THE personal experiences of the men who kept Buckie's boat building industry afloat have been captured in a new book.

A FORMER councillor, who always put her community first, has died after a battle against cancer.

A BIG fish in the world of angling has become hooked on a rare set of fishing flies which adorn the lobby walls of a landmark Speyside hotel.

A MAN who became renowned as the bicycle man of Moray has died at the age of 80.

A MORAY business mentor is heading to Malawi to help villagers forge a better life for themselves.

HE'S soft, he's cuddly and he's just been 'born' – meet MacElliot, the newest arrival to a national card firm's popular soft toy range.

A SENIOR figure in the Moray whisky industry has been afforded a prestigious title.

IF fire breaks out in your home, the smoke detector is the early warning which could save your life.

HUNGRY field mice played a major part in the demise of a kirk organ which had become unplayable.

SOGGY cabbage and lumpy custard are more likely to feature in history lessons than be served up for lunch in Moray schools these days.

STONEMASON Neil McBean has chiselled in the handprints of a forgotten Scot whose 19th century genius is being kept alive in his northern birthplace.

THE beauty of a picturesque stretch of Moray coastline will be enjoyed by pupils and staff at a secondary school – without them leaving the building – thanks to a talented teacher and a generous benefactor.

THE newly appointed dean of science and technology at UHI, the prospective University of the Highlands and Islands, believes sustainability is the only way people can avoid leaving a legacy of damage and disruption.

TAKING that first step over the threshold of Studio 8 can open the door to a positive change.

THE sweet taste of success came as a surprise to young chef Jillian Urquhart.

NURSES who started their careers in different parts of the country, but went on to become colleagues at a Moray hospital, have retired.

A TEACHER has put a Moray village on the map by being nominated for a top national award.

RESPECT for the opposite sex is being engendered among children at primary school in the effort to challenge and change attitudes and bring an end to domestic abuse.

BEING young has its own challenges without having to cope with the break up of your family.

COURAGEOUS Moray cancer patient Mike Gray, who campaigned for life-prolonging drugs to be made available on the NHS for himself and other patients across Scotland, has died.

DAREDEVIL Erin Jamieson has won a place in a TV adventure of a lifetime.

A TEENAGER from Forres is proving to be a model student in more ways than one.

A RALLYING call has been sounded to the workforce of a once-thriving Lossiemouth seafood business to reunite.

THE wheels have been set in motion to recognise a charity fund-raiser who has cycled hundreds of miles to boost the coffers of the Breast Cancer Campaign.

A NEW organ is to be dedicated on Sunday in memory of a former head teacher and long-serving session clerk.

IT'S tough at the top – that is what a Moray marine discovered when he embarked on a multi-marathon race in the sub-zero temperatures of Northern Canada.

PUTTING their best foot forward will help charity walkers tackle a coastal challenge which over the years has raised £111,000 for good causes.

SIX young sailors are set to chart a course across the North Sea as they attempt to take an international seamanship title back to British shores.

A MORAY teenager is preparing for the experience of a lifetime, helping to bring clean water to South American villagers.

A MORAY ministry team will soon be up to full strength.

MOST people will remember John Andreetti as the man with the big personality who served up fish and chips at the Ca'dora on Elgin High Street during the 1970s and 80s.

IT started with a Ford Consul in the late 1950s and, since then, James Gibson's passion for the company's cars has never been dented.

HELPING to enrich the lives of carers, and those they care for, has given Maureen McLeod her biggest buzz over the 18 years she has been in charge of Crossroads (Moray).

A MORAY town is giving chapter and verse on its people and places in a new book which has been born out of an artists in residence programme.

MORAY hairdresser Catherine Thomson has been turning heads in the European headquarters of international industry icon Vidal Sassoon.

A FAREWELL party was held last Friday to mark the retiral of Dr Melvin Morrison, head GP partner of Keith's Health Centre practice.

SHE will be trekking with a tribe once famed for their head-hunting skills, enduring monsoons and sweltering rainforests, and sleeping among rats, spiders and cockroaches.

THE freedom of Moray is to be bestowed on Fochabers entrepreneur Gordon Baxter.

"I'M no hero" was the cry from an award-winning Moray teenager who thinks nothing of climbing down sheer cliff faces, ploughing through flood water and rushing to the scene of car crashes and other major incidents.

A KEITH businessman who played a role in community affairs over many years, has died.

A LOVE of embroidery and textiles has seen a Moray student pick up a global award.

STORYTELLER Lori Don drew inspiration from traditional Scottish folklore for her first children's book, an adventure story filled with dragons, fairies and centaurs which need a young girl's help.

THEY say love is blind, and that proved to be the case when a couple fell for the charms of a beautiful but neglected Victorian residence that has been the setting for hundreds of Moray weddings.

A MORAY woman who has travelled across the world bringing aid and comfort to impoverished communities is about to break into new territory.

A BBC news reporter who cut her journalistic teeth with 'The Northern Scot' paper will be searching for Scots abroad after winning a major scholarship.

SAVING an old banger of a car from the scrapyard is one thing. Expecting it to endure a 2000-mile drive through Europe is something else entirely.

IT may be better known for its herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle, but now a completely different breed of animal has taken up residence in the grounds of Ballindalloch Castle.

A SPRING clean carried out at a wildlife site in the heart of Elgin has unearthed an unusual find.

MAKEOVER winner Elaine Barry put a tough year behind her when she was given a fabulous new look by the nation's top hairdresser.

A STAR-STUDDED auction will mark a milestone in the run of an inspirational theatre company.

AFTER almost 40 years of bringing cards, letters, parcels – and of course bills – to the door of homes in Miltonduff, Mosstowie and Pluscarden, it was time for residents to deliver their own good wishes for a long and happy retirement to their postie, Nelson Stephen.

A MAN who had become a virtual recluse is setting about getting his life back on track – with the benefits of life coaching.

YOUNG people in Moray crying out for a stronger voice will send their plea straight to the top man in Scotland.

FLAMES are shooting up and the fire is crackling, but you can't hear a thing.

A MORAY Marine is about to embark on one of his toughest assignments yet – and all in the name of charity.

FUN was the name of the game for nurse Wendy Walker and that is how her family will remember her at a fund-raising quiz night in her memory.

A COMMUNITY stalwart had double cause for celebration this week when he was presented with not one but two awards recognising his local voluntary work.

SHOULD Claire Simpson ever feel a little down on her luck, she's qualified to forge some of her own after learning the skill of making horse shoes.

PREPARING to swap banking for building, Shirley Luxon knows her African adventure will be anything but a holiday.

A WIDOWER who fell for his late wife 40 years ago is about to fall for her again – this time in a parachute jump to thank the charities that cared for her during her final days.

AS the days begin to stretch and the nights get shorter, not everyone is happy.

A MAN who masterminded a period of radical change in education in the Moray area has died.

UP to 250 Canadians are set to make tracks for Moray next year on a pilgrimage to honour two local men who played a legendary role in their country.

A PLUCKY pensioner is preparing to say hello to Honduras as she packs her bags for a volunteering experience of a lifetime.

TAKE a step back in time, to the 11th century, and hear the fascinating tale of one of Scotland's great historical figures – Macbeth.

A RETIRED managing director who was at the helm of an internationally-renowned textile export firm has died at the age of 74.

AS LOVERS across the country celebrated the most romantic day of the year, Elgin's very own St Valentine helped another couple embark on married life together.

A FORRES man is encouraging people to take to the hills to help those with cancer.

TWO major heart operations have failed to prevent Moray's cha-cha-champion of ballroom dancing from waltzing beyond his 80th birthday.

A DETERMINATION to "do Lossiemouth proud" helped Michelle Antrobus make a stunning debut in a starring role in the West End musical, 'Chicago', last weekend.

A MORAY businessman has been appointed to the new board of Quality Meat Scotland (QMS).

HEATHER Urquhart, a woman with a passion and an eye for imaginative photography, has died at the age of 60.

WILDLIFE enthusiasts in Moray are urged to keep an eye out for one of Scotland's favourite native animals.

WHAT might be a 'Kitchen Nightmare' to some will be a dream come true for cookery student Lorna McNee, who is off to work in Gordon Ramsay's London restaurant.

BUDDING artists got so carried away with a design project that they produced plenty of image ideas for eco-friendly shoppers.

GORDON Baxter's entrepreneurial spirit burns as brightly now as the day he entered the humble family soup and jam business in 1945.

A JOURNALIST with Moray roots is spearheading a powerful commission charged with investigating the state of television broadcasting in Scotland and devising a strategy for the future.

IN 1957, the Cold War was at its height, the Treaty of Rome established the European Economic Community and the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1.

A BRAVE youngster from Moray, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder, was able to hold his mother's hand for the first time after an operation to straighten his hand was a success.

A RETIRED businessman who was renowned for his generosity, hospitality and fun-loving nature has died at the age of 74 following a short illness.

A TALE of murder, arson, religious conflict and wanton plundering in 17th century Elgin has been told by two Moray authors charting the town's role in the English Civil War.

GUESTS at one of Moray’s leading Burns’ Suppers could have been forgiven for thinking that one of the top table guests was speaking in tongues.

AS IT occurred, it was a moment when I was suddenly made aware of my own mortality.

MORAY has been hosting some unusual feathered friends over the last few days.

A BLEND of whisky and fine local produce had the judges in the Spirit of Speyside chefs competition holding out their plates and asking for more.

THE squadron which lost 12 of its number when an RAF Kinloss Nimrod crashed in Afghanistan in September 2006 will mark the 90th anniversary of its formation later this year.

HAIRDRESSING student Heidi Edmunds is heading for the top in her profession after brushing off the opposition to lift two prizes.

HOW can you be a loser, and yet gain so much? A Moray mum knows the answer, finding happiness, a husband and new career after shedding an incredible 42lbs.

A COURAGEOUS six-year-old cancer patient has been given the tonic of laughter – by a mum who has proved she is a cut above the rest.

AN AMATEUR archaeologist has received a prestigious accolade for his achievements in the field.

FLOWER power is set to help a Moray coastal community blossom – but only if colourful plans unveiled this week get the backing of residents.

A FORMER Burghead minister, who was a prominent athlete in his youth, is to be the next Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing).

PERCHING himself high above his crew like a lookout in the crow's nest of his ship, Clavie King Dan Ralph's face was a picture of pride.

RUBBISH tips make rich pickings for seagulls, but they are being given the bird at Moray's only landfill site.

THE decorations are down, the last mince pie has been eaten, and every bottle of booze is empty. Now the whole nation seems to be on a guilt trip as the reality of over-indulgence during the festive period kicks in.

YOU only live once...or three times in the case of kidney transplant patient Norman Anderson, who is alive and very much kicking thanks to an organ donor.

RETURNING to Holyrood as Moray's MSP and then being appointed a minister in the first SNP cabinet meant 2007 was a non-stop year for Richard Lochhead.

THE last post has been sounded for a well-known and long-serving Speyside business couple.

CUTTING a cake to mark his retirement is rector of Milne's High School, Fochabers, Gordon McPherson. He received a quaich from staff along with other gifts and a cheque at a lunch in his honour.

WHETHER it be from Lodz to Lossiemouth or Krakow to Keith, the Christmas spirit remains strong.

A FORMER chief executive of Moray District Council, James P.C. Bell, has died at the age of 79.

IN THE words of author Ken Grant, "The Life and Times of Willie Whisky" promises to be a dram good read.

LESSONS must be learned from the horrors of the Holocaust or modern day society could witness mass murder on the same horrific scale.

WHEN someone asks Moray acting student Alison Munro to 'break a leg' before a performance, they can only hope she doesn't take it literally.

WEB readers of 'The Northern Scot' are being invited to have their say on a list drawn up of 101 sites, sights and experiences for visitors to Moray.

TATTOOS and body piercing can cause major health problems unless carried out by authorised studios.

VITAL assistance for disabled people in Moray could suffer if a voluntary group folds.

A FORRES woman's drive to lose weight was rewarded – with a dream sports car.

THE ancient met with the modern when pupils from Lossiemouth High School launched an innovative art project at Spynie Palace last week.

AS SUSAN Alexander sorted through the faded photographs and dog-eared press clippings of her life as a ballerina, she had no idea that they would eventually appear in a book.

A PRIEST has taken leave of his Moray congregation on a musical note.

A MORAY writer combined leg work with paddle power as he researched his first book.

A POSITIVE jewel for Forres and a lasting legacy in memory of the town's famous son whose name it bears – scientific historian Hugh Falconer – has been officially reopened following a £650,000 refurbishment.

A LABOUR of love, and the occasional blood, sweat and tears, has seen keen Forres writer Liz Warham finally become a published author after 25 years.

ONE of Elgin Academy's longest-serving rectors died on Monday at the age of 85.

LEADING light Michelle Antrobus left behind the 'Razzle Dazzle' of London's West End to thrill big crowds at Lossiemouth's big Christmas illumination event.

DETERMINED dieter Sarah Mumford made sure her loss was a children's charity's gain.