No Homecoming for Dundee

By Alexander Lawrie

HOMECOMING Scotland 2009 is supposed to be a celebration of all things Scottish – unless you live in Dundee.

Hundreds of events have been organised all across Scotland as the country prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth, as well as Scots influence on world culture.

But any Dundonians wanting to discover the delights of Homecoming will have to travel because, so far, there is only one event planned for the whole of the city.

According to the Homecoming Scotland website the only event to be held in the City of Discovery is the Dundee and Angus Roots Festival – an event which is already established in its own right.

And things get even worse for the Angus area as a whole – as the only other event planned is a golf tournament in Carnoustie for blind and partially-sighted golfers.

But Homecoming organisers are laying the blame with Dundonians themselves, as the Roots Festival was the only event to apply for funds.

However, Marlyn Glen, Labour MSP for north east Scotland, has claimed the fault lies with the current SNP administration who should have taken a far more hands-on approach in co-ordinating the events in the city.

She said: “The objectives of the Homecoming include the boosting of the local economy, and how that achievement can be sustained for the future.

“With just two Homecoming-themed events taking place in Dundee and Angus, these objectives will simply not be achieved.”

The Homecoming celebrations were originally planned by the Labour-led Scottish Executive, but control of events fell to the SNP when they took office in 2007.

Jim McGovern, Labour MP for Dundee West, said: “I don’t know a lot about Homecoming Scotland, but it seems to me that ever since the SNP took power Dundee has been ignored, and this is just a perfect example of that.”

But Homecoming organisers say there is still time for Dundee events to advertise under the Homecoming banner – even though there is no money left in the pot to help them.

A spokeswoman for Homecoming Scotland 2009 said: “We are still encouraging events to come forward even though the deadline for funding has now passed.

“They can still apply to be part of the programme and advertise on the website.

“The Angus and Dundee Roots Festival was the only event to apply for funds from us but there are other activities like Doors Open Day which will affect Dundee.”

In comparison, Scotland’s other three main cities have a packed itinerary of Homecoming celebrations.

Edinburgh has a whopping 54 events taking place, Glasgow has 31 and Aberdeen are to host 11.

Piping hot Roddy

By Alexander Lawrie

THE OFFICIAL face of the Homecoming Scotland 2009 campaign is bucking the current credit crunch with his own thriving international Scottish-themed events company.

Roddy The Piper, aka Roddy Deans, formed Reel Time Events in 2005 and the young Pipe Major is currently booked solid most of next year.

Reel Time provide corporate and private clients with the full Scottish evening experience – from whisky tasting, ceilidh bands and pipers, to addressing the haggis, kilted dancers and providing authentic national cuisine.

Roddy, 29, has entertained Hollywood A-listers, played in front of Royalty and was chosen to pipe in the four Scottish Olympic medallists to their official press conference which was beamed around the world.

And the former-Edinburgh University graduate has also formed an innovative new band which offers clients a Scottish dancing extravaganza with a contemporary twist.

With the fusion of bagpipes, accordion, keyboards and computer synthesis, the Reel Time Ceilidh Band has been playing for corporate guests worldwide – from St Andrews night in Athens to Burns Night in Kiev.

The musicians topped off an amazing year when they appeared in front of thousands of music fans at Scotland’s premier pop festival T in the Park, in July.

And Roddy’s already thriving Scottish-experience business is now all set grow even bigger after the talented musician landed the dream job of fronting the Scottish Government’s worldwide campaign to attract the Scottish diaspora to visit the country – Homecoming Scotland 2009.

The Homecoming Scotland 2009 campaign is a year long celebration of Scottish culture, heritage and a celebration of the many great contributions Scotland has given the world.

The campaign also coincides with the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth.

Roddy said: “The last year has been wonderful for Reel Time. Last Christmas we were invited to Barbados for an event, we then landed the job to give a whisky tasting at the advance launch of the new Rolls Royce Convertible 6, and I’m not long back from the Greece where I played at a St Andrews Day function.

“I was very fortunate to be asked to be the face of the Homecoming campaign because having my face advertised all over the world is amazing for my company.

“We’ve organised many events all over the world, not just in Scotland. One of the most bizarre was just recently when we held a whisky-tasting at the bottom of a quarry in Leicestershire.

“A lot of our business comes from word of mouth and our reputation is increasing all the time.

“But the Homecoming campaign has already started to generate bookings for Reel Time next year.”

Born and brought up in Edinburgh, Pipe Major Roderick Deans attended George Watson’s College before going on to Edinburgh University to complete a business degree.

He qualified as a Grade One piper at the age of 13 and has also won medals at the World Piping Championships as well as being crowned Lothian and Borders Champion in 1997.

After leaving education, Roddy landed himself a three-year residency aboard the five-star Hebridean Spirit cruise liner which took the talented piper all over the world.

Roddy said: “During my time on the cruise ship I played in front of many dignitaries, but since then I’ve been lucky enough to play in front of people such as The Queen, Princess Anne, Boutros Gali, and I was also head-piper at Kiefer Sutherland‘s step-daughter’s wedding.

“These are the kind of bookings we thrive on here at Reel Time.

“I’ve also been lucky enough to feature on a Radio 4 comedy programme where I spent a morning with a family who supposedly hated the bagpipes.

“Luckily, I managed to turn them round.”

The successful businessman has also branched out into online trading when he opened an eBay shop two months ago.

In his online shop, Roddy has started selling whisky tasting glasses and rare bottles of whisky to customers all across the world.

And a new venture is just around the corner for Roddy The Piper as he is currently in the process of setting up the Reel Time Bar where private parties and corporate guests can learn how to mix cocktails professionally.