Lamont Forbes, a long-time supporter and fund-raiser, stepped out in a jacket made up of the Guide Dog tartan which bears reference to his dedicated support over the years.

The Guide Dog tartan has a history of interconnection, and all the colours represent connections to the Association at various levels.
The main blue and gold are the corporate colours and are therefore predominant in the tartan's sett.

The blues and reds represent the three main cities and counties where Guide Dogs have a base of operation in Scotland. These are Edinburgh, Hamilton (Glasgow) and, of course, Forfar.

A spokesperson for Guide Dogs explained: "The final colour in the Guide Dog tartan is the green that can be found in the Forbes tartan.

"The reason is that Guide Dogs is an organisation built upon the efforts and support from volunteers.

"One such member of the Guide Dog family is Lamont Forbes, a loyal and vital member of the Forfar volunteer group.

"Lamont received an MBE for his services to Guide Dogs. In recognising Lamont Forbes in the colours of the Guide Dog tartan we recognise the importance of people to the organisation, an organisation for people made up of people, all with a common goal. Could there be any stronger threads?"

The secondary colours of red, white and green complement the predominant blue in representing the flags of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, thus acknowledging Guide Dogs as an organisation with a UK wide presence.

For full coverage of the opening and a selection of photographs from the official opening see our Local Events section.