East Lothian has certainly lived up to its reputation as a thriving holiday destination over the past couple of weeks, with holidaymakers flocking to the beaches in the fine weather and the hotels, guest-houses, shops and restaurants making the most of a longer than usual summer season.

Apart from our lovely beaches, historical and visitor attractions, museums, golf courses, sailing and walking facilities also make East Lothian a magnet for visitors. Over recent years, the influx has also been boosted by Fringe by the Sea and the North Berwick Highland Games – for both of which I must declare an interest.

Leuchie at the Fringe was a fantastic fundraising concert for Leuchie House as part of the Fringe by the Sea programme, with a cast including Scottish Opera’s Emerging Artists. Many of our guests were delighted to be able to enjoy the concert.

Before the concert, we were lucky enough to welcome two of the performers, singer Kirsten Cairns and pianist Matthew Brown, up to Leuchie, where they performed a beautiful selection of songs from the 1940s for guests and staff. The effects of such stirring and evocative songs in an intimate setting was electrifying and there was barely a dry eye in the house.

At the Highland Games, I was involved as Deputy Chieftain, which offered me a fascinating glimpse into the world of the Games and the opportunity to meet many of the talented musicians, dancers and sports people, many from far-flung corners of the globe, who give their all on a sports field in East Lothian.

The commitment and passion shown by these competitors was really inspiring and the Highland Games – especially coming so soon after the hugely successful Commonwealth Games in Glasgow – was a great platform to showcase East Lothian in general and North Berwick in particular, especially when the sun shines.

For those of us who live and work in a seaside town all year round, there can be a tendency to be negative about the sudden deluge of visitors during the school holidays, especially when we’re faced with traffic jams or have to think of inventive alternative parking spaces – the message is leave the car at home where possible! But the summer trade is vital to our local economy and a lifeblood for the smaller, seasonal businesses in the area.

At Leuchie House, we are also fairly seasonal when it comes to high demand for places and have come to the conclusion that in respite care as well as in tourism, we must embrace the highs when they come and let the destination do the talking when it comes to encouraging people to come back out-of-season. So far, it seems to be working...