Dedicated Sand Bothy volunteers receive Pride of Formartine award
The Sand Bothy volunteers were nominated for a Pride of Formartine award by Cllr Andrew Hassan (pictured right)
A north-east charity has been recognised for its outstanding efforts in running a popular visitor attraction in Balmedie Country Park.
It’s been a decade since a small but dedicated band of volunteers took on a vacant Ranger Service building and created The Sand Bothy community visitor centre.
To celebrate their amazing achievements, Aberdeenshire Council’s Formartine Area Committee recently bestowed upon them a Pride of Formartine award.
The team was nominated for the award by local councillor Andrew Hassan who said the much-loved centre regularly hosts events and provides important visitor information on the country park, its flora and fauna and what the wider area has to offer.
Among The Sand Bothy’s key aims at the outset were to create a community, volunteering hub and to establish a permanent exhibition about the area for all ages including schoolchildren.
There was also a need to provide a rentable space for classes, groups, events and workshops and the creation of a kiosk for selling refreshments, ice creams and snacks.
Cllr Iain Taylor, chair of the Formartine Area Committee, said afterward: “It’s an incredible ten years since the Belhelvie Community Trust took community ownership of The Sand Bothy and during the past decade they have converted what was once a dilapidated Ranger Service base built in the 1980s and now run it as a much-loved community visitor centre, hosting events and providing valuable information on what the park has to offer.
“Almost entirely made up of volunteers doing their bit for their local area, this charity relies largely on donations and fundraising at events hosted throughout the year, while the team also run a kiosk during busy times through the summer.
“We are delighted to congratulate the group on its hard work in bringing its aims to fruition for the benefit of the community and wider surrounding area, as well as for visitors from far afield. Thank you for your excellent work over the last decade and we wish you every continued success for another ten years and beyond.”