All set for a sensational summer of magical music

A summer of music is coming as the Wilton Lodge Park bandstand series has been launched.

Hawick favourites Scocha are among the highlights of this summer’s series.

Performances take place every Sunday from 2-4pm in the Elliot Bandstand and are free to attend, starting this weekend with local fiddle group the Riddell Fiddles.

Scocha play on Sunday, 8 July, while there are a number of other impressive acts providing a wide selection of music.

Wilton Lodge Park’s events manager Gordon Webber said: ‘I think we have got another great season of music for our 2018 series, with our regular performers joined by a number of new acts.

‘To mark the Year of Young People, we will be well represented with singer songwriter Millie, Act I, Music Singalong for All Ages and the return of the Hawick Teries in Tartan for the International Dance Festival.

‘An added highlight for the programme will be Hawick’s own Scocha who will take to the bandstand for their long awaited series debut.

‘We continue to receive sponsorship support from Johnstons of Elgin towards the summer music series, which makes it even more of a community event.’

The bandstand music programme will also feature the Stevie T band, String Theory in the Park, The Humble Scribes, Hawick Sings in the Park and the return of Massed Brass in the Park at the end of the summer.

The summer events programme and refurbished Elliot Bandstand are part of Wilton Lodge Park’s £3.64million regeneration project, which is funded by Scottish Borders Council and Heritage Lottery Fund.

The Bandstand Series events are:

3 June – Riddell Fiddles; 10 June – String Theory in the Park; 17 June – Millie; 24 June – Stevie T sings Gallagher.

1 July – String Theory in the Park; 8 July – Scocha; 15 July – Act I; 22 July – The Humble Scribes; 29 July – Music Singalong for All Ages.

5 August – String Theory in the Park/Hawick Music Festival; 12 August – Hawick Sings in the Park; 19 August – Hawick International Dance Festival; 26 August – Massed Brass in the Park.

2 September – String Theory in the Park.

The Wilton Lodge Park regeneration project delivered a number of new facilities including the hugely popular play-park, cycle paths, Zandra Elliot Bandstand, café, McLaren Bridge, walled garden, upgraded waterfall walk and improved Hawick Museum, alongside the busy summer events programme.

There have also been a number of other works carried out to the various shelters and memorials within the park, including the Cenotaph, Boer War Memorial, MacNee Fountain, Jimmie Guthrie Memorial, Laurie Shelter and Henderson Shelter.

Signage and interpretation boards have been introduced, alongside tree planting, improvements to the park’s main entrance, the Common Riding ceremonial area and Gilbert Davidson Fountain.

The Wilton Lodge Park Regeneration Scheme is scheduled to be completed this summer.