01/09/2025
Public Feedback & Notice of AGM
We appreciate all the feedback given to us either on Pageant day or through the forms we post after the event. Every year we have a Committee Meeting dedicated to discussing how we feel the event has gone and to engage with all comments. Through this, we have identified a few recurring key areas which we have decided to address publicly in the spirit of mutual understanding and in order to explain a few of the key decisions we make.
1 – The Parade. This has been the topic of many discussions at our meetings since day one, and there has been a lot of feedback expressing disappointment in the number of floats in the parade in the years since Pageant was reestablished. Our first year had a good turnout of vehicles and as a result we decided to carry on with the parade into our second year. Unfortunately many of those who had intended to participate did not end up entering a float on the day, meaning the parade was smaller than anticipated, though hopefully still enjoyable. As a result we made the decision this year to hold a walking parade to encourage community groups to take part, and we are hugely thankful for those who did. Simply put – if people want a parade of floats, they must enter them!
Closing the road for the parade takes two separate applications to Dumfries and Galloway Council, consultations with Police Scotland, collecting and distributing road closure signs and cones and arranging volunteers to steward junctions as well as booking and arranging pipe bands, fancy dress judges and stewards. As a committee of eight people who also work full time and have families, we simply lack the capabilities to also arrange floats on behalf of groups.
A rumour also seemed to circulate that we were intending to charge groups £50 to enter a float in the parade. This has never been the case.
If a willing person was to come on board with the sole purpose of organising the parade and liaising between groups and transport providers, we would of course be delighted to try this approach. We have always wanted the parade to be at the heart of the Pageant.
2 – Crowning of the Queen and the Pageant Marquee. A number of people have expressed their wish to see the Queen o’ Galloway crowned at Dashwood Square. While we recognise that this is how the event worked in the past, the same issues arise as previously stated. Crowning at the square would require additional staging and public address systems as well as further, lengthier road closures which would potentially also interrupt bus schedules. The decision to use the marquee was made to ensure that the crowning could be accessible for all, guarding against the weather and allowing a smooth transition to the afternoon entertainment. As a small group we have had to prioritise being able to run the event efficiently both in terms of cost, time and manpower.
3 – Entertainment, Food Provision and Stands. Taking on board feedback from last year, where many highlighted the fact that a lot of events were taking place at the same time, we decided to reduce the amount of events on the day, with a childrens’ focus in the marquee and events such as the tractor pull on the grass, replacing the football which was moved to the night before. We were happy to see that people enjoyed these events and we recognise the desire for more of this type. Again we would welcome anyone who would be willing to run these. We were also glad to welcome Reid’s Amusements for the first time, and after seeing the scale of the event we are confident they will be able to provide further rides and amusements in the future.
There is significant time and cost involved in providing food and drink to events such as this, and all vendors must be free to set their own prices. People are also more than welcome to bring their own food and drinks to the park.
I hope this clears up a few issues and that it explains some of our decisions making. The vast majority of our feedback is hugely positive but I do feel it is important to engage with the criticisms as well. We have taken the event to a stage where it can now sustain itself financially and we have a great deal of new infrastructure in place. In order for it to continue, new people must now take it forward.
Many of our current committee will, after three very hard but successful years, be stepping down. They deserve huge thanks for their efforts.
If you want to be the future of the Galloway Pageant and help to preserve this essential community tradition, you are warmly invited to our AGM on Friday 19th September, 7pm in the McMillan Hall, Newton Stewart.
