The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Covid passport plan blamed for cancellation of bonfire
The annual bonfire in Perth has been cancelled for a second year, with organisers saying Covid-19 passport requirements were to blame.
A small number of volunteers from Perth Round Table organise the event every year, but the group’s chairman said the requirement for Covid passports proved a logistical challenge too far.
Scottish Government rules require attendees at all events with more than 4,000 people to provide proof of their vaccination status.
Round Table chairman Alan McFadden said they had been planning for the event for the last six months, and expected up to 6,000 people to attend.
“We really had no choice, there’s only seven members who run the whole event,” he said. “While it’s supported by Perth and
Kinross Council they don’t actually take any part in the building of the fire or security.
“We would have had to fence off the whole Inch with access controls and Covid passport checks. It was just too much for us to do.”
In a message to locals, the group said that they hoped the bonfire, which has taken place for around 40 years, would return next year.
Mr McFadden said that while the community was disappointed, he felt for the charities who usually benefit from the collection at the bonfire.
He told The Courier: “It’s a big fundraiser event, we normally raise up to £10,000. That normally goes to smaller organisations or locals who need a helping hand.
“Apart from not being able to give everyone the fun night out, we also don’t have the money to distribute around Perthshire.”
Mr McFadden said he wanted to use the cancellation to encourage more people to join the Round Table.
“If we had 20 to 25 members we could possibly have been able to organise something this year,” he said. “If you’re 18-45 and free on Monday nights, we’d be really interested in hearing from you.”
He said people could find out about joining the group at roundtable.co.uk
Holyrood approved the introduction of vaccine passports last week, but First Minister Nicola Sturgeon finds herself under increasing pressure to scrap them – particularly after the UK Government decided not to follow suit.
Neil Doncaster, chief executive of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and a vocal
critic of vaccine passports, said it was “no surprise” Westminster had had second thoughts about the scheme.
He told the BBC: “We did make it clear that when the idea of vaccine passports
was first mooted that we thought it was a difficult concept.
“We certainly had huge concerns about how practical they are in the context of an outdoor environment where, frankly,
there is very little, if any, evidence that a gathering in those environments helps to spread the virus.
“Now that it’s been voted through, our concern is however it is implemented it has to be practical.”