Duff House at War tells the eventful story of the stately home, now an art gallery and and restored stately home.The house was bombed by the Germans, ironically killing several German prisoners of war. As well as a prison, the house was used as an internment centre for foreigners at the start of the war, and to house Allied soldiers.

Duff House manager Rachel Kennedy is very excited about the new book, saying that it makes a significant contribution to local and national history. Duff House at War includes 40 pages of photographs, and includes memories of wartime residents. It is written by Allan Burnett.

Good news for the thousands of visitors who use service buses to get around.

The biggest bus operator in the North of Scotland is reducing the price of many of its multiple journey day tickets.

The firm is introducing a zonal system for calculating fares. One route to benefit is the service between Banff/Macduff/Turriff and Aberdeen, where weekly tickets are being reduced.

The company have also announced that they are freezing prices on their single and return ticket prices.

More details from the company's website: www.stagecoachbus.com

A basking shark has been spotted in Banff Bay, and photographed by a local man. An expert guessed the animal was a young male,which would probably make its way back to the Atlantic, where they are resident.

Banffshire Coast Tourist Partnership were recently awarded £35,000 funding from a combination of the Rural Tourism Business Support project, the VisitScotland Growth Fund and Aberdeenshire Council.

Over the next 18 months, tourism businesses along the Banffshire Coast will have the opportunity to participate in several significant marketing initiatives, thanks to a recent funding award of £35,000.

The funding, from a combination of the Rural Tourism Business Support project, the VisitScotland Growth Fund and Aberdeenshire Council, will enable the Banffshire Coast Tourism Group to further develop and market the Banffshire Coast as a highly attractive visitor destination.

Roger Goodyear, Chair of the Banffshire Coast Tourism Partnership, commented: "This award is a fantastic opportunity to promote our area to both first time and returning visitors, and follows on from a very successful short marketing campaign run at the beginning of this year which resulted in visits to our website (www.banffshirecoast.com) rising by more than 1500%."

The four marketing initiatives fall under two themes - Outdoor and Ancestral.  A full-colour 48-page pocket Area Guide, to be distributed throughout Scotland and the Banffshire area, will contain high-quality imagery and editorial content to encourage both visits to and wider exploration of the area.  The other three initiatives will focus on the area's strengths of Marine Life, Walking and Birdwatching, and Ancestral.  They will all involve a combination of activities, including the creation of new sections for the website, e-flyer campaigns to targeted market segments, PR trips and familiarisation visits, as well as social media campaigns.  All four initiatives will provide tourism businesses in the area excellent opportunities to advertise their own individual offering.

Roger Goodyear commented further:  "The Banffshire Coast has a wide range of tourism attractions and services, but these have never been brought together in a way which is 'visitor friendly'.  The planned campaigns will draw all of these elements together in one place and promote comprehensive packages and itineraries to those with these specific interests - for the very first time.  We will be showing visitors just how they can spend their time in our area - whether one day, a few days or longer.  By focussing on the web and social media, we will be able to achieve more significant results than the traditional advertising routes which are out of the reach of our budget, as well as utilising the most up-to-date promotional tools.  We are very grateful to our 3 funding partners - without whom we would not be in a position to make this step change in tourism on the Banffshire Coast."

For more information, please contact:  Zillah Jamieson, Director, Banffshire Coast Tourism Partnership Limited; 01542 840314; zillahj@btinternet.com

Macduff will be ablaze with a new set of Christmas lights this year, thanks to fundraising efforts by the Banff and Macduff Christmas Lights Association.

The lights in Banff and Macduff will be officially switched on at a ceremony on the Plainstones, on Low Street, Banff on the afternoon of Saturday November 27.

There will be stalls, Santa's grotto, horse and cart rides, Macduff RNLI, the coastguard and fire service. Music from the Banff Castle Pipe band, singers and a magician.

The event starts at 12.30pm, and the switch on is at 4.30pm.

Great news for the Banffshire Coast Tourism Partnership. Our new mobile website is now live on-line, and available to all who use their mobile phones to access the internet.

This is the future! It means that folk in their cars, or in the street can find out where to go, where to shop, where to eat, where to stay etc in our area, just with a few clicks on their mobiles.

The Banffshire Coast mobile website includes some minor mods to make it easier to use and to read on small  phone screens.

Thanks go to our IT gurus at blue square for creating it.

If you don’t have an internet enabled  phone, you can get a look at the mobile website on:  http://m.banffshirecoast.com/  To see how it actually  looks on a phone screen, make your viewing window much narrower. (Of course, it is much smaller on a phone too.)

An empty shop in Banff's Strait Path has been re-opened as a gallery and exhibition space, used by local artists.

Artists include illustrator Jimsin Vogel, metalworker Barry Twain from Gardenstown, and wildlife artistr Katy Rewston from Alvah, near Banff.

The rest of the shop will be used as a workspace by local film-maker and animator Dave Chisnall.

The gruesome remains of a partly decomposed cat-like animal was photographed by a cyclist on the Banff to Aberchirder road, and published in the Banffshire Journal on November 22. It shows the head of the cat, which has extremely large teeth, and unusual ears and nose. The photo has been passed on to the  Big Cat Society for analysis.
Intriguingly, the location is very close to Cornhill, where there have been photographs taken of large black cats and Scottish wildcats in recent months.

Moves are under way to identify a programme of improvements at the Scotstown cottages at Banff.  The houses were built in the 19th century to house fishermen from Portknockie who wanted to move to Banff.

The management of Duff House will be transferred to Historic Scotland, who will also become responsible for the 25 staff.  Since 1992, Duff House has been run as a partnership by Aberdeenshire Council, Historic Scotland and the National Galleries of Scotland.  Duff House had been threatened with closure over the winter months; however, it is hoped that this move will be the best way of securing and developing Duff House in the future.

The Banff Preservation and Heritage Society is looking to bring one of the town's oldest existing artefacts back home.  A replica of the Mercat Cross now stands at the Low Street Plainstones; however the Society wants to bring the rare original (currently stored by the North East Scotland Preservation Trust) to the town's museum.  The Mercat Cross dates back to the 16th century and it was erected where the Biggar Fountain on the corner of Low Street now stands today.  In 1767 it was removed from the spot because of its size and interference with traffic, and its custody was given to the Earl of Fife.  He erected it on a hill at Sandyhill Road before it was re-sited at the Plainstones in 1900.  The base at Sandyhill Road remains and is a doocot.  In 1994, the Society created a replica of the cross and the original was then put in storage.  The Cross is a very rare piece in Scotland as it is one of the few remaining pre-Reformation crosses.

A former stables block is the focus of plans for a £200,000 development at Banff Castle community centre.  The aim is to produce a cultural practice and performance area while preserving a part of Banff's buildings heritage.  Banff Community Association runs the castle - which is a mansion house - as a centre for local leisure and activity groups.  Both levels of the two-storey stables block will be used for the folklore centre and there are also plans for a cafe with access to a walled garden. 

Work is expected to start soon on a £162,000 development to expand the interior of the Boyndie Trust Visitor Centre.  The popular centre provides training for about 60 people who are either unemployed or have learning difficulties.  It also features a shop, cafe, garden centre and an exhibit on RAF Banff, and its popularity has meant that the work is necessary for it to continue to grow.  The work will be a revamp of the inside of the centre to provide visitors with better access to it.  It will include creating more retail space and training facilities, and it will mean people will get to see a lot more of the centre.  The car park will also be extended to create about 20 extra spaces.  And it is hoped that more work placements for training will be available.  All of the funding is now in place (including almost £70,000 from the rural Aberdeenshire LEADER fund, other grant awards and the Trust itself), and the work is expected to start very early in the year. 

An exhibition of traditional craft skills will be a major part of the annual COAST Arts Festival at Banff and Macduff in May 2012.  Banff and Buchan Arts Forum is now appealing for entries for Show Your Hand which will showcase traditional pursuits from ceramics to leather work and enamelling to blacksmithing.  This will be a major exhibition for the Festival and an important way to revealing the skills that are being lost.

A voluntary group of local residents, artists and community organisations are now hard at work preparing for COAST 2012.  The 5th COAST Festival will take place from Friday 25th May 2012 to Sunday 27th May 2012. 

The programme will contain a range of events, with the theme for the core events being "The Creative Individual".  The Festival will be presenting experienced artists, art students, the work of traditional artisans and the often unseen work of the home-based creator.  The "Show Your Hand" exhibition will feature artworks and artifacts showing traditional artisan skills, from ceramics and leatherwork, to enamelling to smithing.  The Festival will also have family fun events, including the ever popular sandcastle competition, the spectacular duck race, and a programme of hands-on workshops for all ages.  Brochures will be available at the end of April.

If you want to create an event, please contact the organisers at info@coastfestival.org.uk.

A treasure trove of wartime memorabilia has gone on display at Duff House, Banff.  The exhibition includes historic documents, newspaper cuttings and artefacts from World War II.  A range of interpretive boards have also been set up to explain what life was like for the north-east during the 1930s and 1940s.  Duff House itself played a significant role in the war as a military base and prisoner of war camp.  The 18th-century house had been used as a hotel and sanatorium when it was handed over to the UK Government in 1940.  Initially it became an internment camp for people living in Britain who were believed to be a threat.  It was later used to hold prisoners of war.  In July 1940 it was attacked by a lone Heinkel HeIII bomber whose pilot had mistaken it for an allied base.  Six PoWs were killed in the raid.  The house was later used as a base for Scottish, English, Norwegian and French troops until the war ended.

The first elements of ground-breaking marketing initiatives for the Banffshire Coast area have now been launched.  The website now contains a new section focusing on one of the area's key attractions, Dolphins and Marine Life, as well as ideas for Great Days Out along our coastline.  These features will make it easy for visitors to find useful information not only about the wildlife, but also about the best viewing points and the range of marine attractions to visit.  The three Marine and Wildlife Itineraries provide ideas for great days out along the coastline, giving visitors lots of reasons to spend time here, whether one day, a few days or longer.  In March, the new Area Guide will be launched.

An important relic from the 17th cenutry has been discovered in a garden in Banff.  A 1695 date stone found at Banff carries the initials of a former provost of the burgh and his wife.  Although the stone is broken and incomplete, it is likely to become a feature of a new folklore centre in the town.  Four pieces of the stone were found in a low wall in the grounds of Banff Castle after the structure was disturbed by workmen.  Investigations point to it being a stone once set into the wall of a long-demolished property at High Shore.  Four pieces of the stone have been found, and it is hoped that the rest can be traced.  The artefact is due to find a home at the new folklore centre at Banff Castle.

A blanket invitation has gone out to local tourism-related businesses to the Duff House Open Day on Thursday 29th March - offering free all-day entry to the house and its grounds.  Special activities on the day include a journey into Banffshire's Jacobite history with the Alba Adventure Company, private guided tours of Duff House and VIP previews of this summer's 2012 ARTIST ROOM exibition.  Attendees will be given comprehensive information on Duff House's summer programme and special events, and a chance to win a free family ticket to an open-air show in the Duff House grounds featuring either a performance of Roald Dahl's hilarious children's story, "the Twits" or Gilbert & Sullivan's classic operetta "HMS Pinafore".  Guests will be welcome to bring along publicity material for their own businesses and encouraged to exchange views with fellow business people.  Places should be booked as soon as possible either by e-mail to duff.house@aberdeenshire.gov.uk or by calling Jo Edwards on 01261 813000.

The COAST organisers have won a popular vote for the best festival in the area for 2011.  The charitable body that supports cultural organisations in the North-east, Creative Cultures Scotland, conducted a survey in 2011 to find the best events and projects, as voted by the public, and COAST came out top in the category of festivals.  Representatives from COAST picked up their certificate at a presentation in Aberdeen.  This year's festival will feature performances, exhibitions and entertainments in Banff and Macduff.

Proposals to create a heritage trail at a former wartime airfield in the north-east are to be unveiled to the public.  The former RAF Banff site at Boyndie - built in 1942-43 as a training base for pilots - is the focus for plans to establish an educational and recreational facility.  The initiative is being steered by the Banff Airfield Trust, which was established two years ago.  The scheme centres on ways to stabilise, record and conserve the buildings and use them as focal points in a self-guided walking heritage trail.  It would begin from the Boyndie Visitor Centre, already home to a display of RAF Banff artefacts.  An open public meeting is planned this spring to let interested parties find out about the plans.   

A new orchard could be created at Banff Castle to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.  Banff Community Association, which runs the venue, aims to plant 10 fruit trees initially, then encourage further planting in the grounds.  The trees will be introduced in the garden, lining an old carriage track which used to link the site to Castle Street.  Banff and Macduff Community Council has agreed to provide a selection of apple, plum and pear trees.  The aim is to encourage locals and groups to plant further fruit trees in the extensive castle grounds to border pathways and to then harvest the fruit. 

Banff's new £200,000 arts and folklore centre was unveiled on 6th May 2012.  The recently-completed Kelpie centre was the backdrop to the Beltane Festival marking the changing seasons in the ancient Celtic calendar.  The traditional fire festival celebrated the return of the sun with rituals to ensure the fertility of the land as livestock was herded from winter pens out into summer pastures.  The two-day Banff event also signalled the opening of the transformation of a former stable block at the town's castle to a modern venue for local cultural activities and performances. 

Three organisations in the Banffshire Coast area have won through in the North-east Regional Finals for Scottish Thistle Awards and now go through to the National Finals in November.

Portsoy's Scottish Traditional Boat Festival started as a small community celebration to mark the 300th anniversary of Portsoy harbour almost 20 years ago and has grown in status to become recognised by VisitScotland as one of the region's flagship tourism events.  Although the emphasis of the Boat Festival is on maritime culture and heritage, the event has expanded over the years to reflect a wide range of associated traditional skills.  There is also a hugely popular food fayre and craft tent, an extensive music programme featuring local and internationally-renowned artists, and sports activities from running to rugby.  This year the festival is making history by playing host to the biggest ever St Ayles skiff coastal rowing regatta.  The Festival received the Award for Best Cultural Event in the North-east.

The Deveron Fishing Festival has been recognised for its success in attracting visitors to the area and boosting the local economy.  A lot of the trade now see the festival and its trade fair as a major event on the UK fishing calendar, and it is fairly unique to be able to hold a fair in an environment where equipment can be shown and tried on the river.  The festival ticks all the boxes in showing off the river to anglers and bringing people to the area.  The community also gets a payback in the benefits to the local economy.  The Festival received the award for the Best Nature-based Experience.

The Spotty Bag Cafe in Banff - part of the famous Spotty Bag Shop - received the regional award for the Best Cafe, Bar or Restaurant in the north-east.

Organisers of Banff and Macduff's annual COAST event are planning a huge installation featuring more than 200 custom-made flags.  The piece will take pride of place at Banff Castle.  The theme of the festival is the creative individual, so the organisers are providing more than 200 blank flags that groups will be getting together to decorate.  Locals are being challenged to design a flag that best represents them or their families.  The flags will be fixed to a forest of bamboo canes.  Meanwhile 20 giant flags are being decorated by the same team behind last year's colourful umbrella project.  This year's event runs from 25th to 27th May, starting with an opening ceremony at Macduff Town Hall.