ANNUAL REPORT 2017 BIRSE COMMUNITY TRUST Birse Parish Birse Parish covers over 125 sq.kms. (50 sq.mls.) of Mid Deeside. The four main parts of the parish are the three local communities of Finzean, Ballogie and Birse and the largely uninhabited Forest of Birse. There are more than 600 voters on the Electoral Register covering the parish, which has a total population of over 800 living in around 300 households. BCT is directly involved in managing fourteen sites in Birse parish on behalf of the community. The sites are marked on the map and the legal basis of BCT’s involvement in each is listed right. R . N e De Aboyne R. Dee D R. e e W E 3 B99 Birsemore 13 S 12 Bir se rse Allancreich Potarch Bi 93 of A rn Oldy leiper Bu 11 Marywell Slidderybrae Glen Tanar B9 Newmill Balf our 76 Ballogie Brownw Hill Shannel 10 Midstrath Coulnacraig ie 14 n BBogieshielo n i B D 9 t t 7 l 6 A CCreagandummier Corsedardar Hill 9 Balnahar d ttie Glenca t f Ca n o Tillygarmond Bur 8 7 Carnferg Craig Lash Boghead 6 B976 Lamahip 5 4 Finzean Church B F Whitestone o i g n l Brackenstakek tu e Clinter Hill of r t Finzean k s Duchery B B 3 u ur r n n n Wester Clune Powlair 2 L a i r d W d Ballochan ate s r of ugh s Fe B B u Forest Auchabrack u r r n Kirk n Aven of Glen Dye r e at 1 Forest of Birse W BIRSE PARISH Peter Hill Parish boundary Ba udnacauner Gannochh n BCT site ve f A o BCT forests Cocko Hill er at W Public roads Tampie 150 - 300m 300 - 450m Hill of Cammiemm 0 1km 2km 450m upwards Glen Esk 0 1 mile 1. Forest of Birse Commonty. Ancient rights (>3,750 ha.) 8. Birse Parish Archive. Ownership (<1 ha.) 2. The Bucket Mill. Ownership (c.1 ha.) 9. Corsedardar. Long term lease (<1 ha.) 3. Finzean Sawmill. Ownership (c.1 ha.) 10. Slewdrum Forest. Ownership (173 ha.) 4. Finzean Community Woods. Long term leases (17 ha.) 11. Ballogie Soutar’s Shop. Ownership (building only) 5. Finzean Community Path. Long term lease (<1 ha.) 12. Birse Kirk. Ownership (<1 ha.) 6. Finzean School Wood. Long term lease (<1 ha.) 13. Birse Community Hall. Ownership (<1 ha.) 7. Finzean Old School. Ownership (<1 ha.) 14. Balfour Forest. Ownership (241 ha.) 2 Introduction This Annual Report will provide a summary of what the Trust achieved in 2017, the current financial situation of the Trust and also give an overview of our plans for 2018. BCT Trustees (from left to right) Hedge Shand (trustee) Jonathan Kitching (trustee) Jane Winton (BCT administrator) Doug Boyle (trustee) John Hector (trustee) Guy Haslam (Chair) 3 Summary of 2017 BCT has had a very successful year in 2017 - its 19th full year of operation. The Trust has continued to grow and deliver projects on behalf of the community. The highlights were: Slewdrum and Balfour Forests The Finzean Water Mills A programme of thinning was The Trust has continued its work to completed on the south west side of repair the weir at the Saw Mill which Balfour Forest during 2017. Balfour was damaged in the January 2016 Forest also provided a venue for the floods. This has taken longer than Scottish 6 Day Orienteering anticipated and we are looking to Championships, whilst Slewrum Forest complete the final section of the weir hosted a horse carriage driving event in 2018. The Trust has been working during the summer. A mobile telephone with both SEPA and the River Dee mast was installed in Slewdrum Forest Fisheries Board to balance the need to during 2017, which generates an annual get water to the Mills and also allow rental income for BCT. fish to move up the river to spawn – Some of the thinning timber in Balfour Forest awaiting uplift to the mill 4 The partially repaired weir at Finzean Sawmill the weir was the largest obstacle to fish movement in the River Dee catchment area. The final design has a notch in the central section to allow fish to move up the river even when the water level is low. When the work is completed, BCT will have spent over £20,000 repairing the weirs, with over Replacement picnic bench in Finzean School Wood 85% of this funded by grants. Finzean Community Path and Woods path, disturbing farm animals and ground nesting birds and also trying to The Trust continues to maintain the reduce the amount of dog mess on the Finzean Community Path and School path. We would be extremely grateful Wood, including replacing the picnic of any help local people can give us in bench in the wood (with donations these areas. from Finzean Community Council and Community Association). We have also The BCT Archive thinned some trees around the houses at Boghead behind the old Post Office. In the last 4 months of 2017, we have completed a thorough review of the We continue to manage two issues - Archive and ensured that all the people walking into fields close to the material is properly stored. 5 Scottish 6 Day Orienteering Championships headquarters set up in the field adjacent to Balfour Forest Other Events • The Trustees presented their plans to the community at the AGM in May. As part of the AGM the trustees hosted guided visits to the sawmill, turning mill and weir for anyone who wished to learn more about the buildings and ongoing projects. • The Trust organised the annual Remembrance Day Service at Corsedarder on Sunday 12th Nov, attended by over 40 people. Trustees hosting guided tours of the Sawmill, Turning Mill and Weir as part of the AGM Remembrance Day service on Corsedardar 6 Plans for 2018 people who are interested in maintaining the Mills can help the The Water Mills Mills project manager. If you are interested in helping, please contact We plan to complete the repair of the BCT on our e-mail address. weir and continue to maintain the Finzean Mills. We are also planning to The Archive and Finzean Old School complete two new projects. Following on from the review of the • Firstly, the Trust was one of three Archive, we are looking to start a 2-3 selected charities in the Tesco “Bags year project to develop the Archive and for Life” scheme in November and to make it more accessible using December 2017. As a result of the Finzean Old School. Currently, the Old support we received (thank you) School holds the BCT Office and the Tesco have given us a £2,000 Primary School Library/Reading Room donation which will allow us to and we want to look at options to make install an information noticeboard in better use of this building. This will be the car park opposite the Saw Mill a long term project which will involve and help us to maintain the Mills. grant funding applications etc. We will • Secondly, we are planning to set up report back on our progress both at the a “Friends of the Mills” group so that AGM and in the 2018 Annual Report. The Bucket Mill in the Forst of Birse 7 The entrance to The Foggage track, a very popular circular walking route through Balfour Forest Walking Routes put in separate accounts while the Trustees identify the best way to use Through BTCo, we are looking at ways this money for the benefit for the to improve access at both Slewdrum community. and Balfour Forests. This project will be based around our forestry thinning For more information on BTCo please operations with the initial step being to go to BCT’s website. install information signs identifying walking routes, noting that we do not BCT Anniversary have any plans to develop the sites into 2018 is the 20th Anniversary of Birse large scale organised walking areas. Community Trust and the Trustees are looking at potential ways to mark this Birse Trading Company (BTCo) milestone. It is a significant BTCo is a wholly owned subsidiary of achievement as many Community BCT which manages Slewdrum and Trusts do not make it past 10 years. Balfour Forests. During 2017, BCT received donations totalling £40,000 from BTCo. These donations have been 8 Direction In particular the trustees would like to thank Robin Callander for the huge In the first 20 years of development, amount of time he gave in setting up BCT has very much focused in the Trust and getting it to where it is establishing itself as a successful today. Robin has decided to and reduce community business with BCT the work he does for BCT, although he focusing on forests and buildings and will still be available to provide advice in establishing a secure income where required. stream. The Trustees now believe that we need to focus on increasing our engagement with the community, as the feedback we have received has been that BCT has in some areas become disconnected from the community. The Trustees are very keen to close this perceived gap, realising that this will take time. Robert and Dorothy Dinnie People working or volunteering for BCT At the AGM Robert Dinnie stood down The trustees would like to thank those as our Paton of 9 years. Robert was people who have either worked or one of the founding trustees and along volunteered their time for BCT – their with the help of wife Dorothy have support is invaluable and without them given 19 years of dedicated service to BCT would not be what it is today.