Stirling 900 Parade

Residents and visitors invited to play their part in spectacular Stirling 900 parade

Stirling Council have sent this invitation:

Residents and visitors are being invited to create a carnival atmosphere at the finale to the Stirling 900 anniversary celebrations by turning out for one of the biggest pipe band parades the city has ever seen.

The countdown is on for the spectacular gala event on Saturday, 29 March, which steps off from the esplanade at Stirling Castle at 12pm.

Fittingly, around 900 people, including 350 musicians and local community groups and organisations, will march an iconic route from the Castle through the city centre and over Stirling Bridge to Stirling Rugby Club.

Residents and visitors are being invited to line the streets of Stirling for the family-friendly parade, with lots of great vantage points along the route, which is expected to take around 45 minutes to complete.

At its conclusion, parade participants will gather on the pitch at Bridgehaugh for a large group photograph and family members and friends are also welcome to enter the Rugby Club grounds, where there will be a range of food and drinks vendors available.

A full FAQ for the event has been compiled to signpost residents and visitors to key information on the parade.

The parade will follow a showcase of Stirling’s dynamic and diverse culture at the Castle on Friday, 28 March – with the Stirling 900 celebrations concluding at a special ceilidh at the Albert Halls on the Saturday night.

Stirling Lord Provost, Elaine Watterson, said: “The finale parade will be a fitting way to cap a wonderful year of celebration for Stirling 900.

“Our people and communities have shaped the development of Stirling over the decades and centuries and it’s only right they take play a central role in our Saturday showpiece.

“We look forward to seeing members of the public throng the streets on the parade route through some of the most iconic landmarks in the country, enjoying the spectacle of the pipe and military bands and our wonderful community groups and organisations.

“Our people have made Stirling such a unique and welcoming place to live, work, entertain and enjoy. We look forward to coming together as one on 29 March.”

The City of Stirling Pipe Band will be at the forefront of the parade and Pipe Major Scott Methven said: “The parade is almost upon us and we can’t wait to play for the residents and visitors who will line the streets of Stirling to mark the end of the 900 celebrations.

“The response to our invite to come and play a part in this historic occasion has been wonderful, with bands and pipers the length and breadth of the UK set to join forces on March 29.

“It will be an amazing spectacle to see the pipe bands, other musicians and community groups making their way through the streets of the city from the Castle, over Stirling Bridge and onto Stirling Rugby Club. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and we are very excited to take part.”

The finale events are being supported by Persimmon Homes (East Scotland) who are the headline sponsors of the Stirling finale 900 celebrations.

Neil Parry, Managing Director of Persimmon East Scotland, said: “At Persimmon, we are committed to building a lasting legacy in the communities in which we operate, and we know the celebrations of Stirling 900 will also live long in the memory of everyone who takes part.

“The parade promises to be a noisy and colourful coming together of the people of Stirling, as well as visitors to the city. It will be a real family-friendly event and we’re delighted to play our part in this historic milestone against so many iconic Scottish backdrops.”

Full list of confirmed ticketed events for the Stirling 900 finale celebrations:  

  • Thursday 27 March (6.30pm): A 900th anniversary edition of the Tolbooth Supper Club. More info and bookings.
  • Friday 28 March (6-8pm): Culture at the Castle event that celebrates Stirling’s cultural and creative talent. More info and tickets.
  • Friday 28 March (8-9pm): A free concert in the Great Hall of Stirling Castle, led by local musicians Evie Waddell and Neil Sutcliffe following the Culture at the Castle event. More info and tickets.
  • Saturday 29 March (12 noon): The Stirling 900 gala parade will be the centrepiece of the celebrations, setting off from Stirling Castle esplanade and weave its way through the city down to Stirling County Rugby Club.
  • Saturday 29 March (Doors 7pm): A Stirling 900 ceilidh will be the final fling of the finale weekend at the Albert Halls with the wonderful Katie Allen Trio as the ceilidh band. More info and tickets.
  • Each day from 10am to 5pm until 19 May: An exhibition at the Marcrobert Arts Centre featuring artwork and archival material from the University Archives and Art Collection which celebrate the history of the city and its cultural heritage.
  • Tues-Sat (10am-5pm) 8 March to 26 April: A free exhibition about belonging at The Tolbooth presented by GOSSIP Collective and emerging artists from across the world, some of whom have created their home in Scotland, called Find Direction Home exhibition.
  • Wed-Sun (10am-5pm) at the Smith Art Gallery and Museum: Stirling City Heritage Trust invites you to discover the stories of Stirling’s historic streets and how Conservation Area designation helps to protect the city’s unique historic environment.

For more details on all the Stirling 900 finale events, including the FAQ on the pipe band parade, please visit: https://www.yourstirling.com/whats-on/stirling-900-finale/

Photos credit: Whyler Photos/Stirling Council

Knockhill Bridge Refurbishment Update from BEAR Scotland

We have received notification from BEAR Scotland about the M9 Knockhill Bridge Refurbishment works , an extract follows here:

It remains our intention to commence work below this structure in April 2025. Our provisional start date is currently Monday 14th April, however we will provide further confirmation of this nearer the time. You may notice some minor mobilisation activities taking place to set the site up before this date.

We expect the works to be completed by the end of November 2025. For the majority of this period the road will be limited to a single lane of traffic controlled by temporary traffic lights. The maximum width of road that will be left open to vehicles will be limited to approximately 3.5m.

In the interests of workforce and road user safety, it will remain necessary to undertake certain operations with the road fully closed to traffic. However, these closures can now be limited to occasional overnight periods only, in order to minimise disruption. We will provide residents and other stakeholders advance notice of each of these overnight closures as and when their exact dates are known.

The full text of the notification is at this link: Bear_Scotland_Knockhill_Bridge_Stakeholder-Update-March-2025

Making things great in our local community

Do you want to get involved in making things great in your local community?

We’re looking for Bridge of Allan residents to join the Community Council to help with:

  • protecting local greenspace

  • promoting our history and heritage

  • progressing community priorities

  • prioritising community views. 

We are looking for three new members to join the Community Council as co-opted or associate members until full elections are held in 2027.

We have been actively working on many different community projects and initiatives, so it is more important than ever that all sections and voices of Bridge of Allan are represented on the Community Council. We are particularly looking for people with skills in communications, social media and web content creation.  The role involves keeping up to date with community issues raised, working together to find solutions and helping communicate resident’s views to local organisation such as Stirling Council, Network Rail, developers and businesses.   We have 10 meetings a year usually held at the Allan Centre ( our meeting minutes are here )

Though a lot of the activity involves raising resident’s issues and concerns with the appropriate authorities we also organise the Christmas Lights in Henderson street with a Switch-On event, other events such as the annual Service of Remembrance at the memorial park; we worked with Discover Bridge of Allan to purchase the Sunnylaw meadow and undertake maintenance of it; members have been engaging with the community seeking views to incorporate in the Local Place Plan which will feed into the forthcoming Stirling Council Local Development Plan. See our facebook page:

Facebook  

Who can become a member ?

You can put yourself forward if you live in the Bridge of Allan area , are over 16, and are on the electoral register.  

Although currently there is only 1 space for a Co-opted member on the Council, we can also appoint associate members with particular skills or knowledge seeking to broaden both representation and expertise for specific projects/issues.  See more here  about different types of membership.

To find out more about community councils in general and how they are run see here .

To find out more about the Bridge of Allan Community Council please email  chair Amanda or one of the members ( email addresses are on our webpage ‘Your Community Council’)  and ideally come along to a meeting

Next Meeting: Tue March 18th, 7.30pm at the Allan Centre

Stirling 900 Commemorative Photography Book Request for Submissions

We have received this invitation from the Stirling Photography Festival  for Community members, groups and events to submit photographs for a special Stirling 900 commemorative book.

The Stirling Photography Festival are delighted to be partnering with Stirling District Tourism to produce this unique photo book celebrating Stirling 900, and we would love to include photographs of events and organisations, showcasing the best of what happened in Stirlingshire this past year.

The photo book aims to capture the people and the place, in a curated collection of images taken during this special year. You can read more about it on the What’s On Stirling website.

Our aim is to produce a book that showcases the breadth of all our community events in 2024/25 – highland games and agricultural shows, sports matches, music, arts and cultural events, as well as the people in our community working and celebrating.

Details about the book and how to submit are on the website : https://www.stirlingphotographyfestival.co.uk/stirling-900-1

Closing date for submissions is  7th April

For information about the Stirling 900th Anniversary Weekend 28-29th March vist the website: https://www.yourstirling.com/whats-on/stirling-900-finale/

 

Your Stirling, Your Say: Visitor Levy, Adaptation, and Equalities

Stirling Council have notified us of two more open surveys online, in addition to the Equalities survey (as posted her on Feb 20th) which closes today.

Visitor Levy

The early engagement on a potential visitor levy for Stirling has opened today. The introduction of a levy scheme could see a set percentage charge on overnight accommodation paid by visitors and tourists in the Stirling Council area. To help shape the scheme ahead of a decision in December, we want to hear your ideas on what the scheme could look like, including its objectives, percentage rate, timeline, and how revenues would be re-invested. To find out more about the visitor levy and take to the survey, click hereA series of drop-in sessions have also been arranged for businesses, accommodation providers and anyone else who would like to share their views on the scheme. These will take place at the following locations:

  •  Stirling (Friday 14 March 2025, 11am-6pm, Albert Halls)
  •  Killin (Tuesday 18 March 2025, 11am-6pm, McLaren Hall)
  •  Callander (Wednesday 9 April 2025, 11am-6pm, Callander Youth Project)
  •  Drymen (Wednesday 16 April 2025, 11am-6pm, Drymen Village Hall).

Climate Adaption Strategy:

We are also inviting feedback on our draft Climate Adaptation Strategy, which is part of our Climate and Nature Emergency Plan. Now, we’d like to hear what you think about our draft strategy. There are two ways to tell us what you think:

This consultation is open until the 6th of April.

Equalities Outcomes:

Finally, there is still time to take part in the Equalities Outcomes consultation. We want to involve a range of people in developing the equality outcomes for 2025-29 – particularly those who share a relevant protected characteristic and their representatives. We will take your responses, experiences and stories – and collate them with others’ responses to understand common themes. We will then turn these themes into Equality Outcomes for Stirling, and aim to improve people’s life chances over the next four years. Click here to take the survey.

If you would like any more information about how you can use these surveys to have your say, you can email us at insights@stirling.gov.uk.

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