Aberdeen Preparing to Welcome European Pipe Band Championships News Image ellmcdonald Thu, 23/03/2023 – 1:28 pm Tickets have gone on sale today (Thursday 23rd March) for the 2023 European Pipe Band Championships, which are coming to Aberdeen this June.  The Championships, held in partnership with The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association and Aberdeen Inspired, will be held in the city’s Duthie Park on Saturday 24th June.  Over 100 pipe bands from across Europe and as far as Australia will travel to Aberdeen to participate in one of the largest piping events in the world.  Aberdeen last hosted the European Pipe Band Championships in 1981, when the event came to Hazlehead Park.  The Lord Provost of Aberdeen, Dr David Cameron, joined pupils from Robert Gordon’s College, Cults Academy and Dyce Primary School today in the Duthie Park to welcome the launch of the Championship in Aberdeen.  The Lord Provost said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming the European Pipe Band Championships and piping community to our city this summer.  “This is an excellent opportunity to show to the rest of Europe what Aberdeen has to offer and will also hopefully inspire our city’s youth to learn the pipes.”  The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Chief Executive Colin Mulhern said: “We are delighted to be back in Aberdeen for the European Pipe Band Championships after an absence of over 40 years. The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association wish to thank Aberdeen Council and Aberdeen Inspired for their support in the presentation of this feast of piping, drumming, and drum majoring.  “We look forward to the usual professional standards of presentation as in previous years and look forward to welcoming visitors from all over the World to Aberdeen. I hope the weather will be kind and that you enjoy the sights and sounds of the day.” Adrian Watson, Chief Executive Officer of Aberdeen Inspired said: “Aberdeen Inspired is committed to working with both local and national partners in bringing the very best events to our city and the European Pipe Band Championships certainly falls into this category, being the second largest event of its kind in the world.  “We were delighted to bring the proposal to the table and work with both Aberdeen City Council and the RSPBA in making this happen. This event will bring many thousands, from this country and beyond, to the city and will not…

The Last Testament of Provost Alexander Jaffray goes on display at Aberdeen Art Gallery News Image MSweetnam Fri, 10/03/2023 – 2:48 pm The last testament of Alexander Jaffray is the centrepiece of a new exhibition at Aberdeen Art Gallery. This rare and important document, which dates from 1673, provides a fascinating insight into Jaffray’s faith at a time of religious persecution and political upheaval.  The manuscript was acquired in 2022 by Aberdeen City & Aberdeenshire Archives with financial assistance from the National Fund for Acquisitions, the Friends of the National Libraries and the Niven Bequest, which was left to the Council’s Archive several years ago. This is the first time the manuscript has been on display. The exhibition tells the story of Jaffray’s fascinating and turbulent life, which saw the burgh he served turn on him in later life because of his religious beliefs. Jaffray was twice Provost of Aberdeen (1649-50 and 1651-52). He also represented the city in the Scottish Parliament between 1644 and 1650 and was one of six commissioners sent to liaise with the exiled Charles II in Holland in 1649 and 1650. In June 1653 he was summoned from Scotland to sit in the “Barebones Parliament” at Westminster. Educated at Aberdeen Grammar School and Marischal College, Jaffray’s religious affiliations changed during his lifetime and reflect the religious upheaval of wider society. He sided with the Covenanters in 1638, enduring capture and imprisonment by royalist forces in 1644. After his release he moved away from the Covenanter cause and was appointed Director of the Chancellery of Scotland. Following retirement from political and civic life, Jaffray devoted his time to religious thinking. He had been influenced by contact with Oliver Cromwell who broadened Jaffray’s views on religious liberty and in 1662 he joined the Quakers.   During the 1660s and 1670s, the Quaker community in Aberdeen was probably the largest in Scotland. However, along with their Catholic counterparts, they became the focus of significant repression and persecution by the burgh authorities who viewed them with suspicion and as a threat to the established order. Several of the leading lights within the Aberdeen Quakers, including Alexander Jaffray himself, were former magistrates or wives of magistrates, which made their break with traditional Protestantism all-the-more infuriating for those who remained within the established church and who perceived the very presence of the Quaker community as an affront to authority….

Council sets 2023/24 budget and spending plans News Image ellmcdonald Wed, 01/03/2023 – 11:19 am Aberdeen City Council is to invest more than £200 million over the next five years growing and renewing the schools estate as part of its spending plans.  An additional £17.7m was set aside during this period for the latest digital technology to modernise learning environments and equip pupils with 21st Century skills. The commitment to maximising life opportunities for young people came as the council set its revenue and capital budgets for the coming financial year as well as agreeing longer-term measures aimed at creating a greener, safer and more inclusive city. Despite facing increasing costs and demand, the council maintained its focus on combating climate change, transforming public services, and tackling poverty and inequality through support for the Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP). Budget awards in 2023/24 include £1.6m for the Fairer Aberdeen Fund, which supports deserving projects identified by local communities; £500,000 to the Community Food Initiatives North East; and £400,000 to top up the Scottish Government’s Welfare Fund. And there will be a £100,000 contribution, spread evenly over the next three years, to help regenerate Union Street in response to both the council’s empty shops plan and wider work following the Union Street Summit. Details are to be announced in the months ahead. Councillor Alex McLellan, convener of the Finance and Resources Committee, said: “The cost-of-living crisis is hitting everyone hard, with soaring food and fuel bills, and we have targeted spending to support those most in need – providing additional spend to foodbanks, the Scottish Welfare Fund and our financial inclusion team – whilst also protecting the likes of the Fairer Aberdeen Fund.  “As well as protecting vital services from cuts, our budget commits to investing over £200m in our school estate and just under £100m in transforming our beachfront and city centre – we are committed to ensuring Aberdeen is a place people want to live, work, study, raise a family, and a place where businesses want to invest.” Councillor Ian Yuill, Co-Leader of Aberdeen City Council, said: “We have prioritised what matters most to people – education, the environment, roads and transport – while demonstrating sound financial management that will serve the city well in the years ahead. 
“In providing for Aberdeen’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged residents, there is an increasing emphasis on prevention and early…