Welcome to the 2005 edition of the Newsletter and a belated Happy New Year to you all! Our key aim is to promote a strong sense of community in the village, through social, recreational and cultural activities, both in the village hall and throughout Aberlady. I'm sure you will agree, from the number of organisations who have contributed to this newsletter, that we have a healthy village community.
Our main project this year is the upgrading of the hall - more of which on page 3. A plan of our proposals can be seen in the hall itself. Please remember that our monthly meetings are open to everyone, with minutes and dates of meetings posted on the noticeboard in the centre of the village. Your support, whether personal or financial, is most welcome.
Regards, Alan Richardson - Chairman.
Telephone 870581
The baby and toddler group meets each Wednesday morning from 9.30 to 11.30am at the Auld Kirk Stables in the Main Street. We're a mixed bunch of mums, dads, grandparents and carers who enjoy a couple of hours to have a cup of tea and a natter whilst the little people play, sing or practise arts and crafts. We occasionally have a morning away to swim, trampoline or visit soft play.
Everyone is welcome, from 'bumps' and new-borns, right up to about 3 years old. We warmly welcome any newcomers to the village and look forward to seeing you.
Contact Pam MacGregor on 870025.
Aberlady Gala Day, held on the first Saturday in June, is always a lot of fun for everyone in the village, and this year will be no exception! We are looking forward to crowning this year's Gala Queen, seeing her consort and her court, and to enjoying all sorts of new rides and entertainments on the playing fields. The fun doesn't stop there because it continues into the following week with many more events.
In order to finance the Gala, the committee hold fundraising events. We hope you all enjoyed the Valentine's Day discos; the next event is detailed below - please put it in your diaries!
30th April: Race Night and draw of Grand Raffle at the Kilspindie House Hotel.
The Gala Week itself will be hard work for the committee but great fun and we can't wait to see you all there. Here is a list of the events - a lot of which happen in our wonderful Village Hall.
Saturday 4th June: Gala Day, Aberlady Playing Fields
Sunday 5th June: Football Comp, Aberlady Playing Fields
Monday 6th June: Family Quiz, Village Hall
Tuesday 7th June: Senior Citizens Evening, Village Hall
Wednesday 8th June: Junior Discos, Village Hall
Thursday 9th June: Rollerblading, School
Friday 10th June: Adult Disco, Village Hall
Saturday 11th June: TBC - Watch this space.
Sunday 12th June: Kirkin' Sunday
Many people work very hard to make the Gala a success and each year we have a committee. If you need to contact us for any reason (help is always a good reason!) here are a few names:
Joint Chair - Doug Wilkie (870210) & Paul Alexander (870930)
Event Organiser - Wendy Isaac (870146)
Treasurer - Julie Stirling (870422)
Donations Co-ordinator - Phil Notley (879105)
All donations are very welcome!
Another aspect to the week is the programme we produce and should anyone want to advertise in it please call Jeanne Jardine on 870949.
Don't forget that the Aberlady Community Association website - www.aberlady.org - is THE source of information about what's happening in Aberlady. Please send an e-mail to admin@aberlady.org with details of any events etc. that you wish to have publicised and we will post them on the website. Also - did you know that you can have an aberlady.org e-mail address and support the Community Association at the same time? To apply, simply send an e-mail to admin@aberlady.org.
The Aberlady After School Club opened for business at the beginning of September 2004 and has been providing excellent wrap-around care for our children since then. The children are collected from the school and taken to the community hall, where they are provided with a healthy snack and lots of fun things to do. Our play leader, Margaret Hutchison, also organises exciting trips for the children. Among other things they have visited Edinburgh and Dirleton Castles, been swimming, enjoyed a day out to North Berwick and searched for fairies in the fairy wood.
This service is provided at a cost of £5 from Monday to Thursday and £10 for a Friday afternoon and is open to all children of primary school age. If there is enough interest, it is hoped there will be a holiday club for the Easter and summer holidays.
The Club offers a valued service but it can only remain open with continued local support. If you would like further information please contact Jane Kelly, Chairperson, on 870042.
Well done and many congratulations to Beth Sheffield and Audra Butters for raising in excess of £1200 at their jumble sale on Saturday 21st January! This surely must be a record!
… and well done to George McLeod for organising a super concert of ceilidh and folk music in the village hall on Wednesday 2nd February. The hall was packed and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening, which raised an impressive £773 for the Tsunami Appeal.
Our fledgling twinning group emerged from a French Evening, held in the village hall last February, to talk about a possible twinning with the village of Valleraugue in the south of France. There was lots of interest and we now meet from time to time in the Old Aberlady Inn to enjoy a few drinks and discuss progress - which we are taking slowly but surely, in tune with our French counterparts! So far, several of us have visited Valleraugue - an idyllic, flower-filled village nestling in the heart of the Cevennes mountains north of Montpellier. It really is the most gorgeous place and easily accessible via cheap Ryanair flights to Montpellier (currently from 99p until 12th May!) We received a fantastic welcome - the people of Valleraugue are incredibly friendly and great fun, entertaining us with a whirlwind of barbecues, local fetes, swimming excursions on the river and tours of the spectacular surrounding hills. Last August, a Valleraugue contingent came over to Edinburgh for a football tournament and we had a fantastic barbecue night in the Kirk Stables, culminating in two of our number being kidnapped on the team bus and nearly whisked back to France!!!
The next stage is to consult the village again about formalising the twinning arrangement, so we'd love to hear your views. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 16th February at 8pm in the Old Aberlady Inn - do come along and join us. You don't need to speak French, just have an interest in France and visiting nice places! Or contact Kathy Allan on 870478/e-mail: kathy.allan@aberlady.org or Roger Thomas on 870533/e-mail: roger.thomas@aberlady.org.
A huge vote of thanks to Anna McKinnon for organising a wonderful evening in concert with Bruce Davies, a fantastic performer with a powerful voice. The concert raised £300 for the hall renovations - well done Anna!
The bowling green is usually open from April to September. There is bingo in the clubhouse every Saturday night at 8pm and we hold other functions throughout the year. The darts team play on a Monday night (both home and away). We will be organising a quiz night soon - date TBC. New members are welcome - phone 870735.
For those of you who may not have heard, or visited the community
hall lately to see the plans for the upgrade, details of the proposed
work are as follows:
· Provision of disabled access and disabled toilet facilities.
· Refurbishment of existing toilets.
· Building to be extended to enable new kitchen to be built.
· New water main to be installed from Sea Wynd.
· Removal of existing stage and replacement with floor
to match rest of hall floor.
· Kitchen to be converted to a storage facility.
We have applied for funding from the Scottish Executive and expect
to hear by the end of February. The split will be:
Scottish Executive: £65,000
East Lothian Council: £32,500
Community Assoc: £32,500
Grand Total: £130,000
So you see the Association has to raise £32,500 before the work can start. We are able to include in our portion of the costs funding raised from other organisations, eg "Awards for All". We are extremely grateful to our Local Community Council for a grant of £3,000, and other donations so far received, all of which will be used on the project. We are applying to other organisations for funds, however we will need to raise approximately £12,000 ourselves. So any financial help you can give us will be greatly appreciated. Please send, or take, donations to Ross Searle - The Treasurer at the Post Office.
The Badminton Club will be running another formidable quiz - a great night to look forward to! Date TBC. Contact Alan Wood on 870582.
The Friendly Club keeps you going during the winter months, meeting at the Kirk Stables from October to April on the 2nd and 4th Fridays from 2-4pm. No membership necessary, just friendship and interest for men and women. Contact Doris Duncan on 870596.
We're going from strength to strength, meeting in the small hall on Wednesdays from 10am. Lots of different activities and outings and a cuppa too! Proposed date of Craft Fair: November 6th - more details later. Contact Anne Frost on 870580.
Brownies, for girls aged 7-10 years, is bursting at the seams. Great fun is enjoyed by the unit at Aberlady Primary School on Thursdays from 6-7.15pm. Currently, there are 24 girls, with a waiting list for September entry. We're looking for an adult unit helper to expand our horizons. Any offers? Contact Kate Currie on 870786.
Aberlady Rainbows meet most Thursdays during the school term from 6-7pm. Rainbows is the precursor to Brownies and is for girls aged 5-7 years. For more information about activities or the waiting list, contact Anne Tait on 870752.
The Conservation Society is pleased to report that local efforts to have the old slaughterhouse (Poppy's Gift Shop - in the grounds of the former Wagon Inn) rebuilt have proved successful. The re-development of the site will be limited to refurbishment of the existing listed gothic cottages to form two houses. Apologies have been received for the concern caused to the local community.
For any information about the Society and its conservation and history activities please contact Ian Malcolm, Secretary on 870075 or e-mail: ian.malcolm@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Sunday March 20th 2-4pm in the Community Hall.
Lots of stalls and activities for the children. Tasty cream teas,
raffle and tombola as well as other attractions (donations for
the stalls, raffle and tombola welcome!). Easter Bonnet Competition
and egg decorating too. All in aid of the hall refurbishment fund.
Please come along and enjoy yourselves!
Contact Ros Richardson on 870581 or Donna Mathieson on 870084.
Morning worship takes place every Sunday at 11.15am and there is a family service once a month, usually on the first Sunday. Sunday School meets every Sunday during school term at 11am in the Kirk Stables. The children normally walk to church, accompanied by Sunday School staff, for the beginning of the morning service and then return to the Kirk Stables at about 11.30am to enjoy their own activities. If you have a child who would like to join Sunday School, please contact Wendy Isaac on 870146 or Val Morrison on 870633.
On the first Sunday of each winter month you are welcome to come to the Kirk Stables at 12.30pm for a 'Lite Bite Lunch'. A number of other events are held throughout the year, to which all are welcome - see listings below. We also produce a quarterly newsletter - 'Angel Tidings' - do let us know if you would like to receive a copy or contribute to it.
Friday 18th March: Bruce Davies in Concert, 7.30pm (Tickets
only - phone 870298)
Saturday 14th May: Annual Plant & Produce Sale
Saturday 29th October: Coffee Morning 10am-12noon
Sunday 11th December: Dalkeith and Monktonhall Brass Band - Music
and Carols for Christmastide.
Contact numbers are as follows:
The Very Rev Dr John Cairns - 01620 843193
Session Clerk: Mr Barry White - 853137
Beadle: Freddy Burnett - 870237
Church Secretary: Connie Hope - 870374
A light-hearted contest and a great night out. Sample all the curries (at least 10!), decide your favourites and vote for them. Come along on Saturday 26th February at 7.30pm. Tickets, £6 (or free entry for curry makers!) from the post office or committee members.
Have you any good ideas for raising funds for the hall? Could you organise an event, large or small? Something musical or cultural, a quiz night, a table sale or anything that takes your fancy and might be fun for others to attend. Help is available if you need it - just say the word! (Speak to a committee member or contact Ros Richardson on 870581).
Some dates for your diaries!
Easter Break: Wednesday 23rd March
Return: Monday 11th April
April Holiday: Monday 18th April
May Holiday: Monday 2nd May
In Service: Tuesday
3rd May
Summer Break: Thursday 30th June
Return: Monday 22nd August
Autumn Break: Friday 16th September
Return: Tuesday 20th September
October Break: Friday 14th October
Return: Tuesday 25th October
Christmas Break: Wednesday 21st December
Return: Monday 9th January 2006
Recently reformed, the club meets on Saturday mornings in the village hall from 8.30 to 9.30am over the winter months. The rest of the year, we train and play on the field next to the primary school. We cater for boys and girls from 5 to 8 years of age and have more than 30 members. Some older children still train with the group - a few are original members from the 2000-2001 season. The club is run by mums and dads and there is an adult section of Aberlady FC who organise games and social events for residents of the village.
Contact Andrew Jardine, Club Secretary, on 870949 for further details.
The new Scottish Birdwatching Resource Centre is taking shape on the outskirts of Aberlady. Started in August 2004, it is due to be open to the public in July 2005. The impressive building, comprising a massive Douglas Fir frame and European larch cladding, together with landscaping, planting and water features, occupies an outstanding location on the west side of the village, overlooking Aberlady Bay. It is hoped that this Scottish facility will be a very useful local resource, promoting birding and offering educational, research and publishing initiatives, drawing on the unique Waterston Library, Scottish Ornithologists' Club (SOC) archive, donated image bank and survey data.
If you're interested in joining the SOC, contact Bill Gardner,
MBE on 0131 653 0653.