THERE may have been no Miss Lilias or colourful parade of floats but villagers in Kilbarchan pulled out the stops to ensure its historic June celebration wasn’t beaten by Covid-19.

By carefully observing lockdown rules, organisers were still able to conjure up a festival atmosphere for everyone to enjoy.

Houses were adorned by flags and bunting and gardens were decorated with scarecrows and imaginative displays.

Members of Kilbarchan Pipe Band, which normally leads the Lilias Day parade, observed social distancing by playing a selection of tunes from their doorsteps.

Legendary 16th-century piper Habbie Simpson also made an ‘appearance,’ although this wasn’t widely publicised, to avoid too many people gathering to see him.

Lilias Day organiser Graeme Stockton said: “Every year, the statue of Habbie on the steeple ‘comes to life,’ so we had someone dress up as usual. The kids love this aspect of the day and they treat Habbie like they would Santa Claus.”

Lilias Day dates back to 1718 and is the main event in the village’s social calendar.

Graeme said: “We are confident that things will be back to normal in 2021.”

Read all the latest from Renfrewshire and beyond

******************

Scotland is in lockdown. Shops are closing and newspaper sales are falling fast. We're not exaggerating when we say the future of local newspapers and the vital service we have provided for many years is under threat.

Please consider supporting The Gazette in whatever way you can - by paying just 90p for a copy of the newspaper when you're shopping for essential supplies for yourself and others or by subscribing to our e-edition here.