The Ballater and Crathie Eagle - Issue 100 - Winter 2020

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inside: EAGLE

100

Hello and welcome to your new-look Eagle – a bumper 80-page publication to celebrate our 100th edition!

When the original team started the Eagle back in 1995, little could they have known how dear it would become to so many hearts and minds in the Ballater and Crathie area and far beyond.

Read all about it from p50 onwards...

Cover Design: Lizzie Scripps Eagle Graphic: Megan Smith Layout/Design: Cat Houston

Editorial Meet the Team!

Group News 100 Eagles Ballater School Crathie School History Governance Pottering About Church News Advertisers’ Index

4 5 9-39 40 50 56 59 64 74 76 78

News + Advertising Deadlines Spring – February 1 for early March publication Summer – May 1 for early June publication Autumn – August 1 for mid-September publication Winter – November 1 for early December publication

from the Editor: A warm welcome to the 100th issue of your own Community Magazine! Unfortunately in these challenging times we can only at this time celebrate our centenary in the magazine itself, as, after surviving our fires and our flood, we are now of course still involved in fighting the pestilence known as Covid-19.

For this special issue, we have Eagle recollections from three special people: Stella Potter who has been with the Eagle since the beginning, and has included some memories in her ‘Pottering About’; Sabine Muir who was the first Editor for four years, and was invited to give us some early recollections; and Ian Hay, another former Eagle Editor for 16 years, who was invited to give us his thoughts and memories.

Together their potted histories of the Eagle make for fascinating reading, and will bring back happy memories for many of us. I extend my thanks to them for their contributions, and also to the Eagle team for scouring old issues for interesting snippets.

Back in the present, as an antidote to the everyday disturbing news of the pandemic, perhaps we could enjoy looking ahead to the defeat of the virus, and possibly think of better and exciting times in Ballater. When I was looking through some old Eagle issues, I came across a post-2015 flood comment from Stella, which I have updated to: “when Covid-19 has been defeated, we surely need a street party celebrating life returning to these streets. And a village-wide one when the last of us is safe.” Why not?

Also, when I was looking through the old issues, I was reminded that, when the MUGA (Multi User Games Area) was built in Monaltrie Park, it was intended to arrange various events and competitions on the MUGA for schools and clubs in Upper Deeside.

Unfortunately this has never happened, but wouldn’t it be great if we could get that moving and organise a sports festival ready to celebrate the end of the pandemic? Any volunteers? I’d love to hear of any other ideas for more celebratory events.

From time to time in past issues I see there were letters to the editor from far flung places reached by the Eagle distribution. I’d like to particularly encourage any friends from afar to make contact, perhaps to let us in Ballater know how they have been coping, and how they might be looking forward to celebrating the end of the pandemic. Meantime here in Ballater we continue to help and look after each other.

Some community and social groups may not be able to meet, while others are meeting virtually, but our community spirit remains and cannot be defeated.

On behalf of the Eagle Team, may I wish you all a very happy Christmas, even if it can’t be a ‘normal’ one. I hope that you enjoy your read of this special Eagle; hope that you will shop locally to help all our local businesses; hope that by the time I write the editorial for our next issue the virus will be on its way to oblivion; and hope especially that you all keep safe and well meantime and in 2021.

Editor Ron

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meet the Team!

Ron Drever Stella Potter Elaine Adams Cat Houston Editor (in Chief!)

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Bill Braid

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Library

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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 to ‘Ballater Eagle’ for the relevant amount and drop off your request to the mailbox in the Albert Hall, Ballater, or send to Ballater Eagle, c/o V&A Halls, Station Square, Ballater, AB35 5QB Alternatively, email eagleballater@gmail. com for electronic ways to pay.

Avril, our Subscriptions Secretary, will do the rest. Easy! For the rates below, four issues will be posted.

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loch muick best community magazineBallater and Crathie You can subscribe to the Eagle Craigendarroch and never miss a copy? walks visitors EAGLE Ballater School Big fan of Ballater and Crathie?

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we need help!

The Eagle is produced by a dedicated small group of people who work very hard to make sure it is the best it can be.

We’d love to have more volunteers join us, with help required in various areas, such as design/ layout and professional proofreading (which attract a small payment), and advertising administration.

A Crathie correspondent would also be most welcome!

Being involved with the Eagle brings multiple benefits, you just need to be willing to give a little time. It’s amazing what happens when we all work together...

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The cycling Tour of Britain is coming to Aberdeenshire on 11 and 12 September 2021, and Ballater is in a key position to harness the business potential by aligning a new annual Cycling Festival the same weekend.

BBA, BRD & B&CCC, are working in partnership with Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland; events specialists Muckmedden; Aberdeenshire Council; and North East Adventure Tourism, to host this new event, known as ‘Best of British’.

It aims to bring many of the UK’s leading cycle brands to Ballater to exhibit their products and develop partnerships with local businesses. The primarily mountain bike and adventure cycle festival will provide a variety of activity and experiences for cyclists of all ages and abilities.

This is a significant business opportunity for many Ballater businesses, including accommodation providers, hospitality,

tourism, retail and activity providers.

We are currently in discussion to use the V&A Halls for event talks and reception; the Greens for stalls; the Caravan Park for spaces; and Monaltrie Park for all parking, and overspill tents and caravans.

Obviously, we will need to plan well to ensure that the opportunities are maximized, whilst managing any potential risks. Planning and preparation is ongoing and we hope to provide more information in early 2021.

We would like to learn from previous events, and if you have any comments and/or would like more details please contact susanstewart7@outlook.com

Ballater Clinic GP Practices have remained open throughout the pandemic, speaking to and seeing patients via video consultations and, when clinically required, face to face by appointment only. Urgent medical problems are still dealt with quickly by GPs, nurses, and other trained staff. They should still be the first port of call for any medical concerns, keeping our hospitals free to deal with emergency care.

We are moving into a phase of living with this virus. Patient concerns, worries and symptoms will continue to be managed by the team at Ballater Clinic: this will be by phone or eConsult (due to go live 1/11/20) which is an online (email) communication with us. Your GP will then decide whether a video, phone or a face-to-face appointment is most appropriate. Patients who need to be seen in person are being asked to wear a face covering, appointments are short, and the clinician will already have most of the information they need.

It is vital both patients and staff feel safe, so physical distancing and the appropriate use of PPE is in place throughout primary care. This does change the look and feel of a GP appointment, but what hasn’t changed is the standard of care.

The Christmas and New Year public holidays are: 25th and 28th December 2020 and 1st and 4th January 2021.

Important date? Special event?

Got something to say about your group? Get in touch with the Eagle at eagleballater@ gmail.com

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GROUP

NEWS

Ballater Business Association: 27 Ballater Community Enterprise: 26 Ballater Films: 19 Ballater Flood Group: 17 Ballater (Royal Deeside): 22 Buttony Bear: 16 Charitable Chiels: 35 Community Action Team: 27 Deeside Cats Protection: 11 Floral Art: 13 Horticultural Society: 12 Lego Club: 33 Library: 18 Outdoor Bowling: 34 Pop-Up Soft Play: 15 Resilience Group: 25 Rotary: 10 V & A Halls: 36 Walking Festival: 33 News In Brief: 38

aboyne & upper deeside

Rotary

by Ruth Powell

After over eight months of restrictions due to Covid-19, how are we adjusting to meeting online and trying to raise funds without our face-to-face events? The answer to that is, surprisingly, rather well – but more on our fundraising efforts later.

At our most recent meeting, we discussed the possibility of reducing our number of Zoom sessions from one per week to one per fortnight. However, being a sociable club, the vote to continue meeting weekly was unanimous. We all miss our traditional face-to-face meetings, but we are proving that is not the only way to run a club. More than that, we have actually recruited three new members who have dramatically reduced the average age of the membership. Attracting younger members who bring new ideas, energy and enthusiasm to the table is uplifting and has brought a breath of fresh air to the club.

In these uncertain times, some of our fundraising has been for specific purposes.

Peter Vermeulen, this year’s president of our Club, grew an impressive beard during lockdown. Inviting donations, he pledged to dye his face fuzz neon pink in aid of some our local primary schools’ outdoor learning areas. Raising more than £2,000 with his sponsored facial hair-growing, all the cash is being used to help purchase outdoor furniture such as benches, tables, paint and planters for participating schools. Aboyne Primary School’s playground furniture was painted bright colours by two members of the Parent Council, one of whom has

since joined Rotary!

Another of our initiatives was prompted by another Aboyne resident who has also joined our Club. He has regularly been litter-picking while walking his dog in and around Aboyne and was posting photos of some of the rubbish he has collected so far (see our Facebook page for full details!).

This started us thinking about how we could spread the word and how we could help keep our lovely communities litterfree. Thanks to the Marr Area Committee and to the Cairngorms Green Recovery Fund, we were awarded funding to purchase litter-picking equipment that we will use in our areas. When we have completed our purchases, any groups or individuals will also be welcome to borrow it, so do get in touch with us! In the future, when Covid-19 restrictions have eased, we will be making plans involving local Primary School Rotakids in tidying playgrounds and paths. Of course, for the time being, we will be taking it carefully with two people at a time in a sociallydistanced fashion!

In between all this, our “Master of Quizzes”, Rotarian Mike Smith, released the ‘Flowers Quiz’ on an unsuspecting public. Due to Covid restrictions, it was difficult to sell as many as we usually do, but donations were generous. The quiz was won by Mr and Mrs Farquhar from Thurso, regular quizzers who sell copies for us up in the far North of the country. Congratulations to them – it was a fiendish quiz!

We are always on the lookout for new Rotary members or Friends of Rotary to assist us in our efforts to help our communities and to have some fun along the way! If you would like to know more about what we do, contact Mike Powell – mikepowell.obe@gmail.com

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For interesting information, and aspiring advertising, plenty of picturesque photos and considerable comic content... we thank you 100 times over!!

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And to our loyal patients we wish the very best Seasons Greetings and look forward to a less challenging 2021 for us all. dp opticians 45 Bridge Street, Ballater 013397 56222

Deeside Cats Protection At the end of 2019, members of the Deeside Branch of Cats Protection had begun to make plans for the necessary fundraising events to help as many cats and kittens as possible in 2020. Sadly the far reaching effects of the Covid-19 pandemic meant all such efforts stalled before they even got started.

Initially the pandemic also meant that re-homing of cats and kittens stopped, but a new ‘hands free’ system was put in place which adhered to guidelines and this has proved very successful. The Branch has continued to care for our feline friends in many and varied ways and help will always be given to any cat or kitten which needs it in the future.

We could not do what we do without the support of others. Contributions to our cat food bins in local supermarkets, and via our Amazon wishlist and Facebook page from people along the Dee Valley and further afield, are always much appreciated, this year more than ever.

Our grateful thanks go to all those who have helped the branch in any way over the last twelve months, particularly to the Virtual Victoria Week team who completed some fundraising for us.

The effects of Covid-19 means that to an extent life has lost its spontaneity, and even accomplishing simple everyday tasks requires thought and preparation.

Whilst no one knows what the future has in store, the branch would like to return to ‘business as usual’ in 2021 and although this is not guaranteed, we hope for the best.

Telephone 07837 342660 Email Deeside.cats@gmail.com Website www.deeside.cats.org.uk Or follow us on Facebook

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Ballater Royal Horticultural Society

by Elizabeth Wilson Since the Eagle’s inception in 1995, the Society has seen many changes over the years. Several ‘stalwarts’ are regrettably no longer with us and our members are getting older. Younger blood is needed to keep the Society going.

Major events in this period included ‘Open Gardens’ throughout the village, giving locals a chance to see some hidden gems over its seven-year period.

Since 1995, the number of Office Bearers and Committee has ranged from 22 to 12.

We are fortunate to have Royal Patronage including HM Queen Elizabeth and HRH Prince Charles, who took over in 2003 from HM The Queen Mother after her death.

Captain AAC Farquharson and Mr Marcus Humphrey also continue to support and take an interest in the Society.

Five Presidents, four Chairs, five Vice Chairs, five Secretaries and seven Treasurers later, the Society is still holding its own in these ever-changing times! We are grateful for all the support we receive.

Every year the Banksian Medal, presented by the Royal Horticultural Society, is normally awarded to the exhibitor with the most points at our Flower Show. However for this year, in the absence of the Flower Show being held, they suggested it would be a great idea to present the medal to a member of our Society who has made an effort to benefit the village. Our Committee have decided that it should go to Tommy Jackson for the work he put in to preparing, planting and maintaining the tubs and flower beds, and also for his idea to incorporate ‘NHS’ in the planting of one of the beds. Well-deserved Tommy!

Even if you don’t have a garden, planting some pots of bulbs will give welcome colour in spring.

Browsing through seed and plant catalogues is very therapeutic!

With regards to the future, it is exceedingly difficult to plan anything at the moment, but be assured we will be up and running again as soon as it is possible.

As the Covid pandemic continues to affect our daily routine, more and more people, of all ages, are turning to their garden.

People want to be outside, while still in a protected space, not exposed to crowds.

They want to pull off their masks and not feel guilty.

As winter approaches there’s always plenty to do in the garden, such as tidying the greenhouse and shed, servicing the mower and sharpening tools, and preparing the garden ready for spring.

Winter is also the main time to prune many types of fruits, including blackcurrants, apples, pears, raspberries, redcurrants, and gooseberries, and a good time to tackle trees, shrubs, and roses.

“When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy, there is always the garden.” Minnie Aumonier

Floral Art Group with Evelyne Baikie

With winter just round the corner and the dark evenings with us, it’s now time to take stock of the year just past. What a year it has been. As we bed down our gardens and get the seed catalogues out, it’s a good time to reflect on what has worked, and any changes we might need to make for another year.

With no public facilities available, no shows, meetings or gatherings have been possible. With no friends round for the welcome chats and company, it has been all very strange. For some it has been a very long and stressful time, while for others it has been a welcome time to spend at home and have some reflection. Thank goodness we have had a reasonable summer and stunning autumn.

We as a family have spent an enormous amount of time in our garden and have been so lucky to have a wee space in which to relax and enjoy. We have explored our own area and found wee roads and paths never found by us before and have been delighted by some new discoveries. The garden has been our sanctuary and has certainly kept us positive. I hope you have all been able to do something similar.

As the Floral Art group, like other groups, has not been able to meet I think we have all missed the cheeriness of our meetings. We have, where possible, tried to keep in touch but it’s not the same as meeting up in person. We hope that the programme we had in place can be reinstated in 2021, and whenever it’s safe to do so we will rearrange. Keep a look out in the media.

When this wee magazine started, I don’t think anyone imagined it would be the brilliant local icon that it has become. Looking back to the first meetings in the school (often in the cold) the enthusiasm of all involved has, I am delighted to say, kept going throughout its long life. The volunteers involved have devoted a great deal of time ensuring that the local news has always been relevant to the Ballater and Crathie area, and have kept the issues coming. On this 100th issue, many congratulations to all who, over the years, have made this possible, and here’s to the next 100. The Floral Art group are delighted to be part of this issue, and will continue to support the Eagle as long as possible.

Stay safe dear friends and look after each other – 2021 will be better.

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Pop-Up Soft Play Returns Pop-up Soft Play sessions returned to the Mike Sheridan Room, V&A Halls, in November.

Sessions run at 9.30am-10.30am for parents/carers with children aged under 12 months (max 10 adults).

There are then two sessions for parents of children aged over 12 months (max 5 adults), at 11am-12 noon and 1.30pm-3pm. Parents with children in both age categories are welcome to attend either session.

Organiser Lizzie Scripps said: “It was so nice to see everybody again and lots of new faces too. It’s so important for groups like this to keep going, even under the restrictions. I hope January brings some let up so we can admit larger groups of people safely.”

Pop-up Soft Play will continue through December and review the situation in the New Year. See Facebook for details or email lizziescripps@gmail.com for details. Bookings must be made online through Ticketsource. Search “Pop-up Soft Play - Ballater”.

Life Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry-go-round or listened to rain lapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading light?

Do you run through each day on the fly?

When you ask “How are you?” do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running though your head?

Ever told your child “We’ll do it tomorrow.”

And in your haste, not see their sorrow?

Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die?

When you could simply just call and say “Hi”?

When you worry and hurry through your day, It is like an unopened gift… thrown away.

Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

Anon (this appeared in a 2009 Eagle)

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Buttony News with Jenny Gow MBE

I’d like to start this Buttony update with huge congratulations to everyone at the Eagle on the milestone of their 100th issue. When the Eagle hits our doormat with all its pages full of news of local projects and activities, it always serves as a reminder to me how great it is to live in this community. 2020 has been a very different year for us all and brought with it many challenges, but I’m sure, like me, you are glad to live here.

Although Buttony, our stoma bear, was launched in 2015, the story starts many years before that. Our daughter Eilidh is the inspiration for Buttony and her illness throughout her childhood and beyond brought us to where we are now and to Buttony. Living in Ballater our family has benefitted from so much support throughout the years, be it from family, friends or neighbours.

There is no doubt that A Bear Named Buttony would not be where it is now if not for the community support that we are so fortunate to receive. The charity is about more than just a stoma bear; we aim to raise awareness and get people talking about bowels, something we all need to get more comfortable discussing. One in five hundred of us have a stoma and so many more have bowel conditions like Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, Diverticulitis to name a few. It is amazing after doing a Buttony talk how many people present come and talk to us about their own bowel issues, and that is just great. In our house talking about bowels

is as normal as talking about what we are going to eat for our supper! It is important to move on from the past and away from the stigma attached to talking about our guts, and hopefully Buttony helps with that. In the future, hopefully, kids with bowel conditions can’t feel their illness is something that can’t be discussed.

In June this year we launched the Buttony Young Adult Pack, a great addition to Buttony and an age group that often gets overlooked. It’s a bright coloured wash bag for storing pouch supplies and inside we have added lots of useful non-medical items. Lynn once again got busy creating, and inside every pack there are two pouch covers, which make the pouch feel more personal and less medical. We now have a team of ladies sewing the pouch covers, many of them from Ballater. We really are incredibly grateful to everyone who supports the charity.

To date we have donated 3361 Buttony bears and 289 Young Adult Packs. 70 of the Young Adult packs were sponsored

by Moira and Chris at Roaring Stag Gifts.

Moira made a huge number of facemasks and donated the money raised to us, a huge effort and I know the 70 young

people who receive the packs will be very grateful. We also received a donation of £1000 from the Golf Day organised by Bill Yule, Bill Stephen and Bill Brebner. We are just so grateful to everyone for continuing to support what we do. You really are making a huge difference for young people with stomas throughout the UK, who went without much support in the past, and it is great to see that support for them evolve over the years through Buttony.

Eilidh continues to suffer poor health and I would be the first to admit that I use my involvement with Buttony to help get through difficult times by giving me something positive to focus on. I’d highly recommend volunteering for charity as an option for everyone, even an hour a week has a positive effect, and in Ballater & Crathie there are so many opportunities to help others.

Ballater Flood Group (BFG) update from Tony Cox Regular readers of this publication will have been able to follow the activities of BFG since the December 2015 flood event.

Currently the Alternative Option (to Aberdeenshire Council flood protection Option 3A) has received encouraging comment from SEPA, but further progress cannot be achieved until the Prioritisation Processes and funding decisions are made.

Most will understand that the health pandemic and other political and economic conditions are likely to influence flood protection timescales and outcomes, and this allows the opportunity to introduce local flood scene changes.

Ballater & Crathie Community Council has created a new Flood Group – Flood Issues Group (FIG) – which will be led by Richard Frimston.

It is intended that FIG will focus on greater public engagement, thereby promoting the collective views of our community.

Having two flood groups clearly could lead to duplication of effort and confusion, and therefore BFG will no longer engage directly with the community - this role being left to FIG. Also, for clarification, BFG did not contribute to the draft Flood Report recently distributed by FIG for community consultation. BFG is proud to have served our community and trusts that FIG will achieve every success.

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Library News from Sabine Muir

Our Click and Collect service has been going really well, with many people making use of the opportunity to take out library books, audio books and other items. We also hand out hearing aid batteries. Please show us your entitlement letter when you collect them. In addition, we can do photocopies for you.

A new online system has been developed alongside an easy-to-use phone service to book time slots and resources. A ‘Live Chat’ function is also available on the Live Life Aberdeenshire website. You can join our library service, access your account and explore our

catalogue at: https://bit.ly/2yF83NN Books can also now be reserved.

If you need assistance, the Live Life Aberdeenshire Helpline is 01467 532929. Someone will be at hand to help you with your booking and you can also state your preferences and the amount of books you would like to borrow. Our phone lines are open Monday to Friday 9-5. Click and Collect is available from the library on Tuesdays from 9am–1pm, on Thursdays from 3–6pm and every other Saturday from 10am–12 noon.

For your safety, please note the click and collect service is run from the side door, not the main entrance. Please knock on the door or window and someone will come to assist you.

Christmas Closures

The Library will close on Christmas Eve and reopen on 5th January

Tailor-made yurts Choice of seven colours

Paul Spencer Tel: 07814 051388

www.highlandyurts.com

Ballater Films with Ade Scripps

It’s been a quiet year for Ballater Films, as for all. We have really missed all your cheery faces and chuckles.

By the time you read this, and barring any further restrictions, we should have managed to show “Summerland” at the V&A Halls for the Winter Festival at the end of November.

Social distancing was going to be achieved by offering tickets singly and in various-numbered household groups, and then sitting those groups and individuals 2m apart.

If it worked as a format, we’ll certainly try to bring you some more films in 2021. Exciting things are happening at the Halls, and Ballater Films is delighted to be a part of the package! www.ballaterfilms.co.uk

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Make Way for the VIBs!

Author Sabine Muir and illustrator Aga Brozek have been busy bees during lockdown and have produced another picture book called the VIBs: The Very Important Bees.

The VIBs is a picture book for young children to raise awareness of bees and how people can help by sowing and planting flowers.

Locals may recognize a very popular Crathie/Ballater person in the book.

She was called Mary Isabella Fraser, aka Granny Fraser. Sabine was inspired by Granny Fraser and her love of flowers. She won awards for her window boxes when living at Sluiemohr sheltered housing, even at a ripe old age. She passed away aged 105 in 2012.

The book was illustrated by Agnieszka Brozek, who also painted the watercolour illustrations for their first picture book ‘I’m Not That Scary’, about Webster the spider, and ‘Josephine Drama Queen’, about a naughty seagull and its friends. Aga can be seen in action painting one of the illustrations for the VIBs on Facebook.

The VIBs story is suitable for the underfives and early readers. Book design is by Cat Scripps from Myriad Pro Publishing, who published the story.

Sabine and Aga launched their book online with a video on Facebook (find info on Sabine Muir Books on her website www.sabinemuir.com) They are hoping to do story times in the near future, once lockdown has been lifted. Copies of the book will be available in shops from Braemar to Aberdeen, including Waterstones. Signed copies are available from Deeside Books and Yule’s, or online from: www.deesidebooks.com

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Sabine Muir

The V.I.B.s The Very Important Bees

Illustrated by Agnieszka Brozek

Carnelian

“Feel Good Factor”

Lynn Park – Massage Therapist Swedish Remedial Massage Thermo Auricular Therapy 1 Netherley Place, Ballater Tel 07793 354249

Ballater Royal Deeside

by John Burrows

Due to Covid-19, Zoom has become the Board’s communication platform for meetings, and sadly that had to be the way we will have conducted this year’s AGM, which will have taken place before this Eagle is published. The AGM this year will have included an Extraordinary General Meeting, as our Memorandum of Association needed to be amended to allow for the use of Zoom.

Even allowing for a year of challenges, BRD has been able to achieve some interesting objectives, from Kate Allum’s fundraising work with Aberdeenshire Council on the re-establishment of the Cambus O’May footbridge, to raising a further £42,000 worth of grants to improve village life. In the last Eagle issue we mentioned our Phoenix Fund application for £10,000 for work on the village green.

It is with pleasure that we can confirm we were successful, and this money has now been made available to the village Enhancement Team.

The AGM will have seen David Horne retire from the Board after serving for 13 years. He served both as Director and Chairman, the latter through the difficult Storm Frank period. “Welcome David to the Board, you are now responsible for the Walking Week!” was his introduction to BRD, with his initial duty being Walking Week Director and Convenor. His association with BRD has always been closely associated with walking, as he has held the Footpaths post since stepping down from Chairmanship. His ongoing role as our representation on the Royal Deeside Partnership has helped

22

both the Partnership and the writer, and, for all his help to Ballater, can I take this opportunity to say thank you to him.

We will have lost Anne Reid from the Board in a full directorship role, but she will remain as our Enhancement link. Anne’s work on the village centre development, supported by the Charitable Chiels, has ensured the projects became realities, so again thank you to her.

Fiona Presslie is staying with the Board, and technology has enabled her to keep her links with the village as strong as ever.

At the last Board meeting her knowledge of what is occurring in Ballater amazed the writer.

We had several other changes put before the Board. Jenny Macmillan was to be stepping up from co-opted Director, and joining her for nomination was Susan Stewart. Richard Frimston was standing as a co-opted Director to represent the Community Council.

The pandemic has created a terrible economic burden on all societies around the world, with mass unemployment, and we are not isolated from that storm. From early on therefore, BRD came together with many individuals to create the Hardship Fund. This fund is administered by BRD via some amazing front line people from both the Churches and the Community Council, in a totally confidential manner.

We can be guilty of seeing help as ‘charity’, and as such shy away from, or reject the help, believing it shows a failure to provide, but that could not be further from the truth in 2020. The flood funds supporting people post Storm Frank, managed by the Charitable Chiels, the Churches, and the Rotary Club, were accepted willingly as the disaster was

obvious – this is no different, except this time there is no physical devastation.

People are experiencing difficulties this time that insurance cannot help. Work has dried up meaning jobs have gone, and that is not the fault of the individual laid off, so we need to help, or accept that help, ensuring we survive as one community.

As I always say – if you are not a member of Ballater (RD) Limited and wonder how you could join this exclusive Ballater elite, I have to warn you it is expensive: one pound sterling for life membership, and the chance to get involved in our amazing community So email Gillian on info@royal-deeside.org.uk and ask how to arrange membership. You will have to submit £1 for every member in your group – no group bookings! So come on, get involved and help your village.

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Resilience Group

Resilience, (adaptability, inner strength), is one of the most important attributes for each of us in these trying times. We are being called upon to display resilience in every aspect of life – our personal health and safety; our mental health; our financial health; and our relationships.

Naturally enough, the Covid crisis has, unavoidably, been everyone’s prime concern for many months now. However recently, as I thought about wider issues, I realised that, although the Resilience Team as a group did not have an appropriate community ‘Covid role’ to play, we should be aware that there could still be an incident when the Halls would be brought into use as a Place of Safety. The very high water level in the river at the beginning of October led to an awareness that the plans we have so carefully put in place for just such an occasion would need to be adapted to ensure the maximum personal protection possible in any emergency while the virus is still an issue.

It also led to the realisation that the majority of our current volunteers, while normally fit and active, are elderly and perhaps with underlying health issues, and so might not feel confident about volunteering while Covid is still such a risk. In the light of this, I am appealing to our less-senior citizens to please consider offering their services as volunteers should the Village Emergency Plan have to be activated.

Preparedness is essential, so familiarisation with both the building and the Plan would be very important, but not time-consuming. In the current circumstances, this would have to be done on an individual/household basis to allow for social distancing, but we could make it work.

Another important plea: After the Storm Frank floods, with the approval of both the Emergency Services and the Council, we compiled a list of all the residential properties in Ballater and the adults living in them, in order to speedily be able to record those who were certainly safe, and those still to be traced. (We are compliant with Data Protection legislation). Two copies of the list are securely held in the Halls complex: one would be used to register arrivals and the other would be used by the Emergency Services, particularly if they are evacuating certain parts of the village. Second homes are also highlighted, again to speed up possible evacuation. Five years on, the list is, of course, less accurate, so I would ask if you have in that time moved into, or relocated within Ballater, would you please let me know so that I can update the list. You may object to your names being held, and this is also an opportunity to make that known.

To find out more about the list of homes or about volunteering, either email thedrevers@ btinternet.com or call me on 013397 56224.

I have been told that the closest Chinese translation of our word ‘crisis’ is ‘turning point’ and I hope you, like me, find that quite a comforting way to look at a crisis. It suggests that we have some, however limited, control over the situation, and means we have an opportunity to reassess our situation and look for a positive direction as we move forward. With best wishes for a safe (and dry) winter.

with Linda Drever

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Firstly, congratulations to the Eagle team for this, their 100th edition – a remarkable achievement.

Since reopening on 15 July we have had a busy season with full occupancy most of the time. The toilet block remains closed with the exception of the outdoor kitchen area. This, along with the play park and the adult exercise area, was reopened during September. These closures appear to have had little effect on our visitors, the vast majority of whom understand the reasons for the closures, and their reviews continue to be positive.

With the virus still circulating, the toilet block will remain closed until the start of the 2021 season in March. We have continued to have a full professional antivirus clean of the offices and all communal hard surfaces every 28 days to ensure the safety of visitors and staff.

Our peak season wardens, Stan and Karen Crate, will probably not return in 2021 so we may be searching for replacements.

Stan and Karen stepped in this year at very short notice to help out during a family bereavement and we are extremely grateful to them. They will be missed, by both the park staff and our visitors.

The 2020 season will end at the end of November and we will reopen in March 2021. A happy and safe Christmas and New Year to all.

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Ballater Business Association

with Duncan MacAskill

Sixteen BBA members joined a relaunch event via Zoom in October.

It was an opportunity to meet the new Committee, understand members’ issues (dealing with the economic fallout of Covid-19, being an obvious one) and to discuss key strategic aims for the BBA Committee in 2021.

The main action points arising were: • marketing the village – encouraging more visitors to come and stay a while longer; • extending the season – creating and actively supporting a variety of events and opportunities to enjoy the facilities in and around the village, throughout the seasons;

• helping residents shop locally – considering options and schemes to make it convenient and affordable for local money to be spent within, rather than without, the village; and • embracing the digital world – a wide ranging topic encompassing social media, e-commerce, and connectivity.

A major online platform for the Association is, of course, the Visit Ballater website, demonstrably the most visited site related to Ballater on the internet. It is not just for tourists however, as local business owners could use it much more to promote their offerings. Additionally, residents can keep up to date with what is going on in their village and surrounding area. Already, even in these difficult times, the events calendar is beginning to take shape. Make sure you have a look every now and again so that you don’t miss out on something you would like to attend.

We are also working on new community pages which, when linked with The Village Hub, will provide an excellent source of information for locals.

Here’s to a busier and productive 2021!

Community Action Team (CAT) John Burrows

Since my first report as Chairman I am pleased to advise that we have now reviewed the status of all that the community asked us deliver. However before I start, it is important to express appreciation to those CAT members who have been involved, either from the start or helped me understand the various objectives. They are: Jo Croll, Ade Scripps, Fiona Presslie, Cat Houston, Karen Richards, Thelma van Tienen, Ron Drever, Pat Downie, Tony Cox, Ken Gibson, Susan

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<<<<<< CAT Continued: Stewart, Duncan MacAskill, David Cobban and Michael Coletta – the list is in no order of importance. Each has put in an effort for the village and community, with a particular interest in some instances, to make a difference and improve this little part of paradise. Many others not listed have supported the aforementioned.

The objectives that we set for the first meeting were: A: To review and possibly redefine the role of the Community Action Team to ensure it should not be perceived as a talking shop that didn’t deliver. I am pleased to report that no change to the original concept was needed, other than to create a named group who would review the objectives identified every six months - they would be representatives from the Community Council, the Business Association, and BRD, plus residents who did not have a project role. For the next Eagle issue I hope to be able to name them. The task they would have is to congratulate those groups who were delivering their project objectives, and to review those groups who needed additional support or to redefine their project.

B: Create a Village AGM – this would have to reflect the present Government restrictions of social distancing and may only be possible meantime online.

C: Review the 30 projects involved, to create a starting point on which to evaluate their progress. In respect of this, we do have some very exciting needs being actively addressed such as: – the Enhancement Group upgrading the village centre; – the V&A Halls creating a Community Hub;

– the Housing Group moving from discussion to the first stage of creating a limited company; – the Local Communications Group obtaining funding to develop both a sales tool for Ballater and a service provider for residents; and – the upgrading of waymarking and several footpaths around Ballater.

Additionally, groups now created are involved with: – care provision review; – development of the Hub infrastructure; – sports and leisure; and – event opportunities.

Whilst these are all positive steps in the right direction, we still need residents to join in and show interest, as it cannot just be the same old names who step forward time and time again. This is your village, and while we accept that COVID has made 2020 a challenge, don’t let that be an excuse for doing nothing. You may have ideas or ways of getting some of the many needs resolved, from allotments to ideas of events. A few people in 2016 thought it would be fun to race ducks down the Dee – look how that turned out!

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As the nights draw in and we are forced to spend more time indoors you might like to take part in an easy and exciting creative knitting project.

Dumfries House, a Prince’s Foundation estate, plans to adorn the estate’s historic stone bridge, the Adam Bridge, with a colourful patchwork mosaic using donated hand-knitted squares. The local Knitwise Group would like to invite both beginners and experienced knitters from all over the UK to contribute, by using up ends of yarn or unravelling unworn knitted garments to make 20cm ‘plain’ knitted squares to form the mosaic. They won’t need much concentration, so most knitters will be able to make them whilst doing something else e.g. watching TV. It is intended to have the project completed in the New Year. I have agreed to be a collection point for the squares, which will then, via our local connections with the Foundation, be taken to Dumfries House to be assembled. Please phone Linda Drever on 013397 56224 or email thedrevers@btinternet.com to arrange to hand over squares. (If you have unwanted wool but don’t want to knit, I’m happy to pass that on for others to use).

Besides creating an art installation, the aim is to celebrate the traditional craft of knitting and the many therapeutic benefits it offers for both the mind and body. Once the installation has ‘served its time’ the mosaic will be dismantled, carefully washed, then remade into smaller blankets which will be given to an appropriate charity.

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Ballater Walking Festival

by Jennifer Macmillan

Next year’s Walking Festival is due to take place from Saturday 15 to Friday 21 May 2021, and the Committee have started planning in the hope that it can take place. Of course, this will be subject to the prevailing guidelines for outdoor activities and social distancing at the time. The health and welfare of our walkers and volunteers is most important and we will take all measures necessary to ensure that Ballater Lego Club met outside the Hut on the Green in October and numerous fabulous creations were made, including this decorated pumpkin!

The group hopes to meet inside over the winter under specified Covid regulations.

For more information or to join, go to their Facebook group page.

our Walking Festival is safe and conforms to required regulations.

It will be very different from the usual sociable festival, but should allow people to enjoy guided walks in the region. As we are not planning to provide group transport, many walks may start and finish in Ballater or large car parks. The numbers will be limited and must be prebooked. Unfortunately, the social events will not be possible unless things change dramatically.

As we feel that many of our regular walkers would be disappointed if some sort of Walking Festival did not take place, we are forging ahead optimistically.

We hope that many of the Eagle readers will put the dates in their diaries and support us in May 2021.

33

Ballater Outdoor Bowling Club: Trevor Armstrong

Playing sport hasn’t been very high on the agenda during the past six months and bowling probably doesn’t even appear on page two. However we have been out there just as soon as COVID-19 rules would allow. Unfortunately, our green, over time, has become infested by moss which makes bowling very difficult, so we decided to cut our losses, close the green for play but instead get some work done to get rid of the moss and encourage grass to grow. By next year we will have the perfect playing surface.

We have been bowling in Ballater for more than 100 years, not me personally you understand. At one time the bowling club had a very large membership, but over the years bowling has become less popular and the numbers have decreased to the point where we sometimes have difficulty putting together a 9-strong team to play in the Deeside league matches.

Bowling unfortunately has a reputation of being an old person’s sport – NOT TRUE – as the best players are always the younger

ones. Why not make it a family activity? It is not an expensive sport to take part in; all you need is a flat pair of shoes (trainers), and the club can lend you a set of bowls.

It doesn’t take up the whole day; half an hour or three hours is up to you.

We will be starting bowling again in April 2021, on what we hope will be a really good playing surface. Look out for notices.

Come along and give it a try, the club looks forward to meeting you.

As with most things: “Use it or Lose it”

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Congratulations to the Eagle on reaching 100 issues!

We in the Chiels know all too well what can be achieved by a team who get on well together and for the most part read off the same page. Hopefully the Eagle will continue to bring us the information and articles that make it worth keeping. I’m sure many folk like myself have old copies that are kept for reference of the village and surrounding area.

The Chiels are also reaching another milestone soon, for the idea of the group was first mooted in August 2000 after a trek through the Lairig Ghru raising some funds for Ballater Health Clinic. The idea was to form an organised fundraising group which would combine their shared enjoyment of hillwalking with raising some funds for chosen worthy causes, and it was brought to fruition on January 5th 2001. We were hoping to celebrate 20 years, as we did for our 10th year, by holding a Ball or Dinner and Dance, but of course 2020 has not gone the way anyone would have wished.

When lockdown kicked in, there was a public meeting to ascertain what the volunteer response for the village would be. The Chiels decided that we would continue to do as we have always done, and offer assistance wherever it was required, with those requiring our help contacting us directly, which seemed to work out with the minimum of fuss. When John Burrows mentioned the idea of a Hardship Fund we were only too willing to offer a considerable financial donation to get it started. It is great that it continues to offer support to those in need.

Most of our usual fundraising stunts have been unable to go ahead this year. We could not hold our own Golf Day, but we

were in a position to help Ballater Golf Club with their own one. The Club very generously donated funds to a number of local good causes including ourselves.

However, after all the support the Club has given us over the years, we decided to donate the money right back to them.

One of our favourite events in the village is hosting the Community Bonfire and Fireworks Display which also couldn’t go ahead due to the Government Covid guidelines, but we have offered up a Builda-Guy competition and a Chiels Conker Challenge online via our Facebook page.

We are involved as always with Christmas lights, and the Kirk Spire will be seen again as folk return to Ballater from work, holidays or any other travel. You know that tingly feeling of home you get as you approach from Tullich, or maybe that’s just me!

Well for almost 20 years the Chiels have managed to come up with fundraising ideas to capture your imagination, and your generosity has helped us fund many worthy causes. Perhaps you will join us on January 5th 2021 in having a Dram.

Unfortunately it’s a Tuesday, but please join us in a Toast to the future with our motto: ‘Raise money and raise a smile’.

Congratulations to the Chiels on their forthcoming anniversary – from the Eagle!

with Gordon Riddler While the Halls have been closed since 23 March 2020, work has progressed on the creation of the Ballater Community and Heritage Hub (the Hub), repairing the damaged ceiling in the Mike Sheridan Room, roof repairs and redecoration of the Victoria and Albert Halls.

Following confirmation of Scottish Government Covid-19 policy on 29 October 2020, and an increasing level of interest from community groups, the Trustees have decided to reopen the Halls and confirm bookings, subject to users ensuring and being responsible for compliance with the Trustâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Covid-19 guidelines. While every effort will be made to accommodate bookings for the Halls, there may still be improvement works under way which may curtail some activities.

The Trust is pleased to see the Hub, using part of the

space occupied by the former Library, is nearing completion save for some finishing touches to the frontage and interior. This project was a principal theme in the 2018 Community Action Plan (CAP) for which the Trust was responsible for delivery.

A Ballater Community and Heritage Hub Group (BCHHG) has now been set up by the Trust, and is moving to the next stage of the plan to establish the role and use of the Hub within the community.

A meeting will be held very soon with interested parties to engage and confirm their involvement (principally Ballater Highland Games, Ballater Local History Group, BRD, CAP, and CNPA) and others, and to set up a steering committee.

The BCHHG has already started to gather the required local contacts and is developing methods for how best to communicate community information and ensure it is kept up to date. Prior to the closure created by Covid-19, over 50 groups used the Halls which were even then underutilised.

The Hub will improve the coordination of existing events and activities, and introduce new services and programmes specifically directed at supporting community and social outcomes.

An important part of the CAP was the Care section and the BCHHG has established links with local care providers (Charities, NHS, Help Groups, Local Groups, etc.) and has been working with the local surgery so that the Hub can distribute the information, and the Halls Trust in turn, can provide meeting spaces.

Working with the Ballater Business Association and Ballater (RD) Ltd the BCHHG has agreed to put community information pages on to the Visit Ballater website, which can/will be the central website for the village. The BCHHG has been working with the CAP Committee to deliver this and the initial stages are looking good. Once this has been set up, the BCHHG will look at getting the Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Trust website to blend in. Alongside that project, a CAP review of social media communication is taking place to work out the best platforms and provide training for groups and users.

There may be a Village Box Office section for which the Hub can be the physical office, and this in turn would give the Trust a bigger platform to sell event tickets.

Ballater holds several events throughout the year (Highland Games, Victoria Week, Duck Festival, Films), and there are approximately 3,000-4,000 tickets sold in a good year. Having a central place to buy tickets will allow the events to sell more tickets and develop.

We are also developing chargeable services to sustain the Hub project (event coordination, fundraising, communications, equipment hire, copying, etc) to ensure the Trustâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hall assets are more widely used and that other organisations can use them.

A reminder that while the Trust is providing the space, the Hub is a project intended to be supported by the broader community.

The Trustees are interested in hearing from anyone who could support this vital project for our village both in terms of voluntary assistance and financial support.

Jimmy Armstrong stepped down as a Trustee recently and is thanked sincerely for all the hard work put in to the important function of sourcing and raising funds over the past few years as well as

his work on evolving plans for the Ballater Community and Heritage Hub. There are two Trustee vacancies and we would be pleased to hear from anyone keen to help us keep the use and development of the Halls relevant for our community.

Covid-19 restrictions have obviously had an impact on the income for the Halls. BUT YOU CAN HELP at no cost to yourselves.

The Trust is eligible to receive donations from the Amazon Smile programme. All you have to do when you shop at smile. amazon.co.uk is to click on http://smile. amazon.co.uk/ch/SC043209 and type in Victoria and Albert Halls (Ballater) Trust â&#x20AC;&#x201C; same prices and shopping for you, and 0.5% of the net purchase price on eligible purchases for the Trust. Thank you for supporting this important community facility.

PS: The Trust was very pleased to be informed on 11 November 2020 that it was to be awarded ÂŁ142,233 from the Aberdeenshire Town Centre Fund. This will allow the completion of transformational work which will include basement refurbishment, replacement of the lift, makeover of the kitchen and inner door for the Victoria Hall, a contribution towards the Hub and some soft furnishings.

See all Trustee contacts over the page >>>

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30

Victoria and Albert Halls Trust – Contacts

Gordon Riddler Dr Douglas Glass William Meston Ian Hay John Rutherford Ade Scripps Bill Braid Alan Ross Ed Bushnell Wallis Riddell Stan Tongue

Chairman Vice Chair + Convenor, Maintenance Group: Treasurer Convenor, Improvement Group Governance Convenor, Hub Group Improvement + Hub Groups Improvement + Hub Groups Maintenance Group (Fire Safety) Maintenance Group (Health and Safety) Hall Keeper + Bookings

NEWS in brief

Probus: Mike Forbes Like all other clubs, the local men’s Probus Club has suffered from the Covid-19 restrictions. We had to cancel the final 2 meetings of last season in March and April, including our AGM and end-of-season BBQ. The new season should have started in September, but all meetings and walks have been cancelled until restrictions have been lifted. The committee did consider holding ‘virtual’ meetings, but we agreed that listening to a guest speaker on our computers is interesting but precludes the enjoyment of meeting and chatting to friends over a cup of tea before the meeting and lunching afterwards. However, thanks to our Secretary, Ron Drever, we have been in regular contact with members by email including sending quizzes and photographs from the past.

We hope to get back to ‘normal’ in 2021.

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Annual Senior Citizens Christmas Dinner & Concert

AKA Old Folks’ Treat:

Betty Simpson Because of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, the Ballater Amenities Committee will not be holding the Annual Senior Citizens Christmas Dinner and Concert this year.

I am sure this will be a great disappointment to many, as this event is looked forward to every year by our seniors in the village.

Since I took over as Secretary in 1975 this is only the second time the event has been cancelled. The first time was because of snowdrifts 24 hours before the event, making transport impossible.

We will continue to fundraise and the 200 Club will be run for 2021 from March to December.

Anyone wishing to participate can contact me on connemara33@yahoo.com or 013397 55597. The cost is £10.

Current members will be asked if they wish to keep their number.

The Committee wish all our seniors a Merry Christmas and hope that 2021 will be a better year for everyone. Stay safe.

Glenmuick Parish Church Watchnight and Christmas Day Services 2020: Due to the current Covid-19 restrictions, the church building must remain closed for 72 hours before and after every service.

Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday and Christmas Day on a Friday, so that, to comply with the 72 hour requirement, the building will not be open for services on these days.

There will be a Service of Worship on Sunday 27th December at 11:00am.

Knit a Cosy Bosie This is an initiative to encourage people to knit/crochet something warm for people in their community, like a hat, scarf, pair of gloves or lap blanket.

It is being run by Community Planning in tandem with the Library service. If you know of someone who would like to get involved, but doesn’t have access to wool, needles etc we can help with that too. Contact Natasha Pawlukiewicz, Community Planning Officer (Marr) 01467 537290.

If you would like to connect with a local group, call 01467 532929 or email libraries@ aberdeenshire.gov.uk

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EAGLE

100 Eight pages celebrating our fabulous community magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s past, followed by input from our future: Ballater and Crathieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s schoolchildren...

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River Dee Radio This month, in order to celebrate the 100th issue of the Ballater Eagle, four radio programmes, each of 30 minutes, have been created. They feature interviews with past and present editors and regular contributors to the publication.

The programmes will have a balance of chat, music and a review of the major events from 1995. They will be broadcast on Deeside's community radio station, River Dee Radio. You will be able to tune in to these programmes every day throughout December. We hope that you will be able to listen and enjoy reflecting on 25 years of successful magazines.

So who are River Dee Radio and how do you listen to these special programmes?

River Dee Radio was launched in October 2016 with a number of local volunteer presenters broadcasting on the internet from a small studio in the Banchory British Legion. Since then an increasing number of presenters provide a varied weekly schedule to a growing audience around Deeside and the world.

The station presents regular listeners with a wide range of music to suit all tastes from easy listening to rock and roll, country and classical. It also provides local information, local interviews and promotes events, sports, arts and businesses. It aims to involve our community up and down the Dee valley.

As River Dee Radio is an internet-based radio station, listeners can tune in to their favourite programmes from anywhere in the world, at any time. All you need is a computer, mobile phone or tablet. On

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your device, the best place to start is to access the website; riverdeeradiorocks. wordpress.com. There you can listen to the live stream, find the weekly schedule and listen to previous programmes. There is also a weekly round-up of programmes if you've missed them, and lots of information about downloading the app and links to Facebook and Mixcloud.

During the pandemic, presenters have continued to produce high-quality programmes from home, and in 2021 River Dee Radio will continue to entertain and inform.

Paul Wilson, Chairperson of RDR, affirms "We want to support local organisations and promote events and businesses up and down Deeside. We want to help where we can!" So we are keen to hear from you. Just use our email address: riverdeeradio@gmail.com, to share your ideas, send messages, tell us about your events, ask for music requests and provide us with feedback. During the run up to Christmas, presenters will gladly take messages and requests and you can send best wishes all over the world.

We are always looking to extend the team, so if you are interested in joining us whether as a presenter or technical support just use the email address to contact us.

We hope that you can find time to listen to the special broadcasts from Ballater, and enjoy celebrating the 100th issue of Ballater's splendid community magazine.

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Still Going Strong! writes former Editor Ian Hay

I felt greatly honoured when the current Editor of Ballater Eagle asked me to submit an article for inclusion in the 100th issue of that superb community magazine.

Although I had edited the Eagle for around 16 years, I had passed on the reins to others some years ago, and although always interested and eager to see and read each new quarterly issue, I was no longer involved in production of what I still believe is the best community magazine on Deeside – if not the North of Scotland.

Like many newcomers on arrival into this area, I was greatly impressed by the Ballater Eagle, finding it so useful with information about where to get goods and services, and also to find out what was going on in the community of which I was now a part. The Eagle motto, as set out by the originators of the magazine, was “to inform, entertain and educate”, and the Eagle still provides exactly that today.

Back in 1995, a small group of like-minded people, with support from Upper Deeside Community Education Management Committee and Ballater Business Association, got together to produce a small black and white 16-page “Community Newsletter”, the lead article of which related to Ballater Gala Week. There were a few very blurred photographs, advertisements for half a dozen local businesses and the programme for Ballater Gala Week. Sabine Muir was editor, with Dr. Sheila Sedgwick as treasurer and Betty Wilson as secretary. Funding for the initial issues came mainly from the efforts and hard work of the then Eagle team, organising discos and jumble sales, as well as sales of Betty Wilson’s popular quizzes.

My involvement with the Eagle came about following an appeal in late 2002 for someone to take over as editor in view of the illness of Ken Irvine, the successor to Sabine as editor. I joined a very enthusiastic and hardworking group of volunteers, determined to assist them in their aim of preserving what was then Deeside’s only community magazine. Others have subsequently been created but as is often the case, the original is best!

Over time, income from advertisers increased and the team extended distribution into the hinterland – namely as far west as Crathie and east to Cambus O’ May, as well as Glen Muick, Glen Gairn and the South Deeside Road. The pride which many people in Ballater had in their magazine resulted in a flood of volunteers prepared to give time and effort to spread the distribution of the Eagle far and wide along the Dee valley. A mainstay of the delivery team until recently was the Bloor family who for

£1 Ballater & Crathie Community Magazine

12

10

THE

eagle

no. 80 winter 2015

my true love sent to me

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staff a-waiting

ducks a-shooting

8

9

plates fund-raising

6

beets a-growing

5

ghouls a-watching

3

children playing

7

pipers piping

4

bikes etaping

bears a-guising

riders bridging

...and a sunny spire on the green!

2

toots a-skiing

many years distributed between them almost 1,000 magazines within hours of print copies arriving in Ballater. Increased income provided the opportunity to afford colour printing, which proved extremely popular with local businesses and readers alike. The first entirely colour issue was the 50th anniversary one, which required special funding. Stella Potter, the only person involved in Issue Number 1 who is still helping to produce the Eagle today, underwent a sponsored head shave on the Green which raised around £1,000 to help fund the 96 -page special Issue.

There is considerable community involvement in the Eagle. Until recently, Sheila Sedgwick had provided an article in every issue, and other regular sources of copy were Mary Munro, Ian Cameron and of course Stella Potter with her lovely ‘Pottering’ articles. Various organisations have been regular contributors over the years, providing sources of information to assist the Eagle keep to its first aim – to inform readers what is happening in and around Ballater and Crathie.

Complimentary copies of the Eagle are provided to local MPs, MSPs and Councillors. In addition, the Royal family at both Birkhall and Balmoral, as occupiers of local residences, are supplied with copies, and maintain a considerable interest in the Eagle’s progress.

There is also a legal requirement to provide a print copy to the National Library of Scotland. As a result, the history of Ballater over the past 25 years as reflected in the pages of the Eagle, is available to be viewed by posterity, showing how the village has expanded over time. The resilience of residents following Storm Frank in 2015 and the community efforts to support

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Still Going Strong! (cont) those who were so greatly affected by that event, are all reported and no doubt the current Covid-19 situation will feature in future issues too.

A trawl through early issues reminds me of businesses no longer in existence, such as Lochnagar Leisure, Macraeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shoe shop, Connellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at Number 1, and the Highlander Restaurant to name but a few.

In the time which has elapsed since the first issue, communications have changed considerably, with a version of the Eagle available on the Internet for anyone anywhere in the world to read what is happening here. Some years ago a lady from Invercargill at the south tip of the South Island of New Zealand expressed her joy at reading the Eagle online, while Ballater folk who have been working in such far-away places as the Arabian Gulf have been able to read about what was happening back home.

That the print copies of the Eagle are still distributed free of charge to local residents is continuing testament to the original concept of those pioneers all those years ago. Having said that, the Eagle Team has for some years been blessed with the professional expertise of Cat Houston and Ollie Francis, both of whom had a background in the publishing industry.

However, in their different ways, all of the past and present members of the Team have contributed to the achievement of ensuring that what was started 25 years ago, using typewriters to transcribe handwritten articles, has reached the present milestone of 100 issues. All of them are to be commended for their effort and love of community.

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The Eagle's Early Years by first Editor Sabine Muir

In the summer of 2008, I wrote an article saying it was hard to believe that the Eagle was in its 50th issue, and I finished it by saying: ‘Here’s to the 100th issue’. Well, here we are.

When we started off twenty-five years ago, I never imagined the Eagle would be one of the longest-running community magazines around. It has come a long way. I’m proud to say I was involved in its early stages and became the first Editor.

I had a wee chat with the people involved from the start, and Evelyn Baikie remembers the late Tom Potter coming into the Aboyne Community Centre to ask if they would help start up a much-needed newsletter for Ballater.

It took a few years to get going, but Tom’s enthusiasm eventually sparked an interest. Some posters were circulated to invite people to the initial meeting, held at Ballater School. Caroline Henry and Caroline Cowie, from the Upper Deeside Community Education, were involved from the start and stayed with us for the first year to support the venture.

The meetings were just called the Ballater news meetings because it had not been decided if it was to be a quarterly or monthly newsletter, but, early on, the Eagle name was decided by a popular community decision. Sheila Sedgwick had seen an Eagle from her window that morning. We took it as a sign.

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So, the Ballater Eagle, initially a quarterly newsletter, was born in the summer of 1995. Stella designed the magazine for a great number of years and is still very involved, being the only person left from the original team. Tom used to put the Eagles online to reach a wider audience.

We invited local groups and organisations to supply us with details of forthcoming happenings to reach a wider audience.

People often complained that they hadn’t seen any posters or hadn’t read the local newspaper, and so missed events. Our Eagle diary kept people informed of what was going on in the Ballater area.

John Macintosh was amazing at getting funding for us, including a Leader II grant from the EU in 1996, which secured the Eagle for a considerable time. When funding ran out, we held some fundraisers, including a jumble sale, which raised £660, a good amount in those days. This was followed by a cheese and wine party to get more people interested in joining our team and discuss the sourcing of future funding.

We were on a shoestring budget and the first issue had only 16 pages, the second 24, the third 28, the fourth 32, the fifth 36 and we had a bumper 40-page sixth issue.

People were beginning to see the value in our local magazine and started giving us handwritten stories, kindly typed up by volunteers. We had a problem page called ‘Dear Glenda’, gardening tips from ‘our man in green wellies’, a cookery page, letters, and various snippets and cartoons by the then schoolboy Andrew Thompson.

I was Editor of the Eagle for the first four years. Sadly, I had to give it up as juggling work and family commitments became a little too much to handle. I was still very much involved by writing the odd article and the library page, which I continue do

Eagle Early Years (cont) now. In the library I am always being asked to assist people to find bits of information about Ballater, with family history queries, and the history of houses in the village.

We have been able to help people by publishing their letters in the Eagle asking locals for help.

When local lady Jess Turpin passed away, I was asked if I could locate some of the poems she had written. It was quite hard to find them, as it involved turning a lot of pages of back copies.

Faye Swan, my colleague at the library, who latterly worked on the advertising side of the Eagle, came up with the idea of putting together a filing system for all the back copies we had collected in the Ballater library. There is a complete set in the local history section at Library HQ in Oldmeldrum but it is only available to view there. My Dutch concert pianist friend Ronald Brautigam has sponsored library activities, like our children’s craft clubs, for some years now. I used some of the money he donated to fund the purchase and putting together of binders, so at the Ballater library we now also have a complete set of Eagles published from the first issue to the last.

I’ve always promised myself that I will read all these Eagles again when I retire. Who knows, maybe I will take on the task of indexing the stories, articles and poems, for easier access in the future. The Ballater Eagle is set to become a valuable social history resource for future generations.

Dare I say: ‘Here’s to the 150th issue?’

Eagling: n. To immerse oneself in the production and creation of Deeside’s premier publication, typified by swearing, overindulgence and neglect of one’s daily chores/loved ones.

49

ballater

school

Pupils in P3-6 completed work during Equity Week where we came up with and discussed ways in which we could help people in poverty.

We then designed posters to illustrate our ideas. Here are two examples: >>>

This pupil thought that rich people should give people living in poverty some of their own money and that food should be cheaper.

This pupil wanted to get her old toys and sell them and then donate the money to help people living in poverty.

We have also been doing lots of work on emotions throughout the term and we will continue this next term.

P3-6 came up with lots of emotion words and created a display on their board in school.

P3-6 have been working hard this term on completing a class charter. We looked at the rights of children and we all signed the charter by tracing our hands on coloured paper, cutting them out and making promises on the cut out hands. Here is a picture of our class charter.

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crathie school

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Visit by River Dee Trust On 1 October 2020 Jane came and walked us down to the River Dee to a place not far from the school. She talked about all the animals that lived in the River Dee for example, salmon, trout, frogs, toads. Then she split us up into groups of four. On the grass we built a picture that represented the river. Using blue sheeting and stones and pine cones and leaves, we showed the beginning and the end of the river, the river banks, waterfalls and a salmon leap to help the salmon get up river. Jane brought live animals to show us â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a fish, a river insect with legs. We learned that teenage salmon hide under rocks and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come out whereas big salmon go out to sea to find a warm place during the winter. We also learned how it is possible to get a permit to fish on the river.

54

Family Trees P1 and P2 drew around their hands to make a branch of a tree. Then we painted our tree and put on leaves of green, red, orange and brown. We cut out squares and drew pictures of the family on each square.

P4 to P7 drew a tree, then the branches and leaves of the tree. We cut out squares and filled in as much information of our family as we could. Each square had a picture of one person, and their name, their date of birth and, if they had died, their date of death.

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Alexander Gordon

Victoria and Albert Halls’ Benefactor Alexander Gordon came from Deeside farming stock on both sides of his family.

Born on the 3rd of January 1818, he was the second of six brothers and two sisters.

Together with his brother John, who was less than a year his junior, he received part of his education at the school in Logie Coldstone while living with his mother’s brother, William Gauld, farmer at Milton Braes, Cromar.

After completing his schooling, Alexander was apprenticed to a Mr Rattray in Dundee He must have been an exceptional pupil, as, following his apprenticeship in 1836, he was in charge of Devanha Brewery in Aberdeen, and then of Gilcomston Distillery, aged only 18! In 1838 he came to Farquharson’s Lochnagar Distillery for several months.

About this time, Alexander witnessed a tragedy that later led him to build the well known white footbridges at Polhollick and Cambus O’May. With other wedding guests he had escorted two young friends, whose marriage had just been celebrated, to the Abergeldie crossing to speed them on their honeymoon. It was a wild day, with the Dee in spate. The only means of communication with the other side was an old contraption – a sort of cradle running on a rope suspended from posts on either side of the Dee. The rope broke, the cradle fell, and Babbie Brown, the bonnie bride, and her newly-wed husband were both drowned. Alexander, horrified by the loss of his friends, vowed that, if ever he had sufficient money, he would build bridges across the Dee to replace the existing ferry boats, which at many times only provided a very precarious means of transport.

Alexander became involved with engineering, spending 13 years (1839–

History Focus from Duncan Macrae

1852) first at the Deptford Iron Works, and then at Tindalls Millwall Wharf. In October 1844, he had married Elizabeth Mickle in London. During his last year at Millwall he started building his own Caledonian Road Brewery. This opened in 1852, followed in 1876 by his Peckham Brewery. The success of these enterprises enabled him to fulfil his vow to ensure safe crossings of the Dee both south and north of Ballater by building the Polhollick and Cambus O’May footbridges.

He also showed his love and concern for his native Deeside by providing Ballater with buildings for public recreation, entertainment and education. The Albert Memorial Hall opened in 1874, and the Victoria Hall and Gordon Institute some 20 years later, shortly before his death in 1895.

With his wife Elizabeth, who survived him by less than six months, he had been able to celebrate their Golden Wedding a year earlier. There were no children of the marriage.

Alexander Gordon’s great-nephew, the late Lindsay Gordon, reopened the Victoria Hall in 1992 following major restoration.

I am indebted to Lindsay and his sister Christian for much of the information about Alexander Gordon.

57

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‘Tommy’ Statuette A small perspex statuette of a WW1 British ‘Tommy’ has been gifted to the Ballater Branch of the Royal British Legion, Scotland (RBLS), a year after first being ‘put to work’ in the town, helping raise cash for veterans' organisations. The ‘Tommy – There But Not There’ statuettes were introduced in 2018 to commemorate the end of World War One 100 years earlier, and to raise money for veterans.

Ballater's Tommy has come full circle, since being donated to the Scottish Women's Institutes by the RBLS in Edinburgh and offered by the then SWI national president, Linda Retson, as a prize for stories written

by Institute members about remembrance in their families and/or communities Scotland-wide.

Tommy was won by Ballater heritage writer Joan Anderson who covered 114 years of wartime, conflict, national service and acts of remembrance in her own family and in the wider communities of Upper Deeside, where she involved Ian Smith, Alistair Cassie, Davey Houston, John Forsyth, Doug Murray, Andy Linklater, Stewart and Donna Leslie, Jacquie Beaton and the late Peter Nicol and John Reid. Joan's winning entry, and many others from around Scotland, was published in the SWI Women Together magazine.

At the award handover in Edinburgh last year, Joan promised that she would find a way of putting the Tommy to work, further helping veterans and those who care for their memories and well-being.

In the meantime, for safekeeping, Joan put Tommy into the guardianship of local RBLS member Stewart Leslie, and was delighted to see that Tommy featured in

History Focus with Joan Anderson

the Ballater poppy collection last year, providing a poignant talking point for people making donations in the local Co-op.

As the Eagle went to press, the exact constitution of poppy selling differed from other years because of Covid regulations, but Tommy was due to be called up on active poppy duty. Joan understands he can be of further use to the RBLS throughout the year, so – with the approval of Ballater SWI – she has signed him over permanently.

The Tommy statuette will now be engraved with BALLATER and the initials SWI and RBLS.

59

History Focus with Joan Anderson

Sammy Brown A much-loved Ballater loon, Sammy Brown, gave his life liberating the southern Dutch town of Schijndel, 76 years ago during World War II. At just 18, he was the youngest of 71 Cameron Highlanders killed or injured in fierce fighting on 23 October 1944. Sammy and 11 other Scots soldiers were killed in the fierce night-time battle in and around Schijndel, while three others from the same unit died in a nearby field hospital.

Sammy, officially Arthur James, is one of the soldiers buried at the Netherlands' Uden War Cemetery, 10 miles from where they were killed, and now scene of a moving annual tribute by local historian Mr Dirk Paagman.

He has spent many years honouring and writing about the 5th Camerons who died in a brutal battle freeing his home town.

Remembrance Day in the Netherlands is on 4th May, but Mr Paagman organises a special memorial ceremony on the 23rd of October every year when he lights candles and lays flowers on Scottish graves. He has spent a lifetime researching the liberators and, this year, thanks to Sammy's own family and many people in Ballater and beyond, the young Deesider's story and picture have become known in the Netherlands. This in turn has led to members of the local Dutch community adding further floral tributes on the anniversary of his death.

Senior members of Sammy’s family

60

– in particular the soldier’s nephews Gordon Mackay, Bill McRae, the late Walter Brown and the family of the late Ian Mackay – have helped pull together the story for the Eagle, but many more people have tried to help since an appeal went out on Ballater Local History Group’s Facebook page at the beginning of the year, when the search was on for Pte Arthur James Brown of the 5th Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, celebrated as A. J. on Ballater’s war memorial and on a wall hanging in the Victoria and Albert Halls, but not easy to find until a 1948 memorium notice, placed in the P&J

by Bill’s mother Alice, connected the nickname Sammy.

Arthur James Brown was born in Birse, Aberdeenshire, in 1925, the son of David and Jeannie Brown of Little Ennochie, and later of Cobbleheugh, Dinnet, where David was horseman.

Sammy's father was widowed twice>

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and had a daughter, Evie, from his first marriage and five more children from his marriage to Sammy's mum, Jeannie. She passed away when Sammy was only six years old, leaving the boy very close to Evie and his other big sisters, Alice, Elizabeth, Agnes (Aggie) and Isobel (known as Bunty). When Jeannie died, Alice gave up her job and returned to help her father run the household and raise the others, forming an even closer bond with her little brother. Sammy's first job at 14 is not known, but his family say he later became a lorry driver in Dinnet and Ballater, as his father had moved to Braehead, Tullich, upon retirement. Evie's son, Gordon Mackay, who was brought up in Ballater, said that his family has letters from the Front which show that Sammy was lively and full of character.

Alice's son Bill McRae was just four years old when the sad news about his uncle's death came to his family's small house in Glen Nochty, Strathdon. Bill recalled: "I was playing with toys in front of the fire. The phone rang and my dad answered the phone. When he came back he was crying but he couldn't tell my mum what was going on. He just told her she should go to the phone." Former soldier Bill added that his one regret from his own service in Europe was that he had not visited Sammy's grave at Uden.

Although the ceremony in the Netherlands was restricted this year because of Covid, Mr Paagman has sent a beautiful set of images by photographer Reem Groot, showing the tributes which, this year, include a poppy cross given by the Ballater branch of the Royal British Legion, Scotland.

For the first time in 76 years, Sammy Brown's true name – the only one by which he was loved and cherished in Ballater – appeared on his war grave, courtesy of fellow Scots veterans and Mr Paagman. He carried out the ceremony in a Cameron Highlander's kilt outfit, based on the uniform of Sergeant George Sands, who spent a whole night pinned down by machine gun and mortar fire among his fallen friends at Schijndel.

The Sergeant was later one of the same group of Camerons who liberated Vught Concentration Camp, where the Scots soldiers are also honoured at this time of year.

Mr Paagman has sent a copy of his book ‘The Liberators of Schijndel’ to Sammy's family and he hopes to feature Sammy in a follow up publication, as well as in local newspapers and on social media.

Sammy's nephews, who are scattered throughout Scotland, are grateful to Dirk Paagman, for keeping alive the memory of the young Scots soldiers who died, or were wounded, during the liberation. The wider family hope to arrange a Ballater-based ceremony for Sammy next year, or when pandemic restrictions permit.

63

Governance

Your Regional Representatives Aberdeenshire Council Peter Argyle: 013398 82973 email: cllr.p.argyle@aberdeenshire.gov.uk Geva Blackett: 07876 475269 email: cllr.g.blackett@aberdeenshire.gov.uk Paul Gibb: 07388 956148 email: cllr.p.gibb@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Cairngorms National Park Board Member: Geva Blackett: contacts above

Scottish Parliament:

Alexander Burnett MSP 0131 348 5642 Alexander.Burnett.msp@parliament.scot

Westminster:

Andrew Bowie MP 0207 219 2791 andrew.bowie.mp@parliament.uk

USEFUL Grampian Covid Assistance Hub: 0808 196 3384 General Enquiries (AC) 03456 08 12 08 www.aberdeenshire. gov.uk https://cairngorms. co.uk/ Ballater & Crathie Community Group on Facebook 64

My last offering of the year always looks back on the successes and highlights of the previous 12 months, with a nod to what we can look forward to in the following year.

My writings in late 2019 talked about our determination to focus on what we can do as a Park to combat the climate emergency – that has not changed. However, it was following our climate conference – looking at nature-based solutions back in March – that the country was plunged into lockdown due to the rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic.

As we left the office to work from home, I don’t think many of us thought we would still be working from home some nine months later. Covid-19 has challenged us all personally and professionally but has also shown the best of people across the Park, for instance, volunteers, including Park staff, delivering shopping to those who were shielding.

The Covid pandemic has massively affected communities, businesses and individuals across the Park and we are still seeing the impacts play out. I am proud to say that our staff and board, along with partners such as the Cairngorms Business Partnership (CBP) and The Cairngorms Trust, rose to the challenge. The CNPA agreed a Green Recovery Plan in June and launched with the Cairngorms Trust a Recovery Fund that has supported various projects this year.

We also worked with public, private and third sector partners through the Tourism Emergency Response Group and the Cairngorms Visitor Management Group to tackle some of the key issues affecting the Park this past summer. The reopening of the Park in July was a challenge with so many people wanting to come and enjoy the area, and with some of the issues that

with CEO Grant Moir

this caused around dirty camping, traffic management etc.

The CNPA responded to these issues in partnership with Estates, CBP, Local Authorities and others, focusing on a #CairngormsTogether message.

The CNPA recruited and trained nine seasonal rangers to help protect the Park’s hotspots. They spoke to over 5,000 visitors and almost 1,000 camps, encouraging them to do the right thing in terms of litter, human waste, parking and fires. They worked with the Parks existing ranger services as well as the volunteer Rangers – and this additional resource was appreciated across the board.

The climate emergency and biodiversity crisis have not gone away but there are big opportunities in 2021 to tackle these and to build on ongoing work around health and active travel. So while 2020 has been dominated by Covid-19 and has affected how we work – the CNPA has still achieved a great deal from funding for capercaillie conservation, supporting projects through the Green Recovery Fund, promoting our cultural heritage assets via projects like The Shinty Trail, and finalising the next Local Development Plan for the Park. The list is long but there is still much to do to support people and businesses in the Park.

So I will end by taking the opportunity to wish all the readers of the Ballater Eagle a very merry and safe Christmas and let’s look forward to a better, brighter 2021.

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Waste Management Aberdeenshire Council has introduced a temporary four-week Saturday waste collection service at Ballater, which started on November 21.

The Saturday collection point was suspended at the outbreak of Covid-19 along with various other services across Aberdeenshire to enable council staff to focus on critical activities such as weekly recycling and waste collections.

A decision was subsequently taken not to reintroduce the service, however following recent discussions at the council’s Marr Area Committee, it has been agreed a one-off four-week service will be provided to enable residents to deposit items which may have accumulated during the months of lockdown.

In a change in location, two lorries will now be based in the school car park for four Saturdays from 8am to 3pm commencing November 21.

This service is open to residents only – no trade waste will be accepted – and bookings will have to be made online for each visit at https://www.aberdeenshire. gov.uk/waste/recycling/book-recyclingcentre-visit/ The booking system will allow us to maintain safe physical distancing and reduce waiting times of visitors to the collection point. A one-way traffic management system will also be in operation each Saturday and motorists are advised to follow signage and instructions at all times.

Materials such as scrap metal, rubble, electrical items and white goods, glass and liquid waste cannot be disposed of

using this service and should be taken to the nearest recycling centre to be disposed of properly.

In addition to our regular weekly household waste collections, other waste services do remain available to Ballater residents such as: Make a booking for the household recycle centre at Banchory at https://www. aberdeenshire.gov.uk/waste/recycling/ book-recycling-centre-visit/ Arrange for a bulky uplift on a Thursday - for information on what we collect, fees and how to book, visit https:// www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/waste/ h o u s e h o l d - r u b b i s h / b u l k y - wa s te collection/ You can order additional recycling bins/ food waste bins and - if you meet the criteria - you can request an additional general waste bin. For details visit https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/ waste/household-rubbish/request-bins/

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The Cairngorms National Park Authority Board is busy as usual. After a summer where we saw swarms of tourists coming Board Member our way, car parks full, roads blocked (and a relatively small amount of antisocial behaviour, littering etc.), the Board received an update at a recent informal session. Many members (and officers) are keen to see an increased Ranger service.

I have suggested that, as we have farmers, foresters and gamekeepers on the ground, perhaps it would be good value to spend some taxpayers’ money on training for them, rather than on just more part-time jobs. Of course the Park Rangers have more powers than estate folk, so that would need to be looked at, but I know the three Rangers who worked here in Deeside were thoroughly stretched.

After going on and on for years about the need for simple and consistent messaging across the public sector, I am pleased to hear that is now being looked at, particularly in regard to littering, fires etc. We know that if a village has too many signs they are all ignored, well that applies equally to all the different messaging that’s around. We also need to look at how to reach those who are not our usual audience, those who might not understand that there IS an Outdoor Access Code that should be adhered to – every child in every school should understand the responsibilities that come with access rights. That would be a start.

13 local projects in the Cairngorms National Park have been awarded £130,000 by the Cairngorms Recovery Fund. Launched in August, the fund was set up by the Cairngorms National Park Authority and the Cairngorms Trust to help communities and local businesses to recover from the lockdown. Local groups were Aboyne & Upper Deeside Rotary Club: Litter Picking Upper Deeside; Dee District Salmon Fishery Board: Glen Muick Woodland Connectivity; Growbiz Scotland: Supporting Creative Enterprise in the Cairngorms and Braemar Community Ltd: Tomrichton Community Wood. Another award which may be of interest is that made to the Cairngorms Business Partnership (CBP) to build a sustainable welcome for camper vans.

The fourth Statutory Aim of the Park is to promote the sustainable economic and social development of the area’s communities. One of the most heartening aspects of the change in consumer habits due to the lockdown and subsequent restrictions this year has been the shift towards local butchers and food producers, with the public often embracing a shorter, more local supply chain. Interest in ingredients has increased too, as more and more people have enjoyed creating in the kitchen – from bread to what I will call Real Food – meals cooked from raw ingredients.

Research has shown that nearly two-thirds of people in Scotland intend to buy more from local suppliers. Shopping local doesn’t just help us find nutritious, healthy food; it helps us support skilled butchers and the local economy, as well as helps our farmers continue to maintain the rich, varied landscapes that are so important to Scotland’s communities and visitors.

Geva Blackett

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As your locally elected Board Member, I am keenly aware of the fragility of our economy and the need to ensure we have sustainable and diverse employment going forward for young, and not so young alike.

On the Planning side, the long awaited Gairnshiel Bridge planning application is, I am assured, coming to the Park’s December meeting. There appear to have been complications with the Roads Department and also archaeology issues which I understand have now been resolved. Obviously I will not be taking part in the determination, having spent the last almost nine years pushing for it to happen. As it’s an Aberdeenshire Council planning application, councillors are assumed to be in favour, and so my colleagues Peter Argyle and John Latham also will not take part. The new bridge will make a huge difference to both our tourism and road haulage, but I am very aware that the roads from the bridge to Ballater and Crathie are not fit for purpose either…. another ‘project’ looms.

Papers for meetings are uploaded to the Park’s website the week before. If you have a view on any of them please let me know.

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

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

Geva’s Musings Two of my (four) daughters planned to marry in 2020. Lettie planned for June.

When lockdown started, we all hoped ‘everything would be alright’ by June, and then by August, but by April we realised it wouldn’t be, so the wedding was then postponed till October.

The dream was to have a hundred guests, the ceremony at Crathie Kirk, and then a marquee at Braemar Castle.

As lockdown went on, it became obvious that a large wedding was impossible; perhaps 50 would be allowed. Then the number went down to just 20. Using Braemar Castle as a venue was out of the window! The plan now was a small wedding this year, a party next year.

By the end of August, we were planning the ceremony at Crathie Kirk and a self-catered meal at St Margaret’s Church. Invitations were sent, flights and accommodation were booked. The Council’s Environmental Health Team guided me through what we could and couldn’t do, with never ending kindness, understanding, patience and humour, over the weeks that followed.

In September, the Govt announced we couldn’t have households mixing in accommodation at all. Luckily for us, cancellations for holiday housing had started to come in, and we found accommodation, not just for our girls, but also for guests who previously had intended sharing. Wedding week: Monday – another announcement from the government due on Wednesday; bride and groom arrive up; food and drink ordered; dress made; flowers and

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greenery on the way; plans to bulk feed everyone who arrived on Thursday well advanced; looking forward to a big get together – at separate tables – in the Fife the night before the wedding; everyone’s nerves on edge; would the wedding actually be allowed to happen…?

Wednesday – 72 hours to go; St. Margaret’s professionally deep cleaned; collecting bags and bags of food from Aberdeen when the news came through that the wedding could happen (huge relief); but Friday night at the Fife not feasible as the rules were to change at 5pm - we couldn’t eat there let alone have a drink.

Not easily deterred as dinner at the Fife went to the Thursday; and ready cooked meals distributed around the various holiday houses on the Friday. Sorted.

I felt so sorry for Lettie and our new sonin-law Richard because much of the excitement of planning the wedding, and having an amazing party with everyone, had gone. Lettie said it felt like she was just organising a dinner party. With so many family and friends missing, I was determined that this small and intimate celebration of their love and commitment to each other would actually stand out in their memories as something to treasure, and not to look back on with regret.

Friday – 24 hours to go; in relays, St Margaret’s is transformed with garlands of greenery and white flowers; each table has a secondary table to serve food; ‘servers’ are designated, to cut down on movement.

At the rehearsal of the service, suddenly it all starts to feel real. After months of worry we really are going to have a wedding!

Wedding Day – Dominee has done Lettie’s hair, the dress is on, and my beautiful

daughter makes me so proud as she stands posing for photographs looking every bit – and more – the bride she ever hoped to be. In the church, yes there were empty pews, and yes people had masks on, but the love and anticipation were tangible. When father and daughter walked up the aisle, it just didn’t matter how many were in the church – this was as it was meant to be: a proud father and his stunning daughter on the way to her married life, surrounded by love.

Not only were people missing from the celebrations, but Lettie and Richard would miss them being there, so there was a secret. The newlyweds knew we were setting up a Zoom call with Richard’s brother, locked down in Melbourne. They didn’t know we had a ‘video’ of friends, godparents and family contributing very short clips of themselves to send their love, and interspersed with photos of the couple growing up, and as a couple.

This really made the celebration about Lettie and Richard’s wedding day and their new life together, not just a ‘dinner party’ (I gained the distinction of being a mother-in-law who made her new son-in-law cry within four hours of putting a ring on her daughter’s finger!). The 10pm curfew came too quickly but we had done it, and done it well!

Day one post wedding, and the new Mr and Mrs West tell us that the emotion of the previous day could never be recreated, so there will be no big party in 2021.

A small intimate wedding can be just as wonderful as a large one – if you really want to get married, just do it, because when you exchange those vows you are in a world of only you and the celebrant, and the party after with those that really matter and who really love you, is very special.

But it’s not just about weddings. The lesson here is that there is so much we can’t control. Our hopes and dreams of tomorrow and the future are at the will of so much more than ourselves. Learning to adapt at such an emotional point in your life can help you be more resilient elsewhere. An obstacle is an opportunity you haven’t considered before. Everything really will be alright.

Councillor Matters: Peter Argyll

As I write, a very autumnal gale has just about blown itself out, hopefully without any damage and that, together with the clocks going back, means that we truly are heading towards winter. The odd frost and sighting of the northern lights add to the feeling and the sense that inexorably we are moving towards Christmas.

Of course Christmas 2020 will be... Who knows? The turmoil and dramatic change brought about by Covid-19 shows no signs of ending, with England now heading for another lockdown and Scotland facing the 5 Tier system – although whether this will morph into another lockdown is anybody’s guess.

The social, economic and political impacts of this pandemic cannot be under-estimated. Family life has been stood upon its head, for all of us. For young people the impact has also been significant, whether they are at university or college, or entering the jobs market. There are new pressures for all of us.

I wrote in the last edition of the Eagle about the changes to working practices – remote meetings and home working in particular. It was almost surreal to be at the opening of the new Kintore Station and meet, physically, colleagues I had not seen (other than on a computer screen) since March.

What is now becoming very clear is the impact Covid-19 – or the response to it – is having on the economy.

The NE was already feeling the effects of the dramatic collapse of the oil price. There were some ‘green shoots’ to be seen in that key sector due to the most rigorous cost control, but they were blasted by the pandemic. All other sectors are feeling the impact.

Aberdeenshire Council’s new priorities include Economic Development and Enterprise. Over the years our staff have built up strong relationships with the various sectors within Aberdeenshire – engineering (including oil and gas and energy transition), tourism, fishing and farming. With partners such as Opportunity North East (ONE) we are working to deliver the City Region Deal and the investment from the NE private sector with that from the UK and Scottish Governments. The vital part of that is to move the NE economy away from its reliance

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on oil and gas to other forms of energy, making use of the skills that have been developed here over decades, and new industries and technologies.

It is evident that the road will be a long one however.

Aberdeenshire Council adopted its new Council Plan at a meeting in October, the decision being as close to unanimous as such decisions can be these days: only three or four councillors spoke and voted against. This shows, and not for the first time, how small a part party politics play in our decision-making in Aberdeenshire. By and large we all want the same thing: to provide the best services for our residents, businesses and visitors. This to me has always been a positive – administration and opposition working together on these vitally important matters.

Established 1998

well

speed

The next step will be preparing Service Plans which will lay out how each service, be it Education and Children’s, Communities, Infrastructure or Business, will deliver the objectives of the Council Plan. Importantly this will include ways of measuring outcomes so that we can be sure the plans are delivering.

Running alongside this work is the preparation of the Council Budgets. The report to Council in November paved the way to the formal Budget, likely to be in March 2021. It is of course no secret that Aberdeenshire Council, along with the rest of the public sector and every other local authority in Scotland, is facing real challenges. I have been part of the production of around 20 annual budgets, and never have the choices been so stark, and the options so unpalatable, as they are for the period from now to March 2022.

People sometimes ask me when Council services will return to ‘normal’ – to how things were before March. Many will not.

There will be huge changes in the way services are delivered and the scope and scale of the work our staff undertake. The months ahead will not be easy but what the past seven months or so have shown is that we are fortunate to have really good people working for the Council, people who can and do respond to the difficult challenges thrown up by Covid-19. We can all be proud of them.

So as the leaves fall away, as the days get shorter and thoughts of Christmas grow more dominant, I am sure I am far from being the only person who hopes that Christmas will be as close to ‘normal’ as possible and that we will be able to meet friends and family and share that special time in peace.

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Pottering About... with Stella Potter

In spring 1995 my late husband, Tom, attended a meeting looking at the possibility of creating a regular newsletter for our community. When he came home and told me about it, I said I’d be happy to design it. I could never have known then that the Eagle would punctuate my life for 25 years, and still does. Before his untimely death Tom also contributed to every issue by proofreading and later uploading copies to the original Ballater webpage he designed. It seems I have the – possibly dubious! – distinction of being the only founder member of the Eagle team still contributing to the planning, organisation and execution of what started as a wee photocopied, hand-stapled community newsletter to the glorious colourful magnificence of today’s editions. Far more importantly, we couldn’t produce the Eagle without our contributors’, advertisers’ and many supporters’ backing – from the coins you pop in a tin to generous funding we have received from the EU initially, then local groups and individuals. So, Ballater and Crathie, thank you for making the Eagle the undoubted achievement it is. If I was allowed to hug you all I would!

Here are some personal things I remember: working on editions overnight with a new baby snugly strapped to my body; receiving a kind and supportive letter from poet Benjamin Zephaniah giving his permission to publish his poem ‘Heroes’ in an article about our community’s response to the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami; our regular early fundraising like discos and jumble

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sales to ensure we had enough money to continue; my massively liberating public headshave which raised nearly £1k; the joy and relief after I’d produced over 50 issues that we had two more designers (Ollie and Cat) and the quarterly fear of the blank page entitled ‘Pottering About’ with not a scoobie what I’m going to write about. Some things never change!

One of our Team, Sarah Herbert, did sterling work with us over recent editions, not only professionally proofing every article but also creating a house style which answered all those tricky questions like where to use an ampersand; when numbers should be in words or numerals; usage of double and single quotation marks, dashes and more. Sarah’s excellent contribution has created more consistency and professionalism to the writing we publish. Although she’s no longer part of the team we are very grateful indeed for her input and wish her well. I’ve learnt quite a lot from her so am currently proofing, but I’m not a proper proofer and still occasionally struggle with grammar – especially tricky apostrophes, of which Ian Hay was so knowledgeable. Hence our need for a proofreader to join the team.

Now, back to Pottering rambles! Like most children, when mine were wee there was clamour to acquire a pet. I’m rather nervous of dogs and never lived with one so didn’t feel confident to add a dog to the household. Neither am I enthused by

the thought of cold-blooded creatures, rodents or birds – although now I’d be happy with female chickens in a decent hen house and run. At the time I really wasn’t excited by another mouth to feed and care for and despite vociferous pleas after the first Victoria Week futtret races I deemed them too smelly. So the only pet we could agree on was a cat as I’d lived with them before and all had been gentle and delightful. So I asked about for a kitten. There was a litter in what’s now Wee Jim’s place, so we collected a wee ball of fluff covered in sticky willow seeds as he’d escaped. Hence his name. Nearly 20 years on, his mysterious long summer holidays oft recorded in these pages – until two years ago he only graced us with his presence over the winter – he’s old mannie Willow. He’s thinner, far less supple, and completely deaf. Yet he still goes out every day, jumps walls, eats, drinks, uses the litter tray and sleeps copiously. When I go past where he’s sleeping I now check that he’s still breathing. Of course, as he’s deaf I can no longer call him in but he has the loudest cat meow I’ve ever heard alerting me to his desire to be in or out. Apologies to my neighbours, as so frequently he wants to be on the opposite side of the front door he’s now also called Mr Yo-Yo. Cue regular exclamations of “For *bleep* sake, Mr Yo-Yo, make your mind up!” I know it’s pointless talking to him, but I can’t break the habit of so many years.

Another regular feature in my column has been the challenges of heating my home and water by a woodburner – particularly when my winter fuel was washed down the Dee in the flood. Recently I had wood delivered and I was very kindly offered assistance in barrowing by the Mountain Rescue Team as they purposefully strode

by on their way to training. Tempted though I was, I politely declined their offer as they clearly had more important things to do and I knew I had kind neighbours lined up to help later. So I continued barrowing, thinking I’d get half of it done before they were available. But then, as has happened so many times before, a local couple I didn’t know stopped to help, making really short work of the rest of the task. I’m very grateful to everyone who has helped over the years. Thank you.

Happiness is, indeed, a full woodshed and the goodwill of strangers.

Wherever your happiness lies, may strangers show goodwill whether it’s you helping someone else or the heartwarmth of kind folk helping you. It’s the bones of our wonderful community, which I hope is reflected in our pages. I’ll drink to that. Slàinte Mhath!

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St Kentigern's News Well, we are back worshipping in the church building – some of us! Unfortunately the church building is not big enough to fit everyone in, with physical distancing requirements, so if you want to come to church, you have to book a space. It seems a very odd way to do church.

However, alongside our physical service, we are continuing to provide a weekly service which is emailed out or delivered to your door, and the Rector is continuing to broadcast a weekly reflection on YouTube.

Our first service back in the building was our harvest celebration at the beginning of October. Even without singing, the service was a joyful occasion, and we collected a car load of food for the local Food Bank.

Planning is going ahead for Advent and Christmas, although what that

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• • • •

from Vittoria Hancock

will look like will be rather different this year. Please look out for posters and announcements on our Facebook page letting you know what is happening and when.

If you would like the services emailed to you, or would like to attend a service, please contact Vittoria Hancock on 013397 55919 or vittoriahancock@ gmail.com

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Letter from the Churches

Well, the year rolls on by, and we are still in Covid season. There seems no end in sight at the moment. As the nights get longer and the days shorter, the things that have sustained us over the last six months may seem more unattainable. We have been fortunate enough to have had relatively good weather, so have been able to spend time out in the garden, or in the countryside. Even most of us who are unable to be active have managed to spend time with others outside.

Advent and Christmas are fast approaching, and we are unlikely to be able to have our traditional Christmas. No Christmas fairs, no carol singing, no large family gatherings. It may seem as though little is left to celebrate. But while it may seem as though Christmas is not happening, all those things are just trappings, pleasant extras that have evolved over time.

The Christmas story begins with a journey into a foreign place, away from family and friends. It has poverty as the background, worry over bringing a child into this uncertain world. Yet the story tells of the birth of a baby, with all the joy that brings. It speaks of a baby born away from family and friends, with only strangers with whom to share the good news. It tells of the help, hospitality and generosity of neighbours and strangers reaching out in the darkest of times â&#x20AC;&#x201C; something we have learnt anew this year.

The Christmas story proclaims the message that love can be found in unexpected places, at unexpected times. It declares that the darkness will not overpower the light â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that light triumphs in places of dark. That we can all be light bringers against the darkness in this world.

In these uncertain times, when we may feel isolated from family or friends, when we may be struggling physically, emotionally or financially, the message of Christmas is one of hope, of a light shining in darkness. Whether you are a believer or not, whether this is something you believe in, or if you think it's a nice story, this is something to hold on to. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness will not overcome it.

With every blessing, Rev Canon Vittoria Hancock Rev David Barr

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We know that, as well as enjoying a good read, many people use their Eagles as “directories” for businesses so they know where to turn when they want an item or particular service.

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Advertising + News Deadlines Spring – February 1 for early March publication Summer – May 1 for early June publication Autumn – August 1 for mid-September publication Winter – November 1 for early December publication

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