Church plans huge jamboree for Princes Street Gardens

Published on Thursday 23 September 2010 18:03

THE Church of Scotland is to take over Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens to stage a major outdoor event for up to 5000 people during next year's General Assembly.

Kirk chiefs hit on the idea of a Sunday afternoon jamboree after the cancellation of the traditional garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

People from churches across Scotland will be invited to come to the Capital to join the ministers and elders attending the Assembly for an open-air festival expected to include worship, games, exhibitions and presentations.

The annual garden party hosted by the Lord High Commissioner, the Queen's representative to the Assembly, used to take place in the palace grounds on the Saturday afternoon of Assembly week.

It was abandoned last year after the Scottish Government cut the Lord High Commissioner's budget and the church has been told it will not be reinstated for the foreseeable future.

A senior Kirk source said: "The garden party is not coming back, so there was a feeling we should do something ourselves and instead of a formal do at the palace with tickets, hats and strawberry teas, it should be something for everyone."

The Rev John Chalmers, principal clerk to the General Assembly, said the plans had already gained a lot of support from within the Kirk.

He said: "We are hoping people will come from all parts of Scotland and be part of the Assembly celebrations."

"We've booked the gardens and the bandstand, we've got a steering committee of people who have been involved in big events before and ideas are beginning to take shape."

One idea is that Scottish congregations should use the winter and spring to learn new hymns and pieces of music so there can be a massed choir to lead worship on the day.

The event is also being billed as "the biggest Sunday School outing in Scotland".

Mr Chalmers said: "We will say to churches, if you're planning to have an outing, why not make it to Edinburgh on that day?

"We would love to see three, four or five thousand people coming from all over Scotland, but we won't be disappointed if there are 1500 to 2000."

The Assembly will take place a few weeks after Easter and the event has provisionally been named Roll Away the Stone.

Mr Chalmers said he did not believe the cost of the event would prove a financial burden despite economic situation.

He said: "A lot of it is in-house expertise we already have. Within the overall budget for the Assembly, I don't anticipate it being a major drain on church resources."