Thewire summer16zip

July/Aug2016 issue 68

the Wire life on the banks of the allan water

circulation 4200 households

It’s time to barbecue...

Food tastes better when you know where it comes from & it doesn’t get more local or fresher than this.

Fresh Poultry, Locally Sourced Beef, Highland Pork & Perthshire Lamb. Homemade Sausages, Handmade Haggis and Award Winning Pies and Home Cured Bacon

John Hill Butchers John Hill Butchers | 39 High Street, Dunblane | 01786 823 019

Carpet Master of Stirling Floor Covering Scotland since 1993

Family Run Business, Specialising in Quality & Service Great Value For Money & Satisfaction Guaranteed For your FREE no obligation, measure & estimate call

01786 451 376 Fantastic range of Carpets & Vinyls from all leading manufacturers Specialists in Karndean, Amtico & Marmoleum Large selection of Roll Stock Remnant Warehouse Carpet Binding Facility (for Rugs & Runners to your specifications)

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Hello and welcome to the Summer edition of theWire Well with the spell of gorgeous weather we have had (and which I hope will come back...)

I’m absolutely ready for summer and the school holidays. I know we have a week of bickering to get through whilst we all get used to being in each others company for prolonged periods of time. We also have to adjust to the increased amount of shopping necessary to keep our children (and inevitably their friends) fed and the extra amount of emergency chocolate needed (that’s for me!) but we do get there!

It’s possible to settle into more relaxing days, a reduction in the amount of morning shouting and strangely BOTH shoes being readily available whenever we need them... weird!

Now I do know that as I work from home, holidays are much easier to juggle and I have the upmost respect for those who are facing 8 (yes, eight!) weeks of childcare nightmares.

Thankfully there is a lot going on courtesy of Active Stirling, the Dunblane Centre, Radio Rainbow, the Tennis Club etc etc. so I do hope that everyone survives the summer with a smile on their face - well, at least some of the time (I refer you back to the emergency chocolate!)

The next issue of theWire will be for September & October so deadline will fall on the 9th August. Send your details for Community News & What’s On as soon as you can and don’t forget to include events for both months. And for those of you who are tempted, we won’t be mentioning the ‘Christmas’ word until much later ;-)

enjoy the magazine!

Fiona (e: fiona@thewireweb.co.uk) www.thewireweb.co.uk

Features & Editorials

Emmeline Pankhurst Day An Independent Nation Recipes Slimming World Success Going for a Picnic?

Summertime & the living is easy?

Coming Soon... Beech Tree Dental Fabulous World of Nail Art Krav Maga Anyone?

A Good Read Wimbledon Facts Quadcopters It’s only moss...

-Biographies The Difficult Patch Plant of The Month Garden Ornaments Climbers instead of Hedges Gift Aid It Summer Savings Moneysaving Expert Beat the ebay Scammers Cinema Releases Puzzles

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It’s all Child’s Play

Dunblane Centre Newsletter School Jotters Playtime Community News DDT What’s On Guide Useful Numbers A-Z of Advertisers

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Bridges?

Bridges have always played a very important part in the lives of the people who live and work in Dunblane. In the distant past, the “Old Bridge” was a key road from the south to the north of Scotland, as it was the major crossing of the Allan Water. Now there are six bridges that cross this river within the boundaries of Dunblane.

Recently, two of these crossings have been very much more in the minds of both residents and visitors. The “Old Bridge” has just undergone a major upgrade, after being closed to traffic for several months while this was completed. While very recently the “Faery Bridge” was once again the focus of attentions as the starting point for the annual Duck Race at the Fling.

Two of the other four bridges, allow road and rail traffic to travel from North and South and benefit both individuals and commerce. Without either of these, life would be much more difficult for everyone, both in the local, as well as the wider community as a whole.

Building bridges is also a key to the purpose of Rotary, again not only locally, but also to the wider community, even throughout the world. Its members assist in the activities of many local organisations both on a personal, and also on a Club, basis. While the major fundraising activities are to support larger organisations, both locally and further afield; many other events involve working with both the younger members of the community, not forgetting social events for the older generation.

However, a key bridge that has still to be crossed is one of correcting the wider perception of Rotary as “an old man’s club”. Over 15% of our Club’s current membership is ladies; and our president for the past year is one of that elite group. Also, while we do have older men as members, the average age in this Club is less than 65.

Why not come to one of our meetings in the Westlands Hotel, Doune Road, at 6.00 for 6-30pm held each Thursday. You will be made most welcome. Our next meeting is on Thursday 30 June. The speaker will be Kirsten Strachan who will talk about making a career in science. Anyone interested in attending should contact the Club Secretary, Iain Fraser at secretary@dunblanerotary.org. Tel: 01786 822 751.

More information can be found on the Club website: www.dunblanerotary.org.uk or the Facebook site: www.facebook.com/dunblanerotary 6

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classic and contemporary cocktails • old and new world wines local food and real ales • artisan coffee and home baking riverside dining • wood burning stove stirling road, dunblane • 01786 823 318 opening times: mon-thurs 10am - 12pm, fri-sat 11am - 12pm

NOW serving food all day saturday & sunday

Dunblane Museum Gallery

is pleased to welcome our Summer 2016 Open 10:30 to 16:30 Monday to Saturday.

Dunblane Museum Shop Browsers Welcome

Art Exhibitors: July : Ann Ross - Standards of Scotland ‘The Scottish Felters’ August: Libby Hughes & Louise Martin British Tapestry Group preview ‘Each Day has a Colour’ September: Jenny Reid -‘Land & Water’ The Gallery is open during normal Museum opening times Monday – Saturday 10.30am to 4.30pm Dunblane Museum, The Cross, Dunblane

Dunblane Museum has a small shop offering a range of quality gifts, including scarves, jewellery, shoppers, umbrellas, homeware, books and stationery at affordable prices.

For boys and girls there is a good choice of pocket money and traditional toys or games.

The selection of local interest souvenirs, such as post box magnets, pens, pencils, mugs, keyring torches, jigsaw puzzles and books, is popular with tourists.

A small selection of gardening items complements the plants for sale in the garden.

Everyone welcome to come in and browse.

Dunblane Museum, The Cross, Dunblane Dunblane Museum is a charity registered in Scotland SC020895

Dunblane Museum is a charity registered in Scotland SC02089

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Designer Florist Beautiful fresh flowers, bespoke arrangements, plants & inspiring home & gift ideas.

Come in and discuss what you’d like or order & pay by phone. Local Delivery Service.

6 High Street, Dunblane | 01786 826 937 info@secretgardendunblane.co.uk | www.secretgardendunblane.co.uk

Emmeline Pankhurst Day It still happens today: women struggling for the right to be recognised on an equal footing with men; women fighting to have a say in how things are run in male-dominated governments; women dying for daring to stand up for what they believe.

This was the situation in the UK at the start of last century, but by 1918 - following the valiant efforts of women during World War l when they undertook jobs normally carried out by men and proved they could do the work just as well - women over the age of 30 were granted the right to vote. Ten years later this was extended to women aged 21 and over.

Emmeline Pankhurst was instrumental in winning women the right to vote. Born in Manchester on 15th July 1858, she launched the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1903.

Notorious for their ‘deeds not words’ approach, its members literally fought their way to victory with demonstrations, window smashing, arson, bombings, kidnappings, hunger strikes and by chaining themselves to railings. Their most famous act of violence occurred in 1913 when Emily Davison was killed after throwing herself under the king’s horse.

On July 14th we commemorate Emmeline Pankhurst Day, but perhaps the best way we can celebrate her achievement is by exercising our right to vote.

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An Independent Nation America is centre stage at the moment with the imminent presidential elections. The U.S. prides itself on its independence, but what is Independence Day really about?

In the eighteenth century, America was a series of thirteen colonies governed from Britain. Initially the relationship between the two countries was strong but gradually the colonists became irritated by their lowly status. Simple decisions which affected their daily lives took months to implement because they had to be passed through Parliament in England.

During Britain’s war with France it paid less attention to the American colonies and they became more self reliant setting up their own de facto government systems.

When Britain noticed this burgeoning independence it decided to impose greater control again: the agriculture, trade and purchases of goods were too important to lose. At the same time Britain resented the costs of protecting the colonies and decided these should be funded through taxation.

The Stamp Act, passed in 1765 meant certain imported items were taxed. These were marked with an official stamp. In protest merchants banded together and refused to buy goods from Britain. The act was cancelled in early 1766.

But the British Government under King George III still held the power and in 1767 Charles Townshend, the chancellor of the exchequer imposed new taxes on tea, paint, lead, paper and glass. He also passed the Quartering Act whereby British soldiers were to be quartered in the homes of the civilian population.

Once again the colonists boycotted British goods in protest.

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The rebellion centred on Boston so the British Government sent troops there to keep order. On March 5th 1770 British soldiers fired on a mob.

Several men were killed in what became known as the Boston Massacre. The soldiers involved were arrested but there remained a very anti-British feeling among the colonies.

On the same day as the Boston Massacre most of the Townshend acts were abolished. But Britain had a point to prove so left the Tea Act in place. This infuriated the colonists. They turned away all tea clippers from their harbours. Then on December 16th 1773 a group of colonists dressed as Indians boarded a ship and threw the cargo of tea into the sea. This became known as the Boston Tea Party.

When the British Government heard what had happened ministers were incensed.

Britain closed Boston Port and put Massachusetts under military rule. Anger in the colonies spilled over. In 1774 the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and drafted the Declaration of Rights and Grievances. There were attempts at conciliation but when armed colonial militia inflicted a defeat on the British army at Lexington and Concord the American War of Independence was under way.

The war officially began in 1775 and ended with the peace treaty of 1783. It transformed the original thirteen British Colonies into the United States of America.

America officially split from Britain on 4th July 1776 with the signing of The Declaration of Independence.

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American Style Cornbread

An American favourite in honour of Independence Day Serves: 4-6 (1 loaf ) Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 30-35 minutes Ingredients Vegetable oil (for greasing) 175g / 6oz plain flour 1 tsp salt 4 tsp baking powder 1 tsp caster sugar

280g / 10oz polenta 115g / 4oz butter (softened) 4 eggs 250ml / 9floz milk 3 tbsp double cream

Method: • Preheat the oven to 200C / Gas mark 6. Brush a 20cm / 8inch square cake tin with oil.

• Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together into a bowl. Add the sugar and polenta and mix together. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

• Lightly whisk the eggs in a separate bowl. Stir into the polenta mixture and mix until thoroughly combined.

• Spoon the mixture into the prepared in and smooth the surface. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. To check it’s done insert a cocktail stick into the centre of the loaf and check to see whether it comes out clean. If it doesn’t then the loaf needs a few more minutes.

• When cooked, remove from the oven. Leave to cool slightly for ten minutes but serve warm for best results.

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Summer Pudding with Drambuie Ice Cream

by Wendy Gudgeon

Ingredients: (serves 4 to 6) • • • •

Slices of thin crustless white bread 500g fresh seasonal fruit - 250g strawberries and 250g mixed raspberries, stoned cherries, blueberries 30ml water 150g caster sugar

Method: • • • • • • • •

Line the base and sides of a 900ml pudding basin with the bread.

Cut the strawberries in half and wash all the fruit.

Bring the sugar and water to the boil and add the fruit in order of cooking speed i.e. cherries, blueberries, strawberries, lastly raspberries.

Cook for a minute or two and remove from the heat.

Place the fruit mixture into the bowl and cover with more bread.

Place a saucer on top and a weight on top. Chill overnight.

To serve – loosen with a palette knife, turn out onto a serving dish.

Cut into wedges accompanied with Drambuie ice cream or lightly whipped double cream.

Drambuie Ice Cream (serves 6 to 8 plus)

200g golden syrup 8 egg yolks 4200ml double cream 3 tbsp. Drambuie

• • • • • • •

Whip the egg yolks and syrup until light and fluffy.

Heat 210ml double cream to scalding point in a double boiler.

Add the syrup and egg yolk mixture and reheat until it coats the back of a spoon. This may take several minutes.

Freeze until firm.

Whip the remaining 210ml double cream until floppy.

Stir into the ice cream mixture with the Drambuie.

Freeze and serve.

Wendy Gudgeon Tel: 01786 824 487 wendygudgeon@yahoo.co.uk www.wendygudgeon.co.uk

Nominated Catering Finalists at The Scottish Wedding Awards 2016 12

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Sheriffmuir Inn

It’s the inn place out of town A varied, seasonal menu and A wonderful specials BOARD open 7 days for lunch & dinner For reservations call 01786 823 285 Visit our website for more information

www.sheriffmuirinn.co.uk

Scottish Oven Cleaning Ovens, Cookers, Agas, Hobs, Extractors, Appliances

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Slimming World Success!

Say hello to Linda Robertson, who joined Slimming Word in January 2015 and now weighs in a whopping 5 stone lighter!

Here is Linda’s story....

In October of 2014 my son had a near fatal accident. Life was suddenly put into perspective and I decided to make changes, I wanted to better myself. I felt too big and too heavy, my weight affected my movement and if I walked any distance the pressure on my sciatic nerve caused me a great deal of pain and I had to take a lot of strong drugs. I took a photo, a picture I hated, and kept it on my phone to inspire me. I didn’t want to be fat at fifty!

Having always worked in catering, I spend a lot of time thinking about food. Slimming World helped me change the way I think about what I put on my plate. I have always loved fruit and vegetables and started to eat more and more of them.

Although I didn’t eat a lot of meat before, as it is ‘free’ with Slimming World I started to include more and change some of my regular meals.

One of my favourite aspects of Slimming World is that I chose my own target. I worked towards gradual goals, aiming to loose small amounts over short periods of time and that helped me focus and meant I was constantly achieving and seeing results.

Each time I reached a goal it made me more determined. The classes and support from members and our consultant Kay, have been a massive help too. The sharing of each others knowledge and discussion of our journeys is really motivating.

My weight loss journey has changed my life! Not only has my shape changed, I am more confident, I make better choices and I feel better inside and about myself. I can’t imagine going back to the way I was, it just won’t happen. And guess what? All those painkillers I used to take, I don’t take any now and walk wherever I want!

Inspired to try yourself?

Slimming World doesn’t offer you a quick fix diet. It is absolutely an eating plan that is sustainable for life. It puts you in control of the food choices you make every day, and lays down the foundations of a healthy, balanced way of life for ever.

There is no need to be hungry! The food optimising plan is easy, generous and flexible. Very little has to be weighed, lots of foods are ‘free’ such as pasta, potatoes, rice, eggs, beans, meat, poultry and fish... plus loads of fruit and vegetables whenever you like. Add to this your healthy extras and choose a little of the things you love. No food is banned.

Slimming World in Dunblane is friendly and welcoming and because every member has a common goal, is incredibly supportive.

New people are given a warm welcome every week, and join those already well on their way to success and others who are maintaining their goal weight. Everyone shares their favourite recipes or snacks, Slimming World hints and tips.

So what are you waiting for?

Take the first steps to a new slimmer, fitter and healthier you!

Come along to class on Tuesday either 5.30pm or 7.30pm, at The Braeport Centre It’s never too late to start!

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EVERY TUESDAY 5.30pm & 7.30pm The Braeport Centre, Dunblane For more information, call Kay on 01786 824 885 or 07828 095 012

A light-as-a-feather summer dessert at its berry best!

Serves: 4 Prep time: 15 mins, plus 30 mins chilling time Syns per serving: 4½

Ingredients:

1 tbsp sweetener 800g raspberries, reserving a few to decorate 3 x 175g pots Mullerlight Vanilla 4 ready-made meringue nests (about 15g each) broken up

Method: • • • • •

Put the sweetener and half the raspberries in a blender and whizz until smooth Push the purée through a fine sieve (optional) and then divide half of it between four dessert bowls.

Layer the yogurt, meringue, remaining raspberry purée and almost of all the whole raspberries.

Chill for 30 minutes.

Decorate with the remaining raspberries and the mint leaves.

Sit back, close your eyes and love every mouthful!

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Homemade Ice Lollies Do you share the same childhood memories of summertime as me? When it got hot, did you take out the ice cube tray, fill it with diluted cordial and eagerly wait for it to set so that you could enjoy impromptu homemade ice lollies? And were you usually disappointed when you came face to face with crunchy, crystallised cubes of weakly flavoured water rather than the delicious, mouth-watering, thirst-quenching, temperature -cooling creations you were expecting?!

Legend has it that the ice lolly was invented in 1905 by an 11 year old American boy named Frank Epperson, who accidentally left a glass of soda with a mixing stick poking out of it on his porch overnight. The next day, he found he had made a delicious frozen treat. Regardless of their origin, homemade ice lollies offer endless possibilities.

Orange and lemon, minted milk, strawberries and cream, pineapple and coconut, grapefruit and campari or vodka and tonic are just some of the flavours you could try.

To avoid the disappointing results I experienced, here are a few tips to ensure success at the freezer.

• Make the mixture too strong. Cold numbs the taste buds, so add extra lemon juice, balsamic vinegar or even chilli to give the lolly oomph!

• Sugar improves the taste and softens the texture. Too little will result in a solid block of 16

• •

•

•

•

•

flavoured ice; too much will result in a lolly that is partially liquid. Healthier alternatives to sugar include date syrup, honey and coconut sugar.

When filling the mould, leave about 5mm at the top to allow the mixture to expand.

To make sure the sticks stand upright, freeze for about an hour and then insert the sticks.

Alternatively, cover the top of the moulds with foil, make a slit and insert the sticks through it.

Freezing quickly reduces the amount of ice crystals. Turn the freezer to the coldest setting and place the moulds at the back. Lollies on average take around 4-5 hours to freeze but set faster, the higher the water to sugar ratio.

Alcohol slows the process, with too much alcohol resulting in a slushy lolly!

To un-mould, immerse in hot water for 20-30 seconds. Dip just below the top rim and pull hard on the sticks to yank the lollies out.

Store frozen lollies in sealable freezer bags or waxed paper. Make sure they are airtight to prevent ice crystals from forming inside.

For super quick lollies, simply freeze pieces of fruit. Cover bananas in peanut butter or chocolate spread before freezing or blend fruit puree with plain yoghurt. Frozen Angel Delight tastes just like mini milks!

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The weather’s warming up, so why not get outside and go for a picnic?

Some see picnics as a romantic affair to be shared with a loved one, fine foods and a bottle of champagne. For others it’s an inexpensive family day out and often a reminder of childhood days. Or it could be a chance to spend time with friends, choosing to meet at a given location and each bringing along their favourite food and drinks to share.

The Oxford Dictionary describes a picnic as ‘an occasion when a packed meal is eaten outdoors, especially during an outing to the countryside.’ Whilst many do choose a countryside spot for their picnic there are many other options including local parks, the grounds of stately homes, the seaside and riverside settings.

For many people a picnic consists of traditional items such as sandwiches, crisps, boiled eggs and cakes or fruit. Research shows however that Mediterranean options such as deli-style meats, olives, humus and crackers are also now commonly included and some choose to create items from special picnic recipe books.

One of the tricks of picnicking successfully is packaging items correctly to ensure food is not squashed beyond recognition and drinks don’t leak. Carrying your picnic on a bike ride can create extra difficulties but add to the fun. Utilise specialist plastic containers, cling film, foil and sandwich bags, or buy items pre-packed. You could even splash out on a traditional picnic hamper. You can now buy a wide range of stylish brightly coloured plastic plates, cutlery and cups to enhance your experience. It’s a good idea to remember to take napkins or kitchen roll and some wet wipes, as eating a picnic can get a little messy, particularly if you are sat on a picnic rug rather than at a table. Do take some bags for your rubbish too; never leave litter behind.

It’s not just about the food and drink. Most picnics include some form of group exercise such as a walk, cycle, swim or game of rounders, in addition to a good laugh and a chat. This makes picnics a stress-busting, healthy activity. And if the weather isn’t kind you can still create a picnic atmosphere indoors. You could even try a ‘carpet picnic’ at home. Kids love them!

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keep it simple.

Let theWire take care of your design needs.

flyers/postcards • adverts • brochures • posters

Just ask...

Call Fiona on 07720 429 613 or email: fiona@thewireweb.co.uk theWire design services

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To advertise in the

Avocado and Poached Egg on Toast

A simple but oh so tasty summery breakfast or light supper Preparation Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 10 mins Serves 4 Ingredients: 4 fresh eggs 2 ripe avocados Juice of one lemon 1 tsp chilli flakes or 1/2 red chilli, finely chopped 4 thick slices bread, toasted (sourdough bread is wonderful if you can get it) Method: Heat a pan of lightly salted water to a simmer. Crack one of the eggs into a cup, then make a whirlpool with a spoon in the water and carefully tip the egg into the water.

Repeat with a second egg. Cook each egg for 3-4 mins until white is barely set. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Bring the water back to a simmer and repeat with remaining eggs Meanwhile, halve and de-stone avocados. In a large bowl, roughly mash avocados, lemon juice and chilli.

Season to taste.

Spread the avocado mixture over the toast, top each serving with an egg and serve immediately.

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Lorna Clarke BSc Pod, MChS, HCPC Registered

Chiropodist & Podiatrist Home Visits

Tel: 07976 666 003 lornaclarke69@gmail.com www.dunblanechiropodist.com

HOME FITNESS EQUIPMENT HIRE Motorised Treadmill Club Style Air Rower Exercise Cycle Elliptical X-Trainer Gravity Walker

4 weeks hire £50 8 weeks hire £35 8 weeks hire £35 6 weeks hire £40 8 weeks hire £25

Special offer: Vibration Plate 4 weeks hire £50 GETS AN EXTRA 6 WEEKS FREE! Home delivery available to the Dunblane area on Wednesday evenings

CALL 01236 767 211

www.fitnesstakeaway.com

Make your appointment now & find out our latest offers

Call 01786 824 445 Finalists * Terms & Conditions apply

Hair Chair • 50 High Street, Dunblane • www.hairchair.com 20

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Dunblane: 01786 823 397mention | Bridgethe ofwire Allan:when 01786 832 061to| Auchterarder: 01764 662 316 Please responding adverts 21

Summertime and the living is easy …again!

In just a few short weeks, the schools will break up for the summer holidays. Across the land, excited young people are getting ready for their break, looking forward to the end of the exam period or just keen not to have to get up early every morning.

If we are to believe the holiday adverts on the television and the front pages of the glossy magazines, summer is one long break from the routine of our normal lives. A time to dress in lovely clothes and walk along sandy beaches all day, marvelling at the beautiful scenery and only stopping to spend quality family time in the evening, relaxing over dinner. All of this sounds blissful but how many people do you know who actually live like that? The trouble with idealised views of how school and other holidays should be is that many people believe the fantasy is what they should be recreating for their own family and when they can’t achieve it they feel that they have failed.

Most modern parents don’t really recognise themselves in that romanticised picture because they are building up to seven weeks of keeping their children amused during a British summer of uncertain weather and stretched resources. They are already beginning to dread keeping children of different ages amused and away from each other’s throats and, of course, feeling really guilty because they have to juggle competing demands.

Have you ever noticed how contagious stress can be? How it builds up and feeds on itself so everyone in the family is touched by it? You are tired and stressed out by trying to please everyone so you snap at your partner, they snap back at you, the children and young people in the household join in by squabbling with each other and soon all your rose tinted ideas about lovely family time are out of the window. Leaving everyone with a sour taste in their mouths. This summer why don’t you observe how many times you hear stressed out parents muttering about how good it will be when school 22

starts back and things go back to normal.

It’s a whole year since I wrote an article on the idyll associated with summertime and the holiday period and here we are again. I hope that some of the work we have been doing on resolutions and building new habits have made the approach to this year’s summer break positive and exciting. For some of us this can still be a difficult time of year and summertime? ...well the living is far from easy.

No one wants to say that having family time together is anything less than wonderful but that lovely old song from a bygone era speaks of a romantic view of the past when summer was made up of long golden days and there was no such thing as stress or rain or tantrums. Most of us know that this is a rose tinted view but somehow, we allow ourselves to think maybe this time we can create lovely memories for our children that they will carry forever in their hearts.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be so difficult. This summer and all the summers that follow can really be different. The key thing is for every one of us to keep an eye on our own stress levels and to intervene before it all gets too much.

Of course, there are some brilliant short-term measures we can take. We can go for a spa day, walk by the sea, go to the mountains or even spend lots of money we can’t afford on treats for us and for our families. All of these things can give us relief but there are things we can do that will have far greater benefits in the longer term. Things that we can do every day for the rest of our lives that will add perspective to every family and personal situation we are called on to navigate.

•

Nurturing and looking after yourself is the most important thing you can ever do. Remember that instruction on the plane to adjust your own oxygen mask before attempting to help anyone else? Make time for YOU every day.

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Be the best you

Hypnotherapy & NLP Helping you achieve your goals

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Let go of stress throughout the day. Take three deep breaths whenever you get five minutes to yourself. Take a deep breath whenever the phone rings. Be mindful of tension in your jaw, neck or shoulders and release it. You’ll be amazed at how effective these simple techniques are.

Remember it’s ok to say no to invitations. It’s lovely to be invited to summer barbecues or for coffee at other people’s homes but, it is so easy to find yourself over committed and without a free moment. Make your mind up how many ‘outings’ you want to make in any given week and mark them in your diary

•

If you are juggling work commitments and family time, set realistic limits. Sometimes, it helps just to write down what you are trying to get through in any given day. Seeing it written down in black and white can be a reality check.

•

If you are staying at home this summer, plan some inexpensive day trips to provide you all with the chance to relax in each other’s company. Turn off all tablets and phones and just be with your family. Everyone else will still be there when you come home.

•

Most of all, just take time each day to enjoy yourself and your family and take care of your own needs.

To find out how Hypnotherapy and NLP can help with holiday stress contact Francine at Orrganise.

Don’t agonise ...Orrganise!

Kindly provided by Francine at Orrganise Practising at Neroli, Dunblane & Woodside Pharmacy, Doune

Orrganise For more information contact Francine on 07772 401 634 or email francine@orrganise.co.uk Don’t Agonise....Orrganise!

Rosie Brown DSM Therapeutic Massage Don’t suffer in silence!

Therapeutic massage can treat back pain, headaches, stress and much more.

Go to rosiebrownmassage.co.uk for details on how I can help you

Rosie Brown DSM

07812 049 590

1 Sinclair’s Street, Dunblane

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Finding it hard to hear the TV, radio or conversations…?

You may not be the only one... in the UK it is estimated that 1 in 6 is deaf or hard of hearing.

We can help, book a hearing test today!

At hass we offer a complete hearing assessment and a greater choice of hearing aids including smaller, discreet models which fit inside the ear, out of sight.

Qualified clinical Audiologist and registered Hearing Aid dispenser, David Willis was previously Head of Audiology for NHS Tayside and now offers a personal service providing Audiology Consultations, performing Hearing tests and supplying state of the art hearing aids and ear protection technology.

No GP referrals necessary Avoid the long NHS wait Home Visits or Surgery times to suit Practising at: Fernbrae Hospital, Dundee & Kings Park Hospital, Stirling Call TODAY and gain access to the very best of today’s technology and qualify for £500 off some models of premium hearing aids

hass

Hearing and Audiology Services Scotland David Willis M.B.S.H.A.A. Consultant Audiologist & Registered Hearing Aid Dispenser tel: 07940 811 264 or email: dwillishass@gmail.com

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RHONA GEDDES Optometrist

Mum and daughter packages Treat yourselves for summer!

70 High Street Dunblane FK15 0AY

01786 825826

Luxury Package Back, neck and shoulders aromatherapy Mini facial Gelish hands File and polish toes £120 (for 2) saving £36 Mini package Mini facial File and polish hands and feet £60 (for 2) saving £20 Get in touch to find out more & to book your appointment.

9 Stirling Rd, Dunblane

ww.nerolibeautysalon.co.uk

01786 821 818

Helen McLean Podiatry BSc Hons, MChS, HCPC Registered A home visit service within Dunblane & the surrounding areas, specialising in general foot care and biomechanics.

Dunblane 01786 609 706 07795 836 400

www.helenmcleanpodiatry.co.uk

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NEW to Dunblane Beech Tree Dental Opening in July Meet our Team...

General Dentistry - Dr Sara Divin (GDC Reg: 81997) is delighted to bring 14 years experience in excellent quality general and cosmetic dentistry to Dunblane. Sara have a special interest in all fixed and removable prosthetics such as crowns, bridges and denture work. She also enjoys work delivering Smile makeovers including cosmetic veneers and tooth whitening. Having 2 children of her own, Sara feels that life long dental health starts from childhood, so she enjoys forming that relationship with all her younger patients and making going to the dentist fun!!

Periodontics and General Dentistry - Dr Alan Maxwell (GDC Reg: 56789) has spent many years working as a Principal General Dentist, running his own NHS practice, working as a Specialist in the Private Sector and running very large dental clinics in the Royal Navy. Although Alan spends the majority of time in day to day General Practice, he is on the Specialist list for Periodontics with a special interest in Cosmetic Dentistry, bringing the smile back to his patients. Being married with two lively, active kids does not leave much free time, but when he has a spare day, Alan is a keen golfer.

Dental Implants - Dr David Chan (GDC Reg: 62139) has more than 20 years experience in Implantology. David carries out a wide range of implant procedures, including single implants to full mouth replacement, from the straightforward to the very complex cases. David is also a mentor to other Implantologists and is a lecturer at Warwick University.

Facial Aesthetics - We are very privileged to have a an

extremely experienced medical Consultant from Glasgow,

Dr Kay McAllister, to carry out our Facial Aesthetic procedures. Kay is a medical doctor, registered with the GMC (Reg: 3314522) since 1990.

Hygienists - All of our hygienists are highly trained with

several years of experience.

Please do not hesitate to pop in to meet our friendly team and discuss any questions that you may have!

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All Private, Denplan & NHS Patients Welcome

01786 439 270 4 Beech Road | Dunblane FK15 0AA info@beechtreedental.com www.beechtreedental.com

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The Fabulous World of Nail Art People have been painting their nails for thousands of years. A decade ago one could only choose between a coloured polish or a French manicure.

But recently nail art has taken off, with elaborate designs featuring everything from geometric patterns to miniature landscapes. Nail art ranges from simple stripes, to incredibly intricate creations, some of which can take hours to produce.

For the fancier designs and best results, visit a nail salon. There are plenty of stand-alone salons across the country, as well as smaller nail bars in spas, department stores and beauty salons. If you have time, patience and a steady hand however, you could try the following designs at home, particularly if you have a willing friend to help out…

Monochrome: Try painting half a nail black, and the other half white, or go for a more detailed design, such as zebra print.

Flags: Many countries’ flags are quite simple to recreate.

You could paint each nail with the same flag, or go for a full United Nations range of designs. Flags are ideal for celebrating sporting events, such as UEFA Euro 2016 or Rugby Union.

Polka Dot: Paint each nail with a base colour and allow to dry before dotting on different colours.

Stripes: Fun for summer, stripes can conjure up images of 28

seaside deckchairs or Breton t-shirts. Stripes across the nail can be slightly harder to get right, so you may prefer to work from the nail bed to the tip.

All that glitters: This look is easy to create, but effective. Paint your nails with a high shine metallic polish, such as Nars’ in Milos Rich Gold. While wet, sprinkle over some fine glitter. Alternatively, choose a polish which already has added sparkle, such as L’Oreal’s Color Riche Gold Dust.

Ombre: With this look you want to create a gradient of colour. Start by painting the lightest shade onto your nail and leaving it to dry. Then paint a band of the light shade onto a flat glass surface, and a darker shade above it. Altogether, the painted area on the glass should be just longer than your nail. Mix the shades together slightly where they meet. Lightly press a makeup sponge into the polish, then roll it onto your nail.

Embellishments: Stick on nail gems are easy to apply, although they don’t tend to last very long! Try a line along the cuticle, or one small gem on each nail.

For best results, allow plenty of time for each colour to dry, before applying the next shade, to avoid smudging. You may also want to add a clear top coat, to help your creation last longer.

Have fun!

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29

Bridge of Allan Dental Care welcomes a new dentist to the team...

Bridge of Allan Dental Care is delighted to announce the addition of Dr Aidan Hannah to the team.

Aidan, who lives in Stirling, is joining us from a practice in Motherwell. He prides himself on his personal approach to patient care which will fit in perfectly with our practice motto “Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.”

We can help with: • • • • • • •

family dental care white fillings metal free crowns teeth whitening implants anxious patients convenient appointments.

Phone or email NOW for an appointment on

01786 832 331

Aidan is looking forward to joining our team and contributing to the professional and friendly feel of our practice. This friendly atmosphere, as well as the state of the art dental equipment we possess, is one of the reasons Aidan has decided to join us.

Aidan enjoys restorative and cosmetic work as he likes the challenge of improving the aesthetics of someone’s smile. He is currently studying for membership of the Royal College of Surgeons, a postgraduate qualification that will set him apart from many of his colleagues. Outside of work he is an avid sportsman and enjoys playing and watching football and rugby. He is also a budding chef and enjoys spending time in the kitchen creating menus inspired by his travels abroad.

We are confident Aidan will be a successful member of our team and are certain you will share this view once you meet him. Aidan is able to offer private and NHS dentistry.

or info@bridgeofallandental.com 1 Union Street, Bridge of Allan www.bridgeofallandental.com 30

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Something new is coming to Dunblane...

Practical Self Defence - Krav Maga

This July, Central Scotland Krav Maga (CSKM) will open it’s new class at the Braeport Centre, Dunblane. Often called “the world’s most effective self defence system” 1, Krav Maga is no longer new on the scene but many people are still unaware of the reality-based self defence system and how it differs from traditional martial arts. We have spoken with Peter Shillan, founder and instructor at CSKM, to find out more.

Q) What is Krav Maga?

Krav Maga is a reality-based self defence system. It was developed to work with the body’s natural responses and reflexes, providing the tools to protect yourself and others from threatening situations.

Q) How is it different from traditional martial arts?

Martial Arts often work by retraining the body making them effective after a significant time training. Krav Maga works by starting with the body’s natural reactions, developing as few techniques as possible, and training for reality while retaining an emphasis on fun and safety.

Q) How did you become an instructor?

I trained for over 3 years as a Krav Maga student and decided to take the General Instructor’s Course (GIC). The GIC is 21 days/180 hours of gruelling and intensive Krav Maga, going deeper into understanding the way it is taught and why it is taught that way.

Q) Is Krav Maga a fitness class?

You do not have to be fit to start Krav Maga and it is not a fitness class. There are exercises to increase your fitness as this is an invaluable asset if a confrontation becomes physical.

Classes aim to have fun, provide a supportive community and promote physical health in addition to providing tools and techniques to deal with physical confrontation. So its practical self defence where getting fitter is a happy bi-product - that’s a win-win!

Q) Have I seen Krav Maga in action?

Almost certainly! It is used by Daniel Craig’s James Bond, Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne and Liam Neeson’s Bryan Mills (Taken).

Q) Who would benefit from studying Krav Maga?

Anyone who wants to know how to avoid a confrontation, deal effectively with a physical assault and know how to disengage appropriately. Krav Maga promotes confidence, fitness and safety in the real world, not only in the gym. It is suitable for any age and fitness level.

Anyone who would like to try a fun and friendly introduction can come and take their first class for free so why not get along to the Braeport Centre, Dunblane on Thursdays at 7pm from the 14th July and become your own bodyguard!

1 https://storify.com/webjamfeed/krav-maga-the-world-s-most-effectiveself-defense, http://www.maxim.com/maxim-man/best-martial-arts-fightguide-2015-12, https://www.quora.com/

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31

A Good Read The Wedding Girl

by Sophie Kinsella Sophie Kinsella is best known for her Shopaholic series of books, but it is well worth reading this older novel, first published in 1999 under her real name, Madeleine Wickham.

Milly is about to marry the man of her dreams. The son of a successful millionaire business man, her future seems assured. Okay, so Simon and his father don’t get on, and he insists on making his own way in the world without any help, but he dotes on Milly and she loves him. A society wedding is planned complete with giant marquee, oysters, a cake which arrives in 10 boxes, and two giant ice swans.

But then the wedding photographer arrives to stay at her parents’ B&B. He and Milly recognise each other, though at first she doesn’t know from where. When the penny drops Milly is struck with fear. A chance encounter on a college lawn in Oxford ten years ago when she was a naïve 18-year-old had led to a rash decision which now has ramifications and threatens to bring her dream wedding crashing down. Can she find a way to fix this, or will she have to tell Simon the truth?

A slow burner that picks up pace as it progresses. In Milly the author created a very different protagonist compared with Becky in her later Shopaholic books. Milly has flaws so she’s less immediately likeable than Becky. And the novel lacks some of the frivolity of the classic chic-lit genre but this is not necessarily a bad thing, and it is interesting to see how an author’s style develops with time.

Starring Sally J Freedman as Herself

by Judy Blume For a lot of women today Judy Blume books formed an important part of our childhood so it is good to see that they are entertaining a new generation.

Starring Sally J Freedman as Herself is one of her least known novels but it’s a gem.

It is 1947 and Sally J Freedman is a 10-year-old girl living in New Jersey. Stories of the war in Europe still have an impact on her. She receives the news that her family is moving south to Miami Beach in order to help her sick brother who needs a warmer climate. Sally soon realises that life in the southern states of America is very different to the life she has lived in New Jersey. Segregation is still an issue in the late 1940s and Sally is shocked to discover that a black family on the sleeper train that they are travelling on have been asked to move to a different carriage.

In addition to racism the novel also touches on the issue of anti-Semitism. Sally is Jewish and she meets a man living in her building in Miami. She notices a similarity between him and Hitler and becomes convinced that he is indeed Hitler, living out his retirement in America. Although Sally doesn’t realise it he will help her come to terms with the war and the deaths of some of her relatives in the Holocaust.

Sally’s imagination is the novel’s playground, as she plays an heroic role in many scenarios which help her cope with the changes in her otherwise mundane life. This is the most autobiographical of Blume’s novels and she has admitted that Sally is her, aged ten. Sally dreams of meeting her favourite Hollywood movie stars, including Esther Williams, and child star Margaret O’Brien. Sometimes as children we face situations we can’t hope to make sense of so Sally turns to her imagination to cope with this difficult year in her life. This is a delightful coming of age novel all about discovering that the world is maybe not how we might want it to be.

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Get Fit & Fabulous Braeport Centre 8pm-9pm Contact Philippa for more info;

mob. 07977066994

email; info@thefitnesslady.co.uk

Come and try your first class for FREE! SPECIAL OFFER

join on the day and get 4 classes & annual membership until August 2017

for only £40

Wimbledon Facts Wimbledon fortnight enthuses even non-tennis-lovers and of course, in this area, makes us come out in support of the Murray brothers!

Here are some Wimbledon facts to muse on as you enjoy the matches.

• •

•

•

•

Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam event to be played on grass, which is cut to exactly 8mm for the competition.

There is a strict dress code. Players must dress in mainly white clothing and umpires request them to comply. Even Roger Federer was asked to change his shoes because they had orange soles!

There are 250 ball boys and girls (known as BBGs) at Wimbledon.

Their average age is 15. They are all volunteers selected from participating schools. Historically only boys were selected but in 1977 girls were used for the first time though it was only in 1985 they were allowed to appear on centre court.

More than 50 000 tennis balls used at Wimbledon every year!

700 or so go missing when they accidentally fly into the crowd.

Balls are replaced every 7-9 games, and those not in use are stored in special refrigerated containers to make sure they are kept in peak condition.

Wimbledon is synonymous with strawberries and more than 140 000 tubs will be consumed by spectators this year. Players on the other hand prefer bananas for energy and will consume around 15000 of them!

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kitchens • bespoke furniture • bathrooms • project management

Front Street • Braco by Dunblane • FK15 9PX • 01786 880 489

www.bracodesigns.co.uk 34

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This summer, treat your boiler to an ACE service!

W. Wilson & Sons : YOUR LOCAL GAS SPECIALIST

t: 01786 842 225 | e: info@wilsonsgas.co.uk | 3 Murchison Park, Stirling Rd, Doune

www.wilsonsgas.co.uk

LPG

Stirling’s Garage Door Specialists Up & Over and Sectional Manual & Automated Garage Doors

• LED, LCD & Plasma screen wall mounting.

• All types of aerial and satellite work.

Up & Over or Sectional Garage Doors Matching Side Doors Roller garage Doors Operators Sales, Servicing & Repairs

t: 01786 474 709 Call James on 07979 354 440 or email

jamescowietvinstallations@gmail.com

info@kaygaragedoors.co.uk www.kaygaragedoors.co.uk

Key Garage Doors, Unit 1 Pheonix In Estate Springbank Road, Stirling, FK7 7SG

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35

Quadcopters Quadcopters, or drones as they’re also called, are similar to remote controlled helicopters, but have four rotary blades. They’re a lot of fun to fly, but there’s more to quadcopters than just a zoom around the park. Many of them come with inbuilt video cameras, or the ability to attach a camera, so you can film a bird’s eye view of the area they’re flying over.

With a quadcopter, you could take aerial shots of your village, check out places that are inaccessible by road or foot, and capture some of the beauty of gliding over a lake or fields. Quadcopters can also be used for practical purposes, such as checking whether there are any loose tiles on your roof. You will want to be careful where you fly your quadcopter; as your neighbours likely won’t appreciate you taking shots of them sunbathing in their garden.

Some quadcopters are primarily designed for outdoor use, some indoor, and some are multi-purpose. They start at around £30, but you do get what you pay for. The camera quality on the cheaper models is pretty poor. They’re also usually smaller, harder to fly and have a lower range, so can’t go as high or far.

A high-end quadcopter with a professional high definition video camera can set you back more than £3,000.

Drone racing is becoming increasingly popular, with events held around the UK, and you can buy kits to make and customise your own quadcopter.

If you’re looking to use a quadcopter for commercial purposes, you will need to register it with the Civil Aviation Authority, and undertake a training course to get a Permission for Aerial Work. You’ll also likely need to get public liability insurance.

If you just want one for fun, the Parrot MiniDrone Rolling Spider is a good beginner’s model. Priced at around £50, it has large detachable wheels, so you can manoeuvre it along the ceiling and up and down walls, as well as in the air. The wheels also protect the blades when it crashes (which it will).

You control it using your smartphone and it’ll do tricks such as 360° flips. I’ve never had much luck flying remote control helicopters, but find this one surprisingly responsive for the price. Outdoors you can get speeds of up to 11mph and a height of 20 metres. It is very small and light, so the camera isn’t the best, and you’ll want a spare battery as each charge only lasts a few minutes, but all in all it’s a good entry model.

Even if you just buy a small, cheaper quadcopter for personal use only, there are some restrictions on flying it, so do visit www.quadcopters.co.uk for more information.

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ROBERT

PAUL c h a r te re d a rc h i te c t s 01786 825 575

• Grass cutting • Shrub pruning • Planting • Hedge trimming • Tree work • Weeding • Lawn renovation and treatment programmes • Low maintenance gardens

info@ paul-architects.co.uk www.paul-architects.co.uk 102 High Street, Dunblane

For more information, contact Ian on 07909 796 658 or email:

forthdimensiongardens@gmail.com www.forthdimensiongardens.webs.com

Graham Sandals garden buildings, garden rooms garden design and build

www.grahamsandals.co.uk Unit 5 Craigarnhall, Bridge of Allan, FK9 4NG Tel: 01786 841 788 Mob: 07773 809 345

b u i l d i n g y our d r e a m s

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37

Ocean Reef Bathrooms Renovations, Design Service, Tiling & Decoration Plumbing & Installation by own qualified fitters

Call John for more information or come & visit our showroom

01259 928 283 or 07967 647 433 18 Bridge Street, Dollar www.oceanreefbathrooms.co.uk

Curtains By Elaine GARDENING SERVICES

Garden Maintenance & Landscaping Tree & Hedge Cutting Green Waste Removal Fencing & Decking Slabs Laid Pressure Washing Gutter Cleaning Grounds Maintenance Lawn Treatment Weed Control

Curtains, Roman Blinds, Pelmets, Cushions & Throws

For an affordable quote contact Blyth on Dunblane 07926 963 081 brgardening@btinternet.com

Free advice at your convenience for design, manufacture and fit.

Supply a wide range of fabrics & matching wallpapers, curtain poles/tracks and tie backs.

We refurbish homes, room by room at your pace.

Contact Elaine for advice 01786 823340 or 07867 754702 curtainsbyelaine@hotmail.co.uk

Argyle Grove, Dunblane

Wedderburn Road, Dunblane

Looking after ALL your outdoor space

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39

Moss growth on roof surfaces should be removed periodically – but why, it’s only moss?

Moss can disturb the flow of rainwater on roof surfaces. Removing the moss will help maintain the most important part of your home – the roof over your head!

Moss is usually worse where the roof tiles have partly-porous surfaces, more typical of aging concrete tiles. The problem of moss and algae growth is wide spread in Scotland due to our naturally damp, cooler climate. Moss does not damage your roof tiles directly but it can create unwanted conditions that reduce the overall lifespan of your roof such as lifting your tile allowing water to enter where it doesn’t belong.

Moss often grows in the form of moss balls feeding the algae below. After a while and with the help of the Scottish weather, moss balls drift into your gutters, clogging them up and disturbing the flow of rain water to your downpipe. It can also over flow onto your external walls creating further maintenance problems.

Chemicals can be sprayed to prolong the return of moss but eventually nature will take its course. Antifungal paint can be applied to roofs but it is vital the removal of moss is undertaken thoroughly in advance. Not only does a moss free roof give a property a well maintained look, it prevents the build-up of costly maintenance issues going unnoticed.

Kindly provided by Homeworx – Dunblane

Homeworx offer a wide range of services including: • • • • •

Internal/ external painting and decorating Plastering and tiling Pointing and render repair Gutter cleaning and repair General DIY - so you can get those annoying jobs done!

Call now for a FREE quote on 01786 826 992 or 07882 040 613 or email homeworx@hotmail.co.uk

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41

Keep your plumbing in peak condition Providing reliable, local services to keep pipes unblocked, drains clear & toilets flushing!

ALTAL PLUMBERS DUNBLANE 07970 228 248 or 01786 822 525 www.altal.co.uk • Over 40 years experience • All trades supplied

Mackie Electrical Services Electrical Contractor & Minor Plumbing Work (not gas) Mobile 07770 516 463 or Phone: 01786 841 852 Approved Electrical Installer All work guaranteed, tested & certified • • • • • • • •

Member No: 13023

All types of electrical work carried out Domestic & Commercial New build & extensions Rewires & alterations Fault finding and repair Condition reports for landlords and home reports Bathroom updates & Shower installation Electrical & plumbing work on new kitchen installations

Visit www.mackie-electrical.com for more information

Tam Mackie email: tam@mackie-electrical.com 8 Leny Road, Deanston, Doune

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43

Platinum Builders Scotland Ltd Joinery Plumbing Electrical Plastering Painting Tiling Full house restorations & extensions Free Quotations

01786 826 726 or 07841 405 774 Old Doune Road, Dunblane

* Extensions * Loft Conversions * Garage Conversions * Renovations * Kitchens * Bathrooms * Flooring * Double Glazing * Window Repair * Fencing * Small Building Work * Maintenance Work Call us today for a FREE Estimate 07792 056 857 or 07920 511 705 sfcjoiners@yahoo.co.uk 9 Ardoch Crescent, Dunblane

J&R JOINERY AND PLUMBERS • • • • •

All types of joinery work undertaken, internal and external. Fitted kitchens, DIY furniture etc.

All types of plumbing work undertaken.

Installation of bathrooms, showers and ceramic tiling, storage tanks & pipes unblocked Cleaning of gutters and downpipes, drains unblocked.

Special reduction for OAPs Scaffold can be supplied and erected for maintenance to soffits, fascias, gutters, chimneys etc.

Contact us on 01786 824 478 or 07749 023 484

no job too small ... we do it all!

44

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John McLaren Approved Electrical Installer Established 1965

We’re here for all your electrical needs Create a safer home with Modern Circuit Breakers

Willie and Craig are on their way to install the “all singing, all dancing” new consumer unit with the built in safety that goes with it and the certification that will please your insurance company.

RONITE Heaters

Made to replace storage heaters but will actually enhance any cold spot in the house, very efficiently.

L.E.D. Lighting is proving a great success and costs are greatly reduced.

We also carry out annual PAT testing, landlord safety checks and can help you meet the requirements in commercial premises too.

As a member of our governing body SELECT, all our work is guaranteed, tested and certified.

Call us for more information t: 01786 823 533 Willie: 07899 877 822 or Craig: 07436 815 247 e: john_mclaren@btconnect.com

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45

Auto-biographies

by Tim Barnes-Clay Motoring Writer at www.carwriteups.co.uk

Renault Kadjar The French-made Renault Kadjar is one rung higher up the greasy pole than many of its competitors.

a top-quality Bose sound system, Bluetooth, faux leather upholstery, and a panoramic sunroof.

You see, there are lots of Qashqai clones on the market, but the Kadjar genuinely shares the popular Nissan’s platform and power units. What’s more, the car is cheaper to buy than the fashionable Qashqai and has that extra sprinkling of French flair.

Definitely more important than cabin toys, is a car’s safety prowess. And the Kadjar has layer upon layer of kit to keep you protected. Equipment includes traffic sign recognition, lane-departure assist and even parking sensors at the front and the rear of the car.

The front-wheel-drive 1.6 dCi 130 Signature Nav, on test here, is impressive. The turbo-charged oilburner starts out fairly meekly, but then things under the bonnet hot up, resulting in plenty of midrange pull. This is satisfying because it means you don’t need to work the gears hard to utilise the clout on tap.

Push the Renault into twisty country lanes and the car stays bonded to the tarmac. There’s a little bit of body roll noticeable, but it never disturbs ride comfort. In fact, the Kadjar arouses confidence in this sort of driving environment due to its consistently well-weighted steering.

The brakes are excellent, although their urgency takes you by surprise on occasion. However, a capacity for quickly scrubbing-off-speed is no bad thing. The gearshift-action is a little heavy, and some diesel-din sneaks into the interior when the whip is cracked, but this Renault is not the sort of car bought by out-and-out driving enthusiasts. It is a vehicle that will spend the majority of its time in town, on the school run or on family outings.

Unsurprisingly then, the Kadjar is comfy for a familyof-four and handles scarred, urban road surfaces well, due to its nicely-cushioned suspension set-up.

The boot is better than the Qashqai’s, in terms of load space, and it has the same ingenious flooring that can be elevated, dropped, or used as a partition to keep your possessions from tumbling about.

Indeed, the Kadjar is a pleasant place to be, due, in no small part, to it having one of finest cabin’s in its class. From a tech point of view, the glass is just as full. The sat-nav system is a doddle and – in this flagship model – the car comes fully loaded with 46

As mentioned, the Signature Nav is the top of the tree model, so unless you really need all the trimmings, you’ll enjoy the Kadjar just as much in its slightly lower-down-the ladder ‘Dynamique’ guise. The car is still well-appointed and represents excellent value for money, whether bought outright on a PCP finance deal.

To be honest, it’s hard to justify buying a Nissan Qashqai now that the Kadjar is on the scene.

The car is good-looking, it’s great to drive, it has a bigger boot and its price-tag is lower. Unless you’re desperate to have the Qashqai moniker ornamenting your drive, save yourself some cash and go for the French marque instead.

PROS ‘N’ CONS • Attractive √ • Spacious √ • Safety kit √ • Good value √ • Heavy Gearing X FAST FACTS (Renault Kadjar 1.6 dCi 130 Signature Nav) • • • • • • •

Max speed: 118 mph 0-62 mph: 9.9 secs Combined mpg: 57.6 Engine layout: 1598cc 4-cylinder 16v turbo diesel Max. power (bhp): 129 CO2: 117 g/km Price: £24,795

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Dunblane School of Motoring Grade 6 Instructor Over 30 yrs Experience Block Booking Discount Free Motorway Lesson 01786 82 52 82 07767 355 411

D & S TAXIS 01786

Stirling’s Gate and Garage Door Specialists

Dunblane

82 10 10

Evenings Only

*NEW* 7 seater available on request

WILLIAM KAY LTD Est. 1940 Residential Iron Gates Wrought Iron Gates Driveway Gates Agents for: SCAFELL, WINDERMERE & BUTTERMERE

t: 01786 474 709 info@kaygaragedoors.co.uk www.kaygaragedoors.co.uk

Kay Garage Doors, Unit 1Phoenix Ind. Est., Springbank Rd, Stirling FK7 7SG

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47

The Difficult Patch Every garden has a couple of problem patches.

I’m often asked which plants I’d recommend for a problem area and two which always crop up are damp shade and dry shade.

Let’s deal with damp shade first. It’s actually less of a problem than you might expect. Okay, you’ll never grow a good lawn there, bulbs will rot, and sunloving annuals won’t thrive, but there are loads of plants that will look wonderful. The trick in the case of damp shade is to go for leaf colour, plant form, and texture.

Ajuga is excellent for ground cover. A. metallica has purple leaves and tiny blue flowers and A. reptans ‘Variegata’ is a pretty variegated cream and green variety.

Astilbe does very well in damp shade; it has impressive red, pink or white flowery plumes depending on the variety chosen.

Hostas are also a good choice, though in damp conditions you’ll need to be on slug-watch! If your shade is very dense then don’t choose golden varieties as the colour will fade. Hostas look wonderful planted with primulas, which also do well in these conditions.

Some ferns love damp shade, including the Maidenhair fern, Adiantum pedatum; most varieties of dryopteris, and the ostrich feather fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris.

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Dry shade is definitely trickier. I don’t recommend fighting Mother Nature but I do think dry shade is one area where she sometimes needs a hand, so enrich dry soil with compost, well-rotted horse manure, or spent mushroom compost before planting, as this will encourage some moisture retention.

Bergenias are attractive but tough enough for dry shade and their leathery leaves colour well in the autumn, particularly Bergenia cordifolia purpurea.

The pink flowered varieties are the most commonly seen but there are red and white varieties too. I have a ‘Bressingham White’ which is quite lovely.

My favourite plant for dry shade is the Euphorbia.

Not all varieties are suited to these conditions but E. amygdaloides with it’s red stems and lime-green flower heads will generally do very well.

Solomon’s Seal (polygonatum multiflorum) is another standby. It looks like a large lily of the valley and the variegated variety is very pretty.

The trick with problem areas is to embrace them as part of your garden Treated as a gardening challenge they can be fun to plant and you’ll feel a tremendous sense of achievement when you do succeed.

Happy planting!

To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e. fiona@thewireweb.co.uk

Landscaping, Design & Construction

Kare Gardens Complete, professional garden care service from a local company * planning * designing * creating * maintaining * landscape supplies

01786 825 442 or 07801 445 028 info@karegardens.com www.karegardens.com

DUNBLANE DRIVEWAYS Bryce S Graham

Paving & Landscaping Specialist All types of Paving, Slabbing & Monoblocking Driveways, Patios, Paths & Surfacing Work Garden Walls, Fencing and Property Maintenance.

Garden Clearances Contact Bryce for more information

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49

SRC Landscapes Ltd Dunblane based company, est. 1997

Hard & Soft Landscaping - Domestic or Commercial * Garden & Shrub Maintenance * Complete Lawn Care * Turf Supplied & Laid * Fencing & Decking * Hedge & Tree Cutting * Design & Construction of Driveways & Patios

Contact Steven for a free, no obligation quote t: 01786 823 738 or m: 07767 605 135 stevieclarkson@yahoo.co.uk

www.srclandscapes.co.uk

Stay up to date on our facebook page & look out for new seasonal ranges & gift selections

Plant of the Month:

Snapdragons

The Latin name for these lovely flowers is Antirrhinum, which means “like a snout�. This is the reason for the plants most common name as the plant has a resemblance to the snout of a dragon when squeezed.

Snapdragons come in every colour except for blue and can grow between 30-49 inches high.

They thrive best in full sun light or very light shade and the best soil to plant them in is in rich and well-drained.

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To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e. fiona@thewireweb.co.uk

All your DIY supplies

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51

Garden Ornaments Ornaments polarise gardeners. They’re a love ‘em or hate ‘em subject.

I fell firmly into the hate ‘em category. I thought they had a place in big country gardens but looked slightly tacky in suburbia. This antipathy may date back to my childhood and Mrs. Frost, our elderly neighbour, who had a front garden stuffed to the brim with gnomes, windmills and concrete toadstools. If our ball ever strayed into this shrine to kitsch she’d burst from her house with a bansheelike scream, brandishing a broom at us.

Somewhere along the way though I’ve mellowed.

As I’ve studied show gardens and magazines I’ve realised that ornaments have a definite place in a garden as long as two important considerations are met:

mine has a series of small bronze faeries set around her tiny plot, which are perfectly in tune with her personality.

I favour natural materials myself but several years ago I purchased beautiful and rather elegant heron created from recycled metal. I adore it because it reflects both my love of birds and my passion for recycling. It stands near a boulder fountain and I occasionally brandish a broomstick at my sons when their football strays too near...

Ornament Ideas ... and not a gnome in sight!

To set off ornamental grasses try ceramic balls in vivid blues and greens set among cobbles.

Context The ornaments complement the style of the garden.

Classical statuary doesn’t work in contemporary spaces, while traditional gardens might need to avoid stainless steel or modern, abstract sculptures.

For minimalist contemporary plots, mirrored columns and pyramids look striking.

Size Ornaments should be an appropriate size for the setting.

Don’t be frightened to show your sense of humour.

Quirky can look brilliant in the right setting.

Sculptor Dennis Fairweather’s best seller is a stone face and hands which emerge from a tub of water as if the figure had just been for a dip!

Rules are there to be broken of course and whatever your garden type or size the ornament you choose should be special to you.

My father had a grumpy gargoyle-like creature, set among ferns at the bottom of his patch. It made everyone who saw it smile in recognition of my dad’s own avuncular manner. A girly friend of 52

Classical statuary and urns look best in more formal, traditional settings. They are best made from marble or stone. Resin copies can look tacky.

Natural materials can be a good starting point for garden ornament novices. Balls and sculptures made from willow are subtle and elegant additions to any garden.

To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e. fiona@thewireweb.co.uk

TRACKS LAND • GROUND • CIVILS • CONTRACTORS

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www.tracksme.co.uk 01786 822 900 / 07773 367 617 tom@tracksme.co.uk Please mention thewire when responding to adverts

53

Climbers instead of hedges?

One of the things I am frequently asked for is an evergreen hedge that will screen out the neighbours as soon as possible. My heart sinks. A high dense barrier around a garden can turn a small garden into an exercise yard. Also I know that the prime contenders for the role are among the most oppressive plants you can buy – the dreaded Leyland cypress being top of the list. The third reason for the dread is that these plants don’t magically stop growing when they reach the desired height but require regular cutting. People think they’ll keep it up but sooner or later things get out of hand.

Plan B is to choose something a little slower (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana or Thuja for example) but the effect is not very different. Ideally I would choose something lighter, like beech, but it’s slow and people are impatient for their privacy. My favourite hedge was an unintentional combination of beech and box. Box grows well among the roots of the beech and fills in the gaps between their trunks, so there was a very satisfying pattern of dark evergreen and copper in winter. Sarcococca could be substituted for box.

I offer a different strategy. If you want a fast growing boundary, why not use climbers? You’ll obviously need something for the climbers to climb on – I recommend wooden trellis – it doesn’t completely blank off the outside world but once covered, is difficult to see through. But any sort of fence will do as it will be covered pretty quickly. Make sure to install a good solid frame as you don’t want it collapsing under the strain. I personally prefer wood but chain link or wire do nicely and are stronger in the long term. A wooden fence with a trellis top is a classic.

The choice of climbers for the job needs a bit of thought. As with the Leylandii, there are some real 54

thugs that will get out of hand very fast and pull down your trellis in a few years. Most of the well-known forms of Clematis montana will be too big too quickly, similar to Lonicera japonica and (heaven forbid) Fallopia baldschuanica – the Russian Vine.

Virginia Creeper and Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus) also grow too fast once they get going. As with the hedging plants we need something that gets to a good size quickly, but that can be trimmed over to keep it neat.

There aren’t many evergreen climbers hardy in a cool temperate climate and most prefer some shelter. In all but the coldest gardens, the ivies (Hedera species) should not be dismissed – they can be clipped over like any other hedge for a formal effect and there are large and small types with various leaf shapes and variegations. In colder areas forms of Euonymus fortunei can be substituted. Otherwise Lonicera, Clematis, Akebia (and its relatives Holboellia and Stauntonia), Hydrangea (and relatives, Decumaria and Pileostegia) and Trachelospermum all include evergreen kinds with varying degrees of hardiness and vigour.

If you don’t need evergreens your options are very varied and one of the good things about climbers is that you can have more than one occupying a space. As long as the roots aren’t too close you can have them growing through each other providing a long season of interest. Ideally, plant something moderately vigorous, say, Parthenocissus henryana, as a base then let Clematis, jasmine or honeysuckle grow through it. Remember that different Clematis need different pruning regimes so best not to plant, say, C.alpina with C.viticella because trimming one will cut the buds off the other. Preferably, trim your climber hedge immediately after flowering.

To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e. fiona@thewireweb.co.uk

Planting the Seed

JONNO ROCK Traditional Drystone Walling: Dykes & Features

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Dave Anderson Window Cleaning

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55

When (and when not) to sign a Gift Aid form The Gift Aid scheme is now 25 years old. In its first year, charities benefitted with £10 million of tax savings. In 2014/15 the savings were worth nearly £1.2 billion.

A declaration by a donor can alternatively be made verbally or online (eg via a website). Whichever format is used, charities need to ensure that updated format is used.

The tax savings arise because Gift Aid donations from individuals are deemed to be paid by those individuals net of basic rate income tax. The charity then claims the tax back from HMRC as it is exempt from tax on donations received (subject to the detailed rules for Gift Aid being satisfied).

But some individuals need to revoke their declarations

In addition, higher rate taxpayers can claim tax relief on their Gift Aid donations amounting to 25% of their donations. Additional rate taxpayers effectively receive 31.25% tax relief on their donations.

Given the longevity of the scheme, amendments have been made to its conditions from time to time.

In April 2016, the Gift Aid declaration underwent a change. The declaration is the means by which the taxpayer agrees that the donation comes within the scheme and allows the tax reliefs to flow through the charity and the taxpayer.

HMRC has simplified and shortened the model Gift Aid declaration. However, in doing so it has clarified that if an individual has not paid sufficient tax to cover the tax reclaimable by the charity on the donation, the individual is responsible for paying the difference to HMRC. Action required by charities The new style declarations should have been in use from 6 April 2016.

However: • if an individual has signed an old style declaration form which covers multiple donations, there is no need for that individual to make a new declaration • if a charity holds stocks of printed materials that were ordered and printed before 21 October 2015, that stock can continue to be used.

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Individuals who expect to pay little or no tax in 2016/17 need to be aware of the dangers of signing new declarations as well as the effects of having signed declaration forms which cover multiple donations. The standard wording on many declarations state “I want to Gift Aid my donation of £__and any donations I make in the future or have made in the past 4 years”. Note the italicised words.

Due to various changes in the personal tax regime in recent years – in particular the increases in the personal allowance and the introduction of a £1,000 savings allowance in 2016/17, there are many more individuals who will not be paying income tax in 2016/17. As, for example, if a non-taxpaying individual makes £80 of donations this tax year, the charity(ies) will claim £20 and the individual has a £20 liability to HMRC. Such individuals need to get in touch with the charities to cancel the Gift Aid declarations. Cancellation will not affect Gift Aid donations already made but any further donations will not qualify.

There are also many higher or additional rate taxpayers who have signed declarations but have not claimed the difference between the rate they pay and basic rate on their donations. It is quite straightforward to do this, either through a Self Assessment tax return or by asking HMRC to amend their tax code.

Kindly provided by A9 Partnership Ltd

To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e. fiona@thewireweb.co.uk

McIntyre FUNERAL DIRECTOR Established over 40 years

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Floral Tributes & Monumental Masonry can be arranged.

Contact Joan directly on 07971 167 130 or 01786 825 050 7 Beech Road, Dunblane www.mcintyrefuneraldirectors.co.uk Please mention thewire when responding to adverts

57

Summer Saving!

The long days of summer are not just lazy for us, they are also a quiet time for many tradesmen.

Think about it; as soon as the temperature drops at the end of September people will begin to think about cold snaps and central heating.

They’ll probably arrange for their boiler to be serviced...along with everyone else. So get ahead of the game and book now.

OFFICE SPACE

Available on short or long term leases, located in Dunblane.

Other businesses with a quiet period during the summer

Units from 90 to 1070 sq. ft

Summer is traditionally a quiet time for financial advisers and companies specialising in investments. Perhaps you could benefit from a financial makeover.

Shared car parking & kitchen areas

Bizarrely it’s a quiet time for train and coach travel so you might be able to pick up a bargain ticket or two.

Available Now

Summer has always been a quiet time for politics so perhaps now is a good time to tackle your MP about any local issues which are bothering you.

For further information contact Andrew Mitchell on 01786 824 506 andrew@amcounting.co.uk

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While you’re at it, if you have an open fire or a solid fuel range, order fuel now, in bulk while you can take advantage of lower summer prices. Summer is also a good time to organise a chimney sweep.

There aren’t too many about and they tend to be swamped in the autumn as people think about using their fireplace again.

The summer is generally a good time to check out your local high street for great deals on electrical goods.

To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e. fiona@thewireweb.co.uk

Taking the family on holiday this summer?

Would you like the peace of mind of knowing that you have up to date wills signed and safely in place?

For a friendly, reliable, professional chat to help ease you through the process contact Julia

01786 825 685 or 07962 117 390 Julia Whytock LLB Dip LP, FSWW Lawyer & Professional Will Writer

Will Writer

enquiries@juliawhytock.com | www.juliawhytock.com | Perth Road, Dunblane Appointments at times & locations to suit you

Family Wealth Preservation | Wealth Management | Protection Planning | Retirement Planning | Lifetime & Residential Mortgages 01786 845 599 www.claritywealthservices.co.uk darren@claritywealthservices.co.uk Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority no. 623878

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59

MoneySavingExpert.com Feature by Martin Lewis, MoneySavingExpert

PSA If you’ve got savings, next time you receive a statement expect to see something rather strange.

There’s been a hidden revolution of the savings rules, and it means when you’re paid interest, from now on no tax will automatically be taken off.

It’s all due to the new Personal Savings Allowance (PSA), which launched at the start of the new tax year on 6 April.

Previously, unless you were saving in an ISA, when you earned interest, the taxman took a bite. So for every £100 interest earned as a basic-rate taxpayer, you only actually got £80 (higher rate got £60). Yet now, if you earn interest within your PSA, you get £100 and you keep £100. For a detailed Q&A on it, read www.mse.me/PSA, but here are my quick need-to-knows.

• All savings interest is now paid gross, i.e., no tax will be taken off.

• This works for ALL interest - not just savings accounts, but bank accounts, credit unions and peer-to-peer savings. However, share dividends aren’t included.

• Basic 20% rate taxpayers can earn £1,000/yr interest tax-free.

• Higher 40% rate taxpayers can earn £500/yr interest tax-free.

• Top 45% rate taxpayers don’t get a PSA, so all interest is taxable.

• Cash ISAs, premium bonds and other taxfree savings interest DON’T count towards the £1,000 (or £500) limit so you can get this interest too.

• If you earn interest over the limit, you pay tax at your income tax rate, but only on the amount over the limit. It’s worth thinking about this for a moment. For a basic rate taxpayer, with cash in the top easy-access standard savings account, you’d need over £75,000 saved before you had to start paying tax on it. That’s why 95% of people won’t pay tax on their savings interest this year.

As for most people tax is no longer an issue with savings, where you should have your cash has changed. It’s now usually simply a question of where you can earn the most interest.

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So first, check your savings today and find what they earn. You’ll be shocked - rates have plummeted.

The first thing you should look at, even before saving, is clearing any expensive debt or overpaying an expensive mortgage (one where the interest rate is higher than the top rate you can earn by saving).

After that it’s a question of putting each penny where it earns the most. So here’s my savings fountain to do that. Fill up each level if you can and then move to the next (all the accounts I’ve listed have the full UK £75,000 savings safety protection).

1.

2.

3.

Help to Buy ISA. For anyone 16+ who’s never owned a home and may want to, these are usually a no-brainer. This is because as well as interest you can use it towards a mortgage deposit and 25% is added on top, up to a maximum of a free £3,000. The top payers are www.halifax.co.uk and www.santander.co.uk at 4%. For full help on if this is right for you, see www.mse.me/helptobuyisa High-interest current account. Some accounts offer high in-credit savings rates to entice switchers - it’s the only way to earn decent interest on decent amounts. The top ones are the www.Santander.co.uk 123 account paying 3% in between £3,000 and £20,000 (with a £5/mth fee, but that is often covered, as the account also pays cashback on bills) and the www.LloydsBank.com Club Lloyds account, paying 4% between £4,000 and £5,000. Others pay up to 5% interest, though on smaller amounts. For the full range and eligibility criteria see www.mse.me/topbanks Regular savings. These pay high interest but only on small amounts, generally for a short time. They’re great for, er, saving regularly, but you can also trickle lump sums in there too The top ones are linked to current accounts – 6% is possible for a year on up to £300 a month in www.Firstdirect.com’s regular saver and 4% on up to £250/month with the www.HSBC.co.uk Premier/Advance accounts. If you’ve got an M&S, Lloyds, Nationwide or Santander current account, see if one’s available to you too.

To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e. fiona@thewireweb.co.uk

.

4.

5.

6.

New £15,240 cash ISA allowance - 1.85% tax-free. A cash ISA is just a tax-free savings account and as it’s the new tax year, you’ve a new £15,240 allowance. Crucially, interest from this doesn’t count towards the £1,000 (or £500) PSA limit - so it’s good for those who’ll earn over that threshold. Yet for many there’s little point, see my www.mse.me/ISAsdead guide for when they’re still right for you. The top straightforward easy access deals are www. coventrybuildingsociety.com, paying 1.4% AER variable (minimum £1). If you’ve got poorlypaying old ISAs you want to transfer, the www.

YBS.co.uk Triple Access Saver ISA is 1.35% but only allows you to make withdrawals on three days each year (minimum £100). You can earn more in fixed rate ISAs though, see www.mse. me/cashisas.

Fixed-rate savings. If you’ve got money left over, next consider whether you’re prepared to lock it away without access. If so, you can fix with a locked-in rate that’s usually higher than easy-access savings. The top straightforward 1 year deal is CharterSavingsBank.co.uk 1.91% AER (minimum £1,000) and www.sbiuk.com is 2.2% for 2 years and 2.35% for 3 (min £10k).

Easy-access savings. Anything now left over that you need access to can be put in here.

Rates are low compared with everywhere else, but you can deposit and withdraw when you want. The top deal is www.ybs.co.uk at 1.3%, though it only allows one withdrawal per year.

For unlimited withdrawals, the Income Bond from www.nsandi.com pays 1.26%, though the rate’s dropping in June, but www.sbiuk.com is 1.25%.

Martin Lewis is the Founder & Editor in Chief of Money Saving Expert. To join the 10 million people who get his Martin’s Money Tips weekly email, go to www.moneysavingexpert.com/latesttip

Cathedral Accounting Services

www.cathedralaccountingservices.com We are a local accounting practice who specialise in assisting small / medium companies and sole traders report on the past and plan for the future.

We can provide a full range of accountancy, payroll, VAT and taxation services to your business.

Phone Andrew Hemming on 01786 821 895 or 07971 769 851

Robertson Jones Wealth Management Ltd We care and have the patience to explain and explain again without jargon.

Guy Jones BSc (Mech. Eng), APFS

Chartered Financial Planner We help you with: • Local, bespoke, confi dential service.

• Estate and Inheritance Tax Planning.

• Retirement Planning.

• Tax relief and tax effi ciency.

• Long-term Care Planning • Investment growth and diversifi cation.

• Protection.

To find out more, contact Guy on 01786 822 291

guy.jones@sjpp.co.uk www.rjwm.co.uk

23 High Street, Dunblane Please mention thewire when responding to adverts

61

Beat the ebay scammers!

How to avoid the pitfalls of buying from online auctions and classified ad marketplaces Tens of millions of people use eBay every week and, as with any busy marketplace that attracts a lot of people, there will always be some unscrupulous elements that are trying to separate you from your money. But how do you know what to look for? And how do you make sure you have the best chance of getting your money back?

I’ve put together a simple guide to protect you when you step out into a busy online marketplace – whether it’s eBay or any other listings site.

General Principles Keep a record – Make sure you make a note of (or save) all correspondence with the seller or buyer.

That way, if something goes wrong and you need to complain, you’re armed with plenty of evidence Use Paypal where you can – Even though Paypal charges 20p plus 3.4 per cent of the sale price, you have a better chance of getting some form of refund.

In fact, even in cases of fraud, if you pay by a simple bank transfer you might not get your money back.

There is some protection if you use a credit card for purchases over £100 under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act and, for debit card purchases, there is the option of attempting to get a chargeback from your bank.

If it’s too good to be true, it probably is – Be suspicious of anything that is obviously far too cheap. It could be fake, stolen, or even just a ‘phishing’ scam to get money from you for a product that doesn’t really exist.

Do your research. Have a look at the prices of similar products, or search the internet for stories of similar scams, or even just ask friends.

Ask plenty of questions – Don’t be embarrassed to ask about the product. If it’s a genuine sale, the seller will have no problem in answering any questions you might have. If something doesn’t feel right to you, walk away.

There’s more protection if you buy from a trader rather than a private seller - If you buy online from a business, then they are bound by the Consumer Act 2015 and Distance Selling Regulations. Part of this is that you have 14 days to return any goods you’ve bought online. If you buy something from a private individual, however, this does not apply.

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If you feel you’ve been scammed, tell someone – report it to the site owners, the police and Action Fraud.

The Big Buy – Cars eBay has hundreds of thousands of cars listed for sale, and sites such as Auto Trader and PistonHeads. com and Gumtree host ads for even more. Used cars on these sites can be sold by private sellers or traders, and the vast majority are honest ads, but there are a small minority of frauds out there. Here’s how to spot them…

Price is King – Find out the market value of a vehicle.

If it’s suspiciously cheap, there is more than likely a reason.

Fake Pictures – Fraudulent ads will often ‘steal’ a set of images from another genuine advert. One way to test this is to right-click on one of the images, select ‘copy image link’ and paste that into a Google search. This will then reveal if the image is on another advert somewhere and therefore whether the ad is genuine or not.

Fake Escrow – A genuine escrow service allows sellers to send goods safe in the knowledge that funds exist and are being held safely until the goods have been delivered. As a scam, however, a fake escrow site run by the ‘seller’ often asks for money to be paid into a specific service before the seller will bring the car for you to view. Costs of shipping the car from one country to another, or problems with timewasters are commonly used excuses.

The Right Place – Whether you’re buying from a trade seller or a private individual, make sure you’re comfortable with the location of the purchase. It seems obvious, but an anonymous car park or a pub is far from safe. The seller’s house or garage forecourt is a much more secure location to do business, as you have some means of contacting them if things go wrong.

Consumer Champion James Walker “Fighting For Your Rights” James Walker is the founder of online complaintresolution tool Resolver.co.uk. Follow James via @ resolvercouk, or email James@resolver.co.uk

To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e. fiona@thewireweb.co.uk

Let us give you a bit of ‘me’ time again....

One of our most popular services is one that allows elderly carers some welcome time on their own without having the worry of looking after a loved one.

Devoted June (not her real name) is the principal carer for her husband James, who suffers from dementia.

Twice a week. Artemis, go to their home and take out James in our executive car for a couple of hours.

This gives June some invaluable ‘me’ time and allows her to pop to the shops, catch up with friends or visit the hairdressers.

At the same time James, who loves the outdoors, is taken for a spin in a leather seated BMW and gets the chance to enjoy the stunning scenery of this area. James enjoys going for walks, visiting places of historical interest, playing pool and just going for a coffee.

June says she loves being able to enjoy time on her own knowing James is in safe hands and having a good time.

She says: ‘it’s a wonderful service and gives me a wee break and some time to myself. I’d thoroughly recommend Artemis’ .

ARTEMIS is a bespoke accompaniment and companionship service, committed to supporting our clients lead full & independent lives.

We offer a variety of personal services tailored specifically to our clients’ individual needs.

These include accompaniment in our executive car to appointments, to social & recreational outings or simply getting together for a chat over a coffee/lunch.

If you would like a friendly companion to help you get around and enjoy life or if you can’t always be there to help a loved one, then Artemis is here to offer a helping hand.

Call 01786 431 771 or 07470 488 892 (out of hours) or email mair@artemiscompanionship.com www.artemiscompanionship.com

SAFE • CARING • RELIABLE Disclosure Scotland vetted and First Aid trained.

Thinking of selling or letting your home?

Please contact us for a free, pre-sale or lease valuation of your property.

We will provide an up to date appraisal that accurately reflects current market conditions and offer advice on how to achieve the best possible sale price or rent for your property.

Our fee structure is very fair and competitive.

Come and speak to us in our office in Dunblane or phone us for a no-obligation chat on 01786 821 012 6 Beech Road, Dunblane • 01786 821 012 • cathedral.ce@btconnect.com Please mention thewire when responding to adverts

63

CINEMA Latest Film Releases Finding Dory

Everyone’s favourite forgetful fish is back in action, and this time, she has her own film. First appearing in the 2003 hit, Finding Nemo, Dory takes centre stage in this sequel.

Set just six months after the events of the first film, Finding Dory centres on the forgetful blue fish’s search for her family, after she recalls several childhood memories in a dream. Accompanied by Nemo and his father, Marlin, their journey takes them all the way to Monterey, California, where she encounters several sea life creatures who are able to help her.

All housed at the Monterey Marine Life Institute, a beluga whale called Bailey, a whale shark named Destiny, and Hank the octopus all pull together to help Dory realise her new-found ambition to reconnect with her past.

Dory is once again voiced by the renowned comedian, actor, and talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres, while newcomer Hayden Rolence steps into the role of Nemo.

BFG

Sophie is an imaginative little girl living in an orphanage in London; every night, she stays up past the witching hour waiting for something magical to happen.

But nothing ever does. That is, until she hears noises in the darkness… a ruckus in the alleyway, a massive hand reaching towards her, the adventure begins...

The BFG takes Sophie to Giant Country, where she learns that not everything is what it seems, and not all ‘monsters’ are scary. After overcoming her initial fear, she gets to know the 24-foot-tall, big-eared man and finds out that, unlike the other, child-eating giants, he is a vegetarian who makes it his mission to bring good dreams to the children of the world.

As the two feast on snozzcumber and frobscottle, their friendship grows. But little girls aren’t typical residents of Giant Country, and the other giants begin to stir up even more trouble than usual. Sophie and the BFG decide to solve the giant problem once and for all, but they’ll need help from someone special…

Absolutely Fabulous

London’s favourite boozy femme-fatales are back, and they’re up to their old tricks again. After doing what they do best and stirring up a media storm at a high profile fashion event, Edina and Patsy must flee from the ensuing wrath.

Their choice location to ride out the storm? The French Riviera of course.

But anyone who’d ever expect these ladies to lie low had better think again.

Let two party girls loose in a luxury jungle of glitz, glamour and wealthy, eligible bachelors and it’s a sure recipe for a cocktail of chaos.

As Patsy and Edina hide behind their extra-large shades and soak up the sun, they begin to grow fond of the Mediterranean scene, and decide that they want to trade the city streets for the sandy beaches – and they’ve got a plan to make it happen…

Written by Jennifer Saunders, the mastermind behind the original show, who also plays Edina, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie stars Joanna Lumley as Patsy, also reprising her classic character.

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Star Trek: Beyond

The third film in the newly-rebooted Star Trek franchise, the crew of USS Enterprise find themselves in the middle of a crisis once again, when the ship and crew are attacked by a wave of unknown aliens. Leaving them stranded on a planet they know nothing about, Captain James T. Kirk and co. must overcome an enemy more fearful than ever before, while they try to work out a way to get off this world.

But with their ship destroyed, how will the crew be able to find their way off the planet and back on course?

Pete’s Dragon

Do you believe in dragons? Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard) doesn’t. A forest ranger who knows the local terrain like the back of her hand, she laughs off the stories that her father (Robert Redford) tells the children of the town, about a dangerous monster that lives deep amongst the trees…

But when a young boy named Pete (Oakes Fegley) is found living in the woods, questions begin to emerge. At ten-years-old, the orphan claims to have survived for six years, with the help of Elliot – a big, green dragon.

Though Pete doesn’t question his unlikely friendship, the news of the strange beast spreads across the small town, and residents begin to feel uneasy. They band together on a vendetta to get rid Elliot and protect their homes from harm. Will he be able to save his friend before it’s too late?

Ice Age: Collison Course

Scrat’s infinite pursuit of the elusive acorn is about to have a greater effect than ever before, as he’s catapulted into space. He unintentionally causes a chain reaction of cosmic events that are about to threaten life on Earth.

Looking to save themselves from this newly-created danger, the classic crew of Manny, Sid, Diego, and the rest leave their homeland in search of a safe haven.

Leaving the ice and snow behind, the herd encounter many new colourful characters, native to lands wholly different to their own. A new foe also emerges during their travels – the brother of an enemy that Manny and co. have faced previously.

Jason Bourne

A lot can happen in a decade. It’s been twelve years since CIA assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) has been on anyone’s radar, and the world has changed – war, financial crisis, and political corruption have wreaked havoc across Europe and the USA while the renegade agent has been nowhere to be found.

But now, he’s back. And this time, he remembers. Packed with mystery, grit and bone-crunching action, Bourne returns as the lethal weapon the world didn’t even know it was missing, determined to set things right.

But it won’t be easy. This time, those who have failed to capture him in the past will stop at nothing until he has been apprehended.

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The Cat Clinic Here at Struthers & Scott, we know how stressful a trip to the vets can be for our Feline companions. We aim to be as Feline Friendly as possible, and to help make trips stress-free as we can, we have our very own cat clinic running from 6pm every Wednesday.

The Cat Clinic is your chance to bring your cat to the vets without the worry of upset perhaps caused by over excited dogs or puppies keen to get a look at your cat in their carrier.

We are also boasting our very own cat ward Making a stay at the vets very quiet and as relaxing as possible for any cat.

PURRR-fect For more information or to book in, please contact the Practice on 01786 841 304 www.struthers-scott.co.uk e: info@struthers-scott.co.uk 70, Main Street, Doune

top coat & tails Caring dog grooming by Katie O’Donnell, Dunblane All breeds welcome

bathing • trimming • clipping hand-stripping • ear cleaning nail clipping • tick removal

Call 07831 488 432

topcoatandtails@gmail.com

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Sudoku

Place the numbers so each row, column and box contain the numbers 1-9.

Good Luck!

Mindbenders

Find the 3 hidden phrases

Across 1 4 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 18 21 23 25 26 27 28

Occur (6) Melodies (5) Concur (5) Letter puzzle (7) Teach (7) Clog, sneaker, pump (4) Stick (3) Repair (4) Uncommon (4) Army unit - special forces (3) Slavic version of John (4) Flexible (7) Legal process to validate a will (7) First sign of the Zodiac (5) Computer to computer communication (5) Tricky question (6)

Down 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 13 16 17 19 20 22 24

Nirvana, Promised Land (6) Scent (7) Green jewels (8) Salver (4) A cardinal point on a compass (5) Cook gently (6) Tier, stratum (5) Percolation, effluence (8) Bunnies (7) Small wave or undulation (6) Haste (5) Minor, not as important (6) Fragrance (5) Moan, howl (4)

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Quality Childcare and Education, from Birth - 11 years Open Monday-Friday, 8am - 6pm

Outdoor Education | Child Centred Approach Speech & Language Therapy | Sibling Discount & NHS Staff Discount Part-time/Full-time and Flexible Sessions

Call us to arrange your unique viewing!

Tel: 01786 821 950 (select option 2) Email: enquiries@bertramuk.com

www.dunblanenaturekindergarten.co.uk part of the Award Winning Bertram Nursery Group 68

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Do It Outd

oors

Youth Adventure Weeks 2 Day Adventure Hike

11-15th & 25-29th July

13-15 Aug (Parent & Child)

New for 2016

Large Tipi with ďŹ re sits 20+ suitable for special events

www.doitoutdoors.co.uk 07973 802 620

Based in Auchingarich Wildlife Park, Comrie Please mention thewire when responding to adverts

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Screen-free Summer?

It’s Summer at last and days full of potential seem to stretch like long shadows on a cool patio. Only problem is the kids are cooped up indoors, stuck like limpets to their techie gadgets and the promise of fun times outdoors is falling on deaf ears. If you’re part of the growing number of parents that recognise that we need to lead by example and ditch social media in favour of screen-free time, then July is the perfect time for giving technology-free month a go. With plenty of fun and active things to do outdoors it’s the perfect distraction for those screen-free blues.

Recent trends have seen a growth in screen use at the expense of play outdoors and quality family time. So limiting technology really can be a win-win leading to more physical exercise and family time, if you can get beyond the uncomfortable first day of course! With many children techie addicts, and parents not much better, you will need plenty of resolve to see you through the trials and tribulations of going native. These 10 things that you should know about technology use may be just what you need to maintain the course!

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Changes in children’s play environment due to toys being more technologically active and less play with natural objects may be changing the wiring of children’s brains.

UK children are averaging 14 hours of TV per week (BARB Nov 2015).

UK children aged 5 to 16 spend an average of six and a half hours a day in front of a screen compared with around three hours in 1995 (Childwise).

1-3 year old children in the USA watch an average of 2-3 hours of television a day and 30% of all children have a television in their bedroom.

Excessive media use can lead to attention problems, school difficulties, sleep and eating disorders, and obesity (American Academy of

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Paediatrics).

Early television exposure in children ages 1-3 is associated with attention problems at age 7 (Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Centre, Seattle).

Every hour of television watched per day between the ages of 1 and 3 increases the risk of attention problems such as ADHD, by almost 10% at age 7 (Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Centre, Seattle).

Many kids (and adults) multiscreen whilst watching TV giving rise to a phenomenon called Attention Apocalypse as a person’s ability to concentrate diminishes.

25% of boys and 30% of girls aged 7-10 years in the UK use social media for gaming (Youth TGI 2015r2).

A link is suggested between children’s online access and the way they interact with their families and “their willingness to participate in family holidays and trips out” (Childwise).

What we parents may have failed to spot is the impact of our own technology use on children. Just watch families out and about and notice how many parents are absorbed in a phone call or checking Facebook? People watch in a traffic jam and you will probably see adults and children engaging with technology as if in separate bubbles, rather than chatting and interacting with each other. A study of families in fast food restaurants showed that 70% of parents were distracted by their devices during their meal, with children frequently displaying negative attention seeking behaviour to compete with the allure of technology.

Does it matter you may ask, but results from the 1970’s still-face experiments (https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=apzX GEbZht0) provides a chilling insight into the potentially harmful emotional, social and developmental impact of a mother

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COMPLETE CHEMISTRY Dr Susmita Skelsey – tutor Worried about your upcoming National 5 or Higher chemistry?

Need to re-sit your chemistry exam?

Want to boost your knowledge of any aspect of the science?

Private tuition is the answer!

I will help with your understanding of key concepts, homework and exam/past paper preparation. not responding to her baby with appropriate facial expressions. In this experiment a shocking change in the child is evident after just a few minutes lack of attention. With adult’s gadget use seriously impacting upon their ability to respond to and be in tune with their children, I fear for the time bomb of attachment issues in generations to come that technology may be unwittingly creating. We know that 2 to 3-month-old infants whose mothers ranked high on affect mirroring (created by attention maintenance, sensitivity and responsiveness) also ranked high on prosocial behaviours and social expectancy, whereas infants whose mothers ranked low in attunement also ranked low on positive social measures. But it isn’t just an issue with very young children: •

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In interviews, children expressed feelings of being boring, because they are unable to compete with smart phones for their parents’ attention.

Children between the ages of 4 and 18 feelings about their parents’ use of mobile devices consistently identified the words “sad, mad, angry and lonely.”

If these chilling facts don’t motivate you to ditch the gadgets in favour of getting out and about with the kids this summer, there’s always the lure of the weather, exhilarating views, fresh air, and if all else fails, bribery with ice cream!

It’s all Child’s Play

I have a Ph.D in chemistry and over 15 years’ experience in chemical and pharmaceutical industries. I live in Callander and can travel to your location or host sessions online.

Friendly, professional tutoring Please call or email to discuss pricing & availability

07791 700 961 dr.susmita@completechemistry.solutions www.completechemistry.solutions

Arnhall Nursery is a private day nursery that provides high quality childcare from birth up to 5 years.

We have pre-school grant funded places available & have been graded Excellent & Very Good by the Care Inspectorate in our recent report; the nursery is set in the beautiful rural surroundings of the Keir Estate on the outskirts of Dunblane with ample car parking.

Open all year round from 7.30am to 6.30pm All meals included, home cooked by our in-house chef Fully qualified and trained staff For further details or to arrange a visit please contact the Nursery direct on 01786 822 391 Keir Estate, Dunblane, FK15 9NU www.arnhallnursery.co.uk

Feature by Sue Gascoyne of Play-Z Ltd Please mention thewire when responding to adverts

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Dunblane Centre NEwsletter Message from Gemma, Centre Manager Happy holidays everyone! summer is finally here!

We’ve had a great year so far with loads of events, busy youth programme and shows. Coming into summer and it’s not getting any quieter! Keep up to date with all we’ve got coming up - you’ll find the information here.

Whilst we will have a crazy busy summer, we will have reduced opening hours for the first couple of weeks. Our opening times are as follows: Mon 27th June – Fri 1st July: 9am – 1pm and 6pm – 10pm Sat 2nd July: 8.30am – 2.30pm Sun 3rd July: CLOSED Mon 4th July – Fri 8th July: 9am – 1pm and 6pm – 10pm Sat 9th July: 8.30am – 1pm Sun 10th July: CLOSED If you’d like to book outside of these times, please do get in touch with us as we’re happy to take bookings.

Fitness

Get your summer fix with two new additions to the timetable:

PiYo – now on a Thursday evening 6pm - 6.45pm

PiYo combines the muscle-sculpting, core-firming benefits of Pilates with the strength and flexibility advantages of yoga. We crank up the speed to deliver a true fat-burning, low-impact workout that leaves your body looking long, lean, and incredibly defined.

P90X - Fridays 6.15pm – 7pm

The P90X workout programme is a revolutionary system of 12 sweat-inducing, muscle-pumping exercises designed to transform your body. The advanced training technique accelerates the results process by constantly introducing new moves and routines so your body never plateaus, and you never get bored!

Senior Citizens

We’ve come to the end of our pilot programme with our Senior Citizens Lunch Club and it has been a huge success. Thanks to all who have been coming along and fed back with new ideas.

I’m currently putting together the next programme, starting in September, and this will be out soon.

However, during July and August we’ll be doing some afternoon teas with scones, home baking and lots of board games and magazines. No need to book for this – just come along on Monday 22nd July and Monday 29th August between 12.30am and 2.30am.

Cost: £2 for non-members and free for members.

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Coming up Show in a week: Peter Pan

Come along to this year’s Show in a Week, Peter Pan. We’ve got more kids, bigger set and another dog! Join Peter Pan, Captain Hook, the lost boys and many more colourful and fun characters as they adventure in Neverland.

Tickets for this are on sale now which you can purchase online (www.theatreindunblane.co.uk) or from the Centre. We anticipate high demand for tickets so please do book early to avoid disappointment.

Shows: Friday 5th August and Saturday 6th August 7.30pm (and 2pm matinee on Saturday) Tickets £8 adult and £5 concession

Photos thanks to Bob McDevitt Photography

Unleash the Brick

www.unleashthebrick.co.uk Sunday 27th August 2016 It’s back!! We’re getting ready for another fantastic Unleash the Brick event with new challenges, new activities, new displays and new competitions! This is always a really busy day and we anticipate an early sell out so please book NOW to secure your tickets.

All the info is found at the Unleash the Brick website above, where you can also book tickets, which can also be bought from the Centre.

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YOUTH Programme Update by Andrew, Youth Worker

Youth Clubs/activities Our youth clubs will be taking a break over the summer but not to worry we’ll be back week beginning 29th August. If you know of anyone going into P5 next term or who may be between P5-7 tell them to come along and get involved. Youth clubs run Mondays and Wednesdays, 6.30-8.30pm.

As well as youth clubs, all of our term time activities will be starting back that week along with some new sessions too! Dates and times will be provided in the near future but why not try some out during our new

Give It a Go Week Running from 8th – 12th August, we’ll be running thirty minute taster sessions of all Centre led term time activities as well as some provided by other companies. For the full programme, check out our Facebook page, pick up a flier from the Centre or give us a call on 01786 824224.

All the sessions are FREE but do require advanced booking.

Activity Baby Sing and Sign Intro to Guitar Gymnastics Pre School Football Adult Show Choir Intro to Art Rugby Tots Junior Choir Sparklafive Sparklafarming Drama Intro to Drums

Suitable for 7-14 months 8-16 yrs 3-5yrs /P1-7 3-5 yrs S1-Adult 6-16 yrs 2-3.5 yrs P1-7 3-5 yrs /P1-5 3-5 yrs P1-3/P4-7/S1+ 8-16 yrs

Show in a week: Peter Pan

I’m really looking forward to this year’s Show in a Week, this will be my first one but I’ve heard so much about it and am super excited! We’ve got SOOOO many kids signed up this year and I can’t wait to see them all in action. Pick up your tickets NOW if you’ve not already got them.

Summer Programme 2016

Please keep your eyes peeled for this year’s summer youth programme fliers, which also featured in last month’s Wire. There are activities for all ages and interests, with limited spaces so please ensure to book well in advance. This is my first summer programme so I’m looking forward to seeing lots of new faces.

If you’ve not got a copy of the programme pick one up from the Centre or online www.dunblanecentre. co.uk

As always, you can keep up to date with everything we’re doing on our social media pages: facebook.com/Dunblanecentre or @DunblaneCentre

Contact us: 01786 824 224 e: contactus@dunblanecentre.co.uk www.dunblanecentre.co.uk Dunblane Youth and Sports Centre Trust is a Registered Scottish Charity SC027397 Please mention thewire when responding to adverts

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School Jotters

Beaconhurst Junior School Trip Inverness – Our first stop was Kingussie Wildlife Park. We went round on a Cold Climate Safari in the bus before having lunch. We then split up and half went to the Education Centre where we had to label a station with pictures to do with planet problems. The others walked round the park.

We had dinner in the Bella Italia restaurant and went to the hotel to settle in. We then went to a place called Roller Ball for ten-pin bowling.

The next day we visited Fort George, where we walked around the fort and sat on the cannons.

We also saw some dolphins. We headed off to Culloden where we had lunch. Mr Bray told some of his group that once he went on a tall ship and he said he felt like he was going to “yack”, which is a fun Canadian word for sick, we all laughed. Some of us went to the museum and some went to the battlefields. The rest went into the classroom.

On the battlefields, we stood on the Hanoverian Line where they would have been fighting the Jacobites. The Jacobite line was too far away for us to stand on. In the classroom, there were questions we had to answer and some people had to dress up.

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The museum part was cool. There was a room that would could go into that had four walls that looked as though you were on the battlefields. I really liked this (Elise).

After dinner, we went swimming at the Inverness leisure centre which had some really cool slides.

They were called Nessie (that one went straight down), the Vortex (you had to go down in a ring and stopped at different levels) and the Cyclone (it was pitch black and you turned from one slide to the other in the dark).

At the Landmark Centre, we had lunch and played in the playpark. We went on the Tarzan Trail (where you were 20 feet in the air overcoming obstacles).

There were three different types of water slides that you had to go down on a little boat called a dinghy.

The rides were called The Falcon (which went straight down), The Wildcat (which was bumpy) and The Otter (which was twisty in the dark). We went on a roller coaster called The Runaway Train and it was so much fun.

Elise Newall and Rory Martin J6

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FARMYARD HULLABALLOO WITH PRIMARY 2

Colours of the Farm Red is the tractor Pulling up the bales Green is the grass Swaying in the wind Black and white is the sheepdog Barking at midnight Pink is the pig Snorting in the mud.

By Stuart

Dunblane Primary School CHEFS @ SCHOOL DURING HEALTH FORTNIGHT As part of a range of Health and Wellbeing activities taking place across the school during Health Fortnight, Primary 4 children were learning how to make healthy spring rolls using vegetables, filo pastry and a choice of black bean sauce or sweet chilli sauce. They worked with a chef and followed the instructions and were able to take home the spring rolls for baking.

Skills for life and work start early and also provide an opportunity to establish healthy eating habits as this was an easy way to encourage children to taste more vegetables.

Louis said “It was good to make spring rolls as this was the first time I had made them.”

“It was brilliant fun. I really enjoyed it and the people were very nice,” said Adam.

Amelie said “It was a good and new experience for health fortnight.”

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School Jotters

“Farm to Fork” was the context for learning in Primary 2 and the children produced anthologies of their poems about farm animals after learning about the journey the food on their plate has taken.

School Jotters

Primary 6 Euro Quiz Experts, Super Mathematicians & Space Explorers!

Newton Primary School

We’ve had a busy term in Primary 6! Here are just a few of our highlights…

We have been learning about Space in lots of different ways. At the start of the term we were excited to find out we were going to be part of a national ESA experiment with British astronaut Tim Peake!

Tim sent back rocket seeds from the International Space Station and challenged children to grow them to find out if seeds grow differently as a result of the lower gravity and increased radiation of space. We planted our rocket seeds and we can’t wait to find out which seeds were in space for 6 months…the red packet or the blue!

Watch this space!

We also completed Space missions in groups where we had to research a planet in our solar system, present fascinating facts to the class and agree an appropriate scale to make a class 2D and 3D display. P6L also created pictures of galaxies using learning from our Maths about the Fibonacci sequence and P6M created abstract art pieces based on Space. Before the end of term we are looking forward to researching and designing our own remote controlled Space Buggies.

Back in March a team of 5 pupils (Ella, Bethan, Sophie C, Lenny and Ben) won the Stirling regional heat for the Annual Euro Quiz competition. As a result the team were asked to represent Stirling at the national final held at Heriot Watt University on 17th of May. Our team did exceptionally well, with some very tricky questions, and came joint 5th out of 32 schools across Scotland! We are very proud of our P.6 Euro Quiz experts.

Last but not least, 3 Super Mathematicians, Ben, Douglas and Aidan, represented Newton at the first ever Primary Enterprising Maths Challenge held at Stirling University. They had to choose a theme linked to Shape and use their knowledge to present an information poster on their chosen theme. The boys also had to take part in tricky Problem Solving challenge questions and activities. All schools did very well and our Super Mathematicians were the first winners of the trophy for this new event! Well done boys!

Primary 7 - Project Runway 2016 is the Year of Scottish Architecture, Textiles and Design so our teachers planned a learning context for us called Project Runway.

Project Runway involved us learning about architecture from around the world. Our first step was to choose a building that inspired us and then explore the shape, pattern and colours of the building. After that we took our ideas and used them to design and create outfits inspired by our buildings.

We recorded our design process using mood boards to showcase our inspirations and design sketches.

Our mood boards also included; optical illusion silhouettes, final design sketches, watercolours, pictures of our buildings and fabric samples. Through this context we developed our skills of sewing, cross-stitching, team work, resilience and determination!

We shared our architecture inspired outfits at a special showcase Fashion Show and invited our parents Walking down thewire catwalkt. was great 80along to watch. To advertise in the 07720 429fun!

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School Jotters

St Mary’s Community Carnival Picnic!

St. Mary’s Episcopal School

On the 3rd of June St Mary’s Primary School hosted a Rio themed Community Picnic for parents and people from the wider community. Everyone in the school designed their own carnival mask and then the whole school had a Mask Congo to show their mask-masterpieces off. The P3/4s worked hard and created their own ‘Olympic’ cheerleading routine to kick off the picnic.

There were ice lollies for the children and strawberries and cream for the adults. There were challenges, bike decorating, paddling pools, face painting and a ‘Guess the Scarecrow’s Birthday’. There was even a bake sale organised by some P5s and 6s for a local Judo teacher who had an accident in Vietnam and is in a coma. They managed to raise an amazing £130.16.

The school also got a new playhouse for the playground and the nursery children named it ‘Acorn Cottage’.

The community picnic was a great success with the sun shining and everyone really enjoyed it!

“It was awesome!” said Maisie.

Lucy said it was, “MASKTASKTIC!”

By Molly (P5)

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Play Time Water play is great fun, and an important learning experience. Bathtime is always a good place to experiment, or a blow-up paddling pool. Or set up a water play station outdoors by half filling a washtub placed on a table or the ground and provide squeezy bottles, sponges, funnels, straws, a sieve, balls etc.

To control the pouring movement is a big step towards the fine muscle control needed for writing. Pouring water into sand or mud is an ideal way to encourage experiments, and spillages don’t matter.

Let your child guess which objects will float or sink, then try them. What happens when sugar is put into a glass of water? Try it. If you think it disappeared, taste it.

How many ways can you find to carry water?

Transport it from one tub to another. Does this work better with a ladle carried carefully, or with a heavier saucepan?

Kindly supplied by Wee Acorns Nursery

Banoffee Loaf INGREDIENTS 300g plain flour (extra for dusting) 150g salted butter (extra for greasing) 175g light muscovado sugar 2 large free-range eggs 1tsp bicarbonate of soda 150m semi skimmed milk 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed 75g vanilla fudge, cut to small cubes • •

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Please contact us or pop in to find out more Perth Road, Dunblane 01786 826982 wee.acorns@hotmail.co.uk www.weeacorns.co.uk

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Preheat the oven on 180c (or Gas Mark 4). Use a 2 litre loaf tin and grease it with butter and cover lightly with flour, shaking off an excess.

In a bowl, mix together the butter and sugar using an electric whisk. Do this until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then, one at a time, add the eggs and beat into the mixture. Using a sieve, sift in the flour and bicarbonate soda. Mix in while gradually adding the milk until the mixture is smooth.

Fold in the mashed bananas and the chopped fudge into the mixture. Scoop the mixture into the loaf tin and smooth down the top. Bake for one hour. Halfway through cooking, cover the loaf with foil to stop the top from burning.

Once you’ve taken it out the oven leave to cool for ten minutes. Enjoy!

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Who likes drawing or painting? Writing poems or short stories?

Embroidery or patchwork? This is for you!

No age limit – child or adult. The Arts Guild would love to share your creation with everyone in the community. Not a competition but an exhibition! This is what it’s all about: For our 40th Anniversary, the Arts Guild has commissioned composer Suzanne Parry to write a new musical work, taking St. Blane as her inspiration and using forces that are associated with Dunblane Cathedral, notably voices, organ and brass instruments. This new work is going to be performed in the Cathedral on Saturday 24th September. Suzanne is writing a blog about the process of fulfilling the commission and you’ll find a link to it on our website: www.dcag.org.uk We’d like to spread the creative ripples from this commission wider by inviting anyone, child or adult, who’d like to be inspired to draw, paint, write a poem, description or short story, or make a piece of embroidery or patchwork on the theme of St. Blane. To get you thinking, you can read about what is known of his life on our website. We’d love to put your work on show and use artwork for publicity for the concert, so if you could work to a deadline of 1st September and get your creation to us in one of the following ways we’d be delighted: Hand in to Dunblane Library | Hand in to Dunblane Museum Leave in box in the Cathedral (near welcome table) Please put your name, address and phone number (and age if under 18) on the back of your work.

THE MUSIC MIX

‘musicians get together’ at DUNBLANE HOTEL Tuesdays 8pm - 10.30pm

Contact : Iain Cornwallis 07572 791 616 iaincornwallis@gmail.com 84

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* Note: Must be accompanied by an adult

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Exhibition during July

The View|art gallery space|Dunblane Library

BROADFIELD PHOTOS Broadfield Photos is the trading name of photographer Michael Yuille. After a career in finance in Higher Education Michael’s interest in photography was rekindled in 2010 by the gift of a day with a professional photographer near Oban. After that, the enthusiasm grew exponentially, culminating in this exhibition. He has sold images, calendars and greetings cards locally and online and has a customer base spread through the UK. His 2016 calendar was sold in aid of “Start-up Stirling”, with all profits from the sale being donated to that charity.

An initial interest in landscapes was added to by a growing enthusiasm for wildlife; this exhibition blends the two interests together with, in some cases, common locations for both the landscapes and the wildlife found therein. Michael’s interest in the landscape is trying to capture the views that many see and perhaps rush past without realising the beauty of the surroundings. His philosophy is that Scotland has many different landscapes and there is beauty to be found everywhere, something he tries to convey in his images.

His wildlife images capture a small fragment of the rich and diverse multitudes of wildlife in Scotland; all the images are of wild animals in their natural habitats. In some cases they have been “snapped” at feeding stations, but none are captive animals.

Michael uses Pentax cameras and a mix of Pentax and Sigma lenses. Where possible he tries to minimise post capture processing. www.broadfieldphotos.co.uk

Library News : Libraries everywhere are celebrating 100 years of the world’s favourite storyteller- Roald Dahl. Take part in the Tesco Bank summer reading challenge Scotland - The Big Friendly Read from 25th June until 27th August. For children aged 4-11 years.

Dunblane Library 01786 823125 | dunblanelibrary@stirling.gov.uk 86

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The 4th/85th Dunblane Scout Group wish to thank all those involved in our annual fundraising events. The Scout Post and Santa’s Sleigh in December and more recently our annual

Coffee Morning and Raffle have raised fantastic sums which will be used to support and provide equipment for many activities for our young people, train our leaders in essential First Aid and other skills and maintain our Scout Hall. We have donated some of the funds to The Dunblane First Responders, Dunblane in Bloom, Camphill at Blair Drummond, Stirling Neuro Central and Million Hands- Water Aid. We appreciate all the support from local businesses, families, and our young people. Thank you.

RSVP Dunblane Knitting and Coffee Morning Dates for 2016 The Dunblane Knitting and Coffee Morning dates have been scheduled for 2016, the mornings are held at Victoria Halls on Station Road. RVSP Knitting and Coffee mornings offer members a chance to socialise over tea and biscuits and display their knitting creations. The knitting groups were created to encourage social interaction in order to combat loneliness and isolation that affects many older people.

Wool is provided to all members and they are asked to knit clothes and dolls during their spare time and to then bring their knitwear to the coffee mornings. Most knitwear is given to local, national and international charities Dates for the Dunblane knitting group in 2016 are: Weds August 10th 10:00 – 11:45 | Weds November 9th 10:00 – 11:45 For more information about the Dunblane Knitting and Coffee Mornings please contact Janet Henderson on 01877 330706 or e-mail Janet at georgehenderson410@btinternet.com.

Deadline for What’s On info: 9th August

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for the September-Octo issue

Don’t forget to promote your club meetings and fundraisers or to share your community news

email: fiona@thewireweb.co.uk or send to 75 Old Doune Road, Dunblane, Fk15 9FH 87

Interested in playing football?

The already well established Bridge of Allan based Riverside Football Club now offers a growing Girls section, welcoming all girls in a range of ages from under 9s, under 11s, under 13s and under 15s.

No previous experience of the game is necessary, please feel free to come along and try it out.

Training takes place at Hawes Park, Bridge of Allan on Wednesdays from 6.30 - 8 for younger girls, and on a Sunday morning for older girls. Competitive matches take place on Sundays for those girls who want to enjoy the buzz of a competitive game. The girls are coached by SFA affiliated coaches, and there are opportunities for the girls to develop their skills in a fun and safe way. In the colder months we train at Wallace High School or Forthbank, Stirling.

Most recently, we were delighted to attend a photo shoot with Inch Wolksvagen Stirling, who sponsor the match kit for our under 11s. The picture shows the girls showing off their new kit in the Stirling showroom.

If you are interested in coming along email riversidefcgirls@gmail.com or phone our club secretary on 07990 606 641.

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DEFIBRILLATOR HERE We have trained staff able to use a Defibrillator in the event of a Cardiac Arrest Dunblane First Responders, as part of their ongoing dedication to be of public service in Dunblane, have now purchased and installed 6 Public Access Defibrillators which are conveniently distributed around Dunblane. It’s all thanks to the generosity of you, the great people who enjoy life here in our wonderful little city – hugely helped by the Wind Farm Community Fund, joint fundraising activities, charitable trusts and two incredibly generous bequests.

Where Are They?

24/7 PAD’s are conveniently placed outside:

The Dunblane Centre Another Tilly’s Tea Room Northend Garage and now at the Westlands

(thanks to a very generous donation from The Rotary Club of Bridge of Allan & Dunblane)

PLUS inside Tesco and The Riverside during opening hours.

We are all very much obliged to these host establishments.

What To Do?

Anyone can access and operate these defibrillators.

Open the box – lift out the portable Defib – return to the scene press the green ‘ON’ button and follow the oral instructions.

These readily available PADs coincide with 7 years of Responding to potentially life threatening emergencies in and around our community and we are keen for more volunteers to join with us as Dunblane First Responders. Please contact 07770 563 552 if you want to know more about Responding or being a trained & dedicated team member in Dunblane.

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Windfarm Funding Applications now OPEN! The Windfarm committee is now pleased to invite applications from local groups in the Dunblane Community Council area for funding for year 2016/17.

Application forms and guidance rules can be downloaded from the Dunblane.info website or alternatively contact Christine Campbell on 07539 179 761 or mail hyperbass@sky.com Last year 14 local groups were helped over a broad range of activities including the Dunblane Fling, Dunblane Centre, Dunblane Scouts and Kinbuck Community Group.

The deadline for receipt of applications is on or before 16th September 2016.

Dunblane Development Trust: Community in Action A company limited by guarantee | Registered in Scotland No.250969 | Charity No.SC034511 www.dunblanedevelopmenttrust.com | Email: info@dunblanedevelopmenttrust.com TheBraeport DDT webCentre, page can be viewed at www.dunblane.info/ddt Registered Office: Braeport, Dunblane, FK15 0AT | Phone: 07748 219 937 Please mention thewire when responding to adverts

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Whats On: during the week MONDAY: • • • • • • •

2284 Dunblane Air Cadets for boys & girls ages 13 to 18. Meet Mon & Wed 7pm to 9.30pm. For more information contact Ft.Lt. Peter Mulkerrins on email oc.2284@aircadets.org or 01786 825355 Bridge lessons will be restarting in September in Doune, days and venue still to be decided. Anyone interested in learning the game or updating their skills should contact Susan on 01786 842684/07778 506 406 or e-mail susan.wilson37@tesco.net.

ST MARY’S BABY AND TODDLER GROUP every Monday (including holidays) 10-11.30am at St Mary’s Church Hall. All parents and children aged 0-5 years are welcome, £2.50 a session.

Dunblane Library, free beginners computer classes from a Forth Valley College lecturer every Monday from 9am until 12, offering a variety of flexible learning courses.

Dunblane Fencing Club meets at D. High School & is for ages 8-18. Mon 5-6pm Beginners. 6-8pm Intermediate - Advanced. Contact Charity McArdle at dunblanefencingclub45@gmail.com or on 07881 025 664.

Jazz Night from 8pm at the Westlands Hotel. Everyone welcome, admission free Dunblane Runners group run – 5 or 6 miles – meet at 7pm at Hydro gym

TUESDAY: • • • •

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• • • •

Doune & Dunblane Bridge Club meets at the Catholic Church Hall, 2-4.30pm. No partners required.

Call 01786 824080 for further information.

Beginner/Mixed Ability Run 6pm@Run4It, Bridge of Allan. Supervised by qualified Jog Scotland leaders and catering to those that want to start jogging for the first time through to intermediate runners. Free of charge Hills and Drills 7pm@Run4It, Bridge of Allan . Not for the faint hearted, it improves strength and endurance & lasts around an hour. Free of charge.

St Blane’s Drama Group meets every Tuesday evening Sept to May in St Blane’s Church Hall at 7:30pm.

We are a friendly mixed age group, members of the Scottish Community Drama Association and our membership is free and is open to all residents of the Dunblane and Stirling District. Enquiries to Tudor Rees 823716 Stirling Speaking Society warmly welcomes anybody who would like to build up confidence in speaking in public, whether to groups or individuals, through a supportive process of advice on techniques, practice, and friendly feedback. We meet in Dunblane Cathedral Halls on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7.30 for 8 o’clock. To find out more, please email stirlingspeakingsociety@gmail.com, or go to our website at stirlingspeakingsociety.wordpress.com, or phone 0741 322 8050.

Argyll and = Highlanders Army Cadet Force, 7pm till 9pm at the Queen Victoria School. Anyone aged 12-18 years old can just come along. Contact Vikki Paul by email: v_i_p_r_f_c@hotmail.co.uk for more information.

Nordic walks, Tuesday evenings 6.45pm – 8pm. Contact Tricia on 07557 439111 for details on training with Nordic poles and the meeting points for the walks. Poles will be supplied.

Dunblane Fencing Club meets at D. High School & is for ages 8-18. Tues 6-7pm Beginners and Juniors.

7-9pm Intermediate to Advanced. Contact Charity McArdle at dunblanefencingclub45@gmail.com or on 07881 025 664.

Dunblane Community Preschool Rising 3s. 9.30am – 11.30am at the Braeport Centre. Open to children ages 2 - 3. A fantastic stepping stone between toddler groups and preschool, led by an early childhood educator with parent assistance. Please telephone 07920 249 631 for further information.

WEDNESDAY: • • • •

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Tea n Toast - drop-in for parents with or without tots at St Mary’s Church Hall, 9 to 11am DPPA PARENT & BABY GROUP. 10am – 11.30am at the Braeport Centre. (Term Time Only) Open to babies from birth to 12 months. Drop in for a cup of coffee & a chance to meet other local parents. Please telephone 07920249631 for further information 25th Stirling (Dunblane) Boys’ Brigade Anchor Boys (boys aged 5 up to P3), 6.05-7.10pm in the Cathedral Hall. Contact Rosemary McLellan on 825039 or anchors@dunblanebb.org.uk 2284 Dunblane Air Cadets for boys & girls ages 13-18. Meet Mon & Wed 7-9.30pm. Contact Ft.Lt. Peter Mulkerrins on 01786 825355 or e: oc.2284@aircadets.org To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e. fiona@thewireweb.co.uk

Whats On: during the week (continued) • • • • • •

Doune Bridge Club meets at 7.15pm in the Red Lion Hotel, Doune (back room). Small friendly club and welcome all standards, with or without a partner. Contact Derek on 01786 842224 Local walking group meet at Dunblane Cathedral at 10.30am for a 30-45min walk on good surfaced paths.

Walks are free, no need to register in advance. Contact Tricia on 07557 439 111 or enquire at the health centre for more details.

Dunblane Cathedral Society of Change Ringers. The tower bell ringers practice from 7:30-9:00pm in the Cathedral. For further information contact Judith Frye on 824779 or e-mail dunblane@sacr.org.

Dunblane Free Church. ‘Open Door’ session between 10 and 12 noon where we invite members of the local community to pop in and meet us.

Robertsons of Kinbuck, Auctions every Wednesday at 11am, alternating between a general household sale & an antiques and collectables sale. Viewing is on Tues & Weds. Website address for pictures & catalogue is www.kinbuckauctions.co.uk.

Dunblane Fencing Club meets at D. High School & is for ages 8-18. Wed 6-8pm Intermediate to Advanced. Contact Charity McArdle at dunblanefencingclub45@gmail.com or on 07881 025 664.

THURSDAY: • •

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DPPA TODDLER GROUP. 10am – 11.30am at the Braeport Centre. (Term Time Only) Open to children from 6 months to 2 years. Drop in for a cup of coffee & a chance to meet other local parents. Children’s snack is provided. Please telephone 07920249631 for further information.

Dunblane Whist Club meets every Thursday Lesser Hall, Victoria Hall 1.30 - 3.30pm. Come along to find out if this group is suitable for you. Ten players joined us last term forming new friendships. Ladies & gentlemen all welcome. Friendly tuition given if required. Information from Dolly Gemmell 01786 822 387. Club finishes 30th June, resumes August Bridge of Allan & Dunblane Rotary Club, at the Westlands Hotel at 6.00 for 6.30, visiting Rotarians or interested visitors should contact our Secretary Iain Fraser on 01786 822751.or email: secretary@ dunblanerotary.org.uk Going Forward Stroke Group provides activities and entertainment for stroke survivors. 2-4pm in the Chalmers Hall, Bridge of Allan. New members are always welcome. Tel 01786 - 831608 or 832228 for information.

Open Doors@Dunblane Christian Fellowship. The doors open 2-4pm for anyone who is looking for a bit of company. There will be various activities on offer, tea and cake. More inforation from Helen pn 01786 825 974.

Dunblane Cathedral: Midweek service 11 – 11.30am Mixed Ability Run 6pm@Run4It, Bridge of Allan. Offering alternatives from 3.5 miles to 7 miles. This run accommodates all levels with certified Jog Scotland leaders accompanying each group. Meet at Run4It. Free of charge Dunblane Bowling Club Bingo, Eyes Down 7.30pm. All Welcome Oor Woollie, 7-9pm, Dunblane Cathedral Halls. Nutty on knitting or hooked on crochet or want to learn?

Bring along your needles and yarn. Tea, coffee & biscuits are available. Contact Kate: 07904 440 491 or Lesley 01786 821 427.

Dunblane Runners training session – 7pm – locations vary each week. See our Facebook page for info.

FRIDAY: • • • •

Tea Dance at the Victoria Halls, 2-4pm. Admission £4, all welcome. Held on the 12th, 19th & 26th August (none in July).

DPPA TODDLER GROUP. 10am – 11.30am at the Braeport Centre. (Term Time Only) Open to children from 6 months to 2 years. Drop in for a cup of coffee & a chance to meet other local parents. Children’s snack is provided. 07920 249 631 for further information.

25th Stirling (Dunblane) Boys’ Brigade Junior Section (P4-P6) 6.15 - 7.45pm in the Cathedral Hall.

Contact Fraser Boyd on 821387 or info@dunblanebb.org.uk 25th Stirling (Dunblane) Boys’ Brigade Company Section (P7-S3) and Seniors (S4-S6) Fridays 7.4510pm in the Cathedral Hall. Contact Paul Christmas on 823192 or e-mail captain@dunblanebb.org.uk

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Whats On: during the week (continued) FRIDAY: • Dunblane Woodies (Woodcraft Folk). Braeport Centre (term times) 4pm - 5.30pm. Woodchips 3 - 5 yrs and Elfins 6 - 8 yrs. We’re also welcoming Pioneers aged 9-12 and Venturers 12-16. So come along and share your knowledge of the great outdoors or just have some good green fun. Contact Lucia, dunblane. wcf@gmail.com 07796 268 695.

• 1st Dunblane Girls Brigade Company: Explorer Section (P1-P3) 6-7pm. Junior Section (P4-P7) 7-8.30pm & Brigadier Section (S1-S6) 7-8.30pm. All meeting in St. Blane’s Church Hall. Contact Jacqueline Cassidy (Captain) on 07759 046 474. e-mail: cmailto:cassidyjacqueline@yahoo.co.uk

SATURDAY: • •

Dunblane Runners social run – meet 8.30am at Cathedral car park Training Run 9am @ Run4It, Bridge of Allan - a longer training run. typically be at least 9 miles in length and are ideal for the aspiring half marathoner (and beyond!) - Meet at Run4It. Free of charge

SUNDAY: • • • •

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St Mary’s Episcopal Church, Dunblane, 8.30am Said Communion; 10.30am Sung Eucharist with provision for children. See www.stmarysdunblane.org for more detail.

Dunblane Cathedral Morning worship: 10.30am every Sunday Family service: 9am on the last Sunday of each month (in addition to the 10.30 service) Sunday school: 10.15am every Sunday morning (except the last Sunday of each month). All departments: 3 year old – P7. Crèche available for under 3s Religious Society of Friends [Quakers] Dunblane Meeting. Meeting for Worship, Sunday 10.30 am at The Braeport Centre. Children welcome. See www.quakerscotland.org/dunblane for more detail.

Dunblane Cathedral Handbell Ringers, Cathedral Halls. Beginner adults from 6.30-7.30pm. Those of High School age, 5.30-6.30pm. Children in Primary 5-7 from 6.30-7.30pm. The adult group for experienced musicians rehearses from 7.30-9.15pm. For more info, contact Malcolm Wilson (t. 825387) or e-mail handbells@dunblanecathedral.org.uk Dunblane Folk Club meet at the Braeport Centre, 8pm. BYO bottle, everyone welcome. Closed for the summer - back on Sunday 21 August.

Whats On: during the month •

• • • •

Dunblane Museum continues it’s programme of Art exhibitions with free entry to both museum and exhibition, though donations are welcome. July features Ann Ross, Standards of Scotland - the Scottish Felters. August features Libby Hughes & Louise Martin, British Tapestry preview - “each day has a colour’.

See website for further details dunblanemuseum.org.uk. Open hours Mon-Sat 10.30 - 4.30 (last entry 4.15) Dunblane Rambling Club, once a fortnight on Sundays. For more information about walks this month see the website www.dunblaneramblingclub.org.uk or call Ray Kent on 01786 832 158 or Eric Howman on 01259 742 889 Saturday 16th July, Randolph Hill Summer Fete. 2pm at Randolph Hill, raffle, tombola, bottle stall, craft stalls, splat the rat, lucky dip, face painting, balloon modelling, cake stall, hot dogs!

6th & 7th August, Dunblane Free Church is holding a weekend of celebration to welcome their new church worker and preacher John Caldwell. All welcome. For more information see the church notice board or call 01259 760566.

Dunblane Men’s Prayer Breakfast meets on the 3rd Saturday of each month at 8am in Choices Coffee Shop. Next meetings 16th July and 20th August. More info? Call 07886 216 593

Don’t forget to send your entries for the What’s On by the 9th August for the Autumn issue (September and October) 94

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Useful Numbers Dunblane Police Station 101 Dunblane Health Centre 821777 Forth Valley Hospital, Larbert 01324 566000 Stirling Community Hospital 434000 Bannermans, High Street 823266 Bannermans, Anderson St. 822030 Dunblane Library 823125 Dunblane Post Office 825317 Stirling Council Local Offices 823300 Registrar of Births, Deaths & Marriages 823300 Scottish Gas Emergency 0800 111999 Hydro Electric Emergency 0800 300999 Scottish Water Emergency 0845 6008855 Floodline 0845 9881188 Scottish SPCA 03000 999999 Dunblane Primary School 822351 Newton Primary School 237920 St Mary’s Primary School 822740 Dunblane High School 823823 Dunblane Centre 824224 Kinbuck Centre 07934 501754 Ashfield Village Hall 825419 Victoria Hall 822176

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Call Fiona on 07720 429 613 Thank you

ROBERTSON Funeral Director

The Robertson Family Caring for your family in your time of need Funeral parlour with viewing facilities Golden Charter pre-payment plans

01786 822 844

100 High Street, Dunblane 96

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MINDBENDERS: First Aid West Indies Apple Pie

or write to Fiona Jones | theWire 75 Old Doune Road | Dunblane | FK15 9FH or telephone: 07720 429 613 www.thewireweb.co.uk theWire cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in advertisements nor for any consequences arising from this. theWire cannot be held responsible for damage or loss of copy or error in printing. All artwork used in theWire must not be published in any other media without permission.

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A-Z of Advertisers A9 Partnership page 57 Altal Plumbers page 42 Artemis Companion Services page 63 Arnhall Nursery page 71 Beach Tree Dental page 27 Beaconhurst School page 77 Bennetts Butchers page 13 Bib’ll Fix It page 66 Braco Designs page 34 BR Gardening Services page 38 Bridge of Allan Dental Care page 30 Carpet Master page 2 Cathedral Accounting Services page 61 Cathedral City Estates page 63 Complete Chemistry page 71 Cruachan Landscaping page 55 Curtains by Elaine page 38 CWS page 59 DCAG page 84 D&S Taxis page 47 DDT page 91 Do It Outdoors page 69 Doune & Dunblane Show page 85 Doune Woodyard page 51 Dunblane Cathedral page 95 Dunblane Centre page 72 Dunblane Driveways page 49 Dunblane Museum page 7 Dunblane Nature Kindergarten page 68 Dunblane School of Motoring page 47 Emma Drewery Optometrist page 28 Erskine Eyecare page 21 Fitness League page 33 Fitness Takeaway page 20 Forth Dimension Gardens page 37 Francine Orr, Hypnotherapy page 23 Glenn Murray Associates page 58 Graham Sandals Buildings page 37 Hair Chair page 20 HASS page 24 Helen McLean Podiatry page 25 Homeworx page 40 House of Blinds page 100 It’ a Knockout page 8 98

J&R Joinery James Cowie TV Installations John Hill Butchers John McLaren Jonno Rock Julia Whytock, Will Writer Kare Gardens Kitchen & Bedroom Studio Krav Maga Learn2Draw Lorna Clarke, Podiatrist Mackie Electrical Marie Curie McIntyre Funeral Directors Module Architects Neroli Beauty Salon Ocean Reef Bathrooms Office Space for Rent Platinum Builders Rhona Geddes RJ Wealth Management RN Robertson Robert Paul Architects Roofline Advice RTS Woodfuel Scottish Oven Cleaning Secret Garden SF Cunningham Joinery Sheriffmuir Inn Slimming World SRC Landscapes Struthers & Scott Vets Therapeutic Massage The Riverside Top Coat & Tails Tracks Window Cleaning Wee Acorns William Kay, garage doors Wilson Gas

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