A community which arose from a ‘virtual pub’ created in Covid lockdown was reunited in Perth for another three-day party to raise money for good causes.
The second ever ‘The Stagger Inn’ event took place at the Salutation Hotel over Easter weekend for an extravaganza of games, singing and dancing.
A total of 143 regulars, from the rest of Scotland and England to Belgium and America, were delighted to raise over £1500 for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) and the Sea Cadets.
The money was raised through donations, a raffle, and a whisky roll on the Saturday night, and a special online donations page for members who were unable to attend in person.
The inaugural Grand Dance and Ceilidh weekend took place at the same hotel last April, where members finally got the chance to meet in person for the very first time.
Perth was chosen as most of the members live in Scotland and its central location made it the easiest spot for revellers to travel to.
The story of the virtual community began in 2020 during the first lockdown when a young musician called Ewan Galloway, from Dalkeith, was jobless.
Hearing that recording music is good for mental health he began to play his accordion on an online stream which has since grown into a massive online community.
Last year head organiser Ewan called it an “absolutely amazing” occasion and hailed the return this year as a “dream come true”.
Event aid and attendee Sarah Horne, who lives in Sutherland, lost her husband following a road traffic accident in 2006.
The North West Air Ambulance did everything to try and save his life, which Sarah never forgot, and she has volunteered for them ever since.
Sarah feels donation to the local equivalent, SCAA, is a great way to honour his memory.
She added that the Inn’s 400-strong members group now felt like “a great family”.
“We have had another totally surreal time at the Salutation Hotel where as normal ,we had the very best of service,” she said.
“We enjoyed the usual Friday Fun night, the Grand Dance and a Fancy Dress ceilidh evening along with a whole range of music and dancing sessions for all genres of Scottish dance and a wide range of different musicians.
“With so many of the Stagger Inn community collecting stamps for SCAA for the past two years, it was so appropriate that Ewan chose SCAA for the major fundraiser. What an amazing lifesaving charity this is.”
SCAA community fundraising officer Claire Taylor said the charity was “delighted” to hear of The Stagger Inn’s plans.”
