When Bob Philips and his family moved to Portsoy in 1983, they never intended to stay for long.
But 41 years on and Bob is a steadfast pillar of the thriving coastal community.
From helping out at the scouts and the local rugby club to championing the rights of local workers and setting up a folk festival, the 71-year-old loves nothing more than giving back to his adopted hometown.
And his efforts haven’t gone unnoticed as he has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in recognition for his work in the Portsoy and district community.
Modest to the core, Bob, a dad-of-three and grandfather of six, says he is extremely humbled to receive the award in the New Year Honours List.
“It’s nice to be put forward for it and to be recognised for the stuff that I do and enjoy doing in the community,” says Bob.
‘I enjoy giving back to the Portsoy community’
Reflecting on his community work, Bob says it all began when he started helping out at the Portsoy and Fordyce Scout group.
“Over the years, I did virtually every job from group Scout leader to chairman,” says Bob.
“I was also at the forefront to get the Scout hall renovated and helped to raise £100,000 through grants and donations to get that done.”
And when Bob wasn’t being a force for good at the Scout hall, he could be found sewing the seeds for success at his beloved Banff Rugby Club.
“I think I’ve done every job under the sun at the rugby club,” says Bob.
“Over the years I’ve been president, treasurer and secretary.”
Fighting for the rights of local workers…
It wasn’t only in the Scout hall or on the rugby pitch where Bob made a difference though as he also stood up for the rights of local workers through his role as the branch secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS).
“I worked in customs and excise for 37 years and in the last five years before my retirement, I was the branch secretary for the PCS trade union,” says Bob.
“I really enjoyed that work and I think it made a difference to quite a few people hopefully.
“It certainly seemed to be appreciated by a lot of people who told me that they could tell that I worked for my members and not for my own advancement which are complements that I cherish.”
The Haal folk festival…
After retiring, Bob has since thrown himself into setting up and organising the annual Haal folk festival in Portsoy.
“Just around the time I retired The Salmon Bothy in Portsoy was renovated and turned into a public performance space and a museum,” says Bob.
“At the time, there was a meeting held to see if anyone was interested in folk music so I became the chairman of Folk at the Salmon Bothy and started a folk festival called the Haal.”
The annual folk festival, held in June every year, has been a resounding success with people travelling from across the world to experience it.
“It has just gone from strength to strength,” says Bob.
“The folk festival brings a lot of people into the town in the first weekend in June and it also brings people to the local folk club.
“That’s really my focus now, the folk club.”
What are Bob’s plans for this year?
With a natural instinct to help his local community, Bob has no plans to slow down this year.
“I like to give something back to the community as you shouldn’t be taking all the time,” says Bob.
Undoubtedly an inspiration to his wife Iona and his three grown-up children, Colin, 45, Iain, 43, and Shona, 41, Bob is also looking forward to spending quality time with his family and also squeezing in a trip to Ireland in their motorhome.
“I’m looking forward to going to Dublin and perhaps I’ll fit in a trip to the Celtic Connections concerts in Glasgow to listen to some folk music,” says Bob.
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