West Fife Villages Home

NEW Moderator to visit Abbey

The Rt. Rev. Derek Browning, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, is visiting Culross Abbey twice as part of the Abbey’s 800th Anniversary celebrations.

Dr Browning is Minister of Morningside Parish Church in Edinburgh but has very strong links with Fife having gained his second degree, in Divinity with Honours, at St Mary’s College in St Andrews University.

His first ministerial charge was at Cupar Old Parish Church in 1987 where he remained for 14years. During that time Dr Browning was Chairman of the Lighthouse, an ecumenical bookshop, coffee shop and resource centre.

He was Chaplain to Bell Baxter High School and to Elmwood College and was Honorary Chaplain to the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry.

Dr Browning was instrumental in establishing the K2 project – a joint project between the Church and Scripture Union providing a full-time youth worker in the three secondary schools in North-East Fife. He was also Moderator of St Andrews Presbytery in 1996-1997.

On Saturday 23rd September at 6.30pm, Dr Browning is joining the Heart & Soul Swing Band Concert in Culross Abbey. An open invitation is extended to everyone to attend this free event and any donations on the evening will be given to the HIV/AIDS charity.

On Sunday 24th September at 11am, Dr Browning will be leading a Celebratory Service in Culross Abbey. Again, an open invitation is extended to everyone to attend.

The Rev. Liz Fisk (Locum Minister) is “absolutely delighted that the Moderator has found time in his very busy schedule to attend two celebratory events at Culross Abbey this weekend”.

Parish Church News

Culross and Torryburn Parish Church serving the villages of Culross, High and Low Valleyfield, Newmills, Torryburn, Shiresmill and Blairhall.

Services on Sunday 3rd September will be held in High Valleyfield Church at 9.45am followed by refreshments and in Culross Abbey at 11am. Both services will be led by Rev. Liz Fisk.

The Abbey Café is open 11am – 4pm daily excepting Mondays. If you’re visiting Culross Abbey or just in the vicinity, pop in for friendly service at reasonable cost of a wide selection of home made baking, soup of the day, leaf teas, coffee and Nelson’s ice cream.

Coffee mornings are held every Tuesday 10am to 12 in High Valleyfield Church – refreshments and a blether guaranteed, all welcome. The Kids Club meets each Thursday evening in High Valleyfield Church, contact Rae Hunter for further information on 881574.

The Culross Annual Fete & Farmers Market was very well attended and much enjoyed by all. The Church input of eight stalls did great trade and realised some £2300 – nearly double that expected. Well done to all involved. It is hoped that this success will encourage Culross Community Council to run the Event again next year.

Notes for your diary:
There will be a ‘Swing Band Event’ on the evening of Saturday 23rd September in Culross Abbey. More details to come.
To recognize the 800th anniversary of Culross Abbey, The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Dr. Derek Browning will lead a Celebratory Service in the Abbey at 11am on Sunday 24 September. No Service in High Valleyfield Church on this Sunday, persons normally worshiping at High Valleyfield and requiring transport to the Abbey please contact the Church Office (882213) or David Wall.

Pupils visit Community Orchard to celebrate Blossom Day

The community orchard at Valleyfield Woodland Park, now in its second year, has been celebrated with the holding of a Blossom Day.

Pupils from St Serf’s, Culross and Torryburn primary schools returned to see how the trees were progressing after they and four other local schools planted the trees back in February 2016.

Grants for paths on offer

Paths for All is offering grants of up to £1,500 to help community groups improve, maintain and promote their local community paths.

Does your group have a great idea for a community paths project but doesn’t have the money to carry out the work?

If the answer is “yes” Paths for All can help.

Click link for details http://www.pathsforall.org.uk/pfa/support/community-path-grants.html

Culross Abbey Café will reopen for the season on 9 May.

If you’re visiting Culross Abbey or just in the vicinity, pop in for friendly service at reasonable cost of a wide selection of homemade baking, soup of the day, leaf teas, coffee and Nelson’s ice cream.

Shiresmill Therapy Riding Centre Needs You!
Volunteers Urgently Required – Can You Help Us?

Shiresmill Therapy Riding Centre has been helping children and people of all ages with physical, learning, social and behavioural disabilities for over 30 years.

Since 1996 it has been based at its present location, a beautiful, peaceful spot above High Valleyfield Woods.

There are indoor and outdoor arenas, as well as a wonderful Sensory Park that’s constantly being developed and improved for the enjoyment of our riders and ponies.

The aim of LEADER is to support local, rural community and business networks, and farms diversifying their activities.

West Fife Woodlands based at Shiresmill near Blairhall was presented with the “Community Path Group of the Year” award at the “The Surgeon’s Halls” in Edinburgh.

This award was made at the Paths for All 2016 Volunteer Awards Ceremony which was attended by Minister for Public Health and Sport, Aileen Campbell MSP.

West Fife Woodlands was commended for developing and maintaining a network of paths in 112 acres of woodland with 1,600 volunteer hours expended during the last year.

West Fife Schools Pipe Band are currently recruiting tenor drummers, snare drummers, bass drummer and pipers. Any children currently being educated in the West Fife area aged 8 - 18 years are eligible to join us.

We have a dedicated team of experienced tutors who specialise in teaching children.

No previous experience necessary; drums and uniform are provided. We practice in Rosyth, Fife, and perform throughout the area.

Please contact wfspb@gmx.com or message us on Facebook for more details.

SESplan is the Strategic Development Planning .Authority for the Edinburgh and SE Scotland city region.

Its role is to prepare a Strategic Development Plan every 5 years that sets out a vision for the long term development of the region and deals with cross-boundary issues such as housing, green networks and transport. The current Plan needs to be replace in 2018.

Some forthcoming events at Bennet House in Culross.

Bennet House is a National Trust for Scotland Little Houses Improvement Scheme project, to restore a derelict building in the heart of the historic burgh into two comfortable and modern dwellings (details: http://www.nts.org.uk/Site/LHIS/Bennet-House/).

Building work has now started at Bennet House and we will be running fortnightly ‘hard hat tours’ on a Friday afternoon to allow people to visit, see progress and find out about the Little Houses Improvement Schemes work as the NTS’ in-house buildings preservation trust.

West Fife Woodlands were Highly Commended in the 2016 Scottish Finest Woods Awards ‘Community Woodland’ competition for promoting Healthy Lifestyles, on Friday 24 June at the Royal Highland Show.

The Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards recognises, celebrates and commends the dedication and commitment to the creation and management of Scotland’s finest woods.

More

Longannet Power Station formally closed on 31st March after ceasing to output to the grid on Thursday 24th March. It is the last of the coal-fired power stations to close in Scotland.

It first began generating electricity in 1970 and once fully commissioned, was the largest coal-fired station in Europe. Prior to its closure it was the third largest, after Belchat? in Poland and Drax in England. However with its installed generating capacity of 2,400 megawatts it remained the highest of any power station in Scotland.

Valleyfield Estate Community Orchard
- March 2016 Update

Did you know that it only takes five trees to make an orchard? We have many more than that here!

In February, over 250 children from 7 schools in Fife helped to transform this space into an orchard for wildlife and people to enjoy.

If you walk here regularly you may have recently met children and teachers from Torryburn, Saline, Inzievar, St Serfs, Tulliallan, Culross or Holy Name Primary Schools.

The National Trust for Scotland will be working on an innovative project in Culross this summer, restoring an historic building and in the process helping people find out how conservation skills are put into practice.

The building in question is Bennet House, a house which sits directly opposite The Bessie Bar Hall in Culross and has its origins in the late 16th/early 17th centuries.

Bennet House has been unoccupied for around 20 years and the damaging effects of Scottish weather, combined with a lack of regular maintenance and upkeep, have taken their toll on the building.

Most people will know of Bandrum Care Home, tucked away in the woods at Cowstrandburn, but how many appreciate that with 120 staff it is far and away our largest employer, or are aware of the considerable investment made in recent years to upgrade and extend the range of accommodation available for more than 80 residents from across the age range and with a wide variety of care needs?

Given the past summer, people would be justified in thinking the last place for solar technology would be the West Fife Villages. Well, they're wrong.

Applications have been submitted to Fife Council for the erection of a 5Mw solar farms on Muirmealing Farm, Saline and at Grange, Blairhall.

A formal opening ceremony of the Blairhall to Balgownie Woodland Path took place recently, with the ribbon cutting taking place at the newly erected bridge over Grange Burn.

Attending were representatives of Fife Council, local MSP Cara Hilton, MP Thomas Docherty and other representatives from West Fife Woodlands, Valleyfield Heritage Project Group, Forestry Commission Scotland, Paths for All, ScotWays and the Scottish Ramblers Association. In addition, there was a good attendance by members of the local community.

Check out Saline, Steelend and Communities' new website

Blairhall Community Council minutes

Oakley and Comrie Community Council (PDF file)