As we enter 2020, retrospectives of the past 10 years are all over the press – so let’s have one for Fearnan!

Over the past decade, we have taken hundreds of photos at FVA events, and we are using these as the basis of our retrospective. They are not in exact chronological order, as they are grouped by subject, rather than date.

Given the number of photos in this post, it will probably be easier to look at it on a computer or iPad, rather than a smart phone screen. If you suffer from a really slow internet connection, The Blog can only apologise for putting up so many photos at once.

Publications

Way back in 2010, and again in 2011, we produced calendars which showcased our wonderful scenery and wildlife. For the 2011 calendar, a photo competition (based on a theme of ‘the seasons’) produced a high number of entries from which a final selection of 12 was made by members of the community. Here’s a small selection:

In 2012, we had our own Fearnan Christmas card – thanks to our resident artist Keith Brockie – and in the same year, Ian McGregor published his book Fearnan, The Story of a Highland Village of Northern Perthshire. Copies of the book are still available to purchase from the FVA – click here to get in touch about it.

Social Events

The FVA’s social events provide a chance to touch base with friends and neighbours across the whole village. Here’s a selection of events from the past 10 years:

Coffee Mornings? We’ve had a few ………

Over the last 10 years, some friends and neighbours have moved away or, sadly, are no longer with us, but they remain in our hearts for ever.

Over the decade, the annual Pudding Night has brought cheer to the dark days of winter, along with the best selection of puddings, desserts and good company that you will find anywhere, ever.

And come the summer, Strawberry TeaZ provides a strawberry extravaganza! A feast for the eyes, as well as the tastebuds and one that tempts not only residents but also some of the many visitors to the village.

Mulled Wine and Mince Pies

Over the years, the Mulled Wine and Mince Pies event has provided the first opportunity of the year for folk (normally shy and retiring folk, it has to be said) to don Christmassy gear – and in some cases, to sport a range of seasonal decorations. All in the best possible taste, of course.

Wild (and not so wild) Life

A selection of some of the visitors to our skies and gardens, along with Archie and Crannog, who trotted off to new horizons.

Many thanks to all those who have contributed pics to the wildlife gallery:

Sadly, Fearnan the eagle (pictured here with Keith), met an untimely end through poison.

Special Events

Two extra special events stand out:

In 2015, Fearnan Hall celebrated it’s 60th birthday. The Hall is a fantastic asset for the village. Without it we would not be able to run the number of social and community events that take place in Fearnan. We have a previous generation of villagers to thank for their efforts (over many years) to raise the funds and, in post-WW2 Scotland, to source the materials to build it. You can read the story of how the Hall came into being here on our Blog.

And in 2019, we had a ceremony to commemorate the 1943 Fearnan Aircrash in the Cow Park and welcomed 3 generations of the Drahozval family who are descended from one of those who died in the crash.

The story of the air crash itself is on the Blog, here.

WW1 Armistice 2018

Every year we mark Remembrance Sunday in November with a service at the war memorial but 2018 was a special year, being the 100th anniversary of the end of WW1.

Two projects were associated with this event. The first was a quest to identify the men commemorated on the memorial and to understand something of their family connections and wartime service. This we succeeded in doing, as well as tracing some of their descendants, and the Blog article Remembering WW1 summarises their stories

The second was the Poppy Project, which resulted in over 900 knitted poppies being produced, not just by the local community but with contributions coming in from all over the world.

The project itself was a wonderful community project. It linked present-day residents with former residents, re-united long-lost friends and stirred a forgotten (but not altogether happy) memory of learning to knit in Fearnan School during the war years.

Much work went into not only knitting the poppies but also into the decoration of the war memorial for Armistice Day – and with impressive results. An exhibition of WW1 memorabilia was mounted in the Hall on the day.

Clubs and Local Activities

Whatever your interests, there are clubs and activities to suit. Since the Hall was built, there have been choirs, country dancing and even line dancing. Some of the current activities (Art Club, Book Club, Bowling Club, Tai-Chi) that we’ve covered on the Blog of late are represented below:

These photos are just a small selection of those we have featured on the Blog over the years. Here’s to the next decade – and lots more pics!