The South Deeside View Autumn 2019 by Lynne Beard

The

South Deeside View

Facebook: The South Deeside View www.nkrcc.org.uk/sdv

CONTENTS 3 Aberdeen Aeromodellers, Football, Bowling 4 Football, Reading Group, Friendship Group 5 Driving for the Disabled, SWI 6 Maryculter Woods, Broadband 8 Sols6ce Nurseries 9 Schools 10 Beannachar, Beavers, Cubs 11 Blairs Museum 12 Community Ambulance 13 Church No6ces 15 Rainbows, Brownies 16 Gravitate North East 17 Scouts, Explorers 18 Community Halls 19 Protect Banchory Devenick 20 Men’s Shed 21 Community Council 22 MSP, MP, Councillors 24 Lairhillock Out Of School Club 25 Chapelton 26 Useful Contacts 27 Nature Notes

Some local groups are looking for volunteers so if you have some 6me on your hands, please consider helping out! The local community council held the annual plant sale at Corbie Hall in May and raised the fantas6c amount of £722 which will be distributed to the Friendship Club, Maryculter Guides and Maryculter Woodlands Trust. Many thanks to all who contributed to the event to make it such a success. AHen6on all gardeners! In our next edi6on we will have some hints and 6ps for spring6me from Andrea Sinclair, a local garden designer. If you have ar6cles, adverts or news of local interest for the next issue, please get in touch. Many thanks to helpers and local pos6es for their assistance colla6ng and distribu6ng this issue. Lynne, Mandi, Carolyn

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Community & Leisure Aberdeen Aeromodellers  Have you ever wanted to fly radio controlled models?

Westdyke Ladies Football Club Westdyke ladies con6nue to play in the Sco^sh Women's football league focus on 1 north, playing their games on a Sunday at lawsondale 3g. There is now a second ladies team playing in the second division. Westdyke also have the full pathway for girls football star6ng from under 7. If you require more informa6on for the girls teams please contact westdykecc@gmail.com and for the ladies team contact westdykeladies@gmail.com.

Why not come along to Aberdeen Aeromodellers Flying Club, located in Banchory Devenick where we welcome new members and public wishing to spectate or with a view to beginning in the sport. Open year round the main flying 6mes are 0900-1900hrs for nitro, petrol & turbine models. Electric models may be flown during and outside these 6mes. Members can be found at the club most days of the week when the weather is favorable for flying. B A N C H O RY- D E V E N I C K

A B E R D E E N A E RO M O D E L L E R S F LY I N G C LU B

A A M F C .CO.U K

Cookney Bowling Club The meetings are usually on Thursdays from 7.30pm at Cookney Hall and the sessions last for about 2 hours. We have Competition Night on Mondays.

Some of our members travelled to compe66ons around Europe and the UK, compe6ng in the Euro Heli Series with commendable results. Our fixed wing members aHended events around the UK including visits to BMFA Na6onal Centre to aHend JMA events dedicated to model turbine powered aircrah. 2019 will see our members compete and aHend similar events throughout Europe and the UK.. Facili6es at the club include a large well maintained grass surface for flying ac6vi6es, ample car parking, aircrah & helicopter star6ng tables, club house providing charging facili6es, tea/coffee and toilets. There is also an outdoor sea6ng area with picnic and BBQ.

Arthur Durward 01224 319701

Find latest reports for the local area at www.nkrcc.org.uk under Documents

The Culter Barber

Walk in Service 172 North Deeside Road, Peterculter Aberdeen AB14 0UD (next to village hall)

Shop 07821 710733 Opening Hours

We have club trainer aircrah so an ini6al experience flight can be offered to poten6al members. The club is able to provide training as required on both fixed wing and helicopters. We welcome everyone. No experience is required. Now is a good 6me to join.

Mon 1.00 - 5.30, Tues, Wed, Fri 9.00 - 5.30 Late opening Thurs 9.00 - 7.00, Sat 9.00 - 4.00, Closed Sundays

Karen Masson

For further details on Aberdeen Aeromodellers Flying Club please visit our website www.aamfc.co.uk or follow us on Facebook at Aberdeen Aeromodellers Flying Club

Community & Leisure Glendale Football Club Season 2018/19 turned out to be not one of the best in the last 10 years or so of Glendale FC. Having struggled all season with long term injuries, player availability and unseHled team selec6ons, the neH result was that we ended up in the “league basement” at Christmas, and as anyone involved in the game knows – once there it is diﬃcult to get out of that posi6on – and we were eventually relegated from Division 1 to Division 2 for this season.

Nature Classes Discover nature - play and explore outdoors. Weekly classes for 2 to 5 year olds.

Birthday Parties Toast marshmallows, build dens, climb trees and stomp in mud… outdoor birthday fun for two to tenyear-olds!

There was however one bright light at the end of last season when we reached the ﬁnal of the White Cup, whereby we came up against Banchory FC – who were having a very good season – and although giving a very good account of ourselves, the more proliﬁc scoring Banchory team eventually ran out winners late in the game.

Contact Mandy Tulloch on 07929 465680 or visit www.mudpieadventures.co.uk for more information

Season 2019/20 has now commenced, and to date the team has started really well, taking 15 out of 18 league points at the 6me of going to press. One of the main reasons for the above, maybe down to the fact that the new management team ins6lled a close season training regime that the players were asked to buy into, and as a whole this was broadly accepted and adhered to. Full on pre-season training also started earlier this year, straight aher our annual Golf Day at the end of June.

North Mearns Reading Group The North Mearns Reading Group meet every four to six weeks, with group members taking turns to host the informal mee6ngs. Books currently being read are The Rapture, by Liz Jensen (an electrifying thriller exploring eco-disaster) and The Sealwoman’s Gih by Sally Magnusson (An abduc6on of over four hundred Icelandic ci6zens and the story of their survival), both from a list provided by the library service of Aberdeenshire Council.

The bulk of our playing squad from last season have been retained, but the squad has also been refreshed with the addi6on of 4 new faces in key posi6ons. So onwards, and hopefully upwards, for the rest of the season ahead. Home games - on alternate Saturdays – are as always, at Corbie Park, Maryculter. Jim Grant 01224 867512

Numbers are limited, however, please contact Muriel Hargreaves on 01569 730302, if you would like to be considered when places become available.

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Maryculter based family run tree surgeons providing all aspects of tree work.    Call Tomas on 07565 492656  Email tomas@tiliatreecare.co.uk  Web www.tiliatreecare.co.uk

Maryculter Friendship Group The Maryculter Friendship Group Winter Sessions will commence on Thursday 7th November at Maryculter Church Hall, from 2 – 4pm. Come along and join us for tea/coffee, home bakes and Sco^sh entertainment. We meet on the first Thursday of every month (December 5th, January 9th, February 6th, March 5th and 2nd April). The summer months’ programme will be confirmed early next year and will include all our fabulous coach trips. Although places are not limited, new members are asked to contact Peggy Paterson (01224 734888) or Anne Massie (01224 732071) for further details.

Community & Leisure Maryculter Driving for the Disabled This year marks the Golden Anniversary for the ‘RDA’ Riding for the Disabled AssociaIon, with our carriage driving group at Maryculter operaIng since 1986. Our group celebrated this exciIng milestone with a special drive in the beauIful grounds at Crathes Castle with kind permission from the NaIonal Trust for Scotland. Our disabled par6cipants each had a turn at driving the ponies Casse or Jenny past the castle and through the wooded areas before returning to our ‘basecamp’ for refreshments in the sunshine at the foot of the lawn. The sight of the horses and carriages created great excitement and admira6on from other visitors to the estate! There are known to be health and wellbeing beneﬁts for both par6cipants and volunteers through the power of the RDA community and their interac6on with the horses. Last season our grand ﬁnale created great excitement as HRH The Princess Royal visited, mee6ng and cha^ng with drivers, helpers and supporters in the glorious se^ng of Templars Park. Another special visitor last year, Santa, dropped in at our Christmas Party / AGM at Corbie Hall in December. The hall was buzzing, with over 70 par6cipants, family members and volunteers aHending. If you would like to join us please come along. We meet at 12.30 on Wednesdays, mostly at Maryculter Home Farm un6l the end of September. We are always on the look-out for more volunteers and also tea ladies to go on our rota. For further informaPon please contact: Secretary, Moira Strachan mobile 07740882790 email: moira.strachan@outlook.com or Group Organiser / Coach, Kate Brockman 01330 811615 email: brockman.kate@bPnternet.com Registered Charity no. SCIO 28630 Maryculter SWI  We at Maryculter SWI are very much looking forward to the start of our new 2019-2020 session in September. Mee6ngs are held at the Corbie Community Hall on the second Wednesday of every month at 7:30 p.m., where a warm welcome is extended to all, so why not come along and join us for an evening, or even think about becoming a member of Maryculter SWI.

Forthcoming goodies:-  September 11th:- A talk by Kirsty Walker about “Charlie House,” which provides support for babies, children and young people with life threatening condi6ons.  October 9th:- “Around the World with Cooking.” A talk and demonstra6on from Jane Steer.  November13th:- Ken Howie on Aberdeen Angus CaHle, “The Original Black Gold.”  This will be an open evening when husbands and other men folk will be made very welcome.  December 11th:- Mrs Elaine Brainwood will be demonstra6ng, “Lamps and Lampshade Making.” We will also have a chance to have a go ourselves.

Lots more excitements are planned for the New Year, but perhaps these may have interested you. As well as our local mee6ngs, lots of ac6vi6es take place under the auspices of the wider SWI., in which members are invited to take part, such as interrural quizzes, sports days, taster days when members can try out diﬀerent crahs, ou6ngs etc.

Congratula6ons to our members who did so well at this years Banchory Show. We achieved ﬁrst prizes and the award for the rural with most points trophy. Many of our members who entered individually also did very well. Good work ladies! So...Why not come along and join us for a fun evening. Delicious home bakes and a cup of tea are guaranteed. We would be delighted to see you. If you are interested and fancy coming along please phone our president Marlene Connon 01224 867580 for more informaPon about our meePngs. 5

Maryculter Woods Broadband Maryculter Woods Rare Moths were found in Maryculter Community Wood! We are part way through a moth survey in our community wood and the early results are already significant. The surveyors, Theresa Dockery & Dean Muir, have idenIfied 56 species of moth so far, including 5 species (Garden Tiger, Grey Dagger, Knot Grass, Shaded Broad-Bar and Small Square-Spot) listed as rapidly declining in the UK Biodiversity AcIon Plan. Most noteworthy of all was the idenIficaIon of the Northern Marble (Phiaris palustrana), pictured below. Our rare moth is less than 1cm long, more of a micro-moth really, but it is na6onally rare (UK-wide). What is par6cularly pleasing for us is that it requires a very diverse habitat in order to thrive – which is why it is so rare. The adults need heathland with mixed birch and pine and the caterpillars need mosses. Given that the wood was a commercial planta6on up un6l 2016, it seems that our efforts, as a community, to restore biodiversity to the wood are paying off and it is happening far faster than we expected. Image from: janetgraham84 at https://flickr.com/photos/ 130093583@N04/19494496130

The moth survey will con6nue un6l the end of the year. No moths were harmed!

We hope people enjoy visi6ng the wood and seeing the restora6on of biodiversity for themselves. If you visit the woods, please con6nue to treat the wood and all other visitors with respect and be mindful that the restora6on and maintenance of the wood relies on volunteers and on our own fund-raising efforts. Ed Thorogood, vice-chairman, the Maryculter Woodlands Trust, Sco^sh Charitable Incorporated Organisa6on: SC044224. Broadband OFCOM recently announced that 97% of the UK now has access to fibre broadband. Unfortunately, much of Aberdeenshire seems to fall into the 3% bracket that does not. The 3% are to be supplied beHer speeds under the Sco^sh Government’s £600m R100 project, although the contract award to deliver this has already been delayed un6l end 2019 and delivery schedules to be confirmed thereaher. Contract bidders were granted more 6me as so many proper6es were added into R100 project which should have had fibre delivered under the DSSB (Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband) rollout. The Sco^sh Government were targe^ng R100 to complete during 2021/22 which now looks ambi6ous. At present around 180,000 premises across Scotland are deemed eligible for interven6on under R100 (across three lots), which given the £600m equates to a significant subsidy of around £3,300+ per premises. You could certainly do an awful lot of FTTP (Fibre To The Premises) across that patch for such investment, par6cularly if the chosen supplier(s) put some of their own funding into the pot*. IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO? Possibly. By showing Openreach that there is a strong demand for fibre in our area, they just might treat us as a priority. If as many local residents as possible could register an interest, they will see that they can generate income from our area and that there is demand here. It costs nothing to register and it does not 6e you to anything or any one broadband provider. Please take a couple of minutes to complete the form in the link at www.openreach.com/ fibre-broadband. MOBILE BROADBAND If you are unable to get fibre broadband and you live in an area with a good Vodafone signal, you might want to consider the Gigacube. The Gigacube is a 5G ready router which runs off the Vodafone 4G + 5G network rather than through a landline. It is very simple to set up and use and it could prove to be an excellent step up from copper broadband. It is available on a 30 day & 18 month contract. Alterna6vely, if you have a strong mobile signal with another mobile provider, you could purchase your own 4G router (such as TP Link or Huawei) and purchase a data only SIM card. This would do the same job. *ispreview 13Aug2019

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Solstice Nurseries Decorated wreaths and table centres, selected plants/shrubs and indoor plants. 7th December Maryculter Guild Coffee Morning 7th/8th December Drum Castle Holly Fest 14th December Sols6ce Christmas Fair - teas/coffees/fine   pieces supplied by the ladies of   Maryculter Guild  Opening 6me - 10.30am - 2pm During December we will also have Christmas decorated wreaths and table centres available to buy from The Tin Coo at Devenick Dairies. Here at Sols6ce (and also at The Tin Coo) we supply living Christmas Trees in a variety of sizes and species, prices will be available on request. Orders for table centres, wreaths and living Christmas trees can be telephoned and emailed in advance to Sols6ce Nurseries on 01224 865907 or emailed to admin@sols6cenurseries.co.uk. You will also be able to view photos of the table centres, wreaths and living trees on our Facebook page : Sols6ce Nurseries.   SolsPce Nurseries, Drumduan Walled Garden, South Deeside Road, Banchory Devenick Kincardineshire, AB12 5YL. Please call before visiPng. 01224 865907

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Schools Lairhillock School  OOR WULLIE BIG BUCKET TRAIL P2-3 had the amazing opportunity to design and paint our own ‘Wee Oor Wullie’ sculpture for ‘The Big Bucket Trail’, which was officially launched on 17 June and ran throughout July and August. This project culminates in a series of Farewell Events and na6onwide auc6ons in each of the five host ci6es, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness. Our ‘Wee Oor Wullie’ was on display in Torry Library. P2/3 were very crea6ve and have literally put Lairhillock at the heart of things. ARCHERY Local archer and Grand Master Bowman, Emily Blake, who in the early mornings trains in our school grounds, was selected to represent Scotland in the 2019 Iceland Outdoor Archery Championships in July. Clearly the many hours of training she has dedicated to this have paid off, as SHE WON GOLD! Emily Blake Congratula6ons Emily! CHARITY Due to our increasing school The Bee Cabin, Dess roll we had to convert our ICT suite into a classroom for the Primary 7 children. There was quite a lot of office style furniture to be rehoused and we are delighted to say we were able to donate a few of the desks to The Bee Cabin (Dess, Aboyne). This charity have used the tables to help furnish their educa6on room together with an observatory hive, with the aim of encouraging visitors and future genera6ons to help save the bees which are so important as one of our main pollinators. Two years ago we made links with the Juliet Johnston School in Ghana and decided to support them by raising money to buy them a reading scheme. At the end of last session our enterprising P3/4 pupils were doing a book study of Charlie and the Chocolate and, with the assistance of parent volunteers, they went into produc6on and made LOTS of chocolate sweets to sell. These young entrepreneurs raised their ini6al funds by wri6ng persuasive leHers to their parents to get the backing, with the promise of a cut of the profits. All investors made a profit… look out Sir Alan Sugar. The class PROFIT was £256, of which the children donated £128.30 to our Juliet Johnston School charity and the remaining funds were used for a well-deserved class treat. In addi6on to this, the Primary 5-7 pupils put on two showings of “Pirates of the Curry Bean”. These were great performances and, as a result, the aher-show dona6ons raised £343.59, which brought target of £4500 for the Juliet Johnston School reading scheme even closer. VOLUNTEERS Lairhillock School always welcomes volunteers, so if you have 6me to spare why not contact us for an applica6on form. Head Teacher: Christeen Saward, Email: lairhillock.sch@aberdeenshire.gov.uk, www.lairhillock.aberdeenshire.sch.uk

Banchory Devenick School We have had a fun-ﬁlled packed year so far. The children have enjoyed a wide range of opportuni6es and experiences and we have welcomed many visitors and taken the lead in organising a number of awareness days and fundraisers including our recent Macmillan Coﬀee Ahernoon. It raised £138.31. We have been to the park, experienced the fox camera with Helen The Ranger and had The Moth Man come along. He set up a trap overnight at school so we could learn all about them in the morning before se^ng them on their way again. Earlier in the year we got to do yoga with Jennifer from Relaxed Kids, and go to sleep at the end with a story. She also taught us to breathe in slowly through our nose and out through our mouth if we are feeling angry or exci6ed to calm us down. We also made breathing s6cks, a pipe cleaner with beads on it, which we moved as we breathe to help us relax.

Yoga fun

Our produc6on ‘Mystery at Magpie Manor’ had ac6ng, costumes and set designs which could rival that of the West end! It was a fantas6c evening of laughter, suspense and pride. Our popular Fairtrade pupil group run the tuck shop on the last Friday of the month where small snack products are available to purchase. We are looking forward to 11th December when we have our Primary 1-3 Na6vity and Christmas Enterprise Sale where wonderful items made by the pupils are can be purchased. Head Teacher: Sandra McKechnie banchory-devenick.aberdeenshire.sch.uk 9

Beannachar , Beavers and Cubs Straw Bale Self-Build at Beannachar Last year, during the 40th Anniversary year of Beannachar, we took a momentous decision:to build a new office for the community, by ourselves, purely from fund-raised money. It was quite an undertaking for a number of reasons. We wanted it to be a community project, using our own labour, and involving our students with learning support needs. This meant it needed to be a type of building that lended itself to self-building. We chose to build a load-bearing straw bale building, not just because it is a hands-on building style, but also because of its sustainable credenIals—no concrete, all natural materials, excellent energy efficiency… So, exactly one year ago, we broke ground and embarked on this exci6ng challenge. The building is now almost complete. The bales are rendered on the outside with lime and we are currently applying clay render to the insides. It has underfloor hea6ng encased in a ‘limecrete’ floor, foam glass underfloor insula6on, and cellulose insula6on in the rahers, with slate on the roof. Basically, it is a building wrapped on all sides, above and below, in a thick duvet! And quite aHrac6ve as well! Our students have par6cipated at various stages, including building the stone plinth founda6ons, raising the straw bale walls, and all of the plastering. Gaetan Cardinal, a local builder and groundsman who has had a long connec6on to Beannachar, has led the building process. We hope to finish the internal works by the end of next month, and, all going well, move in during October. Maryculter Beavers There are mean6me 14 Beavers at Maryculter enjoying games, crahs and community ac6vi6es. Last September the Beavers helped plant daffodil bulbs in the church garden and are now seeing them bloom this Spring. In November the Beavers held a big bonfire to celebrate 30 years of Beavering in Maryculter. It was a very windy night and made for a very fierce fire! And in December it was down to Stonehaven for the panto. Always enjoyed by the Beavers. We have also been cooking pancakes, making Easter crispie nests, junk modelling, pain6ng china pots and making cards for Mother’s Day. We are delighted to have Isla helping at Beavers this term whilst undertaking her Duke of Edinburgh silver challenge. She is proving to be a very competent young leader. Beavers meet each Tuesday in the Scout Hut at the Kirkton of Maryculter: children aged 6 and 7 years old who would like to join Beavers should contact Kathleen Paterson on 01224 868676 or 0774 8774 535 for further informa6on. 1st Maryculter Cubs The Cub sec6on had to be suspended last Christmas due to leaders leaving and no fresh volunteers coming forward to take over. Unfortunately this is the nature of the beast: no volunteers, no Cubs. The Cub sec6on is an important link in the Movement between Beavers and Scouts. To have no Cubs means Beavers have no-where to progress into and there is then no feed of Cubs into the Scout sec6on. Very soon numbers fall, interest fades and the community will be in danger of losing the community asset that is the Scout Group. Happily though, we now have two leaders in place to allow the Cubs to restart, and by the 6me of publica6on the sec6on will be mee6ng again. Note however that the mee6ng night has changed to a Thursday. Here is their Facebook post so I need do no more than invite you to make contact if you want to find out what ‘exci6ng plans’ they have in store! Maryculter Cubs restarted in September 2019. We will be meePng on Thursday at Maryculter Scout Hut, in Kirkton of Maryculter, from 5.15pm to 6.45pm. Suitable for boys and girls between 8-10½ years. So if your child fancies giving Cubs a try or is a Beaver Scout ready to move up and just fancies some outdoor adventure then contact us. We already have some exciPng plans for the term ahead. Also if you are interested in helping out we'd love to hear from you. We are always on the look out for new helpers and we promise it’s very rewarding. Contact either Kate or Irene on kate.gwynne@me.com (07421466312 )or irenesemail@aol.com

Blairs Museum Rare vestments belonging to member of Royal Stuart dynasty on display at Blairs Museum. A set of vestments belonging to Henry Benedict Stuart, the youngest son of James Frances Edward Stuart and brother of Charles Edward Stuart, are to be displayed at Blairs Museum, Aberdeen, this year. The vestments are on loan from the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh and were originally the property of the Order of the Ursulines of Jesus. The sisters, based at St Margaret's Convent in Edinburgh, where the founders of the ﬁrst convent in Scotland aher the Reforma6on. The vestments were then deposited in the Sco^sh Catholic Archives with other objects and papers of the Ursulines of Jesus aher the Convent closed in 2008. Curator Amy Miller adds, 'We are thrilled to have these vestments on loan to the Museum. They shed light on the life of an oh-overlooked member of the famous Stuart family. Henry Benedict Stuart, the Cardinal Duke of York, was very successful in his own right within the Roman Catholic Church. He was, and s6ll is, one of the longest-serving Cardinals in church history."

Henry Benedict Stuart

Born in Rome, Henry spent his en6re life in con6nental Europe. He assisted his more famous brother, Charles Edward Stuart, prepare for the ill-fated Jacobite uprising by travelling to France to solicit aid from King Louis XV. He was given command of 10,000 men but the troops never leh Dunkirk as the defeated Charles returned from Scotland in 1746. The next year, Pope Benedict XIV created Henry as Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria in Campitelli in Rome. Shortly thereaher, at age 24, he was ordained a priest. Although Henry's religious career was supported by his father, his brother Charles disapproved as he believed his aﬃrmed Catholicism would further alienate the English and Scots against the Stuart family. Henry was again promoted in 1751, becoming the Arch-Priest of the Va6can Basilica. In 1758 he was named Cardinal York Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals, and was further named Cardinal-Bishop of Frasca6, a city located 12 miles from Rome, in 1761. By this point, Cardinal York received a sizeable income generated from ecclesias6cal preferments, income from Abbeys in Spain and France, and from investments in the Spanish Americas. He lived and worked primarily in Frasca6 during this period. The loaned vestments

At the 6me of his death in 1807, Henry had lost most of his fortune. He had helped Pope Pius VI pay a sizeable ransom to avoid the sacking of Rome during the Napoleonic invasion and many of his sources of income were lost during this tumultuous period. With his property in Frasca6 seized by the invading French armies, he ﬂed to Venice. There, the Bri6sh Minister arranged for him to receive an annual annuity of £4,000 from King George III, which supported him during his last years. The vestments on display at Blairs Museum allude to more prosperous 6mes in Cardinal York's life. They are made of cloth of silver, a costly material as it includes delicate threads made from pure silver woven throughout the fabric. They also show very liHle sign of wear, meaning they were once one of many sets of vestments he had to choose from. "It's amazing that this set of vestments has aged so well over the past 250 years. The cloth is dazzling under spotlights and one can imagine how magniﬁcent they would have looked on Cardinal York," says Amy. "It would have been a spectacular sight to behold." Blairs Museum will also host the second half of the exhibi6on The Grand Tour: Monument and Fantasy. Con6nuing from last year's successful exhibi6on, the display will feature 30 addi6onal prints by master engraver Giovanni Ba^sta Piranesi, this 6me journeying through the monumental buildings of St Peter’s Basilica, the Colosseum and the Pantheon before reaching the fantas6cal Imperial villa at Tivoli, where Piranesi brings his sense of an6quity, architecture, engineering, theatricality and imagina6on to riotous frenzy. Blairs Museum is open weekends from Saturday 6 April un6l Sunday 29 September but happy for group and individual visits outwith these dates by arrangement. Hours (April - Sep): Saturdays 10 am to 4.30 pm and Sundays from 12 noon to 4.30 pm. Admission charges apply: Adults £4.00, Concessions £3.00. For more details contact curator@blairsmuseum.org.uk or Tel: 01224 863 767 or follow us on Facebook : Blairs Museum.  Blairs Museum is located at Blairs Estate, South Deeside Road, Aberdeen. AB12 5YQ 11

Portlethen & District Voluntary Community Ambulance Your Community Ambulance has been kept busy and as well as our regular runs to the Medical Centre and the Dental PracIces, we have supporIng groups in the local community with trips to places around the North-East. It has taken members of the Portlethen Bowling Club to Elgin, transported some residents from Newtonvale to events in the Beach Ballroom and Montrose Museum, some residents from Glebe Court to Montrose, a group from Invercarron Day Centre to Marykirk and the Young at Heats group to The Mains of Drum. I believe all the passengers enjoyed their ou6ngs. We also transported some pensioners from Newtonhill to their party at the BeHeridge Centre as part of the Skateraw Fair in June. Last year the Community Ambulance received a dona6on from the commiHee of the Chapelton 10K Run, as we were one of the chari6es they nominated to support. This year we were advised we had been nominated again and to assist the commiHee on the day of the race 10 of our volunteer drivers assisted as car park marshals. It was another successful event and all our drivers enjoyed being part of the day. We thank the Chapelton commiHee for their con6nued support We had a very successful fund raising Ceilidh in November last year in the BeHeridge Centre in Newtonhill, which was aHended by over 150 people, including our MSP Liam Kerr. We are now in the early stages of planning another one for 21st March 2020, so buy a 6cket and come along and enjoy yourselves. Lastly if you have some spare 6me and would like to become a volunteer driver, please contact either Colin StraHon on 07875 179861 or Judy Middleton on 07740 643526. Our cover images are from the recent Chapelton Scarecrow Festival. Entrant fees and donations raised funds for Cairnhill Allotments and Alzheimer Scotland making the total a fantastic £1031.94. During the last week of August esteemed “Chapelton -famous” judges made the rounds to choose the winners. The event was fortunate to have some wonderful prizes donated from Kirkton Garden Centre, Shell, Tesco, Matalan, Mr George Masson and Benton Scott-Simmons along with the generosity of Legasea who were the print sponsor. Pictured is overall double winner Carl from Up who got both   1st Prize & the Community Vote!

Open 7 days Festive Menu from 1st The Lairhillock Inn is open 7 days a week December for tea/coffee, lunches and evening meals. Function Suite Look on our website for menus See website for menus and   and opening times. opening times

Netherley, Near Stonehaven, AB39 3QS Tel: 01569 730001 Fax: 01569 731175 Email: info@lairhillock.co.uk www.lairhillock.co.uk

In the Spring issue - a guest column of garden hints and tips for springtime from local garden designer Andrea Sinclair

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Church Notices Maryculter Trinity Church of Scotland

Pease note: All events are held in Maryculter Trinity Church premises unless otherwise intimated.

October Friday 18th 7.00pm Ukulele Band including refreshments November Friday 15th or 22nd Ladies Night in Cookney Hall 7.30pm Sunday 10th Remembrance Day Services: Maryculter Church at 10.30am followed by a Soup, bread and cheese lunch Cookney Memorial at 3.pm followed by cup of tea at Kathleen Downie’s house Sunday 17th 10.30am Service of Holy Communion and Crossreach Presenta6on December Wednesday 4thor11th Spirit of Christmas with Fiona Kennedy - Date and 6me to be conﬁrmed Saturday 7th Guild Christmas Coﬀee Morning and stalls from 10.00am-11.30am. Tickets cos6ng £3.50 for Adults and £2 for school age children will be available from Guildmembers or at the door on the day.

Christmas Services: Sunday 1st 3.30pm Bereavement Service at 3.30pm Sunday 15th 10.30am Christmas Tree Service Schools Service Date to be arranged Tuesday 24th Family Service 6.30pm Watchnight 11.30pm. January 2020 Burns Supper - Date to be advised February South African Evening date to be announced Sunday 10th 10.30am Service of Holy Communion followed by a Soup lunch with proceeds going to “Souper Sunday HIV/Aids” March Friday 7th 2.15pm World Day of Prayer Fairtrade Fortnight 24th February – 9th March Wednesday 4th Big Brew at Community coﬀee morning 10.00am-11.30am with Fairtrade goods on sale. Please see our website for further events, updates and informaIon.

A Bible Study Group meet on a Tuesday in The Manse at 7.30pm. On the 1st week of the month it is held on a Wednesday evening Please check with Rev. Mel Griffiths Tel. 01224.730150 before aHending. This is ecumenical and open to all who are interested. Come along and join in reading and discussing a different bible passage each week, sing hymns, prayer, and enjoy fellowship over a cup of tea or coffee. Community Coffee Mornings are held on 1st, 3rd and 5th Wednesdays of the month except July and August in Maryculter Trinity Church Hall from 10.00am – 11.30am Fresh coffee or tea and home bakes £3.00. Come and enjoy chats with friends and make new friends. We look forward to welcoming you. For further details or to arrange a lih, please phone either Anne Massie on 01224.732071 or Helen Anderson on 01330.811754.   The Guild led by Mrs. Hazel Griffiths is held on the first Monday of the month from 7.30- 9.30pm in Maryculter Trinity Church Hall from October to November and February to April. New members or visitors are always welcome to come and hear interes6ng talks, enjoy fellowship and a cup of tea. Further details from Hazel Tel. No. 01224.730150. Informa6on about work of Guilds across Scotland, and worldwide projects can be found at www.cos-guild.org.uk Crossreach: www.crossreach.org.uk This organisa6on is the Social Care Council run by the Church of Scotland. There are many services across Scotland, and recently The Bungalow in Stonehaven received the Sco^sh Care Award. Guilds also lend their support with many problems such as loneliness and social isola6on.

Fairtrade: We are a Fairtrade church which means we use, sell and promote Traidcrah products, and these are available at the sales table in the church hall every Sunday aher the morning service. ChrisIan Aid: We run events throughout the year for this organisa6on and have helped many projects including Water Aid, Present Aid and HIV/Aids. Mission AviaIon Fellowship: We support MAF who ﬂy medical supplies and food to people in remote areas all over the world. In February this year Mr. Andy Mar6n came and gave a talk on their work to church congrega6on and Youth Café. More informa6on at www.maf-uk.org Quay Project: During the year we joined a rota with other churches to help cater for homeless people in Aberdeen by making soup at Crown Terrace Bap6st Church. Contact Shona Simpson Tel. 01224.712976 for more informa6on or if you would like to help. Youth Café: Everyone who is in school between P7 and S3 is welcome and if you are a liHle older than that but s6ll want to be involved why not come and help out?! This rewarding experience allows you to get to know the wonderful young people in our community. We meet on Thursday evenings at Maryculter Trinity Church Hall between 7pm and 9pm and follow the school term. There is plenty to do from football, table tennis and pool to board games and of course the tuck shop! Or just relax and chill out cha^ng with friends. If you would like to join please contact Dianne Brown on 01224.734687 or 07801542154 if you would like to join the Youth Café. Minister: Rev. Dr. Melvyn Griﬃths Tel: 01224 730150 thehavyn@b6nternet.com Session Clerk: Mrs. Joyce Mackintosh Tel: 01224 733495 joycemackintosh@yahoo.ie Church Treasurer, Caretaker and Hall Bookings: Mrs. Anne Massie Tel: 01224 732071 www.marycultertrinitychurch.org.uk 13

Church Notices St Ternan’s Church The Sco^sh Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, with seven historic dioceses covering the whole of Scotland bearing witness to faith today, and tracing a history back to the earliest known Chris6ans in Scotland. St Ternan’s is the northernmost Sco^sh Episcopal Church in the diocese of Brechin. Worship: At the heart of our worship lies the regular celebra6on of the Eucharist (10:30am every Sunday). Through the sharing of bread and wine we remember the death and resurrec6on of Jesus, seek strength for our daily lives and look forward to the coming of the kingdom of God. Through our liturgical tradi6on we seek to support people on their journey through life and to celebrate sensi6vely the beginning and end of life. Ministry Team Services are led by our Ministry team. Please feel free to contact them for personal advice or assistance and for more informa6on regarding bap6sms, weddings and funerals. Rectory 01569 730625, Mr George Masson 01569 739283, Prof John Usher 01569 731608 Event  Friday 15th November 7pm at Newtonhill Bowling Club. Eco-friendly Christmas wreath demonstra6on followed by workshop to make your own. Tickets £10 to include materials and refreshments. Community Facility  The church and extension can be used for mee6ngs, community groups, private func6ons and concerts. There is a mee6ng room for up to 20 people, toilets and kitchen. The church also has large spaces at the front and rear available for concerts or large mee6ngs and break out areas. There is disabled access and an induc6on loop for those with hearing impairment.There is also plenty of off-street parking plus 3 specific disabled spaces.   Dona6on £6.00 per hour. Contact Sheila 01569 731608. Registered Charity SC023264 www.sgernans.co.uk Portlethen ChrisIan Fellowship We are a rela6vely new Church plant, developing steadily under the umbrella of Aberdeen Chris6an Fellowship, and we warmly invite you to join us for our Sunday Services and/or any of the groups we currently run. Our Sunday Ahernoon Worship Services take place in the Jubilee Hall from 2.30pm 6ll 4pm. We offer a communal 6me of worship, prayer and fellowship for all ages, followed by refreshments. An organised programme of ac6vi6es is available for P1 – S4 and crèche for under 5’s. We are happy to provide transport for you if you wish. Please contact Bill on 01224 890118 or billpenny@hotmail.co.uk to arrange. Our PCF Aher School Club will be running on Wednesdays from 3.30-5.00pm for Nursery- age children to S3. Cost is £2 per child. Crahs, Bible Stories and Games all feature and promise to be loads of fun! Venue:- The Porty Cabin, Portlethen. Contact Aaron for more details on:- 07878588648 or email aaron@portlethencf.com Home Group:- where we meet in small numbers at homes, to learn how to embrace life God’s way, suppor6ng each other over a cuppa. Our Home Groups run on the following days and you would be most welcome to join us.:- Portlethen Venue: Tuesday evening 7.30pm - 9.30pm Cove Venue: Tuesday evening 7.00pm - 9.00pm Contact:- Aaron on 07878 588648 or Frances on 01224 890118 Youth Club:- This is run on a Wednesday evening from 7 – 9pm at The Porty Cabin, Portlethen on Cookston Road. All S1 – S6 welcome. For further details, please call Aaron on MOB:- 07878588648 or email aaron@portlethencf.com Porty Crams is our crah group which runs fortnightly and resumes on Thursday 22 August from 7-9pm at the Porty Cabin, Cookston Road, Portlethen. Currently we are enjoying card-making and would love for you to join us. Cost is £4 per session which includes all materials and refreshments. Other crahs eg kni^ng or croche6ng can feature too. Everyone welcome, why not try a new crah or just join us for the love of crahing. Contact Frances if you would like more informa6on on 01224 890118. If you would like more informa6on about PCF, please do contact us. For Pastoral Care or if we can pray for you and your family, contact our Pastor Vijay for more details at Vijpil2000@yahoo.com or visit www.Portlethencf.com St Mary’s Chapel, Blairs Masses and Services: Sunday Mass: 09:30 Holy Days of Obliga6on: As announced in the weekly bulle6n, available on our website. Confessions: On request, usually before mass. Religious Educa6on: Aher mass on Sundays Bap6sms and Weddings: Contact Fr Mark Impson  The Parish of St. Mary, South Deeside Road, Blairs,   Aberdeen AB12 5YQ Fr Mark Impson, Tel 01569 762433 Mob 07734 529498 mark.impson@rcda.scot 14

Rainbows, Brownies 1st Maryculter Rainbows Over the months, the Rainbows have had lots of fun learning more about themselves. They have investigated beliefs and myths through doing their unicorn badge. They have successfully completed their communication badge which saw them learning about both verbal and non verbal communication in a variety of fun ways. There have been lots of craft activities and a few food creations too. For Shrove Tuesday we made pancakes and even practiced flipping them - noone stuck any to the ceiling thank goodness! Currently we are working towards our network badge which will involve a lot of team work and being helpful. We have planted tatties and peas and there was plenty enthusiasm for outdoor games. Rainbows is for girls aged between five and seven. They learn by doing – they get their hands dirty, do sports, arts, crafts and play games. For more informa6on about Rainbows and Girlguiding, or to register your interest in joining please log onto www.girlguiding.org.uk. If you are over 18 and interested in volunteering please contact rainbowsmaryculter@yahoo.com. Disclosure and reference checks are carried out as part of our recruitment process. Maryculter Brownies It has been a busy term for the Brownies as we jumped right into the new programme with our Express Myself Skills builder. We have deﬁnitely learned that we have a few budding inventors in our midst. We also completed our GliHerball Challenge Badge where there was a lot of music and dancing and a gliHery ice cream treat at the end.

Brownies have also chosen to complete the new interest badges at home and we have lots of budding Mary Berrys who have completed their Baking Badge and the Pain6ng badge has proved popular too we even had an Avia6on Badge completed this term too. Next term we are looking forward to star6ng our Have Adventures skills builder and ge^ng some ta^es and veggies planted too. We welcome applica6ons from girls aged 7 to 10 years old living in Maryculter, Banchory Devenick, Blairs, Netherley and the surrounding areas.

To register your daughter hHps://www.girlguiding.org.uk/informa6on-for-parents/register-your-daughter/

INFANT & CHILD FIRST AID AWARENESS

NEW DATES RELEASED! LAURENCEKIRK  Tuesday 1st October 6:30pm WESTHILL  Wednesday 9th October 9:45am BANCHORY Tuesday 29th October 6:30pm ABERDEEN Saturday 2nd November 1:30pm    CULTS Friday 8th November 9:45am BRIDGE OF DON Thursday 21st November 6:30pm CHAPELTON Monday 2nd December ABERDEEN Saturday 14th Dec 1:30pm

07841 249226 francesca@littlelivesfirstaid.co.uk www.littlelivesfirstaid.co.uk 15

Gravitate North East

Gravitate North East is a Sconsh Charity that was set up with the vision of creaIng a high quality mountain bike and adventure sports facility in Aberdeenshire.

Following an extensive feasibility study, Durris Forest was selected as the preferred locaIon and a financially viable business model was created. Once complete, the adventure park will create around 80 new jobs and is anIcipated that it will inject approximately £2.6 million into the local economy annually. In addi6on to mountain biking, some of the other ac6vi6es on offer will be forest nature walks, adventure play, ziplining, alpine coaster, climbing, bouldering, stargazing, orienteering and tree top rope courses. The facility will be created around a family friendly hub building which will include a café, shop, toilets, showers and bike/equipment hire. With people’s lives becoming increasingly hec6c, it has been recognised that being ac6ve outdoors and connec6ng with nature is more important than ever. The Gravitate project will help and encourage people to live more ac6ve, healthy and happier lifestyles. It will provide fun, safe and accessible adventure ac6vi6es in a loca6on that is tranquil yet close to Aberdeen city. It will increase opportuni6es for regular physical ac6vity, helping people reduce their risk of obesity and diabetes and will promote the posi6ve impacts of outdoor recrea6on on both physical and mental well-being – from reducing depression and relieving stress, to improving quality of life. The Gravitate project will create a welcoming and unique outdoor experience that is accessible to all, regardless of age, race, sex, social background or physical ability. The facility will be designed to cater for people with mobility challenges, disabili6es and long term medical condi6ons. It is important to Gravitate that this is truly a project for all the people, regardless of what other hurdles life has thrown up. The Gravitate project will help people, par6cularly young adults, from socially deprived areas, to connect with the outdoors in a healthy and safe forest environment. Gravitate North East are currently working through the planning studies that are required to submit a planning applica6on. They are also working with Sir Ian Wood, Jennifer Craw and Opportunity North East to create a financial model that will allow the project to be progress. www.gravitatenortheast.com. Facebook: Gravitate North East

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A limited number of 2020 calendars will be available for sale at Chapelton Farmers Market on November 17th, if not sold out by then!   Next year, the Chapelton Scarecrow Festival theme is “movies and cinema”. 16

Scouts and Explorers 1st Maryculter Scouts Scouts con6nue to be busy with a full and varied programme. The focus last term was on the Skills Challenge and Outdoor Challenge Awards, with ac6vi6es such as pioneering, cooking, fire ligh6ng and naviga6on. Scouts also earned the Mechanics badge by demonstra6ng some prac6cal maintenance on the Leader’s car, and the Fire Safety badge which included successfully discharging some fire ex6nguishers on a controlled fire. In February the Scouts braved the elements during the Wintercamp at Templars Park. A prolonged cold spell meant the ground was too hard for tent pegs but, undeterred, the Scouts camped in the big barn instead. Orienteering, axe throwing, abseiling, and even sledging kept them busy (and warm!) over the weekend. In May, Scouts demonstrated their expert naviga6on and teamwork skills by undertaking the Expedi6on Challenge, and also completed the Scien6st badge. This year’s summer camp was near Findhorn on the Moray coast in July. Climbing, abseiling, kayaking, hiking, a survival night, and a visit to Morayvia were all crammed in to a 6ring but enjoyable week! We currently have space for more young people to join us, to learn some “Skills for Life”, develop self-confidence and, of course, have fun! Scou6ng is for boys and girls, aged 10-14 years old. Maryculter Scouts meet on Friday evenings from 1915 to 2115 hours at the Scout Hut in Kirkton of Maryculter, contact Graeme Paterson for more informa6on on 07817483118. Please keep up to date with our ac6vi6es by following us on Facebook: 1st Maryculter Scouts Auchunies Explorers aged 14-18 years meet at Maryculter Scout Hut fortnightly on Tuesday evenings 7.15-9.15pm. For further informa6on contact Bob Michie, Tel: 01569 764536 (day6me), 01569 762082(evenings)

Community Halls Cookney Hall Since the last South Deeside View, Cookney Hall con6nues to go from strength to strength. It has been the venue for a whole variety of events such as ceilidhs, children’s par6es and weddings as well as the regular Metaﬁt and yoga classes, carpet bowling club and dog obedience training. We even held our very ﬁrst comedy night on Saturday 9th March, which was very well aHended with over 140 guests for some adult entertainment.

Looking to the future, forthcoming events at the Hall will include:

Cookney Cuppa (all 10 am 6ll noon)  Friday 18 October and Friday 6 December 2019. All proﬁts from these events go to local good causes.

Saturday 9 November 2019 – Autumn dance, with Country Edi6on  Saturday 18 January 2020 – Burns Supper

Even more events are currently being planned, so for the latest news on what’s happening at the Hall, please see our Facebook page by searching on Facebook under Friends of Cookney Hall, then hit ‘Like’ to be kept up to date with posts.

As always, if you’d like further informa6on about hiring the Hall for a func6on or celebra6on, please contact Willie Angus on 01569 730123 or by e-mail at wgangus.moc@gmail As always, if you’d like further informa6on about hiring the Hall for a func6on or celebra6on, please contact Willie Angus on 01569 730123 or by e-mail at wgangus@b6nternet.com Corbie Hall & Field, Maryculter We are pleased to report that the Community Hall con6nues to be used by a variety of groups from toddlers to senior ci6zens. It is very popular for children’s birthday par6es, allowing kids to let oﬀ steam without fear of wrecking the family furnishings! Also being used frequently for mee6ngs, AGMs and training courses. At the 6me of wri6ng it looks like we will miss out on the European elec6on poll sta6on fee this year – or will we!! The Corbie Park has been used more frequently this year as frost has been less severe. Although we lost the Deevale Ladies team last year we now have three Culter-based youth teams sharing the pitch with the resident adult team, Glendale. We are grateful to all the teams for the work they do in keeping the pitch in good order. Erosion by the river Dee and Corbie burn is always a concern, and the storm Frank damage beside the Mill6mber bridge is not going to self-repair. We have planted some willow cu^ngs in the hope that their roots will bind the embankment and prevent further loss of ground. The commiHee can always use more volunteers and anyone interested in helping out occasionally, please step forward. Things to do include hedgecu^ng, fencing, strimming, pain6ng, DIY joinery etc. Contact details for hall and ﬁeld are: email maryculterhall@yahoo.co.uk , phone 07960 231855.

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Protect Banchory Devenick South Deeside’s unique natural heritage is under major threat from an internaIonal developer – we have formed a new community group to save it. Banchory Devenick has been sold to a mul6-billion-pound housing developer known as The Comer Group, owned by two Monaco-based Irish brothers – and this unique area of high biodiversity is now at risk of being turned into just another suburb of Aberdeen. The foreign-owned housing developer now has control of almost the en6re area and intends to pave over this wildlife corridor with several thousand new houses, including 5-storey blocks of flats that would encircle Tollohill Woods. Eventually, they intend to develop the en6rety of Banchory Devenick. This would be a disaster for wildlife. The area is home to deer, several species of bats, red squirrels, badgers and birds of prey. It is also an area of special historic interest with ancient woodland, as well as historic baHle and gallows sites. And losing a much-valued rural resource to many residents in the surrounding area, both city and shire. These proposals contravene policies on use of green belt land, environmental protec6on, and would worsen already chocked traffic at the Bridge of Dee boHleneck. The high quality new town development a few miles away at Chapleton, as well as other new sites locally, have been unable to sell houses at the rates expected, and the City and Shire stock of unsold available proper6es remains at double historic average rates. This is a senseless destruc6on of our unique and irreplaceable natural heritage. “Protect Banchory Devenick”, a new volunteer group of concerned City and Shire residents has been created to preserve this land for animals and local residents. The group has rallied support and feedback invited by the City and Shire for their Strategic Development plans in March and May of this year. Indeed the development proposal for Banchory Devenick received the most feedback for any proposal in the Kinkardine and Mearns area – a sign that the area is valued and desired to be protected from development by a wide community. We await to hear towards the end of the year what the councilors’ views are and if they support the views of the community and the planning officers to reject the proposals. The group welcome members free of charge, who share our aims, and would like to be kept informed, please see at: Web: protectbanchorydevenick.org/ Facebook: Protect Banchory Devenick Instagram: www.instagram.com/protect_banchory_devenick

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TENT FOR HIRE  The Maryculter Scouts Group has a large canvas Mess Tent which  is available for local community members to borrow for a donation   to the Scouts Group.  Measures 24' by 14' by 7' high. Heavy duty canvas, steel pole frame.   Min 3 people (preferably 5) to erect /dismantle.   The Group insists their own experienced tent pitcher helps with assembly.   Minimum suggested donation £50 in light of the effort involved, especially if the tent has to be dried after the event.   To check on the tent's availability and suitability for your event,   call Les Paterson on 01224 868676 or email lesardoe@aol.com.

Portlethen Men’s Shed Portlethen Men’s Shed  The secured funding for our sensory garden at the rear of the Men’s Shed has now allowed us to complete the groundwork with a new fence and gate erected around the area. In June, children from Portlethen Academy along with a mural ar6st completed the ﬁrst stage of the mural on our portacabin, designs for the next stage of the mural are being considered at the moment. The primary schools each have a planter within the garden to plant as they wish. We are now star6ng to develop a plan for items to be grown in the space and we would welcome anyone who would like to be involved with the garden planning, plan6ng, maintainence or who have suggests for items to be included in the space to get in touch, as we want to include as much as we can in this space for members of the community to enjoy. This will be a space that can be enjoyed by everyone and will be wheelchair friendly, demen6a friendly and child friendly. We are also asking again for dona6ons of 6mber, if anyone has old decking or 6mber that is in good condi6on and wishes to donate them to the shed, please get in touch and we can arrange a mutual 6me to drop them oﬀ or we can arrange for collec6on from Portlethen if required. Men’s Shed Ladies Crah Group is now running weekly on a Tuesday ahernoon between 1-3pm in the Porty Cabin, come and joins us, meet new friends and learn new crahs. All items made by the group will be available for sale from the Men’s Shed. Due to the commitments of the members of the shed, our extended opening hours will have to suspended in the mean6me. The Shed hours of opening will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am -1pm, so if you would like to become a member pop in and see us or contact us by email. Julie Forbes, Secretary P&DMS Sconsh Accordion Music Group This gathering of accordionists on the second Sunday of each month in the Kirkton Hall, Durris is one of the musical highlights in Deeside. Keith Duncan leads with a series of rehearsed tunes, interspersed with songs and poems and a social break for soh drinks and nibbles. It’s a bargain for only £2 entry but there are only 100 seats so come early for the start around 7pm. The group takes bookings for addi6onal performances. Please call to make arrangements.   Secretary Irene Fraser Tel 01224 319484

DemenIa Friendly Portlethen Our Boogie in the Bar event will celebrate its 2nd birthday in October 2019. So come and enjoy our success on 17th October. The Boogie is held on the third Tuesday of every month at The Leathan Pub, between 12-4, this events is for everyone including people living with demen6a and their carer’s, family and friends Our Musical Memories Project launched on 1st March 2019 in the Porty Cabin, Portlethen. This event will run on the ﬁrst Friday of every month in 2019. It is open to EVERYONE in the Portlethen and District area and beyond and is an opportunity to join in and sing-a-long with familiar music and songs, followed by tea and coﬀee and 6me for a chat. If you enjoy music, have some free 6me and are interested in helping us out with this project, please get in touch with Demen6a Friendly Portlethen. Our 2nd Garden Party, held at Lethen Park Home was a great success, with live music and ahernoon tea. We are very fortunate to have many enthusias6c supporters locally, but as with any group led by volunteers we are always keen to aHract new members. So if you feel you want to get involved, or just want some more informa6on please contact us on the email below. Our con6nued thanks goes to all those people who have helped us make Demen6a Friendly Portlethen a success to date. Julie Forbes, Chair - Demen6a Friendly Portlethen E-mail demen6afriendlyportlethen@gmail.com 20

North Kincardine Rural Community Council (NKRCC)

The North Kincardine Rural Community Council conInues to be very acIve in your area. Public aqendance is good and we have a number of interesIng topics which are discussed at meeIngs. We have our AGM in June and at any stage during the year we would welcome the involvement of local residents who would like to aqend the meeIngs. We believe the Community Council serves a useful purpose, and it may be that over Ime, slightly more powers and responsibiliIes are devolved from above, parIcularly since the new Scheme of Establishment has been put in place, and various pieces of legislaIon which affect the local community are put forward. As chair, while I am a strong supporter of the principle of a “CommiHee of One”, I try to keep the mee6ngs moving along to get the business done, and everyone has a chance to have their say in the discussions, as long as the janitor manages to lock up the school and get away at a reasonable hour! Roads The Community Council con6nues to keep an eye on the programme for repairs to the local roads over the coming year which has been proposed, hoping for a decrease in potholes. It has to be said that it is a slow process, but I would recommend that residents con6nue to report potholes that need to be repaired. With the Bridge of Don finally open, the AWPR is now complete in its en6rety. As I said in the last issue of SDV, I think it will take some 6me for traffic flows to seHle down, but my impression is that the amount of vehicles con6nues to increase. It is certainly a boon for the economy of the North East as well as the convenience of the local residents and wider travelling public. Planning All local planning applica6ons are reviewed at our monthly mee6ngs. Where required, these are discussed and may result in a leHer of concern, objec6on or support being sent to Aberdeenshire Council, depending on local views. You will find copies of all of these submissions on the NKRCC website. Over the years, a number of applica6ons have evolved on certain sites that have involved some substan6al “scope creep”. Recently, some of these have s6rred up debate among us, as in the early years of the applica6on, they conformed with the local plan, but in their later “reincarna6ons” they became a direct challenge to the planning policies in our area and had become controversial. We feel strongly that we need to comment on these applica6ons and encourage the planners and local councillors to hold the line in some of these instances, ensuring that they adhere to current policies. The 200 Club At its last mee6ng, aher a lot of debate and a certain amount of soul-searching, the NKRCC has decided that it will no longer run its annual 200 Club Prize Draw. While this has raised several thousand pounds for local causes over the years, we agreed that fundraising is not really one of our func6ons or core ac6vi6es. While it was a valuable way of raising local awareness and building the community, with changes to social North habits and communica6on, it was felt that (for a season at Kincardine Rural least) its 6me had come. Thank you to all who have supported Community Council Contacts this venture over the years and given regularly to purchase Visit website and facebook pages to get the latest information 6ckets. You have leh a valuable legacy in the community. Website : www.nkrcc.org.uk   Facebook: North Kincardine Rural Community Council - NKRCC  Email: secretary@nkrcc.org.uk Meetings are held on the 3rd Monday of every month at 7.30pm, except July and December. Venue is Lairhillock School. All welcome.

NKRCC Mee6ngs Community Council mee6ngs are held in Lairhillock School on the third Monday of each month at 7.30pm (no mee6ng in July, December mee6ng is on second Monday). Join us for a cuppa before the mee6ng! We look forward to welcoming you.

We also have our agendas and minutes posted on the noticeboards at Banchory-Devenick School,  Cookney Hall and Corbie Hall.

Henry Irvine-Fortescue, Chair

MSP, MP and Local Councillors Maureen Waq MSP   The summer recess provides an excellent opportunity for parliamentarians to get ‘out and about’ in the consItuency and I’ve made the most of this Ime to personally assess some of the individual issues that have been raised with me by residents. This was also the case last year when I was first contacted by members of the community, understandably, extremely frustrated at a decision taken by Royal Mail to remove the customer collec6on facility for ‘undelivered’ items from the local SPAR. As many living in South Deeside who use the post office will be aware, this decision was forcing residents who hadn’t been at home to receive a parcel to instead travel to Westhill to collect it from the Royal Mail depot. Aside from the inconvenience caused by having to commute to Westhill simply to collect a parcel, this decision put in place unnecessary barriers for those residents without access to a car. I was deeply disappointed to learn of this issue and contacted Royal Mail on a number of occasions to express my dismay and to ask for the service to be reinstated. At this point, it would be remiss of me not to men6on that the local SPAR was very suppor6ve of the local community. Thankfully, aher much persistence I was delighted to receive a leHer earlier this summer which confirmed that the customer collec6on facility would be reinstated. This fantas6c news was testament to the efforts of those on the community council and I’m sure that those who were impacted in the intervening months are no glad that they no longer face a commute to Westhill simply to retrieve their mail. As ever, should you have an issue you feel I can assist with, please do let me know at Maureen.waH.msp@parliament.scot or 01224 876743. Andrew Bowie MP It has been a very busy period at Westminster since my last column for the South Deeside View. However, I always look forward to spending Ime in my consItuency and working on behalf of local residents. Since the start of the year, I have pursued a wide range of issues affecIng people in this area. I have supported local tourism businesses, opposed bank closures, campaigned to save local bus routes, improve broadband connec6vity and help EU ci6zens navigate the UK’s reseHlement scheme. And in this past week, I have launched a major survey of more than 200 local businesses to ask what the issues are facing employers in the cons6tuency. I got involved in Na6onal Appren6ceship Week to encourage more young people into voca6onal training, and welcomed DEFRA Secretary Michael Gove to West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine. The visit included mee6ngs with the Dee District Salmon Fishing Board and Opportunity North East to discuss a proposed new ‘food hub’ to support our growing food and drink sector. I have backed a pe66on to re-instate axed Aberdeen-Gatwick flights and appealed to Scotrail to increase the number of train services stopping at Laurencekirk sta6on. Every 6me I am back in the cons6tuency, I am busy visi6ng local businesses, organisa6ons, schools and community groups. Most recently, this has included a fascina6ng trip to TLC Potatoes at Durris, where owner Colin Blackhall talked about the science of crea6ng seed potatoes. Earlier this month, I received leHers from the pupils at Banchory Primary and Hill of Banchory Primary about democracy and climate change – and asking me to visit to discuss their concerns. I have wriHen back personally to the pupils and I look forward to visi6ng both schools very soon. I would urge anyone who has an issue they want to raise to get in touch with me directly at andrew.bowie.mp@parliament.uk or at my cons6tuency office in Banchory. I am also holding local surgeries throughout April– full details here: hHps:// www.andrewbowie.org.uk/surgeries Cllr Ian Mollison  Aberdeenshire Council is changing how our rubbish is collected. The Sconsh Government will ban biodegradable waste from landfill from January 2021. As well as the ecological argument, there are financial consideraIons too. It costs the council £119 a tonne to send waste to landfill while recycling costs £29 a tonne. Currently up to 60% of the contents of our 240 litre landfill bins is recyclable. And some 30% of the contents of the landfill bin is food waste. The Shire is working with Aberdeen and Moray councils on an energy-from-waste project at Tullos and the capacity of the plant requires us to increase recycling. Aberdeenshire recycles just 44% of all household waste while East Renfrewshire Council - who operate the new system - recycles 67%. It will be rolled out across Aberdeenshire from April 2020: Week 1: Paper, card, cardboard in the current 240 litre blue-lidded bin. Week 2: Metal, cartons, plas6c boHles, pots, tubs and trays in the current 240 litre grey-lidded bin. Items should be loose – i.e. not in plas6c bags! Week 3: Landfill (non-recyclable) material in a new 180 litre bin. Every week: Food waste collec6on, in the caddy. 22

Local Councillors BoHles and jars should be taken to a boHle bank: for example, outside supermarkets such as Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, and the Coop. Old carrier bags, cereal box liners, bubble wrap, toilet roll film, food bags etc can be taken to a plas6c bag collec6on point at larger supermarkets. For any household that has medical or other challenges, support will be available as it is now. Large amounts of material can be taken to the recycling centre at Badentoy (Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday - 9am to 4.30pm. Friday – 9am to 4pm). Ques6ons can be emailed to waste@aberdeenshire.gov.uk, or via Facebook at www.facebook.com/AberdeenshireWaste/, or phone 03456 018207. Cllr Colin Pike The opening of the AWPR has had a dramaIc impact on the reducIon of traffic on the Netherley Road and the surrounding local road network. However there is sIll much work to be done to restore the local roads and I endeavour to ensure that these works are completed. The Netherley road is now deemed a “strategic” road and this summer will see more resurfacing and repair works along with a major overhaul of the Backburn bridge/culvert next year. As Chairman of the Council’s Sustainability CommiHee we are striving to reduce overheads in Council buildings through hea6ng and ligh6ng upgrades across offices and schools plus street ligh6ng, where some 45,000 lights are being replaced by LED units, this will have a huge saving on our energy bills. Similarly we have a recycle, reuse approach to all our furniture and office equipment. With over 70 Council offices and 171 schools we accumulate masses of chairs, tables and equipment which some6mes become redundant but are s6ll usable. I have worked with many local community groups to offer them these items and they have been most apprecia6ve and it is good to see them have another life. Financial pressures on the Council are relentless and we will have to change how the Council provides some services. The next big task is the household collec6on of waste and recyclable materials. We currently landfill 70,000 tons of waste every year at enormous cost and this has to stop. This year will see a major ask of households to recycle waste responsibly. I have asked our Waste Officers to visit Community Councils to explain what can be done and how to spread the message. If I can assist on any Council maHers, I am contactable by phone, 0777 9095385 or email; cllr.c.pike@aberdeenshire.gov.uk Cllr Alison Evison DemenIa Friendly Portlethen has now launched “Musical Memories” to complement the popular monthly “Boogie in the Bar” - see page 20 for more details. People living with demenIa, friends and carers, are welcome to aqend and parIcipate, or simply to enjoy the company. Details are available on the DemenIa Friendly Portlethen Facebook Page or by contacIng me. The Domes6c Abuse (Scotland) Act is now law and includes all forms of domes6c abuse towards a partner, whether psychological or physical. This means that humilia6ng a partner, isola6ng him/her from friends or controlling his/her ac6vi6es are all now criminal offences. Anyone who needs help should contact Grampian Women’s Aid on 01224 593381 or the Police. I have worked hard with colleagues to promote Aberdeenshire as a “welcoming place” and will con6nue to do so, and so it is to my regret that non-UK EU, EEA or Swiss ci6zens now have to apply for “SeHled Status” to live here unless the process towards Brexit is cancelled. Help for anyone impacted is available from the Ci6zen’s Advice Bureau in Stonehaven, or through me. I have been promo6ng the development of a flexi-schooling policy in Aberdeenshire, aher parents raised this with me. Flexischooling is focussed on the needs of the child and on removing barriers he/she might have to full enjoyment of the mainstream curriculum by enabling him/her to spend planned periods of 6me in a different environment, either short term or longer term. Unfortunately, the Administra6on would not agree to a Flexi-Schooling policy but have agreed to include it in an updated HomeSchooling Policy. There is a very useful App for council services now available – it enables you to access all council informa6on really easily. It can be downloaded from your apps store or by visi6ng Aberdeenshire.gov.uk/my

Lairhillock Out Of School Club (LOOSC) Due to the rural locaIon of Lairhillock Primary, a large precentage of parents and carers need to be able to drop off their children from 7:30am in order to get to work on Ime and can struggle to finish the work day for school pick up at 3:15pm. Amer establishing the successful Lairhillock Breakfast Club, local mum Victoria Keith has extended the services available and now offers an amerschool club to cater for the ever increasing needs of these

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busy local parents. “LOOSC” (Lairhillock out of school clubs) are now a team of 5 parents who operate the Breakfast Club which runs Monday to Friday from 7.30 un6l 9 am and the Aher school club whch runs from 3:15 un6l 5:30pm. A testament to its success and quality, the club boasts a Kelloggs Best Breakfast Club in Scotland Award, and has been awarded £1000 for this recogni6on. These prizes are awarded annually to breakfast clubs across the UK that stand out to a panel of judges. We are passionate about what we do and are extremely proud of this win. Spaces in these clubs are available but limited. Should you wish to register interest, please get in touch with Victoria and her team on 07399 938044 or email lairhillockbreakfastclub@gmail.com.

We’re going further to meet the needs of everyone in our community

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Ask for more information today Aberdeen Kincorth 347 George Street, AB25 1EQ 26 Abbotswell Crescent, AB12 5JW 01224 640008 01224 876000 www.shawfunerals.com care@shawfunerals.co.uk In association with

Chapelton It’s been a busy Ime for events in Chapelton.Nearly 400 runners joined this year’s Chapelton 10K on Sunday 14th July helping to raise over £4,000 for local chariIes. The event saw people of all ages go head-to-head in a 10K race, along with a shorter kids fun run, before enjoying an amernoon of entertainment and much-needed food and drink from local outlets. Sponsored by Hall Morrice, WM Donald and Brio ReIrement Living, the day raised funds for causes such as Muchalls and Newtonhill Scout Group, Chapelton Baby and Toddler Group, Friends of Newtonhill School, Newtonhill Pipe Band, Pillar Kincardineshire, Police Scotland Youth Volunteers and Portlethen and District Voluntary Community Ambulance AssociaIon. Aher the success of the town’s very ﬁrst farmers market on Sunday 21st July we are very excited to reveal that this event will now become a regular feature in the Chapelton events calendar. On Sunday 22nd September the market returned oﬀering visitors the chance to purchase produce from a great range of local suppliers including Bannerman Butchers, The Principled Pig and Cove Honey Bees. The next farmers market will be on Sunday 17th November providing an opportunity to buy lots of things needed for the fes6ve season including Christmas gihs, decora6ons and treats.

Chapelton 10K Race

Hosted in the ZeroC showhome, Porter’s Gin drinks tas6ng was a sell-out success. AHendees learned about Porter’s modern dis6lla6on, botanicals and ﬂavours whilst sampling a gin cocktail and a taste of Porter’s products before some went on to a delicious three-course set menu at Chapelton’s Teacake.

Chapelton annual bike ride & walk

Hundreds of budding cyclists and walkers gathered to take part in Chapelton’s fourth annual bike ride and walk on Sunday 1st September raising nearly £7,000 for North East Sensory Services. This year’s event, sponsored by Brio Re6rement Living and Burness Paull, brought a big crowd to Chapelton for the 42 mile and a 12 mile cycle course around the town’s roads and pathways and the surrounding areas. The 5K walk was also very popular with local families oﬀering them the chance to stretch their legs and take in the grounds of Elsick House.

Liddell Place

Chapelton is con6nuing to grow as Aberdeenshire housebuilder Snowdrop Developments joins the exis6ng housebuilders in shaping the next stages of the town. Snowdrop will offer a range of new homes and housetypes including fivebedroom proper6es for prospec6ve buyers, with interest already extremely high. To find out more about the Snowdrop and previous developments including Royal Deeside, St Cyrus and Stonehaven, visit www.snowdropdevelopments.co.uk. There are now a collec6on of Help to Buy Homes available in the Cairnhill neighbourhood of Chapelton, perfect for first 6me buyers looking to take their first steps onto the property ladder. Popular Chapelton housebuilder AJC has recently reduced the prices of its beau6ful Findon family home. With prices star6ng from £197,250, the two bedroomed property is now eligible under the Sco^sh Government’s Help to Buy scheme, meaning it can be purchased by first 6me buyers with just a five percent deposit. To find out more about the Help to Buy proper6es available at Liddell Place, visit: www.ajcscotland.com/developments/liddell-place. Coming up we have a Christmas Wreath Making workshop on 15h December - no experience required!. Did you know Slate & Grain at Brio Re6rement Living is now officially open for breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week from 8:30am. All welcome.   Latest news at Facebook: Chapelton or our website at www.chapeltonnewtown.co.uk

Slate & Grain Brasserie at Chapelton

Useful Contacts FISH   George Fairweather

Delivers Durris, Netherley, Peterculter from approx 10am to 07974 311326 2pm on Thursdays and Stonehaven on Fridays. Phone orders ahead to establish timings.

COAL  J.H. Roberts of Auchenblae

Phone in your order for delivery in our area on Monday mornings. Smokeless fuels / domestic coal for stoves and open ﬁres.Wood pellets, recycled wood briquettes, peat, soft wood logs, heavy duty plastic coal bunkers and kindling both for delivery and collection.

01561 320335 www.johnroberts.co.uk

Cookney Community Hall

Bookings

Willie Angus 01569 730123   Email: wgangus@btinternet.com

Maryculter Community Hall & Corbie Field

Bookings

07960 231855 Email: maryculterhall@yahoo.co.uk

Library

The mobile library carries a wide range of books, including 01651 872707 large print and children's books, audio books and DVDS. For those that are not members of the library it is quick and easy to join and its FREE. The library is scheduled to call at these locations on the following Thursdays – 12th and 26th September 2019 and fortnightly thereafter 0920 hours to 0930 hours – Fernieslack Cottages, Maryculter 1000 hours to 1015 hours – Banchory - Devenick Crossroads

Police

Kincardine & Mearns Community Policing Team’s dedicated ermail address:  StonehavenLowerDeesideCPT@Scotland.pnn.police.uk

Dial-A-Bus

Wheelchair-accessible door-to-door transport for people who have mobility diﬃculties/limited public transport. Registration required. A2B dial-a-bus hotline: 01467 535 333 For further information, call the A2B dial-a-bus hotline between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. Shopping trips to Portlethen on a Tuesday.

Andrew Bowie MP

andrew.bowie.mp@parliament.uk  Facebook: Andrew Bowie MP

0207 219 2791

Maureen Watt MSP

maureen.watt.msp@scottish.parliament.uk  Facebook: Maureen Watt

01224 876743

Councillor   Alastair Bews

cllr.a.bews@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

01224 784594

Councillor   Alison Evison

Twitter @alison2812 Facebook Councillor Alison Evison: Scottish Labour in North Kincardine   Email: cllr.a.evison@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

07876 475386 Twitter @alison2812 Surgery : Portlethen Academy 11 Nov and 09 Dec from   7-8 pm, no appointment necessary.

Councillor   Ian Mollison

cllr.i.mollison@aberdeenshire.gov.uk Facebook: Councillor Ian Mollison

07747 638348

Councillor   Colin Pike

cllr.c.pike@aberdeenshire.gov.uk Facebook: Cllr Colin Pike

0777 909 5385

Recycling Centres

Stonehaven, Redcloak, AB39 3SR

Items: Batteries (household and car), blue bin recycling, cooking oil, electrical appliances (anything with a plug or batteries), engine oil, ﬂuorescent tubes (including energy-saving light bulbs), garden waste, gas cylinders, glass bottles and jars, plasterboard, rubble and ceramics, scrap metal, soil and turf, textiles, wood (including treated) and non-recyclable waste.

Portlethen, Badentory Drive, Badentoy Industrial Estate AB12 4ZD

Emergencies 999 or 112 All non-emergencies 101 Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 Drugs Information Line 0800 371 553

Clothing and shoes recycling

Lairhillock School, Netherley  1st Maryculter Scouts - Scout Hall at Kirkton Of Maryculter Cookney Hall Banchory Devenick School 26

ONLY wearable clothing, paired shoes, handbags, belts.   NO workwear, bedding, soft furnishings or any household bric a brac or linens.

Nature Notes Create your own wildflower meadow for free! I know that not everyone in our area is in favour of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route but if you have used it over the spring or summer you will have passed miles of wildflowers. There were swathes of white ox-eye daisies, drims of red field poppies, statuesque groupings of wild carrot and hazes of purple tumed vetch and also yellow kidney vetch. Transport Scotland who carried out the project aimed to plant fihy per cent more trees and plants than were removed during the construc6on phase. This included 6.2 million square metres of land being sown with grass and wildflower seed mixes – approximately 870 full sized football pitches - and was one of the largest seeding projects carried out in Europe. The plan6ng aimed to screen proper6es, integrate the road back into the landscape, reconnect and provide wildlife habitats and help absorb carbon emissions. All the seed, plants and trees used came from local provenance stock. Many verges have been sown with a 80:20 grass seed to wildflower mix. This encourages the establishment of habitats important to invertebrates and these are further supported by a policy of light mowing. Kerbsides, around signs and junc6ons are kept short but the rest of the verges are leh for species to thrive. I do think more needs to be done to increase awareness of these regimes as I have heard people commen6ng on the mess of the long grass on the road. I do also wonder about the sustainability of the huge amount of plas6c trees guards used along the length of the road. And so to the 6tle of this ar6cle. I am in no way sugges6ng you stroll along the dual carriageway looking for plants but it is completely legal to collect the seed of non-rare plants from public places. Many of our smaller country roads that existed prior to and intersect the AWPR were either seeded inten6onally or by wind dispersal and are covered in wild flowers so here are four sugges6ons for you to collect over the next few weeks and to grow either at home or in a wild space near you. They are all perennials, meaning they will come up year aher year rather than you having to re-plant every year as you have to do with poppies and cornflowers.

Tufted Vetch (purple) and Kidney Vetch (yellow)

Ox eye daisies are an easy species to grow, look great coming up through longer grass and are loved by many insect species. Once their white petals have dropped their seed heads are not in the least bit exci6ng to look at but you can collect hundreds of small, brown seeds from each plant. Tuhed vetch is a member of the pea family and has lovely tall purple flowers that bumblebees love. It looks great growing through grass or beside nastur6ums or against a wall. You can see lots of patches of this growing on the AWPR. Its seeds are currently ripening in small pods that are ready to collect once they have turned black. Kidney vetch is another species of pea and has yellow flowers. This has also gone mad along the road and is the only food source for the small blue buHerfly’s caterpillar. Named aher its pairs of small, yellow kidney-shaped flowers it also produces seeds in pods that are easy to collect once turned black. Lastly, wild carrot is one of the taller wildflowers you will come across. Related to cow parsley its seed heads are forming at the moment. It will give your meadow some architectural height. Whilst meadows do not need as much aHen6on as a pris6ne lawn they do s6ll need some work - throwing some seed at an exis6ng grassy area will not produce an abundance of growth and colour next year. 3g of seed per square metre is the usual sowing rate you need. That is much, much lower than sowing grass seed and you can probably collect that amount in an hour. You can either sow into trays of soil and transplant when seedlings are big enough next spring or rake an area finely and scaHer the seeds on, pressing them down. Keep pigeons off with ne^ng or shiny reflec6ve tape and by plan6ng in the autumn rather than wai6ng un6l the spring will give you much bigger plants. Do not add fer6lizer (it kills wildflower species) and remove weeds as you see them. This should give you a lovely free meadow next year! Happy collec6ng!! Mandy Tulloch 27

Diary Dates 2019 2020

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr

18 Cookney Cuppa, Cookney Hall 19 Pumpkin Patch, Devenick Dairy 21 NKRCC mee6ng 25 & 26 Spooktacular Halloween Disco, Devenick Dairy 08 Black Tie Charity Ceilidh, Maryculter House 09 Autumn Dance, Cookney Hall 13 SWI Open Evening & Talk 15 Christmas wreath workshop (page 14) 17 Chapelton Fes6ve Market 18 NKRCC Mee6ng 30 Lairhillock Christmas Fair 30 Breakfast with Santa, Devenick Dairy (30/11- 7/12) 06 Cookney Cuppa, Cookney Hall 07 Sols6ce at Maryculter Guild Coﬀee Morning 07/08 Sols6ce at Drum Castle Hollyfest 09 NKRCC Mee6ng 11 SWI Lamps & Lampshade-making 11 Banchory Devenick Christmas Enterprise 04 New Year Charity Ceilidh, Cookney Hall 18 Burns Supper, Cookney Hall 20 NKRCC Mee6ng 17 NKRCC Mee6ng 21 Cookney Cuppa 16 NKRCC Mee6ng 17 Cookney Cuppa 20 NKRCC Mee6ng

Culter Den Taxis

Crynoch Ceilidh Band Zumba gold is a   LOW INTENSITY dance class which is perfect for the active older person or those looking for a modified Zumba class. TUESDAY 1.15pm-2.15pm, Jubilee Hall Portlethen WEDNESDAY   9.30am-10.30am, Culter Mills Club FRIDAY 9.30am-10.15am, Ardoe House For more info contact Siobhan 07791865173

Traditional Scottish dance music for any celebration Email crynochband@btinternet.com

Facebook   Crynoch Ceilidh Band

PANTO! 4-7th December 7.30pm and 2pm Sat matinee Culter Village Hall www.cultertheatreclub.co.uk

Local & Long Trips Senior Citizen Discount Airport Transfers Fully Licensed and Insured Up to 6 people Quick Service Safe, Friendly & Reliable

Call Dennis on: 07818 831652

NOW OPEN at Chapelton

Brasserie & Bar

Coﬀee & cakes, spacious lounge, al fresco dining, delicious home-cooked meals, ﬁne wines 28