Aberlour celebrates 140 year milestone
Aberlour is celebrating 140 years of providing expert care for children.
The organisation started life in Speyside as Aberlour Orphanage and was founded in March 1875.
A fundraising dinner will be held at The Dowans Hotel in Aberlour next Friday, marking the start of a year’s worth of activity at the charity in honour of the special milestone.
The Dowans Hotel has close links with the charity, as the building originally housed the Orphanage nursery. The Murray family, who bought the hotel in 2012, discovered children’s drawings and photographs while carrying out a recent refurbishment.
Steph Murray said: “Since arriving at the Dowans, we have had a great interest in learning as much as we can about the history of this beautiful building and continuing to support Aberlour, which has such an intrinsic link to the history of the Dowans which was the Princess Margaret Nursery.
“In recognition of the hugely beneficial work that they carry out, and in celebration of the 140th anniversary, we are hosting a dinner on April 24 for all those with close and personal links to the orphanage and the charity
“Alongside showcasing some of the photos we have found, we will also be holding a silent auction with fantastic gifts that have been donated by local supporters and we will hear from Professor David Divine, a former resident of the nursery and orphanage.”
Guests will also have the opportunity to bid for a rare whisky from Glenfarclas estate, which is one of only two in the world.
Aberlour’s Head of Marketing and Fundraising, Marie-Claire Jones said: “We feel very honoured to be celebrating 140 years of helping children in Scotland.
“We are extremely proud of our rich heritage which makes us unique and although we have grown to be a large national children’s charity with services for children all across Scotland, we continue to be driven by the same beliefs as our founders.
“We believe that every child has the right to grow up and flourish and we work hard in our services across the country, to make that happen.”
Aberlour Orphanage was founded by Canon Charles Jupp and funded by Miss MacPherson Grant of Aberlour, Speyside.
It started life as a small stone cottage, but demand grew and later it had its own school, church and nursery. At its height, it was home to 500 children.
The orphanage closed its doors in 1967 and was replaced by a series of smaller, family-style group homes across Scotland.
Today, Aberlour continues to provide residential care for children, among a range of other services including respite homes for children with disabilities, youth projects for young people living in areas of high deprivation and crime, and support for families experiencing problems associated with drug or alcohol use.
Tickets for the Dowans Hotel dinner, in aid of Aberlour, cost £35 and are available from The Dowans Hotel. For more information, call (01340) 871 488.
Pictured are Aberlour ‘old boy’ Ron Aitchison and Aberlour senior fundraising executive Lydia Fyall, (picture courtesy of The Northern Scot).
For more information about Aberlour, Scotland’s Children’s Charity, visit www.aberlour.org.uk
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Notes to Editor
Aberlour is the largest, solely Scottish children’s charity which works with children, young people and families throughout Scotland who need additional support to promote their development and wellbeing. It runs 40-plus services across the country.
Services include:
- Intensive support for severely disabled children and young people;
- Help for families affected by parental drug and alcohol use;
- Community and family centre based services to promote and enhance positive parenting, play and early learning;
- Residential care and community programs for children and young people with social, educational, emotional and behavioural difficulties