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The Independent
01-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Scotland's most decorated Olympian describes ‘special' OBE moment
Scotland's most decorated Olympian has described the 'special' moment when he was made an OBE at a ceremony in Edinburgh on Tuesday. Swimmer Duncan Scott, who won his eighth Olympic medal at the Paris Games last year, said it was 'humbling' to be recognised by the King at an investiture ceremony held at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The 28-year-old was one of a number of Scots receiving honours from the King during Royal week, when the monarch traditionally spends a week based at the palace. Among those honoured were artist Dame Barbara Rae, while Paralympic swimmer Stephen Clegg was made an MBE for services to swimming, and Kevin Hay, who translated the Bible into Doric, was made an MBE for services to the Doric language. Speaking to the PA Media news agency after receiving his award, Scott said of sport that 'you don't do it for the recognition. You do it for things that you want to achieve, either individually or as part of a team'. He continued: 'But there is that added element that it's really humbling and really nice to be recognised for the hard work that you've put in.' He added: 'Being able to celebrate and receive this award with my family here today, I think it's just quite a special moment.' Scott added that it was not his first meeting with the King, the pair having met in 2017 when the then-Prince Charles opened a pool at an East Ayrshire village. 'I actually met the King when he opened the pool in New Cumnock,' Scott explained. 'So we had a brief conversation about that. He's always had a real passion for for swimming facilities up and down the country.' Painter and printmaker Dame Barbara studied at Edinburgh College of Art and went on to teach art in secondary schools then lecture at Aberdeen College of Education and Glasgow School of Art. Her work has been shown around the world in both group and solo exhibitions, including at venues in Chicago, New York, Washington, Santa Fe, Oslo, Hong Kong, Dublin and Belfast. The 81-year-old described attending the investiture ceremony as 'nerve-wracking', but that the King had set her at ease. She said: 'I'm feeling relieved, actually, because it was a bit nerve-wracking, especially having to walk backwards and curtsy. 'But he was very interesting to talk to, and expressed interest in what I was doing, talking about my Antarctic travels. 'And I referred to his painting, and that of Prince Philip, whom I met a while ago, and he was just very pleasant, a lovely man, and made me feel quite relaxed.' The Falkirk-born artist added that being awarded this 'really quite rare accolade' was 'really important' for Scottish art. 'I hope that (it) will be an inspiration to the generations of artists that are coming up, some very good, talented artists that are coming up,' she explained. 'And it's good for the institution like the Royal Scottish Academy to have this honour, and I believe it's for everybody, not just for me.' She also reflected that being made a dame had not changed her own life as an artist in any way, and that she still had to 'go into the studio and make a painting'. She added: 'You don't get any better because you're a dame, unfortunately, so you've still got to get into the studio and solve problems, and just be creative and carry on.' Paralympic swimmer Clegg, who won two gold medals at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, described being made an MBE as a 'huge honour'. 'Some people go their entire lives never receiving anything close to this,' he said. 'So to receive an MBE is a really special thing, and it gives me a lot of pride to know that I've been recognised by my country in this way.' The swimmer, who has a visual impairment and competes in the S12 category, added that the accolade 'puts a spotlight on not just the sport as a whole, but sport for the disabled community'. He recalled as a child struggling with 'all the barriers and limitations' people had placed on him, and that swimming had been an 'arena' in which he had been able to prove them wrong. 'And I hope that's a sport other people can discover', he added. Meanwhile retired solicitor Mr Hay was made an MBE after spending 17 years translating the New Testament and then the Old Testament into Doric, the first time the whole text has ever been changed into any variant of the Scots language. The Old Testament translation was published last year while the New Testament version came out in 2012, comprising more than 800,000 words between them. Speaking after the investiture, Mr Hay said he was 'absolutely delighted' to have been recognised for his work. '(I am) especially pleased because the recognition is for my work with the Doric language, which has been repressed for the best part of 100 years,' he said. 'And to think that it's now being recognised by the king is really superb.' Mr Kay, who was born to a Doric-speaking family in Inverkeithny in what is now Aberdeenshire, added that when he first set out on his translation he could never have imagined it would lead to an audience with the King. 'In fact, when I was at school, you got belted if you spoke Scots of any kind, even one Scots word, and you could get the belt,' he said. 'And here's now a recognition for doing something in that very language. So it's great.'
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
King Charles launches Holyrood Week events in Edinburgh
King Charles and Queen Camilla have arrived in Edinburgh for a series of events to mark Holyrood King's first engagement was the traditional Ceremony of the Keys in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, his official residence in the Scottish took place shortly after the Royal couple arrived by monarch traditionally spends a week each July in Edinburgh but last year the programme was shortened by the general election. The King was presented with the keys by Lord Provost of Edinburgh Robert Aldridge, who held them out on a red cushion, which the monarch symbolically will later hold an investiture ceremony and garden party at the palace, at the foot of the Royal Mile, alongside Queen receiving honours will include Scotland's most decorated Olympian Duncan Scott (OBE), double Paralympic swimming champion Stephen Clegg (MBE) and artist Barbara Rae (Damehood). Before the ceremony, the palace's gardens were transformed into a parade ground and the King met senior military and uniformed then received a royal salute before inspecting a Guard of Honour of soldiers from the Royal Company of Archers, who serve as the King's ceremonial bodyguard in lined up was the Palace Guard made up of soldiers from Balaklava Company, 5 Scots, and the High Constables of the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Glasgow Times
21-06-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Paralympics GB athlete visits Glasgow primary school
Stephen Clegg visited Cadder Primary School in Glasgow on June 18 to deliver a workshop on the importance of saving energy, in partnership with British Gas. The event was part of British Gas' Get Set for Positive Energy Roadshow, which is designed to educate pupils across the UK on energy-saving behaviours and habits. A total of 84 pupils participated in the workshop, which was led by the paralympic swimmer and representatives from British Gas, and included a wide range of activities for the youngsters to participate in. The pupils were asked to design posters to encourage energy saving at home and school, identify ways to prevent energy misuse and suggest improvements to make their school more environmentally friendly. Read more: New lab aiming to become world's most advanced opens in Glasgow, creating jobs (Image: Supplied) (Image: Supplied) Damian Nicholas, headteacher at Cadder Primary School, said: "The energy-saving workshop hosted by Stephen Clegg and British Gas was such a fantastic opportunity for our students, and we can't thank everyone enough for their time and passionate attitude, which certainly inspired the children. "We believe it's so important to shape the minds of tomorrow and encourage them to engage in energy-saving habits from a young age, and it was great to see our pupils so engaged in activities on the topic." Hannah Lawrance, strategic brand partnerships lead at British Gas, said: "We really enjoyed visiting Cadder Primary School yesterday alongside Stephen Clegg for our Get Set for Positive Energy workshop. "We met some brilliant pupils who threw their all into the energy-saving activities we had planned, which was great to see. "The programme aims to educate children on building a more sustainable future, which helps us to create a more sustainable community for all. "We're using our partnership with Team GB and ParalympicsGB to inspire schools to get more active and consider different ways to create a positive impact." (Image: Supplied) (Image: Supplied) (Image: Supplied) Read more: Do you really have to pay to sit with your children on a flight The Get Set for Positive Energy Roadshow is part of the broader Get Set for Positive Energy initiative. This free cross-curricular programme hopes to educate young people aged five to 11 on the importance of saving energy to drive change, getting active, and building healthy everyday habits. Through this initiative, British Gas hopes to reach up to 8,500 schools and 1.5 million young people and families across the UK by 2028. They aim to inspire young people to take an active role in creating a greener future for themselves and their community, motivated by the Olympic and Paralympic values. For more information on the programme can visit the Get Set for Positive Energy website.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Paralympian visits Glasgow primary school to teach kids about energy saving
Stephen Clegg visited a Glasgow school to deliver a workshop on the importance of saving energy (Image: Supplied) A Paralympics GB athlete visited a primary school to teach pupils about energy saving. Stephen Clegg visited Cadder Primary School in Glasgow on June 18 to deliver a workshop on the importance of saving energy, in partnership with British Gas. Advertisement The event was part of British Gas' Get Set for Positive Energy Roadshow, which is designed to educate pupils across the UK on energy-saving behaviours and habits. A total of 84 pupils participated in the workshop, which was led by the paralympic swimmer and representatives from British Gas, and included a wide range of activities for the youngsters to participate in. The pupils were asked to design posters to encourage energy saving at home and school, identify ways to prevent energy misuse and suggest improvements to make their school more environmentally friendly. Read more: New lab aiming to become world's most advanced opens in Glasgow, creating jobs (Image: Supplied) Advertisement (Image: Supplied) Damian Nicholas, headteacher at Cadder Primary School, said: "The energy-saving workshop hosted by Stephen Clegg and British Gas was such a fantastic opportunity for our students, and we can't thank everyone enough for their time and passionate attitude, which certainly inspired the children. "We believe it's so important to shape the minds of tomorrow and encourage them to engage in energy-saving habits from a young age, and it was great to see our pupils so engaged in activities on the topic." Hannah Lawrance, strategic brand partnerships lead at British Gas, said: "We really enjoyed visiting Cadder Primary School yesterday alongside Stephen Clegg for our Get Set for Positive Energy workshop. "We met some brilliant pupils who threw their all into the energy-saving activities we had planned, which was great to see. Advertisement "The programme aims to educate children on building a more sustainable future, which helps us to create a more sustainable community for all. "We're using our partnership with Team GB and ParalympicsGB to inspire schools to get more active and consider different ways to create a positive impact." (Image: Supplied) (Image: Supplied) (Image: Supplied) Read more: Do you really have to pay to sit with your children on a flight The Get Set for Positive Energy Roadshow is part of the broader Get Set for Positive Energy initiative. This free cross-curricular programme hopes to educate young people aged five to 11 on the importance of saving energy to drive change, getting active, and building healthy everyday habits. Advertisement Through this initiative, British Gas hopes to reach up to 8,500 schools and 1.5 million young people and families across the UK by 2028. They aim to inspire young people to take an active role in creating a greener future for themselves and their community, motivated by the Olympic and Paralympic values. For more information on the programme can visit the Get Set for Positive Energy website.
Scotsman
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
ParalympicsGB athlete Stephen Clegg visits Cadder Primary School for special workshop
ParalympicsGB athlete Stephen Clegg made a special appearance at Cadder Primary School yesterday to help deliver an exciting workshop on the importance of energy saving in partnership with British Gas. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The visit formed part of British Gas' Get Set for Positive Energy Roadshow which aims to educate pupils across the UK on energy saving behaviours and habits. Through an engaging session led by Stephen and British Gas representatives, 84 pupils at Cadder Primary School participated in a range of activities including designing posters to encourage energy saving at home and school, spotting ways to prevent energy misuse, and suggesting improvements to make their school a greener place. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad During the summer, the Get Set for Positive Energy regional Roadshow will see British Gas and a group of Olympic and Paralympic athletes visit a selection of other schools across the UK, leading workshops and inspiring the minds of the future to get involved in energy saving from a young age. Cadder Primary School children taking part in energy saving workshop Damian Nicholas, headteacher at Cadder Primary School, said: 'The energy saving workshop hosted by Stephen Clegg and British Gas was such a fantastic opportunity for our students, and we can't thank everyone enough for their time and passionate attitude which certainly inspired the children. 'We believe it's so important to shape the minds of tomorrow and encourage them to engage in energy saving habits from a young age and it was great to see our pupils so engaged in activities on the topic!' Hannah Lawrance, Strategic Brand Partnerships Lead at British Gas, said:'We really enjoyed visiting Cadder Primary School yesterday alongside Stephen Clegg for our Get Set for Positive Energy workshop. We met some brilliant pupils who threw their all into the energy saving activities we had planned which was great to see. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The programme aims to educate children on building a more sustainable future, which helps us to create a more sustainable community for all. We're using our partnership with Team GB and ParalympicsGB to inspire schools to get more active and consider different ways to create a positive impact.' British Gas team leading energy saving workshop at Cadder Primary School The Get Set for Positive Energy Roadshow makes up part of British Gas' wider Get Set for Positive Energy initiative, a free cross-curricular programme that aims to educate young people aged five to 11 on the importance of saving energy to drive change, getting active and building healthy everyday habits. Through Get Set for Positive Energy, British Gas aims to reach up to 8,500 schools and 1.5 million young people and families across the UK by 2028, taking inspiration from the Olympic and Paralympic values to motivate young people to be active in creating a greener future for themselves and their community. The partnership between Team GB, ParalympicsGB and British Gas launched in 2023. The five-year collaboration will last up until the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028.
