Executive donates £5,500 to New York memorial

NEW York was today preparing to stage the pageantry and celebration associated with the annual Tartan Day event, when Scotland and the United States mark their close ties.

With six days of promotional events under way in the Big Apple, George Reid, the Presiding Officer, has announced a $10,000 (5,467) donation from the Scottish Executive to a New York memorial garden in honour of the 67 Britons who died in the 11 September terrorist attacks.

Speaking at a reception yesterday hosted by the Executive in New York’s Central Park, he said the donation was an expression of the close ties between Scotland and the United States currently being celebrated during Tartan Week.

He said: "We are delighted to announce a $10,000 donation from the Scottish Executive for this memorial garden which has Prince Charles as its patron.

"It is especially apt that while a lot of Scottish people are currently out here in New York for the Tartan Week celebrations we honour the close links between our two countries."

Due to customs regulations, none of the plants in the half-acre garden, which will be located three blocks from Ground Zero, will come from Britain.

But a piece of Scotland will find its place there. The stone used for a sculpture and decoration in the garden comes from Morayshire and Caithness.

Peggy Brown, a spokeswoman for the British Memorial Garden, said the garden would be a fitting tribute to the British people killed in the terrorist attacks.

She said: "There has been a great deal of interest and pride from Scotland not only in contributing the stone but in terms of the design. Tartan Week is clearly about a well-established link between Scotland and America, but this project touches something deeper than that.

"There will be no names or a cross in the garden but instead the 67 British victims will be honoured by an intricate design of the gilt finials, the pointed tops of the railings, which will be decorated in four different designs to honour the four different components of the United Kingdom.

"The design team is Isabelle and Julian Bannerman, who were responsible for designing Prince Charles’ gardens at Highgrove and the man behind the memorial sculpture is Anish Kapoor."

Meanwhile, preparations were under way last night for what has become an annual New York tribute to the Scottish kilt. Dressed to Kilt, a glamorous fashion show which will be attended by the First Minister, Jack McConnell, and Sir Sean Connery, the actor, is a celebration of the dynamic reinvention of Scotland’s heritage.

One of the Scottish designers due to display his wares was the grandson of the kiltmaker Geoffrey Taylor, Howie, who has built on a 30-year family business to reinvent the kilt for a modern generation.

Speaking before the fashion show at Sotheby’s, in York Avenue, he explained how the kilt is now being embraced by celebrities around the world.

He said: "We have been a family business for 30 years kitting people out in the traditional way, but the kilt is not only a tremendous icon for Scotland but also something that is very flexible as an item of clothing.

"Now I always wear the kilt because it is something that can be worn by people of all ages. I have sought to move the age-old garment from its conventional tartan roots to something more wearer friendly.

"Our customers now include Mel Gibson, Sir Sean Connery and Bo Derek for their traditional tartan wear and with my design line, 21st Century Kilts, we have pulled in the likes of Madonna, Vin Diesel, Robbie Williams, Alan Cumming and Billy Boyd.

"Our designs have even been seen on NBC’s The Today Show," he added.

Geoffrey Scott Carroll, the organiser of the Dressed to Kilt event, explained that having Sir Sean present would be a huge boost.

He said: "We have been sold out because of the fact that Sir Sean and his wife are coming which means that everyone else wants to be there too. It is also a great boost that the First Minister, Jack McConnell, is coming along too.

"We’ve got a mix of first-rate Scots and New York’s finest to ensure that the show will be a hit."

The actor Dougray Scott, who is also due to attend the event, said: "It is always good to fly the flag for Scotland which is, like all small countries, full of idiosyncrasies but a place that punches its weight around the world. People make comparisons with St Patrick’s Day and there is no reason why Scotland can’t celebrate itself on a global stage as well as the Irish do."

Mr McConnell gave a speech this week in which he claimed Scottish credit for everything, including basketball.