Tartan Day Scotland 2010 - Gala Dinner Hails All Things Caledonian
Issued: 9 April 2010
On Wednesday evening, guests from across Scotland celebrated the very best of Scotland at The Tartan Day Scotland Gala Dinner 2010, which was held at Carnoustie Golf Hotel.
The compère for the Tartan Day Scotland Gala Dinner was TV sports presenter Dougie Donnelly and the two after-dinner speakers were Jim Brown, the well-known raconteur from Fettercairn, and Dr Peter Hughes OBE, Chief Executive of Scottish Engineering, the major support and lobbying organisation for Scotland's engineering industry.
Dr Hughes was a late addition to the programme and replaced Gavin Hastings, who was forced to cancel his appearance due to ill health. Dr Hughes entertained the Gala Dinner guests with a very amusing talk interspersed with a serious message: the significance and importance of the engineering industry to Scotland's economy. "Many Scottish engineering companies enjoy an excellent reputation across the world," Dr Hughes said. "We make the best naval vessels, the best pumps, the best buses, the best taxis… We have a fantastic engineering industry and we should be very proud of it."
Very fittingly, Dr Hughes also stressed the importance of promoting the strengths of Scotland and the Scots, which is the aim of Tartan Day. "We need to tell people how good we are," he said. "We all need to be Scottish enthusiasts."
The Tartan Day celebrations are an Angus Council tourism and community initiative. The Angus celebrations now extend to a week, from April 2 until April 10, with over 50 events taking place across the county.
The Tartan Day celebrations are an Angus Council tourism and community initiative. The Angus celebrations now extend to a week, from April 2 until April 10, with over 50 events taking place across the county.
To find out about all the events taking place across Angus during Tartan Day Scotland, which is sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, visit the What's On in Angus page.
The Tartan Day Events Guide is also available from accommodation providers and visitor attractions in Angus, Dundee, Perth and Aberdeenshire and at museums, libraries and Access offices in Angus.
A toast to Tartan Day by Dr Peter Hughes; Provost of Angus, Ruth Leslie Melville; Dougie Donnelly; and David Tudor, Site Manager, GlaxoSmithKline, sponsors of Tartan Day Scotland.
