AVA Magazine March 2023

AVA Magazine 

March 2023 

• Real Living Wage Policy • The Big Help Out • 

• Social Enterprise Swap Shop • Member Spotlights •

join 

us 

AVA Membership 

AVA members come in all sorts 

of shapes and sizes. From small 

community-based organisations 

working to support a small 

number of people in a restricted 

geographic area, to large 

charities delivering services within 

Aberdeenshire that are sometimes 

a small part of a much wider 

portfolio. Community and third 

sector organisations are invited 

to join AVA as full members. 

Volunteers are the lifeblood of our 

sector and those who volunteer 

on a regular basis are invited to 

join AVA as individual members. 

Apply here H 

www.avashire.org.uk/join-ava.html 

When you join AVA, you and your 

organisation will have access to the 

following benefits: 

• Enhanced communications through 

specialism networking and information 

mailing lists 

• Promotion for your organisation and 

projects 

• Priority access to news, updates and 

information 

• Free and priority access to AVA 

membership and specialist forum events 

• Priority access to AVA Training resources 

• Priority access to AVA services and 

facilities 

• Access to discounted rates for AVA 

Office Support Services 

• Access to professional services offering 

discounted rates to members

AVA |March 2023 3 

Spring is in the air... 

Dan Shaw 

AVA Chief Executive Officer 

Dan.Shaw@avashire.org.uk 

As we prepare to leave the winter 

behind and head into the spring, 

it’s often an opportunity to reflect 

and think about how things will grow and 

develop for the coming year. This year feels 

different, with more pressure than ever on 

the services that the third sector delivers 

and the people and financial resources to 

help that growth being harder to come by. 

Here at AVA we have a team of people who 

are ready and able to support you and your 

group or organisation to think about how to 

maximise the resources you have available to 

you, and to help you to try and secure more. 

Our team has vast experience of governance, 

funding and volunteering issues so can 

support you to resolve organisational issues, 

find potential funding sources, and attract 

volunteers to help you deliver your services. 

Throughout this edition you will see a range of 

examples of the way that we have done these 

things and the benefits they have brought. 

Additionally, our independent examination of 

accounts and payroll 

services offer you the 

opportunity to pass 

these responsibilities 

on to AVA so that you 

can focus on other, 

more pressing issues. 

You can access all 

of this support here. 

AVA has also been working hard on thinking 

about what more we can be doing to support 

our members (and non-members alike). Thank 

you to our members for filling in a training needs 

analysis questionnaire recently. Based on that, 

we’re building up an events and training 

calendar and hoping to publish it soon so 

that you can plan well in advance what you 

would like to attend; we’re planning a series of 

roadshow events to bring our team to locations 

across Aberdeenshire so that you can meet 

many of our new (and more well established) 

colleagues properly and discuss your support 

needs; and we are in the very early stages of 

building better connections with our business 

community across Aberdeenshire with the aim 

being to benefit community, voluntary and 

third sector organisation and the communities 

you all serve. 

With very best wishes, 

Dan and the entire AVA Team 

Contents 

4/5 

News: Welcoming AVA’s new 

board member 

17 

18/19 

20/21 

Member Spotlight: 

Maud Village Trust 

Focus: Nightstop 

Focus: Well Woman Aboyne 

6 

Volunteering: Inspiring young 

people at school careers evenings 

22 

Volunteering: The Big Help Out 

8 

Social Enterprise: New Swap Shop 

24 

Member Spotlight: Foos Yer 

Doos 

10/11 

12-13 

Policy: The real Living Wage and 

the Third Sector 

Funding: Successful funding bids 

26 

28 

Focus: NHS Grampian Near Me 

Supporting Independent Living: 

Sheltered Housing 

14-15 

Member Spotlight: K&D Befriending 

30 

Profile: Magpie’s Marie-Anne 

Brown

4 AVA | March 2023 

News|AVA welcomes new board 

member from local children’s 

charity, Kayleigh’s Wee Stars 

Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action is 

delighted to welcome Fiona Heinonen, 

CEO of children’s charity, Kayleigh’s 

Wee Stars to our board of directors. Fiona 

received overwhelming support from the 

AVA membership and was appointed to the 

role at our AGM at the end of February. 

Fiona lives near Lumsden in Aberdeenshire 

and became CEO of Kayleigh’s Wee Stars in 

2021 at a time when the charity was growing 

to support more families where a child has a 

terminal illness. Having spent the last 23 years 

working in various corporate and agency PR, 

marketing and CSR roles, as well as almost a 

decade in leadership in the charitable sector, 

Fiona brings with her a wealth of knowledge 

of both the corporate and charitable 

sectors across the UK and globally, a depth 

of understanding of cross sector partnership 

working and a passion for bringing these 

sectors closer together to achieve shared 

goals that make business and social sense. 

Fiona said “It’s an honour to be selected as 

a board member for AVA. The work they do 

to support the third sector in Aberdeenshire 

is vital to creating fairer and more resilient 

communities across the shire. I share their 

vision for working together to achieve long 

term, sustainable and positive change in our 

region, something I have been passionate 

about for many years. I look forward to doing 

all I can to support the AVA team and their 

membership in achieving this goal.”


Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action continues to 

adapt and respond to the changing landscape 

navigated by our Third Sector, particularly over 

the past three years through the pandemic 

and the cost-of-living crises. We’re supporting 

and promoting more groups and a wider 

range of work than ever before and having a 

wealth of experience on our board to steer us 

forward is vital. 

I am looking forward to working directly with 

Fiona on a ‘Responsible Business’ programme 

that will connect more people in the private 

sector with more opportunities to contribute to 

the brilliant work that small groups of community 

focused people do on a daily basis.” 

Fiona’s appointment as a Director and Charity 

Trustee is for an initial period of three years. 

Dan Shaw, AVA’s Chief Executive Officer was 

pleased to welcome Fiona on to the board 

and commented, “AVA is always keen to 

benefit from the skills and experiences that a 

new Board member brings to the dual role of 

Director and Charity Trustee. Fiona has been 

a friend of AVA for some years now and has a 

wealth of experience that will complement the 

skills of our current board. 

AVA has worked hard to engage with many 

different parts of Aberdeenshire’s public sector 

to achieve greater awareness of the benefits 

of working alongside the community, voluntary 

and third sectors, and has developed exciting 

plans for connecting with the private sector to 

achieve similar outcomes. 

For more details about AVA’s board, visit: 

www.avashire.org.uk/ava-board.html 

Find out more about Kayleigh’s Wee Stars at: 

www.kayleighsweestars.co.uk 

AVA Office Services 

AVA members can access office services at very competitive rates. 

Payroll services 

AVA can provide 

monthly payroll services, 

including production of 

monthly payslips, HMRC 

submissions and end of 

year returns, assistance 

with auto enrolment 

compliance and pension 

file uploads. 

Independent 

examination 

of accounts 

Receipts and Payments 

Accounts examination 

is available for noncompany 

charities 

and groups with a 

gross annual income of 


Volunteering|Careers evenings 

with inspiring young people 

Emma Christie 

AVA Development Officer 

specialising in Volunteering 

Over the winter, I have been delighted 

to attend career evenings all over 

Aberdeenshire. It has been great to 

see these ‘in person’ events return for the first 

time since the pandemic, and so many people 

have turned out at them! It was great to be 

able to speak to young people who had never 

considered volunteering and also those who 

came to speak to me, proudly telling me about 

what they do in their local community and 

beyond. 

Many of the young people I spoke to were 

looking for something related to a specific 

career; however all kinds of volunteering will 

demonstrate commitment, responsibility and 

develop communication skills. All of this is so 

important for the next step in life, be that work, 

collage or University. Here at AVA we know that 

young people have a lot to give organisations, 

both in time and energy but also the different 

view point that they offer on their local area 

and the world. We are keen to see more 

young people involved in their community 

and our recent Get the Gen training helped 

organisations see the benefits of including 

young people. 

If you are aged 12-25 make sure you sign up 

for the Saltire awards - this is a great way to 

evidence what you have been doing. With 

certificates available from 10 hours right up to 

500 hours they are achievable for all. Hours can 

be gathered up from many different places 

and go towards your total hours, so anything 

done in school can be counted as well as other 

long term and one-off community events. Have 

a look at Saltire Awards – Celebrating youth 

volunteering in Scotland to find out more and 

sign up. 

If you are an organisation who is keen to 

know more about how to include young 

people in volunteering or a young person 

keen to volunteer and don’t know where 

to start - reach out to us for some help at 

volunteering@avashire.org.uk

Thrive 

on-line training 

E-Learning Hub for groups, clubs and 

organisations in Aberdeenshire. 

NOW FREE FOR 

AVA MEMBERS 

AVA offers both members and nonmembers 

access to the Highland 

and Island e-learning platform. 

And AVA members can now access one 

free E-Learning user licence per member 

organisation! 

This online training resource offers over 

40 courses which are grouped into topic 

areas such as Workplace Development, 

Compliance, Finance, Communications, 

Wellbeing, Self Management and IT Skills. 

The topics covered span a wide variety 

of subjects that are suitable for your work 

colleagues, including your volunteers. 

The online training courses are designed to 

be fully intuitive and easy to use. Learners 

can navigate the system simply. You can 

track and report on your own or you team’s 

progress. It allows you to quickly see who 

has completed courses, set deadlines and 

create reports. As a manager it is easy to 

find out how many users need to finish a 

module, their score percentage and much 

more. 

self-management 

communications 

IT skills 

compliance 

finance 

workplace development 

Sign up here 

wellbeing 

H 

AVA can offer one free E-Learning user 

licence per member organisation. Cost 

for any additional licences will be £40 for 

AVA Members and £75 for non-members. 

Organisations are free to buy as many 

licences as needed. A free trial period 

can also be arranged. Please contact 

Training@avashire.org.uk for more 

information or complete the online user 

licence application by filling out the form 

here: https://tinyurl.com/vpjm3zy5


Social Enterprise| 

Swap Shop 

Our Development Officer, Aileen Longino, who 

specialises in social enterprises has been working 

on an exciting new service for Social Enterprises 

of all sizes in Aberdeenshire. 

Aileen Longino 


specialising in Social Enterprise 

The Social Enterprise Swap Shop is a service which will 

be directory-based where social enterprises can support 

each other and offer discounted rates, spaces and 

services etc. to each other. The success of this service is 

entirely dependent on social enterprises engaging with 

each other. Aileen said, “It is a bit like the barter system 

where organisations can offer use of a discounted space 

for example in exchange for free or discounted training 

or services from another organisation. The most recent 

Social Enterprise in Scotland: Census 2021, showed that 

the cost of living crisis is impacting everyone no matter 

what kind of social enterprise you are and we want to 

help you make savings and continue to thrive.” 

After chatting with several social enterprises Aileen felt 

that AVA could also support a collective or cooperative 

of social enterprises buying of services e.g. insurance, 

where a group of social enterprises may be able to 

negotiate a group discount. This might work a bit like an 

oil club. We know how entrepreneurial our Aberdeenshire 

social enterprises are and that working together pooling 

resources to save money is the way forward. 

If your social enterprise is interested in the Swap Shop 

or the collective/cooperative buying of services, please 

complete this very short survey here. We would love to 

hear your ideas. 

For support with your social enterprise, please contact 

Aileen.longino@avashire.org.uk.

2023 

nominate now! 

Do you know someone, an unsung community hero, who deserves 

to be recognised & celebrated for their good work in Aberdeenshire? 

Communities across Aberdeenshire are being asked to nominate 

their heroes for the 2023 Inspiring Aberdeenshire awards. 

The council-run awards celebrate a range of heroes across Aberdeenshire. 

For many of us there will be someone who instantly springs to mind 

as fitting of an award. People who, without asking, give their energy 

and enthusiasm, and that most precious commodity, their time, 

to support projects, communities, and causes. 

The nominations are open until end of the day on 31st March 

and there are eight categories against which you can nominate: 

Heart of Aberdeenshire caring award 

Inspirational Volunteer award 

Beautiful Aberdeenshire environmental award 

Community Spirit award 

Cultural award 

Aberdeenshire’s Future award 

Lifetime achievement award 

After three years of hosting the awards exclusively online, the ceremony will 

be returning to a fully in-person celebration in September this year but the 

ceremony will continue to be filmed so that the wider Aberdeenshire 

community can enjoy the finalists’ stories and local performances. 

Nominate at: 

engage.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/inspiring-aberdeenshire-2023


Policy|New criteria for 

public sector grants 

Alasdair Ross 

AVA & ACVO Policy & 

Consultations Officer 

Alasdair.Ross@avashire.org.uk 

Starting this summer, third sector organisations 

will have to pay the real Living Wage in 

order to receive public money for their 

work. 

The Scottish Government have announced 

that, from 1st July, those applying for financial 

assistance from the public sector will need to 

pay their staff at least the real Living Wage and 

commit to Fair Work to be eligible for funding. 

The new requirements form part of the Scottish 

Government’s plan to build a fairer and more 

equal economy. 

The real Living Wage is based on the cost of 

living which makes it different to the National 

Minimum Wage and the National Living Wage. 

The rate of pay from May 2023 will be £10.90 per 

hour (outside London) and is applicable to all 

staff over the age of 18. 

Fair Work is a framework which aims to 

encourage fulfilling work through the adoption 

of measures such as workforce development 

plans, employee engagement, flexible working, 

tackling the gender pay gap and creating 

inclusive workplaces.


The new rules will apply to organisations receiving 

grants from the Scottish Government, its enterprise 

agencies and other public bodies. The full detail of the 

new criteria, including any exemptions, has not 

yet been published. The new criteria 

are unlikely to apply to emergency 

grants or to situations where an 

organisation is reliant on grant 

funding to survive. 

Fair Work and the 

payment of the real 

Living Wage are already 

used as part of the 

Scottish Government’s 

process for purchasing 

and awarding contracts 

and so may already be 

familiar to some in the 

Third Sector. 

Paying staff the real Living 

Wage is voluntary and 

organisations can choose to 

confirm their commitment to the wage 

by applying for accreditation from Living 

Wage Scotland. At the moment there are only 10 

accredited third sector organisations in Aberdeenshire, 

which indicates there are issues to overcome. 

The Fair Work Convention have developed a 

framework and a vision that “By 2025, people in 

Scotland will have a world-leading working life where 

fair work drives success, wellbeing and prosperity for 

individuals, businesses, organisations and for society.” 

Their self-assessment tool is a good way to find out how 

well you are already doing. 

We believe the Third Sector is already in a strong 

position when it comes to Fair Work and that 

employees, volunteers and supporters work hand-inhand 

with their trustees and managers to make the 

lives of communities and people better every day. 

However, the economic landscape continues to be 

very unstable, and many third sector organisations are 

on flat funding agreements with little or no guarantee 

on income levels from year to year. 

The real Living Wage increased by 10% this year. Will 

public sector grants increase by the same amount to 

allow the payment of increased wages? Time will tell. 

If you have questions about the new policy, or about 

the real Living Wage please contact our team of 

specialist Development Officers. 

In order to keep all of our records 

up-to-date and in line with GDPR 

regulations we’re coming to our 

members at the start of April to 

ask you to re-subscribe to AVA 

membership. We want to continue 

to support you in the best way 

possible, so please look out for the 

email and fill in the form. Thank you!


Funding Success 

in Aberdeenshire 

Donna Speed 

AVA Funding Officer 

We love sharing success stories from our 

Aberdeenshire Third Sector, here are just 

a few: 

National Lottery Awards For All have awarded 

funds to six Aberdeenshire organisations: 

Banchory Bowling Club received £9000 to 

replace part of a tin roof in their bowling 

pavilion, Disabled Persons Housing Service 

(Aberdeenshire) Ltd received £9,828 to fund 

additional hours for a Housing Advisor to support 

people with physical disabilities, learning 

difficulties, sensory impairment and long-term 

health problems identify and bid for suitable 

social housing, Portsoy 75 Club received £10,000 

to create a new paved and landscaped area 

centred around their ceramic lighthouse in 

Portsoy. Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol 

and Drugs received £71,668 to employ a second 

Family Worker to provide one-to-one support 

and group work sessions for family members 

affected by a loved one’s drug and alcohol use 

in Aberdeenshire, Scottish Men’s Sheds received 

£9,312 to update their nationwide website and 

database, which is crucial for the network of over 

200 men’s sheds across Scotland and the 3000 

plus membership and The Seed Box received 

£10,000 to to install a portacabin shop at their 

new site near Banchory for their outdoor therapy 

and horticultural training project for adults with 

additional support needs. Congratulations to all! 

There was one successful Aberdeenshire group 

from the Investing in Communities Fund 2023 

– 2026 round which was Aberdeen Foyer for 

their Foyer Connects Communities project. The 

The Torphins Paths Group, a charity focused on 

improving and developing walking and cycling


access in the local area, has completed the 

first section of a proposed path connecting 

Torphins and Banchory. This has been funded 

by an Improving Public Access grant of 

£58,000 from the Scottish Rural Development 

Programme Agri-Environment Climate Scheme 

and supplemented by £8,000 of funding from 

Torphins Paths Group, and the two-metre wide, 

multi-user path is already proving popular with 

locals and visitors alike. 

Ballater Winter Festival held a successful 

fundraising coffee morning at the end of 

February and raised £300 and proving that 

coffee mornings are a great fundraising 

strategy for local groups. Ballater Playpark 

Improvements Group raised £270 in February 

to install a swing seat at the park and Victoria 

& Albert Halls held a vintage, collectables and 

This is a great start to the year for these 

Aberdeenshire organisations - there are so 

many groups and volunteers doing 

fantastic work. Thank you all for making 

Aberdeenshire a better place to live! 

pre-loved book sale at the beginning of March 

and raised over £600. They will be back for 

another sale on 14th May, so pop in to support 

them then. If your groups has had some funding 

success, let us know and we’ll share your good 

news! 

Search for funding using our 

search engine and subscribe 

to our weekly funding bulletin 

on the AVA website at: 

www.avashire.org.uk/searchforfunding


Member Spotlight| 

Kincardine & Deeside 

Befriending 

Cherry Lawson 

Senior Coordinator, 

K&D Befriending 

Kincardine & Deeside Befriending has 

been working for 26 years in rural 

Southern Aberdeenshire with vulnerable, 

socially isolated older people who are living 

independently in their own homes. We facilitate 

a regular befriending visit for around 75 older 

people and in the previous year 125 older people 

benefitted at some point from a befriender. 

This has been possible with the support of our 

volunteers and 3 staff. 

Volunteers bring local news to the client, often 

helping the older person to access venues 

like cafes, shops and medical services which 

keeps the older person connected with their 

community. We have also drawn on our 

volunteers to help with other tasks such as 

the establishment of a Facebook page and 

developed a home learning package to ensure 

we are able to offer a volunteering experience 

which is well supported with volunteers being 

screened (PVG checks, references) trained and 

reviewed. 

Loneliness and isolation have been 

demonstrated to negatively impact physical 

and mental health. Evidenced through 

feedback from clients & carers, K&D Befriending 

A befriendee and befriender 

out for a walk


Sandra and Joan at Beechwood Garden Centre 

aim to reduce this impact, increasing individual’s 

quality of life, helping to support older people 

to stay in their own homes. Regular visits from 

a befriender provide emotional and practical 

support, boost confidence and self-esteem, 

support carers and is often described as the 

highlight of the week. Having someone to talk 

to and the opportunity to access local services 

and take part in the local community with the 

help of a befriender has positive measurable 

effects on the health and wellbeing of our 

befriendees as well as the volunteers involved. 

Around 20% of our annual budget comes from 

the local authority. We raise the remainder 

of our income from a variety of trusts and 

organisations with some fundraising events by 

our volunteers and donations from local groups 

and individuals. 

As Senior Coordinator for K&D Befriending, I 

work full-time, managing the provision of our 

befriending service in Kincardine & Deeside 

(we have two offices, one in Stonehaven & 

one in Banchory) and the two part-time staff 

(Administrator and Deeside Coordinator). I 

have capacity to support 35 matches on the 

Kincardine side, although we quite often are 

running over that figure. I’m responsible for 

the day to day management of all aspects 

of the charity and report to the Management 

Committee, who I also support and work with 

to ensure continuous improvement of service 

delivery. In addition, I am responsible for drafting 

budgets and ensuring there are adequate 

funds to cover the running costs of our charity. 

Follow K&D Befriending on Facebook here. Call 

01569 765714 Email: info@kdbefriending.org.uk.

Need funding? 

The Self Management Fund is 

open for applications until 9am 

Monday 22nd May 2023. 

The third round of the Self Management Fund: 

Resilience, Recovery and Development is now 

open for applications. Third sector and community 

organisations in Scotland can apply for two 

grant types; a small grant of up to £15,000 for 

up to one year or a large grant of up to £120,000 for 

up to three years, to support people living 

with long term conditions, disabled people 

and unpaid carers to self manage. 

For more information contact 

Fund@alliance-scotland.org.uk or visit 

the Self Management Fund page on the 

Alliance website at: www.alliance-scotland.org.uk/ 

self-management/self-management-fund/





www.maudvillagetrust.co.uk 

AVA Member and social enterprise, 

Maud Village Trust was formed from the 

Community Association to acquire and 

develop a redundant cattle market to “put the 

heart back into Maud”. The Trust acquired the 

building in 2002 and haven’t looked back since. 

Through their Old Mart Community Resource 

Centre they support all the work of the Health 

& Social Care Partnership in Buchan and are 

involved in a number of projects: The Just Ask, 

AVA Homecoming , Befriending service, Central 

Buchan Christmas Appeal, Conversation Café 

support groups and Confidence to Cook 

classes. 

Their Manager , Vicky Brown, chairs the Health 

& Wellbeing Hub for Buchan which enables the 

Trust to support the current health priorities for 

our area. The Old Mart Community Resource 

Centre is a multi-agency support network for 

vulnerable people in the community offering a 

range of activities and services which benefit 

the overall health & wellbeing of the local 

community. It is used by the health profession 

from NHS & Aberdeenshire Council, social 

work, housing professionals as well as voluntary 

organisations and community groups. There is 

even a gym! 

The Trust also provides regular group activities 

from Lego clubs to Strength and Balance 

classes ensuring every age group in the area is 

provided for. 

Maud Village Trust’s Community Service Centre 

which opened in May 2007 has 8 units which are 

rented out to local businesses and groups as 

well as the Old Mart Café that opened in 2010. 

We think you will agree that Maud Village Trust 

has mostly definitely put the heart back in Maud 

and the wider area providing vital hub services 

and activities for their community.


Nightstop| 

Community hosting to 

keep young people safe 

Megan Douglas 

Nightstop Northeast Coordinator 

Aberdeen Foyer are delighted to be 

launching Nightstop North-East Scotland 

in 2023. Nightstop offers emergency 

accommodation for young people facing 

homelessness. This accommodation is offered 

in the homes of trained and vetted volunteers, 

who are supported by professional staff. This 

provides an accommodation option which is 

youth focused. 

The national Nightstop Network comprises over 

30 services across the UK and is run by national 

homeless charity Depaul UK. In Aberdeen City 

and Shire, Nightstop is supported by The Foyer. 

The nature of accommodating young people in 

private households means that the service can 

only offer accommodation to low risk young 

people. The level of risk is managed by a risk 

assessment and by obtaining two references for 

the young person. 

Nightstop will deliver both crisis response for 

young people presenting as homeless and 

early intervention for young people who might 

benefit from respite. At Nightstop, we often 

work with young people who are experiencing 

conflict within the family home but may be 

able to move back home with support. We 

can offer mediation and host the young person 

somewhere safe and secure until support with 

positive steps in their housing situation are 

identified. 

Nightstop North-East Scotland relies on the 

generosity of volunteer hosts. These hosts offer 

their spare bedrooms, with a very flexible level of 

commitment: you decide when you’re free to 

host and can advise of availability in advance, 

in case of any holidays or other commitments. 

Hosts receive a stipend of £15 per night as an 

out-of-pocket expense payment to cover the 

additional cost of having another person in 

the house. Hosts are asked to be able to offer 

a young person a spare room, access to a 

bathroom and to be able to provide a listening 

ear. 

Megan Douglas, the Co-ordinator for Nightstop 

North-East Scotland is encouraging people to 

get in touch to find out more about Hosting. 

“Nightstop runs successfully and safely 

throughout the UK. We have had a great 

response in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire so far, 

as we continue to recruit hosts. We try to make 

Hosting as easy as possible; holding regular 

online information sessions so people can come


along and find out a bit more. We’re looking for 

people from all types of backgrounds - maybe 

your own kids have moved out, maybe you love 

the idea of volunteering from home or maybe 

you’re really looking to help change a young 

person’s life by giving them a bed for the night! 

Whatever your motivation, it would be great 

to hear from you. I’m getting a reputation for 

asking people if they’ve got a spare room, but 

if you do, you could host for just a short time 

and keep a young person safe.” 

If you’d like to find out more about 

volunteering as a Host with Nightstop 

North-East Scotland, you can e-mail 

Megan.Douglas@aberdeenfoyer.com 

or call 07467 919813. More information can 

be found here: Nightstop – a bold new 

service that supports young people at risk of 

homelessness in Aberdeen City and Shire | 

Aberdeen Foyer


Focus|Well Woman 

Aboyne: Community 

Mental Health & Wellbeing 

funding in action 

Vicki Rebecca 

Well Woman Aboyne 

Well Woman Aboyne is a not-for-profit 

organisation providing a nurturing 

safe space for women to connect, 

be present, and empowered in a way that will 

create ripples of change in their own lives and 

those around them. 

With a focus on providing tools, support, advice, 

and relaxation to increase mental resilience 

and overall wellbeing, Well Woman Aboyne 

provides a sense of safety, belonging, and 

community that is at the very core of the way 

that we as women could live in society. Our 

aim is to create a circle to share, talk, promote 

wellbeing, and prevent poor mental health via 

a variety of formats including workshops, skillsharing, 

physical and mindful activities, while 

taking a deep breath together. 

Women have been faced with unprecedented 

hardships over recent years, with the cost of 

living, pandemic and turbulent environment, 

there has never been a more important time for 

us to come together and support each other. 

We all know someone facing marital, financial, 

or mental health issues and this is where we 

can really make change and provide much 

needed support to each other. 

Well Woman Aboyne was founded by Vicki 

Rebecca, a therapist, wellness expert and 

self-help author, with decades of experience 

supporting women in overcoming adversity 

and bringing out the best in themselves. An 

advocate for mind mastery, and with her 

own history of healing and recovery, she is 

passionate to help other women become the 

best they can be. 

The following Well Woman Aboyne events are 

fully funded by the Communities Mental Health 

and Wellbeing Fund and free to attend. 

Well Woman Aboyne at The Boat Inn Aboyne 

Monday 3rd April 10am-12pm TASTER – Yoga 

and Yoga Nidra During our women’s circle we 

will share the goals of Well Woman Aboyne, 

discuss and discover ways that we can support 

and be supported by each other while leaning 

into community. Then enjoy a taster session of 

one of our wellbeing tasters, coffee, and chat. 

Well Woman Aboyne Weekend Retreat (nonresidential) 

Saturday / Sunday 22/23rd April 

During our women’s weekend, we’ll discuss 

and discover ways that we can support and 

be supported as we lean into the community of 

our circle while enjoying meditation, relaxation, 

movement, ceremony, shared food, and chat 

around the bonfire. 

Well Woman Aboyne Wellbeing Course, 

Community Shed, Friday afternoons from 

12.30 - 3.15pm starting 5th May for 6 weeks. 

During our weekly sessions, Well Woman: 

Aboyne will create a safe place for women 

to gather and lean into community while 

learning core wellbeing practices and enjoying 

relaxation sessions, coffee, and chat. Within a 

nurturing atmosphere of safety and belonging, 

we’ll learn tools for overall self-care while 

enjoying the benefits of relaxation, meditation, 

activity and sharing as key tools for increasing 

mental resilience. 

Join Well Woman Aboyne during Aberdeenshire 

Wellbeing Festival for an online taster of body 

mind balancing, a deep guided relaxation on 

Monday 15th May at 8pm. 

Places are strictly limited, to book yours, 

follow us and message our Facebook 

page @wellwomanaboyne or email: 

wellwomanaboyne@btinternet.com. You 

can also email us if you’re interested in 

volunteering with Well Woman Aboyne.

Photo: A Well Woman 

Aboyne taster session 

at The Boat Inn


Volunteering|The Big Help Out 

Emma Christie 


specialising in Volunteering 

Have you heard about The Big Help out? 

Community organisations and charities, 

big and small, are being asked to get 

involved in ‘The Big Help Out’ as part of the 

celebrations for The King’s Coronation. The Big 

Help Out will start on 8th May and there will 

be opportunities for all, no matter what you 

are interested in and no matter what time you 

have to give. The more of us who can do a wee 

bit, the greater the difference will be. 

The Big Help Out website is live now and there is 

an app that can be downloaded to your phone 

to give you quick access to the opportunities 

available in your area. 

We know that it isn’t practical for volunteers 

to drop into all roles and organisations just for 

a day but offering opportunities such as litter 

picks, or a garden tidy up can be a great 

way to get some jobs completed and raise 

awareness of the organisation. Could you 

offer an information session or volunteer tester 

sessions around that time for people to find out 

more about what you do? Make sure you let 

us here at AVA know about anything you have 

planned so we can share it too. 

Volunteering can be flexible and fit around your 

life, it can be something you do around your 

own life and commitments, it might be a weekly, 

monthly or one off commitment. If you are keen 

to volunteer our website has a search engine 

that has access to all the latest opportunities 

listed. If you can’t see anything that suits you 

please don’t assume there is nothing there for 

you, drop us an email volunteering@avashire. 

org.uk and we can have a chat about what 

could suit you and how you can help out. 

Visit the Big Help Out website at: 

https://thebighelpout.org.uk/ 

or search for Volunteering opportunities in 

Aberdeenshire on the AVA website at: 

www.avashire.org.uk/opportunities.html

second hand 

furniture 

electricals 

homeware 

bric-a-brac 

white goods 

clothes 

vinyl 

& loads more... 

Tillybrake Industrial Estate, Banchory AB31 5UN 

Tel: 01330 823800 www.magpieshops.org.uk 

Scottish Charity Number: SC014223 Company Number: SC137343 

magpieshops



Sharon Francis visits Foos Yer Doos 

Sharon Francis 

AVA Development Officer, 

specialising in Supporting 

Independent Living 

yer Doo’s’, a well-known Doric 

phrase for ‘how are you?’, and such an 

‘Foo’s 

endearing name for a lovely wee singing 

group. 

On speaking with Joy, who supports the group 

she gave me some history behind the weekly 

get together: Foo’s yer Doo’s was founded by 

a Speech and Language Therapist and on the 

day of my visit in early February celebrated its 

10-year anniversary. The therapist created the 

group as singing supports language practice 

and encourages social skills for those that 

may have a neurological condition such as 

Dementia or Parkinson’s. It helps reduce anxiety 

and depression, enhances one’s quality of life 

and has a positive impact on carers. 

Joy also made me aware they were all happy 

as Warburton’s have awarded them funding 

to buy a new projector as the 10-year-old one 

was on its last legs. 

Approximately 20 attendees regularly come 

together for a cuppa and a choccy biscuit on 

arrival and a natter and when I arrived, it was 

certainly a busy place with lots of chit chat. 

One thing I noted instantly was the differing age 

groups and a great mix of men and women all 

there to catch up and have a sing song. 

Volunteers offer support for the group to run 

weekly and without them, sadly the group


would struggle to operate, a huge ‘well done’ 

to Joy and the volunteers for making the group 

what it is. 

Cuppa in hand, I sat with a table of ladies who 

spoke of the impact of covid and how much 

they missed the group and meeting everyone 

as it became clear many had attended for a 

long time, some as carers previously and now 

attending for their own wellbeing. 

One lady described how she could get a 

good ‘news’ with friends at the group, whilst it 

gave her husband time to do their shopping. 

She laughed as she was so glad it wasn’t her 

and how the tables had turned - previously, 

she would always have done the shopping. 

Another lady explained how the group had 

got her out of the house and when her baby 

was younger, he also attended with her, which 

was a great hit with the other ladies. This lady 

was known as the tech wizard as she ensured 

all the tech worked for the group to enjoy their 

singing. 

Moving on, I sat with a table of gentleman, one 

of which came to catch up with everyone as 

he used to attend with his wife and now just likes 

to pop in and say hello. There was certainly lots 

of banter , laughter and putting the world to 

rights at this table. But now it was time to sing... 

well squawk in my case! 

We warmed up with a lovely wee tune that 

had actions to it – ‘Hey Mr. Miller, what a swing 

that you bring to the band, Hey Mr. Miller, with 

your bass trombone and your saxophone, you 

can hear it all through the land,’…. I had to 

admit it was great fun and everyone joined in, it 

was such a lovely thing to see and hear. ‘Daisy 

Daisy’ then erupted into full swing and many 

more well-known tunes. Every week features 

different songs, and no-one ever knows what’s 

coming - what a glorious way to spend a 

Thursday morning. 

What a gem of a group, they meet every 

Thursday (term time) at St. Marys Episcopal 

church from 11am - 12.15pm. If you are 

interested in joining or volunteering, pop along 

and meet with them. You will receive a warm 

welcome. 

Foos Yer Doos Sing Song Club 

St Mary’s Church Hall, St Mary’s Place, 

High St, Inverurie AB51 3NW 

Thursdays from 11.00am to 12.15pm during 

term time. Visit: www.chss.org.uk/group/ 

foos-yer-doos-sing-song-club/


Focus|NHS Near Me 

Consulting Service 

Aileen Longino 


specialising in Social Enterprise 

Through the work that Aileen Longino, our 

Development Officer, has done on the 

Aberdeenshire Warms Spaces project, we 

have been approached by NHS Grampian about 

their Near Me online consultation service which 

has been on the go across Grampian since 2017. 

NHS Near Me is a secure video consulting service 

that means patients can attend a healthcare 

appointment by video link. Using 

their own digital device 

such as smartphone, 

computer or tablet, 

patients can 

attend a Near Me 

appointment from 

their own home, or 

any convenient and 

confidential space, 

instead of travelling 

to a hospital, clinic or 

GP surgery. 

NHS Grampian has been 

using Near Me since 2017, and 

currently around 7,000 healthcare appointments 

a month delivered this way, across a range of 

services, from outpatient clinics, to GP practices 

and even some emergency care appointments. 

We are currently working with two AVA 

members to establish pilots in the North and 

South of Aberdeenshire to give people who 

don’t have access to technology or wifi to get 

access to this service at a suitable location near 

them without having to travel into Aberdeen. 

Reported benefits by patients who have used 

NHS Near Me include: 

• More convenient than a face to face 

appointment 

• Avoiding the need to travel to an 

appointment 

• Saving time (whether travelling or time 

away from home, work or school) 

• Saving money (eg on petrol, public 

transport, or lost pay) 

• Family or carers can often more easily 

attend a video appointment with you than 

in person 

• Easy to use (nothing to download, you join 

the call using a video link sent to you) 

• Better for the environment. 

Hear what one Aberdeenshire couple said 

about Near Me here and here. But is it right 

for me? NHS Near Me is appropriate for 

many appointments, but it is not suitable for 

every person or every appointment. You may 

be offered Near Me when you receive an 

appointment letter or when you phone to 

make an appointment. You can also ask your 

healthcare provider if they offer NHS Near Me 

and it if would be suitable for your appointment. 

For more information about NHS Near Me, 

including frequently asked questions and to 

make a test call, visit: nearme.scot

the ava 

website 

H 

bringing you more of the 

resources you need... 

Funding search 

We are delighted to 

have teamed up with 

Funding Scotland to 

bring you a fantastic new 

funding search engine 

- from small grants to 

funding for big capital 

projects, we can help 

you track down the 

funding you need. It’s so 

easy to use, and you can 

also subscribe to the new 

weekly funding bulletin 

there too. 

Organisation search 

Search for Third Sector 

groups and organisations 

across Aberdeenshire. 

Our search engine will 

show you a range of 

information for each 

organisation as well 

as any volunteering 

opportunities they have 

on offer. 

Our Magpie website 

Visit our Magpie website 

for everything you 

need to know about 

Magpie! Our shops are 

also on Facebook and 

Instagram, so give us a 

follow. 

A-Z of AVA Members 

Our A-Z of AVA Members 

has links to their websites, 

or social media – get an 

overview of the scope of 

our membership, as well 

as useful links with fellow 

members. 

Volunteering Forms 

Let us know if your 

organisation has any 

volunteering roles and 

we can upload them to 

our system for sharing. 

Subscribe to our new 

Volunteering Bulletin 

published every few 

months with the latest 

opportunities across 

Aberdeenshire. 

Nominate a volunteer for 

an AVA Award 

Use our nomination 

form to recognise 

individual commitment 

to volunteering for 1, 

5, 10 and 15 years and 

for volunteers who 

have given 20 years 

or more there is a 

Lifetime Volunteering 

Achievement Award. 

Support Request Form 

Get in touch with us via 

our Support Request Form 

and we’ll make sure the 

right person gets back to 

you. 

Volunteering 

Opportunities 

Use our search engine 

to search for local and 

national volunteering 

opportunities. 

Resources 

Find a range of links 

to useful pages and 

organisations – and Quick 

Guides for new groups. 

See the latest Covid 

guidance, AVA Office 

Services for members, 

and read past and 

present newsletters/blogs. 

Training 

We have partnered with 

Highland Third Secor 

Interface to provide 

AVA members with a 

discounted extensive 

training programme, 

including over 30 

e-courses in a range of 

subjects. 

www.avashire.org.uk


Supporting Independent 

Living|Sheltered Housing 

Meeting Sandy and Isobel was a complete 

pleasure, hearing first hand of their 

experiences of living within a sheltered 

housing complex and how this has supported 

them to feel independent and self–sufficient. 

Firstly, did you know Aberdeenshire covers an 

area of 6,313 square kilometres (2,437 sq. mi) and 

the Aberdeenshire Council Sheltered Housing 

Service has 61 Sheltered Housing complexes 

across the region, housing approx. 1700 tenants? 

Sharon Francis 


specialising in Supporting 

Independent Living 

As part of my Supporting Independent Living 

Specialism, I am lucky to have continued the links 

I had previously with Sheltered Housing and have 

regular contact with Maria Ponte, an Activities 

Co-ordinator who works throughout the Shire. 

Maria is very passionate about her role and being 

part of the bigger picture. She loves to know she 

has helped tenants, saying, ‘I care passionately 

about the older generation and wish to make a 

difference and seeing a smile on someone’s face 

is the biggest reward’. Maria has been involved in 

Foundation Apprentices, where Alford Academy 

school pupils who have an interest in Social Care 

come along to Hamewith Sheltered Housing 

to learn about the place itself, housing support 

plans and being aware of the bigger picture. 

Each pupil receives a certificate on completion 

of their placement. Maria advised it is great to 

be a part of such enthusiasm from young people 

hoping for a career in Social Care. 

Sheltered Housing has gone through many 

changes in the way it has operated over the 

years, no longer do ‘wardens’ live on site, they 

now work as Sheltered Housing Officers offering 

an office hours service. There is a 24-hour 

response to emergencies from the call systems 

that connect to a contact centre in Aberdeen 

with out of hours back up from Aberdeenshire 

ARCH responders, and this continues to build on 

independence for the tenants residing within the 

complexes and cottages. 

Sharon with Isobel. 

Hamewith Court is situated in Alford and is such 

a lovely welcoming building, so I was really 

pleased to be invited along to meet a couple of 

tenants and some of the staff. It has 28 flats and 

24 cottages and has a team of Sheltered Housing 

officers covering this and other complexes in the 

Deeside area.


Sandy previously lived with his family for a while 

but felt he had lost is identity and independence. 

He said “Dinna get me wrong, my family were 

good to me and it was lovely living there but it 

wisna my own space.” He lived in the country 

side so had no real outlet whereas now Sandy 

is “niver aff the heid ‘o’ the road.” He has his 

electric buggy and goes into Alford regularly 

for his bits ‘n pieces and meeting others for 

coffee. Moving to Hamewith was a real sense 

of relief for him, he could lead his own life and 

would enjoy spending time with his family even 

more. 

On asking Sandy what’s great about living 

here, he said, “Every morning I get a cheery 

call through the box asking how I am, this gives 

my family and myself relief knowing if I am not 

well someone is at hand to seek additional 

support.” Sandy’s day is very sociable - he visits 

the shops for anything he requires and plays 

bingo on a Wednesday - bingo is a huge deal 

in sheltered housing and loved by all. Sandy 

frequently goes out in his car with his friends 

to go for lunch and coffee – what is there not 

to love about that? Sandy said for anyone 

considering living in sheltered housing to “Go 

for it, it’s a godsend.” 

Next, I visited Isobel in her flat where she has lived 

in Hamewith Court since 2004. Similarly, Isobel 

moved to Hamewith to remain independent 

but also have the safety net of knowing the call 

systems and the Sheltered Housing officers were 

at hand if needed. Making her own decisions 

and not feeling a burden was Isobel’s real 

push and has never regretted her decision. She 

found it difficult through COVID though, as all 

social events were cancelled and the tenants 

had to adhere to guidelines that would keep 

them all safe. Coffee mornings and gatherings 

have re-started which is a huge relief for all that 

reside there. Isobel’s advice to live in sheltered 

housing is to “Come in when you still have lots 

of life left in you to enjoy the social aspects but 

with the independence of living in your own 

wee flat with folk looking out for you”. 

As part of an on-going review they are 

developing the Sheltered Housing forum and 

this new and transformational approach 

reaches out to as many Sheltered Housing 

tenants as possible to get their views with 

the aim to improve the services by enabling 

change and enhancing the lives of Sheltered 

Housing tenants in their communities. 

Sharon with Sandy. 

In support of this, funds from Round 1 of the 

Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund were 

awarded to Hamewith for Smart TVs to be 

purchased for each complex, aimed at allowing 

the tenants forum to grow and for tenants 

across the area to meet ’virtually’ to learn and 

support changes afoot and enhance their 

lives. The TVs also promote meaningful social 

activities across Aberdeenshire, where tenants 

come together to watch tv programmes and 

this helps to reduce social isolation. 

Lastly, I spoke with Peter, a Sheltered Housing 

Officer, who spoke very passionately about 

his role, supporting tenants to feel settled and 

encourage their independence and enjoying 

making life memories. 

Hamewith Court certainly made me feel 

welcome and it was lovely to spend time 

there and learn so much about Isobel and 

Sandy, I didn’t have enough space to write all 

wonderful stories they told but we certainly had 

some laughs. Thank you to Hamewith Court for 

sharing their time with me.


PROFILE | 

Getting to know those who work hard 

in your Third Sector Interface 

Who are you? 

I am Marie-Anne Brown, Manager of 

Magpie, AVA’s Social Enterprise. 

How did you end up working with 

AVA? 

I came to volunteer with Magpie 

during COVID to help out with the 

Admin and I ended up applying for 

the managers role 2 years later. I have 

now been in post since May last year. 

What does a typical day look like? 

My days are very varied with all the many different aspects 

Magpie is involved with. I have many meetings that 

included criminal justice to support community payback 

opportunities and Social work and housing departments for 

supporting those in need with providing furniture, clothing 

and food parcels. I’m involved in networking events to 

promote the reuse part of the project, and I have regular 

meetings with the council and local networks to promote 

ways in which people are able to reuse. I also hold weekly 

staff meetings to organise the schedule and discuss what is 

upcoming in the shops. Magpie’s social media accounts are 

vital to getting information out to the public about what’s 

on and new stock, so working closely with the AVA comms 

team, we are able to create the fantastic content that you 

see you our socials. As well as all that, I also speak to those 

that visit Magpie that are either shopping, donating or in to 

discuss the project. 

How has Covid-19 affected your job? 

My time at Magpie has certainly been affected by the 

pandemic - the shops had to close, and when they 

reopened all the right protocols had to be put in place. As 

the rules have changed, we have been able to welcome 

regular volunteers back and even some new ones too. With 

people’s confidence with going out and into public places 

growing, we have seen many more people in shops and 

donating great stuff too, which is just lovely to see. 

Magpie sells second hand furniture, household goods, 

clothing and bric-a-brac to promote sustainable living in 

Aberdeenshire. We’re a non-profit project, so every penny 

made at Magpie goes back into Magpie. Visit us at Tillybrake 

Industrial Estate in Banchory, open 9am - 4pm Monday to 

Saturday. Visit: www.magpieshops.org.uk. 

Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action is a 

charitable company limited by guarantee. 

Company number: SC137343. 

Scottish Charity Number: SC014223 

Registered office: 45 Queens Road, 

Aberdeen, AB15 4ZN 

Tel: 03718 110008 

Email: enquiries@avashire.org.uk 

Website: www.avashire.org.uk 

Follow us on Facebook 

AberdeenshireVoluntary Action1 

Twitter @AVAShire 

Instagram @magpieshops 

YouTube AVA Shire 

We want to hear from you! 

Give us feedback, suggestions, 

whatever - fill in our form here. 

H 

Read previous editions 

Read previous editions 

of the AVA newsletters, 

bulletins and magazines 

on our website at: 

www.avashire.org.uk 

If you’re an AVA member and 

would like to contribute to future 

magazines, please get in touch 

with Lindsay Allardyce at: 

Lindsay.Allardyce@avashire.org.uk 

www.avashire.org.uk

AVA Magazine March 2023

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