Highlights from a busy year
The Blairie looks back at some big moments
July
*Scotland’s deputy first minister John Swinney praised east Perthshire-based community enterprise support service Growbiz for the part it has played in supporting the local economy.
*A Blairgowrie institution, the Music Box , run by Tommy and Irene Newcomen, closed its doors for the final time.
*East Perthshire music lovers were treated to a performance from Scottish singersongwriter legend Dougie MacLean as part of fundraising efforts for the town’s Braemar Day. Two talented local musicians, Jordan Fox and Callum McHoul, supported Dougie.
*A kind-hearted Blairgowrie couple, Bernadette Nelson and Michael Hay, raised over £3000 to purchase two cuddle cots to help bereaved families in the area following the death of their own daughter.
*Thousands partied at Coupar Angus as the second Gala Rocks event entertained people from east Perthshire and beyond. An estimated 3000 people attended the extravaganza which was pulled together by the Gala Rocks committee, led by town taxi driver Jimmy Harris.
August
*Designs for a new tartan for the Cateran Trail were officially approved by the Scottish Register of Tartans. The new tartan was created by masterweaver Ashleigh Slater from Blairgowrie’s Warpweftweave studio on Leslie Street.
*A Blairgowrie woman’s dream of creating exciting clothing for new mums turned into a growing underwear business. Kirsty Lunn’s business Molke, which makes fashionable bras and pants for breastfeeding mums, was officially launched by Provost Dennis Melloy.
*Hundreds of people enjoyed an afternoon of rugby, entertainment and ale as Blairgowrie Rugby Club hosted a hugely successful 10s and Ale Festival.
*Calls for a government-led inquiry into planning decisions by Perth and Kinross Council were welcomed by a Blairgowrie resident. Three statutory organisations in the local authority region are understood to have written to ministers in Holyrood calling for Perth and Kinross Council’s planning department to be investigated.
September
*Perth and Kinross Council said that the collapse of two large-diameter pipes underneath the A93 in Blairgowrie town centre caused the road to collapse.
*Big-hearted friends and family of Paul McHoul raised over £16,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support with a sponsored climb of Ben Nevis and from the proceeds of a coffee morning and the sale of the debut album by musicians Jordan Fox and Callum McHoul, In Memory.
*Two long-standing annual events welcomed huge crowds as organisers of both Braemar Day and the Blairgowrie and Rattray Highland Games said that they had been huge successes.
*A number of east Perthshire residents were chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime experience to walk across the new
Queensferry Crossing.
*The Crichton Lang Court Residents’ Group in Coupar Angus was awarded a silver medal at the prestigious Beautiful Scotland Awards.
October
*St Stephen’s Roman Catholic Church in Blairgowrie received £108,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund for essential and urgent repairs to the fabric of the church building. A similar award from Historic Environment Scotland, a range of smaller donations from other bodies and a programme of fund-raising initiatives by parishioners from the diocese will all contribute to the estimated £500,000 cost of the project.
*Hundreds of book lovers from across east Perthshire and beyond enjoyed a number of authors’ events at Blairgowrie Community Campus as part of the 2017 BOOKMARK festival.
*A senior council officer apologised after a potentially key objection from Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Council to a controversial planning application was not included in a crucial report.
*Coupar Angus Pride of Place scooped a coveted gold award in the prestigious Britain in Bloom awards.
November
*Blairgowrie and Rattray residents were treated to a spectacular firework display and bonfire night party at Davie Park thanks to a successful fundraising appeal organised by Morag Young of Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Council.
* Around 200 pupils from schools in Blairgowrie and Rattray took part in a mass litter pick in the town.
*The Rotary Club of Blairgowrie celebrated its 70th anniversary with a Charter dinner at the Royal Hotel in Blairgowrie.
*The HEAT Rattray and the Glens energy fair in Blairgowrie Town Hall saw a wide range of companies and organisations offering free specialist advice on ways to save energy and reduce bills to local residents.
December
*There was dismay as the Christmas tree in the Wellmeadow - the first in several years - was vandalised.
*News that the former Hill Primary School in Blairgowrie was sold to developers for just £1 was met with anger from local residents.
*Rattray runner Peter Ritchie completed an incredible sub-zero marathon 300 miles from the South Pole as part of his daring attempt to become one of fewer than 700 people in the world to finish a 26-mile race on every continent.