Autumn Gathering 2021

The first weekend in November saw the welcome return of in-person events for the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society as we held our Autumn Gathering in Perth.  The first event to be held in-person since February 2020 saw friends reuniting and much happiness on the dancefloor.

The weekend got underway with a dance on Friday night, attended by over 250 dancers. The programme for the evening was compiled by Cape Town Branch and included The Reel of the 51st Division, Sands of Morar and The Belle of Bon Acord.  Music was provided by the Marian Anderson Scottish Dance Band, a much-loved favourite of the dancers.  It was fantastic to see dancers enjoying themselves and catching up with friends they’d not seen for nearly two years.

Saturday morning saw the Open Forum take place in the Coaching Hall with over 60 attendees discussing ideas as the Society looks towards its second century.   Following the Open Forum, Fiona Mackie led a well-attended dance class with music by Adam Brady; Fiona said she was looking forward to seeing everyone back on the dance floor, with the focus of the class being the sociability of dancing as well as the technique.

At 2pm, Chairman Lorna Ogilvie, Chair-Elect William Williamson and Treasurer Bill Cant were piped in to the Coaching Hall to lead the 92nd RSCDS AGM.  The AGM provided a summary of the Society’s activities over the previous year and you can watch a recording of proceedings on our You Tube channel.

Bill Cant, RSCDS Treasurer presented a report on the Society’s financial situation. More details of the accounts can be found in the Trustees Report and a condensed view of annual activities is available in the Summary Report. Delegates approved a motion from the Management Board that for the year from 1st July 2022, the basic full annual subscription be increased to £25 per annum, with other membership subscriptions based pro-rata on this amount. 

Delegates also approved the motions from the Management Board to update the sections covering virtual meeting, digital voting and the RSCDS Honorary President in both the Articles of Association and the Rules and Procedures. However, the Bristol Branch amendment was upheld, so the proposal from the Management Board to amend the Rules and Procedures to bring the Management Committee remits in line with the 2021 Trustees’ Report will not proceed.

After voting online, the following candidates were voted on to the Management Board; Andrew Nolan, Helen McGinley and Simon Wales.  The following candidates were voted on to the Membership Services Committee; Julie Grainger (3 years), Andrew Smith (3 years), Paul McKnight (1 year) and Maureen Daniel (1 year).

Elections were not required for the Education and Training Committee or the Youth Services Committee this year, with Philippa McKee becoming Convenor for Youth Services and Deb Lees Convenor Elect for Education and Training.  Lizzy Conder was confirmed as the new Treasurer.  Congratulations to all.

During the AGM, we were delighted to confirm the award of the 2021 Scroll of Honour to Hugh Ferguson for his outstanding commitment to the RSCDS and Scottish country dancing.  Chair-elect William Williamson travelled to Bristol Branch to present Hugh with his scroll earlier in the year.

Four Scroll of Honour recipients from 2020 chose to have their presentation at this year’s AGM and we were delighted that President Jean Martin was able to award Fiona Miller, Marilyn Watson, Ruby Wilkinson and Angela Young with their Scrolls.

Huge thanks and appreciation were given to two retiring Office Bearers, Treasurer Bill Cant and President Jean Martin, with a presentation of gifts from Lorna Ogilvie.  Both gave heartfelt speeches in return and we would like to thank them again for all their hard work and dedication to the RSCDS.

The Civic Reception on Saturday evening was led by Provost Dennis Melloy who gave a warm welcome to everyone and expressed his delight at seeing dancing again after such a long break.  It was then onto the dancing and the Formal Ball, with a programme devised by London Branch and music provided by Jim Lindsay and His Scottish Dance Band.  Nearly 300 dancers attended the Ball and it was great to see such a lively atmosphere on the dancefloor.

Sunday morning saw a talk led by former Editor of Scottish Country Dancer magazine Jimmie Hill and musician Mo Rutherford on ‘The dances and music in the Sir Walter Scott Book’. Well attended, the talk coincided with the release of the new Membership Services publication Sir Walter Scott - The Heart of Mid-Lothian. The book is available to purchase here with the music available to pre-order now.

The final event of the weekend was a dance class led by Deb Lees with music by Ewan Galloway.

We would like to thank all the RSCDS members, staff and Bell’s Sports Centre in Perth for organising such a brilliant event that was enjoyed by hundreds of dancers, musicians, teachers and delegates. 

We look forward to seeing you in Glasgow in 2022.