Pupils “cook up” support for Piping At Forres

The youngsters created a special Scottish-themed menu including tatties scones and shortbread.

LOCAL school pupils who run a monthly community café dedicated their most recent event to Piping At Forres.

Youngsters from Logie Primary School used a Scottish theme for their May café in order to help promote what is deemed to be Moray’s biggest one day event, which will take place in the town on June 30.

The community café is run by the primary four, five, six and seven pupils who created a special Scottish menu for the event including tattie scones and shortbread and they donned tartan and even booked a piper.

Helen Douglas, headteacher at the school said it was great fun and explained how the community café was created.

She said: “The community café is a social enterprise and all funds made at each event are reinvested back into the business and are used to pay for children in P6 and P7 to go on residentials if their families would struggle financially.

“We have one city residential and then one outdoor pursuits or skiing residential and the café ensures that no child is left behind.”

Community

She added: “We grow an increasing amount of vegetables to use in the café, with some produce being bought and some donated via Fareshare at Tesco. It has been fantastic for developing community links, welcoming people into the school, and for the children to learn about running a catering business. This month the pupils decided they wanted to support Piping At Forres and they really thought about what they could do to make that little bit different, going as far as arranging a piper and inviting representatives from the event.”

Twelve-year-old, primary seven pupil Connor Taylor-Marriott said: “Lots of people go to Piping At Forres, it is a very good event for the town. Last year, we were asked to carry the placards to announce the bands as they entered the arena at the end of the day, so this was a way for us to support the event.”

#YOYP2018

Piping At Forres is celebrating Scotland Year of Young People.

Ainsley James has been appointed Piping At Forres’ Year of Young People Co-ordinator and she attended the school’s café.

She said: “This was a great event and the pupils went to such an effort to make sure that it celebrated Piping At Forres. Their Scottish spin on what is their usual monthly café was perfect. The piper, Lily Carmichael from the Forres & District Pipe Band who also attended, a young person herself was also great with the pupils and allowed them to have a go on her bagpipes. Young people enthusing young people about our culture. Just perfect.”

This year, Piping At Forres, will be held on Saturday, June 30 in Grant Park, Forres.

The event not only includes world class piping, Highland dancing and the World Tattie Scone Championships but also has a food and drink village, bars, a craft and retail village, attractions such as funfairs and back by popular demand is the AES Solar Interactive Science Tent.

More than 100 pipe bands from around the world compete in the European Pipe Band Championships, in front of a crowd of thousands, making it the biggest ticketed one-day event in Moray.