Lord Provost Rosemary Fraser was among those to welcome The Prince and
Princess of Wales to Stirling yesterday (21 Jan) for a visit that
celebrated the area's sport, creativity and community spirit.
The Prince and Princess, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in
Scotland, started their tour at the National Curling Academy at the Peak
Sports Centre, where they were also greeted by Stirling Council Chief
Executive, Brian Roberts.
After meeting the Team GB and Paralympics GB Curling teams, who are
preparing for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in MilanoCortina
in February and March, they also tried their hand at the sport that has
its roots in 16th-century Scotland and has become one of the country's
most successful winter sports.
Lord Provost Rosemary Fraser said: "It was wonderful to welcome Their
Royal Highnesses to Stirling and our inspiring communities and to be
part of this event."We are proud of our superb sporting facilities at the National Curling
Academy, managed and maintained by Active Stirling, which gives our
athletes the best opportunity to secure further success in this sport.
It also inspires more people across Stirling to take up curling and
other sports so they can enjoy the benefits of an active, healthy
lifestyle."I would like to take this opportunity to wish our curling teams and all
the Stirling-based athletes well at the Winter Olympic and Paralympic
Games in Italy."
Matt Bunnell, Active Stirling Chief Executive said: 'From an Active
Stirling perspective we felt extremely honoured to welcome the Prince
and Princess of Wales to The PEAK on their visit to the National Curling
Academy. It was wonderful to see them connecting with the community and
I am sure their visit would have further inspired the curling athletes
prior to their departure to the Winter Olympics next month."
The Prince and Princess then visited Radical Weavers, a working
handweaving studio and independent charity in Stirling city centre.Established in 2019, the charity aims to help to tackle social isolation
and support people affected by trauma and loss by offering the
opportunity to learn traditional Scottish tartan-weaving skills in a
safe and welcoming environment.After learning about the design and weaving process and tartan, Their
Royal Highnesses took up the opportunity to weave themselves, including
a small piece of an ambitious project by the Radical Weavers to create
the longest tartan scarf.
Their final engagement saw them stop by at the 'The Gothenburg', a
community-run pub in Fallin. Founded in 1910, 'The Goth' is one of the
few remaining pubs in Scotland still run under the Gothenburg system,
which aims to funnel profits from pubs back to the community.Their Royal Highnesses met 'The Goth's publican Rob Donaldson and
learned how 95% of the pub's profits are donated to community causes,
from families in need and food banks, to local charities and hospices.The Lord Provost added: "It was fantastic that the Prince and Princess
got an insight into the incredible people and organisations across
Stirling who make a real difference in our communities."The visit also highlighted how Stirling's remarkable culture and
creativity changes lives, inspires innovation and supports economic
growth."