Lord Provost Bill Campbell Blog #13

Hello, and welcome to my End of Month Blog #13 as the Lord Provost of Dundee.

It has been an exceptionally busy and varied month again for myself and the Lord Provost’s Office.

I had the privilege across June to take part in a wide range of events involving schools, community groups, Veterans and the Armed Forces, art & culture, and much, much more.

A lot is going on in our city and it is wonderful to be a part of just some of the activities which Dundee has to offer.

Activities over the past month included:

• On the morning of Friday 2nd, I attended a tour of the fourth RRS Discovery which was berthed in the City Port;
• Dr Liviu Crisan, the President of WUKF visited the City Chambers where I had a chat with him ahead of the 11th WUKF World Karate Championships which return to Dundee this summer on Monday 5th;
• On Tuesday 6th I was present for the 95th Annual Service of Commemoration in the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle in the morning;
• Later on Tuesday 6th, I held a civic reception for the Friends of the Caird Hall Organ which saw the largest group of visitors to the City Chambers since it’s reopening following the Covid-19 pandemic;
• I had the honour of giving a civic reception on Wednesday 7th for the winners of the Dundee Sports Awards 2022/23 to recognise their outstanding sporting achievements;
• On Thursday 8th, while attending the DigitalScotland Tayside Conference at the cyberQuarter within Abertay University, I met with Estonian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Viljar Lubi;
• In the evening of Thursday 8th, the Lady Provost and I attended a production by the Dundee Schools Music Theatre of ‘Bugsy Malone’ which was absolutely amazing;
• I was present for the official opening of the Braw Tea Community Café at the Castle Green Pavilion in Broughty Ferry on Friday 9th. This is a fantastic project and I was very glad to be invited along and to say a few words to everyone;
• On Wednesday 14th, I hosted a civic reception for a party of students from Emory University, in Georgia, USA. This was the 29th time in which a group from Emory University has visited our city;
• The Lady Provost and I attended Scottish Dance Theatre’s new family show, ‘Pirates!’, at the Dundee Rep on the evening of Saturday 17th. It was a superb performance from a very talented cast – the show would appeal to children and adults alike;
• To mark the beginning of Armed Forces Week, early on Monday 19th, I took part in a flag-raising event at City Square;
• Later on Monday 19th, I travelled through to Glasgow for a Veterans Housing Scotland event to meet with a number of people involved in Armed Forces and Veterans matters;
• I travelled through to the Royal Navy dockyards at Rosyth on Wednesday 21st and was aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales courtesy of an invite from the Highland Reserve Forces and Cadet Association (HRFCA) who are based on the Perth Road in Dundee;
• On the morning of Saturday 24th, I had the honour of officially opening the fantastic Broughty Ferry Community Day event in the YMCA on Brook Street;
• At 1pm on Saturday 24th, both myself and the Lady Provost attended an Armed Forces Day Celebration Service arranged by The City of Dundee Combined Ex-Services Association. The Service was held in Dundee Congregational Church;
• Later on Saturday 24th, I held a civic reception in the City Chambers for the DCA-Art Night Dundee for the contemporary art festival which took place later that day;
• Seven University of Dundee Graduations took place in which I was present for three of them. My thanks and gratitude go to Bailie Helen Wright and Bailie Will Dawson for their assistance in attending two graduation ceremonies each;
• On Tuesday 27th, the Lady Provost and I attended the Fintry Primary School prize-giving ceremony. It was a great honour and privilege to be asked to present the prizes at this wonderful school;
• On the 27th June at The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum, I held a Civic Reception to welcome delegates to the European First Year Experience 2023 Conference;
• Later in the week on Thursday 29th, I had the privilege of speaking at and presenting the Council’s Long Service Awards in the Marryat Hall. I was given the opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for the many years of service the recipients have given to our citizens and the City of Dundee;
• On Friday 30th, I was in attendance for the High School of Dundee’s prize-giving in the Caird Hall which consisted of a stunning musical duet from two of the pupils playing the Vibraphone and Marimba, the Rector’s Report, the Official Prize-giving, and the Transfer of Office to the Senior Prefects for the academic year 2023-24;
• Also on Friday 30th, I officially presented the 2023 Dundee Citizen of the Year Raymond Edwards with the Citizen of the Year trophy. It was an honour to present this great man with his Citizen of the Year medallion and trophy in front of a large group of Ray’s family and friends. Ray is one of the nicest people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and I’m confident he will be a fantastic Citizen of the Year for Dundee.

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

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 July.

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