SALTIRE SOCIETY

FLETCHER OF SALTOUN AWARDS 2023

Prof Zoe Shipton, Andrew Crummy, Maureen Beattie, Rab Wilson

The Saltire Society announced five recipients of the 2023 Fletcher of Saltoun Awards.  Dr Scilla Elworthy, three times Nobel Peace Prize nominee for her work with Oxford Research Group and Great Tapestry of Scotland designer Andrew Crummy receive awards for Public Life. Zoe Shipton, Professor of Geological Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Strathclyde, receives an award for Science and actor Maureen Beattie and poet Rab Wilson receive awards for Arts & Humanities.   The Fletcher of Saltoun Awards will be presented in a ceremony at Òran Mór in Glasgow this afternoon.

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 & Humanities and Public Life.  Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun (1655-1716) was an accomplished patriotic Scots writer, politician, soldier, Commissioner of the Old Parliament of Scotland and an innovative thinker and intellectual visionary.   Previous recipients include Professor Sir Ian Boyd, John Byrne, Dame Evelyn Glennie and Professor Devi Sridhar.

Sarah Mason, Executive Director of the Saltire Society, said “We are delighted to have this opportunity to celebrate the innovators and Authorities in their fields we have in Scotland, and to recognise their impact.   Since 1936 the Society has worked tirelessly to ensure Scottish culture is recognised, lived and fought for.  The 35 years the Fletcher Awards have been running has seen over 65 people recognised and we are pleased to see five more exceptional people celebrated in 2023.”

Dr Scilla Elworthy has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work with Oxford Research Group in developing effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policymakers worldwide and their critics. She now leads The Business Plan for Peace to help prevent violent conflict and build sustainable peace throughout the world.  Elworthy founded Peace Direct in 2002 to fund‚ promote and learn from local peace-builders in conflict areas‚ was awarded the Niwano Peace Prize in 2003 and the Luxembourg Peace Prize in 2020.  She has recently been named the recipient of the Goi Peace Award.

Andrew Crummy trained as an illustrator at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee before completing an MA in Design from the Glasgow School of Art.  He became an illustrator and lecturer based in London until 2000. His work developed into large scale murals and since 2013 he has been the designer of 21 tapestries including The Great Tapestry of Scotland. Over the years his work has developed into large-scale community art projects that are rooted in his childhood experience in Craigmillar.

Andrew Crummy said, “It is an honour to receive this award. As a community artist I am very aware that these tapestries are created by many people, bringing their knowledge, creativity and pride to my drawings and taking them to another level. It has been an honour to be part of these projects and to have worked with so many wonderful people."

Zoe Shipton is Professor of Geological Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde. Her early career focussed on the structural and permeability architecture of fault zones, geological processes of earthquake rupture propagation and constraining uncertainty in geological models. Her recent research focuses on applying geological understanding to engineering the subsurface: for instance in geothermal energy, energy storage and Geological carbon storage. She, together with colleagues from academia and industry across Scotland, is exploring the use of abandoned and flooded coal mines in Scotland for geothermal heat extraction and energy storage, for use in domestic and industrial heating and to also generate jobs and income.  

Zoe Shipton said “I am delighted to receive this award, and slightly start-struck by the calibre of the other award winners!  I am particularly delighted to see that the nomination mentions that the work I do is part of a team. Achieving the large-scale changes in our energy system and society that are needed to meet (and ideally exceed) our net zero targets requires close collaboration between academia, industry, government and civil society across a very wide range of disciplines. My work has been supported by excellent researchers and colleagues from across science, engineering, social science disciplines and end-users from a wide range of applications. Without this partnership approach I could not have achieved the research and research outcomes  honoured in this award, so I consider this as an award  for the team”.

Maureen Beattie trained at what is now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland graduating in 1974 with the James Bridie Gold Medal. Her most recent work was in Duet for One at the Orange Tree theatre in Richmond; playing Celia in As You Like It at the RSC; and she has just finished work in a new play, Disfunction, for A Play, a Pie and a Pint at Òran Mór and the Traverse. She was President of Equity until July last year and was made OBE in the 2020 Honours List for services to the entertainment industry. She received an Outstanding Woman of Scotland award from the Saltire Society in 2018. She is the daughter of the late Johnny Beattie, the comedian and actor, and on 22nd October this year she took over from her father as Patron of the Gaiety Theatre in Ayr.

Maureen Beattie commented “My award as an Outstanding Woman of Scotland from the Saltire Society in 2018 was one of the highlights of my life and career. To find myself in the same company as the present and past recipients of the Society’s Fletcher of Saltoun Awards seems almost unbelievable. I will endeavour to prove myself worthy of the faith the Society has placed in me.”

Rab Wilson is an authentic and original Scottish voice who has written poetry including transliterations of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and the Odes of Horace into Scots.  His poetry ranges from lyrical verses to political satire and frequently uses classical forms.  His latest book, published in 2019, was ‘Oor Big Braw Cosmos’, a collaboration with the then Astronomer Royal for Scotland, the late Professor John Brown. His work appears regularly in poetry magazines and periodicals and in the daily poetry column of The Herald newspaper. Rab is also a very active social justice campaigner and ex-NHS whistle-blower; for this work he was was nominated for the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award. He has been a previous Robert Burns Writing Fellow in Dumfriesshire and was, until recently, ‘Scots Scriever: Writer in Residence’ at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway, Ayr.

Rab Wilson commented “Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun is described online as a ‘Patriot’. In September, 1716, his last words were 'Lord have mercy on my poor country that is so barbarously oppressed'. Fletcher leeved his life as an advocate fir the country o Scotland, and the people o Scotland. In accepting this year’s Fletcher of Saltoun Award, sae generously awarded bi the Saltire Society, ah’d like tae think ah’m acceptin it in the spirit o the man fir whom it’s named eftir. Ah’d alsae like tae think that wi ma poetry, an activism fir social justice, that ah in some sma wey alsae act as an advocate fir Scotland and its people. Oor Makars still aye-an-oan scrieve fir the ‘sma fowk’… lang may their lums reek!”

The Fletcher of Saltoun Awards have acknowledged over 65 individuals in their thirty-five year history, advocating the brilliance, significance and impact of Scottish Culture.  Nominations are taken from across the Saltire Society membership to ensure a broad spectrum of individuals.  The Trustees of the Saltire Society, with the help and advice of independent experts in each field, select the recipients.   For more information on the Fletcher of Saltoun Awards, and videos of the 2023 recipients visit:    https://www.saltiresociety.org.uk/pages/category/fletcher-of-saltoun-awards            

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For further information please contact:

Frances Sutton, Garron Communications

07841 579481 or [email protected]

 

 

Notes for Editors;

Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun Awards 2023

For Public Life:  Dr Scilla Elworthy

Three times Nobel Peace Prize nominee for her work with Oxford Research Group to develop effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policymakers worldwide and their critics.  She now leads The Business Plan for Peace to help prevent violent conflict and build sustainable peace throughout the world‚ because it is possible; based on her latest books The Business Plan for Peace: Building a World Without War (2017) and The Mighty Heart: how to transform conflict (2020)‚ now an on-line course.

Scilla founded Peace Direct in 2002 to fund‚ promote and learn from local peace-builders in conflict areas‚ was awarded the Niwano Peace Prize in 2003‚ the Luxembourg Peace Prize in 2020 and advised Peter Gabriel‚ Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Sir Richard Branson in setting up ‘The Elders’. Her TED talk on nonviolence has been viewed by over 1‚500‚000 people on TED Global and YouTube.

Nomination
Born in Galashiels to a military family, Dr Scilla Elworthy is a peace-builder in action, author and visionary who has three times been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for developing effective dialogue through her Oxford Research Group between nuclear weapons policy-makers and their opponents. She founded Peace Direct which supports local action against conflict, charities Plan for Peace and Business Plan for Peace, and helped create the Elders Initiative as an adviser to Sir Richard Branson, Peter Gabriel and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. She has very recently been named the recipient of the Goi Peace Award previously won by Bill Gates. 

For Public Life - Andrew Crummy

Andrew Crummy was born in Craigmillar, Edinburgh and is now based in East Lothian. He trained as an illustrator at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee before completing an MA in Design from the Glasgow School of Art. Became an illustrator and lecturer in London until 2000. However his worked developed into large scale murals. Since 2013 he has been the designer and drawn 21 tapestries including The Great Tapestry of Scotland. Over the years his work has developed into large-scale community art projects that are rooted in his childhood experience in Craigmillar.

Nomination
The reason for the nomination in the category public life is that I believe along with hundreds, if not thousands of Scots, that this work, The Great Tapestry of Scotland, has played a significant role in enabling Scots to identify with their own history and see it as the history of the ordinary working folk like themselves and not just the aristocracy and lords and ladies.  Crummy’s vision in designing the Tapestry and the many others he has also worked on, is ground-breaking and a real departure from the traditional interpretation and take on the history of Scotland or a typical artists approach.

 

For Science - Professor Zoe Shipton

Zoe Shipton is Professor of Geological Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde. She researches the influence of faults and fractures on fluid flow in applications such as carbon capture and storage, hydrocarbons and radioactive waste disposal. She also works with a wide range of co-authors on topics such as interpretation of sparse geological datasets, perception of risk, minimising greenhouse gas emissions from geological engineering.

Nomination
Zoe Shipton is Professor of Geological Engineering at the University of Strathclyde, specialising in structural geology, geological engineering and geological uncertainty and was Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering for four years until July 2020. She collaborates with scientists, engineers and social scientists to deliver subsurface solutions for the energy transition. Professor Shipton researches the structural and permeability architecture of fault zones, geological processes of earthquake rupture propagation and constraining uncertainty in geological models. She has travelled to places such as Utah and Taiwan to conduct studies on earthquakes by drilling into the resulting ruptures. She has spoken on the topic of earthquakes caused by fracking, both in the UK and the US, in an effort to better the public's understanding of the process.  She was a member of the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering working group on “Shale gas extraction in the UK: a review of the scientific and engineering evidence”. She has written on finding a more sustainable energy source for heating homes in the UK. With colleagues from the University of Strathclyde she received funding to create detailed plans to make use of geothermal energy from abandoned and flooded coal mines in Scotland. The use of the trapped heat that could be used in home heating and generate jobs and income. She is heavily involved in research quantifying geological uncertainties, further influencing more of her work into studies associated with risk and uncertainty. 

Zoe Shipton has published research articles, papers and conference papers and since 2007, has been active as a member or chair in seven different external organisations, including the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), UK Geoenergy Observatories Science Advisory Group (chair), the Scottish Government working group on unconventional gas, the Institute of Civil Engineering State of the Nation steering group, the Tectonic Studies Group of the Geological Society of London (chair) and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In 2010, she received the William Smith Fund award for excellence in contributions to applied and economic aspects of geoscience by an early-career geoscientist.  In July 2014, her career in geology was featured on the BBC Radio 4 programme The Life Scientific 

In 2016 she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's National Academy for science and letters.  She was appointed OBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to geoscience and climate change mitigation. 

 

For Arts & Humanities - Maureen Beattie

 

Maureen Beattie trained at what is now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland graduating in 1974 with the James Bridie Gold Medal. Her most recent work was in Duet for One at the Orange Tree theatre in Richmond; playing Celia in As You Like It at the RSC; and she has just finished work in a new play, Disfunction, for A Play, a Pie and a Pint at Òran Mór and the Traverse. She was President of Equity until July last year and was made OBE in the 2020 Honours List for services to the entertainment industry. She received an Outstanding Woman of Scotland award from the Saltire Society in 2018. She is the daughter of the late Johnny Beattie, the comedian and actor, and on 22nd October she took over from her father as Patron of the Gaiety Theatre in Ayr.

Nomination
As her short biography shows, Maureen Beattie is a prominent Scottish woman actor. She has played as wide a range of parts as seems possible, from variety to headline roles for national companies and in the West End. In this, she has always been a role model to other actors through her integrity both artistic and moral. An example of the latter is her leadership within the MeToo movement to assert the importance of mutual respect: she has led industry-wide initiatives to sustain and develop this respect for others in the rehearsal room and on stage. Mosty importantly, she has asserted the right of young women to be treated with dignity in what can be an exploitative industry. Following the MeToo campaign, she has remained as dedicated to the health of her profession as to her own outstanding art. That art has seen Maureen Beattie’s stage presence personally dynamic, yet fully engaged in acting ensembles. Her range of parts is remarkable, from popular television series to Shakespearean classics; her commitment to all aspects of the art of acting clear. Not only is all of this true, but we should not undervalue how much she is highly regarded by her peers. Her Presidency of Equity is a mark of their high regard for her. This is even more clear when one recognises that, after a term as Vice-President, she was elected unopposed. Maureen Beattie is not just one of the foremost actors of her generation, she is a powerful role model. 

 

For Arts & Humanities - Rab Wilson

 

Rab Wilson was born in Ayrshire and has worked in engineering, coalmining and psychiatric nursing. He writes much of his poetry in Scots. His first major work as a poet, bringing him to public prominence, was an ‘owersettin’ of The Ruba’iyat of Omar Khayyam in Scots. His collections of poetry include; Accent o the mind: Poems, chiefly in the Scots language (Luath Press 2006); Life Sentence: More Poems Chiefly in the Scots Language (2009); A Map for the Blind (2011); and Zero Hours, published in 2016. His latest book, published in 2019, was ‘Oor Big Braw Cosmos’, a collaboration with the then Astronomer Royal for Scotland, the late Professor John Brown. His work appears regularly in poetry magazines and periodicals and in the daily poetry column of The Herald newspaper. Rab is also a very active social justice campaigner and ex-NHS Whistleblower; for this work he was previously nominated for the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award. He has been a previous Robert Burns Writing Fellow in Dumfriesshire and was, until recently, ‘Scots Scriever: Writer in Residence’ at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway, Ayr.

Nomination
Rab Wilson is an authentic and original Scottish voice who has written poetry including transliterations of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and the Odes of Horace into Scots.  His poetry ranges from lyrical verses to political satire and frequently uses classical forms. He is a worthy successor of his Ayrshire predecessor, Rabbie Burns and writes as did Burns in both English and Scots. He has collaborated with artists in a broad range of media, including Calum Colvin, artist, Ben Bryden, jazz musician and most recently with the Astronomer Royal of Scotland, John Brown on Oor Big Braw Cosmos, before John’s untimely death. He has also campaigned on a number of issues, including most notably the importance of whistleblowers in the health service in bringing about improvements in health care, an area in which he had direct experience from his time as a senior mental health practitioner.