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.

Troubled Cullen church will echo with song during fundraiser

Cullen Old Kirk which needs to raise £500.00 for restoration work. 
Picture by Gordon Lennox 26/03/2017
Cullen Old Kirk which needs to raise £500.00 for restoration work. Picture by Gordon Lennox 26/03/2017

A historic Moray church will echo with song during a fundraising concert aimed at keeping the ancient building open.

Cullen and Deskford Church was built in 1236 and has links to Robert the Bruce, as well as being a prominent landmark in the region.

However, it has emerged that the failing building is likely to be shut down on health and safety grounds within the next decade – unless urgent repairs are performed.

Earlier this year, church leaders mounted an ambitious campaign to preserve the venue after learning that those upgrades could cost as much as £600,000.

And now, the Military Wives Choir attached to the Kinloss Army Barracks has joined the battle to protect the cherished place of worship.

Singer Jenn French said that, after hearing about the congregation’s efforts, she felt duty-bound to lend a hand.

Mrs French and her fellow choir members visited the storied building recently to prepare for the show, where they realised its potential as a music venue.

She said: “We are a charity ourselves, and as much as we like to raise money to cover our own expenses, it is nice to give back to local causes.

“The church has great acoustics, we want to show off what it is capable of as a performing space.

“It is more than just a church, it is a phenomenal building, it would be so sad if such a beautiful place had to be closed.”

King Robert the Bruce pledged the picturesque kirk an “eternal” bequest which is still being kept up.

The 14th century monarch decreed that the sum of five Scots pounds be given to what is now Cullen and Deskford church for the generosity the congregation showed after the death of his wife after falling from her horse while visiting in 1327.

The concert will take place at 7.30pm on Friday, July 21, and choir members are busy finalising their setlist for the performance.

Mrs French said attendees could expect some of Scottish favourites like Ae Fond Kiss by Robert Burns, as well as wartime ditties.

She added: “We are really looking forward to it, hopefully we can take everybody on a wee trip down memory lane.”

Tickets are available from the Cullen Paper Shop, Burghead’s post office, church elders or from choir members.