Finzean Watermills Working Party 2023

Event details

The 2023 SPAB Scotland Working Party will once more be in Finzean, Aberdeenshire, and will have a carpentry theme this year.  We are very fortunate to again have funding from Historic Environment Scotland to support this work.

Volunteers are welcome to arrive anytime from late afternoon on Wednesday 7th June.  Work will be done for three full days (8, 9, 10 June) before we close up the site on Sunday 11th June and head home again. We will have a celebration ceilidh on the final Saturday evening - an event not to be missed!

Practical Work:
The work you will be undertaking will be to repair various parts of these largely timber mill buildings.  We will be continuing with work from last year, repairing wooden guttering, creating parts for the waterwheels, repairing cladding and other timber parts of these very special buildings. The exact works programme is still being finalised, but will provide plenty of opportunity for learning basic carpentry skills. 

No prior experience in any aspect is necessary.  All we ask is an enthusiasm to learn, and a willingness to try your hand at new skills under instruction!

Tutors:
The event will be overseen by our group of expert tutors, who will impart their knowledge and experience to you over the course of the three days.  Confirmed tutors are Justin Rose, experienced carpenter, and Owen Bushell (SPAB Fellow 2022), along with Kirsty Cassels of Cassels Conservation. 

Concession Tickets:
Thanks to the HES grant we are able to offer a subsidised ticket price for those in full time education or on a low wage. Please refer to the booking form. 

Ceilidh Only Tickets:
If you would just like to join us for the Saturday evening ceilidh, please find tickets here. 

Accommodation:
We are able to offer free camping as part of the event. This will be at the local village hall, where we will have access to male / female showers and bathrooms, and access to the kitchen area for breakfasts. There will be space for small campervans. More information will be posted here about this in due course.

Catering:
Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be included in the event costs. Breakfast will be 'self service' in the village hall. Lunch will be provided on site in the form of a picnic / sandwiches.  Evening meals will vary, with the Trustees of BCT helping out considerably.  We will have a barbeque on site one evening. 

Equipment:
You will need to bring old clothes / working clothes. Strong footwear is a must. You must bring your own PPE - work gloves, safety goggles, and hard hat.  We will supply SPAB Scotland Hi-Viz vests.   A full kit list will be sent out to you in advance of the event. 

Transport:
Finzean is unfortunately not well connected to public transport. 
Train - the nearest station is Stonehaven, a 40 minute drive from the site. If you intend to arrive by train, please contact us, and we will endeavour to arrange a pick up / car share for you.
Car - the simplest way to get to the site is by car.  We would encourage car sharing where possible and we will faciltate this once we know who has booked / where suitable meeting places might be.  Please consider offering fellow volunteers a lift. 
Bike - if you are able to bring a bike to the event that would help with travel between the accommodation and the site (about 1.5 miles). 

Other Activities:
On Saturday evening we will be hosting a ceilidh with music by a local band, with local residents invited to join in the fun.  If you only want to join the ceilidh, please find tickets here. 
We will have an open morning for local residents to come and speak to us about the work taking place and to find out more about SPAB Scotland.  This is free to attend.

Birse Community Trust:
This activity is being run in conjunction with the Birse Community Trust. More can be found out about their work here, along with films of the watermills in action. 

Historic Environment Support Fund:
We are extremely grateful to Historic Environment Scotland for the substantial funding which they have contributed towards this project.  We would not be able to offer this event without their financial assisatance, and we would like to extend a warm note of thanks to all staff at HES for their continued interest in and support for SPAB Scotland.

Multiple bookings
As long as there is space on the event, we usually allow you to book for both yourself and a guest. When completing the booking form, you will be asked to select the number of people and put in your own details on the first page, then to put in your second person's details on the next page. The event fee shown on each of these pages is for the individual person - you will be shown the total amount due once you get to the summary page.

About SPAB Scotland
Members of the SPAB living and working in Scotland decided to form their own semi-autonomous group in 1995. Scotland has its own building traditions, architectural language and property laws, all of which are best dealt with locally. All members of the SPAB residing in Scotland are automatically members of SPAB Scotland.

Booking Terms & Conditions

Accessibility: please contact the Group Organiser before booking to discuss any special access requirements.