In 1994 The Highland Scottish Country Dance Charity Group (later The Highland Scottish Country Dance Group) was set up and comprised a committee of dancers from the Inverness, Moray and Nairn areas chaired by Rob Sargent.  The aim of this group was to hold a formal Scottish Country Dance Ball in the Highlands. 

The first Highland Ball was held in 1995, followed by another one in 1996.  From 1998 on up until 2008 the Balls were held every second year with the venue being the Inverness Sports Centre.  In the in-between years dances were held in Nairn Community Centre with the programmes being mainly that of the following year’s Ball.

Click here to see the 1995 Ball Programme.

The venue changed to The Drumossie Hotel in 2010 followed by Balls annually up until 2018 with a break in 2017. 

Bands for the Balls over the years have included Drummond Cook, John Renton, Colin Dewar and Marian Anderson. 

Among the bands for the dances held in Nairn were Ian Cruickshank, George Meikle and the Lothian Band, David Cunningham and Colin Dewar.  

The group was a non-profit making organisation and was pleased to support various charities over the years such as The McMillan Nurses, Crossroads, Highland Wheelchair Dancers, The Highland Hospice, FAB (Military Families’ Activity Breaks), Help for Heroes and Great Ormond Street Hospital.