The South Deeside View Autumn 2014

AUTUMN 2014

the the

SouthDeeside SouthDeeside Local News Views from NorthKincardine Kincardine Local News andand Views from North

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View View

Macmillan Coffee Morning

Friday September 26 Storybook Glen, Maryculter 10.15am to noon

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Come along to the annual fundraiser for this most worthy cause.

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Please contact Sheila Stewart Tel: 01224 734222 if you wish to take a stall, provide raffle prizes or any contributions to the sale.

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Admission by donation.

Meal an’Ale Evening Concert arranged by the Traditional Music & Song Association

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Saturday, October 4th at 7.30pm BOOKING ESSENTIAL

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Tickets from Joyce Murison Tel: 01569 731236 www.thedoricfestival.com www.nkrcc.org.uk/sdv

A NOTE FROM THE EDITORS…

CONTENTS

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Autumn has officially arrived with the start of leaf fall.

Heartfelt thanks go to everyone who was involved in our annual Plant Sale in May. The profit was a whopping £890 which we donated to Maryculter Woodlands Trust (see page 22).

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3 Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers 4 Rainbows, Brownies and Guides

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We bid a fond farewell to Co-Editor Hazel as she is stepping down after nine years of compiling the South Deeside View. This will be Hazel’s final issue and she will be devoting more time to her many other varied interests. We very much appreciate her dedication and hard work in making ‘The View’ filled with interesting articles and information over the years.

5 South Deeside Under 5’s 6 Leisure Activities 7 Leisure Activities

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8 Community Halls

In this issue we have some new advertisers and groups in and around our area. Youth groups are also on the look out for some helpers if folks are keen to get involved and have some time to spare in these rewarding roles.

9 NKRCC 10 NKRCC

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11 NKRCC

We are now on Facebook! You can find us by searching for the Group named "South Deeside View". By using social media we are hoping to keep everyone in touch with events, ‘do’s’, and things of interest in our area.

12 NEOS, Home Deliveries

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13 Primary Schools

Christmas carols and Burns suppers are all to come before our next issue, which is due out by Easter time. Please contact us if you would like something mentioned in our Facebook Group or if you have anything for inclusion in the next issue.

14 Local Advertisers 15 Police Scotland

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16 Church Notices

Emma, Hazel and Lynne

17 Church Notices 18 Local Advertisers 19 WW1 Centenary, Olivia’s News

Meikle Carewe Wind Farm Community Fund Applications 2015

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20 Chapelton, Carriage Driving

! Closing Date 30th September Applications are invited from those living in five

21 Maryculter Woodlands Trust 22 Choirs

community council areas, including our own, for the second annual round of grants. Over £21,000 is available in total with the hope that around 75% of this can be distributed.!

23 Nature Notes

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24 Redwing & Blaikiewell,

Guidelines and application forms can be downloaded from the website: www.kmap.org.uk/ meikle-carewe-wind-farm.html!

These are self explanatory, but if you wish some help in completing the forms, please phone 01224 732738.!

Grandfather Clock 25 MP, MSP, Councillor 26 Councillors

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27 Local Advertisers

KMAP Tel 01569 763246 Email: kmapoffice@gmail.com

28 Useful Numbers, What’s On 2

Maryculter Beavers

1st Maryculter Cubs

the Colony and we welcomed new members at the start of the Autumn term.

Last term the Beavers often enjoyed outdoor activities involving water, sand, woods, and beasties! They also had a programme of activities based around a Commonwealth Games theme which included food from faraway places and making bunting from the Commonwealth flags. This bunting was proudly draped around the field at Corbie Park when the Beavers opened the Group fun day by parading their batons around the field behind our own mascot Cly-Dee. The Beavers enthusiastically took part in the games and races and the winners were rewarded with gold, silver and bronze medals.

New Beavers are always welcome, the limiting factor being the number of leaders available to take them.

taking advantage of the fine light evenings and the local woods for activities as varied as river crossing, breaking new trails, learning safe wood and camp craft and a den building contest. Marshmallows have been toasted (or more typically lost to the flames) accompanied by the odd song or joke.

!There are meantime 13 Beavers in !

The Cubs have been

In June we ran the Templars camp which included some Maryculter record breaking scoring on the famous crate stacking game, and lessons to some Cubs why you need to zip up tents properly when it's raining. With the obstacle course attacked and river bank exploring done, everybody went home totally exhausted but happy.

Looking forward we hope to do a cycle ride in Durris forest in the coming weeks and our annual trip to Muir Cottage near Braemar taking place at the end of September along with other badge work.

New Beavers and potential Leaders should contact Kathleen Paterson on 01224 868676

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Change is currently very much the theme at Maryculter Cubs. Several of the senior Cubs have now moved up to Scouts and new members have joined. Regrettably Sarah Taylor, after several years of much appreciated service as a Leader, has now had to bow to work and family pressures and has departed with our best wishes and thanks. Our other more experienced Leader Brett Lestrange will in due course be leaving also but will be lending a hand for the next few months at least. Thus to maintain the viability of the pack we are currently looking for any community spirited adults to assist in whatever capacity they can manage from Section Leader down to adult assistants. If you are interested please let us know.

1st Maryculter Scouts

!The Scouts, along with Cubs and

Beavers held a very successful barbecue in the Corbie Park in June with the Commonwealth Games as the theme. A variety of races and challenges for all ages - including parents - proved very popular and entertaining. Team ski-ing proved particularly challenging for the unco-ordinated teams - but there were some teams that mastered the art quickly and demonstrated that team ski-ing could be a future sport at the Commonwealth games!

This year's Summer camp saw the Scouts re-visit Orkney. Taking their cycles on board the ferry from Aberdeen and using them to cycle to many of Orkney's landmarks was a great adventure. Scouts visited St Magnus Cathedral, the Italian Chapel, Churchill Barriers, Skara Brae, Maeshowe and hiked around Rousay with its many cairns and wildlife. The Explorers also had a day on Hoy.

A lucky coincidence occurred when the Scouts visited the Ring of Brodgar. Also visiting that day was the Queen's Baton Relay with hoards of Press, BBC and security. Our Scouts were interviewed by the BBC and made a brief appearance on the 6 o'clock news that night. Many of them also held the Baton.

We look forward to new challenges for the new term and would welcome any new Scouts (boys and girls) who may wish to join the Troop.

Maryculter Cubs is a mixed pack, welcoming both boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 10½ from the Maryculter, Netherley and Banchory-Devenick areas. We meet at the Maryculter Scout Hut on Mondays between 18:15h and 19:45h. We currently have a full pack, but a minimal waiting list, so if you have a son or daughter who likes the outdoors and would like to find out more, please get in touch with Brett Lestrange (01224 730055), Tom McNamee (07801 612278) or Gaetan Cardinal (07876 513666)

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Auchlunies Explorers !Explorers aged 14-18 years meet at Maryculter Scout Hut fortnightly on Tuesday evenings at 7.15-9.15pm

For further information, please contact Bob Michie, Tel: 01569 764536 (daytime), 01569 762082 (evenings)

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Les Paterson, Tel: 01224 868676

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Maryculter Rainbows

Maryculter Guides

!This term will be an exciting and

!1st Maryculter Rainbows like to have a lot of fun.

interesting time for all as we welcomed some new Guides who are moving up from Brownies and also as this will be my first full term as Guide Leader! The Guides have already been very helpful to me during last term whilst I was a parent helper and I am now looking forward to leading the girls towards some new badges and achievements!

This term they attended a Wild West Funday in Newtonhill with Rainbows from all over Kincardine and Deeside. They had a Teddy Bears Oscars and have been doing the Festival Roundabout.

The Rainbows also met up with their Brownie and Guide friends at the end of term for a Picnic and Campfire where they sang lots of fun songs.

!Here are some of the activities the girls were

Sadly however their leader Vikki is moving out of the area at the end of the year and they are looking for some people to step forward to help them continue to have lots of fun. If you are aged between 18 and 65 and think this could be you please get in touch with Lynn Murphy the District Commissioner for a chat over a cup of tea.

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Maryculter Brownies !1st Maryculter have been busy this term celebrating

involved in over the last term. A few of them worked towards different ‘Go for It!’ badges such as the Animal Active badge, the Film Lovers badge. A Going Dutch Challenge badge was achieved by the girls when they all crafted Delft plates, windmills and made hot chocolate. They even managed to learn a traditional Guiding song in Dutch too! We had an outdoor evening where one of the parents very kindly took us all for a walk in the woods and taught us how to identify the various bird songs we could hear, and then the term was finished off with a County Campfire complete with games, a picnic and a singalong around the fire!

the Big Brownie Birthday. We started off the term with our 36th Birthday Party. Then we went on to Aboyne for a fun day with Brownies from all over Kincardine and Deeside. We took part in Jazzercise, Arts and Crafts, and took part in a Treasure Trail in Aboyne and managed to solve all the clues.

Maryculter and all surrounding areas such as Netherley, Cookney and Banchory-Devenick. If your daughter is interested in joining, and she is not already a member of Girl Guiding, then please register on www.girlguiding.org.uk and we will get in touch with you.

Lynn can be contacted on 01330 825936 or lynnmurphy100@hotmail.co.uk

!We welcome girls, aged from 10 years, from !

Any questions please contact: Emma Lester-Smith mobile: 07805 626235, email: e.lestersmith@gmail.com

Then instead of our annual sleepover we went to Dalguise for a weekend and had lots of fun. We abseiled, infact some of us did the Macarena down the climbing wall, did a survival course, took a leap of faith from a rather large telegraph pole and went on a giant swing which had a great view. As part of our Birthday Challenge Badge we learnt the Brownie Guide Law in Dutch and German with the help of some mums and had a visit from a lovely lady called Evelyn who took treasures from the past and let us dress up in Brownie uniforms that some of our mums would have worn.

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Nature Classes!

Discover nature - play and explore outdoors.

Weekly classes for 0 to 2 years and 2 to 5 year olds.!

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At the end of term we met up with our Rainbow and Guide Friends at the Crathes Castle campsite and had an end of term picnic and campfire without a midge in sight.

Birthday Parties!

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

Our Unit is currently full to overflowing however if you would like to register an interest please go onto the Girlguiding Website and Click on Get Involved and you can register your daughter or yourself if you wish to volunteer.

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Contact Mandy Tulloch on!

07929 465680 or visit! www.mudpieadventures.co.uk ! for more information

For more information contact Lynn Murphy on 01330 825936 or lynnmurphy100@hotmail.co.uk www.girlguiding.org.uk

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Maryculter Babies and Toddlers

!We meet in Maryculter Church Hall on Thursday

Rising Fives Lunch Club

mornings all year from 9.30-11.30am. Anyone looking after children between birth and 3 years is very welcome to join us for a cuppa and chat, whilst the tots play with our stock of toys and games. We’re always on the lookout for new members so please tell friends, neighbours and those new to the area.!

Tuesday 12:30pm – 2:30pm Why not come along and have lunch with your friends.

Our lunch club, every Tuesday from 12.30pm to 2.30pm, is a great opportunity for children in their ante/pre-school year to come along and meet new friends in preparation for Primary One.

Joanna Greig, Email: joannamgreig@hotmail.com!

Shona Grimmer Email: shona8820-aol.com!

South Deeside Under 5’s

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Each class starts with lunch which is followed by fun activities including cooking, painting, sports and much more.

We are a community-led charity providing independent childcare for children from birth to five years, meeting at Maryculter Community Hall (next to the Old Mill Inn).

If you would like to come along to the session please contact South Deeside Under Fives on 07966 163953 or email info@south-deeside-under-fives.co.uk

Our experienced playleaders prepare an exciting array of activities for youngsters, from crafts, construction games and imaginative play inside, to gardening, active games and country walks outside.

Beyond the fun for children, the group aims to be a focus for local parents to meet and make new friends. We offer 3 groups:

Baby & Toddler Group Meets on Monday mornings - £3.75 per session.

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From birth to 4 year olds. Adults relax over a coffee whilst children make their first friends. An experienced playleader leads children through active play, songs and stories.

Craft Cabin Creations

Two’s Group Meets on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings - £8 per session from 9.45 - 11.45am. For children aged 2 years until they go to nursery.

Locally handcrafted home decor items, beautiful hand tied ribbon wreaths, charming owl characters and more.

Bespoke wedding stationery Craft Birthday Parties Craft Classes Commissions undertaken

Tots are left in the capable hands of experienced playleaders who support the children in learning through play in a small, friendly group. Activities include crafts, bug hunting, bubbles in the garden and walks around the local countryside.

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Email: craftcreations@gmail.com Tel: 07729 919568

Rising Fives Lunch Club Meets on Tuesday, 12:30pm to 2:30pm - £8 per session - For ante pre-school and pre-school children.

Facebook: Craft Cabin Creations

Please quote SDVAut14 when contacting me

A gentle introduction to spending more time away from their adults prior to school. Children are provided with a healthy lunch as part of our healthy living programme followed by fun activities including cooking, painting or sports.

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Tel 07966 163953 Email info@south-deeside-under-fives.co.uk

Display Boards available to borrow

Eight Marler Hayley display boards, 100cm by 60cm with green, textured surface and connectors. They can be selfsupporting on the floor or placed on tables.

www.south-deeside-under-fives.co.uk Charity No. SC071421

Tel: 01224 732738 or Email: witte@btconnect.com 5

Glendale Football Club

Maryculter WRI

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Home matches are played at Corbie

!Meetings are held in Maryculter Community (Corbie) Hall.

Start time is at 7:30pm unless otherwise stated on the events calendar.

Members Annual Fee £20.00 Visitors, each meeting £4.00

Park and Winter training is held at the Cults Academy all-weather astroturf pitches on Tuesdays nights.

For full details of training and matches please contact Jim Grant, Tel: 01224 867512

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A summary of the WRI dates is on the SDV Events Calendar (see back page). Please contact a committee member for full details of the WRI programme of talks, demonstrations and events.

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Deevale Ladies Football Club

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Contact: Marlene Connon 01224 867580

DeeVale LFC have returned to the 2014 league season after their summer break and currently sit top of the SWFL League 2 North. However it's very tight at the top of the league with local rivals, Stonehaven, only one point behind. DeeVale look to continue their unbeaten record.

Friendship Club

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We ranged the countryside on our monthly bus excursions through the summer - good company, fine pieces and the chance to appreciate the wonderful scenery of the North East in the hands of a professional driver. Our winter programme starts with basket whist on Friday October 24 in the Old Mill Inn (sadly for the last time). Our meetings are on the first Thursday of the month in Maryculter Church Hall from 2-4pm starting on November 6, and we have a number of interesting speakers and musicians lined up to keep us educated and entertained. New (mature) members will be made most welcome.!

!Home games are played on a Sunday afternoon at

Corbie Park, Maryculter. Fixtures and results for the full season can be found on the Scottish Women’s Football League website.

DeeVale have healthy squad numbers at present with around 22 signed players. For full fixtures and results see www.scottishfa.co.uk/swf

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Cookney Bowling Club !Time: Thursdays from 7:30pm

If you are interested in joining the team, or just coming along to training, please Email: deevalelfc@yahoo.co.uk

Anne, Tel: 01224 732071 Peggy, Tel: 01224 734888"

Schloss Rothenburg Wines

!Independent, local

Wholesale Importer of Wines (Est. 1978)

Place: Cookney Community Hall 25th

First session back is Thursday September.

Bowling sessions usually last for about 2 hours.

From the middle of October there is also a competition night on Mondays.

wine merchant, personally sourcing wines from around the world.

From everyday easy drinking wines, to fine wines and champagnes. Most of our wines are not available anywhere else in the area.

Arthur Durward, Tel: 01224 319701

!Mixed cases available, delivery included. !

Contact us for our current wine list or if you are looking for a wine in particular, we are always pleased to try and source it for you.

!Sinead Graham

Sunnyside Farmhouse Maryculter AB12 5GT Email: sinead@schlossrothenburg.com www.schlossrothenburg.co.uk

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North Mearns Reading Group

Dog Training

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!We meet every 6 - 8 weeks and we read books

Weekly classes on Wednesday evenings in Cookney Hall!

chosen from a list provided by the library service of Aberdeenshire Council. The real joy is the discussion where we share our views and ideas.

Yvonne Reid, Tel: 01224 865249"

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Scottish Accordion Music Group !

In 2014 the reading group has continued to grow and we have now reached 13 members.

At present we are not adding any new members but if you would wish to add your name to a waiting list then please contact:

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 soft 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.!

Muriel Hargreaves Tel: 01569 730302

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Aberdeen Aeromodellers Club !Have you ever wanted to learn to fly a radio-

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The group takes bookings for additional performances and can be contacted by phoning Secretary Eileen Fraser, Tel 319484."

controlled fixed wing aircraft or helicopter? You can at Aberdeen Aeromodellers Flying Club near Portlethen at BanchoryDevenick airfield. !

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Drum Castle !

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The grounds and woodland walks are open all year from 9.30am to sunset. The Garden of Historic Roses remains open between 11am and 4pm until the end of October. The castle tearoom and shop have restricted opening from Thursday to Monday until September 28 between 11am and 4pm, then close for the winter.!

We fly all year long - as long as its not too windy or rainy - so if you are interested, just contact us at AAMFC, either on our web site www.aamfc.co.uk or at the airfield to see if you like the idea of having and flying your own Spitfire, Hurricane or scale helicopter.!

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Sept 21 Scotland’s Gardens Scheme Open DayColours of Autumn walk with the head gardener, £4!

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Al Watt, Chairman, AAMFC" Email: information@aamfc.co.uk" www.aamfc.co.uk

Sep 25 Flute and harp concert, 6.30 to 8pm, Booking required (see contact details below)!

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Sept 27/8 Harvests and hibernation, autumnal fun for the family, 11am to 4pm!

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URY PLAYERS

Seasonal details at www.nts.org.uk!

Email: drum@nts.org.uk, Tel: 0844 493 2161

CULTER THEATRE CLUB! presents some Panto Fun with

present!

SPACE ODYSSEY: THE PANTO

Cinderella

Wed 4th - Sat 7th Dec 7.30pm (plus 2.30pm Saturday Matinee)

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- 6th December !For tickets3rd and more information visit our website!

Tickets available at The Rose Bowl, Barclay Street,!

Stonehaven from November. Tickets at door (Subject to availability)

www.cultertheatreclub.co.uk!

Culter Village Hall, 178 North Deeside Road Tel 734371

Stonehaven Town Hall, Allardice Street, Stonehaven AB39 2BU

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Friends of Cookney Hall

Maryculter Community Hall & Field

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Since our last report the Community Hall has been repainted internally and is looking brighter and cleaner.

New barriers have been erected at the bridge to avoid children climbing and falling off the embankments.

There is always on-going maintenance required and the Committee is grateful for any help that is offered.

The field has again been under water recently, but no damage was done on this occasion as it was the River Dee that overflowed rather than the Corbie burn.

We received funding from the Meikle Carewe Wind Farm fund, which will go toward further upgrading on the interior of the hall. New electric heaters were recently installed to keep the chill out on those cold winter nights. We also expect to do more work on the hall exterior in the very near future.

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The hall continues to be well used by the usual groups and in mid-August was the venue for its first wedding celebration in recent years. It makes me wonder if this is a first for the Hall of if there have been weddings there before?

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We took the lead in obtaining an automated external defibrillator for the community. Guided by Steve Munro, Area Service Manager (Air Ambulance) who lives locally, we liaised with the British Heart Foundation who supplied it in return for a for a donation.

Financial assistance came from the Community Council, Old Mill Inn and Deeside Caravan Park.

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Future events planned are:

Sunday 5 October 2014 – Traditional Music and Song Association concert,

Saturday 25 October 2014 – Charity fundraising dance for the Breathe Easy Foundation,

Saturday 22 November 2014 – New Moon dance with ‘Country Edition’,

Friday 2 January 2015 – New Year’s Ceilidh

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The first training session was held on June 18 when fourteen representatives of hall users and donors were put though their paces by two Scottish Ambulance Service trainers.

Another course will be available later on. It is reassuring to note that once the containing box is opened, it issues clear verbal instructions for use on adults or children.

For more details of these please visit our webpage or join Facebook: Friends of Cookney Hall. Hit ‘Like’ to be kept up to date with posts.

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As always, if you want further information about hiring the Hall for a function, please contact Willie Angus on 01569 730123 or at wgangus@ukgateway.net

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And, if you would like to get involved with Friends of Cookney Hall, please contact me for further details about dates of meetings etc.

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The defibrillator is located in the public bar of the Old Mill Inn, the logic being that the Mill Inn is always open. We invite all users of the field and hall to familiarise themselves with its availability and don’t hesitate accessing it in the event of an emergency.

Bob McKinney, Tel: 01569 730706" Email: bob8930@sky.com" www.cookneyhall.webeden.co.uk

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The above may have to be relocated soon as we come to terms with the change in ownership and usage of the Old Mill Inn. The committee are awaiting developments to ensure our status, security and access is not compromised if our neighbouring property becomes a workers’ camp for the AWPR.

Bookings of Halls and Grounds

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Maryculter Community (Corbie) Hall & Field!

Email: maryculterhall@yahoo.co.uk!

Mobile 07960 231855!!

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Maryculter Church Hall & Glebe Field!

Anne Massie, Tel 732071! ! !

Cookney Hall!

Willie Angus, Tel 01569 730123, Email: wgangus@ukgateway.net! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Lairhillock School!

Christine Saward, Tel 01569 732520!

Email : lairhillock.sch@aberdeenshire.gov.uk!

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New arrangements have been introduced for booking the hall and field.

Please, preferably, phone 07960 231 855 or, alternatively, email maryculterhall@yahoo.co.uk to check on dates and make bookings.

Please note the Annual General Meeting is arranged for the 10th November 2014 when all user groups and other interested parties are most welcome to attend.

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St Ternan’s Church Community Room!

Sheila, Tel 01569 731608 ! or Audrey Tel 01569 730600 8

So what have we been doing during the last six months?

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The Plant Sale and Coffee Morning, run in May together with this newsletter, was awash with a wide selection of garden plants, thanks to fine spring weather and the generosity of local gardeners.

Refreshments and home baking were cheerfully served by SDV editors and Maryculter Woodland Trust members, with the latter receiving the profit of around £900.

LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (LDP)

!As explained in the last issue of the

SDV the consultation on the “Main Issues Report” (MIR) finished in January this year. NKRCC fully supported the Plan’s view that “accessible areas”, i.e. rural areas close to the city, should permit only small-scale housing development, especially with the imminent establishment of Chapelton, eventually to have 8,000 houses.

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Our full submission, with comments both on policies and on developers and landowners’ housing bids (of which there were more than a dozen for our area), can be seen on the website: nkrcc.org.uk. Since then an Addendum has been issued asking for feedback from the public on four extra items, which became necessary owing to the publication in June of amended Scottish Planning Policy (SPP).

!Anyone wishing to comment on the Addendum has until Sept 18 to do so. It is available on the

Aberdeenshire Council website, where comments can be entered. Once feedback has been collected the final draft of the LDP will come out at the end of January 2015. Then the final plan (after approval by the Shire Councillors) will go to the Examination in Public (EIP), probably in Autumn 2015, to be adopted in 2016.

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To recap, the LDP does not recommend any development bids for the North Kincardine area. In fact, the planners have since suggested that the allocation of land for housing development in Aberdeenshire is “overly generous”. However, although they have made no recommendations for development here that does not mean that applications cannot still come forward under the normal planning process.

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PLANNING APPLICATIONS AND RESPONSES !NKRCC continues to monitor all the planning applications in our area when they arrive on the Aberdeenshire

Council’s website. Our purpose in doing this is to make sure we have our say if there is something that we, or our residents, are unhappy with. Of course anyone can have a look at weekly applications on the Council’s website and make comments if they wish. That list is at https://upa.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/onlineapplications and is updated on Mondays.

!Since the beginning of the year NKRCC has written letters of representation to the Council Planners on at

least five occasions with our views or objections. For example, we wrote concerning the plan for three wind turbines at Kempstone (right on the boundary of our area, now at appeal after Refusal), the Park and Ride land at Hillside, and the Stewart Milne development at Schoolhill – where Stewart Milne would like to add a further 170 homes to the existing 840.

!NKRCC also made comments about the proposal to convert the three ‘steadings’ at Stripesides. Yes, folks,

those three gigantic “agricultural stores” look like meeting their (intended?) destiny as executive houses, which may come as a great surprise to you. You can find a full history of what we have written on our website – nkrcc.org.uk - in the “Planning and Consultation Responses” section (and our heartfelt thanks go to Webmaster Lynne for so efficiently establishing that section).

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BLAIRS DEVELOPMENT

!Councillor Alison Evison facilitated a meeting of three community councillors with

Ronnie Muir, director and Alan Farningham, Planning consultant of the Muir Group in May. You can see the full report of this meeting on our website, attached to the May minutes. They agreed to provide two monthly updates of their work schedules in response to our concerns, so here is their latest information:

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1. The following indicative work programme could be the subject of slight change as works progress and could clearly be affected by adverse weather conditions.

2. The Blyth Utility off-site works at Milltimber Bridge have an extension to their traffic management measures until the 31 August, 2014 at which point it is anticipated that all of the new water and gas main pipes will have been installed in the B9077. It is then anticipated that connections to utilities will follow with completion by the end of September. The new water main will require to be tested and chlorinated before existing water connections are transferred. Such works will be ongoing throughout September. However, these transfers will be small localised works and will not require the same extensive traffic management measures. This will complete the works for the Blairs College section of the B9077 South Deeside Road.

3. Roadworks on the 1,000 metre stretch from Copland Motors to Binghill Cottage on the B9077 will be ongoing until early December, moving in an east to west direction, although there will be an occasional ‘falling back’ to complete areas of works. Muir Construction will be seeking a weekend road closure (i.e. Friday, Saturday and Sunday) to complete their tar works in late November/early December.

4. Off-road works for new houses, internal roads, utilities and drainage will be ongoing until late December/early January.

5. Muir Homes have started on site and are currently building seven houses with a view to people moving in around January. Thereafter further house building will continue in a general east to west direction.

AWPR (Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route)

!Contracts for construction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) are about to be

confirmed with Connect Roads, a consortium of three companies and construction is expected to begin in January 2015.

The sale of Old Mill Inn, Maryculter to a Developer has yet to be finalised. In response to local rumours that a work camp for road construction staff is to be situated there, we contacted Connect Roads for verification. Current information (Sept 02) is that they are still identifying sites for office and living quarters. Contractors who will build the road are responsible for providing accommodation for their workforce of around 1,400 on probably four sites near the road corridor, and contracts have yet to be finalised.

!When Communication and Liaison protocols are set up with the contractor(s) Connect will engage with

NKRCC, landowners, businesses and community groups who are likely to be affected by all AWPR works.

!If the current uncertainties prove correct, NKRCC will establish a liaison group along with representatives (Editor’s note: Further information will be posted on the NKRCC website as it becomes available)

from Maryculter Community Hall, Deeside Caravan Park and residents whose access is through the Inn car park. This is to ensure, as far as possible, that local activities will continue and disturbance is minimised during the construction phase.

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ROADS

!We are all frustrated by the state of our roads. The worst of the delays on the South Deeside Road due to

the Blairs Development should end soon. What really shocks are speeding and lack of consideration by some drivers on our smaller roads, which they use as a ‘rat run’. Do not hesitate to report such incidents to the Police noting vehicle number plate, location and time.

!Tons of spoil and topsoil will have to be moved and removed by trucks from both the AWPR and Blairs sites

simultaneously on our narrow local roads which are already overcrowded. We need to hear from both groups how they intend to deal with this.

!

BROADBAND !We maintain contact with those involved in bringing broadband to our area.

The latest news is that the fibre spine has reached the green cabinet by the layby just north of the Maryculter bridge, making the Peterculter line “enabled”.

However it has yet to be connected to those of us on this line south of the bridge though the existing copper cabling. Distance from this cabinet will determine what improvement, if any those of us on this line can receive.

10

!We have learned that BT is starting on a new method of delivering fibre to smaller groups of premises than

would be economic with ducts and street cabinets. It is called ‘Fibre to the Remote Node’ and the ‘node’ is not much bigger than a laptop computer so can be mounted on an existing telephone pole which keeps the costs down.There is no new technology involved so technical risk is low. The technique is being rolled out in Yorkshire just now and is due to reach our area next summer. This will improve the cost effectiveness of delivering fibre optic cable to locations far from exchanges and as a consequence, increase the number of premises which can be passed by fibre within the available budget. Let’s hope that we can be included in this.

!

MEMBERSHIP !We agreed a change to our constitution at the June AGM which means that our 12 members can come from any part of our community area, if there are insufficient nominations from any sub-division. We are delighted to have five new community councillors, though a chair has not yet been appointed. You can find their contact addresses on our notice boards.

Robin Baxter

Vice-chair

Bob McKinney Secretary

Hazel Witte

Treasurer

Avril Tulloch

Minutes secretary

S. Fettig

Planning officer

Susan Astell, Laureen Cannessa, Jutta Chang, Henry Irvine-Fortescue, Drew Russell, and Sharon Park.

SDV’s Lynne continues to maintain our website.

!In June 2014, Rob Winmill, our Planning guru, retired from the Community Council after many years of

service. Over those years Rob developed an encyclopaedic knowledge of planning regulation and led NKRCC’s contributions to deliberations on contentious applications, whether they were major developments or individual houses. It has been speculated upon that Rob actually cast his eye over the application to build the Ark, but that has never been confirmed. We are all indebted to Rob’s guidance, expertise and enthusiasm, which clearly stems from his high regard for this community and are glad to know that we can continue to call on him for advice.

!

WEBSITE

Our website is up to date including our latest news, minutes and planning applications plus a new page noting NKRCC responses to planning applications. Visitor numbers continue to rise steadily due, in part, to our increased usage of Facebook to publicise our latest website updates.

!

400 CLUB

We took in £2,050 this year from the sale of £5 tickets. £835 of this is returned as cash prizes when monthly draws are made at each meeting of the Community Council. Winners since April are:

W. Donald, Netherley; C. Fettig, Netherley; M. Forbes, Aberdeen; A. Gray, Cookney; N. Grieve, Blairs; C. Hill, Turriff; B. McKinney, Cookney: N Mauthner, Maryculter; I. Morrison, Netherley; K. Park, Maryculter; N. Nor, Maryculter; N. Ricci, Netherley; L. Ross, Maryculter; B. Scott, Maryculter; K. Stewart, Blairs; K. Strachan, Bridge of Muchalls; and G. Tait, Maryculter.

!The remainder (60%) is available to help fund local clubs and societies, so we invite those hoping for a cash boost to apply to NKRCC. Since April £600 was given to Maryculter Church Youth Café for a storage shed and £350 to Maryculter Community Hall Association towards a defibrillator.

!Community councillors will be knocking on doors from mid November inviting you (and others who missed out last year) to take part in the 400 Club for 2015.

!

FACEBOOK

We started a Facebook Page for NKRCC earlier this year to try to reach out to members of the community who might like to know what the Community Council has been doing and to keep up to date with our latest news. So far this has been quite successful and our postings are regularly viewed. These include local news, road diversions and postings from our Elected Members. We’re currently considering other forms social media. Please join us on Facebook so you get our regular updates.

Search Facebook: NKRCC.

North Kincardine Rural Community Council ! www.nkrcc.org.uk!

Secretary:! Bob McKinney, Lakhipara, South Cookney AB39 3RX Tel: 01569 730706!

Noticeboards by Banchory-Devenick School, East and West Maryculter, Cookney Hall and Maryculter Community Hall, where you will find agendas, minutes and how to contact your local community councillors.!

Meetings on the 3rd Monday of each month (except July) at 7.30pm in Maryculter Community Hall.

11

NEOS provides an opportunity to meet local ar6sts and learn about the wealth of talent we have all over the North East. For the full list of ar6st loca6ons visit www.northeastopenstudios.co.uk

!

Forecourt Art Group is a group of over 30 ar/sts who exhibit on a

regular basis. Their work consists of a wide range of media and styles. They also sell prints and cards of their work. This exhibi/on takes place in the beau/ful St Mary’s Chapel at Blairs.

Blairs Museum and St Mary’s Chapel South Deeside Road Aberdeen AB125YQ Tel 07876346096 Email alicestuarQorecourt@hotmail.co.uk Sept 6th 10.00-­‐17.00, Sept 7th 12.00-­‐17.00, 8th-­‐12th Sept 11.00-­‐17.00, Sept 13th 10.00-­‐1700, 14th Sept 12.00-­‐16.00

!

shadow + lights studio presents a unique installa/on -­‐ ‘Light House’. We invite you to experience a contemporary interior living space that integrates inven/ve sculptural yet func/onal light forms and various ‘conversa/on pieces’ into the home. Light up your life!shadow + lights studio is an established collabora/on between ar/sts Carole Gray and Joanna Howarth. shadow + lights studio, Hill Cottage, Banchory Devenick AB12 5YL! Tel 01224 873195, Email studio@shadowandlights.org www.shadowandlights.org!

Sept 6th & 7th 11.00-18.00, Sept 8th-12th 14.00-18.00, Sept 13th & 14th 11.00-18.00!

!

Kathy Greaves I am inspired by the wonderful colours, texture and smell of vegetable tanned leather to design and make contemporary handbags. Each bag is individually cra_ed over many hours, having been cut, saddle s/tched and polished en/rely by hand o_en in bold colour combina/ons. I welcome individual commissions and am happy to demonstrate the tradi/onal saddlery techniques employed.

Tillbouries Lodge, South Deeside Road, Durris, Banchory AB31 6BA Tel 01330 811208, Email klgdeehide@gmail.com www.klgdeehide.com!

6th-14th September 11.00 -16.00

Solstice Nurseries

!This social firm is based in Drumduan walled garden in Banchory-Devenick and

provides a therapeutic workplace within a mental health project. The gardeners and participants produce a range of Scottish hardy heathers, herbaceous, shrubs, climbers and grasses mainly for the wholesale trade. They also provide gardening services including garden maintenance and one off clearing. Remember to order early for your Christmas wreath which is available from mid November. Please phone before visiting to choose plants or Christmas wreaths. We are doing an End of Season Offer on hedging to clear our stock, e.g. bareroot prices for container grown, if pots are returned to us, please call for details.

Thanks to all who came to the Open Day in May which raised over £1,800.

Tel: 01224 865907

Home Deliveries Organic fresh fruit and vegetables from Lembas at Bridge of Muchalls.

You can order from a variety of standard boxes starting from £5 or ask for a bespoke box by choosing produce from our pricelist.

Tel: 01569 731746, Email: lembasorganics@gmail.com, www.lembasorganics.co.uk

! !

Vegetables, free range eggs and hay/straw bales from Neil Gammie, Fernieflatt Farm, Kinneff on Tuesdays and Fridays. Orders, by phone, e-­‐ mail or online must be in by 5pm the day before delivery. Minimum order is £8 and payment on delivery by cash or cheque.

Tel: 01569 750374 /07790 558880, Email: fernieflattfarm@amserve.com, www.fernieflattfarm.co.uk Fish George Fairweather delivers west of the B979 road on Thursday afternoons and east of the road on Friday from 11am. Phone orders ahead and establish approximate timing.

Tel: 07974 311326 Coal J.H. Roberts of Auchenblae delivers orders in our area on Monday mornings. Tel: 01561 320335

!

12

Lairhillock School

!

The Parent Council fundraising at the end of last term was great. The disco made £362.43 and the BBQ made £1556.82. Our raffles of the AFC signed football and shirt made £200.

The football raffle was drawn at the end of term assembly and was won by Carl Saunders.

!

FORTHCOMING EVENTS Our many recycling initiatives will continue this year:

• Clothes, textiles etc. should be deposited in the Rag Bag collection skip in the Lairhillock Inn car park

• Mobile telephones and printer cartridges can be placed in the boxes in reception.

• We are now collecting spectacles, which will be collected by the Lyons Club for distribution. These too can be placed in a box at reception.

!

This year we will support the charity Jeans for Genes Day on Friday 19 September. Friday 26 September is Macmillan Cancer’s World’s biggest Coffee Morning. We will be hosting our own event during the day. Further details will be sent out in due course.

!

Acting Head Teacher - Christine Saward,Email : lairhillock.sch@aberdeenshire.gov.uk"

"

www.lairhillock.aberdeenshire.sch.uk

Banchory-Devenick School

!

We have 4 sets of twins in school this session. Julien and Damiano Spagnola P5, Faye and Melissa Addison P7, Danny and Murray Bradshaw P5 and Kirsty and Morven Farquharson P6 (Kirsty and Morven have been with us since P1, the others joined over the summer).!

We have a community event on Friday 3rd October.

The school will have an OpenDay to families from 2.30pm and there after the Parent Council have organised a Quiz Night/Beetle Drive. This is an opportunity to meet people in the local community, have a cuppa and a have a laugh together. There will be soup and stovies served.!

!

We have increased our school roll from 32 last year to 54 this year which is fantastic. There is Fun at Landmark a P1/2 class of 16 , P3/4/5 class of 17 and a P6/7 class of 20. We have 12 new P1's starting this session!!! The biggest in a number of years! There are two after school clubs Tuesday Funky Dance and Wednesday Yoga open to all P1-7 pupils.!

Commonwealth fun (top) and holding the Baton

We have had Andy McKechnie from Streetjam in school already to teach the children how to be fantastic leaders of their learning and learning cool dance routines at the same time. The SSPCA are coming in for a visit on Monday 8th September to visit all the classes. We have an information Evening for Active Literacy on Monday 15th!

September followed by Parent Council at 7.30pm. We sadly had to say goodbye to our 8 P7's as they moved onto secondary schools. Miss Watson (Headteacher) took the children to Landmark near Aviemore for Streetjam visit to school the day which was fantastic. Good luck in S1 guys! !

We have the privilege of getting to sign to a Commonwealth Baton holder as it arrived in Aberdeen. The whole school sang Old Lang Syne and then we even got to touch the baton! Our school website is highly used and popular so please pay it a visit. !

Headteacher - Michelle Watson, Email: banchorydev.sch@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

www.banchory-devenick.aberdeenshire.sch.uk

13

!

Dogtime Raw Dog Food Supplies !

LOGS FOR SALE

The natural, healthy, economical way to feed your dog

!! !! !

Two-year seasoned hardwood logs ! £120 per large trailer load Delivery or collection from Maryculter !

CHICKEN, TRIPE, BEEF, GAME, LAMB, HEART, FISH and much more available Box of 20 x 450g £12

£10 delivery within 10 miles £20 delivery outwith 10 miles

! We are happy to discuss any quantities you require. !Altries Estate, Maryculter

All delivered to your door for £5

!

For orders and advice on raw feeding call Denise on 07860 858262 email: deniseshirreffs@aol.com Visit Facebook for Orders & Info

Tel: 01224 533533 or 01224 733258 (0900-1700hrs)

! !

Your Local Farm Shop

MARYCULTER

!

!

HOUSE HOTEL

What is produced at the shop?

!

A wide range of award winning cheeses including Badentoy Blue, Coos R Oot, Fit-­‐like, Smoked Deesider, Granite City and more Broon Coo cheese and Blue Cheese oatcakes Range of yogurts and cheesecakes Free range duck and hen eggs Home-­‐reared welfare-­‐friendly rose veal Seasonal fruits and vegetables Come and try a sample!

The ideal venue for

Sunday Lunch, Murder Mystery Evenings, Bar Suppers, Private Lunches & Dinners, Anniversary Celebrations, Charity Events, Conferences, Weddings & Festive Events

!Open daily except Sunday from 9am to 6pm !

!

Call now to make your reservations 01224 732124 or email conferences@maryculterhousehotel.com

The Devenick Dairy at Bishopston Farm Banchory-­‐Devenick, Aberdeen AB12 4RS Tel 782476 Email: info@devenickdairy.co.uk www.devenickdairy.co.uk

10% off all !

A/W14 purchases over £100 quote: ‘deeview’

! ! ! ! ! !

www.maryculterhousehotel.com

56 Barclay Street, Stonehaven!

AB39 2AR 01569 731333!

www.properclobber.com 14

Beat Doorstep Crime "

From bogus callers to rogue traders, doorstep criminals are cunning, creative, and often very convincing. Anyone can be fooled as these people are professional con artists. However, the over 60s are often specifically targeted.

What is Doorstep Crime?

There are two main types:

"

Bogus callers try to get into your home or obtain personal details by pretending to be someone they’re not, including:

Council staff, Meter readers, Charity collectors, Police officers

In reality, they are criminals trying to steal cash and valuables.

"

Rogue traders usually cold-call, claiming to be workers offering to make repairs or carry out work on your house, garden or driveway.

In reality they charge inflated prices for shoddy or unnecessary work

"

We DO NOT recommend dealing with cold-callers for property maintenance and repairs to your home.

" " What can I do? " • Be on guard if someone turns up unexpectedly

• • • • •

Use a door chain or bar

Always put the chain on before opening the door

Keep it on while talking to callers

Don’t feel embarrassed - genuine callers expect you to be careful If you don’t have a door chain, check from the nearest window. Remember, door chains can be easily fitted If you’re not sure, don’t answer the door

" •

Who should I call if: " • I feel threatened, unsafe or suspicious of a caller?

•

•

Contact the Police immediately on 999 I see something suspicious in my area, or want more advice about doorstep crime?

Contact the Police on 101 Try and take a note of vehicle details or registration numbers and descriptions of anyone suspicious I want to contact the Police anonymously?

Contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via www.crimestoppersuk.org

" Local Issues "If anyone has information regarding vandalisms, anti-social behaviour, or any other incident in the North

Kincardine area they are asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 or if your information is not urgent and you prefer to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

"Police Scotland is committed to ''Keeping People Safe'' which involves working with our partners and above all else, listening to and dealing positively with local concerns.

"Jon Millar, Sergeant 9821, North Kincardine Community Policing Team 15

Banchory-Devenick & Maryculter Parish Church After just under two years of vacancy the Rev. Mel Griffiths has been inducted to the Parish of BanchoryDevenick & Maryculter-Cookney.

"

We are pleased that Mel and his wife Hazel have joined our church family and we hope that the community will make them very welcome.

"

Originally from South Africa the Rev Griffiths was latterly the minster of Kirkmaiden linked with Stoneykirk in the Presbytery of Wigtown and Stranraer.

Community Coffee Mornings are held on 1st, 3rd and 5th Wednesdays of the month in Maryculter Church Hall from 10.00am – 12 noon. Fresh coffee or tea and home bakes £2.50. Come and enjoy chats with friends, and make new friends. We look forward to welcoming you. For further details or to arrange a lift, please phone either Alison Stewart 01224.861048 or Dianne Brown on 01224.734687.

The Guild led by Mrs. Sheila Bisset is held on the first Monday of the month from 7.30- 9.30pm in Maryculter Church Hall from September to November and February to April. All are welcome to join us to hear interesting talks, enjoy fellowship and a cup of tea. New members especially welcome. Our talk on 6th October is “Heart for Art” Crossreach. Further details from Sheila, Tel. No. 01569.731708.

"

Fairtrade We are a Fairtrade church which means we use, sell and promote Traidcraft products, and these are available at the sales table in the church hall every Sunday after the morning service.

"

Services are held at 10.30am in Maryculter Church

"

Rev. Mel Griffiths

The Meeting Place is held at 10.30am on the last Sunday of the month in Maryculter-Cookney Church Hall. Come and sing along with the praise band and enjoy worship and short talk in a very relaxed atmosphere, followed by tea and coffee. Next one is 28th September.

Children are always welcome at all our services and there is a wealth of material for them to enjoy in the hall.

An activity table is available at The Meeting Place with children staying in the hall for the whole service.

" "

Special Sunday services at 10.30am in Maryculter Church Harvest Thanksgiving

5th October followed by a soup and sweet lunch

Remembrance Service

9th November followed by a soup, bread and cheese lunch

Retiring Offering

3pm at Cookney memorial followed by cup of tea at

For Earl Haig Fund at Sheila Bisset’s house

There will be no service at Banchory-Devenick church.

The memorials are in safe keeping and will be placed on a wall in the Remembrance garden of the new cemetery which has been in the process of planning for many years.

Guild Dedication Service 23rd November th rd [Guild week 16 – 23 November]

Communion 23rd November Light in the Darkness Sunday 14th December at 4.00pm (This service is a quieter service for the bereaved or those who find the festive season difficult to cope with)

Christmas Eve

6.30pm Family service, 11.30pm Watchnight Service

World Day of Prayer Friday 6th March 2015 at 2.30pm joining with Drumoak/Durris church – venue to be arrangedEaster:

Maundy Thursday 2nd April Service at 7.30pm Good Friday 3rd April Service at 7.30pm

Easter Sunday 5th April Service at 10.30am

" "

Christian Aid We run events throughout the year for this organisation and have helped many worthwhile projects.

Water Aid We have supported Water Aid for many years.

During April we save our loose change and this money makes a real difference to those who haven’t the luxury of clean running water.

"

Bethany Christian Trust During the winter months we will again help cater for the homeless people in Aberdeen by making soup once a month.

"

Youth Café Something to do on a Thursday night?

Everyone who is in school between P7 and S6 is welcome and if you are a little older than that but still 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 in Maryculter church hall between 7pm and 9pm and follow the school term. Currently 63 members of Youth Café, who all live locally, come along regularly. Plenty to do from football, table tennis and pool to board games and of course the tuck shop! Or just relax and chill out chatting to friends.

Yearly visits to the Compass Christian Centre in Glenshee are always popular. 23 attended this year and enjoyed kayaking, raft building and many more activities as well as evening sessions of “Thought for Life”. We head back to the centre next year.

Contact Dianne Brown on 01224.734687 or 07801542154 if you would like to join the Youth Café.

"

Fundraising events Guild Coffee morning

Saturday 6th December in Maryculter Church Hall from 10.00am-11.30am

"

Burns Supper

23rd January 2015 at 7.30pm in Corbie Hall

Minister: Rev. Dr. Melvyn Griffiths Tel: 01224 730150, thehavyn@btinternet.com Session Clerk: Mrs. Joyce Mackintosh, Tel: 01224 733495 joycemackintosh@yahoo.ie Church Treasurer and Caretaker: Mrs. Anne Massie, Tel: 01224 732071

Bible Study resumes on 3rd September and will be held on Wednesday evenings in The Manse from 7.30pm-9.30pm. All welcome to come along.

16

St Mary’s Chapel, Blairs

St Ternan’s Episcopal Church, Muchalls

" Every Sunday there is Mass at 9.30am – all welcome.

"Saturday 4th October at 7.30pm - Operatic

"St. Ternan’s is the northern-most Scottish

Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Brechin. We are part of the world-wide Anglican communion.

The Church is located in the North Kincardine Community Council area, to the west of the A90 about a mile from Muchalls Village on the Causey Mounth where the road branches off to Cookney and Netherley.

The Church is open every day from 10am until 3pm. You are welcome to join us in worship at the 10.30am Family Eucharist on Sundays. Weekly services are held on major Saint Days and are advertised on the Church notice boards and in the magazine.

Concert with Jackie Lawrence, Soprano, 'Favourite Songs and Arias'.

Sunday 2nd November at 4pm - Feast of All Souls - Vespers with Benediction, accompanied by the Aberdeen Diocesan Choir.

Saturday 6th December from 3pm Blairs Christmas Tree Festival

"Saturday 13th December at 3pm

Con Anima Chamber Choir - service of Nine Lessons and Carols.

"Sunday 14th December at 3pm

Deeside Choristers - Traditional Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols

St Mary's Blairs is organising a fundraising event to take place on 13th September at Kingswells Village Hall, Old Skene Road, AB15 8QA. 'Teapots and Cocktails' 3.30pm to 6pm. Tickets available from Rachel McDermott 07882 632443 or Fran Scorgie 07715 171632

Our Community Meeting Room with kitchen and toilet facilities is available for use by anyone in the area for classes, dance classes, children’s parties, craft groups, meetings etc. It can accommodate up to 30 people and is fitted with a loop system for the hard of hearing and the entrance is wheelchair friendly. To book the facility contact Sheila on 01569 731608 or Audrey on 01569 730600 – a donation of £4 per hour is suggested.

Full details will be available on the parish website www.stmarysblairs.org

Deacon John Wire, Tel: 07711 847582 Email: jjwire@btinternet.com

"Our annual Garden Fête took place on 14th June in

the Church grounds and was well attended on a sunny afternoon. We held a table top sale at the Plainstones in Stonehaven on 2nd August and our Harvest Service will be held on Sunday 5th October at 10.30am. A concert, featuring among others the Stonehaven Bellringers, will be on Friday 24th October in the church. Do contact Peter Hall on 01569 731388 for more details and tickets.

Blairs Museum offers a unique insight into Scotland's Catholic history and heritage with spectacular collections spanning more than 500 years.

"Please contact any of the Ministry Team for help or

Opening Times (April to October) Saturdays, Sundays and Local Holiday Mondays 2-­‐5 pm.

Visitors are very welcome outwith these times and throughout the year, by arrangement at a time to suit you. Group visits can include a guided tour and refreshments.

information on marriages, baptisms, funerals, pastoral visiting etc.

Rev Maggie Jackson Tel. 01569 764264, Rev. Lizzie Campbell Tel. 01569 764264 Mr George Masson Tel. 01224 733583

(Charity No. SC023264)

For details of upcoming events please visit www.blairsmuseum.com manager@blairsmuseum.com Tel: 01224 863767

17

Circles @ Paul Lawrie

TENT FOR HIRE

GOLF CENTRE

COFFEE SHOP

!

Cream Tea for Two

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK FROM 9.00am

Scone served with Cream / Jam Tea / Coffee £8.25

! Afternoon Tea

Selection of Sandwiches Mini Scones served with Cream / Jam! Selection Mini Cakes!

Tea / Coffee! £10.00 pp

Luxury Afternoon Tea

!! !! !! !! !! !! !

!!! !

Luxury Selection Sandwiches Mini Scones served with Cream / Jam! Fresh fruit Kebabs with Chocolate Dipping Sauce!

Selection Mini Cakes!

Tea / Coffee! £12.90 pp Advanced Bookings Essential Tel: 01224 865751 Email: bookcirclesplg@gmail.com

The Maryculter Scouts Group has a large canvas Mess Tent which is available for local community members to borrow in return for a donation to the Scouts Group.

The tent measures 24' by 14' by 7' high. It is a heavy duty canvas mess tent, and as such it comes with a steel pole frame and quite a weighty canvas.

It requires a minimum of 3 people (preferably 5) to erect and dismantle it. To ensure this is done correctly the Group insists their own experienced tent pitcher helps with assembly. A donation of £50 minimum is suggested 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, please contact: Les Paterson 01224 868676

Come along and enjoy our 7000ft Indoor Play Den

Paul Lawrie Golf Centre, South Deeside Road, Ardoe, AB12 5YN Tel: 01224 865751

!

Amazing Racing Slide & 4 Lane Astro Slide, Climbing Wall Tower, Giant Ball Canyon Awesome Sports Arena, 140 seater restaurant Birthday Parties from £10.99 All weather attraction at Storybook Glen with 20 acres of active outdoor learning Free Parking

Sunnyside Home Farm

The home of free range food

Free Range Eggs

!

Hen, Duck & Goose

Den Entrance Fees Under 1yr FREE 1-3 yrs £3.95 4+ yrs £4.95 Adults/OAPs FREE

Glen Entrance Fees Under 1yr FREE 1-3 yrs £3.95 4-14 yrs £4.95 Adults/OAPs £2.95 During busy periods, admission is limited to 90 mins

The Den and the Glen, Maryculter, off South Deeside Road, Aberdeen AB12 5FT, Tel 01224 732941

Free Range Pork, Sausages & Bacon Saddleback & woolly Mangalitza Order online at http://www.SunnysideHomeFarm.com farm@SunnysideHomeFarm.com Sunnyside House Maryculter Aberdeen AB12 5GT On B979 Netherley Road

tel: mob:

!

Open daily 10am - 5.30pm

GMO Feed

!

01224 734415 07971 406021

www.storybookglenaberdeen.co.uk

SunnysideHomeFarm @SunHomeFarm

18

World War 1 Centenary: Not Forgotten Part 2

!

Maryculter War Memorial !In this year of the centenary of World War I, in remembrance of those who

gave their lives for their country and after we looked at Cookney War Memorial in April, we look now to Maryculter War Memorial which stands in the grounds of the church at Kirkton of Maryculter.

!One of the first names to be seen is that of William Rae, born on 5th April 1899 at 5 Manor Place, Cults, East Peterculter, to Charles Rae, Journeyman Joiner, and Maggie Rae.

!Charles and Maggie married on 9 December 1896 and by the time of the

1901 census had moved to Stoneyhill, Maryculter. William had two older sisters, Nellie, 3 years older and Maggie who was 2 years older than him.

!After the outbreak of the Great War on 28 July 1914, William signed up with the Black Watch and was posted to the 8th Battalion. Very soon after that he would have been shipped off to the Western Front, in north-eastern France.

!William died of wounds sustained, probably during the Battle of the Lys, on 19th April 1918, aged only 19, possibly at Wimereux Hospital which, along with Boulogne Hospital, was a very busy hospital centre at that time due to the massive German Spring Offensive.

!

This was the last great German offensive of the War and throughout March and April saw the British Army take heavy casualties. It has been estimated that the British Army sustained losses of 82,000 soldiers between 9th and 30th April 1914, with similar numbers being lost on the German side.

!William would have marched off to war to defend his country and like many of the young men, on both

sides of the conflict, he never came home again. It has been said that no community in Britain was left untouched by these losses. German communities were similarly affected.

!William is buried at Wimereux Communal Cemetery, France, about 5 kilometres north of Boulogne, in Plot 11, Row b, Grave 3A.

Local Girl Olivia cuts her hair for charity

Olivia was 7 years old when one of her good friends Lana, aged 6, was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia, a rare and potentially life threatening condition where the bone marrow fails to make every type of blood cell. This led to a lengthy treatment for Lana to prepare her for a bone marrow transplant should a match be found.!

During chemotherapy Lana lost her hair and she was given a wig by a charity called The Little Princess Trust. Olivia loved the wig and commented how her own long hair would make a good wig. This idea stuck with her and she decided to go ahead and donate her hair to the charity in recognition for the help her friend received. Since Lana had received a successful bone marrow transplant, Olivia decided to split the funds she raised between Anthony Nolan and The Little Princess Trust.

In July this year Olivia had 30cm of her hair cut and sent it to the Before charity. She was so pleased with her new hair cut having never before had more than a trim!

After!

Her fundraising online with Virgin Giving currently stands at £1369.00, having far surpassed the original £500 target!

If anyone wishes to support this cause please visit Olivia's web page to donate: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/OliviaManning 19

!AChapelton beautiful summer has allowed the project to move on a long way since the last issue and the initial infrastructure now looks settled in its surroundings. !The grass is well grown along the new entrance road

and all the untidy muddy areas are now largely a thing of the past. Newtonhill residents have been complimentary about the new roundabout which also serves as their own gateway from the A90.

The major job of connecting the 4km pipe that will take the sewerage to the existing rising main at Bourtreebush has been underway for two months and some of you will be aware of a couple of road closures over the last month. Work affecting the roads will finish in September and WM Donald can then concentrate on channels through fields. This will be complete the infrastructure projects for the first phase.

!

Linda Pirie (owner of Croft Nursery, Stonehaven), laying her new Nursery’s foundation stone at Chapelton.

!The Housebuilders’ Sales Offices and our

own Visitor Centre have been open from 1st June. Since then there has been a constant stream of visitors curious to see what the development will look like, with some just simply enjoying the teas, coffees and cakes on offer from Anita Collin at Teacake. There have been many arriving foot and bicycle using the new cycleway between Newtonhill and Chapelton and we have installed bike racks and dog posts to accommodate this.

Our Visitor Centre and Teacake Tea Room & Coffee Shop

!Strong interest has been shown in the properties in advance of the

show homes opening with nearly forty houses and apartments either reserved or sold. All the first retail spaces have been reserved and they will be amongst the first buildings to be completed around Hume Square. The nursery school, a dentist and our own Teacake are likely to be occupied from the Spring of 2015.

Not long to go now! This is the very first house under construction.

!Two of the housebuilders are expecting to open their Show Homes in October and the third a month or so later. Early in the New Year Chapelton should be welcoming its first inhabitants.

If you would like more information please go to our website or our Facebook: Chapelton.

Caroline Southesk, Elsick Development Company, Email: info@chapeltonofelsick.com www.chapeltonofelsick.co.uk

Carriage Driving for the Disabled in Maryculter

!

teacake @ Chapelton Tea Room & Coffee Shop

!

based in the Visitor Centre at Chapelton

This year’s driving sessions were very successful.

Corbie and her daughter Cassie (our horses) have done a great job.

Thanks to all volunteers who made it possible for our disabled friends to drive a horse-pulled carriage and enjoy home baking at Maryculter Home Farm.

Open Thursday to Monday 11am to 5pm Tel: 07917 762464, Email tea.cake@icloud.com

REPORT P THOLES Tel 08456 08 12 05 Text 07624 82 07 22 Online www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/ roadfaults

We operate from May to September on Wednesday afternoons. This year we welcomed some new volunteers and if you would like to join us next season please contact:

!!

Carol Masson, Tel: 01224 733583 Email: carol.masson@btinternet Kees Witte, Tel: 01224 732738

Email: monearn@btconnect.com SCIO No: 28630 20

MARYCULTER WOODLANDS TRUST

For those who may not yet be aware, an opportunity has arisen to purchase woodlands in Maryculter for the benefit of the community and wildlife. The woodlands extend to 67 hectares (165 acres) and are being offered to the community by Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) for £240,000.

!

Kirkton of Maryculter Wood

Kirkton of Maryculter Wood contains a remarkably diverse set of habitats including birch woodland, remnant Caledonian pinewood, heather moor, wetland and river/riparian zone. The Crynoch Burn, part of the River Dee Special Area of Conservation, runs through the woodlands within a very picturesque valley.

!Since 2007 Maryculter Woodlands Trust has managed the wood, in partnership with Forestry Commission

Scotland, with the objective of increasing its amenity value for the local and wider community and to enhance the habitat for wildlife. Projects to date have included creation of paths through the woodlands, thinning of conifers and planting of native trees.

A legacy green space for future generations

With major infrastructure developments now underway in the area we have a unique opportunity to protect a wonderful amenity for future generations - a legacy green space, only 8 miles from the centre of Aberdeen.

The wood is an important amenity and is already used for horse riding, Scouting activities and carriage driving for the disabled. It is also a valuable educational resource with numerous features of geological, archaeological and ecological interest, and there is a possibility of establishing a forest kindergarten. Over time we plan to plant native trees and shrubs, restore wetland areas, establish birdnesting boxes and provide suitable habitat to enable red squirrels once more to become a familiar sight in our woodlands.

!The application by Maryculter Woodlands Trust to acquire

the wood for the community has overwhelming public support. The application, including a business plan for sustainable management of the wood, has been approved

by Forestry Commission Scotland subject to the required The Crynoch Valley funds being raised by May 2015. If we do not raise sufficient funds the wood will be placed on the open market. In such a scenario a new owner may not be so sympathetic to the needs of the community or wildlife and we could lose this precious green space.

!

What are we doing?

Maryculter Woodlands Trust has now been awarded charitable status and reports to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. We have organised several local fund-raising events which so far have raised £4600 towards the costs associated with the acquisition. We are currently seeking capital funding for purchase of the wood through grant awarding bodies and corporate and personal donations.

!

Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of the Maryculter Woodlands Trust will take place at 7.30 pm on Tuesday 30 September 2014 in Maryculter Church Hall. All are welcome.

!

How can you help?

Please attend the forthcoming AGM if you can. We are at a critical stage and your support and input would be appreciated. Please consider if you would be prepared to make a contribution towards acquiring the wood for the community. Any contribution, however large or small, would be much appreciated. We have applied to HMRC to register for Gift Aid to enhance the value of any personal

donations and to enable donors to claim tax relief.

!

Kirkton of Maryculter Wood (arrowed). The route of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) and planned housing at Chapelton of Elsick and Blairs are also shown.

Contact details

If you have any questions or would like to make a donation, please Email: info@maryculterwoods.com or telephone Ed Thorogood at 01224 734224, www.maryculterwoods.com 21

Deeside Choristers The Deeside Choristers have just concluded another very rewarding, musical year with a successful Summer Camp, held in Perthshire, and a Choral Evensong in St. Paul’s Cathedral, Dundee.

A new school year though always means that we are actively looking for young recruits to replace those who have left to go to university or elsewhere. If you are aged 7 or over, and really enjoy singing, why not consider giving the Choristers a try?

(Vacancies also exist for tenors and basses.)

We will be singing in the beautiful chapel at Pluscarden Abbey on Sat. 27th September and then we’ll be looking forward to the highlight of our year:-

The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols at St. Mary’s, Blairs on Sun, 14th Dec. at 5pm

There may well be a similar service the preceding week (Sat. 6th Dec.) at either Coull or Tarland. (TBA).

Choir rehearsals are held on Wednesdays in term time from 6.30 to 8pm at the Main hall, Myrtle Estate, Bieldside.

For more information, please phone Mrs Nancy Paul on 01224 741378 www.deeside-choristers.org.uk

AlbaCappella

AlbaCapella is a ladies singing group led by Mike Warner a national gold medallist, voice coach and singing contest judge. We are a group of women who love to sing four-part harmony “a cappella” style, singing a mixture of contemporary songs and modern barbershop favourites.

!

We would love to sing at your event and we give a warm welcome to ladies interested in joining us.

!Regular rehearsals every Wednesday 7.30 pm to 9.45 pm; St. Peter’s Heritage Hall, Peterculter.

Email: enquiries@albacappella.co.uk, Tel: 07968649629 www.albacappella.co.uk

22

NATURE NOTES

Grow Your Own Hedge!/Eat Your Own Hedge!/Delicious Hedges!

I am currently gathering recipes in an7cipa7on of the next fortnight and its bumper crop of brambles! A member of the rose family, brambles or blackberries, are amazing plants in that they can grow anywhere. This results in them being considered weeds by many but there are few other species that can grow up to 10cm a day, out-­‐compete tree species in dark woods, live for decades or re-­‐root where their 7ps touch the ground.

They are also an important nectar source for several bu5erfly species and both bumble and honey bees and their leaves are food for caterpillars. The fruits also support many birds and mammals during leaner winters.

I discovered a good patch of brambles in my garden last week and whilst gathering the first berries it occurred to me it would be nice to have lots of Autumnal berries within easy reach. Here are some sugges@ons for your very own edible hedge literally on your doorstep. Not only will you be helping wildlife but hedges create shelter belts, give security and are a source of the freshest free food.

Top of my list would be blackthorn, the most painful of my recommenda@ons though, given the 4cm long thorns that grow along its branches but its berries or sloes make the most wonderful gin in @me for Christmas. Half-­‐fill a bo5le with berries and top up with a good gin. Leave for two months and add sugar to taste.

Elder would be my second choice. Grown for its flowers rather than berries, making your own elderflower cordial in early Summer is both easy and delicious. Its small black berries are edible but much less sweet than brambles, although you can easily add them to an Autumn crumble.

I would also include rowan in my edible hedge as it takes ten minutes to harvest enough berries to make a year’s worth of jelly.

The jelly making process of dripping the cooked berries through a pillow case to catch the juice is also great fun!

Sloe Gin

Anyone who knows the Gruffalo surely would not be without hazel in their hedge (the food of the “big bad mouse”). As long as there are no squirrels nearby you should be able to harvest your own nuts.

Eat them green or leave to mature and then roast. Homemade Nutella is easy to make!

Crab apple would be another good addi@on -­‐ insects love it and it is great for jams. Damsons make gorgeous sauces of the darkest purple you can imagine and if you are feeling exo@c why not add in a quince bush or two?

Beyond the bramble I would also grow honeysuckle for some Summer scent and ivy and holly for Winter colour.

To plant, clear your chosen area of weeds and situate saplings 30cm apart. Two rows gives a be5er density so stagger plants with a distance of 20cm between rows.

Mulch with a good compost and keep maintenance up for three years by which @me the plants will be strong enough to look a]er themselves.

As for those bramble recipes, I am considering smoothies, bramble ripple ice cream, gin, vinegar, jelly, crumble and a sauce for venison. Let me know what you make!

Prunus Spinosa (Sloe berry or Blackthorn)

Mandy Tulloch, Netherley 23

Redwing Riding School & Blaikiewell Animal Sanctuary

OPEN DAY 28th September 12 noon to 5pm

We would like to invite members of our community to visit our newly upgraded stable yard at Blaikiewell, Maryculter and to meet some of our rescued horses and ponies. You are welcome to call at any time but we are holding an open day on Sunday 28th September from 12 noon until 5 p.m. when there will be wine and soft drinks for all.

!The makeover is quite impressive and more than I ever envisaged

when Redwing Riding School opened in 1985 with two ponies rescued from the mart, a rented field where the houses in the Meadows are now, a few homemade stables and a small (often muddy) arena behind my house. The school was started to help raise funds for the increasing number of rescued and homeless animals that came my way. It later founded and still supports Blaikiewell Animal Sanctuary and will continue to do so within the new improved facilities.

!These changes have not come without considerable cost though

with the loss by compulsory purchase of almost twenty acres of good grazing and the coming of a dual carriageway right next to our formerly peaceful setting at Blaikiewell. However we have used the compensation money for the improvements and we will continue to operate as always in a friendly atmosphere and with the welfare of the horses and ponies in first place. We welcome adults and children of all ages who would like to ride without the use of sticks and gadgets, and livery clients who regard their horses as family members and friends for life. Our team and I will look forward to meeting you!

Mavis Petrie

Tel: 01224 732952, Email: mpetrie@blaikiewell.org.uk

www.blaikiewell.org.uk

Blairs Museum’s Grandfather Clock The grandfather clock at Blairs Museum might look like any other grandfather clock but, like many of the artefacts in the museum, it has an interesting story to tell. First of all, this clock is actually considered by those who know to be ‘a masterpiece’ by the Aberdeen clockmaker and watchmaker, John Gartly (1749-1827).

John Gartly worked between 1783 and 1825 and is credited with the invention of a better type of detached escapement which allows the clock to keep going while it is being wound and therefore be more accurate. Gartly is responsible for several clocks in the great buildings of the north-east including those of King’s College, St. Machar’s Cathedral, and for the Tolbooth in Aberdeen. His clocks and watches are still prized and bought around the world as an online search will reveal. Blairs Museum also has a pocket watch made by Gartly which belonged to Bishop James Kyle (1788–1869).

The grandfather or longcase clock at Blairs Museum is in a very handsome mahogany case with rosewood crossbanding and dates from around 1800. The clock has always been at Blairs College (1829-1986) but is believed to have been purchased by John Menzies of Pitfodels prior to that for his mansion house at Blairs. This was constructed in the late 18th century after John was able to take advantage of the expansion of Aberdeen by selling his ancestral home and about the time of his marriage to Mary Westby. Mary died in 1805 and Menzies eventually gave the mansion house to the Catholic Church along with its estate of over one thousand acres in 1827 so that it might be used to educate young men for the priesthood. The mansion house was extended and turned into the national seminary capable of housing sixty students, the building work supervised by Priest Gordon of Aberdeen. John Menzies moved down to Edinburgh but left the clock and some other furniture at Blairs

Dr Chris Edwards is restoring the clock to its former glory

When the new Blairs College was built and completed in 1903 the grandfather clock moved into the ‘profs’ corridor’ – the corridor on the first floor where the priests (college professors) had their rooms.

The Menzies clock is in need of cleaning and restoration – and that indeed is exactly what’s happening to it at present in the careful hands of Dr Chris Edwards, antique clock restorer from Chapel of Garioch. Future visitors to Blairs Museum will once again be able to hear it strike the hour as it did for John and Mary Menzies more than two hundred years ago and for the thousands of students, staff and visitors who were ever inside Blairs College.

Ian Forbes, Manager, Blairs Museum

For opening hours and more information about Blairs Museum see page 17.

24

Robert Smith MP !

Although it is only September, it is not too early to start planning ahead for the winter months. Household who use heating oil may want to consider stocking up before the weather gets colder and demand increases.

People may also find that they are able to get a better deal on heating oil by joining together with friends or neighbours to form an oil buying club. Some heating oil suppliers offer reduced prices for bulk purchases of oil because it is more efficient for one tanker to deliver to a group of people living close to one another than it is for individual deliveries to be made to different houses on different dates.

Earlier this year I met with an oil buying club who estimated that they were able to save up to 10% on their oil bills through the economies of scale that came from bulk purchasing. I hope that groups of neighbours and community organisations will consider whether this might be an appropriate option for them. More information is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-forcommunity-buying-groups

!

Last September I launched a Fairer Delivery Charges campaign. Large numbers of people from across the North East contacted me with examples of unfair charges being added to their online shopping orders.

In November the Consumer Affairs Minister agreed to host a summit on the issue. At the summit I met with industry representatives and welcomed Citizens Advice and the British Retail Consortium decision to develop new guidelines to address some of the issues my campaign had raised.

Aberdeen too received its fair share of the limelight when the Scottish Open came to town. Flocks of tourists descended on both the City and Shire as the world’s leading golfers sought to overcome the Royal Aberdeen course, and it is certainly an exciting time in the golfing world with many, many more fans set to visit our nation in the coming months as Gleneagles plays host to the Ryder Cup.

! !

The eyes of the world have been, and will continue to be, firmly fixed on Scotland.

Yet whilst these occasions have and will bring great joy to so many, for regular commuters on the South Deeside Road this has been a summer of continued frustration.

!

We are all well aware of the traffic troubles which blight the area and this has only been added to by the housing development at Blairs.

!

Undoubtedly, the AWPR will help alleviate these problems in the years to come, and I was delighted to welcome Keith Brown to the site of the clearance works on North Deeside Road to see first-hand the preparatory efforts being undertaken.

!

However, whilst the road remains on time for completion in 2018, before if possible, it is likely that the current pattern will continue for the time being.

!

As always, if anyone has any concerns, be they road safety related or otherwise, please do not hesitate to contact me.

!

Councillor Ian Mollison

!

Three major issues are facing this area – the imminent construction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route and the Fastlink; local housing development, and the safety of local roads.

!

A new UK-wide statement of principles was published at the end of July. Online retailers and delivery companies now have guidelines to follow to help ensure that people shopping online in rural and remote areas will benefit from greater transparency and fairness.

!

Maureen Watt MSP

!

As the curtain closes on the few days left of summer, it seems an appropriate time to sit back and reflect on what our nation accomplished over the past few months.

!

Undoubtedly the highlight of my own summer was attending the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. It was truly fantastic to see the eyes of the world descend not only on Glasgow, but Scotland as a whole, and I am sure everyone would join me in congratulating all those involved in making the games so successful.

!

Of course Aberdeenshire Council is involved in all three, to a greater or lesser extent.

With regards to the AWPR, the council is contributing £75m, though the Scottish Government is in the driving seat. Some preparation work is already under way, and construction work is due to start in earnest by the end of this year, with it opening some time in 2018. The Mill Inn is earmarked to become a base for construction workers, with rumours of 400 or more being based there. The community council has contacted the AWPR managing agent about liaising with the contractors on the impact the project will have on the area. It is vital that there is good communication between the contractors and local people, with the inevitable disruption being kept to a minimum.

!

Talking of disruption, the construction of the new Blairs community has caused plenty of that, with the work on the South Deeside Road by Blyth Utilities to install gas, water and phone connections seeming to take an age – and over-running by a month. Council officers made plain their discontent with slow progress. The contractors simply did not complete the work in the timescale they requested. Hopefully the construction of the housing development will be less intrusive.

25

In comparison, the much larger development at Chapelton has caused fewer problems, though there have been a few difficulties for immediate neighbours. The show houses are now being completed, and the Park and Choose at the Newtonhill flyover has planning permission. A dental practice has secured commercial space with Dr Geoff Gordon, Portlethen Dental Care’s principal dentist, to oversee both practices. A liaison committee meeting was held on 27 August, which allows residents, community councillors and councillors to meet the developers and other official bodies to find out what is happening.

Certainly the approach up Greenlaw Road from the flyover is impressive.

Yes, the next few years will be difficult, as is said – NO GAIN WITHOUT PAIN! It will be an extremely busy time for both Councillors and Council staff. I only hope that by spring 2018 we can look back and say – IT WAS WORTH IT!

!

Councillor Alison Evison !

During the summer I attended the Memorial Service in Aberdeen, where we reflected on the lives lost and the sacrifices made in the 1914-18 war. I was particularly moved by the reading which spoke of the enthusiastic volunteers who travelled from rural Aberdeenshire to the city to sign up. This was not someone else’s war, fought somewhere else: it struck at the heart of our communities.

Aberdeenshire is also looking forward, and in June “Visioning Aberdeenshire 2050” was approved following engagement with local communities. This document will guide the Council as it considers its long-term aims. You can find it at

!

Road maintenance and accidents are continuing concerns. The Council’s Roads Department is regularly closing local roads for patching and strengthening the verges to cope with the ever increasing volume of traffic.

However some motorists and motor cyclists do not drive according to the conditions. The Netherley Road and the South Deeside Road have seen too many crashes, in many cases caused by drivers who are just going too fast.

If you see potholes, then please report them to the council. There are various ways to do this such as emailing roads@aberdeenshire.gov.uk.

!

!

www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/support/aberdeenshire2050.asp!

!

Currently Aberdeenshire is asking for views on its children’s play parks, with the aim of providing the best quality play areas in the best locations with the money available. The survey has a closing date of 31 October and can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7Q23YBX!

Councillor Carl Nelson

!

Longfellow wrote: “All things must change, To something new, to something strange.”

!

In addition, the North Kincardine Public Art Group, which unfortunately folded after staffing changes at the Council, is now being resurrected. Please let me know if you are interested in finding out more.

How true that is of North Kincardine? Much has changed already and in the years ahead it will change even more dramatically.

Many of these changes will take years, with it having a tremendous impact on all our lives.

We are also looking now to the construction period for the AWPR and it will be important for all involved to cooperate to minimise any disruption to residents. Attending the Community Council meetings, I am aware of the problems which residents experience with local roads.

!

One change that is now moving on quite quickly is the new town at Chapelton with the show-houses being built.

Then we already know the impact of the 324 house development at Blairs. Soon there will be a start to the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route and the Fast-link from Stonehaven to Maryculter.

Finally, I hosted a seminar about sexual violence where speakers from Rape and Abuse Support Aberdeen, Grampian Women’s Aid, Aberdeenshire Council and Police Scotland spoke about prevention and about the support networks in place for those effected. Locally, support can be obtained by contacting RAS at 88 John St Aberdeen or on their Helpline 01224 620772.

!

The most immediate and noticeable effect of these developments is on drivers with detours and traffic-lights to contend with. During the development stage of these projects it is likely the situation will get worse before it gets better.

Please remember I hold surgeries at Portlethen Academy on the 2nd Monday of the month, 7-8pm.

!

At Blairs, just like at Chapelton, families will be concerned about where their children will be educated, and where their nearest Health Centre will be.

REPORT P THOLES

!

In time we will know the benefits of both these developments. With over 7000 families in Aberdeenshire on the waiting list for a home, the more houses built the better - particularly affordable housing.

!

!

Many drivers, including myself, sincerely hope that the AWPR will relieve the congestion on our roads. By Spring 2018, when the AWPR should be completed, there will be thousands of more cars to contend with. Despite this, I am certain we will know a big difference with journey times greatly reduced.

26

Tel 08456 08 12 05 Text 07624 82 07 22 Online www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/ roadfaults

!

NORTH BURNSIDE KENNELS AND CATTERY

! !

Tel$01224%867174%

“where part of your family becomes part of ours”

Repair'Specialist' Used'Car'Sales'

Tel 01224 733474

South!Deeside!Road,!Aberdeen,!AB12!5YQ! Email:$copland01@btconnect.com$

www.coplandmotors.co.uk'

Netherley Road, Burnside, Maryculter

! ! ! !

!

! ! ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Ground Source Heat Pumps Air Source Heat Pumps Under Floor Heating Specialists Mechanical Ventilation w/Heat Recovery Whole House Central Vacuum Systems

The Lairhillock Inn is open 7 days a week for tea/coffee, lunches and evening meals.

Look on our website for menus and opening times.

Tel!01224!735536!today!to!! discuss!your!particular!requirement! !

info@paragon-systems.co.uk www.paragon-systems.co.uk Paragon Systems (Scotland) Limited The Office, Corbie Cottage, Maryculter, AB12 5FT

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

Accredited Heat Pump Installers

!

www.lairhillock.co.uk

Learn the art and tradition of carriage driving Arrive in a horse-drawn carriage for your wedding Enjoy a farm tour and riverside drive Visit our unique carriage collection Bring disabled friends for a drive Let us take you for a drive to mark a special occasion

Wednesday(to(Sunday( Lunch(12pm(4(2.30pm(close( Dinner(5.30pm(4(8.45pm(last(orders( (

We can do all this and much more with our experienced horses and ponies. We also have a selfcontained flat overlooking the River Dee – ideal for business visits or short breaks.

Closed(Monday(&(Tuesday( !

Sample!menus!at! www.themuchallsbistro.co.uk! !

Jane and Ewen MacInnes, Home Farm, Maryculter Tel: 01224 732310 and 07889 340362 Email: homefarmmcdc@lineone.net www.marycultercarriages.co.uk

14!Dunnyfell!Road,!Muchalls,!!

Stonehaven,!AB39!3RP!

Only!200m!off!the!A90!@! follow!the!signs!to!Muchalls!

27

What’s On

REPRESENTATION! MP Sir Robert Smith!

Tel: 01330 826549!

Email: robert.smith.mp@parliament.uk!

September

Wed! 10! Maryculter WRI: Visit to Heritage Centre, Peterculter!

Mon ! 15! North Kincardine Rural Community Council Meeting!

Fri! 26! Macmillan Coffee Morning, Storybook Glen! !

26! Friendship Club: Lunch!

Sun! 28! Redwing Riding School & Blaikiewell Sanctuary: Open Day! Tues! 30! Maryculter Woodland Trust AGM!

MSP Maureen Watt!

Tel:01224 876743!

Email: maureen.watt.msp@scottish.parliament.uk!

!

October

COUNCILLORS!

Sat ! ! !

Sun! !

Wed! Mon! Fri! Sat!

Alastair Bews! !

Tel: 01224 784594!

33 Bruntland Court, Portlethen AB12 4UQ! Email: cllr.a.bews@aberdeenshire.gov.uk! !

Alison Evison! !

Tel: 01561 362013!

2 Newbigging Steading, Inverbervie DD10 0PQ! Email: cllr.a.evison@aberdeenshire.gov.uk!

!

4! Operatic concert at St Mary’s Chapel, Blairs!

4! St Ternan’s Church concert!

4! Meal an’Ale concert, Cookney Hall!

5! Harvest Thanksgiving, Maryculter Church!

5! St Ternan’s Church harvest service!

8! Maryculter WRI: Life of a criminal lawyer!

20! North Kincardine Rural Community Council Meeting!

24! Friendship Club Basket Whist!

25! Fundraising Dance, Cookney Hall!

November Thurs! 6! Friendship Club!

Sun! 9! Remembrance Day Service, Maryculter Church!

Wed! 12! Maryculter WRI: Open quiz and raffle!

Mon! 19! North Kincardine Rural Community Council Meeting!

Sat! 22! New Moon Dance, Cookney Hall!

Ian Mollison! !

Tel: 01569 739087!

11 Greystone Place, Newtonhill AB39 3UL! Email: cllr.i.mollison@aberdeenshire.gov.uk!

!

December

Carl Nelson! !

Tel: 01569 730733!

21 Dunnyfell Road, Muchalls AB39 3RP! Email: cllr.c.nelson@aberdeenshire.gov.uk!

Sat! 6! Christmas Tree Festival, St Mary’s Chapel, Blairs! !

6! Guild Coffee Morning, Maryculter Church Hall!

Thurs! 4! Friendship Club!

Mon! 8! North Kincardine Rural Community Council Meeting! !

8! Maryculter Senior Citizen’s Christmas Party!

Wed ! 10! Maryculter WRI: Christmas Wreath Demonstration!

Sat! 13! Con Anima chamber choir, St Mary’s Chapel, Blairs!

Sun! 14! Deeside Choristers, Service of Nine Lessons & Carols!

Wed! 24! Christmas Carols, Blairs Chapel! !

24! Family and Watchnight Services, Maryculter Church!

ABERDEENSHIRE COUNCIL! Viewmount, Arduthie Road, Stonehaven, AB39 2DQ! www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk Tel: 08456 07 12 07!

!

POLICE! Emergencies! !

Tel: 999 or 112!

All non-emergencies ! Tel: 101!

Crimestoppers! !

Tel: 0800 555 111!

Drugs Information Line! Tel: 0800 371 553!

January 2015 Fri! 2! New Year Ceilidh, Cookney Hall!

Thurs! 8! Friendship Club!

Wed! 14! Maryculter WRI: Working with clay!

Sat! 17! Burns Supper in Cookney Hall!

Mon! 19! North Kincardine Rural Community Council Meeting!

Fri! 23! Maryculter Church Burns Supper!

!

SERVICES! Bus Services!

No. 103 Aberdeen to Laurencekirk via BanchoryDevenick and Netherley! !

Nicoll Coaches! Tel:01561 377262! www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk!

No.204 Aberdeen to Strachan via Maryculter and Blairs! !

Stagecoach Bluebird Tel: 01224 212266! www. stagecoachbus.com!

February Thurs! 5! Friendship Club!

Wed! 11! Maryculter WRI: Beauty by Jen! Mon! 16! North Kincardine Rural Community Council Meeting!

!

March Thurs 5! Friendship Club!

Wed! 12! Maryculter WRI: Birthday Party Meal!

Mon! 16! North Kincardine Rural Community Council Meeting!

!

April Thurs! 2! Friendship Club!

Wed! 8! Maryculter WRI: Switzerland; Alps and Alpines!

DIAL A TRIP! Bus service with tail lift for concession and taxi card holders!! !

Tel: 01569 765765!

EDITORS ! ! ! !

LIBRARY! The mobile van visits fortnightly on Thursdays:! !

Kirkton of Maryculter at 9am! !

By former Maryculter East School at 9.20am! !

Banchory-Devenick crossroads at 10.10am!

Library Service! !

Tel: 01651 872707

!

!

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