Ballater and Crathie Eagle 99 - Autumn 2020

THE

eagle

Ballater & Crathie Community Magazine • No. 99 • Autumn 2020 • £1 where ssold

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Inside Your Autumn Eagle: Editorial

New Eagle Editor unveiled...: 5

Crathie School

Pupils’ virtual residential: 14

Sabine + Aga Published

Hold your ears!: 15

Foraging #2

Recipes with rowanberries: 27

Hogtastic!

Help your prickly friends: 28

CNPA Update

from CEO Grant Moir: 32

Pottering About...

by Stella Potter: 34

History Special

Adders, Laments + The Tag...: 36-43

Happy Birthday, Howard Artist celebrates in style: 45 Geva’s Musings

with Cllr Geva Blackett: 46

Peter J. Argyle

Councillor’s Report: 48

. Advertisers’ Index: 58 .

Thank You! to Ballater Lego Club for our special cover photo

3

Just read me. I will guarantee to brighten your day!

Local Groups Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action: 9 Ballater Business Association: 18 Ballater Clinic: 7 B&C Community Council: 22 Ballater Community Enterprise: 19 Ballater Highland Games: 26 Ballater (Royal Deeside): 16 Buttony Bear: 12 Community Action Team: 25 CLAN Shop: 6 Churches’ Letter: 50 Floral Art: 11 Horticultural Society: 10 Lego Club: 52 Library: 14 OPAs: 6 Rotary: 8 V & A Halls: 45 VVW (Virtual Victoria Week): 56

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Contact Your Representatives

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 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 Geva Blackett:  07876 475269 email: cllr.g.blackett@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Remember you can read The Eagle online at www.issuu.com/ballatereagle

Eagle Who’s Who & Where Contact the Editorial Team: eagleballater@gmail.com Editor: Treasurer: Subscriptions: Advertising: Distribution:

Ron Drever Elaine Adams Avril Fyfe Karen Garioch Bill Braid

 56224  56149  56162  013398 80986  07775 614359

Design: Cat Houston, Ollie Francis Additional Production Team: Stella Potter, Emma Stewart and Wendy Cobban

...editorial...

You may recall from the last edition that I have joined the hardworking team of Eagle volunteers. During the Covid-19 pandemic was probably not the best time to join, as we’ve been restricted to Zoom meetings, which are fine up to a point, but are not the easiest way of getting to know the team members and fully understanding each member’s responsibilities.

However, having been involved in the Eagle 98 issue, and having had a tutorial with Stella, I’ve plunged into the deep end, and have taken on the role of the dedicated Editor! I trust I can Despite having only recently help the team to continue to produce one of moved house, Mr Drever settled the best community magazines around (if not quickly into his new role...

THE best).

In the last issue, our regular advertisers were offered free space, just a little help from their friends on the road to recovery for their businesses after some easing of restrictions. I’m pleased to say that we have been again able to help in this way, following a donation from our community development company, Ballater (RD) Limited, by way of their Johnston Oil Fund. Many thanks to BRD for their generosity.

We again thank all the key workers in the wider Deeside area, and elsewhere, for their continuing sterling efforts during the pandemic, together with the many members of our wonderful community who help those in need in so many ways. We also take time to think about those struggling with life in these challenging times.

Due to the pandemic we may have lost all our annual festivals this year, such as the Highland Games, Victoria Week, the Duck Festival and the Mucklefest, but life goes on, albeit differently. The organisers of Virtual Victoria Week have been doing a wonderful job, organising online events throughout the week. The Highland Games Committee were filmed raising the Games Standard at the usual time, to be available online, while films and photos from others were to be posted on Facebook to follow the usual schedule of events on Games Day. While I welcome you to this issue, remember the next one in December will be Eagle 100, so the Ballater Eagle will then join both our Highland Games Chieftain and Captain Sir Tom Moore, as celebrated centenarians! Why not make your contributions for the next issue extra special, perhaps including special memories of articles in previous issues?

We look forward to your contributions to this Eagle milestone. The copy date is November 1.

Meantime, keep safe and well.

Editor Ron &

The Eagle Team x

contact us at eagleballater@gmail.com

6

Local Group News

A round-up of news from our local groups

Phoenix Fund Ballater has been awarded a grant of £10,000 from Aberdeenshire Council’s Town Centre Phoenix Fund, writes Anne Reid.

The fundamental principle of the Phoenix Fund is to help town centre businesses (collectively) to ‘re-launch’ their town centres and encourage footfall and economic activity following the Covid-19 lockdown. Project options were: a temporary outdoor seating area; enhancing the church green; and a V&A Halls Hub project.

51 businesses were approached for suggestions how the money could be spent. 41 businesses responded, with 23 favouring an enhancement project for the church green.

The award was made and a small group was put together to drive the project forward. Several suggestions have already been made on how to enhance the centre of our beautiful village.

We will be able to give everyone more of an update in the December issue, so watch this space.

Marr Community Planning Group

We’d love you to share your favourite lockdown walk with us. Was it round the village, a bit further afield or through the woods?

Wherever you took your daily walk, please let Marr Community Paths Group know. The plan is to share them with others who may be new to your area or who would like to try a different place to walk, cycle or jog.

Email Kate@marrareapartnership.org.uk.

CLAN

Ballater’s favourite charity shop reopened at the end of August, trading 10am-4pm Tuesday to Saturday. They will only be accepting donations on Saturdays for the time being to allow them to “quarantine” the donations for 72 hours before staff and volunteers sort and get ready for the shop floor. Time to go shopping!

Old People’s/Over50s Association

The Annual General Meeting of the Association was of course cancelled this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As the situation has not sufficiently improved, there will be no bus run this year. On the bus journey we would of course all sit together and bearing some of our ages in mind, that is not ideal, as we need to take good care of ourselves and not incur colds etc.

Hopefully next year could be different and we will be able to continue our bus runs again.

We will keep you updated if and when other developments occur.

In the meantime please take care of yourselves and stay safe. Isabel Michie

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

Ballater Clinic

We hope this finds you well during these unprecedented times: for the most up-todate information and guidance go to www. nhsinform.scot/coronavirus.

We are limiting face to face appointments and if you feel you need to see a GP an initial telephone/video consultation will be arranged.

We ask that you DO NOT ATTEND THE SURGERY unless instructed to do so by a clinician.

May we also remind you that we require your up to date mobile number and email address so we can send you appointment reminders.

The clinic will be closed on Monday 28 September. Should you require medical attention outwith Clinic opening hours, please call NHS 24 on 111.

By appointment to HM The Queen Chemists

By appointment to HRH The Prince of Wales Chemists

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Dental practices in Aboyne and Banchory High quality private dental care in a comfortable environment Children welcome under the NHS Disabled access and easy parking Emergencies treated promptly Payment plans available Call us today for more information and to make an appointment Aboyne Practice Old Ballater Road Aboyne AB34 5HN Tel: 013398 86177

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Banchory Practice Fountain Lodge Station Road Banchory AB31 5YA Tel: 01330 822583

8

Rotary

by Ruth Powell

We hope you have all kept safe and well in these challenging times.

As we are a rural Rotary Club, we have members from different towns and villages, and in the present unusual times it is only normal for members to want to concentrate their volunteering on helping in their own communities, particularly helping those who are vulnerable. Therefore, although your local club may not have been particularly visible recently as a club, you can be certain that our Rotarians have been active individuals in their own communities. In Ballater you have John Burrows, Ron Drever, Bill Braid and Graham Brown.

Of course the coronavirus restrictions, leading to cancellation of events, have badly affected the club’s fundraising activities. For example, we usually attend, with great fun, various Highland Games, including Ballater, with our well known dice game, and running the tote at the Duck Festival. Our charity fund has been previously used to support various Ballater projects such as the Hut on the Green refurbishment, the toilets in Monaltrie Park, and the recent 2020 Hardship Fund, but the charity fund has now sadly been badly depleted, so financial help is inevitably reduced.

As restrictions have started to be lifted, so the club’s thoughts are moving towards having more fun together and, hopefully with new members, looking at different activities for fundraising, with the emphasis on fun, and forming new relationships with other local groups. Our Ballater members have been really impressed with the volunteering being done by so many local friends, helping others in the community in so many different ways. If any of those friends would be interested in continuing to volunteer their help to those in need, and,

at the same time, having fun and forming new friendships, then they may find that joining us in Rotary is the way to go!

We meet twice a month in normal times, and within the club we have different committees concentrating on different aspects of help for others, including Community, Youth and International. Our close relationships with Aboyne Academy and Aboyne Primar y School have resulted in both becoming corporate members of the club, and we continue to hope that Ballater Primary might also be interested. We have members of varying ages, and of both genders, so don’t believe Rotary is only for elderly retired guys who can afford it and don’t know how to have fun!

We Ballater members, in particular, would love to have more of you from our great community join us. If you would like to find out more about what we do, when we do it, and what cost is involved, simply contact our Secretary John at johnhalkett448@gmail.com and he’ll arrange for one or two of us to meet with you for a coffee or whatever, and answer your questions about the club and Rotary in general. Feel free to try us out with no obligation whatsoever – you have nothing to lose, and potentially much to gain!

Phoenix Chip Shop Take-away

Aberdeenshire Voluntar y A ction, a charity working with voluntary groups across Aberdeenshire, launched AVA Community Spirit Awards at the beginning of July to recognise “Community Spirit” in our villages and towns during the lockdown. It has been overwhelmed by the response. Dan Shaw CEO said.

“People have been nominating in their hundreds, the people in their community who have gone out of their way to help, support and put a smile on people’s faces during the pandemic.

We realised early on during lockdown that there were exceptional things happening in our communities to help the more vulnerable in our villages and towns across Aberdeenshire. Many award recipients have been nominated multiple times showing the impact they have had on their community. Several of our nominations are very young showing a sense of community spirit from a young age”.

Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action want to celebrate that community spirit is stronger than ever in Aberdeenshire and would love to share images of the award winners and their certificates, which will be winging their way to winners either electronically or via Royal Mail. If you would like to be included in this please email communityspirit@avashire.org.uk with a photo of you with your certificate. There are over 200 recipients of the AVA Community Spirit Award; the full list can be found in AVA’s most recent newsletter.

Some local residents who are receiving AV Community Spirit Awards include Shorty’s, The Highlanders Bakehouse, Eve Bolton, Gordon Riddler, Jamie Kinghorn and Rev Vittoria Hancock. Well done everyone!

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We are so pleased to be welcoming you all back, albeit with restrictions!

We now operate by appointment only (made by phone) with only 2 in the practice at any time.

Extra time is being allowed between each patient for thorough sanitising of equipment & premises.

A new test room & procedures maintains social distancing. Optician is fully masked- we ask you to be too!

Your safety is our priority. dp opticians on 013397 56222

10 This was not the summer that the Ballater Royal Horticultural Society had planned!

The village was looking most unkempt due to Covid-19 restrictions which forbade council workers from cutting the grass or supplying the usual plants to brighten the tubs and flower beds in the village.

The Society, in conjunction with the Ballater Enhancement Group, decided to undertake the sourcing and planting themselves. Thanks to monetary donations from the Invercauld Estate and Captain Alwyne Farquharson, (who agreed his donation towards the Flower Show could be repurposed) plants were purchased from the SeedBox and fertilizer from Alistair Cassie. Paul Patrick, of Pawz N Klawz in Aboyne, kindly donated compost and a varied selection of plants.

The Hilton Craigendarroch and Malcolm Jarvis also donated bedding plants.

The work was carried out by BRHS members Tommy Jackson, Douglas Mutch and Colin Wilson. Tommy’s idea to plant “NHS” in one of the beds has proved most successful and shows our gratitude to the NHS during these troubling times.

Thanks must also go to Wee Jim and Louise, his daughter, for cutting the grass on the Church

BRHS Report

by Elizabeth Wilson Greens. Rain is not always welcome, but the plants have certainly benefited from it and are thriving. We are most grateful to Graeme Eldred, The Bike Station in the Station Square, and Glenmuick Church for allowing ongoing access to water when required. Wendy and David Cobban, Peter and Jenny Hendry and Jo Croll are watering and weeding the various tubs when required, whilst Tommy and Colin are maintaining the beds. It is hoped to plant up the rear bed with perennials in the autumn to ensure a lovely display next year. We hope this will bring some pleasure to you on your shopping trips and daily walks.

Wednesday 8th July should have seen us visiting the Cullen Community Allotment and the Walled Garden at Gordon Castle, Fochabers.

Hopefully, we will be able to do this next year!

Sadly, there was no Flower Show for the village to enjoy and only time will tell if our meetings starting in November will go ahead. It’s the same for the many groups in the village. In the meantime, we can continue to work in and enjoy our gardens, and before too long, start planning for next year’s plantings.

I’ll finish by quoting the late Audrey Hepburn who said, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”

Pic: Amy Muir

Floral Art Group

by Evelyne Baikie

Well summer has been a strange one this year, no meetings, no shows, no Victoria Week, but our gardens are all blooming their socks off. It’s easy to see when out walking what everyone has been doing, with beautiful front gardens and wee veg boxes cropping up in the most wonderful places. Despite the garden centres being closed at the beginning of lockdown, we seem to have managed to get plants and seeds, and to have gone to town with the variations on view. We have been very lucky with the service from our local garden centres. We have had deliveries at any time, and, while maybe not everything we are used to has been available, they have tried their best at all times. Deliveries from local shops have also been brilliant. Nothing has been a problem and we can only thank them from the bottom of our hearts for their part in keeping us safe.

My resident gardener has been busy redesigning the back of our small garden and it has been very well used throughout the whole summer. I think we have had more tea breaks and meals outside than ever before and we have loved being able to sit and enjoy the flowers. The pots are looking good but different this year, and are probably thinking that they can stay looking good as they will not be trundling around the countryside going to shows.

Who would have thought that in September we would still be in semi lockdown with no social life to speak of and no public meetings? On that subject, the committee have decided to cancel this year’s programme until we are sure what is being advised. The difficulties of keeping everyone safe have to be our priority. By the time you read this, things may have changed, but we will plan according to the situation as advised by government. Please keep a lookout in the press and on webpages for updates.

Gardens have been a blessing this year and I appreciate just how lucky we are to have a wee space to get outside. For those of you struggling to get out and enjoy the countryside I hope you have been able to do things to keep busy and safe. These times will pass eventually and hopefully you will be able to soon meet up with friends. For those of us busy gardening and getting back to some form of normality, remember our neighbours, and let the good work being done be our legacy from these strange times.

Although these are worrying times, let’s appreciate the beauty of our area and the special people in our communities, while staying connected and safe.

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In the last Eagle we told you we were soon to launch our Young Adult Project.

We are very happy to tell you that the project is off to a great start.

The pack is for young people aged 14-21 where a stoma bear is not appropriate. This is an age group that can sometimes be overlooked and we are all really excited about this project. The first packs were dispatched to The Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital and Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, and since then we have gone on to send to many more hospitals throughout the UK. Our aim is to reach every centre in which young adults are treated.

The pack has a wash bag for storing pouch supplies, and inside we have a wee bear hug to keep to our theme, two cotton pouch covers which make the stoma pouch more personal and less medical, perfume or cologne, a drawstring bag for an emergency pouch change away from home, tissues, a positive card, a “Can’t Wait” card, which helps the user explain, if required, their need to use a toilet when out, and a Radar Key for access to disabled toilets.

This pack is a great addition to the charity and has been met with great enthusiasm - Chris Driver, our Patron, who is a Paediatric Surgeon in Aberdeen said “These fantastic packs for young adults help them to manage their stoma with discretion and dignity. They are just brilliant”.

Alongside our new pack we have been donating lots of stoma bears, and, as I write, our bear tally has risen to 3231. It really has been a busy few months.

I’d personally like to say a huge thank you to all the Buttony team and volunteers who have been hard at work throughout lockdown and beyond.

We really appreciate the support we receive. We received a donation of £363.56 from Lewis Stewart of Peterculter who was in the village on holiday. He played his pipes in front of Glenmuick Church for donations to Buttony – what an incredibly generous gesture to give up his time for other young people and all whilst on holiday!

If you would like any more information on Buttony please do get in touch with us at info@ buttonybear.org.uk or on 07813720963.

Buttony News

by Jenny Gow

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For further information telephone: 013397 42534

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14

Crathie School by the Pupils

Crathie School’s Virtual Residential!

We have not let lockdown get in the way of good fun at Crathie. During the final week of term the children took part in some tasks as part of their virtual residential experience including pitching a tent, making a kite, roasting marshmallows and much more!

Crathie Sports We also had a Virtual Sports Day this year with pupils taking part in home sports challenges such as sprinting and a sack race. The children have been very active during the term taking part in lots of sporting challenges and fitness classes.

The pupils have really entered into the spirit of these events and have continued to work hard during the final term. Their spirit of resilience has been wonderful to see and all the staff look forward to welcoming everyone back after the summer.

Library News from Sabine Muir Bookings for ‘Click and Collect’ and Doorstep Deliveries are now available from Ballater Library, offering a safe way to access resources.

It is the latest branch to get the new service, which has already been rolled out in Oldmeldrum, Fraserburgh, Banchory, Ellon and Stonehaven.

Collections will be available from the library at the Old Royal Station on Tuesdays from 9am–1pm and on Thursdays from4–7pm. People have so far been jumping at the chance to collect (or have delivered) new books, hearing aid batteries from the NHS, and Curricular Support Resources.

While Live Life Aberdeenshire’s digital library services have been very well used during lockdown, there has been great demand for increased access to materials only available in libraries. The new services are being introduced to allow customers and staff to remain socially distant and safe, while still getting what they need

to make lockdown more bearable.

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. Customers can return items to any of the participating sites. For more information see: https://bit.ly/3flw2SA. You can join our library service, access your account and explore our catalogue at: https://bit.ly/2yF83NN For your safety, please note that the Click and Collect service will be run from the side door, not the main entrance to the library.

Pic: Amy Muir

15

Children’s book duo publish again Hold your ears! ‘Josephine, Drama Queen, the loudest gull in Aberdeen’ has landed in Ballater Library.

Written by Sabine Muir, it 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. The latest story is suitable for under-fives and early readers. Book design and layout was by Cat Scripps from Myriad Pro Publishing.

Because of lockdown, Sabine and Aga launched their book online with a video and a reading by Sabine on Facebook (“Sabine Muir Books”) and her website www.sabinemuir.com).

Sabine and Agnieszka are hoping to be able to do storytimes in the near future, once lockdown has been lifted.

‘Josephine Drama Queen’ is a stor y about three seagulls in Aberdeen, who are wondering what to eat at mealtimes. Josephine

has sophisticated tastes, Jack Scruff likes tomato sauce on everything, and Hoolie, who is hopeless at catching fish, prefers stealing the food people eat. Every time he snatches food from someone, Josephine goes into vocal overdrive and deafens everyone around them. She really is the loudest gull in Aberdeen. People chase after Hoolie and there is chaos on the beach until a compromise is reached.

Copies are now in shops from Braemar to Aberdeen, including Waterstones. Signed copies are available from Deeside Books and Yule’s, or online from: www.deesidebooks.com.

(ISBN: 978-1-8380125-0-2) Sabine and Aga are now busy with their next book, called: ‘The V.I.B.’s –The Very Important Bees’, which will come out by the end of the year.

There is a video on the Facebook page of Aga in action painting the pictures.

16

BRD by John Burrows

Like most organisations nowadays we have been learning how to hold Zoom meetings on the internet. As a chairman, the ability to mute others is fantastic and something I will miss when we return to normality, whatever that will be! Being able to continue has never been more important, as it would be so easy to give way to the pandemic barriers to progress, batten down the hatches and shut up shop.

Although we sadly had to cancel the Duck Festival this year, even though we deferred that decision until July to see if we could operate safely, other matters we have been working on have been able to progress. Kate Allum was pleased to advise at the last meeting that, during August, Aberdeenshire Council will commence working on the Cambus O’ May bridge and the schedule should see it completed in 16 weeks. The importance of this bridge is to bring an iconic circular walk back in use. Aberdeenshire Council set BRD the objective to raise the necessary funds, and Kate has turned every stone to achieve that goal.

The first BRD Newsletter will be issued in August; something that had been promised at the November AGM. It will be issued with a redacted list of the membership, as this is your BRD and we have to be accountable, not just once a year at the AGM! This list will enable members to communicate with each other and test the water on issues they feel are not being actioned. We have included a question page and it is hoped it will assist us to keep in line with what is needed.

The Phoenix Fund may be something you will have heard about. This fund was widely publicised during the early days of the pandemic to enable communities to thrive post Covid-19.

The sum of £10,000 is a great donation from the fund, so, in conjunction with the community council and Ballater Business Association, we set about finding ideas that could be placed before businesses. I will say no more as the enhancement team targeted to put this together will report in this publication.

The Johnston Oil Fund approved support for: the housing group; the Ballater Eagle in order to enable the provision of free advertising to businesses; and for the refurbishment of an established defibrillator while providing a new one to be located on the caravan park.

Major projects being considered include: improved parking; a bike pump track; support of the Climate Now Team through our representative Jennifer Macmillan; Monaltrie Park toilets; and the widening of the public liability cover for projects in the village -– the latter being something B&CCC have long thought important, but owing to fiscal limitations have been unable to deliver. All of this has been progressed during lockdown, along with the setting up of the Ballater Hardship Fund. On the latter subject, I personally have to express appreciation of the volunteers who act as the faces to those struggling, and to you the community who stepped up with your most generous donations to our local Everest Mountaineer, Gordon Riddler, who simply doesn’t know when to stop.

The Community Action Team (CAT) and Ballater Business Association (BBA) both have rotating Chairpersons. Duncan MacAskill will become the new chair of BBA while I take on CAT from Michael Coletta, who covered both until his departure to England in July.

Possibly you are not a member of Ballater (RD) Limited and wonder how you can join this exclusive Ballater elite? I have to warn you it is expensive – ONE POUND for life membership and gives you the chance to get involved in this amazing community. So email Gillian on info@royal-deeside.org.uk and ask how to arrange membership. In a group you will have to submit £1 for every member – NO GROUP BOOKINGS! So come and get involved and change your village.

Rusty Putter Catering at Ballater Golf Club open to members & guests call 013397 55567 (option 3) for bookings coffee &

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18

ScotT Thomson joinery Ballater 07921 911694 ScottThomsonJoinery@ yahoo.com

Ballater Business Association

As many of you will know, Michael Coletta has departed for the smaller national park of the Lake District.

Ever yone in the BBA would like to thank him for his hard work on behalf of the association and wish him every success in his new position. His role as chairman of the BBA has been filled by Duncan MacAskill.

The Committee has been busy on two relaunches. Firstly, the revamped and improved Visit Ballater website has been published. There are still developments planned to enhance the events calendar and to add community pages.

The aim is to make this the ‘go to’ information hub for visitors to and residents of Ballater and the surrounding area.

The second relaunch is, of course, Ballater itself following the Covid-19 lockdown.

The BBA has been working closely with Aberdeenshire Council and other local representative groups to apply the council’s town centre Phoenix Fund grant. Ideas were sought from a wide range of town centre businesses which were then assessed against strict grant funding conditions. Project updates will be released as it develops.

BCE Ballater Caravan Park

by Allan Harrison

The 2020 season started off very well at the beginning of March. Then along came the coronavirus pandemic necessitating the closure of the park to visitors on 22 March.

Only recently has government advice been such that we could contemplate reopening with additional anti-virus measures. After studying the guidelines on reopening, it was decided that we would be able to reopen on 15 July albeit, initially, with the toilet block, laundry and play areas closed. This decision was taken as we felt unable to ensure the cleanliness of all hard surfaces with our complement of staff. It is hoped that we will be able to reopen fully in the not too distant future.

As a consequence, initially the park was opened on 15 July to caravans and motorhomes with their own facilities.

A full professional anti-virus clean of the offices and all communal hard surfaces was carried out before the opening and this will be repeated every 28 days if required.

The 2020 booking system reopened on 10 July and over 120 bookings were made in the first hour; a testament to the popularity of the park, even in these difficult times.

Finally, the BCE Board would like to record its thanks to all our staff for their understanding over the last five months.

Ballater blooms thanks to collective effort writes David Cobban Bridge Street in Ballater has recently received a splash of floral colour with the placing of planters and hanging baskets along many of the shop fronts. This is the initial stage of a project to enhance the shop fronts, and has been heavily supported by the Prince’s Foundation, and the Duke of Rothesay has taken a very keen interest in the plans. As well as funding from the Foundation, there has been generous financial support from Marr Area Partnership and the Cairngorms National Park Authority, along with another generous donation from Mrs Kathleen Mackay. Special mention must also go to Ballater Royal Deeside (BRD) for its considerable assistance with the project. Raemoir Garden Centre has done an excellent job with the planters and baskets, and kindly provided all the compost, labour hours and deliveries free of charge. The hanging basket brackets were erected by Gordon Mitchell Contractors.

Local business owners have been contributing ÂŁ50 towards watering and maintenance of the planters and baskets, and any businesses or individuals wishing to give a donation in support of the project should get in touch with David Cobban (Tel. 07917 186622 or dgc@mccueporter.com)

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I am an annual visitor to Ballater, being an owner at Craigendarroch resort for the last 30 years or so. I enjoy the Eagle when I come up and find it helpful in keeping up to date with the town’s activities.

I am cur rently undertaking a major photography project aimed at showing how the stress of isolation during “ lockdown” is helped by partaking in activity in a house’s outbuilding... as in the saying, “Every man’s shed is their castle”!

I am looking to contacting residents in the Ballater region to ask for help if they have a shed or similar outbuilding that they use for their hobby or home-industry... for example they may use it for anything from home-produced pottery; a recording studio; practising drums/bagpipes or even just a home bar and comfy chair! I would particularly be interested if anyone uses their outbuilding for tying fishing flies as well (being fly fishing country). Thank you so much in anticipation.

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Reader’s Letter

21

“Shed-dwellers” sought for photography project

22 Ballater & Crathie Community Council General Update: Owing to the Pandemic, BCCC meetings were put on hold in April and May. Virtual meetings resumed in June and will continue to be held virtually for the near future. If you wish to attend, please email bcccsecretary@outlook.com.

Elections were due to be held in May, but have now been deferred to 2021. In the meantime, a couple of community councillors will be stepping down. It is possible to co-opt new members ahead of the 2021 elections. If you are interested in joining please email bcccsecretary@outlook.com.

Phoenix Fund: Ballater has the opportunity to apply for £10,000 to aid economic recovery. BCCC worked with BRD and BBA to identify some possible projects and selection is ongoing. The application deadline is due by 30th September.

Flood Issues Group (FIG) FIG is a sub-committee of the community council, bringing together the widest group of interests in relation to resilience, property level protection, river management, upstream works and flooding mitigation, not just for Ballater but for the whole of the Community Council area.

FIG will involve local residents in vital flood decisions, in particular what smaller scale options for protection and mitigation might be developed to limit the more frequent lower impact flooding.

Now that lockdown is easing, FIG is trying to draw together as much information as possible, consult as widely as feasible, and encourage all relevant initiatives.

There is no current news as to when the Scottish Government will make a decision on whether or not to prioritise Aberdeenshire Council’s £31m option 3A, but it now seems unlikely that a decision will be made before 2021.

BCCC is most grateful to BFG for all their past and continuing work with Aberdeenshire Council in relation to option 3A. BCCC is still concerned that a big flood protection scheme may not happen in the foreseeable future.

FIG is currently working on the draft report on the 2015 Flood and flood related issues.

This report will be issued in draft to encourage maximum public input, before the report is finalised. The final report will help to develop actions for community consultation on smaller scale flood protection decisions.

We are always looking for help with information regarding the 2015 and other flooding events.

Your information and experiences would help BCCC create and update its information on flooding.

Do you have photos, stories, plans or theories that would add to our knowledge?

Please send any information to, or contact, Richard@Frimston.com BCCC is also keen to maximise participation in FIG, so if you are interested in being involved please contact Richard Frimston.

Craigendarroch Country Club’s Keiller Lounge is back!

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Community Action Team

25

by John Burrows Following Michael Coletta’s departure to England, the chairmanship of the Community Action Team (CAT) has been rotated to Ballater (RD) Limited. It is important to note that the objective of CAT is to review the various aspects of the Community Action Plan (CAP) and ensure that each project group can deliver its objective. CAT does not necessarily have the answers, but can help identify an issue, the first stage to resolving the issue and enabling progress.

We presently have several projects being challenged by COVID-19:(1) Allotments and Community Garden; (2) Care; (3) Footpaths – the Group are looking at the costing of improved signage, through the sterling work undertaken by Kenneth Gibson; (4) Environmental; (5) Car Parking – the potential to improve parking in the village remains a challenge, and the pandemic has shown how Church Square Car Park can accept more cars when bus slots are removed; (6) Community Hub – establishing the Community Hub within the Halls complex is planned to resume; and (7) Housing – the Group is still moving forward with the feasibility project with support from St Nathalan’s Lodge.

Many of the groups presently existing need the help of more volunteers, while others simply cannot start because although people have expressed a need, sadly they seem not willing to become involved and lead.

A prime example of the latter is the Care project. Firstly we have to identify the actual problem, as the term Care is far too general. We must identify the true need as it is far too easy to say we require more, but do we? What are the hard statistical facts as without them how do you design a solution? Care is far greater than looking at carers for disabled and the older generation; it is about mental health, suicide, alcohol and drug abuse, and whilst CAP cannot access specific individuals’ situations, the numbers which are available tell us the true need. So, if this excites you, then please let us know.

Environmental does have Ballater First, but it seems to have been frustrated in its endeavours to move forward so, if you are interested, write or email me and I will link you to the group.

My first task is to bring together the various groups in the present environment to see how we can measure where we are with each project.

I have excellent data already to hand from the previous chair. The intention was that this year we would hold a village open day to discuss progress, but that is not viable in the foreseeable months.

Alternatively, Zoom options could be the way forward, but my challenge is how we can invite you when we struggle to know how you want us to communicate. In BRD it took me months to establish a platform for all our members and that was for just over one hundred members!

Apathy is our greatest enemy. Often the belief is that someone else will do it, with the subsequent complaint that it is either not working or not what we wanted. The larger groups, namely B&CCC, BBA and BRD, have listened and now share directors/nominees and talk to each other, but Ballater, Tullich & Crathie are not communities of a few hard-working individuals/institutions!

Please get involved!

Ballater Highland Games

by John Sinclair

Earlier this year the Games Committee had to make the difficult decision to cancel Ballater Highland Games 2020 amidst the challenges and devastation Covid-19 is presenting worldwide.

Every second Thursday of August in Ballater should be filled with the dirling sounds of the Massed Pipe Bands, the echoes of Robert Lovie announcing results over the tannoy and the roaring applause of crowds gathered to cheer on competitors from near and far.

Although this year would be very different, it was important that Ballater did not fall silent on the 13th August. This year we encouraged you to celebrate and mark the occasion safely in your own way as we would strive to uphold the spirit and tradition that is the Scottish Highland Games.

Regular Highland Games participants were asked to have themselves filmed or photographed doing what they usually do, and post it to our Facebook page. Dancers, Pipers, Heavies, Runners etc were all keen to do their bit.

A small group of our Committee raised the Games Standard on Games Day, as we do every year, and this is available for everyone to see online, along with some photos of our Royal visitor.

I am confident that we will all gather again in 2021 for the Games Day we all know and love, but, until then, stay safe and Haste ye Back.

Sorbus aucuparia Mountain ash Rowan looks similar to elder, the main differences being the number of leaflets, with rowan having 7-9 pairs and elder 5-7 pairs. Also the flowers on the rowan tree appear earlier than those on the elder tree. The berries are easily distinguished from one another, as the rowan has bright red berries whereas the elder has dark purple berries. Rowan berries contain parasorbic acid, which can damage your kidneys over time, and therefore, in order to make them safely edible, it’s very important to freeze or boil the berries so as to break down the parasorbic acid into sorbic acid.

The main phytochemical in rowan berries is sorbic acid which in recent studies has been shown to prevent the breakdown of collagen in the skin. The berries contain a significant amount of vitamin C. Rowan is part of the Ogham – the Gaelic alphabet. It is credited with keeping witchcraft, evil eye and ghosts at bay, and is often seen growing near houses for protection. A small piece or cross used to be put above the front door to avert evil. The berries were also distilled to create a protective charm spirit. There is a lot of folklore around rowan and it is mostly to ward off evil.

Pic: Dale Johnson, Braemar Media

Local Foraging #2: Rowan Berries

by Natasha Lloyd

27

Recipes Rowan Berry Jelly

Rowan Wine

The recipes on the right call for you to boil the berries, but with wine you don’t bring your fruit up to any great temperature, so it is essential that you freeze the fruit first then make your wine.

Ingredients: 4lbs of rowan berries destalked 3lbs of sugar One packet of yeast – I like a sherry yeast for rowan berries.

5 litres of lukewarm water In a clean and sterile bucket, place the frozen berries, sugar, lukewarm water and yeast. Mix together and cover. Allow to ferment for 3 - 5 days depending on the ambient temperature where the bucket is kept. You will see bubbles forming to show the mix is fermenting, when you stir it every day.

After it is starting to ferment, strain out the berries. You do this with a sieve and transfer the liquid into a clean and sterile demijohn. It takes about 15 to 20 months to fully mature. When at the desired flavour for you, bottle the wine into clean and sterile bottles and cork. This keeps it for longer.

This jelly is well known in Scotland as a tart jelly to go with fatty and game meats, and it pairs particularly well with strong cheeses. It has an unusual flavour that is tart and astringent.

Ingredients: 4lbs of rowan berries with the stalks removed.

3lbs of apples, peeled and cored. Chop into quarters.

1lb of sugar.

In a big bowl add the berries and sugar together and allow to infuse overnight. The next day add the syrupy berries and the apples to a saucepan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or until the fruit is soft.

Allow to cool for a few minutes and then pour into a jelly strainer bag overnight. Once this is complete, pour the jelly into sterilised jars - you may need to heat the jelly slightly to allow it to pour freely into the jars.

Rowan Chutney

Ingredients: 4lbs of rowan berries with the stalks removed 3lbs of apples or other fruit such as pears or plums, peeled, cored or stoned and cut into bitesize chunks 3 large onions, sliced thinly ½ lb of sugar 100ml of cider vinegar Tablespoon of sea salt Olive oil In a large pan, cook the onions in the olive oil until slightly browned on the edges. Add the rowan berries, apples, cider vinegar, sugar and salt and allow to come to the boil for 10 minutes, and then to simmer for 45mins to an hour. You will see the fruit break down and start to come together.

Allow to cool and place into sterilised jars.

hogtastic!

!

by Angie Marr

What a thrill to know that beautiful Ballater has a thriving population of hedgehogs!

I’m very lucky as I have a hog visiting the garden every night. My neighbour also puts out food and water, and we often compare notes on what we’ve seen and heard. They are very noisy eaters!

My love of hedgehogs began late one summer evening when my dog was out in the garden for his bedtime constitutional. He became excited around a box plant and I was immediately alerted.

Much to my delight there was a hedgehog! In the following days I set up a food station with a night camera and started to enjoy the footage of the comings and goings.

At the end of Sept I was thrilled to see a baby hedgehog, but they need to be around 600g to survive the winter hibernation and it was too late in the year for this hoglet to fatten up. I had a chat with the wonderful folk at The New Arc near Ellon, and was told to get rescuing!

I caught the first baby and dispatched him safely, only to be told that it was almost certain there would be more. I ended up making three journeys, with a total of five hoglets, each weighing around 100g.

I’m happy to report that all were safe and sound. They enjoyed a six-star all-inclusive winter break, resulting in a successful release in the spring; all fat, happy and healthy.

If you would like to encourage the population, here are a few hedgehog tips: • they eat insects, snails, slugs, beetles, worms and caterpillars; • their diet can be supplemented by leaving out cat or dog food, but no fishy flavours as it can give them an upset tummy; • only give them water to drink as they are lactose intolerant, and therefore milk makes them very sick; • the food station should be placed away from the nest; • be careful when using chemicals in the garden as the food chain means you may kill a lot more than you intended; • try and leave a messy part in your garden; • cover all drains and keep garden netting higher than 30cm off the ground; • where there is a pond, always provide an escape route; • check bonfires before lighting; • when using gardening machinery, check for sleeping hogs; • with neighbours’ agreement, by cutting a space in the bottom of fences 13x13cm to link your gardens, you can create a hedgehog highway, as they like to roam every night; and • if you see a hedgehog out in daytime, there could be a problem, so check and, if necessary, contact a rescue centre for advice.

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Grieving mum helps others in new career The loss of a beloved son has led an Aberdeenshire mum to offer bereaved families a personalised way to remember loved ones.

When Ben Gray died suddenly, his family wanted to remember him in a way that paid tribute to the man he was.

His mum, Isabel Addison, said: “Ben lived with Cystic Fibrosis, which we knew would limit his life, but when we lost him it was a terrible shock. We wanted Ben’s service to reflect who he was, and so as a family we gathered together the limited pieces of information he had shared. The only thing we knew for certain was that he wanted his guitar placed on top of his coffin.

“Ben loved playing his guitar and was passionate about it. He especially loved 70s rock music. Ben’s dad said that Ben wanted Burn by Deep Purple played at his funeral.” But other than that, everything was guess work. It was an extremely stressful and worrying time. Even now Isabel still questions if she got it right.

When it came to his eulogy, Isabel wrote that herself, collecting stories from family and friends and getting those close to Ben involved, especially his closest friend. Often Isabel would think: “I wish I’d known that about him when he was alive.”

Working in care management, Isabel came across people who were approaching the end of their lives. She would often ask if they had thought about what they wanted to happen when the time came and most had never had that discussion with their loved ones. On one occasion when she asked this question her client responded by saying her son refused to discuss this and that she was relieved to be having that conversation with someone.

As a result, Isabel has trained and is now an accredited Independent Funeral Celebrant.

This means that she can plan and run a funeral

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or memorial service that is a true reflection of the deceased. She is also offering a Funeral Planning service where your wishes are recorded so that your loved ones do not have to worry if they are getting it right.

Talking to the living about death is never easy, but it is an accepted part of coming to terms with the end of life, with cancer charities recommending the step after a terminal diagnosis.

Isabel feels it is important that other families have the opportunity to have a deeply personal and loving funeral: “Being able to remember the person the way they want to be remembered is very important and I work with the family to make it a commemoration of the person, their life and loves.”

At a time when we are unable to say goodbye to our loved ones the way we would like, Isabel is also able to advise on memorial events: “It’s important that we come together to share our memories, as it is an important part of our healing.

I hope that what I am doing is able to help, even in a small way.”

This summer has been one of the 32busiest I have known since coming to

work at the CNPA. Yes, we always get lots of visitors coming to the park, but we have had a lot of people holidaying close to home and a lot of first time visitors to the countryside.

Sadly, some of those visitors have not behaved in a way that is appropriate anywhere, let alone in one of the country’s most protected areas – litter, human waste, fires, vandalism – we’ve seen it all and it’s wholly unacceptable.

Land managers, estate workers and ranger services have been stretched to the limit, so it was with much gratitude that the CNPA team of seasonal rangers were able to hit the ground running back in June and help existing ranger services out in particular hotspot areas like Burn o’ Vat, Loch Muick and Linn o’ Dee. Visitors are always welcome here in the Cairngorms National Park – three or four months of not having visitors has had a devastating impact on our economy – but people need to treat this beautiful, protected area and our wonderful communities with respect.

‘Dirty camping’ and the anti-social behaviour that goes with it is a drain on our emergency services and is particularly challenging for local rangers who are trying to ensure everyone has a pleasant time and stays safe, as well as caring for the environment.

The CNPA has been working with various local landowners across the park, who experienced the brunt of this behaviour, along with Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service. Hopefully, now we’re approaching autumn, things are starting to calm down and we can refocus on the many other areas of our work.

The work of the Park Authority is far reaching but it essentially covers three strands: – nature conservation; rural development; and visitor experience. At the end of last year we agreed in 2020 (and beyond) that the climate emergency would be at the forefront of all our activities.

CNPA News

by Grant Moir, CEO

Readers will remember we held the ‘Net Zero with Nature’ conference back in March to address the climate crisis and what needs to happen in the Cairngorms National Park to tackle the issues. This conference took place just before we were all impacted by Covid-19 and the nation went into lockdown.

Ironically, this tragic, global pandemic resulted in fewer journeys by car or plane, and got people walking and cycling instead of driving. Just what we want to see happen to help reduce our impact on the environment.

What I particularly liked was people started to buy more local, seasonal produce as well as growing their own. Buying locally not only supports the park’s economy but fewer food miles is obviously very good news for the climate.

In the National Park we have some fantastic farmers, crofters and estates who grow and rear amazing primary products. And we have a great array of producers who are inspired by the wealth of high quality primary products available to them on their doorstep, using them in the best possible way, whether they be butchers, bakers, cheesemakers, etc.

It has been a difficult time for everyone but I am buoyed by people getting active and this trend to buy local. Hopefully, as we emerge from Covid-19 we can continue some of these positive trends into the future as we all tackle the climate emergency.

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Pottering About... by Stella Potter Those of you who know me well know that the very thought of running exhausts me.

I’ve no desire to get hot, sweaty, blistered and chafed – especially in public! However, this is not true of many folk around the world, including my family and community. So here are two exhausting lockdown tales and one far gentler one.

There were so many creative ways of being connected to others during lockdown, and one great example of this was discovering the small world of connection. My lovely brother, Stewart, who lives in upstate New York, has been a long distance runner since his teens in the 70s. From time to time over the years I’ve done a little support on long hill runs, and regular readers of my ramblings might remember my report of crewing for Joe, a friend of ours, on the West Highland Way 100 a couple of years ago. The trail running community are a very friendly bunch, as I discovered that weekend.

At the second checkpoint I met Donna, who lives in Ballater and was crewing for another ultra-runner. Small world!

Being in NY State, Stewart and his family were in lockdown before we were. How could he keep up distance running whilst confined to barracks? His house is bordered by quite dense forest, so he took his trail-clearing skills to the area, carving himself a 283 (and a bit!) metre trail. Running has been important to him for five decades, so lockdown certainly wasn’t going to stop him. But there were no events to train for. Until the running community started “virtual” runs: a particular distance over a particular time with the mileage calculated on smart phone technology and uploaded. The first one was a wee jog of 10k, a charity event organised by his first university. Then he found a local “social distant” challenge over three weeks of a 5k, 10k and half marathon. Still just a jog for him though. But having done the Lakeland 100 a few years ago, he was delighted

to discover there was a virtual Lakeland 100 he could do – which was actually 105 miles - and another 100 miles over a week challenge. When I spoke to him in July he’d just completed 100 miles in 571 laps of his trail round his house.

At every lap he counted them by moving a ball from the to-do basket to the done basket. He has run that trail 940 times since May. His tracking tech picture of a marathon run on his trail is hilarious (see Strava pic above).

Meanwhile, in sunny Ballater, Donna was locked down and feeling sad that the Lakeland 50 that she’d gained a place for was cancelled.

She’s been running ultras since 2014. Having become fed up of marathons on tarmac, but loving running, she tried hill running. She told me that after an army career she particularly relished running because she wanted to, rather than having to. So many races worldwide were cancelled, she soon discovered not only could she virtually do the Lakeland 50, but also other lockdown races. She completed the virtual West Highland Way, which was 95 miles over 8 days, as did Joe. That event raised a magnificent £21,443 for SAMH Scottish Association for Mental Health. She also tackled the Great Glen Ultra of 72 miles over six days, and continued to run the Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee, which is a massive 1021km/635miles, between May and August. 19,000 folk around the globe were tackling it! When I spoke to her in July she only

had a mere 110 miles left to do.

So how did she manage all that in lockdown, not having her own personal trail like Stewart?

Firstly, she found it a great way to take away the monotony of lockdown and maintain good mental health. Secondly she found many creative figures of 8 loops ensuring she stayed within the five miles from home that we could travel. She discovered wildlife was less hidden, delighting in spotting a young roe deer in bushes at Chapel Loch. The variation of routes was helpful: she was listening to her body so some days were short run, others much longer. She enjoyed a few runs “with” others on face-time supporting each other when it wasn’t possible to physically run together. But she was becoming bored of the same routes. So when lockdown eased she told me it was utterly delightful to get up very early and run to and round Loch Muick. Her tracking tech bears no resemblance to Stewart’s!

She was particularly delighted to complete the last six miles of her Lakeland 50 whilst on holiday in Coniston which is where both Lakeland runs finish.

So as the virtual Lakeland runners met on their dedicated facebook page, being all friendly as trail runners are, Stewart asked Donna where she was based. Of course, upon being told Ballater he said his sister lives there too.

We joined up all the dots, realising it was her I’d met a couple of summers ago. So Donna and I met up one sunny afternoon on the green, perfectly distant book-ending a bench. I decided to relate her and Stewart’s lockdown ultrarunning achievements and celebrate the small world of connection in which we live.

As mentioned in my opening paragraph, there are some things I won’t do in public.

However I’m perfectly prepared to be eccentric, as my clothes and hair can exemplify! Before Virtual Victoria Week and the new school term, I had noticed some of the Geddes School Waymarkers were so dirty as to be unreadable.

(For those who don’t know, the first one is on

35

the left of the station – where the path used to run behind – carry on the footpath by the platform to Old Station Place, a couple towards the surgery, then down the path by Monaltrie Park and up to the school.)

I checked the best way to clean the metal plaques with the chap who made them. Water, a little detergent and a scrubbing brush. Fair and simple enough. I inveigled the lovely Sabine to take a distanced walk with me so we could have a jolly good catch up as well as scrub up the plaques. So one sunny afternoon I set off across the village carrying nothing but a yellow bucket containing a scrubbing brush and one of my faithful polishing cloths – a constantly re-used terry nappy nearly three decades old. I did notice a few puzzled looks from the many tourists as I, determinedly zig-zagging to maintain distance, crossed the green. I even wondered if I could invite them to pop money in for VVW, but decided having coins thrown at me from two metres may not be the best in terms of safety. As the waymarkers end by the school, we walked to the delightful Amy’s, who not only filled my bucket with warm water but also wandered with us for the first few to record the cleaning in progress. (see pic) With very grateful thanks to the Mum and Daughter team all 12 are now clean and readable. So, until the weather and birds render them unclear again, do have a stroll by them, and I hope school pupils may also enjoy their walk to school rather more by being able to see them. It may even be that a parent or other older family member has one of their drawings embedded on one.

Whether you run or just relish your eccentricity, keep on being yourself, and may we all be safe, well and joyful. Happy autumn!

Local History

36

Eagle 99 Special

The Kellas Connection

by Sandy Mitchell Further to the article written by Duncan Macrae (Eagle 95) about Alexander Mitchell Kellas of Himalayan fame, some other connections of the Kellas family with Ballater may be of interest.

A.M. Kellas’s mother, Mary Boyd Mitchell was born at Sluievannachie in 1844, a younger sister of my great grandfather. She married James Kellas in 1866 at Sluievannachie and they had seven children. The second child of the seven was Alexander as previously mentioned.

The seventh child took an MBChB at Aberdeen University and volunteered for service in the RAMC in WWI as a Major. He was sent to Gallipoli in the ill-fated campaign there and was killed by a sniper. We still have a copy of the letter of condolence sent by his CO to his mother.

Of more local interest was child number four, Henry (Harry)1871-1923. He married Mary Brown of New Zealand and lived in Carlton Place in Aberdeen and was a very successful solicitor. In fact, he was a partner in the locally well-known firm of Grey and Kellas, now incorporated into Laurie & Co. Like his brother Alex, he was a keen hillwalker and mountaineer, spending much of his spare time in the Cairngorms. It was during one of his holidays in the hills that he died from a heart attack in the Fife Arms, Braemar.

Harr y and Mar y had four children; Ronald, Arthur, Derek, and Lorna. Ronald was a GP spending his working life in the

English Midlands. Arthur attended Aberdeen and Oxford universities and was a career diplomat; one time British Ambassador to Nepal. Derek won an MC in East Africa during WWII studied forestry at Aberdeen and became the National Trust for Scotland’s first factor of Crathes estate. He and his wife Ella bought Old Ford House in Ballater where he latterly set up as a clock and watch maker.

He died in 1968, but Ella lived on in Ballater for several years.

The youngest child was Lorna who took a degree in Zoology and worked in Africa for many years. When she retired she bought the old stationmaster’s house at Cambus O’ May where I gather she was not too kind to the local wildlife, occasionally chopping up adders with her spade! Eventually she moved to London and died about two years ago.

Clearly the Kellas family was a talented clan with a strong connection to Ballater which still exists; because Old Ford House is to this day owned by Susan Kellas who is the widow of Ronald Kellas’s son, Michael. Both Michael and Susan were lawyers.

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Local History

38

Eagle 99 Special

Stories Behind the Tunes MacCrimmon’s Lament

by Stuart Archer MacCrimmon’s Lament is a pibroch, which can be defined as an extended composition, played at a slow tempo, centred on a repetitive theme or ‘ground’ that is then embellished with slightly varying finger movements.

Donald Ban MacCrimmon, who was commonly believed to be the best piper in Scotland in the mid-1700s, allegedly had the power of second sight. MacCrimmon’s Lament

is also known as MacCrimmon Will Never Return because it surrounds the prediction of his death. This tune was composed after Donald’s death by his brother Malcolm (both sons of Pàdraig Òg). The MacCrimmons were the hereditary pipers for the MacLeods of Dunvegan on Skye who were supporters of the Hanoverian lineage and fought against the Jacobites in the ’45 rebellion.

A skirmish called the Rout of Moy took place in February 1746, two months before the Battle of Culloden. Moy, south of Inverness, is the ancestral home of the Mackintosh Clan chiefs. After the long retreat from Derby, Prince Charles Edward Stuart was being entertained as a guest of Lady Anne Mackintosh at Moy Hall. He had arrived from the south earlier in the day with a small guard of only fifty men, some distance ahead of his retreating Highland army. At the same time, Lord Loudon, the commander of the Hanoverian forces in the north of Scotland, had mustered 1,500 troops

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John Campbell was the fourth Earl of Loudon and while in Inverness he received information from Grant of Dalrachney regarding the presence of Charles at Lady Mackintosh’s house, and importantly that he was attended by only a small bodyguard. So, with MacCrimmon playing his pipes at the head of the MacLeod column, Loudon set off south from Inverness Garrison towards Moy Hall just before midnight on 16 February in an opportunistic bid to capture the Bonnie Prince, who by this time had a £30,000 price tag on his head.

Pitch darkness interspersed with thunder and lightning both slowed and unsettled the men on the 12-mile march south from Inverness to Moy along General Wade’s road. Unknown to the detachment, a young boy called Lachlan Mackintosh had overtaken them, under the cover of darkness, to alert Lady Anne and the Prince. The 15-year-old lad ran with the warning from Lady Mackintosh’s mother, who lived in Inverness, and had been tipped off about the Hanoverian plan. Coming from Moybeg, Lachlan knew the ground between Inverness and Moy well and he hid behind stone dykes and navigated the valley of the Nairn quicker than the redcoats, overtaking the troops just in time to get Lady Anne out of bed and allow preparations to be made!

After some initial panic, Lady Anne set

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to the task of protecting the Prince by sending him south and round Loch Moy and she then immediately called for her blacksmith, Donald Fraser. Within a short time, watching and waiting near the road, three miles northwest of Moy, was an outer guard of just five men, ably led by the blacksmith of Moy. He had chosen a clever location whereby they could observe movement on the skyline to the north, even in the darkness. Nearby, peat stacks remained out on the moor and using these for cover in the imposing terrain between the spur of Ciste Creag an Eòin and Meall Mor, he hatched a cunning plan to harass, and perhaps, just perhaps, deceive the enemy.

As the first troops of the Hanoverian column approached in the darkness, led by MacLeod of MacLeod, they were surprised by sudden musket fire and loud war cries urging clansmen to battle. Not only were the five men of Moy shouting at the top of their voices, but ingeniously they shouted the war cries of the Mackintoshes, MacPhersons, Camerons and MacDonalds and barked orders for their Lords Lochiel and Keppoch to advance their men on the right and left. This clever tactic, added to the choice of ground, the shrewd timing of the use of their weapons and several different points of attack, was no doubt a threatening and confusing sight and sound in the continuing lightning storm. Convinced that the whole Highland army lay ahead, and an ambush underway, Lord Loudon’s men turned in panic and fled back to Inverness.

The Government troops hurriedly carried off the mortally wounded body of Donald Ban MacCrimmon, who had fallen at the feet of Lord Louden at the hand of the blacksmith’s first discharge. MacCrimmon’s premonition of his imminent death had been realised: “Cha till mi tuille” (I’ll return no more) Donald Ban died of his wounds in Inverness. An eerie story from this time is that it was said that MacCrimmon was seen in Inverness the day before the engagement and

‘the shade of death was on him’.

The tale of the Rout of Moy highlights the resourcefulness of the Five Men of Moy and the bravery of young Lachlan Mackintosh.

Donald Fraser – Captain of the Five – and the mastermind behind the deception, died at Corrybrough in June 1804 and lies buried in Moy Churchyard – his blacksmith’s anvil is still preserved at Moy Hall.

Another pibroch linked to Donald Ban’s death is The Pretty Dirk, composed by his father Pàdraig Òg. The dirk in question was owned by Donald Ban’s father, but because Donald was the family member accompanying his chieftain to war against the Jacobites he was given the dirk to carry while in service. The dirk was dropped either when Donald Ban was shot or when, in the ensuing panic, his body was quickly removed from the field in the dark of night. It was later recovered by Donald Fraser.

The tradition of hereditary pipers allied to important Highland families is well known and other examples include the MacArthurs who played for the MacDonalds of Sleat; the MacGregors for the Campbells of Glenlyon; the Cummings for the Grants of Strathspey and Badenoch; the MacKays for the MacKenzies of Gairloch and the Rankins for the MacLeans of Duart, but undoubtedly, the most famous of them all were the MacCrimmons. Both the MacCrimmons and the MacArthurs were known to have piping colleges, where apprenticeships would last up to seven years.

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Local History

42

Eagle 99 Special

The George Beddie Story

by Joan Anderson The Eagle has helped solve a 106-yearold mystery and provide the next piece in the fascinating story of George Beddie. He was an inspirational teacher who had run away from his Balmoral home to fight in World War I while still underage, was snatched back from the brink of death on the battlefield in 1917, and later benefitted from the post-war intervention of King George V when all others had pronounced him unfit for work of any kind because of severe mental and physical injuries.

In Eagle 97 we told of the lengthy search

by George Beddie’s younger cousin, Dr John Stephen, for the story of the man who had taught him and others in what is now the Mike Sheridan Room in the V&A Halls complex, during WWII. The teacher had been recalled from Peterhead Central School to help out in Ballater while all Upper Deeside schools were bursting with child evacuees from the UK and overseas. Several former pupils, still in Ballater, have recently responded to the Eagle’s request.

All of them remember “Dod” Beddie as an inspirational teacher whose habit of after-class, relaxed storytelling – and his enthusiasm for the poetry and works of Robert Burns and Charles Murray – added colour to the lives of children coping with wartime restrictions.

One of those pupils, Dod’s young cousin John “Jock” Stephen, set out to record the life of a most remarkable man who would go on to become depute rector of Peterhead Central School. There was no official record

of George’s service in the Gordon Highlanders and it was suspected the young runaway might have given a false name or date of birth so he could serve his country.

However, that part of the jigsaw has just fallen nicely into place, following a letter from former pupil Arthur Chisnall – known in Ballater as Wee Chis – who had discovered that George Beddie was discharged as disabled in 1918 from the Machine Gun Corps, one of 170,500 casualties (including 12,500 killed) from that section alone, giving it the sad nickname of The Suicide Unit. Dr Stephen and his wife were initially convinced that Dod was in the 4th Battalion Gordon Highlanders.

They now think he gained some machine gun capability early in the war, so would have answered the call – in 1915 – that went out to all regiments to provide experienced soldiers to form the Machine Gun Corps.

The Stephens – and I – are very grateful to the Eagle and the Chisnalls for the latest piece of the George Beddie puzzle, and to all who have been in touch, despite some of the difficulties of contact at present.

Mr Chisnall and his wife Ber yl (née Glashan), who is also from Ballater, have also provided more colourful stories about George Beddie. In one of these, Wee Chis says that George Beddie still owes him for two undeserved strokes of the “tag” or belt.

A girl we won’t name (to spare her blushes) tried to deflect the teacher’s ire at her constant giggling by accusing Chis of making her laugh by reading rude words from his dictionary.

The wholly innocent Chis was called out and given two of the tag before he could blurt out that he didn’t even possess a dictionary, much to the teacher’s embarrassment. For two perfectly valid reasons, the incident is unforgotten. First, the teacher assured Chis he’d be credited with the mistake and would escape punishment “next time”. Unfortunately, and possibly unusually in those days, that was the one and only time Wee Chis received the

tag in his entire school experience.

But it’s the second part of the tale that rankled the most, as Chis recalled the “Fibbing Quine’s” fate. “Did she get the tag? Oh no!

Dod wouldn’t hurt a quine and all she got was a severe lecture and a hundred lines. Perhaps the tag would have been preferable?”

I am still collating these stories, along with further research into Dod’s time in Peterhead where he and his wife Jane had a joint total of 71 years’ teaching. The stories will be available publically as soon as practical.

Please contact me with any information on 01339 755393 or 07561 834952 and I will pass everything to the Stephens.

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by Gordon Riddler

The Covid-19 Phase 4 decision on access to indoor venues, which includes community halls, indicates that indoor activities in the V&A Halls will not be possible until towards the end of August 2020 at the earliest. In preparation for re-opening, Covid-19 Guidelines have been finalised by the trustees, with assistance from Aberdeenshire Council Trading Standards department and Cllr Paul Gibb, who also provided very helpful information and summaries concerning the Scottish Government’s Covid-19 guidance published from time to time during lockdown.

The Covid-19 Guidelines will be distributed to Halls users in due course. Covid-19 safety items are being put in place in the halls. As soon as the trust receives clearance and determines a reopening date, it will contact user groups with information on Covid-19 guidance so that each can then decide on dates to return. We have been receiving enquiries from users on re-opening the halls and are taking provisional bookings which will be subject to reopening guidance.

Following Phase 3 lockdown easing, AJC completed much of the stonework for the frontage of the Ballater Community and Heritage Hub. The door and window frames are measured and under construction. As this nears completion, the Trust will be reaching out to community organisations

44

to resume discussions on plans for the interior of the Hub. The roof and ceiling repairs for the Mike Sheridan Room and Kitchen are complete. Redecoration for these areas has been done and is in progress for the Victoria and Albert Halls. The Trustees extend their thanks to local contractors, Allan Milne, Gordon Croll and Forbie Duguid for the hard work in getting this completed when possible during the lockdown period.

Again, just to emphasise that, on re-opening, the trust will have much work to do and would welcome assistance from volunteers in the village.

The Trust has reconfigured its email contact addresses which are as follows: Halls Bookings: bookings@victoriaandalberthalls.co.uk General Enquiries and Correspondence: info@victoriaandalberthalls.co.uk Membership: membership@victoriaandalberthalls.co.uk Updates and halls availability as before can be found at our website: www.victoriaandalberthalls. co.uk/ with updates also on Facebook.

Happy Birthday, Howard! writes Sarah Harker

This summer renowned North East artist Howard Butterworth celebrates his 75th birthday with a stunning summer exhibition featuring new and selected works currently on display at The Butterworth Gallery in Ballogie.

Well known for painting outdoors in all elements, Howard has been a familiar sight over the years with his paintbrush and easel perched on an outcrop, under the shadow of a tree or by the Riverside. His work captures the atmospheric light and colours of Scotland in all its moods and seasons and he has become a household name for capturing the beauty of Scotland.

Howard’s patrons include private and corporate buyers worldwide with several works featuring in the Royal Collections of H.M. Queen Elizabeth and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother who closely supported him over the years.

Many may remember the hand-painted sign “Paintings and Pullovers” that hung on the gate from days gone by in Glenmuick, with paintings hung for sale and on display in the family caravan when he began painting in 1977.

With a career spanning over 50 years, you can now find the full range of his publications online at the family gallery, picturesquely set in the old village shop of Ballogie, still with its petrol pump and telephone box.

As part of the Summer Exhibition and to celebrate his birthday, “Springtime” has been released as a signed limited edition of 75 copies.

It captures the snow-capped mountains of the Cairngorm National Park and the River Dee at Spoutin’ Haugh on the Invercauld Estate on a fine Spring day.

The summer exhibition is now on and is a chance to see the full range of work and new paintings by Howard and his daughter Mary, showcased in this bright, spacious and airy 4-star visitor attraction.

For safety the gallery is currently operating a private appointment booking system. Drop-ins welcome outwith any appointments.

To avoid any waiting book your private visit online or call Sarah tel 013398 86104.

The Butterworth Gallery, Ballogie, AB34 5DP, on the scenic B976 South Deeside Road.

46 Geva’s Musings When you read this, the strangest spring and summer the vast majority of us have lived through will be drawing to a close. 2020 will go down as the year we have been separated from friends and family for weeks on end, the year we have lost loved ones and been unable to say goodbye as we would want, when our children have been unable to go to school, when marriage plans have been put on hold, and when people have worried about, or worse, lost their businesses and their jobs. A true annus horribilis, but also a year when our frontline staff, our volunteers, and so many in our communities have gone the extra mile over and over. From saving lives through making sure our bins are emptied to making sure the shielding neighbour knows help is at hand, and so much more, people have risen to the challenges and shown human nature at its kindest and best. We can only hope an effective vaccine is found soon as I fear we have not seen the last of this cruel virus.

Sitting here, there are three things that have struck me most as your councillor and CNPA Board member – one bad, one sad and one good.

So let me get the ‘bad’ off my chest first. I have been disgusted at the sight of some of the mess that’s been left littering up our countryside.

Sadly we are used to seeing beer cans, sandwich packets and other items chucked out of car windows and lining our verges, but this year has been unbelievable. From tents to human waste and items of used personal hygiene, broken glass, discarded BBQs – you name it and it’s been dumped somewhere and all just left lying around for others to clear up. I think one of the most horrible examples was human excrement put in a waste bin – what do people think they are doing? This is a national park in Scotland – one of the most beautiful countries in the world –- and leaving this trail of detritus is not only a shocking advertisement but also horrendously dangerous to humans and wildlife alike. And what of the impact on the River Dee when heavy rain pushes

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the waste into the watercourses? I know many share my despair – but what do we do? How do we get the message through to people that it’s not ok to behave like this?

So on to the ‘sad’. A recent report from Mind, a mental health charity, reveals that more than half of UK adults have experienced a worsening in their psychological health, underlining the lockdown’s dangerous side effects. Nuffield Health found that a startling eight in ten Britons working from home felt that the lockdown had a ‘“negative impact’” on their mental well-being.

Research by the University of Bristol shows that young people and women have been hit hardest.

I don’t suppose there are many amongst us who can honestly say they have felt no anxiety about what the future holds. I know that after months of endless video conferencing and not seeing people face to face, I am now reluctant to go out much; visiting restaurants and cafes makes me very wary – particularly if someone gets too close.

For someone who is essentially a people person, that’s quite an admission to make. I think what I am trying to say is “it’s ok to feel depressed, it’s ok to feel anxious, it’s ok to feel sad’” and to reassure people they are LAURIE not on& COMPANY their own. There is help around though; please don’t feel you have of Selling or Leasing your property? to be alone. There isPopThinking no shame in asking for a bit into Laurie & Co to arrange a free valuation of help. I am also working with others to set up a project that will hopefully be based in Aboyne using art to help people readjust.

And finally on to the ‘good’. Many of our local food businesses have managed to diversify – delivering everything from ready meals to ingredients, from fresh fruit and veg to flour and artisan bread, and our butchers coming up with new ways to challenge us. I think there is a real message here, and that is our local businesses have great products and we need to do everything we can to shop locally and support them. With all the time people have had on their hands it has been fascinating to watch on the various different Facebook groups how people are being adventurous and cooking food from basics again, baking bread and cakes and hopefully not eating SOLICITORS

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so much fast food. Although I have always enjoyed cooking (well not so much the mundane everyday stuff I admit) I was surprised to discover that essentially just flour, water and salt makes a loaf of bread – with absolutely no preservatives or additives of any kind – except of course to the inches around the waistline. The cooking groups seem to have brought people together as recipes are swapped and results photographed and posted on line with really well deserved pride – and the bringing together of people has to be good in times of such extreme isolation as we have been through.

Let’s keep going with our slow cooking and support all local shops; we are a resilient bunch up here in Upper Deeside and we will come through this horrible time together. Stay safe everyone.

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48

Councillor Matters

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on the lives of all of us and sadly there will be more upheaval to come. It has changed the way that we all live and work; masks in shops are almost universal and the whole social distancing mechanism has become second nature, such that looking at group photographs from pre March 2020 makes you, for an instant, wonder why they are sitting so closely and not wearing masks.

As you know, the democratic functions of Aberdeenshire Council have continued with only minor disruption. Some less urgent sub committees and working groups are on hold but otherwise meetings have kept to schedule, held remotely. Not many councils across Scotland have achieved this seamless transition to remote working. It worked in Aberdeenshire because of the years of effort and investment in IT systems and equipment and in governance arrangements, standing orders and so on, that allowed us to move everything on-line almost overnight.

And just as social distancing has become the norm, so has spending long hours at my desk talking to the computer. This has advantages of course; on one particular day – and this is no exaggeration – I attended meetings in Woodhill House, Gothenburg, Grantown and Aboyne all without leaving my desk. As a consequence, I put petrol in my car the other day for only the third time since early March.

There are downsides too of course, principally the lack of normal human interaction either at meetings or in the corridor or waiting at the coffee machine. So, whilst there is no doubt that remote working will play a far bigger part after the pandemic, there is still an absolute need for physical meetings and chat.

The impact on Aberdeenshire Council has been serious. We have taken a significant financial hit, principally through lost income but also through additional costs; £8.5m in the

first quarter of this financial year alone. The prediction is that this hole in the budget will grow to some £60m by the end of the 2021/22 financial year. There is unlikely to be any further significant additional funding from the Scottish Government so work is well underway to recast the budget completely.

We have agreed a new set of priorities and I was very pleased that this was agreed almost unanimously, cross-party, with only four out of 70 councillors not happy with the proposals.

These priorities will form the foundation of a new Council Plan for the delivery of services, after which we can rebuild the budget to pay for it. The budget announcement will be in November and again I hope that we can deliver this cross-party.

What is clear however is that in the face of what our head of finance has called a ‘financial crisis’, (the first time I have heard the term used in 21 years as a councillor), the way and extent that services are delivered will change. There are some tough days ahead for Aberdeenshire Council as there are for businesses across Aberdeenshire.

Finally, I have been trying to find compromise in the workings between B&CCC and Ballater

Flood Group. BFG has done excellent work on flooding over the past four years and I have been pleased to support that where I can with the council. The community council rightly feels it has a role to play in what is perhaps the most serious longer-term challenge facing the community it serves. To achieve this B&CCC established the Flood Issues Group (FIG) to work alongside BFG. This undoubtedly caused some confusion, even tension, over ‘who does what’ and so I offered to help resolve that difficulty. Unfortunately, although a Zoom meeting came close to reaching an agreement, BFG withdrew from the process.

We are very fortunate to have these two groups of volunteers working hard for the benefit of the community and I commend the work that both groups have done. Doing it in partnership would, of course, be vastly better for everyone.

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50

Ballater Churches’ Letter

The last three months have been a very strange time. We are currently living in a half-world of not quite out of coronavirus restrictions but getting there. These are not comfortable times, and in some ways feel more insecure and dangerous than when we were living in full lock-down. At least then we knew what was safe and what wasn’t. For some reading this letter, life may be back to almost normal. For others, you may be hesitant about the new freedoms on offer. The tourists are back in Upper Deeside – and while we desperately need their custom, we balance that with the need for safety in the local communities.

How you are feeling at the moment? A little fed up with the whole thing? Impatient?

Afraid? Wondering what will happen next?

Feeling rather disconnected from people and from the rest of the community? There is the whole gamut of emotions, and that is perfectly acceptable. We will all have contrasting feelings at different times.

The Bible has lots of stories about people experiencing the same sort of emotions we may be going through. Stories of famines, epidemics, weddings and funerals. The high points and low points of life woven through history. Through that long story of life, people experienced the same emotions, from joy to fear to feeling overwhelmed by events. We are not living through anything new. We have a choice how we react to the events we are living through.

We can react with fear, concern, intolerance of others, or we can react with courage, respect, and encouragement of others.

For Christians, the Bible is not just a story of a people, but the story of a faith and a God. A God who understands what we are going through, and walks with us alongside that. It is reassuring to know, when the ground may seem to be shaking beneath our feet, that there is a God walking alongside you.

You may not believe in God. That’s OK.

But whether you believe or not, there is a need to walk with others on this journey, not in isolation. This time has not been easy, and continues to be uneasy. It is difficult when we are all at different stages in our processing of the last few months. We are called to listen to each other, to respect where each other are at, to encourage each other.

Our church buildings are gradually reopening their doors. Covid-19 restrictions permitting, St Nathalan’s is already open, the Glenmuick Church is due to reopen on the 6th September, and St Kentigern’s on the 13th October. While it will be good to be able to worship together again as congregations, the churches themselves have never closed. We have learnt anew what it means to be a church in the community, loving, sharing, helping. We are here for all. If you want to join any of us for worship, you will be welcome. If you just want to speak to someone, if you need a friendly chat, or a helping hand, please get in touch.

We walk alongside you all, willing to listen, to respect your views, to encourage you and to help where possible.

With every blessing Rev Canon Vittoria Hancock Rev David Barr

Aberdeenshire Electrical Services Ltd T: 013398 85355 M: 07855 678677 E: aberdeenshireelectricalsrvs@btinternet.com F: AberdeenshireElectricalSrvs All aspect of electrical work undertaken: Domestic - Commercial - Industrial - Agricultural - Oil & Gas Inspection & Testing - PAT Testing Supplier/installer of electric vehicle charging points free estimates - all work guaranteed - no job too small - local run business

01975 571775 07792 830780

• • • •

Local family business Oil and biomass boiler servicing and repairs New boilers sold and installed with 5 and 10-year warranties Aga Servicing

�lameboilerservices@gmail.com

www.�lameboilerservices.co.uk

52

Lego Club models bring joy to shops + shoppers

Despite being unable to meet in lockdown, Ballater’s Lego Club members worked well under their own steam to produce a number of models which were displayed in various shops and businesses during August.

In total, 13 models featured in the Ballater Business Lego Trail, from Larks Gallery to Ballater Hostel and many in between, with four visible from the Hut on the Green.

The challenge was to make a model of the business concerned (and its owner/s!) to be displayed in that same shop.

As you can see from the quality of the models produced, they more than rose to the challenge.

Lego Club hopes to get going again maybe in the new year, if Government restrictions/ practicalities allow it.

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

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

ebike rentals, Segway tours and activity sessions*, mountain-bike guiding

(*October holidays – kids sessions – get in touch!)

Aboyne, Ballater, Braemar, Royal Deeside website: www.eguidescotland.com email: info@eguidescotland.com tel: 07794695077

Advertisers’ Index

Aberdeenshire Electrical Alexandra Hotel Allan Milne Joiner Alpine Tree Care Auld Kirk B&B / Coffee Lounge Badger Ballater Barkers Ballater Golf Club Balmoral Castle Brian Smith Funeral Services Ltd Bruce of Ballater Butterworth Gallery Cairngorm Mtn Motorhomes Calvin Jones Carnelian Corybeg Services C.S.M. Aerial/Satellite C.S.M. Handyman/Gardens Davidson’s Chemist Dee’s Taxis DP Opticians Edward J Emslie Flame Boiler Services Forbes Duguid Fountain Dental Fraser & Mulligan H. M. Sheridan Ltd Hedgehog Keyrings Highland Glen Hot Tubs Highland Yurts

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Ian Rodger Architects Julian Barclay Kate Piano Keillor Lounge Laurie & Company Legacy Celebrant Lochnagar Coatings Marie Chapman McCue & Porter McKay & Innes Funeral Directors Mike Buchan Electrics Morven Veterinary Centre Murray Garden Maintenance Myriad Pro Oil Heating Services Phoenix Chip Shop Roaring Stag/Tweedie Beasties Ronald Hay Architectural Design Rowan Jewellery Rusty Putter Catering SD Joinery Scott Thomson Joinery Shorty’s Speedwell Framing SRC The Hair Loft The Oven Valet Tornaveen Plumbing Wee Jim Landscapes /Firewood

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Next issue is No. 100!

Help us make it special Get in touch...

All the best to everyone | eagleballater@gmail.com

regular Deliveries across aberdeenshire

www.thehighlandersbakehouse.co.uk Order online | Join the Bakehouse Family

Ballater Victoria Week pressed on with a range of virtual events enjoyed by many

Sluiemohr residents helped with Bonnie BVW Baby judging Ruben got first prize for his fabulous scarecrow costume

Scarecrow Comp 1st: Capt Sir Tom Moore All prize monies were awarded in local shop vouchers, injecting around ÂŁ1,000 into the local economy Racing ducks were ready to go!

Teddy was just too cool for school

Putters! In sunshine!

Kids got messy...

Some chickens got in on the act

...and ran about a bit