Angus & Dundee Launches New ‘Roots Festival’

Tourism agencies in Angus & Dundee have announced dates for the area’s inaugural ‘Roots Festival’. The week-long festival, which will take place from 6th – 13th September 2008, will provide a focus for people whose ancestors came from Angus & Dundee to visit the area to find out more about their ancestral homeland whilst at the same time forging new friendships with like-minded people from across the globe.
(For more information, and a full programme of Festival Events, go to www.tayroots.com)

The Festival will include a packed programme of activities with visits to ancestral sites, workshops, living history re-enactments, talks, demonstrations, workshops, film shows and much more.

Angus & Dundee’s Ancestral Tourism Project Manager Gillian Harrower said, ‘The aim of the Roots Festival is to showcase Angus & Dundee to people from across the world. It promises to be a fun, entertaining and informative week, giving people with their roots in the area a true flavour of what life was like for their ancestors in days gone by. We look forward to welcoming many hundreds of people to the area for this very special event in 2008’.

The Festival will be launched in style at a glittering Gala Dinner at Guthrie Castle near Forfar, with guest speaker Nick Barratt from TV’s ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’. Other activities will include a nostalgic trip on the Caledonian Steam Railway, workshops on tracing ancestors, a visit to Arbroath Abbey - site of the Declaration of Arbroath and ‘birthplace’ of the modern concept of democracy, tours of Verdant Works to see how Dundee’s jute workers lived and worked, graveyard tours, ‘Gathering Stories’ oral history sessions, a traditional music workshop, a whisky tasting and a golf heritage session. The week will be rounded off in style by a grand farewell ceilidh.

If successful, it is hoped that the Festival can form a key part of the celebrations for Scotland’s Year of Homecoming in 2009.

The Roots Festival is a key element in a major two-year initiative which aims to capitalise on increasing interest in family history worldwide and to tap into the estimated market of 50 million people across the globe with Scots ancestry, many of whom have their roots in Angus & Dundee.

Plans for the first Angus & Dundee Roots Festival this September are progressing well - the first bookings have been taken and there is a good level of enquiries coming through. With the marketing campaign well underway, thoughts are now turning to the operational aspects of the festival and in particular the welcome that we will be extending to our visitors.
 
In order to ensure the smooth running of the Festival, Angus & Dundee’s Ancestral Tourism Project  are setting up a Volunteer Programme with the aim of ensuring visitors to the Festival have a dedicated point of contact during the week long core package programme. As a volunteer they can offer you the chance to work with a great team of volunteers and staff, the opportunity to meet interesting and diverse people from across the world, and above all, fun!
 
:: The Volunteer Recruitment Spec contains more information about becoming a Festival Volunteer.  If you'd be interested in putting your name forward, please do get in touch with:

Gillian Harrower
Angus & Dundee Ancestral Tourism Project Manager

Tel. 01738 860523
E: gillian@tals.co.uk