Santa and his reindeer are stars of Lochaber Winter Festival
SANTA Claus and his team of Cairngorm reindeer proved a popular smash hit at a fantastic winter festival held in Fort William last Friday and Saturday, writes Mark Entwistle.
Organised jointly by the Lochaber Rotary Club and the Fort William Town Team, the event drew large crowds on both days.
Friday evening saw hundreds gather for a lantern parade along the High Street culminating in the Christmas lights switch-on by Santa, and late night shopping.
Elves
Come Saturday morning, and supported by his little elves in the shape of Faolan Hunter from Lundavra Primary and Kayla Duncan from Caol Primary schools, Santa and his reindeer left Cameron Square at 11am and paraded along the High Street led by the pipe band, the Ben Nevis All Stars and a street magician.
The ‘elves’ were chosen from the Lochaber Times’ Christmas Card Message competition that attracted more than 120 entries from Lochaber’s primary schools.
Local business Ferguson Transport and Shipping funded the total cost of bringing the reindeer from Aviemore to Fort William on the day, and the company also had the enjoyable task of reading all 123 Christmas card entries and choosing the winners.
Santa and his entourage ended their trip at the Nevis Centre where the Rotary Club had organised a 70-stall craft and food festival with Santa’s Grotto, an original vintage Model T Ford, bouncy castle, buskers’ corner and a grand raffle of five luxury Christmas hampers each worth more than £50.
To mark the 10th anniversary of the festival, and thanks to the generosity of an anonymous local donor, all the gifts given out by Santa and his elves Kayla and Faolan were free.
More than 300 local children benefited from this gesture which Rotarian David Robertson, one of the key organisors, described as ‘wonderful’. Club President Donald McCorkindale, while stressing that the emphasis is more about a community event than raising money, said that it had been a ‘magnificent’ two days.
He continued: ‘I’m sure the total amount raised will be substantial and in time will support many local charities and causes.
‘But beyond fundraising there was a lot of fun... a great atmosphere with everyone enjoying the occasion. Thank you to you all for a brilliant event.’
Whisky
The festival continued this week with the West Highland Museum’s Scavenger Hunt and the Lochaber Environmental Group’s Clothes Swap in the Duncansburgh Church Hall both on Monday.
Wednesday (November 29) saw the Ben Nevis whisky tasting and draw for the Rotary Club’s collection of Six Classic Malts, and the Songs for the Season Concert by Bruce Davies in the Duncansburgh.