January 2023: Happy New Year
Happy New Year! 2023 marks a significant milestone in the life of St Margaret’s in Braemar. It is now ten years since ownership of the building was transferred from the Scottish Episcopal Church to the Scottish Redundant Churches Trust (SRCT) now known as Historic Churches Scotland (HCS). It is interesting to look back over the decade and see just how far we have come in that time in presenting live performances to the public - from the first tentative steps taken by the Gang of 4 in presenting a concert of local talent, to the dizzy heights of bringing Paul Mealor and the Caritas Choir and the Scottish National Orchestra to celebrate 30 years of Classic FM, recorded and broadcast to the world in the presence of the then Price of Wales, now His Majesty King Charles lll. Efforts continue to increase the breadth and quality of the programme and we look forward to the coming year being even better!
Our efforts must now turn to improving the condition of the building and making it more suitable for both performers and audiences. Sadly the weather has taken its toll and the fabric of the building continues to deteriorate. The tower in particular has suffered and repairs to the external stonework are urgently required if we are to keep the building open to the public.
Our plans to improve the functionality of the building will be revisited in the coming year and costs will be revised to inform a major fund-raising campaign to secure the future of St Margaret’s. In the meantime planning permission has been granted to site a storage container behind the building to replace the marquees which “disappeared” during recent gales. This will provide much needed accommodation for furniture and equipment which currently occupies the Lightfoot Aisle. We also plan to install a temporary amenities block on the south side to provide better toilets and some basic kitchen facilities.
We are very fortunate in the number of enthusiastic volunteers we have to help out in all sorts of ways but we are always looking to recruit more as our range of activities continues to expand. If you know of anyone who might like to become involved please encourage them to get in touch with us. All will be very welcome. And a reminder: our first event of the year on Sunday, January 29th will feature Scots Makar Kathleen Jamie in conversation with Fiona Kennedy. Hope to see you there!
Brian Wood, Chair, St Margaret’s Trust