Perhaps we could encourage the General Register Office for Scotland to work with local family history societies and take their message on the road to the events such as those that I described.My colleagues Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond recently called for a winter festival to be built around St Andrew's day, Hogmanay and Burns' celebrations. Such celebrations have local and national resonances and offer opportunities not only to celebrate, but to bring welcome visitors to, or home to, Scotland to share in Scotland's heritage.