Gatehouse News NEWS, INFORMATION & WHAT’S ON IN GATEHOUSE OF FLEET | Summer 2012 e Galloway Picts Project at Trusty’s Hill Could Trusty’s Hill have been a royal stronghold of an ancient kingdom? e recent archaeological excavation has discovered striking new evidence for the lost Dark Age Kingdom of Rheged. Evidence for when the site was occupied, how it was occupied and indeed the status of the people who occupied this hill fort has been found thanks to the efforts of over 60 volunteers working alongside pro- fessionals from GUARD Archaeology and the Dumfries and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society. An abundance of domestic rubbish, including animal bones, a rotary quern, tools and a spindle whorl demonstrate that Trusty’s Hill was once the home of a small community. ere was also clear evidence, in the form of crucibles, a clay mould and iron slag, that metalworking and the production of high status jewellery was being carried out in part of the site. But the clincher for the archaeologists was the discovery of high status jewellery itself and even rarer pottery sherds from France. e pottery sherd not only dates to the seventh century AD, exactly the right time when Pictish Symbols were being carved in Scotland, but are so rare from this period that only people of the highest status - kings, princes, lords and bishops - acquired this pottery. e only other sites outside Pictland where Pictish Carvings are found are the capitals of other Dark Age Kingdoms: Dunadd, the capital of the early Scots Kingdom of Dalriada and Edinburgh Castle Rock, once called Din Eidyn, the capital of the Kingdom of the Gododdin, which covered South-east Scotland. e layout of Trusty’s Hillfort, with an upper citadel where a great hall may have stood, and lower precincts where activities like metalworking may have been undertaken, is exactly how royal Dark Age Capitals were arranged. e first results of the excavation will be given at the 150th anniversary conference of the Dumfries and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society on 8th September. Once all the finds have been analysed a full report will be given in Gatehouse on 6th April next year. e Gatehouse Development Initiative will be working closely with the archaeologists to maximise the benefits of the excavation for the local community. For progress on the Galloway Picts Project see www.gallowaypicts.com From the Editor Welcome to the Summer Newsletter which makes a timely appearance in advance of the Gala and the Olympic Games. Apart from the richly deserved award of the MBE to David Dougan, Gatehouse of Fleet is linked to the Olympic Games by way of Gerard Macnamara’s torch bearing in Annan and Liz Scott’s selection as an official, of which we will be reporting fully in our next issue. ere is some interest- ing new material on the Trusty’s Hill dig, and on the arrival in Gatehouse of a talented Scottish novelist. As usual, my thanks are due to Ken Smyth’s de- sign skills, to Graham and Margaret Wright for their coverage of the Riv- erside Café businesss and to our many distributors who deliver the Newsletter to your door. If you live outside the reach of our door delivery, supplies are on display in the Spar and the Keystore shops. “What’s On” information is now up- dated regularly in the Events section of the Gatehouse website and stretches well into the future, so we would like to see more access being obtained on- line (so many more of us these days have computers or access to computers such as that available in the Library). In the meantime we will continue to distribute a printed version of “What’s On” to accompany each issue of the Newsletter. In our next issue we will be publishing the first of what I hope will be many profiles on local personalities. Robin Dean has kindly summarised his ear- ly life in Gatehouse for us with some vivid memories of his relationship with the formidable Betty Murray-Usher. Fresh material for the Newsletter will always be welcome! Willie McKie [email protected]01557 815008 Proud sponsors of this edition of the Gatehouse Newsletter
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Gatehouse NewsNEWS, INFORMATION & WHAT’S ON IN GATEHOUSE OF FLEET | Summer 2012
The Galloway Picts Project at Trusty’s HillCould Trusty’s Hill have been a royal stronghold of an ancient kingdom? The recent archaeological excavation has discovered striking new evidence for the lost Dark Age Kingdom of Rheged. Evidence for when the site was occupied, how it was occupied and indeed the status of the people who occupied this hill fort has been found thanks to the efforts of over 60 volunteers working alongside pro-fessionals from GUARD Archaeology and the Dumfries and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society. An abundance of domestic rubbish, including animal bones, a rotary quern, tools and a spindle whorl demonstrate that Trusty’s Hill was once the home of a small community. There was also clear evidence, in the form of crucibles, a clay mould and iron slag, that metalworking and the production of high status jewellery was being carried out in part of the site. But the clincher for the archaeologists was the discovery of high status jewellery itself and even rarer pottery sherds from France. The pottery sherd not only dates to the seventh century AD, exactly the right time when Pictish Symbols were being carved in Scotland, but are so rare from this period that only people of the highest status - kings, princes, lords and bishops - acquired this pottery. The only other sites outside Pictland where Pictish Carvings are found are the capitals of other Dark Age Kingdoms: Dunadd, the capital of the early Scots Kingdom of Dalriada and Edinburgh Castle Rock, once called Din Eidyn, the capital of the Kingdom of the Gododdin, which covered South-east Scotland. The layout of Trusty’s Hillfort, with an upper citadel where a great hall may have stood, and lower precincts where activities like metalworking may have been undertaken, is exactly how royal Dark Age Capitals were arranged. The first results of the excavation will be given at the 150th anniversary conference of the Dumfries and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society on 8th September. Once all the finds have been analysed a full report will be given in Gatehouse on 6th April next year. The Gatehouse Development Initiative will be working closely with the archaeologists to maximise the benefits of the excavation for the local community.For progress on the Galloway Picts Project see www.gallowaypicts.com
From the EditorWelcome to the Summer Newsletter which makes a timely appearance in advance of the Gala and the Olympic Games. Apart from the richly deserved award of the MBE to David Dougan, Gatehouse of Fleet is linked to the Olympic Games by way of Gerard Macnamara’s torch bearing in Annan and Liz Scott’s selection as an official, of which we will be reporting fully in our next issue. There is some interest-ing new material on the Trusty’s Hill dig, and on the arrival in Gatehouse of a talented Scottish novelist. As usual, my thanks are due to Ken Smyth’s de-sign skills, to Graham and Margaret Wright for their coverage of the Riv-erside Café businesss and to our many distributors who deliver the Newsletter to your door. If you live outside the reach of our door delivery, supplies are on display in the Spar and the Keystore shops.“What’s On” information is now up-dated regularly in the Events section of the Gatehouse website and stretches well into the future, so we would like to see more access being obtained on-line (so many more of us these days have computers or access to computers such as that available in the Library). In the meantime we will continue to distribute a printed version of “What’s On” to accompany each issue of the Newsletter.In our next issue we will be publishing the first of what I hope will be many profiles on local personalities. Robin Dean has kindly summarised his ear-ly life in Gatehouse for us with some vivid memories of his relationship with the formidable Betty Murray-Usher. Fresh material for the Newsletter will always be welcome!Willie McKie [email protected] 01557 815008
Proud sponsors of this edition of the Gatehouse Newsletter
SW Scotland Biosphere announcement From his office in the Kiosk, Nic Coombey advises that a decision is expected in July from UNESCO which considers the inter-national application for Biosphere Reserve status for Galloway and South Ayrshire (watch out for a STOP PRESS item if the decision goes public before we go to press). Action will then be taken to use the global accreditation to promote world-class places in SW Scotland which demonstrate good nature conservation, ecologically sustainable development and environmental education.
Royal British Legion takes the lead in protection of local War MemorialsFollowing interest by the Community Council and support from Alan Lowden, the Gatehouse Branch of the Royal Brit-ish Legion organised a special presentation on May 24th by Paul Goodwin, Regional Volunteer for the War Memorials Trust for Dumfries and Galloway. The Trust is run-ning an In Memoriam campaign which is fully funded and aims to have all the na-tion’s memorials protected with “smart-water” as a deterrent to metal thieves. The work will be carried out through Dumfries and Galloway Council’s newly appointed War Memorials Officer, Fraser Marshall.Paul Goodwin’s comprehensively illustrated presentation was viewed by a small group including Provost David Cameron, mem-bers of the local branch of the British Le-gion and other interested members of the community. He explained the scope of the work of the Trust and took pains to stress that records of the names of those who died in the service of their country are not confined to community war memorials but can be found in churches and many oth-er - often hidden - community locations. Much of his work is focused on ensuring that photographic records are taken of all names, wherever recorded. Discussion then focused on the preservation of community war memorials and the group then walked to inspect the Gatehouse of Fleet War Me-morial and, as our photo shows, to apply
smartwater to all the metal plaques as a safety measure. Photographic records of all the names on the Memorial have been made, and are stored in the Library. For special historic interest, Margaret Wright has assembled a comprehensive historic record of Gatehouse of Fleet residents who died in both World Wars.
Gatehouse of Fleet Gala 2012Pauline Logan writes that this will be her last Gala in the Chair and hopes that it will be a great one. The Gala begins on July 29th with the children’s pet show, the open-ing ceremony and the crowning of Jazmin Cain, the new Gala Queen, to be followed by a week of entertainments with some new ones thrown in. Remember to buy a programme as the times of events are not always the same as last year. Within the pro-gramme this year there is a chance to win a week’s holiday at Clauchan Cottage. Thanks are due to sponsors who have supported the Gala with advertising. The Grand Gala Pa-rade is the highlight of the Gala with deco-rated floats or cars and fun in Park.Pauline would like to record her sincere thanks to the Gala Committee members and other volunteers who have worked so hard to make the Gala the success which it will undoubtedly be. New volunteers are always welcome for this and future Galas. So come and enjoy Gala Week whatever the weather!
Gatehouse to be lit up from end to end!The newly formed Gatehouse Christmas Lights Committee has met regularly and is super-active, with a splendid start to fund-raising thanks to Kerry Maxwell raising
£530 for completing her first marathon at Crossmichael at the end of March. A suc-cessful cake stall and car boot sale followed over the Diamond Jubilee weekend, and sponsorship has been obtained to illumi-nate the town clock, the lights being re-instated in time for the Diamond Jubilee. The clock tower will be illuminated again for Gala Week.Plans for the Gala include a Strawberry Tea, a Duck Race with cash prizes for the win-ning ducks, and a “Santa Dash” entry in the Gala Fun Run. Contact any committee member for further information or e-mail: [email protected].
Honours heaped on Gatehouse of Fleet heroes!News of the MBE bestowed by the Queen on David Dougan for his hard and con-scientious work in keeping the town clean and tidy over so many years could not have come at a better time. Typical of the man is that the letter telling him of his award near-ly went in the bin - perhaps he thought the envelope looked like a summons from the Inland Revenue, but fortunately he opened it in the nick of time.Less prominent but every bit as worthy is the Life After Stroke Award conferred on Ross Dickie at the Dorchester Hotel in London for his selfless dedication in caring for his fiancé, Zoe Hannah who had a mas-sive stroke at the tender age of 25. For seven years Ross has cared for Zoe, who is now his wife, and happily is making good progress.Elsewhere in this Newsletter we report on Gerard Macnamara’s carry of the Olympic torch through Annan and this great event will be capped with a further Olympic re-port (in our next issue) from Liz Scott who was specially selected as an officlal for the London Olympics.
Gatehouse of Fleet Community Hospital Car ServiceVolunteers are wanted! This valuable serv-ice was started by Elizabeth Eden over 20 years ago and is the only one of its kind in Galloway. If you would like to help, please contact Mary Grant on 814721.
THE MURRAY ARMSHotel & Restaurant Gatehouse of Fleet
In conversation with the Provost…Following the Gatehouse Community Council’s Annual General meeting (and the local government elections), both in May, the work of the Community Council will continue to be led by Provost David Cameron, Vice-Provost Ian McConchie and Dean of Guild Sue Best. David Cameron makes a strong plea for new blood on the Council with particu-lar emphasis on younger members, and wants the community to be aware that October this year, the date of the formal election process, will open opportunities for new Council membership if sufficient candidates come forward to trigger a poll.Although the statutory powers of the Community Council are limited to planning de-cisions within the prescribed area of the Town, and decisions on the award of liquor licences, there is no limit to the Council’s duties to ensure that the Regional Council is made aware of local views on any matter of concern within the community. So the agenda for meetings is wide open, as is the freedom to attend and to speak at Council meetings which take place in the Community Centre at 7pm on the second Tuesday of each month.Among current issues of special interest are the question of planning policy towards the erection of wind turbines, which is being encouraged by government leadership as part of renewable energy programmes but which also may raise environmental and energy efficiency issues, and the delicate matter of proper controls over the activities of illegal cocklers in Fleet Bay.
A conversation with Karen Campbell, award-winning novelistFresh from her stimulating performance at Gatehouse’s Big Lit Day, Karen and husband Dougie are settling in to their new life in Gatehouse. The Campbells have definitely come; we are lucky that Karen’s childhood holidays in Galloway, as with so many Gatehouse residents, may have played some part in their choice of area for their retirement.Karen was born in Paisley and after leaving school and studying at Glasgow University for an MA in English, Drama and French, she joined Strathclyde Police on the same day as her future husband. They trained together at Tulliallan Police College and she was then posted to Glasgow’s A Division, where for five and a half years she gained insight and experience on which she was able to draw for her first four novels. She confesses that from an early age she spent much time scribbling short anecdotes and stories: birth of a natural story-teller. Following the arrival of her first child, she left the Police Service and joined the Press Office of Glasgow City Council. During this time she was accepted for Glasgow University’s Creative Writing Masters Degree for which she graduated with an MA Litt (Distinction), and this marked the start of her writing in earnest with her first novel “The Twilight Time” to be followed by “After the Fire”, “Shadowplay” and “Proof of Life”, published by Hodder and Stoughton (all available on Kindle) and all drawing on her knowledge and understanding of the Glaswegian swagger, banter and humour, as well as the violence of Glasgow street life, gained during her police service. While crime in its many forms is woven into the narrative, it is not crime itself which drives the stories, but an exploration of the impact of events - sometimes catastrophic - on relationships, family and life in a most revealing way. And behind the intricate and fast-moving plots lies mas-sive and meticulous research which ensures fearless but realistically honest presentation.Your Editor looks forward to more of Karen’s literary skills and in particular her next nov-el, due out early next year from publisher Bloomsbury, the first in a departure from the police-based family of novels which have characterised her work so far, but still focused on her beloved Glasgow. More detailed in-formation about Karen’s work and career can be found on www.karencampbell.co.uk. We wish her and her family the very best of life in Gatehouse.
YMCA Drop-in Centre Supporters ClubMost residents in Gatehouse of Fleet and surrounding areas know about the popular YMCA Drop-in Centre and the numerous after-school facilities and activities it provides for local young people. This first-class youth provision has now been running for 15 years, and continues to offer three evening sessions a week in a safe, secure and congenial environ-ment. In addition to these regular evening ses-sions, we offer many activities, which provide opportunities for our young people to experi-ence a range of new adventures and life skills.We are grateful to the local community and visitors who continue to support the YMCA Drop-in Centre Charity Shop. The income generated from the shop is vital to meet the ever-increasing annual running and staffing costs of the Drop-in Centre.In 2005 we launched a Supporters’ Club, and the regular donations which local residents signed up to have proved to be an important stream of income. We are now re-launching the Supporters’ Club and would ask that you give serious considera-tion to making a monthly donation of say, £2, £5, £10 or £20. Your regular donations will enable efficient financial planning, and will be used exclusively for the benefit of local young people. In recent years, the Supporters’ Club has financially supported the following activi-ties and trips:Go Karting at Ayr, Laggan Outdoor, Galloway Activity Centre, Belfast Christmas Shopping; Newton Stewart Cinema; 3 nights in London; Duke of Edinburgh Bronze, Silver and Gold Groups; volunteer training and young people’s outdoor activities at Wiston Lodge; Maths tui-tion; MV Award Scheme, and much more.We are always looking for people keen to join our team of volunteer youth workers, or to work in the Charity Shop. Hours are flexible, from 2 hours weekly, fortnightly or monthly - and can be tailored to suit your individual circumstances. Newsletter Contributions WelcomeIf you would like to contribute an article or other content for future issues of the Newsletter, contact the editor:
Willie McKie, 51 High Street, Gatehouse
t: 01557 815008 e: [email protected] Campbell at the Mill on Big Lit Day
Entertainment, Leisure & CultureRoyal Scottish Country Dance Society RSCDSDates for the autumn/winter and winter/spring programmes are listed in the What’s On schedule, all events 7.30 to 9.00 pm, also for the afternoon tea dance in October. Meetings are in the Church of the Resur-rection Hall, newcomers are welcome and the classes are designed to suit varied levels of dancing abilities, providing an enjoyable way to exercise. Contact Barbara McFarlane 814205 or Moira Stacey 339308.
Mid-Summer Music - Our best yet?Well, we’re getting used to wet weekends so we are learning how to survive them. We made an early start with Harry Hussey playing for tea-time customers at the Gal-loway Lodge Coffee Shop. Thanks to good publicity and an excellent repertoire, this gig was well appreciated by an audience that might have been less than captive for the rest of the fest. An evening full house enjoyed the tradi-tional Scots music of Alasdair (I’m a folk-singer from Glasgow) Roberts. Some called this “Morgue Music” but the applause was generous and widespread. Samba Sene from Senegal had the flags of all the nations in his band Diwan (means “the world”), and this infallibly melodic music featured Samba’s seductive singing and guitar, booty tenor-sax from Dougie Tiplady (NZ) and Mr Balafon (UK) on balafon - a tremen-dous set. Very musical local heroes Finding Albert finished the night with some great songs with inventive arrangements. Mean-while the Accordion Maestro was holding court at the Masonic.Saturday - even wetter - saw the Communi-ty Centre host Alan McClure’s story-telling and youth showcase sessions, while in the Bank of Fleet an acoustic session attracted Harry Hussey, Sean Flanagan and Hilary, the original Geese and an itinerant sax-player as well as satisfied punters. The Big One in the School filled the Hall, with Sal-ly Campbell providing a high-energy start with crystal-clear voice and powerful guitar. Then came the Shiznitz, old friends, sound-ing exactly like no-one else and packing a
lot of laughs into their laconic presenta-tions. Topping off the evening were house-hold words Shooglenifty, delivering 100 minutes of rhythmic trad/modern Scot-tish Dance grooves, filling the jumping-pit from the first bar and remaining as cool as ever - out like a lion!Sunday was a better-weather day. Locals Scruffy Buzzards (lovely Bouzouki from Kim Ayres), Pete McConville and Lewis Fergusson preceded the equally accustomed Afternoon Blues session with Jellyroll Gumdrop and - you’ve guessed it - Harry Hussey. The Gumdrops have extended their repertoire beyond the bluse to conversa-tional country and humour, and their skil-ful programme morphed into a “last rites” assembly at the Masonic.If it was our best yet, many would agree!
Samba Sene by Kim Ayres
Gatehouse Scottish Country DancersAs part of Gala week, the dancers will per-form for the newly crowned Gala Queen at Garries Park after 2pm on Sunday July 29th, and following the display the audi-ence will be invited to join the dancing. The popular Toon Ceilidh will be repeated this year on August 3rd 7pm to 10pm in the Primary School: entry £2 per adult, 50p for primary-age children. Supper is includ-ed, dances will be called and local entertain-ers will provide fun for all ages.Classes restart on Monday evenings 7.30- 9.30 on August 27th with the first two Mondays being free to encourage begin-ners. Classes cost £3 and there is an annual
membership fee of £12. Classes are run by experienced teacher Willie Little with a pi-anist and accordionist, and dancers will be a good mix of experienced and beginners. Contact Carol Clark 01557 814259 for more information.
Gatehouse of Fleet Burns Club Scottish EveningThe Burns Club will be hosting a Scottish Evening in the Community Centre at 7pm on July 29th (see What’s On). Free glass of wine, and entertainment by harpist Ruth Sandiford, violinist Iona Bonaventura, Martin Smith and the Galloway Folk, sing-er Sue St Joseph and Irish Dancing. Tickets £5 from Franca Bruno’s shop.
Gatehouse Monday ClubMembers will start their meetings pro-gramme from October 1st (see What’s On) from 2pm till 4pm, an opportunity for a friendly chat, some gossip, a game of domi-noes or cards followed by entertainment and a delicious home-made afternoon tea.New members welcome, contact Kate Ben-ney on 814134.
Stewartry Flower ClubMeetings will revert to the Parish Church Hall, starting on September 13th. The first meeting will be a question and answer ses-sion and practical introduction for those who may be concerned at taking on the church flowers or table decorations. The programme for the year will be available at the meeting when members old and new will be welcomed.
Bank of Fleet Hotel u Ensuite Rooms u Bar Meals u
Restaurant & Beer Garden01557 814302 u www.bankoffleet.co.uk
Excellent food and a friendly atmosphere
Gatehouse Big Lit Day - a huge success The weather was glorious and Gatehouse of Fleet was at its most picturesque when The Dumfries and Galloway Festival’s BIG LIT DAY opened its doors across the town to anyone with literary leanings. It had never been done before at The Festival with all the literary events in one day.“Response to our sponsorship call was amaz-ing” says Chrys Salt, Literature Convener of Festival. “We are so grateful for the generos-ity of our main sponsors The Gatehouse De-velopment Initiative. With that and support from local venues and businesses - Cream o’ Galloway, The Murray Usher Foundation, The Fleet Gallery, The Selkirk Arms, Gallo-way Country Style, Wee Sleekit, Bibliographic Data Services, The Mill, the Murray Arms, the Drop-in Centre, The Bakehouse - not to mention all our volunteer helpers - we were able to stretch The Festival’s modest Litera-ture budget a very long way.” Twelve hours of non-stop literary events, and in addition to the main performances in the Bakehouse and Mill, there was poetry everywhere - from the Pamphlet Fair, on the pavement in coloured chalk outside Spar, in the windows of houses and shops and under the arch to the communal garden where John Hud-son’s installation SHED played throughout the day. The net was spread wide from po-ets and authors, Saturday market buskers, to those who ran workshops for would-be song writers or have-a-go poets who found themselves confronted by piles of newspa-pers, glue and sharp scissors at The Drop- in Centre. “Thank you for the most lovely 24 hours” said Katrina Porteous, “that was the best literature festival I have ever attended!” “The Big Lit Day was a fantastic new ad-dition to the Festival” said Pam Pumphrey, Chair of The Dumfries and Galloway Festi-val, “we are all extremely grateful to Chrys for organising this great event in a part of our re-gion where our presence has been far too small in the past. I can’t wait for 2013”
Exhibitions and Events at the Mill on the FleetCurrently showing in the Bookshop Gallery are collaborative landscape photographs by Galloway-based Ted Leeming and Morag Patterson and during August we will be showing New Zealander Simon Robinson’s full series of his extraordinary studies of plants - an unexpected view of a different world. Originally from New Zealand he now lives in south-west Scotland.
Later in the season Denise Zygadlo’s hang-ings and wall pieces focus on the poetry of the human body, clothed and veiled from cradle to grave. Finishing the season in the Faed Gallery observational oil paintings by Edinburgh-based artist Ewan McLure - still lifes, portraits and landscapes. Ian and Hilke MacIntyre are two printmakers based in the East Neuk of Fife, and they will complete the season in the Bookshop Gallery. The Mill Sessions have been going from strength to strength this season and Australian An-drea Soler is due to perform later in July, while in September Masayuki Kino who has appeared with major orchestras worldwide returns for a concert of solo violin. ODi is an Irish singer, songwriter and musician who will also play in September. Full details of dates and artists can be found on the Mill website: www.millonthefleet.co.uk.
Food for thought lunches at Cream o’ GallowayFood For Thought Lunches at Cream o’ Galloway have become increasingly popu-lar since the first one in March earlier this year. “It’s great to be able to offer some-thing specifically for adults” said Helen Fenby, Visitor Centre Manager. “We’re keen for Gatehouse residents to know that there’s something special happening each month. The series so far has included cook-ery demonstrations, a tour of the farm and a closer look at some of the wildlife resi-dents at Rainton organic farm.” The format for each Food For Thought Lunch is to start with coffee and freshly baked scones or shortbread at 10.30 then have a demonstration, talk or activity for an hour or so, followed by a delicious seasonal lunch.In conjunction with the region’s ‘Flavour Fortnight’ festival, the event on 31st August will focus on the radical developments at Rainton to improve the welfare of the dairy cows and become more self-sustaining. Join the event on 7th September to have a go at creating your own ice cream and return on 4th October to join a fungi expert on a walk around the farm searching for fungi emerging in the fields and woodlands.Spaces are limited so booking is essential.
The Bakehouse : LiTerary arTs Live
Bookings01557 81417507891 803027
44 The High StreetGatehouse of Fleet
DG7 2HP
www.thebakehouse.info
Katrina Porteous at the Bakehouse
Shakespear’s Globe @ The Crichton 22 & 23 Augustwww.thebakehouse.info
Open daily from 10am
01557 815 222 www.creamogalloway.co.uk
Free weekday entry for adults outwith UK school holidays.
Food for Thought Lunches
• 31st Aug ~ The Lean, Green Milking Machine – talk from David Finlay
• 7th Sept ~ Make your own ice cream
• 4th Oct ~ Fungi walk Coffee, event & lunch: £12.50 Please phone to book places.
Cricket ClubThe all-weather wicket is now in place at the Cally Ground and should enable more cricket to be played. Many thanks are due to Nick van Zwanenberg for overseeing the project, and to those who have made dona-tions which will enable us to pay for it in full.The summer outdoor coaching schedule is now in full swing: Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings at the Cally Grounds. Wednesdays in particular are highly success-ful with under 10’s from 4.30 to 5.30 and Ladies/Juniors from 5.30 to 7.30. Other coaching activities include weekly sessions at Gatehouse Primary School. Local coach-ing will benefit from Mary Hughes’ success in attaining a Level 2 Coaching Certificate, one of only eight in Scotland. We are hop-ing to arrange at least one Summer camp for juniors during the holidays.Tournament successes so far this summer have been numerous. Gatehouse Primary entered a girls’ eight-a-side team for a tour-nament at Hawick & Wilson CC in Paril and did well in their two games before rain intervened. A successful Dumfries and Gal-loway Quick Cricket tournament was held at Gatehouse on May 25th - Gatehouse, Wigtown and Springholm Primary Schools (all coached by our own coaches) took part with Springholm coming out on top and progressing to the next stage for the whole of SW Scotland. Our under 13’s are through to the third round of the national cup. We now have a young Overseas Amateur, Anton Jacques Vosloo from Pretoria, South Africa on our strength. He has made a differ-ence to the performance of the team, and is helping with coaching.Future fund-raising activities include col-lecting Schools Vouchers from Tesco (to be handed to George Creyke or Dennis Coombs), a lively Musical evening with Sup-per in November, a six-a-side tournament and a Race Night. Also on the social front, BBQs are planned on a bring and bri basis after Saturday matches - weather permitting.Last but by no means least, we are looking for two successors to take over as Secretary and Treasurer, probably after a year shadow-ing the present incumbents: a wonderful op-portunity to continue the excellent progress
already made in developing and running a vibrant sports club! Contact George Creyke on 01557 815085 for more information.
Fleet Star Football ClubOur big thanks are due to Barry Pickthall and Gary Neill for all their hard work man-aging the team after the last three seasons in charge. Tommy Maxwell, a Fleet Star man through and through has taken over as Manager, assisted in coaching by Mark McHattie who lives in Newton Stewart but is keen to get back into football after a few years out. Training started on June 18th with three sessions a week on Mon-day, Wednesday and Saturday. The process of building up the players squad to the re-quired 18-20 players is now in hand and we are hopeful that, with the majority of last year’s squad being available, we will achieve this target.Three or four friendly matches are planned before the start of the season; this gives the Manager an opportunity to have a good look and work out positions, systems etc.Please support our Over 35’s in their match for the Fergusson Trophy during Gala week (see What’s On for details).Our weekly draws - “3 from 20” and “Su-per 7’s” - continue to do well, contact Irvine Hannah 07745903610 or a Committee member for tickets.
Gatehouse Golf ClubTwo open competitions have been held since the last Newsletter: the Jubilee Greensomes, won by Jock Kirk and Robert Maitland, and the Cally Cup, won by Ian Black. Despite the extreme weather, the course is in good condition, and further improvements, nota-bly to drainage, are planned for next winter. Greenkeeper Charlie Pickthall has completed 25 years of service to the Club and this was celebrated at a well supported presentation at the Bank of Fleet; the Club is very grateful to Charlie for all that he has achieved. The weather has affected the number of visiting players but other clubs in SW Scotland have experienced similar declines; membership is slightly down on last year. Enquiries please to Robert Hope on 814792.
Gatehouse Bowling ClubsThe green bowling season is in full swing until mid-September. Coaching is available on request, free of charge, club bowls are available and there are a few pairs of shoes. A good sport for all ages with a low annual membership of £45, sweep nights at 6.45 on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday with points accumulated for the season, and there are a variety of other competitions. There is a licensed bar at the Club’s premises. The AGM will be held in November. Carpet bowling in the Community Centre starts in mid-October and runs through the winter until the end of March, every Tues-day 7.30 to 9.30 pm. There are several pop-ular open tournaments, the AGM is held in October and new members are always welcome. Annual membership last year was only £10. For more information on both bowling clubs, contact Annie-Margaret Johnstone 814059 or Robert Hannah 815358.
Gatehouse of Fleet Snooker ClubThe Winter Ladder competition (bottle of Famous Grouse) was won by Tom Myers after some close encounters and was judged so successful that it has been followed by a Summer Ladder, at present headed by Derek Budd - but perhaps not for too much longer!Summer is the quiet season for Snooker so your Chairman has vowed to play a frame or two with every Club member before the winter arrives - just wait for the phone call! Before we know where we are the sec-ond Club Championship competition, to be completed before Christmas, will be launched.Thanks are due to Graham Wright for tak-ing care of the handicap system, which seems to work well as a means to achieving closer results in competitive matches. New members welcome, and for visitors and oth-ers who may like to give the sport a trial, temporary one month membership can be had for only £5, cues and equipment all provided.
Sport
McCULLOCH KEYSTORE Tel 01557 814783
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WHEAT & GLUTEN FREE FOODS : ORGANIC RANGE
Open Daily: Mon-Sat 7am-8pm, Sun 8am-4pm
UK’s longest Zip Wire opens at Laggan OutdoorTaking off from a platform perched on the top of a rocky outcrop overlooking the Fleet Estuary, “Laggan Zippers” will be propelled down a whopping 820 metres at speeds up to 50 mph in un-der a minute! This is the longest Zip Wire in the UK and promises heart-pumping excitement and an unforgettable experience, a “must-do” for the adventurous, For a preview of the experi-ence visit the Laggan Outdoor Facebook page. Duncan McConchie, resident action man hopes that the Zip Wire experience will attract and thrill people from all over the country, adrenaline seekers, active family groups and companies looking for a unique team-building challenge.
Galloway Lodge Preserves
... and now we make the scones to go with our jamcoffee shop gifts cards
Mac’s “Moment to Shine” Gerard Macnamara had his own personal Olympic moment in Annan on Thursday 21st June when he took part in the Olym-pic Torch Relay. He was chosen to be one of 8000 throughout the UK and like many of the participants he was chosen for the public-spirited work he has done over many years. He was a cub scout leader, a volunteer fire-man, a member of the Galloway Mountain Rescue team and has been a Community Councillor for over 30 years.He has a great interest in athletics having completed about a dozen marathons and about 50 half marathons (including all 29
at Kirkcudbright). He is keen to encourage others to compete, particularly youngsters, and has organised (with a little help from his family) the ‘Roon the Watter’ fun run during Gala week for the last 29 years.The torch had a 15-minute stroll through Annan starting at 8.45am and the rain just about held off as Mac proudly carried the torch on behalf of Gatehouse and as part of a 4-person relay through Annan.Gatehouse will also be represented at both the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. Liz Scott has been chosen to officiate at the athletics events and we hope to report on her experiences in the next newsletter.
QUALITY ACCOMMODATION u GOOD FOOD u
the perfect setting to relax and unwind
tel: 01557 814217 www.theshipinngatehouse.co.uk
Have your SayCommunity Council and Gatehouse Development Initiative Meetings are
open to all.
COMMUNITY COUNCIL2nd Tuesday of every month,
7pm, Community Centre.
GATEHOUSE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE
Last Wednesday of every 2nd month, 7.30pm, Community Centre.
Next meetings: 25th July, 26th September.
LocationThe Mill on the Fleet is a wonderful heritage building, constructed in the early years of Gatehouse development. The Riverside Café, on the ground floor, has an ideal setting for a meal by the river, and on a fine summer’s day, there can be few more pleasant places in Dumfries and Galloway to indulge your gastronomic needs.
Café ManagersIn 2010 Chris Smith and his wife Lind-sey took on the contract to manage the Mill’s café and they have been well re-ceived by both local clientele and visi-tors alike. The Mill needs visitors and the café needs customers, so both business-es have to work together to make sure that their twin goals are met. Chris is very proud of the role that the café is playing in this symbiotic relationship.
ChrisChris is originally from Moffat and he is a chemistry graduate from Heriot Watt Uni-versity. During his time at university and in the years following, he worked part-time in various cafés, restaurants and bars in Ed-inburgh. He experienced everything from dishwashing and cleaning to cooking, serv-ing and bar-tending.During the summer of 2002 Chris started work as a duty manager at a pizza/pasta res-taurant at Ocean Terminal in Leith Docks. His boss, the general manager, was so im-pressed with her appointment that she mar-ried him six years later.Throughout 2006 Chris trained at Moray House to be a primary school teacher. Al-though he enjoyed this experience he could not ignore the siren call of catering for long, having realised that this was where his am-bitions and passions lay.Newly married and keen to cement their re-location to Dumfries and Galloway, Chris and Lindsey bought their first home at Crossmichael in 2009, during which time Chris worked as a chef at the Ken Bridge Hotel in New Galloway.
LindseyAlso a native to the region, Lindsey shares a catering background with a particular strength in accounting and business man-agement. She controls the finances! She also helps out at weekends and during special event evenings. Her “day job” is as finance manager for the Catstrand in New Gallo-way.
MichaelMichael is the front of house manager at the Riverside. He and Chris met when Michael was a barman and waiter at the Ken Bridge Hotel. Like Chris, Michael is a jack-of-all-trades who will tackle anything. He lives just a stone’s throw away, which means that he is generally available to start work early and at short notice. As well as serving cus-tomers, Michael is acclaimed for his bak-ing. Chris would not be without him, but points out that Michael is an accident wait-ing to happen due to his occasional “clum-siness”. That may be the case, but Michael has only ever hurt himself, never anyone else and no customer has had his meal or drink on his lap!
LeslieLeslie Hannah is a well-kent face in Gate-house. He is the head chef at the Riverside, and according to Chris, Leslie knows his way around every kitchen in Gatehouse.
Chris also likes to remind Leslie that he started his first kitchen job four years before either Chris or Michael were born. Older but more worldly-wise and more experienced - and his cooking is a treat too !
Other StaffBeing a seasonal business there are several other regular part-time staff of which Chris is very proud.
The BusinessThe core business at the Riverside Café is providing lunches and afternoon teas between 10am and 5pm, 7 days a week from Easter to the end of Oc-
tober. Thursday nights are likely to be curry nights between 6pm and 9pm whilst Satur-day evenings are special for grills and salads. Other evening opening is also planned and will be announced in mid-July.
Why is the Riverside Special?• All food is made on-site except bread
which comes from Corson’s in Castle Douglas.
• Nearly all raw materials are sourced in Dumfries and Galloway.
• The staff relations are excellent and the Riverside is a great place to work, lead-ing to a happy, jovial atmosphere.
• The terrace is an unequalled location when the weather is good.
• Dogs are generally welcomed as long as they are kept under control whether inside or on the terrace.
FinallyChris is not a person to stand still or to rest on his laurels. He is constantly thinking of new ways to improve the business and provide customers with the types of food that they want, and to do so in a friendly and efficient manner. He would like to thank locals for their loyalty so far and for the word of mouth support that he has re-ceived.
Good luck to all at The Riverside.
Business in FocusEach issue we feature an in-depth interview with a local business to highlight individual contributions by the business sector to the local economy. This issue our choice is The Riverside Café.
The Riverside Café at The Mill on the Fleet 01557 814977
Home Baking & Cooking u Al-Fresco Dining on the Riverside Terrace u Dog Friendly - Families Welcome u Superb coffee and cake - the perfect stop-off for cyclists, bikers and walkers
Thursdays: Curry NightSaturdays: Steak, Grill & Salads Night
