Perthshire Amber fest organisers take year off
Famous wildlife cameraman, Doug Allan will give a talk on endangered marine mammals at the Salutation Hotel on Tuesday.
The Fife born cameraman described by David Attenborough as “the toughest in the business” - will speak as part of the Inspiring People series put on by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS).
Anybody who has enjoyed BBC series such as Ocean Giants and Human Planet will have seen and exclaimed at the quality of his work.
From scenes shot on the dizzying heights of Mount Everest to close ups of killer whales hunting in Antarctica, Doug Allan has provided us with some of the most memorable wildlife images ever captured.
On Tuesday Doug will be focusing on the plight of our planet’s oceans and their most charismatic inhabitants.
His illustrated talk starts at 7.30pm. Arrive early to secure a seat as the event is likely to be popular.
It is free for RSGS members, students and under 18s. Tickets are £10 for visitors, purchased on the door and online at www.rsgs.org until noon on Monday, December 5. Organisers of the hugelypopular Perthshire Amber festival have decided to take a break next year.
Since its inception in 2005, Perthshire Amber - The Dougie MacLean Festival has grown from a small two-day event to regularly attracting around 10,000 festival-goers from up to 26 countries to Perthshire and contributing more than £1million to the local economy.
Organised by former Blairgowrie High School pupil Dougie MacLean and his family, with the support of a team of volunteers, the festival has featured high calibre musical guests from Scotland and abroad performing in a variety of venues – everything from village halls and a grand concert hall to historic castles, crannogs, cafes and even Dunkeld Cathedral.
The festival’s concerts have frequently sold out venues such as Blairgowrie Town Hall for the last several years, and smaller gigs in venues such as Cargill’s Restaurant and Bistro in the town in recent years have also proved to be very popular.
Stellar acts such as Ross Ainslie, Sorren MacLean, Hannah Fisher, Gina Macleod, Alan Jordan, Ewen Sutherland, Gordon Maclean and Buddy MacDonald have graced the stages for the event recently.
It also saw other fun community activities including a popular decorated wheelbarrow race.
Announcing their decision to reflect on the future of the event, festival director Jenny MacLean commented: “It’s been a wonderful journey so far for Dougie and myself and many of our family and friends through the 12 years of Perthshire Amber.
“A journey full of wonderful music and musical friendships re-kindled, of discovering truly stunning venues all over Perthshire and welcoming so many enthusiasts for Dougie’s music to his beautiful home county.
“We’ve had disappointments and frustrations here and there, but we’ve never had any insurmountable problems.
“Call me superstitious but I just don’t want to organise a 13th year!
Doug’s experience in the field is renowned
Perthshire Amber has been running for 12 years
“I have a feeling something would go terribly wrong and you can’t argue with gut instinct.
“So after a break in 2017, with time to reflect and project, the festival may blaze back with renewed vigour in the autumn of 2018 or beyond.”
The news is another blow to the music and events scene in Perthshire coming within just days of the announcement that T in the Park would also be taking a break next year.