7 10 155 https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/1/241/GlenkensGazette95.pdf c01219007e93221c15be5089168296bf Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette 95 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Description An account of the resource <p>Find out more about the Gazette: <a href="https://glenkens.scot/gazette-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glenkens Gazette home page</a> If you would like to submit an article or take out an advert, please email the editor Sarah Ade: <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="mailto:glenkensgazette@hotmail.com">glenkensgazette@hotmail.com</a></p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is a member of, and regulated by <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.impressorg.com/">Impress</a>.</p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is an initiative of Glenkens Community &amp; Arts Trust (SC032050) and represents the voice of the community (not necessarily the views of GCAT).</p> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document GLENKENS GAZETTE News from Balmaclellan, Carsphairn, Mossdale, New Galloway and St John’s Town of Dalry August/September 2016 ISSUE 95 FREE SHOP REOPENING HERALDS VILLAGE REVIVAL There can be no more visible – and welcome – sign of the recovery of Carsphairn from the devastating floods at the end of last year than the reopening of the village shop on Wednesday, 13 July. A preview of the new-look shop was given to local residents at a wine and hors d’oeuvres party on the eve of opening its doors for business once again. For the preceding six months, the shop had been running a restricted service from the village hall – selling a reduced product range and limited hot and cold takeaway food – while the shop premises were completely gutted and reinstated after the flood. But now the remodelled premises boast extended lines ranging from the basic food Lindsay Duncan in the new open-plan shop and tearooms. necessities and fresh fruit and Paul Smith and Lindsay Duncan, vegetables to local crafts and who run the shop, have been gifts. A new addition to the choice delighted with the response from is specialist produce from local the community to their reopening. suppliers. Continued on p3... MUSIC FESTIVAL IN DALRY Get your glad rags and September for Dalry’s very own answer to dancing shoes on this the festival season... Festival logo designed by Dalry Secondary pupil Kelsie Marshall. FoDSFest 2k16 is a fundraising Music and Arts Festival being held at Dalry School Field on Saturday 3 September from 3-9pm. A special invitation goes to all current and ex-Dalry School pupils to come along - it’s a fantastic opportunity to meet old friends, share stories and celebrate together. The event will showcase an exciting, eclectic mix of many different genres of music, arts, performers, crafts and food. The event will feature Scottish acoustic folk and ukuleles, right through to rock and hip-hop, photography to handmade bags and gymnastics to kids’ workshops. A Glenkens Community & Arts Trust (GCAT) ini�a�ve FoDSFest is being organised by Dalry School’s fundraising committee - Friends of Dalry School (FoDS) in aid of Dalry Nursery, Primary and Secondary School. It will celebrate and mark the 50th and 85th anniversaries respectively of the secondary and primary schools. Mrs Jenna Devlin, Dalry Primary Class Teacher and FoDS Chairperson, said: “The FoDS committee decided a few months ago to celebrate the anniversaries with a bang, and what better way than a festival! FoDSFest will undoubtedly raise the profile of our fantastic wee school, showcasing the amazing talents of some of our alumni and bringing together our community in one spectacular event.” Continued on p2... www.glenkensgaze�e.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 2 PETER MARSDEN: 1946-2016 It is hard to believe that Peter and Jean Marsden only moved to New Galloway just over ten years ago. His untimely death in May has robbed the community of an active and well-liked man whose ‘can do’ attitude has helped many over the years. Brian Edgar, General Manager of the CatStrand said: “Peter was a loyal supporter and friend of the CatStrand, not only when enjoying many of our classes and events but also during the difficult times when the building was flooded.” John Repath, Rector at St Margaret’s Church, comments on how quickly the Marsdens became an integral part of the congregation with Peter taking on the role of Treasurer, “an office he accepted readily and which he fulfilled diligently bringing us gently into the occasional vagaries of the electronic age”. He will be much missed. FoDSFEST 2k16 Continued from front page... The organising committee feel incredibly lucky to have secured so much talent, particularly the headline act, Scope, a local D&G Hip-Hop artist who recently played a set at T in the Park. “We will have three stages packed with local talent, and our acoustic tent has a carefully selected association; Annie’s Acoustic Area.” said Mrs Devlin. “This is named after a very special local lady, Annie Winstanley, who gave so much of her time to the school and is sorely missed by many.” The acoustic area, alongside groups and artists, will also offer ‘open mic’ sessions for budding artists to have a go - so make sure to bring your musical instruments. Don’t worry though if you have never been to a festival before. FoDSFest is for everyone, young and not-so-young, and the youngat-heart. FoDSFest tickets: Full Pass (13 yrs+): £8. Each Full Pass will admit 1 free child (12yrs and under). Any additional children are £3 each. All children 12 yeaars and under must be accompanied by an adult. Please remember this is a family-friendly event and is STRICTLY ALCOHOL AND SMOKE FREE. Anyone consuming alcohol or smoking on the field will be asked to leave. Tickets will be on sale from 10am Saturday 30 July look out for our posters and updates on our Facebook page ‘FoDSFest 2k16’ for info on how to get your hands on them. Be quick, tickets are limited! A huge “thank you” goes out to the many supportive people without whom FoDSFest could not happen. Thank you to all the bands, performers and artists who have agreed to help out and perform for free, especially to The Jack Duster Band, Sal Campbell and Eden Festival for their immense support. Also a huge thank you goes to the amazing FoDS Committee who have worked tirelessly to bring this all together. You are amazing! Please come along and support our incredible school and make this a double birthday party to remember. If you have any questions or enquiries please get in touch with the FoDSFest team, email us at contactus@fodsfest.com or via our Facebook Page ‘FoDSFest 2k16’. GLENKENS MEN’S SHED 100TH BIOSPHERE SUPPORTER Glenkens Men’s Shed signed up to the Biosphere Charter and became the 100th Proud Supporter of the Biosphere. Based in a building loaned to the group by the owner, the former Smiddy in Balmaclellan has been transformed into a series of wellequipped workshops which have already generated interest from men and women who wish to get practical. It is a place of leisure where people come together to share skills and the activities already range from porridge spurtles to repairing a boat, building a chair to creating a lifesize gorilla – the only restriction seems to be your imagination. The CatStrand’s Brian Jones is delighted to have signed the Biosphere Charter and said: “Our Men’s Shed is a place which contributes to many of the Biosphere principles. It provides a knowledge hub which recycles tools and materials as well as contributing to the wellbeing of the community. Using local resources we are exploring the potential to become a Social Enterprise which will help support the local economy.” Glenkens Gazette CARSPHAIRN COMMUNITY SHOP REOPENS Continued from front page... “When the floods hit, everyone rallied round to help us relocate to the village hall and likewise when we moved back into the shop,” said Lindsay. “Many of the fittings in the kitchen, tearooms and shop are brand new, reflecting a fresh start to our business all over again. Our reopening marks a new dawn for the community which was so badly hit in the floods on 30 December last year.” The size of the tearooms has been doubled to create a light, airy space to page 3 sit and have a hearty breakfast or just a cup of tea and a cake.Lindsay went on: “The tearooms are now a much nicer place in which to enjoy a chat and coffee with friends, whether locals or tourists. It’s now the community hub that has been lacking in Carsphairn since the pub closed many years ago. There’s really no other place to meet up in the village.” The extended tearooms are complemented by an outdoor garden Diners enjoying the shop’s new tearooms. in Carsphairn which are still at the rear where visitors and undergoing repair after the floods, the residents can while away the hours in a shop reopening is seen as heralding a picturesque setting. fresh start for the village. “We are able to take group bookings “It’s great that the village has its and small coach parties and we are now shop and tearooms back,” said Karen planning to put on afternoon teas on Sundays,” Lindsay added. “The business Hall, owner of The Knowe bed and breakfast. “Well done to all those is already showing a vast improvement involved and thanks to Lindsay and in turnover. Paul and I are thrilled. Paul for keeping things going in the “We would like to thank members of village hall over this difficult period. the past and present shop committee “Onwards and upwards!” for their help and support during what Thanks to additional funding from has been a very difficult time and Foundation Scotland and Carsphairn also the hall management committee Renewable Energy Fund Limited for the use of their facilities while the (CREFL), further improvements have shop was being refurbished.” been made to the interior and future Although there are many properties flood resistance of the shop premises. Glenkens Gazette page 4 sponsored by EVERYTHING listed in the Glenkens Freecycle section is FREE - you just need to contact the owner and go and pick it up! If you would like to list something on this page, please get in touch with Sarah on 07727 127 997 or email glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk VARIOUS Upright piano in good working order. Steel frame. All notes & pedals work but would benefit from re-tuning after moving. It will take several people to lift it into a van or similar. From smoke and pet free home. Collection from Mochrum near Knockvennie. Contact: Trevor on 440 683 Folding bed with mattress suitable for occasional use for a child. Not suitable for adults. From smoke and pet free home. Collection from Mochrum near Knockvennie. Contact: Trevor on 440 683 Baby’s high chair. IKEA Antelop. White. Detatchable legs. Good condition. Contact: 07766 686 402 Paddling Pool. Approx 4ft diameter and 15inch. Solid sides. Contact: 07766 686 402 Various unwanted furniture; tables, chairs, chest of drawers and other small household items. Contact: 450 679 or cathamonk@gmail.com to get some macro shots of insects and flowers, etc,” said Duncan. “Down along by my local burn at Glenlee I noticed a very tiny beetle perched on a fence post and thought I must try get a shot of it. Being so small it was not going to be easy. However, I do like a challenge when it comes to my photography! So I took several shots and then went on the hunt for more beasties.” At this point Duncan had no idea how special this little guy would turn out to be. “I came home, processed the image and posted the shot on a local wildlife page. The lady who runs the site then contacted me and advised me that it was a very rare rhinoceros beetle and I should report it to the Dumfries & Galloway Environmental Resource centre.” An interesting fact about rhinoceros beetles is that they are apparently the strongest animals on the planet, proportionally, they can lift up to 850 times their own weight. To put this into perspective, if a human of average height and weight had the strength of the rhinoceros beetle, it would be able to lift a 65 ton object! Duncan McNaught has been a photographer for over 20 years, and specialises in landscapes, flora and fauna, and all things natural. To take a look at more of Duncan’s photos, visit www.dmcnaughtphotography.com WANTED Kenwood Mixer wanted. Any age - ‘Chef’ model if possible (not hand mixer). Contact: 430 373 Exercise bike wanted. Contact: 07920 066 167 Has anyone got a piece of corrugated clear plastic? Minimum 3ft x3ft... Contact: 420 634 Rare Rhinoceros Beetle Photographed in Glenkens Local photographer Duncan McNaught caught this little critter on camera by his home in Glenlee. He was later informed by the Dumfries & Galloway Environmental Resources Centre that this is only the fourth ever recorded in the whole of the region. “This particular day I was out with my camera looking Glenkens Gazette page 5 sponsored by GALLOWAY GLENS OPPORTUNITIES Groups and individuals in the Glenkens have until September 2 to lodge ideas for projects to be funded by the Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership scheme (GGLP). project, McNabb Laurie, the GGLP’s development officer, explained that initial development funding has been received from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) allowing a number of specialist studies to be commissioned. These include a heritage skills audit, and an exploration of ways of addressing species loss and challenges to biodiversity. Another study is exploring natural flood Previous editions of the Gazette management opportunities in the have highlighted that the GGLP has area, “reconnecting rivers with their provisionally secured £2.7million river beds.” from the Heritage Lottery Fund to be These specialist studies will inform spent on projects from Carsphairn, the list of projects to be supported through the Glenkens and down to but the GGLP is also keen to hear Castle Douglas and Kirkcudbright suggestions directly from individual bay. The projects must ‘connect and local groups. Initial ideas already people with their heritage’ and received from the Glenkens include encourage sustainable communities. proposals to reconnect and advertise At a recent meeting of The heritage footpaths, publicity initiatives Glenkens Story local history to highlight what the natural landscape has to offer and innovative uses of community buildings to display and engage visitors in the heritage of the area. McNabb made it clear that he welcomes project proposals from any individual or group, contributions to be received an a single sheet application form by September 2. The meeting identified a number We stock washed fine sand, coarse sand and of concerns. These included: who gravels at competitive prices. would co-ordinate numerous local For further details contact: proposals into a James Mair - 07793 085 243 coherent plan for the Glenkens; who Email: loch.bargatton@live.co.uk would administer Bargatton Quarry, Laurieston, Castle Douglas, DG7 2PS any grant if awarded and who would supply maintenance funding for projects in the longer Delivery can be arranged - subject to quantity term. A critical factor identified Bargatton Sand & Gravel Supplying sand and gravel for all your farming needs, as well as households and businesses both large and small. Open Monday to Friday Weekends by arrangement Galloway Glens Partnership Scheme project area. by the meeting is the requirement that any funding from the HLF must be supported by matching funding supplied by the applicant. It is one thing for large organisations such as the Forestry Commission and the National Trust to source other funds - though already some proposals depending on matching funding from EU agencies could be in doubt - but this could be a major obstacle for smaller groups. While volunteer effort could count as ‘funding in kind’ it was pointed out that volunteers were already in short supply in the Glenkens. McNabb has acknowledged these concerns and is keen to work with groups to overcome them, stressing that the scheme was not restricted to the more professional, national organisations. Throughout the summer a series of free events will be held to illustrate the range of projects that could potentially be supported. These will be advertised though a number of media outlets and on the scheme’s new website, www.gallowayglens.org, which also gives an overview of the background to the GGLP and what it is trying to achieve. McNabb Laurie, the Scheme’s development officer is keen to meet as many potentially interested groups as possible. Contact him through mcn abb.laurie@dumgal.gov.uk or 07825 721 659. To keep up to date with Scheme’s progress and learn more about events taking place visit the website, sign up for the newsletter or follow GallowayGlens on twitter and Facebook. Glenkens Gazette PLAY FOR ALL AGES IN NEW GALLOWAY TOWN HALL A historic trophy, last used by the New Galloway Bowling Club, is back in use. The silver cup has been presented to Tom Carlyle, winner of the Town Hall Indoor Bowling league organised by Ray Bridgeman of LING (Local Initiatives in New Galloway). The bowls had been donated by a Kilmarnock Church group which no longer needed them. Table tennis is also available and we are trying out ‘New Age Kurling’. If Tuesday evenings don’t suit but you would like to play at other times, just get a group together and book the hall by telephoning 07926 044 062 and leaving a message. The weekly LING Lunches which started off in May have been a great success with numbers between 12 page 6 and 28 attending. Look in any time between 11am and 2pm. The times fit in well with the buses to and from Carsphairn, Dalry and Tom Carlyle with the silver cup. Balmaclellan but if other transport is needed, please contact us. During July and the first week of August, Early Years Scotland are running Messy Play sessions for Under Fives. Coming soon – a regular Stewartry Care Footcare Clinic. Look out for the summer New Galloway Story pop-up museum and other events, and look out too for LING at the Alternative Games weekend! Rosalind Hill NEW GALLOWAY GOLF CLUB New Galloway Golf Club is having a super year - the course is in superb condition and visitor numbers are up for the first time in years. The club recently held its Captain’s Day which was well attended and everyone enjoyed the competition and social event which followed. The winner on the day and recipient of the Jack McQueen Quaich was young Scott Jamieson. The club’s junior coaching programme, which is being delivered both on the course and in the local schools, continues to attract a healthy number of local youngsters thanks to the hard work of the junior convenor and his coaches. The club’s academy is now well in place and anyone interested in giving the sport of golf a try can take advantage of this by contacting the club for details. Ian Brown RJ McCulloch is a family run plumbing, heating and renewables company that is a trusted provider of affordable heating solutions. At RJ McCulloch we embody the concepts of quality, technical skills and customer satisfaction. Our aim is to provide our customers with a no-nonsense and reliable service for many years to come. From a rural cottage to a country estate, we can design and install a heating system to suit your needs. Our highly experienced installation and service engineers are fully qualified in all areas of Gas, Oil, LPG, Biomass, Heat pumps and Solar Thermal. RJ McCulloch recently installed a Mitsubishi Ecodan heat pump for Gary and Liz at St John’s Town Of Dalry to replace their electric storage heaters and hot water immersion system. They are now experiencing reduced fuel costs, more efficient central heating and hot water and also benefiting from the renewable heat incentive available to home owners and businesses alike installing renewable technology. Please feel free to contact Ross for advice relating to any Plumbing or Heating queries you may have. Happy owners of a new Eco Dan boiler, Gary and Liz, with Ross McCulloch. Glenkens Gazette page 7 CatStrand Highlights You can expect all kinds of fun and frivolity this summer at CatStrand, with performances ranging from live music with local band Not Guilty at the Alternative Games Launch Night Party on Friday 5 August to Charioteer Theatre & Teatro Milano bringing in the Autumn Season on Friday 30 September. Kris Drever, described by BBC Music as “completely infectious”, will hit the stage on Thursday 25 August, performing a collection of semi-biographical songs from his latest album If Wishes Were Horses. My Sweet Patootie rolls in on Thursday 1 September with a mix of contemporary roots and ragtime, tight vocal harmonies, guitar and fiddle. “Two parts exemplary musicianship, one part vaudeville comedy” says Driftwood Magazine about their show. Friday 16 September sees Dance Ihayami presenting Silent Space, Scotland’s classical Indian dance company’s latest work. Silent Space has been described as “classical Indian dance at its most beautiful” by The Skinny. My Sweet Patootie These are just a few tasters of what’s on this summer and into autumn - why not come along and see what’s on offer for yourself? The CatStrand Team See our latest brochure or visit our website for programme details. Book online at www.catstrand.com or call 01644 420374. Planning Permission for Shop Project Efforts to save New Galloway’s last remaining general store have cleared another hurdle. New Galloway Community Enterprises Ltd have secured planning permission for the conversion of the existing shop, house and outbuildings into the proposed community shop and selfcatering tourist flats. Meanwhile work is reaching completion on the grant application to purchase the property, complete the renovation and contribute to the first few years of operation. This will be submitted to the Big Lottery’s “Growing Community Assets” fund in the course of August and a result is expected by the end of the year. Included in the extremely detailed 90-page submission are the results of the latest survey of local opinion gathered at meetings and events throughout the village. The evidence of popular support generated from this and earlier surveys greatly strengthens our application. The evidence of popular support generated from this and earlier surveys greatly strengthens our application and is much A HEALING VISIT FROM DOWN UNDER An Evangelist healer from Brisbane, Australia, will visit Dalry in August to give a series of healing sessions. David and Heidi Bartholomew have invited the well-known Australian healing evangelist John Mellor to conduct meetings in Dalry Church on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 August. John became involved in the healing ministry while working as a missionary among the Aborigines in Australia and now travels the globe with his wife Julie conducting meetings. He is already well-known in many parts of Scotland, but this will be his first visit to Galloway. Both meetings will be at 4pm and could extend well into the evening. When David and Heidi invited him to come to Dalry they assumed that he would be conducting other meetings in Scotland during the same visit, but in fact these will be the only Scottish meetings during his coming tour. Already the meetings in Dalry are attracting national - and even international - interest, and it is expected that there may be quite a few visitors coming specifically for the workshops to the Glenkens over that weekend. To find out more visit www.johnmellor.org Glenkens Gazette Health and Wellbeing at the Heart of Education page 8 The summer term has had a focus on the fundamental aspects of Health and Wellbeing woven into other aspects of curriculum. All our school sites have enviable outdoor spaces that it is easy to take for granted, but they are still being actively enhanced. In Carsphairn Primary the pupils have explored facets of biology, ecology and technology in their introduction to fishing. Their PE curriculum followed by their sports day set them up to be fit for their endof-year activity which involved a mini canoe expedition on Loch Ken with a night under canvas to ensure that they all went home tired! Learning in the context of the Glenkens is a rich experience. Kells Primary pupils p1-5 have visited the beach at the Dhoon to follow up on their classroom learning on the Ocean Life topic whilst the senior class visited the Samye Ling Buddhist monastery – exploring different aspects of wellbeing. Kells pupils were joined by friends and family for their sports day which was a fiercely contested event yet displayed encouragement and good humour in bucket loads. The weather was very kind and a few minutes after the event concluded, a dramatic rain event hit the valley whilst Kells pupils looked on from inside the building. Dalry Primary has been completing the Daily Mile over the summer Pupils at the start line of the Race for Life. term and they have consequently been improving their stamina. The opportunity for ‘walk and talk’ on a daily basis is good for wellbeing on many levels and it is something everyone can do in their daily lives if we make time for it. It is good physically and good for us mentally. We hope they will continue with their families in the future. The Daily Mile on the Queen’s birthday had a celebratory feel and performances on Sports Day were enhanced. The sports were excellent and many friends and family joined us for the nursery sports in the morning as well as the primary finals in the afternoon. Dalry pupils competed vigorously in the A section of the Paul Jones competition and did the Glenkens proud in terms of effort and sportsmanship. Galloway Activity Centre hosted Dalry and Kells pupils for a day’s activity, stretching individuals both wet and dry! The Race for Life held on the school field was something Mrs Devlin championed and the nursery and primary students stepped up to the mark in a big way. Their wholehearted participation and the amazing generosity of the Glenkens community raised a staggering sum for Cancer Research - in excess of £1,480 - with contributions still coming in at the end of term. We thank pupils, staff and the community for their efforts. Healthy, happy children learn well, so that must be at the heart of what we do. Jenny Smith, Headteacher, Glenkens Cluster GLENKENS TOUGH MUDDERS Seven of the Glenkens’ premium athletes took on the Scottish Tough Mudder at Drumlanrig Castle to raise funds for Help for Heroes. The 11-mile ‘extreme’ obstacle course included crawling under barbed wire, plunging into ice-cold pools of water, scaling four-metre-high barriers, and waist-high mud-filled trenches, to name but a few of the challenges faced. The novice ‘Mudders’ had such a great time they’re already signed up for next year! Glenkens Gazette page 9 Glenkens Guides’ Beamish Trip Girls and leaders from 1st Glenkens Guide Unit enjoyed a weekend away in Northumberland. Thanks go to a very generous grant from Cashback For Communities and extra fundraising done by the guide unit over the past year. On Saturday 11 June the guides visited Carlisle and went tenpin bowling, and then visited Talkin Tarn Country Park for an interesting walk and some outdoor activities. Their overnight accommodation was in Edmundbyers Youth Hostel. This was also a new experience for most of the group. The main purpose of the outing was to visit Beamish Open Air Museum, which the girls were able to explore during a sixhour visit on Sunday 12 June. This was such a very interesting and informative day, and being able to wander at will, in and out of different houses and shops, visiting a drift mine, a railway, a farm, an old hall, and a small town area was amazing. In many places volunteers and staff were dressed in period costume and going about their daily activities, such as baking in a kitchen in the pit village, lace making in the front parlour at the home of the dentist in the town, serving behind the counters in the shops of the small town to mention just a few. Choosing sweets made at 1st Glenkens Guide Unit on their trip. the confectioners in town, and eating chips cooked the oldfashioned way and served in newspaper were certainly popular choices! Getting around the site was made more interesting because you can use the vintage buses and trams. Being a guide can be a very interesting and worthwhile thing, especially as girls are encouraged to choose their own activities and to be responsible for carrying them out. The idea for this outing came from the girls themselves, and leaders helped them to find a way of fulfilling their wish. Our unit will start meeting again after the holidays on Tuesday 6 September, and if there are any girls out there who would like to join us please contact Mrs Peace on 430 281 or Mrs McAdam 430 393. Guides are aged 10 to 14 years, Brownies are aged 7 to 11 years, and Rainbows are aged 5 to 7 years. Kathryn Peace Glenkens Gazette page 10 SPALDING BOWLING CLUB Spalding Bowling Club held their Open Triples on Saturday June 25. After a very successful day, Kate Bone presented the cup on behalf of the sponsors - W Bone, Clachan Inn & Jake Jordan - to the winning triple Donald Johnstone, Brian Bryden and Carole McMillan (Gretna). Runners-up were John McNally, Sandy Harvie and Steve Davie (Spalding). Photograph includes those listed above along with club president Peter Hamilton. Beaten semi-finalist were Stuart Gilmore, Jim Thomson, Jackson Pringle (Castle Douglas) and Peter Hamilton, Ian Murray, Andy Kirkpatrick (Spalding). Valerie Russell MATTHEW’S ADVENTURES Gazette founder, Matthew Newton, former owner of Newton’s Shop in Dalry (now Wright’s Shop) has been cycling the globe. Matthew says: “Hi Sarah. No local news but I can tell you it’s 32°+ here in Sri Lanka. I’m travelling by bike, mostly in the north - check out Jaffna on Google maps. I continue to read online. You do a fantastic job. I can’t believe the Community Councils are being done away with shame on the D&G Council. Best regards, Matthew” To find out more about what he’s up to, take a look at Matthew’s fb page! Glenkens Gazette Emma’s Wild Eats August/September The Boletus edulis, known as the porcini mushroom in Italy and the cep in France, is more familiar to us here in the UK as the ‘penny bun’ - and when you see one you’ll know why. The cap is quite convincingly like a baked bun, complete with floured top. The texture of the flesh is firm and satisfying, not slimy, and the flavour is disgusting. Alright, it’s delicious, but please don’t pick them all! Boletes are the group of mushrooms with pores rather than gills (the underside of the mushroom looks like a sponge), and these include a lot of really good edible species that are relatively easy to identify, none better than the ‘penny bun’. Key identifying features: • Pale – chestnut brown cap, with a fine white rim and rounded shape, matt when dry. Grow to over 20 cm diameter, but you usually find them at around 10 cm. • Pores rather than gills, whitecream and hard when young, darkening and becoming more spongy as the mushroom ages. • Almost white to pale tan, very rotund, bulbous stipe (stem), with distinctive white net-like reticulation. This does not stain blue when cut as many other Boletes do, some very suddenly and quite magically. • The overall shape is a good aid to identification as few other mushrooms are quite as sturdy. • As usual, companion species and location are helpful. Ceps often grow in the same areas as fly agaric mushrooms (the classic red and white spotted toadstools of fairytale fame) and always around trees, often spruce. It would be possible to confuse the bitter bolete (tylopilus felleus) with the cep, but it has a dark network on its stipe (which is more elongated) and a pink tinge to the gills. Although not poisonous, it tastes very bitter and unpleasant. If you’re unsure if it’s one or the other, you can taste a tiny piece of the flesh to check. It’s really worth researching the other boletes to be sure which you can eat; none are deadly but some can make you very sick. Even less perfect boletes are great dried and powdered to use as stock. Following a couple of simple rules can ensure that you pick the right boletes: Gillespie Gifford & Brown LLP Solicitors and Estate Agents Selling properties across Dumfries & Galloway 01556 503744 www.ggblaw.co.uk All legal advice Offices in Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie Kirkcudbright and Dumfries page 11 A classic example of a ‘penny bun’ • Don’t pick it if it has bright red or yellow pores. • Don’t pick it if it stains blue when you cut the flesh. Unfortunately this rules out quite a few edibles too, but it’s a good basic guide. However, as always, don’t trust just me - consult at least three guides and be 100% sure of what you pick before you eat it. Emma Check out Emma’s blog: www.emmaswild.co.uk The Galloway Glens website has now been launched... www.gallowayglens.org Visit us for informa�on about the Scheme, the �mescales involved, to sign up for our newsle�er and for details of the series of FREE events being held over the summer. Please also follow us on twi�er and facebook! Glenkens Gazette page 12 JANET’S KNITTING JOURNEY IN PRINT Knit 1 Bike 1: 818 miles, 21 workshops and a lot of cake – and now a book... You may recall reading about Janet’s proposed Knit 1 Bike 1 project in the Spring 2015 Issue of the Gazette. In this edition, Janet gives an update, having completed her cycle journey, written a book about the experience and having also finished some of the associated art work. So what is Knit 1 Bike 1? It is essentially an art project, which began because textile artist Janet Renouf-Miller of Create With Fibre, loves both knitting and cycling. So she set off from Dalmellington at the end of June 2015 on a tenweek cycling and knitting journey round Scotland. She delivered 21 mini workshops on the way and cycled 818 miles, going where the workshops took her. She came home via the Glenkens and spent her final night at Hawkrigg caravan site between Dalry and Carsphairn. Not only that, but Janet knitted and crocheted what she saw on the way. In fact she is still knitting and Cosmetics, Skin Care, Health & Sports Nutritional Products all products are botanically-based, vegan, gluten & cruelty free To try before you buy, host an Arbonne Party, or for advice please contact your local Arbonne Independent Consultant, Katy Caie, on 07756 506 496 or visit http://catrionacaie.arbonne.com 20% off for new customers! Just quote GKARBONNE Arbonne Independent Consultant GLENKENS MEDICAL PRACTICE General Medical & Dispensing Services The Surgery High Street New Galloway crocheting the things she saw and when all the work is finished, it will form an exhibition, the first showing of which will be at the Borders Textile Tower House in Hawick and it will then tour, including a visit to the Glenkens. Janet has crocheted things like the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which was featured in the Sunday Janet Renouf-Miller with the Glenfinnan Viaduct. Post, the Isle of Mull Ferry, contains over 140 photographs. a cooked breakfast, worms, It has been described as a ‘page midges and much more. She was turner’. Maggie of Carsphairn said: interviewed on Radio Scotland by “Got a bone to pick with you... it’s both the Janice Forsyth Show and 11.50pm and I’m now on page 107. the Kaye Adams Show and the Struggling to put it down!” story of the trip was recounted in a You can purchase a copy on number of local newspapers around Janet’s website Scotland. www.createwithfibre.co.uk The Knit 1 Bike 1 book is a lighthearted account of the trip and Wright’s Shop & Post Office Dalry Licensed convenience store and newsagent stocking a range of local suppliers including Corsons and Irvings Bakers, Ballards and Dalmellington Country Butchers and Mitchells Fruit and Veg. Opening Times (both shop & PO): Monday to Friday: 7am – 6pm Saturday: 8am – 6pm Sunday: 8.30am – 4pm Tel: 01644 430 225 THE STEWARTRY VETERINARY CENTRE CASTLE DOUGLAS SURGERY HOURS Mon-Fri 2.00-2.30 pm & 5-6 pm Sat 2-2.30 pm DALBEATTIE SURGERY HOURS Mon, Wed, Fri 3-3.30 pm Tues & Thurs 6-6.30 pm FOR APPOINTMENTS AT BOTH SURGERIES OR IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY � 01556 502263 � VETERINARY SURGERY OAKWELL ROAD CASTLE DOUGLAS W BONE THE GARAGE, DALRY OPEN 8.30AM - 6PM (SIX DAYS) 10AM - 6PM SUNDAYS - FUEL 24 HOURS - MOT CENTRE FOR APPOINTMENTS CALL SHOP • SANDWICH BAR • LOTTERY � 01644 420234 � Tel: 01644 430 208 Fax: 01644 430 669 jeeps@whbjeeps.co.uk www.whbjeeps.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 13 Brass is Back by Popular Request Dunaskin Doon Band is returning to Carsphairn and this time as national competition finalists. After an absence of five years, on Saturday 20 August the band will perform its third summer concert in the village. On this occasion, however, they will be back as 2016 National Brass Band Championship finalists, having qualified at the Scottish regional championships in Perth in March. The Ayrshire band will be competing against bands across the UK at Cheltenham in September to bring back the national title. The Carsphairn concert will be held in the church and will start at 7.30pm with refreshments served during the interval. Donations at the door will go towards the church fabric fund. Photo of the Issue Sponsored by the Ken Bridge Hotel Competition judges Dave and Sue from the Ken Bridge Hotel chose Clatteringshaws Silhouette by Eric Broadhurst as this issue’s winner. “We were really impressed with the photo of Kenmure Castle by Marylin Lothian - it was nice to see a different view, from above - but the winner this issue is the striking shot of Clatteringshaws Loch.” Eric wins a meal for two at the Ken Bridge Hotel’s renowned Sunday Carvery. Sunday Glenkens Gazette page 14 Air Crashes Around Loch Doon Following an article last year about the air crashes on Corserine, I thought that readers might be interested in the air crashes around Loch Doon. Although two of the three crashes in this area were wartime crashes, the third was within memory of many residents, being a fatal crash in 1975. On 24 October 1941, Spitfire mark IIA serial P7540 left RAF Ayr (Heathfield) on a training flight. It was reported that the pilot made a low pass over Loch Doon but as he banked away, a wing caught the surface which caused the aircraft to crash into the loch. The pilot was F/O Frantisek Hekl of 312 Czech Squadron RAF. Although the RAF searched for the aircraft and pilot at the time, no trace was found. In 1977 a serious search for the aircraft began by members of the Dumfries Sub-Aqua club and other clubs working with the Dumfries & Galloway Aviation Museum. It would take five years before the aircraft was finally located and recovered by experts operating under a RAF licence. The search involved 567 dives by 109 individual divers. The aircraft has been partially restored and is now on display together with documentation including a photograph of the pilot at the Dumfries & Galloway Aviation Museum. On 18 March 1944, Hurricane mark IV serial LD564 was on a navigation exercise (NAVEX) from RAF Ayr (Heathfield) piloted by F/O Roswell Murray MacTavish of 439 (Tiger) Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force. The aircraft was flying at 3,300 feet when, for reasons that have not been discovered, it descended steeply through clouds and impacted the ground, killing the pilot. F/O MacTavish was 24 years old and came from Vancouver, British Columbia. He is buried in Ayr Cemetery. Remains of the aircraft can still be seen in a firebreak in the forest. On 28 September 1975, Piper Cherokee serial GBATP was flying over the Glenkens with the pilot and three passengers on board. The plane was en route from Prestwick to Blackpool when it struck high ground at Bow Hill, Carsphairn, killing all on board. A plaque commemorating the crash is fixed to a rock at this very remote site. If you visit any of these sites, please be aware of the Protection of Military Remains Act, which makes it an offence to remove any wreckage from military crash sites without a licence. The Piper Cherokee crash site is the only one with a memorial. Paul Goodwin Map with crash sites marked. War Updates: June & July 1916 June 1916 was a relatively quiet month in terms of the war but we still saw the tragic death of Alex Nielson from Dalry. Having emigrated to Canada in 1914, Nielson was serving with the Canadians at the time of his death. As his mother was living in Dalbeattie, his name appears on the Dalbeattie as well as the Dalry war memorials. The battle of the Somme commenced on 1 July with tremendous loss of life on both sides on the first day of battle. By good fortune the men of the Glenkens all survived that first day, but their luck didn’t last and deaths were reported in July from all four Glenkens parishes. On 9 July Alfred Tait of Dalry was killed by the explosion of an enemy mine at Hulloch and is commemorated on the Loos memorial. Joseph McCulloch of Main Street, Dalry, was also killed in July at the age of just 19. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval memorial. It is clear from the dates he served that he lied about his age and was underage when he enlisted and also when he went overseas in January 1915. Robert McWhirter of Old Glenlee, New Galloway, was killed on 19 July at 20 years of age. Prior to enlistment he had been a shepherd at Bennan Farm, New Galloway Station. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval memorial. George Counter of the Salutation Hotel, Carsphairn, was another July death with no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval memorial. Alexander McAdam was born in Balmaclellan (the grandson of the local schoolmaster) and served his apprenticeship as a painter in Dumfries before moving to Edinburgh. He was 30 years old when he was killed on 21 July and is remembered on the Dumfries war memorial and the St Michael’s church memorial in Dumfries as well as on the Balmaclellan memorial. He was also listed on the (now lost) Dumfries Painters’ memorial which was unveiled in the Globe Hotel, Dumfries. James Good of Dalry was killed on 30 July and, with no known grave, is commemorated on the Thiepval memorial. Paul Goodwin Glenkens Gazette page 15 LOCAL HISTORY with TED COWAN What’s in a Name? I am most grateful to all of you who responded to my last contribution wherein I requested suggestions about the location of the place-name, Holm of Dawhernyn. Although I have been up to the head of Water of Ken several times I completely forgot about the Holm of Dalquhairn. Mea culpa! Apologies to all concerned for my doititness! I should have cast my net wider, which is the responsibility of all good historians. My search for the name was too narrow and restrictive. A holm, as you will know, describes an extent of low ground beside a river, sometimes rendered as howm or haugh. The word derives from Old Norse holmr meaning a small island, a word that passed into Scots via Middle English, ‘holme’. In the past, such sites were greatly valued by farmers. John Gillespie, minister of Kells, perceptively described the holm at the head of Loch Ken as ‘perhaps one of the richest spots in Scotland’, because it was inundated several times in winter and spring. ‘Like the Nile it leaves behind it the salts, oils, and fat earths’ carried down by the river, so that ‘many acres produce 300 stone of natural hay and the arable is fertile in proportion’. The downside was that if the Lammas Spate hit at the end of July or beginning of August, as it often did, crops could be destroyed. In view of our own recent experiences with flooding here in Glenkens it is interesting to note that the reporters in the Old Statistical Account for the parishes of Dalry and Crossmichael stated that ‘in some places, earthen banks or mounds have been erected, are erecting, or may be erected with advantage’, but by whom, unfortunately, is not recorded. There are actually two Dalquairns, Upper and Nether, doubtless at one time a ferme toun with a not insignificant population. Dalquhairn is covenanters in the seventeenth-century. He also notes the Whigs’ Hole on Altry Hill, a hiding place used by the ‘suffering bleeding remnant’, trying to avoid state persecution. North of Dalquhairn at the head of the glen is The Lorg: hill, burn, cottage and bridge. Could the name be associated with Gaelic lorg, which means both a shepherd’s staff and a footprint? Nearby place-names provide a guide to the local fauna. Hawk’s Craig, Corby (crow) Craig, two Glede (kite) Craigs, Cow Knowe, Hare Cleugh and Ewe Hill. The ‘what’ in Alwhat Hill refers to wildcats as does Dalwhat to the east. There must be a story behind the intriguing ‘Sour Snout’ the nose-shaped part of Altry Hill. Back in the day the place would not have seemed as remote as it does now since it linked Nithsdale and the Glenkens. Now, when the glen feels like a place of the past, it is salutary to note the presence of the wind farm on Windy Standard, surely a current (and contentious) symbol of modernity. At the south end of the glen the Forestry Commission recently spent £1.2 million pioneering a new method of strengthening the road for previously destructive timber traffic. Readers’ comments are always welcome. Sincere thanks to Linda Murtough, Michael Ansell, Peter, Suzie and Roddy Seed, David Bartholomew and Chris Rollie for their information and suggestions. Ted Cowan Could the name be associated with Gaelic lorg, which means both a shepherd’s staff and a footprint? locally pronounced Dawhurn, which is quite close to the sixteenth-century spelling: Dawhernyn. Dal is Gaelic for field or place, while the second element refers to the cairn, south of the farms. There are different types of cairn. Those on hilltops invite visitors to heighten them by placing a stone on the pile - “a chuckie for the cairn”. Some are on the open moor as waymarkers. This cairn is a prehistoric grave, where a flat bronze axehead was found. Rev David Bartholomew points out that the road beyond Dalquhairn leads to Sanquhar and thus would have provided an entry to the Glenkens for The Earl of Moray in 1568, or for government dragoons hunting Holm of Dalquhairn, Water o’ Ken © Lizanne Henderson, Padeapix Glenkens Gazette page 16 Who Do We Think We Were? Avril Bridgeman was born and brought up in New Galloway, and returned here after many years living in the Midlands and then Kilmarnock. She has fond memories of the annual Glenkens Show, then held in New Galloway. Whether you too grew up here or have arrived in the Glenkens from elsewhere, please send in your 500 words of reminiscence. It doesn’t matter how young or old you are - if you live here, you are part of Glenkens history. Please send your contribution - of no more than 500 words - by email to margaret.elphinstone@dircon.co .uk or hand in a copy at CatStrand marked ‘Glenkens Gazette WDWTWW’ The next Gazette will have a memoir by Margaret Pringle of Dalry, who grew up in Edinburgh. THE SHOW DAY I jumped out of bed and throwing the skylight wide I could hear the bleating and braying of the animals as they were herded into their pens in the park and the back park. The show day had already begun! As an only child growing up in New Galloway, I loved the day of the Glenkens Show when it seemed to me that the whole place came alive with farmers and friends meeting and greeting, laughing, chatting and New Galloway Golf Club shaking hands. After breakfast I ran to the park to meet my friends and admire the animals, spruced and groomed by their owners in the hope of a prized rosette. The air was filled with the country smells of horses, cattle, sheep, straw and sawdust as the judges poked and The man at the front of the photo is John Ewart of prodded the creatures Glenlee Mains, my Dad’s uncle. I can’t name the others. checking for the Maybe someone else will remember! qualities required for a champion beast. The and trailers, I was preparing for horses were my personal favourites. excitement of another kind. My Mum made a huge pot of broth After tea, the hum of the generator in case of visitors and filled the tins drew me to ‘The Shows’, the funfair with tasty home baked treats. At on the old washing green, now the lunchtime my Dad regaled us with car park by the burn near Carson’s his experiences of the morning in the Knowe. park while the hotels did a good trade Faces aglow in the brightly coloured in lunches and liquid refreshments. lights we attempted to roll saved up The street buzzed with activity. pennies, win a goldfish or coconut or In the afternoon I would pop into we rode on the swingboats. The air my Uncle Wullie John Milligan’s shop hung sickly sweet with candy floss (now Williamson and Henry) to and toffee apples. choose a treat from his wide display All too soon it was time to head of sweeties – maybe a lucky bag, home at the end of a tiring day in the a Tobermoray tattie or a stick of fresh air. rhubarb rock. Auntie Ella was busy in As I lay in bed, I could hear the the tearoom upstairs. revellers in the Town Hall at the Show Next stop was the Reading Room dance. The sprung floor, famed as one (now Torr Cottage) which housed the of the best in the region, bounced to floral entries as well as produce. I the rhythm of Uncle Tommy’s ‘Starry held my breath in anticipation that I Nights’ band. myself had been lucky enough to win When the music eventually stopped a prize for my ‘Garden in a saucer’ and the hotel bars emptied, the or my painstakingly handwritten revellers shouted their final farewells, National Anthem. sometimes in song, I fell asleep a Back in the park while the very contented wee lassie. successful beasts were proudly After all, it would be only a year till paraded round the ring before we could do it all over again. being herded home in their floats Avril Bridgeman Family and friends coming to stay? Short of space? www.nggc.co.uk Cosy country cottage available (sleeps 4) Buggies now available for hire Call Fiona on 01644 420 227 Founded 1902 - 01644 420737 VISITORS AND NEW MEMBERS WELCOME www.covenanters-holidaycottagescotland.co.uk FHB Fencing Dalry Domestic and Agricultural Fencing 01644 430 495 (Peter) or 07767 795 498 (Jonathan) Glenkens Gazette BATTLE OF THE SOMME CENTENARY In line with other events nationally on 1 July, acts of remembrance were held at the War Memorials in Balmaclellan, Dalry and New Galloway to commemorate the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. At 7.30am on July 1, 1916 the battle was launched with three blows page 17 on a whistle. The fighting continued for five months with over 1 million soldiers from both sides killed. Exactly 100 years later, at 7.30am, the local men who died in the battle were remembered with thoughts and prayers. One of those attending reported that: “the dead were remembered, albeit in a very quiet way which perhaps they would have preferred to the noise and horror of the Somme”. This photograph of a rainbow behind the New Galloway War Memorial was taken on the same day just after 8.30pm. Remembered in the Glenkens Scotland’s only civic memorial to ordinary soldiers who died in the Crimean War was the first stop on the latest history field trip undertaken by The Glenkens Story project. A tour of the war memorials in two of the Glenkens parishes started at Balmaclellan where the party were shown the simple red sandstone monument to five local men who died in the 19th century conflict with Russia, immortalised in The Charge of the Light Brigade. Paul Goodwin of the Scottish Military History Group, who led the trip, explained that sometimes family memorials recorded officers lost in the war (there is one at Balmaclellan) and there were regimental memorials around the A&B Welding & Fabrication ANDREW SINCLAIR 21 TOWNHEAD CRESCENT ST JOHN’S TOWN OF DALRY CASTLE DOUGLAS DG7 3UR 01644 430 332 / 07896 168 724 andyandbevsinclair@yahoo.co.uk country, but Balmaclellan was one of only five communities in Britain which had marked the loss of their own ordinary soldiers. Members of the field trip saw no fewer than 18 memorials at six locations across the parishes of Kells and Balmaclellan. The visit included St Margaret’s Church in New Galloway which houses numerous memorials including the plaque commemorating James Faed, the 15-year-old midshipman (and son of the landscape artist) who died after the sinking of HMS Goliath at Gallipoli. A relative of the dead sailor still sometimes attends the church on Armistice Sunday. The New Galloway civic memorial includes the names of the four McCheyne brothers, a rare but far from unique instance of such a loss in one family. It also, unusually for a First World War memorial, includes the name of a nurse, Jane Nodwell, who died from illness acquired while nursing wounded soldiers. Paul explained that each locality made up its own rules on who could be included. In some places such a case would have been excluded. Kells parish obviously displayed a more inclusive spirit, as did Balmaclellan where the memorial bears the name of one soldier who died from his injuries five years after the First World War ended. Some of the participants were viewing the names of their own relatives. Avril Bridgeman of New Galloway told the group about her two great uncles, the McGaw brothers, whose name appears on the Kells memorial. The Glenkens Story is an informal group of local history enthusiasts. Our next Field Trip will be a full-day event on Saturday 3 September when Dr David Bartholomew will lead a tour of Covenanting sites in the Glenkens. To learn more of this and our activities email theglenkensstory@gmail.com or call 07766 686402. Mike Brown Glenkens Gazette page 18 AUGUST & SEPTEMBER AUGUST Fri 4, The Scottish Alternative Games LAUNCH NIGHT PARTY with Not Guilty, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Thu 18, FILM: Steve, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Sat 20, Dunaskin Doon Band, 7.30pm, Carsphairn Church Thu 25, Kris Drever, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Sat 27 & Sun 28, Healing Workshops, 4pm, Dalry Church Wed 31, FILM: Sunset Song, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway SEPTEMBER Tue 13, Slava Sidorenko, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Thu 1, My Sweet Patootie, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Thu 15, FILM: Youth, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Sat 3, FoDSFest2k16, Music & Arts Festival, 3-9pm, Dalry School Field Fri 16, Dance Ihayami: Silent Space, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Sat 3, Glenkens Story Field Trip; tour of the key Covenanting sites in the Glenken, 10am-4.30pm, starts at Dalry, contact theglenkensstory@ gmail.com Mon 5, Dalry CC EGM, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall Fri 9, Stranded Cat Records Showcase & Single Launch, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Fri 23, Son Al Son, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Wed 28, FILM: Under the Skin, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Fri 30, Charioteer Theatre & Teatro Milano Present: A Bench on the Road, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway DALRY PHOTOS WANTED The Dalry Town Hall committee is looking for submissions of photographs of Dalry. Please send in views of Dalry and the surrounding area for a Dalry Town Hall Christmas Card Photo Competition. Entries must in by the end of September. Please get in touch for further information: Noreen Bell, 01644 420730. “I only advertise in the Gazette, and from that one ad I’ve gained plenty of new customers as well as many regular clients.” J Mair, Bargatton Quarry Glenkens Agricultural Society Annual Show Saturday 13th August Mains of Kenmure, New Galloway VOLUNTEERS WANTED for GLENKENS COMMUNITY SHOP We’d love to have some new people on board to help support us at the Shop - please pop in if you are interested. - 34 Main Street, Dalry - Cattle, Sheep, Goats, Poultry, Horses, Show Jumping, Fancy Dress Pony, Pets & Dogs, Crookmaking, Refreshments, Schedules from Fiona McIntyre: 01387 261 812 or fiona_mcintyre@hotmail.co.uk Apollo5 Returns to the Glenkens Summer Concert Saturday 20 August Dalry Town Hall 7.30pm Ticket at the door £8 (accompanied children free) Glenkens Gazette page 19 REGULAR EVENTS CatStrand, New Galloway: Exercise to Music: Mon, 10-11am Margaret Morris dance 1: 3-7yrs, term-time Mondays, 3.45-4.30pm Margaret Morris dance 2: 816yrs, term-time Mondays, 4.305.15pm Access All Areas Youth Arts - Making Music: Please phone CatStrand to book session. Gentle Tai Chi: Wed, 10am, 60+ Glenkens Writing Group: First Wed each month 3-5pm Sing it Out: Thurs, 11am -12pm CatStrand Ukes: Thurs, 1pm – 3.30pm 60+ Choreographic Skills Lab: Thurs (term-time), 7 - 8.30pm ages 12-18 Zumba Gold: Fridays (term-time), 10-11am, CatStrand, 16+ Saturday Art Club: twice a month, 10am–12noon, to book call 420 374 Catstrand Youth Players: Sun during term time, 2pm Glenkens Acoustic Sessions: last Sun of the month, 2-4pm Glenkens Community Centre, Dalry, (contact Kath on 430 281): Paint & Art: Mon, 1.30-4.30pm & Wed, 7-9pm GCC Playgroup: Tues, Wed & Thurs, 9.10-11.40am, contact Sue on 07709 929 482 Guides: Tues during term-time, 6.15pm, contact: Kath 430 281 Good Neighbours’ Club: Tues, 2pm Brownies: Wed, 5.30-6.45pm Kickback Martial Arts: Thurs, 79pm Thursday Craft Group: Thurs, 24pm Glenkens Children’s Club: Fri, 10am-12noon New Galloway Town Hall: LING Lunches: Tues, 11am-2pm Indoor Sports: Tues, 7-9pm (from September) Zumba: Wed, 7.30-8.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall, 11+ Hard of Hearing Drop-in: First Fri each month, 10am-12noon Various Locations: Ballroom & Latin Dance: Mon, 7.30pm, Castle Douglas Primary School Carsphairn Post Office: Tues, 13pm, Lagwyne Hall Beavers: Tues, 6–7.15pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Dog Training: Tues & Thurs, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. Contact: Eric 460 Glenkens Community Councils Balmaclellan Community Council Meetings: 4th Monday each month, 7.30pm, Balmaclellan Village Hall. Carsphairn Community Council Meetings: Last Monday each month, 7pm, Lagwyne Hall, Carsphairn. Dalry Community Council Meetings: 1st Monday each month, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. New Galloway & Kells Community Council Meetings: 2nd Monday each month, 7.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall. Full minutes of local Community Council meetings can be viewed at Dalry Library. 25 Sept, 12noon, Harvest CHURCH TIMES Dalry. Thanksgiving, Dalry Church, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND Sunday Services - Balmaclellan 12noon: 1st. Carsphairn 10.30am: 1st, 2nd(Aug), 3rd, 4th. Dalry 9am: 1st, 2nd(Aug), 3rd, 4th(Aug). Dalry 10.30am: 2nd(Sept). Dalry 12noon(Sept). Kells 10.30am: 2nd(Aug), 3rd, 4th. Special Services/Events: 11 Sept, 10.30am, United Family Service, Dalry Church, followed by BBQ and children’s games at the Manse, followed by Harvest Lunch in Dalry Town Hall. Communion Service: 28 Aug, 10.30am, Kells Church SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH: St Margaret’s, New Galloway: Holy Communion, 10.30am every Sun & Wed. CATHOLIC CHURCH SERVICES: Kirkcudbright: Sun Mass, 9.30am. Dalbeattie: Sat Mass, 5pm 670 Wednesday Quiz Night: Wed, 8.30pm, Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Stewartry Camera Club: Wed, 7.30pm, Ringford Village Hall, runs Wed 11 Sept till end Mar Mossdale Painters: Wed, 9.30am, Mossdale Village Hall Cub Scouts: Wed, 6.45–8pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Coffee & Craft Morning: Thurs, 9am-12noon, Lagwyne Hall Youth Writing Group: Thurs (during term time), 3.30-5pm, ages 10-15, Dalry School Scouts: Thurs, 7–8.30pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Gentle Tai Chi: Fri 10-11am, Dalry Town Hall To hire the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) behind Dalry School call Sonja Tranter on 430 244 or Nicolette Wise on 430 218. Dalry Library Temporary Hours Tue: 12noon - 3.30pm Fri: 10am - 12noon & 1pm - 4.30pm There are 23 mobile library stops - to find out where and when please phone 430 234. ADVERTISE IN THE GAZETTE (price per issue incl VAT) SMALL: 6cm x 6cm, £37.80 (+ 10% off with series discount) 1/4 PAGE: 9cm w x 13cm h, £81.90 (+ 25% off with series discount) 1/2 PAGE: 18cm w x 13cm h, £151.20 (+ 25% off with series discount) FULL PAGE: 18cm w x 27cm h, £252 (+ 25% off with series discount) Call 07727 127 997 VAT Reg. No. 882 8361 87 USEFUL NUMBERS: ● Pot-hole Hotline: 0845 276 0000 ● Local Police: 0845 600 5701 ● Doctor: 01644 420 234 ● NHS 24: 08454 24 24 24 ● D&G Council: 030 33 33 3000 Glenkens Gazette page 20 COMMUNITY COUNCILS LOCAL CONTACTS: REINSTATED Following their highly controversial dissolution, three local community councils Carsphairn, Dalry and New Galloway & Kells are active once again. The three Community Councils, along with many others across the region, were dissolved earlier this year, creating a huge outcry. After following due procedure, the nominated Councillors were re-elected as of July 7, 2016. Unfortunately, as it will take considerable time to change the overly bureaucratic and ‘draconian’ rules of Dumfries & Galloway Council’s Amended Scheme, Community Councillors will be forced to re-adopt the very scheme that put them out of business in the first place or face Balmaclellan dissolution again! Kay Bird - kaybird15@btinternet.com This is the kind of Carsphairn farce that if turned into a comedy, people Anna Clark Kennedy - carsphairncc@gmail.com wouldn’t believe. The Dalry lack of forethought by Moira Jones sjtdalrycc@gmail.com D&G Council staff in writing ‘the scheme’, New Galloway & Kells and subsequent lack Craig Millar - craig_millar@talk21.com of obligatory support from the Stewarty business can inevitably be a bit ‘dry’, Area Framework Team in particular, but usually there are interesting and are almost slap-stick. worthy projects desperately in need Whilst not seeing the funny side of volunteer support like community of this ‘comedy of errors’, Glenkens resilience. Ultimately it is all about Community Councillors seem to be making your community a better place made of sterner stuff. By the time to live, work and play. this edition of the Glenkens Gazette So why not try something is available, all Community Councils different this year, go along to should be up and running again, doing their best for the residents of our area. your local Community Council meeting and see if there’s Community Council meetings are something you fancy getting open to everyone to attend and get involved with what is happening in involved in? Andi Holmes, your area. Some of the everyday Community Councillor for Dalry WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Submit events, activities, news stories, cartoons, reviews, tips & techniques, fiction, photos, ads or ideas... Contact Sarah Ade on 07727 127 997 or glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk OCT/NOV COPY DEADLINE: 5 SEPTEMBER Design & co-ordination: Sarah Ade sarah.ade@gmail.com Printing:Stranraer & Wigtownshire Free Press www.stranraer-freepress.co.uk The Glenkens Gaze�e is an ini�a�ve of the Glenkens Community & Arts Trust, a Registered Sco�sh Charity No. SC032050  Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. 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Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Description An account of the resource <p>Find out more about the Gazette: <a href="https://glenkens.scot/gazette-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glenkens Gazette home page</a> If you would like to submit an article or take out an advert, please email the editor Sarah Ade: <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="mailto:glenkensgazette@hotmail.com">glenkensgazette@hotmail.com</a></p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is a member of, and regulated by <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.impressorg.com/">Impress</a>.</p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is an initiative of Glenkens Community &amp; Arts Trust (SC032050) and represents the voice of the community (not necessarily the views of GCAT).</p> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document GLENKENS GAZETTE News from Balmaclellan, Carsphairn, Mossdale, New Galloway and St John’s Town of Dalry June/July 2016 ISSUE 94 FREE COMMUNITY COUNCILS AXED BY ‘DRACONIAN’ REGION Thirty-seven community councils, elected only last October, have been dissolved by Dumfries & Galloway Council. The suppressed councils include three of the four councils in the Glenkens - New Galloway & Kells, Dalry, and Carsphairn. Only Balmaclellan has escaped the purge. Andi Holmes, Chair of Dalry Community Council until its dissolution in April, described the region’s decision as ‘draconian’. He gave this reaction to the Gazette: Our community councils have been silenced without warning, trial or appeal, writes Andi Holmes. Where else in the democratic world can one authority play judge, jury and executioner of another elected body without accountability, and in such a draconian way? How this came to be is not straightforward. To be fair to Dumfries and Galloway Council, they did not light the match that started this, but they did provide plenty of kindling. This travesty of justice began back in 2012 with Dumfries and Galloway’s Fourth Periodic Review, which included the amended scheme for the establishment of all our community councils. There followed through 2013 three public consultations where community councils could comment on the proposed amendments, which they did. However, the critical ‘three month clause’, by which time amended constitutions had to be adopted, was apparently slipped in after the public consultation phase ended hardly democratic! The reasons why so many community councils came to be dissolved are many and varied. In Dalry for instance, our constitution was adopted on November 2 last year, within the required short time frame, however we did it at the ‘wrong type’ of meeting. This was a mere procedural error for which we have now been summarily dissolved. It should also be noted that there was a pronounced lack of promised support from Dumfries and Galloway Council during this whole exercise. Continued on page 10... Kells School putting their support behind the New Galloway community shop bid - see story on p4. A Glenkens Community & Arts Trust (GCAT) ini�a�ve www.glenkensgaze�e.co.uk Glenkens Gazette CAN YOU HELP SAVE OUR PLAYGROUP? In August 2013, Glenkens parents obtained funds from the Big Lottery Families & Communities Fund to re-start Playgroup after council cuts meant it was forced to close. To date, GCC Playgroup has operated through the support of this fund, but this is now closed and without further funding GCC Playgroup will close after the current school year. GCC Playgroup is the only childcare provision for two-yearolds for 13 miles, and has a track record of providing fun, safe and creative play for children aged two and three in the Glenkens. Typical activities include messy play, baking, outdoors exploring, dens and climbing frames as well as trips out-and-about locally. page 2 In the Autumn of 2015, GCC Playgroup was awarded very good marks by the Care Inspectorate (4 and 5 from a 6point scale, which translates as ‘good’ and ‘very good’). GCC Playgroup’s successes are most clearly evidenced by the growing track record of GCC Playgroup children enjoying a walk in the woods. well-rounded, independent Likewise, in some cases Playgroup children entering school. Less provided the first real respite from obvious, but equally important, are full-time care for two years. GCC the benefits to parents. Playgroup Childrens Club comprises two has allowed at least three parents elements: a stay-and-play sessions ...the fund is now closed and without further funding GCC Playgroup will close after the current school year. to start micro-businesses, while others undertake home-based employment, which simply would not have been possible otherwise. for all babies, toddlers and preschoolers in the area, and a fullystaffed Playgroup for children from aged two. Both groups fulfill an otherwise unmet need in the Glenkens. If anyone reading this can help with funding our Playgoup, please get in touch with GCC Playgroup chair Sarah Parry on 07810 256 299 or sarah.parry@ed.ac.uk £2.3 Million Film Deal Rejected to Stay True to Scottish Roots The film planned for production later this year to tell the story of ‘butterfly girl’ Alex Hood won’t go ahead as planned. Based on the book written by father Robin, Smile Daddy I’m Dying, the film was set to recount Alex’s life with the tragic condition of epidermolysis bullosa (eb) from which she sadly died in 2008, aged 19. Robin says: “I turned down an offer of £2.3 million to turn my book into a film as they wanted to change the story to an English version. Although I was born in England, I have lived in Scotland for most of my life and this was not acceptable. “Alex was born in Dumfries and her ashes are scattered here on Loch Ken. The local communities of the Glenkens were so supportive of our family, even when we had just moved here. And the Scottish people have been so generous. To take the story to England would be hypocritical.” Robin Hood spend over 20 years fundraising to find a cure for eb, and in the process set a precident in Scotland for the Debra charity – which at that time, in 1994, had only one outlet in the world. During the time Robin worked with the charity he travelled the globe, showing other countries how to replicate the charity model he had set up in Scotland. There are now 53 Debras worldwide and over £30 million has been raised to date. When asked if that is the film off the cards now, Robin says definitely not. There are plans afoot for a Scottishmade film in the near future, but perhaps not the November 2016 start date originally anticipated. Robin says: “If the English version were the only way the film could be made then I’d say no, the film won’t go ahead. But that isn’t the case – I’m sure the film can be made, but it’s got to be made in a way I’m comfortable with, Alex’s mother is comfortable with, her brother is comfortable with. Scotland is going to get the credit for the support they have given.” Glenkens Gazette page 3 BADEN-POWELL AWARD FOR 1ST GLENKENS GUIDE UNIT 1st Glenkens Guide Unit were pleased to host a special gathering of invited friends and family to celebrate the fact that two guides, Annabelle Mc Adam and Cara Ramsay, were to be presented with their Baden-Powell Awards. For the past year the two girls have been working towards this prestigious award, which is the highest available to a guide. Each girl took their own pathway to the award, and had to complete a selection of challenges which called upon extra dedication and enthusiasm over and above their weekly guiding commitment. Only a relatively small number of guides manage to achieve this distinction in any one year, and we congratulate them both on their success. Cara and Annabelle put on a show of the work they did to meet the challenges, and each made a very effective speech about their Guide age group is 10 to 14 years, guiding experiences. The unit and enquiries can be made to Mrs also kept their guests entertained Peace (01644430281) or to Mrs with some campfire songs, before McAdam (01644430393), or by being presented with their badges going on-line to Join Us on the and certificates by Girguiding Girlguiding UK website. Stewarty’s County Commissioner, Mrs Barbara Murray. Cara was also presented with her International Neckerchief, as a gift from the guides, to say ‘well done!’. We are proud to say that she has been selected to represent Girlguiding Scotland at an International Jamboree in Finland later this year. Guests then enjoyed a lovely buffet organised by the unit, and Cara and Annabelle cut into a beautiful cake, specially made and decorated by their Young Leader, Kimberly McAdam. Our guide unit meets every Tuesday evening in Glenkens Community Centre, and new members would be Cara Ramsay and Annabelle McAdam with County made especially welcome. Commissioner Mrs Barbara Murray. AFRICA COMES TO THE GLENKENS The Clachan Fair on Saturday 11 June will feature a free performance by the Akrowa Dance Ensemble - a cultural drumming and dance group from Ghana. They will present a rich repertoire of traditional West African pieces told through song, music & movement. Andrew Mellor from Dalry is particularly pleased that the group will be performing in Dalry because his daughter, Amy, was married to one of the group’s performers, Adie Baako, in Ghana last December. “Whatever the Scottish weather throws at us on the day,” he said, “I know that Adie and his colleagues will raise the temperature by bringing us the warmth, colour and joy of Africa. An Akrowa performance is spellbinding, exhausting and exhilarating all at once.” After the performance in Dalry at 1pm Akrowa will be holding dance and drumming workshops at the Catstrand. Book now! Glenkens Gazette page 4 sponsored by EVERYTHING listed in the Glenkens Freecycle section is FREE - you just need to contact the owner and go and pick it up! If you would like to list something on this page, please get in touch with Sarah on 07727 127 997 or email glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk VARIOUS Slimline water butt with stand and tap but no lid. Contact: 07563 718 011 2 x 3 foot fish tanks with sand, 1 x 2foot fish tanks with sand. Contact: 420 679 Upright piano in good working order. Steel frame. All notes & pedals work but would benefit from re-tuning after moving. It will take several people to lift it into a van or similar. From smoke and pet free home. Collection from Mochrum near Knockvennie. Contact: Trevor on 440 683 Folding bed with mattress suitable for occasional use for a child. Not suitable for adults. From smoke and pet free home. Collection from Mochrum near Knockvennie. Contact: Trevor on 440 683 Small garden chairs, one hardwood, two metal. Contact: Annikki on 460 640 WANTED Old bicycle, ladies or gents, any condition. Contact: Roger on 01557 330 887 Practical artistic polymath with no garden/shed space offering quality labour and plenty of laughter in exchange for use of garden/shed space. Contact: Roger on 01557 330 887 HOUSE TO LET Very desirable secluded 3-bedroom country cottage between Parton & Corsock, 10 miles North of Castle Douglas, on wooded hillside in very quiet location, half-mile up track and with fantastic views. Would suit professional couple or retired, not suitable for children. Non smokers only. Possibly one well behaved pet. Rent £595 pcm. Contact: 07932 159 520 or trevprocter@aol.co.uk SHOP PLANS TAKE SHAPE The children of Kells primary school were among the first to be consulted on the forthcoming bid for Big Lottery funding to create a community shop and hub in New Galloway. They were full of ideas and questions. Visiting the shop is clearly an important feature of village life for most of them. Several of them were among the CatStrand young Saturday artists who produced the campaign banner which you can expect to see at future events. Our project manager Helen Keron and members of the shop team will be visiting other groups over the coming weeks and there will be general open sessions in the Town Hall - watch out for posters. Previous surveys have clearly demonstrated an overwhelming wish to keep a shop in the village but we are now gathering details of needs - and ideas to meet them which would create not just a shop but a social well-being hub offering services ranging from laundry to collective fuel purchasing. To succeed in our Big Lottery bid we need to demonstrate the multiple ways a thriving shop and hub could serve the village and improve the quality of life in the long term. We are gathering evidence too of the negative impact on a village when it loses the final shop ranging from increased loneliness to reduced house prices. If you have experienced this situation elsewhere, we would like to hear from you. New Galloway Community Enterprises Ltd (NGCE), the community benefit co-operative planning to buy Hopkins’ Shop and house, has now lodged a planning application for the development of the shop and the creation of two self-catering flats above it. These will be targeted particularly at the tourists who come here for outdoor pursuits - walking, a great debt to Jim and Margaret Hopkins and Marie McClurg for their patience and helpfulness. We are also finalising a comprehensive business plan describing how our proposals will work in practice. The 70-page grant application will be submitted to the Big Lottery in July and they will make their decision in November or December. If successful, the grant will allow us to purchase and renovate the shop and house, allowing a community shop and all the other community benefits to start in earnest in Spring 2017. NGCE has some 80 shareholders whom we had to recruit in a rush over one weekend to meet an earlier deadline in the process. We know that many others want to be involved so look for news of a relaunched share offer shortly. A share offer is a way for everyone in the community to be involved in the community shop project - you can purchase one or several £10 shares, and this social investment will ensure you are part of this community endeavour. NGCE will soon be one year old and will be holding its first AGM in the summer. If you want further information, or if your organisation or group would like to contribute ideas or discuss the plans, email ngcommunityshop @gmail.com or call 07789 693 698. A share offer is a way for everyone in the community to be involved in the community shop project... cycling, fishing, bird watching, golfing, star-gazing - or just to enjoy the scenery. For that reason the proposed plans include drying areas for boots and clothes, just in case it ever rains, and safer storage for bikes and other equipment. It is hoped promoting tourism will bring trade to the shop and other local businesses and generate employment opportunities. Preparing the plans has involved a succession of site visits by numerous professionals and agencies and as ever we owe Mike Brown, Chair NGCE Glenkens Gazette page 5 sponsored by Dalry Primary has been working hard on their school garden, with the gardening club planning a full overhaul of the school beds. Children and grown-up helpers filling beds with fresh topsoil. Seeds have been planted, the greenhouse is up, docorations are being created to brighten up the out-side of the school and plans are underway for some floral magic... The vegetable beds in the school garden have been replenished with lots of nutrientrich horse manure and good topsoil. Everything has been weeded and watered. Seeds have been planted, seedlings nurtured and planters filled. The children have been working so hard, enthused by the wiggling worms, hard digging and the growth, they are already seeing in the garden. A big shout-out goes out to the wider community for anyone with a green thumb who has a few free hours a week to help out with the Gardening Club. It runs on a Tuesday lunchtime and a Thursday afternoon – if you would like to get involved please contact Mrs Devlin at gw08officedalry Beds nicely filled and tatties ready to be planted. Glenkens Gazette Successful Fundraiser Marie Curie St Margaret’s Church Ladies Guild held a Plant and Bake Sale in aid of Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance. A wealth of plants, shrubs and flower and vegetable seedlings were displayed in the garden area outside the church in New Galloway and the fine weather allowed visitors to enjoy a cup of tea outside in the sun as well as inside the delightful Arts and Craft interior where a tremendous array of cakes baked by guild members proved very popular. Christine Rankin, the Guild President, comments: “we are very grateful for all who helped us raise a total of £570 for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance. The floods at the end of last year which cut off so many of us in the Glenkens served as a reminder of what an important charity this is, particularly in rural areas, and we are delighted to have been able to help them.” Scout Jumble Thanks The leaders of the Glenkens Cub Scout Pack and Beaver Colony would like to thank the group committee, parents and Friends of Scouting for all the hard work and helping us to raise an amazing £1,226 at our jumble sale. This would certainly not happen but for the kind folk of the Glenkens and beyond who donate to the annual sale and will keep us afloat for another year. We would also like to thank the people from near and far who came along and supported us by purchasing goods on both Saturday and Sunday. This is a very special year for the Cub Scouts as they celebrate their Centenary year and Beavers are also celebrating their 30th birthday. Lots of exciting activities are planned including a district camp at High Barbuchany Centre, Newton Stewart, at the end of May and a visit to the cinema to watch The Jungle Book on which Cubs are based. The group are currently looking for a new Scout Leader and Assistant Scout Leaders (Scouts are age 10 and a half to age 14), or leaders for an Explorer Scout unit (Explorers are age 13 and a half to age 18). It will provide access to interesting and exciting activities for both adults and youngsters alike. Please get in touch (01644 420 375) if you would like more information or to have a chat with any of our leaders. Again a heartfelt thanks to you all for your continued support, it is much appreciated. Heather McIntosh A LOVE OF CYCLING IN THE GLENKENS A questionnaire was circulated to identify how many bicycles are in our community and who wants to ride a bike. The findings were that 95 families in the Glenkens with children at school own bikes - and more often than not, several bikes! There was an overwhelming interest in cycling among the children who responded. Winners of the questionnaire prize draw were: Carsphairn - Hanna Ade-Macrae, Kells - Lewis Barclay and Dalry - Rhys Ferguson, who each won a £10 token for the Catstrand. Lucky them! So what next? Refresh your cycling skills? Any age , any ability...contact June if you want to rehearse basic cycling skills at junehay@glenkensbb.co.uk page 6 Great Daffodil Appeal 2016 Thanks to the generosity of the communities and participating outlets in New Galloway and Dalry, just over £150 was raised for Marie Curie Cancer Care during this year’s Daffodil Appeal. This is a 50 per cent increase on last year’s total and it will go towards much needed practical nursing care for terminally ill people in our area. Marie Curie nursing services are totally free to patients and their families and the Daffodil Campaign is a vital part of fundraising for the charity. Our communities have generously supported the charity since 1996. Countertop cans will be available for any donations throughout the year, for which, once again, many thanks. Glenkens Community Shop Thanks The Glenkens Community Shop would like to send thanks to the family, friends and colleagues of Annie Winstanley who, instead of flowers, donated a total of £1,000 to our charity. We are very thankful for such generosity. Although it will never, of course, replace a good friend, it will enable us to do more for our community. Shirley McNaught, Manager, Glenkens Community Shop Glenkens Gazette page 7 CatStrand Highlights The exciting Summer Season gets underway at CatStrand on 4 June with a visit from the fantastic Unthanks. Fresh from playing at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in May they make their CatStrand debut with their full five-piece band. The band have a diverse army of notable fans including the likes of Dawn French, Elvis Costello and Ewan McGregor and their appearance at CatStrand certainly promises to launch the new season of events in fine style. Other musical highlights include Dumfries & Galloway’s own Claire Hastings and her band on Friday 17 June. Claire of course was BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2015 and we are delighted to be welcoming her back to CatStrand for the first time since she won the prestigious award. July sees the long awaited visit of Orkney band Saltfishforty on Saturday 9, then an American double bill on Wednesday 20 July featuring Hillfolk Noir from Idaho and 10 String Symphony from Nashville before the much anticipated appearance of Dean Owens and the Whisky Hearts on Thursday 28 brings the month to a close. Dean has been described as “Scotland’s most engaging and haunting singer-songwriter” and the Whisky Hearts feature Dalry’s own Amy Geddes on fiddle. Away from music, on Saturday 11 June we welcome Ghanaian dance group Akrowa who will be performing in Dalry at the Clachan Fair and then holding workshops at CatStrand. Fred MacAulay returns for his third visit on Sunday 17 July, one of Scotland’s best loved and funniest comedians he is on tour with his new solo show Life and we cannot wait to welcome him Unthanks See our latest brochure or visit our website for programme details. Book online at www.catstrand.com or call 01644 420374. back to CatStrand again for what is sure to be another full house. The cinema screenings include the blockbusters Spectre (12) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (12) showing on 16 June and 14 July respectively, and also the beginning of the Scottish Perspectives Season with Where You’re Meant To Be (15) on 29 June and The Wicker Man: Final Cut (15) on 27 July. There are many more fabulous events throughout August and September too - for full details take a look at our Summer programme, or why not call into the CatStrand, view our latest art exhibition by Leo Blamire and enjoy a relaxing coffee in the café while we book your tickets for you. The CatStrand Team was CatStrand Youth Players’ first ever entry into the SCDA Festival in 2009, the current generation of young actors are looking forward to putting their own stamp on the production and entertaining their 2016 audience! The second play is a modern play by popular Canadian playwright Bradley Hayward, ‘Outside the Box’ is described as a ‘dramedy’ and as the description suggests mixes some comedy moments with some poignant scenes too. Thinking outside the box is not always easy, especially when the world requires you to live on the inside. Exhausted from cramming into corners where they do not fit, six teenagers turn things inside out by inviting others to see things from a whole new perspective. On the outside, balloons change colour, brooms become dance partners and kites fly without a string. Step outside and see for yourself! After the summer holidays, the season starts again with rehearsals for the annual pantomime to be staged as usual in early December. The summer won’t see everyone idle though, far from it in fact, as work continues on the brand new script being created by the Dalry School Writing Group. A modern take on Macbeth, it is hoped to hold the World Premier performance later in the year – watch this space! The Youth Players are also looking forward to a trip to watch the SCDA Scottish Youth Final at Eastwood Park Theatre in Giffnock on 18th June and as usual there is a full programme of youth arts events and workshops to keep everyone busy throughout the school holidays. CatStrand Youth Players After the excitement and tension of the SCDA Youth Festival, the Youth Players have settled back into rehearsals for their next show at CatStrand to be staged just before the end of term on Sunday 26 June. Appropriately, ‘We’ll Be Home Tomorrow’ by Wayne Denfhy is a humorous story about the typical family summer holiday. Starting as the kids break up for the holiday and then fast-forwarding through the hectic summer before they are all back to school again wondering where the time went!! This cleverly written, fast moving short play Glenkens Gazette page 8 What’s SUP This Summer? Learning a new skill is often near the top of any good bucket list. So why not tick this item off your list this summer and head down to Loch Ken Waterski & Wakeboard School? Based at Loch Ken Marina, just above Parton, the watersports centre offers water-skiing, wakeboarding and new for 2016 Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP) a craze that is currently sweeping the waterways of the world. “We cater for young, old, complete beginners and seasoned pros,” says manager Roddy Clarke. “There’s something for everyone here, whether you’re a complete thrill-seeker or would just like a nice day out with the family.” The water sports centre has been open since the summer of 1999 when Roddy, a past pupil from Laurieston Primary School and former Scottish Water Ski Champion, set the ski school up. “Since this time the school has been taking people out from May to September, helping people enjoy themselves and learn new skills,” says Roddy. “I learnt as a young child. I was basically thrown into a Loch with two oversized skis attached to my feet and told to hold on at the end of a rope - it was a bit ‘sink or swim’. Thankfully things have moved on a lot since then. All beginners receive a land lesson and Roddy Clarke taking a spin round Loch Ken. start off on a training bar. You don’t even sports equipment can be provided by need to have a wetsuit, we have all the the centre, both for rental and sale. So equipment here for our clients to use, drop in and see us! You may even be free of charge.” lucky enough to see one of the current Boat driving advice and tuition is champions based at Loch Ken out also available and a full range of water training. Emma Cook Two lucky Glenkens Gazette readers can win a ‘come and try’ session at the Loch Ken Waterski & Wakeboard School worth £22 each! Just answer the question: on which page of this issue’s magazine will you find two award-winning local lassies? SPALDING BOWLING LOCAL CLUB OPENS FOR 2016 AUTHOR Sheila MacKenzie presented her recently published book Greece 2013 and Other Poems at an opening at the Ken Bridge Hotel. Spalding Bowling Club opened for the new season with Valerie Russell throwing the first Jack (pictured above). President Peter Hamilton welcomed everyone, then after tea and biscuits (and a snow shower!) 26 played in the first sweep of 2016. THE STEWARTRY VETERINARY CENTRE CASTLE DOUGLAS SURGERY HOURS Mon-Fri 2.00-2.30 pm & 5-6 pm Sat 2-2.30 pm DALBEATTIE SURGERY HOURS Mon, Wed, Fri 3-3.30 pm Tues & Thurs 6-6.30 pm FOR APPOINTMENTS AT BOTH SURGERIES OR IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY � 01556 502263 VETERINARY SURGERY OAKWELL ROAD CASTLE DOUGLAS � Wright’s Shop & Post Office Dalry Licensed convenience store and newsagent stocking a range of local suppliers including Corsons and Irvings Bakers, Ballards and Dalmellington Country Butchers and Mitchells Fruit and Veg. Opening Times (both shop & PO): Monday to Friday: 7am – 6pm Saturday: 8am – 6pm Sunday: 8.30am – 4pm Tel: 01644 430 225 Although Sheila has lived in the Glenkens for over twenty years, her initial inspiration did not come from this beautiful area but from the sight of a broken statue of a kouros on a hillside on the Greek island of Naxos. Sheila had wanted to visit Greece since she was a teenager but only achieved this ambition in 2015 when, making up for lost time, she travelled there three times. The book, however, is not limited to poems about Greece, and features poems covering a variety of subjects including the Glenkens. Sheila would like to acknowledge the contribution of Leo Blamire to the presentation and design of the book. Anyone interested in following up this article will find copies of Greece 2015 and Other Poems for sale at the Catstrand. Glenkens Gazette page 9 EDINBURGH RESIDENTIAL Primary six and seven pupils from the Glenkens visited Edinburgh for a residential trip. On the first day the pupils from Carsphairn, Dalry and Kells visited Edinburgh Castle and the Camera Obscura. After dinner, they went on an organised ghost walk and were told a number of stories about life in the city hundreds of years ago. Day two began with walk around Arthur’s Seat. The group then walked to the Scottish Parliament to meet Alex Fergusson MSP for a guided tour. After lunch in one of the committee rooms, we visited the National Museum of Scotland in Chambers Street. On the last day we visited Dynamic Earth before returning home. The visit ended by watching a film on stars in the 360 degree show dome at Dynamic Earth.’ Zane Gray, Depute Head Teacher, Kells Primary School Outdoor Wellbeing The amazing weather over the last few weeks has given Glenkens pupils of all ages the opportunity to enjoy being out and about whilst undertaking a wide range of activities. Some of our primary students have been working intensively on their swimming during May and it has been great to see their progress. Dalry primary has been undertaking the Daily Mile which has been vigorously encouraged across Scotland. Pupils and staff have been able to exercise and chat at a suitable point in their day, which has been shown to boost energy and concentration levels overall. The Gardening Clubs in the Glenkens’ schools benefit from the enthusiasm and generosity of volunteers and rely on the community to respect the open nature of our school sites to ensure that the efforts of volunteers and pupils come to fruition later in the year (see the Eco Feature on p5). Over the Easter vacation seven outdoor gym stations were installed on the school field as a result of generous bequests by two former residents of Dalry. The outdoor gym is for pupil use during the school day and community use at other times. As the S4 are working their way through the exam season, we believe that the views of the beautiful Glenkens through their exam-room windows and the opportunity to be out-and-about in between, can be of benefit and we wish them well in their efforts. S3 are off on work experience and as ever we are grateful to employers for giving young people such wonderful opportunities to taste the ‘World of Work’. Health and wellbeing remain central to the success of our young people and we continue to seek opportunities to enhance it. Jenny Smith, Headteacher , Dalry School Carsphairn Primary Once again the summer term has been a very busy one for the boys and girls at Carsphairn Primary. As usual, we have been taking our learning beyond the four walls of the school to support what we have been learning in class. In RME, we have kicked off our Buddhism topic with a trip to Samye Ling Temple in Dumfries. In technology, Mr Murray from the secondary at Dalry has invited us to use the woodworking room where we have designed and built outdoor signs. Finally, we are back doing our outdoor learning this term. We have been looking at how we use the world around us, and the children have been looking at the school grounds and preparing it so that we can take more of our daily classwork outside – because outdoor learning doesn’t always have to include a trip to the forest! We wanted to do something special for our P7 pupils to end the year before they went down the road to Dalry Secondary. We have had a particularly strong year group this year, with Grace Temple, Sarah McCreath and Hana Ade MacRae all earning the highest level of ‘Honours Reader’ on the Accelerated Reader Programme used across the cluster. As such, for our end of term trip this year we are doing a very ambitious trip paddling down the Ken. We will be using canoes to paddle from our layin point, likely at the Kenbridge, and paddling right the way down to the Galloway Activity Centre, where we will have a barbeque for dinner and spend the night in Mongolian yurts! After what is likely to be a restful night sleep and a hardy breakfast, we will return to our canoes and continue Carsphairn school pupils having lunch outside. down the river for the next day. We are hoping for wonderful weather, and on behalf of all staff at the school I would like to thank all the pupils for another wonderful year! Walker McKenna, Teacher, Carsphairn Primary Glenkens Gazette page 10 Hats Off for New Galloway SWRI Members of New Galloway SWI enjoyed a lovely talk given by Miss Linda Adams on Flair in Your Hair with Hats & Fascinators from Flairs in Castle Douglas. It was a lovely afternoon with Miss Adams giving members a glimpse into the feminine world of ladies headwear for those special occasions. Feathers have been used for selfadornment since early times, and are dyed to suit the colour needed. Abbaca Straw is a good base and again can come in many colours, combining the two and attached to a hat or headband, suddenly a beautiful creation appears like magic. Goose, chicken, ostrich and peacock feathers are used. These can be changed by use of curling tongues, split and trimmed to give a different appearance. Ribbons and beads can be added. Woven straw can be shaped and twisted to make flower shapes. Headwear is then assembled with stitching or hot glue. Silk flowers and floristry accessories can be used. Some hats need to be made on a special mould, which makes the hat expensive. There are many occasions ladies need a special hat, after family weddings, christenings, and birthdays, Ascot is well known for its “Ladies Days” when a lady cannot be seen without some amazing creation on her head. Royalty are famous for their hats, particularly Princess Eugenie who wore a very high creation, and then sold it on ebay to raise a vast amount of money for charity! Secretary Helen Bullock gave the vote of thanks for such a lovely talk on a subject close to ladies hearts – or heads! Helen Bullock LOCAL INITIATIVES IN NEW GALLOWAY It has been a busy time since we took over management of New Galloway town hall. from D&G Sports & Leisure hasn’t happened due to their restrictions. We’ll look at this again in the autumn. Zumba with Sam continues on Wednesday evenings. The Look-in, Linger and Lunches have started with the soup and pudding lunch provided by Love to Eat duo Dawn and Helen. With the lunches paid by those attending the hall costs are paid by LING and a grant from the Integrated Health Fund to enable a 6 month pilot. The first lunch which took place before writing this was well received and the quality of the food much praised. These lunches are open to all so come along! Table Top Sales will continue and the summer Pop-up Museum is in progresso. D&G Council has been busy working on various aspects of the fabric of the building dealing with damp on the south end and the installation of a new boiler. The Hall has been hired for birthday and other parties and the Richters from Dalbeattie are due to perform on Saturday 21st May. The Women’s Institute hld their monthly meetings on Wednesday afternoons. Keep a look out in the usual places for what’s happening. Continued from front page... proportionate and appropriately regulated, not at the whim of D&G Council. Andi Holmes Councils to be in, so Council staff have been working to ensure these groups can be re-established at the earliest opportunity. By-elections will be held on 7 July 2016 and 34 of these communities have applied to be re-established. The remaining communities are considering next steps or planning to apply for re-establishment in the near future. Prior to this, one Community Council was already considering establishing themselves as a Community Group rather than a formal Community Council, and they have now confirmed they wish to do so. We will now be in contact with the Community Councils to advise them of the process which will now be followed. A notice of election to seek nominations in the affected communities will be placed in the local press in the coming weeks. Tuesday evenings has seen the start of a sports evening of indoor bowls in the Lesser Hall and Table Tennis in the Main Hall. Unfortunately our Table Tennis table we had acquired through Freecycle a few years ago had become warped and saucer shaped! However, Kells School has come to the rescue with passing on a very sturdy surplus table. Unfortunately the badminton which was to be set up with help If the Council had done its job properly, this unfortunate situation might never have occurred. Most of the affected community councils are now in the process of getting reestablished with elections scheduled for July 7. A full inquiry now needs to be made into how this disaster was allowed to happen in the first place, and those responsible held to account for their actions. But most importantly, legislation needs to be enacted to ensure that this can never happen again. Community councils should have to account for their actions like anyone else, but any sanctions should be fair, (Former Chair, Dalry Community Council) The Gazette asked D&G council to comment. This is their response: Community Councils play a vital role in our local communities across a range of issues. We recognise the time that individuals devote voluntarily to service their communities. During April we confirmed, following legal advice, that 37 Community Councils had dissolved themselves for failing to properly adopt constitutions. This followed a complaint by a member of the public and was not a position we wanted Community Glenkens Gazette page 11 Emma’s Wild Eats Coming into the summer season there are too many wild foods to list, so I can’t resist focusing on one of the many amazing fungi that we are lucky enough to have growing around us. I thought it might be useful to give some tips for identification, but please don’t trust just me - use a few sources of information to help you, and make sure only to pick mushrooms if you are in no doubt about what they are. Let’s’ talk about chanterelles, whose main season is summer to late autumn. Chanterelles tend to grow in dappled sunlight under birch, although they will grow in most woodland, usually under deciduous trees, and tend to grow in small groups, over larger areas. If you find an orange mushroom under conifers be instantly suspicious as it is likely to be a false chanterelle. Some state that false chanterelles are poisonous (as they have been known to have a hallucinogenic effect) whilst others say they will do you no harm. Thankfully the chanterelle is one of the most distinctive mushrooms and once you have your ‘eye in’ can be spotted from quite some distance! The false chanterelle is smaller, paler, has true gills (tightly packed and even) and usually has a much more even, round mushroomy shape. Google for plenty of images and consult books and you’ll soon get the idea. CHANTERELLE: Colour: Bright egg-yolk-yellow Smell: Fragrant, apricot-like, distinctive and very useful in identification Cap: 3–10cm across. The cap margin is lobed and wavy, particularly in older specimens and similarly becomes more depressed at the centre and paler in colour as they age Stem: Narrower at the base Gills: Decurrent, vein-like gills that extend down the stem somewhat and do not stop abruptly at the stem. These are the same colour as the rest of the fungus and are often described as looking like combed plasticine Chanterelles Texture: Firm and rubbery, until cooked at which point they take on the most satisfying meatiness Flavour: I can’t do it justice! Gently fried for about 10 minutes, first at a high temperature to cook off the water, they will shrink and produce an incredible flavour. At this point add a bit of butter to brown slightly and use your imagination; make risotto, creamy sauce or stick them in the freezer for later - but don’t miss out on trying them. Happy summer foraging! Emma Check out Emma’s blog: www.emmaswild.co.uk Bargatton Sand & Gravel Gillespie Gifford & Brown LLP Solicitors and Estate Agents Selling properties across Dumfries & Galloway 01556 503744 www.ggblaw.co.uk All legal advice Offices in Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie Kirkcudbright and Dumfries Supplying sand and gravel for all your farming needs, as well as households and businesses both large and small. We stock washed fine sand, coarse sand and gravels at competitive prices. For further details contact: James Mair - 07793 085 243 Email: loch.bargatton@live.co.uk Bargatton Quarry, Laurieston, Castle Douglas, DG7 2PS Open Monday to Friday Weekends by arrangement Delivery can be arranged - subject to quantity Glenkens Gazette ARNDARROCH OPEN GARDEN Arndarroch Garden will one again be opened by D&G Canine Rescue Centre on 17 June, with a few changes since last year’s open day. Some changes have taken place since last Open Day, with many trees being felled to give more light into the woodland planted in 2000. Shade tolerating perennials and shrubs have been added to make a woodland garden. The whole garden is wildlife friendly and this includes the numerous rabbits. Many birds find nesting places in the trees and shrubs while some are helped by unusual nest ‘boxes’. Garden waste material is used in the woodland to provide homes for many mammals and countless smaller creatures. Peregrine Falcons and Red Kites often circle over the garden. There is a good collection of herbaceous perennials, trees and shrubs, some rare , and many seats are available with views over Loch Kendoon and the hills beyond. Entrance to the garden is £3.50 with school-age children free. Teas are £2.50, and there will be a plant stall and small craft exhibition. The garden is open from 2pm-5pm, and dogs on leads are welcome. The two charities benefitting from the day are D&G Canine Rescue Centre (60%) and Carsphairn Church Benevolent Fund (40%). Arndarroch is on the B7000, five miles from Dalry or Carsphairn. page 12 YOUTH REPORTERS WANTED Want to be a youth reporter? Into art and design? Fancy a go at photography? Want the chance to interview a band or review a favourite film? We are looking for budding young contributors to create a youth section within the Glenkens Gazette. All abilities and interests - open to all under 25. Please get in touch with Dave at the CatStrand on davem@catstrand.com Photo of the Issue Sponsored by the Ken Bridge Hotel Competition judges Dave and Sue from the Ken Bridge Hotel chose Garroch Bluebells by John McBeth as this issue’s winner, saying: “Super photos once more but the photo of the Garroch bluebells is, I think, the best simply because it is a beautiful sign of the season...” John wins a meal for two at the Ken Bridge Hotel’s renowned Sunday Carvery. GLENKENS MEDICAL PRACTICE General Medical & Dispensing Services The Surgery High Street New Galloway W BONE THE GARAGE, DALRY OPEN 8.30AM - 6PM (SIX DAYS) 10AM - 6PM SUNDAYS - FUEL 24 HOURS - MOT CENTRE FOR APPOINTMENTS CALL SHOP • SANDWICH BAR • LOTTERY � 01644 420234 � Tel: 01644 430 208 Fax: 01644 430 669 jeeps@whbjeeps.co.uk www.whbjeeps.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 13 Updates on the War: 100 Years On The months of April and May 1916 would see a further four names to be added to the war dead of the Glenkens. Alex McCheyne of High Street, New Galloway, was killed at the age of just 19. He had been serving at Hulloch in France with 7th Battalion, Cameron Highlanders, when he was killed by a shell splinter. Alex was the youngest of five brothers in the Army with a sixth serving in the Navy. By the end of the war, the family would receive the news of the deaths of three more sons making the Kells parish War Memorial one of only a few to list four brothers. William Martin of Pomona Terrace, New Galloway, died of wounds in hospital at Rouen. He was 24 years old and was serving with 1st Battalion the Kings Own Scottish Borderers. The eldest son of Hugh and Janet (Coltart) Martin, he is commemorated on the Kells parish War Memorial. Richard Baird of Shirmers, Balmaclellan, was reported Missing in Action at the Hohenzollern Redoubt. Richard had enlisted into the 7th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers, and was29 years old when he was reported missing. His parents were Thomas and Robina (Craig) Baird. Richard is remembered on the Loos memorial and Balmaclellan parish War Memorial. Adam Byers of Kells parish was killed by a trench mortar whilst on a wiring patrol near Hulloch at the age of 27. He was serving with 7th Battalion, Cameron Highlanders. When researching soldiers killed in WW1, sometimes you get lucky and find more information from newspaper items, service records and Battalion War Diaries. Such is the case with Adam Byers. He was the son of a shepherd, born at Burnhead in Kells Parish and was the oldest son of William and Sarah Byers. At the outbreak of war his family was living in Craigenbay near Clatteringshaws having previously lived at Glenshimmeroch near Lochinvar. Adam himself was a gamekeeper at Dunveoch farm in the Garroch Glen. His father had died previously so he left behind a widowed mother, younger brother and two sisters when he enlisted just six weeks from the start of the war. His surviving service record tells us much of the detail of the man including the fact that he was once reprimanded for appearing for guard duty without having shaved – a minor offence even by the strict standards of the day. One day in September 1915 at the battle of Loos, over 500 men of the Battalion were killed, wounded or missing in a single day (over half the men). Adam Byers survived. It was ironic therefore that on 28 May 1916, he was the only man from his Bn who was killed. Like many others, his body was never found so he has no grave, but he is remembered on the Loos memorial and Kells parish War Memorial. Paul Goodwin “I only advertise in the Gazette, and from that one ad I’ve gained plenty of new customers as well as many regular clients.” J Mair, Bargatton Quarry Glenkens Gazette page 14 A CATTLE SHED FOR A HOME: An Important Judgement on the Poor Laws in 1845 An interesting journey back into our local history comes from a report published in The Scotsman in 1845 which gives us a glimpse of the truly desperate poverty that burdened people in previous times. It follows the case of the sad situation of Janet and Mary Halliday, two elderly sisters both in their 80s who were the daughters of a respectable farmer but, for reasons of extreme age (for that time) and their infirmities, were at last forced to ask for support from the Parish of Balmaclellan. The generous Heritors and Kirk Session of that parish granted them a cattle shed to live in and peats to burn, and the pittance of £3 a year each, or two pence a day, for food and any other necessities. Thankfully, after their case was brought in front of the Supreme Court in June 1844, the judges said this was too little and ordered that the parish increase the allowance. The parish refused to do this and proposed instead to board the two women as paupers. The women, New Galloway Golf Club however, declined to submit to this and offered to take 3s and 6d allowance instead. Interestingly, the Court, after much discussion, refused to allow this, seeing it as unsafe given the Heritors had been convicted of starving them previously on 2d a day and so did not trust them the duty of care. Their Lordships instead fixed the allowance at sixpence a day each as a more convenient arrangement and more conducive to the comfort of the elderly ladies. The parish stated in their defence that their objection and refusal to increase the allowance had not been so much as not to make fair allowance, but was because the giving of more money would come to be known by others receiving similar help but of a lesser sum, and that they would then immediately claim the same increase. They had hoped to avoid this by offering lodgings and provisions in kind to the women. In addition to these concerns, the parish raised that the order of the Court to pay the money to the women was problematic as it was at risk of being party consumed by “an imbecile idiotic nephew” (sic) who lived with the two women (presumably in the cattle shed). They had hoped that removing the two women into lodgings would take them away from the nephew. The Court agreed and made the following arrangements; that the Parish, having secured the services of Margaret Brown, Family and friends coming to stay? Short of space? www.nggc.co.uk Cosy country cottage available (sleeps 4) Buggies now available for hire Call Fiona on 01644 420 227 Founded 1902 - 01644 420737 VISITORS AND NEW MEMBERS WELCOME A&B Welding & Fabrication ANDREW SINCLAIR 21 TOWNHEAD CRESCENT ST JOHN’S TOWN OF DALRY CASTLE DOUGLAS DG7 3UR 01644 430 332 / 07896 168 724 andyandbevsinclair@yahoo.co.uk www.covenanters-holidaycottagescotland.co.uk a respectable widow of fifty five years of age, should request that she take charge of the ladies and minister to their necessities as they were now both in a state as to render such a charge absolutely necessary. Meal, potatoes and milk would be supplied from time to time in such quantities as the “paupers” should require. Fuel and clothing would also be provided for them as well as tea and sugar, and animal food and cordials, if the condition of the paupers should render animal feed and cordials necessary. Mr Murdoch of Drumwhirn and Mr Joseph Black, and Mr Bell, tenant of Hardland, were appointed by the Kirk Session of Balmaclellan to see that the ladies were attended to as per the Court’s instructions. The medical certificate shared with the Court stated that the examination of Janet and Mary Halliday had found them to be in a very infirm and weak state with one of them being confined to the bed and the other moving about with great difficulty and assisted by two staves (sticks). Such were the hardships of the weak and the vulnerable at that time. Two extremely elderly and infirm ladies forced by their parish to live in a cattle shed and starved on a pittance a day, before the Supreme Court was asked to consider their plight and ordered an improvement to their lot. contributed by Bill Blyth, Blowplain FHB Fencing Dalry Domestic and Agricultural Fencing 01644 430 495 (Peter) or 07767 795 498 (Jonathan) Glenkens Gazette page 15 LOCAL HISTORY with TED COWAN The Glenkens Gordons O young Lochinvar is come out of the west, Through all the wide Border his steed was the best; And save his good broadsword he weapons had none, He rode all unarm’d, and he rode all alone. So faithful in love, and so dauntless in war, There never was knight like the young Lochinvar. Many more folk are familiar with the Gordons of Lochinvar through Walter Scott’s poem rather than from history books. It is generally agreed that it deals in fiction rather than fact. The first recorded Scottish Gordon, Richard by name, appears in the late twelfth-century at Gordon in Roxburghshire. The origins of the family are obscure but they may be English. A descendant, Sir Adam Gordon, was part of the embassy which took the famous ‘Declaration of Arbroath’, which many regard as Scotland’s declaration of independence, to the pope at Avignon in 1320. As a reward for his services he was granted Strathbogie by Robert Bruce, so introducing the ‘Northern Gordons’ to Aberdeenshire where they were to play a notable role in Scottish history. drystane dykes’. The Statistical Account of the 1790s mentions ‘the remains of an old building with bridges’. Did this refer to causeways? Bridges, we suspect, were a later addition. The Survey of 1911 found an island measuring 60 feet by 50 feet with ‘a few indications of walling’ and the possible remains of a circular tower ten feet in diameter, at one time owned by the ancient Lords of Galloway. Strategically the location does not make sense as a fortification. On the other hand the place was prestigious enough for the Gordons to use it as a title. It seems to have had some function which now completely eludes us, though several castles of native Welsh princes similarly strike me as having been built in the wrong place; a possible parallel? Over the years the chiefs of the name were involved in many feuds. Sir Alexander Gordon married Janet Kennedy who later became one of several mistresses of James IV, by whom she to Loch Ken, ‘fornentis Kenmure’. Sixty men tried to resist but the castle was taken. An English spy reported that Moray tried to persuade Gordon to cooperate with him ‘to save his house and forget the past’ but he refused. He had allegedly believed that his estates were so remote that no one could penetrate his bounds. He was wrong and his castle was burnt and partially demolished. Nonetheless he remained loyal to Mary to the end. He became Warden of the West March, surviving until 1604, the year after the Union of the Crowns under James VI. If any of our Gordons inspired the Young Lochinvar of Scott’s poem it was probably the last mentioned Sir John (1548-1604), a man ruinously devoted to his young queen, who suffered greatly for his loyalty and who wrongly believed that in his fine castle deep in the Galloway Forest, he was untouchable, faithful in love but sadly dauntable in war. Does anyone have any suggestions as to the location of ‘Dawhernyn’? This was probably transcribed by someone with very little knowledge of the district. Worse he may only have heard the name mentioned and seriously misunderstood. The gratuitous information that it was ‘barbarously callit’ suggests that the language was Gaelic. Were there other ‘holms’ in 1568 that have since been lost or forgotten? For example was there once a Holm of Blawquhairn? Can we make Dalarran out of Dawhernyn? Could Moray have first gone to Dalarran and then to Dalry before attacking Kenmure? What do you think? Suggestions welcome! Over the years the chiefs of the name were involved in many feuds. Sir Adam conferred half of the lands of Glenkens, previously acquired from the Maxwells, upon his second son, William who also received the keeping of the New Forest of Glenkens from the future Robert II. It was not until 1403 that we have definite indications that the Gordons moved west as allies of the Douglases to take possession of Kenmure. The Fourth Earl of Douglas also granted them Shirmers and ‘other lands in the barony of Balmaclellan’ as well as the keepership of the New Forest and the bailiedom of Earlston. William de Gordon acquired the style, ‘of Lochinvar’ in 1450 but there is no hard evidence that they actually resided there and indeed if Kenmure Castle was at their disposal, why would they have done so? There are indications of some kind of structure on the loch’s island, probably originally a crannog, described by Alexander Trotter as ‘a bit booroch o’ had a son, James Stewart. He was thus a half brother of James V, with whom the Lochinvars worked closely, improving their fortunes. James Gordon of Lochinvar was killed at the battle of Pinkie in 1547. Sir John Gordon became justiciar of the Stewartry in 1548. He hosted Mary Queen of Scots at Kenmure in 1563 and sat on the assize which examined the evidence for Bothwell’s part in the murder of Darnley. Scandalously Bothwell was acquitted. After Mary was deposed, imprisoned and forced to seek refuge in England, her half-brother, the Regent James, Earl of Moray was intent upon attacking her supporters. He led a force into ‘ane valley callit barbarously the Holm of Dawhernyn’, in hopes of engaging Lochinvar. He marched to Dalry and then Ted Cowan Kenmure Castle from Francis Grose’s book ‘Antiquities of Scotland’ dated 1791. Glenkens Gazette page 16 Who Do We Think We Were? This month’s contribution comes from Hilda McAdam who grew up in Dalry. No doubt Hilda’s reminiscences will trigger more memories from others. Whether you grew up here or have arrived in the Glenkens from elsewhere, please send in your 500 words of reminiscence so that we get a spread of places, times and individual experiences. If you live here now, you are part of our C21 history. Please send your contribution - of no more than 500 words - by email to margaret.elphinstone@ dircon.co.uk or hand in a copy at CatStrand marked ‘Glenkens Gazette - WDWTWW’ The next Gazette will feature Avril Bridgeman’s memories of Show Day in New Galloway. DALRY MEMORIES by Hilda McAdam In my younger days in Dalry one thing that sticks out in my mind is that before Easter Mum would sit for hours knitting my sister and me new twin sets, and we were taken to get Clarks’ sandals to have some new to wear for Easter Sunday. On ‘Dog Hunt Day’ (Sheep Dog Trials Day) every year new boots were purchased for us to wear in the winter. On Sundays we were always at Sunday School in the morning and had family walks in the afternoon. Our Summer outings from Sunday School were greatly looked forward to. I remember one year going to Barlaes, then we progressed and went to Sandyhills or Sandgreen. Races were held with Mr. Mullo Weir, our minister, taking part in them all. When he met the children AND their Mummies he would insist on giving them a kiss. He had Pan Drops loose in his pockets to which he would treat you. When he turned away you had to wipe fluff off the sweets. One favourite walk was to Allangibbon Bridge. We went through the gate just past the bridge and down to the river’s edge where there was a big stone called ‘Nick Me Nubs’. This stone to our young imaginations could be a cooker, a sink, etc. We went on into the wood across from Barskeoch, where we found ‘The Wishing Tree’. Many a happy hour was spent there. Another family walk was up the Mulloch Hill. We used to have a competition to see who could find the first ‘peesie”’(peewit/lapwing) nest (there were plenty of them in those days). We also tried to be the first person to find the only clump of white heather which grew near the top. In October we gathered rose-hips to take to school where they were sent away to make rose-hip syrup. We only got a few pennies for them – but money was very much appreciated. When we were very young most of the families stayed at Underhill. In the evenings everyone was out playing, not only the children but the parents as well. We played Hide-andSeek, Kick-the-Can, Rounders, etc. In Dumfries with new sandals, with wee sister Margaret on the right. We all made our own fun. Another vivid memory is getting our milk delivered by horse and cart by Mr. James Edgar and then Tommy Edgar. One day Roger the horse was startled at the very top of the village, outside Greyrigg. The poor horse bolted, milk and milk bottles came hurling off the back of the cart all the way down Main Street and ended up stuck in the seat at the Town Hall gates. Fortunately the only damage done that day was a small bump on the Fountain. Everybody in the village helped each other. I remember regularly going for messages for Mrs Stewart who lived in Rose Cottage and for Miss Kerr who lived a few doors down. I still have a small silver spoon given to me by Miss Kerr for being her ‘message girl’. SULPHUR & TREACLE Friday night was the night for a proper wash, not a top and tail kind. The warm water that was kept from the weekly wash in a big iron copper would be pailed into the round tub (bine) which had been made from a whiskey barrell that had been halved. This was now used to wash the clothes when filled with the warm water along with the metal wash board. The wash-house became our bathroom on a Friday night, and one by one (there were seven of us) would make our way back and forth, either wrapped in a big plaid or towels. Once ready for bed, with our hair still damp, and smelling of carbollic, Mam would sit herself on a low stool and spread an old pair of navy blue knickers on her lap. Why it had to be an old pair of knickers I don’t know. With the ‘nit-comb’ in hand we would all in turn kneel down before these knickers, and the combing began. Then it would be over to Dad where he would be standing with a big soup spoon at the ready. What was being offered us was something that had been mixed during the nit-hunt, as if it was an award we had just earned, and once again it was one by one, only this time we all stood in a row. The spoon went into this jar, and when it emerged it was filled to the brim. “Right, open up,” came the command, and this spoon with the sulphur-and-treacle went in. “YUK!” The taste was still in our mouths in the mornings, but the good thing was none of us ever caught the dreaded impetigo, or ‘itch’... by W Thom Glenkens Gazette page 17 HISTORY IN Old Mine on the Garple THE HILLS Old Covenanters stories speak of seeking refuge in a cave along the Garple Burn in the vicinity of the present Holme House. “You’re standing on the remains of an Bronze Age ring cairn,” explains archaeologist Andrew Nicholson (far right) to members of a history field trip on Bardennoch Hill near Carsphairn. There’s not much to see of the original circular burial structure but, he explains, “most of the stones have been re-used in the dry stane dyke behind me!”. The trip, organised by The Glenkens Story project, followed their “Hoards to Discover” lecture when Andrew, who is D&G regional archaeologist, thrilled a capacity CatStrand audience with tales of discoveries in the Glenkens, culminating in last year’s find of Viking treasure at Balmaghie. Bardennoch Hill is a rich source of historical remains and Andrew led the party on a strenuous tour of sites ranging from prehistoric long cairns to mediaeval field systems and carved stones marking the ancient track which took pilgrims, including Robert the Bruce, via Carsphairn and Polmaddie to St Ninian’s shrine at Whithorn. The group even found, and recorded, a stone with cup and ring marks near Cairn Avel which doesn’t appear in existing surveys. The Glenkens Story is organising further field trips to local war memorials (21 May) and to Covenanting sites (3 September). If you want to be added to The Glenkens Story mailing list for information on events email theglenkensstory@gmail.com Pictured below: One of several stones with carved crosses which once marked the pilgrim way. The carvings have weathered within living memory and the stones, now fallen, are not easy to find, especially since the Ordnance Survey map is inaccurate! This is a dramatic and little-known corner of the Glenkens, with the Garple Burn occupying a deep wooded ravine before it emerges onto the valley floor and enters the River Ken. A few years ago I searched for this cave and failed to find it. However, at the beginning of last year I managed to locate it. I quickly realised it was actually an old mine adit, a horizontal passageway at right angles to the river. I had a head torch with me and, after wading through water for the first stretch, I found the passage became dry owing to a slight upward incline. It is not quite straight, but has a few minor bends in it before coming to an abrupt end. Later measurement with the help of the family showed it to be nearly 30 metres long. I was puzzled as to what was mined - there was no sign of mineralisation, other than perhaps iron mineralisation. I later found a beautifully crafted iron chisel on the floor of the adit with my metal detector, as well as iron artefacts. I wondered if it could have been an Iron Age or medieval iron mine, and thought it could indeed have been the hideout of the Covenanters. However in January this year John Pickin, formerly of Stranraer museum and an expert on old mines, came to view it and offer his opinion on its age. He noticed blast holes in the roof of the passage that we’d somehow missed which showed that it couldn’t have been there at the time of the Covenanters. We now think it was an exploratory adit put in during the 1840s after the discovery of the Woodhead lead mine at Carsphairn - there are records of exploratory activity further up the Garple Burn. So perhaps we are still looking for the Covenanters’ hideout – unless there was a small cave here before that the miners extended further back into the hillside. David Bartholomew Glenkens Gazette page 18 JUNE & JULY MAY Sat 28 May, Scottish Dance Theatre: Innocence, 2pm, CatStrand Sat 28, Robert Burns: Rough Cut, 7.30pm, CatStrand, see p7 Sun 29, Litvinenko Project, 3pm, CatStrand, see p7 Sun 29, Ventoux, 5pm, CatStrand, see p7 Cosmetics, Skin Care, Health & Sports Nutritional Products all products are botanically-based, vegan, gluten & cruelty free To try before you buy, host an Arbonne Party, or for advice please contact your local Arbonne Independent Consultant, Katy Caie, on 07756 506 496 or visit http://catrionacaie.arbonne.com 20% off for new customers! Just quote GKARBONNE Arbonne Independent Consultant JUNE Sat 4, The Unthanks, 7.30pm, CatStrand, see p7 Sat 11, Akrowa, 1pm, see p3 Sun 12, Jazz in the Village: Millar & Spencer, 6.30pm, Lagwyne Hall, Carsphairn, see ad below Thu 16, Film: Spectre, 7.30pm, CatStrand Fri 17, Arndarroch Open Garden, 2pm, see p12 Fri 17, The Claire Hastings Band, 7.30pm, CatStrand Tues 28, The Light Field, 7pm, CatStrand Wed 29, Film: Where You’re Meant to Be, 7.30pm, CatStrand JULY Sat 9, Saltfishforty, 8pm, CatStrand Thu 14, Film: Star Wars- The Force Awakens, 7.30pm, CatStrand Carsphairn Village Shop & Tea Room - temporary location - Lagwyne Hall re-opening in usual location in June; date tbc Glenkens Gazette page 19 REGULAR EVENTS CatStrand, New Galloway: Exercise to Music: Mon, 10-11am Margaret Morris dance 1: 3-7yrs, term-time Mondays, 3.45-4.30pm Margaret Morris dance 2: 8-16yrs, term-time Mondays, 4.30-5.15pm Access All Areas Youth Arts - Making Music: Please phone CatStrand to book session. Gentle Tai Chi: Wed, 10am, 60+ Glenkens Writing Group: First Wed each month 3-5pm Sing it Out: Thurs, 11am -12pm Pilates: Thurs, 4.15-5.15pm & 5.306.30pm CatStrand Ukes: Thurs, 1pm – 3.30pm 60+ Choreographic Skills Lab: Thurs (term-time), 7 - 8.30pm ages 12-18 Zumba Gold: Fridays (term-time), 10-11am, CatStrand, 16+ Saturday Art Club: twice a month, 10am–12noon, to book call 420 374 Zumba Kids: last Sat of the month (term-time), 10-10.45am Catstrand Youth Players: Sun during term time, 2pm Glenkens Acoustic Sessions: last Sun of the month, 2-4pm Glenkens Community Centre, Dalry, (contact Kath on 430 281): Glenkens Children’s Club: Mon & Fri, 10am-12noon Paint & Art: Mon, 1.30-4.30pm & Wed, 7-9pm Ballroom & Latin Dance Class: Mon, 7.15pm, for more info call Sam Rushton on 420 672 GCC Playgroup: Tues, Wed & Thurs, 9.10-11.40am, contact Sue on 07709 929 482 Good Neighbours’ Club: Tues, 2pm Kickback Martial Arts: Thurs, 7-9pm Thursday Craft Group: Thurs, 2-4pm Brownies: Wed, 5.30-6.45pm Guides: Tues during term-time, 6.15pm, contact: Kath 430 281 Various Locations: Ballroom & Latin Dance: Mon, 7.30pm, Castle Douglas Primary School Mother & Toddlers: Tues, 9.4511.15am, New Galloway Town Hall Carsphairn Post Office: Tues, 13pm, Lagwyne Hall Beavers: Tues, 6–7.15pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Dog Training: Tues & Thurs, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. Contact: Eric 460 670 Wednesday Quiz Night: Wed, 8.30pm, Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Stewartry Camera Club: Wed, 7.30pm, Ringford Village Hall, runs Wed 11 Sept till end Mar Glenkens Community Councils Balmaclellan Community Council Meetings: 3rd Monday each month, 7.30pm, Balmaclellan Village Hall. Carsphairn Community Council Meetings: Last Monday each month, 7pm, Lagwyne Hall, Carsphairn. Dalry Community Council Meetings: 1st Monday each month, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. New Galloway & Kells Community Council Meetings: 2nd Monday each month, 7.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall. Full minutes of local Community Council meetings can be viewed at Dalry Library. Conventicle, 3pm, Dalry CHURCH TIMES June, churchyard. 31 July, United Service CHURCH OF SCOTLAND Sunday Services - Balmaclellan 12noon: 1st. Carsphairn 10.30am: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th. Dalry 9am: 1st, 2nd(Jul), 3rd, 4th. Dalry 10.30am: 5th(Jul). Kells 10.30am: 2nd, 3rd, 4th. Special Services/Events: 5 June, Clachan Fair Songs of Praise with Sanquhar & District Silver Band, 6pm, Newfield Green. 12 June, United Family Service (Kells/ Dalry), 10.30am, Kells Church. 19 with Choir, 10.30am, Dalry Church. Communion Service: 3 July, Carsphairn Church (using central table), 10.15am. SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH: St Margaret’s, New Galloway: Holy Communion, 10.30am every Sun & Wed. CATHOLIC CHURCH SERVICES: Kirkcudbright: Sun Mass, 9.30am. Dalbeattie: Sat Mass, 5pm Zumba: Wed, 7.30-8.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall, 11+ Mossdale Painters: Wed, 9.30am, Mossdale Village Hall Cub Scouts: Wed, 6.45–8pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Coffee & Craft Morning: Thurs, 9am-12noon, Lagwyne Hall Youth Writing Group: Thurs (during term time), 3.30-5pm, ages 10-15, Dalry School Scouts: Thurs, 7–8.30pm, New Galloway Scout Hut D&G Hard of Hearing Group Dropin: 1st Friday each month, 10am12noon, New Galloway Town Hall Gentle Tai Chi: Fri 10-11am, Dalry Town Hall To hire the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) behind Dalry School call Sonja Tranter on 430 244 or Nicolette Wise on 430 218. Dalry Library Temporary Hours Tue: 12noon - 3.30pm Fri: 10am - 12noon & 1pm - 4.30pm There are 23 mobile library stops - to find out where and when please phone 430 234. ADVERTISE IN THE GAZETTE (price per issue incl VAT) SMALL: 6cm x 6cm, £37.80 (+ 10% off with series discount) 1/4 PAGE: 9cm w x 13cm h, £81.90 (+ 25% off with series discount) 1/2 PAGE: 18cm w x 13cm h, £151.20 (+ 25% off with series discount) FULL PAGE: 18cm w x 27cm h, £252 (+ 25% off with series discount) Call 07727 127 997 VAT Reg. No. 882 8361 87 USEFUL NUMBERS: ● Pot-hole Hotline: 0845 276 0000 ● Local Police: 0845 600 5701 ● Doctor: 01644 420 234 ● NHS 24: 08454 24 24 24 ● D&G Council: 030 33 33 3000 Glenkens Gazette page 20 CORSOCK BOY’S BUSINESS VENTURE GOES GLOBAL United Bricks was established in Corsock, but has quickly become a global enterprise. Realising that LEGO didn’t have a military-themed range, 16-year-old Callum Winspear decided to make his own. He quickly realised that like-minded LEGO enthusiasts were also looking for similar figures and what started as a hobby in 2013 grew into a full-time job when Callum left Dalry school in 2015. Since then United Bricks has invested in a special state-of-theart UV printer which gives them the ability to print onto almost any 3D object in a durable, high quality finish. United Bricks design and print on LEGO components, specialising in military history. Some of their current ranges include World War One and Two, American Revolutionary War, and Anglo-Zulu War. The company produces thousands of printed minifigures every month for contracts worldwide, and has a global re-seller network that includes North America, Asia and Europe. The company now has a team of graphic designers and will soon be taking on further staff to help keep up with increasing demand. United Bricks recently won the award for ‘Most Promising New Business in Dumfries & Galloway’ at the Chamber of Commerce Awards 2016 - quite an achievement for a newbie. The company is growing so fast it has now moved into its own office premises, situated in Corsock, and has invested in a brand new website which has just been launched, showcasing all their new products WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Submit events, activities, news stories, cartoons, reviews, tips & techniques, fiction, photos, ads or ideas... Contact Sarah Ade on 07727 127 997 or glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk AUG/SEPT COPY DEADLINE: 5 JULY United Bricks founder Callum Winspear. and features. Along with this, they attend LEGO conventions throughout the UK every year, meeting new fans and engaging in the LEGO community. United Bricks has achieved so much in their first year of business - watch this space! To find out more about United Bricks visit www.united-bricks.com or follow them on facebook or twitter. Design & co-ordination: Sarah Ade sarah.ade@gmail.com Printing:Stranraer & Wigtownshire Free Press www.stranraer-freepress.co.uk The Glenkens Gaze�e is an ini�a�ve of the Glenkens Community & Arts Trust, a Registered Sco�sh Charity No. SC032050  Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette 94 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GG_094 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource GCAT Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016 Description An account of the resource Editor: Sarah Ade https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/1/239/GlenkensGazette93.pdf 22c2f61124003c40da1e92ed90023654 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette 93 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Description An account of the resource <p>Find out more about the Gazette: <a href="https://glenkens.scot/gazette-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glenkens Gazette home page</a> If you would like to submit an article or take out an advert, please email the editor Sarah Ade: <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="mailto:glenkensgazette@hotmail.com">glenkensgazette@hotmail.com</a></p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is a member of, and regulated by <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.impressorg.com/">Impress</a>.</p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is an initiative of Glenkens Community &amp; Arts Trust (SC032050) and represents the voice of the community (not necessarily the views of GCAT).</p> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document GLENKENS GAZETTE News from Balmaclellan, Carsphairn, Mossdale, New Galloway and St John’s Town of Dalry April/May 2016 ISSUE 93 FREE DRAMA TRIUMPH FOR CATSTRAND DUO CatStrand’s Youth Players have taken top place in the Stewarty drama festival. Zoe Kirkpatrick and Eilidh Thomson starred as mother and daughter, portraying their developing relationship over 40 years, in the two-hander Tell Me Another Story, Sing Me A Song by Jean Lenox Toddie. Adjudicator Margaret Tomlinson, awarding them top place with a score of 88%, said: “The two actors created totally believable, likeable characters in this delightful portrayal of a mother-daughter relationship – the audience’s attention was caught and held throughout.” This year the Stewartry District Scottish Community Drama Association festival at the Fullarton Theatre had to be spread over two weekends to accommodate the large number of entries - the largest district festival in Scotland. CatStrand Youth Players also entered Us And Them by David Campton, a popular play for a 17strong cast written 40 years ago but Eilidh Thomson (left) and Zoe Kirkpatrick with their trophy. just as relevant today as then. The the settlers become suspicious of play portrays the problems that can develop between what is going on ‘over the wall’. Continued on p10... two neighbouring territories when NEW GLENKENS UPRISING SAVES HISTORY A local history lecture has sparked a new ‘Glenkens Uprising’ to bring a vital history book back into print. When Peter Aitchison and Andrew Cassell gave a talk on their book, The Lowland Clearances, at an event organised by local history project, The Glenkens Story, many in the capacity CatStrand audience expected to be able to buy their book. However Professor Ted Cowan, who originally coined the phrase ‘Lowland Clearances’, explained that no copies were on sale because it was out of print and Birlinn the publisher was refusing to reprint it. Next day Lucy Brown from Dalry and Castle Douglasbased historian Alistair Livingston started an online petition calling on Birlinn to reprint the book. The petition rapidly attracted hundreds of signatures including historians Tom Devine and Neil Davidson and MSPs Mike Russell, Joan McAlpine and John Finnie. Finally, Birlinn yielded to the A Glenkens Community & Arts Trust (GCAT) ini�a�ve Alistair Livingston and Lucy Brown. pressure and the first copies of the 2016 reprint were dispatched in February. Continued on p4... www.glenkensgaze�e.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 2 ANNIE WINSTANLEY BIG It is with joy that we LOTTERY remember Annie Winstanley who sadly passed away on BACKS 4 March 2016. SHOP The campaign to save New Galloway’s only shop from closing has won first stage development funding from the Big Lottery. This is a major step towards creating a community shop and self-catering tourist flats within the existing Hopkins’ shop and house. The award is enabling New Galloway Community Enterprises Ltd (NGCE) to undertake the detailed research and development work for a second stage bid to the Big Lottery. This would provide funds to buy and refurbish the property and support the early stages of the new business. NGCE is working with locally-based consultants Creetown Initiative and architect Marc Henklemann of Kirkcudbright to submit the funding bid in the summer. Helen Keron, chair of NGCE, says: “We would like to thank everyone in New Galloway who has supported the bid so far. Your support was vital in convincing the Big Lottery what there was a real need to secure the shop. We know that the competition for second stage funding will be fierce so we will continue to need your support to demonstrate that New Galloway has the will and ability to back the project.” You can follow developments by watching out for posters in the village, viewing the progress file in Hopkins Shop or on Facebook - ‘New Galloway Community Shop and Enterprises’. THE STEWARTRY VETERINARY CENTRE CASTLE DOUGLAS SURGERY HOURS Mon-Fri 2.00-2.30 pm & 5-6 pm Sat 2-2.30 pm DALBEATTIE SURGERY HOURS Mon, Wed, Fri 3-3.30 pm Tues & Thurs 6-6.30 pm FOR APPOINTMENTS AT BOTH SURGERIES OR IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY � 01556 502263 VETERINARY SURGERY OAKWELL ROAD CASTLE DOUGLAS � A warm and heartfelt person, Annie was involved in the community from the moment she and her husband, Simon, arrived in the Glenkens in 1983. She was quick to smile, and quick to offer help and support to those arround her. Over the years Annie had been involved in too many community projects and activities to mention, one of them being the singing group Damsel Jam of which she was a member for many years, and most recently volunteering at Glenkens Community Shop where she brightened anyone’s day who happened to pop in when she was there. What I remember best about Annie was her readiness to laugh, and her enthusiasm and zest for life. She seemed always prepared at a moment’s notice to share a joke, enjoy the moment, and say yes to whatever life had to offer. Annie will be missed by her family and her many, many friends, and will remain in the hearts and minds of so many around the Glenkens, Galloway and beyond. If anyone would like to make a donation in memory of Annie, please donate to the Glenkens Community Shop, Main Street, Dalry. Sarah Ade LING’s One-year Deal for Town Hall Local Initiatives in New Galloway (LING) has taken on a oneyear agreement with D&G Council for the management of the Town Hall from the start of February. D&G will remain responsible for keeping the building wind and water tight and services such as the heating system. We are working on increasing the use and setting up events and activities that were suggested in our Open Day survey a couple of years ago. We have received a small grant from the Integrated Health Fund to enable a six-month pilot extended lunch club which will be starting after Easter. The first of regular indoor car boot sales was held at the end of February, carpet bowls have started and table tennis will be available later this month. A pop-up weekend museum is being investigated to the summer. Anyone willing to volunteer please contact Craig on 07926 044 062. This is also the new number for making bookings for the hall. We look forward to seeing you, Ros Hill, LING Chairman GLENKENS CANDIDATE FOR HOLYROOD ELECTIONS Andrew Metcalf, who lives near Carsphairn with his wife Jane, will be the Scottish Liberal Democrats candidate in the Scottish Parliament election which takes place in May. Andrew said: “Since coming to Galloway nine years ago, I have been made very welcome by local people. I would welcome the opportunity to now represent the area in Edinburgh.” Glenkens Gazette page 3 THE FUTURE OF OUR SCHOOLS An open meeting for parents of pupils in all the Glenkens schools - Carsphairn, Dalry and Kells - was held on 21 March to meet with representatives of Dumfries & Galloway Education Department and discuss their proposed changes to education provision in the Glenkens. A large turnout of concerned parents from all the local schools, as well as people from the wider community, ensured a lively evening of discussion and debate. Dr Gillian Brydson, Head of Education, reported that falling school rolls and changing demographics are an ongoing problem for the provision of education across the whole region, not just the Glenkens, particularly in light of the millions of pounds worth of savings the council needs to make in the forthcoming years. The Education Department see their role as to provide the best possible outcomes for Glenkens pupils; to provide strong support for transition from early stage to senior phase and to provide a coherent curriculum and a stable and sustainable future for education provision. However, concerns about how Curriculum for Excellence can fit into an S1-S4 school when the split would more realistically come after S3, and the difficulties in staff recruitment in a school with low pupil numbers coupled with budget restraints, pose problems. Their proposals for the Glenkens are to recruit a new head teacher for the three primary schools in the Glenkens to start in August and to link Dalry Secondary to Castle Douglas High School. This would involve a depute teacher in Dalry who would be part of the overall management team based at Castle Douglas. Dalry Parent Council Chair, Andrea Ramsay, asked for small groups to discuss the implications of the proposals and then report back their findings to the meeting. This was then followed by a question-andanswer session. The overall feel from parents was that the Glenkens schools already provided an excellent education for their children and that the current model of an overall head teacher either save money or be better for pupils. The answer given was that by pooling resources with Castle Douglas, more choice could be offered to pupils. However, a further concern was that having a depute in Dalry under a head teacher in Castle Douglas would not be a partnership but a hierarchical structure with less power afforded to Dalry when it came to resources. The timescale was also of concern as parent councils would need to consult with their parent bodies and examine all the implications. Lastly, comments from the community highlighted that when talking about costs it was important to look at the wider picture: the money spent per pupil in Dalry Secondary may be higher than elsewhere in the region but this is money well spent. Pupils from the Glenkens are well-educated, responsible and successful individuals, everything that Curriculum for Excellence aims for, and become responsible hard-working adults who give back to the community and cost the state nothing – the Glenkens is not an inner city with the associated costs of high crime and social service intervention. As the impact of any changes to the schools within the cluster would have far-reaching effects for all the villages, the Community Councils are also involved in the process. If parents have further questions they wish to raise about their child’s future education they are urged to contact their parent council who can ensure that all concerns reach the education authority. Pupils from the Glenkens are welleducated, responsible and successful individuals, everything that Curriculum for Excellence aims for... for the Glenkens Primaries and the Secondary worked well. Many felt that Dalry Secondary should continue to offer education certainly up to S4, possibly to S6. There was little understanding as to how only offering S1-S3 education could Our Schools: A Personal Perspective Coming away from the schools meeting on 21 March, I felt reassured in the strength of our Glenkens communities. What the education department need to understand is that we are aware of the evolving demands of modern education, and of the necessity to adapt to the changing times, and we are happy to do this - but only if we feel those measures will benefit us and our children. We are proud of our identity. Proud of our highly successful schools which produce consistently great results. We appreciate and understand the value of our autonomy, and the assets our schools posess which make ours a unique learning environment. Our strong sense of community gives our children a secure and confident start in life – from which they take flight into the world-atlarge fully equipped, but also often coming home to roost, the sign of a healthy and thriving community. We give them roots. It is suggested that Dalry secondary should become a satelite school to Castle Douglas so that we can share resources and create partnerships but why does that have to involve losing our autonomy? Just because a concept is new doesn’t mean we should throw away the old without any thought for what it has provided for us. And at the end of the day, shouldn’t it be our choice, as a community, rather than a choice imposed on us because it’s what the powers-that-be think is the best for us? In the Glenkens we have a history of fighting for the things we feel are important – schools, shops, libraries – we don’t just jump on the latest bandwaggon at the risk of losing our our valuable community assets. We know we won’t ever get them back. We thoroughly consider the pros and cons. And make an informed choice. After all, we’re pretty well educated. Our schools have seen to that. Sarah Ade (editor and parent) Glenkens Gazette page 4 sponsored by EVERYTHING listed in the Glenkens Freecycle section is FREE - you just need to contact the owner and go and pick it up! If you would like to list something on this page, please get in touch with Sarah on 07727 127 997 or email glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk VARIOUS Upright piano in good working order. Steel frame. All notes & pedals work but would benefit from re-tuning after moving. It will take several people to lift it into a van or similar. From smoke and pet free home. Collection from Mochrum near Knockvennie. Contact: Trevor on 440 683 Toaster. Kenwood. Fully functional. Contact: 460 516 Ink cartridges for Canon Pixma iP4500 etc. Contact: 460 516 Bags of Polystyrene Loosefill and also some air pocket filling. Perhaps useful for packaging artworks, etc. Contact: Ruth on 460 516 Small red IKEA table, 55cm square, 45cm high. Slight scratch on top. Contact: 430 218 Woven jute rug, natural colour with Greek key design in black, 70” x 47”, may be useful for conservatory or doggie area. Contact: Sue on 07563 718 011 Rotted horse manure for the garden, New Galloway area, collect with bags or trailer. Contact: Sue on 07563 718 011 WANTED Boys bikes ages 5/6 and 8/9. Contact: Mary on 07967 959 511 Chest of drawers. Contact: Simon on 07426 124 982 Boys kilt, aged 4-5 , any Tartan style. Contact: Chrissy on 07824 810 305 Guinea-pig run. Contact: Sarah on 07727 127 997 LOWLAND CLEARANCES BOOK Continued from front page... The book describes how, long before the well-known Highland Clearances, there had been an uprising in Galloway against the first of the Lowland Clearances in 1724. Although forgotten now, from Berwickshire to Aberdeenshire and from Galloway to Renfrewshire, thousands of people were cleared from the Scottish lowlands by improving landowners and had to emigrate or find work in factories and mines. Peter Aitchison, co-author of the book, says he was amazed by the response: “Andy Cassell and I were pleased to be invited by our former BBC colleague Mike Brown to lecture to The Glenkens Story project. We were stunned when the event sold out, and delighted at the response of a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable audience. “Despite our own efforts the book had been out of print for some time but that didn’t deter these latter-day radicals who launched an incredible online petition and very vocal campaign to have the volume reprinted. Andy and I are massively grateful to all those who pressured Birlinn into doing this. The public appetite for the story of what happened in lowland parts more than 250 years ago is seen by sales which propelled the reprint into the best-selling charts, at one time reaching the number three positions for Scottish books. It is amazing what people-power can achieve, and all thanks to a chance invitation to talk to a wonderful local history group.” Alistair Livingston says: “I am very pleased that the ‘Lowland Clearances’ is back in print. The next challenge is to make sure it stays in print so that this important part of history is remembered. The best way to do that is to order a copy.” drawn, it’s the ideas that count! There will be a small prize in vouchers for each age group - 12 and under, 13-17 and 18 upwards - and the overall winner will have their idea turned into the logo. Entry details: The final logo will have to work in both colour and black and white, and be clear enough to use on large and small scales. Entries can be in any medium, and can include letters or just an image. Please submit entries by 1 May to Hopkins shop or New Galloway Post Office with your name, contact number and age on the back. Entries will be judged anonymously and the final logo will be copyright of NGCE Ltd. For info please contact Mary Smith on 07967 959 511 or maryzair@gmail.com PHOTOGRAPHERS & GRAPHIC DESIGNERS! Logo Competition ATTENTION YOUNG WRITERS, New Galloway Community Enterprises (NGCE) Ltd is holding a competition to find a winning idea for a logo for the proposed New Galloway Community Shop and self-catering flats. The second stage of the bid to secure full funding from the Big Lottery is now underway (see p2) and we’re looking for a great design that will represent the bid and may even be used on the shop front itself. Open to all in the Glenkens, here’s an excellent opportunity to get creative and get doodling - entries don’t have to be wonderfully We are looking for budding young contributors to create a youth section within the Glenkens Gazette. If you would like to share writing, review a show, film or album, conduct your own interviews or showcase your art or photography then get in touch. All abilities and interests, open to all under 25. Please email davem@catstrand.com to submit work or for further details. Glenkens Gazette page 5 sponsored by Dumfries & Galloway’s Wild Spring Festival runs from 25 March to 10 April and boasts many opportunities in and around the Glenkens to experience the unique wildlife and nature of our little corner of Galloway. Some of the activities on offer throughout the region include opportunities to make feeders for birds, squirrels and butterflies, to watch feeding badgers and red kites and to forage for wild food under the watchful eye of Scotland’s only professional wild-food forager, Mark Williams. Whether you wish to watch wildlife on foot, bike or canoe, and whenever you wish to watch it - dawn, daytime, dusk or dark - there’s something for you in the programme. Some of the activities on offer in and around the Glenkens are: Wilderness Kayak Trip: runs between 25 March and 10 April, 10am to 5pm. Explore Loch Ken in a kayak and see Greenland white-fronted and Icelandic greylag geese as well as many other species of birds and other animals such as deer and otters. Meet at the Galloway Activity Centre, Loch Ken. Cost: £17.50. Min age: 8. Contact: 01556 502011, gac@lochken.co.uk Booking is essential. Open Day at Red Kite Feeding Station: 2 April, 1-4pm. Free entry to the red kite feeding station at Laurieston. Meet: Bellymack Hill Farm, Kite Feeding Station, Laurieston. Contact: 01556 670464, calum.murray@rspb.org.uk Wild Spring at Parton: 5 April, 10:30am to 12noon. Join the RSPB to discover wild animals, plants and red kites. Find out how we have helped give these a home here and enjoy impressive springtime views over Loch Ken and River Dee. Kids can take part in a Scavenger Hunt. Meet: Loch Ken Holiday Park, Parton, Castle Douglas. Cost: RSPB members £3; non-members £4; children half price. Contact: Calum Murray, 01556 670464, calum.murray@rspb.org.uk Spring & Kites at Ken-Dee: 7 April, 10am to 12noon. Discover the sounds and signs of spring at this reserve. With red kites overhead and nesting lapwings in the fields, fragrant flowers and buds in the glades and singing woodland birds in chorus. Kids can take part in a Scavenger Hunt. Meet: RSPB Ken-Dee Marshes Reserve, Mains of Duchrae, Castle Douglas. Cost: Adult £4, Child £2, RSPB members half price. Minimum Age: 6. Contact: Calum Murray, 01556 670464, calum.murray@rspb.org.uk Booking is essential. Night-time Guided Mountain Bike Ride: 8 April, 810pm. The evening starts at Galloway Activity Centre at 6.30pm where we’ll meet and get kitted-out with bikes, helmets and lighting. After a short powerboat ride across the loch to the forest at the other, side we’ll guide you on a gentle off-road forest ride up to the Otter pool in the heart of the Galloway Forest Park. Price is £15 and includes equipment. Meet: Galloway Activity Centre, Loch Ken. Cost: £15. Minimum Age: 8. Contact: 01556 502011, gac@lochken.co.uk Booking is essential. Galloway Glens Landscape from the Parton Viewpoint: 9 April, 2-4pm. Come for a short walk through some of the landscape that is included in the £2.9 million Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership Project. Find out what the project is all about, how it could transform the local area and how you can get involved. This will be a short walk but is quite steep and could be muddy so come prepared. Meet: Boat o’ Rhone layby, NX685704, DG7 3NE, Contact: Tom Henry, 07702 250958. Booking is essential. Hands-On Day at Knowetop Lochs: 10 April, 10: 30am to 3.30pm. Get involved with practical conservation work at Knowetop Lochs. Activities will include peat depth measurement and sampling, sapling removal, habitat creation. Join in for the day or just an hour - bring wellies, gloves and old clothes or simply come and meet the Reserves Conservation Team and watch them at work! Meet: Scottish Wildlife Trust Knowetop Lochs, Reserve, five miles west of Corsock on A712. This event is free. Contact: swtgalloway@gmail.com To find out more about the Wild Spring Festival visit www.wildseasons.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 6 Chair with a View Balmaclellan Community Council has submitted a considered objection to South West Woodlands planning application for Rigg of Airee. Small issues arising since New Year have included how to care for communal areas such as Kentucky and the Jubilee seat that have been neglected in recent years. A regular volunteers’ day might be one way to do this and to help care for the hall. Look out for notices in the shop. Storm damage to the Jubilee Walk map also needs to be repaired. An exciting development in the area is the fact that Blue Energy started construction of Black Craig wind farm in January. The 23 turbines are due to be commissioned sometime between March and October 2017. Approximately a year after that Blue Energy will be starting to pay out the Community Benefit Fund. This is a sum of £265,000 per annum for 25 years. Such a sum would do a lot for the local community and provide a legacy for future generations if properly managed. At a recent meeting of the Glenkens and District Community Councils it was agreed to encourage discussion and participation in all our communities with regard to setting up an appropriate organisation to receive and manage funds for the benefit of the community. Community Councils of the Glenkens participated in setting up the Glenkens & District Trust in 2015 and the Trust is currently applying for a Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) grant in order to survey the needs, desires and ideas of the community. Balmaclellan Community Council is inviting all residents of Balmaclellan parish to contribute their thoughts and ideas either by attending a Community Council meeting or emailing Anita Garnham or Alan Rumble at balmaclellancc@gmail.com and by participation in the survey when it comes out. There could be at least two years before disbursement of the monies so there is plenty of time for extensive thought and discussion. Community Council meetings are normally held on the last Monday of every month (excluding July and December) in the village hall, from 7.30-9pm. Meetings are open to all although voting rights are restricted to members of the council. Balmaclellan Community Council Members of Balmaclellan Community Council from November 2015: Alan Rumble (chair), Kay Bird (secretary), Jim Kirkpatrick (hall keeper), Robin Jardine, Tom Hudson, Anita Garnham, Alison Chapman, Roland Chaplain, Anna Blyth. The responsibilities of treasurer will be undertaken by SCVS (Scottish Council for Voluntary Service). THE GALLERY AT LAURIESTON SPRING SHOW Phil and family at the recently opened Gallery at Laurieston are delighted to announce the latest show at the gallery. Incorporating some of the best local artisans, the Gallery’s Spring Show 2016 really does have something for everyone. You’d be very welcome to come along and spend some time enjoying the variety of works on show. Situated in the old Laurie Arms Inn, the new gallery provides an open, airy, light and welcoming space which aims to highlight the glories of Galloway and the rich talent that resides here. Please visit our ‘Gallery at Laurieston’ Trip Advisor page to read the thoughts of recent visitors. Among the artists and makers taking part in the Spring Show are Jo Gallant with her lively, warm and rich textiles; pottery by worldrenowned potter team Fitch & McAndrew; Aberdonian Elaine Lindsay and her amazing corn and straw creations (Elaine has created work for highprofile spaces such as The Saatchi Gallery in London); contemporary screenprints by Sarah Stewart and the #windowstills project by Val Macadam and Laura Hudson Mackay. Come view their work on the metaphoric quality of windows. And finally there is work by artist Phil McMenemy whose journey in the arts continues alongside his ongoing love affair with Galloway. The Gallery situated in Laurieston village, outside Castle Douglas, and is open most weekdays and every Sunday. Please feel free to contact Phil on 01644 450 235 to plan your trip. Phil McMenemy Glenkens Gazette page 7 CatStrand Highlights Keep your eyes peeled on the CatStrand this spring for a host of not-to-be missed performances. April 1 sees the Zoe Rahman Trio take the stage. Zoe is a world-class pianist and has firmly established herself as one of the brightest stars on the contemporary jazz scene. On 16 April The Railsplitters will perform, fresh off the success of their first album. Having taken first place in Rockygrass’ Best See our Spring Season brochure and website for programme details. Book online at www.catstrand.com or call 01644 420374. New Band Competition, they have been busy touring and we’re lucky to catch them. On 7 May there is comedy with The Croft & Pearce Show, described by Alistair McGowan as: “Sketch comedy at its very best”. Following hot on its heels is a performance by talented musician Emma Gillespie on 23 May. With her melancholic brand of acoustic folk-pop, Emma became an overnight success after winning the first series of Sky 1’s antidote to The X Factor, Must Be the Music. Rounding off the month on 23 May is the Juan Martin Flamenco Trio. A truly awe-inspiring flamenco guitarist, Emma Gillespie Juan is accompanied by flamenco dancer Carmen Moncada and singer Antonio Aparecida. Along with these stellar performances are films, exhibitions and a wide variety of workshops and community events - why not pop along, enjoy a cuppa in the CatStrand Cafe and see what’s going on? SONGWRITING, MUSIC PRODUCTION & MORE Songwriting workshop with Emma Gillespie: Whether you’re a beginner and just want to get started or need a little help knocking your songs into shape, this interactive workshop will help you develop your songwriting skills! Emma has an extensive writing and performance background from busking on the streets of Glasgow to winning Sky One show ‘Must Be The Music’ as ‘Emma’s Imagination’. Alongside Emma, we’ll be looking at developing confidence in your songwriting, storytelling GLENKENS MEDICAL PRACTICE General Medical & Dispensing Services The Surgery High Street New Galloway through song, breaking through writer’s block and publishing and opportunities as a writer. The workshop is free of charge for those aged 14-25 and takes place on Monday 11 April from 6-8pm. You don’t need to book, simply turn up on the night. For further details, please contact davem@catstrand.com Stranded Cat Records: Young artists have been working on their singles in time for release this summer. As part of a youth record label project at CatStrand, participants have the opportunity to write, record and release a two- track single alongside experienced tutors. There are two places left on the project and you can find the application by hitting ‘youth’ then ‘stranded cat records’ at www.catstrand.com All of this takes place on a Monday evening. CatStrand’s youth music traineeship scheme: If you’d like to join the team at CatStrand for a ten-week training programme in areas such as music production, tech for the stage or events management then please contact davem@catstrand.com for a place. W BONE THE GARAGE, DALRY OPEN 8.30AM - 6PM (SIX DAYS) 10AM - 6PM SUNDAYS - FUEL 24 HOURS - MOT CENTRE FOR APPOINTMENTS CALL SHOP • SANDWICH BAR • LOTTERY � 01644 420234 � Tel: 01644 430 208 Fax: 01644 430 669 jeeps@whbjeeps.co.uk www.whbjeeps.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 8 RED SQUIRREL GROUP REMOVES 400 GREYS IN FIRST YEAR A volunteer group from Glenkens dedicated to protecting the future of Scotland’s iconic red squirrels successfully removed over 400 grey squirrels from the area in its first year. The Glenkens Red Squirrel Group (GKRSG) aims to conserve reds by controlling numbers of non-native grey squirrels and protecting the native red squirrel in the Glenkens. The new group is among a growing number in south Scotland affiliated to the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project. The red squirrel is the UK’s only native squirrel. Numbers have declined rapidly since the introduction of grey squirrels from North America in the 19th Century. Greys have replaced the native reds in much of the UK because they compete for food and habitat, and transmit the deadly squirrelpox virus. Since 1952, 95% of red squirrels in England and Wales have been wiped out. Today, 75% of the UK’s remaining population is found in Scotland. In addition to carrying squirrel pox, the larger greys are able to tolerate tannins which enable them to eat unripe hazelnuts and acorns, eating them before red squirrels get the chance. Greys also devalue Scottish timber crops by 25% due to bark stripping. Reducing grey numbers will also assist our songbird population as greys consume eggs and young birds. Red Squirrel by Alison Wallace. Project Officer for Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels in the Southwest, Kate new members. Bob Peace, treasurer Thomson, said: “Our project has of GKRSG, says: “Everyone is shown that red squirrels can survive welcome. Not only do we need more in the presence of the disease if grey grey squirrel controllers but also squirrel populations are kept to a people to help attend local events minimum.” or assist with fundraising. However Brian, a volunteer grey if you are willing to help control the squirrel controller for the group, greys, we will provide training acknowledges the controversial The group asks the public to report nature of the task: “It is undoubtedly any squirrel sightings – red or grey an emotive issue, the killing of any – online at: animal, and some may disagree with http://scottishsquirrels.org.uk/ it. But if we want the red squirrel to squirrel-sightings survive in the Glenkens someone has For further information visit to undertake this task.” the Glenkens Red Squirrel Group The group are on the lookout for Facebook page. Brian Fishwick Glenkens Transport Initiative Regular Bus Services Tuesdays Dalry to Newton Stewart Return Swimming and Shopping Outward Pickups: Dalry (Underhill) 1115, New Galloway 1120 (Fire Station) Return Pickups: Newton Stewart (ALDI Car Park) 1320, (Merrick Centre) 1330 Return Fare: £3.00 Return More information/booking phone Ann on 01644 460518 Wednesday Evenings Dalry to Castle Douglas (Tesco) Return (registered route) 1900 1905 1915 1925 1930 1937 1940 Outward Journey Depart Dalry (Underhill) New Galloway (CatStrand) Mossdale Lauriston Townhead of Greenlaw Castle Douglas (Market Street) Castle Douglas (Tesco) 2035 2037 2047 2050 2100 2110 2115 Return Journey Depart Castle Douglas (Tesco) Castle Douglas (Market Street) Townhead of Greenlaw Laurieston Mossdale New Galloway (CatStrand) Dalry (Underhill) Services & Excursions April-May 2016 Phone the CatStrand (01644 420374) or see the GTI website (http://catstrand.wix.com/glenkenstransport) for more details and to book. Glenkens to Ayr & Back Saturday April 30 and Saturday May 28 Pickups: New Galloway (CatStrand) 0930, Dalry (Underhill) 0940, Carsphairn (Shop) 1000. Leaving Ayr 1500. Fare £3.50, Concessions £3.00 each way. Drumlanrig Castle Thursday 7 April Pickups: New Galloway (CatStrand) 0930; Dalry (Underhill) 0940, Fare £6. Concessions £5. Glenwhan Gardens Wednesday 20 April Pickups: Dalry (Underhill) 0930, New Galloway (CatStrand) 0940, Fare £6. Concessions £5. Culzean Castle Thursday 26 May Pickups: New Galloway (CatStrand) 0930; Dalry (Underhill) 0940, Carsphairn (Shop) 1000 Fare £6. Concessions £5. Minibus Hire GTI has 8, 15 and 16 seat minibuses for hire. Hirers must be registered GTI user groups. For more information or to book email gti@catstrand.com or call 01644 420374. Glenkens Gazette page 9 DUMFRIES...EDINBURGH...THE WORLD: DALRY SCHOOL COMPETES This term has seen students from Dalry School compete in several events leading to broader experiences, as well as individual and group success. Three pupils travelled to Edinburgh for the National Table Tennis finals held at Bathgate. Being part of a big competition is a resilience-building experience and playing with the best in Scotland has been stimulating. A team of two travelled to Dumfries Academy for the first round of the Procurator Fiscals’ Public Speaking competition in February. Speaking on the theme ‘What it means to be a refugee in Scotland’, Aidan Taylor (S2) and Mia Walker (S3) spoke for nearly five minutes each in a great team effort. They had some very encouraging feedback and made it through to the next round, beating the two Dumfries Academy teams. They are busy preparing for their next outing. Cross country running has been a much more pleasurable experience this year as the weather has been kinder. the CatStrand and Libby Ritchie Consequently 19 secondary joined them as independent students competed in the witnesses, making sure that regional cross country event, everything was as it should be. which this year was held at Libby and Mary Dougan Kirroughtree. The responsibility volunteered as our markers for and compassion of three of our the quiz. The school was very young people shone through as grateful to these volunteers who they realised a fellow runner was made the event possible. We in serious trouble and stopped to learned lot about the verification help. We understand that the girl of official world records and it had in fact broken her ankle. wasn’t as easy as first thought. A world record was set behind On World Book Day it was closed doors on Monday announced that the bid 22 February 2016. Secondary was successful and Dalry School pupils at Dalry School took part helped achieve a record which in a world record attempt to hold will be included in the 2017 the World’s Biggest Simultaneous edition of the Guinness Book of Book Quiz. World Records. At 2pm exactly, they sat down in teams with independent witnesses to take part in the UK-wide event. The bid was part of the World Book Day activities. Pupils had to be counted in, take part in mixed-age teams and do their best to answer six rounds of questions on books. Dalry working towards the world record for World’s Alex Fergusson Biggest Simultaneous Book Quiz. MSP, Brian Edgar from AN INSPIRATIONAL MAN “What’s the next thing that’s gonna kill us?” Who do you think said this? Han Solo? Doctor Who? Well you’re wrong. This is something I heard the astronaut Chris Hadfield say during his recent talk at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. This was the thought that was constantly going through his head during his time on the International Space Station. Pretty mind-blowing, huh? In fact, mind-blowing is the word to describe Colonel Chris Hadfield’s entire lecture. Colonel Hadfield is an amazing and inspirational person who had to deal with some seriously dangerous emergencies during his time on the ISS. For example, one time Houston were going to update the ISS’s system, but when it was update time the ISS stopped working and went pitch black. The crew, including Chris Hadfield, lost contact with Earth. Then the ISS started rolling out of control. Working as a team, the crew rebooted the ISS’s system using an old floppy disk (ask your parents). The crew manually controlled the ISS and tilted the antennae towards Earth. They managed to send out an SOS saying to call NASA. After telling the audience many outstanding stories like this, Colonel Hadfield talked about how you can apply these lessons to your own life. How you can work with others to solve problems. How you can keep calm under pressure. How you can persevere. During his lecture in Edinburgh, Colonel Hadfield also said that everyone should try imagining a perfect next 10 years. When he saw the moon landing as a kid he thought, “I wanna go to space.” But at that time Canada had no space agency, no astronauts and not even any sort of ground control. “But the impossible is possible,” says Chris. That’s one inspirational guy. He makes you imagine a future without limits. by Cosmas Green, age 10 Glenkens Gazette page 10 Community Police Advice on Beating Local Crime As an introduction, I am the Stewartry Crime Reduction Officer based at Castle Douglas Police Station. I have been in the Police service for approaching 29 years and been a resident in New Galloway for the last 20 years. The Glenkens area as a whole has a generally very low crime rate, with only sporadic opportunistic-type offences being reported throughout the year. There are occasions when targeted incidents occur, such as a number of recent break-ins to residential properties, or fuel thefts. However, thankfully these types of offences are few. I provided details to Dalry community council of recent matters including a break-in at a detached bungalow on the outskirts of Dalry. This happened whilst the occupant was away from the property for a prolonged period. (This was very similar to the recent spate of breakins reported across the region where cash and jewellery was targeted.) To reduce the opportunity of future housebreakings I would advise residents to consider taking the following actions: • Try to make your premises look occupied when they are not at home and if leaving properties vacant for long periods of time • Use timer switches to control internal lighting during the hours of darkness • Ensure that any mail delivered is collected and not left in view within hall/porch ways • Notify neighbours that you are away and when you expect to return. Ask them to report anything suspicious. • Review the current location of valuables within your home (don’t be predictable, such as keeping jewellery in a bedside drawer) • A neighbour’s car parked on the driveway or outside can assist to give the appearance that the property is occupied • In any case, neighbours and village residents are asked to report any suspicious persons or vehicles to the police straight away (call 999 in an emergency or 101 in less urgent cases). More recently there has been an increase in doorstep ‘cold-calling’ traders within the area. People offering roofing-type work have called at residential properties and obtained agreements to carry out PC Simon Kennedy repair/cleaning work. This was reported to police who are looking into the circumstances. In the meantime can I remind residents of the dangers of ‘doorstep crime’, especially rogue traders who usually cold-call, offering to make repairs or carry out work on the house, garden or driveway. Often they charge inflated prices for shoddy or even completely unnecessary work. Police do not recommend dealing with any coldcallers for property maintenance and repairs and advise people to contact Dumfries & Galloway council for details of accredited trusted traders for the area. PC Simon Kennedy Stewartry Crime Reduction Officer Youth Players Guild Dates Continued from front page...The young cast, several appearing in their first competition, were praised by the adjudicator for the way they clearly changed mood depending on the scenes and how they interacted with everyone else on stage. She particularly praised the two ‘recorders’ who effectively narrated the storyline and spoke clearly and with conviction throughout. She also noted the simple colourful costumes and the well-planned and motivated movement, particularly in the ‘impressive’ fight scene. A fortnight later at Stranraer, Zoe and Eilidh again staged their play along with the five other district representatives in the Western Division Festival. Once again their performance was flawless. The audience certainly appreciated the play and left the adjudicator in no doubt as to which play was their favourite! Unfortunately, whilst it was all very close in the final shake-up, the festival winners were Thistle Players from Greenock who will now represent the Western Division at the Scottish Finals in Glasgow. This was CatStrand Youth Players’ fourth appearance at the Western Finals and there is no doubt that each appearance has further enhanced their growing reputation in Scottish Youth Drama. Back to 1930 When planning their annual fundraising event, the Glenkens Royal National Lifeboat Institute committee did some research into the early days of the committee. The Ladies Lifeboat Guild, as it was then known, was formed in late 1930 with the first sale in July 1931 at which ten pounds and six shillings was raised - equivalent to approximately £475 today! This year’s coffee evening will therefore be the 85th such event held here in the Glenkens for the benefit of the lifeboats. Glenkens folk have always been generous supporters of the RNLI and the committee hope that this year will be no exception - please join us on Thursday 19 May, 7pm, at Dalry Town Hall. Glenkens Gazette page 11 Emma’s Wild Eats It’s finally Spring the time of the year when there is really no need to buy any salad greens! Here are some of the easiest and best pickable greens on offer: Dandelion flowers/leaves - young flowers raw or tempura-battered are great. The small leaves are tastiest but any can be eaten, raw or cooked. Bramble shoots - these surprisingly tasty young leaves (whilst tiny, thorns are still soft and can be rubbed off) have an interesting flavour straight off the plant, and can be steamed or added to a stir fry. Daisy leaf - one of my favourite garden surprises. Few people realise these tiny leaves are edible and have a warm, unusual flavour. Gorse flower - sweet, with the flavour of coconut, these can be eaten fresh or used to make a syrup to sweeten drinks or dressings. Hawthorn leaves - try the leaves in a salad whilst they are young and tender. Sweet violet - being common makes these very easy to use regularly. The flowers and little heartshaped leaves look beautiful in a salad. Hairy bittercress - a very tasty small plant to nibble on. It grows in attractive rosettes and leaves vary from green to purple in colour. Wood sorrel – sprinkle these magical delicate leaves and flowers on a salad for a tasty, lemony flavour. Don’t be tempted to eat them by the bucket-full as too much can cause stomach upset. Sheep sorrel – the spear-shaped leaves have a pleasant lemony flavour, like a tart apple, and are a great addition to salads, soups, cakes and sorbets. All the sorrels contain oxalic acid (as do many common everyday foodstuffs) and should be avoided by people prone to kidney stones. Ground elder - maybe the best of all garden ‘weeds’. With a parsley-like flavour, these are the basis to most of our spring and summer salads. From the shore: Sea beet - the new glossy leaves of this plant are extremely nourishing and delicious and are best raw or delicately cooked. Aileen McLeod MSP working for you across the South of Scotland Postal address: Unit 7 Loreburn Shopping Centre High Street, Dumfries, DG1 2BD Email: aileen.mcleod.msp@scottish.parliament.uk Tel: 01387 255 334 Please check www.aileenmcleod.org for regular surgery, constituency and parliamentary updates Young gorse flowers. Sea radish - with a distinctive form and flavour, this is a tasty, abundant and substantial plant to use for fermented greens or include in various recipes. The leaves, flowers and young seed pods can all be eaten. Sea kale - this plant is striking and delicious. Leaves, flower buds, flowers and seed pods can all be eaten. It is unfortunately less common, so if you do stumble across one try to leave some so it can continue to grow and reproduce. I have assumed the ability to identify these plants, but please be sure not to pick anything unless you have no doubt over what it is. Happy spring foraging! Emma Check out Emma’s blog: www.emmaswild.co.uk Bargatton Sand & Gravel Supplying sand and gravel for all your farming needs, as well as households and businesses both large and small. We stock washed fine sand, coarse sand and gravels at competitive prices. For further details contact: James Mair - 07793 085 243 Email: loch.bargatton@live.co.uk Bargatton Quarry, Laurieston, Castle Douglas, DG7 2PS Open Monday to Friday Weekends by arrangement Delivery can be arranged - subject to quantity Glenkens Gazette page 12 Over 30 Walks Feature in Festival The Glenkens will once again be playing host to walkers from across the country this May as those attending Newton Stewart Walking Festival enjoy the area. The week-long event, which runs from 6 to 12 May, is now in its 14th year and the festival programme includes over 30 all-day walks and other events, including several in the Glenkens. Walkers of a range of abilities will be able to enjoy the Glenkens during the festival. One of the easier routes starts from the old railway station in Mossdale and follows the ‘Paddy Line’ to picturesque Loch Stroan before heading along an old route towards Slogarie, and then on to Laurieston to finish at Bellymack Farm. The festival also features the ‘Cairnsmore Trilogy’, giving visitors the chance to climb three of Galloway’s Cairnsmore hills. These include Cairnsmore of Dee overlooking Clatteringshaws, and Cairnsmore of Carsphairn. For those looking for a really challenging day out in the hills, the Rhinns of Kells features in a couple of routes. One focuses on the southern Kells Exploring evidence of man’s activities in the past in the Glenkens during last year’s Newton Stewart and includes a climb to Walking Festival © Joan Mitchell. the top of Corserine (814 metres high) via North Glenkens for the help and support Gairy Top. The second is what the we have received over the years. festival organisers call the WalkFest We have several guides who help challenge – a 24-kilometre (around us each year from the area, such 15 miles) route from Forrest Lodge as Bob Peace of Galloway Mountain to Kirriereoch north of Glentrool. Rescue Team, and we are delighted The route, which includes 1,600 to work with Glenkens Community metres of ascent, takes in Galloway’s Transport who provide us with highest hills including Corserine and minibuses.” Merrick (843 metres high). The full festival programme is Joan Mitchell, chair of the festival available online at www.newton committee, said: “We are delighted stewartwalkfest.com or look out for to once again be featuring several the brochures. Alternatively call the routes in the Glenkens. Although WalkFest booking line on based in Newton Stewart, we work 01671 404 500. Joan Mitchell, Chair, to promote walking opportunities Newton Stewart Walking Festival across Galloway. We are very Committee grateful to the people of the FUNDING FOR GLENS PROJECT Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership Scheme and the Biosphere stride ahead. Following the announcement from the Heritage Lottery Fund of development funding for the Galloway Glens project, Dumfries & Galloway Council have been laying the foundations for this multi-million pound investment in the area. The first step has been to commission technical studies and recruit full-time staff. McNabb Laurie has been appointed as the Galloway Glens development officer but will already be known to some of you as the Dumfries & Galloway Council wind farms contributions officer. McNabb will be switching roles in April and is keen to involve local people at the early stages of the scheme. He says: “I am really excited about the opportunities the Galloway Glens project offers to the people and heritage of the Ken-Dee valley and I am looking forward to working with local communities to develop the project over the coming months”. The offer of support from the Heritage Lottery Fund has is a significant achievement for the Glenkens area but there is still much to be done. Biosphere Progress The Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere team have recently completed the Natural Heritage Management Plan to provide information on the status, conservation and requirements of High Focus Habitats and Species within the Biosphere. The next step was to agree actions and targets with input from a wide range of individuals and organisations who have an interest in Natural Heritage across the Biosphere. The event took place at the CatStrand and provided the Biosphere team with lots of information to help develop future work. One of the actions was to gain better knowledge of where the priority habitats are located in the Biosphere area. Whorled caraway is a special plant in southwest Scotland and is often found in one of our priority habitats - purple-moor grass/rush pasture. The feathery leaves of whorled caraway are just emerging now in wetlands or wet pasture. It looks a little like yarrow from a distance, but is unusual in that its leaves form whorls right around the stem and it can be seen amongst rushes in the summer, with its distinctive white flower head. If you find whorled caraway please let us know as we want to find out how widespread this habitat is. Email location details and a photo to wendy@gsabiosphere.org.uk Whorled caraway shoots. Glenkens Gazette page 13 SHORT STORY WRITING CHALLENGE The Youth Writing Group has completed its first challenge focusing on short story writing. The project began in January with a study of The Raiders by Samuel Rutherford Crockett. Cally Phillips of the Galloway Raiders very kindly supported the project’s research by creating a section on the website called ‘Young Raiders’ which the young writers could access to find out more about the book and also about Crockett himself. Locally-based writer Margaret Elphinstone has also been supporting the project and ran a workshop on creating an effective setting. Using some of the themes explored in The Raiders, members of the Youth Writing Group set about creating their own short stories which were then displayed at CatStrand over the weekend of the Literature Festival. The Youth Writing Group was set up with the help of Mrs Nurse (Dalry Literature Co-ordinator) and is always looking to increase its membership. The group meets each Thursday from 3.30-5pm in the library at Dalry School. Please come along and join us! Sara Lockwood, CatStrand Youth Arts Officer Two young writers received tokens for their efforts. Here are extracts from their stories. Katie’s Story by Evie Prince: As I ran towards the Margaret Elphinstone presents tokens to giant otter statue, through the Dalry pupils Caitlin Blackett and Evie Prince. dark I spotted a pair of eyes watch me. I stopped so suddenly, I nearly turn and flee towards the hills behind, fell flat on my face. I got my pistol plunging over fences, stumbling out and crept towards the bushes. I through the long grasses. They have heard something crack. I readied my our best beer from the pub down the gun, and aimed. Suddenly someone road. We have to catch them! They ran out from under the cover of the are headed to the passage between bushes. I shot at him and he fell the hills, where are they going? As down, crying as he went. I cautiously the green hills loom above us and the stepped towards him, I didn’t know cold blue shadows cloak around us if he had a weapon. A sudden crack Carsphairn looks like a statue far in rang out from the rocks, and I felt the distance. The moon is climbing a hot, searing pain shoot in my leg. high in the sky and is the only light I cried out in horror as I saw one that leads us. Its pale shape hangs of them running towards one of my above the village of shadows and friends. darkness like a model. If anyone is The Smuggler Hunt by looking out of their window right now Caitlin Blackett: As we run they will think we are crazy. We are towards the field of sheep behind the losing them, they are disappearing, old school we see three pale figures and fast. Photo of the Issue Sponsored by the Ken Bridge Hotel Competition judges Dave and Sue from the Ken Bridge Hotel chose Spring Bulbs by Nicolette Wise as this issue’s winner, saying: “As always, all entries were wonderful, but the photograph of the crocuses is a lovely sign of spring.” Nicolette wins a meal for two at the Ken Bridge Hotel’s renowned Sunday Carvery. Glenkens Gazette page 14 BALMACLELLAN AMATEUR CONCERT 1878 To the right is an example of the entertainment provided by talented locals in the Glenkens in the 19th Century. The Balmaclellan Amateur Concert of 1878 certainly had a full line-up and there are a few familiar local family names in the list of artists. I’m not sure where these concerts would have been held in Balmaclellan so if anyone has any information on this, please do let the Gazette know. As a boy I remember attending concerts in Balmaclellan Village Hall from the mid-1950s through to the 1960s. It was a very good talented and hilarious show with local farmers including Tommy Murray of Torwilkie, Bob Shankland of Low Hardland and Donald Clark of Cassenvey as well as many others. They were all very good entertainers and very funny. Bill Blythe, Blowplain Official - it was the wettest winter ever... When destructive floods hit the Glenkens this winter many people reported flooding exceeding all past experience. Statistical confirmation has come with publication of record rainfall figures for the Stewartry. Met Office figures for December, January and February show over a metre of rain fell on the area. The figure of 1025 mm is 60% more than the average figure for the three months of 645mm. Allangibbon during the December flood by Nicolette Wise. ALEX FERGUSSON MSP FOR GALLOWAY & WEST DUMFRIES Holds regular advice surgeries at: Constituency Office, New Market Street, Castle Douglas, DG7 1HY on the 2nd Friday of every month from 5pm Telephone free on 0800 028 7260 for an appointment or to make any alternative arrangement. You can visit Alex’s website at: www.alexfergusson.org.uk or contact him by e-mail at: alex.fergusson.msp@scottish.parliament.uk Gillespie Gifford & Brown LLP Solicitors and Estate Agents Selling properties across Dumfries & Galloway 01556 503744 www.ggblaw.co.uk All legal advice Offices in Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie Kirkcudbright and Dumfries Glenkens Gazette page 15 LOCAL HISTORY with TED COWAN VIKING GALLOWAY The recent exciting discovery of the Balmaghie Hoard, and the excellent talk at the CatStrand by Dumfries & Galloway Archaeologist Andrew Nicolson, have prompted several Glenkensians to ask me whether I have changed my views on Viking Galloway which I published, I am shocked to note, 25 years ago. The occasion was a conference at Gatehouse. Peter Hill’s thorough excavation of Whithorn was coming to an end to be published in his magnificent book of 1997, which reported undoubted finds of Viking artifacts, leading some to identify a Viking town at Whithorn. At that time it was conventional in Scottish History books to hatch maps of Galloway, along with those of Shetland, Orkney, Caithness and the Hebrides, as ‘Viking’. The point of my contribution was to argue that in fact there was very little evidence of a Viking presence in Galloway and to highlight the sheer inventiveness of local historians and others in this regard. The aim was to diss historians rather than archaeologists because the former created breathtakingly outrageous bricks out of tiny amounts of straw. As Robert De Bruce Trotter of the Dalshangan clan perceptively noted: ‘A great Gallawa author yince remarked, yt the authentic traditions o’ the country wus ey reliable – whun true. Deed! Tae my wey of thinking, they’re joost havers; some bigger leer nor or’nar joost maks them up an tells them, an some fules believes them and tells them again, an maybe improves them a wee, an than they get inta books’. There are no recorded Viking attacks on Galloway. Orkneyinga Saga states that Earl Thorfinn the Mighty of Orkney briefly visited Gaddgedlar where Scotland and England meet. A reference in Njals Saga to Hvitsborg has, for no good reason, been identified as Whithorn. There are very few Viking place-names in Galloway especially in comparison with Cumbria on the other side of the Solway. On this slender and tremulous basis PH McKerlie asserted that Thorfinn ruled over Galloway, entrusting administration to one Earl Malcolm, at Cruggleton Castle, which he spuriously claimed was built by Vikings. As it happens excavation of the castle-site showed no sign of Viking levels. Wentworth Huyshe added Christianity and accepting worship of the pagan gods. The Danes (an antiquated generic term for all Scandinavians) won a battle somewhere between Castle Douglas and Crossmichael. When they later faced defeat the leader of the Danes, Ronald fled to Galloway where he established his headquarters at Craig Ronald on the shores of Loch Grannoch, this otherwise unrecorded historical event being suggested by the place-name. Needless to say there is not a shred of evidence to back up these claims for the very good reason that absolutely none exists. Knowingly or otherwise these writers created an historical template that completely misled some archaeologists who tried to match their finds to the bogus history. The Balmaghie Hoard is hugely significant but from what little is known so far, obsessed with secrecy as the authorities appear to be, it is likely to have been deposited by transients. As Andrew Nicolson suggests, the hoarders could have been following the old Roman road, west to east, or following the ancient track north or south through the Glenkens. We must await with great interest the archaeological reports. But beware Glenkensians! The treasure is about to be plundered again by modern Vikings masquerading as bureaucrats and administrators in the Nation’s capital. Resistance may be futile but it is also necessary. My original article ‘The Vikings in Galloway A Review of the Evidence’ appears in Galloway Land and Lordship, edited by Richard Oram and Geoffrey Stell (Edinburgh, 1991). Most of my arguments still seem relevant but you can judge for yourselves. Ted Cowan The treasure is about to be plundered again by modern Vikings masquerading as bureaucrats... that Wigtown became their chief naval arsenal. They were actually the allies and protectors of the Galwegians for centuries during which time Galloway constituted ‘the real headquarters for practical offensive purposes of the Norse power’! The highly respected WG Collingwood suggested that when King Harald Finehair of Norway attacked the Isle of Man, resident Vikings fled into Galloway, though Harald’s expedition never happened. John F Robertson’s Story of Galloway, probably one of the more influential 20th century books on the province, added more lard to the mince. He wrote, according to Irish chronicles of the time, known to him but to nobody else, that the Galwegians made their peace with the Vikings by renouncing Wright’s Shop & Post Office Dalry Licensed convenience store and newsagent stocking a range of local suppliers including Corsons and Irvings Bakers, Ballards and Dalmellington Country Butchers and Mitchells Fruit and Veg. Opening Times (both shop & PO): Monday to Friday: 7am – 6pm Saturday: 8am – 6pm Sunday: 8.30am – 4pm Tel: 01644 430 225 Glenkens Gazette page 16 Who Do We Think We Were? Today’s Glenkens inhabitants come from all sorts of places and backgrounds, far and near. Everyone has a story to tell - wherever you’re from, whatever your age, and however long you’ve lived here. Now the Glenkens Gazette is launching a regular feature to celebrate who we all are and where we come from. After all, we are all shaping what will be the 21st century history of the Glenkens. Our first memoir is written by Gerry Cinderby of New Galloway with his memories of the Forest of Dean. We look forward to printing a mixture of memories, from those whose early days were in the Glenkens and from more recent arrivals from other places. So why not send us your memoir of where you come from? Please send your contribution - of no more than 500 words - by email to margaret.elphinstone@ dircon.co.uk or hand in a copy at CatStrand marked ‘Glenkens Gazette - WDWTWW’ FADING MEMORIES OF A MINING COMMUNITY by Gerry Cinderby A coal seam, sometimes barely two foot thick buried deep beneath an ancient Royal Oak Forest, cropping out in hillsides where a Freeminer might freely dig the rock hard, shiny black, fiercely burning coal. Miners summoned by the pit hooter, trudging many miles to shaft and New Galloway Golf Club more below, festooned with helmets, carbide lamps, bait tins and flasks of sweet tea. “Don’t let boy go down the dippo mother, tis filthy hot and black as hell down there.” Pit black miners trudging wearily back home still stooping from hours in a collier’s squat, hewing coal by pick and shovel from thin seams for butty boys to haul. Now smoking Woodbines and coughing up the phlegmy coal dust, savouring the cool fresh air. Easing aching bones in a tin bath in front of parlour fire, family gathered round to swap the tales of day’s events: Boy fell down in lane and cut his knee, Mrs B down road seen too close to baker’s boy, no better than she ought to be. Empty belly times when coal price was low with wages cut or worse, ‘money in the office window’ meant laid off, weakest first to go. Dole if you were lucky, time for animals and veggies; is the chicken better than the eggs ? Dare we kill a sheep we graze on Common land? When will the pig be fat enough to kill? How will we pay the doctor’s bill? Disaster at Waterloo pit, miners break into disused flooded tunnel, many missing. But old miners know old shafts and tunnels, find a way to abandoned shaft where mates wait to haul them out. Chapels full of grateful wives thanking for their men’s deliverance. The men stay home relying on their mates and providence. The rock above creaks and groans, testing props and beams until one gives way and rocks fill the tramway. Nobody killed or injured this time thank God. Then came the war and Coal was King, young and old drafted in, Family and friends coming to stay? Short of space? www.nggc.co.uk Cosy country cottage available (sleeps 4) Buggies now available for hire Call Fiona on 01644 420 227 Founded 1902 - 01644 420737 VISITORS AND NEW MEMBERS WELCOME www.covenanters-holidaycottagescotland.co.uk Gerry Cinderby ‘Bevin Boys’ from distant towns, fresh genes to mix with inbred blood. Pit head baths, canteens for bait, changing rooms and overhauls, bus to work and home again, the NUM for workers’ rights, the NCB for stateowned mines. Afterwards when war was done and labour scarce, machines not suited to thin seams so mines were closed. Nowt left now but hidden spoil heaps cloaked by firs. Proud names like Waterloo, Trafalgar, New Fancy, Strip and At It, Small Profit, passed into folklore. Familiar greetings; “How bist thee ow Butt?” answered “I be alright mind” now lost from use. Miners’ cottages repaired and sold to those who may never know the years of toil and sweat spent mining iron ore and later coal. Tourists now enjoy a tranquil scene of forest glades and gushing streams bearing watery memories from deep below. No need for mothers now to send their boys down the deep dark dippo! FHB Fencing Dalry Domestic and Agricultural Fencing 01644 430 495 (Peter) or 07767 795 498 (Jonathan) Glenkens Gazette 100 Years On... One hundred years ago the Great War was grinding on and still taking its toll. Following the heavy losses at Loos in September of 1915, more men from the Glenkens would fall in battle before the end of that year. David John Coltart, originally of Glenburn, Dalry was killed in action at the Dardanelles. His officer, Second Lieutenant Mylne, wrote: “I am more grieved than I can say about his death, as he was one of our best men, and had made himself very popular.” David is remembered on the Dalry and Thornhill memorials. James Tait of Knocksting, Dalry, was also killed. His body was not found and he is remembered on the Loos memorial and the memorials in Dalry and Moniaive. James’ brother page 17 New Book Notice: Glenkens Peter would be awarded a DCM (Distinguished Conduct Medal) in 1916 and go on to survive the war. John Milroy of Carsphairn was reported missing in action at the age of 44. His father (Peter) was the local police constable in Carsphairn and John was one of six brothers who served in the war. John is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial and the Carsphairn memorial. Alexander Clement of Ivy Cottage had been the first Dalry man to enlist at the outbreak of war. He would be the seventeenth and final Glenkens man to be killed. Alec was only 20 years old when he died on the hospital ship Devonlea from a gunshot wound received at Gallipoli, and was buried at sea. He is remembered on the Helles memorial and on the Dalry memorial. resident, Dr Lizanne Henderson, lecturer in cultural history at the University of Glasgow’s Dumfries campus, has just published her 382-page study Witchcraft and Folk Belief in the Age of Enlightenment: Scotland, 1670-1740 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016). She includes in-depth discussion of the Glenkens witches, Jonet McMuldritche of Airds, and Elspeth McEwen of Balmaclellan, the latter described as a woman of ‘superior education’. The book also contains a substantial case study of witch belief in Dumfries and Galloway. Lizanne writes: “Both Jonet McMuldritche and Elspeth McEwen’s houses were situated within a few miles from where I now reside in Galloway. Like Jonet, I have been known to challenge male authority and, like Elspeth, I could be described as a woman of ‘superior education’. I think of them often when passing their former abodes. It is their lives, and others like them, that this book attempts to shed some light upon, asking why such people, my one time neighbours, were so feared and despised at the dawn of Scotland’s Age of Enlightenment”. JIMMY’S CENTURY New Galloway CELEBRATIONS Golf Club Jimmy Mitchell, of Carson’s Knowe, New Galloway, celebrated his 100th birthday this February. The photograph shows him receiving his card from the Queen, presented by Richard Agnew on behalf of the Lord Lieutenant of the Stewartry, and also flowers and card from Dumfries & Galloway Council being presented by Councillor George Prentice. Jimmy also received gifts and cards from Kells and New Galloway Community Council. With Spring just around the corner, New Galloway Golf Club is looking forward to the opening day of the new season at the end of March. In readiness for the new season, the club has been hard at work refurbishing the clubhouse and carrying out winter work on the course. In an exciting development, the club has now set up a Golf Academy which is intended to offer coaching to anyone in the Glenkens who wishes to try the game of golf. Anyone interested can obtain information on the academy by using the link, Golf Academy, at www.nggc.uk The club’s junior coaching programme is also set to resume in April when we will be offering coaching to youngsters both at the club and in the local schools. Glenkens Gazette page 18 APRIL & MAY APRIL end March to mid-May, The Gallery at Laurieston: Spring Show runs between 25 March & 10 April, Wilderness Kayak Trip, 10am5pm, Galloway Activity Centre, Loch Ken, see p5 Fri 1, Zoe Rahman Trio, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Sat 2, Open Day at Red Kite Feeding Station, 1-4pm, Bellymack Hill Farm, Laurieston, see p5 Sun 2, Poetry Reading: Sheila MacKenzie, 2.30pm, St Ninian’s Church Hall, New Galloway Tue 5, Wild Spring at Parton, 10.30am-12noon, Loch Ken Holiday Park, Parton, see p5 Thurs 7, Spring & Kites at KenDee, 10am-12noon, RSPB Ken-Dee Marshes Reserve, Mains of Duchrae, see p5 Thu 7, GTI Bus Trip: Drumlanrig Castle, see p8 Fri 8, Night-time Guided Mountain Bike Ride, 8-10pm, Galloway Activity Centre, Loch Ken, see p5 Sat 9, Galloway Glens Landscape from the Parton Viewpoint, 2-4pm, Loch Ken Holiday Park, see p5 Sat 9, Wigtown Book Festival: Writer’s Gathering, County Buildings, Wigtown, 9.30am-4.30pm Sun 10, Hands-On Day at Knowetop Lochs, 10.30am-3.30pm, Scottish Wildlife Trust Knowetop Lochs Reserve, five miles west of Corsock on A712, see p5 Mon 11, Songwriting with Emma Gillespie, 6-8pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Sat 16, Spalding Bowling Club, green opening, 2pm, bowling green, Dalry (driveway opposite The Garage) Sat 16, The Railsplitters, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Thu 26, Puppet State Theatre Company: Leaf and Niggle by JRR Tolkein, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Wed 20, GTI Bus Trip: Glenwhan Gardens, see p8 Sat 23, FILM: Macbeth [15], 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Wed 27, FILM: The Possibilities Are Endless [12], 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Thu 26, GTI Bus Trip: Culzean Castle, see p8 Sat 30, GTI Bus Trip: Glenkens to Ayr & Back, see p8 MAY Fri 6–Thu 12, Newton Stewart Walking Festival, see p12 Sat 7, The Croft & Pearce Show, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Fri 20, Emma Gillespie, Plus Special Guests, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Mon 23, Juan Martin Flamenco Trio, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Wed 25, FILM: Chasing Ice [12], Thu 26-Sun 29, World Ceilidh Festival, Knockengorroch Farm, Carsphairn, see back page Fri 27, Cultural Connections: The Banker Who Cared, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Sat 28, Scottish Dance Theatre: Innocence, 2pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Sat 28, GTI Bus Trip: Glenkens to Ayr & Back, see p8 Sat 28, Robert Burns: Rough Cut, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Sun 29, 2Magpies Theatre : Litvinenko project, 3pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Sun 29, 2Magpies Theatre : Ventoux, 5pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Wigtown Poetry Competition: Scotland’s National Booktown is again celebrating the art of poetry writing with its international competition, now in its tenth year. With a main prize of £1500 and £250 for category winners, poets can submit multiple entries with their work. The closing date for the competition is Friday 27 May 2016 and further details of how to enter and the fee structure for submissions can be found at www.wigtownbookfestival.com PLANT SALE - CREAM TEAS – CAKE STALL Balmaclellan & Kells Church are holding their annual Plant Sale with cream teas and a cake stall in Balmaclellan Village Hall on Saturday 28 May from 2-4 pm. The cost will be £2.50 per person and proceeds are in aid of church funds. A&B Welding & Fabrication Carsphairn Village Shop & Tea Room - temporary location - Lagwyne Hall ANDREW SINCLAIR 21 TOWNHEAD CRESCENT ST JOHN’S TOWN OF DALRY CASTLE DOUGLAS DG7 3UR 01644 430 332 / 07896 168 724 andyandbevsinclair@yahoo.co.uk Opening times are: Monday to Friday, 8am-4pm Saturday 9am-3pm Sunday - closed Glenkens Gazette page 19 REGULAR EVENTS CatStrand, New Galloway: Exercise to Music: Mon, 10-11am Margaret Morris dance 1: 3-7yrs, term-time Mondays, 3.45-4.30pm Margaret Morris dance 2: 8-16yrs, term-time Mondays, 4.30-5.15pm Access All Areas Youth Arts - Making Music: Please phone CatStrand to book session. Gentle Tai Chi: Wed, 10am, 60+ Glenkens Writing Group: First Wed each month 3-5pm Sing it Out: Thurs, 11am -12pm Pilates: Thurs, 4.15-5.15pm & 5.306.30pm CatStrand Ukes: Thurs, 1pm – 3.30pm 60+ Choreographic Skills Lab: Thurs (term-time), 7 - 8.30pm ages 12-18 Zumba Gold: Fridays (term-time), 10-11am, CatStrand, 16+ Saturday Art Club: twice a month, 10am–12noon, to book call 420 374 Zumba Kids: last Sat of the month (term-time), 10-10.45am Catstrand Youth Players: Sun during term time, 2pm Glenkens Acoustic Sessions: last Sun of the month, 2-4pm Glenkens Community Centre, Dalry, (contact Kath on 430 281): Glenkens Children’s Club: Mon & Fri, 10am-12noon Paint & Art: Mon, 1.30-4.30pm & Wed, 7-9pm Ballroom & Latin Dance Class: Mon, 7.15pm, for more info call Sam Rushton on 420 672 GCC Playgroup: Tues, Wed & Thurs, 9.10-11.40am, contact Sue on 07709 929 482 Good Neighbours’ Club: Tues, 2pm Kickback Martial Arts: Thurs, 7-9pm Thursday Craft Group: Thurs, 2-4pm Brownies: Wed, 5.30-6.45pm Guides: Tues during term-time, 6.15pm, contact: Kath 430 281 Various Locations: Glenkens Walking Group, Mon & Wed, 1.30pm, contact Gerry on 420 852 Ballroom & Latin Dance: Mon, 7.30pm, Castle Douglas Primary School Mother & Toddlers: Tues, 9.4511.15am, New Galloway Town Hall Carsphairn Post Office: Tues, 13pm, Lagwyne Hall Beavers: Tues, 6–7.15pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Dog Training: Tues & Thurs, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. Contact: Eric 460 670 Wednesday Quiz Night: Wed, 8.30pm, Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Stewartry Camera Club: Wed, Glenkens Community Councils Balmaclellan Community Council Meetings: 3rd Monday each month, 7.30pm, Balmaclellan Village Hall. Carsphairn Community Council Meetings: Last Monday each month, 7pm, Lagwyne Hall, Carsphairn. Dalry Community Council Meetings: 1st Monday each month, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. New Galloway & Kells Community Council Meetings: 2nd Monday each month, 7.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall. Full minutes of local Community Council meetings can be viewed at Dalry Library. United Family Service, CHURCH TIMES 10.30am, Dalry Church. 31 May, 10.30am, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND Sunday Services - Balmaclellan 12noon: 1st. Carsphairn 10.30am: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th(May). Dalry (April) 12noon: 3rd, 4th. Dalry (May) 10.30am: 2nd. Dalry (May) 9am: 1st, 3rd, 4th. Kells 10.30am: 2nd(Apr), 3rd, 4th. Special Services/Events: 10 Apr, 10.30am, United Family Service, Kells Church. 22 Apr, 7.30pm, Quiz Night, Dalry Town Hall. 8 May, United Service with Choir, Kells Church Communion Service: 1 May, 12noon, Balmaclellan Church SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH: St Margaret’s, New Galloway: Holy Communion, 10.30am every Sun & Wed. CATHOLIC CHURCH SERVICES: Kirkcudbright: Sun Mass, 9.30am. Dalbeattie: Sat Mass, 5pm 7.30pm, Ringford Village Hall, runs Wed 11 Sept till end Mar Zumba: Wed, 7.30-8.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall, 11+ Mossdale Painters: Wed, 9.30am, Mossdale Village Hall Cub Scouts: Wed, 6.45–8pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Coffee & Craft Morning: Thurs, 9am-12noon, Lagwyne Hall Youth Writing Group: Thurs (during term time), 3.30-5pm, ages 10-15, Dalry School Scouts: Thurs, 7–8.30pm, New Galloway Scout Hut D&G Hard of Hearing Group Dropin: 1st Friday each month, 10am12noon, New Galloway Town Hall Gentle Tai Chi: Fri 10-11am, Dalry Town Hall To hire the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) behind Dalry School call Sonja Tranter on 430 244 or Nicolette Wise on 430 218. Dalry Library Temporary Hours Tue: 12noon - 3.30pm Fri: 10am - 12noon & 1pm - 4.30pm There are 23 mobile library stops - to find out where and when please phone 430 234. ADVERTISE IN THE GAZETTE (price per issue incl VAT) SMALL: 6cm x 6cm, £37.80 (+ 10% off with series discount) 1/4 PAGE: 9cm w x 13cm h, £81.90 (+ 25% off with series discount) 1/2 PAGE: 18cm w x 13cm h, £151.20 (+ 25% off with series discount) FULL PAGE: 18cm w x 27cm h, £252 (+ 25% off with series discount) Call 07727 127 997 VAT Reg. No. 882 8361 87 USEFUL NUMBERS: ● Pot-hole Hotline: 0845 276 0000 ● Local Police: 0845 600 5701 ● Doctor: 01644 420 234 ● NHS 24: 08454 24 24 24 ● D&G Council: 030 33 33 3000 Glenkens Gazette page 20 GLENKENS TICKET RATES FOR WORLD CEILIDH REVELLERS This year’s World Ceilidh - Glenkens’ own international roots music festival – is fast approaching and festival organisers are excited to announce what’s on this year. Situated on a remote farm in the hills behind Carsphairn, Knockengorroch’s World Ceilidh Festival is an experience not to be missed. Organiser Liz Holmes said: “We feel it’s a really special experience to listen to live bands, often who have travelled from quite far flung parts of the world, in the surroundings of the beautiful mountains of the Southern Uplands.” Some of the music which will be ringing out over the hills this May are Scottish ensembles Skerryvore and Niteworks, Awry, Auntie Flo, and Optimo plus many more Scottish artists, Black Uhuru all the way from Jamaica, and, closer to home, Castle Douglas’ own Dangleberries. .As always there is so much more than music on offer, with dance, spoken word, comedy and theatre, arts, music and environmental workshops as well as visual arts and light installations, session areas, open fires, a kids area, real ales, global goods stalls, delicious local food and drink, fire shows, a sauna, a healing area and more... To welcome those from afar and celebrate the movement of life across this planet the World Ceilidh 2016 has a theme of migration and journeying. Whether seasonal or permanent, migration in 2016 continues and festival-goers are encouraged to get creative and celebrate journeys of all types. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Submit events, activities, news stories, cartoons, reviews, tips & techniques, fiction, photos, ads or ideas... Contact Sarah Ade on 07727 127 997 or glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk JUNE/JULY COPY DEADLINE: 5 MAY The festival runs from Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 May 2016. To book advance tickets visit www.knockengorroch.org.uk Special discount on tickets for Glenkens residents! 10% off advance ticket prices at the rate current at time of application for residents of New Galloway, Balmaclellan, St Johns Town of Dalry and Carsphairn. Email info@knocken gorroch.org.uk for how to apply. Sunday afternoon ceilidh Design & co-ordination: Sarah Ade sarah.ade@gmail.com Printing:Stranraer & Wigtownshire Free Press www.stranraer-freepress.co.uk The Glenkens Gaze�e is an ini�a�ve of the Glenkens Community & Arts Trust, a Registered Sco�sh Charity No. SC032050  Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. 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Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Description An account of the resource <p>Find out more about the Gazette: <a href="https://glenkens.scot/gazette-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glenkens Gazette home page</a> If you would like to submit an article or take out an advert, please email the editor Sarah Ade: <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="mailto:glenkensgazette@hotmail.com">glenkensgazette@hotmail.com</a></p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is a member of, and regulated by <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.impressorg.com/">Impress</a>.</p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is an initiative of Glenkens Community &amp; Arts Trust (SC032050) and represents the voice of the community (not necessarily the views of GCAT).</p> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document GLENKENS GAZETTE News from Balmaclellan, Carsphairn, Mossdale, New Galloway and St John’s Town of Dalry February/March 2016 ISSUE 92 FREE STORM FRANK’S FLOOD HAVOC IN GLENKENS Storm Frank on 30 December 2015 brought the worst floods in living memory to the Glenkens, writes Andrew Mellor. Roads were blocked, houses, public buildings and fields were flooded, flood banks were swept away and those who woke to find an unprecedented torrent threatening themselves and their property were justifiably alarmed. The fact that the storm had been well forecast by the Met Office alerted residents and organisations to the possibility of damage. Vehicles and animals were moved to higher ground. But the cost of putting things right will surely run into seven figures. With floods becoming more frequent, this could leave a number of the worst affected properties without flood insurance in future. If and when this happens again, can we be sure that everything will done to protect life and property? As I stood watching the floods raging over the top of Earlstoun Dam as the storm surge was at its height, and felt the ground vibrate with the force of the water crashing over the top of the spillways that are designed to channel such floods safely away, I could only imagine how the residents of houses below the dam at Alangibbon felt as the torrent ravaged their gardens and lapped against their homes. It may be that Scottish Power, which controls the run-off into the Ken and Dee, could not have done anything more to lessen the impact of the flood but some Glenkens residents and farmers are concerned about how the warning system operates and about the way that decisions about opening the floodgates are being made. When the Galloway Power Scheme was built in the 1930s one of its claimed benefits was that the dams could be used to regulate the impact of floods. Continued on p2... DALRY HOGMANAY CEILIDH An informal hogmanay ceilidh was held in Dalry Town Hall, with great success. The party ran into to the wee small hours of January 2016, and was attended by revellers aged from just three weeks old tae 80+! People were very generous in providing a wide range of food to share, and contributing a total of £129.65 to the Town Hall Fund. Everyone also kindly donated many lovely raffle prizes and £90.70 was raised in aid of the Afghan Schools Trust, a local charity. Looking south along the A713 in Carsphairn © Robin Ade A Glenkens Community & Arts Trust (GCAT) ini�a�ve Continued on p12... www.glenkensgaze�e.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 2 FLOODING IN THE GLENKENS Continued from front page... In a paper written in 1938, Mr WJE Binnie, Vice-President of the Institution of Civil Engineers is quoted as questioning the management of “an exceptional flood” on 13 December 1936. He asked if Earlstoun Loch “had been drawn down at all or was the Loch already overflowing when the flood reached it?” 79 years on this is a key question that should once again be put to Scottish Power. Given that this was such a well-forecast storm, were the floodgates at Earlstoun opened before the run-off peak and, if not, why not? Andrew Mellor ScottishPower Denies Role in Flooding Paul Ferguson, Media Relations Manager for Scottish Power, says: “The flood levels experienced during Storm Frank across the Galloway Hydros in the rivers Deugh, Ken and Dee were the highest recorded since our records began in 1936...Our understanding is that the flood could have been a 1/150 year event. In advance, we were actively managing the scheme. The rainfall in November/December 2015 was above annual averages, so water levels were very high naturally. However, every attempt was made to release water from reservoirs through our generators and gates on our dams. Paul goes on to say: “Regarding ScottishPower’s operations of the scheme on 30 December, none of our actions either caused or exacerbated flooding. The flooding experienced was entirely natural and no storage water was being released from our reservoir at Loch Doon during the time that flooding was experienced in Carsphairn. “Our reservoirs actually act as a buffer to store water in the event of flooding, with water then being released in a controlled fashion after the peak passes. Indeed Clatteringshaws Loch held back the entire contents of the inflow from the Blackwater of Dee during this event. Had Clatteringshaws Dam not been there, the impact of flooding on Loch Ken and Castle Douglas could have been significantly higher.” Impact of Clear-felling on Flooding Another factor which is rising to the forefront of national discussions of flood issues is trees and their effect on flooding. As one of the most highly afforested regions in Scotland, yet with very little natural forest left, perhaps the effect on our land of commercial blanket forestry plantations and large-scale clearfelling should be considered. World Wildlife Fund Scotland’s paper ‘Slowing the Flow; A Natural Solution to Flooding Problems’ states: “Throughout the UK, old forest drains are exposed by forestry clear-felling. At present there are no guidelines on how forest managers should cope with the drains, which soon become active once tree cover is gone – speeding a greater flow of water into the river.” On the Forestry Commission’s website can be found a paper titled ‘The Role of Woodland in Flood Control: a Landscape Perspective’ by TR Nisbet and H Thomas. This study states: “Woodland management also exerts a marked impact on the ability of woodlands to reduce flood flows. Ground cultivation and drainage has the opposite effect of tending to speed-up the removal of water from a site. This is greatest for deep ploughing and intensive drainage, which can increase the density of surface water channels by 60 times or more. Research at Coalburn, in north England, showed that such ground treatments can increase peak flows by 20-30% and decrease the time to peak by about one third...” The paper goes on to say: “Felling is the most dramatic intervention with effects on both woodland water use and runoff pathways. Clearfelling usually leaves a bare site with minimal water use apart from the interception loss associated with brash residues. The increase in runoff and therefore greater contribution “Timber harvesting and extraction can have an even greater effect on flood generation.” to flood flows is likely to last for at least 10-15 years until the replanted trees close canopy once again. Timber harvesting and extraction can have an even greater effect on flood generation. Poor practice such as the use of inappropriate machines and excessive loads can cause severe ground damage, leading to rapid runoff from compacted soil and along wheel ruts.” Could the high proportion of trees in our area perhaps work to our advantage in the future? With changes to forestry practice perhaps commercial forestry could help mediate flooding in years to come, rather than exacerbate it. The road from the Ken Bridge to New Galloway © Leeming & Paterson.and suspension bridge, Dalry © David Bartholomew. Glenkens Gazette Geoff Monk of Laurieston is a professional meteorologist who runs the Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS). He says: “There had been a huge amount of rain throughout November and December, so when we got that deluge on 30 December there was nowhere for it to go. This was the wettest December in over 30 years, measured in Laurieston.” Geoff reminds us, however, that it could have been much worse. He goes on to say: “Had that weather front on the 30th moved a little bit slower, meaning that another 20/30 milimitres of rain had fallen, it would have been a lot worse – doubly so. I was actually in Keswick at New Year and the flooding there was incredible. Rivers in some places in Snowdonia gouged out whole new routes for themselves when the original course got blocked by fallen trees and debris. So, in the grand scheme of things, we were actually quite lucky.” page 3 Carsphairn Shop Temporary Location Due to the flood on 30 December Carsphairn Village Shop and Tea Room will run temporarily from Lagwyne Hall. The Hall committee have kindly let us use the hall for the shop and to run a takeaway service until the shop is dried out and ready to re-open. Opening times are: Monday to Friday, 8am-4pm Saturday 9am-3pm Sunday - closed Thank you to everyone for all your help and support during this time. Lindsay Duncan, Carsphairn Village Shop LOCAL FLOOD RESPONSE The floods on 30 December made all the roads impassable into and out of the Glenkens villages. This made it impossible for the Council’s Road Department to get the appropriate signage in place. As a result Dalry Community Council is reviewing its Resilience Preparedness Plan which up till now has been more geared towards heavy snowfalls and wind damage and associated loss of power. They will be talking with Dumfries & Galloway Council over contingency plans for future flooding – points to be discussed include road closure signs, household protection, identifying a central communication point and a local shelter. Videos of the flood can found online. Search YouTube for Andrew Mellor Earlstoun Dam. There is also a video by Lizanne Henderson of flooding at Ken Bridge at www.facebook.com/ GlenkensStory GLENKENS MEDICAL PRACTICE General Medical & Dispensing Services The Surgery High Street New Galloway FOR APPOINTMENTS CALL � 01644 420234 � CATSTRAND UPDATE Thankfully, CatStrand’s recently installed flood defences stood up well to the unprecedented flooding over the festive period. Inevitably, with standing water all around the building for several hours, some water did eventually penetrate into the building through the cedar cladding at the rear and every possible gap that it could find. However, with the help of the local Fire Service and a team of staff and volunteers, we were able to limit the level of water in the building and had time to remove everything off floors to a safe level. No stock or contents were lost and the underfloor heating and dehumidifiers were able to dry out the floors and some carpet tiles within a few days. We were able to fully reopen as planned after the festive break on 5 January. Given the severity of the flood damage around the Glenkens, the work on the burn completed by the council last year together with the new flood gates and other measures installed in the building certainly had a good test! They stood up well in these extreme circumstances, much to our relief. Nevertheless, we are continuing to work on further improvements to our flood prevention and protection in conjunction with The Scottish Flood Agency and Dumfries & Galloway Council. THE STEWARTRY VETERINARY CENTRE CASTLE DOUGLAS SURGERY HOURS Mon-Fri 2.00-2.30 pm & 5-6 pm Sat 2-2.30 pm DALBEATTIE SURGERY HOURS Mon, Wed, Fri 3-3.30 pm Tues & Thurs 6-6.30 pm FOR APPOINTMENTS AT BOTH SURGERIES OR IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY � 01556 502263 VETERINARY SURGERY OAKWELL ROAD CASTLE DOUGLAS � Glenkens Gazette page 4 sponsored by EVERYTHING listed in the Glenkens Freecycle section is FREE - you just need to contact the owner and go and pick it up! If you would like to list something on this page, please get in touch with Sarah on 07727 127 997 or email glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk VARIOUS 3 door stops. Contact: Cynthia on 420 605 Two single mattresses, excellent condition but no fire-resistant label. Contact: 430 380 Single divan bed and mattress with truckle bed and mattress under. Contact: 430 218 Folding bed with mattress suitable for occasional use for a child. Not suitable for adults. From smoke and pet free home. Contact: Trevor on 440 683. Poster in clipframe of illustrated alphabet. Call 430 218 5 litres of Vinyl Matt Paint – Colour ‘Silence’ (Dusky Green); 4 litres of Satinwood/Eggshell Paint – Colour ‘Silence’; 1 Overhead Projector; 1 Russell Hobbs Sandwich Toaster. Contact: CatStrand on 420 374 Brand new rubber-backed carpet underlay. Remaining roll measures 6.5 metres in length by 1.37 metres wide. Contact: Nigel on 460 545 WANTED Chest of drawers. Contact: Simon on 07426 124 982 Boys kilt, aged 4-5 , any Tartan style. Contact: Chrissy on 07824 810 305 “It is a great scheme - one man’s rubbish is another’s treasure!” - Cynthia. Why not find a happy new home for your unwanted items on the Glenkens Freecycle page? NEW GALLOWAY New Galloway Town Hall SHOP UPDATE In mid-December a detailed application was made to the Big Lottery ‘Growing Community Assets’ for development funding for the New Galloway community shop project. If successful, this money will cover the costs of architect’s plans for the shop, self-catering flats and workshops, development consultants’ fees for creating the business case and a local project manager to run the project, as well as administrative necessities such as tax advice and accountancy support. This work will create a business case and Stage 2 application to the Big Lottery by August this year for the full amount of money required. As the Gazette goes to print we await news on development funding, but the New Galloway Community Enterprises team remains optimistic. If we are successful, then we will be advertising shortly for the local jobs created as part of the project. We will also start a new membership drive, and would encourage as many New Galloway residents as possible to become members so that we can demonstrate to the Big Lottery the level of community support. Look out for posters locally about both these matters. Helen Keron, New Galloway Community Enterprises Ltd Update By the time you read this New Galloway Town Hall management should have transferred to Local Initiatives in New Galloway (LING) under a lease arrangement. Dumfries & Galloway will remain responsible for keeping the building wind and watertight and maintaining the heating system; the installation of a new boiler is imminent. Plans are underway for a revived lunch club. A survey which was done at the churches’ coffee morning and the Community Council Pensioners’ Christmas lunch showed much interest. This survey will now be continued doorto-door. We are following up discussions which took place at the various consultations on the Draft Locality Plan with a view to linking where appropriate with Health & Social services where services or activities can take place in the hall. The floor is ready to be taped for badminton. Table tennis and carpet bowls will also be available so watch out for starting dates. Look out, too, for regular tabletop sales which we hope will attract visitors, especially during the winter and spring. For more information please contact Ros Hill on 420632 or ros.hill@rathanhouse.me.uk Glenkens Gazette page 5 sponsored by COASTAL FORAGING Foraging tutor and chef, Mark Williams of Galloway Wild Foods discusses some of the wild foods you can harvest for free around the Solway coast. Most wild habitats are crammed with tasty, health-giving wild foods if you know what to look for. Hedgerows are rich with vibrant herbs in the spring and drip with fruit in the autumn. Woods are good hunting grounds for shade-loving edible plants like wild garlic and wood sorrel and come alive with fungi in the autumn. But the greatest abundance of wild ingredients is found around our coast. This may seem surprising, as our shores take the brunt of hostile and salty winds. They are regularly pounded by storms and high tides can rip up all but the very deepest of roots. But the very hostility of the habitat has forced coastal plants into some ingenious adaptions. To resist wind and salt, many have become succulent – a fortuitous evolution for the human palate. Take sea beet for example – a coastal spinach that produces large, thick, glossy leaves all year round. It is the genetic origin of many cultivated crops including beetroot, sugar beet and chard, but tastes better and has a higher nutritional content than any of them. Where cultivated spinach disappears to virtually nothing when cooked, sea beet remains substantial and crunchy, with a rich iron flavour and salty tang. Look for it above the strand line on shingle beaches, clinging to sea cliffs and anchored to coastal defences. Where exposed shingle gives way to muddy estuaries more nutritious, gourmet treats can be found. Most people are aware of marsh samphire – another succulent plant that looks like a mini cactus - from its presence in fishmongers. Fewer are aware that there are areas around the UK coast where it grows in large quantities and can be responsibly harvested for pickling or as a mouthwatering accompaniment to lamb. Salt marshes boast even greater succulent delicacies like sea aster (a member of the daisy family esteemed by top chefs) and sea arrowgrass, which looks like ordinary grass, but has a strong and surprising kick of coriander. Do be aware that some coastal habitats, salt marshes in particular, can be important breeding grounds for birds and rare species; always forage sensitively and sustainably. Even below the high tide line there is a super-abunance of wild food resources for the mindful forager. Seaweed is perhaps the single largest relatively untapped food resource in the UK. Lost traditions of seaweed consumption in the UK are being revitalised by the esteem with which it is held in newly emerging eastern cuisines. Emerald green sea lettuce makes a vibrant addition to a stir-fry and laver is more or less the same species as the nori that you will find wrapped around sushi rolls. While you are trimming seaweed from the rocks, you can also keep your eye out for shellfish. Mussels, winkles and razor clams are plentiful in many areas, though foragers should keep a keen eye out for potential pollutants, avoid shellfish during their summer spawning period and be aware of legal restrictions (notably on the harvesting Marsh samphire © GallowayWild Foods.com of cockles). If all this weren’t enticing enough, the warming effect of the sea means even plants that aren’t specifically adapted for the coast can thrive in frostfree conditions. For the earliest, biggest, juiciest and tastiest blackberries and sloes - head for the coast! Never eat a wild plant unless you are 100% sure of its identity and edibility. To learn more about how to forage safely, legally and sustainably, visit www.galloway wildfoods.com GUIDED SPRING FORAYS Forest & Hedgerow Foraging Walk, Gatehouse of Fleet, Sat 5 March, 1– 5pm, £30 Adults, £15 Children Spring Coastal Foraging Walk, Near Gatehouse of Fleet, Sat 9 April, 4.30–8pm, £35 Adults, £20 Children Spring Coast & Woods Foraging Day with Wild Food Feast, Gatehouse of Fleet, Sat 7 May, 12noon– 8pm, £75 Adults, £40 Children BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL For full details & to book visit www.galloway wildfoods.com GLENKENS BIKE CLUB The recently formed Glenkens Bike Club was delighted to be awarded some very helpful funding from the Glenkens Community Shop to undertake a survey. The results of the survey will indicate interest in improving cycling skills among specific local groups, through ‘Bikeability’ training, ‘led’ group rides and the possibility to get a bike free - donated to the Mens’ Shed, Balmaclellan, and made roadworthy - for children who have outgrown their bikes. June Hay, acting Bike Club secretary, said they were very appreciative of the investment from the Community Shop in Dalry. (The shop is always worth a ‘pop-in’ to see what there is. It is open from 10am-3pm on weekdays and most Saturdays too, and is located on the Main Street in Dalry.) Riding a bike in the Glenkens is one of life’s many treats - other road users please look out for us! Give us cycle space. Glenkens Gazette page 6 Chair with a View Last October’s Community Council elections resulted in seven councillors being appointed onto Carsphairn Community Council – one more than previously. As glad as we are that Carsphairn Community Council can continue to represent our community in dealings with Dumfries & Galloway Council with a clear mandate, it always appears to be the same community-minded individuals that put themselves forward for what is time-consuming, often challenging (and certainly unpaid) work. In such a small community as Carsphairn, it is still proving extremely difficult, if not well nigh impossible, to attract new councillors, no doubt owing to the ever-increasing workload which can frequently interfere with our own lives and businesses. But it would be gratifying to see some new faces to help spread the load and maybe inject some fresh input to our community work. In past years it was blanket forestry operations which needed to be considered and responded to if possible. This has now been superseded by windfarms. No one surely would object to harnessing our natural resources to satisfy our energy needs, but the 550 or so wind turbines operational, submitted to planning or proposed in the Carsphairn area to date - will, in some cases, create unbroken conglomerations of turbines sited throughout unspoilt landscapes, including what appears to be encroachment into designated Regional Scenic Areas. As a Community Council we are finding it extremely difficult to keep up with and respond to the number of planning submissions to the regional council and the Scottish Government, with deadline response dates to be considered and huge tomes of windfarm information to attempt to wade through. Along with this issue are the giant pylons and the route they will take to carry this newly generated energy. Suffice to say that I believe many of us living in the Glenkens chose to make our lives here inspired by the beauty and peace of the area. Some of us have recently had both spoilt through the inevitable industrialisation of parts of Carsphairn parish as windfarm construction progresses. Many areas of the Glenkens were seriously affected by Storm Frank – Carsphairn was no exception (the flooding in Carsphairn even hit the national news). Nearly all the homes in the village were flooded and some of those living in outlying areas did not escape. North of the village, the spating Deugh and its tributaries seriously eroded banks, with residents losing not only land and parts of access roads but also at least two bridges which were completely swept away. I must commend our Resilience Group and individual members of the community for pulling together and giving many hours of their time to help flooded villagers. Over the New Year period immediately post-flooding, emails were sent to MSPs and D&GC councillors to alert them of the seriousness of the situation. The Community Council facilitated a public emergency flood meeting on 11 January to hear what support DGC can provide to flood victims. Most welcome was the news of a fund of £1,500 for residents whose homes were flooded and £3,000 for affected businesses. The Scottish Flood Forum also attended with useful information on a new government insurance scheme called Flood Re, operational from April 2016. This scheme is planned to make insurance affordable to all those at risk of flooding. Liz Holmes, Chair, Carsphairn CC Expanded Dalry Community Council Following last October’s first contested election in over 30 years, Dalry Community Council is now in the enviable position of having the full complement of 12 members. New councillors are as follows: Angie Bradford lived in the Glenkens until she was six years old and returned in 1994. After many years working for the Care Inspectorate she and her husband Ronnie run Brookford Bed & Breakfast in the village and help with their two grandchildren who also live in Dalry. Angie loves living in the Glenkens. She is a Trustee of the newly formed St John’s Town of Dalry Properties Trust and is keen to work with other organisations on environmental and educational projects that enhance the area whilst protecting the heritage and countryside. Lucy Brown is the youngest member: she was born and grew up in Dalry and has recently moved back having lived in Glasgow, the Highlands and Orkney in the interim. She currently works for an MSP and hopes to encourage other young people to become involved in their communities. “I’d like to see rural communities become viable places for young locals to live and work in – not just somewhere they are forced to leave,” she comments. Fiona Davidson has been living in Dalry for 20 years and this is her second stint on Dalry’s Community Council. She works as a teacher at Dunscore Primary School and prior to that worked at Moniaive Primary so she knows the area well. When she first moved to Dalry she was touched by people’s kindness when her husband was ill and was determined to give something back to the community. She is a keen walker and comments that “many people will no doubt recognise me through my dog Molly!” Morag Paterson has lived in the Glenkens for over 20 years and in the parish of Dalry for 15. With both her sons having been educated at Dalry School she has been involved with Friends of Dalry School over the years and is now looking forward to seeing what else she can do for community. Chair, Secretary and Treasurer remain Andi Holmes, Moira Jones and Gerald Bell respectively with Nicolette Wise taking over from Andrew Mellor as Vice-Chair who, along with Maggi Kaye, stepped down at the election after over 30 years clocked-up between them. Andi Holmes says: “We are very grateful for all the effort and work Andrew and Maggi put in over the years – their wisdom and insight will be missed.” Other councillors include Will Adam, Andrew Bielinski, Jim Reid and Pat Woodley. Helen Keron is a non-voting member, providing a useful link with the Glenkens Community Centre and New Galloway Community Council. Nicolette Wise Glenkens Gazette page 7 CatStrand Highlights The Winter Season events are now drawing to a close, but we were delighted with the success of the programme which heralded our return to CatStrand with many sell-out shows. I wanted to vary our music roster a little and I’m thrilled to be welcoming MOBOwinning jazz sensation Zoe Rahman who is taking time out from her tour with the legendary Courtney Pine to do a special concert at CatStrand. A Mercury Music Prize Nominee (and now panellist), she was a recent headliner at both Edinburgh International Jazz Festival and London Jazz Week. Classical fans will certainly enjoy the French-dominated Impressions of the Sea concert by the Hebrides Ensemble in March. Works by Debussy, Ravel, and Messiaen will feature alongside a work by the Japanese composer Takemitsu. Meanwhile, traditional music fans will be delighted that the world renowned Blazin’ Fiddles are coming to shake the CatStrand rafters in March. Tickets for this show, as we expected, are selling very fast so do not waste any time if you want to secure some. The Spring Season ends in spectacular fashion with a feast of music and drama which is our contribution to Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival. Our young events trainees will oversee their first programmed concert in May with Emma’s Imagination while the Juan Martin Flamenco Trio will headline our Spanish Tapas night on 23 May. We then have six plays in three days featuring dance, comedy, The Spring Season has now been launched and some of the highlights are outlined below. On 5 February we will see the return of CatStrand’s renowned Burns Night. This is closely followed on Friday 12 by the long awaited return of Sportinghouse Strings featuring the rich and unique blend of Tommy ‘Spats’ Langham on Guitar/Banjo along with Martin Litton on piano and Richard Vernon on Double Bass. Please book early to avoid disappointment. Later in February we’re launching the inaugural Words from the Glenkens Festival, a weekendlong celebration of literature and music comprising recitals, talks, workshops, a film, and a concert by Young Traditional Folk Musician of the Year, Robyn Stapleton. We’re also launching our first Documentary Film Season which will feature lesser-known but highly acclaimed films such as Bobby Fischer Against the World, The Possibilities Are Endless, Village at the End of the World, and Chasing Ice. Fans of film dramas will be able to see the See our Spring Season acclaimed re-makes of Far brochure and website for From the Madding Crowd and Macbeth, the latter programme details. Book of which will be shown on online at www.catstrand.com the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. or call 01644 420374. Hebrides Ensemble. poisonings and the Tour de France! Watch this space… I also hope we’ll see you at the launch of our new art exhibition by the amazingly talented wood sculptor Doug Cocker which will take place on the evening of 1 February at 7pm. If you are interested in coming along to the launch please call CatStrand in advance to ensure your place. Simon Davidson Creative Director, CatStrand As ever, we couldn’t do any of this without your support and we are so grateful for your help. These are tough times for arts organisations with funding being relentlessly squeezed and competition for dwindling resources increasing daily. We’re very lucky indeed to have the support of Creative Scotland for our arts programme, but even this is becoming reliant on us providing evidence of need. To this end, I have implored supporters of CatStrand and the wider community to help us by coming to watch a show. Many of you are already regular attendees of course, but I would ask you to consider coming along to a show you might not normally come to, be it a play or a film. If you can bring a friend along, even better! If we can continue to show that the community appreciates and utilises CatStrand, we stand a far greater chance of further developing our programmes over the longer term. CHOREOGRAPHIC SKILLS LAB The Choreographic Skills Lab sessions are where young people can learn and develop their skills in the art of choreography in order to create a better dance vocabulary. This involves elements such as exploring the fundamental choreography elements of shape, space, timing and dynamics. The end aim is that the young people can choreograph their own dances or choreograph them on other dancers bearing in mind not all people who choreograph want to perform in front of an audience - although a lot do. We would work towards dance performances at the CatStrand, and the long-term aim is to have a Youth Dance Performance Company facilitated by the CatStrand. Sara Lockwood, Youth Arts Development Officer, CatStrand Glenkens Gazette page 8 Photo of the Issue: Sponsored by the Ken Bridge Hotel “Can you publish all the photos? We love them all and they are of such a good quality, it’s been very difficult to decide; the bullfinch and Highland cow are lovely individual studies, the adopted cat looks as though it has landed on its feet, and the snowdrops and the wild garlic are a lovely sign of spring. “The flooding photos are a wee bit close for comfort and there have been lots of those but the one we have chosen is a flood photo of the dam because it really does give a clear example of man versus nature. “In addition, on this photo we discovered an image on the rocks of a crouching cat showing great interest in the water - there will be two free childrens’ meals for the first picture with the outline of the cat perfectly copied, returned to the CatStrand (please mark for the attention of the Glenkens Gazette).” Regards, Dave & Sue Elizabeth Peacock wins a meal for two at the Ken Bridge Hotel’s renowned Sunday Carvery. Glenkens Transport Initiative Regular Bus Services Tuesdays Dalry to Newton Stewart Return Swimming and Shopping Outward Pickups: Dalry (Underhill) 1115, New Galloway 1120 (Fire Station) Return Pickups: Newton Stewart (ALDI Car Park) 1320, (Merrick Centre) 1330 Return Fare: £3.00 Return More information/booking phone Ann on 01644 460518 Wednesday Evenings Dalry to Castle Douglas (Tesco) Return (registered route) 1900 1905 1915 1925 1930 1937 1940 Outward Journey Depart Dalry (Underhill) New Galloway (CatStrand) Mossdale Lauriston Townhead of Greenlaw Castle Douglas (Market Street) Castle Douglas (Tesco) 2035 2037 2047 2050 2100 2110 2115 Return Journey Depart Castle Douglas (Tesco) Castle Douglas (Market Street) Townhead of Greenlaw Laurieston Mossdale New Galloway (CatStrand) Dalry (Underhill) Services & Excursions Feb-March 2016 Phone the CatStrand (01644 420374) or see Projects/ Bus Trips on the CatStrand website for more details and to book. Glenkens to Ayr & Back Saturday 27 February and Saturday 26 March Pickups: New Galloway (CatStrand) 0930, Dalry (Underhill) 0940, Carsphairn (Shop) 1000. Leaving Ayr 1500. Fare £3.50, Concessions £3.00 each way. Gretna Gateway & Houghton Hall Garden Centre Saturday 20 February Pickups: New Galloway (CatStrand) 0930; Dalry (Underhill) 0945, Crossmichael and Castle Douglas by arrangement. Dropoffs: Gretna 1100; Houghton Hall 1115. Leave Houghton Hall c.1400 to arrive Gretna for 1415. Leave Gretna 1515. Arrive Dalry 1630 Fare £7. Concessions £6. Hobby Crafts Exhibition SECC Glasgow Saturday 5 March Pickups: New Galloway (CatStrand) 0900, Dalry (Underhill) 0910, Carsphairn (Shop)0925. Fare £7. Concessions £6. Minibus Hire GTI has 8, 15 and 16 seat minibuses for hire. Hirers must be registered GTI user groups. For more information or to book email gti@catstrand.com or call 01644 420374. W BONE WHB JEEPS THE GARAGE, DALRY PETROL & DIESEL SALES SERVICE & REPAIRS MOTs, TYRES, BATTERIES ALL AT COMPETITIVE PRICES OPEN 8.30AM - 6.00PM (SIX DAYS) 10AM - 6PM SUNDAYS - FUEL 24 HOURS SHOP • SANDWICH BAR • LOTTERY Tel: 01644 430208 Fax: 01644 430669 jeeps@whbjeeps.co.uk www.whbjeeps.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 9 CATSTRAND YOUTH PLAYERS The fifth Youth Players Panto was a huge success, playing to three full houses at the beginning of December. Babes in the Wood by Paul Reakes was a brilliant script which was embraced by the young cast who all took to their roles with great enthusiasm and confidence entertaining the enthralled audiences with style. There were many compliments from audience members: “We thought that all the individual characters were acted with enthusiasm, humour and aplomb - everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves hugely and that really came across to the audience and created a fantastic atmosphere.” “The children rated it the highest out of all the pantomimes we’ve seen so far.” “Epic!! I liked the Sheriff of Nottingham, he was having fun being really bad.” Alex (aged 6). “It was the best. I liked the guards (Sheriff’s henchmen), even though they were really girls dressed up.” Jake (aged 4). “I absolutely loved the pantomime. I liked it best when the people were trying to teach one of the girls how to sing; it was really, really funny!” Laya, (aged 6). The main roles were played by Zoe Kirkpatrick (Robin Hood), Georgiana Grimwood (Maid Marian), Arthur Harfield (Sheriff of Nottingham), Eilidh Thomson (Nurse Nitwit) and Florrie Newbery & Charlotte Spernagel (Babes). Some of the young dancers from the Margaret Morris Movement class which meets regularly at CatStrand also performed in some of the chorus scenes and added greatly to the production. The Youth Players had little time to recover from the panto and have already moved on to their 2016 Festival plays which will be performed at the end of February in the first round of the Scottish Community Drama Association One Act Play national competition. Us And Them by David Campton is a popular play for ensemble youth groups and although it was written almost 40 years ago it is still every bit as relevant today as it was when it was first published. The other entry is Tell Me Another Story, Sing Me A Song by Jean Lenox Toddie, a witty look at mother/daughter relationships. The plays will be presented at The Fullarton in Castle Douglas on 26 and 27 February respectively, and will compete with five other youth teams for various trophies with the overall winner then representing Stewartry District at the West of Scotland Final at The Ryan Centre in Stranraer on Saturday 12 March. The cast are hoping that one of the teams will have the honour of attending the Western Final again after previously achieving 2nd place on each of their three previous appearances at the Finals in 2013, 2011 and 2010. Both plays will be presented again at CatStrand on Thursday 10 March at 7.30pm. Appeal for Help: Over the years a large amount of costumes have been accumulated and currently we are having a major sort out. They need to be moved from their current location by the end of January and we are appealing for help from someone who may have a spare room or space available to store them. All we ask is that it is dry and secure and accessible when we need to get costumes for productions. Once they are sorted, they will hopefully amount to three or four clothes rails and a few packing boxes. If anyone is willing to offer space please contact CatStrand on 420374. Brian Edgar CELEBRATING A DECADE Facelift for Library Dumfries & Galloway Council have confirmed that Dalry’s Library will be getting a facelift this spring in line with others in the region. The works include new double-glazed windows, re-wiring, new carpets, furniture and bookcases. The Council have been working with Dalry Community Council to ensure the new format, which will include the integration of ‘customer services’, works for everyone. In addition Dalry’s new defibrillator will be housed on the outside of the building ensuring easy access in an emergency. Isobel McBeth and Ruby Kirk celebrating 10 years with the Glenkens Walking Group. Glenkens Gazette page 10 CARSPHAIRN BURNS SUPPER Carsphairn welcomed a full house for their 47th annual Burns Supper. After the village experienced severe flooding earlier in the month, the turnout and support for the village was very much appreciated. Guests were welcomed by Chairman, Robert McTurk, to a traditional hot meal of haggis, neeps and tatties, followed by trifle. The meal was preceded by Andy McCartney piping in The Haggis, which was carried by Poosie Nancy for the evening, Amy Clark Kennedy. After an enthusiastic rendition of the ‘Address of the Haggis’ by Robert McTurk, the Rev David Bartholomew gave the Selkirk Grace. The Toast to ‘The Immortal Memory of Robert Burns’ was given by Ian McFadzean. Wylie McCulloch provided an entertaining Toast to ‘The Lassies’ which Irene McCreath ably replied to on behalf of The Lassies. Attendees were treated to a selection of Burns’ best loved works. Laura Luke beautifully sang ‘Ae Fond Kiss’ as well as “Highland Laddie”; Ian McFadzean gave a rendition of ‘Tam o’Shanter’; and Wylie McCulloch entertained with a performance of a tale about a church mouse. Another successful Carsphairn Burns Supper was rounded off with a Vote of Thanks, given by Hugh Clark Kennedy, to all who had contributed to the evening and the singing of Auld Lang Syne. DANCING THE DECADES A fantastic evening of community dance was held at the CatStrand which was very much enjoyed by the dancers and audience alike. Sam Rushton from New Galloway, an experienced dance instructor, choreographed a delightful romp through the music and dance styles of the last 11 decades, starting with a Charleston, through rock ‘n’ roll, disco and line dancing, and finishing with a very modern ‘street dance’. forty-five dancers from the Glenkens took part, most of whom had never danced in public before. The youngest participant was three and the oldest 76! It was a true community event, with Dalry Nursery pupils treating us to the ‘birdie song’ from the 80s and Kells Primary pupils performing a showstopping Ghostbusters routine and dancing to the recent musical hit Happy. The Margaret Morris dance group at the CatStrand did a fantastic ‘twist’ from the 60s, and the Ballroom & Latin group from Castle Douglas did a very classy medley to some wartime tunes. Young and old members of the New Galloway Zumba classes made up the rest of the dancers, giving it their all for a most entertaining night. The free event was was a full house, with over £300 raised by donations and a raffle on the night. This activity was funded by a Big Lottery grant obtained by Helen Keron through GCAT, but the dancers are all keen to stage the event annually, if possible, so the donations were very gratefully received towards the next performance. All of the dancers would like to thank the CatStrand staff and volunteers for their technical, practical and moral support, as well as the Nursery and Kells staff and parents for their support. But most thanks must be given to Sam, whose astonishing patience, attention to detail and sheer joy in the creativity of dance is an inspiration to us all. Keep dancing! Helen Keron Dance Classes Margaret Morris dance 1: 3-7yrs, term- time Mondays, 3.45-4.30pm, CatStrand, free. Margaret Morris dance 2: 8-16yrs, termtime Mondays, 4.30-5.15pm, CatStrand, free. Zumba: 11+, term-time Wednesdays, 7.308.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall, £4 Zumba Gold: 16+, term-time Fridays, 1011am, CatStrand, £4 Exercise to Music: 16+, term-time Mondays, 10-11am, CatStrand, £4 Ballroom & Latin: 16+, Monday 7.30pm, Castle Douglas Primary school, £6.50/5 Dancers getting ready for the Charleston. Glenkens Gazette Emma’s Wild Eats Shellfish & Wild Garlic (Ramsons) We’re very fortunate in Galloway that wild food is plentiful. Even in the middle of winter there is an appetitestimulating array of seaweed, shellfish and winter greens including wild garlic (a muchloved wild ingredient). The general rule with shellfish is to gather them in months with an ‘R’. This limits us to the winter months when the shellfish are less likely to have accumulated bacteria or algae that could be toxic. Another reason for this is that shellfish usually spawn during the summer months. They are less plump, and less delicious whilst spawning. Therefore, this is the ideal time to take a trip down to one of our wonderfully clean beaches (far from any ‘outlets’), and take a bucket to fill with as many delicious fresh mussels and winkles as you can eat, just by lifting them from the rocks. Clams and ‘spoot’ (razor) clams are well worth the effort with a little more planning. These are all really quick and easy to cook and combine beautifully with the first fresh shoots of wild garlic, a splash of white wine and some crusty bread to make a meal to rival any other. Ensure that you identify your wild garlic correctly and get picking! Even the biggest British culinary websites now have numerous recipes for wild garlic. I would highly recommend wild garlic pesto (with nettles/ground elder/sea radish/whatever you like), pickled wild garlic flower buds, tempura garlic flowers and our favourite fermented wild garlic, which adds the most amazing flavour to a huge range of dishes and will just about tide you over until the next year’s fresh shoots emerge. What a great way to spend a day at the weekend! As a footnote, even with limitless Aileen McLeod MSP working for you across the South of Scotland Postal address: Unit 7 Loreburn Shopping Centre High Street, Dumfries, DG1 2BD Email: aileen.mcleod.msp@scottish.parliament.uk Tel: 01387 255 334 Please check www.aileenmcleod.org for regular surgery, constituency and parliamentary updates page 11 determination and enthusiasm, we couldn’t transform limpets into something enjoyable to eat. I found a suggestion to puree them with olive oil in an attempt to make them acceptable, which results in something I can only liken to a pureed shoe sole that tastes slightly fishy so, unless driven by starvation, you might leave limpets to go about their rubbery, intertidal business... Emma The first wee shoots of wild garlic. Check out Emma’s blog to read more on her foraging adventures at www.emmaswild.co.uk Bargatton Sand & Gravel Supplying sand and gravel for all your farming needs, as well as households and businesses both large and small. We stock washed fine sand, coarse sand and gravels at competitive prices. For further details contact: James Mair - 07793 085 243 Email: loch.bargatton@live.co.uk Bargatton Quarry, Laurieston, Castle Douglas, DG7 2PS Open Monday to Friday Weekends by arrangement Delivery can be arranged - subject to quantity Glenkens Gazette SONGS OF SEPARATION Cairn Chorus would like to say a massive thank you to the fantastic audience who braved the cold and ice to attend the Dalry performance of Hoary Frost and Fleecy Snow. After an autumn/winter term of pushing our boundaries (not to mention our voices!) into the realms of songs such as Schedryk, the Ukranian independence anthem, a raucous shapenote version of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, the serene spanish lullaby A la Nanita and all manner of arrangements of well known carols (mostly involving sheep!), our fabulous musical director, Kate Howard, is preparing to lead us into our next challenge. And what a challenge we have in store for 2016... In a one-off performance during the Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival in May, Cairn Chorus will join with the highly acclaimed Songs of Separation (SoS) project in an evening of reflections on the parting of ways. Songs of Separation brings together ten prolific female traditional singers and musicians from Scotland and England to celebrate similarities and differences in their musical, linguistic and cultural heritage. Set in the context of a post- page 12 referendum world, the project aimed to prompt new thinking about the issue of separation in all our lives. Rehearsals are every Thursday from 7.30–9.30pm. We learn by ear and music is also provided, but reading music is not essential and we don’t ask you to endure any painful auditions...just come along and join us! For further info contact Anna Tagg on 01848 200 768 or annabirkett65@ hotmail.com or visit www.cairnchorus.co.uk DALRY CEILIDH Continued from front page... There was great impromptu music and singing provided by lots of local folk, and many dancers had fun birling their way through the reels, sets and jigs. Some of the young and young-at-heart participated in games of galloping musical chairs and dancing musical statues, to the amused delight of observers. We had party poppers at midnight, and the big crowd that had stayed belted out an energetic Auld Lang Syne. All-in-all, it was a brilliant start tae the New Year! During the course of the night over 70 people attended, with over 60 staying for the bells. “It was a lovely informal night like a big party in someone’s house and we had fun dancing!” said Kath Peace. Organisers Anne Charaund, Angela Miller, and Nichola Finch would like to thank everyone for coming along and making it such a lovely evening. We have had a lot of positive feedback and we hope to be able to do this again for 2016. Nichola Finch Ceilidh dancers © Kathryn Peace. Glenkens Gazette page 13 Glenkens Schools - Where Everyone is a Winner! Over the last term young people from the Glenkens have been out and about taking part in a wide range of activities that have helped them build confidence, determination and aspiration. Here is a little of what pupils have been doing... A group of P6 to S2 students took part in a triathlon event in Kirkcudbright. Classes benefitted from visits by authors as part of the Wigtown book festival and S4 students returned to Wigtown to meet with the author Max Arthur, having used several of his Forgotten Voices in their Remembrance service in November. Students from all secondary years have competed in a regional table tennis competition; all performed well and Emily Wallace in S4 returned as the girls regional under-18s winner. Seven S3 students represented Dalry School at the Rotary Peace Conference in the Easterbrook Hall; they will now benefit from additional training in school and want to use their new collaborative skills to review the Secondary Dress Code; they will be seeking the views of parents/carers. Primary pupils celebrated the writing of Roald Dhal with a ‘Dahlicious dressup day’ and associated literacy activity. Emily Biggar in S3 continues to grow in skill and confidence with her sailing outside school, now competing at national level. Lewis Winder in S3 has also been busy out of school with a successful run with his rally driving. Primary coffee mornings raised over £2,000 for Macmillan and the shoebox appeal was responded to positively. The Nursery class raised money for Children in Need with a cake sale and non-uniform day. Diwali was explored thoroughly by Dalry Primary through food, music, art and social subjects. A Glenkens primary cluster team competed in Stewartry Sportshall Athletics and came third. A Dalry Primary soccer 7s team took part in a regional competition at Queen of the South Arena. S1 pupils read with the primary pupils as part of the ‘Scottish Book Trust’ Reciprocal reading project. Alex Fergusson visited primary classes to talk about the Scottish parliament prior to the P6/7 residential visit to Edinburgh in February. In November Professor Glen Chilton from James Cook University in Australia visited the primary pupils at Kells and Dalry. The presentation was titled Adventures with Creatures that were Thought to be Extinct. The SSPCA visited Kells to highlight Dalry Primary Christmas concert. the importance of looking after pets during the winter period. Pupils donated blankets and pillow cases for the SSPCA winter campaign. Feis Rois visited all primary schools and as a consequence tin whistling featured at the Kells Christmas concert and in the Church service at the end of term. Kells upper class welcomed ‘Annie’s Aiders’- developing more First Aid knowledge in the community. M&M Productions came to Dalry and other schools and childcare groups from the communities joined us for an entertaining production of Jack and the Beanstalk which helped improve confidence and aspiration for pupils own productions later. Secondary students provided sound and lighting for the Dalry Primary Christmas extravaganza as well as performing in the second part of the evening. Primary Christmas productions took place in Carsphairn, Kells and Dalry, bringing lively events to each of the communities. Christmas fairs and musical cafes run by primaries in conjunction with their communities, were warm and welcoming events. Traditional and contemporary dance skills were much in evidence at the secondary ‘Snowball’ as well as improbably high heels on the shoes of some of the dancers! Christmas Parties were enjoyed at all three Primary schools. The Christmas Service provided focus for the Christmas season and again young people from all cluster schools contributed through music and readings. We were also privileged to have Brian Edgar join us to read his late father’s poem The Bonny Glenkens in recognition of the huge contribution that Tommy Edgar made to the Glenkens schools during his lifetime. After School Clubs: There have been Active & Achieving sessions for cluster P17 pupils, organised by Active Schools, badminton at Dalry for upper primary pupils in Dalry, table tennis for Kells upper primary pupils and football coaching was delivered by SFA coach for infant pupils in the cluster. A Technology Club was run for primary and secondary pupils in the cluster, multi-sports sessions were organised by Active Schools at Kells for P15 pupils, Sam Rushton has been teaching the nursery and interested primary pupils dance routines which were performed at the CatStrand in January as part of Dance the Decades show. The competence and confidence of every individual is being encouraged at a pace appropriate for them. As a consequence, they achieve more than they first thought they could and are steadily raising their aspirations and level of achievement. The beauty of our small schools is that no child is left out and encouragement to excel can be targeted and focussed. Everyone is a winner and our communities should be very proud of their young people. Jenny Smith, Head, Glenkens Cluster Glenkens Gazette page 14 The Kenmure Estate Evictions: 1749 The early 1700s was a time of unrest and uncertainty in the countryside. It was the time of the ‘Levellers’, and the new enclosure dykes being thrown down by bands of dispossessed tenants. The landlords were attempting to improve their estates by creating better, viable farms and at the same time appropriating the common lands to themselves, dispossessing the ordinary cottars and people off their crofts and common grazings. This was taking place against the backdrop of political uncertainty and the two Jacobite Rebellions. It is said that it was only after the ’45, when Scotland settled down and began to modernise and make progress with building roads that general commerce steadily improved. It must have been a shock to the tenants in the various parishes in the Glenkens when John Gordon of Kenmure gave his precept of notice of eviction. We do not know whether they were unsatisfactory tenants in some way or other, or had not paid their rents, or if it was just a means of reorganising his estate. There must have been a great deal of to-ing and fro-ing, bargaining and pleading. People were forced onto the road without anywhere to go if they had no relatives to take them in. Some, in time, became common vagrants or tramps unable ever to improve their position in life. In this particular instance we do not know if this precept was carried out. “John Gordon of Kenmore Heritable Proprietor of the Lands and others under Written To My Officers and Servants in that Part Conjunctly and Severally Constitute It is my will and I Command you that incontinent This my precept seen ye Post at Least f(orty) Days before the Term of Whitsunday next to come and Lawfully Warn and Charge Personally or at In Dwelling Places and on the Lands of their Respective Possessions the Persons after named Viz: James Wilson and George Wilson his son Possessors Come and Leave the same Void and (...) That my tennants and others in my Name may then Enter To the Peaceable Possession Thereof Certify such of them as shall Continue to Possess after the said Term. That they shall be Holden and Reputed Possessors and Prosecuted for the same with all Rigour and Sicklike that ye Post upon a Lords Day forty days proceeding the said Form To the respective Parish Churches of Corsmichael Balmaclellan and K(ells) and (Dalry) within which Parishes the said Lands Ly and there at dismissing the Congregation forenoone Service openly Read or Cause to be Read this my Precept of Warning in Presence of the Parishioners convened for the Time And Leave Copies upon the most Patent Door of each of the said Churc(hes) of Corsmichael Balmaclellan Kells and Dalry and that ye Use The Haile ....ant Order Perscribed Acts of Parliment anent Warning Tennants which to do I Counssell to you Conjunctly and Severally as Such is my full Power by this my Precept of Warning. In Witness whereof I have Subscribed These Present. Written by Duncan Smith Clerk to John Dalyell Esquire Collector of the Customs at Kirkcudbright a(t) Greenlaw this Sixteenth Day of March One Thousand Seven Hundred and forty Nine Years Before These Winesses The said John Dalyell and Duncan Smith.” The Kenmure Precept of evictions was found in a bundle of papers sold at auction in the Mitchell Library in Glasgow many years ago by a friend. As I was looking at them I spotted the precept. I asked my friend if I could borrow it and have it copied. I did so and had another copy done, which I donated to Dumfries and Galloway Family History Society, of which I am a member. Unfortunately the original papers sold at auction were lost in a fire some years later. “...to flitt and Remove Themselves Their W(hole) Famillys and Servants Cottars Subtennants Goods and Gear...” of the Lands of Little Mains of Greenlaw Robert McCon(chie) in Kilnotrie William Williamson in Balgennan James Blair and William Beck Possessors of (R....) all in the Parish of Crossmichael Grisell Carson and Andrew Carson Possessors of Martinston in the Parish of Balmaclellan John Milar in Lancroft and Samual McLellan and John Gaw in Bankhead Agnes Wilson Relict of John Miller and Rosie McCourt(ie) Relict of William Miller Both in Crarghead (Craighead) and Mary McCartney in Kilnlull Croft All possessors of Parks of the Mains of Kenmore and John Bryce and James Turner Possessors of Part of Acchie and Isable Davidon in Boathouse of New Galloway Possessor of said Boatcroft and Part of Holms of Kenmore Alexander McNaught in Bogues in the Parish of Dalry John McNaught possessor of a House and Soums Grass in Overtoun. All to flitt and Remove Themselves Their W(hole) Famillys and Servants Cottars Subtennants Goods and Gear furth and from the said Lands of their Respective Possessions at the Term of Whitesunday next to Contributed by Bill Blyth of Blowplain Glenkens Gazette page 15 LOCAL HISTORY with TED COWAN WORDS FROM THE GLENKENS The CatStrand has announced a Glenkens Literary Festival over the weekend of 20/ 21 February, a most welcome initiative. This column has frequently celebrated the remarkable number of writers and poets who had, and continue to have, Glenkens associations. A Glenkens writer may be defined as a person born in, resident in, or writing about ‘the glen’. The following brief discussion will be restricted to writers who are deceased, hopefully to avoid upsetting any of our current scrievers. We should not speak ill of the dead but it is unforgivable to forget to mention one of the living! It is difficult to find much Glenkens writing before the 17th century. John MacClure (died 1652) born at Blawquhairn, is celebrated as an early pioneer of British midwifery and pediatrics. Sir Robert Gordon of Lochinvar wrote eloquently in support of Scotland’s first experiment in colonisation (1622), when Cape Breton in Nova Scotia was renamed New Galloway. Samuel Rutherford of Anwoth, one of the intellectuals giants behind the Covenanting Revolution, wrote ‘Heavenly Speech and Glorious departure of John Viscount Kenmure’ (1649), in which, as if dying were not hard enough, Kenmure is haunted by past sins which potentially deny him salvation despite the promise of God’s grace. The quantity of religious writing produced in the glen was formidable. Many pamphlets, petitions, protests and testimonials were to emanate from the glen before the covenanting movement fragmented, supplying vast amounts of material for our greatest novelist, born at Little Duchrae, S. R. Crockett (died 1914), whose name attracted well over 100 people to the Catstrand conference in 2014. The greatest local writer of the 18th century has to be Robert Heron of New Galloway, an enlightened polymath who wrote on many different subjects including science, zoology, history, geography, poetry and politics while contributing to the 3rd edition of Encyclopedia Britannica and translating books from several languages. He was training for the ministry before he devoted his short life to literature, perhaps because, as a contemporary reported, when he spoke he sounded like a heron swallowing an eel! He was educated at home by his father, Bailie John Heron, a weaver by trade. Another pupil cum apprentice was John Lowe, son of a gardener on the Kenmure estate, who became a teacher and poet famed for After his death his sister Anna wrote a poetic obituary for his gravestone and a much longer lament. Isabella Trotter of the Dalshangan dynasty penned a prose memorial while her brother Robert composed a poetic lament, as did John Gordon Barbour of Bogue: Keen o’er yon Rhynns the winds are blowing, In lone Glenlee’s wild woods ‘tis snowing, With murmur sad the Ken is flowing, The rock, the dale bear winter’s guise’. William Gillespie’s brother, David, was also a poet and songwriter. An alcoholic adventure led to his shunning by the Kirk and a rather sad career as an itinerant preacher. There are many tales recounting his eccentricities but some of his songs were very popular, such as ‘Mary Coldstream’. David had a sister, Anna Lockhart Gillespie who also wrote verse, which often relates how the promise of youth is unrealised. She had a chequered career as a teacher while as a poet she seems fixated on pain, disappointment and death. A contemporary pessimist was Isabella Trotter who was born at Viewfield. When her spendthrift father died the entire property was sold by roup, a heart-breaking event which she memorialised. She studied hard at Kells, Balmaclellan Free School and Dumfries Academy to become a teacher though she never quite realised the niche she sought. In her case, like many of her gender, sound native intelligence and a good education did not guarantee success as a single woman. Her words from the Glenkens constitute her memorial. There are many other writers who could be mentioned. Come along in February and make the acquaintance of some of them. We look forward to seeing you there. For tickets and other information contact the CatStrand. Ted Cowan ... whom genius nursed Even on the mountain wild, beside the stream Of lone Palnure ... ‘Mary’s Dream’ before he emigrated to America where he eventually died of drink and disappointment. Alexander Murray was another, who from the wilds of Minnigaff attained the post of Professor of Oriental Languages at Edinburgh. His ‘History of the European Languages’ was published after his early death, mourned by Rev. William Gillespie of Kells as one ...whom genius nursed Even on the mountain wild, beside the stream Of lone Palnure... Gillespie succeeded his own father, John, as minister of Kells; he was educated at Kells parish school and Edinburgh University. Of his deceased father he wrote, ‘his best lesson was his dying scene’. After our recent floods readers may appreciate an extract from William’s ‘Ellen’, The moon shone in fits, And the tempests were roaring, The storm spirit shrieked, And the fierce rain was pouring. Glenkens Gazette page 16 More on the Great War In the Oct/Nov issue of the Glenkens Gazette, we told the story of six Glenkens men who had all lost their lives within 48 hours of each other at the battle of Loos. Follow-up research has unearthed photos of four of the six - all were killed although George Hamilton was initially reported as missing. If anyone knows of the existence of photos of the other two: Robert McGaw and Archie Mair, please contact Paul Goodwin (memorials@paulgoodwin.me.uk) HOARDS TO DISCOVER The next history lecture staged by The Glenkens Story project features Andrew Nicholson, Dumfries & Galloway Archaeologist, who will speak on ‘Hoards to Discover: The Archaeology of the Ken Valley’. From prehistoric cairns through Roman forts to medieval castles, the Ken valley contains a wealth of archaeology. Andrew’s talk will expand to include the recently discovered Galloway Viking hoard, a find proving to be of international significance. He will also address opportunities for local people to become involved in archaeological research. New Galloway Golf Club The lecture, at 2.30pm on Sunday 28 February, will be held in CatStrand. Tickets cost £5. The last Glenkens Story lecture sold out, so book early and don’t miss this amazing insight into Galloway’s past. A thousand-year-old pectoral cross, one of the amazing objects from the recently discovered Galloway Hoard. Family and friends coming to stay? Short of space? www.nggc.co.uk Cosy country cottage available (sleeps 4) Buggies now available for hire Call Fiona on 01644 420 227 Founded 1902 - 01644 420737 VISITORS AND NEW MEMBERS WELCOME www.covenanters-holidaycottagescotland.co.uk so that these men are not forgotten. Paul Goodwin New Galloway Rural The December meeting was held at the Kenmure Arms Hotel where members enjoyed a Christmas meal, beautifully cooked and presented by Mrs Liz Brannock and her staff. After the meal members walked up the road to the CatStrand to enjoy the CatStrand Youth Players presentation of the classic tale of Babes in the Wood, a story of Robin Hood and his Merry Men in the forest of Sherwood. FHB Fencing Dalry Domestic and Agricultural Fencing 01644 430 495 (Peter) or 07767 795 498 (Jonathan) Glenkens Gazette page 17 GHANA WEDDING FOR AMY Although Amy Geddes (nee Mellor) narrowly missed out on the award for Music Tutor of the Year (as featured in the last Gazette) she says it was an honour to be nominated and thanks all this in the Glenkens who voted for her. However, she would like to thank all those in the Glenkens who voted for her and says that it was an honour to be nominated. Amy now has other things on her mind. Just before Christmas, in a traditional ceremony in Ghana, she married her sweetheart, Adie Baku, who is a professional dancer with the Akrowa Dance and Drum Troupe. Amy’s Dad, Andrew Mellor, discovered (to his surprise) at the end of a ceremony which was conducted by the local elders and village chief that it was his duty as father of the bride to pronounce the couple ‘man and wife’. Amy is now back in Scotland preparing for performances at Celtic Connections and elsewhere. She hopes that Adie will be able to join her very soon once visa formalities are sorted out. Amy’s father, Andrew, goes on to say that 2015 was a difficult year for his family following the death of his wife, Anne, in April. But he says that he can’t wait for Adie and Amy to bring their special mix of music and dance to the Glenkens as a thank you for all the love and support gifted by friends and neighbours during Anne’s illness and after her passing. Adie and Amy during the wedding ceremony. DOGS’ CHRISTMAS Real Dog Training Scotland had its fancy dress Christmas party at Dalry Town Hall, which was well attended with everybody in good spirits. The cake had been won by Eric earlier on in the year at Dunmuir Vets charity day, half of the cake had been eaten by club members at the training evenings earlier in the year. We decided to keep the other half and reinstate the cake, Poppy Appeal Paul and Betty Goodwin would like to thank all of those who helped with the 2015 Poppy Scotland appeal. The total raised from Dalry was £457.25. Well done everyone! Regards, Paul Goodwin decorated for the Christmas party, so the cake was certainly enjoyed by many people. Thank you to Margaret Schoffield for donating the sausages-and-gravy bones, and Jessica Nash for being Santa’s little helper with the games. The party games were enjoyed by well behaved dogs and their owners. The evening raised £105 which was donated to Dumfries & Galloway Canine Rescue. If your New Years Resolution is to train your dog, look up our website www.realdogtraining scotland.co.uk Eric Broadhurst, Real Dog Training Scotland Wright’s Shop & Post Office Dalry Licensed convenience store and newsagent stocking a range of local suppliers including Corsons and Irvings Bakers, Ballards and Dalmellington Country Butchers and Mitchells Fruit and Veg. Opening Times (both shop & PO): Monday to Friday: 7am – 6pm Saturday: 8am – 6pm Sunday: 8.30am – 4pm Tel: 01644 430 225 Glenkens Gazette page 18 FEBRUARY & MARCH FEBRUARY Mon 1 - May 31, Exhibition: Doug Cocker, CatStrand, New Galloway Wed 3, Spotlight: Young Open Stage, 7pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Fri 5, CatStrand Burns Supper, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Mon 8, Re-Kindling Creativity Art Course, 10am-12noon, Dalry Community Centre (To book a place please contact Brian Jones at the CatStrand on 01644 420 374 or brian@catstrand.com) Wed 10, Open Stage, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Fri 12, The Sportinghouse Strings, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Sat 13, Film: Far from the Maddening Crowd, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Wed 17, New Galloway SWRI, 3pm,, New Galloway Town Hall Thu 18, Japanese Haiku Poetry Workshop with Tony Bonning, 11am & 2pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Fri 19, Gallery Visit: Gracefield (ages 10-15), bus departs 9.30am from CatStrand, New Galloway Sat 20 & Sun 21, Words from the Glenkens: A Celebration of Literature and Music, 11am, CatStrand, New Galloway Wed 24, Film: Bobby Fischer Against the World, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Sun 28, The Glenkens Story: Hoards to Discover: The Archaeology of the Ken Valley, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway MARCH CatStrand, New Galloway Tue 8, Asylon Theatre Presents: Fraxi: Queen of the Forest, 1pm & 3pm (with workshops) Thu 10, CatStrand Youth Players: Two Plays, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Wed 16, New Galloway SWRI, 3pm,, New Galloway Town Hall Sat 19, Blazin’ Fiddles, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Wed 30, Film: The Village at the End of the World, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway APRIL Fri 4, The Hebrides Ensemble: Impressions of the Sea, 7.30pm, Fri 1, Zoe Rahman Trio with Gene Calderazzo & and Alec Dankworth, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Tue 5 - Fri 8, Easter Sci-Fi Filmmaking Projects, ages 8 – 25, CatStrand, New Galloway ALEX FERGUSSON MSP FOR GALLOWAY & WEST DUMFRIES Holds regular advice surgeries at: Constituency Office, New Market Street, Castle Douglas, DG7 1HY on the 2nd Friday of every month from 5pm Telephone free on 0800 028 7260 for an appointment or to make any alternative arrangement. You can visit Alex’s website at: www.alexfergusson.org.uk or contact him by e-mail at: alex.fergusson.msp@scottish.parliament.uk Gillespie Gifford & Brown LLP Solicitors and Estate Agents Selling properties across Dumfries & Galloway 01556 503744 www.ggblaw.co.uk All legal advice Offices in Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie Kirkcudbright and Dumfries Glenkens Gazette page 19 REGULAR EVENTS CatStrand, New Galloway: Exercise to Music: Mon, 10-11am Margaret Morris dance 1: 3-7yrs, term-time Mondays, 3.45-4.30pm Margaret Morris dance 2: 8-16yrs, term-time Mondays, 4.30-5.15pm Access All Areas Youth Arts Making Music: Mon 7-9pm Gentle Tai Chi: Wed, 10am, 60+ Glenkens Writing Group: First Wed each month 3-5pm Sing it Out: Thurs, 11am -12pm Pilates: Thurs, 4.15-5.15pm & 5.306.30pm, Dalry Community Centre CatStrand Yukes: Thurs, 1pm – 3.30pm 60+ Choreographic Skills Lab: Thurs (term-time), 7 - 8.30pm ages 12-18 Zumba Gold: Fridays (term-time), 10-11am, CatStrand, 16+ Saturday Art Club: twice a month, 10am–12noon, to book call 420 374 Zumba Kids: last Sat of the month (term-time), 10-10.45am Catstrand Youth Players: Sun during term time, 2pm Glenkens Acoustic Sessions: last Sun of the month, 2-4pm Glenkens Community Centre, Dalry, (contact Kath on 430 281): Glenkens Children’s Club: Mon & Fri, 10am-12noon Paint & Art: Mon, 1.30-4.30pm & Wed, 7-9pm Ballroom & Latin Dance Class: Mon, 7.15pm, for more info call Sam Rushton on 420 672 GCC Playgroup: Tues, Wed & Thurs, 9.10-11.40am, contact Sue on 07709 929 482 Good Neighbours’ Club: Tues, 2pm Kickback Martial Arts: Thurs, 7-9pm Thursday Craft Group: Thurs, 2-4pm Brownies: Wed, 5.30-6.45pm Guides: Tues during term-time, 6.15pm, contact: Kath 430 281 Various Locations: Ukelele Group: Mon, 11.15am, 60+, New Galloway Town Hall Glenkens Walking Group, Mon & Wed, 1.30pm, contact Gerry on 420 852 Ballroom & Latin Dance: Mon, 7.30pm, Castle Douglas Primary School Mother & Toddlers: Tues, 9.4511.15am, New Galloway Town Hall Carsphairn Post Office: Tues, 13pm, Lagwyne Hall Beavers: Tues, 6–7.15pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Dog Training: Tues & Wed, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. Contact: Eric 460 670 Bowling for Beginners: Wed, 7pm, Spalding Bowling Club, Dalry (opposite The Garage) Glenkens Community Councils Balmaclellan Community Council Meetings: 3rd Monday each month, 7.30pm, Balmaclellan Village Hall. Carsphairn Community Council Meetings: Last Monday each month, 7pm, Lagwyne Hall, Carsphairn. Dalry Community Council Meetings: 1st Monday each month, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. New Galloway & Kells Community Council Meetings: 2nd Monday each month, 7.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall. Full minutes of local Community Council meetings can be viewed at Dalry Library. Churches in Dalry Church. 18 Mar, CHURCH TIMES B&K 7pm: Dalry Church Family Night, Dalry CHURCH OF SCOTLAND Sunday Services - Balmaclellan 12noon: 1st. Carsphairn 10.30am: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th. Dalry 12noon: 3rd, 4th. Dalry 10.30am: 2nd(Mar). Kells 10.30am: 2nd(Feb), 3rd, 4th. Special Services/Events: 14 Feb, 10.30 am: United Family Service for Dalry and B&K Churches in Kells Church. 26 Feb, 7pm: Beetle Drive, Dalry Town Hall. 4 Mar, 7pm: World Day of Prayer Service, St Margaret’s Church. 7 Mar, 7.30pm: Fellowship Dinner at Kenbridge Hotel with David Bowman. 13 Mar, 10.30am: United Family Service for Dalry and Town Hall. 25 Mar, 7.30pm: Good Friday Service, Carsphairn Church. 27 Mar, 7am: Dawn Service, Balmaclellan War Memorial, followed by breakfast in hall. Communion Services: 28 Feb, 10.30am, Kells Church. 20 Mar, 10.15am, Carsphairn Church. 20 Mar, 12 noon, Dalry Church. SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH: St Margaret’s, New Galloway: Holy Communion, 10.30am every Sun & Wed. CATHOLIC CHURCH SERVICES: Kirkcudbright: Sun Mass, 9.30am. Dalbeattie: Sat Mass, 5pm Wednesday Quiz Night: Wed, 8.30pm, Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Stewartry Camera Club: Wed, 7.30pm, Ringford Village Hall, runs Wed 11 Sept till end Mar Zumba: Wed, 7.30-8.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall, 11+ Mossdale Painters: Wed, 9.30am, Mossdale Village Hall Cub Scouts: Wed, 6.45–8pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Coffee & Craft Morning: Thurs, 9am-12noon, Lagwyne Hall Youth Writing Group: Thurs (during term time), 3.30-5pm, ages 10-15, Dalry School D&G Hard of Hearing Group Dropin: 1st Friday each month, 10am12noon, New Galloway Town Hall. Scouts: Thurs, 7–8.30pm, New Galloway Scout Hut To hire the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) behind Dalry School call Sonja Tranter on 430 244 or Nicolette Wise on 430 218. Dalry Library Temporary Hours Tue: 12noon - 3.30pm Fri: 10am - 12noon & 1pm - 4.30pm There are 23 mobile library stops - to find out where and when please phone 430 234. ADVERTISE IN THE GAZETTE (price per issue incl VAT) SMALL: 6cm x 6cm, £37.80 (+ 10% off with series discount) 1/4 PAGE: 9cm w x 13cm h, £81.90 (+ 25% off with series discount) 1/2 PAGE: 18cm w x 13cm h, £151.20 (+ 25% off with series discount) FULL PAGE: 18cm w x 27cm h, £252 (+ 25% off with series discount) Call 07727 127 997 VAT Reg. No. 882 8361 87 USEFUL NUMBERS: ● Pot-hole Hotline: 0845 276 0000 ● Local Police: 0845 600 5701 ● Doctor: 01644 420 234 ● NHS 24: 08454 24 24 24 ● D&G Council: 030 33 33 3000 Glenkens Gazette page 20 CATSTRAND SINGERS’ SUCCESSFUL ROADTRIP Last autumn, on a rare sunny morning, a group of folk set off on the Glenkens Community Bus to entertain the good people of Kirkpatrick Durham with their songs. The Catstrand Singers, a singing group that has been going for about four years, was proud to be asked to the Bothy Coffee Morning, and a good time was had by all: the audience were very generous with cake and coffee, and the singers experienced their first ever performance outwith the Glenkens. The singing group is led by Nicola Black who arranges songs from around the world, and spanning different styles, to suit the range of voices, from top soprano to the lower tones often (but not always) associated with the men. It’s a happy, informal group, where the social aspect is as important as the music, and anyone is welcome to come and join in – there are no auditions, no ‘solo performances’ to worry about, and no age limit. If you’d be interested in coming along and giving it a go, the group meets at the Catstrand every Thursday morning between 11am and 12 noon, followed by coffee in the cafe. There is a weekly fee, but no-one asks how much you’re putting in the pot – the suggested amount is between £2 and £4. You will find a warm welcome with The Catstrand Singers! The CatStrand Singers NEW GALLOWAY FIRE STATION NEEDS YOU! The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are recruiting firefighters for New Galloway Fire Station. This exciting opportunity is open to all people who live and or work within 5-10 minutes of the station, are over 18, have a reasonable level of health and fitness. The role of a community firefighter is extremely diverse and you will receive training to attend fires, road traffic collisions, flooding incidents and many more types of emergency. Firefighters also get involved with their community through providing life saving ‘Home Fire Safety Checks’ and providing community safety information through station and outside visits. For further information, Jake McGaw is in charge at New Galloway Fire Station, or call 01387 252 222 and speak to Station Manager Joe Shepherd. Applications can be made at www.myjobscotland.gov.uk from 1 February to 21 February. A BIG THANK YOU The Glenkens Gazette would like to thank Glenkens Community Shop, Dalry, for their generous grant towards Gazette running costs. Without this kind of support the Gazette would not be able to continue. Since its inception in 2012, the Glenkens Community Shop has put over £20,000 back into the community through their grant scheme. If you are based in the Glenkens and have a project that could do with a little support to either get it off the ground or to allow it to continue or to grow, pop into the Glenkens Community Shop and pick up a grant application form. Forms for the next round of funding will be available from 4 June and applications should be submitted by 9 July. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Submit events, activities, news stories, cartoons, reviews, tips & techniques, fiction, photos, ads or ideas... Contact Sarah Ade on 07727 127 997 or glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk APRIL/MAY COPY DEADLINE: 5 MARCH Design & co-ordination: Sarah Ade sarah.ade@gmail.com Printing:Stranraer & Wigtownshire Free Press www.stranraer-freepress.co.uk The Glenkens Gaze�e is an ini�a�ve of the Glenkens Community & Arts Trust, a Registered Sco�sh Charity No. SC032050  Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette 92 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GG_092 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource GCAT Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016 Description An account of the resource Editor: Sarah Ade https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/1/237/GlenkensGazette91.pdf aad1cea8eb8cb3206c49b9273d7debdf Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette 91 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Description An account of the resource <p>Find out more about the Gazette: <a href="https://glenkens.scot/gazette-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glenkens Gazette home page</a> If you would like to submit an article or take out an advert, please email the editor Sarah Ade: <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="mailto:glenkensgazette@hotmail.com">glenkensgazette@hotmail.com</a></p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is a member of, and regulated by <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.impressorg.com/">Impress</a>.</p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is an initiative of Glenkens Community &amp; Arts Trust (SC032050) and represents the voice of the community (not necessarily the views of GCAT).</p> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document GLENKENS GAZETTE News from Balmaclellan, Carsphairn, Mossdale, New Galloway and St John’s Town of Dalry December/January 2015-16 ISSUE 91 CATSTRAND HOME AND DRY AT LAST On Monday 5 October at 10am the CatStrand finally opened its doors again after almost nine months of renovations as a result of January’s devastating flood. The re-opening has been longawaited, but from day one locals and visitors alike have been flooding through the doors (if that is the right expression!) to welcome CatStrand back. The Visitors’ Book has been filling up with comments such as – “Absolutely wonderful to have CatStrand open again, I have missed you”, “So glad you are back and looking so good!”, “Wonderful to see you open again, I love coming here”, “This is a special place for me”, “Fabulous as always, FREE we’ll certainly be back”. Tourists have already visited from all over Britain and as far afield as Australia, as always the overwhelming message from these visitors is how lucky we are to have such a facility as CatStrand in a small community such as ours. These messages ‘Home & Dry’, the new CatStrand art installation. and comments are very gratifying and make the going whilst CatStrand has hard grind of the last nine months been closed and look forward to worthwhile. The CatStrand staff welcoming everyone back to the and board are very grateful to exciting Winter Season events. everyone in the community for Continued on p10... helping to keep the programme AMY UP FOR AWARD Amy Geddes (nee Mellor) has been nominated in the Music Tutor of the Year category of the Creative Scotland Youth Music Initiative in the highly acclaimed MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards (2015). Amy grew up in Dalry and first developed her interest in traditional music from a young age. She says; “There was no TV in my house – this may have A Glenkens Community & Arts Trust (GCAT) ini�a�ve contributed to my interest in music and books! I started Highland Dancing about the same time as I went to school, then began singing and was given a fiddle age 10. “I was lucky to live in the same village as Jo Miller (founder of the first Trad Music degree in Scotland at the then RSAMD) and her neighbour Tommy Edgar, who was leader of the Starry Nights Dance Band and – no less importantly – the dame in our local panto every year. [Tommy died recently and is greatly missed]. Jo would give me fiddle lessons in her holidays from university and Tommy would take me to dance and play fiddle at local events and in hospitals and residential homes. It was brilliant and I am quite convinced, better than TV. Continued on p9... www.glenkensgaze�e.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 2 Chair with a View The Royal Burgh of New Galloway & Kells Community Council has seen a lot of change at the recent elections, and so it is important first to recognise the massive contribution of our retiring members. Between them Brian Edgar, Margaret Watson, Vic Macintosh and Jimmy McKenna put in an incredible 109 years of service on the community council, and their combined knowledge and enthusiasm will be sadly missed. As is often the way though, they all contribute hugely to the community in other ways as well, and so we will continue to see them around and about. But thank you all, your dedication is very much appreciated. Thank you as well to the other Councillors who served in this last term: George Scott, Lyndy Renwick and Julia Brown, all of whom did a great job on the Council. In their place, we welcome some new faces to the Community Council: Sharon Fishwick, Craig Millar, Emma Harnett, Ros Hill and Stuart Littlewood have all just joined and are already bringing new ideas and energy with them. Just the 26 years to go before you can stand down, guys! As we sit here in New Galloway, the issues that concern us are very similar to those that face us all in the Glenkens, which is why we as a community council will continue to be keen to work with the other CCs to present a united front to D&G Council on Glenkens issues. As Andi Holmes from Dalry CC mentioned in the last edition, the massive pylons proposed by Scottish Power are a very real concern that we must all feedback on regularly if we would like to see the energy company motivated at all by environmental and community concerns rather than their profit and shareholder returns. Wind farms (pros and cons thereof), crayfish depopulation and care for our older people are also some big issues that we see coming towards us. New Galloway seems to be at a tipping point, with the village shop up for sale and the town hall at risk of closure. If we lost both of those, it would have a real impact on our community life. But on the bright side, teams of local people are working hard on both these issues, and the community council is delighted to support these voluntary efforts to maintain and improve our village life. We are also delighted to see the CatStrand reopen after the flooding, again due to an enormous effort by the staff and volunteers from across the Glenkens. New Galloway and Kells Community Council wants to be representative of its ward. We will not use our influence with D&G Council to disproportionately represent our personal views as Councillors, but only those issues where there is wide community consensus. Therefore if a particular issue is of interest to you, do corner (or email) a Councillor and let them know your views. We must be sure we are representing the majority of the constituency before we take any stance. All recently-elected Councillors across the Glenkens will be listed in the next issue of the Gazette, and contact details are also on the D&G Council website. And lastly, it’s not too late to get involved - residents are welcome to attend any CC meeting of interest to them and the CC can co-opt new members at any point if all parties are willing. So do come along on the second Monday of the month at 7:30pm in NG town hall, or see our minutes posted at the town hall, and look out for our new Facebook page, coming soon! We’d very much like to hear from you. John Thom, Chair & Helen Keron, Vice-chair New Galloway & Kells Community Council NEW LEASE OF LIFE FOR TOWN HALL Discussions between the new Local Initiatives in New Galloway (LING) committee and D&G Council have resulted in LING taking over dayto-day management of New Galloway Town Hall from the start of December. This is in place with a view to a short-term lease being put in place at the beginning of February. Members of the new committee elected at the beginning of November are already discussing how the town hall could work with Health & Social Care and other voluntary groups to provide a venue for activities and services linking to the ideas in the Draft Locality Plan. LING had already arranged for the ongoing monthly Hard of Hearing clinic and the May meeting of the Stewartry Diabetes Support Group to be held in the hall. The proposed revival of the Thursday Lunch Club at the beginning of the New Year could bring folk out of hibernation at this dark and chilly time of year, providing a warm sociable place to meet as well as forming the base for other activities and health and social care proposals. Opportunities for badminton, table-tennis and indoor bowls are all being put in place and even the possibility of new-age curling is being investigated. Look out for the posters or let me know if you are interested! These are just the start of some of the things that were asked for at last year’s Open Days. If there are any groups or activities you would like to start up, the hall is there to be hired. We will make sure that rates and arrangements are pinned up on the notice board. Otherwise just contact me; the aim is to bring the hall back to life for the community. I would like to thank all those who have been members of the LING management committee at various times over the past seven years but are unable for various reasons to continue. Thank you too to those who although unable to offer to be a committee member have offered moral support or help where possible. The new committee members are: Ros Hill, chairman; Craig Millar, vicechairman; Ann Glaister, secretary; Bob Glaister, treasurer; and Ray Bridgeman. Thank you all, Ros Hill 01644 420 632 ros.hill@rathanhouse.me.uk Glenkens Gazette page 3 Pace Quickens in Community Shop Bid November has been a month of hectic activity for New Galloway Community Enterprises Ltd (NGCE) as work continues to secure Big Lottery funding for the community shop project. Currently NGCE is finalising a bid for development funding which has meant a succession of meetings with professionals, council agencies and advisers to gather information and prepare estimates. Once development funding is in place the all-important business plan can be prepared which will underpin the Stage Two application to the Big Lottery Growing Community Assets Fund. A successful application would enable the community to buy the existing Hopkins shop and house and develop a community shop, self-catering tourist accommodation and low-rent office or workshop space. NGCE would like to thank Abbas Rest Thanks GLENKENS GIANTS? The recent coffee morning held in aid of Abbas Rest orphans raised the fantastic sum of £850. Various ideas are being thrown about to try to find a positive angle on the massive pylon upgrade which will have such an impact on the Glenkens. Just one of the ideas is to turn the pylons in key beauty spots/areas of high visibility into modern art installations, such as the ‘Giants’ which are due to be created in Iceland in 2017. What are your thoughts? Do you have some ideas? Let’s form a local group to put ideas forward and discuss with other ‘Giants’ created by Choi & Shine Architects, due to be erected in Iceland in 2017. community councils/groups around the region. Please contact andiholmes@hotmail.com or get in touch with the Gazette (details on back page). VOLUNTEER WITH GCAT Would you like to become more involved with the Glenkens Community & Arts Trust (GCAT) and its projects? GCAT is looking to recruit new Trustees/Directors as part of their strategy of renewal and sustainability. If you are interested in GCAT’s work with the CatStrand, the Glenkens Transport Initiative, Glenkens Children’s Club, the Glenkens Gazette, Connecting In Retirement or their extensive youth work, then do apply to everyone in the community who is assisting them and in particular Jim and Margaret Hopkins for their continuing patience and helpfulness. If you have financial, planning or development skills you could bring to this project or help in any other way the small group of volunteers running the project would love to hear from you - contact keronh@me.com NGCE is a community benefit cooperative company currently supported by more than 70 members of the New Galloway community. become a Trustee/Director. All residents of the Glenkens over 18 years old are welcome to apply, and we would particularly welcome applications from younger folk and people who live further away from the CatStrand. It is a voluntary role, with a base commitment of attending 12 evening meetings a year over a three-year term. In addition, we would hope that all Trustees/Directors would use their core skills or experiences to support the staff of GCAT with specific projects as they arise. We would like to thank all the people who supported us in so many ways, with donations towards the baking, raffle, bric-a-brac and bottle stalls, and also the generous money donations. We would also like to thank all the people who staffed the stalls and helped in the kitchen, waited on tables and provided transport as, without you, this would not have been possible. We were very pleased to once again welcome Jim Walsham, the treasurer for Abbas Rest, and also Madge Irving, a Trustee, who were able to answer our questions, and give us up-to-date information on the orphanages. Our thanks once again, Avril Brown & Barbara Colbenson Could you spare some time to support community projects at a strategic level? To apply, contact Alan Smith on 07769 680 938 before midJanuary. Successful applicants require to be elected at the AGM which will be held on 25 January 2016. Even if you don’t want to be involved at Board level, we are always keen to increase our pool of volunteers to assist in our retail operation, front of house or special projects that match your skills. Go on, get involved - it’s great fun and immensely rewarding. The GCAT Team Glenkens Gazette page 4 sponsored by EVERYTHING listed in the Glenkens Freecycle section is FREE - you just need to contact the owner and go and pick it up! If you would like to list something on this page, please get in touch with Sarah on 07727 127 997 or email glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk VARIOUS Titan oil tank, quantity of concrete kerbing. Contact: Tim, Newton Stewart, on 07748 677 452 6 double-glazed units, 2 single-glazed units in rotten frames, 4 triangles of frosted glass, 2 chains with padlocks (14” and 11” long), 3 door stops. Contact: Cynthia on 420 605 Scanner, with leads, disc, etc Microtek 3600. Contact: 460 516 2-seater bed settee, velour fabric, rose colour - good condition. TV stand, black/chrome - excellent condition. 2 single bed-heads, silver chrome frames - good condition. Contact: 450 265 Tall freezer, old but in working order. Contact: 430 380 Two single mattresses, excellent condition but no fire-resistant label. Contact: 430 380 Vick’s CleanAir air purifier, virtually unused. Contact: 430 380 GARDEN Wood chip, ideal for garden Support the Biosphere Charter The Glenkens Gazette has signed up to the support the aims of the Biosphere Charter. By signing up to the Charter and agreeing with the six principles of the Biosphere, the Gazette is demonstrating they are proud supporters of the Biosphere and want to play a part in promoting and developing the sustainability of the area. The greater the number of Biosphere supporters, the better the benefits will be. Biosphere is an international designation providing a badge associated with special places, the best environments and quality local products. Together we will make life better for people and for nature. The six Biosphere Principles are to: I. Help conserve the natural resources of the Biosphere. II. Support the economy to benefit people and nature. III. Promote cultural heritage and local products. IV. Contribute to health and wellbeing of the community. V. Develop knowledge, paths etc. Bring own bag to fill. Contact: 430 218 Do you need rotted horse manure for your garden? Come and collect with bags or trailer (New Galloway). Contact: Sue on 07563 718 011 WANTED Old fabric, especially old t-shirts for CatStrand Saturday Art Club. Contact: Mary on 07967 959 511 Side-table; bookshelves. Contact: Mary on 07967 959 511 Chest of drawers; tin sheets. Contact: Simon on 07426 124 982 understanding and research. VI. Raise awareness of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere. Are you a local business who would like to show your support of the Biosphere project in the Glenkens? Why not get in touch with Nic Coombey on nic@gsabiosphere.org.uk GIVE AS YOU SPEND THIS CHRISTMAS Raise money for some local charities this Christmas and throughout the year by donating with www.easyfundraising .org.uk Through this website you can purchase goods from the retailers you normally buy from, and they automatically add on a donation to the charity of your choice. Why not support local bodies like the Glenkens Community & Arts Trust, or Glenkens Playgroup, or locally run charity Afghan Schools Trust? Or if you have a favourite charity you would like to support who are not already registered with the website, you can add them yourself. This is a great way to donate and help raise funds for your favourite charities at no extra cost to yourself – and what a way to make that hefty Christmas spend feel a little better! Glenkens Gazette page 5 sponsored by GALLOWAY GLENS PROJECT There is plenty to celebrate in the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere as 2015 draws to an end. Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Countryside Service has been successful in securing funding of £185,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to develop a second stage application for the Galloway Glens project. The funding has been awarded through the Landscape Partnership programme to work with groups, organisations and agencies to develop projects for the Glenkens area. Much more needs to be done before the submission of the final application in 2017 however. The Heritage Lottery Fund has now set aside £2.9m towards the delivery of these projects over a five-year programme. The Galloway Glens project will enhance the natural, built and cultural heritage of the Ken/Dee Valley as well as helping to achieve the aims of the Biosphere designation by inspiring a positive future through the strengthening of connections: people with nature, local with global, future with past, individual with community and hope with reality. Early in the new year Dumfries and Galloway Council will be organising meetings to involve local groups in the development of this exciting project which will make a real difference to the area and the people that live there. Environmental art also has the ability to inspire and the Rosnes Benches are a good example and are set to become the focus of a Biosphere itinerary that features everything from alternative picnics to revealing special habitats. The benches provide an opportunity for people to experience the countryside at a different level. Once you are lying on one of the many benches scattered over 12 locations in the Galloway Forest Park you begin see the landscape from a different perspective and become more aware of the sounds and smells that surround you as well as experiencing the sky above. Things are looking up in the Dark Sky Park as the stars continue to fascinate many people. A recent initiative by the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere project has trained four new Biosphere Dark Sky Rangers in the art of communicating astronomy. Businesses such as hotels, B&Bs and campsites now have the opportunity to call on the skills of the self-employed History Brings in the Crowds There was a sell-out audience for the first lecture organised by The Glenkens Story history project at CatStrand in November. Writers and broadcasters Peter Aitchison and Andrew Cassels delivered a vivid account of the little-known lowland clearances, illustrated with dramatised reconstructions from contemporary records. The next lecture, by archaeologist Andrew Nicholson, takes place on 28 February. The Glenkens Story, which was launched in March, is also planning further field trips to historic sites in the Glenkens. Rosnes bench Biosphere Dark Sky Rangers to set up and run events and tell people about the wonders of the night sky. If you are a business in the area who would like to find out more about our new Biosphere Dark Sky Rangers email Marie McNulty, the new Biosphere Business Development Officer on: marie@gsabiosphere.or g.uk or visit the Biosphere website; www.gsabiosphere.org.uk Nic Coombey Glenkens Gazette page 6 CATSTRAND WELCOMES YOUTH TEAM The CatStrand is thrilled to welcome two new members of staff to the team. Dave Miller and Sara Lockwood have jointly taken on the role of Youth Arts Development Officer, each with their own specialist creative area. Sara says; “My role focuses on activities for 10-15 year olds with a remit to develop dance, visual arts and writing. “I am really looking forward to working with young people in the Glenkens and beyond in order to foster a greater love and skills development for these art forms. My background is in Modern and Contemporary Dance and Art History, and when I am not at the CatStrand I can be found dancing my way across Dumfries & Galloway in my role as a freelance dance artist, choreographer and teacher of Margaret Morris Movement”. Dave has recently been appointed to oversee the music, film and media elements of CatStrand’s youth arts programme. With a rich background in music, film and media, Dave graduated from University West of Scotland and has been working as a freelance audio engineer for the last 10 years. His professional achievements have led him into youth development work in recent years with the Scottish Music Centre and various other community learning organisations. Dave works for the mentoring project, Music Plus, and the youth touring project, Hit the Road, which takes young acts on short national tours. Dave is also a Prince’s Trust Youth Business Scotland volunteer. During his time at CatStrand, Dave plans to design a series of interactive workshops, Gillespie Gifford & Brown LLP Solicitors and Estate Agents Selling properties across Dumfries & Galloway 01556 503744 www.ggblaw.co.uk All legal advice Offices in Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie Kirkcudbright and Dumfries masterclasses and trips for young people interested in music, film or media. He looks forward to working on new arts news and reviews by young people. For the 16-25s he will construct a youth traineeship scheme focussing on skills for employment, portfolio or further education. So if you’re aged between 10 and 25, stop by the CatStrand and meet Sara and Dave and see what’s on offer, or keep an eye on the CatStrand Facebook page and website for-up-to date news and events. Left Dave Miller (© David Moses) & right Sara Lockwood ‘Smile Daddy’ Film on the Cards A film is set to be made from the book Smile Daddy I’m Dying by local man Robin Hood, about his daughter Alex. The book charts his journey to raise money to find a cure for the condition Alex was born with in 1989. Robin’s story is compelling, and also sad as his daughter died in 2008. Robin says; “Working Title Films approached me asking to make a film but they wanted full creative control on how the story was portrayed so I’ve decided to have the film professionally made myself. This way I can make sure that the story is told accurately.” Filming is set to start in late 2016 and may be filmed locally, but the logistics of a large-scale film production, says Robin, may not be possible in the Glenkens. But keep your eyes peeled because if the film is filmed locally, there may be some famous faces knocking about; Colin Firth has received a copy of the book and, if things pan out, may be set to play Robin in the film. Glenkens Gazette page 7 CatStrand Highlights There is still plenty to look forward to in the Winter Season... After the successful Home & Dry Festival, a busy November featured three films, the classic Brief Encounter, children’s film Two by Two and the story of the Skye Bridge anti-toll protestors Bridge Rising. Another double bill concert on 13 November featured the two distinct styles of Karine Polwart and Emma Pollock followed a week later by the young Dutch and British Ragazze Quartet. In December we can all look forward to the CatStrand Youth Players’ fifth annual pantomime, Babes in the Wood by Paul Reakes. The panto runs for three performances, Friday 4 and Saturday 5 December at 7.30pm plus a matinee performance on Sunday 6 at 2pm. Before Christmas we will also feature Opera Bohemia with the one-act festive opera Amahi & The Night Visitors on Friday 11 at 7.30pm and then on Saturday 19 at 4pm The Feral Choir make a return with their latest show Midwinter Turning. Both shows will continue where the panto left off in building the festive atmosphere as we rapidly approach Christmas and The Feral Choir ticket even includes mulled wine and mince pies! The dark evenings of January are sure to be brightened by the first cinema offering of 2016, The Second Best Marigold James Yorkston, Withered Hand & Pictish Trail Hotel. After the huge success of the first film, Judi the flood last time around, tickets Dench, Maggie Smith et al return are sure to be in great demand in another amusing Indian tale. so please book early to avoid disappointment. Blazin’ Fiddles will On 16 January we welcome also feature in the next season’s three of Scotland’s leading programme, date to be announced singer/songwriters to perform soon! Plenty to look forward to songs and share stories – James and do remember that tickets Yorkston, Withered Hand & Pictish can now be booked online at Trail. This is a chance to see this www.catstrand.com incredible trio perform together before they headline at Celtic If you need some ideas for your Connections 2016. Christmas shopping, why not come along to see some of the unique Finally on Friday 22 January, we gifts available from our renowned are delighted to present Jamie gift shop or consider giving Theatre Campbell & Simon Callaghan. Both Vouchers which can be used to very accomplished and acclaimed purchase tickets for CatStrand classical musicians in their own events or at most theatres right, Jamie on piano and Simon throughout the country. on violin will perform a programme featuring the music of Schuman, Merry Christmas and Happy New Faure and Poulenc. Year to everyone from the CatStrand Team Friday 5 February will herald the return of the CatStrand Burns Supper. Cancelled as a result of CATSTRAND YOUTH PLAYERS PANTOMIME Sherwood Forest comes to CatStrand as the Youth Players’ fifth annual pantomime tells the much loved tale of Babes in the Wood, brought to life by a collection of heroes, villains and madcap characters. The wicked Sheriff of Nottingham is planning some horrible deeds so that he can inherit the Babes’ fortune but luckily the Babes have our hero Robin Hood and his Merry Men on their side. Great fun for all the family; expect relentless jokes, sing-alongs, audience participation and of course, the unexpected! Zoe is a young ‘veteran’ of stage and screen, having taken part in all the Youth Players’ pantomimes and festival productions to date and recently starred in the CatStrand Young Film Makers’ production The Light Shed which won an award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Eilidh too is starring in her fifth pantomime and on screen has taken the lead role of Aggy Fishbone in the Young Film Makers’ trilogy of Hallowe’en horror films. She has also worked with professional actors in Life, Love & Liberty during the Burns Pageant in Dumfries. Georgiana shone in the Principal Girl role in last year’s production of Sinbad, and Arthur is looking forward to his third pantomime and to playing the nasty Sheriff. See the listings in the Diary secion on p18 for dates and times of performances. The Youth Players performing of Sinbad. Glenkens Gazette page 8 Photo of the Issue: Sponsored by the Ken Bridge Hotel Competition judges Dave and Sue, from the Ken Bridge Hotel, chose Glenkens Sunset by John McBeth as this issue’s winner. “All entries were lovely but the richness of colours in John’s composition stand out so much we are not convinced he did not take this in the Caribbean!” Regards, Dave & Sue John wins a meal for two at the Ken Bridge Hotel’s renowned Sunday Carvery. W BONE WHB JEEPS THE GARAGE, DALRY PETROL & DIESEL SALES SERVICE & REPAIRS MOTs, TYRES, BATTERIES ALL AT COMPETITIVE PRICES OPEN 8.30AM - 6.00PM (SIX DAYS) 10AM - 6PM SUNDAYS - FUEL 24 HOURS SHOP • SANDWICH BAR • LOTTERY Tel: 01644 430208 Fax: 01644 430669 jeeps@whbjeeps.co.uk www.whbjeeps.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 9 New Galloway Golf Club New Galloway Golf club ended a very successful season with its annual prizegiving in the clubhouse. This was preceded by a Texas Scramble competition and followed by a fantastic buffet to which all those present AMY UP FOR AWARD Continued from front page... Amy cites as her career highlights getting the job as Traditional Musician in Residence for Clydesdale at the age of 21, accepting the invitation to be the first tutor and to work to help establish the hugely successful Lochgoilhead Fiddle Workshop and having her compositions recorded by other artists – notably Catriona MacDonald & Fyne Friday (AnnaWendy Stevenson, Nuala Kennedy, Kris Drever). When considering plans for the future, Amy has lots on the cards. She says: “More gigs, more teaching, more fun! You never know what is around the corner so it’s best to plan with enough space for the unexpected to fit in.” To find out more about Amy, visit http://amygeddes.co.uk or visit her on facebook or twitter. GLENKENS MEDICAL PRACTICE General Medical & Dispensing Services The Surgery High Street New Galloway FOR APPOINTMENTS CALL � 01644 420234 � contributed and our president, Elspeth Thomas CBE, was on hand to give out the trophies. The winter progamme is now in place and following a very successful session of summer junior coaching, the club’s junior convener and vice captain, David Aitken, is taking these sessions through into the winter. It is also hoped to go back into the local schools and continue the good work started in the spring. Ian Brown SPALDING BOWLING CLUB Spalding held their annual presentation dinner at The Clachan Inn. President Peter Hamilton welcomed everyone and Valerie Russell presented the prizes. Pictured; Back Row (left to right) J McNally, G McAdam, A McFegan, J Peacock, G Dempster, I Murray; front row (left to right) V Russell, Ladies Champion A Hamilton, President P Hamilton, Gents Champion J Mc Beth, M Young. MINUTES SECRETARY REQUIRED Carsphairn Community Council require a minutes secretary for their meetings last Monday of each month [No meetings December & July] Meetings are held in Lagwyne Hall, Carsphairn, 7pm, for approx 2 hours next meeting 29 Jan 2016 Negotiable fee + travel expenses For info call 460 662 THE STEWARTRY VETERINARY CENTRE CASTLE DOUGLAS SURGERY HOURS Mon-Fri 2.00-2.30 pm & 5-6 pm Sat 2-2.30 pm DALBEATTIE SURGERY HOURS Mon, Wed, Fri 3-3.30 pm Tues & Thurs 6-6.30 pm FOR APPOINTMENTS AT BOTH SURGERIES OR IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY � 01556 502263 VETERINARY SURGERY OAKWELL ROAD CASTLE DOUGLAS � Glenkens Gazette Energy Storage and Future Regeneration of the Glenkens Massive projects are being considered for an energy park, visitor centre and hybrid energy storage project located on available parts of the Chapelcross site and at other locations across Scotland. These have important long term implications for the Glenkens where some 5-10 years hence we could have our own energy storage scheme perhaps even combined with ownership of the local 11Kv grid and resulting cheaper, greener electricity. In order just to maximise the efficiency of Scotland’s current intermittent wind farm output it is estimated that over 1GW of energy storage capacity is required now to end the need for wasteful constraint payments to wind farm companies. Add to this the potential for predictable but still intermittent generation from tidal power in the Solway, domestic solar panels and larger solar farms, small scale hydro, biomass, etc. and one reaches a figure of a 5GW storage capacity requirement for Scotland by or not long after 2020. The Scottish Government is encouraging local communities to become more ambitious and more imaginative in coming up with proposals for community ownership of energy generation, storage and distribution. Communities are being encouraged to explore eligibility to receive Feed in Tariff (FiT) payments for energy generation projects up to 10MW. In our region Local Energy Scotland’s development worker Madeline Crawford is already working on such a scheme with a local community group in the Eastriggs area. When Blackcraig windfarm was proposed the Glenkens Sustainable Development Steering Group looked at the Energy4All model, using cooperative ownership structures with the opportunity for a wider community of interest to own shares. Blue Energy have bought Blackcraig from SSE. They are being asked to honour the spirit of what was agreed with SSE in relation to community ownership as well as community benefit. A so called ‘Bencom’, covering the corridor from the Glenkens northwards to Dalmellington, forming one of the 4 communities of interest with 10 MW of projects located at Chapelcross has been suggested. Lessons learned there could be applied to enhancing the future attractiveness of our area with new potential pumped hydro storage capacity proposed for Damellington and ideas for a major energy storage project near Glenlee 5 to 10 years hence. The announcement by Loreburn Housing Association that they have joined 35 other housing associations to become members of Our Power is great news for their tenants locally. We look forward to them being partners in joint efforts to bring renewable energy generation storage and distribution increasingly into community ownership. That raises the question of whether there should be an embargo on all construction of onshore windfarms larger than 5MW unless there is at least 51% community ownership. In the context of the debate over the national grid upgrade, due to take place about 8 to 10 years hence, these proposals, if implemented, would force a major rethink about whether there will then need to be a 400Kv connector across the Glenkens. Roland Chaplain, Balmaclellan, DG7 3QE, 01644 420 361, roland@glenkensbb.co.uk which will remain as part of CatStrand’s art collection. The weekend followed with two excellent and well-received concerts - first up was a double-bill featuring Ben Rogers, a Canadian singer-songwriter likened in the past to a young Johnny Cash, and up-and-coming Scottish folk roots duo The Jellyman’s Daughter. Sunday was the turn of classical music and CatStrand was very lucky to host The Templewood Ensemble, all the way from Norfolk and featuring Geoff Davidson (piano) and Evie Anderson (mezzo soprano) both from BBC Singers along with Keith Hobday on violin from Norfolk Sinfonia. After a well-earned break on the Monday night another sell out show took to the stage on Tuesday, a much anticipated return visit from Rapture Theatre with their latest play, The Last Yankee by Arthur Miller. The rest of the week featured the BAFTA award-winning film Amy telling the incredible story of the late Amy Winehouse in her own words, attracting an audience from a wide age-range, it was the first film shown using the new projector and cinema equipment. The annual Halloween Party was well attended on Saturday evening and featured the Premiere of Aggy & The Fishbones, the award-winning CatStrand Young Film Makers’ latest horror film and the final part of the Aggy Fishbone trilogy. The Festival was brought to a close in fine style as Ricky Ross launched his solo European Tour, The Lyric Book. Thirty years after Deacon Blue was formed, this was a unique opportunity to see a master songwriter present some of his most famous songs as they were first written, by him, sitting at a piano. A fantastic and fitting end to the Festival – after New Galloway became a ‘Raintown’ on 14 January, CatStrand was finally home and dry with ‘Dignity’ on 1 November! Home & Dry Continued from front page...The official opening was heralded by the appropriately named Home & Dry Festival. The Launch Party for Friends & Patrons was a fitting celebration to kick-start the festival, featuring the unveiling of the new ‘Home & Dry’ art installation which was funded by the D&G Regional Arts Fund and designed by Auchencairn artist John Crosby. Made from the old flood damaged floorboards from the auditorium, it depicts a flotilla of boats arriving safely ‘home and dry’ as they are swept over the boundary wall by a huge wave! A reminder of the flood but at the same time a fantastic and universally acclaimed addition to the CatStrand’s public art works! The party also saw the official opening of Hazel Campbell’s art exhibition which runs until the end of January and features a specially commissioned Glenkens painting page 10 Glenkens Gazette page 11 Emma’s Wild Eats: Winter The best time of the year for wild food with a fungal focus is undoubtedly the luxurious autumn prime of chanterelles and ceps. However, as it becomes more wintery, and even throughout the winter with a little persistence, there are plenty of delicious little surprises out there. Most recently we’ve been finding rosehips, hogweed seeds and elderberries, wood blewits, trooping funnel mushrooms and giant funnel mushrooms. These mushrooms are reasonably easy to identify, but it’s vitally important to be absolutely sure that you don’t collect lookalikes because these are very poisonous in some cases. To be sure about blewits you need to produce a spore print. The agony of watching mushrooms deteriorate in the fridge as you try in desperation to find some unquestionable evidence that they are what you hope they are is nothing compared to the agony of organs failing I’m sure! For us, the satisfaction in foraging is not in the eventual production of a free meal, although that does make us very happy; it’s in the moment that, after hours of damp disappointment and false starts, you stumble across a perfect ‘penny bun’ or a dream-like woodland scene scattered with neon-orange chanterelles. Our highlights of late autumn: • Rosehip jelly – everyone should try this. Its sweetness and slight acidity is perfect on a warm scone; but little will stimulate your appetite as much as the smell of this cooking. • Anything made with elderberries, especially a vinegar-syrup dressing. • Filling a jar with sloes and gin! • Hogweed seed, oat and honey cookies (I’m salivating). Over winter we hope to collect: • Shellfish • Rosehips (high in vitamin C) • Bulrush shoots • Wood sorrel Aileen McLeod MSP working for you across the South of Scotland Postal address: Unit 7 Loreburn Shopping Centre High Street, Dumfries, DG1 2BD Email: aileen.mcleod.msp@scottish.parliament.uk Tel: 01387 255 334 Please check www.aileenmcleod.org for regular surgery, constituency and parliamentary updates • Sorrel • Hairy bittercress • Chickweed • Dandelion Some mushrooms that may be found during winter: • Honey fungus • Velvet shank • Jelly ear • Winter chanterelle • Oyster mushrooms • Charcoal burner I hope this inspires! Emma Check out Emma’s blog to read more on her foraging adventures at www.emmaswild.co.uk Bargatton Sand & Gravel Supplying sand and gravel for all your farming needs, as well as households and businesses both large and small. We stock washed fine sand, coarse sand and gravels at competitive prices. For further details contact: James Mair - 07793 085 243 Email: loch.bargatton@live.co.uk Bargatton Quarry, Laurieston, Castle Douglas, DG7 2PS Open Monday to Friday Weekends by arrangement Delivery can be arranged - subject to quantity Glenkens Gazette page 12 Lots of Fun at Carsphairn Primary It was a wonderful first term back for all the boys and girls in Carsphairn. Firstly, we have been lucky to welcome a new P6 pupil named Kaelan Johnstone to our family at Carsphairn Primary School. Already he has been a valuable contributor to our Barkley’s Buddies Library team. We have moved and expanded our school library this year to create a more appropriate environment for reading and researching. We are excited about the Scottish Book Week launch of the Pupil Librarian Scheme which will allow pupils and parents to track online any books that they have signed out, see what books are available in all libraries across the cluster, and read and write book reviews. Special thanks must be given to Jane Banner for getting this set up. Our topic this term has been The Human Body, and we have used the opportunity to focus on the health of our own pupils – particularly looking at healthy eating. For the entire term we tracked what snack we were bringing in for playtime. We looked at our snacks, if a snack was brought in, and whether or not we would consider it a healthy snack. We found that roughly half the time no snack was brought to school, a quarter of the time pupils were bringing in a healthy snack and the final quarter was comprised of a snack Carsphairn pupils with Robin Ade learning about trout. deemed as unhealthy. our outdoor learning in a number The class had a very mature of different ways, our pupils had a discussion about what some of chance last term to go fishing at the challenges were in bringing a our local burn. School parent and healthy snack to school. As a result of this study, this term at Carsphairn fishing expert Robin Ade shared his expertise with the children, as we we are trialling a Healthy Tuck Shop learned several tricks of the trade. that will be prepared and paid for The children enjoyed finding worms by the school. Because we know for bait and even had the chance to that a healthy diet can have positive hold some brown trout that had been effects on children’s learning caught in the Water o’ Deugh. All and behaviour, we hope that this the pupils and staff greatly enjoyed measure will put our pupils in the their time on the riverbank and we position to make smart choices for look forward to next term’s outdoor their own health and success. learning sessions. Finally, as we continue to develop A DAHLICIOUS ALEX FERGUSSON DAY AT DALRY This September Dalry Primary was MSP FOR GALLOWAY & WEST DUMFRIES Holds regular advice surgeries at: Constituency Office, New Market Street, Castle Douglas, DG7 1HY on the 2nd Friday of every month from 5pm Telephone free on 0800 028 7260 for an appointment or to make any alternative arrangement. You can visit Alex’s website at: www.alexfergusson.org.uk or contact him by e-mail at: alex.fergusson.msp@scottish.parliament.uk full of BFGs, Oompa Loompas and other exciting Roald Dahl characters. The pupils and teachers all dressed up to raise funds for Roald Dahl’s Dahlicious Children’s Charity. The Primary raised an impressive £71 on the day. Well done everyone! Glenkens Gazette page 13 Adventures with Creatures that were Thought to be Extinct Professor Glen Chilton from James Cook University in Australia visited the pupils at Kells Primary and also the primary pupils at Dalry School. The presentation was titled ‘Adventures with Creatures that were Thought to be Extinct.’ Professor Glen told the pupils about his adventures all over the world looking for and studying animals like the black footed ferret in the western states of America and the iguana in Jamaica. The pupils especially enjoyed looking at his photographs of these creatures. He also took time to answer a range of questions from the Glen Chilton with Dalry Primary pupils. pupils on the creatures that featured in his presentation. The visit to the schools was kindly organised by the Stewartry Ornithologists Club who hold their monthly meeting at Kells Primary School. Schools Raise Funds The Pupils of Dalry and Kells schools have been hard at work fundraising this term. The pupils of Dalry School held a coffee morning in support of Macmillan Cancer Support. The morning was a great success with a total of £1140 being raised to support the work of Macmillan in the local area. The event organised by pupils from the Wednesday Activities Events Group and S2, was full of fun and games as well as delicious coffee and cake. A spokesperson for the group said that they were thrilled with the total raised and wanted to thank everyone who came out to support the event. The morning depended entirely upon the generous donations of pupils, parents and the wider community and we thank everyone involved. Pupils in P7 at Kells Primary raised £1060.73 by hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning at the Cross Keys Hotel in New Galloway. Pupils planned and advertised the coffee morning and served parents and friends of the school on the day. They also made collection tins for local businesses to collect donations for the charity. The pupils would like to thank everyone from the local community who supported the event. Dalry pupils wirh their donation. Kells pupils at the Cross Keys Hotel Glenkens Gazette A SAD AND LONELY MOOR page 14 The Story Of Old Mortality: Part II Robert Paterson had heard of these graves from the grandson of a witness to the terrible deed, and today he would ensure they were not forgotten. after WW1, the memory so terrible and the sacrifice so great, that he too had a desire to remember each man by name. Robert Paterson had taken the lease of a freestone or sandstone quarry in Dumfriesshire and had been successful, making headstones and selling them into Galloway, an area devoid of this easily cut and carved stone. As he visited more churchyards to the west, he became obsessed with marking the resting places of those murdered a century before by the Kings dragoons: Christians being slaughtered by Christians, on the orders of the King, during the terrible ‘Killing Times’ in Galloway. Robert was so determined to honour those Covenanter martyrs TAKEN AND INSTANT LY SHOT DEAD BY A PARTY OF CLAVER HOUSE FOR (on the reverse) MEMEN TOMORI HIS ADHERENCE TO SCOTLANDS REFORMATION CO VENANTS NATION AL AND SOLEMN LEAGUE 1682 He carefully removed the boulders and after digging a slot, lowered the two headstones into their places. Robert then said a short prayer Robert continued his obsession of over the graves before resting on commemorating the Covenanters a flat rock close to the thorn tree. until his death. He collapsed and He was instantly, deep in thought, died in 1801, in his late eighties, thinking of the scores of honest, near Bankend, south of Dumfries, loyal, country people, who were of while sourcing headstones nearby. no threat to the crown but were They were easily shipped from there murdered by the ruthless to Wigtownshire where he Lagg, Claverhouse or Bruce, planned to continue his so called gentlemen, under work. the orders of the crown; he After his death, several thought too, of the many statues were carved to hundreds banished to the honour him. The example plantations as indentured at Dumfries Museum was servants. carved by John Currie and Deep in thought, he did funded by a prize draw. The not hear the peewit cry as winner of the statue was it swooped and dived in a young Dumfries doctor, the bog below; he did not John Sinclair, who tragically hear the soft call of the died the next day. He had woodpigeon ‘cooo-cooo!’ in expressed the wish that on the ancient oak wood fifty his death the statue be given Old Mortality statue, Dumfries Museum. yards behind his rocky seat; to Dumfries but doubtlessly he was not even aware of that he would be gone from his did not expect his donation to go his grey mare nibbling the thorny family for weeks, sometimes years, quite so soon. branch above his head. at a time. His long suffering wife This tale is of a real character; Suddenly, Robert was roused from Elizabeth would send her eldest the place and martyrs, a fiction, his thoughts by the whistle of the son to find his father labouring on a During my research on Robert herd laddie chasing the sheep up remote hillside or wooded glen. Paterson for this piece, I noted from the in-bye field to the moor. He To be nearer to him she would that with Paterson’s increasing did this each night, and reversed the eventually move her family to distraction with Covenanters graves, process every morning. Robert could Balmaclellan where she kept a his apprentice Sandy Rae left the see the ewes and their lambs filter school in the parish to help feed her Dumfriesshire quarry and moved through the stone-built ‘lunky hole’ children. and set up business in Crossmichael in the dyke, flowing as steadily as The headstones that he carved – my village. Recently, a piece of sand through a timer. These lunkies were distinctive. Given the difficulty detective work and with an element were designed to let sheep pass, but of transporting and erecting a large of luck, I estimated where he might keep the cattle in the ‘in-bye’ below stone, he chose to use a smaller have been buried, should he have the hill dyke. slab. This meant a singular economy stayed on in the village. A likely Now alert, he untied his horse and of spacing when carving inscriptions. stone, a piece of wax and a stone using his recently vacated seat as An example from Crossmichael rubbing revealed this inscription:a mounting block, swung into the Parish is shown below: ‘SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF saddle before heading back the way ALEXANDER RAE Stonecutter Died he came, and his lodgings for the HERE LYES 17th Sept 1794 aged LXIV’ night. WILLIAM GRAHAM Could it have been ‘Old Mortality’ Why had Robert gone to such WHO MAKING HIS who carved the stone for his friend’s lengths, in a strange land, to ESCAPE FROM HIS grave? John Nelson, remember two strangers? MOTERS HOUSE Crossmichael Perhaps like us, one hundred years keen local & family historian WAS PURSUED Glenkens Gazette page 15 LOCAL HISTORY with TED COWAN A GLENKENS YULE In SR Crocket’s short story, ‘The Packman’s Pool’, Gray Stiel tells his 12 year old nephew that “Christmas is a time when folk hae mair to eat than is guid for them”; especially in England, where “they hae a’ the siller they want”, enabling folk to acquire presents and grand gifts. Gray, a farm labourer in the wild Galloway hills, receives the greatest gift of all when he discovers that his shiftless, violent, blackmailing brother, whom he had intended to shoot, has already expired. The intended victim’s unaware son rejoices, in true Galwegian fashion, that Christmas or no Christmas, porridge is hard to beat. Most folk in the Glenkens would have had no truck with Christmas though clearly the formerly strict Cameronian Crockett gradually came to accept it. Many of us will remember when our fathers worked Christmas Day because it was not a holiday here until 1958. Christmas certainly did not begin in late August when the kids returned to school. The 12 days of Christmas, if noted at all, were known as Yule, which included Hogmanay and New Year. Yule was a solstice festival from time immemorial. The Romans called it Saturnalia and they celebrated 25 December as “the birthday of the unconquered sun”, or as we know it, the shortest day. 25 December was chosen as Christ’s birthday and so Saturnalia was christianised, but there is no scriptural authority for when he was born, which is why the Scots outlawed the festival at the Reformation. To those who annually bleat on about how Christmas is becoming less Christian and more Pagan we should point out that the wheel has come full circle. It was also a fire festival, sympathetic magic to hasten the return of the sun. In medieval times elected figures variously known as the Abbot of Unreason, the Lord of Misrule, the President of Fools or the Boy Bishop, presided over the ‘Daft Days’ of Christmas, a period of festival or carnival, a time of inversion when the normal mores and observances were suspended. The Boy Bishop was a distant cousin of St Nicholas whose day was 6 December. The Boy, elected by his schoolmates, sometimes had the right to suspend corporal punishment in schools for the duration. In this part of the world, in the nineteenth century, much the product of Coca-Cola advertising but he did not arrive in Scotland until well into the 20th century. King James VI greatly enjoyed Christmas dinner. He opted for a new dish brought into Britain from Mexico, namely turkey, which went well with the other American innovation of potatoes. Plum potage or porridge gave way to plum pudding, which was regarded as an English dish as were mince pies. The legendary English Christmas was created almost singlehandedly by Charles Dickens in his phenomenally successful short story, ‘A Christmas Carol’ and it gradually seeped over the border with other Christmas attributes. However the Scots reciprocated in traditional “bah, humbug” fashion by providing the definitive movie portrayal of Scrooge in the shape of Scottish actor Alastair Sim. Evergreens represented another form of sympathetic magic. Holly and ivy brought indoors were supposed to hasten outdoor growth though Scots regarded mistletoe as a dangerous and unlucky plant, rather than an all-healing growth. Galloway folk continued to favour Hogmanay and New Year’s Day, celebrated by guisers known as variously as the White Boys (the good guys) and the belzies (followers of the Beelzebub or the Devil). Glenkens doubtless followed the practice of first-footing, as farm foremen or grieves invaded the farmer’s bedroom bearing gifts of whisky and corn on 1 January. On the following Monday, ‘Auld Hansel Day’, the farmers would reciprocate, providing their workers with lavish breakfasts and a day of sports, dancing and drams. It would be great to hear from anyone who knows about any specific Glenkens Yule traditions. Wishing you all a braw Yule and mony o them! The 12 days of Christmas...were known as Yule, which included Hogmanay and New Year. school lessons were interrupted on Christmas Day while the children made a presentation to the teacher. A critic in 1531 wrote: “in the solemnite of Yule we worship the wame (belly) and nocht Christe”. After the Reformation in 1560 the presbyterians would protest to those who still celebrated: “You will say it is a brave holiday; I tell you it is a brave belly day”. The “singings of filthy carols” was banned. While some were prosecuted the monarch and many of the folk were not to be diverted. Indeed, a lot of people regarded the celebration of Yule as an act of political and social protest. Consequently, while covenanters frowned on the celebration, royalist supporters, notably episcopalians and catholics, notoriously indulged. Over time various ingredients were added to Christmas. St Nicholas, Santa Claus was dressed like a Russian merchant. Historically he was the 4th century Bishop of Myra who dropped silver into a poor girl’s stocking while she slept, though he would not dare do it now! In a sinister sort of a way he was a shape-shifter. As he appears to us now he is very Ted Cowan Glenkens Gazette page 16 FUNDRAISING BIKE RIDE Dalry man Ian Knox has completed a fundraising cycle from Balloch to Iona. Ian says; “10 of us signed up for this charity cycle organised by EMMS International to raise money for health projects in Nepal, India and Malawi. Each of us was tasked to raise around £900 in order to take part in the event.” The group set off from Balloch, at the foot of Loch Lomond, and followed the West Lomond cycle path all the way up the shore of the Loch to Tarbert. From there they took the road to Crianlarich, turning up to Tyndrum and on to Dalmally, Taynuilt across Glen Lonan into Oban. The journey continued on to Craignure, on the Isle of Mull, Salen and then to Fionaphort where they caught the ferry to the finish line at the Abbey on Iona. Ian says; “It was a very beautiful cycle enjoyed by all for good causes. A big thankyou to all who sponsored me for this event - the final total raised was £1021.21”. A CHILDHOOD DREAM The sight of a perfect tearoomlying empty was all the inspiration a Crossmichael woman needed to create her childhood dream... After seeing the cafe at Barstobrick sitting empty for over two years, Ahrlene Fuller set out on a journey which would fulfill a childhood dream to have her own tearoom; The Stickety Lickety Teahouse was born. The teahouse is situated at the Barstobrick Visitors Centre near Ringford where, this summer, Ahrlene and her staff have been welcoming visitors from all over the world. Indeed the teahouse has proved to be such a success that it will remain open during the winter months every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10am till 4pm. “It would have been such a shame to shut down over the winter, and fortunately there is a whole range of events taking place in the adjoining arena including showjumping, dressage and carriage driving,” Ahrlene said. “Teahouse customers are able to sit inside in the warm and watch these fantastic sporting events through the large viewing windows which look right into the arena.” The teahouse is also taking bookings for Christmas lunches and will have its own Christmas shop with a range of festive goodies on sale. “Autumn and winter will be a truly lovely time to visit the Barstobrick estate with its lovely walks and trails and, at the end of your walk, the teahouse is waiting with a creamy hot chocolate, a warming latte or a soothing cup of tea,” said Ahrlene. “Dogs are also welcome inside the teahouse where we have beds and water bowls for them.” Find out more about the Stickety Lickety on their Facebook page or if you want to make a Christmas booking call Ahrlene on 01557 820 580. Glenkens Gazette page 17 Spotlight: Young Songwriters’ Open Mic An exciting new, open mic night for young performers will launch at the CatStrand on Wednesday 9 December. Spotlight will offer singers, songwriters and musicians between the ages of 12 and 25 the opportunity to come along and perform. This can be in the form of a solo performance or as part of a band or ensemble. The event is open to all genres and musical styles and will take place in the friendly and welcoming setting of CatStrand. Simply turn up with your instruments on-the-night to perform - you do not need to sign up in advance. Guest artists will feature and the evening’s host will be local songwriter Robert Shields. Robert is continually adding to his extensive songwriting career - most recently with band Finding Albert. The event is free of charge and friends and family are welcome to attend. The night will continue as a regular, monthly night throughout 2016, taking place on the first Wednesday of the month. Participants will also be given the opportunity to take part in a wider youth music programme Access All Areas which is built around a youth-led, independent record label. Learn from experienced, enthusiastic, tutors who will offer guidance, skills and expertise on a range of music-related activities including songwriting, performance, recording, music videos, photography CD artwork and promoting and marketing bands. Regular workshops and learning opportunities will be advertised throughout the year on the ‘Youth’ page of CatStrand’s website www.catstrand.com NEW GALLOWAY SWRI Chasing Butterflies with a Mouse or Putting Wildlife on the Map was the title of a talk given by Mark Pollitt from Dumfries & Galloway Environmental Resources Centre (DGERC) at the October meeting of the New Galloway Scottish Women’s Rural Institute. Mr Pollitt used a computer generated film to illustrate all the different forms of wildlife that may lurk in our gardens. He explained that any kind of information garden owners could collect on what they have New Galloway Golf Club in their own gardens would be of tremendous benefit when amassing information on the local wildlife of Dumfries & Galloway. How many rabbits, birds, amphibians, worms and snails, butterflies and moths show if the wildlife is increasing or becoming rarer, and what may cause such changes. Even creatures that we may consider abundant and common can change and show changes in the environment. Mr Pollitt also judged the member’s wildlife competition and tasted butterfly cakes to find this month’s winners. SWRI ART PROFICIENCY: Mrs Cath Monk was delighted to be presented with certificates for two 1st Class and one 2nd Class for her entries to the SWRI Proficiency Test in Art recently at the monthly Family and friends coming to stay? Short of space? www.nggc.co.uk Cosy country cottage available (sleeps 4) Buggies now available for hire Call Fiona on 01644 420 227 Founded 1902 - 01644 420737 VISITORS AND NEW MEMBERS WELCOME www.covenanters-holidaycottagescotland.co.uk Cath Monk with some of her entries. meeting of the New Galloway Scottish Rural Women’s Institute. The judges comments were as important to Cath as the certificates, which will hopefully help her to improve her art work in the future. Helen Bulluck FHB Fencing Dalry Domestic and Agricultural Fencing 01644 430 495 (Peter) or 07767 795 498 (Jonathan) Glenkens Gazette page 18 DECEMBER & JANUARY NOVEMBER Sat 28, Christmas Shopping Day, 11am–4pm, Free, Includes Mulled Wine & Mince Pies, CatStrand, New Galloway DECEMBER runs to Sun 2 Feb, Exhibition: Hazel Campbell, CatStrand, New Galloway Fri 4, Youth Players Panto; Babes in the Wood, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway (see p7) Sat 5, Youth Players Panto; Babes in the Wood, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway (see p7) Sun 6, Youth Players Panto; Babes in the Wood, 2pm, CatStrand, New Galloway (see p7) Wed 9, Spotlight: Young Songwriters Open Mic, 7pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Thu 10, Stewartry Bird Watchers talk - Tanya and Edmund Hoare Our Disappearing Swifts, 7.30pm, Kells School, New Galloway, see p10 Fri 11, Opera Bohemia, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Sat 19, The Feral Choir, 4pm, CatStrand, New Galloway JANUARY Sat 9, Film: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Sat 16, James Yorkston, Withered Hand & Pictish Trail, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Thurs 21, SWANC: Landscape Ecology, 7.30pm, Ken Bridge Hotel Fri 22, Jamie Campbell & Simon Callaghan, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Sun 31, Glenkens Acoustic Session, 2-4pm, CatStrand, New Galloway BALMACLELLAN COMMUNITY UPCOMING EVENTS Balmaclellan Children’s Christmas Party, Friday 11 December, 6pm, Balmaclellan Village Hall: Magic Monty and Santa will be there! All Primary and pre-school children from the Glenkens welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult and the Community Council would very much appreciate food donations - look out for posters. Balmaclellan Senior Citizen’s Christmas Lunch, Tuesday 15 December, The Ken Bridge Hotel: By invitation only; all qualifying persons will be sent an invitation inviting them to the lunch. Wright’s Shop & Post Office Licensed convenience store and newsagent stocking a range of local suppliers. - We would like to thank all our customers for their continued support and pass on best wishes for the Festive season Festive Season Opening Times: Christmas Eve: 7am - 5pm Christmas Day: closed Boxing Day: 8am - 2pm Hogmanay: 7am - 5pm 1st January: closed 2nd January: 8am - 4pm Normal Opening Times (both shop & PO): Monday to Friday: 7am – 6pm Saturday: 8am – 6pm Sunday: 8.30am – 4pm Christmas hampers made-to-order Tel: 01644 430 225 Traditional Country Pub & Dining *** Finalists for D&G Life Resteraunt of the Year *** New Winter Opening Hours (as of Dec 1st): Mon-Thurs: 12-2.30pm & 4.3011pm (kitchen open 12-2pm & 68.30pm) Fri-Sun: Midday-Midnight (kitchen open 12-2pm & 6-9pm, closing 8.30pm Sundays) Full time opening hours will resume at the end of February Christmas menu available from 1st - 24th December...book now! 01644 430241 mail@theclachaninn.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 19 REGULAR EVENTS CatStrand, New Galloway: Exercise to Music: Mon, 10-11am Margaret Morris Movement Adult Dance Class: Mon, 2.30-3.30pm, contact Sara on 01556 612854 Children’s Dance Class: Mon during term time, 3.45-4.45pm age 3-7, 4.30-5.30pm ages 8-15, Gentle Tai Chi: Wed, 10am, 60+, Sing it Out: Thurs, 11am -12pm Pilates: Thurs, 4.15-5.15pm & 5.306.30pm, Dalry Community Centre CatStrand Yukes: Thurs, 1pm – 3.30pm 60+ Saturday Art Club: 2nd Sat each month, 10am–12noon Zumbatomic: last Sat each month, 10-10.45am Catstrand Youth Players: Sun during term time, 2pm Glenkens Acoustic Sessions: last Sun of the month, 2-4pm Glenkens Community Centre, Dalry, (contact Kath on 430 281): Glenkens Children’s Club: Mon & Fri, 10am-12noon Paint & Art: Mon, 1.30-4.30pm & Wed, 7-9pm Ballroom & Latin Dance Class: Mon, 7.15pm, for more info call Sam Rushton on 420 672 GCC Playgroup: Tues, Wed & Thurs, 9.10-11.40am, contact Sue on 07709 929 482 Good Neighbours’ Club: Tues, 2pm Kickback Martial Arts: Thurs, 7-9pm Thursday Craft Group: Thurs, 2-4pm Brownies: Wed, 5.30-6.45pm Guides: Tues during term-time, 6.15pm, contact: Kath 430 281 Various Locations: Ukelele Group: Mon, 11.15am, 60+, New Galloway Town Hall Glenkens Walking Group, Mon & Wed, 1.30pm, contact Gerry on 420 852 Mother & Toddlers: Tues, 9.4511.15am, New Galloway Town Hall Beavers: Tues, 6–7.15pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Dog Training: Tues & Wed, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. Contact: Eric 460 670 Bowling for Beginners: Wed, 7pm, Spalding Bowling Club, Dalry (opposite The Garage) Wednesday Quiz Night: Wed, Glenkens Community Councils Balmaclellan Community Council Meetings: 3rd Monday each month, 7.30pm, Balmaclellan Village Hall. Carsphairn Community Council Meetings: Last Monday each month, 7pm, Lagwyne Hall, Carsphairn. Dalry Community Council Meetings: 1st Monday each month, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. New Galloway & Kells Community Council Meetings: 2nd Monday each month, 7.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall. Full minutes of local Community Council meetings can be viewed at Dalry Library. CHRISTMAS COFFEE MORNING St Margaret’s Ladies’ Guild and Balmaclellan & Kells Guild are holding a Christmas Coffee Morning. This year it will be held on Wednesday 9 December in New Galloway Town Hall from 10.30am to 12noon. In addition to coffee, shortbread and mince pies there will be stalls, a tombola and a lucky dip. Please come along and support this joint venture. Community Christmas Service CHURCH TIMES Church and Children’s Party; 24th December, CHURCH OF SCOTLAND Sunday Services - Balmaclellan 12noon: 1st. Carsphairn 10.30am: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th. Dalry 12noon: 2nd(Jan), 3rd, 4th(Jan). Kells 10.30am: 2nd, 3rd, 4th(Jan). Special Services/Events: 13th December, 10.30am: United Family Service, Kells Church; 13th December, 6.30pm: Carols by Candlelight in Carsphairn Church, with Glenkens Church Choir; 23rd December, 5 pm: Carsphairn 11.30pm: Watchnight Service, Balmaclellan Church; 25th December, 10.30am: Christmas Day Family Service, Dalry Church; 27th December, 10.30am: United Service, Carsphairn Church SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH: St Margaret’s, New Galloway: Holy Communion, 10.30am every Sun & Wed CATHOLIC CHURCH SERVICES: Kirkcudbright: Sun Mass, 9.30am. Dalbeattie: Sat Mass, 5pm 8.30pm, Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Stewartry Camera Club: Wed, 7.30pm, Ringford Village Hall, runs Wed 11 Sept till end Mar Zumba: Wed, 7.30-8.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall, £4 Mossdale Painters: Wed, 9.30am, Mossdale Village Hall Cub Scouts: Wed, 6.45–8pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Carsphairn Post Office: Tues, 13pm, Lagwyne Hall Coffee & Craft Morning: Thurs, 9am-12noon, Lagwyne Hall D&G Hard of Hearing Group Dropin: 1st Friday each month, 10am12noon, New Galloway Town Hall. Scouts: Thurs, 7–8.30pm, New Galloway Scout Hut To hire the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) behind Dalry School call Sonja Tranter on 430 244 or Nicolette Wise on 430 218. Dalry Library Temporary Hours Tue: 12noon - 3.30pm Fri: 10am - 12noon & 1pm - 4.30pm There are 23 mobile library stops - to find out where and when please phone 430 234. ADVERTISE IN THE GAZETTE (price per issue incl VAT) SMALL: 6cm x 6cm, £37.80 (+ 10% off with series discount) 1/4 PAGE: 9cm w x 13cm h, £81.90 (+ 25% off with series discount) 1/2 PAGE: 18cm w x 13cm h, £151.20 (+ 25% off with series discount) FULL PAGE: 18cm w x 27cm h, £252 (+ 25% off with series discount) Call 07727 127 997 VAT Reg. No. 882 8361 87 USEFUL NUMBERS: ● Pot-hole Hotline: 0845 276 0000 ● Local Police: 0845 600 5701 ● Doctor: 01644 420 234 ● NHS 24: 08454 24 24 24 ● D&G Council: 030 33 33 3000 Glenkens Gazette page 20 GLENKENS CHILDREN’S CLUB The last few months at the Glenkens Children’s Clubs (GCC) have been very busy. We had a visit from Zoo Ed during which the children were able to get up-close and personal with all kinds of furry, scaly, slithery and spiky critters. All members of the educational menagerie having been rescued or re-homed which is great, and a wonderful time was had by all. During the school holidays, when GCC is at its busiest, there has been bushcraft (where fire-starting is always a winner), foraging (where both the kids and their accompanying adults had a great time learning about what’s edible out and about in the Glenkens), Zumba classes to get the blood pumping, fun visits from Susie Sweetpea and Magic Monty. A new activity on offer everyother Monday is structured play sessions. Currently we are enjoying Anne Etherington and her wonderful creative play/art/music and movement sessions. So whether you are a new parent in need of a cup of tea and a chat with other parents/carers in a relaxed atmosphere, or are looking for a safe space to let your preschooler let off steam, come along to one of the GCC sessions. The Dalry group runs on a Monday and Friday (10am-12pm) at the Glenkens Community Centre. The New Galloway group runs on a Tuesday (9.45-11.15am) at the CatStrand. Both groups are open throughout the holidays for children up to primary four. Dalry GCC Playgroup is run by professional play leaders, for ages 2-4, and runs on a Tues/ Weds/ Thurs from 9.10-11.40am. As with all community groups it is vital to have the support of parents and carers making use of the services on offer to ensure their survival. As the colder weather Children enjoying foraged finds. draws in, why not come and join us for a warm welcome and a chance to meet new friends and catch up with old ones? For further info get in touch at glenkenschildrensclub@gmail .com or visit us on Facebook. Many thanks go to the following for their continued support: Natural Power Consultants Ltd, Glenkens Community Shop and Big Lottery Communities and Families Fund. All GCC groups are Glenkens Community and Arts Trust affiliated projects. Glenkens Hair Studio Duke St, New Galloway (Tel: 420 616) Eileen wishes all of her customers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Please note that the salon will be closing down on 31st December 2015. Eileen will continue to offer a mobile hairdressing service as from 7th January 2016. Please call 07557 140 071 for appointments WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Submit events, activities, news stories, cartoons, reviews, tips & techniques, fiction, photos, ads or ideas... Contact Sarah Ade on 07727 127 997 or glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk FEB/MAR COPY DEADLINE: 5 MARCH Design & co-ordination: Sarah Ade sarah.ade@gmail.com Printing:Stranraer & Wigtownshire Free Press www.stranraer-freepress.co.uk The Glenkens Gaze�e is an ini�a�ve of the Glenkens Community & Arts Trust, a Registered Sco�sh Charity No. SC032050  Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. 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Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Description An account of the resource <p>Find out more about the Gazette: <a href="https://glenkens.scot/gazette-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glenkens Gazette home page</a> If you would like to submit an article or take out an advert, please email the editor Sarah Ade: <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="mailto:glenkensgazette@hotmail.com">glenkensgazette@hotmail.com</a></p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is a member of, and regulated by <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.impressorg.com/">Impress</a>.</p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is an initiative of Glenkens Community &amp; Arts Trust (SC032050) and represents the voice of the community (not necessarily the views of GCAT).</p> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document GLENKENS GAZETTE News from Balmaclellan, Carsphairn, Mossdale, New Galloway and St John’s Town of Dalry October/November 2015 ISSUE 90 FREE PYLON EYESORE THREAT The electricity pylon system in Dumfries & Galloway is going to be upgraded. And Dalry is set to be in the middle of the new electricity super-highway. SP Energy Networks (SPEN), formerly Scottish Power, state on their website that they are: “...making a significant investment in the Dumfries & Galloway area with the proposed modernisation and extension of the electricity transmission system. The existing 132kV system has not changed since it was built in the 1930s. Although it has served communities well for over 70 years, significant developments have taken place since then and needs of its different users have changed...It is estimated that the project will be completed in 2023.” Alan Jones is an expert in the field of electricity. As a chartered electrical engineer with a wealth of hands-on employment experience with high voltage systems as well as working on his PhD in energy efficient business practices for rural businesses, Alan does not feel that SPENs plans will benefit our region, least of all the Glenkens. He says; “The potential impacts can be described as the biggest thing to affect the region in the last century. The area will be blighted as the visual amenity value, that attracts so may tourists (over 2m last year), will be destroyed with 170km of up to 50m high pylons every 300m apart straddling the region.” Continued on p12... Is the Eurasian Lynx Set to Return to our Galloway Forests? The Galloway Forest Park is being considered as a potential site for a trial project to reintroduce the Eurasian lynx to the UK. These animals were last seen on our island 1,300 years ago, but soon we may see them roaming our forests, hills and glens once more. Having recently conducted a public survey of over 9,000 people, over half of whom are from rural areas, Lynx UK Trust feel confident that the public is supportive of this move with a staggering 91% of participants in favour of the re-introduction. Various locations across the UK are being considered as test sites, but the Forest Park seems like a favourite with Lynx UK Trust stating that Dumfries and Galloway was “wonderfully placed” to benefit from the reintroduction of the Eurasian Lynx, and going on to highlight that it could be worth millions of pounds to the local economy. Steve Piper of Lynx UK Trust said; “Galloway is an area we were always looking at because it has a lot going for it in terms of reintroducing an animal like lynx; lots of remote forestry and plenty A Glenkens Community & Arts Trust (GCAT) ini�a�ve of deer. We’re currently looking at a number of sites in the area which we hope can act as trial reintroduction sites for a small number of lynx. Approximately four to six animals would be released to start with and closely monitored over several years to see how they fit in.” Continued on p9... Eurasian Lynx © Erwin Van Maanen. www.glenkensgaze�e.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 2 Sad News for Watson Birds As announced some time ago, the Glenkens Community and Arts Trust (GCAT) and the Pamela Young Trust (PYT) purchased ‘Barone’ in Main Street, Dalry. The house was bought from the Watson family as a basis for the Watson Bird Centre to be run by GCAT and social housing to be provided by the PYT. Sadly, it has proved to be impossible to find the necessary funding to enable the proposed bird centre project to proceed in the form envisaged. Therefore, with great regret, GCAT trustees, with the support of the Watson Birds director and the PYT, have decided to place Barone on the market. We have undertaken lots of number-crunching to test the financial viability of every conceivable option but have had to conclude that we cannot make the proposition of half of the house as the Watson Bird Centre viable. However, all is not Chair with a View It is a particularly busy time just now for members of Dalry Community Council, and must also be for other such councillors across the region. For those who are not aware, at the time of the Gazette going to press nominations are being made for Community Councillor elections in October. Luckily for Dalry, whilst we will be losing one member, several new ones are stepping forward to join us and share the ever-increasing workload. This will hopefully bring us up to full strength with twelve councillors. For some other Stewartry CC’s it’s sadly a period of struggle to meet their minimum numbers or face dissolution. It is work that is neither paid nor glamorous, but vitally important in representing your community not only in local matters but to Dumfries and Galloway Council and the Scottish Government. To add to this stress, the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland is proposing to make radical changes to our existing Ward boundaries which would mean losing Castle Douglas and gaining Kirkcudbright just to try and balance the population density figures! It makes you wonder if they have nothing better to do with their day than upset applecarts? The ‘Strategic Reinforcement Project’ (read: huge pylons and new sub-stations) currently proposed by Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN) will be the biggest development to affect our region since the hydro scheme of the 1930s. The news that the hub of this operation will sit just outside Dalry is a major cause for concern as to how it will impact on our rural community. The initial consultation has now closed and we nervously await the findings. As a ‘side line’, the local wind farm connector for Loch Urr is also in the consultation stage which will add an additional ‘wooden pole’ link across our region. Whilst relatively discreet compared to steel lattice pylons, it will only add to the feeling that we are living in the middle of a spidersweb of power lines. Dalry CC recently completed a Community Survey to gauge local opinion on some important current issues. We would have liked to have asked a lot more questions but felt people might have been put off by a thick booklet! The full results are displayed on our CC notice board, and some highlights are shown below. People who said they would use ‘superfast’ broadband was a large majority; hopefully it soon will be a reality - the new green cabinets are already installed by the exchange in Dalry and are now just awaiting connection. Support for Dalry village becoming a 20mph zone in part or full was about 2:1 in favour. This is something that will take some time to achieve as there are many hoops to jump through. We will hold further public consultations on this issue before the final decision is made. lost as we will retain a sizeable strip of land on the up-street side with the possibility of a nature garden and trails and at a later date a small bird centre. In the meantime, we will ensure that the archive on long-term loan from the Watson family is properly stored. In addition, and as part of the developing ideas for the CatStrand, there is the possibility of new development which would include a gallery and archive areas for the Watson project. Roger Crofts The villages approval for obtaining the former Council Depot behind the Town Hall and having a Community Recycling Facility there was approved by about 9:1 in favour. We will progress this as quickly as we can; again there are several hoops to jump through first. Housing of our Community Defibrillator on the outside of Dalry Library was virtually unanimous and D & G Council have now given approval for this to go ahead. Library use was better than we expected at nearly 60%. Suggestions of ways to encourage more use were mixed, but using volunteers to increase opening hours is an avenue we plan to explore further with the Library Service. Public Transport use was the most disappointing, but there was 2:1 support for the Glenkens to run its own bus service. D & G Council are currently looking into new ways of delivering a reliable rural transport network, so I think all possibilities are open to discussion. Awareness of Dalry CC and its activities was pretty positive at over 2:1 - however, we need to do more to make it nearer 100%. We represent the start of the democratic process; not exactly ripping stuff, but the more who get involved in what goes on locally, the more we can achieve. The Glenkens Clubs and Societies Fair in September was well-attended. An accompanying high-quality Directory was also given out free and some copies of this invaluable guide are still available. Some think that a rural life is a quiet one; certainly not from where I’m sitting! Andi Holmes, Chair Dalry Community Council) Glenkens Gazette What Glenkens Community Centre happens The plans to purchase the Glenkens Community Centre in Dalry for the community are continuing well, with a significant milestone recently passed. The business plan was submitted to Dumfries and Galloway Council Officers in spring 2015 and then a report was submitted to the Stewartry Area Committee in late July. They recommended that the building should be sold to the Centre Management Committee for the nominal sum of £1. The sale was then agreed by the Policy and Resources Committee in late September and it is hoped that it will take place before the end of the year. Very positive feedback was received from the Stewartry Area Committee about the quality of the business plan and the work done by the Management Committee in getting to this stage, which was excellent to hear. The Glenkens Community Centre will be purchased by the Dalry Community Properties Trust (DCPT), a new SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation) which is currently in the process of being ratified by OSCR. When this is complete, the first step will be to recruit more Trustees, so if you live in Dalry and would like to be involved in this exciting new phase of community ownership, do get in touch. The Glenkens Community Centre is being spruced-up in anticipation of the handover – DGC has replaced rotting windows and painted all of the exterior paintwork, which is very much appreciated. The Management Committee has had the curtains cleaned and re-hung and are planning to replace some of the carpets shortly. With a grant from the Glenkens Community Shop, we will buy a floor polisher to bring the main hall floor back up to standard. All in all, it’s exciting times at the Centre, and the Management Committee would like to thank everyone involved for giving so generously of their time and expertise. Helen Keron, Chair, Glenkens Community Centre Management Committee NEW GALLOWAY TOWN HALL A programme of activities and events suggested at last year’s Open Days is being put together. These include badminton, table tennis, indoor boules, sports for youngsters, a lunch club for the elderly, local history and gardening groups as well as regular discos and ceilidhs. These will be open to all residents of New Galloway, the Glenkens and further afield as well as visitors to the area. Following the successful makeover of the Lower Hall last year, a working party of volunteers is planning, with Council approval, to do the same upstairs. A business plan for New Galloway Town Hall has been submitted to Dumfries & Galloway Council. This has been requested from the Council to show that transfer to the local community can be sustainable. Ros Hill, 01644 420632 ros.hill@rathanhouse.me.uk page 3 when a community takes over? The South West Association of Nature Conservation (SWANC) winter season of talks and discussion opens with ‘Land Reform in Assynt - some impacts of our community buyouts’. Bill Ritchie and Mandy Haggith will talk about how the community buy-outs have changed things in Assynt. What happens when a community takes over land and other resources? Can community ownership and organisation help develop a sustainable, regenerated landscape while supporting its human population? Bill helped initiate the crofters’ buy-out in 1992 and the Assynt Foundation buy-out in 2005 and Bill and Mandy have both been involved in other community acquisitions. They will discuss some of the challenges and opportunities presented over the last 23 years. Has the landscape changed? Has life in Assynt changed? Thursday 22 October, 7.30pm, at the Ken Bridge Hotel, New Galloway. Open to all. Glenkens Gazette page 4 sponsored by EVERYTHING listed in the Glenkens Freecycle section is FREE - you just need to contact the owner and go and pick it up! If you would like to list something on this page, please get in touch with Sarah on 07727 127 997 or email glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk VARIOUS Vick’s CleanAir air purifier, virtually unused. Contact: 430 380 2 single mattresses, smoke and pet free home, very good condition but were cheap to start with; good for kids first mattress; not so comfy for grown-ups! Contact: 420 656 Single bed and mattress with truckle bed/mattress underneath. Contact: 430 218. White veneered fibreboard chest of drawers. Contact: 430 218 300W uplighter - gold finish. Contact: Gerry on 420852 Instant Abbs exercise machine. Contact: Gerry on 420852 Printer - Epsom Stylus CX6600, working order with 3 new colour cartridges and instruction book. Contact: Joan on 07769 730 553 Family history: five lever arch files, volumes 1 to 5 of BBC Who Do You Think You Are publications and three lever arch files of Your Family History magazines. Contact: Ann on 420 445 before 6.30pm Large grey/brown velour-covered armchair. Contact: 450 552 Mahogany display cabinet, glassfronted, 51” high, 15” deep, 48” wide, good condition. Contact: 07880 728528 Bathroom washbasin complete with taps. Contact: 450 552 Dark wood sideboard. Decorated carvings/pillars and shaped top bit. 4’9” tall, 1’9” side, 4’ deep. Contact: 07727 127 997 GARDEN Wood chip, ideal for garden paths etc. Bring own bag to fill. Contact: 430 218 Compost tumbler looking for a new home. Contact: Annikki on 460 640 Strawberry plants; surplus one and two-year-old plants which produce lots of fruit and runners for bringing on new plants (Dalry). Contact: Sue on 07563 718 011 Large builder’s style wheelbarrow good clean condition but tyre needs repair. Contact: 450 552 Do you need rotted horse manure for your garden? Come and collect with bags or trailer (New Galloway). Contact: Sue on 07563 718 011 WANTED Any excess/past-it garden fruit & veg. Too many apples/windfalls? Cabbages/lettuces gone to seed? Too many courgettes and the slugs have been at them? Then they would be perfect for our piggies! Please contact: Sarah on 07727 127 997 Wood burning stove. Contact: Simon on 07426 124 982 Wendy House, preferably wooden. For granddaughter’s visits. Contact: marieonou@btinternet.com Strong plastic beer crate for standing on. Contact: Sue on 07563 718 011 FOR SALE ‘Celebrity’ recliner chair - large size. This has only been used for eight weeks and is as new. Dual motor lift and tilt covered in a neutral fabric. Cost over £1,000. Offers invited. Contact: 07769 730 553 NEW GALLOWAY COMMUNITY SHOP PLANS PROGRESS TO THE NEXT STAGE New Galloway Community Enterprises Ltd (NGCE) has successfully passed the first stage of its application to the Big Lottery Growing Community Assets for grant funding. NGCE is a Community Benefit co-operative company and was formed in June this year with a mandate to create a community shop, self-catering tourist accommodation and lowrent office or workshop space in New Galloway. If successful, the grant will be used to buy Hopkins Shop and the attached house and storerooms to achieve this aim. The company was informed in mid September that their Stage One application had been successful and that the next stage therefore was to apply for development funding. This would then allow them to create a comprehensive business plan and Stage Two application for the full amount of funding. As the Gazette goes to press, these further application forms have not yet been received, so the definitive timeline is not yet clear. However, the decision turnaround time for development funding is weeks rather than months so, if successful, the company should be well on with the business case by the end of this year. At the same time, the company will be working up a Share Offer, to allow interested people to buy shares and show material support for the project. More details on this in due course. The volunteers who are running this project would like to thank the community of New Galloway for its support so far, including especially Jim and Margaret Hopkins and the members of NGCE. If anyone would like to join the team, get in touch with Helen Keron on keronh@me.com - it is open to all New Galloway residents and all are welcome. Glenkens Gazette page 5 sponsored by REUSE MATTERS Below are just a few of the many positive reactions of visitors to the clothes swap event organised by Reuse Matters in Dalry this September. “Fantastic - tank you. Loads of new things to wear!” “Haven’t enjoyed myself so much for ages - keep up the good work.” “Absolutely fantastic ‘feel-good’ factor. Met lovely, lovely people – got some fantastic clothes. Thank you with all my heart.” “Brilliant fun, got lots of lovely materials and was able to get completely carried away!” “Fabulous – love it every time. Fantastic way to pass on clothes and also a great social afternoon with some lovely women. Thank you.” “Excellent idea, great FUN - thank you.” At the clothes swap, people were invited to donate their gently used, unwanted clothes and exchange them with others, free of charge. These clothes swaps (also known as ‘swishing’ parties or ‘swap shops’) first appeared in the 90s and are becoming more and more popular as a means to acquire good quality clothes for free in a fun atmosphere. During the afternoon in Dalry 51 people came through the door, bringing in an impressive 162kg of good-quality clothes and accessories. At the end, after 2 1/2 hours of ‘shopping’, we were left with just 82kg – which means that 80kg of lovely clothes were taken home by their happy new owners. As an extra treat, there was an upcycling demonstration at the event, run by one of the project’s excellent workshop leaders, Denise, who showed people how old clothes can be turned into something new and fun. The project Reuse Matters aims to reduce textile waste ending up in landfill by re-using and up-cycling unwanted clothes and household textiles - an excellent way of saving energy and conserving the environment. (Up-cycling is the action of taking something that would normally be thrown away or recycled and turning it into something beautiful and useful.) “The project idea was borne from the evidence of poor recycling rates in Scotland combined with Creetown Initiative’s extensive experience in environmental/ carbon reduction projects. Every year in Scotland, potentially reusable textiles are sent straight to landfill. For example 2,300 tonnes of jumpers and 1,600 tonnes of t-shirts,” explains Kevin Dodd, senior project officer at Creetown Initiative Ltd, from which the Reuse Matters project is run. The project hopes to collect five tonnes of textile in the area that covers DG6, 7 and 8 before March 2016. The leftover textile will be up-cycled and reused or donated to charity. Over the course of the project there will also be up-cycling workshops, drop-in sessions for clothing repair and embellishment, basic sewing lessons and specialist textile techniques workshops in the midDumfries & Galloway region - all for free. The workshops are run by experienced textile artists and are accessible for all ages and levels of sewing-experience. Jolanda Bastein For details please check our facebook page (Reuse Matters Creetown) or contact us on joland a.creetown@gmail.com or kevin_ creetown@yahoo.co.uk or phone 01671 820654. Glenkens Gazette page 6 A LOCAL PROFILE: KATCH HOLMES TALKS ABOUT THE DROVING PROJECT A multimedia exhibition celebrating the cattle droving history of the Glenkens is going on show at the Gracefield Arts Centre in Dumfries. The creative producer of The Droving Project is Katch Holmes who also runs the Knockengorroch World Caeilidh Festival which is held on her parents’ farm outside Carsphairn. Katch explains: “The Droving Project started because I heard about the drovers, probably from my dad, and the routes that lie around Knockengorroch. I became fascinated about the fact that they made this long journey from Scotland to London with thousands of cattle and I thought what an amazing journey it would have been and would still be. I was also interested in how different our relationship to animals was then - cows especially were Scotland’s wealth and much of people’s survival in the uplands depended upon their cattle.” Katch continues; “I realised that a journey to London with cows on foot was nigh on impossible and so pitched for a shorter walk in Dumfries and Galloway. We walked from Knockengorroch to Bellsbank with three cows, Alice Myers an award winning photographer, filmmaker Stevie Whiteford, Sound designer Pete Smith, fiddler Nick Jenkins, botanist Liam Kelly, writer Catrina Davies, a vet and two drovers. The resulting work made from the drove can be seen as part of an exhibition at Gracefield Arts Centre in Dumfries until 24 October 2015. There will also be a day of curated talks about issues that the project raises on 3 October at Gracefield Arts Centre. The talks are free to attend but you need to book in advance by calling Gracefield Arts Centre on 01387 262 084. To find out more visit www.thedrovingproject.org Support for CatStrand St Margaret’s Church Ladies Guild recently donated £500 to the CatStrand Flood Appeal following their successful tombola stall at the Alternative Games in August. Gillespie Gifford & Brown LLP Solicitors and Estate Agents Selling properties across Dumfries & Galloway 01556 503744 www.ggblaw.co.uk All legal advice Offices in Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie Kirkcudbright and Dumfries The photo below shows, from left to right, Jenny Repath, Christine Rankin and Jean Marsden from St Margaret’s with Simon Davidson and Brian Edgar from the CatStrand. Glenkens Gazette page 7 CatStrand Update The staff and volunteers of the CatStrand and GCAT are all most excited to be re-opening the doors of the CatStrand imminently. It’s been a long haul since the flood in January, but the GCAT team, together with the wider community, have really worked together to get the building repaired and open again, and it’s now perhaps even better than before. Keep an eye out for the opening date in early October and come in to see the new look! To mark this major milestone, the CatStrand is hosting a weeklong festival to say ‘Welcome Back’ and ‘Thank You’ to all our friends and supporters - old and new. It’s the Home and Dry Festival and it begins on Friday 23 October with Launch Party for Friends & Patrons. It then continues across that weekend with Canadian Ben Rogers & Edinburgh’s The Jellyman’s Daughter on Saturday night and Norfolk trio The Templewood Ensemble on the Sunday. There’s plenty on in the week too with Rapture Theatre’s The Last Yankee and the documentary movie Amy, and then it culminates on Sunday 1 Nov with Ricky Ross (Deacon Blue). And don’t forget our Halloween party on Sat 31 October - plenty of scary fun for all the family, so get those costumes on and join us for face painting and a lantern parade from 6pm. For older children and those with a strong disposition there is the world premiere of the latest Halloween film Aggy & the Fishbones, produced by the award-winning CatStrand Young Film Makers. All the regular GCAT groups will be moving back to the CatStrand very soon, and we would like to thank all the many venues that have allowed them to continue throughout this year - New Galloway Town Hall, Kells School, Dalry Town Hall, Glenkens Community Centre and Balmaclellan Village Hall to name a few. We have very much appreciated your community support over this difficult time. We would also like to thank Maybelle and Derek Thomson for their very generous loan of Rosebank Cottage throughout this period, which has allowed the CatStrand to carry on in spirit if not in the building! And lastly, we would like to thank all of the many people who have gone over and above in support of the CatStrand - without their efforts, we may never even have got to this stage. On a more technical note, you may know that the board of directors of GCAT commissioned a flood risk assessment and topographical survey back in January in order to get a technical basis for any remedial works to minimise the risk of the flooding happening again. The results of these have been shared with Dumfries & Galloway Council and the outcome is a shared project between GCAT and DGC to try and ensure that any future heavy rain stays in the existing waterways instead of building up and bursting in. In practical terms, this means that DGC has constructed a new headwall, trash screen and overflow across the CatStrand burn further upstream from the CatStrand building. A reinforced boundary wall will be built to the side of the building and the S-shaped culvert that takes the CatStrand water under the building will be taken out and replaced with a straight culvert, in order to reduce back pressure. The CatStrand burn will continue on its original path under the building, exiting in to the park as before. In addition, the CatStrand building now has portable flood defences that will be erected at every door in the event of a heavy rain forecast, and the door that burst open last time has been replaced with a glass wall. It is very much hoped and expected that the combination of these measures will keep the water within its planned confines, while making preparation for any overflow that may occur. So thanks again to everyone who has helped, in so many ways, and welcome back to all who have missed us - we’re home and dry at last! The CatStrand Team Glenkens Gazette page 8 Photo of the Issue: Sponsored by the Ken Bridge Hotel Competition judges Dave and Sue, from the Ken Bridge Hotel, chose Digger with a View by Steve McCallie this issue with an unusual perspective looking out over the Rhinns of Kells. Sue said: “The entries were just all so lovely, it makes you realise what a beautiful area we live in.” Steve wins a meal for two at the Ken Bridge Hotel’s renowned Sunday Carvery. PHOTO COMPETITION RULES: Entries must be taken in the Glenkens and can be of any subject - landscape, portrait, action-shot, pets, wildlife, nature, etc - so get snapping and send in your photos! Glenkens Transport Initiative Wednesday Evening Bus Service Dalry to Castle Douglas and back (registered route) 1900 1905 1915 1925 1930 1937 1940 Outward Journey Depart Dalry (Underhill) New Galloway Mossdale Lauriston Townhead of Greenlaw Castle Douglas (Market Street) Castle Douglas (Tesco) 2035 2037 2047 2050 2100 2110 2115 Return Journey Depart Castle Douglas (Tesco) Castle Doulgas (Market Street) Townhead of Greenlaw Laurieston Mossdale New Galloway Dalry GTI has 8 and 16 seat minibuses for hire. Hirers must be registered GTI user groups. For more information or to book call 01644 420374. GTI Excursions October 2015 Phone the CatStrand (01644 420374) or see GTI page on the CatStrand website for more details and to book. Hetland Garden Centre & Carlisle Shopping Monday 12 October Hetland Garden Centre and Carlisle are great places to shop. Pickups: New Galloway (CatStrand) 0930; Dalry (Bank) 0940, Crossmichael (Shop) 1000, Castle Douglas (Montgomery’s Corner) 1010 Fare £7. Concessions £6. Hobbycraft Exhibition Glasgow Saturday 24 October Pickups: New Galloway (CatStrand) 0930, Dalry (Bank) 0940, Carsphairn (Shop) 1000 Fare £7. Concessions £6. Glenkens to Ayr and Back Saturday 31 October; Saturday 28 November Pickups: New Galloway (CatStrand) 0930, Dalry (Bank) 0940, Carsphairn (Shop) 1000 Leaving Ayr 1500 Fare £3.50, Concessions £3.00 each way. If there’s somewhere you’d like to go and you think others would too, email Glen on gti@catstrand.com or phone 07841 5124494. W BONE WHB JEEPS THE GARAGE, DALRY PETROL & DIESEL SALES SERVICE & REPAIRS MOTs, TYRES, BATTERIES ALL AT COMPETITIVE PRICES OPEN 8.30AM - 6.00PM (SIX DAYS) 10AM - 6PM SUNDAYS - FUEL 24 HOURS SHOP • SANDWICH BAR • LOTTERY Tel: 01644 430208 Fax: 01644 430669 jeeps@whbjeeps.co.uk www.whbjeeps.co.uk Glenkens Gazette Golf Club Update Lynx ReWith the summer drawing to a close New Galloway Golf Club can reflect on some terrific scoring on the course by the members during the season. The club has also been very busy with visitors who have all commented on the excellent condition of the course. During the summer the club has held weekly coaching courses for local youngsters. These have been well-attended and it is terrific to see the progress the children are making. At the end of September the club’s greenkeeper, Brian Porteous, is retiring. Brian has been the face of the club for 28 years and is well-known locally. The members of the club would like to thank him for all his hard work over the years and wish him well in his retirement. Ian Brown SPALDING BOWLING CLUB After a very successful year at Spalding Bowling Club the season has come to end with the green re-opening in April (date to follow). This year’s Ladies Champion is Ann Hamilton and Gents Champion is John McBeth (pictured). Valerie Russell ENJOY WALKING? Would you like to explore the hidden pathways in the Glenkens? Then why not meet the Glenkens Walking Group; we are an informal group of mostly retired people who meet next to the Bank in Dalry at 1.30pm on Mondays and Wednesdays to share cars, if needed, to the start of the walk. We do not take dogs because we often GLENKENS MEDICAL PRACTICE General Medical & Dispensing Services The Surgery High Street New Galloway FOR APPOINTMENTS CALL � 01644 420234 � encounter farm animals. Some of our walks are accessible to powered wheelchair users and we always finish with a cup of tea/coffee and biscuits. For those who may doubt their ability or are slowing down a bit the Wednesday walks are a maximum of three miles at an easy pace. To get in touch call Isobel or John on 430539, Gerry on 420852 or Elizabeth on 430581. THE STEWARTRY VETERINARY CENTRE CASTLE DOUGLAS SURGERY HOURS Mon-Fri 2.00-2.30 pm & 5-6 pm Sat 2-2.30 pm DALBEATTIE SURGERY HOURS Mon, Wed, Fri 3-3.30 pm Tues & Thurs 6-6.30 pm FOR APPOINTMENTS AT BOTH SURGERIES OR IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY � 01556 502263 VETERINARY SURGERY OAKWELL ROAD CASTLE DOUGLAS � page 9 introduction Continued from front page... Steve Piper continued; “The primary driver of whether all this can happen is public and stakeholder opinion, and Scottish Natural Heritage who would have to licence such a reintroduction. We’re in the process of submitting formal applications at present.” The general public may be in favour of seeing these big cats released in our woodlands, but not everyone is quite so supportive; the National Sheep Association (NSA) have branded the project as having potentially devastating consequences for our upland sheep. Lynx UK Trust chief scientific advisor to the project, Dr Paul O’Donoghue, said; “Lynx have proven themselves across Europe to be absolutely harmless to humans and of very little threat to livestock, whilst bringing huge benefit to rural economies and the natural ecology... It’s wonderful that the general public want to see lynx given the chance to do the same here.” What are your thoughts about having the Eurasian lynx roaming our forests in the Glenkens? A full public consultation is due to be launched in Scotland before Christmas to give everyone the chance to learn more and have their say. Glenkens Gazette page 10 How would you feel if you had trouble reading this? Maybe you do... Dalry School involves the community to help children with their reading development - and we need volunteers. Teachers are very aware of how a person’s ability to read and understand competently, as well as to enjoy literature, can greatly affect every aspect of life at home, school or work. Dalry School is fortunate to have literacy support from members of the community in the form of a Volunteer Reader Scheme (VRS). With them, pupils from Primary 1 (P1) to Secondary 4 (S4) are given the chance to improve their reading skills, oneon-one, and to share and enjoy a book during the school day. A volunteer spends about 20 minutes listening to a pupil reading and then discusses the story and helps the pupil hone their skills and boost their confidence. Both pupils and volunteers gain a great deal of satisfaction and enjoyment from this scheme. Pupils are also able to increase their achievement in all subjects because literacy is the key to understanding. The electronic age places additional strains on a pupil’s reading development and good old-fashioned ‘reading a book’ provides a much needed balance! If you would like to know more about becoming a Volunteer Reader, please contact Dalry School Office (430 259) and mention VRS. tokens that were significantly less toxic than the LINKING PAST & PRESENT producing lead-based tokens of the past. Carsphairn Parish Church celebrated its bicentenary over the summer. Staff and students at Dalry School were proud to be involved in the production of the commemorative communion tokens. Communion tokens were issued in Scotland in the turbulent times of the 17th and 18th centuries as a way of indicating that the recipients had undertaken a period of instruction prior to receiving communion in the Presbyterian church. Each kirk or minister would issue their own tokens to individuals in their congregation as they completed preparation and became communicant members. Mr Murray used his research skills to combine historic designs with modern meturalagy in ����������������������������������������������������� • Pensions • Savings • Investments • Retirement Options • Inheritance Tax Planning • Life Assurance • Income & Critical Illness Protection • Mortgages • Home Insurance Free Confidential Initial Consultation Tel: 01671 403080 Fax:- 01671 402549 Email: brian.edgar@marrfinancial.co.uk Web: www.marrfinancial.co.uk 61 Victoria Street NEWTON STEWART, DG8 6NL **NEW** Yorkshire Building Society Agency – Now Open Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. For mortgages we can be paid by commission or a fee of usually £300 or a combination of both. For Home Insurance we usually offer products from a limited panel of providers. The production of the individual Perspex-lidded boxes was the handiwork of the students. The labour was a gift and the church covered the cost of the materials. There are some tokens on display in the Carsphairn Heritage centre. There are also a few still available for purchase - if you wish to have a commemorative token, please speak to David Bartholomew. STEWARTRY BIRDWATCHERS Interested in birds and other branches of natural history? If ‘yes’ why not come along to the Stewartry Birdwatchers’ meetings this winter? Since 1976 members and friends have held their monthly meetings in Kells School, New Galloway, from September to April. Throughout the year the more active go on excursions to interesting locations on the coast as well as inland. Places such as Caerlaverock and Mersehead for wintering Barnacle Geese and many species of ducks, the Mennock Pass for the elusive Ring Ouzel, across to Loch Ryan for Brent Geese and numerous species of waders, or to woodlands for small birds such as migrant warblers in the summer. This winter’s session got off to a flying start when Mark Pollitt, manager of the Dumfries & Galloway Environmental Resources Centre based in Kirkgunzeon, gave his talk Gardening for Wildlife. On 8 October Chris Waltho, who has studied the Common Eider in the Clyde for over forty years, will give a talk on The Spectacled Eider Duck. On 12 November Glen Chilton will describe his globetrotting adventures while searching for birds that were formally declared extinct. Swifts are the subject of the talk on 10 December by husband and wife team Edmund and Tanya Hoare. All welcome - see Diary on p22 for a full list of talks. Glenkens Gazette Emma’s Wild Eats We’ve been out in all weathers scouring the woodlands for free things we can eat. As my grubby, sodden daughters will tell you we make time most days to crawl around outside (often in my work clothes in full view of colleagues, trousers tucked into socks for fear of ticks). We find more to bring home as we swat up on what is not going to put us on the loo for days. Our world of wild food is expanding and we’d like to share our learning experiences. However, please don’t think for a second I really know what I’m talking about, or am in any way qualified. This year we’ve eaten various seafood, shore food, forest, and field food. We’ve savoured the most luxurious ceps and chanterelles, the most surprising sea rocket, samphire, sea radish seed pods and hog weed seeds, and the most unusual orange peel fungus and jew’s ears. What have we been finding recently? Mushrooms! The photo below demonstrates a pretty good example of a typical haul from a short September hunt. A tip; once you learn how to identify a russula mushroom, you would struggle to come home empty-handed - they are fairly easy to learn to identify and lots are good to eat. It’s been a great year for chanterelles, although by the time you read this the frost may have moved us on to other foragers delights such as sloes, crab apples, haws, hazelnuts and elderberries, as well as various other types fungi. There are some great websites and books to help with plant and fungi identification; I recommend Galloway Wild Foods which is brimming with fact and humour. So stick on your wellies and autumn socks, and be ‘wild’ and ‘free’! Emma Aileen McLeod MSP working for you across the South of Scotland Postal address: Unit 7 Loreburn Shopping Centre High Street, Dumfries, DG1 2BD Email: aileen.mcleod.msp@scottish.parliament.uk Tel: 01387 255 334 Please check www.aileenmcleod.org for regular surgery, constituency and parliamentary updates page 11 Local foraging enthusiast Emma Gibson will be sharing some of her wild food experiences with us over the next few issues. Foraging is a wonderful, fun and healthy way to explore our countryside, but please make sure to do your own research before eating things you find! Check out Emma’s new blog to read more on her foraging adventures at http:// emmaswild.my-free.website/ and www.emmaswild.co.uk Bargatton Sand & Gravel Supplying sand and gravel for all your farming needs, as well as households and businesses both large and small. We stock washed fine sand, coarse sand and gravels at competitive prices. For further details contact: James Mair - 07793 085 243 Email: loch.bargatton@live.co.uk Bargatton Quarry, Laurieston, Castle Douglas, DG7 2PS Open Monday to Friday Weekends by arrangement Delivery can be arranged - subject to quantity Glenkens Gazette PYLON UPGRADE Continued from front page... “The upgrade is due in the main to the rapid expansion of renewable generation in the region and as demand for electricity in Dumfries & Galloway is falling the excess needs to be exported to load centres in England and Wales”. Alan continues; “Dalry is the chosen location for a large substation that will connect the new, upgraded 132kV network to a new 400kV supergrid network. Many people in the region have not objected simply because they claim to be unaware of the project.” This new system has the potential to have huge knock-on effects for Glenkens communities. Members of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Partnership met recently with representatives from Scottish Power Energy Networks to discuss concerns over the proposed developments. Joan Mitchell, chair of the Biosphere Partnership Board, expressed the Biospheres concerns: “The Biosphere is not against appropriate development and recognises the need for upgrading transmission networks to create a locally smart network that is able to benefit local residents and businesses. However, we need to ensure that the impacts locally are outweighed by the benefits the region receives and the initial proposals put forward do not provide that reassurance at this stage.” Power to the People? I sincerely hope that everybody living in the Glenkens, indeed Dumfries and Galloway, is by now very much aware of the huge upgrade to the national grid in this region proposed by Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN). Make no mistake about it, this programme of replacing the existing pylons with ones double their size and adding new substations the area of three football pitches will make the biggest impact on our rural lives since the hydro scheme of the 1930s. Dumfries & Galloway will not look the same afterwards for generations to come. At the most basic level, the reality is that the existing network, built over 70 years ago, is in need of replacement - no argument there. Additionally, we are told that the lines are now at capacity, and need to be upgraded to cope with a growing demand, which seems logical enough? However what is being proposed is not just one step up, but two, way beyond the likelihood of our usage. This isn’t just about meeting current or future regional needs, but of upgrading the National Grid’s transmission of power between Ireland, Scotland and England with one of the hubs, linking five of the largest type of pylon lines, sitting just outside of St John’s Town of Dalry. If it helps to try and understand this in terms of the roads it is like proposing to upgrade the A713 and A712 to motorways, with new service stations at Dalry and Newton Stewart, when all we actually need are the dodgy bends taken out and some overtaking lanes. What it all comes down to is that running the new power lines above ground through Dumfries and Galloway is seen as an easier and cheaper option than underwater or underground cables. Damage to the environment, tourism or quality of life does not enter the financial equation here - but in my opinion it should. If it was about building two new motorways through the page 12 And these concerns may only be only scratching the surface. The article below, Power to the People, reflects more on the impact of these proposals on the Glenkens. Glenkens there’d be a riot - and justifiably so! There is no doubt that we have become a ‘power hungry’ society, where ‘manual’ has been replaced by ‘electric’. However, there is change afoot; LED lighting, ‘AAA’ rated appliances and wind-up radios are increasingly popular, as are solar panels and small wind turbines. Is the real demand for power increasing or are we starting to manage with less? In our household we are now using slightly less power than in the past, and certainly could consume less if we made an effort. If everyone could manage to do that then where is this growing demand coming from? Yes, there are more houses in the Glenkens now compared with the 1930s, and more electrical equipment, but it’s getting to be more efficient; I think we’ve already peaked in demand and arguably don’t need to be encouraged to use more. If England and Ireland have power issues, they need to re-examine how to resolve it for themselves without running motorways through the middle of the Glenkens! Andi Holmes, Dalry Glenkens Gazette page 13 GLENKENS ART EXHIBITION 2015 The annual Glenkens Art Exhibition was held at Dalry Town Hall this year in an attempt to increase the number of visitors. Over 200 people took advantage of the weather and the venue to view the 70 exhibits, plus all the beautiful artwork from the schools’ Art Competition. This was nearly double the number from 2014 when the exhibition was held in its usual location at the Glenkens Community Centre. The local artists did themselves proud once more with work of a high standard and varied content. Despite the relatively low number of entries it was a pleasure to see several new artists contributing to the show this year. The number of sales of work was up to an encouraging six this year. Our thanks go to the Town Hall Management Committee for and all the volunteers who helped and without whose assistance it could not be held. We are also indebted to the Dalry Charity Shop for their grant towards the cost of holding the exhibition. The exhibition was very well received by visitors from as far afield as Shropshire, Ayr, Edinburgh, London, North Uist, Oxford, Kent and Powys. Great Spotted Woodpecker by Susan Bielinski and Sea Eagle by Bill Wiseman. Apollo5 Returns to Dalry Apollo5 made a welcome third visit to the Glenkens and clocked up a full-house at Dalry Town Hall. They presented a thrilling, varied and enthralling programme of music to suit all tastes. Composers such as Finzi, Brahms, Holst and Vaughan sat comfortably with Duke Ellington, Sondheim and Bob Dylan to create a memorable, relaxed evening’s entertainment. New Galloway Golf Club One of the highlighs of the evening appealing particularly to the Scottish audience was an arrangement by Clare of the traditional song Will ye go to Flanders. Another favourite was a haunting rendition of Alexander L’Estrange’s arrangement of Purcell’s Dido’s Lament. On a much happier note were the title song of their new album recently released, With a Song in my Heart and the Andrews Sisters’ Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, both arranged by Matt Greenwood for Apollo5. The group is part of the Family and friends coming to stay? Short of space? www.nggc.co.uk Cosy country cottage available (sleeps 4) Buggies now available for hire Call Fiona on 01644 420 227 Founded 1902 - 01644 420737 VISITORS AND NEW MEMBERS WELCOME New members to the Art Group are always welcome. Please come along on Monday 2-4pm and Wednesday 7-9pm at the Glenkens Community Centre, or contact Christine Rhodes on 430 070 or Tom Leach 420 386. www.covenanters-holidaycottagescotland.co.uk charitable foundation Voces Cantabiles Music and is involved in its innovative education programme aiming to inspire creativity through music. The programme, led by VOCES8, reaches 20,000 young people annually, working in over 200 schools in the UK, France, Germany, Sweden, the USA and Asia. Charlotte, Clare, Alex, Ciaran and Greg are very grateful to the wonderful audience who turned out to hear them on a beautiful summer evening enabling them to continue to contribute to the work of VCM and to be able to give a small donation to Dalry Town Hall funds. Sheila Adams FHB Fencing Dalry Domestic and Agricultural Fencing 01644 430 495 (Peter) or 07767 795 498 (Jonathan) Glenkens Gazette page 14 LOCAL HISTORY Glenkens Story: TAKES TO THE HILLS Upcoming Events The lost settlements of the Blackwater of Dee and the ruins of the Carsphairn lead mines were the destinations of the first two history visits organised by The Glenkens Story project. well as the ruins of their houses and the school, the remains of the smelting plant, flues and chimneys can be clearly seen as well as a network of mill lades and reservoirs and even the lazy-bed gardens of the workers. Anna explained that although the mine entrance is now sealed, there are local people with childhood memories of exploring the disused tunnels and galleries. Traces of the ventilation shafts remain, one surrounded by a substantial stone dyke and a ring of rowan trees planted, it is said, to ward off evil spirits. The Glenkens Story would like to thank Anna Campbell, Michael Ansell and minibus driver Jon Nimmo. Details of upcoming spring trips will appear in the next edition of the Gazette. If you would like to suggest a destination for a history trip, contact Mike Brown 420 267 or mbrown99@dircon.co.uk The Lowland Clearances remembered JENNY’S Wright’s Shop & Post Office Dalry Place-names enthusiast Michael Ansell led a party up the Blackwater of Dee in July, explaining the origin and meaning of the farmstead names and outlining their varied histories. While some were abandoned in the ‘little ice age’ of the 1690s, others survived for longer, some being occupied in living memory. From the mid 20th century most were overplanted by forest, now being cleared. Unravelling the meanings of names can be complicated with Brythonic, Gaelic, Scots, Irish and English all featuring, often with misleading results. At Nether Gairloch for instance there is no loch: the name is a corruption of the Gaelic ‘Gearr Learg’ - a short slope. The second trip, in August, was led by Anna Campbell of the Carsphairn Heritage Group, and headed out to the remains of the Woodhead lead mine. The mine was active from 1838 to 1873 and Start of the lead mine tour, near the site of at one time more than 300 the smelter. The smelterers lived in the row of people lived at Woodhead. As houses in the background. Mobile Hairdresser Nursing Homes & Residential The Elderly & Disabled Home Visits NVQ Level 3 Hairdressing NVQ Level 4 Social Care Contact - 07554 009 624 Everyone has heard of the Highland Clearances but little is said of the Lowland Clearances, yet they changed the face of places such as Galloway and we live with the consequences today. On Sunday 22 November at 2.30pm at the CatStrand Peter Aitchison and Andrew Cassell, authors of the book and radio series on the Lowland Clearances, will relate the story of Scotland’s ‘Silent Revolution’ and discuss the implications for Galloway. This event is organised by The Glenkens Story history project and is part of Book Week Scotland 2015. Tickets £5, including light refreshments, available from the CatStrand. Licensed convenience store and newsagent stocking a range of local suppliers including Corsons and Irvings Bakers, Ballards and Dalmellington Country Butchers and Mitchells Fruit and Veg. Opening Times (both shop & PO): Monday to Friday: 7am – 6pm Saturday: 8am – 6pm Sunday: 8.30am – 4pm Tel: 01644 430 225 Glenkens Gazette page 15 LOCAL HISTORY with TED COWAN THE LANGUAGE OF GLENKENS Many of us are interested in the puzzle of why and when Gaelic disappeared as the spoken language of Galloway. It may have survived into the early 16th century but then very quickly vanished except in place-names. Gaelic is gone and, however much it may be regretted, it will never return. Meanwhile another language is disappearing before our ears and our eyes, while nobody seems to be paying attention to, or caring very much about, what is happening. I refer to the Scots leid and the Glenkens dialect thereof, which can still be daily heard from the mouths of many of our residents. Sad to say, with the passing of the older generation, Scots as a living language will follow Gaelic into oblivion. Gaelic already receives much more financial support than Scots, as well as a dedicated TV channel; in comparison Scots is a poor relation. It was not always thus. Around the turn of 19th and 20th centuries several local writers championed the use of our native tongue. Malcolm Harper published many local poems in Scots in his book The Bards of Galloway, the best of whom was the itinerant William Nicholson of Borgue whose wanderings doubtless led him to the Glenkens. SRCrockett promised in 1906 to write “a real Galloway book, in the full dialect, to be understood only by those to the manner born” but he was not spared to do so. He wrote the introduction to a remarkable and absorbingly eccentric volume by Dr Robert De Bruce Trotter of the Glenkens medical dynasty, Galloway Gossip or The Southern Albanich 80 years ago. The book is written entirely in the Galloway vernacular and since his family had close ties with this area he sheds much light on the language of our glen. He recalls that in his day Dalry and Polmaddy were pronounced without the letter ‘l’ as Da’ry and Powmaddy. The locals called Castle Douglas ‘Castle Dirt’. He laments that Clachanpluck has “turn’t genteel, an they ca’t Laurieston noo—only they dinna say Lowryston—that’s ower Scotch—they say Larry’stown; that’s suppost tae be English ye ken”. He relates that folk bought a ‘long-tail blue’ to get married, the garment then becoming known as the ‘Sunday Coat’; “amang the puir folk this waddin coat haes tae last them a’ their days for gaun tae ye kirk, for kirsnins an burials an ither gran (on its back) or goes through a ‘lunkie’ (specially constructed gap in a dyke)? Equally obscure might be a shepherd’s ‘clicky’ (crook). Language is a very important part of identity and even though, as Trotter points out, some people “consider Scotch origin to be the lowest possible depths of degradation”, Scots is a language in its own right, a development from Northern English. In the 19th century it was fashionable to argue that Scots was closer to the original Anglo-Saxon than the latter was to modern English. One Scottish wit, puzzled by all the talk about Anglophones and Francophones, dubbed himself an Anglo-saxophone! Kelso Kelly published a glossary to SRCrockett’s novels which are a mine of information on the Glenkens dialect. The glen has also produced many poets who have written in Scots and the tradition survives from James Trotter’s ‘Clachan Fair’ to Tommy Edgar’s ‘Clachan Capers’. To quote Trotter once more, “A suppose ye ken yt Gallowa’s hotchin wi poets; a wasp’s-bike’s nothin like till’t! gudefor little doylocks, maist o them, fond o onything but wark. Some o them haes nae objection tae drink though”. He meant no ill for he was mocking himself, as well as others. Might it be an idea to invite what might be the last generation who have a lifetime’s knowledge of the doric to compile a glossary of the Glenkens dialect? In such a project the spoken word would be even more valuable than the written. Dictionaries are full of definitions but speakers better understand the nuanced meanings. We will return to this theme in future articles but meantime if any one is interested (all words welcome) please contact me through the Glenkens Gazette. Ted Cowan “Did ye ever see a lass at the fit o’ the cless? A’m sure ye didna...If it wusna for their sisters learning them at hame, the lads wud be a at the fit thegither in a cludder”. occasions. There’s a wheen o’ them noo-a-days disna fash the kirk much”. Many of the young ones on the farms go ‘spluntin’ (courting) at night. Trotter reveals his feminist credentials by asking; “Did ye ever see a lass at the fit o’ the cless? A’m sure ye didna. They’r ey at the ither en, fowr or five o them afore ye come tae the lads; deed! If it wusna for their sisters learning them at hame, the lads wud be a at the fit thegither in a cludder”. The trouble with Trotter’s information is that he admits that many folk, himself included, just make up what they do not know and so are guilty of ‘whuds’(lies). They haver or blether as well as talking sense. Trotter realizes that as the language dies so too do culture and identity. Words become redundant as the means of subsistence changes while other words are invented over time (think of computer-speak!). How many folk today would know what it means when a sheep turns ‘avel’ Glenkens Gazette A SAD AND LONELY MOOR The Story Of Old Mortality: Part I The whaup rose lazily on brown speckled wings, its long curved beak opened; an eerie cry echoed over the lonely moor. The cry could have been the first two syllables of a wail of anguish, uttered by a newly widowed bride, as she found her laddy, ruthlessly shot by ‘Bloody Lagg’, a hundred years before. Could the DNA of a moorland bird carry a folk memory of that soulful scream for fifty generations? The scene had changed little in the century past; it had changed little in the previous ten thousand years, since the great ice retreated. Glacial moraine had softened imperceptibly each season with the growth and decay, of heather, blaeberry and bog cotton, washed by the rains of ten millennia. The whaup had risen from the wet moor alerted by a bark, the sound of a roe buck challenging an intruder. Alerted, a fox following a sheep path winding its way among the heather, halted its stealthy progress to scan the slope of the hillside below, its dark ears cocked and keen eyes focused. A small movement behind a heather clad knowe was enough. The vixen turned tail and stole away unseen, looking back momentarily after a hundred yards to confirm her suspicions before trotting on out of sight. Robert Paterson saw neither the roe nor the fox, though he glanced at the curlew as it soared above. Head down, he led his faithful white horse, laden with a pannier on either side, each basket cradling a carved freestone slab. The year was 1786, the only change in the scene before him in a century, was a Galloway dyke recently erected by gnarled hands and back-breaking toil. This drystane dyke, like many others was built to enclose the previously open moor, delineating a new laird’s ownership. The dykes, like the froth on a calm sea, informed the knowledgeable eye of the presence of rock below the smooth surface. Built by Irish peasants, generously allowed to break their backs doing this unrelenting toil, in lieu of rents which could not be paid from rotting crops and famine at home. These dykes would be a long lasting feature on the rolling Galloway hills. A gang of labourers would drag the stone from the surrounding area, on horse drawn sledges. Smaller stones would form the base, built double faced, - this was the doublin’. Once two or three feet high a horizontal layer of ‘throughbans’ was laid to hold the two faces together, and above that larger single stones were set, before finally, carefully picked copes or tapstanes were laid and pinned in place to form a level top. As Robert led his horse on the hole. They would take a breather now and again and look down on the Dee Valley below, or glance at the Carsphairn hills to the North, before turning again to face the climb. Approaching a patch of old heather, a grouse exploded into the air and flew off on whirring wings, crying indignantly the characteristic - ‘Go back!’ ‘Go back!’ Its flurried departure left the scent of the purple heather flower hanging in the air. All of a sudden Robert and his mare rounded the shoulder of the rise and they were at the top. Not a peak, but a surprisingly level plateau; not covered in heather or blaeberry, but short cropped grass, as bare as any bowling green. Sheep are shrewd; they know that the top of the hill is where the cooler breezes reach, where the flies and midges are fewer. This is the place they head for on a warm summer evening and as a result, it is well used, well grazed and with its regular sprinkling of sultana-like sheep droppings, well fertilised. Robert headed for the two small ice-rounded boulders near the centre of the grass, and tied his horse to a gnarled thorn tree, as old as time. Perhaps it too, like the whaups, had witnessed the evil deed that happened here? The two glacial erratics, as these stones are correctly termed, had been carried from a near-bye knowe to mark the resting place of the two lads. King Charles II, arrogantly certain of the divine right of kings, had decreed that all his subjects must worship his Episcopalian clerics. Presbyterian ministers were driven from their homes and their congregations hunted down and shot by government dragoons, often without reason, without trial. The two lads who perished here were loyal to the king but knew nothing of theology, or politics and unable to answer Graham of Claverhouse’s questions were instantly shot dead. Weeping neighbours buried them where they had died. John Nelson, Crossmichael Could the DNA of a moorland bird carry a folk memory ... for fifty generations? sheep track which ran alongside the dyke, the mosses had already softened the faces of the whinstone. Silver grey circles of lichen, some coarser, darker, some orange, others brown. Below a solitary old tree, green sphagnum moss had established itself in the moist shady environment. Robert knew the mosses, lichen and algae so well from his regular forays into old churchyards. He smiled as he watched a young weasel pop out from a hole in the wall and nimbly run along the ‘causeway’ of topstones five feet above any prey. He stooped to pick a handful of blaeberries as he skirted a bog and ate them with relish. Later as he and his mare traversed the slope, he knelt beside the crystal clear burn, lowered his head and drank his fill. His mare took the chance too, and drank deeply from a shallow pool gouged by the water on some wet winter’s day. The burn trickled and tinkled its way among the pebbles, down towards the bog below. Robert urged his horse up the heather clad hill, following one of many sheep tracks, skirting each rocky outcrop and hillside bog- page 16 Glenkens Gazette page 17 SCOTTISH ALTERNATIVE GAMES The typical Scottish summer weather rarely deters Alternative Games competitors. This was the fifteenth year that the event has been held in New Galloway and a good crowd gathered to step back in time and enjoy the traditional events first held in Parton in 1977. The competitors included reigning World Gird n’ Cleek Champion, John McQueen, from Castle Douglas, and several previous champions and world finalists looking to take the title off John’s hands. There was a good international presence too with several regular competitors and lots of new challengers from south of the border together with overseas entrants in several events representing France, Canada, Spain, Russia and The Netherlands. The strength events also attracted big entries and the men’s competitions were largely dominated by three competitors, Jayde Devlin, Ralph entertained in the Tea Tent. Spernagel and Craig Fergusson As always, the Games attracted claimed Gold, Silver and Bronze many returning competitors and respectively in the Tractor Pull audience but also embraced and the Hurlin’ the Curlin’ Stane. many first time visitors too. The The Classic Car competition has smiling faces and appreciative become a great favourite at the comments received were Games in recent years and the testament to the enduring best turned-out vehicle is voted popularity of the unique event for by the crowd. This year’s with many people pledging a clear winner in the count was the return next year. MGA 1600 owned by Morton Davidson. Snail Racing may seem a rather sedate event but the biggest noise of the day is always heard from the Snail Racing Paddock as another race approaches the finish line! Jeremy Sainsbury hosts the paddock as only he knows how, whipping the expectant crowd into a frenzy and bribing the snails into action when necessary. Stallholders all enjoyed a good trade throughout the afternoon and between the pipe band’s appearances John McQueen receiving the Gird n Cleek World Championship trophy for the in the arena, the ‘Four second year in a row. String Pickers’ ukulele band Great War Update: The Battle of Loos The battle of Loos resulted in a great number of deaths in September 1915. The Glenkens perhaps had more than its share of deaths reported, six in total with five of those coming from Dalry and all during the first two days of the battle. Lance Corporal George Hamilton of Front Street was reported missing presumed dead at the battle of Loos on 25 September 1915. He was aged 34 and left a widow (Frances) and two children. Private Robert Hamilton was the son of Robert and Mary Hamilton of Main Street, and was also reported missing at the battle of Loos on 25 September. He was aged 21. Both Robert Hamilton and George Hamilton were serving with 12th Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry. Private Alexander McCulloch was the youngest son of Mr and Mrs Walter McCulloch, of Courthill, and was reported missing on 25 September at the age of 31. He had been a prominent and leading golfer and footballer. His parents’ Golden Wedding was quietly celebrated just six months after his death. Andrew McNaught was the son of Robert and Agnes McNaught, of Midtown, and was aged just 19 when he was reported missing, also on 25 September. Both Andrew and Alexander McCulloch had been serving with 7th Battalion the Kings Own Scottish Borderers. Archie Mair was the only son of William and Elizabeth Mair of Gordiestoun (near Lochinvar and now a ruin) and had been one of the first to enlist in August 1914. He was serving with 6th Battalion the Queens Own Cameron Highlanders when he was reported missing at the battle of Loos on 26 September at the age of 23. Archie’s grandfather (Archibald) had farmed near Drongan in Ayrshire and Archie is also listed on the Ochiltree War memorial. Sergeant Robert McGaw was serving with 9th Battalion the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) when he was reported missing on the 25 of September. He was aged 29 and was the son of Charles and Susan McGaw. Robert had been a gamekeeper at Corsock House wehen he enlisted in September 1914. His brother would be killed later in the war. Robert is also listed on the Corsock war memorial. These would be the only Glenkens men killed in August and September 1915 but in just two days, the Glenkens had lost six men and not one of their bodies was ever found. They are all commemorated on the Loos memorial along with over twenty thousand other British and Commonwealth soldiers from the battle of Loos who have no known grave. Paul Goodwin Glenkens Gazette page 18 OCTOBER & NOVEMBER OCTOBER Sat 3, McMath the Silent Page, 7.30pm, Dalry Town Hall Thu 8, Stewartry Bird Watchers talk - Chris Waltho Spectacled Eider Ducks in Europe, 7.30pm, Kells School, New Galloway, see p10 Wed 21, Writing in the Woods and on the Water; wildlife writer Mandy Haggith speaking about her poetry and prose, 2pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Fri 23, Launch Party (Friends & Patrons), CatStrand, New Galloway Sat 24, Ben Rogers & The Jellyman’s Daughter, CatStrand, New Galloway Sun 25, The Templewood Ensemble, CatStrand, New Galloway Tue 27, Rapture Theatre: The Last Yankee, CatStrand, New Galloway Thu 29, Film: Amy (15), CatStrand, New Galloway Sat 31, Halloween Party & Film Premiere, CatStrand, New Galloway Thurs 22, SWANC Talk; What Happens when a Community Takes Over? 7.30pm, Ken Bridge Hotel, New Galloway, see p3 until Sat 24, Droving Project exhibition - part of The Land exhibition, Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries, see p6 NOVEMBER Sun 1, Ricky Ross, CatStrand, New Galloway Sat 7, Film: Brief Encounter (U) & Romantic Supper, Supper From 6pm, Film 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Thu 12, Stewartry Bird Watchers talk - Glen Chilton Rediscovering ‘Extinct’ Species, 7.30pm, Kells School, New Galloway, see p10 Fri 13, Karine Polwart & Emma Pollock, 7.30pm, CatStrand, ALEX FERGUSSON MSP FOR GALLOWAY & WEST DUMFRIES Holds regular advice surgeries at: Constituency Office, New Market Street, Castle Douglas, DG7 1HY on the 2nd Friday of every month from 5pm Telephone free on 0800 028 7260 for an appointment or to make any alternative arrangement. You can visit Alex’s website at: www.alexfergusson.org.uk or contact him by e-mail at: alex.fergusson.msp@scottish.parliament.uk New Galloway Wed 18, Film: Two By Two (U), 10am, Free (Schools Only), CatStrand, New Galloway Fri 20, Ragazze Quartet, 7.30pm, CatStrand, New Galloway Sat 21, Craft Fair, 10am to 3pm, Mossdale Village Hall Sun 22, Talk by Peter Aitchison & Andrew Cassell on the Lowland Clearances, CatStrand, New Galloway, see p14 Thu 26, Film: The Bridge Rising (12), 7.30pm (Includes Q&a With Film Makers), CatStrand, New Galloway Sat 28, Christmas Shopping Day, 11am–4pm, Free, Includes Mulled Wine & Mince Pies, CatStrand, New Galloway DECEMBER Thu 10, Stewartry Bird Watchers talk - Tanya and Edmund Hoare Our Disappearing Swifts, 7.30pm, Kells School, New Galloway, see p10 Glenkens Gazette page 19 REGULAR EVENTS CatStrand Activities - currently relocated until CatStrand reopens (contact 420 374 to confirm details): Exercise to Music: Mon, 1011am, New Galloway Town Hall (recommences 24 Aug) Margaret Morris Movement Adult Dance Class: Mon, 2.30-3.30pm, contact Sara on 01556 612854, New Galloway Town Hall (recommences 24 Aug) Children’s Dance Class: Mon during term time, 3.45-4.45pm age 3-7, 4.30-5.30pm ages 8-15, New Galloway Town Hall (recommences 24 Aug) Gentle Tai Chi: Wed, 10am, 60+, New Galloway Town Hall Sing it Out: Thurs, 11am -12pm, Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Pilates: Thurs, 4.15-5.15pm & 5.306.30pm, Dalry Community Centre CatStrand Yukes: Thurs, 1pm – 3.30pm 60+ Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Saturday Art Club: 2nd Sat each month, 10am–12noon, New Galloway Town Hall (recommences 12 Sept) Zumbatomic: last Sat each month, 10-10.45am Catstrand Youth Players: Sun during term time, 2pmGlenkens Acoustic Sessions: last Sun of the month, 2-4pm, The Clachan Inn, Dalry Glenkens Community Centre, Dalry, (contact Kath on 430 281): Glenkens Children’s Club: Mon & Fri, 10am-12noon Paint & Art: Mon, 1.30-4.30pm & Wed, 7-9pm Ballroom & Latin Dance Class: Mon, 7.15pm, for more info call Sam Rushton on 420 672 GCC Playgroup: Tues, Wed & Thurs, 9.10-11.40am, contact Sue on 07709 929 482 Good Neighbours’ Club: Tues, 2pm Kickback Martial Arts: Thurs, 79pm Thursday Craft Group: Thurs, 24pm Brownies: Wed, 5.30-6.45pm Guides: Tues during term-time, 6.15pm, contact: Kath 430 281 Various Locations: Ukelele Group: Mon, 11.15am, 60+, New Galloway Town Hall Glenkens Walking Group, Mon & Wed, 1.30pm, contact Gerry on 420 852 Mother & Toddlers: Tues, 9.4511.15am, New Galloway Town Hall Beavers: Tues, 6–7.15pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Dog Training: Tues & Wed, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. Contact: Eric 460 670 Glenkens Community Councils Balmaclellan Community Council Meetings: 3rd Monday each month, 7.30pm, Balmaclellan Village Hall. Carsphairn Community Council Meetings: Last Monday each month, 7pm, Lagwyne Hall, Carsphairn. Dalry Community Council Meetings: 1st Monday each month, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. New Galloway & Kells Community Council Meetings: 2nd Monday each month, 7.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall. Full minutes of local Community Council meetings can be viewed at Dalry Library. CHURCH TIMES at New Galloway and Balmaclellan War Village Hall. 8th Nov, 11am: Ceremonies CHURCH OF SCOTLAND Sunday Services - Balmaclellan 12noon: 1st. Carsphairn 10.30am: 1st 2nd, 3rd 4th. Dalry 12noon: 1st 2nd(Nov) 3rd 4th. Dalry 10.30am: 2nd (Oct), 5th (Nov). Kells 10.30am: 3rd 4th. Special Services/Events: 4th October, 10.30am: Harvest Thanksgiving, Carsphairn Church. 12th October, 10.30am: United Family Service for Dalry and B & K Church in Dalry Church. 17th October, 10-12: Abbas Rest Coffee Morning, Dalry Town Hall. 6th Nov, 7.30pm: Quiz Night in Balmaclellan Memorials, followed by Remembrance Service in St Margaret’s Church. 27th Nov, 7.30pm: Scottish Night, Dalry Town Hall. 29th Nov, 10.30am: United Service with the Choir in Dalry Church. Communion Service: 25th Oct, 12noon, Dalry Church. 1st Nov, 12 noon, Balmaclellan Church. 15th Nov, 10.15am, Carsphairn Church SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH: St Margaret’s, New Galloway: Holy Communion, 10.30am every Sun & Wed CATHOLIC CHURCH SERVICES: Kirkcudbright: Sun Mass, 9.30am. Dalbeattie: Sat Mass, 5pm Bowling for Beginners: Wed, 7pm, Spalding Bowling Club, Dalry (opposite The Garage) Wednesday Quiz Night: Wed, 8.30pm, Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Stewartry Camera Club: Wed, 7.30pm, Ringford Village Hall, runs Wed 11 Sept till end Mar Zumba: Wed, 7.30-8.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall, £4 Mossdale Painters: Wed, 9.30am, Mossdale Village Hall Cub Scouts: Wed, 6.45–8pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Carsphairn Post Office: Tues, 1- 3pm, Lagwyne Hall Coffee & Craft Morning: Thurs, 9am-12noon, Lagwyne Hall D&G Hard of Hearing Group Dropin: 1st Friday each month, 10am12noon, New Galloway Town Hall. Scouts: Thurs, 7–8.30pm, New Galloway Scout Hut To hire the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) behind Dalry School call Sonja Tranter on 430 244 or Nicolette Wise on 430 218. Dalry Library Temporary Hours Tue: 12noon - 3.30pm Fri: 10am - 12noon & 1pm - 4.30pm There are 23 mobile library stops - to find out where and when please phone 430 234. ADVERTISE IN THE GAZETTE (price per issue incl VAT) SMALL: 6cm x 6cm, £37.80 (+ 10% off with series discount) 1/4 PAGE: 9cm w x 13cm h, £81.90 (+ 25% off with series discount) 1/2 PAGE: 18cm w x 13cm h, £151.20 (+ 25% off with series discount) FULL PAGE: 18cm w x 27cm h, £252 (+ 25% off with series discount) Call 07727 127 997 VAT Reg. No. 882 8361 87 USEFUL NUMBERS: ● Pot-hole Hotline: 0845 276 0000 ● Local Police: 0845 600 5701 ● Doctor: 01644 420 234 ● NHS 24: 08454 24 24 24 ● D&G Council: 030 33 33 3000 Glenkens Gazette page 20 Glenkens Clubs & Societies Fair The Glenkens Clubs and Societies Fair was judged to be a great success by those who attended. 25 Clubs and Societies from across the Glenkens were represented in person, and over 100 people came along to find out what they could do in the area. Many thanks are due to the volunteers who came out to represent their clubs and societies and did a great job of advertising the wide variety of things to do. In particular, the sports representatives in the school hall were very much appreciated, as were the ukulele band, who never fail to bring a bit of joy to an event. People were also delighted with the free Directory that they received which lists over 80 clubs and societies, as well as a host of useful information at the back about other community facilities and services. Thanks are due to Helen Keron who did the data gathering and Martha Schofield (www.mschofielddesign.co.uk) who converted the information into a thing of beauty. If you didn’t get a Directory and would like one there are still a few left at various shops, or contact Nicolette Wise on 430 218. Thanks are also due to our many sponsors who allowed us to stage the event and issue the Directory for free. They are the Glenkens Community Shop in Dalry, the Ross Family Fund through Foundation Scotland, The Galloway Association of Glasgow, Dalry Community Council and New Galloway & Kells Community Council. The idea for the initiative came from Dalry Community Council. As Alex Fergusson, MSP, said in the introduction to the Directory; “Volunteers are the life-blood of rural communities and without them, the wealth of groups and recreational activities that are available simply would not happen. How lucky we are in the Glenkens to have so many people putting in their time and energy for the benefit of the community as a whole.” Thank you all! The CatStrand Saturday 28th November 11am-4pm Join us for a relaxing afternoon of Christmas shopping, and buy all your presents locally at the CatStrand. Shop for a seasonal selection of handmade and quality gifts to fill all the eagerly awaited Christmas stockings! With a range of stalls presenting local craft and produce, this is an ideal opportunity to find unique and special gifts for family and friends. Enjoy a glass of mulled wine while you browse. If you would like to have a stall at the Christmas Shopping Day, please get in touch with Wendy at the CatStrand. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Submit events, activities, news stories, cartoons, reviews, tips & techniques, fiction, photos, ads or ideas... Contact Sarah Ade on 07727 127 997 or glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk DEC/JAN COPY DEADLINE: 5 NOVEMBER Design & co-ordination: Sarah Ade sarah.ade@gmail.com Printing:Stranraer & Wigtownshire Free Press www.stranraer-freepress.co.uk The Glenkens Gaze�e is an ini�a�ve of the Glenkens Community & Arts Trust, a Registered Sco�sh Charity No. SC032050  Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette 90 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GG_090 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource GCAT Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015 Description An account of the resource Editor: Sarah Ade https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/1/235/GlenkensGazette89.pdf 10e267c135a066a008f473fc39259150 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette 89 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Description An account of the resource <p>Find out more about the Gazette: <a href="https://glenkens.scot/gazette-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glenkens Gazette home page</a> If you would like to submit an article or take out an advert, please email the editor Sarah Ade: <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="mailto:glenkensgazette@hotmail.com">glenkensgazette@hotmail.com</a></p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is a member of, and regulated by <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.impressorg.com/">Impress</a>.</p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is an initiative of Glenkens Community &amp; Arts Trust (SC032050) and represents the voice of the community (not necessarily the views of GCAT).</p> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document GLENKENS GAZETTE News from Balmaclellan, Carsphairn, Mossdale, New Galloway and St John’s Town of Dalry August/September 2015 ISSUE 89 WHAT CAN YOU DO IN THE GLENKENS? The Glenkens will be celebrating the diversity of activities and interest groups in the area at the first Clubs and Societies Fair on 12 September. The massive variety of activities on offer in the area, from Art to Zumba - via just about every letter of the alphabet in between - will be showcased at the event. Clubs and societies run primarily by volunteers will be invited to the Fair to advertise FREE their activities and to let local people know what help they need. There is a phenomenal amount of good work done, largely unseen and unsung, by volunteers in this area, and they are always keen to get new recruits. The Fair, which is the initiative of Dalry Community Council, will take place from 2-5pm on Saturday 12 September at the Glenkens Community Centre in Dalry. There will also be sport and activity taster sessions run by the Council across the road in Dalry school. The event will also feature local businesses that offer useful services. Continued on page 3... Award for Cub Leader A Glenkens Scout worker has been honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for 50 years’ service to the movement. Heather McIntosh with her British Empire Medal. Heather McIntosh of New Galloway has been awarded the British Empire Medal for her work as Cub Scout Leader with the 1st Glenkens pack. Heather says the announcement was “wonderful news” and came as a complete surprise. “I would like to share the accolade with family and friends, all fellow Scouters in Galloway, Hannah and A Glenkens Community & Arts Trust (GCAT) ini�a�ve Doug, leaders of the pack, and the kind folk of the Glenkens and beyond who help the group in many different ways.” She also wants to share it with all the children who have been members of the pack over the years, right up to the present. “I hope my commitment has touched their young lives in some way.” Heather was born in Mossdale but moved to New Galloway when she was five. She had already been a Brownie, Guide and Cadet when local Scout leader Bob Carruthers asked her to help with the cubs “for an hour a week” in 1964. Continued on page 2... CatStrand Film Makers film shortlisted at Edinburgh International Film Festival! See p13 for details... Glenkens Gazette page 2 FUNDING BID TO SAVE NEW GALLOWAY SHOP A bid has been made to the Big Lottery Growing Community Assets fund to buy the Hopkins shop in New Galloway which is facing closure. The detailed funding application, submitted at the end of June, seeks funds to buy the shop and house and meet the cost of renovations and some of the initial operating costs. As well as a community shop it is intended to create two self-catering flats and workshop space available for rent. Competition for this fund is extremely strong, with a 30% success rate. A response is expected by the end of August. The bid has been made by New Galloway Community Enterprises (NGCE) Ltd, a community benefit society formed in June 2015. A community benefit society can trade commercially but all profits must be re- invested in the community. A brief recruiting drive has already resulted in 75 members and the membership drive will continue if the application is successful. The NGCE management committee - Helen Keron (chair) Sarah Parry (vice-chair) Margaret Watson (secretary) Jean Marsden (treasurer) David Briggs, Mike Brown, Emma Curtis and Dawn Spernagel would like to thank everyone for their support, including Jim and Margaret Hopkins. Your Chance to Become a Community Councillor In October 2015 communities in Dumfries and Galloway will have the opportunity to elect new members for their Community Council. Community Councillors are local people elected by members of their community to represent their views on a wide variety of subjects such as planning applications, public transport, the environment, conservation and licensing matters. Community Councils may be involved with local projects and events, and many are in receipt of community windfarm benefits which are used to benefit their communities. There are currently over 80 active Community Councils in Dumfries and Galloway and members for them must be nominated by the public. Anyone age 16 years or over, living in the Community Council area and registered to vote in local government elections, can be nominated for their Community Council and, if elected, training will be provided to enable people to fulfil their role. There are some areas of the region where there are no active Community Councils, but if there are sufficient people in one of those areas who are interested in developing one, support can be provided to set up a new Community Council. The deadline for nominations is Friday 25 September and information about how to nominate people is on Dumfries & Galloway Council’s website. Advice and support to reestablish Community Councils will be provided by local Area Framework teams who may be contacted via the Council Contact Centre on 030 33 33 3000. Continued from front page... By 1965 she was Cub Scout Leader and has been ever since. She “begs to differ” over his “hour a week” claim having been heavily involved not only with the pack but with wider scouting activities including the post of district commissioner for Cub Scouts. She has seen major changes over the years: the arrival of girls as well as boys in the pack, changes in uniforms and new activities and badges. The Cub Scout programme reflects the modern world with activities such as disability awareness, global issues, conservation, computing and martial arts. However, in a tradition dating back to ‘Wolf Cubs’, she is still known as ‘Akela’ to the children and her Cub Scouts still love ‘sausage sizzles’ and camping, but now one of the novelties is washing up dishes in a basin - a new experience for those who have grown up to the sound of a dishwasher. “I believe scouting helps the children to develop life-long skills, boosts their confidence and creates thoughtful independent people. And,” she adds with a laugh, “it’s about having fun.” Cub Award for Heather Glenkens Gazette page 3 Photo of the Issue: Glenkens Clubs Sponsored by the Ken Bridge Hotel Competition judges, Dave and Sue at the Ken Bridge Hotel, said: “14 superb photos, and it is so difficult to choose a winner, we really wish the Gazette could publish all of them. In the end we have chosen Kyle Butterworth as the winner with his atmospheric scene of Clatteringshaws loch”. Kyle wins a meal for two at the Ken Bridge Hotel’s renowned Sunday Carvery. Continued from front page... So look out for the advertising closer to the time, and do come along if you can. It’s free, and there will be a take-home directory of all the activities. You might just surprise yourself with what’s out there, and pick up a brand new hobby at the same time! The list of sponsors confirmed at time of going to press include the Glenkens Community Shop, the Galloway Association of Glasgow and Dalry and New Galloway Community Councils - thanks to all of them for their support. To get involved contact Nicolette at nicolettewise@aol.com or 430 218. Local Initiatives in New Galloway Following the very successful Open Days last year a new Local Initiatives in New Galloway (LING) committee was formed. Then due to various personal reasons there has been a gap in developments. Recently Dumfries & Galloway Council have intimated that they will be considering closing New Galloway Town Hall unless the community can produce a viable plan for its ongoing use and sustainability. This is being submitted and in the autumn we will be setting up activities and groups which have been requested. The Town Hall does not appear to be registered under the Council as Common Good Glenkens Community Shop Grants allocated in July 2015 Ist Glenkens Guide Unit Glenkens Community Centre Dalry School Tech Club The Ex Servicemen’s Club (DCC) Society’s Fair Dalry Town Hall Dalry Bowling Club Good Neighbours Club Glenkens Art Workshop Craft Club Dalry Rural Glenkens Children’s Club Dalry Community Council The Glenkens Shed £125 £500 £380 £500 £500 £300 £200 £200 £280 £200 £200 £300 £500 £500 Total - £4,685 Thank you to all volunteers and customers who make this possible. despite the fact that financial reports of the previous Burgh Council list it as such. It appears that other properties were acquired for revenue raising and these contributed to the Town Hall’s upkeep. If anyone has any information about this, please let us know. An open meeting will be held in September and a new committee elected. Ros Hill, 01644 420 632 Wright’s Shop & Post Office Dalry Licensed convenience store and newsagent stocking a range of local suppliers including Corsons and Irvings Bakers, Ballards and Dalmellington Country Butchers and Mitchells Fruit and Veg. Opening Times (both shop & PO): Monday to Friday: 7am – 6pm Saturday: 8am – 6pm Sunday: 8.30am – 4pm Tel: 01644 430 225 Glenkens Gazette page 4 sponsored by EVERYTHING listed in the Glenkens Freecycle section is FREE - you just need to contact the owner and go and pick it up! If you would like to list something on this page, please get in touch with Sarah on 07727 127 997 or email glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk Various White melamine ‘conti’ board. Contact: 430 690 Compost Tumbler needs a new home. Contact: Annikki on 460 640 Oval shaped extending teak dining room table made by William Lawrence. Max width 3’ 3”, length 4’ 6” extends to 5’ 10”. Good condition. Detachable legs. Free to good home but any donation to Riding for Disabled welcome. Contact: Keith on 450 201 Mattress for double bed. Clean, little used but surplus to requirements. Contact: Alan on 07769 680938 Corby trouser press. Perfect working order.Contact: Fiona on 420 227 Basic computer table. Contact: June on 420 361 Double bed frame. Contact: 07876 353 557 Wood chip, ideal for garden paths etc. Bring own bag to fill. Contact: 430 218 Vick’s CleanAir air purifier, virtually unused. Contact: 430 380 WANTED Plastic bath. Contact: Corina on 07790 052 937 3/4 drawer filing cabinet with lock. Contact: 01556 670 239 Petrol mower/strimmer, any condition, preferably working. Contact: Simon on 07426 124 982 CLACHAN FAIR FUN Fun has not been forgotten this year even though there has been no Clachan Fair Week. The first event was the Fun Dog Show at Newfield Farm where money was raised for the Dumfries & Galloway Canine Rescue as well as Clachan Fair funds. The show started with an agility demonstration followed by a Have a Go at Agility event. This was enjoyed hugely by all dogs and their owners. Many thanks to Diana Lord and the STARS for all the fun. Then 21 competitors took part in the Dog Show and judge Vorna Gilkes had some difficult decisions to make. All the dogs were looking their best but after much deliberation Bailey (springer-cross-Labrador), owned by Trudie Mitchell, won best in show. Reserve was Kim (golden-red Labrador), owned by Paul Cain. A big thank you to all our generous sponsors and all the competitors for such a great day out. The Clachan Fair June Weekend started off with the Splash Party. When you let over 100 children loose with paddling pools, water guns, water balloons and water pistols of all shapes and sizes, you end up with a very wet but great fun event. With hotdogs and burgers for tea at the barbecue, altogether it was an afternoon to remember. The parents who stayed seemed to enjoy it too. The adults (and some of the children) then enjoyed a quiz night on Saturday during which the Clachan Fair raffle was drawn with about 15 prizes to be won. These were the first events in the new-look Clachan Fair with activities being spread throughout the year rather than concentrated into one week. Further events are planned for later in the year so please watch out for posters. Next year should see a more traditional Fair over a weekend, including the usual stalls and parade as well as other events throughout the year. If you have any ideas please let us know, and we are always on the look out for new members of the committee and volunteers to help at events. Sally Hooker Glenkens Gazette page 5 sponsored by SIGN UP TO THE BIOSPHERE CHARTER Do you have a passion for your place? The Biosphere Partnership has ambitious goals and wants as many people as possible to share an enthusiasm for this special place by signing up to the new Biosphere Charter at gsabiosphere.org.uk By agreeing with the six principles of the Biosphere Charter, you can demonstrate that you are proud to be a supporter of the Biosphere designation and are playing your part in promoting and developing the sustainability of the area. The six principles of the Biosphere are: 1) - Help conserve the natural resources of the Biosphere 2) - Support the economy to benefit people and nature 3) - Promote cultural heritage and local products 4) - Contribute to health and wellbeing of the community 5) - Develop knowledge, understanding and research 6) - Raise awareness of the Galloway and southern Ayrshire Biosphere We believe that the more supporters who sign up to the six Biosphere principles the greater the benefits will be. Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere, simply known as a Biosphere, is an international designation awarded by UNESCO to areas renowned for their special environments which are valued by local people. By providing a distinctive badge associated with this special place we can help promote the best environments, local products and services. Using the badge will help others recognise and understand the high quality of our environment and the more we know about our surroundings the more we will want to care for it. Together we will make life better for people and for nature. Anyone who signs the FREE Biosphere Charter will receive a Biosphere Charter certificate and a (highly desirable and exclusive) ‘Proud Supporter’ window sticker. Information on events and a regular enewsletter will also be supplied to Biosphere supporters and we also hope to invite people to take part in a ‘Learning Journey’ in the Biosphere. Community groups or businesses that are located within the Biosphere area will also be permitted to use the Biosphere brand on promotional materials and website. We are currently developing an interactive map on the Biosphere website which will have hyperlinks to supporters’ websites and, for community groups, a link to a dedicated page. The web page will highlight what you have identified as special about your place under six headings, Wildlife & Natural Beauty, Heritage & Culture, Inspiration, Tranquillity, Recreation & Enjoyment and Local Produce. Eventually we hope that settlements in the Biosphere area will adopt the Charter and badge themselves as Biosphere Communities on their entrance signs. Landscape Partnership Scheme Update: Dumfries & Galloway Council has now submitted a first stage application for the Galloway Glens Project to the Heritage Lottery Fund Landscape Partnership Scheme. A successful bid will lead to a period of community project development before a second stage application is submitted. Glenkens Gazette Get on Your Bike! Natural Power employees have been participating in Love to Ride the UK’s first national cycling challenge, notching up almost 4,000 miles and topping the leader board in the SME category in Scotland. The National Cycle Challenge is a fun, free competition that gets employees motivated and encourages colleagues to experience first-hand the joys and benefits of riding a bike. It is also a major part of Bike Week and supported in partnership with Cyclescheme and CTC, the national cycling charity. The three week challenge took place between 8 and 28 June. This year 2,119 organisations from across the UK took part in the challenge, including Scottish Natural Heritage, Ofcom, Google, NHS and Aviva. Fiona Grubb, Head of Business Development and Marketing at Natural Power led the initiative as Challenge Champion. She said: “This is a fantastic initiative to encourage our team to be active and outdoors, whether it’s cycling to work or taking on an adventurous, mountain-biking expedition at the weekend. We’re delighted that so many staff took on the challenge and it’s been great to see some healthy competition amongst our people!” page 6 The National Cycle Challenge is the main event for Bike Week 2015. It is an annual opportunity to promote cycling, and show how cycling can easily be part of everyday life by encouraging ‘everyday cycling for everyone’. Demonstrating the social, health and environmental benefits of cycling, the week aims to get people to give cycling a go all over the UK. Find out more at www.lovetoride.net Gillespie Gifford & Brown LLP Solicitors and Estate Agents Selling properties across Dumfries & Galloway 01556 503744 www.ggblaw.co.uk All legal advice Offices in Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie Kirkcudbright and Dumfries Glenkens Gazette page 7 CatStrand Update The essential repairs to the CatStrand building have proved to be more extensive than first anticipated as several further issues have been discovered as the work progressed. However, everyone is working very hard to complete the reinstatement programme to allow CatStrand to re-open as soon as possible. At the moment we anticipate being able to open again by midSeptember and are planning an exciting ‘Welcome Back’ Festival Weekend of events in October to celebrate being back home in our newly refurbished venue again. Please look out for details being announced on the website and in local media in due course. We appreciate that the work has taken longer than initially hoped due to various circumstances beyond our control and we are working hard to minimise any further delay and we look forward to welcoming our many patrons and friends back to the building soon. In the meantime, we are extremely grateful to all of the other local venues for helping us to continue with most of our planned events and activities throughout this difficult period. To allow the staff to fully concentrate on planning the re-opening as effectively as possible, we have not arranged many events during August and September other than the regular classes and activities. The repairs are progressing well and after the lengthy stripping-out and drying-out phase from January through to April, the re- plastering has now been completed and the toilets have been refitted. The next stage will see the wooden not covered by insurance and floors re-laid, the kitchen we are extremely grateful to installed and then the remaining all who have contributed to the floor coverings can be laid fund so far. and decorating completed. Everyone at CatStrand greatly A great deal of thought has appreciates the tremendous gone into the planning of the support and understanding re-fit and the opportunity has shown since January and now at been seized to make some long last we can see the light at improvements to the fixtures the end of the tunnel. We hope and the layout where possible to see you in CatStrand soon! within the parameters allowed Brian Edgar, by our insurance company. We General Manager, hope you will agree that the 2015 version of CatStrand will be even better than the original! In relation to the flooding problem, we instructed an independent Flood Risk Assessment and have also been working closely with Dumfries & Galloway Council and The Scottish Flood Agency to find the best possible solution to prevent any future recurrence. A Caro flood FOR barrier system is to be fitted GALLOWAY & to all of the WEST DUMFRIES vulnerable external doors around the Holds regular advice surgeries at: building. In Constituency Office, New Market addition, as a result of the Street, Castle Douglas, DG7 1HY Flood Risk Assessment, on the 2nd Friday of every month from 5pm various further preventative Telephone free on 0800 028 7260 measures for an appointment or to make are being considered in any alternative arrangement. relation to the You can visit Alex’s website at: Cat Strand burn itself. Our Flood www.alexfergusson.org.uk Appeal has helped to meet or contact him by e-mail at: some of the alex.fergusson.msp@scottish.parliament.uk additional costs ALEX FERGUSSON MSP Glenkens Gazette Spalding Bowling Club page 8 Spalding Bowling Club held a very successful Triples Tournament. The sponsors were the Clachan Inn, Dalry, Gordon McAdam Plumbing, Dalry, and Brian Pringle Services, Corsock. The picture shows Gordon McAdam (centre) and club president Peter Hamilton (right) with (from left) runners-up Brian McClune, Stevie Little and Robert McClune, and winners Scott Davis, Alan Davis and Eric Montgomery. W BONE WHB JEEPS THE GARAGE, DALRY PETROL & DIESEL SALES SERVICE & REPAIRS MOTs, TYRES, BATTERIES ALL AT COMPETITIVE PRICES OPEN 8.30AM - 6.00PM (SIX DAYS) 10AM - 6PM SUNDAYS - FUEL 24 HOURS SHOP • SANDWICH BAR • LOTTERY Tel: 01644 430208 Fax: 01644 430669 jeeps@whbjeeps.co.uk www.whbjeeps.co.uk Glenkens Gazette STRESS RELIEF THE ‘SNOOPY’ WAY The American creator of the Peanuts comic strip, in which ‘good ole’ Charlie Brown and his philosophical pet beagle, Snoopy, starred, held the unique philosophy of “I am only going to dread one day at a time”. Despite his ability to produce comforting, feel-good cartoons, Schultz had regular panic attacks and would often descend suddenly into a feeling of ‘impending doom.’ Dread, panic attacks and doom can all be descriptions of what can be described in today’s parlance as symptoms of stress. Stress is the feeling of being under too much mental or emotional pressure. When you are up against something you find threatening, your body produces chemicals which enable you to become stronger and more alert – the so-called ‘fight or flight’ response. These were historically to survive physical threats, such as a stampede of wooly mammoths. Our stress now is usually in response to something which negatively triggers our emotions and we don’t know what to do. Maybe your manager is giving you a hard time at work or you really want to be able to say ‘No’ to someone, but every time you see them, you end up saying ‘Yes’. If this keeps happening with no rest or relaxation, we start to experience the physical and emotional effects of stress. Examples of these are headaches, stomach upsets, loss of libido, feeling overwhelmed, becoming moody and agitated, and avoiding people and situations. The way we speak to ourselves greatly affects how we can deal with our responses. Research shows that if we are able to talk kindly and encouragingly to ourselves, our stress levels will reduce. Examples of such positive self-talk could be ‘I can handle this’ and ‘I am doing “Every day in every way, I am getting better and better.” GLENKENS MEDICAL PRACTICE General Medical & Dispensing Services The Surgery High Street New Galloway FOR APPOINTMENTS CALL � 01644 420234 � page 9 endorphins to help us feel calm, soothed and hopeful. • Take time out to do the things you enjoy which do not include screens - put down your iphone and step away from the laptop! Run a bubble-bath, curl-up with a good book, day-dream out of the window, paint a picture; silence can really help. • Drink more water: stay hydrated. For every cup of tea and coffee you have, drink half a cup to a cup of water. Cut down on the red wine! • Get connected with others; join a group, catch-up with a friend, have a good belly laugh, volunteer. Find a way of being with others in a shared way. • Take Snoopy’s advice and accept the things you cannot control. Read Peanuts for more canine-inspired wisdom. Gill Stanyard the best I can’. This is not a new concept. Over a hundred years ago, Emile Coue saw the power of positive thinking and came up with the famous affirmation: “Every day in every way, I am For help with lowering your stress and getting better and living a brighter life, Gill is qualified in better’’. Some top tips for stress relief are: • Exercise: just 30 minutes walking a day releases powerful feel-good Stress Management, specialising in walk and talk sessions, guided meditations and visualisations and coaching to increase your confidence and feel ok being you. Contact Gill at blueskiesventure@outlook.com or phone 01387 780 260. I look forward to hearing from you - cost is never a barrier. THE STEWARTRY VETERINARY CENTRE CASTLE DOUGLAS SURGERY HOURS Mon-Fri 2.00-2.30 pm & 5-6 pm Sat 2-2.30 pm DALBEATTIE SURGERY HOURS Mon, Wed, Fri 3-3.30 pm Tues & Thurs 6-6.30 pm FOR APPOINTMENTS AT BOTH SURGERIES OR IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY � 01556 502263 VETERINARY SURGERY OAKWELL ROAD CASTLE DOUGLAS � Glenkens Gazette page 10 ALL CHANGE FOR GCC After a very successful initial three years, it’s all change at Glenkens Children’s Club (GCC) this summer. the needs of the children. So I would firstly like to say a massive ‘thank you’ to all the office bearers and helpers, past and present, of New Galloway toddler group over the many years it has been running. In From small beginnings in particular Chrissy, Fiona and 2012, the Club has grown and Irene have done a fantastic grown until it now includes a job this year. This very friendly packed summer programme, group has just become part GCC Playgroup and GCC New of GCC, although nothing will Galloway. change in the way that it runs. We are all delighted that so Then I would like to say thank many volunteers and staff you to the secretaries of GCC continue to work together so - first Emma, then Lorraine. hard to provide such great They have contributed an facilities for the pre-school enormous amount to the club, children of the Glenkens. We and their efforts are very much are also most grateful for the appreciated. level of support from our wider Dawn has been the treasurer of community, with both moral and Children’s Club since it started, financial support offered often. and has worked tirelessly in this It is now time for the old often hidden role, with only the committee to step down as occasional scream of frustration. their children grow and move Thank you so much - the Club on, and a new committee to be wouldn’t have been able to run elected. This ensures that the without you. clubs are always managed by The staff of Playgroup, Sue, people who really understand Chrissy and Ailsa, have done a fantastic job this year. The children in their care (Activities run at Dalry Community Centre & New Galloway Town Hall) have adored their time JULY: there, and Mon 20 - Drama Session, 10–11:30am, Dalry Playgroup Tue 21 - Stickers & Colouring, 10-11am, New Galloway will of Fri 24 - Bushcraft Session, meet at 10am at Forkins (up the Glenlee road). Come dressed for the weather and course stay on for a picnic if it’s nice weather. continue Mon 27 - Wild Foraging with Galloway Wild Foods, places with Sue limited; booking essential through keronh@me.com. £10 and Chrissy per adult & 2 children, £2 per extra child, £5 per extra into next adult. 10am start. year. Tue 28 - Sensory Session, 10-11am, New Galloway Playgroup Fri 31 - Fundraising Family Ceilidh, 7.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall. Tickets from the CatStrand - 420 374. ends this AUGUST: year with Sat 1 - Hula Hoop Workshop, 10am, Dalry Park or 11 children Community Centre if raining. on the Sun 2 - The Scottish Alternative Games, 2pm, books, New Galloway Park. although Fri 7 - Zumbatomic with Sam Rushton, 10am, Dalry there will Mon 10 - Storytelling & Songs with Susi Sweetpea, be space 10am, Dalry for more Tue 11 - Sensory Session, 10-11am, New Galloway wee ones in Fri 14 - Free Play/Water Fight?! August as Mon 17 - End of Holiday Party, 10am, Dalry the big ones Tue 18 - Coffee Morning - all ages welcome, 10-11am, leave for New Galloway nursery. Glenkens Children’s Club Summer Programme I also want to say thank you to all the non-committee members who have worked so hard on the club. Whether it’s thinking of ideas, running a mini-Olympics, gardening with the children, washing up, deep-cleaning the playgroup room - there is so much to be done, and the only way to do it is with many hands. Thank you all, it couldn’t have happened without you. The new Chair of Glenkens Children’s Club (GCC) and the Vice-chair of GCC Playgroup is Sarah Parry, mother of Brigid. The Vice-chair of GCC Dalry is Dave Stevenson, father of Isobel, Elizabeth and Mahala. The Vice-chair of GCC New Galloway is Lucy Lees, mother of Jennifer and Patrick. The Secretary of GCC is Miriam Stevenson, mother of Isobel, Elizabeth and Mahala. I thank them for picking up the baton and have every confidence that children’s club in all its forms will continue to go from strength to strength under their management. I would also like to thank the staff and board members of GCAT and the CatStrand, who have supported GCC in many ways since it started - we are proud to be a GCAT project Thank you all, Helen Keron, outgoing Chair of GCC GCC Playgroup: 09.1011.40am on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays at the Glenkens Community Centre. 2-3 years & two-year-olds pay £5/session, three-year-olds are free. Ring Sue on 07935 882 470 in Playgroup hours for more info. GCC Dalry: 10am-12noon, Mondays & Fridays, at the Glenkens Community Centre. Geared towards 0-3 yrs. Babies free, older children £2/session with 2nd/subsequent children £1 each. GCC New Galloway: 9.45am11.30am on Tuesdays at New Galloway Town Hall. Geared towards 0-3 years. Babies free, older children £2/session, 2nd/ subsequent children £1 each. Glenkens Gazette page 11 Glenkens Gazette page 12 Glenkens Gazette page 13 Glenkens Gazette page 14 Glenkens Gazette page 15 Mrs McIntosh Retires A presentation was made to Mrs Heather McIntosh by pupils and parents to say thank you for her service to Kells Primary. Mrs McIntosh has been a classroom assistant and playground supervisor at the school for 19 years and she will be missed by the children, parents and staff. Everyone at Kells wishes her a relaxing retirement! Heather McIntosh with Kells School Pupils. GLENKENS CAMP RESILIENCE The experience of camping outdoors has been linked with success and, throughout the Glenkens schools this year, we have been working at improving the outdoor experiences our young people have. The primary schools have been working with the Ranger service and independently in a variety of outdoor learning locations - and responsible metal detecting at Carsphairn was a new venture. In the secondary school, we have been building confidence through a residential experience at the outdoor centre of Stronord. For young people transferring into Dalry’s S1 there was camping on the school field, followed by a camp near Auchencairn and building towards expedition work for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Not always warm and comfortable, but our young people have learnt that they are more resilient than they thought, that 3am is a cold time of night, that wood fires keep the midges off and that carrying a fully laden rucksack is hard work. The staff have been impressed by the enthusiasm and ‘stickability’ of young people. Now we are starting younger, logically students should be more ambitious and we are excited to see how far they can get in the time they are with us. Life Savers: Literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing are the cornerstones of young peoples’ success and anything family, friends and schools can do to encourage them is priceless in the development of our young people. Reading to children of every age is so important in developing a community that reads. Let us take every opportunity for counting games, estimating and playing with numbers. Eating well, sleeping soundly and good exercise levels keep us well in mind and body - something we all need to aim for. Young people are taught about these things in school but good habits are ‘caught’ not taught and so, as adults in the community, we must each play our part and try to give that good example. However, things do go wrong and the secondary pupils have been finding out what to do when someone becomes unresponsive with no breathing or pulse. As part of the final days activities in school, the British Heart Foundation training manikins were used to make sure students and staff have the basic skills for saving a life. With the defibrillator installed at the Dalry Primary entrance for emergency use, what we need now is for every member of the community to be confident that they could step in and preserve life until the defibrillator is applied. There is lots of information and a downloadable app at: www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/nationof-lifesavers/call-push-rescue The best way to learn something is to teach it, so if any family would like their young person to bring home one of the training dummies, they should phone the school office and we will arrange for one to go home with them for a few nights. In this way we hope young people will reinforce their learning and develop a community skill that can help save lives until the emergency services can reach us. In the interim, we hope everyone has a good and safe summer. Jenny Smith, Head Teacher Walking the hills above Carsphairn. Glenkens Gazette URG AND I: Part III One man’s story of living with a broken ankle... Senor Bladder woke us early this morning. We had hobbled downstairs by 6.30am, glaring at the frost, the compacted frozen snow (which my rubber-tipped crutches easily slip upon) and snarling at the radio. Later we sat with our coffee and waited. Not for anything in particular. We just waited. This happens sometimes. Maybe we’ll read a little, write a little, but generally just wait. Yesterday I took Urg to the hospital. He had to get a change of clothes. A melodramatic technician removed his slab and replaced it with a sparkling green cast. Hard as nails and rather slippery. The technician’s first comment was that Urg had not been kept raised enough. He knew this because Urg’s toes were still bruised; (“I told you so”, said Urg). Then the technician asked if I had hardwood floors or lino. “Yes”, I answered. “When this dries”, he said, peering intently, even excitedly, into my eyes, “it will be very slippery!”. I think he was smiling. “I guarantee,” he continued, “absolutely guarantee!” (his eyes were widening gleefully), “that if you fall down you will break your leg right there!” He tapped my thigh. “Right there!” he repeated. “Really?” I answered. “‘Oh, yes! Oh, yes!” he replied. But he wasn’t done page 16 suffering zombies Batpiddle! This was crazy stuff! The consultant’s eyes were bulging with excitement - he looked like Ben in the TV series Lost. Urg and I fled the hospital in a state of nervous exhaustion, but at least it wasn’t raining. This morning we had a bath. Masochism, you say. Well, not quite. But very tense. A tense bath. After I’d run the water I dried the entire bathroom. Then we gingerly stepped in. Urg was way up there. It’s surprising how difficult it is to bathe without splashing once, but I managed it. Then came the exit. Standing up I quickly dried my leg above the cast. I didn’t want any water running down my body and onto the cast that way. I dried the rest of me and sat down. Then it hit me! What if I sweat? Oh my God, no! Does this mean I’ll have to give up my threesomes with the girls from the grocery store? What will we do for six days of the week? (We take Sundays off for tea). Urg and I had better go now. I think we are hallucinating. Perhaps I got water on the cast after all, and this is the first stage – HELP!! ‘...If you don’t, then the water will start a chemical reaction with the cast and it will ROT YOUR FLESH!’ yet; “Now…” (he was just finishing up the cast) “you cannot” – he stressed the word dramatically – “get this wet!” “No?” I enquired innocently. “No! If you get this wet you have five hours to get to the hospital!”. “I do?” Said I. “Yes!” He replied fanatically, beginning to froth at the mouth. “If you don’t, then the water will start a chemical reaction with the cast and it will ROT YOUR FLESH!” Holy ����������������������������������������������������� • Pensions • Savings • Investments • Retirement Options • Inheritance Tax Planning • Life Assurance • Income & Critical Illness Protection • Mortgages • Home Insurance Free Confidential Initial Consultation Tel: 01671 403080 Fax:- 01671 402549 Email: brian.edgar@marrfinancial.co.uk Web: www.marrfinancial.co.uk 61 Victoria Street NEWTON STEWART, DG8 6NL **NEW** Yorkshire Building Society Agency – Now Open Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. For mortgages we can be paid by commission or a fee of usually £300 or a combination of both. For Home Insurance we usually offer products from a limited panel of providers. Kevin Ade MAMMA’S GRILL RESTAURANT @ LOCHINVAR HOTEL NOW OPEN ENJOY THE RELAXED ATMOSPHERE OF OUR REFURBISHED RESTAURANT SERVING CHARGRILLED STEAKS & MEATS STONE OVEN COOKED PIZZAS BOOKINGS BEING TAKEN 01644 430 107 TAKE AWAY PIZZA AVAILABLE Glenkens Gazette page 17 Abbas Rest Appeal Our annual coffee morning in aid of Abbas Rest Orphans will take place on Saturday 17 October in Dalry Town Hall from 10am to 12noon. We do hope that you will once again support this event. Funds are still badly needed as the oldest part of the large building in the Chiringa Centre had been declared dangerous and had to be demolished. New toilets, bathrooms, kitchen and the children’s accommodation have had to be replaced. At the new centre in Muona everything is going well, and work is going ahead for a new borehole made possible by some large donations. The children’s education is also gradually improving and Dear Glenkens Gazette, I have some ideas that I would like to share with readers... What are people’s thoughts on forming a ‘Bus Users Group’, to help focus transport providers with an informed and broadly based perspective on transport locally? Also, is there any interest in forming a ‘Bike Club’ to encourage children and their parents to enjoy cycling around the Glenkens by offering skills-sharing in a safe environment during school holidays? Also available could be opportunities to arrange group trips to mountain bike centres, as well as recycling Aileen McLeod MSP working for you across the South of Scotland Postal address: Unit 7 Loreburn Shopping Centre High Street, Dumfries, DG1 2BD Email: aileen.mcleod.msp@scottish.parliament.uk Tel: 01387 255 334 Please check www.aileenmcleod.org for regular surgery, constituency and parliamentary updates clothes and uniforms have been purchased. None of these things would have happened without the funds raised by coffee mornings and other fundraising events. We would be very grateful for any donations towards the raffle, bottle, cake and bric-a-brac stalls or cash donations, as well as any help you can give on the stalls or in the kitchen. We look forward to seeing you, and for more information please contact Avril Brown on 430 526 or Barbara Colbenson on 430 090. children’s and adult’s bikes with help from The Glenkens Shed project. I’d also like to volunteer to offer my services for child-minding/elderly-personminding/baby-sitting when I’m available. (I am a retired health visitor, with enhanced Disclosure Scotland in another voluntary capacity). It would need to be within cycling distance of Balmaclellan, plus I’d prefer a ‘barter’ basis than monetary exchange (for example, babysitting in exchange for a bottle of wine!). If anyone would like to discuss these ideas further please get in touch on junehay@glenkensbb.co.uk All the best, June Bargatton Sand & Gravel Supplying sand and gravel for all your farming needs, as well as households and businesses both large and small. We stock washed fine sand, coarse sand and gravels at competitive prices. For further details contact: James Mair - 07793 085 243 Email: loch.bargatton@live.co.uk Bargatton Quarry, Laurieston, Castle Douglas, DG7 2PS Open Monday to Friday Weekends by arrangement Delivery can be arranged - subject to quantity Glenkens Gazette page 18 AIR CRASHES ON CORSERINE Corserine will be well known to most readers. Lying in Kells Parish, it is the highest hill of the Rhinns of Kells at a height of 814 metres or 2,670 feet if you prefer. In a little over eight years, five separate aircraft crashed on this hill resulting in a loss of 16 lives. On 9 January 1939, Avro Anson serial L9153 left Prestwick on a Navigation Exercise (Navex) flight when it crashed into the Western Slope of Corserine near Downies Burn killing Flying Officer Iain Shields, Mr Norman Duff, Leading Aircraftman Gordon Betts and Leading Aircraftman Henry Briggs. The wreckage was found still smouldering the next day by shepherd William McCubbin. Meanwhile, Tiger Moth serial L6932 had set out from Prestwick to find the crashed Anson and, in poor weather, it crashed very close to the original crash site. However pilot Pete Barrow and his photographer escaped uninjured (this was on 10 January). Various pieces of wreckage remain at the crash sites. 23 October 1942 saw another Anson crash, this time just 150 metres North West of the summit of Corserine. Anson Serial DG787 was on a night Navex from Jurby on the Isle of Man when it failed to return. Two days later a Home Guard unit in the area notified RAF Wigtown of a crashed aircraft and a search and rescue team from Wigtown recovered the bodies of: Sergeant Joseph Millinger, Sergeant Charles Lunny, Sergeant Petr Haas (Czech) and Flight Lieutenant Vaclav Jelinek (Czech). The site was cleared of all large wreckage but some small burnt fragments can still be found. On 20 January 1944, Mosquito serial DD795 was on a cross country training exercise from RAF High Ercall in Shropshire when it flew into high ground on the South Eastern side of Corserine near Scar of the Folk. Flight Sergeant Kenneth Mitchell and Flight Sergeant John Aylott were both killed. The Mosquito was known as the wooden wonder and most of the aircraft burnt in the crash, leaving very little remains. Immediately following the crash, the wreckage was covered with snow and despite four other aircraft searching for it along its route, it was not found until 11 February, some three weeks later. This wreckage was Location of the plane crashes. also found by shepherd William McCubbin, who found the first crash five years earlier. On 10 April 1947, a Belgian Air Force C47 (military version of the DC3 airliner) was on a ferry flight from Belgium to Prestwick with three passengers and a crew of three when it became lost in poor conditions and crashed just to the North of Corserine on Carlins Cairn. The men who died were Capt Roger Loyen, Adj Andre Dierickx, Adj Felix Curtis, Capt Olivier Lejeune, Adj Michel Cardon and Adj Andre Rodrique. Little if any wreckage is to be found at the crash site although, like the other crash sites, the scar is still visible. If you visit any of these sites, please be aware of the Protection of Military Remains Act, which makes it an offence to remove any wreckage from military crash sites without a licence. There are no local memorials to any of these crashes. Paul Goodwin Glenkens Gazette page 19 Special Places around Balmaclellan THE HOLY LINN Garple Burn The Holy Linn is a natural and very beautiful amphitheatre with lovely flat rock underfoot and ledges and rocks to sit on in a semicircle facing the waterfall. It is surrounded by trees and in particular the oak trees which it is believed the early pre-Christian people revered. One can easily imagine their high priest beside the waterfall addressing the tribe. The Holy Linn is so unique and special these earlier peoples may have travelled many miles to attend. ST JOHN’S CHAIR St John’s Chair is a river stone probably taken from the Garple Burn or the River Ken. Today sited at the top of Dalry, it may also have initially been used by pre-Christian priests at the Holy Linn in Balmaclellan, and certainly if he wished, a high priest would have ordered it moved for his use. The Novantae lived in this area for hundreds or possibly thousands of years and had control of all the resources of the land, long before any Romans and later Normans arrived. THE HOLY CROFT One day a few years ago I followed the Garple Burn, just a New Galloway Golf Club little further on from the Holy Linn. I walked into a little sheltered holm, beside the Garple with sharply rising ground on the South West side, and which probably had trees growing on it in Covenanting times. I was very struck by the sense of hallowed peace there and felt a great reluctance to leave. I did not know about this place until I researched it afterwards. It is known as the Holy Croft and is shown on the first ordnance map survey of 1854. COVENANTING TIMES Sometime during the mid 17th Century a number of baptisms were taking place at the Holy Linn when the people were all dispersed by the dragoons. It was agreed to meet again a few days later at the shepherd’s cottage at a certain time in the Holy Croft. An account of this happening is given in Pages 282-283, Lights and Shadows by John Barbour of Bogue, 1824; a very rare book. I feel sure this lovely place must also have been used by the earlier Celts for some of their own festivals and meetings. Family and friends coming to stay? Short of space? www.nggc.co.uk Cosy country cottage available (sleeps 4) Buggies now available for hire Call Fiona on 01644 420 227 Founded 1902 - 01644 420737 VISITORS AND NEW MEMBERS WELCOME www.covenanters-holidaycottagescotland.co.uk St John’s Chair. RING CAIRNS OF THE EARLY PEOPLE ON GAVELS MOOR On Thorniehill Farm near Balmaclellan there is a small field of ring cairns. They are between 3000 and 4000 years old. Ring Cairns are found on old uncultivated land always with the same shape and dimensions – a ring of stones covered with grass with a stone-filled hollow at the centre of the ring. The hollow was probably used for a burial. The rings measure 25ft across and is 1ft high. These ring cairns were very well made, with care, and are proof of the existence of the early people in the area. Bill Blyth, Blowplain FHB Fencing Dalry Domestic and Agricultural Fencing 01644 430 495 (Peter) or 07767 795 498 (Jonathan) Glenkens Gazette page 20 CARSPHAIRN LEAD MINES There will be a remains of the lead mines in the hills above Carsphairn and relate their history. Participants should be able to walk over rough ground and be equipped with suitable footwear, be clad for the prevailing weather in the hills and bring a packed lunch. There is no charge for this visit but the party size will be limited to 20 and pre-booking is essential. To book, email mbrown99@dircon.co.uk or call 01644 420 267. The next event planned by The Glenkens Story will be a talk in November (date to be confirmed) on the Lowland Clearances. Peter Aitchison and Andrew Cassell, authors of the book and BBC radio series of the same name, will speak on the impact of The Lowland Clearances on the Glenkens and neighbourhood. The talk will be accompanied by archive audio recordings. The Glenkens Story: Sharing Our History operates under the auspices of GCAT’s Connecting in Retirement Project. TV and telegraph had all yet to be invented, so all news had to Two hundred years ago, be carried by messengers. This details were still arriving in the meant that reports of the battle Glenkens of the great Battle travelled at the speed of a man at Waterloo, in present-day on horseback at best. Belgium, which was fought on History has not recorded the 18th June 1815. This was the last names of all those who fought nor great battle before the advent of even those who were killed but photography; news was slow to a few local connections include arrive because telephones, radio, a gravestone in Crossmichael to John Halliday, Sergeant in the 52nd Regiment of Foot who died in France in 1817 and therefore would have served The Clachan Inn, Dalry, is Waterloo. open every day from 12 noon at Captain Alexander Clark Kennedy serving great food, awardof Knockgray winning ale and offering (Carsphairn) was instrumental in en suite accommodation. the capture of Food is served from 12 noon to 2pm and the French eagle 6pm to 9pm and booking is recommended of the 105th at peak times (current menu can be Regiment at viewed on our website). Waterloo. A little further afield a significant monument to the battle stands on a hill above New Abbey and a recent TV programme about the monument contains contributions by myself and Margaret Heuchan (former teacher at Dalry and Carsphairn schools and now Head Teacher at New Abbey). The programme is available online so use your favourite search engine to look for ‘Border Life’ and choose episode 69. chance to spend a day exploring the history of Woodhead lead mines above Carsphairn on Saturday 22 August at the latest event organised by The Glenkens Story project. Anna Campbell of the Carsphairn Heritage Group will lead a walk, starting at 10.30am, round the UPDATES ON TWO WARS Waterloo Traditional Country Pub & Dining 01644 430241 mail@theclachaninn.co.uk The Great War The months of June, July and August 1915 saw one death reported from the Glenkens. Private James McLeod of the machine gun section, 6th Batallion Kings Own Scottish Borderers was killed on 10 July and is buried in Le Touret cemetery on the Western Front. He was born in Old Monkland, Lanark, and was the son of the late Mr W McLeod, Calder, Coatbridge, and the late Mrs McLeod of Kirkland Street, Dalry. Sadly he now seems to be unknown in the village and no photograph of him appears to have survived. He was just 22 years old when he was killed and his effects were sent to his brother William. James is listed in the Stewartry Roll of Honour and on war memorials in Dalry and Dunscore. His death was reported in the Dumfries Standard of 21 July. If you have information about other local connections with Waterloo or photographs of anyone listed on a local war memorial, please contact memorials@paulgoodwin.me.uk Paul Goodwin Glenkens Gazette page 21 LOCAL HISTORY with TED COWAN ROBERT HERON: THOUGHTS ON EDUCATION It is remarkable that very often, when reading literature from the past, a passage leaps out which could have been written yesterday. By one such I was struck quite recently: “It is very surprising that the greater number of our young folk, after all the solicitude which is expressed about their education from the time when they enter the nursery, till they are dismissed from the university, come out at last into the world, unable to speak their native language with any moderate copiousness of phraseology, or to write it with any tolerable share of correctness.” The writer was Robert Heron of New Galloway (1764-1807) some 220 years ago. He blamed the phenomenon of educational failure on teaching methods, an excuse that is still current, at least among politicians, but now reinforced by the welter of electronic technology available to us kids of all ages. Heron was born in New Galloway and educated at home. At age 11 he became a pupil-teacher and three years later he taught at Kelton school where he was said to have been too hard on his charges. In time he progressed to Edinburgh University where he studied for the Kirk but, having fallen in love with literature, he opted to earn his living by his pen. He wrote on many subjects including Scottish history and topography, poetry, politics, and geography, often translating works in other languages into English. Notoriously he was the author of the first Memorial of Robert Burns. He contributed articles to the third edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica, a work conceived and published in Edinburgh. He believed that he published a wider range of articles in the periodical press than anyone else. His flaw was that whenever he made money he squandered it. The first volume of his massive Scottish History was written in debtors’ prison and he died a pauper in London. I am currently engaged in a rehabilitation of this remarkable and undeservedly neglected individual, having just published the first modern reassessment of this son of the to describe some of the ‘simple visible objects’ that surround them. Having mastered such objects as flowers or trees they should then move to more complex items such as a herd of animals or a field which require more complex and inventive language. Such oral exercises would inform their literary skills as they learned to write. The big idea was to encourage the study of ‘things’ rather than words, visible objects rather than abstract relations and ‘sentiments that cannot be represented before the eyes’. To advance his theories he published almost one thousand pages in two volumes entitled Elegant Extracts of Natural History in 1792 comprising selections of good literature by a wide range of distinguished authorities, describing the Earth, the Human Species, quadrupeds, birds, fish, insects, vegetables and fossils. He thought that such topics might appeal in particular to pupils in country schools on the principle that learning is about moving from the known to the novel. He expressed the hope that boys of all ages, ‘who read with a view to amusement and instruction, without aspiring to extensive science or profound erudition would find the extracts useful’. He presumably did not endear himself to feminists of a future age when he added that he would indeed recommend his work even to ladies ‘did I not bethink me, how brutish it would be, to suppose, that ladies should read anything, save billets doux (love letters) and novels’! Many thanks to all of you who helpfully supplied information about the Old Mortality installation. Does anyone have a photograph of his statue that once stood near the petrol pumps in Balmaclellan? “...our young folk, after all the solicitude which is expressed about their education...come out at last into the world, unable to speak their native language with any moderate copiousness of phraseology, or to write it with any tolerable share of correctness.” Glenkens in the journal Review of Scottish Culture. There can be little doubt that the Scottish Enlightenment, the great eighteenth century explosion of learning and enquiry of which Heron was a product, owed much to Scottish education, particularly as represented in the parish schools. The matter is controversial but education seems to explain how so many Scottish children from quite humble backgrounds became figures of national and international importance. Heron had interesting ideas on the subject, claiming that for twenty years he ‘taught and assisted young persons, at all periods, in the course of education, from the alphabet to the highest branches of science and literature’. He believed that schoolchildren were bombarded with too many abstract ideas before they were able to understand them. He argued that the young should be encouraged Ted Cowan Glenkens Gazette page 22 AUGUST & SEPTEMBER JULY Sun 26, Glenkens Acoustic Session, 2-4pm, Clachan Inn, Dalry Sun 26, Glenkens Story: Visit to the Lost Farms of Blackwater of Dee (above teh Raider’s Road), 10.30am-3.30pm Mon 27, Wild Foraging for Kids with GCC, see p10 for details. Tue 28, GCC Kids Sensory Session, 10-11am, New Galloway Town Hall Fri 31, Alternative Games Ceilidh, 7.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall, contact CatStrand for tickets (420 374) and may also be available on the door. AUGUST Sat 1, Hula Hoop Workshop, 10am, Dalry Park (Community Centre if raining) Sun 2, The Scottish Alternative Games 2015, 2pm, The Park, New Galloway Fri 7, GCC Zumbatomic for Kids, 10am, Glenkens Community Centre, Dalry Sun 9, GTI Bus Trip: The Kelpies & the Falkirk Wheel, see p8 Sat 15, Glenkens Flower and Vegetable Show, Dalry Town Hall. Look out for entry forms in local shops. Sat 8, Glenkens Agricultural Show, Mains of Kenmure, Dalry (see ad below) Mon 10, GCC Storytelling & Songs with Susie Sweetpea, 10am, Glenkens Community Centre, Dalry Tue 11, GCC Kids Sensory Session, 10-11am, New Galloway Town Hall Fri 14, GCC Free Play/Water Fight, 10am, Glenkens Community Centre, Dalry Mon 17, GCC End of Holiday Party, 10am, Glenkens Community Centre, Dalry Tue 18, GCC Coffee Morning, 10-11am, New Galloway Town Hall Sun 23, GTI Bus Trip: Loch Lomond (Balloch) with Boat Trip, see p8 SEPTEMBER Sat 12, Glenkens Agricultural Show, Mains of Kenmure, Dalry (see ad below) Fri 25 - Sun 4 Oct, Wigtown Book Festival, see ad on back page Glenkens Agricultural Society Annual Show Saturday 8th August Mains of Kenmure, New Galloway Cattle, Sheep, Goats, Poultry, Horses, Show Jumping, Fancy Dress Pony, Pets & Dogs, Crookmaking, Refreshments, Schedules from Fiona McIntyre: 01848 200 531 or fiona_mcintyre@hotmail.co.uk JENNY’S Mobile Hairdresser Nursing Homes & Residential The Elderly & Disabled Home Visits NVQ Level 3 Hairdressing NVQ Level 4 Social Care Contact - 07554 009 624 Glenkens Gazette page 23 REGULAR EVENTS CatStrand Activities - currently relocated until CatStrand reopens (contact 420 374 to confirm details): Exercise to Music: Mon, 1011am, New Galloway Town Hall (recommences 24 Aug) Margaret Morris Movement Adult Dance Class: Mon, 2.30-3.30pm, contact Sara on 01556 612854, New Galloway Town Hall (recommences 24 Aug) Children’s Dance Class: Mon during term time, 3.45-4.45pm age 3-7, 4.30-5.30pm ages 8-15, New Galloway Town Hall (recommences 24 Aug) Gentle Tai Chi: Wed, 10am, 60+, New Galloway Town Hall Sing it Out: Thurs, 11am -12pm, Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Pilates: Thurs, 4.15-5.15pm & 5.306.30pm, Dalry Community Centre CatStrand Yukes: Thurs, 1pm – 3.30pm 60+ Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Saturday Art Club: 2nd Sat each month, 10am–12noon, New Galloway Town Hall (recommences 12 Sept) Zumbatomic: last Sat each month, 10-10.45am Catstrand Youth Players: Sun during term time, 2pmGlenkens Acoustic Sessions: last Sun of the month, 2-4pm, The Clachan Inn, Dalry Glenkens Community Centre, Dalry, (contact Kath on 430 281): Glenkens Children’s Club: Mon & Fri, 9.30-11.45am Paint & Art: Mon, 1.30-4.30pm & Wed, 7-9pm Ballroom & Latin Dance Class: Mon, 7.15pm, for more info call Sam Rushton on 420 672 GCC Playgroup: Tues & Thurs, 9.20-11.50am, contact keronh@me.com Good Neighbours’ Club: Tues, 2pm Kickback Martial Arts: Thurs, 79pm Thursday Craft Group: Thurs, 24pm Brownies: Wed, 5.30-6.45pm Guides: Tues during term-time, 6.15pm, contact: Kath 430 281 Various Locations: Ukelele Group: Mon, 11.15am, 60+, New Galloway Town Hall Mother & Toddlers: Tues, 9.4511.15am, New Galloway Town Hall Beavers: Tues, 6–7.15pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Dog Training: Tues & Wed, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. Contact: Eric 460 670 Bowling for Beginners: Wed, 7pm, Spalding Bowling Club, Dalry (opposite The Garage) Wednesday Quiz Night: Wed, Glenkens Community Councils Balmaclellan Community Council Meetings: 3rd Monday each month, 7.30pm, Balmaclellan Village Hall. Carsphairn Community Council Meetings: Last Monday each month, 7pm, Lagwyne Hall, Carsphairn. Dalry Community Council Meetings: 1st Monday each month, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. New Galloway & Kells Community Council Meetings: 2nd Monday each month, 7.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall. Full minutes of local Community Council meetings can be viewed at Dalry Library. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND Sunday Services - Balmaclellan 12noon: 1st. Carsphairn 10.30am: 1st 2nd(Aug) 3rd 4th 5th(Aug). Dalry 9am: 1st 2nd(Aug) 3rd 4th (Aug). Dalry 10.30am: 4th(Sept). Kells 10.30am: 2nd 3rd 4th. Special Services/Events: 30 Aug, 10.30am, United Service with Glenkens Church Choir in Carsphairn Church. 13 Sept, 10.30am, United Family Service, Kells Church, followed by barbecue and children’s games at Kells House. 27 Sept, 10.30am, Harvest Thanksgiving, Kells Church, followed by Harvest Lunch in NG Town Hall. 27 Sept, 12noon, Harvest Thanksgiving, Dalry Church, followed by Harvest Lunch in Dalry Town Hall. Communion Service: 23 Aug, 10.30am, Kells Church. SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH: St Margaret’s, New Galloway: Holy Communion, 10.30am every Sun & Wed CATHOLIC CHURCH SERVICES: Gatehouse of Fleet: Sat, 6pm. Kirkcudbright: Sun, 9.30am. Dalbeattie: Sun, 11am 8.30pm, Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Stewartry Camera Club: Wed, 7.30pm, Ringford Village Hall, runs Wed 11 Sept till end Mar Zumba: Wed, 7.30-8.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall, £4 Mossdale Painters: Wed, 9.30am, Mossdale Village Hall Cub Scouts: Wed, 6.45–8pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Carsphairn Post Office: Tues, 1- 3pm, Lagwyne Hall Coffee & Craft Morning: Thurs, 9am-12noon, Lagwyne Hall D&G Hard of Hearing Group Drop-in: 1st Friday each month, 10am-12noon, New Galloway Town Hall. Scouts: Thurs, 7–8.30pm, New Galloway Scout Hut To hire the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) behind Dalry School call Sonja Tranter on 430 244 or Nicolette Wise on 430 218. Dalry Library Temporary Hours Tue: 12noon - 3.30pm Fri: 10am - 12noon & 1pm - 4.30pm There are 23 mobile library stops - to find out where and when please phone 430 234. ADVERTISE IN THE GAZETTE (price per issue incl VAT) SMALL: 6cm x 6cm, £37.80 (+ 10% off with series discount) 1/4 PAGE: 9cm w x 13cm h, £81.90 (+ 25% off with series discount) 1/2 PAGE: 18cm w x 13cm h, £151.20 (+ 25% off with series discount) FULL PAGE: 18cm w x 27cm h, £252 (+ 25% off with series discount) Call 07727 127 997 VAT Reg. No. 882 8361 87 USEFUL NUMBERS: ● Pot-hole Hotline: 0845 276 0000 ● Local Police: 0845 600 5701 ● Doctor: 01644 420 234 ● NHS 24: 08454 24 24 24 ● D&G Council: 030 33 33 3000 Glenkens Gazette page 24 Glenkens Schools Art Competition The Glenkens Schools Art Competition was another great success this year. The committee would like to showcase the winners - it was once again very hard to judge due to the high standard of entries received. However, after long deliberation, the overall winner and recipient of the Hazelwood Memorial Prize was Rhys in P3 in Dalry. In the Primary 1-3 section: 1st was Naomi, P3, Carsphairn; 2nd was James, P1, Carsphairn and 3rd was Courtney, P3, Carsphairn. In the Primary 4-7 section: 1st was Seraphina, P4, Dalry; 2nd was Florrie, P7, Kells and 3rd was Grace, P6, Carsphairn. In the Secondary School section: 1st was Rory, S1; 2nd was Skye, S1 and 3rd was Fraser, S1. Special 3D winner was Amy, P4, Kells. Our thanks go to all the children for their excellent work and to their teachers for facilitating the competition. All work will be on display at the Glenkens Annual Exhibition from 28 to 31 August at Dalry Town Hall. Tom Leach Left to right are artworks by Rory (1st in Senior section), Naomi (1st in P1-3 section) and Rhys (overall winner). WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Submit events, activities, news stories, cartoons, reviews, tips & techniques, fiction, photos, ads or ideas... Contact Sarah Ade on 07727 127 997 or glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk OCT/NOV COPY DEADLINE: 5 SEPTEMBER Design & co-ordination: Sarah Ade sarah.ade@gmail.com Printing:Stranraer & Wigtownshire Free Press www.stranraer-freepress.co.uk The Glenkens Gaze�e is an ini�a�ve of the Glenkens Community & Arts Trust, a Registered Sco�sh Charity No. SC032050  Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette 89 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GG_089 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource GCAT Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015 Description An account of the resource Editor: Sarah Ade https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/1/234/GlenkensGazette88.pdf bb20571929aeeb203c39fb2028d0a843 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette 88 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Description An account of the resource <p>Find out more about the Gazette: <a href="https://glenkens.scot/gazette-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glenkens Gazette home page</a> If you would like to submit an article or take out an advert, please email the editor Sarah Ade: <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="mailto:glenkensgazette@hotmail.com">glenkensgazette@hotmail.com</a></p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is a member of, and regulated by <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.impressorg.com/">Impress</a>.</p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is an initiative of Glenkens Community &amp; Arts Trust (SC032050) and represents the voice of the community (not necessarily the views of GCAT).</p> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document GLENKENS GAZETTE News from Balmaclellan, Carsphairn, Mossdale, New Galloway and St John’s Town of Dalry June/July 2015 ISSUE 88 ROAD CLOSURE THREAT TO CARSPHAIRN SHOP The A713 main road through the Glenkens is a vital artery along the Gretna to Ayr Tourist Route for caravanners, motorists and lorry drivers alike. But to one couple in Carsphairn, it is more than a road – it is a crucial part of their livelihood. Paul Smith and Lindsay Duncan run the village shop and so news of the proposed road closure by the Ayrshire Roads Alliance for five successive weekends from the end of May for FREE resurfacing work to the south of Dalmellington came as a complete bombshell. They are concerned that the prolonged closures will have a devastating effect on their business. “We only took over the shop last September and we were looking forward to our first busy summer period, but the road closures will kill our passing trade for up to six weeks,” said Lindsay. Photograph: Carsphairn village shopkeepers Paul Smith and Lindsay Duncan face a difficult time during the A713 road closures. Story continued on p3... KELLS SCHOOL RECEIVES FUNDRAISING AWARD Kells school pupils with Angela McCormack and ‘Mugsy’. Recently Angela McCormack, Senior Fundraising Manager with Macmillan Cancer Support, together with ‘Mugsy’ the Macmillan Mascot, presented Kells Primary with an award and A Glenkens Community & Arts Trust (GCAT) ini�a�ve certificate to recognise the school and the community’s wonderful fundraising efforts over the last 22 years. Since 1993 the school has taken part in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning every year, and with the help of the community, has raised £11,863.76 for this worthwhile cause. Recognition needs to be paid to Mrs Plummer, former Head Teacher at Kells Primary, the staff involved over the years, together with former pupils and the members of the community for all their support. www.glenkensgaze�e.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 2 Organisation Set Up to Advance Shop Bid A well-attended meeting of local residents in late March set up the New Galloway Development Association 2015, a necessary step towards securing funding to buy the New Galloway shop for the community. The association, a constituted unincorporated group, has a nine-strong committee which is preparing an application for initial project funding. This will allow us to present a professional bid for the grants needed to buy the property. This stage requires further evidence of community support and how people feel about the local economy generally. We carried out a further survey which has been well supported, with a response rate of over 75%. The results are still being analysed but there is overwhelming agreement on the importance of continuing to have a shop. Many thanks to all those who responded very quickly to the questionnaire. We expect to have the grant application in by the end of June and to hear back by the end of September at the latest. We are continuing to visit other community shops and ventures to learn more and several of us went to Witherslack community shop in Cumbria in April to hear about their experiences. This trip was sponsored by the Plunkett Foundation who provide support to most of the community shops in the UK. They have allocated us a mentor to help us with our business plan and grant application. We learnt some great lessons from the trip and the clear message that community shops can work and make a huge difference to village life. For further information contact Helen Keron on keronh@me or 01644 420 656. Helen Keron CATSTRAND WELL ON Flower & THE ROAD TO RECOVERY Veg Show After what has perhaps seemed like a slow few months from the outside, the CatStrand is well on the way towards its planned reopening in the summer. Enormous amounts of work have been going on behind the scenes by staff and board members to get back open as soon as possible. Having been thoroughly stripped back, the building is now officially dry, and as we go to press, tenders have been received to start the reinstatement work at the end of May. This work is fully covered by the insurance, so the CatStrand will be as good as new by the summer! Of critical importance, of course, is the need to ensure that the building does not flood again. A comprehensive Flood Risk Assessment has been completed by Flooding Risk Assessment Ltd, a local firm, which has quantified the problem and provided the scenarios that any solution must be able to cope with. The next steps are to commission this design solution, and implement any works before the winter. To help fund this next stage of design, which is not covered by the insurance, the Catstrand held a very successful fundraising dinner in New Galloway town hall at the end of May. Margaret and Louise did a fantastic job of decorating the hall, five gallant hosts provided a three-course meal for their tables, Sam and Wendy did an excellent Saroc demonstration that got everyone up on to the dance floor, and many generous souls donated auction and raffle prizes to generate more funds. Thanks to everyone who contributed and attended, the event raised almost £6000, which is a critical boost to the CatStrand’s efforts to get back on its feet at this time. The board of the Glenkens Community & Arts Trust and the staff of CatStrand would like to say again how very much they appreciate the moral and actual support from the community at this difficult time. We look forward to joining you in celebrating our re-opening within the next few months. Helen Keron Arrangements have now been made for the 2015 Glenkens Flower and Vegetable Show which this year is on 15 August. The classes in the Vegetable Section remain the same as do the Pot Plant Section. In the Cut Flower Section the class for Floribunda Roses has been replaced with Any Other Rose and in the Gladiola class the number has been reduced to one Spike. The classes for Decorative, Handicrafts and Children’s classes are in the brochure/ entry form which can be found in local retail outlets. The Photograph for this year is Sunset In the Produce Section there is now a class for Six Eggs. Last year we were very disappointed that there were no entries in the Hanging Baskets, Trough or Tub Class. In the Glenkens there were some lovely Baskets. PLEASE could we ask people to enter this year. These are judged in-situ and the winner receives The General Holden Cup. Glenkens Gazette page 3 FOOD TRAIN Photo of the Issue: Sponsored by the Ken Bridge Hotel This issue’s winner is Duncan McNaught with this lovely shot of a blue tit in his Glenlee garden. Duncan wins a meal for two at the Ken Bridge Hotel’s renowned Sunday Carvery. CARSPHAIRN ROAD CLOSURE Continued from front page... “We rely very heavily on people travelling through the village who stop off at our tea rooms – that’s the major part of our business. Tourists and especially bikers, who arrive in groups of ten or more, make a point of calling in for a cup of tea or lunch,” said Lindsay. “Without this trade, we are going to suffer dreadfully.” Lindsay added: “If I could, I would move those road signs that will take people away from Carsphairn.” Chair of Carsphairn Community Council, Andrew Metcalf, said: “There has been no account taken of important local events; some fairly minor adjustments made but still major disruption and inconvenience for locals and businesses. They refuse to consider night time closures as is the case in Ayr where alternative routes do not require such a long detour; there will be a major blow to local businesses during the tourist season.” Ayrshire Roads Alliance have amended their total road closure plans for the weekends in the face of mounting pressure from various groups and individuals including the organisers of the Carsphairn and Straiton shows. Although the A713 will be closed to traffic from 8.30am to 5pm on the Saturday and Sunday, it is proposed to reopen it for one hour at midday to allow vehicles through under convoy. From 5pm, all traffic will be convoyed through the site overnight until 8.30am the next day. “Even with these concessions, there is going to be a lot of confusion for motorists because the road signs are not at all clear,” said Paul. “They just tell travellers to seek alternative routes, but to where? The whole thing has not been well planned at all. “The loss to our business will be massive. I just hope we can survive until the end of June without this vital passing trade. It could close us down.” A Plant and Cake Sale at St Margaret’s Church in New Galloway raised £500 for ‘Food Train Friends’, the award winning befriending service run by Dumfries and Galloway’s Food Train. Not only does the Scottish charity provide a vital grocery delivery service for older people who have difficulty doing their own shopping but they also offer household help, home visits and phone calls, outings and group activities. Christine Rankin, St Margaret’s Ladies Guild President, says: “We all know that old age can be hard, especially when infirmity makes people housebound. ‘Food Train Friends’, run by local volunteers, not only helps with weekly shopping but the befriending service helps combat loneliness as well. We are delighted to be supporting this vital work through our outreach programme”. Fundraising cake table. stall and raffle were very popular and Lifeboats Fundraiser tombola helped bring in funds. books all enjoying a busy evening. In addition the Another successful evening was held at Dalry Town Hall to raise money for the RNLI. The Glenkens committee were delighted that the fundraising event raised just over £700 with stalls selling RNLI souvenirs, home baking, plants and The Glenkens has a long history of fundraising for the lifeboats which have always been funded by the generosity and kindness of its many supporters. With increasingly more people being rescued every year, that continuing support is vital. Glenkens Gazette page 4 sponsored by EVERYTHING listed in the Glenkens Freecycle section is FREE - you just need to contact the owner and go and pick it up! If you would like to list something on this page, please get in touch with Sarah on 07727 127 997 or email glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk Various Brother knitting machine with cones of knitting yarn, wool. Contact: Annikki on 460 640 Folding glass shower screen consisting of two decorated panels approx 3’ high x 2’ wide unfolded. Contact: Andi on 430 255 Vick’s CleanAir air purifier, virtually unused. Contact: 430 380 WANTED Plant and tree seedlings, chicken wire, tin sheets, any building materials. Contact: Simon on 07426 124 982 RAISING AWARENESS FOR EB Local man Robin Hood is walking 600 miles from Kirkwall on Orkney to Mossdale, calling in at Nairn, Inverness, Fort William, Glasgow, and finishing back home. “I will be pulling a supermarket trolley with copies of my book in, and calling in at those locations as they helped me raise millions of pounds for DEBRA over the last 20 years. I’ll be giving some people a copy of the book to say thank you.” The journey will take a month and Robin hopes to set off some time in July. Robin’s daughter Alex died in 2008 from a rare skin condition that forms part of Epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a devastatingly painful skin blistering illness. Robin has recently released a book entitled ‘Smile Daddy, I’m Dying’, as featured in a previous Gazette. The book has been endorsed by Bill Clinton and Gordon Brown and can be bought at www.smiledaddyimdying.co.uk or in local book shops. Profits go towards more research into EB. Knit-One-Bike-One Knit 1 Bike 1 is the name Janet Renouf-Miller, from Dalmellington, is giving to her cycling and yarn journey around Scotland which will culminate in a book and exhibition in the Glenkens. Wright’s Shop & Post Office Dalry Licensed convenience store and newsagent stocking a range of local suppliers including Corsons and Irvings Bakers, Ballards and Dalmellington Butchers and Mitchells Fruit and Veg. Opening Times (both shop & PO): Monday to Friday: 7am – 6pm Saturday: 8am – 6pm Sunday: 8.30am – 4pm Tel: 01644 430 225 An artistic meander round Scotland on a Brompton folding bicycle...uniting Scottish textile artists... quirky artwork with fibre and yarn...connecting with others by giving free workshops in exchange for a bed for the night and a hot meal...this is Janet’s vision for Knit 1 Bike 1. Janet sets off in June and will be offering free mini knitting and crochet workshops all over Scotland. She is crocheting and knitting what she sees on the journey and the work will form an exhibition which she hopes will be on display locally. The real and imaginary stories of these objects will be told in the book and the exhibition. She will be returning home via New Galloway and Carsphairn on her way back to Dalmellington and on the final night she will stay at Hawkrigg campsite, near Carsphairn, where she will host her final mini-workshop and have a celebratory do with friends and Janet with her bike. others in the local area. Janet is fundraising for the project and donations can be given via www.createwithfibre .co.uk. To follow Janet on her journey, visit her Create With Fibre Facebook page. Glenkens Gazette page 5 sponsored by SOUTH WEST ASSOCIATION FOR NATURE CONSERVATIONISTS (SWANC) VISIT TO CREE VALLEY COMMUNITY WOODLAND Discussions last year on creating a community woodland in the Glenkens and the recent talk on Carrifran prompted a number of SWANC members to express interest in learning more about the experience and achievements of the Cree Valley Community Woodland Trust (CVCWT) www.creevalley.com Our Watson Raptor Science Prize was taken to the Scottish Nature Fair at Musselburgh. selection and foraging success during the breeding period. They concluded that individual diet specialisation has a knock-on effect on foraging efficiency in this wide-ranging raptor, highlighting “the role of individual behaviour as a driving force of intra-population niche variation”. In the autumn we are planning a full session on presentations by all prize-winners and runners-up who have not yet had the opportunity to speak about their work. Please join us for a Watson Birds sponsored debate about the future of our land - Looking After Our Land: New Approaches Lead To New Horizons - as part of the Crichton Conservations series. Given the poor attendance of previous events and continuing financial loss, it has been decided not to hold a Watson Birds Festival this year. Roger Crofts There will be a SWANC visit to the Trust’s property on Saturday 6 June led by Andrew Bielinski of the RSPB who is also a trustee of the CVCWT. The visit, which will run from 10am to around 5pm, will cover woodland creation and management, the tree nursery, archaeology and training and will provide insight into the working of the Trust and the RSPB in the area. For practical reasons the size of the party will be limited to 20. If you wish to join this visit please email Mike Brown on mbrown99@dircon.co.uk to book a place. Places will be allocated in order of application and a reserve list will be held if there are more than 20 applicants. Although no charge will be made for the visit, donations will be invited which will be shared among CVCWT, RSPB and SWANC. Please note that the visit will entail walking over tracks and rough ground. Further information will be sent to those who have secured places. An Update from LITTERBUGS Watson Birds The 2015 runner-up, Dr Julien Terraube-Monich from the Department of Biology, University of Turku, Finland, spoke on ‘Patterns and implications of individual diet specialisation in a generalist predator’. The session talk was chaired by Roger Crofts, director of Watson Birds, and the discussion session by Prof Des Thompson, Chair of the Watson Raptor Science Prize Selection Panel. Dr Terraube-Monich and his colleagues studied whether individual variations in the diet of radio-tracked male Montagu’s harriers were associated with patterns of foraging habitat This photo shows two bags of rubbish collected from the roadside by local walkers, plus two more already packed by litterbugs who then threw them out of their vehicle into the ditch, all within half a mile of the litter bin. Rubbish clearing costs the Council and therefore us the ratepayers extra money. What do these litterbugs think when they turn our beautiful countryside into a rubbish tip and why do the rest of us tolerate such behaviour? Gerry Cinderby, New Galloway Glenkens Gazette page 6 GLENKENS GUITAR DAY This May, the newly started South West Scotland Classical Guitars held their first open event in Dalry Town Hall. Being a ‘classical’ guitarist often has the regrettable side effect to set you apart from the popuarity of other guitar styles - the fun of bands, the social aspects of orchestral instruments playing - while you are immersed in a solitary passion with your discreet but difficult instrument. It’s always been a pet ambition of mine to bring together classical guitarists of all ages and levels to play together, to share some music and fun, and possibly rub shoulders with other styles of music without feeling intimidated. I moved down from Glasgow within the last couple of years, where amongst other things I used to direct a guitar ensemble of school children, ‘Guitar Galore’. I do miss this and would love to build up other groups in the Glenkens. Using Dalry Town Hall for the event seemed a great idea and worked out really well. I planned the day with the help of Eva Popov, who teaches near Dalbeattie. The participants were mostly from Dumfries and Galloway, including a couple from Dalry, but also a couple from Glasgow. The acoustics of Dalry Town Hall are ideally suited to unamplified guitars, many people commented on how good the sound was. The concert at the end of the session was warmly received by an audience who, I guess, was not too sure at first what to expect. Neither had I been, really, until the day came together, but my aspiration for future gatherings, hopefully enlarged to include other styles and a wider age group, has been very much encouraged by the very enjoyable day and positive feedback. Anne Chaurand Gillespie Gifford & Brown LLP Solicitors and Estate Agents Selling properties across Dumfries & Galloway 01556 503744 www.ggblaw.co.uk All legal advice Offices in Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie Kirkcudbright and Dumfries Glenkens Gazette page 7 CatStrand Update This summer’s selection of fantastic events will take place throughout the Glenkens. Venues are located in New Galloway, Dalry and Balmaclellan so make sure to check when booking tickets. We are thrilled to welcome Susan Calman to Balmaclellan for her rescheduled show ‘Lady Like’. This comedy event was moved from 13 March to 25 June and there are still tickets left. Don’t miss this Radio 4 News Quiz regular and star of the Scottish comedy scene. Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas will light up Balmaclellan Village Hall on 11 June with their duo of cello and violin. The pair compose the most stunning resurrections of cello playing in traditional music with Haas providing rhythmic playing to accompany master fiddle player Fraser. One of Scotland’s foremost trumpet players Colin Steele and band perform an evening Alasdair Fraser of jazz in Dalry on 17 July. Highly original and melodic, the trio will include guitar and bass and deliver a programme of thoughtful and engaging music. The CatStrand Team CATSTRAND YOUTH PLAYERS Each character had their own is open again. Rehearsals have The Youth Players glamorous dream job and slowly already started for two one act recently staged their came to realise that they could plays, Numbers by Kieron Barry only realistically get the usual and Pig Tale by Ron Nichol. 2015 Festival plays in mundane jobs. Once again this Rehearsals will be held Dalry Town Hall. Both production had to be adapted throughout the summer period productions were very slightly but for very different in conjunction with other drama workshops, please look well received by out for further details an appreciative The emotive I Never Saw as part of the CatStrand Youth Arts Summer audience. Another Butterfly delivered The emotive I Never Saw Another Butterfly delivered the harrowing story of life in the Terezin Ghetto during the Second World War. The play could never be described as entertaining in the traditional sense but hopefully it was appreciated as a memorable and emotive piece of theatre with an important message in the year marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the war. The second play of the evening hopefully cheered the audience up a little before they went home – Dream Jobs told the story of five teenage girls waiting on their interview with their career’s adviser. the harrowing story of life in the Terezin Ghetto during the Second World War. reasons - one of the actors had to perform at the Festival with a broken ankle resulting in her very limited movement. Thankfully she had now recovered and was able to move freely this time!! The Youth Players now move on to their next productions. Normally the next show would be in June before breaking for the summer holidays but due to the situation with the CatStrand building at the moment, the next production will be staged in early September when the building Programme. As soon as the show is over, rehearsals will then start to get ready for the fifth annual Christmas pantomime to be held on 11, 12 and 13 December. Glenkens Gazette page 8 Spalding Bowling Club Season Starts Good weather brought out a sizeable crowd for the opening of the Spalding Bowling Club. The President, Peter Hamilton, welcomed everyone and asked Valerie Russell to throw the silver Jack and first two bowls. Valerie then declared the green open and wished everyone a happy and successful season. The season then started with 36 people enjoying a friendly game. Valerie Russell Valerie Russell declaring the green open. W BONE WHB JEEPS THE GARAGE, DALRY PETROL & DIESEL SALES SERVICE & REPAIRS MOTs, TYRES, BATTERIES ALL AT COMPETITIVE PRICES OPEN 8.30AM - 6.00PM (SIX DAYS) 10AM - 6PM SUNDAYS - FUEL 24 HOURS SHOP • SANDWICH BAR • LOTTERY Tel: 01644 430208 Fax: 01644 430669 jeeps@whbjeeps.co.uk www.whbjeeps.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 9 GLENKENS FOOTBALL CLUB The newly formed Glenkens Football Club is already into its first season in the Stewartry Sunday Amateur League. With many members having been part of last year’s Dalry United FC it was decided to reform and progress as Glenkens FC into the 2015 season. The new club is very grateful for the support that they have received from Natural Power Consultants Ltd, New Galloway Community Council, Scott Ferguson Garden Maintenance and Dalry Community Shop which has allowed them to meet registration expenses and to buy new strips, training gear and equipment for the forthcoming season. Unfortunately, due to a lack of suitable facilities meeting the requirements of the Amateur League, the team are unable to play home games anywhere in the Glenkens. ‘Home Turf’ for Glenkens FC is to be in Crocketford which will be shared with another member team of the league. Although Glenkens FC proudly sporting their new strips. the team would and a narrow extra-time cup much prefer to be defeat to last season’s league able to play their home games somewhere in the Glenkens it has champions being two of the highlights from the early fixtures. proved impossible and Michael The club always welcomes Lawrie (Head Coach) has worked help of any kind whether it be tirelessly to secure the use of coaching, playing, book-keeping the pitch at Crocketford for the or however you feel you might be forthcoming season. able to contribute. Please contact The season has already started Michael Lawrie (07704669677) or and results have been very Aaron Edgar (07917034450) for encouraging so far with an further information. emphatic 6-1 win in the league New Galloway Golf Club New Galloway Golf Club started the new season in great fashion with the course in beautiful condition. The scheduled competitions have all gone ahead, notably the Ladies Open, the Glenkens Tankard Greensomes which was won by club member, Marena McClymont and her partner from Newton Stewart Helen Fox. The club’s junior programme is now in full swing with club GLENKENS MEDICAL PRACTICE General Medical & Dispensing Services The Surgery High Street New Galloway FOR APPOINTMENTS CALL � 01644 420234 � volunteers presently working in the local schools introducing pupils to golf. Upcoming events include the Gentlemen’s Seniors Open on Thursday 4 June and Captains Day on Saturday 27 June; the Winners of the Celts Challenge – John club’s main social event of the McQueen, David Aitken and Ronnie Ritchie season. – receive the Chris Thomas Memorial Trophy New Galloway Golf club from the lady captain, Chris McIntyre. continues to work hard to the local community on this involve itself with the local subject. Immediate membership community and is looking for is also available to anyone ways to do this. We would interested in playing golf. welcome any suggestions from Ian Brown THE STEWARTRY VETERINARY CENTRE CASTLE DOUGLAS SURGERY HOURS Mon-Fri 2.00-2.30 pm & 5-6 pm Sat 2-2.30 pm DALBEATTIE SURGERY HOURS Mon, Wed, Fri 3-3.30 pm Tues & Thurs 6-6.30 pm FOR APPOINTMENTS AT BOTH SURGERIES OR IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY � 01556 502263 VETERINARY SURGERY OAKWELL ROAD CASTLE DOUGLAS � Glenkens Gazette page 10 CARSPHAIRN SCHOOL’S BELFAST ADVENTURE In our effort to continue to expose the pupils at Carsphairn Primary School to as many rich learning experiences as possible, we have in our latest term had the opportunity to visit Belfast Titanic to support some of the learning we did last term. It was a great day out, which was enjoyed by all. We had a chance to travel on a pretty big boat ourselves, as we took the ferry over to Larne and had a few pleasant surprises along the way. It was an early start, with the GTI bus and our usual volunteer driver Keith Cooper collecting us from the school at 7:30am. We tiredly made our way down to Cairnryan and boarded the ferry with no problems at all. On the ferry we ate the biggest bacon rolls ever! It was neat to travel across the Irish Sea and travel to a different country with our school. When we got to Larne, we drove our bus across to Belfast city right down to Pupils enjoy the ferry crossing. the waterfront where the long trip home. The highlight of Titanic Belfast exhibition the trip back was on the ferry, has been built. It is a very when the Captain invited us up impressive building and to the bridge of the ship and interesting to find out that this is let us actually drive the ferry! the exact location where Titanic We had another delicious meal was initially launched on 31 May, on the ferry and were home in 1911 - over 100 years ago. We Carsphairn by 8:30pm! It was learned about all the men and a great visit and we want to women who worked to build the thank Mr Cooper, Mrs Duncan, ship and saw some real artefacts Ms Tranter and Mrs Mackinnon from the ship herself. for coming along and making the Once we completed the tour trip so much fun. of Titanic Belfast, we began the Walker McKenna Dancing in the Glenkens Four young people from Dalry School joined with Dalbeattie High School for Y Dance training in January. They enjoyed the opportunity to work with people from other schools and with the tutors of the Y Dance course. The four girls followed up on their training by choreographing their own dance, practising for many hours and then competing in the regional Choreography They were keen to take part competition in Dumfries High after having some gymnastics and dance input from Active Schools at School in March. This was a great experience an after-school club in Dalry. and gave the young people lots of ideas for the future as well as the determination to compete again next year. What happened next was brilliant. Younger students watching the girls rehearsing Amy, Emily, Emma and Rebekah. asked if the S3 would teach them the dance. This led to an after-school activity for the Dalry primary children which they thoroughly enjoyed. News spread and Carsphairn Primary was the next target for the girls’ efforts. After a four-week afterschool activity in Carsphairn Village Hall, Carsphairn Primary children performed the dance for their friends and family. Amy, Emily, Emma and Rebekah have shared a happy and healthy activity with a large number of young people, through their own effort and enthusiasm. They are to be commended for their efforts and they will be able to use this activity as part of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Well done ladies and thank you. Jenny Smith, Headteacher Glenkens Gazette page 11 Glenkens Gazette page 12 Glenkens Gazette page 13 Glenkens Gazette page 14 Glenkens Gazette page 15 CARSPHAIRN RESILIENCE TEAM Residents of Carsphairn have come together to form a Resilience Team in order to support each other in extreme circumstances when the community may have to cope for hours, or even days, before any aid from other agencies is available. The Team is made up of volunteers from the community and is not a replacement for other agencies, but can be a source of practical help, advice and equipment. A draft Resilience Plan for 2015 has been drawn up and hazards identified such as isolation of the community through severe weather resulting in blizzards, flooding and gale force winds; the loss of critical utilities such as electricity or telephones due to adverse weather; foot and mouth disease, or other event affecting the rural community. In order to identify issues and develop the plan further, a successful consultation event was held in Lagwyne Hall. Representatives from Dumfries and Galloway Council, Scottish Flood Forum, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Stewartry Council of Voluntary Service, Stewartry Community Safety Forum, Age Scotland and British Heart Foundation were also in attendance. If you think you can help, or for further information, please contact co-ordinator, Trevor Molineux on trevorgtm@talktalk.net Kendoon Monster, and even fairies in the garden! There will also be an exhibition of beautiful cushions using many different crafts, a plant stall and teas. Entry is £3.50, with children under 16 free, and dogs on leads are welcome. Funds raised will go towards the Glenkens Children’s Club and Dumfries & Galloway Canine Rescue Centre. Arndarroch is situated on the B7000, five miles from Dalry or Carsphairn; follow the blue signs till you see blue balloons at the end of the drive – the postcode is DG7 3UD. There may be a GTI minibus running to the event contact the CatStrand on 420 374 for information. Arndarroch Garden Open Day With kind permission of Annikki Lindsay, Arndarroch garden will be open to the public on 12 July, from 2-5pm, for a fundraising event. This will be the garden’s 21st opening, so come along and celebrate its ‘Coming of Age’! The 2.5 acre garden is a seminatural, wildlife-friendly garden with fantastic views over Kendoon Loch and the Cairnsmore hills. Red kites circle over the garden as well as the odd peregrine falcon. There are collections of herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees, over 20 different types of bamboo, rockeries and a small woodland walk. For children there will be a treasure hunt as well as the chance to perhaps see Rocky the For further details contact Annikki Lindsay on 460 640 or email annikkilindsay@gmail.com Aileen McLeod MSP working for you across the South of Scotland Postal address: Unit 7 Loreburn Shopping Centre High Street, Dumfries, DG1 2BD Email: aileen.mcleod.msp@scottish.parliament.uk Tel: 01387 255 334 Please check www.aileenmcleod.org Photograph of Arndarroch garden by Mary McIlvenna. for regular surgery, constituency and parliamentary updates Glenkens Gazette page 16 Natural Power Rallies to Good Cause The team from Natural Power got on their bikes again this year for the 10th Drumlanrig Challenge. The 17 team members along with a handful of friends and family, joined forces to take on the challenging route. This year’s weather conditions made it one of the toughest yet, with the team battling through gruelling headwinds for much of the journey. With deteriorating conditions and the failure of some of the team to read a crucial signpost, adding a detour of many more miles to the clock, it was with sheer determination (and cake!) that the team were all able to finish. With a hearty lunch under their belts, courtesy of the fantastic band of volunteers, the hardest core element within the group pushed on to complete the afternoon circuit, putting a further 60 punishing miles on the clock. Natural Power spokesperson and chair of the Charity and Sponsorship Committee, Shane Bermingham said “Natural Power was delighted to take part in a well organised cycle challenge that helps raise funds for much needed disaster relief programmes across the globe. As well as being a fun event, with the best cake selection, it gave staff a good chance to catch up and test their fitness on a sometimes challenging route”. The combined efforts of the team helped to raise over £15,000 for the fund, which will provide much needed aid to some of the world’s poorest communities. ����������������������������������������������������� • Pensions • Savings • Investments • Retirement Options • Inheritance Tax Planning • Life Assurance • Income & Critical Illness Protection • Mortgages • Home Insurance Free Confidential Initial Consultation Tel: 01671 403080 Fax:- 01671 402549 Email: brian.edgar@marrfinancial.co.uk Web: www.marrfinancial.co.uk 61 Victoria Street NEWTON STEWART, DG8 6NL **NEW** Yorkshire Building Society Agency – Now Open Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. For mortgages we can be paid by commission or a fee of usually £300 or a combination of both. For Home Insurance we usually offer products from a limited panel of providers. The Fleet Fish van is in the Glenkens on Tues & Wed. Charles will be the new proprietor of Fleet Fish from 1st July 2015. fleetfishfruitandveg@gmail.com www.facebook.com/fleetfish www.fleetfish.co.uk Bargatton Sand & Gravel Supplying sand and gravel for all your farming needs, as well as households and businesses both large and small. We stock washed fine sand, coarse sand and gravels at competitive prices. For further details contact: Angus Wilson, Quarry Manager - 07715 606 685 James Mair - 07793 085 243 Email: loch.bargatton@live.co.uk Bargatton Quarry, Laurieston, Castle Douglas, DG7 2PS Open 7 days Mon-Fri Weekends by arrangement Delivery can be arranged - subject to quantity Glenkens Gazette page 17 Glenkens Story Launch Success More than 100 people attended at some stage during the launch of The Glenkens Story history project at the Glenkens Community Centre in Dalry. The five-hour programme featured a succession of brief talks on a wide variety of local history topics and was accompanied by a display of the historical interests of numerous local groups and individuals. Two site visits to local places of historical interest are scheduled for the summer (see forthcoming events below) and a lecture on The Lowland Clearances in the autumn. Photographs: Left: Bill Blythe of Blowplain Farm featured in the talks programme and also displayed examples of his collection of documents on local history. He is discussing them with two other participants, Professor Ted Cowan and Anna Campbell of the Carsphairn Heritage Group. Right above: Avril Bridgeman and Tom Carlyle gather more information for their work on the history of New Galloway shops and trades at their stall. Bottom: Talks on a wide range of topics attracted enthusiastic audiences. Glenkens Story: CUB SCOUTS AS GUARD Upcoming Events Sunday 26 July, 10.30am - 3.30pm: Visit to the lost farms of Blackwater of Dee (above the Raiders’ Road) Local historian and placenames expert Michael Ansell will lead a visit to the sites of old farmsteads in the hills above the Blackwater of Dee. The cost (to cover transport) is £5 per person payable to CatStrand (420 374). Saturday 22 August, 10.30am: Visit to the remains of the Carsphairn lead mines. To book, email mbrown99@dircon.co.uk Joining instructions will be sent out to those attending nearer the time. Autumn (date and venue to be announced): Lecture: The Lowland Clearances OF HONOUR Douglas Fitch married Hannah McAndrew at 3pm on Saturday 2 May in Corsock Church. The 1st Glenkens Cub Scout Pack were the delightful guard of honour outside the church after the service while a piper played and led everyone back up the road to the village hall for a wonderful reception party afterwards. Hannah has been an assistant leader with Heather McIntosh at the Cub Pack for the last ten or so years and Doug now joins them as a helper. Doug and Hannah are both potters working from their workshop at Lochdougan House, Kelton, Castle Douglas and from their Devon workshop at Hollyford in Crediton. Hannah McAndrew and Douglas Fitch with their guard of honour. Photograph © Claire Borlase. Glenkens Gazette URG AND I: Part II One man’s story of living with a broken ankle... The Bath Before we had our bath Urg and I had poached eggs (green, organic) on toast for lunch. With ground flax seed. I’m hoping the flax will help with Urg’s moodiness. A sort of unipedal valium. I don’t have a TV, which I don’t regret. Urg, however, is a different kettle of fish. He likes a smog of sound in the background while he revels in his inertia. So I leave the radio on all day. Last night a voice announced: “I’m Paul Kennedy….and this….is Ideeers”. Urg was snoring before he got to ‘i-deeers’. (It’s really weird having a lump on the end of your leg which snores). Most of the time Urg just lies there and lets radio’s blur wash over him, but there are some who make him twitch: “Hello. I’m Barbara Bud…” “…and I’m Carol Off, and we’re funny aren’t we Barbara?” “Yes we are. And this is ‘As It Happens’”. Urg complains intensely when they start up. “As what happens?” he snarls. One evening they talked to an English copper about a large rabbit he’d caught. The pain was excruciating. That certainly happened. Anyway, ‘The Debaters’ has just come on. I think we’ll have our bath now. That was a lark. While getting undressed I tried to take Urg off as though he were a sock. I had to remind myself that he was coming into the bath with me. Actually getting in was interesting. I couldn’t step in because Urg refused outright to get wet or bear my weight. So I sat on the toilet seat, put my good leg in, stood up carefully (Urg well raised), did a pas de une (I love ballet) so that I was facing the taps, then lowered myself into the water while Urg stood propped in the corner. All went well thereafter, although Urg seemed a little nonplussed at the bathing routine, but I think he liked the heat. Getting out offered new challenges. page 18 I turned sideways in the tub (still sitting) and folded both legs over the side. I then lifted myself with my arms, pushed up, leaned forward and gradually transferred my weight to my good leg, grabbed the edge of the cabinet, pulled and pushed with arms and leg and stood, dripping, six feet from the towel. Of course I reached the towel. Couple of hops over the clothes which have made their way onto the floor. A clumsy drying of a carefully balanced body and I sit back down. One sock for the right foot. Shirt. That’s the easy part. The rest is a carefully but clumsily executed operation, a gentle manipulation of underwear and trousers around Urg’s sensitive bulk, followed by an easier arrangement with the good foot, upon which I balance my weight while I draw the clothing up to my waist. Phew! I am increasingly appreciative of the difficulties faced by the physically challenged, especially Siamese twins. Urg is not Siamese, but he complains like a spoiled cat and is maddeningly attached to my leg. You must excuse us now. We’re going to sit down for a few hours. Urg insists on it. Kevin Ade CARSPHAIRN CEILIDH FUNDRAISER Carsphairn Pastoral and Horticultural Society held a dance in the newly refurbished Lagwyne Hall, Carsphairn which was very well attended. During the night a Charity Auction took place in aid of the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI). Various items were kindly donated by local farmers resulting in a fantastic £751 being raised which was a tremendous effort for a small community. The Society would like to thank all donators and also all the purchasers for their generosity which made the night a great success. New Galloway Golf Club Presenting the cheque to Tessa Rouse from RSABI (right) are (from left) society president Hugh Clark Kennedy, Rory Clark Kennedy and secretary Anne Finlay. Family and friends coming to stay? Short of space? www.nggc.co.uk Cosy country cottage available (sleeps 4) Buggies now available for hire Call Fiona on 01644 420 227 Founded 1902 - 01644 420737 VISITORS AND NEW MEMBERS WELCOME www.covenanters-holidaycottagescotland.co.uk FHB Fencing Dalry Domestic and Agricultural Fencing 01644 430 495 (Peter) or 07767 795 498 (Jonathan) Glenkens Gazette UPDATES ON THE WAR 100 years on...April 1915 was a relatively quiet month with only one death reported amongst the men of the Glenkens serving at the front. George Lavender Bell was killed on 25 April at the age of 29 whilst serving with the Australian Forces in the first day of the Gallipoli campaign. That day would later be commemorated as Anzac day. George had immigrated to Australia before the war and had been one of the first to enlist. His mother still lived at Brighouse Farm, Corsock and his name appears on the Corsock and Balmaclellan war memorials. David Paterson of Cubbox, Balmaclellan had been also been serving with the Australians when he was killed on 8 May, also at Gallipoli at the age of 25. He had been working as a butcher in Australia when he enlisted. He was declared missing in action and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial and on the Balmaclellan war memorial. James Gordon of the Queens Own Cameron Highlanders was only 23 years old when he was declared missing just the day after David Paterson. Born on the Isle of Bute, he had been a gamekeeper on the Garroch Estate before enlisting and is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial, France. He is commemorated on the Kells war memorial and on the Kingarth Parish war memorial, Isle of Bute. William Stewart of the Queens Own Cameron Highlanders was 30 years old when he died of wounds in France on 13 May. Reported to be the first man from New Galloway to enlist, he had been promoted to Sergeant and was the son of James and Janet Stewart of Meadow View, New Galloway. William is buried at Le Touquet, Paris and is commemorated on the Kells war memorial. The final death, also on 13 May, was that of James Faed of The ALEX FERGUSSON MSP FOR GALLOWAY & WEST DUMFRIES Holds regular advice surgeries at: Constituency Office, New Market Street, Castle Douglas, DG7 1HY on the 2nd Friday of every month from 5pm Telephone free on 0800 028 7260 for an appointment or to make any alternative arrangement. You can visit Alex’s website at: www.alexfergusson.org.uk or contact him by e-mail at: alex.fergusson.msp@scottish.parliament.uk page 19 Bungalow, New Galloway. James was a midshipman in the Royal Navy and a member of a famous family of artists; James Faed, only 15 a large when he died. painting by his father (also James) can be seen upstairs in New Galloway Town Hall. James was buried at sea at the Dardenelles (Gallipoli) after his ship HMS Goliath was torpedoed. He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent, and on the Kells war memorial and the St Margaret’s Church war memorial and also has a plaque in his name in St Margaret’s Church, New Galloway. James was just 15 when he was killed and had been in the Royal Navy since the age of 13. There was no age bar to Midshipmen (trainee officers) serving on ships in zones of war at the time. Paul Goodwin Glenkens Gazette page 20 Carsphairn Kirk: a Church in the Heart of the Hills Carsphairn Kirk: A Church in the Heart of the Hills is the subject of the Carsphairn Heritage Group’s 2015 exhibition as this year we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the building of the current church. The exhibition does not start then but delves further back in history to the beginnings of the church in the area, the turbulent Covenanting times and the structure of the pre 1815 church building. Through his research Dr Bartholomew has discovered more about the central communion table, the only one still being used in the South of Scotland. Committee members of the group have researched into church life since 1815 and the exhibition is a rich gathering of articles, artefacts and wonderful photographs portraying the life and importance of a church in an upland community throughout the last four hundred years. The central communion table will be used for the Communion service on 5 July (see p22). There will also be a soup and sweet lunch served in Lagwyne Hall between 1pm and 2.30pm that day; all are welcome to come along before the service which is at 3pm. Anna Campbell MORE ON OLD MORTALITY In the last issue of the Glenkens Gazette Ted Cowan, in his article on Old Mortality, asked if anyone could confirm where the statue had come from previous to its current location by Balmaclellan church. We have had two people respond to this query, so here is a little more about the Old Mortality statue. Professor Ted Cowan, in his informative article on Old Mortality, referred to the statue built into the Balmaclellan kirkyard wall, and sought confirmation that it had been rescued from a sorry state in the grounds of The Holme about a mile out of the village. been a statue of Old Mortality in Balmaclellan before this, which some people will remember. It was brought to the village in the 1960s by ‘Achie’ Corrie, the smith at the time and a descendant of John Corrie, the sculptor of all four existing statues of Old Mortality. It was installed on the small green in the centre of the village, near where petrol pumps later stood, and remained there until about 1987, when it was handed over to the Newton Steward Museum, where it can still be seen. It is partnered by the figure of a watchful Cameronian, a member of the group who strove to maintain Covenanting principles even when the main struggle was over. With thanks to Tom Corrie for jogging my memory on the facts. This is indeed correct. There are two seperate statues forming an ensemble – one of Old Mortality recumbent on a gravestone and the other of his horse standing by. They had stood for a century or more in woodland at The Holme, and are marked on the 1909 edition of the OS map. In the course of that time the figure of Old Mortality had suffered severe damage, with the head and legs broken off. When the decision was made at the time of the millenium to display them more fittingly, the statues were removed and taken to the workshop of Martin Holden at Dalshangan for the very considerable restoration necessary, before transfer to Balmaclellan and mounting on the prepared kirkyard site. Some confusion may arise from the fact that there had Statue in broken and much deteriorated state at The Holme. Dear Glenkens Gazette, After reading the Article about Old Mortality I contacted a former neighbour, Peter McNicol (formerly of Walkerhill, Balmaclellan), as I recalled him and my late father, George Lothian, moving the Statue at the Holm. Undernoted is an extract from his reply. I do hope that this will be of interest and help to you. “With reference to the Article on Old Mortality he was definitely down at the Holm big house. I used to rent the fields off Lord Templeton and Old Mortality was on the banks of the Garple burn down in the front of the Holm House. It was in a sorry state in those days in the 60s and 70s. The hand was broken off and the ears of the horse were also missing; also the foot of Old Mortality was missing. The Statue was moved from down at the front of the Holm House by myself (Peter McNicol), Joe Corrie (Blacksmith), Gordon Wallace (Estate Manager at the Holm) and George Lothian (Bogue Toll) with George’s Tractor and Buck Rake and a lot of ropes. It was moved to the Holm Farm home of Lord & Lady Templeton. It was later moved to the Village under the care of Joe Corrie and was placed at the Petrol pumps near to the Smiddy. It was later moved to the Churchyard”. Yours sincerely, Margaret W Lothian MBE, Crossmichael Glenkens Gazette page 21 LOCAL HISTORY with TED COWAN THE KILLING OF THE CURATE OF CARSPHAIRN The Carsphairn Heritage Group has imaginatively staged an exhibition to mark the 200th anniversary of their church, which is famous for preserving the most unique communion table in Scotland. Visit, and check out the photographs of the last two beadles of the kirk who look as if they had just stepped out of the pages of a Crockett novel. In darker times Carsphairn was noted for a shocking episode, which took place in November 1684, namely the murder of Peter Peirson, the local minister, or more accurately, curate, since he was of the Episcopalian persuasion. Two contemporary accounts of the affair have survived though neither seems entirely clear about exactly what happened. Further distortion occurs because of the bias of the authors who in the heated atmosphere of ‘The Killing Times’ or the ‘good ill times of persecution’, of covenanting legend, were motivated as much by propaganda as they were by perspicacity. Following the rescue of covenanting prisoners at Enterkin Pass in July of 1684 the Scottish government intensified its pursuit of the righteous. A dragoon was killed by ‘Black’ James McMichael, the fowler or gamekeeper of Maxwelton, from the Clachan of Dalry. As legislation became harsher and more repressive the covenanters retaliated with declarations; ‘We utterly detest and abhor that hellish principle of killing all who differ in judgement or persuasion from us, it having no bottom upon the word of God’. However any opposing the Covenanted Work of Reformation would be appropriately punished. Robert Wodrow, historian of the persecutions, recounts the story of a 73 year old woman from Carsphairn who was arrested because her son attended a conventicle. When she refused to swear that she would never again see, or shelter, the offender, she was scourged through the streets of Dumfries. Two of the most vicious pursuers of covenanters were John Graham of Claverhouse, based for some time at Kenmure Castle, and the notorious Robert Grierson of Lag who had an estate at Garryhorn, Carsphairn. they were friends of the curate, went to his door, putting Peirson in a rage, threatening to unleash broadsword and pistol. They called for help and another two of the company, McMichael and Roger Padzen from Sanquhar approached. The other version has McMichael knocking on the door to be met by the well armed clergyman whom he shot in the chest in selfdefence. Wodrow, like some of those present, thoroughly condemned the episode though he compared it to the assassination of Archbishop Sharp in Magus Muir near St Andrews in 1679, in providing evidence to opponents that the covenanters were guilty of ‘the hellish and Jesuitical principle of asassination’. He possibly exaggerated, however, in asserting that Peirson was an open defender of popery, alleging that on a visit to James McVirk [MacTurk?] at Holm of Dalquhairn, he spoke in favour of purgatory. The extreme covenanters branded him ‘a man of death, both by the law of God and man’, but they expelled the perpetrators of the crime, condemning ‘the fact not material murder’. Black McMichael was killed within the year. Others were later known to be ‘flies’ (spies) prompting suggestions that the murder was the action of agents provocateurs. But spare a thought for the victim! The recent General Election has once again demonstrated how easily and misleadingly one side can disgracefully demonise the other. Peter Peirson might have been just as zealous and convinced of his own righteousness as the covenanters were of theirs. In flushing out rebels he behaved as a good citizen. No one likes informers but should a man be vilified because of his loyalty to the state and thus willing to expose miscreants and wrongdoers? ...vicious pursuers of covenanters were John Graham of Claverhouse, based for some time at Kenmure Castle, and the notorious Robert Grierson of Lag... There Lag regularly held courts, often assisted by Peter Peirson who informed on parishioners who would later be interrogated and fined, or worse. Those ‘about the head of the Water of Ken’ were particularly noted. Peirson was described as unmarried, violent, surly-natured, horridly severe, blustering and bold, openly provoking some of his flock by stating, ‘he feared none of the whigs, nor anything else but rats or mice’. Nonetheless he seems to have kept a small armoury in the manse. Some locals decided to attempt to reason with him. A group headed by James McMichael met at Muirbroke [Marbrack?] ‘three miles from the kirk of Carsphairn’. Learning that Peirson was at home they decided to visit him. Accounts vary. One states that two of them, announcing Ted Cowan Glenkens Gazette page 22 JUNE & JULY JUNE Thu 4, Gentlemen’s Seniors Open, NG Golf Club, see p9 Sat 6, Carspairn Show, see ad below Sat 6, SWANC visit to Cree Valley Woods, see p5 Wed 10, Open Stage, 7.30pm, Clachan Inn Thu 11, Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas, 7.30pm, Dalry Town Hall Sat 20, The East Pointers, 7.30pm, Balmaclellan Village Hall Thu 25, Susan Calman: Lady Like, 7.30pm, Balmaclellan Village Hall Sun 28, Glenkens Acoustic Session, 2-4pm, Clachan Inn, Dalry JULY Sat 4, Carsphairn Historic Walk, see below Sun 12, Arndarroch Open Garden, 2-5pm, see p15 Fri 17, The Colin Steele Trio, 7.30pm, Dalry Town Hall Sat 18 & Sun 19, Portraiture with Katharine Wheeler, 10am-3pm, New Galloway Town Hall Sun 26, Glenkens Acoustic Session, 2-4pm, Clachan Inn, Dalry Sun 26, Glenkens Story Event: The Lost Farms of Blackwater of Dee, see p17 Fri 31, Film: Blackbird, 7pm, venue to be confirmed (call 420 374) Walking Group Glenkens Walking Group are a small informal group of friends who meet on Monday and Wednesday afternoons by the Bank in Dalry to share transport to various walks within the Glenkens of 3 to 5 miles. The pace is adapted within reason to suit the ability of whoever turns up on the day, so the elderly and less fit can participate. We do not take dogs and each walker is responsible for their own actions and safety. Anyone interested in joining us should contact one of our walk leaders: John or Isobel McBeth (430 539), Elizabeth Peacock (430 581), Gerry Cinderby (420 852) or Terry Haine (420 880). Carsphairn CHURCH BICENTENARY their historic long communion This year is the Historic table which was constructed bicentenary of in 1775, and to this end the Walks significant work Kirk Session has decided to On 4 July at 10.30am and 2.30pm there will be a chance to undertake a historic walk through the village starting at the Heritage Centre. There will be stories about the houses, inns, churches, shops, school etc. The walk, led by Anna Campbell, will last approx. 1.5 /2 hours and will finish with tea and shortbread either at The Knowe or in Lagwyne Hall if it’s wet. No need to book ahead, just turn up. Cost is £2 per adults and £1 for children. JENNY’S Mobile Hairdresser Nursing Homes & Residential The Elderly & Disabled Home Visits NVQ Level 3 Hairdressing NVQ Level 4 Social Care Contact - 07554 009 624 being done on Carsphairn Church building. The church is celebrating this milestone with a special service on 5 July. It is hoped that as many people as possible will be able to attend this service which will include communion around CARSPHAIRN SHOW SATURDAY 6 TH JUNE SHEEP JUDGING, SHEEP DOG TRIALS CHILDRENS‛ SPORTS & PET SHOW, OPEN DOG SHOW GREAT ANNUAL HILL RACE INDUSTRIAL SECTION IN LAGWYNE HALL For further details, please ring Show Secretary on 01644 430467 or visit www.carsphairn.org/carsphairn-show hold the service at 3 pm in the afternoon, rather than in the morning. Beforehand there will be the opportunity to share a soup and sweet lunch in the Lagwyne Hall from 1pm2.30pm. The church anticipates a good attendance of its own members, but also hopes that many people from other congregations and from the wider community will be able to come along on the day. David Bartholomew Correspondence Secretary Required For New Galloway & Kells Community Council. Modest honorarium available for 1-2 hours a week. Community Council meeting attendance not mandatory. Enquiries to Margaret Watson, acting chair, at maggs.watson272@ btinternet.com by 10th June. Glenkens Gazette page 23 REGULAR EVENTS CatStrand RELOCATED UNTIL JULY - see below: Exercise to Music: Mon, 10-11am, New Galloway Town Hall Margaret Morris Movement Adult Dance Class: Mon, 2.30-3.30pm, contact Sara on 01556 612854, New Galloway Town Hall Children’s Dance Class: Mon during term time, 3.45-4.45pm age 3-7, 4.30-5.30pm ages 8-15, New Galloway Town Hall Gentle Tai Chi: Wed, 10am, 60+, New Galloway Town Hall Play it By Ear: Wed, 2pm, Kells School, New Galloway Sing it Out: Thurs, 11am -12pm, Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Pilates: Thurs, 4.15-5.15pm & 5.30-6.30pm, Dalry Community Centre CatStrand Yukes: Thurs, 1pm – 3.30pm 60+ Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Knit & Blether Club: last Fri each month, 2pm, 60+ Afternoon Tea Club: 2nd Fri each month, 2pm, postponed until further notice Saturday Art Club: 2nd Sat each month, 10am–12noon, New Galloway Town Hall Zumbatomic: last Sat each month, 10-10.45am Catstrand Youth Players: Sun during term time, 2pm, postponed until the summer Glenkens Acoustic Sessions: last Sun of the month, 2-4pm, The Clachan Inn, Dalry Glenkens Community Centre (Dalry): (contact Kath 430 281) Glenkens Children’s Club: Mon & Fri, 9.30-11.45am Paint & Art: Mon, 1.30-4.30pm & Wed, 7-9pm Ballroom & Latin Dance Class: Mon, 7.15pm, for more info call Sam Rushton on 420 672 GCC Playgroup: Tues & Thurs, 9.20-11.50am, contact keronh@me.com Good Neighbours’ Club: Tues, 2pm Kickback Martial Arts: Thurs, 79pm Thursday Craft Group: Thurs, 24pm Brownies: Wed, 5.30-6.45pm Guides: Tues during term-time, 6.15pm, contact: Kath 430 281 Various Locations: Ukelele Group: Mon, 11.15am, 60+, New Galloway Town Hall Ukelele Improvers, Mon, 1pm, 60+, New Galloway Town Hall Mother & Toddlers: Tues, 9.4511.15am, New Galloway Town Hall Beavers: Tues, 6–7.15pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Dog Training: Tues & Wed, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. Contact: Eric 460 670 Bowling for Beginners: Wed, 7pm, Spalding Bowling Club, Dalry (opposite The Garage) Wednesday Quiz Night: Wed, 8.30pm, Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Glenkens Community Councils Balmaclellan Community Council Meetings: 3rd Monday each month, 7.30pm, Balmaclellan Village Hall. Carsphairn Community Council Meetings: Last Monday each month, 7pm, Lagwyne Hall, Carsphairn. Dalry Community Council Meetings: 1st Monday each month, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. New Galloway & Kells Community Council Meetings: 2nd Monday each month, 7.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall. Full minutes of local Community Council meetings can be viewed at Dalry Library. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND Sunday Services - Balmaclellan 12noon: 1st. Carsphairn 10.30am: 1st (June), 2nd, 3rd, 4th. Dalry 9am: 1st, 2nd (July), 3rd, 4th. Dalry 10.30am: 2nd (June). Kells 10.30am: 2nd (July) 3rd, 4th. Special Services/Events: 14 June, 10.30am, United Family Service (Kells/ Dalry), Dalry Church. Communion Service: 5 July, 3pm, Carsphairn Church (using central table). SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH: St Margaret’s, New Galloway: Holy Communion, 10.30am every Sun & Wed CATHOLIC CHURCH SERVICES: Gatehouse of Fleet: Sat, 6pm. Kirkcudbright: Sun, 9.30am. Dalbeattie: Sun, 11am Stewartry Camera Club: Wed, 7.30pm, Ringford Village Hall, runs Wed 11 Sept till end Mar Zumba: Wed, 7.30-8.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall, £4 Mossdale Painters: Wed, 9.30am, Mossdale Village Hall Cub Scouts: Wed, 6.45–8pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Carsphairn Post Office: Tues, 1- 3pm, Lagwyne Hall Coffee & Craft Morning: Tues, 1- 3pm, Lagwyne Hall D&G Hard of Hearing Group Drop-in: 1st Friday each month, 10am-12noon, New Galloway Town Hall. Scouts: Thurs, 7–8.30pm, New Galloway Scout Hut To hire the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) behind Dalry School call Sonja Tranter on 430 244 or Nicolette Wise on 430 218. Dalry Library Tue: 2.30 - 6pm W S Fri: 2.30-6pm NEIME Sat: 10am - 12noon T are 23 mobile library stops There - to find out where and when please phone 430 234. ADVERTISE IN THE GAZETTE (price per issue incl VAT) SMALL: 6cm x 6cm, £37.80 (+ 10% off with series discount) 1/4 PAGE: 9cm w x 13cm h, £81.90 (+ 25% off with series discount) 1/2 PAGE: 18cm w x 13cm h, £151.20 (+ 25% off with series discount) FULL PAGE: 18cm w x 27cm h, £252 (+ 25% off with series discount) Call 07727 127 997 VAT Reg. No. 882 8361 87 USEFUL NUMBERS: ● Pot-hole Hotline: 0845 276 0000 ● Local Police: 0845 600 5701 ● Doctor: 01644 420 234 ● NHS 24: 08454 24 24 24 ● D&G Council: 030 33 33 3000 Glenkens Gazette TEAM GALLOWAY RALLY TO THE CAUSE Four local lads - Tom Hudson, Malcolm Middleton, Kevin WilsonSmith and Gareth EarlPayne - together make up Team Galloway. The group are participating in the Help for Heroes (H4H) 4x4 European Rally, a non-speed touring assembly that will be part military history tour, part off-road driving. The rally benefits the charity Help for Heroes who raise money to support members of the Armed Forces who have been wounded in the service of their country. H4H 4x4 European Rally 2015; The Final Mission, will start on 13 June and journey over 2000+ miles through seven European countries, following the path and telling the story of the Allied Invasion through Europe. “We have a strong connection to the British Armed Forces, with team members having served and/or currently serving in the Royal Navy, Regular Army, Territorial Army and ACF. We also have strong family connections to the forces,” says Kevin. “We will be camping throughout the rally and will have to be self-sufficient. We are covering all the costs of the rally ourselves so all donations go straight to H4H.” The European Rally event has raised over £800,000 for H4H since 2010. To donate, visit www.bmycharity.com/ teamgalloway or text TCAL99 £10 to 70070. One of Team Galloway’s page 24 Kevin Earl-Payne and Tom Hudson at the Ladies’ Night fundraiser in Balmaclellan. fundraising activities was a Ladies Night ‘Swishing’ Event. At this fun clothes-swap tea-party cocktail evening in Balmaclellan Village Hall, an impressive £350 was raised. “We would like to thank Rachel Hudson for organising a fantastic evening,” says Kevin. “It was amazing to see such strong community spirit in the Glenkens, with local businesses providing fantastic raffle prizes and Dalry Community Shop loaning amazing vintage props for the ‘Cocktail Tearoom’.” MAMMA’S GRILL RESTAURANT @ LOCHINVAR HOTEL OPENING FRIDAY 17th APRIL ENJOY THE RELAXED ATMOSPHERE OF OUR REFURBISHED RESTAURANT SERVING CHARGRILLED STEAKS & MEATS STONE OVEN COOKED PIZZAS BOOKINGS BEING TAKEN 01644 430 107 TAKE AWAY PIZZA AVAILABLE WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Submit events, activities, news stories, cartoons, reviews, tips & techniques, fiction, photos, ads or ideas... Contact Sarah Ade on 07727 127 997 or glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk AUG/SEPT COPY DEADLINE: 5 JULY Design & co-ordination: Sarah Ade sarah.ade@gmail.com Printing:Stranraer & Wigtownshire Free Press www.stranraer-freepress.co.uk The Glenkens Gaze�e is an ini�a�ve of the Glenkens Community & Arts Trust, a Registered Sco�sh Charity No. SC032050  Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. 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Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Description An account of the resource <p>Find out more about the Gazette: <a href="https://glenkens.scot/gazette-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glenkens Gazette home page</a> If you would like to submit an article or take out an advert, please email the editor Sarah Ade: <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="mailto:glenkensgazette@hotmail.com">glenkensgazette@hotmail.com</a></p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is a member of, and regulated by <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.impressorg.com/">Impress</a>.</p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is an initiative of Glenkens Community &amp; Arts Trust (SC032050) and represents the voice of the community (not necessarily the views of GCAT).</p> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document GLENKENS GAZETTE News from Balmaclellan, Carsphairn, Mossdale, New Galloway and St John’s Town of Dalry April/May 2015 ISSUE 87 FREE Great News for Local Children’s Groups It’s been a good few months for the preschool community groups in the Glenkens. More than £14,000 of funding has been secured to maintain their existence for at least the next 18 months, which means they can all plan for success instead of existing term to term. Nearly 30% of the funding has come from very local individuals, charitable groups and employers, which is a fantastic testament to the social commitment and sustainability of our area. GCC Playgroup has secured a second grant from the Big Lottery Community and Families fund, which will assure its future until at least August 2016. GCC Playgroup chair, Helen Keron, said: “We were delighted to be allocated this money from the Children enjoying the GCC Playgroup. Big Lottery, as it represents a are doing a fantastic job in real vote of confidence in what giving the little ones their very we are achieving at Playgroup. first taste of independence and We have had 10 children on learning in a fun and secure the books so far this year, with environment, and the children another five expected before all love it”. the summer. Sue and Chrissy Continued on p6..... MAGIC MEMORY FOR MATHS Dalry S1 pupil and ‘Memory Marvel’ Annabelle McAdam managed the astonishing feat of memorising pi to 28 digits. Annabelle McAdam It took her about six minutes to memorise the numbers and A Glenkens Community & Arts Trust (GCAT) ini�a�ve she could then repeat them. Five days later she could still repeat the series of numbers with no warning and with only two errors. Maths teacher Mr Bannister said: “I am amazed and wanted to know how Annabelle managed it”. Annabelle said: “We do Kim’s game a lot at Guides and I said the numbers over and over to memorise them”. www.glenkensgaze�e.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 2 CATSTRAND RECOVERY IN FULL SWING The flood recovery work at the CatStrand is in full swing now, with the stripping out of damp internals completed and the drying out commenced as we go to press. The water damage was such that the building will be stripped back to solid walls a metre up from the ground in most places. All floors, the mobile seating in the auditorium and all kitchen and shop units will be removed. This very comprehensive stripping out allows for absolute assurance during the drying phase, which is expected to take three weeks. Once the building has been certified dry, then the re-fit can commence. The current expected re-opening date is July 2015. The insurers are being very supportive of all the issues, and will cover full replacement back to the original standard, including damaged art installations. The CatStrand team is taking the opportunity to see how the building layout can be optimised to improve the experiences of visitors, but the footprint and the feel of the building will remain unchanged from before the flood. The Flood Risk Assessment, including a full topographical survey of the catchment area for the burn, is also underway and, although not complete, is already suggesting some structural changes that will absolutely minimise the risk of a repeat event. D&G Council are also designing a new headwall for the burn inlet which will be constructed in association with rebuilding the boundary wall. The CatStrand programme of events continues largely unchanged, now at various venues across the Glenkens villages. Do keep on supporting the venture by attending performances if you can - some non-New Galloway ����������������� ��������� ��������������������� ������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������� �������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������� ��������������������������� ����������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������� ���������������������� ������������������������������������������������ ��������������������������������������������� ������������� ��������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������ ��������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������� ������������������������������������� �������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������ ������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������� MINDFULNESS people have already reported that they are enjoying the unexpected upside of being able to walk to events! There is a fundraising event planned for the CatStrand to help with the inevitable costs not covered by the insurance. It will be a table dinner and dance at New Galloway Town Hall on 16 May. If you would like to host a table or donate a prize for auction, get in touch with Margaret Watson through the CatStrand on 01644 420 374. Finally, the team at the CatStrand would like to thank all members of the Glenkens community for their ongoing support of our efforts. It remains a difficult time, and we are all missing our beautiful building. But thanks to an enormous amount of hard work by a lot of people - staff, directors and volunteers alike - we are on track to be back up and running just as soon as possible. Thanks again to all. GLENKENS CLUBS & SOCIETIES FAIR Dalry Community Council is planning an event in September to showcase the many and varied clubs and societies that operate across the Glenkens. It is hoped to be held in the Glenkens Community Centre and Dalry school hall and will provide a one-stop shop where you can come along and see all the different opportunities available in the local area. From toddler groups to karate to craft groups to Good Neighbours, and with at least 20 others in between, there really is something for every age on offer in the Glenkens. We want to celebrate this and let everyone know what’s out there. More details will be published closer to the time, but mark 12 September from 10am to 12noon in your diaries and come along to see what new people you could meet and new activities you could take part in. Contact Nicolette Wise of Dalry Community Council for more details or offers of help on 430 218 or nicolettewise@aol.com. Glenkens Gazette Photo of the Issue: COMMUNITY Sponsored by the Ken Bridge Hotel page 3 SHOP BID ENTERS NEXT STAGE The process of buying the New Galloway shop for the community has moved into its next phase with an application being prepared for initial project funding. This funding will pay for the professional preparation of the detailed business proposal that is required before an application can be made for a grant to purchase the shop. As the Gazette went to press a public meeting had been organised by the New Galloway shop steering group to update the community on developments and to set up a formal organisation to prepare and submit the bid for initial project funding. The proposal to purchase the shop received substantial backing from the community last year but if our grant applications, firstly for initial project funding and subsequently for the purchase of the shop, are to succeed, we will need to provide funders with evidence of continuing widespread support in the community. Please look out for posters and flyers with reports of progress and requests for further assistance. For further information or to get involved, contact Helen Keron on keronh@me or 01644 420 656. THE KEN BRIDGE HOTEL New Galloway This issue’s winner is Michelle Bell with her ‘Cheeky Wee Fox’. Dave and Sue, competition judges and owners of the Ken Bridge Hotel, said: “An interesting selection but we think that ‘Bold le Renard’ realising he’s been caught and looking straight at the camera is fun.” Michelle wins a meal for two at the Ken Bridge Hotel’s renowned Sunday Carvery. Local Lib Dem Open 7 Days - Beautiful Riverside Location MEALS SERVED Candidate 12.00 - 2.00pm, 5.30 - 8.30pm The chair of Carsphairn Community Council has announced he intends to stand as the Liberal Democrat general election candidate for the Dumfries and Galloway constituency. Andrew Metcalf is also vice chair of the Carsphairn Community Trust, a director of Carsphairn Renewable Energy Fund Ltd, a board member of the IT Centre in Castle Douglas, chair of Clachan Fair Dalry and a director of Stewartry Council for Voluntary Service. Bed & breakfast en suite accommodation 01644 420 211 mail@kenbridgehotel.co.uk www.kenbridgehotel.co.uk NEW WEDDING BROCHURE NOW AVAILABLE Glenkens Gazette page 4 sponsored by EVERYTHING listed in the Glenkens Freecycle section is FREE - you just need to contact the owner and go and pick it up! If you would like to list something on this page, please get in touch with Sarah on 07727 127 997 or email glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk Various 14-inch Technosonic TV with built-in VHS player and recorder; Pacific 240v DVD player; golf clubs, 3-9 irons, right handed. Contact Nigel on 460 545 19” TV, good working order. Contact: 460 235 Cardboard packing boxes as used by removal firms. Contact: Sue on 07563 718011 Epsom Stylus Photo 1400 colour printer - A4 and A3 + lots of colour cartridges. As new. Donation to Mary’s Meals would be appreciated. Contact: 450 265 for more details. Four brown leather sofas (the ones from the cafe/ gallery at the CatStrand). Some water damage as they got wet around the bottom during the flood but if dried out should be ok. Contact: Brian or Lindsey on 420 374 WANTED Tin sheets. Contact: Simon on 07426 124 982 SPALDING BOWLING CLUB Spalding Bowling Club in Dalry will open for play on 18 April at 2pm. After the silver jack has been played and the green declared open for the season there will be tea and biscuits. GLENKENS MEDICAL PRACTICE General Medical & Dispensing Services The Surgery High Street New Galloway � 01644 420234 � THE STEWARTRY VETERINARY CENTRE CASTLE DOUGLAS SURGERY HOURS Mon-Fri 2.00-2.30 pm & 5-6 pm Sat 2-2.30 pm DALBEATTIE SURGERY HOURS Mon, Wed, Fri 3-3.30 pm Tues & Thurs 6-6.30 pm FOR APPOINTMENTS AT BOTH SURGERIES OR IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY 01556 502263 VETERINARY SURGERY OAKWELL ROAD CASTLE DOUGLAS OPENING FRIDAY, APRIL 3RD THE STICKETY LICKETY TEAHOUSE at Barstobrick Visitors Centre nr Ringford, DG7 2AT OPEN 10am till 4pm FROM WEDNESDAY TO SUNDAY LUNCHES BRUNCHES, SNACKS, CAKES COFFEES & SUNDAY ROASTS FOR APPOINTMENTS CALL � Everyone is then invited to play in a friendly game between the President and the Vice President. All are welcome to come along to play or watch - it would be lovely to see you there. Eliz Peacock � Also enjoy county walks, fishing, horse-riding and enter our FREE Easter Wildlife Quiz to win a prize. A Great Day Out For All the Family! ��������������������� �������������������������������� �������������������������� ������������������ �� ������������ Glenkens Gazette page 5 sponsored by For the first time ever, two of Scotland’s prestigious nature festivals are uniting to showcase over 150 family-friendly events taking place in the south of Scotland throughout April, May and June. Dumfries & Galloway Wild Spring Festival (Scotland’s largest and longestrunning wildlife festival) has joined forces with the Scottish Borders Nature Festival to celebrate the diversity of flora and fauna that can be discovered throughout the area in a fascinating programme of events. To mark Scotland’s Year of Food & Drink, both festivals are also set to reveal a series of events with a special focus on the area’s outstanding natural larder. Almost all events will be free or charge a modest admission of around £6 per person. Most are led by local wildlife or conservation experts and take in a host of natural delights including the iconic red squirrel, migrating geese, bats, badgers, butterflies and moths, otters, red kites, osprey, red deer, goats, gannets and sharks. Project Manager for the Southern Uplands Partnership and spokesperson for the South of Scotland Wild Festivals, Pip Tabor, said: “By uniting Dumfries & Galloway Wild Spring Festival and the Scottish Borders Nature Festival we hope to shine a spotlight on the naturally inspiring countryside, forests, gardens and coastline (around 250 miles of it) across the south of Scotland. “There are so many wonderful experiences on offer for families and wildlife enthusiasts from near and far to discover the outstanding areas of natural beauty in Dumfries & Galloway and the Scottish Borders. Many events at these festivals are free and the local nature reserves and forestry visitor centres are second to none, offering the perfect way to get out in the fresh air and explore the south of Scotland this Spring.” Organisations staging festival events include the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the Forestry Commission, the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT), the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), Borders Forest Trust, Scottish Borders Council and Dumfries & Galloway Council, as well as a variety of independent local heritage attractions and estates. and hand-held thermal camera units for all participants to use on the tour. • Wild Forest Food: the Future in Ettrick Forest at Corehead Farm. Join the Borders Forest Trust for a walk in the young native woodland that is helping to restore the historic Ettrick Forest. Identify the trees, learn about their folklore and sample some of the food produce that the forest will provide, such as cob nut biscuits and birch sap cordial. (Saturday 25 May). • Moth Breakfast at Whitmuir Organics, West Linton: Enjoy some delicious local produce for breakfast while overnight moth traps are opened and the beasties are identified and released. (Saturday 6 June). • Arty Otters at Harestanes Visitor Centre: Visitors can drop into the Harestanes Countryside Visitor Centre and make their own otter inspired artwork under tuition. (Saturday 23 May) **Booking is essential for some of the events – please see the website for further information on dates, times, costs and kit required. For the latest news about the Dumfries & Galloway Wild Spring Festival and the Scottish Borders Nature Festival visit www.wildseasons.co.uk “There are so many wonderful experiences on offer for families and wildlife enthusiasts from near and far to discover the outstanding areas of natural beauty...” The full programme will be announced soon but highlights include: • Stars ‘n’ Stripes Badger Watching at Caerlaverock WWT: Witness these fascinating nocturnal creatures from a cosy vantage point with a mug of hot chocolate in hand. (Monday 6 April to Sunday 19 April from 8pm) • Wilderness Canoe Trip at Galloway Activity Centre: Take a peaceful paddle along picturesque Loch Ken, one of the best ways to spot wildlife (daily throughout the Dumfries & Galloway Wild Spring Festival) • Nocturnal Wildlife Tours in Dumfries & Galloway: The Dumfries & Galloway Wild Spring festival will see the launch of the first ever nocturnal wildlife tours of their kind in the UK. The tour will involve transport in a vehicle fitted with thermal night vision Male siskin. Glenkens Gazette page 6 Children’s Groups Secured Continued from front page... Playgroup is open for children aged two and three on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings in the Glenkens Community Centre, Dalry. It runs from 09.10am to 11.40am and costs £5 for two year olds - three year olds are free. Ring Sue Curtis, Playgroup Manager, on 07935 882 470 with any enquiries. Glenkens Children’s Club (GCC) was also delighted to be offered core funding by Natural Power Consultants. This grant will assure the future of GCC for this year and the next, and it is hoped to use the funds for matching other donations. GCC has also been most generously supported this year by the Glenkens Community Shop, the Guild at St Margaret’s Church, Mrs Annikki Lindsay’s Open Garden and the employees of Natural Power, for which they are also extremely grateful. Children’s Club runs on Monday and Friday mornings, also at the Glenkens Community Centre, welcoming group. And finally, New Galloway Mother & Toddlers group was also delighted to receive funding from the Glenkens Community Shop in their latest round of community grants. Fiona Oliver, chair of the group, said; “We are extremely grateful to the Glenkens Community Shop for this Grant donation. Please continue to use and support the Glenkens Community Shop. Without grants such as these our local groups would struggle to provide a wide range of activities and amenities for our rural but thriving community.” New Galloway Mother & Toddlers Group runs in New Galloway Town Hall every Tuesday morning, 9.45am to 11.30am through term-time and cost £2 for a snack-aged child and £1 per additional child. Glenkens Children’s Club (GCC) was also delighted to be offered core funding by Natural Power Consultants. This grant will assure the future of GCC for this year and the next... from 09.30am to 11.30am. It is a ‘Stay & Play’ toddler group, for children aged 0-3 with their relevant adult. It costs £2 for the first child, £1 for subsequent children - if you’ve got preschool children at home, do come along to this friendly and Gillespie Gifford & Brown LLP Solicitors and Estate Agents Selling properties across Dumfries & Galloway 01556 503744 www.ggblaw.co.uk All legal advice Offices in Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie Kirkcudbright and Dumfries Glenkens Gazette page 7 CatStrand Update The CatStrand events have been relocated and in some cases the dates have changed too. For more information and updates please check the website (www.catstrand.com), facebook page (www.facebook.com/ thecatstrand) or call the CatStrand on 01644 420 374. Don’t miss the concert from Rura at Dalry Town Hall on 15 April. This fresh young act is at the forefront of Scottish folk, presenting flute, whistle, fiddle, bodhran and the voice of extraordinary singer/songwriter Adam Holmes. Salthouse David Ross will present a talk on the histories of the two old companies which operated on the Dumfries-Stranraer railway. The Port Road: Men, Mails, and Mechinations will take place at The Ken Bridge Rura Hotel on 22 April. Folk fusion band Salt House will round off the spring season with a programme including the reworking of old ballads along side their own writing lead by the stunning voice of Siobhan Miller. Taking place at Balmaclellan Village Hall on 24 April. Critically acclaimed drama Normal/Madness by Kidder Theatre will be presented in partnership with the Dumfries and Galloway arts festival on Friday the 22nd of May. Based on the real experiences of writer Fiona Geddes, the play explores the journey of understanding for a young woman caring for her schizophrenic mother. The CatStrand Team NEW GALLOWAY GOLF CLUB With the return of spring New Galloway Golf Club is now open for the season. The course has come through the winter well and with the renovation of the fourth medal tee everything looks bright for the Club. In conjunction with Club Golf, New Galloway members are also introducing an extensive junior coaching package with coaching sessions in local schools and on the course itself. The first of these sessions will be held over the Easter holidays, on 13, 15 and 17 April from 10am to 12noon. All youngsters are very welcome to attend. Further information can be obtained from the Club’s junior convenor, David Aitken, on 460 556. Ian Brown Glenkens Gazette page 8 DALRY ANGLING ASSOCIATION Dalry Angling Association have commenced stocking of Carsfad Loch, and the plan is to stock Earlstoun Loch and the River Ken during the course of the season. Memberships fees for 2015 are now due - fees remain the same as last year: Adults £15, juniors £1 (up to school leaving age) and full-time students £5. Memberships can be paid at the offices of Brandecosse Ltd at the back of Wrights Shop. Photo: New Galloway resident James Anderson with an 8lb brown trout caught on the River Ken outside Dalry. Glenkens Transport Initiative Wednesday Evening Bus Service GTI Excursions 2015 (registered route) April 9th Thursday Dalry to Castle Douglas and Back 1900 1905 1915 1925 1930 1937 1940 Outward Journey Depart Dalry (Underhill) New Galloway Mossdale Lauriston Townhead of Greenlaw Castle Douglas (Market Street) Castle Douglas (Tesco) 2035 2037 2047 2050 2100 2110 2115 Return Journey Depart Castle Douglas (Tesco) Castle Doulgas (Market Street) Townhead of Greenlaw Laurieston Mossdale New Galloway Dalry Enjoy the spring blossoms at this wonderful garden. Logan Botanic Gardens Fare £6/ concession £5. Admission to gardens: adult £6.00/ concession £5.00 April 23nd Thursday Lake District Fare £7/ Concession £6 Suggestions are invited for one or two excursions in May and throughout the summer. If there’s somewhere you’d like to go and you think others would too, email Glen on gti@catstrand.com or phone 01644 420374. GTI has 8 and 16 seat minibuses for hire. Hirers must be registered GTI user groups. For more information or to book call 01644 420374. W BONE WHB JEEPS THE GARAGE, DALRY PETROL & DIESEL SALES SERVICE & REPAIRS MOTs, TYRES, BATTERIES ALL AT COMPETITIVE PRICES OPEN 8.30AM - 6.00PM (SIX DAYS) 10AM - 6PM SUNDAYS - FUEL 24 HOURS SHOP • SANDWICH BAR • LOTTERY Tel: 01644 430208 Fax: 01644 430669 jeeps@whbjeeps.co.uk www.whbjeeps.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 9 Mossdale: New Village Hall? Mossdale Village Hall is in need of some repairs. As age comes to us all, the hall is no stranger to this and is now showing its years. The well-used stage is no longer fit to produce any music, let alone an encore. The walls have many a ‘smile line’ and the floor has been danced upon to its exhaustion. There is a notion to build a new hall which will allow us as a committee to provide some more added extra annual events to our local and wider community. A new hall would provide exciting new premises and enable us to welcome friends old and new to Hole in the stage. The Clachan Inn, Dalry, is open every day from 12 noon serving great food, awardwinning ale and offering a variety of live music. Food is served from 12 noon to 2pm and 6pm to 9pm and booking is recommended at peak times (current menu can be viewed on our website). Come and experience award-winning cask ales and a great selection of wines, malts, ciders, beers and freshly ground coffee. With summer on its way there are plenty of events planned at the Clachan - keep an eye on the boards outside for all up coming events. 01644 430241 mail@theclachaninn.co.uk Come and check out our new Spring Menu! Mossdale Village Hall. a greater variety of entertainment and sporting activities and other events. Please look out for further details and a questionnaire coming your way as we welcome your views and ideas as to how we can utilise the new fabulous community facility. Exciting times are upon us and we look forward to sharing them with you all. Michelle Bell, Secretary, Mossdale Village Hall Committee, Glenkens Gazette page 10 CARSPHAIRN TREASURE HUNTERS This term, the pupils at Carsphairn Primary School have been learning about history. Since this term is particularly long, we have decided to look at history in three different ways. By learning about the Egyptians we will learn about ancient history, by learning about the Titanic we can discover more modern history and we are also finding out about how we learn about history. We started the term focusing on Egypt, and the kids have done some independent research to write a class report about the Ancient Egyptians. We used a combination of books from our library and chose the best websites on the internet to find information. We then went through the seven steps of writing to produce our reports on several different aspects of Ancient Egyptian life. We also constructed our own sarcophogi, and looked at the process of mummification – which we all agreed was pretty gross! Next we started learning about the Titanic. For homework, we were all tasked with the job of constructing scaled models of the ship using recycled materials. We think our parents enjoyed this as much as we did! We also learned about the details of what happened on the fateful night that the Titanic struck the iceberg, and why it mattered if you were travelling in first class or third class. Finally, to celebrate everything we will have learned this term about the Titanic, we are going on a school trip to Belfast to see the Titanic Belfast Exhibition. It will be a long day, but we are looking forward to taking our own boat/ferry journey across the water to Northern Ireland. Finally, we have been really lucky to have Beyond the Beep visit our school to teach us all about responsible metal detecting, which fits in very well with the outdoor learning ethos at our school. Sharon and Derek from Beyond the Beep were able to provide us with all the metal detecting and digging equipment and expertise required to search the fields behind our school grounds. We unearthed all kinds of artefacts such as old toys, coins and other random items, and we are still researching to find out as much as we can about everything we have discovered. It has been a really great way to learn that we Summer Events in Wigtown This summer Wigtown has some great events, including their renowned Wigtown Book Festival. Wigtown Writers’ Gathering: Fri 1 May, 9.30am to 4.30pm, County Buildings, Wigtown. The Spring Kist and Tearoom: Sat 2 and Sun 3 May, 10am to 4pm, County Buildings, Wigtown. Wigtown Spring Book Weekend: 1, 2 and 3 May. Wigtown Book Festival Dinner & Charity Auction: Fri 15 May, 7pm, County Buildings, Wigtown. Lorna Reid in Concert: Sat 23 May, 7.30pm, Wigtown Primary School, New Road, Wigtown. Wigtown Poetry Competition 2015: main prize £1500, closing date is Fri 29 May. For more on these events please visit www.wigtownbooktown.co.uk or www.dgartsfestival.org.uk have loads of history right in our own backyard! To show off all that we have been learning about history, we will be having an open house at the school at 10am on 2 April. Everyone is invited and we would love to have you visit our wonderful wee school. So if you are interested in history, or just want to see what the pupils at Carsphairn have been up to, we hope we can see you in April. Walker McKenna Glenkens Gazette page 11 Glenkens Gazette page 12 Glenkens Gazette page 13 Glenkens Gazette page 14 Glenkens Gazette page 15 MAKING THE MOST OF OPPORTUNITIES Since Christmas, young people in the Glenkens have been getting out and about to a range of events. In February, Dalry School pupils Erin McGaw from S2 and Rebekah Phillips from S3 participated in their first Procurator Fiscal’s Public Speaking competition at St Joseph’s College in Dumfries. Taking it in their stride, they spoke very well on a difficult subject of ‘Society thinks that everyone should be thin and beautiful’ with the Dalry team speaking to the title ‘Society needs healthy bodies and beautiful minds’. The girls were congratulated on their teamwork and research. The feedback they got was constructive and their scores for a first outing were very impressive. Jordan Lawrie (S3) of Dalry School recently travelled to Bathgate Academy to compete at national level in the National Schools Table Tennis Championships. Winning two and losing two games, Jordan has come back with an experience at national level and some useful advice. The support of his family in attending both the competition and training opportunities in Dumfries is not to be underestimated and very much appreciated by Jordan. The Primary Regional Cross Country was attended by a number of P5, P6 and P7 students from Dalry and Kells primary schools. The young people ran really well and have set themselves new targets for next year. William Nash came fourth in the P7 boys’ event and has gone on to compete independently in Stranraer the following weekend, where he ran 1400 metres and came third with a time of five minutes and 35 seconds. Dalry School representatives from S1 and S2 descended on Bladnoch Rugby Club along with The winning ‘Group Music Making’ team of Dalry P3/4/5 at the Galloway Music Festival. over a hundred other young Seniors came away with the people from D&G schools for the Newton Stewart Bowling Club Senior Regional Cross country Trophy for their percussion event. All our young people playing. completed their courses showing We have been proud of the way perseverance in some cold and the students have been prepared boggy conditions. to push their boundaries and In March Dalry School S1 expand their experiences. Now boys had their first taste of the they are looking forward to new pitch at Palmerston, where they challenges in the summer term. took part in the regional seven-a-side ‘Cashback Sevens’ competition. They enjoyed the experience and learned a lot from it. The Galloway Music Festival in Newton Stewart gave a platform for the youthful musical talent of the Glenkens. Postal address: Dalry P3/4/ Unit 7 5 won their Loreburn Shopping Centre ‘Group Music High Street, Dumfries, DG1 2BD Making’ class Email: and many other aileen.mcleod.msp@scottish.parliament.uk students from Tel: Dalry and Kells 01387 255 334 performed well in a wide range Please check of classes, both as individual www.aileenmcleod.org and group for regular surgery, constituency performances. and parliamentary updates The Dalry Aileen McLeod MSP working for you across the South of Scotland Glenkens Gazette THIS SPRING WITH WATSON BIRDS Come to Dalry in April and join in a range of bird-related activity. Golden Eagle Egg Hunt: Thursday 9 April, 12.30-3.30pm beginning at Barone (54 Main, Street, Dalry). Join the Watson Birds Project for a Golden Eagle Egg Hunt around St John Town of Dalry. Start at Barone and get a map for clues to find the eggs. When you find the egg, however, be careful not to move it as mummy Eagle will be watching! Simply write the code on paper provided - the aim is to find all the codes and return back to Barone. Donald Watson Birds Trail: Tuesday 14 April, 12.30– 3.30pm. Meeting at Barone (54 Main Street, Dalry). Start at Barone and witness your first spot of the day, on the back of the bird lies a clue to the next. Simply follow the clues to the next bird, remember when you find each clue to write the name of the species that you find. A fun day out for the family and a great learning experience. Bird Ringing Barone Garden: Sat 25 April, drop-in session from 9am - 12noon with Andrew Bielinski, North Solway Ringing Group, at Barone (54 Main St, Dalry). Bird ringing or bird banding is a technique used in the study of wild birds, by attaching a small, individually ����������������������������������������������������� numbered, or plastic • Pensions • Savings • Investments metal tag to their • Retirement Options legs or wings, so that various • Inheritance Tax Planning aspects of the • Life Assurance bird’s life can • Income & Critical Illness be studied by Protection • Mortgages • Home Insurance Free Confidential Initial Consultation Tel: 01671 403080 Fax:- 01671 402549 Email: brian.edgar@marrfinancial.co.uk Web: www.marrfinancial.co.uk 61 Victoria Street NEWTON STEWART, DG8 6NL **NEW** Yorkshire Building Society Agency – Now Open Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. For mortgages we can be paid by commission or a fee of usually £300 or a combination of both. For Home Insurance we usually offer products from a limited panel of providers. page 16 the measurements taken during the capture, such as moult, fat content, age, sex, wing and tail. An added bonus is when the bird is recaptured later, providing information on migration, longevity, mortality, population numbers and feeding behaviour. Wildlife and Bird Photography Competition: open from 2 April, closing date Saturday 2 May. Watson Birds Project encourages you to capture stunning images of wildlife and birds around the Glenkens. The competition is separated into three categories - ages 5-13, ages 13-18, and 18+. Do you think you’ve got what it takes to capture the winning photograph? If so, give it a go - simply email the final image to lynsaybradford @gmail.com, along with your name, age (if you are under 18), address and contact details by Saturday 2 May 2015. Please put WATSON BIRDS PHOTO COMP as subject. We will then choose three winning photographs from each category. Entries are submitted on the understanding that they may be reproduced on the website and other publications of the Watson Bird Project. Glenkens Gazette page 17 CatStrand Youth Players The Youth Players entered two plays for this year’s Scottish Community Drama Association Festival with the Stewartry District round being held at the Fullarton Theatre over five sessions from 25 to 28 February. Amateur drama is certainly flourishing in the Stewartry and this, once again, was by far the biggest festival in Scotland with 14 entries. The Youth Players’ ambitious production of ‘I Never Saw Another Butterfly’ by Celeste Raspanti was placed third, winning the Aitchison Trophy. The play was a very moving piece of theatre with demanding roles for the three main characters played by Zoe Kirkpatrick, Eleanor Jones and Mathew Godridge ably supported by another eight young actors. The story was based on the true account of a Czech Holocaust survivor, Raja Englanderova, who was held in the Jewish Ghetto of Terezin near Prague during the German occupation. The adjudicator also seemed very impressed to the point where his public adjudication suggested that a higher place than third was forthcoming. The audience feedback too was very positive and hopes were high as the Saturday evening presentations approached but in the end it was to be third place this time. The cast are very grateful to Iva Pennington for all her help with the pronunciation of all the Czech words and names in the script. The second production was ‘Dream Jobs’ by Graham Jones, a well known piece of youth theatre depicting the plight of five teenage girls as they wait for an interview with their careers adviser. Each of them has a dream job, all of them either a bit too glamorous or academically beyond the limited The CatStrand Youth Players cast of ‘I Never Saw Another Butterfly’. ability of the girls. a fashion model whilst walking Each character had their spot in on crutches after unfortunately the limelight as they acted out a breaking her ankle a few weeks scene based on their glamour jobs ago. such as a fashion model, a dancer Both plays were directed by or an air hostess. Slowly they Brian Edgar with sound effects came to realise that none of them and music by Simon Davidson. was ever going to achieve their The plays will be presented ‘Dream Jobs’, except for Joan who again in Dalry Town Hall only ever wanted to get married during April, at the time of and have a family – it transpired going to press the date had that she had achieved part of her not been finalised but please ambition already, although not in look out for the posters, check the way she would have liked, as www.catstrand.com or phone she was expecting a baby. The 420 374 for further details. adjudicator also praised the cast of Dream Jobs for their strong characterisations and particularly praised the ‘fantasy’ scenes where they left reality and overplayed Supplying sand and gravel for all their idealistic your farming needs, as well as perception of households and businesses both their dream job. Whilst this large and small. production wasn’t We stock washed fine sand, coarse sand and placed this time it also received gravels at competitive prices. high marks and was very well received by the For further details contact: audience. Angus Wilson, Quarry Manager - 07715 606 685 There were James Mair - 07793 085 243 many memorable Email: loch.bargatton@live.co.uk comedy Bargatton Quarry, Laurieston, Castle Douglas, DG7 2PS moments, not least the game attempts of Lucy Olley, who was playing Delivery can be arranged - subject to quantity Angela, to act out her scene as Bargatton Sand & Gravel Open 7 days Mon-Fri Weekends by arrangement Glenkens Gazette URG AND I: Part I One man’s story of living with a broken ankle... I broke my ankle. It’s a very weird experience for me, as I’ve never broken a bone before. Now all my routines, assumptions, and predispositions are suspended or questioned. To begin with I thought it was just a sprain. Couple of days off work. No sweat. Then I thought I’d better check with the doctor, get an X-ray maybe. The next day I was in hospital and had a ‘slab’ (a bulky bandage/cast hybrid designed to support the limb) put on it. Next Thursday I get a full cast which will bring a whole new set of experiences. Until then I am adjusting to the brick attached to my left leg, to the almost continuous (although rarely intense) pain, to one-legged and double-crutched hopping, and various other little (or not so little) discomforts that arrived unexpected and unannounced, in company with this throbbing lump. I shall call it Urg. Living alone I have no-one to beg favours of when Urg makes things difficult. My house is small and merrily cluttered (some would say ‘a complete mess’) and I have found that negotiating (on crutches) the fermenting blackberry wine, the easel, bookshelves and two tables while carrying a cup of coffee is impossible. So I leave the crutches by the sink, hop around the wine, and, leaning on the easel here or a bookshelf there, gradually make my way to the couch, set my coffee on the table and then return, hop-foot, for the crutches. Urg complains throughout the duration of this safari. Going to bed is fun. I have to climb a set of polished wood stairs. Urg refuses to co-operate, so I leave the crutches at the page 18 And Urg has to be in just the right position before he will settle down, otherwise he complains painfully. As for rolling over or adjusting my (or Urg’s) position - well, even if he does want to move he complains when we do. This normally brief little adjustment has become a slow, delicate and painful affair. Eventually of course we fall asleep. Then we wake up. That happens two or three times. Then we wake up and it is morning. At this point a third character becomes involved. His name is Senor Bladder. It doesn’t matter if Urg and I are perfectly happy, warm and comfortable and have no desire to move, Senor Bladder is very insistent. So Urg and I have to take Senor Bladder downstairs. Urg objects. Nevertheless we are forced to once again slide laboriously downstairs to where I left the crutches. Now here’s a warning. When moving from a high point (a stair) into crutches, beware the tendency to pivot forward uncontrollably. I nearly poled through the front window this morning. Only tripping over the couch saved me. Urg was not amused. Anyway, once Senor Bladder is calmed down Urg and I sit and watch the day loom. That’s what we’re doing now. Watching the day loom. We do have one thing to look forward to. This afternoon we’re going to have a bath. I haven’t told Urg yet. Kevin Ade So I leave the crutches by the sink, hop around the wine, and, leaning on the easel here or a bookshelf there... Urg complains throughout the duration of this safari. New Galloway Golf Club bottom and clamber backwards, one step at a time, up to the second floor and into my room, holding Urg in the air all the way. Then there’s getting into bed. I can’t just slip Urg between the covers like the little eel on my other leg. I have to flip the bedclothes back, gently lift Urg into place upon the mattress, cover him with the bedclothes and then use the little eel to adjust them around Urg if need be – which is usually the case. Family and friends coming to stay? Short of space? www.nggc.co.uk Cosy country cottage available (sleeps 4) Buggies now available for hire Call Fiona on 01644 420 227 Founded 1902 - 01644 420737 VISITORS AND NEW MEMBERS WELCOME www.covenanters-holidaycottagescotland.co.uk FHB Fencing Dalry Domestic and Agricultural Fencing 01644 430 495 (Peter) or 07767 795 498 (Jonathan) Glenkens Gazette page 19 Exploring the World of Work One of the big issues young people face when thinking about the future is a lack of experience and knowledge about the seemingly endless possibilities in the world of work. Dalry is seeking to enlist the help of the community in developing weekly ‘case studies’ of different jobs which can be shared, in person, with groups of young people. We know we have adults in the community who between them have a wealth of experience to share and if we can encourage large numbers of you to spare us a small amount of time each, then the young people of the Glenkens will be in a stronger position to make their choices for the future. If you would be prepared to talk about your job for about 10 minutes, based on a series of short questions, and then be prepared to answer any questions that arise, for no more than five more minutes, probably on a Wednesday afternoon at either 1.30pm or 3.10pm, then I would be very interested in hearing from you. We know many of you have been working for yourselves in ‘niche’ employment and your enterprising approach could be a great inspiration to others. This is all about awareness-raising and different stories, presented by someone from outside school, are very powerful. Please get in touch with the school office on 01644 430259 and leave your name, job title, ALEX FERGUSSON MSP FOR GALLOWAY & WEST DUMFRIES Holds regular advice surgeries at: Constituency Office, New Market Street, Castle Douglas, DG7 1HY on the 2nd Friday of every month from 5pm Telephone free on 0800 028 7260 for an appointment or to make any alternative arrangement. You can visit Alex’s website at: www.alexfergusson.org.uk or contact him by e-mail at: alex.fergusson.msp@scottish.parliament.uk YOUR SCHOOL NEEDS telephone number and contact address, if you can see your way to giving us a little of your time. At the end of April, we will send out further information to all those who have volunteered and we can start planning for the school session starting in August. We look forward to widening the experience of young people with your help. YOU! Jenny Smith, Headteacher MAMMA’S GRILL RESTAURANT @ LOCHINVAR HOTEL OPENING FRIDAY 17th APRIL ENJOY THE RELAXED ATMOSPHERE OF OUR REFURBISHED RESTAURANT SERVING CHARGRILLED STEAKS & MEATS STONE OVEN COOKED PIZZAS BOOKING BEING TAKEN 01644 430 107 TAKE AWAY PIZZA AVAILABLE Glenkens Gazette HISTORY LAUNCH DRAWS CROWDS It was standing room only in the Glenkens Community Centre in Dalry when Professor Ted Cowan launched The Glenkens Story project and introduced the first speaker of the day, Anna Campbell of the Carsphairn Heritage Group. She was followed by local farmer, Bill Blyth, on his life- time of book-collecting, the Rev. David Bartholomew on the Covenanter trail and Dr Lizanne Henderson on the Glenkens witches. Almost 150 people dropped in during the day-long launch to view the displays or listen to speakers including Michael Ansell on discovering history through place names, Professor Joseph Murphy on how ‘natural’ resources shape history, Paul Goodwin on the military past and Alison Burgess with oral history gathered locally. The displays by the Carsphairn Update on the War: 100 Years On Well the war was not over by Christmas (as many people had thought) and the Glenkens had lost its first son, Augustus Cathcart of Carsphairn, on 14 September 1914. Although he was never to be listed on any Glenkens memorial, Lieutenant Frederick WJM Miller was killed in action on 23 October 1914. His father was Sir William Miller Bart of Glenlee although the family by then were no longer connected with the area. The Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser (fore-runner of the Galloway News) printed a letter from the minister at Kells on 13 November to report that a cottage occupied by refugees (from Belgium) had been given rent free by Mrs Turner and that valuable assistance had also been given by Miss Turner. The next man to fall would be Arthur Rennie on 12 March 1915. Aged 29 and a former gardener at Kenmure Castle, he is listed on the Kells war memorial. He was the fifth son of the late Wright’s Shop & Post Office Dalry Licensed convenience store and newsagent stocking a range of local suppliers including Corsons and Irvings Bakers, Ballards and Dalmellington Butchers and Mitchells Fruit and Veg. Opening Times (both shop & PO): Monday to Friday: 7am – 6pm Saturday: 8am – 6pm Sunday: 8.30am – 4pm Tel: 01644 430 225 The Fleet Fish van s in the Glenkens on Tuesdays & Wednesdays every week. Anyone wishing me to call, please phone Mary on above mobile no. fleetfishfruitandveg@gmail.com www.facebook.com/fleetfish www.fleetfish.co.uk page 20 and Dalry Heritage groups, showings of historic films and the finds of the local metal detectors attracted crowds. Enthusiastic visitors gave Avril Bridgeman and Tom Carlyle copious information for their history of the New Galloway shops. Having established that many local people want to discover more about their history, The Glenkens Story project will soon be announcing its next events. Watch out for posters and flyers. Mike Brown, mbrown99@dircon.co.uk constable Rennie of Carsphairn and a brother of police sergeant Rennie of Dalry. An edition of the Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser of 25 December 1914 contained a Roll of Honour with the names of all those serving in the armed forces. The numbers were Dalry (32), Kells (40), Carsphairn (18) and Balmaclellan (9) and it is also known that a teacher from Kells school was serving at the front as a war correspondant so that makes exactly 100 men from the Glenkens serving at home or overseas. The local Territorial Battalion (5th Bn Kings Own Scottish Borderers) were in training near Stirling at this time in preparation for service overseas at Gallipoli. Paul Goodwin Glenkens Gazette page 21 LOCAL HISTORY with TED COWAN OLD MORTALITY Balmaclellan must be one of the least known villages in Scotland. Nestling into the side of its hill it is easily missed from the Corsock road and the road to Bogue Toll. Highlanders retreating from Derby in 1746. Thereafter he joined the Cameronians who still adhered to the covenants. He began to transport slabs from his quarry to place on the unmarked graves of covenanting martyrs. One commentator suggests that he may have suffered from religious mania. Soon he was spending all his time repairing memorials of covenanters who perished during the ‘Killing Times’, the martyrs of the suffering bleeding remnant. For 40 years, known variously as the ‘Hewer’, the ‘Letterer’ or the ‘Headstoneman’ and eventually as ‘Old Mortality’, much had his narratives the circumstantiality of an eyewitness’. Scott had first been told about Paterson by Joseph Train, an exciseman with antiquarian interests based at Newton Stewart. Train was so smitten by Scott that he presented him with various artifacts for his private museum. He was, however, stopped from handing over St John’s Chair by the irate inhabitants of Dalry. It remains in the village, as it should. Scott had no sympathy with the covenanters whom he detested as repugnant anachronisms. Whenever he wrote about them his works were greeted with howls of outraged anguish from the devout, notably the minister and biographer, Thomas McCrie, who could not understand how a person of judgement and candour found it possible to condemn the covenanters, men ‘who had been betrayed, insulted, harassed, pillaged and treated in every way like beasts, rather than reasonable creatures by a perfidious, profane, profligate junto of atheists and debauchees’. Paterson’s grandson Nathaniel was born at Achie, Kells to become in time a successful minister On a visit home in later life he wrote: ‘I rode over to Kells and could have wept at the changes I saw – trees cut down and the house razed; but let this remind us of the grand change coming – “the house not made with hands”’ (2 Corinthians 5.1.) He invented a type of lifeboat and when the Free Church was built at Bogue Toll he preached the first sermon. His four sons, all successful men, emigrated to New Zealand, Australia and Canada. The Balmaclellanites are to be congratulated on keeping alive the memory of Old Mortality. Ted Cowan Delivery people regularly appear at our door asking the whereabouts of Balmaclellan almost as if it were a sister community to Brigadoon or Glocca Morra. Few see the sculpture built in to the wall of the kirkyard when approaching the village from the west. There, reclining on a tombstone, is Old Mortality, his ancient horse standing beside him. The sculptor was John Corrie who produced his work in 1840, a copy of which now stands at Dumfries Museum. There is a more ambitious piece by James Thom in which Sir Walter he followed his calling, allegedly Scott sits on an upright gravestone refusing charity. His wife established talking to the man and the horse a school at Balmaclellan to earn a in the Laurel Hill Cemetery, family income, which Paterson so Philadelphia. The information board conspicuously failed to provide. here notes that ‘it was due to the She died in 1785. Old Mortality efforts of Balmaclellan Community joined his major clients when he Council and local people that these died in 1801 and was buried at statues have been restored, brought Caerlaverock. back to the village and re-sited in Scott met Paterson at Dunnottar September 2000’. I believe that the in 1793, an encounter described, statues were brought from the Holm more or less accurately we assume, where they were in a sad state of in Chapter One of Old Mortality. The disrepair; perhaps someone can stonemason spoke as if he was a confirm this? contemporary of the covenanters ‘so Old Mortality, who inspired the much had he identified his feelings title of Scott’s novel of the same and opinions with theirs, and so name, was a real person, Robert Paterson (1716-1801). He was a stonemason who worked at Corncockle Quarry, Lochmaben. He married Elizabeth Gray from Closeburn and through the good offices of the local Kirkpatrick laird he obtained the lease of a quarry at Gatelawbrig, Morton. His house was ruined Statue of Old Mortality and his horse in Balmaclellan. and he was captured by Soon he was spending all his time repairing memorials of covenanters who perished during the ‘Killing Times’, the martyrs of the suffering bleeding remnant. Glenkens Gazette page 22 APRIL & MAY APRIL Fri 3, The Stickety Lickety Teahouse opens, Barstobrick Visitors Centre, see p4 Mon 6 - Sun 19, Badger Watching, Caerlaverock, see p5 Wed 8, Open Stage, 7pm, Clachan Inn, Dalry Thu 9, Watson Birds: Golden Eagle Egg Hunt, 12.30-3.30pm, Barone, Dalry, see p16 Mon 13, Tue 14, Wed 15, Windy Rig Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund Consultations, see ad below Tue 14, Watson Birds: Donald Watson Birds Trail, 12.30-3.30pm, Barone, Dalry, see p16 Wed 15, Rura, 7.30pm, Dalry Town Hall Fri 17, Mamma’s Grill Restaurant opens, Lochinvar Hotel, Dalry, see p19 Sat 18, Spalding Bowling Club opens for play, Dalry, see p4 Sat 18 & Sun 19, Life Painting, 10am - 3pm, New Galloway Town Hall Wed 22, David Ross; The Port Road - Men, Mails and Mechinations, 7.30pm, Ken Bridge Hotel (change of date) Thu 23, SWANC talk: The Beavers are Back - is this good news? Do they upset fisheries? Are they a menace? 7.30pm, Ken Bridge Hotel. For info email mas@craigfarm.co.uk Sat 25, Learn to Weave on a Rigid Heddle Loom, 10am 3pm, New Galloway Town Hall Sat 25, Bird Ringing, 9am-12noon, Barone, Dalry, see p16 Fri 24, Salt House, 7.30pm, Balmaclellan Village Hall Sun 26, Creative Journals for Artists, 10am - 12pm, New Galloway Town Hall Sun 26, Glenkens Acoustic Sessions, 2-4pm, Clachan Inn, Dalry Thu 30, Documentary: International Human Rights Film Festival – Riot From Wrong, 7.30pm, Dalry Town Hall MAY Fri 1, Sat 2 & Sun 3, Wigtown Book Festival Dinner & Charity Auction, see p10 Fri 1, Wigtown Writers’ Gathering, see p10 Sat 2, Mindfullness Course, see p2 Sat 2 & Sun 3, The Spring Kist & Tearoom, Wigtown, see p10 Sat 16, CatStrand Fundraising Dinner & Dance, New Galloway Town Hall Thu 21 - Sun 24, World Ceilidh Festival, Knockengorroch Farm, Carsphairn, see back page Fri 22, Normal/Madness by Kidder Theatre, Balmaclellan Village Hall, 7.30pm Sat 23, Wild Spring Festival: Arty Otters, see p5 Sat 23, Lorna Reid, 7.30pm, Wigtown Primary School, New Road, Wigtown Mon 25, Wild Spring Festival: Wild Forest Food, see p5 Sun 31, Glenkens Acoustic Sessions, 2-4pm, Clachan Inn, Dalry Dalmellington Outreach Service Post Office: Carsphairn The Post Office is changing the day it brings its service to Carsphairn. It will now be every Tuesday from 1-3pm in Lagwyne Hall. Glenkens Gazette page 23 REGULAR EVENTS CatStrand - RELOCATED UNTIL JULY -see below: Exercise to Music: Mon, 10-11am, New Galloway Town Hall Margaret Morris Movement Adult Dance Class: Mon, 2.30-3.30pm, contact Sara on 01556 612854, New Galloway Town Hall Children’s Dance Class: Mon during term time, 3.45-4.45pm age 3-7, 4.30-5.30pm ages 8-15, New Galloway Town Hall Gentle Tai Chi: Wed, 10am, 60+, New Galloway Town Hall Play it By Ear: Wed, 2pm, Kells School, New Galloway Sing it Out: Thurs, 11am -12pm, Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Pilates: Thurs, 4.15-5.15pm & 5.306.30pm, Dalry Community Centre CatStrand Yukes: Thurs, 1pm – 3.30pm 60+ Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Knit & Blether Club: last Fri each month, 2pm, 60+ Afternoon Tea Club: 2nd Fri each month, 2pm, postponed until further notice Saturday Art Club: 2nd Sat each month, 10am–12noon, New Galloway Town Hall Zumbatomic: last Sat each month, 10-10.45am Catstrand Youth Players: Sun during term time, 2pm, postponed until the summer Glenkens Acoustic Sessions: last Sun of the month, 2-4pm, The Clachan Inn, Dalry Glenkens Community Centre (Dalry): (contact Kath 430 281) Glenkens Children’s Club: Mon & Fri, 9.30-11.45am Paint & Art: Mon, 1.30-4.30pm & Wed, 7-9pm Ballroom & Latin Dance Class: Mon, 7.15pm, for more info call Sam Rushton on 420 672 GCC Playgroup: Tues & Thurs, 9.20-11.50am, contact keronh@me.com Good Neighbours’ Club: Tues, 2pm Kickback Martial Arts: Thurs, 7-9pm Thursday Craft Group: Thurs, 24pm Brownies: Wed, 5.30-6.45pm Guides: Tues during term-time, 6.15pm, contact: Kath 430 281 Various Locations: Ukelele Group: Mon, 11.15am, 60+, New Galloway Town Hall Ukelele Improvers, Mon, 1pm, 60+, New Galloway Town Hall Mother & Toddlers: Tues, 9.4511.15am, New Galloway Town Hall Beavers: Tues, 6–7.15pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Dog Training: Tues & Wed, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. Contact: Eric 460 670 Bowling for Beginners: Wed, 7pm, Spalding Bowling Club, Dalry (opposite Glenkens Community Councils Balmaclellan Community Council Meetings: 3rd Monday each month, 7.30pm, Balmaclellan Village Hall. Carsphairn Community Council Meetings: Last Monday each month, 7pm, Lagwyne Hall, Carsphairn. Dalry Community Council Meetings: 1st Monday each month, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. New Galloway & Kells Community Council Meetings: 2nd Monday each month, 7.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall. Full minutes of local Community Council meetings can be viewed at Dalry Library. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND Sunday Services - Balmaclellan 12noon: 1st. Carsphairn 10.30am: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th. Dalry (Apr) 12noon: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th. Dalry (Apr) 10.30am: 2nd. Dalry (May) 9am: 1st, 3rd, 4th. Kells 10.30am: 2nd (May) 3rd, 4th, 5th (May). Special Services/Events: 3 Apr, 7.30pm, Good Friday Service, Balmaclellan Church. 5 Apr, 7am, Easter Dawn Service, Carsphairn Community Garden followed by breakfast in the Lagwyne Hall, Carsphairn. 12 Apr, 10.30am, United Family Service, Dalry Church. 24 Apr, 7.30pm, Quiz Night, Dalry Town Hall. 10 May, 10.30am, United Family Service, Kells Church. 10 May, 3pm, Conventicle by Garple Burn, Grennan, Balmaclellan parish. 30 May, 2-4pm, Plant Sale and Cream Teas, Balmaclellan Village Hall. 31 May, 10.30 am, United Service with Choir, Kells Church. Communion Service: 3 May, 12noon, Balmaclellan Church. SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH: St Margaret’s, New Galloway: Holy Communion, 10.30am every Sun & Wed CATHOLIC CHURCH SERVICES: Gatehouse of Fleet: Sat, 6pm. Kirkcudbright: Sun, 9.30am. Dalbeattie: Sun, 11am The Garage) Wednesday Quiz Night: Wed, 8.30pm, Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Stewartry Camera Club: Wed, 7.30pm, Ringford Village Hall, runs Wed 11 Sept till end Mar Zumba: Wed, 7.30-8.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall, £4 Mossdale Painters: Wed, 9.30am, Mossdale Village Hall Cub Scouts: Wed, 6.45–8pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Carsphairn Post Office: Thurs, 9.30-11.30am, Lagwyne Hall Coffee & Craft Morning: Thurs, 9.30am-12noon, Lagwyne Hall D&G Hard of Hearing Group Dropin: 1st Friday each month, 10am12noon, New Galloway Town Hall. Scouts: Thurs, 7–8.30pm, New Galloway Scout Hut To hire the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) behind Dalry School call Sonja Tranter on 430 244 or Nicolette Wise on 430 218. Dalry Library Tue: 2.30 - 6pm W S NEIME Fri: 2.30-6pm T Sat: 10am - 12noon There are 23 mobile library stops - to find out where and when please phone 430 234. ADVERTISE IN THE GAZETTE (price per issue incl VAT) SMALL: 6cm x 6cm, £37.80 (+ 10% off with series discount) 1/4 PAGE: 9cm w x 13cm h, £81.90 (+ 25% off with series discount) 1/2 PAGE: 18cm w x 13cm h, £151.20 (+ 25% off with series discount) FULL PAGE: 18cm w x 27cm h, £252 (+ 25% off with series discount) Call 07727 127 997 VAT Reg. No. 882 8361 87 USEFUL NUMBERS: ● Pot-hole Hotline: 0845 276 0000 ● Local Police: 0845 600 5701 ● Doctor: 01644 420 234 ● NHS 24: 08454 24 24 24 ● D&G Council: 030 33 33 3000 Glenkens Gazette page 24 KNOCKENGORROCH WORLD CEILIDH COMES OF AGE The Glenkens’ own international world and roots music festival, Knockengorroch World Ceilidh, celebrates its eighteenth year. Taking place in the hills above Carsphairn village at Knockengorroch Farm since 1998 with an audience then of 350, the festival expects 2,500 to 3,000 people this May. World Ceilidh is the longestrunning annual music festival in Dumfries & Galloway with many current visitors having grown up at the event. Organiser Liz Holmes says: “We have had births, marriages and ashes scattered at the festival, so our theme in our eighteenth year is coming of age and rites of passage which is very fitting. We are absolutely delighted with our line-up which covers music from all walks of life and backgrounds, rich and diverse, and reflecting the commonality of music which Knockengorroch has always promoted.” Looking beyond the UK, the festival welcomes Aziza Brahim from the Western Sahara with depths of desert blues and hints of flamenco. Her performance will be followed by a film and talks on the situation of the Western Saharan refugees, exiled for more than 40 years. Two of Scotland’s leading traditional fusion bands, The Peatbog Faeries and Shooglenifty, headline Saturday and Sunday nights, both also going strong after many years; a lot of dancing is guaranteed with both these wonderful bands. Cutting-edge contemporary sounds are represented amongst others by Young Fathers, another Scottish act who against the odds recently became Mercury Prize Winners - the most prestigious prize in music in the UK. There will be seven venues, including a brand new club night dance tent bursting with DJs and dance acts, with something to suit everyone’s musical tastes. Further attractions include music sessions, workshops, theatre, dance, comedy, fire, games, silent disco, open mic, kids’ activities, massage and therapies, a sauna, real ales, good food and global shopping. World Ceilidh runs from 21 to 24 May at Knockengorroch and welcomes all ages. Information can be obtained from the festival’s website and facebook page - www.knockengorroch.org. uk and www.facebook.com/ knockengorroch. Knockengorroch’s main stage. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Submit events, activities, news stories, cartoons, reviews, tips & techniques, fiction, photos, ads or ideas... Contact Sarah Ade on 07727 127 997 or glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk JUNE/JULY COPY DEADLINE: 5 MAY Design & co-ordination: Sarah Ade sarah.ade@gmail.com Printing:Stranraer & Wigtownshire Free Press www.stranraer-freepress.co.uk The Glenkens Gaze�e is an ini�a�ve of the Glenkens Community & Arts Trust, a Registered Sco�sh Charity No. SC032050  Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette 87 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GG_087 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource GCAT Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014 Description An account of the resource Editor: Sarah Ade https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/1/232/GlenkensGazette86.pdf 568eb0d71c2d450edbc6a347e5ac58bf Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette 86 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Description An account of the resource <p>Find out more about the Gazette: <a href="https://glenkens.scot/gazette-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glenkens Gazette home page</a> If you would like to submit an article or take out an advert, please email the editor Sarah Ade: <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="mailto:glenkensgazette@hotmail.com">glenkensgazette@hotmail.com</a></p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is a member of, and regulated by <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.impressorg.com/">Impress</a>.</p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is an initiative of Glenkens Community &amp; Arts Trust (SC032050) and represents the voice of the community (not necessarily the views of GCAT).</p> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document GLENKENS GAZETTE News from Balmaclellan, Carsphairn, Mossdale, New Galloway and St John’s Town of Dalry February/March 2015 ISSUE 86 FREE GLENKENS COMMUNITY SHOP DISPENSES MORE CHEER Glenkens Community Shop in Dalry has now distributed £15,415 to local organisations since it opened three years ago. More than 20 local organisations have received grants of up to £500 from the charity shop including schools, town halls, several children’s groups, walking groups and numerous others. The Glenkens Children’s Club summer activity programme for example was fully funded last year by a community shop grant enabling more than 60 children to sample various physical activities during the summer holidays. New Galloway Mother & Toddlers group is among recipients in the latest round of funding. Fiona Oliver, treasurer of the group, says: “We are extremely grateful to the Glenkens Community Shop for this grant. This will ensure the group can sustain itself for a whole year, providing an excellent play and social environment for babies, toddlers and parents alike in New Galloway Town Hall.” She also added, “Please continue to use and support the Glenkens Community Shop. Without grants such as these our local groups would struggle to provide a wide range of activities and amenities for our rural but thriving community.” Continued on p19... Shirley McNaught and volunteer Annie outside the shop on Dalry’s Main Street. CATSTRAND FLOOD APPEAL The CatStrand suffered huge damage when it was flooded again on Wednesday 14 January. The damage is far worse than last year’s flood, both because of the increased volume of water that came into the building and because the water was muddy this time. The building was at one point full of water to a depth of about 2’, and small boulders were swept into the building. The damage has not yet been quantified but a large amount of stock from the shop, all of the floors and a lot of the kitchen equipment appear to have been given way and the burn water damaged beyond repair. The was flowing directly into the entire building is sodden and building. filthy. Continued on p7... Staff were alerted to the flood late at night on the 14th, in the aftermath of the terrible rain that fell that evening. Despite staying late into the night and with the support of the local fire brigade, the damage had mostly been done by the time they got there, due to the fact that the retaining wall at the culvert to the Flood damage in the hallway by the computer side of the building had A Glenkens Community & Arts Trust (GCAT) ini�a�ve desks in the CatStrand. www.glenkensgaze�e.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 2 REMEMBERING GODFREY It is with a heavy heart that I tell you about the loss of a dear friend to many and pillar of the local community, Godfrey Smith, who died on 12 January. Godfrey ran the Clog and Shoe Workshop in Balmaclellan and was the last traditional clogmaker in Scotland and one of very few left in the whole of the UK. He was also a vital part of our Glenkens community, involving himself in so many valuable community initiatives, charitable projects and supporting many local young people in finding their direction in life. Godfrey will be remembered as a friend to many, as well as a mentor, teacher, husband, father, godfather and in so many generous and supportive roles; I don’t think I ever heard anyone utter a bad word about him in all the time I knew him. Having moved to the area in the early 1970s, Godfrey married Sheila Mackay and lived in Dalry for some time. Then the couple bought the old school in Balmaclellan where they raised their three boys – Pete, Sandy and Vondy. With an intense interest in community and supporting the next generation, Godfrey was involved in Balmaclellan Community Council for many years, Southwest Community Woodlands which, among other things, created the community woodland of Taliesin outside Castle Douglas, the South West Association of Nature Conservation(SWANC) group, as well as establishing the Afghan Schools Trust with Robin Ade. He also provided accommodation and activities for a group of children from Chernobyl after the terrible nuclear disaster, was instrumental in creating the youth apprenticeship scheme in the area and was pivotal in battling to stop the burial of nuclear waste in the Galloway hills. The Glenkens will be an emptier place without Godfrey Godfrey outside the workshop with some of his unique handmade footwear. and he will be sorely missed, but he will be remembered for many years to come in so many positive ways through the lives he influenced. Sarah Ade If you would like to make a donation to the Afghan Schools Trust in memory of Godfrey, please visit www.afghanschools.org GCAT Annual General Meeting The Glenkens Community & Arts Trust (GCAT) AGM was held as planned on Monday 19 January, although it had to be relocated to New Galloway Town Hall due to the flooding. Discussions naturally centred on the recovery plans from the flood, but Alan Smith, new chair of GCAT and Brian Edgar, general manager, also gave an overview of the year’s very successful activities. All of the GCAT projects (the CatStrand, the Gazette, GTI, the Watson Bird project, Connecting in Retirement, Youth Arts, Glenkens Children’s Club and GCC Playgroup) have gone from strength to strength and many have attracted new funding. Core funding remains an issue, and all support from the community, friends and patrons is very much appreciated. Alan Smith expressed his great thanks to Andrew Mellor, outgoing Chair, for all his hard work over the last few years and for his steady hand guiding the projects. John Crallan was co-opted as a new director, and Margaret Elphinstone stepped down after her three year tenure. She was also thanked for her thoughtful contributions and most helpful perspectives. Immediate plans were discussed and it was generally agreed that an engineering solution to the flooding issue is of critical importance, as neither the staff, board or community could bear to see a reoccurrence. Robert Peace gave a vote of thanks at the end to all the staff and volunteers who had done so much already to recover the situation, which was very much appreciated by all concerned. Copies of the general manager’s report and annual accounts are available for review at the CatStrand’s temporary office, Rosebank Cottage, just in front of McWilliam’s yard in New Galloway, accessed between Kirk Road and the Newton Stuart road. Glenkens Gazette page 3 by the Ken Photo of the Issue: Sponsored Bridge Hotel This issue’s winner is John Peacock with this striking shot of the view from Mossroddoch Loch overlooking Meikle Milyea. Dave and Sue, competition judges and owners of the Ken Bridge Hotel, said: “There were three excellent entries this issue, but we both agree that John Peacock’s view of Meikle Millyea gives a lovely feel of the grandeur of the local scenery at this time of year”. John wins a meal for two at the Ken Bridge Hotel’s renowned Sunday Carvery. Viewing Our GAZETTE GIVEAWAY Dark Skies In this issue of the Glenkens Gazette we have a family ticket for an evening session at the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory as well as three wonderful local books to give away to the first four people to answer the following question, linked to one of this issues’s articles. What cattle-related exhibition will be running in the Glenkens during February? Please either send answers to: Glenkens Gazette, CatStrand, New Galloway, DG7 3RN or email me at glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk Good luck! Sarah Ade, Editor, Glenkens Gazette Soup & Sweet Lunch Balmaclellan & Kells Guild are holding a Soup and Sweet lunch on Shrove Tuesday, 17 February, in New Galloway Lower Town Hall from 12 noon to 2 pm with entry at £4 per person. In addition to a variety of homemade soups and sweets followed by a cup of tea or coffee there will be a tombola and a stall with home baking. Proceeds from this event will go to Diabetes UK. Everyone is most welcome so please come along and support this worthy cause. The Scottish Dark Sky Observatory is Scotland’s only publicly accessible, research grade observatory located in a ‘gold tier’ Dark Sky Park – and one of only two in the world. It occupies a fantastic hilltop site on the northern edge of the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park, under some of the darkest skies in the UK. Located by Loch Doon, near Dalmellington, SDSO is open to the public, as well as amateur and professional astronomers. We aim to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds with the beauty and wonder of the universe. Packages are available for schools and other educational groups. Discounts are also available for group bookings of 20 guests or more. For more information please contact 01292 551118 or info@scottishdarkskyobservatory.co.uk or visit www.scottishdarkskyobservatory.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 4 sponsored by EVERYTHING listed in the Glenkens Freecycle section is FREE - you just need to contact the owner and go and pick it up! If you would like to list something on this page, please get in touch with Sarah on 07727 127 997 or email glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk Various Hutch for rabbit or guinea-pig, good condition and includes water-bottle. Contact: 430 218 Two children’s rocking horses. Furry horse, neighs when ear is squeezed, and a toddler-sized retro metal and plastic horse. Not perfect condition but still some fun left in them! Contact: Sarah on 430 065 Mustard yellow portable TV. Contact: Debra on 430 013 DVD player with remote. Contact: Debra on 430 013 Small deep red three-seater settee, length 1.66m. Not perfect but quite useable. Contact Will or Marion on 430 338 Leg swing exercise machine. Contact: Lesley or Miguel on 420 877 WANTED Tin sheets. Contact: Simon on 07426 124 982 Beginner requires German conversation lessons. Contact: 420 267 A small bale of hay and also of straw if possible - will pay but not sure where to get them locally... Contact: Sarah on 07727 127 997 GREY SQUIRREL CONTROL IN THE GLENKENS Over recent months more and more sightings of grey squirrels have been reported in the Glenkens. We need your support to help control the spread and threat that these cute but invasive animals pose. They out-compete red squirrels for habitat and food, usually replacing them within 15 years. This threat is magnified by the squirrel pox virus carried by the grey squirrel which is fatal to our native red squirrels, killing them within 15 days. THE STEWARTRY VETERINARY CENTRE CASTLE DOUGLAS SURGERY HOURS Mon-Fri 2.00-2.30 pm & 5-6 pm Sat 2-2.30 pm DALBEATTIE SURGERY HOURS Mon, Wed, Fri 3-3.30 pm Tues & Thurs 6-6.30 pm FOR APPOINTMENTS AT BOTH SURGERIES OR IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY � 01556 502263 VETERINARY SURGERY OAKWELL ROAD CASTLE DOUGLAS � The Glenkens were a stronghold for red squirrels, but less of them are now being seen. Why? Simply because of the spread of the slightly bigger grey squirrel. We can reverse this process by controlling the continuing spread of grey squirrels. Evidence in other areas of Dumfries and Galloway shows a proven record where eradication of grey squirrels has led to a return of our native red squirrel. Help us to re-establish former numbers of the very popular and iconic red squirrel in the Glenkens. Please report your squirrel sightings, both red and grey, to Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels at www.scottishsquirrel survey.co.uk Robert Peace Photo of a Glenkens red squirrell taken by Philip Day along the Garroch Glen, near Dalry. If you wish to become involved with the Glenkens Red Squirrel Group please contact martin.webber@ forestry.gsi.gov.uk Glenkens Gazette page 5 sponsored by Tell us about your passion! A benefit of Scotland’s first Biosphere is that it can help to open doors to new opportunities. The international designation has been awarded in recognition of its potential to become a world class place for involving communities who have a passion for living and working in a way that benefits people and nature. The Glenkens is in the middle of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere and hosts an amazing combination of culture, wildlife and countryside. It is easy to see why people care about their surroundings, want to find out more and know it is worth taking a closer look. Of course the more you look the more you find out and then want to pass on your new found knowledge to others or take positive action to take care of our environment. This kind of approach is exactly what the Heritage Lottery Fund wants to promote through its Landscape Partnership Schemes. The schemes knit together many projects over a well-defined area to involve people with the improvement of local built, natural and cultural heritage. Dumfries and Galloway Council is beginning to develop a Landscape Partnership Scheme for the Ken/Dee river catchment and are keen to hear from individuals, groups or organisations with aspirations to enhance the area between Carsphairn and Kirkcudbright. An enormous range of projects might be included in a Landscape Partnership Scheme as long as they improve conditions for both local communities and local heritage. Your projects might help people develop rural skills such as drystane dyking or learn about recording ancient trees and the special wildlife they support, such as the tree lungwort lichen. Perhaps your project will research the development of towns and villages in the area, discover why some prospered and others never got beyond the initial plan or maybe you are fascinated by the unusual ‘Adam and Eve’ headstones in your local graveyard and want to involve volunteers in recording and preserving them for future generations to enjoy. Your idea might be about undertaking physical improvements or telling a story about the special qualities, characteristics and identity that makes the Glenkens different from other places. The size of a Landscape Partnership Scheme means they require two or three years to evolve but it is important that local people get involved in the early stages to suggest ideas and help them develop. Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Partnership are excited by this opportunity to provide a lasting improvement to the Glenkens. You could influence the project by answering the following questions: 1. What do you value most about the natural or cultural heritage of the Glenkens? 2. What do you tell visiting friends and family they should experience when they come to stay with you in the Glenkens? 3. What one change or enhancement would make the Glenkens a better place to live, work or visit? Please send your responses to karen.morley@dumgal.gov.uk and if you’d like to be involved in the ongoing public consultation let her know so you can be added to our mailing list. Nic Coombey Glenkens Gazette page 6 Carsphairn Burns Supper Blizzard conditions on Friday 16 January did not deter attendees at the 46th Carsphairn Annual Burns Supper. Guests were welcomed by Chairman, Robert McTurk, to a traditional hot meal of haggis, neeps and tatties, followed by trifle. The meal was preceded by Andy McCartney piping in The Haggis, which was carried by Poosey Nancy for the evening, Karen Hall. The Rev David Bartholomew then ‘Addressed The Haggis’ with gusto, followed by giving the Selkirk Grace. The toast to ‘The Immortal Memory of Robert Burns’ was ably proposed by Finlay Carson, who included many quotations of Burns’ work within his speech. Robin Jardine proposed a suitably tongue in cheek toast to Photo: Left to right - David Bartholomew, Andy McCartney, James Wallace, Finlay Carson, Pauline Brown, Robert McTurk and Robin Jardine. ‘The Lassies’, which raised much laughter. This was ably replied to, on behalf of The Lassies, by Pauline Brown. James Wallace entertained the guests with a beautiful unaccompanied rendition of the song ‘Ye Banks and Braes’, and after some community singing, with accompanist Margaret Sloan, Robert McTurk ended the evening with a climax in an exciting performance of the ever popular ‘Tam o’ Shanter’. Another successful Carsphairn Burns Supper was rounded off with a Vote of Thanks, by David Gibbon to all who had contributed to the evening and the singing of Auld Lang Syne. Gillespie Gifford & Brown LLP Solicitors and Estate Agents Selling properties across Dumfries & Galloway 01556 503744 www.ggblaw.co.uk All legal advice Offices in Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie Kirkcudbright and Dumfries Glenkens Gazette page 7 CatStrand Update February and March 2015 is a really exciting couple of months at the CatStrand. The fantastic line-up includes Bongo Fury! from Children’s Classic Concerts, RM Hubbert, Susan Calman, and Daimh. Slava Sidorenko starts off on Friday 20 February with a solo piano recital. This Ukrainian musical talent will perform in partnership with Greyfriars Concerts. More classical music with Children’s Classic Concerts’ Bongo Fury!, an afternoon of musical mayhem for all the family. When they are not playing in international ensembles and orchestras, world-renowned percussionists Owen Gunnell and Oliver Cox perform bespoke children’s classical music concerts proving that classical music can be fun. A very special treat not to be missed on Saturday 21 February. We are thrilled to welcome Susan Calman to the CatStrand as part of her stand-up comedy tour Lady Like. Susan is one of Scotland’s biggest names in comedy, regularly featuring on television and radio. As a household name and a personal favorite to many, tickets are in high demand so book early to avoid disappointment. Contemporary visual art exhibition The Droving Project will take over the Pyramid Gallery for February, produced by Katriona Holmes and featuring the work of photographer Alice Myres. The exhibition runs from Monday 2 February to Sunday 3 March. Susan Calman by Steve Ullathorne Change of Venues: Due to flood damage events will take place in various venues outside of the CatStrand, please call the box office for more information 01644 420 374. The CatStrand Team CATSTRAND FLOODS AGAIN Continued from front page... In the morning of the 15th, more than 20 volunteers and staff arrived with shovels, brushes and boxes to save what they could and clear out the rest. Brian Edgar, the CatStrand general manager, said: “The scale of the damage is unprecedented and frankly heartbreaking. We would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to all the people who turned up to help, and to the others who have expressed their support including the fire brigade, Natural Power, local town hall committees and Kells School. We don’t yet know our exact plans for the future, but we will do our absolute best to re-locate all planned events and performances and to cancel as few as possible”. Alan Smith, recently elected Chair of the Glenkens Community & Arts Trust (GCAT), said; “Our priority at the moment is getting the building safe and secure and getting the staff able to work unsure of plans for events and again. We can then concentrate performances will be able to ring on getting the building repaired through as usual. and re-opened, while working with In the light of this disastrous the Council and others to ensure event, Helen Keron, a director that a robust engineering solution of GCAT, said: “We can all do is found to prevent this happening our bit to help this facility that ever again.” He added his thanks offers so much to the Glenkens to the staff and volunteers, who communities get back on its as ever have worked above and feet by continuing to buy tickets beyond in support of this very and attend events. The worst popular local charity. thing that could happen now In the short term, the is for numbers to drop, just CatStrand staff will relocate when the CatStrand needs our to Rosebank Cottage (located help the most.” There is also at the junction of Kirk Road a website set up for anyone and the Newton Stewart who would like to donate; road in New Galloway, www.justgiving.com/ over the road from the CatstrandFloodAppeal doctor’s surgery), from where they can offer information on events and performances, sell tickets and will even be offering tea, coffee and cakes for sale. Phone numbers to contact them remain unchanged, so anyone More flood devestation at the CatStrand. Glenkens Gazette page 8 Guides Go Bowling Glenkens Guides have enjoyed a trip to LA Bowling in Ayr thanks to guide Emily Biggar who did much of the research and planning for the outing as part of a guiding challenge. The guides, along with their leaders and young leaders, were able to enjoy a session of bowling and also a session in the Lazer Zone. Afterwards, keeping in the Christmas spirit, they enjoyed a meal together, provided by LA Bowling as part of their Supper Bowl Package. It was a very good way in which to finish up the guide programme for 2014, and everyone agreed that they had really enjoyed the fun. We would like to acknowledge that funding for a large part of this outing was provided by Glenkens Community Shop, and we are very grateful for that. It is also extremely convenient to be Emily Biggar, Annabelle able to use the McAdam and Cara Ramsay minibus transport offered by Glenkens Transport Initiative, with thanks also to our volunteer driver, Mr Robert Peace. Guides have a very varied programme of activities, much of it chosen and organised by the girls themselves. Meetings are on Tuesday evenings in Glenkens Community Centre. Please contact Mrs Kathryn Peace for further information on 01644 430 281. W BONE WHB JEEPS THE GARAGE, DALRY PETROL & DIESEL SALES SERVICE & REPAIRS MOTs, TYRES, BATTERIES ALL AT COMPETITIVE PRICES OPEN 8.30AM - 6.00PM (SIX DAYS) 10AM - 6PM SUNDAYS - FUEL 24 HOURS SHOP • SANDWICH BAR • LOTTERY Tel: 01644 430208 Fax: 01644 430669 jeeps@whbjeeps.co.uk www.whbjeeps.co.uk Glenkens Gazette page 9 GLENKENS COMMUNITY MOSSDALE CENTRE UPDATE VILLAGE Plans for the HALL purchase of the Glenkens Community Centre are progressing well, with the first stage application form accepted by Dumfries & Galloway Council. The Community Centre steering group commissioned an independent survey of the Centre in December which showed that although some moderate work for woodworm and damp joists is required the Centre is overall in very good condition for its age. D & G Council has also been carrying out extensive work on the Centre in preparation for any handover including replacing and repairing window frames and facias and painting of exterior woodwork. The management committee and steering group are excited about the possibilities for the Centre and are meeting in January to make the final purchase decision. If it is agreed on all sides, the Centre could be in community ownership by the summer, at which point grants would be sought to cover the required work and get the Centre on to a sustainable footing. I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has helped in the process so far, and in particular to Mr Will Adam who has provided invaluable advice and assistance. Helen Keron, Chair, Glenkens Community Centre We would like to thank everyone who came to support us at our Craft Fair and to extend our appreciation to the stall holders who continue to support us year after year. On the day, we raised over £500 which will help towards the upkeep and maintenance of the hall. The Craft Fair not only raises money for the hall but provides a place to meet up with old friends, have a cup of coffee and a chat. Mossdale Village Hall Committee Glenkens Gazette page 10 REFLECTION ON A GLENKENS CHRISTMAS As a newcomer to the traditions of the Glenkens schools, it was a privilege to be part of these community celebrations as the cluster headteacher. The Christmas Coffee morning in Dalry was a busy, colourful and entertaining event, which was very well attended by parents/carers and friends of the school. The young people enjoyed preparing for it and their enthusiasm rubbed off on their visitors. Now thoroughly in the mood and as a first true test of their preparation, members of Dalry School used their musical skills to entertain at the Guid Neighbours event. With the first public performance under their belt, many also performed on the following evening in Dalry School at the joint Primary / Secondary concert. ‘The Magical Christmas Jigsaw’ was pieced together with skill and lots of practice by the primary pupils. The singing was great and the timing of some of the key characters was masterful. The packed Dalry school hall was full of warmth and delight. Carsphairn’s Christmas Fair took place on the wettest, windiest, coldest day of the season so far, but inside was welcoming and enterprising. The calendar contains much of interest and if you weren’t brave enough to experience the weather on the day, there maybe a few still available at £4, from the primary school. Next was the Kells Christmas show and the traditional nativity story was the underlying theme in ‘Children of the World’. The combined effort of the young people, their staff and willing supporters produced a great performance full of colour, humour and good singing, with all the children involved on stage. Carsphairn’s ‘The Smallest Angel’ was a triumph and at short notice the ‘smallest angel’ did a stunning job. Lots of costume changes were a challenge and one that everyone managed really well. Again, everyone was involved and everyone gave their all. After three evenings of entertainment, I left feeling that the Glenkens must have something special in the water to produce so much talent from these small communities, or, that with such individual attention, talents are brought to the fore. The secondary Snow Ball was the opportunity for young people to dress up in order show off their dancing skills at a social event. The final event of the Christmas term was the combined schools Church Service on the final day of term in Dalry Parish Church. Walking down on a cold winter’s morning, to be together as a community to celebrate and reflect on the meaning of Christmas, was the highlight of my year. Young people who can adapt to the range of situations they experienced in the space of a week are a real credit to the families of the Glenkens. They listened, they sang, they responded appropriately and the performance of the nursery children brought a tear to the eye. It was lovely. Walking back to Dalry School for hot chocolate and shortbread was the icing on the cake and again emphasised how important schools at the centre of their communities can be. I have been very lucky to be allowed to be part of it and wish all the communities the very best for 2015. Jenny Smith, Acting Headteacher, Glenkens Cluster CARSPHAIRN SCHOOL REPORT 2014 was another busy and fun year at Carsphairn Primary. The school wrapped up yet another busy year with the annual Carsphairn PTC Christmas fayre, our school play, parents’ open morning the and Christmas party. A special “thank you” goes to the Carsphairn PTC for funding a school trip to the Gaiety Theatre in Ayr to see the Beauty and the Beast pantomime and enjoy wonderful meal at The Stage Door Café. Also, for a little fun at the end of the year, we had a visit to the school from Zoolab. The children all had a chance to look at and handle different animals such as rats, snakes, giant millipedes and lizards. Zoolab is turning into a bit of an annual tradition and the children always love the chance to see the various creepy-crawlies. This term we will be looking back at different historical periods starting with the ancient Egyptians . Then we will be moving on to more recent history, when we learn about the Titanic. Finally, to round up the term we will be taking our learning outside again to look at history in a hands-on way - we will be working with representatives from Beyond the Beep, using metal detectors around the Carsphairn area to see if we can discover any artifacts that we can research to find out more about our local history. Happy New Year wishes from all the staff and pupils at Carsphairn Primary school. We would remind you to pick up a 2015 Carsphairn Calendar with all school holidays The Zoolab visit. marked within. Calendars can be purchased for £4 at the Carsphairn shop or The Garage in Dalry. Glenkens Gazette page 11 Glenkens Gazette page 12 Glenkens Gazette page 13 Glenkens Gazette page 14 Glenkens Gazette page 15 PLANNING CONTINUES FOR NEW GALLOWAY SHOP The steering group exploring a community purchase of the New Galloway shop has completed a factfinding tour of other community-owned shops in the area. These visits were very interesting and provided useful learning to assist the long journey towards a communityowned shop. The group is also investigating potential uses for the house accompanying the shop, as the chosen option must make a positive and valuable difference to the community. The impact on the community is one of the most important factors that will encourage national funding bodies to support a funding bid, and without large grant funding the project will not get off the ground. The next step is to use the information from our local survey to undertake further research about the feasibility of this project. The steering group is about to apply for an initial grant to undertake this research. Feasibility studies will help to build a picture as to how sustainable this project would be, and provide an idea as to what model of operation would best work for the shop and house, and the results will form the basis of a large grant ����������������������������������������������������� • Pensions • Savings • Investments • Retirement Options • Inheritance Tax Planning • Life Assurance • Income & Critical Illness Protection • Mortgages • Home Insurance Free Confidential Initial Consultation Tel: 01671 403080 Fax:- 01671 402549 Email: brian.edgar@marrfinancial.co.uk Web: www.marrfinancial.co.uk 61 Victoria Street NEWTON STEWART, DG8 6NL **NEW** Yorkshire Building Society Agency – Now Open Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. For mortgages we can be paid by commission or a fee of usually £300 or a combination of both. For Home Insurance we usually offer products from a limited panel of providers. application. As reported in previous issues of the Gazette, a survey of local people showed 130 backing the idea of a community shop with two opposed. Jim and Margaret Hopkins, the shop’s owners, are planning to retire and wish to sell the shop and house. We thank them and Marie McClurg for their continued support for this project, and also the tenants and management committees of Carsphairn, Auchencairn and Palnackie community shops for giving us their time and allowing us to learn such useful lessons. For further information or to get involved, contact Helen Keron on keronh@me.com Aileen McLeod MSP working for you across the South of Scotland Postal address: Unit 7 Loreburn Shopping Centre High Street, Dumfries, DG1 2BD Email: aileen.mcleod.msp@scottish.parliament.uk Tel: 01387 255 334 Please check www.aileenmcleod.org for regular surgery, constituency and parliamentary updates Glenkens Gazette page 16 Wold-wide Celebrations at Kells Kells Christmas Concert opened by the P1-4 recorder group playing Ode to Joy, followed by the whole class singing Christmas Dinner and Jingle Bells. P5-7 then performed Children of the World for parents and friends of the school. The play explored Christmas traditions in specific countries around the world. P57 worked really hard this term learning songs, lines, stage directions and also managing numerous costume changes. Kells School also held their annual PTA Musical Café to raise money for school funds, which was most successful. Photo - Musical Cafe. DALRY SCHOOL’S FESTIVE FUN Dalry Primary and Secondary schools’ 2014 Christmas was a huge success. There was music before the concert and during the intermission, and the school hall was full to bursting with an expectant audience. All seven years of primary performed together in a lavish and entertaining musical spectacular entitled The Magical Christmas Jigsaw. The lead part was the Jigsaw Seller, played by Cosmas Green, who carried it off with style and exuberance. At the start of the second half, instrumentalists from Dalry Secondary played The Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg, while the primary and secondary students crept in or joined in organised groups to enact the story to a surprised audience - Dalry School’s very first flash-mob! The entertainment continued with music and singing, culminating in the whole school finale which had everyone singing along. Brilliant! DALRY SCHOOL GETS REVVED UP Residents of Dalry are used to passing motorsport traffic heading North to the Forrest Estate, but recently two of the vehicles paid a visit to the joint Dalry School. These were a rescue unit, and a Junior 1000cc rally car owned by 13 year-old Dalry secondary pupil Lewis Winder. The visit was organised by GoMotorsport’s regional development officer, Alison Clark, ahead of the Britpart Borders Hill Rally. Alison spoke to the P6/7 pupils about the design and construction of competition cars, Scotland’s success in motorsport, different types of motorsport, and focused heavily on safety. The pupils were amazed when she carried out a few experiments, including trying to set her race suit on fire! She also spoke to ‘Design and Technology’ pupils in the senior school, where the pupils examined carbon fibre and titanium parts from a Formula 1 car compared to their equivalent from a standard road car. Jake Finlay, P7, in the driving seat of Lewis Winder’s rally “Dumfries and car, with Alison Clark. Galloway has Forrest Estate on the doorstep, been a hotbed of talent for motor and regular motor sporting sporting champions. David events to spectate at and Coulthard and Allan McNish have compete in, there’s no excuse competed and won against the for Dumfries and Galloway world’s best. Currently, we not providing us with more have Ross Wylie from Thornhill champions”, Alison said. as British GT4 champion and If you are interested in taking David Bogie was Scottish Rally part in motorsport events in Champion from 2009-2013. Scotland, or would like Alison We need to plant the seeds of to visit your school, then please motorsport in youngsters now, contact her on scotland@gomoto so we can harvest a new crop rsport.net or call 07950 914433. of talent in the future. With the Glenkens Gazette page 17 THE MOOSIE’S STORY... Charlotte Spernagel, a primary 6 pupil at Kells School, tells a story in Scots about the mouse in Robert Burns’ poem To a Moose. Here is The Moosie’s Story... Ah woke up in ma hoosie yin mornin’ an athin wis normal. It wis late Autmn so a’ the nuts had fa’en frae the trees . Ah went tae fin yin as usual an scampered back an sterted eatin’ it. It wis very tasty, ah then ran tae’ fin a leaf wi’ a drop o’ watter oan it an lapped frae it thirstily . Ah found some feathers oan the way back an took them tae ma hoosie an’ arranged them nicely in a wee corner. Ah wis awfy proud o’ ma bonnie wee hoose. Suddenly ah heard an awfy loud noise. Ah poked ma hied oot tae see whit it wis .Through the corn ah saw a big THING that wis comin towards ma hoosie. Ah hastily bolted fae ma hoose. So much fer ma hoose, the thing had crashed right throo it! The thing stopped and something sterted moovin towards me. Ah sterted shouting, “YOU DESTROYED MA HOOSIE!” “Am so very sorry ah destroyed yer hoose”, the thing said calmly. “YER SORRY?”ah shouted back. “Yes, ahm very sorry.” “NOO, AH HAE NAEWHERE TAE GO!”, ah said an’ scampered off intae the forest. Ah sterted gather sticks tae build anaither hoose. Ah found a good tree an sterted building ma new hoose. Ah found some leaves an’ put them on the roof and flair and THE KEN BRIDGE HOTEL New Galloway it sterted comin thegether. Ah found feathers, berries, nuts an moss. Ah used moss fer the flair, put the berries an nuts in a corner and the feathers went in the ither corner. It wis no as bonnie as ma auld hame but, ach weel, it wis shelter at least. Ah spent the winter eatin the berries and nuts an’ eating snaw for water. Ah lived forevermore in ma wee hoose. GLENKENS MEDICAL PRACTICE General Medical & Dispensing Services The Surgery High Street New Galloway FOR APPOINTMENTS CALL � 01644 420234 � Bargatton Sand & Gravel Supplying sand and gravel for all your farming needs, as well as households and businesses both large and small. Open 7 Days - Beautiful Riverside Location MEALS SERVED 12.00 - 2.00pm, 5.30 - 8.30pm Bed & breakfast en suite accommodation 01644 420 211 mail@kenbridgehotel.co.uk www.kenbridgehotel.co.uk NEW WEDDING BROCHURE NOW AVAILABLE We stock washed fine sand, coarse sand and gravels at competitive prices. For further details contact: Angus Wilson, Quarry Manager - 07715 606 685 James Mair - 07793 085 243 Email: loch.bargatton@live.co.uk Bargatton Quarry, Laurieston, Castle Douglas, DG7 2PS Open 7 days Mon-Fri Weekends by arrangement Delivery can be arranged - subject to quantity Glenkens Gazette page 18 Christmas Party Goes to the Dogs Real Dog Training Scotland had its Christmas Party at Dalry Town Hall. Homemade biscuits bones were enjoyed by the dogs, made by Margret Schofield who also donated the sausages for the race. The games couldn’t have happened without our Santa’s little Helper Jessica Nash, aged nine. £100 was raised during the night and has been donated to Dumfries & Galloway Canine Rescue. Canine Christmas fun. If your New Year’s resolution is to train your dog do come along - all welcome. Classes run on a Tuesday and Wednesday evening at 7pm in Dalry Town Hall. For further information contact Eric on 460 670. A FOND FAREWELL It seems incredible that it must be 35 years since I started to ‘man’ the New Galloway Office every Wednesday. It was almost on a whim that I bought the then derelict Kentley’s Café and converted it to a house/ office. Initially “Kentleys” was my main home until marriage required an upsize to Borgue. I always felt that it was important to provide a local service within the large geographical area of Glenkens and I am pleased that although I am retiring in the spring of this year, the team at Williamson and Henry, Ross Ireland, Ian Rodger, David Hall and Karen Baird, as well as my daughter Helen Steele and myself, remain committed to the New Galloway Office. I am particularly pleased that it is Helen, who joined the firm as a solicitor in the summer of 2014, who is going to be the ‘new face’ in New Galloway on Wednesdays. Just as a sort of ‘Hail’ Helen and ‘Farewell’ Ian, I had just arranged a very informal get-together at CatStrand in April but sadly due to the recent and devastating floods at CatStrand, this will no longer be possible. To give our support, the Firm is going to make a donation to CatStrand towards Photo: Ian Rodger, Helen Steele, Ross Ireland, its refurbishment, David Hall, Karen Baird, Ian Steele. instead of having a clients to call any Wednesday. rearranged social There is no need for any sort event. of appointment, but if coming I will be attending the New specially and there is any time Galloway office as usual, with which particularly suits, you Helen, until the 1st April, and could perhaps let me know so would like to invite clients that I can make sure both Helen and friends to pop in on any and I are in and free at that time. Wednesday between now and Ian Steele then. To get in touch please call 420 Over the period of 35 years, I 440 (Wed only) or 01557 330 realise it is actually impossible to 692, or email isteele@williamso recollect who all I have come in nandhenry.co.uk or hsteele@ contact with but I want to make williamsonandhenry.co.uk a point of asking friends and Jeffers Has a Pun.... A few funnies to lighten your day, brought to you courtesy of local Gazette reader Jeff Sutcliffe: Q: How does Moses make his tea? A: Hebrews it.. Venison for dinner again? ...Oh deer! A cartoonist was found dead in his home... Details are sketchy. I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest. Haunted French pancakes give me the crepes. Glenkens Gazette Community Spirit in Balmaclellan After Christmas Balmaclellan residents gathered for a lunch in the village hall. Everyone brought Christmas leftovers to share, including turkey and vegetable soup, pies, cakes (including mince pies), and drinks such as wine, cider, tea and coffee. Everybody enjoyed the informal and friendly atmosphere. Thanks to the community council and the hall committee for organising the event. The committee meets regularly and is keen to try different ideas to involve Balmaclellan residents in activities that they enjoy or find useful or helpful, and try to think of ways to use our village hall. Photo taken by Arran MacDonald-Kiernan. ALEX FERGUSSON MSP FOR GALLOWAY & WEST DUMFRIES Holds regular advice surgeries at: Constituency Office, New Market Street, Castle Douglas, DG7 1HY on the 2nd Friday of every month from 5pm Telephone free on 0800 028 7260 for an appointment or to make any alternative arrangement. You can visit Alex’s website at: www.alexfergusson.org.uk or contact him by e-mail at: alex.fergusson.msp@scottish.parliament.uk page 19 Dalry Shop Continued from front page... Toddler group sessions are every Tuesday morning, 9.4511.30am through term-time and cost £2 for a snack-aged child and £1 per additional child. The shop, on Dalry’s Main Street, is staffed exclusively by volunteers and all profit is given out in grants. Mrs Shirley McNaught, manager of the Glenkens Community Shop, said: “We were delighted to give out this money to sustain our local community and help it thrive. It couldn’t happen without the people who donate goods to the shop, the people who buy from the shop and of course our shop volunteers, who do a marvellous job! A big ‘thank you’ to them all.” The Glenkens Community shop is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 3pm. Shirley would like to encourage people to come in and browse the ever-changing stock - and of course buy and so help others in the community. Smile Daddy I am Dying Smile Daddy I am Dying is the title of a biography written about Mossdale man Robin Hood. The book charts his journey to raise money to find a cure for the condition Alex, his daughter, was born with in 1989. Robin’s story is compelling, and also sad as his daughter died in 2008. The title came from words said by Alex to her father when they had been told by the consultant all hope was lost. Robin is delighted this book is being published, and says: “This will let people know what a remarkable daughter I had who achieved so much despite all she endured and I am proud to say that I was her Father”. The book will be available in March, priced at £7.95, in many shops locally with proceeds going to charity. Glenkens Gazette page 20 The Droving Project Comes to New Galloway Why we became Scottish cattle drovers for the day… Three cows, a filmmaker, a photographer, a sound artist, a musician and a writer walked along an ancient drovers’ track across the regional border from Knockengorroch farm in Galloway to Bellsbank town in East Ayrshire. The walk re-traced a journey that people have made with their cattle for hundreds of years. The Droving Project is a collaborative arts project which addresses the ancient cattle culture of Scotland by following one of the many drovers’ pathways that cross this country. In so doing it comments on rural life and farming today and touches on the art and psychology of walking. People in Scotland have walked with cattle for over a thousand years. Current legislation made a re-creation of this journey much more complicated. The route crossed five different farms altogether. As bringing cattle onto a working livestock farm imposes a thirteen-day standstill of all animals, the cows would have been unable to walk the sevenmile route in less than eight weeks. As a result, walkers set out from Knockengorroch cowless, and met up with the cows three miles into the route where they had been moved thirteen days previously. The history of cattle in South West Scotland goes back beyond record. Cattle are indigenous to the UK and were once the lifeblood and wealth of the country. The project was not set up to be a re-enactment of history, but an exploration of contemporary values, in a very real (wet) and present setting, drawing parallels with people in many other parts of the world who still walk with their cattle, camels, reindeer or yaks, to reach fresh pastures or trade. Herdspeople have been lauded for their low impact on the environment, their creative thinking and innovative approach to environmental challenges. The people in Scotland, and particularly in upland areas, have also lived for many hundreds of years as partial nomadic herdsmen, a section of social history often forgotten. Towns such as Bellsbank that lost the mainstay of their livelihood with the closure of the coalmines are common in many areas in Scotland. Before the industrial revolution people in these areas farmed and kept livestock. The industrial age is over so what is next for towns in rural areas like these? ...suggesting that a slower way of life may be beneficial... The Droving Project gently nudges people to consider questions such as these, while suggesting that a slower way of life may be beneficial for our psyche and the health of the natural environment. The Droving Project, funded by Creative Scotland, features awardwinning photographer Alice Myers, film producer Stevie Whiteford, writer Catrina Davies, Nick Jenkins of the Lorraine Macauley Band and sound artist Pete Smith. The results will come to the CatStrand for a month from Tuesday 3 February after having been exhibited at the Doon Valley Museum in Dalmellington since October 2014 - please contact the CatStrand on 01644 420 374 to find out alternative arrangements while repairs are being made to the building. For more information contact Katriona Holmes at thedrovingprojec t@yahoo.co.uk or visit www.thedrovingproject.org DROP IN AND SHARE SOME HISTORY Friday 20 March will be a historic day for local history with the start of a new project, The Glenkens Story: Sharing Our History, open to everyone interested in exploring our past. The project will be launched in Dalry Community Centre as a ‘drop-in’ event with a chance to sample the range of local history activity in the area. Free and open to all, the event will feature displays, talks, demonstrations and the opportunity to discuss local history issues. Existing organisations such as Carsphairn Heritage Group and Dalry Historical Society will be represented as well as numerous informal interest groups. We will be planning future activities such as visits to historic sites, gathering oral history and local research projects - come and share your particular local history interest. The event, free and open to everyone, will run from 3.307.30pm. Drop in whenever you like and stay for as long as you like. Look out for posters and flyers with more details or email mbrown99@dircon.co.uk to be put on our mailing list. For more details contact Mike Brown (420 267), Ted Cowan & Lizanne Henderson (420 839) or Tom Carlisle (420 750). Glenkens Gazette page 21 LOCAL HISTORY with TED COWAN McMILLAN’S GALLOVIDIAN ENCYCLOPAEDIA One of Galloway’s greatest literary productions is The Scottish Gallovidian Encyclopaedia by John Mactaggart of Borgue (1791-1830), a noted wit and an assiduous collector of oral information drawn from the Galloway folk. The first edition of 1824 had to be withdrawn because it gave serious offence to the great and the good, but it was reprinted in 1876 and in subsequent runs. The author’s ambition was to preserve the original antiquated and natural curiosities of the South of Scotland, “containing sketches of eccentric characters and curious places, with explanation of singular words, terms and phrases, interspersed with poems, tales, anecdotes, etc. . . . illustrative of the ways of the peasantry, and manners of Caledonia”. He pronounced himself a proud peasant and a fiercely patriotic Scot. He became an engineer through the patronage of John Rennie who built the Ken Bridge.His publication was truly unique and it remains immensely valuable. The Wigtown Book Festival commissioned local Dumfries and Galloway poet, Hugh McMillan, to produce his own version, inspired by Mactaggart. As Hugh would acknowledge, comparisons between the two projects are invidious. For one thing McMillan was given eight months to produce his book, while Mactaggart claimed that he began collecting as a child. Both men are talented poets, both enjoy philosophising and both enjoy social criticism. McMillan is to be congratulated on producing an enthralling, idiosyncratic collection which will appeal to readers with a good sense of humour and a taste for strong drink. Throughout he develops his idea of Dumfries and Galloway as a ghost landscape. For him the Wickerman movie incorporates and perpetuates myths about the region which are not so different from those confronted by SR Crockett. As this self-described “broken down history teacher” travels around he reflects on JM were huge, particularly in the 19th century, but 3,500 left the region to go abroad between 2006 and 2012. All of this suggests the book is much darker than in fact it is. But fortunately the McMillan humour is never far away and some of it is wicked. By way of contrast he has a poem ‘Carsphairn’, a place which once advertised for settlers: “the last wurd in colonization a wis telt/a mean they advertised doon south fir settlers/like the Wild West, ken, here’s a slice o land fir ye/dinna fash aboot the savages they’re a extinct”. He defines the King or Queen of Clatteringshaws as “a generic term for a hopelessly deluded person, simultaneously mad but entertaining, a lover of history who has lost his or her reason after too many nights thinking in an empty room and far too many house doubles”. He recounts his adventures travelling in our area by bus, - “50 minutes to travel 13 miles and half an hour into the journey we were further away than when we started” - of being trapped in the Crosskeys, New Galloway, by a hunting party, and (local hoteliers take note) of the drouthy visitor’s perpetual anxiety when in Galloway about whether any of the pubs will be open! The Loch Ken crayfish also fall under his gaze. As will be obvious by now Hugh McMillan’s Galloway Encyclopedia is an invaluable treasure trove of multifarious information about the area attractively, thoughtfully and wittily presented. The author, his illustrator Hugh Bryden, and all others involved are to be congratulated. Ted Cowan He scoffs at Burnsians and Rotarians who toast the Queen but exclude women from their events. Barrie’s rather stained reputation and John Buchan’s 39 Steps. Mactaggart-like he quotes a man who tells him that “Wigtown has always been a dump and now it is a dump with a book festival!” He scoffs at Burnsians and Rotarians who toast the Queen but exclude women from their events. He muses on the tragic coincidence that three of the UK’s worst transport disasters took place in the region. The Gretna or Quintinshill railway disaster in 1915; the wreck of the Princess Victoria en route from Stranraer to Larne in 1947and Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 in Lockerbie. One acquaintance describes Galloway as a place where depopulation has become a tourist attraction. A visit to Carsethorne prompts thoughts of the region’s regrettable emigration history. Past numbers The book costs £15 from local bookshops or online. to Glenkens Gazette page 22 FEBRUARY & MARCH JANUARY Sat 31, Dalry Burns Supper, 7pm, contact 430 454 FEBRUARY Mon 2 - Sun 3 Mar, Exhibition: The Droving Project, contact CatStrand for details (420 374) Thu 12, Ornithology Talk: Hen Harriers and Grouse by Sonja Ludwig, 7.30pm, Kells School, New Galloway Fri 20, Slava Sidorenko, contact CatStrand for details (420 374) Sat 21, Children’s Classic Concerts’ Bongo Fury! Contact CatStrand for details (420 374) Thu 26, SWANC Talk: Small Homes, Huts & Cabins - Rules and Regulations, 7pm, Ken Bridge Hotel, New Galloway MARCH Fri 13, Susan Calman: Lady Like tour, contact CatStrand for details (420 374) Fri 20, The Glenkens Story: Sharing Our History, dropin event from 3.30-7.30pm, Dalry Community Centre, see p20 Dalry Town Hall is currently in need of a new Secretary, and would also welcome anyone who would be interested in helping to run this historic building for the community. Please contact the Chair, Jean Lockerbie on 430 454 for further information. New Galloway Golf Club Family and friends coming to stay? Short of space? www.nggc.co.uk Cosy country cottage available (sleeps 4) Buggies now available for hire Call Fiona on 01644 420 227 Founded 1902 - 01644 420737 VISITORS AND NEW MEMBERS WELCOME www.covenanters-holidaycottagescotland.co.uk Wright’s Shop Dalry Licensed convenience store & newsagent, now including Dalry Post Office. Please come in and see our newly refurbished self-service shop. Opening Times (both shop & PO): Monday to Friday: 7am – 6pm Saturday: 8am – 6pm Sunday: 8.30am – 4pm Tel: 01644 430 225 The Fleet Fish van s in the Glenkens on Tuesdays & Wednesdays every week. Anyone wishing me to call, please phone fleetfishfruitandveg@gm ail.com www.facebook.com/ Thu 24, SWANC Talk: Improving Rural Transport, 7pm, Ken Bridge Hotel, New Galloway APRIL Thu 2, Ornithology: Short Illustrated Talks, 7.30pm, Kells School, New Galloway Correspondence Secretary Required By Carsphairn Community Council. Post runs April to October in the first instance. Salary negotiable, training given. Attendance of CC meetings not necessary. Please email with outline experience and salary expectation: carsphairncc@gmail.com Application closing date: 05/03/15 FHB Fencing Dalry Domestic and Agricultural Fencing 01644 430 495 (Peter) or 07767 795 498 (Jonathan) Glenkens Gazette page 23 REGULAR EVENTS CatStrand (New Galloway): Exercise to Music: Mon, 10-11am Ukelele Group: Mon, 11.15am, 60+ Ukelele Improvers, Mon, 1pm, 60+ Free Computer Training; Beginners & Improvers: Mon (starting 4 Nov), 1.30pm Margaret Morris Movement Adult Dance Class: Mon, 2.30-3.30pm, contact Sara on 01556 612854 Children’s Dance Class: Mon during term time, 3.45-4.45pm age 3-7, 4.30-5.30pm ages 8-15 Let’s Cook: Tues, 10am Carers’ Coffee & Chat: Tues, 10am-12noon Teen Spirit: Tues during term time, 7-8:30pm (P7-S3) and 8-9:30pm (S3+) Gentle Tai Chi: Wed, 10am, 60+ Sing it Out: Thurs, 11am -12pm Pilates: Thurs, 4.15-5.15pm & 5.30-6.30pm Glenkens Acoustic Sessions: last Sun of the month, 2-4pm Glenkens Community Centre (Dalry): (contact Kath 430 281) Glenkens Children’s Club: Mon & Fri, 9.30-11.45am Paint & Art: Mon, 1.30-4.30pm & Wed, 7-9pm Ballroom & Latin Dance Class: Mon, 7.15pm, for more info call Sam Rushton on 420 672 GCC Playgroup: Tues & Thurs, 9.20-11.50am, contact keronh@me.com Good Neighbours’ Club: Tues, 2pm Kickback Martial Arts: Thurs, 79pm Thursday Craft Group: Thurs, 24pm Brownies: Wed, 5.30-6.45pm Guides: Tues during term-time, 6.15pm, contact: Kath 430 281 Various Locations: Afternoon Tea Club: 2nd Fri each month, 2pm Saturday Art Club: 2nd Sat each month, 10am–12noon Zumbatomic: last Sat each month, 10-10.45am Catstrand Youth Players: Sun during term time, 2pm Texas Hold ‘em Poker: Mon, 7.15pm, Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Mother & Toddlers: Tues, 9.4511.15am, New Galloway Town Hall Beavers: Tues, 6–7.15pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Dog Training: Tues & Wed, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. Contact: Eric 460 670 Bowling for Beginners: Wed, Balmaclellan Community Council Meetings: 3rd Monday each month, 7.30pm, Balmaclellan Village Hall. Carsphairn Community Council Meetings: Last Monday each month, 7pm, Lagwyne Hall, Carsphairn. Dalry Community Council Meetings: 1st Monday each month, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall. New Galloway & Kells Community Council Meetings: 2nd Monday each month, 7.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall. Knit & Blether Club: last Fri each month, 2pm, 60+ Glenkens Community Councils Full minutes of local Community Council meetings can be viewed at Dalry Library. CHURCH OF SCOTLAND: Sundays: Balmaclellan: 12noon 1st, Carsphairn: 10.30am 1st 2nd 3rd 4th, Dalry: 12noon 3rd 4th, Kells: 10.30am 2nd (Mar) 3rd 4th Special Services/Events: Feb - 8th, 10.30am: United Family Service for Dalry and B & K Churches in Dalry Church; 9th, 7.30pm: Fellowship Dinner, Kenbridge Hotel; 21st, 12.30pm: Dalry Church Family Lunch; 27th, 7pm: Beetle Drive, Dalry Town Hall. Mar - 6th, 7pm: World Day of Prayer Service, Carsphairn Church; 8th, 10.30am: United Family Service for Dalry and B & K Churches in Kells Church; 27th, 7pm: Dalry Church Easter Party; 29th, 10.30am: United Service, Dalry Church; 29th, 6.30pm: Faure’s Requiem with Glenkens Church Choir, Carsphairn Church. Communion Services: 22 Feb, 10.30am, Kells Church; 15 Mar, 10.15 am, Carsphairn Church; 15 Mar, 12 noon, Dalry Church. SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH: St Margaret’s, New Galloway: Holy Communion, 10.30am every Sun & Wed CATHOLIC CHURCH SERVICES: Gatehouse of Fleet: Sat, 6pm. Kirkcudbright: Sun, 9.30am. Dalbeattie: Sun, 11am 7pm, Spalding Bowling Club, Dalry (opposite The Garage) Wednesday Quiz Night: Wed, 8.30pm, Cross Keys Hotel, New Galloway Stewartry Camera Club: Wed, 7.30pm, Ringford Village Hall, runs Wed 11 Sept till end Mar Zumba: Wed, 7.30-8.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall, £4 Mossdale Painters: Wed, 9.30am, Mossdale Village Hall Cub Scouts: Wed, 6.45–8pm, New Galloway Scout Hut Carsphairn Post Office: Thurs, 9.30-11.30am, Lagwyne Hall Coffee & Craft Morning: Thurs, 9.30am-12noon, Lagwyne Hall D&G Hard of Hearing Group Drop-in: 1st Friday each month, 10am-12noon, New Galloway Town Hall. Scouts: Thurs, 7–8.30pm, New Galloway Scout Hut To hire the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) behind Dalry School call Sonja Tranter on 430 244 or Nicolette Wise on 430 218. Dalry Library Tue: 2-4.30pm & 5.30-7.30pm Fri: 11.15am-1:15pm & 2-4.30pm. There are 23 mobile library stops - to find out where and when please phone 430 234. ADVERTISE IN THE GAZETTE (price per issue incl VAT) SMALL: 6cm x 6cm, £37.80 (+ 10% off with series discount) 1/4 PAGE: 9cm w x 13cm h, £81.90 (+ 25% off with series discount) 1/2 PAGE: 18cm w x 13cm h, £151.20 (+ 25% off with series discount) FULL PAGE: 18cm w x 27cm h, £252 (+ 25% off with series discount) Call 07727 127 997 VAT Reg. No. 882 8361 87 USEFUL NUMBERS: ● Pot-hole Hotline: 0845 276 0000 ● Local Police: 0845 600 5701 ● Doctor: 01644 420 234 ● NHS 24: 08454 24 24 24 ● D&G Council: 030 33 33 3000 Glenkens Gazette page 24 GET INVOLVED WITH WATSON BIRDS The Watson Birds project wishes all of you a Happy New Year! So what’s on for Watson Birds in 2015? As a small charity in a community our engagement with local residents is vital. We aim to provide events and activities throughout the year to keep you all enthused and informed on the development of Watson Birds. Our first item involves a visit to Dalry secondary school, where Watson Birds project officer Lynsay Bradford and RSPB events & learning officer, Kirsty Griffiths, will be helping the pupils understand and develop useful skills for the Big Garden Bird Watch 2015. The children will learn about Donald Watson, his passion for bird watching and how they can help gather valuable information. The results and pictures from this event will be on www.watsonbirds.org Dalry pupils will also be participating in Robert Burns festivities, but with a twist. Linda Biggar, a secondary school teacher, will get the pupils to analyse a poem by Rabbie about birds. They will work out what bird species were mentioned in the poem and using online resources research each bird mentioned to create an informative poster for the Watson Birds project to display. Later in the year Watson Birds hopes to create events such as an art competition, Songs in the Park with a songbird specialists and possibly a public art display to reflect the changes in Dalry and memories of Donald Watson and his family. Speaking of memories, project officer Lynsay is looking for local young people to help gather a beautiful public space offerimg memories of Donald Watson a multifunctional area for the from the local community and community and local schools record them orally to preserve to use. However, it is currently those precious moments for ever. overgrown and unsafe for school An informal event will be held visits which is why we require which will help create an archive your help - so please get in touch for Watson Birds, promote if you would like to be involved. future events, and volunteers Lynsay says: “I believe that can also gain a vital Duke of this club will be a stepping-stone Edinburgh Award for volunteering for the project. It will get local and community engagement. people involved and help the If you are interested, require community gain ownership of information or know of somebody the project as well as develop a with lots of local stories and safe and social environment for memories that include the everyone to meet in”. Watson family we would love If you would like to be to hear from you - please see involved or find out more contact details at the end of this please contact Lynsay article. on 07718700978 or Plans for Barone, Donald lynsay@watsonbirds.org Watson’s former home in Dalry, are under discussion at present and an update will be posted in due course on the Watson Birds website. However, we are planning to get local Watson Birds Project needs your help to create a community garden! people involved as much as we · Be part of a team · Learn new skills can, so we’ve · Develop local areas decided to start a · Get outdoors and active new group - the · Volunteer & boost your CV Watson Garden Club. The club Our vision: will run on a ü Volunteer run community garden group volunteer basis ü Sharing of knowledge and skills and will require ü Develop a beautiful public space ü Create and area for outdoor education a small group of ü Sensory garden locals to commit to meeting on a regular basis Interested? to maintain All we need is your interest and commitment to get the Watson Garden the garden at Group up and running. For information please contact Lynsay on Barone. It is intended that the 07718700978 or email Lynsay@watsonbirds.org garden become WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Submit events, activities, news stories, cartoons, reviews, tips & techniques, fiction, photos, ads or ideas... Contact Sarah Ade on 07727 127 997 or glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk APRIL/MAY COPY DEADLINE: 5 MARCH Design & co-ordination: Sarah Ade sarah.ade@gmail.com Printing:Stranraer & Wigtownshire Free Press www.stranraer-freepress.co.uk The Glenkens Gaze�e is an ini�a�ve of the Glenkens Community & Arts Trust, a Registered Sco�sh Charity No. SC032050  Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette 86 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GG_086 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource GCAT Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015 Description An account of the resource Editor: Sarah Ade