The community farm at Greenmyres near Huntly has been officially launched by the development trust whose vision and drive led to its purchase
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HUNTLY Development Trust (HDT) reached a major milestone last Sunday with the official launch of the community farm, Greenmyres.
Postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic and further delayed when lockdown extended into the spring of this year, the open day gave people the opportunity to see the work done to create a community asset and the opportunities which it provides.
Huntly's world darts champion, John Henderson was guest of honour and told the gathering of his own memories of time spent on his grandparents farm and the impact the countryside had on him.
Other guests included Gena Ford from LEADER and George McIntyre from the Ena Baxter Foundation - both funding partners.
A ribbon was cut and Maggie Milne, winner of the senior bake off at Hairst had baked a magnificent cake depicting Greenmyres.
Despite the damp and misty conditions, the farm showcased its potential - there was paddleboarding and pond dipping.
Huntly Rinnin Loons and Quines led runs and there were cycle rides using the path network, including into Gartly Moor.
Phil Dawson who co-ordinates the running group said going froward they might use Greenmyres as the start point for an event.
A new path from Huntly to Greenmyres was officially opened by a group walkers who arrived at the farm on foot.
Deveron Archers promoted their group, making use of the open space and John Henderson tried his skill with a different type of arrow.
The Eco bothy which has given new life to the farmhouse with its transformation into a warm, bright, welcoming space was showcased.
Jill Andrews who was project manager for Greenmyres said: "Natural materials, renewable energy, inclusivity and sustainability drove the vision for creating the community space.
"We need the word spread that we’re open for business. We encourage the community to come forward with their ideas, needs and uses which can be met through our eco-bothy, paths, ponds and land."
The 63 acre farm was bought in 2014 with 90 per cent funding from the Scottish Land Fund and during the opening, backers who helped plug the shortfall were acknowledged.
HDT's general manager Donald Boyd said that ownership of an asset like Greenmyres allowed them to create opportunities for Huntly and District.
Mr Boyd said: "Visitors were delighted and pleasantly surprised by what has been achieved. People could see the potential of the farm, even on a dreich day like Sunday. HDT own the farm but we want people to apply their own ideas for activities which it can host."
Richard Hammock was HDT chairman at the time of the purchase and said: "The motivation to buy Greenmyres was to put up a wind turbine to make the Trust financially sustainable. We wanted the turbine to be part of an existing cluster to avoid adding a new turbine location."
"The turbine was finally erected in November 2016 but in the interval we had been consulting on what else the farm could be used for, for the benefit of the community. We knew that we wanted to do things which were ecologically beneficial and enhanced the site.
"The whole Greenmyres project has been a case study in how determined groups can take ownership of land and buildings and transform them into valuable assets for their communities."
Mary Scott led a steering group in the early days of the farm and remains a champion of the project.
She was delighted by the turn out on Sunday and said that the new paths had been welcomed by people during lockdown.
She said: "We didn’t publicise the paths connecting Huntly to the farm and into Gartly Moor forest but word spread and they were really busy with walkers, dog walkers, cyclists and the occasional horse rider.
"People seemed pleased to get the chance to socialise with their friends and family in a safe outdoor environment and there were often a couple of paddleboarders on the pond.
"The vision now is to develop more areas as wildlife habitats - more ponds and native hedges and there is also interest in food growing."
More pictures on Page 4.
