13 minute read
Scouts Appeal
It’s not every workplace that provides a historic country house se� ng, extensive landscaped grounds and magnifi cent views.
But at Alastrean House that’s just what you get. A former retreat for Royal Air Force veterans, and before that the family home of the MacRoberts, the impressive building is now a care home set in the tranquil countryside of Tarland, Aberdeenshire.
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A £160,000 refurbishment of the property a� er fi re damage in 2016 set a gold standard in the area, and today the home provides care across 51 ensuite rooms and fi ve spacious lounges.
Uniquely, Alastrean also off ers free accommoda� on to staff , and a mileage allowance. It is also off ering £2,000 signon payments for certain roles. With its spectacular rural se� ng, it’s ideal for people who want a change of pace or a move to the country.
Staff at the home got their ‘fi � een minutes of fame’ this year when a corporate video for Balhousie Care Group, which manages the property, was fi lmed there. “There was no ques� on that Alastrean fi t the bill for us. It’s a stunning building and the staff were brilliant at displaying our values, goals and high quality care, all of which were captured on camera,” says Gillian Drummond, Brand & Communica� ons Manager at Balhousie Care Group.
Alastrean’s popularity, and the hard work of its staff , is shown by its excellent reviews and family feedback. In one recent le� er to the Home Manager, a rela� ve raved: “We have seen a big improvement in my granny’s wellbeing since moving to Alastrean. The carers and nurses look a� er her so well and also reassure us as a family that she is OK. Knowing she is safe and care for is a huge reassurance to us as a family.”
It helps that the home has a great reputa� on in the community too. Earlier this year it hit the headlines when Anne Ellington, a woman from Aberdeen, made a bundle of beau� ful ‘fi dget quilts’ specially designed for people with demen� a. They proved so popular there were requests from more care homes across the group!
Alastrean is currently adding to its team. The care home is looking for people to fi ll carer and domes� c roles, with hours that are fl exible to suit applicants’ needs.
Interested?
Email careers@balhousiecare.co.uk, call 01339 881235 or visit Balhousie Care Group’s job board at www.balhousiecare. co.uk/careers/careers-job-board
in Aboyne!
It’s our people who make Balhousie Care Group amazing - the everyday heroes who are as committed as we are to providing innovative, awardwinning, quality care based on our core company values:
YEARS
• COMPETITIVE PAY • EXCELLENT BENEFITS • FLEXIBLE HOURS AND CONTRACTS
Inspiring Passionate Responsive Trusted
We’re recruiting for care and domestic roles at our care home in Aboyne.
Here’s what you’ll get:
• Full and part-time roles available • £2000 Golden Hello for some roles • Flexible working hours • Mileage incentive • FREE accommodation
If you’d like to be one of our everyday heroes contact careers@balhousiecare.co.uk Balhousie Alastrean, Tarland, Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, AB34 4TA T: 01339 881235
Cat tries swimming lessons for grown-ups
I never learned to swim properly. I take full accountability for this. I could have taken lessons at any � me in my (cough) years, but there are a few historical reasons for this blip in my skill set that I’ll bore you with if you’ll let me...
I was one of four children, so my parents maybe would have struggled to take us all swimming nowadays. In the 1970s, no one cared about safety ra� os, but my mum couldn’t swim very well, and my dad had a dodgy ear drum, so that was that.
My fi rst taste of swimming lessons then was age 10, with my primary school class, at the now-consigned-to-history “Swimming Baths” in... wait for it... Bath Road, Luton, sunny Bedfordshire.
We were divvied up into those that could swim, and those that could not. The pros were let out into the biiiig pool to no doubt con� nue their careers as champion divers, skiers and all-round sporty types.
Us non-swimmers were consigned to the “baby group”, and a teacher who closely resembled a character from a Far Side cartoon (complete with horn-rimmed specs and a beehive hair-do), who liked to “tap” children’s heads in the water with her foot from poolside, and made her dislike of the younger genera� on known at every available opportunity.
Cue years of embarrassment at “fun” teen gatherings at the pool, unable to enter the deep end or peel off the diving board like my semi-aqua� c peers.
Then I had my two girls, and once we’d got past the panic sta� ons stage of fl oats, infl atables, and their own lessons (a far be� er experience than mine), it occurred to me that perhaps swimming would be a good exercise for me to take up, my knees having taken a dislike to my previous escape of choice, running.
Again with no guidance to hand (or none I would brave taking up anyway) I developed my own “technique” to get through lengths, a kind of breast-crawl hybrid, but my inability to put my face in the water or breathe usefully le� me gasping at the side like a forlorn guppy.
Finally, rescue has come in the shape of
Aboyne Community Centreand Swimming
Pool’s new Adult Swimming Lessons on Monday evenings. I joined about half a dozen other like-minded “Improvers” for 45 minutes with the lovely Veena. By the end of the fi rst lesson, where she swi� ly established who could do what and what they wanted out of the experience, I was (almost) fi nding space to breathe between lunges. Less guppy, more puff er fi sh. I have some way to go but I am confi dent I will get there with this six-week course.
As a long-� me spoiled member of a very lovely leisure club in my home town of Ballater, I had wondered if a local authority pool might prove too chilly. But I needn’t have worried. The pool temperature was just perfect (especially once you start moving around!) and I was pleasantly surprised by the ambiance of the (also 1970s built) 25m pool. The lights and high ceilings, and the small numbers of people in the session, all added up to the feeling of a safe space in which to gently concentrate on learning the necessary, at your own pace.
Time to fl ap those gills? It’s never too late and there’s a separate session for Beginners too. Cost is just over £50 for six weeks, with concessions available.
More space will be allocated to the Adult Lessons according to demand. Email aboyneLTS@aberdeenshire.gov.uk to register your interest or to book a space. 21
The opportunity is now available to experience live fi ring with .22 Calibre semi-automa� c and bolt ac� on rifl es at a new 25m outdoor range near Tarland.
Since opening in the late summer, Line of Sight has conducted introduc� on shoots and con� nua� on training for over 100 people; some just wan� ng to experience shoo� ng, others looking for a new sport or to gain experience prior to applying for a Firearms Cer� fi cate. If you are over the age of 14 and are looking for something a li� le bit diff erent, you won’t be disappointed.
What started as a simple idea for a family ac� vity during lockdown soon turned into a plan for a small business. Over the past 12 months we have worked hard with family and some very good friends to build a safe and friendly environment for learning. The ac� vi� es are carried out by an instructor with over 35 years’ experience gained in the UK and overseas.
“Amazing session learning the sport of target shooti ng at Line of Sight. If you’re looking for a fun, safe acti vity to do with your friends or family while you’re in the Cairngorms this should be on your list.
“Paul made my wife and I feel comfortable and safe from the get-go, gave us a safety briefi ng, familiarised us with the rifl e, helped us get used to the sighti ng system and then supervised us while we started to shoot targets in his purpose-built range.
Trustpilot Review
When times are tough, don’t stop ADVERTISING!
The Fountain relies on adver� sing to pay for design and prin� ng and it means a lot that so many regular customers have con� nued to adver� se during the Covid calamity.
I am always delighted to welcome new adver� sers, and you can see details of costs and deals etc on p34.
At Myriad Pro Publishing, adver� sers are not just a space on a page. All adver� sers benefi t from featuring in a Facebook album every quarter, and where adver� sers’ own posts are seen on that social media pla� orm, they will be shared. Feel free to tag The Fountain to make sure.
New customers can also benefi t from introductory editorial features, and there are perks to being a long-term adver� ser too, as well as discounts for featuring in the Alford and Banchory publica� ons.
The business landscape and publicity methods are changing all the � me, and especially at the moment! So if you have any ideas on how The Fountain can further support you, do let me know.
No ma� er if you are on the main street, out in the s� cks, working from your spare room or just opera� ng online, I can help.
Have you started a new business in the Aboyne area? Want a menti on? Get in touch.
The Fountain represents a unique opportunity for you to promote your business to a targe� ed area at reasonable cost. Ad rates start at just £15 for a small ad (A7 size). Around 1,500 copies are distributed through the doors of residences in the village, prominent spots in the local community and within businesses willing to stock it. Geographically it covers Aboyne and the surrounding areas and includes Tarland. All Myriad Pro Publicati ons are also available to read online at issuu.com
Professional, comprehensive financial and mortgage advice that you can trust.
Our services include:
• Mortgage Advice • Home Insurance • Personal Insurance • Income Protection • Life Insurance As a last resort your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up with payments on your mortgage. Looking to find out more?
Contact us:
07721 860 638 brian.moneywise@virgin.net www.morvenmortgageservices.co.uk
The Paper Girls
A community-focused shop, selling and delivering a wide range of newspapers, magazines, confectionery, stationery and local produce
OPEN
Monday to Friday 0530-1630 Saturday 0530-1600 Sunday 0600-1200
Charleston Road | Aboyne | 01339 886847
email: thepapergirls607@gmail.com
See our Facebook page for updates and new developments
in Lady V’s Shoes
A column on village life from Victoria Kennedy
Now that we are offi cially in November, is it ok for me to use the C word? Yes? You’re sure? Ok, here I go – Christmas!
Yes, it is that � me of year again. Soon we will all be listening to Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé on repeat as twinkling decora� ons once more begin to adorn the home fronts of Aboyne. And I for one am here for it. There has been a lot of pre� y heavy news happening in the world of late, and the prospect of sparkling lights and long cosy nights is just what the doctor ordered.
However, before I get too carried away with reclining in front of the fi re while quaffi ng a mulled beverage or two, I plan on ge� ng all of my Christmas shopping done. But unlike previous years, this year I am going to be doing this exclusively from local shops.
I am so blown away by the skill of Aboyne’s residents. My once beloved Yankee Candles have been replaced by KSC’s wax melts and candle � ns, with my current favourite smell being Arabian Nights. The dusky escape that comes with each melt compliments these longer evenings perfectly. I also recently purchased an exclusive Aboyne scented candle by KSC from Deeside Crea� ons in Sta� on Square. I always like to give gi� s that I would like to receive so, needless to say, these will be a key part of my Christmas shopping list this year.
Another gi� that I know I will be buying for my nearest and dearest is a plant from The Secret Garden. Last Christmas, I received a monthly plant subscrip� on from The Secret Garden (thank you, Mummy), and as cliché as it sounds this really has been the gi� that keeps on giving. I loved receiving a new po� ed lovely at the start of each month, and each plant s� ll brings a smile to my face every day. At a � me of year when we can become overwhelmed by mass produced plas� c, seeing something natural is a pleasing change. I hope that those who receive a plant from the PK household feel the same way as I did, and s� ll do, about their gi� .
Then, the pièce de resistance, I will be ge� ng some fes� ve baked goods from Spatula and Spoon. I follow Spatula and Spoon on Instagram, and every � me I see a new post, I fi nd myself wis� ully saliva� ng. Louise’s crea� ons are masterful, and I certainly foresee some fes� ve cookies in my nieces’ futures. I won’t lie, there are likely some cookies in my future too. A� er all, it is the � me of year to eat, drink and, most importantly, be merry.
Wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas, V Xx
