mar-09

CHATTERBOX

No 183 March 2009

www.lochwinnoch.info

Community newsletter produced by lochwinnoch publicity committee for lochwinnoch cc

MATTHEW NEW & SONS

ROOFING - ROUGHCASTING - BUILDING MAINTENANCE

Emergency Repairs, Storm Damage Insurance Work, New Roofs, Flat Roofs

Roughcasting –UPVC Cladding—Guttering Tel No 01505 843400

FMB Certificate No 26366

Nuisance HelplineNuisance HelplineNuisance HelplineNuisance Helpline Anti-Social Behaviour

Noise problems Support and Advice

Every day 9am – 10pm

Tel: 0800 169 1283

ASISTASISTASISTASIST Anti-Social

Investigation Team

Office 8:45am – 4:45pm

Tel: 0141 840 2163

Editorial & copy for Chatterbox Let us have your stories, notices, news, information, events & items of interest — either hand-deliver them to the Chatter-box drop-box in the Library or e-mail to:

[email protected]

To advertise in Chatterbox

Tel: 07899 746403 or e-mail: [email protected]

Copy Deadline Copy Deadline Copy Deadline Copy Deadline

for April Issue Is for April Issue Is for April Issue Is for April Issue Is

Tuesday 24th March ‘09Tuesday 24th March ‘09Tuesday 24th March ‘09Tuesday 24th March ‘09

See centre pages for club activities, village events & classes.

Lochwinnoch Arts Festival 2009Lochwinnoch Arts Festival 2009Lochwinnoch Arts Festival 2009Lochwinnoch Arts Festival 2009

Lochwinnoch Arts Group - Exhibition in Lochwinnoch Library (free admission) On MONDAY 23rd, WEDNESDAY 25th and FRIDAY 27th March from 2-5pm & 6-8pm, and

TUESDAY 24th and SATURDAY 28th MARCH from 10am-1pm & from 2-5pm.

SATURDAY 28th MARCH (cont)

John Cairney in the Parish Church, Church Street, 3.30-4.30pm - ‘A Conversation with John

Cairney’ (Full details inside.) Tickets £5/Conc. £2.50.

Acoustic and Jazz Club in the McKillop Inst, at 7.30pm Bar facilities. Tickets £5/Conc. £2.50.

SUNDAY 29th MARCH

Classics on a Sunday Afternoon with local artists and Neil Wilson, a leading international

Classical Guitarist. From 1.30-3.30pm in the

McKillop Inst. Tickets £5/Conc. £2.50.

Lochwinnoch Choral Society

Homecoming Concert, with Junior, Inter-

mediate and Senior Choirs, members of the

Scottish Philharmonic Orchestra, John Cairney and

Gordon Rigby in the Parish Church, at 7.30pm

(Full details inside.) Tickets £5/Conc. £2.50

Tickets available for sale in Tickets available for sale in Tickets available for sale in Tickets available for sale in Crafts of Calder and the Junction Bistro.Crafts of Calder and the Junction Bistro.Crafts of Calder and the Junction Bistro.Crafts of Calder and the Junction Bistro.

THURSDAY 26th MARCH

Godspell in the McKillop Institute at 7.30pm.

Tickets £5/Conc. £2.50.

FRIDAY 27th MARCH

Godspell in the McKillop Institute at 7.30pm

Tickets £5/Conc. £2.50.

Betty McKellar ‘The Bard of Lochwinnoch in Praise of Birds’ in the RSPB Centre, at 7.30pm.

Tickets £1, Conc. 50p.

SATURDAY 28th MARCH

Children’s Events with Franzeska G Ewart in Our Lady of Fatima Church Hall, High St. from

11am-12 noon. Entry £1/Conc. 50p.

Janice Galloway Scottish writer in the McKillop Institute with The Lochwinnoch Writers

1.30-2.45pm Entry £5/Conc. £2.50.

Crafty Kids with Katherine Dillany 1.30-3.30pm

in the Space Rooms, McKillop Inst. Entry £2.

What’s On See back pages for Visitor Centre/ RSPB events.

Treat your special mum to something special

on Mother’s Day (March 22).

From pocket money gifts to the seriously sumptuous -

or let her choose her own present with a gift voucher.

Gifts Cards Jewellery Leather Home

Pluscarden Priory:

Silence in the stones shaped by hands built for aeons

with the language of God’s word

thanks comes within silent prayers of solitude

no gain just contemplation patrons working the soil

ancient scrolls for intuition centuries of earthly toil

fruits of labour in season harvesting complete inspiration

Pluscarden Priory spiritual beacon. Ron Sinclair

Images of Man:

A man’s lot is made with his chisel as he cuts his niche in stone

others can carve wood and shape their future for all to see

my pen is my tool and with it I leave my mark

neither cut in the rock of time nor carved in wood.

only in the fluidity of ink flows my life blood eternal.

Ron Sinclair

* * *

Ron Sinclair spent the last 9 months living in Lochwinnoch and attending the local Writers' group in the library, where he made some friends and enjoyed writing poetry. Images of Man is one of Ron’s favourite poems. Pluscarden Priory, an ancient place and retreat for monks out-side Elgin, was written following a very spiritual day visit to the Priory.

John Cairney Renowned Actor and Author

Special Guest at Lochwinnoch Arts Festival

Conversation with Cairney Saturday 28 th March 3.30pm

Parish Church Wherever he is in the world, John Cairney, actor, writer, Doctor of Phi-losophy and raconteur par excellence is never more at home than when he is standing on stage talking to an audi-ence.

The title tells you exactly what the show is - a conversation between ac-tor and audience. It is a happy con-struct of biographical and autobio-graphical anecdote, illustrated with verse and comic comment on his ex-periences in theatre, on film locations over the years and as a travelling ac-tor who seems to have been every-where.

During the afternoon you’ll get some-thing from his one-man shows on Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, even William McGonagall. Cairney also dips into his vast bran tub of personal and professional recollections. There is a story from every production. John’s recent academic adventures are also part of the mix, as Dr Cairney reveals the more esoteric strands of theatrical life and work. He’s also inclined to extemporise freely on whatever sub-ject arises in the moment springing from that instant communication that exists between actor and audience. It’s the audience on the day that deter mines the excerpts, stories and com-ment. And since no two audiences are ever alike, nor are his performances.

As he says, ‘This show has been a lifetime in rehearsal and I’ll keep on doing it till I get it right.’ John will have copies of his works available, and will be happy to sign these and chat with members of the audience after the show.

Lochwinnoch Choral Society

‘Homecoming Concert’ Sunday 29 th March

7.30pm

Once again the Lochwinnoch Choral Society will be supported by mem-bers of the Scottish Philharmonic Orchestra in this specially prepared concert to celebrate the Year of the Homecoming. The evening will commence with members of the Junior and Interme-diate Choirs, led by Laura Sands , performing selected works by Robert Burns, and from ‘The Lion King’. The Senior Choir, led by Gordon Rigby, will be performing a specially arranged extract from Gordon’s much acclaimed work ‘Oran Mor’ , commissioned by Oran Mor in Glas-gow, and performed at last year’s Proms in the Park at Glasgow Green. In the Spirit of the ‘Homecoming’, tonight will also see the Premier of a new work – Fantasia on Burns – a collaboration between John Cairney and Gordon Rigby . John , an ac-knowledged expert on Robert Burns, will be presenting his version of the Immortal Memory with a score spe-cially written by Gordon , and per-formed by the SPO. The narration will be interspersed and illuminated by the Choir performing some of the best known and loved of the Bard’s songs. This should be an exciting Finale to the Arts Festival.

An evening not to be missed.

blessing dental care

New spaces available to register

NHS patients

Check-ups are free

Tel: 01505 843105

69 High Street, Lochwinnoch PA12 4AB

www.blessingdentalcare.com

Councillor Neil Bibby’s

Report I am aware of the ongoing concerns about speeding in parts of Lochwin-noch. Speeding is unacceptable whether it be on main roads or quiet country roads and I have contacted the police to ask them to step up their monitoring of the situation in Lochwinnoch. I would like to en-courage all local residents to report people breaking the speed limit to the Police. I have also reported spe-cific concerns about speeding on Johnshill and Calder Street to the Council. Although I understand that some residents will be disappointed that the Roads Department seem to have ruled out use of average speed cam-eras on Johnshill I want to make sure the Council do all they can to tackle the issue of speeding. I have contacted the Roads Department and requested that they agree to hold a public meeting in Lochwin-noch on this issue so they can hear the concerns of local residents. In terms of other road issues I have reported the large pothole on Brae-head just before the corner with Calderpark Street and hope this will be repaired shortly. Please let me know if there are potholes in your street which have not been repaired and I will report them also. You may or may not know that the Council has decided to introduce fortnightly bin collections. I am con-cerned that this decision has been taken without any consultation with local residents. I am therefore currently carrying out a consultation to find out the views of local residents on fortnightly bin collections. I want to find out whether people in the village would prefer to have their household rub-bish collected weekly or fortnightly. I would also like to know if local resi-dents would be prepared to recycle more in order to keep weekly bin collections. Please let me know your thoughts or if you want more infor-mation on this policy. At the recent Local Area Committee I was pleased to support a £2,000 grant for Clyde Windsurfing Club.

LOCHWINNOCH PARISH CHURCH

Bi-Centenary Special Celebratory Services and

Organ Recitals The last special service and recital was on Sunday 23rd November and wor-ship was led by the Very Rev. Sandy McDonald, who is a former Moderator of the General Assembly. This was an excellent service, punctuated by much humour. It was followed by tea in the hall and afterwards, starting at 1pm, a very enjoyable organ recital was given by the Rev. John MacColl. John, who of course, is very well know to us all, played a variety of pieces, some famil-iar, some less well known and some that were his favourites. He also gave a most amusing short talk on how he came to be interested in music. Ap-parently, it was really his parents’ idea and to begin with he had to try out not just one musical instrument but quite a few! Some of these were various recorders, the clarinet and for a very short time the trombone, even the Jewish harp! He also learned to play piano and then the organ and we are very glad he did, too. Our next Special Service will take place on Sunday 22nd March, which will be Mothering Sunday Home Coming Service. Worship will be led by the Rev. John Christie, who preached the Sermon at our Minister’s Induction Service. Invitations have been sent out to all those who have been baptised in the Parish Church since 1925 and we are looking forward to having a large turnout at this service. This will fol-low the same pattern as before, which will be tea in the hall and an organ recital at 1pm. The guest organist this time will be Mr Ian McCrorie from Greenock. Ian is well known in musi-cal circles as a conductor and, in fact, conducts the choir at the Clic Sargent Charity Concert, which usually takes place in the Glasgow Concert Hall in December. He is also the historian for Caledonian MacBrayne and has writ-ten much about the Clyde Steamers. As you can see he is a very talented gentleman so please come along and hear him on Sunday 22nd March. The next Celebratory Service will be on Sunday 31st May and the guest preacher will be the Very Rev. James Simpson, a former Moderator of the General Assembly.

We are now in Fairtrade Fortnight and I am delighted that the county of Ren-frewshire has followed Lochwinnoch in achieving Fairtrade status. Lochwinnoch has led the way in help-ing the world’s poorest peoples and nations and the whole village should be proud at the difference that is being made as a community. Credit must go to the Lochwinnoch International Aid Group and to every-one else who has played their part by buying and selling Fairtrade products. My regular advice surgery is on the first Saturday of the month at 9am in the McKillop Hall. My next surgery is on Saturday 7th March. If you have a problem you would like to discuss with me you can contact me at any other time on Tel: 335828 or by emailing me at - [email protected] Councillor Neil Bibby

Councillor Arthur’s Report

Following on from my Johnshill speeding traffic issue in last month’s column, through the month of March, the partnership of Ren-frewshire Council, the Police and Lochwinnoch Community Council will continue with our survey on the speed of the traffic that uses the Johnshill in both directions. Once all the information has been collated, the partnership will be holding a public meeting to allow villagers to voice their opinion. This will help us determine what measures are re-quired to be put in place to encour-age drivers to slow down, remain within the speed limit and to drive safely; at the end of the day road traffic experts will have the major influence in what type and at what locations the required hardware will be installed. Dog fouling is still a big problem on the pavements and roads in Calder Street especially around the school. In an effort to catch the culprit(s) CCTV will now be deployed. If you see dog fouling taking place in any public place, then please report it by calling 0141 842 4448. At the recent LAC (Local Area Committee) meeting there was one application from a Lochwinnoch based club up for our consideration and that was from Clyde Windsurf-ing Club. Their application, which was considered over the 5 Ren-frewshire LACs, was for a new Club Safety Boat. I’m delighted to say that their £2,000 request was awarded. Well done and thank you to the ladies of Lochwinnoch Parish Church for the delicious newly made pancakes and the cup of tea that I enjoyed at their recent Pancake Tea. It was very pleasing to see such a well-attended fundraiser. At a recent policy board, the deci-sion was made to accept service changes to the way refuse is col-lected across Renfrewshire, by

CREATIVE CLASSES

All workshops last from 1:30 -

4:30pm and cost £15. Venue is

Lochwinnoch.

* Sunday 29th March:

Your Guardian Angel.

Explore your connection with

your guardian angel from your

birth to the present moment.

Allow space to nourish this rela-

tionship.

* Saturday 18th April:

Mind De-tox. The start of a 21-

day intention experiment to re-

build 'a positive state of mind'.

Request - we are looking for

groups who might be interested

in a talk and/or experiential

about meditation and healing

(free).

If you are interested

in any of the above,

please contact Becky on

Tel: 0141 881 6700.

Are you too busy with work, to keep up with the general

maintenance in your home and need a bit of help?

If so, call me!

I have over 12 years experience cleaning both domestic and commercial

properties. I provide an excellent service

and can produce references if required. I also have an enhanced disclosure certificate.

Contact: Tracy on

07901 795 706 or e-mail:

[email protected]

CLEANER AVAILABLE

FLEXIBLE RATES AND HOURS TO SUIT!!

moving to Managed Weekly Collec-tions (MWC) i.e. one week residual waste and one week dry recyclate material and changing the method of kerbside collections for dry recyclate to a co-mingled wheeled bin con-tainer. This service will be the same as the existing service in neighbouring councils. Councils operating this scheme report 83% higher yield of dry recyclate.

So why has this decision been taken? At present Renfrewshire Council are meeting their recycling target of 30% set by the ‘Government Waste Policy’ document but their 2010 target is 40%. This 40% target cannot be met with the existing service and would result in landfill penalties and taxes of an estimated £1.6 million per annum. In 2013 Renfrewshire Council’s target rises to 50%, in 2020 to 60% and in 2025 to 70%. The implementation timescale of the new service being 2010. If you wish a copy of the policy board report, then contact me.

Thanks to volunteers who give of their time to share their skills. Charity, ‘Tax Help for Older People’ (TOP) offers free professional tax advice to those who are 60 years old or over and have a household income of £17,000 or less.

We are all aware that the tax process can be very confusing, but TOP pro-vides free professional advice that can help make it a less-stressful process. Those who are eligible for the pro-gram and interested in TOP’s services should contact the national call centre at Tel: 0845 601 3321, or at Tel: 01308 488066. Volunteers will be able to answer questions via email and telephone, and will be available for further consultation as well. Home visits can be arranged for those who are homebound due to disability, car-ing, or transportation issues. Unfortunately I will not be holding my Surgery in March therefore my next Surgery is on Saturday 18th April but remember that there is no need to wait for my Surgery; if you require my help, you can contact me on Tel: 843507 and we can agree a time when we can meet.

Councillor David Arthur

ACCA

Upper Floor 32 High Street

Lochwinnoch PA12 4AA

Tel: 01505 843083 Fax: 01505 843045

E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.stranvillejohn.co.uk

• Monoblock driveways

• Patios and walls

• All types of landscaping

• Ground maintenance

• Gardens cleared

• Tree and hedge pruning

and trimming

• Exterior painting around

the house and garden

• FREE estimates

W. A. THOMSON Tel: 01505 842498

Mob: 07778 680933

Lochwinnoch Lochwinnoch Lochwinnoch Lochwinnoch Elderly ForumElderly ForumElderly ForumElderly Forum

Our membership continues to increase and now stands at almost 50.

The T-bar is always well attended and we look forward to it being open on Thursday mornings as well in April.

Our thanks go to Renfrewshire Council for the £800 grant received for this year and also for their quick response to any queries/requests which arise at our meetings.

Contact Gordon Nicholl Tel: 842632

LOCHWINNOCH COMMUNITY COUNCIL

NOTICE

The Community Council is looking for ideas for a smallish project that would provide lasting benefit to the village and/or community. We are thinking of something with a budget of around £4,000 to £12,000. If you have any ideas, please contact the Community Council by the usual channels, or come to the next meeting on Tuesday 7th April at 7.30pm in the Parish Church Guild Room.

SAVE YOUR REGIONAL PARK

CAMPAIGN Update

First the good news - at the North Ayr-shire Council February meeting, the application by Wind Hydrogen Ltd for a windfarm consisting of 24 x 125m (410ft) high turbines on either side of the upper section of the River Gar-nock, was rejected. This windfarm would have included approx' 12 miles of new roads, 2 quarries, a substa-tion, an anemometer and miles of overhead power lines through Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park.

As readers will remember, it was Wind Hydrogen's proposal for the 125 tur-bine Ladymoor windfarm that resulted in the formation of the Save Your Re-gional Park campaign. Last year, WHL altered the name of the wind-farm to Wings Law and reduced the number of turbines to 24.

Recently Glenlora Estate indicated that they too were proposing a wind-farm on their land and were to make a presentation to Lochwinnoch Commu-nity Council at the meeting on 3rd March. However, the presenta-tion was cancelled and it remains to be confirmed whether or not the pro-ject has been shelved temporarily or permanently.

The Scottish Parliamentary Petitions Committee sat again in February to consider the petition to safeguard Na-tional and Regional Parks from indus-trial development including windfarms. Once again committee members were not satisfied with the response from the Government and have written again for further clarification of policy. The Petition is still alive and in proc-ess.

Now the bad news - Kelburn Wind-farm; RES appealed the rejection of their planning application to North Ayr-shire Council and the Scottish Gov-ernment arranged for a Public Local Inquiry (PLI) last June. This was held in Radio City, Kilbirnie and many local people gave evidence against the windfarm proposals including repre-sentatives of Lochwinnoch Community Council.

The PLI was before two Reporters appointed by the Scottish Government who completed their report to the Scottish Ministers in November 2008.

The recommendation of the Report-ers was that the windfarm, consist-ing of 14 turbines and ancillary roads, quarries, substation etc should be allowed to proceed. Scot-tish Ministers have now issued their decision to support the appeal of the developers and subject to satisfac-tory agreement on certain conditions during the next 3 months, construc-tion of this windfarm will proceed.

This is bad news as it means that the area of Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park south of the A760 would then have both the existing Wardlaw Wood windfarm (6 turbines) and to the north of it and adjacent to it the Kelburn windfarm with 14 turbines. The impact of both these on the Park will be very considerable and it beggars belief that the Scottish Min-isters could be so insensitive to local opinion all around Clyde Muirshiel.

The Save Your Regional Park cam-paign will continue to fight all pro-posals for windfarms in the Park and take heart from the section in the Reporter's report pointing out that in giving the go ahead to the Kelburn wind farm, it should NOT be taken as an indication that other appeals will automatically be allowed by them in future. They will deal with each application on its own mer-its. The Save Your Regional Park campaign continues to fight for the protection of our great Regional Park.

Trevor Leighton has taken a series of black and white portraits, showing high profile celebrities having fun with a range of Fairtrade products from pineap-ples to cotton.

Accompanying the photographs are quotes from the celebrities explaining why they are committed to buying Fair-trade. They make up an exhibition that Renfrewshire Council has arranged to show in Lochwinnoch Library in the week beginning Monday 9th March. Celebrities featured in the exhibition are: Adrian Edmondson, Amanda Bur-ton, Anita Roddick, Charlie Dimmock, Donna Air, Emilia Fox, Fearne Cotton, Gail Porter, George Alagiah, Harry Hill, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Jemma Kidd, Jon Snow, Lenny Henry, Nick Knowles, Oz Clarke, Richard Wilson, Starsailor, Vic Reeves and Yasmin Alabhai-Brown. Leighton, who has one of the largest collections of photographs at the Na-tional Portrait Gallery, explains:

“This exhibition shows how celebri-ties are making a small change in the way they shop, to make Fairtrade their habit, and thus help to make a real change in developing countries. This is not about a single action people can take - but a small change they can make on an ongoing basis, helping individuals every time they shop.” Vic Reeves, who is depicted with a Fair-trade banana, says:

“it’s so important that we keep forging ahead - keep on until it is no longer a conscious choice, but a habit for everyone.”

Harriet Lamb, Director of Fairtrade Foun-dation, reiterates:

“The theme of Fairtrade Fortnight and the photo exhibition, Make Fairtrade Your Habit, aims to encourage everyone to get into the habit of buying a broad range of Fairtrade products, now so many more are available. We are delighted ce-lebrities are showing how we can play our part in effecting real change in people’s lives. By making Fairtrade our habit we can – cup by cup, banana by banana, help Make Poverty History. There are now more than 1,300 Fair-trade products available from oranges and tea to roses and wine, enabling more farmers and workers to benefit.” Fairtrade Fortnight is the annual promo-tional campaign co-ordinated by the Fair-trade Foundation, the independent certifi-cation body behind the FAIRTRADE Mark. The FAIRTRADE Mark appears on products as a guarantee of a better deal for farmers and workers in developing countries. The Foundation was estab-lished in 1992 by CAFOD, Christian Aid, New Consumer, Oxfam, Traidcraft and the World Development Movement. These founding organisations were later joined by Britain's largest women's or-ganisation, the Women's Institute. The local campaign group is working with local shops to extend the range of Fairtrade products so we hope we can all include Fairtrade goods in our regular shopping. There is now a great choice of Fairtrade products available - from oranges and tea to roses and wine. It will also help if readers sign our register and make a commitment to helping farmers and workers around the world achieve some economic stability for themselves by paying a fairer price for their goods. To register as a supporter of the Lochwin-noch Fairtrade campaign please complete and return the forms available from us - just one per household please. If you wish to help, contact Bob Turner (Tel: 843068).

Fairtrade Fortnight and visiting

Portrait Exhibition in Lochwinnoch

There has been a buzz around the vil-lage during the Fairtrade Fortnight events that have been organised by the local campaign group. These continue until March 8th and are followed by a unique photographic exhibition in the week beginning March 9th. This co-incides with the recent news of the award of Fairtrade Zone status for the county of Renfrewshire. On Tuesday 3rd March (7.30pm) there will be a talk by Cornelius Lynch, a ba-nana producer from St Lucia. He will speak at Lochwinnoch Parish Church about the importance of Fairtrade for ba-nana producers. Admission is free so please come along to this event. On Sun 8th March (11am–2pm) there is a Fairtrade Stall at The Castle Semple Centre: come and try some Fairtrade products and find out what we stand for. Events in Cucina Minucci at The Junction continue on Wednesday 4th March (9am-12 noon) with a coffee morning that will raise funds to help subsidise a new ‘Lochwinnoch supports Fairtrade’ shop-ping bag that should be available soon. This is followed on Friday 6th – Saturday 7th March (noon to noon) by banana themed menu: you can join the attempt to set a world record for eating Fairtrade bananas in 24 hours. To achieve a world record we need to get people to register online at - www.fairtrade.org.uk/gobananas Finally, as part of their initiative to get us all to make Fairtrade our habit, the Fair-trade Foundation has recruited familiar celebrity faces to be photographed to highlight the positive impact that buying Fairtrade products can have on poverty.

Antiques and Collectables Antiques are a gateway to bygone days. Using the term to cover anything old and interesting, antiques are a pleasure to live with. Especially in the furniture area, their cost compares very well with the price of many mod-ern items. Old pieces do not have to be put into old homes. Carefully chosen, they can look just as well in today’s houses and flats if they are in scale with their sur-roundings. They mix well with new fabrics and furnishings, and often benefit from the bright backcloth of today’s colours. Some folk just collect the ‘odd’ piece here and there, sometimes an item is a “must have” article, on occasion it is an investment but there are also peo-ple who are avid collectors. The col-lecting bug is highly infectious. Many of us catch it during childhood raiding the woods for conkers, tipping the ce-real packet out to find the free goody or pestering friends and relatives for used stamps or unwanted foreign coins. Many of us never find a cure but for others the magpie instinct lies dormant until an interesting something is inherited or in taking a fresh look at your own possessions you feel com-pelled to add to them.

It is extraordinary how the interest in collecting has grown over the last 10 years. Far from being a closed and stagnant world, populated solely by scholarly experts, the field has shifted and expanded, with new cate-gories and new devotees emerging every year. Television coverage has meant that antiques and collectables have reached everyone and scarcely a week goes by without the publica-tion of a new specialist book. You do not need to buy as an invest-ment, but because you genuinely appreciate an item. For example it may have a story to tell about where it was made and about the lives of the people who made it. The Stirrup Cup might just have such an item. We also stock hand made pottery, dichroic jewellery, pewter kilt accessories and jewellery and candles.

Come along and browse for Mother’s Day.

Our vintage items start at £5! On trial are our Victorian teacups and saucers planted with spring bulbs. Throughout the month of March you will receive a free potted Primula with all purchases over £10.

Antiques, Curios and Crafts A dynamic selection of oils, watercolours and

limited edition prints. Bespoke crafts by local artisans, vintage and

contemporary jewellery. Well worth discovering for yourself.

The Barn on the Farm, open 10am till late every day. Contact Greta Logan on Tel: 01505 683338 Mob: 07786 720586 e-mail: [email protected] www.thestirrupcup.co.uk

West Bankside Farm, Geirston Rd, Kilbirnie, KA25 7LQ

Just opposite the Golf Course on the Largs Rd.

LOCHWINNOCH SWRI

Members and friends enjoyed a pres-entation by Chocolatz of Paisley and learned a bit about the history and making of chocolate. There was chocolate tasting and a chocolate fountain to enjoy as well as an oppor-tunity to buy fine chocolate gifts.

THE COMPETITION WINNERS WERE:

Rich Jamaican Loaf - Pat Matthews. This is an SWRI National competition, the next round of which is in June. Good luck Pat!

Prem. Baby hat and jacket - 1 L Benzie 2 P Matthews 3 D Donn

Three Cheese Scones - 1 L Benzie 2 D Donn 3 J Galbraith

The next meeting is on

Wednesday 18th March at 7.30pm in the McKillop

Institute, when there will be an AGM followed by “Caricatures” by

Meg McLucas. Visitors welcome.

* * *

SWRI Renfrewshire Federation

SHOW on Saturday 21st March

from 10am to 4pm at Johnstone Town Hall.

See a wide range of beautiful crafts, flowers and foods. Entry £1 Tea, coffee, snacks. Freshly baked items for sale. Tombola, Raffle, Sales Tables, presentation of prizes at 2pm.

YOGA CLASSES

I am pleased to announce that from March 11th 2008 there will be 2 classes of Yoga on Wednesdays in The McKillop Institute.

6pm until 7.20pm Yoga and relaxation 7.30pm until 9pm Yoga and Meditation

Express interest by e-mail to [email protected] or Tel: 01505-842877 and leave a message if I am out.

Or come to The McKillop on March 4th to register between 7pm and 7.20pm. Classes restricted to 12 people, so first come first served!

THE GLENLORA

GRAVE by

DEREK PARKER

DURING the time I worked as a

countryside ranger at Clyde Muir-

shiel Regional Park, well-known

Lochwinnoch lady Nan Crawford

showed me a large rock in the

hills above Glenlora House on the

outskirts of the village.

Situated on the windswept sum-

mit of a grassy ridge overlooking

the woods which embosom the

magnificent mansion, the stone

marks the burial place of Isobel

Mary Campbell who lived with her

family at Glenlora.

The elegant edifice, which is situ-

ated near Lochwinnoch golf

course, was built in 1840 by John

Buchanan who owned the vil-

lage's Calderhaugh Mill.

Later, Glenlora was acquired by

Isobel Mary's wealthy parents,

Sir James and Lady Jane Camp-

bell. Sir James, who was a part-

ner in the Campbell Stewart and

McDonald drapery firm in Ingram

Street, Glasgow, travelled every

day by train between Lochwin-

noch Station (which was in the

village centre at the time) and his

work-place.

He was driven to and from the

station in a luxurious limousine

by his punctual and ever-reliable

chauffeur, Roy Stewart.

A tall upright gentleman, de-

scribed as 'a military type’, Sir

James was a familiar sight with

his striped trousers, split-tailed

jacket, white shirt, collar and tie,

polished shoes and briefcase at

the close and start of each work-

ing day.

His wife, whose maiden name

was Lilburn, came from a famous

shipping family associated with

Trees House which stands in a

quiet country lane between

Lochwinnnoch and Newton of

Beltrees hamlet. Being buried beneath a moss-

mantled boulder on a lonely

hillside might seem an unusual

final resting place for a woman

of Isobel Mary's opulent back-

ground when she could easily

have afforded to pay for a

monumental tomb in the Grand

Parade of some prestigious

graveyard.

But her choice was influenced

by her love of the beautiful

countryside above Glenlora

where she wandered the leafy

woods, fern-festooned burn-

sides, heather-scented moors

and hundreds-of-years-old pre-

historic homesteads like the one

on nearby Dunconnel Hill, close

to the rhododendron-robed

Glenlora curling pond.

Her tombstone is carved simply

with the epitaph of eternity:

ISOBEL MARY CAMPBELL,

BORN 15 JANUARY 1909

DIED 4 JANUARY 1971.

If the choice of grave seems

unusual to the modern

mind, her wishes for her final

journey from Glenlora may

seem macabre to those unfamil-

iar with traditional country

ways.

The nearest road was a long

way from the burial place and in

between there was a lot of

boggy ground and muddy

tracks. But the vagaries of the

terrain posed no problems for

son of the soil, Jim Henderson

of Fairhills Farm, who was ap-

pointed to transport Isobel

Mary's coffin on a tractor-drawn

trailer to the hilltop grave.

Funeral arrangements like these

were at one time quite normal

among Renfrewshire's great aris-

tocratic families. They reminded

mourners of the roots of the de-

ceased in the land and that all

men, women and children are

born from dust and will return to

dust at the end of their earthly

pilgrimages.

Another notable Renfrewshire

example of a farm funeral for

wealthy land-owners was that of

Colonel William Mure of Caldwell

who was carried to his grave at

Neilston Cemetery in a horse-

drawn cart lined with moss from

his vast country estate.

The only people present at Isobel

Mary Campbell's funeral were a

sister (whose name is unknown)

and the undertaker, who BOTH

made the journey along with the

coffin on the tractor-trailer, which

provided the humble hearse.

It was a difficult journey and the

wind blew sharply from the frost-

fringed slopes of the Misty Law as

Miss Campbell was lowered into

the ground and her sepulchre

sealed with turf and the heavy

stone engraved with her epitaph.

Today Isobel Mary Campbell still

slumbers in the Lochwinnoch hills

surrounded by the sights and

sounds which she loved in life.

The melancholic trill of the cur-

lew, the wistful call of the golden

plover and the exuberant song of

the skylark echo as sweetly

above her tenebrous tomb as

they did during her rustic ram-

bles.

And the sweet fragrance of

golden bog asphodels, heath-

spotted orchids and purple hare-

bells pour out their own heady

floral incense around her bucolic

bier.

May the silent sleeper in the

Glenlora grave rest in peace in

the serenity and solitude of the

countryside which she loved and

which was her earthly paradise.

Derek Parker worked as a

countryside ranger at Clyde

Muirshiel Regional Park

from 1985 till 1999.

Lochwinnoch Gala Day takes place this year on Saturday 13th June

So mark that date in your diaries. It promises to be

another exciting event.

Our theme this year is

Country and Western. If you think you can help us out in

any way at all with this Gala Day, please contact Christine on

07815 087794.

Support your local hardware store.

We stock hardware, electrical, plumbing, paint sundries, gardening

and fancy goods. Mobile phone top-ups. Competitive prices,

FREE local deliveries. All major credit cards accepted.

SEED POTATOES, ONIONS & SHALLOT SETS NOW IN !

RANGE OF HAND-MADE GREETINGS CARDS

CARPET CLEANING MACHINE FOR HIRE

86 Main Street, Kilbirnie, KA25 7AA Tel/Fax: 01505 682125 OPEN - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday from 9am-1pm & 2.15-5.15pm

Stained Glass Windows in the Parish Church

As many of you will know, there used to be two additional stained glass win-dows in the Parish Church at either side of the pulpit. These were removed some time ago. The congregation would very much like to see them re-stored to their original beauty. One of the main obstacles is the way in which the windows were stored. This has resulted in our restorer having to undertake a massive jigsaw puzzle without the aid of a picture. If anyone has a photograph of the windows or a detailed description of them, we would very much appreciate a loan of the photographs or a copy of the description to aid us in this matter. If you can help in any way, please either contact the Minister, Christine Murdoch on Tel: 843484 or post photographs or description through the manse door at 1 Station Rise, Lochwinnoch. Please do leave a note of your name and address, so that any photographs can be returned.

Many thanks.

From the Parish Church Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,

in the lane, snow is glistening a beautiful sight,

we’re happy tonight. walking in a winter wonderland.

Richard B. Smith I love snow. Let me qualify that, I love the snow when it is crisp and dry enough to go out and play in. I realise that during the recent cold weather many people felt trapped in their homes, frightened to ven-ture onto slippery pavements. Certainly, in our family, we all fell at some time during the frost. Fortunately we only suffered from bruised pride, for others broken bones were the result of the cold snap. Yet when the snow came, something seemed to happen in our village. It was almost as if our ages fell along with the snow.

On Monday 9th February, Iain and I joined many other villagers sledging in the hills around the village. Children were revel-ling in what, for many, was the first time they remembered sledging. Parents were delighted to have to show their youngsters what to do and I can assure you, I was over the moon when Iain realised he could go faster if I was on the sledge with him. That night we returned home feeling in-vigorated. I suspect my own feeling of pleasure was not just due to the exercise. I expect it had something to do with engag-ing in childlike behaviour. Everyone I spoke to the next day had said how much fun they had in the snow. It is good to have days when we can let our hair down and be childlike.

In the Bible we read of parents bringing their children to Jesus for a blessing. Je-sus’ closest friends thought that he would be too busy to be bothered with the chil-dren. Far from it. Jesus not only took the children into his arms and blessed them, he also told the adults, “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

I have often pondered on that statement – just what was Jesus saying? I believe that we are being encouraged to trust like a child and to see through a child’s eyes and see the awe and wonder of God’s creation. The snow helped many adults do just that.

As I write it is Shrove Tuesday and in a while I will be off to the Parish Church for my pancakes. I am also contemplating what I will give up for Lent. Yesterday at Assembly, the children of Primary 3/2 were sharing with us their thoughts on spring. They reminded us that spring is a time of new life and Lent offers us all a chance to start life afresh. One little girl

told us, “even the naughtiest person can be less naughty and the best person can be better.” Perhaps that should be the aim for us all this Lent, to be less naughty and to be a better person.

In the past, Lent was seen as a time to reflect on Jesus’ time in the wilderness when he was tempted by Satan. Thus the season became associated with penance and fasting; a time to deprive our bodies of any luxuries or occasion for sin (in other words indulging in some activity that could result in sin, for example some people thought dancing could lead to inappropriate behaviour). People be-lieved that by denying themselves then more time would be spent in prayer; more time would be spent with God and so people would become ‘holier’. The problem with such thinking is how does one describe luxury? How does one de-fine “an occasion for sin”? Such thought led to the Bonfire of the Vanities of 1497 when the infamous Dominican priest Savonarola, collected and publicly burned thousands of objects such as cosmetics, art and books in Florence on the Shrove Tuesday festival.

Today Lent is seen in a much more posi-tive light; a time when we can take a look at our lives and see what needs to be changed. Thus, in the Primary School Assembly the children shared ways in which we can be better people. I think most of the school groaned when some-one suggested they could all keep their rooms tidy. However, the other sugges-tions would help to make a better world for us all – to be kinder, to be helpful, to be caring. This Lent, in the manse we are going to try to remind ourselves that “even the naughtiest person can be less naughty and the best person can be bet-ter.” We will also do our best to be less naughty and to be a better people. Whatever you give up, or indeed, take up for Lent, may God bless you.

Rev.Christine Murdoch

What’s On

(Regular Clubs, classes and local

groups) • Lochwinnoch Community

Walks - Mondays (ex. Public Holidays), 10.30 am at The Cross.

• Lochwinnoch Playgroup - For under 5’s, every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 9.30-11.30 (during term time) at the McKillop Inst. *

• Kickjitsu for Kids - Monday nights, from 5pm-6.45pm in the Parish Church Hall.

• Lochwinnoch Gymnastics Club - For primary school-age children every Monday,5-7pm at the Annexe. Phone Coby for de-tails on: 0772 9051615.

• Morag’s Keep Fit - Mondays and Thursdays from 7pm, in the McKillop Institute.

• Lochwinnoch Choral Soci-ety. Rehearsals on Monday eve-nings, Parish Church/ Hall. Juniors 7-7.30pm, Intermedi-ates 7.30-8.30pm and Seniors from 8pm.

• Lochwinnoch Art Group Meet fortnightly on Monday evenings, 7.30pm, McKillop Institute.

• Advice Works - Tuesdays

10am -12.30 at the Library. *

• Drop-in T Bar - Lochwinnoch Elderly Forum. Every Tuesday from 10am-1pm, McKillop Insti-tute. All welcome. For details, call Reta on: 01505 842054.

VILLAGE EVENT

CALENDAR for 2009

Lochwinnoch Post Office has a wall-mounted planner, where members of the public can enter details of forth- coming events.

Please use this planner to -

• avoid any clashes when choosing dates to hold events, and

• to help publicise your own events in and around the village and local area.

• Baby and Toddler Rhyme-time - every Tuesday, 2.15pm at Lochwinnoch Library. *

• TaeKwon-Do Fitness and Self-defence classes for all. Tuesdays from 5-6pm, McKillop Institute. For details Tel: 01259 210716.

• Scottish Country Dance Club - On Tuesdays, from 7.30-9.30pm, the McKillop Institute.

• Linda Margaret School of Dancing - Tuesdays from 4pm-8.45pm, McKillop Institute. For details, Tel: 0141 581 9104.

• Boys Brigade - Anchor Boys and Junior Sections meet on Tuesday nights and Company Section on Friday evenings, Parish Church Hall. (See Church notice board for more details.)

• Girls Brigade - 1st Lochwinnoch Company Wednesday evenings from 6pm-9.15pm at the Parish Church Hall for various age groups.

• Yoga Classes - Tuesday day- time classes for Beginners from 1pm-2pm and, from 11th March, two Wednesday evening classes at the McKillop Inst. (See sepa-rate notice in Chatterbox for full details of new classes.)

• Yoga and Healing Medita-

tion Workshops (See separate notice in Chatterbox.)

• Happy Harminis - Fun for pre-school children. Thursdays from 10am in the McKillop Insti-tute. Contact Frankie Plater for details: 01505 612248.

• Slinky Strollers - on Thurs-days (see back page for details).

• Calder Drama Club—Thursdays, from 8pm-10pm McKillop Institute.

Get the new BBC Freesat system - also available in HD Call now for a FREE quotation

LCD and PLASMA SCREEN INSTALLATIONS WALL MOUNTS SUPPLIED AND FITTED REPAIRS

DIGITAL UPGRADES MULTIROOM AERIAL AND SATELLITE FREE ESTIMATES FULLY INSURED

Tel: 01505 842056 Mob: 07940 705115

• Scottish Slimmers - Thursdays, 7/7.30pm, McKillop Inst.

• Lochwinnoch Pre-School Gymnastics ( for children from 18 mths to 5 yrs). Fridays, from 10.15am - 1.45pm at the Annexe. Further details from Coby on Tel: 0772 9051615.

• Tai Chi for Beginners - Friday nights, 6.45-7.45pm, The Room, Lochwinnoch Library.

Lochwinnoch Historical Society

At our meeting on 19th February Ian McCrorie, historian for Calmac, gave an excellent and lively talk on the history of Caledonian McBrayne. The evening was enjoyed by all.

Our next meeting is on Thursday 19th March

at 7.30 in the Guild Room of the Par-ish Church. The speaker will be Gordon Gibb, his talk is on the history of India Tyres.

Fee for visitors is £2 which includes tea/coffee, biscuits and cake. Contact Gordon Nicholl Tel: 842632

Dates for your diaries

• Tuesday 3 March at 7.30pm Cornelius Lynch (banana pro-ducer from St Lucia) speaking at Parish Church (only Renfrewshire venue!) – free admission. *

• Wednesday 4 March 9 am-12 noon Fairtrade Coffee Morning at The Junction. *

• Friday 6th – Saturday 7th March (noon to noon) Banana themed menu at The Junction: * join the attempt to set a world re-cord for eating Fairtrade bananas in 24 hours. To achieve a world record we need to get people to register online at - www.fairtrade.org.uk/gobananas

• Saturday 7th March - Councillor Neil Bibby’s Surgery, at 9am, McKillop Institute. *

• Sunday 8th March, 11am–2pm Fairtrade Stall at Castle Semple Centre, Lochwinnoch. *

• Wk. Beg. Monday 9th March - Fairtrade Photographic Exhibition in Lochwinnoch Library . *

• Saturday 14th March - Calder-glen Football Club Annual Sports-man’s Dinner - Lochwinnoch Bowling Club. *

• Monday 16th March Lochwinnoch Art Group fort-nightly meeting at 7.30pm, McKil-lop Institute. *

• Wednesday 18th March - Lochwinnoch SWRI evening and AGM, with speaker, at 7.30pm McKillop Inst. Visitors welcome. *

• Thursday 19th March - Lochwinnoch Historical Society evening, speaker Gordon Gibb on “The History of India Tyres” - at 7.30pm in the Guild Room of the Parish Church. *

POPPY’S FLORIST

29 MAIN STREET

KILBIRNIE Tel No: 01505 681212

Flowers for all occasions Weddings

Funeral Tributes New Arrivals

Birthdays, Anniversaries Floral Arrangements

made to order

and don’t forget Mothering Sunday

on 22nd March and

Easter 10th-13th April

LOCHWINNOCH BOWLING CLUB

Friday 27th MarchFriday 27th MarchFriday 27th MarchFriday 27th March FASHION SHOWFASHION SHOWFASHION SHOWFASHION SHOW

By Toggery

Last year, we offered a ’one-off’ membership at a special price.

We would like to repeat that this year - bowl for a season for £25!

Apply to Marion Jamieson on Tel: 01505 502975.

• Friday 20th March - Prize Bingo Night at 7.30pm at the Masonic Hall. All welcome.

• Sunday 22nd March - Mothering Sunday Home Coming Service, Bi-centenary special celebratory services and organ recitals at Lochwinnoch Parish Church. *

• Mon. 23rd - Sat. 28th March Art Exhibition by Lochwinnoch Art Group at the Library (open during Library hours). *

• Thursday 26th March - Lochwinnoch Elderly Forum meeting at 1pm, McKillop Inst.

• Thurs. 26th - Sun. 29th March - Lochwinnoch Arts Festival. * (See front pages of Chatterbox.)

• Friday 27th March - Fashion Show at the Bowling Club. *

• Sunday 29th March - Creative Class - Your Guardian Angel. *

• Monday 30th March - Lochwinnoch Art Group fort-nightly meeting at 7.30pm, McKillop Institute. *

• Friday 17th April - Chips and Opera Night. (See separate no-tice in this issue of Chatterbox.)

* See inside this issue of Chatterbox for further details of these events. Lochwinnoch

Scottish Country Dance Club

Are you fit, active and

looking for a new interest?

Join our Scottish Country Dancing Club at 7.30pm on Tuesday nights in the McKillop Institute and learn how to enjoy our traditional country danc-ing with Reels, Jigs, Strathspeys and the various steps associated with them. It's all good exercise for the mind as well as the legs and a most enjoyable and inexpensive evening.

New Members will be most welcome - come and have a try.

STOP PRESS

March 31st is going to be Janie Andrews’ last night with us, after be-ing our teacher for the last 26 years. Should there be any past members who would like to come along and join us on her final evening, you will be more than welcome.

CALDERGLEN FOOTBALL CLUB

Fundraising Event

Annual Sportsman’s Dinner

on

Saturday 14th March at

Lochwinnoch Bowling Club at 7.30pm.

Tickets £20 per head,

includes a 3-Course dinner

and Speakers: John McKelvie, former referee and Police Inspector;

and Peter Brown, Director of Bank of Scotland.

For tickets,

contact J Hodgson Tel: 01505 843164

Write to: 2014 Mile End Mill, 12 Seedhill Road, Paisley, PA1 1JS

Tel: 0141 561 0333. E-mail: [email protected] or come to one of my advice surgeries.

L o c h w i n n o c h r e s i d e n t s L o c h w i n n o c h r e s i d e n t s L o c h w i n n o c h r e s i d e n t s L o c h w i n n o c h r e s i d e n t s ---- Can I help? If so, please don’t Can I help? If so, please don’t Can I help? If so, please don’t Can I help? If so, please don’t h e s i t a t e t o g e t i n t o u c h .h e s i t a t e t o g e t i n t o u c h .h e s i t a t e t o g e t i n t o u c h .h e s i t a t e t o g e t i n t o u c h .

Douglas Alexander, Lochwinnoch’s MP

Renfrewshire Libraries Renfrewshire Libraries Renfrewshire Libraries Renfrewshire Libraries PresentPresentPresentPresent

Baby & ToddlerBaby & ToddlerBaby & ToddlerBaby & Toddler

Rhyme time Rhyme time Rhyme time Rhyme time ATATATAT

Lochwinnoch Lochwinnoch Lochwinnoch Lochwinnoch LibraryLibraryLibraryLibrary

Every Tuesday Every Tuesday Every Tuesday Every Tuesday 2.15pm2.15pm2.15pm2.15pm

Lochwinnoch Library

ADVICE WORKS

Tuesdays 10am –12.30pm

Advisors are on hand to help fill in claim forms, check and advise on wel-fare benefits/money problems. Advisors can provide expert advice on a wide range of debt related topics, such as credit card, mortgage arrears, council tax, etc. The service is FREE, confidential and open to all Renfrew-shire residents.

LIBRARY OPENING HOURS :

Monday, Wednesday and Friday:

2pm–5pm & 6pm–8pm Tuesday and Saturday: 10am–1pm

and 2pm–5pm Closed Thursday.

Tel: 01505 842305

New Books for

March Jeffrey Deaver : Bodies left behind

A spring night in a small town in Wiscon-sin. . . . A call to police emergency from a distant lake house is cut short. . . . A phone glitch or an aborted report of a crime? Off-duty deputy Brynn leaves her family's dinner table and drives up to de-serted Lake Mondac to find out. She stumbles onto the scene of a heinous mur-der. . . . Linda Fairstein : Lethal legacy

When Assistant District Attorney Alex Cooper is summoned to Tina Barr's apart-ment on Manhattan's Upper East Side, she finds a neighbor convinced that the young woman was assaulted. But the terrified victim, a conservator of rare books and maps, refuses to cooperate with investiga-tors. Then another woman is found mur-dered in that same apartment with an ex-tremely valuable book, believed to have been stolen……. Elly Griffiths : The Crossing Places

When she's not digging up bones or other ancient objects, Ruth Galloway lectures at the University of North Norfolk. She lives happily alone in a remote, wild place called Saltmarsh overlooking the North Sea under Norfolk's vast skies. For com-pany she has her cats Flint and Sparky, and Radio 4. When a child's bones are found in the marshes near an ancient site that Ruth worked on ten years earlier, Ruth is asked to date them. The bones turn out to be two thousand years old, and DCI Harry Nelson, who called on Ruth for help, is disappointed. He'd hoped they would be the bones of a child called Lucy who's been missing for ten years.

He's been getting letters about her ever since - bizarre notes with references to ritual and sacrifice and quoting the Bible and Shakespeare……. Tess Gerritsen : Keeping the dead

For untold years, the perfectly preserved mummy had lain forgotten in the dusty basement of Boston's Crispin Museum. Now its sudden rediscovery by museum staff is both a major coup and an atten-tion-grabbing mystery. Dubbed 'Madam X’, the mummy (to all appearances, an ancient Egyptian artifact) seems a ghoulish godsend for the financially struggling institution. But medical ex-aminer Maura Isles soon discovers a macabre message hidden within the corpse; horrifying proof that this 'centuries-old' relic is instead a modern-day murder victim………. To Maura and Boston homicide detec-tive Jane Rizzoli, the forensic evidence is unmistakable, its implications terrify-ing……

Renew and Reserve at

www.renfrewshwire.gov.uk/libraries

Library members can view, renew and reserve their library loans online. All you need to get started is your library membership number and a password. If you don’t have a pass-word just ask at any library.

“Your Village” Want to find out more?

Why not browse through our collec-tion of local photographs and step into a very different world that was

… Lochwinnoch.

was delivered by Johnny Mair and the reading incorporated the humour of the verses very well indeed. There fol-lowed another of Burns’ tribute poems, “To a Mountain Daisy” by Malky Blair whose recitation of this excellent work by Burns was much admired by the audience.

The last of the selected readings was “Death and Doctor Hornbook” and this was delivered in costume and with great panache by Johnny Mair and Gavin Pratt. The audience were treated to the thoughts emanating from a “meeting” between an inebriated Burns and the Grim Reaper about the local self-taught apothecary (Dr Hornbook). Burns’ view that the apothecary’s po-tions were deadly harmful rather than healing is supported by hugely funny examples; self-interest results in the Grim Reaper concurring as the apothe-cary’s dangerous potions were losing him business !!

The “NICHT WI’ BURNS” was con-cluded with a toast to the Immortal Memory proposed by Bill Davey and drunk in a choice of either of our na-tional tipples - a single malt or an Irn Bru ! Those lucky enough to have secured tickets for this sell-out event were then treated to a medley of pipe tunes by Julie Donn while enjoying the excellent Scottish food and (FRENCH!) wine prepared by the ladies from the library.

In appreciation for the excellent eve-ning’s entertainment the GARTH-LAND ST WINNOCH CRONIES were presented with specially engraved whisky glasses, with which it is hoped they raise many more toasts to Burns. Julie Donn, a former World Champion Amateur Solo Piper and therefore the village’s most accomplished piper, was given a kilt-pin which it is hoped she wears when winning her next World Championship.

Finally, many congratulations and a huge thank-you to Margaret Sweenie and the team at Lochwinnoch Library for producing yet another superb eve-ning event.

Lochwinnoch’s links with Burns’ work, in particular “Auld Lang Syne”, and the influence on his stanza structure through Francis and Robert Sempill of Beltrees is a matter of record. In an-swer to the question posed in last month’s Chatterbox this IS very well known to REAL Lochenyochians. “A NICHT WI’ BURNS” fittingly re-established this link in a wonderfully convivial atmosphere which Burns and the Sempills would have revelled in !

Entry forms will be available from the usual local agencies. Also, watch out for posters with more information - such as details of the Waterstone Trophy, entry fees and closing date for all entry forms. Alternatively, further details can be obtained from Race Organ-iser, Murray Lawrie at Tel: 0141 887 8791 or by e-mail at: [email protected]

In 1983, the Lochwinnoch Fun Run was born as part of the Boys’ Brigade centenary celebrations. Local events at that time fixed the second Saturday in June as the best date and it has been held on that Saturday ever since - so this year’s race is on

Saturday 13th June.

Many changes have been made over the years, with the adults now racing over 6 miles (previously 7); and the race is now firmly fixed in the Scottish Athletics Calendar. Last year, the adult trophies were won by local lass Jacquie Donaldson and Michael Finlay (Kilbarchan). Will they retain their titles, is the big question - and will Allan Penny maintain his domi-nance as the Leading Local, or will David Nicholls made a comeback? There are also medals for veterans (ladies and men) and Leading Lo-cal boys and girls.

1st Lochwinnoch Company, The Boys’ Brigade

27th running Of

LOCHWINNOCHLOCHWINNOCHLOCHWINNOCHLOCHWINNOCH

OPEN OPEN OPEN OPEN

RACERACERACERACE

on

Saturday 13th June 2009

Starting at Calder Street, Lochwinnoch at 2.15pm

A NICHT WI’ BURNS There may have been bigger events com-memorating the 250th Anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth but none will have captured the essence of this celebration better than the community library’s “ A NICHT WI’ BURNS “. Traditional Burns Suppers have their place but the programme necessarily ad-heres to a pre-set formula and therefore to a sense of “sameness”. A change in for-mat was needed to help differentiate this year’s special celebrations and the com-munity library’s “A NICHT WI’ BURNS” more than met that need. The event was co-produced with the GARTHLAND ST WINNOCH CRONIES who also pre-sented the entertainment. By choosing not to adopt the traditional “supper” for their acknowledgement of Burns, the Library provided a much broader base for the pre-senters to express their admiration for the man and his works. The result was a well-balanced and impressive commemoration of the national bard.

The GARTHLAND ST WINNOCH CRONIES have been building their repu-tation as exponents of Burns through ap-pearances at various events this year. But “A NICHT WI’ BURNS“ provided the ideal structure for their narrative and spe-cially selected readings to resonate through their audience.

Johnny Mair launched the programme and set the standard for the night with his ad-dress “To a Haggis”, which had been piped in by Julie Donn. Bill Davey then provided the framework for the evening with an intelligent insight into Burns, de-livered with an evident passion but which never betrayed the reality of the obvious paradoxes in Burns’character. Using his variation on a traditional Immortal Mem-ory Toast, Bill guided the audience through the Bard’s life and work with particular focus on the farming aspect. At intervals selected readings were given by other “CRONIES” to emphasise or illus-trate specific points in the narrative.

Malky Blair gave the first of these, a very well received rendition of one of Burns’ most popular humorous poems, “To the Toothache”. This was followed by the raspingly barbed “Holy Willie’s Prayer” superbly presented by Gavin Pratt. Johnny Mair then produced one of Burns’ less well-known poems “The Death and Dying Words of Mailie” – a commentary on Burns’ favourite pet-sheep. The next reading was stylishly recited by Malky Blair, “To a Mouse” – a much loved trib-ute by Burns to the “tim’rous beastie”. The “moose’s reply”, “To a Ploughman”

YOGA and HEALING MEDITATION WORKSHOPS

March 14 Saturday "AWAKENING" April 26 Sunday "KINDNESS"

May 17 Sunday "TRUTH" June 21 Sunday "ENTHUSIASM"

All workshops are held in Kilbarchan Guide Hall

Cost £15.00

Contact Rebecca on Tel: 0141-881-6700.

Sky at Night Lochwinnoch

March 2009 Satellites Collide

On 10th February two communi-

cations satellites, Iridium 33

belonging to the US, and Kos-

mos 2251 owned by Russia, col-

lided over northern Siberia.

Hundreds of pieces of debris

have spread around the Earth

and the US Strategic Command

are current tracking 49 pieces

from Iridium 33 and 85 from

Kosmos 2251. Some of the or-

biting debris will re-enter the

atmosphere over time and pro-

duce spectacular fireballs.

The MOON is ‘full’ on the 11th

and ‘new’ on the 26th March.

Venus - Jupiter - Mars Venus has dominated the eve-

ning sky throughout the winter.

The closest planet to Earth, it

reflects light at magnitude 4.7.

Throughout the month,

Venus sets earlier in the eve-

ning and by the end of the

month, goes down with the

Sun, reaching inferior conjunc-

tion on March 27. As we move

into April, Venus joins Jupiter,

Mars and becomes a 'morning

star'.

BRIDGE

We’ve had an encouraging response from people who are interested in be-ing part of a local Bridge club. If you missed our appeal in last month’s Chatterbox, here it is again. There’s still time to register an interest - the more the merrier! Over the years, a number of people have commented about the lack of a Bridge club in Lochwinnoch. The Scottish Bridge Union is very keen to support any new initiative when it comes to the development of Bridge as a game at all standards. They are willing to give grants to aid the set-up of a Bridge club. This will include the provision of lessons both for begin-ners and returnees to the game.

There are a number of conditions at-tached, the most important of which is that there are sufficient numbers of people to make it viable in both the short and medium term. Conse-quently, I am trying to establish the level of interest in the village and any surrounding areas.

In order to do this, I would be inter-ested to hear from anyone who would like to participate. (There will be a number of issues which will need to be resolved, e.g. where we would play, etc but these can be discussed once it is identified that there is suffi-cient interest.) I can be contacted on 01505 842151 (please leave a message on the an-swerphone if I am not in) or e-mail at: [email protected] Alternatively, leave a message at the Library, marked for the attention of Roger Evans.

Saturn remains alone in the

evening sky and is visible all

night reaching its closest to Earth

on 8th March.

2009 GLOBE at Night campaign 16 - 28 March

Light pollution restricts our view

of the night sky. If you have ac-

cess to a computer, you can take

part in a very simple Worldwide

survey to evaluate just how bad

it was/is/has become. Visit the

website -

http://www.globe.gov/GaN/

and follow the instructions.

As Orion slips towards the western horizon, the constellation

of Gemini - the Twins - Castor

and Pollux, reminds us that

Spring is not far away. Castor is

the upper of the two brightest

stars.

The International Space

Station is visiting the skies

above the village at the start

of the month.

For information on possible sight-

ings and other information, visit

our webpage -

www.lochwinnoch.info

Sky at Night Lochwinnoch.

(Also, see inside back pages of this issue of Chatterbox for details of Muirshiel Stargazing nights. Ed)

THIS MONTH —a wee trip in the Village Tardis with PAT THOMSON!

A FEW REMINISCENCES

L OOKING BACK OVER THE YEARS, it’s amazing the changes that have taken place

in the village. For example, the build-ing we use as a library used to be the primary school. The first two classes were based here and the part that is now the kitchen, etc was the janitor's house. The teachers there were a Miss Holmes and a Miss Robb. Behind the school at the back of what is now Key-store was Willie Glen's byre. I remem-ber being sent there with the money and a miniature milk churn for a quart of milk and being told to get the fresh milk from the afternoon's milking (more or less straight from the cow). If it was Mr Glen himself he would give you the fresh milk, but if it was his sister you had to take the morning milk, like it or lump it. To get from Craw Place to Braehead

there was a track up the side of the field with a burn running down it. This is now Craw Road and the burn still runs down it underground. At the top was a gate that led into part of what is now Braehead. At that time it con-sisted of two large houses, a cottage and four blocks of council flats. Cal-derpark Street goes up the hill from here to the school annexe (although this is usually referred to as “the wee school”). Calder Drive (hill 60) goes back down into Calder Street and so back to the Cross. In those days what is now the Royal

Bank was the National Commercial and that is where I opened my first bank account. Don't think this showed I was thrifty, far from it. My employer had decided to pay our wages monthly into a bank account so I had no option but to open one. The old churchyard at the foot of

Johnshill stood in magnificent isola-tion surrounded by trees. It was well looked after by Mr Calderwood. He tended the graveyard, wound the clock and generally kept an eye on things. One day he allowed a few children to accompany him as he was going to cut the ivy on the back wall and was looking for some ener-getic labour. The ivy was duly cut and to our amazement above one of the graves, in the wall, was an old penny. It had been cemented into the wall. We were told it would be removed and sent to Paisley mu-seum. What happened I don't know but although it was removed it never made it to Paisley. In fact, it just seemed to disappear. Mr. Calderwood also looked after

the play park at the foot of Church Street. Being the parkie he knew most of the kids in the village and he could stop any nonsense before it started. He never seemed to raise his voice but we always did as he said. Perhaps it was because he knew all our parents and could report to them; you kept your nose clean. The doctor's house at that time

was in the Harvey Square. The door to the surgery was round the corner in Harvey Terrace. Unlike today you didn't need an appointment, you just went into the waiting room and took a seat. The doctor worked his way through his patients and it wasn't unknown for some patients to come into the surgery on their way home from the pictures. Surgeries could go on until 10 o'clock or sometimes even later. I remember my mother saying he occasionally made house calls as late as 11 o'clock at night if he had a seriously ill patient. There was a pend or wide path ran up the side of the doctor's house and right along the back of the terrace houses giving access for anything that was too large to go through the closes. Across the road from the

terrace, where the wee bungalows are now, was a market garden. If it could be grown in this climate the gardener grew it, if not he put it in the green-houses and grew it anyway. I think he kept the village going with fruit and vegetables in season. Tomatoes, let-tuce and a bunch of sweet peas. Cab-bage, cauliflower and some chrysan-themums it was all the same to him. In those days anything you needed

you could buy in the village, what you couldn't you could order through the Co-op. Such things as a three-piece suite or a bedroom suite which were a bit too big to stick on a shelf. If you had the right contacts your bedroom or dining room suite may well have come from Joe Johnstone's. Because my family was in business

in the village we all used different shops. My gran went to Jimmy Whyte's the grocers, Alan Henry the butcher and Beenie Arthur the baker. My mother went to John Black’s, John Chapman's and The Garthland Bakery respectively. One of my aunts went to Baird's and Campbell's the butcher. Even the paper shops were split. My gran and one aunt to Margaret Fer-gusson's and my mother and the other aunt to John Whyte's. This informa-tion is stuck in my head because al-though the grocers and butchers deliv-ered, orders had to be taken to the shops and everything else collected. Guess whose job that was on a Satur-day morning?

It might be of interest to those new to the village, to know where the shops I have mentioned were. The Spar shop was Jimmy Whyte's, the Junction was John Black's, the vet’s was Alan Hendry's and part of the Garthland lounge was John Chapman's. Baird’s is now Keystore and Campbell's was in the High Street. The paper shops were both in Church Street; John Whyte's where the bridal shop is now and M. Fergusson's is still the paper shop today. © PAT THOMSON

THE WRITERS MEET IN THE L IBRARY , ON MONDAYS

9.30-11.30AM . All Welcome.

LOCHWNNOCH

WRITERS

LW

USEFUL CONTACT NUMBERS Strathclyde Police – 0141 532 5900 Johnstone Police – 01505 404000 Johnstone Community Safety Office – 01505 404023 Trading Standards – 0141 840 3233 Care and Repair – 0141 812 4111 Renfrewshire Council - Tel: 0141 842 5000 Anti-social Behaviour Investigation Team (ASIST) - 0141 840 2163 Victim Support – 0141 887 0328 Nuisance Support & Advice Helpline – 0800 169 1283 Crimestoppers – 0800 555 111

Community Safety Office, Johnstone Police Station.

The Strathclyde Police website con-tains information on all of the new local Community Policing Teams to increase the visibility of the officers within their communities. Take a look at our website -

www. strathclyde.police.uk for contact details of officers in your local Policing Team. Please note the new phone number for ASIST (Anti-social Behaviour Team) - see below and front page (top right-hand corner) of this issue of Chatterbox.

WALKIES ! Everyone has the right to be on most land and inland water providing they act responsibly. Your access rights and responsibilities are explained fully in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Contact SNH on 01738 444177 for leaflets or advice or visit their website: outdooraccess-scotland.com for fur-ther information. Whether you’re in the outdoors or managing the outdoors, the 3 key things are to take responsibility for your own actions, respect the inter-ests of other people and care for the environment. Here’s some guidance, reproduced with permission from SNH, to help you take the lead. * Don’t take your dog into fields where there are lambs, calves or other young animals. * Don’t take your dog into fields of vegetables or fruit unless you are on a clear path, such as a core path or right of way - and keep to the path. * Never let your dog worry or attack farm animals. * If you go into a field of farm animals, keep as far away as possible from the animals and keep your dog on a short lead (i.e. 2 metres of less) or under close control (i.e. this means that your dog responds to your com-mands and is kept close at heel). * If cattle react aggressively and move towards you, keep calm, let the dog go and take the shortest, safest route out of the field. * During the bird breeding season(usually April-July), keep your dog under close control or on a short lead in areas of moorland, forests, grass-land, loch shores AND the seashore. * Pick up and remove your dog’s fae-ces if it fouls in a public open place or where there’s a risk to farming interests. * Some reservoirs and streams are used for public water supply. If there are intakes nearby, keep your dog out of the water. * In recreation areas and other public places, keep your dog under close control.

YOUR DOG

DOESN’T KNOW ANY BETTER. MAKE SURE YOU DO.

A number of readers have written in to Chatterbox in the past week or so, with reports of stray dogs, killer dogs and dogs not kept on leads or under close control when around livestock and farm animals. The individuals who have suffered at the hands of these irresponsible dog owners and careless walkers have asked us to publish their ex-periences. The facts speak for themselves and we have, again, published the Scottish Outdoor Ac-cess Code (opposite), outlining the key principles and guidance. A timely reminder, as the lamb-ing and calving season gets under way, that you and your dog share the outdoors with others. SHUT THAT GATE -please! We suffered last year more than ever in our 42 years here. A field gate in a fence which stops sheep and cattle from going into the woods and the Maich Glen was left open several times including 3 times in one week! We were lucky because we noticed in time to stop the animals escap-ing but it has resulted in us having to lock all the field gates which is a pest for everyone including us, the farmers.

HENS KILLED BY DOG

As lambing time nears, it would be a timely reminder for dog owners using walkway/cycle tracks to ensure that their dogs are kept under control or on a lead at all times when near live-stock or farms. Recently, an irre-sponsible dog owner allowed her dog to kill several Free-range lay-ing hens. PREGNANT SHEEP KILLED BY STRAY DOG Two farmers lost 13 pregnant ewes last week to a stray Alsation-type mongrel dog. On the first night, 2 of the sheep were fatally savaged by the dog, 4 more (and their unborn lambs) died from the stress of the incident and the adjoining farm lost a further 7 pregnant ewes to the un-welcome attacks from this stray dog. The dog has since been ‘dispatched’ but was wearing a collar and had been micro-chipped and was traced back to the owners, who live nearby and who have made reparations. Given that it takes around 18 months to rear a sheep either for sale or for breeding, this affects the livelihood of a farmer, who has spent time and money on raising a flock. Not only were the sheep wiped out on this occasion but so were the unborn lambs.

J Quinn & son

Memorials

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LOCHWINNOCH ART GROUP NEWS

The weather has warmed slightly which is more encouraging for our members going out to our fortnightly meetings. Our last meeting was very informative for those amongst us who had never stretched a canvas before.

Our meetings during March are on:- Monday 2nd - Drawing Horses by Glenys McKee. Monday 16th - Life Drawing Monday 30th - Pastel Techniques by Phil Arbon.

(The Life Drawing class is correct at the time of going to press but may be subject to change.)

As part of the Lochwinnoch Arts Fes-tival there will be an Art Exhibition in the Library Room, Lochwinnoch Li-brary from Mon 23rd March- Sat 28th March. This Exhibition will include works by The Art Group. There will also be Craft Stalls on the Saturday only. The Exhibition will be open during Library hours.

Christine Brown, Chairperson

TEENAGE CANCER TRUST NEWS

The Brown Bull Christmas Auction and Raffle. Final Total: £6,600.40. This was a fantastic amount raised, especially considering the current economic cli-mate. Well done and many thanks to everyone. Eastern Star. I have received dona-tions for TCT from members of the St Winnoch Chapter, and I wish to thank everyone involved for their support. TCT Yorkhill Appeal. Work is due to begin on the 6-bed TCT unit at the beginning of April. Despite fantastic fundraising efforts throughout the West of Scotland over the past 18 months (especially in Lochwinnoch!), unfortunately we are still well short of the amount required of £350,0000. Please help us by continuing to sup-port our fundraising events, and by spreading the word to your friends, families and work colleagues. I will of course tell you all about the new unit once work is in progress.

Chips & Opera - Yes, it’s back! Last year’s event was a sell-out success, so get your tickets ASAP (details be-low). Alternatively, you can order them from me, John, on Tel: 01505 844801. The Midsummer Evening 'Not the Booze' Cruise sets sail on Friday 19th June. Tickets will be on sale nearer the time - keep your diaries free. 2009 Teenagers. Later this year TCT will be launching a campaign to have 2009 teenagers throughout Scotland each pledge to raise £50 for the charity. I hope as many local teen-agers as possible will sign up to help us. Full details will be released at the time, but maybe the young 'uns can get their thinking caps on now and come up with ideas on how to raise their money. (Do pupils still wear 'thinking caps'? It's been a while since I left school, but I have vague memories of being made to wear a cap and stand in the corner). John Delaney

Chips & Opera Yes fans, it’s back !!! Another fabulous fun-filled night with bubbly, 3 course meal, outstanding opera from Scottish Opera members and danc-ing the night away to the floor-filling sounds of Penny Dogs! So fluff up your frocks, dust off the tux and enjoy yourself, all in aid of Teenage Can-cer Trust’s Yorkhill Appeal.

Harry Ramsden’s Restaurant, Glasgow Friday 17th April 2009

Champagne Reception 7.30pm Carriages - 12.30

Tickets £25 from [email protected] Tel: 01505 705767 / 07801 898196

or send a cheque to Karen Kelly Designs Ltd, 14 High Barholm, Kilbarchan PA10 2EF (cheque made payable to TCT GladRags & Gowns)

Arts and Crafts for Young Teens, Lochwinnoch The Chameleon Club Art Classes are for anyone aged 11+ who would like to try some arts and crafts .

Our next class is on Saturday 21st March from 2pm - 4pm at the RSPB Centre, Beith Road, Lochwinnoch.

To date we have created short plas-ticine animations, ceramic money banks, printed and folded origami creations, mosaic frames and boxes. This March we will explore drawing and creating comics.

Classes are led by local artist Cáit Gould and cost £10 per session, all materials included. Contact Cáit on 01505 842380 to sign up, or to ask for more details.

DATES OF FUTURE CLASSES

From April, classes will continue to be held on the last Saturday of each month, from 2pm-4pm, with the ex-ception of the months of April, July and December when classes will be held on Saturday 18th April, Saturday 18th July, and Saturday 19th Decem-ber 2009.

Stargazing Nights

Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park will hold two more Stargazing nights in March & April. These will be held at Muirshiel Centre, where it is nice and dark. Stargazing nights are on Fridays, from 7-9pm, which is probably the best day in terms of attracting families. To book and for more details, contact Regional Park staff on: 01505 842882. (Remember to wear warm clothing.) If the weather is unsuitable for telescope use there will be a talk and a planetar-ium show on a similar theme to the viewing programme below.

Programme: 20th March - Saturn returns to the night skies throughout this month. Sat-urn is an amazing sight through the tele-scope, with its rings and moons clearly visible.

3rd April - Moon week, part of a na-tionwide initiative running for Interna-tional Year of Astronomy. The subject will be the Moon (strangely enough!!) If anyone wishes to bring their own viewing equipment (telescopes or bin-oculars - 10x50 or higher) then that would be great.

Follow in the Family Footsteps

at Castle Semple Centre

from Friday 6 March 2009

As a start to the Homecoming sea-son at Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, there will be a guided tour around the historic heartlands of Parkhill Woods and the loch shore area, with the emphasis on the Sem-ple and the MacDowall Families, who used to own the estates. Don’t forget to visit the Exhibition in Castle Semple Centre. For further details please call 01505 842 882, ext 22.

Castle Semple Sundays

Castle Semple Centre, Lochwinnoch are running a programme of Sunday events for entertainment and educa-tion. There will be something happen-ing every Sunday throughout March from the large Farmer’s Market on the 1st, to holistic Massage Therapy ses-sions on the 29th. Programme is as follows: 1st March: Lochwinnoch Farmer’s Market – first of the year with local producers bringing their wares to Castle Semple Centre.

8th March: Fair Trade exhibition – Exhibition and sale of Fairtrade goods

15th March: Glass Works – Demon-strations of the art of leaded glasswork and related skills - to be confirmed.

22nd March: Mothering Sunday Craft Fair – Local Craft stalls.

29th March: Inverclyde Massage Therapies – Get a relaxing massage at the centre.

For further details please call 01505 842 882 ext 24.

Do your bit for nature at Muirshiel on Wed. 25th March at 1pm

Do you like watching nature pro-grammes on the TV? Want to do some-thing to help wildlife – and ‘do your bit for nature’? Then take a trip up to Muirshiel Centre and join the Rangers with some conser-vation tasks, which will be of benefit to the local wildlife, on Wednesday 25th March 2009 from 1pm onwards. It is also of benefit to us humans – WE get a good workout in the open air in the com-pany of like-minded people! The old phrase “many hands make light work” is true and one squad can make more of an impact in less time than one or two people working over a longer period and one day of disruption is less stressful to the native wildlife. If you would like to help please be pre-pared to get wet and very dirty! Teas and coffees will be provided at the end of the session. To book a place or for further de-tails, Tel 01505 842 803.

Mothering Sunday Craft Fair

at Castle Semple Centre on Sunday 22 March 10am-4pm

Is it difficult to find a present for your Mother? Why not come along to the Craft Fair with your Mother and get her to choose her own gift, and spend a pleasant day together as well.

This Craft Fair is organised by the Re-gional Park bringing together local craft producers, where it will be ideal to pur-chase a special Mother’s Day gift. Make it a family visit and have a coffee or tea, feed the swans and ducks or perhaps take a stroll along the loch shore to Parkhill Woods where the spring flowers should be starting to appear.

RSPB LOCHWINNOCH

NEWS

Subscribe to the RSPB Lochwinnoch Blog!

For weekly updates about what is happening at the reserve, visit:

http://blogs.rspb.org.uk/ lochwinnoch/default.aspx

and subscribe using the RSS link.

Here’s a lovely story, beautifully written by Andrew Kyle, an RSPB Lochwinnoch volunteer.

seemingly entranced by our an-

tics. Personally, I don’t see the

attraction. I visit the feeder, eat

what I feel like, then dart off,

hoping to catch the eye of the

little minx from Aird Meadow or

perhaps the cute one from the

tree by the road. Then I return

and repeat the process. If I’m

up for a little bit of DIY I collect

moss or bits of grass to pad the

inside of my box for warmth.

They’re kind, those people, for

saving me some effort. I use the

boxes they make for us instead

of making up nests myself. Al-

though I have done so on occa-

sion, don’t think me a sponger

of charity! I think they’re amaz-

ing!. They devote so much time

and effort to servicing us and

what do we do in return? We do

what we always do and would

continue to do even if they

weren’t there. Does that not

mean we’re taking them for

granted, letting them slave over

us for no reward? I feel guilty

sometimes.

Which is why, I guess, I every

so often do something to im-

press them. It can be the small-

est of things, but it gets them

all in a fuss, swarming round

the viewing windows and chat-

tering away in their strange

voices. I could fly close to the

window and hover for a few sec-

onds. Or, I could circle the feed-

ers a couple of times then land

atop the wooden peg. I’ve seen

them drop their books and rush

up for a better look.

Them looking

in ..... Eating and doing what one

does day in day out every day

of the week is a mundane

thing. You must understand

that. Yet, we watch and we

love watching the little birds

flock to our feeders, eating

and doing what they do. They

sit and twitter, or perch and

peck, and go on, every day,

doing tiny things that set fire

to our hearts and let our spir-

its soar. However, I started

thinking, what do we look like

to them? We stand and watch

them doing things we find

fascinating, but if we were to

do those things ourselves

we’d think nothing of it. I

stood by the window watch-

ing a single blue tit the other

day and as it perched there

eating some of the newly dis-

covered Fruity Nibbles, it

stopped, and looked right at

me. Just for a moment, I was

transfixed. Was it as excited

about the meeting of the eyes

that I was…..

..…The man was staring straight

at me. He had in one hand a bot-

tle of juice and the other a sand-

wich and he seemed to have fro-

zen to the spot. Now usually

they’re always moving back and

forth behind their walls, carting

bags of food around, filling up

our feeders every now and then,

but most commonly watching us

through the windows, pointing

their telescopes, cameras and

binoculars out in our direction,

The woodpecker and fieldfare

have it nailed – they simply stay

away for long periods and then

they make fleeting appearances,

knowing full well their rare pres-

ence is an event in itself. One

wonders whether the hen harrier

thinks the same.

To be honest, I’m not sure what

it is we’ve done for them or why

our little nothings make them so

happy, but I know I’m happy

when I see them watching us.

They’re our guardians I guess,

our angels. So when I see one

transfixed by me looking at him,

I feel a warm buzz inside myself,

and I thank them for thinking so

highly of me, never asking for

anything in return.

Andrew Kyle,

Lochwinnoch volunteer

Go Bananas on Saturday 7th March

For this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight, RSPB Lochwinnoch is going to have an event involving visitors, staff and the Young Volunteers group. We are encouraging visitors to bring along a Fairtrade banana (or two!) to eat on the reserve and have their efforts logged for the world record attempt - www.fairtrade.org.uk/gobananas

Free Fairtrade tea and coffee will be on offer in the RSPB Visitor Centre.

There will also be a great range of handmade Tanzanian jewellery and small crafts (made mostly by women) for sale, to raise funds for the charity, the Amani Centre for Children in Morogoro, Tanzania.

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News & Events at RSPB, Muirshiel, Cornalees & Castle Semple Centres

• Thursday mornings - Slinky Strollers - Morning walks, meet at 10.30am at Castle Semple Centre.

• Friday 6th March - Family Footsteps: Homecoming 2009 at Castle Semple Visitor Centre. *

• Saturday 7th March - Teenage Volunteers Group join us at the RSPB Centre from 11am-4pm and take part in bird surveying, out-door work and much more. Book-ing essential; Tel: 842663

Also, there will be a Fairtrade Fortnight ‘Go Bananas’ event at the RSPB Centre on 7th March. *

• Sunday 8th March - Fairtrade Fortnight stall/exhibition at Castle Semple Centre. *

• Monday 9th March - Twilight Talk: The Return of the Beaver - 7.30pm-9pm at the RSPB Centre, Lochwinnoch. Simon Jones of the Scottish Wildlife Trust will talk about the ecology and history of the European beaver, why so many people want to see it return to the UK and he will also explain all about the Scottish Beaver Trial in the Knapdale Forest of Argyll. To book Tel: 01505 842663.

• Sunday 15th March - Glass Works demonstrations at Castle Semple Centre. *

• Thursday 19th March - Coffee morning at the RSPB Centre from 11am—1pm. Enjoy a hot drink, a chat and the wonderful view and wildlife of the reserve. £2 to cover tea/coffee and biscuits.

• Friday 20th March - Muirshiel Stargazing Night. *

• Saturday 21st March - Chameleon Club workshop with Cáit Gould, 2-4pm at RSPB Cen-tre. See the Chameloen Club notice inside for more details. *

• Sunday 22nd March - Mothering Sunday Craft Fair - 10am-4pm, Castle Semple Ctre.*

• Wednesday 25th March - Conservation Volunteer Session It’s the last session of the season, join in and enjoy the exercise and fresh air at Muirshiel Centre. Starts at 1pm - allow 2 hours. Come dressed for the weather and for getting dirty! For more info. and to book Tel: 842803.

• Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th March - Optics Weekend at the RSPB Centre from 10am to 4pm. An opportunity to test and buy a wide range of optics.

• Saturday 28th March - RSPB Art: Watercolours. Local artist, Kate Lilley teaches the basics. To book, Tel: 01505 842663.

• Sunday 29th March - Inverclyde Massage Therapies at Castle Semple Centre. *

• Friday 3rd April - Muirshiel Stargazing Night. *

* See inside back pages of Chatterbox for further infor-

mation on these events/activities.

VISITOR CENTRES WINTER OPENING HOURS

Castle Semple Centre Open daily, 10am-4pm. Tel: 01505 842882. Cornalees Centre - Open at Week-ends only, 10.30am-3pm from Nov ‘08 to March ‘09. (Toilets open daily.) Tel: 01475 521458 Muirshiel Centre - Open at Week-ends only, 11am-3pm from Nov ‘08 to March ‘09. (Park and toilets open daily.) Tel: 01505 842803 RSPB Reserve - Reserve is open at all times; Visitor Centre open daily, 10am-5pm. Tel: 01505 842663.

CHATTERBOX Chatterbox is a free community news-paper, produced for the Community Council of Lochwinnoch through finan-cial assistance from local sponsors and advertisers and distributed every month by volunteers. The aim of those involved is to produce an informative and enter-taining journal for those who live, work and visit in this area. The Editor welcomes all items for possible inclusion but will reserve all rights over them, i.e. the right to shorten, edit or not publish any item. Please note, all views are of individuals and the Editor accepts no liability for editorial errors or statements and claims made in advertisements.

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