Wild West hoe-down on the Forth Road Bridge

By Euan Duguid

ANYONE who drove across the Forth Road Bridge recently might have been forgiven if they ducked for cover at the sight of two posses of gun totin’ cowboys and fierce-looking American Indians bearing down on each other. But what looked to be shaping up as a “showdown” turned out to be a “hoe-down” as 170 Country & Western fans from 30 clubs across the country danced their hearts away in what must be the biggest party ever held on the middle of the famous bridge.

The Country and Western invasion of the  bridge begins!

When the celebrations died down, The Sunday Post Hospice Appeal was a whopping £9000 better off. That incredible fund-raising effort takes the total contributed by our amazing readers to more than £100,000 in just 10 weeks! The Forth Road Bridge extravaganza was organised by John Brown, a greenkeeper who runs the Broken Lance country club in Burntisland. He reckons that, despite being out in the open, the atmosphere as the two groups converged was incredible. Mass of colour “The scene was a mass of colour, with a multitude of flags fluttering in the wind,” he said. “I was at the head of one procession, and when I looked back I was overcome with pride at what we were doing for the hospice. “Half-way along the bridge we met the other Country & Westerners parading from the opposite side. It was a massive party — some walkers started line dancing and others were clapping along. “Drivers sounded their horns and passengers were waving. Traffic virtually came to a standstill to take in the magnificent sight of 170 people in full Western costume.  “The atmosphere was electric, better than any dance night I’ve ever been to, and the fact that we had far exceeded our target figure added to the excitement.” John, a life-long C&W music fan, became involved in the western club scene 11 years ago to help his wife Marion lose weight after her back was injured in a car crash. The Glenrothes couple started going to dance nights at the local C&W club and, before long, Marion had regained her fitness and lost weight.  The couple fell in love with the scene and the music to such an extent they started up their own club three years ago and now it boasts 100 members. “When the club was started, we decided to donate regularly to CHAS as we wanted to help the children and their parents and just let them know that the Westerners are thinking of them all the time. Monumental “The event on the Forth Road Bridge was monumental for me personally. Not only did it emphasise that the Western scene is like one big nationwide family, but it showed our donations came straight from our hearts. “The Sunday Post has been a great inspiration to our efforts. We are delighted to be part of the campaign and hope the money helps give the children a better way of life for as long as possible.” Anyone who would like more details of the C&W scene can contact John on 01592 743966.

You can e-mail us at: hospice@sundaypost.com