A sunnier outlook!
Smiling Queen brings cheer to Deeside 9 months after floods hit
NINE months ago Ballater was under water after being devastated by floods.
But yesterday, sandbags had been replaced by bunting as the Queen ventured out of Balmoral to visit her Aberdeenshire neighbours.
Dressed in a teal coat and hat, Her Majesty could not hide her delight as she walked through the streets on Royal Deeside.
After months of hard work – clearing away mud and rebuilding homes and businesses – the village sparkled in the sunshine.
‘The first few weeks everyone stuck together and that’s something the Queen seemed to know about,’ said Royal butcher John Sinclair.
His shop, HM Sheridan, was one of 60 businesses that were swamped by muddy water when the River Dee burst its banks just before New Year. His home was also one of the 300 flooded.
‘We lost all stock and machinery under about three feet of water,’ he recalled. ‘There was nothing left.’
His business partner Barry Florence added: ‘We have daily orders going up to Balmoral Castle, but it was something else to have Her Majesty in the shop.’
On her visit the Queen, who walked among locals and chatted happily, also popped into a craft shop, a book store and an architect’s office to say hello.
She then made her way to Glenmuick Church, near the village green.
After the flood, the grassy verge had been used as a base to hand out emergency supplies to those made homeless by the rising water.
In contrast, yesterday it was packed full of families and couflood.
‘It was uplifting to meet her’
ples sitting on picnic blankets hoping to catch a glimpse of the Queen.
When Storm Frank hit the picturesque village in December last year, it caused utter devastation.
Locals welcomed in the New Year shovelling mud out of properties, trying to salvage treasured possessions and pulling up soaked carpets.
Most of the families who had to leave their homes have since been able to return, but some have not been so fortunate.
Josephine Hazley and her family are among around 30 households still homeless after the She said: ‘We go through spells of feeling quite low because we would have loved to be back in our family home for Christmas, but that’s not going to happen.’
She continued: ‘The Queen, I think, was a bit surprised that we weren’t back home yet and she asked about the damage and seemed genuinely concerned.
‘But we just have to keep going, and it was uplifting to meet her today.’
Prince Charles was staying at Balmoral when Storm Frank hit in late December and visited Ballater in the aftermath to console those affected.
He contributed to a fundraising drive to rebuild the destroyed Ballater Caravan Park and he is now supporting the redevelopment of the village with the opening of a restaurant named The Rothesay Rooms, named after his Scottish title, due to open in November.
The Queen, who turned 90 this year, checked on the progress of the venture during her visit and was given a tour by representatives from the Prince’s charity The Great Steward of Scotland’s Dumfries House Trust.
She ended the day with a visit to the caravan park before attending a reception at Ballater Golf Club to celebrate the burgh’s remarkable recovery.