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Call For Progress On Cycle Route

Aberdeenshire, Environment 2 Responses »

Jun 032016

With thanks to Martin Ford.

East Garioch councillor Martin Ford is asking Aberdeenshire Council to choose a route and build a cycle path between Kintore and Blackburn – as part of delivering a cycle route all the way from Inverurie to Aberdeen.

Cllr Ford has written to Aberdeenshire’s head of transportation, Ewan Wallace, pointing out that other parts of a cycle path between Inverurie (Port Elphinstone) and Aberdeen are either built, planned or work is at least underway to identify a route. (See letter)

“Kintore to Blackburn is the ‘missing link’ in the plans for delivering a continuous cycle route between Port Elphinstone and Aberdeen,” said Cllr Ford.

“Cycling on the A96 is really horrible, and very few people are going to choose to do that. An alternative is needed for those who would like to cycle, or walk, for example between Kintore and Blackburn.”

A cycle path exists between Port Elphinstone and the Thainstone roundabout and one has just been built between Kintore and Kintore Business Park.

Aberdeenshire Council is planning to build a cycle path on the east side of the A96 to join the cycle path from Port Elphinstone at the Thainstone roundabout with Kintore Business Park. Aberdeen City Council has just been awarded £30,000 by Sustrans towards the cost of route identification and preliminary design work for a cycle link between Blackburn and Aberdeen.

At its budget meeting in February, Aberdeenshire Council allocated an additional £250,000 to ‘Active Travel’ in its revenue budget for 2016/17. (1)

Cllr Ford said:

“Active Travel is a priority for Aberdeenshire Council which can deliver health benefits, help reduce traffic congestion and cut greenhouse gas emissions from road transport.”

A report at the most recent meeting of Aberdeenshire’s Infrastructure Services Committee showed an allocation of £210,000 for active travel projects ‘yet to be identified’. (2)

Cllr Martin Ford said:

“I’m pleased Aberdeenshire Council has allocated additional funding for active travel and pleased work is planned on delivering other parts of a cycle route between Inverurie and Aberdeen. So I believe it’s time for Aberdeenshire Council to identify a route for a cycle path between Kintore and Blackburn and progress that.

“There is certainly a need for a suitable cycling route all the way between Inverurie, Kintore, Blackburn and Aberdeen.”

Notes:

1. The additional money for active travel is a condition of the ‘confidence and supply’ agreement between the Democratic Independent and Green Group councillors and Aberdeenshire’s coalition administration.

2. Infrastructure Services Committee meeting 12 May 2016, Item 8 ‘Programme for Active Travel and Road Safety’, page 11. The report is here.

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Festivals To Collaborate At Highland Games

Aberdeen City, Articles, Featured No Responses »

Jun 032016

Julia Heys,Marketing Executive,VisitAberdeenshire.

Leading festivals from across Aberdeen are to come together to cross-programme an entertainment marquee at the Aberdeen Highland Games later this month [Sunday Jun 19].

For the second year running, Aberdeen Festivals, a group of 10 multi-arts festivals, will deliver a line-up of art, science, workshops and live entertainment at the Highland Games, held annually at Hazlehead Park.

Spectra, Aberdeen Jazz Festival, Look Again, May Festival, Aberdeen International Youth Festival (AIYF), TechFest, North East Open Studios, TrueNorth, DanceLive and sound, will all present activities, performances or workshops as part of the main programme.

Steve Harris, Chair of Aberdeen Festivals and CEO of VisitAberdeenshire, commented:

“Last year, our presence at the Highland Games was a huge success. We saw upwards of 2,000 people make their way through the tent, with adults and children having a great time alike. This year we have another exciting programme packed full of entertainment and we look forward to welcoming visitors to the Aberdeen Festivals marquee.”

Sponsored by leading energy firm Statoil UK, Aberdeen Festivals is a revolutionary cultural initiative bringing together 10 member festivals. The group, set up in early 2014, works to raise the profile of festivals in the North-east as well as grow audiences through joined up marketing campaigns.

The Aberdeen Festivals Entertainment Marquee will open at 10am and run until 4.30pm. Highlights include art exhibitions from Look Again and North East Open Studios, hands-on children’s activities from Techfest and May Festival as well as live performances from True North and AIYF.

Sarah Chew, Managing Director of TechFest, added;

“Over the past two years our involvement with the Aberdeen Festivals project has seen us not only increase awareness but also significantly boost our audience levels. Working together at events like the Aberdeen Highland Games lets us showcase the truly unique and diverse offering of all the festivals in Aberdeen.”

The Aberdeen Highland Games will take place on Sunday 19 June from 10am-5.30pm at Hazlehead Park, Aberdeen.

Aberdeen Festivals is a cultural initiative sponsored by Statoil and is supported by VisitAberdeenshire and Aberdeen City Council. More information can be found at aberdeenfestivals.com.

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Dreich Encounter At HMT – Duncan Harley Reviews

Aberdeen City, Featured, Opinion No Responses »

Jun 032016

Duncan Harley reviews ‘Dreich Encounter’ at His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen,

In the classic 1945 David Lean romantic drama, Brief Encounter, Laura famously meets Alec at the local railway station and the chance encounter leads to unexpected consequences including an emotional love affair

In the classic 2016 Flying Pig’s comedy drama, Dreich Encounter, both Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard are conspicuously absent.

Mither meets Faither on the sofa and then in the bedroom and then yet again in the sitting-room. Screenwriter Noël Coward would have simply loved the unconventionality of the Pig’s production.

Dreich is such a wonderfully emotive adjective. In a 2013 YouGov Plc opinion poll, which asked adults across the country to select their number one Scots word, it ranked well ahead of sleekit, glaikit and even blether; and a recent Tripadvisor review of the shortbread tin favourite Eilean Donan Castle really put the welly in when it concluded that the place was “dreich AND disappointing”.

Aberdeen’s very own Flying Pig’s latest offering ‘Dreich Encounter’ is far from dreich and certainly far from disappointing.

‘Father Ted meets Ivor Cutler’ utterly fails to describe this production adequately. With past classics such as ‘Stanley Cooslick’s Clockwork Sporran’, ‘Finzean in the Rain’, ‘All Quiet on the Westburn Front’ and ‘How to Look Glaikit’ firmly behind them; this new production elevates the Pig’s very own brand of parody-punkesque Doric humour to completely new levels.

From the moment the show opens with the startling announcement that “this evening’s performance has been sponsored by naebody” to the final sketch where Cooncillor Croonie introduces the theatre audience to the new and improved Aberdeen Town motto, no-one and certainly no public institution is safe from gentle ridicule.

As musical comedy sketch revue, ‘Dreich Encounter’ goes bravely where no-one else usually dares or wins. In fact anyone daft enough to emulate the Doric dynamos risks being put up against a wall in Broad Street and executed by firing squad.

Predictably, the Donald gets a mention, as does the Robbie Shepherd. Less predictably Anuptaphobia, medically defined as “a morbid fear of staying or remaining single” features briefly, and the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ is sung with more up-to-date lyrics including the hilarious line “When you walk through the storm, hold your head up high and don’t be afraid of the duck.”

There are 28 laughter-strewn sketches, featuring the likes of grand piano player Hilton John, the dulcet-toned, tartan-trewed Delmonte-jacketed Buckie Drifters, and of course Archie and Davie: this is a show which has something for everyone. Classics include the Bakery Wifies, a Doric A to Z, and Meikle Wartle TV, surely a parody of the Garioch’s very own household favourite, Kintore-based Turnip Radio.

Then there are the words and phrases. Best not repeat the punch line “I’m aff for a shite” perhaps; however lard arse, wobble-bottom and pleiter certainly make it into the non-expletive top ten.

For my money, Mither’s Happy Days and Mither’s Happy Anniversary represent the best that ‘Dreich Encounter’ has to offer. Reminiscent of Cutler’s Glasgow classic “Life in a Scotch Sitting Room”, “Mither” gently parodies the folk memories of the North east.
In fact you can almost taste that delightfully carbonated Blue Nun and those cheesy pineapple hedgehogs.

A Flying Pig Production, Dreich Encounter plays at HMT Aberdeen until Saturday 11th June

Tickets from Aberdeen Performing Arts Tel: 01224- 641122

Words © Duncan Harley and Images © APA

Bothy Reborn As Eco-Friendly Rewilding Base

Environment, Information No Responses »

Jun 022016

With thanks to Richard Bunting, Director, Richard Bunting PR.

An iconic but once derelict mountain bothy in Glen Affric has been transformed into an eco-friendly rewilding base by Trees for Life – creating the springboard for an ambitious 25-year programme of forest restoration which will extend Scotland’s Caledonian Forest towards the country’s west coast.

Around 100 people gathered at the remote Athnamulloch Bothy – which lies west of Loch Affric, on the National Forest Estate managed by Forest Enterprise Scotland – on Sunday 29 May to celebrate the building’s £137,000 renovation, which has been funded by generous donations and grants.

Broadcaster, writer and Trees for Life Patron Vanessa Collingridge officially reopened the bothy by unfurling a ceremonial sash featuring the tartan of Clan Chisholm, whose traditional homelands include Glen Affric. Environmental education charity Wild things! laid on activities for children, and guests were able to enjoy behind-the-scenes tours and a guided walk to the first trees planted by Trees for Life, in 1991.

“Saving Athnamulloch Bothy from dereliction – and giving it an exciting new lease of life as a base for conservation volunteering to help rewild one of Scotland’s great natural areas – represents a new era for our restoration of the Caledonian Forest in Glen Affric’s western reaches,” said Alan Watson Featherstone, Trees for Life’s Founder.

“Our sincere thanks go to everyone who has helped make this project succeed. We can now embark on ambitious large-scale forest restoration work in partnership with Forest Enterprise Scotland, in which our volunteers will plant another 250,000 trees – extending Glen Affric’s endangered forests westwards, and creating crucial forest corridors and habitats for rare wildlife.”

Until the bothy became unsafe and was closed in 2008, Trees for Life’s volunteers used it for 17 years as a base for planting the first new Scots pines to grow in the area for centuries. With significant tree planting in the remote location virtually impossible without a place for volunteers to stay, the conservation charity undertook an ambitious fundraising drive to save the bothy.

In a major boost, almost half the costs were covered by a £60,000 award from the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund, part of the Scottish Government’s Commonwealth Games Legacy 2014 programme.

Trees for Life secured the remaining funds through its Build the Bothy public appeal – fronted by broadcaster and wildlife filmmaker Gordon Buchanan – and further grants, including £20,000 from the Moray-based Gordon and Ena Baxter Foundation, £15,000 from The Robertson Trust, £10,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation and £1,000 from the James Thin Charitable Trust.

Highland Council was also very helpful in enabling a building in such a remote location to meet today’s stringent building control standards.

The bothy has now been renovated to a high ecological standard while retaining its rustic character. A kitchen, living room, bedrooms, drying room, wood burning stoves, composting toilet and a bathroom with eco-friendly energy and water systems have been installed, new timbers and flooring have replaced rotten woodwork, and a porch now provides for drier entry into the building, which is crucial given the area’s very wet climate.

Trees for Life has signed a 25-year lease for the building with Forest Enterprise Scotland, and the names of those who donated at least £250 are listed on a commemorative plaque in the building.

From Athnamulloch Bothy, Trees for Life is now launching its Back to Our Roots initiative. In partnership with Forest Enterprise Scotland, this will extend the native Caledonian Forest beyond its current stronghold in the east of the glen towards Scotland’s west coast – creating a continuous corridor of woodland across this part of the Highlands, and providing habitats for many species long lost from these deforested landscapes.

Through its Back to Our Roots fundraising appeal, the charity is seeking to raise £18,000 to fund the first phase of this tree planting and habitat creation, and to help achieve its ambition to establish one million more trees by planting and natural regeneration across the Highlands by 2018. For details, see www.treesforlife.org.uk or call 01309 691292.

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Jamie Davidson – Knowing Not Knowing @ Peacock

Aberdeen City, News No Responses »

Jun 022016

With thanks to John Morrison.

Peacock Visual Arts proudly presents knowing not knowing, an exhibition of prints and sculptural works by artist Jamie Davidson.

Drawing on a three month period of research in Japan this body of new work develops visual themes explored in Jamie’s previous solo show.

The installation of prints and sculpture reflect a simplicity of form and sensitivity to material seen in the traditional architecture and craftsmanship throughout Japan.

This is particularly evident in the construction of their temples and gardens where boundaries between interior and exterior gently give way to each other. Here in the shadow between the two spaces, a crossing over, or passing through subtly evokes our own sense of being in the world.

Starting with a simple shape and by allowing the sculptural work to develop at the same time as the print series knowing not knowing recalls, in abstract form, many aspects of Jamie’s experiences whilst in Japan.

About the artist:

A Graduate of Moray School of Art, Jamie Davidson previously trained and worked as a carpenter. Inspired by the natural and built environment, Jamie’s sculptural works are also informed by his many years of experience with traditional materials. In 2013, Jamie won the Saltire Society International Travel Bursary for visual arts, which funded a research trip to Japan in 2014.

Date: 17 June 2016 – 30 July 2016
Opening: Thurs 16 June 2016, 6-8pm
Venue: Peacock Visual Arts

MP Claims Buses ‘Unfit’ For Buchan

Aberdeenshire, Opinion No Responses »

Jun 022016

With thanks to Kenneth Hutchison, Parliamentary Assistant to Dr. Eilidh Whiteford

BANFF & Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford has spoken following further meetings with Stagecoach managers regarding the new buses serving the Buchan area.

The meeting follows dozens of complaints from constituents regarding the accessibility of the buses, which have been causing problems for passengers with mobility impairments, less agility, and those travelling with small children.

The vehicles, which were introduced last year, have sparked a campaign for more accessible public transport in the constituency.

Dr Whiteford met with the designers of the bus, Stagecoach representatives, and constituents affected by the problem, on Friday May 20.

Speaking afterwards, Dr Whiteford said:

“It’s quite clear that Stagecoach have made a mistake in choosing this particular model. While it may meet the statutory requirements, I continue to receive complaints from bus users. Given the number of older people, disabled passengers and parents of babies or toddlers relying on the buses, it’s important that our public transport is accessible to all parts of the community.

“In terms of the legislation, I will be seeking a debate on bus accessibility at the earliest possible opportunity.

“I will also continue to maintain pressure on the company to come up with a solution to this problem. Our public transport needs to be fit for purpose. ”

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AAM Support for ‘Lifeline’ Dementia Café

Aberdeen City, Information No Responses »

Jun 022016

With thanks to Esther Green, Senior Account Executive, Tricker PR.

A café that is dishing up friendship and support along with coffee and cake to people living with dementia has received a financial boost during Dementia Awareness Week (May 30-June 5)
Alzheimer Scotland’s dementia café in Aberdeen – hailed as a lifeline to families affected by the disease – has received £2,500 from Aberdeen Asset Management’s Charitable Foundation.

People living with dementia, their families and carers reap the benefits of maintaining social connections and making friendships by meeting up over a cuppa at dementia cafés, which improve wellbeing and confidence as well as maintain links with communities.

They are part of the network of support and information services provided by Alzheimer Scotland, the country’s leading dementia charity which also raises awareness and supports research into the disease.

Alzheimer Scotland’s corporate fundraiser Fiona Lewis said that the value of providing an informal get together for people affected by the disease could not be underestimated. Feedback from café users is positive, with people saying they’ve made genuine friendships, they have welcomed being able to meet up outside other activities, and they’ve been able to share the load with others in a similar situation.

Fiona said:

“The Aberdeen Dementia Café acts as a lifeline to many and provides the opportunity for both people living with dementia and their carers to make real and meaningful friendships outwith our services, which is invaluable throughout their journey with dementia. Our Aberdeen Dementia Café directly supports 18-20 people each month, benefitting people with dementia, their spouses or partners and younger family members who are often the person’s main carer.

“With facilities like this café, we want to ensure that anyone living with, or affected by, dementia in the Aberdeen area has access to information, care and support that they need in order to live well with the disease, or be able to support their loved one, in their own community.

“The Dementia Café positively impacts on many lives in the Aberdeen area and Aberdeen Asset Management Charitable Foundation’s kind support of £2,500 will help Alzheimer Scotland to continue providing this vital community service.”

Dominic Kite of Aberdeen Asset Management’s Charitable Foundation, added:

“This café does great work in supporting people with dementia, their family and carers enabling them to remain connected with their communities, and to meet others in a similar situation in a friendly, relaxed and welcoming environment. We are pleased to offer this support and show our backing to Dementia Awareness Week and its message ‘let’s challenge dementia together’.”

There are 90,000 people with dementia in Scotland and while age is the greatest risk factor for dementia, there are around 3,000 people with dementia aged under 65.

The number of people with dementia is increasing because the population is getting older. Based on current dementia prevalence rates, the number of people with dementia is set to double within the next 25 years.

Dementia Awareness Week seeks to raise awareness and much-needed funds for those living with and affected by dementia in Scotland. It also seeks to promote becoming a Scottish Dementia Friend by understanding dementia and the small things that can be done to help people with the condition. This could be helping someone find the right bus or being patient in a till queue if someone with dementia is taking longer to pay. For more information, visit www.alzscot.org/daw2016

The Aberdeen Asset Charitable Foundation was established in 2012 to formalise and develop the Group’s charitable giving globally. The Foundation seeks partnerships with smaller charities around the world, where funds can be seen to have a meaningful and measurable impact and the firm encourages its employees to use their time and skills to support its charitable projects. For more information visit: www.aberdeen-asset.com/foundation

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Ballater Hangs Out The Bunting For Royal Celebrations

Aberdeenshire, Articles No Responses »

Jun 022016

With thanks to Esther Green, Senior Account Executive, Tricker PR.

A band of volunteers from the village of Ballater have organised a Royal knees up in the form of the ‘Happy Birthday Ma’am’ street party to celebrate the monarch’s milestone birthday on Saturday, June 11.

Being located in the heart of Royal Deeside, organisers will use the Queen’s 90th birthday to continue to build up the community spirit which has been evident in the village since it was affected by flooding last December.

Balmoral Castle remains a favourite summer retreat for the Royal Family, and Ballater is often referred to as the ‘Royal Warrant Town’, due to the large number of businesses that hold the prestigious mark of recognition to those who supply goods or services to the Households of HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh or HRH The Prince of Wales.

Many of these businesses have already reopened or are on track to reopen in the summer, and the ‘Happy Birthday Ma’am’ street party is one in a number of events planned to welcome tourists back to the picturesque village.

Both visitors and residents are invited to join in with the celebrations which will see the whole community come together. The free event takes place from 2-11pm on Saturday 11 June at the Churchyard Green in Ballater and will feature live music, a bouncy castle, old-fashioned games, and family karaoke. Funds raised from donations made on the day will go towards those affected by flooding.

In honour of the momentous occasion, Ballater resident Lorraine Barr is encouraging people to sponsor a tree in what will be known as ‘The Queen’s Ballater Wood’. Lorraine and those involved wish to leave a legacy which will remind others of the spirit of community in Ballater. The wooded area will feature 90 trees of different varieties known to be favourites of Her Majesty The Queen.

Rev David Barr, who is helping to organise the Queen’s birthday street party, says that the event is giving those affected by floods something positive to focus on.

He says,

“All of the volunteers involved in the planning of the street party were affected by the floods in some way. We all really wanted to give something back to the community which allowed everyone to get together and celebrate what a fantastic place Ballater is. Visitors are more than welcome to join in the celebrations with us on the day, we’re all keen to show people how far we’ve come as a village and that Ballater is on its way back to its full glory.

“The Royal family took a great interest in Ballater after the flooding and we received daily encouragement through telephone calls from the palace. It meant a great deal to us all, so the street party is our way of saying thank you to the Queen and also to everyone who reached out to us with messages of support, help and donations.

“The support has been absolutely phenomenal and for that we are forever grateful. From individuals to companies, we wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for the general public.

“The whole situation has definitely brought us all closer together, we’re such a tight knit community and everyone is helping to spread the word that Ballater is still open for business. It’s such a great place to visit, I’m very much looking forward to celebrating with other residents and visitors from far and wide on June 11.”

Richard Watts of Ballater Business Association says,

“There’s been a real buzz in the village in the run up to the Queen’s birthday street party. Local businesses have been getting involved by donating goods and money towards the event, whilst all the volunteers involved have done a brilliant job at organising the ‘Happy Birthday Ma’am’ street party.

“It’s so inspiring to see how far Ballater has come as a village and as a community. This will be very apparent during the street party and we hope that visitors join us in celebrating in the Queen’s birthday and how far Ballater has come in 2016.”

The ‘Happy Birthday Ma’am’ street party takes place from 2-11pm at the Churchyard Green in Ballater. Those attending are encouraged to bring their own picnic.

For more information about the street party then contact Rev. David Barr on revdavidbarr@btinternet.com. If you would like to know more about how to sponsor a tree in ‘The Queen’s Ballater Wood’ then contact Lorraine Barr on 01339 756111.

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Transport Police Raise Mental Health Awareness

Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Information No Responses »

May 272016

With thanks to Jessica Murphy, Senior Account Executive, Citrus:Mix.

Officers from British Transport Police (BTP) based at Aberdeen will row into action next month (June) after pledging support to a north-east charity.
The team has chosen Mental Health Aberdeen (MHA) as their charity of the year and hope to raise both awareness and funds for the cause – kicking off the partnership in style with the Garioch Lions raft race.

MHA provides support services, counselling and advice to people affected by challenges related to mental health and wellbeing.

This includes emotional and practical support; information and advice; support with helping overcome social isolation; links and access to other community resources; and activities promoting mental wellbeing.

Constable Peter McAndie of the BTP emphasised how close the cause is to their hearts due to incidents the force responds to on the railway.

He said:

“Mental health awareness is very close to our hearts not only because of the people we try to help, but because of course, the nature of our work has the potential to impact on our own health. We are aiming to do as much as we can to get people talking about mental health and for them to know what help is on offer.

“Mental Health Aberdeen does so much for people with poor mental health across the north-east and any money we raise will go towards helping facilitate this.

“Our team is raring to go for the race, it is always a fun event with a great atmosphere and we can’t wait to get going and boost the amount we have raised so far.”

Taking place on Sunday, June 5, the popular raft race begins at Kembhill Park in Kemnay and follows the River Don to the old Don Bridge in Inverurie. The team will be made up of local officers PC Pete McAndie and Craig Allan, joined by Chief Inspector Sue Maxwell.

Astrid Whyte, chief executive of MHA, said:

“The Aberdeen BTP team know all too well with the situations they face how helpless those with mental health difficulties can feel. We are here to let these people know that they do not have to suffer alone as help, advice and resources are available.

“The money that Peter and his colleagues raise will go a long way to helping us sustain this and continue helping people and I would like to thank them for choosing MHA as their charity of the year. Demand for our range of services is high and we want to be able to tackle this as quickly as we can, which can sometimes be difficult, particularly in the current climate.

“We are all looking forward to cheering them on in the raft race and building on this new partnership over the next year.”

To make a donation visit https://www.justgiving.com/RailCops

MHA was founded in 1950 and the organisation was among the first to provide community care with its first residential project, a group home for discharged psychiatric patients, opened more than 35 years ago. MHA has also been providing day services continuously for over 60 years.

Further information is available online at www.mha.uk.net

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Key Milestone Looms For Proposed Kintore Station

Aberdeenshire, Information No Responses »

May 272016

With thanks to Martin Ford.

East Garioch councillor Martin Ford is delighted that Aberdeenshire Council’s Garioch Area Committee is to decide this Tuesday (31 May) on supporting a funding bid to the Scottish Stations Fund for the proposed station at Kintore.

Cllr Ford has been campaigning for a new station at Kintore for many years.

He said:

“Assembling the funding package to enable a Kintore station to be built is clearly an essential step towards delivering that goal. And an application to the Scottish Stations Fund has always been seen as a key element in the expected overall funding mix.”

The report to the Garioch Area Committee highlights the strength of the business case for building a station at Kintore.

Cllr Martin Ford said:

“There is a very strong case for prioritising the proposed Kintore station for funding. All the investigative studies have concluded a station at Kintore will be well used, with a good benefit:cost ratio.

“A station at Kintore looks like a sound investment and good value for money.”

Cllr Ford has also welcomed some new and updated information relating to the planned delivery of the new station.

“In the emerging timetable, it looks like there will be 3–4 trains per hour serving Kintore,” said Cllr Ford.

“And to fit with the overall construction strategy for the upgrading works being undertaken along the line, the planned opening date for the new station at Kintore has been brought forward slightly – from March 2019 to December 2018. This is certainly good news.”

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