Sunday 19th July 2026 marked another important milestone in the history of Dalbeattie Riding of the Marches as we held our very first Sashing Ceremony at the Bandstand in Colliston Park.
The Bandstand provided the perfect setting for our ceremony. Just days before the event, it had been beautifully repainted by Jim Dingwall and the Civic Daze Committee, and it looked absolutely amazing. The freshly painted Bandstand, surrounded by the beautiful park, created a wonderful backdrop for what was a very special occasion for Dalbeattie Riding of the Marches.
With family, friends, supporters and members of the community gathered together, the ceremony officially celebrated our 2026 Principals ahead of this year's Riding of the Marches.
Our 2026 team are:
Standard Bearer: Gillian Whalen
Cornet's Lass: Laura Penman
Cornet: Connor Donowho
Junior Lass: Erin McCulloch
Junior Lad: Orlando Campbell
Civic Queen: Lexie Anderson
Burgh Piper: James Gray
Junior Piper: Olly Gray
Although our Principals have proudly been wearing their sashes while representing Dalbeattie since May, this ceremony gave us the opportunity to come together as a community and formally celebrate them as part of what we hope will become a lasting Dalbeattie tradition.
As this was the first year we introduced a Sashing Ceremony, it took place later in the season than it will in future years. With holidays, prior commitments and a busy calendar of neighbouring towns' events, we felt this was the best way to ensure the ceremony received the attention it deserved. Going forward, we hope to hold the ceremony much earlier in the year as part of our annual programme of events.
We were honoured to welcome Councillor David Stitt, who led the ceremony with a heartfelt speech celebrating Dalbeattie's heritage and the importance of creating traditions for future generations. His words, spoken with obvious pride as someone born and bred in Dalbeattie, left many in attendance with goosebumps and a real sense of pride in what our organisation is building.
A special thank you also goes to Civic Queen Lexie Anderson, who presented our Junior Principals with their sashes. We were delighted to present Lexie with a Dalbeattie Riding of the Marches rosette in recognition of her own year in office and to celebrate the close relationship between our two organisations.
The ceremony was made even more memorable by the wonderful music from our pipers, whose contribution created a truly special atmosphere and added to the sense of occasion.
We would also like to extend our thanks to Jim Dingwall and the Civic Daze Committee for their work in repainting the Bandstand and helping to make such a beautiful space available for our ceremony. It really was the perfect setting for this special moment in the history of Dalbeattie Riding of the Marches.
This event would not have been possible without the dedication of our committee, whose hard work behind the scenes continues to help Dalbeattie Riding of the Marches grow from strength to strength.
Finally, we'd like to thank everyone who attended the ceremony and everyone who has supported us from near or far. Your encouragement, kind words and continued support mean so much as we continue to establish traditions that we hope will become part of Dalbeattie's history for many years to come.
The Sashing Ceremony marks another exciting chapter in our journey, and we look forward to seeing our Principals continue to represent Dalbeattie with pride throughout the rest of the season.
Here's to the first of many Dalbeattie Riding of the Marches Sashing Ceremonies. 💙🐴
Hayley West
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