Lord Provost Bill Campbell Blog #22

Hello and welcome to my End of Month Blog #22 as the Lord Provost of Dundee.

March was a busy month which saw me take in a variety of activities and events showcasing some of the fantastic work and initiatives being carried out throughout our city.

Activities over the past month included:

• I attended a community event at Dudhope Castle run by the Dundee Changemakers Hub where I saw the incredible amount of activities that take place at this venue;
• On Sunday 3rd, the Lady Provost and I attended the 50th Anniversary Service commemorating the opening of the University of Dundee Chapel. We were both delighted to attend what was a very special late afternoon service;
• The Lady Provost and I attended two RNLI celebratory events on Monday 4th with the first outside the Broughty Ferry RNLI lifeboat station with speeches and RNLI images of past and present that were projected onto the gable end of the Lifeboat Station. The event that followed was a Thanksgiving Service in Broughty Ferry St James Church to mark 200 years of the RNLI in which Reverend Caroline Taylor took the service and which included music from the Scottish Police and Community Choir;
• On Tuesday 5th, I gave a Civic Reception in the City Chambers to mark the 20th anniversary of Dundee becoming a Fairtrade city. I had the honour of addressing the event and spoke with many who attended. I had been involved with the Dundee Fair Trade Forum for ten years between 2012 and 2022;
• In the evening of the same day, Tuesday 5th, I attended the Closing Curling Bonspiel and Awards event at the Dundee Ice Arena. The event had a very large attendance, and I took great pleasure in presenting a number of trophies to recipients, including the new Lord Provost of Dundee Curling Award;
• On Friday 8th, I welcomed Claire Anderson from Cash For Kids to the Twinning Room and I was delighted to give my support again this year from the Lord Provost Charity Fund;
• On Sunday 10th, I attended Morning Worship at Glasgow Cathedral in which the RNLI, commemorating their 200th anniversary, were part of the Service;
• I had the great privilege of officially opening the Fiveways Day Centre’s Rock N Roll Community Diner by co-cutting a ribbon on Tuesday 12th. It was great to see the amazing new facility at the Day Centre which is a fantastic asset to our city;
• In the evening of Tuesday 12th, I attended a Major Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics event at the McManus Galleries to give a Civic Welcome. It was a pleasure to meet with those who attended and congratulations to Angela Daly, Professor of Law and Technology at University of Dundee;
• On Friday 15th, I attended the Weavers Spring Supper at Verdant Works. The Weavers are part of the Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee;
• On the morning of Saturday 16th, the Lady Provost and I visited the Carolina House Trust following an invitation from the Carolina House Foster Care Trust and Get Set Yeti to find out more about their combined resource for supporting their continued mission to develop Growth Mindset thinking in their young people, carers and staff;
• On the morning of Monday 18th, I had a meeting with Harris Academy Headteacher Barry Millar looking at the possibility of introducing a Lord Provost Award as well as receiving a tour of the school’s new extension;
• On the afternoon of Monday 18th, I visited the Dundee and Angus College’s Kingsway Campus to meet with D&A College Principal Simon Hewitt. I was delighted to have the opportunity to discuss a range of educational matters around the role of the College. I congratulate Principal Hewitt and all his team on what they do for Dundee;
• To commemorate the 25th birthday of Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA), I had the honour of hosting a well-attended Civic Reception on the evening of Tuesday 19th. I congratulate Director Beth Bate and her excellent team on the amazing work that they do in providing a superb fusion of contemporary art and film, culture and hospitality;
• On both Tuesday 19th and Wednesday 20th, the Lady Provost and myself attended the School Arts and Culture Spring Concerts 2024 at the Caird Hall. Both evening’s performances were absolutely outstanding. The skills on display and originality were remarkable. Our congratulations to everyone involved;
• On the morning of Thursday 21st, I returned to Dundee & Angus College having accepted an invitation to the Traditional Construction Skills Event at the Kingsway Campus;
• In the afternoon of Thursday 21st, I visited the Salvation Army’s Strathmore Lodge in Dundee city centre where I had the opportunity to attend a lecture and a tour of the facilities;
• Still on Thursday 21st, I gave a Civic Welcome to the SOLAR Annual Conference in the City Chambers before our visitors enjoyed a Civic Tour;
• Finally on Thursday 21st, I attended the Annual Innes Duffus Memorial Lecture at Discovery Point followed by a Dinner held at the Tayberry Restaurant in Dundee;
• I attended the Hammerman Incorporation of Dundee Dinner on Friday 22nd – the Hammerman being one of the Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee. The organisation does wonderful work helping worthy causes in the city with their good work often going under the radar;
• On the afternoon of Sunday 24th, the Lady Provost and myself plus Councillor Steven Rome visited the Dundee Chinese School at Morgan Academy where we enjoyed a very warm welcome by staff and pupils alike including a tour of the various classes;
• On Monday 25th, I met with Dr Hayee, Regional President Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Scotland, in the Twinning Room on the Civic Floor;
• On Tuesday 26th, A group from Football Memories visited the City Chambers where I had the pleasure of meeting with them for a full ninety minutes. It was my second time with Football Memories as Lord Provost and I wish them every success going forward;
• In the evening of Tuesday 26th, the Lady Provost and I attended the High School of Dundee Spring Music Concert at the Caird Hall. This was another superb evening of musical entertainment showcasing the musical abilities of our city’s young people. We were very fortunate to enjoy the wide variety of talent of all ages on show;
• On Wednesday 27th, I travelled to Edinburgh to the Palace of Holyroodhouse to attend a meeting of the Scottish Lord-Lieutenants. This is an annual meeting and included informative updates on a range of subjects from ceremonial matters to information on Honours (Scottish Process);
• On Thursday 28th, ahead of the opening of the Perth Museum, Depute Lord Provost Kevin Cordell attended a reception to get a preview of the new Museum where the Stone of Destiny will now sit.

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 April 2024.

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