Uk Enduro/Trails Champion Hits Technology Trail

 Aberdeen City, Featured  No Responses »
Mar 172017
 

With thanks to Karen Stewart.

Ex Scottish and UK Enduro/Trails Champion Gavin Johnston is gearing up to expand his innovative digital tourism solution UrPal into Glasgow and Edinburgh this April.

UrPal is a unique mobile application to Scotland having already been successful in Inverness with 7,000 users and recently launched in Aberdeen.

The app fills a gap in the market for both tourists and locals alike, giving them comprehensive up to the minute information at their fingertips on everything happening in an area including entertainment, eating out and in, tours, attractions, fitness, accommodation, activities, shops, health, transport and current news.

As well as being valued by users who access the app for free, UrPal is also a valuable source of promotion to local businesses and organisations, statistics say that 70% of online users now use mobile devices to access the web so it’s crucial that businesses are visible on such platforms. Visitors to Scotland are reported to have increased to 15 million annually and UrPal is ideally positioned to serve the growing digital tourism marketplace.

Gavin along with his partner Caren the founders of UrPal met almost 4 years ago in Romania, Gavin had been competing in the Redbull Romaniacs World Extreme Enduro Championship and Caren at the time was travelling for her work in architecture. The couple have now given up these roles to focus solely on UrPal and their other business Aberdeen and Inverness Taxis.

Gavin said

“working on UrPal couldn’t be more different to riding bikes and running a taxi company; I identified the need in the market from hearing  taxi passengers deliberate how to source information they required; Caren and I then put our heads together and planned and launched UrPal in Inverness and Aberdeen in 2016.”

He continued:

“with 7,000 users in Inverness UrPal is proving successful and as well as expanding by location we begin physical tours in April this year, 4 in Aberdeen and 8 in Inverness are already planned to destinations such as Peterhead Prison, Brewdog, Dunnottar and Crathes Castles, Glengarioch Distillery and Castle Fraser; we are really pleased that UrPal is fast becoming the go to place for people looking for things to do, and that it’s having a positive impact on the local economy.”

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Local Business Group Exceeds 4000 Members In Year 1

 Aberdeenshire, Information  3 Responses »
Feb 202017
 

With thanks to Karen Stewart.

Grampian Business Finder on Facebook has exceeded 4000 Members in its first year of operation. The unique group was setup in February 2016 by Karen Stewart of This Little Piggy Marketing, to address the downturn in the oil price by encouraging business to be done locally whenever possible.

Grampian Business Finder supports consumers to find solutions to their problems in real time, assists businesses to receive recommendations to secure new customers, and allows Members a forum to find answers to questions and highlight shared issues.

Karen Stewart(pictured) is delighted with the progress of Grampian Business Finder, saying:

“it doesn’t feel like a whole year ago that I published Grampian Business Finder wondering if it would be useful to anyone; since then many Members have given me feedback on the value of the group both to them personally and to their businesses which is fantastic to know.”

She continued:

“feedback also demonstrates the very supportive nature of the Grampian people and an appetite for face to face meetings which will be launched this week, I’m keen that Grampian Business Finder continues to develop and find new ways to support the local economy in current challenging times and beyond.”

Local Photographer Michal Wachucik said:

“(Grampian Business Finder) has saved me £4000! A replacement boiler was going to cost me £4500. BUT when I posted (on Grampian Business Finder) I found a much better solution.”

Grampian Business Finder is at www.facebook.com/groups/GrampianBusinessFinder and Karen is keen to assist Members to make the most of the group and welcomes their ongoing feedback.

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North East MPs And MSPs Discuss NHS Challenges

 Aberdeenshire, Opinion  No Responses »
May 272016
 

Eilidh and Gillian2With thanks to Kenneth Hutchison, Parliamentary Assistant to Dr. Eilidh Whiteford

SNP representatives have met with senior staff at NHS Grampian to discuss ongoing recruitment challenges in the north east.

Banff and Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford and Gordon MSP Gillian Martin met with managers on Friday, while Stewart Stevenson MSP has scheduled a meeting with senior representatives for next month.

Speaking after the event, Eilidh Whiteford said:

“This was a very constructive meeting, which gave NHS representatives an opportunity to brief MPs and MSPs on the progress NHS Grampian is making to deliver integrated health and social care services, new investments across the North-east, and efforts to tackle the GP shortages in some rural areas.

“I was reassured to see NHS Grampian taking the recruitment shortfalls so seriously at senior levels.

“Although there’s no quick fix overnight solution to what is a complex problem, lots of options are being pursued, including working with the universities to do more to encourage young medics to see General Practice as an attractive career, and casting the net wide to encourage GPs to move to the area.”

Gordon MSP Gillian Martin added:

“Today was very useful for me to meet all the members of NHS Grampian’s leadership team and to be able to put some questions to them about health related issues in Aberdeenshire East. We were able to have a very constructive dialogue about issues surrounding GP recruitment and new models of primary care, and I look forward to working more closely with them as we go forward “

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[Aberdeen Voice accepts and welcomes contributions from all sides/angles pertaining to any issue. Views and opinions expressed in any article are entirely those of the writer/contributor, and inclusion in our publication does not constitute support or endorsement of these by Aberdeen Voice as an organisation or any of its team members.]

Motorbike Convention Promises Weekend Thrills

 Aberdeenshire, Information, Sport  No Responses »
Sep 052013
 

With thanks to Chris Anderson, Marketing and Events Organiser, Grampian Transport Museum.

Super1The 31st annual Grampian Motorcycle Convention, organised by the Bon Accord Motorcycle Club, takes place on Sunday 8 September at Alford’s Grampian Transport Museum, with its usual host of exciting events, displays and entertainment.
Gates open at 1000 and the action starts at 1100.

Admission is £10 for adults, £7 for concessions, £5 for children, and £25 for a family.

Highlights will include supermoto racing, pursuit racing and displays of classic and vintage motorbikes. The ever-popular Moped Mayhem will take place during the day along with a brand new Moto Gymkhana event for 2013.

Star act

This year’s star act is Belgian freestyle trials rider, Fred Crosset.

Hailing from Henri Chapelle in east Belgium, Crosset has been riding bikes most of his life. He has ridden at World Championship level in trials and with no fewer than eleven Belgian trials championship triumphs, two USA trials championship wins and a couple of Belgian Enduro championship titles, there is no doubt that Fred is an exciting off- road rider.

Tired of doing the same old thing, Fred turned his attention to freestyle riding, negotiating his way up and over street obstacles in cities and towns to the amazement of anyone who saw him.

Dealers and trade stands will be onsite offering the latest in motorbikes and accessories.

Museum curator, Mike Ward is looking forward to the event. Mike commented:

“The Grampian Motorcycle Convention is Scotland’s biggest motorcycle event and there is a packed programme of entertainment inside and outside the arena with some fantastic guests including Fred Crosset, who is sure to wow the watching crowds.”

www.grampianmotorcycleconvention.com

Dickens Fellowship Foregathers Once Again

 Aberdeen City, Information  No Responses »
Mar 252013
 

dickens-writing
By David Innes.

Aberdeen’s nascent Dickens Fellowship meets again this week. Anyone who has an interest in this literary and journalistic master and his peerless work is welcome to attend and participate.

It’s informal, friendly, fun and informative. We cannot guarantee Pickwickian brandy and hot water, but there will be coffee available.

We’ll meet on Thursday March 28 at 19:00 and will conclude before 21:00.

Thanks once again to the kind hospitality of Grampian Housing Association, 74 Huntly Street, Aberdeen, we’ll be meeting in the centre of town.

The GHA offices are at the crossroads of Huntly Street and Summer Street. There is ample car parking and the venue is only 400 yards from Union Street and regular bus services.

This time, we’ve decided to discuss Hard Times (1854). Although many will have read the whole novel, our discussions will concentrate on the opening section, Sowing, which comprises chapters   1 – 16, including the wonderful satire of Chapter 2, Murdering The Innocents.

Dr Paul Schlicke will be happy to answer any queries about the group. You can contact him by e-mail at p.schlicke@abdn.ac.uk

Dickens Fellowship Meeting A Success

 Aberdeen City, Information  No Responses »
Mar 072013
 

Aberdeen’s embryonic Dickens Fellowship had a most successful meeting last week, with lively discussion of Scenes from Sketches by Boz. David Innes reports, with thanks to Dr Paul Schlicke and to Grampian Housing Association for the kind hospitality.

dickens-writing

Several of the group spoke warmly of their favourite Scenes, why they found them to be especially moving, horrifying or entertaining and how they gave insight to Dickens’s own radicalism at a time of significant political and social upheaval.
A query as to why the passages are written by ‘we’, revealed that this was a journalistic tradition, claiming and emphasising collective adherence to a principle, which Dickens skilfully utilised in Sketches by Boz.

Prose fiction was still regarded as inferior to formal writing in the early nineteenth century, so Dickens was a hugely influential in gaining narrative fiction its due respect.

The group discussed how, with so little formal education, the author became such a formidable wordsmith, yet despite his love of theatre why he was such a poor playwright. We found out that in writing his fiction, he acted out, in the privacy of his writing den, each character’s dialogue as it took shape. The theatre was an incalculable influence on his writing and his dramatic sell-out reading tours in later life.

As ever, where open friendly conversation takes place, we became diverted occasionally and discussion of Scenes led to brief examinations of Dickens’s views on contemporary transport, his ability to document conviviality and vitality and his not always kind treatment of his friends and loved ones.

We move on to discussion of a novel at our next meeting, and the choice is Hard Times, concentrating on the first section ‘Sowing’ (chapters 1–16). The meeting will again be held in the Grampian Housing Association, 74 Huntly Street, at the corner of Huntly Street and Summer Street, on Thursday March 28 from 1900 to 2100. There is free parking in the GHA car park.

Meetings are open to all. Anyone who has an interest at all in this master storyteller will be made welcome. You can e-mail p.schlicke@abdn.ac.uk to be added to the mailing list

 

Union Terrace Gardens From Underneath

 Aberdeen City, Featured, History, Information  12 Responses »
Aug 212012
 

‘What lies beneath?’ is a question which should be asked about Union Terrace Gardens, not least by those who wish to build underground structures there.  Aside from the roots of 250-year-old trees and rich soil which helps prevent city centre flooding, we have the now underground Den Burn.  Jake Williams shares his thoughts.

trainutgpic
The stairs of Rosemount Library in Aberdeen used to be lined with framed pictures, either photos or line drawings, of Aberdeen from bygone times.
The one that I remember was from sometime in the 1800s, showing Union Terrace Gardens before Union Terrace Gardens was there. It was a view looking north from the Union Street bridge, but there was no park, no theatre and no railway line.

Three decades later, the accuracy of my recollection isn’t guaranteed, but I remember looking at a row of cottages on the right where Belmont Street is now, and another row on the left where Union Terrace is now.

The houses all had long thin gardens with drying greens right down to the Den Burn, which flowed straight down the middle of the picture, and there was a hump-backed bridge and a few wee wooden bridges over the burn. Union Bridge was opened in 1805, and the railway was built about 1867, so the picture must have been drawn between these dates. The gardens were laid out about 1879 [I got the dates from Wikipedia].

The name of the Den Burn is perpetuated by the street and the health centre named after it, but the existence of the burn itself is nearly forgotten, having been underground for most of its length for the last 150 years.

It starts somewhere near Westhill, passes Woodend Hospital, and I believe it still runs through the back gardens of the big houses in Rubislaw Den. Near Queen’s Cross it is in a deep stone-lined channel, visible from some of the streets and lanes around Osborne Place.

One summer about 1980, during a dry spell when there wasn’t much water in the burn, my pal Chris and I went an adventure. We scrambled down into the wee canyon where the burn ran along the side of the Grampian TV studio at  Queen’s Cross and walked downstream in our wellies.

Soon the burn went  underground and we carried on with torches. It was like the films where the heroes are journeying through a city’s Victorian sewers: a tunnel of red bricks arching over our heads, with enough headroom to walk upright.

they must have built the brick tunnel right up to the side of the bridge

Here and there were ladders going up to a heavy steel manhole cover, and we could keek through the keyhole and try to work out where we were, from a limited view of the upper part of some building. We weren’t tempted to try and push up the cover, as we were probably in the middle of the road.

We must have crossed under Rosemount Viaduct and under Spa street and down round the back of the theatre, because we looked out from the keyhole of a manhole and saw trees: we were in between Union Terrace Gardens and the railway.

A little further on there was a bit where the roof of the tunnel was different.  Instead of red bricks, it was old stone masonry. It was the hump-back bridge that was in the picture on the library stairs. When they covered over the burn, they must have built the brick tunnel right up to the side of the bridge, left the bridge as it was, and carried on the tunnel from the other side of the bridge.

We didn’t go much further. The  water was getting deeper and moving faster and we didn’t fancy getting swept off our feet and into a cold wet grave somewhere near the harbour.

I went into the library recently to ask about the old pictures of the Denburn valley. They have a few pictures but not quite like I remember.  One is looking from the north towards Union Street, and it does show a wee stone bridge over the burn, but it looks more graceful than the bridge in  the tunnel, more of a sweeping curve than a hump-back.

Maybe there were two stone bridges? The library’s internet archive www.sivercityvault.org.uk has a few pictures, too.

The proposal to fill-in the gardens for another shopping centre may never come true if they can’t raise the necessary millions, or if there’s a  change of political power in the council. My proposal for improving the gardens is to exhume the Den Burn from its tunnel, and let the old stone  bridge see daylight again.

Reference:

http://www.silvercityvault.org.uk/index.phpa
also photos 691 , 747, 748, 891 from www.silvercityvault.org.uk

ATUC Objection To National Front March In Aberdeen

 Aberdeen City, Community, Information, News  No Responses »
Apr 062012
 

atucpic
With thanks to  Kevin Hutchens.

Aberdeen TUC successfully mounted a co-ordinated campaign against the plans of the National Front (the NF) to march in Aberdeen on Hitler’s birthday, Friday 20th April.
The NF of course claimed it had nothing to do with the birthday of the Fascist Dictator and everything to do with the founding date of the SNP.

Surprisingly then, some would say, both the reports from Grampian Police and the Human Rights Impact Assessment carried out by the City Council argued that there might possibly be a link between the date and Hitler’s birthday: though both, in the interests of democracy, recognised the need to consider other options .

The Trade Union movement played a vital and crucial role in co-ordinating opposition via written representations, and also expressed its opposition via two media and press events. Not surprisingly, the NF did not help themselves when they accused the media of being “Zionist” because of the way they reported the proposed event .

On the day of the Aberdeen City Council Licensing Committee, 27th March 2012, a small but determined and committed group of activists from ATUC waited outside the Council Chambers. Much was made of this by the NF, but what they failed to realise and mention is that the activists which were present, though small in number, represented the interests of thousands of Trade Unionists from across the North East.

At the end of the day, Aberdeen City Council Licensing Committee refused (“Prohibited” in Council parlance) the application to march, on public order and public safety grounds. What had however been noticeable in the debate was the unwillingness of the NF to move on crucial issues including the planned time of the march, the starting point of the march and the route. Clearly the committee made the right decision on behalf of the City of Aberdeen.

Whatever the decision, it still remains an important role to expose the National Front for the way many of their supporters promote racism, Islamophobia and Holocaust denial.

“No Pasaran” is the call that comes to mind !

Kevin Hutchens
ATUC Delegate for Unite Local Government,  Aberdeenshire Branch.

Torry/Ferryhill Candidate On Green Party Indifference

 Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Articles, Community, Information  No Responses »
Apr 062012
 

Suzanne Kelly, Independent candidate for Torry/Ferryhill in Aberdeen City’s Council elections, speaks out against the Green Party for its apathy over the controversial Tullos Hill roe deer cull, in light of the Greens fielding a candidate in Torry/Ferryhill.

petitiondeerpic2
When I was with the Green Party, I explained clearly on several occasions what was wrong with this cull and Aberdeen City’s ‘tree for every citizen’ scheme.

However, the Greens decided that the party was not going to take a stand on this, one of the most controversial environmental and democratic issues in the city.

Some of the longer-serving Green party members sympathised with me, but there were newer members who didn’t see what the big deal was with the city shooting these deer.

I couldn’t believe it, as I’d previously explained and written in detail that the trees are unlikely to grow and the cull is flawed. People wrote to the Greens to ask for their stance on the matter, but still the party didn’t want to stand up against this cull.

I have been campaigning actively to stop this specific roe deer cull for over a year. The Scottish SPCA branded the Tullos cull ‘abhorrent and absurd’ for killing deer to protect trees which don’t even exist yet. Many other animal welfare groups oppose this cull, and thousands of people have signed petitions against it.

Three community councils condemned the consultation and cull last year, and more recently these councils sent an open letter to the city, asking for the scheme to be halted. I don’t believe the trees will grow, as the hill’s soil is very scant and the ground cleared for the planting is extremely rocky, and is covered in industrial and domestic waste (there is a soil report by government officials which confirms this).

Three community councils object to the cull and the city’s so-called ‘consultation’ on the tree scheme. The consultation did not mention deer at all (but it did cover rabbits and rabbit fencing). The consultation also failed to say that a massive 89,000 trees would be put on the hill. No one in the area wants it – and even though the city has started, the opposition will continue.

I’d been writing about this issue for some time, and The Green Party knew that the cull was specifically to plant trees and not for deer welfare issues. I am so very disappointed in the Green Party over this issue.

The Aberdeen Green Party is running a candidate against me in the May elections. I have a chain of emails between members of the Green Party and me from this time last year. Some of the Greens’ comments include:

“I don’t think the party as such should have a position. I certainly don’t want to get involved in this”

“I don’t understand why these 30 deer (or whatever number it actually is) are so different and attracting so much attention.”

“Also within a relatively few miles of Tullos are large numbers of cattle and sheep that will be killed so people can eat them. We do not have a policy of enforced vegetarianism.”

This last statement was particularly, amazingly patronising, and the remark is completely off the point of why these deer are to be killed.

There was no way I was going to stay in the Green Party after this. For a party calling itself ‘green’ to stand idly by while a meadow and its wildlife was destroyed was beyond the pale. How they can possibly stand for election in Torry and expect me to stay silent about their stance is something I can’t understand either.

I have previously explained to a local member and a national member that I would have to publicise how the Greens view Tullos Hill. I did give fair warning that I would go public about how they decided to look the other way concerning Tullos.

I’m happy to have competition in this election, but people need to know the Greens could have helped when it mattered – and didn’t. If I stay quiet, some people will simply think the Greens must care about the hill and the deer – I have to let them know the truth.

The elections are to be held on 3rd May. Torry and Ferryhill will be represented by four city councillors.

I served on the Torry Community Council for three years, and I have always been involved in helping people in my area and further afield whether it be fighting school closures, charity work, or helping some of our older people. One of the newer local Green Party ‘higher-ups’ apparently said ‘Suzanne doesn’t stand a chance of winning.’ Well, I am determined to prove them wrong.

All Roads Lead To Alford This Sunday

 Aberdeenshire, History  No Responses »
Mar 302012
 

buspic3
With thanks to Dave Macdermid. 

Grampian Transport Museum’s 30th anniversary season gets underway this Sunday from 10 a.m. with some extra special attractions to mark the occasion.

Grampian Transport Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (4 p.m. in October) from Sunday until October 28th.

Curator Mike Ward explains:

“GTM is the museum of the past, present and even the future and for this season, we are looking back at the Alford Valley Railway, which operated between 1859 and 1965, with more than three hundred passengers catching the 7 a.m. train to Aberdeen every weekday in 1908.

“We are also, with the assistance of Nissan, considering the future of the car and are delighted to be offering fast charging points for electric vehicles every day while other aspects include ‘Motor Spirit’ – the story of the parallel development of the car and oil industry and Cycles Chronology.

“Among the wide selection of vehicles is the former Royal Land Rover, which was based at Balmoral, and several top quality events including the 30th Grampian Motorcycle Convention in September. And for the opening day on Sunday we have a magnum of vintage Champagne to share with our visitors.”

Admission is £9 for adults, £7 for concession  one paying adult can be accompanied by up to 2 free children. Additional children £3 each and all children must be accompanied by an adult.  www.gtm.org.uk

  • For info – Dave Macdermid – dave.macdermid@bigpartnership.co.uk ; 07805 436988
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