The annual bonfire in Perth has been cancelled for a second year, with organisers saying Covid passport requirements were to blame.
Around eight volunteers from Perth Roundtable organise the event every year, but the group’s chairman said the requirement for Covid passports proved a logistical challenge.
Scottish Government rules require attendees at all events with more than 4,000 people to provide proof of their vaccination status.
Perth Roundtable chairman Alan McFadden said they had been planing for the event for the last six months, and expected up to 6,000 people to attend.
“We really had no choice, there’s only seven members who run the whole event. Whilst it’s supported by Perth and Kinross Council they don’t actually take any part in the building of the fire or security.
“We would have had to fence off the whole Inch with access controls and Covid passport checks. It was just too much for us to do,” he said.
In a message to locals, the group said that they hoped the bonfire, which has taken place for around 40 years, would return in 2022.
Mr McFadden said that whilst the community was disappointed, he felt for the charities who usually benefit from the collection at the bonfire.
“It’s a big fundraiser event, we normally raise up to £10,000. That normally goes to smaller organisations or locals who need a helping hand.
“Apart from not being able to give everyone the fun night out, we also don’t have the money to distribute around Perthshire,” he told The Courier.
Plea for new members
But Alan said that he wanted to use the cancellation to encourage more people to join the group.
“If we had 20 to 25 members we could possibly have been able to organise something this year.
“If you’re 18-45 and free on Monday nights, we’d be really interested in hearing from you.”
Alan said people could find out about joining the group at roundtable.co.uk.