IN 1314, 19 brave men marched from a tiny village in Fife marched to Bannockburn to fight for Scotland’s independence and, miraculously, they all came back.
The men were from Ceres, which is situated about two miles from Cupar and has a population of around 1000.
Upon their return from battle, King Robert the Bruce decreed the village should have a Highland Games and market every year in June to celebrate their contribution to one of the greatest moments in Scotland’s history.
Since then, the games has been held every year apart from during the two World Wars and the Covid pandemic, with this year’s event set to be the 711th edition.
It stands as Scotland’s oldest free Highland Games and continues to attract visitors from all over the world where spectators come to enjoy traditional event such as the caber toss and Highland dancing.
This year, a commemorative single cask whisky has been bottled to mark the Ceres Highland Games’ incredible history.
The 10-year-old single malt from Linkwood distillery in Elgin has been bottled by Fife-based independent bottlers Fib Whisky in collaboration with the village’s pub, the Ceres Inn.
There are just 350 bottles of the whisky being sold and £2 from each bottle will go directly towards funding the Games in the years to come.
Lennox Harrower, the pub’s owner who has been supporting the games for the 16 years he has been there, explained how the label on the whisky pays tribute to the event’s origins.
“The label itself is based on a photograph of a gentleman throwing the Ceres Staine,” he told the Sunday National.
“I asked [Fib] if we could have the Bannockburn memorial in the background too. So we’ve got a really funky design, which people find really nice.”
The Bannockburn memorial is situated just down the road from the Ceres Inn and was erected in 1914 to commemorate the men of the village who fought alongside King Robert.
The history of the village’s Highland Games and the Scottish traditions it celebrates draws thousands of people to Ceres every year, with the last couple of editions bringing in around 4000 people.
Harrower said: “It’s a huge event for the village.
“We’ve had various celebs here in the past like Gordon Ramsay and Gino [D’Acampo].”
Traditionally held on the last Saturday in June – and the closest Saturday to the anniversary of Bannockburn – key events that are featured include the caber toss, Highland dancing, sheaf toss, shot put and wrestling, as well as the throwing of the Ceres Staine.
It is accompanied by a traditional market, with the games day also preceded by a week of community events including a youth five-a-side football tournament and quizzes.
Asked if the iconic history of the event is what draws people to it, games committee member John Hudson said: “I think it’s part of it for sure.
“We get a lot of visitors from all over Scotland but from all over the world too. We get tremendous interest from Americans and Australians.
But Hudson admits that even with a great story behind the village games, it is it becoming more challenging every year to host the event, with the cost having almost doubled in just the last few years.
The Loch Lomond Highland Games have been called off this year due to budget cuts and, more locally to Ceres, the Cupar event has been disbanded due to a struggle to secure enough volunteers.
Asked if he was confident about the future of the Ceres event, Hudson said: “We’re not confident, not at all. It is a concern.
“We’ve seen Cupar go, Lomond is not happening this year. It’s very difficult to get people involved in the committee.
“A few years ago it was costing us about £15,000 to run the games, it’s now costing us close to £30,000.
“It takes an awful lot of effort and a lot of people. On games day we probably need more than 50 volunteers. Last year, we had about 90.
“We need new blood and younger people to come in and take on the jobs.”
To find out more about the Highland Games in Ceres, click here.
