Mike Russell launches Scottish Ten at New Lanark

And it wasn’t just the usual political soft-soap when Scotland’s education secretary Mike Russell stated that he had very fond memories of the place.

For he won the majority of votes in New Lanark way back in 1987 during a failed bid for election to Westminster!

“You were trailblazers even back then!” he told 100 assembled guests at the official launch in New Lanark of the Scottish Ten – a world-first exercise in digitally recording, in near-perfect 3D imagery, the heritage village plus nine other historic sites, five in Scotland, five around the world, including America’s famous Mount Rushmore.

“This puts Avitar to shame!” exclaimed one highly impressed audience member standing next to the Gazette team. The minister, however, preferred to compare it to “something out of Star Trek”.

For more information on this story, pick up a copy of this week’s Carluke and Lanark Gazette which is out now.