Castle Care A Lot Aberdeen

Local Children Invited To Make Music At ‘Crechefest’

Local Aberdeen youngsters are invited to make their own music this weekend (29 & 30 July) at Castle Care A Lot in the Bon Accord St Nicholas Shopping Centre. Children aged between 2 and 7 years will be able to sing-along to the latest pop tunes letting them join in on forthcoming music festival fun.

Annette Buchan, manager of Castle Care A Lot in the Bon Accord St Nicholas Shopping Centre, Aberdeen, says, “July and August are definitely the music festival months with forthcoming local events and the recent T In The Park. We wanted to give the youngsters a chance to join in with the fun of the festivals, even if they are a little too young to attend.”

Annette continues, “Our playgroup nursery and creche child day care service gives parents time to stock up on suncream, flip flops and additions to their summer wardrobe whilst having the peace of mind that their child is in safe surroundings and having a lot of musical fun.”

Additional activities include painting, story telling, play stations, games, toys, adventure play structure and ball pit.

Castle Care A Lot is run by a team of fully qualified nursery assistants and costs £3.75 per hour per child. Refreshments are available for an additional 35p per child. Opening hours 9am – 5:45pm (Saturday) and 12 noon – 4:45pm (Sunday)

For further information on Castle Care A Lot, Aberdeen call 01224 626260.

Chris

Busking Fiddlers Aberdeen

Bon Accord St Nicholas Shopping Centre to Host Fiddlers Busking Trail

Shoppers in the Bon Accord St. Nicholas Shopping Centre will have their feet set a-tapping by a fiddlers busking trail this week (Thursday 27 to Sunday 30 July inclusive), which will take in the shopping centre as part of the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention (NAFCo) 2006, a five day long celebration of fiddle and dance from around the North Atlantic, set to take Aberdeen by musical storm from the 26 to the 30 July.

“The fiddlers come from all over the world and will perform at venues throughout the city over the course of the four days, including the Bon Accord St. Nicholas shopping centre, where performances will be held over lunch time,” explains NAFCo convention assistant Carley Williams, from Aberdeen University’s Ephinstone Institute. “They will play traditional music from a range of countries including Canada, Norway, Scotland, Denmark and the USA.

“As well as the busking trail, there are a number of other events happening across the city, such as workshops, concerts and ceilidhs,” she continues. “The next event is scheduled for Newfoundland in 2008, and it won’t return to Aberdeen until 2010, so locals and visitors should be sure to come along this time so as not to miss out on this fiddling extravaganza!”

Bon Accord St Nicholas Shopping Centre manager Frank Sutherland says: “I’m really looking forward to hosting the fiddlers busking trail in the shopping centre and hope that our shoppers enjoy this experience of music-on-the-move, as they pick up the latest summer bargains.”

Banffshire Coast

The Banffshire Coast: Where Sunshine Is Guaranteed


It’s official – as well as being the UK hot spot for storm watching, Banffshire is one of the sunniest and driest parts of the country! While many Brits have long since given up on waiting for a good summer, and opt instead for cheap holidays abroad for that fleeting, but nonetheless essential week or two of guaranteed sunshine, some will take comfort in the knowledge that the Banffshire coast is one of a few corners of the country where the chance of sunshine is higher than elsewhere.

Official figures from the Met Office reveal that the area basked in a greater number of hours of sunshine than Scotland as a whole last summer, a statistic that is thanks directly to the area’s unique microclimate, which creates a weather that is milder, drier and sunnier than that of the area’s surrounding regions.

The Banffshire coast’s microclimate, a term used to describe the climate of a small area, results from its position relative to the surrounding land and sea. Nestling in the lee of the scenic Grampian Mountains and perched on the edge of the North Atlantic, Banffshire’s weather is influenced by both the effect of the warming North Atlantic Drift on the area’s coastal waters, and the fact that it is sheltered from the prevailing south westerly winds. In short, the two factors combine to produce a mellowing effect that guarantees the area a more agreeable climate than the rest of the country.

The summer months in particular are the perfect time to visit the area if it’s warm weather you’re after. Joyfully free of the midgies for which the west coast is famed, moderate temperatures are de rigeur on this corner of the east coast, and provide the perfect opportunity to sample one or two of the many outdoor activities the area has to offer. Whether it’s cycling, walking, golfing or fishing, there really is something to suit all tastes and pockets.

“Total hours of sunshine in Banffshire last summer amounted to 436, while Scotland as a whole had only 422,” explains John Hammond of the Met Office. “Banffshire’s microclimate places it firmly as one of the driest regions in Scotland.”
Karen Crowe of the Banffshire Coastal Tourism Partnership says, “Having lived here for more than 20 years, I can certainly vouch for warm, dry summers. It has to be said that the microclimate does much to enhance the area’s natural beauty and also provides great conditions in which to sample the huge variety of outdoor activities the region has to offer.

More information about the Banffshire Coast, from events to what to see or do in the area, is available by visiting the new
www.banffshirecoast.com or calling 0870 803 0251

Chris

Minke Whales Sightings Scotland

Minke Whale Sightings on the Rise on Banffshire Coast

The recent rise in the number of Minke whale sightings off the Banffshire coast is doing much to support the area’s reputation as a haven for a myriad of marine life. With sightings reported as early as May this year, 2006 looks set to rival the record number of sightings reported last year, before the whale watching season has even begun.

“There have been a number of great sightings of Minke whales in the last month,” says Karen Crowe, of Banffshire Coastal Tourism Partnership. “The inner Moray Firth has been a fantastic spot to see them, and along the Banff to Fraserburgh coast, Minkes have been seen in groups of more than four. There were even some juveniles spotted at Pennan on Saturday.”

Dean Southall, director and skipper of local wildlife tour operator North 58 comments: “The Minke whales are definitely appearing earlier in the year, and there are also more of them. Although the most common months to see them are July and August, when they calve, my first sighting this year was in early May just off Portsoy.

“Last year I was really lucky and saw eight at a time, all coming to the surface together; it was a really special moment. They average about ten metres in length and so when you’re in a 8.5 metre long ferry, you really know about it when these creatures pull up alongside!”

Dean attributes the rise in the number of Minke whales off the Banffshire coast to the abundance of food in the area. “The area is currently full of sprat and mackerel, so the Minke whales are having a great time gorging themselves.”

“Around here the whales are typically found about two nautical miles offshore, but often come in quite close to shore, to water depths of about six metres,” continues Dean. “Sometimes you can even smell their presence; they have a really fishy breath that is so potent it can be carried inland on the right wind direction!”

For further information on the Banffshire Coast and all that it offers visit
www.banffshirecoast.com or call 0870 8030251. North 58 (01542 832560) and Puffin Cruises (01261 819900) offer daily sightseeing trips which depart from various harbours along the Banffshire coast. Contact the companies directly for ferry information.

Sea Shanties Aberdeenshire

Will The Sound of ‘Greedy Seagulls’ Attract Hollywood’s Finest to Portsoy?

Johnny Depp Invited to Portsoy Festival

Norwegian sea shanty singers Slogmakaane (The Greedy Seagulls) will greet the traditional boats as they arrive for this year’s festival. Boats include a reproduction Neolithic boat, used some 6,000 years ago to bring the first settlers from Europe; arguably the first North Sea Ferry

Organisers of the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival in Portsoy are hoping the lure of a Norwegian sea shanty singing group - whose name translates as ‘The Greedy Seagulls’ - will attract Johnny Depp to the north east town this weekend (Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 July 2006). Organisers are inviting Johnny Depp to this year’s festival to hear original Norwegian and Scottish sea shanties, as an album of sea shanties which he has produced will hit the shops on the same day as the festival launches. Stars appearing on the album include Bono, Sting, Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Andrea Corr. Scandinavian sea shanty singers Slogmakaane (The Greedy Seagulls) will be serenading land lubbers at the 13th Scottish Traditional Boat Festival.

“When we arranged for Slogmaakane to be a lead act at the festival, we were unaware that sea shanties would be as high profile as they are,” says festival organiser Roger Goodyear. “The release of Johnny Depp’s album and the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean have certainly raised the profile of maritime heritage. The superb singers of Slogmakaane will bring their magical mix of traditional Norwegian and English language shanties to what is a great musical programme over the weekend at Portsoy. This is just the second time they have performed outside Norway. Their participation marks this year’s theme of North Sea neighbours.”

Sea shanties are songs which were sung by sailors in rhythm with their work. The word may derive from the French words chanter meaning "to sing" or chantez meaning "sing!", which gives rise to the spelling variations "chanty", "chantey", "chanties", and "chanteys. Johnny Depp’s new album is called Rogue’s Gallery; Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys. Shanties were sung to ease the burden of physical labor. A true sea shanty was sung in rhythm to work on the ship and not during leisure time. Different types of shanties were sung to accompany the various tasks on the ship, for example halyard shanties were sung during the raising and lowering the sails and capstain shanties were sung during the raising or lowering of the anchor. Sea shanties will be sung by Slogmakaane as boats are kedged into the harbour at Portsoy.

The 2006 Scottish Traditional Boat Festival has one of the largest collections of traditional boats in Scotland, with a boat dating from 1895 taking part in the races this year.

It’s not the ‘oldest’ boat however, as there will be the launch and maiden voyage of a reproduction Neolithic boat, used some 6,000 years ago to bring the first settlers from Europe; arguably the first North Sea Ferry!. Made from cowhide it’s not for the faint-hearted nostril.

In a packed programme for all ages visitors can participate in maritime activities, craft demonstrations, a non stop programme of music, dance and drama, a food fayre, a road run and much, much more including the new Adventure Land, packed with a mass of things for kids from 9 to 90 to do.


“If Johnny Depp fancies immersing himself in true maritime history rather than swashbuckling Hollywood,” says Roger, “He’ll be more than welcome at Portsoy this weekend!”


The 2006 Scottish Traditional Boat Festival takes place throughout Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 July in and around the harbour at Portsoy on the Banffshire Coast. Entry to the harbour area is £4 for adults, £2 for children and access to all other areas including the food fair is free

More information can be found at www.scottishtraditionalboatfestival.co.uk or call 01261 842894.

Aberdeen Disney Shop

Ahoy Pirates Of The Caribbean Fans – Go Directly To Disney

To coincide with the first cinema viewings of the second Pirates of the Caribbean epic, the Disney Store is flying the skull and cross flag in the hope of attracting aspiring Captain Jack Sparrow’s and Elizabeth Swan’s to the Bon Accord St Nicholas Shopping Centre on Thursday 6th July. Daily until stocks run out, wannabe pirates should be set to plunder the Disney store between 2 – 3pm in search of hidden golden riches and authentic pirates treasure maps.

Gaye Dench, Store Manager of the Disney Store says, “With the summer holidays in swing, we really wanted put on a free treat for the children that would coincide with the opening of Pirates of the Caribbean at the cinema.”

Pirates of the Caribbean Competition

“We have set up treasure hunts with pretend golden coins and each child will receive an authentic looking treasure map that also doubles as a certificate. Whilst certificates last, every holder will be automatically entered into a prize draw which will entitle them to become a possible winner of a Pirates of the Caribbean goodie bag, with four winners from every store!”

Other ‘pirates’ can go ‘overboard’ entering into a free prize draw encompassing the UK, which will entitle one lucky family of four, to an all expenses paid trip to Disney Land Florida to meet Captain Jack Sparrow.

Gaye continues, “We hope that the children who come down will have a really good time and we look forward to searching for treasure with them. To see who the real pirates are, the first ten certificate holders to come back once stocks have run out will receive there very own pirates hat!”