with a Scottish twist, and the facade of Glasgow City Council chambers was transformed by a light show, which celebrated a snapshot of Scotland throughout the night of St Andrew’s day, thanks to video artist Tim Reid and playwright Jenny Knotts.
I was happy that, on the busiest days, people in Glasgow were encouraged to travel on public transport or on foot. There were various discounts and offers, and people were given goodie bags to take home. Children, in particular, enjoyed the free goodies.
One idea that I have to offer—as the cabinet secretary said that she is looking for suggestions—is that perhaps next year, during the Burns supper events, we could try to encourage cafes, shops and retail outlets to open later in the evenings. I think that that would encourage a lot more activity.
I hope that one day we will see such great events grow and generate returns for the retail industry, for local communities and for Scotland as a whole. I look forward to hearing the reviews that we attract for the year’s activities.
The cabinet secretary also mentioned the fact that these festivals are not only restricted to winter and that we do rather well in Scotland throughout the year. To give a small example of what is happening in Glasgow in particular, we are going to have the European judo championships, the Turner prize and the British Athletics international. That is a sample of what we are looking forward to seeing in Glasgow.
I hope and I pray that we can not only consolidate what we have done to date but build on the continued success that we have had. We have seen, year on year, that we have done rather well. We seem to be reaching levels of expertise that are renowned throughout the world. I hope that everybody who has participated and helped engage in these issues continues to do so in the future.
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