IT WAS a successful games weekend for the Bute community, as spectators and competitors flocked from across the globe to the island.
Among the visitors was this year’s honorary chieftain, Coinneach MacLeod, known on social media as the Hebridean Baker.
Coinneach hails from the Isle of Lewis and first rose to fame in 2020 on TikTok through his Gaelic twist on home baking.
Since then, the influencer has released a bestselling cookbook and now makes regular TV appearances on shows like This Morning.
And according to the baker, his latest role as honorary chieftain of Bute Highland Games 2025 was a source of great pride.
He said: “It’s been a total honour.
“This is actually my first Scottish highland games, I’ve been to about 15 over in the U.S., so Its nice to be back–and to be chieftain, what an honour.
“It’s very important, look at the amount of people who have turned out today, and you can see how joyous it is for the competitors, for the audience, and I think there’s a few drams being drunk as well which makes it even better.
“It’s been amazing, honestly so special, lovely to hand out so many awards, meet so many people and just feel part of a very special community.”
And part of that community is a small group of volunteers who bring the games to life every year.
The games committee comprises of a few passionate members, who work tirelessly to ensure Bute has one of its showpiece events on the island’s calendar.
In a speech to the crowd during the opening ceremony, Billy Shields, chair of the games committee, said: “This is the 78th time the games have been held in the modern era–a fantastic achievement for such a small island like Bute.
“The games committee has worked so hard throughout the year to get the games running, I am so grateful to them for their dedication and support.”
Speaking to the Isle of Bute News, Tony Prossor, honorary secretary for Bute Highland Games, added: “To all the volunteers who’ve turned out, thank-you very much for your help today–without you we couldn’t run the games.
“We have bills we have to pay–hire of the marquees, the PA system, bringing in various people to support like security, the ambulance and the first aiders–and it’s only by people buying tickets that we can afford to do that.
“Thank-you to everyone who came along to pay their gate entrance today because our lifeblood is our gate entry fees.
“We’re a volunteer organisation, run by volunteers, we don’t aim to make a profit–we just want to pay our bills.”
