BLACK MOUNT BUGLE

BLACK MOUNT COMMUNITY COUNCIL

As we are moving towards Easter, it is always a pleasure to see the spring bulbs bursting into flower. Following the success of our summer bedding planters at the Village Halls last year, we have started this season with window boxes and containers full of bulbs. We hope to continue our floral contributions throughout the current growing season. Our Social Group have organised this for us.

Our next event will be our SPORTS’ EVENING on FRIDAY, 27th MAY
2005 at Newbigging. As our next Bugle will be published after this date, please put this in your diary now. We hope as many of you as possible will come along and join in the fun.

South Lanarkshire Council continue to work on the new Local Plan for the Clydesdale area. As yet we have no details of what this will mean for the Black Mount area. We are happy to pass on any comments to the Council. Contact your local Community Councillor – details on the back of the Bugle.

Finally, a reminder that the Community Council meetings will take place in Elsrickle Hall at 7.30 pm on the following dates:
4th APRIL – 9th MAY – 6th JUNE – 4th JULY – 5th SEPTEMBER –
3rd OCTOBER – 7th NOVEMBER – 5th DECEMBER – 6th FEBRUARY – 6th MARCH.
Members of the public are always welcome.

Joan Highton

From Councillor Tom McAlpine

In recent months the Upper Clydesdale Community Alliance (UCCA) has had South Lanarkshire Council officers attend its meetings to discuss current problems and future plans. Jim Hayton, Head of Housing Strategy and Development, outlined future housing plans and discussed the specific issues affecting housing in rural areas.

Jim Duffin, Head of Education Services and Learning Communities, discussed with us the proposals for school clusters and gave us some reassurances after much discussion.

Jim Cannon, Head of Roads and Transportation Services, came to explain the very low level of funding made available by the Government for road repairs. He has been trying to replace stretches of the worst roads on a planned basis and he hopes to continue this. There is no doubt that the presence of UCCA has been very valuable in ensuring that officials are made aware of the concerns and the interests of our rural areas.

You may also know that we are to get a newly built High School in Biggar, together with something I have fought for over many years – a full public library attached to the school. It will open during normal library hours and as well as books, will provide information services, CDs, DVDs, etc. The work will start in July 2007. While it would be good if the work could begin earlier, we have to welcome the plans. The small rural schools will also be upgraded.

Councillor Tom McAlpine’s Surgeries
Newbigging Village Hall 5.30-6.30 pm 1st Monday of month
Dolphinton Village Hall 6.15-6.45 pm 1st Monday of month
Elsrickle Village Hall 7.00-7.30 pm 1st Monday of month
Gillespie Centre,Biggar 10.30-11.20 am 1st & 3rd Mon. of month
Gillespie Centre, Biggar 5.00-5.30 pm 2nd & 4th Friday of each month

CHURCH OF SCOTLAND

I’m always making mistakes. In my short life of 58 years, I suppose I’ve made hundreds, if not thousands of them. A friend of mine once made quite an obvious mistake and it was gently pointed out to her. “Thanks” she said, “I never make the same mistake twice”. And then she added with a smile, “I always try to make a different one, just for the sake of variety”. Of course, she took criticism in the right spirit. Yet, the strange thing is we all make mistakes. There’s none of us perfect. We all make mistakes, yet, we should try to learn from them.

When I was studying for the Ministry, I used to travel from my home in Carluke to the University in Glasgow by train. On my way to the train station, I walked over a little bridge which crossed a burn. One morning, I remember being more than a little surprised to discover a waterhen building her nest. I’d noticed her often on my way to and from the station. Yet, she surprised me this time, first of all, because it was February, still bitterly cold, and very little feeling of spring in the air. I was surprised secondly because she was building her nest right in the middle of this burn – this little stream. And also because she was building it against one of those metal grids that hold back the driftwood and vegetation that are washed down – you know – those things that often clog up the free flow of water. Nothing particularly surprising about that you might think. After all, she was a waterhen. Yet, the strange thing was that she was building her nest in exactly the same spot as she’d built it the year before. And I’d remembered how she’d had to struggle to rebuild it when, more than once, it was washed away by the floods of springtime.

So, why did she choose to build her nest in this rather strange and precarious place again? Perhaps we shall never know. Yet, what we do know, of course, is that many birds and animals are creatures of habit. They tend to do the same things over and over again. They tend to make the same mistakes over and over again, perhaps many times over, before they actually learn from them. And of course, they’re not the only ones. I wonder how many of us continue to do the same things over and over again and in the same certain and often peculiar way. And for no particular reason, other than we’ve always done it that way.

Now where have I heard that before? Oh, yes, the Church – “We’ve always done it that way!” Or as we sometimes say: “It’s aye been!”

There’s a verse in Deuteronomy which reads something like this:
‘For only Og, king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold his bedstead was a bedstead of iron…nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after a cubit of a man.” That’s all that’s said of him in the whole of the Bible – this King Og. Nothing more is recorded of him other than the fact that he was so big – he was a giant – and also, of course that he had a very big bed. Other kings and people are remembered for finer and better things about their lives. David was remembered as the greatest of Israel’s kings, and also that he’ been a shepherd boy who’d killed a
giant. Solomon, David’s son, was remembered for his massive building programmes, especially the building of the temple in Jerusalem. And also, of course for his reputed wisdom. “Oh to have the wisdom of Solomon”, we say. Edward I of England was remembered for his long legs. Indeed he was called “Longshanks”. And of course he was also remembered as ‘The Hammer of the Scots’. King Alfred was remembered as ‘The Great’ – Alfred the Great. What was great about him – I don’t know. King Richard was remembered for his bravery – he was called Richard the Lionheart. Charles was known as Bonny Prince Charlie. King Og was remembered for the size of his bed.

For what will we be remembered? What will our memorial be? Will we be remembered for our mistakes? Or as someone who always learned from our mistakes? It’s really up to us isn’t it? Here’s a thought worth pondering.

“If you don’t want trouble, don’t think it and don’t say it.
Words are thoughts with a birth certificate.
Once said, they are firmly recorded. “

Let’s be sure that the only thoughts we record are the ones worth recording. And let’s hope it won’t be for making the same mistakes over and over again. Just because ‘It’s aye been’.

A little poem to finish with:

If you gossip and fall out with people
And no more your praises are sung,
Just think of a dog when it wants to be friendly…
It’s his tail that he wags, not his tongue.

Jim Cutler
(Minister at Black Mount, Culter, Liberton & Quothquan)
t. 01899 220625 e. jim.cutler1@virgin.net

Services
There will be a Maundy Thursday Service of Communion at Liberton and Quothquan Parish Church and a Good Friday Service at Culter Parish Church, both at 7.30 pm. The Sacrament of Holy Communion will be celebrated at all three of our Services on Easter Day (Blackmount at 9.30 am). On the following Sunday our service will be our three monthly Joint Service for our three Congregations and it will be at Blackmount Parish Church at 10.45 am. From then on the service at Blackmount will be at 10.45 am for three months.

Session Clerk: Mr Don Barrie 01899 221771
Treasurer: Hazel Knight 01899 810348
Organists: Mrs Alice Barrie 01899 221771

Clerk to the Congregational Board:
Mrs Grace Allison 01899 220525

Other Local Christian Denominational Services

St Isidore’s Roman Catholic Church, Biggar
Holy Mass, Sunday 12 noon and weekdays (Mon-Fri) 9.30 am

St Mungo’s Scottish Episcopal Church, West Linton
Sung Communion Sunday 9.15 am, Said Communion Wednesday 10.30 am

ELSRICKL W.R.I.

At our December meeting Mrs D. Donald gave us an excellent demonstration of Christmas Floral Art. Mrs C. Barr demonstrated Scarf Folding for us in January, and we followed this with an enjoyable afternoon’s Beetle Drive. We went on a trip in February to Moat Park, Biggar and finished off the afternoon with tea at the Gillespie Centre.

Forthcoming Events:

April 13th 7.30 - Harriet Tolson and Margaret Main – Crafts

May 11th Trip to Culzean Castle and Ayr

August 27th Flower Show – Schedules available from Ann Moffat, 01899 220794 – Open to everyone

Ann Moffat

WALSTON PRE-5 GROUP

The Walston Pre-5 Group meet at Walston Primary School on a Wednesday morning, for children from 2 ½ years up to school age. Each session runs from 9.15 am until 11.30 am. We would welcome children of this age to come and join our group and if you would like to register them, please telephone Vanessa Starling at the number below or call in on a Wednesday morning.

The children have had a busy time since Christmas starting off with making a fabulous display of Chinese writing and learning about the Chinese New Year. The children have now moved on to learning about our old fashioned fairy tales. First off Goldilocks and the Three Bears and they will soon be reading about the Magic Porridge Pot and Cinderella.

We would like to say a big thank you to everyone for handing in their Persil tokens. We have recently applied to get a 26 pack of Paint materials which will be of great use to the group. We continue to collect the Persil tokens, so please keep handing them in. Thanks.

The group is planning two fundraising events: a raffle of a picnic hamper on 30th March and a film evening for all the family on Friday, 6th May. We look forward to having some fun and we hope you can help us raise funds for the group.

If you want to contact the playgroup, please call either:

Sheena Dickson 01968 682279 (Playgroup Leader) or

NEWS FROM WALSTON PRIMARY

It has been a busy term at Walston so far with many interesting events happening. P 6 & 7 have been staying at school on a Wednesday for supported study. This year we have been looking at ways of improving our playground and the children have come up with all sorts of ideas. Last week we went to Biggar and bought tubs and plants to add to the seeds they had sown the previous week – hopefully everything will grow and the playground will look much brighter in the summer term.

Earlier in the term we had a Scottish afternoon on 25th January. Pupils recited Scottish poems and some played musical instruments – piano, fiddle, accordion and guitar. The younger children sang, helped by two of the older pupils playing guitars. We all then enjoyed a glass of irn-bru, shortbread and oatcakes to finish off the afternoon.

Loraine Kinghorn, Head Teacher

Hannah and Ceridwyn have written a short piece about events happening in their classroom:-

Welcome to Walston Primary’s Bugle article. We would like to
tell you that we are doing lots of exciting things at school. On
Thursdays P 5’s do music with Mr. Johnstone and on Fridays we
go swimming at Lanark.

We would like to tell you about music first. On Thursdays just
after ten to eleven we go over to the the canteen. We have been learning the notes and beats of music. We do music for about half an hour but sometimes it can be more. We will carry on with music until the middle of February.

On Fridays we go swimming at Lanark Swimming Pool. Everyone is good at swimming in this school. We leave on a coach at quarter to ten to go to Lanark. At the pool we learn how to do front crawl, back stroke, breast stroke, dives and lots of other great things.

We love to go swimming and the P 5’s love to do music

Written by Hannah Dickson and Ceridwyn Stewart

OCCASIONAL NATURE NOTES

Time to put up new nestboxes and clear out old nestboxes. Birds like a fresh new nest for the new brood, though they probably appreciate the remains of old nests in the winter time for shelter. It’s best to put the nestboxes out of the reach of cats and with no perch or branch too near the entrance as predators can use a perch to rob the nest. Small birds don’t need perches. The box should face more or less North. Due South and the chicks might free in the sun.

The little woven shelters that you can buy very cheaply in garden centres are excellent for wrens. An open fronted box suits robins and they are much more likely to use it if you can drape it with ivy or some other disguises. A piece of crushed wire-netting will hold the camouflage around the box. When I did this two unused boxes were immediately taken up.

Have you heard bluetits hammering inside a nestbox? I always imagine it is Mr Bluetit doing a bit of DIY while Mrs. flits around outside making helpful comments…
MSS

BUS SERVICES

RING ‘N RIDE 0845 123 5047

This service has now been extended to give two Timetabled Services from Elsrickle to Biggar

TUESDAY

13.0 Elsrickle

13.15 Quothquan

13.30 Biggar

Leaving Biggar for return journey at 14.45

THURSDAY

9.50 Elsrickle

10.05 Quothquan

10.20 Biggar

Leaving Biggar for return journey at 11.45

Booking for these journeys should be made two days before travel, between 14.00 and 16.00 hrs. – for travel on Tuesday call on Friday

You need to have a registration number to book travel – this can be obtained by phoning the above number.

Remember – USE IT OR LOOSE IT!

PREPARE FOR ROAD DISRUPTION

The A702 in Dolphinton, from the 40mph signs on the south side, to the layby at the North end, is to be ‘reconstructed’. This work will take place from Monday March 21st to Wednesday 20th June.

All drivers who regularly use this section of the A702 should take avoiding action during that period, if possible. Those occupants of Dolphinton whose driveways exit on to the A702, should park their cars away from the roadworks the night before they need them as they may not be able to exit their drives once the work had started in the morning.

If you have any problems with the roadworks you can call Peter McNulty on 07831 334530.

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PLAYGROUP LEADER REQUIRED

At Walston Pre-5 Group (based at Walston Primary)

Every Wednesday during term time 9.00 am – 12.00 noon

Enthusiastic Person to look after children 2 ½ - 5 years

All enquiries to:

Vanessa Starling 01899 229229

DOLPHINTON W.R.I.

We’ve had a busy time since the last Bugle was delivered!

The Children’s Christmas Party on 19th December was great fun.
42 children and their mums, and a few dads, gathered in the Hall, all in their best ‘bib and tucker’, to enjoy a lovely tea, followed by traditional games like ‘Farmer’s in his Den’, ‘Ring a Ring o’ roses’, and ‘Musical Statues’, all to the music of Alice Barrie. Next year we’re going to have Alice ‘Amplified’ since sometimes the hilarity is louder than the tunes! We also had a visit from Santa with a gift for all the children.

At our January meeting Mary Howie from Blyth Bridge told us about her work with R.H.E.T. who organise famers to visit schools and schoolchildren to visit farms! Even in this rural area where very few children actually live on farms, both parties learn a lot. Let’s hope that this initiative helps reduce the food miles between farm and plate.

A Rural poem was the competition for the evening.
Mary had a great big farm
With lots of Blackie sheep,
And every day at break of dawn
She went to have a peep.

She also had a herd of cows
As black as black could be,
Tho’ they lived on Pentland knowes
They came frae Galloway.

She selt her coos and a’ her sheep
So now she is retired
She disnae sew, she disnae bake,
So why’s she at the “Rural”?

She helps them oot at RHET
Gies talks around the schools,
Shows the kids, so they can see
How Farmers gie them food.

On the last Saturday in January, we held our annual Invitation Bowling Tournament in aid of Charity. 16 rinks of enthusiastic ladies took part, and the winners were the rink skipped by Ella Aitken from Carstairs, and runners up were Biggar Bowling Club, skipped by Jessie Semple. Our chosen charities this year are Sightsavers and Royal Highland Education Trust.

WRI members have agreed to send a letter to South Lanarkshire Council to bring to their attention the dampness of the “annexe” at Dolphinton Hall which is not at all suitable for its purpose!

At our February meeting we had a terrific talk and show of photographs of the 60+ garden birds seen in our area. Alison Macarthur has been our local “twitcher” since she came to live here 18 years ago and she almost knows every bird personally! Her digital photos were excellent, from the kingfisher, sparrowhawk to the robin. We’re already planning to have her back to show us the wading birds at Haughhead pond.

On Wednesday March 9th the Rural held a very successful Fun Evening in aid of Red Nose Day. There were quizzes – some on general knowledge, others testing our musical knowledge from way-back when.
There was a raffle and we finished the evening with a mad balloon game.

Mary Howie kindly judged the ‘Ladies in Red” and the winner was Sally Brown, second Ann Ross and third, Markie Woodifield.

We raised £70.00 for Comic Relief.

Several of our members are busy working on our entry for the Community Effort at the Peeblesshire “Spring Flower and Craft” Show on March 12th.

Wednesday 20th April will be our last meeting of this session when we will have a demonstration of Beadwork.

Anne Hutcheson

BLACKMOUNT SOCIAL GROUP

The Christmas Dinner was a great success, with 56 guests enjoying traditional fare followed by entertainment by the boys of “Black Douglas”. A superb raffle was held when there was a prize for just about everyone. (see photo page 8 - sorry about the poor quality).

Hopefully the bulbs in the planters at the local halls will soon be heralding the start of Spring!

In January, South Lanarkshire Council invited Community Groups to an “Introduction to the Local Diversity Plan”. Anne and I went to this most interesting presentation by Scott Riddell, the SLC Biodiversity Officer.

Biodiversity is the whole variety of life on Earth and includes all living things – animals, trees, flowers, people – and their habitat. Much of this has been lost…the greatest threat is man himself. The Action Plan seeks to reverse this trend by encouraging con-servation management in the home, the garden the farm and the community which is where the community councils come in.

The hope is community groups will help redress this loss. Already several groups in Lanarkshire have helped to improve local green-space by clearing litter from rivers, planting trees and bulbs, creating wildflower verges and wildlife habitat. Some of these groups have collected wildflower and tree seeds for other groups to use.

Is it now our turn? We’d like to think so.

Sue Swan has already shown how much of this can be done at the pond she has created at Dunsyre, a very good example of “Greenspace”.

Perhaps you have noticed that we have planted flower tubs at the village halls… a small beginning. Can you think of where a tree, or wildflowers could be planted for the community? Should we plan a litter collection walk? We’d like to hear from you. We plan to ask Scott Riddell to come to speak at Elsrickle Hall later this year and hope to meet you there.
Joan Stephenson

DOLPHINTON VILLAGE HALL

We have enjoyed the usual varied programme so far this year, with both Spanish classes and Irish dancing proving very popular new activities. The Hall Diary for Spring/Summer looks as follows:

Mondays Pilates 9.30 – 10.30 am
Belly Dancing 7.00 – 9.00 pm (monthly workshops)
Councillor’s
Surgery 6.15 -6.45 pm (lst Monday of month)

Tuesdays Yoga 7.30 - 9.00 pm - intermediate

Wednesdays Pilates 6.15-9.30 pm
WRI 7.15 – 10.00 pm (Last meeting until September
will be April 20th)

Thursdays Pilates 9.30 – 10.30 am

Fridays Tango 6.00 – 7.00 pm

Saturdays Spanish 9.30 – 2.30 pm

Sundays Irish Dance 10.15 – 11.15
11.15 – 12.15

If you are interested in joining any of these groups contacts are as follows:

Pilates Keeley Craigie 01721 729301
Belly Dancing Angela Morton 01721 751766
Yoga Julie Anderson 01968 661204
WRI Anne Hutcheson 01968 682256
Tango Peter Nicholls 01968 682381
Spanish Beronika Martin 01968 682242
Irish Dancing Leanne Haveron 07973 828636

If you would like to rent the Village Hall for an event, meeting, children’s party, or other activity please get in touch with Pam Taylor, on 01968 682203.

DOLPHINTON VILLAGE HALL

We have enjoyed the usual varied programme so far this year, with both Spanish classes and Irish dancing proving very popular new activities. The Hall Diary for Spring/Summer looks as follows:

Mondays Pilates 9.30 – 10.30 am
Belly Dancing 7.00 – 9.00 pm (monthly workshops)
Councillor’s
Surgery 6.15 -6.45 pm (lst Monday of month)

Tuesdays Yoga 7.30 - 9.00 pm - intermediate

Wednesdays Pilates 6.15-9.30 pm
WRI 7.15 – 10.00 pm (Last meeting until September
will be April 20th)

Thursdays Pilates 9.30 – 10.30 am

Fridays Tango 6.00 – 7.00 pm

Saturdays Spanish 9.30 – 2.30 pm

Sundays Irish Dance 10.15 – 11.15
11.15 – 12.15

If you are interested in joining any of these groups contacts are as follows:

Pilates Keeley Craigie 01721 729301
Belly Dancing Angela Morton 01721 751766
Yoga Julie Anderson 01968 661204
WRI Anne Hutcheson 01968 682256
Tango Peter Nicholls 01968 682381
Spanish Beronika Martin 01968 682242
Irish Dancing Leanne Haveron 07973 828636

If you would like to rent the Village Hall for an event, meeting, children’s party, or other activity please get in touch with Pam Taylor, on 01968 682203.

Dates for your diary

Mondays except School holidays Black Mount Luncheon Club Elsrickle Village Hall 12 noon
Alternate Wednesdays Black Mount Church Coffee Morning Church Hall, Dolphinton 10.30 am
April 4th Community Council Meeting Elsrickle Hall 7.30 pm
April 13th Elsrickle WRI - Crafts Elsrickle Hall 7.30 pm
April 20 Dolphinton WRI – Beadwork Dolphinton Hall 7.15 pm
May 9th Community Council Meeting Elsrickle Hall 7.30 pm
May 11th Elsrickle WRI – Visit to Ayrshire
May 27th Community Sports Newbigging 6.30 pm
June 4th Community Council Meeting Elsrickle Hall 7.30 pm

COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEMBERS

Joan Highton,Chairperson 01899 810378 JoanHighton@tiscali.co.uk
Tim McLean, Secretary 01968 682345 tanda.mclean@virgin.net
Ian Kerry, Treasurer 01968 682239 ian.kerry@tiscali.co.uk
Anne Hutchison 01968 682256 anne@robertonmains.freeserve.co.uk
Joan Stephenson 01899 810272
Shelagh Atkinson 01968 682643 atkinwood@onetel.com
Bernard Grice 01899 810275 Bernardgrice@aol.com

LAST DATE FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NEXT BUGLE IS Monday 30th May.

Please send all your articles, dates, reports, news and advertisements to:
Pam Taylor, Meadowhead, Dolphinton, West Linton, EH46 7AB Tel: 01968 682203, e.mail : pameadow@onetel.com

The Bugle is published by the Black Mount Community Council, but the views expressed therein are not necessarily those of the Council.