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ABOUT THE CITY About the City with Peter Bourhill The Tron reopens The City of Edinburgh Council has handed the keys of the Tron Kirk on the Royal Mile to Scottish Historic Buildings Trust (SHBT), as the new custodian of the building. In 2021, the council selected SHBT as its preferred par tner to restore the Tron, and the charity has now signed a 5-year lease in an agreement that will see it take on the management role of the building as it develops the restoration project. This will convert to a 125year lease when the capital project is ready to begin. Scottish Design Exchange (SDX) - the social enterprise company that offers retail outlets for Scotland’s ar tists and makers - will occupy the Tron as SHBT’s tenant while the Trust undertakes a feasibility study to set out a future vision for the building, working with the local community to develop a sustainable use.The Tron’s new indoor marketplace is open from 1st July. www.shbt.org.uk www.scottishdesignexchange.com (Photograph: Colin McLean) Help where the need is greatest In May, Scotland’s biggest charity book sale opened its doors at St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church on George Street for the 50th time, having - in the last decade alone - raised over a million pounds for international development charity Christian Aid. Organisers have received a letter from Number 10 Downing Street, congratulating them for all they’ve achieved since the sale star ted in 1973. Convenor of the sale, Mary Davidson, said:“This 50th year is extra special and we were delighted that Chair of Christian Aid, Dr John Sentamu was here to mark the occasion. It’s amazing to think it all began with just one table in 1973 - and this year there were hundreds! Through the sale of books - from popular paperbacks to collectable first editions - plus records, toys, stamps, postcards, antiques and other collectables, we have raised money for Christian Aid, a charity which works to help those where the need is greatest – whether that be in Ukraine, Afghanistan, South Sudan or Ethiopia.” www.christianaid.org Our new Lord Provost Congratulations to Councillor Robert Aldridge who has been appointed as the new Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh. The ancient office dates to the 13th century and Cllr Aldridge succeeds Cllr Frank Ross to become the city’s 258th Lord Provost. At the first meeting of the new City of Edinburgh Council in mid-May, councillors unanimously backed Councillor Aldridge’s nomination and he was sworn into the role in a short ceremony in the City Chambers. As Edinburgh’s civic head, he will convene all fur ther meetings of the Council and will represent the city on a variety of organisations including Edinburgh International Festival and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Dr John Sentamu opens the 50th Book Sale for Christian Aid EdinburghLife July/August 2022 4
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The Vital Spark Hugh Andrew, Founder and Managing Director of book publisher Birlinn Ltd, has been awarded the prestigious Royal Scottish Geographical Society Shackleton Medal for leadership and citizenship in publishing. At the award ceremony at the French Institute in Edinburgh, Professor Roger Crofts (former chair of RSGS) referred to Hugh Andrew as the ‘Vital Spark’ of Scottish publishing, harking back to the days when Mr Andrew took his first step into publishing by re-issuing Neil Munro’s beloved short stories of Para Handy and the trusty puffer, the Vital Spark. Professor Emeritus Charles W.J. Withers, former Ogilvie Chair of Human Geography at the University of Edinburgh (and himself a Birlinn author) said: “The power of words is to educate about our own country, educate about other countries, to make us think, to inform, to enlighten. Geography does all of these things and it does it so well in Scotland because of Hugh Andrew and Birlinn.” Thanking RSGS, Hugh Andrew said: “In my 30 years of publishing I have commissioned over 2000 books. I’ve always wanted Birlinn to have Scotland at its heart… we publish good books that come from Scotland and are very often about Scotland. It is important to try to preserve who we are as a people, not just in the broad Scottish sense but as individuals and as communities.” www.birlinn.co.uk ABOUT THE CITY Virtually the real thing! The ancient meets the modern with the recent launch of two new digital 3D models highlighting Hutton’s Section and Hutton’s Rock at Salisbury Crags in Holyrood Park. Devised by Historic Environment Scotland in par tnership with Nature Scot, the new vir tual models are available to view online via the 3D modeling platform Sketchfab, and provide a unique, immersive exploration of the areas, as well as a wealth of historical facts about the sites named after the “father of modern geology” James Hutton - following his defining study of the crags in the 1800s. The 3D models are currently especially useful for students of our local geology, as the Hutton Section and Hutton’s Rock are temporarily closed to the public due to danger from rockfall. www.sketchfab.com Prof Roger Crofts presents Hugh Andrew with Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and the Shackleton Medal. Hutton’s Section Trust in trees! Seventy silver birch trees have been planted in Roslin Glen - in an area owned by Rosslyn Chapel Trust - as par t of the Queen’s Green Canopy project. Ian Gardner, Director of Rosslyn Chapel Trust said: “The Queen’s Green Canopy is a very innovative way to mark the historic occasion of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the Trust has been delighted to support it. Silver birch trees are very striking and very attractive for wildlife, providing food and habitat for numerous insects, fungi and birds - and I hope that our trees will add to the beauty of the Glen and be appreciated for years to come.” www.rosslynchapel.com Ian Gardner with local tree planting volunteers Anne Hyatt and Eric Greenhill July/August 2022 EdinburghLife 5

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ABOUT THE CITY

About the City with

Peter Bourhill

The Tron reopens The City of Edinburgh Council has handed the keys of the Tron Kirk on the Royal Mile to Scottish Historic Buildings Trust (SHBT), as the new custodian of the building. In 2021, the council selected SHBT as its preferred par tner to restore the Tron, and the charity has now signed a 5-year lease in an agreement that will see it take on the management role of the building as it develops the restoration project. This will convert to a 125year lease when the capital project is ready to begin. Scottish Design Exchange (SDX) - the social enterprise company that offers retail outlets for Scotland’s ar tists and makers - will occupy the Tron as SHBT’s tenant while the Trust undertakes a feasibility study to set out a future vision for the building, working with the local community to develop a sustainable use.The Tron’s new indoor marketplace is open from 1st July. www.shbt.org.uk www.scottishdesignexchange.com

(Photograph: Colin McLean)

Help where the need is greatest

In May, Scotland’s biggest charity book sale opened its doors at St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church on George Street for the 50th time, having - in the last decade alone - raised over a million pounds for international development charity Christian Aid. Organisers have received a letter from Number 10 Downing Street, congratulating them for all they’ve achieved since the sale star ted in 1973. Convenor of the sale, Mary Davidson, said:“This 50th year is extra special and we were delighted that Chair of Christian Aid, Dr John Sentamu was here to mark the occasion. It’s amazing to think it all began with just one table in 1973 - and this year there were hundreds! Through the sale of books - from popular paperbacks to collectable first editions - plus records, toys, stamps, postcards, antiques and other collectables, we have raised money for Christian Aid, a charity which works to help those where the need is greatest – whether that be in Ukraine, Afghanistan, South Sudan or Ethiopia.” www.christianaid.org

Our new Lord Provost Congratulations to Councillor Robert Aldridge who has been appointed as the new Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh. The ancient office dates to the 13th century and Cllr Aldridge succeeds Cllr Frank Ross to become the city’s 258th Lord Provost. At the first meeting of the new City of Edinburgh Council in mid-May, councillors unanimously backed Councillor Aldridge’s nomination and he was sworn into the role in a short ceremony in the City Chambers. As Edinburgh’s civic head, he will convene all fur ther meetings of the Council and will represent the city on a variety of organisations including Edinburgh International Festival and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

Dr John Sentamu opens the 50th Book Sale for Christian Aid

EdinburghLife July/August 2022 4

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