William Wallace, hero or villian?

Over 700 years ago the Scots needed a hero to lead the nation to challenge the cruelty of King Edward I, someone to take the campaign for freedom into battle and victory.

When the Scots faced the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297, Scotland was led to victory byWillaim Wallace, a figure destined to become a national hero.

In 1996 a Scottish monumental mason carved a 13 ft tall statue of Wallace inspired by the 1995 Mel Gibson film Braveheart. The statue resembled Gibson's depiction of Wallace and he leased it to Stirling Council who installed outside the visitor centre at the Wallace Momument.

The statue was controversial and was subject to regular acts of vandalism before its removal in 2008. The sculptor put it up for sale with a price ticket of £350,000 and when no buyer was found offered it to the Trump Organization as a centrepiece for the planned golf resort at Balmedie Aberdeen. The statue remains in the ownership of the sculptor.

I'm sure few of you, if any, will be unfamiliar with the 1995 block-buster, Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson.

In 2009, the film was second on a list of "most historically inaccurate movies" ever made. Historians have dismissed the film as a Hollywood perversion of actual events and director Mel Gibson acknowledged many of the historical inaccuracies but defended his choices as director, noting that the way events were portrayed in the film were much more "cinematically compelling" than the historical fact.

Stirling was chosen to hold a premier of the film and Mel Gibson attended the viewing and celidh which followed in the Great Hall of Stirling Castle. Local dignitaries were invited and there was great excitement if you received an invitation or knew someone who had.

During the evening a 'Strip the Willow' was danced in one large set so that every female in the room had a chance to dance with Mr Gibson. I have it on good authority that instead of the normal 8 bar birl afforded each lady some of them held on to the star for longer than would normally have been acceptable with the result that the dance lasted an exceptionally long time and Mr Gibson was 'fair worn out' by the end of the proceedings.