Christmas Light Night in Broughty Ferry from 6pm on Thursday 24 November 2016

Organised by Broughty Ferry Traders' Association, the evening of events leading up to the switching on of the Christmas Lights in The Ferry has become a firm favourite in our community. It marks the start of the festive season with fairground rides and street entertainment.

The funfair and Radio Tay stage will be running from 6pm, while local traders including Scotts Butchers and Visocchis will be on hand to offer food and drink throughout the event with some shops staying open throughout the evening.

The event, held on 24 November 2016, gets under way with live entertainment from 6pm. Dundee Lord Provost Bob Duncan will then switch on the lights at 7.30pm.

Motorists should note that the central sections of Brook Street and Gray Street will be closed to traffic from 2pm until 9pm although shops in Broughty Ferry will remain open as usual.

Countdown to Christmas Lights Night in Broughty Ferry Thursday 24 November 2016

2017 Broughty Ferry Calendar on Sale

The 2017 Broughty Ferry Calendar is now available, priced £10. As before the calendar has been produced and funded by The Broughty Ferry Traders' Association to raise funds to support local good causes in Broughty Ferry and nearby. Last year the calendar generated a surplus of over £6,000 which allowed the BFTA to donate around £3,000 to a variety of local organisations and to fund several other initiatives which benefited The Ferry.

To achieve this, the BFTA committee have once again invited their members, who are willing, to sell the calendar without profit, (ie returning all monies to the BFTA Good Causes fund). 

Calendars available now from Eduardo Alessandro Studios, Gillies and many other retailers in The Ferry.

Help to Keep Oor Oor Wullie Lifesaver in The Ferry

During the Oor Wullie Bucket Challenge over the summer many folk have admired the "Life Boatman Wullie" down at the pier as part of the Oor Wullie Bucket Trail. All 70 of the braw statues have now been withdrawn from their various locations and are coming up for auction.
In response, a save Oor Lifesaver Wullie campaign has begun in The Ferry with a JustGiving crowd funding page being set up by Ewan Philp who is both one of the Broughty Ferry Lifeboat Crew as well as a very active member of Broughty Ferry Traders' Association. Hopefully, the crowd funding will provide the cash to successfully bid for the "Life Boatman Wullie" when it comes up for auction on Tuesday 13th September at the Dundee Rep. All of the money raised to pay for the sculpture will go to The ARCHIE Foundation’s Tayside Children’s Hospital Appeal. Any surplus funds will be split evenly between The ARCHIE Foundation and the RNLI. 

So far £5,292 has been raised, which is just over half the target. Please help to raise tthe remainder by next Tuesday.

Link to the Crowd Funding JustGiving Donation Page

Special Events for Children and Shoppers in Broughty Ferry Sunday 13 December 2015 12 noon - 4 pm

Final Count Down to Broughty Ferry Christmas Lights Night Thursday 26 November 2015

Broughty Ferry Christmas Lights Night is this Thursday, 26 November 2015. It will be taking place in Brook Street and Gray Street which will be traffic free for the night.

A great turn out from children with their parents and carers, young people and those that are young at heart is anticipated. 

The event kicks off at 6pm on the Radio Tay stage with this running order:

• 6pm The Eastern Primary School Choir
• 6.10pm Christmas Poster Competition presentation to the winners
• 6.20pm Downfield Musical Society
• 6.35pm Tribute to Frozen
• 6.50pm Broughty Ferry Traders' Association cheque presentation to local good causes
• 7pm Lights switch on with the Festive Ferry Minions

Entertainment will also be provided by Radio Tay and family friendly headliners with the whole event ending at 9pm.

There will be street food from local traders including Scott Brothers Butchers, all the fun of the fair with rides for young and old and a stall where people can purchase the new Broughty Shopper Bag and the beautifully illustrated Broughty Ferry 2016 Calendar.

Please note that the middle section of Brook Street between its junction with Fort Street and the junction with Gray Street will be closed from mid afternoon, although all the shops will remain open as usual.

Enjoy!

First Ferry Food Fayre a Great Success

The Ferry Food Fayre held yesterday attracted around a thousand people to the Best Western Woodlands Hotel. The event was free and featured tastings, talks and demonstrations courtesy of some of the town’s bakers, greengrocers, restaurateurs and publicans.

On Sunday night, Jan McTaggart, the main organiser who suggested a food event to the Committee of the Broughty Ferry Traders' Association said:
"It’s been an incredible day. To be honest we were all quite staggered by the sheer numbers of people who came along to The Woodlands Hotel where the ballroom was pretty packed for the first couple of hours. The atmosphere was terrific and I know that several of the stall holders had to run out to replenish supplies. I’m really impressed by all the work that everybody put into the Food Fayre.
All the feedback so far indicates that we’ll need to think bigger and even better if we’re going to do it again!"

First Ferry Food Fayre - Sunday 16 August 2015

The Ferry Food Fayre is a new initiative by Food and Hospitality members of the Broughty Ferry Traders' Association which promises to give locals and visitors an opportunity to meet their local food producers and find out more about where their food comes from.


The event, at the Best Western Woodlands Hotel on Sunday 16 August, is free and features opportunities for the public to get involved with competitions including The Great Broughty Bake Off and The Great Broughty Shake Off for cocktail lovers. There will also be demos, raffles, tastings, talks, meet the farmer and more events announced as the event draws nearer.


The mid August date means that local produce, including soft fruit, is at its most abundant and there will be local farmers on hand to explain how our food is grown. A Dundee bee keeper is set to give a talk and to sell some of his honey and an organic farmer will be bringing some of his hens.


The event came about when Clementine Co-owner, Jan McTaggart, suggested a food event to the BFTA Committee last year:
"The Ferry’s range of independent food shops are all about quality and variety – I love how we can use all the shops in the Ferry like a mega-supermarket with the best produce in every department and plenty of expertise to call upon. It’s even better that you can stop at any number of excellent cafes for home made cake, excellent coffee and a good chat as you shop. And maybe enjoy a wee drink with something to eat at all the great pubs and restaurants.

A group of us have been talking about this for a while and we came up with the idea of a celebration of local food and drink. Our customers are all enthusiastic foodies so we wanted to set up an event where we can all meet up, taste some new things, talk about food and just enjoy ourselves.

We were a bit stuck for a venue but the Best Western Woodlands stepped in and offered us their Ballroom and their brilliant events team. It’s really thanks to them that we’re able to do this at all."


The Ferry Food Fayre features the Ferry's finest independent purveyors of food, drink and hospitality including Clementine of Broughty Ferry, Jessie's Kitchen, Bruach Bar & Restaurant, Goodfellow and Stevens, The Cocktail Co., Aitken Wines, Iced Gems, The Cake Guru, Papa Jaques, Chambrier, Party Time,Willows plus more on the day.


Dundee Food Bank is setting up a drop off point on the day and all the proceeds from the raffles and competitions will go to local good causes.

Broughty Ferry Photographic Competition Invites Entries

Click on image to enlarge

Broughty Ferry Traders has just launched their annual BROUGHTY FERRY Photographic Competition.

Get your entries in for a chance to win a £100 first prize and the 12 finalists will feature in the 2016 Broughty Ferry calendar!

Closing date 3 August 2015

Good Luck.

New Come to Broughty Ferry Website Launched

Click on image to enlarge

This week Broughty Ferry Traders' Association (BFTA) unveiled their redesigned website Come to Broughty Ferry which is now up and running. The new site features stunning photography and is designed to be a hub for information on local events and to attract new visitors to The Ferry.

As well as being a useful source of information, the site showcases the stunning work of local photographers, showing how beautiful our town, its beaches and attractions are while promoting the work of these talented artists.

This, added to the popular Broughty Ferry Facebook page www.facebook.com/cometobroughty with over 3,500 likers, means that the BFTA is making a significant contribution to promoting Broughty Ferry.

Well done The Traders!

Christmas Land Train and Santa's Grotto in Broughty Ferry Sunday Afternoon 14 December 2014

Come to central Broughty Ferry to do your Christmas shopping on Sunday 14th December 2014 and take your children for a ride on the Festive Train and visit to Santa's Grotto between 12-4 that afternoon.

The land train, decorated with lights and tinsel, will be offering rides around central Broughty Ferry with pick up/and drop off outside Visocchi’s in Gray Street. The specail £1 fare will be donated to charity.

Santa and his elves will also be handing out sweets to children from their Grotto 

These events are all courtesy of the Broughty Ferry Traders' Association.

Final Countdown to Broughty Christmas Lights Night Thursday 28 November 2014

Christmas Light Night in The Ferry –

Thursday November 27th 2014 in Brook Street and Gray Street in the heart of Broughty Ferry from 6pm.


Sponsored by Gillies: featuring live music, carol singing and carnival attractions, with the lights switch on at 7pm!

NOTE Brook St and Gray St will be closed to traffic from 2pm-9pm

2015 Broughty Ferry Calendar Now on Sale

The Broughty Ferry Traders’ Association have just published the 2015 edition of their calendar.

The Broughty Ferry calendar features twelve beautiful photographs, one for each month. The photographs were all submitted to the Traders as entries in their Gala Week Photography Competition this summer.

The calendar photographs attest to the high standard of entries received and to the attractiveness of Broughty Ferry as a place to live, work and visit. Proceeds from the sale of the calendar will help support local good causes. 

The 2015 calendar costs £9.99 and is available from Eduardo Alessandro Studios, 30 Gray Street, DD5 2BJ tel 01382 737011 and many other shops in The Ferry.

Countdown to Broughty Ferry Christmas Light Night Thursday 27 November 2014

Christmas Light Night in The Ferry – Thursday November 27th 2014 in Brook Street and Gray Street in the heart of Broughty Ferry from 6pm.

Sponsored by Gillies: featuring live music, carol singing and carnival attractions, with the lights switch on at 7pm!

NOTE Brook St and Gray St will be closed to traffic from 2pm-9pm

Great Night Out at Christmas Lights 2013 in Broughty Ferry

Last night the Switching on of the Christmas Lights in Broughty Ferry and the associated festivities appeared to be a great success. 

Brook Street and Gray Street were thronged with folk enjoying the fun of the fair and the entertainment on the Radio Tay stage. While the temperature was near freezing, thankfully it was dry this year. 

Many thanks to Broughty Ferry Traders' Association for organising another great night out to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season in The Ferry

Link to Slideshow of Christmas Light Night 2013 in The Ferry

Countdown to 2013 Switching On Broughty Ferry Christmas Lights Thursday 21 November 2013 from 6:00 pm

Only seven days left until the beginning of the 2013 Christmas season in Broughty Ferry begins with the switching on of the Christmas Lights on Thursday 21 November.

The evening kicks off at 6pm with street rides, the Radio Tay Roadshow, Eastern Primary School Choir, street entertainers, carnival rides, the famous Scott Brothers BBQ, together with complimentary mince pies, sweeties and hot mulled wine courtesy of the Broughty Ferry Traders. It will all be going on in Brook Street and Gray Street with the central section of both streets car free for the evening. The lights will be officially switched on at 7pm.

Once again our very own Broughty  Ferry Traders' Association, have organised the night and donate the Christmas lights to the people of Broughty Ferry by way of a thank you for their custom over the year. The official sponsor this year is Gillies of Broughty Ferry.

Broughty Ferry 2014 Calendar on Sale in The Ferry

Click on image to enlarge

Broughty Ferry has it own colourful Calendar for 2014 and it's on sale in The Ferry right now.

Click on image to enlarge

The calendar has been produced by Broughty Ferry Traders' to help raise money for local good causes.

The beautiful photographs, one for each month, were some of those submitted to the Traders as entries in their 2013 Photography Competition.

The calendar photographs attest to the high standard of entries received and to the attractiveness of Broughty Ferry as a place to live, work and visit.




The calendar costs £9:99 



Available from the following Ferry businesses:

• Eduardo Alessandro Studios, 30 Gray Street;
• Ferry Potty Arts & Crafts Shop, 339 Brook Street;
• The Gift Horse, 82 Gray Street;
• Gillies Furniture Carpets and Floor Coverings, 180 Brook Street;
• Millar's Clothing Store, 41-43 Gray Street;
• Mostyn McKenzie Shoes, 168 Brook Street and
• R.S McPherson Pharmacy, 120 Gray Street.

All the Fun of The Ferry Gala Fete

Yesterday, the Gala Fete attracted a good number of folk to Castle Green for the Gala Fete.

Central Broughty Ferry was busy too. The increase in visitor numbers was reflected in the jostle for parking spots, especially in the streets around  Castle Green.

The threatening clouds in the sky, never delivered the down pour which at one point seemed imminent. Despite quite a fierce wind, the queue at the ice cream van was pretty consistent.


Thanks to Gerry Stewart and her organising committee for another memorable and enjoyable Gala Fete.

Well done!

Broughty Ferry Gala Fete 2013 Programme Sunday 30 June at Castle Green 1-5pm

The Broughty Ferry Gala Fete is today and
begins 1pm at Castle Green. Enjoy!
Read/download the Gala Day programme 2013

Proposed Dundee Tourism Strategy and Broughty Ferry

On Monday, Councillors will be asked to approve a Tourism Action Plan for the Council. As a Ferry Councillor, I have been looking at where Broughty Ferry fits into this.

Broughty Ferry is mentioned twice in the twenty page report. Firstly, the report acknowledges that in addition to the city centre and the waterfront developments there are other destinations to be promoted: 
"Dundee also has some key locations which are likely to be of interest and could be packaged as visitor attractions in their own right – examples of this would include Broughty Ferry and also West End or Cultural Quarter."

And when it comes to recommendations and actions:
"Identify key geographies in terms of specific areas within the city which can be packaged as a visitor destination within the city.
Lead Department –
• Activities
- Consider the added value to packaging areas together in relation to tourism offer i.e. Broughty Ferry, West End/Cultural quarter and develop marketing information
• Measures
- Additional visitors to areas identified
• Timescale – Ongoing

I know that Broughty Ferry Traders, the Community Council and the Broughty Ferry Development Trust would all welcome better promotion of Broughty Ferry as a destination. Currently, Visit Scotland's offering on their website leaves a lot to be desired as their information is out of date and incomplete. And measuring success of this proposed Tourism Action Plan by increases in visitor numbers to The Ferry would be a fair and acid test.