The sun shone all day for our Highland Games this year as we welcomed a very high number of visitors to Aberlour House to enjoy the event. Visitors enjoyed many craft stalls, trying their luck on the Tombola, having their face painted, playing on the Bouncy Castle and spending a good deal of time in the ‘Children’s Games Tent’. Mothers served tea, cakes, strawberries and ice cream while the fathers cooked burgers and sausages all day.
Ten visiting schools teams came along to take parting the Highland Games competition in the arena. Events included caber tossing, haggis hurling, obstacle course, hammer throwing, slippery pole, tug o' war and the challenging hill race. We welcomed St Gerardine’s Primary School, The Mosstodloch Scouts, St Margaret’s School, Alves Primary School, Craigellachie Primary School, Hopeman Primary School, Kinloss Primary School, Milne’s Primary School, Mosstodloch Primary School and Rothes Primary School, all of whom competed with excellent sportsmanship and determination.
In addition visitors enjoyed excellent displays and performances from the North East Falconry Display, The Elgin Pipe Band, Fochabers Fiddlers, Moray Feis, Highland Dancers, Elgin Taekwon-do, Gordonstoun Services and Outfit Moray Mountain Biking.
The chanter and piping competition had many entrants all of whom played their very best to try and win the coveted MacCullum bagpipes prizes. This competition was generously sponsored by MacCallum Bagpipes and the winner of the top prize - a MacCallum Bagpipe Box - and the piping Quaich was won by Dougal MacEwan of Gordonstoun School for Open Piping. This competition was judged by the Pipe Major Barry Ashby of the Royal Air Force Kinloss Pipes and Drums.
The challenging Eightsome Reel competition was entered enthusiastically by three very smart teams who danced to the pipes of the Junior School Headmaster, Mr Robert McVean, and was judged by the locally renowned Highland Dance teacher, Mrs Milne.
At the end of the day our Chieftain, Mr George Welsh, former Head of Sport at Gordonstoun for 27 years, presented the prizes to the competing schools.
The winners were:
| Eightsome Reel |
1st - Aberlour Seniors
2nd - Aberlour Juniors
3rd - St Margaret's Juniors |
| Junior Girls' Hill Race |
1st - Dionne Milne (Mosstodloch Primary)
2nd - Abigail Russel (Kinloss Primary)
3rd - Erika Procter (Aberlour House)
|
| Senior Girls' Hill Race |
1st - Letty Houldsworth (Aberlour House A)
2nd - Robyn Palmer (Mosstodloch Scouts)
3rd - Juliet McDavitt (Aberlour House B) |
| Senior Boys' Hill Race |
1st - Fergus Richards (Aberlour House A)
2nd - James Hamilton (Aberlour House B)
3rd - Lewis Sim (St Geraldine's Primary) |
| Junior Boys' Hill Race |
1st - Gavin MacDonald (Milne's Primary)
2nd - Alastair Ebdy (Mosstodloch Primary)
3rd - Olivery Brown (Kinloss Primary) |
| Junior Highland Games Team |
1st - Mosstodloch Primary
2nd - Aberlour House
3rd - St Margaret's |
| Senior Highland Games Team |
1st - Aberlour House A
2nd - Aberlour House B
3rd - Mosstodloch Scouts |
Special congratulations are due to the Highland Games Committee who have achieved a particularly brilliant job at organising the Games this year. Mrs Clare Griffiths deserves a special mention as Chair of the Committee for ensuring that this year’s event ran so smoothly and was so well organised.
All money raised at the event will be donated to two charities: Moray Feis, which encourages young people aged 8-18 to take an active part in enjoying the music, song dance and drama of the Highlands, and The Moray Gig, which is used to give the experience of sailing a traditional boat to school groups, youth clubs, and many organisations that help disadvantaged people.
The money is still being counted...