Congratulations to the schoolchildren at Bracoden School who have achieved their Gold Poppy Pledge target of £1921 for Poppy Scotland’s ‘Big Poppy Bounce’.

The funds raised through sponsorship and donations go to help veterans bounce back into civilian life.

It’s the centenary of the poppy as an emblem, hence the aim to raise £1921, and the school did this through a space hopping challenge to complete 1921 metres of hopping in the school hall.

Thanks to support from parents, church and the community the total raised was £2052.47 as at 12 November with some still to collect.

Well done to all involved!

We have been lucky in Gamrie recently with several nights when the aurora has been visible over the bay. Not always easily visible to the naked eye but it’s amazing what mobile phones can do without any adjustment these days. So here’s another reason to come and explore this section of Scottish coastline!

Thanks to Toby Johnson for the image. For more do keep watching ‘I Love Gardenstown’ on Facebook.

Congratulations to The Garden Arms Hotel who are a Tripadvisor 2021 Traveller’s Choice Award Winner, which places them in the top 10% of hotels worldwide.It celebrates hotels that constantly deliver fantastic experiences to travellers around the globe based on feedback received on Tripadvisor. Brilliant news and well worth it – well done to all concerned!.

Now that Covid restrictions are easing the Garden Arms are able to offer food and drinks indoors again, and regular local checks ensure that they are fully compliant with current regulations. Come and enjoy a drink and a meal in the centre of the village, where there is also a collection of artworks for display. The external gazebo allows them also to be dog friendly. Booking for a meal on 01261 851260 advised

There is a new edition of the Gardenstown and Crovie tourism leaflet thanks to the Scotland Loves Local Fund.

Currently copies are available at the two shops, but as soon as things open up further they will be distributed elsewhere.

Anyone wanting copies should contact the Gardenstown Village Action Committee secretary (see community groups in directory).

The book on Bracoden School 1942-1963 produced by Eleanor Hepburn and John W Milne has been a great success. The book is based on the contents of the original school diaries and ledgers with photographs donated by various contributors, and the original diaries and ledgers are available to view in the Heritage Centre. It’s fascinating to read about school life over this period including, in addition to the items on the front cover, such items as Nautical Courses, being snowed in and mass absences for the potato harvest. Copies are still available at £12 each in SPAR, at Macduff Post Office (Porterfields) and from Eleanor direct, so don’t miss out! There’s also a few DVDs of the book available at £6 each. As it is based on school life all of the profits, which currently amount to a total of £3,500, have been donated to local causes mainly involving children. These are: Bracoden Primary School. Bracoden Playschool. Gardenstown New Church Sunday School. Gardenstown New Church Shelter Group. Gardenstown New Church Rainbows Group. Gardenstown Free Presbyterion Church Sunday School. Gardenstown Happy Hampers and Christmas Hampers. Gardenstown Dreel Hall. Gardenstown Bowling Club. Whitehills Bowling Club. Whitehills Primary School. Whitehills Playschool. Whitehills Peekaboo Nursery. Whitehills Playing Field. Whitehills Boys Football Club. Whitehills RNLI. Macduff Primary School. St Fergus Primary School. Fraserburgh South Park School. Kingswells Primary School. Banchory Primary School Nursery. Banff Day Opportunities. Police Scotland Youth Volunteers (Fraserburgh). This would not have been possible without the generosity and help of those who donated to the printing and publishing of The Bracoden Book . Congratulations to Eleanor and John!

2021 is the 300^th anniversary of first record of Gardenstown being used as the name for the village.

We hope to commemorate this with an inscribed stone located at the entrance to the village, and possibly other information elsewhere. At present with the current Covid19 restrictions there are no specific plans for celebration involving gatherings, but hopefully we will still manage to celebrate in some way at the harbour in the summer. If anyone wishes to organise anything else then that would be welcome.

Prior to 1721 there was a settlement here known as Powiesdon, but the first record of the name Gardenstown (then spelt Gardenstoun) is in the birth register of 1721. It is named after Alexander Garden, the 2^nd Laird of Troup.

Gardenstown expanded as a fishing village when travel through the area opened up after the 1715 rebellion. Despite their differences, the Hanoverian Laird of Troup and the Jacobite Laird of Auchmedden jointly constructed a new bridge at Nethermill in 1719 which provided the first easy means of travel between Aberdeenshire and Banffshire, and between the parishes of Gamrie and Aberdour.

Exactly what existed around the harbour area in these early days as the village started getting established is rather unknown, but the Garden Arms dates back to 1743 so it must be assumed that both the harbour area and Main Street had become established by then.

The Statistical Account of 1791 records that the town of Gardenstoun contains nearly 300 souls and the number of fishing boats and vessels was similar although smaller than in the larger town of Macduff.

This map of the 1860s show that Main Street, High Street and Seatown plus commercial properties near the harbour were by then much as they remain today.

The Gardenstown Village Action Committee (GVAC) applied for and were awarded a grant from the Scotland Loves Local Fund, administered by Scotland’s Towns Partnership, obtained with the support of the Area Manager at Aberdeenshire Council.

This fund encourages local shopping and the support of local communities and assists in allowing us to ensure that this assistance can be carried out safely and in line with government guidelines regarding Covid19.

The grant is being used to update our village website, and to provide assisting funding to local retail enterprises. The Wee Shoppie in Main Street has obtained an additional screen, hand sanitiser applicator and other safety equipment, Bob and Jane at Spar are replacing their counter-top to make it easier to keep clean, Eli has obtained a new external gazebo to provided external protection at the rear of the gallery and tearoom, and the Garden Arms plan to provide additional screening at the bar ready for future reopening.

So locals and visitors are all encouraged to support our local community during these difficult times – and beyond!

There’s not much going on in the village at present as it’s both winter and is affected by covid19 lockdown. So there’s nothing in the Dreel Hall or Community Hub at present, and not even external gatherings. But that doesn’t stop you from enjoying walks provided that you follow the Government’s guidelines. With care you can still get up to St John’s Kirkyard, and for those that don’t know it there is a splendid round walk to Crovie. Walk to Crovie along the Rotten Shore and round the Sneuk and then return up over the cliff top along the recently constructed footpath which ends up at the end of Morven View Road.

Choose your own starting point and direction!

The Gardenstown Community Hub Association was formed at the end of 2017, and by March 2018, had achieved charitable status. The Association uses the former infant school (donated to the village for its benefit and now called The Hub) in High Street for a wide variety of community activities.

The Hub provides a relaxed and comfortable meeting place for people of all ages, interests and backgrounds. Central to the ethos of the Hub, it is open every Saturday so that anyone can attend and have refreshments whilst enjoying the company of others and joining in with the activities taking place.

The list of events during the first year has been diverse and well attended. There are already workshops in sewing and photography, music sessions, games nights, poetry and cultural evenings, and educational talks.

All this continues apace into 2019 due to kind donations from the public and enthusiastic local volunteers who freely give their time, energy and ideas to organizing events and fund raising.

As befits a 100 year old school building, the Hub is full of historical character: it has two large, well-lit rooms. However, the next stage is to improve the amenity of the building so that, whilst retaining its unique atmosphere and features, it serves its purpose in the 21st century with improvements to disabled facilities, installation of energy conservation central heating and sympathetic upgrading.

There is still much work to be done but if the Hub’s first year is anything to go by, it will provide a focus for the community which will be constructive and inspiring to all who get involved in its development as well as a source of pleasure to anyone who spends time there.

If you wish more information you can visit the Gardenstown Community Hub HERE