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qualified as Site Affiliates and Yellow Badge guides while two Yellow Badge Guides qualified for the Kirkwall Walking Tour in Orkney.
Former lawyer Norma Clarkson was elected as Chairperson in 2008 and in her annual report the following year she reported that the Training Committee had concentrated on developing and recording the STGA's training-related procedures, mainly the Assessment Guidelines and Appeals Procedure and the Training Ethos and Code of Conduct for Trainers to mention but a few.
Sue Gruellich and Director Morag Dunbar, Chair of the Training Committee, met the Scottish Government Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, Fergus Ewing, in Glasgow in November 2011 to press the STGA’s case for recognition as the ‘competent authority’ for tourist guide training in Scotland within the European Internal Market System. This did not materialise although he did make a statement that is still on the STGA website.
Six green badge guides and seven Blue Badge guides qualified as accredited STGA trainers. The STGA Trainer Team now consist of 39 trainers (24 Blue Badge Guides and 15 Green Badge Guides).
After 18 years’ service Ros Newlands retired as Course Director in 2012 at Edinburgh University and was replaced by Mary Kemp-Clarke. Pat Blain became Training Manager replacing Viola Lewis who stepped down after five years in the post. In October that year Pat and Mary received a delegation from Slovenia interested in raising the standards in tourist guide training in their homeland. On two occasions STGA trainers received delegations from Singapore who wanted to model the Blue Badge.
Renfrewshire Council also funded a Yellow Badge course as part of the Paisley regeneration project. The course was led by Viola Lewis and resulted in the five new guides: Betty Graham, Aileen McGruther, Catherine Hancy, Alexander Wilson and Les Fernie.
A total of 19 Blue Badge guides qualified in 2014 and one of the students was me (Alasdair Northrop) and I recall the course as being very intensive but rewarding.
I was working full time as the editor of a business magazine so it was challenging getting all the work done,’ he said.
Our lectures were at weekends at the University of Edinburgh Extra Mural department. The lecturers were a mix of university academics and tourist guides with an expertise in particular areas such as law and social geography. We had to write eight academic essays and if we failed to reach the standard they had to be re-written. The practical side of the course was the most enjoyable for me when we set off on coach tours to focus on particular regions including the Borders, Fife, Glasgow, the Trossachs and Aberdeen. Everyone had to be prepared to talk at
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