Yetholm enjoyed a wonderful festival week with sunshine and good crowds, organisers reported this week.
Last Wednesday’s Stob Stanes rideout saw a cavalcade of 137 leave the village following Bari Gadgi Scott Gillies and Bari Manushi Rebecca Mather to the stones in the Cheviot foothills.
Community council and festival committee chairperson Susan Stewart said: “The festival was absolutely wonderful, the weather was amazing all week and everything was really well supported.”
New this year was a tea dance last Thursday, enjoyed by everyone attending, said Susan, adding: “It was really good fun.”
The committee also brought back indoor bowling this year, which was popular.
Susan continued: “The family day was held on Kirk Yetholm Green and we had lots of sports, bouncy castle, sumo suits and that was all good fun. And the dance went well on Saturday night.”
Bari Gadgi 50 years ago, Bill Cockburn welcomed the cavalcade back to Kirk Yetholm Green last Wednesday night and presented prizes to Frances Cromarty, the youngest rider; Louise Hebden, best turned out horse and rider under 16; and Gwen Fraser, best turned out overall.
A new prize this year was a quaich, from Patsy Kelly and the Kelly family, for the oldest rider completing Stobs Stanes, which was awarded to Doug Redpath, chairman of Duns Summer Festival.
Bari Gadgi Scott told us: “The festival went very well – we couldn’t have wished for better weather.
“A highlight for me was achieving the Stob Stanes rideout – it was my first rideout. The best bit was leading the cavalcade back into Kirk Yetholm with the pipe band in front. And we got a lot of support – I didn’t expect so many folk to come out.
“Being Bari Gadgi was a once- in-a-lifetime experience. I’m glad I did it, it was great.”
Bari Manushi Rebecca said: “It was an excellent week, it was very busy but really good. We had huge support for Stob Stanes. I had never taken part on a rideout before – it was such as achievement for us both to complete.
“My favourite part of the week was catching up with everyone. And we had a primary school visit which was great. Primary is where it all started for Scott and I. We remember the visits when we were there and that was when we started to dream of being a Yetholm principal. We both felt we wanted to do that and lead the village.”
There was another first last week, when ex-principal Jonathan Dixon (2009) surprised his girlfriend – 2012’s Bari Manushi Zoe Keddie – after the ceremony at Stob Stanes, by asking her to marry him.
Zoe said: “It was amazing, it was lovely. We’re the first ex-principals to get engaged there.
“It’s going to be such a memorable spot for Jonathan and I.”
Ladies Darts - Linda Quashie, runner-up - Anne Yeomans; Quiz Night - Team Gadgi/Manushi; Mixed Darts - Mike and Anne Marsh, runners-up Caroline Burnett and Shane Black; Dominoes - Ross Gillie; Mens Darts - Jimmy Moscrop, runner-up - Clive Kelly; Whist - Mrs Tait/Charlie Donaldson, 2, Pat Young/Hannah Wilson, 3 Kenny Tait/Greta Middlemass; Bowling - Scott Gillies/Gil Telfer, runner-up - Eddie Robertson/Sarah Gillie; Le Boule - Angie Swan, Dave Christie and Chantelle Paisley, runners-up - Bari Manushi Team; Car Treasure Hunt - Janice Gillies, Wendy Little and Murray Gillies, runners-up - Shane and Margaret Black and friends; Duck Race - Murray Gillies, 2, Bari Manushi Rebecca Mather, 3, Bill Todd; Best Boat – Gnome Garden, Ashley Yeomans; Boat Race - Will Butler, 2, Ashley Yeomans, 3, Jack Lee.