Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

New flood fund opens to Aberdeenshire residents

Properties on Canal Crescent, Port Elphinstone were badly hit by the floods. Picture by Kami Thomson
Properties on Canal Crescent, Port Elphinstone were badly hit by the floods. Picture by Kami Thomson

Flood-hit residents in Aberdeenshire can access a new recovery fund worth more than £50,000.

Aberdeenshire Council is supporting the appeal which has been set up by charity, Foundation Scotland, and has welcomed contributions from organisations like energy giant, Shell.

Grants of up to £500 will be available to households for clean-up costs, emergency repairs, clothing, food and drink and basic furniture.

Fire fighters pump a home hit by the floods
Fire fighters pump a home hit by the floods

The money will be prioritised to people over 70, families with children under five, people with disabilities or mental health needs, or those on a low income.

Cash is also available to voluntary or community groups.

Yesterday, Aberdeenshire Council Provost, councillor Hamish Vernal – who is an ambassador for the campaign – encouraged people to come forward to see if they are eligible.

He said he hoped the funding would be a boost to those trying to recover from the flooding.

He added: “Yes we are in recovery mode, but for some people that recovery could take up to a year.”

Chief executive of Foundation Scotland Giles Ruck said the charity was delighted to be working alongside Aberdeenshire Council.

He said: “We have a key role to play in ensuring we get funding to local volunteer groups doing critical work on the ground, as well as immediate funding to individuals and families who are suffering severe hardship.

“Even though this is not an enormous fund at this time it will give us a headway should things happen again.”

At the height of the flooding, emergency services were called into action in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray as flood water encroached on homes and businesses.

Braemar, Ballater, Aboyne, Port Elphinstone, Ellon, Huntly, Pittulie and Turriff were badly affected by Storm Frank and its aftermath, and residents are in the process of counting the cost of the damage as they clear up.

On Monday, the A93 re-opened to motorists after a huge section of the road crumbled before New Year as it was battered by the River Dee.

To make a donation or to apply for the latest funding, visit www.foundationscotland.org.uk