By Graham Brown

GLAMIS CASTLE’S summer season has gained a boost from the G8 effect.

The historic Angus attraction played host to the wives of the world’s most powerful leaders during July’s Gleneagles summit and a few short weeks on the landmark is enjoying some of the spin-off from its history-making day.

Half a dozen of the so-called First Wives’ Club were flown in by helicopter in early July to enjoy the castle at its best on a gloriously sunny day.

Months of top-secret planning by castle staff saw a full programme laid on involving a tour of the Earl of Strathmore’s home as well as events featuring schoolchildren and a lunch, hosted by Mary, Dowager Countess of Strathmore, featuring the best of Angus produce.

The lengthy run-up to the visit posed many new challenges for castle general manager David Adams and his staff, but they revelled in the opportunity to host such a prestigious private visit, and the name of Glamis and Angus has undoubtedly enjoyed a fillip if feedback and castle visitors numbers are any indicator.

“We have certainly been a lot busier since the G8 event and have had many American and German visitors in particular asking about what took place,” Mr Adams said.

“The run up to the event was a little quieter because I would say that some visitors were perhaps planning things around the summit, but after that we definitely noticed a good surge.”

He said he and his staff had also been thrilled by the compliments from Tayside Chief Constable John Vine and government officials with whom they developed a close relationship during preparations for the visit.

“The chief constable said we had every reason to feel extremely proud of placing Glamis Castle and Angus in such a prominent position on the world stage, and he was very complimentary about the way the event was handled by the team here,” he said.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office big-wigs have also praised the “meticulous planning and delivery” of the Glamis team and the enthusiasm and commitment of castle staff.

“They also highlighted the endless patience and good humour of everyone here in the face of what they felt must have seemed like endless visits made for months before, but we realised how significant an opportunity this was and we were determined to ensure that we showed the ‘can-do’ approach which was one of the reasons the castle was selected for the event,” added Mr Adams added.

The guests were Cherie Blair, Laura Bush, Lyudmila Putin, Sheila Martin (wife of Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin), Doris Schroeder (wife of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder) and Margarida Barossa (wife of EC president Jose Manuel Barossa).