Past the million mark for two attractions

Both Glasgow’s Riverside Museum and the National Museum of Scotland in Chambers Street, Edinburgh, have clocked in their 1 millionth visitor.

Less than four months after re-opening, following a three-year, £47 million transformation,
the National Museum of Scotland  welcomed its millionth visitor. That person was among the party from Stockbridge Primary School

The landmark figure has been achieved eight months ahead of predictions, and outstrips the previous record figure for a full year. The Museum’s highest attendance then was 833,324 visits in 2007/08, the year before it partially closed for redevelopment.

Visitors from across the world have poured through the Museum’s impressive new street-level entrance and into the spectacular Grand Gallery, from where they have been able to enjoy 16 new galleries. The beautifully-restored Victorian building only last week won the Andrew Doolan Award for the Best Building in Scotland for 2011.

Over 8,000 treasures are on show, 80% of them for the first time. The Natural World Galleries with their  life-sized T.rex, and the Museum’s re-positioned Millennium Clock, are among the objects proving the biggest hit with visitors. Another firm favourite is the Window on the World, the UK’s biggest single museum installation, which features an array of nearly 900 objects representing the diversity of the Museum’s collections.

A spectacular opening ceremony on Chambers Street in July saw nearly 6,000 people pass through the doors in the first hour. Now the entire first year target has been reached in under four months.

National Museums Scotland is building on this success with a programme of blockbuster exhibitions in its new, larger, purpose-built space for special exhibitions. The first major new shows will feature Ancient Egypt and a Russian Empress when ‘Fascinating Mummies’ and ‘Catherine the Great’ open in 2012.

Gordon Rintoul, Director, National Museums Scotland said: ‘To reach this monumental visitor figure so far ahead of our predictions is an incredible achievement. Years of planning, fund raising and hard work have gone into realising our vision of creating a world-class museum that sits firmly at the heart of Scotland’s cultural landscape. To receive such a positive response from the public is truly amazing. People really are voting with their feet and giving a massive endorsement to all of the dedication, knowledge and creativity of our staff and supporters. We are delighted.’

Equal  enthusiasm was shown at Glasgow’s £74 million Riverside  museum which is now become the city’s most popular attraction since it opened on June 21.  On June 25 more than 15,000 people streamed through its doors.

Councillor Gordon Matheson, the Leader of Glasgow City Council was on hand this week to welcome the 1millionth visitor – 7 -year-old Sam Irving and his family from Dumfries. Said Councillor Matheson:’ The public response to the Riverside Museum has been phenomenal and the museum has coped brilliantly. The place has comprehensively beaten  the visitor number projections and is now a ‘must see’ attraction in Glasgow and Scotland.  I’m delighted for Sam that he is our 1millionth visitor and we look forward to many millions more in years to come.’

The Riverside Museum houses more than 3000 exhibits in over 150 interactive displays demonstrating the quality of  ’Clyde Built’.  From massive steam locomotives to recreation city streets of the 1900s, the cathedral-like structure provides a stunning backdrop to showcase the innovation and ambition of  Glasgow which was ‘Second City of the Empire.’

 Sam said it was ‘cool’ to be the VIP 1 millionth visitor.  The family were on their second visit and Sam’s favourite display was  the bikes: ‘Because I like to go out on my  bike at home.’ His mum Susan, added: ‘It’s a fantastic place and great for kids with all the interactive displays. It’s also good for Sam’s dad who was a mechanic and acts just like a big kid himself when he’s here. It’s a great day out for all the family.’

The Museum has played host to big events such as a seafood festival and a spellbinding performance by Scottish cyclist Danny MacAskill whose bike is one of the exhibits. Highlights at the Riverside include the Wall of Cars, the hanging Bicycle Velodrome, the South African Locomotive,  No 9 Tank Engine, Motorbike Deck. For more information see: www.glasgowmuseums.com/riverside

 

 

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Vintage buses drive up visitor numbers

By Harriet Brace

Hundreds of people were geared up to see vintage vehicles at Bridgeton Bus Garage on Sunday 9 October. Many arrived at the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust’s annual open day on a free vintage bus service from the city centre and Riverside Transport Museum. Many took up the offer of tours around the suburbs of Glasgow East.

Trust Chair, Iain MacGregor, said: ‘The day is all about exhibiting  the vehicles, getting the buses on the streets and giving people the opportunity to travel on them.’

He added: ‘We get a lot of people specifically interested in vehicles, but also families coming for a day out. We are confident we exceeded last year’s numbers.’ Later verification showed that the average 1600 rose to 2000 visitors this year.

The exhibition boasted the UK’s largest assembly of Glasgow Corporation Transport and MacBrayne’s buses, but other vehicles were also on display. These included emergency and recovery vehicles, a livestock transport truck, and even a vintage ice-cream van.

Organisations including the Ex-Military Land Rover Enthusiasts Club, the Albion Vehicle Preservation Trust and the Pre-67 Ford Owners Club were represented.

Stallholders ranged from bus-related businesses, to collectors, to catering companies.

Many of the stallholders have been trading at the open day since it began six years ago.

One, representing the Dundee Museum of Transport and himself a member of the Taybus Vintage Vehicle Trust, said: ‘We’ve been here every year. This year we’ve brought along one of the open-top buses – an old Tayside bus that came back up to Dundee from Oxford in 2005.’

Another said: ‘For me this is a social event. If I make enough money to cover my costs it’s a bonus.’ His neighbour commented: ‘I’m just clearing out my loft. This is just a small selection of what I’ve got in the attic.’

Work by the Back on the Road rehabilitation programme for recovering drug and alcohol addicts featured among Sunday’s displays, including a fully-restored 1934 bus.

Project manager Gordon Kerr said: ‘The Back on the Road project focuses on engaging with participants’ issues through developing skills in mechanics and restoration.’

Mr MacGregor described the programme’s role as an important part of the Trust’s work. He said: ‘We have a lot of success, even getting people back into full-time employment.’

Glasgow’s Lord Provost, Councillor Bob Winter, who attended the event on Friday October 7 to preview the exhibits, said: ‘I think it’s a wonderful collection of vintage vehicles. There are some new ones  that have been done up and were not available last year. I found it very interesting.’

Move into motoring

 This is a new column about motoring today. New vehicles, technological refinements and how to conserve resources are all incorporated by established Motoring Correspondent BRUCE BOOTH.

By: Bruce Booth
 
WE’RE all familiar with gimmicks in advertising campaigns for anything
ranging from breakfast cereal to washing powder.
Who can forget the ads from that High Street store which doesn’t stock ordinary food, but sells only M&S food that is  a little bit extra bit special?
Or how about more recently times? Those bright sparks from Carlsberg
have tried to convince us that if the Danish beer company were to make anything other than lager, no matter what the product was, it would be the very best you could possibly buy.
Well, don’t be surprised if you see a new advert from the famous Land Rover brand which combines both those themes.
For the new offering now rolling off the marque’s Halewood production line in Liverpool is not just an Evoque, it’s a Range Rover Evoque. And if Carlsberg were to make motor vehicles, then I reckon this is what they would produce.
For the Evoque really is that bit special.
Ok, it’s not going to compete against the likes of the Bentley, Rolls-Royce,
Ferrari or Bugatti supercars of this world; it’s not meant to. But with a
starting price of less than £30,000, anything that hovers a few grand either side of this figure is going to be fair game.
And little wonder. For the new Evoque is Range Rover at its very best.
Stunning exterior design, whether in three or five-door guise … and that’s just for starters. Yes, the three-door version does have the edge in the looks department, but the five-door comes with more practicality and ease of access to the rear … and it’s cheaper!
Then there’s the build quality. You can’t fault this baby in any way,
while the interior design team have also done a fabulous job, mixing lashings of soft leather hides with items such as brushed aluminium, polished wood veneers and proper plastics that will undoubtedly last the test of time.
Yet no two cars have to be the same, for buyers can choose from a huge
range of interior designs while mixing and matching with no fewer than 12 paint colour choices along with three contrasting roof colours or even a full panoramic glass roof. It will even park itself for you perfectly every time should you add the park assist option. Other upgrades are available for the digital audio/DVD system, while a range of optional alloy wheels help complete the package.
However, what makes the Evoque stand out from the crowd is its ability
to master just about any kind of driving condition you can throw at it.
We all know how the evergreen Land Rover Defender has evolved over its
60-year production run and what its capabilities are. Well the same technology can be found in the Evoque, which means that it is a serious off-roader in its own right … should you ever wish to put this hunk of gleaming metal to the test.  And that’s just what I did when I got the chance to put a diesel version of the Evoque through its paces over some heavily-rutted, boulder-strewn mountain tracks and through deep fast-flowing streams as I snaked along in the shadow of a massive pipeline which cuts across some pretty remote moorland.
And boy, did this machine perform. A row of buttons allows the driver
to choose the perfect set-up from Land Rover’s brilliant terrain response drive system to match the prevailing conditions, whether it be slippy surfaces such as ice and snow, sand, deep muddy ruts, boulder fields or steep grassy pastures.
Electronic descent control also helps the machine crawl slowly down steep terrain without any other input required from the driver apart from steering the car in the right direction.
And great as it is offroad, its onroad abilities match equally. For a
heavy machine it holds the road brilliantly while its ride quality
replicates that of many a saloon car. The electronics can also be set to dynamic mode which turns the baby Range Rover into something of a boy racer’s dream machine.
With a pair of 2.2-litre powerplants pumping out either 148 or 197bhp, the all-wheel-drive Evoque offers more than enough power to comfortably keep up with the flow, even the less powerful engine posting a top speed of 115mph and a zero to 62mph sprint time of 10.8 seconds.
But it’s the 50mpg fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of 149g/km that will concentrate the minds of most buyers, for these figures compare well with the likes of the Audi Q3 and BMW X1.
A workaholic offroader, luxurious hatchback or sprightly sports car, the
three-in-one Evoque is a true master of disguise. And with its
highly-competitive price tag there is no doubt that Range Rover dealers are going to be kept very busy for a long time to come.
 
Range Rover Evoque TD4 Pure 5dr
Price: £28,705
Mechanical: 150bhp, 2,198cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving four wheels via
6-speed
manual gearbox
Max speed: 115mph
0-62mph: 10.8 seconds
Combined mpg: 50.2
Insurance group: 33
CO2 emissions: 149g/km
BIK rating: 15%
Warranty: 3yrs/ unlimited miles
 
To view the FreewheelingScotland.com Range Rover Evoque e-magazine, log on to:

http://issuu.com/freewheelingscotland.com/docs/rangeroverevoque

Monte Carlo Glamour Returns To Glasgow

by Lynsay Keough

Thursday January 27 will see the Monte Carlo Classic Rally start in Glasgow, for the first time since 1973.

It is hoped that its return could bring back the glamourous fixture – featuring  MGs, Minis and Austin Healeys – on a permanent basis.
The event was created by Prince Albert 1 of Monaco in 1911 to attract business to the principality’s casino. It soon drew worldwide interest, with amateur drivers driving 2,500 miles to cross the finishing line.
Glasgow first hosted the start from Blythswood Square, outside the R.A.C
club, in 1949. The plan is that this 100th anniversary start from what is now the Blythswood Hotel, will attract 70s and pre-1974 classic cars.
In its heyday in the 1950′s and 60′s, thousands would gather round the Square to wave off the cars, at one minute intervals, on their way to Monte Carlo. The event’s return could net more than  £1 million for the Scottish economy.
Glasgow is only one of several starting points. Others include Warsaw, Barcelona and Marrakesh.
Alasdair Findlay, the last Scot to compete in the rally from the Square in 1973, said:  ‘It is a great event. One of the best in the world, and I only wish I could do it again.’

Castle cheer for Rally Champions

by Lynsay Keough. Photos by Lynsay Keough and www.rally-photo.com

Finland’s Juho Hanninen produced a champion’s drive to see off the opposition and win the 2010 RACMSA Rally of Scotland. 2009 IRC champion Peugeot’s Kris Meeke, lost time with a puncture and lost the brakes when a rock tore out a hydraulic pipe leaving a gaping hole in the car frame. But he laughed off the damage at the finishing line telling LOCAL NEWS: ‘Ach, it’s just a piece of bodywork! It’s still the best rally in the championship!’  Despite this setback, Kris held on to third place in his last outing for the team, as he joins Mini for the 2011 World Rally Championships.
In the end Hanninen’s winning margin was just 25.5 secs over the 200km timed stages that ran from Friday 15 October at Scone Palace to the Sunday 17 ceremonial finishing line at Stirling Castle. The Rally of Scotland win comes after cementing his 2010 IRC championship title.
Last year’s Rally of Scotland winner, Skoda’s Guy Wilks, showed some amazing driving skills through the Loch Ard stages to claim the “Colin McRae IRC Flat Out Trophy”. Colin’s father Jimmy was among the judges.
Recently crowned Scottish Rally Champion , David Bogie from Dumfries, finished 4th overall, after starting the Sunday stages back in 11th place. The top five places went to;
1) Juho Hanninen/ Mikko Markkula (FIN) – Skoda Fabia S2000 2hrs 01m 07.4s
2) Andreas Mikkelsen/ Ola Fleure (NOR) – Ford Fiesta S2000 +25.5s
3) Kris Meeke/ Phil Pugh (GBR) – Peugeot 207 S2000 +3m 24.2s
4) David Bogie/ Kevin Rae (GBR) – Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 1X, +12m 01.3s
5) Karl Kruuda/ Martin Jarveoja (EST) – Suzuki Swift + 14m 07.6s

TWO TICKETS TO BBC FOOD SHOW UP FOR GRABS

This weekend the BBC Good Food Show is coming to Glasgow!  The LOCAL NEWS has 2 tickets to give away from Plenty- the creator of the UK’s primo household towel.

The BBC Good Food Show, paradise for the palate, will run from this Friday 22 October at the SECC until Sunday 24 October. Celebrity Chefs will be on hand to display their culinary mastery, Scotland Food and Drink Regional Village will offer a sensuous journey through Scottish produce. The BBC Good Food Show is a must for anyone who takes cuisine seriously, or for anyone who wants to satisfy neglected taste buds.

The LOCAL NEWS are delighted to offer two tickets after teaming up with Plenty. To win the tickets simply answer this question- looking at the accompanying picture, who is the Plenty Mysterious TV Character? A) Juan Sheet
B) Juan Spill
C)Joe Blogs

Respond by emailing your answer to competitions@localnewsglasgow.co.uk and if your lucky enough to win the LOCAL NEWS will deliver your BBC Good Food Show tickets asap.

Also, Plenty, determined we should eat in style, are running their own competition- the gastronomic chance of lifetime, dinner for two at John Torode’s- him from MasterChef- restaurant SMITHS of SMITHFIELDS in London plus passes for MasterChef live this November. To enter visit www.plenty.co.uk/masterchef

Ready to Rally?

People are revving up for the British round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge which comes to the stunning countryside of Perthshire and Stirlingshire from Friday 15  to Sunday 17 October.
Factory supported crews from manufactuers including Skoda, Peugeot, Proton, Subaru and Ford will be represented and Guy Wilks (Skoda), Kris Meeke (Peugeot), as well as of course Lanark’s own Alister McRae (Proton), will be the faces to look out for at the Friday night start at Scone Palace for the 2010 RAC Motor Sports Association (MSA) Rally of Scotland.
There then follows two days of high speed drama through the Scottish countryside in competitive, timed, stages, before the ceremonial finish at Stirling Castle on the Sunday afternoon.
Within the rally itself there will also be the “Two Wheel Drive Cup” class.
To encourage the rally drivers of the future and to promote general interest in the sport, admission for children is FREE! All tickets can be purchased through the official www.rallyofscotland.com website or the hotline 0844 847 2488. The event will be broadcast by Eurosport to 59 countries.
International Motorsport Chief Executive Andrew Coe commented: “The scene is set for a quite fantastic event in one of the most stunning locations any form of top-class motor sport could wish to visit. It’s an event that Scotland should be justifiably proud of and also one which many other major events in the world of rallying and sport, generally, will view with great envy.”

The Art of the Matter

by Lynsay Keough, photo: Stuart Maxwell

The Scottish Free Bikers have been presented with the winning drawing that will feature on their t-shirts for children, which will be sold to raise funds for the Yorkhill Children’s Foundation. The winning picture was drawn by a child whose sibling receives treatment at Yorkhill, and the family are delighted that it has been chosen.

The bikers are planning to travel to Vietnam in October 2011 and hope to twin schools in Vietnam with their counterparts in Glasgow, thus allowing both groups of children to learn about the other’s culture.

The 2 week trip will raise money for the Yorkhill Children’s Foundation and children in Vietnam, to help them off the streets and into school. To learn more about the Scottish Free Bikers and find out how you can help them help these children go to their website: www.scottishfreebikers.com

From Yorkhill to Vietnam.

by Lynsay Keough

The Scottish Free Bikers recently launched their charity organisation at the Carbeth Inn, Blanefield at an event to raise awareness of their cause.
In October 2011 they will be commencing a gruelling 2 week tour, from the South to the North of Vietnam, to raise money for the Yorkhill Children’s Foundation and the children of Vietnam. The idea was the brainchild of John Watson, Gavin Watson and Alun Brydon who have previously taken part in the Yorkhill Children’s Foundations Easter Egg Runs.
In addition to raising money for the children of both countries, one of the aims of the trip is to pair seven primary schools in Scotland with seven schools in Vietnam that the bikers would visit along their route. The would enable the children to set up a pen pal scheme so that each could learn about the other’s culture.
The Bikers will be organising various events from now until next October in order to raise money and awareness for their children’s charities.The launch event itself has helped to generate £700 so far. Merchandise and more information on their forthcoming events, including a poker event on July 25th, is available from their website, www.scottishfreebikers.com

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