Plant and Garden Fete raises £1400 for Culrain Hall upgrade
Culrain Hall held its third annual Plant and Garden Fete on Saturday, May 3, attracting people from all over the Northern Highlands, with over 200 visitors throughout the day.
For many it was the attraction of the wide variety of plants on sale, with flowers, vegetables, bushes and fruits all being beautifully presented for browsing and choosing.
Members of the Culrain and district community had grown many of the plants in their polytunnels and greenhouses over the winter and spring, producing well-established, hardy plants to complement an extensive range of bare-root plants and tubers provided by the Farmer Gracy Plant Company and a selection of potted plants provided by the Scotsburn Garden Centre in Tain.
There were craft stalls selling locally made products, including candles, aromatherapy, glass etching, and pottery. Local artists Louise Worthy and Ingebjorg Smith displayed their artwork, cards and other merchandise. There was also a mouth-watering selection of home-baked cakes and biscuits and hot drinks available.
The activities and competitions proved very popular, with the enthusiasm of the competitors and the cheers of the crowd making the day great fun for all.
Alan West won the trailer reverse competition, sponsored by Bateman Trailers, while Sarah Vinnel won the best plant or garden-themed hat, sponsored by Majestic Wine Inverness and judged by local GP Janet Mair.
The baking competition saw a good variety of entries, with Trudy Williams of Inverhouse winning with her feta, sun-dried tomato and olive scones. Dornoch judge Mhairi Mackay said the standard of baking was high across the board and the range of recipes was a wonderful mix of savoury and fruit scones.
The event was fortunate that local Tain company Highland Fine Cheeses sponsored the baking competition and provided a voucher for a selection of cheeses and butter.
Culrain lad Sonny Newman excelled at throwing the Wellington boot, sponsored by Migdale Country Stores, and the trailer reverse, winning prizes in both.
The Scottish Game Fair, which takes place at Scone Palace from July 4-6, donated a family entry ticket, which was the main raffle prize.
Culrain Hall committee would like to thank all of the businesses and companies who supported the event; without their generous contributions the event would not have been the great success it was. The day saw £1400 raised towards the Culrain Hall maintenance project which will see the exterior cladding replaced with the work undertaken by Tain joiner Brian Murcar.
