Buckie's Roots add touch of inspiration to Speyside Way
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THERE will be some extra special inspiration on hand for those tackling the Speyside Way Walk thanks to a Buckie community group.
Last Thursday saw the unveiling of a feature at the start/terminus of the 65-mile walk which was the inspiration of local group Buckie’s Roots.
It contains images relating to associated with various parts of the iconic walk, including a dolphin for the Moray Firth.
Seeing the feature in place marked the end of a long road of a different kind for Buckie's Roots, who had been hopeful of having it in place by last June in time for the peak summer season. However, as with so many other things, the Covid pandemic drove a horse and cart through the plans.
Morag Stewart, from the group, said: “We’re just delighted to see this finally up, Covid slowed things down a lot.
“It was something we felt was definitely needed to give a bit of inspiration to those about to set out on the 60-odd mile walk and help those who have just completed the walk celebrate their achievement. It’s something they can take a photo of to remember.
“Originally we had wanted to instal an arch but we ran into planning issues so we had to scale things back a bit.
“We’re all very proud of it and we had excellent support from Macduff Shipyards, who supplied the designs – which went out to community consultation – and made it. It was great to see such community co-operation.”
The design for the feature was the brainchild of Jack Wilford, who is an apprentice draughtsman at Macduff Shipyard’s Buckie facility.
Macduff Shipyard manager Stuart Mack, standing in for Mr Welford at the unveiling, said the project had benefited from the skills of a talented young man.
“Jack was actually still at school when he drew up the four designs,” he continued.
“We’re delighted to have been involved and to be able to help out a community project like this.”
Once the final design was chosen, it was then made by Charlie Bruce from various kinds of metal, including frame debar and mild steel, a task which took him around a day.
The public consultation took place on the Buckie’s Roots Facebook page, with hard copy voting slips at various points in the town.
The funding which ultimately helped make the project a reality came from a successful bid to the Bucks4Buckie participatory budgeting scheme.
Buckie’s Roots were originally formed as the Friends of Buckie Square before widening their remit to focus on the regeneration of other green spaces around the town.
The group are always keen to hear from new volunteers, who can get in touch via the Facebook page or by emailing buckiesroots@yahoo.com
