Lord Provost Bill Campbell Blog #18

Hello, and welcome to my End of Month Blog #18 as the Lord Provost of Dundee.

The temperatures began to dip across November, however the opportunities to represent the city and see many of the fantastic initiatives taking place across Dundee did not.

As is usually the case for November, the start of the month involved much reflection as respect was paid during the city’s Remembrance events. These events are always moving as we come together to reflect on the sacrifices made by those before us as well as those currently serving.

Activities over the past month have included:

• On Thursday 2nd, I attended the switching on ceremony of LED lighting for the pillars and front façade of the High School of Dundee;
• I was granted the honour of presenting certificates at the 2023 Tayside Contracts Long Service Recognition Awards on Friday 3rd for employees who have reached the impressive milestone of 40 and 25 years service;
• In the morning of Saturday 4th, the Lady Provost and I laid a wreath at the Laying of the Crosses ceremony at the Garden of Remembrance in the city centre. In the evening, we attended the Festival of Remembrance event in the Caird Hall. This event was preceded by a gathering in the City Chambers where I had the honour of officially unveiling a memorial plaque on the civic floor;
• I was given the opportunity to welcome those attending the Tayside Police Division Divisional Commander’s Annual Awards and Recognition ceremony on Tuesday 7th where I gave a welcome speech and presented a number of awards;
• I attended the CanDu Conference 2023 on Wednesday 8th at the V&A Dundee where I was pleased to have been asked to give a speech sharing my own personal cancer journey. The title on the screen when I spoke included Defining Lived Experience and Why Your Experience Matters. I visited a number of stalls at the Conference, gaining more information in what continues to be an ongoing learning experience for myself;
• In the afternoon of Thursday 9th, I attended and laid a wreath at the Dundee Branch Black Watch Association Remembrance Service at the War Memorial in Caird Park. Following my attendance at the City of Dundee Combined Ex-Services Association’s Armistice Day Service in front of the Caird Hall on Saturday 11th, I attended a number of Remembrance Day events on Sunday 12th including laying wreaths at both the Garden of Remembrance and at the Law War Memorial;
• On Friday 10th, I welcomed to the City Chambers a delegation from Gunma Prefecture in Japan where speeches and gifts were exchanged before the visitors met with senior officers from the Council’s Education department;
• I accepted an invitation to Dens Park on Saturday 11th for Dundee FC’s match with St Mirren which Dundee won 4-0. My congratulations to Dundee Football Club on their continued progress and my thanks to the Club for their kind invitation and very friendly welcome;
• On Friday 24th, I officially opened the Craigiebarns Primary School food larder, the Craigiebarns Cupboard. I send my best wishes to this amazing project and my thanks go to Tesco who contributed £5,000 to help get the larder launched;
• Also on Friday 24th, I was present for Abertay University’s Graduation ceremony at the Caird Hall. It was a privilege to be invited to be part of the official stage party and an honour to sit beside University Chancellor Professor Alice Brown during the ceremony. My congratulations and best wishes to all of the Graduates from this memorable occasion;
• In the morning of Saturday 25th, the Lady Provost and I attended the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Wighton Heritage Centre at the Central Library following an invitation from the Friends of Wighton. The occasion also marked the 40th birthday of the Wighton Harpsichord which included very impressive recitals and performances from Mark Spalding, double Mòd Gold medallist Wilma Kennedy and Dr Sally Garden;
• Later on Saturday 25th, the Lady Provost and I led the torchlight procession at the Dundee Hooley setting off from the High School of Dundee and into City Square. It was good to see so many people attend the occasion marking St Andrew’s Day;
• On Tuesday 28th, I was given the honour of switching on the Christmas Lights at the Menzieshill Community Light Switch-On event. I was amazed at the scale of the event and send my congratulations to everyone involved;
• I also welcomed guests to the 2023 Scotland Loves Local Awards on Tuesday 28th at the V&A Dundee. The event was hosted by Sean Batty and I was honoured to be asked to present an award during the evening’s proceedings;
• On Wednesday 29th, I appeared on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show after meeting with Greg James and Arielle Free to find a big pair scissors for cutting the ribbon for opening the Radio 1 Big Weekend Experience in V&A Dundee on Friday 1st December;
• On Thursday 30th, as the Lord Provost I attended Dundee Rep’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ and I want to congratulate them on their stunning show. My thanks go to the Dundee Rep cast and team for this performance and all the other performances across 2023. I send my best wishes for another successful year in 2024.

For updates as they occur, you can find the latest Lord Provost news and activities on both Facebook and Twitter/X.

Thank you for taking the time to read my Blog and I hope to update you further on my civic responsibilities in the next edition which will summarise my activity in December.

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