We all need to be Aberdeen’s local hero

Written for the latest Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce's (AGCC) Business Bulletin as part of the UnDiscovered Aberdeen campaign, we look at how we can and should be Aberdeen's local hero...

As citizens of the North East, what do we already know about Aberdeen and the wider region? It’s home to Scotland’s third largest city; we’ve got some amazing beaches and some equally amazing countryside; the region is, on the whole, an incredibly safe place to live; there are two major universities; we have some brilliant and independent cafes, restaurants and bars; plus some of the nation’s top golf courses, a historic football club, and the ability to both surf or ski from one day to the next.

We’ve pretty much got it all, and that’s without even putting much thought into it.

UnDiscovered Aberdeen, a campaign launched this Spring by Robert Gordon University (RGU), aims to highlight this. We want to showcase Aberdeen as a remarkable place to live, work, and study. And most importantly, we need it to be a combined effort. We want everyone shouting about just how great the North East is.

At RGU we are fortunate to work at a modern campus that overlooks the River Dee, a genuinely stunning location which wows from season to season. If you follow downstream you’ll be met with a beautiful river walk, Duthie Park, and then the city centre. Where next, Greyhope Bay to dolphin spot, a shop at the increasingly busy Union Square, or straight through to Fittie and the numerous thriving seaside street food trucks?

The city centre and beach are going through an exciting regeneration, but we don’t need to wait until then to shout about all of what is great about Aberdeen. Have you visited the bustling hubs of Thistle Street or Rosemount recently? Do you make the most of the idyllic city centre green space in our award-winning parks? Have you ever visited Provost Skene’s House, the oldest surviving town house in Aberdeen, marvelled at Marischal College, the world’s second largest granite building (!), before wandering up to Aberdeen Art Gallery and finally on to the stunningly transformed Union Terrace Gardens? We’ve not even mentioned grabbing a coffee from Mount and a fine piece from Upperkrust on the way!

Aberdeenshire has an embarrassment of riches that would, and does, impress visitors from across the globe. From Balmoral to Newburgh, Bennachie to Stonehaven and Royal Deeside to the Cairngorms – the North East is the gem of the country. Discovered by some, UnDiscovered by most. There is a reason that cruise ships are now stopping by at the new South Harbour.

We have art, music, sport, history, architecture, a huge and vibrant student community, easy commutes and even our own Doric language. Thankfully the weather keeps us humble, but even then, it rains way more elsewhere (promise!).

UnDiscovered Aberdeen hopes to amplify other positive campaigns and raise the bar in strengthening the message that the North East is the place to be. But it needs you, your co-workers, and your family and friends to help us. Be proud of our region and shout loud about it – both online (#UnDiscoveredAberdeen) and in conversation. We can all do our part and be our city’s local hero.