Report from Scotland

Renfrewshire, Scotland, had a great response to our second annual Kilt Skate with over 300 skaters taking part in the public skate and around 25 people wearing kilts. It was wonderful to see such a wide range of ages participating in the kilt skate.

The Braehead Arena hit upon an innovative way to encourage skaters to don their tartans and their kilts: they appealed to the traditional Scottish value of thrift. The admission to the public skate is regularly 12 pounds sterling (about CAD $22) and eight pounds for children over five (CAD $15.) Anyone wearing a kilt could skate for free! Don’t have a kilt? Wear something tartan and save two pounds on your admission price.

The piper from a local high school and three Ceilidh Trail musicians were fantastic, providing lively entertainment for the skaters, who applauded appreciatively after each song. Traditional Scottish music was played throughout, with the musicians performing on accordion, fiddle and guitar, adding to the great atmosphere on the ice.

A video highlighting the twinning of Renfrewshire, Scotland, and Renfrew County, Ontario, Ontario, was shown during the session.

 Later that afternoon, the Lord Provost of Renfrewshire (the equivalent of a mayor in Ontario) ceremoniously dropped the puck at the start of the ice hockey game that saw the hometown Glasgow Clan play the Fife Flyers. The Canadian sport is rapidly growing in Scotland, with 3000-plus fans cheering the Clan on. The game rounded off a very successful day. A day that ended with further success as the Clan beat the Flyers 4-1.

  We look forward to keeping this kilt skate tradition alive next year.