The PictureFramingTraining.com experts had an incredible time catching up in the beautiful Scottish city of Perth for their 2024 Skill Share event. Jo put together a short highlight video that you can watch further down the page.
Perth is a centrally located Scottish city that is steeped in history, on the banks of the River Tay. It has a population of around 50,000.
There has been a settlement at Perth since prehistoric times. Close to Perth is Scone Palace, which formerly housed the Stone of Destiny, on which the Kings of Scotland were traditionally crowned. This enhanced the early importance of the city, and Perth became known as a “capital” of Scotland due to the frequent residence there of the royal court. The city became one of the richest burghs in the country, engaging in trade with France, the Low Countries, and the Baltic countries, and importing goods such as Spanish silk and French wine.
Even although we are fully qualified advanced professional framers and Accredited Guild examiners, we took the opportunity to share ideas, discuss new techniques and industry innovations in a relaxed, informal and collaborative atmosphere. There was of course some all important social downtime mixed in too!
This was the first time that we were joined by new trainer Martin Horneman and his wife Stefanie, who are pictured below. They travelled from the Netherlands along with Geertjan and Janneke. Sharon-Lee flew over from Northern Ireland while Jo and Alec drove up from Devon to join Ian on his home turf.
As well as talking shop, we took in some of the sights. We started with the new Perth Museum, where we learned about the Stone of Destiny and its role in Scottish history. The Museum is a world class culture and heritage attraction that opened in March 2024 after a £27 million redevelopment project, and is housed in a magnificent Edwardian building which once served as Perth City Hall. The Stone of Destiny, which has returned to Perthshire for the first time in over 700 years, forms the centrepiece of the Museum.
We visited Scone Palace, which from at least the 9th century was the crowning-place of the Kings of Scotland and historical home to the Stone of Scone, more commonly referred to as the Stone of Destiny. It is a Category A listed historic house, and is the ancestral seat of the Earls of Mansfield. We enjoyed exploring the house, the grounds and getting lost in the star shaped maze!
We also enjoyed our traditional Scottish lunch in Effie’s Tea Room and later, dinner at Paco’s restaurant. Is it pure coincidence that both venues feature hundreds of framed pictures and memorabilia pieces as part of their decor?
It’s fair to say that we had a great time together, not just as trainers, but as friends. We’re already planning our next annual Skill Share event for September 2025 in the Netherlands!