:: We Dundee

We Back Dundee as a City of Culture

2791

PEOPLE AND GROWING

Ok, I’ll admit it, as an Aberdonian I always used to be a bit sniffy about Dundee, but when I returned to Scotland from down south I saw the city with new eyes. Dundee has got such a great arts and design culture, with the Rep, the DCA, the McManus, etc. providing fab opportunities to enjoy a variety of world-class shows and exhibitions. But the city remains people-friendly, and is a pleasure to wander through with all that really interesting architecture, new and old. The new buildings balance innovation and fitting in with their setting perfectly. Go Dundee!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Balgay Park Cemetery

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The city centre on a busy Saturday afternoon.... everyone going about there business. Love the hustle and bustle of this.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee city is the safest city in all scotland and it is very clean and quite...it can be classified the one of first five cities in UK.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> the art in the Agacan restaurant, Perth Road, infact the whole place is a piece of art

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee is the place I associate with vibrancy. The art college and university are places of excellence, and both have produced pioneers in their fields.
The artistic community has a similar buzz which Glasgow had in the 1980s!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee has always been an outward looking city. We care about people and welcome everyone with open arms. My uncle fought in the Spanish civil war for people he had never met because, like many Dundee men, he felt he had to make a stand against evil.

I work all over the world. Everywhere I have ever been, the Scots are respected for their openness and friendliness, and I believe that Dundee personifies these virtues.

I am proud of my city and its culture. But I'm most proud to be one of its citizens.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The cultural quarter.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> What a view from the Law! The magnificent location of the splendid city of Dundee in the beautiful country of Scotland. The unequivocal view of an English M.A. graduate from 1966.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> - Braithwaite's tea and coffee shop in Castle St
- Summer Sunday free brass band concert at Magdalen Green followed by drinks and food from one or more of the many bars and restaurants on Perth Rd
- The brilliant Dundee Blues Bonanza .... It introduced Home Bargains and the TJ Morris Company to the city!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee's west end on a summer evening has the feel of a vibrant area in a larger city. Magdalene green is so sunny and sociable it can be like being in any other european park of a sunny afternoon with people siesta-ing, walking their dogs, socialising, playing sports having barbeques. And theres hardly any traffic. Theres loads of events on related to the university whatever your interests are!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The bridge club, housed in its own stunning premises on Perth Road, owned by the club since 1956. I have played in many bridge clubs throughout the UK, but never in such a spacious, comfortable building, with stunning views over the Tay estuary, it's own bar, catering facilities and friendly staff and members.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> THE LAW, Magdalene Green, McManus Gallery, and the comics industry!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Magdalene Green on a sunny day is a complete delight; the whole community gathers and basks in the sun, having BBQ's and playing sport. Is a delight to join or just to watch.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The views across the estuary, the beeches, the parks with pavilions, ponds and castles in them, the architecture, the friendly people, the restaurants and pubs, museums and the sunniness!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The city is forward thinking in their ideas about what is best for the city. The work on the river front has been a great change for the aesthetics of the city.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The new McManus Galleries are excellent.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The amazing changes which have come about over the last decade

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> One of the buried hidden secrets for me is the old Dundee Rep Theatre. I was lucky enough to work there as a child and teenager. These opportunities embedded within me a voice, a confidence and an understanding of others.
It also catapulted me into drama school, teaching and lecturing in colleges and universities across Scotland.
Dundee introduced me to the Drama and shaped my personal,professional and cultural life/lifestyles.
Work has taken me away for 35 years and I only returned 2 years ago.
A working class "laddie fae the scheme" who turned "oot no too bad!"
I am not the hero in this story..Dundee is!! Cityof Discovery indeed!!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> My first time in Dundee was on late november last year, when Christmas lights turned ON for the first night and there were this fantastic atmosphere in downtown!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The huge amount of history of Dundee

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee has a spectacular location that amazes people who visit for the first time. There is a lots of green space in the city with lovely well maintained parks. There is something for everyone in Dundee with concerts and exhibitions of various kinds and good shopping. The people are friendly and will go out of their way to help you. A great place to live.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> I love the belief that Dundee people have in Dundee as a place to live. Our city sometimes gets bad press for some socially undesireable statistics but we defend our city's pride with great belief. Belief that our city can provide us with a place of enjoyment, nurture and development for our families to strive in. Dundee has a fantastic array of culture to be involved in and i am glad to be an active citizen with a young family in this thriving city.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> I really like the idea that in theory, you could visit a second hand shop in Dundee and come across a sailor's Bitty Box from a former whaling ship or a souvenir from a Jute mill.. How exciting and completely possible.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Having studied at the University of Dundee for almost three years now, the way in which the university runs itself in relation to the city is incredible. I have really enjoyed the uni bringing in all aspects of Dundee to uni campus. It makes me feel like I not only belong at uni but I belong in Dundee itself.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> my god-daughter, Jennifer Gavin, was born in Dundee!!!..she's a credit to her birthplace!!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Many organisers and conference delegates visiting the city have been wowed by the friendliness of the people and how much Dundee has to offer outwith key cities such as Edinburgh or Glasgow. Dundee is becoming a vibrant and exciting cultural destination and I am delighted to be a part of it!!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The friendly people of Dundee never let you down, always something makes you smile about the characters

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee is a beautiful city. It is an amazing place to live. I think it is just the right size. If you look upwards in Dundee, you can see amazing architecture on buildings.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The amazingly beautiful and varied doors on the old buildings!! I keep finding another and another. This city is full of beautiful and quirky architecture. I also love the 'drawbridges' on many of the houses on the south side of Perth Road.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> That we have the best variety and good quality eateries of any city in Europe . Lots of places to go on a night out whatever your income and the Caird hall

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The view from the top of The Law - beautiful, inspiring and one of the best things about Dundee!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The city's location on the North shore of the River Tay makes it a bright place to work and live all year round. It is unique in that the river is visible from most places in the city and not just from its shoreline. That's what makes Dundee special to me.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The Roseangle gallery, art exhibitions at the Botanic gardens,the paintings in the new gallery on South Tay street, the beautiful jewellery at the DCA shop...the list goes on.So much talent and so much creativity in his town.As an outsider who emigrated toDundee from India in 2001,I have watched the city reinvent itself culturally.I love Dundee and I hope to never leave.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> We have a contemporary arts centre, a reportary theatre company, Scottish dance Theatre, The Scottish School fo Contemporary Dance, Duncan of Jordanstone Art's School, a Concert Hall, and a centre of world class journalism and medical research......How much more cultured can you get!?!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Davy's ice-cream parlour in Lochee was where my parents courted in the 1950s - they introduced me and my brother to the unique delicious flavour in the 1970s and 1980s.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> I have been doing some work with school children on the Dundee Waterfront Project and their enthusiasm and pride in rejuvinating the city was truly inspiring. I know it's 'not cool' to show enthusiasm when your a teenager but they let their passion for Dundee shine through and overcome their natural reluctance to reveal their true emotions. Brilliant.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> History, warmth, calm and nice

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> It is not the city people think it is - it is much more: dynamic, cultured, historical, international and at the forefront of research in areas such as life sciences or digital art (including video games). And all of this, near one of the most beautiful countryside and riverside backdrop!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Amazed at the history at the Howe and the fact that the original university was nearby.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee-The place to be!

It will astound you the sheer number of the most famous people in the world who have connections with Dundee- some that have been hidden or forgotten about up until recently - you can google them to find out -e.g Ian Fleming(007 Author) and Daley Thompson(Olympic Athlete).... along with the more well-known ones such as Brian Cox,The Average White Band and Winston Churchill....

Not to forget all the other legends from the worlds of Politics, Music,Theatre,Art,Writers and Sport-George Galloway, Brian Cox, MIchael Marra, Ricky Ross, DannyWilson,

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> If you open the door into libraries, you will find creative writing sessions for children, adults and young people, manga sessions, video games workshops for young creatives to develop their own games, as well as regular author events.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> The amazing work our volunteer organisations do with the youth of today – be it Girls Brigade, Boys Brigade, Brownies, Guides or Scouts and not forgetting the many sports teams, community centres, dance or music classes that Dundee volunteers support. The many volunteers who help the sick, elderly, vulnerable, meals on wheels, support charity shops, fundraising events, support at courts and hospitals and many other tasks not listed.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee is the city of Dance - Its a well kept secret! So many fantastic dancers have came from their or have came to Dundee to dance. Even though I moved away from Dundee I still come home and will always find a dance class of some sort. I've got to thank my first dance teacher - Emma Preston who made me love dance! And she also inspired many other Dundonians as well!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Nobody crowds you here, but nobody goes it alone.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Such a compact yet diverse city, providing far more for my education than simply getting a degree! The ability to get to know so many students over so many disciplines and meet so many of the local Dundonians over a four year period has been an abiding memory for well over thirty years! An honest,down to earth city with a rich academic and industrial heritage, marvellously blended with it's enchanting outlook over the Tay! Culture without a hint of pretentiousness!!

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> Dundee is a wonderful city to visit with its parks and high street. The city is rustic and full of character, yet modern. The Dundee football grounds and high street were among our favourite places to see. The view from the law is breathtaking on a bright summer's day. Nothing would make us happier than seeing Dundee named the UK's city of culture.

D and R from Ottawa Canada.

<b>Q) What surprises you about the city?</b><br><hr><b>A)</b> I absolutely love Dundee and I wouldn't live anywhere else. I have everything I would want in a city and I love that within 5 minutes from my house I am in the countryside cycling in some of the most amazing surroundings.

See All Backers