AFTER a break of three years, Crediton Boniface Rotary Club staged a superb nod to a Scottish tradition with its Burns Night dinner at the Waie Inn, Zeal Monachorum on Friday, January 27.

It was a night to celebrate Robert (Rabbie) Burns’ birthday on January 25, 1759 as well as celebrating his life and poetry. It was also a night when the haggis played centre stage.

The evening was organised for the Rotary Club by Rotarian and Scotsman Wilson Mitchell who began this tradition for the club more than 20 years ago.

Piper was, once again, Ray Couch from Barnstaple who plays with North Devon Pipes and Drums, formed in 1987. Since 1995, there has not been a year when Ray has not played for a Burns Night somewhere in Devon.

He led the little procession of bringing the haggis to the dining room followed by Wilson Mitchell’s 18-year-old grandson Adam Mitchell-Manns bearing the main haggis and 18-year-old Josh Edwards bearing the vegetarian haggis.

Both were laid on a table in the centre of the room where Totnes Rotarian Michael Boyle, another Scotsman, gave the Address to the Haggis before cutting both.

MC for the evening was Paul Evans, the Selkirk Grace was said by Brenda Mitchell and Adam Mitchell-Manns.

The Immortal Memory was given by Rev Canon Michael Hall, the Rev Preb Anthony Geering gave the Toast to the Lasses and Boniface Rotary president, Liz Ledsham, gave the reply.

Wilson Mitchel ended the evening with the final toast before everyone joined in singing “Auld Lang Syne”.

As well as the haggis, the meal included such Scottish traditional dishes as the soup Cullen Skink and delicate dessert Cranachan.

Tartan was very much in evidence, even the paper serviettes were either tartan or bore pictures of the thistle. More than 100 people sat down to dine and chat.

Funds raised from the evening, which had a good raffle too, were to be split between local cancer charities Hospiscare and FORCE.