Scots redheads called on to join Dutch ginger festival

Published on Wednesday 9 September 2009 22:08

THEY form a sizeable proportion of the Scottish population, and for years have been forced to endure snide and hurtful treatment. But now the organiser of the world's first event celebrating natural redheads has called on Scots to let down their hair.

Bert Rouwenhorst, the founder and organiser of the Roodharigendag (Redhead Day) in the Netherlands, welcomed less than a dozen Scots to the fifth annual event last week.

Mr Rouwenhorst, 38, told The Scotsman: "I would say to all the redheads in Scotland, come to Holland. You will be treated like a film star.

"People cheer you as you walk down the streets and take your photograph. It is very good for the children, especially."

One of the Scots who travelled to the event, Alan Petrie, from Aberdeen, said: "I came here because I wanted to see if people with red hair would like to meet each other – we could take that back home and see if it worked on a more local level. I think redheads do enjoy being together and not being the odd one out."