A tribute night, the climax of the annual trip to the island by a group of golfers calling themselves the Ecclefechan Fusiliers, attracted a crowd of around five hundred people to the famous seafront venue.

The night's live music paid tribute to the talents of Buddy Holly, Abba and Freddie Mercury and Queen, with the relatively small patch of floor reserved for dancing being fully occupied for most of the evening.

The evening also featured the award ceremony for the Robin Strong Team Challenge, involving members of both the Fusiliers and Rothesay Golf Club, which had taken place earlier in the day, while a charity auction with lots including a special 25-year-old single malt and a fourball at Gleneagles added another £700 to the overall pot.

After presenting the Robin Strong Trophy to the winners - local pair Frank Lee and Jim Milliken, and Fusiliers Steve Martin and Glen Martin - Rothesay Golf Club captain Andy Gilmour said of the visitors: "They are a group who want to give something back to the island, and they will always be welcome at Rothesay Golf Club and on Bute."

After the dust had settled on the weekend, the club's PGA professional Jim Dougal told us: "It was an absolutely brilliant night. Everybody agreed that we got great value for money, and Freddie Mercury was just fantastic.

"It's a great way to show how people who come here to visit like to be part of island life."