Latest news with #Huntly
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Councillor seeks clarity over house fire response
A councillor has called for clarification on how it was decided which crew was alerted first to a fire which destroyed two homes in Ballater at the weekend. The local on-call crew from the town was at a wildfire near Huntly and the next nearest unit in Aboyne was unavailable due to staffing problems. Aberdeenshire councillor Geva Blackett has raised questions about the order in which crews were sent. It took nearly 50 minutes for firefighters to get to the scene from Tomintoul - about 24 miles (38km) away. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said it would always attend every emergency using the nearest available appliance. It took the Tomintoul crew 49 minutes to arrive at the scene of the incident, followed by crews from Stonehaven (40 miles/64km away), Banchory (24 miles/38km) and Braemar (17 miles/27km). All the fire stations in the area are operated by on-call firefighters who respond to incidents using a pager. Nobody was injured in the incident, which destroyed two homes, one of them a council house. However, independent councillor Ms Blackett said she had concerns about where some of the fire crews were coming from. She said: "I have e-mailed one of the officers and asked for a bit of clarification. "I'm sure there's a very good reason why Stonehaven came out before Banchory, but I'd like to know what that is." Listen to news from North East Scotland on BBC Sounds More stories from North East Scotland, Orkney and Shetland Craig McGoldrick, assistant chief officer at SFRS, said: "We will always attend every emergency and mobilise the nearest available appliance to an incident using our standard mobilisation practices. "We were alerted at 17:26 on Saturday 28 June, to reports of a fire affecting two properties on Swann Place, Ballater. "Operations control mobilised three appliances to the scene from Tomintoul, Stonehaven and Banchory community fire stations." He said that due to "repeat calls" another appliance was sent from Braemar. "The Aboyne appliance was not available due to staffing at the time of this incident," he added. "There were no reported casualties and our crews worked to bring this incident to a safe conclusion." Homes evacuated as firefighters tackle property blaze
The Herald Scotland
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Another Scottish Tory defects to Farage's Reform UK
Knight said she felt left behind by the Conservative Party. She noted: 'I am committed to being a strong voice for those who are too often unheard and to working tirelessly to ensure that every child, regardless of their needs, is given the opportunity to thrive. This is not just a political responsibility — it is a personal mission. 'Scotland has been abandoned by the two-party establishment, which continues to prioritise self-interests and party politics over genuine change," Knight added. Lauren Knight represents Huntly in Aberdeenshire (Image: Aberdeenshire Council) The Huntly councillor's defection was presaged by the departure of four other Conservatives. Former council chief Mark Findlater, Mearns councillor Laurie Carnie, Ellon councillor John Crawley, and East Garioch councillor Dominic Lonchay have also joined Reform UK. Councillors Robbie Withey and John Cox have also signed up to the party, but continue to sit as independents. Glasgow City Council's Thomas Kerr, who defected to Reform UK in January, travelled to Aberdeenshire to welcome Knight to the party. Kerr said: 'Lauren Knight brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to Reform UK and I'm delighted to welcome her onto our team. 'We're now Scotland's fastest growing political movement and it's clear why – the SNP, Labour and Tories have broken Scotland. Reform is on a mission to fix it.' Read more: Aberdeen councillor Duncan Massey defects to Reform Analysis: Scottish Tories face 'existential crisis' as Reform support grows Finally, we have proof the BBC is helping Reform. It's become a danger to democracy A Scottish Tory spokesman said: "Under Russell Findlay, we're reconnecting with common sense conservative values of enterprise, self-reliance, fiscal responsibility and the rule of law. 'Every poll shows that Reform will only help the SNP. As we saw in last year's general election, they handed several seats to the SNP which would have otherwise gone to a pro-UK party. "Reform are likely to stand pro-independence candidates in the 2026 election and Nigel Farage has even said he's not worried about the SNP getting another five years in power. 'The Scottish Conservatives will continue to work hard to rebuild trust with disillusioned voters by holding the failing SNP Government to account and promoting common sense conservative values."
RNZ News
12-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
New facility to recycle construction waste near Huntly
A new facility near Huntly will process more than 60 tonnes of construction waste per hour, aiming to divert over 100,000 tonnes of construction waste from landfill. Building researchers BRANZ say typically 40 to 50 per cent of all construction waste goes to landfill. The $16 million Green Gorilla facility in Rotowaro opened this week. The project was co-funded by a $4 million grant from the Ministry for the Environment's Waste Minimisation Fund. The facility will be taking waste from South Auckland, Waikato, Thames-Coromandel, and the Bay of Plenty. Green Gorilla chief executive is Elaine Morgan. Photo: Supplied by Green Gorilla
The Herald Scotland
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Conservative Cllr Lauren Knight joins Nigel Farage's party
Knight said she felt left behind by the Conservative Party. She noted: 'I am committed to being a strong voice for those who are too often unheard and to working tirelessly to ensure that every child, regardless of their needs, is given the opportunity to thrive. This is not just a political responsibility — it is a personal mission." 'Scotland has been abandoned by the two-party establishment, which continues to prioritise self-interests and party politics over genuine change," Knight added. Lauren Knight represents Huntly in Aberdeenshire. (Image: Aberdeenshire Council) The Huntly councillor's defection was presaged by the departure of four other Conservatives. Former council chief Mark Findlater, Mearns councillor Laurie Carnie, Ellon councillor John Crawley, and East Garioch councillor Dominic Lonchay have also joined Reform UK. Councillors Robbie Withey and John Cox have also signed up to the party, but continue to sit as independents. Glasgow City Council's Thomas Kerr, who defected to the party in January, travelled to Aberdeenshire to welcome Knight to the party. Kerr said: 'Lauren Knight brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to Reform UK and I'm delighted to welcome her onto our team. 'We're now Scotland's fastest growing political movement and it's clear why – the SNP, Labour and Tories have broken Scotland. Reform is on a mission to fix it.' Read more: Aberdeen councillor Duncan Massey defects to Reform Analysis: Scottish Tories face 'existential crisis' as Reform support grows Finally, we have proof the BBC is helping Reform. It's become a danger to democracy A Scottish Tory spokesman said: "Under Russell Findlay, we're reconnecting with common sense conservative values of enterprise, self-reliance, fiscal responsibility and the rule of law. 'Every poll shows that Reform will only help the SNP. As we saw in last year's general election, they handed several seats to the SNP which would have otherwise gone to a pro-UK party. "Reform are likely to stand pro-independence candidates in the 2026 election and Nigel Farage has even said he's not worried about the SNP getting another five years in power. 'The Scottish Conservatives will continue to work hard to rebuild trust with disillusioned voters by holding the failing SNP Government to account and promoting common sense conservative values."
Press and Journal
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Highland League award winners revealed as Angus Grant is named player of the year
Huntly's Angus Grant was crowned player of the year at the Breedon Highland League awards dinner in Inverness. The striker's 23 league goals also earned him the top scorer trophy, while in all competitions he netted 31 times for the Black and Golds. Grant is the first Huntly player to scoop the Highland League's player of the year award since it was introduced for season 1988-89. The 26-year-old said: 'It's a complete surprise, with the amount of talent in the league I didn't expect to win it. 'It's a great honour and I can only thank my team-mates who have put me in the position to win an individual award like this. 'You look at the list of players that have won this award and it's a list of legendary players. 'It's a hugely prestigious award and I'm chuffed to bits to win it. 'I didn't know I was the first Huntly player to win it so that's a big thing for the club and also me personally.' Brora Rangers boss Steven Mackay was named manager of the year after guiding the Cattachs to the first treble in their history as they claimed the Highland League, R Davidson (Banchory) Highland League Cup and North of Scotland Cup. It was also the first time since 1954 that a club had won every tournament they compete in at Highland League level in the same season. Mackay said: 'It's a nice way to end the season winning this award, but I have to mention the guys that back me up David Hind (assistant manager), Jordan MacDonald (first-team coach) and Michael MacKenzie (first-team coach). 'Without them I can't do my job, it's not about the individual, it's about the collective. 'They deserve this recognition as much as me, my day job is very demanding and my time is at a premium and they give me a huge amount of support. 'I'm delighted to accept the award, but it's a collective effort from the management team, to the players, to the board.' Jack Mitchell was named young player of the year after a stellar season with Deveronvale which saw him contribute 13 goals and 14 assists. The 18-year-old winger said: 'I'm stunned to win this award. It means a lot because it's the players that vote for it and there are so many good young players in the league so I didn't expect to win it.' Meanwhile, Fraserburgh collected the fair play award and three club stalwarts were recognised with unsung hero awards. Inverurie Locos' historian David Fasken, Brechin City kitman Alan Grieve and Huntly's Jim McGregor, who has served as player, manager, committee member and ambassador, were all honoured for their dedication to their respective clubs. There was also a celebration of Graham Wilson's service to the Highland League as he steps down following 25 years as assistant secretary and youth secretary.
