HELENSBURGH’S 23rd annual Hogmanay ceilidh, at the Victoria Halls has been hailed as a great success

The venue was packed with revellers and.The Voice Box Ceilidh Band provided foot-stomping music which ensured the dance floor was filled throughout the night.

Jim Low, pipe major of the Helensburgh Clan Colquhoun Pipe Band, first-footed the ceilidh with a medley of traditional tunes just after the bells.

The ceilidh’s furthest travelled visitors, all the way from Salt Lake City in Utah, USA, were Doug Cahoon and his wife Esther.

Doug’s Colquhoun ancestor was sent to America as an indentured servant, having been taken prisoner at the battle of Dunbar in 1650 when the Colquhouns were fighting for Charles II against Cromwell’s army. Doug and Esther said they had found the event “enchanting” and were especially touched by the singing of Auld Lang Syne

Ceilidh organiser Anne Urquhart, convener of Helensburgh and District Access Trust (HADAT), said: “This was the 23rd time I have organised this event and it was probably one of the best.”

Proceeds from the ceilidh, which was a complete sell-out, will go towards the upkeep of HADAT’s network of local trails as well as their popular Three Lochs Way long distance route.

l Meanwhile,revellers packed Cove Burgh Hall at the centrepiece of the Rosneath peninsula’s Hogmanay celebrations.

Music from Stravaig, a young up-and-coming ceilidh band from Glasgow, kept the dance floor full and the party-goers in full swing as 2017 was welcomed in in traditional Scottish style.

l Thanks to John and Anne Urquhart for the pictures from the Helensburgh ceilidh and to Daryl Youden for the images of Cove Burgh Hall’s bash.