We are the St. Andrew’s Society of the Netherlands. We are based in and around The Hague and our members come from across the world to enjoy Scottish dancing and culture. Please join us for our weekly dancing class at the Reel Club, or for one of our 5 annual events.
Depending upon the prevalence of Covid in the Netherlands, we may require testing prior to dancing. We will inform you nearer to the time.
The St. Andrew’s Society of The Netherlands was formed in 1985. Its aims are to promote Scottish culture and, by doing so, raise funds for charities in Scotland and The Netherlands. Charities we have supported recently include Clini Clowns, KiKa, Myloma UK, Stichting Pink Ribbon and Stichting Hester. In 2015 our charity was St Columba’s Hospice in Edinburgh, and in 2016 Stichting Kinderarmoede. In 2017 we supported “Stichting IDGNH” provide mobile water treatment to aid victims of natural disasters, and in 2018 we supported Stichting Ambulance Wens who are medically trained volunteers that fulfil the last wishes of terminally ill patients. At our 30 November 2019 Ball we raised a total of €1500 (GBP1282) for the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team. In addition the society decided to make an additional payment out of club funds; we also made a donation of €1000 to Safe Spaces Nairobi in December 2019. However there was no Charity Ball in 2020 nor 2021. From the November 2022 Ball we made two charity donations; from the raffle €1510 to Stichting het Gehandicapte Kind, and from club funds a further €500 to Stichting Respijthuis HouseMartin. From the November 2023 Ball we made three charity donations; mainly from the raffle €2000 to Alzheimer NL, and from club funds a further €350 to Voedselbank NL as well as €350 to Biblionef NL.
The principal occasion, St. Andrew’s Day (30th November) is celebrated in traditional formal style with our Charity Ball where we raise funds for charities in Scotland and The Netherlands. Other more informal events, such as Ceilidhs and a Burns’ Night dance, are held from time to time.
Many of our members come to our weekly Reel Club where we get together to learn Scottish country dancing. The Club is held on Fridays from September until May and the emphasis is on having fun.
The society is run by our committee, who are elected annually by the members. Volunteers to help with the social functions or join the committee are always welcome.
The previous year our AGM (= Annual General Meeting or club members’ meeting) was held in September in conjunction with a regular Reel Club. Last year a mention during a Zoom call for members was as good as it got.
On some smartphones the “ABOUT” drop-down menu is not readily available. For convenience these pages are also available here:-
St Andrew's Society of the Netherlands 