Baird of Bute Day

The Baird  of Bute Charity exists to inspire young people so that they can aspire to great things.   The annual awards are part of that inspiration / aspiration process and the core model is of course Andrew Blain Barid himself, the Bute blacksmith who build his own plane and flew it at Ettrick Bay not he 10th of September 1910, making the first all Scottish heavier than air flight.

There is now a Historic Scotland plaque on the old Drill Hall where he actually constructed the aircraft , and a monument to him at Ettrick Bay.  The commemoration day, usually the first Saturday in September, includes a series of events there which now feature a science tent for young people and kite flying.   The small planes that have come to celebrate Baird , flying in to what used to be Kingarth Field, but is now named after Barid, leave the island via the Bay.  There were sixteen of them today, which almost matches the all time  record and it was a glorious day with warm sunshine.

There are also children's competitions and the prizes this year were presented by the first Scot in Space, David Mackay.   We haven't been able to offer our Science Scholarships for 2023 alas (which involve study and lab experience in Toronto for some, and have also allowed one young person to take  flying lessons) but hope to raise enough to re-commence that soon.  

My extra photos show one  of the planes leaving Ettrick Bay (with the lucky inclusion in the shot of a kite) as well as David and a competition winner, with her picture of a very appropriate space rocket.   I have also  included the Baird  memorial at the Bay and the science tent and I will put some more pictures of aircraft at the airstrip onto my Flicker pages at some stage soon. 

My only regret today is that this very long standing event of a charity of which I am a trustee stopped me going to Edinburgh for the Independence  / Rejoin the EU rally .   But I was there in spirit as both of those aims are dear to my heart, and much needed in Scotland today.