DDCA

Dufftown Clock Tower update

29 March 2021 by Fraser

Dufftown Clock Tower to become a Heritage Museum

In December 2020 the idea was developed to transform the Dufftown Clock Tower in a heritage museum. An application for a repair grant from Historic Environment Scotland is one of the major financial aids to realise this project. Diageo, who own 3 distilleries in Dufftown, are also willing to contribute.

In the meantime, Angela Dow, a conservation architect, is making the drawings and calculating an estimate of the repairs. The next step is to send in a final application to HES.

To comply with the necessary outcomes (heritage and society, heritage and the economy, heritage and creativity and heritage and environment) a plan was created to showcase/exhibit Dufftown’s history on several floors:

In the entrance hall we will give locals the opportunity to showcase and sell their craft and arts. This will also be the point of gathering as we do not want unattended visits and limit the amount of people that can at one point visit the exhibition.

On the first floor we will create an exhibition of the first known use of the tower, a jail. We have collected a huge amount of data we can use for this. We also want to showcase the history of Dufftown including the rise of distilleries and which impact they had on Dufftown.

The second floor will be about the clock that hung MacPherson and the illicit still that was supposed to be hidden in the tower when the excise man had their office in it.

The third floor will be a projection of the working clock mechanism by using a webcam. The clock is too fragile to have people go into that area. We will also use this area to show a bit more about old Dufftown with photographs, newspapers and storyboards.

To find out more or keep updated about our progress, please subscribe to our newsletter, get in touch via the website to volunteer or just to ask a question.

Constitution changes approved at Annual Meeting

29 March 2021 by Fraser

At the Annual members meeting held on the 24th March 2021, the following main changes to the constitution were unanimously approved.

Change 1 – Modernising our charitable purpose for future activities:

Amendment of Charitable Purposes to:

4	The Organisation has been formed to benefit the community of Dufftown and District as defined by the Dufftown Community Council area (the “Community”), with the following purposes (the “Purposes”):
4.1	The advancement of citizenship or community development.
4.2	The provision of recreational facilities, or the organisation of recreational activities with the object of improving the conditions of life for the persons for whom the facilities or activities are primarily intended.
4.3	The prevention or relief of poverty in the community of Dufftown and District.
4.4	Any other purpose that may reasonably be regarded as analogous to any of the preceding purposes.

Change 2 – Broadening membership criteria:

Added Junior Members – Aged 12-15 years old.

Associate Member – e.g. Another charitable group becoming a member but without the ability to vote.

Co-opted Trustee – Gives the Trustee’s the ability to recruit specific skill sets into the board of trustees that we require to manage our expanding activities.

Change 3 – Minimum number of members:

We require a clause in our constitution to be eligible for Community Asset Transfers, the new clause reads:

8	The organisation shall have not fewer than 20 members at any time; and
8.1	In the event that the number of members falls below 20 the Board may conduct only essential business other than taking steps to ensure the admission of sufficient Ordinary Members to achieve the minimum number.

Change 4 – Specific inclusion of a Vice Chair person:

As we develop the charity, we are required to consider succession planning. We are seeking to include a specific trustee role of Vice Chairperson. The constitution already allows the trustees to self-arrange ourselves into office bearer roles e.g. Secretary, Treasurer and Two Dorenell decision panel representatives.

DDCA protects Key Workers from COVID-19

5 March 2021 by Fraser

The DDCA has been successful in receiving a grant from the Energy Saving Trust to purchase 10 ebikes which will be loaned to key workers for free. The hope is that it reduces their need to car share and use public transport which will reduce their exposure to COVID-19. Additional benefits are a reduction in their carbon footprint and health and well-being improvements.

Please complete this form to apply. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fC_z_DDSkQFi0tBbgjJNnlwwftnBlotI/edit

20,000 Daffodils emerge for Spring

26 February 2021 by Fraser

Spring has spring up at the Dufftown Field of Hope!

The Market Leys will look amazing once all those Daffies are flowering. All those Dufftown folk, especially our friends from Dufftown in Bloom, who volunteered at planting time can take a great deal of pride in their work.

Tininver Park Upgrade – Funding Approved!

19 January 2021 by Andy

The DDCA applied to the Dorenell wind farm community benefit fund for £30,000 towards the park upgrade. We are pleased to share our success in this. We now have all the funding required along with an approved design and the council will be coordinating the procurement and installation of the new equipment with works being completed throughout 2021.

This substantially completes phase 1 of the Tininver Park upgrade and the DDCA will shortly be shifting our focus to the next stage of development to address the residents views on the future of the park. Please get in touch if you would like to know more or volunteer to help.

DDCA leads the refresh of the community action plan

12 January 2021 by Fraser

Having assessed that funders require a more up to date appraisal of the communities needs, the DDCA sought funding to appoint Star Development Group to refresh the community action plan which was last created in 2015 through the Planning for Real exercise.

The process is now under way and we are pleased to have lead the very first inter group community liaison meeting via Zoom. It was refreshing to consider that Zoom meetings actually allowed a greater attendance due to weather and covid-19.

The next step is for Star Development group to write up a draft action plan and present back to the community groups for agreement on the actions and owners of the actions.

Tininver Park Bike Shed Progresses

5 January 2021 by Fraser

Some people call it Fort Knox, we call it the bike shed at Tininver Park. It is the home of the bikes that we loan out and therefore we like to think it will become a key asset to Dufftown. Since leasing the building from Moray Council, we have replaced the roof, doors and reinstated electrical power to the shed.

We still need the help of willing volunteers to complete the vision for the shed. We would like to lay slabs around the building, decorate the outside of the building to brighten it up and potentially install a canopy covered area to help with bike checks. Please get in touch if you would like to know more or are interested in volunteering.

New DDCA Trustee

4 January 2021 by Fraser

For those on Facebook, Anne Jan’s posts illustrate his resourceful gathering of historic information about Dufftown. AJ as he likes to be called has now joined the DDCA as a trustee to help us further our Protecting Heritage sub group.

AJ is developing an app for mobile devices to bring the history of Dufftown to life, he is bringing this to the DDCA to ensure that it remains a viable asset for generations to come. We are looking to build upon this growing collection of history with visual story boards throughout the town which will be linked to walking routes.

The most exciting news to follow is the energy that AJ brings to the Dufftown Clock Tower. AJ is currently investigating the potential to convert the currently disused Clock Tower into a museum which would be open to the public. Please get in touch if you want to know more or volunteer to help AJ deliver some of this very exciting work.

New branding and community website launched

15 November 2020 by Fraser

The DDCA prepares for the next phase of growth…

Overview

Dufftown and District Community Association (DDCA) is a charitable organisation that supports a wide range of initiatives and activities that are focused on improving all aspects of life for the residents in the Dufftown and District area. Although very active in the town, up to this point the DDCA has worked behind the scenes, away from the public eye.

With a large number of new initiatives already underway and more in the pipeline, the time is was right for the association to create a brand identity that clearly positions its value to the area.

Branding
Having raised £5,000 and tendered a specification, a company called Intimation was engaged to develop a selection of brand options and subsequently the Dufftown Community website.

Selection of the preferred brand image was achieved by holding several focus groups containing a range of community representatives and external community specialists. The preferred choice is shown below:

Website

The Dufftown community website is designed to unite the community around common themes and improve transparency of community activity. It was always known that there are over 30 active community groups and over 100 local businesses but a comprehensive list of these groups never existed. The website would serve as a base for the DDCA to communicate their current projects, achievements and strategic aims.

“Having been active in the community since 1995, it felt like the right time to relaunch the charity in preparation for our next phase of growth and community development”
Fraser McGill – DDCA Chairperson

Website features
The development of the website was an opportune time to establish a booking feature where anyone can check the availability of a community venue or asset, then seamlessly book the use of it online. We have invested in the ability to process payments also. Our hope is that all community halls will join us in modernising and promoting the use of their assets through this platform for all in the community to enjoy.

Dufftown Food Larder is opened!

15 November 2020 by Fraser

After developing a partnership with the Royal British Legion Dufftown, the DDCA have established a food larder in their vestibule. The food larder is replenished daily and is open between 0900 & 1400 daily. Please take for yourself or another resident as required, please leave a donation as you feel you can.

The food larder is kindly supported by the Royal British Legion Dufftown along with many other kind local businesses and government support schemes. It is thought that at least 100 people use the food larder per week and this is saving 100kg of end of life Co-op food stuffs from landfill.

Many thanks to Howdens Elgin for their donation of the kitchen units!