Published: Wednesday, 19th September, 2007 12:30
Langlee Carnival fun
By Caitlin Smith
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WITH music throbbing from the beer tent, clowns on stilts, face painting and spring rolls served in place of the usual hamburger fare, Langlee Carnival has been hailed as a huge success.
Organised by members of the local community, the fun day concealed serious intention: to unite the community and celebrate its diversity.
Langlee has the greatest population density in the Borders, with a high number of families on low wages.
Alongside Burnfoot in Hawick, Langlee is considered a regeneration area, meaning cash is filtered through Scottish Borders Council and targeted at improving the lives of young people in the area and fostering a greater sense of inclusion and purpose.
A number of people from ethnic minority background live in the community and to celebrate this diversity, the Border Equality Forum created a moveable feast in the nearby school canteen.
Chair George Higgs, Noose Sharp and Shoukat Aziz served Thai, Indian and Chinese traditional dishes, such as pad thai and pakora to hungry revellers.
Judith Cleghorn, secretary of the Langlee Carnival Committee told the Border Telegraph: “It’s great to get the community together for an event like this.
“This is the second year it’s run and despite the lack of sun, most people I’ve spoken to think we have bigger crowds than last year.
“We have secured Lottery funding and hope to make this an annual event which will keep getting bigger and better.
“It is vital we bring the community together and create a sense of inclusion instead of separation.
“Everyone enjoys music, food, refreshments, as well as activities for the kids, no matter where they are from, or how young or old, rich or poor.”
Galashiels bands provided music throughout the day, ranging from the traditional - the Galashiels Ex-Serviceman’s Pipe Band, (sponsored by Niki’s Bar) and Irish Dancers – to pop.
First up was Distortion, an all-local line-up sired from the Langlee Music Project, funded by the Borders Community Planning Partnership.
The project has been running for a year under the direction of Community Worker, Mark Smith.
Speaking from the tent during Distortion’s set, Mark told us: “I am so proud of these guys, they are absolutely tremendous.
“We didn’t start the Project to teach them to be better musicians, we just wanted to provide a place for them to practise and maybe point them in the right direction on a number of pointers such as song-writing for example.
“Distortion has been together for about six months.
“They met in the Langlee Community Centre, so they really are what you could describe as a home-grown talent.”
Craig Jeffrey was up next and sang a typically melodic acoustic set, which saw his new single ‘Hard to Say’ for Macmillan Cancer Support, selling like hot cakes.
Craig was warming up for Mike Whellans, the One Man Blues Band who was drafted in at the last minute to replace the Border Boogie Band.
Bob Petrie of the Langlee Community Centre said: “Mike was fantastic; an absolute professional.
“The day well-received by locals and everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun.
“At one point I would say there were about seven hundred people there and numbers remained at a couple of hundred throughout the course of the day.”
The day started with fancy dress judging and a procession, culminating in the crowning of the Langlee Lad and Lass, Kyle Johnston and Rebecca Gammie at Langlee Primary School.
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