Launch Of Buckie Locality Plan Held In The North Church Hall.
A BETTER Buckie – that was the clarion call groups, agencies and individuals alike rallied to when an improvement plan for the centre of the town was launched. The 10-year plan, which focuses on the central east area of Buckie, is the result of a year’s hard work with the wider community. Forming the main ideas of the plan are the themes of learning and life skills, young people, connectivity and community voice, all identified by the Buckie Central East Community Monitoring Group through local consultations. Spearheaded initially by the Moray Community Planning Partnership, the plan will be actioned by the community theme groups. Speaking after the launch of the plan in Buckie’s North Church Hall last week, chairman of the Community Planning Board, Councillor Graham Leadbitter said: “I see lots of people trying to make a difference in communities around Moray and to see progress by this group in Buckie already is heartening.” Community volunteer Susan Chalmers commented: “As the plan has come together, it’s been reassuring to see that the issues raised by local folk during the consultations have been heard and are being addressed. “This afternoon has been a great example of voluntary groups and official agencies working together and we hope it will encourage others from the community to get involved in making Buckie an even better place to bide in.” The launch of the plan was also warmly welcomed by Buckie’s three councillors – Sonya Warren, Gordon Cowie and Tim Eagle – who were all at the launch event. Councillor Warren said: “It was great to see so many folk interested in what’s being looked at for Buckie. “It’s been very interesting to see all the feedback from folk, both young and old, and look at the concerns in the community and what they would like to change. Hopefully this plan will go some way to addressing these issues and encourage folk to get involved in these changes.” Councillor Cowie commented: “It was very encouraging to see not only all the partners coming together under one roof to let the people of Buckie see what is going on in their area, but also people attending in large numbers and showing a lot of interest. “I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate all the organisers and helpers.” Councillor Eagle added: “I am truly impressed by the hard work which has been put in by people across Buckie who have come together to bring this outcome improvement plan to life. “Of course, there is much hark work to do to deliver on the plan, so I look forward to the next 10 years as we strive for our better Buckie.” A copy of the plan is available on www.buckie.co where regular updates about the work of the group will be published.
Groups to drive change
A NUMBER of working groups are currently being set up to drive forward the aims of the A Better Buckie 10year plan for the town’s central east area. Under the supervision of the Community Monitoring Group, committees bringing together the combined talents of local people and a variety of agencies are in the process of being formed. They will look at tackling four main priorities: n Young people n Learning and life skills n Connectivity n Community voice Supporting the programme is Moray Council community support officer Tracey Rae. She said: “This is very much a community-led effort throughout as it has been from the start. “It was wonderful to see such a huge turnout at the launch day. “While this is a 10-year plan it is nevertheless a very fluid document with major reviews every year and smaller ones every six months. It will adapt to the needs of the community it serves.”