QUEEN & COURT PRINCIPALS FOR 2013 ANNOUNCED
The Queen Elect for 2013 is Hollie Horsburgh with Dylan Innes as Herald. Hollie and Dylan are pupils of St Margaret's Primary School. Details of all of the Court Principals are listed on the Court page. Congratulations to everyone who has been selected.
Details of Maids of Honour and Gentlemen in Waiting will be added once all of the children have responded to their invitation letters. See 2013 Court page

CROWNING LADY FOR 2013 ANNOUNCED
The Crowning Lady at Loanhead Children's Day 2013 is Mrs Jane Duffin, wife of the Reverend Graham Duffin of Loanhead Parish Church. Congratulations to Jane who will be accompanied on the day by Mrs Lorna Brown.

FUNDRAISING EVENTS
Our popular annual Race Night and Disco will take place on Friday 15 March in Loanhead Ex-Servicemen's Club. Tickets cost £2. Whether or not you are able to come along on the night, you can become the owner of a horse for £5 or you can sponsor a race for £30. Please contact Ross Perfect (0131 440 1380) for more information.

A new event this year will be an Auction and Fun Night on Friday 10 May in the Croft Suite. Tickets cost £5 which will include a buffet supper. There will be a range of fun activities games and competitions on the night plus an auction of sporting memorabilia and other items. Tickets from Ross Perfect (0131 440 1380).

Reminder that all photograph orders must be completed by 10th August 2012 to fit with closing of Gala Day accounts. First few orders now completed.

You can purchase most of the photographs taken during Gala Week 2012. Those available are marked with a red number. Please indicate the event and the photograph number(s) you wish. Along with size of photograph(s) requested.

6x4 photographs - £1.00 each or 12 for £10.
7x5 photographs - £1.50 each or 8 for £10
8x6 photographs - £2.00 each or 6 for £10

payment in advance. Paypal available (add £1 to total for paypal payments). All monies raised to Gala Day Funds.
For further details email photographs@loanheadgaladay.co.uk (not the paypal email)

You can purchase most of the photographs taken during Gala Week 2012. Those available are marked with a red number. Please indicate the event and the photograph number(s) you wish. Along with size of photograph(s) requested.

6x4 photographs - £1.00 each or 12 for £10.
7x5 photographs - £1.50 each or 8 for £10
8x6 photographs - £2.00 each or 6 for £10

payment in advance. Paypal available (add £1 to total for paypal payments). All monies raised to Gala Day Funds.
For further details email photographs@loanheadgaladay.co.uk (not the paypal email)

Four Court members have sent in decorated house images - added to page - click to view. Keep them coming from other court members. Information on where to send them on page.

New messages added to Guestbook page. Why not add your memories or comments on 2012 Gala Day (or previous years)

Over next week or so all the images from
Friday School Assembly and Procession
Crowning Ceremony
Grand Procession
Afternoon Entertainment

will go live on the site. Updates will be posted here.

Please note the following changes to the published programme for Children's Day - Saturday 23rd June 2012. This is due to The Memorial Park being waterlogged.
See events page
1. The Arrangements pre Crowning Ceremony stand as normal.

2. The Cowning Ceremony will take place at Fountain Green as normal.

3. The Grand Procession will take place and move of as normal at 12 noon.

4. The War Memorial Ceremony will take place at 2pm as normal.

5. Nothing will take place in The Memorial Park. Following a meeting with Midlothian Council Officials it was agreed and arranged that entertainment will now take place from 1pm in the street. George Avenue between The Loan and The Leisure Centre Car Park in King George V park will be closed to traffic and entertainment will now be situated in the street. Please join us.
We will also use Fountain Green as possible for some entertainment from 1pm.
The main arena attractions sadly cannot take place.

The Sports today Friday 22nd are cancelled. Due to the Memorial Park being waterlogged they will not take place on Sunday - as was the earlier back up plan. They may be arranged at a later date.

See this image from Gala Day 2011 - cick here to view image

A long standing tradition in Loanhead is that of the Court members decorating their house. This is judged every year and a trophy and gold standard awards made. The winners are announced during the Crowning Ceremony.
As with last year we are asking Court Members and their Families to send in a maximum of four photos of their decorated houses. Please add the court members name and position on the Court along with a title for the theme of the decorations. The house address will not be included on the page. If you wish to have the Court member and or family in photograph(s) that is acceptable, but not a requirement.

Send the image by email to decoratedhouses@loanheadgaladay.co.uk and we will add the image(s) to the page. Please do not use zip files. Send as jpegs. If large files spread images over a few emails please. Thanks

The images that go on page are only about 100kb. No need to send in files that are 20mb each if you can use photoshop or some other program to reduce camera jpeg files. Thanks

view 2012 Decorated Houses page

To mark the crowning of the 100th Queen in 2012, an additional banner has been commissioned and this will feature for the first time in the procession on Saturday 23 June. The banner features on one side a picture of Loanhead’s First Queen, Catherine Brown and, on the reverse, there is a picture of Provost Hugh Kerr who was the Founder of Loanhead Children’s Day. The Committee gratefully acknowledges financial support received from Scotmid Co-op for this project.

The photo shows the new banner with Ian Miller of Scotmid and Gala Chairman Ross Perfect. The Committee is keen to hear from anyone who may wish to join the banner party which is being established to carry the new banner in the procession. Anyone interested should contact Ross Perfect on 0131 440 1380.

Four pupils from the P5 and P6 classes at Loanhead, Paradykes and St Margaret’s Primary Schools, Sophie Taylor, Emma Yorkston, Claire McGhee and Lawrie Wilson, have been selected as the jockeys for 2012. In preparation for the big day, the Jockeys are each receiving a number of riding lessons. On the day the jockeys will wear specially made silk tunics in Loanhead Gala’s royal blue, white and gold colours.

Following consultations with the Headteachers of our three Primary Schools, the format of the football, basketball and hockey competitions for primary school pupils during the Gala Week has been altered. Taking into account the considerable differences in pupil numbers at the various schools, the previous format with teams entered by individual schools was no longer considered to be appropriate.

The new format allows pupils at any of the schools to take part in the events with teams being selected on a random or “jumble” basis. To assist in identifying teams selected on this basis, Davy Perfect Autocare have provided sets of coloured bibs. It is hoped the new format will allow for greater levels of participation from pupils at all of the schools.

See times of the football, basketball and hockey competitions on events page

In addition to the programme there is also a special Souvenir Brochure to mark the Crowning of Loanhead’s 100th Queen. The brochure contains photographs of all of Loanhead’s 100 Queens. The brochure is also priced at £3.00 but, if purchased with the programme, the 2 items can be obtained for the discount price of £5.00. The brochure is available from the same outlets as the programme.

If you wish to purchase a copy and have it sent to you by post, please call Alan McLaren on 0131 440 3830 for further details.

Buy worldwide - email joe@gilhooley.fsnet.co.uk for paypal details.

The towns and villages of Midlothian enjoy a rich heritage of local festivals. This new book published by the Loanhead Children’s Gala Association traces the colourful history of these events from the earliest recorded events to the present day.

The Hiring Fairs, Carters’ Plays, Miners’ Plays, Friendly Society Walks and Gymnastic Games, all of which were features of community life in the nineteenth century and early years of the twentieth century, are covered in detail.

The story of the Children’s Day movement in Midlothian is extensively covered, tracing the history of not only the three surviving events, being those at Loanhead, Newtongrange and Gorebridge, but also the many other such events which have failed to survive the test of time.

Penicuik has Midlothian’s only equestrian based celebrations in the form of the Hunter & Lass festival and its story is detailed, together with that of Dalkeith’s annual barbecue. Large numbers of other events, both great and small, are covered.
Events in the following communities are detailed in individual chapters:-
Auchendinny & Glencorse – including Gymnastic Games and Glencorse Children’s Gala.
Bonnyrigg, Lasswade & Poltonhall – including Lasswade Carters’ Play, Lasswade Gardeners and Foresters’ Walks, Gymnastic Games, Club & Coffee House Sports, Bonnyrigg Rose Sports, Fancy Dress Cycle Parades, Bonnyrigg Friendly Society Walks, Children’s Days in Bonnyrigg and Lasswade, Poltonhall Gala Day, Bonnyrigg Sheepdog Trials, Bonnyrigg Gymkhana, Bonnyrigg Civic Week and Bonnyrigg Fun Day.
Cousland – including Cousland Play and Gala Day.
Dalkeith - including Dalkeith Fairs, Carters’ Play, Friendly Society Walks, Gymnastic Games, Fancy Dress Parades, Dalkeith Thistle Sports, Children’s Gala Day, Barbecue and Civic Week.
Easthouses & Mayfield – including Langlaw Carters’ Play, Easthouses Games, Easthouses Gala Day, Mayfield Civic Week and Mayfield & Easthouses Gala Day.
• Gilmerton – including Gilmerton Play, Gilmerton Games and Gilmerton Children’s Gala.
• Gorebridge – including Arniston Play, Gorebridge & Arniston Games, Arniston Rangers’ Sports and Gorebridge Gala Day.
Loanhead – including Charter Fair, Friendly Society Demonstrations and Sports, Gymnastic Games, Polton Vale Sports, Loanhead Children’s Day and West End Gala Day.
• Newton & Danderhall – including Newton Children’s Day and Danderhall Gala Day.
• Newtongrange – including Newbattle Miners’ Play, Newtongrange Games, Newtongrange Children’s Gala Day, Pipe Band Contest & Games and Brass in the Park.
Pathhead – including Carters’ Play, Gymnastic Games and Gala Day.
Penicuik – including Whipman Play, Gardeners’ Walk, other Friendly Society Walks, Hiring Fairs, Gymnastic Games, Children’s Gala Day, Hunter & Lass Festival, Civic Week and Arts Festival & Street Fair.
Rosewell – including Rosewell Games and Children’s Gala Day.
Roslin – including Gymnastic Games, Fancy Dress Cycle Parades, Children’s Gala Day, Roslin & Bilston Sports Week and Roslin Fun Day.
Temple – including Children’s Gala Day.

A separate chapter deals with events in some of the smaller villages and there is also separate coverage of the Miners’ Gala Day. Appendices detail Midlothian’s current festivals and provide a detailed listing of Midlothian’s former Friendly and Mutual Benefit Societies.

The text is complemented by an 80 page Photo Gallery containing almost 170 photos, including over 60 in full colour. The presentation is enhanced by an A4 individual page size and case binding.

Extending to 345 pages, this is an important work for anyone interested in the history of some or all of Midlothian’s towns and villages and anyone with an interest in Scotland’s local festivals.

RRP £24.99
ISBN 978-0-9541343-2-7

Available from and enquiries to:-
Alan McLaren, 23 Polton Road, Loanhead, Midlothian EH20 9BU
Telephone 0131 440 3830

Copies can also be purchased from:-
Midlothian Local Studies Library, Clerk Street, Loanhead;
Card Warehouse, Clerk Street, Loanhead;
Allan McDougall, High Street, Penicuik;
Scottish Mining Museum, Lady Victoria Colliery, Newtongrange;
Newtongrange Post Office, Main Street, Newtongrange;
And other outlets.

The Fun Run is now a long established event in the Gala Week. For this year’s run on Sunday 17 June we are introducing team prizes in addition to the normal individual awards. Whilst runners will still be able to enter as individuals as has always been the case, we are also inviting local groups and organisations of all sorts to enter teams of between 4 and 6 runners.

The best 4 placings from any team will count towards the team score. There will be a trophy for the best junior team (all members at primary school) and a trophy for the best senior team (for adults and secondary school pupils). Teams can be mixed (some adults/secondary school pupils and some primary school pupils) and any such teams will be regarded as taking part in the senior category.

All team members will also be eligible for the various individual awards. As in previous years, every runner who completes the course will receive a medal. There are no entry fees and entry is free for all participants.

The run starts at 11.00 am outside Paradykes Primary School / Loanhead CLC, Mayburn Walk. Entrants should enrol from 10.30 am. Prior to the start of the run there will be a mass warm up session led by a local Zumba instructor.

The route commences with a lap of the Paradykes School playing field. It then makes its way by Mayburn Walk and Avenue to the Library. It enters the King George V Playing Field and there is a lap of the park around the Leisure Centre. The route then proceeds down Mayburn Avenue and joins the path between Mayburn/Dalum and Burnbank/Costco. From the end of the path in Dryden Terrace, the route is by Dalum Loan to the finish in Mayburn Walk outside Paradykes School/Loanhead CLC.

CALLING ALL FORMER QUEENS, HERALDS AND CROWNING LADIES

As part of our special celebrations to mark the Crowning of Loanhead’s 100th Queen, we hope that as many as possible of our former Queens, Heralds and Crowning Ladies will be able to join us on Saturday 23 June. Invitations have been issued to all former Queens, Heralds and Crowning Ladies for whom we currently have contact details. If you are a former Queen or Herald or Crowning Lady and you have not received an invitation, please contact us. If you can help us to contact any of the following, we shall be pleased to hear from you.

Colin Bannerman, Herald 1956
Helen Louden, Queen 1957
John Dunkerley, Herald 1959
Gordon Charleston, Herald 1960
Ernest Rossi, Herald 1965
Jacqueline Russell, Queen 1967
Paul McMillan, Herald 1967
Anne Thomson, Queen 1978
Donna Hercus, Queen 1985
Catriona O’Sullivan, Queen 1987

If you can assist, even if it directing us to a family member, please email the Gala Day Committee Secretary