AVA Magazine - September 22

AVA Magazine 

September 2022 

• AVA Launches two new funds • Magpie news 

• Member Spotlights• Our new Mediation service •

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us 

AVA Membership 

AVA members come in all sorts of 

(organisational) 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, 

and people who either work or 

volunteer for those organisations 

are invited to join as affiliated 

members. Volunteers are the 

lifeblood of our sector and those 

who volunteer on a regular basis 

are invited to join AVA as associate 

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 

• 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 

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• Access to discounted rates for AVA 

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• Access to professional services offering 

discounted rates to members

AVA |September 2022 3 

Supporting resilient 

communities 

Dan Shaw 

AVA Chief Executive 

Officer 

I’m delighted to introduce this latest edition of 

our magazine full of news and useful reflections 

that I hope everyone enjoys reading. At a time 

when so many challenges seem to dominate, 

whether they be around the impending arrival 

of the darker nights and the winter weather, or 

the cost-of-living crisis that is already affecting 

us all, AVA continues to support some of the 

amazing groups and organisations who work 

tirelessly to support so many people across our 

communities. 

Our brilliant staff team continue to work hard 

on making sure that they are as up to date 

as possible in their knowledge so that they 

are offering guidance that will be valuable to 

groups. Our new colleagues have been making 

their presence felt by working hard to develop 

their networks and contacts, and some of their 

work is highlighted for you to see in this edition 

which might hopefully help you to think about 

how they could potentially help your group in 

the future. 

We’ve also been getting 

ready for the two funds 

that we are about to 

administer; you will find 

more details of the Just 

Transition Participatory 

Budgeting fund and 

the second year of the 

Communities Mental 

Health & Wellbeing fund 

in this edition. We’re 

really proud that both 

funds will provide groups with the opportunity to 

secure grant funding to enable them to do more 

to help their service users. 

We are always keen to hear from you about 

what we are doing well, and what we could be 

doing better, so please don’t hesitate to get in 

touch with us if you would like to. 

Finally, AVA is unfortunately losing two of our 

colleagues this month. Sandra McGuigan has 

been a pioneer of our networks model by building 

a very successful Children & Families network, 

and Lesley Lawrinson has helped us to transform 

our communications outputs. We’re confident 

that both work strands will continue to go from 

strength to strength with new colleagues, but 

Sandra and Lesley really will be missed by us all. 

With very best wishes 

Dan and the entire AVA Team 

Dan.Shaw@avashire.org.uk 

Contents 

12 

15 

Alford Community Railway 

reach milestone with new lease 

Keeping you informed 

New Governance Guidance 

4-5 

Magpie 

Awarded grant funding 

16-17 

Members Spotlight 

Aboyne Men’s Shed 

6-7 

Mental Health & Wellbeing Funding 

Round 2 of the CMHW fund 

18-19 

New AVA Member 

Tyred N Cranky 

8-9 

10-11 

Networks of Wellbeing 

New premesis in Huntly 

New Service for community groups 

Introducing AVA’s new Mediation 

Service 

20-21 

22 

Spotlight 

Aberdeen Independent 

Multiple Sclerosis (AIMS) 

Generations Working Together

4 AVA | September 2022 

Magpie|Reducing our 

carbon footprint with 

funding success 

Lesley Lawrinson 

AVA Communications Officer 

AVA’s social enterprise, Magpie, was recently awarded funds 

from the Vattenfall Unlock Our Future fund to upgrade the 

lighting in our shops to improve energy efficiency - one of many 

steps in the pipeline to work towards reducing our carbon footprint 

whilst still delivering the same great service. Magpie Manager, Marie- 

Anne Brown (middle), attended a ceremony earlier this month at the 

Garioch Heritage Centre, along with several organisations awarded 

grants to improve energy efficiency. 

Other fund recipients include Charlie House for funding towards their 

Big Build project; a state of the art specialist care facility for children 

with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions, Inverurie Loco 

Football Team who received funding to help towards the installation 

of energy efficient LED floodlights and Newton Dee Store; a social 

enterprise that works with adults with special needs, who received 

funding towards the purchase of an electric delivery vehicle to allow 

staff and service users deliver goods around the Camphill community. 

The event also served as an opportunity for like-minded organisations 

to network and gain some valuable feedback from similar projects 

and past recipients of the Vattenfall Unlock our Future Fund. 

Magpie would like to thank the Vattenfall Unlock Your Future Fund for 

the grant that we have been awarded. It will make such a difference 

to the lighting in the shops by reducing our energy costs, our carbon 

footprint and making it an overall better working environment. It was 

great to be invited to the Garioch Heritage Centre to be awarded 

the grant, meet the other delegates and hear how the fund has 

helped other local projects previously. We will certainly hope to use 

the fund in future for other projects. 

Marie-Anne Brown 

Magpie Manager 

Tillybrake Industrial Estate, 

Banchory, AB31 5UN 

Tel: 01330 823800 

Email: magpie@avashire.org.uk


Following the successful delivery of the first round of the 

Community Mental Health & Wellbeing programme by 

Third Sector Interfaces across Scotland in 2021/22, a further 

£15 million for Year 2 of the Fund was announced on 7th May 

2022. This funding reflects the importance placed on community 

support as part of our overall mental health infrastructure and 

the commitments given by Scottish Ministers to increase direct 

investment, in both the NHS Recovery Plan and this year’s 

Programme for Government. 

Lindsay Allardyce 

AVA Communications & 

Membership Manager 

AVA will have £639,855.99 for distribution to groups and 

organisations across Aberdeenshire by the 31st March 2023 

where projects supported during this round of funding must be 

complete by 31st March 2024. AVA worked hard to build robust 

partnerships with the previous round of the fund and we aim to 

build on that experience with our assessment teams comprising 

of AVA staff and a small number of external, public sector, third 

sector and lived/living experience panel members working within 

cognisant areas. We are particularly keen for those with lived and 

living experience to be part of that process to ensure the funds 

are reaching the right places.


Ongoing support, delivered by our team of 

Development Officers, will be available to 

groups and organisations who are eligible to 

apply for the funds. 

The overarching aim of The Fund is to support 

community-based initiatives that promote and 

develop good mental health and wellbeing, 

and/or mitigate and protect against the impact 

of distress and mental ill health within the adult 

population, with a particular focus on: 

1. Tackling priority issues within the Transition 

and Recovery Plan such as suicide 

prevention, social isolation and loneliness, 

prevention, and early intervention. 

2. Addressing the mental health inequalities 

exacerbated by the pandemic and the 

needs of a range of ‘at risk’ groups locally. 

3. Supporting small ‘grass roots’ community 

groups and organisations to deliver such 

activities. 

4. Providing opportunities for people to 

connect with each other, build trusted 

relationships and revitalise communities. 

5. Supporting recovery and creativity locally 

by building on what is already there, what 

was achieved through the pandemic, and 

by investing in creative solutions. 

The Fund will be sympathetic to applications from 

groups and organisations that are specifically 

seeking to support local priorities such as lack of 

employment; addictions; the rising cost of food/ 

living; geographic and technological isolation, 

or reduced access to medical services for 

example. 

Due to the ambition of The Fund being to support 

local community activity, it is anticipated that 

the majority of applications will be considered 

under funding levels 1 and 2 with a a smaller 

proportion of bids up to the maximum value of 

£50,000. The Fund will be open for applications 

in two phases. 

Phase 1 

Round 2 funding levels: 

1. £0 to £2000 

2. £2000.01 to £10,000 

3. £10,000.01 to £50,000 

Phase 1 will open for applications on Tuesday 

11th October 2022, and close on the following 

dates: 

• Funding level 1 applications will be 

accepted until midnight on Friday 2nd 

December 2022. 


accepted until midnight on Friday 4th 

November 2022. 


accepted until midnight on Friday 18th 

November 2022. 

Phase 2 

Phase 2 will open for applications in January 

2023 if money remains available after phase 

1, and close to all funding levels on Tuesday 

14th March 2023 (or once all funds have been 

allocated, whichever is sooner). 

Keep an eye on our social media 

for the launch of the fund


Member Spotlight| 

Networks of Wellbeing 

Sharon Francis 

AVA Development Officer, 

Specialising in Supporting 

Independent Living with 

Sandra Brantingham, Chair 

of NoW 

The 15th of August 2022 marked the opening 

of the new Networks of Wellbeing (NoW) 

premises at 34 West Park Street in Huntly. 

The journey has been a long and winding one 

for NoW and the atmosphere was exhilarating 

and positively happy, all the staff were bustling 

around meeting all their guests. The challenging 

work involved finding suitable premises and fast 

forwarding to today at the opening ceremony, 

and there was a real sense of relief for all those 

involved from the board, the staff team and the 

volunteers. 

After such a difficult period due to Covid it was 

lovely to see so many people in one place, 

chatting and meeting with acquaintances they 

had not seen for a while. Standing back and 

watching, I thought, this is what it’s all about, how 

our communities have missed the opportunity to 

come together and connect. Whilst waiting for 

the cutting of the ribbon, Robert, a piper, played 

a few tunes whilst people continued to arrive, 

making it feel very welcoming. 

Networks of Wellbeing is an inclusive and 

diverse organisation that lies at the heart of 

Huntly and the surrounding area, providing 

mental health and well-being support within 

the community.Their ethos is based around the 

Five Ways to Wellbeing and they offer various 

opportunities and projects including: Chilling 

Women, Counselling, Peer Support, Silver Singers, 

Dementia Support, Mindfulness to name but a 

few. 

Sandra Brantingham, the chairperson for NoW 

opened the ceremony with a speech which 

included her journey with NoW, joining the 

board in 2011 and becoming the chair in 2012.


Sandra joked that in all that time one of the main goals 

was to move from the Industrial Estate, which raised a 

few laughs and smiles of satisfaction after finally getting 

there after 5 years. Sandra went on to describe the new 

building as ‘a sanctuary for people who find life getting 

tough’. 

The Provost of Aberdeenshire, Judy Whyte, officially 

opened the new headquarters with an overwhelming 

cheer from the crowd. Judy stressed the importance 

of our physical health alongside emotional and mental 

wellbeing and that charities like Now are so important 

to communities especially in times of crisis. 

One of the volunteers, Fiona, came forward to thank 

Fiona Alderson, the Service Manager, adding that 

Fiona likes to stay out of the limelight, but she wanted 

to highlight that without her at the helm and her team 

behind her none of this would have happened. The 

volunteer, Fiona, had been supported through NoW 

herself and at the beginning of her journey, couldn’t 

leave her house but now had stood in front of a crowd, 

thanking Fiona and her team for all their hard work. 

Fiona now supports the groups that she attended, 

starting slowly with tea and coffee to now being fully 

involved. 

Spending time in the new premises, you could sense 

the excitement for the opportunities this has opened 

for NoW, the community and other community groups, 

as NoW have always worked collaboratively with other 

organisations in the area, allowing more diverse ways of 

working and coming together. 

Fiona Alderson, spoke fondly of Alastair and Janets 

rooms, both very dedicated to the works of NoW, and 

how she felt it important to have both Alastair and Janet 

recognised and not lose the sense of them and the work 

they both carried out, always having the community at 

the heart of everything they did. The rooms are lovely 

and airy and have a warm welcoming feeling to them, 

and I am sure Alastair and Janet would be so proud 

to be at the heart of the work being carried out within 

them. 

A beautiful spread of sandwiches and cakes were on 

offer, whilst everyone tucked in the room had a lovely 

sound of chatting and laughing. Fiona Alderson, cut the 

beautiful cake to mark the celebration but also to wish 

NoW a ‘Happy 30th Birthday’. 

Speaking with staff on forthcoming plans for the building, 

enthusiasm was oozing in the conversation, so watch 

this space folks - Networks of Wellbeing are at the heart 

of the Marr community, offering individuals such an 

important service and are always looking at new ways 

to support the community. Thank you for all the hard 

work you do in your community and for the third sector.


New AVA Support Service|Mediation 

Aileen Longino 

AVA Development Officer 

specialising in Social Enterprise 

Here at AVA we are always listening to what 

you want and the support you need. We 

are now launching a new string to our 

bow, our Mediation Service. 

Working with organisations large and small we 

know things don’t always go smoothly. We know 

the people involved in voluntary groups and 

charities are very passionate about what they 

do and as a result, sometimes disagreements 

might arise that groups are unable to resolve 

themselves. 

Within our Development team we now have 

two qualified Mediators, Keith Anderson and 

Aileen Longino (right). They have recently 

undertaken an extensive two-week training 

course qualifying them as Workplace Mediators.


“Mediation is a flexible process that can be used to 

settle disputes in a whole range of situations. 

Mediation involves an independent third party, 

the mediator, who helps people to agree a solution 

when there is a disagreement. The mediator helps 

parties work out what their issues and options are, 

then uses those options to work out an agreement.” 

We want to provide you with: 

In the Third Sector, mediation can be used in 

a wide variety of situations and is especially 

useful when disputes have arisen or there are 

relationship difficulties between board members, 

committee members, employees or volunteers. 

The very passion, drive and commitment that 

draws people into the third sector can heighten 

issues and very quickly escalate disagreements 

into major disputes. This is not only stressful and 

unpleasant for everyone involved but can lead 

to the loss of valuable individuals who choose to 

walk away from the stress and in some cases can 

jeopardise the future of the whole organisation. 

The need for third sector organisations to 

collaborate and work in partnership can also 

give rise to difficulties. An independent AVA 

mediator can help people work out and express 

what their issues are and then explore what 

options might be available for moving forward. 

• Ample chance for both parties to speak 

• Confidential mediation 

• A safe environment for both parties 

• Impartial, open, neutral and respectful 

discussion 

• Complete transparency of process to you 

• Notes that will be destroyed afterwards 

• Summarise and ask questions to clarify 

What we won’t do is: 

• Take sides 

• Enter into any arguments 

• Manipulate the conversation 

• Tell anyone what has been discussed 

• Make the decision for you 

If you think you might need help from us in 

resolving some differences please get in touch 

with our Mediation team. The great news for 

AVA members is that this service is free if you 

are a member. For non AVA Members the cost 

is £250. To find out more please email enquiries@ 

avashire.org.uk and see how we can help or fill 

in our Support Request Form on the AVA website 

here.


Member Spotlight| 

Alford Valley Community 

Railway moves forward 

Alford Valley Community Railway (AVCR) 

are delighted to announce that after 

much hard work and commitment by 

the Board and its associates, they have finalised 

their lease with Aberdeenshire Council and 

now have the keys to the Railway Station, 

Engine Shed and Railway Line. This is fantastic 

news and they have now started the hard 

work of physically bringing this much loved 

and treasured attraction back to life. AVCR 

extended their thanks to Aberdeenshire Council 

and the Marr Area Office for their support during 

the long journey to reach this milestone. The 

group also expressed their appreciation for the 

support they received from Grampian Transport 

Museum Trust, Alford Golf Club and Donside 

Community Council. 

The good news continued as AVCR also have 

a benefactor who has purchased the majority 

of Rolling Stock so they will be able to bring the 

Hamewith, The James Gordon and Carriages 

back to use - and in addition, The Braw Lass is 

on permanent loan from a second benefactor. 

AVCR are extremely grateful to these individuals 

for their ongoing support. 

AVCR would like to express their sincere 

gratitude to the community of Alford and the 

surrounding areas for their unshakable faith in the 

project. To hear about future activities, events, 

membership, volunteering and information, 

please visit the AVCR Facebook Page or visit 

their new website at: www.avcr.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 £70 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

New Funding for Aberdeenshire 

The Just Transition Capital Fund will support Scotland’s Northeast economy 

in its just transition to net zero and £333,333 will be available to third sector 

groups in Aberdeenshire. The capital fund is now open to applications from 

constituted grassroots community organisations and funds will be allocated 

through a Participatory Budgeting process – meaning the whole community 

has a say where the money is spent. 

✻ 

Applications can be received for grants of up to £50,000. 

Aberdeenshire groups can apply for capital funding for equipment, land or 

property that will make a positive impact on your community in reducing the 

harmful emissions that have caused climate change. 

Applications can be accepted from a range of community, voluntary, 

and third sector ‘not for profit’ organisations, associations, groups and 

clubs or consortiums/partnerships who have a strong community 

focus for their activities. 

✻ 

Support is available from the AVA team for completing the application form. 

This support can be accessed by filling in a Support Request Form on the AVA 

wesbite and selecting ‘Just Transition Fund’ from the options list. 

Visit: www.avashire.org.uk/just-transition-fund


Guidance|Keeping you informed, 

with all things Governance 

Rhona Davidson 

AVA Lead Development Officer 

(Specialising in Governance, 

Training and Strategic Service 

Development) 

At AVA our staff try their best to keep 

abreast of the ever changing and 

evolving support routes useful to those 

involved in the Third Sector, relating to the 

management of your group or organisation. 

Rhona Davidson, our Lead Development 

Officer specialising in Governance, Training 

and Strategic Services Development, has daily 

conversations with a variety of community 

groups, organisations, facilities, and individuals, 

pondering the merits of becoming a charity, 

whether through the creation of a new charity, 

moving their current group towards charitable 

status or who are seeking answers to the various 

questions relating to these process paths. 

To this end - we wanted to highlight the very 

recently refreshed “Setting Up A Charity” 

guidance written by Scottish Council for 

Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and which 

you may have been guided towards previously 

through your connection with Rhona, as a good 

process tool. The guidance covers everything 

from; considerations before starting a charity, 

how decisions will be made and how the charity 

will be managed longer term, summarising the 

different structures available to you, before 

describing how to make an application to 

become registered with the Office of the 

Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). The new 

guidance was launched at a webinar, which 

was attended by Rhona on the 7th September 

and included presentations from both OSCR 

and law firm, Gillespie MacAndrew who were 

both involved in the re-fresh and were able to 

answer direct questions from the attendees on 

relevant matters. You can watch this specific 

webinar on YouTube here. 

Rhona would love to hear from you and can 

offer you 1-2-1 Governance support. Just 

complete the support request form on our 

website here, or contact her by email at 

Rhona.Davidson@avashire.org.uk or by calling 

07724 617648. Rhona has had nearly 150 

communications with groups over the summer 

on this very specific topic alone – lets keep her 

busy!


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 


Member Spotlight|Aboyne 

Men’s Shed 




The 2nd September 2022 was a very very big 

day for one of our Members, Aboyne Men’s 

Shed as they officially opened the Aboyne 

& Mid Deeside Community Shed. In April 2016, 

our Development Officer, Aileen, started at AVA 

and on her first day, she attended a meeting on 

a wet evening in Aboyne at the local Bowling 

Club. The room was packed, as this was the very 

first meeting of the Aboyne Men’s Shed. Some six 

and a half years later, their dream came true. 

Mike Brooks Chair of the Men’s Shed spoke of 

the herculean effort by him and his team of 

Trustees to make their dream a reality and the 

Earl of Aboyne cut the ribbon to the premesis 

surrounded by trustees, members, service users, 

funders and supporters. Over £400,000 was raised 

to make the Aboyne Community Shed which sits 

nestled amongst the trees like it has always been 

there. The attention to detail is exceptional. The 

workshop is downstairs and the community space 

upstairs has is light and airy feel with a fantastic 

craft room used by Aboyne Artist in Residence 

Deeside & Donside Communities, Steph Vandem. 

This eco-friendly and highly efficient building is 

very calm and collected. 

AVA has been by their side through the ups 

and downs of pulling a massive project like this 

together. There has been much blood, sweat 

and tears to get the job done, but not even covid 

could stop this dedicated team of volunteers. 

Aileen said today, “I was delighted to be part of 

the day but I can’t express enough the effort of 

Mike, Phil, Dave, Brian, John, and other trustees 

over the years in persevering - when the going 

got tough, the tough most definitely got going! 

It has been one of the greatest privileges of 

my time at AVA to work with them and use this 

exceptional resource they have given to the 

Aboyne and surrounding community. “ 

Huge congratulations and a massive pat on the 

back for a job very well done from everyone at 

AVA.


New AVA Member| 

Tyred n Cranky 




We are delighted to feature one of our 

newest AVA members and innovative 

Social Enterprise, Tyred n Cranky in this 

edition of the AVA Magazine, working with them 

to spread the word of what they do. In this age of 

‘make do and mend’ they are Aberdeenshire’s 

answer to the ‘The Repair Shop’, and great fun 

to work with. 

Tyred n Cranky are a Community Interest 

Company (CIC), bike and cycling social 

enterprise set up by two long term cycling 

enthusiasts in the North East of Scotland. Based 

essentially near Huntly but operating on a mobile 

model, Tim & Darren hope to bring something 

unique and fitting to the area. Having both 

been cyclists for many years, their interests span 

road, touring, bike packing, mountain biking, 

commuting, and riding with their young families 

too - making their skills and experience broad 

reaching. 

So far since they were incorporated in January 

as a CIC, they have brought a one-off pop-up 

bike shop to small rural communities with no such 

facilities nearby. They offer mobile bike servicing, 

and Dr Bike services working with the likes of 

Outfit Moray, Cycling UK, and are currently in 

discussions with Love to Ride. Tyred n Cranky don’t 

plan to stop there though, with a portable bike 

track at their disposal, and plenty of enthusiasm 

to promote all things cycling for everyone in the 

local area, it might not be long before you see 

them at an event near you. 

Tim says, “We’re both passionate about not 

only cycling, but about where we live and 

the cycling facilities and infrastructure that’s 

around us. Although this is growing, there are still 

many gaps and opportunities, and plenty more 

folk that could enjoy the benefits of cycling for 

whatever purpose in this beautiful part of the 

country.” 

Darren added “At Tyred n Cranky we are 

responding to the changing economic situation, 

over the last few years bikes have grown in 

popularity, but bike shops have either closed or 

do not exist especially in the smaller and more 

rural towns and villages where car use is at its 

highest; being deliberately uncomplicated we 

can respond quickly and uniquely and adapt 

to the emerging needs of the area.” 

We wish Tyred n Cranky every success for 

the future! Find out how you can get Tyred n 

Cranky involved in your community by emailing 

tyredncranky@gmail.com find them on 

Facebook at Tyred n Cranky.


Spotlight| 

Aberdeen Independent 

Multiple Sclerosis (AIMS) 

Last year, a group of people within the multiple 

sclerosis community took the decision to 

break away from the MS Society to create 

a new group, Aberdeen Independent Multiple 

Sclerosis (AIMS) who now run the exercise and 

social activities previously provided by the MS 

Society. AIMS was established on 16th June 2021 

as an unincorporated body and after applying 

for charitable status they received approval 

from the Scottish charity regulator, formally 

becoming a charity on 30th August. 

AIMS is run by a small team of volunteers and 

has five trustees. Ad-hoc people are called on 

to assist, mainly when face to face activities 

take place and they have the support of friends 

and family members to assist at larger events 

when appropriate. Services offered are mainly 

online and generally run by qualified personnel. 

Chair-based Exercise: With a face-to-face chairbased 

exercise session operating in Westhill on 

a Thursday morning, Ian leads a digital class at 

the same time for those who are unable to get 

to the live session and he has no qualification 

other than enthusiasm. 

AIMS has a geographic spread of participants, 

reaching as far as London for exercise sessions 

and New York for yoga. Others join us digitally 

from Coventry, Dundee, Edinburgh, London 

and Portknockie. 

Mindfulness is run on a Friday morning which 

gives an opportunity for participants to relax 

their minds ahead of the weekend. 

Art and Crafts: AIMS runs a crafts session 

on Monday afternoon and an arts class 

on a Wednesday afternoon. These attract 

enthusiastic amateurs who are interested in arts 

and crafts and are as much a social occasion 

as hard work. There is a qualified leader on hand 

to offer assistance to anyone requiring help with 

a project.


A Social Group operates on a Wednesday 

afternoon for those who wish to chat and take 

part in a quiz over coffee from the comfort of a 

participant’s own home. 

It costs around £20,000 annually to operate 

AIM’s services and class participants are asked 

to make a donation towards the cost. However, 

if a person can’t afford to make a contribution, 

they are not turned away. 

Now that Covid restrictions have been 

removed, face-to-face get-togethers for lunch 

or coffee and a chat have been organised in 

Aberdeen, Stonehaven and Westhill and are 

much appreciated by participants. 

AIMS is available to anyone with multiple 

sclerosis or a similar neurological condition, 

their carers and family members - join them 

digitally from anywhere across Aberdeen and 

Aberdeenshire. 

AIMS 

Email: info@youraims.org 

Website: www.youraims.org 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ 

aberdeenMSsupport

22 AVA | September 2022 

Are you an older person who feels out of 

touch with the younger generations that 

you once felt so connected to? Are you a 

younger person who feels as though you can’t 

relate to people in older generations? Or perhaps 

you have simply observed a breakdown in 

relationships between generations? Either way, 

that’s absolutely fine. But we want to change 

it. The post-industrial shift to independent living 

over the last three decades has acted to divide 

generations who were once so connected. 

As a result, cultural walls have grown and 

opportunities for intergenerational relationships 

have dissipated. 

At Generations Working Together, our primary 

goal is to make Scotland the first intergenerational 

nation. What do we mean by this? We want 

everyone to have the opportunity to form 

meaningful intergenerational relationships, 

which will generate opportunities to learn 

from each other, break down age barriers, 

challenge stigma and ageism and generally 

make Scotland a nicer place to live, where 

people of all generations can flourish. 

There exists a narrative that looks upon 

intergenerational practice as ‘a nice thing to do’. 

And it is. But we want to challenge this narrative, 

because whilst it’s true, it’s not enough. Instead, 

we want to see intergenerational practice 

accounted for as a necessary component of 

community development, urban planning, 

education and more. There’s extensive research 

that demonstrates its effectiveness in combating 

loneliness and social isolation, and subsequently 

improving health and wellbeing. Re-engaging 

communities in this way is particularly important 

after two years of lockdowns and ought to be 

a policy priority for local councils and national 

governments. 

Each year, Generations Working Together 

comes together with 10 other countries to 

celebrate Global Intergenerational Week. 

This is an amazing week whereby exciting 

intergenerational projects from all over the 

world are showcased, expert speakers offer 

deep insights on all things intergenerational and 

opportunities for learning and networking are 

presented. We are looking to recruit volunteers 

for Global Intergenerational Week 2023, which 

will take place between Monday 25th April and 

Sunday 1st May! 

Volunteers will be fully trained to take part in 

a range of activities related to the promotion 

of intergenerational week across Scotland. 

Activities can be done from home. Volunteers 

will be required to work independently with 

support from GWT’s staff. If you would like to get 

involved, please visit our website here. 

Intergenerational work is an essential ingredient 

to creating a fair, equal and thriving Scotland. 

If you would like to learn more about what 

we do at GWT, visit our website or feel free to 

contact our Policy Officer, Ruairidh at ruairidh@ 

generationsworkingtogether.org.

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 Online Shop 

Shop online with 

Magpie! Magpie is 

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 2 

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


PROFILE | 

Getting to know those who work hard 

in your Third Sector Interface 

Who are you? 

Hi, I’m Aimi Blueman Community 

Support Co-ordinator for the Hospital 

Homecoming Project. I’ve been 

with AVA for a year and I’m halfway 

through the project. I’ve had an 

eclectic career which includes Crime 

Intelligence Analysis, Research, HR 

and OD Consultancy and Gardening! 

Its fair to say I like variety and a 

challenge! In my spare time I love 

cooking, gardening and hill walking. My challenge for 2022 is 

to climb 22 munros – nearly there! 

What is your job? 

My job is to co-ordinate a project that will see speedier 

discharge from hospital for those people who are isolated 

and lonely and require additional support when they return 

home. The support for patients will be for up to 12 weeks 

and will be provided by community groups and volunteers; 

support will include things like shopping, prescription pick up, 

transport to appointments and friendly chats/check ins. It is 

anticipated this support will prevent readmission. The project 

is in three pilot areas in Aberdeenshire and also in pilot sites 

across Aberdeen City and Moray. I am working with the 

NHS, Health and Social Care Partnership and colleagues 

in Aberdeen and Moray to identify pathways for suitable 

patients and looking to make the project sustainable in the 

long term. 

How did you end up working with AVA? 

Nosiness! I am a trustee of Braemar Care and I sent for the 

application pack to see what the project was all about. I 

read the job description and thought it sounded like a 

worthwhile challenge that I wanted to be involved in! 

What does a typical day look like? 

It starts with coffee and can be very varied! Typically I can be 

speaking to the NHS and Health and Social Care Partnership, 

raising awareness of the project and looking at patient 

pathways, Community groups about the support they can 

offer and to patients about their support needs. As this is a 

test of change project I am recording data as I go along 

at every stage. I’m currently looking to expand the project 

into new geographical areas and looking at potential new 

referral pathways that will take the project down a more 

proactive path. 

How has Covid-19 affected your job? 

Positively! I live in a remote and rural place, Covid 19 and 

working from home has enabled me to take up this position 

which I wouldn’t have been able to consider if it had been 

office based. 

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. 

AVA Magazine available in large print 

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 - September 22

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