Press release -
Young people help create Mackintosh buzz
Glasgow’s young people have designed two Charles Rennie Mackintosh inspired beehives following a VisitScotland project to promote environmental sustainability.
Students from two Glasgow secondary schools were given the opportunity to paint a pair of beehives for the gardens of the Mackintosh legacy site, House for an Art Lover.The hives were adopted by the national tourism organisation from eco-innovation business Plan Bee, using money generated from the sale of carrier bags in VisitScotland iCentres across the country.
As part of the Year of Young People 2018, House for an Art Lover delivered workshops to pupils from Lourdes Secondary school and Bellahouston Academy where they viewed and learned about Mackintosh’s work. They then put their learning into practice by designing two unique homes for around 40,000 bees.
Both schools will also take part in Plan Bee’s education workshops where they will learn about beekeeping so they can help look after the hives.
House for an Art Lover, located within Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park, was carefully selected due to its accessibility, suitability for bee foraging and commitment to Green Tourism. The bees will enter their new homes in August and until then the attraction will have the hives on display in its ART Park at The Studio Pavilion.
The project adds to the city-wide celebrations of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s 150th birthday. An integral part of Glasgow’s cultural offering, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his remarkable legacy is a key strand of the Glasgow Tourism and Visitor Plan to 2023 which sets out a clear direction for the city’s tourism industry and is focused on increasing overnight leisure tourism visits by one million.
It also supports the national tourism organisation’s Sustainability Policy which aims to make VisitScotland recognised as a leader in sustainable tourism development, not just within Scotland but at a European and World level.
Jim Clarkson, VisitScotland Regional Leadership Director, said: “This is a fantastic project which celebrates both the Year of Young People and Mackintosh’s 150th anniversary, while also having a positive impact on the environment.
“Well done to pupils at Bellahouston Academy and Lourdes Secondary School for producing superb pieces of art that will be very much at home in the beautiful setting of House for an Art Lover’s gardens. They will also gain some invaluable insight into the importance of bees to our planet through Plan Bee’s workshops.
“Scotland’s reputation as a quality destination relies on investment and innovation to protect and enhance the country’s environment. VisitScotland are committed to ensuring our natural environment is safeguarded for future generations to enjoy.”
Alison Bell, Operations Manager at Plan Bee, said: “Pupils love getting out of the classroom and doing something constructive. We start in small groups but they grow and grow each week as more pupils want to get involved. When we start our workshops in August the pupils will learn how to take care of the hives, honey production and getting the hives prepared for winter.”
Garry Sanderson, Chief Executive for House for an Art Lover, said: “A big thanks to the students from Bellahouston Academy and Lourdes Secondary School for producing these beautiful beehives which we are thrilled to display at House for an Art Lover. This project is a great way to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s birth and an important step in protecting our environment.”
The Year of Young People will inspire Scotland through its young people aged 8 to 26, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally.
VisitScotland contributes to a more sustainable future for Scotland through taking direct action on issues under its control and playing an influencing and supporting role where this is not possible, through engagement with strategic partners, businesses and visitors.
For more information about VisitScotland’s Sustainability Policy go to www.visitscotland.org/about_us/our_policies/environmental_policy.aspx
For more information about Plan Bee go to www.planbeeltd.com
For more information about the Year of Young People go to www.yoyp2018.scot
For more information about House for an Art Lover go to www.houseforanartlover.co.uk
ENDS
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by five overarching strategies: Marketing, Events, Quality and Sustainability, Inclusive Tourism, International Engagement.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
2018 Year of Young People
- The Year of Young People (YoYP 2018) will inspire Scotland through its young people aged 8 to 26, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally
- Central to YoYP 2018 will be a celebratory events programme that puts young people at the heart of its development and delivery, creating new and valuable experiences for young Scots and the wider public, with links to the inaugural 2018 European Championships.
- Over 200 young people throughout Scotland are currently being recruited to become YoYP 2018 Ambassadors. Ambassadors will ensure that people and organisations in their communities know about what’s happening and will lead on projects and activities to create events and opportunities to celebrate young people.
- The Year of Young People will have six themes which were developed in co-production with young people themselves:
- Participation – looking at how young people can influence public services and decisions which affect their lives
- Education – creating a stronger role for young people in shaping their learning
- Health and Wellbeing – supporting young people to lead healthier, active lives and have opportunities to learn about and improve their mental health and resilience
- Equality and Discrimination – broadcasting the value of young Scots, challenging negative perceptions of young people, and supporting young people to take leading roles in challenging discrimination in all its forms.
- Enterprise and regeneration – celebrating young people’s role in innovation, entrepreneurship and the Scottish economy as well as making Scotland a greener and more pleasant place to live
- Culture – celebrating young people’s talent and contribution to Scottish culture and arts.
- Further information on what’s happening and how people can get involved can be found on the new website www.yoyp2018.scot or @YOYP2018 on Twitter.
