Newbattle

This evening I was an invited speaker at a reception in the Garden Lobby of the Scottish Parliament to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Newbattle Abbey College, Scotland's only adult residential further education college.

Edwin Muir was Principal of the College from 1950 to 1955 and the great Orkney poet ( to whom the Orkney born Muir was mentor) George MacKay Brown also studied here.

It was a great privilege to be asked to mark the occasion. At the end I invited all the former students present to come forward and help cut the cake - they included my friend the Highland MSP Jean Urquhart who had organised the event.

And then I stood aside and took their picture.