My son Leo Tulloch was selected to be one of the 18 players for Aberdeen U11s Elite Team. This commitment means traveling four hours three times a week to training at Cormack Park and playing competitive Club Academy Scotland fixtures at the weekend with the country’s elite squads. 

Having played in 23 matches this season to date, Leo has scored 45 goals and will compete to get a place in the 2024 International Aberdeen Squad against Europe’s best academies. The Berry Burn Community Fund has massively supported Leo’s traveling demands; we can’t thank the Fund Members enough for choosing to support his dream.

We are extremely grateful to the Berry Burn Community Fund for the generous grant that has allowed us to complete the refurbishment of our main hall, the largest in the town. Formerly a large, dingy, cold hall used only for very active sporting activities, the hall is now a bright, warm welcoming space which can be used throughout the year for a full range of activities. We now host activities ranging from yoga to indoor football. We are looking forward to hosting a book festival this month (October 2023) which will see an audience seated in the hall for the first time in many, many years.

We thank the Berry Burn Community Fund for their generous funding to allow us to continue the valuable service we provide within the Moray and Nairn area.

Our attractive new terrace provides a safe, level area for people of all abilities to
access and enjoy, making external events available to everyone, including
those who remain nervous of Covid 19.

The hall’s beautiful grounds can be safely enjoyed without having to negotiate the
uneven, sloping ground and the levelled path from the car park makes front door
access easier for those whose mobility or eyesight previously rendered this a
challenge.

The terrace will be fully utilised and enjoyed by our community at our regular
coffee mornings and events, and it also makes the hall more attractive for hire.

Forres Tigers Basketball Team train at Forres Academy, twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. Having a team t-shirt designed by the players has resulted in a sense of unity and pride in being a member of the team.

Over 200 participants (126 individuals & 27 teams) arrived at the Craig Maclean Centre on a cool but not too breezy Sunday, 21 May 23. Participant’s ages ranged from 8 to 82, such is the raison d’etre of this hugely fun, accessible and aptly named Grantown Try Tri. To re-establish the event after COVID, much needed funding from Berry Burn Community Fund enabled the use of an electronic timing system, purchase of sustainable medals and contributions towards pool and leisure centre hire.  Supported by the local swim club and other stalwart volunteers, the event has already opened for 2024.

Funding was awarded from the Berry Burn Community Fund to help support Isobel’s training and competition expenses. In a sport with incredibly limited athlete support, this allowed her to travel and compete in major British competitions and to represent Great Britain internationally for two instalments of the Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC), a competition for those two years her senior. These competitions allowed Isobel to gain much valued experience on the world stage, representing the local club Moravian Orienteers. Notable results include:

JWOC 2023:

37^th in Forest Middle Distance

7^th in Forest Relay (Top 6 for the Podium)

The Rothes Way will provide a carbon neutral link for the many who travel between the towns and villages in Speyside. Our path will also provide a scenic link to the Speyside Way for walkers and cyclists both local and visiting, thus having the potential to boost tourism through increasing the number of visitors from national and international destinations.

This path is now two thirds complete, thanks to the generous support from the Berry Burn Community Fund and the ongoing fundraising within the community. When completed it will provide a safe cycling route for pupils from Rothes travelling to Speyside High School in Aberlour, avoiding the busy A941.

With the help of a generous grant from the Berry Burn Community Fund, Moray Firth Credit Union were able to purchase a new computer system which enables them to offer their members a more enhanced service.

The Berry Burn Community Fund contribution helped make possible the floodlight replacement project which will benefit all users, both players and spectators, of the community facility at Mosset Park.