26/07/2026
What a wonderful day! 💙
A huge thank you to everyone who supported our Sand Bothy Summer FUNdraiser this weekend.
The weather may have kept visitor numbers lower than we’d all hoped, but it certainly didn’t dampen spirits. Throughout the day there was a steady flow of smiling faces, families enjoying themselves, children dancing in the rain, and parents joining in the fun. Sometimes it’s those moments that remind us what community is really all about.
To everyone who came along and spent a few pounds at our kiosk, bought a puzzle from Rosie’s Puzzles, tried your luck on the Tombola, treated yourself to some delicious Homebakes, had a go at Soak the Sailor, or supported any of our traditional games—thank you. Every purchase directly supports the work of The Sand Bothy and Balmedie Beach Wheelchairs, helping us continue providing community facilities, activities and accessible adventures at Balmedie Beach.
We are incredibly grateful to all of our wonderful stall holders. It’s always lovely to welcome back familiar faces who continue to support us year after year, but it’s equally heartwarming to see new businesses and makers choosing to join our event. The biggest compliment we could receive is hearing that many of our new stall holders are already looking forward to returning next year. Thank you all for bringing such warmth, creativity and enthusiasm to the day.
A special thank you also goes to our fantastic event partners:
🍔 Scottish Fayre event catering for keeping everyone well fed.
⛑️ Falcon First Aid, our trusted first aid team who help us ensure every event runs safely.
🎶 Guarana Street Band for bringing energy, music and smiles whatever the weather.
✨ Love Rara Children’s Entertainment, whose magic, games and laughter once again created unforgettable memories for so many children.
Behind every event is an army of volunteers, and ours are simply incredible. From helping stall holders unload vehicles and put up gazebos, to serving in the kiosk, running games, selling raffle tickets, clearing away at the end of the day and doing countless unseen jobs in between—you make these events possible. Thank you for giving your time, your enthusiasm and your kindness so freely.
One very unexpected highlight of the day was my own Blackening! 🫣
For those who haven’t come across it before, Blackening is a wonderful old north-east Scottish pre-wedding tradition where the bride or groom-to-be is “captured” by family and friends, covered in all sorts of wonderfully horrible things (the messier the better!), and then paraded around. Traditionally, it was thought that if you could survive the embarrassment, laughter and chaos of a Blackening, you’d be ready to face anything married life might throw at you! These days it’s less about superstition and much more about bringing people together to share a laugh and celebrate a couple before their wedding.
It’s a tradition that’s becoming less common, so I feel incredibly grateful that our friends, volunteers and wider community took the time to surprise us and keep it alive. There was plenty of laughter (and perhaps a little too much flour, beans… and mealworms! 😅), but it was all done with so much love and good humour. Nick and I will treasure that memory forever.
Days like these aren’t measured purely by visitor numbers or the weather. They’re measured by the conversations shared over coffee (and ice-cream!), children laughing in the rain, volunteers helping one another without being asked, local businesses supporting a community cause, and everyone pulling together to make something special happen.
That is what the Sand Bothy is all about.
To every volunteer, visitor, performer, stall holder, supporter and sponsor—thank you for being part of another chapter in our story. Here’s to continuing to build a welcoming, inclusive community together, one event, one smile and one act of kindness at a time. 💙
Yours gratefully,
Joni
Sand Bothy Co-ordinator & Belhelvie Community Trust Development Officer.
Belhelvie Community Trust
The Sand Bothy- Summer FUNdraiser!
The Sand Bothy
Balmedie Beach Wheelchairs
fans
