Blairgowrie & Rattray Hub Magazine - Winter 2021

Cllr Caroline Shiers
Scottish Conservative,
Blairgowrie and Glens Ward
By the time you receive your edition of the
Hub magazine plans will be well underway for
Christmas. The Christmas Lights committee
have been working hard to check all the lights
and to ensure the switch on event really
brings some cheer to the town after what has
been another challenging year.
In October at full council, we secured the
additional funding through the council
capital budget which means that the new
recreation centre will be built to the highest
possible environmentally friendly Passivhaus
standards. This means the facility will be
one of the first in the UK to be built to this
standard. It is so important that we don’t
just talk about climate change in an abstract
way but deliver practical changes. I continue
to raise with council officers the need for
the recycling centre in Blairgowrie to be
upgraded to make it as easy as possible for
households and businesses to recycle their
waste and reduce the amounts that go to
landfill. I know work is being carried out
to look at options and I hope we can see
progress soon.
Christmas is a time when the amount of
“stuff” we buy and waste we generate comes
in to focus. By choosing to shop locally and
to reduce the amount of waste we generate
we can all play our part. There are tips on
the council website. We have seen amazing
progress in the town this year through BaRI
food who have ensured thousands of tonnes
of surplus food from the supermarkets
are redistributed through the larders and
through their twice weekly food store. Look
out for details on how you can be involved
in that project. It is amazing to see what is
surplus and wonderful that the Proactive
Communities team continue to work so hard
to ensure it doesn’t all end up in the bin.
Proactive Communities are also working with
community groups to bring a bit of Christmas
cheer to local children who are in families
for whom money is tight this year. There
are many in our community who are really
struggling and if you can contribute towards
the Christmas gift appeal (see page 11) then
please do. We will ensure every donation will
go towards putting a smile on the face of a
local child and that is a real demonstration
of the kindness we know runs through the
community. We have also seen that kindness
through creation of Mantalk. This is an
amazing group giving local men a space to
go and be together, to listen or to talk but
especially not to be alone. Their work this
year has been phenomenal, and I wish them
all the best for the coming year.
Finally, thank you to every person who has
continued to ensure Blairgowrie and Rattray
is such a vibrant, friendly, and welcoming
town. Hundreds of thousands of volunteer
hours are put in by so many and it is very
much appreciated. I wish you all a very happy
Christmas when it comes and a healthy and
peaceful 2022.
I can be contacted at any time on
01828 640181 or by email at
carolineshiers@gmail.com
Murdo Fraser MSP
Mid-Scotland & Fife Region
Scottish Conservative and
Unionist Party
I was delighted to hear that Perth and Kinross
Council recently agreed a further £8.9 million
funding to secure the building of Blairgowrie
Recreation Centre.
Local residents will now be able to look
forward to enjoying the state-of-the-art
replacement leisure facility once it is
completed.
With an increased population in the area,
there was a demand for such a sports centre
and I’m sure the move to confirm its progress
will be warmly welcomed in Blairgowrie and
East Perthshire.
The Recreation Centre will be built to
Passivhaus standard, which will put it at the
cutting edge of design as well as making
it energy efficient at a time when climate
change is such a topical and important
subject.
The Passivhaus standard means it will be
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