News & Events > Media Releases > Harpenden Highland Gathering
Harpenden Highland Gathering
Charities will benefit greatly from the day – total raised was £20,000. Beneficiaries include Harpenden Lions ‘Life Skills’ programme in local schools, St. Francis’ Hospice in Berkhamsted and ‘Help 4 Heroes’.
Harpenden Highland Gathering was held throughout the day on Sunday 13th July in Rothamsted Park, Harpenden. The Gathering is a major outdoor fun event for Hertfordshire which also raises thousands of pounds for charities. It was a very enjoyable day out for all the family – and especially for expatriate Scots. Around 8,000 people passed through the gates over the course of the day which is claimed to be the largest Highland Gathering in the UK outside Scotland. The organisers, Harpenden Lions Club, describe it as a ‘fun day out for all the family with a Scottish flavour’ and it raises funds for many deserving causes.
All the traditional attractions of the Highland Gathering were there - pipe bands, highland dancing, marching, heavy events and competitions. This year, for the first time, was the additional attraction of sheepdog demonstrations. Visitors had plenty to do; there were crafters’ stalls, a climbing wall, falconry display, classic car display, commercial stalls and a funfair. Food was widely available and there was a licensed bar. Scottish dancing competitions took place throughout the day. Dances included the Highland Fling, Flora MacDonald, the Sword Dance and others.
St. Albans & Mid-Herts Caledonian Society organised the first of the local Highland Games which took place on 22nd June 1946 at Beech Hyde Farm, Wheathampstead. In 1950 they moved again, this time to Rothamsted Park, Harpenden where they remained until the late 50s. A meeting at a dinner party held at the home of Mrs Val Robertson in Harpenden in the late 90s between a local Scotsman and a member of Harpenden Lions Club initiated the revival of the Games. The first of the modern Games took place at Harpenden Rugby Club on 22nd June 1996, the fiftieth anniversary of the first games. The following year they relocated back to their traditional home in Rothamsted Park in Harpenden.
