Competitions firm to return old church ‘to its former glory’

Bounty Competitions has given away flash cars, new-build homes and even one million pounds.

Now, owners Calvin and Leanne Davidson are gearing up to offer their most ambitious prize to date – a renovated church in Aberchirder, a village commonly known as Foggie.

The couple are making over West Hall Church, a project they describe as a “mega build”.

The vacant building, which dates back to 1893, sits in the heart of the community on the corner of the junction between North Street and Cornhill Road.

Speaking to the Press & Journal, Calvin said they hope to “bring some life back into the church for the community.”

They are also optimistic the renovation will “change someone’s life.”

He added: “We didn’t want to do it for any other reason apart from we thought it would be nice to clean up the area.

“We did think about holiday letting it out, but thought we could change somebody’s life if we run it as a competition.”

The building went to auction a couple of years ago and the couple secured it for a bargain price of £35,000.

It has taken almost two years to get planning permission and a building warrant, but work has now started.

Due to West Hall Church being a listed building, Calvin and Leanne need to adhere to specifications required by the council, including keeping original features.

To ensure the project is carried out correctly, the couple brought in Etch Architects to take control of the design.

They also plan on keeping the work local, bringing in JHJ Construction and Allan Electrical Turriff to lead the workforce.

Calvin added: “We’re going to keep it all local. The rest of the work will be sub-contracted locally, so it’s going to give loads of local tradesman a good job for about a year.”

They will be documenting the renovation process, on their social media pages.

Since announcing their latest project, the prize draw business owners can’t believe the support they have received from the community.

Calvin concluded: “The bowling club from Aberchirder came to see us, as well as numerous people knocking at the house saying thank you.

“We’ve had lots of people turning up to the door thanking us for doing it, it’s lovely.

“It’s super exciting to know that not only are we tidying up the local area, we could change another family’s life with this epic win.”

How the finished building will look.

Work on the church in Aberchirder is under way.