The spirit of Scotland came alive at Riverslea Mall in Edgecumbe on Wednesday as the community gathered to celebrate National Tartan Day for the second consecutive year.

The event is hosted by Gordon and Beth Sherwood, owners of Heavens Ascent, who established the celebration as a way of honouring their Scottish heritage while bringing together others in the community with similar roots.

For Gordon Sherwood, embracing his ancestry has become much more than a hobby.

Following a brain injury sustained in an accident, he began researching his Scottish family history and took up learning the bagpipes as a way of improving his short-term memory.

“It took me months to learn the nine basic notes and now I have four tunes memorised,” said Sherwood.

Visitors to Riverslea Mall will often hear Gordon practising outside the shopping centre in the evenings, with many members of the public stopping to offer encouragement.

National Tartan Day is celebrated throughout New Zealand and Australia and commemorates the repeal of the 1746 Act of Proscription, legislation introduced after the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 that outlawed the wearing of Highland dress, including tartan.

The act was intended to weaken the Scottish clans and prevent future uprisings before eventually being repealed in 1782.

After receiving positive feedback following last year’s inaugural event, organisers expanded this year’s programme.

“There has been some genuine excitement about this year’s event, so we have our piper, Iain Foxell, back again, and members of the Whakatāne Pipe Band are also joining us this afternoon,” Sherwood said before the event.

“We also have the Royal Scottish Country Dance group from Whakatāne performing, and we hope members of the public feel inclined to join in.”

Visitors wearing tartan received spot prizes when entering Heavens Ascent, while those arriving in full Highland dress, including kilts, were entered into a draw to win a $50 Heavens Ascent voucher.

Following another successful celebration, planning has already begun for next year’s National Tartan Day, with organisers hoping to make the event even bigger and better as it continues to grow within the Edgecumbe community.