Meldrum Academy opened in August 2002. There will be a phased entry of pupils over a four-year period (full capacity will be 1000 pupils) starting with the intake of S1 and S2 pupils (first and second year) in 2002. The Academy, headed by Mr Andrew Sutherland, is run as a community school for all, with an innovative management system and excellent new facilities. The prime objectives are to raise levels of attainment as well as providing a broad package of experiences, together with the traditional curriculum.
Meldrum Academy, Colpy Road, Oldmeldrum, AB51 0NT Tel: 01651-871300 Fax: 01651-871313
Andrew Sutherland (Head) e-mail
Lesley Stopani (Integration Manager) e-mail
Have you ever had difficulty accessing a local building or service and thought?
'someone should do something about this'
Then the Central Aberdeenshire Access Panel is here to help you. The Panel is made up of a group of people who meet, normally once a month, to discuss and tackle problems with access to buildings and services in their area.
The Central Aberdeenshire Access Panel covers Formartine and Garioch which includes areas such as Turriff, Fyvie, Oldmeldrum, Ellon, Newburgh, Inverurie, Kintore, Kemnay and Westhill.
The Panel, through its links with the Planning Department of Aberdeenshire Council, can view the plans for all proposed new public buildings. Its comments are passed on to the architects and developers informing them of any alterations which could be made to the proposed building in order to improve accessibility.
The Panel also aims to promote public awareness of the problems that face disabled people when trying to access public buildings and offers advice to property owners on how improvements might be carried out. It also highlights improvements that any individual or group has achieved.
The Panel is currently looking for members of the public to help contribute to the work of the group. It is particularly interested in hearing from people who would be willing to be a source of local knowledge from various districts in Aberdeenshire. If you would like to find out more about what the Panel can do for you or about what you can do for the Panel, please contact Bill Dow or Yvonne Macdonald at Aberdeenshire Disability Action on 01467 629901.
IMPROVE YOUR
AREA
JOIN THE CENTRAL ABERDEENSHIRE ACCESS PANEL
The William Forsyth Community Garden:
We are a group of local parents with young children who feel that the existing children's play facilities are inadequate, outdated and in poor condition. As such, we have decided to try and find out what others in the local community feel about the existing provision. The consultation process was launched at Oldmeldrum Sports Games in June 2009. We are hoping to get feedback from as many people as possible - from children and young people themselves, to parents and carers to other interested members of the community. A questionnaire is available at Meldrum Library or email MeldrumPlay meldrumplay@hotmail.co.uk
As well as consulting the local Meldrum community, we will also be consulting professionals in play, including play equipment companies. In particular, we are already working closely with Aberdeenshire Council's Formartine Landscape Services team.
Once the community needs are identified MeldrumPlay will begin fundraising. A number of grants are available to finance outdoor areas. To successfully apply for these, we will undoubtedly need to meet certain criteria, and we will be looking further into this.
We are incredibly lucky that the town and its surrounding districts have a vibrant and popular series of Scouting youth groups, for both boys and girls between the ages of 5 to 25 years.
Please help to support all these thriving and successful community groups.
Please visit the Scout Group's website for more details on Scouts, Cubs & Beavers.
 | EXPLORERS: (14/15 - 18 years) Daviot Scout Hut (normally), Mondays (normally) 19.00 - 21.00. Contact Mike Scott 01467 - 671699 |
| SCOUTS: (10 1/2 - 14/15 years) Daviot Scout Hut, Daviot, Fridays 19.00-21.00. Contact Terry Wil 01651 - 873586 |
| CUBS: (8 - 10 1/2 years) Mondays 17.55 - 19.25 Winter: Daviot Village Hall, Summer: Daviot Scout Hut. Contact Rachal Baillie 01651 - 873198 |
| BEAVERS: (6-8 years) Meldrum Academy, Fridays 16.30 - 17.30. Contact any of the leaders - Alison Milton 01651 - 872020 |
If you are interested in helping, or would some additional information, please contact the Group Scout Leader Keith Millar (01651 - 872613) or Mike Bidgood (01651 - 873026), or the individual section leaders below, or the Support Group Chairman Ally Mackay (01651 - 873225).
The Scout Group has a Marquee available for outdoor events in the area.
The Marquee is a recent addition to the Scouts' inventory and is a very large structure of 7-pole design which can be erected in sizes up to 140 feet long (in approximate 20 foot increments i.e. 60, 80, 100 and 120 feet lengths) and 40 feet wide. There is also wooden flooring available with this Marquee. A picture of this Marquee will appear here in due course.
The Scouts will provide crews for assembly and dismantling of the marquee, but we request that organisations wishing to loan the marquee also provide additonal voluteers to assist in the erection and dismantling of this particular structure.
The Scout Group's marquee is shown here during a recent outing
to Undy Green.
If you are interested in using the Marquees (in return for a donation to the Scout Group), please contact Aly McKay (01651-873225) or Ian Milton (01651-872020).
| GUIDES: O/M Church Hall, Wednesdays 19.15 - 20.45. Contact Helen Slattery 01651 - 872581 e-mail |
| 1st BROWNIES: O/M Church Hall, Thursdays 18.30 - 19.45. Contact Angela Cooper 01651 - 873896 |
| 2nd BROWNIES: O/M Church Hall, Tuesdays 18.15 - 19.30. Contact Rita Trotter 01651 - 882253 e-mail |
| RAINBOWS: (5 - 7 or 7 1/2 years) O/M Church Hall, Wednesdays 18.00 - 19.00. Contact Sally Bremner 01651 - 873132 e-mail |
The
"Friends of Guiding" are a support group dedicated to
supporting the Guide, Brownie and Rainbow leaders in their work with the girls
in Oldmeldrum. The "Friends" are in great need of new members for the
support group and would warmly welcome any parent (or even non-parent) of a
Guide, Brownie or Rainbow who would be able to help.
There is a great demand for guiding in Oldmeldrum - for instance, the need for the creation of a second Brownie pack a couple of years ago - but the Leaders need back-room support so they can concentrate on activities at "the sharp end". The male branch of the tree has an active support group for Scouts, Cubs and Beavers - why not the girls? Please help if you can and help keep our girls Guiding! Please contact Sandra Duffield (01651 873292) for details.
Oldmeldrum Women's Rural Institute
Meetings are held on the 3rd Monday of every month apart from July and August. Membership is open to all women over 14 years of age. We meet in the Town Hall in Meldrum Square and at present we have 23 members.
The aim of the WRI is to provide social educational and recreational experiences for all women. Our year runs from May until the Annual General Meeting in April. This year since May we have visited Bain's of Tarves' factory, entered the Oldmeldrum Sports Pageant, found out how to make corn dollies and how to bake "singin' hinnies", heard about how the Dairy in Inverurie started and this month in February we are to be told about Aromatherapy, Refelxology and Reiki Massage.
Still to come is a gardening information evening and then our AGM. The highlight of last year was our Quiz evening when we invited local and surrounding associations to join in a quiz evening. This was very successful with 23 teams taking part and the Church Choir team called "The Nightingales" winning the first prize. Also last August we entered a floral art exhibit in the Meldrum and Bourtie Church Flower Festival.
A new committee was appointed at the April meeting and are as follows: President, Mrs Enid Fleming, Vice President, Mrs Dorothy Ross, Secretary, Mrs Alice Donald, Treasurer, Mrs Shirley Chalmers and the other committee members are, Mrs Dorothy Davidson, Mrs Elaine Buckingham, Mrs Kathleen Duguid, Mrs Kathleen Reid and Mrs Barbara Webster.
For information on joining the Institute, please contact:
Rae Walker (President) on 01651-872281 (or by e-mail)
Meldrum & Bourtie Parish Church
The Church now has its own website which can be reached by clicking here.
Parish Profile -
The charge is a union of two functioning churches. Meldrum parish church is an elegant and bright church situated on a hillside on the eastern boundary of the town adjacent to the amusement park and golf course. Bourtie church is a tiny, historic building located in a small valley, in a farming community just outside Oldmeldrum. The two churches are approximately ten minutes apart by road. The church has sound finances and a joint congregation numbering approximately 600. The single Kirk Session comprises 30 active Elders (15 male and 15 female) and there is a Congregational Board numbering 39 inclusive of the Elders. There is a very good choir, an excellent Allen electronic organ and the choice of hymns etc. is co-ordinated between the Minister and the Organist. Currently Mission Praise and CH3 are generally used. Services are held every Sunday in Oldmeldrum at 11 am and in Bourtie on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month at 10 am. There is also an Alternative Service, organised and delivered by members of the congregation, which is held in Meldrum Church Hall on the last Sunday of each month at 10 am. Members of Meldrum church and other churches and denominations participate in and attend this Alternative Service. There is an enthusiastic and growing Sunday School and a Guild. The church hall in Oldmeldrum is within walking distance of the church and is situated on one of the main roads through the town. It has been modernised and is well maintained with a stage, toilets, kitchen and an upper room for Session and Congregational Board meetings.
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Copies of "Kirk News" are now available on this web site. Due to typesetting incompatibilites between printer and the internet, it is available here in Adobe PDF format which is a mechanism for viewing documents produced over a varying range of software platforms (e.g. Word, Excel, Publisher etc.). Many computers have the necessary viewing software (Adobe Acrobat) already installed but it can be downloaded (at no charge) from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
Left-click to view the document, right-click to save it.
 February & March 2006 |
August & September 2006 |
October & November 2006 |
December 2006 & January 2007 |
August & September 2007 |
December 2007 & January 2008 |
Documents from 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 & 2005 have now been removed to save space.
Meldrum & Bourtie Heritage Society
Autumn Newsletter September 2009
Meldrum and Bourtie Heritage Society. Registered Charity SC030413. Founded 2000
The Committee of Meldrum and Bourtie Heritage Society would like to invite you to their annual Coffee Morning & Exhibition at the Royal British Legion Hall, Oldmeldrum on Saturday 12th September 2009, from 10 am till 12 noon.
Education and Schooldays is the theme for the exhibition this year to celebrate the Year of Homecoming. Research has revealed that there was a school in Meldrum as early as the reformation.
As well as photos donated this year, many Meldrum, Bourtie and Daviot school photos, dating from the early 20th century, will be on display. We have been working hard to put names to faces, although this is still a work in progress. If you can come along on the day we would appreciate your help. You will be able to read short school tales from George Webster, the sheriff, and from Akki Manson's grandfather, James B. Manson, as well as Log Book extracts from the early days of the school in Commercial Road.
A newly digitised version of cinefilm, dating back to 1955, will be showing. Nostalgia will engulf you when you see the crowds that thronged to Meldrum Sports in the fifties also the old sports committee stalwarts. Thanks go to Dr Helen McDonald, nee Massie, Ellenbank, and her cousin Jim Presly for this.
Perhaps you recall that MBHS participated in the Formartine Oral History Project which had its launch at Fyvie Castle in April 2008. We now have copies of the 24 interviews that our society contributed to the project and have purchased 6 CD players so that anyone who is interested can listen to them at the Coffee Morning. All the Formartine interviews are available to listen to at Meldrum Library.
It has long been known that Sir Thomas Mitchell was born, in 1869, at Carle's Inn (now Morris's Hotel), the unwanted illegitimate baby son of the innkeeper's daughter, Mary Carle, and the local sergeant of police, John Mitchell. What we didn't know until recently was that seven years later Sir Thomas's parents had another illegitimate baby. Come and read all about this fascinating piece of research.
MBHS will be taking part in Meldrum Academy's homecoming event Going to School in and around Oldmeldrum on the 2nd and 3rd October and at the Meldrum Heritage Fair at Haddo on the 15th November. As well as displaying photos & information we will show our Community Archive and will be able to do searches for anyone seeking information about their Meldrum connections.
To celebrate the 80th Anniversary of Meldrum Sports in 2010, Bob Forsyth is planning a grand Meldrum School Reunion in the Marquee. MBHS will be supporting this event with a display of school photos.
If you have any old photos to add to our collection please bring them along to the Coffee Morning, give them to any MBHS committee member or leave them at the Paper Shop with your contact details. We will copy them and return the originals to you.
As usual, there will be a Produce Stall, Cake and Candy Stall, Bottle Stall and Raffle. Contributions to any of these will be much appreciated. Admission, which includes a choice of coffee, tea, juice, butteries, pancakes & biscuits, is £1.50 for adults & 50p for children.
The Rotary Club meets every Monday evening at 6.45pm at the Redgarth Hotel. The President is Anne Forster. For more Rotary Club information, please visit the Club's website.
Rotary Club of
Oldmeldrum Notes (courtesy of Annette Ramsden, Hilary Gordon & Ray Walker)
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Rotary Club of Oldmeldrum news
President Hilary Gordon welcomed as guests to the meeting of 7th September; honorary member John Paton, Edwin Duncan and Edwin Duguid from the Rotary Club of Ellon, and RYLA candidates Kerry Bennett and Fraser Riddoch accompanied by parents Mary Ann and Kenny Bennett and Jeff Fraser. Denis Emslie thanked the club members in general and the 10th charter team especially, for making the anniversary dinner such a great success. He added that he had received numerous e-mails from Rotarians who had attended giving favourable comments regarding the event. President Hilary echoed his sentiments and thanked Denis and his team for their hard work. Phil Duncan then thanked Simon Kilkerren for making the barbeque last Monday a great success. He reminded members of the dinner dance with Ellon Rotary on 2nd October, and also requested assistance with hosting the five members from the Rotary Club of Buren, Switzerland who would be visiting us from 27th September. Martin Belshaw, although he stopped short of reminding us how many days were left until Christmas, raised groans and remarks of being unseasonal when he brought up the Santa Sleigh routine for December. The Santa fun run will be organised on the 6th December to coincide with the Oldmeldrum lights-on ceremony. Norman Brammer was please to announce the provisional total raised through the Ythan cycle run was £2,600 (dependant on receipt of all pledged monies), of which £1,169 would be specifically for our designated charity: CHAS. Andrew McCartney informed members that changes were proposed to the RIBI standing orders affecting District 1010 which would be voted on during the Conference in Avimore on the 18-20th September. The club gave Andrew discretion to vote on our behalf at the Conference. The speakers for the evening were Kerry Bennett and Fraser Riddoch, the two Oldmeldrum Academy pupils who the Club sponsored to attend the RYLA (Rotary Young Leader Award) camps. Although the weather was extremely unkind resulting in the cancellation of some of the planned activities, they both had a fantastic time. The activities were physically exhausting: hill-walking up the Cairngorms, orienteering, rock-climbing, mountain biking, kayaking and canoeing. Both of them enjoyed the raft building exercise and were proud that they managed to produce rafts that remained intact for the duration of the course. They both stressed the camaraderie and team-bonding that the activities engendered, and the confidence building that occurred when it was their turn to be team leader. Hilary then presented them with certificates on behalf of the club. -----oOo-----
Rotarians from all over Scotland, and from as far afield as the United States, helped the Oldmeldrum Rotary Club celebrate their 10th anniversary at a glittering black-tie dinner in the town recently. The dinner, held at Lochter Outdoor Activity Centre, saw nearly 150 Rotarians attend from 26 separate clubs. Despite the formal aspect of the anniversary, the emphasis of the evening was very much on celebration and fun, as well as on recognising the considerable achievements of the Oldmeldrum club during its relatively short existence. Club President Hilary Gordon welcomed guests, remarking on how gratifying it was to see so many people present who had helped the club to establish itself - notably those from the parent and grandparent clubs of Ellon and Inverurie. President Hilary then introduced the evening's line-up of guest speakers. These included North of Scotland District Governor Bill McFarlane Smith; Past R.I.B.I. President and Rotary International Director Gordon McNally; Assistant Governor Andrew McCartney and Oldmeldrum Past President Robin Falconer, who replied on behalf of the guests. Speaker after speaker entertained the guests after dinner with good humoured tall tales and anecdotes, but all had an underlying message about the enduring charitable work of Rotary and the contribution which the clubs and individual members themselves made in maintaining and building on those achievements. A quaich was passed around, containing Rotary's own 'Friendship Malt' whisky - which was never allowed to touch the table. A thoroughly enjoyable evening was finished off with an international toast to 'Rotary the world over', followed by a rendition of 'Auld Lang Syne'.
The Oldmeldrum Club meets in the Redgarth Hotel, Oldmeldrum on Mondays at 6.30 for 6.45pm. If you are interested in learning more about the gavel, considering trying out for next years team or just want to learn more about the activities of Oldmeldrum Rotary contact: Robin Falconer on 01651 873962 |
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Friends of Westbank Residential Home have published a new Cookbook which is being sold to raise money for extra comforts and hence enrich the lives of the residents of Wesbank Residential Home. If you wish to support this worthy cause, please buy a cookbook (or several, after all, Christmas is approaching!). Each book costs £5 and can be obatined from: Donald Canning Telephone: 01651 872303 e-mail: donaldcanning@hotmail.com
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Contributions to Community News are especially welcome. If you have recently held a local event or activity, why not tell the rest of the town? Please go to our online notification page.
