Friends of Victoria Hall

Helensburgh and Lomond's Homecoming Ball  2009.

HELENSURGH celebrated Homecoming in style on Saturday 30th May  with a glitzy ball reminiscent of the hall’s Victorian heyday.

Around 120 attended the event organised by The Friends of Victoria Hall as part of the Helensburgh and Lomond Homecoming Celebrations.

The hall, decked out in blue and white with Saltires to the fore and thistles in the table decorations, provided a real Scottish welcome for the guests and the evening began with a champagne reception.

This was followed by a fabulous four course meal served seamlessly and impeccably by Derek Anderson and his team.

As the guests, some of whom were home in Helensburgh from foreign climes and some of whom were returning to the Burgh from other parts of Scotland, enjoyed their coffee and cheese the fabulous and famous Harry Margolis Big Glenn Miller Band struck up the music and set a rollicking tone for the rest of the festivities.

With a programme of dance music which veered from the expected Glenn Miller Sound to hits from Abba and a hectic Gay Gordons everybody found something to get the feet tapping.

Euan Catterson and his team from the Ashton in Helensburgh provided a fast and efficient service from the bar in the Jubilee Room and local photographer Adolfo Arino of Riverdrive Studios was on hand to capture the atmosphere.

Debbie and Dave Gough of Plantation donated the flowers for the evening as well as the table decorations and the hall was decorated by Let’s Party.

The Friends wish to pay tribute to everyone, sponsors, suppliers and friends who had contributed to the success of the evening, to the Advertiser for promoting the events and designing the artwork for the Homecoming Ball and especially the hall keepers John, Joe and George who “have, as always, given us unstinting help and support in this venture and encouraged our efforts to show the hall at its very best and as a perfect venue for any special occasion."

The Friends also thank Adolfo and Lissette Arino of RiverDrive Studio in Helensburgh for capturing the images of the evening Adolfo’s photos will soon feature on this very popular and much visited Friends of the Victoria Halls website created specially by Burgh web designer Jim Chestnut and found at the Homecoming Ball Gallery.