Being retired means you can enjoy a much easier life, however, one retired professor is taking on the challenge of bringing an abandoned church back to life.
The Udny Green church was built more than 200 years ago by the famous Aberdeen city architect John Smith, funded by the Udny family.
He is well-known in the north-east for creating the iconic silver/granite cityscape that is Aberdeen today.
Tony Eddison, 61, a former architecture lecturer moved to the small Aberdeenshire community for retirement last year.
Living in the village, Mr Eddison could not escape the magnificent church facade, which closed in 2022 following widespread church closures by the Church of Scotland.
Following plans to sell some of the historic building and wanting to preserve the history and functionality of the church, Mr Eddison decided to buy it for more than £100,000.
He knows firsthand how important the church is to the community, especially for celebrations, hosting hundreds of services, weddings and funerals in its life.
Mr Eddison said: “We wanted to rescue the church and make it available to the community because so many of these churches get converted into private homes or themed bars and while there is nothing wrong with that, the community cannot really get access to it.
“In small villages like Udny Green, the community relies on these buildings.
“My family and I decided to act and do something about this and put our savings into purchasing, rescuing and restoring the beautiful Kirk in the village of Udny Green.
“We just couldn’t stand by and see yet another beautiful building be left to decline into ruin.”
‘Thank you’ for saving our church
It features a large ceremony hall with a three-sided balcony as well as a bell tower.
It also has a meeting room and large organ and room for more than 330 worshippers.
When Mr Eddison bought the property, he hired a team to survey the church to calculate how much it would take to restore the building, estimating the cost to be £500,000.
Mr Eddison and his youngest son James, have been heavily involved in the restoration work.
Since March this year, the team has been busy replacing rotten windows, removing rust, repairing walls and railings, plaster and painting and making sure the building is dry and watertight.
However, some professional work was required, so Mr Eddison has started a GoFundMe to help cover some costs.
He jokingly commented that he was using his children’s inheritance to help with the restoration, who were surprisingly okay with it and knew it was for a good cause.
What makes the church special is the setting, says Mr Eddison, being located right in the heart of the village.
More than £500,000 to restore Udny Green Church
Unusually, instead of a nearby cemetery, the church has a memorial garden beside it, which is well-maintained by some green-thumbed Udny Green residents.
Mr Eddison says that when the sale sign went up, residents were scared about what would happen to their beloved church.
Mr Eddison added: “Everybody we have spoken to has encouraged us and while we are working on the building they tend to stop and come in for a look around.
“It’s mainly thank you from the villagers. Thank you for taking on the project because people were afraid of losing it.
“There has been nothing but encouragement.”
The team has also been given the seal of approval by Margaret and Bill Hamilton, of the nearby Udny Castle, the ancestral seat of the Udny family.
Following months of restoration work, the team aims to have the church fully reopen for events in February.
In Full: Church of Scotland confirms seven closures in Elgin, Lossiemouth and Burghead
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