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Edinburgh Reporter
4 days ago
- Business
- Edinburgh Reporter
Hibs reveal details of landmark anniversary project
Hibs have revealed details of a landmark project that will form a key part of the Club's 150th Anniversary celebrations. With just two months to go until the Club officially celebrate 150 years as a Football Club on 6 August 2025, work is now underway to repurpose the Old Ticket Office Building at Easter Road Stadium into the Hibernian Football Club Visitor Centre. One of many initiatives formed to mark a significant year in Hibs history, the Visitor Centre will be dedicated to exhibiting the rich history of Hibernian FC – welcoming fans, locals, schools, community groups and tourists to learn about our Club's proud and storied past. Following the popularity of our St Mary's Street Hall Exhibition and recent Heritage Events, this year-long project, generously backed by Hibernian Supporters (HSL) and developed closely with the Hibernian Historical Trust, will deliver a constantly evolving exhibit to engage with supporters and the wider public. The Hibernian Historical Trust will populate the Visitor Centre with their extensive archive of memorabilia and artefacts, creating a captivating exhibition that will give a variety of precious pieces of Hibernian FC history a platform to be viewed and enjoyed. 'When the Hibernian Historical Trust was set up in 2004, its main goals were, and still are, the maintaining and preservation of memorabilia relating to the Club and educating current and future generations about the Club,' said Gordon Mackay at the Hibernian Historical Trust. 'The new visitor centre will allow more memorabilia to be displayed helping us fulfil our key objectives. Our grateful thanks go to HSL for their ongoing support and of course Hibernian FC for making the project possible.' Generously supported by Hibernian Supporters (HSL) – the largest supporter-shareholder group at Hibernian FC – transformative work has already begun at the Old Ticket Office, with the Club targeting an opening date in Autumn 2025. 'We are really pleased to be able to support the Visitor Centre project, thanks to the ongoing contributions from our members' added Peter McDermott, Hibernian Supporters (HSL) Director. 'With such a rich history, it's fantastic to see the Club and Historical Trust working together to showcase a vast range of unique items and stories from the last 150 years of Hibernian, which will allow fans of all ages to learn more about the events that have helped shape our great club.' Amongst a number of events and planned activities, the Club is excited by the prospect of creating a stimulating space for visitors to enjoy while telling its story. Scott Souness, Hibernian FC 150th Anniversary Project Manager added: 'Feedback from supporter surveys and consultations made it clear that the Club was missing a facility that fans, schools, community groups, wider members of the public and even tourists could visit, not just on matchdays but throughout the week, to learn about and experience Hibernian FC. 'Moving our Ticket Office to the Famous Five Stand created the perfect location to create a Visitor Centre that will be fully utilised as part of our 150th Anniversary celebrations. 'We thoroughly look forward to launching this project later this year and our thanks go to Hibernian Supporters (HSL) and the Hibernian Historical Trust for their generous backing and full support. Our thanks also go to 442 Design, JB Contracts and Eastern Exhibition & Display for their support and dedication to help bring this exciting project to life.' Like this: Like Related
The Guardian
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Make It to Munich review – uplifting story of a young footballer cycling to recovery
This is an uplifting film about a miracle of ordinary life: the lightning-fast recovery of the teenage Scottish footballer Ethan Walker after being hit by a car, and the 745 mile (1,200km) bike ride he undertook from Hampden Park, Glasgow, to Munich just nine months after the accident to deliver the match pennant for the opening game of Euro 2024. Walker – on a football scholarship in New York when he was struck at 60mph – suffered cataclysmic injuries, including two brain haemorrhages, multiple fractures, the dislocation of his right knee and a lacerated lung. So you understand the concern of Walker's companions when he chooses to ride hands-free, arms outstretched, double thumbs-up. But that's just the style of this carrot-topped trouper: resolutely cheerful and un-self-pitying, despite facing the end of his football career before it began, and aftershocks of the accident such as a lingering speech impediment. Director Martyn Robertson intercuts Walker's progress through Scotland, England, the Netherlands and Germany with flashbacks to his recovery. His boon companion on both legs is orthopaedic surgeon Gordon Mackay, himself a former Rangers footballer, who rebuilt the youngster's knee using pioneering ligament repair techniques. The film is possibly a little too low-incident for its own good – the Rhine bursting its banks over their route is the worst of it – but is testament to the stout spirit with which Walker leads the enterprise. Robertson, who previously directed the similar sporting-adversity story Ride the Wave (2022), borrows the quiet wisdom of his subject and lets it colour the story. Amid the punctures and pitstops there are discreet road-movie epiphanies: Walker accepting, when his surgeon levels with him, that he must now focus on coaching, not playing, and his wry smile as he finally acknowledges that his resilience is, after all, exceptional. With the boy's parents checking in by phone as he rediscovers his autonomy, the quasi-paternal bond between Walker and Mackay is touching. The internal journey is as significant as the trans-European one, a feeling Robertson buffs with quick lyrical bursts, such as a drone shot over a poppy field, or a spaced-out Walker singing the Spider-Man theme tune to a spider dangling from a car-park ceiling. Even Scotland getting hammered 5-1 at the end can't dampen the spirit of this unassuming and heartening pilgrimage. Make It to Munich is in UK cinemas from 15 May.
Daily Record
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Scotrail alcohol ban 'ignored' by passengers as SNP policy branded 'unenforceable'
SNP ministers announced a "temporary" ban on the consumption of alcohol on ScotRail services in 2020 during the covid pandemic. The SNP's booze ban on ScotRail services is being widely ignored by passengers as the policy is "unenforceable", trade union chiefs have warned. Passengers were previously allowed to drink alcohol on trains on the country's biggest passenger network before 9pm. But the Scottish Government introduced a "temporary" ban in November 2020 - and have since refused to lift it despite other covid restrictions being ditched. Other rail service providers in Scotland, such as LNER and Avanti West Coast, have no restrictions on the sale or consumption of alcohol. Appearing before Holyrood's transport committee today, two railway union chiefs were quizzed on the impact of the controversial policy. Gordon Mackay, the Scotland organiser for the RMT union, described the ban as 'unenforceable' and told the committee that it was being 'ignored' by passengers. Kevin Lindsay of the ASELF union said Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop was 'listening' to unions on the issue - and said there was an 'ongoing debate' within the Scottish Government about the ban being removed. Critics of the ban claim deprives the publicly-owned railway of badly needed revenues, as well as penalising the majority of law-abiding passengers. The busiest mainline services previously sold a range of alcoholic drinks via catering trolleys that passed through carriages. Sue Webber, Scottish Conservatives transport spokeswoman, previously said: "ScotRail's ongoing booze ban is unenforceable, but SNP ministers refuse to accept this. "Scrapping this measure would not only allow the law-abiding majority of passengers to enjoy a quiet drink, it would be a revenue-raiser for nationalised ScotRail that could go towards cutting fares." Transport Scotland could not offer a date on when the controversial policy would finally be reviewed when asked by the Record last month - or whether it will be lifted before the next Holyrood election in 2026. A Scottish Government spokesman said at the time: 'We are aware that passengers, ScotRail staff and other interested parties hold a wide range of views about alcohol on trains. "While we do appreciate that the majority of passengers who consume alcohol would not cause any concerns to train staff or other passengers, we know that alcohol can play a role in anti-social behaviour displayed on public transport and in wider society. "Passenger safety, especially women and girls', on public transport is paramount. This is why safety is considered an important factor in our deliberations on this matter. "Ministers will take time to consider the wide range of diverging views in line with the broad range of recommendations made in our report on women and girls' safety on public transport, before making any final decision."
