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England's 'very' Scottish town hosts Highland event

Emma Baugh/BBC Three pipers wearing green and blue kilts, sporrans and dark waistcoats over white shirts. They are playing their pipes which are held on their left sides. Behind them is grass, parked cars, trees and blue sky.Emma Baugh/BBC
Twelve pipe bands attended the weekend event which celebrated Corby's Scottish heritage
Emma Baugh,in Corbyand
Neve Gordon-Farleigh

A "very Scottish town" in the middle of England has celebrated its 55th Highland Gathering.

A large number of Scottish workers and their families migrated to Corby, Northamptonshire, from the 1930s onwards to work in its steelworks.

The latest event boasted competitions including the World Porridge Eating Championship and, for the first time, Corby's Strongest Man.

Gary Buchan, this year's chieftain, said: "Corby is known as mini Scotland in England, and we should never forget our heritage – and this is our heritage."

Gary Hall was crowned World Porridge Eating champion

Buchan, originally from Peterhead, said he was "greatly honoured" to given the title of chieftain, which is the figurehead role of the Highland gathering.

He has spent all his adult life in Corby, having settled, married and had his family there, and others can trace their heritage in the town back more than 80 years.

"It's still a very Scottish town because you've got second and third – sometimes fourth – generation Scottish families in the town," he said.

"With the closure of the steel site [which was announced in 1979], the migration stopped to a certain extent."

Emma Baugh/BBC A woman smiling broadly. Her hair is pulled back and she is wearing a top with thin white straps.Emma Baugh/BBC
Highland dancing is hugely popular in Corby, with seven dance schools in the town, said Amanda Gibson

Amanda Gibson's father moved from Glasgow to join the steelworks.

She was the co-organiser of the Highland dancing section of the volunteer-run event, which attracted dancers from north of the border and further afield.

"We've got some [dancers] from Ireland [and] I think we've even got one from Canada this year, who all want to compete for the title of the All England Champion," she explained.

"People come together to listen to the pipe bands, to watch the Highland dancing, the strongman competition, the porridge eating – it just brings the whole community together for all different reasons."

Emma Baugh/BBC A man with thick white hair swept back from his forehead and a beard. He is wearing glasses and a tweed jacket over a white shirt.Emma Baugh/BBC
Gary Buchan said he was honoured to be chosen to be the chieftain of the 2026 Corby Highland Gathering

The town is one of 15 places competing to become UK's first Town of Culture, which Buchan described as "massive" news.

He said: "Corby was a small town in the East Midlands. It became this industrial powerhouse at one time and attracted lots of people, not just from Scotland but from all over the UK as well as eastern Europe after the war.

"We're a very inclusive town because it's built on economic migration, so we celebrate that and hence we should never forget our Scottish heritage."

Emma Baugh/BBC A blue and white flag showing the Scottish saltire – a white diagonal cross on a blue background. Written on it is "Corby Tartan Army 2026" in white block capitals.Emma Baugh/BBC
The town's links with Scotland remain a source of pride

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