On Wednesday 20th November over 50 attendees from the Burgesses and Seven Incorporated Trades attended a very informative and interesting lunch to hear from Iain Sneddon – Chief Operating Officer – Scot-ART who have purchased the Kirk and Jo Parry Geddes –Conservation Architect & Director – MILL Architects on their plans for the Kirk.
Both Iain and Jo are happy to share their presentation and would be happy to be contacted with any questions, or ideas for how the Kirk can best be utilised. Their contact emails are:
Jo Parry-Geddes – jo@millarchitects.co.uk
Iain Sneddon – iain.sneddon@scot-art.co.uk
We hope to have a follow up event with Iain and Jo sometime next year to get an update on progress, once they are through the first ‘hurdle’ of Planning and Listed building approval which will hopefully be mid January.
Three of our fellow Burgesses are involved in a fundraising effort via their Rotary Club.
Aberdeen has no provision for a wheelchair accessible swing at any of the city play parks. The nearest one is in Banchory and families travel out of the city so that their youngster – or in some cases adults – can experience the same play as their siblings and friends. The joy this equipment brings is immeasurable. One 33-year-old said it was the first time in her life that she’d been on a swing and as you’ll be aware, there are many wheelchair users in the city..
The Council has agreed to do the necessary groundwork to accommodate such equipment but asked Rotary Club (Bon Accord) to raise £24k to supply and instal a wheelchair accessible swing in Duthie Park. Your fellow Burgesses ask that you help to raise awareness of their campaign.
Any signposting to sources of grants they may be able to access would also be much appreciated.
Their members have already embarked on a fundraising campaign and activities and have also set up a Just giving account. The link is detailed below:
The project is being led by Sam Murray and Roddy Matheson. Lindsay Fettes also brought this to my attention. Well done to you all, I hope we can help raise awareness of something which sounds so uplifting (pardon the pun), simple yet sadly lacking in our city.
VSA still require Board members/Trustees, in particular anyone with a Financial Background.
We have been asked by the CEO of Voluntary Services Aberdeen to approach the Burgesses to ascertain if any Burgess might consider taking on a role as a Board member/Trustee. Their Board is due to see some members stand down as a result of having served their terms of office which would leave them depleted in vital skill sets at a time when the Third Sector needs all the experience and sound advice they can get.
If anyone would like to apply for such a position please contact:
Sue.Freeth@vsa.org.uk
Sue is CEO of VSA.
They would particularly welcome applicants with an financial/accountancy background at a senior level and also someone with commissioning experience. This might be in public or private sector operations.
At our lunch on Thursday 3rd October we received a most inspirational and thought-provoking presentation by Dr Iain Duthie. Although the Pastor at King’s Church Aberdeen, this was not a religious presentation. It was entiteld “What is in Your Hand” and was reflective of an extremely interesting life and career together with the work that has been carried out under the banner of the iniative ‘Love Aberdeen’. There was common ground with our Action Plan and our motto ‘For Aberdeen’, the main difference being that Dr Duthie and his team have turned aims and objectives into actions and reality.
Under the headings To Guard; To Grow; To Give he gave examples of the power of Community, the price of Loyalty which is why Burgesses are admitted in the first place. Many of our Burgesses continue to do great work for the benefit of our communities and many have said that they would like to contribute with something worth much more than money – your time, knowledge and experience.
Can I urge you all to revisit our Action Plan and let me know where you can contribute to turn the plan into more action. Can I also ask that if you know of any young people whose future education or career path might be helped with a contribution either in monetary terms or in some material way – as with the laptops earlier this year – please let me have appropriate information. This assistance may also be extended to an initiative covering a number of young people.
Studio Theatre Group is very excited to bring the musical play “Brief Encounter” to Aberdeen Arts Centre’s stage from Wednesday 9th October to Friday 11th of October 2024.
The play starts at 7.30pm and tickets are available directly from the Aberdeen Arts Centre web site (www.aberdeenartscentre.com) or by calling the box office on 01224 635208.
The play is based on the now classic British film directed by David Lean and starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard.
Moray Barber, a fellow Burgess and recently appointed Assessor, is playing the part of Dr. Alec Harvey. Studio Theatre Group has been producing plays and dramas for the city for over 50 years and has an esteemed history, reputation for quality and quite the diverse back catalogue of plays. Moray would love to see the Burgesses support the group next week.
The Story Laura Jesson, a respectable housewife and mother, takes the train into town each Thursday to shop, have lunch and go to the cinema. By sheer chance she meets G.P. Dr. Alec Harvey in a railway station tearoom.
Both bored with their own lives they seek a little adventure with each other and their friendship soon develops into something more romantic, something they worry will cause havoc in their private lives. They soon realise their relationship is doomed to failure and very much a “Brief Encounter”.
Although their story tugs at the heart strings, this adaptation is a fun light-hearted evening of drama, songs, live music with some of the the cast playing multiple roles.
“Brief Encounter” was adapted for the stage by Emma Rice adapted from the play STILL LIFE and the screenplay of the film BRIEF ENCOUNTER, Songs and verse are by Noël Coward
I am delighted to advise that six pupils from Lochside, Northfield and St Machar Academies were the recipients of new laptops to take them into their courses of study at university as part of the first Educational Award from the Guildry and Mortifications Fund under the terms of the new Trust Deed. Caleb Kelly, Chukwouma Orike, Dana Pinkovska, Karina Moravska are pictured receiving their laptops. Aleksandra Rzepka and Timurs Koptevs unfortunately could not be present but will receive their laptops later this week.
These students have shown exceptional commitment and our support has helped enable them to take up the places they have earned at university. Their potential studies include Law, Architecture, Mechanical Engineering and Teaching.
We will do more in this vein and all these young people have undertaken to keep us informed of their progress.
In addition we have underwritten the cost of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme accreditation for seven young people who have gone through very trying times but who have turned their lives around. The accreditation has enabled them to take up full time paid employment and set them on a pathway unimaginable without the skills training. We have done this through the good offices of Aberdeen Foyer who will monitor progress on our behalf.
We are pleased that we have been able to help thirteen young people on their way on an educational and vocational journey which, without the assistance of the Burgesses of Guild, they would not have been able to do. We will continue to offer such support in keeping with the terms of our Trust Deed.
Lord Dean of Guild
Lord Dean presents students with a certificate following them receiving their laptops
AGM Tuesday 14th May 2024 BURGESSES OF GUILD OF THE CITY OF ABERDEEN
Dear Burgesses
Thank you to all who took the time to attend the AGM this year at the trial time of 6pm. I am delighted to say that over one hundred Burgesses attended, not including the City Officers. This is a record attendance for many years.
This was a combination of in person and online. Twenty- nine logged into the meeting online, twenty-nine people who otherwise would not have been able to attend for various reasons. I am most grateful to Trevor Runcie, Assessor, for stepping up for us at relatively short notice to set up and manage the technology because we could not hire an audio visual company to do this for us. I believe that some Burgesses were particularly displeased about the trial change (three contacted the Clerk) but we must be mindful that we are an organisation with a list of some 850 members. It would be impossible to please everyone, but it is incumbent upon us to consider the demands of today’s workplaces which simply would not accommodate people absenting themselves at noon on a working weekday.
As I said at the AGM, I cannot please all of the people all of the time and I ask that everyone considers the needs and preferences of as many Burgesses as possible. The combination of in-person and online facilities should afford greater attendance opportunities than we have ever had.
The positive feedback has been overwhelming, as was the support for a new Constitution which is almost ready for circulation in draft for comment and feedback before we take it to the next stage. I would remind everyone of the need to have rules and guidelines which are up to date and take account of our needs in today’s environment with particular regard to good governance, methods of communication, and our responsibility to comply with current legislation etc. This significant piece of work was submitted to Aberdeen City Council Legal Department who have reviewed it and given their helpful feedback.
The only Regulations in existence at this time were written in 1995 and, as you might imagine are out of date. I will keep everyone posted as this work progresses but I am off on a much-needed holiday next week.
Councillor Hazel Cameron, City Councillor. Nominated by Ronnie Watt OBE and Seconded by Mike WilsonCouncillor Donna Clark, City Councillor. Nominated by Catherine Cowie and Seconded by Graham BennettProf. Zygmunt H Krukowski, Surgeon (Retired). Proposed by Doug Duthie and Seconded by Joe Mackie OBEChristopher Leiper, Company Director. Nominated by Ronay Thomson and Seconded by Yvonne ThomsonIngrid Stanyer, University Lecturer. Proposed by Margaret Donald and Seconded by Bruce DrummondIsla Stewart, Account Manager. Proposed by Muriel Jaffrey and Seconded by Councillor Bill CormieCraig Walker, Newspaper Editor. Proposed by Mike Wilson and Seconded by Lord Dean of Guild Dr Arthur Winfield, Lecturer (Retired). Proposed by Rita Stephen and Seconded by John Michie
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