Sunday 5th January 2020
SCOTLAND’S National Bard will be celebrated at the C&G Systems Stadium at a Burns Supper on the evening of Friday, January 31 2020.
Organised by the Sons Supporters Trust as a fundraiser for Dumbarton FC, the event is one which is hoped will go down well with fans and local Burns enthusiasts alike.
Tickets costing £30 are on sale now (details of how to register interest are at the bottom of this article) and below are details of the speakers for the evening.
The Immortal Memory will be given by Graham Hill. A school teacher by day, Graham has been active on the after-dinner speaking and Burns circuit for many years. President of Helensburgh Burns Club for 2019/20, Graham has experience of speaking at several prestigious venues including the Caledonian Club in London and is well-received wherever he goes. He has also spoken at the Lord Provost of Glasgow’s Burns Supper and at Oxford University.
Giving the Toast to the Lassies will be David Carson. A Sons fan for decades, and former Sonstrust chairman, David, better known as Kit, is a well-known face (and voice) around the C&G Systems Stadium. Highly knowledgeable on all things Scottish, Kit is also an experienced after-dinner speaker who has also made his voice heard in the national media.
Replying for the Lassies will be Helen Gillan. Helen is head teacher of Cairns Primary School in Glasgow, a school steeped in Burns whose pupils achieve great success in the Bridgeton Burns Club’s annual schools competition. She is a refreshing Burns speaker who was made an honorary member of Helensburgh Burns Club in recognition of two excellent performances at club events last year.
Club poet Stephen Watt – the voice behind our recent promotional video, will be on the bill for the evening, while Andrew Galloway will recite Burns’ iconic poem Tam o’ Shanter.
We are delighted that John and Lesley Young, renowned Scots musical performers from the local area, will also be part of the bill, along with piper Colin Lawrie.
Master of ceremonies on the evening will be DFC chairman John Steele.
Andrew Galloway, a member of a working group of supporters at DFC, said: “This was an event we felt it would be good to stage, with other football clubs staging their own Burns Suppers.
“It is taking place at the peak of the Burns Supper season and we are fortunate to have such a talented line-up of speakers. All three are in high demand at that time of year, such is their popularity with regular Burns Supper-goers.
“We hope that Sons fans will support this event, and it will prove to be a useful fundraiser for the club.”
Tickets are now available for the event. To register interest, please email andrewg31@hotmail.com with ‘Sonstrust Burns Supper’ as the subject of your email.
Alternatively see Andrew Galloway, Gillie Brough or Robbi Docherty at any Sons fixture.