On Saturday 26 October St Margaret’s will host a brand new addition to the annual Braemar Creative Arts Festival. The Art Market is a new event for 2013 which will see more than a dozen artists and craftspeople setting up stalls in the beautiful surroundings of St Margaret’s to showcase a range of original creative pieces.

The Doors Open Days weekend held at Tibbermore Church last month proved a resounding success with scores of visitors interested in finding out more about relatives who had served their country and their community between 1914 and 1918.

The SRCT was so inspired by all that was happening at our churches for Doors Open Days during September that we just wanted to tell as many people as possible about it! Guided tours, scavenger hunts, quizzes, displays, music, art, genealogy - and not forgetting teas and home baking – abounded. Getting the message out to everybody to come along and join in made us think about how we can communicate better, especially with younger people.

The Third Annual Art Exhibition at Kildrummy Kirk took place between 20 and 22 September in association with European Heritage Days Doors Open Days. Opened at an evening reception on Friday 20^th by Mrs Ruth King, the exhibition included work by more than 20 local artists both professional and amateur.

We are delighted to see that Northlink Ferries have highlighted St Peter’s Kirk as a place to visit in Orkney. In an article on their website they recommend the beautiful Bay of Skaill as a place to travel to in October for some of the island’s best scenery and heritage.

Churches in the care of the SRCT will be taking part in European Heritage Days Doors Open Day events around the country during September.

St Margaret’s Church was the spectacular setting for a performance on 2 August by the Youth Symphonic Orchestra Rijnstreek as part of the Aberdeen International Youth Festival: one of the world's biggest celebrations of youth arts. The talented young Dutch musicians, conducted by Mark Templelaars, opened with a moving rendition of Beethoven’s Egmont Overture which met with huge applause from the capacity audience.

A remarkable book – The Roll of Honour, Parish of Tibbermore, Hillyland, Tulloch and Burghmuir 1914-19 – is helping to shed light on the service given by hundreds of local men and women during the First World War. The book records the service of more than 400 men of the parish who fought in the Great War, of whom 38 died. The names of those who died are inscribed on the marble memorial in Tibbermore Church.