Stornoway Scotland - Our Sister City

Building on a successful school partnership between Pendleton High School and the Nicholson Institutes in the Western Isles, the Town of Pendleton and Stornoway, Scotland expressed their willingness and desire, through their respective Councils, to twin and become sister cities. The partnership began with the signing of the official documents between the governments of the two communities.

April 5, 2001, the Mayor of Pendleton, Carol Burdette, and the Convener of the Western Isles of Scotland, Alex McDonald, formally declared the twinning by signing the official documents. The ceremony was held on the Village Green in Pendleton.

March 21, 2002, Convener MacDonald and Mayor Burdette signed the official documents at a ceremony held in Stornoway, Scotland.

The leaders of both communities entered into the relationship with the hopes of sharing ideas and the exchange of citizens while fostering a greater friendship and understanding between the United States and the United Kingdom.

It is the ultimate goal of this partnership to deepen friendship and mutual understanding through educational, cultural, industrial and economic exchanges.

From Glasgow we took a bus to Edinburgh where we toured and shopped for 3 days before taking a 4 hour eventful ferry ride to Stornoway in the Western Isles of Scotland.

In Edinburgh we stayed at the Ibis Motel and hung out at Garfunkels. On Sunday we went the morning church service at St. Giles Cathedral. After the service, we enjoyed a most interesting tour of the church.

St. Giles Cathedral dates back to 1243 and is one of the oldest buildings in Edinburgh. It is said to have been founded by Alexaander I. The church was practically destroyed by Richard II of England. It is also famous for it's connection with John Knox as he was the first Protestant minister at St. Giles.

Inside St. Giles, the Thistle Chapel was designed by Robert Lorimer in 1911 to house the Knights of the Thistle which is the most ancient and most Noble Order of the Thistle - the highest order of chivalry in Scotland.

Photo: St. Giles Cathedral

Little did we know what lay ahead................a long, miserable 4 hr Ferry Ride on rough waters. Many got sick and if my hubby had taken along his Doctor's Bag we probably could have paid for our trip.

When we arrived in Stornoway all our troubles faded away as we were met by Dignitaries, a Bag Piper, and our Host Families. It was a very warm welcome and typical for the Scottish hospitality that we enjoyed over the next several days.

We stayed at Fernlea, a Bed & Breakfast owned my Maureen Macmillan. We became good friends and they visited us the next fall in Pendleton. They enjoyed seeing the sights in South Carolina and especially enjoyed going to a Clemson Football Game.

All of us wanted to get a Harris Tweed jacket or cap and it was so interesting to see how it was actually made.

We got a Harris Tweed cap for my hubby and our son. We wanted to get our daughter a scarf but could not find one like we were looking for.

Harris Tweed has been around for a long time and I hope it stays.

The ceremony was held at the Stornoway Town Hall on Friday, March 22, 2002 at 7:00 p.m. and was followed by a delicious buffet at the Lews Castle College. We felt very special being a part of this historic event.

Photo: Our Heather Corsages that we were given to wear.

Thanks Nancy for sending this link, what great comments about Scotland & Stornoway in particular. I am married to a Stornoway man and visited on holiday most years over the last 45 years and never dreamed I would actually live here, however, last year we packed up and moved here and I just love it. A totally different way of life to that we had on the mainland and better in every way. So glad we did it. If anyone would like more photo's of the place please get in touch. regards to all from Stornoway.