For those that have not heard of it, It’s a 24 hour walking challenge from Dallas Dhu Distillery to Cairngorm Mountain which had about 300 participants last year. For more information about the event please go to this WolfTrek link.

The Dava Way Association has been asked to provide marshals at Dunphail and Dava, and to provide some back markers at the tail end of the walkers to close gates and make sure the section between Dallas Dhu and Lochendorb is clear of participant.

To that end we are looking for volunteers to walk at the back from Dallas dhu starting at 4pm on Saturday and some volunteers to act as static marshals. The section to Lochendorb is 17 miles long, but this can be broken down to shorter distances of 7 miles to Dunphail and 7 miles from Dunphail to Dava. The last 3 miles is a road walk from Dava to Lochendorb which can be added to make a 10 mile walk if required.

The Wolftrek has three stages of varying length, we are covering the first 17 mile stage and we are expecting about 150 participants on this stage. The marshals at Dunphail and Dava will be handing out bottled water to participants as required, the estimated times are as follows:

Back markers: Meet at

Dallas Dhu at 15.30 for 16.00 start, estimated finish time at Lochindorb around 22.00-22.30.

Dunphail: Arrive at Dunphail at 16.15 to be ready by 16.30. Estimated finish time 18.30-19.00.

Dava: Arrive at Dava at 17.30. Estimated finish time 21.30.

Please let me know ASAP if you want to help out so that transport can be arranged to suit our needs.

Regards Pete Mitchell On behalf of the Dava Way Association dwfriends@tiscali.co.uk Tel 01343 890273

Please forward this info to anyone you think may be interested in the Dava Way.

The charity now has 3 full-time staff members and 1 part-time and is looking to increase this to include an additional 2 part-time staff members over the next few months. This is great news for the charity but ultimately means that we are now looking for a new office to accommodate our whole team and our tools and equipment.

We are ideally looking for office space approximately 40m2 as well as a store and drying area (60m2) or an equally big plot of land (with electric and water hook up available) to put a non-permanent eco-cabin on.

If you can help us or know someone who can then please get in touch with Jennie Martin – 01309 690450 or jennie@wild-things.org.uk.

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.

The Moray Chamber “Afternoon Tea” event will give you a unique networking experience in Baxters Highland Village. The hot Topic for July is “How Business Gateway Can Benefit your Business”, and Craig Robertson will discuss a variety of topics after which he will be available to answer your questions.

Business Gateway is a national government funded service delivered by local authorities and is the first point of access for free information and advice on all services to business and social enterprises.

You will also get the opportunity to meet Hilary Fleming from NHS Grampian who will introduce us to the Healthy Working Lives Programme and her colleague Chris Lawrie, who is promoting Working Health Services, the new, free service funded by Central Government.

New member company Send-It Fulfilment Solutions, a social enterprise, will also provide us with information on document mailing and distribution.

“Afternoon Tea” will include a mini creamed scone filled with whipped cream and Baxters preserve and home made vanilla shortbread.

To register, please contact Lesley Ann Parker, contact details below.

Tel: 01340 881226

Mobile: 07887 846495

We have also made use of this great opportunity for Moray Tourism Development and have secured a Growth Fund Grant of £20,000 from VisitScotland. Together with a grant of £10,000 from the Moray Council and some generous new members we have made a great start to funding the Moray Tourism wish list.

Over the next months we will be focusing on delivering the Moray Tourism Development priorities of raising the profile and developing & promoting a unique brand identity of the area, developing a nature based tourism project, exploring opportunities for developing the area’s food and drink offering and promoting its rich heritage. More to follow!

Another great newsletter from Tourism Intellegence Scotland came out yesterday which is a must read for all businesses who want to get ahead and stay competitive.

It is designed to be practical, useful and timely, with ideas and tips to provide you with a snapshot of some of the relevant issues in the tourism industry in Scotland and beyond. Find out about new trends and opportunities and the businesses reaping the benefits. In this month’s newsletter:

• The big picture – a round up of the latest stats and trends
• How to give your overseas visitors what they really want
• Improve your bottom line by using customer feedback
• What’s new on the Tourism Intelligence website

Click the image to download the latest newsletter

This is a great opportunity to meet like minded businesses and establish links for cross marketing benefits. This is also an opportunity to find out more and get involved with our new and ambitious ‘Green Tourism’ project. The aim of which is to promote Moray as Scotland’s ‘Greenest’ tourism destination and attract more of the fast growing ‘Green Tourism’ market to our businesses.

Programme:

Date: Monday July 19th
Time: 5.30 – 9.00

Meet at Park Lecture Room, Findhorn Foundation for registration at 5.30
Tours 5.45 – 6.45: Findhorn Foundation & Wildlife of Findhorn Bay 
Presentations 6.45 – 7.45: Green Tourism in Moray (Findhorn Foundation, Wild at Heart EcoHolidays, 13 Moons café, Ace Adventures) 
Local Food Buffet, Drinks & Networking: 7.45 – 9.00 
Venue: Park Lecture Room, Findhorn Foundation
Cost: £20 per person (includes tour, talks, buffet & drink and networking) Numbers are limited to 30 people max.

Deborah Benham, Director of Wild at Heart eco-holidays, specialist and speaker on eco-tourism will be organising and delivering this exciting opportunity for Moray businesses to get involved and to see what’s happening in Moray with Green Tourism.

To book your place please register below:

Keith Tourism Action Group has set up a network of six Visitor Information Points (VIP) around the town. They focus on key subjects of local interests and visitor attractions and local businesses specialising in these areas. The six VIPs are:

• Railway heritage – Keith Dufftown Railway.
• Scots language and Robert Burns – Mither Tongue.
• Heritage and history – Smiths Coaches.
• Whisky history and distilling – Strathisla Distillery.
• Accommodation and booking - Boogie Woogie.
• Walking – Thirteen Moons.

Key staff involved in the businesses have undergone special ambassador training in customer and visitor care.

Full article here.

This links to the Perfect Day website and through to the accommodation engine.

Click image to see the newsletter