The Dinner
The 153rd Anniversary Dinner, 25th January 2024
Message from the 2023/24 President Jonathan Buchan
Dear Members and Guests of Bridgeton Burns Club,
It was my great privilege and honour to be President of the Bridgeton Burns Club in 2023/24.
This wonderful club was instituted in 1870 with the main objectives being;
- To celebrate the life and works of Robert Burns by holding a dinner each year on the 25th of January.
- To promote the life and works of Robert Burns amongst the children of the East- End of Glasgow by holding an annual competition.
Next year’s will be held on Saturday 25th January 2025, and the planning for what will be a great night is well underway via new President Colin R Botfield, elected in April 2024 after 10 years as Treasurer.
The schools’ competition took place on Friday 1st December 2023 at St Mungo’s Academy, where around 1000 children from all participating schools compete as they perform songs, recitations, choral verse, pieces of art and news desk articles. It truly is the most remarkable event and thoroughly enjoyed by all participants.
At the January 2024 Dinner, we hade the pleasure of seeing and hearing a popular selection of the competition winners and a tune composed for us by a bursar we supported, broadcast by the other BBC.
The long-lasting success of the Bridgeton Burns Club is due to the sustained commitment of its Board of Directors and Past Presidents, who work tirelessly to maintain our high standards.
With a full programme of events over the coming year, I’m sure we will have a busy and enjoyable time.
I look forward to seeing you at the Anniversary Dinner on the 25th of January 2025.
Yours in friendship,
Jonathan Buchan
President 2023/24 and Schools Competition Convener
2023 Brochure
Click below to access this years brochure from The Dinner that took place on 25th January 2023
This Evening’s Pipers.
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Pipe Major SPENCER VEITCH
It is with genuine pleasure that we welcome back Pipe Major Spencer Veitch as our Club Piper to pipe-in both our distinguished Top Table and Haggis this evening.
Spencer is no stranger to our Club having carried out these duties for over 30 years.
Thank you Spencer.
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PIPE BANDS
Over the years we have had Kilbarchan Pipe Band, led by Pipe Major Brian Knight, reformed in 2002 after a 30 year hiatus from the competition arena and prior to that Williamwood Pipe band lead by our club member Andy Letham and prior to that Stamperland Boys Brigade Pipe band. While Burns played the fiddle not the pipes he would recognise some of scales and open and closed notes today.
How the Haggis is Cut Ye Up.
The Annual Anniversary Dinner is self-funding and generally makes a small profit. It is our main opportunity to appeal for the funds required to run the Schools Competition. Our current situation is, although the Club had no appeal revenue in 2021, we still managed to hold a small competition and continued the support of our bursars via the Fund for the Arts. The costs of running the competition have increased by approximately £10,000. The numbers attending the Dinner have not yet returned to pre Covid levels which has a direct effect on our ability to fund our main objective – to promote the life and works of Robert Burns amongst the children of the schools of the east-end of Glasgow. If you agree with and support our objective we would be most grateful if, following the Appeal, you could make a healthy donation to allow us to continue with our work. Our funds can only be used for permitted purpose, nothing is wasted, our trustees are unpaid not even travel expenses.
Graeme McDonald Jonathan Buchan Colin R Botfield
President 2022/23 President 2023/24 Treasurer 2014-2024
Below is a collection of photos taken from our 2024 Dinner. More can be seen on our Facebook pages.
