Education Archives - Page 7 of 22

Contemporary Art Practice From Gray’s – Exhibition

Aberdeen City, Featured, Information No Responses »

Mar 242016

With thanks to John Morrison.

Peacock Visual Arts is proud to present an exhibition of works by 4th-year students from this year’s Contemporary Art Practice course at Gray’s School of Art. Albeit short, this 3-day exhibition gives us a privileged opportunity to see artworks from a new wave of artists, created using a wide variety of media.

Michael Agnew, Course Leader, Contemporary Art Practice at Gray’s School of Art said:

“This exhibition is a final external rehearsal for the big event opening on the 17th of June 2016 at Gray’s School of Art. From this point forward each of the 31 exhibitors will have all hands to the pump in producing their first one-person shows.

“The eclectic nature and diversity of their practices are there for all to see and I know there is enough breadth for everyone visiting this survey to whet the appetite for June and future creativity and sustainability beyond. I am positive that the knowledgeable audience from Aberdeen won’t be departing this show in disappointment.”

Date: 25-26 March 2016
Opening: Thur 24 March 2016, 6-8pm. All Welcome
Location: Peacock Visual Arts

Grant Cash ‘In The Bag’ For Brighter Bucksburn

Aberdeenshire, Environment No Responses »

Feb 292016

By Rhonda Reekie.

Brighter Bucksburn are delighted to announce that we have been chosen as a recipient of the Tesco’s Bags of Help Grant Scheme.

A scheme to help communities improve their local areas using money raised from the purchase of the 5p carrier bags.

Our project along with two other successful applicants in the region will go forward to a public vote in local Tesco’s stores with the customers deciding the outcome.

The project with the highest vote will receive £12000, the second £10000 and the third £8000. The vote will take place in stores from the 27th Feb until the 6th March 2016

Brighter Bucksburn was set up last year by members of Bucksburn and Newhills Community Council, The Beacon Gardening Club and local residents working alongside Aberdeen City Council to improve the area.

Already we have created a small apple and pear orchard, installed new planters and with the help of local schoolchildren planted loads of spring bulbs. We just recently came first in the Eco City award winning £1000 in prize money.

The Bags of Help grant money will go towards improving the Auchmill Nature Walk. This is a 1km path that runs between Auchmill Road and the train line from Bucksburn to the Haudagain roundabout.

After 35 years it is sadly neglected, overgrown, flooded in areas and underused.

We plan in conjunction with Aberdeen City Council to drain the flooded areas creating a wildlife pond, repair the path, cut back the overgrowth, plant more trees to attract red squirrels and reduce noise pollution from the road and plant more native species of shrubs and flowers.

We will also improve signage, install seats and bins and create a leaflet to tell you what flora and fauna you can see on the walk.

In the meantime don’t forget to vote for us at your local Tesco’s soon, £8000 is already a fabulous amount but we could obviously do so much more with the higher amounts!

If anybody wants to join the group or help then contact myself at rhonda.reekie@btinternet.com or message us on the Brighter Bucksburn Facebook group or page sites.

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Open Door For School Leavers Seeking Apprenticeships

Aberdeen City, News No Responses »

Feb 292016

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

Opportunities for young people to step into a career in the financial services industry will be showcased at twin events being held by Aberdeen Asset Management during Scottish Apprenticeship Week (February 29-March 4).

With applications to Aberdeen’s apprenticeship programme now open, young people, their parents and stakeholders who promote career opportunities for young people are invited to sign up to attend open evenings at the firm’s offices in Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

Aberdeen Asset Management has enabled dozens of young people to develop and flourish in the workplace through its tailor-made apprenticeship programme which runs for 12-24 months and gives recruits the chance to discover different areas of the business. Apprentices past and present have said that entering the world of work with Aberdeen Asset Management has offered amazing opportunities for them to learn and grow.

Lynn Brown from Aberdeen Asset Management’s learning and development team says:

“As part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week we will be hosting open evenings in our Aberdeen and Edinburgh offices.

“These events will provide information about the programmes available for school leavers within Aberdeen Asset Management. Our open evenings will be a great opportunity to meet some of our current apprentices, have a tour of our offices and find out about our rotational apprenticeship programme.”

The Edinburgh Session takes place on Tuesday, March 1 from at its offices in Princes Street while the event in Aberdeen follows on Wednesday, March 2 at Union Plaza in Union Wynd. Both sessions run from 6-8pm.

These open evenings are geared for 5th or 6th year school leavers interested in a modern apprenticeship in financial services, their parents and key influencers of young people considering an apprenticeship in the financial sector.

As well as office tours and access to information on career opportunities and pathways in the world of finance, visitors will be able to meet staff including past and present modern apprentices like Sophie Ewen (21), a former pupil of St Machar Academy in Aberdeen. After completing a two year apprenticeship working in different areas of the business she joined Aberdeen Asset Management’s learning and development team as a co-ordinator.

Sophie, who will be attending both the Edinburgh and Aberdeen open evenings, says:

“As part of the four month rotation I worked in different areas and that was all good experience, but learning development was new to me and I’m really pleased to have gained a permanent position. It will be great to meet with school leavers who could become part of the next group of apprentices.”

Anyone interested in attending must register for event by emailing us at entrylevel.recruitment@aberdeen-asset.com, confirming the number of attendees.

Applications for Aberdeen’s apprenticeship programme will close at midnight on Sunday, March 27. To apply, please fill in application via our website at www.aberdeen-asset.com/vacancies

Follow Aberdeen on Twitter at @AberdeenAssetUK and join in the apprenticeship conversation using #ScotMAWeek16.

Old Susannah’s Dictionary Corner 188- Valentines Special

Opinion, Satire and Humour No Responses »

Feb 112016

Old Susannah aka Suzanne Kelly tackles timely topics in the Granite City. From Marischal College to the hallowed halls of the Town House, it’s all one big love-in this Valentine’s Day.

Tally Ho! It’s Valentine’s Day (almost). Love is in the air! It may be hard to sniff out over the smell of pyromaniacs burning the gramps down, or the smell of marine diesel at the harbour (you know, the thick black stuff that you can taste in your throat, which the Harbour Board says isn’t as bad for you as car exhaust or plutonium).

But love is all around. I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes… it must be love. Or it’s arthritis and the gout.

Before a few love-laden definitions, the Highlands & Islands Press Awards Ball took place on 5 February.

All of the best reporters and public relations press release writers (is there a difference?) were there in their finery.

It must have been a particularly glamorous, vibrant, dynamic evening, as according to the headline it was,

“ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL AND LUCID OCCASION AT HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS PRESS BALL AND MEDIA AWARDS”

Successful AND Lucid occasion. And I didn’t even know occasions could be lucid, I thought that applied to people. I guess they meant the great and the good were lucid. I’m sure some of them were just as lucid as ever, and as lucid as their prose. It must have been great for the public relations professionals to be able to drink alongside the journalists who print their press releases; that won’t be something they do every day, will it?

Among the literati glitterati in attendance were Damian and Sarah Bates, Aberdeenshire’s own high-flying power couple; our own Kardashian and Kayne.

Alas! Old Susannah’s invitation to the ball didn’t manage to arrive on time. Lots of great journalistic achievements were rewarded. Rightly so the reportage on the increased frequency with which Highland police now carry guns on routine patrols and calls. This was in truth a great bit of work.

I guess no one else is bothered that public relations firms are now on even footing as reporters. These PR gurus slavishly work on the writing element of being a journalist, freeing up a writer’s time for more important pursuits. I did try, but somehow I couldn’t find any categories for campaigning journalist on the awards list; guess that kind of thing doesn’t rate as well as the ability to cut and paste a press release into an article.

The list of sponsors looked more like the collection of institutions on my ‘To Investigate’ list (with the exception of the National Union of Journalists). This night to remember was sponsored by Diageo; Highlands and Islands Enterprise; the National Union of Journalists; Lucid PR, Events and Marketing; Highland Opportunity and Bord na Gaidhlig.

When not trying to turn the Highlands into launching pads for satellites, Highlands and Islands Enterprise wants to make sure area businesses are respecting the environment and adhering to some kind of moral code. Highlands & Islands scrape by on somewhere above £61 million a year to come up with schemes like that; I can well see what they were doing trying to enforce principles at this gathering. H&I might do well to start on its moral crusade by having a word with fellow sponsor, Diageo.

It must have been nice to see Diageo handing out awards to people who won them, instead of trying to doctor the results. BrewDog fans will remember well when Diageo tried to fix the results of a competition so BrewDog would have lost when it actually had won. Alas! Diageo were rumbled. (BrewDog’s revenge is at hand btw).

Having Diageo drinks flow at the Ball must have been a nice touch. Highlands & Islands must be very proud of the big fish in attendance, Aberdeen Journals Ltd. Their unflaggingly independent investigative journalism has turned out very well indeed for Donald Trump, advertiser, and employer of P&J’s editor in chief’s wife, Sarah ‘Face of Aberdeen’ Malone Bates. She too graced the awards I’m told.

Clearly a press awards ceremony is the right place for unelected quangos, publicity firms, and others who are similarly reproach. I guess that falls outside of the H&I accountability; corporate responsibility, corporate sponsorship, and forelock tugging is the new journalism.

You might enviously think this is the award ceremony and the in crowd to be in with; you’d of course be right. But for those that didn’t make the shortlist for a Highlands & Islands Press Award, there are lesser awards out there. The Paul Foot Awards are Private Eye’s celebration of those who actually get their hands dirty and investigate news, not regurgitate press releases. Winners have looked into all forms of bribery and corruption from Fifa to Saudi Arms sales.

Aberdeen Voice editor Fred Wilkinson didn’t take any of my calls on the night of the Highlands and Islands Press Award gala. I can’t help but wonder whether he went there on his own.

Oh well, there’s always next year. Who knows? Old Susannah might stumble on something worthy of notice by her journalistic betters before the next award ceremony.

And now for some lovely definitions.

May to December Romance: (Compound English noun) when a couple have a large age gap but are still in love.

I’m sure some of the high profile May to December couples have wonderful marriages, I guess not all of them can be as romantic as Jerry Hall marrying the Dirty Digger, or Damian and Sarah – or even Donald and Melania. Here’s a cautionary tale of broken hearts and dreams. And no one could possibly have predicted the outcome of this sad tale.

Little Claire met the Mr Darcy of her dreams in Mr Forrester, her teacher. This was ages ago in Torry. And the happy couple (minus the blessings of the girl’s parents who were being real mean, and treating their child like a child) sailed away into the sunset to begin married life. Mind,that was after the police investigated, charities condemned him, and she proved her maturity by running away from home.

A children’s charity called the wedding an ‘aberration’ and said it went against ‘moral codes of not only his profession, but of society’ I guess they just didn’t recognise real true love when they saw it. I’m sure that he always had her best interests at the forefront of his words and deeds. Ah, young love.

Alas! Perhaps Claire’s endearing young charms faded from view. Anyway, they split up, after having a few children. Apparently, she’s not crazy about him any more. No wild weekends with mates in Ibiza for Claire; no fun road trips; no partying. But she was a grown up – so the couple claimed – knowing exactly what she was doing. Sure she did.

If only there had been a Named Person scheme running then! She could have told her appointed teacher that a teacher was her husband to be, and that she was a grown up. Then the school could have thrown them a bash, and hopefully got her parents into trouble for being mean and objecting.

While not-so-little-now Claire puts her life back together, what of the father of her children? Mr Forrester is now happily ensconced at Auchenblae Primary School on the Parent Teacher Association. Will he teach again? Will he be a Named Person? Why ever not? Wouldn’t you want him questioning your daughter about how happy or otherwise she is? PS – he apparently cheated on his first wife with – a school girl. He was being supervised after that while teaching in Kincorth – that worked out well.

I’m just as pleased the authorities decided a prosecution wasn’t in anyone’s interest, otherwise Forrester wouldn’t have been free to be a Named Person – and we need as many people experienced with young people in the NP role as we can get. Perhaps soon he will find love again. My guess is she’ll be 16.

As to the school who hired him and the prosecution which decided there was nothing going on in the public interest? Let’s hope that just because history repeated his cheating on his first wife with a young girl, and then marrying and leaving a young girl, there is nothing in the prurient suspicion he has a thing for young girls. Heaven forfend.

Sometimes an unhappy ending is unforeseeable, just like it was for Claire. Such is this next case.

Hippocratic Oath: (from Ancient Greek) A code of ethics governing how ethical medical practitioners interact with patients.

Poor George Osborne; he had it all – beloved Cabinet member, part of the most popular British Government ever, and all-round nice guy. Alas! A patient has tarnished the Osborne silver. A woman mistook his brother Dr Adam Osborne’s professional interest in her for a two-year affair. I’m sure the good doctor was just displaying good bedside manner.

Of his breaking off the affair by text, well, a busy man sometimes has to be a bit firm, even with vulnerable people in their care.

Old Susannah just wonders how long it will take for the poor doctor’s broken heart to mend, and for him to get appointed to a nice cushy government post. This could take days; even weeks. I am sure you are as upset for Adam as I am.

There is a valuable lesson here for those pesky junior doctors who are threatening to strike for decent pay and wages. Don’t go into medicine unless you have a wealthy family and a trust fund to fall back on, just in case you are the victim of an injustice like Adam was. As to dating patients, consider that just one of the perks.

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Shire Schools Plans Raised At Education Committee

Aberdeenshire, News No Responses »

Feb 112016

With thanks to Martin Ford.

East Garioch councillor Martin Ford has welcomed progress towards improvements in school accommodation in the ward he represents.

Item 9 on the agenda at Aberdeenshire Council’s Education, Learning and Leisure Committee last Thursday (4 February) was an update on the Council’s Learning Estates Strategy.

During discussion of the Learning Estates Strategy report, Cllr Ford raised issues relating to local school accommodation including at Newmachar, Kintore, Blackburn and Hatton of Fintray.

Included in the learning estates project plan for 2016 is a Newmachar primary school option appraisal. Said Cllr Ford:

“House building is on-going in Newmachar and planning permissions for housing are in place on sites at Kingseat and on the east side of Newmachar – so the Council does need to move forward with planning for additional capacity at Newmachar.”

Land is reserved for a second primary school in Newmachar within the Newmachar East mixed-use development site.

Cllr Ford welcomed the reported good progress Morrison Construction are making with building the new Kintore Midmill School.

He said:

“After the long delay in getting started, it’s obviously excellent that the actual building work is getting on so well. The new school building is now clearly visible from a number of locations in Kintore.”

On the site choice for the replacement building for the current Kinellar School, Cllr Ford said:

“The choice between rebuilding on the present school site or continuing to try to acquire the replacement school site identified in the local development plan is not an easy decision. There are advantages and disadvantages with both options. Neither choice is risk free.

“On balance, the certainty that comes with the Council already owning the current school site is probably a decisive advantage. But the site identified for the new school in the local development plan is larger and moving the school to it would free up the present school site, potentially for other community facilities. The present site is smaller than ideal for the larger school needed.

“Also, there may be other planning applications for the site allocated in the local development plan for the new school if it is not used for that purpose.”

Cllr Ford raised concerns about the accommodation at Hatton of Fintray School. The Council’s rating of the overall suitability of the Hatton of Fintray school building is ‘C’ (= ‘poor – showing major problems and/or not operating optimally’). Cllr Ford said:

“Hatton of Fintray School Association has contacted the Council in particular about the lack of proper office facilities in the school for the head teacher and administrator, and suggested a way forward. I hope the Council will be able to respond positively.”

Cllr Ford also questioned officers about overall school roll forecasts for Aberdeenshire, which show continuing roll increases are expected in many areas.

“We have become used to ever-rising school rolls in much of Aberdeenshire,” said Cllr Ford.

“The forecasts predict that to continue. But will it? There’s no sector of the north-east economy that’s looking likely generate significant additional employment that will more than compensate for other job losses. So what would be the driver for population increases that would cause on-going rising school rolls?

“Increasing school rolls have been a given in many parts of Aberdeenshire for many years, but that might be going to change – and our planning for school accommodation would then need to change too.”

Officers assured Cllr Ford that school roll forecasts are kept under constant review.

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Rewilding Highlands And Return Of Lynx In Spotlight

Environment, Featured No Responses »

Jan 142016

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

Alan Watson Featherstone, founder of award-winning charity Trees for Life

Rewilding the Highlands – from restored forests to the return of predators such as the lynx – are the focus of topical lectures taking place in Exeter and Plymouth featuring acclaimed writer George Monbiot and leading conservationist Alan Watson Featherstone, founder of award-winning charity Trees for Life.

The sold-out events at the University of Exeter and the University of Plymouth highlight the benefits of rewilding – the restoration of damaged natural ecosystems, and the return of keystone species – including for people’s wellbeing.

Plymouth University has a close connection with Trees for Life. Since 2011 staff and students from the university’s School of Biomedical and Biological Sciences have been researching the biodiversity of the forest canopy at the charity’s Dundreggan Conservation Estate near Loch Ness.

Alan Watson Featherstone – who at the end of 2015 was awarded an alternative New Year’s honour by The Guardian newspaper, in a celebration of the heroes of the year – said:

“Rewilding offers an exciting vision of hope. In the Highlands of Scotland we have an opportunity to reverse environmental degradation and create a world-class wilderness region – offering a lifeline to wildlife including beavers, capercaillie, wood ants and pine martens, and restoring natural forests and wild spaces for our children and grandchildren.”

George Monbiot said:

“Rewilding offers us a big chance to reverse destruction of the natural world. Letting trees return to bare and barren uplands, allowing the seabed to recover from trawling, and bringing back missing species would help hundreds of species that might otherwise struggle to survive – while rekindling wonder and enchantment that often seems missing in modern-day Britain.”

The two events – organised by the Network of Wellbeing (NOW, www.networkofwellbeing.org), together with Exeter University and Exeter Community Initiatives in Exeter, and in Plymouth with Plymouth University – will help to explore the links between rewilding and wellbeing, and highlight ways in which people can get involved in initiatives in their own communities.

This includes taking inspiration from Trees For Life as a practical, grassroots organisation through which people can connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and give – five ways to wellbeing based on 40 years of international research.

Trees for Life (www.treesforlife.org.uk) is restoring the ancient Caledonian Forest in the Scottish Highlands, and offers many opportunities for volunteers to support its work and gain conservation experience.

Today few areas of the world are truly wild and in the UK, even Scotland is no exception. Long-term deforestation and overgrazing by too many deer and sheep has left much of the land depleted and barren, with wildlife in retreat or missing. The Caledonian Forest – Scotland’s equivalent of a rainforest – is one of the UK’s most endangered habitats, with many of its rare species facing extinction.

Yet action across Scotland is showing how restoring natural processes and protecting wilderness areas, and reducing human interference in ecosystems, can make a positive difference. This includes the restoration of native forests at many Highland sites, the re-establishment of birds of prey such as sea eagles, ospreys and red kites, and the trial reintroduction of European beavers at Knapdale in Argyll.

Future rewilding could involve the reinstatement of missing species, including apex predators – which play a crucial top-down regulatory role in ecosystems. Trees for Life believes that the Eurasian lynx – already reintroduced to areas of Europe such as the Alps and Jura mountains – is a realistic candidate for reintroduction. It offers little threat to sheep and none to humans.

It is a specialist predator of roe deer, a species which has multiplied in Britain in recent years and which holds back the natural regeneration of trees through intensive browsing.

The latest thinking on rewilding – including recent scientific discoveries – has been captured in George Monbiot’s highly-praised and gripping book, Feral, which lays out a positive environmental approach in which Nature is allowed to find its own way. George – well-known author and columnist for The Guardian – is also a key supporter of Rewilding Britain, a charity working for the mass restoration of ecosystems in Britain, on land and at sea. See www.rewildingbritain.org.uk.

NOW’s holistic approach to wellbeing shows that personal, social and environmental wellbeing must all be approached together – which means that rewilding, by enhancing nature, can have a great role to play in enhancing people’s wellbeing.

People can follow online conversation around the rewilding events on Twitter by using the hashtag #RewildingWell.

Background – reintroducing the lynx.

Across Scotland high numbers of deer are having a negative impact – through overgrazing and trampling – on reforestation, habitat quality, biodiversity and ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and flood prevention. The loss of native carnivores means that deer now have no natural predators.

The reintroduction of a top predator is crucial, and the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is a realistic candidate. The species is still present in many northern and eastern – and some southern – countries in Europe. It represents no threat to humans, and there are no European records of anyone ever being attacked by a lynx.

While the reintroduction of predators is often proposed as a means of reducing excessive numbers of red deer in the Highlands, the main impact would likely be in disturbing deer populations – causing these animals to move more frequently so that their grazing is less concentrated in specific areas.

Trees for Life believes the lynx could be reintroduced to the UK by 2025. Restoring enough native woodland as habitat would be crucial, and some experts estimate that the Highlands could support a genetically viable population of 400 animals.

Experts are uncertain as to when the lynx died out in Britain, although some discoveries suggest its extinction date may have been some 1,500 years ago.

Eurasian lynx pic © Peter Cairns www.northshots.com

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New Era For Leading Conservation Charity

Environment, Featured No Responses »

Jan 142016

Alan with new CEO, Steve Micklewright.

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

Thirty years after founding award-winning charity Trees for Life, acclaimed conservationist Alan Watson Featherstone this week stepped down as the organisation’s Executive Director to take up a new role as Founder and Visionary, with Steve Micklewright becoming new Chief Executive Officer.

Alan Watson Featherstone said:

“This marks the beginning of an exciting new era for Trees for Life. I’m delighted to welcome Steve Micklewright as our new Chief Executive Officer, and I look forward to working closely with him to further expand and develop Trees for Life’s work to help restore the Caledonian Forest. It’s also a time to pay tribute to the excellent work of Trees for Life’s present and past staff and thousands of volunteers from all over the world who have done so much to rewild the Highlands.”

In his new role, Alan will have a focus on Trees for Life’s expanding conservation and forest restoration work, as well as liaison with its key partners and donors, and will continue to be the public face of the charity. While no longer responsible for the daily running of the organisation he founded, Alan will remain fully engaged with its work and will stay on its board of directors.

Steve Micklewright, who took up his new role on 4th January, said:

“It’s an honour to join this inspiring and pioneering charity which is making such a difference to Scotland’s wonderful wildlife and wild places – breathing new life into the stunning landscapes of the Highlands and helping to improve the lives of hundreds of people each year through hands-on and rewarding conservation opportunities.”

Steve has worked in nature conservation for over 25 years, most recently as Director of BirdLife Malta and previously for organisations including the Wildlife Trusts, WWF and CPRE (Campaign for the Protection of Rural England). He has placed a strong focus on the benefits of nature for the health and wellbeing of people throughout his career, and has worked on many forestry and woodland conservation projects.

Trees for Life’s story began in 1986 when Alan Watson Featherstone made a commitment during an environmental conference in Findhorn to launch a Caledonian Forest restoration project. Practical activity began in 1989, with tree guards used to protect Scots pine seedlings in Glen Cannich from being eaten by deer. In 1991, volunteers began planting some of the first new trees to grow in the forest for 200 years.

Trees for Life has since grown into a multi award-winning, leading conservation volunteering charity, with a dedicated staff team and thousands of supporters and volunteers.

Its volunteers have helped to plant more than one million trees at dozens of locations, and the charity has pledged to establish one million more trees by planting and natural regeneration by 2018. In 2008, it bought Dundreggan Conservation Estate, a 10,000-acre site and biodiversity hotspot in Glenmoriston to the west of Loch Ness.

Alan has won numerous awards for his work. At the end of 2015 he was awarded an alternative New Year’s honour by The Guardian newspaper in a celebration of the heroes of the year.

Next week, Alan will continue his acclaimed series of lectures with well-known writer and author George Monbiot, with events at the University of Exeter on 14 January and at the University of Plymouth on 15 January. The sold-out Plymouth lecture will be available via live web streaming, with details at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/RewildingLiveStream.

The lectures will highlight the benefits of rewilding – the restoration of damaged natural ecosystems, and the return of keystone species.

People can support Trees for Life by becoming a member, carrying out conservation action, sponsoring trees for special occasions or sponsoring an acre of native forest. See www.treesforlife.org.uk.

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School Site Options Are Important Choice For Community

Aberdeenshire, Opinion No Responses »

Dec 242015

With thanks to Martin Ford.

Local councillor Martin Ford has commented on the decision facing the local community and Aberdeenshire Council over where to build the planned new Kinellar Primary School.
Cllr Martin Ford said:

“Aberdeenshire Council has been trying to buy the site allocated in the Local Development Plan for the new Kinellar School for several years and a compulsory purchase process was initiated in 2013.

“However, in circumstances where there is an unwilling seller, the Council is not able to set a timetable for purchase, and due process must be followed.”

The Council has the budget allocated to deliver a new Kinellar School. Faced with on-going uncertainty regarding site acquisition the community is now being consulted on the alternative option of putting the new school building on the current school site.

“The delay and uncertainty over being able to acquire the intended new school site do mean it is now necessary to consider whether a change of plan may be better,” said Cllr Ford.

A public engagement event took place recently (Tuesday, December 15) organised by Aberdeenshire Council to discuss proposals, timescales and options for a new Kinellar Primary School with parents and carers. Over 70 people attended the event to learn about two options proposed by the Council: to either continue negotiation to acquire the site for the new school identified in the Local Development Plan, or; a new build on the existing Kinellar Primary School site.

In relation to the option of building on the current school site, Kinellar School pupils would be educated at the new Midmill School in Kintore from January 2017 until the new Kinellar School was completed around summer 2018. Transport to Kintore would be provided by the Council, as well as additional spaces within the after school club and, for younger children, arrangements would be made to retain nursery provision in Blackburn.

Cllr Martin Ford said:

“The decision now required about where to construct the new school building is down to circumstances. There are advantages and disadvantages to both the possible options put forward by the Council. Neither choice is risk free.

“The site identified for the new school in the Local Development Plan is larger and moving the school to it frees up the current school site, potentially for other community facilities. But the uncertainty over site acquisition is a huge problem.

“The current school site is already in Council ownership, but it’s smaller than ideal. There may be other planning applications for the site allocated in the Local Development Plan for the new school if it is not used for that purpose.”

Cllr Ford has welcomed the good attendance at the engagement event on 15 December. For people who couldn’t attend the meeting and have any questions, or would like a copy of the presentation, contact learning estates quality improvement manager Maxine Booth by January 7, at: learningestates@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

A further report on both options for Kinellar Primary School will be presented to Aberdeenshire Council’s Policy and Resources Committee in January with further opportunities for engagement pending the outcome.

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Entries Invited For The Toulmin Prize 2016

Aberdeen City, Featured, News No Responses »

Dec 082015

The University of Aberdeen’s Elphinstone Institute has launched the 2016 Toulmin Prize, with a cash prize of £500 for the winning entry. Courtesy of Leopard Magazine.

The competition, now in its eighth year, commemorates the work of one of the North-East’s finest exponents of the short story. John Reid (1913-1998) was an Aberdeenshire farm labourer from Rathen, near Fraserburgh, who spent most of his life working long hours for very small rewards.

In odd moments, he jotted down short stories, character studies and bothy tales.

Eventually, as David Toulmin, he had a few articles printed in local newspapers. The first of his ten books was published when he was 59.

The books consist mostly of short stories and reminiscences, with his one novel, Blown Seed, painting a harsh picture of farm life.

In the later years of his life, Reid moved to Pittodrie Place, Aberdeen, and later to Westhill. He was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Aberdeen in 1986.

The Toulmin Prize is open to all amateur writers over the age of 16. The short story, up to 4000 words in length, should be concerned with some aspect of life in North-East Scotland and may be written in Scots, including Doric, or English, or a mixture of the two. Previous prize-winners cannot submit an entry.

In addition to the cash prize, the winning entry will be published in Leopard Magazine and subsequently featured on the website of the Scots Language Centre.

The award for the best entry will be made at the University of Aberdeen’s May Festival 2016, when the winning story will be read aloud by the well-known North-East writer, Sheena Blackhall.

Emeritus Professor Ian Russell, former director of the Elphinstone Institute at the University of Aberdeen, says:

“We’re proud to be able to honour John Reid and his work in this way. His writing is powerful, evocative and witty, and he is one of the finest exponents of writing in the North-East. We have had a terrific response to the previous competitions and the standard of entries has been superb.”

The closing date for entries is the 31st March 2016. For entry details and a form, please visit: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/elphinstone/public-engagement/toulmin.php

Text and photo courtesy of Leopard Magazine.

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9th Dan Award For City Karate Master

Aberdeen City, Featured, Sport No Responses »

Dec 032015

By Charlie Abel.

Aberdonian karate students will have great cause to celebrate this week with the news that their very own Ronnie Watt OBE ORS, chief instructor of the NKF (national karate federation) and director of Shotokan for the WKC (world karate confederation) has been awarded a 9th Dan black belt (Kudan). It is believed to be the highest ever Dan grade awarded to an Aberdonian or a Scotsman.

This is a major achievement for Ronnie and for karate in Scotland.

Ronnie Watt’s name is already famous and well respected throughout the city of Aberdeen and the karate world. Being graded a 9th Dan Ronnie joins the elite ranks of the worlds most repected Karate masters.

Obtaining a black belt is very difficult, very few people manage to train hard enough, it takes at least three years and most people give up, perhaps one in a hundred achieve a black belt. Some will go on and get a 2nd Dan or higher. However, it is almost unheard of to achieve a 9th Dan in karate. Very few manage to reach this level, most are Japanese and it takes a lifetime of training.

This is a first for Scottish Shotokan Karate and it’s a great honour for the city having a home grown 9th Dan teaching and training karate, here in Aberdeen, Ronnie’s home town.

The 9th Dan will be presented to Ronnie by the International Shotokan-ryu Karate–do Shihankai (ISKS). The ISKS was set up in 2004 by an international group of world karate masters to protect and maintain the tradition of karate, which they see is sadly being diluted by many outside ‘fashionable’ influences. The ISKS is one of the most respected orders in the world of Karate today.

Karate has been a way of life for Ronnie and his family. He has won many competitions both home and internationally. To date he has trained over 25,000 students in his 50 years, many of them achieving black belt and going on to higher Dan grades, his students are well known for returning from World Championship tournaments laden with medals and golden trophies.

His wife Gail has been indispensible in running Ronnie’s NKF Karate Academy and his children, now adults are also very much following in his footsteps with Son Reeve (5th Dan) and Daughter Roxy (5th Dan) training karate regularly and teaching classes. Grandson Cooper (age 4) has also recently started training, keen to join his grandpa in the dojo.

Ronnie who has trained karate ‘religiously’ as a way of life for 50 years was recently entered into the European Hall of fame for Martial Arts (November 2015).

Ronnie has previously been awarded an OBE from the Queen. In 2010 was recognised by the Emperor of Japan with an Order of the Rising Sun – a very special award rarely given to foreigners. Ronnie joins good company with famous people such as Clint Eastwood, Gustav Eiffel of France, George Takei (Sulu, Helmsman of the Starship enterprise on Star Trek) Bobby Charlton, and ex UK Prime minister Sir John Major.

In 2014, Ronnie was awarded a Commemorative Medal of the Trnava Self-Governing Region (TSGR) of Slovakia by the TSGR’s president, Tibor Mikus for promotion of friendship between Scotland and Slovakia. Ronnie is also a Free Burgess of Guild member of the city of Aberdeen, (Freedom of the city) and is a banner bearer to the Knights of the Most Holy Trinity, who are a heraldic based charity organisation raising funds for good causes.

When asked about his 50 years in Karate and his 9th Dan Ronnie says,

“I’ve just loved karate, being karate. It’s what I’ve always done.

“I see a lot of people and see what it can do for them. The discipline, the training, the Budo (the way) it changes them. It changed me. Karate improves people. It’s beautiful….My 50 years have not been easy, but I’d do it again tomorrow..”

“ I’m very happy and really humbled to receive the 9th Dan. It’s amazing…I’m still learning!”

Having one of the worlds most decorated and respected Karate masters living and teaching in Aberdeen is a massive advantage to anyone wishing to learn more about Karate-do.

Visit www.karate-scotland.info for more info.

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