OCTOBER 2013
The
Price 50p
The Voice of Balquhidder, Lochearnhead, Strathyre & St Fillans
Lochearnhead Village Hall - 25 Years!
With an ever-decreasing Stirling Council maintenance grant, it is essential for the hall at Lochearnhead to regularly hold fundraising events, which in the past years have included New Year dances, fun race-nights, the Village Fête and, most recently, its 25th Anniversary celebration. The Anniversary event was extremely well attended and brought many people together - either from the village or further afield - visitors with a connection to our village. All enjoyed the ‘craic’ over a cup of tea and delicious home-baked cakes. A photographic display prompted many happy memories of events such as weddings, parties and school shows. It included photos of events and places within our community which have helped to shape and influence the village: the railway, water-skiing, the Highland Games, Sheep Shearing and touristrelated businesses. History of the Hall The Findlater sisters, born in the 1860s, were daughters of the Minister of the Free Church and lived at Mansewood until 1886. At that time their mother, Mrs Findlater, concerned herself to a great extent with the welfare in body, mind and spirit of the people of Lochearnhead. She inaugurated a coffee house and library in the village hall and did much to eliminate drinking habits from the neighbourhood! On the departure of the Findlater sisters, the hall was left in the charge of Charlotte Stewart and everything was done possible to make possible the continuance of Mrs Findlater’s good works in various directions, continuing we hope to this day. On researching the history of the hall, other interesting snippets from the 1940s Committee minutes include the hall being occupied by troops and the Home Guard for
twenty-four hours in April 194. For this they were charged the grand total of £1! Actor David McCallum (famous for his role as Illya Kuryakin, a Russian-born secret agent in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) was evacuated to the Hall during the war. In March 1950, the Committee appointed Mr and Mrs R Mitchell as caretakers, and they then lived in accommodation adjoining the hall for three years, with a weekly coal allowance. Skimming through the minutes over the years revealed several problems like flooding and repairs; various items of equipment were bought ranging from a record player in 1955 costing £55 to an overhead projector in 2013, costing £293.47. Sadly, in the 1980s, the old hall fell into such disrepair that it was decided to raise the funds for a new one, and this was completed in 1988. With a hard-working and entirely voluntary Committee plus numerous helpers, the hall continues today as a venue for many groups including the School, Keep Fit, Community and Stirling Councils, Youth Club, Upholstery, Playgroup, Horticultural Society, Ballroom Dancing, Scottish Slimmers, The Gathering, Duke of Edinburgh groups, Mountain Rescue, a Swedish Brass Band and the Scouts. May I take this opportunity to thank all those who helped in any way to make the Anniversary such an active and social event and for contributing towards the tremendous total of £718. It was also fabulous to have such a great attendance in the evening for the return of Shakie and The Buick 55s. The hall was positively rocking (and it was lovely to see ‘Ernie’ find such a good home)!
At the risk of sounding like a stuck gramophone record, our village hall’s future depends on willing and innovative individuals who can devote their time and energies to its running and maintenance. At the moment, we do have a very good working group, but somewhat worrying is the fact that we have only one Committee member under the age of half a century. We need younger voices with new ideas - and the energy to come along and help us carry them out. Don’t be shy, come forward and volunteer.