Cromarty's celebrity visitor reflects on furloughed oil platforms and bonnie Scotland
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A CELEBRITY visitor to a Black Isle town has prompted lots of love for the seaside community – and online chat about the merits of its "rig creche".
Rev Richard Coles, known to millions for his unique dancing style as a celebrity contestant on BBC TV's globally successful Strictly, and as one half of chart-toppers The Communards, is a prolific tweeter with a following of more than 354,000 people.
His recent visit to Scotland took in a visit to the Black Isle town of Cromarty where he spent some time with the family of another famous celebrity visitor and part-time resident, novelist Ian Rankin.
Rev Coles tweeted: "Cromarty! Where furloughed oil platforms share the Firth with mackerel, and I broke bread with the @Beathhigh bubble and bid farewell to bonny S!"
The tweet prompted more than 1000 likes and plenty of comments from others who have visited the Cromarty Firth settlement.
One responded: "I adore Cromarty! I drive up from the Sussex coast whenever I can. The place just blows me away."
Damian Higgins wrote: "An endearingly peculiar town, Cromarty. I liked it a lot the one time I visited."
Another though observed: "I call it the Rig Creche! It's a piece of industrial beauty."
Colin Dunn, who lives locally, noted that the rigs"pall a little for locals when there are so many". He wrote: "It’d be nice to have the occasional evening without the clatter and roar of generators."
Dave Duncan observed: "When things start to pick up they’ll be back out there making plenty money for the oil companies."
Rev Coles, vicar of Finedom in Northamptonshire, was known to an earlier generation as the multi-instrumentalist who partnered Jimmy Somerville in 1980s band The Communards, maker of three top ten hits including the No. 1 dance version of Don't Leave Me This Way.
The broadcaster and journalist has also appeared on Celebrity Masterchef and was a contestant on Strictly, partnered with professional dancer Diane Buswell. His unique moves won him an army of fans but failed to impress the judges.
