Mourners gather for Alex Salmond memorial service

A memorial work is to instrumentality spot connected Saturday for the erstwhile First Minister Alex Salmond, who died abruptly past month.

Mourners volition stitchery astatine Edinburgh's St Giles' Cathedral, with the work being streamed unrecorded from 11:00.

Salmond, 69, died of a bosom onslaught portion attending a league successful North Macedonia connected 12 October.

Saturday's work volition see tributes from governmental allies and opponents arsenic good arsenic philharmonic performances by Dougie MacLean and The Proclaimers.

Salmond was buried aft a backstage ceremonial work connected 29 October successful the colony of Strichen successful Aberdeenshire, wherever helium had lived for galore years with his wife, Moira.

His household said the memorial work would let radical to accidental goodbye and bespeak connected his life.

The memorial lawsuit is invitation only, with astir 400 radical attending.

First Minister John Swinney is expected to attend, alongside representatives from the main governmental parties successful Scotland and the UK government.

The work volition beryllium led by the Rev Dr George Whyte, the erstwhile Principal Clerk of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

There volition beryllium a Bible speechmaking by Sir David Davis, the Conservative MP who was a adjacent person of Salmond's.

Dougie MacLean volition sing his opus Caledonia. Salmond's niece Christine Hendry and his adjacent friends and governmental allies Duncan Hamilton KC and Kenny MacAskill volition stock their memories.

Salmond was Scotland's archetypal curate from 2007 to 2014. He stepped down aft the Yes run mislaid the Scottish independency referendum.

He resigned from the SNP amid allegations of intersexual misconduct. Those aboriginal formed the ground of a transgression proceedings astatine the extremity of which helium was acquitted of each charges.

Salmond went connected to acceptable up the alternate independence-supporting party, Alba. He besides hosted a speech amusement connected the Russian-owned tv transmission RT.

His niece spoke retired connected Friday astir her family's pridefulness successful her uncle and said they are inactive trying to process his abrupt death.

Christina Hendry said his household were "doing OK" and "doing what uncle Alex would archer america to bash and conscionable keeping going".

She said determination had been a batch to program betwixt bringing his assemblage location and arranging some the ceremonial and the memorial service.

"I'm not definite there's truly been clip to afloat process things and afloat grieve but arsenic a household we're sticking together, keeping adjacent and keeping going," she said.

"I deliberation for anybody and for immoderate household losing a loved 1 is really, truly hard. It's been particularly hard due to the fact that of wherever helium died but besides however high-profile helium was and I deliberation that's travel with challenges.

"There's nary escape. It's besides successful the media a batch and I'm not definite that's allowed clip to really process things ourselves arsenic a family," she added.

You tin ticker the Memorial Service unrecorded from St Giles’ Cathedral successful Edinburgh connected the BBC News website and BBC iPlayer from 10:30 connected Saturday 30 November.