Aviemore cleaning celeb to attend conference
AVIEMORE’s very own celebrity dirt detective will attend this year’s Scottish Women’s Rural Handcrafts and Housewives Conference next week.
Aggie MacKenzie, best known for her appearances in Channel 4 programme, ‘How Clean is Your House?’ will be a keynote speaker at the event.
Hundreds of Scottish Women’s Rural Institutes, (SWRI), members from all over Scotland will descend on the Moray town of Elgin on September 10 to 12, to hear from expert speakers and to compete across a range of crafts, floral art and baking classes.
Others taking to the podium include Penny Ellis from The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival; textile artist and teacher, Pat Archibald; chairman of Knockando Woollen Mill Trust Dr Jana Hutt; Pam Rodway of Crofting Connections; and gardening expert Donnie McBean.
The conference also includes a wide array of competitions which are open to all members. The entries are extremely varied with everything from knitting and card-making, to preserves and sewing. There is also a photography competition which will put the spotlight on some of the more unusual activities offered by Institutes. Competition entries have exceeded expectations with numbers almost double that of recent conferences.
Isobel Robertson, national chairman of the Scottish Women’s Rural Institutes, says, “We are thrilled to be taking the SWRI Handcrafts & Housewives Conference to Elgin this year. The Moray & Nairn Federation, together with the neighbouring Banffshire Federation, has always been something of a stronghold for the SWRI and truly embodies the ethos of the organisation – to enable women of all ages to learn new skills and make new friends in a welcoming and fun environment.
“It’s wonderful to have Aggie Mackenzie with us and I’m sure she will share some invaluable tips and anecdotes about her career. The speakers come from a range of different backgrounds, and all have very interesting stories to tell.
“All entries submitted for the competitions will be on display at an exhibition open to members of the public in Elgin Town Hall. We would like to invite anyone who has an interest in crafts and baking, or who would like to learn these skills, to come along and see what they can achieve through the tutoring that is available through SWRI.
“SWRI can often be perceived by non-members as an older person’s pastime but this is far from the case. SWRI is about making friendships that last and learning new skills while doing so - there’s nothing fuddy duddy about that.
“The theme of the photography competition is on the theme of ‘I didn’t know they did that at the Rural’. I’m sure when the public sees the vast array of activities on offer, from ten pin bowling to tai chi, it will certainly dispel the myth that we’re all about baking scones and making jam.”
Exhibitions are open to the public from 2-5.30pm on September 10 and from 9am-5.30pm on September 11. On the Tuesday evening there will be a concert with Brian Cruickshank and on Wednesday Elgin City Band and Still Game Mannequins will be providing the entertainment. Both events start at 7.30pm and tickets, priced £5, are available on the door.
Scottish Women's Rural Institutes is one of the largest women’s organisations in Scotland. It boasts around 20,000 members, in 32 Federations throughout Scotland, from as far north as Shetland to Wigtownshire in the South West. More information on the SWRI can be found at www.swri.org.uk, or by calling SWRI headquarters in Edinburgh on 0131 225 1724 or email swri@swri.demon.co.uk
