Latest news with #Aberdeen-born
STV News
28-05-2025
- Sport
- STV News
Denis Law trail remembering one of Scotland's greatest ever footballers
A walking trail honouring footballing legend Denis Law has been unveiled in Aberdeen. Denis Law, who died in January aged 84, was known as one of Scotland's greatest ever footballers. Now his home city of Aberdeen is honouring his life with the Denis Law Legacy Trail, a walking route that celebrates his life, career and the impact he had on the city. It's centred in the Printfield area of the city, where Law grew up. Visitors are greeted by two stunning high-rise murals: one captures Law playing for Scotland on one side of the block, the other depicts him in the iconic red of Manchester United. It was painted by renowned Australian street artist Jerome Davenport. STV News The trail centres on the Printfield area of Aberdeen where Law grew up He told STV News: 'This has been an incredible project to be part of and It's a great honour to create such an iconic legacy piece for a legend of Aberdeen and a legend of football. 'We hope the mural becomes a welcome addition to the already impressive street art in Aberdeen and serves as an inspiration to the local community.' Law, who spent most of his career at United, cemented his status as a Scottish football legend after becoming the joint top scorer for his country's team with 30 goals from 55 caps. SNS Group Denis Law. The Aberdeen-born striker died on January 17, aged 84, more than three years after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Mark Williams, from the Denis Law Legacy Trust, said the aim behind the trail was to inform and inspire. 'I want people to come here and learn all about the wonderful Denis Law, Scotland's only ever Ballon d'Or winner and also to inspire. 'There are a lot of young people looking for role models, looking for positive people to shape them and inspire them and motivate them to their future. That's what we really hope this trail will become. 'We have been delighted to support the local Printfield community to deliver an incredible legacy for Denis in and around the very streets where he was born,' he added. SNS Group Denis Law in 1965 The trail is the result of a huge community effort and consists of colourful interactive installations throughout the area where he grew up which is sparking huge pride among locals. The Denis Law Legacy Trust hopes the trail highlighting the sporting icon's uplifting story will inspire all generations and be forever remembered. Councillor Neil Copland of Aberdeen City Council said: 'We have done something that people like and want and appreciate and its transformative, it really is. 'We have made a difference and you can't ask for any more. 'The community are happy and that's what it comes down to. It's putting a smile on people's faces and its brilliant.' The trail will be officially opened on Saturday at 3.15pm, at number 10 on the corner of Printfield Walk and Printfield Terrace. Between 2pm and 4.15pm, there will be workshops for families in the Printfield play area, games and activities by The Denis Law Legacy Trust and workshops by Fine Day Studio and the Robert Gordon University Mobile Art School. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Scottish Sun
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Scot makes history with world's fastest ascent of Everest taking just FIVE days…& says ‘I won't climb again'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A SCOTS MP made history today with the fastest ascent of Mount Everest — using xenon gas. Ex-Special Forces Commando Al Carns, 45, and three former SAS and SBS pals reached the roof of the world at 7am local time — 2am in the UK. 4 L-R: Veterans minister Al Carns, 45, Kevin Godlington, 49, Anthony Stazicker, 41, Garth Miller, 51 scaled the world's tallest mountain in just five days 4 Everest team the night they set off having left London last Friday 4 Al Carnes MP Minister for Veterans hopes to raise £1million for charities Credit: Arthur Edwards / The Sun Their lightning ascent came just five days after they'd left London. They even survived an avalanche. Most expeditions take 70 days to let climbers acclimatise to the thin air at 8,850m (29,035ft). But the group slept in low-oxygen tents to prepare their bodies for the conditions. And they inhaled controversial xenon gas, which helps the body produce red blood cells to avoid deadly altitude sickness. A photo from the summit showed Aberdeen-born Carns with a Union flag he'd carried on all his military tours, including to Afghanistan. He said the climb was 'off the scale of a challenge', adding: 'Now we've done the biggest, I am never doing another mountain again.' The Veterans Minister was with ex-comrades Garth Miller, 51, Kevin Godlington, 49, and Anthony Stazicker, 41, They were accompanied by cameraman Sandro Gromen-Hayes and five Nepalese Sherpas. Expedition leader Lukas Furtenbach, 47, who spoke to The Sun from Everest Base Camp, told how the team had a narrow escape on the first full day of their climb. He said: 'An avalanche came down on them from Nuptse, a 7,800m peak. "They were covered in white powder but not buried. It was a shocking moment for them.' I climbed Mt Everest with no experience & 3 weeks training He revealed the final ascent had been 'tough' due to 35mph gusts. Furtenbach said: 'Conditions were windy, so it was a hard day for them. It was right on the edge. 'They spent about half an hour on the summit then came down to Camp 4 at 8,000m. They are doing great and are in high spirits.' Their feat is a record Everest ascent without acclimatising in the Himalayas beforehand. The group are hoping to raise more than £1million for veterans' charities. Carns is Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak. He said he was an 'average schoolkid from Aberdeen' before he joined the Royal Marines at 19
Press and Journal
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Press and Journal
Review: Louis Theroux faces dad's critique of Aberdeen as 'miserable' on first visit to city
Louis Theroux is an effortlessly entertaining raconteur. He had the audience at Aberdeen Music Hall captivated, and occasionally roaring with laughter, as the veteran interviewer became interviewee on Wednesday night. The TV legend went from discussing his experiences with real-life monsters like Jimmy Savile and Fred Phelps to opening up about his ambitions to write his own sitcom during the near-two-hour tour de force. Fans of the 'complete misfit in every way' certainly got their money's worth, treated to a range of insights and observations on everything from the rise of the Far Right to 'cancel culture' – as well as a few pretty decent impressions. But Theroux maybe got more than he bargained for when interviewer Fiona Stalker went back through the generations, bringing his dad's words back to haunt him. Paul Theroux, a famed travel writer and novelist, apparently once deemed Aberdeen the 'most miserable and unfriendly place' he had ever lived. Much worse, in fact, than London. Taking it in good spirits, Theroux vowed to tell his dad he 'was so wrong', while explaining that this sort of put-down was the author's 'brand' at the time. He added: 'He's quite a nice man a lot of the time.' Perhaps still eager to atone, the TV star would later make sure to commend Aberdeen-born singer Annie Lennox too. 'What a great voice, a great ambassador…', he mused earnestly. But there was, of course, much more to the show than this. My earliest memories of Louis Theroux include him being slammed to the mat in the WCW training camp as he explored the world of American pro-wrestling during one of his Weird Weekends in the late 1990s. I've watched pretty much everything of his since then, read his books and listened to his podcast in lockdown. I've even listened to the All The Way Theroux podcast, which goes through his catalogue of shows in detail. So yes, I am a fan. And there was a welcoming buzz in the air, with the sense that so many in the sold-out audience were happy just to spend some time in the great man's company. Theroux revealed how he initially hoped to become a sitcom writer before becoming a documentary-maker, and it appears that, even decades later, the dream is still alive. When asked how he sees his career evolving in the next 25 years, Theroux said he could see himself spending more time behind the camera… Maybe as a drama or sitcom writer. Avid Theroux followers like myself will have heard him discuss his time with Jimmy Savile a few times by now. He has his doubts over whether he managed to show what sort of man the predator really was during a Weird Weekend with him. But it's still a fascinating subject to hear him elaborate on, as he tells us how he and his crew managed to capture at least a hint of the steely TV presenter's dark side. Even all these years on, there's still some regret that he might have been 'hoodwinked'. Theroux was in Aberdeen as part of the Ultimate Masterclass Festival, which tonight brings comedian James Corden to the Music Hall. Host Ryan Crighton explained these events had been arranged not to 'bring celebrities to Aberdeen and slap them with a bus gate fine', but to usher folk into the city centre. They had been hoping for 'busy bars and restaurants' as people made a night of it. Having combined the show with a first visit to the amazing new Filipino restaurant Kultura on Belmont Street, I think it must have worked! Review: An Inspector Calls makes for a thrilling night of intrigue at HMT in Aberdeen Review: Rowdy Aberdeen fans celebrate Shane MacGowan as Christmas comes to city on Easter Sunday
STV News
08-05-2025
- Sport
- STV News
Denis Law honoured with commemorative plaque at birthplace
Denis Law is set to be honoured with a commemorative plaque at his birthplace in Aberdeen. The Aberdeen-born striker died on January 17, aged 84, more than three years after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Law, who spent most of his career at United, cemented his status as a Scottish football legend after becoming the joint top scorer for his country's team with 30 goals from 55 caps. Aberdeen City Council confirmed the commemorative plaque was 'unanimously agreed' will be sited at his birthplace at 6B Printfield Terrace. The Denis Law Legacy Trust made the application on Wednesday. Aberdeen City Council's Finance and Resources Committee approval goes against normal criteria for plaques, which is that the person should have died at least 20 years ago and have been born more than 100 years ago. Denis Law, who was Scotland's only winner of the prestigious footballing award Ballon d'Or, has already been commemorated in the city with murals painted on Clifton Court in March. Finance and Resources convener councillor Alex McLellan said Law demonstrated his 'strong and caring commitment' to younger generations by creating a legacy trust. 'The positive support and opportunities that Denis Law has given through the trust is an enduring way to celebrate our much-loved and much-respected local football hero,' he said. 'Denis Law has been an inspiring role model to so many people as well as being an exceptional footballer – he was and continues to be a hero in Aberdeen and abroad and we are very happy to agree to a commemorative plaque.' Aberdeen City Council co-leader councillor Ian Yuill said the committee agreement shows the 'depth of feeling' to Denis Law. 'It is fitting he is recognised for all his achievements, not just those on the football pitch,' he said. Denis received the Freedom of the City in November 2017, with more than 15,000 people lining the streets of Aberdeen as he led the annual Christmas lights switch-on parade. Denis and his friend Sir Alex Ferguson feature in Provost Skene's House, which showcases people with links to Aberdeen and the North East who have transformed the wider world. The bronze statue of Denis was unveiled by The King himself in the heart of his home city in Marischal Square, beside Provost Skene's House. Sir Alex Ferguson was at the ceremony to watch the unveiling. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The National
24-04-2025
- Sport
- The National
Scotland striker equals Denis Law's Torino goal record after 63 years
Adams opened the scoring for the Turin club in first half of their 2-0 win over their Serie A rivals Udinese in the Olimpico Grande Torino last night. The 28-year-old, who moved to Italy last summer after leaving Southampton, has now been on target 10 times in the 2024/25 campaign. That was the number of goals which Manchester United and Scotland great and former European Footballer of the Year Law netted during the season he spent a Torino. Read more: Adams has been on the brink of the achievement since finding the target in a 2-2 draw with Parma away at the Ennio Tardini Stadium at the start of last month. He confessed that he was pleased to finally get into double figures and move alongside the Aberdeen-born legend in the scoring charts. "It's a wonderful feeling to have achieved it,' he said. 'He was a great player who I knew well. But the important thing remains the three points. 'Tonight we did our job with a victory and three points brought home. We must focus day by day, even if obviously as a team we must have the ambition to grow further". (Image: SNS Group) Adams now has the chance to surpass Law's accomplishment in the Serie A match against title chaser Napoli at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Sunday. He will come up against his Scotland team mates Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay in that fixture. Lewis Ferguson overtook Law as the highest scoring Scot in Serie A history when he bagged a late winner for Bologna against Atalanta in December 2023. A representative of the Denis Law Legacy Trust travelled to Italy before Christmas last year to present the former Hamilton and Aberdeen midfielder with a trophy to honour his achievement. The Lawman, who sadly passed away at the age of 84 back in January, also sent his compatriot a personal message congratulating him. Read more: Earlier this year Ferguson said, 'It was special because he was such an iconic player in Scotland, one of the absolute greatest. And it was such a surprise to receive such a lovely detailed message from him telling me, 'Well done, keep going, keep it up'. 'It was really, really nice. It was a beautiful message, something he didn't need to do and it meant the world to me. 'That's why I was so sad to see the news of his death. He was just such an iconic man, an iconic player. One of the greatest we've ever seen. 'He was one of the trailblazers for Scots in Italy. And let's just say back in the day it probably wasn't as easy as it is nowadays. Everything is there for you now. 'It must have been much more difficult in the 1960s, I'd imagine. So, yeah, thank you to Denis for doing that because he was an inspiration to everybody that plays the game and it was absolutely an inspiration to me when I received that.'
