I haven't been up to Findrack yet to fit the shower parts, but hope to do so some time in the next month. If anyone else is planning to go up there before then, please let me know and I'll pass the parts on to them - it's a fairly simple fix I think. Andrew has put the shower door in the "cottage".
Regarding future plans to try and get new courts back in Banchory, many of the golfers will already know that we approached the Golf Club recently to follow up on the very kind offer we received from the then Captain, Jim Christie, 3 years ago:
(this can be expanded if you go to the blog and click on the image).
We didn't have all the funding then, but Richard resolved that issue a few months ago by very generously offering to fund the entire project, so we went back to the golf club a couple of months ago and were given an opportunity to present our initial case to a very abbreviated golf club committee. Malcolm Grigor and I were there, along with Gary Grant (who, very generously, had given his time free to prepare the drawings to put 2 courts up) and Ken Black, who made our pitch along the following lines:
A bit of history….
- squash has been played in the Banchory area for more than 30 years
- latterly the club had a membership of around 60 with an active Junior section, although in the heyday of squash membership had exceeded 200
- the well-being of the club was adversely affected by the location and the poor relations with the landlord, which ultimately led to eviction of the club from the premises and the demolition of the courts
- in the last 2 years, around 20 players have continued to play using access to private courts in the area
Going forward…- there is a strong desire amongst the current players to rebuild a thriving squash club in the Deeside area and this is the stated aim of our sponsor
- the nearest competing courts are at Milltimber (Kippie Lodge) and Westhill (Peter Nicol Centre)
- we believe there is an appetite for the sport in the Banchory area, provided the facilities are well located and of a good standard
- we are confident of achieving a membership of 100+ players including a strong and resurgent junior section
- we have a sponsor for the capital costs and are looking for an optimal location
Why the golf club….- we were given an invitation to consider the golf club as a location
- squash is a very complimentary sport to golf, being predominantly a winter sport
- there are many sportsmen and women who enjoy both golf and squash
- there are existing car-parking and changing facilities which are under-used during the winter months
- a very central location which would make it easier to attract members
- excellent facilities, car parking, changing and of course the bar area
What benefits are there for the golf club…- expect some membership growth through cross-over sports people
- encourage more youth development with a broader offering
- increase turnover at the bar from squash members and entertaining visiting teams (meals included)
- extra space for summer activities (eg golf pilates, indoor nets…)
What about the costs….- the squash club will cover all of the capital costs and the running costs for the new squash courts
- there will be no additional burden on the golf club
We fully expected to get a second hearing at which time we could go in to more detail and answer some of the more obvious fears that the golf club might have. Unfortunately, we were not given that opportunity and were bombed out at the first hurdle, without even addressing the whole committee. I can't help feeling that we would have fared a little better if Jim Christie had still been Captain and Bill Crighton Secretary.
Anyway, no point in crying about it now - I'm only trying to bring everyone up to speed on this issue.
Since then, Richard has made contact with Colin Wilson, new (part) owner of the Inchmarlo golf complex, where they are preparing a planning application to build a hotel and more houses. We haven't yet had a face to face meeting with him, as both he and Richard have been away a lot, but Richard spoke to him again this week and this was his summary of the conversation:
"Just had a good chat with Colin. He seems to be very busy at the moment. Would like to meet up but realistically it would be the end of the month. I said I’m away then and not back until the end of August. The main Council Planning meeting is in September so we might as well wait until after that when they’ll know if they’re going ahead or not. He’s happy to have a chat with us in the meantime; so call him at the end of the month if you feel so inclined. The Laird is objecting to him putting any other sports facility in at Inchmarlo saying that the lease was for golf only, not squash or tennis. If Colin gets the go-ahead in Sept. it won’t matter though. He’s dead keen to put up a couple of squash courts saying they’ll bring a lot more people up to the centre; he thinks that with golf alone the thing won’t fly. So it’s a great opportunity for revitalizing squash in Banchory, and we won’t have to pay for it ! Realises you can use the courts for racketball too, and the space can be used (esp. during the summer) for yoga, aerobics etc."
Note Laird's comments - what a cheek! After 15 years or more of nothing happening at Hill of Banchory, he's now going to object to the potential competition doing something!
