About us

  • Who we are
  • What we do
  • Support us
  • SRF in the news

Who we are

The Scotland-Russia Forum was founded in February 2003. Its aim is to promote a clear understanding in Scotland, Russia and its neighbouring countries of each other’s ways of life, history, heritage, cultural and commercial activities and voluntary services and to create contacts of all kinds between the peoples of these countries. We are an independent voluntary organisation with members of all ages, both Russian and non-Russian speaking and including many Russians now living in Scotland. Our constitution.

Registered charity no. SC038728.
Hon. President: The Rt. Hon. Sir Malcolm Rifkind, M.P.
Hon. Vice-Presidents: The Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill; Lt. Commander Dairmid Gunn, OBE, Royal Navy (Rtd)
Founder President (2003-7): Tam Dalyell
Committee 2009-10: Jenny Carr (chair), Ian McGowan (treasurer), Sally Fraser (secretary), Peter France, Andrei Rogatchevski, Svetlana Shevchenko, John Wade, Joe Wake

What we do

Our core activities are a busy programme of lectures and exhibitions, a twice yearly newsletter and frequent e-bulletins of events connected to Russia and her neighbours all over Scotland. We also have parties, run business events, support student film and discussion groups, set up an affiliated Saturday Russian school for children in Edinburgh, and try to provide information and support for many other Russian activities in Scotland. Since the opening of the Scotland-Russia Institute in 2008 we have expanded the range of activities to include regular exhibitions and a library. See our Scotland-Russia Institute page. 

The chair's presentation to the AGM (Dec 2009) shows the huge growth we experienced in our first year at the Institute - and the urgency of finding financial means to continue after our initial finance runs out in 2011:  AGM Report handout

Support us

If you are interested in Russia and her neighbours we should be delighted to see you at any of our functions and to receive suggestions of activities you’d like to take part in. As a start why don’t you join our email news service (free for the first 6 months)? Have a look at our Support Us pages.  Join, give a donation, or volunteer to help us - or simply get in touch.

SRF in the news

5 February 2010: Scotsman. News of the SRF's plans to use their grant from Russkiy Mir to encourage Russian teaching in Scottish schools.
19 January 2010:  BBC Radio Scotland. SRF members took part in the Massed Borders Choir rehearsal in Kelso on 16 January for a performance of Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky and Borodin's Polovtsian Dances in Russian (the concert will take place on 5 June).