Innerleithen comes together to keep time-honoured traditions

St Ronan's Games Week is in full swing as standard bearer elect Jamie Boyd and his lass Rosie Graham kicked off an extensive list of activities last Friday night at Innerleithen's ex-standard bearers' dance.

The week will culminate in the traditional burnin’ o’ the de’il and fireworks display on Caerlee Hill, but there is a plethora of events to look forward to before then.

Here’s a round-up of what’s happened already.

Annual dinner-dance

Friday’s dance was held in the 856 Social Club, with Jamie and Rosie as guests of honour, joined by their parents and supporters at the annual gathering. Ex-standard bearers’ association chairman Lawrie McLaren presented the principals with their commemorative flashes, provided each year by the association.

GAMES WEEK FIVES

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Saturday’s event was keenly contested and Peebles Amateurs beat the Jaffa Cakes 3-0 in the final. The event was sponsored by the Tweedside Hotel.

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St Ronan's Week

STANDARD BEARER’S BALL

Some 400 people, including visiting principals from around the Borders, attended the ball, held in a marquee at St Ronan’s Community School. The standard bearer’s reel was danced at 11pm to music supplied by Innerleithen Pipe Band.

FLAG RAISING CEREMONY

Hamish Easton became the 21st dux boy and representative of St Ronan to raise the community flag in Innerleithen on Sunday following a kirkin’ service.

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St Ronan's Week

Community council chairman Marshall Douglas invited Hamish to raise the town flag outside the memorial hall, where it will fly during the whole of games week except for Friday, when it will be raised on the flagpole at St Ronan’s Wells for the service for the fallen.

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The parade then returned to Hall Street, where it disbanded, before the principals then made their customary visit to St Ronan’s House, where they entertained residents with renditions of local songs.

BANDS DISPLAY

Innerleithen Pipe Band and St Ronan’s Silver Band played to a large crowd that had gathered on the High Street on Sunday. The pipe band, under the direction of pipe major Bruce Gillie, rendered a variety of stirring pipe sets and the silver band, conducted by bandmaster David Robb, played a selection of tunes including local and Scottish favourites, before the bands combined to perform Highland Cathedral.

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St Ronan's Week

The silver band played the evening hymn tune St Ann before the massed bands marched off to Scotland the Brave with a promise of more music, provided by Innerleithen’s two bands at the Retreat on games Saturday.

The procession then fell in behind the bands and current standard bearer Liam Card with the blue banner and marched to Victoria Park for the children’s sports.

CAR TREASURE HUNT

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A Peebles team led by George Blair came out as winners of the games week car treasure hunt, claiming the Cissie Barnett Trophy and a cash prize.

Some 41 cars entered the hunt. In joint second place were cars driven by Susan Graham and Nicola Watt.

Standard bearer elect Jamie Boyd and his lass Rosie Graham presented the winners with their prizes.

Before the prizes were announced, the participants were treated to sandwiches, tea, coffee and refreshments in the memorial hall by the games committee.

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Announcing the prize winners, joint secretary Keith Belleville thanked the organisers Jean Wilson, Claire Wilson and Jan McGlasson for setting the clues.

Results: 1, George Blair (119 points); 2, Shona Robb (118 points – placed on mileage); 3, Kenneth Coltman (118 points).