Aberfeldy is flowing with community spirit this week with the official opening of a new top up tap in The Square.
Passers-by can fill up their water bottles at the tap, thanks to the initiative organised by community initiative Feldy Roo alongside Scottish Water.
The idea came from Feldy Roo, which wanted to provide more for the community after securing around £200,000 in funding and a £10,000 prize.
And Scottish Water was so impressed with Feldy Roo’s efforts that they decided to install the tap free of charge.
Community project
Organisers are thrilled to have the tap now fully operational.
The tap is described as a project that demonstrates the community spirit in Aberfeldy.
Feldy Roo volunteer Gavin Price, who runs The Fountain Bar and Restaurant, said: “After we won the prize for Great Britain’s Pub of the Year through our involvement with the Feldy Roo project, we approached Scottish Water to see if it was possible to buy a Top up Tap for the community.
“We had wanted to get the historical fountain in The Square operating again, but this wasn’t possible, so we thought a new tap would be the next best thing – providing fresh water for locals, school children and tourists.
“After hearing about the work the town had done throughout the pandemic, Scottish Water decided to install the tap for us as part of its current programme which is a really wonderful gesture.”
John Swinney MSP said: “I am delighted to be part of the launch of this new tap, which will be a quality asset for the town.
“It is great to see the link with the historic fountain, which remains a prominent landmark, and it will provide high quality drinking water that residents and visitors need and expect today.
“The story of how the project came to fruition is a demonstration of the strength of community spirit that exists in Aberfeldy.
“The Feldy Roo team has been widely and deservedly recognised for their work to support people in the town during an extremely difficult time.”
Scottish Water project manager Lorna Neilson said: “When we heard about the amazing work that Feldy-Roo had carried out during the Covid 19 pandemic, we were hugely impressed.
“We wanted to do all we could to support their ambition to install a new top up tap, bringing free access to clear, fresh drinking water back to the heart of their community.”
What is Feldy Roo?
Feldy Roo is an initiative that provided meals to elderly and isolated people within a 25-mile radius during lockdown.
It began in March 2020 and delivered around 40,000 meals to those in need.
Mr Price said: “From a potentially serious situation, Aberfeldy and its fantastic community spirit turned a negative into a positive.”