The Villagers February 2016

FEBRUARY 2016

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The

The Voice of Balquhidder, Lochearnhead, Strathyre & St Fillans

End of an Era HMS Gannet’s search and rescue helicopters have made a final farewell flypast of Scotland, sadly.

Royal Navy Sea Kings have been involved in thousands of rescues since the first unit was established 44 years ago. But the service was replaced by a civilian team at Prestwick Airport on 1 January, bringing an end to military search and rescue in Scotland.

On a perfect wintry day of sunshine and blue sky, the Sea Kings flew over the scenes of many past rescues. Here they are shown passing over Loch Voil.

Photography by Richard Harris

Editor’s Bit We are very sad to have to report that John Murray died on Christmas Day. John had been reporting so faithfully from St. Fillans for many years and his columns reflected all that makes village life so varied and interesting.

In 2014 John won the Community Newspaper Award for the Best Regular Contributor. The judges commented: “His writing typifies and exemplifies what local news is all about at this level: a heartfelt and honest slice of local village life”.

I only had the pleasure of working with John for a few years; I had the temerity once to omit one of his “jokes”, a mistake I did not repeat as I had quickly learnt who really was in charge! We did move the deadline date to the 21st but I knew to leave John’s space for the article which would always arrive on the 24th.

I am sure John would have appreciated some of the comments from some of his fellow contributors, including: “I am very sorry to hear the news of John; I will miss reading his article.

He certainly called a spade a spade and I’m sure his articles over the years have certainly made a few people think!”

“I always admired his forthright opinions and read his article first”.

Our sympathy goes to you, Daisy - and our thanks for supporting and encouraging John to write for us all right up to the December edition.

JJ

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Pictured here are, from top: Festive Lunch at Venachar Lochside; the C&WP Instrumental Group; Singing for Pleasure!

2015 drew to a close with several outings for individual groups but the main event for all members was a Festive Lunch held at Venachar Lochside, with entertainment by the C&WP instrumental group ‘Imperfect Pitch’ together with the ‘Singing for Pleasure’ group, along with six young performers invited to attend whose talent was demonstrated on piano, fiddle and by solo singing and Gaelic duets. Much enjoyment was had by all.

All our groups are now back in harness and we are hoping to start a new Yoga group soon.

Details of all the groups can be found on our website. Just Google ‘Callander and West Perthshire U3A’.

John Fredrick Murray 1942-2015 Civil Engineer, Managing Director, Business Consultant, Journalist, Script Writer

A tribute from his friends St.Fillans was saddened to learn of the passing of John Murray on Christmas Day after a short illness.

Born in Birmingham on the 18th of August 1942, John, as a youth, was a keen swimmer, boxer and hill walker; he studied at Leeds University, gained a degree of Bachelor of Science in 1963 and was elected to the Institute of Civil Engineers in 1965.

He first worked as an engineer for Swindon Burgh Council, before coming to Scotland to take on a new job at Faslane on the Gareloch, where he encountered lots of CND marches and tents! He then moved on to Fife where he became managing director of AB Cant, a joinery and building company.

In 1982 Henri Mozolowski approached John, now a building consultant, and asked him to take a look at his company and make suggestions for its future. At once John saw the opportunities that a multi­ -purpose joiner shop and experienced workforce offered, and bought into the business. This was the start of Mozolowski and Murray, which would go on to become the foremost high quality conservatories builder in Scotland. He retired from the business in 1996, handing over control to his daughter, Ginny.

John, like so many before him, first came to Loch Earn as a ‘weekend playboy’ and spent many happy times with his jet bikes and speed boat, harassing the neighbourhood - he was quite a dashing sight in a wet suit!

When he bought Neish House in 1992, no one could have predicted the effect this would have on life in St. Fillans as we knew it. Many happy times have been spent in his company since then, at his various properties, setting the world to right, and drinking vast quantities of cold tea…

Retirement was not for John, but the village was surprised when he announced he had purchased the Achray.

Here he was in his element and it soon became the favoured watering hole for the Bowlers, Drama Group and all other village events.

To say that he was a larger than life character would be the understatement of the year. He was an outspoken man who was not afraid to voice his opinions on most matters - business, politics, cricket and motor racing featured highly amongst his pet subjects. He could talk in depth and

knowledgably about most matters.

His enthusiastic commitment to village life was second to none. He was always the first to offer support both in time and sponsorship for any village project, often organising and resurrecting events others thought doomed to failure.

As our roving reporter for ‘The St. Fillans Bit’ in The Villagers, he often complained about the lack of input from

us locals; however it’s interesting to note that his column grew in size with each edition, to the point where some thought he was making a takeover bid for the whole magazine! His writing, as ever, was meticulous, controversial and often quite blunt, but then that was John.

Village life has been enriched by his presence and he will be greatly missed, but long remembered by all who knew him.

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Recent Flooding in Strathyre The recent flooding events that affected Strathyre give us a stark reminder of the power that nature holds. However, although the rainfall was quite intense, it was not a record event for our area.

The resulting flood conditions and their impact were quite significant.

The meandering nature of the River Balvaig was soon overwhelmed as ‘Loch Occasional’ formed - and this rose, covering sections on the National Walking and Cycling Route 7, parts of which were fifteen inches under water.

The River Balvaig, with its intentional winding (designed to slow the river flow), has been badly eroded in recent storms and is in need of inspection.

Localised flooding reached the Balvaig Cabins area with some, sadly, being badly affected with over a foot of water ingress. The Forestry Commission Broch area was again flooded and waters this time reached the Broch Café. Despite protective measures with sandbags, the café had water ingress inside to skirting board height of around four inches.

Thankfully Bill and Leslie have managed to clean up and reopen the café.

Local minor roads were affected as torrents came down from the catchment.

In particular, the west side of Balvaig Bridge outside Sir Andrew Murray Care Home was like a fast flowing river, as the waterfall around the corner on the back road to Balquhidder was joined by additional water coming from blocked ditches, which overflowed down towards the village. The blocked ditches are a big problem and a cause of concern for the village of Strathyre; a call for action has been placed to have these cleared as soon as possible.

Recent forestry work has taken place just off the lower Forestry Commission tracks and in order to gain vehicle access, logs have been placed over drainage ditches, although in some cases these access routes have left a small channel to allow water to pass under. On checking, most have clogged up with sand, silt and gravel and the flow space left was nowhere near adequate. The result of this has been devastating in many areas, as water spills over onto the forest track and significant scouring happened, causing landslides and severe erosion. The top picture shows an example of the impact this has on the track.

This particular problem was spotted on the Rob Roy Way half a mile north of Strathyre at the track junction to the water treatment works. As a result of this (and further similar problems) 150 4

Scouring of forest track (Rob Roy Way) with a 5ft ditch and land slide caused.

metres north, the access to the water treatment plant was not possible as stones and boulders lay across the entrance and the approach road had severely eroded ditches cut across it, as seen above.

In the situation immediately to the north on the Rob Roy Way, another blockage of the drainage ditch also caused a culvert to become blocked and the burn serving Creagan House was affected, causing it to divert southwards, adding to the erosion and sending massive volumes of water down towards the village in newly created water courses. There were several other examples of this blocked Councillor Alycia Hayes inspecting one of many local land slips caused by blocked ditches.

ditch problem in this area.

On the other side of the village on the track above the primary school, there was further evidence of blocked ditches forcing water down towards the village in torrents and creating minor landslips.

One example caused the flooding issue mentioned earlier on the west side of the Balvaig Bridge, near Sir Andrew Murray Care home and Ardoch area.

THE BROCH The Broch field was inspected on several occasions during the flood event of 30 -31 December. Here the flooding was in three places (the level of the river Balvaig rising as a result of the river banks having been eroded in two main locations):

Day after the flood and one of the sources where the river Balvaig floods the broch field

Firstly, immediately south of the suspension bridge abutment; secondly, approximately 90 metres downstream where bank erosion caused the river to back fill the Broch Field and fill up the ditch immediately to the south; and thirdly and very worryingly, towards the water and sewerage plant.

A new and highly significant problem here was the Tigh Anes Burn, just fifty metres downstream of Glen Varloch Lodge, where the south side bank was completely washed away. This added a vast volume of water onto the Broch Field and was another significant factor in the water reaching and flooding the Broch Café.

Using my past experience in Flood Risk Management and Hydrology, I carried out a basic Flood Risk Assessment to highlight the above problems. This has been submitted to the Forestry Commission (Land Owner) with recommendations.

The document is also shared with Stirling Council and the LL&T National Park.

This problem will definitely not go away - and with the Broch Café close-by and a number of activities based in the area such as the Strathyre Music Festival, and use of the car park by tourists, it is essential that attention is given to repairing and shoring up the eroded banks of the Tigh Anes Burn and the main River Balvaig.

This action will be protective and will have virtually no negative impact on the flood risk management plans for our area.

That same day, 30th December, the River Leny level rose, causing the closure of the main A84 Trunk road for several hours.

A useful reference has been widely circulated on Social Media. It may be

useful to note the following site to check the River Leny level: http://apps.sepa.org.uk/waterlevels/ default.aspx?sd=t&lc=14888 This shows a graph of the river levels where it is influenced by the level of Loch Lubnaig and the River Balvaig. At a level of 1.9m, the A84 is close to being affected by the approaching river. At 2.0m the water is usually on the road and anything above determines the depth of the water on the road, give or take a cm or two.

This is a rough but very useful guide on the potential closure of the A84. At 2.5m depth it is unlikely any vehicles will pass through.

For those interested, the highest recorded level on the Leny at Anies

Straight was 2.941m on 17th January 1993 at 7:30 am, when the main street of Strathyre was also flooded with several inches of water. The lowest level recorded at Anies Straight was 01.56m, also during the 1990s. Recorded levels at this location started in 1973.

Ongoing studies of all these problems will continue and if anyone else is interested in this article or wishes to provide supporting information, please contact Kenny Higgins, at kenny@ strathyreoutdoors.org Tigh Anes burn’s South Bank was completely washed away just before the footbridge. During the height of the flood, the Tigh Anes burn was almost 3 feet deep at this point.

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Strathyre News

‘Black and Yellow Fields’

Can I start by wishing all our readers a belated happy and prosperous new year?

However, it’s not the start I would have wanted, as I was saddened to hear of the passing of my fellow correspondent John Murray on Christmas Day. He will be sadly missed by all of The Villagers team and no doubt by the residents of St Fillans, whom he has represented for many years. John was a man who called a spade a spade, whether in polite conversation or in his prolific coverage of village events. He had a great passion for St Fillans and The Villagers and I can only hope that someone will take up the challenge and continue his good work in his memory. The Villagers will not be the same without ‘The St Fillans Bit’.

My condolences to Daisy and all the family and friends at what would have been a very sad time.

R.I.P John.

A Note of Thanks Kenny’s piece (top right) is the end result of what was a fantastic united community effort and it just goes to show what can be achieved when people pull together when the odds seem to be against you.

However, make no bones about it, the driving force behind this outcome was undoubtedly Kenny Higgins who gave up so much of his time and manoeuvred his expertise to reach this conclusion. I know he was up till 3-4 am at times going through the legalities and working with our legal team, sending emails to keep everyone who was involved with this buy out in the loop!!

So at last, when all the legal requirements are met, this long saga of who now owns the land, bequeathed to the village those long years ago by Miss Buick will be over and the land will be where it always should have been, in the care of the people of Strathyre.

Well done Kenny, it was a pleasure to be a small part of this with you and the rest of the team involved.

Wullie D

Red Bags Raised Cash!

It is looking very promising that the Village of Strathyre will be able to secure the land known as the ‘Black and Yellow fields’ for the village.

Kenny Higgins has been in discussion with the Chief Executive of the Order of St John who appears to have now looked favourably on the land recently advertised for sale taking account of the original wishes of the late Miss Buick, that the land should be given to the people of Strathyre and their children to enjoy as recreational land.

This is now most likely to be the case and the Strathyre Village Association, in its capacity as a registered charity, will become the owner of the land on behalf of the Strathyre village community.

The above outcome is exactly what the village had hoped for in their Save our Land Campaign and we are delighted at how things have transpired. The formal acquisition is now in the hands of our solicitor to pull together.

Kenny Higgins Coordinator, Save Our Land Campaign

Thank you to everyone in Strathyre who put out their red bags to raise money for Global World Challenge (raising funds to help community projects in the Third World). We raised £90.00.

We’ll be carrying out another collection in Lochearnhead on Saturday 10 February. Please watch out for the red bag which will be delivered to your door. Fill it up with your unwanted shoes and clothes and leave it out by your front door for us to collect. If you don’t receive a bag or would like us to collect from you in Strathyre or Balquhidder, please ring 01877 384799.

Many thanks!

Dan and Lottie Hesp (and Sara)

Real Ale - Real Music

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Gaylor, Gill and Abbey Ian the Guitar!

Alan storytelling

Members of the Pipe Band limbering up!

Alison performes ‘Wintertime’

Jim and his chanter

The Elastic Band

Hogmanay at Balquhidder Hall

Photos by Richard Harris

Balquhidder Hall was again the venue for a Hogmanay gathering where the entertainment was “from our very own neighbours, families and friends. They are not professionals but very talented, enthusiastic and willing”... said the programme notes, for the Hogmanay event organised yet again by Iain and Gillian.

The night began with the Pipes and Drums of Balquhidder and featured two new (and very young) members of the band. Then Gill, Abbey and Gaylor had a new song for Balquhidder and Alison Inglis performed a wonderful solo. Not to be outdone, Alan, Charlie and Ian all adopted famous personae and had us all in stitches... Connor and Callum provided more inspiring music - what a talented pair! There was also time for plenty of dancing before the Bells. Thanks to all the performers and the “backroom” staff - and the usual crew who turned up to clear up ready for the New Year’s Day Dance!

Connor and Callum

Ian as Chic Murray

Charlie ‘Rev. I M Jolly’

Niamh, and additional percussion!

Pipe Band in full swing

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Pin-Feathers* by Old Nyati

*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 lists the joys of moving house.

So... the time has come for you to make a decision to move to another house. Downsizing, and to be nearer to family, hospitals and bus routes.

But it is very important to plan well ahead - and there are many pitfalls that one could never dream of!

Let us start at the very beginning.

1. You have to choose an estate agent.

They will come and make glowing compliments about your house. No idea of value will be offered at this stage, it might not make that much anyway and they will be blamed. When you have chosen the people who you like the look of there will be an engagement fee to pay: £600.

2.There will be a brochure to give to interested parties: £350 - plus photographs for this, and the internet website: £380 3. Then you are told that your septic tank must be registered. Believe it or not, there is, in the ivory towers of the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, a Keeper of Cesspits. Fee: £90.

4. Now you find that your garden shed etc. may not have planning permission, or else it’s too near to the neighbour’s boundary.

Your £220 per hour solicitor suggests help here, but does not say that it will cost £600. You are told that the eventual sale conveyance will be approximately £1000 (the small print in the estate agents brochure warned of 5% commission +VAT). So... circa £5,000.

5. Of course, you have to have a home survey. This is invented to protect people from their own stupidity, and will cost £600.

6. Now the great day comes... you have a buyer, after having put up with a number of

Open 7 days a week 9.30am - 4.30pm Huge selection of plants and stock

mail@scottishgardens.info www.scottishgardens.info

Tel: 01764 670800 8

time wasters. But the buyer’s solicitors have a list of questions for you, some of which will be quite amusing, if you still have the right sense of humour by this time. When did you fit the kitchen? Was the bathroom roof a new build? Where is the sceptic tank outflow? Are there any trees near the house? have you any problems with neighbours, or woodworm?

7. So, now it is time to think about removal companies. You get quotations and decide on the one that seems to the most likely to be trusted with your treasured possessions (depending on the distance to your new abode): £2,200. Your choice proves to be good and the Mr Shifters are really sympathetic with your worries. A tip for them on a wet day: (£10 each) £40.

8. At this eleventh hour the solicitor requires evidence of the public road access, so despite your assurance there is another fee for a search: £75!!!

9. You now find that at almost every turn there is another smiling person who

Killin Folk Festival Killin Folk Festival was previously held way back in the ‘90s and lasted until the early 2000s. It was a prime entry on the festival calendar - and was much missed when it fell by the wayside.

Now, a modern, energetic team is running the Killin Music Festival in June 2016, bringing some varied talent to the stage in Killin. In our maiden year we will welcome Skipinnish, Trail West, BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2015 Claire Hastings and her band, Donald Black, the Scott Wood Band and many more incredibly talented artists.

The festival main stage is being run in the McLaren Hall, Killin - which will limit our ticket numbers considerably compared to the other established festivals, but resulting in smaller, more intimate gigs. As our tickets are limited in numbers, we are encouraging festival goers to make use of local accommodation providers as we won’t be running a festival campsite this year.

This will be re-evaluated for next year, depending on this year’s success.

Early bird weekend tickets are on sale NOW via our website:

www.killinmusicfestival.com

and they are selling fast! Remaining day tickets and under 18 tickets will go on sale at the end of February.

“How much? It’s just a hole in a tree! Hope there’s no hidden extras!”

requires a fee. They are called QUANGOs. 10. Don`t forget to arrange for your post to be forwarded to the new address: £40.

So now, just when you thought that this downsizing would be quite profitable you have shelled out around £10,000/£11000 from your little nest egg. You will have great fun in satisfying all the powers that be that you are not a suspicious person when you notify your change of address.Remember your passport will be needed a few times to prove that you are not money laundering.

If you are old enough, you will remember when life was much less complicated.

We now have more and more legislation which seems to be designed to cover any eventuality of blame - except to yourself.

Tread carefully, o readers!!!

Old Nyati

Please join us for our next meeting of

Callander Photo Club to be held Wednesday 10 February at 7:30 pm at the Waverley Hotel on Callander Main Street.

Please bring your camera, tripod and a wide-angle lens for a workshop on photographing ‘smoke’.

The photo word for February is ‘NEW’.

Send your photos (no more than 4) to callanderphotoclub@gmail.com All are welcome.

Members £1/Guests£3.

For more information email callanderphotoclub@gmail.com.

See us on facebook at Callander Photo Club.

March meeting - 9 March March photo word - ‘CIRCLE’

Stirling Council Budget Review – Road End Collections Policy The Community Council were given a presentation on the this policy and you can see a synopsis of the resulting discussion in the CC Minutes for January in this edition.

The aim of this policy is to reduce the number of locations where waste collections are made on private roads / rural tracks and thus establish such collections at an appropriate point on the nearest public road. Implementation will take place over the next financial year in order to deliver the required efficiency savings.

The policy has still to be approved by the Councillors when they meet to approve the budget in February.

A map showing the households which will be affected by this policy (as it is currently proposed) is shown above; but in summary, and to assist with reading the map, it would appear that households in the following areas are the ones concerned: Inverlochlarig • Stronvar, from Tuarach to the bridge, including the Gardener’s Cottage loop Ballimore and Immeroin • Auchtermore • Lochernhead above the A84 • South Lochearn Road

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A Note from

St Angus’s

When the Christmas tree comes down and the last bauble is packed away do you ever stop and wonder “What was that all about?” When the bills come in and we despair of the expense and indulgence of the Christmas season it’s easy to think we are caught on some kind of festive treadmill that demands we behave in certain way. So what was it all about?

The Reverend Leslie Weatherhead, one of the Methodist’s great preachers had this to say: “A life was begun at Bethlehem which changed other lives and is changing the face of the world, and would change ours if we would let His baby fingers pull down our stubborn necks as low as His manger and let His loving spirit fill our hearts.

The critic may argue as he likes, and use the divisions of Christendom as the object of his easy scorn but in one thing all Churches agree - a life was begun at Bethlehem which offers to all the key to the problem of the art of living, an art which all must practise and which He alone mastered. The records of that life have been subjected to the most rigid criticism and enquiry.

The white light of two thousand years of scholarship has beaten upon the records, and not only do they bear the scrutiny, but out of the pages leaps the figure of a living Man. Every age of criticism releases Him more completely from the fetters in which He has been held down, and reveals Him the most knowable, lovable of all the sons of men: the Son of God who became the Son of Man that we, even we, might become the sons of God.” Powerful stuff! but if I could borrow a popular phrase - Jesus is for LIFE not just for Christmas.

A Very Happy New Year to all readers from us at St Angus’s. Please note the new service times: 1st and 3rd Sundays 11.30 am Holy Communion, 2nd and 4th Sundays 5.30pm Evensong. The 5th Sunday may vary so please check the Church notice board.

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Church News

BalquhiĐĐer •bls

With plenty of snow still lingering, it is difficult to conjure up thoughts of a New Year and spring time not too far away. We were sorry to cancel the Sunday service on 17th January because of the bad weather. It was dangerous underfoot on the tracks up to the church. I suspect that at the time, few of us felt like turning out into the cold! The snow seems to be thawing as I write this, so we should have some respite soon.

Looking ahead to Easter, it is likely that we shall be joined by folk from Killin church at our Palm Sunday service on March 20th, complete with the Community Choir. We shall look forward to some energetic singing on that Sunday, plus warm spring sunshine and even some early lambs to put a smile on our faces.

There is no news from the Vacancy Committee that I know of. The advert for our vacancy will only just be doing the rounds. With a smart new manse in prospect, let us hope and pray for some suitable applicants. It is tempting to wish for a youthful and energetic new minister with thoughts of reenergising us. On the other hand, we shall be glad to have anyone who is willing to take us on. He or she will be made very welcome.

I hope you are all keeping warm and cosy and that spring is good and early this year!

Jean Edwards

DOCTORS

Drs Strang & Scott and Drs Mathewson & Gibson Community Nurses The surgeries and community nurses take part in various training programmes throughout the year.

This is to meet the educational and training needs of all members of the practice and nursing team.

The next training afternoons will be on: Thursday 18 February 2016 Tuesday 15 March 2016 On these afternoons, please do not contact the surgeries for repeat prescriptions or for appointments.

Both practices and community nurse clinic will close at 12.30pm.

We hope that emergency cover will be provided by NHS24 for nursing and GPs - however, this will not be confirmed to the practices until nearer the time.

In the event of an emergency, please telephone 111.

Bracklinn Practice Easter Closure – The practice will close from lunchtime on Friday 25th March and re-open at 8.30am on Tuesday 29th

March. Clinics will operate as usual in the morning of the 25th March.

If you require urgent medical attention during the Easter holiday when the surgery is closed, please contact NHS24 on 111.

Telephone Appointments The practice will be trialling a telephone appointment system during February/ March. There will be a range of fiveminute appointments during each day.

When you ring the practice to speak to a doctor for results or advice you will be given an approximate time when they will contact you. We hope this trial will make it easier for you to prepare for the call, and avoid the doctors contacting you after the surgery has closed. We are aware that if the doctors are called away to an emergency or during busy times a structured appointment system may not work; however, the receptionists will endeavour to ring you and rearrange the appointment. During this trial period we would be grateful for your feedback, and thank you for your co-operation.

Peer Support When did you decide the health and wellbeing of your cared-for person was more important than your own?

Janet is a local woman from rural Stirling. She struggled looking after her husband’s mental health problems, and decided to give the Time and Space peer-mentoring service a try. This is her story (names have been changed): I looked at the advert again. Time and to Larbert Hospital was the final straw and really enjoy it. I’m surprised how Space: for carers by carers - that’s what and the next morning I called Time and much value others in the meetings place grabbed my attention. I never thought Space and arranged to meet them. I was on my views as a mental health carer. I of myself as a ‘carer’ – it sounded too nervous but I’m glad I did it, as it opened think our society as a whole need to realise just how valuable lived experience formal, too distant. All I did was look a new chapter in our lives. after Paul when he needed me. I knew Within a couple of weeks I met Sarah, is. he experienced mental health problems my peer-mentor. I was worried we Life is improving. Paul is getting the when we married, but back then it wouldn’t get along but as it turned out we support he needs now, but a large part didn’t seem to affect him really. Things have a lot in common – both of us have of the change is within myself. Having were different now; he needed me more kids of similar age and support husbands someone to talk things over and who than ever, especially when he was made with mental health problems. Sarah has is interested in me (rather than Paul or redundant after twenty years with the been a massive help. I could talk frankly to my kids) was comforting. Through the same company. It’s enough to make her about my life and the feelings of guilt service I got to meet new and interesting anyone depressed, but it hit him hard. and resentment I was having. She didn’t people who have similar stories to share.

Paul was a proud person, liked to look judge me. Instead Sarah encouraged me I even got back in touch with my old after his family. Now he’d no job, no to think ‘what do I want for my own life?’ friend – to share. I even got back in touch money and was unable to get out of the and what areas of it I wanted to improve with my old friend – something I would never had thought possible a year before. depression that gripped him. on.

The advert said ‘get support for yourself It was quite difficult because it made me Things aren’t perfect - whose life is? from someone who understands’. I knew realise how much I had let slip, especially My life is getting I needed support; things were starting my friendship with my oldest friend. better and the black to get really on top of me. I was anxious However, this gave me a fresh start and clouds are lifting.

If you are about money, the roof over our heads, some personal goals to work towards. and trying to keep some semblance of They wouldn’t sound like much to other interested in getting normality for our kids. Paul’s admission people, but they were really important to peer support, or wish to become me.

As Sarah works with Action in Mind a peer mentor My favourite recipes... they are also able to offer support to Paul yourself, contact on his discharge from hospital. I now Iain MacDonald on 01786 451 203 or at volunteer on the project’s steering group peermentor@actioninmind.org.uk.

Lilias Aitchison’s Banana Bread This is a famous recipe given to me by Iona Mchedliani; it comes from Iona’s granny Lilias Aitchison. Wonderfully moist and so yummy, everybody’s favourite at the Gaelic Playgroup.

Ingredients: 6 oz self-raising flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon mixed spice 4 oz brown sugar 2 ripe bananas (mashed) 1 egg 1 oz melted butter 1 1/2 oz raisins or walnuts Mix flour, mixed spice, salt and sugar.

Add beaten egg, then butter and bananas.

Put into a baking tin lined with baking paper. Bake in preheated oven at 180C for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

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McLaren High School Hedgehogs – part of the S1 Challenge As part of our S1 Challenge 1B have been going to Lochend Chalets in Port of Menteith.

We have been going there each week because they have a nature walk which they know has 2 hedgehogs living in it. 1B’s challenge was to make some hedgehog houses and find some more hedgehogs to put in them. We made the houses out of wood and then put a waterproof covering over the top and filled them with straw. We then camouflaged them with leaves and twigs to blend in to the nature walk so that the hedgehogs would feel more at home. Once they were in place there was only one more thing we needed – HEDGEHOGS! We managed to get 2 hedgehogs – a Mr and a Mrs – from a rescue shelter on the outskirts of Glasgow.

When we put them in their houses they looked quite at home! Our final challenge is to see if the houses are comfy and warm enough for the hedgehogs – will they stay in them….?

Beth Alderman S1

The S1 Hedgehog Challenge!

Duke of Edinburgh Ceilidh The McLaren D of E Group held their annual fundraising ceilidh on Friday 20 November. The event was very well attended and the dance floor was very busy as people enjoyed the music from Ian Milligan’s band. Thank you to everyone who supported the evening including local businesses who donated prizes for the raffle and silent auction. A fantastic total of over £1,100 was raised which will assist purchasing equipment and assist in the costs of running future expeditions at Bronze, Silver and Gold level.

Christmas Dances The S1/S2 Dance took place on Monday 14 December followed by the S3/S4 Dance on Wednesday 16th and the Senior Dance on Thursday 17th. There was an excellent turnout at all the dances with over 400 pupils dancing over the 3 nights. Ian Milligan and his band provided music each night and was a huge hit with the dancers as always. Thanks must go to Hannah Michael S6 who headed up the Events Committee this year assisted by Skye Campbell, Amber MacLean, Freddie Bawden, Eden Parkes and the rest of the committee – the smooth running and great organisation of all 3 dances was commented on by a number of staff so well done to all involved!!

Christmas Concert McLaren High School’s 45th Annual Christmas Concert took place on Monday 21 December and a packed hall (with standing room only at the back) was treated to a brilliant evening of entertainment.

There were Christmas carols interspersed with pieces from the orchestra including a selection of music from the film Frozen. The Pipe Band wowed the audience with 3 short Scottish selections (complete with fairy lights adorning their pipes and drums!), the Mixed Voices sang Mister Santa, Light a Candle and Oh, What Wonder in Bethlehem and the Traditional Music Group received great applause for their two selections of Scottish tunes and the waltz Hector the Hero. The Concert Band, McLaren Strings, Jazz, Brass and Ukulele Ensembles all played Christmas selections which added to the festive evening. A great night was had by all and a brilliant way to start the Christmas break!

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Swingin’ at the Ceilidh

Stepping up to the mark to donate for The Anthony Nolan Clinic Anthony Nolan Clinic The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) have been working in partnership with ‘Anthony Nolan’ since 2009, organising events that have seen over 6,200 potential donors join the stem cell register and 14 people actually donate their stem cells to save someone’s life. A further 33 potential life savers were added to the Anthony Nolan Ashlea Christmas Visit On Wednesday 16 December 5 pupils, along with music teacher Miss Bilsborough and Headteacher Mr Fleming, visited Ashlea Nursing Home in Callander to entertain some of the residents. Callum Hall and Callum Convoy (both S5) played a selection of traditional Scottish tunes on small pipes, banjo and bodhran. This was followed by a variety of Christmas songs sung by Charlotte Scott, Megan Milligan and Natalie Klaes (all S3) to get the residents in the festive spirit. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the performance and there was plenty foot tapping and clapping their hands to the music. To end the visit everyone sang along to Jingle Bells.

The pupils were treated to juice, tea and coffee and have been asked back to play at Easter time.

Some of the residents took up the invitation of seats at the Christmas concert and enjoyed another evening of Christmas entertainment.

register by SFRS volunteers on Thursday 10 December at McLaren High School.

SFRS have been focusing on donor recruitment events in schools due to a change in the age criteria for joining the register. Paul Elliot, from the Partnership said, “Research has shown that young donors under the age of 30 are more likely to be a match for someone and provide better patient outcomes posttransplant. Since Anthony Nolan changed the age criteria to 16 to 30 we have focused on schools to recruit healthy young donors and we’ve now added over 1,000 pupils to the register. I’d like to thank the students and

staff from McLaren High School for showing a real willingness to improve the lives and wellbeing of those less fortunate than themselves, everyone at the school should be very proud of what they’ve done. To see young people, step forward and potentially save someone’s life is extremely gratifying.”

There are around 37,000 people worldwide desperately in need of a bone marrow transplant and only 30% of those will find a match from within their family, for the rest the only hope is that a kind hearted stranger has put themselves forward to become a donor.

Callum Hall (left) and Callum Convoy entertain at Ashlea

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Enchanted Christmas Tree Festival On the 12th December, Balquhidder Hall hosted its first ever Christmas Tree Festival...

With free entry followed by complimentary mulled wine and fruit punch, the hall was soon packed with people discussing the merits of each entry, partaking of the festive fayre and enjoying the musical delights of Callander Brass and Vera Stewart.

We were so pleased to find that the event tapped into so many imaginations.

It was amazing just how many people took up the challenge to decorate, sew, bake - and even weld - such a splendid array of creations. People of all ages and from each village beavered away, some in secrecy, their creative juices flowing. The finished result…twenty eight fantastic tree-inspired creations!

“The hall never looked so good!” “It looks like a magical grotto in here!” “I really feel Christmassy now...” ... just some of the many positive comments expressed on the day.

Festive goodies in abundance were

provided by the Mhor group with their bread and mince pies, Venachar Lochside with their lovely home produce, and not forgetting Sue Haste’s mead tasting.

Inverlochlarig’s delicious venison burgers were produced and cooked by our own William McNaughton, ably supported in the kitchen by Gill and Jananne. All were a huge success.

Adding to the Christmas ambience and enjoyed by all, Callander Brass added that little bit of je ne sais quoi, followed

by Vera Stewart, valiantly providing piano accompaniment to the willing (but perhaps not quite so melodic!) carol singing locals. And of course, it wouldn’t have been complete without ‘Santa’ and his ‘little Elves’.

The three judges, volunteers from Callander Brass who took their job very seriously, had the difficult task of selecting the winning entries. After much deliberation, the Supreme Overall Best

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in Show went to Amelia Denehey’s innovative Channel 4 inspired Hanging Tree, thereafter displayed at Mhor 84 over the festive period. Best Business Creation went to Charlie Methven and his entry - welded from bits of farm machinery. Best Individual Creation went to Janet Richards from Strathyre’s Village Shop for her small (but perfectly formed) Edible Tree, with the Best Group/Family Creation going to the ‘Arkotxa Kiddies and Grandma’ for their heart-warming work, Remembrance.

Taking the two ‘Super Duper’ awards were Malcolm McNaughton and his incredible welded bottle tree, suitably called A Guid Nicht Oot, with Sadie Eastland and Jess taking the other award for their Cuddly Christmas tree. Last and by no means least, the Sula girls romped away with the Special Award for their beautiful Harris Tweed entry, Heart of Christmas.

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The Tree Committee, (Laura Thomson, Karen Methven, Fiona Wilbert, Gillian and Iain Ramsay Clapham, David Johnston, Penny Hannah, Gill Allan Waugh and Catherine Lochhead) would like to thank the wonderful sponsors for their support– The Mhor Group, Balquhidder Hall and in particular Gordon Strong, Sula Furnishing, Gill Allan Waugh, Richard Harris, Alison Inglis, Wee Gem, Venachar Lochside, and Hidden Glen Safaris. Lastly thanks to Gillian Ramsay-Clapham, for her delicious mulled wine.

Many thanks to all those who came to support this event. A total of £150 was raised for Air Ambulance. Not bad for a ‘pilot’ event!

See more photographs on page 16. ... Rumours abound for Christmas 2016 entries. If you fancy entering your own creation - or just prefer to come along and start off next Christmas with a bang - then keep an eye on the Balquhidder Hall website, The Villagers and social media.

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Photographs by Richard Harris & Karen Methven 1.Balquhidder Village Hall, all a-twinkle! 2. ‘Magic’ tree by Emma.

3. The winner overall by Amelia Denehey. 4. Antlers by Hidden Glen Safaris. 5. Clare Hunter’s amazing Christmas ‘Box’ tree, which you could see through a peephole! 6. ‘Artistree’. 7. Mhor 84’s Meringue Tree. 8. ‘Romancesco Tree’ by Monachyle Mhor 9. Making the antler tree. 10. ‘Frozen Fiasco’ by Keely Bridie. 11. Ian Inglis’ entry entitled ‘Hauns Aff ’! 12. BRA’s offering! 13. ‘Gabriel’. 14.‘Cuddly Christmas’

by Sadie and Jess. 15. Lesley Blain and ‘Biker Chic’ tree. 16. ‘Our Family Tree’ by the McKenzie family. 17. ‘A Snowy, Starry Night at Inverlochlarig’ by Jananne, Fiona and Tara. 18. ‘The Road to Christmas’ by Julie and Hattie. 19. Mhor 84 girls!

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21. Grace Denehey’s ‘Bucket Tree’.

22. ‘Lavatree’ by Hattie Methven. 23.

Hey it’s Santa! 24. ‘Remembrance’ by the Arkotxa Kiddies and Grandma.

25. ‘Recycling’ Strathyre Primary School. 26. Gaelic Playgroup. 27. Sula Furnishing’s ‘The Heart of Christmas’.

28. ‘A Guid Nicht Oot’ by Malcolm McNaughton. 29. Charlie Methven’s ‘Implementation’. 30. ‘Musical Christmas by Balquhidder Braes.

31. Alison Inglis ‘Magical Angels and Fairies’. 32. ‘Christmas Cuddy’ by Broomfield Andalusian Stud.

These photos are too good just to appear in black and white! See them in glorious colour on Facebook The Villagers community page.

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Rural Stirling Housing Association: News Update We recently marked our 25th anniversary as an affordable housing developer and Registered Social Landlord (RSL).

We now have almost 600 homes in management throughout the Rural Stirling area – with 22 in Lochearnhead and 18 in Strathyre. We are continuing to build new homes to meet housing needs. See www.rsha.org.uk for more information.

Opportunity to join our Management Committee The Association is overseen by a volunteer Management Committee of local people.

We are currently seeking to recruit up to two additional Members with particular skills/experience, at a management level, in relation to: • Housing development or procurement of building works more generally.

• Finance and business management We also always welcome interest from RSHA tenants in joining the Committee.

The Committee holds monthly evening meetings. Travel and other eligible expenses are payable. Please contact Tony Teasdale (Director) by 19th February for more information about what is involved and to register an interest (tony@rsha. org.uk).

Tender for Repairs Service We regard a high quality Repairs Service as a key element in delivering excellent customer satisfaction. We will shortly be tendering

our Reactive Repair and Void Property Maintenance Service. The intention is to create a Framework of contractors covering all the main trades for the 3 year period, 1st July 2016 to 30th June 2019. By advertising in a range of local publications it is hoped to encourage locally resourced contractors to compete for inclusion on the Framework.

The Framework will also be advertised nationally via the Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) website and this is where all interested Contractors will be able to access the tender documents and submit their bids. See www. publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk.

It is anticipated that the Framework will be advertised on the PCS website no later than 4th March 2016.

The opportunity will be issued as one tender document and will comprise five separate lots as follows: • Builder works • Painter works • Electrical works • Plumbing works • Joiner and Glazier works If you have any queries regarding the tendering process or operation of the Framework, then please contact Malcolm Lee, Senior Maintenance Officer on 01786 841 101.

Rural Stirling Housing Association Stirling Road, Doune FK16 6AA Tel: 01786 841101

A Scottish Charity. Registration No. SC037849

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 550 rented houses and flats. Around 50 of these become available for rent each year. We hope to have new properties in Strathblane and Balmaha soon and currently have properties in the following communities

Aberfoyle Deanston Gartmore Lochearnhead Balfron Doune Killin Strathyre Buchlyvie Drymen Kinlochard Stronachlachar Callander Gargunnock Kippen Tyndrum We may be able to build in other communities in the future – please let us know to 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 www.rsha.org.uk

Registered as a Scottish Charity No. SC037849

Scottish Wildlife Trust Callander Local Group Diary

2016 Talks start at 7:30pm

Kirk Hall South Church Street Callander Tuesday 9 February Salmon Movements in the Forth, Teith and Allan Water Tuesday 8 March Trre Threats and Diseases

EVERYONE WELCOME! Admission £2 members, £2.50 non-members Free to full-time students.

Includes tea/coffee & biscuits.

Please book with Lesley Hawkins

01877 339080

or mlhawkins@tiscali.co.uk 18

Scottish Wildlife Trust John Muir may be best known for his conservation work in the USA (Yosemite Valley, Yellowstone National Park and founding the Sierra Club) but he grew up in Dunbar, his family emigrating to the USA when he was 10. The JMT UK charity, established in 1983, manages land to restore habitats, maintains footpaths, campaigns against detrimental developments and encourages public connection, including the John Muir Award.

The speaker at the December SWT meeting was Liz Auty, JMT Ecologist and Estate Manager of the East Schiehallion property, purchased in 1999 for its limestone habitat and in historical importance. Due to its isolated position and regular shape, in 1774 Astronomer Royal, Nevil Maskelyne, used it for an experiment to estimate the mass of the Earth. The deflection of a pendulum by the mass of the mountain gave an estimate of the mean density of the Earth, from which its mass and a value for Newton’s Gravitational constant G were deduced. His assistant, mathematician Charles Hutton, also devised the system of contour lines.

The mountain summit sees 20,000 walkers per year so in 2005 a new, more resilient footpath was opened.

Conservation work includes control of grazing, surveys of species such as stonechat, whinchat, mountain ringlets and the specialist plants that flourish on the limestone. Trail cameras in wooded areas show red squirrels, pine martens, foxes and badgers while a neighbouring estate recorded 53 male black grouse on one noisy lek.

For more information visit https:// www.johnmuirtrust.org or the Wild Space visitor centre in Pitlochry.

2016 started well with Dave Anderson’s fascinating talk on Kestrels, Ospreys and Golden Eagles as subjects of ‘Close Encounters with Wildlife’. The behaviour

John Muir Trust and Tracking Raptors and movements of these species are being recorded using leg rings, camera traps and tracking devices. 20 years ago tracking required triangulation by 2 or 3 people with radio receivers, yielding around one fix per week. Today satellite tags beam virtually continuous signals while Dave’s preferred GSM tags can store up to 15,000 data points and send a text each time the bird passes a mobile phone mast.

Altitude data identifies any travelling by ferry! The trackers must weigh less than 3% of the bird’s bodyweight and last ~5 years when the harness also degrades.

Their batteries are charged by solar cells so many in Scotland this winter have flat batteries!

In June 2015 6 kestrels in Ayrshire were fitted with trackers to help to understand their 70% decline over 20 years. These are fitted on chicks around 28 days old; incredibly, they reach full size in 35 days.

More data are expected in Spring but one did go down to Wales before moving to the Poole area.

For more information and some excellent photos see Gordon Riddle’s website; http://www.riddle-kestrel.com/ SatelliteTagging/index.htm.

Ospreys in Central Scotland have been encouraged by FCS-built nests in quiet areas and reached 26 pairs in 2015. Two were tagged in July; a 2100g female brought back fish from as far away as Loch Leven, often as heavy as herself. Ruskie, a 1500g male, was tracked migrating via Cowal, Kintyre & Ireland before reaching just north of Portugal in 27 hours! After Xmas by a reservoir in Spain he flew over the Sahara to Sierra Leone and today is between Senegal and Gambia, resting ahead of his return flight in March.

The unofficial estimate is that Scotland has 430-450 pairs of golden eagles.

However, few in the west are raising young due to degraded habitat although the richer eastern sites show good numbers.

Nest cameras record chick development & diet; one had red & roe deer, crow, badger & 4 fox cubs -no lambs! Eagle chicks (fully grown by 12 weeks) are tagged on the nest but adults are caught at baited sites in a bow net then also (carefully) measured and weighed, 4.5kg males to 7kg females. ‘James’ (colour ring 007!) was tagged in January 2015 near Loch Katrine and has remained in a tight area with digressions to Lochs Sloy and Vennacher, regularly flying over others’ territories. See him in BBC’s 2016 Winter Watch.

The photos are of an eagle chick being ringed and fitted with a satellite tracker

NOTE: the next two meetings have been switched; 9 February is ‘Salmon Movements in the Forth, Teith & Allan Water’ and 8 March is ‘Tree Threats & Diseases’. (See panel, p.18) Lesley Hawkins 19

Firstly, apologies for not providing an article for December. The deadline completely slipped my mind when I was on leave and by the time I had returned, I was too late! I hope you all had a nice time over the festive period. I was on duty over both Xmas and New Year and I was very pleased to see that there were no issues within these communities.

Since I last reported, we have dealt with one reported assault, whereby the suspect has been reported to the Procurator Fiscal.

As some may notice, the recorded crime figures for the area appear to have gone down drastically and I can explain the reason behind that. The system of recording road traffic offences has changed in order to avoid duplication and reduce the amount of time that officers spend doing administrative tasks.

Previously when I issued a Conditional Offer of Fixed Penalty, or a 21 day VREC slip under the Vehicle Defect Rectification Scheme, I recorded the details on our crime recording system. The court copies were then submitted to our Business Services Department who liaised with the courts to ensure that they were complied with within the relevant timescales. This led to the same details being recorded on two separate computer systems. If the motorist paid the fine or repaired their defect, the matter was completed at that and nothing further was done. In order to allow us to spend more time patrolling within the communities, it was decided that the Business Services Unit would record and deal with the court side, and only if the motorist does not comply will officers need to submit a report to the court. This has dramatically reduced the amount of time that we spend in front of the computers which can only be a bonus.

There has been no change in operational procedures and the usual high visibility patrols and static road checks have continued in our area over the festive period, with a number of road traffic offences being detected. There was nothing untoward to report and given the changes to the reporting system locally, I do not have the exact number of motoring offences dealt with in this area.

On the 11th January 2016, the Recorded Police Warning Scheme (RPW) came into effect for Police Scotland. This offers yet another power when dealing with people and is another element of our discretion.

Again, in an effort to keep us off the computers longer, we can now issue these forms to offenders for a number of offences depending on the circumstances and them meeting the required criteria.

The RPW scheme will allow us to formally record the incident for minor incidents whereby the Procurator Fiscal would issue a warning if found guilty.

This process will save officers time away from the computer, as well as saving valuable time not having to attend court, and equally the money saving from tax payers with prosecutions not being taken through court. I’m sure this new scheme will be used to good effect over the summer months!

The other big news for Police Scotland is we have a new boss! On the 5th January 2016, our new Chief Constable, Phil Gormley was officially sworn in. Only time will tell what changes, if any, the new Chief Constable will make. I’m sure you’ll join me in wishing him all the best in what will undoubtedly be a very challenging role.

Although I started the article sounding like very little has happened in this area recently, over the past month or so, you will have been aware that the adverse weather has caused us plenty of work! We had flooding for a while, then some snow,

even worse flooding, then even more snow! If this cycle continues I dread to think what’s next!

I would like to thank the communities for their help and understanding over that period. I appreciate that road closures and delays can be very frustrating for everyone. Work is still ongoing with Bear Scotland to get these signs sorted out sooner rather than later to allow us to better inform the communities of delays and closures. Obviously when I am out the office, I cannot send emails around to people and the road signage would appear to be the most logical solution.

That being said, if anyone has any ideas how we can better communicate with the community I’d be very keen to hear your suggestions.

I would like to finish off by repeating my thanks to the community for their kindness and assistance over the last three years. It was highlighted at the recent community council meeting by Councillor Hayes that the local crime levels within Trossachs and Teith ward were at an all time low, and that was attributed to the local policing team. I appreciate that recognition but we can’t take all the credit. Crime has definitely not went away, it is just being recorded better and at the time. With the assistance of the local communities, we are detecting things much sooner as people now have the confidence to report things to us. I know trust has to be gained, and I’d like to think that I’ve managed to do that over the last three years and it is certainly paying dividends. Please accept my thanks, and I hope that the assistance continues in the future.

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.

Regards, PC Will Diamond

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20

The Villagers AGM

Farm Forum: Stormy Days Ahead... Still?

Those, like farmers, who follow the weather forecast may have noticed that the met office has fairly recently started giving impending storms names.

Each successive one starting with consecutive letters from the alphabet. It may be my imagination but it seems that this new policy has heralded the arrival of the recent floods!

It is really horrifying - the damage that has been wreaked in towns and also on farms. The “experts” are suggesting that, with climate change here to stay, it is safe to say that recent precipitation levels could quite easily repeat themselves on a regular basis.

The leader in the Scottish Farmer makes suggestions regarding dredging and flood barriers etc. and finishes “...in essence, we require a Scottish Government-led initiative, whereby a master plan is drawn up, which at its very core puts people, their homes, their property and their businesses first.

And if that upsets some of the conservationists and agencies then so be it!”

2016 is not going to be without its distractions - the Scottish elections in May and probably more important the referendum on in or out of the EU at a date to be announced. On the face of it I think, however many problems there are within it, leaving the EU would be a disaster. Far better to be a member where you have he opportunity of making improvements - however slowly!

I was interested in the response to my article on the suggested reintroduction of the Lynx. The writer, who does not even have a nom de plume,

Lynx

Our AGM will now take place on Tuesday 23rd February at Mhor 84 at 7.30. We will be delighted to see as many of you as possible there! Positive ideas and criticism will be very welcome - and we will even provide refreshments.

accepts that sheep losses to the Lynx in Norway are high and says this is due to the fact that Norway is unique in that sheep are kept, unshepherded, in wooded habitats, where Lynx live and hunt.

In fact I have it on good authority that sheep in Norway are housed from October to the end of May and for the rest of the year are on open grazing not specifically wooded, so the losses all take place in four to five months. The other point made to me is that a main part of their diet is lemmings which are decidedly scarce here - unless of course the plan is to introduce them as well!

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BLS – Where Business Does the Talking This month I met Christine Cooper to find out about her family’s business Cooper Cottages. She and her husband John offer both long and short term lets as well as holiday lets, across a range of properties in idyllic locations within the National Park and surrounding areas. In addition, they provide individualised packages to people who are going to be leaving the area for a while and require house-watching or maintenance services for their property in their absence.

Please could you tell me a little about the history of Cooper Cottages – how did it all start?

We moved to the area in 1998 when we bought the Caravan Park at Balquhidder Station. During the time we owned this, we identified a need for a local person to look after properties when the owner worked or lived away. Historically going back to John’s grandfather the family have had rental properties. When we sold the Caravan Park we started helping property owners on a small scale and the business grew into what it is today.

Do you run the business alone, or do you have partners or staff helping you?

We all play a part in the running of Cooper Cottages. Our son Matthew works for the business full-time. He is based mainly in the office doing the social media side of things; the bookings and the web updates.

John helps with the maintenance aspects of running the business while I cover the accounts side and management. It is a family business so we are all involved. We also have staff who are part of the team helping with the service and maintenance of the properties. We try to recruit locally.

At the moment we have got eight people who work on a part-time basis. The nature of the self-catering business means that we offer flexible arrival/departure dates so the work can be called for any day of the week.

When did you set up the website, and is that the main way that people book with you?

We built the Cooper Cottages website in 2004 and have done a complete rebuild twice since. The booking process has changed a lot from people seeing newspaper or magazine advertising and phoning to book, to the majority of bookings coming from a web source, if not our website then an external website that feeds into ours.

Today a large percentage of guests look and book off their mobile devices. As the years go on we are getting more repeat bookings and recommendations.

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Where do the majority of your visitors come from – other parts of Britain or abroad?

They mainly come from the UK and then Europe. We have a German website that runs parallel to our own. We also translate ours into French, Spanish, Greek and Japanese.

We see a mix of French, German and Spanish visitors. We also get a percentage from international countries too, South Africa, Australia, Switzerland and America.

We tend to see that those from abroad come for longer periods, a week, a fortnight or more, whereas the British like the long weekends and more frequent visits.

You mentioned social media – how do you advertise besides the website?

We use social media. Matthew works full time promoting Cooper Cottages through various avenues. You have got to use Twitter and Facebook in today’s market. Social Media is one of the changes that we have seen and implemented, it has progressed dramatically in the last few years. Google+, LinkedIn and Pinterest are others, there are many to choose from. It is no longer about placing an ad in a publication alone.

It is about making the connection through multiple channels, and it is about making the choice about which ones work the best for you, because there are so many. It has been trial and error over the years to work out which work best for what we are doing.

Matthew uses an analytical programme to see what works for us.

Are you yourself interested in the technological side of things?

Yes, I rebuilt the website two years ago.

We did a complete re-build at the time.

Matthew now changes it on a daily basis.

He will be making amendments to either text or photographs, depending on whether it is the summer season, autumn or winter, adding events and information or updating property information. Matthew is the technical side of the business. I do not have the time to be as involved with this side of things as much as I used to, so leave it with him to manage.

Do you think that running this kind of business lends itself well to living rurally, or does living in Balquhidder present certain challenges?

The business benefits from being a short distance away from properties that we manage.

It does present challenges in some areas: finding staff; retaining staff. If the guest leaves a note or the cleaner has been and noticed that something needs renewing then we have to get the renewal or do the

repair, the downside is that we may need to travel to Stirling to get the item that needs replacing/repairing.

Are your properties pet-friendly?

About 50% are pet-friendly. We find that there are dog lovers that want a cottage to bring the family friend to. Equally, there are those people that want one in which there has never been a dog. The owner makes the choice if their property is pet-friendly.

More and more there are people presenting with allergies that want the hypoallergenic pillows and duvets and no history of dogs in a property. We have seen an increase in that over the years. We benefit from having properties on our portfolio to suit different needs.

What sort of activities are visitors to the area most interested in doing?

Walking, fishing and boating on Loch Earn are favourite pastimes. We also see people who enjoy bird-spotting; identifying the wild flowers; people that get quite elated if they spot a deer or a red squirrel or more recently a pine marten. The osprey diving for fish on Loch Earn always please the visitors. We get a good mix of people from all walks of life who enjoy different activities.

There are so many things to do. The cycling path that runs through is a great advantage for us. When people ask what there is to do, the visitor centres are not that abundant in this area, but the wildlife and the outdoor activities are fabulous. So we try to point people in the direction of the things that

they are interested in, recommending local activity providers, transport links or places to visit to suit their interest. Some people come away for special occasions so often ask for recommendations of places to eat. We are fortunate to have choices of good restaurants locally and are happy to put sample menus in the cottages. We list phone numbers to local businesses in all our properties.

that the National Park do not have the same goals as Stirling Council for this area. Aesthetically the area has changed over recent years, and this reflects on local businesses and residents. The National Park needs to identify the impact of changes to business owners and be more pro-active to resolve these local issues. We have had obstacles in our way, which have presented challenges for the business.

Of all the properties that you offer, is there a favourite cottage?

You should not be biased, but the Boathouse (in Lochearnhead), whether it is raining, the sun is shining or it is snowing, has something about it! Looking down the Loch, the situation of it, is what makes it arguably the favourite. That’s the most popular cottage with visitors, the one on the lochside. They all have their own individual character and charm, but for a view that warms your heart whatever the weather, I think it has to be the Boathouse.

In your opinion, how could Scottish tourism be improved in the area?

In this area a longer season would be nice; something that attracts visitors when the Loch closes. We have found that the majority of visitors are attracted between Easter and October when the Loch opens and the fishing and boating come into play.

It could just be that the weather’s improving and that’s when people holiday. However, as a comparison, when we visited Skye I asked a lady there when their season started and finished and she said it is a year-round season!

Many years ago we were invited to a meeting of people putting ideas forward about how we could expand the season.

Nothing was implemented. Something collective like a visitor centre and museum with children’s interactive activities, that would attract people all year whatever the weather, could work. It could tell the history of the area, its wildlife and wild flowers.

Our area is abundant with history, wildlife and wild flowers which is not shown here.

This would be an ideal way to boost tourism in the area year-round! If there is any investment to be made by the National Park it would be good to develop an all-yearround attraction in one of the villages.

What are your plans for the future, do you intend to expand your net of cottages?

Yes, we would like to expand and employ more people. But we have to be cautious that we do not lose that personal touch because that is what gets us the work – the fact that we communicate with the owner and guests and do not lose touch. Because of the internet, the social interaction is less than it used to be but there is still something special about speaking to guests on the phone. Because we are working together as a family, we are hoping that we can keep that element if we do expand. We have already got cottages in Balquhidder, Callander, Comrie, Killin and Lochearnhead.

You mentioned what some of the challenges are in your business, what would you say are the advantages?

The fact that you are based and can work from home is an advantage. No commute to or from work. You can choose to be in the office for the day or out and about checking the cottages, setting up for a guest’s arrival or meeting an electrician or plumber at a cottage. For self caterers we do the full package, advertising and bookings, but we also do the changeover if asked to do so, we cover the laundry and the cleaning and any repairs or renewals. It certainly keeps us busy.

Would you like to see the National Park remain as it is, or would you like to see it changed in any way in the future?

I would like them to get in touch with businesses, to work alongside us to find out what the challenges are. I feel that they are sometimes detached from what one’s wanting as a business. I get the impression

Glenorchy Farm

Free range rare breed pork for sale

We sell fresh pork as 1/2 pigs (20kg) and 1/4 pigs (10kg) every 3 months, next available - early 2016.

We also sell frozen sausage and bacon packs - £25.

We can arrange drop off points in the local area.

Contact: Fiona MacLennan t: 07783116399 e: fiona.glenorchyfarm@gmail.com facebook: Glenorchy Farm

Interview by Iona Mchedliani For enquiries about holiday lets or housewatching and maintenance Christine can be contacted on 01877 384331, or at: enquiries@ coopercottages.com. Interested parties can also refer to or book through the website: www. coopercottages.com

23

Balquhidder, Lochearnhead & Strathyre Community Council Minutes of Meeting held at The Inn & Bistro, Strathyre on 9th December 2015

Please note that these minutes have not yet received formal approval and should be considered as a draft version only. Present: Malcolm McNaughton (MM), Alistair Barclay (AB), Paul Hicks (PH), Adrian Squires (AS), Richard Eastland (RE), Angus Cameron (AC), Karen Methven (KM). Apologies: David Johnston, Loraine Telfer, Ruth McLusky, Rosanne McWilliams, Alice Duncan. In attendance: Cllr Martin Earl (ME), Stirling Council, PC Will Diamond (WD), Police Scotland, Jason Allardyce, Strathyre Village Association.

1) Approval of Minutes It was proposed by AB and seconded by AS, that the minutes of the meeting on 28th October 2015 should be accepted, and this was approved unanimously.

2) Declarations of Interest No declarations were made.

3) Police Report Between 28th October and 8th December, six offences were reported, all of them relating to speeding. No offences of theft or anti-social behaviour were reported to the police. PC Diamond was on leave for about half of this period but routine patrols continued, particularly high visibility patrols of trunk roads to encourage road safety and deter travelling criminals. These will continue across the winter months, as will the number of road checks being carried out.

4) Matters Arising 4a) Community Council Connect Fund. PH reported that an application had been submitted, but it was received too late to be considered in the current financial year.

4b) National Park Community Champion Awards. PH reported having attended this event on 7th November at Gartmore, when Cameron Hendry from Balquhidder was awarded the ‘Young Champion’ award. Cameron is still finding things difficult following the death of his father, but was being strongly supported by family and friends.

5) Demand Responsive Transport PH reminded members that Stirling Council was holding a consultation on the provision of its DRT services, and all community councils had been invited to contribute. He circulated a report from the local operator (Highland Glen Travel) that detailed a recent drop in the number of users since the revised booking system had been introduced. This produced a corresponding drop in the financial cost to Stirling Council, but one that had been achieved only at the expense of increased work and pressure for the local operator, loss of flexibility for users, and the prospect of a gradual demise of the entire service. PH circulated a proposed response to the consultation, in the form of a short document, outlining the community council’s concerns for the future viability of the service in its current form. ME explained the problem from the perspective of Stirling Council, given the rapidly escalating cost of the scheme, but agreed that each area should be treated according to its own particular needs and circumstances. Following some discussion, it was agreed to forward the document to Stirling Council to register concern for the future viability of the service in our area. The CC also expressed its thanks to Helen Cunningham for an extremely useful report.

Action: Response to be sent to Stirling Council.

6) Land Reform - Sporting Rates Mike Holliday, from Glenample Estate, had raised a concern about the potential impact of the recent government proposals for land reform in Scotland. It concerns the levy of ìsporting ratesî for estates. The proposal is that these would only be applied to estates that let out their shooting rights to visitors, rather than handling deer management entirely in-house. If estates choose to avoid paying these rates, it could deprive the local community of direct income from the provision of accommodation and other amenities. Based on this season’s bookings alone, that could amount to over 120 bed-nights between mid-September and mid- February, which would be worth about £25,000.

The situation was discussed at some length, and it was pointed out that things were still very much at the early stages of consultation and nothing had yet been decided. MM suggested that a better way to approach the issue of deer management might be to follow the method used for salmon fishing, where fees were paid to a River Board and used to promote proper management of the land and facilities. ME expressed his concern at the possibility of unintended consequences, citing the recent ìAccessî legislation as an example of how efforts to tackle one particular problem had inadvertently led to a multitude of others. It was eventually decided that we should take note of these proposals, with a view to monitoring how they developed, whilst expressing our broaad support for the continuation of the current arrangements that provided significant benefits for the local economy.

7) Priority Based Budgeting PH reported that he had attended a ‘Community Conversation’ with Stirling Council on Thursday 19th November as part of the ongoing process of ìPriority Based Budgetingî. As in previous years, various cost-saving options have been proposed in the areas of education, community care services, transport, waste management, income generation and support services generally. PH highlighted one or two of the proposals that could impact on the local area, but reported his overall impression that the whole discussion was geared very much to strategic issues, and had little to say about the detailed arrangements that tend to concern local residents.

One such proposal concerned changes to the way in which waste materials might be collected in future. Discussion then moved on to the specific proposals for change in the way in which waste is collected from properties situated on private roads. PH explained that a group of council officials from Waste Services had intended to give a presentation on this very subject at the meeting that evening, but local circumstances had intervened to prevent this. They would be invited to attend again on Wednesday 13th January 2016. It was eventually decided that PH would circulate the web-link for an online questionnaire that enabled all council residents to respond to the budget proposals, and no joint response would be submitted for the community council itself.

Action: PH to circulate web-link for online questionnaire.

8) Community Council Election Stirling Council had given notice that it would be holding elections for community councils in the New Year. BLS CC currently had two vacancies, and PH then reported that he had been notified that evening of a further one, since Rosanne McWilliams had, regretfully, tendered her resignation, owing to the pressure of other commitments. PH went on to say, however, that Loraine Telfer was willing to stand for election, having completed several months now as a co-opted member. Secondly, Alice Duncan (from Strathyre) had also expressed her willingness to stand for election to the community council. This was welcomed by members, and PH stated that he would notify Stirling Council accordingly. Action: PH to notify Stirling Council of three vacancies for election.

9) Worn road markings on A84 at Kingshouse PH reported that, in response to a complaint from a local resident, he had written to BEAR Scotland regarding worn road markings at the junction of the A84 with the road to Kingshouse. He had received a reply from Kevin Campbell (Inspection Team Leader) for the North-West Unit that covers our area, to say that he would arrange for a site visit and inspection to take place.

10) Bye-law and Clearways. There was no new information to report.

11) Correspondence. No other correspondence had been received.

12) Planning Matters. Nothing new had been notified.

13) Matters From Councillors 13a) ME reported that a full council meeting was due to take place on 10th December, but there were no matters to be raised that directly concerned residents in our area.

13b) The recent election in October to replace Steven Paterson (now a constituency MP) had resulted in the appointment of Gerry McLaughlin (SNP) to Ward 6 of Stirling Council (Stirling East).

13c) ME drew attention to the work of CrimeStoppers in Scotland and encouraged members to foster local awareness of the scheme.

14) Any Other Competent Business 14a) Drainage in Lochearnhead. AC reported that water had been lying on the A85 trunk road outside the police house for the past several weeks. He also mentioned that a road drain situated at the junction of Auchraw Terrace with Vorlich Road is still not working properly. ME suggested inviting the area manager for Transport Scotland, together with the area roads manager for Stirling Council, for a site visit with a local member of the community council, in order to see the problem at first hand and decide which agencies should take action to remediate the situation. It was decided to follow this advice. Action: Site visit to be called for assessment of problem.

14b) Drainage in Balquhidder. KM reported that the recent weather had seen similar problems on the C3 road at Balquhidder, by the track leading up to Kirkton Glen. The Forestry Commission has been carrying out work here, leaving drains blocked and passing places obscured. Again, ME suggested writing to the area projects manager for the Forestry Commission, requesting that work be done to re-instate the drains, with a copy to the area roads manager at Stirling Council for information. He also reiterated the value of holding an on-site meeting with a local representative present to explain the problem. Action: Site visit to be called for assessment of problem.

14c) Christmas Tree Festival, Balquhidder. KM drew attention to this forthcoming event at Balquhidder Village Hall on Saturday 12th December. The Callander Brass Band would be attending, and all proceeds would be going to the Air Ambulance Service.

There was no other business and, at 9 p.m., MM declared the meeting closed. The next meeting is due to take place at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday 13th Janury 2016 at the Broch, Strathyre.

24

Balquhidder, Lochearnhead & Strathyre Community Council Minutes of Meeting held at The Broch, Strathyre on 13th January 2016

Please note that these minutes have not yet received formal approval and should be considered as a draft version only. Present: Malcolm McNaughton (MM), Alistair Barclay (AB), Paul Hicks (PH), David Johnston (DJ), Ruth McLusky (RMC), Loraine Telfer (LT), Richard Eastland (RE) and Karen Methven (KM). Apologies: Adrian Squires, Angus Cameron. In attendance: Cllr Alycia Hayes (AH), Stirling Council; PC Will Diamond (WD), Police Scotland; George Sommerville (GS), Waste Services Manager, Lindsey McDonald (LM), Team Leader and Anna Pajaczkowska (AP), Business Improvement Officer from Stirling Council; Alice Duncan (AD), prospective community councillor; William Lindsey (WL) and Kenneth Higgins (KH), residents of Strathyre.

1) Approval of Minutes It was proposed by AB, and seconded by KM, that the minutes of the meeting on 9th December 2015 should be accepted, and this was approved unanimously.

2) Declarations of Interest It was noted that several members would be affected by the proposed changes in the road end collection policy.

3) Waste Services - Road End Collection Policy GS introduced this item, stating that it had originally been a proposal from the consultation by Stirling Council on Priority Based Budgeting but, due to the growing financial restrictions, was now being seriously considered for implementation. He acknowledged that the policy would not be appropriate for every single household, so the Council would assess each location individually to take account of varying circumstances. His colleague, AP, then delivered the main presentation. She stated that the object was to reduce the number of private roads and tracks being travelled by Council vehicles to collect waste. This would save considerable wear and tear to the vehicles, and reduce the overall amount of time taken to deliver the service, especially the number of hours being charged at overtime rates. The methodology involved the establishment of joint collection points on public roads for residents on nearby private roads, who would be responsible for taking their own waste bins to the collection point from their properties. AP explained that experience in other local authority areas had shown that this methodology was only feasible when fifteen or less properties were allocated to each collection point. Consideration also had to be given to the Assisted Pull-out and Return Service for elderly residents. Her department had looked at five main collection routes in the rural areas and had attempted to analyse the potential savings in time and distances covered. These promised to be significant, and they hoped to be in a position to implement changes during the coming financial year, but this would depend on the outcome of consultations with all affected residents.

The issues to be examined are: - the location of joint collection points; - the number and size of receptacles required; - the requirement for any structural improvements.

AP then distributed maps of the local area, and commented on one or two examples of possible locations in Balquhidder and Lochearnhead. The following points emerged: - Recycling boxes will be sited at the collection points. - Where numerous, existing-sized bins are likely to be required, it is expected that one large bin will be used instead.

People will be able to use the current wheelie bins to move rubbish from their homes to the collection points.

The question of other people using these bins was raised, with the associated problem of fly-tipping industrial or hazardous waste. The Council team responded that various measures were available to combat this, but the experience of other local authorities (such as Perth & Kinross) suggested that this would not be a major problem. DJ pointed out that rural residents already received significantly less for their council tax than urban dwellers. He asked if any thought had been given to providing some form of compensation to people who would have to carry their waste some distance from their property for collection? By way of response, GS said that he was simply trying to increase the efficiency of the current service and make it better. DJ responded that he was happy with the existing service. He said that he thought residents would be willing to take their rubbish further in exceptional circumstances (such as adverse weather), but reckoned that most people would see this as a basic reduction in the normal service.

AD mentioned the situation with holiday homes, but GS replied that these were classed as business premises and should be paying for business waste removal. It was pointed out that some homes were actually second homes and GS acknowledged that this would need to be considered. KM mentioned the potential problem of rubbish bins being sited in places where their presence would be detrimental to the beauty of the environment ñ discouraging the tourists and visitors who represented our main local industry.

GS responded that the Council would assess each location on its merits. KH mentioned the problem of bins not being collected in poor weather, and then being blown around, creating widespread litter. GS said that, with a new, more dependable fleet of vehicles, he was confident that every effort would be made in future to collect bins the following day in such circumstances. As the presentation concluded, MM thanked GS and his team for taking the time to give us this information first-hand. He suggested that a small rebate of council tax might encourage a positive response to the proposals, but this option was generally thought unlikely to transpire.

4) Police Report Between 9th December 2015 and 11th January 2016, one offence of assault was committed, with a suspect apprehended and a report going to the Procurator Fiscal. No offences of theft or other crimes were reported to the police. WD reported that the system of reporting for road traffic offences had changed to avoid duplication and reduce the amount of time that officers spend doing administrative tasks. However, this meant that details of such offences committed locally are no longer available to us.

However, the formal police warning system is now back in place, and official warnings can be now given for minor offences. WD emphasized that there had been no change in operational procedures. The usual high visibility patrols and static road checks had been carried out in our area over the festive period, with a number of traffic offences detected, although there was nothing untoward to report. Licensed premises were also checked over the period with no issues to note. Numerous weather-related incidents were dealt with, due to the inclement weather conditions.

WL asked whether drivers who ignored road closure signs were breaking the law. WD confirmed that this was an offence and people could be charged or reported for contravening even temporary signs. He also pointed out that insurance policies could be invalidated if drivers ignored closures and continued through dangerous conditions.

However, he acknowledged that providing accurate and timely information was a challenge and, to deal with that, he had proposed at a recent community meeting that information boards might be erected locally on which police or transport authority officials could post up-to-date information about road closures and access for local residents.

This had been agreed at the meeting by the three community councils represented (including ours), together with all the other agencies involved. He was now awaiting further action by BEAR to put this in place. This initiative was welcomed with general support.

5) Matters Arising 5a) Flooding in Lochearnhead. PH reported having written on 11th December 2015 to Graeme Low at Transport Scotland and Gordon MacLachlan at Stirling Council regarding the flooding problems in Lochearnhead. Eventually, a problem with an underground drain beneath the A85 outside the police house had been identified. A large blockage was cleared and the flood subsided very quickly. The discharge from water running down a track on to Auchraw Terrace behind the police house had left a great deal of gravel and other debris on the road, but this was promptly cleared by a team from Stirling Council. The police authority had paid for repairs to the drain to be carried out. AH said that she had contacted Scottish Water about flooding at the boathouse on the A85 and at Ravenscroft Road off the A84.

Several problems had been discovered in various places: a pump had failed; a cone had been placed in a manhole, causing a blockage, and it was noted that many drainage pipes are too small and will need to be replaced. Various members commented on the fact that ditches and gullies have not been cleared for many years, and the recent problems are, in large part, due to this. AH said that she would report back regarding this problem. Action: AH to liaise further with Scottish Water.

5b) Flooding in Balquhidder. PH reported having written to the Forestry Commission on 11th December 2015 regarding the blocked gullies and drains at the site of the new forestry road leading up to Kirkton Glen at Balquhidder. He had received an acknowledgement just before Christmas and, after further correspondence, had obtained the promise of a site visit on 14th January to examine the problem. PH and MM had arranged to meet with Steven Smith from the Forestry Commission, but owing to the snow now falling, it was likely that this would need to be postponed. Action: PH to arrange a site visit when conditions permit.

6) Flooding at Strathyre AH stated that she had met with a number of local residents immediately prior to the current meeting, to discuss the recent flooding in Strathyre. KH had written a comprehensive assessment of the problem, based on his professional experience as a consultant in flood risk management. His report made a number of practical recommendations regarding remedial and preventative steps that needed to be taken. This report was received with gratitude and AH promised to pass it on to the relevant authorities. AH summarized the situation as follows: further work is to be done on clearing gullies and culverts. Much of the infrastructure is very old and dates back to a time when fewer houses had been built. WL said that he had contacted the Council switchboard during the flooding with an urgent need for sandbags. The operator had been unhelpful and it appeared that no sandbags were available. AH acknowledged that the response was less than it should have been, but said that new ìflood sacksî are now going to be provided at all fire stations for any residents who need them. These are bags filled with gel that offer a better solution than traditional sandbags. RM reported that the Forestry Commission and Stirling Council had done a lot of remedial work on the back road to Stroneslaney and up by the school, but AD mentioned that a lot of culverts and ditches still needed to be cleared.

7) Recognition of Service (Rosanne McWilliams) PH suggested that it would be appropriate to acknowledge Rosanne McWilliam’s service as a community councillor with a small gift, perhaps a bouquet of flowers. This was agreed. Action: PH to send bouqet of flowers.

8) Bye-law and Clearways. There have been no recent developments with these initiatives.

9) Correspondence. No other correspondence had been received.

10) Planning Matters. Nothing new had been notified.

11) Matters From Councillors 11a) AH wanted to offer congratulations to the police service regarding the recent fall in the levels of reported crime. WD commented that much of this was due to the increased willingness of members of the public to report suspicious circumstances, and to come forward with information to local police officers.

11b) AH reiterated that ìflood sacksî would be available henceforth from local fire stations. She also said that grants to flood victims for repair work are to be expedited.

11c) All councils will be suffering additional financial cuts in the coming year. The existing PBB (budget) consultation will need to be augmented, and there will be further community consultations to explore this.

11d) Contrary to government requirements, Stirling Council has not been maintaining its quota of teachers, but will not now be penalised by the Scottish Government.

12) Any Other Competent Business 12a) LT enquired about Council recycling bins at the rear of Mhor 84. Were they still being provided? AH did not know but promised to find out.

12b) MM proposed a vote of thanks to PH for his secretarial work. To his great embarrassment, this was duly approved.

There was no other business and, at 9:45 p.m., MM declared the meeting closed. The next meeting is due to take place at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday 24th February 2016 at the Inn & Bistro, Strathyre.

25

T H E V I L L A G ERS ’ TRADE DIRECTORY

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We are sorry about the increased costs to our valued overseas readers, due to the new postal rates imposed by the Post Office!

All you need to do is to post the completed form to: BLS NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION, GARDENERS COTTAGE BALQUHIDDER FK19 8PB, SCOTLAND Cheques should be made payable to: THE BLS NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION Remittance enclosed £ .........................(do not send cash) Please send copies of The Villagers starting on ................................. for 11 months To: NAME ..........................................................................................................................

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26

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Printed by Graphics and Print Services, University of Stirling Tel: 01786 467209 email: graphicsandprint@stir.ac.uk Published by The BLS Newspaper Association

27

Other Contacts...

The Villagers’ Contacts Jill Johnston Editor Gardeners Cottage Balquhidder FK19 8PB 01877 384227

Gill Allan Waugh Production Manager Stronvar Farm Balquhidder FK19 8PB 01877 384203

David Johnston Advertising Coordinator Gardeners Cottage Balquhidder FK19 8PB 01877 384227

Andrew Poulter Business Manager Coire A Chroine Balquhidder FK19 8PB 01877 384784

Copy Deadline Day is the 21st of the month. Send your contributions to:

contac t@the -villagers.org.uk Please help us to get The Villagers to you as soon as possible!

• DIARY DATES • We e k l y A c t i v i t i e s Monday

Bowling - St Fillans Pilates - Balquhidder Hall - 9.30am (contact Abbey Arkotxa 0776 6407578) Lunch Club - The Scout Station, Lochearnhead - 12.30pm - 2.30pm

Tuesday

Keep Fit - Lochearnhead Hall - 10.30 to11.30am Gaelic Playgroup - Balquhidder Hall - 10.30am to 12.30pm Country Dancing - St Fillans

Lochearnhead Contact:

Ali Ferguson 01567 830 405 Strathyre Contact:

Wullie Dalziel 01877 384 384 Mobile 07768 221661 Mail Order Distribution:

Hilda Astbury 01877 384 681

The Villagers’ Photographer Jason Allardyce

www.allardycephotography.co.uk facebook.com/allardycephotography 01877 384295 07508 595211 Wedding, Portrait, Social, Pet Photography

Wednesday Yoga - Balquhidder Hall - 11.00am to 12noon (contact Ann Cobbett 01877 376291)

Youth Club - Lochearnhead Hall - 7.00 to 9.00pm Thursday

Choir Occasional - Balquhidder Hall - 7.30pm to 9pm (contact Gill 01877 384203) Darts League - The Inn & Bistro - 7.00pm

Friday

Playgroup - Lochearnhead Hall - 10.00am-12 noon (Contact Mel Brydie 01877 384668)

FEBRUARY 2016 9 10 13/14 23

SWT Talk - Kirk Hall - 7.30pm - see p.18 Camera Club - Waverley Hotel, Callander - 7.30pm - see p.8 Valentine’s Meal - Golden Larches, Balquhidder Station - see p.2 The Villagers AGM - Mhor 84, Kingshouse - 7.30pm - see p.21

MARCH 2016 8

SWT Talk - Kirk Hall, Callander - 7.30pm - see page 18

Councillor Martin Earl Stirling Council, Old Viewforth, Stirling FK8 2ET 01786 443497

Mobile 07881 310 922 earlm@stirling.gov.uk Councillor Alycia Hayes Stirling Council, Old Viewforth, Stirling FK8 2ET 01786 443497

Mobile 07881 310 924 hayesa@stirling.gov.uk Councillor Fergus Wood Stirling Council, Old Viewforth, Stirling FK8 2ET 01786 443497

Mobile 07824 496 019 woodf@stirling.gov.uk

CHURCH SERVICES Balquhidder, Lochearnhead, Strathyre and St. Fillans CHURCH OF SCOTLAND

Balquhidder Parish Church Registered Charity No. SCO12316

Sunday 11.30am Minister: Vacancy Enquiries to Interim Moderator: Revd Terry Ann Taylor 01877 382391 Dundurn Church, St Fillans Sunday11.30am Minister: Rev Graham McWilliams Tel: 01764 671 045

ROMAN CATHOLIC Callander, St Joseph the Worker Sunday 11.30am Saturday Vigil Mass 5.30pm from May through to September Killin, in the Episcopal Church Sunday 2.30pm Father Jim McCruden 2 Ancaster Square, Callander Tel: 01877 330 702

SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH St Angus’s Church, Lochearnhead Every Sunday: Holy Communion at 11.15am.

Second and fifth Sundays in the month: Evensong at 6.00pm Vestry Secretary - Mary Barclay Tel: 01567 830453