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over to ask me why no one informed the castle that Prince Edward was visiting and we explained we were under strict instructions that no one was to be informed. I could sympathise with the manager as the staff would want no hiccups while Prince Edward was within the castle walls (although the Prince had security guards). The group came together at the Royal Scots museum and we made our way down to the coach. Prince Edward joined me on the walk down and we chatted about Sir Walter Scott and the George IV. He and most of the men walked down to Holyrood and I look the ladies on a quick tour of the New Town.’
Saving the Lion of Scotland
If you visit St Andrew Square in Edinburgh you will come across a striking statue of a lion created by Cramond sculptor Ronald Rae. The Lion of Scotland was carved from a twenty-tonne boulder of pink Corrennie granite from Aberdeenshire and took over a year to complete using hand tools only. Rae said he chose to portray a Lion because it was the traditional symbol both of power and of Scottish identity. From 2006 the lion was part of a two year long exhibition of Rae’s work in Holyrood Park and proved to be a big hit with tourists. Ronald offered it on a free extended loan for another year which was initially
rejected by the Scottish Parliament’s Art Advisory Committee which said it did not meet its criteria for public art.
That wasn’t good enough for Blue Badge Guide Manuela Fraenkel who suggested the STGA should campaign for it to stay in Holyrood Park. The STGA backed it and Maggie McLeod, Morag Dunbar and Ros Newlands got involved in the campaign. They met MSPs at the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions committee to discuss its future. Thanks to the STGA’s campaign, and a petition with 2000 signatures supporting keeping the statue in the park, the Parliament allowed it to stay for another two years until 2010.
Ronald Rae said the support of the Scottish Tourist Guides had been monumental in affecting this decision. ‘They did it for the people of Scotland and we are very grateful,’ he said.
When St Andrew Square in the New Town was opened up to the public, Essential Edinburgh agreed to take it on loan and that is where it has stayed since. Ronald Rae continues to look for a buyer for the Lion and hopes it will be purchased for the city.
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