November 2021: Duncan Chisholm, Building Improvements and Festival De Noël

News 

November 2021

“Dae ye ken yer tent’s in Gowanlea garden?” was the greeting I received when I arrived at church on Sunday morning.  A few hasty WhatsApps and a small team of volunteers was quickly assembled outside St Margaret’s.  I really will have to apologise to the minister for his congregation suddenly reducing in size!  The tent, our mini marquee, which had for the last months stored the contents of St Margaret’s, was now a very sad sight.  Twisted and mangled, the frame, or what was left of it, now straddled the neighbour’s wall and the canvas flapped angrily in the wind from the roof of the house.  After some not inconsiderable effort we recovered all the bits and they now recline safely in the Council tip.  Hopefully we’ll have a more permanent solution to storing all our chairs and tables in place soon.

We needed all the chairs and more when we welcomed a capacity audience to enjoy an evening with renowned Scottish Fiddler Duncan Chisholm.  It was wonderful to see the place full again and people enjoying top quality entertainment.

Some repair work has been carried out to the masonry on top of the tower and holes in the windows have been patched.  We have also installed heavy curtains across the Chancel and the Lightfoot Aisle in an attempt to reduce draughts in the building.  Other improvements completed include replacing the old floodlights in the Nave with more efficient and effective LED lights.  Thanks to everyone involved in helping to upgrade the condition and environment inside St Margaret’s.

Perhaps the most obvious change is the installation of new signs and noticeboards at the front.  They really do convey the message that St Margaret’s is back in action and open for business.

We have a busy few weeks ahead with our first winter festival coming up, the Festival de Noel.  For full details of all that is going on in the festival, both in St Margaret’s and throughout the village, please visit our website at www.stmargaretsbraemar.org.uk.

Brian Wood,

Chair, The St Margaret’s Trust