Felting For Fun

Cath McGregor is running  special Felting Taster Sessions on Saturday 20th April at the Pop-Up Market in The Courtyard at Kenmore. The sessions are in aid of Alzheimer Scotland and Dementia Dogs, and in return for a donation to these good causes (£5.00 minimum), you can have some fun and make a piece of felt to take home. Call by The Courtyard any time between 10am and 4pm and unleash your inner creativity!

Other dates for your diary are the next FVA Pop-Up Coffee Shop (aka Coffee Morning), which is in the Hall at 10.30am – 12.00 on Tuesday April 23rd and the Annual Quiz Night, run by the Hall Committee, on Saturday 11th May.

The FVA’s AGM was held on 20th March this year, and the Minutes are below:

FVA Annual General Meeting and Business Meeting 2018-19

McLean Hall, 4pm on Saturday 30^th March 2019

 Draft Minutes

 Annual General Meeting

Welcome

The Chair welcomed Members to the 2018-19 FVA AGM and Business Meeting

Apologies: Jim Fair, Cath McGregor, Peter McKenzie

Approval of the Minutes of the 2017-18 AGM held on 17^th March 2019

The Minutes, which were published on the Blog following the 2017-18 AGM, were approved by Julia Lane and seconded by Nic Grant.

Annual Report:

Financial Report and Approval of Financial Statement

The Treasurer reported that total income for the year was £1263.50, an increase of just under 5% on last year. In the latter part of the year, we raised the Coffee Morning price from £2.00 to £3.00 and this accounts for part of the increase – the rest being increased attendance at events.

Membership currently stands at 58. In recent years, a number of long-term members have moved away from the village, so we have created an Honorary Members category in order to keep in touch. There are 9 members in this group.

 Total expenditure for the year 2018-19 was £1,329, significantly up on last year’s figure of £797. The main reasons were a significant donation to the Hall and investment in better equipment for our events.

This year we made a donation of £500 to the Hall to help with the cost of the new kitchen and made our usual donation of £100 towards the Hall’s running costs from the surplus at the Mulled Wine and Mince Pies. The donations made, and the purchase of better equipment, meant that expenditure exceeded income by £66.13 in the financial year.

Jim Fair MCIBS was thanked for examining the accounts, which he found to be ‘correct and sufficiently vouched’.

It should also be noted that the generosity of Members resulted in £145.22 being raised in the Help for Heroes collection box at the Remembrance Day event, and £110 was put in the collecting box for the Air Ambulance over the course of the year. (Collection box donations do not go through our accounts.)

 Chair’s Report

Matters that affect or concern the village:

The Local Development Plan Review continues to be monitored at every stage. A submission was sent in response to the Supplementary Guidance Consultation supporting the Community Council submission.

 Planning Applications – it has been a quieter year. Instead, earlier planning approvals are becoming visible as work starts.

Boreland: The measures taken last year have proved effective and there has been far less disruption and anti-social behaviour in the village as a result. This year the focus has been on establishing a good relationship with the new manager.

Scrap and Land Management: There has been some improvement following the support we have had from Perth & Kinross Council through their multi-agency team. The team’s monitoring is on-going.

Social role:

Events – 10 events were organised. A trial ‘Soup and Rolls’ Saturday lunchtime event wasn’t sufficiently successful in terms of attendance to make it worth repeating. Although attendance at Coffee Mornings is variable month to month, it is fairly consistent over the year. The Remembrance Day Service, Strawberry TeaZ and Mulled Wine & Mince Pies continue to be well supported.

Staying Connected Directory: Jill Davies from Rural Wisdom found our Coffee Mornings a valuable point of contact and she has encouraged us in this mutual help and support initiative. A draft Directory, which is opt-in and open to FVA members, has now been compiled and a specimen copy was available at the AGM. Thanks to Nick, Fran and Fiona.

Road sign: The ‘Slow Down’ sign on the Fearnan Brae stopped working. Thanks to Neil and Peter for trying it out and reporting the fault to Perth & Kinross Council. It was suggested that the matter should be raised by the Community Council with Cllr. Mike Williamson who has an interest in road safety. Action CC

Fearnan History: Items continue to be added to the Fearnan Archive.

 Fearnan Hall: The FVA committee has collaborated with the McLean Hall Committee over the renovation of the kitchen, and the improvements are much appreciated.

The website continues to be maintained. Thanks to Fiona for making it not only informative but very attractive.

Committee Membership: No changes to the committee but anyone who would like to join the committee would be welcome.

 AOCB

Pat Menzies reported that there were no call outs for the defibrillator and the machine is checked regularly and fully functional.

FVA Business Meeting

Approval of the Minutes of the FVA Business Meeting held on 17^th March 2018

 Minutes of the last meeting were published on the Blog in March 2018. They were approved by Nic Grant and seconded by Julia Lane.

Matters Arising not covered elsewhere in the Agenda:

Scrap and Land Management: There has been an improvement. Not so many complaints received this year. The Multi-Agency Team continues to monitor the situation and the build up at Balnearn and Culderbeg has been reported to the Chair of the Team. A number of comments were made by members about the build up at Culderbeg.

War Memorial: The Council installed the new stone that holds the wreaths and the Chair thanked NB for installing the wire to secure the wreaths. The Memorial Cairn has been cleaned by the Council.  Cath McGregor was thanked for the excellent Poppy Project that generated 900 hand-knitted poppies. Members commented on the striking appearance of the Memorial on Remembrance Day, and it is intended that the poppies will be used in future years.

Ian McGregor’s Book: “Fearnan – the story of a Highland Village of northern Perthshire” by Ian McGregor has been reprinted and some will be used as gifts to guests at the Commemoration event on the 6^th

Village Map: this idea has been dropped.

Staying Connected: Members had a chance to see a prototype of the Directory, which is now an opt-in directory for FVA Members, which makes the management of data easier. Once finalised, it will be distributed to those who opted-in.

Events Review

The Chair opened a discussion on whether we should make changes to the programme of events. For example, the Pudding Night was not so well attended this year and the question is whether it has reached the end of its useful life. Members were in favour of keeping the event, but it was agreed that the addition of a table of savouries (probably sandwiches and biscuits and cheese, plus any dishes that members wish to contribute in the same way that members contribute puddings to the main table). This will provide an option for those who are not particularly pudding fans, and for those who would like to balance things out a little.

The title ‘Winter Pudding Night ‘will be retained, but with a strap-line to indicate the broader offering.

Blog Report

• We published 25 posts on the FVA Blog in 2018/19, and attracted visitors from around the world (UK, US, Canada, Russia, New Zealand, Spain and Germany being the sources of clicks on the site.
• We aim to highlight the activities of the various clubs in Fearnan (Book Club, Bowling and Art Club);
• We were able to spread information about the Poppy Project and it became more of an international project with Fearnan-connected people knitting for us in a number of overseas countries as well as across the UK.
• The Blog featured a number of articles about Fearnan in the past, including the story of the Brydones family, and a first-hand account of the arrival in Fearnan of the news about the end of WW1.

The existence of the Blog has also led to the forthcoming Commemoration of the Air Crash, which is reported on later in the meeting.

Broadband: Fibre has reached Fearnan, although it is not yet operational. Some residents have been able to order the faster speeds from their provider.

Commemoration of the Cow Park Air Crash

The plan is to mark the 76^th Anniversary of the air crash. This has all stemmed from an email, to the FVA Blog 3 years ago. It came from Anna Belorusova in St Petersburg who was researching a book about the Moscow Special Assignment Air Group based at Errol. Three members of the Group and a Czech colleague were killed in the crash in the Cow Park.

Those invited include:

• Russians who are travelling over for the event, and who will be headed up by the Russian Consul General from Edinburgh;
• The Czech Consul General;
• The Lord Lieutenant of Perth and Kinross and the Lord Provost of P&K;
• UK nationals who have helped Anna in her research and who have a special interest in aviation history;
• A group of 9 Czech descendants of one of the men who died;
• Past and present residents of Fearnan.

We will have an Exhibition of Panels from the Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre in the Hall. One, about Fearnan and the crash, is for us to keep and 4 about the Russians who were based at Errol during WW2, will be on loan for the event.

The ceremony will start at 2.30pm, meeting at the Hall and walking to the Cow Park next to Clach-an-Tuic, led by a piper. The ceremony itself, will include a commemoration stone and the joint planting of a tree by Russian and Czech representatives, and Sue as chair of the FVA. Wreaths will be laid, including one from the people of Fearnan.

There might be a fly past by the Scottish Aero Club, and afterwards we will return to the Hall for tea and refreshments.

There could be up to 70 people attending, and we are looking for on-the-day volunteers to help with parking, traffic management, helping in the hall afterwards, looking after guests etc. Fran is organising the Hall side of things, and Neil is organising the logistics side – managing the flow of people, parking etc.

All village residents will receive an invitation early in April.  The Hall Committee was thanked for waiving the hall charge and for purchasing extra crockery for the event.

Food Hygiene Course

The Hall Committee have commissioned a certificated Food Hygiene course, which will cost £75.00 a head and will be on a weekend day. The minimum number required is 6. The FVA is considering participation in order to be up-to-date with new rules and regulations. Anyone else interested should contact Karen Bennett.

AOCB

Christmas Lights: A proposal to install Christmas lights on the tree next to the Hall front door was put forward and met with agreement. The FVA will purchase the lights and investigate power sources. Keith Brockie volunteered to put the lights up. Action FVA Committee

 Additional Hall Equipment: the FVA has requested 6 small square tables to compliment the new large tables in the Hall.

Forthcoming Events: The Hall committee gave details of 2 events they are organising – the Annual Quiz Night will be on Sat 11^th May and will include a 2-course meal. The Games and Curry Night is on Sat 12^th October. FB agreed to put them on the Blog.

Access: it was reported that access to Culdermore had been restricted, with the gates being locked and a camera put on Culdermore House ground. Fran Gillespie is investigating this. If not resolved, the matter should be passed to the Community Council.

Fiona Ballantyne,

Fearnan Village Association, 04/04/19