Fearnan Village Association

Many of you will know that Ian McGregor has been researching the history of Fearnan.  We’re delighted to be able to tell you that his book, “Fearnan: the story of a village of northern Perthshire” has now been published.

Ian writes:

“This newly published book tells the story of the people who lived in the officiary of Fearnan from the earliest Neolithic times right up to the present day. The information available for the early years is sketchy but, nevertheless, it is suggested that the name Fearnan was first used when the crannogs were established.

The story gets under way when Robert Robertson of Struan was given Fearnan as a free barony by James II for his assistance in securing the killers of James I.

The Robertsons were later replaced in 1766 by the Campbells for the support they continued to give the Stewarts, and their tenure lasted right up until 1922, when the then Marquis of Breadalbane died with no heirs and no money.

The nineteenth century was the time of the Clearances and Fearnan was not exempt, although the building of the present crofting village reduced the number of families cleared. The book then deals with the fundamental changes in education, church and family life throughout that whole period.

These were difficult and challenging times for the residents of Fearnan, with the forced introduction of the English Feudal system and all that meant. However the period from the 1870’s until the Great War would have been the best time. The final section, from 1922 until the present day, records some of the significant opportunities, problems and disputes which the villagers faced with the change from a tenant to a property owning community; and over these last years to one mainly of retired people and holiday homes.”

The book is to be sold through retail outlets, but Ian has kindly made a number of copies available through the FVA at the reduced price of £5 each.  If you would like a copy, please contact Sue on sg1ardener@talktalk.net Sue can also provide information about postage costs and paying by PayPal.

Last week’s Coffee Morning was a lively affair, with nearly 30 people coming to enjoy a chat and to make serious in-roads into the delicious spread of freshly baked cakes, biscuits and savouries.

Chocolate and courgette cake, apple cake, cherry buns, sausage rolls, apple and cheese tartlets and much more were on offer.

That was the last coffee morning for this year, and they will start again in March 2013.

In the meantime, there’s a concert at The Big Shed on Saturday 27th at 7.30m, when the Scottish Clarinet Quartet will take the audience around the world in eighty minutes with music by Handel, Bach, Borodin, Sondheim, Goodman, and Gershwin.  Tickets are £10 and are available from Jane on 07766566935 or from News First, Killin.

In June last year, Hazel and Keith helped ring and satellite tag a golden eagle chick from Glen Lyon, and named him ‘Fearnan’. At the time, he was about eight weeks old and a single chick in a nest in a Scots pine north of Loch Tay.

Keith says that satellite tracking has been a brilliant development enabling the travels of young eagles to be followed – as well as, sadly, showing the demise of some at human hands!

 Fearnan fledged on 23rd July. Thanks to the satellite tag we know that, unusually, he spent the first eight months hardly venturing far from his natal eyrie.

He finally left home in March 2012, and has moved north looking for a vacant territory.

You can follow Fearnan’s wanderings by clicking on this link http://www.roydennis.org/animals/raptors/golden-eagle/satellite-tracking/fearnan-2011 and click on the link to see his latest movements.

If you’d like to find out more about Golden Eagles, click here http://www.roydennis.org/animals/raptors/golden-eagle

This year, we weren’t able to have our summer BBQ night in August as the village hall was being renovated, but we made up for it last Saturday with an autumn dinner that was free to FVA members.

Julia, Laurie and Sue had put in an enormous amount of work to prepare the delicious selection of food on offer. Main courses included curries, chilli con carne, lasagne and beef pie. For afters, there was a range of hot and cold sweets and live music was provided by Andy and Katy.

The next chance to get together is the Coffee Morning on Tuesday 16th Oct at 10.30am. The FVA Christmas Card will be available for purchase on the day and those who have already ordered cards will be able to collect them.

Here are some photos from the Members’ Dinner:

THE WASHER-UPERS WAVE THE WHITE FLAG!

This year, the FVA is publishing its own exclusive Christmas card!

This beautiful card is unique to Fearnan as the original has been designed, painted – and very kindly donated – by Keith Brockie.

The cards are printed on high-quality paper, individually wrapped in cellophane, and come with a very seasonal red envelope.  They cost £1.50 each, and if you would like to order some, please contact Sue on sg1ardener@talktalk.net or 830493. Stocks will be limited, so don’t miss out and let Sue know how many you would like as soon as possible.

Fearnan’s War Memorial was erected, along with many thousands of others throughout the country, to commemorate the casualties of World War 1.  The huge number of memorials created in the years following the war was a response to the unprecedented scale of the loss of life. Although only a small village, Fearnan lost 8 men in the war, more than any of the other villages in the Kenmore parish, including Kenmore itself.

We know little about these men, but Ian McGregor has managed to track down photographs of 4 of them, namely:

Pte Peter Mathieson         Black Watch

Cpl Duncan Mathieson     Highland Light Infantry

Pte Duncan Fraser             Scots Guards

Pte Malcolm Fraser           Scots Greys

We are hoping that, through this web page, we might be able to track down photos or information about the remaining men:

Pte James Dewar               Scots Greys

Pte Duncan McPhail          Scots Guards

Dvr John Fraser                   Royal Artillery

Pte Hugh Cowan                Royal Scots Fusiliers

Can anyone help?  Or, does anyone have information or stories about life in Fearnan during the 1^st World War?

In 2 years time, it will be the 100^th anniversary of the start of the Great War and we hope to commemorate this in an appropriate way and particularly to acknowledge those from the village who fell in the war. If you can help, please either respond to this article by clicking the Comment link below, or contact Ian on ison06@btinternet.com

Two members of the NHS outreach staff attended last week’s FVA coffee morning for a chat about helping older people (50+) cope better at home, and to give tips on staying healthier and maintaining independence.  They also gave away free walking stick ferrules to those who wanted/needed them and promoted a medical emergency scheme for your home.

Message in a Bottle is a voluntary scheme for people living at home who might be reassured to know that essential information would be readily available to the Emergency Services should they suffer an accident or sudden illness. 

The scheme ensures that details are available about your medical history, medication, contacts and other vital information. This allows the Emergency Services to give safer and faster First Aid.

Information about you is stored in a specially designed plastic container. Marked with a green cross label, it is kept in a location that is common to every one – the fridge door. Another green cross label is affixed to the inside of your front door for immediate recognition by the emergency services.

Those present were given a free kit, including the tub and copies of the forms to store in your fridge. The whole idea was well received and, as there were fewer than normal people at the coffee morning, the NHS staff will be available again at the next coffee morning on 16th October.

Consultation 1: Culdees Eco-village

A Community Consultation regarding the Culdees Eco-village took place on Sat 4th Aug in the barn at Boreland farm. The aim was “to gain input from the village” before making an application, at some future date, for planning consent in principle. Nearly 30 villagers attended.

A number of drawings and sketches were displayed, and there was an opportunity to examine these and question both the architect and Maryse about the plans. As well as her architect, Maryse was supported by people who offered information on social housing, support for the elderly, and time banking.

The proposal is for a self-contained, self-sufficient village for 90 families along with 30 units for senior citizens to be created over time. This could mean in the region of 270 residents. Maryse has written about it recently in the Quair and on the Culdees website.

A lively and robust round table discussion covered issues over the last ten years and concerns over the proposed development. In particular there were comments over the lack of compliance with planning regulations to date, the scale of the proposal, and the ability to deliver.

The FVA committee will be discussing this further and developing a response for use in the event of a planning application being made.  Meanwhile any comments and feedback to help us construct the response are welcome, especially from those who attended the consultation meeting.

Please send these to Sue Gardener email sg1ardener@talktalk.net or phone 01887830493

Consultation 2: Shoreside Community Consultation 

There will be an opportunity to see and discuss the next stage of development at Shoreside on the 18th Aug between 10am -2pm in the village hall.

Celebration: Refurbishment of the McLean Hall

There will be a chance to celebrate the refurbishment of the McLean Hall on the 25^th August. The hall will be open between 2 and 4pm and free afternoon teas will be served.

Broadband

If you haven’t already registered your interest in getting better broadband in Fearnan, please complete the form at http://www.superfast-openreach.co.uk/expression-gen.aspx

The more people that register their interest, the better chance we have of getting a result.  Go on, it only takes 2 minutes!

As you probably know, the McLean Hall is currently being upgraded. The work is being supported by Lottery Funding and it involves significant improvements to the hall’s insulation, a new heating system, the provision of disabled access and, last but not least, improvements to the ladies toilet.

The date of the FVA Members’ Night has been changed from 4^th August to accommodate the refurbishment programme, and will now take place on the 6^th October. The date of the October Coffee Morning has also been changed.  Forward dates for your diary are now:

11^th September :     Coffee Morning

6^th October:              FVA Members’ Night

16th October:          Coffee Morning

One of the first events in the newly-refurbished hall will be the launch of Ian McGregor’s book, “Fearnan – The Story of a Village in Northern Perthshire”. Ian has researched the history of Fearnan from its early beginnings to the present day and it is a fascinating read. The launch date has not yet been set, but we’ll let you know as soon as it’s available.

This year, the Thrift Shop Week will be from 12th to 18th August, with the 17th the day for baking. Collection day will be 9th August and all contributions of items for the shop to support this important fund-raiser for the village hall will be welcome.

 Two Community Consultations on proposed developments in the village will be held in August:

4^th August – Boreland Farm is to host a community consultation at 2pm on their intention of establishing an eco-village for 120 families on the farm.  It is important that FVA members see the plans as this proposal could have a significant impact on the village.

18^th August – Shoreside Homes Ltd will be running a community consultation in the village hall between 10am and 2pm on their plans for the development of the rest of the Shoreside site.  Again, it is important that members take the opportunity of seeing the proposals and discussing them with the company.

Kirstyn’s memories of Fearnan in the 1950’s (sent from Germany where she now lives) have produced the following response from Alistair, in Canada.

Hello Fearnan:

I’d just like to add a link here to a story about wartime Fearnan where I grew up during the war. It might be of some interest to your members. It was published in the Scots Magazine a couple of years ago.


Thank you.

Alastair Barnett

http://discuss.glasgowguide.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=19235