Happy 1st Birthday

[img_assist|nid=451|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=0|height=]Can you believe it? The year has flown past and it’s been great how everyone has pulled together in organising different things. There are too many people to thank but you all know who you are. We would, however, like to thank Ann Napier and Anna Barton for their work in building up external bookings which are so essential to ensure the viability of the Hall. It is largely due to them and the work of Elaine Lyons and Bev Brodie that we have received masses of favourable comments from users of the hall.

Our hall user groups (affectionately known as HUGs) have been brilliant in utilising almost every inch of the new building – in fact, they keep saying we should have made it bigger! The number of groups/clubs/associations has expanded although some struggle for new members. So if you fancy a shot at bowling this winter or want to meet up with the SWRI don’t hesitate to approach anyone at the hall who will point you in the right direction.

[img_assist|nid=283|title=Old Blind Dogs|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=0|height=]We’ve had a variety of guests over the year including Michelle McManus and Fred MacAulay, Fergus Ewing and Danny Alexander, Teams from BBC’s Landward, Springwatch and Let’s do the Show Right Here, Old Blind Dogs and, very recently, The Spice Girls! There’s been cookery demonstrations, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s wind section, Rock the Boat and the Ceilidh Trail.

We’ve just enjoyed the Elgin Strathspey & Reel Society concert – better known as The Fiddlers’ concert. This year, in the new hall for the first time, the Elgin Fiddlers provided an fabulous evening of entertainment. Apart from the usual tea & biscuits served during the interval, we were selling Rizza’s ice cream. This was the brainchild of Maureen Smyth and has been extremely successful in raising funds for the upkeep of the hall at a number of events this year.

In keeping with tradition, our annual auction will be held on Saturday 30th August this year with auctioneer Rod MacKenzie in charge. As usual we are looking for good quality items to sell which will bring a healthy return for the hall. Please let Lorraine know (831506) if you need something picked up or want to lend a hand.

In September Boat of Garten Golf Club host “The Village Hall Open” a popular competition which was originally introduced to raise funds for the building of the new hall. Nowadays the hall benefits from the competition by getting local businesses to sponsor holes and by running a raffle on the day. There are a few jobs going for this event; helping put out the sponsors’ advertising banners, gathering raffle prizes, selling raffle tickets for an hour at a time so if you’d like to help, give Iain Murray a phone on 831231.

We’re delighted to offer our congratulations to Alice and Ralph on the occasion of their wedding in July. Alice’s parents Jackie & Ian Wilson live on Kinchurdy Road and Jackie has been much involved in supporting village groups since they moved here a few years ago. They decorated the hall themselves and it looked really lovely for the occasion.

The hall is quieter now for the summer but bookings are trickling in for next year already. Pilates, Chest Heart & Stroke Association and Healthy Minds continue to use various rooms on a regular basis. ShowBoaters are rehearsing already for their next production which is completely different to what they’ve done in the past. It’s the famous “Misery” by Stephen King. Then, in October, there’s “The Steamie” and of course the Panto in December - so there’s no chance of any slacking going on there! Lunch Club will be starting again in the Autumn – a fine chance for all ages to enjoy a nice bowl of soup and a blether.

We’ve got a new dishwasher too! The new one only takes a few minutes to wash the crockery once you’ve heated it up so it’s a boon for caterers or when there’s a lot of hungry mouths to feed. It does take half an hour to heat up so remember to switch it on when you arrive!

The CCTV is all installed and running well. The cameras are on full time, in and around the building so if anything untoward happens, the police can examine the recordings and pin point the problem.

We’ve just heard that our application to Awards for All has been successful! This grant will allow us to purchase computer equipment and software which will enable us to organise computer classes again which were so popular in the old hall. Watch this space!

One of the hall’s targets is to get a Mums and Toddlers group going in the village. Bev Brodie has already done some investigative work and a meeting is planned for mums in August – see local noticeboards for details.

The hall’s web pages on the community website are being updated with new photos and information. The online calendar for hall bookings can also be seen from www.boatofgarten.com. If you haven’t got a computer, don’t forget there’s one for all the community to use in the Post Office.

If you’re new to the village, why not come along to any of the forthcoming events or get in touch if you would like to be more involved. Don’t be shy, we’d love to meet you!

 

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