The Bettridge Centre is an independent community-owned and managed leisure centre which offers a wide selection of sports, community, arts and social activities for local people and for visitors to the area, of all ages, abilities and interests. To find out more about the regular groups and activities we have to offer, go to our Regular Groups page. To see our range of party venues and equipment to hire, go to Parties - and to find out what upcoming events we have planned, go to What's On.
A flashback to the olden days!
We recently unearthed an old Powerpoint presentation detailing all the hard work and fundraising which went into creating what we now know as the Bettridge Centre.
The presentation also includes pictures of the build and all the work that went into preparing the centre for the grand opening ceremony on 1st March 2003. Note the dates on some of the later slides - how much work was done that last night before the opening!
The presentation also includes pictures of the build and all the work that went into preparing the centre for the grand opening ceremony on 1st March 2003. Note the dates on some of the later slides - how much work was done that last night before the opening!
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SCENIC VILLAGE WALKS
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The aim of ReActive8 is to develop a programme of social and physical activities which will help support local people’s mental and physical health. The activities will largely take place in the centre during the day, but won’t be limited to that if the demand is there.
The funding from the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund enables us to run regular coffee mornings and meetings, as well as try a range of different activities, such as music, crafts, gentle keep fit and walking sports. We’ll also be offering activities to aid recovery from injury and long-term health conditions such as cancer. What we run will be very much designed to reflect what local people would like to take part in, so we’re very interested to hear your views and suggestions. So come along to one of our regular coffee mornings, which usually take place in the lounge on the last Wednesday of the month, 10:00am - 12:00pm.
Classes Do you have a hobby or a skill you would like to share with us? Are you skilled in Guitar, Art or Calligraphy? We're looking for folks willing to help provide a class/meeting on a regular basis, the more topics/activities the better! Why not come along and let us know what you're good at? We'd love to hear from you. Blether Box
Blether Box is a chance to get together in a friendly, relaxed group of like-minded people to enjoy a variety of different activities and themes – including music, sporting memories, digital skills etc. It's held in the lounge on Thursdays 11:30 – 13:30. Blether Box is a drop in session, free, open to all, refreshments provided. |
WHAT'S ON
Bettridge Belters Singing Group Monday 11 – 1pm, £3 Purely for fun - singing ability not required, just enthusiasm! Come along and have a laugh & a cuppa. Line Dancing Monday 1.30 – 2.30pm (beginners 13:00 - 13:30) Suitable for beginners or more experienced dancers. Drop in or contact Helen for more information. Chair Yoga Tuesday 11 -12pm Adding years to your life and life to your years. Gentle chair based exercise class. Drop in or contact Mags to find out more. Yoga for Cancer and other long-term conditions Tuesday 12.30 - 2.00pm, FREE Gentle chair based exercise class with opportunity to socialise afterwards. Contact Mags to find out more. Open Pickleball Tuesday 14:00 - 16:00, £4/hour or £6 for 2 hours Equipment provided, all welcome Diamond Art and Crafts Group Wednesday 10:00 - 12:00, £3 Tea/coffee and a biscuit and your first diamond art kit, or bring along your craft and enjoy the company of like-minded folk. Don't forget to book your place. Book Club Wednesday 10:00 - 12:00, FREE Books provided by Newtonhill Library Yoga Wednesday: 18:20 – 19:20 & 19:30 – 20:30 Gentle yoga with deep stretching, toning, breathing and relaxation. Contact Mags to enquire about spaces. Open Pickleball Thursday 10.00 – 11.00am, £4 Equipment provided, all welcome. Blether Box Thursday 11.30 – 13.30am, FREE, drop in All welcome to this friendly group offering a range of activities including sporting memories, Playlist for Life music, digital skills etc. Includes refreshments. Yoga Thursday: 09:30 – 11:00 & 18:30 – 19:30 Gentle yoga with deep stretching, toning, breathing and relaxation. Contact Mags to enquire about spaces. Dance Fitness with Heather Thursday: 14:15 – 15:00 A moderate impact class. Modifications are given to suit a range of abilities. Contact Heather to find out more. Friday Luncheon Club Fortnightly, 11:30 - 13:30 Join us for a 2-course lunch plus tea & coffee. Transport can be provided. Places must be booked in advance. Coffee & Crafts @ the Bettridge with Live Life Aberdeenshire. Friday 13:15 - 15:15 A free weekly adult craft group. Bring along your own project and work alongside like-minded crafters. Sharing ideas and tips, while making new friends. |
Online fundraising
When you shop online, you can raise funds for the centre at no cost to you.
A donation will be made to the centre for every purchase you make through EasyFundraising.
Funding Successes
We've had a very successful year of grant applications - recognising the good work we've been doing with our projects such as ReActive8 and the Friday Luncheon Club, and the need to make the centre more sustainable, so we can continue to support our community for many years to come. We're very grateful for the following:
The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund is supporting the next phase of our very successful ReActive8 project, which has been running for the past 3 years thanks to funding from Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership. The usual ReActive8 activities will continue with the addition of Blether Box, see above for more information.
The Just Transition Participatory Budgeting Fund has enabled us to install 88 solar panels plus battery storage in the centre. This was the result of a big campaign to win votes across Aberdeenshire in November 2024 and we're very grateful to everyone who supported us.
The ability to generate our own electricity is making a huge difference to our utility bills and our green project is environmentally empowering our community whilst supporting Scotland’s transformative just transition to net zero. Discover all the successful projects within Aberdeenshire here. 
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Funding from the ASDA Foundation and Meikle Carewe Community Fund have enabled the Friday Luncheon Club to continue for another year. This friendly welcoming group meet every second Friday during termtime. Volunteers serve a nutritious hot meal provided by Portlethen Academy and participants can be transported to and from the centre by the Portlethen Community Ambulance.
The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund is supporting our free Yoga for Cancer and Long Term Conditions programme for another year. Run by Mags Yoga, this weekly chair-based class aims to provide specialised tuition in yoga and meditation and providing peer support in a welcoming environment.
Yoga for Cancer and other long-term conditions
Tuesday 12.30 - 2.00pm, FREE Gentle chair based exercise class with opportunity to socialise afterwards. The next block starts in September, but there may be space to join once the block is under way - contact Mags to find out more. |
Friends of the Bettridge
Do you value our community-owned and run centre enough to become a Friend?
Friends of the Bettridge is a group of volunteers with the centre’s best interests at heart, who are willing to give up a few hours here and there to help us out. Depending on your interests and skills, that might involve some painting, gardening or other maintenance tasks, selling tickets at an event or helping promote it, running a fundraising event - we're open to suggestions! You can choose what you would like to help out with and how much time you’re happy to give.
Join our Friends of the Bettridge Facebook group or drop us a line via our Connect With Us page. We look forward to hearing from you!
Friends of the Bettridge is a group of volunteers with the centre’s best interests at heart, who are willing to give up a few hours here and there to help us out. Depending on your interests and skills, that might involve some painting, gardening or other maintenance tasks, selling tickets at an event or helping promote it, running a fundraising event - we're open to suggestions! You can choose what you would like to help out with and how much time you’re happy to give.
Join our Friends of the Bettridge Facebook group or drop us a line via our Connect With Us page. We look forward to hearing from you!
Funding
As an independent charity we support ourselves by renting out space to regular groups and for events such as parties and meetings etc. However we're dependent on grants to cover the costs of essential building maintenance and replacing equipment, as well as special projects such as ReActive8 or our summer holiday programmes. We're very grateful to the following organisations for their support over the past couple of years.
Meikle Carewe Community Fund
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