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Dons Go Out On Penalties Following Extra Time Stalemate.

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Sep 202011

Aberdeen 3 – East Fife 3 – East Fife win 4-3 on penalties – 20/9/11

This latest embarrassment will not be altogether unfamiliar to those who sat through similar capitulations against Queen of the South, Queens Park, Dunfermline and Raith Rovers, or even the European humblings against Bohemians and Sigma Olomouc. Philip Sim reports.

It’s got to the point where it’s not even surprising any more. On each occasion Aberdeen appear poised to take a step forward, they take two backward.

No matter how many times it happens, it still hurts. So what went wrong? There was a lot more to this result than East Fife’s goalkeeper saving more penalties than Gonzalez for Aberdeen.

One attempt at an excuse is that it was a weakened Aberdeen team. Craig Brown has apologised for making wholesale changes to a side that played relatively well at the weekend – but many of them actually made sense.

David Gonzalez returned to the side after missing the weekend encounter with Kilmarnock due to his wife going into labour, and the return of the first-choice goalkeeper can hardly be said to have weakened the team.

That said, he looked distinctly flat footed at East Fife’s second goal although some would argue that Jason Brown would not have been tall enough to reach Matthew Park’s lob in any case.

Scott Vernon and Darren Mackie were partnered in attack – Brown’s tried and tested front duo – and while it’s debatable whether they have passed that test at least both of them have scored this season. By contrast, Mohamed Chalali has not scored at club level.

Indeed, after Vernon and Mackie were withdrawn for Chalali and Rory Fallon, the Dons seemed to struggle even more to find the way to goal. Only Josh Magennis looked lively – if not particularly dangerous. He found shooting space quite often but invariably shot straight at Mark Ridgers in the visitors goal.

Of the other changes, only Youl Mawene and Isaac Osbourne were missed as Rob Milsom’s recent form, Saturday’s game against Kilmarnock in particular, scarcely merited him a place in the side.

In any case, shouldn’t any eleven players on the first team books at Pittodrie be able to dispatch a side bottom of the second division?

Does this mean that Aberdeen’s second string players are not even second division standard?

To be fair, the Dons did fairly batter the Fifers’ goal. The home side recorded 25 shots on goal. However, too many were driven straight into Ridgers’ arms or sent tamely wide or over the bar. The Dons showed a complete inability to break their opponents down, often shooting from outside the box or even further afield.

Fair play to East Fife. They capitalised on the only three chances they had in the match. That Aberdeen scored the same number of goals from more than eight times the chances is testament to how poor the Dons’ finishing is at the moment.

Almost as much of a worry is the defence, a supposedly SPL standard defence which shipped three goals to a second division side. Oddly enough, Andrew Considine actually had a pretty good game at centre half, and while Rory McArdle didn’t look quite as composed, especially with the ball at his feet, he at least popped up with a goal. Aberdeen’s problems were at full-back.

Strangely this was the first game of the season that Aberdeen have started with two recognised full-backs in that position, rather than having midfielders or centre-backs fill in at one or both. Chris Clark played the majority of his games at Plymouth as a right-back, while left back is Ricky Foster’s strongest position – although Foster himself might argue otherwise. Despite this, the two looked completely and utterly clueless in defence.

Perhaps they were too focussed on going forward – both spent much of the game in the opposition half, swinging in crosses which never quite reached anyone. Whatever the reason, they provided absolutely no defensive cover. Foster usually bails out the centre-backs with his pace – against East Fife, Considine actually had to come to his captain’s rescue on several occasions. Clark looked weak. He dithered pathetically while the Fifers scored their third, and while he thumped into one or two tackles impressively he wimped out of far more.

After a similarly hopeless displays against Hibs and Kilmarnock, the Red Army will be beginning to wonder what happened to Clark while he was in England – and precisely why he’s been signed to a three year contract. It was no surprise to anyone in the stadium when it was he who missed the final fatal penalty.

The biggest failure was one of belief. As the second half wore on it became increasingly clear that the heads had gone down, and that the Aberdeen players simply did not believe they could win the game back. They were out fought and out thought by a team which lost 6-0 at home to Dumbarton a few weeks previously.

Maybe sometimes there has to be a shock result – a giant-killing – as these things simply happen in football. But why do they always seem to happen to Aberdeen?
Another year, another humiliation, and once again the Red Army are left with more questions than answers about just where their club is headed.

Aberdeen 2 Kilmarnock 2 – Pittodrie Stadium 17/9/11

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Sep 182011

Last week’s debacle at Easter Road raised the question of whether Aberdeen and Hibs were bottom of the league because they were playing badly, or if they were playing badly because they were bottom of the league. The question might be answered in that this weekend, against teams in the top six, both sides played out highly entertaining 2-2 draws. Philip Sim reports from Pittodrie.

The Dons might justifiably feel they should have won their match with Kilmarnock, but the fact they trailed 2-0 after half an hour will leave the Red Army more positive about the result.

Aberdeen dictated much of the proceedings, winning a string of corners and creating chances early on, but despite the home side’s dominance it was the visitors who took an advantage into the interval by scoring with their only two attempts of the half.
The Dons showed resilience to come back from two goals down, and pressed hard to find a winner in the closing stages.

At the outset, many of last week’s questionable tactics remained in place – Kari Arnason, the most composed player in Aberdeen’s overstaffed central midfield, was again deployed needlessly at centre back, pushing Andrew Considine out to left back. Another midfielder, Ryan Jack, featured at right-back, while full-back Ricky Foster was played on the left wing. The other wide position was filled by central midfielder Fraser Fyvie.

Jack and Arnason are convincing near enough wherever they play, but Fyvie is not a winger, nor is Considine a full-back. And what is there to gain by pushing Foster forward into midfield? He looks fine bombing forward to the byline to get a cross in, but when he cuts inside he looks rather lost and confused. All of the good things he does from left midfield he was doing anyway from left-back, as well as using his pace to cover the defence. Moving him into midfield only serves to shuffle other players around to compensate.

Despite being played out of position, big Andrew Considine played out of his skin. While he still displays all the characteristics of a centre half – strong physically on or off the ball, good in the air – he also showed great attacking intent, thundering forward at every opportunity and whipping in some excellent crosses.

His goal was brilliantly taken, especially given it was with his weaker right foot, a finish that few of the Dons front line could have conjured in the current drought.

That said, the Dons featured an all-new strike pairing against Killie, with Rory Fallon and Mohamed Chalali both handed their first start in a red shirt.

Chalali showed good intent with some direct running at the visitor’s defence, and while Fallon won everything in the air the pair didn’t quite click as a partnership. Too often the Algerian directed his runs the wrong way to meet the Kiwi’s flicks, and after being moved out to the wing it was little surprise when Chalali was hooked at half time for the ultimately equally ineffective Peter Pawlett.

Fallon looked the part as a traditional target man, something the Dons have lacked this season, and almost gave his side the lead with a second-half header which rebounded back off the crossbar. This came after he was ludicrously booked in the first half by referee Iain Brines, supposedly for simulation – while the challenge in question may not have merited a penalty award, it certainly wasn’t a dive.

Brines gave Fallon absolutely nothing all afternoon, leading some to speculate that the whistler’s wife may have run off with a Kiwi.

In a way Craig Brown should thank Brines for his blunder, as that was the turning point in the match – after the second Killie goal, the heads had gone down, and it was only after the penalty controversy that the Dons looked fired up and hungry for vengeance.

Aside from the defensive lapses for the goals – one a missed header by Youl Mawene, who made amends by heading the equaliser, the other an instance of the entire midfield going to sleep at once – the main disappointment for Aberdeen was the attendance, a paltry seven and a half thousand. Although perhaps thanks to the quality of the match and the questionable officiating, the crowd produced one of the best atmospheres Pittodrie has seen this season.

The dwindling gates might have more to do with the accumulated horrors of the last couple of seasons than Aberdeen’s performances this term, but Brown‘s side could get the numbers heading in the right direction with a couple of wins.

Hopefully a good performance against lowly East Fife in the cup next week will generate some interest in the next home match, an experimental Friday night encounter with Dunfermline, and get the faithful flocking back to Pittodrie.

Aberdeen 0 Hibs 0 – Easter Road Stadium 11/9/11

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Sep 122011

Sometimes nil-nil can be a deceptive scoreline, masking an exciting encounter between two evenly-matched sides. Sometimes, though, there are simply no goals because neither team is good enough to score any. This was a match almost completely devoid of incident, a scrappy bottom of the table snooze-fest from which neither team even deserved a point. Philip Sim reports from Easter Road.

The grim performance on the pitch induced a funereal atmosphere in the stands, as it slowly dawned on supporters of both sides that they’d just paid in excess of twenty pounds to be bored and depressed.

You could be forgiven for initially assuming that at this stage of the season, Aberdeen and Hibs are in false positions at the bottom of the SPL.

However on Sunday’s evidence the position is more than deserved – few teams in the league could conspire to serve up such dire, uninspiring fare.

At times the game was a comedy of errors – an Aberdeen player would walk the ball straight out of play, only for his Hibernian counterpart to send the throw-in straight back to a red shirt, inevitably ending in another aimless long-ball to no-one in particular. An actual football team could have run riot against either side.

The Dons lined up in a less than ambitious 4-5-1 formation. Really, such a formation should see a team dominate the midfield, but Aberdeen rarely managed to string three passes together in the middle of the park, let alone control it. Isaac Osbourne was effective as usual in spoiling opposition play, but Fraser Fyvie and Rob Milsom appeared completely incapable of retaining possession. Ricky Foster’s pace and drive down the left provided a few meagre highlights, but on the other flank Chris Clark put in an absolutely dreadful performance, with the Dons looking characteristically short on width or creativity.

The failings of the five were compounded by those of the one, with lone striker Scott Vernon looking increasingly isolated and starved of service. In a functional 4-5-1 the midfield is supposed to push forward to support the striker, maybe turn into a 4-3-3 when attacking, but the Dons showed little offensive invention or ambition save the occasional foray forward from Fyvie.

Vernon is a penalty-box striker, not a target man. He is not the man to win flick-ons or hold the ball up for his team-mates – he’s a finisher, not a creator.

He prefers to play facing the goal, rather than with his back to it, so in short he could not be less suited to the lone striker role. This does not however explain why he spent two thirds of the game at Easter Road offside.

At the other end of the park, Hibs had more of the ball but offered few real threats, mostly being restricted to long-range efforts. Garry O’Connor conspired to make Youll Mawene look quick, and what the Hibs front line conjured up was easily dealt with by David Gonzalez.

The home side’s toothless attack is one of the reasons they’re bottom of the league, so really there was no need to move Kari Arnason back into defence. He strolled through the game as usual, and his composure and presence could have made a huge difference to the Dons midfield, which was relatively transparent throughout. Moving the Icelander to centre back meant shuffling Considine out to left-back, and with Rory McArdle in the other full-back position there was never a hope of any attacking ambition from the full-back position.

By contrast when Hibs came forward down the flanks they often outnumbered the visitors’ defence, because their full-backs were willing to overlap and leave their own half.

To be fair to Considine and McArdle, neither of them are full-backs, and neither can be blamed for their manager’s decision to play them there. Meanwhile, the players in the Aberdeen squad who have looked reasonably exciting in recent weeks – Josh Magennis and Peter Pawlett – were left on the bench, and only introduced after the game had settled into a coma.

Seven games of the season gone, then, and Aberdeen have still only scored in one of them. The complaints remain the same, of width, creativity and attacking ambition, while the excuses grow thinner by the game – the return to the bench of Yoann Folly heralds the last of the team’s injury worries, and the squad has had ample time to gel.

Other teams who have undergone similarly large rebuilding jobs over the summer have settled much more quickly – fourth placed Kilmarnock and SPL new boys Dunfermline for example. With former Plymouth striker Rory Fallon reportedly offered a contract, Brown obviously recognises the shortcomings of his side, but patience in the stands is beginning to run thin – the Dons need to start producing results soon.

Rangers 2 Aberdeen 0 – Ibrox Stadium 28/8/11

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Aug 292011

Defeats at Ibrox are becoming rather run of the mill for Aberdeen, and while words like “spirited” and “plucky” will be attributed to the Dons’ performance today, many fans will be wondering why their side waited until the second half to show any attacking ambition. Philip Sim reports.

Aberdeen are yet to score on their travels in the SPL this season and in the first half didn’t look likely to change that record. They lined up with a rather negative, defensive 4-5-1 formation despite the recent woes of their opponents.
Even with a five man midfield there was precious little width, with Rob Milsom and Ryan Jack deployed on the flanks.

The Dons had plenty of the ball in the opening period, often stringing together sequences of ten or more passes across the middle of the park, making the extra man count, but attacks broke down almost before they’d even got as far as lone striker Scott Vernon.

While they did prove difficult to break down – David Gonzalez barely touched the ball other than to pick Steven Davis’ 15th minute opener out of the net – they offered absolutely nothing going forward, not even drawing a save from Allan McGregor in the hosts goal in the first half.

The introduction of Peter Pawlett for Jack in at half time introduced pace and width to what had been a dour game for the first time, and there was almost an immediate impact. Scott Vernon raced clear seconds after the restart but was forced wide by McGregor.

Pawlett then burst free down the left and laid back for McArdle to cross, and McGregor pulled off a fantastic full-stretch save to prevent Carlos Bocanegra’s looping header going in as an own goal. Ricky Foster – who spent last season on loan at Ibrox – hurled himself onto the rebound but his diving header came back off the crossbar. Fraser Fyvie and Kari Arnason both fired in efforts from range as the Dons put the hosts under the cosh.

After Dons boss Craig Brown introduced new signing Mohamed Chalali for defender Rory McArdle, Rangers responded by moving to a more defensive formation akin to that the visitors adopted in the first half, dropping Bedoya into midfield. It was they who now benefited from having an extra man in the middle, Chalali having joined Josh Magennis in the Dons attack, and this was telling from the way Pawlett and Fyvie faded from the game. Isaac Osbourne was still winning every 50-50 ball and many more, but his side struggled to find space to craft an opening.

Aberdeen’s control over the game faltered as Rangers looked to close it out at 1 – 0. They were gifted a scarcely deserved second right at the death courtesy of David Gonzalez, who fumbled a powerful Davis free-kick loose into the box for Steven Naismith to tap home.

This added a little more gloss to the result than the hosts merited, having looked increasingly beleaguered since half time.

Once again Aberdeen can take heart from their performance in portions of the game, and the result flatters Rangers to an extent as they were not the better side by a clear two goal margin. But Craig Brown needs to learn lessons from this – his team have only ever performed for half of a game so far this season, and this has rarely produced results. They have shown themselves capable of playing good football, but are unable to produce this with any consistency.

With the SPL taking a break for international matches next week, this is a good time to take stock. The squad is beginning to gel well and the new signings – Osbourne and Arnason in particular, although Mawene was also solid at Ibrox – look a distinct improvement on those they replaced.

However there is still a real lack of width in the team, and it appears that Mohamed Chalali has been signed as an out-and-out striker. If a wide man – a left-footed version of Peter Pawlett, if possible – isn’t a priority before the transfer window closes, then Brown needs to better utilise the personnel that he has. His side have been at their best in recent fixtures when stretching other teams, going at them with width and pace, but the team is seldom set up to do that.

Every game this season, the complaints have been the same – width, creativity, finishing, and consistency – if Aberdeen were to play for 90 minutes the way they have in half-hour spells against Rangers, Hearts and Inverness, they would have a lot more than four points on the board right now. The team undoubtedly has a solid base with plenty to build on there, but as things stand it remains some way from being a finished product.

Aberdeen 1 Dundee 0 – Pittodrie Stadium 23/08/11

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Aug 242011

Most teams would greet a tie against lower-league opposition in the cup as a good thing, but a series of embarrassing upsets in recent years have left Aberdeen fans rather wary when facing smaller sides. As a result they will gleefully accept any kind of win in these circumstances, even by the narrowest of margins – and that is precisely what their team produced here. Philip Sim reports from Pittodrie.

The Dons looked comfortable without ever really impressing, and should have had it in them to find the second goal which would have killed the game.
They are creating a lot more chances than during the early-season goal drought, but finishing remains poor.

Josh Magennis, Darren Mackie and Ryan Jack all missed first-half chances, while Kari Arnason saw his long-range drive well saved.
The Dons seemed at their best when going at the Dundee defence at pace, something the front pairing of Mackie and Magennis have in abundance, and this is how they carved out the best chances of the game.

The solitary goal of the tie was well-taken by the much-maligned Darren Mackie, turning on Chris Clark’s knockdown from a Peter Pawlett cross before firing high into the net past veteran Dee’s keeper Rab Douglas.

Pawlett looked lively for much of the first half, speeding past his marker with ease time and time again and even drawing a save from Douglas, but the young winger appeared subdued after being floored by a flying elbow from Gary Irvine.

That attack went completely unpunished by referee John McKendrick, who did little to endear himself to the home support with a succession of bizarre decisions. There seemed to be a fundamental lack of consistency from the whistler, who as chair of the referees’ union was instrumental in winning officials a pay rise over the summer.

As with the weekend win over Inverness, the Dons faded somewhat in the second half, after a fashion appearing content to hold out and defend their narrow lead. Craig Brown’s hand was forced somewhat tactically when he had to replace first Arnason and then Clark due to injury – Clark’s in particular looking serious, a real worry for a player who was making his first start after an injury lay-off.

Aberdeen’s play after the forced changes lacked any of the fluency shown in flashes in the first half.

In the middle of the park in particular they lacked composure, rarely dwelling on the ball, always looking to fire forward long passes for Mackie and Magennis to chase. Fraser Fyvie did his best to fill in the Arnason/Milsom role of midfield creator, but still doesn’t look nearly as sharp as he did prior to his serious injury last season – hopefully this will come with time and games.

Ricky Foster’s pace again caused problems for the opposition, and he actually had a second-half goal disallowed for offside after smashing home a Pawlett drive which came off the post. His running and that of Pawlett and Jack, supporting the pace of Mackie and Magennis, gave the Dons good width at times, but the supply from the centre was inconsistent despite the typically strong tackling and defensive play of Osbourne.

Dundee by contrast never looked entirely likely to put the ball in the net.

Although the Division One side had plenty of the ball in the second half in particular and applied substantial pressure on the Dons rearguard, debutant goalkeeper Jason Brown only had two saves of note to make. Graham Bayne gave Andy Considine a torrid time fighting for headers, but the Dee’s never seriously troubled Brown’s clean sheet, with most of their opportunities restricted to long-range efforts.

The Pittodrie faithful – the paltry 5,722 of them – were given the first opportunity to see new Dons signing Mohamed Chalali, after the Algerian U23 captain replaced Clark on the hour mark. He showed good pace and willingness to run directly at defenders, but fluffed the two chances he was presented with badly. To be fair, he had flown overnight from Greece to take part in the match, so only the most hardened cynics in the support will be leaping to judge him already.

A win is a win, at the end of the day, and Aberdeen can advance into the next round of the cup with some confidence that the lower-league hoodoo has been put to bed at last. It may be at a steep price, depending on the severity of the injuries to Clark and Arnason, but it seems hopeful now that the Dons can build on the weekend win against Inverness and get their season underway at last.

Scots Urged to Spring into Home Composting

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May 122011

With Thanks To Aberdeen Forward.

As Spring arrives, Zero Waste Scotland share their top five tips to a blooming wonderful garden and a flourishing compost bin.

Gillian Marr at environmental charity, Aberdeen Forward says:

“The start of the growing season is a great time to get out in the garden and also give your compost bin some attention. It’s time to clear out your winter garden debris and fill your garden with bright flowers.
“Composting is a great way to turn all those garden clippings and trimmings into a useful soil conditioner for your garden. If you don’t already compost at home, spring is a great time of year to start.”

Zero Waste Scotland’s top five tips to a blooming wonderful garden this Spring:

Rake your lawn to get rid of old growth, twigs and stray leaves and put it in your compost bin. This lets the light and air into the soil level encouraging grass to grow. Your grass will be looking lush in time for your first summer BBQ!
Cut back last season’s plants and add the trimmings to your compost bin.
Give your soil a boost by adding nutrient rich homemade compost in preparation for Spring planting.
Moisturise with mulch! When planting new shrubs and fruit trees, mulch heavily around the base with compost. The mulch will prevent moisture loss which means you’ll do less watering.
After your Spring clean, add the vacuumed dirt and dust to your compost bin.

For information and advice on home composting and seasonal tips for composting in Spring, visit: www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk

Zero Waste Scotland is the new unified body created to support delivery of the Scottish Government’s Zero Waste policy goals. It integrates the work of WRAP Scotland, Waste Aware Scotland, Envirowise, NISP and the Community Recycling Network for Scotland.

More information on Zero Waste Scotland’s programmes is available from: www.zerowastescotland.org.uk

Give And Take Day At Ellon Academy

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Mar 182011

Aberdeen Forward…. Aberdeen Forward…. Aberdeen Forward…. Aberdeen Forward….

Ellon Academy is to hold a Give and Take Day on the 26th March 2011 with support from Aberdeen Forward and Aberdeenshire Council.

The idea for the event is people can take along, items such as furniture, kitchenware, books, dvds, cds, toys, and plants/gardenware. From 8.30am through to 12 noon people can drop items off at the STA room in the Academy.

From 10am until 3pm Ellon Academy will be open to the public who can come along and take any items they want for FREE.

Clothes, paint, videos and all electrical goods unfortunately cannot be accepted.

There will be some other stalls offering school dress for sale, at very reduced prices. Teas, coffees, refreshments and bakes will also be available, with proceeds going to help the fundraising efforts for World Challenge and other school activities.

It is hoped that among those who may benefit are families on low incomes or those setting up home for the first time. It is also hoped that by holding this event, items that might have gone to landfill will be found a new home.

If you have any queries about the day, or would like to organise any furniture to be uplifted on the day, contact Aberdeen Forward on 01224 560360.

This event marks the end of a year of Give and Take days around Aberdeenshire, which has seen all manner of items reused, rather than thrown away. From small items such as eggcups, and cds, to large items like the three-piece suites and pianos, they have all contributed to around ten tonnes of material avoiding go to landfill.

The hope is that local organisations that have attended these events will see how successful they are and look to run them in the future.

Ellon Academy has an active Environment Committee, which has been involved in the plans for the Event. The school recently were the first in Aberdeenshire to gain their prestigious “Second Green Flag” from Eco School Scotland.

Visitors to the school on the 26 March will also be able to view some pupil work and the ‘famous Tie Quilt’, recently purchased by Aberdeenshire Council’s Waste Department as an excellent example of Up-cycling.

The school is always looking for ways to engage with the local community to promote and sustain Environmental Awareness and enhance the Ellon Area. If you, or a group you are associated with would like to work with us please contact Mrs McMillan at Ellon Academy.

Contact Aberdeen Forward
Tel: 01224 560360

Ellon Academy,
Jean McMillan
Tel: 01358 720715

Aberdeen Forward Climate Challenge

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Mar 182011

With thanks to Corrie Cheyne.

As part of Climate Week, local environmental charity Aberdeen Forward is running its own one-hour Climate Challenge.

On Wednesday 23rd March, between 1.00pm and 3.00pm, people will get together to try and solve a mystery climate problem, which will be posted online.

It could be to design an innovative recycling programme or a brand new low-carbon product.
It might be to creatively find new uses for old objects, or harness natural resources like wind and sunlight.
On the day, the question will be revealed, and after some discussion, an answer will be submitted to a national ‘ideas bank’.

Corrie Cheyne of Aberdeen Forward said:

“Your ideas count – no matter how daft, far-fetched or outlandish, we want to hear them! Join us to solve the climate challenge, and also to take a look back at our Transition Project to see what’s been achieved. We’ll provide snacks and drinks; you take along your imagination and creativity!”

Contact: Corrie Cheyne at Aberdeen Forward for more details: 01224 560360, or email transition@abzforward.plus.com

You can find out more about the Challenge at www.climateweek.com/challenge/

Give A Tree For Christmas

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Dec 102010

Aberdeen Forward…. Aberdeen Forward…. Aberdeen Forward…. Aberdeen Forward….

Have you ever felt a little twinge of guilt when buying Christmas presents which are destined to be consumed, broken or discarded even before the cards are taken down from the mantelpiece?

Well, one of Aberdeen’s busiest environmental charities has come up with a long-term solution.

Giving someone the present of a ‘Tree Gift’ will mean that they have helped create a wildlife habitat and improved the local environment by having a tree planted as part of a wild fruiting hedge and orchard project run by eco-friendly charity Aberdeen Forward. Recipients of this unique gift will receive a card containing details of the project and of the tree species being planted on their behalf.

The charity, which also runs a Sustainable Communities Centre offering craft classes eco-friendly workshops, composting schemes and waste minimisation projects, was established in 1999 and works with communities and businesses in the area to promote environmental awareness, reduce waste and encourage sustainable living.

Volunteer and Operations manager Gillian Marr told Aberdeen Voice:
“Our tree planting scheme is proving quite popular with people around the area. They like the idea of a tree being planted by an environmental charity as a Christmas present rather than giving an ordinary gift.”

Those of a green persuasion will certainly be glad to hear that a Christmas tree is ‘for life – not just for Christmas’, as Gillian is keen to point out:

“It not only helps the environment with reducing waste at Christmas and decreasing the carbon footprint of the area but helps turn an unused piece of land into a wildlife garden encouraging biodiversity.

For details about the ‘Tree Gift’ project and more information about work done by the charity contact Aberdeen Forward on 01224 560 360,

Website – http://www.aberdeenforward.org/

E-mail – composting@abzforward.plus.com

Christmas Composting

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Dec 102010

Aberdeen Forward…. Aberdeen Forward…. Aberdeen Forward…. Aberdeen Forward….

At this time of the year when the weather turns colder, especially with all the sub-zero snowy weather we have been having, the compost process slows down and we tend to neglect our compost bins. Many items we throw away such as organic materials form methane, which is a powerful climate change gas. So anything we can do to reduce this waste reduces our carbon footprint.

There are lots of small steps that you can take to keep the composting process going over the winter. Keep feeding your bin, even if it is covered in snow; using a kitchen caddy will cut down your trips outside to the compost bin, and having the compost bin accessible near the house or back door will ensure you keep using it over the winter months.

Chris Hunt, a project coordinator with Aberdeen Forward says “For the inevitable chilly winter weather, ensure you keep the lid on your compost bin, this helps keep the snow out and the warmth in – just like us the mini beasts inside like to be warm! Giving your compost a ‘turn’ regularly will give it some air, which helps the rotting process and for really cold weather covering the compost bin in old carpet or other thermal materials can help the decomposing over the winter months.”

Says Chris Hunt “Don’t forget to compost over the Christmas season too; keep putting potato, carrot and sprout peelings in your compost bin over the festive period, along with orange and Satsuma skins. Even used wrapping paper, needles that have dropped from your Christmas tree, paper napkins and torn up cardboard inner tubes from crackers can be composted. There is so much extra organic waste generated at Christmas which can be put to good use in the compost bin.

Since 2004 the Scottish Government has been running a subsidised compost bin scheme via Zero Waste Scotland and recently celebrated achieving 250,000 compost bins distributed in Scotland since the campaign started. The programme, which has been a great success, offers compost bins from as little as £8 delivered free to your door along with a free kitchen caddy and handy hints leaflet. To focus on other initiatives the subsidised scheme will come to an end on 31 March 2011. If you have been thinking of purchasing a bin, but haven’t got around to it, time is running out as bin sales can only be guaranteed while stocks lasts, with some stocks already sold out or running low.

To order your reduced price compost bin please visit www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk for more information.

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