THE man behind a Haddington Festival “institution” for three decades has hung up his quiz cards for the last time.

Bob Mitchell’s festival quiz has been a key part of the town’s annual summer celebrations since 1992.

But now the baton is being passed on as Mr Mitchell has decided to step away ahead of this year’s festival, which takes place in May.

Mr Mitchell, who will be 75 by the time of this year’s festival, felt that now was the right time to step down.

He said: “I was very flattered to be asked and I usually answer my emails promptly but it took me nearly a month to get back to them to just say this was probably time to stop.

“I’m very involved with Doric and in the storytelling world, so it was with regrets but it was great fun.

“I never thought it would become the institution it was for so long.”

Mr Mitchell, a former Justice of the Peace, grew up on a croft in the Parish of Belhelvie, to the north of Aberdeen.

He has enjoyed great success at the Buchan Heritage Society’s annual Doric competition, which celebrates the dialect used by people in the north-east of Scotland.

However, for about the last 50 years, he has called Haddington home, becoming chairman of the town’s day centre.

The quiz started off in the town’s Railway Hotel, with representatives from each of the town’s licensed establishments invited to send along a team.

The event remained at the venue for many years and attracted a number of “very, very loyal individuals, who hardly missed a year”.

Originally, the quiz was split into 10 different rounds, with each based on a specific topic, such as science, local history or sport.

Eventually, the questions were mixed together but Mr Mitchell noted that there had been one major change.

He said: “We became more proficient as time went on.

“The biggest challenge was everybody having electronic devices, which makes it so much easier to find the answers.

“I remember in the early days a dispute or mild query would happen and you had to go down to the library the next morning and search through the books to see if I was right or if the individual was right.

“Now, immediately, you can check – that was a massive change.”

Chris McEwan, chairman of Haddington’s community council, was hopeful that Mr Mitchell would remain involved in the event.

He said: “We approached Bob and I think he took the natural stance of hanging up his quiz cards when he could.

“It is one of these things – it always comes to an end at some point – but that is not to say he might not help us out in the background and give us some tips and tricks. We might find a new quizmaster to follow in Bob’s footsteps.”

Jan Wilson, former long-standing chairwoman of the community council, regularly attended the quizzes.

She said: “It was good fun and a right good atmosphere.

“There were quite obviously people that did quizzes and folk that are quite intelligent and they won it just about every year but it was just the taking part in it.

“We always had a community council team in it and we never came last!

“We got better and better but it was always good fun.”