An historic clubhouse is one step closer to rising from the ashes, more than two years after it was destroyed by a fire.
The Vale of Alford Curling Club’s base was reduced to charred embers in July 2015, taking 140 years of history with it.
Prized memorabilia, trophies and photographs were all ruined in the blaze, along with £50,000 worth of equipment, at the site on the banks of the pond in Murray Park.
The cause of the fire continues to remain a mystery to police and the investigation remains open. Despite the setback, the community rallied around the resilient curlers and raised more than £12,000 towards a new building, as well as donations of replacement equipment.
Now the group has lodged plans for a new clubhouse with Aberdeenshire Council.
Secretary and treasurer Allan Taylor said the club had been bowled over by the support of local people.
He said: “It feels great to get to this point, the money and donations from people has just been amazing.
“It’s great we’re at the stage that we can go ahead with the plans if they are approved because we have the money now.
“The old building was like two huts joined together but this is essentially going to be a log cabin, to keep it in line with what came before and also the surrounding area.”
The overall cost of the new facility is estimated to be about £21,000, with the club hoping to secure funding to cover the remainder of the cost.
However he said there was very little that could be done to replace much of the treasured memorabilia lost in the blaze.
Mr Taylor added: “We’re starting again although some people have already come forward with old photos so we should be able to get them on display when the building goes up.
“There’s a lot that we didn’t have copies of though, a lot of historical items were lost unfortunately.”
The club hopes the new facility could be up and running by November if approved by the authority’s planners.
