23/07/2014 Reporting Scotland

between a band of heavy and thundery showers and it will be notably

fresher with Tonight the eyes of the world will

be on Scotland as Glasgow prepares Tens of thousands of visitors

are here for 11 days of sport. There is such a buzz about place.

The weather is good and people are out and about. We are out and about.

We're looking forward to watching the Opening Ceremony on the big

screen. A potential TV audience

of up to 1 billion people will be watching the Opening Ceremony,

which begins here at Celtic Park I want my fastest race of the year

to be on that track in Hamdan. Win-mac we want to put on a

brilliant performance that will please the crowd.

We'll hear from a man who knows what it's like

But Team Scotland has some tough competition.

They're up against some of the biggest names in sport.

We'll be live across the city and hear from an East End girl who

The place they called the second city of the Empire is the first

Here, the summer evening sunshine has

added to the warmth of the welcome that's greeted tens of thousands

Good evening from Celtic Park, where, in

a few hours' time, 40,000 spectators will watch the Games' Opening

Ceremony, staged in front of the Queen and a potential TV audience

Details of the Opening Ceremony are a closely guarded secret.

We've been asked not to show too much of the pitch and its props, but

the theme of the two-hour production is, I'm told, showcasing Glasgow

It's the curtain-raiser to a Games that have come with a price tag

The return on that investment, it is hoped, will come over the next

Today, though, it was all about ensuring

the games get off to a flying start, as Lisa Summers reports.

It is all quiet. The streets or in Celtic Park calm in the morning sun.

We will expected to be really busy. But it has been so quiet the

quietest it has been. But tonight it is supposed to be really good.

Outside, the athletes can relax. Since early doors teams have been in

action inside the stadium making sure it is ready for tonight's big

party. Much is still a secret but organisers are confident that it

will be a success. I am so proud of Glasgow, the people of Glasgow I

must thank for being behind these games. It has been magical. A

contrast to the scene in in town. People queued for tickets but

without too many grumbles. It's fine. It is all right because it is

a nice day, but that is about it. There was a demonstration by Amnesty

International, using the Games to how late human rights issues. Many

of the Scottish team spent the afternoon in town soaking up the

atmosphere before the competition begins. I am buzzing myself. It is

in my home city. It will be amazing. We have got great weather for it as

well. 60,000 people in Celtic Park, the atmosphere will be electric. The

fans are arriving. It will soon be time for the party to start.

The Queen will declare the Games open just before 11pm and reveal her

message to the Commonwealth that has been tucked inside the baton.

She will be joined by dignitaries from

Earlier the Prime Minister and the First Minister expressed

The atmosphere in Glasgow was so extraordinary. Everybody is going

about with happy smiles on their face, anticipation. The next 11 days

will be the greatest festival of sport and culture that Scotland has

ever seen and we know that the city of Glasgow will do Scotland and the

Commonwealth prayed. For 11 days Glasgow will be in the world's

spotlight and it is a great opportunity to talk about the

brilliance of Gaskell, Scotland, the United Kingdom. The opportunities

for investment. The sporting events are great opportunity to show off

the best side of the country. The journey to this Opening Ceremony

began ten years ago when Glasgow beat Edinburgh to be named

as Scotland's candidate city Here's a quick recap

of how we got here. The Commonwealth Games were coming

to Glasgow. Hosting it would be a fantastic opportunity for a Glasgow

and all of Scotland. She's done it! Dozed for the 2014 Commonwealth

Games will be Glasgow -- host. I call upon the sports men and

sportswomen of the Commonwealth to assemble in four years's tame in

Glasgow, Scotland. A woman who played a huge role

in bringing the Games to Glasgow is Louise

Martin, who's vice-chair of the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee,

and who is either hugely excited or Very excited and a little bit

stressed, but the excitement is taking over at the moment. So this

is all your fault! Tell us how you got the idea? On a rainy day in

Manchester we watched the triple balls playing and they won a gold

medal. I then had a meeting with Jack McConnell and he said, are you

thinking what I'm thinking. I said if it is the same as you then the

answer is yes. He said that you have years to prove that you will not

bankrupt the country. It took us two years to do that but it was worth

its weight in gold. What have been the biggest challenges along the

way? It is really difficult. Everything that we have plans,

during the bid fees, we planned meticulously. The plans were already

there, it was just about tweaking the bits that we had already

organised. There were the challenges of making everybody worked together,

but you always have that. We are still altogether, still smiling,

still singing from the same hymn sheet. What is your view, there is

this talk of legacy, what you think that Scotland will from this? We

have already started the legacy. We have new housing and the people who

used to live Iraq coming back. Have this high-performance system for our

elite athletes. And at grassroots level, coming through the school

system, it is terrific. The biggest thing now is the 150 community

sports hubs that are up and running, but more importantly they are

sustainable. We have built these things and as long as they keep

going, which they have to do, I would like to see that there is

sustainability rather than legacy. Thank you for joining us.

Let us leave the build-up year for the moment and cross back to the

studio for a news update. A family of four has been killed

in a head-on collision between a car and a lorry

in the Falkirk area this afternoon. A man, woman and their young son

and daughter were killed when their Morag Kinniburgh is

near the crash site now. The accident happened here on the

main road connecting Falkirk and Bathgate here at about 2:20pm. The

father, mother, little boy and girl, were all killed. The police say that

the family is from West Lothian and that next of kin are being informed.

The lorry driver is a local man working foreign aggregates

business. He was uninjured and will be helping the police with their

investigations into course. The police have been clearing the

wreckage. They have appealed for witnesses to contact them. Locals

say that this is a bit of an accident blackspot. Sometimes when

cars pool eight they can be had in from traffic travelling up and down

this main road -- when cars come out. There have been accidents year

before but never anything as awful as this one.

Police have named a ten-year-old boy who died after getting into

Arran Cooper was rescued by a passerby from the water

near Bridge of Orchy and flown to hospital in Glasgow for

Construction workers at the Shetland Gas Plant downed tools

Around 900 welders, pipe fitters and riggers staged a sit-in at the site

Today's action was unofficial, but Petrofac,

which runs the facility, has told the workers they can keep their jobs

They say they'll now pursue the issue through a legal ballot.

Let's go back to Jackie at Celtic Park.

Welcome back. At the end of it alternate we will meet the most

It's the biggest team Scotland has ever fielded, with 310 athletes.

Their target is to beat their previous record of 33 medals.

Of course, being the host nation adds pressure,

The eyes of the world have fallen on Scotland. And we will be ready.

Because this is our moment. I want to go there and my fastest race of

the year to be on that track. We have sacrificed. We are looking for

a gold medal. But we want to put down a fantastic performance that

will hope fully we use the crowed. We have suffered. I have had a

number of silver medals and close shaves now. I think that that is the

main thing that has changed for me since London, that means set and the

belief that I can challenge for titles now. I am pretty good at

being calm and collected when I need to be. My mother won her first medal

in 1994 so I was three years old. Now it is more about personal pride

and family pride. Successors are mortal. I think that it takes the

pressure off because it is a home games. Be the difference. Power.

Passion. Scotland. Rhona is here, some big names there,

how early could we see some success? Very soon, in fact tomorrow

at the pool - local boy Michael Jamieson who we heard from there,

is looking for not just gold in the 200m breaststroke, but he's also

looking to beat the world record. He says he has done the work and the

conditions will never beat better Hannah Miley and Robbie Renwick also

determined to defend what sports harbour our best

chances? There are four sports where they are looking for five medals.

Those are swimming, shooting, gymnastics and judo. We can never

discount the bowlers, they always perform well at the Commonwealth

Games. This idea of a home advantage, it is a real one, isn't

it? If you look back, the last time is that the Commonwealth Games had

been in Scotland, in 1970, Team Scotland won 25 medals and four

years before that they only won nine medals. In 1986, they won 33

medals. That still stands. Seven games have come and gone and that

record still stands. This is the most invested in team. They are out

to beat that and we are hoping that at least a dozen of them will be

gold. This arena is beginning to fill, but

not so far away Glasgow's oldest park has a new role as the venue

for a special Commonwealth concert. Let's cross to Glasgow Green where

the crowds have been soaking up You can hear that the party is

underway. This is the Glasgow Green opening ceremony party which started

just after six o'clock. There are a host of artists performing right up

until the opening ceremony which will be put on big screens here.

More than 10,000 people will be here. A lot of people are here

already. On that bill, right at the top is Lulu and a few minutes ago, I

caught up with her and asked her how she was feeling about this huge

concert in her hometown. The whole atmosphere in Glasgow is so amazing.

Everyone is so happy, deservedly so, and as a Glaswegian, I am proud that

the Commonwealth Games are here and I am proud to be here. You grew up

five minutes from here will stop perhaps ten! You know this area, it

must be special. I used to come here, with my brother, for the

funfair. This is the week of the fair. I might have been in Blackpool

at this time of the year! This is my food! You have been away from

Glasgow were long-time, but you talk about how it made you. It is very

poignant, because I am in my 60s and somehow everything tastes sweeter,

because I am returning... When I come here, I have a desire to return

more to my roots. I want to be with my tribe. I feel emotional and

flows. The atmosphere is infectious. Here everyone is settling in for the

spectacle in front of them. Another focal point for visitors is George

Square. The city council corridors of power

lie in George Square which has become a focal point for visitors,

not least because that's where many Catriona Renton is there,

I gather there were It has been busy here and no body is

denying that. People have had to stand into use for up to two hours,

most of them are in good humour, there are still a few people there

waiting to pick up their tickets for the opening ceremony tonight, but

the organisers told us they have had to do the most unusual thing, hand

out suncream and water to people as they wait in queues. It is not just

people going to be opening ceremony, it is busy anyway for transport. Let

me give you an idea of how it is coupling, Network Rail say figures

are up by 40%, but everything is going well. That is the picture

across the rest of the travel network. It is very busy, but people

are managing and things are going smoothly so far. If you get here

quickly or to Celtic Park, there are a few tickets left for tonight. They

are expensive and a few are coming to pick up tickets or buy tickets

tomorrow, come down between nine o'clock in the morning and nine

o'clock at night. Here at Celtic Park,

and despite numerous rehearsals, the content of opening ceremony is

still largely under wraps. Its artistic director is

David Zolker, who has described it It is a very busy time. Spill the

beans, what is in store tonight? I cannot, I am playing the by -- the

violin. It is a hugely from the concert hall to doing something like

this. How do you judge your performance from something intimate

to such a massive crowd? It is disorientating, for me especially,

because I am used to the most deafening silence in classical music

performance, so this is a huge step away. The kinds of things I have had

to adjust to, using monitors, the amount of microphones, I have not

experienced it, but the excitement is bringing everyone through this.

It is so exciting. I know you are touring a lot and do not watch a lot

of sport, what will you be going to any events or watching it on

television? I will be doing a few things around Glasgow. I will be

following closely. After that, I will be away, but I will be watching

all of the games. We look forward to your performance.

I'm sure Nicola won't mind, but the show is really the warm-up

for the appearance of the stars of the next 11 days - the athletes.

They are currently in the village putting the final

touches to their outfits - which have not been without controversy.

A little earlier Jane Lewis got a flavour of the atmosphere there.

There has been a real buzz of activity here and it is only going

to intensify over the next couple of hours. Streams of Scottish athletes

making their way over two Celtic Park for the opening ceremony. In a

moment, we will speak to this lady who is looking forward to competing

in her fifth Commonwealth Games. Let me bring you a taster of what has

been happening as Team Scotland put on a unique spin on the baton relay.

The Scotland team were on a mission after missing out on an official

visit from the baton relay, Fiji were about to receive an unofficial

visit. It was unfortunate that some of our teams could not make it, but

it gives England a chance. Move in on, the baton provided a break in

training for some. It is appropriate that this is a last port of call for

the baton relay. This has been the symbol during the games, but from

tomorrow, the attention goes from this, to these guys -- Games. This

is a bit of fun before the opening ceremony, how is it? It is exciting

to see it in the flesh. It has been a fantastic atmosphere. There has

been a lot of buzz about the place and everyone is having fun. After a

day in the build, the next up for the baton is Celtic Park. Joining me

now is Margaret, how much are you looking forward to this evening? Not

long to go and all the athletes are looking forward to it. There is a

great balance, great excitement in we cannot wait. What are you

expecting from the opening ceremony? I think it will be a

fantastic event to show off Glasgow and Scotland. I think the atmosphere

is going to be at end this occasion for everyone to enjoy. -- a

fantastic occasion. You have to go away and get your parade uniform on,

what is it like when you are doing that? It will be a bit nervous. We

will have to be dressed early to get our photographs taken but once we

are addressed and everything is set, we will be ready to march to

Parkhead and take part in the celebrations. Good luck for the

games. -- the Games. Team Scotland athletes will be leaving here about

nine o'clock this evening. We will see them marching over ready to join

in the opening ceremony. Someone who knows exactly how the

athletes are feeling at this moment is Allan Wells - a Commonwealth

and Olympic gold medalist. How will they be feeling? They will

be frustrated. They will want to get into the Games. This is a

roller-coaster situation, they are at the top of the roller-coaster

ready to come down. They are looking forward to it. You must have fond

memories of the Games? A lot of gold memories. It is a privilege to run

for Scotland. Not end as bigger stadium as this, but it is still a

big stadium -- not in as big a stadium as this. Feeling this

atmosphere, it always got me up and gave me a little edge. A lot of

people will not be like that here. A lot of athletes will be under

pressure, but who cannot be up in this atmosphere? We heard about the

home support, it helps, but it adds pressure. It does add pressure,

public pressure is going to be on the Apple leads a lot, but they will

overcome this. The athlete will perform well -- the athletes. We

will let you enjoy the ceremony. A glorious evening, will it continue?

27 degrees in the North West. It was cooler on the east, but this

evening, plenty of warm evening sunshine and that will be good news

for the organisers of the event tonight. Let us look at the map and

this evening, sunshine returns on the East Coast. It will be a warm

night, temperatures in urban areas up to -- into the mid-teens. A

cloudy start tomorrow, it will burn back quickly, sunshine and by

mid-afternoon, temperatures up to the mid-20s. Moving up the West

Coast, temperatures in the highlands of 29 degrees. Cooler on the coast,

Orkney will see a better day, down the East, it should be a better day.

For the rest of the afternoon into the evening, conditions much like

tonight and as we head into Thursday and Friday, it stays the same, more

sunshine and temperatures around the mid teens.

They are basking in the sunshine and looking forward to tonight.

The much awaited opening ceremony will be kicking off

You can see it on BBC1 Scotland and if you're on the move I'm

off to join my colleagues on Radio Scotland for their coverage.

Tomorrow night I hope you can join me at Tollcross Swimming pool where

we hope to have a glint of Scottish gold.

From all of us here at Celtic Park, as a certain singer might say,