DONALD L REID

(Tel. 01505-503801 e-mail: donaldleesreid@hotmail.com)

SUNDAY 15 June 2003

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CHARITABLE CHAMPS: A few members of Gateside Primary Enterprise Company which raised £410 for the current Yorkhill Hospital Appeal are pictured with Mr Stan Helliwell, fund raising co-ordinator, who is delighted to accept their cheque.   (Photo: Donald L Reid - SP)

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BOOKWORMS: Beith Primary 4 classes are snapped in Beith Library last Thursday after they learned more about the extensive facilities available to them in the Main Street premises.   (Photo: Donald L Reid - SP)

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SAFARI KIDS: Some of Beith High Sunday School kids and leaders are ready to board their coach last Saturday to head off on a safari to Blair Drummond Park, Stirling. These kids had no fear of lions and tigers and needless to say they had a fabulous time.  (Photo: Donald L Reid - SP)

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SEAT OF LEARNING: John McLaughlin is known as the Govan Chairman because he makes chairs to commemorate people and events. He made this seven inch high chair to honour Beith’s pioneer of fingerprints, Dr Henry Faulds, after reading about him in the June edition of the Scots Magazine.

(Photo: Donald L Reid - SP)

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JOIN THE CLUB: Donald L Reid, secretary, Henry Faulds Society, presents an Hon Membership Certificate and copy of Fingerprints to John McLaughlin, the Govan Chairman who carved a memorial chair to Dr Henry Faulds.  (Photo: Iain Shaw - SP|)

DEATH OF FORMER LOCAL COUNCILLOR

It was with deep regret that the local community learned of the death of former local Councillor, Robert Reilly JP, on the evening of Wednesday, 11 June. Bobby Reilly had served two four year terms on North Ayrshire Council as the Labour member for Beith, but was defeated at the local elections on 1 May by Mrs Jean Highgate (Independent) by the very close margin of 13 votes. Married to Margaret and with one son, Stephen, he was Beith born and bred and very proud of the town and its history. Politics is never easy and few folk appreciate the constant demands which it places on those who put themselves forward for public office. Bobby was first elected in 1985. He worked very hard with other partner groups and organisations to see Beith Townscape Heritage Initiative (BTHI) revitalise the historic buildings at Beith Cross and Eglinton Street. He was very proud of the team working involved in bringing the myriad of groups together to make this project a reality and achieving the financial support from the Heritage  Lottery Fund in what was to be their largest ever grant award in Scotland and will see the Cross totally revitalised by October 2003. As chair of the committee overseeing the project he was extremely proud of the joint working which delivered this £3.2 million and was never one to claim that this was other than a marvellous example of corporate working by the many parties involved. He also took satisfaction that North Ayrshire Council delivered the long awaited new primary school to Beith in 1999, providing a state of the art building for educating local children. In politics he  was more old Labour than new, but was always realistic about what was achievable locally within budgetary constraints. He was aware that the expectations of local folk may not always have been realistic, politics being the art of the possible.  Bobby had been in ill health for some time and was awaiting a heart bypass operation. However, he was never one to complain, but it was obvious to many that he fought the recent election campaign when he was really quite ill. Indeed on the morning of his death he saw his surgeon at the Western Infirmary and discussed the operation which was scheduled to be held within a few weeks. Tragically, a few hours after this consultation, he took ill at home on the early evening of last Wednesday (11 June) and was rushed to Crosshouse hospital where he suffered a further heart attack and despite the best efforts of doctors there, he died. Bobby was a quiet man who was  committed to his duties as a Councillor. He held regular surgeries in Beith and worked hard to resolve issues raised by his constituents and many will be grateful for his assistance in that regard. He was always keen to promote the town and build on its impressive historical connections. He was President of the Dr Henry Faulds – Beith Commemorative Society formed in November 2002 and indeed was the first person to make a donation towards the objective of establishing a lasting memorial in the town to the Beith born pioneer of fingerprint science. He was a quite living family man who enjoyed a regular Saturday punt on the horses, but was always complaining that the ones he selected seldom managed to make it  first past the post! He will be remembered for his willingness to tackle local issues and for his contribution towards delivering a new Primary School and for his role in ensuring that the Town Centre Regeneration Project moved from the drawing boards to become a sign that Beith was at long last on the up and up. These will be two important milestones in the history of Beith which will be a lasting legacy to a quiet, unassuming man. The eventual inauguration of a memorial to Dr Henry Faulds in Beith will be a historic moment which Bobby Reilly would have savoured. He will be fondly remembered by his family, fellow politicians and many friends. A service of remembrance was held in Our Lady’s Church on Tuesday (17 June) and this was followed by burial in Beith Cemetery which was well attended by friends, former colleagues in North Ayrshire Council and members of the public.

GUILD OUTING

48 members and friends of the Beith High Church Guild went on their annual outing last Saturday.   The first stop was the Tam O Shanter Visitor Centre at Alloway, where coffee, scones and home-baking were served.   The majority of the party then viewed the Tam O Shanter film showing different scenes from what is perhaps the Bards most popular work, whilst a narrator reads the poem. The charabang then continued to Castle Douglas, where free time was spent, lunching, shopping and visiting the art gallery. The day concluded with High Tea at the Kings Arms Hote,l Castle Douglas, which was of an exceptional high standard and much enjoyed by all, followed by and a happy journey along rural byways in Galloway and Ayrshire back to good old Beith.

CREAM TEAS

The dedicated committee members of Barrmill Community Association are holding cream teas in Barrmill Community Centre from 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm on Sunday 22 June 2003. Why not come along and enjoy a happy blether and sample what are arguably the finest cream teas in North Ayrshire. Everyone welcome.

KIDS R US

Kids R Us held a Clairvoyant evening at Beith Community Centre last Friday.

GATESIDE PRIMARY

Last week the enterprising children of Gateside Primary School presented a cheque to Yorkhill Hospital for £410 which they raised from part of their recent business enterprise initiative. The young folk formed their own company and made a variety of handcraft products which were subsequently sold at various school events. They even put on a presentation to head teachers at Seamill Hydro which was very well received indeed and brought great credit on the young people and their school. The children even discussed the various charities which might benefit from their enterprise and they themselves agreed that Yorkhill would be appropriate as one of the pupils has benefited from the excellent services provided for children at the hospital. The cheque was accepted on behalf of Yorkhill Childrens Foundation Magic Million Appeal by Mr Stan Helliwell, fund raising co-ordinator. The charity hopes to raise £1m to extend the hospital and provide special facilities for children. The appeal has only just been launched and they have raised £24,000 so far. This appeal is worthy of consideration by local folk looking for a home for funds raised locally.

PREMISES

The premises formerly occupied by Wilson, Fishmonger in Main Street has been acquired by B & A Travel who are located next door. They will shortly be extending their premises and the enlarged offices will soon include the popular fishmonger business operated by the late Sheila Pearson.

RATS

The AGM of RATS was held in Gateside Hall last Monday when they reviewed the previous busy year and talked about their priorities for the year ahead. Until such times as a date is set for the planning hearing regarding Trearne Quarry, this is a quiet period for RATS, but they still require donations for members of the public to shore up their fighting fund.

PLAYPARK ACTION GROUP

The recent very successful concert held by Beith Playpark Action Group raised £400 and they send their grateful thanks to all the young folk who took part and to everyone who supported the event.

SUMMER FAYRE

Beith United Reform Church are holding a summer fayre on Saturday 21 June from 10.00 am to 12 noon in the church hall and grounds. There will be the usual interesting range of stalls to please everyone and tea and coffee will be on tap.

COMMUNITY COUNCIL

At the recent meeting of Beith and District Community Council held in Beith Primary School the following Community Council members were present, Robert Boyd, Edward Christie, Fiona Reid, Joyce B Walker, Elizabeth Henderson, Julie Crook, Ann Hay, Ian Buchanan, Donald L Reid and James T F Muir. The new local Councillors, Jean Highgate (Beith) and Ian Richardson (Garnock East) were welcomed to their first meeting as elected members. A special word of welcome was extended to Inspector Kenneth McLachlan, attending his first meeting having recently been appointed the local senior officer in the Garnock Valley based at Kilbirnie Police Station. A presentation was given on the aims and objectives of North Ayrshire Communities Board by their chair, Mr Tom Collier and Mark Hughes, chair of the Kilwinning and Garnock Valley Local Board. The Board is independent of local and central government and is initially a three year project which has no direct agenda other than to address a local response to local issues and to have an input on decisions which affect local communities. It was intended that the Board would be a voice for the community and it was very much viewed as a bottom up organisation with community consultation being one of its key aims. Messrs Collier and Hughes responded to a number of questions from community council members. The view was expressed that the Communities Board might be yet another tier being added to local government. However, it was emphasised that Boards would not usurp the role of community councils, but rather would be seen as a supporting mechanism which would provided useful feedback on a number of key local issues.

It was reported that two street lights in Main Street were to be upgraded with replacement illumination units which would help to improve the level of lighting. The current problems with parking and vehicles travelling too fast through Main Street was also the subject of discussion.

The proposed siting of a mobile telephone mast on Lochlands Hills by Airwave MM02 was the subject of discussion and concern in that it would bel ocated in an area which had significant historical associations including St Inan’s Chair, St. Inan’s Well, the annual Easter morning services by local churches, use by locals for walking and with nearby recreational facilities such as Beith Golf Course and fishing at the Kirkleeglen Reservoir. It was the unanimous decision that the secretary write asking for copies of the full planning application and raise the concerns of the local community at what was considered the inappropriate siting of this mast.

Councillor Highgate advised the members that North Ayrshire Council were seeking costs for fencing the area from the top of the Foley at Backburn down to Beith Cross at New Street which was seen as being potentially dangerous for children due to it being very steep.

Constables Sandy Brown and Jim Dougall, community constables, gave a full report on local crime trends. The crimes for April 2003 showed a welcome decrease over the same period in 2002 from 117 to 70. They advised that serious assaults fell from 2 to nil; common assault was down from 5 to 1; offensive weapons was down from 3 to 2; breach of the peace increased from 8 to 9 and drugs offences increased from 1 to 9 again indicating that the local police are proactively tackling those who deal in drugs. Car break-ins fell from 5 to 1 with car thefts down from 5 to 2. Most significantly, break-ins at dwellinghouses saw a significant fall from 25 last year to 1 this year. The police were thanked for their continuing work on behalf of the local community.

Donald L Reid reported that the community safety magazine, Beith Safety Gazette, named in a competition by local school children, was now being proof read and would shortly go for printing and some 3,200 copies of the 28 page magazine would be widely circulated free of charge in Beith, Barrmill, Gateside, Burnhouse and Barkip. It had been produced in a partnership approach between Beith and District Community Council, Beith High linked with Trinity Senior Youth Group (Duke of Edinburgh’s Award) and Barrmill Community Association following a successful joint bid to the North Ayrshire Community Safety Forum for £2,370. The magazine contains a full range of interesting and informative articles relating to crime prevention, community safety, domestic violence, road safety, home safety, fire safety as well as local news and views and contact details for a number of agencies and community groups. It was hoped that circulation would begin this week. The magazine, which is free, also contains a feedback form as it was important that the value of producing the information could be evaluated for further bids to be made in future. Copies will also be available in Beith Library and local shops.   

PLAYGROUP

Beith Community Centre Playgroup meet every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9.30 am – 11.45 am in Beith Community Centre. Registrations are now being taken for the new session which begins in August 2003. Children aged 2 ½ – 5 years will be made most welcome. Contact Ellan on 506403 for further information.

LIBRARY

Beith Library had two classes from Beith Primary visit them last week where they learned all about the various facilities offered. Young readers are reminded that the latest edition of the popular Zap Magazine is now available at the library, price 25p. Any young reader can submit stories, jokes, news, book reviews and other information, colour ins and drawings for future editions of Zap. Young readers are also advised that if they manage to read six separate books over the summer holidays, they will be eligible for a certificate and medal. Ask your local librarians for further information.

HOUSEBREAKINGS

A number of local residents around the town have unfortunately had their houses broken into over the last fortnight. A local garage was also the subject of a break-in and Beith High Church Hall suffered a similar fate. However, the police were at the right place at the right time and one youth was nabbed inside the church hall whilst has accomplice made good his escape. Local residents would do well to review their own home security and crime prevention advice is at hand by contacting the community constables, Sandy Brown and Jim McDougall at Kilbirnie Police Office. Tel 01505-682677. Local folk will this week be able to obtain a free copy of Beith Safety Gazette from Beith library which contains extensive crime prevention tips.

NORTH AYRSHIRE BAND

North Ayrshire Band are holding a “Brain of Brass” quiz in the Eglinton Inn on Friday 20 June at 7.30 pm. The quiz master is the jovial mine host of the Eglinton Inn, Colin Sinclair. Tickets are £3 and available from any band member or contact Donald L Reid on 503801. There will be a variety of prizes on offer as well as a raffle. The Band are also planning a Ceildh on Friday 20 October in Beith Community Centre. The band are always on the lookout for players with experience of playing brass instruments. A number of young players are due to go to universities in Edinburgh and Aberdeen which will create more vacancies, so anyone who might be interested in playing in the band can contact any band member.

MOD CLUB

Beith MOD Police Club are holding a BBQ and Karaoke night on Friday 27 June beginning at 7.30 pm. Tickets are £3.50 and profits will benefit the local depot charities.

SCHOOL TRIPS

Gateside School will take part in several trips between now and the end of session. Groups will travel to Excess Bowl in Paisley whilst others will visit the RSPB Centre, Lochwinnoch.

HENRY FAULDS SOCIETY

This week the Henry Faulds Society were delighted to learn that John McLauchlin, better known as The Govan Chairman, because of his skills at creating the most beautiful carved chairs, has created a chair in memory of Dr Henry Faulds. Interestingly, last Thursday John had been unable to sleep very well. At 2.00 am he opened his copy of the June edition of the Scots Magazine and read about Dr Henry Faulds and his Beith connections. He was very taken by the work of Henry Faulds and went immediately downstairs to his workshop and created a 7” high chair in memory of Beith’s pioneer of fingerprint science. Amazingly, this work of art was completed in less than one hour. Donald Reid, secretary of the Henry Faulds Society visited John last Saturday to view the chair, which is now part of an extensive collection of commemorative chairs created by John McLaughlin, who resides in Bishopton. The Society also pass on their condolences to Mrs Margaret Reilly, following the death of Society President and ex Councillor Robert Reilly JP on 11 June. Further information about the Henry Faulds Society and its objectives can be obtained from the secretary, Donald L Reid, 7 Manuel Avenue, Beith or telephone 01505-503801 or you can visit the official web site of the society on www.henryfaulds.org or our local site at www.drhenryfaulds.arabicagroup.com.

SUMMERY FAYRE

Trinity Church Summer Fayre will be held in Beith Community Centre from 10.00 am until 12 noon this Saturday (14 June). There will be the usual interesting and varied stalls to suit all tastes. From 12 noon until 2.00 pm soup and sandwich lunches will be available.

SWIMMERS WANTED

Cunningham Action Club runs swimming sessions for young folk with disabilities each Saturday morning at Garnock Pool, Kilbirnie, from 12 noon until 2.00 pm. They are on the lookout for anyone 16 years and over who is a competent swimmer. This is a great way of giving service to the community. For further information drop in at the pool or phone 01505-683304 for further information.

GATESIDE CHARITY TEA

The Gateside Hall Committee are holding a cream tea this Sunday (15 June) from 2 -4 pm in the Patrick Memorial Hall, Gateside.  The proceeds from the afternoon are going to the Marie Curie Charity in memory of Sheila Pearson.  Tickets can be purchased from committee members or from B&A Travel, Beith. We look forward to seeing a good turnout of locals to enjoy a chinwag and support a very worthy cause. It has to be said that the cream teas provided by the Gatesiders are mouth-wateringly delicious and this is an event not-to-be-missed.

SUMMER FAYRE

Last Saturday the weather was very welcoming which resulted in locals turning out in large numbers to support the annual summer fayre held by Trinity Church in Beith Community Centre. There was the usual range and variety of stalls to suit all tastes and the soup and sandwich lunch proved popular too. One of the most interesting parts of the fayre was a tapestry of flowers which had been made by Mrs Bridie Boyle. There was a competition to identify how many hours of work it took Bridie to complete this very fine piece, which is mounted and framed. The winner of the competition, who also received the tapestry, was well known Beith man, Ian Morton, who guessed that it took Bridie 192 hours 20 minutes to finish the 18” X 20” craft work. Ian was a mere five minutes out on the top side and needless to say he was delighted to receive the tapestry as a prize which he will treasure. Bridie is part of an enthusiastic small band of craft workers at Trinity Church. They meet formally once per month and make greeting cards and other craft items which are sold for the benefit of church funds and between meetings they work away on their own projects at home. Congratulations to Bride and the Beith Trinity Craft Team.

CANCER CARE

Bill Haining, organiser of the Beith Branch, Ayrshire Cancer Support Group, passes on his thanks to Beith Lady Bowlers for a donation of £50. He also wishes to thank the Garnock Valley ex Presidents Bowling Association for a donation of £22 following a recent game at Dalry.

CRONIES

Beith Cronies meet every Monday and Wednesday from 1.30 pm – 3.30 pm in Beith Community Centre where they enjoy bowls and a happy social afternoon. New members will be made most welcome.

JANEFIELD CLUB

Janefield MAP club meet in Beith Community Centre from 7.00 pm – 9.00 pm each Thursday. The club aims to attract people who have mental and physical disabilities who are on the lookout for something interesting and positive to do in an environment which is supportive and welcoming. For further information about the club contact Karen Provan on 01505-503314 or Anna Gibson on 01505-503685 or drop in on a Thursday evening.

DEMENTIA CLUB

Readers will recall that it was announced last week that a group of local older folk who meet regularly in Dickson Court as part of Beith Dementia Group, have been advised that their club has to close and in future they will be bussed to Kilbirnie. A similar club in Dalry has apparently also been given the same bad news and they, too, will be offered facilities in Kilbirnie. Enquiries by Councillor Jean Highgate on behalf of the Beith Group reveal that new rules and regulations have resulted in this change. The premises in Kilbirnie, the former Social Work Office in the Public Park, are being upgraded to ensure that a high standard of accommodation is available for the entire Garnock Valley Group with appropriate support facilities being part of the package. The regulations mean that clubs can no longer meet in local day care facilities as happens at present, albeit the members were very happy with that situation. In short, club members from Beith and Dalry will be bussed to Kilbirnie. Not ideal, but there is apparently no alternative.

GUIDES

3rd Beith Guides held a very successful concert last Friday in Beith High Church Hall at 7.30 pm. There was a great array of talent on stage and the audience thoroughly enjoyed the efforts of all the young people who took part.

BEITH SAFETY GAZETTE

Beith Safety Gazette is a 28 page community safety magazine launched in a joint partnership between Beith and District Community Council, Beith High linked with Trinity Senior Youth Group (Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Unit) and Barrmill Community Association. A grant was received to finance the magazine from North Ayrshire Council’s Community Safety Challenge Budget. The magazine is free and contains a range of interesting information which will be beneficial to everyone in the local community. Amongst the wide ranging issues covered include crime prevention advice, drugs information, road safety matters, environmental issues, news updates, domestic violence issues, computer useage tips for parents and a gazetteer of key contact numbers of groups and organisations in Beith and District. The young people of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Group will be involved in delivering the magazines and they will also be available in Beith Library and a number of shops and businesses in Beith, Gateside and Barrmill. The magazine will be available from Thursday, 19 June. A competition was held to select a name for the magazine and the prize winners are: Claire Blackburn, Blair McMaster, Nicole Elliott, all Class 7, Beith Primary, Rachell Shepherd (P5), Amanda Reid (P5), Erin Shepherd (P4), Donald Graham (P1), Megan Reid (P4) and Scott Gillan (P4) all of Gateside Primary. Prizes will shortly wing their way to these enthusiastic young folk who are thanked for their excellent entries in naming the magazine.

BEITH KILWINNING CONNECTION

One of the best known folk in Kilwinning is Roy Lochlan MBE who seems to be involved in a myriad of groupS and organisations in what the poet Robert W Service described as ‘the Lang Grey Toon.’ Roy was last week involved in the annual Segdoune Queen celebrations and he was sporting a broken arm and announced that he was retiring from the festival committee with Rev Jim Strachan of Kilwinning Congregational Church taking over the reins. Roy has the distinction of actually having a street in Kilwinning named after him and he is one of those rare individuals who work tirelessly and very effectively for a large number of good causes. However, few folk will realise that Kilwinning actually owes Beith a great debt of gratitude, because Roy Lauchlan was  born and raised in Beith and attended Beith Academy before he eventually settled in the Burgh of Culture. Everyone who knows Roy will join in wishing him a speedy return to fitness and few will really believe that he genuinely intends to begin taking a back seat in community life. Just not possible. By the way, Kilwinning must surely owe Beith a few quid for Roy’s transfer!

BOWLING CLUB

Beith Bowling Club are continuing with their very successful schools bowling  project with Beith Primary 6 pupils among the latest batch to try to sport last week. The overall winners of the competition were Stewart Marshall and Jordan Pettigrew with 20 points up against Lee Thomson and Thomas Waddell. Last Monday night's league game against Kilbirnie at home was another disaster for Beith who only scored 2 to Kilbirnie's 12.  Still, there is only one way to go and that's UP! There was a good turnout of both ladies and gents with thirty-seven playing in Friday night's wappenschaw on the 13th June. The winners of the sweep were the triples skipped by Duncan Knox, 2nd Alena Thomson and lead George (Pipe) Wilson. This was one of the best turnouts in many a year. Members should take note that points are awarded on the mixed wappenschaws nights, with highest up at the end of the season winning prizes sponsored by Immediate Past President, John Simpson. Last Saturday, nine youngsters turned up for the coaching session at Beith BC and after a keenly fought competition, pairs Jordan Pettigrew & Liam Shepherd won the prizes by 8 points.

The Jim Gibson Invitation Fours took place on Saturday 14th June under tropical weather conditions. Five  rinks took part, two from Glangarnock, one from Kilbirnie, one from Johnstone, one from the Ex Servicmen’s BC and one from the Shanks BC in Barrhead. A great day was had by all with the overall winners being the rink from Glengarnock BC skipped by Bob McCulloch, third Gordon Granger, second Ian Stevenston and lead Martin McLeod. On ends 4, 8 &12 those who were right-handed had to play left -handed and vice versa, with a prize going to the highest up rink at those ends. The winners on rink 4 were Andy Clinton, rink 8 Roy King and rink 12 Derek Logue. Jim Gibson would like to thank all those who made the day such a success including caterer Ronnie Roberts from Ardrossan for a lovely meal. Thanks also go to everyone who bought raffle tickets, raising the sum of £80.50p, which was donated to Beith Bowling Club Building Fund. On Sunday afternoon, in bright sunshine, the Garnock Valley annual Ex Presidents Association  against Johnstone Ex Presidents Association bowling competitition took place at the John Flemming BC Houston, Renfrewshire. Johnstone President David McKay welcomed the participants and wished them a pleasant afternoon of bowling.  Johnstone Ex Presidents won by 69 points to Garnock Valleys 52 points, the only consolation being the prize for the first toucher went to Garnock Valley's Matt Keenman. The highest up rink for the Garnock Valley was skipped by Wallace McCall, third John Simpson, second Andy Clinton and lead Stewart Yuille. All proceeds from the sweep and raffle were donated to Erskine Hospital. After an excellent meal, Garnock Valley President Jack Russell thanked all those who contributed to a most enjoyable day.

BEITH ST. INAN’S ANGLING CLUB
Last Saturday saw the fun-loving fishers of the Beith St. Inan’s club involved in the annual competition for the West Trophy for senior members and the Morrison Cup for juniors.  The competitions were fished in far from ideal conditions, with bright sunlight and a strong wind for most of the day. The winner of the West Trophy was William Brown, who weighed in the only fish of the day, a rainbow trout of 1lb 14oz, although several other members hooked and lost fish.  There were no fish recorded in the junior competition.  Members are reminded that next week the seniors will fish for the Mitchell Cup, and the Morrison Cup for the juniors will be refished. A good turnout of members is requested.

BOWLING CLUB

Beith Bowling Club is the place to be this Saturday night at 8.00 pm if you play your cards right! There will be the usual entertainment with the famous Phil Shannaghey doing his Bruce Forsyth routine as he performs Play Your Cards Right for Phil tonight! Popular group Overdrive will provide the music and Phil will be on hand to help win the contestants a few quid.

BEITH MASONIC

Tomorrow (Saturday) the popular group, Horizon, will entertain in Beith Masonic Club from 8.00 pm till late. There will be the usual bingo and raffles.