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Maytime sun, Festival Fun!
Sunshine and blue skies (and thankfully only a few midges) made for a fantastic weekend with not one but TWO festivals going on simultaneously: MHOR Festival, Balquhidder - and Strathyre Music Festival (see back page). Well done to all concerned!
John the Barber
Broadband Moon hanging low
Dick & Tom
Pretty in pink Raft Race
Enjoying the music
MHOR Festival photos by David Johnson
The Travelling Junipers
Alpacas meet ‘n’ greet
The Voice of Balquhidder, Lochearnhead, Strathyre & St Fillans • JULY 2018
Editor’s Bit What a difference 10º+ of sunshine can make to the general mood! I can almost see why two of my children have opted for the Aussie way of life, where such temperatures are the norm - and not a ‘once a decade’ experience but then again they don’t have the wonders of a white wonderland in December! We can only hope that the fine weather continues for the events planned for July - may they be as fortunate as the ones we have all had the chance to enjoy in the last few weeks of May and June. So go and support the volunteers who put great efforts into organising all the happenings: festivals, Highland Games, etc. Delighted to see that the competition for Sunday Brunch at the Four Seasons Hotel is hotting up, with two “A Day in the Life of...” articles featured this month; two very different accounts to enjoy. Another competition we could have this month is to decide who appears most often in a range of photos in this edition! Answers by email or, better still, a postcard telling us about your favourite walk or destination for a day out. JJ
Happy Birthday Balquhidder Hall! Midsummer certainly delivered the ideal weather for over 120 people to gather in the Hall (and Charlie’s marquee) to celebrate the 20 years of the current building. The delicious aromas from the hog roast filled the marquee and the tables groaned under a fantastic array of salads, which were soon demolished once the “Hog Roast is ready” signal was given. The dancing followed with the floor being full for most of the dances up to the interval. We then had an unexpected treat as Callum Convoy was home with some of his fellow musicians and agreed to play for us - to the great delight of all present. Strawberries and cream completed the menu and then the dancing recommenced, with the age range being from 2 to 80+! Photos from top: The Hog Roast was a huge and delicious success; Strwaberries and cream for ‘afters’; energeric dancing to the wonderful music of Stuart McKeown; and below,Callum and friends play some awesome tunes during the ‘break’.
MHOR Festival ‘best yet’ This year’s Mhor Festival has been lauded as the best yet, with scorching weather carrying through all weekend and one of the best lineups to date. From Ray Harris rocking out on the front lawn, to Tom Lewis, Paul Rankin and Nick Nairn cooking up a storm in the barn and disco yoga on the Sunday morning, there was something for everyone. With over 5,000 visitors over the three days the numbers are up on last year and there were more families than ever before. Special moments included a traditional hand fasting ceremony, carried out by Tom Lewis. It took place for longstanding members of staff Edyta (Head Housekeeper) and Rafal (Pastry Chef extraordinaire). It all happened on the main stage, to the dulcet tones of Prince. It wasn’t only a festival highlight but a festival first! Among the many messages of congratulations was: “The organizers @mhorcollection deserve a shout out for creating a unique and inimitable experience over the years. Their lineup of activities blends so well with the stunning environment (event curators take note!)” 2
20 Years on - and the Grass is still Green! One of the first jobs that Growing Places undertook, having moved into Strathyre in September 1998, was given to us by Pat and Neil Barber, and it was to landscape around the newly built Village Hall. We started in April 1999, clearing all the bricks, rubble and stones which were dumped in Bobby Bennett’s garden, across the other side of the Loch. Much raking and rolling followed and grass seed was sown on the 1st of May, a hardwearing local variety called Dollar Green. That May must have been one of the driest on record; from the 1st until 29th we had a total of 3 hours of rain. The Hall was built without an outside tap, so after a few days of no rain it was decided to connect the hose pipe and sprinkler to the kitchen sink. Well, it was a pressurised system and the plumber had forgotten to put a pressure release valve in and as soon as we turned the tap on full blast... it ruptured the boiler and water was everywhere in the kitchen. After that... the grass seed had to suffer the dry weather... it survived, and it still looks good today. Pete Moor, Growing Places
Rock Bottom!
Strathyre News Processions
100 years of women getting the vote “I think we should go!” said Mel at the crafternoon. “Oh yes!” was the immediate response. An idea was born and the march was on.
We decided to register our little group in the procession; Liz suggested as our name ‘Lassies fae Bonnie Strathyre’. A couple of clicks later we were part of the event to help celebrate 100 years of women getting the vote. A couple of sessions in the hall (with much sewing) involved Catherine, Fiona, Liz, Barbara, Mel, Emma - and Sheridan on her trusty sewing machine - and our banner was created. Two of our younger members made their own banners. Then in the middle of the night inspiration came to Barbara and she amazed us all as well as made us cry with her poem. The day arrived and off we went with our sandwiches made for us by Lorna and Becks. We were all decked out in violet, green and white which are the suffragette colours. We assembled in the meadows in Edinburgh and each person was given a scarf to wear to provide a moving artwork as the procession moved
The women of our village Get together once again To remember the suffragettes Their sorrow and their pain We will march along, our banners high To respect those who said “We will do or die” They had to fight hard To win us the vote And gave all us women A new kind of hope The fight will go on because We will never tire because we are the lassies fae bonnie Strathyre! a
a
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through the streets in the suffragette colours. Even Greyfriars Bobby got in on the act! We had a fantastic day admiring the other banners that had been made by like-minded women each willing to tell their amazing stories. The procession ended at Holyrood to rapture and applause from all the 12,000 women involved. It was a truly unique and moving experience - one we shall never forget.
‘Juan One’ and ‘Growler’
My name is Anna Mchedliani and I took part in Strathyre Primary School’s Summer Show. It was called Rock Bottom and was about a stone age boy called Bobby Cobblestone (“BC” for short!) who wanted to be an inventor. In the story he met a caveman celebrity called Lady Lava, but he later found out she was an evil villain who just wanted to stay young forever. In the end, she learned her lesson as she was turned into a baby! My part in the school show was as the character Juan One, who was a Mexican caveman, one of three amigos. My brother was a “growler”, a type of caveman who only could growl instead of talk. There were a lot of things I liked in the school play. I liked the silly jokes and funny phrases. My favourite part in the play was when we had to pull silly expressions on stage. There were lots of songs and my favourite song was called “Spell on You” which we sang at the very end. I also liked dressing up as a caveman with a sombrero, and I thought everyone else’s costumes looked amazing too! Overall it was a very funny play and I can’t wait till our next school show! ‘Eggheads’
The Lassies fae Bonnie Strathyre proudly show their banner for the Procession.
Skye and Libby
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The
St Fillans Bit
A Day in The Life of... Hi, my name is Judie and I thought you might like to hear about a day in my life. I am a retired racing greyhound and I have a fabulous life in Lochearnhead, although I was born in Ireland. I am legally classed as a ‘Black Greyhound’, although I am getting a bit grey now. I was born in 2006 – which makes me 12 years old (84 in dog years). My biological parents were both racing dogs. Mum – Eternal Way - was Irish and Dad – Blackjack Tom - was Australian. Apparently, this is a normal match for greyhounds. My racing name was Weavers Bride. All of my races took place in Ireland and I was quite successful (even if I do say so myself ). I won about 9 races, was 2nd in 3 and 3rd in 2 before I was retired from racing. My racing owners didn’t seem to have room for me then and I was sent away. I was lucky enough to find my way to the Fife Greyhound Rescue Centre, where I was looked after, (along with about another 50 homeless greyhounds) by Jimmy and Celia. This is where my new mum and dad (Mary and Duncan) found me. They saw immediately how pretty and loveable I was and just knew I would fit into their lives easily. Although I am not keen on stairs or steps, I made an exception at my new house cos it was nice and cosy. People seem to think that because I was a racing dog that I would need lots of exercise, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. All I need is a few walks a day (a wee run now and again is great, but it is not needed). So, let me tell you about a typical day for me. After breakfast I have a stroll in the garden making sure the fruit, veg and flowers are still where I left them last night and are growing at a suitable pace. All seems well. Sometimes mum and/or dad are in during the day and that makes me happy, but I am just as happy on my own. This is when I take up my security duties. I generally start by having a leisurely walk around the house, starting upstairs (as that’s where the beds are) and check that 4
everything is as it should be. That’s the morning exercise taken care of and time for a wee nap. I have lots of sleeping choices – I can have my memory foam bed upstairs, my cosy sofa in the living room or my dog bed on the floor, (which is actually very comfy) – choices, choices. After a while, my snooze is disturbed by my friendly postie, Phil, who always has biscuits in his pocket for me, ‘cos I’m special. It would be rude to refuse. After lunch time, its time for a short walk around the village, looking for scents of other dogs or even cheeky wee cats taking the same route. Back home, suitably tired out... it’s back to bed for some beauty sleep. Sometimes, I need to go and hide upstairs when mum takes out the monster machine (Henry hoover). Obviously, I don’t make a mess, so she must be clearing up from her and dad and any visitors – humans are quite messy really. Sometimes I spend the afternoon in the garden, watching
mum or dad working – it’s quite tiring keeping them right, they always think they know best! If it’s sunny, I only stay out for a short time as getting too warm is not good for a lady of my mature years. Another short walk before dinner and settle down for some tv in the evening. Some nights I get to watch Ice Road Truckers and National Geo wildlife programmes with dad (can you imagine having to go hunting for your next meal – not for me, I like the personal service). Other nights I get to watch quiz shows or some police programmes with mum. She especially likes the pet rescue programmes and I find these quite emotional as I have been so very lucky to find such a good home. A final walk before bedtime – the weather dictates how long this will be as I am not keen on the rain. Finally, time to get snuggled up on my sofa for my sweet dreams. What a day, what a life. I love it.
Festive Weekend Update
17 – 19 August 2018 Ok, so if you have been reading your last two copies of The Villagers, you will already know about the main action, namely the “Big Budget” Movie Premiere of The Village on the Loch in Sandison Hall on Friday Night, the Cowboy Themed Saturday featuring the Edinburgh based Rocka Hillbillies at night and the Allander Jazz Band entertaining us through Sunday afternoon buffet. But there is more, and it features local talent! Firstly, Liam Rennie, who hails from Lochearnhead, has agreed to do a short music set for us. He sings and plays Guitar and Piano. Liam is a pupil at McLaren High School and says that music is his life. To prove the point, he has come first in a professionally judged Music Competition, and is no novice on the local music circuit, having already featured at recent Strathyre and Killin Music Festivals. Our spy from the Strathyre Post Office says he is a real talent and one to watch for the future. Most of us will know Gabriel Bean not just as a St Fillans villager, but as a key member of the Mousehole Film production company, who made the Movie The Village on the Loch. However, his talents don’t end there! Alongside gaining an Honours in Theoretical Physics, he found the time to practice and perform Table Magic in the evenings in Clubs and he has committed to exhibiting his skills during the weekend’s festivities! Tickets will be available from the Festive Committee (Ulrika, Ruth, Norman, Gordon, Pete and Bruce) from mid-July. As explained before, the Movie Premiere is ticketed separately at £5 for adults with all ticket proceeds going to Scottish Air Ambulance Charity, and the Saturday and Sunday Weekend Ticket being priced at £28 for all 3 events. As usual, there will be a discounted children ticket and adult tickets available for individual events if required. It just keeps getting better!
Broadband Update We’ve been a little light on the web updates of late, not least because everyone is out taking advantage of the good weather to dig holes in the ground, install duct, build chambers and (of course) drink tea! The map at the top here shows a summary of where we were at the end of May, with the ducting now progressing outwards from the village, to the west and the east. A number of properties in those areas are already connected, with many more ready and waiting, although our next blowing/splicing session has had to be postponed until the weekend of 6-8th July. At that point we’re hoping to connect those properties at Gart and in the Village whose connections have already been prepared. We’ll also be holding a show’n’tell session for those interested in helping out with the splicing programme, which is currently our biggest bottleneck in the rollout – more details on venue and timing shortly there. Since that progress map was last updated, much further progress has been made: diggers are en-route both sides of the loch, from Danakhosa towards Craigruie on the north side and beyond Muirlaggan towards Bealach and Tuarach on the south. The crossing of Loch Occasional from the Old Post Office site to Stronslaney is also under way, and planning is well advanced for the route to Edinchip. And, if anyone’s looking at the tensioned wire being used to get the
fibre across Calair Bridge, don’t worry: it’s temporary whilst we wait for the Park to make a decision on the clips we’re allowed to use to fix the duct to the back of the Listed bridge. Our local team and Bogons managed to get a temporary pointto-point radio link running between Muirlaggan and Monachyle Mhor in time for the Mhor Festival at the end of May, enabling their thousands of visitors to get wifi access all around the grounds – at a place where there is no mobile signal, this was a major step forward, and will stay in place until we’ve completed the fibre build to that end of the glen. We also have an experimental system installed to test the coming generation of TV White Space (TVWS) technologies, which use the frequencies vacated by analogue television to provide lowish bandwidth but long range communications. Here we’re working with Edinburgh University and Microsoft Research to provide them with a testbed. We’re not planning on either radio or TVWS being part of our long-term solution, but we’re a good area to be testing new technologies – we’ve relatively little interference from other radio sources and we have all the things that conspire to limit what can be done with radio systems: mountains, forests, water and weather… Finally, can any businesses who have not yet responded to David’s email about the broadband voucher scheme, PLEASE contact him asap.
Sad to report that the cygnets born to Loch Voil’s swans in May seem to have disappeared - whether due to predation or the bad storms - is unknown. It’s tough out there.
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Lochearnhead Latest
Pétanque!
The much awaited follow up match between The Broch and The Briar Pétanque teams, which was held on the 20th June at the beautiful Briar Cottage in Lochearnhead, home to Kim and Fraser Proven, was a wonderful evening enjoyed by all in attendance. Once again, I was given the job of refereeing the all-important final, which ended in a runaway victory for “The Briar” - so well done to them. But I’m sure The Broch won’t take this lying down and will want a return match to redress the balance. As you can see from the photos it was a very friendly affair with both teams playing for the enjoyment that this game has to offer. Perhaps we could expand and have a few teams to play in a small league during the summer months? If you would like to be involved why not contact Kim, Fraser or Bill and have a chat, I did hear the girls say they could enter a ladies team, and why not! Can I just say a huge thank you to Kim and Fraser for inviting us along - and for their kind hospitality, which I believe is legendary in Lochearnhead - now I know why! Wullie D
CLACHAN COTTTAGE HOTEL ONE OF SCOTLAND’S ICONIC SETTINGS ON THE SHORE OF LOCH EARN The Clachan has been here for a long time, tending to travellers and residents alike - and is now the largest hotel in the area, boasting deluxe bedrooms and amazing loch view rooms. Summer’s here at last - but after sundown when the evenings get chilly, snuggle up in front of our blazing log burner... Try our ‘smoked venison with grilled wild mushrooms’ accompanied by one of our 20 trendy gins. Sample our fresh scallops from Loch Broome - and finish off with an old favourite: home made sticky toffee pudding, smothered with butterscotch sauce. Hotel residents can take advantage of our free bikes or canoes to really explore the surrounding countryside. This gives our overseas visitors the chance to see Cycle Route 7 without the hassle of travelling with bikes. Weddings and small functions are hosted by the Clachan. Our stunning setting provides the perfect backdrop for those all important videos or photos.
Clachan Cottage Hotel • Lochside, Lochearnhead • Perthshire FK19 8PU info@clachancottagehotel.co.uk • 01567 830300
Balquhidder, Lochearnhead and Strathyre... your village needs you! The annual charity men’s and ladies’ football matches take place on
Sunday 22nd July 2018 at 3pm
Once the volunteers have cleared up the Highland Games field the married men of the villages will play the single men for the trophy and at half time the married ladies will play the single ladies for their very own trophy. Players of any age and standard will be very welcome and are needed to boost the numbers – can you help? Several local good causes benefit from the famous raffle in addition to a national cancer charity and donations to the raffle would be most welcome. Refreshments and burgers will be available at the beer tent. If you can help out in any way contact: George Weir 07855 023360 Martin Sanders 07719 773230 6
Dragonflies are Amazing! I went for a walk with my two boys on Sunday and came across this amazing dragonfly! It must have just hatched and was drying and catching its breath. Hatti Harvey Newly-emerged adult dragonflies, known as tenerals, are a pale green colour at first, with only hints of the final adult patterning. Their wings remain very reflective for a couple of days and the flight is weak and fluttery. As the body and wings harden, they begin hunting for food whenever fine weather permits. They spend about a week, depending on the weather, feeding away from water and gradually acquire that wonderful iridescent blue.
Broch Café - Most Welcoming Café of the Year Following this week’s Scottish Café Awards, Stirling MSP Bruce Crawford has submitted a motion to the Scottish Parliament, congratulating the Broch Café in Strathyre for winning the 2018 award for Most Welcoming Café. Mr Crawford’s motion says: ‘That the Parliament congratulates The Broch Café on winning the Most Welcoming Cafe Award at the 2018 Scottish Cafe Awards; notes that the café is a family-run business, which is located in Strathyre in the heart of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park; considers that the café’s recognition at the Scottish Cafe Awards will be of benefit to the local tourism and hospitality industry and wishes The Broch Café and its staff all the very best for the future.’ Bruce Crawford said “I am absolutely thrilled for the Broch and all of its staff – they work hard all year round to provide an incredible hospitality experience in such a beautiful setting. “This is a very well-deserved award and I look forward to my next cuppa at the Broch Café.”
MP embarks on surgery tour
One of my most important and indeed most interesting jobs as Stirling’s MP is to speak with local people. By getting out into communities and having conversations, I get a better grasp of the issues that matter most to the people of Stirling. Recently, I held a surgery tour, aimed at doing just that. I went to Tyndrum, Crianlarich, Killin, Lochearnhead, and Strathyre on this tour, taking a full day to cover the north of Stirling constituency. This gave me the opportunity to speak with local people; business owners and anyone who wanted to raise an issue with me. We had a great day and thank you to everyone we met for taking the time to stop and have a conversation. There were a number of issues discussed that have been raised with my office previously, such as low water pressure and speeding problems in Killin, poor broadband in Strathfillan and issues about bin collections and the poor state of the roads. Other matters raised included the need for a pavement in Lochearnhead and poor public transport. It was very useful to get some more information regarding the poor broadband issues in the area as one of my priorities is to ensure people across rural Stirling are connected with superfast broadband. Another issue discussed with me was the need to get the C60 bus route extended to Strathfillan, run longer each day and on a Sunday. I’ll hold these tours on a regular basis and look forward to meeting as many of you as possible during them. However, if you need to raise something with me then do contact my office: 01786 475034 stephen.kerr.mp@parliament.uk
As part of the official ceremony near Trossachs Pier, Lady Drummond of Perth was in attendance in period costume outside a replica of one of the 230 year old ‘rudimentary huts’ situated alongside the new eco lodges. (First picture) Left to right Bruce Crawford MSP, Lady Drummond of Perth, Billy Petrie OBE, Chair of the Sir Walter Scott Trust and Dr Michael Cantlay, Chair of Scottish Natural Heritage. (Second picture) Left to right Bruce Crawford MSP, Lady Drummond of Perth and Dr Michael Cantlay, Chair of Scottish Natural Heritage who were viewing two of the new Eco Lodges at Loch Katrine.
New eco camp opens on the shores of Loch Katrine A new ‘eco camp’ has opened on the shores of Loch Katrine, where some of the first early travellers to Scotland stayed in wicker and bracken huts in the late 1700s and early 1800s. At the turn of the 18th century when literary giants such as Sir Walter Scott, the Wordsworths and Coleridge ventured on some of their epic journeys to discover ‘the raw beauty of Scotland’s scenery’ they sheltered in what were described as ‘rudimentary huts with bracken roofs at the eastern end of Loch Katrine’ and their writings subsequently led to Scotland’s first tourism boom. A couple of huts were provided by Lady Drummond of Perth, the local landowner, who was concerned to ensure there were shelters for these early travellers drawn by the sheer beauty of Loch Katrine which Sir Walter Scott described as ‘’the scenery of a fairy dream’’ in his blockbuster poem Lady of the Lake, published in 1810. Next to the spot where these huts stood, an imaginative venture by the Trust charged with sustaining the 119 year old Steamship Sir Walter Scott, has led to the development of a cluster of more luxurious eco timber lodges and a small camp ground in the shadow of Ben Venue on the lochside which is part of the Great Trossachs Forest National Nature Reserve and a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest in the heart of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. Billy Petrie OBE, Chair of the Steamship Sir Walter Scott Trust explained: ‘’ This is an unusual, but essential, investment by the Trust as we strive to diversify our income streams to support the continued operation of the historic Sir Walter Scott Steamship which is
expensive to maintain and brings so much pleasure to tens of thousands of visitors each year. The new eco camp, which consists of 8 eco lodges (4 en-suite and 4 standard), 8 camping pitches, a shower and toilet block and some campervan stances with electricity, water and wifi hook ups, has been designed in a very careful way with strong eco credentials given its location in an environmentally sensitive site so close to what is a major reservoir supplying, as it does, over 150 million gallons of water daily to households in Glasgow and Central Scotland. Bruce Crawford, MSP for Stirling played an important role in helping to secure the future of the steamship 12 years ago when a £1.75 million funding package was secured from the Scottish Government and Scottish Water for major refurbishment work and he has welcomed this latest move to provide tourist accommodation at Loch Katrine as part of strengthening income streams to sustain the steamship operation. Bruce Crawford, MSP, said:’’ The Steamship Sir Walter Scott is an important part of Scotland’s diverse and rich cultural heritage and I am delighted the Trust members have had the foresight to invest wisely in diversifying the visitor offering at Loch Katrine and in a way that builds on the great tradition of welcoming visitors to this very special part of Scotland.’’ ‘’I wish the Trust every success with this new venture which I am sure, if she was alive today, the late Lady Drummond of Perth who, 230 years ago saw the need to provide accommodation and shelter for Scotland’s first early travellers, would fully approve of as the Trust responds to the needs of modern day tourists.’’ 7
OBITUARY
Georgina Wagstaff 1935 – 2018 Georgina was the second youngest of eight children and the family were originally from Northern Ireland but sailed to England in 1943 when Georgina was eight years old. The day they were due to sail, a German submarine was spotted in Belfast harbour. They had a long wait before our navy was able to locate and sink it.
Georgina started primary school at three years old and was very proud to win a money prize for being the only child to attend school every day of the school year. Her family were devout Christians and she attended church three times a day on a Sunday.
Her father James died in 1945 just two years after arriving in England; she was just ten years old. You can imagine how difficult it was for the family to survive without the breadwinner. The family house in Birkenhead was very large and, at this time, her mother had only £6 per week widow’s pension to live on. To help with expenses, her mother took in four lodgers as well as the eight children, quite a task. Georgina helped her mum with all the chores, washing, cleaning, cooking, and tending to the garden, growing vegetables, feeding chickens and turkeys. Georgina attended an all-girls school in Prenton on the Wirral and, after exams, had to leave school at fifteen and took a job in a solicitor’s office in Liverpool. At the same time she attended night school four nights a week, learning secretarial skills and other office activities including bookkeeping. Georgina met John in 1954 at the tower ballroom, New Brighton, although they caught the same train in the mornings they had never talked till then. They treated each other as old friends and stayed friends for 62 years. Their original wedding was planned for September 3rd 1957 but had to be postponed because John was getting a new job. They eventually got married at Tranmere Church, Rock Ferry on December the 21st. The new job took them to a new
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house in Heald Green, near Manchester; five years later their child Susan Jane was born, then two years later Michael David arrived, followed by Jonathan Paul fourteen months later. John had a number of jobs before becoming European Sales Director, this job took him to many parts of the world and Georgina was able to accompany him to many exotic locations. They were based in a house formerly owned by Lloyd George in a village outside Guildford called Churt. It was a good family house and the children grew from young teens to adults and left home. It was at this time they decided they wanted to start their own business. They had three kitchen showrooms in Guildford, Portsmouth and Southampton and they employed all the children at one time, before they branched out to their own careers. They consolidated the businesses to Southampton, where they were able to concentrate on the contract side with major contracts in London and the Isle of Wight. After ten years of this demanding work, they sold up and moved to join Susan in Balquhidder. Their original supplier asked them to help with part time work, this developed into a demanding business working from home, employing Susan on a full-time basis. Retirement beckoned after eight
years and Jonathon took over the business. After so many years married they enjoyed an eight week cruise to Australia visiting interesting countries on the way. During this time in Balquhidder Georgina was very active in local affairs including organising in the past the Children’s Christmas parties and sitting on the village hall committee. She joined the British Heart Foundation, the newly opened branch in Callander and worked at the shop for about 15 years, making many friends, colleagues and customers alike. Although extremely fit and healthy for an 82 year old, she contracted diphtheria from an unknown source and after five weeks in intensive care passed away with her family holding her hand. Family and friends gathered from far and wide, a celebration was had on the night before the funeral at the sheep fank. A good bonfire blazed despite the rain and there was much singing and banging of drums and fireworks too. The funeral was held in the Kirk and officiated with sincerity by Russel Moffat. There were moving words from the children and grandchildren. After the burial in the cemetery a reception was held in the village hall. Georgina will be much missed by many.
Balquhidder Church News MUSINGS FROM THE MANSE
The Melody of Life
SEEING STARS by Keith Wilson
JULY Mars is at its closest to Earth on July 31 and you should easily be able to locate it during late evening and throughout the early hours. Look low down in the southeast to find the red planet which will be shining brightly. It appears red because it surface is covered with reddish iron oxide (rust). Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and is the second smallest planet, after Mercury. It has a very thin atmosphere and its surface is covered with craters, rift valleys, deserts, volcanoes and ice caps at its poles. Interestingly, if the ice at Mars’ south pole melted it would be sufficient to cover the entire planet to a depth of 11m. Mars is also the site of Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system which towers some 22km above the Martian plains. As of this year six spacecraft are operating in Mars orbit and two rovers are trundling across its surface. A new spacecraft, called InSight, will join them on the surface later this year. So if you spot Mars in the night sky this month you can wonder at what a busy planet it is!
I heard the Celtic singer Kim Carnie recently and it was a memorable experience. She is a very talented young lassie with many strings to her bow. She graduated with a first class honours degree in Law but works with the BBC as a Children’s TV presenter. She has a very successful music career too and is heard on the song track for the trailer of the Film Dark Mirror. She apparently took Celtic Connections 2018 by storm this year. She has been described as having a “velvet voice” and as a singer who “breathes light and beauty into every note”. High praise indeed, but for once the hype matches the reality. Now Kim is a wonderful and unique singer but isn’t that last description wonderful too? Is that not a metaphor we can all use and live in? Can you imagine the difference that could be made to our lives and indeed our world at large if, every day, we so resolved to live that we “breathed light and beauty into every note of life!” Wow! What a thought! What a challenge! Take some time now just to say that phrase out loud a few times and let that metaphor paint a picture of potential and possibility for your own life. This evocative metaphor reminds me of the Old Testament texts on Creation where it is the Ruach Elohim the “breath of God” which animates all living things. Not only does the great opening chapter of the book of Genesis have a cadence and rhythm to it (so much so, you could almost imagine it being sung) many parts of the Psalms and indeed other texts from the so called Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament, are almost “choral” in expressing blessing, gratitude, Joy, and praise at the wonder and beauty of life. In the ministry of Jesus we witness something similar. Using the metaphor of music, we can say that in the person and work of Jesus we are introduced once more to the Song of Creation. In a world full of discordant notes and chords, a beautiful melody was heard and responded to. Those who followed him tried to learn that tune so that they too could participate in this experience. As music is a gift to be shared, so too is faith. Wherever Jesus went there seemed to be laughter and joy…certainly there was always food and drink anyway… much to the annoyance of the Puritan killjoys of the religious establishment. The message of Jesus is “Good News” hence, of course the term Gospel, which means just that. In our contemporary world of discordant political and social ideologies and colourful and divisive political figures, the person and message of Jesus is a light shining in a very dark place. It is an inspiring and uplifting melody, a song that needs to be sung, a story that needs to be told and a mission that needs to be lived out and embodied. There is a song we sing in Church that has a Jewish style melody that progressively quickens as the song progresses and which makes you want to dance (Jewish style of course!) The song begins with the words “Jesus put this song into our hearts.” He certainly has: and he certainly will if you let him.
Russel An ancient heritage commemorated
St Angus Service Balquhidder Church Wednesday 15th August 2018 6.30pm All welcome Come and join us in our beautiful church for the annual celebration of St Angus with words, music and song in English and Gaelic
a special place • a special time • a special person Come and connect with history and with a living tradition
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Callander Rambling Club
... and they’re off!
Sponsored by Caledonian Country Wear
Pin-Feathers* *Once in demand by Victorian miniaturists, the tiny pin-feather comes from the leading edge of a woodcock’s wing and only two such feathers occur on each bird (one on each wing). This month, Old Nyati reports on a none too familiar event in the sporting calendar... There was a great opportunity to witness an important event here on the Solway coast a few days ago after a tip off from someone ‘in the know’. It was the staging of the International Submarine Race, which was allocated to this stretch of coastline for the first time ever. Luckily due to the good weather that has prevailed over the past weeks I was able to obtain some good photographs. Readers will realise that the international rule of ‘No Periscopes’ was strictly enforced. There were strong entries from countries all over the world in various classes of submersible craft. It was, of course, very difficult at times for the organisers to control the competitors and ensure that all entries were assembled in the correct class at the right time. The Russian entry was refused after the recent events in England, but it was suspected that they may have attempted to infiltrate the starting grid under an unknown flag. The marshals were under strict orders to be vigilant at all times and to expel any suspect vessels, the crew of which would be carefully interrogated and searched for any traces of radioactive substances which could be used to sabotage other contestants. Despite this fear there was much friendly competition and goodwill from all competitors and spectators alike. The snorkel viewing area at the finishing line proved to be very popular though there was a slight navigational error by two vessels in a photo finish which pushed the post out of line. A special tribute and thanks was voiced to all the submersed marshals at the starting line and finishing post. Our own Royal Navy entry did extremely well to carry off the coveted Sea Urchin trophy, to be held for one year. It is hoped that this prestigious event will return to Scottish waters again in the not too distant future - with a little less secrecy and censorship beforehand. Old Nyati
The Club consists of a group of enthusiasts who meet regularly throughout the year to participate in a programme of strolls, rambles, hill walks and a Long Distance Path. Details are published on incallander. co.uk/ramblers.htm in the Ben Ledi View and on posters around Callander. New members and guests are always welcome. Here are some dates for your diary: JULY • Wed 4 9:30 Stroll: Dam Walk Circular (6 miles) Contact 07785 703124 • Sat 7 8:30 Hill: Ben Cruachan (1126m) Contact 01877 339080 • Sat 14 8:30 LDP: TLW3 – Gareloch to Tarbet (12 miles) Contact 01877 330032 • Sat 21 8:30 8:30 Ramble: Craigower and the Linn of Tummel (6 miles) Contact 01796 472461 • Wed 25 9:30 Ramble: Summerfest – Around Loch Venachar Contact 01786 825249 Sat 28 8:30 Ramble: Balquhidder to Brig O’Turk (10 miles) Contact 01877 330059 AUGUST • Sat 4 8:30 Hill: Ben Chonzie (931m) Contact 01877 331067 • Wed 8 9:30 Stroll: Arivurichardich (4 miles) Contact 01877 339323
We meet in Ancaster Square, unless otherwise indicated. Please bring wet weather clothing, appropriate footwear and a packed lunch. And please let the walk leader know if you plan to join the walk via the contact number given! Visitors and non-members welcome.
The Park: Local Elections The candidates standing in local elections to become Board members for Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park have been announced. The National Park Authority local elections will recruit five members of the Park Authority Board. The Board is responsible for making strategic decisions for the Park and has an important part to play in helping to deliver the National Park Authority’s key aims. Nominations to stand for election to the Board closed on Thursday 31st May. Residents of the National Park now have the opportunity to have their say on who joins the Board in a postal ballot to choose five locally elected members – one for each of the five wards in the Park. Ward 2 – Breadalbane and the Trossachs:
• Owen McKee • Phil Ragsdell
The Royal Navy has a dodgy moment
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• Billy Ronald • Tim Tindle
Ballots will be issued from Thursday 14th June and must be returned by post in the prepaid envelope provided before 4pm on Thursday 5th July 2018. The election count will take place at the National Park Authority Headquarters on Thursday 5 July 2018 and those elected will take up their posts as Board members immediately after the result. The term in office is until 6 July 2022.
Now is the time to pamper your parsnips and potatoes, caress your carrots, mollycoddle your marrow and lavish love on your leeks - the gowing season is upon us and you only have two months to get your entries ready for the Annual Horticultural Show!
GROW
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BAKE
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MAKE
BALQUHIDDER, LOCHEARNHEAD AND STRATHYRE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
Annual Show SATURDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 2018 LOCHEARNHEAD VILLAGE HALL 2-4pm
Foxgloves everywhere! You know it’s midsummer in Balquhidder when the purple foxgloves (digitalis) appear in fields and hedgerows. This year there is a particular profusion - and they look stunning in the sunshine. Digitalis has the ability to exert a specific and powerful action on the cardiac muscle in animals, and has been used in the treatment of heart conditions ever since its discovery in 1775. The discovery of digitalis is accredited to the Scottish doctor William Withering, and makes for quite an interesting historical story. While working as a physician in the 16th Century, he became interested in plants and botany - so much so, that in 1776 he published a huge treatise, whose title begins ‘A botanical arrangement of all the vegetables growing in Great Britain,...’ and goes on for a further 24 lines! By the age of 46 he’d become the richest doctor outside of London. In 1775, one of his patients came to him with a very bad heart condition and since Withering had no effective treatment for him, thought he was going to die. The patient, being an independent type, went instead to a local gypsy, took a secret herbal remedy - and promptly got much better! When Withering heard about this, he became quite excited and searched for the gypsy throughout the countryside. Eventually he found her, and demanded to know what was in the secret remedy. After much bargaining, the gypsy finally told her secret. The herbal remedy was made from a whole concoction of things, but the active ingedient was the purple foxglove, digitalis purpurea.
This Year’s Theme: ‘Shoreline’ Presentation of Trophies 3.30pm Admission £1 Refreshments with Cream Tea £3.00 Children Free Entrance
Flowers, Fruit & Veg • Arts and Crafts • Photography • Baking and Produce
Schedules are available at Strathyre and Lochearnhead Village Shops - Get yours now! If vegetables aren’t your thing, though, there are so many other categories to choose from. Why not have a go at making the perfect Victoria Sponge or pot of jam? If you’re creative, there are sewing, knitting and painting categories as well as photography and poetry, flower arrangements and opportunities to make all kinds of design projects around this year’s theme ‘Shoreline’.... which can mean a rocky or sandy beach, or a loch shore; the palm tree-lined shore of your dreams or otter’s footprints by the Balvaig River. Open to adults and children, it’s a great time to discover your growing skills and creativity - so have a go! Pick up a schedule from Strathyre and Lochearnhead Village Shops or email gill@mercatdesign.com. Hope to see you there!
Change of venue for the Horticultural Show As you may have heard by now, the venue for this year’s Horticultural Show has had to be changed because of a large sponsored walk event due to take place on the 1st September along the Glen road on Balquhidder. Thanks very much Lochearnhead Hall committee for stepping in! 11
BOOK REVIEW
Our House
Louise Candlish We all know that buying and selling houses can be traumatic, but this book puts a spin on it which takes the breath away at every page turn. Fiona comes home after a weekend away, only to find another family moving in to her house. Her marriage is in meltdown and her husband (Bram) has disappeared taking their young son with him. Although she is in the process of extricating herself from said unfaithful husband, she believes that the constant in her life is her home. This is the house they bought early on in their marriage and in which Fiona in particular feels they have invested time, money and love. The prestigious address, the likeminded neighbours and comfortable lifestyle are important to Fiona and Bram. Being able to afford to live in this posh area brings a degree of status to them and this is important. What on earth could happen which could render the ownership of a home like this unimportant? This is a domestic thriller which touches on a situation which is entirely credible and possible in today’s world, but the author adds in just enough drama and twists to make it a real page turner. The protagonists are not very likeable but the skill in the writing is in wondering where the author is taking us next. We discover details of Fiona and Bram’s past lives and current situations by a clever process of drip feeding the reader. With comments from friends and colleagues which alter previous convictions. Bram’s explanation of events is in the form of a suicide note, but don’t be fooled - this is a domestic thriller, after all. This is a slow burn of a drama. Stick with it and you won’t be disappointed.
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Scottish Wildlife Trust CALLANDER LOCAL GROUP TALKS PROGRAMME 2018-19 Meetings start at 7:30pm, Kirk Hall, S Church St, Callander FK17 8BN Tuesday 11th September ‘18 Scottish Wildcat Conservation David Barclay, RZSS, Cat Conservation Project Officer Tuesday 9th October ‘18 50 for the Future Susan Davies SWT Director of Conservation Tuesday 13th November ‘18 Curlew Conservation Irene Tomankova RSPB, Conservation Scientist Tuesday 11th December ‘18 Drumardoch Estate – Environmental Stewardship on an Upland Business Neil Cameron, Drumardoch Estate Tuesday 8th January ‘19 Trossachs Water Vole project: how are they doing? Steve Willis, FES Project Officer Trossachs Water Vole Project
Thank you...
On Sunday 17th June our family went to Glasgow Pollock Park to take part in the March for Men, to raise money and awareness for Prostate Cancer. As many of you know in 2016 George was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and is currently having his second round of chemo. This course of treatment has only been available for two years, so we feel very thankful to Prostate UK for the research they do. George managed to walk 2k with my daughter Kirsty and her family including six week old Rhona who provided the pram for support to George. George’s daughter Marie and I walked 5k. Anyone who knows how ill I was last year, having to learn to walk again, will appreciate this was a big achievement for me. We are very grateful to everyone who donated to our JustGiving pages (Helen Cunningham). Between us we have managed to raise over £700 (and rising still) for which we are tremendously grateful. Thank you just doesn’t seem to express how grateful we are for all the support. Thank you!
Helen
Tuesday 12th February ’19 Red Kites in Scotland Duncan Orr-Ewing RSPB Scotland’s Head of Species and Land Management Tuesday 12th March ’19 Management of Healthy River Systems Jonathan Louis River Forth Fisheries Trust Project Officer Tuesday 9th April ‘19 Gardening with Wildlife + very brief AGM Suzanne Burgess, Buglife Scotland Manager
Killin Music Festival 2018 Killin came alive with music over the weekend of 15/17 June, attracting a record number of over 1,500 people. This year’s lineup boasted phenomenal artists including Blazin’ Fiddles and Niteworks on the Friday, Peatbog Faeries, MecLir and Hò-Rò on the Saturday and a seated concert with Phil Cunningham & Aly Bain on Sunday. Not only was there music to enjoy by all ages, but also an array of fringe events on offer. On Saturday there was a Highland Hustle Workout, Ukelele workshop and a Craft Fair with craft activities all day. The Sunday featured the McLaren High School Pipe Band parading down the Main Street, a community coffee morning with the local Community Choir and Killin Primary School Choir. Festivalgoers could also enjoy our Open Stage competition featuring several emerging artists from the local area and beyond. Katie Allan and Abigail Pryde were crowned as the winners, securing a spot on the 2019 lineup. Portnellan kindly sponsored the Session Tent this year, which was free entry for all throughout the weekend to enjoy The Camans, The Mocking Dogs and the Coaltown Daisies. Award winning band Elephant Sessions were announced as 2019 headliners, Earlybird tickets are on sale now from www.killinmusicfestival. com.
Suggested donations to cover costs: Members £2, non-members £2.50 students free incl. tea/coffee & biscuits Local Contact: Lesley Hawkins 01877 339080 mlhawkins@tiscali.co.uk General information available on swt.org.uk 13
Ranger’s Review by Gareth Kett Reflections from Madagascar Three-year old Erin is getting heavier. Two hours of slipping and sliding through villages, rice paddies and secondary forest in incessant tropical rain, crossing the swollen River Fontsivo seven times and climbing 300m to the village of Rendrirendry – all with Erin perched on my shoulders - attested to that! Or perhaps I’m just getting old! Fortunately big brother Tristan walked and waded (with a little assistance from Karen) the entire distance. The hike was the final stage of a journey from the port city of Toamasina on Madagascar’s east coast to Rendrirendry. The journey had begun with two hour’s pummelling along a broken French colonial road in an old project Nissan Pajero, followed by a 50m river crossing in a dug-out canoe and a further 11kms in a bushtaxi that made the Pajero seem luxury. Then came the hike. Rendrirendry lies on the southern boundary of Betampona Strict Nature Reserve. It is the research base for the Madagascar Fauna & Flora Group (MFG). Seven Malagasy Conservation Rangers, a craftsman and their families are based there (although sadly many of the wives and children have to stay in Toamasina or the village of Sahambala, half a day’s walk away, for secondary schooling). The office, storeroom and kitchen are built from brick and are equipped with solar panels. The houses and gites are constructed from wood and travellers palm and have no electricity. There is accommodation for researchers who may be local or from overseas. The natural material huts also provide accommodation for a spectacular range of geckos, spiders, centipedes and insects. Snakes are frequent visitors. Our gite faced west overlooking a large rainforest-cloaked corrie. Lesser vasa parrots flew noisily overhead. Numerous blue pigeons perched in the canopy of nearby trees. Birdsong and the din of insects and some of Betampona’s ninety or so species of frog filled the air. Mist drifted over the canopy. As evening fell lesser bamboo and white-fronted brown lemurs would visit the village to overnight in the canopy above the gites. The children would mimic the grunts of the brown lemurs so accurately that some kind of exchange would take place. We’ve visited Betampona many times before. Karen has been Director of Research for MFG since 2008. Before then we lived in Madagascar for four years managing MFGs in-country projects, regularly visiting Betampona. It feels almost like coming home now. To be able to bring the children – to show them a different culture and almost pristine rainforest – is an extreme privilege. If only all the children in Scotland could experience such a place – perhaps then there would be wider empathy for the environment. Inside the forest, life abounds. Bugs of amazing varieties are everywhere, from the thick leaf litter through fern, vine, palm and tree-fern dominated understory to multi-layer canopy. Epiphytes including stunning orchids adorn all but the smallest trees. Almost invisible flocks of small birds flitter tantalisingly through the tangle of lianas. Frogs also seem to be everywhere – their calls easily confused with those of birds. Fortunately there are no life-threatening spiders as avoiding webs is almost impossible. Brilliantly camouflaged leaf-geckos stick to leaves and trunks while a vast spectrum of other geckos, snakes and lizards occupy every niche; including the world’s smallest chameleons - leaf chameleons, which can measure in at less than 3cm. Lemurs too seem to occupy most niches, ranging from tiny nocturnal mouselemurs to Madagascar’s largest extant lemur, the Indri – whose eerie wail explorers used to fear were ghosts. The fosa, a large long-tailed feline like predator belonging to the mongoose family sits at the top of the food chain, moving athletically through the canopy in search of lemur prey. In the depths of the forest with just your family and the wildlife, isolated from mechanisation, poverty, plastic pollution, environmental destruction and news of war and tragedy it’s hard not to feel a sense of utopia, but the bubble is small; Betampona is only a 2,228ha rainforest fragment and has only been saved by its remote, tough topography, which makes timber extraction difficult and rice planting impractical. Look away from the forest and all you see is a mosaic of destruction punctuated by wood, tin and palm leaf villages. At best recovering secondary forest cover disguises the massive loss of primary forest to subsistence agriculture and logging. At worst fire-scarred hillsides and charred stumps that until recently were rainforest; soils washed away by rain. In between blocks of land are either in use for rice production or are in various degrees of recovery having been exhausted of nutrients. MFG Conservation Ranger reports of small scale deforestation, poacher’s 14
Clockwise from top left: Bush taxi; forest fire; Brown leaf chameleon; Lined day gecko; Lesser bamboo lemur; Tristan and Erin in the jungle
traps, encroaching invasive species and climate change driven changes in temperature and rainfall from within the reserve refute any notion that Betampona is somehow immune to external pressure. Anger follows. Our children have been extremely fortunate in being able to experience Betampona, but will the same be said of their children? MFG continues the fight to save Betampona through the employment of local staff, environmental education, conservation research, patrolling, awareness raising and building relationships with the Malagasy government, local government, National Parks Service and local communities, but in an environment still effected by world recession, funding is hard to find and with the local population rising, political instability, frequent cyclones, corruption and increasing poverty the pressures on Betampona (and other protected areas in Madagascar) are increasing. The future for this rainforest reserve, standing as an island in a sea of deforestation, doesn’t look good. Back in Scotland, patrolling our lochshores, the problems Madagascar’s rainforests face seem far away, but looking at our striking yet hugely modified landscape it is starkly obvious that we are simply further along the same trail of destruction trodden by Madagascar. Where is our primary forest? Where are our top predators? Less than 3% of the Caledonian Forest, which once covered almost all of Scotland, remains. Bears, wolves and lynxes have been driven to extinction. Many of our semi-natural oak woodlands were only created to fuel the industrial revolution. Unless fenced out or drastically culled, record numbers of deer prevent forest regeneration by eating seedlings. We’ve distanced ourselves further from Madagascar with agricultural intensification using herbicides and pesticides, creating species poor land where even insect numbers are declining rapidly. And most of us drive motor vehicles, pouring pollution into the atmosphere. Relatively few people in Madagascar own motor vehicles. If only Madagascar could be prevented from following our path, but poverty is so widespread that people simply can’t afford the luxury of worrying about rainforest fragments. Understandably feeding their families is the priority, even if it involves destroying primary forest. And, sadly, corruption is rife. So the conservation of areas such as Betampona for often falls to western-based NGOs such as MFG, who though their work try to increase the value of protected areas to local people, fostering a culture that embraces conservation, living with and respecting the forest and the environment. The challenges faced by Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park Authority may differ from those faced by overseas conservation NGOs in Madagascar and elsewhere, but the need to support local communities while conserving and enhancing the ecological and environmental value of the land is a common theme. These days, however, it is not enough for us to leave the protection of the environment to National Park Authorities, international conservation NGOs, or any other conservation organisations. According to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in July 2017, we have lost an estimated half of all individual animals globally since the 1970s, including more than a billion populations of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. 1,130 international experts from the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment recently estimated an extinction rate of 24 species each day, while the UN Convention on Biological Diversity put the figure at 150 species per day. Estimates vary but there is a general consensus that extinction rates have reached levels unparalleled since the dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago. In the light of such shocking data, surely we all have an obligation to consider what we as individuals can do to help conserve our remaining wildlife? Caring is not enough. Ranger’s Review will return in its usual format in September. As usual if you have anything you wish to discuss or any wildlife sightings to report you are welcome to drop into the Lochearnhead National Park Office, or you can contact me by e-mail at gareth.kett@lochlomond-trossachs.org, or call me on the Lochearnhead office number 01389 722044. If I’m not in the office please leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. 15
McLaren High School
Activities 2018
visit our website: www.mclarenhigh.co.uk
Pupils in S1-S3 took part in Activities at the end of May/beginning of June ahead of their change of timetable. There were a variety of activities on offer and the good weather made for a great, fun filled 2 days.
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• Adrenaline Rush spent one day karting and one day at M&Ds theme Park • Away & Away spent one day at M&Ds and one day at Megazone in Falkirk. • Cakes and Cookies had a great 2 days making a variety of baking and homemade pasta. The 2 days culminated in each pupil baking 2 Victoria sandwich sponges and cutting, sculpting and decorating them to make some amazing cakes! • Central Perks went to Blair Drummond Safari Park on Thursday and travelled to M&Ds on Friday. • Robotics pupils took part in a variety of robotics activities using the Lego Mindstorm environment and took part in a number of challenges under various themes including Space, Animals, Humanitarian Aid and Water & Hydro Power. • Kayaking pupils had coaching sessions and learned basic kayaking skills. • Let’s Get Active were based at McLaren Leisure Centre and enjoyed activities such as Lazer Tag, Obliterator (inflatable fun in the pool) and the Climbing Wall. • Rock & Road rode their bikes along the cycle path to Strathyre on Thursday and climbed Callander Crags on Friday, returning to school via Bracklinn Falls. • Sailing had a great time at Loch Venacher Sailing Club learning basic sailing skills.
Thanks to everyone involved for making it a brilliant two days!
Activities Week Abroad Disneyland 2018
On our first day at Disneyland we spent half of the day in the Disney park, our favourite rides were the Space Mountain and Indiana Jones (they both went upside down!) After lunch we all went to Disney studios (it’s another park) and there were rides like the Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Go rollercoaster. These rides had the longest queues, waiting up to 77 minutes, but they were the best rides! After dinner we headed back to the hotel and we bought some gifts for family and friends. On our way home we thought about our time at Disneyland and what a great time we had. It had been lovely weather, the rides were very exciting, full of loops and turns and the parks were very big. We were all glad to have had the freedom we had to roam around the parks.
Barcelona
Team McLaren arrived in Barcelona on 29 May and spent the first part of their trip having fun in the sun on the beach. Day 2 and the team had an educational experience enjoying Mercat de la Boqueria, the Gothic Cathedral, a brilliant tapas lunch followed by a trip to the port and the spectacular views from Parc Güell. The weather favoured us and
everyone had a fabulous day followed by a flamenco evening. Day 3 in Barcelona and we visited Camp Nou and then Sagrada Familia followed by a picnic in the park. We then visited the Gaudí exhibition and finished our day off at the beach. It was a great day full of football, Gaudí, walking
and sunshine. At the end of the day everyone was exhausted but happy. Barcelona 2018 spent a fantastic last day at Montjuic etching and having a picnic with some of the girls trying to sell their art work. Some went on the cable car then we finished off with free time and shopping at Port Vell. 17
... A Day in The Life of... PC Will This month’s article is slightly different in that I was asked to provide a “Day in the life of” article. One of the things I enjoy about my job is that I don’t have a regular schedule and I never know what’s around the corner for me! My day usually starts at 0530 when I get up for a day shift, ready to start duty at 7am. I normally get up and walk the dog before work and that lets me wake up and gives me time to try and plan my day ahead. Thankfully the commute to work is never really an issue for me, and I must be one of the few that can commute in their slippers! I am always in the office 20 to 30 minutes ahead of my start time, and that allows me to speak to the officers who have been on the shift before me to find out if there is anything pressing for me to do. Once I’m in the office, I turn my radio and works phone on and sign myself on duty and available. Next comes the task of briefing which can often be a quick task if there has been a “quiet” shift, but more often than not, it usually takes a bit of time to go through the various systems. I won’t bore you with the details but there are several systems that I check through to show the calls that have been received for the area, the crime recording system shows all crimes that have occurred locally and there are briefing logs that are completed by all the staff locally. Next comes the task of going through and reading emails! That’s a task that always requires a fresh coffee as it usually takes up the longest part of the morning. I can expect to come in to in excess of twenty emails from an overnight period. If I have been on rest days I can usually expect fifty or so and coming back from a fortnight of leave, there will be hundreds to try and sort through. Some emails are from other officers, others are system generated from our rostering system and others will be either directly from members of the community or from our call centres asking to contact people back. I then spend time answering the emails that need answering and depending on the time of day, I will make time to call people back who were looking to speak with me. After all that has been done, I will make a “to do” list of enquiries I need to do that day, or who I need to go and speak with, and then I will head out to try and tick them off the list. Down time is not an option in my job, and if I have managed to get through my “to do” list, then I will proactively patrol the area, in addition to answering calls. As well as being the local community officer, I am expected to answer any calls that come in from the public. Calls are 18
Mountain Rescue Training
graded on a scale of 1 to 5 by the control room, and the higher the grade, the quicker the response. Most of the lower graded calls will be left for the attention of the local community officer to pick up when they have a chance. The higher graded calls are the emergency ones that require us to leave what we’re doing and head to it with “blues and twos”. I routinely answer the calls from Kilmahog North to Tyndrum, and everything in between. For an emergency call, I will also head as backup to calls all the way down to Dobbies at Stirling. Given the geography of the area, I do also get dispatched often to calls in the Tayside and Argyll areas depending on where I happen to be, as the control rooms can see us at all times through GPS. If I don’t have a call to attend to, then I will patrol the area, and try to detect any criminality, whether that be road traffic
offences or issues around the loch sides. In addition to all of the above, I also need to take part in regular training. Some training days are a requirement for all officers, such as officer safety training every year, or IT training. A lot of our training is now done online which saves time having to travel to HQ in Stirling, or Tulliallan for a course. In addition to the regular training, any officers with specialisms also must train to keep those current. My main specialisms are Wildlife Crime, Firearms Licensing and Mountain Rescue. Each of these requires a degree of training, with Mountain Rescue requiring the most. I am a volunteer member of Killin MRT but am supported by the Police in doing the role. In real terms, the Police provide me with equipment to save a financial burden on the team and, in return, I can turn out to search and rescues, and deal
Training the next generation!
First Responder demonstrations
with any incidents as a police officer. For the past two years I have been the MRT coordinator for the Forth Valley area so am responsible for coordinating the Police response to Search and Rescue incidents across the division. It is a role that I thoroughly enjoy, and that adds some extra work to my workload, as well as extra emails every day! One of the biggest parts of my role as a community officer is partnership working. Every day without fail, I will be involved in either telephone calls, or meetings with representatives from various agencies to discuss and try to deal with issues in our local area. These can include meetings with housing associations, council representatives, government officials or even local groups. In addition to these, given my role as MRT coordinator, I also meet with other emergency services and search organisations to discuss incidents, as well as developing protocols and training days. One of the plus points of my role is that I have flexibility, (to a certain extent) of the shifts that I work. I work a routine shift pattern of day shifts and back shifts, being rostered to work
either an 8 or 10-hour shift. My shifts are normally in blocks or three or four shifts, before having three days off. The shift pattern is a five week rotation, which is normally handy for planning things for days off! As I said I do have an element of flexibility to allow me to meet the needs of the community. That may be as simple as changing my shift or day off to attend a meeting or to make sure that I am at a local event. It also means that I can change to work through the night if required in response to any ongoing incidents. At the end of my shift, I return to the office and spend time updating the computer systems from what has happened during the day, go through emails again that have been received whilst I have been out and about and then get in touch with the next shift coming on to give them a handover of anything that they need to know, or urgent enquiries that may be needed. After that I click the “off duty” button on the computer and I can turn my works phone and radio off for the day. My role is quite unique in that once I sign “off duty” at the end of my shift, that isn’t necessarily the case. Unfortunately,
members of the public, tourists particularly, don’t know whether I’m on or off duty and if they need help they see the large police signs and stop and chap the door. Thankfully the majority of the time the door gets knocked at a reasonable hour, but I make no apologies to the individuals who knock the door at 4am and get me out my bed to get directions! Even if I am off duty, whether that be at the end of my shift or on a day off, there is always a chance of being called out to deal with something. If other officers in the area are tied up, or even more so in bad weather when other officers struggle to get places, I will be called back to duty to assist. As I said at the start, my job doesn’t have a regular schedule and I never know what’s around the corner. Some days I won’t attend to a single call from the control room and will get a day to do enquiries. Other days, I will be called out ahead of my official start time and won’t return home until well after my rostered finish time. The “bread and butter” calls for me in this area are Road Traffic Collisions, mountain rescues, missing persons, and assisting members of the public. There’s always the weird and wonderful calls which leave you puzzled or laughing (often both!) but that’s a story for another day. I thoroughly enjoy working in and with the local communities and relish the fact that I never know what the day will involve. One thing’s for sure, no two days are ever the same! As always, I can always be contacted on 101 or for those who prefer email, I can be contacted directly at william. diamond@scotland.pnn.police.uk . Kind regards, PC Will Diamond
Out in all weathers
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Kasia’s Co okin’... Coronation chicken is a delicious cold dish made with cooked chicken, curry paste, spring onions blended with mayonnaise and yogurt. It can be used as a sandwich filler or be served with the jacket potato or rice or simply served on a romaine lettuce leaf. Coronation chicken was created in 1953 by renowned florist Constance Spry and cordon bleu chef Rosemary Hume to celebrate the coronation of Elizabeth II. It is believed to be inspired by the ‘Jubilee Chicken’ created for George V’s silver jubilee in 1935. The dish was designed as a representation of the, then, colonial nature of the British Empire so includes fruit, curry and mayonnaise.
Coronation Chicken
Ingredients: 1 tbsp oil 125g spring onions, chopped 4 tsp mild curry paste 150ml red wine pared zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 tbsp tomato purée 2 tbsp apricot jam 300ml mayonnaise 150g plain yoghurt Salt & pepper
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500g cooked chicken, cut into bite-size pieces 100g cashew nuts 50g sultanas 1 mango chopped into bite-size pieces 1 tbsp mango chutney Watercress springs to garnish Romain lettuce to serve Instructions: 1 Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the spring onions, and cook for about 2 minutes until beginning to soften but not colour. Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1 minute. 2 Add the red wine, lemon zest and juice, and tomato purée. Simmer uncovered stirring for 5 minutes. Leave to cool. 3 Add the rest of ingredients and mix to coat the chicken evenly. Fill the romaine lettuce leaves with the coronation chicken and serve. Add pieces of watercress on top. Enjoy!
Face of Stone
Thanks to Lisa Lewis for sending us this photo of a beautiful and mysterious head carved into the stone bridge at Monachyle, which came to light during the recent MHOR Festival. It would be nice to know more about it - does anyone out there have any information?
The Villagers’ Contacts Jill Johnston Editor Gardeners Cottage Balquhidder FK19 8PB 01877 384227
Gill Waugh Production Manager Stronvar Farm Balquhidder FK19 8PB 01877 384203
David Johnston Production Gardeners Cottage Balquhidder FK19 8PB 01877 384227
Andrew Poulter Advertising Coire A Chroine Balquhidder FK19 8PB 01877 384784
Copy Deadline Day is the 21st of the month. Send your contributions to: c o n t a c t @ t h e - v i l l a g e r s . o r g . u k
Please help us to get The Villagers to you as so on as possible!
Other Contacts...
Lochearnhead Contact: Ali Ferguson 01567 830 405 St Fillans Contact: Isobel Howell 07876 031768 Strathyre Contact: Wullie Dalziel 01877 384 384 Mobile 07768 221661 Mail Order Distribution: Andrea Poulter 01877 384784
DIARY DATES We e k l y A c t i v i t i e s Monday
Dynamic Meditation - Lochearnhead Village Hall - 10-11am - see page 18
Tuesday
Keep Fit - Lochearnhead Hall - 10.30 to11.30am Gaelic Playgroup - Balquhidder Hall - 10.30am to 12.30pm St Fillans Music Circle - Sandison Hall - 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Light lunch included. Contact John Light (01764 685307) / Malcolm Gregory (01764 670493). Country Dancing - St Fillans
Wednesday Yoga - Balquhidder Hall - 11.00am to 12noon (contact Ann Cobbett 01877 376291) Youth Club - Lochearnhead Hall - 7.00 to 9.00pm Thursday
Darts League - The Inn & Bistro - 7.00pm Choir Occasional is closed for the summer. Meeting again in September!
Friday
Playgroup - Lochearnhead Hall - 10.00am-12 noon (Contact Mel Brydie 01877 384668)
CHURCH SERVICES Balquhidder, Lochearnhead, Strathyre and St. Fillans CHURCH OF SCOTLAND
Balquhidder Parish Church Registered Charity No. SCO12316
JULY 2018
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Highland Games, Lochearnhead
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Annual Charity Football Match - Lochearnhead - see page 6
AUGUST 2018 15 17 -19
St Angus Service - Balquhidder Church - see page 9 St. Fillans Festive Weekend - see page 5
SEPTEMBER 2018
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Horticultural Show - Lochearnhead Village Hall - see page 11
Stephen Kerr MP 49 Borestone Crescent, Stirling FK7 9BQ 01786 475034 Councillor Martin Earl Stirling Council, Old Viewforth, Stirling FK8 2ET earlm@stirling.gov.uk 01786 233114 Councillor Evelyn Tweed Stirling Council, Old Viewforth, Stirling, FK8 2ET 01786 233101 Councillor Jeremy McDonald Stirling Council, Old Viewforth, Stirling, FK8 2ET 01786 233117
Sundays 11.30am Minister: Rev Dr Russel Moffat The Manse, Main Street, Killin FK21 8TN revmoffat@gmail.com Dundurn Church, St Fillans Sundays 11.30am Minister: Rev Graham McWilliams Tel: 01764 671 045
ROMAN CATHOLIC Callander, St Joseph the Worker Sundays 11.30am Saturday Vigil Mass 5.30pm from May through to September Killin, in the Episcopal Church Sundays 2.30pm Father Jim McCruden 2 Ancaster Square, Callander Tel: 01877 330 702
SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH St Angus’s Church, Lochearnhead 1st Sunday each month: 11.30am Communion 2nd Sunday 5.30pm Evensong 3rd Sunday 11.30am Communion 4th Sunday 5.30pm Evensong 5th Sunday (if applicable) 5.30pm FOOD FOR THOUGHT
A reflective time to discuss contemporary issues in a spiritual context (Check with Rector for venue: 01764 655389)
Vestry Secretary - Maureen Lipscomb Tel: 01567 830234
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Cheques for advertising and mail order subscriptions should be made out to: The BLS Newspaper Association
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S U P P O RT Y OUR LOCAL S UP P LIERS !
Do you need an affordable home? Rural Stirling Housing Association aims to support local communities by providing quality homes at affordable rents for families, couples and single people in housing need. We currently have over 560 rented houses and flats. Around 40 of these become available for rent each year. We are in the process of building a further 23 flats in Callander and 12 flats & houses in Killearn. We currently have properties in the following communities: Aberfoyle • Doune • Kinlochard Stronachlachar • Balfron • Drymen Kippen • Tyndrum • Buchlyvie Gargunnock • Lochearnhead Callander • Gartmore • Strathblane Deanston • Killin • Strathyre We may be able to build in other communities in the future – please let us know if you want to live in a village that is not listed above. Information on local housing need and demand helps us plan for the future. If you are interested in renting one of our properties when they become available please contact us: Rural Stirling Housing Association Stirling Road, Doune FK16 6AA Telephone: 01786 841101 Email: enquiries@rsha.org.uk Registered as a Scottish Charity No. SC037849
Printed by Graphics and Print Services, University of Stirling Tel: 01786 467209 email: graphicsandprint@stir.ac.uk Published by The BLS Newspaper Association
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2018 Once again, I am happy to confirm that we had a very successful Music Festival!
Photos from Mike Keeney
Our success was down to the huge support and effort during the course of the year and over the Festival Weekend by Team Strathyre. The way our village pulled together to make this event a success was truly magnificent. Thank you one and all. The quality of the musicians and their music was once again superb. It was great to welcome some new musicians to our Festival, as well as the return of the veterans who have supported the Festival since it was started; without them we would be unable to continue. The audience was lively and enthusiastic. Their financial support both at The Balvaig Bar and the volume of tickets sold, ensures we will be staging the Festival again next year. It was wonderful to see so many people drinking well, but at the same time responsibly. Thanks for your support. The Market Place, which now has its own ‘Market Stage’, proved once again to be a great success with up and coming acts. Needless to say, this will be back again next year so book your slot early. Thanks for all those that took stalls - your support is greatly appreciated. May I also take this opportunity to thank all our suppliers who provide the products and services which help facilitate our Festival as well as all who volunteered throughout the weekend. I am pleased to announce that next year’s Festival will be held over the weekend 24th-26th May. See you all there! Please see our website for further information. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Mike Keeney Chairman Strathyre Music Festival