Gretna Registration Office Celebrates 25 Years At The Top

Gretna Registration Office celebrated its 25th birthday earlier this year.

To mark the occasion, a small celebration event was held on Friday 28 October, in the registration office. Past and present employees from the office and elected members gathered to share stories of what the building in Central Avenue in Gretna means to them. They were also treated to a personal and touching speech from former Council official James Maguire Smith on how the registration office came about and how he felt it was of the Council’s greatest achievements.

Since opening the doors in 1991, the parish of Gretna has seen over 103,000 weddings, with the majority of these ceremonies taking place at the Registration Office. In 2000, a record high of 5279 weddings took place in the Gretna parish, accounting for almost one fifth of all ceremonies to be held in the whole of Scotland that year.

The celebration also saw Jane Irving receive her 25 years long service award from Dumfries and Galloway Council, during which time she’s worked entirely in Gretna Registration Office. Julie has overseen her fair share of ceremonies, and will continue to do so for many years to come.

Councillor Tom McAughtrie, who chairs the Council’s Communities committee said;

“The facility is one of our Council’s biggest success stories. The town of Gretna is a hotbed of wedding activity and contributes greatly to the local economy. Central Avenue is host to a number of wedding related businesses, from florists to photographers. I very much hope that people remain in love with Gretna, and the registration office continues to be at the heart of the local economy here in Gretna. Well done to Julie on her 25 years’ service also – this is a remarkable achievement and one that’s been rightly recognised.”