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General Meeting 2011 - Pre-meeting information archive

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General Meeting 2011

 

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

 

Thursday 9th June 2011

 

 

Welcome to Edinburgh

One of the most beautiful and vibrant cities in Europe

 

Angela (Diocesan President for Edinburgh) and I (Hilary Moran, Provincial President for Scotland) are delighted to have the opportunity to invite you to the next General Meeting 2011 in Edinburgh our capital city, which is loved by so many. We hope that you will have time to explore and enjoy the best of Scotland in your visit.

 

The General Meeting 2011 will be held on Thursday 9th June from 10.30am (doors open 10am) at the Usher hall, Lothian Road, which is one of the most outstanding concert halls in the world holding 2,200 people. It is a landmark in the centre of Edinburgh. Tickets are available from the Usher Hall by phone on 0131 228 1155.  Please click here for more information from the Usher Hall website and a link to on-line booking.  At the time of writing the Usher Hall is unable to offer the sale of wheelchair spaces or free companion tickets on-line so those will need to be booked by phone.  

 

Left Luggage Facility

near the Usher hall on Thursday 9th June

 

There is no left luggage facility available at the Usher Hall.

There will be a secure Left Luggage facility at St Cuthbert's Church, Lothian Rd manned from 8.30am to 10.15am and from 3.00pm to 4.30pm. St Cuthbert's Church is set down from Lothian Rd between St John's and the 1st set of traffic lights at the junction with Castle Terrace (see map above). It is 5 minute walk from the Usher Hall. Flat access is available through the entrance on King’s Stables Road, as those with wheelie cases may wish to avoid the steps from Lothian Road.

 

Packed Lunches

We will not be providing packed lunches as Edinburgh has many small cafes and other outlets that will provide a freshly made packed lunch that you can pick up prior to the meeting. Here are some suggestions as to where to find them around the Usher hall and the railway stations.

 

Near the Usher Hall:

A cluster of them are between the Usher hall on Lothian Road and the turn to Morrison Street. There is also a Sainsbury’s just at the top of Morrison’s Street and more cafes further down Morrison Street that provide takeaway lunch choices.

 

At the south end of Lothian Road in Earl Grey Street there is a Tesco Express.

 

At Shandwick Place, the top end near Princes Street, there is another supermarket.

 

Haymarket Train Station:

In the first section on West Maitland St., (when walking up to Princess Street) between Grosvenor Street and Palmerston Place, there is another cluster of cafes on both sides of the road that provide takeaway lunch choices.

 

Princess Street / Waverley Station:

There is an M&S on Princes Street, near the Scott Monument.

 

You will be able to eat lunch in the Usher Hall.

 

Still spaces at our additional service at St.John’s

 

Our services of Celebration are in St.Mary’s Scottish Episcopal Cathedral,  Palmeston Place in an area known as the Haymarket and in St John's Scottish Episcopal Church, on the corner of Princes Street and Lothian Road, on Wednesday 8th June 2011 at 7.30pm. The Cathedral is the largest ecclesiastical building in Scotland and unique in maintaining the daily choral tradition.  St John's is the only Episcopal Church in Scotland to hold three choral services each Sunday.  They are both in the west end of Edinburgh.  Both services will be ticketed services as the total number of seats is limited to about 1600.  Many of the 1200 seats in the Cathedral have a restricted  view of the altar or are in side chapel's and have no view, but we hope you will enjoy the music.  The demand for tickets has been so great that tickets at the Cathedral "sold out" several weeks ago.  We are delighted to be able to offer the additional venue of the very attractive church of St John.  Our Chief Executive, Reg Bailey, will be attending this service as will representatives of the trustees and staff. We still have seats available at St John’s.

 

Please observe the following to book your ticket:

For enquires; Mrs Susan Groves

Email serviceinfo@muscotland.org.uk. Tel: 01294 602152

 

The Usher hall, St. Mary’s Cathedral and St John’s are all within a gentle 10/15 minutes walk of each other. Detailed travel information for travelling to Scotland and places to stay are available on this page, which I hope you and your members will find useful when planning your trip to Scotland. Please don’t hesitate to ask either myself or Angela any queries about your visit north.

 

In Scotland, we are all very happy to be hosting this celebration of the worldwide work of the Mothers’ Union and look forward to welcoming you and sharing worship and fellowship with you.

 

Hilary and Angela

 

Come to the Welcome Service on the evening of 8th June 2011  at St Mary's Scottish Episcopal Cathedral, (above) led by its world famous choir or to St John the Evangelist Scottish Episcopal Church (below) with its magnificent choral tradition.

Eat in one of the fine eating places: you will find one to suit every budget and taste.

 

Better still use the General Meeting as the start or finish of a break exploring Scotland.  With long, long days, June is the perfect month to visit.

 

Come back to this page regularly to keep abreast of developments

 

 

Practicalities

Click here for a print-friendly version of the information below

 

The Usher Hall is in Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH1 2EA (near the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC)) and St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral (not to be confused with the Catholic St Mary's Cathedral) is in Palmerston Place, EH12 5AW.  They  are within 10-15mins walk of each other on the west side of the city.  The route is shown below.

 


View Larger Map
(opens in Google Maps website)

 

Getting there and getting around:  

 

Edinburgh is very accessible by AIR, RAIL, BUS & ROAD.

 

We would recommend you use public transport in Edinburgh. Edinburgh's new tram system will still be under construction so there may be some disruption to the inner City road system.

 

 

 

Trains to Haymarket, Edinburgh

 

Nearly all west coast and some northern trains stop here, but the east coast trains usually terminate at the Waverley station, one then can walk along Princess Street to the Haymarket area, or jump on a train or bus for 5 minutes.

 

Booking 12 weeks in advance, on the day the tickets are released is the most effective way of getting the cheaper tickets. Check out this website to get advice on how to get good priced train tickets.  They usually recommend Cross Country Trains since they do not charge a booking fee or credit card supplement. The Trainline 'ticket alert' sounds like a good idea to sign up for if you know when you want to travel up to Scotland.

 

Flights to Edinburgh

 

Flying is often cheaper than going by train (although not from the air pollution aspect). Ryanair, Flybe, Easy jet, BMI baby, BMI, Aer Lingus, Jet2.com, British Airways, and some charter airlines all fly to Edinburgh International airport. Click here are some tips for getting the best value from flights.  Flying British Airways can be just as good value for money and less 'hassle factor' than budget airlines.

 

Once you arrive at the airport. There is an AIRLINK bus right outside the terminal to take you into central Edinburgh. It costs £6 return, takes 30 minutes to the Waverley station and goes every 10 minutes, with stops along the way including at Haymarket station.

 

Coaches to Edinburgh

 

Good value tickets especially for over 60's. Bus station is behind St.Andrew's square, near the Waverley station. Not easy to see the entrance. Start walking at the Tourist Information Centre (beside Waverley Station) on Princes Street. Cross the street and walk along the right side of St. Andrew's Square for about 5 minutes. As soon as you pass Harvey Nichols you should see the entrance to the bus station (click here to see route in Google Maps). Edinburgh Bus Station, St Andrew's Square, EH2 2AD  Tel:+44 (0) 131 555 6363.

 

Parking

 

There is on-street pay and display parking in the vicinity of St Mary’s Cathedral, but spaces are limited and charges maximum stay restrictions apply between 08.30 and 18.30hrs on Mondays to Saturdays.  For more information click here. The same website gives details of all car parking facilities in Edinburgh.

 

There nearest off-street car parks are Castle Terrace and Morrison Street, BUT they fill up quickly and they are expensive:-  

 

Castle Terrace (multi-storey):- 750 spaces, 6 disabled bays, but NO lifts (Tariff: 2 hours: £5.50, 2 to 4 hours: £9.50, 4 to 6 hours: £16.50, 6 to 9 hours: £16.50, 9 to 24 hours: £19.90)

 

Morrison Street (street level):- 415 spaces, 0 disabled bays, all on one level (Tariff: 2 hours: £3.80, 2 to 4 hours: £5.20, 4 to 6 hours: £7.20, 6 to 24 hours:£9.90).

 

 

Park & Rides: There are 6 of these in the city outskirts. Parking is free (or 50p overnight at one). You can leave a car overnight at four of them, not Ingliston or Straiton. Click title for more info.

 

Click here for a comprehensive overview of parking facilities in Edinburgh. We would recommend you do not bring your car to the city centre as spaces are limited and the cost is high. Beware not many hotels or B & B's provide free parking. If you want/need to bring your car to the Cathedral, there is off street parking after 6.30pm for free in the local streets. You will be sent details of disabled access to the Cathedral and the Usher Hall with your tickets. There is no disabled car parking space at the Cathedral nor at the Usher hall but one can drop off. Disabled badge holders will be able to park on the single yellow line areas in Plamerston Place near the Cathedral.

 

Accommodation:  

 

We recommend you book early to get reasonably priced accommodation.

 

Cheap accommodation local to the Usher Hall (click hotel name to visit their website):-

 

Premier Inn

1, Morrison Link, EH3 8DN   0871 527 8368*

 

Premier Inn

82, Lauriston Place EH3 9DG  0871 527 8366*

 

Premier Inn Customer Contact Centre: 0871 527 8000* (+44 1582 567890 from outside the UK)

Lines are open: 8am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 8pm Sundays

 

Travelodge Edinburgh Haymarket

24 Eglington Crescent, EH12 5BY  0871 984 6365*

 

Travelodge Edinburgh Shandwick Place

25, Shandwick Place, EH2 4RG  0871 984 6398*

 

(For details of other Travelodge Hotels in Edinburgh visit www.travelodge.co.uk and search on Edinburgh)

 

St.Valery Guest House

36 Coates Gardens EH12 5LE   +44 (0)131 337 1893

 

Beresford Hotel

32 Coates Gardens EH12 5LE   +44 (0)131 337 0850

 

Emmaus, Christian Community Guest House

14 Gilmore Place, EH3 9NQ     +44 (0)131 228 1066

 

Good value further away:

Edinburgh University accommodation

+44 (0)131 651 2007  (Primary location is Pollock Halls in the east of Edinburgh approximately 2 miles from the Usher Hall - 10mins of walking plus a bus ride or a long walk)

 

This is not a recommendation of any of the above establishments. Check out www.tripadvisor.co.uk for this.

 

* Note: calls to 0871 numbers cost 10p/min plus call set-up charge from a BT landline.  Calls from other networks and mobiles can cost considerably more.  Book on-line to avoid charges.  Also, these numbers may not work from outside the UK.

 

Visit these websites to plan your visit and for details of other accommodation and travel:

www.visitscotland.com

www.edinburgh.org

 

 

 

 

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10% Discount at St John’s Cornerstone Bookshop for General Meeting Visitors

 

St John’s Cornerstone Bookshop

 

Situated in the Terrace below St John’s Church, the bookshop is  committed to providing resources for the Christian community and stocks a wide range of books and other materials.

 

10% off a single transaction for Mothers’ Union members during the time of the General Meeting.

Click here to download a voucher you can print out

Cornerstone