Crannog-Spring-2007

Spring 2007 Read it first online at www.kirkhillandbunchrew.org.uk

Crannog Spring 2007 1

CrannogCrannogLentranKirktonClunesReeligInchberryKirkhillInchmoreEnglishton Muir

DrumchardineAltnacardichNewtonhillKnockbainBunchrewCabrich

Community CouncillorsIan Weir, Groam Farm, Kirkhill 831750Chris Heaton-Armstrong, Kirkhill PO 831779 Ally MacNeill, Tigh Cala, 4 Newtonhill 831339 Fred Geddes, Newtonhill 831324 Cameron Kemp, West Altnaceardaich, Lentran 831552 Fiona Stoddart, 8 Fingask Drive, Kirkhill Karen Young, Glen Rowan, Bunchrew 234128 Iain Urquhart, 58 Newton Park, Kirkhill 831278 Raymond Khan, Blaven, BunchrewJanet Peterson, Blaven, BunchrewSecretaryJim Ogilvie, 22 Newton Park, Kirkhill 831316

Why do we have a community council?Community Councils were established as a result of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. They do not have statutory duties or powers, and are essentially voluntary bodies established within a statutory framework.

The key roles of Community Councils are:■ To represent the views of the community to The Highland Council and other public bodies operating in their area ■ To act to further the interests of their communities ■ To be consulted on planning applications within their area (The Town & Country Planning (General Development Proce-dure) (Scotland) Amendment Order 1996) ■ To consider exercising their powers to object to the grant-ing, renewal or transfer of liquor licences. (The Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976).

Crannog is published four times a year by Kirkhill & Bunchrew Community Council. The date of the next meeting of the community council is 20 March 2007. All meetings of the community council are usually held in Kirkhill Primary School on a Tuesday evening at 7.30pm and are open to members of the public. If you have any concerns you would like raised please come along or alternatively speak to one of the councillors.

News from the last community council meetingSeveral residents had complained about the recent activity at Achnagairn when tree felling and ground clearing began.

Denis Torley the Forestry Officer for our area was able to con-firm that this work was necessary for the making of a new access road into the estate. All trees felled had been agreed and the work was being closely monitored.

As you all know our local councillor Jack Shiels is retiring after many years meritorious service and he will not stand for re-election on May 3.

Margaret Davidson, the present councillor for Loch Ness West, will be standing as an independent and she came along to the meeting to introduce herself.

With the introduction of multi member wards our area will come under Aird and Loch Ness which is a large area with a population of 10,000 in 2004.

There will be four councillors elected to cover the ward which stretches from Beauly down to Fort Augustus and up the other side of the loch to include Farr and Dores and back along all of the Aird to Beauly.continued on page 4

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2 Crannog Spring 2007

kirkhill post officeGreeting CardsStationery Local NewspapersInternet CafeCold Drinks & SweetsNEW Photocopying 5p

Opening hoursMon, Tue, Thur & Fri9am - 1pm2pm - 5.30pmWed 9am - 1pmSaturday 9am - 12.30pm

Also second hand books(50p) and videos (£1) for sale in aid of Kirkhill Church of Scotland

Kirkhill & Bunchrew Community TrustThe Trust continues its work to improve our local environment in lots of different ways. Ongoing projects include involvement in the Forestry Commission’s Reelig Forest Plan consultation and, as reported in the last issue of Crannog, in the feasibility study into the possibility of a roadside path from Beauly to Inverness. Work on the revamped Kirkhill Community Park is now well under way - see elsewhere in this issue. The Trust holds its AGM on Monday 26 March at 7.30pm in Kirkhill Primary School - see the advert in this issue of Cran-nog for more details. The guest speaker is Eric Dodd from Highland and Islands Community Energy Company, who will explain some ways that individuals and small groups can get involved in generating energy and cutting fuel bills. Everyone

is welcome - you don’t have to be a member of the Trust, though membership is free to all who live in the area! Contact Alan Dobie on 831212 for more information. If you feel you could contribute to the Trust’s work, either as a Director or in some other way, come along to the AGM or contact either Alan Dobie or the Trust’s Chair.Donald Shiach 831591

Environment GroupAfter a period of hibernation (in spite of global warming) the Environment Group is once more up and running!

We’ve now had feedback on the performance of the recycling facility located at Inchmore hall. For the year to the end of March 2006 some 35 tonnes in all were recycled. This com-prised 18 tonnes of glass, 12 tonnes of paper, 1 tonne of cans and 4 tonnes of textiles. A great effort by the community and one I hope we will have improved on when the figures to March 2007 are available. From the published figures we’ve done much better than most other similar recycling facilities. Well done! One issue though is the amount of bags and card-board containers left overflowing the bin at the facility. Unfor-tunately we can’t collect cardboard or plastic at Inchmore. Can you please take bags and boxes home, or better still save them up and take them periodically to facilities in Inverness which can handle them such as the Recycling centre on the Longman.

Congratulations too to Kirkhill Primary School on winning its Silver Flag under the internationally recognised Eco-schools programme. A great effort by the whole school and particu-larly its pupils’ eco-committee under the ever watchful and green eye of teacher Mrs Jean Gibson. Now the Green Flag.

Keep Scotland Beautiful are organising a “National Spring Clean” in April and Kirkhill & Bunchrew will be doing their bit on Saturday 28 April when we’ll be organising a community litter pick starting at 10.00am from the Community Centre in Kirkhill. Bags, litter pickers etc available. The Spring clean will be followed by the opening of the new play park and a bar-beque. This is a great chance to improve the appearance of the community as we go into Spring/Summer. All welcome.

Speaking of global warming the Community Trust’s AGM is to be held on the evening of Monday 26 March in the school. The guest speaker will be talking about what can be done at the community level on renewable energy. As an environment group we are keen to consider this and will be listening keenly to what is said. If you want to contribute then please come along to the AGM and we can start the discussion there.George Hogg 831674

Crannog Spring 2007 3

Annual

General

Meeting

Want to provide some of your own household energy?

Want to be more eco friendly?

Want to cut running costs?

Speaker from Highlands and Islands Community

Energy Company

Kirkhill and Bunchrew Community Trust AGM

Kirkhill Primary SchoolMonday 26 March 7.30pm

All Welcome

38 Newton ParkKirkhill

IV5 7QBtel: 01463 831114

mobile: 0774 985 3736

David Hendry LandscapesSPRING BULBS AVAILABLE NOW:

DaffodilsDwarf TulipsDwarf NarcissiMini IrisMini AlliumCrocusHyacinthsfrom 50p per potAlso available:Roses, Hebes, Conifers, Heathers, various Shrubs, Compost and Bark

Kirkhill & Bunchrew Community TrustKirkhill Community ParkWe are sure you have all noticed the wonderful new equip-ment in the park. This is the result of several years’ hard work to raise the necessary £58,000+. In order to mark this great new community facility, we would like to invite you all to the Picnic in The Park. This will be an official opening celebra-tion, and it will be held on Saturday 28 April 2007 at 12 noon. Look out for more information nearer the time.Kirkhill Community Park Group Caroline Crawford 831503

Road safety plea to all drivers!A recent survey by the police showed a significant speeding problem in Kirkhill.

Please think about children who are walking or cycling to school, and SLOW DOWN - you could save a life. Thank you.

KDAA - Kirkhill District Amenities AssociationAll the outdoor types will be delighted to know that you can participate in the Gala Day this year - which is not going to clash with the Highland Cross.

Gala Week will start the weekend of the 9 June with Gala Day now fixed for Saturday 16 June.

The KDAA wants to encourage anyone with any bright ideas, either for Gala week or Gala day itself to give them to a member of the committee.

For those of you who are new to the area KDAA was estab-lished in 1985 and a community centre was built in 1987. The KDAA is a charity which maintains and manages the hall and surrounding grounds (including a football pitch and tennis court) for the benefit of all the residents in the Kirkhill District.

Wilma Williamson 831737

100 ClubThe Kirkhill Primary Parents’ Association runs a 100 club to raise money for school funds. It raises around £50 a month. It’s a great way to contribute to the school with minimum effort and you have a chance to win a cash prize each month.

For £12 you can buy a number for every month. If you want to join in, fill in your details below and drop it into the school.

I would like......numbers for one year at a total of £.........Name..........................................Tel...............................................

STOPCHILDREN

4 Crannog Spring 2007

News from the last community council meeting Continued from page 1

The ward will also have as a point of contact in a Ward Man-ager who reports to the Inverness City Manager who in turn reports to the Corporate Manager for Inverness, Nairn, Baden-doch and Strathspey.

The posts of Ward Manager and Corporate Manager will be advertised and filled shortly.

May electionsBallot papersAt the elections being held on Thursday 3 May 2007, you will be issued with two ballot papers.

Both the Scottish Par-liament Regional and Constituency contests will be printed on the same ballot paper.

The regional contest will be in the right hand column, with parties listed in alphabetical order, followed by the independent candidates, again in alphabetical order. Elec-tors are asked to vote for their preferred party or independent candidate by marking an X against their choice.

The constituency contest will be printed on the left of the ballot paper. The candidates will be listed alphabetically, irrespec-tive of them being a party or independent candidate. Electors are asked to vote for their preferred candidate by marking an X against their choice.

In addition Highland Council ballot papers will ask electors to rank their preferred candidates in order by writing 1 for their first preference, 2 for their second preference, and 3

for their third prefer-ence and so on. This is because, in each ward, either three or four councillors will be elected.

Voting systemsThere are three voting systems in operation at the May elections.

Electors’ regional votes are used to elect 56 regional MSPs – seven MSPs from each of the electoral regions via the additional member system. Each elector votes

for a political party, or individual candidate, with party can-didates elected in order from the top of the party list. The political parties decide the order in which their candidates are ordered on their own party’s list. Regional seats are allo-cated proportionally according to the number of votes cast for each party and individual candidate across the region, and the number of constituency seats won by each party in the region.

The elector’s Constituency vote is used to elect one of the 73 constituency MSPs using the first past the post system. Each elector votes for a candidate in the constituency where they live. The candidate who receives the most votes wins the contest.

The Highland Council election will use a new voting system called single transferable vote. Voters in each ward will indi-cate their preference of first, second, etc candidates. A quota and formulae system will then decide who is elected based on the preferences as indicated by the voters.

The quota is calculated in the following manner:- For example, in an election with three councillors to be elected, where there were 4,000 valid votes, the quota would be:

4000 (Votes)(3 (Vacancies) + 1) So in this case the quota would be 1001.

The counting concept for this system has already been oper-ated by the New Zealand Government. It is also proposed that in view of the complexity of this count, the votes will be counted electronically.

Phew, thank goodness for that ! (Ed).

+ 1 = 1001

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Crannog Spring 2007 5

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Representatives from the community council recently attended a meeting held in the Town House in Inverness. It was apparent that several of the outlying community councils were not happy to be tied in to Inverness City.

The future of the community councils will become clearer after the elections but in the meantime we will remain posi-tive and represent the community as best we can.Jim Ogilvie 831316

For more information go to www.electoralcommission.gov.uk or www.votescotland.com

Save Kirkhill Post Office!Thanks to everyone who lobbied our local MP Danny Alexan-der after our appeal in the Winter edition of Crannog. Chris and Karen also want to thank everyone who has helped with the campaign.

We need to keep up the pressure, so if you haven’t made your feelings clear to Danny yet and want to show your support for our post office, please contact him direct yourself or fill in this coupon:

Save Kirkhill Post Office - lobby NOW!There are 7,854 rural post office branches in the UK. Since November 2000, Post Office Limited has had a formal requirement to maintain the rural network, and to prevent avoidable closures. However, the policy to prevent avoidable closures has now ended and the threat to rural post offices is real. If you want to keep our post office in Kirkhill you must USE IT or LOSE IT.

TV licensing has recently been transferred to Paypoint and the current contract for Post Office Card Accounts runs out in 2010. The government has so far made no commitment to renew this service. If it does go, many post offices will no longer be viable. As profibility continues to decrease for those running post offices, many are leaving the business altogether. Chris and Karen at Kirkhill have pledged to keep the post office running as long as they can. But they need your help.

Kirkhill & Bunchrew Community Council wants residents to contact Danny Alexander MP to show our support for our local post office.You can contact Danny by email or phone, or fill in your name and address and make your feelings known by sending this coupon to: 1a Montague Row, Inverness IV3 5DX

Tel: 01463 711280Fax: 01463 714380email: [email protected]

I use Kirkhill Post Office and want it to stay open.

signed...................................

name............................................

address............................................................

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A wee local puzzler

Across3 Welcome, the gaelic way6 A wee auld hoose in the water or right in front of your eyes7 A ship’s company eating cakes9 The lady with the keys to the heart of the community - Wilma10 Where big Dougal lives

Down1 Switch raid for a place we all love2 The next station along to Inverness after Clunes4 A villagte for increasing your waistline in an old measure5 Not much activity in this resting place8 A hoot on the school gate

This one’s just for fun, but if you are good at setting puzzles and/or if your business would contribute a prize for a regular Crannog puzzle, contact the Editor.

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6 Crannog Spring 2007

Working to help you enjoy your garden Blooming Marvellous

Elizabeth Shiach, Gardener, RHS Cert. Pt. 1

“a thorough job to a high standard”•“reliable, friendly and very knowledgeable”•“excellent at giving ideas”

• Regular garden care• Planting and pruning• Spring and autumn tidy up

Inverness, Beauly & Kirkhill areas

Call 01463 831591 or 07733 421039

Beaver ScoutsDo you have an hour a week to spare? Maybe you are in high school (over 16), a local mum or dad, perhaps you have retired and have some spare time. If so, the Beaver Scout group in Kirkhill is in need of another Leader to help run the Colony. We have 18 boys and girls aged between 6 and 8 and we meet on a Tuesday evening between 5.15 - 6.15. Playing

games, cooking, going on rambles, arts and crafts, science, visit-ing places of inter-est are a few of the activities that we do with the children. As a leader you would get involved in planning some of the activities as well as helping to

run the session on a Tuesday night. If you are interested in getting involved, please give us a call.Debbie Hamilton 831585 Baden Powell NightScouting is celebrating its Centenary this year and the Kirkhill Beaver Scouts would like to hear from anyone who has been involved in Scouting in the past. We hope to have a special Baden Powell night where the young Beaver Scouts can meet and talk to “old” Scouts and hear about what scouting was like when they were involved. Perhaps you have an old scout uniform or some photographs. If you are keen to come along to our Beaver Colony and share your stories, we would love to hear from you. Debbie Hamilton 831585

Dancing exam successCongratulations to the following young local dancers on their success in their recent UKA exams.

Eilidh MacCormick - Master Uni-ted, Uni-ted.Rhiannon MacDonald - Uni-ted, Intro 4, Master National.Martin Edwards - Uni-ted, Highland Intro 2.Lauren MacInnes - Uni-ted, Intro 4.Emma MacKenzie - Uni-ted, Master National.Victoria Edwards - Intro 5, Intro 6, Master National.Katie Wright - National Plaque, National Bronze Scottish Lilt, Bronze Barrack’s Johnnie, Irish Jig Bronze.Melissa Fife - National Bronze Scottish Lilt, Bronze Barrack’s Johnnie, Irish Jig Bronze.Cara MacKenzie - National Bronze Scottish Lilt, Bronze Bar-rack’s Johnnie, Irish Jig Bronze.

Eilidh Fife - Silver Scottish Lilt, Silver Barrack’s Johnnie, Irish Jig Bronze Bar.

All of these talented youngsters attend the Fraser School of Highland Dancing which meets in Kirkhill Community Centre on Fridays - pre-school class 2.30pm, Beginners and new pupils 3.30pm and highland/scottish national 4.30pm.

Kirkhill Primary SchoolWhere has this last school year gone?

We can hardly believe our Primary 7 are nearly ready to leave us and transfer to Charleston but the less said about that the better or we’ll have staff and parents getting emotional even before the closing assembly on Thursday 28 June.

We start our Summer Term with Primary 7 going off to Lagganlia Outdoor Activity Centre for four days, this is now an annual event which this is planned and looked forward to by pupils and staff all year and then discussed and remembered by every-one until the next time.

This year we are going with Teanassie Primary so all the P7 pupils have a chance to make extra friends and share expe-riences prior to leaving Primary school.

It is impossible to list everything that is going on in school but we presently have a very active Eco school group, Cross Country teams entering a variety of events, Feis Rois tutors visiting, entries to Inverness Music Festival, Ross County training sessions for classes plus Little Dribblers for Nursery, vegetable tasting days planned for those reluctant to eat their 5-a –day etc .These are just a sample of activities happening currently.

Projects for the Summer term (April–June) include Enterprise, Water, Castles, Gardening and Houses and Homes so if you have any expertise or specific knowledge in these areas and are able to offer your time please get in touch with school we love to have visitors !

Crannog Spring 2007 7

[email protected] 01463 223743 07717 194567

All aspects of tree care undertaken

Small garden trees to full site clearances

Robert Kinghorn Tree SurgeryFully qualified and insured Arboricultural contractor

In June we have number of events planned which might be of interest to the local community so please come along, join us and see what is happening in and around your local school.

•Thursday 7 June - Sports Day at Community Centre - as this event is weather dependant –next day if rained off! •Wednesday 13 June - Open Day - Come in and see us at work! Enquire about visiting times in morning and afternoon from School Office.•Friday 22 June - Whole school Picnic and Fun Afternoon as part of our Celebrations for Highland Year of Culture. Join us at the Community Centre,bring your own picnic and a rug plus a smile!•Wednesday 27 June - Primary 7 v Parents Rounders Match.All support welcomeCris Ford 831543

Kirkhill Toddler GroupKirkhill Toddler Group meet every Wednesday and Friday in Kirkhill Community Centre from 10am to 12 noon during the school terms. Mums, dads and other carers are welcome with their little ones. We cater for ages from newborn to three, with older siblings coming along when nursery finishes at half-past eleven.

The atmosphere is very relaxed and friendly – three volun-teers set out the toys and prepare snacks while everyone else chats and plays. Friday sessions are more informal, with eve-rybody mucking in and providing their own snacks.

Our fees are set at £1.50 a session for one child or £2.50 per family. Nursery age children do not pay because they do not attend for a full session.

We also have an annual registration fee of £6, which helps cover improvements, rent and the fun days at the end of every term.

Care and Learning Alliance (previously Highland Pre-School Services) support the group. Their playleader visits every six weeks arranging different activities and providing new ideas for the group.

Please come and meet us, a warm welcome awaits. Jennifer Kennedy 741039

Kirkhill KrewKirkhill Primary School is the place to be on Wednesday nights, 7 - 9, if you live in Kirkhill and Bunchrew area, and are in S1 - S4 at Charleston. Come along for a trial session... we do football training, badminton, games, and lots of other stuff. We have our drama group up and running, and will be putting on our first play later this year - it’s not too late to get involved! We have recently been taking part in competitions with other youth groups and will be competing in the regional finals soon with our Quiz team, Dominoes, Chess and Darts players. Volunteer leaders always welcome!Caroline Crawford 831503

Egyptian dancingA new Egyptian dancing class will be starting in Kirkhill Com-munity Centre on Monday 16 April, 7.30-9pm.

If you are interested in attending or just want to know more contactMorag 233475

8 Crannog Spring 2007

Thanks for reading CrannogThe next issue - Summer 2007 will be out in early June in time for the Gala - deadline for contributions 18 May. If you have any news, views or adverts (only £10 for a quarter page or £35 for four issues!) please get in touch with the Crannog Editor:Alison Hay1 Groam CourtKirkhillIV5 7NWtel 831042email [email protected] As our community continues to expand, we are always on the lookout for more volunteers to deliver Crannog. If you can help contact Ken MacColl 831617

Highland Hospice 20th Anniversary Celebrations Highland Hospice is celebrating 20 years of caring in the High-lands. First opened as a Day Hospice in 1987, the hospice has come a long way and developed into the widely regarded centre for palliative care in the Highlands.

While 20 years is a major milestone of service, Highland Hos-pice is very much focused on the future, and ensuring that the high standard of care provided by staff continues well into the future. To reach this goal there are a wide range of fund-raising events planned all over the Highland area.

The Black Isle Cycle Ride is a great day of fun for all! On Sat-urday April 28 come out and cycle a 4, 10 or 20 mile route. Another up coming event is the Easter Fayre on Saturday March 24. There will be beautiful crafts and gifts for sale, face painting, home baking, a kids craft room and a Tombola. A Raffle will also be drawn, first prize is a Fantastic Easter Hamper, second prize is a large wooden doll’s house, and third prize is a Mama’s and Papa’s Rocking Horse.

June is Sunflower month for Highland Hospice and this year it holds additional significance. On February 8 this year, HRH Princess Anne visited the hospice to meet patients, speak to staff and to unveil the new logo for Highland Hospice, which is comprised of a Sunflower. Sunflower Month kicks off with the Sunflower Ball, and continues with the Junior Highland Games, Moonlight Meander and many other celebrations.

For more information on these events, any of the other excit-ing events on our very full calendar, or to find out other ways you can help secure the future of Highland Hospice please visit www.highlandhospice.org or 01463 243 132

Indoor Bowling ClubThe Indoor Bowling Club are having a very successful season and are near the top of the league table. The club champion is Norma Scrimgeour. Best wishes from everyone to Madda Georgeson. We all hope you are feeling better soon.Ken MacColl 831617

Kirkhill Primary School Coffee Morning & Jumble SaleSaturday 24 March, 9:30- 12:00 in Kirkhill Community Centre. Come along and enjoy a cup of tea or fresh coffee as you hunt for bargains at our jumble sale and coffee morning. Any donations of home baking or jumble gratefully received. Please hand in donations to the school on Friday 23 March.All proceeds to school funds.

Ross County FC lotteryYou can now take part in the Ross County FC weekly lottery at the Kirkhill Post Office. The jackpot starts at £2,000 and rises by £500 each week that it’s not won – all the way to a maxi-mum top prize of £10,000. All the profits from the Lottery go towards funding the club’s youth and community activities.

SWRIThe senior citizens Christmas “Festive fun and fare” as usual was hosted by the SWRI and resulted in a good time being had by all. We catered for over 100 and also organised the entertainment and again I would like to stress how grateful we are to all the artists who so kindly give up their Saturday to be there for our pleasure and enjoyment free of charge.

January, a group of us went into the library in Farraline Park and met with Mr Alister MacLeod, the head genealogist who enthralled us with his tremendous knowledge regarding our “roots”! and how to trace back. We all left more determined than ever to get those family trees in order. It was a really super afternoon. Our February speaker was Karen Collesso who subject was meditation. A most relaxing evening taking us through all the various steps to the point when I think she had most of us more or less asleep! Certainly if you are feel-ing stressed, that is the cure!

Before our AGM in May, we will have our annual trip to the opera to see this year’s production of West End to Broadway II and our March speaker is a representative from Mercy Ships who certainly sounds interesting. Our April outing like last year at this time is still to be decided.

Once again I say to you our syllabus is varied and lively. Guests are most welcome so come along and see for yourself. For further details please feel free to telephone me or contact any of the members. Joan McKay 831578

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