Dundee

With the city of Dundee topping the world’s New Year travel lists, Discovery Point - the site of the historic RRS Discovery visitor attraction - is gearing up for a dramatic £500,000 facelift.

With the neighbouring V&A opening in the second half of 2018, the award-winning Discovery Point will be dramatically enhanced as it prepares for an anticipated surge in visitors to Dundee’s waterfront.

Generous funding from the Coastal Communities Fund and Dundee City Council has contributed towards significant improvements and several new Antarctic-related exhibits at Discovery Point, which celebrates its 25^th Anniversary in the summer of 2018.

The new gallery spaces will feature fresh graphics, audio visual shows, and hands-on digital interactives, as well as displays of objects from the museum’s nationally significant polar collection that are not presently on view. The redevelopment will also create a new multi-purpose learning and activity space.

Dundee Heritage Trust, which operates RRS Discovery, is also hiring an Audience Engagement Officer. This new position is a two-year post funded by Museums Galleries Scotland and the Foyle Foundation. The successful candidate will help develop and deliver a programme of events, activities and resources to attract new audiences to the Trust’s two accredited and 5-star rated museums, Discovery Point and social history and jute museum Verdant Works.

The appointment comes as DHT prepares to play its part in welcoming visitors from across the globe. 2018 is set to be an important and exciting year for Dundee, which features on a set of prestigious New Year travel lists.

The Wall Street Journal recently named Dundee as one of the top 5 locations in the world alongside the likes of Madagascar and Shanghai, The Observer named it a must-see destination for 2018, while leading US business magazine Bloomberg ranked the UNESCO City of Design next to Los Angeles, Singapore and Florence in their roundup of the 22 best places to visit this year.

A recent VisitScotland survey highlighted that 40% of visitors are drawn to Dundee and Angus to visit an attraction, far more than the Scotland national average.

Paul Jennings, executive director of Dundee Heritage Trust, said: "Dundee is now firmly on the international map as a cultural and design centre, and we're proud to be part of that. The innovative High Mill Project at Verdant Works has just secured a prestigious award for its outstanding architecture and RRS Discovery itself is nearing the end of a £350,000 restoration and preservation programme.

“Our venues welcome more than 190,000 visitors a year. As we head into an exciting event and exhibition programme for 2018, the creation of this new position will ensure we exceed expectations and engage with visitors in new and interesting ways.”

For more information visit www.rrsdiscovery.com

Dundee has held their annual Christmas Light Night, check out some of the pictures from all of the weekends events here!

The Torch Light Procession

The Torch Light Procession kicked off at Dundee High School and headed to City Square with music from Town Waits and The Boys Brigade Pipe Band.

The Christmas Lights Switch On

The lights and tree in City Square were turned on by the Lord Provost and Santa.

Big Winter Warm Up

Dundee Leisure and Culture led a festive group aerobics workout in the City Square.

Wishing Wall

Crowds headed down to Shore Terrace to make a special wish at our Wishing Wall.

Celebratory Fireworks

To celebrate the Christmas festivities there was a spectacular firework display in City Square and could be seen from Slessor Gardens.

Pop Up Christmas Market

Over Friday and Saturday Slessor Gardens held a pop up market selling food, drinks and gifts.

There’s never been a better time to eat out in Dundee, and with an increasing number of restaurants and cafes comes greater choice. Whether you have a full-time plant-based diet or just like to participate in Meat-Free Mondays, there is an impressive choice of vegan and vegetarian food in the city.

The Parlour

The Parlour was at the forefront of Dundee's culinary renaissance, offering inventive takes on standard menu items and giving vegetarians more than just a cursory nod. Lunchtime favourites such as sandwiches, salads, soups and tarts are seasonal and fresh. There is a spot of indulgence, however, with an array of cakes beckoning from under their cloches.

58 West Post, DD1 5ER 01382 203588

https://www.facebook.com/The-Parlour-cafe-275628722485933/

Avery & Co Ltd

With a full vegan menu available, there’s no close examination of the choices required to see what’s suitable. There’s also a separate gluten-free menu, and dairy-free options are also available. Vegetarians are also well catered for here, as are carnivores with Avery & Co managing that delicate and difficult balance of being able to satisfy all palates.

34 South Tay Street, DD1 1PD. 01382 201533

www.averyandco.co.uk

The Bach

Everything here is made from fresh, so apart from a wide range of vegetarian and vegan options, if anything on the menu appeals but there’s a meat element, just ask how they can adapt it to suit. And that’s not discriminating against the meat-lovers. If a veggie option looks good but could be improved by a little chicken, that’s possible too!

20 Exchange Court, Exchange Street. DD1 3DE. (Up a side street – look out for the car park and metal staircase) 0800 029 1750

www.the-bach.com

The Flame Tree Café

Also found on one of Dundee’s best foodie thoroughfares, this is the place for the right balance of healthy option and a little indulgence. A lovely healthy soup should always be followed by some cake! Most of the menu here is vegan, with the vegan BLT a particular favourite.

20A Exchange Street DD1 3DL 01382 204200

Search for The Flame Tree Café on Facebook

Dil’Se

Indian food is well-known for being friendly to those who prefer to avoid meat. For a little indulgence, try the stylish Dil’Se, which has been offering authentic Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine for 14 years now. Most of the dishes can be made with vegetable substitutes – they have a fine way with an aubergine!

99 Perth Rd, Dundee DD1 4JA. 01382 221501

Pacamara

For many West End residents, Pacamara filled the need for a great breakfast and brunch destination. It has quite a reputation for its coffee but it’s the brunches that fill up quickly so get in early. The menu offers loads of vegan and vegetarian options and a great selection for those who need to avoid gluten.

302 Perth Road DD2 1AU

01382 527666

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Pay a visit to one of the many stylish bars in Dundee, and it’s likely that you can choose a refreshment that has been created right here in the city. Over the past few years Scotland has been producing delicious gins and imaginative craft beers – and you can find some of them here in Dundee.

Dundee Gin

The first release from Dundee Gin had the true taste of the city in every glass. Dundee Gin boss Peter Menzies wanted to create something that paid to the city’s heritage. Working with Mackay’s, the Arbroath-based preserve manufacturer, Dundee Gin blended the spirit with Mackay’s Dundee Marmalade to create Dundee Marmalade Gin, which flew off the shelves when it launched in December 2016, and was exported around the world. There is also has a traditional Tay Navy Strength Gin.
www.facebook.com/DundeeGin

Law Brewing Company

The Law is Dundee’s most ancient and prominent landmark. It has also given its name to one of the city’s breweries which, as well as being inspired by the hill, is driven by Dundee’s love of music. Law Brewing founder Danny Cullen describes its All-Nighter Golden Ale, inspired by Northern Soul dance events, as a refreshing golden beer with a heavy beat of tropical/citrus notes and a fast tempo of marmalade. Mods will love the target-themed packaging. Beer lovers will sing the praises of its taste.

Verdant Gin

In 2017, Verdant Spirits opened the first city distillery for 200 years. Based in the West End of the city, the first spirit to be bottled was Verdant Gin, a small-batch release that has proved popular with traditionalists and mixologists looking for something with citrus freshness but spicy undertones for their creations. The botanicals used are inspired by the routes that were once used by traders to and from the port of Dundee.

Verdant hopes to extend the range of spirits it offers in years to come.

71 Lager

The clean taste of 71 Lager, the Bohemian Pilsner produced by 71 Brewing, is reflected in its minimalist but slightly abstract packaging, highly appropriate for Dundee, a UNESCO City of Design. 71 Brewing, based in the former Blackness Foundry, says that it can thank the soft Dundee water for the taste of its Pilsner. Combine that with Czech noble hops and British Pilsner malt and it’s an ideal tipple for sitting out in beer gardens, while enjoying the Dundee summer.
www.71brewing.com

Mark Beaumont, the man who cycled the world and has completed a host of long-distance adventures, has been named the new Rector of the University of Dundee.

Mark, who attended school in Dundee, assumes the role of Rector with immediate effect. He was elected unopposed and succeeds the actor Brian Cox, who was elected to the position in 2010 and has served two terms.

"I am absolutely thrilled, and slightly surprised, to be the new Rector of the University of Dundee," said Mark. "Six years ago I sat in the audience at the Caird Hall as Brian Cox stepped into the role and I remember his words about making a real difference. I commend Brian for his hard work and will do my utmost to continue being a credible voice for the student body.

"I went to high school in Dundee and was delighted to return and receive an honorary degree from the University in 2012. In fact Dundee was the starting point for my first ever adventure at the age of 12, to cycle across Scotland.

"The University of Dundee is also where my sister graduated from, so I am certainly not short of connections and I am very proud of the city and the University's many successes over the years. I look forward to playing my part in the University of Dundee's many future triumphs."

Mark will be formally installed as Rector in a ceremony to be arranged for a later date. The Rector is elected to serve the students' interests, including at the University Court, the governing body of the institution.

Professor Sir Pete Downes, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee, said, "I am delighted to welcome Mark Beaumont into the University community, and I am sure he will be an excellent representative for our students.

"He will have a hard act to follow in Brian Cox, who has displayed hard work, dedication and friendship to the students and to the University in general over his past six years in post. We are all extremely grateful to Brian and hope that he will continue to be involved in the work of the Students' Association and the University."

www.dundee.ac.uk

Dundee’s £1billion waterfront redevelopment project was linked firmly to the city’s heritage of discovery and innovation today, with the formal unveiling of the Discovery Walk.

Discovery Walk is a series of specially designed bronze plaques commemorating famous people from or connected with Dundee who have made significant contributions to science and society.

Lord Provost Bob Duncan of the City of Dundee formally unveiled the first ten plaques to be installed in Discovery Walk, at Slessor Gardens on the city's Central Waterfront.

There are nine plaques commemorating scientists, engineers, writers, artists, social reformers and philanthropists, plus a tenth plaque introducing the Walk.

The individuals being celebrated were chosen in a public consultation exercise last year. The criteria for selection were that the nominees must be deceased and must have either been born or spent much of their time in Dundee.

They must have made a notable or influential discovery or innovation, either in Dundee or clearly linked to the city.

The audience for the event included relatives of those being honoured in the plaques, together with colleagues, supporters and all of those who have made the Walk possible.

Lord Provost of Dundee Bob Duncan said: "The city already has a number of interesting and exciting attractions that bring tourists to Dundee and it is wonderful that we can now add the Discovery Walk to that list.

"Our heritage is studded with prominent people in a wide variety of disciplines and it is great to see them being celebrated and commemorated in this way."

Discovery Walk is the brainchild of Kelly Marr, an Australian who has made Dundee her home.

She said: "I was inspired by the famous Writers’ Walk around Sydney Harbour celebrating more than 50 writers either from or associated with Australia in some way. During the last 20 years I would hear about some of the great innovations that were made in Dundee, and I always felt that it was a great shame that such achievements were not celebrated publicly.

"To understand the people included in Discovery Walk is to understand that great achievements are the result of intellect, certainty, determination, generosity and imagination. These are the examples that will be passed on to all generations of Dundonians, inspiring the city to retain the accolade of being a world-recognised progressive and innovative centre of achievement."

Ten organisations in the city have agreed to be Champions of Discovery Walk. NCR are overall Champions, and each of the plaques has a Champion closely linked to the achievement being celebrated.

Adam Crighton, Vice-President at NCR in Dundee, said: "NCR considers it an honour and a privilege to champion this unique and important project as we celebrate our 70^th year in Dundee in 2016. Courageous, forward thinking individuals, like the ones we are paying tribute to today, are undoubtedly at the forefront of driving innovations that enable us to evolve and grow as both individuals and as a society. NCR has a proud history of continuous innovation over the last 130 years, a number of which would simply not have been possible without the creative legacy of the candidates that we honour today."

Dundee-based artist and illustrator Suzanne Scott, who works under the name WhimSicAL LusH, has been commissioned to design the first 10 plaques. Suzanne has exhibited all over Scotland and her unique illustrations have featured in widely sold prints, stationary, mugs and jewellery.

Suzanne said: ""I am beyond delighted to have been asked to be a part of this exciting and interesting project. To have my work be part of the Dundee Waterfront is such an honour. I was born in Dundee and came back to live here 15 years ago. I never left as it is a beautiful and inspiring city, which I am proud to live in."

The Discovery Walk project is being steered by a group comprising representatives of Dundee City Council, Abertay Historical Society, Abertay University, University of Dundee, Dundee Science Centre and Axis Shield Diagnostics.

The group hopes to be able to raise further funding to extend the Walk with more plaques in the future.

Urban planning is like "real-life SimCity" to the man who is spearheading Dundee’s waterfront development

Like so many students in Dundee, Mike Galloway immediately left town after earning his degree from Dundee University. His next 18 years as an urban planner included various stints in Glasgow, London and Manchester before eventually returning to Dundee, where he is now working to create a community that will encourage more of today’s graduates to stay put.

Homes for young professionals are currently among the top priorities for Mike, who has been spearheading Dundee’s massive £1 billion waterfront redevelopment since its inception in 1997. With anchor projects such as the V&A design museum and a new railway station now coming out of the ground, he wants to channel further investment into offices, creative space, hotels and housing.

"We need flats for young professionals filling the growing number and variety of jobs available, so they don’t feel they have to leave to pursue their career or have the lifestyle they desire," he says.

"I got all of that out of my system, but I would like to make the decision easier for today’s graduates to either come back or even stay in Dundee."

Raised in Glasgow’s east end, his family later moved to Perth, he says he had no particular ambitions at school, but was eventually drawn to town planning because it’s like "real-life SimCity".

Ironically, he prefers the series to Minecraft, whose local connections include Dundee tech entrepreneur Chris van der Kuyl’s 4J Studios, which worked on console editions of the outrageously popular 3D cuboid game. Last year, 4J Studios also released a Minecraft version of what Dundee’s waterfront will look like when the regeneration project is complete.

"I don’t actually rate Minecraft, but of course the links to Dundee, and what they’ve done with the waterfront project, are fantastic."

www.dundeewaterfront.com