BEITH LOCAL NOTES
DONALD L REID
(Tel. 01505-503801 e-mail: donaldleesreid@hotmail.com)
CONCERT CLASSIC
Last week, over thee memorable evening performances, the children of Beith
Primary School entertained to packed houses with Songs from the Shows 2003.
Every class in the school took part over the three nights and each performance
was simply outstanding. Primary 7 entertained with excerpts from Oliver whilst
primary 6 had the audience rocking in the isles with their superb singing and
dancing from Grease. Meanwhile primary 5 decided on an animal theme as they sang
the rhythmic songs from Jungle Book. The youngsters of primary 4 decided on a
biblical theme and gave a rousing performance from the songs of Joseph. Primary
3 were in the mood for fun as they whisked the audience to the magical world of
Disney land and sang a compilation of songs from Walt Disney’s greatest films.
Primary 2 found themselves in the Austrian hills as they rendered a fine
performance from the popular songs of the Sound of Music. The talented singers
of primary 1 took the audience to the Polynesian islands in their striking
performance of South Pacific as the girls enthusiastically washed the men right
out of their hair. Not to be outdone, the very youngest children from the
Nursery Section of Beith Primary performed and acted the songs from the Wizard
of Oz to the delight of the audience. All in all this was a great performance by
the pupils of Beith Primary and all the staff are to be commended on their
sterling efforts in achieving such a high standard of concert. A special word of
thanks from everyone at the school is extended to Mary Baker, the dedicated
musical director of the show, who worked long and hard to ensure that every
class was involved in a really great concert. And the finale of the concert saw
the teachers and support staff treading the boards as only they can. They
performed, as Gareth Gates and the Kumars with Spirit in the Sky, which is the
Comic Relief song for 2003. The staff concerned were Mrs McClune, Mrs Duncan,
Mrs Stead, Mrs Donnelly, Mrs Wagstaff, Mrs Baker, Mrs McLachlan and Katie
Duncan. A comprehensive vote of thanks was given by head teacher, Mr Tom Mabon.
Well done everyone at Beith Primary including those who worked backstage and
front of house. The school closes for the Easter break at 2.30 pm today (Friday)
and reopens on Monday, 28 April at 9.00 am. The children and staff will no doubt
be ready for a well deserved break
EASTERN PROMISE
A touch of Eastern Promise was visited on the ladies of the Beith Health Group
when they held their final meeting of the session last week in Beith Community
Centre. Well known Beithite, Joyce Walker, was in great form and is, of course,
a popular entertainer and a member of many local groups in the town and
district. She was invited to take a class on, wait for it, wait for it folks,
Egyptian Belly Dancing! Never one to turn down a challenge, Joyce gave them
instruction on the origins and development of this special dance. She followed
this up with a demonstration in full authentic costume, jewellery and finger
cymbals. The ladies were then invited to don sarongs and veils and take part and
this they eagerly did with great aplomb and much merriment. Joyce concluded her
demonstration with an appropriate Egyptian song. So anyone who happened to have
passed Beith Community Centre last week and thought they were seeing things as
they rubbed their eyes in disbelief, can be reassured that it was indeed strange
but nevertheless true and thoroughly enjoyed by the enterprising belly-dancing
ladies of Beith Health Group. Well done, Joyce! Well done, ladies! The group
resumes in the Autumn.
BELLY-DANCERS ALL: the ladies of Beith Health Project were
entertained by an Egyptian mummy in the form of popular Beith woman, Joyce
Walker, who had them all performing a hilarious belly-dance. Well, after all, it
is Beith folks! See Beith local notes.
(Photo: SP)
BEITH FARMERS SHOW
The annual Beith Farmers Show will be held in the Manse Field on Saturday, 26
April. There will the usual display of Clydesdales, cattle, sheep and the
popular dog show as well as the industrial exhibits. This year there will also
be quad bikes and the ever-popular Young Farmers Tug-o-War competition. The show
is always superbly organised and hopefully this year the weather will be kind to
the farmers.
DOG FOULING
The talk of the steamie in Beith’s Main Street last Friday was dog fouling. One
particularly monstrous beastie had left a somewhat large and steaming package
right at the doorway to the Ironmongers shop. Needless to say customers and
staff were not too chuffed and it took a lot of water before it was
satisfactorily cleared. Before long dogs and their droppings was the highlight
of conversation with everyone able to tell a story of where other packages of
dirt had been unceremoniously deposited to the annoyance of those who
unfortunately stood on them. One local is of the opinion that Beith is the
dog-dirt capital of Scotland. Well, not too many folk would bet against that,
eh! What did come through strongly is that few if any dog owners seem to carry
pooper scoopers and seem only-too-happy that deposits of dirt are left where the
dog chooses, especially if it’s away from home ground. Yet another wise man felt
that dog owners should be the subject of an instant fine if they were not in
possession of a suitable pooper scooper. Sounds fine, but how can it be
enforced, one wonders.
JUDO CHAMP
Fireman, Steven Smith of the town’s Thorntree Avenue, has made his mark as a
top-notch competitor in Judo. Steven has been competing as a judo enthusiast for
many years and he is an instructor with the Beith M-A-S Club based in the
Harriers Hut at Gateside Crossroads. He recently returned from Budapest where he
spend three days competing in the Hungarian Masters against some of the finest
exponents of the sport in the world. Steven reached the quarter-final stages and
finished 6th overall which, by any standard you care to apply, is an excellent
result competing at that level in the sport. Last week he took part in the GM
Classic event in Edinburgh were he took 3rd place. Steven tutors all levels of
the sport and the club meet each Tuesday from 6.30 pm – 9.00 pm and on Thursday
from 7.00 pm – 9.00 pm in the Harriers Hut. Anyone interested in lessons can
simply call in during the above times or contact Steven on 07944658023.
JUDO CHAMPION: Steven Smith is a top-notch judo competitor and
coach who has taken performed well in recent major competitions. See Beith local
notes.
(Photo: Donald L Reid – SP)
BELLSDALE PARK
Last week it was noted that contractors were again working on the surface of
Bellsdale Park. Hopefully the park will soon be in first class condition and
Beith Juniors can again be seen playing and hopefully winning in the town.
GARNOCK CHORAL
Garnock Choral Society are holding their annual concert in the Walker Hall,
Kilbirnie, on Saturday 26 April at 7.30 pm under the baton of conductor, Mary
Doolan and accompanist Anna M Adamson. The guest artistes are the Salon Trio and
tickets are £5, £4 and £3 concession and available from any choir member or
telephone 01505-502032 or 01505-682562. The concert will have something to
please everyone and it’s a great opportunity to hear choral music at its very
best on our down doorstep.
LIBRARIAN
Popular local librarian, Lesley Chalmers, who has been based at Beith Library
for the past 3 years is leaving to take up a post in Dalry Nursery. Before
coming to work in Beith, Lesley had been a librarian in West Kilbride and
Saltcoats. Everyone will join in wishing Lesley every success in her new post.
HENRY FAULDS SOCIETY
The Beith society have now established an official web site: www.henryfaulds.org
hosted for the group courtesy of the American based International Association
for Identification and very kindly sponsored by their magazine editor, Alan
McRoberts, who resides in California. With the internet the world is indeed
shrinking and the site is had over 150 visits since it was set up just over two
weeks ago. Here in Beith, Alan Watson, who runs the local computer training
centre at Arabica in Main Street, has also allowed the group space on his web
pages and extensive information about the Dr Henry Faulds Society can be found
at: www.DrHenryFaulds.Arabicagroup.com. Still more information about Dr Faulds
can be found on the Beith site courtesy of Iain Shirlaw and this can be accessed
on www.beith.org which also contains extensive information on Beith.
The Herald’s Beith correspondent, Donald L Reid, who is secretary of the Dr
Henry Faulds Society, this week received an invitation to be the after-dinner
speaker at the United Kingdom National Fingerprint Officers Annual Conference to
be held on 17-18 November 2003 in Hinckley, Leicestershire. On a series point to
an otherwise light-hearted toast, Donald has been asked to address them on the
subject of Dr Henry Faulds of Beith and his fascinating role as a pioneer of
fingerprint science. Fingerprint Officers from throughout the UK and visitors
from all over the world attend this important conference. Needless to say Donald
regards this as a singular honour and has accepted the invitation as it
highlights how important Dr Henry Faulds of Beith is regarded both nationally
and internationally. It is also another opportunity to put North Ayrshire and
Beith on the international map.
A bank account for the Dr Henry Faulds Society has been opened at the Lloyds
TSB, Eglinton Street, Beith. The account number is: 00512747, sort code 30-25-88
and donations can be make direct to this account or cheques payable to Dr Henry
Faulds Society forwarded to: Donald L Reid, 7 Manuel Avenue, Beith KA15 1BJ.
Individuals, groups and organisations making a donation to this memorial appeal
will have their personal details included in a booklet which will be published
to coincide with the inauguration of the memorial and they will be inextricably
linked to righting a wrong which has blighted the world of fingerprints for far
too long. Local folk are cordially invited to subscribe small amounts to this
appeal and those who follow in their footsteps tomorrow will be proud that their
parents or grandparents were involved in helping to establish this special
memorial in Beith. Some recently suggested that it was a little bit like Ayr
folk being asked to subscribed to a memorial to Robert Burns shortly after his
death which would have been regarded at that time as a singular honour. We hope,
too, that Beithites will see this as an opportunity to ensure that a great man
of Beith is appropriately remembered in the town of his birth.
HAPPY CHAPPERS
The happy chappers of Beith Community Centre are still enjoying their
twice-weekly games sessions. On Tuesday the dominoes champion was Ina McCausland,
with Mrs M Kennedy and Mrs J McCracken coming in second and third. On Thursday
Mrs M Kennedy pipped Mrs M Carey and Mrs E Jamieson at the post. On Tuesday the
whist winner was Miss F McCreadie with Mrs B Smith second and Mrs J Reid third.
On Thursday Mrs A Sands was the cardsharp champion with Mrs May McLeish second.
At their meeting on 17 April the happy chappers will take part in an Easter
bonnet competition as well as managing to squeeze in the odd game of dominoes
and whist.
KIDNEY KIDS
Kidney Kids Scotland recently held a can collection at Beith Co-op and raised
£174.53. They pass on their thanks to customers and staff for their generosity.
BEITH BOWLING CLUB
The Borestone Trophy games competition was played at Beith Bowling Club last
Friday evening and was won by James Chesney, Past President and the runner up
was Jim McFadzean. The prizes where presented by Alan Lumsden on behalf of the
games evening sponsor, Robert Alexander Borestone MoT Station Dalry. An
excellent night and fun and fellowship was enjoyed by all. Members are reminded
that the annual fees for the forthcoming season should be paid on or before
opening day.
AWARD GROUP
Beith Open Award Group at Beith High linked with Trinity Church enjoyed their
first outdoor session of the year last Sunday when they held a games evening in
Marshallands with 24 members present. Summer does indeed seem to have arrived
early with February and March producing excellent weather and April already
looking very good too. They returned to the hall as it got colder and finished
the games indoors. The group are now on holiday and will resume after Easter on
Sunday 11 May when they will begin meeting from 6.00 pm – 8.00 when, weather
permitting, all activities will be outdoor based. Members should wear older
clothing and footwear for walking and campcraft activities. The gold members are
advised that the annual presentation of awards will be held at Holyrood Palace
on 2nd and 5th July. It is not yet known which one of these dates has been
allocated to the Beith Group but gold award holders will be advised as soon as
possible.
TUTORIALS FOR KIDS
Calling all young folk about to sit standard and higher Grade exams! Easter
revision classes in most subjects will be held from 14 – 17 April and from 22 –
25 April at Strathclyde University with expert tuition. Interested, then call
01698-811127 or pop into Beith Library for more information.
BEITH GOLF CLUB
At the first medal competition at Beith Golf Club on 5 April the local golfers
played in sunshine conditions throughout the day and everyone had a thoroughly
enjoyable day of golf. The standard scratch was 68 and the competition scratch
was 68. The total number of competitors was 109. The results were as follows. In
the first class the winner was Ashley Sharp, 73-7-66; 2nd Robert Johstone,
69-2-67; 3rd Carl Thomas, 73-5-68. In the 2nd class competition the winner was
Martin Finn, 82-8-64; 2nd John Woods, 76-11-65; 3rd Alan G Wilson, 82-15-67. In
the 3rd Class Competition the winner was Brian Smith, 84-20-64, 2nd Charles
Brindley, 85-20-65, 3rd John McCay, 90-25-65. The scratch winner was Robert
Johnstone with 69 and the overall winner was Brian Smith with 84-24-64. The golf
club are holding a cabaret night in the clubhouse on Saturday 10 May with singer
and entertainer, Maxine Black as the main attraction. Tickets £3.50 available
from the club house.
1ST BEITH BB
There was a good attendance at all sections at 1st Beith BB this week. Due to
the good weather the Anchor Boys had an outdoor treasure hunt, then back inside
for indoor games. The Junior Section programme also featured games, after a
drill session, and for the boys of the Company Section the night was also
occupied in games. Boys and parents are reminded that there will be a meeting as
usual next week, 11th April, but no meeting on 18th, with all groups resuming on
25th April. Members of the company attended the Paisley & District Battalion
church parade on Sunday afternoon to Elderslie Church.
BEITH ST.INAN’S ANGLING CLUB
Beith St. Inan’s Angling Club are continuing to make progress to clear the
bracken, loose stones and beer cans and bottles from the left side of
Kirkleegreen dam. This will improve the fishing for members, and it is intended
to carry out work on Wednesday evenings throughout the summer. All members will
be welcome to assist in this work. And strangely enough, it is actually great
fun.
TRINITY MENS FELLOWSHIP
Last Monday saw the final meeting of the current session. 26 members were
welcomed by President Hugh Gibson, and after a reading by John McGibbon, Hugh
introduced the speaker for the evening, Harry McMaster, a long time member of
the fellowship. Harry's talk was entitled 50 Years A Steelworker. However, he
pointed out that this was not strictly correct, as he had been employed there
for fifty one and a half years, starting in September 1924. His first
impression, at the age of 13 was of noise, steam and dust. He was set to work in
a small mill which made fishplates, his job being to dip them in whale oil to
prevent them rusting. Working conditions were hard, and if the mill was slack,
men were simply paid off. At the age of sixteen, Harry was old enough for shift
work, and moved on to the big mill, which made rails and channels of various
shapes. The first steelwork was built on the site in 1843, due to the abundance
of coal and water in the area, and continued in use until 1931, when the new
works was built with seven furnaces. Conditions in the works were fairly
primitive, and remained so until the outbreak of war when, due to so many men
being called up women were employed, and the company was obliged to install
washing and changing facilities, as well as canteens. Harry outlined the various
processes involved in the rolling of steel, at that time powered by steam
engines, and outlined the changing fortunes of the steel industry up until his
retirement. During the course of his employment Harry had a wide variety of
jobs, including trade union activities, and various committees. There followed a
question and answer session, then a vote of thanks was proposed by Allan
Richardson. The A.G.M. was held, following a cup of tea, and the following
appointments were made. President John McGibbon, Vice President, Iain Buchanan,
Treasurer, Maurice Rattray; Secretary, Robert Jamieson; Auditors, Willie Crangle
and Donald Ross; committee, Willie Crangle, John Darroch, Jim Paton, John
Shields, John Smith, Iain Ross and Jim Mitchell.
BEITH AMATEURS SPORTSMANS DINNER
Beith Amateurs are holding their 25th anniversary celebrations this year. They
are keen to contact players of yesteryear who have been involved with the club
which is still going strong today. The main part of the centenary will be a fund
raising Sportsman’s Dinner which is being held in Beith Community Centre on
Saturday 7 June and they are hoping that former players will wish to support
this special event and meet up with friends of yesteryear. Tickets are £20 and
there will be a star-studded line up of speakers to entertain. Anyone wishing
further information about this event should contact Boyd Jamieson on
01505-503935 or Steven Anderson on 01505-502850.
POLICE REPORT
Constables Jim Dougall and Sandy Brown, local community officers for Beith and
district, will be holding a police surgery at the police office, Kings Road, on
Tuesday, 15 April between 7.00 pm and 9.00 pm. If you have any issues you wish
to discuss with Jim and Sandy please come and see them. The local officers
advise that now that the clocks have gone forward and the nicer weather is
hopefully coming in, please remember to properly secure your garden huts as
these are a particular target for the summertime thieves. Should you wish
further advice about any aspect regarding security measures, please contact the
Community Safety Department at Irvine Police Office on 01294-404420 or drop in
and speak to Jim and Sandy at their next surgery on 15 April. The local officers
also advise that it has been brought to their attention that people are parking
vehicles on pavements in residential areas. As well as preventing passage on the
pavements by pedestrians and particularly mothers with prams, it also damages
the surface of pavements. The officers point out that it is an offence to park
on the pavement under the Road Traffic Act and a fixed penalty of £30 may apply.
Jim and Sandy ask that residents of Beith and district bear this information in
mind and have consideration for pedestrians. In short, parking on the pavement
is simply not acceptable. Both local community officers are continuing to
undertake as many foot patrols as possible during their tours of duty and are
encouraged by the positive response received when meeting members of the public.
They officers remind locals that Beith Police Office is, at present, only manned
in the afternoons, Monday to Friday, between 2.00 pm and 4.00 pm. Should the
public wish to contact the police outwith these hours they should contact
Kilbirnie Police Office on 01505-682677.
BEITH YOUNG FARMERS
Beith & District Young Farmers’ Club recently held their confined clay pigeon
shoot. The results were as follows: Junior Boys 2nd Alex Wilson 1st Scott Wilson
Junior Girls 2nd equal Julie Scott and Rachel Wilson 1st Claire Logan. Senior
Girls 1st Anne Reid Senior Boys 3rd Robbie Nisbet 2nd Bradley Scott 1st Gareth
Scott. The winner of the whiskey trap was Gareth Scott.
If you are aged between 14-26 you are more than welcome to go along to their
events and see if you would enjoy being part of the Young Farmers. It’s NOT all
about farms and tractors! Please remember you do not have to be a farmer or live
in the country to join. A lot of the members are from the town as well as the
country so why not go along and give it a go? Above all they do have a fabulous
social life. For more information or transport to any of the events please do
not hesitate to contact Julie on 01294 832262 or Gareth on 01294 832249.
GATESIDE WRI
At the monthly meeting of Gateside WRI, Mrs Catherine McCarter, president,
welcomed members, friends and the speaker for the evening, Mrs Penny Buchanan.
Mrs Buchanan gave a talk and showed a video on Riding for the Disabled. The
Winton Group in Kilwinning give lessons to children and young adults who have
varying levels of disabilities. The young people love this activity and the
ponies seem to have a special understanding of them. The group is grateful to
their volunteers, several of whom are members of Gateside Rural. The takings
from the Gateside WRI sales table, which amounted to £85, was donated to the
Winton Group. The competitions for the evening were judged by Mrs Maureen Wylie,
Broadstone Farm. The bookmark competition was won by Isobel Monahan, Mabel
Campbell was second and Joyce Walker was third. The decorate Hen’s egg was won
by Liz Ann Munro with Joyce Walker second and Kay McPhee third. Isobel Monahan
gave a comprehensive vote of thanks and the meeting closed with the singing of
the national anthem.
RATS
RATS are hosting a Comedy Evening in the Beith Community Centre on Friday 9th
May. They have lined up three top artists, Alfie Joey, Ray Means and Miles Jupp,
stars of TV and radio. Tickets are £12.00 and includes a buffet supper. There
will be a bar and all proceeds will go to RATS fighting campaign to prevent a
landfill site being established at Trearne Quarry, Gateside. Tickets are on sale
from Liz at B & A Travel, Beith or from David Elstone on 07976 388294. RATS
intimate that following on the heels of donations from the Labour Party,
Conservative and Unionist Party and SNP they have also received a £50 donation
from the Liberal Democrats which they gratefully acknowledge. RATS have also
published a newsletter highlighting the latest developments in their campaign.
They now have another web site up-and-running at http://beithrats.www.Tripod.Com.
Sadly, their last web site was hijacked. They are trying to trace the origin of
the hijacker, so anyone who accesses the last site are asked to appreciate that
RATS did not set it up the way it current appears. They are also pleased to
announce that the recent Time and Talent Auction raised an amazing £1717.50 to
boost their finances which will be needed as they anticipate a long legal
battle. They pass on their grateful thanks to the main organisers of the event,
Lynn Brown, Helen Walker, Ann Dickson, Helen Craig, Jane Marshall and Fiona
Reid. So far their expenditure has been spent on areas such as phone calls,
stationery, graphic signs and funds are also being used to pay for expert legal
advice on environmental law and legal issues. They also report in their
newsletter that over 1,000 letters of objection against Trearne becoming a
landfill site have been handed in to North Ayrshire Council. Apparently anyone
who has not yet objected can still do so in writing the North Ayrshire Council
Planning Department. A date has not yet been set by North Ayrshire Council
Planning Committee to hear the planning application and objections and RATS keep
in regular contact to ensure that the public are advised of the next stage of
the planning process. Anyone wishing a copy of the RATS most recent newsletter
should contact any committee member.
MUSICAL EVENING
Last Friday evening Beith High Church Organisations Committee hosted a musical
evening in the High Church Hall. The very popular group Chi Canta performed
songs from the shows, traditional songs and Scottish songs which was enjoyed by
a very appreciative audience who also enjoyed a superb cream tea. The organisers
pass on their thanks to everyone who supported this event which raised £230.
TRINITY PLAYGROUP
Trinity Church Playgroup are holding a Spring Fayre tomorrow (Saturday) in the
Trinity Church Hall from 11.00 am until 2.00 pm. A variety of stalls to suit
everyone will offer everything from facing painting, crafts, gifts, homebaking
to nearly new toys and clothes. Tea and coffee will also be available. For the
youngsters there will be a soft play area and a giant trampoline and a special
visit will be made by Daisy Duck who will pick the lucky duck egg. Why not drop
in to Trinity Church Hall tomorrow and support the Playgroup. If anyone wishes
to make a donation of clothing or toys for this event contact chairperson, Lyn
Brown on 01505-506135. The Playgroup are also taking registrations now for
session 2003-2004. The Playgroup is staffed and managed by qualified and highly
experienced personnel and works in partnership with North Ayrshire Council and
offers funded places for 3 – 5 year olds. Places are also available for children
from 2 years on a pay-as-you-go basis. Recent fund raising and lottery awards
means that the group will benefit from over £3,000 worth of new equipment which
will greatly enhance the presentation of learning experiences within the play
setting. For more information why no drop into Trinity Church Hall on a Tuesday,
Wednesday or Friday between 9.15 am and 12 noon and have a chat with play
leaders Lesley, Sharon and Jane or call the chairperson, Lyn Brown on
01505-506135.
BEITH TOWN CENTRE INITIATIVE
Beith Town Centre Initiative are holding a prize bingo evening in the Strand
Lounge of the Anderson Hotel on Saturday 17 May with eyes down at 8.00 pm. There
will be raffles, lucky ticket draw along with prizes for the bingo. Tickets will
be £1.50 and will be available from the Drinks Cellar, B & A Travel and Elricks
Emporium. A good turnout would be appreciated and all funds go towards helping
with the Christmas late night shopping event in the town which was so successful
in 2002.
As winter is, hopefully, on the way out and Spring is in the air, the BTCI have
decided to celebrate Easter this year by asking all shops and businesses to
decorate their windows in an Easter theme. As part of the display they have all
been invited to create an Easter Bonnet as the focal point of the window
display. Prizes will be awarded for the best window and runner-up window.
BTCI are announce that collections are on-going in local shops and businesses to
raise funds for more Christmas lights and parade celebrations this year. Since
September 2002 until the present the public have donated £581 towards this
festive celebration and any loose change dropped into the collecting bottles
will help ensure that we have an even more successful parade and Christmas
shopping extravaganza this year. The BTCI advise that they have a Towns of
Scotland quiz sheet for sale at £12 from most local shops and these funds will
also help the Christmas celebrations. They are also hoping to organise a Loft
Auction in September/October and they ask that anyone with goods suitable for
such an event, keep them aside until a date is set and more information is
available. The next meeting of the BTCI committee is on Monday 12 May at 6.00 pm
in Beith Community
Centre. Anyone who feels that they could assist the work of the committee is
cordially invited to attend. This column will keep you updated on all future
planned events.
The BTCI have to be congratulated for continuing to show real community spirit
and the public in Beith will hopefully continue to support local shops and
businesses as much as they can. For further information about any events being
organised by the Beith Town Centre Initiative (BTCI) please contact their
secretary, Sandra Brown at Brightsparks or telephone 01505-503625.
BARRMILL JOLLY BEGGARS
Barrmill Jolly Beggars Burns AGM has been rescheduled to Monday 28 April in the
Eglinton Inn at 7.30 pm for a regular meeting followed at 8.00 pm by the AGM.
Apologies to cronies for this change of date.
BEITH HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Beith Historical Society annual outing is going to Dunaskin Heritage Centre near
Dalmellington on Saturday 31 May. Those intending to make this trip are asked to
give their names to secretary, Sue Williams on 01505-503381 as soon a possible.
CALLING ALL WRITERS
Calling all writers! Howwood Parish Church, PO Box 19556, Johnstone are on the
lookout for poems, short stories and other inspirational pieces of writing. They
will publish a book entitled, Peace for the World, which will contain some of
the pieces submitted. Short poems should be no longer than 35 lines and other
pieces should not exceed 350 words. Further details of this can be found in
Beith library. Get writing, folks!
SHOP CLOSING
Sandra Brown of Brightsparks, 1 The Strand, has decided to cease using the Bliss
Shop in Eglinton Street, next door to her current premises, which she used to
display the wide range of electrical and household goods available to customers.
This decision has been forced on her due to hooligans jumping at the shutters on
the shop window and door, resulting in damage to the shutters and a broken front
window, last weekend. After considerable deliberation Sandra has decided that
the cost to replace the window and repair the shutters has added to the current
overheads to the extent that continuing to use the Bliss Shop is no longer a
feasible proposition. Sandra would like to stress that the same goods are all
available in her original Brightsparks shop at the Strand and would like to
thank all of her customers for trading with her for the last seven years and
hopefully they will continue to trade with her as usual. Donald L Reid writes:
Sandra Brown, in her role as secretary of Beith Town Centre Initiative (BTCI),
has worked exceptionally hard to promote the town as a good place to live, work
and shop in and it is regrettable that mindless vandals have forced her to take
this decision. Everyone will no doubt wish Sandra continuing success in her
business at Brightsparks and will commend all the great work she has achieved
for local people, shops and business through her efforts for BTCI. The vandals
concerned should hang their heads in shame!
IN THE SWIM
Can your children swim? If not why don’t you enrol them for swimming lesson at
Garnock Pool. It’s never too early to learn! Classes are available for parent
and baby, ducklings (aged 3 years) and juveniles. It’s never to late to learn
either so Garnock Pool also has classes for adults. For further information
contact Susan, Angie or Norma on 01505-683304.
CANCER SUPPORT GROUP
The dedicated and very enthusiastic members of Beith Cancer Support Group held a
coffee morning in Beith Community Centre last Saturday morning which was very
well attended. Billy and Moira Haining and their hard working band of willing
volunteers provided a first class array of mouth-watering treats for the many
locals who supported this annual fund raising event. In addition there were
several stalls selling foodstuffs, bakery, plants and brick-a-bat which also did
a roaring trade. All the funds raised go to help support the work involved in
transporting local cancer patients to hospitals in Ayrshire and Glasgow.
Unfortunately, the need for this work is increasing year on year and ongoing
fund raising is absolutely essential to maintain this volunteer service. The
Chief Executive of Ayrshire Cancer Support Group, Mr John Beck and his wife
Joyce, attended the coffee morning. Mr Beck advised the gathered company of the
inspirational work being carried out by the Beith group under the leadership of
Billy Haining, so ably supported by Moira. The coffee morning raised a
staggering £1,032-49 and Billy and Moira pass on their heart-felt thanks to
everyone who assisted by donating items and, of course, a special word of thanks
to his dedicated team who worked so hard at the coffee morning and at other
events throughout the year.
HAPPY QUARTET: Billy and Moira Haining (front), the dynamic
organisers of Beith Cancer Support Group who raised over £1,033 at their coffee
morning last Saturday in Beith.
(photo: Donald L Reid – SP)
TRINITY CHURCH MENS FELLOWSHIP
There was an excellent turn out of members to hear the final speaker of the
Session at Trinity Church Mens Fellowship. After a very appropriate reading by
John Darroch, the vice president John McGibbon, introduced the speaker for the
evening, Dr Fiona McEwan. Fiona gave an illustrated lecture entitled A
Wilderness Safari In Namibia. Fiona has made many trips to Namibia, and as a
professional biologist with an interest in natural history and photography,
found the country fascinating. Namibia is the newest independent country in
Africa, with a surface area four times the size of Britain and a population of
1.5 million. There is a wide variety of wild life, from the seals and flamingos
of the Skeleton coast, to the lions rhinoceros, elephants and various deer of
the interior. A large part of the interior is desert, with the largest sand
dunes in the world, over 300 metres high, dried up river beds and scrub. There
is a very low annual rainfall, and some years none at all, and the country
contains some unique plants which survive these desert conditions. At the
conclusion of the slide show there was a question and answer session, after
which John McGibbon gave a vote of thanks and thereafter everyone
enthusiastically took part in the finals of all competitions. The trophy winners
were as Follows: Ken Bryson Trophy (Bowls, singles) Winner: George Colligan,
runner up; winner of the Hugh Hayes Trophy, Allan Richardson; J W Gibson Trophy,
(Bowls, pairs) Winners: Iain Ross and John Coffin, runners up, Allan Richardson
and Neil McPhee; Simpson Memorial Trophy Bowls, (singles) Winner: John Darroch,
runner up Hugh Brown. W S Millar Trophy (Darts) Winner: Robert Jamieson, runner
up Iain Ross; H & J Trophy (Snooker) Winner: John Smith, runner up, Jim Pearson.
The President closed the meeting by wishing all the members are very happy break
over the summer and hoped to see them all when the new session resumed later in
the year.
PLAYPARK ACTION GROUP
Beith Playpark Action group are holding a spring raffle soon. The major three
prizes have been donated by Marbill Coaches (1st and 2nd prizes) and Bright
Sparks (3rd prize) and other prizes to date have been donated by Tulloch
Transport, B & A Travel and Robert Danks School of Motoring. This will be drawn
on Friday 30 May and tickets are available from any committee member or phone
Winnie on 01505-504941 if you can perhaps help to sell tickets on behalf of the
hardworking group who aim to establish a state-of-the-art play facility for
children and young people in Beith Public Park. The Playpark Action Group are
delighted to acknowledge a very generous donation of £132 from Beith Trinity
Church choir which was raised at their Christmas concert.
COMMUNITY SAFETY FORUM
Garnock Valley Community Safety Forum are holding their AGM in Bridgend
Community Centre, Kilbirnie at 7.30 pm on Thursday 24 April. The forum have been
very pro-active lately on a number of issues and recently held a very successful
conference in Beith Community Centre. Members of the public will be made very
welcome at the AGM.
MARIE CURIE
Ian Hardie, a Beith lad now of Kilbirnie, regularly organises dances to benefit
Marie Curie Cancer Care. Ian is now in possession of a Rangers FC nine-in-a-row
football of vintage season 1996/97 signed by the famous Rangers team of that
time. Ian is keen to received bids for this ball and he can be contacted by
phone on 01505-683174 after 6.00 pm. The winner of the auction for this ball
will be announced at his next Marie Curie Fund Raising Dance which will be held
in Kilbirnie Labour Club on Friday, 30 May.
