Banff Castle Community Association

is a registered Charity (Scottish Charity Number, SCO 09962)

The Kelpie Cafe, Arts & Folklore Centre is under construction after being just a dream for over 2 years. The builders moved in right after the Christmas break and have been hard at it since. Both floors are being worked on simultaneously to ensure the launch date is met on 6th/7th May 2012.

'The Kelpie' shall be a platform for the practice, performance and participation in all things cultural. We shall be building on our existing programme of events and activities and provide opportunities for arts and craft workshops aimed at people of all abilities.

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Banff Transition Initiative

A north east coastal town is gearing up to become the latest, in a network of 
Transition Towns around the world. Banff aims to join other Moray Coast towns 
already benefiting from the Transition Model and has established a transition 
steering group. 

It all started when a small collection of motivated individuals within Banff 
came together to see what could be done to respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by Peak Oil and Climate Change. In practical terms this means addressing the issues of ever increasing oil prices, which contribute to 
the ever increasing cost of food and produce in our shops, as well as the reduction of carbon emissions.

The Transition Towns Network is a community lead process which rebuilds resilience and reduces carbon emissions. Banff Castle has already pledged its support for this initiative through sponsorship of the Transition Group’s events and activities at the castle.

The steering group which was established at a meeting on 14 February will be looking at all key areas of life - food, energy, transport, the arts, health, heart & soul, economics & livelihoods etc, - and kicking off practical projects aimed at the community’s engagement in developing its sustainable future.The first such project by the new Banff Transition Group is to establish a local land-share register. Modelled on Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's national register the Banff  project aims to connect people, in and around the town, who want to 
grow their own fruit and veg and flowers and herbs, with people who have land they can’t or don’t use but would like to share it. By providing people with the opportunity to grow their own food the community’s resilience against its dependence on oil is increased.

It took an immense amount of creativity, ingenuity and adaptability to become an oil dependent world and the new Banff Transition Group believes that the same qualities can be used to reduce the town’s dependence of it.

The provision of opportunities for local residents and visitors to participate in cultural activities at Banff Castle is the Community Association’s own contribution to the Transition Group’s aims. The Association has developed a diverse programme of events and activities for 2011. From puppet shows to the fortnightly cinema experience there will be something for everyone. This should contribute to reduced carbon emissions in Banff as more people enjoy these facilities locally and so use less petrol in doing so.

As part of its awareness raising activities the new group shall screen ‘InTransition: From Oil Dependence to Resilience’ at Banff Castle on Friday 25 March at 7.30pm and Saturday 26 March at 2.30pm. This is an info-film which shows how communities around the world have identified and started to implement a future they want for themselves, rather than waiting for someone else to create a future they won’t like. 

Diamond Jubilee 1951 -2011 - Following our Forefathers' Lead

After the Second World War the country was reeling with post-war trauma, rationing, and unemployment. But in an attempt to counter this atmosphere of depression the Banff War Commemoration Fund was set up to create a community facility which would not only commemorate the sacrifices of the fallen but would also celebrate the continuance of community life.

By 1951 the fund had raised £5,000, purchased Banff Castle and its grounds, drawn up impressive plans for the future of Banff, and created the Banff Castle Community Association.

Post-war aspirations for the small north east coastal town were ambitious. The aim was to create one of the best town centre community facilities, and at the same time launch Banff as the cultural centre of the North East.  And to do this Banff Castle was the perfect town centre location to build a 600 seat theatre, 200 seat restaurant, arts and crafts exhibition/work space, and meeting rooms. The whole town was behind the plans. There was no shortage of people to drive the project forward.

Post-war material shortages, however, meant that the plans had to be redefined and phased. Undeterred the Community Association put in place plans and finance for the first phase of building the 600 seat hall to commence in 1952.

Out of the blue, in March of that year, a motion against building the hall was put before the Banff Castle Association council. This motion was carried by 12 votes to 4.  Effectively this led to civic war in Banff. The hall was never built. Pro-hall lobbyists walked away from the project. The Castle and its grounds would never have bought had there been the slightest chance that the hall would not be built.

Banff Castle Community Association was left with a 5-roomed mansion with two pavilions, effectively a community centre, without a hall.

Over the past two years there has been a drive to re-ignite those original aspirations of the association’s founding fathers - to create a community facility which celebrates the past, the present and has an eye to the future. With a bit of creative thought a variety of uses have been found for the rooms. Disused space has been made accessible, and the great grand children of the 1952 committee are finding their way back to the castle.

The facilities at Banff Castle are now home to community group such as the film group, the talking banffie, art club, yogo, Alzheimer Scotland support groups, dog agility, rifle club, Baltic dancing, Local vocals, pipe band, Banff & Macduff community trust, Banffshire Tourism Partnership, and plays host to weddings, christenings and private parties.

To celebrate the Association’s Diamond Jubilee, this year, a programme of events is being rolled out. All the ingredients of the 1951 aspirations will be included, from theatre performances to craft fairs to music workshops and art exhibitions.

Programme of Events:

February 28 – ‘Towards 2071’ Short Story Competition deadline

March 11-20 – Moray Art Exhibition

March 21-27 – National Climate Change Week

April 4-8 & 11-15 – Moroccan Dance & Drumming Workshops for children

April 9^th & 15^th – Puppet Animation Festival

May (tbc) – Mid Summer Nights Dream – contemporary theatre production

May 28/29 – COAST Festival – exhibitions and crafts

May 28 – Danse Macabre Ceilidh

June-Sept - Dolphin Diaries

June 18 – Summer Ball

July 23/24 – Banffshire History Festival with Living History re-enactment

Sept 10^th – 18^th – North East Open Studios – Exhibition and Demonstrations

Dec 3 – Banff’s Victorian Christmas – Craft Fair and Art Exhibition

West Pavilion Development

The Kelpie Cafe, Arts & Folklore Centre

Diamond Jubilee Project

Total Project Cost = £241,500

Funds Found To date

(LEADER - £94,790;

Community Assets - £10,000;

Banff Common Good Fund - £10,000;

Banff Townscape Heritage Initiative - £30,000;

Banff Castle Community Association Contribution - £42,341)

On 21 July 2010 full planning permission was awarded to Banff Castle Community Association to develop the West Pavilion building as a cafe and folklore centre. In March this year (2010) these plans were submitted to Aberdeenshire Council as a result of almost a year's planning towards the sustainable regeneration of the Castle. It was agreed by the committee in June 2009 that only by using all available space could Banff Castle Community Association become a viable concern.  Banff Castle is a community facility, run by the community for the community. It receives no public funding and raises money through its room rentals, fundraising events and applying for funds for specific projects. As such, since January 2010, volunteers have secured funding from a variety of sources to develop and upgrade the castle's facilities.

The co-ordinator's office at the top of the house was part of this development and the pro-active team of volunteers working out of this office have markedly increased castle usage.  Offices on the ground floor have been rented out to the Banff & Macduff Community Trust and the Banffshire Coast Tourism Partnership which helps generates funds to help cover overheads such as gas, electric and insurances.

There is a diverse range of user groups within the castle - from art club to yoga - and the uses are being expanded all the time.  There have been a number of wedding ceremonies since May, four films a month are screened, tv cameras used it as a backdrop for the History of the World programme (Sept 2010 screening), the Talking Banffie & Turra Talk is recorded here, COAST Festival returned for the 3rd time and Banffshire History Festival had its inaugural event here recently.

The West Pavilion development aims to attract even more people to Banff, the castle and its grounds. The folklore centre on the first floor will provide exhibition and creative learning workshop space where people can practice, perform and participate in all artforms: from arts & crafts, to film and music and horticulture.The cafe on the ground floor will have views and access towards the lawn and the hidden walled garden - giving a unique and very sheltered outdoor space to meet and socialise. 

In May 2010 Banff Castle Community Association was awarded funding from the Climate Challenge Fund to insulate, secondary glaze and instigate a number of carbon emission reduction activities. Following due process, monitored by CCF, Jay Wilson was appointed as the part-time, temporary, co-ordinator to oversee these activities. Watch this space for news about the Trash To Fashion project about to be launched and the 'Climate Change 2071' short story competition. Projects already initiated are the landshare initiative and transition network membership, not to mention recycling of waste materials within the castle and today a load of stones was delivered to be reused in the making of the West Flanking Wall.

Apart from the Climate Challenge Project, and the grass cutting by Bill Maurice, all work done at the castle is carried out by volunteers: gardening; bookings; cleaning; events organising and manning, painting and decorating.  If you've got an hour or so free - whether once a day, once a week, fortnight, month or year - and want to do something worthwhile and rewarding for your community we could certainly use your talents. 

The ultimate aim of all these developments is to maintain a community facility for generations to come which is accessible and affordable.