A series of free, short and social walks, exploring the boundary of the ‘Freedom Lands’ granted to the city by Robert the Bruce nearly 700 years ago, will launch on Wednesday 26th July.
The series of 8 walks will cover most of the historical boundary known as the March Stones trail, based around a ring of 67 granite stones measuring 26 miles in total.
Sport Aberdeen, in partnership with charity Paths for All and supported by the Aberdeen City Ranger Service, were able to bring the walking route to life after receiving £10,000 funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Commenting, Sport Aberdeen Director for Sport and Active Lifestyles Jo Bell said:
“There has been a brilliant response to the revival of this little-known gem right on our doorsteps, and we are very excited to launch this series of free walks.
“We have received a huge amount of interest from the local community who are clearly keen to learn more about our city’s hidden treasure
“Sport Aberdeen is committed to creating opportunities for people to get active and would like to offer our thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund, whose support has helped us bring this local project to life.”
How to book your place:
Places can be booked online by clicking here or by calling Sport Aberdeen Walk Leader Brian Harrison on 01224 047928.
The full programme can be viewed here.
Emma Love currently plays netball in the U21 National squad which is sponsored by the University of the West of Scotland, and her local school team.
The 6th year pupil at Robert Gordon’s College was given access to training facilities at Cults Sports Complex thanks to registered charity Sport Aberdeen in the run up to qualifying matches.
Emma was selected to play for the U21 Scotland Team at the Netball Europe Championship which took place in Aberdeen, May 2017, seeing Scotland take Silver Medal.
After the triumph in May, Emma has been selected to represent Scotland at the Netball World Youth Cup, being held in Botswana in July 2017. Twenty countries will compete for the cup including Australia and New Zealand.
Sport Aberdeen Director of Sport and Active Lifestyles, Jo Bell said:
“It is brilliant to see local athletes doing so well at a national level. With backing from community facilities it is my hope that we can support, nurture and encourage more young people to take up sport.
“Sport Aberdeen is committed to creating opportunities and inspiring people of all ages and abilities to participate in physical activity.
“We wish Emma and the Scottish team the very best of luck for July and will continue to support her growing success.”
Caroline Walker Grampian Regional Development Manager, said:
“It is great to have a role model like Emma to inspire the young players in this area. Her achievements reflect her commitment, attitude and effort over a number of years.
“The netball community in Grampian is very proud of Emma and look forward to following the progress of the Scottish Team in July.”
Emma Love also commented:
“Being part of a National squad involves a lot of individual and group training, with the rest of the squad in Glasgow.
“I am very grateful for the support I have received from Sport Aberdeen this year. They made arrangements with Cults Sports complex and I have been able to use the hall at Cults for training and practising.
“The complex is close to my house and has meant that I can continue with my individual training regardless of the weather. This has been invaluable in helping me improve my skills, particularly in the lead up to Netball Europe and the World Youth Cup.”
Award-winning charity Sport Aberdeen revived the historic route as part of a series of free organised walks under the ‘The Big Fit Walk, a national campaign run by Scottish charity Paths for All.
The March Stones trail is based around a ring of 67 granite stones making up the ancient city boundaries. The name derives from the 16th century meaning of march as a boundary.
Further walks will now take place thanks to £10,000 of funding secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund to support events encouraging people to actively explore Aberdeen City. This year Scotland celebrates the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.
Sport Aberdeen Director for Sport and Active Lifestyles Jo Bell said:
“We are delighted that the first March Stones walk has been such a huge success with over 50 people taking part.
“It’s a fabulous response to the revival of this little-known gem right on our doorsteps.
“There’s still plenty of opportunities left to sign up and discover this route for yourself. It’s a great day out for all of the family and a chance to learn more about our great city.”
The next led walk will take place on Saturday 1st July, part of Aberdeen Treasure Hub’s Family Fun Day, and will depart from Aberdeen Treasure Hub, Granitehill Road, Northfield, Aberdeen, AB16 7AX
Times: 1.30- 2.30 (approx.)
Suitable for: All ages. Families welcome.
Other information: Wear clothing suitable for the weather and comfortable shoes
For more information please contact Sport Aberdeen walk leader on Bharrison@sportaberdeen.co.uk or 01224 047928
Active Schools Aberdeen, part of Registered Charity Sport Aberdeen, led much of the extra-curricular sports on offer throughout the year and supported the development of Young Leaders throughout the school.
The sportscotland School Sport Award is a national initiative designed to encourage schools to continuously improve sporting opportunities, with all schools from Scotland invited to apply for the award.
After receiving the silver award last year, Bridge of Don Academy achieved the gold award this year for creating a culture which celebrates sport across the school.
Over the last year the local academy has hosted both an Active Girls Day and an Active Boys Day for P7-S3 pupils to encourage young people to take part in sport and has also expanded their extra-curricular programme and started an Inclusive lunchtime multisport club for Additional Support Needs pupils.
Commenting Sport Aberdeen, Director for Sport and Active Lifestyles Jo Bell said:
“Sport Aberdeen is committed to creating opportunities for young people to take part in physical activity. This award is testament to partnership working between Active Schools and Bridge of Don Academy.
“The school staff, and in particular the PE Department, have been strong supporters of our Active Schools team and what we are aspiring to achieve through the strategy for an active Aberdeen”
Councillor John Wheeler, Education Convener for Aberdeen City Council, said:
“This a fantastic achievement by the staff and pupils at Bridge of Don Academy and it’s great to see yet another Aberdeen school do so well in obtaining national recognition.
“In the short time since I became the new Education Convener I have already been impressed by the hard work and commitment shown by our schools and tangible recognition like the Gold Award is a great motivation for everyone”.
Major works to refit the hockey change area and install a dehumidifier have been planned in addition to the routine maintenance needed to operate an ice rink.
The maintenance, breaking and re-formation of the ice on the ice pad at the Linx Ice Arena is scheduled for every two-three years to maintain the ice to the highest possible standard. Sport Aberdeen today said it was grabbing this opportunity to undertake a wider programme of modernisation.
This has been enabled due to funding secured from external bodies, announcements about which will be made in due course.
To allow the works to take place, the registered charity today advised a three week closure period which will take place from the 17th July until 7th August. The work has been scheduled for this period to minimise impact on clubs and customers.
Commenting, Sport Aberdeen’s Director of Operations, Keith Gerrard, said:
“Ice Aberdeen’s vision is to get more people skating.
“We are grabbing the opportunity of a modest three week closedown to undertake a wider programme of modernisation. It will give us the perfect base to grow our innovative skating programme, and build our capacity to hold excellent events such as the Christmas Show and ice hockey SNL games.
“With our new Learn to Skate Co-Ordinator in place, I hope our customers and clubs are excited as we are about the future direction of the rink. We are grateful for their support during the short closedown and look forward to unveiling the results.”
The public will be able to keep up to date with progress through the Linx Ice Arena Facebook page.
The free event, which was held at Aberdeen Sports Village on Monday (19th June), welcomed over 300 girls, from secondary 2-4, from 10 different Aberdeen City schools throughout the day.
The sport and physical activity extravaganza addressed issues surrounding barriers to young girls taking part in sport by offering a unique mix of activities, aimed at engaging with the girls, including talks on mental and physical health delivered by the committee themselves.
The ‘Girl’s Big Day Out’ also welcomed Maureen Watt MSP, Minister for Mental Health, in efforts to raise awareness and seek backing for their plans to increase participation in sport and physical activity throughout Aberdeen City.
Commenting, Maureen Watt MSP, Minister for Mental Health, said:
“We know that an active lifestyle has a huge impact not just on our physical health, but on our mental wellbeing too – and the Scottish Government is committed to increasing the participation, engagement and promotion of women in sport.
“That’s why I’m really pleased to be here today to see the positive impact the Active Girls Committee has already had and hear how it’s breaking down some of the barriers to young girls taking part in sport. I’d especially like to congratulate the girls on the committee – they’re a real inspiration and great role models for their peers.”
Commenting, Sport Aberdeen’s Director for Sport and Active Lifestyles, Jo Bell, said:
“The determined young women behind this project are on track to creating positive change and I believe by harnessing this inspiring energy that a real difference can be made and more girls can be motivated to take part in sports.
“We were delighted to have the Minister here today to hear about the work of the Active Girls Committee. The group is led by girls, for girls, and this innovative approach is already having a real impact on participation.
“Sport isn’t just about excellence, but about keeping fit, having fun and spending time with friends. This is really reflected in the girl’s big day out and it was great to see so many young women enjoying the exciting activities on offer. Every girl is different and that’s why we had martial arts, make-up and quidditch on offer today.”
The Fun Run Series, run by registered charity Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools, took place across five venues, Bridge of Don, Cults, Harlaw, Kingswells and Sheddocksley, with each venue running one event per week over a four-week period.
Historically the event had been limited to P4-7 pupils, but this year Active Schools introduced races for P1-P3 pupils, bringing together more young people from across Aberdeen.
Over 695 pupils registered at the various venues, and 499 of these pupils took part in three or more races.
The Fun Run Series culminated in a Champion of Champions event, which took place on Wednesday 14th June, where the top finishers from local schools at each venue were invited to take part in finals.
Commenting, Sport Aberdeen Director for Sport and Active Lifestyles Jo Bell said:
“Sport Aberdeen is committed to creating opportunities and inspiring more people to take part in physical activity regardless of age and ability. I am thrilled that so many pupils have taken part in the Fun Run Series. With the new option for younger children to take part I hope this will spark an interest in sport even earlier.
“My eldest son has previously taken part in the school Fun Run’s and thoroughly enjoyed himself. He has even taken up running with his friends as a result, so I have seen the impact that community events like these can have!
“This is a brilliant event and one I hope to see go from strength to strength!”
The long-haul Longest Day Golf Challenge, which takes place on Wednesday 21st June, is a UK-wide event where fundraising teams take on four rounds of golf back to back. This works out to be 72 holes played, around 300 shots hit and approximately 20 miles walked in one day.
The day will start at around 6am at Balnagask Golf Course with a finish of around 10.30pm at the MacKenzie Championship Course at Hazlehead, with all four Sport Aberdeen golf courses being played throughout the day.
The event is part of a national fundraising campaign by MacMillan Cancer Support and is a true endurance test for golfers. Across the country over 3,000 teams took on the challenge last year and raised £1.5 million to help people affected by cancer.
This year, Sport Aberdeen have 17 golfers taking part and are well on the way to achieving their £1,500 target.
Commenting, Sport Aberdeen’s Director of Business Development Jill Franks said:
“Last year seven members of Sport Aberdeen took part and raised £1,050 for MacMillan Cancer Support. This year we want to go bigger and better and raise as much money as possible for the charity.
“Sport Aberdeen is committed to playing a positive role in our community, and this initiative has been led from the beginning by colleagues using their own time. It’s a positive reflection upon the company and I wish my colleagues all the best on this test of endurance!”
A Just Giving page has been set up to fundraise for the event here.
Previous winners joined Active Aberdeen Partnership Chairman Tony Dawson to mark the opening of 17 award categories recognising contributions made by local athletes, volunteers and clubs in encouraging individuals to be active.
This non-profit event is presented by the Active Aberdeen Partnership, a collective of key sport and physical activity organisations in Aberdeen who together are actively promoting sport, physical activity and health opportunities within the city.
The 2017 awards will include revamped categories in line with the Sport Scotland annual awards. Mr Dawson today urged people across Aberdeen to get involved and pay tribute to the “silent cheerleaders” of sport who often go unnoticed.
Commenting, Active Aberdeen Partnership Chairman Tony Dawson said:
“These awards are a fantastic opportunity to recognise the silent cheerleaders of sport in our community.
“It might be the volunteer who spends every weekend refereeing your community football team, or the talented athlete on your street who inspires your own children to get out and get active.
“Aberdeen’s Sports Awards celebrates the city’s wealth of sporting talent and acknowledges the many facilities, clubs, coaches and volunteers that enable participation across the city.
“This non-profit event is a fantastic representation of the work of the Active Aberdeen Partnership, and I would urge everyone to get involved.
“There is still time to sponsor some of our categories, so I would also urge any business or individual looking to support community sport to get in touch to find out more about they can get involved.”
Sara Paterson, Head coach to Aberdeen Synchronized ice skating club and Team Zariba, said:
“As a club we have been involved with Aberdeen’s Sports Awards since its initiation. It’s always a fantastic night that brings all the sports in the city together.
“It’s always amazing to hear other people’s stories and accomplishments. I was lucky enough to be awarded coach of year last year and it really was an honour. It’s so nice to be recognised for the work we do all year.”
Kieran Henderson who won Junior Sports Coach of the Year for volunteering as a football coach with AFCCT, said:
“Winning the Young Coach of the Year award last year was a great experience. It gave me extra confidence and opened up amazing opportunities.
“It’s a great way to recognise the fantastic work going in the city, and I am honoured to still be working hard and developing as a coach. Hopefully this years’ Awards will help other people in the same way they helped and inspired me last year.”
Hannah Gray, 2016 Junior Female Achiever of the Year winner, also commented:
“Aberdeen’s Sports Awards were really inspirational and it was great meeting many Olympians who have done amazing things in their sports. The awards raise great awareness of sports that aren’t often as popular and highlight the people who do amazing things in the community who aren’t always recognised.”
The closing date for applications is 25th August 2017. Click here for more information and the list of categories.
The Baker Hughes 10K Running Festival, organised by registered charity Sport Aberdeen attracts thousands of runners and spectators each year, and this year celebrated its 30th year.
Michael Hopkins and Jill Grant met by chance at last year’s race and after three dates, the rest, as they say, is history.
The couple returned to celebrate 30 years of the road race and a year since they met, with the news of an engagement and wedding plans for 2019.
Commenting, Sport Aberdeen’s Director of Business Development Jill Franks said:
“From racing down the Beach Boulevard to racing down the aisle, we have been spellbound by Jill and Michael’s story.
“In its 30-year history the Baker Hughes 10k Running Festival has played host to so many wonderful tales, however I think this might be the first where the race has led to wedding bells.
“On behalf of the organisers I’d like to wish Jill and Michael all the best for their future together.
“We hope that they can save the date for next year’s race!”
Marketing & Communications Specialist for Baker Hughes, Lesley McMullan said:
“Congratulations to Jill and Michael from all of us at Baker Hughes, we hope they continue to run the Baker Hughes 10K together for many happy years to come!”
Michael’s story:
Jill Grant and I met at the Baker Hughes 10K Running Festival on the 15th of May 2016. The story, as it goes, is that I was at a friend’s birthday party in Cove on the 14th and didn’t get to bed until 2am. I didn’t make it back to, Stonehaven where I was living then.
The next morning at 8am I got up, feeling a little worse for wear, but made it to one of the bus stops in Cove to go down the Aberdeen beach, where the race starts. I missed my bus by two minutes! I started walking along the way and one of Jill’s friends, unbeknown to me at this point, Jodie Milne, noticed that I was doing the race (with my number on the front of my t-shirt) and asked if I would like a lift.
We got to the beach and started chatting.10 minutes later Jill appeared and asked who I was, Jodie explained we had only met 30 minutes ago! We all chatted more before the race and promised to meet at the end to see how we got on, as this was everyone’s first Baker Hughes 10K.
We all met at the end and exchanged numbers. Three dates later Jill and I were an item. Since then I have moved to Aberdeen. Jill and I both agreed to do the Baker Hughes again for the 30th year.
We attended the same birthday in Cove this year, however he is now my joint best men. I proposed to Jill in Pitlochry in March as a secret for her birthday. We are planning get married in May 2019