View Full Version : Wick Gala - Well Done :)
I just wanted to say a huge well done to the Wick Gala Committee for organising a fantastic night on Saturday at the Gala Floats. It was very well organised and a huge difference was noticed all round.
Its such a shame though that certain people don't welcome in a float from Castletown, I think this is such a shame as they put in a huge amount of effort as does everyone else taking part and for people to take the huff when they win is ridiculous. Its all about the fun and its such a shame when people take the fun factor from it. I know a few people on the Castletown float who are actually from Wick and it shouldn't matter where anyone is from its excellent they want to take the time to support our gala and collect money for our town!
Well done Castletown and all the other floats and foot walkers who took the time and effort to support another fantastic gala :) Roll on next year.
Katy & Michelle (The Crazy Clown - foot walkers)
Here here Katy what u have said is true.. People need to support everyone in the gala no matter where they are from its all for OUR town at the end of the day.
AND to add that it is an absolute disgrace that a certain person from a float took it upon themselves to supposedly lash out at one of the gala committee members due to Castletown winning the supreme award. This is terrible and a I as someone who has done floats for 10 years think its disgraceful and the float that the person belongs to should have the prize money revoked and also be disqualified from entering next years gala, maybe that would make them think of their actions..I for one welcome Castletown with open arms as they are helping to keep the gala going.. WELL DONE on supreme u guys were fab....
Ack1 (wick)
The Parade was very good. Well done all.
Have only seen the pictures on here and was impressed by the quality of them all. A lot of hard work went into them; it always amazes me the amount of time and money people put into the Gala floats!
Well done all, especially the winning float Castletown for supporting Wick in their Gala.
shamrock2007
25-Jul-11, 17:36
Well done to the new gala committee. The changes have worked well & there was a fantastic turnout for the first night. There is a good line up of new activities planned for the week & more fun planned for Saturday during the day. Also a huge well done to the Willy Wonka float, this was a all time favourite film as a child & I still enjoy watching it with my children. The detail on the float was exact to the film, lot of effort taken & they really deserved the supreme award. Unfortunately one float did not agree with this & caused some trouble! (Theres always one) Castletown have supported Wick Gala for a number of years now, it should be a case of more the merrier. This float that caused the trouble should be disqualified & banned from taking part next year. Mind you at the end of the day they are the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons and a laughing stock. I sincerley hope this carry on does not put any of the gala committee off there duties. Keep up the good work & you are appreciated :)
lindsaymcc
25-Jul-11, 17:49
We saw the Willy Wonka float travelling through to Wick when we were on our way back to Thurso from Dunnet, and it looked amazing - even then, the people on the floats were waving at the kids in the car.
Shame there was a bitter end, and pleased Wick Gala went well.
Well done to all involved with organising the gala and to all those who made the effort to foot collect or enter a float. There is an awful lot of work put into the floats and why should the Castletown float not go to other galas? I have never seen a notice that states you must live in the Town/Village to enter a float into the gala. The more floats that enter the more there is for people to see. I'm not from the Wick area but Wick gala has always had the best quality and quantity of floats and foot collectors and people want to see variety. Also well done to the new committee I hope the rest of your gala goes well.
Was someone complaining cos the judges didn't let them win?
Snigger!
At the risk of being shot down in flames here the group with the complaint I can see where they are coming from. Our trailer for our Float turned up at 7pm Friday Night ! As far as I am aware Castletown have their trailer parked up for weeks before the Gala. This can make a huge differance if you have something to work on all that time instead of just a few hours. I am not trying to stick up for the Party who complained and as has been said on here already Well Done to Castletown for coming all the way through and making up the numbers Not just in Wick but also in Thurso and on the night their float was the best, but it can be the best if you have something to work on all that time before the Gala. Also its just a pity the Prize giving at the Assembly Rooms seemed to be a bit of a mix up this year with some people getting prizes for the wrong categories hopefully this will be sorted by next year. Again Well Done Castletown and thanks for coming and supporting Wick Gala.
How can they give extra points or prizes for how short a time you've had the trailer?
For Heaven's sake forget prizes and just put the show on.
Personally I thought Foxy's Las Vegas float was the best. If Castletown had put their float on a larger lorry it would have looked totally different, and would have been quite empty looking on an artic lorries???? - maybe there should be seperate prizes for large and small lorries?
You're right it's not fair and a dirty rotten swizz.
Why oh why don't they have an algebraic prize formula with platform length as a points divisor! It would be so simple and Foxy would get the prize that is his birthright.
windmill10
25-Jul-11, 22:55
Having witnessed the discussion between people from one of the floats and some of the gala committee on Saturday night, I have to say that those of you criticizing them have got your facts wrong. As usual, rumours fly about and arms and legs get added!
The people concerned were offering constructive feedback and at no time said the Castletown float should not come to Wick Gala.
Firstly what was said was that the prizes were announced too quickly and some float members were stopped from going up on the stage via the stairs to celebrate because the previous people were still coming down. Then the next prize was announced in quick succession, which had resulted in some very upset children who had wanted to get their chance to go up on stage a celebrate their prize and were told they couldn't go up.
The point was raised that all the other floats except Castletown only got their trailer a day or so before Gala night and had very little time to construct everything on to the trailers, in begged and borrowed yards and hangers whereas it was understood that Castletown have theirs ready ages in advance form a more fixed base. It was pointed out that this used to cause problems years ago when Highland Omnibuses used to have this seemingly unfair advantage and won the Supreme Award year upon year causing many stalwart floats to give up. That was in the days when over 20 floats were in the procession and very quickly dwindled down to the the number we have seen this past many years. It had been understood that since then there had been some sort of rule made that no float would win the supreme award two years running again so that this wouldn't happen again - people who put such work and effort in to the floats are of course in it for the fun and community spirit but it does destroy morale and enthusiasm when it is a foregone conclusion who is going to win every year. This year was the second year in a row Castletown had won the supreme.
The other point that was raised was that at least some of the judges should have an idea of the work and effort that goes into making the floats and making costumes. It was quite rightly said that there are many local people who are no longer able to take part in fancy dress/on floats but did so for many years and would be very well placed to do the judging.
They also queried what had gone on with the categories of prizes that was given out as some of the prizes awarded seemed to have no relevance to the floats.
I felt the comments that were made were fair points, and I may add that they were not saying they should have had one of the top prizes, or in any way suggesting floats from other areas of the county should not take part, only taking their feedback straight to the committee instead of moaning about things behind the committees back around the town as others often do!
If the people on the said float are so well versed on how things should be run why did they not volunteer for the committee when they were appealing for new members.Makes you wonder why anyone in there right mind would want to volunteer to run anything in Wick.No matter what you do there is always those lining up to criticise.
Personally I thought the new committee did very well and I am sure will have learned from any mistakes they made.
Thanks WM, that's quite informative. Is the sort of "rebirth" of the Gala after the embezzlement causing problems with organising prizegiving and lapses of old rules?
Are there too many prizes to fit into a post-parade ceremony?
I've judged at smaller events and sometimes they don't tell you about a rule until after you've broken it and offended everybody.
If the people on the said float are so well versed on how things should be run why did they not volunteer for the committee .
If they're building a float they're doing their bit.
If they're building a float they're doing their bit.
Aye and greetin cause they didnae win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good words windmill10, knowing people from the float concerned they were not disputing that they should have received the top prize, they were merely giving constructive advice on how to reduce the demise of the procession through apathy and lack of motivation. ALL involved in the floats do their part - it takes weeks of work in the run-up to the gala, in the evenings after work. It also involves great expense, to those involved, contributing to the cost of the materials and also getting a costume. The committee should be congratulated for their efforts in ensuring the annual Gala Week continued - it is appreciated. Eilanboy - I did consider volunteering, however I am involved in other committees, of which there is minimum participation from others, which is very frustrating, and there is only 24 hours in a day! There is so many others that do NOTHING for the community - they are just willing to take take take, and not put back!
Good words windmill10, knowing people from the float concerned they were not disputing that they should have received the top prize, they were merely giving constructive advice on how to reduce the demise of the procession through apathy and lack of motivation. ALL involved in the floats do their part - it takes weeks of work in the run-up to the gala, in the evenings after work. It also involves great expense, to those involved, contributing to the cost of the materials and also getting a costume. The committee should be congratulated for their efforts in ensuring the annual Gala Week continued - it is appreciated. Eilanboy - I did consider volunteering, however I am involved in other committees, of which there is minimum participation from others, which is very frustrating, and there is only 24 hours in a day! There is so many others that do NOTHING for the community - they are just willing to take take take, and not put back!
Thankyou Rainbow for pointing out it was constructive advice (not what I was told) however point taken and apologies to those concerned if this was the case.Your last sentence is so true.
windmill10
26-Jul-11, 14:47
Thankyou Rainbow for pointing out it was constructive advice (not what I was told) however point taken and apologies to those concerned if this was the case.Your last sentence is so true.
Rainbow is right. I witnessed the discussion and it was constructive advice. Anyone who is spreading rumours saying otherwise is causing un-necessary trouble and bad feeling. It makes you wonder who has been telling folk an untrue version and what their motives are????
I have personally been out in fancy dress in every single Wick Gala for the past 32 years and alongside the fun and banter, an important motivator is collecting money to be used for the good of the town. However it is nice to have your hard work and efforts rewarded with a prize now and then and I am sure ALL those who go out on floats or on foot feel exactly the same.
It should be noted that the float who went and spoke to the gala committee are motivated by aiming to get the highest collection every year, not winning prizes! They have collected the highest amount for the past 20 years and last year collected just on £1000 on their float alone. They know the money collected is all for the good of the town, so perhaps those who are all too eager to spread untrue rumours and question community contribution should bear that in mind!!
Maybe it is time the rumour-mongerers got off their backsides and did something positive for the community instead of spreading nasty untrue gossip which only promotes negativity in the town!!!!!
I would also like to add my congratulations to the new Gala committee. It is great to see so many new and younger faces taking up the baton from those who have served so well and so faithfully for many years. It is good to see new life breathed into Wick Gala week and I hope they go on to keep improving this wonderful and unique institution for many years to come.
Been a member on here for quite a while and prefer to read rather than post TBH but im going to post on this. Not Sure But i think i may be the person who "threw the toys out of the pram" so to speak. And i can assure you if it was me it was nothing to do with winning or loosing. (Wasnt sure what prize we won anyway and wasnt caring) It was purely to do with the judges anouncing one prize a matter of seconds(and i mean seconds) after the previous prize thus not having time to pick up whatever prize it was with 2 young excited kids in front of me dressed up in theyre first gala absolutely delighted to be getting on the stage only to be turned away because of a lack of organisation. Well done. PS - Least amount of float s-7/8 and poorest turnout in numbers I have seen at a Wick gala.Someones not doing something right. Hopefully the new commitee will be able to reverse the trend and get the Gala turned round.
the Adams family
26-Jul-11, 21:07
well who cares ,who complains and who dizna ,and all the stirrers out there should get a life:roll:
i was there with my kids and we had a great time ,wick gala was another success and we should b proud of all the hard work that alot of people put in!!!!!! who cares where they come from and well done castle town for your float....... it was a pleasure to see :D
constructive criticism-- yeah thats why committee members were upset by what was said and the people/person was asked to leave the assembly rooms. tut tut supposed adults aswell...
What's that smell? Hmmmmmm sour grapes methinks!
It is such a shame that the Castletown float aren't welcome by some. As for them having longer, they actually only have the float for two weeks before the Castletown Gala so I'm pretty sure that's about the same amount of time as anyone else.
They put a lot of time and effort into it and deserved the supreme award for which was a brilliant float.
I thought the lack of floats was down to trailers not being available for long enough due to them being used?
Anyway, well done to all the other floats who entered into the spirit of things. The people on foot were really great this year as well.
As for any complaints re the Wick Gala Committee you're flipping lucky that there is one.:roll: They did a great job seeing this is their first year. Give them a chance!
Been a member on here for quite a while and prefer to read rather than post TBH but im going to post on this. Not Sure But i think i may be the person who "threw the toys out of the pram" so to speak. And i can assure you if it was me it was nothing to do with winning or loosing. (Wasnt sure what prize we won anyway and wasnt caring) It was purely to do with the judges anouncing one prize a matter of seconds(and i mean seconds) after the previous prize thus not having time to pick up whatever prize it was with 2 young excited kids in front of me dressed up in theyre first gala absolutely delighted to be getting on the stage only to be turned away because of a lack of organisation. Well done. PS - Least amount of float s-7/8 and poorest turnout in numbers I have seen at a Wick gala.Someones not doing something right. Hopefully the new commitee will be able to reverse the trend and get the Gala turned round.
Phew,Not guilty. Different incident, im led to believe someone went right over the score
windmill10
27-Jul-11, 21:48
Phew,Not guilty. Different incident, im led to believe someone went right over the score
Yeh - must have been a different incident and folk/person from a different float than what I witnessed. What I saw was a reasonable conversation, no-one went over the score and certainly no-one was asked to leave the Assembly Rooms, cause they left before I did. Must have happened after that.
I'm sure the committee would welcome all feedback but this person/people went way over the top and defo spat the dummy out and I think its a shame when the committee have tried so hard and done a fantastic job.
As for Castletown having a trailer ages before hand etc it is not always the case, we've done floats in previous years with tractor and trailers, sometimes we had it a good week in advance but with bailing etc you sometimes only get it the night before and i'm sure everyone who has done the floats for many years have the sizes of the trailer down to a tee and yes it takes time to put it together but its all part off it. Some people are luckier than others and have fixed premises but its all part of the gala.
I know for a fact Castletown only started there float 2 weeks prior to the Castletown gala so not in January and I think it comes down to them having very talented and artistic team involved.
Standing in the Assembly rooms and hearing people boo when they won is appalling and we should be chuffed they won with a fab float :) I really hope it doesnt put them off coming back next year and helping raise more money for our town :)
The Gala has been great and all good fun, just a pity it was so cold on Saturday night which kept a few people away but as the weather got warmer the town has come to life. There have been lots for the young ones to do and the not so young therefore the Gala Committee deserves a round of applause not criticism by a few numpties.
Anyone know how much was raised and by whom on float night, i seem to remember the details used to be published in the Groat. Perhaps i missed it, for some reason things seem to be in the Courier now.
Hi, the amounts collected by the floats and foot-walkers are posted up in the Assembly Rooms
Cheers Luke, Any reason why the amounts are not publicised as i seem to remember there was a major prize for biggest collection and surely recognition is deserved. I understand Las Vegas, King Arthur & A Big Fat Gypsy Wedding were the top collectors by a country mile.
Not sure, Camra, I have requested the list but I think the person responsible is really busy.
Once again a very big WELL DONE to all involved in this years gala.
Amounts Collected By Floats:
1st Arthur Gunn & Co £829.40
2nd Bremner & Co £816.97
3rd Wick Players £480.96
4th Lorna Ross / Heather Martin & Co £463.73
5th Nicolson & Co £420.68
6th Castletown £399.20
7th Blackstairs £389.70
8th Killimster & Co £271.69
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