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Want to know more about the DDCA’s ongoing work in the Dufftown Clocktower? Read this week’s blog post!

Some towns are closely associated with specific buildings, landmarks, or history. When someone mentions Stirling I always picture the Wallace Monument. Perhaps Dunnottar castle comes to mind when you think of Stonehaven. For Dufftown, the Clocktower is one of these iconic buildings. After years of neglect and a clock that was no longer ticking, the DDCA set out to get the clock going again and purchased the building from Moray council in 2020. 

We are currently maintaining the running of the clock. This alone cost the charity £500 in electricity bills in the last year. This month we also carried out some critical roof work on the ground floor extension. We are actively working on finding a way to repair this unique building to bring it back to a usable state. Unfortunately, our application to Historic Environment Scotland for funds to repair the fabric of the building got rejected last year.

Our next step is to write up a more thorough feasibility study and business plan, which will help us access the necessary funding to bring the Clocktower back to use for the community. The first phase of the project will be to repair the ground floor into a multi-purpose space where I as the community development leader can be more accessible to the community.  

Below are some photos I took this past week of the Clocktower and its views. 

It is a beautiful building that just needs some TLC. Please support our ongoing efforts to maintain and improve the Clocktower by joining our fundraising Clocktower Club for only £12 per year. If you are a local joinery business, please get in touch if you would like to donate some of your time to help us with smaller repairs. 

This week’s blog post is about the Dufftown music scene and me playing in front of an audience for the first time in a very long time. 

While I have been singing and playing instruments since childhood, over the last few years I lost the habit. But since I moved to Dufftown I found my love for playing music again thanks to my neighbour Jim. Not long after I moved here, he invited me to his online Stramashes where I got to meet his friends playing a variety of different instruments. This week I was invited to play with him and his friends at Aigan court! 

On stage we had Donald on the accordion, Eddie on the songs (Jim Reeves seemed to be a favourite amongst the crowd), Jim on the pipes and myself on the guitar. A dozen residents at Aigan court were in the audience singing along. Although I have played at larger concerts and events before, I was so nervous playing in front of an audience for the first time in years I had to keep my eyes closed to not forget my lyrics! I was lucky that the Aigan audience was so welcoming and encouraging. 

After an hour or so of music, we were all treated to tea and biscuits. It was lovely meeting the folk at Aigan court that came along for the afternoon. Next week, Jim and his friends are off to both Keith and Aberlour for more concerts. I will do my best to join them.

Music is an important part of the Dufftown cultural fabric with events such as stramashes, ceilidhs, and the pipe band. While the pandemic has made it difficult to meet up during the last two years, I’m impressed to see how people have adapted and kept playing together online. Fingers crossed that we can slowly start coming back to live events again this year. Because let’s be honest, music is much better in real life than on a screen.

In this week’s blog post, I share my first visit to the Cabrach Trust for a nature walk and to have a look at their many exciting projects.

On Tuesday, I travelled wide and far over rivers and hills all the way to… the Cabrach! The Health Walk group, usually exploring  the paths in Dufftown, ventured out of town this week thanks to Sam at the Cabrach Trust organising a bus for us. While there had been hail storms the day before, we hit the jackpot with glorious sunshine. 

Along the all-ability path around the Inverharroch farm, Stephen, one of the Dorenell rangers, told us about the rivers and common wildlife in the area. I was lucky to see a vole dash across the path and down towards the river at one point. Stephen also set out a camera trap in the hopes of getting some photos of wildlife. I’ve got my fingers crossed for an otter! 

At the far end of the farm, Sam showed us the wildflower meadow and wildlife ponds they have created. Now we are all waiting patiently for the seeds to shoot up. Afterwards, we warmed up inside the Acorn community centre with coffee and homemade scones. Not a bad way to spend a Tuesday morning!  

Walking along the river where lots of new trees have been planted by the bank, I was thinking of how we choose to use our land. It is well established how greenspace is vital not just for the planet’s biodiversity but also for our own mental and physical wellbeing. We are lucky to have such beautiful nature in Moray, so let’s work together to make the most of it.

Many thanks to The Cabrach Trust and the Dorenell Ranger service for organising the trip. Make sure to keep up-to-date with exciting workshops happening at the Trust in the near future.

 

This week’s blog post is about my visit to the Wee Ferm and the value of unexpected friendships.

With the unpredictable weather this week I decided to stay put in the Dufftown and District area. I looked at our website’s local business directory and decided to visit the Wee Ferm!

Kirsteen, Leon and their two kids run the Wee Ferm at Spring Croft between Dufftown and Craigellachie. It’s a croft of just under 3 acres and they moved here 5 years ago. With neither Kirsteen nor Leon having grown up on a farm themselves, they told me that these past years have involved lots of learning from books, the internet and the helpful vets in Aberlour. What started as a hobby in the hope of becoming more self-sufficient has now turned into a petting farm and woodcarving lifestyle. They are open for group visits on an online booking-basis and do larger events like Santa’s Grotto and Halloween scavenger hunts. 

While they have lots of lovely animals like rabbits, pigs, and ponies, my favourites were the goats. As soon as we walked into the field they came running towards us for cuddles! Below is a photo of Oscar and Oswald saying hello. 

I grew up with chickens, dogs, fish and even the odd turtle. My visit to the Wee Ferm brought back childhood memories of the joy that animals bring. Kirsteen sent me a photo of Filo the pony giving Oscar the goat a kiss, and it made me think about how we too often put up barriers and divisions between different groups in our communities. In the next week, I challenge you to reach out and speak to someone you normally wouldn’t speak to. It could be someone much younger or older than yourself, or someone from a different place or background than yourself. Try it and maybe you’ll find an unexpected friend just like Filo and Oscar have. 

As all the animals were eagerly waiting for their dinner, I left Kirsteen and her family to it. 

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