User:S.Ross81/Peterhead Scottish Week

Peterhead Scottish Week

The origins of Scottish Week

In the early years of the 1960's the General Council in Scotland set about planning a number of Gala events throughout the country that would primarily promote trade and tourism in Scotland. A limited company, based in Edinburgh, under the name 'Scottish Weeks Ltd' was created and this idea was then forwarded to the local council authorities in order to gain an interest in participation.

Feed back on the uptake of Scottish Week was slow but 10 places throughout Scotland decided to take up the challenege to promote the country by hosting a programme of events. The ten Scottish Weeks would take place in Arbroath, Coupar, Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Gourock, Peterhead, Portsoy, Rothsay, Skye and Stranraer.

The first set of Scottish Weeks were set to take place during the summer of 1962. In the years preceeding, some towns already had Gala events in place, such as Peterhead Gala, but it was hoped that under the Scottish Week banner that promotion of the towns participating would see an influx of visitors from around the country and further afield.

Initially all 10 Scottish Weeks went smoothly and perhaps with various degrees of success, however the Scottish Week Ltd board noted that one town in particular had exceeded all expectations. The board spoke of Peterhead, in the North East of Scotland that "had produced the most ambitious programme of all the Scottish Weeks". This news was gladly recieved by the townspeople of Peterhead. The town had embraced the ideal of Scottish Week by catering for a week of family entertainment as well as encouraging local businesses to get involved. Over the years the other towns opted to withdraw from Scottish Week Ltd and thus today only one remains; Peterhead Scottish Week.

Peterhead Scottish Week - The Early Years

The initial committee for Peterhead Scottish Week had between 20 and 24 members with many more people from the community assisting on the lead up to July 1962 programme. The President of the committee was Peterhead's Provost, Robert Forman O.B.E. The Peterhead Scottish Week committee appointed Mr George S. Copeman as chairman, who had much experience in organising events and fetes and had played an integral part in the now extinct Peterhead Gala. Mr Copeman was the manager of local factory Crosse & Blackwell and was ably assisted by Mr Stanley G. Church (a factory exectutive) who had also been appointed Secretary of the committee.

The Chairperson and Committee

On an official basis, Peterhead Scottish Week had until 15 years ago a residing President. However, the role of the President was largely ceremonial. The office of the Chairperson has been carried out by a number of Peterhead residents over the years and is appointed by a vote by the committee members. In 2010, Peterhead Scottish Week (itself a non-profit organisation) was officially registered with charitable status and thus the members of the committee are now trustees. The team have the task of organising the events in addition to finding sponsorship, insurance and permits to allow the festivities to go ahead. The structure of the meetings are as follows - welcome by the chairperson, apologies and then the agenda of discussions to take place. Each meeting (which is normally held the first Monday of every month) is recorded in minutes by the Minutes Secretary.

Year	Chairperson	Year	Chairperson	Year	Chairperson
1962	Mr George E. Copeman	1979	Mr James Greig	1996	Mr John Samuel
1963	Mr George E. Copeman	1980	Mr William A. McDonald	1997	Mr Graham Barron
1964	Mr George E. Copeman	1981	Mr William A. McDonald	1998	Mr Graham Barron
1965	Mr George E. Copeman	1982	Mr William A. McDonald	1999	Mr Graham Barron
1966	Mr George E. Copeman	1983	Mr William A. McDonald	2000	Mrs Sam Melrose
1967	Mr Peter Pearce	1984	Mr William A. McDonald	2001	Mr Gordon Farman
1968	Mr Peter Pearce	1985	Mr William A. McDonald	2002	Mr Gordon Farman
1969	Mr Peter Pearce	1986	Mr William A. McDonald	2003	Mr Gordon Farman
1970	Mr Peter Pearce	1987	Mr William A. McDonald	2004	Mrs Phyllis Mundie
1971	Mr Peter Pearce	1988	Mr William A. McDonald	2005	Mrs Phyllis Mundie
1972	Mr James Greig	1989	Mr William A. McDonald	2006	Mrs Phyllis Mundie
1973	Mr James Greig	1990	Mr William A. McDonald	2007	Mr Tom Marshall
1974	Mr James Greig	1991	Mr William A. McDonald	2008	Mr Tom Marshall
1975	Mr James Greig	1992	Mr William A. McDonald	2009	Mr Graham Barron
1976	Mr James Greig	1993	Mr John Samuel	2010	Mr Graham Barron
1977	Mr James Greig	1994	Mr John Samuel	2011	Mr Graham Barron
1978	Mr James Greig	1995	Mr John Samuel	2012	To be decided

The Official Programme Guide

The first Peterhead Scottish Week was organised with such short notice that a planned programme guide was shelved. The first programme guide of events was issued the following year in 1963. The main advantage of the programme was the number of competitions that readers enter, most notably, a window number spotting competition. Each programme had its own unique 4 digit number and located within the town was a shop window displaying the identical number. If the spotter noticed the number then a prize from that shop could be claimed. To avoid any tampering or advantage the early issues of the Programme Guide were sealed in envelopes so not to reveal the lucky number. Today the numbers are located on the inside back cover with more than 170 shops in Peterhead participating. Many local business also take the opportunity to advertise in the programme with an estimated 10,000 people viewing a Peterhead Scottish Week programme each year. The programme has been closely associated with Peterhead based newspaper The Buchan Observer and P. Scrogie printers but has also been printed in conjunction with James Davidson Printers. Printed largely over many years in black and white with coloured pages being inserted in recent years, until 2008 when the programme was for the first time printed entirely in coloured ink. The front cover design has differed greatly over time. The task would normally fall to the team at the Buchan Observer but in the last 7 years the committee sought local designers to contribute with Anne Lynch, Scott Ross and Ben Mooney adding their own touch to the front page. Note that in 2000 that the front cover was designed by schoolgirl Roberta Cay.

The Buchan Queen Contest

Since the inception of Scottish Week back in 1962, many local girls have entered the annual contest to see who will be crowned 'Buchan Queen'. The idea was originally taken from the local 'Herring Queen' competition and it's a tradition that continues to this day, with a busy schedule for the winner during the weeklong gala, as wellas for the two princesses - it's no easy task! In earlier years a number of preliminary dances were held on the run up to Scottish Week with a Grand Final being held during the week itself. Over the decades since there have been a few changes to the format of the contest which is now held months in advance (traditionally in May) with a panel of five judges deciding who will wear the crown during the upcoming Scottish Week. The Crowning Ceremony initially happend on the final day of Scottish Week but pretty soon changed to the beginning of the week. A well known personality or respected member of the Peterhead community would have the honour to crown the Buchan Queen.

Year	Buchan Queen	Buchan Princess	Buchan Princess	Crowning
1962	Madeline Kelman	Sylvia Wallace	Kathleen McIver	Provost R. Forman O.B.E.
1963	Ann Kidd	Doris McKay	Lorene Scott	Provost R. Forman O.B.E.
1964	Linda Robertson	Roberta Buchan	Phylis Kinghorn	Provost R. Forman O.B.E.
1965	Roberta Buchan	Shirley Kelman	Elizabeth Innes	Provost R. Forman O.B.E.
1966	Cassandra Kerr	Linda McKay	Ann Dykes	Provost E. A. Duncan
1967	Noreena Taylor	Sylvia Wray	Sarah Mackie	Rikki Fulton (Comedian)
1968	Jennifer Samuel	Doris Massie	Isobel Buchan	Andy Stewart (Stage/TV Star)
1969	Isobel Buchan	Maureen Geddes	Anne Wood	The Alexander Brothers
1970	Margaret Sutherland	Rosalyn Robertson	Marjorie Paton	Andy Stewart (Stage/TV Star)
1971	Heather Leslie	Patricia Proctor	Ann Mair	Lady Parkes
1972	Anne Forman	Elizabeth Mutch	Jennifer Watt	Andy Stewart (Stage/TV Star)
1973	Heather Will	Helen Stewart	Lorraine Costello	Lady Provost Smith
1974	Patricia Forbes	Patricia Millar	Isobel Wyness	Donny McLeod (BBC Personality)
1975	Katherine Brebner	Pamela Robertson	Marion Farquhar	The Alexander Brothers
1976	Pamela Robertson	Susan Bradford	Liz Wilson	Sandy Mutch (Grampian Regional Council Convener)
1977	Lorraine Adams	Valerie Hay	Brenda Mathers	Peter Morrison (Singer)
1978	Jane Foubister	Caroline Carville	Shirley Anderson	Ron Dale (Comedian)
1979	Janice Mann	Anna Youngson	Heather McLean	Jim Brocklebank (Grampian TV Reporter)
1980	Aileen Forsyth	Lorraine Garden	Ruth Ann Davidson	George Barron & Jim McColl (BBC Beechgrove Garden)
1981	Suzanne Murdoch	Linda Robertson	Anthea McLean	Mr R. C. H. Boothman D.F.C. Master of the Merchant Maiden Co.
1982	Lorraine Murdoch	Linda McCormack	Claire Buchan	Svein Tommerdal (Mayor of Alesund)
1983	Paula Taylor	Sandra Eddie	Jacqueline Thain	Anna Sourby (Grampian TV)
1984	Shona McIntosh	Margaret Bruce	Shirley Wagner	Chief Constable Alistair Lynn
1985	Karon Beagrie	Donna Anderson	Debbie Junor	Lord Gray of Taynuilt, Argyll
1986	Fiona Buchan	Heather Willox	Lorraine Henderson	Frank Gilfeather (Grampain TV)
1987	Priscilla Shillington	Shirley Ann McDonnell	Mary Jolly	Mr Peter Heatly CBE
1988	Debra Watson	Carole Woolner	Kerry Mundie	Stephen Robertson (Scotland the What)
1989	Carole Woolner	Gillian Shaw	Maree Fordyce	Dr Geoffrey Hadley
1990	Hazel Milne	Alison Louise Forbes	Anne Marie Mathers	Arlene Stewart (Grampian TV)
1991	Tina Gallagher	Tracy Innes	Morag McDougall	Fiona Kennedy
1992	Morag McDougall	Yvette Winterbottom	Sharlene Everett	Jack Webster
1993	Diane Finnie	Michelle Buchan	Brenda Smith	Wolf & Cobra (ITV Gladiators)
1994	Dianna Taylor	Brenda Smith	Lynn Ann Fraser	Sean O'Farrell (Irish Singer)
1995	Suzanne Cheyne	Melanie Johnstone	Lisa Chalmers	Bill Cruickshank O.B.E.
1996	Caroline Smith	Margaret E. Strachan	Lorraine McIntosh	Group Captain of R.A.F. Buchan
1997	Joanna Anketill	Dawn Smillie	Lesly Cairns	Johnny Beattie & Peter Morrison
1998	Claire Stephen	Kelly O'Brien	Alwyn Lois Milne	John Duncanson (Grampain TV) & Gwnyth Guthrie (Highroad)
1999	Karen Cherry	Vanda Geddes	Teresa Smith	John Duncanson (Grampian TV) & Kenny King (Waves Radio)
2000	Jill Morrison	Jacqueline Ives	Stacey Hopkin	John Duncanson (Grampian TV)
2001	Lynn Morrice	Claire Stephen	Jennifer Sandison	Alex Salmond MP
2002	Louise Duthie	Gemma Taylor	Susan Robertson	Arve Tonning (Mayor of Alesund)
2003	Stephanie Bruce	Sarana Buchan	Lisa Smith	Marc Ellington (Singer)
2004	Jacqueline Greig	Hayliegh Riddell	Shonagh Buchan	Cheryl Paul & Chris Harvey (Grampian TV)
2005	Louise Ritchie	Lorraine Bruce	Gina Paterson	James McLaughlan (Strictly Dance Fever)
2006	Rachel Duthie	Lori Davidson	Nicola Paterson	Madeline Kelly (First Buchan Queen)
2007	Kelly Hall	Leane Smith	Jamie Lee Steyn	Jimmy Buchan (BBC Trawlerman)
2008	Stephanie McLaughlan	Gillian Park	Toni Steyn	Frank Gilfeather (Radio Presenter/Journalist)
2009	Amy-Louise Reid	Gemma Gray	Leah Porter	Alex Salmond (First Minister)
2010	Dawn-Louise Samuel	Deanna Carter	Ashleigh Donald	Sean Batty (STV Weatherman)
2011	Chelsea Fulton	Jenna Morrice	Jemma Buchan	Norman MacLeod (STV Newsreader)

The Raft Race

Arguably the most popular of any Peterhead Scottish Week, the Raft Race has had a long associattion with the week-long Gala but many locals are surprised to learn that the event itself was not an original concept of Scottish Week and was only introduced in 1979. The name of the first event was infact Raft Race 2000 but the '2000' was later dropped. The first few years saw a battle between local based companies Asco and British National Oil Corporation (BNOC) as to the 'champions of the sea'. BNOC won the very first Raft race and again triumphed two years later in 1981. It would have been a hat-tick of victories for BNOC as they also crossed the line first in the 1980 event but were later disqualified when failing to follow the correct course; thus handing the win to rivals Asco. Nineteen teams participated in 1979 and this grew to its peak of 29 entrants in 1984 with some companies such as BNOC submitting 2 or 3 teams in the event. In latter years, with a greater demand in legislation and the necessity for health & saftey regulations, the cost in insuraning water-related events as part of Peterhead Scottish Week meant that the committee had to withdraw the event from the 2006 calander. In 2008 a proposal by a member of the public to finance a return of the Raft Race was welcomed but with less tahn a month to go before Scottish Week 2008 it was not possible to carry through with the plans. As 2011 marks the 50th edition of Peterhead Scottish Week, the committee decided that the week itself should feature a number of nostalgic events, most notably the Raft Race. The insurance headaches that had plagued the event and brought it to a halt had now been overcome. Please note that a Raft Race event sponsored by Peterhead Scottish Week was held in 1977 to raise funds for the Peterhead Hospital Pacemaker Fund. The winners of that event was the team of JMC Silver Streak.

Year	Winning Team	Year	Winning
1962 - 1976	No Event	1996	Example
1977	JMC Silver Streak* (Sponsored event)
1978	No Event
1979	British National Oil Corporation	1997	Example
1980	Asco	1998	Example
1981	British National Oil Corporation	1999	Example
1982	Northsound Radio	2000	Example
1983	Peterhead Swimming Club	2001	Example
1984	Peterhead Police	2002	Example
1985	Aberdeenshire Rafters	2003	Example
1986	BritOil	2004	Example
1987	Asco	2005	Example
1988	Asco	2006	No Event
1989	Connor Seafoods	2007	No Event
1990	Example	2008	No Event
1991	Example	2009	No Event
1992	Example	2010	No Event
1993	Example	2011	Thursday 21st July
1994	Example	2012	Event Not Confirmed
1995	Example	2013	Event Not Confirmed

External links

• example.com