Official Website launch
Over one thousand hits had already been recorded on the Juniper Green 300 website in the first three weeks of its life from February 7th when the official launch on March 1st started the series of talks planned to run over the next four months.
The audience for the website launch inside Juniper Green Parish Church on the evening of March 1st with JG digger Derek Douglas in the front row and one of the reminiscers Dr John Ross behind him and to the right
Dr Helen Ashton of Heriot-Watt University, the JG300 webmaster, took the audience of some ninety folk through the main features of the website:
- Aims of the project
- history screens
- photo gallery
- what's on
- sponsor list
Helen guided the audience through the early history of the village with contributions from four of the Juniper Green diggers: Liz Beevers, Julie Watt, Derek Douglas and Cliff Beevers. Helen was also able to demonstrate how to find articles in different ways either directly by period, from links off the history screen, from the photo gallery or through the link called Stories Told.
Many characters were present that night including several reminiscers pictured below.
In fact, there was even an international presence with Jack and Gail Corse over from Canada visiting Jack's mother Annie Corse who had been one of the reminiscers quoted on the website.
Sheila Wilson, Tommy Tweedie and Evelyn Andrews, three more reminiscers, in the audience for the website launch
Jack Corse spent his early life in Juniper Green and although he now lives in Canada Jack was back visiting his mother Annie at the time of the launch
Helen explained that with almost 200 web pages, over 300 images, and lots of contributors there is probably a lot yet to see. She also pointed out that if you miss an event then you can find out about it later by checking the story associated with the event, illustrating her point by showing images from the Burns Night earlier in the year. Many folk have worked hard on the website, none more so than David Geary, who has scanned most of the images that appear on the website from his home scanner.
Helen finished by telling the audience what is planned for the future:
- incorporate some of the modern pictures of Juniper Green taken by Jim Adam,
- build an interactive map as another way into information on the website,
- add more articles to the site,
- enhance the photo gallery with more images,
- include more reminiscences,
- put up the material on the Bronze Age discoveries from the nineteenth century.
The presentation ended with the audience having the chance to suggest other ways the website might develop. There was a desire that the site exist beyond the year of celebration.
Irene Thomson presents Dr Helen Ashton with a bottle of Juniper Green gin after the official launch of the Juniper Green 300 website on March 1st, pictured left to right are Helen, Irene and Cliff Beevers
Irene Thomson, a JG digger, reminiscer and someone who appears in the reminiscences of others, presented the speaker with a bottle of Juniper Green gin from the London and Scottish company who are sponsoring this series of talks.
The launch event also created some media attention from the Evening News
Tues 27th Feb 2007 Juniper Green website in the pink (read online)
Sat 3rd March 2007 City's village green clocks up 300 years (read online)
An image of the Evening News article of 3rd March 2007