As 2019 draws to a close it is only natural to review the previous 12 months and gauge how the museum has preformed. What a year it has been!

• In May we were informed that the museum had been included in the UK edition of the Lonely Planet Guide - only 2 Stonehaven attractions were selected for inclusion.
• Also in May we started to receive weekly visits from Globus Tours. Their clients were mainly North American (USA and Canada) and these visits ran until September. The feedback received by Globus was so positive that the tour company has requested that the museum remains on the itinerary for 2020. We welcome them back in May next year.
• In April it was disclosed that Stonehaven Heritage Society had decided to disband after 40 years of existence. This was a sad blow to all in Stonehaven who had to come respect the work and knowledge that existed in the Society. The one ray of sunlight was that the Society partitioned OSCR (the charity regulator) to transfer all assets to Stonehaven Tolbooth Association (STA). This requested was granted and in July we gained a valuable collection of photographs, books and other archived material. We also welcomed a number of new volunteers from the Society. We are currently assessing how we can maintain some aspects of the Society's work within the museum's framework.
• In July we received the Queen's Award for Voluntary Sercice (QAVS). This is the highest award that a volunteer based charity can achieve and is a reflection on the dedication shown by our volunteers. Two of our organisation were invited to attend the Queen's garden party at Holyrood Palace.
• In late September we were informed that a couple of VIPs had requested to visit the mueum and on 3rd October the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay (Charles and Camilla) arrived for an informal visit. They spent a considerable time viewing some of our artefacts and talking to nearly all our volunteers who had convened en masse. A throughly enjoyable visit!
• Finally as the last few days of December make their appearance it is worth noting that our annual footfall will be in excess of 28,000. This is a 15% increase on our previous best annual figure (24,365 in 2017). Again a testimony to all our volunteers.

It is doubtful that we will exceed the highlights of 2019 but we will try to remain at this level of achievement. We are taking the opportunity of the winter season to review our displays and consider whether we can make any improvements within the space available. Thank you for your support during 2019 and we hope to see you again in 2020.