Highland 2007, the year Scotland celebrates Highland culture has adopted The Golden Broom tartan created by Mulbuie Primary school as its official tartan.

Headteacher Shona Mackinnon said: “This is a great honour for us - all the children are really excited about it.”

She explained: “Primary five, six and seven pupils were given the task of designing their own tartan as part of a project about the Jacobites, the main brief being that the tartan should relate to the Mulbuie area.

“I was blown away by the quality of the designs the pupils produced, it was just amazing and their enthusiasm for the task was brilliant.”

The Golden Broom was chosen as the winning design at a parents evening in the school and is now officially recorded under the Scottish Tartans World Register.

The Golden Broom includes burgundy to represent the school uniform, with greens and browns tying in with the farming industry around Mulbuie and, of course, the golden colour of the shrub, broom, abundant in the area. The Gaelic translation of Mulbuie is ‘place of the golden broom’.

Shona Mackinnon, added: “The whole project really took off and we were able to tie in virtually every part of the curriculum to the enterprise. We used maths for thread counts, some pupils went to Harris to see cloth being produced in a traditional way which fitted into history, and we also used natural roots to dye wool at a science day held at the school.

“It has also given us the opportunity to build up the children’s confidence and people skills as they had to negotiate the production of our tartan and go through the whole registration process. All in all it has been an excellent project to be involved in and we are over the moon to be able to tie it into next years Highland 2007 celebrations.”

Highland dress specialists Campbells of Beauly gave advice about production and assisted with the manufacture of the tartan which has now been incorporated into the school uniform and is available to purchase from the school.

Most of the pupils wear the tartan as part of their uniform, including skirts, bags and waistcoats and many of the parents have also bought some tartan to make cushions, chair coverings and even curtains. Golden Broom wrapping paper has also been produced by the enterprising school.

Alison Magee, chair of Highland 2007, said: “The endeavour and enthusiasm this small school has shown is fantastic. All pupils and staff have been fully behind this project, creating an excellent product. Highland 2007 is proud to adopt this as the official tartan for the year we celebrate Highland culture.”

The tartan will be included in official merchandising produced for Highland 2007 but in the meantime anyone interested in purchasing the tartan can do so through the school directly by calling 01349 861289 or email: mulbuie.primary@highland.gov.uk  the cost is £18.50 per metre.