Aberdeenshire gets ready to welcome the SCOTS Regiment

There is less than a week to go until the Freedom of Aberdeenshire is granted to the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The honour will be officially granted as part of a short ceremony in Peterhead on Saturday, May 11.

The 170-strong Regiment will parade through the streets of the town, with pipes and drums and their regimental mascot. Once it has been granted, the Regiment will parade in Alford and Laurencekirk on Sunday, May 12 to exercise their new Freedom.

The weekend plans are below, and communities are being encouraged to come out across all three towns to show their support for the armed forces more generally.

Saturday, May 11 - 11am – A community event will be held at Drummers Corner, starting in the morning. At this, a range of military organisations will have a presence, including the Highland Reserve Forces and Cadets Association, Air, Sea and Army Cadets and Veterans organisations.

Noon – The parade will begin starting at the War Memorial on South Road and ending at Peterhead Academy and Leisure Centre.

There is also information here about road closures and diversions.

Sunday, May 12 - 10am – The parade will begin in Alford. It starts near the Community Campus on Greystone Road and ends in the car-park of the Transport Museum. 1

The parade route is here and closure info is on the website.

1.30pm – The Regiment will begin parading in Laurencekirk. They start at the Mearns Community Campus and end near the Primary School on Frain Drive.

A Freedom of a Borough/County/City/Town is generally bestowed in recognition of the services of the Regiment, both in peace and war. In consideration of the high regard and esteem which the Regiment commands, the Council will generally vote to bestow its highest civic honour to the Regiment. In passing the resolution, the Provost and Councillors will confer upon the honourable soldiers the Freedom of the said area and hereby record for all time the appreciation, gratitude, and respect of the citizens, in this case of Aberdeenshire.

Deputy Provost of Aberdeenshire Cllr Ron McKail, himself a veteran, said: “This weekend of activity, despite being ceremonial, sends a strong message to our communities, that we support and appreciate the work of all of the armed forces. The SCOTS regiment has historically played an important role in Aberdeenshire and I add my wishes that people turn out in numbers to make the Regiment very welcome.”

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