The Gala is a tradition that has been followed in Aberlady for many decades now and is a chance for all the Community to come together to celebrate village life.
Aberlady Gala Week starts on the
first Saturday in June, with the crowning of the Gala Queen and
a parade of floats through the streets of Aberlady.
This is followed by a variety of stalls, Beer Tent, Tea Tent and
events etc. held on the Sports Field.
During Gala Week bunting is put up around the Village streets
and the children in the Gala Court decorate their homes.
The Gala events for 2007/8 have all been well attended and done well financially. We have held a Halloween Disco for adults in the village hall and a fantastic fireworks display in November. We managed to organise a tree outside the church for Christmas, helping to secure funding for it and the lights, and organised what will hopefully become an annual switching on of the lights on the first Thursday in December with the Brownies singing carols.
Valentine's Day brought discos for the adults and children in the village hall and the annual Easter Egg Hunt is organised for Sunday 8 April in the school grounds at 4 pm - don't be late because there is a stampede! There will then remain only one fundraiser before Gala Week……Race Night at the Kilspindie on Saturday 21 April. If you haven't got your ticket yet, be quick because the numbers are limited and it is well attended. Contact any member of the Committee for tickets.
Gala Week is the first week in June: Gala Day the first Saturday in June (2 June). We will need help with putting up the bunting on Thursday 31 May at 6 pm and then P1 and P7 parents are asked to help decorate the floats at Aberlady Mains on Friday 1 June at 6 pm.
Gala Day is going to be great this year! We have all the normal traditional and wonderful Gala Court being piped on to stage and the Queen being crowned at 2pm followed by the parade round the village. All stalls, tea and beer tents open after this about 2.45 pm. We have archery, ponies, beat the goalie, coconut shy, bucking bronco, wet sponges and stocks, bouncy boxing, human table football, pole jousting, magic shows, toddler play area, merry go round, candy floss, ice creams, inflatable slide, bouncy castle, plant stall, falcons/owl marquee, Harleys, races, The Spike Man show, a fire engine, and rollaballs (think of a hamster in a ball). We are quite confident there is something for everyone, so please come along and have a great day with us.
Gala Week then continues with all the usual events: children's football competition on Sunday; family quiz on Monday; Senior Citizen's night on Tuesday; children's discos on Wednesday; rollerblading for the children and adult's football competition on Thursday; Gala Dance on Friday; family picnic on Saturday and finally Kirkin Sunday! We are even adding to all these events by having an extra disco on the Wednesday for P7 - S2 for an hour and we have arranged an It's a Knockout for the S1 - S3 age group for the family picnic. The It's a Knockout should be great fun to watch and even better fun to take part. The teams need to be set up before the event so any S1 - S3 interested needs to fill in the form left at the Post Office.
Gala Week brings the whole village
together doing things for one another's events; some groups give
us donations or do the flowers or sew the Queen's sash. Others
hold their own fundraisers which help with the general cost of
the whole week. We really want everyone to come along, help with
setting out chairs, baking or serving in the tea tent, make new
friends and to enjoy as many of the events as possible. It is
held for everyone and so hopefully everyone can feel a part of
it, so come along and have fun.
Timings and full event information will be available in the GALA
PROGRAMME which is a big fundraiser for the event; so please encourage
everyone to purchase a copy so that they know what is happening
when.
| Date | Event | Venue | Time | Contact |
| Friday 6 June |
Decorating floats (P1 & P7 & parents) |
Aberlady Mains | 6:30 | |
| Saturday 7 June | Gala Day | Playing fields | 2 - 5 | |
| Sunday 8 June | Youth Football | Playing fields | 1 - 4 | Phil 870105 |
| Sunday 8 June | Hockey Tournament (no adults) | Playing fields | 1 - 4 | Lynne Mason 870580 |
| Monday 9 June | Family Quiz Night with tuck shop & hot dogs | Community Hall | 6.30 - 8 | Donna Mathieson 870084 |
| Tuesday 10 June |
Senior Citizens' Night Bingo, dancing, light supper. Transport if required |
Community Hall | 7.00 - 10.30 | Post Office or Kate Currie 870786 |
| Wed 11 June | Children's Discos | Community Hall | Nurs.-P3 6-6.45 P4 - P6 7 - 7.45 P7 - S2 8 - 9 | Lynne Mason 870580 |
| Thursday 12 June | Senior Football | Playing fields | 6.30 - 9 | Phil 870105 |
| Thursday 12 June | Rollerblading | School grounds |
-P3 6-7; P4-P7 7-8 |
Avril Hill 870703 Allison Smith 870327 |
| Friday 13 June | Gala Dance | Community Hall | 8 - 12 |
Kate 870786 Phil 870105 |
| Saturday 14 June |
Family Picnic and also "It's a Knockout" (For S1-S3) |
Playing fields | 12 - 4 | Audra Butters 07743799191 or at Youth Club |
| Sunday 15 June |
Kirkin' of the Gala Queen Lunch for P1 & P7 and those in the procession. |
Comm Hall / Church / Comm Hall | 10 - 2 |
At the Kirkin' the whole Court parade behind a Piper along the Main Street from the Community Hall to the Kirk and then back to the Hall where the Court and their families are entertained by the Gala Committee.
The Gala Court comprises the P7 and P1 children from Aberlady School. The parents of these children and other interested citizens form the Gala Committee. During the year from September to June regular committee meetings take place where the Gala events are planned and fund raising events take place. In May the Committee prints a Gala Programme which includes adverts, messages and details about the Court and Gala for that year.
Many people work very hard to make the Gala a success and each year we have a committee. If you need to contact us for any reason (help is always a good reason) here are a few names and numbers,
| Position | Name | Telephone | |
| Chair | Kate Currie | kate.currie5@btinternet.com | 870786 |
| Vice Chair | |||
| Treasurer | Amanda Sinclair | 870017 | |
| Event Organiser | Ken Tippen | ken.tippen@edinburgh.gov.uk | 870968 |
| Programme | Sharon Douglas & Hilary Wilkie |
sdouglas@aberlady.org Hilly@wilkies.co.uk |
870049 870210 |
| P1 Coordinator | Ruth Condie | 870482 | |
| P7 Coordinators |
Heather McIntyre & Gillian Thomson |
871061 870283 |
|
| Donations | Maureen Ward | 870609 | |
| Minute Secretary | |||
| Committee member | Neil Adam | neiladam@thinkpositive.co.uk | 870769 |
| Committee member | Angela Graham | ||
| Committee member | Donna Mathieson | 870084 | |
| Committee member | Kelli Jerome | ||
| Committee member | Lynne Mason | 870580 |
