Gourock Park, Sunday 8 May

After a rainy start to Sunday 8th May, crowds flocked to Gourock Park for Gourock Highland Games 2011. By early afternoon the weather cleared and visitors from home and abroad enjoyed a fun packed day, with a wide programme of entertainment for all the family.

Claire Darroch-Thompson (pictured left) travelled from the South East of England with her husband and family to preside as chieftain over the 55th Gourock Highland Games. Inverclyde’s Provost, Michael McCormick introduced Claire, whose ancestors originally owned the land that is now Gourock Park, and gifted it to the Burgh of Gourock. After welcoming visitors from home and abroad, Claire officially opened the Games at 2.00pm.

The skirl of the pipes reverberated across the park, as around fifty pipe bands, playing sixty-five selections of music, competed in the annual Gourock Pipe Band Championship, with Scottish Power Pipe Band reclaiming the Grade 1 trophy. Full Results

A record one hundred competitors took part in the prestigious West of Scotland Junior Highland Dance Championship, which included premier and primary events. Primary Results  Premier Results


Ten heavyweights enthralled the crowd with their feats of stamina and strength in six events, including the recently added stone lift. World champion Gregor Edmunds  regained the Gourock title, breaking four ground records. Application is being made for a Scottish Record for the 56lb Weight for Height at an incredible 16' 5". Full Results. Organiser Alan Pettigrew introduced visitors from Inverclyde, Australia, USA, France and Belgium who were keen to take part in the annual ladies’ and men’s, audience participation event, which is always one of the highlights of Gourock Highland Games.

Local youngsters, coached by Inverclyde’s Active Schools and Sports Development Team, celebrated their own Mini Highland Games for the second year, competing in weight for distance, skipping, caber toss, shot putt and highland step. Full Results

A whole host of fringe entertainment made this a real family day out, with lots of things for children to do. Glasgow based Village Story Tellers had a constant stream of young and old folk who were spellbound by their tales in their fabulous Mongolian Yurt. The children’s marquee was a huge success! Big Top Entertainment’s four fun workshops, puppet shows, circus skills and bubble workshops were joined in and around the marquee by Fabaroony face painters.

Under the watchful eye and helping hands of Rig Art, budding little artists were armed with chunky paint pens, paper and an array of materials to add their mark to the Games by creating a mural for the marquee. Out and about, cameras were at the ready to add the stilt walker, unicyclist and balloon modeller to their family albums.

Young would be climbers donned their hard hats and safety gear to scale Glasgow based Climb It’s seven metre high featured packed mobile wall, while The Clan, Scotland’s Cycle Stunt Team, offered some exciting bike challenges with their Stunt Cycle Come and Try Zone.



The 3G Astroturf Park was the venue for Dream Mile Inverclyde, where the local branch of Dreams Come True raised money for children with life threatening illnesses. £1,100 was raised from this inaugural event and the associated publicity has lead to several people coming forward to organise their own events for Dreams Come True Inverclyde.

All around the park, people joined in the spectacle of the day. The Fun Zone, with its small funfair and four huge inflatables, including a jousting ring, provided entertainment for young and old alike, whilst Inverclyde Phoenix Car Club’s Classic Cars drew enthusiasts from near and far. Gourock Highland Games first fashion show, which was sponsored by The Oak Mall, gave local retailers the opportunity to show off a wide range of merchandise.

The Clan provided the finale, with their Air show, including mountain biking and trials cycling stunts on the two-ton scaffold rig.

The day finished with the pipe bands coming together for the march past and Salute to the Chieftain. Claire Darroch-Thompson replied to the salute “I am so proud to be standing here, and have had a marvellous day. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing all the way through Heilan Laddie. I will take away many memories of today. Most of all, however, I’ll remember the welcome that I received from the public of Inverclyde and beyond that were here today. I had an absolutely brilliant time meeting everyone and I look forward to coming back again in the future.”

See photographs of Gourock Highland Games 2011 in our Gallery

Inverclyde Council who fund Gourock Highland Games, which are organised by their events team, would like to thank all visitors and participants for making the Gourock Highland Games 2011 such a success.

GOUROCK HIGHLAND GAMES 2012 - SUNDAY 13 MAY