Portsoy Salmon Bothy

Gearing up for Festival Weekend...

2011-06-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

Well, this weekend will see the 18th Scottish Traditional Boat Festival so there will be much excitement around the Bothy. We have an array of talented musicians taking to the stage upstairs at the Bothy including Harp playing duo Sileas, Sea Shantie workshops with The Keelers, A whisky Experience with The Whisky Bard, Robin Laing and lots lots more.

The museum has a fantastic display of model fishing boats, as well as offering insight into every aspect of fishing life. We are proud to have many pieces of equipment on display that were used at the Salmon Bothy, keeping them in their rightful home. This year we have a new DVD on sale which was made with pupils from the local primary school. It includes footage of the fishing out of Portsoy and covers the history of the Harbour, Salmon Fishing and Railways in Portsoy.

Outside over the weekend, around the harbour there is an astounding variety of craft, music, food and of course, all things maritime to satisfy all ages, all interests.

See www.scottishtraditionalboatfestival.co.uk for further info - you can download a programme for the whole weekend.

Lets hope the weather is kind to us...

Shepheard Spiers and Watson (pictured)who will be singing and telling stories upstairs at the Bothy over the weekend.

Festival of Museums

2011-05-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

What a weekend!

Friday night, the Bothy welcomed top guitarist Andy Clayburn all the way from New York City. His family stay near Portsoy hence his visit and the we felt extremely privileged to host this excellent musician. A packed out Bothy was proof of this man’s talent and popularity, and he certainly did not disappoint. Playing a variety of his own songs and the likes of the Stones, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, the we really were in for a treat. We hope he will come back to the Bothy on his next UK (Portsoy) visit.

Festival Of Museums - Farming around Portsoy: The way it was.

Saturday - The picture sums it up. It really was a jam packed day. Traditional cookery demos from Liz Ashworth and Jill Urquhart ensured we were well fed. Porridge for breakfast, local smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for lunch and freshly made bannocks with a dollop of jam from Letty's Preserves for afternoon tea!

An array of fascinating artefacts were on display both inside and outside the bothy. An old Fordson Major tractor, a Reaper that had been made in the local MacDonald Brothers Foundry, Butter Churns, and Milk bottles were amongst some of the exhibits. All items were very kindly lent from local people from nearby farms. A presentation of digital images showed a selection of local historical farming photographs allowing people to sit down, reminisce and take it all in to the tune of traditional Bothy ballads typical to this area.

We are so grateful to all our wonderful volunteers who helped to put the exhibition together and to those who were kind enough to lend us their treasured items for everyone to enjoy.

The Saturday night continued the theme with traditional Bothy Ballads, dancing, singing and participation…It really was a rare nicht!

See some more photos at www.salmonbothy.org.uk/archive.html

The Steadfast Tin Soldier at the Bothy

2011-04-10T13:51:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 6th April - Puppet Show at the Bothy

Many thanks to all who came along to Wednesday afternoon's puppet show, The
Steadfast Tin Soldier. It was a great success with almost a full house
(about 50-50 adults to kids), and our thanks go to Joy Haynes of
Banyan Theatre for her skill and technique in telling a story, and
keeping calm a crowd of very young children. A lovely lady and a
gifted performer.

It ended the way all puppet shows should - with the grown-ups wiping
away a clandestine tear, and the kids jumping around planning their
next raid on the ice cream shop.

Special thanks to Joy, her roadie Ian Halket of the Folding Theatre
Company; John and Helen Munro for doing almost everything else - box
office, raffle, stickers, balloons and general jollity and did I say
balloons?; Doris and Anne for being kind and looking after everybody;
and thanks to our latest recruit, Ursula who was very helpful. May
they all live happily ever after ....
The end.

see: http://www.puppetanimationfestival.org/content/template.php?listing_id=540&day=6&month=4&year=2011 for info on the Puppet animation festival

2010-11-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

Cash in the Bothy at Quality Napkins

Bothy volunteers Moya (left) and Jack Elliott (right) found a bothy
full of cash when they visited John Hall at his Quality Napkins shop
in Aberchirder’s Main Street. Mr Hall had kindly offered to put a
charity box for the bothy on his counter, and former art teacher Jack built this special miniature wooden version of the bothy as a
collection box.

In just a fortnight, the box held the magnificent total of £269. The
money was donated by visitors to the shop, who had enjoyed the free coffee and delicious home-baked scones served in the shop’s tabled area. Every month, the donations box is exchanged for one from another local charity, so if you want to help the bothy, get down to Foggie this month!

Bothy awarded Provisional Accreditation

The Salmon Bothy has taken a giant step towards becoming a four star Visit Scotland attraction, and offering an even better experience to visitors. The bothy’s museum has been awarded provisional museum accreditation by Museums Galleries Scotland, the body which acts as the voice and expert body for over 350 Scottish museums and galleries.

Sinclair Broomfield is one of the volunteers on the bothy’s accreditation group.
He explains: “Accreditation is important because it demonstrates that we offer a good experience to our visitors, and recognises the quality of care for our collections.
“Now that we are a member of Museums Galleries Scotland, it also gives us access to services and information about museum development.
“It’s great to be part of a big organisation like MGS. We can use their experience and expert advice for things like lighting and audio systems. “They can advise us on funding and we get access to grants and training.“This will help us to achieve a four star visitor attraction rating with Visit Scotland.”

Bothy director Anne McArthur (left) and accreditation group member Nessie Gray examine the new paddles which help visitors to understand the objects in the museum

The bothy is the

headquarters for the Scottish Traditional Boat festival, and is owned by the festival. Festival chairman Roger Goodyear added: “We’re absolutely delighted to achieve such a major step forward, particularly after our recent awards for the restoration of the building.“This wasn’t an easy task, and was a real team effort.” The accreditation process has been going on for the past two years, but the really intensive work started just over a year ago.

Mr Broomfield paid tribute to the accreditation team of volunteers. “We are very pleased indeed, and it is also great credit to the rest of the accreditation sub group – Leanne Watt, Moya Elliott, Nessie Gray, Roger Goodyear, Sandra Cumming, Len Murray, Hazel Broomfield and Dr Bertie.”

Mr Broomfield paid tribute to the museum’s curatorial advisor, Dr David Bertie of Aberdeenshire Council: “He and his staff have been very helpful. I am particularly pleased for Leanne, the bothy manager, currently on maternity leave, for all her hard work.”
Mr Broomfield explained the main improvements to the museum which have resulted: “All objects are now labelled, and linked to hand-held information paddles which explain what the objects are. “There are also files containing additional information for people to dip into. It is much more organised for the visitor.”

To reach the national accreditation standard, museums must meet requirements for disabled access, recording feedback from visitors, record keeping, the care of collections, security, and developing systems for recording what the museum holds, and where it comes from. Other tasks include monitoring temperature and humidity, and health and safety. Mr Broomfield said: “As is normal practice, our first accreditation is a provisional one for six months, but the list of conditions we have to meet for full accreditation is very short, and achievable.

“We have been told by MGS that our application was a very good one, and that it is unusual to have been given such a short list of conditions for full accreditation.”
Museums with full accreditation are eligible to participate in a new Quality Improvement System. Accreditation will also be seen as evidence of good practice to other funders and potential donors.

But the bothy had to fight the clock when the relevant governing body – the Museum Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) - was chopped in the latest bonfire of the quangos, announced by the Westminster government last week. And the bothy made it in the nick of time, when they were granted accreditation by the very last meeting of the Museum Libraries and Archives Council. If the bothy application had not been considered at this meeting, it would have meant having to re-write their application to a new set of standards.

Mr Broomfield explained: “If we had missed that final meeting, the rules would have changed, and it would have been much more complicated.“We are very pleased to have beaten that very important deadline. We only heard half way through the process that the MLA was going – it certainly sharpened our minds wonderfully.” The rush meant a very intense nine months work to draw together the complex application paperwork needed. The museum is housed in the three former brick-vaulted ice chambers of the 175 year old building.

Specially designed lighting adds to the atmosphere of the rooms, which still are as cool and dark as they were in the days they were used to store ice. The museum tells the story of the growth of the town on illustrated information panels, and by models, old tools and even a small sailing boat. The outer chamber describes the growth of the town and the harbours. The middle chamber describes the other industries and trade of the town, including Portsoy marble, the foundry, ropeworks, and smuggling. The innermost chamber is devoted to the salmon netting industry which was carried out from the bothy, and has two cases with superb scale models showing salmon nets rigged up. The museum also has a small shop area, selling souvenirs of the bothy and the boat festival.

The museum is open this week from Wednesday until Friday from 2-4pm, and 11.30am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday. From next week, the museum goes into its winter timetable, when it is closed on weekdays, and open from 2-4pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Our newest volunteer: Fearghal Wilson Watt.

Fearghal was only three weeks old when mum Leanne took him down to the bothy for the first time to meet the volunteers. He was guest of honour at the September volunteers' meeting, which also included a baby shower for him.
Any regrets that we had lost Leanne (temporarily) as manager at the bothy while she takes her maternity leave, were instantly forgotten as soon as Fearghal appeared, accompanied by mum and dad, Matthew.
Fearghal behaved impeccably through the business meeting and all the coo-cooing which followed - although Leanne predicted that he was just resting ahead of a busy night!
Everyone wishes the family a wonderful time together, and hope to see them at the bothy as often as possible, and of course, look forward to Leanne's return to the manager's office.

Festival time in Portsoy!

2010-06-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

Its that time of year again that Portsoy Harbour area is a hive of activity, and we can look forward to the usual feast of delights on our very doorstep this weekend.

This post is long over due, just like the sunshine and warm weather which we are convinced will see us through to the weekend and beyond!!

The Bothy has had a busy time over the last couple of months with some spectacular activities including talks from local historians, music recitals from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Theatre performances such as Whisky Kisses. We are so privileged to showcase such high quality local talent.

We are also pleased to be the venue for a range of fantastic classes, clubs and gatherings, not to mention the ever popular, monthly Folk Club.

We held a splendid WWII exhibition over Easter and we were bowled over by the number and quality of artefacts lent to the museum for the weekend, and the response it got, so much so that we will definitely run another exhibition of this sort.

Now we have a great Summer ahead, kicking off with the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival this weekend when we will host a great range of music workshops and performances, part funded by the Banff and Buchan Arts Forum. From fiddle workshops to playing bones, to traditional song and theatre – it will all be covered and should make for a great weekend.

See www.scottishtraditionalboatfestival.co.uk for more information.

Keep an eye out for more details of the summer workshops and activities planned for the Bothy such as children’s treasure hunt, celebrate the salmon day, exhibitions, competitions and more…

Check www.salmonbothy.org.uk/whatson.html for more details.

Take part in our Hunt the Salmon Competition – look 12 decorated Salmon in the windows of shops, hotels and cafes in Portsoy, complete an entry form and bring it back to the Bothy to claim your prize… (Forms available from Salmon Bothy, Portsoy Ice Cream Shop, Bookends)

See you soon!

Come on Spring Time

2010-02-03T05:26:00.000-08:00

Well it’s February already and hopefully spring time is just around the corner. January was its usual cold and bleak self but at the Salmon Bothy it gave us a chance to look forward to the exciting activities that lie ahead.

This week sees the introduction of two new groups at the Bothy - firstly Yoga with Lorna Summers which is now running on Tuesday's at 7.00- 9.00. So if you feel the need to do some stretching and relaxation after a hectic festive season now is the time to start.

The second group is the Family History Saturday Club. This group will have its first meeting this Saturday the 6th Feb at 2pm. It is hoped that we attract a group of like-minded individuals who want to pursue their own family history research but who are willing to share ideas, tips and techniques with others. It is planned to have a different topic/speaker/workshop each time we meet so that people can participate in practical activities as well as learn things they didn't know before about family history research.

In March we will become more cultured than usual with a performance by a group of musicians from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. We will have the pleasure of hosting a woodwind ensemble for two performances on the 2nd of March - one late afternoon and one in the evening. With the excellent aucoustics in the Bothy, it should be a night to remember. Tickets will go on sale at the Salmon Bothy and online at www.thebooth.co.uk

At the end of March Portsoy will welcome its first professional theatre company. In association with the Salmon Bothy and North East Arts Touring, Shakespeare vs Shakespeare will be performed by the Charioteer Theatre Company on Friday 26th March at Portsoy Town Hall. Again tickets will go on sale at the Salmon Bothy and online at www.thebooth.co.uk

We also have our ongoing clubs and activities. The Craft Club will return on 25th Feb, the Camera club is already going strong every second Wednesday evening and the Folk Club is gearing up for a fully fledged music festival in May, not forgetting a special Ballads and Burns night at the Bothy on 26th February. See the Website for more details:

So lots going on and lots that you can get involved in including Volunteering opportunities.

Please pop by the Bothy for more information on anything detailed here.

Seasons Greetings from the Salmon Bothy

2009-12-11T08:55:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous Christmas party on Wednesday night with carol singing from the Local Vocals, as well as some festive favourites from Graham Legge on mandolin and guitar. The Bothy was packed with festive cheer and the warm sausage rolls and mince pies from Donald’s the Baker went down very well indeed! The icing on the cake were the twinkling lights and sparkling decorations kindly (and very tastefully) put up by Lenny the caretaker.

Overall it was a fantastic end to what has been a very eventful year for the Bothy, all credit to those involved. Although it is not over yet. We still have out monthly Folk club on 18th December upstairs which will sure to be the usual treat.

From now on in it’ll be preparation for the New Year ahead with a great programme of talks to look out for starting in February and our ongoing activities (details attached) which will start up again in January. We are always open to new ideas for activities, so please tell us if there is something you would like to see here.

New Year Activities…
If you cannot find something that interests you, why not start up your own club?

Knitting
Come along and bring your knitting…all welcome
Meets Mondays from 10-12 from Monday 12th January onwards

Craft Club
Bring along your favourite craft and meet up for an informal session where you can share ideas and inspiration. Thursdays at 7pm (every two weeks) The group will meet once every two weeks, more details of starting date from Bothy.

Camera Club
Bring your photos and your camera if you wish. Offering a chance for budding photographers of any level of experience to get together informally to swap experiences, techniques and ideas. Monthly themes are adopted giving you the chance to show off your best pic.
Wednesday’s -third wed every month

Art Class
Painting class led by Jack Elliot.
Meets Friday’s 2pm – 4pm

Folk at the Salmon Bothy -New Year Ceilidh - January 2nd at the Station Hotel.

November 16th

2009-11-16T14:41:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Bothy Blog, a place to find out the current happenings at the Bothy. We welcome new ideas and input from everyone so please do post your thoughts...and tell us what you think.

This week I've been working on the development of the Bothy website and it is now ready to view on www.salmonbothy.org.uk. It is entering its testing phase so please provide any feedback you have regarding design and functionality. It will replace, but still link to, our previous site www.salmonbothy.co.uk which has provided a valuable foundation for the re-design.

Sunday saw the last of our Sunday talks -another very interesting presentation from Pete Danks about the Faering Project - now known as PORT (Portsoy Restoration and Training) a group of young people who run their own boatbuilding workshops. They are doing amazing things and continue to grow and develop- looking into new premises, purchasing kits and teaching the skills to build them. The projects fulfils not only practical skills training but also proves to develop social skills, confidence, communication, team working - all very important life skills which set them up for finishing school and making their own way in the world.

Friday night was a less than usual Friday 13th for us as we embarked on a film shoot of 'Folk at the Salmon Bothy'. But not any normal Folk evening.... This was a Hogmanay themed evening complete with Big Ben sounding out the Bells at midnight as well as good spirits (in both senses of the phrase) and first footers. The recording which featured several very talented musicians, compered by Lorna Summers and Bob Philips was recorded by James Kerr and Bob and will be posted on YouTube on Hogmanay. You can have a look at some still images of the process here. We will be doing our own count down so look out for more news on that coming soon….