Tartan travels 11,500 miles

A SPECIALLY designed Scottish tartan has been created for a fundraising event in one of the villages hit by the New Zealand earthquake earlier this year.

The new tartan travelled 11,500 miles to the village of Hororata, outside Christchurch, to raise money during The Gathering, a fundraising event celebrating the community’s Scottish ancestry and culture.

A community group in Hororata contacted the Scottish Tartans Authority to investigate registering a tartan for their inaugural event. After hearing the extent of the destruction in the area Brian Wilton, director of the STA, began planning a new design.

He created four examples for the people of Hororata to choose from, and Selkirk-based weaver Robin Elliot, from Andrew Elliot Company, then donated the first weaving of the unique tartan along with 30 metres of the fabric.

Mr Wilton said: “It shows that despite the great distances, the ties between Scotland and her extended family around the world are as strong as ever.”