John MacMillan is CEO of The Eric Liddell Community
SINCE 2016, I have been CEO for the ahe Eric Liddell Community, a charity established in 1980 in honour of Eric Liddell, the Scottish sporting icon immortalised in the film Chariots of Fire and the subject of a number of books, including Sally Magnusson’s The Flying Scotsman.
Eric won the 400m gold medal in the Olympic Games held in Paris in 1924, setting a record-breaking time.
The Eric Liddell 100 has been formed as a major initiative that will recognise the centenary of Eric Liddell’s Olympic success at the Paris Olympic Games in 1924 and celebrate the life, sporting and community achievements of one of Scotland’s iconic figures.
It will establish strong sporting, educational, community, business, cultural and international links to secure, cherish and celebrate the legacy of a remarkable man for future generations at home and across the world.
Already, I have been joined by a host of well-known people and organisations, known for their excellence in the three workstreams The Eric Liddell 100 is taking forward.
Our three strategic groups are now set up and preparing the programme of developments which will take place in the lead-up to the centenary in 2024 and beyond.
One is educational, with a steering group formed to develop physical and online resources to support learning in schools, universities and adult learning across Scotland. We are fortunate to have Olympic silver medallist and teacher Gemma Burton who is presently creating the Eric Liddell inspired curriculum resource for schools.
Culturally, there are plans for the creation of an Eric Liddell Exhibition and other cultural celebrations in keeping with his life.
The programme also seeks to promote the achievements of Eric’s sporting life both as an Olympic sprinter but also as an International rugby player who was capped seven times for Scotland.
Eric is remembered in many ways to different people – as a sportsman, a husband and father, a devout man who lived his life according to his beliefs, a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, and a missionary in China, who refused to leave those he looked after during the Second World War.
The Eric Liddell Community reflects Eric’s code of ethics, to help and support those who need it and the people who look after them in a spirit of community, inclusivity, diversity and generosity. His legacy is strong and we embrace the close ties with Eric’s daughters in Canada and his niece who lives in Edinburgh and is a patron of The Community.
I am not embarking on The Eric Liddell 100 alone and am delighted that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal has accepted our invitation to be Patron of the Eric Liddell 100.
I deeply value the support of The Eric Liddell Community Board and all of the partners involved, particularly Eric’s family, Scottish Rugby, Scottish Athletics and the University of Edinburgh – all organisations which have strong links with Eric Liddell. His legacy is also valued in other parts of the UK, Canada, the USA, China and Hong Kong.
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