BEMIS SCOTLAND

That this House congratulates BEMIS Scotland on the finale of their Year of Young People 2018 and Scottish Winter Festivals 2018/19 events that was held in the New Auditorium of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Saturday the 26 January as part of the world renowned Celtic Connections Festival; considers that BEMIS Global Ensemble, who headlined the concert, represented a unique celebration of Scotland's diversity, its living traditions and cultural heritage; celebrates that the group of Scottish residents from African, Indian, Iranian, Jewish, Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Japanese communities showcased a unique representation of Scotland that has been further encapsulated in the BEMIS led events over the Year of Young People 2018, St. Andrew's Fair Saturday 2018 and Scottish Winter Festivals 2018/19; congratulates warmly the 73 local community events held across Scotland where citizens from over 25 self-identified international, European and domestic ethnic and cultural minority communities who call Scotland home have embraced St. Andrews Day, Burns night and other important dates by using their diverse languages, music, dance, poetry, food and song to articulate Scotland in 2019; and pays tribute to the partnership approach adopted by BEMIS to engage key institutions in the year's celebrations including the Celtic Connections Music Festival, the Scottish Football Association, The Fair Saturday Foundation (Bilbao) and Dundee St. Andrew's Fusion Festival helping to build the celebrations profile and showcase the best of Scotland's living traditions and diverse communities.