Shoreditch, Hoxton and Spitalfields, lie at the heart of alternative London and Cool Brittannia. Cheap warehouse spaces attracted the likes of Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin in the early 90's. Now its cobbled brick streets, hip pubs and clubs offer an alternative to the flashy West End. A true Cockney has to have been born within the sounds of Bow bells and this is the East End heartland. Bethnal Green is home to famous Brick Lane, street markets and boxing history while in Whitechapel you can trace the Jack the Ripper's grizzly footsteps.
2009 marks the 250th anniversary of Scottish poet Robert Burns' birth. Burns was a poet and a lyricist and is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland.
The Burns Supper was started a few years after his death by a group of his friends; they held the supper to honour and remember Burns. The tradition caught on and the ritual of Burns Supper is now held all around the world.
His life and work will be celebrated throughout the year at many Burns-related events.
