Celebrating positivity
Highlighting vitalrole volunteersplay in supporting towngroups
There was a good turnout at a showcase event offering community groups in Blairgowrie and Rattray the chance to highlight the work they are doing in the east Perthshire town.
The event, which took place in Blairgowrie Town Hall on Sunday, October 16, was organised by Blairgowrie and Rattray Development Trust (BRDT) as part of its community engagement work.
As many as 35 community groups and organisations took part in the event, providing information and updates on the work that the many hard-working volunteers in the town do.
These included the local Boys’ Brigade group, Blairgowrie and Rattray GirlGuiding Association, Blairgowrie Ramblers Association, Blairgowrie Women’s Institute, the Freedom Coach Association, Blairgowrie and Rattray Access Network (BRAN), the local Climate Café, Blairgowrie Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA), BOOKMARK, the Rotary Club of Blairgowrie and many more.
Steve Johnson, operations and administration co-ordinator for BRDT, welcomed everyone to the event.
He said: “On behalf of BRDT, I’d like to say thank you to everyone for coming along to the first town event, which aims to provide an opportunity for local residents to see and talk to a number of community groups and find out more about the fantastic work they have been doing over the past year.
“BRDT is here to co-ordinate, communicate, promote and develop what’s going on in the town, and the community action plan, which was updated last year and which details the aims and aspirations of the town for the next three to five years, helps us and the groups and organisations at this event work together to achieve that and make Blairgowrie and Rattray a great place to work and live in.
“As part of BRDT’s role to facilitate projects in the town, we have been involved in the development of the new 3G pitch at Davie Park which was implemented by Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Football Club (BRCFC), the Happy to Chat Happy to Listen Bench Trail, which was completed with support from BRDT and the Biodiversity Town initiative, all of which have been community-led projects.
“BRDT can help, support and
co-ordinate groups to achieve their goals and objectives, bringing elements together where beneficial while at the same time respecting their autonomy.
“The community action plan is a living document and is regularly reviewed and updated on the Discover Blairgowrie website. Updates on progress on the various elements of the plan are also discussed at the quarterly town forum meetings and we hope that this event will become an annual event so that everyone can come along, find out more and get involved.”
David Stokoe, Perth and Kinross Council’s service manager for communities, was also at the event.
He said: “It was really great to see so many and such a wide variety of community groups at the open event.
“It was a good opportunity to meet some of the groups, and for them to network with each other and make connections for working together in the future.
“It was also good to see such fantastic support for a community action plan and just shows what a strong community there is in Blairgowrie and Rattray.”
Scott MacGregor was at the event in his capacity as chair of both Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Council (BRCC) and Blairgowrie and Rattray Illuminations Committee.
He said: “It was very heartening to see the community come together at this event, well done to BRDT for organising it all.
“There was a lot of interest from people both in the Christmas lights and in the issues that BRCC is involved in.”
BRDT chair Teresa Donaldson was pleased with the success of the event, commenting: “It is really important for groups to be able to share progress and updates and to have a chance to chat face to face with members of the public.
“There was a steady flow of people through the doors all afternoon and there was a real buzz about the town hall which was fantastic to see.
“Feedback on the event has been very positive both from community groups and local residents who all found it beneficial.”
Blairgowrie and Glens Conservative councillor Bob Brawn added: “It was a wonderful event, and the turnout was magnificent, particularly given the wet weather in the morning.
“It was well supported by members of the public and it was great to see just how many volunteers there are who dedicate their time to the local community.”
For more information on the action plan, see www.discoverblairgowrie. co.uk or email admin@ discoverblairgowrie.co.uk.