An independence group was reborn at a packed rally in Perth at the weekend.
Perth and Kinross 45 a name chosen to reflect the 45% of the electorate who voted Yes in the referendum will in future be know as Perth and Kinross for Independence.
The rally was held on Saturday in St Matthew’s Church hall on Tay Street and heard from several speakers, including Pete Wishart, MP for Perth and North Perthshire, Ally Strachan, representing Independence 2.0, Susan Rennie from the Perth and Kinross 45, and Gordon McKay from Labour for Independence.
There were also speakers from the Scottish Green Party and the Radical Independence campaign. Organised by Perth and Kinross 45, the event included live music, poetry and face painting.
Mr Strachan, from Dollar, said the rally went “extremely well” and outlined the plans of the renamed group.
“There was a really good vibe at the event,” he told The Courier.
“We had a diverse range of opinions, with Pete Wishart speaking well at the start and also Susan Rennie, from the Perth and Kinross group.”
Mr Strachan said he was brought in to “assist” at the meeting but was very impressed with Ms Rennie’s speech.
“Susan was not prompted to speak but came up to the platform and told her story as it was,” he added.
“She told it from her point of view how she was an ex-servicewoman and her speech really connected with people. It was a brilliant speech and she was a hard act to follow.
“We also had Craig Murray, the rector of Dundee University, who just turned up, and he was good, too. He was marginally eccentric, which was interesting.
“The hall was packed until 4pm. You often hope for the best but fear the worst with these kinds of events but it went extremely well.”
The group now plans to visit other towns and villages in the area.
Ms Rennie said: “There was a diverse range of people there, from youngsters right up to older folk, and that was what I wanted.
“Pete Wishart drew in a lot of people, as he’s popular, and I spoke, as I am quite passionate about independence. I spoke as a mother, a grandmother and former servicewoman with The Black Watch.”
Mr Wishart described the turnout at the rally as “incredible” and said that, although the Yes campaigners lost the referendum vote, they “won’t be defeated”.
He said: “There is a definite unity these days as the referendum has made many more people interested in politics and there is much more enthusiasm these days. We feel, although we lost the vote, there is still unfinished business.
“The rally went really well and there was standing-room only.”