Buckie Fishermen's Hall stalwart's memory honoured
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THE memory of a stalwart volunteer who helped bring the Buckie Fishermen's Hall into community ownership has been honoured.
Linda Boyd, who sadly passed away last year, was one of the original team who formed the Fishermen's Hall Trust (FHT) where she served as the secretary for the group.
Formed in 2018, they went on to successfully steer the hall from a closure-threatened council facility to a thriving, community owned asset via Community Asset Transfer (CAT) process.
To honour her efforts, the former supper room, which has been comprehensively revamped, has been renamed the Linda Boyd Room.
Unveiling a commemorative plaque last Monday afternoon were Mrs Boyd's daughter, Ruth Watt, and FHT chairman Gifford Leslie.
An afternoon tea was also held with an invitation extended to trustees past and present to drop in and enjoy a cuppa and a chat.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Leslie said: "We wanted to do something to celebrate successfully and we thought it would be good to have all our trustees and ex-trustees along.
"We were all like a big jigsaw when we came together to get the CAT through, all of us formed a piece of it. Sadly, a piece of that jigsaw is missing now that Linda Boyd has passed away.
"Linda was a huge part of the team that made the CAT possible, she was a very hard worker and we thought it would be a nice idea to rename the former Supper Room in her memory and to have Ruth help unveil it.
"It was a very emotional moment for us."
Like other venues up and down the land, the varied activities and shows hosted by the hall came to a shuddering halt when Covid struck. However, thanks to the dedication of the trust team community groups have began returning and a programme of shows and entertainment is up and running.
The trust took over the lease of the hall from Moray Council after the local community were given a start choice as the local authority looked to cut costs – take it over or face having it closed. The Fishermen's Hall was the first of the closure-threatened halls in Moray to be taken over on a lease basis by the community.
After more than three years of hard work, the trust heard the news they had long been waiting for that their CAT application had been granted. The formal seal of approval on the transfer was granted in court at the beginning of the year.
To find more about what is on offer at the Fishermen's Hall, visit the trusts website at http://www.fishermenshall.co.uk/ or follow their Facebook page.
