The majority of Scots (72%), would support a day to celebrate William Wallace, with almost half (42%) declaring him the bravest Scot ever, research by The Edinburgh Dungeon has found.
With more than a third of people (38%) who took part in the study also saying they have more of an affinity with William Wallace than St Andrew*, The Dungeon is set to launch a campaign to introduce a new national holiday to mark Scotland’s very own Braveheart.
A week-long series of campaigning and petitioning is currently taking place in various locations throughout the country, with Scots encouraged to rally together and #VoteWallace. Poll stations, horseback tannoy’s and Wallace’s army march are just some of the activities planned to mobilise voters, culminating with the launch of the attraction’s seasonal summer show ‘Braveheart’s Revenge’ on 29 June.
Edward Evans, General Manager at The Edinburgh Dungeon, said: “The results of our survey speak for themselves; the Scottish public have loudly declared their pride in William Wallace and agree that he should be honoured with his very own national holiday.
“Wallace resonates with modern Scots much more than St Andrew, and there is currently no national holiday or celebration of his life. We firmly believe we can all show our pride and passion for this great Scot by coming together to #VoteWallace and calling for him to be remembered in this way.
“We have a full week of campaigning planned with a few surprises for the public, some of which are more controversial than others. The goal is to celebrate our indigenous culture and history, however in true Dungeon style we may raise some eyebrows along the way.”
Gary Stewart, Convenor, The Society of William Wallace added: “A holiday for a National Wallace day is a fantastic idea and we at the Society completely support this. A national day for our national hero would be a fitting tribute to what Wallace achieved for Scotland.”
A ‘party political broadcast’ is available to view via: bit.ly/2HLUDhW
Votes will be taken via social media polls on @EdinDungeon for the National Wallace Day to take place on August 23rd each year, the date of Wallace’s execution.
*Total sample size – 500 people across Scotland aged over 16. The survey was carried out online by Censuswide between 8th June 2018 – 11th June 2018. The survey was conducted from a random sample of Scottish adults adults. Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles.
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