When the Bicentennial celebrations were announced Siobhan and myself offered to repeat the contribution we had made for the millennium exhibition 15 years ago and produce another video about the village. The previous video showed the history of the village and how it had grown and changed since 1815. For the Bicentennial we wanted to produce a different aspect of the village, but have found it difficult to identify a suitable subject for the project. Taking on the position of Chair of the Maryburgh Amenities Company has also left me with less time to concentrate on the video project. With the Gala day fast approaching time is also running out.

Speaking to various people in the village there is a distinct lack of knowledge of much of the work carried out by willing volunteers. With this in mind I have decided that what the village needs for a Bicentennial video is a Participatory Video. Rather than Siobhan and me taking photos and video around the village we want all the groups and volunteers who contribute so much to community life to participate. If you organise a community group, help with fundraising or help with the Maryburgh Roundabout, we want to hear from you. Remember, I don’t know or have contact details for all the community groups in the village, so it is important you contact me in the first instant.

Do you have photos, stories or video about what your group, however informal has been doing over the last few years. Please let us have as much material as we can. Siobhan and I will take this information and create a Bicentennial Participatory Video. We can only do this with your help, if you tell us about your activities and provide photos or video.

My plan is if I get enough material to have the video ready for the Maryburgh Annual General Meeting in November. This will provide some entertainment after the business meeting and hopefully provide a reasonable finale to this Bicentennial year.

Ian Fraser