'You could have picked up the phone': Volunteer group responds to KoSDT manager's 'excluded' claim over Bonar bridge festivity
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The manager of the Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust (KoSDT) has hit out at a volunteer local organisation over an upcoming celebration at Bonar Bridge.
David Watson has criticised Kyle Action Group Christmas Lights for not directly informing the trust about its plans for Christmas festivities and in particular an event on December 2 to mark the 50th anniversary of the opening of Bonar bridge.
However the action group has dismissed the criticism saying it “doesn’t need to ask permission to hold an event in the village”.
A disgruntled Mr Watson made his feelings know to Ardgay and District Community Council at its inaugural meeting on Monday night.
He claimed that the trust had been “deliberately excluded” while other local groups had been involved.
“If it was just a Christmas celebration, then that is one thing, but it is the 50th anniversary of the bridge which is a massive milestone for the community,” he said.
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Festive celebration planned to mark 50th anniversary of official opening of Bonar Bridge
Mr Watson continued: “I have now written to Kyle Action Group to ask why they have not contacted us to ask if we are running any events on the same day.
“There could be a potential clash but we have not been asked what we are doing. There has been no communication from them at all.”
In his email to Kyle Action Group chairperson Caroline Munro, Mr Watson states: “If you feel that the trust has nothing to contribute, then that is one thing, but to not even inform or include us in conversations about potential clashes of activity is much harder to understand.”
Kyle Action Group has condemned the email as "aggressive and disappointing".
Group vice-chairman Robert Sawyer posted on social media that the group's remit was to raise funds for new street lights but a request had been made at a community council meeting to incorporate a 50th anniversary celebration for the bridge into the lights switch-on ceremony.
An appeal had been made for help and support and as a result had gained several new members who were also involved in other community groups.
“We have not intentionally excluded any group, and anyone could have contacted us to offer help as some did either through our Facebook page or one of the other groups involved,” wrote Mr Sawyer.
He added: "Perhaps what may have been a better way for the trust to have approached this would have been for one of their 16 employees to pick up the phone or email or message asking if there was anything they could do to help or anyway they could be involved."
“The email received from David Watson is very aggressive and disappointing for a small group of volunteers who are trying to do their best to put on a great community celebration in a short space of time.”
