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.

Inverurie groups take part in first National Thank You Day celebration

The Rotary Club's outgoing president Kay Diack, Archie Peebles from Inverurie's Men Shed, president elect Judy Whyte and president Bill Duncan

Members from the Inverurie Rotary Club and Men’s Shed have commemorated the first National Thank You Day with a tree-planting ceremony.

More than 20 members and locals attended the planting this morning at the new Inverurie & District Men’s Shed allotment.

Rotary Club of Inverurie member Jim Somerville said: “As it’s the first National Thank You Day we wanted to do something to thank the volunteers who have helped the community through the pandemic.

“We decided to plant three apple trees, as they symbolise good health and happiness, and they’re going to be the start of a fruit orchard at the allotment with more being planted in the future.

“The allotment has been a place that people can go to escape from the isolation of lockdown, where they are able to find some solace and quiet.”

Archie Peebles from Men’s Shed attended the tree planting in Inverurie today. Picture by Kath Flannery

Mr Somerville said today’s event went “very well” and also featured a minute silence to remember members – Jack Henry, Bill Murdoch and Pat Mitchell – who have passed over the last year.

Mr Somerville added: “Today was just one way of us marking our thanks for everyone, but it was also a commemoration event to remember the members we have lost recently.”

A plaque will be added at the Men’s Shed allotment in the near future with a message of thanks for the community.

Men’s Shed members Archie Peebles, Graeme Shepherd, Henry Wilson with JG Ross who has leased the land for the next 15 years. Picture: Kath Flannery/DCT Media.

Celebrations across the north and north-east

Communities across Scotland have been celebrating the National Thank You Day to show appreciation to those who helped others get through the pandemic.

The Cove Woodland Trust combined a big thank you with its fourth birthday celebrations which featured a wildflower hunt, fantasy trail drawing competition and a visit from the book fairy.

Staff members at M&S stores in Aberdeen and Inverness have been handing out specially designed thank you cards to customers featuring artwork by author Charlie Mackesy.

Customers in the north were also treated to a mini Colin the Caterpillar cake as part of the store’s Thank You Day celebrations.

First National Thank You Day

Thank You Day was developed from a grassroots campaign to hold the UK’s largest ever thank you party building on the community spirit witnessed throughout the lockdowns.

The day has been backed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the Prince of Wales, who has recorded a special radio show to thank hospital radio volunteers for keeping spirits high during the pandemic.

A number of virtual events have been available through the official Thank You Day website, including an hour of litter picking and a UK-wide sing-a-long.

People across the country are also asked to raise a glass or mug to toast all volunteers at 5pm.

Did you hold an event to mark Thank You Day? Send your pictures to livenews@ajl.co.uk