OPEN DAY HAILED AS GREAT SUCCESS
STONEHAVEN'S Open Day was this week hailed a great success by traders and organisers.
The event, which took place on Saturday, was organised in a bid to "re-launch" Stonehaven after a winter which saw the town face flooding and landslides.
Homes and businesses were extensively damaged by the floods on the night of November 1 last year, while over 100 people were evacuated from their homes following fears that the Bervie Braes could collapse in February.
With most of the businesses now re-opened and residents starting to move back into their homes, Saturday was a celebration of a return to form for Stonehaven and a positive start to the summer season. Hundreds of shoppers were welcomed into the town, which had been specially cleaned and decorated with bunting and balloons, while many traders offered special one-day deals as an incentive for visitors.
The event was organised by the town's community council, business association, KMAP and the Horizon group.
Chairman of the business association George McGillivray said: "It was a fabulous day and there certainly seemed to be a good amount of people about. Most of the businesses seem to have been very positive about it, in general it was a great success and there was a real buzz about the place. Everybody has been saying they really enjoyed the atmosphere.
"I think what we achieved in a short space of time was remarkable. It was planned as a one-off, but if there is enough demand then we could look at doing it on an annual basis."
Chairman of Stonehaven Community Council David Fleming said: "From my conversations the vast majority of traders had a very successful day, and were very busy with both returning and new customers. Certainly the crowds in the town centre around lunchtime were very heart-warming and both the harbour area and the beach front promenade were thronged with visitors.
"I think this is a wonderful example of community effort where everybody chipped in over the last four or five weeks to put on a splendid event."
Majorie Stephen, owner of Giulianotti's, said: "I thought the day went very well, the town had a real buzz to it and was really busy. The weather was a real bonus and brought lots of people into the town. It was nice to see a lot of strangers in Stonehaven, a lot of visitors and I think the day achieved an awful lot.
"I would like to see the event on an annual basis, having something which involved people going into the shops, and not just being based in the square - people going into the town hall, having the incentives in the shops - it was good all round. I think we could expand on what was achieved at very short notice by the various groups who organised it - with planning it could be a gala event in Stonehaven, something everybody could get involved in, in addition to the Feein' Market."
Margaret Grant, of Crafty Creations, raised 645 on the day from a fundraising tombola which will be donated towards St Bridget's and St James' churches in thanks for the help they gave people in the aftermath of the floods.
She said: "We are chuffed to bits with the amount that was raised. Saturday was super, it was a wonderful day and the weather just made it. We saw people from outwith Stonehaven in the shop which is what the day was promoting and we certainly raised a great amount for St Bridget's and St James'.
"We just wanted to give something back. The up-keep of these halls must cost a lot of money, with the electricity bills and everything, so that is what I wanted the money to go towards. Without these halls there are a lot of activities which wouldn't happen in Stonehaven."
Gregor Waite, owner of butchers Charles McHardy, said: "It went really well, really good. Stonehaven as a whole did very well through it, and so did we personally. I'd just like to thank everybody who came into the shop and hopefully we'll see them back again. It definitely raised the profile of the town, we saw people in the shop that hadn't been in before, and lots of the regulars came back in as well."
Mr Waite said he would also like to see a similar event on an annual basis.
Heather Anstock was manning the tills of jewellery shop Aly Bali during the day. She said: "There was a nice atmosphere in the town, it was sunny and there was lots of families around - it was good."
Councillor Graeme Clark praised the efforts of the organising committee and the community spirit that was shown in the lead-up to the Open Day.
He said: "It was great to see the bunting and all the shops taking part in it, and thankfully it was a nice day. After the winter that we've had in Stonehaven it has been horrendous, and it was good to see the town back up and running."
Local MP Sir Robert Smith said: "There was a great atmosphere reminding everyone what is on offer in Stonehaven. The organisers deserve to be thanked for all the effort they put in getting the message across that Stonehaven is very much open for business."
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Weather for Stonehaven
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 13 C
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