Stirling's historic businesses and personalities to be celebrated in new collaboration

Daily Record

20 hours ago

Go Forth Stirling BID, Historic Environment Scotland and Stirling Council have joined forces to celebrate the role that local businesses play in local life.
The tales of peop,e and historic businesses at the core of Stirling are set to be unveiled as part of a new partnership.
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Go Forth Stirling BID and Historic Environment Scotland (HES), backed by Stirling Council, are teaming up to honour the contribution local businesses make to community life.
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In the coming months, they'll be collecting photos and stories from over the years, aided by HES' new Trove platform, which boasts a vast archive of historic images.
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These will then be used to highlight the characters who have moulded – and continue to be at the heart of – the city's business scene.
The start of the project was celebrated at Stirling Castle ahead of Scotland Loves Local Week, kicking off next Saturday, August 23, with the fitting theme of People Make Places. Go Forth Stirling is among the week's supporters.
Danielle McRorie-Smith, the director of the business improvement district, said: "Local businesses - and the people behind them - are part of the story of everyone's lives.
"We have fantastic businesses in Stirling, many of which are family-run and have been with us for a good number of years, thanks to the dedication of their staff and support from local people. This is a nice way to see how they've evolved and celebrate their part in our city.
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"Collaborating with Historic Environment Scotland is a great way not only to reflect on the personalities who have helped make the city what it is, but to look forward at how support for our local people and place is shaping a positive future too."
In addition to working with Go Forth Stirling on this project, HES is also a strategic partner of Scotland's Towns Partnership, the organisation leading the Scotland Loves Local campaign.
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Its Trove platform is a new digital portal for the historic environment, bringing together millions of HES's unique and diverse collections of information, images, video, spatial data and archival material in one convenient location for the first time.
From ancient standing stones to modern skate parks, trove.scot encompasses more than 5,000 years of Scotland's history, combining designation records of Scotland's most significant historic sites and buildings, as well as educational and archival images.
Chris Jones, Head of Central Region for Historic Environment Scotland, said: "It's great to have been part of the launch activities for this year's Scotland Loves Local Week. This is a really important initiative which puts the spotlight on local businesses which form a key part of the make-up of Stirling, a long tradition which goes back many years, as demonstrated in many wonderful assets seen today.
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"It's fitting that this took place at the castle, as not only a key symbol of the city, but also part of Stirling's retail offer, with the castle shops helping to highlight a number of Scottish businesses to the many thousands of visitors who visit each year. We very much wish everyone involved with this year's initiative well."
To back the scheme, Stirling Council is exploring its extensive archives containing documents and materials spanning from the 14th century through to today.
Stirling Council Leader, Cllr Gerry McGarvey, said: "The creativity, innovation and resilience of Stirling's business community have shaped the history of the city and Scotland.
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"This exciting project is a wonderful way to celebrate that legacy by bringing their stories to life and shining a light on the incredible people behind them.
"We're delighted to support it and champion our amazing businesses and communities. I know what's uncovered will be of huge interest to many people.
"It's also an opportunity to show how the Stirling region, powered by its enduring entrepreneurial spirit, is looking to the future with confidence and optimism, ready to create more history."