'Royal festivities are just the start'
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A RIGHT royal knees-up was such a success that the trust behind it is optimistic about other community events it intends to hold in Tain in future.
The royal burgh town lived up to its name at the weekend when residents gathered to mark the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The celebrations, which were organised by the Tain and District Development Trust, included a special party in the Collegiate Church, where care home and Dementia Resource Centre residents enjoyed footage of times gone by – including the Queen’s coronation.
This was followed by a Royal Watch Party, where members of the community were able to enjoy the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on a big screen.
Other family-friendly activities included afternoon tea, live music, a bouquet toss, and competitions for the best dressed and best hat.
The celebrations continued in the Rose Gardens with a well-attended community market, that also featured a mix of games, face painting, a royal fancy dress contest and live music from Gizzen Briggs.
Trust member Sarah Mackenzie said the events had served a double purpose – boosting the group’s efforts to raise awareness of Tain’s tourist attractions and also increasing footfall in the historic burgh town.
She added: "As a development trust we are looking to improve social and economical aspects of Tain and District and these events have set the tone for how we plan to move forward.
"We aim to raise awareness of our current tourist attractions and regenerate historical buildings within our area, combat social isolation and deprivation, support start up and small businesses, increase footfall and boost tourism.
"Together with the community we are a powerful force for positive changes and I feel the buzz and vibrancy created from the weekend events is a great example of this."
Fellow trust member Sharon Robertson was delighted with the response from the Tain community to the weekend’s royal shindig.
"The events of the weekend were received so positively by all that attended, it was fantastic to see such a wide demographic of the community together enjoying some of our local attractions and amenities."
She added that the development trust hopes to run further market events throughout the tourist season, moving them around the area in order to spread the benefit.
Ms Robertson added: "The success of our events depends heavily on community involvement and we would like to thank the community for their support and practical help for our first event.
"We are looking to build a team of volunteers from the community to help us raise money and help us to drive our projects forward.
Anyone interested in getting involved in helping out or selling at future community market events in the town should email the trust at info@tainddtrust.com
