Aberdeen

Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Diners in for a mouth-watering culinary treat during Aberdeenshire Restaurant Week

Hungry diners across Aberdeenshire are preparing to choose from a variety of special offers and menus during the region’s first ever Restaurant Week running from November 4-10.

Forty restaurants, cafes and hotels have so far signed up to the inaugural festival being organised by Aberdeenshire Council’s Economic Development Service.

It has teamed up with organisations including local business groups, VisitAberdeenshire, Scotland Food & Drink, Aberdeen City & Shire Hotels Association, Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Scottish Chefs to encourage business sign-ups and raise consumer awareness.

Food festivals such as this are hugely successful, proving popular with both businesses and customers alike across the country and November’s event will help to highlight all the fantastic places to eat across the region.

Facing the ongoing challenges around supply chain costs and the wider cost-of-living, it’s hoped Aberdeenshire Restaurant Week will give the local hospitality sector a much-needed boost and bring a wealth of new customers through their doors.

During the event, customers will be able to enjoy a host of food and drinks offers which will help increase footfall by showcasing the incredible offering across Aberdeenshire to locals and visitors alike, highlighting value, quality, provenance and choice at a traditionally quieter time of year.

To celebrate their involvement, participating venues have cooked up some mouth-watering special offerings for the week-long promotion, with something for all tastes and budgets.

Among them is the award-winning Falls of Feugh Restaurant at Banchory which helped launch the promotion with Aberdeenshire Council Leader Cllr Gillian Owen and Cllr Isobel Davidson, vice-chair of the council’s Infrastructure Services Committee.

Cllr Owen said: “I’m really excited to be at the launch of the first-ever Aberdeenshire Restaurant Week and I want to encourage local people and visitors alike to support all the participating businesses and sample the tremendous range of menus and rich dining experiences the region has to offer. The north-east hospitality and food and drink sectors are incredibly important to our economy and we must continue to do everything we can to engage existing and new customers for our businesses.”

Cllr Isobel Davidson added: “It’s great to see so many restaurants signing up to our inaugural Restaurant Week. The excellent range of offers across the region and the range of menus will ensure there is something for everyone to enjoy. The hospitality industry is vitally important, not only for our home market but also for our growing national and international tourism offering. Thanks to our traditional industries of farming and fishing an abundance of quality local produce is available to help the sector set a benchmark for hospitality in Aberdeenshire.”

John Chomba, chef patron of the Falls of Feugh Restaurant, said: “We are delighted to be part of Aberdeenshire Restaurant Week. We’re really looking forward to welcoming new and existing customers to sample our special offers and wider menu and enjoy the friendly atmosphere here in Banchory. November can traditionally be a fairly quiet time for the hospitality sector before the hugely busy festive period, so this is a great way to boost business for us all and showcase what we can all offer all year-round.”

You can check out all the restaurant offers at www.aberdeenshirerestaurantweek.com or follow our social media channels by searching for Aberdeenshire Restaurant Week on Facebook or Instagram.

It’s not too late to register a business for Aberdeenshire Restaurant Week – email restaurantweek@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Peterhead.Live on

Cenos Floating Offshore Windfarm

Cenos Floating Offshore Windfarm consultation event 01.10

Members of the public and other stakeholders are invited to attend a consultation event on the proposals for the Cenos Floating Offshore Windfarm.

Members of the public and other stakeholders are invited to attend a consultation event on the proposals for the Cenos Floating Offshore Windfarm. The event, which will be held at Peterhead Football Club on 1 October 2024 is hosted by Cenos Offshore Windfarm Limited, a joint venture project between Flotation Energy and Vårgrønn. The project team will be on hand to answer questions and invite feedback on the proposals for associated infrastructure.

With a nominal capacity of up to 1400 MW, Cenos is a pioneering project that will provide renewable power to the UK grid and the possibility to electrify and decarbonise offshore oil and gas platforms in the UK North Sea. Delivered as part of Crown Estate Scotland’s Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round, once complete, Cenos will be one of the world’s largest floating offshore windfarms, providing 5.5 TWh+ of renewable power to the UK grid each year.

Cenos will be located approximately 200km due east of shore from Aberdeen, and Peterhead is the closest coastline approximately 190km from the array boundary. The activity within Scottish Territorial Waters will consist of installation of a submarine export cable bundle from the windfarm site to landfall and associated rock deposits along partial lengths of the cable within the cable trench(es) to ensure complete burial and at cable crossing locations. The offshore export cables are proposed to make landfall close to Long Haven – between the villages of Boddam and Longhaven. Cenos Offshore Windfarm Limited is currently preparing consenting applications for the offshore aspects of the Project.

The onshore aspects for ongoing grid connection have already been consented through the NorthConnect HVDC Cable Planning Consent (Planning Application Reference Number APP/2015/1121 and APP/2018/1831). The onshore aspects are therefore not assessed as part of current consent applications, which relate solely to the offshore project (seaward of Mean Low Water Springs).

The pre-application consultation event will be held on 1 October 2024, at Balmoor Stadium, Peterhead Football Club, Balmoor Terrace, Peterhead, AB2 1EQ, in accordance with The Marine Licensing (Pre-Application Consultation) (Scotland) Regulations 2013.

The two sessions will be held on 1 October from 12-3pm and 4-7pm.

Christopher Pearson, Project Director for the Cenos Floating Offshore Windfarm said:

“Our Cenos project will play a critical role in speeding up the energy transition, strengthening Scotland and the UK’s position as a global leader in floating wind.

“Feedback from the local community is a vital component to assuring we develop our proposals effectively and in tune with all stakeholder requirements. That’s why we are inviting everyone with an interest in the project to come along and meet the team on 1 October and are keen to hear their views.

“For anyone unable to attend in person, all relevant information will also be posted on our website at https://cenosoffshorewind.com/“

Cenos and its partner project Green Volt (which has already been granted full onshore and offshore consent) will accelerate the delivery of renewable energy in the UK and kickstart the development of a robust local supply chain for floating offshore wind. These projects will also help to position the UK to supply the new and rapidly growing global floating offshore wind market, which is expected to reach 300 GW in the next 30 years.

Cenos, through the electrification and decarbonisation of participating oil and gas platforms will play a key role in helping deliver UK Government targets for offshore wind power capacity; specifically floating offshore wind. A key contributor to Scotland’s 2045 net zero targets, Cenos supports the North Sea Transition Deal aim to reduce offshore oil and gas sector emissions. Learn more about Cenos: www.cenosoffshorewind.com

Cenos Floating Offshore Windfarm | Cenos Floating Offshore Windfarm

Peterhead.Live on

Scotland Loves Local Pledge signing in IMAGE 1-min

Aberdeenshire Council makes pledge to choose local

Aberdeenshire Council has made a pledge to boost the region’s economy by choosing to support local businesses whenever it possibly can.

Rallying cry for Aberdeenshire residents to get behind region’s businesses

Aberdeenshire Council has made a pledge to boost the region’s economy by choosing to support local businesses whenever it possibly can.

Council Leader Cllr Gillian Owen has signed the Scotland Loves Local Pledge on behalf of the authority, promising to prioritise spending with enterprises in the region.

It states: “We will choose local, prioritising the people and businesses around us at every opportunity.”

Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP), the organisation which spearheads Scotland Loves Local with support from the Scottish Government, believes millions of pounds more can be injected into regional economies if more residents think local first.

The statement of intent has been made ahead of next week’s Scotland Loves Local Week (Aug 26 – Sept 1) – seven days of national activity highlighting the work taking place to make communities fit for the future, underpinned by critical local support.

Local businesses, politicians and customers are being urged to shine a spotlight on the brilliant enterprises locally on social media using the hashtags #ScotlandLovesLocal and #ChooseLocal.

And it is hoped that the move will encourage other people and businesses to follow their lead, making a promise to target support and spending with those around them.

Businesses and councillors gathered in Ellon today (Friday, Aug 23) to call on everyone across Aberdeenshire to help build a better future by choosing local.

Scotland Loves Local Pledge signing in Ellon 8 IMAGE 2 min

Cllr Gillian Owen said: “By choosing local, we can all play our part in keeping communities alive – protecting the jobs of our neighbours, friends and families. We are working incredibly hard to create better, more sustainable places to live, work and visit – with superb shops, amazing attractions and great greenspaces. But all of that is underpinned by having local businesses which not just survive, but thrive.

“By thinking local first for all of our needs, we can be there for businesses at a time of once unimaginable challenges of Covid and cost of living – while helping with our region’s response to the climate emergency by reducing travel and food miles.

“And by signing up to the Aberdeenshire Loves Local gift card initiative, the benefits you will get from keeping the spend local are clear for all to see – whether you operate a retail business, coffee shop, restaurant, salon or tourist destination. An ever-increasing number of businesses are appreciating that the gift card is a quick, efficient and cost-free way to encourage customer spending and that can only help drive sales within our retail and service sectors.”

Among the businesses supporting the choose local call in the region are Fraser’s of Ellon and Hybrid Gaming and Computing who joined Aberdeenshire Council in promoting the cause.

Flooring and furniture retail store Fraser’s of Ellon was established in 1930 and employs 24 staff in addition to sub-contracted floor layers.

Managing director Colin McKay said: “Every penny spent with businesses like ours is an investment in the future of our community. Our team has worked incredibly hard in recent years to be there for people when they’ve needed us most. We want to play our part in a better future for our area. But, to do that, we need people to be there for us and choose local. It’s something simple that we can all do.”

Hybrid Gaming and Computing was established in 2021 but opened in April of this year, with its team of five providing a range of IT services for both consumer and small businesses.

Owner Dave Goodwin explained: “Our strategy is to feel like a part of our local community and local support has always been a critical part of our mission. As part of that mission we also often partner with other local businesses to try and generate shared benefits. The Scotland Loves local initiative ties in perfectly with those goals as the cards can be used in a variety of shops and businesses instead of just a single outlet.”

Leigh Sparks, Chairman of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, said: “We are delighted to see Aberdeenshire Council sign the Scotland Loves Pledge and publicly demonstrate its commitment to supporting local businesses. The power of choosing local more often – whether that be residents doing so in their daily lives or businesses supporting other local businesses – is transformational.

“Greater support for local enterprises protects jobs and businesses. And that support underpins the tireless work taking place to help communities adapt to our ever-changing world, seizing opportunities to innovate, invest and make our communities better places to live, work and visit.”

Aberdeenshire Council makes pledge to choose local — Councillors and businesses join forces in Ellon to promote the Scotland Loves Local Pledge – signed by Aberdeenshire Council leader Cllr Gillian Owen on behalf of the local authority

You can find out more about the Pledge at https://lovelocal.scot/sign-the-scotland-loves-local-pledge-and-show-your-support-for-choosing-local/

You can view all participating Aberdeenshire Loves Local businesses here: https://scotlandgiftslocal.com/product/aberdeenshire-gift-card/

More information about the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card – including how to sign up – go to www.lovelocal.scot/giftcard or email aberdeenshireloveslocal@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Peterhead.Live on

Thunderstorms Warning

Thunderstorms Warning across parts of Scotland

Yellow weather warning issued for Thunderstorms Warning across parts of Scotland, Aberdeenshire, Peterhead

Monday 12 August 02:00 – Monday12 August 13:00

⚠️ Yellow weather warning issued ⚠️

Thunderstorms across parts of Scotland and northern England

Valid 0200 to 1300 Monday

Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs

Stay #WeatherAware⚠️ pic.twitter.com/Q4JOkxYklx
— Met Office (@metoffice) August 11, 2024

Thunderstorms may cause some disruption and damage to infrastructure during Monday.

What should I expect?

Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
There is a small chance that some communities become temporarily cut off by flooded roads
Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services
There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost
There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds

A Flood alert has been issued for Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City.