We apologise for the delayed re-opening of the Barn and Buchanan's cafe/bistro. We expect the Barn to be open from Tuesday 16th February and Buchanans to be open from 22nd February. If there is any change to this schedule, we will post it here.
Due to the extreme weather over Christmas and New Year, the cafe/bistro building schedule has slipped behind a wee bit! Unfortunately, the building work will not be completed in time for our opening weekend. Please note that the following shows have been pulled and that we plan to rebook them later on this year: Session A9, James Sherwood, Sigurd the Dragon Slayer by The Folding Theatre Puppet Company and Nigel Clayton & Gina McCormack.
Despite the delays, this is a hugely exciting project for the Barn and we are delighted that the cafe/bistro will be run by Val and Calum Buchanan. Many of you will be familiar with Buchanans' delicious cooking through Finzean Farm Shop. We are very much looking forward to the addition of the cafe/bistro at the Barn and the opportunities it will offer our cusotmers to enjoy quality cooking with everything from coffees, teas and home baking to lunches and evening meals on the menu. As well as the new eaterie, Buchanans, the Barn will have a new entrance foyer and box office as we are relocating our offices downstairs, giving easier access to everyone for buying tickets. The old toilets have been stripped out and new toilets are now located in Buchanans, linked to the Barn by a glass walkway. Also, thanks to a grant from the Scottish Arts Council, we have installed a new sprung dance floor in the Barn. This will enable us to host more dance events and workshops, as well as allowing everyone to dance at ceilidhs all evening without tiring! The new floor brings one disadvantage: no stilletto heals will be allowed in future.
In other developments in the Barn, we are also in the process of replacing the oil-fired heating at the Barn with a new biomass boiler. The biomass boiler will provide heat to the new cafe/bistro and Woodend farmhouse as well as the Barn itself. This will be a demonstration project with visits encouraged. The boiler will be controlled by software which allows its operation to be monitored online - watch this space! The biomass boiler project has been supported by Community Energy Scotland and The Scottish Government's Communities and Renewable Energy Scheme (“CARES”), Aberdeenshire Council, Leys Estate and Woodend Arts.
Part-time Caretaker Required!
We are looking for a part-time caretaker to assist with general care-taking duties, including setting up the Barn for events and workshops, cleaning, loading in and out of stage equipment. This would be an ideal position for a physically active person who is looking for a few hours paid work a week. For more information, please call Trish on 01330 825431.