Here's a lockdown opportunity! Battle Trust issues an Invitation ....

Scots nationwide are being asked to submit a piece of poetry, prose, art or design to mark the 275th anniversary of the Jacobite victory

How can you mark the anniversary of a key Jacobite victory during lockdown? Well …b By taking part in a new writing challenge remembering the Battle of Prestonpans.

Organisers of the Victory, Hope & Ambition project celebrating the 275th anniversary of the battle very much hope it’ll capture the imaginations of homeschoolers and adults during the Covid-19 shutdown.

The 1745 battle saw Bonnie Prince Charlie’s army strike a blow for the Stuart dynasty, Scotland's Royal family, in its first major encounter with Hanoverian Government forces. The win was achieved in just 15 minutes and provided a major boost for the Jacobite cause in what was the third rebellion of its kind.

The Battle of Prestonpans (1745) Heritage Trust assert that the story has “fascinated, moved and inspired people” ever since and “sparked a cultural legacy which continues to this day”, with the fight commemorated in writing and artwork.

This new home education project is aimed at children aged 10 to 17 and asks them to create a new piece of poetry, prose, art or design on one of six key themes – The Prince as landed; a Call to Arms; On the march; Battle, victory/defeat'; or Looking Back.

Originally intended as an Invitation to 10/17 year olds an adult category has also been added in view of the pandemic lockdown.

Entries of up to 500 words are welcome in English, Scots or Gaelic and selected submissions will be published in a commemorative book.

Steven Kellow, Project and Funding officer at Bòrd na Gàidhlig, said: “We are delighted to be supporting this project as it fulfils the three primary aims of the National Gaelic Language Plan 2018-23. We hope that our funding will help children from the area engage with the project through the medium Gaelic and we wish the project every success.”

The entry deadline is December 20 and resources to help “inspire and inform” participants can be found at https://prestonpans275.org/inspiration


The project is part of a programme of events also sponsored by the National Lottery's Heritage Fund and VisitScotland that will mark the 275th anniversary of the battle. It includes national a tour of The Prestonpans 1745 Tapestry and a special three-month exhibition at the John Gray Centre in Haddington. The Trust is heightening its online and social media activities during the lockdown but remains optimistic that the major planned activities will be able to proceed. Certainly there's no reason why this nationwide Invitation can't happen!