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Hogmanay celebrations to return to beloved Moray venue for first time in half a century

richardx on 22 December 2018

Forres Town Hall has stood on the High Street since the mid 19th Century.

Hogmanay celebrations will return to a treasured Moray town centre venue for the first time in half a century.

Findhorn Bay Arts is hosting the shindig at Forres Town Hall with a wealth of traditional music acts taking part.

The venue used to be the home of Hogmanay for the local community but has not hosted such a party since the 1960s.

Now revellers are being invited to dress up with “dazzle and sparkle” from the era of the last celebration held at the town hall in order to bring in 2019.

Kresanna Aigner, director of Findhorn Bay Arts, explained that the recent takeover of the venue by the Forres Area Community Trust from the council had inspired the decision to revive the events.

She said: “The hall is in the hands of the community now which has made it possible to open it again for Hogmanay.

“We had such a successful festival this year that it just felt like the right time to resurrect the parties at the town hall.

“We’ve got people from six to 86-years-old coming. It’s a real mix but we want to help bring people together.”

Tickets for the event are nearly sold out with proceeds being put towards supporting creative activities in the local area.

Crowds are also expected to gather at the foot of Dufftown’s clock tower to bring in the bells, while sharing drams and shortbread.

In Aberdeen, meanwhile, ABBA tribute band Thank You For The Music will be one of the top attractions.

They will be joined on stage on Schoolhill by local musicians Rachael Bisset and Scott Mellis and the Celtic rock band Gleadhraich, with the fun beginning at 9pm.

Marie Boulton, the city council’s culture spokeswoman, said: “There is always a great atmosphere in the city centre on Hogmanay.

“Our free street party is an excellent way to bring in the bells.”

Toun Mercat just one of Scottish Week highlights

richardx on 30 May 2018

by Forres Gazette

SCOTTISH Week returns on Saturday and with it comes a buzzing street market in the town centre.

The triennial event co-ordinated by Forres Community Activities Association (FCAA) continues the Gala Week tradition, including the highlight for many, the crowd-drawing Toun Mercat on Friday, June 8.

Rachel Philp, from Philp’s Fine Food, is organising the market stalls this year.

She said: “With just three weeks to go, there has been a phenomenal interest from both stall holders and performers wanting to secure a place at the popular open-air market held along the entire length of Forres High Street between 6pm and 9pm.

“We have almost 80 stalls confirmed already and applications are still coming in!”

Attendees will find a pedestrianised high street, closed off to traffic for the evening, full of stalls, demonstrations, fairground rides and live performances.

Cafes, bars and shops will also be open, and a new farmers’ market area will offer fresh, local and organic products direct from the producers.

The theme for window dressing and fancy dress (open to everyone) is ‘Come As You Were’ in keeping with Scotland Year of the Young Person 2018.

The entire event will also be compered by Wave Radio.

Forres Area Community Trust development officer Debbie Heron is organising the entertainment.

She said: “We know from experience that people look forward to the Toun Mercat but it’s up to businesses make it special.

“I’m delighted we’ve had so many applicants but there is room for plenty more, especially street performers.

“Anyone interested can contact me at the FACT office, 1 Leask Road, Forres or by telephoning 01309 674388.”

Stalls are £15 and High Street retailers are given priority outside their shops.

Booking forms for stall holders can be downloaded at https://forresarea.org/tounmercat or picked up from the FACT office on Leask Road between 9am and 1pm.

They are also available from Rachel at Fresh Horizons Café on the Forres Enterprise Park between 9am and 3pm, Monday to Friday.

Scottish Week 2018 runs from June 2-10.

A Rock concert at the terraced hills in Grant Park on Saturday, June 2 at 8pm kicks off Scottish Week with a bang showcasing some of the best live music Forres has to offer; there will be performances from Forres Pipe Band including a march through the town centre to the park on Saturday, June 2 at 7pm; street racing for children and adults around the town centre on Monday, June 4 at 6pm has been organised by Forres Harriers; the Burgess Ceremony at Forres Academy is on Tuesday, June 5 at 7pm when six worthy folk will be officially recognised by the townspeople and installed as burgesses of the Royal Burgh to the live sound of Moray Concert Brass; a vintage tea dance with John ‘The Prof’ Matheson and friends is on at Forres Town Hall on Wednesday, June 6 at 2pm; historical tours are on offer including an evening walk around local landmarks and a lecture on witches at the Tolbooth on Thursday, June 7 at 7.30pm; a pet show located between Forres Area Soccer 7’s clubhouse and Forres st Lawrence Cricket Club pavilion will show off youngster’s handling and looking after of their animals on Saturday, June 9 at 11am; and the Riding of the Marches is on Sunday, June 10 at 2pm, a modern twist of the ancient tradition of riding the town’s boundaries on horseback – this year it will be by bicycle!

You are welcome to The Big Lunch

richardx on 30 May 2018

Forres Area Community Trust (FACT) is hosting the Big Lunch on Sunday, June 3 from 1-3pm – organiser Kirsty Williams hopes as many people as possible take the opportunity to meet each other and make new friends.

She said: “Being part of a connected community means knowing who you live next to; saying hello, smiling, waving and stopping for a chat from time to time. Ultimately, connected communities are residents who look out for each other.”

There will be games including, giant Jenga, skittles, draughts, welly wanging and People Bingo.

Kirsty added: “Cameron Court and Varis Court residents, members of the OAP Association and The Cameron Project clients and volunteers are all making bunting to decorate the marquee.

“The community is already contributing – the support is overwhelming.”

The Big Lunch, organised by the Eden Project, is the UK’s largest annual community get-together. The idea is that, for a few hours, cars and shyness will stop and folk will come together to meet, greet, play games, sing, and laugh.

Last year, 9.3 million people took to their streets, gardens and neighbourhoods across the UK to join in.

Around 100 Forres folk enjoyed the local event at Transition Town Forres.

This year, the Big Lunch coincides with Volunteers Week so attendees will also be celebrating all the volunteers who make our area such a vibrant community.

Kirsty said: “We want as many as possible to join in so they can get a special thank you for all that they do. Many groups would simply not exist if it wasn’t for the volunteers who so willingly give their time. Now it is the community’s turn to thank them all.”

Volunteers for any group or third sector organisation in the Forres Area are welcome.

Tea, coffee and juice will be provided but FACT ask that attendees bring along picnic food to share such as sandwiches and home bakes, as well as blankets or chairs.

The Big Lunch will be near the play area in Grant Park.

For more information email [email protected] or call 01309 674388.

Team to form a green space vision for Forres

richardx on 3 March 2018

by Forres Gazette

AROUND 25 people have offered to help achieve the ‘green space’ aims of the Forres 2020 Vision.

Following the inaugural meeting of the Forres Green Spaces User Group at the town hall last week, the volunteers have agreed to progress some of the priorities detailed in the 2020 Vision Action Plan, launched last November.

These include joint management of local woodland, meadows, fields and orchards with Moray Council.

Community support officer, Sylvia Jamieson, said: “It will be a pragmatic group, not just a talking shop but one that actively helps progress work by groups in green spaces in Forres.”

Ms Jamieson and lands and parks officer, Ken Kennedy, confirmed shared goals with the volunteers, and how they can be achieved through partnership working.

Initially, the attendees were seated in four groups facilitated by council representatives Ms Jamieson, Mr Kennedy, Grant Speed (Lands and Parks) and Emma Gordon (Development Plans).

They looked at: what Forres already has in terms of green spaces work; what would make things easier for the people working in them; and how this could be achieved.

The working group was formed afterwards, including representatives from Forres Community Council, Forres Sports Hub, Forres Area Community Trust, the Sanquhar improvement group, Dava Way Association, Castlehill Veg, Forres in Bloom, Forres Rotary Club and Forres Theme Day.

Ms Jamieson added: “There was recognition of the huge amount of work being done by volunteers already, and the number of events and activities taking place in them.

“Common themes and ideas for action included recruiting volunteers (particularly younger folk), sharing resources and volunteers, joint funding applications, joint responses to consultations, training opportunities and sharing of information/networking.”

The next meeting of the Green Spaces User Group will be in March or April.

New member, Sandra Maclennan of Forres In Bloom said: “It is to be hoped that this will happen soon and momentum can be revitalised.”

Ms Gordon highlighted the forthcoming drop-in consultation event at Forres Town Hall (Thursday, March 8, 2-8pm) on the Local Development Plan Main Issues Report and the ongoing core paths consultation.

FACT working on three projects for Forres

richardx on 22 February 2018

by Forres Gazette

During January’s meeting of Forres Community Council, Forres Area Community Trust (FACT) officer, Debbie Herron, talked about the campaign to get a local skate park built, plans for a Community Asset Transfer of the Town Hall and the ongoing digital support service, Forres Online.

She said: “We have been working to get a new skate park since 2012. With support from AJ Engineering, BAM Nuttall and Forres Tesco, we now have a pop-up ramp currently in use at The Loft in Kinloss.”

Forres Skate Park Initiative outsource the ramp by arrangement. It is hoped to set it up in Tesco car park in the Springtime.

Debbie added: “We will work with the 2020 Vision green spaces group to find a permanent spot for a skate facility over the next few years. Fundraising will begin in earnest once we have a clear plan agreed.”

FACT has approached Moray Council about a CAT of Forres Town Hall and carried out costings for major improvements including raised seating similar to that at Nairn Community and Arts Centre.

Debbie explained: “We want to have have movable raked seating to enable us to use the space as a open hall for dancing, band practice, coffee mornings etc, and to have seating for things like Film Forres, the panto and youth concert. There could be office space at the far end of the building, a studio and multipurpose area, and lifts at both ends. We estimate the upgrade would cost around £3 million in total.”

Around 4500 people currently use the Town Hall every week. FACT is scoping support for its ideas among the user groups.

It is hoped financial support could come from local fundraising, online crowd funding and organisations such as Heritage Lottery Fund, Big Lottery Fund and Big Issue Invest.

Finally, Debbie appealed for volunteers to help the FACT Forres Online scheme which already provides: free access to computers in a safe and encouraging environment; one-to-one development in customer support and engagement skills; and access to online courses to develop skills gained while volunteering.

She said: “Forres Online has recorded 610 attendances from 185 individuals/groups over the period September, 2016 to November, 2017. These include people over 55, unemployed and benefit claimants, small businesses, community groups, social enterprises, young families, vulnerable adults and refugees.”

Last year, FACT was awarded £149,427 to develop its volunteer base, as well as a social enterprise centre/hub to facilitate more partnership working in the area.

“FACT has 250 members and is free to join,” finished Debbie. “We have a strong board and a sustainable business plan. To get involved, please contact 01309 674388 or vemail [email protected]”