Kinlochard will again host one of the stages of the IRC Rally of Scotland event.
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Rural Priorities Case Studies - Forth
April 2010 Approvals
Kinlochard Village Hall will be refurbished and extended using a £309,000 grant. A key facility for the village, near Aberfoyle, will receive improved insulation, a new kitchen and toilets and showers.
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Kinlochard Gala & Highland Games
Hear how one radio caller described the Gala and games.
BBC Radio Scotland, 20/07/2009
Morning Extra.
Were you listening to BBC Radio Scotland’s Morning Extra on July 20th 2009? If so, you will have heard the Kinlochard Highland Games described as “Scotland at its best…..a wonderful day out….. tremendous family atmosphere….. beautiful setting” with comments too on the large numbers enjoying the “fantastic afternoon” with Scottish, English, American, and Dutch (to name but a few) voices to be heard. All this was music to our ears as it very much echoed what we aim to achieve.
This year, breaking with tradition, the games were opened by a politician (of undisclosed allegiance). With great charm Brenda MacFiddle opened the games wearing a chic pale-coloured raincoat and carrying a rather unfashionably LARGE handbag which, she explained, was required for carrying her expense accounts. Thank you, Brenda.
The Games’ Scottish flavour came with pipes and drums, Highland
dances, caber tossing, shot putting and hammer throwing. There was traditional fun with coconuts, sack races, tugs-of-war and the duck race. Children enjoyed their own races, events, roundabout, ceramic painting and ices. The loch was the venue for a flotilla of steam boats, Nessy again and, new this year, water events organised by Go Country. Thank you to them. As in past years, many came in the courtesy bus supplied
by Aberfoyle Motors. Thank you, John.
As ever, queues attended the cakes and teas and the bar and burgers. Despite considerably increased supplies of the Aberfoyle-made burgers (thank you, Trevor) the customers kept coming. For punters there was a raffle and tombola, the Fire Brigade was on show, the auction was entertaining, local talent had their own stalls and there were attractions as
diverse as horse and trap rides and beauty treatments; all topped off by the ever popular evening ceilidh with the local Kinlochard Band.
The games couldn’t happen and success wouldn’t come without the huge support of a tremendous number of people – their time, effort, goodwill and generosity is vital and hugely valued. While it’s impossible to mention all, thanks are especially due for the generous sponsorship of Forest Hills and Mr & Mrs Gerry Fleming, to the local and not-so-local businesses and residents who so kindly gave prizes, to those who cooked and baked, parked cars, erected tents, manned stalls – and, finally, to all those who helped with the planning, preparation and aftermath of the occasion in every way.
Also, of course, thanks go to all who came from far and near to support the event. DESPITE poorer weather than in previous years and DESPITE poorer economic times, we made an amazing £5,500 which is 22% up on last year: a fantastic boost to the Kinlochard Village Hall Fund and a total that would give even Brenda MacFiddle’s expenses a run for their money!
“The Scottsland Grants Programme is part-financed by the Scottish Government, European Community Forth Valley & Lomond Leader 2007-2013 programme and Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority”.