Forres Community Activities Association will crown Burgess during Scottish Week on from June 1-9

THE organisers of a triennial community event in Forres are looking for nominations for recipients for a local honour.

Forres Community Activities Association (FCAA) is set to crown the town's latest group of Burgess during Scottish Week, which promises entertainment every day from June 1-9.

FCAA chairman George Alexander, himself made a Burgess in 2015, confirmed the Burgess ceremony will take place in St Leonard's Church on Tuesday, June 4.

He said: "Being a Burgess means that I should continue to carry out the same community work that earned me the honour in the first place ... As I do not have any sheep to drive down High Street!

"The FCAA committee is responsible for making the award to local individuals who have contributed in various ways, over a sustained period, to the wellbeing of their local communities.

"We already have a number of names put forward as eligible candidates but if anyone thinks there is someone who deserves to be named as a Burgess then please drop a note into the Tolbooth letterbox detailing why he or she is a worthy nominee."

Sandy Burgess, Ross Dalziel, Alan James, Eddie Tomkinson, the late Sandra MacIver and Mike Gregson received the title during the last Scottish Week.

"This was in recognition of many years of service to the community in many different capacities," said George. "The Burgess book is accessible beside the Burgess board in the Tolbooth."

As well as organising the annual Forres Youth Concert, the FCAA is responsible for staging Scottish Week every three years, a continuation of the annual Forres Town Gala of days gone by.

However, there has not been a Forres Scottish Week since 2018.

George explained: "The committee decided that the uncertainty caused by the epidemic made it too risky to organise an event which may have had to be cancelled at the last minute. We did however stage the Toun Mercat in 2022 as our contribution to the Queen's Jubilee celebrations."

He added: "The great parade of decorated floats which travelled along the High Street from Bridge Street to the Grant Park was a memorable feature of the traditional gala, as was the crowning of the Scottish Week Queen and her attendants.

"Forres Toun Mercat was originally part of the Gala and continues to be part of Scottish Week. The opening parade of young people in a variety of costumes and the Colour Run are two highlights from a packed programme this year."

For more information, or to nominate a Burgess, visit https://www.facebook.com/forrescaa/