Hogmanay Fireballs Celebrations at Stonehaven

Why not try something different at New Year- the Stonehaven Fireballs Festival! Stonehaven is a small seaside village in the North East of Scotland with a population of 10,000 and hosts an annual festival at New Year attracting around 5000 visitors from home and abroad. 

The fireball swinging ceremony is pretty spectacular: 45 men and women swinging massive balls of flame around their heads as they stride the length of Stonehaven’s old High Street. The reception given to the swingers is tremendous and the occasion is a very family oriented event, even if it does start at midnight, with a pipe band, drummers and other entertainment. And a very humorous and lively crowd of people!

The Market Street Party runs in tandem with this world famous Fireballs ceremony making New Year a hugely popular and lively event. This year rock giants Simple Minds are to headline the Hogmanay celebrations.

A Simple Minds spokesman said the group were looking forward to celebrating New Year with their fans at the home of the unique Fireballs swinging festival and a spokesman for the Stonehaven Festivals and Events Committee said: “This is simply a dream come true for us. We are thrilled and delighted these music legends have agreed to come to Stonehaven for our big Hogmanay party.

For more info on the Fireball Ceremony visit  http://www.stonehavenfireballs.co.uk/about

and watch this video

Improving Your Training!

Here in the North of Scotland we are always trying to improve your experience as GP speciality trainees. We run regular Trainee Forums three times a year.  These forums are open to all to attend and are your opportunity to give us feedback on your training experience both in the hospital and general practice components of your training.  The forums are valued by our existing trainees and are well attended.  We also use them to develop new training initiatives in partnership with yourselves.

Why Our Rural Track Trainees Have The Best Deal!

Mike McIver, an ST1 currently in Grantown, and previously in Oban has been at the video again!  Mike was at the Rural Program conference in Stornoway and persuaded a few of his colleagues to speak about what has attracted them to the Rural Program.

So make the best decision of your life and join our Rural Program!  You can read more about the conference on Mike's blog at http://scotlandgptrainingcaledonia.blogspot.co.uk/ .

One Day Left!!

One day left to make that all important decision!  Applications to the first round of GP recruitment for August 2014 close at 5 pm tomorrow, Thursday 5'th December.

So if you have not already done so, get your application in to come and work in the North of Scotland. Whether it be the Grampian Program based around Aberdeen, the "Oil Capital of Europe", The Caledonian Program based around Inverness, "Capital of The Highlands" or our innovatory rural Track Program based on our rural general hospitals, the lifestyle and training available to you are second to none.  Just look at the blog and read what our current trainees are saying about their training here or follow the links to some of the lifestyle surveys that we have posted here over the last year.

• Aberdeenshire voted in five best places to live
• Outer Hebrides, Shetland and Orkney Islands - happiest places in the UK
• Aberdeen is named best city to live in Scotland
• National Geographic Votes Moray Coast in Top 20 Coastal Destinations in The World

So get that application in now!  Apply through the National Recruitment Office.