We have no meetings in July and August. Starting back on 12th September and every second Tuesday of the month from then on. Any queries please get in touch with myself Helen Wilson or Jon Greenman.
Helen Wilson
Kippen W.R.I
First meeting of the new session is on 20th September. Then everyone is welcome in the Reading Room for a speaker, good company and a wee cuppa.
Helen Wilson
The Wee Whist
The Wee Whist takes place in the Reading Room on the second Wednesday of each month at 7.30pm. All are welcome and just turn up on the evening if you would like a game.
Bella Crawford
CONTACT THE ELDERLY ENJOYS A DAY AT KIPPEN STREET FAYRE
Guests and volunteers of charity Contact the Elderly recently enjoyed the recent Kippen Street Fayre.
Guest Bunty, 94, joined volunteer Ali Thom who was dressed as a dog in her role as organiser of the event’s dog show. Bunty’s volunteer driver Richard Boyd had arranged wheelchairs for visitors to the fayre.
More than £100 was raised for Contact the Elderly’s free monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties by Kush the dog who is owned by volunteer Laura Gavigan and Kevan Leith.
Morna O’ May, who is Head of Scotland at Contact the Elderly and lives in Kippen said:
“It was such a super day and so nice to see so many people from our Kippen groups getting involved in this fantastic community event.”
Contact the Elderly has two groups in Kippen, as well as two groups in Stirlingshire and one in Stirling allowing around 15 older people who live alone the chance to enjoy a vital lifeline of friendship.
There are currently spaces in one of the Kippen groups for more older guests. To become a guest or volunteer of Contact the Elderly groups in the area, contact Lorna Dunbar on lorna.dunbar@contact-the-elderly.org.uk or 01738 730249. Contact the Elderly can email or post a leaflet if someone would like to share it with an older person who would benefit.
Contact the Elderly
For further media information, please contact Suzanne Mackie on 0774385948 or Suzanne@hummingbird-comms.com.
Contact the Elderly is the winner of The Older People’s Project Award at The Herald Society Awards 2016 and The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Volunteering Award 2012
Having recently celebrated its Golden Jubilee, Contact the Elderly is the only national charity, which since inception, has focussed solely on relieving the acute loneliness and isolation of older people who live alone, without family, friends or other support networks nearby
The Contact the Elderly model is based on a simple yet very effective model: free, monthly tea parties for small groups of older people and volunteers within their community – which bring all ages together, develop fulfilling friendships and support networks, and give everyone something to look forward to
Contact the Elderly currently has over 750 groups throughout England, Scotland and Wales, providing a regular, consistent and vital friendship link every month to over 6,000 older people
There are currently over 10,000 volunteers supporting the groups: volunteer drivers collect the older guests from their homes and accompany them to tea parties, while volunteer hosts hold the tea parties in their homes
As part of its continuing Power of Contact campaign to recruit more volunteers, Contact the Elderly aims by 2020 to double the number of isolated older people it supports
Public Transport
We are delighted to report that the following buses restarted on Monday 12th June.
10.10 Balfron to Stirling
15.55 Stirling to Balfron (previously 16.05)
Saturday
08.10 Balfron to Stirling
09.00 Stirling to Balfron
BUT in order to keep these buses on the road and continue to improve this route we must use the service. Concession holders play a big part in maintaining this service with two concessions equalling just over one adult fare, so the more concession holders that travel the better. If everyone with a bus pass travelled once or twice a week there would not be an issue with rural communities losing routes – in fact we would hope to get more services, so please give it a try.
Several people have raised the issue of no public transport on the B12 route on a Sunday. If this would make a difference to you or anyone you know please share your views with other passengers or bring it to the attention of the Community Council or your local Councillors.
Many people are put off travelling by bus because of the condition of our vehicles. We have been far too complacent in accepting poor quality buses and we now need to bring this to the attention of the Operator. Therefore, we urge passengers to help by reporting vehicle issues e.g. no heating, poor suspension, water coming in, anything that spoils your journey so that Balfron Depot can get better buses.
Please report directly to First Scotland East. Keep your ticket which will give the bus number and driver number at the bottom. This can then be reported online at First Scotland East using the mail icon or by ringing Larbert directly on 01324 602200. If after contacting First Bus you are unhappy with their response or failure to address your complaint then please don’t hesitate to contact Bus Users Scotland on 0300 111 0001 who will further pursue the issue. Hopefully in time these measures will gain us a decent rural public transport system.
This has been a long campaign and a particularly hard winter for B12 passengers. We owe a debt of gratitude to the many people who have been involved in this process and supported us but an extra special thanks must go to former local Councillor Ian Muirhead, Greig MacKay, Bus Users Scotland, David Brown and his team at Stirling Bus Station, Colin Cameron Balfron Community Council and finally to all the passengers who have had their lives turned upside down by the cuts to these vital services.
Thank you all.
Valerie Brand
Church Guild
“Be Bold, Be Strong!“
“Go In Love”
The Annual Meeting of the Guild will take place in Dundee on Saturday, 2nd September. This meeting is worth a visit. If interested, please contact Joanna by Monday 21st August for a ticket (free).
All men and women are welcome to attend Guild meetings held in Kippen Church House (attached to the Church in Fore Road): –
Tuesday 10th October – 7.30 p.m. – “Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance”
Ally Ballingall
Tuesday 14th November – 7.30 p.m. – “Playlist for Life”
Tuesday 28th November – 2.00 p.m. – “The Art of Quilting”
Betty McAllister
Further information is available from Joanna M. McPhail 01786 870681 or joanna.mcphail@btinternet.com
Surgery News
Building works for the surgery loft conversion will start in late June and we do apologise for any noise, disturbance and reduced parking space. We hope to finish the project as quickly as possible and are delighted to have more space soon.
Please remember that prescriptions can be ordered online after you have registered for a password at reception.
Staff training dates are Monday 4/9/17 and 9/10/17.
Annett Schmautz
Flower Tubs
Naomi and Fiona were busy before the street Fayre planting the summer display at the Cross. This year we were ably assisted by Una, Fiona’s sister who was visiting from Germany at the time. We try to have a change of theme each year so I hope everyone enjoys this year’s choice. All we need is some more sun to bring them on.
As we rely on donations for all the planting, we are always grateful to receive any donations towards the upkeep of the tubs. In the autumn we plan to purchase another tub to put at the other side of the entrance to the memorial. Collecting boxes will be at McNicoll’s and Rhubarb Lime. Thank you in anticipation.
Naomi Hirst
Local Outcome Improvement Plan LOIP
Stirling Community Planning Partnership CPP are currently developing a Local Outcome Improvement Plan known as a LOIP. The partner agencies involved are wide ranging and include Stirling Council, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue, NHS Forth Valley and Forth Valley College.
The LOIP is a high level strategic plan which sets out the vision and focus for the partnership over the next 10 years and will set out the main issues in Stirling that need to be tackled in a partnership approach.
Over the last month, workshops have been held with public sector partners, Third Sector organisations and a Community Sounding Board. The workshops have reviewed evidence on inequalities in the Stirling Council area and have identified the big issues that require a partnership approach to tackle.
The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act places a statutory duty on all Community Planning Partnerships to prepare and publish a Local Outcome Improvement Plan LOIP by October 2017.
If you would like more information, or would like to be involved in community engagement of the LOIP over the summer, please contact the LOIP Core Working Group localities@stirling.gov.uk
1st Kippen Brownies have just finished another busy year working towards badges as diverse as World Guiding, Environment and Cyclist. We also celebrated Halloween, St. Andrews Day and Thinking Day in February. Outdoors, as well as our cycle ride at Ladylands Farm. We’ve enjoyed a trip to the Woodland Experience, plus a fun evening laying trails and tracking around the village. Luckily, the weather was kind to us, for our end of term Sausage Sizzle held up at the football pavilion.
Brownies will re-start late Aug/early Sept and if you would like any more information about Kippen Brownies or Girlguiding in general you can contact me.
If you would like your daughter to go on the waiting list for a place at Brownies, please register at www.girlguiding.org.uk.
Fiona Hunter
Unit Leader – 1st Kippen Brownies
Tel No. 01786 870322
The Wee Vine 