GENERAL INTEREST

After a conversation with a local family, Moray Sports Centre have put in a bid for the AVIVA Community Fund to help make the new centre as accessible as possible. MSC asked the community what they would like to see included in the new building and Gill Groves contacted them to ask for a ‘Changing Places’ room for her son Thomas. When Thomas was aged just 4-months, it was noticeable that he was not achieving age-appropriate milestones. Thomas is diagnosed with Quadriplegia Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy and Dystonia, a condition that requires full assistance with all activities of daily living. Unable to sit unaided Thomas requires assistance mobilising. Due to his condition, the family are restricted as to where they can go because of the lack of suitable toilet facilities across Moray. The ‘Changing Places’ room is an accessible toilet which includes a height adjustable changing bench, hoist, specialised equipment and adequate space to change and use the bathroom. There are currently only 3 of these for the whole of Moray, with limited opening hours. It will not only be Thomas who will benefit from this. According to the Long Term Conditions Alliance, around 40% of the Scottish population have disabilities. The population that could benefit from having this facility in Moray could be around 35,000.

NTS BRODIE CASTLE PRESS RELEASE AUTUMN LAUNCH FOR NTS’S NEWEST TREASURE Revealing the exciting new Playful Garden@Brodie Castle. 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Scottish whisky industry today is greatly respected with its lucrative amber nectar enjoyed by much of the world’s population. No less importantly it is also a part of Scottish identity, heritage, tradition and culture. But at odds with its current high status, its roots are buried in much less auspicious circumstances.

The first weekend in June was always earmarked by my two friends and me for our annual camping trip to the West Coast. For about ten years this continued, largely comprising four days of fishing, open fires, watching the sun set at gone 1100pm and generally going hungry. One of the best things about those trips was we would dispose of everything and anything that indicated the time. What a difference that made! You don’t realise how governed by the clock we all are until there are no clocks to govern. Feeling hungry? Then eat. It doesn’t matter if it’s not ‘lunch time’ or you’re having breakfast in the afternoon. Not tired? Stay up and fish all night; why not? After two or three days we would occasionally sneak-a-peak at a watch to see how far out we were from guessing the real time, and often we were hours out. We had no idea if it was ten in the morning or two in the afternoon.

When you think about making a difference or having an impact in the world, it can seem very daunting! You can feel like a deer trapped in the headlights, overwhelmed, not knowing how to help. So more often than not we chose to step back, and let it wash over us. But there is something that we can do; you don't need millions to make a difference. Here I introduce you to The Indigo Project, set up by a local family with very little money, a dream to help others, transformed into a thriving charity.

We all like to eat out now and again, but if you want something totally different then how about fine dining while on the move? Strathspey Steam Railway offer just such an experience and, for the foodie who loves train travel, this is certainly a real treat to savour.

Make your way through the trees. Before you reach Aberlour you’ll pass Aberlour House on your left just above the road. It’s not possible to see the house from this point which is a shame because it’s worth seeing. It is now owned by Walkers, the biscuit company, but was, until relatively recently, the home of Gordonstoun’s preparatory school where children once played and took their lessons.

My original intention was to call this a walk ‘around’ Aberlour, but on reflection I decided that a walk ‘to’ Aberlour from its neighbour Craigellachie was probably a better idea. In truth though the walk could also have been called ‘The Three Bridges Walk’, for that’s what you’ll see if you follow this walk; the world famous Telford Bridge at Craigellachie and two smaller bridges, the Victoria Bridge and the Pack Horse Bridge, both at Aberlour.

My interest in the subject of the British Raj and the subsequent Indian Partition was piqued by the excellent Channel 4 drama series, “Indian Summers”. What a wonderful way to introduce the subject. This most excellent dramatisation was set against the backdrop of late British rule in India, a turbulent time of change and turning point in history. On the surface, it would appear that events in these distant and exotic lands have little to do with our corner of Scotland, but even in our comparatively isolated community, well before the advent of the modern A9, affect us they did. For us, back home in the UK, it meant a new wave of migration from our territories in the far-flung reaches of the British Empire.

by Heidi M. Sands

Portknockie is one of Moray’s coastal spendours. Perched on a cliff-top vantage point over-looking the Moray Firth and between Cullen and Buckie, Portknockie saw expansion in the 1800s when herring fishing in the area was at its height. Today, the harbour seldom gives shelter to the number of boats that it did then, but there are still fishing vessels there, some ready to sail, others being worked on and others that may never sit in the water again. Make no mistake though; Portknockie is a fishing village with a heritage. Wherever you look there are reminders of just how important fishing and the sea was and still is to this community. But don’t just take my word for it, if you’ve a mind and an hour to spare, take a walk round Portknockie and see for yourself.

My love of art began in my childhood discovering crayons, colour pencils, felt pens and paints, I enjoyed the process of transforming a blank white sheet of paper into a magical world of colour. While raising a family and working I continued to paint at home before deciding it was time for me to follow my dream to study art so I enrolled at Inverness UHI in 2013 on the NC Art and Design course, I completed my studies in 2015 attaining my HND in Contemporary Art Practice.

When it comes to the Scottish hills, you may think of ‘wilderness.‛ For me as someone who grew up in the flat county of Essex, with its large and densely populated towns, moving to the Highlands was a revelation and a joy. Wild, rugged hills, with peak after peak disappearing into the mist as far as the eye can see, huge sweeping corries like those found at Lochnagar or Seana Bhraigh, or massive geological splits in the side of mountains such as the traverse up to Sgurr na Ciche or the gapping breach in the ridge of Beinn Alligin, with the atmosphere of being in or near ‘Giant Country!‛