Bring on Braemar Day, say organisers
Volunteers are grateful for support at 65th event
The bunting and banners are up and the final preparations are being put in place ahead of the 65th Braemar Day in Blairgowrie, which takes place on Saturday this week.
Blairgowrie and Rattray Citizen of the Year, Lisa Hilditch, will officially open this event, and the Blairgowrie and Rattray Young Person of the Year, Becky Moran, will light the spectacular fireworks display at 9pm marking the end of the day’s festivities.
The popular event is run entirely by volunteers who raise funds throughout the year in order to keep the much-loved tradition alive.
And organisers were delighted to receive £315.80 at the weekend from money donated in the wishing well in the Wellmeadow, which is collected by Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Council.
Accepting the donation, Braemar Day committee member Helen Breen said: “We are very grateful to the generous people of Blairgowrie and visitors to the town for this donation.
“It will go a long way to ensuring that we can continue to put on a fantastic day of fun and entertainment for the whole community every year.”
Helen added: “The committee would also like to thank all the local businesses and members of the public for their continued support of Braemar Day. We are a charity and receive no funding from any sources other than public donations and without the generosity of local businesses and organisations this event simply wouldn’t happen.”
This year’s event will feature many favourite attractions, including the parade and the massed pipe bands featuring Blairgowrie and Rattray Pipe Band, Coupar Angus Pipe Band and Alyth Pipe Band.
There will also be a market and stalls and demonstrations run by a number of local clubs and organisations including teams from Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Football Club, the Brownies, Angling for Youth Development, The Wee Coffee Shop, Warpweftweave Studio, gluten-free tasty treats from Alison’s Kitchen, Bonnie Beasties and a pop-up art studio.
The entertainment gets under way at 1pm with the parade leaving the British Legion on George Street at 1.30pm.
The packed programme features performances from a number of local dance groups including Let’s Dance, the Linda Grant School of Dance, the Gayle Duncan School of Dance, the Linda Tosh Dancers and Rachel McLagan’s Flings and Things. The Blairgowrie and Rattray Junior Drum Corps will also be playing.
Singers performing as part of the celebrations include Heather Tweddle, Karen Arnold, Rebecca and Jordanne, Callum and friends, and Sam and Sinead.
There will also be performances from Josef Lawrence and the Hypocrites – a young indie rock band from Perthshire – and Timeless, a four-piece band comprising members from Dundee and Blairgowrie that mainly plays rock and alternative music. Jo Finlayson is on lead vocals and guitar, Heather Walker on bass and backing vocals, Ross Walker on lead guitar, and Bartek Witkowski on drums.
Up and coming band Stop The Rain from Perth are the headline act for the day, bringing the celebrations to a close. This hotlytipped alternative rock band are renowned for their energetic live performances and will be entertaining those gathered with material from their debut EP Save My Life.