Last weekend, I visited New Aberdour Church to hear more about plans to create a vibrant community space celebrating local heritage and serving as a pilgrim destination.
The Friends of New Aberdour Church Pilgrimage and Heritage Initiative have conducted a feasibility study in collaboration with Community Enterprise to demonstrate what they hope to achieve in developing a sustainable future for New Aberdour Church.
Building on a broader network of sacred pathways in the North-east and deep early Christian roots in association with Saints Drostan and Columba, this project aims to purchase and develop the Church as a focal point in the village for both community life and local heritage, and as a place of welcome, reflection and pilgrimage.
I was pleased to meet with the Church Trustees to discuss their ambitions for this project as well as possible avenues for funding support. Their feasibility study has demonstrated clear community need and strong support locally for these developments, with opportunities to work in partnership with other local organisations and build on the Trustees existing experience and strong governance capacity.
New Aberdour is an important historical site in the constituency, with the Church as the central focal point for community life and local heritage. Last year, I attended the unveiling of a new plaque to St Drostan at New Aberdour, to highlight the importance of this sacred site in the North-east where St Drostan and St Columba founded one of the earliest churches in Scotland circa 850 AD. The combination of this impressive historical and religious context and its contemplative coastal setting makes it the perfect place to welcome pilgrims.
My thanks to Chairman, Graeme Bruce for inviting me to find out more about this exciting project and I wish the team well in their important endeavour to ensure the sustainability of New Aberdour Church.
Note: Pictured, left to right: May Merry, Bill Pitt, Shelia Duguid, Irene Stephen, Bryan Coull, Ruth Mackenzie, Graeme Bruce, Jane Smith and Gordon Duguid – all Trustees and Members of Friends of New Aberdour Church Pilgrimage and Heritage Initiative – with Seamus Logan MP.
