The Trustees of the Scottish Flag Trust were delighted that the Lord Lyon King of Arms, Dr Joseph Morrow QC, accepted their invitation to give a talk during the 2016 Saltire Festival.
The illustrated talk, entitled The Significance of the Saltire in Scottish Heraldry, was held in the Star Room in the John Gray Centre, Haddington […]

The annual service to celebrate Scotland’s patron saint was held in Athelstaneford Church on the Sunday preceding St Andrew’s Day. The theme of the Rev Joanne Boiten-Evans’s service was to encourage everyone in the congregation to imagine what St Andrew would actually have looked like, given there are no contemporary images of the man. This […]

Athelstaneford Church hosted its annual St Andrew Service on Sunday 29 November.   But inclement weather meant that at the end of the service the congregation remained inside the Church for the singing of the Saltire Anthem and the blessing of the Saltire, rather than stand before the Memorial in the Churchyard while the flag was […]

The Flag Trust has joined forces with the newly formed East Lothian Community Rail Partnership (ELCRP) and East Lothian Council in seeking to promote the county by encouraging more rail travellers to visit.   A leaflet targeted at walkers and cyclists has been produced which will highlight the extensive network of quiet country pathways, through stunning […]

A special service was held in Athelstaneford Kirk on Sunday 30 November to mark Scotland’s national day – St Andrew’s Day. The life and work of our patron saint, St Andrew, was the theme of Minister Joanne Evans-Boiten’s sermon.
After the service, in the Churchyard in glorious sunshine, the national flag was blessed by the Minister […]

Saint Andrew
Myth, Legend and Reality
Michael T.R.B. Turnbull
Saint Andrew and the Saltire have contributed much to the culture and identity of Scotland over the centuries. As early expressions of commercial and intellectual dynamism, communication and diplomatic skills they encouraged Scots to seek and develop closer ties with Europe. Not only are the Saint and the Saltire […]

The Scottish Flag Trustees at Athelstaneford – birthplace of Scotland’s flag – met in the village Church on 15 March to discuss preparations for the 2014 visitor season which starts on Tuesday 1 April.
 
There was a particularly warm welcome at the meeting for new Trustee, Michael Turnbull, and for new office bearers Emily Armatage and […]

At the end of 2013, the Trustees said their goodbyes to Charlie Blair and Malcolm Duncan who were standing down after many years of dedicated service. Charlie has been the Flag Centre’s Custodian since it opened in 1997, and for 16 years had responsibility for opening and closing the Centre on a daily basis during […]

The Trust has commissioned an East Lothian-based company (SKS) to develop a storytelling pilot project, entitled St Andrew and the Saltire, with a view to it being taken into local primary schools. Angie Townsend of SKS has developed the storytelling script, together with a teacher’s resource pack, targeted at classes and groups from P3 […]

The Trustees invited “Friends” of the Flag Trust to an Open Day in Athelstaneford on the afternoon of Sunday 15 September 2013. Despite the storm clouds, a hardy group arrived and in a break in the weather managed to enjoy a guided tour, taking in the Saltire Memorial, the Churchyard, and the Heritage Centre. […]