The Wee Vine

The World Wheelchair Championship was recently played at The Peak in Stirling, reminding us of the international quality of curling with teams from 12 countries including Korea, Canada, China, Slovenia, Norway, Scotland and USA.  As a helper, it was exciting to be part of such a fraternity and to see how curling has become a game for all.

But such friendly rivalry is not new. As early as 1820 there were curlers in North America and by 1877 there were many clubs active in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.

All games were played, as now, to the rules of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club of Scotland based in Edinburgh, with the then Prince of Wales as its Patron.

Despite a feeling among American curlers that they were more talented than the Scots, they valued the connection that curling gave them with their Scottish heritage and challenge matches drew huge crowds.  Frequently Scotland won!

At a speech made in New York in 1877 at a curling AGM the President of the Club said “In cherishing the memories of the game of our native land we are in no way undutiful to the land of our adoption.  There would be fewer pale and anxious faces on our streets and fewer dyspeptics among them if more of our businessmen would occasionally, on a winter’s afternoon, throw aside the ledger and enjoy a hearty bonspiel on the ice.”

This sentiment could still hold today although sadly the game is now seldom played outside.

And, happily, ladies now enjoy the game just as much as men and mixed teams play along side single sex teams and wheelchair curlers alongside able bodied.

Kippen Curling Club, established in 1843, is an active, enthusiastic mixed club which welcomes players, new or experienced. We enjoy playing Club matches as well as local competitions. Recently Kippen beat Fintry to retain the Culcreuch Cup, played for annually since 1890.

Lessons are available at the Peak and then the Virtual Club gives a great training before joining a local club.

So, give a thought to joining us to play this historic game.

Further details from

kippencurlingclub@gmail.com

 

Kirsty Cuthbert

 

 

 

 

On 16th December 24 members of Loch Laggan Fly Fishing Club braved the elements to attend the 44th AGM at the Inn at Kippen and were welcomed by President David Swan.

He noted that 2 members had joined during the year, and reported that the waiting list for membership was very healthy, indicating the quality of the fishing and value for money. On a more sombre note David reported on the death of James Barrie earlier this year, and the ill health of Bill Martin who was unable to attend.

The number of fish caught during the 2018 season was the lowest for 10 years; 58% of the fish stocked, and various reasons were put forward, but it was felt to be one off situation, probably the excellent summer weather.

Hon. Treasurer Barry Davin reported a satisfactory financial position, but warned that provision should be made in future years to replace one or more boats. It was agreed to keep all fees unchanged for the coming year, and all office bearers and committee were re-elected.

While competitive fishing plays a very small part the Cooper Cup for Club Champion was awarded to Colin Forsyth who had 3 fish weighing 10Ib, Ken Muir was runner up and Alan Watson third. David Barries collected the Fly Box for the heaviest fish landed during the season, 5Ib. 71/2oz. The Secretary’s Quaich was awarded to Bill Martin for his unstinting efforts over several years which benefited the club greatly but were perhaps taken for granted. He was accorded the best wishes of all present and speedy return to good health.

Refreshments followed and allowed time to enjoy fellowship and swap tales of the ones who got away.

The Reading Rooms have continued a very solid period of development of its functions.

Keep Fit has a very active following, and the more tranquil pastime of Qui Gong is also taking place in the main hall.

Mike Flint has conducted a very successful series of film shows, presenting very short films of high quality in preparation for festivals in California.

Our ceiling mounted projector and screen system is used for this purpose.

The Women’s Institute (the Rural) remain stalwart users of our facilities, and the Quilters operate on Saturday mornings, no doubt generating much conversational buzz with every quilt produced.

A recent highlight has been the grand opening of the Children’s Library, led by Rea Gourlay and Caroline Wade Thompson. The Reading Rooms Committee has promoted this library movement since its inception last year by providing a suitable room upstairs.

This is exactly the kind of function which the Mitchell Trust and the Management Committee are keen to encourage, bringing together not just the children, but also their parents in a friendly venue.

As this is being written, we have learned that our defibrillator was activated at 1am in the morning and was taken temporarily to hospital with the patient, who is still alive.

Our recent Jumble Sale was well supported, particularly by the donors and raised over £700. We would like to thank all helpers who have worked so hard.

Our main focus of attention, however, remains our plan for developing our kitchen facilities, together with an upgraded access for the disabled via the front door.

We are delighted to be able announce that the Community Fund, working with Foundation Scotland and the Falck Renewables Fund, have offered a grant for this project. This offer, together with our own funds, should enable us, based on matched funding, to seek the further funding necessary to undertake the project.

The Mitchell Trustees and the Management Committee will welcome any advice regarding sources of funding, whether by grant or by donation as we work to raise money in the same manner as was carried out for the very successful Village Hall upgrade.

We are all very encouraged by an increasing awareness and enthusiasm for these rooms which have served the village for almost one hundred years.

Jeremy Gaywood

 

  

The winds of winter haven’t been enough to discourage the nature- loving children of Kippen Playgroup; they’ve continued to ramble, range and roam all over Kippen’s beautiful countryside throughout these chilly months.

Our woodland base at the frog pond (AKA Monkey Camp) has been somewhat unwelcoming at times, so they’ve been making full use of the orchard, back lanes and Church grounds to get their nature fix.

The many scientists among them have been experimenting with freezing bubbles, measuring the thickness of ice and depths of puddles, and the ever-important concocting of potions to keep those pesky shadow monsters at bay.  Not only that, but they are now more than proficient at animal tracking, having discovered the footprints of bears and T-Rex’s in the vicinity…you have been warned!

Co-operation and teamwork are paramount to the children enjoying their time outside.  Whether it’s climbing trees, helping each other use nets and buckets at the pond or pulling each other up ‘mountains’ with the rope, our Play Leaders Morna and Pam try to let them work as a team to overcome the hurdles they face in the great outdoors.

The children are currently embarking on their annual harassment of the tadpoles and frogs in the area.  Needless to say, the frogs of Kippen will no doubt be evolving into a super-species capable of withstanding all manner of hardship, which should guarantee their continued survival when global warming really kicks in.  You can thank the children of Kippen Playgroup later when frogs are our main food source.

The gang do spend some time indoors at the Village Hall, where they enjoy decorating the floor with play dough, constructing forts, doing arts and crafts, having story time and finding as many creative things to do with empty boxes as you can possibly imagine.

We currently have some spaces available, so if you think your little one would enjoy being part of the crew then please get in touch with Morna via kippenplaygroup@gmail.com.  We run on a Tuesday and Friday (9:30-12pm) and we take little ones from 2 years old up to school age.

Toddlers runs every Thursday in the VillageHall, all year round, and is the place to come when the walls feel like they’re closing in!  We always have cake and biscuits and as much tea as your bladder can handle.  There’s lots of baby and toddler toys and it’s a great place for socialising your little cherubs in a safe environment.  Pop in any Thursday 10:15-12pm and we’ll see you there.

Primary 1/2

Primary 1/2 started this term with a ‘Storybook Tour of Scotland’ where we have used a range of Scottish fiction to learn about the location of various cities and famous landmarks in Scotland.

We then moved on to ‘The Journey from Farm to Fork’ with an initial focus on Scottish farming/food. We have learned about how all food comes from plants and animals and looked at sorting products into plant or animal groups. We also learned about what happens to some of our foods before we eat them and the journey the food must make to get to our plates.

The children have worked together in teams to investigate the journey of different types of food and made posters which they confidently presented to the rest of the class.

P2/3- The Romans

This term p2/3 have been learning about the Romans. They brainstormed things that they wanted to find out and came up with some questions. They investigated life in Roman times and used books and the internet to develop our research skills. They looked at the features of non-fiction writing and creating reports. The class have found out about Roman numerals and have tried using them in their maths for the day. P2/3 were very interested in food in Roman times and made their own Roman menu using ICT.

Mr Smith from the Smith art gallery and museum brought along artefacts with him to show the class and shared lots of stories about the Romans in this area. The class enjoyed getting to hold some Roman coins and seeing bits of pottery from the museum. Mr Smith showed us some pictures of mosaics and P2/3 are going to make their own as part of a class display.

The class held a Roman day during the last week of term to celebrate all that they had learned during the topic. .  They made headdresses, dressed up and tried some different foods.

“It was great fun getting to dress up and sit at the small tables”

Bryony P2

“We have learned so much about the Romans this term”

Erika P3

Movie Makers

Through their ‘Movie Makers’ topic, p4/5 have been learning about how movie making has evolved over time and the technology which supports it. Pupils have explored different methods of movie making, considering the differences and benefits of each. They have developed the ability to work as a team, taking on different roles in small groups to create short animated movies of their own alongside the other P5 pupils, thinking about the suitability and sustainability of different materials, working to budgets, and the impact which they want to have on their audience. Linked to their topic, p4/5 will also be participating in the school show, Dragon Days. Through rehearsing this, they have been learning about the actor’s craft and performing for a live audience. They are also using drama to explore themes of emotion and friendship and develop their ability to use voice, facial expression and body language to give an expressive performance.

Fairtrade Focus

P5/6 have been learning about Fairtrade during term 3. The children have been discovering ways in which consumers can help protect both the environment and workers by supporting Fairtrade initiatives. Products such as tea, coffee, cotton and gold are common products protected by the schemes. As the pupils discovered, Fairtrade Premium is an extra sum of money that farmers receive which allows them to invest in their local communities by building schools, hospitals or better homes. They may spend on training to develop ways to better conserve their natural environment and promote sustainability. The children worked in groups to investigate ethical trading and looked at the journey our goods take and the lives of those who help to make them.

They discovered that many cocoa farmers live on less than a dollar a day and that 1 in 3 bananas sold in the UK is Fairtrade. Many cocoa farmers have never tasted chocolate! Some of our p5’s made a digital animation to carry the Fairtrade message as part of their IT learning.

We highlighted this important topic at our ‘Daffodil Tea’ day and sang a song ‘We are the Earth’ to show that it is important that young people have a voice in matters affecting their world.

Primary 6/7’s Trip to Sky Academy Studios

Primary 6 & 7’s trip this term was to Sky Academy Studios in Livingstone. The state-of-the-art studios were opened up to our class, allowing them to create their very own news programme using the very latest broadcast- quality technology. Working in co-operative groups, the children had to create a short film surrounding a sci-fi theme. Whilst at school, they brainstormed and storyboarded their short film, assigning roles to be carried out on the day of filming. When they arrived at the studios, they rehearsed their scripts and were then sent to their recording pods to create their very own film. They had great fun working with the cameras, editing suite and green- screen technology, all of which really helped to bring their report to life.

The Sky technicians then edited all the segments, producing four exciting and original films for each of them to take home on their very own wristband USB stick! They had a wonderful day and they all worked together effectively to create their final product. Steven Spielberg, watch out!