Fears for future of Highland Games as events called off across Scotland

But Highland Games are showing early signs of being under threat, as they struggle to attract athletes, volunteers, ticket sales and sponsors.

After two years of no action at all, events have got back underway with Gourock and Gordon Castle drawing decent crowds in recent weeks.

At the same time though, a handful of events have been called off with some – such as a large festival in Shotts – cancelled for good.

The park in Carmunnock where the annual games have been cancelled

Carmunnock’s games – one of the first of the season – was due to be held this weekend but had to be pulled due to organisers not having enough time to get everything in place after the lifting of Covid restrictions.

But Linda Edmunds, secretary of the games, said there are a number of reasons the tradition may be starting to wilt, with more events getting chopped as each year passes.

She said athletes are not coming through in the numbers they used to, as field sports are not being taught or encouraged in many schools.

And she insisted constant cancellations could not continue if the games are to survive.

“It’s not so much Highland Games not being taught in schools but field sports are not particularly taught anymore and therefore there aren’t the basic skills you need to start with,” said Linda.

“Because people did a lot of field sports in the past, lots of people would take up Highland Games events on the back of that.

“I remember when I was at school everyone did these kind of sports and I think then you get people following it up, whereas there just isn’t that at all now.

“I’m a bit worried. There are athletes coming through, but not in the numbers that they were by any stretch. I am worried because every year we lose some games completely. It just can’t go on indefinitely.

“This year [the organisers of the] Shotts games, they announced that’s it. That was always a really big games and it was well supported by the local council.

“The funding has been dropped and they just can’t get money to put it on. That kind of thing is being replicated all over.

“It’s such a shame because it’s such an iconic Scottish thing.”

Aside from the caber toss, the games usually includes events such as hammer throw and stone put – which is similar to shot put.

Weight over the bar – where athletes attempt to toss a four stone weight with a handle over a horizontal bar using one hand – is also a common feature alongside the sheaf toss, which sees athletes toss a bundle of straw vertically over a raised bar with a pitch fork.

Other places which have had their Highland Games cancelled this year include Thornton and Cupar, with the latter citing a low uptake of online tickets, rising costs and a lack of vendors and sponsors.

Carmunnock is a small village of about 1500 people on the edge of Glasgow and the Highland Games is one of two major events in the area, along with the gala day.

But while the gala day brings people together from across the village, the Highland Games is held in a different regard because it attracts people from all over to a place they may otherwise not know about.

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Sarah Booth, who co-owns the village general store with her husband, said she relishes the event not only because of the extra footfall, but more importantly the characters it brings through the doors.

She said: “It’s a big thing missing from the calendar.

“It really gives the village a buzz and we get competitors coming in for their breakfast. That’s quite exciting.

“We get a lot of extra footfall from just people popping in while they’re here.

“It’s a big loss but not so much in terms of money. It does give us a boost but I think it’s more so a loss for the village.

“It’s just such a great atmosphere when it’s on.

“It makes Carmunnock a real destination.”

While the future of events may look a little rocky, Linda said she was positive about the Carmunnock edition making a return next year.

She added: “I had quite a bit of correspondence from people wanting to come to the games this year, especially from abroad.

“If they’re in Scotland they want to see things like that.”

The Royal Scottish Highland Games Association (RSHGA) says it is hopeful of staging most scheduled events this year but has acknowledged the tradition is facing some challenges financially.

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The organisation said it would like to see relationships with schools develop to protect its future.

An RSHGA spokesman said: “Like many other organisations and sports clubs which are non-profit, there are challenges for many of our members and a small number have already decided to cancel for 2022, hopefully regrouping and coming back stronger in 2023.

“There have been a variety of reasons for the cancellations, notably lack of volunteers in committees and difficulty in retaining sponsors who have supported them in the past.

“If schools could give more focus to Highland games this would be great, however the feedback we get is that the curriculum is already too crowded.”

He went on: “While some areas have good contact with Active Schools co-ordinators, because it isn’t national it depends on the individuals involved.

“We encourage member games to link up and have materials available to use.

“Despite a few setbacks within our membership we are confident that a good core of Highland Games will go ahead this summer.”