For just £40 you can help “Tae Save a Puir Pier” by purchasing one of the last remaining framed prints from the exhibitions at the Smugglers’ Cone and the Forvie Centre
The craft fair to raise funds for the pier on November 16 raised more than £4000 – and money is still coming in. Many thanks to all those who contributed, manned stalls or came along to buy. Merchandise including calendars, Xmas cards, hoodies and sweat shirts are still available, just get in touch.
A big THANK YOU to all helpers, providers of food and everyone who supported the soup and pudding festive lunch on Sunday, 22 December. It was a buzzing two hours and the fantastic sum of just over £470 was raised for the Collieston Pier Fund.
Collieston & Slains WRI extend best wishes to everyone for the festive season and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2014.
Snow Boules Champions 2013 : Kirsten McNiff, Alison Allan and Jack Page, the worthy winners of this year’s competition which was well attended and competitively fought prior to enjoying welcome festive nibbles at the President and First Lady’s.
You might notice ‘CCTV’ signs on entry to the nature reserve for a bit. We are using a motion activated camera with night vision capability, to record mammals on the reserve. Your Data Protection rights mean you should know you might be filmed and you are entitled to see the footage if you are recorded. The camera will be well away from any main routes for up to a week at a time, so I hope it won’t affect your enjoyment of the reserve. Any queries, just get in touch at the Forvie Centre 751330
Some of you may have heard already that a formal dinner is to be held at the Marcliffe Hotel and Spa, on Wednesday March 12 this year, to raise funds for Collieston Pier. The event is being sponsored by hotel owner Stewart Spence and also supported by Ian Donald. Guest speaker will be the former Scotland and Aberdeen Football Club manager Craig Brown.
There will be a maximum of 25 tables, each with ten guests, at a cost of £1000 per table. The main thrust behind the event is to try to attract interest from the corporate sector, rather than always coming back to people within Collieston and asking for yet more funding!
However, we would be delighted to include anyone from the village or surrounding area who would like to attend. Please let us know if you are interested and we will make up composite Collieston tables as required. Hopefully it will be a good night as well as raising money for a good cause!
Work on the Schoolhouse and Community Centre is nearing completion. There have been extensive repairs to the roof on the schoolhouse and also on the hall. The schoolhouse itself is having a complete refurbishment, while the hall has had an opening made through to the schoolhouse – making for a much larger community space. New flooring has still to be laid in the house and the hall, and this will be followed by decoration.
Once complete, all furniture and equipment will be reorganised to give all groups the best use of available space. A party is planned for the opening of the new building – more news of that later!
The work on the schoolhouse and hall is getting nearer to completion. The Council’s contractors are doing us proud with the work they have carried out. Because damp was found behind the walls at either end of the hall, the exisitng wall covering had to be removed and taken back to the original stone. Some of the floorboards at either end also had to be taken up and replaced. The house itself is currently having all new wiring and fittings installed, after which decoration and floor covering will be done.
A path will be laid to the schoolhouse door – this will become the main door into the building.
The three small sheds at the back of the building are being made into one bigger shed to store the marquee, barbeque etc.