Fearnan Village Association

For seventy years now, the McLean Hall has been at the centre of Fearnan’s social life and its leisure activities. The availability of a communal space has allowed groups such as the Bowling Club, the Art Club and the Book Club to flourish and residents have been able to enjoy activities, including country dancing, badminton, line dancing and more recently Tai Chi and yoga, literally on their doorstep. It has hosted dances, ceilidhs, coffee mornings, weddings and wakes – and let’s not forget the annual Pancake Pop-Up, the BBQs and the suppers.

Unlike many other village halls, the McLean Hall was not sponsored by a benefactor or gifted by a local landowner, and the fact that it exists at all was down to the considerable efforts of those who lived in the village some 70 years ago.

Although the Hall first opened in 1955, fundraising had started many years before, with the first recorded donation being £6 invested by the WRI for the proposed Fearnan Hall in 1931. The WRI also gifted crockery and utensils with the proviso that if the Hall did not materialise, the items were to be sold and the proceeds, along with the £6 donation, were to be divided equally between Perth Infirmary and Aberfeldy Cottage Hospital.

The idea of a village hall had gained momentum over the years, and grew out of the strong feeling that the residents of Fearnan were considerably disadvantaged by the lack of an adequate communal space. A Hall Fundraising Committee was convened in the late 1930’s, with Mrs Hodgson being the President and John McLean appointed as Secretary and Treasurer.

Prior to WWII, the Secretary of State for Scotland had powers to aid the establishment of community centres, village halls, playing fields and other facilities for recreational purposes. Rural communities with less than 4,000 residents were able to apply to the Village Hall Scheme, administered by the National Council of Social Services (later to become SCVO), for financial assistance. The assistance came in the form of grants from the Carnegie UK Trust, and interest-free loans from the Treasury.

The outbreak of war affected plans for a hall, and fundraising priorities changed. The village did, however, raise funds under the banner ‘Save the Brave’ for the war effort and at the end of the War, with the money no longer required for its original purpose, it was agreed that the surplus should be added to the village hall funds.

A suitable site for the hall was critical. At that time, much of the land around Fearnan was owned by the Forestry Commission and, following representations made by the Village Hall Fundraising Committee in 1945, the Commission agreed to gift land for a hall, although it was not until 1952 that the final site was agreed. In the meantime, the Carnegie grants had come to an end and although some government assistance continued for a while, by 1949 this also had ceased because of the post-war scarcity of building materials and village halls were not considered a priority in the face of this shortage.

Happily, in 1953, things suddenly started to move more quickly. First of all, the Village Hall Scheme was re-introduced, but on condition that the recipients could find their own labour and materials and raise a proportion of the capital costs. The National Council of Social Service would provide successful applicants with advice on plans, and a capital grant of up to three-quarters of the cost of a centre.

In October 1953, the news came that Fearnan had been allocated funding under the revised Village Hall Scheme! The Agreement with the National Council of Social Service states that the Hall would be built and then made available to the Trustees of Fearnan Village Hall for a rent of £6 10/- payable twice a year in November and May. After ten years, there would be an option to purchase the hall.

In November, Perth & Kinross County Council granted planning permission and the building company, Messers Duff, was appointed.

The first two Trustees for Fearnan Village Hall, Alastair Duncan Millar (County Councillor) and the Reverend Kenneth McVicar, Minister at Kenmore Church, signed the formal Deed of Trust in May 1954.

The opening of Fearnan Hall was celebrated on the 4^th November 1955 and by this point the Hall Fundraising Committee had raised an impressive £1600 towards the cost of the hall – to put this in context, that is the equivalent of over £50,000 today! In addition, the Committee had some £500 (£16,000 today) for decoration, furniture, a piano, tea making equipment, fencing and legal fees etc.

At a meeting the following week, the Steering Committee stood down and the new Hall Committee was appointed, with John McLean in the Chair.

And so the Hall, then known as the Fearnan Hall, assumed its important role in the life of the village. It was soon hosting whist drives, summer fêtes, and dances, with dance bands being brought over from Dundee. Social and recreational groups were offered a free initial meeting to help form clubs and groups.

One of the regular users was the Kenmore Branch of An Comunn Gaichealach, particularly following the closure of the Holder Hall, Kenmore, in the early 1960’s. From that point, Fearnan Hall became the regular venue for the Branch’s Ceilidhs. A very memorable occasion occurred in 1966, when Mary Sandeman, who lived on the south side of Loch Tay, won the Mod Gold Medal. The celebrations started with dinner at the Tigh an Loan Hotel then processed up the hill to the Hall, following the pipes.

Mary Sandeman was carried round the Hall to great cheers and then the Ceilidh started. A packed house of 250 people had a marvellous evening’s entertainment to be long remembered.

(Followers of the 1980’s pop charts will remember Mary Sandeman as ‘Aneka’ who had a hit in 1981 with ‘Japanese Boy’, before returning to her Scottish folk roots where she continued to perform under her own name.)

The Hall’s original Feu Charter had a clause forbidding the sale or consumption of alcohol in the Hall and this stood until the 34^th AGM in 1989. At this point, the Rev McVicar cautioned the Committee to be “stringent and sparing” over the use of the licence! Another change is that dances no longer include “Ankle Competitions” for the ladies or even Fancy Socks Competitions for the men, as they did in 1958!

In spring 1963, in line with the original agreement, the Scottish Council of Social Services offered the Hall Committee terms for the purchase of Fearnan Hall. The Trustees advised the Committee to request a valuation of the Hall and also to ask if a continuation of the rental agreement was also a possibility.

The valuation was duly done and the Hall was offered to the Committee at 40% of the figure with an option to pay over 5 or 8 years. It was decided to pay £154 initially and to pay the balance over 5 years – although in the event, the debt was cleared in 3 years.

The Hall now belonged to Fearnan! The two trustees hold it in trust for the people of Fearnan, while the Hall Committee is responsible for the running and maintenance of the Hall and for ensuring that there are sufficient funds to cover the costs.

In the late 1990’s the Hall was renamed and is now known as The McLean Hall, Fearnan, in recognition of the enormous contribution made by John McLean both in raising funds and negotiating the establishment of the Hall.

John had died in April 1986, and the following month the John McLean Memorial Fund was established and realised a sum of £686. The Hall Committee determined to use the money to build an adventure playground on the land adjacent to the Hall in John’s memory and, with the help of the District Council, Army Cadets were brought in to construct ‘Fort Fearnan’ in July 1989. The Cadets slept in the Hall during the 2-week period of construction. A garden seat was also donated in John’s memory, which now sits at the entrance of the Hall.

So for about 6 years, Fort Fearnan stood as a memorial to John McLean, but by April 1995, it was found to be in a dangerous state, the wood not having been properly treated when it was built. The Fort was dismantled and although recompense was sought from the District Council, the Committee eventually had to settle for the installation of the children’s Swing Park, rather than a rebuild of the Fort.

This meant that there was now no proper memorial to the driving force behind the Hall and, in April 1999, committee member Elizabeth McDiarmid suggested that a plaque be mounted in the Hall to commemorate John McLean without whom there would be no hall. This led to the decision later in the year that Fearnan Hall be renamed The McLean Hall, Fearnan.

There can be no doubt at all that the Hall is a valuable asset to the village. Those of us who benefit now from the social links that it helps to form and maintain have good reason to be grateful to our predecessors for their foresight, vision and commitment. Some sixty years later, it is the Hall alone that remains to serve the village, the hotel, the school, the shop and Post Office all having closed.

Recently, the Hall underwent a major refurbishment that will ensure that it remains fit for purpose and can continue to contribute to village life for generations to come by bringing the community together – and this is amply demonstrated by the photos below.

Recently, the Hall celebrated its 70th Anniversary at an event much enjoyed by present day residents.

Last Saturday, just for a change, the FVA held a Soup and Savoury event at lunchtime, in place of the usual midweek Coffee Morning.

As expected, it drew a slightly different crowd from normal, with families and those who work during the week being able to attend.  It was also good to see Mary and Mairi back in circulation.

This November will be the 60th Anniversary of the opening of the village hall and, as part of the celebrations, the Art Club is planning an exhibition of photos and paintings of Fearnan and village life over the past 60 years. They are particularly interested in pictures that include the hall itself.  If you have any suitable images, please get in touch with Jo Millar at Jo.Miller@digitmail.co.uk

The Book Club is reading “The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of Bed and Disappeared” by Jonas Jonasson, described as an  “imaginative, laugh-out-loud bestseller” by The Telegraph. The next meeting of the Club is on Wednesday 14th October at 7pm.

In October, we’re back with a Coffee Morning in its regular slot – that’s Tuesday 20th October at 10.30am in the hall.

With summer holidays becoming a distant memory, the autumn brings a number of local events for your diary.

In September, instead of a coffee morning, we’re hosting a Saturday morning get-together at 11.30am on the 19th September in the village hall.  It’s a Soup n’ Roll event – so we’ll be offering a delicious bowl of home made soup, a filled roll, and tea or coffee, all for £3.50.

On 20th October, there’s a regular Coffee Morning at 10.30am, so do join us for home baking and fresh tea and coffee. The next month, there’s a short Remembrance Day service at the War Memorial at 11.00 on Sunday 8th November, after which everyone is invited to the Hall where soup and rolls will be available.

The Art Club starts again on Monday 7th September, and the Book Club meets on Tuesday 15th September at 7pm. This month, they are reading “Elizabeth is Missing” by Emma Healey in tribute to the late Elizabeth McLaren.  Elizabeth regularly attended the Book Club meetings and thoroughly enjoyed the chat – which, rumour has it, does not always focus entirely on the contents of the latest book!

This year, the Thrift Shop effort raised an incredible £1624.66 for Hall funds – the best for some time.  The Hall Committee sends a very big thank you to everyone who contributed goods and baking, and especially to those who gave their time to serve in the shop.

Last Saturday, it maybe didn’t feel like summer on the outside, but inside the village hall it was summer all the way with the annual Strawberry Tea extravaganza. From strawberry sandwiches (yes, really), to strawberry fairy cakes and strawberry meringues, through to strawberry torte and strawberries and cream, it was all there for the eating.

Doug and Hilary provided some first class live music – all the more impressive as they were literally on their way home from Skye and probably felt more like putting their feet up with a nice cup of tea and a large slice of strawberry cake! Many thanks to all those who who helped with the preparation, the baking, the setting up, and finally the clearing up.  More pics below:

This year, the village hall has the Thrift Shop from 9th – 15th August. This is the Hall’s main fundraiser for the year, and all items and offers of help will be gratefully received. If you have any good quality clothing or bric-a-brac to donate, then please take it to the Thrift Shop during this week. If you have items to uplift or suitable prizes for the tombola, please contact Karen on 830548.

And if you can contribute to the Home Baking and Produce Stall on Friday 14th, please contact Elaine on 830682. Elaine would also be pleased to hear from you if you can volunteer for a few hours during the week.

The next Book Club meeting will be on Tuesday 18th August and the book of the month is Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mocking Bird”.

And finally, as an alternative to a Coffee Morning, the FVA will be serving Soup and a Roll on Saturday 19th September in the village hall at 11.30am.

First of all, a reminder of a few dates:

The First Responders team will be giving training on the new defibrillator on June 24th at 8pm in the McLean Hall.

And the next Book Group meeting is Tuesday 14th July at 7pm.
They are reading a comedy classic this month- Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. In a slight change to the usual format, after the next meeting the group plan to watch it on DVD, and then compare their reactions to both the film and the book.

Last year’s strawberry spread.

Although it’s sometimes hard to believe, summer is here and with it comes the strawberry season.  If you think you could manage to force down a strawberry or two, then join us for the FVA’s Strawberry TeaS extravaganza on Saturday 18th July at 3pm. It’s a great way to celebrate summer, and everyone is welcome, so bring your visitors and do encourage any holiday makers in the village to come too.

The June Coffee Morning was well attended, and here are a few pics of some of the fabulous food and some of the lucky people who got to eat it all!

The month of May saw the first Saturday Coffee Morning hosted by the FVA and, happily, it coincided with the May Bank Holiday Weekend.  This set the scene for a busy and very sociable event with a wider range of people attending than normal.

Our Coffee Morning Regulars were delighted to be joined by some new faces (the Watsons and the Morrices), some familiar faces (Ian  McGregor) and even a very young face (Sophie).

As ever, there was a first-class selection of home baked cakes and biscuits, along with Sue’s pancakes straight off the griddle, and Julia’s savory goodies.There was a real buzz in the air, the chance to take part in a raffle in aid of the Nepal earthquake disaster, and an opportunity to suggest names for the Shoreside entry road.

Such was the success of the Saturday event that we will be repeating it.

Two Saturday events that are coming up are: Strawberry Teas on 18th July, and Soup N’Roll at 11.30 on 19th September.

This month, the Book Club are reading The Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks.  Why not join in? They will be meeting on Tuesday 16th June at 7pm in the village hall.

For the music lovers amongst us, there’s a Song Recital and Workshop in the Big Shed on Sunday 28th June at 2pm. Pianist Jacco Lamfers has invited Dutch soprano Julia Bronkhorst to give a concert and workshop.  There’s more information  here:

Kathryn Ross, also of the Big Shed, has been in touch to say that, as Music Event Development Officer for The Big Shed, she has been researching how to bring affordable music events to the venue and local community. She’d like to form a group of people to help with organising and setting up music events at The Big Shed, and if you are interested, please get in touch at kathrynross@live.co.uk.

The next event for your diary is the June Coffee Morning – back to its normal Tuesday slot at 10.30am on 9th June.

At this time of year, the fields around Fearnan are full of young lambs, some taking tentative early steps and others careering round in energetic gangs, exploring every corner of their field. Many of these lambs were born in the Ewetopia lambing sheds on the Duneaves road, and it seemed an appropriate time to visit sheep farmer Alastair Kininmonth.

Alastair’s family have been farming outside Fortingall since November 1914, and the story of how they came to this piece of land reflects part of the complex history of land management and ownership in Scotland.

Alastair’s great-great Grandfather, Hugh McPherson, was part of the Highland Clearances, and was ‘cleared’ to Smirisary, a settlement near Glenuig and in the parish of Moidart on the west coast. From there he walked to Glen Lyon, a distance of over 120 miles, and came through the Glen, knocking on farm doors looking for work. He was taken on as Horseman (equivalent to the modern day Tractor Man) at Culdaremore Farm at Lyon Bridge. Settling here, he met his wife who was the daughter of the cobbler at Artrasgairt village, at the foot of the Glen.

Under new legislation introduced at the beginning of the 20^th century his son, John, was to become one of the first smallholders in Scotland. At this time, there was considerable concern about the exodus of farmers from rural areas to towns, and about the resulting deterioration in the land. In 1911, the Liberal government passed legislation that meant that smallholdings could be created on privately owned farms. The arrangements were facilitated by financial help from the government, and with the new holders being granted security of tenure and having fair rents set by the newly created Scottish Land Court.

Three smallholdings were created in this area – the McPhersons at Tynayare, the Campbells at Duneaves, and a third one at Kinnighallen. By the end of the Second World War, the three tenancies had come together and Alastair’s father was the first to farm all three.

As a boy and young man, Alastair worked with his father on the farm and spent two years at agricultural college. He returned to the farm brandishing his certificates and eager to apply his new knowledge. However, his first attempt to impress his father with recommendations for improvements was met with “My grandfather did it this way, as did my father, as do I, and this is the way you’ll do it, too!” And so he did – at least until he took over the farm in 1990.

Alastair has a flock of some 500 ewes, which produce around 750 lambs a year in the Ewetopia lambing sheds. These days, there’s no need to try to guess how many lambs will be born – the ewes are scanned during pregnancy and each one is colour-marked according to the number of lambs she is carrying. This not only helps with planning, but they know exactly what to expect when a ewe goes into labour.

The flock is described as a closed flock, which means that Alastair breeds his own replacements and keeps between 100 and 140 lambs each year. This reduces the risk of disease, and new blood is introduced through rams that are bought in. The tups are also tested to ensure that they will sire lambs, but this process has not proved fail-safe and so Alastair now puts two tups to the ewes.

The lambs that are not kept go off to Stirling Market when they reach 40 kilos in weight, and the lamb meat that is sold from the farm door is slaughtered at Dunblane and returned in half or whole lamb sealed packages, in accordance with legislation. Alastair firmly believes that the flavour of the lamb is improved when the sheep are not stressed and are kept quiet and well handled.

He has always had an interest in different breeds of sheep and has tried a number of pedigrees over the years – some more successfully than others. The most noticeable as you pass the fields are the Dutch Zwarbles: black sheep with a white blaze on their faces.

Technically speaking, Alastair lives (just) outside the Fearnan boundary, but the village did play an important role in his life as he met his wife, Angela, at a Barn Dance at Boreland Farm. Alastair was the Compere at the Barn Dance that evening; introducing the dances, encouraging people to do party tricks and making sure that everyone who wanted to dance had a partner. He spotted Angela, who was on holiday at Boreland, sitting out one of the dances, and went to offer his services as dance partner. Fast-forward to the present, and last year they celebrated 25 years of marriage!

Angela is a regular supporter of the FVA Coffee Mornings and, as a couple, they organise the Fearnan Bowling Club – more than enough to be regarded as Honorary Members of the FVA!

(Many thanks to Peter Mckenzie for letting us use some of his great photos of Ewetopian lambs.

This little one on the right gets a special mention for contriving to be born during the course of our visit last Sunday.)

This week we’ve got some really great photos of Tuesday’s Coffee Morning, thanks to Peter and Julia.  There were conversations and eats a-plenty, and I think the pictures tell the story.

Another group that has been enjoying its get-togethers is the Book Club, which meets monthly on a Tuesday at 7pm in the village hall. (If you look closely, you can just see a book between the ‘refreshments’!)

They’ve been reading crime novels, and April’s was What to do When Someone Dies by Nicci French. If you’d like to join them, contact Graham on 830727 to find out the latest title and the date of the next meeting.

Fearnan Village Association

Minutes of the AGM and Business Meeting

Held at 4.30 pm on the 14th March 2015

 Welcome

The Chair, Sue Gardener, opened the meeting by welcoming members and explained that the meeting would be in 2 parts – the FVA Annual General Meeting, followed by the Business Meeting. The meeting was attended by 23 members.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Apologies: Apologies were received from Peter McKenzie, Nick Grant, Hazel and Keith Brockie and Cath McGregor.

Minutes of the AGM 2014

The Minutes of the 2014 AGM, along with the Minutes of the 2014 Business Meeting were adopted and signed by the Chair.

Matters Arising

There were no matters arising that would not be covered by the Agenda.

Chair’s Report on the Year’s Activity

The FVA’s aims include bringing people together to provide a meeting place and a social environment where friends, neighbours and strangers can meet, chat, and catch-up. Our events have continued to achieve that aim and happily, and although our events aren’t designed as fundraisers for ourselves, we have never made a financial loss.

Coffee Mornings are our staple events and much enjoyed by those who come along.

The popularity of the Winter Pudding Night rises year by year as does the number and variety of puddings, while our local musicians make it extra special.

Loosely based on strawberries and cream with some gentle music Strawberry TeaZ is becoming increasingly popular.

For the first time this year we provided Soup and a Roll after the Remembrance Day Service along with an exhibition of World War 1 Memorabilia. Attendance was good. The event was free but donations were collected for Help for Heroes.

Mulled Wine and Mince Pies seems to be a good launch into the Christmas Season and is becoming a regular fund-raiser for the Village Hall.

It is encouraging to see more members becoming involved on the production side of events bringing additional talents and helping to spread the load. On behalf of the Committee, the Chair thanked all those who have got involved over the past year.

Perth & Kinross Development Plan – Just when we thought we could sit back and relax, Perth & Kinross Council announced the next Main Issues Report for their Local Development Plan 2018-2023. The initial indications are that this will not involve us in as much work as the previous Plan but there is no room for complacency.

Fearnan Brae/Main Road Junction – Through the Community Council, the Chair has continued to press for action.

Broadband – Having suffered in a broadband “not spot” up until now, Fearnan finds itself in a pincer movement from Highland Perthshire Communities Partnership to the East and the Abernethy Trust Initiative to the West. We are in contact with both and do our best to keep members up to date with progress.

Fearnan History – Village history continues to attract interest. The Archive is at present with Christopher Rowley. No progress has been made on an interpretation board for our historical sites or the footpath we hoped would connect them.

Boreland Farm – Over the past year we have kept our ear-to-the-ground for news about the future of the farm as well as having contact with the solicitor. The suspense is now over. The farm has been bought and the Chair has met the new owners. As the FVA, we would hope to do what we can to foster a good relationship between the Farm and the Village.

Thank Yous: The Chair thanked Neil and Fiona Ballantyne, Laurie and Julia Lane, and Peter McKenzie for their commitment and hard work as committee members during the year. Thanks were also extended to Julia for representing us on the Village Hall Committee and a special thank you to Jim Fair for scrutinising the FVA’s accounts. Finally, the Chair thanked all our members for their support and participation throughout the year.

Key points from the Treasurer’s Report: A table setting out Income and Expenditure for the last year was presented to the meeting.

• Membership currently stands at 67.
• The Bank Account stood at £4171.91 at the end of the financial year.
• Donations to good causes during the year amounted to £200.

Committee Membership: In order to help the Committee, the Chair asked if anyone was willing to volunteer to undertake the role of Membership Secretary. (Leslie Raeburn subsequently volunteered and her offer was gratefully accepted.)

As there were no further questions and no items under AOCB, the Chair declared the AGM closed and moved on to the Business Meeting.

BUSINESS MEETING

Matters Arising from 2014:

Local Development Plan: The last Development Plan involved us in a lot of work as several sites in Fearnan had been identified for possible development. This time, Councillor Ian Campbell tells us that PKC are not looking for major development sites but rather development through windfall sites. However, we do need to keep an eye on things.

 Broadband: As mentioned above, there are 2 possibilities for an improved service – HPCP and Abernethy Trust. Locally, speeds have improved a little but we are waiting to see what happens with these two initiatives.

 Key Points from the Blog Report: There has been a 15% increase over the year in people viewing the FVA Blog. Most of this growth has come from people living elsewhere but with a connection to Fearnan. Apart from the UK, we have regular readers in the US, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and Australia. The Gallery Page is one of our most popular items and will be revamped shortly in order to better organise the photos. The most popular articles during the year were the ones about the project to identify the men commemorated on the Fearnan War Memorial and Alistair Barnett’s account of his childhood as an evacuee in Fearnan. We made contact with a number of descendants of the Fearnan men who died in the Great War, and two of them attended our Armistice Day Service and event in the Hall.

 Fearnan History: This continues to be of interest. We had planned another photo board for the hall, but decided against this as there is not a lot of space. We do have the framed photos of the servicemen who are commemorated on the War Memorial and it would be appropriate to put that up.

 Road Junction – The Community Council had a meeting with the Roads Dept who promised traffic calming measures. They are suggesting a monitor on the main road to warn drivers of traffic approaching from our side road. The CC has been promised that it’s in the budget this year so we need to wait and see if it happens.

 Interpretation Boards and Footpaths: We were hoping to be able to develop a network of paths connecting the registered monuments and other points of interest in Fearnan, including the Market Cross, and develop an interpretation board and walking map. This has not proved possible so far but we will put map up on the blog to highlight the location of the monuments in the village for visitors.

 Armistice 2014 – To celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the start of WW1, we served soup and a roll in the hall after the service and also provided a Memorabilia exhibition. The meeting agreed that we should continue to provide refreshments and a social gathering on Remembrance Sunday.

 War Memorial – PKC had promised to renew the steps, cut back the trees, paint the railings, and clean up the memorial in time for the 100^th anniversary. After some initial tree work, they have backed off probably for budgetary reasons. They have got a general maintenance budget and are working their way round the various war memorials. We are hopeful that some maintenance work will be done, but we are unlikely to get the steps renewed.

 Borland Farm: The Chair welcomed the new owners, who have joined the FVA and attended the meeting.

 FVA Representations –Julia Lane sits on the Hall Committee on behalf of the FVA. Laurie Lane had been a Member of the Loch Tay Association, but has resigned as he didn’t feel it was beneficial.

 Social Events: The Chair had received a request that a coffee morning be held on a Saturday so that those who work, weekenders and visitors could attend. Another suggestion was that at least one coffee morning be replaced with a Soup and a Roll gathering and be held later in the morning.

The following dates have been agreed:

Tuesday 14^th April            Coffee Morning at 10.30 am.

Saturday 23^rd May           Coffee Morning 10.30 am

Tuesday 9^th June                Coffee Morning 10.30 am.

Saturday 18th July            Strawberry Teas 15.00 pm

Saturday 19^th Sept           Soup and Roll 11.30 am

Tuesday 20^th Oct              Coffee Morning 10.30 am

Sunday Nov 8th                  Remembrance Sunday 11.00, and after in the hall.

Saturday 5th Dec              Mulled Wine & Mince Pies 4pm

Sat 20th Feb 2016             Pudding Night

 AOCB

A question was asked about communication between the Village Hall Committee and the FVA and it was confirmed that there is now a good line of communication and that Hall events were being promoted on the FVA blog.

Julia Lane advised that the Village Hall Committee will put a bookcase in the hall for books, DVDs, CDs etc for residents to borrow. Contributions of the same for the bookcase would be welcomed.

A suggestion was made that a village BBQ might be held at Boreland Farm where the facilities are good and there is shelter in the event of rain. The new owners readily agreed to this, and a date will be set, most likely in July.

There was no other business and the Chair closed the meeting.

Coffee Mornings have started again and the March one got off to a great start with a very well-attended event.

Nearly 30 people came to chat and catch up with friends and neighbours. It was good to see Laurie back making and serving the coffee.

Dates have been set for other events throughout the year. We’ve made a couple of changes and have included a Saturday Coffee Morning, so that those who work and weekenders have a chance to share some of the chat and delicious home baking.  We’ve also included a Saturday ‘Soup ‘n Roll’ in the list.  Following the success of the Armistice Day event in 2014, we shall again be serving soup after this year’s service.

All events will be in the village hall:

Tuesday 14^th April            Coffee Morning 10.30 am.

Saturday 23^rd May           Coffee Morning 10.30 am

Tuesday 9^th June               Coffee Morning 10.30 am.

Saturday 18th July            Strawberry Teas 3.00 pm

Saturday 19^th Sept             Soup ‘n Roll 11.30 am

Tuesday 20^th Oct               Coffee Morning 10.30 am

Sunday Nov 8th                 Remembrance Sunday 11.00 at Memorial

Saturday 5th Dec               Mulled Wine & Mince Pies 4pm

Sat 20th Feb 2016             Pudding Night

Mclean Hall: Congratulations to the new office bearers appointed to the Village Hall Committee. Graham Liney is the new Chair, Elaine Melrose is the new Secretary, and Karen Bennett continues as Treasurer