March 2022

Bright Sparks

I met some total bright sparks this month. The youngsters at the new IntoUniversity facility based at The Maryhill Hub in in the Wyndford, Glasgow. The new centre, along with IntoUniversity Govan, Glasgow and intoUniversity Craigmillar, Edinburgh are part of ground breaking collaboration between the University of Glasgow, the University of Edinburgh and education charity IntoUniversity to provide additional educational support to those aged 7-18. They all arrived straight after school and were so please to meet me and get their pictures taken. I believe that after the picture appeared in The Herald & Glasgow Times they have had so many more enquiries to join in.

Hope Floats with Skylark IX

I had my first visit in ages to the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine this month. I was down to see Skylark IX Recovery Project’s exhibition ‘Hope Floats’, which has been curated by the project.  I got a great shot of Community Boatbuilding Co-ordinator Rebecca MacAskill and Volunteer Trainee Ronnie Mckechnie as they celebrated the achievements of the past two years, made possible through funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.  In the picture they got up close and personal with the Dunkirk ‘Little Ship’ Skylark IX . The Dumbarton based Skylark IX Recovery Project cares for the former pleasure boat, which served in Operation Dynamo, and uses Skylark’s story of hope and resilience to help people recovering from addictions through boatbuilding training. The Project hopes to begin fundraising to build the Spirit of Skylark Centre in Dumbarton soon. The new heritage experience, community hub and boatbuilding workshop will give Skylark IX a permanent home and enable to the Project to support a growing number of people across West Dunbartonshire.

Princess Smiles

 I have had a few visits to the TS Queen Mary berthed beneath the Glasgow Science Centre tower. This time I had the pleasure of photographing a royal visitor. The HRH The Princess Royal was announcing that the iconic and much loved steamer will sail on the Clyde once again. The Friends of TS Queen Mary charity, tasked with the restoration, has been overwhelmed by the generosity of corporate donors and individuals. Great news for fans of sailing ‘doon the watter’

Gaspard’s Foxtrot

I love a good story and if it is put to music all the better. BBC broadcaster and author Zeb Soanes joined the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) for live performances of Gaspard’s Foxtrot, as part of the RSNO’s latest National Schools Concert Programme. Playing at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall it was so good to watch the and listen. Sometimes I worry I will watch too much and forget to take pictures. The kids loved it. Throughout March over 8,500 children will attend concerts across Scotland and a further 40,000 have signed up to use the digital resources. I know its a story for kids but I loved it. The good thing was I got to see it twice. Morning and afternoon performances.

The Glasgow Taxi Cup is Back

It was great to have the Glasgow Taxi Cup back this year after the break due to the pandemic. Glasgow University were crowned winners of Scotland’s largest student varsity sporting competition, for the first time since 2018 after edging out city rivals Strathclyde and Glasgow Caledonian. The competition, saw over 800 students participating across 21 different sporting disciplines including athletics, badminton, hockey and netball in a day of intense competition before coming to a conclusion at Scotstoun Sports Campus.