The Community Council is delighted to announce that the 2012 Calendar is now on sale in shops throughout Cullen – in plenty of time for the summer visitors to our area. This calendar marks a big change in design, quality and format from the last two years – both of which generated significant funds for community and heritage projects. The quality of photos from the competition was very high indeed, and this gave our national photographic adjudicator a very difficult task indeed.

The Community Council is indebted to all the photo competition entrants – without them, this calendar could not have been produced; to all our sponsors for their support; to Malcolm McBeath (our adjudicator); and to MMS Almac for their help in design and production, and working so hard to make it all happen in record time.

More info on Cullen web site

Hugh and his team are about to move into the Conservation Training Workshop where they will refurbish the historic Woolmill textile machinery. This is a beautiful building constructed of wood with a metal roof and timber cladding. It is heated by a wood pellet boiler and the walls insulated with sheep’s wool.

See full story and more news here.

Dufftown:

Fournet House

Friday 24th from 10.30 a.m.

You are invited to come along to our new wellbeing room and meeting place, bien-etre in Fournet House (opposite the chemist) in Balvenie Street in Dufftown on Friday 24th September. We will be open from 10.30 a.m. so please call in to support Macmillan Caner.

Come along and bring a smile every mug will improve the lifes of people affect by cancer.

Bien-etre in Fournet House, Balvenie Street, Dufftown, Keith, AB55 4AB

Elgin:

Johnstons of Elgin

We are proud to be supporting Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning this Friday (24th September). Join us in our Elgin coffee shop between 10am-12noon when we will be serving coffee or tea with shortbread & a scone all for a set price of £2.50!! All proceeds from this event will be going to Macmillan Cancer Support – so come along and show your support for this fantastic event!

Beaver Travel:

Dont forget to pop into Beaver Travel this Friday for the MacMillan Coffee Morning from 9am-5pm. All proceeds from Coffee and tea sales will be donated. See you there!

MacMillan Support web site

Dufftown has been awarded ‘Walkers are Welcome’ Status!

Walkers have always been welcome in Dufftown and this has now been formally recognised by the WaW Towns Network, a national organisation. Dufftown is in fact the 50th town to join the network.

Walkers are Welcome is not related to the VisitScotland Walkers scheme and looks to towns and villages who go the extra mile to make walkers welcome. This initiative was coordinated by Dufftown 2000 Ltd, a group dedicated to putting Dufftown on the map as a front line tourism location.

Ann Hewawitharana from Dufftown 2000 Ltd said ‘this is a great accolade for Dufftown to achieve and one that grew out of a collaborative project with Huntly, Keith and Tomintoul to develop walking tourism in the area. Both Huntly and Tomintoul are a part of the WaW Towns Network and we hope to be able to work in partnership with them in developing walking paths in this unspoilt corner of rural Moray and Aberdeenshire’.

She added ‘We already have way marked walks around Dufftown and a great little booklet “the Walks around Dufftown”. We hope to develop an additional way marked path over the next couple of months depicting the route that the Danes took to the Battle of Mortlach and the rout of the Danes by King Malcolm II in the year 1010. This will compliment the Dramble (a Dram and a Ramble), a guided walk around the Distilleries of Dufftown, which have become a feature of our bi-annual Whisky Festivals in the Town. If anyone has an imaginative idea for a walk in the environs of Dufftown, we would be delighted to work with them to develop a way marked trail’

See more info on the Walkers are Welcome web site.

Chilean Wine tasting, WEDNESDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER,
6.45pm for 7.00pm

Chilean wine is made in the South American country of Chile, which is now the fifth largest exporter of wines in the world. Over twenty grape varieties are grown in Chile, mainly a mixture of Spanish and French varieties. Join Guy Chatfield, Regional Sales Manager in Scotland for Concha y Toro Wines, the leading wine producer and exporter in Latin America.

With a commitment to quality and excellence, combining tradition and innovation, Concha y Toro provides a top quality wine experience. Guy will showcase a range of six wines from various Concha y Toro estates around Chile. At the events you will have the chance to taste and purchase the wines and benefit from a number of exclusive discounted offers only available to wine club members on the night.

Following the tasting, you will have the opportunity to browse round the retail shop and receive a 5% discount on all purchases (excluding special offer items).

If you would like to join us for what promises to be an entertaining evening, please contact Gordon & MacPhail Retail Shop, South Street, Elgin. Tel: 01343 545110. (mentioning Moray Tourism)

Tickets are priced at £8.00 each, and include delicious canapés, supplied from our very own Delicatessen Department. Tickets are limited, so please hurry!

The day will start with a live music performance by local band ‘Ashtray Lemon’ – Pop/Rock – 12 noon till 12.45pm.

Dance/Drama performances include:

1pm – 1 .15pm:

Tap performance by Ruth Rollo Theatre School of Dance.

1.20pm – 2.00pm:

Drama Performance in St Giles church by the Out of Darkenss Theatre Company – ‘CRIE OUT’

2.15pm - 2.45 pm:

Salsa and Latin dance performed by Salsa North.

3.00pm – 4pm:

Live music performance from ‘Eclipse’ – Rock and Roll with a twist.

Come along an enjoy an free afternoon of local talent.

Elgin City Centre – Plainstones

Drop in to Elgin Community Centre any time between 1pm and 4pm and receive free instrumental tuition from some of the most exprienced music tutors in Moray. Choose from Guitar, Percussion, Drums and Brass.

Elgin Community Centre

Kipper Barbecue on the Pier and Local Pipers, Sunday 8th August between 11.00 and 14.00

Photo by Colin Jeffrey (Flickr)

After several years of hard work, commitment and perseverance from a number of individuals and groups, a campaign to find an alternative to the demolition of the Cullen Harbour Beacon will soon be bearing fruit. This represents a successful conclusion to a collaborative exercise between Cullen & Deskford Community Council, the Moray Council, Historic Scotland and the local community.

All elements of the process to replace the Beacon with an identical galvanised structure are now well in hand; it is understood that Historic Scotland have indicated their agreement to the replacement plan, final quotes for the cost of the replacement structure are expected within the next week and the Moray Council is progressing the Listed Building Planning Application. And the fund-raising activities are now reaching their conclusion.

Professor Ashley Mowat, Chair of the Cullen & Deskford Community Council, commented: “We are extremely grateful to a number of individuals and groups who, over the last few years, have given a significant amount of time and energy to pursuing an alternative to demolition of the Beacon.

Two years ago, the Community Council picked up the challenge originally identified by the late David Williamson, whose widow Val made a substantial donation to the fund in its early stages. Without David’s early enthusiasm and the energy of others since then, we would not be in the position we are now in with the fundraising target almost reached.

Particular thanks are due to David Rush and his colleagues at the Cullen Bay Angling Club who swelled the fund significantly over the period through a number of fundraising events; and to a large number of individuals – based both locally and overseas – who have all recognised the importance of replacing the Beacon.

Recent very generous contributions from the Earl of Seafield, the Cullen Voluntary Tourist Initiative. the Cullen, Deskford and Portknockie Heritage Group and the Buckie Rotary Group have all given the Fund a very welcome push towards our final target.” The fundraising campaign will be receiving a further significant boost on Sunday 8th August, when – fittingly – an event is being organised down at the historic Cullen Harbour. A Sponsored Sail will bring many boats of all shapes and sizes from points east and west; on-shore activities are also being arranged including musical accompaniment by two local pipers and a kipper barbecue.

Professor Mowat further commented: “We are in the final stages of organising this event; but full acknowledgement must be given to Mairi Innes and her colleagues at Findochty Sailing Club who suggested the idea of a Sponsored Sail, who are organising all the boats and the sponsorship and, without whom, we would not be in the happy position of being within touching distance of our final target by the end of August. Let us all hope for good weather on the 8th.”

The event will be taking place on Sunday 8th August between 11.00 and 14.00 – provided weather conditions permit. In the event of poor weather conditions, the event will be re-scheduled. Further details will be displayed locally and on www.discovercullen.com.

Cullen and Deskford will have their very own world-wide presence – as from Saturday 17th July – www.discovercullen.com – a collaborative project between the Cullen & Deskford Community Council and the Cullen Voluntary Tourist Initiative.

Professor Ashley Mowat, Chair of the Cullen & Deskford Community Council commented: “This is a fantastic development for the two communities; the catalyst for significant and swift progress was a successful application to the LEADER programme for funding. The community-wide consultation showed significant support for the project, and this support has been even more overwhelming since approval of the funding application at the beginning of April. It is a credit to everyone involved that the website will be up and running within 3 months of the funding being approved.”

Zillah Jamieson, who has been co-ordinating the work of the project team, indicated: “The website will provide a one-stop shop of information – for residents, for those looking to re-locate to the area, or for those planning to spend their next holiday in this beautiful part of the world. Already, we have listed over 90 businesses, 10 community groups, together with details on community facilities and clubs, local events, things to see and do in the area, and a section which will expand on the rich history and heritage of the area.

The children of Cullen Primary School will also have an active involvement through designing their own page and keeping it updated.” All entries from groups and businesses will be provided absolutely free. On an on-going basis, the site will be kept updated by a group of volunteers who will be urging all contributors to feed in information about new developments, events or notices. An added feature of the site will be the ability to advise users of updates on a regular basis.

Simon Tucker, Chair of the Cullen Voluntary Tourist Initiative, welcomed the new development: “We are very proud of the Cullen Tourist Information Office and the services it provides to visitors during the months of June, July and August. However, the Office can only satisfy the requirements of those visitors who are already in the area during these traditional holiday months. By having a presence online, we hope to attract more visitors to the area by demonstrating visually the beauty of this coastline and giving a sense of the magic that is Cullen and its surrounding area.”

The website will be officially launched to co-incide with the Summer Festival being organised by the Cullen Voluntary Tourist Initiative on Saturday 17th July. The project team hope that they have contacted all businesses, community and activity groups in the area; however, if not, please get in touch with the project team through an e-mail to community@discovercullen.com.

Outfit Moray is delighted to announce 3 after school clubs running through the Summer Term. The clubs are designed to help young people to develop their skills in rock climbing, kayaking or surfing, and are open to young people aged between 9 and 15. The clubs will run over 4 evenings, and the cost is highly subsidised. For more information or to download a booking form, visit our website at www.outfitmoray.com or call us on 01343 549571.