Derek Sharman was engaged as project manager for the Union of the Crowns 400 Festival, which celebrated the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland n 1603.
The Festival programme ran from March 2003 until May 2004 and involved more than 100 events of all kinds, from historical reenactments to cross-Border sporting contests, exhibitions, music and drama.
The Festival opened with a recreation of Sir Robert Carey’s historic ride from London to Edinburgh, carrying the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth and the succession of James VI of Scotland as King James I of England..
Long distance cyclist Patrick Field from Lodon carried out the ride, following the original route of almost 400 miles and completing the journey in under three days, as Carey had done four centuries earlier. Patrick was greeted at the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh’s Royal Mi le by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh 400 years to the day after Carey arrived in Edinburgh.
