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Lonach Fundraising For Lifesaving Equipment

Aberdeenshire, Information No Responses »

Jul 212016

With thanks to Ian McLaren, PR account manager, Innes Associates.

Lonach Hall defibrillator - Jennifer Stewart, Lonach Society, and Paul Hicks, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

Jennifer Stewart with Paul Hicks of Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and members of the Lonach Highlanders and local firefighters.

The organisers of the annual Lonach Highland Gathering and Games, the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, have launched a fundraising campaign to install lifesaving equipment in upper Strathdon.

The society has launched an appeal to raise nearly £7,000 to fund the purchase of four public access defibrillators that will be installed at venues in the Aberdeenshire valley.

It follows the installation of a defibrillator, funded by the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, at the Lonach Hall.

Defibrillators give someone suffering a cardiac arrest more time while ambulances get to a patient’s location. It is estimated that every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces a person’s chance of survival by 10 per cent. In remote, rural locations such as Strathdon, where the nearest major hospital is over 40 miles away in Aberdeen, access to defibrillation could prove vital.

Retained firefighters from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Strathdon fire station, which is made up mainly of Lonach Highland and Friendly Society members, were on hand at the unveiling of the Lonach Hall defibrillator.

The Strathdon fire station, like Scotland’s other 355 fire stations, acts as a base for local people to learn vital CPR skills that can potentially save someone’s life. The training is provided in partnership with British Heart Foundation Scotland, which has donated Call Push Rescue training kits to the stations. Anyone interested in this free CPR training should contact their local fire station.

To provide the rural community with the potentially lifesaving defibrillators, the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society is seeking support from local businesses, organisations and local benefactors to help fund the purchase. The four bright green ‘shock boxes’ will be placed in prominent public locations throughout the rural Aberdeenshire community.

Public access defibrillators are designed for anyone to use on someone in cardiac arrest. The devices talk users through the steps required, including CPR and patient analysis, and will only deliver a shock to the patient if it detects that one is required. This means that there is no chance of malicious or accidental usage.

The sites earmarked to host one of the devices are Glenbuchat Hall, Corgarff Hall and locations in Glenkindie and Kildrummy.

Lonach Hall was chosen to host Strathdon’s first defibrillator due to its role as an important community facility. The well-used venue has been a fixture of the Bellabeg area since 1845 and hosts a range of functions, including weddings, concerts, meetings, dances and corporate events. It is also the venue for the annual Lonach Highland Ball which is organised by the society and is held the week following the annual Lonach Highland Gathering.

Jennifer Stewart, secretary and chief executive of the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, said:

“The society was founded to preserve highland culture and promote community cohesion and charitable giving, all of which still run through its core today. Supporting the local community is imperative to the society and our annual gathering continues to make a significant contribution to the local economy. We always strive to increase the scope of that contribution and this fundraising initiative is part of that.

“Strathdon is a beautiful, rural location, but one that can take some time for emergency services to get to. Defibrillators can prove crucial to increasing the chances of a patient’s survival in the minutes before an ambulance arrives. With a predominately older population, installing these pieces of lifesaving kit in the local area makes a lot of sense, particularly as no such provision currently exists.

“Applications for grant funding have been made, but any contribution from businesses, organisations or individuals would be warmly received. Our aim is to raise enough funding to have the additional four defibrillators installed by the end of 2016.”

This year sees the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society’s showpiece event reach a major milestone. The 175th Lonach Highland Gathering and Games will take place in Bellabeg on Saturday, 27 August. To mark the anniversary, the Lonach Highlanders will be joined at the games and on their march round the local area prior to the games commencing by the Atholl Highlanders, Europe’s only private army.

Established in 1823, by Sir Charles Forbes, 1st Baronet of Newe and Edinglassie, the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society is a charitable organisation based in Strathdon, Aberdeenshire. The society organises the annual Lonach Gathering at Bellabeg Park, Strathdon, which is held on the fourth Saturday of August. The main attraction at the gathering is the march of the Lonach Highlanders, a unique body of non-military men.

Further information on the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, the Lonach Highlanders and the annual Lonach Highland Gathering can be found at www.lonach.org.

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Crowds Flock To Lonach For 174th Gathering

Aberdeenshire, History No Responses »

Aug 252015

With thanks to Ian McLaren, PR account manager, Innes Associates.

Crowds from across the north-east – and some from as far afield as America, Slovenia and Australia – flocked to the Aberdeenshire village of Bellabeg to attend one of Scotland’s best-known and most popular highland
games.

Known as the friendly games, an estimated 8,500 people travelled to the event, which enjoyed warm, dry conditions.

Events got underway at 8am as the Lonach Highlanders, believed to the largest body of non-military men to carry ceremonial weapons in Britain, commenced their six-mile march round the local area. The 164-strong body of men, dressed in full highland attire and armed with eight-foot long pikes and Lochaber axes that glinted in the morning sunshine, were an impressive sight as they made their way through Strathdon.

Their historic route saw them visit a number of local properties, receiving a dram at each stop.

Organised by the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, the gathering featured a full programme of traditional highland events, including individual and massed piping, highland dancing and light and heavy athletics, with some of the country’s leading pipers, dancers and athletes competing.

Crowds standing up to five deep thronged the main arena to watch proceedings, with highlights being the massed pipe bands, the heavy events – particularly tossing the caber – and the afternoon marches of the Lonach Highlanders.

Five pipe bands from across Scotland competed at the gathering. Joining the Lonach Pipe Band were Towie and District, Huntly and District, Ballater and District, and the Pipes and Drums of the Royal Guard from 2 Scots – The Royal Highland Fusiliers.

The heavy events drew a strong field of entrants and included current Scottish Highland Games Association World Heavyweight Champion Scott Rider of Kent. A new Lonach record for throwing the 42lb weight over the bar in Grampian Games Qualifying Championship was set by Kyle Randalls of Grangemouth.

The ever popular four-mile hill race attracted 105 entries, one of the largest fields in recent years. Winning the men’s race was James Espie of Dinnet, while the ladies’ race was won by Ruth MacKenzie of Tarland.

This year’s gathering also saw the debut of a new horse to support the Lonach Highlanders on their marches. A horse and cart has traditionally followed the highlanders in order to convey their weapons when they became too difficult for the men to carry on long marches, particularly over uneven hill roads.

Socks, a six-year-old Irish Heavy Cob, had been training with the Lonach Pipe Band for three months to acclimatise him to the skirl of the pipes and beat of the drums. The black gelding received a rousing welcome from the crowd as he followed the highlanders into the arena.

The 300th anniversary of the 1715 Jacobite uprising, which was planned at nearby Kildrummy Castle, was marked at the gathering with a number of actors dressed in period costume mixing with the crowd.

It was also announced recently that the gathering has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Best Cultural Event or Festival category in this year’s Aberdeen City & Shire Tourism Awards.

Jennifer Stewart (pictured), secretary of the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, said:

“There has been an incredible atmosphere here at Lonach once again this year. The day was been dry, except for the odd light shower, creating good conditions in which to enjoy our friendly games.

“There were around 8,500 people through the gates, which is brilliant and it gives the local area a massive boost. This year we’ve encouraged people to explore some of the local sights while they’ve been here, including 300-year-old Poldullie Bridge – the anniversary of which was marked earlier this week. We’ve also been told that there has been a steady stream of people posing for selfies at the Lost sign, which is great to hear.

“Socks, our new horse, was given a wonderful reception when he made his entrance onto the games field this afternoon. He also received a lot of attention from visitors, which he took in his stride. I’m sure we have a real star in the making.

“As ever, the Lonach Highlanders stole the show, and the hearts of many of those attending. They are such a unique aspect of the Lonach Gathering and it is brilliant that the values with which they and the society were founded are still being upheld today. I know that the sight of the highlanders, combined with the sound of the massed pipe bands, brought many locals and international visitors alike to tears.”

Further information on the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, the Lonach Highlanders and the annual Lonach Highland Gathering can be found at www.lonach.org.

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Community Marks Jacobite Bridge Tercentenary

Aberdeenshire, History No Responses »

Aug 212015

Poldullie Bridge: Tercentenary of Strathdon landmark celebrated

With thanks to Ian McLaren, Innes Associates.

An Aberdeenshire community has come together to mark the 300th anniversary of a local landmark as it prepares for its biggest day of the year.
Members of the Lonach Highlanders joined schoolchildren and residents of Strathdon yesterday to celebrate the tercentenary of Poldullie Bridge in Strathdon.

Built in 1715 by John Forbes of Inverernan and spanning the River Don, the bridge significantly improved safety and communications in the area when it opened.

The celebrations, organised by Strathdon Primary School (whose logo features the bridge), took place two days ahead of the annual Lonach Highland Gathering and Games. A commemorative cast-iron plaque has been unveiled on the bridge to mark the milestone.

Assisted by pupils from the school, the plaque was unveiled by Sir James Forbes of Newe, patron of the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society. Members of Lonach Pipe Band joined the highlanders on the march, with the highlanders being supported by their new horse, Socks, who will make his official debut at Saturday’s gathering.

Poldullie Bridge is one of the best surviving examples of an 18th century single semi-circular arch stone bridge. Unlike many of its neighbours, the bridge survived the catastrophic flooding of August 1829, known as the Muckle Spate. The bridge is maintained by Aberdeenshire Council and the local authority area has the highest number of listed bridges in Scotland.

The man behind Poldullie, John Forbes, also known as ‘Black Jock’, was the bailie of Kildrummy and a close associate of John Erskine, the Earl of Mar. Erskine led the Jacobites against the British Government forces at Sherriffmuir in November 1715, having planned the campaign at Kildrummy Castle and raised the Jacobite standard at Braemar Castle.

Pupils at Strathdon Primary School have been learning about the construction of different types of bridge, as well as the history of the local area and Poldullie Bridge itself. They will be showcasing their work at an open-day event at the school on the same day.

Saturday sees the 174th Lonach Highland Gathering and Games take place in nearby Bellabeg, with events getting underway from noon. Organised by the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, the annual event attracts up to 10,000 visitors, including many from overseas. This year’s event will also commemorate the 300th anniversaries the Poldullie Bridge and the Jacobite uprising, with a number of Jacobean reenactors attending.

Strathdon School head teacher, Lilian Field, said:

“We feel very privileged to be able to commemorate the construction of a local bridge which has provided a route for travellers and local people for the past three hundred years.”

Jennifer Stewart, secretary of the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, said:

“Poldullie Bridge is an elegant local landmark. Its importance as a transport route may have been bypassed by more modern roads and bridges, but its historic contribution to the local area shouldn’t be overlooked.

“The Lonach Highland and Friendly Society is honoured to have been asked to be involved in today’s ceremony and thanks must go to Strathdon School and its pupils for their research and organisation. It is wonderful to see such enthusiasm in the local community to mark this milestone.

“Along with enjoying the packed programme at Saturday’s gathering, we are encouraging visitors to explore the local area, and pay a visit to our local landmarks, including Poldullie Bridge, the Doune of Invernochty and the Lost sign.”

Chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Marr Area Committee, Moira Ingleby, said:

“The north-east played a significant role in the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion. The Earl of Mar, who led the uprising, called on men from Donside to support the Stuart cause.

“That Poldullie Bridge is still standing strong, weathering tumultuous times better than its architect, is certainly something that should be celebrated.

“What’s more, the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society was founded during the difficult post-Culloden years, on a will to preserve the memory of the past but embrace the future. It’s very fitting that the Lonach men should be involved in the commemorative celebrations.”

Organisers of the gathering are encouraging visitors to explore the local area and visit some of its attractions and landmarks, including Poldullie Bridge. They have also unveiled the ideal selfie spot in Bellabeg for the weekend – beside the iconic road sign that points to Lost.

Established in 1823, by Sir Charles Forbes, 1st Baronet of Newe and Edinglassie, the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society is a charitable organisation based in Strathdon, Aberdeenshire. The society organises the annual Lonach Gathering at Bellabeg Park, Strathdon, which is held on the fourth Saturday of August – this year’s event takes place on Saturday, 22 August. The main attraction at the gathering is the march of the Lonach Highlanders, a unique body of non-military men.

Further information on the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, the Lonach Highlanders and the annual Lonach Highland Gathering can be found at www.lonach.org.

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Lonach Visitors Encouraged To Explore Bellabeg And ‘Get’ Lost

Aberdeenshire, Featured 2 Responses »

Aug 212015

Organisers of next week’s Lonach Highland Gathering and Games are encouraging visitors to ‘get’ Lost when they attend the annual event by recommending the ideal selfie spot in the village of Bellabeg where the event is held. With thanks to Ian McLaren, Innes Associates.

Iconic sign: The road sign pointing to Lost at Bellabeg, Strathdon

The Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, which organises the annual event in Strathdon, Aberdeenshire, isn’t discouraging visitors from attending the popular event, instead it is looking to inspire those that do to explore Bellabeg and visit local businesses and landmarks.

That includes one of Scotland’s most iconic road signs, the one pointing to Lost.

The small directional flag style road sign has gained legendary status and is among some of the most photographed road signs in Scotland for the confusing message it conjures up.

With the current craze for taking selfies, organisers of the Lonach Gathering hope it will be a fun way to get people to discover more about Bellabeg and Strathdon.

Taking place on Saturday, 22 August, the Lonach Highland Gathering and Games is one of north-east Scotland’s best-known and most popular traditional summer events. It attracts up to 10,000 visitors each year, including many from overseas. Keen to boost the benefit that the games provides to the local economy, organisers have launched an initiative to highlight to visitors some of Strathdon’s other sights and attractions.

Within Bellabeg is the Doune of Invernochty, an impressive 12-metre high motte which is all that the remains of a 12th century Norman castle. While a short walk away is the 18th century Poldullie Bridge. When it was built it significantly improved safety and communications in the area and is one of the best surviving examples of an 18th century single semi-circular arch stone bridge.

For those adventurous enough to wonder where they might end up if they followed the sign to Lost, the answer is not far – the road now leads only to a farm. At one time it would have led travellers to the Bridge of Nochty and the Glenbuchat road, from which today they can access the Lost Gallery. Run by Peter and Jean Goodfellow it features paintings and sculpture.

In addition, there is the nearby Goodbrand and Ross tearoom and gift shop at Corgarff, Kildrummy Castle, where the 1715 Jacobite rising was planned, and the Grampian Transport Museum at Alford.

The initiative is in keeping with the aims of Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, which was established in 1823 to maintain traditional highland culture and promote social benevolence. Meanwhile, the gathering has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Best Cultural Event or Festival category in this year’s Aberdeen City & Shire Tourism Awards.

Jennifer Stewart, secretary of the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, said:

“The society’s ethos has evolved over recent years, meaning the support we provide to the local economy through the gathering and events at the Lonach Hall has grown substantially. Around 10% of the local Bellabeg shop’s takings occur in games’ week.

“We’re always keen for visitors to the gathering to explore Bellabeg and the selfie spot is a fun way for them to do that. The sign to Lost has gained legendary status, but many people don’t realise that it is in Bellabeg. In Strathdon we’re really proud of this very simple, but quirky landmark. Over a decade ago we fought a campaign for the sign to be reinstated unchanged after it was stolen.

“With the current craze for selfies we thought we’d take the opportunity to highlight the location of the Lost road sign as a perfect selfie spot.”

The 174th Lonach Highland Gathering and Games takes place on Saturday, 22 August at Bellabeg Park, Strathdon. It features a full programme of traditional highland events, including individual and massed piping, highland dancing and light and heavy athletics, with some of the country’s leading pipers, dancers and athletes competing. The games commence at 12 noon, but events get underway at 8am as the Lonach Highlanders start their six-mile march around the local area.

Established in 1823, by Sir Charles Forbes, 1st Baronet of Newe and Edinglassie, the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society is a charitable organisation based in Strathdon, Aberdeenshire. The society organises the annual Lonach Gathering at Bellabeg Park, Strathdon, which is held on the fourth Saturday of August – this year’s event takes place on Saturday, 22 August.

The main attraction at the gathering is the march of the Lonach Highlanders, a unique body of non-military men. Further information on the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, the Lonach Highlanders and the annual Lonach Highland Gathering can be found at www.lonach.org.

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Neigh Joke: Horse Trains For Highland Games

Aberdeenshire, Featured, News 1 Response »

Aug 132015

Socks, the new Lonach horse

With thanks to Ian McLaren, PR account manager, Innes Associates

A horse is in its final stages of training ahead of its debut performance later this month at one of Scotland’s leading highland games.

Across the country, musicians, dancers and athletes have been fine tuning their performances and training in order to be at the peak of their discipline for the highland games season.

However, in rural Aberdeenshire a horse has been undergoing a rigorous training regime to participate at the annual Lonach Highland Gathering and Games on Saturday, 22 August.

Socks, a six-year-old gelding, hasn’t been practicing his sword dance or fine-tuning his sprinting ability for the light athletics, but getting used to the skirl of the pipes and the beat of drums.

The young Irish Heavy Cob is making his first appearance at the popular traditional event where he will parade throughout the day with the Lonach Highlanders, and numerous pipe bands.

Having never encountered the sound and motions of the pipes and drums before, Socks has been attending the Lonach Pipe Band practice sessions over the last three months in order to become comfortable with the distinctive sounds ahead of his debut at the gathering.

A horse and cart has traditionally followed the Lonach Highlanders on their marches in order to convey their weapons when they became too heavy for the men to carry on long marches, particularly over uneven hill roads. Socks will follow in the hoof prints of a long line of horses to provide this supporting role to the Lonach Highlanders.

Socks is owned by Kildrummy resident and Lonach Highlander Derek Gray, who has looked after the Lonach horse on marches since 2013. Mr Gray bought Socks as a yearling and hopes he will become a long-standing part of the Lonach marches.

In addition to featuring in the Lonach marches, Mr Gray has set up Odd Socks Enterprises to offer horse-drawn carriage services, which will see Socks available to hire along with a restored four-wheeled wagon.

Organised by the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, the Lonach Highland Gathering and Games is held annually on the fourth Saturday in August. Staged in the small, picturesque Aberdeenshire village of Bellabeg, this year marks the 174th time the gathering has been held. One of north-east Scotland’s best known and most popular traditional summer events, it attracts up to 10,000 visitors, including many from overseas.

Socks with his owner Derek Gray

A major feature of the gathering are the Lonach Highlanders.

First established in 1823, they are believed to be the largest body of non-military men to carry ceremonial weapons in Britain.

Dressed in full highland dress and armed with traditional Loachaber axes and pikes, which are over eight-feet in length and weigh up to 3 kg (7 lbs), the Highlanders form an impressive sight on their three marches on games day.

Membership of the Lonach Highlanders is drawn from residents of the local area who descend from the Forbes, Wallace and Gordon clans, and currently numbers 220 men.

Jennifer Stewart, secretary of the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, said:

“A horse has long been a feature of the Lonach Highlanders marches and usually gets as a warm a reception on the games field as the Highlanders themselves. Our last long-term horse, Mac, filled the role for over five years but retired along with Willie Gray, who looked after the horse at Lonach previously. Last year Derek felt Socks was too young, so we had a temporary pony, Mhairi, who did a great job.

“The debut of a new horse is always special and we hope Socks will have a long association with the Lonach Gathering. A horse is an important part of the unique experience that is the Lonach Gathering. The sight of 220 Lonach Highlanders and the massed pipe bands leading the Lonach horse and cart onto the games field in such a stunning setting is a sight to behold.”

Socks’ owner Derek Gray said:

“Until a few weeks ago Socks had never encountered the sound of the bagpipes or the beat of a drum, so we’ve spent the last few months getting him used to them. Horses have very sensitive hearing so it is important to expose Socks to these unique sounds so that he is comfortable with them. He has a great temperament and has taken the training in his stride.

“I’ve been looking after the horse on the Lonach march for the last two years, taking over the role from my father who had done it for over 40 years before that. Having reared Socks since he was a yearling, I will be extremely proud to march alongside him on games day. There’ll be a few carrots close at hand to keep him sweet and ensure he behaves himself and doesn’t end up in the beer tent with all the other Highlanders.”

This year’s gathering, on Saturday, 22 August, will once again feature a full programme of traditional highland events. This will include individual and massed piping, highland dancing and light and heavy athletics, with some of the country’s leading pipers, dancers and athletes competing. The 300th anniversaries of the 1715 Jacobite uprising and opening of the Poldullie Bridge, a local landmark, will also be marked at the event.

Established in 1823, by Sir Charles Forbes, 1st Baronet of Newe and Edinglassie, the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society is a charitable organisation based in Strathdon, Aberdeenshire. The society organises the annual Lonach Gathering at Bellabeg Park, Strathdon, which is held on the fourth Saturday of August – this year’s event takes place on Saturday, 22 August. The main attraction at the gathering is the march of the Lonach Highlanders, a unique body of non-military men.

Further information on the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, the Lonach Highlanders and the annual Lonach Highland Gathering can be found at www.lonach.org.

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