CULTER COURIER

ISSUE No.80 AUG 2000

PUBLISHED BY THE COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Community Council News

Notwithstanding the cold weather, the Gala was successful due to the efforts of all concerned -Committee, stallholders, event participants and all the many residents and friends who attended. Your presence made the whole exercise worthwhile. Thank you all. Dorothy Anderson, Gala Chair, and the Gala Committee are actively involved now making arrangements for next year's Gala.

The other business of the Community Council has been carried out along normal lines. Planning has been fairly quiet but much time and effort is involved with getting this edition of the Courier ready for distribution. Once again, this is a self-financing issue made possible by the help of many volunteers in each part of production until it reaches every household in Culter. We specially are indebted to the advertisers without whose support the Courier could not exist in its present form.

We were sorry to receive Joyce Cowie's resignation last month. Joyce had been with us a short time but had certainly added the youthfulness that is required on our Community Council. Her other commitments (especially those involving Guiding) meant that she had very little time for herself and family.

The youngest person taking part in the CCC meetings on a regular basis is PC Kevin McKenzie our Community Policeman. Kevin has added a younger dimension to the meetings, an outlook more in tune with a generation younger than most of CCC now nearing the end of its term. As stated in the May issue of the Courier, the present Community Council ends in October when a new Council is elected for three years. This is an opportunity for younger residents of the Village to be involved and have an input in matters concerning Culter.

Details of nominations procedures, etc. can be found elsewhere in this Courier and in the local press nearer the time of elections.

Community Council Elections

This October all the community councils in Aberdeen will stand for re- election. Community Councils are on the first rung of the ladder of Government that begins with each elector and climbs via the City Council, Scottish Parliament, UK Government and European Parliament. Because of their statutory basis, community councils, like the Culter Community Council, can ensure that the City Council is as fully informed as possible about the circumstances, needs and wishes of their community.

In recent years there have been no elections held for any Aberdeen community council due to the lack of nominations from people wishing to stand as a community councillor. This affects how the public sees community councils and means no one knows how representative they are. To try to overcome this, the City Council is giving early notice of the election arrangements and is encouraging everyone to think about how he or she can support their local community council. The timetable will be as follows:

Public Notice inviting nominations - 28 August 2000;

Closing Date for nominations -18 September 2000;

Election Day -12 October 2000.

Bridgend

I have received telephone calls from a number of people who have tried to use the path at Bridgend (Shoddy Road) but have found the Kissing- gate padlocked. It was scheduled to be opened on 1st June. However, the Scottish Executive has informed me that Aberdeen City Council had had to withdraw its enforcement notice and presently can take no further action due to an appeal having been made.

The Council has served a fresh enforcement notice and waits to see if a fresh appeal may be made to the Scottish Office. Obviously we must wait, and hope, that this may be resolved.

Please keep Culter Community Council informed if you are aware of any changes/problems occurring in this area. KEEP VIGILANT!

47th Aberdeen (Culter) Boys Brigade

The 47thAberdeen {Culter) Company Boys' Brigade is preparing to re- convene for the new session at the end of August, and we are keen to recruit new members or indeed welcome back those who may have been members previously.

Our Anchor Boy section is the first step on the BB ladder, where the emphasis is primarily on fun and games. The age group is Primary 2 and 3, however Primary 1 boys are welcome provided they have reached 5 years of age. The Anchor Boys meet in the Church Hall on Monday evenings from 6.30-7.30pm.

The next step is the Junior Section, where the fun and games are mixed with a structured achievement programme where boys work toward collecting badges. This section is for boys in Primaries 4-6 and meets in the Church Hall on Thursday evenings from 6.30-8.00pm.

The Company Section caters for boys from Primary 7 up until Age 18, and meets at Culter School on Friday evenings from 7.15- 9.30pm. Here the overall objective is in enhancing the individual talents of our boys through badge-work and games. Recruits start off working for the Brigade's Target Badges before embarking on a structured badge- work scheme covering Leadership, Adventure, Community, Interests and Physical activities. Many of our boys achieve the Brigades' highest awards of President's and Queen's Badges, which are roughly equivalent to the Bronze and Silver Awards in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme. Company Section boys regularly compete in competition against other companies within the Aberdeen & District Battalion in football, basketball, table tennis and other activities.

The most well known part of the 47th is probably our pipe band. Membership of our pipe band is open to boys once they reach the Junior Section at Age 8, and tuition from scratch is offered in piping and drumming from this age. The pipe band's objectives have always been to offer high quality tuition to our members striving toward memberships of its competing band and ultimately its adult section of Culter & District.

Overall we feel that the company offers excellent opportunities for boys from in and around Peterculter. Anyone wishing further information can contact either Michael Findlay (743485) or Craig Sim (782044)

Community Education

 ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES DAY & EVENING, SEPTEMBER

We hope to run the following day and evening classes in Cults and Culter from September. All have to be confirmed -keep an eye on press advertisements and our notice boards in Cults Community Centre, Culter Village Hall and the Pop-in, Culter.

YOGA

Culter Village Hall

Monday 9.45am 18 Sept

YOGA

Cults Com. Centre

Tuesday 9.45am 26 Sept

Yoga in Pregnancy Cults Com. Centre

Wednesday TBC 20 Sept

Drugs Issues for Parents

Cults Com. Centre

Monday 7.30pm 18 Sept

Introduction to Computing

Cults Academy Room 5

Tues. 9.20am 26 Sept

Word Processing I

Culter Pop-in

Friday 9.30am 29 Sept

How to be a Writer

Cults Corn. Centre

Thursday 9.30am 21 Sept

Stress Management Cults Com.. Centre Thursday 8pm

21 Sept Confidence Tricks

Culter Village Hall

Friday 9.30am 22 Sept

Enrolment on:

Tuesday 29 August 9.30am-12 noon

 & 7.30-8.30pm at Comm. Centre

Kate Robertson,

Adult Education Co-ordinator, Cults Education Centre, Earlswells Road, Cults Tel: 868858

50 + Walking Group

 Glen Tanar is always a favourite place with us and our visit in April did not disappoint us. We got the best of weather and the countryside was beginning to look very promising.

In May, we were off to the Shooting Greens but, because of tree felling, we had to make alterations to our walk. Nevertheless we had a most enjoyable day in warm sunshine. Our next walk was to Boultenstone. This is the first time we have done this as a Group and everyone agreed that it will now become one of our favourite walks as there is so much to see and the wildlife appears to be almost untouched by our outside world.

The first walk in June was to the Burn o'Shioch and again we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Some of our members are well over in years but no one can doubt their enthusiasm for tackling longer walks. Our next trip took us to the Old Military Road at Corgarff and, although the weather was rather wet and blustery, we completed our walk in good time.

Our last walk took us through Glen Girnoc. This is an extremely pleasant part of the country with lovely scenery. Despite the cold wind, it was the perfect day to view the surrounding hills.

We are looking forward now to some more enjoyable Summer walks.

B Bisset

Camphill News

 History was made in June when Saskia Uphues became the first ever BA graduate in Curative Education. The course, run in partnership with the Northern College and ourselves, brings to British recognition the profession of Curative Education, the holistic way of working with children and young people with special needs that brings together care, therapy and education in equal measures.

Also new this summer was the opening of our Respite House, Neahbur, in Murtle. Initially this will cater for our pupils during our holidays periods but it is envisaged that it will soon be open to take children and young people with special needs from Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire during our term times. Enquiries should be directed to Anni d' Agostino on 868674.

Finally I should mention our forthcoming Open Day on Saturday 23rd September, 2p.m.-5 p.m. We do hope that many of you will be able to come and visit and that you enjoy the afternoon.

Laurence Alfred

Peterculter Parish Church

 At a recent meeting of members of Peterculter Parish church, it was agreed by a large majority to bring about a major transformation in the interior of the building. The church requires a new heating system and since this means some, or all, of our pews will have to be taken out, it was decided to take the opportunity of replacing them with chairs. This will allow greater comfort during services of worship, as well as meaning that our building can be used much more for some of the church organisations, local community groups, conferences, concerts etc. Further improvements will include a larger chancel area, new carpeting and complete redecoration. We have already made improvements to the lighting and this may be enhanced further. In the longer term, we hope to make significant improvements to our halls as well. This will mean that the church will not only be an excellent place of worship, but also it can provide much improved facilities for the whole community.

In saying all that, it's important to remember that the church is not primarily about buildings. It is about people with a faith. That's why we are about to launch a special campaign to encourage more people to become involved in the life of the church. The campaign is known as the Christian Commitment Programme and we will be focusing on the time, talents and money that people give to the work of the church. Every member will receive a visit and four special services will look at different aspects of Christian commitment. We hope to build on the strengths which exist in the church and also seek to overcome areas where we are less strong so that we might attract more people to our church family.

John Ferguson.

Cults Cricket Club

 Season 2000 is now more than half way through and the lst XI has only Grade 1 title to play for. The Scottish Cup has been relinquished and the Aberdeenshire Cup is but a fading memory -both by a horrendous batting performance. Still in 3rd place in Grade 1 after leading for June and July, less than 1% behind the leader.

The 2nd XI are having a frustrating season, able to raise an eleven every week and no-one to play. I have never seen so many scratchings in Grade cricket as season 2000. Winning more than we lose.

The juniors never got started -a combination of awful weather and vandalism. For the youth of the area, do you fancy playing Cricket?

(It must be more satisfying than vandalising the Allan Park.) Those juniors who contacted me, I will be in touch before the start of season 2001.

For further information please contact:

Ian Sutherland

Home 01224 742833 Office 01224 523609 Email

isutherland@it.aberdeen.net.uk

Dee-ciders Walking Group

 It has been funny old weather for walking this year (so far) but maybe now that 'summer' has arrived, we will be able to discard the rain-gear.

One of the driechest days o u r club experienced was t way back in April when we were to be so brave and climb the 'Buck' in the Cabrach area, but it was so wild we gave up that notion and went to Drumtochty instead. I think it is fair to say that our memory of that day is standing under 'dead' trees, hoping for some shelter and being utterly soaked. Thank goodness for wonderful company in those situations.

Another day was to Loch Lee out by Glen Esk -one of the most beautiful glens that can be reached easily from Aberdeen. Travel south to Edzell then take the B966 all the way to Tarfside. There are many twists and turns but the scenery is spectacular in all seasons. The River Esk flows from Loch Lee through the Glen to reach the Montrose Basin.

Tarfside, a bonny spot, is the entrance (or exit) to the Fungle Path that takes you through to Aboyne. From Tarfside we travelled to Invermark Lodge, Church and Kirkyard -if only we had time to read the inscriptions on the gravestones. At Invermark the path divides: leftish to Loch Lee and Glen Lee or, as we chose, rightish by the Water of Mark up to the Queen's Well. This is a Victorian well where, if you throw coins into it, your wishes will come true. That's 'jist nae true'! As we passed the Well, the clouds started to' greet' and on went the waterproofs, leggings and all but it's only a passing shower.

Up and down over the peat bogs, and crossing the burns was a bit trick~ but we reached the waterfall eventually and sheltered under the overhanging rock that kept us relatively dry. Then on our way back -by the same route today -would you believe it, it did start to dry up. The 'mannie' up above heard us at last and, on the way home through Glen Esk, the sun shone giving us a most beautiful end to our day.

Jean Duff

The Deeside Choristers

 This year is an important milestone in the life of the Deeside Choristers who celebrate 25 years of enthusiastic music-making. On September 16, we are holding a reunion of as many former Choristers as we can trace. Records show that over 500 youngsters are, or have been, members -some for as long as ten years: it is a stable organisation. Several former Choristers have made music their career.

Our Anniversary Motto is therefore 'Five Hundred Youngsters Can't Be Wrong!'

The annual intake of boys and girls aged 7 to 11 starts when the schools go back in August. If this interests you, you can fid out more (without obligation) by ringing 01224740363.

Other events are:

Sept 10 Choral Evensong at St John's Church, Aberdeen

Sept 29 We are off to Linlithgow for a musical weekend with a public appearance in Dundee and all sorts of holiday activities.

October 8 We sing at Banff at a Harvest Festival

As always, we express our thanks to local schools for their co-operation.

Eastleigh Nusing Home

NEW DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Our next fund raising event to be held in the Culter Village Hall is a Fashion Show. Virgo Fashions, Kanyo Beauty Therapy & Tootsies footwear will be the main participants on WEDNESDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER, in the evening.

Hopefully those of you in Culter and surrounding area will look upon this occasion as a way of integrating the life at Eastleigh with the Community. It is so important that we are aware of each other and value each others roles in the village. The Fashion Show will enable people of Culter to gather socially. There will be wine and nibbles during the evening and a Raffle, donations for which would be most acceptable

Nearer Christmas we will be holding a Silent Auction in the Home at Eastleigh. This will be on Friday 17th November, in the evening. Proceeds from it will help defray costs of Christmas celebrations.

Thanks once again for your continued support.

Margaret Mearns

Culter Football Club

 April Award: Culter's dramatic season was rounded off with a pleasant surprise when we were awarded the honour of being the Stewart Milne Homes Premier Division Team of the month for April 2000. The award was clinched when Culter upset the odds to beat favourites Formartine United 2-1 at Heathryfold Park on 29 Apri12000 to win the prestigious Great Northern Trophies Regional Cup. Culter were presented with a framed Team of the Month Certificate plus cheque for this achievement.

Relegation Reality: In spite of a spirited attempt to stave off relegation by our new management team of Bobby Gray and Jocky Lawrence who took over midway through the season, after our disastrous start, the deficit proved too much. In our 12th season as Juniors, relegation became a reality for the first ti1rle. Their objective will be to bounce back up next season.

Annual Awards: Winners of the Annual Awards were announced at the Club's season-end Social evening at Lauries Hotel, owned by Club Honorary President Eric Duncan, on Friday 23 June 2000.

Club Vice President, Team Secretary and SJFA/NRJFA Correspondent, Doug Grant won the Dick Brown Memorial Trophy, presented annually to the member who has done most for the Club in the past season. Doug, our previous winner in 1988/89, has a knowledge second to none in the minefield of players' paperwork. President Doug Jamieson stated in the Club's Annual Review of the Season, "My special thanks to Doug for his support to team management and the players as well as his heavy involvement in secretarial and Vice President duties.

Marc, Small in name but big in stature, was our Player of the Year. He joined us in 1997/98 from Amateur side FC Hayloft. Marc was in contention for the Larry Barclay Trophy for the Player of the Year last season but reaps his reward for splendid service this time. Our resolute defender's only goal of the season was vital in our Regional Cup Final win against Formartine United.

Fortieth Financial Figures: Time goes by so quickly, I am surprised that this year sees the publication of my 4Oth Annual Financial Report. My first issue was in July 1961 with the report showing a balance in hand of £194.12. We had, however, investments of £1000 representing

the bequest to the club by the late Mr Crombie, stemming back to his legacy in the late 1940s that resulted in the naming of our pitch as Crombie Park. The financial report of 1960/61 showed that 11 Football Jerseys cost £8.25, Players' Insurance premium was £18 and Electricity for the whole year was £0.52. Changed days!

Twenty Years Ago. The 20th anniversary of the opening of our Pavilion at Crombie Park will be celebrated on 5 October. The Gala Opening took place on Sunday 5 October 1980. It was formally opened by the late Chris Anderson in his capacity as Vice Chairman of the Scottish Sports Council. The opening was previewed by Frank Gilfeather on Grampian Television's 'Sportscall' on Friday 3 October 1980. The Penalty Competitions were won by Mark Craigmile and Gordon Moir respectively who were presented with their awards by Alex Ferguson. The Challenge Match resulted Culter 0 v Aberdeen FC Select 4. It was cold that day but the sun shone and spirits were high! Photograph from that memorable day shows Alex, now Sir Alex Ferguson, making his speech.

Culter Gala 2000

At 5am it was a beautiful, clear sunny day. The birds were singing, the Gala Field was damp, but drying nicely and gradually people arrived with the bits and pieces of equipment that make up Gala Day itself.

All through the morning, vehicles came and went and the arena took shape, the stalls set up and there was a happy hum of conversation as people chatted as they worked.

At 1.30pm everything was as it should be and I decided it was time to take off my wellies and put on my sandals, and I have to accept full responsibility for what happened next. Within a few minutes there was a fine mist of moisture in the air followed by a slight rain and then the real deluge started and it didn't stop for the rest of the afternoon. I should have kept my wellies on. I'll know better next time.

Despite the rain, the atmosphere on the field was brilliant and I can't thank the people of Culter enough for their support and loyalty to the Gala. What could have been an unmitigated disaster turned out to be a disappointing afternoon which had to be cut short. We still managed to raise approximately £1000, however, and proved the point that the only piece of public open space left in the village desperately needs to be drained properly.

I therefore would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support during Gala Week and on Gala Day itself. All of the Gala Committee really appreciate your loyalty and perseverance. You have made it very clear that you would like the Gala to continue into the new Millennium and we will do our best to make sure that it does.

We have set Sunday 15 June as the provisional date for next year and will be meeting again in late August to start pulling together next year's programme. We will be running a Quiz Night in the Village Hall on Friday 15 September. Watch out for tickets -they are likely to disappear quickly.

If you would like to join us for next year's event, new ideas are always welcome, as are new members of the committee. If you feel able to help us but do not like being on committees, we would be delighted to hear from you and will happily find you a job during Gala Week.

The AGM of the Gala Committee is set for November 8. Please feel free to come along and give us the benefit of your ideas. All of these meetings are held in the Pop-in and start at 7.3Opm. I can be contacted on 321828 should you wish to make personal contact.

Peterculter Golf Club 

So far the summer weather has been very disappointing, however this has not dampened the spirits of our Members and Visitors and the Course has been well utilised through the season, to date.

Our Club Championships culminated in June with the champions being: Gents: Phil Robb, Ladies: Gaynor Hall, Junior: Graham Hardie and Seniors: Bob Littlejohn. Well done to all.

We have had an amazing amount of growth this season and our greens staff have been working flat out to try to keep the course in good playing order. Our course extension programme is progressing nicely and we still anticipate the new holes opening in April 2001. The new layout will drastically change the course and we look forward to this presenting new challenges to golfers.

We have updated our website, which can be found at www.petercultergolfclub.co.uk. Any local businesses that wish to be linked to our site should e-mail us with details on info@petercultergolfclub.co.uk. as soon as possible.

Guiding in Culter

 As we approach a new term in Guiding there are changes afoot in the programme for the senior members. This is nationwide to try and encourage more young girls to stay in Guiding.

One of the main problems we have recruiting Leaders is the fact that the girls now leave the movement at an earlier age than say ten years ago and are therefore lost to us as potential Young Leaders and then Guiders.

At present, Culter Units are coping with the level of leaders we have but we are under numbers, and we all ask for parental help to carry out the programmes in the various groups.

There are places available in RAINBOWS: the group for 5yrs - 7yrs (P1-P2). Anyone wanting to know more should contact me on 734273.

BROWNIES are full and we have at present a LONG waiting list. We are trying to ensure that every girl on the list gets in before her 8th Birthday but there are a large numbers of girls and we are restricted by the amount of warranted adult help as to how many girls we can have in each unit.

GUIDES continue to thrive with a large number of girls coming along weekly. There are a few places available. This group caters for girls aged l0yrs and upwards.

If anyone wishes to know more about any of the Units or would be interested in helping with any group please contact me:

Joyce Cowie

District Commissioner Tel: 734273

Peterculter Health Centre

This may well be the last edition of the Culter Courier in which I will be making predictions about the completion date (now standing at the end of September) for the new Health Centre! As you may well be aware, work is now progressing at a reasonable pace and some real evidence of changes is now apparent. Many of the new rooms are now in use, but the final phase will be the most disruptive one, where the reception and waiting areas are being renovated. I would like to take this opportunity to thank patients and staff of the practice for their patience and good humour throughout the building works. I am presently preparing a photographic record of the trials and tribulations of the building project, and so a copy of this should be available in the waiting room for your interest in due course.

Can I remind you that if you have any need to contact the practice in the evenings, night time or weekends, that your initial point of contact is telephone number 733535, i.e. the practice telephone number. At the present time, none of the partners in the practice is a member of GOOCS, and we still share our out-of-hours work with the Cults practice. Some of the Cults partners are GDOCS members, and so it is true that on occasion you may well be dealing with GDOCS out-of-hours. It is incorrect to assume that GDOCS will be covering our area on any given night. On occasion (and this is no doubt due to the general high profile publicity of GOOCS) patients have contacted GDOCS directly, only to be re-routed back to the practice, and this therefore introduces an unnecessary delay in seeking medical attention.

For those of you with children, please do continue to support the Meningitis C vaccination campaign, as it is very important that we protect our most vulnerable people from this most unpleasant and potentially dangerous illness.

With best wishes,

D C M Harris

Culter Hillwalking Club 

The happy, Hillwalking feet of our members have been quite busy lately. We spent an excellent and instructive day in May, being put through our paces on a map-and- compass training outing on the Corrine Hills at Stridden. Clear blue skies and warm spring sunshine helped make this a great day for taking bearings and being guided through the intricacies of map reading and compass use. Our thanks to Peter Fraser and Bill Ewen for all their hard work on our behalf.

Unfortunately, the first Sunday of June was not kind to us weatherwise, as we splodged and plodded through the rain, sleet and mist over the Finmounth from Glen Tanar to Tarfside in Glen Esk. The good company and the friendly chatter made the miles fly by so, although .the weather was disappointing, we still enjoyed a grand day out on the hills. We thank Bill Ewen and Martin Hall for organising this for us.

On our July walk we were to have climbed Lochnagar but mist lying over the summit prevented our safe ascent so we cut over the shoulder, by the beautiful falls, to Glas-Allt-Shiel where we stopped f o r lunch amongst clouds of midges! Later, feeling itchy but refreshed, we set off to the Dubh Loch then round a now sparkling, sun-lit Loch Muick, back to our waiting bus. We were thrilled to see many deer -some at close quarters -and we had a really good day's walking.

Brenda Noble and Dorothy Gordon are due thanks for leading this walk.

Do you feel like "'A' enjoying some fresh air, good companionship and exercise? Why not join us on one of our walks. Look out for our notices posted widely throughout Culter, or for more details, contact Val Street on 732804 or Bill Ewen on 01330 811885.

Kate Napier

Culter & District Flower and Handicraft Show

The annual Culter and District Flower and Handicraft Show will take place on Saturday 19th August 2000, opening at 2pm in the Culter Village Hall, when the winners, including those for the Culter Garden competition, will receive their trophies. Aberdeen City Councillor, George Urquhart, who has family connections with Culter, has kindly accepted our invitation to perform the opening ceremony.

There will be displays of cut flowers, vegetables, house plants, hanging baskets, patio containers, flower arrangements, baking, knitting, needlework, crafts and photography. The children have their own section with classes for miniature gardens, flower arranging and baking.

If you want to enter your own efforts in the Show, then see Alison Skinner at the Village Hall or Catherine Lacy (Tel 733710) -the deadline for entering is Thursday 17th August.

So come along and support the Show, there's always a lot to look at and admire!

Catherine Lacy (Secretary) Tel:711710

Police Newsletter

The summer is almost over and before long the autumn nights will be creeping in. I hope you all had a good summer holiday and made the best of the little sunshine we had.

Now that the summer is drawing to a close, the light evenings will be getting shorter. This is a good time for the criminal to take advantage of the darkness in the early evening. Security lights at the rear of the house are a great idea and an excellent deterrent to would be criminals. They are relatively inexpensive and available from most DIY Stores.

Also with the autumn months comes the bad weather. After the summer months, and the, relatively good weather, the road surface can become quite slippery after a heavy rainfall. Care should be taken and speeds reduced when driving, especially in poor road conditions.

In the last edition of the Culter Courier, I mentioned the problem large congregations of youths were causing in the area. At present I am looking into long term solutions for this problem and, all being well, should have something up and running in the near future.

However on Saturday 10 June 2000 a Police Operation was mounted with a view to clamping down on the youth problem in Cults and Culter. The operation was a great success and a large quantity of alcohol was taken from five youths in Cults. Also a male and female were charged regarding supplying the youths with alcohol and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal. It is hoped that similar operations will be conducted in the area in the near future.

I ask all parents to speak to their children about the problems under- age drinking causes to local residents and also the potential health hazards consuming large amounts of alcohol has on the body.

Kevin McKenzie

Community Beat Officer Culter Police Office

Tel: 01224 732222 or 01224 386000

CULTER SCHOOL PTA

The PTA had another very successful year raising in the region of £5,500 in total by running a variety of events throughout the year. Our final event before summer break was the school BBQ which was very well attended and was a most successful evening despite the rather chilly windy weather.

The coming school year will see a range of events -in the first term look out for the Car Boot Sale on 16 September; the very popular Bingo Night on 28 September and getting into the Christmas spirit 'Christmas at Home' on 12 November which will provide an opportunity to see demonstrations of various Christmas crafts; also a Beer /Wine tasting on 8 December.

Next year will see further cuts to the school budget that makes successful fund raising of even more vital importance. A huge thank you to everyone businesses and individuals alike, who have contributed to our fundraising efforts and we hope we can rely on your continuing support in the future.

M Wham

Senior Citizens' Club

The Senior Citizens' Club starts back, after the summer break, on Wednesday September 5 when John Michael will entertain. On September 19, we have a drive to Forfar for lunch, some time in Dundee and High Tea at Pitlochry. If any member wishes to go but has not submitted his/her name, please let me know as soon as possible, please.

Saturday October 7 is the date of the Sale of Work, our main fund-raiser. It will take place in the Mill Club at 2pm and there will be the usual stalls, a big raffle and afternoon teas. We look forward to seeing you there.

We meet at 7.30pm on the first Wednesday of the month in the Village Hall and new members will be welcome.

St Peter's Heritage Trust

Gala Week 2000: it was very encouraging to note that many of you came along on both Wednesday and Saturday to view the exhibition. This has led to the promise of many further items in the near future.

We thank everyone who has contributed financially -monetary donations and support at our fundraising events especially the Victorian Tea Party, Silent Auction and Gala Day. Despite the rain on Gala Day, we were lucky enough to be awarded second prize for our display.

The books of Poems are selling well. We have done a reprint of 'Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow' (the first one).  Number two is 'Meaningful Moments' -and each is priced at £2.

The inaugural meeting of the Trust was held on Thursday 27th July at 7.30pm in St Peter's Heritage Centre. A report of this meeting will be included in the next issue of the Courier.

58th (Culter) Scouts

The Culter Gala duck races were successfully held during Gala Week with over 50 people in attendance. Three races were held representing ducks sold by the various groups in Culter including Playgroup, Bo-peep, Village Hall, CCC and Scouts. The Scouts cleared and prepared the site next to the Culter Bum, organised the races and officiated with regards the results.

You may have noticed bunting up in the streets of Culter. This of course was to bring attention to the Culter Gala and the bunting was put up by members of the Scout Parent Committee. Many thanks to them for balancing precariously on ladders along the whole length of the North Deeside Road through Peterculter!

For more details about Scouting in Culter, please call me (Simon Sawers) on 735151.

UK SCOUTS CELEBRATE THE MILLENNIUM IN STYLE 

300,000 SCOUTS UNDER CANVAS AT ONCE

300,000 Scouts hoped for non- traditional Bank Holiday weather on 26-29 Mayas they prepared for the biggest camping weekend in Scouting's history: There were camps in every part of the UK. They ranged from a single Scout Troop camping in their favourite field, to countywide events involving thousands of people.

"We are marking the Millennium in a variety of ways but camping remains the single most popular activity amongst our young Members so we decided to mark the new century in style," said Richard Butler, National Commissioner for Scouts and the man leading the planning team. "Two years ago we announced that the entire UK Movement was being invited to camp simultaneously over one weekend and now we are on- course for the biggest camp of all time," he added.

Each and every Member of the Scout

Movement, along with parents and friends, was encouraged to spend the weekend outdoors. During the event~ they took part in a wide range of activities designed to reflect the new Millennium. The main highlight was at 20.00 hrs on Saturday 26 May, when everyone had been asked to mark the Millennium with an activity based on the theme of light.

Camphill Art Therapy

Art Therapy at Camphill, Murtle Estate, Bieldside Wednesday 6.30pm-8pm (from 10 Aug to 4 act) 25 act to 6 Dec Tuesday 11.15am-12.15pm (from 29 Aug to 3 act) 24 act to 5 Dec Each of the four sessions costs £45

CULTER COURIER

To enquire about advertising in the Culter Courier (or to submit an article)

Please contact:

Mrs M.J. Skinner

Tel:01224 732352

Email: m.j.skinner@connectfree.co.uk