ALEX Salmond’s family have issued a statement ahead of his public memorial service in Edinburgh, saying it is “at capacity”.
Mourners are to gather at the capital’s St Giles’ Cathedral for the memorial service on Saturday, which will include performances from The Proclaimers and Dougie MacLean, as well as speeches from Kenny MacAskill and David Davis.
On Friday, Gail Hendry, the former first minister’s sister, published a statement thanking people for their support.
It said: "As we prepare to pay tribute to Alex, we wish to thank everyone who has contacted us over the last few weeks to express their condolences. It has meant the world to the entire family.
Please see our family statement below with information about Alex’s memorial service tomorrow 🏴 pic.twitter.com/I3H0yLUKCj
— Gail Hendry (@AbsoluteGinius) November 29, 2024
“Please be aware that the memorial is at capacity. Only guests who are registered can be permitted entry, and for security purposes photo ID must be presented.
“For those many who can't join us in person, the BBC, Sky News and STV News have an agreement to share resources to cover the memorial.
“The BBC will stream live coverage of the service from 10.30am on both the BBC News website within a live page, and as a separate stream on the BBC iPlayer.
“Wherever you are, please fly your saltires proudly."
Earlier on Friday, Salmond’s niece Christina Hendry said that the service would have a focus on Scottish culture.
“Uncle Alex always spoke about his love for Scotland and I think that’s what we’re going with,” she told the BBC.
“We want it to be about Scotland and about uncle Alex and how much he valued Scotland and saw Scotland’s potential for the future for independence.”
She further said that Salmond’s death had been “especially difficult because of where he died but also how high-profile he was”
“There’s no escape”, she said. “It’s also in the media a lot and I’m not sure that’s allowed time to actually process things ourselves as a family.”
Salmond passed away after a sudden heart attack while at a conference in North Macedonia on October 12. He was 69.
A private family funeral was held near his home in Strichen, Aberdeenshire, on October 29.
