Lord Provost Bill Campbell Blog #6

Hello, and welcome to my sixth Blog as the Lord Provost of Dundee.

As is usually the case in November, the start of the month was filled with much reflection as Remembrance events took place in the lead up to Remembrance Sunday on the 13^th. Such events are always moving, emotional and an honour to be given the opportunity to take part in them on behalf of the city.

Later on, in what was a busy month, I also had the honour of leading the torchlight procession at the first ever Dundee Hooley which marked this year’s St. Andrew’s Day. It was fantastic to see such a great turn-out with people of all ages taking part in the celebrations.

Activities over the past month included:

• A visit and tour around the Poppy Scotland micro museum which was set up in City Square as part of this year’s poppy appeal;
• I attended the Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce office, alongside City Development Depute Convener Steven Rome, to hear from young people about their experiences of getting into work in recent years including during the pandemic;
• On Friday 4^th, Colin Thackery of Britain’s Got Talent fame visited myself before performing at the Festival of Remembrance 2022 the following evening at the Caird Hall;
• Also on Friday 4^th, I attended the Nine Incorporated Trades Bonnetmakers Dinner where I made a speech. Later in the month, on Friday 18^th, I also attended the annual Bridie Supper;
• On Saturday 5^th, as part of this year’s Remembrance events I laid a wreath at the Garden of Remembrance;
• In the evening of Saturday 5^th, I accepted a thank you gift for Dundee City Council from Lieutenant General Sir Alistair Irwin KCB CBE on behalf of the Festival of Remembrance;
• The Lady Provost, the Depute Lord Provost and I were all on duty on Remembrance Sunday:
  • I made two presentations in the City Chambers before taking to a stand as the march down Reform Street made its way to the Memorial Gardens at St Mary’s Church;
  • The Lady Provost and I laid the first of many wreaths at the Memorial Gardens where the Laying of the Crosses had taken place eight days earlier. We then attended a Civic Service of Remembrance in St Mary’s.
  • The Depute Lord Provost had also attended and laid a wreath at the Black Watch Memorial service at Powrie Brae and then joined the Lady Provost and I at the Civic Service of Remembrance Service in St Mary’s. The Depute Lord Provost then continued to join the Lady Provost and I for the rest of the services that day;
  • Following this, at the War Memorial at Dundee Law where, alongside the Lady Provost, I laid a wreath before a short service took place;
  • The Lady Provost & I attended a service at the Dundee International Submarine Memorial where I laid a wreath;
  • Lastly, we all arrived for a service on board the HMS Unicorn where I laid a fourth and final wreath for this year’s Remembrance Sunday.
  • On Monday 14^th, I attended a Gun Salute at Stirling Castle;
  • On the morning of Tuesday 15^th, alongside City Development Convener Mark Flynn, I helped to mark this year’s Living Wage Week by raising the Living Wage flag above City Square from the City Chambers;
  • With Council Leader John Alexander, I hosted an event that brought together faith organisations from across Dundee which marked Scottish Interfaith Week 2022;
  • The Depute Lord Provost hosted a civic reception to congratulate everyone who took part in this year’s Cyclathon and helped to raise funds for various good causes;
  • In the evening of Wednesday 16^th, I attended and spoke at a launch event at Morgan Academy for a book entitled Dundee Schools Past & Present alongside the authors;
  • On Thursday 17^th, Depute Lord Provost Kevin Cordell was present for the University of Dundee’s largest ever Graduation Ceremony which took place at the Caird Hall;
  • On the following day, I had the privilege to attend the third University of Dundee Graduation Ceremony;
  • To mark the opening of ASDA Kirkton’s Giving Tree in association with HomeStart, I was invited along to cut the ribbon alongside ASDA Kirkton Community Champion Sam Will;
  • The Lady Provost and I attended the Urban Moves performance at the Space Theatre which was spectacular as they showed off their skills.
  • Amongst my activities, I also recently met with John Blicharski to discuss various matters including his book on Supporting University Entry in the Age of Widening Participation;
  • I gave a speech at the Dyers’ Dinner on the 25^th which was held at the Woodlands Hotel in Broughty Ferry;
  • I had the honour of leading the Dundee Hooley torchlight procession which marked this year’s St Andrew’s Day;
  • On Tuesday 29^th, I welcomed a delegation to the V&A from the Republic of Korea who visited Dundee City Council to learn further about world class and successful cases of regeneration projects.

For updates as they occur, the latest Lord Provost news and activities are available on both Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you for taking the time to read this Post and I hope to update you further on my civic responsibilities in the future through my December blog.

• Share this page:
• Share On Twitter
• Share On Facebook
• Share On LinkedIn