Lothians Conservation Volunteers' Ceilidh - 29th October 2011

2012/01/25

Well, wasn't it a remarkably balmy night for the ceilidh? In previous years gloves and scarves have been the insulation of choice for those manning the door, but not so this year. We had a turnout of about seventy willing dancers who were entertained by the jigs and reels of the Nine Points of Roguery Ceilidh band, and even a rendition of "Big Yellow Taxi." The band certainly knew how to keep the crowd going!

Raffle prizes were donated by the Scottish Seabird Centre, the Royal Yacht Britannia, Butterfly World, the Scotch Whisky Centre, Tiso, Martin Brownjohn, Louisa Martin and yours truly. So we had a very healthy table of prizes this year which created quite a stir. Impromptu drum rolls added to the suspense of the ticket draw, which can really only be otherwise matched by wondering if Santa really will bring the invisibility cloak you've written on your list...or is that just me? (I expect so, Simon — Ed.)

The warm temperatures meant that the bar was kept busy the whole night and the availability of sliced lemons and limes seemed to impress the first timers.

The final dance was possibly the longest Strip the Willow I have ever seen: we just fitted across the width of the South Side Community Centre and there was some very enthusiastic spinning going on. This was followed by the customary "Auld Lang Syne" and general madness that ensues for a couple of minutes as a huddle of people breaks up into couples jigging around each other in the hall.

It only leaves me to thank all those who helped the night go so smoothly by helping out on the door, on the bar and in advance by putting up posters and generally helping out with the administrative work. Hope to see you next year!