Celebrating Burns Night at the Friendship Café

This year Burns Night falls in Warm Welcome Week, making it a double celebration! Burns Night marks the anniversary of the poet Robert Burns’ birth, one of the most famous and celebrated Scots.

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One of the 5,000+ Warm Welcome Spaces enjoyed a special Burns Night lunch at the Friendship Café in the small rural village of Alford in Aberdeenshire. It is a partnership approach bringing leaders of St Andrews Episcopal Church together with Alford and District Rotary Club and local businesses.

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The Friendship Café is brimming with warmth, laughter, and friendship. It’s a mutually caring atmosphere that has developed from a formerly disparate group of people, many of whom live alone. Being Aberdeenshire, much of the conversation is in the native dialect of Doric, and, although there is no direct translation of ‘Warm Welcome’, guests are bidden to the table in traditional north-eastern way by ‘Come awa’ in, si’ doon, an’ tak’ aff yer jaiket.’

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On Wednesday, more than 40 guests gathered at the Friendship Café for an amazing Burns Night celebration lunch! Of course, pipers played a key role in the celebrations. Six pipers from Alford Academy Pipe Band played a rousing selection of tunes before joining guests and volunteers for lunch.

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It was a sumptuous feast with traditional Scottish fare, a choice of four delicious soups, mini haggis, neeps and tatties, followed by Scotch trifle and shortbread. It was a truly memorable event enjoyed by all.

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Happy Burns Night and happy Warm Welcome Week!

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