June 2026

A Visit To Hampden

With the World Cup excitement growing I was  at Hampden Football Stadium to do a photo call for the new exhibition Treasures of Scottish Football : A Virtual Reality Experience inside the Scottish Football Museum. A partnership between the University of Glasgow and football heritage chiefs.  It showcases football objects from the national collection, bringing to life some of the Scottish game’s most iconic trophies, artefacts, and memorabilia in a specially-curated virtual gallery. Fans will be able to view and ‘hold’ objects using VR headsets thanks to ‘groundbreaking’ extended reality technology developed by researchers at the university.

We managed to do the first set of pictures with the Scottish Cup in the stand where the presentations are made. We had some youngsters in Scotland strips delighted in wearing their VR headsets, there were some Hampden staff on had to join in the fun. Inside I got some pictures of Demi Boyd, curator of Hampden Museum, using the UNBOX VR machine at the Hampden Wall of Fame.

Scotties in the City Art Trail

I was asked to come along to The Scotties in the City Art Trail launch at the Riverside Museum. With 40 large sculptures in support of national cancer charity Maggie’s. The trail features 40 beautifully designed giant Scottie dog sculptures for people to find and admire across Glasgow throughout the summer. Each has been beautifully designed and painted by talented artists.

We had over 70 Scottie dogs and owners who were asked to come along to the unveiling of the giant Scottie designed by Pauline Paterson at the Riverside Museum by  Kirsty Wark, Lord Provost Jacqueline McLaren, the artist Pauline Paterson and Hayley Smith of Maggies. I didn’t realise that real Scotties are quite territorial. I thought they would all sit quietly together. It wasn’t quite how I imagined it,  but we did have a laugh as we tried to get them to stay still for the unveiling. There were a few growls and barks.

Good Taste at GLASCHU

I was in the super cool restaurant GLASCHU at Royal Exchange Square in Glasgow for the appointment of Conner Magee as Head Chef. The Glasgow born chef took charge of the flagship restaurant as it launched a new summer menu that reflects his vision for modern Scottish dining. He has a signature Beef Wellington for sharing and Buckfast Oysters, these were among the standout dishes. My favourite was the Barra’s Doughnuts.

We did get some looks as we posed with the Beef Wellington outside the Gallery of Modern Art with the Duke of Wellington with his traffic cones. We even had a local come up comparing his fish supper, which made us all laugh.

A Dram at the Science Centre

I like a dram and when I was asked to come along to the Planetarium at the Glasgow Science Centre  for the launch of a new limited-edition single malt whisky celebrating the character, culture and creative spirit of Glasgow, I jumped at the chance. The dram  had been unveiled through a unique collaboration between Glasgow Science Centre, The Good Spirits Co. and The Glasgow Distillery. It was a time exposure, as it is so dark in the planetarium, so everyone had to stand stock still as the shutter stayed open for second or two.

Worlds Oldest Football

I got the opportunity to photograph something really old this month. At nearly 500 years old, the world’s oldest football, which was discovered in the bedchamber of Mary, Queen of Scots, at Stirling Castle. I had the task of photographing it as it was brought in to be digitally scanned. The ball was heading off to the USA for the World Cup. Before leaving for America it stopped off at the University of Glasgow to allow the university’s world-leading 3D content creators begin the process of scanning the football to create a digital version in the metaverse.

Normally, it has a permanent home at The Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum. But it was going to make an appearance at the Scotland v Brazil World Cup game in Miami. Pictured with the ball is professor Pauline Mackay in her Scotland top.