The Wee Vine

Remembering Bella Crawford

With the passing of Bella Crawford, the management committee of The Reading Room would like to take the opportunity to express our sorrow at losing a long serving member of our committee.

Although records are not clear, we believe that Bella served on our committee for more than thirty years.  Bella was a real doer and hated discussion round the committee table, preferring to roll up her sleeves at our events. However, even in committee, Bella was particularly useful because she had her finger on the pulse of most things that were happening and was a stalwart at the Reading Room’s annual New Years Day dance in the village hall.

As most people are aware, Bella was the driving force behind Whist in the village, and her teaching of the game was one of her greatest contributions to village life.

As Betty McAllister recalls:

“She was very committed and serious when teaching whist. You soon knew if you played the wrong card by her scowl!!! She kept everyone in line.

She also loved the Jumble Sales and was loath to give something away too cheaply”

Betty is right. Bella was committed to everything she did as a villager. Her sister Annie, to whom we extend our condolences, was just the same in her younger days.

We give thanks for her life and for her contribution to others.

Reading Room Activities

The Management Committee of the Reading Rooms continue with a programme of trying to bring all rooms into general use.

Currently, we are faced with the problem of storage of all the equipment previously assembled by The Youth Club, which used to use our premises. Currently Stirling Council are unable to fund the provision of a Youth Leader, and the club is therefore in abeyance.

The Summer Ice table, with all its equipment, lies ready for action. We hope that Kippen Primary School will, once again use their ‘golden hour’ in which to introduce pupils to the game. We will also welcome the return of the four troops of Young Scouts.

It is hoped very much that seniors will once more take up the game, possibly to compete with Gartmore and Buchlyvie, where both villages have tables and where the games has been revived. Anyone interested should contact the Reading Room Committee who would then organise training session.

Keep Fit classes are very active in the main room under Andy, who runs sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Jumble Sales continue to be the mainstay of our income. Each year, we hold two sales. Our Autumn Jumble sale takes place on Saturday October 21^st. Flyers will delivered round the village before hand.

The Committee continues to work on plans to transform the kitchen facilities of the Rooms, which will provide a greatly improved facility for public and private functions for about thirty people.

Our aim is to continue to provide a warm and welcoming suite of rooms for a wide range of activities, from coffee mornings, parties, and office accommodation for public or private meetings.

Jeremy Gaywood

Kippen Primary Breakfast Club is in urgent need of volunteer helpers to ensure it can open each morning.

The school breakfast club opens each morning from 8-9am during term time. It gives children a warm welcoming environment where they can enjoy a healthy breakfast and just as importantly, it allows parents/carers to drop the children off and get to work on time.

The Club is operated by a member of Stirling Council catering staff together with a volunteer helper thus ensuring that 2 adults are always in attendance.

The number of volunteers has dwindled and Breakfast Club has been forced to close several times this year at short notice, leaving parents with a last minute scramble to find childcare or face being late for work. This is where we need your help…

Are you able to spare 1 hour between 8-9am during term time either on a regular or occasional basis? If so, volunteering is simple. You choose the day(s) you can help on and come along on the day for 8am. There’s no cooking or washing-up involved, we just need an extra pair of hands to set up tables and chairs and check names off a list.

Please email Kirsten (Rota Co-ordinator) for more information: kirstenmathison@btinternet.com

Breakfast Club is a vital and much relied-upon resource for many families in the village, however it can’t be sustained without the support of the wider village community.

Since being elected in June it has been an exciting, busy period in which we have established our constituency office in Stirling and put in place the staff that will assist me in dealing with the large number of inquiries I receive. Please do get in touch with any problems or concerns you may have and we will ensure your issue is dealt with efficiently and professionally. I gave a commitment that, if elected, I would leave my current profession to concentrate my time and efforts on representing the people of Stirling without any distractions and I am pleased to say that this is now the case.

Before parliament rose for the Summer recess I delivered my maiden speech, engaged in a number of debates, submitted questions on a range of topics, and took time to become familiar with the parliamentary estate. When the House is in session I will need to be in Parliament from Mondays to Thursdays and will hold surgeries across the constituency on Fridays. Surgery dates are available on my website, posters, the Stirling Observer and upon inquiry from my office.

During the summer I started an ongoing series of meetings with organisations and groups across the area. Meetings held so far include with the Federation of Small Businesses, the NFU, Start Up Stirling, Network Rail and BT. These will help me stay informed on the many important issues that people are affected by or have an opinion on. Please let me know if there are any groups with whom you feel I should be in dialogue.

At present I am working on a number of Priorities including:

Broadband

Environmental issues

The rural economy and,

How the City Region Deal from Stirling Council must deserve the use of ‘region’ in the title by benefiting communities across the Stirling area as well as the city.

Brexit, of course will be a major topic.

I am also keen to hear from any businesses or individuals that have experienced poor service from their banks or utility companies.

Finally, if you live in the Stirling constituency, have ever wanted to see the Westminster Parliament in session, and you are planning to visit London, why not get in touch with me to arrange a visit? Tell me when you are planning to come, if possible, I could give you a tour of the historic building. I do also get a small allocation of tickets for Prime Minister’s Questions. The tickets are in limited supply but I will do my best to get them for dates that suit you.

Stephen Kerr MP, 49 Borestone Crescent, Stirling, FK7 9BQ. 01786 475034. Stephen.kerr.mp@parliament.uk  http://www.stephenkerr.org

Stephen Kerr has a Kippen surgery – Kippen Reading Room 3rd November 10.00 am.

Did you know that every pupil at Kippen Primary School contributes to our School by being in a Responsibility Group? There are 4 Groups altogether and pupils are in the Group for up to 2 years, then they get a choice to remain in the Group for longer or can suggest 2 other Groups that they would like to join.

Eco Team

Our Eco Group, organised by Miss Alexander, is in charge of maintaining our Green Flag status by organising litter picking, checking energy use and promoting Reduce, Renew and Recycle. Their hard work was rewarded last year as they retained their Green Flag status. Last year, they helped to organise a ‘Rag Bag’ outdoor collection point for use by the surrounding community – it was hugely popular and it is something they would like to continue. This year, their first major project is the Book Swap Shop, they are hoping to encourage both reading and recycling in one go! If anyone in the community has children’s books or novels that are in decent readable condition, then we would love to hear from you!

Pupil Council

The Pupil Council, organised by Miss Campbell, listens to ideas and makes decisions about things to do with the School. The Council works together to organise whole School fundraisers for worthy causes. Our first project of this school year is the Blythswood Care Christmas Shoebox Appeal. They will be beginning to talk to the School about it soon, but we would welcome any donations from the wider community. If you would like to donate items for a shoebox, a list of suggested contents is now available on the School website http://www.kippenschool.org.uk

Tech Team

The Tech Team, organised by Mrs Mier and Mrs Stone, has a very exciting year ahead. One of the Team’s main responsibilities is to help look after the ICT equipment in School and remind others about how to look after it properly. As well as the School laptops, there are now 18 iPads in the School which need to be charged and updated regularly. They spent much of their time last year designing their own game and learning more about coding. This is something that the Team this year would like to continue to work on and become the ICT experts in their class! Another of their key roles is to keep communication flowing by writing articles for upload to the School website http://www.kippenschool.org.uk. We also have a School Twitter page which is an easy way to share news and photos. Please visit us @kippenprimary. This year, the Tech Team will be launching an even easier way to keep updated with all things Kippen. There will be more information about this in the next few months – watch this space!

Grounds Team

The Grounds Team, organised by Mrs Stirling, helps to look after our School grounds and keep them looking beautiful. Last year saw many developments in Kippen’s grounds. Thanks to our helpers and kind volunteers, we now have a greenhouse to add to the raised beds that were put in a few years ago. The Grounds Group have recently had a visit from Forth Environment Link as Vicki Ferguson spoke to the children about their forthcoming Food Waste Challenge. They will be monitoring food waste during lunchtimes as part of a wider sustainability project. We are looking forward to increasing the amount of outdoor learning that we do and would welcome any volunteers with skills in this area. We would also welcome anyone who would be able to give us a few hours of their time every month to help promote learning in the grounds of the school. If you are interested and would like to know more, please contact kippenps@glow.sch.uk

The players of Hopscotch Theatre delighted the Kippen children and staff at the beginning of the term with their production of ‘Rights of the Child’, which followed the story of Ryan, a young schoolboy who has no idea he has any rights. In fact, he couldn’t even be bothered learning about them in school. Taking the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as a starting point, this play explored the value of shared social responsibility, and encouraged the audience to consider what a child’s rights really were. In a dream, Ryan meets Rights campaigner, Eglantyne Jebb, and accompanies her to the United Nations to fight for the rights of all children in the world.  When he awakened, he showed a new understanding and appreciation for the value of rights. It was an engaging and empowering performance, informing pupils about their own rights in a fun and interactive show.

Playgroup and Toddlers

Autumn is upon us and I’m sure, if you had listened very carefully, you may just have heard the collective sigh around the village as the schools, nurseries and, of course Kippen Playgroup, returned from the summer holidays.  The children have been enjoying getting together again and discovering all that this glorious season has to offer.

Kippen has a bounty of resources for little ones to explore, and at Playgroup we are committed to getting the children outside whenever we can to investigate the natural wonders on our doorstep.

An expedition to a local orchard to pick apples was our most recent outing, and the children enjoyed squelching over the muddy paths, playing under the trees and meeting a donkey and a pony known affectionately as The Glasgow Boys.  After the apples were gathered, the impressive booty was taken back to the village hall for closer inspection and of course, much munching.  Any apples that weren’t hastily eaten by our intrepid explorers were cut in half, slathered in autumn colours and used to create some brightly coloured diagrams of their findings.  These sorts of activities are beneficial in many ways; alongside encouraging a love of nature they also help our little people develop their gross motor skills by navigating uneven surfaces, stomping about in the mud and splashing in the odd puddle…as you do.  Plus, it aids their sensory learning just by looking around at the different views, smelling the fruit and vegetation and listening to the world around them.

We are currently going through a period of change at playgroup as one of our Play Leaders, Jane, has left us for pastures new.  So, we are hiring!  Please get in touch via playgroup.toddlers.kippen@gmail.com if you are interested in applying.

Kippen playgroup runs every Tuesday and Friday, 9:30am -12pm.  Please send an email to  playgroup.toddlers.kippen@gmail.com if you are looking to secure a place for your child.

Our Toddlers Group has been a beacon of sanity this summer for parents and children alike, as we run every week throughout the year.  We’ve had steadily increasing numbers of Mums, Dads, Grans and Grandads coming down for a cup of tea and some light-hearted chat, while the kids are set loose to enjoy free play and socialising with other little ones, from birth right up to pre-school.

Kippen toddlers runs every Thursday 10:15am-12pm in the village hall, just drop in!

Playgroup Leader/Manager

Kippen Playgroup is currently looking to recruit a Playgroup Leader / Manager to start from October 2017.

Kippen Playgroup is a long-established, fun and safe learning environment that provides for children’s educational and social needs from 2 to 5-year olds. We are looking for a committed, caring, enthusiastic person with extensive experience of working with children aged 2-5. You should have a genuine interest in how children learn and why they love to play.

Applicant’s must possess, or be working towards, a BA Childhood Practice or equivalent qualifications accepted by SSSC; and, if successful, you will be required to obtain a PVG Scheme Update through Disclosure Scotland, in addition to which you will be required to register with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) as the Playgroup Manager. The applicant must hold Level 4 Child Protection, or be willing to acquire it on taking up the position.

Responsibilities of the role include, but are not limited to:

Ensuring that the day to day management of the Playgroup complies with group policies and procedures and regulatory requirements.

Ensuring that suitable activities are planned and implemented in accordance with current curriculum practice and the Early Learning and Childcare Setting’s Development Plan.

Ensuring that children’s individual learning needs are catered for and that each child’s progress is recorded.

Liaising with the Care Inspectorate, and other agencies as required.

Operating two mornings per week – Tuesday and Friday (term time) the post is for 7 hours per week (9 – 12:30) with an additional 1-2 hours per week for admin tasks.  Salary is dependent on experience but competitive. Funds are available to ensure further education and training of the successful applicants’ areas of interest are fully supported.

Kippen Playgroup is registered with the Care Inspectorate.  Charity Number:  SC008211We strive to be an equal opportunities employer.  Please contact Playgroup.toddlers.kippen@gmail.com to request an application pack or for more information.