Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Aberdeenshire village launches fairy trail to keep youngsters – and local businesses – busy this summer

Emily Graham, 7, Abbie Henderson, 6, and Louise Graham with some fairy trail creations
Emily Graham, 7, Abbie Henderson, 6, and Louise Graham with some fairy trail creations

An Aberdeenshire community has come together to create a fairy trail for its local youngsters – and businesses.

Several groups have teamed up to create the trail in Kemnay to keep kids occupied over the summer holidays.

They also hope it will give local businesses, which have been badly hit by the pandemic, a boost by bringing visitors to the village.

Organiser Louise Graham said: “I have been on a few other fairy trails with my daughter, who is seven, and they’re always a great way to find new places to shop and get something to eat.

“I thought it would be a great way to encourage people to visit Kemnay so they can see what we have to offer.”

Louise Graham is organising a fairy trail in Kemnay this summer. Picture: Kenny Elrick/DCT Media.

‘An amazing response’

Kemnay Primary, the Rainbows and the local Knit and Natter Group are among the groups who have been hard at work creating the trail.

Kemnay House will be putting fairy items around the woods and the Littlewood Court sheltered housing complex are getting involved too, while local residents have said they’ll make their own fairy house or pictures to display in their gardens or windows.

Ms Graham added: “It’s something fun to do with the kids and so many people are excited to take part.

“We’ve also had an amazing response from local businesses who have all said they will do something. We’ve got the medical centre, nursery and village hall on board, as well as Cafe 83 and the Kemnay Farm Shop.”

It is hoped the trail will be running for the start of the school holidays. Participants will be able to tick off all the fairy houses they spot as they go through the village.

Ms Graham added: “We think a lot of people will still be staying local, or taking staycations or day trips, so the fairy trail will hopefully draw people to the village. It’s a great thing for families to do.

“Kemnay has so much more to offer including lots of local walks for people to enjoy and the Kemnay Steens which were created by artist James Winnett to reflect the local history.”

Kemnay Primary School pupils have been making their own fairy garden. Supplied by Kemnay Primary School.

Children’s ideas ‘brought to life’

Pupils at Kemnay Primary School are “delighted” to be involved in the project and have been working to create their own “individual” fairies.

Deputy head Caroline Anderson said: “What started as a Friday afternoon craft suggestion by some of our P2 pupils has captured the imagination and creativity of lots of the children from across the school.

Primary school pupils are making items for the fairy trail this summer. Supplied by Kemnay Primary School.

Rainbow fairies

Meanwhile, Kemnay Rainbows have been hard at work transforming bird boxes into fairy houses.

Leader Pamela Grant said: “We’re always looking for good activities to do and Louise came up with the idea of making fairy houses for the trail.

Abbie Henderson, 6, and Emily Graham, 7. have been making fairy houses with their Rainbows group. Picture: Kenny Elrick/DCT Media.

“It was very successful for the most part and everyone had a lot of fun.

“These will be community boxes put up in the trees around the village and then can be used as bird boxes after the trail.”

Something new for the knitting group

The Knit and Natter group has also been creating items to feature in the fairy trail. The group of 29 from across the north-east has continued to meet online throughout the pandemic to knit and crochet for charities.

Fairley Taylor, from the group, said: “We always knit scarves, blankets and hats for premature babies, so I suggested we do fairy people for something different.

Different groups in Kemnay have been making items for the fairy trail. Supplied by Fairley Taylor.

“The ladies have been busy since the end of last year making fairies, houses, bunting, trees, elves, gnomes and lots more. So, when we heard that there was going to be fairy trail, we decided to join in.

“Some of the fairies will be distributed to the sheltered housing complex and other places around the village.”

‘Re-launching’ the village

Kemnay was awarded £5,000 from Aberdeenshire Council as part of the Town Centres Phoenix Fund which will help 25 towns “relaunch” following lockdown.

Robert Mackay, from the Phoenix Fund Kemnay Committee, said: “We hope to promote a sense of wellbeing and especially to highlight the benefits of enjoying the outdoors and nature in our fantastic village.”

Some of the money from the fund will go towards the fairy trail and it will also be used to develop three new walking maps of Kemnay, which are expected to launch on June 19.

Other ideas for the cash include planters and hanging baskets to add a splash of colour, freestanding hand sanitisers, and potentially, Happy to Chat benches to combat loneliness.

Kemnay locals still have time to get involved in the fairy trail and can join the Facebook group for more information.