BLACK MOUNT BUGLE

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN – CHARLES RITCHIE

In this, my third Message as the Chair of The Black Mount Community Council, I would like to start by thanking Joan Highton, who has decided to step down as a Community Councillor after over 13 years on the Council, of which for the last few years she was the Chair. We all owe her a great debt of gratitude for all the hard work and commitment she
has given to serve the interests of all those who live in the Black Mount Community Area. We will be looking for a volunteer to replace Joan Hightonn as well as having one more vacancy. This though will have to wait until the next Community Council election that is not due to take place until 2008. Further information will be given in future editions of The Bugle.

I would also like to warmly congratulate Councillor Hamish Stewart on his re-election in the recent South Lanarkshire Council Election. Those with specific issues to raise with him are encouraged to attend his regular ‘surgeries’.

I also want to thank our Social Group for their wonderful organisation in running the highly successful Sports Day held at Newbigging on Friday 25th May. The weather was kind and it was very nice to have seen so many participants of all ages enjoying themselves. Volunteers to help run such events are always welcome. Please come and support the next event being held on Sunday 2nd September which will be a Sponsored Walk in aid of Charity. Further details are in this edition of The Bugle.

Please also read The Lanark Gazette and/or The Peeblesshire News as, thanks to Ian Kerry, we are now able to have published summaries of the main issues that have been raised and discussed at our Community Council Meetings.

Yet again, I invite as many of you who would like to, to attend Black Mount Community Council Meetings to please come along. They are normally held at 7.30 p.m. in Elsrickle Village Hall, but there is no Meeting in August so the next one is on Monday 3rd September. Please advise the Chair if you wish to address the Meeting or ask a question.

Charles Ritchie
Chairman

BLACK MOUNT COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEMBERS

Charles Ritchie Chairperson - 01968 682639
ritchiecdm@hotmail.com

Ian Kerry Treasurer - 01968 682239
iankerry@tiscali.co.uk

Craig Allardice Secretary - 01968 682349
craig@merklands.com

Anne Hutchison - 01968 682256
anne@robertonmains.freeserve.co.uk

Joan Stephenson - 01899 810272

Margaret Grice - 01899 810373

BLACK MOUNT COMMUNITY COUNCIL SPORTS

Black Mount Sports were held at Newbigging on Friday 25th May.

All events were keenly contested, and the main prizewinners were:

Agnes Allison Shield for Primary children - winner was Robert McGrath; runner up was Niamh Barber.
Agnes Allison Shield for Secondary pupils; joint winners were Rebecca Watson and Rosie McLean
Runner up was Alastair Hodson.
Welly boot throwing was won by;
Gents - Ross Barber. Ladies - Anne Hutchison.
Boys - Alastair Hodson. Girls - Rebecca Watson.
Toddlers Race - 1st Hamish Barber, 2nd Emma Orr, 3rd Morven Tarbert.
Gents Race - 1st John McGrath, 2nd Ross Barber, 3rd eq. Jim Wallace and Paul Edwards.
Ladies Race - 1st Mara Orr, 2nd Anne Hutchison, 3rd Theresa Barber.
3-legged races were won by:
Hazel McLean and Sarah Paterson.
Shannon Gilchrist and Alice McGrath
Jack Noble and Mike Still.

At the end of the evening everyone ran, or walked, a mile in aid of Quarriers, and £45 was raised.

Thanks go to:
George Allison for the use of Newbigging Playing field,
Mr. and Mrs. Bell for the use of their facilities,
Mr. Hugh Murray for announcing the events,
Mrs. Lucy McCorkell for starting the races,
Mrs Joan Highton and Mrs Dorothy Ramsay for collating the scores,
Hutch and Craig Allardice for setting up the field,

and all those who helped in any way to make the sports so successful - and especially to all the competitors for their enthusiasm.

The next event on the Social Group calendar is:

SPONSORED WALK, which will take place on Sunday 2nd September, 2pm. Starting and finishing at Brownsbank Farm, Candymill. [August : Foot and Mouth Outbreak – if there are to be any changes to the route, posters will be displayed.]

Sponsor Forms will be available from Anne Hutchison, but donations are also very acceptable!
All monies raised are used to fund the Bonfire, Christmas Dinner and the Sports Day.

Anne Hutchison

ELSRICKLE WRI

The next few months will be a busy time as always for the Elsrickle WRI.

Following the Flower Show in August, new members are very welcome to join us in the Hall for our First Meeting on the 12th September. During this evening we look forward to a talk given by John Kinloch on his Carmunnock Garden.

Then many members will be off for a trip to Northern Ireland at the end of September.

The rest of our autumn diary will be filled with many interesting evenings, including talks and demonstrations from Mrs Romer of the Wee Sweetie Shop in New Lanark, Candle Craft by Mrs Blanchard, and in October there will be a visit to West Lothian College, arranged by Margaret Main.

The Bowling Tournament will be held in the Hall on the 24th November, and in the new year Gilbert Cox will recount his experiences as Lanarkshire Lord Lieutenant.

Information supplied by Ann Moffat

COUNCILLOR HAMISH STEWART

This is the first Bugle since the May election, so I would like to start by thanking all who voted to return me to office for a further four years. There are now three councillors representing Blackmount, Beith Forrest (Con) and Bev Gauld(SNP) in addition to myself. You are at liberty to contact any one of us with issues, but as Beith and I are of the same party, we will each concentrate on the areas we formerly represented. The new ward, Clydesdale East, has come out of the Council appointments well, as Beith has been created Deputy Provost and I am now Chair of the Clydesdale Area Committee as well as having been appointed Deputy Chair of Community Resources. All this should be good news for residents of Black Mount because it will give us the opportunity to exert pressure with a greater chance of being listened to than was perhaps the case under the old administration.

In June, I was privileged to attend the Tuesday afternoon performance of Walston School’s production of Oliver at Biggar Corn Exchange. Anybody who was unable to attend missed a fantastic show that involved the whole school. The following evening I attended the senior prizegiving at Biggar High School at which Black Mount pupils again excelled. The young people of Black Mount have good reason to be proud of their achievements.

The rollout of the Blue Bins to seems to have gone reasonably smoothly in the area with only a few glitches. South Lanarkshire is one of the top recycling authorities in Scotland, and, as recycling services continue to expand, that position should be consolidated. The council do have long term plans to start collecting glass as well as the paper, cans and plastics presently being collected, but funding is proving an issue so, in the interim, I am trying to get a bottle bank for the area. Experience elsewhere has shown that these must be well away from housing to avoid complaints from residents so they are not ideal if you do not have access to a car.

I am very pleased that more of the promised road repairs have been carried out with more in the pipeline and that the Council House modernisation programme reached Black Mount on schedule.

My surgeries continue as normal throughout the summer on the First Monday of each month in Newbigging Hall from 5.30pm to 6.00pm, Dolphinton Hall from 6.15pm till 6.45 pm and Elsrickle Hall from 7.00pm till 7.30pm. I will be pleased to see anybody then or I can be contacted on 07748 114 582. If I cannot answer when you call, leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Hamish Stewart

DOLPHINTON W.R.I.