Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

2,000 turn out for Glenfinnan Highland Gathering

Glenfinnan Highland Gathering
Glenfinnan Highland Gathering

A crowd of more than 2,000 turned out for the Glenfinnan Highland Gathering in Lochaber.

They also witnessed the retirement of 86-year-old stalwart Ronnie Mackellaig MBE, who has been the games secretary for 69 years.

Yesterday, the games committee presented him with a specially made garden bench bearing an inscription of his name in recognition of his service.

Mr Mackellaig’s wife, Margaret, who is committee’s treasurer, also received a bouquet of flowers.

Mr Mackellaig said: “I was delighted with the atmosphere, which was very pleasant, and people were out for the day and happy because the weather was good.

Glenfinnan Highland Gathering
Glenfinnan Highland Gathering

“The event itself went very well. There was a light shower at about 2pm but it stayed sunny for the rest of the afternoon.

“What makes the Glenfinnan Games special is the history behind it as the Jacobite monument stands here, and it’s a beautiful setting at Loch Shiel, and on a good day you cannot beat it.”

Yesterday on the games field, Andrew Johnston, who is from the Fort William area, was awarded the Lang Trophy for the seven-event heavyweight competition after beating five others to win the title.

Fort William man Peter Whitehead won the hotly anticipated caber toss event.

For many the Glenfinnan Gathering is the focus of a celebration of the old Highland way of life.

It is usually held on the Saturday in August which is closest to the 19th of the month – the date of the Jacobite Rising at Glenfinnan in 1745.

The games, which have been running since 1946, are also set amid some of the region’s most spectacular scenery.

Tommy McEacken, 79, a former competitor who has won the heavyweight contest 18 times, was chosen as this year’s games chieftain.

He said: “The fact that these games are confined to Lochaber makes them special. You have to be a resident here or born here and it gives a very local feel to the competition.”