Museum visitors are in for a treat

This week’s dramatic scenes in Tulloch were a bit of a shock to the local community.

I first became aware of the unfolding situation through local reports of Police helicopter activity over

Perth; something which in itself would not be unusual but reports quickly included references to armed officers and I realised something serious was happening.

I would like to praise Police Scotland officers, who were acting on behalf of Greater Manchester Police to arrest three men as part of a pre-planned operation.

I understand that it is worrying to see armed officers in a quiet residential area, but the public should be reassured that this was dealt with swiftly and that individuals are now in custody.

This weekend sees the opening of the new Perth Museum and the Stone of Destiny exhibition.

I was lucky enough to have been offered a sneak peak of the new museum ahead of its opening, and it is fair to say that visitors are in for a treat.

It is fantastic to see the Stone of Destiny back in Perthshire, especially after all this time.

For many years visitors have had to pay to view the Stone, as part of a tour of Edinburgh Castle, or to view the replica at Scone Palace.

Thankfully the great symbol of Scottish nationhood will be free to view in the new museum, although visitors are asked to book a slot to view the Stone, in order to manage visitor numbers.

The redevelopment of Perth City Hall has been a long time coming, and many of us who are of a vintage to be able to remember attending concerts at City Hall never suspected we would set foot in the building once again. It is a fantastic cultural asset for Perth and I am confident it will attract visitors from near and far.

The new Perth Museum

It’s fantastic to see the Stone of Destiny back in Perth Jim Fairlie

will join the many tourist attractions we have across Perth and Kinross.

It is all too easy to forget how lucky we are locally with what we have on our doorstep. With the doom and gloom of our social media generation, I think often we are guilty of thinking that the grass is always greener somewhere else, but Perth and Kinross has so much going for it.

Lastly, but connected to our cultural offering, I would like to congratulate Crieff Hydro CEO, Stephen Leckie who has been appointed as Chair of Visitscotland.

Stephen is a longstanding champion of Scottish hospitality and a fantastic representative of Perth and Kinross as Lord-lieutenant.

I look forward to seeing what Stephen has planned for his three years in post at Visitscotland and I am certain that Perth and Kinross-shire will continue to benefit from his time in the role.