Record-breaking dance bid falls flat in Montrose

STRIP THE WILLOW: Numbers fall way short of target needed in town hall event

Montrose has tried and failed to dance its way into the record books.

Junior Highland Games organisers were hoping to beat the Strip the Willow record held by enthusiasts in Edinburgh and had set a target of attracting more than 1,914 dancers.

Sadly the turnout yesterday fell well short of the record, with only around 100 people eventually joining in at Montrose Town Hall.

It did not help that the games had to be moved from the playing field next to Montrose Sport Centre at the 11th hour following what organisers described as a “hiccup” with the public entertainment licence.

Despite the disappointment, a piece of history was made in the town earlier in the day with the inauguration of Rue de Luzarches.

The name has been given to a new section of the South Montrose Spine Road in honour of the French twin town.

Lord Lieutenant Georgiana Osborne cut the ribbon at the ceremony along with the Mayor of Luzarches, Damien Delrue.

Angus Provost Ronnie Proctor was in attendance along with a delegation from Luzarches and representatives of all the schools and youth organisations.

Mr Proctor said: “Many visits and exchanges have been made since the twinning of Montrose and Luzarches in 1994 and we have found the people of Luzarches are both warm and friendly.

“Many of us Scots have been a bit apprehensive as we can’t speak French.

“The language difficulty has never been a problem nor has it caused any obstacle as people from all over the world irrespective of creed, colour or nationality find a commonality and get on with each other.”

Robina Addison, chairwoman of the games committee and twinning association president, said: “There is a Montrose street in Luzarches and it’s taken a long time to get to this stage.

“It’s a very proud moment because the people of Montrose and Luzarches are like family.”