Homecoming Scotland 2009: Local events in East Lothian
East Lothian will be hosting a series of events during 2009 some of which include:
Sunday 29 November 2009. 11am to 10pm
THE SALTIRE
A St Andrews Finale Event to round off the Homecoming year in Haddington and Athelstaneford, in East Lothian.
All the exciting programme details are updated regularly on www.homecomingeastlothian.com
Genealogy Service “Tracing your family history” starts 27th January. For more information email ancestors@eastlothian.gov.uk. Or telephone +44 (0) 131 653 5220. The Launch Date is Tue 27th January and the event runs until December. This can range from a particular search to a full family tree package book. This will provide a profile of your family, we can researchthese life events in national records going back to 1855, Old Parish Records to 1553 and Census Records beginning 1841. So findout where your ancestors came from, who they married, the work they did and when they died. Our experienced staff canresearch your family tree based on centuries of Scottish records and give you a special sense of your personal place in the country's history.
25th June-13th December -'A Scotchman Comes Home'. John Muir’s Homecoming exhibition links directly to Scottish ancestry and the desire of the Scottish diaspora to revisit its roots. John Muir’s Birthplace, Dunbar takes you back in time to Muir’s only return visit to Scotland in 1893. Find out about Muir’s journey through Scotland as a tourist and the memories that he shared with the friends and relatives that visited. See www.jmbt.org.uk for opening hours. Admission free.
November
Queen Margaret University. Homecoming Finale on 28th November. Homecoming Finale on 28th November; this will be an open campus of educational, interactive and fun activities celebrating our culture and heritage, raising awareness and engagement with the university amongst local residents and attracting visitors. HOMECOMING FINALE. Saturday 28th November 2009. This will be an open campus of educational, interactive and fun activities celebrating our culture and heritage along with our own great Scottish minds and innovation. We will have music from a variety of local pipe bands, an illustrated lecture on tartan in film, poetry writing workshops, an illustrated lecture on the history of the guitar in Scotland, a student photography exhibition around the theme of 'home', an opportunity to look inside the QMU archives dating back to 1876 plus a variety of other exciting activities for all ages. Stay on to help us celebrate St Andrew's Day with a traditional supper and ceilidh. The evening will be concluded with a spectacular firework display! 5.30 - 7.30pm: Campus activities - this part of the event is free. 7.30 - 11.30pm: St Andrews supper & ceilidh - £15 per person. For further information and details on how to buy tickets, please contact Sarah Whigham, Events Manager: swhigham@qmu.ac.uk or call +44 (0) 131 474 0000. or go to www.qmu.ac.uk/community/events
EAST LOTHIAN CARDIAC REHABILITATION GROUP
Annual Fundraising - Dinner and Dance - Saturday 28th November 2009
The event will take place at the Maitlandfield House Hotel, Haddington on
Saturday 28th November 2009 at 7pm.
Tickets are priced at £35 and this covers a sparkling wine reception, three course dinner with wine at your table, coffee, live music, auction, raffle casino games, all part of the Homecoming Scotland 2009 Celebrations.
Edmund Witkowski,Hon Development Manager,ELCRG for all further information to support, sponsor or to find out event information please contact:- Mobile: 07921 458072 or
Email: edmund.witkowski@borders.scot.nhs.uk
29 Nov THE SALTIRE a St Andrews Finale Event to round off the Homecoming year in Haddington and Athelstaneford, 11am-10pm. All the exciting programme details and lisitings are updated regularly on www.homecomingeastlothian.com
East Lothian Local History and Archives Service- Homecoming 2009. May till November.
The archives service exhibition will aim to provide the archives of East Lothian through the Homecoming theme. A large proportion of the records are currently with the national Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh and will be coming to East Lothian on the completion of the John Gray centre 2011. Through a travelling exhibition around the county they aim to promote the archive service by focussing on those important historical documents which will be coming home to East Lothian. The Local History centre exhibition will focus on individuals who made their names abroad and became celebrated outside East Lothian for their beliefs, ideas and industry. Many will be unknown to the present population and we hope to circulate widely to raise awareness of these individuals and their talents.
The Rags to Riches Exhibition
An exciting exhibition about emigration from East Lothian opens on Fri 3rd July in Longniddry Library. What became of those who left? This uncovers the stories of 4 characters who undertook the hazardous journey overseas and became successful abroad: John Ewart, architect, from Tranent to Canada, Margaret Home Sievwright, suffragette, from Pencaitland to New Zealand, William Robertson Smith, gardener, from Athelstaneford to the USA and David Syme, newspaper baron, from North Berwick to Australia. The exhibition will visit the following libraries:
Longniddry Library Fri 3rd July – Thurs 16th July
East Linton Library Fri 17th July – Thurs 30th July
North Berwick Library Fri 31st July – Thurs 13th August
Haddington Library Fri 14th August – Thurs 27th August
Dunbar Library Fri 28th August – Thurs 10th September
Ormiston Library Fri 11th September – Thurs 24th September
Port Seton Library Fri 25th September – Thurs 8th October
Prestonpans Library Fri 9th October – Thurs 22nd October
Tranent Library Fri 23rd October – Thurs 5th November
Gullane Library Fri 6th November – Thurs 19th November
Email for further information to libraries@eastlothian.gov.uk
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The John Muir Odyssey in East Lothian 2009
One of the flagship events of Homecoming Scotland 2009, the John Muir Odyssey, will follow in the footsteps of John Muir, celebrating the life and legacy of this great Scot, regarded as “the Father of modern day conservation”. From his birthplace in East Lothian, with an exciting itinerary, by land and sea, the Odyssey promises dramatic scenery, spectacular coastline and the amazing wildlife that inspired John Muir.
With a programme including: the John Muir Celebrity Lecture, “Muir’s World by Land and Sea”, “Our Wee Planet”, a festival featuring art, music, film, walks, talks and boat trips, this event promises to be one of the highlights of Scotland’s National celebration for Scots ‘coming home’ in 2009.
Set in the heart of John Muir country, in Dunbar and North Berwick, visitors will have the opportunity to experience at first hand what inspired John Muir’s passion for wild places, a legacy that continues across the world today. Visitors will be able to walk on the beaches and in the countryside he loved, visit his home and find out about the influences, as a boy, that would endure throughout his life.
Events will take place at John Muir’s Birthplace, Dunbar and the Scottish Seabird Centre, North Berwick all year.
A Scotchman comes home...25th June-13th December. John Muir’s Homecoming exhibition links directly to Scottish ancestry and the desire of the Scottish diaspora to revisit its roots. John Muir’s Birthplace, Dunbar takes you back in time to Muir’s only return visit to Scotland in 1893. Find out about Muir’s journey through Scotland as a tourist and the memories that he shared with the friends and relatives that visited. See www.jmbt.org.uk for opening hours. Admission free. Look out for the John Muir Homecoming booklet 'A Scotchman Comes Home' on sale at John Muir’s Birthplace, the Scottish Seabird Centre and other local retailers.
All Year
Explore John Muir’s Dunbar either as a self guided walk with the John Muir’s Dunbar a Town Trail booklet on sale at John Muir’s Birthplace, the Scottish Seabird Centre and other local retailers priced £3.50 or book a place on a John Muir’s Dunbar Guided Walk with a volunteer or member of staff from John Muir’s Birthplace. More information from www.jmbt.org.uk or call 44 (0)1368 865899.
Wilderness Scotland – Journeys in the footsteps of John Muir. Leading Scottish tour operator, Wilderness Scotland, has created an imaginative walking and hiking tour, following in the footsteps of John Muir on his homecoming journey through Scotland in 1893. The tour, which features accommodation in charming country inns and hotels, is available at any time of year for 2 or more travellers and may be customised to suit individual interests and hiking abilities. The tour is available on a self-guided basis, with detailed hiking route notes written by Wilderness Scotland’s head guide, or on a fully guided basis accompanied by an experienced nature and hiking guide. The tour includes the Cairngorms National Park, the North-West Highlands, the Isle of Skye, Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, the historic cities of Stirling and Edinburgh and ends in the beautiful region of East Lothian including Muir’s home town of Dunbar. The price includes a contribution to the work of wilderness conservation charity the John Muir Trust and to the John Muir Birthplace Museum located in Muir’s original family home in Dunbar.
For further details see:- www.wildernessscotland.com/johnmuir
or email at info@wildernessscotland.com
Visit www.homecomingeastlothian.com for more information on visiting all our events in 2009!
If you would like to attend any of the above events, or organise your own themed event, we would be pleased to hear from you. For more information register at www.homecomingeastlothian.com
For FULL information on all of the above events please visit and register on www.homecomingeastlothian.com
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