Aberdeen Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament invite you to enjoy with us an evening of
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Complimentary mulled wine and mince pies provided
Doors open 7pm for a 7.30pm start
For more info contact Sally at: sally@hjke.org
By Rt.Hon. George Maloney II ( CEO Open Spaces UnLtd. )
On Saturday the 22nd of October a company called Open Spaces UnLtd went to the City Gardens design exhibition to unveil their ‘revolutionary’ proposal.
The group felt that the exhibition of only the 6 official options left a gaping hole in the public debate and led citizens to believe that the diggers were on their way: that all that was left to do was to pick one of the pretty pictures on the walls in the academy.
We held our exhibition outside on Belmont Street. We spoke to many hundreds of people that day and tallied up over 300 votes in 5 hours. We suspected that there couldn’t have been a lot more than that entered the exhibition during the day.
We feel that the omission of our proposal and others like it from the exhibition has had a profoundly negative effect on the public’s perception of the project.
Our client feedback forms from the day showed that a huge majority of those who attended felt that our proposal and others like it ought to have been included in the design exhibition.
We would like to thank all of those who voted for Option 7 and we look forward to seeing you all at our next public event.
A new music event in Aberdeen aims to rock up support for Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after saving the life of the father of a local musician. With thanks to Eoin Smith.
Jamie states:
“Dad ended up staying in Wards 19, 20 and 21, and struck up a real relationship with the staff there. They got him through a very difficult time. The proceeds from the event will go to those wards as a thank you gesture.”
What medics initially thought was a muscle injury turned out to be the start of a terrifying period for the family. Jim, himself a stalwart of the local music scene, who runs the Cellar 35 Open Mic night, said:
“I was complaining of pain for weeks, but the doctor had put it down to muscular pain. One night it got so awful; my chest was thumping, and at one point I felt as though I was nailed to the floor. I thought to myself, ‘This is it.’ I thought I was going to die.”
Jim was admitted to hospital after his heart attack in May and underwent gruelling triple bypass surgery. A further operation was needed when Jim suffered another attack six weeks later.
The dad-of-three said:
“I met a tremendous group of people at the hospital who made my time there much easier. I’m still friends with many of them.”
The local community has rallied round in support of Jimstock, with Aberdeen City Council and Grampian Police lending their support alongside other Aberdeen organisations.
Local music blog – Hercules Moments is covering Jimstock, while Cinergi – the Aberdeen University Film-Making Society – plans to produce a documentary of the event, which will be screened in the Belmont Cinema in early 2012.
But the crux of Jimstock is the live music. Jamie and his own band Shy James will be taking to the stage alongside Jim and a host of other top local talent including Stanley, country rocker Amy Sawers, The Lorelei and The Tijuana Sun.
Jamie added:
“We have a special guest headliner for the show – a band who are making a great name for themselves at the moment – but I won’t reveal who they are until the Monday before the event. The support I’ve had so far has been fantastic, and I am truly grateful to everyone involved.”
Tickets for Jimstock cost £15 and are available from One Up,Belmont Street,Aberdeen.
More information can be found at www.facebook.com/jimstock2011
With thanks to Dave Macdermid.
All roads lead to Garthdee this weekend when Aberdeen Snowsports Centre hosts the latest of its extremely popular Open Days, with a variety of activities planned for all the family.
This Saturday 22nd October is the date for the diary when visitors will be able to take advantage of ‘Come and Try’ sessions in skiing, snowboarding and tubing at a discounted cost of just £2 per session.
Demand for these sessions is expected to be extremely high and advance booking is required.
Other entertainment on offer includes BBQ, a host of stalls, and a bouncy castle for the younger family members. Another attraction will be the centre’s Own It skiing competition, part of the lowlander series.
The Open Day runs from 10 am until 5 pm and further information is available on www.aberdeensnowsports.com or by calling 01224 810215.
Elsewhere in Aberdeen this weekend, the Ever popular Spike the talking cactus will be appearing in his usual spot in the David Welch Winter Gardens within Duthie Park.
Spike will be available for a chat from 12.00 pm to 4.00pm on Sat 22nd and Sun 23rd October.
The Northfield Academy based Music Centre is holding an Open Day organised by F.A.I.M. (Friends of Aberdeen Instrumental Music ) this Saturday morning. With thanks to Kathryn Reid.
The parents and teachers behind Friends of Aberdeen Instrumental Music (F.A.I.M.) will welcome Aberdeen Lord Provost Peter Stephen to hear several rehearsals in progress at the Music Centre situated at Northfield Academy.
F.A.I.M. want to promote the achievements of the youth within the groups of the Music Service. These groups include Jazz, Brass Band, Choirs, Wind Bands Guitar and Percussion groups and Orchestras for young people from 7 to 23 at various levels.
It is this system of graded groups that produces the outstanding track record of budding musicians.
More children in Aberdeen learn an instrument than anywhere else in Scotland and more children go on to take part in National groups than any one area or city in Scotland. We have a lot to be proud of!
The Music Centre’s funding was secured by councillors in this year’s budget. The Lord Provost will see first hand how the groups have continued to flourish as he watches rehearsals by three wind bands and the beginners’ string groups and that’s only Saturday morning! The Music Centre is busy every night of the week.
The F.A.I.M. group will host its Open Day in Northfield Academy on Saturday from 9.30am to 12.30pm. Lord Provost Peter Stephen will visit F.A.I.M. between 10am and 11am.
Come and have a cup of tea or coffee and see what takes place. Marvel at the tiny double basses and their wonderful players! Get caught up in the enthusiasm these youngsters have for music. Warning – it’s contagious!
More Info: FriendsOfAberdeenInstrumentalMusic.co.uk/
The Friends of Duthie Park will continue their monthly gardening activities in the park on Sunday 18th September from noon until 2.00 pm. On the third Sunday of every month, during the summer season, the Friends of Duthie Park meet up to undertake gardening tasks to complement the staff in the park. With thanks to Dave Macdermid.
Current and new members are invited join members of the committee meeting at the entrance to the David Welch Winter Gardens.
The Friends of Duthie Park, the group responsible for the resurrection of ‘Spike’ the talking cactus in time for last month’s successful inaugural Open Day, is also on the lookout to bolster its committee numbers, with certain specific skills being sought, as Chairman Tony Dawson explains.
“As a group, I believe we’ve achieved a great deal in a short space of time but if we are to continue to progress as we would like, we do need to supplement our committee numbers. While we are keen to hear from anyone who is interested in assisting, there are areas where we do require specific assistance, namely the development of our website, marketing & sponsorship, research & history and education & learning.
“In addition, the return of Spike was more of a success than we could ever have hoped for, resulting in a huge demand for regular appearances from him. Consequently, we would like to hear from anyone who would be interested in becoming one of the pool of people that we will require to call on to be the voice of Spike.
“With the forthcoming restoration work at Duthie Park, this is a hugely exciting time for the Friends and it would be fantastic to get some more people on board.”
Anybody interested in finding out more about any aspect of the Friends, including joining the committee, should, in the first instance, e-mail info@friendsofduthiepark.co.uk with their contact details and the area they would like to get involved in.
Old Susannah watches the latest developments in the ‘Deen and the wider world and feels like a deer caught in headlights. Here is this week’s look at what’s happening where and who’s doing what to whom. By Suzanne Kelly.
This Saturday is Open Doors day; I urge you to get out and visit sites in Aberdeen normally closed to the public. (I will try and get to Marischal College – but I will also be whale-watching at Torry Battery with local expert Ian Hay at 10:30).
From noon Old Susannah will be at Marks & Spencer collecting signatures on postcards to highlight the plight of our Tullos Hill Deer. The postcards are free and will be sent to the City; please come see me. The design is a powerful one, I think you’ll agree.
Old Susannah spent last week in France and Italy. I wandered around small towns and capital cities, and was struck at the lack of concrete, shopping malls, and ‘connectivity’. Small, intimate spaces were around every corner – but you actually were better off walking from place to place.
Not a single monorail was in sight either. Small, local shops were busy with locals and tourists – there was no choice but to buy individualistic, hand-made items in most of the places I visited. Streets were tree-lined; parks filled with interesting plants, and the pavements were amazingly clean. Even the smallest of towns had rich programmes for retired/elderly people.
I even came across a programme to teach dog owners the importance of keeping their animals under control and cleaning up after them. Don’t worry – nothing like this will happen here.
Sad to say I missed this year’s Offshore Europe.
While historically a few firms hire attractive fashion models to talk to prospective clients about North Sea joint venture economics and showcase the latest in directional drilling techniques and so on, this year it seems one firm took things a bit further. I am told swimsuit models were window dressing for one of the stands.
Perhaps this bathing-suit theme was something to do with subsea operations or ‘diving’ of some sort or other. Whatever happened to the old-fashioned practice of giving OE visitors lots to drink? In any case, it is a good thing we have more women involved in the oil business, and the presence of glamour models should by no means be seen as a cheap publicity stunt or a large backwards step for equality.
In a happy development, the baby gull that I rescued (with a co-worker’s help) made a complete recovery at New Arc Animal Sanctuary, and will be released soon, along with a Fulmar and some ducklings. Keith at New Arc has his hands full, and is still looking for volunteers and donations. New Arc will shortly open a charity shop in Banff, and will want your unwanted quality goods (new and used) to sell. Get in touch with New Arc at thenewarc1@aol.com.
I realise not everyone loves birds and gulls – I’ve not forgotten Mervyn New, who happily blasted baby gulls with a gun (at his work no less). But it seems a contributor to Aberdeen’s newest free newspaper, Aberdeen City Life, isn’t fond of them, either.
‘Fona’ McKinnon writes in City Life about the ‘Terrorists From the Sky.’ Er, they are birds and not quite terrorists; some people might object to the comparison in this run-up to the anniversary of 9/11. Best not to feed them (terrorists I mean) in town, but it’s definitely best not to blast them with guns either. Old Susannah wishes City Life all the best, and is glad there is another hard copy newspaper in town.
Finally, a tired, old, Aberdeen institution has had a much-needed facelift (no, not you Kate). Aberdeen City’s website has been re-vamped, and looks absolutely vibrant and dynamic. (More on its contents in a minute).
Time for some timely Deen definitions.
(modern English compound noun) An organisation or enterprise staffed, organised and managed mainly by members of one family.
Much has been said lately about the excesses of the UK’s MPs when it comes to claiming expenses. Gone are the days of flipping second homes, flipping padded expenses and flipping new luxury bird houses in moats for the flipping MPs.
Much has also been said about the MPs using unpaid interns. The interns work for free, and more often than not are people who don’t need to work for money; often internships are given out to the well connected. But one area where the MP is still free to do as they please concerns hiring family.
Family members serve as secretaries, assistants and office managers. The Independent Newspaper’s sister paper ‘i’ reports that the taxpayer is shelling out a few million pounds annually for the 130 or so MPs’ family members. I am sure it must be a hardship working for mum or dad; the interviewing process must be rigorous.
I guess the jobs are all advertised widely, and a number of candidates are shortlisted before junior gets the job.
Closer to home, I note that many of our elected City Council officials still have time to run Aberdeen along world-class lines while still keeping a hand in their own family businesses. Some work as assistants for family plumbing or electrical businesses. Old Susannah knows it’s possible to do more than one job at once, but has always been confused by one little detail.
Some of these councillors list on their council web pages that they work for a family business – but when I look at the official register of interests, I can’t find where that work is actually listed. Are they working for free? Possibly – they are all quite selfless souls. Even so, I believe such work is meant to be on the official register of interests.
I am still trying to get to grips with what is/is not put on the registers, and aside from one rather terse email to me from the City (which took months for them to compose), I’m just not there yet.
Of course if any of these family business companies were doing any work for the City, the relevant councillors would bow out of any relevant meetings, and there would be complete transparency. I am sure that everything is above board. I just can’t find it in writing, that’s all.
(Aberdeen modern phrase)
Just when you thought the City had completely shown its hand and come clean about deer, trees, expenses, garden projects, planning, and selling land at less than market value – along comes: the ‘Open Data Initiative’. I mentioned the swish new website layout (I have to admit – it is an improvement), well one of the new-look site’s great successes is the Open Data Initiative.
I can practically feel the suspense building, and almost hear people asking aloud “What is the Open Data Initiative”! Without any further ado – here you go:-
Open data is about increased transparency, about sharing the information we hold with the wider community to build useful applications.
We’re always looking for new ways of making it as easy as possible for developers and website owners to access and present data held by us in ways that they want – allowing you to remix, mashup and share data easily.
Use the links to the right to navigate to our various datasets available. We’ll be adding more datasets soon, as well as pointers to online tools for making use of this data.
http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/open_data/open_data_home.asp
I am confident the City knows about data ‘mashup’; I would in fact swear to this. Well, what possible data are they now freeing up for us to mash and re-organise?
Will they tell me how much they are paying the deer ‘expert’?
Will they (finally) say how much land they sold at less than market value?
Will they let me know if any companies doing building maintenance at council properties are Councillors’ family businesses?
Brace yourself: if you go to the Statistics page link on the Open Data page.
(http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/open_data/statistics.asp)
You will find everything you might want to know. About how many hits the City’s website gets per month, the population figures, and the expenditure on something called the ‘Accord’ Card.
These are the very things I’d put on a Statistics page if I ran a city that was millions in the red. I was dying to know how many visitors the City’s web page had in August 2010 – the answer was (of course) 214,000. I guess that’s all of our questions answered now.
With our debt level in mind (and not being 100% certain a carpark and mall in UTG will save us from ruin), I followed a link to the February finance meeting documents. With our newly-launched ‘Open Data’ initiative in place, surely the City will be open with its – I mean our – finances, I thought.
Not all data is for the public of course. For instance, I was relieved to find that about half the information the Finance Committee discussed in February last year is off limits. Have a look for yourself if you like:
http://committees.aberdeencity.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=146&MId=1925&Ver=4
You’ll see that many documents are withheld as they are tip top secret, must never be released, and are commercially sensitive. And thank goodness. It’s hard to get any privacy sometimes; so I’m glad to know that privacy is respected by our City’s officials.
However, I noted that an item from this Finance meeting about ‘Managed Data Centre and Virtual Desktop Environment’ was deemed secret.
If we have an ‘open data’ policy I guess it’s reasonable to withhold information from the public on the ‘Managed Data Centre and Virtual Desktop Environment ’ – I’m just not sure why.
But the good news is now you can see the reasons why you can’t see the items on the agenda. And that, I suppose, is ‘Open Data’.
On that note I feel the need for a Brewdog coming on. I will say here and now I bought a few shares in Brewdog, so please consider that my interest in Brewdog to be declared. I bought the shares, the T-shirt, and the beers. Why? Because they are great.
If I had a family business, I’d like it to be Brewdog, I do declare.
– Next week: ‘Police and Thieves’
Recent visitors to the Winter Gardens in Duthie Park have been left badly disappointed after vandalism caused the closure of some important sections including the Arid Room where Spike the Talking Cactus is on show. The new ‘Voice of Spike’ Andy Gibson reports on a worrying turn of events at the park.
This included getting Spike repaired with help from a really nice man called Richard Irvin and his friends.
There have been previous attempts by vandals to smash the windows of the Arid Room and this time, sadly, the vandals succeeded.
Inside, the Arid Room itself is covered in broken glass which has forced the Friends of Duthie Park, in the interest of public safety, to close that area and other damaged sections throughout the Winter Gardens.
This has of course been of great inconvenience to the Staff at the Winter Gardens including myself, and more importantly the public.
I created and uploaded a video to hosting site YouTube regarding this issue. In the comments box I have read that someone’s father in law, a keen gardener, came here to visit from Derby in England. This gentleman could not see the true David Welch Winter Gardens in all its glory.
As I documented above, Duthie Park was given a large sum of money from the Heritage Lottery to refurbish the grounds including the restoration of the ponds in the hope of attracting wild ducks to return to the spot. Some of this will now need to be set aside to cover the cost of repairs.
I am very keen and raring to go as far as operating Spike is concerned; I loved entertaining the public last month during the Open Day, and I was looking forward to returning soon.
However, now everything has been put on hold until the mess has been cleared away, the repair work completed, and the Health and Safety aspects addressed.
I have spoken with the manager of the Winter Gardens and he has informed me that there have been no further attacks. Whether this represents and end to such idiotic behaviour, we’ll find out over the forthcoming weeks. I do hope he/she/they are caught before they cause any more destruction elsewhere.
If you have any suspicions regarding who may be responsible for this damage, then please contact Grampian Police on 08456005700 or if you want to remain anonymous you can communicate with Crimestoppers completely free on 0800555111.
Further Info – Click on the links.
Friends Of Duthie Park
The David Welch Winter Gardens
Spike The Cactus’ Facebook page
Andy Gibson’s YouTube Video
The kind man and his pals who operated on Spike to give him a new lease of life
Compiled by Fred Wilkinson.
Willows Animal Sanctuary is holding an open day this weekend and hope as many people will come along and help raise money for their 300 rescued horses and other animals.
A registered charity, Willows offers dedicated care to abandoned and ill-treated domestic and farm animals, and operates a strict no kill policy.
The Animal Sanctuary has been rescuing animals from distressing situations since 1989 and whilst the number of animals needing help has risen enormously over time, the number and size of donations has dropped off dramatically.
It is hoped that the public will turn up in good numbers to enjoy a fantastic range of fun activities while at the same time provide a much needed cash boost for Willows as they strive to provide a comfortable future for the animals in their care.
Scheduled activities include:
*Live Music.
*Face Painting.
*Body Shop stall.
*Beastie Hoose.
*Gift Shop.
*Leeann’s Jewellery stall.
*New Living History.
*Coffee Shop.
*Lots of Tombolas and Raffles.
*Bottle Stalls.
*Treasure hunt.
*Home Bakes and preserves.
New for 2011!
Fascinating and informative living history displays and talks. Learn about the past in a fun way through practical demonstrations. These talks will show which of our rescued animals would have been around in historical times.
Willows Animal Sanctuary is situated on the road between New Pitsligo and Strichen (B9093).
Reg. Charity No.SCO29625
Tel. 01771 653112
www.willowsanimals.com
email kate@willowsanimals.com
Notes:
In 1999 Willows became a recognised Scottish Charity and began to specialise in accepting animals that had been rejected by other charities as being unsuitable for re-homing.
Willows now provides a “last chance sanctuary” and most of the animals here would not be around today if Willows did not exist. We at Willows act as a lifeline for needy animals and offer them safety, rehabilitation and re-home those that are suitable. Willows offers dedicated care to abandoned and ill-treated domestic and farm animals.
Willows helps many vulnerable people with its animal assisted therapy programme. The concept of allowing rescued animals to help vulnerable people on the road back to health is very innovative and has been independently evaluated and shown to be highly beneficial.
For more Information on Willows and how to make a donation See: http://www.willowsanimals.com/
The inaugural Friends of Duthie Park open day was eagerly anticipated by the Aberdeen public. Of particular interest was the return of ‘Spike’ the talking cactus’. After an absence of 10 years, the return of Aberdeen’s legendary talking cactus was a ‘must see’ for Voice’s Fred Wilkinson.
Duthie Park Friend David Macdermid told Aberdeen Voice:
“While the queues to speak to Spike the Cactus began long before things got underway, other attractions were also extremely popular including the horse and cart rides, the Grampian Fire & Rescue appliance and, of course, the fun rides for the youngsters.”
I must admit I was nervous at the prospect of interviewing a cactus, particularly such a celebrated succulent. I had not anticipated his initial prickly responses however – particularly to my request for a short interview.
“It better be quick” he responded, ” Ah’m affa busy ye ken”
I assure Spike I am similarly “affa busy” and therefore the interview will surely be a quick one… I certainly do not want to get off on the wrong foot, so having queued up behind several adoring children to grab this opportunity, I hurry forth my next question:
“How does it feel to be back in the public eye?”
“Are you haein a go at me for haein jist the one eye?” ( cue suppressed laughter from a nearby woman and child )
Oh dear, I am not doing well at all. OK, Rephrase:
“How does it feel to be back in the limelight?”
“The limelight? Aye, It’s fine tae be back”
“Good to see you back Spike, and you seem very relaxed”
“Well, Ah’m at hame, if ye canna relax at hame far can ye relax?”
Good point Spike, but the question needs to be asked:
“What have you been up to the past 10 years?”
“Ah’ve been awa on ma holidays. Ah’ve been daein a’ kinds o’ things”
Including raising funds for Comic Relief it would seem. Good show Spike, but:
“Have you been to any exciting places?” I asked.
“Aye, Ah’ve been a’ ower the place. Ah wis awa tae Australia”
At this point I am impressed that for all his lengthy period of absence and all his travels, Spike’s homely, broad Doric accent has survived 100% intact and unaffected. I am also aware that he seems to have become a little less suspicious of my motives so I move on to what might be an awkward subject.
“I understand you have had some lifesaving surgery recently Spike”
“Fa, you hiv?”
“No, not me, yourself. I hear you’ve been very ill”
“Aye, but Ah’m fine now …. thanks tae the folk at Richard Irvin“[2]
After all, I am on a roll, and some young, and not so young children are now coveting my position of privilege directly in front of the revered celebrity.
There remained time only for the question which readers would not have forgiven me for not asking:
“Are you going to be around for a while Spike?”
“Ah hope so” he replies …. somewhat unsure ” They’ve nae telt me yet like”
“So, your contract is in the post?”
“No, Ah’ve got the contract…. Ah’ve jist nae signed it yet” ( laughter )
“Good for you Spike, you make sure you get a good deal”
“Are you gan tae come and see me like?”
I surely will Spike. Great to see you back in action. A generation has missed you and a further generation don’t know what they have missed.
The Friends of Duthie Park would like to thank everyone who played their part in making the day a great success and, in light of how well it went, the possibility of further events will be considered by the committee.[1]
Joining the ‘Friends’ is free and application forms are available on www.friendsofduthiepark.co.uk.
Notes.
[1]- Thanks to Dave Macdermid for the supplementary information and input.
[2] – Spike has been in a condition of considerable disrepair for many years and was, thankfully, restored by staff at Richard Irvin Services Group in time for the ‘Friends’ Open Day.
Thanks also to ‘Aberdeen’ community page on Facebook for images.
Disclaimer.
Unfortunately, the voice recorder on my mobile phone proved to be a rather unreliable facility. Therefore the above interview was, for the most part, written from memory. Thanks for the memory Spike.