Traditional Building Skills and Materials Event STBF June 2016
The Scottish Traditional Building Forum (STBF) ran its traditional building skills event in Edinburgh’s St Andrew Square Garden on 6 and 7 June, jointly supported by IHBC, BEFS and others, which attracted more than half a dozen MSPs and has inspired Gordon MacDonald MSP to lodge a motion urging greater awareness of traditional skills and materials and the return on investment that this generates.
The motion (Motion S5M-00396) was lodged on 8 June 2016 by Gordon MacDonald, who is Member of the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh Pentlands.
The Scottish Parliament reports the motion:
That the Parliament welcomes the Traditional Building Skills and Materials event held at St Andrew Square Gardens in Edinburgh on 6 and 7 June 2016, which featured apprentices demonstrating traditional building skills, including masonry, slate roofing, plastering and painting and decorating; recognises that the event was a collaboration organised through the Scottish Traditional Building Forum and included British Geological Survey, Built Environment Forum Scotland, National Federation of Roofing Contractors, Edinburgh College, Institute of Historic Building Conservation, Scottish Historic Buildings Trust, Architecture and Design Scotland, Stone Federation Great Britain, Historic Environment Scotland and Essential Edinburgh; notes that the event was open to members of the public for advice, with the aim of highlighting the importance of traditional building skills in the construction sector, and brought together pupils from across Edinburgh with local apprentices; believes that practical demonstrations of traditional building skills provide a platform to promote the construction industry and the many varied and desirable career paths that it can offer, and welcomes the ongoing work of all partner agencies to draw attention to the necessity for traditional building skills and, in turn, help to create a hi-tech, world-class industry with outstanding career prospects, helping companies to skill-proof their businesses, invest in skills and plan for the future.’
The motion was supported by: Miles Briggs, Kenneth Gibson, Stuart McMillan, Mairi Evans, Richard Lyle, David Torrance, Colin Beattie, Peter Chapman, Bruce Crawford, Andy Wightman, Monica Lennon, Ivan McKee, Graeme Dey, Jeremy Balfour, Alexander Burnett, George Adam, Jackie Baillie, Bob Doris, Joan McAlpine.
