Elm Bank care home residents address the haggis & enjoy the sounds of the bagpipes for Burns Night

Staff and residents at the home were very excited in welcoming Gary to the home to conduct an official Address of the Haggis ceremony, followed by the amazing sounds of the bagpipes. The residents and staff were thrilled to be part of such an afternoon, for many it was the first time that they had seen the Addressing of the Haggis being conducted and for others they had never really heard the bagpipes live.

Burns Night is celebrated on the 25th January every year in honour of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns. Addressing the Haggis is a tradition that involves reciting a poem in honour of the food prior to eating it, the poem was written by Robert Burns in 1787, celebrating all that is good about the Haggis. The poem was written five years before his death, and haggis was eaten in celebration of his poem at a supper held in his memory.

Activities Co-ordinator, Tina, said: "It was lovely to have Gary come to us and provide us with such an amazing afternoon. Burns Night is always a fantastic event, it’s so important to continue these traditions for all our residents. We all learnt about the meaning of Addressing the Haggis and to have the ceremony performed was just fantastic. Gary taught us all a lot about the meaning of Burns Night and the traditions that are held. It was lovely to also hear the bagpipes being played and learning all about the instrument itself. It was truly a wonderful afternoon for all here and we will definitely being asking Gary to come back next year.”