Christmas festival cash boost for Buckie RNLI
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THERE was a four-figure Christmas present in store for Buckie RNLI thanks to a Christmas tree festival held in the town.
Members of the Buckie South and West Church made their way to the lifeboat station last Wednesday lunchtime to hand over a cheque for £1300 to the maritime search and rescue charity.
The cash represented half the proceeds from the second Christmas tree festival held in the church over November 22-23, an event which was very well supported.
Alma Blackhall, from the church's event committee, said: "We're absolutely delighted to have been able to raise this amount of money.
"We had over 20 trees at the festival all of which were sponsored by local businesses and schools, we're very grateful to all the support we were shown. The money we have raised has come from this sponsorship.
"There was a good range of people coming through the door on both days of all ages, we're delighted to see how it has grown.
"Hopefully we'll hold another festival next year."
Receiving the cheque was Buckie RNLI lifeboat coxswain Alan Robertson.
"We're very grateful to the South and West Church for thinking of us and presenting Buckie RNLI with this very generous donation," he continued.
"There's been a lot going on for us over the last year or so, not least the fact it was our busiest year in terms of shouts for a long time.
"We've got renovation works going on at the lifeboat station now plus there's the ongoing expenses associated with running the boat, crew training and equipment. There's always expenses and we rely on the generosity of the public to keep our 24/7 search and rescue service going."
The other half of the proceeds raised from the festival is earmarked for the Shed Project. Run by Portgordon Community Church, this initiative is broadly based on the Men's Shed movement and occupies premises off Newland's Lane in Buckie.
Getting under way in autumn 2018, the Shed Project primarily focuses its efforts on men who are battling against a variety of mental health issues.
The church have been given the use of three sheds plus a building containing an office and toilets which will provide an area for men to meet, socialise and undertake a range of activities.
Pastor Willie Aitken, the church's minister, was inspired to set up the project after learning that, according to statistics from the charity Campaign Against Living Miserably revealed that 84 men a week took their own lives in the UK, and that three out of four suicides in Britain were men.
Anyone who would like to help out with the project should get in touch with Pastor Aitken by phone on (01542) 835007, email will.i.am8ken@talktalk. net or via his personal Facebook page.
