Illuminate Uk - Blog Site

2010 has been our busiest year ever here at Illuminate and we want to say a big thank you to all our customers and colleagues for making it truly memorable.

Here’s some of what we’ve been up to…..

January

• Karen and Kate trekked through the snow to Urquhart Castle on the banks of Loch Lomond to work with staff on our ‘Engaging with Your Customer’ course

February

• We now had the Scottish Seabird Centre guides trained and ready to present their first tour to friends and family

• Back to beautiful Iona to rehearse and refresh the Junior Tour Guides there and evaluate the first year of the programme on the island
• Once again Annie Cringle, our WW2 time travelling teacher, took up residence at Stirling castle for 2 weeks

March

• Karen and Calum delivered a series of training workshops across Scotland for the National Trust for Scotland, advising their staff and volunteers on how to work with children and young people
• Off to Lewis to rehearse and refresh the Junior Tour Guides there and evaluate the first year of the programme on the island
• A trip down memory lane – aka Edinburgh’s Underground Vaults - for Karen when we delivered performance workshops for Mercat Tours ghost tour guides

April

• Training and script writing got underway with the brand new Huntly Castle and Melrose Abbey Junior Tour Guides

May

• Training and script writing got underway with the brand new Bishops & Earl’s Palaces Junior Tour Guides on Orkney
• Auditions got underway over at Linlithgow Palace for the Palace Summer Volunteer Guides (more Cheryl than Simon thanks very much!)

June

• Began improvisation & script writing work with the Rosslyn Castle trainee Junior Tour Guides
• As above with the Edinburgh Castle Junior Tour Guides – these guides will actually be filming their presentation due to the busy nature of the Castle. In addition the pupils will be speaking in Gaelic and the film will be used to teach other children Gaelic!
• The new cohort of Craigmillar Castle Junior Tour guides were ready to launch! After working with P6 to rehearse at the Castle over the month we had a beautiful day for their first performance to friends and family
• Linlithgow Palace Summer Holiday guides training took place, including a session for the new ‘mentor guides’ – a new position for guides with 3 or more years experience.

July

• Fun, dramatic scripts completed for the new Junior Tour Guide programmes at Rosslyn Chapel and Melrose Abbey

August

• Training and rehearsals began in earnest at Rosslyn Chapel and Melrose Abbey

September

• Exciting new project called pARTicipate with the National Trust for Scotland at Newhailes House, Musselburgh. pARTicipate aims to use the arts to encourage communities to engage with their local NTS property. In conjunction with Holy Rood High School, work began with Advanced Higher Drama class to write short plays based in the lives of those who lived in the house. September was taken up with script writing and rehearsals at the house.
• Junior Tour Guide rehearsals on going at Melrose, Rosslyn and Edinburgh Castle
• Took a trip to Whithorn in Dumfries & Galloway  to a fascinating site and museum with plans for a brand new  Junior Tour Guide scheme in 2011

October

• Exceptional performances at Newhailes House from the Advanced Higher Drama pupils we have been working with. The pupils really succeeded in breathing life back into these haunting rooms. A real highlight. Photographs to be posted on site soon.

November

• The pupils from Roslin PS wowed the local community with their first performance as guides in the world famous Chapel! They will now perform twice a month at the Chapel for visitors from all over the world.
• Back to Whithorn for a winter adventure, researching and creating a new script for the site

December

• Planning and preparation for an exciting 2011!!

2011 is going to be a big one too!  Highlights should include working with NTS again, this year to train their staff and volunteers in tour guide & interpretive techniques and there is an exciting project in the pipeline which could see us performing in a major Edinburgh tourist attraction and historic site for a rather important festival! Watch this space!!! Not to mention working with Historic Scotland and the wonderful Junior Tour Guides. As there are now nearing 15 Junior Tour Guide schemes reaching from Orkney to Melrose we are expanding the Illuminate team and will be introducing some new faces in 2011. But first a little break..

Illuminate shall be closed from Friday 17^th December until Thursday 6^th January. We wish you all a very merry Christmas and a truly happy 2011.