Gatehouse News : Jan-Feb 2016

Gatehouse News

NEWS, INFORMATION & WHAT’S ON IN GATEHOUSE OF FLEET | Jan/Feb 2016

The Community Council seeks your views The Community Council are asking for your help in deciding what to do with the ground beyond the kiosk, leading down to the river.

Increasingly large parts of the grass are becoming waterlogged and the council are unable to cut the grass in these areas. There are a number of possible solutions, but they would like to hear from the community what they would like. Suggestions include a bog garden/ wildlife pond, installing land drains, or a willow plantation. Whatever happens, it will have to be cheap and may require some community involvement in providing labour or plants, as the council have very limited funding for such projects. Please email your suggestions to communitycouncil@gatehouse-of-fleet.co.uk.

An impressive start for TGB Gatehouse

Just three months after appointing Sara-Leigh Cain as temporary Volunteers Co-ordinator with help from the Big Lottery Investing in Ideas Fund, TGB Gatehouse is celebrating an award from Dumfries and Galloway Youth Network. For several years TGB has provided The Bunker, a youth club for primary school-age children, and Bunkeroo, a performing arts group. Since Sara-Leigh’s appointment they have added to their activities a range of intergenerational projects including a film matinee club, homework club and, in association with the Gatehouse Drop-in Centre, an allotment project. Chair, Chris Barratt said: “since Sara-Leigh was appointed, we have seen an increase in the number of volunteers from teens to seventies”. The award was made at the ‘Regional Get Together Conference’ in recognition of TGB’s ‘Significant Contribution in the Community’. Chris said: “it’s a thrilling endorsement of our vision for TGB to have received this recognition at such an early stage”. He added that TGB hope now to attract the funding necessary to maintain the momentum gained since Sara-Leigh’s appointment. “This is intended to benefit all sections of our community and to enhance community cohesion across the generations”. Pictured are Max Dickie, our youngest member (centre front), with the trophy surrounded by volunteers, members and supporters. Also in the centre of the picture are Pastor Chris Barratt, chair of TGB Gatehouse, Malcolm Macpherson, founder of TGB and Sara-Leigh Cain, Volunteers Coordinator.

Burns Night at The Murray The speakers and piper. From the top left: John Lawson, Ian McIntyre, Jen McAuley, Pat Jacques, Moira McIntyre, Mike Duguid, Peter Hughes, Bobby Carson, Euan Donald.

Winners of the Gatehouse Primary School Burns Competition Left to right: Erin Findlay, Kacee Knox Maia Slattery, Fergus McClure, Jake Higgins.

WWW.GATEHOUSE-OF-FLEET.CO.UK

New photographs come to light An evocative series of photographs has come our way recently depicting Cally House School in the 1940s. Cally House was used as a residential school for about 200 boys and girls evacuated from Glasgow during the Second World War. The photographs were taken by Andrew J. Beattie who was the art teacher. They record a range of activities at the school including: in class; looking after animals; gas training; and games. We hope to do a full article on the photographs and the Cally School in the next edition of Gatehouse News.

As always, if anyone has any recollections of that time, or indeed other photographs, we would love to hear from you.

The electric car charging point in Gatehouse At the request of Cecilia Franklin, Kevin Dodd of Creetown Initiative brought along to the Gatehouse car park an electrically powered car to demonstrate its versatility and how to charge the battery.

The car was an Automatic Renault Zoe and the engine was powered by a 22Kw motor which is equivalent to an 80 BHP combustion engine.

The battery was re-charged from a charging point situated in the main car park. Three items are required to operate the system – “Charge Your Car” card which is similar in size to a credit or charge card, a Key card to plug into a place on the dashboard and a power cable.

It takes about three hours to fully charge the battery from the Gatehouse point. If using the point in Dumfries it would take about one hour. This difference is determined by the output from the charging unit. A fully charged battery should give 60 – 100 miles depending upon variables (see below).

To commence re-charging place the “Charge Your Car” card over the symbol on top of the charging unit. The unit goes through a sequence of moves eventually allowing the power cable to be connected to the point and the car.

The dashboard screen displays % of power in the battery, distance in miles available, and speed of travel when moving. Distance is only approximate and should not be relied on as it depends upon variables such as temperature, terrain, style of driving and operation of the heating and ventilation systems.

The dashboard screen shows an outline of the car and its battery. The battery is shown in three different colours to indicate what it is doing.

Green – when the car is moving (discharging) Blue - when charging Yellow – when power is going to the Heating and ventilating systems (discharging).

When coasting downhill the battery will be automatically re-charged.

For location of other charging points go to Charge Your Car website.

“Charge Your Car” card.

To obtain a card go to the website chargeyourcar.org. uk, or another supplier is Ecotricity.

Charge Your Car. They charge £20 p/a for the card and electricity used is free.

Ecotricity. The card and electricity used are both free.

The nearest operator of the scheme is the Creetown Initiative and they can be contacted on 01671 820 654 or their website www.ferry-news.co.uk

Photo: Jim Logan

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A very grateful thanks to Josephine King from the Drop-in Centre by Josephine Cameron I have had the pleasure of working with Josephine over the last 13 years. At times during that period, I used to have a recurring nightmare and always feared the happening of a certain event.……..Josephine giving in her Notice! Following the departure of our full-time ex RAF & Territorial Army youth worker, after the expiry of National Lottery funding, Josephine applied for the job of Youth Worker. Josephine was a tall, attractive lady, lived in Gatehouse with her three daughters, and was well known in the community. She had some experience of youth work and showed a lot of enthusiasm for learning more. The biggest concern I had was her gentle nature and how she would manage some of the very boisterous teenagers who attended the Dropin Centre three times a week!

Josephine’s gentle nature has, of course, proved to be her greatest asset! She soon persuaded some friends in the town to become volunteer youth workers and they have trained together and worked together until this very day. They proved to be a strong, reliable and loyal team for Josephine and alongside them Josephine carried out her duties with dedication, determination and great efficiency.

She soon built up a strong network within Dumfries & Galloway and beyond and, of course, within the YMCA. She has during her 13 years with us put Gatehouse of Fleet YMCA Drop-in Centre firmly on the map, as a successful and thriving youth facility, envied by many other youth organisations. She has been a wonderful ambassador for the Drop-in Centre.

Her talent to engage with and befriend young people of any age or from any walk of life has been the key success of her role within the Drop-in Centre. Many young people will admit that Josephine had this unique ability to make them feel special or listened-to. She always aimed to ‘befriend’ youth members. I remember asking Josephine once: ‘did you have a busy session last evening?’ ‘Not busy, but very good,’ she replied; ‘I had just one young person in and I was able to spend quality time with him, play pool and chat and get to know him better.’

It was always Josephine’s aim to develop the confidence of young people and bring out the best in each one.

She has been a wonderful role model to many. In this respect, Josephine and her team of volunteer youth workers would plan healthy eating sessions/first aid courses/Homework Clubs/guitar lessons… to name just a few. In addition, she encouraged them to take up Duke of Edinburgh, Millennium Award & Saltire Award where

Conservatory the

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they achieved a Certificate for the number of hours of voluntary work carried out within the community, thus making them aware that to ‘give something back’ was personally fulfilling.

In addition, it was always an important element of the Drop-in Centre located in this rural area, to give the young people the experience of travelling outwith Dumfries & Galloway. Over the years, Josephine and her team have had educational trips to London/Metro Centre/ Belfast/ Glasgow/Aviemore, Paris and Rome.

These trips had life-changing consequences by widening horizons, and developing life skills and confidence. All these experiences, made available to everyone, have been converted into a ‘box of assets’ individually tailored to each young person, which can be taken with them when finally leaving the Drop-in Centre.

There is no doubt that there are many young people in Gatehouse of Fleet whose lives have been touched and influenced by Josephine, during their vulnerable teenage years.

I would like to congratulate you, Josephine, on all the hard work you put into making the Drop-in Centre so successful. In recognition of this, we will all do our very best to build on and continue running this thriving Dropin Centre.

We all say a very humble ‘Thank You’ for what you have brought to Gatehouse of Fleet Drop-in Centre and for everything you have given to all the young people who have passed through this door, and we wish you all the success and happiness you so deserve.

Here is Josephine pictured on the left, (attending a Third Sector Conference) with Drop-in Volunteers Melissa and Alex.

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SOUP - SANDWICHES - WRAPS - TOASTIES SCONES - TRAYBAKES Cally Palace Hotel & Golf Course, Tel: 01557 814 341

The Bakehouse : Literary Arts Live www.thebakehouse.info

Gatehouse of Fleet Snooker Club prospers!

From somewhat ambitious beginnings, Gatehouse Snooker Club has gained from the misfortunes of some other Clubs in Galloway and is proud to record a modest increase in membership. Snooker is a game which requires time, application and practice but, unlike some other sports, is not weather dependent and can be played throughout the year in our excellent Community Centre base. The range of skills is broad: we have a core of would-be experts on the one hand and a regular group of weekly social amateurs on the other.

Sadly, one of our Senior Members, Jack Donald, has opted from next year to pursue other interests, and he leaves us with our thanks for the contribution he has made to the life of the Club – he will be welcome back at any time in the future. Apart from our two in-house competitions, we compete with our neighbours in the Kirkcudbright Club in a match played each December, thanks to the organisational energy and generosity of Douglas McDavid. We lost last year but aim to do better this year! Our full-size snooker table is maintained to a high standard, with special acknowledgement to Pete Haslam for the time that he devotes to maintaining it in good condition. We have not appeared on National Television yet but who knows?!

Dementia is everyone’s business A dementia friendly community is made up of the whole community - shop assistants, public service workers, faith groups, businesses, police, fire and ambulance staff, bus drivers, school pupils, clubs and societies, and community leaders - people who are committed to working together and helping people with dementia to remain a part of their community and not become apart from it. Jill Rennie is working for Alzheimer Scotland to promote this important new project in The Stewartry.

She will be arranging to meet with groups in the town, with businesses, with carers and their families over the next few months and hopes to see Gatehouse recognised as a Dementia Friendly Community. Personal interaction is of course important but the physical environment can be very important and simple changes can make a shop or business more sympathetic to people with dementia.

A tool kit has been prepared which offers advice and strategies. It includes things like a window/door sticker that can be used to indicate that a shop has undergone the simple training. We will follow progress on this initiative in future newsletters.

Wall project is under way Work is underway on a project which will see the restoration of the final section of boundary wall on the approach to Gatehouse. When it is finished this wall will stand out on the approach to Gatehouse behind Enrick Farm.

Over the last seven years the Gatehouse Development Initiative has been raising funds to restore the Cally boundary walls and other significant walls within the Designed Landscape of Cally. Restoration of the Cally walls has helped to enhance the Cally Woods in general and the approach to Gatehouse and the Temple in particular. Clearing the walls has provided many hours of work for the volunteers and all have had the chance of participating in dry stone walling training days.

Thanks to the generous support of the Postcode Community Trust, supported by players of the peoples postcode lottery and with the backing of the Forestry Commission, the Gatehouse Development Initiative and the Dumfries and Galloway Council National Scenic Area project, work is now underway to restore the section of wall between Enrick Farm and the A75.

Thanks also to in-kind support from the Forestry Commission all the branches overhanging the walls and a number of dead trees have been removed and the Fleet Valley volunteers have been clearing up the cut timber and creating environmentally friendly habitats. All the fallen timber has been removed from the horse track which runs along the back of the wall and in the spring the volunteers will again have the opportunity of taking part in a dyke building training day.

Warm work, job done! The volunteers complete a session tidying cut branches Former ly known a Thirty s four salon

HAIRDRESSING SALON

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Looking forward to Big Lit 2016 2016 is the 10th Anniversary of The Bakehouse. The Bakehouse is remarkable as a private venture which has made a success of literary-themed evenings and over the years it has hosted many of the finest writers from Scotland and beyond. It also supports and encourages local talent, and most evenings feature an open mike section where members of the audience can contribute their own work - poetry, prose or even song. In 2011 The Bakehouse launched Big Lit, originally as part of the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival before branching out on its own as a stand-alone event last year. This year it has grown even bigger, with the expansion of activities for young people. On the musical front we have the unique combination of actor/writer/singer-songwriter Gerda Stevenson and multi-instrumentalist/composer Kyrre Slind, who were a sell-out event last time, returning with more poetry and music. Renowned harpist Wendy Stewart gives a recital as well as teaming up with poet Kenneth Stephen to perform his poem sequence A Song Among the Stones, and The Feral Choir provides a musical finale. Tom Pow, one of Scotland’s best known contemporary poets, reads from his new collection as well as running a workshop. Talks include The Holy Wells of Scotland as writer and photographer Phil Cope takes us on a journey through the inspiring territories of our nation’s beliefs, while Napier University is supporting a talk by Dr Christine Kupfer who explores the life and thought of Rabindranath Tagore, a polymath who reshaped

Bengali poetry, literature, music, art and theatre. India still celebrates him as one of its greatest cultural heroes.

Actor and broadcaster Peter Marinker celebrates the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death reading from and discussing the bard’s sonnets on unconditional love.

Actress Karin Fernald’s one-woman show explores some of Jane Austen’s earliest works - never meant for publication, but rather to entertain family and friends - anarchic and farcical short stories. A special event up at Cream o’ Galloway has Patricia Gallimore, who plays Pat Archer in the BBC’s The Archers, in conversation, and choosing and reading from her favourite books and poems. There is much more - check out the website biglit.org for a full listing of events. So whether you have small children underfoot, are an Archer’s fan, enjoy the work of Jane Austen, love the combination of music and poetry, are into contemporary writing or writing from other generations and cultures, installation or exhibition – there will be something in this year’s Bakehouse Anniversary Big Lit you can enjoy. Come and help us celebrate Literature and the 10th Anniversary of The Bakehouse.

Gatehouse Squirrel Group Our hopper survey in September-October confirmed that red squirrels are present in virtually all the broadleaf woodland areas around Fleet Bay and up the valley. Our hoppers did not, however, detect the grey squirrels that arrived in some numbers in early autumn, so we will not be repeating this type of survey. As sightings of greys were concentrated to the west and north, it is tempting to suggest that they are coming from further up the coast, using the woodland strip from Newton Stewart as a corridor. But in truth we do not know where they are from, and there is always a possibility of some breeding pockets hidden away within our area.

Now that the leaves are down, we intend to start a new set of surveys based on slow woodland walks. The idea is again to cover as much of our broadleaf woodland as possible, simply to count red and grey squirrels. Repeating walks on fixed routes should allow us to get a handle on the abundance of both species, in the expectation of finding many more reds. We may also unearth some resident greys, which our accredited trappers will then try to remove humanely. If these walks can be covered in future years, we should be able to track how our reds are doing, inevitably alongside some greys. The number of greys in our area will be a reflection of continuing immigration and local breeding, along with the impact of our control efforts and the natural impact of local predators, perhaps especially the pine marten.

If you would like to help out with this project over the next few months, all you need are warm clothes, stout footwear, plenty of patience, an hour or two to spare in dry(ish!) weather, and perhaps a pair of binoculars. Please get in touch with Peter Garson (petergarson235@gmail.com; 01557 814584) for more details on how to join in.

Also give him details of any grey squirrel sightings anywhere, anytime. Report red sightings via the website of Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels at scottishsquirrels.org.uk/squirrel-sightings/.

F L E E T G A L L E RY C R A F T

Wednesday: Curry Night & Quiz Thursday: Music Night Saturday & Sunday: Food all day BOOK A TABLE!

Great selection of Malt whiskeys, Real Ales and Beers

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First World War Memorial Plaque A World War I memorial plaque was recently discovered in a waste skip in Palnackie and pressed into it were the names of all those from the parish of Anwoth killed in the First World War. The person who found it is a relation of Gerard Mcnamara (Mac the joiner). He contacted Mac to find out if the people of Gatehouse would like it returned. Having thought it worth saving Mac collected it and handed it over to Graham and Margaret Wright to store until its future could be decided.

After consultation locally it was decided the people of Gatehouse would welcome it back as it is a feature of historical interest.

It was originally in the Anwoth church and when the church was closed it was taken down by the new owner and stored. The current owner, Mr Peto disposed of an amount of unwanted items and by mistake one of these items was the plaque. Mr Peto has kindly agreed to donate it to the parish church and the minister Val Ott has agreed to accept it and have it fixed in the church adjacent to the present marble memorial.

The plaque is a thin copper sheet measuring five feet long by three feet four inches deep. The names of all those who were killed in the First World War are pressed into the surface of the copper. It is in poor condition and needs a significant amount of restoration work. There are four tears in the sheet, the bottom edge is folded back and a few fixing holes need attention. The surface is discoloured and streaked with green patina which is usual with unprotected copper. The encouraging point is that the lettering is in perfect condition.

A specialist company in Edinburgh was contacted and, based upon photographs sent to it, agreed to undertake the conservation work. As the plaque is in such poor condition it is recognised it will never be as good as new; however it will be much improved from what it is now. The plaque is now in Edinburgh undergoing examination with a view to offering a quotation for conservation to the best standard achievable considering its present condition. Should the quotation be considered acceptable the project will be carried out under the auspices of the Gatehouse Development Initiative.

Gatehouse Christmas Lights Group An appeal from your Christmas Lights Group that if we are to continue to provide Christmas Lights in Gatehouse, we need your help. Volunteers are required to assist with installing Christmas Lights in December of course, but before that throughout the year we need help with planning and fundraising and the organisation of the group. Without support we may have to dissolve the group as we can no longer function without more volunteers. We are a happy group, have two or three meetings per year and fundraise to keep Gatehouse alight at Christmas hopefully improving our displays year on year. We have a Bingo Night, a Duck Race, a Christmas Window Competition and, if we can find more volunteers, we can bring back the Christmas market that so many of the community missed this past December.

Please contact Suzette Harris - Gatehouse 814511.

the gatehouse deli OPEN Tuesday-Saturday 9.30 - 4pm (Opp. the Clock Tower)

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A Beautiful Day for a Beach Clean

(Courtesy of the National Scenic Area Volunteers Newsletter) Boys and girls from Gatehouse Primary and Nursery went to clean Carrick beach. Regan, Yazmin and Frankie have written an article about it.

We thought that the beach clean was absolutely awesome. We had a brilliant time because our whole school now know how important it is to clean the beach otherwise the wildlife will get hurt or even killed. We found over 1,476 bits of rubbish. It was nice to think that we had saved lots of animal lives. We all liked working together as a team and we thought it was well organised. Unfortunately, we found 103 cotton buds, 104 crisps/sweets/ lolly wrappers, 121 caps/lids, 292 plastic pieces bigger than 2.5cm, 354 plastic pieces less than 2.5cm, 502 pieces string/cord with a diameter less than 1cm. We were all disgusted with all the rubbish that we found on Carrick beach. Our highlight of the day was cleaning the beach and getting to work in groups. We found it quite embarrassing how much rubbish we found on such a small beach. We also liked the bumpy ride on the bus to Carrick beach because whenever you went over a bump you popped back up. We used litter pickers and black bags to put the litter in. We found some pretty unusual pieces of rubbish such as socks, shoes etc. We found it quite sad that people didn’t care about the countryside and wildlife. We now understand how important it is to keep the beach clean and to put rubbish in the bin! Frank P5, Yazmin P5 and Regan P6 While the children cleaned up at Carrick some of the adult volunteers cleaned up at Knockbrex. The clean-up was part of the Beachwatch Big Weekend, co-ordinated by the Marine Conservation Society. All the litter collected was recorded and the results sent to MCS for analysis, along with the surveys from 400 other events across the UK. The results will provide powerful evidence to influence government, industry and the public in tackling litter at source.

Left to right, David, Ron and Kenny.

The Badza (Courtesy of the National Scenic Area Volunteers Newsletter) The Badza is an hand-held agricultural tool, which can be used on a farm or in a garden with equal success. I think it originated many years ago in Britain and Europe and was named a “hoe”, a “ditcher”, or a “digger”. Nowadays it is still being used extensively in Africa (where the name originates) and probably in the Middle East. There may well be other translations that I am unaware of, but not to be confused with other digging instruments such as a “Pick” or a “Mattock”. As an ex-farmer from Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) and now settled in Gatehouse of Fleet, and having joined the local team of volunteers, I have been turning up from time to time armed with my badza brought with me from Zimbabwe, to carry out the work required of us. The Badza is found in many forms but the popular model sports a 6” wide blade made from spring steel and a forged round hole at the top of the blade into which a rounded tapered wooden handle, about 80cm long, is inserted. This handle needs to be well secured in position with metal wedges driven into the top to swell the wood into the round hole. There are “planting badzas”, used for just that which have much narrower blades in the region of 2 - 2.5” depending on the seedling to be planted, and, in some cases can be a lot better than a trowel. I have used a 9 - 10” wide badza (and wider) – they are rather unwieldy, but the African peasant women are very adept in using it for making large sweet potato mounds among other uses. I am seldom without it in my gardening endeavours in Gatehouse!

Bringing Sandy Inglis home John Faed’s well known painting, Rabbit Catches, is set to return to the Stewartry. Exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1867, the model for the rabbit catcher was Sandy Inglis, who lived in Neilson Square, Gatehouse.

Sandy Inglis is the main subject in some 14 of John Faed’s pictures and Rabbit Catches was the work chosen by Mary McKerrow to appear on the cover of her book The Faeds. Sandy was born in the parish of Borgue about 1798 and shortly after moved to Muirhead farm, Twynholm, when his father William took on the lease of this 60-acre farm. At the 1841 census, Sandy is described as an agricultural labourer working for his father and by the time of the 1851 census he had taken on the farm and was farming at Muirhead with his brother Peter. However, Sandy was not a successful farmer and by the early 1860s we find him living in Gatehouse with his sister Lydia. It was here that he was discovered by John Faed and became one of his favourite models.

Rabbit Catches hung for many years in Torosay Castle on the Island of Mull. In 2014, however, the contents of the castle were put up for auction and the painting was purchased by the Fine Art Society. Since then the Stewartry Museum has been raising funds to purchase the picture for the new gallery to be built in Kirkcudbright. Thanks to the generous support of many local people and organisations the target has now been reached for the purchase of the picture and it has now returned home to Galloway, ensuring that John Faed has pride of place as the father of the Kirkcudbright School.

A Few Changes at the Mill Many have remarked on the scaffolding currently up at the Mill. The Council are making repairs to the exterior; to the roof, the windows and the pointing.

All will be completed and the scaffolding down before the Mill reopens fully on the 21st March. We are planning big changes for the Mill over the next couple of years and we need your help. This year we will welcome visitors directly into the middle floor exhibition through the ‘Bookshop’ entrance. The ‘Gatehouse Story’ is moving to the Faed Gallery and a more open plan middle floor will combine with our Information Service to showcase the Fleet Valley and beyond to visitors. Our temporary exhibition programme moves to the opposite end of the main floor into a new exhibition gallery. However our story of past and present Gatehouse needs your support - local folk to chat to and welcome visitors to a really special part of Dumfries and Galloway.

If you would like more information or would like to volunteer some of your time, please contact our volunteer coordinators, Danny Alderslowe on 07579965712 or Alex Hodson on 01557 814228. Elsewhere in the building, the top floor remains much as at present for now and the popular bookshop reopens at the beginning of March. A new café is coming to the ground floor and we look forward to welcoming you to the Mill this year.

Free entry weekends from 27th February to 20th March Go Boing, Pedal Karts, Flying Fox, Drop Slide & Indoor play, free for all!

Great value Annual Passes available now! www.creamogalloway.co.uk 01557 814040

Around Gatehouse: Fleet Cold Store Forestry Commission Scotland’s cold store on the edge of the town is one of three that the Commission has in Scotland and is used to hold stocks of young trees dormant, in cool conditions. Over the course of a season some four million young trees will pass through the store. Many are conifers but just over a quarter are broadleaf.

Only the conifers are kept inside the store, but it allows the planting season, which runs through the winter, to be extended into May or even June. The Galloway Forest Area extends as far as Laurieston, Glengap, Castle Douglas, but includes parts of South Ayrshire and the island of Arran.

Supervisor of the Cold Store is Nigel Barrass. Nigel has worked for the Forestry Commission for 36 years. When he started, the forestry nursery was still in operation in the Cally estate - which was largely on the ground now taken up by the Cally golf course. Back when he started he reckons there were around 60 people working for for the Commission in the local area - including the tree nursery staff, as well as felling squads. Three felling squads of up to 12 men were based in the local area - Fleet basin, Glengap and Laurieston. But today contractors with their specialist felling machines can do the job of many men.

Of course other unwelcome changes can affect our forests. One of the most visible changes over the last few years has been Loading up with larches in the late 60s or early 70s. Roy White is at left, Sanny the loss of the larch due to a fungus-like Solley with his back to the camera, and Eck McKie on the lorry at right. infection which kills them, and Galloway has been particularly badly affected. Most of the larches have now been felled. As far as possible the felled timber is still used although precautions are taken in its transportation and processing to avoid spreading the problem. It is hoped that in due course larches will be found that are resitant to the disease and this will allow the propagation of new resitant varieties in the future. But at present there is no new planting of larch and this beautiful tree is a great loss to our landscape. However other conifers are being planted and while sitka spruce continues to be an important mainstay of the commercial forests, other varieties of conifer are being planted too including Norway spruce, noble fir, silver fir, Japanese red cedar and even sequoia. While the commercial forest is still quite tightly planted, riparian woodland (along the rivers) tends to be more open, and at higher levels particularly in the upper reaches of the valley more native broadleaf is being planted. Even at levels where it can’t develop much above scrub level it provides valuable habitat and food for wildlife. Impressively, every tree is recorded and can be traced back to its origin if necessary. All the deciduous stock comes from a single seed area - the area it is planting in.

While the conifers also come from registered seed stands - they are not quite as specific as the broadleaf.

The Cally Woods are one of the great assets of Gatehouse - popular and well used by locals and a draw for visitors, particularly for the snowdrops in January/February and bluebells in the spring and early summer. Much of the current woodland was planted after the Cally Estate was sold off when much of the existing mature timber was felled. New woodlands were planted which covered much of the original designed parkland landscape which surrounded Cally House, and indeed in recent years local projects have sought to recover and protect some of the parkland features and buildings now hidden in the woods.

Cally Woods is recreational woodland rather than strictly commercial - the objective is to allow the woods to fully mature and to manage them to that end. The woods are thinned as necessary to achieve this and while the timber extracted has commercial value, the thinning is part of the process of developing the woodland to full maturity. The woods were last thinned a few years back and the ploughed up ground and tracks from the large machinery has all mended now - however as there was concern to minimise the damage at the time, readers may recall that a working horse was employed to pull out some of the timber Nigel with a forest of small trees the old ways are not completely gone!

Mike Bannister’s

Gatehouse Memories Our active Gatehouse of Fleet Burns Club, besides running the annual ‘full house‘ Burns Night every January, consistently engaging a high standard of top table speakers and entertainment, also sponsors an essay and verse speaking competition for Gatehouse school children. During Gala Week members produce a Scottish Night and enter floats in the Gala Parades

Saville Row? Oh no! Coutouriere Moira Martineau fashioned the fine clothes for this model of the Bard and his good friend John Syme for presentation in a tableau in The Mill on the Fleet to commemorate their last visit to Gatehouse in 1793.

Burns and Syme are depicted ‘Fast by an ingle bleezin’’ at a reproduction of the hearth at The Murray Arms. They are refreshed and drying - out following the stormy journey on horseback from Gordon Castle. The Robert Burns commemorative Tableau was installed in The Mill on the Fleet but is now in the care of The Friends of Ellisland at Ellisland Farm close to Dumfries. Tam’s mare Meg (below) now also bides at Ellisland.

‘So Maggie runs, the witches follow Wi’ mony an eldritch skreoch and hollow - - - - Now, do thou thy speedy utmost, Meg , And win the key-stane of the brig.‘ Nigel Hesketh as Holy Willie at morning prayers Here Holy Willie’s sair worn clay Taks up it’s last abode His saul has taken some ither way I fear the left hand way ‘

The Burns Club Committee at July 1993 pose for photography at the Murray Arms Garden where an event was staged on the 200th anniversary of Robert Burns’ visit to Gatehouse. The Principal Speaker, Colonel Hugh Mackay, thrilled a gathering of 250 Burns enthusiasts with the description of The Battle of Bannockburn

Jim Finlay dispatches a summer season Haggis in the Gala Parade.

Burns Supper distinguished guests Past Burns Federation President George McKerrow, Burns Federation President Wilson Ogilvie and veteran Gatehouse Burnsian David Campbell join with Gatehouse President Jane McGivern to display the new Harry Dawson Memorial Trophies that are to be competed for by school pupils of Gatehouse in verse speaking and essay writing .

Jim Milligan in action (below left): “But mark the rustic, haggis fed. The trembling earth resounds his tread. Clap in his walie nieve a blade, He’ll mak’ it whissle,And legs an’ arms and will sned, Like taps o; thrissle.”

President James Finlay congratulates Joanna Stewart and Jennifer Cowan on their achievements. Joanna won the Harry Dawson Memorial Trophy with her essay on 1993 celebrations for the 200th anniversary of Robert Burns visit to Gatehouse. Jennifer, verse speaking winner at the Dumfries and Galloway competition, goes forward to the Scottish Finals.

Photo: Jim Logan

Business in Focus

Each issue we feature an in-depth interview with a local business to highlight individual contributions by the business sector to the local economy. This issue our choice is The Bobbin Guesthouse.

Helen and Jamie Findlay took over The Bobbin Guesthouse in 2007, moving here from Glasgow in part at least to provide daughter Erin with the wonderful environment of Gatehouse.

But Helen was already very familiar with the town, her parents having been longtime residents. As a student she worked her holidays at The Murray Arms in a variety of roles, and when she married Jamie they honeymooned at Carrick. Before The Bobbin Helen had worked as a catering manager for Queen Margaret Union at Glasgow University and as a catering officer in the RAF which memorably took her to Ascension Island for a year.

One of the great pleasures of the business is meeting the many visitors to Gatehouse who stay at The Bobbin. Dumfries and Galloway can seem overlooked as a holiday destination and often visitors making their first visit to the area love it, and will return again and again and over the years, and regulars at The Bobbin become almost like family. Helen insists on sourcing all produce for the guesthouse as locally as possible and holds a Taste of Scotland Gold Award. Visitors are often interested in exploring their family history. One visitor from Australia was delighted to find a box of letters in the Stewartry Museum sent home to Gatehouse from Australia by her forebears. Another elderly visitor evacuated to Gatehouse during the war discovered that The Bobbin was the very house he had stayed in, and was subsequently able to meet up with friends he had known some seventy years previously.

Also appearing in our photograph above is daughter Erin, a key member of the team. Erin is in P7 at Gatehouse Primary and thoroughly enjoys the buzz of the guesthouse. Like Helen she enjoys meeting the huge variety of visitors from across the world and telling them all about Gatehouse. In this pursuit she has sold many copies of the Primary School’s Gatehouse The Bobbin used to be the Butcher’s shop. The Rather than a photograph of the front of the Bobbin in publication ‘Our Wee Toun’. slaughter yard was at the back, and the deeds this grey February light we reproduce local artist Andy stipulate that the dung heap is only allowed at the Erin now enjoys having McKean’s view of the Bobbin albeit in a previous colour friends in many countries back and not the front! This William McMurray scheme. This dates from before the Findlay era but has photograph shows the family of James McMichael, across the world who keep in butcher, at the Well Entry. The small boy seated its own story as Helen’s father the late Brian Davidson, touch sending her postcards between his parents is John, who became a former teacher and headmaster, when attending a and Christmas cards. concert of the Gatehouse Singers recognised Andy as the celebrated professor of medicine Sir John one of his former pupils from 50 years previously!

Gatehouse News Contact: 01557 814458 news@gatehouse-of-fleet.co.uk

McMichael.

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