Gaga For Radio

Presenters are gaga for radio, says Paul Wilson

Many of the regular readers of the Banchory Fly will know about River Dee Radio, your local community radio station. During lockdown presenters have continued to create programmes from their homes. We are looking to extend our current schedule and encourage listeners to tune in on a Sunday afternoon to our programmes. The bedrock of the afternoon will be two hours of classical music with Liz. Starting at 2pm Liz will offer music from Bach to Wagner and everything in between. Each hour focuses on a theme such as winter and nature. The first hour will be a catch-up programme followed by a new themed hour. At 4pm we have an hour of jazz. Jim Christie, a new presenter, will explore the sounds of jazz with his programme Jim's World of Jazz.

You can tune into River Dee Radio in a number of ways. On your computer or smartphone the best place to start is to access the website: www.riverdeeradiorocks. wordpress.com. There you can listen to the live stream, find information about the weekly schedule and listen to previous programmes. There is also a weekly round-up of programmes if you've missed them and lots of information about downloading the app and links to Facebook and Mixcloud. If you download our app https://tunein.com/radio/ River-Dee-Radio-s274232/ on to your phone or computer you can listen to River Dee Radio at any time, anywhere.

Regular listeners to River Dee Radio will know that we provide a wide range of music to suit all tastes from Pop to Rock and Roll, Country and Classical. We also provide local information, local interviews and promote events, sports, arts and businesses.

During the pandemic presenters have been unable to use the small studio based in the Banchory British Legion but have continued to produce high-quality programmes from home and in 2021 River Dee Radio will continue to entertain and inform. Indeed River Dee Radio will be celebrating their 5th year of broadcasting later in the year.

We are always looking to extend the team, so if you are interested in joining us whether as a presenter or technical support use our email address, riverdeeradio@gmail.com to contact us. You can also place a message or request a piece of music for one of our shows by using our email address. 11

The Fly relies on advertising to pay for design and printing and it means a lot that so many regular customers have continued to advertise during the Covid calamity.

Always delighted to welcome new advertisers, I have opened up opportunities with a new value ad size, see p22.

At Myriad Pro Publishing, advertisers are not just a space on a page. All advertisers benefit from featuring in a Facebook album every quarter, and where advertisers’ own posts are seen on that social media platform, they will be shared. Feel free to tag The Fly to make sure.

New customers can also benefit from introductory features, and there are perks to being a long-term advertiser too, as well as discounts for featuring in the Alford and Aboyne publications.

The business landscape and publicity methods are changing all the time, and especially at the moment! So if you have any ideas on how The Fly can further support you, do let me know.

No matter if you are on the main street, out in the sticks, working from your spare room or just operating online, I can help.

Have you started a new business in the Banchory area? Want a mention? Get in touch.

your name in print!

The Fly represents a unique opportunity for you to promote your business to a targetted area at reasonable cost. Ad rates start at just £28 for a quarter page. Around 2,000 copies are distributed every quarter in prominent spots in the local community and within businesses willing to stock it (500 go into Tesco Banchory). Geographically it covers Banchory centre and surrounds. All Myriad Pro Publications are also available to read online at issuu.com

When times are tough, don’t stop ADVERTISING!

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Plans have been announced to create a new market for Banchory which will provide a regular trading place for antiques, vintage, retro and upcycled items. The new market will be the third market operated by Banchory and District Initiative in Banchory, following in the footsteps of the successful Banchory Farmers Market and Banchory Arts and Craft market which both run monthly in the town.

The new market will take place in Scott Skinner Square in the heart of the town with the first event planned for Sat 8th May. The market aims to appeal to collectors, enthusiasts and bargain hunters with its wide range of items and will offer unique take home treasurers to suit all budgets.

Applications from sellers of antique, vintage or upcycled items including clocks, watches, jewellery, coins, medals, ceramics, picture frames, postcards, vintage toys, records, books, comics, small furniture items and vintage clothing are now being invited for the first market, for 14 more information or to book a pitch please contact sssqevents@gmail.com

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In a new column, Wendy Simpson of Craigievar Gardeners offers seasonal tips to help you get the best from your patch, large or small...

What to do in your garden for spring...

First things first! Spring-clean your garden before your bulbs come up. Clear borders of winter debris, leaves and last year’s perennial foliage. Repair retaining walls and stepping stones. Fix and reseal wooden trellises, raised beds and planters. As your bulbs emerge, feed the soil with an inch or two of compost.

Early spring represents pruning time for shrubs that will flower on new wood (this year’s growth), such as buddleias and potentillas. Do this when you’re sure that heavy frosts have passed. Hard-prune hybrid tea and floribunda roses by cutting back to outward-facing buds. Don’t prune early flowerers or shrubs that flower on last year’s growth: leave the pruning of shrubs like weigelas, forsythias, lilacs and azaleas until after they’ve finished flowering.

If you have perennials that are large enough to split, you can divide those that flower in summer and early autumn. Don’t split any that bloom in spring – leave that until autumn.

Depending on the weather, you can start sowing in mid-April, especially in a polytunnel. Plant early potatoes, onion sets and asparagus, and sow spinach, kale, salad leaves and early carrots in trays for later planting out. Later, outdoors, sow perennials and hardy annuals and plant lily bulbs.

Rake out the moss thatch in your lawn and set your mower blades high for the first few cuts. Next stop: summer! 16

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