A popular Highland tourist attraction is poised to rise from the ashes just a few months after being destroyed by a devastating fire.
The Speyside Heather Centre, near Dulnain Bridge, was almost completely ruined in April despite more than 40 firefighters battling all day to contain a blaze.
But the garden centre – which was first opened in 1972 by couple Betty and David Lambie – is now on course to be revived after new plans were submitted to the council by the owners.
And spirits were lifted after Mrs Lambie decided to restart production of one of her biggest sellers – clootie dumplings.
She described the first two months after the blaze as a time of “heartbreak and trauma”.
However, since then she has brought back 11 of her original 25 staff on a part-time basis and sold thousands of puddings worldwide.
The Lambie family now plan to start clearing the old site and are hopeful of gaining planning permission for rebuild in the new year.
Mrs Lambie said that, pending approvals, they were hopeful that work could start in spring.
She added: “We are slowly rearranging for the better. The tea room will more or less the same idea but we are taking advantage to make it all better than it was.
“We did consult with planners and the park authority and they have all been very helpful. All going well we will be building in the spring.
“The local support has been incredible. It is the support that we have got that has helped keep us going.
“We want to have it open as soon as practically possible but there a number of different stages to go through first. We are certainly looking at well before the end of next year.
“We are determined to celebrate our 45th anniversary next year. It will be a special anniversary.
“We are going to tick along and make as much of what we have in the spring, and when the building work is taking place.”
The fire broke out on April 29 as the Lambie family watched on from their nearby home.
Witnesses described hearing a series of explosions as the blaze took hold throughout the garden centre, which included a whisky tasting lounge, restaurant and antiques sales area.
Several buildings were completely razed by the spread of the fire, which was well developed by the time crews arrived.
At the time, Mrs Lambie described it as her “worst nightmare”.
Afterwards, following the initial trauma, Mrs Lambie started getting phone orders for their clootie dumplings from big companies, hotels and individuals from as far as Australia and South America.
She said the biggest single order they have had since then was a batch of 700 clootie dumplings.
Mrs Lambie added: “It was a great achievement and it lifted all of our spirits by having a lot of the staff back.
“It’s a reputation we’ve built up over the years and I thought, do we let that slip or do we try.
“After the third big order came in I thought I would give it a go, and we managed to get all the equipment in place.”
Mrs Lambie added that clootie dumplings have long been one of their top sellers in the winter, along with Christmas trees, when demand at the garden centre drops.
