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.

Huge £20,000 donation from couple to help repair Findhorn beach steps

The stairs leading to the coast have been sealed off due to safety concerns after decades of wear and tear.

Sam Russell, chairman of Findhorn Residents Association, Christine Hunt, chairwoman of the Findhorn Cillage conservation group, Lorraine and Bill Budge, co-founders Budge Foundation, stood on the beach at the foot of steps sealed off with wire fencing.
The Budge Foundation donation will help bring the Findhorn beach steps back into use. Pictured: Sam Russell, chairman of Findhorn Residents Association, Christine Hunt, chairwoman of the Findhorn Cillage conservation group, Lorraine and Bill Budge, co-founders Budge Foundation. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

A couple who have enjoyed countless walks along the sand at Findhorn Beach have donated more than £20,000 to repair the steps leading to the much-loved coastline.

Safety concerns were raised after the stairs deteriorated to the point of being unusable after about 40 years of wear and tear.

Campaigners from The Findhorn Village Conservation Company have embarked on a £51,000 mission to repair the beach steps.

And they have now received a massive boost with a donation covering nearly half the total.

Special place in heart for Findhorn beach

Bill and Lorraine Budge have had a holiday home in the village, which is renowned for views of the Moray coast.

The Aberdeen-based couple have made the £21,500 donation to repair the Findhorn beach steps due to their special connection to the sands.

Looking down from the top of a set of the Findhorn beach steps that are sealed off with red and white tape.
The Findhorn beach steps are sealed off due to safety concerns. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

Businessman Mr Budge, who is originally from Forres, said: “My wife Lorraine and I spend a great deal of time in Findhorn and are very conscious that the state of repair of the beach steps presents very serious health and safety issues, together with preventing ready access to the beach.

“We approached the Conservation Company back in September last year expressing our concerns and our willingness to assist in funding repairs on a matched funding basis.

“We are delighted that work has now commenced and wish TFVCC every success in raising the additional funds required to wholly complete this project.”

Huge support for Findhorn beach steps

Support to repair all 192 of the Findhorn beach steps, which are spread across eight locations, have come from various sources.

Army personnel from nearby Kinloss Barracks have already repaired two sets with support from local joiner Jason Brodie.

Meanwhile, contractor Aaron’s Groundworks has begun work on the rest with wood from Logie Timber.

Lorraine and Bill Budge, Sam Russell Chair of FRA and Christine Hunt Chair of the Findhorn village conservation group, at the top of the steps with beach huts in background.
It is hoped repairing the steps will increase access to Findhorn beach. Pictured: Budge Foundation co-founders Lorraine and Bill Budge, Sam Russell chairman of Findhorn Residents Association and Christine Hunt chairwoman of the Findhorn Village Conservation Company. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

It is estimated that the work will take about 10 weeks to complete.

Meanwhile, campaigning continues to cover the rest of the bill by the Findhorn Village Conservation Company with an appeal issued to regular beach-goers to contribute small amounts.

Chairwoman Christine Hunt said: “Good progress is being made with raising the required sum, including a donation of £10,000 promised by the Gordon & Ena Baxter Foundation, together with many donations from individuals who recognise the importance of the work.

“However, a shortfall remains.  We would really like to complete the full project this year  – steps and boardwalks.

“We are still busy applying for grants and hope that people will continue to donate.”

You can make a donation to support the work to repair the Findhorn beach steps online HERE.

Conversation