ST ANDREWS University students were on their best behaviour during the colourful and noisy climax to the annual Raisin weekend celebrations yesterday.

The thousands who took part in the high jinks heeded warnings not to misbehave.

Once again, there was no sign of Prince William at the event.

The weekend programme focused on the academic family network and is a historic celebration to welcome first-year students to St Andrews. The idea behind the tradition is each new student is invited to join a “family” of senior students to help them integrate more easily into university life.

The newcomers present a gift—usually a bottle of wine—to their guardians and in return receive a receipt, which must be carried around for the rest of the day. The receipts take many forms and yesterday included a three-piece suite, mattresses, window frames, a fridge freezer, bicycle frames and old TV sets.

Outlandishly dressed students entertained shoppers as they made their way to St Salvator’s College quadrangle for the climax of the event: the first-year students meet their “parents” and are showered with foam and other substances.

Police and traffic wardens controlled traffic for a time as the students dumped their “receipts” in three large skips, before entering the quad for the traditional and messy foam fight on the lawn, while spectators lined North Street to watch the fun unfold.

Before the event, senior academics and student leaders had issued a joint message to all students urging them not to bring themselves or the university into disrepute. There were no reports of serious misbehaviour and it all passed off without incident, said police.

A university spokes-man said, “The celebrations have passed off peacefully. Students heeded our plea to act responsibly and not to damage town and gown relations and the reputation of the university.”

Senior students and Kate Kennedy Club members undertook the huge task of cleaning up the quadrangle after the students had departed.

The Raisin Weekend has grown in popularity in recent years but over-exuberance of some participants was criticised. After the 1997 event it faced an uncertain future as a result of several instances of vandalism and the university authorities made it clear it would be axed unless behaviour improved.