A storytelling marathon on two wheels
A Ceilidh for the Commonwealth
A BICYCLE with saddle bags packed with books by the author of The Gruffalo is getting ready to hit the road, and final preparations are being made for a 24 hour global Ceilidh, for events that are set to take place in Falkirk this summer as part of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme.
The nationwide Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme is celebrating Scotland and Glasgow’s hosting of the XX Commonwealth Games with more than 1,000 events taking place across the country.
Falkirk Town Hall
A Ceilidh at Falkirk Town Hall on Saturday 21 June at 7.30pm will take place as part of the global Commonwealth Ceilidh, with the first dancing taking place at 7.30pm local time in New Zealand, the action reaching Falkirk 13 hours later, and the last Ceilidh call in Hawaii 24 hours after the event started. Music will be supplied by the Gordon Shand Band. Tickets are free, thanks to the support of Falkirk Community Trust in providing the venue. Tickets will be available from the Box Office at the Town Hall or the Steeple in Falkirk.
For more details please visit: http://commonwealthceilidh.org/
Callendar Park, The Helix
Adding to the excitement of the Queen’s Baton Relay reaching the region actor Tam Dean Burn will be cycling into town on Tuesday 24 June as part of an epic journey in which he will read all 195 books and plays, and sing all the songs written by former Children’s Laureate, Julia Donaldson, to children along the route of the QBR. The Marathon Storytelling Cycling Challenge is free to attend and Tam and friends will be at Callendar Park and The Helix.
For details visit: booksonabike.com
Park Gallery
Refractory and Refrigeration, an exhibition by John Shankie will be at Park Gallery from Saturday 2 August to Sunday 26 October as part of the most ambitious programme of visual art ever held in Scotland.
GENERATION, which celebrates 25 years of contemporary art in Scotland, features work by 100 artists in over 60 venues and all exhibitions are free to attend.
The Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme is a partnership between the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee, Glasgow Life, and Creative Scotland through National Lottery funding.
Janet Archer, chief executive of Creative Scotland, said: “It’s fantastic to see this exciting work being presented in Falkirk and I’d encourage everyone to join in with and enjoy the events.”
Eileen Gallagher, independent director on the Glasgow 2014 Board and chair of the Ceremonies, Culture and Queen’s Baton Relay Committee, said: “The Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme is offering people the opportunity to be part of the Games wherever they are. With something for all the family, in popular local settings and an inspiring range of shows and activity, there is something for everyone to enjoy.”
To find out more details about what’s happening in Falkirk and throughout Scotland visit: www.glasgow2014.com/culture
Notes to Editors:
- The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving 71 teams of athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years. Glasgow 2014 will be the XX Commonwealth Games and will be held from 23 July to 3 August. It will feature 17 sports in 11 days of competition with 261 medal events on show. The Games will play host to 4,500 athletes and sell 1,000,000 tickets with the event aided by an army of 15,000 volunteers. Glasgow 2014 Ltd is the official name for the Organising Committee tasked with delivering the Games in partnership with the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and Commonwealth Games Scotland.
- Glasgow 2014’s official partner level sponsors are Longines, SSE, Virgin Media, BP, Emirates and Ford. For more information on Glasgow 2014’s full sponsor family, please visit http://www.glasgow2014.com/games/our-sponsors.
- Glasgow 2014, the Commonwealth Games Federation and UNICEF are working together in an exciting partnership that will transform the lives of children in Scotland and throughout the Commonwealth. Using the power of sport and culture this unique partnership aims to inspire, enable and empower the children of the Commonwealth to be the best they can be.
- The Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme is a national celebration. Culture 2014 is showcasing dance, theatre, music, visual arts, comedy and much more in the run up to and after the Commonwealth Games, with Festival 2014 transforming the Host City at Games time. The Cultural Programme is a partnership between the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee, Glasgow Life, and Creative Scotland through National Lottery funding. www.glasgow2014.com/culture
- The Commonwealth Ceilidh is part of Get Scotland Dancing – the national initiative to inspire more people to get active and participate in dance and provide an unprecedented range of opportunities to take part in and enjoy dance. www.getscotlanddancing.org
- GENERATION is being delivered through a partnership between the National Galleries of Scotland and Glasgow Life, and is supported by Creative Scotland. www.generationartscotland.org
Media Contact
Brian Maycock
Interim Media Relations and PR Officer, Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme
E: brian.maycock@creativescotland.com
T: 0330 333 2000
D: 0131 523 0046
M: 07972 835 212
Gordon Boag
Cultural Press Officer, Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee
E: gordon.boag@glasgow2014.com
T: 030 2014 0000
D: 030 2014 0160
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Contact: Sophie Bambrough
Phone: 07747606146
Email: sophie.bambrough@creativescotland.com
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