A major Angus event to mark Scotland’s Year of Homecoming has been cancelled by organisers.
The Spirit of Glamis event was planned to showcase the best of Scottish art and culture at Glamis Castle next July, with £50,000 of Homecoming Scotland cash pledged to kickstart the festival.
Several stars, including singer-songwriter Dougie MacLean, authors Alexander McCall Smith and Ian Rankin and whisky expert Charlie Maclean, were on a wishlist to appear.
However, a spokesman for the castle said it could no longer support an event on that scale.
The decision follows the sudden resignation of castle director David Broadfoot earlier this year.
Glamis Castle has also axed its popular Christmas programme.
The Spirit of Glamis event had been expected to bring thousands of people to the area and had already attracted the five-figure funding commitment from Homecoming Scotland.
Angus Council was approached for another £50,000 but an agreement could not be reached, as the local authority wanted the word ‘Angus’ to be part of the event’s title.
The move was described as “unfortunate” by Homecoming Scotland, who stressed that Angus would still be represented as part of the Homecoming programme, including a Tartan Day event in Arbroath in April.
For more on this story see Wednesday’s Courier or try our digital edition.