Established in 1988, The Fletcher of Saltoun Awards recognise and celebrate the innovators and entrepreneurs who shape the cultural landscape of Scotland in the fields of Science, Arts and Humanities and Public Life. Taking nominations from the Saltire Society membership to ensure a broad spectrum of nominee, the Fletcher of Saltoun Awards have acknowledged over fifty individuals in its thirty-year history, advocating the brilliance, significance and impact of Scottish Culture.  

Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun (1655 –1716) was an accomplished patriotic Scots writer, politician, soldier and Commissioner of the Old Parliament of Scotland. An innovative thinker and intellectual visionary, Fletcher’s contributions to Scotland’s heritage are celebrated annually by The Saltire Society through a commemorative lecture held in the Scottish Parliament.  

 

James MacMillan (left) and Sandy Stoddart

Sir James MacMillan, Classical Composer and Conductor

Arts and Humanities

MacMillan studied composition at the University of Edinburgh and Durham University, where he gained a PhD degree in 1987. He was a lecturer in music at the Victoria University of Manchester from 1986-1988. After his studies MacMillan returned to Scotland where he composed prolifically, becoming Associate Composer with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, often working on education projects. He came to the attention of the classical establishment with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra's premiere of The Confession of Isobel Gowdie. The acclaim MacMillan received for this project spurred more high-profile commissions, including a percussion concerto for Evelyn Glennie, Veni, Veni, Emmanuel. Further successes have included his second opera The Sacrifice, which won a Royal Philharmonic Society Award and was premiered by the Welsh National Opera in 2007. He was awarded the British Composer Award for Liturgical Music for his Strathclyde Motets in 2008. MacMillan was composer and conductor with the BBC Philharmonic from 2000 to 2009, following which he took up a position as principal guest conductor collaborating with Michael Symmons Roberts. He is an Honorary Fellow of Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford, patron of St Mary's Music School in Edinburgh and of the London Oratory School Schola Cantorum, and he has recently been appointed patron of The British Art Music Series. In 2004 MacMillan was awarded the CBE. His recent works include the 2018 Symphony No. 5 ‘Le grand Inconnu’ and the book A Scots Song: A Life of Music (Edinburgh: Birlinn) in 2019. You can read more about MacMillian’s work here- https://imagejournal.org/article/warld-in-a-roar-the-music-of-james-macmillan/.  

 

 

Hugh Gill, Engineer 

Science

Gill's most prominent contribution to prosthetic engineering has been in developing of the revolutionising partial and full hand multi articulating prosthetics products for Touch Bionics of Livingston. Gill joined Touch Bionics in 2007 and has significantly advanced the company and product originally conceived by founder David Gow. During his time at Touch Bionics, Gill has achieved 9 patents. The engineering behind his developments are now at the front end of high technology with encompassing robotics, wireless communication, I-phone apps, advanced myoelectric sensors, and major materials advance within prosthetic engineering. Over 4000 patients have been fitted with I-limb hands and over 500 partial hand patients. Gill has led these cutting edge technological developments, with significant impact on patients across the globe.  

 

Earlier in his career, Gill had sole responsibility for structural integrity of the channel tunnel machine to withstand full overburden mass of 100ft of water and 100ft of soil. He then joined Burroughs and later Unisys, during which time he designed a high speed document optical and magnetic reader and achieved 2 successful patents. At Polaroid, Gill developed a business called Wideblue which spun out in 2006 with his appointment as Director of Design and Operations. Whist working at Polaroid, Gill also co-founded Dream Maker Ltd to exploit a modular drumstick with patented technology, winning the John Logie Baird Award for innovation. 

 

Gill's eagerness to listen to patients and transform the technological advances in prosthetics is an inspiration to others. In 2013 Gill was inducted into the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame. You can read his acceptance speech her- http://www.engineeringhalloffame.org/assets/files/hughgillacceptance.pdf. 

 

Annie Lennox, Singer-Songwriter  

Public Life

Although Annie Lennox would be a more than credible nominee for the Arts category, she was presented the Award for Public Life because of her hugely impactful campaigns as political and social activist. From her early days in the music industry, Lennox used her influential position as an international pop star to campaign for many charitable organisations. Since the late 1980s she has raised AIDS awareness and in 2007 she established the SING campaign, a movement dedicated to raising funds and awareness for women and children affected by HIV and AIDS in South Africa. As a result of her work she has been acknowledged by Desmond Tutu and nominated as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. A long-term supporter of Greenpeace, Amnesty International, Oxfam and the Red Cross, Lennox remains an excellent philanthropic role model. In 2011, Lennox was appointed an OBE for her relentless championing of humanitarian causes. On 4 June 2012 Lennox performed at the Queen's prestigious Diamond Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace in 2012 and in 2017 was appointed the first female chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University. Click here to hear Lennox talk about how she became an HIV campaigner- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fZ4XOnnh1c.