THE organisers of the Dundonald Highland Games have revealed the identity of the chieftain of the 2024 event.
This year's Games will take place at historic Dundonald Castle on Saturday, August 3.
But the fun will begin earlier in the week, with a wide range of events planned for the village to keep the whole family entertained.
Chieftain Adam Howie will be joined by this year's Games Queen, Keria Esquerde, her attendants Eilidh Speirs and Lily Haddow, and the Junior Chieftain, Archer Clark.
Adam’s family have lived in the village for well over a century. He was actually born in Dundonald in 1947, in the family home, which at the time was one of the Lochside cottages which were demolished years ago.
He attended Dundonald Primary School, then went on to Marr College and left there at 15 to start and apprenticeship as a joiner at A.J. Bell's.
In 1970 he went to work in Monsanto before finally settling in his career as a driver of HGVs and buses for the likes of Gaw's, Western SMT and Stagecoach.
He was even US Vice President Dan Quayle’s driver when he visited Scotland.
Now retired, Adam has always had a passion for village life and over the years has been keen to do things to improve Dundonald.
Around 1968, he restarted the amateur football team which he ran for the next few years. In 1985 he started Lodge Burns Dundonald, and he remains involved to this day.
In the late 80s and early 90s, he was in the community council with various roles, including chair, where he worked to get the old gas tank site landscaped by the BBC's Beechgrove Garden programme.
Then, in 1991, he was one of the founding members, and the first chair, of the Dundonald Highland Games.
Though he has since moved away from the village, his two sisters are still living in Dundonald - and he says that he'd move back in a heartbeat if he could get a house with a big enough garden!
John Bryson, chair of the Dundonald Highland Games Association, said: “It was privilege for me to be able to ask one of the founding members of the games to be Chieftain this year and I am sure he will be an excellent Chieftain.
We have many different events planned for this year’s Games week which will be fun for all the family so please come along and enjoy our free events.
This year's Games will once again see whole range of family entertainment and activities, including pipe band contests, drum majors, solo piping, Highland dancing, heavy events, side stalls, massed pipe bands display and street parades.
Dundonald Games Week starts on Sunday, July 28 with a family fun day at Dundonald Castle.
Events during the week include a car treasure hunt, 10km road race, kids’ fun run, pet show and seven-a-side football competition.
On the big day, the Games will start with a street procession noon.
Entry is free to the event and there is a free park and ride service available all day at the nearby Olympic Business Park.
For more information visit www.dundonald-games.org.uk, or their Facebook page.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here