Take the High Road to Hay Lodge Park this Saturday

In addition to the three main attractions of the pipe band competition, heavy events and Highland dancing, there will be the now well-established whisky and gin-tasting experience, haggis hurling, Peeblesshire primary schools picture competition, all kinds of stalls, beer tent, children’s fairground rides and much more.

This year’s chieftain, Andy Currie from Glasgow, has been a regular visitor to Peebles Highland Games for many years.

Following his retirement from Strathclyde Regional Council in 1996, Andy became heavily involved in athletics coaching, focussing on working with adults with learning difficulties, and many of the athletes Andy coached went on to represent Scotland in the Special Olympics.

His involvement in coaching led to Andy becoming an international level athletics official, participating the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games in 1996.

He has also officiated at many Highland games heavy events, although he acknowledges that Peebles Highland Games has always been as his favourite event.

He and his late wife Janell presented the Peebles Highland Games with the Mark Hunter Memorial Cup for the weight for height discipline, following Mark’s untimely death in 2014.

Janell sadly passed away last November, but she also loved coming to Peebles, and regularly assisted in compiling the scores for the heavy events.

The chieftain’s parade leaves the Tontine Hotel for Hay Lodge Park at 10.45am, following which the games are opened at 11am.

The pipe band and Highland dancing competitions start then and run throughout the day, while the heavy events, including the hammer and caber, take place between 1-4.30pm.

The presentation of prizes will start at around 4.30pm.

Entry is £6 for adults and £4 for concessions. Children under five go free.

More than 1,800 tickets will be distributed via the nine local primary schools for free child entry when accompanied by a paying adult.

For more information visit www.peebleshighlandgames.com