The Founders Trail shown the red card by bigots

[der Berliner 3,286]

STV article sheds a bit more light ...

 

Row after historical Rangers tour is refused place at festival

 

STV 23 April 2013 20:27 BST

 

Tour stall: The Founders Trail publicised itself at the Gibson Street Gala in 2012. The Founders Trail

 

A pair of amateur historians behind an acclaimed Glasgow tourist attraction have voiced their sadness after being refused a pitch at a city festival.

 

The Founders Trail, an open-top bus tour of the city, is an "unique tour of Glasgow, telling the story of the four young men who founded Rangers Football Club in 1872", according to Visit Scotland.

 

Tour operator Iain McColl, who previously publicised the trail at the West End Festival in 2011 and at the Gibson Street Gala in 2012, was shocked when his request for a pitch at this year's Gala was refused after the organisers received complaints last year.

 

Speaking to STV News, Mr McColl said: "Last year's stall was a great success for us and people who visited the stall offered a lot of praise. I fully expected we would be welcome back this year. One of the founders of Rangers lived on Gibson Street, so it would be a fitting place for us to raise awareness of the area's rich history.

 

"After our application for this year was turned down, I asked to meet the organisers and was told there had been a few complaints. One of these was suggesting the Gibson Street Gala shouldn't have anything to do with a 'bigoted organisation', which came as a complete shock to me."

 

Gibson Street Gala organisers have defended their decision though, saying that the family festival celebrates arts and crafts and, as such, a football themed stall just doesn't fit.

 

Eric Kay, one of the festival's organisers said: "The person who took the booking for the Founders Trail stall last year did so on the understanding it was about the history of football. They have no interest in football and had no idea of the controversy a stall connected with football clubs in Glasgow could have.

 

"We decided to let the stall go ahead, and it seemed to go well with no problems at all on the day. The Founders Trail was raising funds for charitable causes and we were, overall, very pleased with last year's Gala.

 

"But afterwards we received a few complaints from people who didn't think a stall with connections to a football club was in keeping with the general nature of the Gibson Street Gala.

 

"We strive to make it a gentle event that avoids any kind of controversy. It's meant to be about arts and crafts, music, local food, and children's activities. We have never, ever had any complaints about any of our stalls before."

 

The tour's organisers are at pains to point out that their work celebrates the city's sporting history and is not prejudiced in anyway.

 

"The Founders Trail is not about football allegiances," said Mr McColl. "We are promoting a great sporting story from Glasgow's history and that's something we should all be allowed to celebrate openly. Glasgow is a terrific sporting city and it's been integral to the growth of many sports, particularly football, all around the world.

 

"It's just very sad that some people can't get over their own prejudices and they are determined to make life difficult for us. It's also disappointing when we as a society bend over backwards to pander to such small-minded people. I would rather people were allowed to educate themselves by talking to us and learning more about the story of the four young men whose commitment to sport and hard work leaves us with a positive story of this city's sporting past."

 

The festival's organiser responded, saying: "There was one complaint from someone who was concerned that there might have been connotations of bigotry in having this stall. We do not believe there is anything bigoted about the stall. We are actually very interested in the fascinating work of the Founders Trail.

 

"That particular complainant obviously hadn't stopped to learn it was about promoting an interesting local story but we were concerned that one of our stalls was bringing that element of partisanship, which is something we would simply rather avoid altogether.

 

"All of the complaints that followed us refusing the stall this year have come as quite a shock. I have thought long and hard about whether we have made the right decision, and I believe we have.

 

"The last thing we want to do is upset anyone but it appears we have. We had no intention to offend or discriminate against anyone. We just want to avoid controversy, but the reactions we have received are indicative of the intense passions attached to football in Glasgow one way or another."

 

The Gibson Street Gala will be held on Sunday June 2 2013.

 

STV

[the gunslinger 3,366]

an embarrasing gaffe from the gibson st festival.

[Scott7 5,238]

Green fascism triumphs again. One of their stormtroopers grumbles and decent folk give in.

[Tumshie RFC 0]

An absolute disgrace is just about all you can say on this subject. Feel sorry for the Founders Trail organisers who have worked bloody hard over the last few years.

[JTP 0]

Would they be offended if i took along my two year to have his face painted? ..................... wearing his Rangers strip.

[54andcounting 0]

STV article sheds a bit more light ...

 

Row after historical Rangers tour is refused place at festival

 

 

Gibson Street Gala organisers have defended their decision though, saying that the family festival celebrates arts and crafts and, as such, a football themed stall just doesn't fit.

 

 

“I believe the target of anything in life should be to do it so well that it becomes an art. When you read some books they are fantastic, the writer touches something in you that you know you would not have brought out of yourself. He makes you discover something interesting in your life. If you are living like an animal, what is the point of living? What makes daily life interesting is that we try to transform it to something that is close to art. And football is like that.” - Arsene Wenger

[JTP 0]

Meanwhile the Celtic Founders Trail is top bill at the Kerrydale street gala ........

 

"Are you a Catholic?" ...'Yes' .... Come in my boy, have a game of football, you can play with your own kind in here.

 

Next.

 

"Are you a Catholic?" ...'No Sir' .... Go away lad, Protestants are Bad, you hear me, Evil.

 

Next.

 

The Brother Walfrid way ............ but yes, we are the bigoted institution.

[Guest alfiebass]

Was on the website looking for tix for my old man's upcoming birthday and saw this. Poor friggin show IMO

 

http://blog.thegallantpioneers.co.uk/wp/?p=659

 

For anyone wishing to contact the organisers or sponsors of this event please take care about what you send. Be careful not to post anything that could be used to give the organisers any chance to say "look this proves we were right all along" or anything that could be used to damage the good name of the Founders Trail or our club.

[SteveC 150]

Green fascism triumphs again. One of their stormtroopers grumbles and decent folk give in.

 

Simply the Best will be on to defend him in a minute. Oh wait, I see...

[Steve1872 4]

[h=1]Fans give £1200 to beat ban[/h]

Rebecca Gray

Reporter

 

 

 

 

Rangers' fans have raised more than £1200 for two hospitals - just 48 hours after the Evening Times revealed their charity bid had been snubbed by the organisers of a Glasgow gala.

 

 

 

 

Rangers' group raises cash just 48hrs after snub

 

 

 

 

Custom byline text:

EXCLUSIVE By REBECCA GRAY

 

 

As reported on Wednesday, Gibson Street Gala banned The Founders Trail – an organisation that researches the history of Rangers – from collecting money at the event for Yorkhill and Erskine hospitals.

The group was told it was "too controversial" and could not take part.

But fans behind the donations website – dubbed Making Amends for Gibson Street Gala – said they did not want the charities to miss out on the cash that would have been raised at the June event.

More than £1200 has been donated since the site was launched on Thursday.

Founders Trail organiser Iain McColl, from Cumbernauld, said: "We have been overwhelmed by the response from people.

 

"Rangers' supporters have pulled together, as they have done so many times in the past, to raise funds. It's fantastic.

 

 

 

 

"The amount of money raised in just a few hours has been nothing short of remarkable.

"The aim of the stall was always to simply raise money for these charities.

"Yorkhill and Erskine are crying out for cash, it would have been so unfair if they were to miss out.

"So much has been raised already and the amount will continue to rise."

Organisers of the Gala had said the Founders Trail stall "just didn't fit in" with their event.

Secretary Eric Kay said: "We have never had any complaints about any other stalls before, so it stands out.

"That's not a slight on this organisation. We just felt it wasn't fitting with our event."

To donate to the fund, see: http://uk.virgin moneygiving.com/ oldandyoung

rebecca.gray@ eveningtimes.co.uk

The amount of money raised in just a few hours is remarkable