Edinburgh World Heritage receive £300 cheque from Scottish Tourist Guides Association following New Town walking tours success

Nearly 300 guests took part in 64 separate West End Stories tours with around 34 members of the association participating.

Alistair Hector, who is chair of the Edinburgh branch, commented the tours had been a big success, saying: “We ran them during the late summer of 2020 and took every precaution to make sure they were safe with both guides and guests wearing masks.

“Not only did the guests enjoy them but it also provided a much-needed boost for our guides who had virtually no other work last year because of the Coronavirus crisis.

“We also wanted to support Edinburgh World Heritage which is a charity and does great work to preserve our beautiful city which we all appreciate.”

Nicholas Hotham from Edinburgh World Heritage said: “The West End of Edinburgh’s New Town is one of the lesser known jewels of our World Heritage Site, and we were delighted that the Blue Badge Tourist Guide group were able to introduce the area to an audience of both locals and visitors.

“We would like to express our thanks to the Blue Badge Guides for their generosity in supporting Edinburgh World Heritage by donating a share of their income from these tours to the charity.

“One of the positives coming from the past year has been the way residents have rediscovered their city, its amazing heritage, and precious green spaces, and we hope that this trend continues into the future.”

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