THE Church and civic ceremony, the Kirking of the Council, is likely to be guaranteed its place as a fixture on the Inverness calendar.
This follows a furore last year sparked by the city’s provost, Bob Wynd.
He said yesterday he was delighted the bombshell he dropped last summer, by calling for the event to be limited to the four-yearly inauguration of a new council, had ignited a debate which was now likely to result in a bigger and better showpiece.
Mr Wynd said he “stirred the pot” because he felt the traditional parade, dating from 1602, had become a tired event.
A working group of councillors and Kirk representatives has re-evaluated the ceremony and agreed to proceed on September 7 with bigger ambitions but still culminating with a church service.
The Inverness city committee will hear on Monday that the group intends broadening the kirking event, at which councillors and churchmen parade to the Old High Church to affirm their service to God and their fellow citizens.
All denominations will be welcome and the provost envisages a musical extravaganza to breathe life into the event.
“We’re looking to build it up into something more meaningful,” Mr Wynd said. “We’re possibly looking to link it to other things, such as maybe a fair in the Old Town streets.”
He hoped to attract a parade involving youth groups including Boys’ Brigade, scouts and uniformed cadet organisations, and also British Legion Scotland bands.
Inverness Presbytery was initially stunned by Mr Wynd’s intervention but now seems open to the idea of a multi-faith event.
Encouraged by the debate, the Rev Peter Nimmo, minister of Old High St Stephen’s Parish Church, said: “We’ve had very positive co-operation with the council and Bob Wynd has been very positive.
“It has been good to have the thing up for discussion, thinking about how we can build on it and turn it into a better event for Inverness. Reports of its demise have been greatly exaggerated.”