The Wee Vine

After a turbulent summer on our local buses, with numerous breakdowns, passengers may like to know that First Scotland East have a “Customer Promise” which states that, if your journey is delayed by 15 minutes or more by circumstances “within the control of First Bus”, they will give fare paying passengers a whole day’s free travel, and Concession holders will receive £5 of High Street shopping vouchers. Keep your ticket and claim online or by ringing customer services, and please keep reporting vehicle issues as First Bus insist they are keen to address any customer issues raised, and have now added an online feedback address to the bottom of your ticket.

Since the C12 Stirling- Balfron evening services all started going via Cambusbarron we have seen a decline in passengers making this journey. Aberfoyle C11 passengers also have to use this route for all their journeys. No-one wants to see Cambusbarron lose their service but at 1.6 miles from Stirling….it must be argued that their needs would be better served directly from Stirling. If you are struggling with this journey please contact your Community Council, local Councillor or email Stirling Council directly to express your views.

First Bus have also started the process of “Branding” 5 buses specifically to the Balfron depot for the B10/ B12 routes. I’m told this will entail a total refurbishment inside and out and suspension issues will also be addressed!! You may have noticed a few dark blue buses passing through the village, some of these will eventually be branded with a new design logo specific to the local area. This procedure will be done in stages and will take some months to complete. These buses will then be permanently allocated to the Balfron depot. If passenger numbers were to increase substantially, particularly on the B12 route …….who knows what benefits there may be further down the line?? However, that really does depend on local villages supporting this route.

A question often asked by both passengers and the public in general is, “why do we need double deckers?” Double deckers are used because Balfron depot operates the High School contract. This is extremely important, and is what safeguards jobs and makes the depot commercially viable. It may come as a surprise but the overall cost between running a single decker and a double decker is negligible.

Residents will also be aware that Stirling Council have started resurfacing sections of our local roads, and if they can resist the urge to cover them in the dreaded rumble strips, then this should also help to make journeys more comfortable for all commuters.

Valerie Brand

The Kippen Community Woodland Group has been busy keeping paths in Burnside wood clear and attempting to keep non-native species within the wood under control, stopping the spread of sycamore trees by cutting down saplings.

The Group will hold its Annual General Meeting on Thursday 16 November at 20.00 hours in the Cross Keys. If you are interested in finding out more about the work of the group or would like to influence our plans for next year, please come along. Donald Smith will be standing down after two productive years as Chair to the Group and nominations are welcomed.

Woodland work mornings are held on the first Sunday of the month, 10.00 – 13:00 meeting at the football pitch. Woodland mornings are scheduled to take place in 2017 on Sunday 1 October, 5 November and 3 December. If you are interested in joining us and would like to find out more, please email kippenwoodlandgroup@gmail.com

Paula Watson, Secretary

 

 

Time again to be planning next year’s Appeal for Cancer Research. This year we are delighted to have Kathleen Coubrough to take the Chair and head the Appeal. The first meeting will be held on Monday 6th November at 8pm in the Reading Rooms to which all Committee members are invited.

The annual Whist will be held on Friday evening, the 2nd February in the Village Hall. Please put this date in next year’s diary and come along and support this fun Village occasion which raises in excess of £5000 for this worthwhile charity.

In January there will be some brush-up lessons in the Reading Room. Dates will be posted in the Village.

Next year’s diaries will be available from McNicolls from November.

Naomi Hirst

We have just started back. Yep that’s right, where does the time go? After a very successful 1^st year in existence we are now fully back into the swing of things in our 2^nd year. Anyone who has been up to the old coup area (by the duck pond) in the woods will see some of what we’ve been up to. Thanks, in no small way, to one of our adult leaders (Wallis Weir, Weir Forestry) we have brought this area back into use. Having cut the very long grass, we then fashioned a camp fire next to the old totem pole, lined it with hardcore, with the sides constructed out of large stones, kindly donated by Bobby Wilson (Stephen Paul Associates). We have also put in place 3 wooden benches for camp fire gatherings and cooking. Plans will be to clear out the bases of the concrete recycling bins that are there, as we found these to be ideal locations for the cubs to practice their camp fire building and marshmallow cooking.

We are very much looking forward to our first ever outdoor camping experience, which is to be held on the 30^th September at the Barrwood Scout campsite, on the road to Denny. Should be loads of fun; though I’m not sure who’s more excited, the Cubs or the Leaders? If I remember to take photos I’ll let you know how it went in the next issue.

We are very much a community based group and as such I have two items I would really like to bring to your attention.

Firstly, back by very popular demand, is our Bonfire night. This year it will be held on the Tuesday 7^th November at the Football Pitch. This is our big fund-raising event and was extremely successful last year as we raised more than we dreamed we would and were able to significantly help local charities and organisations. We would really like to do so again this year so please join us for a fun, laughter and a safe night of sausages, home baking, teas & coffees, fireworks, and a large bonfire. It was a blast last year and with your support it should be a great night again.

Secondly, these activities and adventures your children are having on their own back door do not happen without parental support. I am very lucky to be helped and supported by a likeminded group of guys. Our motto is, “If we’re having fun then so are the kids”.

Morna Tinto has been a fantastic Beaver Leader for the last few years, thanks Morna! However, as her son is about to move on from Cubs to Scouts she has decided to hang up her woggle and will be moving on in December. As such, the Beaver Colony in Gargunnock is in real danger of collapse, due to lack of parental support and Leader/s. For Beavers and Cubs to survive, for your children, we need people to come forward to be Leaders, Assistant Leaders, or even just to support those in these roles by being part of a parent helper Rota group. We are in discussions to try any have both groups based in Kippen as most of the children attending are Kippen based.

 

Please come along and help, it really can be fun and your local pack does need you!

You can contact either myself, Derek Shanks, or Cameron Skinner via email at –            1stcarsecubs@mail.com

 

Our first meeting was an interesting slide show and talk by local vet Paddy Day.  We had a good turnout, and everyone enjoyed a chat with a cup of tea.

We meet 3^rd Wednesday of every month from September to May.  All are welcome.

Our October meeting was a demonstration of plain baking by our own Celebrity Chefs.

Helen Wilson

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The Primary 6 and 7 children recently went on their 3-night residential camp. They had a wonderful time in the beautiful surroundings of Lendrick Muir. They learnt new skills, faced their fears, worked co-operatively, supported each other, solved mysteries, boogied at the disco and ate the most delicious food. In fact, some of us found it extremely hard to say goodbye! A big thank-you to everyone who participated for making it such a memorable week. Here is a poem written by one of our P7 students, Caitlin Bradwell, reflecting on our time at camp.

My time at Lendrick Muir was amazing, one I’ll never forget,

The food was scrumptious, I had no need to fret

The activities were challenging, pushed me to my limit

I had so much fun, I wish I could revisit

And sleeping in dorms, it was a little crazy

Although the knowledge of staff, really did amaze me

I really enjoyed the tree climb, the leap of faith and more

And the John Muir Award gave me the chance to explore

I can now measure a tree, and tell if it’s thriving

Though nothing could beat the thrill of arriving!

I now feel more sure of myself, more eager to try new things

And currently, I’m full of grins!

So, for those who are going next year,

See it as a chance to conquer your fear

So long as you make the most of it and give it your all

I’m sure whatever you try, you’ll be sure to have a ball.

My time at Lendrick Muir was amazing, one I’ll never forget.

Once all the paperwork has been sorted out Foundation Scotland (FS), acting on behalf of the Italian Developer (Falck Renewables), will send the Kippen Community Trust (KCT) an index-linked amount of £22,300 each year during the operational lifetime of the Windfarm (20-25 years).  The KCT has the responsibility of distributing the money within the Kippen community.  How will this be done?

Broadly speaking the KCT will be acting as a traditional grant-giving body, inviting organisations within Kippen to apply for funding from the Kippen Community Fund into which the Windfarm money will be deposited.  As with other grant-giving bodies there will be various conditions that have to be satisfied for an application to be accepted for consideration by the Panel that will make the awards.  First there are obvious conditions set by Foundation Scotland on behalf of the Developer:  For example no grants for political or religious purposes; no grants to replace the responsibilities of statutory bodies (e.g. local government) and no grants for anti-renewable energy activities.  In addition, there are two ‘rules’ that should be borne in mind by grant applicants:  First, it is not the intention that the Kippen Community Fund should replace existing fund-raising activities in the Village.  They already contribute to a vibrant community calendar and promote community spirit.  The intention is that a grant from the Fund will enable an activity or project to take place that otherwise would not have been possible.

Second, it will be expected that, for larger grants, applicants will seek matching funding from other sources – from fundraising or volunteer activity in the Village to grants from other charitable organisations.  This is the standard practice for grant-giving bodies and was introduced to provide evidence that the project has sufficient support in the community to justify funding.  One consequence of this requirement is that the Fund will substantially increase in size to allow more or larger grants to be awarded.

There have been suggestions that a proportion of the money from the annual Community Benefit should be put aside for ‘really big projects’.  One example is to invest this money so that when the Windfarm is no longer operational Kippen would have a source of income to replace the Windfarm money.  Other ‘investment’ schemes have been talked about but this is for future discussion within the Kippen Community.

One important responsibility of the Trust is to ensure that the distribution of the Community Fund is seen to be open, transparent and inclusive.  How is this to be arranged?   First, the Board of the KCT will set up an independent Panel with representation from across the Kippen community.  The Panel will decide who gets the awards while the Board will check that the guidelines and the objectives of the Fund are being satisfied.  The Board has to report back to the Charity Regulator, Companies House and Foundation Scotland each year.

Second, elections to the Trust Board take place each year at the AGM and are subject to a three-year cycle with one third of the Trustees retiring each year.  Similarly, for the Panel, where one third retire each year and nominations are invited for the available places.

Finally, one idea being worked on is an online Forum to stimulate discussion within the Community and between the Community, the Board and the Panel on how and when the money should be spent.  The intention is that this arrangement will make sure that the Trust is fully aware of, and in line with, thinking in the Community.   The Wee Vine will regularly report back on these discussions to inform those without internet access.

The first round of grant awards is expected to be held in early January 2018.  If your organisation is interested in applying for a grant please let us have your contact details so that we can send you the forms and guidelines when ready.  Call Margaret on 870536 or Jon on 870446.

This is a great opportunity to enhance and enrich community life for future as well as present generations living in Kippen.  Let Margaret or Jon know if you would like to become involved in the work of the Board or Panel to help bring this about.

Jon Greenman

Occasionally planning applications submitted to Stirling Council (SC) are of interest, not just to neighbouring households, but also to the Village.  It is very easy to miss such applications or miss the SC deadline for comments.

For those on the Internet there is a simple way to keep up to date with the Kippen planning applications that SC is currently processing – simply ‘Google it’ (see below for details). This will reveal all the applications for the past year together with all the plans and other documents accompanying the applications.  If you do not use the Internet then you will have to travel to Teith House, Kerse Road (tel: 01786 233676).

Kippen Community Council (KCC) is notified, by letter from SC, of all Kippen planning applications.  The letter does not include the details but does include the application number which shortens the online search.  In future the KCC will alert residents to new planning applications by pinning these letters on the noticeboard outside the Village shop. When you buy your newspaper please check the noticeboard outside McNicoll’s Country Store as well.

The KCC would like to encourage residents to come to its monthly meetings where the planning applications received from SC in the previous month will be discussed. Although collectively the KCC has a wide base of knowledge about Kippen matters it welcomes added input from those directly or indirectly affected by a planning application.

For more information or to pass on your comments call Helen on 870672 or Jon on 870446.

The best way of finding the details of a planning application is to:

Google:  Stirling Council planning simple search

Either enter the 10-character application number given on the letter (ignoring the staff initials at the end)

or click on <Weekly/Monthly lists> then choose <Kippen Community Council> and <Ward 2 Forth and Endrick> for all the applications over the previous month. Happy hunting!

Jon Greenman

“Be Bold, Be Strong!”

“Go In Love”

All men and women are welcome to attend Guild meetings held in Kippen Church House (attached to the Church in Fore Road): –

Tuesday 14th November – 7.30 p.m.  –      “Playlist for Life”

Speaker TBA

Sunday 19th November

Guild Week Service

11.15 a.m. Kippen Parish Church

Guild Week 19th to 26^th November

Tuesday 28^th November – 2.00 p.m. –                        “The Art of Quilting”

Betty McAllister

Visiting Guilds

Tuesday 12th December – 12.30 p.m.      Christmas Lunch

Collection of Christmas Gifts for Nursing Homes

Tuesday 9th January  –  2.00 p.m.              “Favourite Bible Stories in Art”

Rev Ellen Larson Davidson

Tuesday 13th February – 7.30 p.m.            “Wigtown Book Festival”

Mrs Anne Brown

Further information is available from       Joanna M. McPhail 01786 870681 or        joanna.mcphail@btinternet.com

Building works are going well and will be finished in November. There is a staff training day on Monday 9/10/17.

Over Christmas period, the surgery will be closed on public holidays only.

Dr Annett Schmautz