Dunfermline Tennis Club is the oldest club in Scotland still in existence on its original site dating back to 1879. I started playing tennis only about ten years ago when I joined DTBC without prior tennis experience. Since then, I enjoyed playing social tennis, box leagues and in 2021 joined the men’s fourth team and acted as the captain of the 10U team who won Division 2 - Group A in VMH Solicitors Junior League.
I joined the DTBC Committee in April 2020 and also took on a role of the Welfare Officer.
In 2018 I came across a uniquely preserved remains of a small 1920s hydro station near Aberdeen. Then I found a group of enthusiastic engineers who wanted to rebuild a 1830s beam engine in the adjacent building...
We joined forces and from October 2019 the Garlogie Beam Engine Trust became officially a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO). We have been liaising with the Aberdeenshire Council and Dunecht Estates to take over the property with the ultimate goal of reinstating the beam engine and the hydro generator, as much as practical, and open it to the public for historical and educational purposes.
We participated in Aberdeenshire Doors Open Days in September 2019 when over 200 people visited the site during the weekend. This was the first time these historical buildings and their machinery were accessible to the public since the original museum closed in 2000 mainly due to the lack of finances. I spent most of the time around the hydro generator talking to the visitors about its history, explaining the operation of the hydro station and describing functions of its ancillary equipment.
Due to the Covid restrictions, the progress was bit slow, however, we launched our website and participated virtually in Doors Open Days 2020 and 2021. Currently we are closing on a long-term lease before we could apply for funds to carry out essential maintenance and stabilise the buildings that are Grade A listed.
I am one of the founding members, an active Life Member and a Trustee, providing my electrical expertise.
If you would like to find out more about Garlogie Mill history, join, participate, support or donate, please visit the website.
A local primary school secured an electric Goblin kit car from Greenpower Educational Trust that is aimed at 9 to 11 years old pupils to participate in IET Formula Goblin races and help them to spark enthusiasm for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). I volunteered to lead a group of ten children selected by the school together with a local STEM ambassador. We met on a weekly basis over a three-month period where the children learned to identify various car parts, use tools, carry out the car assembly, practice rides outside the school, discuss suitable materials, decide on the team name, decorate the car and also look for sponsors to cover associated project costs.
The race was held at Racewall in Cowdenbeath and supported by the Fife Council. There were overall 29 registered teams from Fife primary schools, 26 made it to the race. The Saline Sharks team came second in the sprint race and overall shared the fifth place which we considered a great success.