Hands Across The Border

Hands Across The Border was a campaign founded in 2014 in support of Scotland remaining as a constituent country of the United Kingdom, in the build-up to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.

The campaign was the idea of Scottish politician Rory Stewart, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Penrith and The Border. In July 2014, the campaign initiated the construction of a large cairn on the precise border between Scotland and England at Gretna. The cairn was named 'The Auld Acquaintance', and was constructed by stones brought from across the UK and placed on the cairn by members of the public who wished to show their support for Scotland staying in the United Kingdom.[1] Stewart said of the project: "We wanted to come up with a lasting marker of our union, something that future generations will look back at and remember, with deep gratitude, the moment we chose to stay together."[2] The cairn was completed in September 2014, days before the referendum was held.[3]

Hands Across The Border received support from several notable public figures in England. These have included actress Joanna Lumley, explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, mountaineers Doug Scott and Alan Hinkes, historians Simon Schama, David Starkey, Antony Beevor and Max Hastings and philosophers Alain de Botton and AC Grayling.[4][5] The cairn can be visited by the public.

In March 2015, a band of nationalist vandals, defaced much of the cairn with profanities, Anglophobic taunts, pro-SNP messages, as well as attempting to dismantle parts of the monument.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Brooks, Libby (2014-07-21). "Scottish independence: MP's cairn aims to pile up the no vote". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
  2. ↑ "Scottish Independence: Cairn to celebrate 'union love'". BBC News website. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
  3. ↑ "The Auld Acquaintance Cairn: The places in between". The Economist. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 2014-12-01.
  4. ↑ Griffiths, Nick (23 July 2014). "Sir Ranulph Fiennes to visit cairn celebrating union ahead of independence vote". The Cumberland News. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
  5. ↑ Griffiths, Nick (2014-07-26). "Joanna Lumley backs campaign against Scottish Independence". The Cumberland News. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
  6. ↑ http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/sheep-srs-nationalists-vandalise-stones-5386652
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