Fochabers basks in glorious weather as crowds flock to gala
Once again the sun graced a popular community gala as young and old alike came together for a fun-filled afternoon.
Fochabers has developed an envious reputation reputation for attracting the good weather to their gala and so it was again on a sun-drenched Sunday, July 29.
The afternoon marked the culmination of three days of activities, which got under way on the Friday with the crowning of Gala VIPs Rebekah Glew and Jasper Haley, who have both have just completed their P7 year at Milne's Primary School.
It was to herald a wide range of events over the next few days, including a tombola, strawberry tea and duck race before the grand finale itself on the Sunday afternoon.
There was a warm welcome back for Buckie and District Pipe Band as they led the opening parade down High Street under a clear blue sky in the summer sun. They were followed by the Gala VIPs in a special open-top car and, rounding off the parade, members of the Speyside Tractor and Vintage Engine Club.
The parade were welcomed by gala chairperson Liz Rennie outside Bellie Church in the square where there was a special surprise in store for young Rebekah, who was presented with a cake to mark the occasion of her 12th birthday.
Rebekah gets a birthday surprise:
She and Jasper then officially declared the festivities open when they got the Jean Carr Hill Race under way. It was to be won by Gary McKay in a time of 38.15. Other results from the race were: 1st Female and Senior Female - Louise McKenzie; Senior Male - Gary McKay; MV40 veteran - Scott Phimister; FV40 Veteran - Iona Robertson; MV50 Super Veteran - Rab Murray; FV50 Super veteran - Emma Mitchell.
Helping get feet tapping during the gala were Collen Murphy and Mak 2.
Mrs Rennie and her team of volunteers were left delighted with the outcome of the gala weekend.
She said: “The gala weekend went very well indeed, the weather conditions couldn’t have been better, especially when you think about what it was like at the start of July.
“We were really pleased to welcome back Buckie and District Pipe Band to lead our opening parade and they also played in a couple of different spots during the afternoon. It was also good to see our local firefighting team and their fire engine at the gala.
“I understand that the Jean Carr Hill Race attendance was very good, with around 60 runners taking part.
“In terms of numbers at the gala, I’d say it was on a parallel with last year. By the height of the afternoon the square was crowded with hundreds of people there. The barbecue sold out and there were long queues at the bottle stall.
“We were delighted to welcome marshals from the Elgin 63 Car Club; the road through the square remains open during the gala and they played a vital role in helping keeping people safe.
“There were also a couple of new stalls at this year’s gala. The walking football group were doing keepie-uppies and we also had Duncan Jagger promoting cycling.!
A total of around £7000 was raised from the gala weekend, with around £6500 of that expected to be ploughed back into community groups after final expenses have been accounted for.
Praising the local community for their continued support, Mrs Rennie added: “Making an estimated profit of around £6500 over three days of events is pretty good going for a small village only a week after Speyfest.
“The generosity of the local community and businesses is what makes the gala happen.”
The gala afternoon played host to a whole host of activities, including the usual gala barbecue and bottle stall, teas, bowls and putting, hook the ducks, teas, bouncy castle, cricket club activities, fruit kebabs, candy floss and raffles.
Fochabers on-call firefighting team paid a special visit, with the village’s fire engine proving to be something of a draw.