YOUR 75th birthday is fast approaching and you want to do something a little bit different... so what do you do?

FORRES Academy S6 pupil Claire Pozorski represented the school earlier this year in a fact-finding visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg and last week she reported on her trip to the Rotary Club of Forres.

A FORRES youngster is preparing for the trip of a lifetime after being selected to take part in a popular children's TV adventure game show.

FORRES photographer Scott Hogg could be forgiven for feeling snap happy after scooping a clutch of prestigious photography awards at a special event.

A FORRES optical assistant has recently returned from a trip to a small community in a remote region of Uganda, for whom she has been raising cash to help build a school and an orphanage.

A FINDHORN man has welcomed a fundraising drive launched by staff at the Forres Co-op last week, who plan to boost the kitty of a very worthwhile cause.

FORRES photographer Les Hester is this year celebrating 30 years in business in the town.

FORMER Forres Academy student, Andrew Gillespie (18), is off to India next month for a four month adventure as part of the Transform programme, run by Christian relief and development charity Tearfund.

FOR most of us, our summer holiday means relaxing somewhere hot, preferably with a swimming pool and a handy bar.

FORMER Lord Lieutenant of Moray, Air Chief Marshal (ret'd) George Chesworth was back at RAF Kinloss recently when he presented two awards to members of the 663 Volunteer Gliding Squadron.

WITH the ringing of the school bell at the end of lessons last Wednesday, Applegrove Primary School janitor Billy Laing headed off into retirement.

A STUDENT chef from Forres is getting ready to battle it out at a restaurant founded by one of Britain's best-loved, but most temperamental, TV chefs.

FORRES teenager Heidi Edmunds proved she was a cut above the rest last month when she picked up a top award at a hairdressing competition at Inverness College UHI.

LOCAL youth group, the 446 (Forres) SQN, Air Training Corps, is on the lookout for your old mobile phones.

BBC broadcaster Nancy Nicolson, who grew up on the family farm in Dunphail, has been presented with a prestigious award for a television report broadcast on BBC Scotland's rural affairs programme, "Landward".

A FORRES mum is heading off on holiday this summer, but it won't be your usual kind of sea and sand vacation.

A SERVICEMAN from RAF Kinloss has been made an MBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours List.

AFTER nearly three years in post, the man in charge of policing in the Forres area is to retire.

AN RAF-KINLOSS based service woman has ben honoured by the Queen for her work at the base.

A FORRES minister was busy packing his bags and furniture last week as he prepared for his final fortnight serving his congregation in Forres.

CHRISTMAS is coming and to prove it a number of pre-festive events have been taking place around Forres, with lots more happening this week and in the run-up to the festive holdays.

A FORRES butcher was celebrating last week after he was named as the second best pieman in Scotland.

THE recently created Parent Council at Forres Academy is hoping for good feedback and interest from a parents' evening for First Year pupils taking place at the school on Monday (December 3).

A FORRES publican who used to play in a local band during the 1980s has been tempted to take out his guitar again for a charity fundraising event being held in Forres at the end of the month, which aims to raise funds for people struggling to cope with disability.

THE wife of a Kinloss-based serviceman has been honoured for her fund-raising efforts.

A FORRES fitness teacher who is due to become a sprightly 70-year-old in the next few weeks, proved she was not past doing high kicks when she headed-up a special healthy exercise session with friends and colleagues to celebrate 50 years in the keep fit business.

RETIRED RAF Police Sgt, Michael Parry realised a long held ambition earlier this month by graduating with a BSc in Natural Science from Moray College.

TWO Forres lads have a very good reason to put their feet up after finishing a marathon cycle ride to raise cash for various charities.

A FIVE-YEAR-OLD schoolgirl has conquered a mountain in a marathon fundraising effort to help raise cash for a new school building.

A MORAY man who believed age was no barrier to learning new skills has died at the age of 98.

ON-GOING fundraising for renovations at St John's Episcopal Church in Forres has been boosted by the news of a cash windfall which will make a significant dent in the amount still needed.

A FORMER Forres Academy pupil is dancing her way to the top after being accepted for a place at a prestigious musical theatre college in London.

FOR most of us, Christmas is a time of family reunions and over-indulgence.

WHAT do you do when you've just returned from a marathon 15,200-mile run that has taken you all around the world? Take a well-earned rest? Not if you're Paul Rogan.

A FORRES granny with a taste for adventure went up in the world recently when she was winched off a speeding lifeboat into a helicopter hovering overhead... and all for the good of charity.

A FUND-RAISER was all shook up and ready to hang up his Blue Suede Shoes next to his bicycle clips after an attempt to cycle from Elvis, in Shetland, to Presley, near Logie, to raise cash and awareness for a local charity, was cut short just a few miles short of his goal.

WAY back on June 1, Forres Harrier Paul Rogan set off from the United Nations in New York with a simple plan in mind – run right around the world in 95 days in a non-stop relay.

THREE years ago, Forres man Douglas Cowie, already into his 50s, took part in the Olympic Torch Relay as it made its way around the world from Sydney, site of the 2000 Olympic Games, to Greece, to mark the centenary of the modern Olympics at Athens 2004.

STUDENTS from Forres's twin town of Mount Dora in Florida have been visiting the area, staying with host families whose teenagers will be making a return trip to the USA during the October holidays.

A FORRES nurse has been presented with a special award for her work as a nurse with a charity which gives palliative care to cancer sufferers.

LOCAL pensioners Hugh and Nannie MacLennan had double reason to cele­brate thanks to two of their grandchildren who graduated from the same university within two days of each other.

A LOCAL woman is saddling up for a horseback challenge which will she her representing her country in a British event against English, Welsh, Irish and other Scottish riders.

A FORMER German prisoner of war who spent more than a year in the Forres area following the conflict, made an emotional return visit last week.

AN INNOVATIVE crutch designed by Forres man Iain Airey while a student at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen, just missed out for a major design prize after being short-listed for the BP Design Award at Gray's annual Degree Show.

AFTER spending nearly 10 years in training, a member of St Margaret's Roman Catholic Church in Forres is just about to take the final step on his journey to become a priest.

A BRIEF childhood acquaintanceship between an Aberdeenshire boy and a German prisoner of war, which grew into friendship in later life, was further cemented earlier this month when members of that PoW's family paid a visit to the Forres area.

AN Australian woman tracing her family roots visited Forres the other week – and took time off to thank the 'Gazette' for the part it had played in bringing her and members of her wider family together.

FINDHORN Foundation's Universal Hall now has visitors green with envy as it sprouts a totally new lease of life.

FORRES fund-raising charity cyclist Tim Rooke (19) was celebrating at the weekend after completing a marathon journey around the North of Scotland, equal to the distance between Land's End and John O'Groats, which is around 937 miles depending on the route.

CEILIDHS have been held in the clubroom at Altyre Estate, owned by Sir Alastair Gordon Cumming, on a regular basis since 1988, and each event has become a "must" for the area's music lovers.

A BUS driver and his new bride were treated to a very special wedding celebration by some of the pupils he has been ferrying to school for the past few years.

A MORAY College student who lives in Forres is celebrating after being crowned with a prestigious cookery title for a menu that she created using local ingredients and produce.

A FORRES woman has been delighted by the support shown for a charity she has founded to provide a school in Uganda, and thrilled that a local runner is picking up the fund-raising baton to help her raise vital cash.

FORRES fundraiser, Mrs Tish Murray, is back in the greenhouse again, nurturing her home-grown tomato plants which will soon go on sale to raise cash for Breast Cancer Care.

TWO of the longest established and best-known bakeries in Moray, with a combined total of more than 200 years of service to their communities, merged earlier this week.

STAFF AND organising committee members got together at Abbeyfield House last week to say farewell to the historic building.

A DAFFODIL, which was one of the many species which once flourished in the gardens of Brodie Castle, is gracing the castle lawns once again, thanks to a New Zealand bulb expert who sent one back from the southern hemisphere.

A FORRES youngster is the pride of his school, and he is 'purrfectly' content with his efforts to save big cats in Africa.

DALLAS Primary School head teacher Arlene Wilson will soon be packing her suitcase and heading off across the Atlantic to promote the Scottish education system in the United States.

A FORRES man who has been campaigning for the provision of better disabled access for people around the local area has been backed by local organisations who have taken some of his projects forward.

A FORRES woman who attributes her longevity to hard work – and the odd toffee or caramel – celebrated her 100th birthday in style at the weekend with family and friends.

THERE will be no more jokes about lady drivers here on the "Gazette".

TRIBUTES have been paid to Forres woman Irene Mackenzie who died earlier this month, aged 86.

THE Cluny Bank Hotel in Forres has an established reputation for quality of service amidst a friendly and welcoming atmosphere and charming surroundings.

A FORRES woman has just returned from a three-week trip to Uganda where she is in the process of building a community hall to double up as a local school. She has even established her own charity to raise the cash and see the project through.

A RAFFORD firm has taken delivery of machinery which will put them at the forefront of plans to provide a new source of renewable energy.

MEMBERS of the Dava Way Association are busy preparing the route between Forres and Grantown in anticipation of a busy year.

FORRES Community Librarian Elizabeth Parker stamped her last books at Forres Library last Wednesday (January 31), when she left the Moray Council area for a move into the Highland region, where she is taking up a new post with the library service.

A FORMER lifeguard at Forres swimming pool, who also worked during the holidays as a council tip worker, must be the envy of all his pals after appearing in a Sunday newspaper as number 15 in the list of Scotland's 100 most eligible bachelors.

A RESEARCH institute, aiming to become a world leader in digital media and communication technologies, has set up shop at Horizon Scotland on the Forres Enterprise Park.

FRIENDS and supporters of the Falconer Museum in Forres have launched a regular e-newsletter in a bid to keep the facility at the front of people's minds while it is closed for renovation works.

FOLLOWING a seven-year break, Moray is set to have its own Territorial Army base through the reformation of 236 Field Squadron.

A YOUNG woman who grew up in Findhorn has become the latest singer-songwriter to put her talent on display by setting up her own record label.

CHRISTMAS EVE shoppers at a Forres supermarket were a bit surprised when some Royal visitors popped into the store for some last-minute Christmas goodies.

PUPILS at Forres Academy turned teacher to help pilot an eight-week project organised in conjunction with Age Concern and the Forres-based community development team at Moray Council.

A FORRES man is warning pet owners living around the Knockomie Rise development to watch out for their animals after his cat suffered a horrific death when it became caught in a snare near the family home.

WORK on the Moray Arts Centre is well underway and it is on course to open in the spring.

LOGIE Steading Visitor Centre has been honoured at the prestigious Northern Lights Tourism Awards ceremony at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.

THE green credentials of Forres Academy pupils and staff have been given a boost with the news that the school has achieved the Green Flag under the Eco School Scotland project.

A VISITING family of Americans popped their heads into the “Gazette” office last week to say hello. They came from Fort Worth in Texas and were on their first visit to Scotland… and to Forres.

A FORRES woman with a love of the performing arts is hoping to make her television debut next year – and win some money to back a dance spectacular in her home area into the bargain.

A FORRES man who has dedicated the last 46 years to serving the RAF, both as a serviceman and a civilian, including service in two conflicts, has finally called it a day.

LOLLIPOP man Bob Stephen bowed out of a job he loved last Friday when he bade farewell to his young charges at Anderson's Primary School.

A FORRES woman who is well known for her tireless fund-raising efforts to build a hydrotherapy pool in the town has been honoured for her work with the Arth­ritis Care charity which originally spurred her involvement with the project.

MORAY MSP Richard Lochhead was in Forres last week, putting his money where his mouth is. Mr Lochhead, who is the SNP's Shadow Minister for Energy and the Environment, was collecting an energy-saving solar panel that is to be installed at his home.

KINLOSS businesswomen Joan Wilmot and Jacqui Jones of J & J Publishing have been honoured for the cookbook they produced to highlight the fresh vegetables they produce locally.

THERE’S no excuse for letting the benefits of recycling slip your mind, thanks to an innovative new idea from Moray Waste Busters.

FORRES Community Council members have been told that all three Forres local councillors – Iain Young, Rex McIntosh and Alasdair Urquhart – have agreed to meet with them in a bid to clarify the details of the Forres Common Good Fund.

A WONDERFUL servant to Findhorn in general and the James Milne Institute in particular was honoured recently when he retired from the management committee of the village hall.

FORRES photographer Scott Hogg has entered the ranks of the Master Photographers Association (MPA) after being awarded a prestigious qualification for the professionalism of his work.

LOCAL residents and history buffs got their last look at the Falconer Museum in Forres last month before it closed for a period of refurbishment which will include the introduction of access for the disabled.

MEMBERS of the Forres and District Vienenburg Twinning Association are looking forward to visiting Germany at the end of this month for some very special celebrations.

A FORRES woman who has been 'mum’ to two young girls from Chernobyl for the past month is looking forward to putting her feet up.

TWO local teenagers are working hard to raise cash to spend part of their gap year working on projects overseas to help disadvantaged youngsters.

A TEAM of RAF personnel including a policeman based at Kinloss are preparing to make tracks in the frozen wilderness of the South Pole.

IT will be a sad day when Forres businessman Michael Laycock takes his last trip down Memory Lane in the autumn, shutting up shop after 30 years in business on the High Street.

VOLUNTEERS at the Falconer Museum in Forres have been working hard to complete essential research on its collections.

A FORRES Academy pupil has come out top in a by-election for a seat in Parliament.

MOVES to introduce more nurses into Scottish hospitals who specialise in a little known genetic condition have encouraged a Forres woman to embark on a fund-raising campaign.

A DUTCH couple, who arrived in Forres seven years ago to turn a Victorian town house into an up-market hotel, are moving on.

WITHIN two years of quitting the Moray Firth for a new life at the other end of the UK, former Findhorn environmental activist Mary Gregory has taken on green issues on the Isle of Wight and won a clutch of gold awards for her Shanklin guest house.

A Forres teacher found extreme poverty - and hope - in Africa reports Tanya McLaren

A FORRES woman has been honoured by her peers in an awards ceremony held in Edinburgh.

A YOUNG hairdresser has fulfilled her dream of running her own hair salon with the help of The Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust (PSYBT).

TIRED, saddle-sore and glad to be home, that's Forres community warden, Margaret Cowie, who cycled from Land's End to John O'Groats and raised more than £1,000 for various charities, writes Tanya McLaren.

THREE Forres women put their best bust forward for a fundraising event aimed at making people aware of the dangers of breast cancer and the good work being done to support sufferers and their families.