Forfar & District Branch SNP held a celebratory dinner at the weekend in the Reid Hall, Forfar to highlight the tremendous support the SNP has received in the area for decades.  Almost 200 people turned out to hear Ian Hudghton MEP, John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside and Mike Weir, MP for Angus, pay tribute to the effort put in by volunteers to make Forfar & District one of the strongest SNP areas in Scotland.

The dinner also marked 40 years since Winnie Ewing, achieved a spectacular victory for the SNP in the 1967 Hamilton by-election, before going on to a series of well-attended public meetings across Scotland.  Five hundred people turned out to hear Mrs Ewing speak at the Reid Hall in Forfar following her election. 

May 2007 also marked the first time in history an SNP Government was elected to represent the people of Scotland.

Mr Swinney, also Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, said:

"It has been a pleasure to represent Forfar and the surrounding area for the past 10 years, both as MP and at present as MSP.  The success of the SNP in this area is down to the hard work put in by volunteers, councillors and parliamentarians through the years.  It is very fitting that 40 years after Winnie Ewing spoke to the people of Forfar we have returned to the Reid Hall to celebrate our new SNP Government, which I am honoured to be a member of."

Mr Hudghton said:

"It has been an honour to represent the people of my home town both as a councillor and since 1998 as their MEP.  I was fortunate enough to be in attendance when Winnie Ewing came to the Reid Hall and I met with her as a local SNP member.  This year has seen possibly the most significant event since the Hamilton by-election with the election of Scotland's first SNP Government, and as such it is a fitting occasion for the SNP to recognise our achievements in the local area."

Mr Weir commented:

"It has been a very enjoyable experience representing the people of Forfar and Angus in Westminster since 2001.  The dinner event was a poignant celebration of how successful Forfar has been in maintaining strong SNP support for decades.  It has been a privilege to represent the Forfar area since being elected and I will continue to do my utmost on behalf of all of my constituents."