03/04/2009
Holyrood will welcome Her Majesty The Queen on Wednesday 1 July to mark the tenth anniversary of the Scottish Parliament. The announcement comes as the Scottish Parliament unveils more details about how it is marking its first decade of devolution.
Holyrood will welcome Her Majesty The Queen on Wednesday 1 July to mark the tenth anniversary of the Scottish Parliament. The announcement comes as the Scottish Parliament unveils more details about how it is marking its first decade of devolution.
In the morning, exactly ten years on from the Parliament receiving its full legislative powers, Her Majesty The Queen will address MSPs in the Chamber before meeting ‘1 July babies’, Scottish children born on 1 July 1999.
Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson MSP said: “This is a special day for our ‘1 July babies’ and the Scottish Parliament. We are delighted Her Majesty will be able to join us as we mark our tenth birthdays.”
The Parliament has placed the ten-year-olds at the heart of activities to mark ten years of devolution. There will be a programme of activities planned across the parliamentary campus for the 10-year-olds, their siblings, parents and guardians, Members, their families and guests, and others attending this event.
The Presiding Officer added: “So far, we have found more than two-thirds of the 163 ‘1 July babies’ and we are confident we will hear from the remaining 46 children as we enter the final phase of our search. The enthusiastic response from the ten-year-olds, their families and the general public has been encouraging and we are confident they will enjoy the event we are planning.”
The Parliament’s anniversary programme aims to build on ten years of engagement activities by ensuring there are activities for all, taking place across Scotland. Following the original announcement of the programme in October 2008, more details have been published today of the travelling exhibition, along with two new activities:
- Monday 27 April: Moving Stories – 10 people. 10 experiences. 10 years of the Scottish Parliament, an interactive exhibition will demonstrate ten people’s experiences of interacting with the Scottish Parliament in its first ten years. The exhibition opens in Glasgow on 27 April before travelling around Scotland for the rest of the year. Full venue details are listed in the background of the release, below. More details on the content of the exhibition will be published ahead of its launch.
- Tuesday 12 May: Winnie Ewing will unveil a portrait of her by the late artist David Donaldson, to be hung outside the Members' Restaurant. The Presiding Officer will then host a lunch in her honour, on the anniversary of her ‘banging the gavel’ at the first sitting of the Scottish Parliament when it reconvened in 1999. Mrs Ewing was the eldest MSP elected in 1999 and as such, took the chair of the Presiding Officer until a Presiding Officer was elected.
- Friday 26 June: The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh will host a reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse for all Members and their guests.
Background
More information about the activities taking place on 1 July will be put in the public domain in the coming months.
‘Moving Stories’ exhibition will visit:
- Scotland Street Museum of Education, Glasgow; Monday 27 April – Sunday 17 May
- Caledonian MacBrayne Oban Ferry Terminal; Friday 22 May – Wednesday 17 June
- Orkney Library and Archive; Monday 6 July – Thursday 23 July
- MacPhail Centre, Ullapool; Thursday 30 July– Friday 14 August
- Carnegie Birthplace Museum, Dunfermline; Friday 21 August – Sunday 6 September
- Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museum; Friday 11 September – Sunday 4 October
- New Lanark Museum Trust; Saturday 10 October – Tuesday 27 October
- Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange; Tuesday 3 November – Sunday 22 November
Previously announced activities are:
- Search for 25th quote for the Canongate wall. Deadline for entries is 31 August 2009
- Tartan design competition launched for Scotland’s textile students.
- A range of new partnerships aimed at working with three specific groups who are under-represented in parliamentary engagement: disabled people, people from ethnic minority backgrounds, and hard-to-reach young people.
- A new conference aimed specifically at community groups to provide more information about how to engage via the political system on local and national issues.
- New educational events designed to attract and engage a wider cross-section of young people with the Parliament and political issues.
- The Parliament will also seek to mark the 10th anniversary through existing events such as the Festival of Politics and the annual Dewar Debate.