When Mark Jardine was a football-daft boy he dreamt of a special match like no other.
Forget your Old Firm, or Edinburgh derbies, as this eight-year-old boy had grand visions of an almighty Scottish battle on the pitch.
A King of the North side versus a Queen of the South team...aka the City of Inverness playing against the City of Dumfries.
But there was a right royal problem: this was the 1960s and neither place was a city.
Mark said: “When I was a boy I used to write short books on what were considered crazy ideas.
“And at that time I felt Inverness should be a city and their Highland League football teams should amalgamate and become King of the North.
“The natural progression was to have two new cities in Scotland at geographical opposite ends of the country with our respective football teams playing each other.
“So, Dumfries would also become a city and Queen of the South would regularly play King of the North in what was the old First Division.”
He may have been daydreaming half a century ago, but part of his vision came true in 2000 when Inverness became a city.
Since that time, Mark has been campaigning for Dumfries to be granted city status by the Queen – and it could finally become a reality next year.
Mark, managing director of family business Jardine Funeral Directors, said: “Since the millennium, I have pressed our case for city status, and urged the powers that be to enter the contest whenever the Queen chooses one town from Scotland, England and Wales to be elevated to city status.
“I feel so passionate about the cause because Dumfries is effectively a city in waiting with all the elements and much more that a city requires.
“It will literally place Dumfries and the region on the map. People bemoan the fact that we are the forgotten
region and that tourists by-pass us.
“Once you become the first city in Scotland – or Scotland’s first city – then you will attract people.”
The Queen has agreed that contests will be held for a grant of city status to mark her Platinum Jubilee in 2022, which follows similar competitions for the Golden Jubilee in 2002 and Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
Dumfries failed with a bid in 2011, however much work has gone into the latest submission, with input from many partners and individuals including Mark, the Lord Lieutenant, the Provost, The People’s Project, Dumfries Partnership Action Group,
and Dumfries and Galloway Council.
Mark was awarded an MBE in 2019 in the Queen’s New Year Honours List for services to the region, and is hoping Dumfries is considered worthy of city status when the decision is made next spring or summer.
“I’ve learned over half a century to be patient and keep plugging away at what you believe to be the right thing, or the best for the greatest number of people,” said Mark.
“Dumfries deserves to be a city because it ticks so many boxes. But if we are not chosen on this occasion, we’ll bide our time and do it all again in the future.”
Mark is adamant that a town-to-city upgrade could have a huge positive impact on whole of Dumfries and Galloway – and future generations.
“This really is a once in a lifetime opportunity to punch beyond our weight to improve ourselves, and after all it is entirely free,” he said.
“It would also just be the starting point for making Dumfries and the entire region better.
“More importantly though, this is for the future of our young people.”
