Portlethen & District Men's Shed

05/01/2026

Across the region there remain weather warnings in place for ice and snow. As a result, many of our services continue to be disrupted and teams across the council and health & social care are working extremely hard to mitigate the impacts on citizens.

ROADS:
Our roads teams continue to focus efforts on keeping our primary routes (about a third of our extensive road network) as clear as possible. However, many routes are only passable with extreme care, and we would urge people to only travel if absolutely necessary.
Many of our gritter drivers have been working long shifts since before Hogmanay to prepare for the snow and the impacts and we will need to ensure they get the rest and recuperation they need to be able to keep us and them safe. Our thanks to all of them for the incredible work they continue to do.

SCHOOLS:
Teams are evaluating the ongoing situation and considering all the factors including travel conditions, staffing, buildings and facilities.

WASTE COLLECTIONS:
Staff are working hard to get snow cleared at household recycling centres across Aberdeenshire. For now, Huntly, Fraserburgh, and Macduff household recycling centres are open. Inverurie and Westhill household recycling centres are expected to open around 12:30pm. All other household recycling centres are closed, and we will update if more are able to be cleared of snow.
Waste collections have been suspended. Please keep an eye on our website and social media channels for updates.

HOUSING:
Teams are prioritising emergency repairs to keep everyone safe. Routine appointments this week may be delayed, but we’re still booking new appointments for dates beyond next week.

HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE:
All Aberdeenshire Vaccination Centres will be closed today and tomorrow.
GP Practices across the region are working with reduced capacity and people should keep an eye out for local updates for the most up to date picture.
Homecare Teams are working to reach the most vulnerable clients wherever possible and will remain in contact with families.
Our Community Nursing Teams are also supporting the most vulnerable clients wherever they can.

A huge and heartfelt thank you to all of the staff, volunteers and emergency services working to look after everyone.

Please note: Our Contact Centre is experiencing high call volumes, so please bear with us if it takes a little longer to get through. Thank you for your understanding—we’ll do everything we can to catch up as quickly as possible while putting safety first.

02/01/2026

Note the info related to the Badentoy centre.

Due to operational reasons, we will have to close our household recycling centres in Peterhead and Fraserburgh tomorrow (3rd) and Sunday (4th). The sites in Stonehaven, Laurencekirk and Portlethen will also be closed this weekend, and they will stay closed on Monday (5th) as well. We are sorry for any inconvenience this causes.

Peterhead/Fraserburgh closed Saturday and Sunday. Stonehaven/Laurencekirk/Portlethen closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

31/12/2025

‼️ Update Jan 1 - there is now an updated Amber warning for snow in place for Friday and Saturday.

Further accumulations of 10-20cm are likely at low levels with 30-40cm possible on high ground.

Windy conditions will also result in some drifting of snow and temporary blizzard conditions.

Gritting crews will be out from 4pm today and again tomorrow from 5.30am and pavements and secondary routes being treated from 7am‼️

In addition to the heavy snow forecast from today until early next week, the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for strong overnight winds from around 9pm tonight till 9am tomorrow which may cause some disruption.

North-westerly gales or severe gales will develop during Hogmanay evening and then peak through the early hours of New Year's Day, before slowly beginning to ease a little later tomorrow morning.

Peak gusts of around 60mph are possible fairly widely, and potentially in excess of 70mph for some exposed headlands and high ground. This is likely to impact on the most north-eastern tip of Aberdeenshire including include both Fraserburgh and Peterhead and perhaps as far west as Banff.

While there will be snow and sleet over the coming days, the impacts are expected to be consistent with the time of year.

However temperatures will also drop significantly and while our crews will continue providing winter treatments we would take this opportunity to remind all road users and pedestrians to take extra care if you are venturing out.

Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary.

People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.

If you are on the coast, stay safe during stormy weather by being aware of large waves. Even from the shore large breaking waves can sweep you off your feet and out to sea. Take care if walking near cliffs; know your route and keep dogs on a lead. In an emergency, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

Be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly: when a weather warning is issued, the Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area.

And if you can, please check on neighbours – especially those who are elderly, vulnerable or living alone

Handy phone numbers:
☎️Power outages – via SSEN on 105
☎️Non-urgent medical issues – via NHS on 111
☎️Emergency council housing repairs - 03456 08 12 03
☎️Emergency social care 03456 08 12 06

GRITTING

All primary routes are being treated from 3.30pm this afternoon and again from 5.30am tomorrow. Footpaths and secondary routes treatments will be carried out by our crews throughout tomorrow from 7am.

Details of our planned routes at www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/roads/winter-maintenance/gritting-routes/

BIN COLLECTIONS

Please remember - if your bin is due to be collected tomorrow (Thurs) they will now be collected on Sunday, January 4. Bins due for collection on Friday will now be collected on Monday, January 5.

On your bin collection day for the New Year period only (Sunday and Monday):

❗If your bin is not emptied by 4.45pm, please take it back in
❗If a black lid bin is presented and missed, we will collect up to two extra black bags of excess waste on its next scheduled collection day
❗If a recycling bin is presented, missed, and not tagged, we will collect extra recycling of the same type on its next scheduled collection day

Details of missed collections will appear on our website www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/binsdisruptions

Household recycling centres across New Year:

❗Wednesday, December 31: close at 3pm and last entry for all booked vehicles at 2.30pm
❗Thursday, January 1: closed all day
❗Friday, January 2: closed all day

Given the forecast weather, all visitors to our household recycling centres should check the website prior to travelling in case of a change in opening times or closures - https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/waste

Booking slots for bulky uplifts remain closed until Friday, January 9.

Get the latest updates on waste collections along with an array of other council information by downloading the MyAberdeenshire app at www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/my/mobile-app/

POWER

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks has moved to its Weather Warning level of preparedness in the north of Scotland in anticipation of the snow, ice and high winds which are forecast for the coming days- contingency plans have been activated and teams are in strategic locations ready to respond to any power interruptions. More at: www.ssen.co.uk/storm

Wishing you all a safe, happy Hogmanay!

14/12/2025

Sad news about one of our founding members, Margaret was a valued members of the shed and we pass on our condolences to Scott, Stephanie and the family.

14/12/2025

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

01/10/2025

06/06/2025

Another good visit to help Lethen Park Care Home.

07/03/2025