From left; Philip Tibbetts (Lyon Court Vexillologist for Scotland), Aila Gibson and Lord Lieutenant of Moray Seymour Monro…The Moray flag is unveiled during a ceremony outside the Elgin Town Hall.
SATURDAY’S windy weather created perfect conditions for the unveiling of Moray’s new flag.
Enthusiastic crowds of schoolchildren and members of the public assembled at Elgin Town Hall to mark the event on Saturday, October 28, with four other events taking place in Lossiemouth, Fochabers, Forres, and Rothes.
The flag-raising ceremony was the culmination of a lengthy process that began in February when a competition was launched by Moray’s Lieutenancy to design a new flag for the area, as well as a flag for Banffshire.
Thousands of entries were reviewed by two panels of local stakeholders, ultimately narrowing down the choices to four finalists in each lieutenancy area.
Members of the public in Moray and Banffshire voted for their favourite flag designs, resulting in the selection of the new Moray flag.
The winner of Moray’s flag competition was Aila Gibson, a Primary 7 pupil from Dallas Primary School.
Aila Gibson, who designed the flag, hoists the flag up the flag pole at the Town Hall.
On her winning design Aila (11) said: “I didn’t expect I would win at all. It was really surprising, quite overwhelming to start with, but pretty cool and quite exciting.”
“We didn’t know much about it. When we found out, I said, ‘Are you sure it’s our Aila?’ There’s another Aila in the school. Then we were very proud of what she’d achieved and very excited for her.”
Aila Gibson (centre) is joined by school friends from Dallas Primary School..
Philip said: “This experience has given me a new understanding of what’s unique about Moray and Banffshire. They are two fantastic counties and quite distinct, with such unique and interesting charms to them.
“It is a real testament that both of the competitions were won by primary students, it is great to see the next generation enjoying and finding relevance and enjoyment in heraldry and to see them providing something that will be a community asset forever.
The flag design process was a collaborative effort, with the lieutenancies of Moray and Banffshire working on the project, with assistance from Highland News and Media, the parent company of The Northern Scot and sister papers.
The final designs were then sent to the Lyon Court to ensure their correctness and Aila’s winning design represents Moray’s characteristics of farmland, barley, rivers, sea, and sunshine.
“I love flags and I hope the Moray flag will become well known. The colours and the design of Aila’s flag certainly represent Moray, it’s a good design and represents our communities well so I hope everyone will fly it.”
Anyone wishing to buy a Moray flag can do so from James Stevenson (Flags) Ltd in Glasgow.
