BLACK MOUNT BUGLE

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN – CHARLES RITCHIE

Whilst I am a born optimist, I write this with it raining outside and the nights about to start drawing in for the winter! Let us not, though, be depressed but cast aside the gloom of the housing market and rising costs of food, gas and fuel and instead look forward to the summer that must surely arrive some day and to the holiday period. Farmers though tell me they have had a wonderful silage making season, thanks to the abundant rain and some warm periods of sunshine.

A small word of caution about the holiday period as I regret I have to report some recent break-ins to outside sheds and the theft of lawn mowers and other garden equipment as well as bicycles. My advice is always to have them securely padlocked and you can buy comparatively cheap devices that you hang on to shed handles, and
if they are disturbed, they set off a highly audible alarm. It is also best not to advertise what you have in the shed by leaving the door open or the equipment lying about outside for passers-by to see. Beware the unexpected caller in a van or pick-up asking if you have any old garden equipment for sale! Note the number of the van and get a good description of your ‘friendly caller’!

The Social Group are once more to be congratulated on having held the Black Mount Sports Evening at Newbigging on Friday 30th May. This was a very well attended occasion and many congratulations to all the winners and a ‘well done’ to all those who participated or who just came along to join in the fun. A huge thanks to Anne Hutchison and her team who helped to prepare, organise and run the evening. Anne has now decided to step back from organising the Sports Event and hands over the baton to Mara Orr. Many thanks again to Anne for running this event for the past years and a warm welcome to Mara.

The next event is the Sponsored Walk which is due to take place on Sunday 7th September.

Other issues that continue to be of concern to the BMCC have been loose sheep and cattle on the roads. This is extremely dangerous and as many will be aware, there was a fatal accident on the 10th May, when a child travelling in his father’s car was killed when the vehicle crashed after hitting a cow on the A73 at Newmains. If you do see sheep or cattle in the road, then do report it to the nearest farm. But if the farmer cannot help, then please report it to the police.

Yet again I invite as many of you who would like, to attend Black Mount Community Meetings, normally held at 7.30pm in Elsrickle Village Hall on the first Monday of each month. Please do come along, but do advise the Chair if you wish to address the meeting, or ask a question. I would be very pleased to hear from anyone else who would like to put his /her name forward for election as Community Councillor, especially someone from Newbigging! Please note that the next Community election is due to be held on Tuesday 28th October 2008.
Details of how to have yourself proposed as an elected councillor
will be in the next edition of the Newsletter.

I hope you are all able to enjoy a happy Summer Holiday, and for those holidaying at home, we get some better weather over the next three months!

Charles Ritchie – Chairman

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

Allison Morton – Nicholls - 01968 682676
Alisonmorton-nicholls@o2email.co.uk

SUNDAY WORSHIP

CHURCH of SCOTLAND Dolphinton
Morning Service – Sundays 12 noon

St Isadore’s ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Biggar
Holy Mass – Sundays 12 noon Mon, Tues, Thurs, Frid 9.30am

St Mungo’s SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH, West Linton
Sung Communion – Sundays 10am
Said Communion Wednesdays 10.30am

ADDRESS FOR BLACK MOUNT WEBSITE

As you may have noticed from our front page,
Black Mount Community Council has a website address:
www.blackmount.org.uk

BLACK MOUNT SOCIAL GROUP

BLACK MOUNT SPORTS 2008

Sports were held at Newbigging Playing Field, by kind permission of Mr. George Allison, on Friday 30th May. Just for a change it was a very pleasant warm evening, the only thing we could possibly complain about were the midges!

A very good evening of competition resulted in the Allison Shields being awarded to;
Secondary pupils;winner; Shannon Gilchrist, runner-up;Jack Noble
Primary pupils; winner; Joseph McLean; runner-up; Alison Orr.

Winners of the Toddlers races were;
Age 4-5; 1st Emma Orr, 2nd;Jamie Still; 3rd Christopher Brett.
Age 3-4; 1st Eilidh Armstrong, 2nd Zak Cousins, 3rd Elise Knights.
Gents 1st Ross Barbour, 2nd Nathan Knights, 3rd David Wilson.
Ladies 1st Mara Orr 2nd Leeanne Porter, 3rd Kirsty Tarbert.
Hotly contested Welly Boot throwing competitions were won by;
Girls; Eleanor Patterson, Boys; Callum Allison,
Ladies; Lorna Cottier, Gents; George Allison.
3-legged raceswere won by;
Joseph McLean/Robert McGrath; Jack Noble/Jamie Orr;
Coryn Tarbert/Rachel Brett; Erin Shaw/Brooke Ferguson

Many thanks to all who helped;
Andrew Highton for starting the races, Mara Orr for organising the equipment, Craig Allardice for selling juice etc.
Sheena, Alison and Araminta for holding the finishing tape, Dorothy and Joan for recording the scores,
Hutch and Jamie for setting up the field on Thursday night,
Ross for taking the official photos, Anne for announcing the races,
Mr. and Mrs. Bell for the use of their facilities,
and to Charles Ritchie, chairman of Blackmount Community Council
presenting the prizes.

£80.00 was raised at the sponsored run round the field at the end of the evening and has been sent to Quarriers.

Anne Hutchison

BLACK MOUNT COMMUNITY COUNCIL
MEETINGS
First Monday of each month – Not Public Holidays
Elsrickle Village Hall – 7.30pm
All Black Mount Residents are welcome to come along.

CAN YOU HELP?

While the residents of Meadowhead Lodge, Dolphinton were on holiday (9th - 26th May), their shed was broken in to and a mountain bike was stolen along with a scrambler bike that had been parked in the garden. While the motorbike, a yellow and blue Suzuki TS 50, was of little monetary value, the mountain bike, a dark blue Specialized Hard Rock Disc Sport with front suspension, was of significant sentimental value having been passed on as a keepsake by the wife of a close friend who had been killed in a tragic accident last year.

Any information that may help in the recovery of either of these bikes would be very much appreciated. Please contact either the Robsons at Meadowhead Lodge on 01968 682213, or the police at Biggar.

WALSTON PRE-5 GROUP

The Walston Pre-5 Group meets at Walston Primary School on Wednesday mornings, for children from 2½ years up to school age. Each session runs from 9.15am until 11.30am.

We would welcome children of this age to come and join our group.

If you would like to register them, please telephone Danielle Campbell or Beth Macdonald at the numbers below, or call in on a Wednesday morning. If you want to contact the playgroup, please call either

• Donna Gray 01899 221 811 (Playgroup Leader)
• Danielle Campbell 01899 810237
• Beth Macdonald 01968 682259

COUNCILLOR HAMISH STEWART

In common with every other councillor in South Lanarkshire, the subject of the state of the roads is the issue most commonly raised with me by residents. By now I expect that everyone will have seen the articles in the local press about the extra funding that South Lanarkshire Council have earmarked for Roads over the next eight years. Three shopping centres owned by the council will be sold to raise £36,000,000 and a further £76,000,000 borrowed. £44,000,000 will be spent in Clydesdale out of this money. The roads that have been identified as most in need of investment include many of the C Class and unclassified roads – many of which are in the Blackmount. Amazingly South Lanarkshire came in at only 22nd worst out of the 32 council areas in Scotland for the state of the roads in a government survey – I am glad I do not have to drive regularly on the roads in the areas worse than us in that case!

The aim of the new investment is to get South Lanarkshire into the top three in Scotland. The share of the money to be spent in Clydesdale bears testament to the increasing importance being given to the Rural area by SLC, and I have no hesitation in claiming at least some of the credit for that recognition taking place. This year most of the extra money is actually going on A and B class roads including some roads driven regularly by Blackmount residents.

The new “all singing all dancing” Elsrickle water supply will be in full swing by the time this article appears. I know that there are some residents in Elsrickle who were unhappy at the prospect of chlorinated water, but it really is much safer, in particular for the young and the elderly. It is also important that Walston School finally has a secure and reliable water supply. The current bare appearance of the pumping station will in time be alleviated by the planting of native species of hedging. I understand that the hedging will not be planted until the “planting season” next autumn.

I am taking a break from surgeries during July and August – very few people tear themselves away from their gardens to visit their councillor during those months anyway; however I will be available as always on 07748 114 582 or by e-mail at hamish.stewart@southlanarkshire.gov.uk

Surgeries will resume on 1st September at Newbigging from 5.30 till 6.00, Dolphinton from 6.15 till 6.45, and Elsrickle from 7.00 till 7.30.

Hamish Stewart

DOLPHINTON VILLAGE HALL

Pilates and yoga will continue in the Hall over the summer, albeit in a restricted number of classes.
For information on timing of these summer classes phone:

Pilates Keeley Craigie 01721 752746
Yoga Julie Anderson 01968 661204
Keeley and Julie will also be able to tell you when the autumn classes commence for Pilates and Yoga.

Carpet bowling will re-start in mid-October, usually on the lst Thursday after the school half term holiday. For more detailed information, please contact Ann Ross on 01968 682227.

If you require information about the WRI, which will also re-start in the autumn, please contact the Secretary, Nan, on 01968 682355. She can also advise you about the Flower Show, and where to obtain schedules should you require one.

The hall is as always available for hire by members of the community throughout the summer, either for sporting activities, or social events, such as children's parties.

Phone me if you require any information on hiring the hall.
Pam Taylor, Hallkeeper, 01968 682203

DOLPHINTON W.R.I.

The ladies from Dolphinton WRI have been very busy since the last Bugle!

Our Annual Charity Bowling Tournament held on Saturday 27th of January made a total of £256, and a donation of £100 was made to the Life Boats charity and £100 to the McMillan Nurses.

Our February meeting was held on Wednesday, 20 with a very interesting and informative talk about Glenholm Wild life Project with Neil and Fiona Burnett. The Glenholm Project is about encouraging people to enjoy and explore the natural world and discovering how farming and wild life can live together.

At the March meeting, on Wednesday, 19th the ladies had a very enjoyable evening bowling at the Megabowl Bowling Centre at Kinnaird Park. It was a great success and everybody had lots of fun.

The last meeting of the session was on Wednesday, 16th April. President Betty Ross welcomed members and introduced Harry Dickinson who gave a very informative talk about the Ingraston Potato Technology. The annual AGM was held after the talk and the new committee bearers were elected. The winners of the competitions with most points gained are Jean Campbell and Ann Ross.

The next event is the Dolphinton Flower Show, which will take place on August 23rd in the Dolphinton Hall. There will be classes for children as well as handcrafts, photographs, baking, flowers, vegetables and floral art. Join the fun and make an entry: there is something for everyone. For a schedule, please call Anne Hutchison on 01968 682256 or Betty Ross on 01968 682326.

The 2008/09 session will begin on Wednesday, September 17th at 7:30 pm in the Dolphinton Hall with a Make up Demonstration from Boots N. 7 (to be confirmed). If you want to join the fun and became a member of the Dolphinton W.R.I. just come along to our first meeting or contact Betty Ross on 01968 682326. All local ladies are very welcome!

See you there!

Tania Ferguson – Press Secretary

ELSRICKLE WRI

The spring and early summer outings for the ladies of Elsrickle Rural were very much enjoyed by all.

On 14th May, a group set off for Glasgow Kelvinside Art Gallery, where a conducted tour of various exhibition rooms had been arranged. This gave a wonderful overview of what the Gallery contained, and gave a great opportunity to see a wide variety of items. The trip then continued down the coast to the Cardwell Garden Centre near Inverkip. The ladies had a most enjoyable time exploring this huge outdoor and indoor centre, with the chance to buy a souvenir or two! On the journey home, there was a welcome stop for a meal at the Tontine Hotel in Greenock.

A trip to a garden on an altogether different scale was taken on 17th June. A bus took the members to Carmunnock, where they visited the home and gardens of John Kinloch. In spite of the terrible rain, the ladies were given the warmest of welcomes – with tea and delicious home made cakes – and a tour of these truly amazing gardens. It was a treat to meet this remarkable gardener and the trip was voted a great success!

The next event taking place in Elsrickle Village Hall is the Annual Flower Show on 30th August at 2pm. This event is open to everyone.

A schedule can be picked up at Elsrickle Post Office, and entries should be delivered to Elsrickle Hall by 10.15am on the 30th.

Anne Moffat

BLACK MOUNT COMMUNITY COUNCIL In the beginning……

Sometime ago somebody asked somebody about how Black Mount Community Council started , and then somebody asked someone else, and then I was asked and the question brought back memories from some time ago.

It was actually in1973 in Part IV of Local Government (Scotland) Act that Local Authorities were required to frame a scheme to establish Community Councils to express the views of the community to the Local Authority. And so it was that by 1975 Lanark District Council had worked out 29 communities within their area. - our area with a population of 400, covering the villages of Dolphinton, Elsrickle, Walston and Dunsyre, was one of the smaller areas.

Newspaper articles, news items etc had alerted us to this legislation and a self appointed steering committee had its first meeting in 1976 when the name Black Mount was agreed because the four villages are around the base of this hill. At the same meeting it was decided that 4 members would be elected and 5 nominated from local organisations. And so it was that on Thursday 24th March 1977 that the first meeting of the duly elected Black Mount Community Council was held with its purpose:

(i) to encourage a sense of community, and to ascertain the views and needs of the community.
(ii) to organise any necessary action such as self-help within the community.
(iii) to represent and make known the interests of the community to public authorities and other outside bodies, and individuals.

The newly elected Black Mount Community Council stated it was prepared to work hard to co-ordinate all community effort but in return expected everyone in the Black Mount community area to play its part with solid backing.

All this agreed at the first meeting holds true today. We maintain good relations with Councils and statutory authorities and endeavour to maintain a community spirit by having open meetings, publishing and delivering The Black Mount Bugle, and having social activities arranged by the Social Group.

Volunteers were needed in the beginning and the same is true today, so we’d be delighted to hear from you – there’s always something happening.

Joan Stephenson

BLACK MOUNT UNDER 5’S

Black Mount Under 5’s is for children from 0 to 5 years, accompanied by a parent or carer. It will meet in Elsrickle Hall from 9.45am to 11.30am on the FIRST MONDAY of every month.

New members are welcome to come along to the above mornings. For more information, contact Hazel on 01899 810 348

WALSTON PRIMARY SCHOOL HEALTH WEEK

A resounding success! that was the verdict of pupils, parents, staff and members of the community who took part in Walston Primary's Health Week. Aerobics, cross country, kick boxing, orienteering, skipping, playground games, cricket, football skills and indoor curling were some of the activities that all pupils had the opportunity to try. There was also a joint Sports Day with Auchengray Primary and even a Fun Swim at the local swimming pool. Parents and friends were invited to join in any of the above activities and taster sessions of Tai Chi and Belly Dancing were held in the evening.

The week finished off with a family walk up Black Mount on Saturday morning, followed by a picnic lunch.
Staff and pupils would like to thank parents and members of the community who helped in any way.

WALSTON PRIMARY GALA WEEK

Walston Primary had a very successful time during Biggar Gala week. On Thursday evening a team consisting of one pupil from each class took part in It's A Knockout competition at the Sports Centre. The team was P1- Rheannan Connolly, P2- Niamh Barber, P3- Charles Connolly, P4- Chantel Willis, P5- Kieran Wyness, P6- Robert McGrath, P7- Joseph McLean. The team came FIRST! Another FIRST was the float which was entered as part of the procession on Saturday 14th June. This year's theme was WALSTONBURY MUSIC FESTIVAL and all the children looked splendid as rock stars and hippies!

Many thanks must go to the parents and friends from the community who helped in any way.

Postscript to Health week - A terrific £540 was raised from the sponsored walk up Black Mount. Thank you.

D Ramsay

Please note that the views stated herein are not necessarily those of the Black Mount Community Council, nor is the Council responsible for any errors made in the compilation of this newsletter.

Last Date for Contributions to the next Bugle is Sept 30th 2008.

Please send your articles, dates, reports, news and advertisements to:
Norma Love : Tel: 01899 810285 e.mail norma.love@btinternet.com