Four young men have put their names forward for this year’s election for Cornet. For Stuart Tedham, Ewan Patterson, and Lloyd Johnstone it is their second time standing, while Christopher Tait joins them for his first time standing. All four have a knowledge and passion for the Common Riding that is truly astonishing.
Stuart James Albert Tedham is 33 and works as a Customer Team Member in Langholm Co-Op. His parents are Colin and Amy Tedham, and this is his second time standing for Cornet.
Stuart first rode the Common Riding in 2013, before joining the Castle Craigs in 2014. He has diligently served on the Common Riding Committee since 2012, and in 2016 took on the role of Program Convenor.
Beyond the Common Riding, Stuart has a keen interest in local history, writing numerous historical articles for the Eskdale & Liddesdale Advertiser. He is also an administrator on the Langholm Nostalgia Facebook group.
Ewan Alexander Patterson is 23 and is a forestry worker for Hawes Forestry. His parents are David and Fiona Patterson, and his uncle David McVittie was cornet in 1996. This is Ewan’s second time standing for cornet.
He joined the Castle Craigs in 2017, before going on to ride the Benty and Castle Craigs in 2018, and riding the Benty, Craigs and the Common Riding in 2019. Ewan has also helped with the greybeards on the hill on Common Riding Day for a number of years.
Ewan also plays rugby for Langholm Rugby Club as well as the occasional stint for Hawick Quinns.
Lloyd Johnstone is 23 and works as a roofer. He is the son of Jackie and Ex-Cornet Andrew Johnstone, who carried the flag in 1989. Like Stuart and Ewan, this is Lloyd’s second time standing for cornet.
Lloyd joined the Castle Craigs in 2007 and has ridden the ride outs and Common Riding every year since. In 2016 he won the Castle Craigs race at the age of sixteen.
Horses play a big role in Lloyd’s life, and he has ridden a huge variety of horses from cobs to thoroughbreds.
Christopher William Tait is 22 years old and works as an industrial boiler engineer for Cochran Boilers. He is the son of Christopher and Louise Tait, and this is his first year standing for cornet.
Christopher joined the Castle Craigs in 2018 before going on to ride the Common Riding in 2019. He also took on the role of Castle Craigs Fair Crier in 2019.
Christopher is a keen rugby player, playing for Langholm Rugby Club, as well as serving as a Youth Rugby Trustee where he helps encourage future players of the club. He is also a trustee of the Xcel Youth Project.
Voting will be held at the Buccleuch Centre from 6pm until 8pm on Friday the 12th of May. Good luck to all four candidates.
