He had such a wicked sense of humour
Ian Richards, from the Our Heritage group in the town, also paid tribute to Sir William.
He said:“As patron of the Our Heritage organisation, Sir William had not only attended the group’s inaugural meeting in November 2017 but had been an enthusiastic supporter of all the six pop-up exhibitions that were subsequently hosted in the town’s library.
“He and Lady Hilary Burnham had attended on all those occasions, in some cases making return visits over the various long weekends.
“SirWilliam’s enthusiasm went far beyond that expected of a local laird.
His interest in local history was well-known and he could be relied upon to make helpful comments about the content of the various themed events.
“Probably the most successful and popular of the exhibitions was the‘Lest We Forget’ event held in November 2018 to commemorate the centenary of the ending of the Great War.
“The Macpherson family has a distinguished history of military service, and Sir William, with the help of Annie, his daughter, made a very significant contribution to that exhibition.
“A section of the room was dedicated to the display of medals, personal records, messages from the front and photographs.
“A mannequin displayed his father’s army uniform and there were also military helmets and caps and a rather splendid captured German bugle.
“SirWilliam’s well-known sense of humour had prompted a suggestion that visitors might like to play it, probably for the first time in a hundred years.
“The highlight of that weekend and possibly the most eagerly anticipated single feature of any of the pop-up heritage events we have held was a personal presentation of the 20th century’s military history of Sir William’s family.
“This feature coincided with the presence of many pupils form Blairgowrie High School, several of whom had earlier presented poems by some of the Great War poets.
“Dotted with many amusing anecdotes, Sir William spoke, without notes, for twice the anticipated 15 minutes. Everyone there was spellbound, particularly the pupils, some of whom asked questions following the talk.
“The photograph taken by Meg Luckins, seems to represent both the spirit of the event, and Sir William’s sense of humour.”
Although gyms are shut in east Perthshire and group exercise classes are postponed while the country battles the coronavirus
GENTLE WARM-UP
pandemic, it doesn’t mean you need to spend your days sitting on your couch. There are plenty of workouts you can do in the garden, or even just in your living room or at your desk. The Blairie has once again teamedup with Coupar Angus-based personal trainer and Pilates instructor
Susie Black to bring you regular workouts to make sure you stay fit and healthy - both physically and mentally
This is definitely the time of year to look after ourselves. Taking time out for exercise doesn’t have to be challenging. Here are a few moves which are gentle, soothing, mobilising and good for us all. Do each move 10 to 20 times. To watch a video of this warm-up routine, go online to https://cutt.ly/3jbgMG4
With restrictions imposed as part of efforts to tackle the ongoing coronavirus crisis, a number of community groups and organisations are once again offering services and information to people across the region.
If you have an initiative you would like to appear on this page, email details to news@blairgowrieadvertiser.co.uk.
ALYTH
Alyth Community Support Group runs a foodbank and offers support with shopping, collecting prescriptions, dog walking and collecting free school meals.
For further information or to access any of the support available, see the website www.communitysupport.alyth. online
BALBEGGIE
The village shop is offering to help with shopping, prescriptions and friendly calls.
Call Gary Casson on 01821 640887 or email GCstores.balbeggie@gmail.com for more information.
BLAIRGOWRIE
The Blairgowrie and Rattray Coronavirus Co-ordination Group is available to support anyone who needs assistance in the town with shopping, collecting prescriptions or food parcels. Call 07936 067294 for assistance. Four community larders are available in the town at Blairgowrie Bowling Club, the Guide Hut on Emma Street, the Community Connect building in Rattray and on Haugh Road in Rattray.
The Proactive Communities group restocks the larders every day with fresh
and tinned food and other items.
Everyone is welcome to either help themselves or donate items for others to use.
The Saturday Lunch Club, also run by Proactive Communities, delivers a weekly lunch to people in Blairgowrie and Rattray who would normally attend get-togethers that have been put on hold due to coronavirus lockdown restrictions. Meal kits providing ingredients and recipes for tasty and nutritious meals are also available.
Contact Sam Stewart on 07549 205064 or email lunchclub@discoverblairgowrie. co.uk for further information.
Proactive Communities’ Blairgowrie and Rattray Independent (BaRI) Food Project is operating a subsidised food store in Rattray Hall.
Food from the Fareshare scheme and Perth and Kinross Council is available at significantly reduced prices to anyone in the town as part of the project’s aim to reduce food waste and food poverty.
A range of items is available including fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, cereal, pasta, sauces and tinned soup and fruit and vegetables.
The store is open to everyone on Wednesdays from 4pm to 6pm and Saturdays from 1pm to 3pm.
Track and trace, hand sanitising and social distancing measures are in place.
Face coverings are required and numbers will be limited at busy times.
School-aged children are being offered free lunches once a week thanks to volunteers from the BaRI Food Project.
The lunches are available for pick up in Blairgowrie and Rattray on Wednesdays.
Alternatively, delivery can be arranged to anyone who is self-isolating.
The meals include a hot portion of food such as spaghetti bolognese or sausages and mash, juice, a portion of fruit, crisps and a dip and a sweet snack.
Anyone who is interested in receiving a free lockdown lunch is asked to contact the BaRI Food Project to help ensure numbers are correct.
Text 07823 443671, email barifood@ discoverblairgowrie.co.uk or message through the BaRI Food Project Facebook page.
CARSIE
Volunteers in Carsie are making regular telephone calls to local residents and helping out as and when required.
Contact Lynne Murrie on 01250 872929 for more information.
COUPAR ANGUS
Volunteers in Coupar Angus are on hand to provide support with food shopping, collecting prescriptions, posting mail, walking dogs or a friendly chat.
The contact number is 07745 792482. DISCOVER BLAIRGOWRIE
The website, run by Blairgowrie and Rattray Business Association (BARBA) and the Proactive Communities group, aims to provide a source of up-to-date local information on the current situation.
See www.discoverblairgowrie.co.uk
FREEDOM COACH
Regular telephone contact with service users and a shopping service for those who usually depend on the Freedom Coach to access shops - as well as anyone else in need - is available.
For more information, contact Charlie Bisset on 01250 874246 or email candc. bisset@gmail.com
GUILDTOWN FRIENDSHIP CLUB
Guildtown Friendship Club is offering to pick up essential shopping and medication for people on Wednesdays.
Contact Ellen Simpson on 01821 640342.
Kettins Community Support Group consists of volunteers from the Community Council, the Guild and Hub committee members, and covers the Keillor, Kettins, Markethill and Campmuir areas.
Support includes shopping, prescriptions, regular email updates, and befriending.
Anyone can join the email news list by getting in contact.
There are also regular posts on the Kettins Parish Hall Facebook page and the village website, www.kettins.org.
For more information, email kettinscc@gmail.com or call John Smith on 01828 628169.
MEIGLE AND ARDLER
Meigle and Ardler Community Council has reinstated all of the support services put in place during the first lockdown.
These include the thumbs up/thumbs down system where residents can display the status of their household so that members of the volunteer network can assess their wellbeing without breaking government guidelines.
The community phone service has also been reinstated so that those who need additional help can access these services in a timely manner.
The community helpline number is 07341 667292.
MOUNT BLAIR
Mount Blair Resilience Group is operating a helpline number and support can be accessed by calling 07895 328352.
For more information, email help@ mbcdt.co.uk.