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extremely complicated, with the Blue Badge being owned and awarded in different ways in different areas.
The Foundation acquired control of the London Blue Badge and trademark. The ETC appointed a Working Group which recommended the formation of a UK-wide Institute and a consultation process with the numerous bodies concerned in order to get their agreement to cede ownership of their blue badges to the new Institute. However the Scottish Tourist Guides Association was not willing to lose its ownership of the Blue Badge north of the border. The STGA wrote to the chairman of the working party to give an initial outline of its position. ‘The Act of Union of 1707 guarantees the independence of Scotland's legal and educational systems,’ it said.
‘A consequence has been the formation of separate professional bodies in Scotland including for example the Law Society of Scotland and, more recently, the Scottish Tourist Guides Association. The Scottish Blue Badge is a coat of arms granted and protected by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, head of Scotland’s ancient heraldic court. Accordingly, the only competent way to found a pan-UK tourist training institute would be for the STGA to merge voluntarily with the proposed Institute.
‘Given that the historic and cultural distinctiveness of a nation forms the main plank of its tourism business, the Board considers it logical to retain our independent status, and believes it is in our members' interests that our Blue Badge remains under the protection of the Court of the Lord Lyon King of Arms.’
Ros Newlands explained the advantage of Lord Lyon's protection. ‘South of the border, if someone, who had no entitlement to do so, used the English Blue Badge, then the Institute would have to raise a private and costly court action to stop the misuse. In Scotland, the STGA simply sends a complaint to the Procurator Fiscal of the Court of the Lord Lyon, who takes the necessary steps to ensure the offender conforms to the Law, if necessary by prosecution, at no cost to the Association. Long live Lord Lyon!
‘We wished the Foundation well and offered advice based on our experience which might be of any assistance, and said we looked forward to a fruitful and mutually supportive collaboration between our two professional bodies, particularly regarding standards of training and other common issues.’
Ros, Ken Fyfe, and Wilma Kelloe met Fiona Grant and Tom Hooper, of the Tourist Guiding Foundation, in Edinburgh as part of the consultation process. During a very positive discussion, they re-iterated that the STGA intended to remain the accrediting body for the Blue Badge in Scotland. Following the formation of the Institute in April 2002, the STGA established a written Accord with them. The Working Group accepted its position and recommended that a formal agreement be drawn up to govern the relationship between the STGA and the Institute.
Today the majority of Blue Badge guide training in England and Northern Ireland is accredited by the Institute of Tourist Guiding. In Wales the Wales Official Tourist Guides Association oversees Blue and Green Badge training with the badges actually awarded by the Welsh Government.
The new millennium saw some ambitious events organised to celebrate International Tourist Guide Day. In 2001 STGA members staged a pageant at Stirling Castle and invited over 250 members of the tourist industry, including travel agents, to showcase the talents of Scottish guides.
Annette Kurth wrote about it for Guidelines. ‘Well we did it! In only four weeks we managed to put together an extraordinary event and Stirling Castle exploded into life,’ she said.
Mary Kemp Clarke organised all the scripts and leaflets and the event was covered in the press. ‘Our pageant was blessed with fine, if somewhat wintry weather and the venue which lent itself ideally to the occasion was transformed into a scene from a fairy tale,’ said Annette. Our aim was for ordinary characters to regale visitors with extraordinary tales of the castle’s history and in this we succeeded although, believe me, there was nothing ordinary about our characters each of whom deserves a Scottish Tourism Oscar. Incredibly over 250 guests arrived from all over Scotland, eager to be entertained and this they undoubtedly were.
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