Robbie Burns was well and truly celebrated by Grange-Over-Sands Soroptimists and their guests this year. There wasn’t a spare ticket to be had and the 73 revellers present made sure every single tradition was marked with quite a lot of respect and even more humour.
The fun really started when our piper, Ewen Cameron led the solemn procession of the haggis into the dining room. He it was who also gave the great chieftain of the pudding race* its address. After that, there was nothing for it but a recitation of The Selkirk Grace followed by the clatter and chatter as the assembled company fell to, giving full justice to the famous dish, with its accompanying neeps and tatties. A wonder it might have been that diners had room for their creamy Cranachan, that favourite Scottish desert but somehow they managed it.
Mike Gibbons, the first After Dinner Speaker, began his talk about the bard by paying tribute to the Soroptimists for their work internationally, and particularly the Grange members for their support of the Barrow Women’s Centre.
Alastair Allan followed this with the Toast to the Ladies, referring to Burns and his many lady friends. He noted too how far women’s rights had developed in between times, surely for the better.
Alistair ended his speech by thanking the ladies present for preparing the evening. The response from the ladies, given by Soroptimist member Cathy Lubelski, featured a cheeky rhyming couplet she had composed on the subject of fornication!
The evening continued with a sing-along led by Soroptimist Janice, before Cath Holland, a local midwife, gave a vote of thanks. In doing so she spoke about her work to support the charity Beyond FGM** in Kenya, who will be the recipients of the £800+ raised on the evening. It was a timely reminder that in honouring old ways, we also wish to open the path for women, wherever they be, to enjoy a future free of violence and full of potential.
And after much more fun and games, the evening drew to a close. Hands were joined, and voices raised, with feeling, for Auld Lang Syne.
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*From Address to a Haggis by Robert Burns
**Female Genital Mutilation; more information about the charity Beyond FGM can be found via their Facebook page while they rebuild their website.