The Echo Observer

Starting the day with enthusiasm despite the growing grey sky above! At the Lossiemouth Community Centre on Sunday the 14th of May, Crafters from over the moray area attended the event their stalls set up within one of the sports halls at the high school. From Soap to handmade silver jewellery there was a large variety of crafts. Many cakes and bakes were donated to help with fundraising. They also had a small tent outside and next to it was the hot food stall where a hog roast was done from 11 onwards for the day. The event ended at 1. As the day went on it brightened supplying periods of the radiant sun which were intermittent between torrential rain. Many of the crafters had been crafting for over 3 to 4 years. Their skills honed and true to their craft. Shark Bait and Sprocket was a crafter that had only started collecting the and using the sea glass and sea pottery to create beautiful pieces of art just last year. And for such a short time with the trade, they h...

Is this down to careless managers or carefree drivers? With prices on the rise, how can the bus station justify the tardiness of their vehicles? The people needing or relying on the transport available, arriving only to find delay or cancellation impeach ingredients work or adjoining services. Although only mentioned recently the buses have been in a down spiral for months going on years. From missing people out when late and not stopping to not turning up at all. On countless occasions, the bus has failed to pull through. You hurry for a bus and what do you get? Sore legs standing and waiting. With many people relying on their services why is there no emphasis on their schedules to be on time? With all the rage it is not always there fault. Many times when on the buses with the baggage areas below and the steps, it can take them up to 25 minutes to help a wheelchaired passenger on. Perhaps they are out of practice or perhaps it is the old machinery installed in the bus. ...

Who said Dreams don't come true? His artistic flare had been put on the back burner, now his talent is finding the light as Daniel Fairbairn, recently redundant from the oil industry, took a chance and has his first exhibition. His paintings are in acrylic paint and are on a range of canvases. His work is also printed onto table mats, coasters and cards. Daniel started painting when he was round about 7 years old and continued from there, his school choices reflected his talent, his goal to be an artist. Later on, he moved to more casual jobs his talent being benched for his spare time. Later on, after that Daniel started working within the oil industry for 15 years until being made redundant almost a year ago. With art pieces both privately owned and some in the Royal Infirmary in Aberdeen it's a real wonder how this person has stayed out of the light for so long. Though between working and having a family time is hard pressed and not easy to find. So he wo...

The Spirit of Speyside is a local festival; in its essence a celebration of our local drink, culture and the tradition. This festival is as much for tourists as it is for the locals. This article is introductory to the Spirit of Speyside. This image is from the Spirit of Speyside Facebook page The whisky festival will be hosting a numerous amount of activities, stalls and events from; a pop-up crafts stall which is to be orchestrated by a lovely local lady and her friends (who are renting the shop for a few days from the owner) to an event at the Cooperage where there will be four highly skilled Coopers building a 190litre barrel in the fastest time possible. Here is the link for more information on the Guinness World record attempt at the Cooperage. Many videos have been created called The Faces of The Festival and can be found on this link for the Spirit of Speyside Facebook Page. These videos show some of the important people who are part of/contributing to the festiva...

Article by Jane Stone Food; is it something we take for granted, something we expect to have because of it being vital to living? I'm sure a lot of people remember the 'saying waste not want not' or 'children in poor countries would love to have a small portion of what you have, many of them don't even get that much'.                                                                    Picture from Moray FoodBank Facebook Page But we are missing what should be a problem being dealt with; that people from our country, one of the richest in the world has people homeless and hungry on our streets, some living in homes with no spare income for food. The food banks were introduced to help solve this problem; but surely the Food Bank should be a short term fix, helping people temporarily until they are able to supp...

Article by Jane Stone This Sidings cafe is located in two train cars which are leased; at the Dufftown Railway (which is run by volunteers, some of which are there 4 days a week to help keep this part of Scottish Heritage open). The two carriages used for the café were made roughly in 1950's; and through the commitment of volunteers, the upkeep has been maintained over the years.                                                                                         A little bit of History The train station in Dufftown has been there for a great deal of time, being re-opened to the public, operated entirely by volunteers, in 2000 and 2001. The Keith and Dufftown Railway is still driven by volunteers, their dedication and the public's support keeping the ...

This blog will en-devour to provide local stories, information on upcoming events, new business interviews and background information. The Moray area is full of history and the present is pretty busy at the moment to. With new developments with some of the distilleries to new businesses springing up and others disappearing.