Ballater and crathie eagle, autumn 2016, issue 83

Ballater blooms as Britain celebrates Summer

THE

eagle

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Ballater & Crathie Community Magazine no. 83 autumn 2016

Our quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort

The

Lochnagar Indian brasserie Fully Licensed

“Such a great Indian restaurant in the centre of a small Highland village, unbelievable ... can only say, if you’re in the neighbourhood, go there and taste it yourself.”

All major credit and debit cards accepted

Open Mon-Sun 12-2pm and 5-11pm 2 Church Square, Ballater, AB35 5NE

Booking Advised 01339 755611

10% Discount on Takeaway

tripadvisor 4.5

www.lochnagarindian.co.uk

WEE JIM Landscapes

All aspects of landscaping Mini digger and small tipper hire Firewood also available James Anderson, Bridgefoot, Glenmuick, Ballater 013397 55997 / 07821 746756 weejim03@live.co.uk www.weejim.com

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Inside Your Autumn Eagle:

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When we took the decision to produce the Eagle in full colour, it was in the hope that we’d be in a position to portray our community in pictures as well as words. It’s both a joy and a priviledge to receive your photographs, and to share them through the medium of this magazine. Thank you - and please keep sending them in.

Diary

4-5

Resilience Group Update 15

Local Groups Ballater Caravan Park (BCE): 11

Wake Up Ballater!

17

Ballater Films: 45

Buttony Bear

22

Ballater Indoor Bowling: 14

Etape Road Closures

25

Ballater RHS: 8 & 32

Ballater Highland Games

26

Ballater Songsters: 14

Steadfast, Resilient and... 37

Ballater SWI: 14

National Park Update

39

BBA News: 59

Pottering

40

BRHS Floral Art: 9 & 32 Churches News: 20

Bureaucracy v Local Knowledge

44

Crathie Opportunity Holidays: 21

CNPA Information

46

Crathie School: 34

Oil Club

47

Library News: 12

“Will Ye Tak A Dram?”

48

St Kentigern’s: 21

Community Radio

52

Upper Deeside Music: 10

WFS Grant Applications

53

V&A Halls Trust: 50

Braemar Arts Festival

54

Victoria Week: 29

A Walk in the Park

56

Pokémon Go Warning

58

Keeping Council

60

Handy to have Advertisers’ Index: 62

The Front Cover features Margaret Cameron’s arrangement, which won first prize in the “Royal Salute” category at the BRHS 140th Exhibition & Flower Show

Advertising Full page: £100; Half page: £50; Quarter page: £25; Eighth page: £12 Discounts on 4 issue series copy can be changed each issue contact Karen Garioch at karen.garioch@btinternet.com or Tel 42344

Thank You Grateful thanks are due to AlIan & Sheila Harrison, and Alec and Anne Grant for their very generous donations to the Eagle.

Donations are gratefully received, and acknowledged. You can also put money into our tins in the Library or Yules Newsagents.

The Eagle Diary

...so you know What’s Going On

September Wed 21 Sat 24 Sun 25 Tues 27

Ballater SWI – Talk by Alan Taylor, auctioneer, Mike Sheridan Room 7.30pm Ballater Farmers’ Market, Glenmuick Church Green 10am to 2pm Upper Deeside Music - Magicians of Scotland St Kentigern’s Church 4.30pm Ballater Indoor Bowling Club New Season starts in Victoria Ballater Hall 2pm and 7pm

October Sat 1 Sun 2 Sun 2 Sun 16 Wed 19 Thur 20 Sat 29 Sun 30

Spirit of Ballater Awards Victoria Hall 1pm Ceilidh with the Dark Island Ceilidh Band!

St. Kentigern’s annual Harvest service and bring and share lunch.

Do feel free to come and join us in our celebrations Afternoon Tea at the Albert, 2.45pm in Albert Hall, with Glasgow School of Art choir. Tickets cost £8 including afternoon tea Upper Deeside Music 4.30pm, probably Victoria Hall, BYO Ugly-Bug Rag-Time - John Burgess and Friends.

Ballater SWI – Talk by Karen Noble , Mike Sheridan Room 7.30pm BRHS Floral Art Group AGM and “Les Femmes Jolies” Mike Sheridan Room 7.30pm.

Ballater Farmers’ Market, Glenmuick Church Green 10am to 2pm.

Ballater Boules Challenge – Monaltrie Park 10.15am for 10.30am start

Post Office Opening Hours The Post Office counter in the new Co-op is currently operating from 7am to 10pm every day.

Are Your Dates Here?

For inclusion in this FREE section of the Eagle, please contact Faye Swan on 013397 55345 or info@swandesign.uk.com

Tues 1 Sun 6 Mon 7 Sun 13 Wed 16 Thur 17 Sun 27

Mon 5 Sun 11 Sat 31

November

Copy date for Winter Eagle.

Upper Deeside Music, Pistons and Pipes in St Kentigern’s Church, 4.30pm BRHS AGM in Mike Sheridan Room, 7.30pm, followed by illustrated talk by Colette Jones Ballater Boules Challenge, Monaltrie Park 10.15am for 10.30am start Ballater SWI – Speaker to be confirmed, Mike Sheridan Room 7.30pm BRHS Floral Art Group Christmas Charity Event, Albert Hall 7.30pm Ballater Boules Challenge, Monaltrie Park 10.15am for 10.30am start

December

BRHS Annual Open and Quiz Night in Mike Sheridan Room 7.30pm Ballater Boules Challenge, Monaltrie Park 10.15am for 10.30am start Hogmanay! Bring in the New Year with Totico!

issue winter spring summer autumn

Eagle copy & advertising deadlines 2016/17 deadline

publication

Nov 1st Feb 1st May 1st Aug 1st

early December early March early June mid September

Ballater Library Opening Hours Sun, Mon & Wed: Closed

Tuesday: 10am-1pm, 6.30-8pm

Thursday: 2-4pm, 6.30-8pm

Friday: 2-5pm

Saturday: 10am-12noon

Contact the Eagle

Hand in to the Library  Post to Ballater Eagle, c/o Ballater Library, Ballater, AB35 5QB

 email to: ballater.eagle@btopenworld.com

Contact Your Representatives

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

Alexander Burnett MSP  0131 348 5642 email: Alexander.Burnett.msp@parliament.scot

WESTMINSTER

Contributions of any kind (ideally in Word format) always welcome.

Stuart Donaldson MP  01330 828171 email: stuart.donaldson.mp@parliament.uk

Keep in Touch with an Eagle Subscription

ABERDEENSHIRE COUNCIL

A subscription can be a very welcome gift to farflung friends and relatives. Simply provide the name and address to whom issues should be sent, with a cheque or postal order for ‘Ballater Eagle’ for the relevant amount and drop off your request to Ballater Library.

Avril, our Subscriptions secretary, will do the rest. Easy!

For the rates below, four issues will be posted.

UK: £12.00 EU: £16.00 Overseas: £20.00

Peter Argyle:  013398 82973 email: cllr.p.argyle@aberdeenshire.gov.uk Geva Blackett:  013397 41541 email: cllr.g.blackett@aberdeenshire.gov.uk Katrina Farquhar:  07876 475403 email: cllr.k.farquhar@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK Katrina Farquhar  07876 475403 email: katrina.farquhar@cnpaboard.co.uk Gordon Riddler  077116093513 email: gordon.riddler@cnpaboard.co.uk

Eagle Who’s Who & Where Editor: Ian Hay  55941 Treasurer: Elaine Adams  56149 Subscriptions Secretary: Avril Fyfe  56162 Advertising Manager: Karen Garioch 42344 Distribution: Andy and Julie Bloor Diary Secretary: Faye Swan  55345 Design: Cat Houston, Stella Potter, Ollie Francis email us at: ballater.eagle@btopenworld.com Eagle Online: http://www.ballatercommunity.com

If you would like a large print version of the Eagle, please contact Ballater Library on 55628.

Letter from the Editor

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Already the nights are drawing in, and still there are individuals and businesses not yet returned to their own premises following the problems created by Storm Frank back last December. For most of these people, the delay has been interminable, and the stress unimaginable for those of us not affected. We can but hope that all will have returned to normal before the Festive Season so that people can relax, safe in their refurbished properties. Hopefully too, the large sandbags in Salisbury Road, and the numerous skips lining our streets will have been removed so that a constant reminder of what happened is no longer staring us in the face.

The business face of the village has altered considerably over the past few months, and we welcome several new businesses as well as those which have re-established themselves following months of closure. It is hoped that all of them will find support from the community in their trading, thus ensuring that the phrase “Deeside is Open for Business” really has meaning.

Apparently, the caravan park has had a good level of bookings through the shortened season, and hopefully, this will mean a higher level of visitors for next year, eager to sample the improved facilities both on the site and in the village.

One happy aspect of village life occurred when the Queen’s Birthday Honours List was announced, and Eagle’s happy smiling delivery person, Julie Bloor received the Royal Victorian Medal for 30 years’ service in the royal residences on Deeside. We congratulate her on this honour. However, the Eagle can only offer grateful thanks to her and other members of her family for their devoted service to our community magazine – no medal!

By the time this issue is distributed throughout the village, the main summer activities of Victoria Week and Ballater Games will be only memories, but I hope that these are happy ones, resulting in Ballater’s Summer of 2016 being something people will talk about for years to come.

Meanwhile, Ballater’s largest community asset, the Victoria & Albert Halls needs support from individuals prepared to put a little effort into ensuring the continuing operation of a vital part of community life in our village. Some help is urgently needed to prevent a return to the position of a few years ago when the Halls were nothing more than a large storeroom. If you can assist particularly with organising and publicising fund-raising events for Halls funds, please get in touch with Bell Macaulay on 013397 55745.

Ian Hay Ballater’s “Street Party” on the Green to celebrate the Queen’s 90th Birthday was graced by a wonderful strawberries-and-cream cake, baked and brought by a visitor to the village.

Thank you!

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Local Group News

A round-up of news from our local groups

BRHS

by Elizabeth Wilson It was so encouraging to see the impressive turn out at our annual Plant Sale on 4 June.

Holding it in the Victoria Hall enabled us to set everything up the day before, instead of endless trips to the Hut on the Green during the afternoon and evening prior to, and at the crack of dawn on the day of the Sale! We broke our previous record, raising an amazing £1331. Thanks to everyone who helped make the day such a success.

Brollies are the order of the day at Leith ‘Hall...

Our annual outing to the Huntly area took place on 20 July. Had it been the day before things would have been very different! Fortified by coffee and chocolate cake, a stalwart band of us endured thunder and lightning as well as torrential rain during our guided tour by Head Gardener Kerry, of Leith Hall’s extensive herbaceous borders, collection of alpines and primulas in the rock garden, the well known Moon Gate, orchard and vegetable garden. The saying, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing” certainly rang true! A considerable amount of work has been done in the garden and more is planned. Leith Hall is one of the NTS’s hidden gems and well worth a visit, though perhaps not in a thunderstorm!

A delicious lunch at Dean’s Shortbread

Quality plants on offer at the sale.

Factory reinvigorated us, after which our intrepid group went on to visit Laundry Cottage at Culdrain, near Gartly. The owners, Simon and Judith McPhun, have created and continue to develop this stunning, secluded, informal, cottage-style garden with passion and devotion.

The setting is idyllic with the River Bogie at the foot of the garden along with spectacular views of the surrounding countryside.

As I write this, preparations for the 140th Annual Exhibition and Flower Show on 20 & 21 August are well underway. The flood has had a huge impact on gardens throughout the village, so entries in the Horticultural section are expected to be far less than in previous years. Details of the Show and prize-winners are featured on pages 32 & 33.

We are delighted that HRH Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay, has agreed to continue as Patron of the Society for another five years. He also donated a country hamper as first prize in our raffle.

Our forthcoming season’s programme is currently being finalised. Our AGM takes place in the Mike Sheridan Room in the Halls on Monday 7 November at 7.30pm. Afterwards, Colette Jones will give an illustrated presentation, “Six Herbs: - An Introduction to Herbal Traditions Through Stories Of Six Garden Plants”. The usual Quiz Night will be held on Monday 5 December.

Remember details about forthcoming meetings can be found in the Eagle “Diary”, on posters

Got something to say about your group – get in touch ballater.eagle@btopenworld.com

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displayed throughout the village prior to each meeting and of course our website http://ballaterroyalhorticulturalsociety.weebly.com/which gives comprehensive information about the Society.

Membership for the year is still a bargain at £5 along with a £2 entry fee at each meeting.

Should you wish to attend a single meeting, the cost is £3. All are welcome and refreshments are available afterwards.

BRHS Floral Art Group

by Jenny Houston

Our first meeting of the year was on 21 April and began with us all proposing a toast to Her Majesty the Queen in honour of her 90th Birthday.

The demonstrator was Rena Cross who gave us her artistic interpretation of “A Touch of Spring”, and in recognition of the occasion, one of her arrangements took the form of a crown with “Aqua Roses”. The evening concluded with the floral arrangements prepared by Rena being raffled.

Altogether it was a very pleasant and successful evening enjoyed by everyone.

In May Audrey Buchan from Montrose gave a demonstration entitled “A Floral Journey”. Her arrangements made for a very entertaining evening and resulted in us being spoilt for choice.

In June, Mary Wright from Tullich excelled in her “Structure Workshop” which, as expected, produced a good turnout of members and guests who all left feeling satisfied with their efforts.

And now something to look forward to! On 15 September there will be a NEW demonstrator for our Floral Art Group, called Ann Rendall, and the title of her demonstration will be “Pot Luck”.

Moving on to 20 October when we will have our Annual General Meeting and a light-hearted in-house demonstration with “Les Femmes Jolies” to entertain you.

Mary Wright’s “Structure Workshop”

Our Christmas Charity Evening will be on 17 November in the Albert Hall and there will be yet another NEW demonstrator to delight us all. Her name is Emma Mooney from Aberdeen and her title will be announced at a later date.

Marie Chapman Soft Furnishings, Tarland Hand and machine work available for curtains, pelmets, tiebacks, cushions, Roman blinds, curtain alterations etc.

A large collection of fabric samples.

Roller,venetian,vertical, pleated, intu, perfect fit blinds, curtain rails and poles all available.

Complete job taken care of from measuring to fitting.

Tel. 07833 175470 mariechapman123@gmail.com

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Upper Deeside Music

One of the more sensible introductions for Upper Deeside Music has been a splendid banner which was put up at Glenmuick Church to tell everyone that a concert would be held there in Victoria Week.

And in due course, the Gladstone’s Bag group of violin, flute, clarinet and piano brought their charming and invigorating Victorian music from Edinburgh to a wet and rather dreich afternoon. A number of visitors came to be welcomed and cheered and sent out to a better evening.

The first of our next two concerts will be from another clarinet, flute and voice

by Jane Angus

ensemble, the Magicians of Scotland, a witty and entertaining group, on 25 September in St Kentigern’s and then some of the enjoyable friends from a Jazz Band which came for the Jubilee celebrations to the Victoria Hall, this time as Ugly Bug - Rag Time on Sunday, 16 October at 4.30 pm, with, as before, BYO. Then, on 6 November, again at 4.30 pm, in St Kentigern’s, a concert of trumpets and organ – ‘Pistons and Pipes’.

As usual for all the concerts, for young people and H.M. Forces, there is no charge and with the help of Enterprise Music Scotland and the support of generous supporters, any adult charges for this year are £10.

It is very much hoped that we might be back in the Darroch Learg for a violin and piano evening in the spring.

By Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen James Cordiner & Son Limited Timber Merchant Aberdeen

BCE: Ballater Caravan Park

by Allan Harrison The first phase of reinstatement of the caravan park was opened to visitors on 13 May. Since then, we have been full most weekends and feedback from our guests has been very positive. The Board is now in the early stages of looking at a second phase with a further part of the former static area being refurbished.

Since it is increasingly unlikely we will be able to put static vans back on site in the short term, we are looking initially at additional touring pitches some, possibly, being available on a seasonal basis. Changes to our rules and regulations may be necessary.

Reinstatement of the remainder of the site is complex with funding being the major issue.

Many of our previous static owners had a long association with the park and Ballater and we would like to help those who wish to return.

There is still an opportunity for sponsorship of the turf and this is available at £300 per pitch.

If anyone is interested, they should contact Gillian Sinclair at Park House: by email: ballaterdeeside@btinternet.com or telephone on 013397 55467.

We continue to be supported by the Ballater businesses and community and we are extremely grateful for that support.

Glenalmond Linsey Blyth

Beauty Box

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Davidsons Chemists Retail Pharmacy and Veterinary Chemist Group Delivering Quality Healthcare since 1897

PRESCRIPTIONS COSMETICS PHOTOGRAPHIC Over-the-Counter MEDICINES & ADVICE Mon - Fri 9am - 5.30pm Sat 9am - 5pm

10 Bridge Street, Ballater Tel: 013397 55409

C.S.M. Handyman J.Lanigan

All the little jobs you can’t get any1 to do

general maintenance inside and out, gutter cleaning, garden tidying, etc.

Strathgirnoc Farmhouse South Deeside Road Ballater Tel. 013397 56227 Mobile 07506951506 Email: C-S-M_Aerials@hotmail.co.uk for more details please see: www.csmhandyman.co.uk

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Library Page

Sheena Armstrong

Wally Wall

On July 1 our colleague and friend Sheena Armstrong passed away. She will be sadly missed.

Sheena was a ver y capable and enthusiastic member of our team for several years. She retired in 2013 but remained employed as a relief assistant, both in Ballater and Aboyne Library.

Before she retired she was instr umental in acquiring movable shelving via Planning Gain money. The shelving is very useful to create extra space when we have events or activities.

Courtesy of Deeside Books, we have a “Where’s Wally Wall?” on display in the library. Everyone (children and adults alike)

Summer Reading Challenge

is invited to ‘find Wally’ and colour in some of the characters.

Many children took part in the Summer Reading Challenge, which ran from 23 June until Saturday 20 August.

It encourages children aged 4 to 11 to read six library books during the summer holidays.

The theme this year was “Your Place, Your Space…..Just Read”. Winners of the photo competition and our Star Reader will be announced shortly.

Junior Writing Competition Entries for the children’s writing competition should be handed into the library by Friday 9 September.

Craft Club

A huge thank you to our volunteer helpers, Thelma van Tienen and Joan Anderson, who cheerfully assist the children with their craft activities.

Our local storyteller Joan has also been enthralling the children with stories as they work.

Winners of our ‘Are you sitting Comfortably’ cushion design competition are: 1st Claire Aiken 2nd Ranulph Whitehead 3rd Amelia Fraser They received book prizes from Deeside Books via a James Patterson grant. (photo opposite)

by Sabine Muir Library Activities Everyone is welcome to: Baby Rhymetimes every Tuesday from 10.45am Bookbug Story Times for the under-fives every Tuesday from 11.15am Junior Craft Clubs for Primary School children aged seven upwards Thursday 3.30pm and Friday at 3.30pm Knit and Natter Tuesday evenings from 7 – 9pm Computer tutoring sessions will restart on Tuesday afternoons from 6 September.

If you are a complete beginner or just want to a bit of help, please contact us on 013397 55628 for further information.

Opening Hours: Monday 2pm - 6pm Tuesday Closed Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday Closed Friday 10am - 3pm

Tel. 013397 - 55134 24 Golf Rd Ballater AB35 5RS

14 Ballater SWI

by Aileen Barbour

On 1st June in the evening we went to Cambus O’May Cheese Factory.

James Reid gave us a talk on the history of the Company along with a video. Then he showed us around the factory and gave us samples of the different cheeses to try. It was difficult to pick a favourite because they were all good.

When the tour was finished we went across the road to the Riverside Restaurant for a meal which finished off a very pleasant evening.

“Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living the other helps you make a life” Sandra Carey

TWEEDIE BEASTIES BORN AND BRED IN BALLATER We’ve moved! But not very far We’ve moved! But not very far—you can find us at unit 1 - you can find us at Unit 1 in the Business Park in the business park

Ballater Indoor Bowling Club

by Sheila Rumbles

The Indoor Bowling Club re-starts for the new Season on 27 September in the Victoria Halls. The weekly days are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 2-4pm and 7-9pm.

Should you feel like joining us we would be delighted to welcome you. If you have never attempted bowling before, we can provide tuition and give you bowls to enable you to try out this sport. You will probably find it is quite addictive! So, please do come along and join us and give it a go.

Hope to see you in the new Season.

Ballater Songsters

by Sheila Rumbles Our happy little group of singers are still going strong and practising weekly for our future concerts throughout the coming winter months. I am delighted to be able to conduct such a loyal and happy bunch of “girls” who work hard. We also have fun, which leads to a strong camaraderie between us all.

Singing is a wonderful uplifting experience and it is a pleasure to offer the performance of our musical programmes to others.

ROY MITCHELL JOINER TELEPHONE: Unit 1, Ballater Business Park, Ballater, AB35 5PN Tel: 013397 56200

07792 117963

Resilience Group Update

by Linda Drever & John Bolton

The Ballater and Crathie Community Resilience Group is at the final stages of the set-up process. The Community Council has adopted the plan although formal acceptance is still to be given by Aberdeenshire Council and the emergency services.

It has been decided that Ballater and Crathie will have separate plans and two groups to deploy these plans and coordinate the actions during any natural event or major incident. Those making up the Crathie group are Elaine Beckwith, Norrie Thain and Maggie MacKay. The emergency evacuation centre for Crathie will be Crathie Kirk Hall. In Ballater it will be the Victoria and Albert Halls, the Trustees of which have given their approval for the resilience group to use the Beaton Craigie Room for Community Coordination.

A recent grant application to Foundation Scotland was successful and the available funds

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will be used to equip the coordination room to fulfil its important role of communication, coordination, care and direction of the community.

Volunteers are still required to assist and our needs fall into two distinct areas: Firstly, those who would undertake specific tasks within the coordination room, fulfilling a responsibility for: Team Leader – liaison with Aberdeenshire Council, the emergency services and volunteer groups to provide local security for the community.

People Coordinator – Provision of support to those in the community affected by any event or incident and who may need guidance and assistance with such things as direction to the emergency evacuation centre or other facility, arranging medical support or temporary accommodation. Particular emphasis will be given to those more vulnerable within the community.

Brian Smith Funeral Services Ltd The only family run and owned funeral director in Aboyne, Banchory and Peterculter

Pre-Paid Funeral Plans Available 317 North Deeside Road, Peterculter Tel: 01224 732530 Huntly Road, Aboyne Tel: 013398 86625 85A High Street, Banchory Tel: 01330 825400

Contact Brian or Angela Smith (24hrs)

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Resources Coordinator – Responsible for deploying and directing provision of resources, manpower and equipment, including, but not limited to clothing, food and transport.

Reception Coordinator - Care and welfare of those people forced to leave their homes to secure temporary accommodation within the emergency evacuation centre.

The other category is that of “helper”. This would involve a variety of tasks as directed by the team leader or a coordinator and could entail dealing with telephone calls, acting as a messenger, observing and reporting to the coordination centre what is happening at the scene of an incident, directing people to places of safety.

Helpers would also be asked to assist in the emergency evacuation centre giving advice and instruction, helping with catering, or simply offering comfort and the time to listen to peoples’ concerns over a hot drink.

Following last December’s unforgettable flooding, Linda Drever, a member of the group, has worked tirelessly to compile a record of all homes and occupants, which would help the group to identify those who may require particular assistance. Linda needs to revise the information and the following in her words is what needs to be done, so please help her to help you.

We still need to gather together essentials to be held in the Halls. One thing we now know to be essential is a quick, easy way of recording the names of those who are known to be safe. To that end we are preparing as comprehensive a list as possible of all the residential properties in the village together with the names of those who would be likely to be living there. Much of this information is already in the public domain, but a few local ladies are working to ‘fill in the gaps’.

The list will be kept, with the Plan, and other essential information, in a locked cabinet in the Halls, with a copy held by a Resilience Team Leader in case the Halls cannot be accessed.

One problem for the team, and the Emergency Services, is being able to identify, very early on, those residents who, if there was a village emergency, would welcome any early assistance that might be available.

Several residents, questioned after the recent floods, were more than happy for their names to be known to the Resilience Team, (contact details available in the library), but the terms of the Data Protection Act suggest that we must have written permission to hold this information. So, if you feel that you might need help in an emergency, please take a moment to fill in, and sign, the tear-off portion below and ‘post’ in the special postbox in the library. Your name will then be added to a ‘Priority Assistance’ list.

In the event of a village emergency, if it is available, I would welcome assistance to ensure my safety.

NAME (Capitals) ADDRESS SIGNATURE DATE

Wake Up Ballater! “Use it or Lose it�

by Ian Hay

In recent months, the community in Ballater has been faced with considerable trauma, and has come through with flying colours. Many individuals and organisations have suddenly found that they have latent talents for organising and helping others, something of which they had been unaware until an emergency struck. This has been a revelation for themselves, and has resulted in residents who have been hit by misfortune receiving comfort and essential assistance in their time of need. So the community has come together, and is much better for the experience.

However, for years some people have, without fuss, been quietly contributing time and effort to ensuring that the limited community facilities in the village are kept running and available for community use. I am talking here about the Victoria & Albert Halls, which are used week after week by numerous local organisations. The Halls are run by a small group of trustees, and they are finding it increasingly difficult to devote enough time to ensuring that the facilities are run smoothly. The interest taken by a large proportion of the mid-age range in the village in operating and supporting the Halls is negligible. In addition, the support given by the community to fund-raising events in the Halls has been poor. A recent concert and ceilidh in the Victoria Hall by some very talented youngsters saw 44 people there, with only 1 of those from Ballater, the others being visitors. The following week, an Afternoon Tea in the Albert event with a group from Aberdeen International Youth Festival attracted 20 people. The time and effort put into organising these events is considerable, and results such as these mentioned are disheartening for those involved.

These events are meant to cover essential repairs and ensure hire charges for local groups are kept low, thus encouraging continued use by even small groups. If there is no support for fund-raising

EDWARD J E MSLIE

House Furnishers and Floor Covering Specialists

WeCome look forward meeting you. in andtovisit us at:

Station Square, Ballater, AB35 5RB www.edwardjemsliecarpets.co.uk 013397 55005 info@tedemslie.com

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013398 80100 alpinetreecare@gmail.com www.alpinetreecare.com

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events, then hire charges will need to be increased even more. In addition, the improvements to facilities will slow down owing to lack of funds. Most Halls users will appreciate the considerable improvements to the kitchen and toilet facilities in the Albert Hall, but more needs to be done, particularly to the extremely poor facilities in the Victoria Hall. Over £30,000 has recently had to be spent repairing the roof of the Albert Hall, and this has created a significant hole in Hall’s finances.

So, while funds are always required, even more vital are contributions of time by members of the community.

What is needed is a small team of enthusiastic people to concentrate on: - Establishing what forms of entertainment would get community support - Researching and organising these events - Ensuring that as much publicity as possible across all forms of media is sent out.

Is there someone out there who is prepared to organise this? Perhaps some young enthusiastic members of the community, or some more mature residents could work together – would that not be great?

This is only one aspect of the type of talent which the Halls trustees need. There are others which are vital for the running of such an organisation.

So Ballater, do you want to have continued use of what is a wonderful community asset, or are you happy to see it deteriorate until it returns to the condition in which it languished some 25 years ago when it was effectively unused? Now that the worst of the problems arising from the floods are over, why not continue to help your community by devoting time to ensuring the Victoria & Albert Halls remain a lively focal point in the social life of Ballater?

Please contact Bell Macaulay on 013397 55745 to see what you can offer to ensure a brighter future for a building which is an icon on Deeside.

S

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Dear Friends

Letter from the Churches Here in Upper Deeside, we live in a landscape that has been lived in for thousands of years. From glacial lochs to iron-age hut circles scattered around, from the ancient kirk at Tullich, to drove roads and castles and battles... this land has seen countless people of different tribes and languages, creed and faith. People with different ways of living. For countless generations, in this area, there has been love and laughter, joy, sorrow. Good times and bad times. Periods when life has been calm, and periods when there has been unrest and violence. Yet still life continues.

Since the last edition of the Eagle, the political climate has been rather unsettled, both in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. With referendums, terrorist attacks, attempts at military coups, and the hustings for the US elections, it’s not surprising that there is a certain amount of unease in the atmosphere. What will happen next? Do we really want to listen to the news? How do we respond to everything? It can be difficult to focus or feel positively when everything seems topsy-turvy. It’s good to remind ourselves of the longevity of human history; that they have been there before us.

It is up to us how we respond to the events of this world. Whether we choose to react in fear and prejudice, or whether we accept those with different views. Whether we use events to condemn or judge, or use them to reach out to others. The churches in this area hold in common a portion of our religious heritage - a book that has – in part - been around as long as the human settlement in this area, if not longer.

No matter what you think of that book, the Bible, there are things in it that are important in living together as community. The commandment for Christians that is above all others, the rule we are called to live our lives by, is this - ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul, and love your neighbour as yourself’.

Whether you believe in God or not, loving one another is fundamental to living alongside people in this community. Loving one another demands tolerance and acceptance. We do not necessarily have to agree – but we must respect the rights of others to disagree with us. We are called to look at how we can help those around us, to examine what it most constructive to help this community. To give and take, to listen and to laugh, to speak and to rejoice. This is what is required of us. Nothing less. We stand at a moment of time. As we look into the future, let us not forget the lessons of the past. As we deal with uncertainty in our lives, let us not forget the calling to love each other. Seeking to model it in all we do and say and think.

With every blessing,

Rev David Barr, Glenmuick Church of Scotland Father Chris Brannan, St Nathalan’s Roman Catholic Church Rev Vittoria Hancock, St Kentigern’s, Episcopal Church

Crathie Opportunity Holidays

by Allan Harrison

21

Crathie Opportunity Holidays is hoping to be able to offer supplementary holiday care to disabled people, some of whom are not able to have a holiday without additional support.

With this in mind, we are keen to speak to anyone who might be interested in getting involved. Full training would be provided and there would be total flexibility in the number of hours/days/times worked.

If you are interested or know of anyone who may be interested, please get in touch with Maggie MacKay (Tel: 42100 or email: info@crathieholidays.org.uk) or speak to Lesley Davidson (Tel: 55177), Sheila

Harrison, (Tel: 55061) or Bell Macaulay (Tel 55745).

We are holding a drop-in introductory event which is open to all, on Tuesday, 27 September from 1- 3pm and 5 – 8pm at the Holiday cottages.

St Kentigern’s News

Tel .55816 el.55816

The St Kentigern’s summer fayre took place on a rather wet and soggy afternoon in June. Thanks to the support of the local community, we managed to raise a sum of £2507 towards church funds. From a multitude of cakes, plants, bric a brac and books, to bottle stalls and afternoon tea, we had an enjoyable afternoon. The episcopal church here in Ballater is entirely self-supporting – we are given no money from outside sources, so every penny goes towards the running of the building and of our work. Coming up in our diary is our annual Harvest service and bring and share lunch on 2 October. Do feel free to come and join us in our celebrations.

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22 Buttony Bear - A Ballater Project Buttony is a bear that we have adapted to have a stoma and pouch and the bears are donated to children undergoing bowel surgery throughout the UK. Buttony gives the child a ‘friend like them’. The bears are donated direct to families through our Buttony Bears Facebook page or through a network of paediatric stoma nurses.

Over the past 14 months just over 700 bears have been dispatched. We decided to launch the Buttony Guardian Awards this summer. They have been awarded to Buttony friends who have supported the Project, some by helping raise the profile and some by fundraising to ensure others receive a bear in their time of need. These young people have inspired and motivated us.

We are sure you’ll agree that getting people to start talking about bowels can only be a good thing. We thought you might like to read about our prize winners: Alex Alex has been a regular on our page for over a year. He and his Buttony friend are rarely parted.

We have all become incredibly fond of Alex’s regular posts and his cheeky face. He is always smiling and has educated people from all walks of life on what Buttony is all about.

Keira, on receiving her Buttony, sold some of her other teddies to raise enough to sponsor a bear for another child.

Although not always keeping well herself, she is always thinking of others. On World IBD Day she raised money which she shared

between Crohns & Colitis UK and Buttony, sponsoring another ten Bears!

Keira said “Buttony has become a big part of my life and always gets a lot of attention where ever we go.

She has been a big support to me and keeps me happy every day.

She has also helped my friends Keira understand all about my surgery.”

James received a Buttony and decided he wanted to raise money so that others would get a bear too. He set his target at £100 which would pay for five bears and with the help of his family set about fundraising.

James featured in his local paper and raised the profile of the project James wherever he could, ultimately raising enough for another 60 children to receive their own Buttony friend. An amazingly kind and generous young man.

Beth has been a regular on our page since the project started. It’s always great to see what she is up to with her lovely family. We

- by Jenny Gow

were fortunate to meet Beth in April and her infectious laugh was a pleasure to hear.

Beth said “Buttony goes on all my adventures and is my Best Friend.

She has helped the children at school to understand Beth all about poo issues and now they understand all about ileostomy and mitrofanoffs!

Beth’s Mum said “A very happy girl who tells me she is honoured to become a Buttony Guardian. There’s been happy tears!

If you would like to know more about the project please contact Jenny Gow or Lynn Park.

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Please see our menu on Facebook and our website.

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION

25

– Road Closures in Ballater Area

BALLATER Sunday 18 September sees the return of The Quilter Cheviot Etape Royale, a closed road 100 mile circular cycling event which raises money for local initiatives and national charities. The event hub is in Ballater with shorter routes starting in Rhynie and Dufftown.

The Royal Deeside Cycling Festival welcomes visitors to Ballater over the whole weekend 16-18 September and a festival programme and plan of temporary road restrictions in Ballater can be found on www.etaperoyale.com .

We appreciate that road closures are incon-

venient to residents and the event has been planned to cause the minimum of disruption. Details of closure times local to Ballater are included below.

Emergency Response will be the priority at all times and additional resources are being brought in by organiser, WildFox Events on the day.

It is vital for everyone’s safety that the route must remain free of all vehicles (except emergency vehicles and route management vehicles) during the restrictions and moving livestock is also prohibited.

Spectators are welcome but anyone walking on the route does so at their own risk as the cyclists will be passing at speed so please take extra care.

Full details can be found on http://www.etaperoyale.com/event-info/local-community including “Etape Royale - Frequently Asked Questions”.

Road Closures relative to Ballater and the immediate area No.

Section Start

Roads Impacted

Section End

1

Ballater

A93 and Ballater Centre

Junction B972 Pass of Ballater & A93

2 3 4 14 15 16

A93 B9119 Junction Milton of Logie Tomintoul Colnabaichin Gairnshiel Lodge

B972 & A93 B9119 B9119 A939 A939 A939, A93 & B972

B9119 Junction Milton of Logie Tarland Colnabaichin Gairnshiel Lodge B972 Pass of Ballater East end

17

B972 Pass of Ballater East end

A93 and Ballater Centre

Ballater Centre

Section Road Road Length Closes Reopens (miles) 1.2

0525

0720

4.8 3.6 2.4 11.6 6.0 7.0

0530 0545 0555 0827 0915 0935

0745 0800 0810 1350 1415 1450

1.7

0955

1530

26

Ballater Highland Games

We were again honoured to welcome Royal visitors, the Duke & Duchess of Rothesay, and trust they enjoyed being with us, as much as we enjoyed having them.

At their request, they met a group of Ballater people who had been badly affected by the December flooding.

The Lord – Lieutenant for Aberdeenshire and his wife, and the Aberdeenshire Provost and his wife were also welcome guests.

For outstanding services to Robert Lovie & Gordon Rattray, Games comperes Ballater Highland Games, the Duke made What a fabulous, full on day we had at the presentations, to one of our Piping Judges, 2016 Ballater Games, after initial concerns Norman Matheson, and to Honorary Leading with so much rain overnight and early on D r u m Games Day morning. We hope that you all, Major Ian together with our guests and visitors in our large E s s o n o f crowd of spectators, enjoyed the day and our B a l l a t e r seven pipe bands as much as we did. & District Pipe Band.

We were again honoured to welcome our Take-away Chief tain, Captain Renowned for our excellent food Alwyne and friendly family atmosphere Fa r q u h a r Extensive menu available at son, and his affordable prices party, for the Captain’s Open every day 68th year as Chieftain! He made a presentation 4.30-10pm til end Oct to our Honorary Vice President Francie Winter hours Tues-Sun 4.30-9pm Farquharson on his retirement from the Committee.

We also have to mention the visit of Miss Great Britain, Aberdeen, Ursula Carlton, a lovely and lively young lady who we are 2 Viewfield Road, Ballater (opposite Station Square) certain will win the Miss Great Britain title Tel: 013397 55119 in September, representing the north east of

Phoenix Chip Shop

by Ron Drever

Scotland.

Good luck Ursula!

The G a m e s website will soon be updated with all the Tr o p h y Winners and other information, as well as photographs of the Games, so Ian Hepburn don’t forget to look on: www.ballaterhighlandgames.com.

Lastly, and most importantly, many thanks to all our willing Helpers for their part in making the Games a success, which was vital to Ballater in this difficult year.

All photographs by Amy Muir, by kind permission of the Games Committee.

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Ballater Victoria Week 29

by Cat Houston Well that’s it over for another year and it’s fair to say a quackers time was had by many…

Pa r t i c u l a r highlights included the Vehicle Parade, which saw almost 100 vintage and interesting sets of wheels trundle down Bridge Street; two Duck Races, making use of both our lovely greens and a thankfully tamed River Dee; the Rufts D o g Show

which was very well attended by patrons of the two- and fourlegged kind; the BIG Ballater Quiz, which saw 13 teams battle it out in the Victoria Hall; and the Crerar Ceilidh was also popular and a fine end to the Highland Games for those that enjoyed it.

The weather was not always kind, but that did not stop numerous sporting, musical, foodie, crafty and outdoor events going ahead and people generally being amused. Sheila Sedgwick’s Ghost Tours were as popular as ever and the history

talks attracted a larger audience too. There were some cracking Scarecrows to be seen and the Lovie family’s Eddie the Eagle was a worthy winner.

New events such as the Weel Kirkit walking tour were swif t to get off the ground and will likely be repeated in and outside of BVW so more people can enjoy them. The Rio 2016 Onesie Party was perhaps less well attended due to the late hour, but brought with it the bonus of discovering that it is possible to show live TV events in the V&A Halls, which in itself can be built on for the future.

BVW 2016 was always going to be a slightly different beast, and the loss of the caravan statics families and the fact that many locals are still living out of their homes was at times keenly felt.

But, staying positive, the help we received, financial and in hard graft, from several quarters both in the lead-up to and during the week itself was simply out of this world and we are grateful to each and every one.

In particular we would like to thank Crerar Hotels and the Deeside Inn, The Ballater

30

Flood Fund, Stagecoach, Aboyne and Upper Deeside Rotary and Aberdeenshire Council for their assistance. Huge thanks also to Val Norton (who runs the box office and a whole lot else), Sue Cunningham (who successfully bullied hundreds of people into buying raffle tickets), Duck Tzar Bell Macaulay and BVW evangelist Nico McDuck.

Next we turn to deciding how to share out the cash raised during the week and the cheques will be distributed to various local groups, charities and organisations at our AGM, on a date yet to be set in October or early November. Look out for posters.

2017 marks the 30th anniversary of Ballater Victoria Week so we hope to make it a very special week (10 days!). If you have any ideas for new events or just want to join the fun and help make it happen, get in touch via 013397 55243, email info@ballatervictoriaweek. co.uk or find us on Facebook. And until next year, Be Amused. (all photos on previous, current and opposite pages courtesy of Victoria Week.)

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Ballater Royal Horticultural Society’s 140th Ex Although many residents suffered the loss of their gardens - some are still not b the flood last December - the Horticultural entries surpassed all expectation. En Produce Section were sparse but it was most encouraging to see winning exhibi which bodes well for the future. The Craft Section attracted a diverse range of tremely talented individuals including photographs, paintings, knitted, tapestry, slumped glass articles. For the first time in many years Best in Show went, not but to a beautifully crafted, exquisite book cover, made by Mary Wright. The C ages up to 16 attracted a wide variety of imaginative entries including stunning miniature gardens, eye catching models of animals from fruit and vegetables, str collages of favourite birds or animals. HRH Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay prize for our raffle; a Prince of Wales Country Hamper, which was won by loca yard. Thanks to all who participated in making the show such a success includi of raffle prizes and members of the Royal Guard who helped to set up and dism Major Dougie Watson of the Royal Guard and his wife Rachael kindly presen

Patron’s Quaich – Mary Wright, Cook Cup - Graeme Rose, Margaret Anderson Sandy Anderson Memorial Cup – Val Rae, Paget Memorial Trophy - Val Rae, W Baikie, Jock Gray Memorial Cup - Boe Walker, Copland Trophy - Ivy Duncan Marcus Humphrey, Captain Frai Silver Trophy - Marcus Humphrey, Manse Cup Trophy - Graeme Rose, Cassie Trophy - Jane Oliver, Donald Coutts Cup - Grae – Belinda Rowlands, Ann Mortimer Cup – Mary Wright, TSB Cup – Hilary Mutch Fraser, Deeside Hotel Cup – Mary Wright, Abergairn Trophy – Julie Jarvis, Cla Lanigan, Peter Appleyard Trophy – Poppy and Amelia Fraser, Banksian Medal Voucher - Alex Melvin, £5 Garden Voucher - Graeme Rose.

140th Exhibition & Flower Show e are still not back in their homes after expectation. Entries in the Home winning exhibits from younger members iverse range of exhibits by some exnitted, tapestry, felt and embroidered and how went, not to a Horticultural exhibit, Wright. The Children’s Challenge for uding stunning papier mâché animals; d vegetables, striking bird feeders and uke of Rothesay kindly donated the first was won by local resident Jean Applesuccess including our sponsors, donors set up and dismantle the exhibit stands. el kindly presented the prizes to the talented prize winners:

garet Anderson Memorial Cup – Malcolm Jarvis, Murdoch Cup – Hugh Inkster, phy - Val Rae, Webster Cup – Hugh Inkster, Ballater Amenities Cup - George hy - Ivy Duncan, Glenmuick Cup – Alex Melvin, James Hay Memorial Cup hrey, Manse Cup – Graeme Rose, Monaltrie Trophy - Hugh Inkster, Society’s utts Cup - Graeme Rose, Allan Forbes Trophy - Graeme Rose, Butcher’s Cup p – Hilary Mutch, Green Inn Trophy – Sheena Fraser, Anderson Cup – Sheena Julie Jarvis, Claire Bruce Cup – Ranulph Whitehead, Dee Valley Cup – Erin anksian Medal - Graeme Rose, £10 Garden Voucher – Alex Melvin, £5 Garden

34

Busy Times at Crathie School

The School had a fun weekend at PGL Dalguise taking part in a wide range of outdoor activities.

With help from the Balmoral Rangers, the children ringed, weighed and measured the blue tit chicks that made their home in the school nest box.

The Gardening Girl is branching out

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35

It was a beautiful day for the Crathie School community street party to celebrate the Queen’s birthday in June. Children took part in a dressing-up parade.

- opposite page

Crathie toddlers have been carefully tending their vegetable patch in the school garden all summer.

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36 LAURIE & COMPANY SOLICITORS ● NOTARIES ● ESTATE AGENTS

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Steadfast, Resilient and Will-Yum 37

by Lorraine Barr

“Let’s plant some trees! How hard can that be?” This was my initial thought when I started this project. The concept was solid - the sponsoring of the trees went like a dream, even the buying and delivery of the trees went as per the planning.

Then came the planting...and my heroes.

Let me start at the beginning. When I first asked for sponsorship, after a few days the first set of trees went, the end of the first week came and 30 trees sponsored, I thought GREAT! That’s a good start. By the end of the second week nearly all the trees has been sponsored and I realised that this was something that the people of, and associated with Ballater really wanted. It only took 17 days for all the trees to be sponsored!!

McLaren’s Nursery in Barrhead was my next port of call, as recommended by the Balmoral Estate. Yes, they could supply all the trees and were amazing with customer care. On exactly the date agreed, the trees arrived. They looked fantastic - they weren’t little saplings but well matured young trees, some in excess of 15 feet.

Our garden looked like a forest! If only we could have kept them all there.

We waited in anticipation for the planting day to arrive. Negotiations had been made for the fence and ground to be cleared and Dave and I went out with our trusty sticks to mark out the positioning of the trees. To our dismay the ground was not cleared and the fence was not erected. Oh well! We thought maybe we can just plant the first batch and the remaining ground will be cleared and the fence will start. So we crawled up and down the slope marking out the first ten trees.

The 11th July dawned and we jumped up, excited about getting the first set of trees planted.

Trailer at the ready... but the heavens could not hold on any longer to the downpour. Undeterred, we went out to the site. Our “Knight of the Tree Realm” - David, on his sturdy charger aptly named JCB, - was readily awaiting his instructions. But uh-oh! No nice clear ground or fence.

Two extremely excited ladies arrived to see their trees planted, so we just had to go ahead. Our Knight began to dig in the holes. Meanwhile Willyum “The Hopeful” and Dave tried to keep all present warm and dry while the relentless rain fell!

Will-yum “The Hopeful” sang songs and entertained us with jokes until ground was cleared and holes dug!! Yipee! Dave and “The Hopeful” gently placed each tree in the selected position. Thank goodness there were only 10 of them, but on these two brave men went clearing the remaining area we needed, cutting away the broom with “loupers” (shears). The term “drowned rat” had nothing on these two.

The ladies’ trees were given a little bit extra encouragement to grow by “The Hopeful”. He said the “UISGE-BEATHA” would work a treat! Oh how we mocked him... we were very wrong to do so!

Feeling very pleased with ourselves, we left the site and planned to return in two days with the next set of trees. Wednesday dawned and the

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sun was shining! Amazing, - at least we will not get soaked. Off we went with our next 10 trees. But disaster had struck in the form of highland cows and deer. With no fence in place, the cows used two of our trees as scratching boards and snapped them in half and the remaining trees had created an excellent meal for the deer. The air was very blue as I approached the site and a few tears were shed – but thank goodness for “The Hopeful”. Once my tantrum was over, he became my rock who kept me sane with his calming thoughts and silly jokes. Planting was postponed - we could not afford to lose any more trees.

Enter another hero Bob “The Builder” of the magnificent fence.

Two days he said it would take him and two days it did! What a fence - no more opportunities for those pesky cows or deer! Even the rabbits would be kept out.

With ground cleared and a sturdy fence, planting could resume. Dave and “The Hopeful” were sure that they would finish on the scheduled day - 29th July. On the second day of planting these two heroes had put 53 trees into the ground.

A new hero had joined them, but Jack wanted

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to know which tree was named Jill as he had to continually go up and down the hill with buckets but not filled with water!

On our last day of planting and 27 trees to go, we were joined by our final hero, Aaron aka

Elvis, who lovingly tended the trees as he helped place them in their special positions. All during this time, Tam the “dug” kept us going with his constant encouragement.

It was with a great sense of pride that we looked back at the 89 trees and finally placed Her Majesty’s tree in the ground. We toasted her continued good health and a job well done!

All that remains is for the trees to be watered to keep them healthy until the autumn showers arrive! Our Knight came to the rescue yet again and helped deliver a ton of water so that each tree could be soaked until they were able to feed from the ground. Keeping it in the family, we enlisted the help of our daughter in law and grandson.

Over the last week or so, it would appear that the autumn showers have come early!

Oh, remember the “UISGE-BEATHA” and the first set of trees? Well thank goodness for it! As those trees are coming back to life with new leaves. Was it the water of life or just Will-yum “The Hopeful” and his magic hands?

39

Cairngorms National Park

by Grant Moir, CEO

Big Park, Big Questions The Cairngorms National Park is an incredible place and whether it’s sitting at the side of Loch Muick, walking in the high hills or fishing on the River Dee, it is a place that enchants all who visit. It is also a place with some great statistics, with the Park being home to 25% of the UK’s threatened bird, animal and plant species and 49% designated as being of European importance – more than any other part of Scotland. It is also visited by around 1.7 million people each year and 18,000 people live and work in the area.

I mentioned last time that we would be consulting on the next Cairngorms National Park Partnership Plan (NPPP) this summer. Well that process is now well underway and people are really engaging with Big Park Big Questions.

The nine key issues identified to help focus the consultation are: Landscape Scale Conservation Deer and Moorland Management Flood Management Visitor Infrastructure & Information Active Cairngorms Learning & Inclusion Housing Community Capacity & Empowerment Economic Development.

A great deal of work has been done during the life of the current Park Plan, from woodland expansion and improving the access network, to the start of a GP Referral system for health walks.

However, there are still some big challenges, from delivering the right kind of housing to habitat enhancement and improving the visitor experience – all areas of work which impact upon each other.

This is a National Park and we want to encourage a conversation around the direction that the Park should take over the next five years and beyond, on these key issues. It is important that everyone with an interest in the Park responds to the consultation and thinks about how we tackle

these big questions.

I am at present reading an anthology of Seton Gordon’s works on the Cairngorms. It is compiled by Hamish Brown and it is a beautiful read, capturing the real essence of this special place in his works from 1907 to 1971. I understand that park consultations are not written quite so beautifully, but people have always been passionate about this place and it is for us all to think about how we protect and enhance for future generations, the Park that has inspired so many people in the past.

Big Park Big Questions closes on 30 September. For more information or to get involved visit the CNPA website www.cairngorms.co.uk and keep up to date on Twitter via @cairngormsnews using #BigParkBigQuestions.

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Pottering About...

40

Well, there’s been much pottering about this summer, but much of it away from the village.

Although from what I could glean through facebook on a tablet – a technology I’ve still to get my head, and thumb, round - it seems that, despite the weather, Victoria Week and the Games were excellent as usual. Huge respect for all those who pump in the many community volunteering hours to make such events happen. Without folk giving up their time our village would be a far poorer place.

It has been heart-warming to see a goodly trickle of folk returning to their renovated homes.

It seems there are more residents and fewer white vans by the week. Neighbours who were originally told it was unlikely they’d be back within a year are now home. Sadly it will be many more weeks, maybe even months, before all are home. Whilst we rejoice in residents returning, spare a thought for those who are still juggling holiday lets, hotels and family spare rooms.

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My Mother-in-law is still missing her garden and kitchen, but I did collect loads of her raspberries and made my very first batch of raspberry jam. Of which I’m very proud, as it set and all!

I’ve also made a few batches of pink elderflower cordial for my Gineldas: gin, cordial, fizzy water with optional ice and slice. Yum. And since returning from holiday I have made another batch of raspberry jam seemingly as good as the first. I do enjoy utilising summer’s bounty.

On the cat front, Willow is on his summer holidays, wherever it is he spends them. We expect him to return a little thinner when the caravan site closes for the winter. We also still have my eldest’s cat, Boris, staying. There were a few awkward days after Brexit when I was loath to call him in!

Boris is a bit of a travelling cat, usually happy to be almost anywhere his main humans are. However, he went missing around Abergeldie, much to my eldest’s distress. She did all she could: spoke to neighbours, Cat Rescue and the Vets, put up posters, walked miles around the area calling for him. It was a very worrying time. He wasn’t used to being around that area or being away from his humans for so long. We’d just started to sadly reconcile ourselves to the probability he wouldn’t return, when, in the early hours of a morning, my eldest and friends were returning from a BBQ along the South Deeside Road. Suddenly the driver noticed shining eyes on a wall, reflecting the headlights. Hope against hope, they stopped and called him. It was Boris! A little thinner and bedraggled but an otherwise unscathed and alive cat. We wonder how many of his lives he used up on that adventure.

Some Humanist colleagues and I met up for a camping trip on the other side of the Cairngorms.

It was a blast. A friend volunteers for Speysound Radio and does a weekly show “Out and About”, so some of us popped into the studio to record a show with him. It was great fun yet mightily disconcerting when I heard the programme. That surely can’t be my voice? I don’t really sound like

by Stella Potter

41

that do I? Handily, in a recent edition of “New Scientist” the reason was explained. As we talk, we hear our voices resonating in our skulls which is a wholly different sound to the sound waves travelling through air. Understanding why was useful but it still didn’t stop me from feeling weird about how I sound. I comfort myself in the thought that it’s probably a jolly good job I don’t sing.

A few weeks later my presenter friend visited and he recorded we Potters talking about our experience of the floods for another edition of “Out and About”. The terms of their licence means one can only listen when programmes are broadcast, and it can be listened to on any internet connected Golden Waterfall

Scotland or Iceland? device. When that edition goes

transport, taking the easiest but most expensive route of BA from Aberdeen. A few days before the flood my youngest, who is a veritable ticket ferret, assured me she could organise our trip for far less money. We’d decided to go to Iceland en route and I’d assumed we’d go from Aberdeen on the newly direct flights, but again this was very pricy.

However, she found us flights from the Central Belt to Iceland (less than £40 each); Icelandic Air to New York and an interesting return flight from Toronto via Halifax, Nova Scotia. I learnt

on air I’ll pop a notice in the library and on the Ballater Community facebook page. Just as I was finishing    this column Ian told me that   Bell Macaulay has become a  presenter on Cairngorms Com  munity Radio – see page 52.     I’ll look into some co-operation    both sides of the Cairngorms.     Probably best of all, my    daughters and I embarked on a  great trip. Every few years we cross the Atlantic to visit my US brother and his family and    this year was the one. I had al  ways booked –and paid for- our    

42

much from the travelling. My youngest travels as much as she can and has everything off to a fine art. I was very impressed. We took large bottles of water, finished them before security and refilled them on the other side. She knew where there were water bottle refill places and it saved the extortionate cost, and waste of resources, of buying water on flights when it’s so important to keep hydrated.

Steaming Landscape

Iceland, despite being expensive, was a wonderful place to visit. Not having much time there we booked a coach trip around many of the wonderful sights. It’s such a clearly new landscape, the steam rising from the ground giving it a rather alien quality. Iceland is fully self-sufficient for power by utilising the abundant hot water, which also enables people to swim in naturally warm pools all year round. As well as the eerily steaming landscape, we visited a very impressive family farm which produced tomatoes and cucumbers all year round utilising the free power source. We saw geysers; a huge glacier; magnificent waterfalls and the clear remains of the American and Asian continental plates which are still moving away from each-other at a few cm annually. This

was also the area of the original Icelandic Parliament, when their culture was verbal and they had a “Law Speaker ”.

Fascinating stuff.

The American Plate We then headed to warmer climes and spent a magnificent 10 days with family in Thousand Islands, mucking about in, on and by the St. Lawrence. My grin was hugest when I gently lowered myself into a kayak for the first time in 4 years. I spent many happy hours touring a few of the islands with my eldest patiently paddling beside me at Mum pace. Yet again I contemplated taking up kayaking here but the Dee is jolly cold. Think I’d need a little more than shorts and T-shirt, even in the summer. Oh well, I’ll potter about paddling again next time we go…

Whatever you did this summer I hope you enjoyed it with good health and good heart. Let’s hope for a gentle autumn, and, if we must have challenging winter weather to come, may it be of the cold white stuff we know how to cope with.

Happy Kayaking

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44

Bureaucracy v Local Knowledge

Reading through my past contributions to this community magazine I find that in No. 79 autumn 2015, I wrote about ‘a Lost Station’.

In that article, I referred to the burnt railway station, ending: “With a fair wind and the best will in the world, I doubt if it can be restored before the 2017 tourist season”.

Further misfortunes have hit Ballater since then. The 30th December flood changed our world in so many ways. But the sad fact remains that it is increasingly doubtful if the Royal Station will be up and running for the 2019 season.

What has so hindered this rebuild project? I was led to understand last June that Aberdeenshire Council had, unusually, full insurance in place for the station, and, after its last refit in the early 2000s, all the structural

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drawings were available. So, why is the windtorn tent the only obvious signs of progress after 15 months?

There has been great debate, and we have been invited to select photos, that have been expensively reproduced to be hung on the barrier fence. Now we hear that the station we knew, and visitors loved, will need a planning process and the interior will be changed beyond belief.

I will not list all the proposals - my objection to those will go to the planners, but, the most ridiculous proposal of all is to re-home the ancient carved stones of Tullich in the station!!!

What can I say? Who thinks these things up? And, at what cost?

My article in the Ballater Eagle No. 71 autumn 2013 described the stones, and by virtue of the recent archaeological dig, gave the most recent information of what is a unique and important site. The old people selected the Tullich site for their settlement and place of worship, and the evidence of the pagan carved stone shows that the later Christian church simply annexed a special place that had attracted Deesiders for a very long time.

The carved stones belong at Tullich.!!

An eminent archaeologist, Professor Richard Bradley of Reading University, once told me ‘Never underestimate early man, they had as much reasoning powers as we have today’.

I have never forgotten that great truth and it makes me think that early man built their settlement at Tullich, high on a hard hill, rather than at Ballater, where we are on our fourth bridge in two hundred years. Early man would have seen where the low ground flooded and built their holy places and homes on safe ground.

Ballater Films

45

by Cat Houston

is free though donations to Ballater Films are welcome. Free refreshments also.

The rest of the Autumn/Winter season is a bit of a blank page at the moment, but possible films include The BFG, Bridget Jones’ Baby and Pete’s Dragon. What do you fancy?

If time allows we will also endeavour to throw in a Film Quiz at some point between now and Christmas – look out for posters and details on Facebook or our website www.ballaterfilms.co.uk – most likely at the Deeside Inn. If you have any ideas for Battle Mountain - on show on September 17 movies you would like to see or Following a relatively quiet summer (circumstances and other commitments meant other events, don’t hesitate to no movies in June or July), Ballater Films came get in touch. back with a bang in August with a double bill for Ballater Victoria Week comprising the feelgood fun of Eddie the Eagle and retro remake Dad’s Army.

By the time Eagle 83 is launched on our streets mid-September, we will be gearing up for a special event to welcome Etape Royale to the village once again. Battle Mountain, Graeme Obree’s inspiring story, will be showing in Finest Chinese, Peking, Thai the Mike Sheridan Room, V&A Halls, at & Cantonese Cuisine 4.30pm on Saturday September 17th. Entry

Shanghai Takeaway

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013397 55666 Telephone Orders Welcome Opening Hours: Open 7 days a week Sunday to Thursday : 4pm – 11pm Friday & Saturday : 4pm – 11.30pm The BFG - a good choice for Ballater Films?

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46

CNPA Information

by Katrina A. Farquhar

A Gaelic course is to be run in Ballater by renowned Gaelic Expert and nature enthusiast Roddy MacLean. A half-day session will look at Gaelic names for familiar Cairngorms species and habitats. It will show how they can bring to life our understanding of the natural and cultural heritage of the area and how it has changed over the years. Scots language heritage will also feature. Simple exercises and hands on work with maps will have you engrossed.

The course will run on Wednesday 28 September from 10am until 1pm at the Glen Lui Hotel in Ballater. It is free of charge but you must book by emailing adminoffice@

FREEPOST NAT 21454, Grantown on Spey.

Remember the Cairngorms Scenic Photo Posts http://cairngorms.co.uk/photo-posts/ and

cairngorms.co.uk

Ensure you have your say for the next Cairngorms National Park Partnership Plan 2017-2022. View the draft plan at www. cairngorms.co.uk or at local libraries or CNPA office. Respond to it at www.cairngorms.co.uk or planning@cairngorms.co.uk or CNPA,

you can contribute to the visual record. You may want to collect all 14. The website gives you details of each post and how to get to them, as some are quite a walk. Photo above from the Burn O Vat post.

Pannanich Group Fuel Oil Club 47

by John Burrows, Co-ordinator

You may recall we discussed this subject in the Eagle to make the community aware of the club and since that article the membership has grown to 180 with our orders in the current year to date exceeding our 2015 total.

However I feel that readers of the Eagle are still not aware of the benefits nor are they aware that this is not an exclusive club for an elite few but for all in the village.

So if you only order 500L a year you are more than welcome as the many small orders assist the few larger orders each month to ensure we maintain a low cost for all.

The following Q&A should answer some of your questions Q: Does it cost me anything to join?

A: NO, the club is a not for profit group and all savings are passed on to the membership at time of order.

Q: If I join am I tied into a contract that I can’t get out of?

A: NO, if at any time you want to leave the group that’s what you do and no recriminations.

Q: How often do I have to order?

A: You order as frequently as you need. There are no minimum or maximum times you have to order. However each order has to exceed 500L as the vehicles are not calibrated below this amount and as such the delivery would be illegal.

Q: How do I place my order?

A: Twice a year, you are given the schedule of monthly delivery dates. Then, each month, you’re notified that an order is building for a specific delivery date. You then advise us of your need or disregard if you don’t need oil.

Q: How do I know my order is scheduled?

A: On receipt of your request an email is sent to confirm all your order details, asking that you check and correct any errors. Telephone orders are confirmed immediately at time of call.

Q: I am not on email, so does that mean I cannot join?

A: Everyone can join and whilst it is easier to manage email orders, we do hold a number of members on a telephone contact line. It is important that your phone has the ability to capture messages when you are not available.

Q: Can I use the club as a price comparison to get a better price elsewhere?

A: NO, this is a community service. Why would you want to take advantage of village members?! The Oil club consistently betters the market by up to 6p a litre and we don’t add a management fee to cover expenses.

So no catch, you win and just as important, the community wins as for every litre purchased the village gets back 1p for Community usage.

You know it makes sense, so either email me at johnburrows1@btinternet.com or give me a call on 013397 53244.

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48

“Will Ye Tak A Dram?”

Good whisky is fairly dear today and usually taken in tots but in mid 18th century on Deeside when brewing of ale had been given up and Continental wine had heavy duties imposed, whisky was the principal drink of the area. Then came government interference. Parliament, seeking more revenue, passed Acts imposing licences on the growing distillery industry. The small distilleries were no longer profitable. Government harsh regulation meant that distilling had to go underground – often literally.

The Old Statistical Account of Scotland, published in 1796 said “Distilling is the only method of converting our barley into cash to pay for the rent.” (Probably not entirely true of Deeside, where lairds were often paid in kind.)

Glen Girnoc, where the folk had always been fond of their drink and very resentful of interference, took measures to ensure that a supply of their favourite drink was available, for consumption locally or for sale.

Remote, difficult of access, with a plenti-

Jewellery & Gifts

ful supply of water and many “hidden” places Glen Girnoc was “par excellence” the place for distilling whisky. I know of a number of sites in the Glen used for producing “uisge beatha”.

“Bothies“ had to be well-hidden and were often in caves or “dug-outs”.

Production was somewhat primitive because work was carried out in damp and half-hidden locations. The “Smugglers” as they were called were skilled at the job. They steeped their barley in water from the Girnoc and spread it out to germinate, turning it every 24 hours. Then it was taken to a peat-fired kiln to dry- hence producing the peaty taste still popular today. The “mash” was boiled for two or three hours over a peat fire then drained. The process was repeated. When fermentation ceased distilling took place. The hot vapour went through a “Worm”- a coiled copper pipe, and it condensed into a liquid.

The “Worm” was the most important part of the process and became worn out. A new one was expensive but was vital to the production process.

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by Sheila Sedgwick Girnoc folk solved the problem very effectively.

All equipment except the worm was removed and carefully hidden. The worm was then moved to another location in a more accessible place. The nearest Excise Officer was then informed that a Worm had been found, in a fairly open part of the Glen. A reward of £5 was claimed and the £5 bought a new Worm. Another still was set up.

Excise Men were always on the prowl but there were many ways of hiding a bothy. Look-outs were always posted and when Excise Men came to stay in the Girnoc Schoolhouse on the main road, regarded as an “official” building, pupils were usually able to inform their parents in the Glen and appropriate hiding measures were taken.

Girnoc folk – and the Glen was highly populated – used various devices to hide the precious liquid from unwanted and unexpected search by Excise Men. Only a few can be authenticated. At Camlet an old man was disguised as a corpse, laid out on the kitchen table and covered by a sheet.

By his side, under the cover, were casks of whisky.

49

No one, not even Excise Men, would interfere with a corpse! Grandmother’s voluminous skirt was spread out as she warmed herself in front of the fire and that made an excellent hiding place for casks.

On one occasion the Excise Men were successful in capturing a haul of large casks of the Girnoc Brew at Loinveag and for safety, before removal to Aberdeen the next day, they took it to the mill at the foot of the Glen. It was in the “loft” and as all access was bolted and barred, it was considered safe until officials arrived in the morning. During the night the locals broke into the mill and cut a hole in the loft floor, so enabling them to drop the precious casks, secured by ropes, to their lower level floor. Nothing is known of the reaction of the Excise Men when they arrived in the morning!

Surplus whisky – if available – could be carted on pony-back and sold in Aberdeen where there was a ready market.

Eventually illicit distilling ceased. Some “Smugglers” became legitimate with government licences as at “Lochnagar” but that is another story!

by Bell Macaulay

There is light at the end of the tunnel! The village is gradually coming back to life with businesses working hard to present a recovering, cheerful face to the world, the floral displays and tubs making wonderful splashes of colour along Bridge Street and around Station Square. Of course many residents are still waiting to get back home, and undoubtedly there is a real sense of unease until plans for protecting the village are produced.

Some comfort should be derived from the fact that a team of local volunteers has worked together to produce community Resilience Plans for both Ballater and Crathie. At the heart of these plans are Victoria and Albert Halls – the designated Emergency Rest Centre for the village and surrounding area.

The finalised plans will be presented to the community in due course by the Community Resilience Team led by John Bolton, with Mike Forbes providing professional expertise.

Volunteers are sought to cover many roles in the event of an emergency, and if you are able to help, information can be obtained from John at Johnboltonesq@me.com Halls Charges An updated list of Halls Charges has been drawn up – most community groups will see

little difference, but it lays out a fair pattern of charging for commercial use, and recognises the different timings available. These charges will come into effect from 1 January 2017. Copies have been circulated round user groups, and are displayed on each notice-board.

We have a rolling programme of events coming up, but unless these have the support of the community they cannot continue. Are we not providing the types of entertainment which the community wants? We need fresh eyes to move our programme of events and publicity forward... are you that person? At the moment, we have the Glasgow School of Art Choir, and ceilidhs, rounding off the year with a Hogmanay party with Totico – tickets on sale now! WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE? Maintenance & Refurbishment Trustees have an ongoing programme of maintenance to manage and to pay for – an onerous task in an old building. In addition, if the community wishes to see the next phase of refurbishment commence, there will need to be some serious community support for fundraising.

On the point about fundraising, members of Aberdeen Bike Night recently handed over to the

Halls a cheque for £732.95 following a sponsored walk to raise funds for the halls roof repairs – see photograph. ABN are a non-profit charity raising funds for small Scottish-based charities. Some of their members participated in the Victoria Week Vehicle Parade with some magnificent customised motorcycles.

HANDY NUMBERS Bell Macaulay – 013397 55745 Gordon Riddler – 013397 55308 Karen Forsyth – 07921 460368 Website, Information & Bookings

Please don’t forget to complete a booking form if you wish to use the halls. Check what is available on www.victoriaandalberthalls.co.uk. and look in the calendar. We are certainly getting busier!

Membership We need your support – it costs nothing, but demonstrates that the Halls play an important

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51

part in community life.

For further information or to obtain Membership Registration Forms, call/leave message for Janet Riddler at 013397 55308 or email: membership@victoriaandalberthalls.co.uk

Keeping the Halls in Good Order

Frances has left us to work at Wilkies, but Karen continues to do an excellent job, and the Halls look and smell clean and shining! Please help by leaving rooms as you find them.

Trustee Dr Doug Glass has responsibility for maintenance issues. Don’t forget we rely on users to tell us when problems arise - please record in the diary which is kept on the windowsill in the Mike Sheridan Room store. You can also email Doug on douglas.glass@nhs.net.

FINALLY! Autumn is with us, and we are glad to welcome back all our regular groups, as well as some new ones – we hope you continue to enjoy using the Halls!

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52 Cairngorms Community Radio Ballater’s own Bell Macaulay has taken on a new role within the community. Bell has become a presenter on Cairngorms Community Radio, introducing news and views from Ballater and Upper Deeside area, interspersed with conversations and the best of music by local musicians. Her co-presenter is Fred Gordon covering the Donside area, with Jessica MacIntosh providing reports from Braemar.

This is a new venture, based in Ballater, and supported by Scots Radio - www.scotsradio.com. The pilot project will be managed by well-known broadcaster Frieda Morrison through her company, Birseland Media. Frieda has offered to provide a recording room and equipment to facilitate production of some pilot programmes, but the programme aims to have its own equipment and facilities in due course.

Frieda is an award-winning broadcaster with over 30 years experience with BBC Scotland, and will be providing mentoring and training for the volunteer reporters.

Episodes of the programme will be available on a monthly basis on your computer at http:// www.cairngormscommunityradio.com.

Go on, have a listen to episode 1 and make sure that you watch out for episode 2 in early September. Meanwhile, volunteers are needed - contact info@cairngormscommunityradio.com for further information.

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WFS Would Welcome Grant Application 53

The Women’s Fund for Scotland (WFS) has re-opened for grant applications with a deadline of September 28. The WFS are keen to identify community groups located in Ballater that empower women and girls to reach their full potential. The WFS is on a mission to make a difference not just to individuals, but their families and the needs of the community.

The Women’s Fund for Scotland tackles inequality by funding projects that meet at least one of four investment themes; build skills and confidence; improve health and well-being; build social networks and allow women to move on from violence. Local groups meeting the WFS criteria can apply to the small grants programme, which distributes grants of £500 to £2000, or the multi-year large grants programme – up to £30,000 over 3 years. It has also removed the cap of £250,000 on annual turnover to allow charities and community groups of any size to apply.

Shona Blakeley, Development Manager, WFS makes clear, “In this second round of grant applications we are particularly interested in small community groups based in Ballater, who haven’t applied before, as well as continuing to support organisations we know are having a major impact in addressing the many challenges facing women today.

“We are keen to hear from Ballater community groups as there has been a lack of grant applications from the area. There are numerous community groups across the country carrying out inspirational work and we are on a mission to support as many as possible and make a difference to the women in Scotland.”

The WFS aims to identify communitybased groups who might otherwise fall below the radar or lack confidence to apply. Often the Women’s Fund is the sole supporter of groups and the Fund enables the groups to develop their ability to then approach other funders.

The Fund is a constituent Fund of Foundation Scotland and benefits from the Foundation’s robust governance, infrastructure and grant making expertise to ensure that funding gets to grass roots community organisations where it can achieve lasting impact.

Applications can be made using a simple online process on the Foundation Scotland website - don’t forget the deadline of 28 September.

More detailed information for applicants is available on the Women’s Fund page on the Foundation’s website www.foundationscotland. org.uk/programmes/womens-fund-for-scotland/.

BW

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Braemar Creative Arts Festival

19 - 23 October...don’t miss it!

coiling and beginners’ water colours. Back by popular request are a whole range of workshops from samba drumming to ukulele, mosaics to ceramics, photography to pastels, creative writing to drama, cookery to singing. There is literally something to interest everyone and it’s all

The festival in Braemar is now in its fifth year bringing to our rural area a wealth of talent from the world of arts and crafts, music, literature and drama. It takes place between Wednesday 19 October and Sunday 23 in various venues in the village of Braemar with a fantastic programme of daily workshops and evening events for all ages.

New in this year’s workshop programme are Celtic harmonica for beginners, paper sculpture (with a special ‘junior’ session), cordage and

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happening right on your doorstop with brilliant tutors drawn from near and far.

Running alongside the classes there is a line up of ‘fringe events’. You can take the kids on the ‘Finding Nemo’ knitted trail or venture forth on a torchlight treasure hunt. Alternatively put together a team for the ‘creative pub quiz’ or come and participate in the musical ‘sessions night’.

An Art Exhibition runs in Braemar Gallery all week and the festival culminates in an arts and crafts market in Braemar village hall on Sunday (running from 1200hrs – 1600hrs). The full programme and booking can be viewed online at www.braemarcreativearts.co.uk. For more information, or to request a colour brochure of events please call 01339 741225.

Do you and some friends have an idea for a group but don’t know where to start?

Are you a local community group needing help with starting up or re-organising?

Is your group a free member of Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action receiving funding updates, training, get-togethers with other groups, monthly newsletters, promotion of your events and tips and support on attracting new volunteers?

Do you need help with funding a project or buying equipment for your group?

Are you needing more volunteers to help with the day to day running of your group?

I can help.

Contact me, Aileen Longino your local Development Officer at Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action, by email on Aileen.Longino@avashire.gov.uk, phone on 07824 096531, www.avashire.org.uk.

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A Walk in the Park

As a Board member of the Cairngorms National Park Authority, I also sit on the planning committee, current convenor of which is Eleanor Mackintosh from Glenlivet. Since joining the board, we have had various discussions and possibly even some heated debates around hill tracks, their uses and how they are constructed.

Some cause immense scars on hills and some you can hardly see. There is a view that they provide useful paths for walkers and cycling but there is general concern about the spread of tracks and the way they have been built and maintained.

There have been campaigns over the years for better legislation and last year there was a change in Scottish Planning policy with the introduction of a “prior notification” to planning authorities for any works to be carried out on existing tracks. This tightening of the rules has generally been welcomed and the majority of landowners have worked well with the planning authority to implement the changes. When Invercauld Estate recently lodged a number of prior notifications, it intrigued me, as the roads mentioned were all relatively near to where I have spent most of my life and some I had never heard of and certainly never walked up. Thus the next Eagle story was identified!

I drove up the Glen Gairn road from Ballater, past Torbeg and just before you come to the small bridge where the Milton Burn runs under the road, there is a gate at the left. There is room to park carefully and not block the gate.

If however you don’t want to be quite so close turn around and drive back towards Ballater and there are two large lay-bys on the left hand side of the road. Once parked safely, you go through the gate ensuring you close it behind you. Across the road at the other side of the Gairn is Balno down on the riverside which interestingly, means New Farmtown! I think it has been a while since we have had a new farm in this area.

Off up the hill we go and the first part is relatively steep, climbing quite quickly but it is worth it. You soon get a fabulous view right up Gairnside and the surrounding hills. The climb is about fifteen minutes then it evens out onto a plateau and becomes easy walking. The view just gets better all the time. The name of this hill is Carn Dearg and means Red Hill. When I checked to find out what it meant, I was amazed at how many hills in the area and in the Cairngorms National Park are actually called Carn Dearg. There are 12 in Upper Deeside. As you continue walking, you see Mount Keen directly in front of you which is a very different view of it for me. The road turns gently round to the right and you can see down below the Dee and into Ballater, once again a fascinating different aspect.

Continuing on, you go downhill for a short bit and it is quite peaty and could be quite wet underfoot depending on the recent weather. The next bit is quite steep again and the rock is loose in bits but okay if you just take your time and that’s a good idea - saves the peching!!

by Katrina A. Farquhar There is a plantation on the left but it is below the height we are walking at, so doesn’t interrupt our view of the surrounding area. Lochnagar is magnificent in the distance and you can clearly see the rolling hills beyond. We then climb up and come to the end of the track that is currently used, but come onto an old track to your right and this takes us to the top of Carn Dearg and another flat expanse so the views go far and wide. Way below, but standing out like a beacon, is Abergeldie Castle. After the traumatic time at the end of December and beginning of January everyone will forever remember the press sitting waiting for the castle to fall into the Dee but thankfully this never happened. The extreme weather we experienced then has certainly exposed the castle for full viewing from all angles and this includes from the top of Carn Dearg. As it was an evening when I did the walk, I turned and went back down the same way, as I didn’t have time to go any further. However if you were feeling fit and

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adventurous, you can follow the old track onto Creag na Creiche, translating as rocky hill of aspen or of the shaking! This will eventually take you down to Braenaloin, where if there were a few of you, a car could be left earlier to return to the other vehicle left at Torbeg. However I went back the way I had come up and found a couple of bits quite steep so had to be very careful not to slip as the tracks are pretty rough, quite rocky and some great bits of white quartz. The walk takes about two hours.

The original reason for taking this walk was the prior notification to improve the hill track, which is very rough and rocky. In addition, the gradient in two places is pretty steep so it will be interesting to see how the work is carried out.

However, it is also a very positive sign that estates are working with the Cairngorms National Park to ensure they carry out the work so as not to spoil our area while also allowing them to run their business effectively.

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Pokémon Go Make sure you come back safely!

The craze for collecting virtual Pokémon characters via a phone app has delighted youngsters (and the young at heart) and mystified everyone else, as collectors track down the characters through the GPS feature in their phones.

But mountain safety experts have reminded fans that – though there are undoubted health benefits from getting outdoors and active – they need to be aware of where they are and how to get home again.

After discovering - purely in the course of research - that Pokémon Go characters can be found aplenty, even in the Cairngorm mountains, Heather Morning, Mountain Safety Adviser with the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, said: “From a mountain safety perspective there are clearly a few issues here.

It is not difficult to imagine a situation where a Pokémon Go gamer finds themselves lost and unable to find their way back to safety.

“It’s equally easy to see how someone could put themselves into danger focusing on their game rather than focusing on the ground in front of them.

“Another aspect of Pokémon Go is the game’s ability to eat your battery life. All the biggest battery-eating culprits are in action, and your screen is the biggest battery hog. On top of that, you will be using your camera, so that you can see the Pokémon in the real world. And to top it all off, the ever hungry GPS is a must to find the Pokémon in the first place. A classic combo for a dead phone very quickly.

“If your phone is your only tool for navigating your way out of wherever you have found yourself, then you are in for trouble.”

Having spent a day wandering the hills with one eye on the phone, Heather admitted: “It’s a fun game, and it does encourage folk to get out and about and enjoy the great outdoors with all the health benefits that brings.

“However, gamers need to be aware if they are playing in an area that they are not familiar with – particularly in the mountains – that they should very much stay ‘switched on’ to where they are and how to get themselves home safely.”

Now open at 46 Bridge Street, Ballater Supplier of shooting & fishing accessories and clothing 07796917437

Every Little Really Does Help for Ballater by Richard Watts Plans by Ballater Business Association (BBA) to boost the profile of Upper Deeside around the world have received support that proves “Every Little Helps”.

Lang Stracht Tesco Manager Fraser Wenseth has delivered support for BBA marketing project funds with a cheque for £1,000.

The money is part of a larger sum that was raised by Tesco colleagues and customers in stores across Aberdeen City and Shire following Storm Frank.

Much of the funds have already been distributed to local community projects and individuals who were in real need, and Fraser decided to donate the money to this project, after discussing it with local Councillor Geva Blackett.

The BBA decided that a fresh approach to marketing Upper Deeside as a tourist destinaBy appointment to HM the Queen Purveyor of Meat and Poultry

59

tion was needed and set about finding funding and a PR/marketing company to help design and deliver the vision. Foundation Scotland has already awarded £5,000 to the project, and this donation, along with £2,000 of BBA funds means that the target figure of £12 – 14,000 is within reach.

A contract has been awarded to System2, based in Inverness, to spread the word around the world that Upper Deeside is a vibrant and exciting place to visit, with golf, fishing, cycling, culture, history, castles and royals, unique shops, talented artists, cafes and fine dining.

In fact, something for everyone.

Meanwhile, BBA members are reminded to maintain their membership with a view to supporting efforts to assist the community.

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Keeping Council ...with Geva Blackett

They say a week is a long time in politics.

Well that’s certainly been the case this summer… I feel quite dizzy trying to keep up with the mess we seem to be in.

A lot has been happening in Ballater too but in a much more positive fashion and it is wonderful to see so many businesses up and running – and the flower displays at the bottom end of Bridge Street are just fantastic; what a brilliant sight to welcome visitors into the village.

Discussions have taken place with business folk and the council about how we can brighten up the still empty shops, and council officials are costing up large photographs to put in the windows. It was very disappointing that the Coop had to be literally kicked into responding to concerns about their property in Bridge Street – having it up for sale was no excuse for allow-

ing it to deteriorate to such an extent and to the detriment of its neighbours. The great news is that it has been sold to Mark Cavanagh and he is keen to get things moving as soon as he can.

We have organized a meeting with the Co-op’s Area Manager to try and get the company to communicate more readily with the community and actually provide what we need, not just what they say we need. High on the agenda will be the location of the Post Office counter. I – and others – are just so frustrated that no one would listen to the simple request to move it to a more secluded area so that people had privacy when conducting transactions.

Where the Co-op has been so silly in ignoring this request is they of course have lost business as many people just won’t use it! Hopefully we can now come to a better understanding, one that works for the community.

Working with the Ballater Business Association, a PR/Marketing company called System2 (from Inverness) has been contracted to design and help deliver a strategy to get visitors into Ballater in particular, and Upper Deeside in general. Although not all of the funding is yet in place, we are 66% of the way there and hope to make a start very soon even if we do still have to find £4,000. This will put us on the front foot for the 2017 tourist season with some exciting proposals, and although this year has been a struggle for so many, there IS light at the end of the tunnel.

Sadly, there are still people waiting to get back into their houses but I have been informed that everyone should be back in council owned housing by Christmas.

The other ‘excitement’ we could have all done without was of course the closure of the Royal Mail sorting office in Netherley Place. The idea that a public carpark was a suitable place to sort ‘signed for’ mail

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they will be operating so that we can be satisfied our mail is secure and that our wonderful posties have somewhere warm and dry to start and finish their day!

I really enjoyed seeing so many of you at the Ballater Highland Games (and who would believe that Capt. Alwyne Farquharson is 97 years old – he is amazing and such a lovely, kind man) and then of course look forward to meeting more of you at the Etape Royal in September – but you know where I am if you need me….Cllr.g.blackett@aberdeenshire.gov.uk 013397 41541 – diverts to my mobile

I was absolutely delighted that the “Best of Marr in Inspiring Aberdeenshire” winners were Ballater Charitable Chiels. The Chiels are a voluntary group that fundraises in Ballater for a range of good causes such as renovation of a bothy, children’s playpark, firework display, Christmas lights. They came into their own during the recent flooding on Deeside when they assisted with the evacuation of residents from their flooded homes.

Aberdeenshire Ranger Events have been taking place all summer but there are still some to go and some very useful information in the leaflet. http://bit.ly/1VJc8D4 Remember if you have any road faults the free phone number is 0845 08 12 05 or text 07624 82 07 22. Online at http://www.aber-

Visit our Recycling and Waste Facebook page for service updates, helpful advice for reducing waste and to give us your comments or ask about services. www.facebook.com/Ab-

erdeenshireWaste

ROWAN JEWELLERY We would like to express our thanks to the Deeside community for its fantastic support.

We be open again for the The hope shop istonow dry and refurbishing summer season. work will commence shortly.

deenshire.gov.uk/roads/faults.asp

Waste now have various ways to contact them including Facebook!

Phone Wasteline: 03456 08 12 07 Email: waste@aberdeenshire.gov.uk or trade.waste@aberdeenshire.gov.uk Online: Complete the Contact Us form which you can find it at http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/ online/contact-us/recycling-and-waste-contactdetails/

Enquiries to 07725 222762

...and Katrina A. Farquhar

We would like to express our thanks to the Deeside community for its fantastic support.

We hope to be open again for the summer season.

ROWAN JEWELLERY

(confidential letters, foreign currency etc.) would be acceptable, really beggars belief and the fiasco that ensued had to be seen to be believed. The council is STILL waiting for the risk assessment and other paperwork they asked for – I think we can only assume they were never done or surely they would have been produced by now??? I have recently spoken to senior management at Stagecoach who confirm that their office in the new bus garage will be available for Royal Mail’s use.

I would hope that Royal Mail will then allow some of us to go and see the facilities in which

Enquiries to 07725 222762

Advertisers’ Index Alexandra Hotel Allan Milne Joiner Alpine Tree Care B.W. Book Keeping Ballater Farmers’ Market Brakeley Gift Room Brian Smith Funeral Services Ltd C.S.M. Aerials C.S.M. Handyman Cairngorm Crafts Carnelian Celicall Crafts Classic Abode Garden Services Cordiners D P Opticians Davidsons Chemists Deeside Tree Care Drummond Enterprises Edward J Emslie Flame Boiler Services Forbes Duguid Fraser & Mulligan Glenalmond Beauty Box Glen Lui Hotel H. M. Sheridan Ltd Highland Yurts Ian Rodger Architects

India On The Green

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Julian Barclay Keiller Brasserie Laurie & Company M. H. Jewellery & Gifts Marie Chapman McCue & Porter McKay & Innes Funeral Directors Morven Veterinary Centre Myriad Pro Phoenix Chip Shop Riverside Cottage Cafe Rowan Jewellery Roy Mitchell S.K Landscaping Services Shanghai Takeaway Speedwell Framing Stephen Clark (SRC) The Gardening Girl The Hair Loft The Lochnagar The MacNab The McEwan Gallery The Oven Valet Tornaveen Plumbing Total Building Services Tweedie Beasties Wee Jim Firewood/Landscapes

Extra copies of this issue of the Eagle are available, free of charge, in the Library, for those residents not currently residing in their own homes.

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Have you seen Ballater School’s bottle-top murals?

These imaginative depictions of flowers and the floods of last December were the idea of Mrs Strachan and were created by every P1-P7 child in school last term during the Activity Days. They are now displayed in the playground for all to see. The school hopes everyone will enjoy the pictures and will treat them carefully to look after them. A big thank you goes to Scott Thomson for the use of his drills and for fixing the boards to the walls.

The Ballater & Crathie Eagle is made possible by:

Advertising, Donations, Sponsorship, Fundraising, “Awards for All” Lottery funding, and Cairngorms Leader + European Funding.

Thank you to everyone who supports us.

We deliver FREE from Crathie to Cambus O’May. Thanks to Friends of the Eagle for delivering to some outlying areas.