News

Aboyne FareShare is a community initiative set up by Mid Deeside Community Trust in conjunction with FareShare, a UK wide charity which aims to reduce food poverty by getting food to those who need it most, whilst at the same time reducing food waste by redistributing excess food from the food industry.

The project aims to support people in Aboyne and the surrounding area by providing essential food to local groups and organisations who have identified a need for additional food in their community, and can distribute that food out into their communities. The method of distribution is up to individual groups and can be accomplished in many ways, including providing essential groceries for their members needing help, setting up local larders, or using the food to produce meals in their community or organisation. Groups should operate on a not for profit basis, but do not necessarily need to be constituted. Enquiries are also welcome from health and social care professionals needing help for their clients.

The type of food available varies, but there is always a stock of dried, tinned and other non-perishable goods for groups to collect, along with a limited stock of household goods.

Whilst FareShare Grampian provides a large part of the food which is distributed, Aboyne FareShare also relies on the generosity of local businesses and organisations and individual members of the public in providing donations of cash and goods, and is always happy to hear from any organisation or business in the area who can help.

Currently Aboyne FareShare is open on request for collections from our Green Shed situated at the Deeside Community Centre. Our premises are very small, so to help with social distancing, groups will need to book an appointment to pick up goods.

For more information or to request an appointment, or to offer assistance in any way, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mid Deeside Community Trust is fundraising for a New Community Bus

We have just over 10 weeks until the Local Community Fund closes on Saturday 23 October.

There is still time for you to choose us and boost our funding. As you may know, every time members buy selected Co-op branded products and services, our cause will receive 1p from every pound spent if you’ve chosen our project to support.

If you haven’t already selected a cause, please take a few minutes to log onto the link below as there is £9,251.37 of unallocated money up for grabs in our community

https://membership.coop.co.uk/causes/50853

Aboyne Fareshare will be providing some additional support to anyone who needs it, in the form of a bag of food, which will contain some basic items and some Easter treats.

There will be a collection point at The Victory Hall between 10am and 12 noon on Wednesday 31st March, Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd April. You can also email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you require a delivery.

The food bags will be packed for individuals/couples or families and will be free of charge.

The Huntly Arms Regeneration Project (HARP) team supported by the Mid Deeside Community Trust is pleased to announce that the Viability Study has been completed with potential design agreed for reconfiguration of the hotel into an economically viable business. When the project began in March 2020 the Hotel was closed and up for sale. Only the public bar was open but it was closed due to Covid 19 restrictions.

Having demonstrated that the redevelopment of the hotel would be viable, the intent was to proceed to the next stage of a Development Study. This would involve working the design to a more detailed level suitable for full planning permission. The hotel could then be purchased and redeveloped under Community Ownership. Operation of the hotel was to be targeted at a suitable hospitality company as they would already have the experience required to run the business successfully. The goal was to secure the hotel for the Community retaining it as a hotel thus rescuing it from the path of continuing dereliction.

Plans on proceeding to the next stage have for now been put on hold as the hotel has now been sold to an as yet unknown buyer. The sale represents potentially very good news and the team are glad they made the decision to complete the Viability Study. The community consultation, considerable research and evaluation of design options provides a valuable basis for presenting local support for retaining and using the hotel. Dave Marshall, Project Lead for HARP said “We look forward to working with the new owner to support the redevelopment of the Huntly as a viable business for us all.”

The Study was carried out by Community Enterprise (CE), a Scottish social enterprise who specialize in helping communities evaluate options for revitalizing businesses and find solutions for successful economic retention. Their team of consultants and architects did an excellent job researching and putting together an extremely detailed report showing how the Huntly Arms Hotel could work as a valued and profitable business for everyone.
The results of the Study show almost exclusively that the local people would prefer the building to remain as a hotel with a welcoming public bar, a mid-range family restaurant with affordable accommodation and a function room. Interestingly, one point that kept coming up was the hope that the castellated roof line be replaced with something more in keeping with the original design. Here’s hoping the new owners feel the same.

Alan Emslie, Chair of Mid Deeside Community Trust added “We would like to extend our appreciation to the contributions of our funders, namely the Architectural Heritage Fund, Marr Area Partnership and the Aberdeenshire Economic Development Fund. Thank you also for the pledges made by the Mid-Deeside Community Council and Mid-Deeside Community Trust. Without their support the study would not have occurred and the future possibilities for the building would not have been developed”.

Claire Fraser for HARP responded, “We hope the new owners will be interested to see what the HARP team and CE have put together as it is our wish to see the hotel doors open once again. Thank you to everyone who took part in the survey and to those who came and spoke to us at the Farmer’s Market to give us your views. Anyone who wishes further information can contact us through Mid-Deeside Community Trust”.

GREAT NEWS

Mid Deeside Community Trust has been chosen for the next round of the Co-op Local Community Fund.

Funds received will go towards Transport.

The funding round started Sunday, 25 October 2020 and will run for 12 months until 23 October 2021.

Co-op Members are now able to select us as their cause so if you aren't already a member of the Co-op, please make sure to pick up an application so you can vote!

Mid Deeside Community Trust has been awared the AVA Community Spirit Award which we could only have managed with your dedication and hard work helping others during the pandemic.

Since the lockdown we have received over 800 requests for assistance and we are proud to say that we have managed to deliver 100% with help from over 90 volunteers in our community.

Once again, thank you for your support.

During the COVID-19 pandemic we have repurposed our charity to be the focal point for Aboyne. We currently co-ordinate volunteers to shop for the vulnerable and shielding, collect prescriptions, dog walking, gardening, organise befrienders and arranged frozen homecooked food deliveries from the local food bank as well as continuing to transport our community to their medical appointments in Aboyne, Banchory and Aberdeen. Our community buses are currently being used to bring the essentials to our passengers and we hope to be returning to normal soon by bringing our passengers to the essentials once again.

We want to take this opportunity to thank over 90 volunteers for being there for the community when we asked for your help at the beginning of the pandemic. We have been overwhelmed with the many responses and kind gestures over these past weeks where volunteers have stepped in to support those in isolation and in need of support. To date we have received over 780 requests for assistance and we are proud to say that we have managed to deliver 100%. The fact that we have not received more requests, is testament to how our community has rallied to support their neighbours, friends and family. As we move forward and reassemble our new normal there will be members of our community who are still shielding, our aim is to continue to support our community while they need us.

Thank you from the all of us at MDCT.

Due to the potential lock down and restriction of movement due to the Corona virus outbreak.

Vulnerable people in our community may need assistance such as shopping and prescription deliveries.

Are you able and willing to volunteer?

Do you know of someone who may need assistance?

If so, you can contact Mid Deeside Community Trust:

Tel: 013398 85222
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.mid-deeside.org.uk
Facebook: Mid Deeside Community Trust

Earlier in the year MDCT was contacted by Kirsty Black whose daughter and her friends started a group called “Aboyne Kids 4 Climate Action”. Whilst the group was initially formed to take part in the school strikes for climate action, they decided to arrange several tree plantings events one of which was to be held in the Bell Wood.

The children were lucky to get a hold of 420 saplings from the Woodlands Trust including; Rowan, Elder, Crab Apple, Hazel, Blackthorn and Dog Rose.

Liaisons between Kirsty and Alan Emslie, MDCT Chairman made it possible for the children with the support of their parents and Countryside Ranger Helen Rowe to take part in a very successful tree planting session on Saturday 30th November.

Trees were planted in the Bell Wood to the south east of the Low Road Bridge where some new trees went in a few years ago also an area relatively close to the access road that was perfect for new tree planting.

You can find more information on the Aboyne Kids 4 Climate Action Facebook page about this young group and what they are attempting: https://www.facebook.com/Aboyne-Kids-4-Climate-Action-306334610013732/