Events

Blue Light Festival / Strongman Event

Date: Sunday 18th May 2008

Time: 12.30 - 4pm
Location: Fraserburgh Leisure Centre

Experience at first hand, by means of exhibition and display, the valued work of the emergency services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Organised by local representatives of Grampian Police, Grampian Fire Brigade, Scottish Ambulance Service, HM Coastguard, Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Fraserburgh & District Community Safety Group and British Red Cross.

The 6 th annual Blue Light Festival was one of the best yet with of folk milling around throughout the main event on Sunday afternoon and over £600 taken in donations that day by the organisers, which will be split among local charities. Once again their decision to host an ambitious and busy programme of events running throughout the weekend provided a real winner, with something for everyone over the four days.
The Festival, which was originally held simply as a showcase for the work of the emergency services in the area, has grown and grown over the years. It is one of the major events in the Broch summer calendar, regularly attracting thousands of the folk from throughout the area.
The weekend of events opened on the Friday night when 16 teams enjoyed a fun quiz night under the direction of quizmaster Bill Paterson. The evening rose over £400.

A strongman competition featuring a number of local participants showed off their strength with a number of challenging feats.

A simulated rescue involving both Fraserburgh lifeboat and the crew of a RAF Sea King helicopter from RAF Lossiemouth had to be changed after technical difficulties led to the Sea King being unable to take part. However spectators weren't disappointed as Fraserburgh lifeboat crew decided to do a solo demonstration of what they do.
One of the highlights of the afternoon was the arrival of the helicopter just after 2pm, which is also a popular feature of the day.
Among the other rescue vehicles on show during the afternoon were a vehicle from International Rescue, four Red Cross vehicles, four ambulances, a selection of fire engines includes one with the big ladder and another with a water tanker.

During the afternoon visitors to the Festival saw how the emergency services operate during two simulated accidents- one a car accident where a casualty had to be cut out of the vehicle. In the other display, the Red Cross simulated how they would rescue a casualty which had fallen down a precipice through an airlift simulation and by using a rack strap.

There was plenty of other entertainment laid on to keep crowds enthralled throughout the afternoon including the Turriff Silver Band, dancers from the Emma Stephen School of Dance who performed various routines, a selection of numbers by the Lochpots Primary School's Choir and a range of routines from the skip to the Best group.