Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire – one of the 32 counties in Scotland. With the introduction of the Scottish Parliament of a new system of self-government, Aberdeenshire.
Scotland roads, ancient and perhaps the most intriguing.
Scotland has many ancient roads, and perhaps the most intriguing are the coffin Scotland roads.
The coffin Scotland roads were often just rough tracks through glens and mountains, but they were vital for transporting the bodies of the deceased from remote locations to consecrated ground for burial.
Some can still be traced today, one such road is St Edderens way, which traverses Aberdeenshire’s Mormond Hill between the villages of Strichen and Rathen.
The corpse were transported over the hill from Strichen to Rathen, as Strichen did not have a kirk or cemetery when it was built. Mormond Hill itself is a place steeped in myth and legend, one one side is a giant white horse made of stone, on the other side a giant white stag https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormond_Hill.
On top of the hill stands the ruin of a hunting lodge, the date stone bears the legend “Rob Gibb commands 1779” Rob Gibb was Charles the Second’s court jester and it’s thought the inscription is a veiled Jacobite toast to the Stuart dynasty.
On the coffin road are many ancient sites of interest, in particular the Resting Cairn, where the coffins of the deceased were rested on the stones until the pall bearers felt refreshed enough to continue their journey.
Perhaps the greatest enigma of a Mormond Hill is that some historians have theorised that it may be considered as the site of the fabled battle of Mons Graupius between The Picts and the Romans.
I make no such claim, Mons Graupius has been attributed to locations all over Scotland !
All the photographs are Kenny Bruce.
Author Kenny Bruce
Free dental care NHS for young people from aged 18
600,000 people to benefit from extension Free dental care NHS for young people
New measures to provide free NHS free dental care for all young people aged 18 to 25 (inclusive) have been introduced at the Scottish Parliament yesterday (Tuesday 15 June).
Amendments to the regulations which cover the cost of NHS dental care will mean around 600,000 young people will benefit from free dental care from the end of August, subject to Parliamentary approval.
In a letter to the dentists, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The oral health of young people often suffers as they move out of the family home, away from the supervision of parents for the first time. I am also particularly mindful of the disproportionate economic impact of the pandemic on our young people.
“That is why we now are going even further than our original commitment to remove dental charges for care-experienced young people within 100 days of this Government and widening this out to include all 18 to 25 year-olds.
“At the same time, I fully appreciate the challenges that NHS dental teams continue to face during this period. The situation is particularly hard on the dental sector, with added infection, prevention and control measures making it impossible for dental teams to see the same numbers of patients as before the onset of the pandemic.
“We currently have in place a set of emergency financial support measures to mitigate the worst financial impacts of the pandemic on NHS dental services and we recently announced £5 million of funding to support improved ventilation in practices, as well as a 50% increase in free PPE to NHS dental teams.
“We will be discussing financial support with the British Dental Association.”
At present patients pay 80% of the cost of their NHS dental treatment up to a maximum of £384 per course of treatment, unless they belong to one of the existing groups entitled to free NHS dental treatment or qualify for help with health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. Patients currently exempt from paying a charge include adults in receipt of certain benefits, expectant mothers and those who have given birth in the last 12 months, and young people under 18 years of age.
Local Business SYMPOSIUM coffee house
Local Business SYMPOSIUM coffee house
Boddam Castle, Aberdeenshire
Boddam Castle, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire and Moray will move to level 1 on Saturday.
Aberdeenshire and Moray will move to level 1, Glasgow to move to Level 2 and Scotland remains on the right track.
The First Minister outlined the next steps to Parliament and confirmed that Glasgow will move to Level 2 from 00:01 on Saturday 5 June 2021.
The following mainland local authority areas will also remain at Level 2, while the situation with the virus is monitored closely:
- East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire
- East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, and South Ayrshire
- North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire
- Edinburgh and Midlothian
- Stirling and Clackmannanshire
- Dundee
At the same time, from 00:01 on Saturday 5 June 2021, these 15 mainland local authorities will move to Level 1:
- Highland and Argyll & Bute
- Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray
- Angus and Perth & Kinross
- Inverclyde and West Dunbartonshire
- Falkirk
- Fife
- West Lothian and East Lothian
- The Scottish Borders
- Dumfries & Galloway
All islands currently in Level 1 will move to Level 0 at the same time due to sustained low numbers of cases. Everyone is encouraged to get tested to help stop the spread of COVID-19 by finding cases that might be missed, as around 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 don’t have symptoms.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:
“I appreciate that today’s decisions will feel like a mixed bag. That reflects the fact that we are in a transition phase. No part of the country is going backwards today. Before the vaccines, that would have been impossible on case numbers like this. But the vaccines are changing the game. And that means we can still be optimistic about our chances of much more normality over the summer and beyond.
“As always, all of us have a part to play in beating this virus back. So please, stick with it, and each other.”
For local authority areas in Level 2, we will be providing support to soft play and other closed sectors that had expected to open, or operate in a different way from 7 June. Full details will be provided by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance tomorrow.
Aberdeenshire and Moray on Level 1: what you can do
- you can meet socially in groups:
- under 12s do not count towards the total number of people or households meeting outside but do count towards the number of households indoors
- you do not need to physically distance from family and friends in a private home
- you can travel anywhere in Scotland in Levels 0, 1 or 2 but must not enter a Level 3 or 4 area unless for a permitted reason
- you can travel anywhere in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands – before you travel you must check the travel rules in those countries
- you can provide informal childcare, for example to look after a grandchild
- up to 100 people can attend weddings and funerals
- tradespeople can carry out any work and repairs in your home such as painting, decorating or repairing
- you should work from home where possible
Aberdeenshire and Moray, What can open at Level 1
Places and business that can open at Level 1 include:
- cafés, pubs and restaurants
- all shops and stores
- all close contact services including hairdressers, barbers and beauty salons
- gyms, leisure centres and swimming pools
- tourist accommodation
- all visitor attractions
- all public buildings like libraries and community centres
- all entertainment (apart from nightclubs and adult entertainment)
- stadiums and events – with maximum numbers
Aberdeenshire and Moray, What must close at Level 1
Places and business that must close at Level 1 include:
- nightclubs and adult entertainment
The Old Streets in Peterhead town
One of the old streets in Peterhead town used to be called Flying Gigs Wynd
One of the old streets in Peterhead town used to be called Flying Gigs Wynd.
Located between Broad Street and the Seagate, in the 18th century it was a narrow, twisty lane, largely populated by taverns, some of low repute!
The most infamous of these was aptly named The Flying Gig and was owned by one Michael Flanagan, an avid buyer and seller of smuggled goods, indeed Peterhead’s most notorious smuggler, Alexander Elles, has a house which backed directly on to the lane.
Where does the name come from?
The most plausible suggestions are that it either refers to the small triangular pennant flag often seen at the top of sailing ships mast, this flag was often called a gig, or if could be that the name has become corrupted over time and was originally the Flying Jib Wynd.
No one knows for sure, The Wynd is gone now and only the entrance remains, but I often wonder what went on down that lane every time I pass.
Credit by Kenny Bruce
Aberdeenshire active life is back from 26 April
From next Monday April 26th will begin to re-open Aberdeenshire active
Aberdeenshire active will be back from next Monday (April 26th) Aberdeenshire active will begin to re-open Live Life Aberdeenshire’s leisure facilities. The facilities below will reopen on week commencing April 26th – May 2nd 2021.
For more information, including facility timetables and contact details, promotional offers and how to book your visit, see: https://bit.ly/LLAWBack
- Huntly Nordic Ski Centre (1st May)
- Peterhead Leisure & Community Centre
- Huntly Pool and Fitness Centre Aboyne Pool,
- Fitness Suite and Sports Facilities
- Ellon Swimming Pool
- Banff (Deveron Centre) Pool and Sports Facilities
- Turriff Sports Centre
- Macduff Marine Aquarium
If we can do so, some of our other leisure facilities may also open next week, however we plan for all our sites to re-open by the 16th May except for Turriff Swimming Pool which is undergoing essential maintenance and is expected to re-open in July.
Customers are asked to keep following their local Facebook pages for up-to-date information around their own reopening plans.
All customers are asked to book and pay for their chosen activity before attending via our online system. Bookings for the above facilities will go live 6 days in advance.
For more information, including facility timetables and contact details, promotional offers and how to book your visit, see: http://bit.ly/SPAbook While Live Life Aberdeenshire is operating on a reduced basis, membership options will not be available and participation will be on a Pay as You Go basis until further notice.
Customers who had purchased a festive promotional pass in December will be able to restart their pass, anyone wishing to do so should contact our membership team on 01467 532929 from Tuesday 20th April at 12 noon.
Meanwhile customers who wish to purchase a 30-day pass can do so, options for these can be found by visiting http://bit.ly/SPAbook
A spokesperson for Live Life Aberdeenshire commented ‘We are delighted to be reopening facilities to the public again over the next few weeks.
Customers can be reassured that our staff have been working hard to ensure your visit is a safe and enjoyable one and our staff are keen to see you back as soon as possible’ The alternative swimming lesson programme will re-start as soon as possible in each facility.
Customers who were signed up for the alternative programme will be contacted via email from Wednesday 21st April onwards with plans.
Follow Live Life Aberdeenshire and your local facility page on Facebook or Twitter for the latest updates.
BBC Scotland topical TV discussion programme is touring the country virtually, Wednesday 31 March.
BBC Scotland to give the people of Scotland the opportunity to have their say about the issues that matter most to you.
Debate Night are inviting people in Aberdeenshire to apply now for episode on Wednesday 31 March.
Members of the general public in Aberdeenshire are invited to apply to join live audience via Zoom and have your say in the evening’s programme. Maybe you are a parent, frontline worker, run a business, a student, have been self-isolating or your work has been affected by Coronavirus; whatever your situation, we want you to apply and be part of the discussion.
As a Debate Night audience member, it is YOUR questions which lead the discussion and the stories, experiences and opinions you share with us that matter most. It is the only TV programme of its kind in the country to allow you the chance to put your questions to Scotland’s key decision-makers and public figures each week.
HOW TO TAKE PART: www.bbc.co.uk/debatenight click ‘Join the Audience’ and fill out an application form.
Previous episodes are available to watch via BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000htfx