Party's over at the palace as Kirk is locked out of garden

IN THESE difficult economic times, it seems everyone is having to tighten their belts – even at the Palace.

For as long as anyone can remember, the Lord High Commissioner, the Queen's representative to the Church of Scotland's General Assembly, has hosted a Saturday afternoon garden party for up to 2,500 in the grounds of Holyroodhouse.

All the ministers and elders attending the Kirk's annual gathering were invited along with other nominated guests from all over Scotland.

But this year, the garden party has been scrapped.

The unprecedented move follows a reduction in the budget provided by the Scottish Government for the Lord High Commissioner's programme during Assembly week in May.

The size and number of dinners held at the palace and the number of guests staying overnight have also been cut back.

But this year's Lord High Commissioner, former Hong Kong governor Lord Wilson of Tillyorn, will still host a banquet, receptions for up to 400 people and go on visits to schools, hospitals or community projects across the central belt.

And an extra reception has been organised in a bid to ensure all those attending the Assembly are entertained at some point during the week.

Purse Bearer Tom Murray, the official who organises the Lord High Commissioner's activities, said: "There is not a garden party this year because of general cutbacks and we have reduced the amount of entertaining at the palace. We live in straitened times, all of us, and I hope we have been able to build a programme that still maintains the dignity of the office and its core function."

There used to be house guests at the palace for seven nights of the Assembly, but now it will be just for four. There used to be seven dinners, which have also been reduced to four. And the dinners themselves will be smaller, with 22 guests instead of 28.

A banquet will still go ahead, but for 80 rather than 100.

And instead of hosting the garden party – at a cost of around 20,000 – Lord Wilson will spend his Saturday afternoon in Clydebank.

A spokeswoman for the palace said: "The programme is always looked at for what is best value. Everything is done with an eye to what is appropriate and fitting. It was not an easy decision to make to cancel the garden party for this year. Things have been scaled back as you would expect in times like these."

She said the decision was only for this year and she could not say whether the garden party would be reinstated next year.

The Kirk was putting a brave face on the loss of one of the social highlights of its calendar.

A spokesman said: "As with all public expenditure in the current financial climate, levels of spending have to be reviewed, but the dignity and tradition of the Lord High Commissioner's office has not been affected and the Church of Scotland's links to the Lord High Commissioner have been maintained."

The palace spokeswoman said the Queen's own garden party in June would go ahead as usual.