Cellardyke Residents Association

Minutes for the very first meeting of the CRA in August 2007.

Cellardyke Residents Association

First meeting.        7pm in Cellardyke Town Hall Chambers

Present:

Name                    Address                         

Davie Corstorphine 64, East Forth Street    

Mary Thomson       Mayfield, EF Street       

Billy Cathcart        13, John Street

David Kettles        36, EF Street

Margaret Lewis     69, Toll Road                  

Harry Peddie         32, Shore Street           

Bill Leslie              10, Sou’wester Court

George Walker      24, George Street         

Glenn Jones           58, EF Street                

Hugh Corstorphine Fasgadh, Toll Road

Paul Lewis              62, EF Street                

Alex Parker           54, EF Street                

Sonny Corstorphine2, Braehead                   

Jim Hughes           6, John Street

Bill Leslie was unanimously elected Chairman. DC offered to do minutes for this first meeting only.

SC summarised the objections which had been raised with regard to the proposed development at the Holiday Village by Muir Homes. He pointed out that anyone who wished to submit a letter of objection should do so before the next planning meeting which will be held on 29^th August 2007. It was noted that Muirs recent presentations at Cellardyke Town Hall and at the Anstruther Muster had shown plans which had not yet been finalised. It is believed, however, that these plans would form the basis for Muirs final application. Letters of objection should be sent to:

Alistair Hamilton,

Principal Planner,

Fife Council Planning (N.E.Fife Area)

County Buildings,

St.Catherine Street,

Cupar

KY15 4TA

Suggested areas of protest:

1      Unacceptable design (eg 3-storey buildings next to existing bungalows)

2     Proposed scheme too large for a small town

3     340 of the East Neuk’s 500 new houses to be built in Cellardyke

4     Cellardyke gains nothing as a town

5     Lack of improvement to surrounding areas

6     Roads surrounding development are woefully inadequate to cope as it is, far less with new scheme in place

7     Opportunity to make effective change to Cellardyke will be lost if plans go ahead unchallenged

8     Existing sewage system does not cope. We remain unconvinced that Muirs proposals will cater for an extra 1000 people

9     Any further development to the town (eg new caravan site) will result in even more sewage problems. Matter must be addressed at this stage

10   We believe that £400,000 will be given to the Community Council for leisure purposes out of the town.

11    No facilities available for teenage people on site. Nearest facility will be over half a mile away

The Chairman asked for contributions from those present

GW suggested that a copy of the minute of our meeting should be sent to Cllr. Riches so that she would be aware of our concerns.

MT circulated a letter she had sent to the Community Council outlining her concerns about the proximity and design of the imposing three-storey building to the rear of her mother’s property.

BC cited examples of sewage problems in the town and how this has affected his property.

AP, a former plumber, pointed out that the existing drains in the eastern part of East Forth Street regularly blocked. This empties into the Urquhart Wynd pipe, which will be used by the proposed development. He believes that this will cause more frequent problems for the existing system.

BL stated that the assessments of sewage had been based on the initial plan for 270 houses. Muirs had increased this to 340 houses. Had this been taken into account? He also enquired if anyone knew if the sewage system for the new development would be pumped or simply gravity fed. He will investigate this matter.

GJ said that the three storey houses were not in keeping with existing buildings in that part of Cellardyke.

DC passed around photos he had taken from his back garden. Using a ladder to scale, he had drawn on an “artists impression” of how the houses would actually impact on his privacy.

BL stated that we are entitled, through the freedom of information act, to ask for any documentation relating to decisions made by any public body with regard to the development. He will write to a number of these on our behalf.

HC said that there is a 10’ boundary between his fence and the former MOD property, which Muirs had indicated they would be using in their development. When HC had objected to Ian Muir about this, Mr Muir asked HC to write to him so that the matter could be “sorted out”.

PL said that Ian Muir has appeared to give conflicting information regarding the hedge to the rear of East Forth Street. On one hand, he has said that we would not get access to the hedge for maintenance purposes once the houses are built. On the other, he said that it is our legal right to have access for maintenance purposes. DC said that Mr Muir had assured him that the hedge would not be cut down (as per the requirement of Fife Council in their response to the Departure Hearing of August 2006). However, Mr Muir agreed that the moment the house was sold, the new homeowner could remove the hedge.

BL pointed out that Muirs expect Cellardyke Church to supply 3m of ground through the park to allow access from the development to Toll Road. BC confirmed that the Church had not agreed to this.

BL wonders why Fife Council did not require Betts to build 30% “affordable” housing at The March / Peter Howling Place yet this is a main feature of the Cellardyke development?

ML expressed concern that all the council houses, with small gardens, backed onto existing properties on the perimeter of the scheme. It would be better for those new houses with bigger gardens to form a boundary with existing properties so that people didn’t feel they were being hemmed in.

HP believed that the proposals failed to address the sewage problem. He also feels that the “rat run” (Blacklaws Road) access to the main St.Andrews Road would become more popular and that the roads department of Fife Council had not looked at this problem in any depth.

DC went over the document he had received from Christine Mackenzie of Muir Homes, which detailed how they had arrived at the figures used to “solve” the sewer problems. All present agreed that this did not address the problem of smell, nor did it take into account the fact that sewage volume tends to happen at peak times in the day.

GW agrees with DC that Muirs appear to have ignored much of what was asked of them following the Departure Meeting and that they seem to have pitched their case even higher. He said that we must be wary of any future “negotiations” which, while appearing better to those affected, would in fact get Mr Muir what he wanted in the first place.

BL & PL suggested putting flyers out to residents in the surrounding area to inform them that letters regarding the proposals should be sent to Cupar in time for the meeting on 29/08/07. DC drafted an A5 flyer which will be duplicated ready for issuing on the evening of 21/08. AC, MT, HP, GJ, GW, HC, ML BL & PL offered to assist with this task.

DC said that there were three distinct areas where objections could be made. One was how the development impacted on the properties surrounding the scheme eg loss of privacy. Secondly, how the development affected the services of the town and the lives of not only those on the perimeter, but in the wider sense eg sewage & road problems. Finally was how such a large scale development would affect the town as a whole. By adding 1000 people to the population, the size of Cellardyke would increase by 50% (making Cellardyke the biggest town in the East Neuk). Such an increase on any town in one fell swoop was perhaps too much.

GJ stated that a number of services eg education, transport, had tendered “No objection” to the departure proposals. Given that the number of houses had increased from 270 to 340, would this change the view of such departments? BL will write to Education to find out

No date was arranged for the next meeting as it was felt that the ball was now in the other court. Hopefully the next meeting will attract even more local residents.

Minutes will be mailed to those with internet facilities & printed to those who do not.

The meeting closed at 0845 with thanks to all for attending.

DC

21/08/07

 

October  2013 Meeting

       News that Anstruther and Cellardyke had been awarded a silver gilt award from the Beautiful Fife judges was well received at the October meeting of the CRA in Cellardyke Town Hall on Tuesday 1^st October. The CRA have contributed to this through its tubs and planters throughout Cellardyke and its “flagship” floral boat, The Dyker Lass, in Pickford Crescent. Plans are afoot to plant bulbs for next spring.   On a less positive note, the meeting heard that garden and building waste was being added in places to seaborne rubbish on the foreshore at Cellardyke . A draft of the latest CRA newsletter was tabled, and this would be distributed soon to all houses in Cellardyke. It was agreed to support the Community Council’s efforts to provide a defibrillator for Cellardyke, and the meeting agreed again to purchase wreaths for Remembrance Day. It was noted that the CRA wreath had survived a   year’s weather at the Kilrenny War Memorial. Plans for the 2014 Cellardyke Burns Supper on February 1^st were almost complete.

      CRA representatives on the Silverdykes Liaison Committee reported back from its recent meeting that   ornamental art features had been approved for the new development, in the form of four stone capstan plinths, each of which would be engraved with a fishing or   agricultural motif. Following consultation with young people in the area, a skateboard park had been identified as a leisure priority for some of the section 75 funding to be made available by Muir Homes, and a suitable site for this was being explored prior to further public consultation. It was suggested for the next liaison meeting that the developers might consider a map of street names at the entrance to the development.

Meetings of the CRA are held on the first Tuesday of every month, at 7.15pm in Cellardyke Lower Town Hall. The next meeting, to which everyone with an interest in Cellardyke is invited, is on Tuesday 5^th November.

 

November 2013 Meeting.

At the November 5^th  meeting of the CRA,  it was agreed that the CRA would support the Community Council’s initiative to provide two defibrillators for Cellardyke  by sponsoring their maintenance  to the tune of £100 per year,  through  First Responders.  Once one or both are in place, the CRA will  offer to host  a training event in Cellardyke Town Hall.  As in previous years, it was decided that a residents’ wreath would be laid on Remembrance Sunday at the Kilrenny memorial by Allan McLelland BEM, our old soldier of the Black Watch, and at the Anstruther War Memorial, where veteran  Ronnie Wilson would lay a wreath as  part of the ceremony there on  11^th November.  With public money available in 2014 for the upkeep of memorials, the CRA had sought advice on the condition of the Kilrenny memorial.  Following inspection, it was agreed that it was in generally good condition, but that the names of the fallen had been badly eroded by decades of salty winds, and it was agreed to ask that Fife Council consider the possibility of redefining the inscriptions, and painting the railings as required.

 The meeting was concerned to hear  that there is a threat to the No 95 bus service.   There is a suggestion that Fife Council are to (imminently) review subsidised bus services, with the likelihood that this service will be reduced, in particular in the evenings and at weekends.  It was suggested that anyone with an interest in maintaining the frequency of this service, should write to Fife Council (Transportation) emphasising the importance of maintaining (or improving)  this service. 

 From the Silverdykes Liaison Committee, it was reported that details and locations of proposed artworks -  ornamental features in the form of engraved stone capstans - had been circulated.  Muir homes would be asked to consider placing a location street map at the entrance to the site at the next SLC meeting.  From the CRA Floral team, a plan for the planting of daffodil bulbs on Shore Wynd using money granted by Fife Council was considered.  Although members would volunteer to help, it was thought that professional assistance should be called upon given the scale of the work, the prevailing weather and the demographic profile of the membership.  There was a willingness from Waid Academy for pupils to be involved in this community work, and this initiative was warmly  welcomed.

 The latest CRA newsletter had been distributed to every address in Cellardyke, and  CRA volunteers were thanked for distributing the newsletter.  The date of the next meeting will be Tuesday, 3^rd December in Cellardyke Town Hall (Lower) starting at 7.15pm, after which seasonal food and drink will be served. The next big event will be the annual Cellardyke Burns Supper on Saturday February 1^st, in Cellardyke Town Hall, with tickets priced at £17.50 to go on sale in the New Year.

 

December 2013 Meeting.

Cellardyke residents can look forward to new displays of daffodils on Windmill Road and in the Shore Wynd area, thanks to a bulb planting effort by a CRA team with local support, including a small group of students from the Waid Academy under the supervision of teacher Ken Brown.     Next year’s floral effort in Cellardyke will be led again by Kate Shearer, Furthermore, given that no-one had volunteered to take over her work in the community as a whole, it was likely that she would also continue to work across Cellardyke and Anstruther in this regard. To help pay for this, Secretary Catherine Wilson had applied successfully for a Fife council Floral Grant, an amount of £402 having been awarded. 

Following concern that the names on the Kilrenny War Memorial in Cellardyke were fading, it had been found that re-engraving the names might not be feasible. One eventual solution to avoid the names being lost to posterity would be to transfer them to plates fixed to the memorial. Anyone seeking information about the fallen named on the Anstruther and Cellardyke memorials is best directed to by Kevin Dunion’s; “The Democracy of War”, which follows up all their individual stories. This can now be accessed via the CRA website, or through the Burgh Collection website, www.anstrutherburghcollection.org   The meeting was still of the opinion that the opportunity should be taken to access money which was available in connection with the upcoming 100 year anniversary of the start of WW1, to carry out some renovation/improvements to the memorial and its environs.   It was suggested that refurbishment of the steps leading up to the memorial might be a possibility.

 From the Silverdykes Liaison Committee, it was reported that NHS Fife had responded to the request regarding the possibility of siting a skateboard park in the Health Centre area, but the valuation they had put on their land rendered the possibility of leasing impossible. The area near Cellardyke bathing pool was now to be reconsidered.     Three of the four stone capstans artworks designed by Helen Allan would be in place by Spring 2014. Following representation, Muir Homes were considering adding ‘leading to’ certain streets on appropriate street name signs to help newcomers find their way around the new development. With payment of the first part of the commuted sum of £400,000 to offset limited leisure areas in Silverdykes, approaching, there had been no further developments regarding Muir Homes wish to have the commuted sum reduced or abandoned altogether. Muir Homes anticipated that they would shortly be in a position to have some of the road network adopted, and the path from East Forth Street reopened. Fife Council was looking to install ‘traffic calming’ within the development and on Windmill Road.   Councillor Riches had asked Muir Homes to instruct their selling agents to inform purchasers that planning permission was required for any extensions.

 Some other items in brief:

 The erection of a wind turbine at Cornceres Farm was still ‘pending consideration’.

The change of use from open space to garden ground and erection of wall at the corner of Crail Road and Windmill Road, had been approved with conditions.

 95 Bus Service: Chairman Dorothea Cargill Thompson had written on a personal basis following concern the service was to be reduced, and had received a reply stating that a survey exercise for the public was to be undertaken after the route tendering process had been completed and analysed. Questionnaires were (allegedly) to be available at Leven and St Andrews bus stations, but there was little sign of these. Stop Press!: Further to the bus survey, Go Flexi and Taxibuses can be found at www.fifedirect.org.uk/bussurvey until 12th January. Anyone without internet access can phone 01592 583223 and ask for a form.

 Bus Shelters at top of Windmill Road: Catherine had written to Cllr Riches, and had received acknowledgement that the request had been forwarded to Transportation for consideration.

 Treasurer Allan Mclelland had reported a working capital of £2293.35 at the end of October (£8.51 cash and £2284.84 in the bank).

 It had been confirmed that the two defibrillators were to be be sited in Cellardyke, one at the Town Hall and the other at the Health Centre. A letter of thanks had been received from East Neuk First Responders for the CRA’s offer of sponsorship. A training session would be arranged when the installation was complete. (Follow-up note: the first defibrillator was placed outside the Health Centre in later December.)

 The team planning historical information boards for Cellardyke would meet in the New Year with the aim of taking this forward.

 Burns Supper Chairman Glenn Jones reported that all speakers and entertainment for the Burns Supper on 1^st February were now arranged, apart from a speaker for the Address to the Haggis. Donations for raffle were required.

 The meeting closed with the enjoyment of festive fare provided by those present.

 

February 2014 Meeting

The fifth CRA Cellardyke Burns Supper was agreed to have been another success, and an excellent evening. Glenn Jones and Allan Mclelland were thanked for all their work in organising it. Cllr Keith McCartney had delivered a poetically inspired Immortal Memory, John Wood had addressed the haggis in dramatic style, Bill Batchelor had toasted the lassies in all their facets, and Malcolm McDonald had taken the company from smuggling on the high seas to the shops of Cellardyke in his Town and Trade. Jim Harris had performed Holy Willie’s prayer with aplomb and night cap, and David Corstorphine had recited from Cellardyke’s own Poetry Peter, Peter Smith. The songs of Burns were movingly performed by May Muir and Robert Murray, accompanied by Robert Gardner. The evening was chaired by Glenn, and wrapping the evening up was CRA Chairman Dorothea Cargill Thompson who proposed the vote of thanks. The Burns Supper resulted in a small profit of £68.33, thanks to the raffle. (It was decided regretfully that ticket prices would have to rise next year.)

The CRA had been represented at a meeting called by the Community Council in the Dreel Halls regarding co-ordinating activities across all the local organisations. With regard to pre-Christmas activities, a date of 5^th December 2014 had been suggested for Anstruther’s Christmas late night for the current year, and the CRA will give serious thought to participating.   It was also noted that The Rowing Club Regatta will be held on 10^th May, and the Harbour Festival on 15^th – 17^th August; the CRA will also consider supporting these in some way.

From the Silverdykes Liaison committee, it was reported that “leading to” road signs had been erected to help visitors find the new streets , as had been suggested by the committee, and the East Forth Street pedestrian entry was now open. It was felt, however, that work still needed to be done on the wall west of the entry. No further progress had been made on identifying a possible location for the skateboard park which had been suggested during consultation with the area’s young people, and this would be reconsidered. Proposals for traffic calming would be discussed at the forthcoming SLC meeting, but the view if the CRA was that the suggested measures looked excessive.

The group considering information boards for Cellardyke, Dorothea, Catherine Wilson, Diana Sykes, and Diana Webster had held a very positive meeting on 24^th January. Progress had been made in firming up ideas for themes for four poster boards and their content, but expert advice now needed to be sought, both with regard to the accuracy of the
historical aspects and with regard to costs and possible sources of funding. Alex Barclay had expressed an interest in becoming involved in the project and would be invited to a future meeting.

Other points arising were: no further news on the proposed Cornceres wind turbine; consultation on the No.95 bus route had closed; the CRA have been awarded a floral grant of £402 for 2014; Kate Shearer and Mary Thompson will again be co-ordinating Cellardyke’s floral effort; two new members have joined the CRA; two defibrillators are now operational - one at the Town Hall and the other at the Health Centre, and a training session is to be arranged; the next meeting is in Cellardyke Lower Town Hall at 7.15pm on Tuesday 4^th March. 

 

March 2014 Meeting.

Chairman Dorothea Cargill Thomson welcomed a small turnout to the meeting, due to an exceptional crop of apologies. The numbers were briefly swelled by a number of residents of Sou’wester Court, who were concerned about an application from Muir Homes for a change to site design involving plots 64-84. Reference was made to this at the last SLC meeting, but no details had been forthcoming at that point. Basically, their point was that this change represented a major threat to their privacy, and was contrary to everything the Reporter had said at the enquiry. After a long discussion, it was suggested that the Sou’wester residents attend next week’s meeting of the Kilrenny, Anstruther and Cellardyke Community Council, (KACC) , it being the CC who had the statutory right/responsibility to comment on all planning applications. Councillor Riches, who attends this meeting, would be able to advise them on what the procedure for this change was likely to be, and what avenues were available for them to influence it.

Kathryn Shearer had reported on progress with flowers and tubs within Cellardyke. The first of the new daffodils were showing, with more planned for next year to increase the impact.   Kate suggested more perennial plants – which would save time and money, and be more environmental friendly. Some of the plants from last season have lasted through the winter, and Kate had caught sight of a creel which someone had "planted" at the John Street car park bay. The CRA would continue to enhance these areas - hopefully with further help from residents. More posters would be put up around the village once Kate’s printer had been restored to good health.   She had also conceived of the idea of planting Christmas trees around the town.   These could be bought as small trees and would grow in places where they could be decorated by the residents during the festive season, and could be part of the winter festival which was to be discussed the following evening at the Dreel Halls meeting.

Secretary Catherine had been in touch with Eleanor Bowman, who had welcomed the CRA’s interest in participating in the now-annual Silverdykes Street Party. A date was still to be confirmed, but organisers were looking at the last weekend in June. Eleanor suggested that the CRA might like to apply for funding from the National Lottery Celebration fund to assist the event. There was a general discussion among the members present on the pros and cons of applying for funds for this venture, and it was decided that any decision on involvement would need to wait until a meeting when more CRA members were present.    

From the Silverdykes Liaison Committee (SLC), it was reported that proposed traffic calming measures for Windmill Road were awaiting modified plans from Colin Stirling at Fife Council, and these would also be discussed at the KACC. It had been agreed that a Skate Board Park at Cellardyke Bathing pool was a non-starter, and representatives from the Bankie Park group had been invited to attend the next SLC meeting to outline their on-going plans for Bankie Park.        

News in brief:

Treasurer Allan McLelland’s reminders on subscriptions were bearing fruit, with a number of renewals. Attending members pay £1.00 per meeting towards funds, while those who cannot attend meetings in person pay an annual £10.00 towards the work of the CRA.

Concerning renovations to the War Memorial and its steps;  information had been received from Steve Liscoe outlining steps to take when applying for grants under this scheme.

Glenn had confirmed a date of January 31^st 2015 for the next Burns Supper. This had been booked with David Barnett, and that the hall had been booked provisionally. Glenn would formalise the hall booking on his return from holiday.

The Secretary had received a thank you note from Paul and Jean Lewis, thanking the CRA for the sympathy note and flowers sent on their recent bereavement.

David Corstorphine would be in touch with the first responders concerning the training session on the use of defibrillators which the CRA was willing to sponsor.

 

April 2014 Meeting.       

Chairman Dorothea Cargill Thomson welcomed members of the CRA to the April meeting in CellardykeTown Hall.   Residents had reported problems caused by delivery drivers thinking that the new houses on Acorn Way, but overlooking East Forth Street /Urquhart Wynd junction, were part of East Forth Street.  The numbering of these houses is very close to those of the houses nearby on East Forth Street.  It was suggested that there should be a sign in front of these houses somewhere to let people know they were not part of the East Forth Street numbering scheme.  (This was discussed with Muir Homes at the Silverdykes Liaison Committee, and Muir Homes will put up signage to solve the problem.)  An accident which had occurred in Sou'wester Court, possibly due to the lack of lighting, was reported.  The absence of lighting was believed to be due to this area not having been ‘adopted’ by Fife Council?  Secretary Catherine Wilson would write to Cllr Riches for her advice on this.  There will be some changes to the SLC, as Catherine intimated that due to new commitments she would be resigning as one of the CRA representatives on the SLC from the time of the May/June meeting.  Dorothea agreed to take her place after that meeting.  Grateful thanks were extended to Catherine for her sterling work on this committee since its inception.  A report was awaited on traffic calming measures on Windmill Road, which were to be discussed at the next Community council meeting.

New daffodils were appearing around the village thanks to the work of Kate Shearer and the floral team.  Special mention was made of the pupils from WaidAcademy who had made a big contribution to the planting.  Catherine had written to Gillian Duncan of First Responders who had given a positive reply to the offer by the CRA to set up a training session on the use of the new defibrillators.   The suggestion was made that training could be combined with the CRA’s AGM in September.  The CRA’s annual donation of £100 to maintaining the defibrillators, for which Gillian had expressed appreciation, was authorised.

On planning matters, it was noted that an application for the erection of a wind turbine at Cornceres Farm was due to be considered at the next NEF Planning Committee meeting.  There had been no further information regarding the financial arrangements in the event of approval.  However concern was expressed about the number of applications approved and pending throughout the East Fife area. The ‘major’ change to plans regarding house types and layout in the Silverdykes development raised at the previous meeting was to be discussed at the forthcoming Silverdykes Liaison Committee meeting.  A representative from Fife Council Planning Department had been asked to attend.  It was understood that KACC had registered an objection to the proposals, and this was later confirmed.

Discussion took place regarding possible CRA assistance with obtaining funding for the Silverdykes Street Party in June.  It was suggested that the CRA should make a donation towards the event.  It was then proposed formally, and approved, that the CRA should donate the sum of £100.  Kate Shearer had written to Mr Hughes, the Rector of  Waid Academy, regarding the possibility of  The Waid participating in a revival of the  ‘Anster Fair’, a possible community event which had received  a positive response at the March meeting, although  concern had been expressed about ‘fitting’ it into an already congested timetable.  Ensuing discussion indicated that the CRA would be interested in the possibility of participating, but felt that it would it would be 2015 before something of that magnitude could be organised

Possible CRA participation in the Anstruther Harbour Festival 2014, (15^th – 17^th August), was discussed, although the CRA were unsure as to who was the contact point for the festival. It was suggested that the CRA could arrange transport from car parks at the ‘Waid’ or elsewhere to the harbour.  Catherine would investigate the appropriateness/acceptability of this idea with the event organisers, and Dorothea to look into the possibility of obtaining a minibus.

 

May 2014 Meeting.

Chairman Dorothea Cargill Thompson welcomed members to the May meeting in Cellardyke Town Hall on Tuesday 6^th of May.  The situation regarding the lack of  street lighting in Souwester Court, Cellardyke, and the problems resulting,  had been investigated.  Councillor Riches had explained that the problem dated back to the original road and lighting arrangements not meeting Fife Council standards. Consequently they were never adopted by the Council.  In order to get the area lit the residents would have to contribute towards the cost of the lamp standards.  Fife Council was to send an engineer to examine the state of the existing wiring, to establish whether it was sufficient to ‘support’ new lighting, and to determine what the cost of the installation would be.  If appropriate new lighting were to be installed with funding by the residents, then the Council would adopt it for maintenance purposes. 

Kathryn Shearer, Floral team leader,  outlined the problems she had been experiencing in finding volunteers to assist her in carrying out the necessary work of  preparing the ground/containers, planting and keeping the plants watered.  She commented that maintenance of the displays was the biggest problem, as it was essential for the well-being of the displays, that they were watered and tended to on a regular basis.  This task had been particularly taxing and time-consuming last year.   It was of the utmost importance that anyone volunteering gave a commitment to daily watering and maintenance as and when necessary.  Allan McLelland  agreed to look at his list of volunteers for the sites in Cellardyke, and to contact the people involved to establish what the situation was for this year.  Dorothea and David  Corstorphine volunteered to be responsible for the Martin’s Court and East Forth Street displays, respectively.  It was agreed that the next issue of the newsletter should include an appeal for volunteers and it was also suggested that the Silverdykes Street Party might provide an opportunity for a further appeal.   Kathryn was thanked for her very hard work, the appearance of the bulbs at the corner of Crail Road and Windmill Road receiving especially favourable comments.

The Silverdykes Street Party will be held on 21^st July, starting at 2pm.  A request for baking had been received from Eleanor Bowman.  The CRA would be giving a donation of £100 towards the costs, and had received  a letter of appreciation.  This event would be included in the next CRA newsletter for distribution in Cellardyke.

An e-mail had been received from Steve Liscoe on behalf of the East Neuk Preservation Society, saying that a long standing project of the society had been the installation of armorial stones within the burghs of the East Neuk.  The most recently carved stone was designated for Cellardyke, and the ENPS wished to consult the CRA, and engage in a discussion regarding suitable sites.  The members present identified 3 possible sites, namely: at the foot of Caddies Burn; on Cellardyke Town Hall above the Mercat Cross; on Harbour House facing Skinfasthaven.  Cellardyke Town Hall was thought the best location.

The CRA had contacted the organisers of the Harbour Festival regarding the possibility of the CRA organising a minibus to take people to and from the car park opposite Waid Academy on the Sunday of the festival when no public transport would be available.  There had been no response to this suggestion as yet.  (Dorothea had ascertained that the RVS bus would be available on the day in question.)   Subsequent discussion suggested that caution might be needed given the limited success of last year’s festival and the lack of detail currently available for this year’s event.  

The official minutes for the last meeting of  the Silverdykes Liaison Committee (SLC had yet to be produced, but Catherine Wilson  gave an abbreviated   report. Three representatives of the Bankie Park Development Group had attended the meeting, and had given a presentation on the present state, and proposed further stages, of development.   The SLC members had been impressed by the professional way in which the group had undertaken its work to date and were in sympathy with their aims for Phase 2.  Three  stone ‘capstans’ for the works of art had now been erected in the development but were awaiting their etched plaques.  David Scobbie had indicated that Muir Homes would erect a sign to reduce the likelihood of confusion in the house numbering, given the position of Acorn Court in relation to East Forth Street.  A representative from Fife Council traffic management department was to attend the next meeting of the KACC to explain the situation regarding traffic calming on Windmill Road.  Catherine had announced that due to new commitments, she would be resigning from the Liaison Committee after chairing the May meeting.

An e-mail had been received from the 3CBDT (Community Development Trust)  outlining its aims and raison d’être and requesting a meeting with the CRA.  It was agreed that the 3CBDT should be invited to send the secretary and an additional representative to talk to the Association at its June meeting.   It was noted that the 3BCDT would be holding its AGM in the Dreel Halls on Tuesday, 13^th May, starting at 1900 hrs.

The first CRA donation of £100 had been paid to First Responders towards the maintenance of the defibrillators in Cellardyke, and  Gillian Duncan had agreed to run a training session on the night of the CRA AGM.  (2^nd September in Cellardyke (upper) Town Hall.)

Catherine had written to ask whether a grant from the War Memorial Fund might be made, not to refurbish the Kilrenny War Memorial in Cellardyke,  but to refurbish the steps up to it.  Receipt of the letter had been acknowledged but a response to the specific question was awaited.

George reported that he had had no communications in connection with the web site, and read out a list of dates and functions which he would include on the web site as result of this meeting.      

 

June 2014 Meeting.

With some members taking their holidays ahead of the school summer break, attendance at the June meeting of the Cellardyke Residents Association was somewhat depleted but the range of topics discussed was not!   And as usual, matters were discussed with good humour.

A short presentation by two of the directors of the Three Burgh Community Development Trust opened the meeting, the purpose of this being to inform CRA members of the aims and objectives of the Trust and to initiate discussion on how the two organisations might work collaboratively.   Collaborative working across all the various organisations in the community is a longer term goal.

This being the summer season, floral displays are high on the agenda of the Association and a full report was received from Kathryn Shearer.   Her sterling efforts are once again improving the appearance of the village, and it was pleasing to note that other residents are now adding their own contributions to the displays, including some quite novel containers!   The work is ongoing with more tubs and an additional boat to be put in place The support of staff and students from the Waid Academy has been much appreciated.  

A report was made on the May meeting of the Silverdykes Liaison Committee, the most pleasing aspect being that three of the planned four ’Works of Art’ are now in place on the Silverdykes Development. These take the form of capstan-shaped stone ‘cairns’ to which will be attached metal plates, etched with images representing farming - a plough and a windmill - and fishing - an anchor and a steam drifter.   It is hoped that there will be a formal unveiling when the fourth capstan has been put in place, later in the summer.

On a less positive note, concerns were expressed at the scale of flagging of garden areas and erection of outbuildings at the southern end of the development which would affect land drainage in the immediate environs adversely.

There was some discussion of play facilities in the village and it was noted that the play area in Windmill Court was very poorly provided with suitable equipment - two swings and a see-saw - while the number of children living in the area had increased. This matter was to be taken up with the Community Council and Fife Council.    

Members also received a report on the work of the Community Council.

Contributions to the June issue of the CRA newsletter were sought urgently, the aim being to circulate this in the third week of the month - an aim which was achieved!

There will be no meeting of the Cellardyke Residents Association in July. The next meeting will be held on 5^th August and the Annual General Meeting of the Association will be held on 2^nd September. All meetings, held in Cellardyke Town Hall, are open to anyone wishing to attend. (In addition to the AGM on September 2^nd, the Association is organising an awareness-raising/demonstration session with regard to the recently installed defibrillators. This session will be run by the East Neuk First Responders.)

July 2014 - No meeting.

August 2014 Meeting.

The August meeting of the Cellardyke residents Association focused mainly on community issues, in particular improvements to the community.   This being the first meeting after the judging of the burgh for the Fife in Bloom/Beautiful Fife awards, members were quick to thank Kate Shearer and her small team for all their hard work. Kate, supported by Allan McLelland, had put in many hours of work creating new floral features, as well as renewing and maintaining existing ones, and their efforts resulted in several residents adding their own contributions to the CRA funded displays, contributions which were warmly welcomed. The outcome of the judging will be made known at an evening event in Glenrothes on 24^th August, to be attended by Kate and Allan.

Time was also spent at the meeting discussing a number of potential projects which would improve facilities for various age ranges in the community. These included improved equipment in a number of play areas, the installation of more seats/benches for the public at a number of strategic points, and a fresh look at the possible ‘landscaping’ of open ground between East Forth Street and Shore Wynd. Notice of a meeting between interested parties and representatives of Fife Council to consider the development of safe cycle paths in the locality was welcomed.   The state of the War Memorial, both with regard to the weathering of the plates recording the names of the fallen and with regard to its accessibility via badly worn steps was also discussed.   It was recognised that the maintenance of such memorials required expert knowledge, but the situation would be kept under review.

The possibility of pontoons being built for Cellardyke Harbour had been raised by a resident returning to the area who had been disappointed to find the waiting time for a berth in Anstruther. Advice on this matter received from two ’sailing’ members of the Association illustrated graphically - in poetry and in photographs of the damage to boats in the harbour caused by winter storms in the early 1990s - the likely problems associated with such a development.

The Association is keen to hear from local residents and to offer advice and support where possible. Anyone wishing to know more about the Association will be welcome to attend the Annual General Meeting, to be held in Cellardyke Town Hall (Upper Level) on 2^nd September, starting at 7.00pm. The meeting, which will last no more than 30 minutes, will be followed by an awareness/training session run by East Neuk First Responders on Public Access Defibrillators. The evening will conclude with a time to socialise over light refreshments. (Details of all CRA activities can be found on its website: http://e-voice.org.uk/cellardyke )

 

September 2014 AGM

Annual General Meetings are rarely the most interesting events in an organisation’s calendar, so the Cellardyke Residents Association (CRA) decided to increase the attractiveness of its AGM, held in September, by linking it to a training/awareness session on the use of Public Access Defibrillators.

The AGM took its usual form with reports from the Secretary and the Treasurer and a review of the year undertaken by the Chairman. The Association continues in a healthy financial state and it had recently sponsored a drop-in session to allow residents to discuss a Fife Council consultation document concerning an appraisal of the Cellardyke Conservation Area and its future management.   Members were pleased to learn that Anstruther/Cellardyke had achieved a Silver Gilt Award under the Fife in Bloom/Beautiful Fife scheme.

In the election of officers, the meeting was not overwhelmed by volunteers but posts were filled as follows:  

Chairman - Glenn Jones

Vice Chairman - George Walker

Secretary - Catherine Wilson

Treasurer - Allan McLelland

 

The training session was run by Gillian Duncan and Ruby Urlotti of the East Neuk First Responders and they had plenty of experience and expertise to share. It was very well-received and the majority of those present took part in some hands-on exercises.   (The CRA had decided in the course of the previous year to make a grant to the First Responders for the upkeep and maintenance of the defibrillators located in the village.)

The evening closed with the serving of light refreshments and a chance to socialise. The whole evening was judged to be worthwhile and enjoyable.  

CRA Subscriptions will be held at £10 per annum (or £1 per meeting) for the coming year. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month in Cellardyke Town Hall and more information about the Association can be found on the Association’s website e-voice.org.uk/cellardyke 

 

October 2014 Meeting.

Minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 5^th August were received and approved subject to a minor textual error of a missing word. The minutes of the AGM held on 2^nd September were also received.

Matters Arising

(a)The Secretary reported that she had written to Reni Timmermans of 3BCDT about the Interpretation Board project and their pilot envisioning exercise and awaited a reply.

(b) It was noted that the AGM for the Harbour Festival would be held on 22^nd October with a ‘wash-up’ session re the 2014 Festival on 14^th October.  It was rumoured that the Festival would be held in May in 2015 with the hope of there being better weather then.

(c) The date of the next meeting about safe cycle routes had been fixed for Wednesday, 29^th October. The Secretary intended to attend.

Secretary’s Report: Correspondence      

The Secretary reported that an e-mail had been received from a CRA member drawing attention to the erection of a satellite dish on a house on Shore Street in the centre of the Cellardyke Conservation Area, where such dishes are not allowed. The Secretary had referred the matter to the Fife Council Heritage Officer who had confirmed that this should not have been allowed. She had thus registered a complaint on behalf of the CRA.

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer, Allan, had circulated a report for the period 1^st to 30^th September in advance of the meeting, which showed working capital of £1851.37 at the end of September. (£48.61 cash in hand and £1802.76 in the bank). There were hall costs of approximately £40.00 outstanding and there were also some bills for floral items anticipated.

Social/Community and CRA Activities

(a) East Neuk Community Action Plan Programme The Chair reported that he had attended a meeting about this initiative which had been set up by an organisation called STAR on behalf of Fife Council. Others attending had represented a number of local organisations such as the Community Council, the 3BCDT, the AIA - but it was by no means a comprehensive list of local interests. The meeting had been/was being replicated in other community council areas within the East Neuk.   The overall aim was to prepare a long term vision and plan for the East Neuk, built from the bottom up, so that the community was in a position to influence and shape ‘external’ planning and projects, development and service delivery in the area.   A follow-up ‘drop-in’ meeting was to be held on 9^th October which George volunteered to attend, the feeling being that this was a venture which the CRA should keep an eye on. It was also felt that the organisers should endeavour to identify ALL local interest groups.

(b) The Future of Cellardyke Town Hall The Chair reported that he had also attended the AGM of the East Neuk Centre Trust at which the proposed merger between the Cellardyke Town Hall Committee and The East Neuk Centre Trust had been discussed. The proposal had gone forward to the AGM of the Cellardyke Town Hall Committee and had been approved. The Secretary agreed to check the situation with regard to forward bookings.

(c) New community website: www.anstruther.info A new website, superseding the anstruther.org website, had been developed by Alan Stewart and Kevin Lancaster, with funds from, among others, the Community Council. It was intended to be a forum for all groups in the area. It was agreed that the CRA should subscribe to and feature on the new site, with a link to the Association’s own site. The joining fee was £10. The hope was expressed by featuring on the new site there might be a cross-fertilisation of ideas and new members might be created.

(d) Burns Supper 2015 The Chair reported that he had now booked the piper and the majority of the speakers for the 2015 Burns Supper. Some suggestions were made for possible people to give recitations. The possibility of the piper playing as people arrived for the event was floated. With regard to the singing of Burns Song it was agreed that a sing-along should be tried. The Secretary agreed to ask Elizabeth Dickson and Jackie Smith if they would be willing to lead such singing.

Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)

(a) The Chair gave a verbal report of two recent meetings. (The SLC Minutes had not, as yet been released, pending their formal approval by the committee.) At the most recent meeting two youngsters had made the case for the development of a skate board park in the community, citing Dreelside as a possible site. They were now working on a business plan for such a development.

(b) The Committee had drawn up a modus operandi for the disbursement of Section 75 funding and Cllr Riches had presented this for approval by Fife Council. This had, in effect, cleared way for ‘going public’ about the availability of funds and the manner in which applications should be submitted. A set of draft criteria for judging applications made for funds had also been drawn up and it would be submitted to the Council for approval - the criteria included such aspects as proximity to the Silverdykes development, the number of likely beneficiaries, the quality of the proposal, amount of money raised from other sources, etc. It was noted, however, that as the amount of public access land available for development within the Cellardyke boundaries was very limited, proposals for development within the Community Council area would be considered.  

(c) The Chair reported that a question had been raised by a Community Council member about the legitimacy and appropriateness of there being co-options to the SLC, but it was noted that such additions to the committee had been approved by Fife Council, and that all co-options were for one year only after which time they would be reviewed. It was noted that the SLC would soon have a formal constitution which would cover the matter of co-options.

(d) It was reported that all four ‘capstans’ were now in place to which engraved plates would be affixed. As this artwork had been developed under budget it was suggested that there might be a celebration/formal unveiling ceremony.

(e) It was confirmed that permitted development rights for property on the Silverdykes development had been removed and thus the erection of all extensions and garden sheds, etc, required planning permission. There was an enforcement officer for North East Fife to oversee such matters.

(f) It was also confirmed that the passing places for the Blacklaws road would be constructed in the period January to March 2015 at an estimated cost of £8000.

Local and Environmental Issues

(a) Floral Report: The Secretary reported that Kate Shearer had confirmed her willingness to continue with the floral work in Cellardyke in the coming season but that she was resigning from the Community Council.   Kate had already bought bulbs for planting in tubs and at roadsides.

Allan suggested that the Fife in Bloom competition was perhaps over prescriptive and it was questionable whether the CRA could do any more than it was already doing. The idea of a local competition to encourage individuals or groups to supplement the work of the CRA was floated. Such a competition might have a number of categories such as window boxes, private gardens and open spaces. It was agreed that this idea should be considered further at the November meeting and that a small sub-group might take the matter forward. In the meantime, work was needed on the application for a floral grant and it was agreed that Kate, Allan and the Secretary would work on this.   It was noted that some tubs were in need of repair, but it was recognised that the available manpower was very limited.

(b) Watchfulness re Cellardyke Conservation Area: This case of the satellite dish had highlighted the need for this. Kate had commented in an e-mail that there should be a move to preserve what is left of the old dykes and had suggested that the CRA should keep a note generally of the really old bits which should be preserved.

(c) The state of tracks, pathways and roadsides: Concern was expressed about the state of the path/track extending beyond Braehead towards the Town Green. There had been no spraying to prevent the growth of weeds and now the borders of the track were becoming repositories of rubbish and litter. The state of the Waur Path was also a cause for concern, as was the apparent discontinuation of spraying roadside gutters with weed killer. It was agreed that this matter should be taken up with the Council.

CRA Website.

George reported that he had not received any feedback on the CRA website although there was evidence of a good number of ‘hits’. The Secretary reported that she had sent a summary of the AGM to the local press but it had not been published.

KACC Liaison Report

There was no formal report from the KACC but it was noted that it would be dissolved shortly as elections were due in November. Nominations for the new KACC were supposed to be sent in by mid-October but the necessary details had not been sent out.

AOCB

(a) Allan reported that he had ordered two wreaths for the CRA to lay at the Anstruther Memorial and at the Kilrenny Memorial. It was noted that the service and the major wreath-laying ceremony would be held in Anstruther this year. Allan also reported that he had been asked to lay the British Legion Wreath this year. It was agreed that Paul Lewis should lay the CRA wreath.

 (b)George reported that Harry Peddie had taken up with him the matter of the coastal path interpretation board which he claimed was facing the wrong way. No action was considered.

(c) Susan Holmes had sought advice on whom to contact re the pick-up points for the school buses on the St Andrews road, several of which caused traffic hazards.   A letter to Councillor Riches was suggested.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 9.00pm

 November 2014 - No meeting.

December 2014 Meeting.

 The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed everyone to the meeting with a particularly warm welcome to Diana Sykes on her return.

 Present: Glenn Jones (Chairman), Catherine Wilson (Secretary), Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Susan Holmes, Paul Lewis, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Cath Parker, Diana Sykes and George Walker

Apologies for absence were received from: David Corstorphine, Sonny Corstorphine, Catriona and David Coulter, Rosina Gentle, Stella Hunter, David Kettles, Steve Liscoe, Gaynor and Alan Mathieson, Kate Shearer, Diana Webster, Paul and Margaret Whiteley, Ronnie Wilson and Allan Wood. (It was noted that Sonny Corstorphine was now in hospital in St Andrews – good wishes would be sent to him via David.)

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 5^th October were received and approved subject to a minor textual error regarding the Secretary’s e-mail address. (Her own mistake!) Proposed: George Walker, seconded, Diana Sykes.

Matters Arising

(a)    It was noted that the Harbour Festival in 2015 would be would be held on the last weekend in May. The change being made in the hope that the weather would be better at the new time of year. The notification of the date to the CRA had been accompanied by an invitation to organisations to become involved actively or to contribute ideas for the Festival programme. It was agreed that this invitation would be discussed at the first meeting of 2015.

(b)   The Secretary spoke briefly about the meeting re the development of safe cycle routes connecting the East Neuk villages which she had attended in October. A short report on this meeting had been circulated in advance. It was reported that good progress was being made in defining the route from Pittenweem to the Kilrenny traffic lights. (The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 11^th December but unfortunately the Secretary is unable to attend.)

(c)    The Secretary drew attention to the increasing amount of information accessible on the new Community website, including information about the early plans for the new WaidAcademy buildings.   George Walker reported that he had tried to register the CRA’s interest in being actively linked into the site but had received no acknowledge-ment. It was confirmed that necessary cheque to pay for this link had not yet been cleared.  

(d)   The Secretary reported that she had contacted Councillor Riches about the problem of weeds alongside paths and tracks and in roadside gutters/gulleys. It was noted that some weed-killing had been undertaken in the meantime along the gulleys and Cllr Riches had promised to forward concerns about weeds alongside Braehead. (See minute of Floral Matters item on agenda.)

Secretary’s Report: Correspondence      

(a)    The Secretary reported on a phone call she had received from the great grandson of Peter Thomson, who had started a draper’s shop in James Street, but who had also had other commercial interests in the village. This phone call had been followed in due time by receipt of a parcel of miscellaneous items of correspondence and local administrative transactions, including a certificate of insurance for the windows in (new, 19^th century) Cellardyke Town Hall. It was agreed that the material should be handed over to the Burgh Collection and George suggested that some of the information in the latter might be history section of the CRA website.

(b)   The Secretary drew attention to the note, circulated with the meeting papers, from Diana Webster concerning the old lamp standard, now in her possession, which the Council had taken down when the new lighting had been installed. Members expressed their appreciation that Diana had ‘saved’ the standard and indicated that they were happy for her to preserve it in whatever her chosen location might be. Alternatively, if she felt that there was not an appropriate position in her own grounds, Paul Lewis would be interested in erecting the standard in his garden. A further alternative might be to erect the standard on Windmill Road close to the tattiee-boxes. It was noted that there were still two old lamp standards on East   Forth Street near to the Fisherman’s Court junction(?).

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer, Allan, circulated a report for the period 1^st to 30^th November, which showed working capital of £1851.37 at the end of November. (£84.61 cash in hand and £1802.28 in the bank). There were hall costs of approximately £50.00 outstanding and all bills for floral items had now been settled. A refund of £351 paid into the account erroneously by Fife Council was now in hand.

Social/Community and CRA Activities

(a)   East Neuk Community Action Plan Programme: There was no progress to report.

(b)   Extension to the Cellardyke Conservation Area: It was noted that an extension to the area from 60 East Forth Street to 4 Braehead had been authorised (?). Steve Liscoe had indicated that the purpose of the extension was to preserve the present skyline as seen from the harbour.  

(c)   Burns Supper 2015: The Chair gave a detailed update on the programme for the Burns Supper, all the speakers now being in place. (See attachment to minutes.) He expressed the view that the impact of the piper emerging from the kitchen to pipe in the haggis would be lost if he had already piped in the guests (as had been discussed at the October meeting) so the idea was not pursued.  The Secretary reported that she had approached Elizabeth Dickson about leading the singing of Burns songs and she had agreed to organise a small group for the purpose.

The issue of complimentary tickets was discussed in the context of trying to keep the cost of tickets down as far as possible. It was agreed that there should be no change of policy with regard to the main speakers but that those leading the singing might be offered tickets at a reduced price (covering the cost of the meal).

It was agreed that Mary and Catherine should take charge of the raffle. An appeal for prizes would be circulated with the minutes of the meeting.

The need to start marketing the event immediately after the start of the New Year was agreed.   Publicity would be achieved through posters, information on the CRA website and on the Anstruther Activities sheet.

Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)

(a)   The Chair reported that there had been no SLC meetings since the October meeting of the CRA but that one was scheduled in two days’ time. Once the minute of the previous meeting had been approved, it would be circulated to CRA members.    

(b)   It was noted that up a modus operandi for the disbursement of Section 75 funding had been drafted and was awaiting consideration and, hopefully, approval by Fife Council. Once such approval had been achieved, wider publicity of the availability of grants would be undertaken. It was noted that there were no time limits with regard to expenditure under Section 75 funding procedures, unlike expenditure in the transportation area.

(c)   Questions were asked about the development of passing places on Blacklaws Road and it was noted that following recent road works linked to cable-laying for wind turbines, the state of both the metalled road and the verges was very poor and potentially dangerous.    

(d)   There was no progress to report with regard to the artwork for the four ‘capstans’.

 Local and Environmental Issues

(a)   Floral Report: It was noted that for the time being the KACC was in abeyance. It was thus considered appropriate for Cellardyke (the CRA) to act independently with regard to financing and developing floral displays within the village.   Kate Shearer and Allan McLelland had met with Ken Jackson (who oversees the Beautiful Fife Scheme) who had basically approved this action.

There followed discussion of ways of obtaining additional finds for local floral displays, including the setting up of a specialist floral sub-group which might put in an additional application for a floral grant. Some of the potential problems of doing so were considered.   The possibility of a house-to-house collection was mentioned and would be discussed at a future meeting, as would the idea of a competition to encourage individuals or groups to supplement the work of the CRA.

(b) The Future of artefacts in Cellardyke Town Hall: It was agreed that the future of some of the artefacts, such as the Weights and Measures and some of the painting and portraits needed safeguarding and that an inventory should be made in this regard. The name of Dallas Mechan, Museum & Heritage Development Manager, was mentioned in this regard.  The possibility of a local museum being established, perhaps within the new WaidAcademy, was floated.

(c) Planning application for a dwelling house on the Silverdyke Caravan Park: It was noted that an application had been lodged with the Council but agreed that it would be inappropriate for the CRA to object, although individual members might be encouraged to do so. It was further agreed that approval of such a building might set a dangerous precedent.  

KACC Liaison Report

As had been noted earlier in the meeting, the Community Council was in abeyance. The hope was that the Council would be resurrected in the New Year.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 8.30pm and a period of socialising ensued over seasonal refreshments.

January 2015 - No meeting.

Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 3^rd February 2015 

The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed members and one new attendee to the meeting.

Present: Glenn Jones (Chairman), Catherine Wilson (Secretary), John Brown, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, David Corestorphine, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), and George Walker

Apologies for absence were received from Catriona and David Coulter, Rosina Gentle, Susan Holmes, Stella Hunter, Donna James, Paul Lewis, Steve Liscoe, Gaynor and Alan Mathieson, Kate Shearer, Diana Sykes, Diana Webster, Paul and Margaret Whiteley, Ronnie Wilson and Allan Wood.

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 2^nd December were received and approved: proposed by Allan McLelland and seconded by Dorothea Cargill Thompson.   

Matters Arising

(a)    Information about the 2015 Harbour Festival (29^th - 31^st May), with some details of the planning process, had been circulated in advance of the meeting. The Festival Development Officer for Fife Council was to have attended the recent planning meeting (on 28^th January). The general feeling was that the CRA did not have the human resources to make a corporate contribution to the festival. (A photographic exhibition had been considered previously but as much work would be needed to print and mount the photographs from Alec Parker’s collection and as no-one to take responsibility could be identified, it was not felt possible to take this idea forward.)

(b)   The Secretary spoke briefly about the meeting re the development of safe cycle routes connecting the East Neuk villages which she had attended recently. Little progress had been made since the previous meeting due to change of personnel at Fife Council. However rough costings of alternative sections were to be prepared. It was recognised that applications for major funding would have to be put on hold pending these costings being produced.

(c) The Secretary reported that planning consent, “with conditions” had been granted for a dwelling house on the SilverdykeCaravanPark. She agreed to write to the Planning Office to ask what the conditions were.

(d) The Chair reported that the papers sent by Mr Peter Thomson had been lodged in the Burgh Collection.

(e) The Chair indicated that he had not as yet contacted Dallas Mechan concerning the development of an inventory of the artefacts in CellardykeTown Hall.

Secretary’s Report: Correspondence      

The Secretary reported that she had received a follow-up e-mail (the text of which was circulated in advance of the meeting) about the satellite dish mounted on a property in Shore Street. She agreed to contact the Fife Council Enforcement officer about this as advised by Steve Liscoe.

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer, Allan, tabled and spoke to a report for the period 1^st December 2014to 31^st January 2015, which showed working capital of £1475-08 at the end of January. (£5.61 cash in hand and £1469.47 in the bank). Hall costs which had been outstanding as no invoices had been rendered had now been settled.

Social/Community and CRA Activities

(a)   Burns Supper 2015: There was general agreement among those who had attended that this had been highly successful, although the number attending had been a little disappointing. The speakers had been the best yet and several notes of thanks and congratulations had been received since the event. The ‘community’ singing had gone down very well. Particular thanks were proffered to Glenn and Allan for all their work in making the event so successful.

The microphone had helped considerably with the audibility of the speakers but was perhaps rather heavy in the bass, prompting Archie Cromar to offer to buy a new system. It was agreed that George should follow up on this offer.

There followed discussion about the possibility of attracting younger people to the event in the future. John Brown (a former secondary headteacher) suggested involving students from the WaidAcademy in some active way next year, although probably not in the role of one of the standard speakers. David Corstorphine agreed to give further thought to this idea and to sound out senior colleagues at school. (David had already agreed to give the Town and Trade speech in 2016.)

The Treasurer presented an account for the Supper which showed a pleasing surplus of £124.51  

(b)   Other activities for the year ahead: The Chair stressed the need to keep ideas for further activity simple, indicating that the priority should be the floral displays, not least as this work had the potential for involving the wider community.  

John Brown asked to speak to a project which he thought would be of interest to the Association. The project involved the design and construction of a series of information 'boards' situated on the Toon's Green (The Braes) relating the historical pathway on a journey into Cellardyke's past from today through to geological time. He had designed and constructed a large map of the town which was erected on the Toon's Green in the 70's, under the auspices of the then Cellardyke Improvements Association and he suggested a more up to date version of display.  It would focus on aspects of Cellardyke of the past and the people who inhabited these shores.   The outcome would highlight the great wealth of historical data of the area which would be of interest to locals, visitors, walkers, et al.

Interest was expressed in the project and the essential similarity to the CRA’s own project to develop Interpretation Boards was noted. Catherine agreed to send John further information about the latter project and to invite him to the next meeting at which the boards were to be discussed. 

Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)

a)  The Chair spoke in more detail about the matters discussed at the most recent SLC meeting, the minute of which had been circulated. A response from Fife Council to the committee’s suggested criteria to be used in assessing proposals for the dispersal of Section 75 funding had been very disappointing and discouraging as it implied that the role of the Liaison Committee, to recommend to Fife Council local projects, bodies, etc. which could be supported by funds from the Open Space Contributions by Muir Homes had neither been identified nor confirmed. Elizabeth Riches had agreed to seek clarification from the relevant department in the Council.

Until the situation was clarified there had been little point in the SLC seeking to publicise the availability of grants. (A sufficiently encouraging response was subsequently made which enabled the SLC to decide to go ahead – Chaiman’s note)

(b)   It was noted that work to create proper passing places on Blacklaws Road, pedestrian refuges at the entrances to Skeith Road and Windmill Road (from Crail Road) and a raised platform at the junction of Pickford Crescent and Windmill Road was due to start shortly. It was noted (again) that the state of the surface of Blacklaws road, which was already very poor, had been worsened by recent work linked to cable-laying for wind turbines. The Secretary agreed to write to Councillor Riches about this.

(c)   There was no progress to report with regard to the artwork for the four ‘capstans’.

(d)   A question had been raised at the SLC meeting about a footpath which had been proposed at one time leading from the development along the side of the church field to Toll Road.   In response it had been claimed that the Church has resisted this proposal. As this matter was a community issue, it had been agreed that the Cellardyke Residents Association should discuss this matter at its next meeting. The Secretary refuted the suggestion that the church had resisted the proposal and requested that the minute be amended at the next meeting. It was agreed that a linking path would be welcomed as a service to the community.

Local and Environmental Issues

(a)   Floral Report: The Chair reported on the excellent work which had been done by students of the WaidAcademy under the supervision of Ken Brown in clearing the Braehead path (bordering the top end of Dove Street and Shore Street gardens and the back of Pickford   Crescent) from overgrown shrubs and litter. It was planned to position flower tubs along the path-side. John indicated that he had already cleared his area and planned to scatter wildflower seeds and was encouraging neighbours to do the same. Other improvements to the area were mooted.  

(b)   The Secretary reported that a letter had been received from Fife Council that morning to advise the CRA that it had been awarded a grant of £370 under the Floral Enhancement Grant Scheme for 2015. This was considerably less than the sum applied for and thus very disappointing. It was noted that several groups were applying for funds in Anstruther itself, and one at least had received a larger grant of £580.00. The Chair was concerned as to why this should be.  It was agreed that it would be important for the CRA to be represented at future community-wide meetings drawing together groups involved with undertaking floral work.

CRA website/CRA Newsletter

There was nothing to report with regard to the website. The Secretary suggested that it might be appropriate to produce a newsletter in April/May. It was agreed that this should be on the agenda for the next meeting.  There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 8.45pm.

 

 Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 3rd March 2015

The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed members

 Present: Glenn Jones (Chairman), Catherine Wilson (Secretary), John Brown, Susan Holmes, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Diana Sykes and George Walker

Apologies for absence were received from Dorothea Cargill Thomson, David Corstorphine, Catriona and David Coulter, Rosina Gentle, Stella Hunter, Donna James, Gaynor and Alan Mathieson, Kate Shearer, Diana Webster, Paul and Margaret Whiteley, Ronnie Wilson and Allan Wood.

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 3^rd February were received and approved: proposed by Allan McLelland and seconded by John Brown.    

Matters Arising

(a)    Harbour Festival: A further meeting of the organising committee had been held on 25^th February but no further information had been forthcoming.  

(b)   Safe cycle routes: The Secretary indicated that she had now received the formal minute of the meeting held in January which would be circulated to CRA members once formally approved.  A follow-up meeting was planned for mid-March.   

(c) Dwelling House of Silverdyke Caravan Park: The Secretary reported that she had found the ‘conditions’ attached to the approval of the planning application.   These are attached as an appendix to the minutes.

(d)  Satellite dish in Shore Street: The Secretary reported that there had been a reply from Fife Council Enforcement section indicating that making active contact with the resident was proving difficult but the matter would be followed up with a view to achieving removal or relocation of the dish

Secretary’s Report: Correspondence      

The Secretary reported David Corstorphine had sent an additional reaction, from the Waid Academy, to the idea of involving Waid students in a future Burns Supper.  There was a mixture of positive and negative reaction.  John Brown noted that involvement of students at Peebles HS in a similar event in the town had work well.  It was agreed not to pursue the matter any further in the short term, although the Association would welcome any further contact from the school in this regard.     

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer, Allan, tabled and spoke to a report for the period 1^st to 28^th February 2015, which showed working capital of £1622.59 at the end of February. (£128.12 cash in hand and £1494.47 in the bank).  Invoices for all outstanding Hall costs had now been rendered. 

NB The management of Cellardyke Town Hall will be taken over by the East Neuk Trust as from 1^st April.

Local and Environmental Issues

(a)   Floral Matters:  The Chairman and Secretary reported on a meeting of a small ‘Floral’ sub-group of the Association which had been held the previous week.  At this, it had been agreed that given the reduced grant to the CRA, it would be difficult for the Association to act in total independence of other groups in the community.  Through a meeting with other groups, some pooling of money might be achieved.  However, even with a supplement to the grant, it had been recognised that no additional displays should be planned as there was manpower to consider as well.  Kate had indicated that she could make only limited commitment in 2015 although she had agreed to draw up a rough timetable for action and to make recommendations asto the best plants.   A list of other people who might help with the work had been drawn up and Glenn had agreed to seek further help from students at the Waid Academy through Ken Brown.  It wasalso been agreed that the next issue of the newsletter should focus on floral matters and include appeals for sponsorship and for residents to support the CRA with their own displays. 

Means of helping Kilrenny to develop displays on a small scale had also been touched upon, as had other means of supplementing the available funds. 

(b)   Interpretation Boards Project and a proposal by John Brown:  John spoke in relation to a short paper outlining his proposed development of a ‘time pathway’ on the Toon’s Green.  He envisaged this being comprised not just of boards but of artefacts such as the whale’s jawbones, fossils, etc.  His belief was that people involved in the history of the community should be central to the display.  He saw his scheme as being complementary to the Interpretation Boards planned by the CRA and recognised that it would be a sizeable undertaking.  

Several questions were raised and counter-suggestions made, and discussion of possible options followed.  It was already planned that John would attend the next meeting of the Interpretation Boards sub-group (on 5^th March) when there would be an opportunity to explore the extent to which the two project might be developed in parallel.

(c)   Dog fouling:  It was noted that this was increasing and it was particularly distressing that there was much in the Braehead area which the young people from the Waid had cleared recently.   A further problem was that of dog owners discarding of the plastic bags of dog faeces at path sides rather than placing them in bins - which suggested that there were not enough bins or that they were not well placed.   Such plastic bags were particularly prevalent along the coastal path beyond the Kilrenny Mill caravan park.

The Secretary agreed to write to Councillor Riches and/or the Council Dog Warden team.   

Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)

a)       The Chair spoke about the matters discussed at the most recent SLC meeting, the minute of which had not yet been approved and so had not been circulated.  Since the February meeting of the CRA, a sufficiently encouraging response had been received from Fife Council with regard to the proposed method for the SLC to adopt in  assessing  applications for grants from Section 75 funding.   However, the Council reserved the right not to accept recommendations in this regard.  The SLC would now consider ways of publicising the availability of grants. The type ofprojects preferred would be low maintenance developments with a long term future and concerned with the infra-structure of the area.   

(b)   It was noted that the work to create proper passing places on Blacklaws Road, pedestrian refuges at the entrances to Skeith Road and Windmill Road (from Crail Road) and a raised platform at the junction of Pickford Crescent and Windmill Road had been completed.   There were some minor criticisms but in general the work was approved.  The Secretary had not received a reply to her complaint about the state of the road surfaces and verges along Blacklaws Road.

(c)   There was still no progress to report with regard to the artwork for the four ‘capstans’.

(d)   With regard to the possible opening up of a footpath from Silverdykes into Toll Road along the side of the church field, the Secretary confirmed that the Minister was still willing to support such a development, but subject to certain conditions. The church was not willing to finance such a project.

(e)   The CRA representatives on the SLC were asked to raise the matter of the signing of Skeith Road along its length from Crail Road through to Windmill Road. 

CRA website

Both way links between the CRA website and the anstruther.info web site are available and functioning.  It was noted that the anstruther.info site does not have automatic deletion of events past their sell-by date, and have to be deleted by authorised users of the web site.

The Chair had written an introductory piece about the CRA to be posted on the Anstruther Information website.  Members were asked to contribute Cellardyke news items, letters, provocative pieces, etc to the CRA site, via George or Allan.

CRA Newsletter

The Secretary proposed to produce a newsletter for publication in April, focusing on floral issues.  Members were encouraged to contribute short pieces, quotable quotes, etc about floral projects in their own neighbourhoods.  Other (non-floral) items would also be welcomed.

AOCB

(a)   The membership of the new Community Council was noted.  A question was raised as to and why there had been no election.   It was explained that fewer people than there were places had been nominated.   It was noted that the first meeting of the Council would be held the following week, when Officers would be elected. 

(b)    Concern was expressed at the number of houses in Shore Street owned by holiday visitors and the demographics of the full-time residents in the area.  It was suggested that a letter on the subject should be written for the newsletter and/or the website to promote discussion.   

There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 8.55pm.

 

Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 7^th April 2015

The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed members

Present: Glenn Jones (Chairman), Catherine Wilson (Secretary), Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Cath Parker, Kate Shearer, Diana Sykes and George Walker.

Apologies for absence were received from John Brown, David Corstorphine, Catriona and David Coulter, Rosina Gentle, Susan Holmes, Stella Hunter, Donna James, Gaynor and Alan Mathieson, Elizabeth Riches, Diana Webster, Paul and Margaret Whiteley, Ronnie Wilson and Allan Wood.

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 3^rd March were received and approved: proposed by Diana Sykes and seconded by George Walker.  

Matters Arising

(a)    Harbour Festival: A further meeting of the organising committee had been held on 24^th March and a copy of the minutes had been seen. There appeared to be plenty of activity planned but little information currently available for publicity purposes. It was rumoured that the CRA might be approached to contribute to the sponsorship fund but no formal approach had yet been received.

(b)   Satellite dish in Shore   Street: The Secretary reported that she had received a further e-mail from a member living in the area to indicate that no action appeared to have been taken by Fife Council to ensure that the dish was removed. The Secretary indicated that she would follow this up - again! She also agreed to raise the matter of burglar alarms (which were proliferating and very noticeable) in a conservation area with the relevant body.  

Secretary’s Report: Correspondence      

The Secretary had no business to report and had received no correspondence    

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer tabled and spoke to a report for the period 1^st to 31^st March 2015, which showed working capital of £1608.59 at the end of the month. (£114.12 cash in hand and £1494.47 in the bank). All previously outstanding invoices for Hall costs had now been settled.

NB The management of CellardykeTown Hall has now been taken over by the East Neuk Trust (as from 1^st April).

 Local and Environmental Issues

(a)   Floral Matters: The leader of the small ‘Floral’ sub-group of the Association reported that, as yet, no applications had been made on behalf of Anstruther and Cellardyke to take part in the Beautiful Fife scheme. Keith Jackson (Fife Council) had donated two additional tubs to the Cellardyke collection and two further tubs had been donated by Kate Shearer.

 No decision was taken over where the four new tubs should be located. It was noted that they needed to be located near to where someone was available to water the plants. Soil/compost had been purchased but planting would not go ahead until May as the air was currently too cold and dry for plants to flourish. The sowing of wildflower seeds along Braehead was discussed but concern was expressed that the large weeds which had been cleared so recently might take over again.

 There had been no response to the appeal for help with cutting the grass round the ‘tattie boxes’ area and generally at the edge of the field and round the entrance to the Waur Path. However, Waid students with their teacher, Ken Brown, would be helping the CRA in its horticultural endeavours during the summer term.    

 (b) Interpretation Boards Project: A brief report was given of a recent meeting of the sub-group, which the Chair and John Brown had also attended. At this several issues with regard to the way forward had been agreed including locations for four boards and their themes. Members of the sub-group had agreed to work on these and to date one member had submitted her further ideas. Contact had been made with a local designer well known to the CRA who had good contacts with a number of local artists. These contacts would be followed up with a meeting in late April.

 (c)  Dog fouling: The Secretary reported that she had written (recently) to the Dog Warden team, with a copy to the local councillor, but as yet there had been no reply. The question of signs about the offence was raised. It was noted that there are some signs but these are generally ignored - likewise the issue of bins and their locations. Despite bins being available, many poo bags were simply abandoned - near the bins or in between them!

 It was suggested that home-made signs with ‘punchy’ messages might have more effect. The idea of involving the primary school in a poster competition on the subject was also floated. This might have particular impact if the children involved pestered their parents on the subject.  

Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)

a) The Chair spoke about the meeting which had taken place the previous week. The main items on the agenda had been (a) the approval of the constitution of the committee and (b) the acceptance of the strategy for dealing with applications from the public for grants from Section 75 funding.   The strategy would now be posted on the anstruther.info website. A paper, providing guidelines for making recommendations to Fife Council on the use of the commuted funds had also been drafted. This paper provided all the relevant background information with regard to the funds, their usage, the role of the SLC, etc. The Chair reported that there was to be a press release about these matters at the end of the month.

(b)   There followed open discussion on possible projects which might merit funding, such as the play park at the East End and that in Windmill Court. It was pointed out that if improvements were to be sought then ‘interest groups’ would need to be formed to put forward a fully researched and costed proposals - as the Bankie Park Development Group had done. It was suggested that the BankiePark would be a good source of advice in this regard.  

Given that for facilities for children, it was parents who were most likely to campaign actively and also that both the East End and Windmill Court were more accessible to children on the Silverdykes development, it was suggested that leafleting in Silverdykes might promote some action and also help to identify younger people who might become involved with the SLC and with the CRA.  

It was agreed that a small STOP PRESS notice about the availability of funds for local projects should be included in the newsletter to be published shortly.

(c)   It was noted that among various road improvements scheduled for the area in the coming months, the road verges on Blacklaws   Road were to be tidied up when the road was closed to carry out some patching later in the year!

 (d)   A question was raised about progress with developing Safe routes to School from the Silverdykes development, but this had not been discussed at the recent meeting. Safe crossing of Windmill Road was also mentioned with regard to children going from Silverdykes to the Waur Path and/or Pickford Crescent and/or Braehead.

CRA website

The question of whether CRA minutes could be posted on the website was raised. The ‘personalisation’ of some comments in the minutes was seen as a possible problem.   The Secretary agreed to write minutes in such a way that names were only mentioned in relation to matters of fact, and not in relation to matters of opinion.

Members were encouraged to submit news items for publication and/or to write raising current issues eg dog fouling; availability of funds for local projects; etc.

The webmaster agreed to look at the possibility of setting up an archive for news items which were dated but which might have lasting interest. He and Allan McLelland were thanked for their work.

CRA Newsletter

The Secretary tabled a draft of a newsletter for publication within the month, focusing on floral issues. It was agreed that if a reasonable quotation for colour printing could be obtained, it would be appropriate for this particular issue to be in full colour. Various minor alterations were suggested and accepted.  

KACC Report

It was noted that the newly constituted Community Council had met for the first time last month and that Andrew Peddie had been elected as its Chair, with Martin Dibley as the Secretary. The hope was expressed that the minutes of its meetings would be published, once approved, in ways that made them easily accessible to the public, eg on the anstruther.info website and the town noticeboard.

AOCB

(a)   It was noted that the management of CellardykeTown Hall had now been transferred to the East Neuk Centre Trust. Concerns were expressed concerning the ownership and conservation of some of the contents of the hall. It was reported that an inventory was being undertaken but it was not known by whom. The view was expressed that the Burgh Collection would be a suitable organisation to safeguard the items by maintaining a record of who owns what, and where it is located.  

(b)   The Chair reported on an ‘incident’ which had occurred on a building site in East Forth Street which had resulted in many local properties and cars being coated in dust. He had contacted the local councillor and Fife Council were due to send an official to assess the damage.

(c)   The Chair reported that the Town Centre Working Group had commissioned a plaque to commemorate the SS AvondalePark. The plaque was to be set in the harbour wall near the Plough and Reaper sculpture and would be formally ‘unveiled’ on 9^th May.   It was agreed that Allan McLelland should represent the CRA formally at this event.  

There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 8.55pm.

Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 5^th May 2015

 The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed members

 Present: Glenn Jones (Chairman), Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Kate Shearer, David Corstorphine, and George Walker.

Apologies for absence were received from John Brown, Catriona and David Coulter, Rosina Gentle, Susan Holmes, Stella Hunter, Donna James, Elizabeth Riches, Diana Sykes, Gaynor and Alan Mathieson, Elizabeth Riches, Diana Webster, Paul and Margaret Whiteley, Catherine and Ronnie Wilson, Allan Wood, and Cath Parker.

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 7^th April 2015 were received and approved: proposed by George Walker, and seconded by Kate Shearer.  

Matters Arising

(a)    Satellite dish in Shore Street: The Secretary reported in absentia that Lyle Smith of Fife Council had been in contact and the matter was being pursued by Fife Council, albeit slowly.

(b)   Incident on a building site in East Forth Street: Fife Council were eventually persuaded to intervene by Cllr Riches, and the problems have been substantially resolved although there is disquiet that the situation was allowed to deteriorate in the first place.

(c)    Dedication of the plaque commemorating SS Avondale Park: The chairman has been heavily involved in this project from the start, and it gives him great pleasure to say that all his efforts have finally borne fruit. The official dedication ceremony will take place at 11.30am on Saturday 10^th May. All are welcome to attend the unveiling ceremony at the east pier, Anstruther harbour.)  

(d)   Artefacts in Cellardyke Town Hall: In response to enquiries about the historical ‘relics’ contained in Cellardyke Town Hall, the CRA has been told that an inventory is being made up and will be held by East Neuk Trust who are now the custodians of Cellardyke Town Hall.

(e)    No further information was available on burglar alarms.

Secretary’s Report: Correspondence      

The Chairman reported on letters received by the Secretary as follows:-

(1)    The Secretary had received a letter from Cllr Riches updating the situation regarding the local cycle path network. Funding has been obtained for the initial survey work on the road into Anstruther from Pittenweem, and it is hoped that progress can now be made, with applications pending to funding sources.

(2)    The Secretary had received a sympathetic letter from Fife Council ‘dog warden’ saying that he had visited the site in question on the afternoon of 16^th April. The letter makes various observations and concludes with the following pertinent comment. “We do however still rely heavily on information from members of the public in relation to times people walk their dogs, location, description of dog/owner etc. as this is helpful in allowing us to target our resources more effectively and any information is treated in strictest confidence. If a member of the public witnesses a dog fouling and is prepared to give a witness statement then we would progress the matter based on the evidence provided.”

(3)    The Secretary had received a letter from the CC on the subject of the public notice board in Shore Street Anstruther. The owner of the board complains about the fact that notices are being posted outwith the confines of the notice board on the door itself, and says that it must stop or he will remove the board and facility.

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer tabled and spoke to a report for the period 1^st to 30^th April 2015, which showed working capital of £2088.74 at the end of the month. (£119.13 cash in hand and £1964.62 in the bank).

It is with great pleasure that the Treasurer reported the receipt of £100 contribution for the floral fund from Cellardyke residents the Kenny family as a result of the newsletter. 

Local and Environmental Issues

(a)   Floral Matters: The leader of the small ‘Floral’ sub-group of the Association reported that there have been no further developments since the newsletter, and any planting was pending better weather.

(c)  Dog fouling: Refer to the section on correspondence.

The suggestion of home made signs with ‘punchy’ messages, which was mentioned at the last CRA meeting was discussed. It was agreed that the idea of involving the primary school in a poster competition on the subject should be pursued, and prizes offered for the three entries chosen on a first second and third basis. It was agreed that this might have particular impact if the children involved pestered their parents on the suject.  

Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)

There has been no meeting of the SLC since the last CRA meeting, and the next SLC meeting will be preceded by a CRA meeting, consequently there is no report. The chairman informed the meeting that forms for submission of proposals are being drafted have still to be agreed, but it is hoped that this will occur at the next meeting. A press release will inform the community about the funds available and the process of making suggestions for their use. (The next meeting of the SLC is on Thursday 4^th June.)  

CRA website

No issues/comments had been raised or received.

CRA Newsletter

The meeting recorded its thanks to Catherine for producing the newsletter, to Kate for her floral report, and Catherine’s thanks to all who helped in delivering it.

KACC Report

No report was to hand, but the Chairman said he would check whether the minutes were being posted on the ‘anstruther.info’ website.

AOCB

There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 8.30pm.

Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 2^nd June 2015 

The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed members

Present: Glenn Jones (Chairman), John Brown, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Susan Holmes, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Kate Shearer, Mary Thomson, George Walker and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).

Apologies for absence were received from David Corstorphine, Catriona and David Coulter, Rosina Gentle, Stella Hunter, Donna James, Paul Lewis, Gaynor and Alan Mathieson, Cath Parker, Diana Sykes, Diana Webster, Paul and Margaret Whiteley, Ronnie Wilson and Allan Wood.

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 5^th May 2015 were received and approved: proposed by Kate Shearer, and seconded by Allan McLelland.    

Matters Arising

(a)    Satellite dish in Shore Street and Burglar Alarms: The Secretary reported that Lyle Smith of Fife Council had responded to a recent e-mail indicating that he had contacted the owner of the property again who had said that he would have his tenant remove the satellite dish from the property frontage ASAP.  Despite this, the satellite dish was still in situ.   On the matter of burglar alarms following a visit to George Street and discussion with the line manager, the matter was deemed to be De minimis* and no further action would be taken regarding such alarms.

(b)   The Chairman was congratulated on, and thanked for, all the work he had undertaken with regard to the installation of a plaque at the harbour to commemorate the SS Avondale Park, and the organisation of the dedication ceremony.  This had been a moving and memorable event.  (It was noted that he had also given a talk and was writing a book on the subject.)

Secretary’s Report: Correspondence      

The Secretary reported on an e-mail she had received from a local resident who had forwarded the recent Newsletter to a friend now living out of the area.  He had been particularly interested in the Memories of Cellardyke (a story of Sonny Corstorphine) article.  This had prompted the resident to suggest the compilation of a booklet of some of Sonny's stories and sell them in aid of the CRA.  This suggestion had been forwarded to the CRA Chair, David Corstorphine and Jimmy Corstorphine for comment.  All accepted the idea as a future development, with a compilation being published electronically.   In the interim, it was suggested that further reminiscences from Sonny should be published in the newsletter and posted on the website, along with reminiscences from other older residents such as Harry Watson, Rona Robertson, May Bridie and Billy Cathcart, et al.    

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer tabled and spoke to a report for the period 1^st to 31^st May 2015, which showed working capital of £2091.75 at the end of the month. (£95.29 cash in hand and £1762.62 in the bank).  There had been some expenditure from the Floral account in the past month and payment had been made from the main account for the Newsletter and to First Responders for maintenance of the Public Access Defibrillators in the village.

Local and Environmental Issues

(a)   Floral Matters:  The leader of the small ‘Floral’ sub-group of the Association reported that 16 new (plastic) tubs had been acquired at no cost to the Association. These had now been filled with compost ready for planting and   put in place at the entrance to Pickford Crescent and in Urquhart Wynd(?)  Some planting elsewhere and some general maintenance work had been undertaken.  New enthusiasts who might help with the floral work had been identified. 

It was noted that the mini roadside garden in Windmill Road appeared to have been adopted and was being maintained by an unknown gardener.  (A case of guerrilla gardening.)  It was suggested that the plot should be photographed and posted, with a note of thanks, on the website. 

Several complaints had been received from residents about the removal of the boat from the Town Green area.  It was reported that it had been taken away for restoration. Once repaired, if repair was possible, the plan was to relocate to the area in front of the RNLI shed where David Brown’s boat had been located previously.  (That boat was also greatly  in need of repair.)

The Secretary agreed to write to the Chair of the KACC to complain/express great regret that one of Cellardyke’s displays had been taken away with future location in Anstruther in mind. 

(b)   Footpath between the Silverdykes Development and Toll Road: The Secretary reported that the Minister and Clerk to the Kirk Session at Cellardyke Church had met with a Fife Council official to discuss the creation of a footpath down the northern side of the church field.  It had been a detailed and helpful meeting and the Council would now work on costing the development of such a path.  Sources of funding would then have to be explored. 

It was stressed that Section 75 funding would not be a possible source for this project.  

(c)   Interpretation Boards:  The Secretary announced, with a little regret, that she felt that she should step down as co-ordinator of this project as she had failed to move it forward appropriately due to other commitments which were taking increasing amounts of time.  She expressed the view that more progress would be made if someone else took over the role.  It was noted that both Diana Webster and John Brown had put forward their proposals for possible themes and content for two boards.  Diana Sykes had reported that she and Jill Calder hoped to meet soon to consider a possible design which might be common to all the boards. 

There followed discussion on design, funding, illustration, production, project management, etc, with plenty of ideas and names being considered.   John Brown then volunteered to take the project forward, with regard to illustration, design, cost, etc, using one board as a prototype.

It was agreed that John would be provided with the contact details of the other members of the sub-group Catherine), and people such as Fiona Mitchell (knowledgeable about sources of funding and planning permission - Kate to approach informally), the designer of the Thomas Chalmers Board in Anstruther (Glenn), Andrea Partridge (Catherine) and other personnel who members thought might be helpful.  John indicated that he was someone who would insist on work being done to deadlines and it was agreed that this would be a very good thing!

(d)   Silverdykes Street Party:  It was noted that this was to be held on 27^th June - the same day as the Cellardyke Church Summer Fête.  It was agreed that both events should be publicised on the CRA website, with further details as and when available. 

Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)

(a)   The Chair reported with regret that there were no minutes from the last meeting to circulate as they had not yet been approved. He indicated that the Constitution of the Committee had also been approved and, with the ‘Guidelines for making Recommendations to Fife Council on the use of Commuted Funds for Leisure and Recreation’, was posted on the Anstruther Info website.  Work to develop appropriate forms for organisations/groups to apply for funding was ongoing.  A pack with guidance notes was planned as it was envisaged that there might be two distinct types of application, one being a carefully worked through application with costed plans while a second type might come from a small group of neighbours, for instance, and might be much simpler/less developed but worthy of forwarding to Fife Council for consideration. 

The Chair indicated that a press launch was planned.  Muir Homes had agreed to cover all the printing costs.

(b)   The Chair further reported that he had had a very useful conversation with the Chair of the Community Council in the context of the work of the SLC and the partnership of the CRA and the KACC.  He felt that this conversation might prove to be useful more generally in developing productive relations between the CRA and the KACC 

Communications

(a)    CRA website: The Webmaster had nothing to report with regard to developments on the site, beyond the fact that it appeared to be visited quite frequently.

(b)    CRA Newsletter: The Editor suggested that it might be appropriate to publish another issue in October/ November, possibly with a maritime theme to take account of the Anstruther Lifeboats 150^th anniversary and the installation of the plaque commemorating the SS Avondale Park both of which had Cellardyke links. The issue might preview the CRA Burns Supper on 30^th January 2016.  

KACC Report/news/developments

(a)  It was noted that minutes of KACC meetings were now being posted on the Anstruther Info website once they had been approved at the subsequent meeting  

(b) Various members commented on ‘problems’ in the area which they felt should be brought to the attention of the KACC, namely:

i) Loose slabs among the ‘knobbly’ paving stones at west side of the Crail Road/Windmill Road junction which represented a hazard to pedestrians;

ii) Parking on double yellow lines on Crail Road in the vicinity of the Bankie Park entrance which was causing traffic movement problems, particularly for buses.

iii) The lack of rubbish/dog bins along the path between Taeping Close and Ariel Close;

iv) The impact of a possible new Scottish Parliament Bill relating to parking on pavements. 

Mary Thomson agreed to raise these matters at the next KACC meeting.  

AOCB

There was brief discussion of the recent Harbour Festival, which, it was thought, had been rather more successful than previous festivals although the publicity had been poor. 

It was noted that the CRA AGM was scheduled for Tuesday, 1^st September.  It would be discussed at the next meeting.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 8.45pm.

*De Minimis

An abbreviated form of the Latin Maxim de minimis non curat lex, "the law cares not for small things." A legal doctrine by which a court refuses to consider trifling matters.

In a lawsuit, a court applies the de minimis doctrine to avoid the resolution of trivial matters that are not worthy of judicial scrutiny. Its application sometimes results in the dismissal of an action, particularly when the only redress sought is for a nominal sum, such as one dollar. Appellate courts also use the de minimis doctrine when appropriate.

July 2015 - No meeting.

Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 4^th August 2015

The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed members

Present: Glenn Jones (Chairman), John Brown, David Corstorphine, Paul Lewis, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Kate Shearer, Diana Sykes and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).

Apologies for absence: a record of these is held on electronic file.

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 2^nd June 2015 were received and approved: proposed by John Brown and seconded by Allan McLelland.    

Matters Arising

(a)    Sonny’s ‘memoirs’: David Corstorphine offered to make an (unedited) electronic copy of Sonny’s memoirs available to Glenn so that he might extract pieces for publication in the CRA newsletter from time to time.  This offer was accepted with alacrity.

(b)   Satellite dish in Shore Street: The Secretary reported that the satellite dish had not been moved despite direction from the Council, relayed to the tenant by the owner, that it should be moved round the corner of the building.    This lack of action had been reported back to the Council and the situation would be monitored.  (Update: The satellite dish was moved into the ‘gap area’ on Shore Street on 11^th August - perseverance has paid off!)

(c)    Boat on the Town Green: It was noted that a replacement boat had been provided and planted.  The support of Andrew Peddie in bringing about quick action was appreciated.

(d)  Silverdykes Street Party: It was reported that this had been a bigger event than ever with approximately twice as many people as last year attending.  Congratulations to the organisers!

(e)  There had been no formal feedback on the issues which had been referred on to the Community Council.    

Secretary’s Report: Correspondence      

There was nothing to report which was not included elsewhere in the minutes. 

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer tabled and spoke to a report for the period 1^st June to 31^st July 2015, which showed working capital of £1898.08 at the end of the month. (£145.29 cash in hand and £1752.79 in the bank).  Further payments for floral work were anticipated and there would also be expenditure relating to the hire of the meeting room in the coming month. 

Social/Community and CRA Activities

(a)   Arrangements for the AGM:  It was confirmed that that this would be held on Tuesday, 1^st September in the larger meeting room at the lower level in the Town Hall.  Reports would be required of the Chair, the Secretary and the Treasurer.   It was further confirmed that the Chair, the Secretary and the Treasurer were each willing to stand for re-election - and there was no indication from those present that anyone was wishing to be considered for the posts!!  The recommendation, that membership subscriptions should be held at the current level, was approved. With regard to refreshments, it was agreed that members would all contribute to the provision of what was required.  The Secretary would liaise with Susan Holmes on this matter.   

(b)   Burns Supper 2016: The Chair confirmed that the hall and the caterers had been booked for Saturday, 30^th January 2016.  One speaker had been confirmed so far, namely David Cortstorphine who would give the Town and Trade speech.  A range of recommendations/suggestions was made for other possible speakers and the Chair agreed to follow up on these. The format would be the same as in previous years.   

It was agreed that the same musical trio as last year should be invited to perform Burns songs with audience participation.   Catherine to follow up on this.  Allan agreed to act as ‘Business Manager’ again. 

(c)   Safe Cycle Routes: The Secretary reported that the necessary survey work having been done by Fife Council, the next meeting re cycle routes would be held on 2^nd September at 1500 hrs in the Upper Dreel Hall.  (NB I probably will not be able to attend that day. CW)

Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)

(a)   Progress report: The Chair reported that he was about to stand down as Chair of the SLC at the end of his agreed one year term of office.  He hoped that George Walker would take over.  There had been little progress since the last meeting as no representative of Muir Homes had been present at that meeting and no minute of the previous meeting had been made available.   However, Glenn had been in touch with David Scobbie who had promised answers, before the next scheduled meeting (Thursday) to various questions raised.

The most important aspect of the work of the SLC now would be to ensure that applications for Section 75 Funding were forthcoming.  All the required information (Guidelines for making Recommendations to Fife Council  on the use of Commuted  Funds for Leisure and Recreation) had now been posted on the Anstruther information website www.anstruther.info/ under the ‘Organisations’ heading.  (An article publicising the scheme had featured in the Fife Herald on 3^rd July and in the St Andrews Citizen.)  The Chair reminded those present that two distinct types of application were envisaged, one being a carefully worked through detailed application with costed plans, using Form A,  while a second type might be much simpler/less developed, coming for instance, from a small group of neighbours, using Form B

Restoration of the Cellardyke boating/swimming pool was mentioned as a project that would be worthy of consideration but it was recognised that Health and Safety legislation would require full-time attendants if the pool were to be re-instated for swimming.  It was noted, however, that as the pool was at present, it could be considered as dangerous.

(b)   Play Area within the Silverdykes development: It was noted that a lot of erroneous rumours had been circulating.     Glenn reported that he had raised with Muir Homes the question of when the play area was to be developed and was awaiting a reply.  (NB Following a meeting of the SLC on 6th August, the Chair confirmed that work on the play park would not start until the building work on two sides of it was finished.  The park was expected to be ready for use for summer 2016.)

Local and Environmental Issues

(a)   Floral Matters: Kate Shearer and Allan McLelland gave a full report on what had happened on the day (14^th July) when the Beautiful Fife judges had visited the area.   To summarise, the time available for touring round and judging the floral displays in Cellardyke had been wholly inadequate.  Only 20 minutes had been available in principle and this had been reduced as the tour had to be undertaken by car and there had been traffic delays en route.  Such was the pressure on the judges that they appeared to show little interest in what was being pointed out and explained to them.  (Anstruther had also suffered in a similar matter with the judges never seeing the displays in Shore Street.) 

It was agreed that the Association should write to express its extreme disappointment at the judging process and should do so before the results of the judging were announced (at an Awards Evening on 25^th September.)  The Secretary agreed to draft a letter to Keith Jackson.

Despite the judging debacle, it was agreed that the displays in Cellardyke were particularly good this year and Kate and Allan were thanked MOST warmly and sincerely for all the work they had done in planning and maintaining the displays.  They agreed to continue this work next year.     

(b)   Interpretation Boards: John Brown presented a very encouraging progress report.  On the design front, he had contacted and met with Derek Munn who had designed the Thomas Chalmers board in Anstruther, Jill Calder having indicated that she was too busy to help at this stage.  He had also contacted a Fife company which manufactured boards and through these contacts, he estimated that the cost of designing and manufacturing four boards to the appropriate specification would be of the order of £2000. 

He had received suggestions for the content of all four boards, the amounts of information varying considerably.  Using the ideas for the board at the harbour, he hoped that a prototype design might be available for consideration by September.

With regard to locations for the boards, he would approach Cllr Elizabeth Riches to look at the possible sites and to talk about installation costs.  

John indicated that he had made some progress re sponsorship and his aim was still to have a board/boards in place by August 2016. 

John was congratulated and thanked most warmly for the progress he had made. 

Communications

(a)    CRA website: There was nothing to report beyond the fact that that the site appeared to be visited quite frequently.

(b)    CRA Newsletter: The Editor confirmed that she would aim to produce the next issue for October/November.  It was suggested that it should contain information about applying for grants from the Section 75 fund and a listing of where the public open spaces in Cellardyke were which might be developed/improved if funding were available.  The outcome of the judging of floral displays, with some photographs could be included.  The issue could also preview the CRA Burns Supper on 30^th January 2016.  

KACC News

It was noted that minutes of KACC meetings were not, it seemed, being posted on the Anstruther Info website, and although there was an indication that they were available from the Secretary, there were no obvious contact details.     

AOCB

(a)  There was interesting discussion on preserving stories of Old Cellardyke, including the possibility of having recordings of the recollections of older local residents.   Concerns were expressed about the changing nature of the population, with increasing numbers of houses now becoming second homes. 

(b)  The Treasurer asked that any outstanding bills be sent to him as soon as possible so that he could make the necessary payments and then have the accounts audited in time for the AGM.

(c)   It was noted that the Annual General Meeting of the East Neuk Centre Trust would be held on Thursday, 1^st October, and that any organisation wishing to submit news or comments to be included in the annual report should send in copy be 24^th September.    It was agreed that the CRA should take up this option.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 8.50pm.

Minutes of 8^th Annual General Meeting Tuesday 1st September 2015

Those present were Glenn Jones (Chairman); John Brown; Dorothea Cargill Thompson, David Corstorphine; Susan Holmes; Kevin Lancaster; Paul Lewis; Allan McLelland (Treasurer); Fiona Mitchell; Kate Shearer; Diana Sykes; Mary Thomson; George Walker and Catherine Wilson (Secretary); 

Apologies (from regular members) were received from Catherine Parker. Cllr Elizabeth Riches also sent apologies

Glenn welcomed all present to the meeting with a particular welcome to Kevin and Fiona.

There followed a short business meeting to deal with any matters arising from the meeting of 4^th August 2015.

The Minutes of Tuesday 4^th August were approved: proposed by Diana Sykes and seconded by Allan McLelland. 

Matters Arising. 

• The Secretary reported that she had written to Keith Jackson of the Parks and Community Department to express the disappointment of the Association at the cursory nature of the visit by the judges for the Beautiful Fife awards. It was noted that Martin Dibley had written in similar fashion on behalf of the Community Council
• John Brown gave a very positive progress report on the Interpretation Boards Project. A designer had been identified to undertake work on five boards and a prototype design of one was circulated. He had met with a Fife manufacturer to agree the optimum materials for use in the production of the boards and had negotiated a reduced price.   He and Councillor Riches had looked at potential sites and Mrs Riches had agreed to help by setting up contacts and/or discussing matters with the relevant staff of Fife Council.   The next step would be to consider all the material suggested for the remaining four boards. John was thanked and congratulated on the progress he had made.  
• The Chairman confirmed that work on the play park within the Silverdykes development would not commence until the building work on two sides of the space in question had been completed. It was hoped, nevertheless, that the park would be ready for use in the late summer of 2016.
• The Secretary confirmed that the ‘offending’ satellite dish in Shore Street had finally been moved.

 Minutes of the AGM of Tuesday, 2^nd September 2014

The minutes were approved, proposed by George Walker and seconded by Mary Thompson.

Matters arising. 

• It was noted that the 3BCDT had offered management help with the Interpretation Boards Project, which John might wish to pick up on. The Secretary agreed to send a progress report to Renni Timmermans of the 3BCDT.
• It was also noted that Eleanor Bowman had made a donation to the CRA Floral Fund for 2016 from the proceeds of the 2015 Silverdykes Street Party.  

 Secretary’s Report.

 Catherine gave her third report to the meeting covering correspondence, both letters and e-mails; attendance at meetings; new members and the loss of a founding and influential member, Sonny Corstorphine, who was sadly missed; floral matters, the Burns Supper; outreach through the website and newsletters; and the Interpretation Boards initiative. She noted how successful some of the association’s work in the past year had been and identified in particular the floral displays, the Burns Supper and the developing work on the interpretation boards.

She thanked regular attenders of CRA meetings for their support and offered particular thanks to Glenn in his role as Chairman, organiser of the Burns Supper, friend and encourager; Allan for meticulous work as Treasurer and his contributions to the work of the association on so many fronts throughout the year; Kate for her unstinting work with the floral displays and George as webmaster. (A copy of the full report is appended to these minutes.)

Treasurer’s Report 

The Chair indicated that it had not been possible to bring a duly audited annual account to the meeting due to the auditor being on holiday ‘at the wrong time’. The account would be presented at the next meeting. In the interim, Allan gave a report on the accounts for the period 1^st to 31^st August 2015. During this period, two donations to the work of the association had been received, there had been five membership renewals. The main items of expenditure had been on floral materials and meeting room hire. The working capital at the end of the month stood at £1580.85 (£182.29 cash in hand and £1398.56 in the bank). The floral account stood at £145.08 and some further payments for floral work were anticipated. The Burns Supper account showed a balance of £1229.64. This sum had been accrued over several years and was used to make occasional charitable donations among other causes.

A question was raised on the cost of room hire and it was noted that rates for rooms varied across the community. In the light of this a better rate might be negotiated for the room currently used. It was agreed that this could be raised at the next ordinary meeting. 

Allan was duly thanked for his work over many years and congratulated again on his clear well documented accounts. 

Chair’s Review of the Year. 

Glenn gave a very positive review of the year, emphasising the ways in which key activities such as the newsletter, the Burns Supper and the interpretation boards project were making a difference in Cellardyke in promoting a sense of community in line with one of the founding aims of the Association. Through the unstinting efforts and fine example of the floral team over several years, members of community were now contributing their own floral displays and/or contributing to the floral fund.  

Glenn referred, with thanks, to the ‘small but perfectly formed band of members who have turned out every month for the bread and butter work of the CRA’ and to ‘our band of subscribing supporters who cannot attend meetings, but pay the annual subs of £10 to support our work, and often help out with particular activities’. He also made reference to the CRA representatives serving on, and providing the leadership for the Silverdykes Liaison Committee, and drew particular attention to the scheme forlocal residents to make suggestions for the use of Open Space Leisure funds and urged everyone to consider what could be done to improve Cellardyke, and to put in requests using the forms on the www.anstruther.info website.

In closing, Glenn paid tribute to Sonny Corstorphine whose life had exemplified the ideals that the CRA aimed for, and encouraged members to continue to work to safeguard the identity and history of Cellardyke while promoting it as a living community. (A copy of the full review is appended to these minutes.)   

Annual Subscriptions and Membership. 

It was proposed that no change be made to the existing arrangements; i.e. members attending meetings would continue to contribute £1 per meeting as subscriptions, while those unable to attend would be invited to make a donation, recommended at £10 per year, to support the work of the Association, receive minutes etc. The proposal was unanimously agreed. 

Election of Office Bearers. 

All the current officers, as listed below, had indicated their willingness to continue to serve for a further year.This offer was accepted with alacrity and the ‘candidates’ were elected by unanimous acclamation!! 

Chairman:                    Glenn Jones 

Vice-Chairman:           George Walker 

Secretary:                   Catherine Wilson

Treasurer                    Allan McLelland 

OCB 

On the subject of floral funds, it was announced that a Coffee Morning would be held in Cellardyke Church Hall on Saturday, 12^th September, from 10.00 to 12.00 to raise money for the floral displays across the whole Anstruther, Cellardyke and Kilrenny communities in 2016. Those members who had already offered help were thanked and all were encouraged to display posters if they were able to do so. Mart Thomson was thanked for taking on the organisation of the event. 

There being no other matters to discuss, the meeting closed at approximately 20.20 hrs, with Mary proposing thanks to all the officers. 

The next monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday 6^th October, and the next Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, 6^th September 2016. 

Members then enjoyed light refreshments and social time together. 

Secretary’s Report (CRA AGM – 1^st September 2015)

This is my third report as Secretary of the CRA and in its most succinct form, I think it would read ‘Business as usual’. However, for the purpose of the records, I suspect that it should include a little more detail.

The Association has met nine times in the past year, including the AGM. Attendances have not been large and even our most active members have had to miss the occasional meeting. We have recruited one new member who has become an important member of our group, of which more I shall write below. Sadly we lost one of the stalwarts of the Association with the death of Sonny Corstorphine. Sonny was very regular in his attendance at meetings and a great contributor to discussion. His close interest in our affairs continued even when ill-health prevented his attendance.   He is much missed.

As Secretary, my main tasks have been to answer letters, of which I receive very few of a formal nature, e-mails, of which there are rather more, to prepare agendas, in consultation with the Chair, and to produce and circulate minutes, often, but not always, with assistance with the note taking. I have also taken it upon myself to produce an occasional newsletter.

Among some interesting communications this year has been a letter from Bobby Thomson, a great grandson of Peter Thomson who owned a drapers shop in James Street in the later1800s/early 1900s. He sent us a package of papers including what was possibly the first insurance certificate for the windows in the current town hall. The papers have now been lodged with the Burgh Collection. Another communication relating to the installation of a satellite dish in the conservation area became the subject of one our longest-running ‘Matters arising’, but perseverance paid off and the offending dish has now be moved to a less prominent position!

Once again the Association applied for a Floral Grant from Fife Council and while we were successful in obtaining some funding, we were disappointed that it was a grant considerably smaller than in previous years.   However, responding to an appeal in the Spring issue of the Newsletter, a number of local residents made generous monetary contributions and others contributed additional displays to those sponsored by the CRA. In the latter category we are delighted at the adoption of the small strip of land on the west side of Windmill Road by a number of local residents. After Kate Shearer’s appeal for left over plants to be put in it last year, this year it has truly blossomed - a case of guerrilla gardening. (See photos on the website.)

Kate and Allan McLelland, assisted by Colin Ingram, have once again worked tirelessly throughout the season to create our floral displays and keep them looking beautiful. We are hoping that we will receive a Silver Gilt Award in 2015, as we did in 2014, despite the cursory nature of the visit by the Beautiful Fife judges.

The Burns Supper in late January was once again a great success. We were treated to appropriately informative, apposite and/or humorous addresses and speeches, and musical entertainment in which we could all join in and sing. Glenn, not only master-minded the programme but also chaired proceedings in true music hall style. A highly enjoyable time was had by all.

Glenn in his organisation of the Burns Supper always refers to the important role played by Allan McLelland as his Business Manager. Once again Allan fulfilled this role with vigour and enthusiasm, as he does with all tasks that he takes on. The event made a surplus, mainly through purchase of raffle tickets. Thanks to all who donated prizes and bought tickets - indeed thanks are due to all who contributed to the success of the evening.

The three CRA representatives serving on the Silverdykes Liaison Committee (SLC) - Glenn Jones, George Walker and Dorothea Cargill Thompson - have served diligently. Glenn agreed to serve as Chair of the committee for the year and while all members of the SLC agreed that this responsibility should be undertaken for a year and then rotated round the committee, it seems that the CRA may well be providing the chair for the coming year too.   I shall leave it to Glenn to report on the main business of the SLC during the past 12 months.

We have published, and distributed to every house in the community, one (full-colour) Newsletter in the past year and another is due shortly. Feedback has been encouraging. Our website, with George Walker in charge, has been used to disseminate information about activities in the ACK area, and snippets of history, etc, of possible interest to residents of Cellardyke.   George has recently reported user statistics for August as follows:-

Unique Visitors = 92

Number of visits = 132

Pages = 429    = 3.92 pages/visit.

I am delighted to be able to report, at last, real progress with the Interpretation Board initiative. Having tried, unsuccessfully, to move this forward over the past two or three years, I finally recognised that I was hindering its progress and stood down as ‘co-ordinator’. In the interim, John Brown had joined the Association and, ‘joy of joys’, he agreed to take the project forward. In just a few months he has worked wonders. Not only do we have draft content for four boards, but John is working: with the support of Councillor Riches, with Fife Council on possible locations; with a local designer on the design of one board as a prototype; and to identify possible manufacturers.

The role as Secretary has continued to be interesting and generally enjoyable. It has been a real pleasure to work with Glenn, Allan and George as officers of the Association, and also with those who attend meetings regularly, and/or make significant contributions to its work in the community. I thank you all!

If it is the will of the meeting, I am willing to continue to serve as Secretary in the coming year.  

Catherine Wilson

1^st September 2014 

CRA Chairman’s Review of the Year 2014-15

Catherine’s Secretary’s report has highlighted the successes of the CRA in the past year very well. She has accurately identified those who have made contributions, but through her customary modesty has downplayed her own.   I think we are exceptionally fortunate in having the services of such a skilled and conscientious secretary. Our minutes are thorough and clear, and the organisation of the CRA proceeds smoothly throughout the year, thanks   to her professionalism.   None of this happens without hours of work, and I would like to thank Catherine most warmly for her incomparable   contribution to the CRA.

Listening to Catherine’s report, it is very clear that the CRA is making a difference in Cellardyke. A number of things are happening, which simply would not exist without it. The newsletter, which Catherine edits, and which we all help to distribute to every house in the village,   is just one   example. Amongst our aims are the promotion of a sense of community, and   actions and activities to safeguard the identity of Cellardyke. The newsletter does all of these, highlighting events in the village, bringing news and articles about its history. All this reminds our readers that this is a village with its own identity, created over many years by folk with a clear sense of who they were, and inhabited now by folk who care about its future.   This also has been a theme of our Burns Suppers. I am proud that we created a new event some six years ago, a traditional Burns supper which also celebrates the town, trade and language of this part of Fife.   Catherine has referred to the work of John Brown in taking a firm grip on the information boards project, and leading it towards   completion. Soon the history of the village will be there for all its new residents and summer visitors to see, helping safeguard the identity of Cellardyke. We are also out there in cyberspace, thanks to George Walker’s stewardship of the website. Now   anyone, in Methil or Melbourne, can google Cellardyke and reach us. There is much more potential in this, and George is always on the lookout for material.  

One of the most visible aspects of our work is, of course, the floral displays created and maintained by Kathryn Shearer, and Allan Mclelland, assisted by Colin Ingram and our   waterers of tubs. Increasingly,  
other Cellardyke residents are following the example of our floral team. This is becoming a real community effort, with donations, both monetary and floral,   making a valuable contribution. A notable example is the attractive strip of garden created from a ribbon of scrap on Windmill Road, and lovingly maintained by residents.   All this is furthering the well-being   of Cellardyke in line with our constitution, and is possibly the best way to increase interest in the CRA, by visibly working with the community to improve it.

I   am grateful to our small but perfectly formed band of members who have turned out every month for the bread and butter work of the CRA, discussing issues ranging from the effects of regional policies on Cellardyke, to the problems of satellite dishes and dog poo. I am also grateful to our band of subscribing supporters who cannot attend meetings, but pay the annual subs of £10 to support our work, and often help out with particular activities. Our representatives also attend the Silverdykes Liaison Committee, and it is the CRA which has provided the leadership for this committee. It is now requesting suggestions for spending the Open Space Leisure funds provided by Muir Homes, and I would urge everyone to consider what could be done to improve Cellardyke, and put in requests using the forms linked to our website, as soon as possible.

Reviewing the year just finished, we find that the CRA has been living up to its aims and constitution. Members have used their individual skills and experiences for the benefit of the CRA and of Cellardyke. In addition to our floral team, I wish to thank Catherine, for her secretarial work, Allan for being our financial rock, and George as vice chair for his readiness to step in when needed and for being a ready source of sound advice, and good humour. I would like to thank all of our members, those who can attend and those who support from afar. As Catherine has said, this year we lost one of the key founding members of the CRA, Sonny Corstorphine. Sonny’s pride and love for his native village was incomparable, and I like to think that the CRA is part of his legacy. In the year ahead may we be true to his ideals, and continue to safeguard the   identity and history of Cellardyke while promoting it as a living community.

Glenn Jones

1^st September 2015

 

October 2015 - No Meeting.

 

Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 3^rd November 2015

The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed all to the meeting, especially those who had not been able to attend for some time.

Present: Glenn Jones (Chairman), Alex Barclay, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Susan Holmes, Paul Lewis, Steve Liscoe, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Kate Shearer, Diana Sykes, George Walker and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).

Apologies for absence: a record of these is held on electronic file.

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 1^st September 2015 (including the minute of the AGM) were received and approved: proposed by George Walker and seconded by Diana Sykes.  

Matters Arising

(a)    Judging for Beautiful Fife Awards: The Secretary reported that a reply had been received from Keith Jackson.

(b)   Proceeds from Coffee Morning: The Secretary reported that the Coffee Morning in September, organised to raise money for floral displays in 2016 across the community, had been successful in raising over £500. It was not yet known how much would be allocated to the CRA.

Secretary’s Report: Correspondence      

The Secretary reported that she had received and replied to a communication from a local resident expressing interest in supporting the Association. This correspondence had led to the enrolment of two new members. The Secretary had also received notice of intention from one member to raise the matter of a planning application (see below).

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer tabled and spoke to a report for the period 1^st September to 31^st October 2015, which showed working capital of £1896.02 at the end of the period. (£182.29 cash in hand and £1658.73 in the bank). On further payment for floral work was pending and the sum of 17 pence interest had been received from the bank! A gift of £250 had been received in September.

The Chair thanked the Treasurer for his meticulous account-keeping.

Social/Community and CRA Activities

(a)   Update on planning for the Burns Supper 2016: The Chair was pleased to report that a full programme of speakers for the 2016 event (30^th January) was now in place, that the piper had been booked and that the musical entertainment would be of the same form as that for 2015. (See attachment). As yet no-one had been identified to read any Cellardyke verse. Ideas/suggestions would be welcomed.

It was agreed that initial publicity would be organised through the CRA website and that ticket sales would start in the second week of January. Once again the proprietors of Cellardyke Corner Shop had agreed to sell tickets on behalf of the Association.

George Walker was asked to check on the sound system and Paul Lewis volunteered to help. The Chair agreed to check with the East Neuk Centre Trust about what was available in the hall in this regard - and also to request that a coat-hanging rail be made available on the night.

It was agreed that there should be a raffle and that an appeal should be made to members for the donation of prizes.

(b)   Safe Cycle Routes: The Secretary reported that she had been unable to attend the September meeting at which there had been a presentation on alternative routes for the cycle-ways by two Fife Council transportation officers. Some issues needed to be explored further as a result of discussion but it was hoped that the plans could be put out for consultation with the primary and secondary schools and the general public soon. The Secretary was unaware of when and how this consultation would be undertaken*. Copies of the relevant papers were tabled. (See attached)

It was reported that Councillor Riches was exploring various sources of funding

*A draft questionnaire was circulated for comment recently to a small group of people and it will be discussed further at a meeting on 16^th November. The extent of the consultations was yet to be agreed but it would include both schools - pupils and parents - and the public.

(c)    Christmas events to be organised in Anstruther: The Secretary reminded members that these were to take place during the weekend of 4^th – 6^th December but the amount of information available was very limited. (Some further details about the weekend were circulated a day or two later and can be found on the CRA website.)

(d)   Remembrance Sunday: It was confirmed that the church service would be held at CellardykeChurch, starting at 10.45. Wreaths would be laid at the Kilrenny/Cellardyke War Memorial immediately after the service. Allan McLelland agreed to lay the first CRA wreath on the Sunday and the second one at AnstrutherCemetery on the anniversary of Armistice Day. Some refreshments would be served immediately after the church service, in the hall and further refreshments would be available for those returning from the war memorial.

Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)

(a)   Progress report: The Chair gave a verbal report on the October meeting, commenting in the process that he had, reluctantly, agreed to continue as the Chair of the committee for another year. Unfortunately, David Scobie was unable to attend meetings at present and his replacement was not very swift in producing minutes although these should be available in time for the December meeting of the Liaison Committee.

In quoting the numbers of houses (private sales and affordable house lettings) ‘sold’, Glenn pointed out that the figures were such that the point was nearing when the second tranche of money from Section 75 funding would become available.

(b)   Applications for Grants: On the subject of Section 75 funding, the Chair indicated that four proposals had been submitted ahead of the recent deadline.

One was a fully costed proposal for an ‘explorer arch’ in BankiePark. The Liaison Committee had agreed to recommend to Fife Council that a grant be made.

Another proposal for a level pathway around the inside of the perimeter fence at the Park had been referred to the Council for costing.

With regard to a further proposal relating to the repair of bridges in the Craw Hill Community Woodland, the recommendation was that Fife Council should provide the materials and REME/TA be asked to provide the manpower.

The fourth proposal related to a pathway by the side of the CellardykeChurch field. It was noted that a design brief and further discussion were needed because of the value of linking with the planned Safe Cycle routes.

Glenn pointed out that no applications had been made relating to the possible development of leisure facilities in Cellardyke. He also indicated that it was unlikely that all the money from the Phase 1 tranche would be used up on the applications currently to hand.

Questions were raised about the degree of specificity needed in making applications and it stressed that while accurate costings were not needed, any application would benefit from having an indication of the extent of demand for what was proposed, and an indication of long tern benefit.

Members were encouraged to put in applications if they had appropriate ideas or to prompt applications from friends/neighbours. An ‘appeal’ for applications through the Community Council was suggested. It was noted that the next SLC meeting would be held on 3^rd December but the deadline for applications would be 30^th November.   Application forms were available from the library and via the anstruther.info website.

(c)   A request had been made of Muir Homes that a community noticeboard be located within the development. This request was being considered.  

(d)   There was no progress to report with regard to the engraved metal plaques to be attached to the capstans.  

 Local and Environmental Issues

(a) Floral Matters: It was noted that Anstruther/Cellardyke had been granted a Silver Gilt Award in the Beautiful Fife initiative. It was further noted that a meeting re the arrangements for next year had been held recently under the auspices of the Community Council, but CRA had not seen represented at it and no minutes had been seen since the meeting. There was no recent information on the anstruther.info website either.

The general feeling was that Cellardyke should organise its own displays in 2016 as it had done so successfully in recent years. It was recognised that this would only be possible if Kate and Allan were prepared to head the CRA work. It was noted that Andrew Peddie had been planning bulbs in the verge along the east side of Windmill Road. The application to Fife Council for a grant for 2016 had been submitted at the end of October.    

 (b)   Interpretation Boards: The Secretary tabled a report, based on two progress reports sent in by John Brown in recent weeks. Copies of the report will be circulated with this minute. John, with some valuable assistance from Councillor Riches, had made further significant progress and there had been consultations on locations and the nature of the structures supporting the boards, with relevant members of Fife Council. Steve Liscoe indicated that he had been sent copies of the plans, because of his work relating to conservation matters and local archaeology. He indicated that he would be happy to support the project within the Council framework.

John was thanked most warmly, in absentia, for the progress he was continuing to make.  

(c)   Planning issues: Alex Barclay raised the issue of the installation of solar panels in a conservation area, wondering what the view of Fife Council’s Planning Office might be and how local residents might feel. There followed quite lengthy and interesting discussion on this subject in which a variety of points were raised. While it might be argued that for the specific application currently being considered, as the panels were not facing the street and thus not affecting the ‘street-scape’, there was not ‘a problem’. However, there were examples of residents not being allowed to make changes to their properties because of the need to preserve the roofline as seen from the sea, and it was noted that many visitors to the area viewed the village from the shore or from the sea.   Concern was expressed that if few objections were made, then the Planning Office would use its delegated powers in reaching a decision, although Steve indicated that the Office would have to take advice from the Built Heritage (?) Officer   A further concern was that if the current application was approved, dangerous precedents might be set for the future.

It was recognised that there were conflicting principles involved in that while maintenance of the attractiveness of the environment was valued, so was the principle of adopting sustainable energy devices.  Steve agreed to look into any standing orders which might relate to the case, and the Chair and Secretary agreed to draft a letter to send to the Planning Officer expressing some of the concerns of the local community.     

The Secretary reported that she had received a communication from a resident of the flats within the conversion of the former CellardykePrimary School about the proliferation of satellite dishes. It was noted that there were no restrictions relating to the erection of dishes outside the conservation area - and the former school was just outside the area.

Steve volunteered to circulate, via the Secretary a weekly listing of application received by the Planning Department.     

Communications

(a)   CRA website: There was nothing to report beyond the fact that the site continued to be visited quite frequently but that no feedback resulted.

(b)   CRA Newsletter: The Editor confirmed that she had received plenty of material for the next issue but admitted, with regret, that she had not yet found the time to produce a draft.   A few further short, seasonal items were offered.

KACC News

There was nothing to report as the Anstruther.info website was still not publishing minutes of meetings.  

NB The minute of the October meeting is now available on the website and presumably the minute of the November meeting will be posted once it has been formally adopted at the December meeting.  

AOCB

The Secretary reminded members of a Drop-in session to take place on 5^th November at the East Neuk Centre between 0930 and 1630 relating to a Fife Council Community Mapping Project.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 2105 hrs.   
 

Speakers and Music for Burns Supper 2016

Chairman - Glenn Jones

Selkirk Grace - ??? George Walker or Brian Porteous

Piper - as in 2015

Pousie Nancy - Susan Holmes

Address to the Haggis - Jim Harris

The Immortal Memory - Brian Porteous

Toast to the Lassies - William Duncan

Holy Willie’s Prayer - Bill Lamont

Town and Trade - David Corstorphine

Cellardyke Poem

Burns Songs - Elizabeth Dickson, Jessie Lyon and Alison McIvor (with all joining in!)

Thanks - Catherine Wilson 

 

Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 1^st December 2015

The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed all to the meeting, especially two new members

Present: Glenn Jones (Chairman), Jimmy Brand, John Brown, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, David Corstorphine, Susan Holmes, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Catriona McPherson, Kate Shearer, George Walker and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).

Apologies for absence: a record of these is held on electronic file.

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 3^rd November 2015 approved: proposed by George Walker and seconded by Susan Holmes.  

Matters Arising

Sound system at Cellardyke Town Hall: There was no progress to report but George Walker indicated that he would be talking to the staff at the East Neuk Centre Trust to check what might be available. David Corstorphine indicated that there was portable system at the Waid Community Centre which might be borrowed.

Secretary’s Report: Correspondence      

The Secretary reported that she had received an enquiry from Bill Motion following up on the letter which the CRA had sent to Fife Council concerning solar panels in conservation areas. (See a later minute.)

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer tabled and spoke to a report for the period 1^st November to 30^th November 2015, which showed working capital of £1656.41 at the end of the period. (£171.92 cash in hand and £1484.49 in the bank).

The Chair thanked the Treasurer again for his excellent account-keeping.

Social/Community and CRA Activities

(a)   Update on planning for the Burns Supper 2016: The Chair confirmed that the programme was in place but that there would be no poetry reading this year – as David C would be giving the Town and Trade speech. George W would say the Selkirk Grace. Glenn would provide the appropriate words about the CRA for the back of the programme/menu card.

Allan McL indicated that the tickets and the posters were already printed and members were invited to take the latter for posting in appropriate places. Tickets would go on sale early in the new year. George confirmed that all the information about the event had already been posted on the website.

(b)   Safe Cycle Routes: The Secretary reported that a public consultation exercise had been undertaken with two sessions at the Co-op, one with the students at the Waid and one with parents, one with parents at the primary school and one at the Fisheries Museum. The responses had been encouraging with regard to the stated need for such routes. A detailed analysis of the feedback was being undertaken.

David pointed out that on the maps circulated at the November meeting the route from Pitttenweem had ended at the current Waid Academy.

(c)   Resurrection of ENCAP: It was noted that a Co-ordinator had been appointed to ENCAP – The East Neuk Community Action Plan, but no further information appeared to be available. The theory behind the organisation was that all local communities should become involved in developing action plans for the area. (Secretary’s note – I have just found some information about training opportunities for would-be ‘Community Agents’, to be provided by ENCAP, on the anstruther.info website. Look under the ‘Opportunities’ menu.)

(d) Christmas events weekend: It was noted that this had gone ahead with some success despite the cancellation of the ceremony for the switching on of the lights due to very strong winds and adverse weather conditions.

Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)

(a)    Applications for Grants: The Chair reminded members that the role of the SLC was to receive applications, discuss them and then to channel them, if considered to meet the set criteria, to Fife Council for further consideration and possible approval. At its most recent meeting, the committee had received applications for new equipment for the Cellardyke Playpark; for work relating to a swimming pool at the new Waid Academy and for support in the development of the local section of the Safe Cycle Routes project.

The Chair confirmed that there was a rolling programme for applications, with no set deadlines. Applications to hand were considered at the bi-monthly meetings of the Liaison Committee. (See Anstruther.info website)

(b)    Related issues: Susan Holmes raised the matter of the path linking the Silverdykes development to Toll Road as originally proposed. Her question was prompted by the fact that people were already making an informal pathway across the church field, having scaled the boundary wall, raising issues of safety. It was reported that the church was awaiting a response from Fife Council about funding for a pathway.  

The condition of Blacklaws Road was also raised, the road still being in a poor, and worsening, condition.

 Local and Environmental Issues

(a) Interpretation Boards: John Brown spoke to his Update Report Number 5. He reported that he had received very positive responses from Council officials with regard to proposed locations and aimed to extend the project through the development of six boards for Cellardyke and a further three for Kilrenny.   However, some Council officials wanted old structures to be used to support the new boards whereas he would be pushing for totally new supports.   The likely installation cost per board would be of the order of £500, if existing support structures were used

John also stressed the importance of historical reality with regard to the information on the boards, indicating there was quite a lot of misinformation in popular beliefs about aspects of the area’s history. He went on to indicate that the intention was to embed a website address and a QR (Quick Response) barcode on each of the boards to allow the reader/observer access to a new, dedicated interpretation boards website which would carry additional information.   There would also be links to other websites. In anticipation of the creation of the website, John had registered a new domain, cellardyke.org, however, he did not wish to undertake this element of the development and would want someone else to develop the website.

The next step would be to get the content of all the boards agreed and then to engage in a public relations/public consultation exercise before moving to the manufacturing stage. John indicated that Harry Watson had agreed to vet the historical content.

All in all, there was much work to be done and it would not be possible to work to the previously estimated schedule - of the first installations being in the summer of 2016.  

In the discussion that followed the report, various matters were raised, such as the possibility of audio guides, leaflets, say of the shops along the length of James, John and George Street, the availability of local source material from residents and former residents still living in the area.

(b)   Planning issues: The Secretary confirmed that a letter seeking information about planning policy with regard to the installation of solar panels in conservation areas had been sent to a senior member of the Fife Council Planning Department. The letter had been acknowledged with a promise that a member of the Development Management Team would respond in due course.  

Communications

(a)   CRA website: Once again it was reported that the site continued to attract frequent visitors but that little feedback resulted.

(b)   CRA Newsletter: The Secretary apologised for having made little progress with the compilation of a new issue. It was agreed that publication before the new year should not be contemplated.

KACC News

There was nothing to report as the Anstruther.info website was still not publishing minutes of meetings and much of the information on the website relating to the Community Council was VERY dated.  

There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 2030 hrs. The meeting was followed by social time at which seasonal refreshments were enjoyed.

 

Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 2^nd February 2016

 The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed all to the first meeting of the new year.

Present: Glenn Jones (Chairman), Dorothea Cargill Thompson, David Corstorphine, Paul Lewis, Steve Liscoe, Allan McLelland (Treasurer) and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).

Apologies for absence: a record of these is held on electronic file.

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 1^st December 2015 approved: proposed by Allan McLelland and seconded by David Corstorphine.  

Matters Arising

(a)   Development of a footpath from Silverdykes to Toll   Road: This was considered under the SLC agenda heading below.

(b)   Solar Panels in Conservation Areas: The Secretary reported on a telephone conversation with Alastair Hamilton of Fife Council. Solar panels are generally encouraged outwith conservation areas (and planning permission is not needed) but within conservation areas this is not the case. Each application was considered on its individual merits or demerits and factors taken into consideration are ‘visibility’, effect on the overall character of a scene, historical environment, etc. In historic areas such as the East Neuk virtually all external work needed planning permission. Generally, the planners are reluctant to see solar panels on the fronts of properties. Steve Liscoe added that alterations that would be allowed elsewhere, were now subject to formal planning consideration when for buildings within conservation areas. .  

Secretary’s Report: Correspondence      

There was nothing to report.

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer tabled and spoke to a report for the period 1^st December 2015 to 31^st January 2016 which showed working capital of £1665.58 at the end of the period. (£180.92 cash in hand and £1464.66 in the bank). As at the time of the meeting there was £1235.65 in the Burns Supper Account and the Floral Account balance was £194.47.

The Chair thanked the Treasurer for all his admirable work.

Social/Community and CRA Activities

(a)    Burns Supper 2016: The general feeling of the meeting was that this had been a most successful event. It had had a very happy atmosphere and already some were said to be looking forward to the 2017 Supper! There had been one minor problem relating to reserved seating which had resulted in some without reservations facing difficulty in finding spaces to sit together. It was agreed that to have no reserved seating in the future was not a good option. However, such seating might be in just one block in the future with the option only open to those who gave good notice. It was agreed that due thought to arrangements for 2017 would be given nearer to the time of the event.

It was noted that those attending had been very generous in their support of the raffle so that overall the evening had made a small surplus.

It was agreed that the Chair should explore with the caterers and hall organisers the date of 1^st February 2017 as the date for the 2017 event.

(b)   Safe Cycle Routes: The Secretary reported that a meeting had taken place between those working to develop the route and representatives of Sustrans and Fife Council. This had been a very positive meeting exploring a number of key aspects and including a visit to some of the ‘problem’ areas. The timetable for applying for funds from Sustrans was very tight but the work was in hand and a decision by mid-April was possible. This then created further pressure as the work was expected to be completed in a financial year. However, Fife Council was being very supportive in this regard.

It was noted that an application for funding had also been lodged with the SLC for funds from the Section 75 funds and the committee had agreed to recommend that £50 000 be provided (which was likely to be matched by Fife Council).

(c)    ‘Anstruther Burgh Survey’ Meeting: The Secretary and Chairman had both attended a meeting about this initiative, which, despite its name was a Survey which would cover the three villages of Kilrenny, Anstruther and Cellardyke. The ‘survey’ was the final part of a five-year project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic Environment Scotland and was led by Fife Council.   It would create a lot of opportunities for community engagement and activities and would also result in a book on the history and archaeology of the area.

The report of this meeting resulted in quite lengthy and interesting conversations about various aspects of the history of the area which are not recorded here. Members were encouraged to look for further information at https://www.facebook.com/AnstrutherSurvey and to make contact with Rathmel Archaeology Ltd, the consultants undertaking the work on behalf of the Council, with information and ideas (peter.klemen@rathmel-arch.co.uk )

Strong feelings were expressed that the name of the initiative should be changed to The Kilrenny, Anstruther and Cellardyke Burgh Survey, so that it reflected truly the scope of the project.  

(d)   Anstruther Harbour Festival: It was noted that the dates of the Festival, which was to be for two days only, were 4^th and 5^th June. A planning committee was to be held shortly. See end of minute for further info.

Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)

(a)    Applications for Grants: The Chair referred to his earlier indication of a grant being recommended for the new cycle route, adding that an application had also been made for money to develop the path between Silverdykes and Toll Road, but that it had been suggested that this was part of the safe cycle route project. Applications had also been received for: a grant towards the cost of a ‘garden style’ swimming pool for the new Waid Academy; for new equipment for the Cellardyke Playpark; and for a path/cycle track/running track round Bankie Park.

It was questioned whether either the school or the Council would be in favour of a pool, although it was recognised that the area needed one, given the fact that there were times when Leven and St Andrews Pools were not accessible, and that the bus fares for families going to either of these locations were not inconsiderable.

The Chair also reported that the second tranche of money from Muir Homes would soon become due.

(b)   Related issues: (i) The matter of the path linking the Silverdykes development to Toll Road via CellardykeChurch field was raised. The Secretary reported that the church was in communication with Fife Council about the development of such a path, and some progress had been made.

(ii) The state of the pathway, with regard to accumulated litter and dog fouling, between Taeping Close and the Skeith Medical Centre was raised. No reply had been received from Muir Homes to an enquiry about responsibility.

(iii) It was questioned when the artwork would be added to the plinths within the Silverdykes development.

(iv) It was noted that the condition of Blacklaws   Road was not only very poor, but worsening daily.

Local and Environmental Issues

(a) Interpretation Boards: It was noted that John Brown was currently in Panama. However, he had moved the project further forward in that ten possible sites for boards, including three in Kilrenny had now been identified. He had sent a list and photographs of these to Cllr Riches prior to seeking formal planning permission. He also intended to attend a meeting of the Community Council seeking its approval of the proposed locations.  

(b)   Floral Matters: The Secretary reported that the grant awarded by Fife Council for 2017 was £229, which was considerably less than the amount awarded in the previous year and half as much as the grants awarded to several Anstruther organisations. In discussion, various reasons were suggested of why the CRA had not been favoured with more. The Chair agreed to write to register the extreme disappointment and anger/frustration of the Association at the decision.

The Secretary reported that she had contacted the Community Council about funds which had been promised in 2016 to supplement the small grant Fife Council to the CRA and also about the allocation of funds from the Coffee morning to the CRA.   The CC Chairman had responded indicating that the matter was in hand.

It was agreed that enquiries would be made of Cllr Riches re the operation of the new regionalised process for applying for funding in 2017 and the criteria to be used in making decisions.

Communications

(a)   CRA website: In the absence of the webmaster, there was not report.

(b)   CRA Newsletter: The Secretary reported that she had made progress with the compilation of the next issue of the newsletter but needed one or two more items such as one of Sonny Corstorphine’ memories.

KACC News

Yet again there was nothing to report as the Anstruther.info website was still not carrying minutes of meetings and, as reported previously, much of the information on the website relating to the Community Council was VERY dated.   It was assumed that this was because up-to-date information was not being provided.

AOCB

(i) It was noted that the Three Burghs Community Development Trust had been wound up. Questions were raised about the dispersal of its assets and it was suggested that the Community Council should be asked about this.

(ii) Paul Lewis suggested a competition to be run through the website – challenging participants to identify and locate, from a collection of photographs, some obscure ‘elements’ which were part of the Cellardyke environment. Members were asked to send ideas to Paul.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 2030 hrs.

Additional information which has become available since the meeting

1. Anstruther Harbour Festival: The next planning meeting of the Anstruther Harbour Festival will be on Wednesday, March 2, at 7:30pm. The meeting will take place in the Meeting Room of the Anstruther Library (lower level of the AnstrutherTown Hall).

The AHF is continuing to expand and evolve, and new changes will be discussed at this meeting. As the AHF committee is interested in feedback and suggestions from the business owners and residents of Anstruther, please try and attend this meeting so you can learn about these new changes and let us have your thoughts.

Future planning meetings will all take place in the Meeting Room of the Anstruther Library; will each be at 7:30 pm, and will always take place on a Wednesday. The dates of these meetings are March 2, April 6, May 4, and June 1.

Entertainers and kids activity leaders are sought, and if interested, should contact Harbourfest2016@aol.com, or phone 310063.

2. Footpath through the Cellardyke Church Field: The Moderator and the Clerk at the church have met on site with the engineer concerned from Fife Council. There was agreement that the Council would construct a path from Silverdykes development to Toll   Road, providing fencing to designate the area and also fencing and a gate at the roadside. As part of the agreement, a section of the field would be turned into a hard-standing car park. After various details have been approved the work will be advanced. – in all likelihood in the summer months 2016.

3. The Burgh Survey: An e-mail just received provides a progress report as follows:

“Our project historian; Dr Tom Turpie has started on the research aspect for the survey and keep an eye out on the Facebook page over the coming months for details and information that he will be posting regarding some of the material he has uncovered. I have also uploaded an outline of the research aspects that Dr Turpie will be covering for everyone to have a look and get an insight into the areas that we are focusing on. Over April and May we will be carrying out workshops for those interested in getting involved with some of the historical research which we will be looking to form part of the final published text. 

Douglas Speirs and Stephen Liscoe (Fife Council Archaeology Curators) have been investigating possible locations for the excavation(s) across the burghs. We are also looking into the possibility of carrying out small excavation within the gardens of residents across the burghs. If people are willing, we would be excavating small 1m by 1m test pits to investigate and catalogue any features that may come up. This is a common practice that is used by a number of projects within urban areas and many may have seen employed by the likes Time Team. If anyone is interested, we will put up a note on the Facebook page onto which people can register their interest.

We are also looking for any possible individuals/groups for the heritage plaques. As mentioned we are particularly interest in people/groups that are often overlooked such as women. We have already had a couple of individuals mentioned to us; Elizabeth Johnson, Robert Williamson and would greatly appreciate any more ideas. AGAIN LOOK OUT FOR A FACEBOOK NOTE ON THIS.

As the weather gets better we will also start on the streetscape analysis and will also be looking for volunteers to get involved. Again, please keep an eye on the Facebook page as this will keep you posted on the specific dates and detail of the upcoming projects.

We are really looking forward to the coming months and what we may uncover.”

 

Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 1^st March 2016

The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed those present.

Present: Glenn Jones (Chairman), Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Paul Lewis, John Brown, Kate Shearer and Allan McLelland (Treasurer)

Apologies for absence: a record of these is held on electronic file.

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 2^nd February 2016 approved: proposed by Paul Lewis and seconded by Allan McLelland.

Matters Arising

Invitation received to Anstruther Harbour Festival meeting on 2 March.

Toll Road Pathway: indications were that Fife Council had been in discussion and were funding the new path. Not yet confirmed.

Anstruther Burgh Survey Facebook: Members were reminded to look for further information at https://www.facebook.com/AnstrutherSurvey and to make contact with Rathmel Archaeology Ltd, the consultants undertaking the work on behalf of the Council, with information and ideas (peter.klemen@rathmel-arch.co.uk ) The CRA had registered an interest, despite the name not reflecting the full title of the Burgh.

Paul would proceed with the fun photo competition on the website.

Secretary’s Report: Correspondence      

Covered above.

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer tabled and spoke to a report for the period 1^st Feb to 29^th Feb 2016 which showed working capital of £1835.06 at the end of the period. (£290.65 cash in hand and £1544.41 in the bank). As at the time of the meeting there was £1398.62 in the Burns Supper Account and the Floral Account balance was £204.47

The Chair thanked the Treasurer.

Social/Community and CRA Activities

(a)    Burns Supper 2017: No further progress.

(b)   Safe Cycle Routes: See above.

Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)

The next meeting would be on 1^st April 2016, with proposals to be made by the end of March. (See the SLC page on anstruther.info for information.) Alan Bisset had forwarded the requested plans for proposed improvements to play equipment at Cellardyke park. This had been proposed by Cellardyke resident Sandra Doherty. An additional basket swing might be added to this plan, which had been supported by local mothers and children. It was reported that Blacklaws Rd had been patched. The results were rather better than might have been expected. It was noted that rubbish continued to be dumped on the pathway at Taeping/Ariel, as reported in last month’s CRA meeting.

Local and Environmental Issues

(a) Interpretation Boards: John Brown had circulated proposed sites for the information boards, and final sites were under discussion. John was thanked for taking the project, on which work continued to expand, forward.

(b) Floral Matters: Glenn and Mary Thomson, with apologies from Kate, had attended the floral meeting, chaired by the Community Council. The meeting was generally supportive of our position, viz, that we were in receipt of an inexplicably smaller floral grant than any of the other organisations/associations in the Anstruther/Cellardyke grouping. The meeting had been supportive, and a proposal, that half of the money from the Coffee Morning and the collecting tins should go to Cellardyke to balance this, was accepted. It was eventually agreed that we should receive £400, and that, plus £100 promised from last year, had resulted in a cheque for £500 being passed to our treasurer from the Community Council. The overall result is that group unity was preserved. Prior to this adjustment, the total awards to each group within the Anstruther/Cellardyke CC area from FC gave £1950 to Anstruther and £229 to Cellardyke.

Our extra funding gives us a total of £729 for this year’s budget. One key issue raised was whether we should remain in the Beautiful Fife Competition despite last year’s travesty in the judging. As future grants may depend on participation, and as the organisers have indicated they will make changes, it was decided to continue participation for this year and review the situation next year. Carl Van der Lees confirmed that any of the groups could use the polytunnel at the allotments to bring on plants. An approach will be made to the Waid to see if any D of E students would like to volunteer to help. Ken Brown is keen to continue working with the CRA with his Waid pupils on outdoor education. The CRA could apply to the community Kist for money.  

The chairman had written to Fife council making clear our unhappiness with our inequitable floral grant, and was still awaiting a response.

(c)     Planning: The proposal for extensive solar panels on the house in James St had been refused. 

Communications

(a)   CRA website: In the absence of the webmaster, there was no report.

 KACC News

No report.

AOCB

Paul reported that a new street light in Windmill   Road was leaning. (Note: subsequent examination by the chairman confirmed this, and that there was some evidence that a collision may have caused the pole to lean.)

There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 2030 hrs.  

 

Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 5^th April 2016

The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed all to the meeting.

Present: Glenn Jones (Chairman), John Brown, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Paul Lewis, Allan McLelland (Treasurer) Kate Shearer, Diana Sykes, George Walker and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).

Apologies for absence: a record of these is held on electronic file.

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 1^st March 2016 were approved: proposed by Kate Shearer and seconded by Paul Lewis.   

Matters Arising

(a) Development of a footpath from Silverdykes to Toll   Road: The Secretary reported that agreement had been reached between CellardykeChurch and Fife Council and a path down the northern edge of the church field would be constructed in the early summer. The path would be separated from the field by a fence.

(b) Safe Cycle Route: The Secretary read out an e-mail from Cllr Riches reporting on progress. A representative of Sustrans had visited, walked the route and asked pertinent questions. A decision from Sustrans re a grant to partially fund the project was expected in mid-April.

Secretary’s Report: Correspondence      

The Secretary reported that she had written to Peter Klemen about aspects of the Anstruther Burgh Survey, including the view that the name should be changed, and the problem of checking progress for those not on Facebook. He had replied in detail and the full text of his message is attached to the minute. The matter of the change of name would be considered by the Project Steering Committee at its next meeting.  Information about the project would be made available via the Anstruther.info website. (See http://www.anstruther.info/projects/anstruther-burgh-survey/ )

Note from the Secretary: I have been told that it was agreed that the name of the survey should be changed to "Anstruther & Cellardyke Community Burgh Survey". Kilrenny is not included in the title as the work being undertaken and the activities being organised do not extend to Kilrenny.

The Chair took the opportunity to mention that representatives of the Burgh Survey team intended to promote the project and meet the public to outline what it was aiming to do, during the Burgh Collection exhibition from 19^th to 24^th April. He encouraged CRA members to promote the exhibition and to attend during the week. Further information about the exhibition was available on Facebook – and would be posted on the CRA website.

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer’ report for the period 1^st March to 31^st March had been circulated in advance of the meeting and the Chair spoke to it briefly.   Working capital at the end of the period amounted to £2332-08 (£287.67 cash in hand and £2044.41 in the bank). As at the time of the meeting there was £1235.65 in the Burns Supper Account and the Floral Thanks to the Treasurer were recorded.

What next for the CRA?

The Chair explained that this item had been included on the agenda as the Association was approaching a watershed at the AGM in September with a number of Officers, Namely Allan McLelland, George Walker and Catherine Wilson, having indicated their intention to stand down from the time of the AGM. Additionally, Kate Shearer had indicated that this season would be the last in which she was willing to co-ordinate the floral activities and Glenn himself wished to stand down as an officer of the association, after 10/11 years of service in a variety of positions, at the AGM in 2017.

He suggested that there were two or three possible ways forward: one being for other existing members to step forward as new officers; a second being to continue in a much diminished way (managing the floral work and providing electronic communications; a third being to re-think the mode of operation of the association and to recruit more members.

Much positive discussion then ensued about how to publicise and explain the work of the Association more effectively, how encourage more people to join, and how to involve more people with specific aspects of the Association’s work. It was agreed that the Association needed to reach out to engage more residents actively in its work but there was less agreement about the best way to do this – through a special version of the Newsletter, through Facebook, through posters, through inviting particular residents with influence/status to join the Association., etc. Whereas there might be value in pointing to the achievements of CRA and its current activities, it was questioned whether this would prompt much of a response. 

It was then suggested that each CRA member attending meetings on a regular basis should invite two non-members or some of the local ‘inactive members’ to attend a meeting with a view to involving them in some way. It was thought that the June meeting might be the time to do this, as a starter, and then to use the set September date for an Extraordinary General Meeting for the discussion of ways forward. These could then be brought to the Annual General Meeting which would be put back to the first Tuesday in October. In the interim a promotional issue of the Newsletter would be developed (Catherine) and a special poster (Kate and Paul).   All members were urged to come up with names of people who might be invited to the June meeting and to bring names to the next meeting (All).

Glenn indicated that he was willing to serve for one more year as Chair of the Association.  

Social/Community and CRA Activities

(a) Photographic Images Fun activity: Paul Indicated that he had not made any progress yet.

(b) Anstruther Burgh Survey: See Matters arising (above)

(c) Anstruther Harbour Festival: Members were encouraged to look for further information on the Harbour Festival website: http://www.anstrutherharbourfestival.co.uk/ which was also available via the Anstruther.info website

Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)

(a)    Update: The Chair reported that the next meeting would be held in two days’ time, the previous meeting having been cancelled due to the unavailability of key personnel.   (Paul Lewis agreed to deputise for George Walker at this meeting.) The Chair also reported that the second tranche of money from Muir Homes was likely to be confirmed soon and that of the order or £16 000 was still left from the first tranche.

(b)   Applications for Grants: The Chair confirmed that the Windmill Court playpark proposal was being recommended to Fife Council for funding, as was the Cellardyke Pool playpark proposal. Full plans for this were currently being drawn up.

Local and Environmental Issues

(a) Interpretation Boards: John Brown’s progress report (No 7) which had been circulated in advance of the meeting was noted. This covered a meeting with the Community Council, at which there had been approval of the proposed locations.   The Council had also agreed to submit a planning application on behalf of the CRA and John had been in contact with Chris Smith (of Fife Council) who would be the link person.  Photos of the proposed locations had been sent as a ‘preview’ to Fife Planning Department in advance of the formal planning application.  

An application would be made for funding (estimated cost £15 000) from the ‘Muir fund’ by the end of April.

John made reference to potential difficulties over the use of copyright photos. He indicated that he was working of four particular boards ‘as a starter’ and was checking with various authorities and individuals with regard to accuracy of information.

The Chair thanked John for the huge amount of work that he had done already.

(b)   Floral Matters: The Chair reported that he had not yet received a reply to his letter to Fife Council questioning the small grant made to the CRA, although one had been promised within a time period which had now elapsed.   Kate reported that she had weeded and tidied all the containers, and Allan had indicated in a written report that he (assisted by Colin Ingram) had carried out maintenance on the containers where necessary.

It was agreed that efforts should be made to find local people who would adopt various of the containers for the future as this was the most likely way of sustaining the effort when Kate stood down. Kate recommended that the containers in the John Street parking area should be withdrawn on safety grounds and the problems of maintaining them. She reported that she had already approached various individuals about looking after specific displays. John Brown volunteered to look after the containers at the War Memorial.

(c)  Planning Matters: It was noted that a minute of the February meeting of the Community Council had made reference to a developer interested in meeting with small groups from the Council to talk about the possible development of land between Cellardyke and Kilrenny. The exact location was not clear. The Council, it was reported was very wary of this approach.

AOCB

(a)      It was noted that the lamp standard on Windmill Road was still leaning at an angle.   It was also noted that the bollard at the bottom of Urquhart Wynd had not been repaired.

(b)     The Secretary reported that an invitation to the Citizen of the Year Award presentation had been received. She agreed to represent the Association at it. Glenn would also be attending wearing one of his many hats!!

There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 2100 hrs.

 

Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 3^rd May 2016

 The Vice Chairman, George Walker, welcomed all to the meeting, especially Susan Cathcart and Elizabeth Dickson.

Present: John Brown, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Susan Cathcart, David Corstorphine, Elizabeth Dickson, Susan Holmes, Paul Lewis, Steve Liscoe, Allan McLelland (Treasurer) Kate Shearer, Diana Sykes, Mary Thomson and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).

Apologies for absence: a record of these is held on electronic file.

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 5^th April 2016 were approved once two amendments had been corrected (Planning Matters – penultimate line ‘Kilrenny’ not ‘Anstruther’ and AOCB second line ‘’repaired’ not ‘replaced’: proposed by Diana Sykes and seconded by Kate Shearer.  

Matters Arising

(a) Citizen of the Year Award: Mary and Catherine reported that this had been a pleasant occasion.

(b) Burgh Collection Exhibition: Those who had volunteered for duty and those who had visited reported that this had been a successful event with attendances and the number of people helping out being most satisfactory. The venue had been good but the cost of renting the space for a permanent exhibition would be £5000 per year at current rates. The Burgh Collection Committee was looking into the possibility of raising this sum, possibly through sponsorship.

Secretary’s Report: Correspondence      

The Secretary reported on events following an e-mail from a Mr Peter Aikman of Aberdeen, a member of the Alex Keay family, seeking help in setting up a visit by a relation from England, the visitor being a direct father-son descendant of the Keays who had lived in Shore Street.   Positive responses from a variety of CRA members had resulted in the correspondent making contact with the current residents of the family home and with Coull Deas and future meetings and a visit to the family home. It was pleasing that the CRA network had worked so well.

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer’s report for the period 1^st March to 31^st March had been circulated in advance of the meeting and the Allan spoke to it briefly.   Working capital at the end of the period amounted to £2332-24 (£287.67 cash in hand and £2044.57 in the bank). There had been no transactions in the past month beyond the receipt of 16 pence interest from the bank. The subs received at the April meeting would be included in the May accounts. As at the time of the meeting no payment had been received from Fife Council for floral work. (Payment has now been received.)

What next for the CRA?

(a)      Ideas for engaging new people: The Vice Chair invited John Brown to introduce those whom he had persuaded to engage with the CRA through specific activities rather than regular membership, namely Susan Cathcart, Elizabeth Dickson and Janis Morris.

Elizabeth wanted to look into the possibility of bringing back the Sea Queen ceremony, with 2017 in mind as this would be the 70^th anniversary of the first Cellardyke Sea Queen in 1947. It was noted that it had been revived, albeit temporarily, for the millennium. In the discussion that ensued various issues were considered – location, possible linking with the Silverdykes Street Party, manner of choosing the queen, extending the ceremony to a gala day, etc. It was agreed that Elizabeth would investigate various possibilities further and report back to the next/a future meeting. It was further agreed that at an appropriate time, the local paper and the CRA website could be used to appeal for volunteers to take forward the initiative.

John reported that he had approached Susan about the possibility of contributing to the Interpretation Boards initiative by developing information for the associated website. Each board would carry a bar code/QR-code’ to take the interested reader to the website for further information, especially information about local people who had contributed to Cellardyke life and about local businesses. Susan had agreed to help him in identifying relevant people/businesses from James Street, John Street and George Street (with particular reference to the period 1850- 1960???). Other sources of relevant information were suggested, such as that identified at the time of ‘The Homecoming’.

John also reported that Janis would be happy to look after various aspects of the Toon Green – floral tubs, trees, and support for specific activities that might be staged there in the future - such as any party to celebrate a specific anniversary.

(b)   Poster/newsletter: Paul Lewis tabled a draft for a poster which he had developed in consultation with John. It was agreed that its ‘message’ was in line with what was needed and that it should be displayed on the notice board at the shop, in the first instance. It might also be tried in other locations. (The draft will be attached to these minutes, on circulation,) The draft would also be incorporated into a ‘Newsletter’.

Members were reminded that they had been challenged to bring at least one new person to the June meeting of the Association.   (It was noted that with regard to difficulty of finding new members and officers that the Town Centre Working Party had the same problem.

Social/Community and CRA Activities

(a) Photographic Images Fun activity: Paul indicated that he had, as yet, made little progress with this. The document on the Cellardyke Conservation area was suggested as a possible source of suitable images. Catherine agreed to send an electronic version of the document to Paul.

(b)   Anstruther Burgh Survey: It had been reported that between the April and the current meeting, it had been decided by the management committee to include Cellardyke in the title but not Kilrenny because the funding for the project covered coastal developments only. However, at an open meeting during the week of the Burgh Collection exhibition, strong feelings had been voiced that Kilrenny should be included and now additional resources for the purpose had been secured. The turnout for the meeting in question had been small but enthusiastic. It was noted that both John and Paul were actively involved in the project.

(c)  Anstruther Harbour Festival: Members were reminded that they could access further information from the Harbour Festival website: http://www.anstrutherharbourfestival.co.uk/

Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)

(a)    Update: Paul, who had deputised for George at last month’s meeting gave a comprehensive report of developments. Work was to start soon on the section of the development bordering the Crail Road, and there had been a change to the types of buildings to be included with houses replacing the flats which had been planned originally, thus reducing the total number of dwellings planned. It was estimated that the number of houses occupied or ‘missived’ would reach 220 by November, thus triggering the release to Fife Council of the next tranche of Section 75 funding.

Work would start on the playground areas within the site in the near future, and it should be completed by July/August. A new Managing Director had been appointed who was dealing with the matter of the plaques for the ‘capstans’. He wanted an event to publicise the completion of the artwork and a progress report on this would be made at the June meeting of the SLC.

(b)   Applications for Grants: Paul reported that the application for new equipment for the playground in Windmill   Court playpark had been approved. He also spoke of the development planned for the CellardykePark play area. It was suggested that a spreadsheet should be produced so that income and expenditure could be tracked more readily.

Local and Environmental Issues

(a) Interpretation Boards: John Brown made a brief progress report (No 8). He would be filling in the planning application forms to be submitted via the Community Council and had been in contact with Chris Smith who had a lead role in Fife Council planning in this area and who was willing to advise on the drafts.   The application for funding from Section 75 funding had been submitted to the SLC and would be considered at the June meeting of the committee.

(b)  Floral Matters: Kate Shearer reported that limited progress had been made with planting because of the poor   weather. However, a lot of maintenance work (by Allan and Colin Ingram) and weeding and preparation of the tubs (Kate) had been undertaken. Offers of provision of plants had been received.  

(c)    Planning Matters: It had been noted that a minute of the February meeting of the Community Council made reference to a developer interested in meeting with small groups from the Council to talk about the possible development of land between Cellardyke and Kilrenny. The location was confirmed as land on the north side of the Crail Road opposite the top of Toll Road. No further information was available.

It was noted that access to the Fife Council Planning website was readily accessible via the CRA website, allowing members to view application relating to the area.

AOCB

(a)      It was noted that the lamp standard on Windmill Road was still leaning at an angle

(b) The possibility of CRA having a Facebook ‘page’ was discussed. It was agreed that for the time being members with access to an existing Cellardyke group Facebook page should use it to post CRA news/issues.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 2030 hrs.

 

Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 7^th June 2016

The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed all to the meeting, albeit with a tone of slight regret/resignation that there were no new members or visitors to welcome.

Present: Glenn Jones (Chair), John Brown, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Paul Lewis, Steve Liscoe, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Fiona Mitchell, Kate Shearer and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).

Apologies for absence: a record of these is held on electronic file.

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 3^rd May 2016 were approved, proposed by Kate Shearer and seconded by John Brown.  

Matters Arising

(a) Anstruther Harbour Festival: It was agreed by all those who had been able to take part in any way that the festival had been a success with much better promotion in advance, a full programme and plenty of people, including a large number of visitors, attending. It was further agreed that the Secretary should write to Gail Sorley to congratulate her and the organising team on the success of the event.

(b) Burgh Collection Exhibition: Glenn Jones as Chair of the Burgh Collection Group/Committee outlined issues facing the organisation including the need to recruit new members who would be willing to take on responsibilities for furthering the aim of the organisation – to connect with the community to help preserve the history of the area. The recent exhibition had been good in this regard, as was the FaceBook page hosted by Kenneth Dunnion. However, if, as was hoped, a permanent exhibition was to be established, more volunteers would be needed, as would a ‘home’ which could provide both storage and exhibition space. Various possible venues were suggested, including several not currently available but which might become so in the near future (the current library, the Waid Centre, the former Empire cinema, Fife Council local offices, the former Alec Murray shop, to name but a few.

(c) Use of a friendly FaceBook page: Kate indicated that she would approach Doug Clement about using the Cellardyke page that he hosted for advertising CRA news.

Secretary’s Report: Correspondence      

The Secretary indicated that there was nothing to report.

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer spoke to his report for the period 1^st May to 31^st May. Working capital at the end of the period amounted to £2437.25 (£263.68 cash in hand and £2173.57 in the bank). During the period in question membership subscriptions and the Floral Grant from Fife Council had been received. Payments included limited expenditure relating to floral displays, room hire charges and the annual payment to First Responders for the maintenance of the defibrillator at the Skeith Health Centre.

What next for the CRA?

(a)   Engaging additional new members: Kate Shearer expressed the view that it was very difficult to persuade people to join in with organisations such as the CRA in this day and age. Many organisations in the community had the same problem. However, John Brown reported that with new ideas, some new people did come forward.

(b)   Progress with ideas floated at the May meeting: John indicated that Elizabeth Dickson was still keen to pursue the idea of a Cellardyke Sea Queen and hoped to bring a plan to the August meeting. Janis McKay was also keen to work on ideas for a Toon Green development and Susan Cathcart had submitted a wealth of material, for the proposed ‘cellardyke.org’ website, on former shops along James, John and George Streets.  

John indicated that he would like to arrange an open meeting with a large street plan and to encourage people to come along to identify on the plan, shops/houses of interest over the years. It was recognised that the various premises would have changed several times over the years. The names of various people who might have information to contribute were mentioned, including Elsie Dick, Malcolm MacDonald, May Bridie, Cecilia Anderson, Mary Thomson, Kenneth Dunnion, Margaret Ferrier, John P(?) and Linda Fitzpatrick (of the Fisheries Museum. Catherine volunteered to work with John to set up a meeting once she had relinquished her secretarial role. Glenn added that the Burgh Collection would have an interest in such a ‘project’.

(c)    Posters promoting the CRA: Catherine tabled a possible promotional ‘newsletter’/poster for circulation throughout Cellardyke based on the poster developed by Paul Lewis. The reverse side carried information about current CRA activities. It was agreed that the thinking was on the right lines and some additions to the leaflet were suggested. It was agreed that such a leaflet would be best circulated in August.

(d)   Extraordinary General Meeting: It was agreed to shelve the idea of an Extraordinary General Meeting in September and to hold the AGM then as was normal practice.  

Social/Community and CRA Activities

(a) Anstruther and Cellardyke Burgh Survey: It was noted that a meeting of the working group had been held the previous week. Good progress was being made on a number of fronts with Paul Lewis and John Brown both involved. Among other matters links between the Spanish Armada and this area of Scotland were being investigated. Paul was researching the history of the area between the 1500 and 1700s. John made reference to the accessibility, on line, of historic maps of the area from the National Library of Scotland which showed the changing names of the burghs over periods of time. A project on witches in the area was also being undertaken.

It was noted that the information on the anstruther.info website was not very up-to-date with regard to the project.

(c)  Silverdykes Street Party: The Secretary reported that Eleanor Bowman would be arranging a Street Party again this year, but as yet the date had not been fixed. (A communication since the meeting suggests that the date has been set provisionally for 3^rd September.)

Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)

The Chairman reported that the next meeting was due to be held in two days’ time.

(a) Artwork: It was noted that the stainless steel plaques were now in place on the ‘capstans’ but some disappointment was expressed that they were not more striking.

(b) Play areas: It was suggested that the area of open space within the development, close to the footpath access on to East Forth Street, might be made into additional play area. Reference was made to concrete table tennis tables that had proved popular elsewhere and it was suggested that one of these might be positioned there.

The Chairman reported that he had noted recently there had been no progress in the development of the CellardykePlayPark for which Section 75 funding had been agreed. The matter having been raised by him, the project would now be moving forward.   Work would also be proceeding in the Windmill Court Play area, funded in part by the Council and in part with Section 75 funding.

(c)  Further funding: The application for funding for the Interpretation Boards project would be considered at Thursday’s meeting. Fiona Mitchell noted that there were still small sums of money available from the Local Community Planning Fund. Members were reminded that there had been an informal proposal that there should be a bench at the bus stop at the top of Windmill Road.  

Local and Environmental Issues

(a) Interpretation Boards: John Brown reported that he was still awaiting a response from Chris Smith with informal feedback from Fife Council on the proposed positioning of the boards and that he did not think it wise to proceed further until some assurances had been given. In the meantime, in the light of ‘research’ into similar boards elsewhere, he was now proposing boards mounted on two posts and was talking further with the company identified for the production of the boards about what appeared to be the most durable form of board.   (Since the meeting John has received a favourable reply from Colin Smith although the position of one of the boards was questioned and a minor adjustment was being suggested.)

(b)Floral Matters: Kate reported that she had been very busy planting new plants in the tubs and other containers, and watering them. She pleaded that all responsible for helping with watering keep on with this, daily, if possible while the dry spell continued. More people willing to do the watering were needed, even this year and new volunteers to help with all aspects of the floral work would be needed next year.

(c)Planning Matters: The Secretary reported that there were rumours around that a new housing development was planned for the north side of the Crail Road between The Marches and the top of Windmill   Road. However, there was no evidence for this on the Fife Council website. It was not known whether the land in question was a potential development zone in the Fife Local Plan.

References were made to various small scale development of some properties within the community which did not appear to fit with the notion of the conservation status of the area. It was questioned whether some were being undertaken without consent. The Secretary agreed to take up the matter of one such development with Lyle Scott, although it was noted that it was unlikely that anything would be done retrospectively.  

Those present were reminded that access to the Fife Council Planning website was readily accessible via the CRA website, allowing members to view application relating to the area.

AOCB

(a) Dorothea reported that the ‘glass’ in the noticeboard at the Cellardyke Corner Shop was badly discoloured making it difficult to see notices clearly. Allan agreed to look into this and replace the glass if necessary.

(b) It was suggested and agreed that at the AGM in September, there should be short presentations on some of the current and possible future ‘projects’ being undertaken or supported by the CRA, such as the Interpretation Boards project, the possible re-establishment of the Sea Queen celebration, the Burgh Survey, etc. It was further agreed that the programme for the evening would be discussed at the next meeting.

(c) A question was raised about the gate at the top of Toft Terrace which gave the impression that the footpath down the terrace was private, when in fact it was a public right of way. It was suggested that the matter should be referred to Alison Irvine of Fife Council.  

There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 2045 hrs.

Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 2^nd August, 2016

The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed ‘the faithful band’ of members(!) to the meeting.

Present: Glenn Jones (Chair), Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Kate Shearer, George Walker and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).

Apologies for absence: A record of these is held on electronic file.

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 7th June 2016 were approved as a correct record of the meeting, proposed by Dorothea Cargill-Thompson and seconded by Kate Shearer.  

Matters Arising

(a) Use of Cellardyke Facebook page to promote CRA activities: Kate reported that she had posted a CRA-related question and it had prompted about 40 replies. Generally, readers were satisfied. Kate agreed to post information about the AGM and about floral matters via Facebook.

(b) Revival of the Sea Queen Festival: The Secretary had spoken to Elizabeth Dickson who had been unable to attend this meeting. There was limited progress to report although Richard Wemyss had expressed interest in linking historic boats into such an event. Elizabeth had agreed to make a short presentation on the matter of the Sea Queen at the AGM.

(c)  CRA Newsletter/Poster: Catherine tabled copies of a revised version of the poster taking account of suggestions made at the previous meeting. There were still some reservations about the message conveyed and it was decided that the number of words should be reduced and that it should focus more on the AGM.

(d) Noticeboard at the Corner Shop: It was agreed thatthis needed replacing as the front cover was no longer fully transparent. Catherine agreed to find the likely cost and the source of a possible replacement, given that CellardykeChurch had recently purchased a new ‘glass-fronted’ board.

Secretary’s Report: Correspondence      

The Secretary indicated that there was nothing to report.

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer spoke to his report for the period 1^st June to 31^st July. Working capital at the end of the period amounted to £2143.06 (£96.68 cash in hand and £2046.38 in the bank). During the period in question few incoming payments had been received. The only outgoing payments were for floral displays. There were some payments outstanding including a final bill from Pathhead Nurseries and room hire charges for two months. It was noted that Kate had been very successful in keeping floral expenditure down in the light of the reduced grant from Fife Council.

The Treasurer reported he was working on the accounts for the year, and would be passing these to David Thomson for auditing on 15^th August,

CRA Matters

(a)   Planning the agenda for the AGM (6^th September): It was agreed that, unless it proved to be necessary, no time should be set aside for any traditional monthly business ahead of the AGM. In addition to the normal AGM reports, however, there would be presentations on the Interpretation Boards Project (John Brown) and the proposed revival of Sea Queen event (Elizabeth Dickson).

(b)   Finding new Office Bearers: While Allan McLelland, George Walker and Catherine Wilson had indicated their intentions to stand down as Treasurer, Vice Chair and Secretary respectively, no likely replacements had been identified. Nor had anyone volunteered to take over from Kate Shearer as Floral Co-ordinator.  

Some possible office bearers for the longer term future had been identified but it was acknowledged that the Association could not continue in 2016-17 as it operated currently. After further discussion it was agreed that the pattern of meetings should be changed to every other month, with a shortened agenda focusing on the projects and currently successful activities. It was also agreed that the venue might be switched to, say, ‘The Haven’ so that there was a more social aspect to meetings. The Secretary agreed to approach Trevor about the use of a room at The Haven.

It was acknowledged that changing the frequency of meetings would require a change to the Association’s constitution. The recommendation was that Section 7. Meetings should be reworded as follows:

Ordinary meetings of the CRA shall be held up to six times in the year, the date time and place of meetings being decided at the AGM. Any variations required by circumstances to be confirmed at the preceding meeting whensoever possible.

It was agreed that ordinary meetings should be scheduled for the first Tuesdays of the following months: October, December, February, April and either June or August. In the light of these changes, Allan, George and Catherine agreed to remain in office for one more year.   However, it was agreed that Paul Lewis would be asked to consider working alongside Allan on the business side of the Burns Supper and that Kate would work alongside Allan on the monthly accounts.   Kate also agreed to act as Floral Adviser but NOT to undertake all the planting and maintenance. (See the report of the discussion of item 9 (ii) on the agenda for further consideration of arrangements for floral displays.)

(c)    Refreshments of the AGM: It was agreed that members should bring items for the post-meeting refresh-ments, as had been arrangement for last year. A list of requirements and members to provide these is attached to these minutes.

Social/Community and CRA Activities

(a) Kilrenny, Anstruther and Cellardyke Burgh Survey: It was noted that the local ‘dig’ was due to start on 31^st August but details of the venue were not known.

(b) Safe Cycle Route: There was nothing formal to report as the ‘next’ meeting of the group was being held at the same time as the CRA meeting. It was noted that the Bike in the Park event was being held on 28^th August, but the CRA would not be taking part, not least due to the short notice and the prior commitments of most of the active CRA members.   It was agreed that consideration should be given at the October meeting to the development of a CRA pop-up banner for use at such events in the future.

(c) Silverdykes Street Party: There was no further information currently available. The Secretary agreed to contact Eleanor Bowman for confirmation of the event and any further details. (The Street Party will take place on 3^rd September.)

Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)

The Chairman reported that the next meeting was due to be held in nine days’ time.

(a) Report from June meeting: At the June meeting, Glenn had declared his intention to stand down as Chair of the committee, having served in this position for several years.   The committee had agreed to recommend to Fife Council that a sum of £12,100 be allocated to the Interpretation Boards project when the 2nd tranche of the money became available. The committee had expressed disappointment in the appearance of the plaques, mainly because the engravings did not show up at all well. This feeling had been minuted.

Dorothea had shown the committee information on outdoor table tennis tables. She had asked if a proposal for these tables could be submitted and a positive response had been given.

(b) Cycle path/footpath through to Toll Road: The Secretary reported that an agreement had been reached between Cellardyke Church and Fife Council on the construction of a path down the north side of the church field. A fence would separate the path from the field and the ‘sale’ of the land would take the form of an agreement by the Council to provide hard-core car parking for most of the remaining field area. It was hoped that work would start before the end of the summer. (The Law Department of the Church of Scotland, having been consulted about certain aspects of the development, is now raising a number of questions.   The result has been a delay in the commencement of the work!)

(c)  Funding matters: The Chairman reported that the first tranche of money had now been spent and some of the money from the second tranche, soon to be released, had also been allocated. It had been decided that at the next meeting, the proposals held over from previous meetings, pending further information, should be discussed with a view to progressing them if possible. Dorothea intended to propose that several outdoor table tennis tables might be erected in the area.   The suggestion that a bench might be purchased and placed close to the tattie boxes was raised again, but it was noted that the land in question did not belong to the Council. It was also noted that more seating was needed now on the Braes and that there would be more demand once the cycle route was opened.

Kate was asked to post a note on the Cellardyke Facebook page, encouraging local people to bid for funds for leisure-related projects.    

Local and Environmental Issues

(a) Interpretation Boards: John Brown had submitted a short report, the key element of this being his fight against Fife Council’s proposal to charge for planning applications on a ‘per board’ basis. He had persuaded the Council to accept the applications as a two-part process, one part for Cellardyke and one for Kilrenny and for charges to be raised for the two sets of boards.

Work was progressing, but it was proving to be a much bigger project than was originally envisaged. John, in absentia, was thanked for his hard work and persistence.  

(b)Floral Matters: There was discussion about how to maintain the current floral displays next year when Kate had ceased to undertake the major work or growing and/or bringing on the necessary plants, preparing the containers and planting them up – and co-ordinating the whole programme. It was recognised that some individuals were already taking some of the responsibilities for particular containers, but that not all would be covered in this way. More volunteers were needed.   It was suggested that Kate should produce an advice sheet including recommendations for plants which were likely to look the best at the time of the Beautiful Fife judging in July.

On the subject of judging, it was noted that Allan had been allowed to drive the judges and Jim Braid round the Cellardyke displays on the relevant day, and thus he had been able to draw their attention to particular elements. Jim Braid had issued an optimistic report on the whole community tour at the end of the day.

To encourage more people to get involved, various strategies were suggested such as offering grants of £5 per tub, and/or running a competition for the best plants grown from seeds provided by the CRA.  

With regard to the display at the top of Windmill Road which was a major responsibility, not least with regard to watering, it was noted that the Community Council/Anstruther and Cellardyke in Bloom was considering enhancing the displays at the entrances to the town – Pittenweem Road, St Andrews Road and Crail Road – in the coming year and there might be implications for the Windmill Road corner.

 

AOCB

(a) Floral displays in the roadway at Harbour Head and the encroachment of seating areas and the storage of boats in this area: It was agreed that the situation should be monitored and that Fife Council should be contacted if rights of way were being obstructed or traffic hazards caused.

(b) Path from Taeping Close to Ariel   Close/Skeith Road: It was reported that (i) the pathway at the western end was restricted in width as a result of the newest phase of the Muir development and (ii) the surface was gradually breaking away at the edges representing a possible safety hazard. Glenn agreed to raise the matter at the forthcoming SLC meeting.

(c) Membership enquiry via the website:   George reported that he had picked up a membership enquiry via the website

There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 21.00 pm.

 

Minutes of 9th Annual General Meeting - Tuesday 6th September 2016

Those present were Glenn Jones (Chairman), Carole Anderson, Aileen Bracket, John Brown, John Carder, Marie Carder, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, David Corstorphine, Robin Dewar, Elizabeth Dickson, Claire Docherty Christine Herd, Jo Hilton, Susan Holmes, Norrie Hutcheon, Dave Jeffery, Marie Jeffery, Elinor Kirk, Paul Lewis, Steve Liscoe, Alison McCulloch, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Catriona Macpherson, Pam Moncur, Chris Oliver, Kate Shearer, Peter Shepherd, Diana Sykes; Mary Thomson; George Walker, Ian Watson, Richard Wemyss and Catherine Wilson (Secretary);

Apologies (from regular members) were received from Fiona Mitchell.

Glenn welcomed all present to the meeting with a particular welcome to those for whom it was a first CRA meeting.

Presentation on the proposed revival of the Sea Queen Ceremony (Elizabeth Dickson)

Elizabeth, with some personal reminiscences, outlined the history of the Cellardyke Festival which had started in 1948. She suggested that it would be good to revive it, albeit with a slightly different format, in 2018 – seventy years on. One aim in doing this would be to celebrate the separate identity of Cellardyke and its strong association with the sea and its fishing traditions, and to give thanks to/for the sea. She proposed that a revived festival should have CellardykeHarbour as its backdrop.  

Elizabeth indicated that she had already received some offers of help but pointed out that a lot more volunteers would be needed to make a success of the venture. However, her hope was that with wide community involvement, people would be brought together. She referred to conversations she had had with Richard Wemyss who was very keen to be involved and had suggested some historical re-enactment of Old Cellardyke – washing, mending nets, children playing, all in costume – and small old boats in the harbour. The aim was to make a Cellardyke Sea Queen ceremony which was different from others in the area and also one in which pupils from the local school had a part to play in electing the queen and her attendants. The day might end with a ceilidh.

Richard Wemyss then elaborated on some of the ideas Elizabeth had floated and the way in which a festival might develop from a modest start over several years and result in activities complementary to the Sea Queen and the Interpretation Boards Project. 

It was confirmed that the robes and the music from past ceremonies were still available. July was mooted as the most appropriate time for the ceremony.

Glenn noted that one of the aims of the CRA was to celebrate and safeguard the identity of Cellardyke and what was proposed was in keeping with this. Also the CRA is a properly constituted organisation with its own bank accounts and thus could apply for and hold grants to help with funding. 

The feeling of the meeting was that the proposals should be taken forward and that the CRA website and the Cellardyke Facebook ‘page’ should be used to disseminate information and to seek further views and offers of help.     

Presentation on the Interpretation Boards Project (John Brown)

John spoke of what was proving to be a very major project, bringing together ideas that he had had for an information-giving development on the Toon Green and a project that the CRA had been struggling to take forward to develop information boards to be erected throughout Cellardyke. (Kilrenny was now to be included in the project.) The objectives of the current project were to carry out a major investigation into historical and cultural aspects of the two communities and then to design and manufacture 11 boards which would carry information on the architectural, social and historical significance of these communities, and their industries, trades and professions, etc. Such boards would raise awareness of the history of the burgh and its people in present day children and young people and enhance the open-air leisure provision in terms of heritage and educational benefits for residents and visitors.   The need for boards of this nature had been highlighted in the Fife Council Appraisal and Management Plan for the Cellardyke Conservation.

John provided facts about the boards: the designer (Derek Munn); the proposed manufacturer (John Young Signs); where they were to be sited (seven in Cellardyke and four in Kilrenny); the support of Cllr Riches in setting up negotiations with the Planning Department; and the grant to be awarded from the (Muir) Section 75 funding. He had hoped initially for faster progress but now anticipated that the boards would be in place by the time of the Sea Queen Ceremony in 2018.

In the discussion that followed the presentation it was noted that people would provide the principal historical focus with a time span of the 1500s to 1960s. QR codes would be incorporated into the boards and it was hoped that by 2018 signal strength in the area would have been improved.   The ‘Welcome’ board will include foreign languages.

In thanking Elizabeth, Richard and John for their contributions to the meeting, Glenn expressed the view that it was through projects, such as those which had been outlined, that the Association would move forward in the future.  

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of 1^st September 2015

The Minutes of the AGM of 2015 were approved: proposed by Diana Sykes and seconded by Allan McLelland. There were no matters arising.

Secretary’s Report  – 6^th September 2016

This is my fourth report as Secretary of the CRA and as some regular recipients will have realised, brevity is not my strongest attribute when it comes to report writing. This year, I shall try hard to reduce the length but cover the points which are worthy of reporting for the records.

First some statistics: the Association has met nine times in the past year, including the AGM. Attendances have not been large but we have always been quorate. We have recruited three new members. We have issued one news-sheet for distribution throughout the community and our website has attracted an average of over 300 visits per month.

As Secretary, my main tasks have been to answer letters and e-mails (I have n’t received any of the former), to prepare agendas, in consultation with the Chair, and to produce and circulate minutes. I have also circulated information from other organisations or news of local activities when these have been deemed to be both interesting and of relevance to members.

One of the most interesting communications this year was an e-mail from a descendant of the Keay family of Shore Street Cellardyke, seeking help in setting up a visit by a relation (a direct father-son descendant) from England to the former family home. Positive responses from a variety of CRA members resulted in the correspondent making contact with the current residents of the family home and with various Dykers who were able to provide a lot of historical information about the family. It was pleasing that the CRA network worked so well.

Once again the Association applied for a Floral Grant from Fife Council and once again, we were disappointed that the grant awarded was further reduced from the award of the previous year. Nevertheless, through the tremendous efforts of Kate Shearer and Allan McLelland, supported by Colin Ingram, and by an increasing number of Cellardyke residents who make their own, very varied contributions, floral displays in the village have been more numerous and more attractive in 2016 and we are hoping for a Silver Gilt Award, if not better, from the Beautiful Fife judges.

On the flower front, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to Kate and with regard to the Burns Suppers, we are equally indebted to Glenn Jones who not only master-minds the programmes but also chairs proceedings in true music hall style. (We will forgive him for some of his jokes and puns!) The 2106 Supper was once again a very great success.

The three CRA representatives serving on the Silverdykes Liaison Committee (SLC) - Glenn Jones, George Walker/Paul Lewis and Dorothea Cargill Thompson - have served diligently. I shall leave it to Glenn, as Chairman of the committee to report on the main business of the SLC during the past 12 months.   Those of you with good memories will recall that Glenn indicated his wish to stand down as Chair last year but no-one agreed to step up to the rôle and so he agreed to serve for one more year.

Our website, with George Walker in charge, has been used to disseminate information about activities in the ACK area, and snippets of history, etc, of possible interest to residents of Cellardyke.  

As you will have heard by the time this report is presented formally, considerable progress has been made with the Interpretation Board initiative, and not inconsider-able frustration has been experienced by John Brown who is the prime-mover with this initiative. A lesser person would probably have given up by now, but John is persevering and although the time-schedule has slipped, he will see the initiative through to fruition. (A grant towards the costs of the project from the ‘Silverdykes’ has been recommended to Fife Council.)

John, along with Paul Lewis, has now become involved with the Kilrenny, Anstruther and Cellardyke Burgh Survey, one of a number of a variety of organisations working locally and in which the CRA is playing an active part.

The role as Secretary has continued to be interesting and generally enjoyable. Once again it has been a real pleasure to work with Glenn, Allan (who makes so many contributions – financial, floral and organisational) and George as officers of the Association (and as friends), and also with those who attend meetings regularly, and/or make significant contributions to its work in the community. I thank you all!

If it is the will of the meeting, I am willing to continue to serve as Secretary - for one more year!

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer, Allan McLelland, reported that the accounts for the year September 2015 to August 2016 had been prepared and approved in due time by the auditor, Mr David Thomson (of Kilrenny). The assets of the Association stood at £2049.52 as at 31^st August 2016. He noted that floral expenditure during the year had amounted to £626.57 which was considerably more than the grant from Fife Council but which, nevertheless, represented a small cost given the extent and quality of the floral displays in the community.  

Allan also reported on the accounts for the period 1st to 31st August 2016, a period which had seen very few transactions He noted that the floral account stood at £522.51 while the Burns Supper account showed a balance of £1398.62.

Glenn duly thanked Allan for his work over many years and praised him for his clear well documented accounts. He continued to be a pivotal member of the Association.

Chairman's Review of the Year 2016

Catherine's report has highlighted the key events of the CRA year. I would like to thank her for all her dedication through the year, and also tonight give an especial thanks to Elizabeth for raising the possibility of reviving the Sea Queen ceremony, and to John, for updating us on the Information Boards project. And to thank all of you for joining us at our AGM this evening.

I think the CRA has come to a crucial stage.   As we enter out tenth year, we can look back on a number of achievements. Still being here, is one of them. And that is thanks to our small but loyal band of regular supporters, to our regular attenders, to our subscribers from afar, and to our long standing, or is that long-suffering, office bearers: Catherine Wilson, our incomparable secretary, Allan McLellan, our iron chancellor,   and George Walker, our vice chairman and internet guru, and everyone else who has helped us.   But as the CRA enters its second decade, we need to ask some questions. What is it? What does it do? Where is it going? And how can we best connect with  all those who are interested in the village,   because they are residents, or have their roots here, or just love Cellardyke.

In a way, the CRA has become sort of  mini-community council. We are not elected, but then, neither are many of the country's official community councils. The CRA is run by a small band of committed regular attenders, like most other groups in the Three Burghs. Originally, the CRA was formed to represent the residents who were concerned about the scale of the proposed Silverdykes development, and its impact on Cellardyke. In 2007, we had lively, combustible meetings of 30 plus people in this room. 180 people wrote letters of objection. We became the go-to people for the local press.   The first Detailed Planning Application was turned down.   Three years of   campaigning ended in an appeal hearing in which we pitted our wits against an eminent QC, and effectively won. The Scottish Office Reporter ruled that the original scheme needed changing, and the Silverdykes area is now an improved version of the original plan. One small but significant final victory was in persuading Muir Homes not to advertise the development as being in Anstruther, which it isn’t. Have a look at the name Silverdykes, Cellardyke on the hoardings  on Windmill Road.   If it wasn’t there, another huge psychological step towards losing the identity of Cellardyke as a separate village, with its own history and heritage, would have been taken.

Since those days, Silverdykes and it residents have become part of Cellardyke, and the function of the CRA has evolved. The CRA now works co-operatively with Muir Homes on the SLC.  One of the most significant outcomes of the planning process was the setting up of the Silverdykes Liaison Committee (SLC), with representatives of Fife Council - Cllr Riches;   Muir Homes - David Scobbie;   three members of the CRA, three of the Community Council, and currently two co-opted members, invited for their experience and skills.   Currently I am the acting-chairman of the committee, despite my annual attempts to resign.   The CRA have always provided the chair for the committee, which should ideally be rotated.   Its main function now is to invite and consider recommendations from the public for the spending of the £400,000 payable by Muir Homes in instalments to Fife Council, for the development having limited open space.   Muir Homes handle the minutes, and give reprographic and other assistance.  There is only one office bearer, the Chairman, who also acts as secretary. And no budget. We are cheap to run.

The anstruther.info website carries our explanation of what the SLC does and how it operates, which we worked out for ourselves, as there is no precedent for operating such a group. We drew up a constitution.   The key function now is to advise Fife Council on the spending of the open space leisure money provided by the Section 75 legal agreement. It is available across the local community council area, with a weighting given to the closeness to Cellardyke of any proposed facilities. The First £147,000 has been allocated after proposals from the community.   Right now, £25000 of the money is being spent on the improvement of Cellardyke Play Park thanks to a proposal from resident Sandra Doherty. £12, 100 will be spent on the installation of the information boards across Cellardyke on which John Brown updated us, and £10,000 will improve the play equipment in Windmill court. £62,000 enabled the Bankie Park Group to complete the excellent play facilities which youngsters are enjoying every day in Bankie, and £50,000 has enabled the Safe Routes to School Group to get matched funding and develop the safe cycle routes from Cellardyke to the outer reaches of the known world, Anstruther. Permanent outdoor table tennis tables will soon be available in up to three locations.   The CRA has played a full part in developing and leading the SLC, and in creating a straightforward process for people to make proposals and have then considered.

What comes next, however, is the challenge of spending the next tranche of Muir Homes money. £150,000 should become available from the end of 2016 when two thirds of the Silverdykes development is complete.   Anyone, whether part of a group or as an individual, can download the proposal forms from the SLC webpage on the Anstruther.info website, or get one from the library. If you have an idea for improving outdoor leisure facilities in Cellardyke, or know anyone who has, this is a unique opportunity to make a difference. Spending is being cut across Fife, yet we have this chance to improve our community.

As I said, one of the improvements will be the CRA sponsored information boards. These achieve one of the key aims of the CRA, as set out in our constitution: to safeguard the identity of Cellardyke, and promote its history and heritage. There is also now an opportunity to join Kilrenny and Anstruther Burgh Collection's project to photograph the sites of all of the businesses and shops in the three burghs, and compare them with photographic records from the past. There will be an invitation for your inner photographer to take part. The KABC will co-ordinate this project, and will launch it soon.

Other significant events which the CRA has introduced have been the Burns Supper, and the floral displays, led by Kate Shearer and Allan McLellan, and helped by   residents who have been spontaneously adding to the displays and locations. The Burns Supper is going to take a break this January, partly because of a clash of dates which prevents our normal catering on our chosen date, but also because of the lack of an alternative date which Allan and I could both work to. He and I have thought through every aspect of mounting the Supper in 2017, and our conclusion is that unless someone else would like to take over and run the Burns supper, we will take a break. But we have heard from Elizabeth Dickson of the possibility of reviving an important part of Cellardyke's heritage, the Sea Queen Ceremony, and this could be a huge contribution to village life. It will require a shared community effort, which the CRA could co-ordinate, but cannot achieve on its own.

Which brings me back to the starting point. I have looked at what the CRA does, and has done, and what it is after 10 years. But it is a group which is likely to have to rely once more on the old guard. I am grateful that Catherine, Allan and George have joined me for one last year, in standing for election. It's time for a renewal of the CRA, and over the next year we are going to rethink the way we operate. We do not have enough regulars to carry on with the regular meetings and the workload that we have created for ourselves.   Above all, we do not have the involvement of a younger generation to carry on our work.   Unless new people become involved, the CRA will wither away.   So will our floral displays, for we cannot expect Kate Shearer to continue to give the huge amount of time and effort she devotes to improving our environment. Perhaps an Adopt your Local Tub scheme is the answer, co-ordinated by the CRA. New ideas are needed. People, especially those still working hard to support their families, do not have the time or the energy to attend a monthly meeting to discuss a general agenda of good works. All across the three burghs, groups are struggling to keep going with ageing, and apparently irreplaceable, personnel.

So, where are we going? We start tonight with a proposal to reduce the number of formal meetings, and to focus more on particular activities. Our hope is that new people will come forward to help with activities that interest them. The Cellardyke Facebook page has over 500 members with an interest in Cellardyke, and Richard Wemyss regularly posts interesting   extracts of historical news reports.   There are new ways of developing the aims of the CRA. If we fail to take them, we will become irrelevant. We are a constituted group which can support efforts in the village. Cellardyke has people with all sorts of talents and skills, but the question is, how can we encourage them to become involved? The CRA has much to offer the village of Cellardyke. It will now look to new ways to do that, with your help. 

Change to the Constitution

In the light of the proposal for less frequent meetings, a change to the constitution was proposed, namely to the section on meetings which should read: “Ordinary meetings of the CRA shall be held at least FIVE times in the year, the date, time and place to be decided at the AGM, and any variations required by circumstances to be confirmed at the preceding meeting whensoever possible.”

This change, representing a change from a minimum of six meetings to five, would be brought to the October meeting for ratification.

Annual Subscriptions and Membership.

It was proposed from the Chair that no change be made to the existing arrangements; i.e. members attending meetings would continue to contribute £1 per meeting as subscriptions, while those unable to attend would be invited to make a donation, recommended at £10 per year, to support the work of the Association, receive minutes etc. The proposal was unanimously agreed.

Election of Office Bearers.

All the current officers, as listed below, had indicated their willingness to continue to serve for one further year. This offer was accepted and there being no further nominations, the ‘candidates’ were duly elected!!

Chairman:                   Glenn Jones

Vice-Chairman:    George Walker

Secretary:             Catherine Wilson

Treasurer              Allan McLelland

There being no other matters to discuss, the meeting closed at approximately 20.30 hrs.

The next monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday 4th October, at the Haven (ground floor room) and the next Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, 5th September 2017.

Members then enjoyed light refreshments and a most enjoyable social time together.

  

Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 4^th October 2016 (held at the Haven Hotel, Cellardyke)

The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed the faithful few to the meeting. He expressed disappointment after the encouraging turnout at the AGM, and suggested that the small attendance served to confirm that standard meetings and routine business did not attract people and that a project-based approach to CRA activities was the way forward.

Present: Glenn Jones (Chair), John Brown, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Kate Shearer and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).

Apologies for absence: A record of these is held on electronic file.

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 2^nd August 2016 were approved as a correct record of the meeting, proposed by Kate Shearer and seconded by John Brown.  

Matters Arising

(a)    Footpath/Cycle path between Silverdykes and Toll Road: The Secretary confirmed that work would start shortly on the construction of the path.

(b)    Chairmanship of the Silverdykes Liaison Committee: Glenn reported that he had agreed to continue to chair the SLC meeting later in the week but, in reality, he envisaged having to continue as Acting Chairman for the rest of the year in the absence of any other candidate. It was expected that the second tranche of commuted money from the Muir Development, £150,000 would be available around December, and proposals from the community were to be encouraged. Appreciation was expressed at the considerable improvements, made possible by Section 75 funding, to the play area at Cellardyke bathing pool and the Chair was asked to pass on congratulations to those had been involved in taking the development forward.  

(c)    Noticeboard at the Corner Shop: The Treasurer reported that the matter of replacing the noticeboard was in hand. A new board would be in place by the end of the year

Planning for the future

(a)    Floral Cellardyke: It was noted with pleasure that Anstruther and Cellardyke had been given a Gold Award in the Beautiful Fife initiative. Kate and Allan were congratulated on this success and thanked for all the work they had done in the past year (and previous years.)   Time was then spent discussing how the displays were to be created and tended in the next year. Some volunteers to take responsibility for specific displays had already made themselves known – John Brown (War Memorial); Janis Morris (the boat at the East End; Christine (???); Rob (James Street); Mrs Fraser (the telephone kiosk); Catherine (tubs mid-Windmill Road). It was recognised, however, that more volunteers were needed.

It was noted that there had been a suggestion at a recent meeting of Anstruther and Cellardyke in Bloom Group that monies received in grants from the Council might be pooled and shared across the community so that funding was more equally divided across the area. Although changes had been forecast for grant applications for the coming year, the method for making applications remained the same.

(b)    Proposals for projects to be supported with Section 75 funding: The Chairman indicated that the next date for consideration of proposals was at the meeting on December 1^st. It was open to those who had already been allocated money to make application for more.

Various possible projects were mentioned: John Brown - flagpoles for the entrance to the new Waid Academy with floral displays at their base – John to approach the Rector; Catherine – Carl van der Lee’s idea of a unit to support the maintenance of floral containers, the growing of plants, etc – Catherine to contact Carl re making a bid for funds; new ‘electrics’ for Cellardyke Town Hall; improvement of access to the War Memorial. Members were encouraged to follow up where they could on these ideas.

(c)    Projects linking Cellardyke Past and Present:

(i)     Interpretation Boards: John reported that some problems had been encountered with proposed locations for boards, eg at the bottom of Burnside Terrace, so some had to be re-considered. Chris Smith from Fife Council was being involved in the ‘pre-planning’ prior to a formal application being made, via the Community Council. John further reported that he had met with the company which it had been proposed would produce the boards, to discuss new designs and materials.

(ii) Revival of the ceremony of the Sea Queen: John reported that he, Richard Wemyss and Elizabeth Dickson had met, and had viewed a CD which had confirmed how dated the ceremony was and how new thinking was needed. Wide-ranging plans for a day of celebrations, with the Sea Queen ceremony as one part, had been discussed. A report of the meeting will be circulated with this minute. The group intended to meet monthly with a view to planning a major event for 2018.

The question of accountability was raised. It was noted that there would be a leadership team of three or four with sub-groups taking responsibility for specific aspects of the programme.

(iii) Additional historical project: Glenn indicated that he had been made aware of a proposed plan for a major on-going historical project involving many aspects of the community, especially the young. It would build upon the current Sea Queen revival – a living Cellardyke history project, celebrating its heritage – for which an application could be made for Heritage Lottery Funding. It is anticipated that more information about this project might be available at a future meeting.    

Administrative matters

(a)    Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer spoke to his report for the period 1^st to 30^th September. Working capital at the end of the period amounted to £2149.52 (£134.68 cash in hand and £1012.84 in the bank).

(b)    CRA Constitution

Following discussion on the matter at the AGM on 6^th September, the Secretary proposed a minor change to the Constitution, as follows:

“Section 7.   Meetings

Ordinary meetings of the CRA shall be held at least five times in the year, the date, time and place to be decided at the AGM, and any variations required by circumstances to be confirmed at the preceding meeting whensoever possible.”

In the previous version of the constitution, the minimum number of meetings had been six.

The change was approved.

(c) Communication:

It was agreed that Kate should continue to ‘promote’ the CRA and its activities using FaceBook.

 

Minutes of Meeting held on Tuesday 6^th December 2016 at Cellardyke Town Hall

The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed everyone to the meeting, especially Elizabeth and Morag who were to speak under agendum item 3.

Present: Glenn Jones (Chair), Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Elizabeth Dickson, Morag Findlay, Susan Holmes, Paul Lewis, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Catriona MacPherson, Fiona Mitchell, Kate Shearer Diana Sykes and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).

Apologies for absence: A record of these is held on electronic file.

1. Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 4^th October 2016 were approved as a correct record of the meeting, proposed by Kate Shearer and seconded by Allan McLelland.  

2. Matters Arising

Floral Grant Application: The Secretary confirmed that the application for a grant for 2017 had been submitted on time and its receipt had been acknowledged.

3. Updates on key local projects

(a)    Historic Cellardyke (Sea Queen Festival): Elizabeth, supported by Morag, reported on the second meeting of the group looking to promote the Sea Queen as part of a wider ‘Historic Cellardyke’ initiative. It was noted that work was still at the ideas stage and that while there was enthusiasm for something developed from the old Sea Queen Festival, it was recognised that the old way of doing things had had its time and a new scheme was needed involving the community more actively – and linking to Anstruther for some aspects.

The hope/intention was to develop a programme of activities for a Saturday at Cellardyke Harbour in July 2018 which would start with the arrival from Anstruther by boat of the Sea Queen. This would be enhanced by the involvement of four local historical personalities enacted by students from the school (?). Historic boats would also be involved. The crowning would be followed by a ceremony of ‘remembrance’ for those mariners lost at sea over the years and their families. This, in turn, might be followed by activities involving the wider community but not much thought had yet been given to what this might be. (John Brown’s notes of the meeting about which Elizabeth spoke are attached for information.)

Members were impressed by the progress that had been made to date. It was noted that Health and Safety issues would have to be addressed and that this would mean that there would be a lot of Fife Council forms to fill in!! It was suggested that John Smith (Rodger Street) might be able to help with regard to process and procedures.

(b)    Interpretation Boards: John Brown, who was about to leave for a visit to Australia, had reported that achieving planning permission was proving to be a more complex and challenging issue than he had anticipated. However, he hoped a meeting arranged with Chris Smith of Fife Council Planning Department would help him in working through the exact requirements.

(c)    Silverdykes Liaison Committee – Section 75 Funding: Glenn reported that the second tranche of funding would be made available soon.   As yet few applications for this money had been made. He expressed the view that an application for funding for improvements to Cellardyke Town Hall was unlikely to be successful as it did not match the criteria. However, funding for specific equipment might be considered.

A second grant of £50K was to be awarded towards the cost of the second phase of the Safe Cycle Route and this would allow for an application for matched funding (from elsewhere) to be made. This would still leave £88K for other projects although £20K was to be allocated for a project at Billowness.

With a further tranche of funds to become available in due time, an application for funding for the Sea Queen Festival and associated celebrations should be given due consideration. There were a few other possible applications in the pipeline, including one for £6.5K for a telescope for Anstruther Harbour.  

Questions were asked about the viability of the Cellardyke Pool. Could it ever be restored or was there anything of historical interest in the area that was ‘retrievable’? While it was noted that restoration and maintenance costs would be huge, it was also noted that Pittenweem was to receive an Aviva grant for its pool. Furthermore, following lengthy discussions with Fife Council it had been agreed that the Friends of Craigtoun Park should take over the running of all facilities in the park, including the lake, and, in a partnership arrangement, the Council would maintain the grounds and assist with grants/investment.       

4. Floral Cellardyke

(a)    Planning for 2017: Kate reported that she had planted 20 bags of bulbs in tubs around the area, and that she had had an offer of help from Pam Moncur.   However, more volunteers were needed to look after tubs and a special effort was needed with the displays at the top of Windmill Road. This latter subject should be raised at the next meeting of the Anstruther and Cellardyke in Bloom Group on February 6th.

As yet, there had been no indication of the success or otherwise of the CRA bid for funds from Fife Council for floral work.

(b) Fund-raising Coffee Morning: Catherine confirmed that the date for this would be 28^th January (Saturday) in Cellardyke Church Hall, probably between the hours of 10 am and 12 noon. In all likelihood, Mary Thomson would be the organiser.                    

5. Kilrenny, Anstruther and Cellardyke Burgh Archaeological Survey

Paul Lewis gave an excellent report on the work of the survey, work on which was almost complete. He indicated that outcomes would include a written study, a book to be published by Fife Council in March 2017 and various supporting materials including trails and the installation of plaques.   Paul had taken an active part in the excavation work which had been undertaken in the graveyard at the back of the Dreel Hall, which had proved to be fascinating.   There was a possibility that further work might be undertaken under the auspices of the Fife Council Archaeological Department.  

Paul was thanked warmly for all his hard work in support of the Survey and commended on his report. (The full text of Paul’s report is included as a separate article on this site.)

6. A O C B

(a) Treasurer’s Report: Allan presented a report covering the period 1^st October to 30^th November 2016.       Working capital at the end of the period amounted to £1975.28 (£52.18 cash in hand and £1923.10 in the bank).

(b)     Date of next meeting: The next meeting of the CRA will be held on Tuesday, 7^th February 2017 in ‘The Haven’, George Street, Cellardyke starting at 7.15pm.

The meeting closed formally at 2030 hrs and the assembled company enjoyed a period of socialising over festive fare!

 

Minutes of Meeting held on Tuesday 7^th February 2017 at The Haven, Cellardyke 

The Chairman, Glenn Jones, extended a warm welcome to everyone present.

Present: Glenn Jones (Chair), Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Paul Lewis, Steve Liscoe, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), George Walker and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).

Apologies for absence: A record of these is held on electronic file.

1. Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 6^th December 2016 were approved as a correct record of the meeting, Proposed by Allan McLelland and seconded by Dorothea Cargill Thompson.  

2. Matters Arising

Paul was thanked for producing a written account of his talk to the meeting on the Burgh Survey. This had been posted on the CRA website.

3. Updates on key local projects

(a)    Historic Cellardyke (Sea Queen Festival): Catherine reported briefly on progress by the small committee working on the planning of a Sea Queen Festival in 2018, as relayed to her by John Brown. Morag Findlay had now joined the group. adding to its areas of expertise.   They were aiming for a ceremony which would be a development of the old ceremony in terms of the use of modern technology, such as the use of a good PA system, etc. However, it would be faithful to the traditions of the original ceremony (1948), but involve more people and different areas within the community. The next steps would include making decisions about basic issues such as the date (to fit with tide times).  The selection procedures for the Sea Queen herself would be more transparent and egalitarian and the ceremony would have rather more ‘gravitas’ and aim to be a celebration of the sea.  The ‘four’ felt that they needed to make a little more progress before making a presentation to interested parties and possible helpers.

(b)   Interpretation Boards: John had now had a meeting with Chris Smith of the Fife Council Planning Department and this had proved to be very helpful. The planning application(s) would not need to go through the Community Council.   Some special large-scale OS maps would be needed for the identification of locations in the formal application and as these would be expensive some CRA funding might be sought.

Paul questioned the proposed location of one of the boards, on James Street, fearing that it might block some of the light to the main window of the house adjacent to the site. It was agreed that this concern should be forwarded to John.

(c)    Silverdykes Liaison Committee: Glenn gave an update on applications for funding. A second grant of £50K had been recommended to Fife Council for the second phase of developing the Safe Cycle Route. and this would allow for an application for matched funding (from elsewhere) to be made. It would still leave £88K for other projects although £20K was to be allocated for a project to provide improved play equipment at Billowness.

With a further tranche of funds to become available in due time, an application for funding for the Sea Queen Festival and associated celebrations should be given due consideration. It was not certain, however, that this would readily meet the criteria of open space leisure provision, and so would require careful drafting. There were a few other possible applications in the pipeline, including one for £6.5K for a telescope for AnstrutherHarbour.   Questions were raised about the siting of this given the obstruction of the view by the harbour wall and the problems of disabled access if the telescope were to be mounted on a platform. A development involving some landscaping at Watery Butts, from Claire Docherty, was also anticipated.

Dorothea spoke of the need for improved access to the East Baes and for more seats and, perhaps, tables. This led to some discussion about the ownership, and responsibility for upkeep of the trackway along the braes. Steve promised to look into both these issues. Dorothea indicated that she would draft an application for funds to improve access to and facilities for the area.    

4. Floral Cellardyke

(a)  Fund-raising Coffee Morning: It was noted that the Coffee Morning to raise funds for floral work in the area had raised £450. CRA members were thanked for their various contributions. It was noted that it had been a good collaborative exercise. At this stage, there was no indication of how the proceeds might be split.

Comment was made on the poor state of maintenance of the ChalmersGarden and it was noted that the Town Centre Working Party which had been responsible for the development of the garden, had been disbanded. It was pointed out that Fife Council was now responsible for the upkeep.   Nevertheless, it was agreed that the matter should be raised at the next Anstruther and Cellardyke in Bloom meeting.

(b) Report back from Anstruther and Cellardyke in Bloom meeting (06/02/17): Catherine gave a brief report on the meeting that had taken place the previous evening. A wide range of issues had been discussed, including the desirability, or not, of having similar floral displays, or similar standard of floral displays at the three entrances to the town. It had been noted that the work which would need to be done at the corner of Windmill Road and Crail Road in connection with the development of the Safe Cycle Route gave the opportunity to do some landscaping at that corner. It was agreed that the CRA should seek further information about what this might involve. (NB The next meeting of the group will be held on 27^th March at 1930 hrs)

(c)  Still looking for volunteers:  There was no progress to report!

5. Other miscellaneous issues

(a) Treasurer’s Report: Allan presented a report covering the period 1^st December 2016 to 31^st January 2017.       Working capital at the end of the period amounted to £1931.65 (£8.31 cash in hand and £1923.34 in the bank).

(b) Complaint re behaviour of customers of the Coastal Inn: A resident of John Street living close to the Inn had written to the Association to report on her considerable unhappiness about the noise from The Coastal Inn and the alleged behaviour of its customers outside the pub. The latter included the vandalizing of the small garden at the telephone kiosk opposite the Town Hall, although there was no evidence that the customers of the Inn were responsible for this. Enquiries of other residents in the area had not substantiated the complaint. After some discussion, it was agreed that the complainant should be advised to keep a diary of the problem and then to speak with the owners on the basis of this evidence. If there were to be no satisfactory outcome, the matter should then be taken to the police and/or the local councillor.

In the interim, it was agreed that money should be offered for replacement of the plants at the kiosk and thanks recorded for the work done in the past with encouragement for this to be continued.

(c) A Burns Supper for 2018: After some discussion, it was agreed that the possibility of a Supper in 2018 should be explored with regard to the availability of David Barnett as the caterer. Possible dates would be 20^th January or 3^rd February. If the usual catering arrangements could be secured for one or other of these dates, Glenn and Allan agreed that they would consider acting as Programme Organiser and Business Manager respectively for one more year.

(d) Noticeboard at the Corner Shop: Allan reported that having explored, but without success, the possibility of a replacement sign being made locally, he was now recommending the purchase of a new board – John from the shop was happy with this recommendation - which was approved.

(e)  Relocation of service to the new Waid buildings: It was noted that the library and the local Fife Office were to be relocated to the new Waid. The possibility of the Burgh Collection being house in the space left was mentioned – but the rental might be significant.

(f)  Digitisation of photos at the Fisheries Museum: It was noted that this process was in hand.

6. AOCB

It was noted that there was an increase in dog-fouling in the area. More notices in the area were needed and Environmental Services were to be contacted in this regard.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at half past eight.           

 

Minutes of Meeting held on Tuesday 4^th April 2017 at The Haven, Cellardyke

The Chairman, Glenn Jones, extended a warm welcome to everyone present, especially to Jemma Wycherley, attending her first meeting and to Chris Oliver, making a welcome return.

Present: Glenn Jones (Chair), John Brown, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Paul Lewis, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Chris Oliver, Catherine Wilson (Secretary) and Jemma Wycherley.

Apologies for absence: A record of these is held on electronic file.

1. Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 4^th February were approved as a correct record of the meeting. Proposed by Allan McLelland and seconded by Paul Lewis.  

2. Matters Arising

(i) Allan was thanked for purchasing and installing the new noticeboard at the Corner Shop.

(ii) It was noted that the Waid (and other Council facilities) would be moving to its new premises in May/June, freeing space at the East Neuk Centre some of which would be let to the Burgh Collection for a very reasonable rent

3. Updates on key local projects

(a) Historic Cellardyke (Sea Queen Festival): John (Brown) spoke to a tabled paper on progress with the planning of the Sea Queen Festival. (A copy of the paper will be circulated with the minutes.) He provided a good amount of detailed information, emphasising that what was planned was a ceremony which would be a development of the old ceremony keeping to many of the traditions, but with enhancements which would give the event a greater degree of gravitas. Also, it would involve more people, including people from throughout the burgh, the local church and some historic boats. His account was impressive both with regard to what had been achieved in thinking through the many facets of the event, and what was planned.  He reported that the event was scheduled for 14^th July 2018, 2018 being the 70^th anniversary of the first Sea Queen Fesrtival. The aim of the four on the planning group was now to engage willing helpers some of whom who had already registered their interest. John foresaw a group of 20 being brought together in the relatively short term, through personal contacts, and for this to extended to twice the number in due time.

With regard to the costs of the whole exercise various sources of possible funding were identified – the Norah Webber Trust (of which Glenn indicated he was a trustee), the Community Kist, Section 75 funding for elements of the project which would be of long term benefit of the community, etc. John also outlined a programme for publicising the project to the wider community.      

(b) Interpretation Boards: John, changing hats, spoke of his most recent meeting with Chris Smith of the Fife Council Planning Department, commenting that this had proved to be very helpful. A further meeting was planned for the following week. While it had now been agreed that one planning application only would be needed by the Planning Department, special large scale maps would be needed for each location. These had now been ordered. Chris Smith had agreed to put together maps and photos for the application while John worked on the basic concepts of the project with illustrations and draft text for the seven (?) Cellardyke boards. Chris Smith would provide what help he could as an intermediary. The scope and detailed content for the boards would be developed once planning permission had been granted. The boards would carry QR codes, have more illustrations than words and would be more people/social history oriented than some existing boards in the area.

Some questions were raised about the exact positioning of the boards and some of the technical production specs.

In due time four boards would be developed for Kilrenny.    

(c) Silverdykes Liaison Committee: Glenn provided an update with some commentary on applications for funding, namely:

(i) the development to green space at Mayview Avenue to form a community garden area with educational equipment for children, and using natural/eco resources. As planning permission would probably be needed, the committee were to ask the proposer to consult with other residents before progressing the proposal.

(ii) the improvement of paths, on either side of Pickford Crescent, leading to the War Memorial. As it was believed that the ‘Waur’ Path would be improved as part of the Safe Cycle Route Project, it was decided that this proposal should be put on hold. (There was some uncertainty expressed about the development of the cycle path in this particular area.) Another aspect of this proposal was to provide picnic tables, seats in the area and an information board* on the grass near to the War Memorial. (* A silhouette view/panoramic ‘location identifier’) Again the SLC was of the view that public consultation might be needed as planning permission would have to be applied for. The proposal needed further development.

(iii) the siting of a telescope at Anstruther Harbour. While interest had been shown in supporting this proposal, no decision had been reached as at present as the Council was checking whether the proposal met the terms and conditions of Section 75, and on some other issues connected with the installation.

(iv) repair of bridges at Crawhill Community Woodland. This proposal had been received some time back. It was reported that Fife Council had now agreed to the repairs at a cost of £6000 +VAT. The SLC agreed to this cost.

(v) improvements to Billowness swing park. In the light of this proposal, Fife Council had drawn up a plan for the development of the swing park. The committee agreed to the funding of a ‘trim trail’(?) for children, a basket swing and a picnic table.

(vi) Windmill Court swing park. The Committee had agreed that the proposed improvements to this area should be submitted to Fife Council.

(vii) Outdoor table tennis tables. The response to the proposal for three concrete tables to be located in the area had been to agree initially to the placing of a table in Bankie Park, with its use being monitored before any decision on the placement of other two tables.

With regard to the progress of building within the development, Glenn reported the following statistics:

Private housing: 140 completed + 3 more reserved

Fife Council houses 57                  

Kingdom Housing Association 44 giving total of 101 affordable housing.

Glenn concluded his report with a comment on how hard the committee had worked to progress the spending on Section 75 funding to its current state.

4. Floral Cellardyke

(a) Grant from Fife Council: Catherine reported that the CRA had received a grant of £229 from Fife Council while other organisations based on Anstruther had received £150. It was noted that the local awarding committee had recognised the multiple applications from within the one community.

(b)  Floral displays in Cellardyke: There was a brief report from the meeting of the recent Anstruther and Cellardyke in Bloom at which there had been discussions about improving the floral displays at the entrances to the town (Anstruther and Cellardyke) from the north and from the east. Changes to the display at the top of Windmill Road could be necessitated when the Safe Cycle route was pushed through there. This would give an opportunity for some re-design, but the timing of the work was not known. For the CRA – and Kate in particular - this made it difficult to decide whether to undertake all the work associated with maintaining the displays. After some discussion, CRA members concluded that it would be better if the boat were to be moved to a new location, such as where the potato boxes were currently, especially as the boxes were beginning to fall apart. Kate also recommended that the tubs currently on the ‘platform’ in John Street should be re located to the Toon Green area or near to the playpark at the bathing pool, as they were barely visible in their current location and the Council was no longer caring for the flower beds near the Toon Green.

(c)    Still looking for volunteers: The question of what was required of volunteers interested in adopting tubs was raised. Kate indicated that Helen Allen was mobilising a team to care for displays in the Toon Green area. She also reported that Gordon Craig was ‘bringing on’ plants destined for Cellardyke in his greenhouse. With a view to providing volunteers with access to more plants, Paul indicated that he would write to Dobbies and supermarkets in St Andrews to see if the CRA could be supplied with plants from their stocks which otherwise would go to waste. Chris volunteered to write in similar vein to the MD of Dobbies who was known to him.

5. Other miscellaneous issues

(a) Treasurer’s Report: Allan presented a report covering the period 1^st February to 31^st March 2017. Working capital at the end of the period amounted to £1827.70 (£24.31 cash in hand and £1803.39 in the bank). A donation of £20 for floral work from the Wycherleys was acknowledged with appreciation.

Allan reported that he would be purchasing compost for the tubs round the community.

(b) Burns Supper for 2018: Glenn expressed the hope that a Supper would be organised again in 2018. He was prepared to organise speakers, Catherine had agreed to organise some musicians – or at least to try to do so – and Allan had agreed to act as ‘business manager’ for one more year. It was agreed that the most suitable date would be 3^rd February. Caterers to be approached, were, in order of preference, Barnetts, La Petite Epicerie and the caterers from the Harbour Café in Elie.

(d)    Noticeboard at the Corner Shop: It was noted that the new notice board was in place and looked good. Allan was thanked for his work in purchasing the board and putting it up. It was agreed that some new notices were needed drawing attention to the Association’s plans for the future. (Allan and John (from the Corner Shop) are the key holders for the board.)

(e)    Dog Fouling: Paul agreed to write to the Council to ask for more notices to be put up, for more monitoring of the problem and for the dog warden to be seen more often in the area.

(f) Citizen of the Year Award: No-one had any information about when the winner of the award would be announced.   (Secretary’s note: The announcement will be made at a special event being organised by the Community Council for Monday, 24^th April. Glenn and Lorna Jones, jointly, are one of the four nominations made to the Council.)

6. AOCB

(a) It was noted that Elizabeth Riches would be standing down as a councillor this year. All agreed that she had a wonderful record and it was also agreed that a letter of thanks for all she had done should be sent from the CRA, and a bouquet of flowers. (Catherine to organise)

(b) Glenn reminded the assembled company that as from the time of the Association’s AGM in September, the four principal officers would be standing down. He suggested that there were three alternatives for the future running of the Association, namely (i) it continue as currently IF replacement officers were to come forward; (ii) it fold; and (iii) the constitution be reconsidered to see if the organisation could continue as a form of holding group.

Kate indicated that she would be willing to take on the role of Treasurer. Chris then indicated that he would take over as Chair if no-one else was prepared to do so and Paul indicated that he would be willing to serve as an officer at some future date. John Brown recommended that specific people be asked to take on particular roles – in this case, Secretary and Vice Chairman (and webmaster).

(c) Paul raised a question about the car parking areas beyond the swimming pool. It was noted that the furthest of these areas belonged to Kilrenny Mill.

(d) Paul also raised a question about progress in producing a booklet which was to be the outcome of the Archaeological Survey of the area. Publication was now overdue, according to the original schedule. Catherine agreed to write to Rathmell Archaeology Ltd, the project managers, for an update. 

There being no further business, the meeting closed a little before 9.00 pm.        

 

Minutes of Meeting held on Tuesday 6^th June 2017 at The Haven, Cellardyke

The Chairman, Glenn Jones, extended his usual warm welcome to everyone present.

Present: Glenn Jones (Chair), John Brown, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Steve Liscoe, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Kate Shearer, Diana Sykes, Mary Thomson, and Catherine Wilson (Secretary)

Apologies for absence: A record of these is held on electronic file.

1. Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 4^th April were approved as a correct record of the meeting. Proposed by Allan McLelland and seconded by John Brown.  

2. Matters Arising

Catherine reported that she had arranged for flowers to be sent to Elizabeth Riches at the end of her period of office as a County Councillor and had received a lovely letter of thanks, which she would have brought to the meeting had Catherine remembered the safe place in which she had put it!

3. Updates on key local projects

(a) Historic Cellardyke (Sea Queen Festival): John (Brown) spoke on progress with the planning of the Sea Queen Festival. He referred to the public meeting which had been held in May, a report of which had been circulated with the papers. He had anticipated a rather bigger attendance but had been pleased at the enthusiasm of those who did attend and their creative ideas. A number of those attending had agreed to join an enhanced planning group.

The possibility of extending the celebrations had been discussed but some of the ideas had been found to be impracticable with the 2018 ceremony in mind – but might be explored for future years. A small group had been formed to raise money for the ceremony through coffee mornings and the like. Another small group – Morag and George Findlay and John Smith - would look after arrangements for the parade. The support of the Community Council was being sought with regard to Health and Safety issues.

The matter of the handling the financial side was being considered: possibly funds could be held by the KACC or by the CRA if the CRA continues to operate as currently. In the latter case, then Kate would be in control and the view was expressed that this option would be the preferred one.

At this point discussion digressed to the consideration of the future of the CRA if not in its current form. The Chair agreed to look at the current constitution of the CRA to see how it might be amended should the Association become a parent group and fund holder for local projects.

John indicated that the ‘original four’ and the sub-group would meet within four weeks to decide on the scope of the ceremony in the light of recent discussions.

(b) Interpretation Boards: Having visited Tantallon Castle and seen the quality of the boards there, John had contacted Scottish Heritage and been put in touch with Westmorland Signs International, a company which specialises in wayfinding signs and heritage signs. George Read, the founder and MD had offered very good advice. The company would be able to take the development of the boards from words and illustrations provided, through design and manufacture to installation – for a cost of approximately £1000 per board.

John also reported progress on the planning front. Chris Smith had proved to be very helpful and the planning application, with photographs of the proposed locations, maps and a letter of support from KACC, etc, was now posted on the Fife Council Planning website.

John indicated that he would apply to the Silverdykes Liaison Committee for additional funds.  

(c) Silverdykes Liaison Committee: Glenn reported on various issues, including an update of applications for funding, with some commentary on their feasibility or otherwise.

With regard to the land at the side of the pathway from Taeping Close towards the Skeith Medical Centre, Muir Homes was denying all responsibility for this having taken legal advice. Maintenance was the responsibility of the neighbouring houses (Nos 12 and 13). The hope was expressed that once the cycle path had been finished, its maintenance might include the land either side.

The second tranche of Section 75 funding (£150K) has now been paid to Fife Council. (The third tranche of £100K would be payable once the last property had been sold.)  

With regard to the applications for funding, Glenn reported the following:

(i) the development to green space at Mayview Avenue to form a community garden area with educational equipment for children, and using natural/eco resources. Consultation with neighbours, necessary for planning purposes, indicated several objections and so the proposal would go no further.

(ii) the improvement of paths, on either side of Pickford Crescent, leading to the War Memorial. The ownership of the land beyond the bollards had been brought into question. Local consultation had revealed that some neighbours were NOT in favour of picnic tables. Because of uncertainty over ownership of the land, the application was being held in abeyance. If the erection of a panoramic view and landmark indicator board was to be pursued, then a specific proposal would be needed. Such a Board might be sited to the east of the War Memorial.

(iii) the siting of a telescope at Anstruther Harbour. The reaction to this proposal had been generally favourable but planning permission would be needed before financial support could be considered. While interest had been shown in supporting this proposal, no decision had been reached as at present as the Council was checking whether the proposal met the terms and conditions of Section 75, and on some other issues connected with the installation.

(iv) the installation of Portaloos at Bankie Park. Fife Council had ruled that Section 75 funding could not be used for temporary structures. As portaloos are needed in the short term, Glenn indicated that the Norah Webber Trust had stepped in to grant the £1,100.00 shortfall.  (It was noted that Fife Council was planning to install toilets in the longer term.)

(v) landscaping at the entrance to Anstruther on the St Andrews road. £2500 was to be allocated towards the cost of this. (The wish was expressed that a similar sum might be allocated to landscaping at the entrance to Cellardyke on the Crail once it was clearer what the impact of the development of the cycle path at the Windmill Road corner would be.

With regard to the play area to be developed within the Silverdykes development, Glenn reported that the equipment had now been ordered but that installation would take 8 – 12 weeks, so that the area would not be ready for the start of the summer break. There had been a question about public access to the area.

The next meeting of the Liaison Committee was scheduled for 3^rd August.

(d) Safe cycle routes: The progress report from Elizabeth Riches which had been circulated with the meeting papers was noted. It was also noted that Sustrans had circulated a (rather oddly worded) questionnaire about cycle tracks to households in the area.

4. Floral Cellardyke

Kate confirmed that she was going ahead with all the necessary planting, as and when the weather permitted such activity. The major outstanding task was the planting up of the boat at the corner of Windmill Road and Crail Road, now that it was clear that no work on the cycle patch was to be undertaken there in the foreseeable future. Various people had given or offered plants and Paul’s approach to supermarkets in St Andrews and Leven had had some success, a total of £50 in vouchers having been given. As ever, Allan had undertaken maintenance work on the tubs etc and care of the displays at Pickford Crescent.  

It was noted that there had been no allocation of money from the second fund-raising Coffee Morning had been received by the CRA.

It was also noted that the judges for the Beautiful Fife Awards would be visiting Anstruther/Cellardyke in the afternoon on 26^th July. Allan was asked if he would continue with his compilation of photographs of Cellardyke displays and to include photos of ‘Jean’s area’.  

5. Other miscellaneous issues

(a) Treasurer’s Report: Allan presented a report covering the period 1^st April to 31^st May 2017. Working capital at the end of the period amounted to £2315.94 (£3.31 cash in hand and £2182.63 in the bank) but overall the account was running at a deficit.  Glenn reminded the committee that the money from the Burns Supper account could be used for costs, as it had been  raised to help fund the work of the CRA.

It was suggested that some of the Floral Account balance might be used in 2018 to finance a special floral display (and bunting) for the Sea Queen Festival.  

(b) Local Archaeological Survey: Catherine reported that she had written to Rathmell Archaeology Ltd, the project managers, seeking a progress report but had yet to receive a reply. Steve indicated that he would follow up the matter with Peter Klemen. His understanding was that a book would be published as would a leaflet/guide to the graveyard which has been excavated. (Secretary’s note: A reply has now been received, the text of which is included as an appendix to the minutes.)

(c) Dog Fouling: Paul reported (In absentia) that he had contacted Fife Council regarding dog fouling in Cellardyke, particularly East & West Forth Streets. Dog Wardens had appeared following day to review the situation and Paul had been given a notice for my fence. He had emphasised that it was an ongoing problem in the area and requested a greater Dog Warden presence in the future, but it was yet to be seen whether further visits would ensue.

(d) Parking in the area and associated problems: John reported that his attention had been drawn recently to cars parking in the grass at the Toon Green as the car parking space at the pool had been full. It was agreed that the Secretary should write to the police about such car parking problems, and copy the missive to the Community Council. However, it was recognised that there were car parking problems throughout Cellardyke and that street parking with large cars was now such that it would be difficult for emergency vehicles to reach certain parts of the community.

6. AOCB

(a) Steve reported that he had become aware of a stone wall being knocked down in East Forth Street, a conservation areas and had ascertained that no planning permission had been sought. He had alerted the Enforcement Officer who had come to stop the work, but as soon as he had gone, the work started again – it appeared to be with view to creating an off-road parking space. While retrospective planning permission might be sought, it was unlikely to be given and the wall would probably have to be re-built.

(b) It was noted that the stolen wooden puffin from James Street had been returned and was now fastened down more securely. Use of social media had played a significant role in its recovery

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9.05 pm.        

Date of next meeting: The next meeting of the CRA will be held on Tuesday, 1^st August 2017 in ‘The Haven’, George Street, Cellardyke starting at 7.15pm. 

CMW

30^th June 2017

Appendix: Reply from Peter Klemen of Rathmel Archaeology Ltd – 13^th June

The current standing on the Burgh Survey is that much to our happiness the finalised copy of the book is at the printers. Everything going well with the print/publication this should hopefully be completed by the end of next week.

Linked with this in March I took one of the P5 classes from Anstruther Primary School on a heritage walk around Anstruther to introduce them to the many interesting features and stories associated with the town.

Further to this, ourselves and a local graphic designer have been working on the final tweaks for a set of graveyard leaflets linked to the Dreel Halls, Anstruther Easter and Kilrenny, a Children's Activity guide for Anstruther and Cellardyke and also an updated Heritage Guide with a linked map showing all the locations of the blue plaques as there was not one of these previously. All of these are in the final stages of being finished and will also be sent to the printers soon.

I hope this provides some detail as the current standing of the project. We had a great time working on this project and with the volunteers and looking to forward to seeing the final copy of the book.

Once again, please accept my biggest apologies for the slow response.

Many thanks.

Pete

Minutes of Meeting held on Tuesday 1^st August 2017 at The Haven, Cellardyke  

The Chairman, Glenn Jones, extended his usual warm welcome to everyone present.

Present: Glenn Jones (Chair), John Brown, George Walker, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Steve Liscoe, Pam Moncur, Stella Hunter, Paul Lewis, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), and Kate Shearer.

Apologies for absence: A record of these is held on electronic file.

1. Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 6^th June were approved as a correct record of the meeting. Proposed by John Brown, and seconded by Dorothea Cargill Thompson.  

2. Matters Arising

Paul was quizzed on the subject of the visit of the dog wardens as outlined in the previous minutes. It had been observed that people were walking their dogs as far as the beach end of Cellardyke Harbour every day, and it was unlikely that all ‘deposits’ are being cleared up? A discussion ensued on what could be done about the perennial problem, and it was agreed that if calls to Fife Council on incidents are being logged, it may help to emphasise the scale of the problem. Steve to try to establish whether a specific contact exists within Fife Council, and whether calls reporting a problem are logged by Fife Council. In addition, the CRA will write to Fife Council requesting appropriate signage at Cellardyke Harbour.

3. Updates on key local projects

(a) Historic Cellardyke (Sea Queen Festival): John (Brown) spoke on progress with the planning of the Sea Queen Festival.

John indicated that the ‘original four’ and the sub-group would meet in September to decide on the scope of the ceremony in the light of recent discussions.

John to write to Martin Dibley (CC) regarding obtaining public liability insurance for the event.

(b) Interpretation Boards:

John reported progress on the planning front; Fife Council has approved the plans on condition that they are kept informed on the details of materials being used, historical details etc.

(c) Silverdykes Liaison Committee: Glenn reported that the next meeting of the SLC would take place in 2 days’ time, on Thursday 3^rd August. (Update from this meeting to be given at the next CRA meeting.)     Glenn reported that he had had confirmation from Fife Council that the proposed telescope at Anstruther Harbour would meet the criteria for Section 75 funding, and that concrete proposals are awaited.

4. Floral Cellardyke

Kate confirmed that the judging had taken place, and results are awaited.

It was noted that the CRA had been allocated £300 from the second fund-raising Coffee Morning, and that the application for next year’s grant will be submitted in time to meet the deadline of late November.

There was a discussion about the way forward for next year, given that Kate has indicated that this is her last year. Conclusion; much to consider!

5. Other miscellaneous issues

(a) Treasurer’s Report: Allan presented a report covering the period 1^st June to 31^st July 2017. Working capital at the end of the period amounted to £2150.14 (£31.31 cash in hand and £2118.83 in the bank). 

(b) Local Archaeological Survey: Steve reported that there would be a launch of the book produced shortly, and invitations would be sent out. (Subsequent note: the launch would take place at the AIA AGM on 31^st August.)

(d) Parking in the area: It had been noticed that cars were being parked blocking access to the slip at Cellardyke Harbour; subject to be mentioned in letter to Fife Council regarding signage at the harbour. (Subsequent note: Stella Hunter had contacted Fife council on both the signage and dog fouling issues, but had received responses which could best be described as dismissive.)

(e) Wall in East Forth Street; Concern was expressed that the owners appear to be totally ignoring the fact that both the demolition and planned entry/exit to East Forth Street, have proceeded without planning consent, and are in contravention of the site’s ‘Conservation Area’ status. The CRA to write to Fife Council emphasising an expectation that Fife Council will take enforcement action; otherwise it will set a dangerous precedent and make nonsense of the ‘Conservation Area’ status. (Subsequent note: several members, including the Chairman, had been in contact with Fife Council planning over this vexatious issue, and had received information from enforcement officer Lyle Smith as to the actions undertaken, including, if instructions to reinstate the wall are not heeded, a legally enforceable order.)

The next meeting of the CRA will be the AGM, and the 10^th Anniversary of the CRA. The present office bearers have indicated that they will be standing down, and has been indicated in previous minutes, decisions have to be taken on the way forward for the CRA as an organisation. The proposed alterations to the constitution were noted, and with broad approval, were to be taken forward to the AGM. There followed a discussion on arrangements for catering at the AGM.

There being no other business, the meeting closed at 9.30pm

 

Cellardyke Residents Association

Minutes of 10th Annual General Meeting  Tuesday 5th September 2017

Those present were Glenn Jones (Chairman), Adam Bittern, John Brown, John Carder, Marie Carder, Nette Carder, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, David Corstorphine, Elizabeth Dickson, Christine Herd, David Herd, Julia Horton, Paul Lewis, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Pam Moncur, Kate Shearer, Peter Shepherd, Dave Smith, Laurie Smith, Lindsey Thompson, Mark Thompson, Mary Thomson; George Walker, Richard Wemyss and Catherine Wilson (Secretary);

Apologies were received from Carole Anderson, Morag Findlay, Jo Hilton, Susan Holmes, (Cllr) Sandra Holt, Fiona Mitchell, Chris Oliver, Elizabeth Riches, Diana Sykes and Gemma Wycherley

Glenn welcomed all present to the meeting with a particular welcome to those for whom it was a first CRA meeting. He introduced his (current) fellow officers.

Main Business - Presentations on current CRA sponsored projects

Revival of the Sea Queen Ceremony

John Brown provided a brief summary of the development of the Sea Queen project to date, including some related projects, and stressed the need for additional people, both team leaders and team members, to take aspects of the work forward within a defined structure. For some elements effort was needed between now and July 14^th while for other aspects the main effort would be needed ‘on the day’. He circulated a sheet for those present to sign up as volunteers for specific tasks or to make more general contributions.  

Richard Wemyss then elaborated on the historical aspects to be incorporated into the festival, emphasising that the festival would aim to bring these various strands together. (Richard has produced an extensive document covering all aspects of event from the departure of the Sea Queen from Anstruther Harbour on The Reaper, accompanied by a fleet of historic boats, to the Crowning Ceremony at Cellardyke Harbour and the laying of a wreath on the Skellies – and a church service the next day.) He referred to the historical characters who would feature ‘in person’ to help make residents and visitors aware of the past – Water Willie, Mary Buick, Captain Rodger, Provost Carstairs, Bishop Kennedy, et al.

Elizabeth Dickson spoke about the teams of people needed to translate from ideas/plans to action, and the nature of the tasks to be undertaken:

Ensuring compliance with all Health and Safety legislation

1. Preparation/restoration of costumes and regalia
2. Organising the production/hire and erection of staging at both Anstruther and Cellardyke harbours
3. Fund-raising
4. Selection of children/young people to be involved
5. Co-ordination of children on the day
6. Selection and briefing/coaching of actors
7. Street decoration – bunting, floral displays, etc

She urged all those present to volunteer immediately. There would be a meeting of the volunteers, with further briefing, at the end of October. 

At the close of discussion, it was stressed again that the emphasis for 2018 would be to enact elements of the history of the area and of the festival.   In future years, diversification might be appropriate.

Information/Interpretation Boards

In introducing the topic, Glenn referred to a successful application for funding for the project from Section 75 Funds. John Brown gave a progress report, in the process, summarising the work of the initiative so far. He indicated that there would be ten ‘picture boards’ and a ‘Welcome to Cellardyke’ board, the former including four boards to be developed for Kilrenny. John reported that he had undertaken a lot of research on the content for the boards, adding that what he was drafting would need to be checked. He went on to speak about the manufacture of the boards, a matter he had been researching further since seeing the Historic Environment Scotland boards at Tantallon Castle.  He would shortly be visiting a company in Westmorland which offered a package of services including design, production of templates, editing expertise and production. Achieving planning permission from Fife Council had taken a time but permission had now been granted subject to reassurance re the materials to be used.

The aim was to have the minimum of prose on each board with plenty of illustrations and a QR code giving access to further information on a dedicated website: cellardyke.org.uk John indicated that he needed some help with the IT aspect of the project and with researching the further information for the website. The aim was to have the content for all the Cellardyke boards and website agreed by early in the new year and the actual boards in place by May 2018.          

Cellardyke in Bloom (within Anstruther and Cellardyke in Bloom)

Kate Shearer reported that judging of the floral displays in the area, for the Beautiful Fife initiative, had taken place in July and the outcome was awaited.   (Secretary’s note: Anstruther and Cellardyke again achieved a Gold Award, with the young people’s Wizard of Oz garden at Ladywalk having received special mention.) She noted that it had been a difficult summer for flowers, with plenty of greenery apparent at the time of judging while the flowers were only now beginning to look their best. However, the major problem for Cellardyke was that Kate was now standing down as floral co-ordinator and gardener/worker in chief. Volunteers were needed urgently to take over responsibilities for various displays around the village and in particular, at the entrance to Pickford Crescent, at the start of the Waur Path and at the Crail Road/ Windmill Road junction. (Christine Herd had already agreed to take over responsibility for the tubs at the former Police Station.) It was noted any tubs which were not maintained would be taken away by Fife Council. It was further noted that greenhouse space was available for bringing on plants but the GREAT need was for people!

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of 6th September 2016

The Minutes of the AGM of 2016 which had first been circulated in 2016, were approved: proposed by Kate Shearer and seconded by Paul Lewis. There were no matters arising.

Secretary’s Report

Catherine Wilson tabled and presented her fifth and final report, highlighting the importance of the various projects which were key to the Association in achieving one of its aims, the safeguarding the identity of the village and promoting a sense of community. (A copy of the full report is appended to these minutes.)  

She thanked regular attenders of CRA meetings for their support and offered particular thanks to Glenn in his role as Chairman and for his involvement in many other facets of local community work, to Allan as Treasurer, to Kate as flower supremo and to George as Vice Chairman and webmaster. The opportunity to work with these fellow officers had been wholly enjoyable.

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer, Allan McLelland, tabled copies of the accounts for the year September 2016 to August 2017 had been prepared and approved in due time by the auditor, Mr David Thomson (of Kilrenny). The assets of the Association stood at £2172.14 as at 31^st August 2017. He noted that subscriptions at £192 were up on the previous year.   Floral income (grants and donations) was down while, expenditure had increased, the difference being covered from other assets. The costs of meeting had been reduced by using The Haven as an alternative meeting venue and by reducing the number of meetings.

Allan also reported on the accounts for the period 1st to 31st August 2017, a period which had seen no expenditure but during which some subscription income had been received.

Glenn duly thanked Allan for his work over many years and praised him for his clear well documented accounts.

Chairman’s Reflection on the past year and a Look to the future.

In presenting this, a copy of which is attached to these minutes, Glenn reflected briefly on the first ten years of the Association’s active life, the earliest years of which had focused on opposition to proposed redevelopment of the Anstruther Holiday Park to form the Silverdykes ‘village’. The CRA had evolved into an organisation with a new focus, that of a partner in the community, aiming to safeguard the identity and history of Cellardyke. It now faced a new future with new officers and the realisation of several key projects. Glenn paid fulsome tribute to his predecessors as Chairs, and to the Secretary and other officers and thanked in advance those who would be the new officers for the work they would do.

Changes to the Constitution

Following discussions which had taken place at the August meeting of the Association, Glenn brought forward proposed changes to the constitution relating to the aims of the Association (a shortening/simplification), the frequency of meetings (from six to five) and the number to constitute a quorum (from six to five). The proposals had been circulated in advance of the meeting. Also, a small addition to the way forward should the Association be dissolved was recommended. All the changes were approved unanimously.

Annual Subscriptions and Membership.

It was proposed from the Chair that no change be made to the existing arrangements; i.e. members attending meetings would continue to contribute £1 per meeting, while those unable to attend would be invited to make a donation, recommended at £10 per year, to support the work of the Association, receive minutes etc. The proposal was agreed unanimously. (It was noted that there were currently 14 annual subscribers.)

Election of Office Bearers

All the current officers had indicated their decisions to stand down and hence new office bearers were elected as indicated below

Chairman and Vice-Chairman – to share office:

Chair:     John Brown (proposed by Glenn Jones, seconded by David Corstorphine)        

Vice Chair:     Paul Lewis   (proposed by Kate Shearer?, seconded by Mary Thomson)

Secretary:      Pam Moncur (proposed by Catherine Wilson, seconded by John Brown)

Treasurer       Kate Shearer   (proposed by Allan McLelland, seconded by John Brown)

All were elected unopposed!

It was noted that the dates of future meetings would need to be changed and it was agreed that the next meeting would be held on Wednesday, 1^st November.

AOCB

Members were reminded that there was to be a Coffee Morning, to raise funds for the Sea Queen Festival, which would take place on Saturday, 16^th September in Cellardyke Church Hall. Volunteers were needed to provide baking and raffle prizes and/or to help set up the hall on the Friday and/or to help on the day   

It was announced that the date of the next AGM would be Tuesday, 4th September 2018.

There being no other matters to discuss, the meeting closed at approximately 20.40 hrs.

Members then enjoyed light refreshments and enjoyable social time together  

Secretary’s Report

This is my fifth report as Secretary of the CRA and it will be my final report. I find it difficult to believe that I have been in post as Secretary for five years, but I have the reports on file to prove it!   (How much variation there has been in the reports is not a matter that I intend to pursue!)

In terms of basic facts and figures, I can report that the Association has met seven times in the past year, including the AGM. While attendances have not been large we have attracted ‘new faces’ to some meetings and have welcomed expressions of interest in the work of the Association. Meetings have always been quorate. We have recruited two new paid-up members. We have n’t produced any news-sheets for distribution throughout the community but our website continues to attract a good number of visits per month, and prompts enquiries about the Association and/or about aspects of life in Cellardyke.

As Secretary, my main tasks have been the answering of letters and e-mails, the preparation of agendas, in consultation with the Chair, and the production and circulate minutes. I have also circulated information from other organisations or news of local activities when these have been deemed to be both interesting and of relevance to members. I have written missives in relation to matters which have come up at meetings where we have wanted further information on a topic or sought appropriate action by another organisation.

Probably my least favourite task has been filling out the application form for a Floral Grant from Fife Council. This is a slightly daunting task and quite time-consuming but the ‘consolation’ in terms of the grant for 2017 was that although the grant received was considerably less than the sum for which we had applied, it was the biggest grant to an Anstruther/Cellardyke organisation!  

Once again, through the tremendous efforts of Kate Shearer with some support from Allan McLelland, and from Colin Ingram, through the contributions in cash or in kind from a number of Cellardyke residents and through the injection of some additional funding from the Association itself, floral displays in the village have been maintained at last year’s level. We have continued to collaborate, through the Anstruther and Cellardyke in Bloom Group, with other organisations which sponsor floral displays in the community. Whether we will achieve a Gold Award again this year from the Beautiful Fife judges will be made known later this month. Special thanks to Kate for all her tireless work on the floral front.

Given the (small) size of our active membership, the officers realised some time back that the Association could not initiate major projects, but could support individuals and/or other groups with ideas for activities in line with the CRA’s aims. I would argue that we have been fortunate to attract some such projects – the Interpretation Boards project (an idea which came from the Association but which John Brown has had the energy and commitment to take forward); the Revival of the Sea Queen Festival; and the Burgh Survey. More will be said about these projects at the meeting, but I would like to record here thanks to John, Richard Wemyss and Paul Lewis, in particular for their work in these areas.      

I hope that in the above paragraphs I have given a fair summary of the CRA’s efforts in 2016/17.   The role as Secretary has been interesting and generally enjoyable although other commitments have allowed me less time to contribute to the general well-being of the Association than I would have wished. The opportunity to work with fellow officers has been wholly enjoyable and I thank Glenn, Allan and George most warmly for their great support for me personally and well as for their work for the Association - as Chair, Treasurer and Vice Chair/webmaster respectively. Thanks are also due to those who attend meetings regularly, and/or make significant contributions to its work in the community.   Keep up the good work!

Although I am standing down as Secretary, I do not intend to disappear from the scene. I shall attend as many meetings as I can in the future and will offer what support I can to my successor - and I am delighted to report that I will be proposing the name of a successor when it comes to the elections.  

Catherine Wilson

4th September 2017

Chairman's Report 2016-17

Cellardyke Residents Association has now completed its first decade of active life. Looking back, 14 residents attended the first meeting on 20th August, 2007, four of whom are still attenders - myself, Davie Corstorphine, George Walker and Paul Lewis. At least two of those original members, Sonny Corstorphine and Alex Parker are, sadly, no longer with us. There was only one item on the agenda, the plan by Muir Homes to build 340 houses on the site of Anstruther Holiday Park which was located, of course, in Cellardyke.   And so the CRA came into existence as the forum for the discussion of, and opposition to, the proposals.   We became the go-to group for press responses to events, crossed swords with a professional PR firm, and represented the 180 written objectors at the Reporter's Appeal, where , it should be said, Fife Council and the CRA prevailed, led by our chair, Jill Calder, against a legal team led by a QC. We learnt a lot about the planning process, and about politics. The final plan for Silverydykes was the improved plan demanded by the Reporter. Since then, the CRA has evolved from its fighting roots into a recognised partner in the community, as Catherine's secretary's report has indicated, inaugurating the Cellardyke Burns Supper,   and doing all it can to safeguard the identity and history of Cellardyke, as is set out in our constitution. We have played a full part in the Silverdykes Liaison Committee, having chaired it since its beginning and now we are working positively, and I believe co-operatively, with Muir Homes through their representative, David Scobbie, who has also been a member since the first meeting. How things change.

And because things change, we find ourselves at the expected crossroads. At last year's AGM, I said we were entering a crucial year, and that unless new people came forward with new ideas, there were insufficient regulars left to sustain the CRA. As I indicated, the main office bearers, who have been taking on the responsibility for almost all of the CRA's existence, are standing down - finally and definitely - tonight.   Our current strategy for the future is based on supporting key activities in the village, notably the Sea Queen historic pageant, and the historic notice boards, the progress in which has been shared with us by John Brown. and by continuing the excellent work of our floral group led by Kate Shearer, and supported by Allan Mclelland and others, who helped Anstruther and Cellardyke to a gold award in the Beautiful Fife competition.   Successful progress has been made on all three fronts this year, as you have heard from Catherine, and I would like to commend and thank all those involved.

I was hugely cheered by the large and positive attendance at last year's AGM, and we had hoped, partly by making the meetings more social occasions in the Haven, to build on that. However, at the first regular meeting, we only managed to round up six of the usual suspects, making it convivial, but disappointing.   We have had a useful year, nonetheless, and I am very glad to say, that as we four office bearers step down, there are others prepared to take the CRA forward. Perhaps new thinking, and new ways of doing things, will be needed. I would like to give a most heartfelt thank you to my predecessors as Chairman: to Sonny Corstorphine, Jill Calder, Dorothea Cargill-Thomson, and Catherine Wilson, and to my fellow office bearers. Thank you Catherine, probably the best secretary in the world, who has worked tirelessly to keep the business of the CRA moving forward, and is the nearest thing we have to a Duracell bunny. Thank you, Allan, our Iron Chancellor, whose reputation for ruthless integrity in the management of our money is well deserved, and who has been my partner in organising seven successful Burns Suppers, and thank you George, for being an endless source of common sense and good advice, and for managing our online presence, which is ever more important. And I wish to thank to all of the members of the CRA, past and present, who have made the meetings so lively, positive and good-humoured over the past decade.

And so to the future.   I look forward to the success of the Sea Queen revival, inspired by the enthusiasm of Richard, John and Elizabeth and their expanding team, and to the significant contribution to knowledge about the people, culture and heritage of Cellardyke   that John's work on the information boards will bring. I look forward to enjoying the more attractive environment created by the past years of floral work by Kate and her team, and to whatever new ideas for improving Cellardyke that a renewed CRA will bring.  And after almost ten years as either vice chairman, secretary or chairman, I am looking forward to attending CRA meetings as an ordinary punter. Thank you, friends, for the past ten years, and thank you in advance, our successors for the next.

Glenn Jones

Chairman

5th September 2017

  

Minutes of the meeting held in the Haven Bar, Shore Street, Cellardyke on 1/11/17 at 7.00pm

Apologies for absence:

Chris Oliver, Glenn and Lorna Jones, Diana Sykes, George Walker, Stella Hunter, Laurie Smith, Carole Anderson, Dorothea Cargill Thomson, Catherine Wilson

New committee members introductions:

John thanked the ex-committee members for their work and welcomed new members - Alan, Christine, John, Richard, Catriona, Susan, Mary, Paul, Kate and Pam.

Minutes of previous meeting: Proposed by Kate and seconded by Alan.

Changes to constitution: related to number of meetings and focus of the group, were accepted.

Present projects:

Interpretation boards

John noted thanks due to Christine, Herd, Catherine and Peter who responded to what has been written for the boards. Harry Watson will also look at the historical detail and then the topics will be sent to Westmorland Signage International to be produced.

Sea Queen

Sub-committee of Elizabeth, Morag, John and Richard have met and extensive work has been done (see a brief summary below – more detail can be provided, if required). £1200 from the Nora Webber Trust has been given to purchase P.A. systems for the ceremonies at Anstruther Harbour and Cellardyke Harbour. There was some discussion around issues related to insurance and John will take this forward with Community and Fife Councils.

a)     Boats all invited

b)    Federation of Coopers spoken to

c)     Catriona Macpherson will make traditional oilskins

d)    Harbour Lights asked to perform at Kirking

e)     Canvas Boughs patterns made and wood donated

f)      Robes/crown – museum has been approached

g)     Education Officer at the Museum potentially to arrange workshops

h)    Photos coming all the time of previous Sea Queens

i)     Bernie McConnell and his shanty group have been approached

j)     Pam Moncur – fisher lass songs

k)   Community choir has been approached

l)    Peter Bowman will make a farlan

m)  Official photo’s: Alastair Ramsay (boats), Emily Noakes (people) and Scott Morris as John Porter      1860’s to take and upload to Facebook

n)   Community Kist has been approached for possible additional funding

• Ex BBC cameraman is available

p)    Museum approached for use of Sun Tavern – free of charge

q)    Harbour Lights will be met on 29^th November

r)     Jo and Chris will allow use of their old shop area at 23, George Street

s)    Window dressing competition and advert on Facebook

t)     Cheque from Rowing Club has been received

u)    Rugby Club, Masons and Lifeboats have been approached

v)    Pipers will require chasing up

w)  Meeting to be arranged for actors

x)    Procession: group to tow Fifie or a drum band

Floral displays

There has been no response to requests for help so Kate is still the lead on this so she will try approaching young parents and toddlers for their involvement, possibly. Paul to take on barrels at the top of steps behind the Haven, John to do the ones at Memorial and Kate others. Alan to do boat and Pickford tubs and Christine police station ones. Thanks were expressed to Kate.

Coffee morning: raised £532.97 and Mary Thomson was thanked for organising the event along with all involved.

United Burgh’s Survey book: this was launched recently at a presentation at the Dreel Hall and Paul reported that a brochure is to be produced, documents for school children and a history trail.

Treasurer’s Report: £53.31 cash in hand and account balance is £2,662.08. There have been issues related to the mandate needed to change named persons. Kate has no access to bank statements etc yet. Money for wreaths has been paid back but the £1200 from Nora Webber Trust has not been received yet. Catriona to investigate the OSCAR website to see if any help is available.

Silverdykes Liaison Committee meets to discuss ideas for Muir Homes monies (Section 75). If the ideas fit remit and approved is then submitted to the Council. Glenn continues as chair of SLC.

A.O.B:

1)    Alan sought and got clarification re: wreath laying.

2)    Paul reported regarding the removal of wall in East Forth Street. Nothing has been heard from the Council since August. Letter to be written to Lyle Smith (contact at Council) for update. Paul to email correspondence to Pam who will write.

3)    John suggested looking at the position and condition of the Cellardyke Mercat Cross. Some discussion relating to moving it to its original position. There may be issues related to traffic. Historic Scotland to be approached to see if this can be moved forward.

Date of next meeting: December 6^th 2017 at 7.00pm in Lower Town Hall. Pam to email members with Agenda and to clarify arrangements regarding nibbles etc for the social following meeting.

 

Minutes of the meeting held in the Lower Town Hall, Cellardyke on 6^th of December 2017 at 7.00pm 

Apologies for absence:

Chris Oliver, George Walker, Catherine Wilson, Diana Sykes, Steve Liscoes, Dorothea Cargill Thomson, Catriona MacPherson, Allan McLelland.

1. Present at meeting: Pam, Paul, John, Morag, Christine, Richard, Kate and Glenn.
2. Minutes of previous meeting: Proposed by Kate, seconded by Christine.
3. Present projects:

Interpretation boards: Lectern-style board design chosen by John has been returned from company to him. Emphasis of the boards focuses on people of the town, including list of the many businesses established in the town. Website group has met to supply further information and include links to other websites of interest.

Sea Queen :The rector (Ian Hughes) of Waid Academy has been approached about the selection of the Sea Queen and has agreed that we can talk to students in S5. Photo’s to be shown and brief history/anniversary and community involvement highlighted. This will be on Monday 18^th of Dec. Girls to be given forms and time over the holidays to decide if want to apply. All pupils can vote and 2^nd and 3^rd girls will be committee members and co-opt boys onto the committee. Interview board to be Elizabeth, Ian, Morag and Pat. Robin Currie at primary school to be approached for attendants later on and hope for inclusion of WW1 veterans in parade. The ceremony will take place in Anstruther then parade to Cellardkye. Health and Safety concerns and road closures to be addressed – hard to predict numbers. Richard and John have been to Community Council and an organisation with a constitution can take out public liability insurance as a ‘responsible body’ and CRA can receive and pay money without going through the council. Another coffee morning and raffle should be enough to raise funds. Kate suggested collecting tins – will wait until next year to see if needed. Richard informed meeting that the mooring rings on the harbour had been removed and they need to be replaced – will contact Council. Muir Homes money is being held in case of overspends and there will be no more until completion. Issue of mooring rings will be brought up at SLC meeting and we will support replacement of rings.

Floral displays: Quiet at this time of year and Kate will carry on. Paul has bought a couple of barrels – to liaise with Kate.

SLC: This committee makes recommendations to Fife Council and they distribute money. Glenn to continue as chair. Noted a few things have been ‘lost’ at Council level (recommendations accepted but no movement). Play park work has started and Billowness to start soon and some work has been done at Bankie Park. Meeting tomorrow and Kate asked about other applications and for clarification of the cycle path development. SLC will continue for 18mths – 2 years after Muir Homes completion.

Planning Issues

Wall in Forth Street

Paul to send communication that has already taken place and John to phone Lyle Smith at Council.

House at George Street/Sharps Close

This house has been gutted and Kate has written to Council, Willie Rennie and Stephen Gethins.

Mercat Cross

It may not be possible to move but it could be protected. John to move this forward and report back to CRA.

Treasurer’s Report: No signatures yet, Glenn to help with this. Catherine and Jill Calder to come off and Allan, Glenn and Kate to be signatories. Provisional budget for the Sea Queen was circulated – see separate sheet.

A.O.B. An inquiry about Burn’s Supper – not to be one this year.

CD Launch – the George Street Sessions with local performers – spread the word and website to go live next week.

 

Minutes of the meeting held in the Haven Bar, Cellardyke on 21^st February at 7.00pm

Apologies for absence:

Stella Hunter, George Walker, Catherine Wilson, Diana Sykes, Catriona MacPherson.

1. Present at meeting: Pam, Paul, John, Mary, Christine, Richard, Kate, Chris Oliver, Chris Paterson, Jo Hilton, Steve Liscoe and Glenn.
2. Welcome to everyone by Paul (Vice chair) who chaired meeting.
3. Minutes of previous meeting accepted after alteration relating to SCL. (i.e. “SLC will continue for 18mths – 2 years after Muir Homes completion” should say that they anticipate that they will continue until the money received has been spent.
4. Proposed by Kate, seconded by Christine.
5. Some correspondence passed to Kate from Pam re: beautiful Fife etc
6. Present projects:

Interpretation boards: JB has had to deal with issue around the Council expectation that this should have gone out to tender (three) relating to the increased cost of the boards. Councillor Bill Porteus is involved now and JB will feedback to next meeting, no conclusion at present. There have been some good contributions and additions to the website and it is expanding.

Sea Queen: RW has had initial meeting with the Council and Chris P. is helping with the form-filling. Pam provided him with a copy of the CRA constitution. The Council praised the high quality of RW’s risk assessment document. They have been slow to answer some questions but this should be better once they have the forms. RW has no details relating to road closures etc yet. The procession is to include historical characters and the Anstruther Fish Bar is going to sponsor the window dressing competition, a leaflet drop to be carried out to encourage householders to do research on their properties and take part. RW has made a video to go on the Fish Bar Facebook page which has many followers. There is to be a photographic exhibition in the Sun Tavern and in Chris and Jo’s place in George Street, to include model yachts. Ideas/suggestions invited for the Lower Town Hall space which is available. Feedback from the school – some interest in drumming workshop, further discussions to take place and RW will feedback to next meeting. Margaret Anderson (1^st Sea Queen) has made a donation to the Festival and invites to the Kirking will be sent to previous ones.

Floral displays: Kate reported that the grant system has changed and we have been allocated £250. Because of the cycle path the boat at Windmill Road may have to be moved (and the one at Waid) and Andy has agreed to help with this and other ‘heavy’ jobs. Paul to replace barrels at Windmill Road. One of the old ones is useful (to be given to Kate), the other is not. Wild flower seeds have been bought for round the War Memorial. Some discussion about window boxes but this will be discussed later. Further request/plea for any help from Kate.

SLC: Feedback from Glenn – no new suggestions being taken at the moment and it will be 18mths to 1 year until Muir have completed and further money will be forthcoming. Very keen to make folk in the community aware of this money and to get suggestions for using it from them. They have to be related to Open Space/Leisure facilities that can be maintained by Fife Council. Some discussion about possible ideas – disables access to War Memorial, Community Garden etc. 

Planning Issues.

 

Wall in East Forth Street

There has been correspondence and discussion around this and we have been told that it is due to be re-built in April. The Council have said that legal action will be taken if this doesn’t happen. We do not know what penalties there might be for non-compliance. Chris Oliver has written to Stephen Gethins but will write again. Paul to write to thank Council for what they have done so far but ask for clarification as to what will happen next; copied to Councillors and Community Council. Meeting agreed that as well as this wall being an issue there is a principle here that needs to be upheld in conservation area.

There was extensive discussion relating to some other issues and around what the local conservation plan consists of and how effective the enforcement officer can be. Jo Hilton has researched and attached to these minutes are links to website etc related to this – Council website is not very accessible. As individuals we can write to the Council with specific objections but need to be sure of facts and what might be being contravened etc. Chris Oliver suggested a talk by planning officer would be useful – invite to CRA meeting of AGM possibly. Pam to liaise with Steve in relation to the Council planning emails – possible to be sent to all members.

Treasurer’s Report: There has been no movement forward with RBS and it was agreed that we will close this account and open one with TSB. A coffee morning will be arranged to help with Sea Queen funding in April sometime. Mary to liaise with Eleanor.

A.O.B.

• PM noted the broken sign opposite Chinese restaurant and Steve to check with transport department about replacing etc. He will also check if the Mercat Cross is de-scheduled.
• Chris told the group about the George Street Sessions CD which has involved lots of local musicians. Produced by Clive Gray and CRA to send him a thank you card (Kate). It has been a very successful community project and there is enough material for a second one. A successful beach clean was organised at the end of the year and he will organise others (bi-monthly). Mara Seaweed may sponsor and Willie Rennie is supportive. 
• Chris P. asked about seaweed clearing and how the Council undertake this. Steve to follow this up
• Glen flagged up concern about the gabion baskets by the pathway at Kilrenny Beach. Has emailed Council but no response.
• Paul requested that Sec. sends copy of CRS Constitution and Grant Funding information to all members.

 

Minutes of the meeting held in the Haven Bar, Cellardyke on 25^th April, 2018 at 7.00pm

1. Apologies for absence: George Walker, Paul Lewis, Chris Oliver, Jo Hilton, Glen.
2. Present at meeting: Pam, Christine, Richard, Kate, Clare Checkland, Catriona, John, Dave, Catherine, Steve Liscoe.
3. Minutes of previous meeting accepted: proposed by Kate, seconded by Christine.

 Present projects:

Interpretation Boards: JB reported that procurement problems have been resolved. Noted that Bill Porteus has been very helpful. Most boards are complete now and should be in place for the Sea Queen Festival (14^th July). Material on the website extends information on the boards, flagging up the history behind the buildings, for example. Pages on the website are printable on A4 at point 12.

Sea Queen:

a) RW reported that one of the six permissions required for parade has come through. A Sea Queen has been chosen and official announcement will be at a later date. 32 characters have been identified and recruited. There are different individuals leading on the various aspects of the day. Ceilidh to take place in the evening.

b) In relation to the WW1 centenary Clare outlined the possibility of doing a ‘quiet citizen’ piece based on one done by the National Theatre last year. 6 people from Cellardyke have been identified who died in WW1 and they would be represented by someone and would quietly stand outside the houses in which they lived then join afternoon procession. There would be a steward with each of them who would hand cards with explanation to interested members of the public. They would join up and process to lay a wreath at the harbour stairs, accompanied by a lone piper. Some discussion around this idea, Clare (and Catriona?) to move this forward. A logo for the Sea Queen is being produced by Susie McIvor and it was agreed to add Cellardyke to the crest.

c) Ladders will be needed to put up bunting and Kate is to approach Andrew Peddie who has a cherry picker. Some discussion around holding another coffee morning to raise funds (Mary to be approached) and CW to ask if church might put something on after ceremony and available dates for coffee morning – possibly 2^nd of June?

Floral displays: Kate reported that seeds have been purchased and grant applied for. Planting is to be done in May and some helpers have been recruited. 3 tubs have been purchased for the harbour on the Sea Queen Day.

SLC - no report

Planning Issues: An enforcement order is in place for the demolished wall in West Forth St. but no movement so far. Still waiting for better weather to use lime etc. It was reported that other issues (discussed last meeting) have resulted in plans being amended. Also, a house for sale in George Street with plastic windows where it will be part of the sale that they have to be replaced. SL to chase up other issues and to look at the Place Name Legislation because there is an idea to apply to have some changed.

Treasurer’s Report: (Kate Shearer.)

Income since February -£5.91 from February meeting and D.Cargill-Thomson membership of £10.00.

Cash in hand is £76.22..(Christine has bought some plants so I'll pay her out of this)

Payments since February- £325.23 to John Brown for insurance and fee for the Sea Queen.

Allan McLelland visited the RBS van and wrote a cheque to the CRA new account with the TSB- so in the end it was a simple operation!   Pam and myself are signatories to the account.

The Balance transferred was £3,482.52, so after the cheque to John is presented, the Bank balance will be £3,157.24 - with the Sea Queen fund standing at £1,493.74.

The Floral Fund stands at £887.20.   I have spent (so far) £49.22 on seeds and 3 barrels to place near the seat next to the Haven with the view to enhance that area for the 14th July.

The Floral Grant Form has been submitted and I'm assured it is OK!!  so we should receive £250.00 from that - which means we can spend a bit more this season down at the bottom streets.

Miss Jessie Lyon very kindly sent me a voucher for Pathhead nurseries for £10.00 so I will liaise with Helen Allan as she is "in charge" of the Toon's Green boat near Jessie's home.  I shall send Jessie a thank you card this week.

I think it would be a good idea to ask folk along the bottom streets to make an extra effort in putting out window boxes/pots on the day of the Sea Queen and hopefully when the judging takes place.  I may have to visit all of these houses myself to explain what we would like and also discuss the possibilities of the bunting/flags.....I will ask Pittenweem and Cellardyke Churches if we can borrow their flags- everything helps!!

 A.O.B.

• Dave was introduced who is the Halls Manager and is keen to encourage the use of these local halls. Community worker background.

Minutes of the meeting held in the Haven Bar, Cellardyke on 13^th June 2018 at 7.00pm

Apologies for absence: Christine Herd, Allan McLelland, Pam Moncur, Bill Porteous, and George Walker,

Present at meeting: John Brown (Chair) Netta Carder, Glenn Jones, Chris Oliver, Kate Shearer, Richard Wemyss and Catherine Wilson.

Minutes of previous meeting accepted: proposed by Kate, seconded by Chris.

Present projects:

Interpretation boards: JB reported that since the previous meetings there had been calamitous occurrences relating to Westmorland Signs, who were in the process of designing the boards and were to have manufactured and installed them. In short, the company had not been responding to e-mails since mid-April, and enquiries via Historic Environment Scotland and Dan Butcher, the designer, had revealed that the company ceased trading on 15^th April having recently received payment for the work against a proforma invoice. The firm had been wound up officially by RSM, Manchester on 24^th May.

The ‘good news’ was that the design of four of the boards was 95% complete, the remaining designs were ‘on stream’, that Dan Butcher had been able to download the work to his own computer and was willing to complete the design process for an estimated £600 - £800, based on his previous knowledge of the requirements. It was noted that the intellectual property rights regarding the design rested with the CRA.

In parallel to the development of the boards, a website had been developed very creatively by a team of artists and writers contributing extended information to the board topics. Another group had been working on leaflets for families and children walking through Cellardyke. This on-going work had been put on hold.

John reported that he had asked Glenn if the Silverdykes Liaison Committee would consider financing the final stages of the design process (£600 - £800) to ensure completion of this stage. Glenn responded that he had taken the matter to the SLC and the committee had discussed the situation at length, with mixed reactions becoming apparent. Without taking the matter to a vote it was clear that the committee was not keen to see more money going to support the project at this stage. Fife Council would be reviewing the situation, and would, no doubt, be putting in claims to the liquidator.   (John would be trying to find out more informally through a contact at RSM.)

It was agreed by those present that the CRA should use some of its funds to secure the designs to secure the intellectual rights, taking money from the Burns Supper account for the purpose if necessary, the Burns Supper and the Board projects both being in line with the aim of ‘furthering such well-being, and promoting a sense of community.’ This agreement was formalized through a proposal by Glenn and seconded by Richard. It was further agreed that fund-raising, for instance, through a raffle on the occasion of the Sea Queen, and through applications for local grants should be considered.

It was recognised that fund-raising with the aim of completing of the project as a whole would be extremely difficult but should be attempted. It was noted that the story of the project and its set-back was very newsworthy and might help in identifying alternative sources of funds.      

Sea Queen:

 

a) RW reported that he had received the last of the necessary permissions that afternoon. The permissions had cost over £100 but there was to be no charge for the five police officers who would be on duty on the day.

b) The Sea Queen would be Katie Morris, who was born and grew up in Cellardyke and attended the local primary school and the Waid Academy. She was now training to be a primary school teacher at Dundee Uni.

c) Katie’s mother (Janice) had volunteered to organise the evening ceilidh in Cellardyke Town Hall. This would be for the main participants in the event (and their families), by way of a thank you. There was to be a live band, the cost of which would come from funds to be made available from the Community Kist.

d) The three items of Sea Queen regalia were to be placed in Kilrenny Church for the service the Sunday after the current meeting (17^th) and then one item would be presented to, and put on display in the other two churches until the time of the event.

e) Richard was due to talk to the local WI at a meeting at which the new Queen and several former Sea Queens would be present.

f) There were to be various exhibitions held in association with the celebrations - photographs at the Sun Tavern; Dykers at War in the Lower Town Hall and an exhibition of the East Neuk Model Sailing Club.

Kate indicated that more bunting was needed.

Floral displays: Kate reported that new tubs had been established outside The Haven and that the Tattie Boxes on Windmill Road had been planted. Gordon Craig had replanted the boat and tubs at the corner of Pickford Crescent and there were new tubs at the top of the steps leading down to Shore Wynd which were being looked after by Paul Lewis. Helen Allen was looking after the Toon Green displays. Kate said that she would talk to Jill Fraser about the display round the telephone box at the bottom of Tolbooth Wynd.

Quite a lot of money had come in through the collecting boxes in shops, cafés and other businesses in the town. The Floral Fund money from Fife Council had been paid, by the Council, into the wrong bank account and the bank was charging £20 to make the transfer but Kate was fighting this decision!!!!

SLC:Glenn reported on the state of play with applications for funding and grants agreed. So far £279K had been allocated under the Section 75 funding arrangement and there was £21K left from the monies made available covering the first two tranches. A further £100K would be payable once the building/development of the scheme was finished.

There had been a proposal for a disabled ramp at the entrance to Bankie Park near to the former Council Offices but as the new LadyWalk Care Home was to be developed in that area of the park, this entrance would disappear.

The proposal to develop disabled access to the Kilrenny/Cellardyke War Memorial had been discussed. Mr Peddie would be improving his access road but the cost of providing full access was estimated at £34K. It was thought that the provision of access might be at the expense of removing the seats.   Members were not generally minded to support this expenditure but it was agreed that Dorothea Cargill Thompson, who had been investigating the  possibilities, might wish to  speak and have the matter reconsidered at the next meeting.

With regard to the repair of the bridges on the Craw Hill Woodland path – and early project proposal – it was noted that the second bridge was not in a good state of repair and the third was virtually beyond repair. Furthermore, the path beyond the third bridge had, in effect, disappeared. The estimated cost of the bridge repairs had been £7.5K several years ago. The question was raised of whether the Council would continue(?) to maintain the past.

It was noted that residents of the Dreelside housing area did not have any play facilities. Glenn had offered to advise a local group on putting together a proposal.

Planning Issues: There still appeared to be no progress regarding the re-construction of the wall in East Forth Street. It was agreed that Fife Council should be pressed to take legal action as it had been indicated that the necessary rebuilding would be completed in May. The area looked very unsightly and it appeared that the land on East Forth Street, at the back of the pub, had been separated from the pub which, it was thought was up for sale. Kate had been in touch with the Council.

It was agreed that John should contact Steve Liscoe to enlist his help and that Pam would write to the Council officially to seek a progress report.

Reference was made to the damage on the slipway at Cellardyke Harbour caused by recent storms, and to mooring rings which had been removed from the outer walls.   The latter were to be replaced temporarily for the Sea Queen, but it was noted that a longer-term solution was needed.

It was noted that Mr Peddie had given some land at the corner of Windmill Road and Crail Road to enable a cycle track to Kilrenny to be constructed on the south side of the main road. There was no indication of when the work would start.   (Barnetts were also to give some land at the site of their new bakehouse in the Station Road area.)

Treasurer’s Report: Kate gave a brief report including indications of the levels of cash in hand (£65-38) and recent payments - for plants (£26-84). Kate is willing to provide a fuller statement of the accounts to anyone wishing to see one. The year’s accounts will be presented at the AGM – 11^th September at 1900 in Cellardyke Town Hall.  

 A.O.B.It was noted that a new Transport Bill had been introduced at the Scottish Parliament the previous day including a ban on parking on pavements. Kate indicated that she had already written to Stephen Gethins about the problems such a ban would cause in Cellardyke. He had indicated that he would take up the matter with Fife Council. Chris Oliver volunteered to write to Willie Rennie to invite him to visit Cellardyke and see the nature of the problems along James, John and George Streets.

 

DATE OF NEXT MEETING WHICH WILL BE THE AGM,

TUESDAY, 11^TH SEPTEMBER IN CELLARDYKE TOWN HALL (The Eddie Allen Room)

 

Letter received from the 'Keep Bankie Green' group subsequent to the meeting.

 

 

Cellardyke Residents Association

Annual General Meeting

11th September 2018

Cellardyke Town Hall

DRAFT MINUTES

Present:

John Brown - Chairman

Paul Lewis - Vice Chairman

Those present:-

Richard Wemyss, Morag Findlay, Elizabeth Dickson, Mary Thomson, Christine Herd, Caroline MacDonald, Janis Morris, Nette Carder, Marie Carder, George Walker, Glenn Jones, Peter Shepherd, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Maryanne Sammes, Laurie Smith, Sydney Clare Checkland, Catherine M Wilson, Susan Innes, Catriona Macpherson

Apologies were received from Kate Shearer, Pam Moncur and Katie Morris.

(Apologies were subsequently received on 12th September from Diana Sykes)

Introduction

John Brown introduced the meeting and welcomed everyone to the AGM. He noted that the Treasurer, Kate Shearer, had retired from the CRA and was unable to be at the meeting. Pam Moncur had also resigned as Secretary of the Association. He noted that one of the main functions of the CRA is to sponsor and support local projects and introduced those that had been sponsored or may be sponsored in the future. The very successful Sea Queen Festival, The Interpretation Boards, Cellardyke in Bloom and the proposed Quiet Citizens Walk. The first part of the meeting was therefore devoted to these items. 

SEA QUEEN FESTIVAL - 14th July 2018

Richard Wemyss presented a montage of photographs demonstrating what had been such a successful festival in 2018. It was so successful that it had been agreed to hold another Sea Queen Festival in 2019 - with the proposed date of 3rd August 2019 as an afternoon high tide was necessary.

Key to its success had been the fact that it had a very clear focus. The Sea Queen festival was a festival for the community to participate in - aiming to celebrate our current community with a grounding in the past. It was a unique event which aimed to enable as many people as possible to participate, with Cellardyke/Anster as its core. Tourist spectators were a bonus for the festival, but not a target and the festival was not designed to raise money, but to be an event for everyone to join in. It was this approach which would underlie 2019’s event and distinguished the Sea Queen Festival from other festivals.

Key points to consider in planning next year’s festival would be:-:

 Does this enable people to take part?

 Does it fit with the Celebrating Cellardyke theme?

 Can it be intergenerational?

 Lessons had been learnt from the first festival which would be taken forward in 2019 - such as closing off the streets from the end of George Street. 2019 was also the 50th Anniversary of the Fisheries Museum and new ideas being considered were a 50 gun confetti salute from the harbour, older musicians working with younger musicians, a song writing competition and occasional musical performances in Harbourlea.

There had been so many positive comments from people regarding the benefits of taking part in the festival and this would be key going forward.

(Secretary’s note: The presentation itself, especially given the photos, was unfortunately too large to be circulated.)

Elizabeth Dickson outlined some of the ideas for next year and for involving more people, such as the window dressing, which had been very successful. She also talked about individual streets doing their own bunting, rather than Kate Shearer and a small team undertaking this responsibility. This could encourage people to participate and perhaps streets would even compete with each other.

Morag Finlay talked about the process of choosing the Sea Queen for 2019, which was in the early stages of development. The age and maturity of Katie Morris, the current Sea Queen, had been integral to the success of the Festival and the plan was for the Sea Queen to be someone between the ages of 16-21, thus ensuring that people both at school and who had recently left could be considered. The plan was for the process to begin in October 2018.

Janice Morris read out the reflections of Katie Morris, the Sea Queen, on the day - and how honoured and privileged she felt to be Cellardyke’s Sea Queen. Janice also read her own thoughts as the ‘Queen Mum’ (and ex-Sea Queen herself) on what had been a such fantastic day for Cellardyke and the whole community.

Their reflections are both attached to the minutes.

INTERPRETATION BOARDS

John Brown updated the Committee with regard to the Interpretation Boards. Despite Westmoreland signs going into liquidation, remedial action had been taken and John was confident that the Boards were 90% complete and would be in place in Cellardyke as soon as finance could be accessed. In addition, a website is being developed to complement the Boards, so that those who were interested in finding out more would have a resource to find out more information.

His report is attached.

CELLARDYKE IN BLOOM

Paul Lewis read out the report, prepared by Kate Shearer, on yet another successful year, with Cellardyke obtaining a Gold award for the third year running. Her report is attached to the minutes.

Glenn Jones then gave the following appreciation and tribute to Kate Shearer:

There are people who are forthright and outspoken, and there are people who work hard behind the scenes to get things done, but they aren't often one and the same person, and that is why Kate Shearer  is a rarity, and why,  over the past decade, I have come to appreciate just what she  has done  for us all.

Kate has always been ready to defend the village, and speak out in plain, unvarnished  language  if it is endangered in any way.  She has worked tirelessly with her small team to create the tubs and flowers that we see all over Cellardyke, and no-one can doubt that she has  added hugely to the  quality of our environment,  whether  by drawing attention to abuses, or by making it an even more attractive  place in which  to live.

It is typical of Kate that despite all her other contributions,  she took on the additional role of treasurer when our trusty  old soldier Allan McLelland finally stepped down and   there was no other volunteer.  Now, however, she has completed her work and it is time for someone else to take over, for no organisation can rely forever on the same small group of comrades.  And as she steps down,  and although she cannot be here tonight,  I would like to  record our thanks for all Kate has done for Cellardyke, and the CRA.

His appreciation and thanks were endorsed and her positive contribution noted.

THE QUIET CITIZEN’S WALK

Clare Checkland introduced the Quiet Citizens Walk, an event which was originally proposed to take place on the morning of the Sea Queen Festival. It would now take place on 11th November 2018 and was intended to mark and remember the 64 service people who had lost their lives in the First World War. The plan was for schoolchildren to take on the character of one of each of those 64 people, wear black, and walk silently to the War Memorial where there would be a remembrance, including a poem and song, of their lives.

A list of the 64 has been produced, but not all their Cellardyke addresses are known - so if people do have more information, Clare Checkland and Catriona MacPherson would welcome it.

Flyers have been distributed throughout Cellardyke and the event publicised on Facebook. The email address is : quietcitizenwalk@gmail.com

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS AGM ON 5th SEPTEMBER 2017

These had been previously circulated were agreed as a correct record.

Proposed by Glenn Jones and seconded by Christine Herd.

TREASURER’S REPORT

This had been prepared by Kate Shearer and audited by Ian Gray and was read out by John Brown. A copy of the report & the accounts are attached to the minutes.

Subscriptions were down this year as there were fewer meetings held and fewer people had paid annual subscriptions. However, there was a surplus of £401 in the floral fund.

Richard Wemyss noted that the Sea Queen festival had been underwritten by the Community Kist and overall had a very small deficit of £14. The Norah Webber Trust had contributed £1,200 for the PA system (which included the stage, etc.) and Mary Thomson had organised a successful coffee morning which also supported the Festival.

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

John Brown presented his report as Chairman and his full report is attached to the minutes.

He noted that the CRA has evolved into an organisation with a changing focus.   It has become the sponsor and supporter of community projects, aiming to promote and secure the identity, the history and development of Cellardyke. Through this sponsorship, encouragement and support the CRA has been able to successfully involve individuals, teams and organisations in the development of our community.  

It was with great satisfaction that so many people were involved in the success of the Sea Queen Festival revival in July and despite the challenges faced in the design and installation of the Interpretation Boards, he was confident hat they will be in situ in the foreseeable future and the website on line. He looked forward to the Cellardyke and Kilrenny Quiet Citizens Walk.

He thanked all the members of the committee and expressed appreciation for the 11 year reign and contribution of Kate Shearer, as well as expressing thanks to the past Chair - Glenn Jones - and past Secretary - Catherine Wilson.

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS & MEMBERSHIP

It was agreed that the annual subscription would remain at £10, with those attending the CRA meetings also paying £1 per meeting.

ELECTION OF THE OFFICERS FOR 2018-2019

Chair :

John Brown was proposed as Chairman by Richard Wemyss and seconded by Glenn Jones. John Brown was duly elected as the Chair of the CRA.

Vice-Chair :

Paul Lewis was proposed by Catherine Wilson and seconded by Mary Thomson.

Paul Lewis was duly elected as the Vice-Chair of the CRA

Secretary :

Nette Carder was proposed by John Brown and seconded by Morag Findlay. Nette Carder was duly elected as the Secretary of the CRA.

Treasurer:

There were no nominations for the position of Treasurer. It was agreed that individuals would be approached outside the meeting and should a suitable candidate be found, then their appointment would be ratified at the next meeting of the CRA.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Marie Carder raised the question of membership subscriptions and how they should be paid. In the absence of the Treasurer, it was agreed that a process would be discussed and agreed and then circulated to all existing members of the CRA.

DATE AND TIME OF THE NEXT CRA MEETING

The next CRA meeting was agreed to be on Tuesday 9th October at 7pm in the The Haven.

The meeting closed at 8.15pm.

Attachments to the minutes:

Cellardyke Sea Queen 2018 reflections & Sea Queen Mum 2018 reflections

Report on Interpretation Boards

Cellardyke in Bloom

Treasurer’s Report & Annual Accounts

Chairman’s Report

Quiet Citizens flyer

 

CRA AGM 2018

Reflections of 2018 Sea Queen - Katie Morris

I am very sorry I can’t be at the meeting tonight as I am back at University in Dundee. I have written my thoughts on the Sea Queen 2018 and have asked my mum to read it out for me...

I was very honoured to be asked to be Sea Queen although I didn’t have a clue at the time what it was all about as the last Sea Queen was 18 years ago and I am 19.

Well no one could have predicted how well the day/ weekend/Festival would have gone. I was very impressed from the very start with the organisation of the flyers, publicity and rehearsals. I hadn’t expected to see myself on all the lampposts in Cellardyke and the hundreds of leaflets that I helped pop through letterboxes.

I have to congratulate everybody’s contribution towards the Festival - from those who organised the advertising, the decorations, the historic characters, the windows , the exhibitions, the boats, the pipers, the spectators, the marshals, the children who took part (who were brilliant on the day and at the practices.)and the weather.

Nothing had prepared me for the sight I saw when we sailed into Cellardyke harbour. Coull said he had never seen so many people.

I found the laying of the wreath the most moving part of the day and will never forget it.   The Ceilidh at night, where all the people who had helped organise the Festival were invited was brilliant and I have to thank my mum for organising it.

The young ones will certainly remember it and tell their friends.     (Future participants I hope).

I enjoyed the Kirking in the church on the Sunday with all the ex-Sea Queens and old photos at the tea afterwards, visiting Harbourlea and Ladywalk after the church service and talking to the older members of the community about their memories of the Sea Queen was all very interesting.

I have been asked as Sea Queen to take part in a few events happening in the community in the year ahead. Some I will be able to carry out, others I will have to apologise, as I have study commitments.

I hope, with the help of other young people, to organise some event in 2019 for young people in our community. I hope the Sea Queen will carry on and other young people will gain the experience and feel so privileged and special as I did.

I will never forget it.

Thank you.

Katie.

 

CRA AGM 2018

Reflections of the See Queen Mother

 

I would just like to add on to Katie’s thoughts of the festival as the Queen Mum, ex-Sea Queen and a resident of Cellardyke, that I too feel very privileged to have been part of it all.

I enjoyed organising the Ceilidh and getting to meet so many people who were involved in the organisation and chatting to them .   I met so many people I had not met before when we were giving out the invitations to the Ceilidh and chatting to so many different people in the community when we were delivering the leaflets.

There was such a buzz and a good community spirit leading up to the Festival - seeing people preparing the streets and houses, exhibitions and the harbour.

The weather was a big factor when out and about.

I too won’t forget the number of people on the day and the procession of people from Anstruther along the streets, the bunting and decorated windows. Of looking through each wynd as you passed at the boats and rowers making there way to Cellardyke and of so many people at the harbour, the great buzz of anticipation of waiting for the Sea Queen to arrive, everybody joining in helping, talking, sharing memories and history, Jessie Lyon handing out tea and cakes, Margaret Gowans giving drinks to some older spectators who had been waiting a while in the heat.

The ceremony was fantastic and the old characters were brilliant. The Sea Queen going back out with the other boats was such a good idea.   The atmosphere when the piper played out at sea, the lowering of flags and the laying of the wreath was so moving.

I would not change anything of the format of the day . I think we have just set up something great for the whole community.

The only thing I and others thought could improve the day would be to offer refreshments to those who came to watch. I would like to follow Jessie Lyon and my sister’s gesture and ask others along the streets, at the harbour and at the east end to offer teas and a wee something cakes/biscuits outside their houses on in their gardens where people again can go and chat and share their thoughts on the day.

CRA AGM 2018

Update on the Interpretation Boards

1. The objective of the Project was to design, manufacture and install a Welcome to Cellardyke Board and 6 other Interpretation Boards at strategic locations throughout the Burgh.

2. Finance was secured through Section 75 funding (the Muir Homes/Silverdykes fund) and agreed by the Silverdykes Liaison Committee.

3. Westmoreland International Signage was chosen to carry out all three stages of the process.

4. Liaison took place with Fife Council Officials (planning, harbour officials, parks etc ) and The Community Council to facilitate the project.

5. Unfortunately Westmoreland went into liquidation in May of this year and a month before the conclusion of the project.

6. However, I was able to eventually contact the designer of the boards who had been employed by Westmoreland and he was happy to continue the design work for the boards.

7. The CRA agreed to finance the nominal costs of the design work.

8. At present most of the boards are 90% complete and the final stages of checking will take place in the next few

9. A website is being created to complement the boards and will be operation when the boards are installed.

10. If additional funding becomes available I will start on the four boards for Kilrenny.

 Cellardyke in Bloom.

Treasurers Report and Annual Accounts.

Chairperson’s and Secretary’s Report

Over the last few years, the CRA has evolved into an organisation with a changing focus.   It has become the sponsor and supporter of community projects, aiming to promote and secure the identity, the history and development of Cellardyke.

Through sponsoring, encouraging and supporting the projects you have all heard about tonight, we have been able to successfully involve individuals, teams and organisations in the development of our community.  

It was with great satisfaction that we saw so many people involved in the success of the Sea Queen Festival revival in July.

Despite the challenges faced in the design and installation of the Interpretation Boards, I am confident that they will be in situ in the foreseeable future and the website on line.

We look forward to the Cellardyke and Kilrenny quiet Citizen’s Walk on 11 November commemorating the 64 men and women who died in the Great War.

Our meetings have been less frequent this year with an average turn out of six/seven members.

The members have looked at other possible projects to enhance the environment in which we live - the replacement of the street signs along the shoreline part of the town and the refurbishment of the 1642 Mercat Cross. We have also discussed approaches to take to prevent dog fouling,

Our group keeps an eye on, and a hand in, the planning applications and those property owners who are carrying out property alterations.   Fife Council Planning have worked with us attempting to enforce the rigorous planning process within this conservation area, achieving our goal sometimes with success and sometimes without success.

I have to thank the officers, vice chair, secretary and treasurer for their input to the organisation during the past year. The treasurer and Cellardyke in Bloom champion retires at the end of her 11 year’s reign.   The secretary resigned during her term of office.

Assimilating and promoting the history of our Burgh needs a counter-strategy.

Our community in 21st Century is now very diverse.   There are those locals whose Cellardyke families go back generations, locals who have come from other areas of the UK and further to live and settle in Cellardyke.   There are homeowners who have purchased a property as an investment and rent their properties or use as a holiday home and there are holidaymakers who travel here to stay for short periods in the summer and at weekends.   As an organisation we have to recognise these various groups and target our activities at all the members of our community and attempt to develop a strategic approach to embrace and absorb all of these groups in the uniqueness of our town.   There are also Dykers throughout the World who have a great interest in the town and through social media they are kept in touch with the people and events in the town.

Finally, I would also like to thank Glenn Jones and Catherine Wilson for their counsel over the past year and being able to tap into their experience as ex-officers on the CRA.

Quiet Citizens Walk Poster.

 

CRA MEETING MINUTES for 9TH OCTOBER 2018

In attendance : Catherine Wilson, Christine Herd, Diana Sykes, George Walker, Paul Lewis, Nette Carder, Richard Wemyss, Glenn Jones, Catriona McPherson, John Brown (Chair)

1. Apologies : Chris Oliver, Kathryn Shearer, Dorothea Cargill Thomson,

                        (apologies received from Steve Liscoe on 10th October)

2. Minutes of the previous meeting on 13th June 2018

These were agreed as a correct record.

3. Treasurer :

Unfortunately, no candidate for this role has yet been identified and there were no volunteers at the meeting. The search for a new treasurer will therefore need to continue. A request for a volunteer will be circulated with the minutes.

4. Subscriptions/Donations :

The agreement, reiterated at the AGM in September, is that subscriptions/suggested donations should be one pound for those who attended the meetings or £10 as an annual contribution. There is no formal membership of the CRA with subscriptions, but these are the suggested donations for those who wish to support the work of the CRA.

Nette had received enquiries from people who wished to support the work of the CRA and enquiring about donations from previous years. As there is no new Treasurer and no formal membership list, it was agreed that the Secretary would write out with the minutes suggesting that those who wished to make a donation should do so in the form of a cheque made payable to the Cellardyke Residents Association, sent to John Brown.

Those present also made donations to the work of the CRA and a total of £72 was collected.

5. Update on Projects

a) Interpretation Boards:

The design work for the interpretation boards was now almost complete and was being scrutinised for accuracy. The task now is to secure additional funding for the production and installation of the boards and John Brown is exploring several options. However, no definite funding has been secured to date. The supporting website continues to be developed.

The Silverdykes Liaison Committee meets on 18th October and any update will be provided after then. Fife Council Planning Department now requires the content of the Boards and also details of the structures that will support the Boards when they are installed. John Brown continues to liaise with them.

b) Sea Queen Festival

A couple of meetings have been held and plans for 2019 are developing, with date of the event being 3rd August. The Silverdykes Liaison Committee and the Community Kist have been approached for funding to support the Sea Queen Festival. Mary Thomson has also generously offered to do a couple of coffee mornings. This will hopefully cover all the costs incurred.

Katie Morris, 2018 Sea Queen, will produce a video to start the search for a new Sea Queen, and launch a social media campaign to call for people aged 16-21 who might be interested in being the Sea Queen. The attendants to the Sea Queen from last year came from Anstruther Primary School - where volunteers were requested.

The Burgh Collection invited Katie Morris to open the new collection - and very positive feedback was received on her presence.

c) The Quiet Citizen’s Walk

A formal response from Fife Council for permission to hold a procession is still awaited, despite several emails and chasing. The Police are happy with the arrangements. There are plans to meet with the Rector of the Waid Academy - as the participation of the school children is crucial. Cellardyke Church is fully supportive of the walk.

6. Coastal Walk Signposting

Harry Peddie has drawn to the attention of the CRA that the signpost was put the wrong way round on the Coastal Walk. John Brown will investigate further the responsibility for the signposting on the Coastal work and take appropriate action. The CRA agreed to support accurate signposting for residents and visitors to Cellardyke.

7. Dog Fouling on the Beach/Streets of Cellardyke

The beach appears to be used as a dogs’ toilet, which is of particular concern as children are playing in the sand during the summer. East Forth Street also appears to be full of dog mess, and a local site on Facebook frequently highlights the issue of dog faeces being left in the streets by the owners. This is not only unsightly and unpleasant for those who walk in the streets, but it also poses a significant health hazard to residents and visitors alike. It was agreed to make contact with the Council to raise the issue and increase signage against dog fouling. John Brown will make the initial contact with the Council by telephone.

8. Car Parking & Upcoming Legislation.

Chris Oliver had been in touch with Stephen Gethins, MP, in June 2018. Stephen Gethins had recently got back in touch to suggest a meeting, but Chris was unable to make the proposed date of 26th September. Therefore, John Brown met with Stephen Gethins and his assistant Kirsty Watson and walked through the areas of Cellardyke where a proposed ban on parking on the pavements would cause difficulty to Cellardyke residents - in particular, James, John and George Streets. Stephen Gethins has now written to Fife Council on 3rd October as a result. John read out the letter to those at the meeting. A copy of the letter will be on the CRA website. (See addendum below.)

Car Parking is becoming more difficult as time goes on, particularly on weekends when there are more visitors. It is particularly problematic in that there are very few areas for car parking,particularly those that are free. It is clear that innovative and radical and sustainable solutions will be required.

9. Planning Applications

To date, the CRA has not supported or opposed any individual planning applications and this stance was agreed and reiterated by those present. The CRA can and does signpost people to Planning Applications, advise residents or ask for updates on due process.

Silverdykes Liaison Committee - Two new representatives will join the SLC, with Glenn Jones and Katherine Wilson continuing to represent Cellardyke Residents Association. The next SLC meeting will be held on 18th October and further updates will be provided at the next meeting.

10. Correspondence received : The East Neuk Centre Trust had invited Nette, as CRA Secretary, to attend their AGM. Unfortunately, she is unable to attend, but Richard Wemyss will represent the CRA, and Nette will contact them and also provide an update on the work of the CRA.

11. Any Other Business

CRA Finances : Kate Shearer had provided an update on the CRA’s finances. The closing balance as at the 30th August 2018 was £1,351.79. As at 8th October 2018, the balance stood at £1,956.97 - this includes a donation from the Community Kist towards the Sea Queen Festival.

As at 30th August the Cash in Hand stood at £73.12. Payments had been made to purchase bulbs (£11.92) and a bottle of Talisker for Iain Gray who had kindly audited the accounts. The balance currently stood at £31.20.

Cycle Route : The cycle route is clearly well underway. It was noted that this development was supported by £100k from Muir Homes, obtained via the Silverdykes Liaison Committee. This contribution had enabled match funding to be obtained.

Citizen of the Year : The issue of Citizen of the Year was raised and whether those attending had any suggestions as to who might be nominated, what the process was and any potential role of the CRA. Attendees agreed to consider further whether there was any citizen who might be worth supporting and to consider this further at the next meeting.

Proposal for disabled access : Dorothea Cargill Thomson had requested that she present to the CRA’s next meeting a proposal to improve disabled access to the War Memorial. It was agreed to hear the proposal.

Wreaths : The CRA usually provides wreaths for the memorials on Armistice Day. Paul Lewis and Alan Mclelland - as ex-servicemen - could be asked to present the wreaths. John Brown will approach both people and arrange the wreaths.

12. Date and Time of Next meeting/s

The next meeting was agreed to be : 7pm on Wednesday 5th December 2018 - Venue tbc

No particular day of the week was a good one for everyone, so the 2019 Meeting dates for 2019 were proposed as: 7pm on Tuesday 19th February 2019 & Tuesday 9th May 2019.

The meeting closed at 8.20pm.

Addendum. (Letter from Stephen Gethins MP.)

 

CRA MEETING MINUTES

5th December 2018

Held at 7pm at 14 Shore Street, Cellardyke, KY10 3BD

In attendance : Christine Herd, Paul Lewis, Nette Carder, Glenn Jones, Chris Oliver, Catriona McPherson, Dorothea Cargill Thomson, Marie Carder, John Brown (Chair)

Apologies : Catherine Wilson, Richard Wemyss, Diana Sykes, Kathryn Shearer.

1. Minutes of the previous meeting on 9th October 2018

These were agreed as a correct record.

2. Matters Arising :

The signpost on the Coastal Walk had been put on the wrong way round and John Brown had contacted the Fife Coastal Trust who are responsible for the sign. The Fife Coastal Trust have now visited the sign and inspected it. The signs will be replaced in the next 2-3 years and therefore there are no plans to re-orientate the sign at this point in time.

3. Treasurer :

Catriona McPherson has agreed to be the Treasurer. She was proposed by Glenn Jones and seconded by Paul Lewis and duly elected as Treasurer of the CRA

4. Subscriptions/Donations :

The agreement, reiterated at the AGM in September, is that subscriptions/suggested donations should be one pound for those who attended the meetings or £10 as an annual contribution. This was communicated to all of the CRA mailing list following the October meeting. Two cheques for £60 and £10 were received as a result of the email. Subscriptions of £72 had been collected at the October meeting.

5. Update on Projects

Interpretation Boards:

The original designer, who had been working at Westmoreland Signs, had agreed to finish off the design work. At the June meeting of the CRA it was agreed that the CRA would underwrite the costs of finishing off the design work up to a maximum of £800.

The design work has now been completed. However,following discussions with Fife Council, it is now very likely that the monies for the design work can be paid using Section 75 funding, rather than from CRA funds.

Discussions are continuing with Fife Council, which is responsible for administering the expenditure of s.75 monies. On the recommendation of the SLC, the Interpretation Boards Project was allocated £24,600 from the s.75 monies - provided by Muir Homes as part of the Silverdykes Development. Usually, s.75 monies are drawn down by Fife Council - which actually spends the money - when a project has been completed. Discussions regarding the completion of the Interpretation Boards continues.

If funding is available, then work will continue to move towards implementation within the financial envelope available.

Planning permission for the Interpretation Boards - discussions have been ongoing for some time and Fife Planning are happy with the design and proposed structure of the Boards.

Sea Queen Festival

Sea Queen Festival has met once - and will meet again in the New Year to work on choosing the new Sea Queen. Nominations have been invited from anyone who is interested in being the 2019 Sea Queen.

The Quiet Citizen’s Walk

Thanks to Sydney Clare and Catriona McPherson for this very successful project. Originally conceived as part of the Sea Queen Festival, it was felt that it had been more appropriate for Armistice Day. It was very well supported by the community - with over 350 people attending - and was a moving and very successful community event.

One of the lessons learnt is that more people participate than expected - both for the Sea Queen and the Quiet Citizens Walk - which were very well supported by the community.

6. Dog Fouling on the Beach/Streets of Cellardyke

John Brown has contacted Fife Council who visited the beach (in October) - apparently a sign has been put up, but it is not entirely clear where it is. Dog Fouling continues to be a continual problem - both from local and visiting dogs (and their owners). John will contact the Council again in the Spring.

7. Car Parking & Upcoming Legislation.

The letter from Stephen Gethins letter is now on the website. The reality is that people in Cellardyke have to park on the pavements to ensure access by emergency vehicles. There is no further update, but Fife Council will hopefully apply for an exemption for certain Cellardyke streets when the legislation is implemented.

8. Planning Applications

There has been work undertaken in West Forth Street, with a wall having been taken down - it seems to create a parking space. This is all in the conservation area. Work on the wall at the back of the Coastal Inn appears to have ceased. John Brown will talk to Steve Liscoe to get a better understanding of the issues.

Cellardyke is a conservation area and new and existing owners of property should be respectful of this. It is one of the things that makes Cellardyke unique and attractive and a great place to live.

9. Cardinal Steps Swimming Pool

The swimming pool is now returned to the Crown Estate and is being ‘reinstated’. What this means is that they will allow the pool to return to its natural state and will not maintain or have liability for it. To date, there is little concern from the community about this. John Brown will ensure that East Neuk Outdoors is made aware of the situation.

10. Silverdykes Liaison Committee - When the last Muir house is completed - estimated to be some time in 2020 - the last £100,000 of s.75 monies will be made available by Muir Homes to Fife Council. The Silverdykes Liaison Committee will consider and prioritise any bids made to that monies and the process for putting together bids is set out on the anstruther.info page. Here is the link: http://www.anstruther.info/organisations/silverdykes-liaison-committee

At the previous meeting, the Community Council lost one member and two new Community Council representatives were elected - there are now 3 representatives on the SLC. Muir Homes are going to ensure that the ‘Village Green’ in Silverdykes is finished to an appropriate standard. There are 4 capstans on the site - and the intention was they would have an appropriate local symbol on each of them. This is now being followed up.

A variety of projects have been supported to date by the s.75 monies from Muir Homes. These include the Cellardyke Interpretation Boards, and £62,000 towards the completion of the Bankie Park play equipment. Additionally, an Outdoor Tennis Table has been provided. Improvements have been made to play equipment in Cellardyke Park, at the Billowness and in Windmill Court. The Cycle route was supported by £100k of the Muir Homes s.75 monies - which enabled match funding to be obtained. The development of the route is now well underway.

The Silverdykes Liaison Committee were informed of the process of the Silverdykes Development. To date,185 private houses have been completed and 9 are in the sales process. Fife Council have 57 properties completed and Kingdom Housing have 58 houses completed.

11. Correspondence received - No Correspondence has been received to date

12. Any Other Business

Chris Oliver volunteered to hold the next CRA meeting at 23 George Street, Cellardyke. It will be held in the old shop on the ground floor.

 

CRA MEETING MINUTES

19th February 2019

7pm at 23 George Street, Cellardyke

Present

John Brown, Glenn Jones, Richard Wemyss (Minutes), Sydney Clare Checkland, Jo Hilton, Chris Oliver, Gemma Wycherley, Catriona MacPherson  (19.20)

The meeting was opened with thanks to Jo and Chris for hosting

1. Apologies for absence

Nette Carder, Catherine Wilson, George Walker, Marie Carder, Christine Herd, Kate Shearer, Steve Liscoe, Diana Sykes

2. Minutes of the previous meeting on 5th December 2018

The minutes for the previous meeting having been circulated were proposed by Glenn Jones, and seconded by Chris Oliver.

3. Matters arising from the minutes

All matters arising were scheduled to be discussed on the agenda.

4. Tribute and appreciation of Allan McLelland

Glenn Jones, gave an excellent tribute to Allan, who had been a staunch supporter and treasurer of the CRA and the Cellardyke Community.

Glenn also stated that he would take over the looking after the Dyker Lass, the floral boat that Allan had been so proud of.

It was agreed that the CRA should commission a plaque in Allan’s memory to be fixed to the stern of the boat. Glenn agreed to organise this, and stated that he had spoken to Allan’s family who were already thinking of some sort of similar tribute.

5. Update on Projects

The Interpretation Boards

John updated the group, saying that 3 Quotations were now with Fife Council for the manufacture and installation of the boards and he hoped they would be made by the end of May.

The supporting website cellardyke.org was also in progress.

A trifold, town trail leaflet was being designed which would include a town trail to interest children as well as adults.

The Sea Queen Festival

Richard, updated the group, saying that applications were in with Fife Council for the event on the 3rd August 2019

Richard also outlined the plans to add to the event to celebrate the Scottish Fisheries Museum’s 50th Anniversary, including local Saints as characters, the involvement of the Pittenweem fishing fleet, a 50 gun salute and involvement with the feeder primaries to the Waid.

Bunting manufacture was already started by volunteers.

A fund raising Coffee morning will be held on 9th March at 10 am In Cellardyke Church hall.

5. Silverdykes Liaison Committee

Glenn updated the group on the progress and the deadlines for the fund saying that the Committee were encouraging applications for the last tranche of moneys which would become available on the final sale of the houses in the development.

Reports were given on several projects including:

The Dreelside playpark

The Kilrenny War memorial path

A pre application discussion to get the Whale jaw bones resited or a replica sited in Cellardyke.

6. The Future of the CRA - paper attached for discussion & approval

The paper having been circulated it was agreed that the three aims (below) should be the core values of the group

• To promote the history and heritage of Cellardyke

• To promote the unique identity of the town

• To encourage activities which develop a sense of place and community

It was also agreed to have the forward direction consolidated to make it clear to the public

by the 2019 AGM.

Proposals from artists and individuals/ members of the community to be sought to encourage

and support future activities.

8. Correspondence received :

Floral Work

John had received a letter from Andy Peddie, Chair of the Community Council which reminded the group how successful the Floral displays had been winning gold medals. It also asked if the CRA would be willing to apply for funding this year from Fife Council.

John reiterated the CRA’s thanks to Kate Shearer who had been the driving force behind this success , but also reminded the group that after much effort no co ordinator could be found to work in the same way Kate had done. It did look like people were adopting certain areas and were to be encouraged to do this and the group agreed to apply for the Fife Council Funding.

9. Any Other Business

a)Sydney Clare Checkland brought a proposal to the group regarding the three disused phone boxes in Cellardyke, she outlined some potential future use and exciting opportunities if they were to be bought by the CRA. As property ownership was not something that the CRA had got into before there was a discussion. The group agreed that in this case the principle of taking these phone boxes into CRA ownership was an excellent idea and should be investigated further.

b) Changing of Bank Account signatories

There had been some difficulties in this but Glenn Jones as the last of the previous signatories agreed to try and sort this out, as he may be the only one to be able to do this.

 

CRA MEETING MINUTES

Thursday 23rd May 2019 -7pm at The Haven, Cellardyke

Present

John Brown, Richard Wemyss (Minutes), Diana Sykes, Marie Carder, Sydney Clare Checkland, Christine Herd, Catriona MacPherson  

1. Apologies for absence

Nette Carder, Catherine Wilson, Paul Lewis, Glenn Jones, Jo Hilton, Chris Oliver

2. Minutes of the previous meeting on 19 February 2019

The minutes for the previous meeting having been circulated were adopted.

Proposed by Christine Main, and seconded by Catriona MacPherson.

3. Matters arising from the minutes of 19 February

Item 4. Glenn Jones had sourced a plaque in remembrance of Allan McLelland, he had run the wording past Allan’s widow who was happy with it and the cost would be £49 inc postage.

The group approved the spend.

Silverdykes Liaison Committee – no application had of yet been received regarding the Kilrenny War Memorial seating and approaches.

4. Update on Projects

1. Interpretation Boards - Johnny Brown gave an update on the interpretation boards project – A tender had been requested through Fife Council for the boards manufacture and installation.   Johnny showed some of the full scale representations of the boards and informed the group on the progress of the website

2. Sea Queen - Richard Wemyss updated the group on the changes and new aspects of the event from the previous year, including celebrations for the 50th Anniversary of the Fisheries Museum and including other communities and schools in the Gifts to the Sea - message in a bottle project.

3. Floral Work – John Brown informed the group that £250 had been awarded to the CRA towards the floral project and that discussions had been held with the Community Council. A request to the CC regarding watering all the plants on a regular basis would be made. It was also agreed that the principle person in charge of tubs and planters could approach the group for reimbursement of plant costs to be paid from the £250.

Diana Sykes would ask the Community Council to look into the area of grass that now did not seem to be being cut by the council.   It was overgrown and spoiling any effort with tubs enhancement at the top of Urquhart Wynd. She would also ask if there was anyway the area at the old Police station could be tended to as well.

4. Cellardyke Phone Boxes – Sydney Clare Checkland had sent information to the Chairman and outlined the idea to the group. The group reaffirmed its support for the principle of owning the boxes at the harbour and Town Hall and agreed that Sydney Clare could begin a formal investigation on behalf of the CRA into taking ownership of the boxes.

5. Treasurers Report

It has been a difficult period trying to get the banks to provide the correct forms for signatory transfers.

This will only be complete when Nette, Secretary, returns towards the end of June.

6. Any Other Business

It was agreed that Johnny would visit the Cellardyke Artists’ Studios taking part in the East Neuk Open Studio weekends, thank them for their contributions and discuss the new proposed principles of the CRA:

• To promote the history and heritage of Cellardyke

• To promote the unique identity of the town

• To encourage activities which develop a sense of place and community

and acknowledge the excellent work that these artists already do to promote the town and community.

It was also agreed that Johnny would research the possible replacement signs for street names that have gone missing over the years to ensure these names are kept alive. Edinburgh Old Town street signs were an excellent design and Johnny would look into how and if possible, an improvement on this basis could be made.

N.B this is not name reversions or changes but ensuring that areas where signs have gone missing or in disrepair are replaced. There should not be any planning issues as there are no changes.

 

Cellardyke Residents Association

Twelfth Annual General Meeting

Tuesday 17 September 2019

7.30pm

Cellardyke Town Hall

(Lower Level)

 

Present at the meeting:  

John Brown, Paul Lewis, Richard Wemyss, Elizabeth Dickson, Nette Carder, Glenn Jones, Catriona Macpherson, Chris Oliver, Dave Smith, Clare Checkland, Jo Oliver (from 8pm)

1. Apologies for absence

Apologies were received from Diana Sykes Davie Corstophine, Laurie Smith, Catherine Wilson, Christine Herd, George Walker, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Marie Carder

Minutes of the AGM held on Tuesday 11th September 2018

Page5 : Ian Gray should be spelt Iain Gray

With this correction, the minutes were agreed as a corrected record.

This was proposed by Glenn Jones & seconded by Richard Wemyss.

There were no matters arising from the minutes that were not on the Agenda.

3.   Chairperson’s Report

John Brown reported on the activities over the past year - his full report is attached.

The second Sea Queen festival was a great success, as was the Quiet Citizens’ walk held in November 2018.

The interpretation Boards will be installed by the end of November throughout Cellardyke. A website: cellardyke.org will be launched at the same time.

The Floral work throughout Cellardyke achieved Gold award again, thanks to the hard work of Cellardyke residents. Alan McClelland’s plaque has been put on the Dyker Lass at the entrance to Pickford Crescent and Glenn Jones circulated the text of the plaque.

Cellardyke has the largest proportion of the ENOS artists and John Brown had thanked them all personally. John also thanked the officers of the CRA, particularly Paul Lewis who had resigned his position as Vice Chair, having been involved in the CRA from its inception.

He reiterated that Cellardyke now had a diverse community and it was important to take a strategic and relevant approach to that community, which included Dykers abroad.

Glenn Jones reminded those present of the Burgh Collection AGM, which was being held on 23rd October at 7.30pm in the Town Hall. John Brown would be talking about the Interpretation Boards.

4.    Treasurer’s Report

Catriona Macpherson, reported as Treasurer and presented the report and accounts as prepared by Iain Gray - attached.

Cellardyke Residents’ Association now has £2,748 in the bank and cash. The CRA now has a deficit of £40 and has no funds available for any expenditure. The majority of the transactions in the account and monies received are from the Sea Queen project and associated fundraising activities and these Sea Queen funds are in significant surplus.

5.    Silverdykes Liaison Committee Report

Glenn Jones, Chair of the Silverdykes Liaison Committee presented his report - attached.

This is now a crucial time as the remaining £100,000 of the S.75 monies will be paid to Fife Council by Muir Homes when the last house is sold. Then the CRA’s involvement with the SLC will end as the main purpose of the Silverdykes Liaison Committee will have been completed and the CRA will have also completed one of its original purposes.

Glenn Jones, Paul Lewis and Dorothea Cargill Thompson will then cease their involvement with the SLC, although they will continue to represent the CRA on the committee until that time. The SLC now are asking the community for proposals, by 30th November 2019 for the final £100,000. Further details and the application process are available on the website: anstruther.info

Glenn thanked Daryll Wilson for all her hard work with this website.

6.    Proposal on the way forward for the CRA

Nette Carder, Secretary, presented a proposal on the way forward - attached and reproduced here.

A great deal has happened since the CRA was founded in 2007 and a phenomenal amount of work has been undertaken by previous Committee members to be benefit of the local community and the town. The reaffirmation of Cellardyke as a community with a distinct identity has been due in large part to the work of the CRA. Existing members recently reaffirmed their commitment to the objectives of:

            Promoting the history and heritage of Cellardyke

             Promoting the unique identity of the town

             Encouraging activities which develop a sense of place and community

As the focus of the CRA has shifted towards supporting local activities and projects - most notably the Sea Queen festival - it has become increasing clear that our current organisational format is now no longer fit for purpose. The world has changed in terms of grants, activities and expectations. We are not registered as a charity, which limits the funds that we can apply for and the activities that we can undertake.

We need to build upon the work of our predecessors and transform the Cellardyke Residents Association into a new organisational form that can engage the Cellardyke community, involve more people and enable access to funding streams which can support our activities and projects, to the benefit of Cellardyke.

We therefore propose to spend 2019/20 exploring what form would best enable us to meet the above objectives, with the aim of establishing a ‘fit for purpose’ organisation. We aim to establish this before September 2020.

We would welcome the involvement of everyone in helping us accomplish this, so that that the aims and objectives of the CRA and the interests of Cellardyke continue to be met - in a new and vibrant way that can truly enhance our community.

The proposal was agreed by all present and it was agreed to establish a working party as soon as practicable, with the aim of exploring the options available. The Cellardyke Residents Association would continue as an organisation for the next year - in order that the Floral Grant could be applied for and any Sea Queen funds for 2020 could be raised, banked and accounted for. The involvement of anyone interested was encouraged and welcomed.

The working party aimed to report progress to the next CRA Committee meeting.

7.         Election of 2019-2020 Officers 

John Brown was proposed as Chairman by Glenn Jones and seconded by Elizabeth Dickson. He was duly elected as Chairman.

Richard Wemyss was proposed as Vice-Chairman by Nette Carder and seconded Catriona Macpherson. He was duly elected as Vice-Chairman

Nette Carder was proposed as Secretary by Richard Wemyss and seconded by Chris Oliver. She was duly elected as Secretary

Catriona Macpherson was proposed as Treasurer by John Brown as seconded by Elizabeth Dickson. She was duly elected as Treasurer.

8.         Any other Business

John Brown had received an email from Poppy Scotland and had ordered the wreaths, which Paul Lewis agreed to take to Anstruther as usual.

Given the financial situation, and the fact that most of the transaction and monies related to the Sea Queen, it was agreed that the thank you present for Iain Gray, who had reviewed the accounts, should come from Sea Queen funds.

Traditionally, the CRA had provided £100 a year to the East Neuk First Responders. In addition, the Sea Queen festival had also donated funds to the East Neuk First responders in 2019, in appreciation of their support. For 2020 it was agreed that it would be appropriate to cancel the CRA’s existing standing order from the CRA, but to earmark a donation of £100 to the East Neuk First responders from the Sea Queen funds.

The Community Council also has access to the Floral Grant monies from Fife Council, as well as the CRA, which applied for, and obtained, a grant of £250 in 2018/19. John Brown had been attending meetings of the Community Council Floral Group, which was co-ordinated by Lindsay McKinstray, and had co-ordinated the floral displays and watering for 2019. He wondered whether it might be more effective to put the Floral Grant funds together, for ease of administration of the Floral Grant funds. It was agreed that he and Glenn Jones would raise this at the next meeting.

In the meantime, Nette agreed to complete the Fife Council evaluation (required as a condition of receiving the Floral Grant) and to apply for the Floral Grant monies for 2020.

DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting was agreed to be on : 3rd December 2019 at 7.30pm.

The location was provisionally set as Cellardyke Town Hall (to be confirmed).

Chairperson’s and Secretary’s Report Draft 2

At last year’s AGM I reported on the changing focus of our Association.
Members met earlier this year to discuss and consider the future direction of a new body and to formulate the
way forward.
It was agreed that in this transitional period, over the next year, that we would base the deliberations on the
three core aims:
• To promote the history and heritage of Cellardyke
• To promote the unique identity of the town
• To encourage activities which develop a sense of place and community.
During the past year, through sponsoring, encouraging and supporting projects we have been able to fulfil
these three aims.
1. I am very happy to report that the Sea Queen Festival once again was a great success as and involved
many individuals and organisations from our community. The Festival participants were extended to other
East Neuk communities and primary schools.
2. The Interpretation Boards are been manufactured at present and will be installed in the seven
locations by the end of November. It has been a long and challenging journey to achieve this end point.
A website, - cellardyke.org - will be launched in tandem with the installation of the boards.
3. The floral work around the town continues to be supported by many individuals who look after the
barrels and boats. We have worked closely with the Community Council this year and achieved the
Beautiful Fife Gold Award, 2019. A plaque to Alan McLelland has been placed on the Pickford Crescent
Boat as a memorial to Alan for his enormous contribution to the Association.
4. The Quiet Citizen’s Walk took place on 11 November with an overwhelming number of our local
community involved and participating in this unique occasion which commemorated the 64 Cellardyke men
and women who died in the Great War.
5. In June I personally thanked all 14 Cellardyke artists involved in the East Neuk Open Studios for the
opportunity to share their creative input during the ENOS weekends and through the events encourage many
diverse visitors to share the unique environment and allure of the town.
6. A project to refurbish two telephone boxes in the lower part of the town and utilise them in
innovative ways has been initiated.
All the individuals and teams who have directed and assisted in the delivery of these projects are thanked for
their creativity, leadership and resilience.
I have also to thank the officers, vice chair, secretary and treasurer for their input to the organisation and their
council during the past year.
In particular, Paul Lewis who resigns his post as Vice-Chair and who has been involved in the CRA since its
inception....... as well as the many past CRA officials and members for their continued support.
Last year I spoke about our diverse community and would like to reiterate .....
Our community in the 21st Century is now very diverse. There are those locals whose Cellardyke families
go back generations, locals who have come from other areas of the UK and further to live and settle in
Cellardyke. There are homeowners who have purchased a property as an investment and rent their
properties or use as a holiday home and there are holidaymakers who travel here to stay for short periods in
the summer and at weekends. As an organisation we have to recognise these various groups and target our
activities at all the members of our community and attempt to develop a strategic approach to embrace and
absorb all of these groups in the uniqueness of our town. There are also Dykers throughout the World who
have a great interest in the town and through social media they are kept in touch with the people and events
in the town.
Once again, thank you for your support tonight in attending the AGM.

CELLARDYKES LIAISON COMMITTEE Report

 In about 12 months, once the final Silverdykes house is sold, the final £100,000 of Section 75 money will be paid by Muir Homes to Fife Council towards open space leisure facilities in the Anstruther, Kilrenny and Cellardyke Community Council area. When the money is finally allocated, the SLC will disband, and the CRA's involvement with the Silverdykes development will end, after around 13 years. In the meantime, and over the past year, the CRA's representatives continue to participate fully, as they always have done. The CRA has provided the chair for the committee since its inception; its current chair and secretary is Glenn Jones, and he wishes to thank our long-serving - or is that long-suffering? - representatives Dorothea Cargill-Thomson and Paul Lewis for their continuing support.

The Silverdykes Liaison Committee was set up following the granting of detailed planning permission for the Silverdykes in 2009. One of the main aims of the Silverdykes Liaison Committee (SLC) has been to advise Fife   Council (FC) on the uses of Section 75 payments from Muir Homes. This is to provide alternative leisure and recreational spaces and facilities for the community on publicly owned land accessible to all. The SLC only makes recommendations based on proposals from the community which meet the legal criteria set out in the agreement between Muir Homes and Fife Council.   The SLC is now inviting   the community to start thinking about open space leisure facilities that the final tranche of £100,000 could be used for. This is a one-off chance to add assets to the community, at a time when council spending is being cut.   Proposals will be requested, with a deadline of 30^th November. Once all the proposals are in, they can be looked at together, and final recommendations made.

Use is now being made of social media to publicise SLC activities, through the new anstruther.info Facebook page.   Information about the SLC, and guidance on making recommendations, can be found on the anstruther.info website.

With the completion of the tasks of the SLC, the CRA will have fulfilled the purpose for which it was created. Of course, we have evolved over the years, and now the objectives for furthering the heritage, well-being and identity of Cellardyke are to the fore. The question now will be, what sort of future is our association going to plan for, and how will it be achieved?

Glenn Jones

Chair, SLC

15th September 2019

 Proposal for the way forward for the CRA 

A great deal has happened since the CRA was founded in 2007 and a phenomenal amount of work has been undertaken by previous Committee members to be benefit of the local community and the town. The reaffirmation of Cellardyke as a community with a distinct identity has been due in large part to the work of the CRA. Existing members recently reaffirmed their commitment to the objectives of:

            Promoting the history and heritage of Cellardyke

            Promoting the unique identity of the town

            Encouraging activities which develop a sense of place and community

As the focus of the CRA has shifted towards supporting local activities and projects - most notably the Sea Queen festival - it has become increasing clear that our current organisational format is now no longer fit for purpose. The world has changed in terms of grants, activities and expectations. We are not registered as a charity, which limits the funds that we can apply for and the activities that we can undertake.

We need to build upon the work of our predecessors and transform the Cellardyke Residents Association into a new organisational form that can engage the Cellardyke community, involve more people and enable access to funding streams which can support our activities and projects, to the benefit of Cellardyke.

We therefore propose to spend 2019/20 exploring what form would best enable us to meet the above objectives, with the aim of establishing a ‘fit for purpose’ organisation. We aim to establish this before September 2020.

We would welcome the involvement of everyone in helping us accomplish this, so that that the aims and objectives of the CRA and the interests of Cellardyke continue to be met - in a new and vibrant way that can truly enhance our community.

CRA Committee members

 

Minutes of the CRA Meeting held on: Tuesday 10th December 2019 

Present

George Walker, John Brown (Chairman), Paul Lewis, Diana Sykes, Richard Wemyss, Steve Liscoe, Christine Herd, Peter Shepherd, Glenn Jones, Catherine Wilson, Elizabeth Dickson, Chris Oliver, Nette Carder

Apologies for absence

 

Laurie Smith, Jo Hilton and Dorothea Cargill-Thomson

1. Minutes of the previous meeting held on 23rd May 2019

 

Amendment: Christine Herd was not actually present at the meeting

Proposed by Diana Sykes, seconded by Richard Wemyss and agreed as a correct record, subject to the amendment above.

Glenn Jones had obtained and paid for Alan McClelland’s memorial plaque cost c£26 - but had not been reimbursed by the CRA to date, although this had been agreed. To be discussed with the Treasurer when she arrived at the meeting.

3. Matters arising from the minutes

4. Update on Projects

The Interpretation Boards

Boards are now up - many positive comments received. A concern was expressed about the one at Caddies Burn, at the entrance to Cellardyke, but its location was at the direction of the Fife Transport. Thanks and congratulations were given to John Brown for persevering with the Boards - this has not been straightforward, but his efforts were much appreciated.

The Sea Queen Festival

The Sea Queen Festival - which is planned to be on the 4th and 5th July 2020 - is still being planned. This is the same weekend as the East Neuk Festival. Ellie Deas and Jessie Barnett (Sea Queen and Sea Queen elect) took part in the recent parade - whilst Ellie and Johnny laid the wreath on Remembrance Day.

Applications for funding were being made. £1,500 pounds had already been received from the Norah Webber fund. An application had been made to Thorntons Community Fund - but no funds were available this year. An application will also be made to the National Lottery Fund.

Cellardyke phone boxes

The plan was for the CRA to adopt the two telephone boxes - by Cellardyke Town Hall and on Cellardyke Harbour. Under the Adopt a telephone box scheme run by BT, only charities could take on telephone boxes. Accordingly, the East Neuk Centre Trust was approached and agreed to apply for the telephone boxes, with the understanding that they would be handed over to the CRA. BT had recently agreed this and contacted the East Neuk Centre Trust to confirm this.

With the proposal to set up a new organisation - which was likely to be by the end of March 2020 - it now made sense for BT to hand the telephone boxes directly to the Cellardyke Trust when it was established. BT were happy to do this, if the East Neuk Centre confirmed that it no longer wished to have to the Telephone boxes.

Sydney Clare agreed to continue to liaise with BT about this matter - and to confirm arrangements with the East Neuk Centre once the Cellardyke Trust was established and had a charity number. This would mean that the proposed Cellardyke Trust could take them on directly.

The idea is that the Telephone Box by Cellardyke Town Hall would continue to be looked after by Jill Calder and the Telephone box on Cellardyke harbour would be part of a ‘Message in a Bottle’ project - which would link Cellardyke with other communities throughout the world through the use of driftwood ‘bottles’.

There is another phone box in Cellardyke on Mayview Avenue. However, no application has been made for this phone box to date. As part of the planning, consideration was being given as to whether this phone box could also be bought and then provide a venue for art exhibitions currently being held in the telephone boxes in Strathkiness.

The Telephone Boxes cost £1 each, but have to be sold to a charity - as they are worth much more than this. The issue of whether electricity should continue to be provided to the boxes was also part of the planning and needed further consideration.

Once they were taken on by the new Cellardyke Trust, then they would need to be insured. Initial indications were that insurance for the boxes could be in the region of £120 a year. However, the Sea Queen Insurance was £350 just for the day - so further work needed to be undertaken to see what would be the best insurance package.

5. Proposal on new organisational form

 

The proposal to establish a new charitable organisation, which would be a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation, was agreed by all. In addition, Peter Shepherd agreed to consider being Treasurer of the new Cellardyke Trust - which was agreed and much appreciated.

The draft application to OSCR and draft Constitution were circulated and agreed. It was suggest that three people would be a better number for Trustee meetings in terms of quorum. The draft constitution will be amended before submission.

It was important that the CRA’s responsibilities to the Silverdykes Liaison Committee were discharged and this commitment was reaffirmed. The CRA had taken on many of the functions of the Community Council over the years and one of its major purposes had been discharged. Once the new Cellardyke Trust was established, then the CRA would be closed down. The SLC responsibilities - which relate to the distribution of the Muir Homes funds - would be discharged with the release of the last tranche of the monies - due when the last home was sold. Initial estimates were that this could be in 6 months time - which would fit with CRA AGM provisionally planned for September 2020, when the existing officers would stand down.

Glenn, Paul and Dorothea were happy to continue with the CRA - with the proviso that its only function was the Silverdykes Liaison Committee - to ensure that the CRA’s responsibilities were discharged and the monies appropriately spent. This was agreed, appreciated and supported by all present.

6. Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer confirmed that there were enough funds in the CRA account to reimburse Glenn Jones for the plaque and she will liaise with him to arrange payment.

In terms of CRA funds - there is approximately £500 left in the Sea Queen monies and £1,400 in CRA funds. It was agreed that insurance for the telephone boxes/other items requiring public liability insurance for the new Cellardyke Trust, should be the first call on the remaining monies.

7. Floral Grant

 

John went to the meetings this year and it was thought best that the Anstruther, Cellardyke and Kilrenny funds should be co-ordinated if at all possible. John will talk to Andrew Peddie to see how the Community Council could be involved and Anstruther, Cellardyke and Kilrenny share the administration of the funds available.

Nette agreed to do the evaluation of the 2019 Floral Grant and 2020 Floral Grant application if necessary. The management and administration of these monies was not something that the new Cellardyke Trust would undertaken.

8. Silverdykes Liaison Committee

 

A deadline had been set of 30th November 2019 for proposals for the £100,000 SLC monies available, and the availability of the funds publicised on social media. In the event, there were not very many applications for the funds. Proposals include : Improvements at St Ayles play area (has to be within Fife Council’s policy); Disabled swing in Cellardyke; Landscaping at East End of Cellardyke; Electric car charging points were also being considered - this is a work in progress, but in may not meet the Fife Council criteria.

SLC’s job is to gather in the proposals, evaluate them and make recommendations to Fife Council. They do not originate them or manage their implementation.

(Charging points for electric cars - Chris has been doing some research and talking to the transport minister. It is not straightforward for the narrow streets of Cellardyke).

7. Correspondence received

No correspondence had been received

8 . Any Other Business

No other business was raised by those present

  

Tuesday 10th March 2020

7pm at The Town Hall, Cellardyke

Present

R Wemyss (Chair), Catriona MacPherson (Treasurer) George Walker Dorothea Cargill- Thomson. Steve Liscoe, Sydney Clare Checkland, Glen Jones, Paul Lewis, Elizabeth Dickson, Diana Sykes

 

1. Apologies for absence
2. Christine Herd, Catherine Wilson, Laurie Smith, Chris Oliver, Nette Carder, Johnny Brown

 2. Minutes of the previous meeting held on 10th December 2019- Agreed as a true record - Proposed by Diana Sykes Seconded by Elizabeth Dickson Subject to the typing error being amended on Point 7 this should read “undertake” not “undertaken”

 Matters arising from the minutes

There were no matters arising from the minutes that were not on the agenda.

 Richard sought to assure Glen Jones of the unanimous agreement in point five of the

minute that the CRA would continue until its obligations with the SLC were discharged, and after that point it could be wound up.

 

4. Update on Projects

 

The Sea Queen Festival – Richard Wemyss updated the group on the plans for the Sea Queen Festival and the multiple projects based round the 2020 idea. Plans were going well and most permissions had already been sought. Richard asked Glen Jones ( trustee of the Nora Webber Trust) to ensure that the NWT understood and were happy that The Cellardyke Trust would be organising the Sea Queen festival, and grants would be used for the purpose given but potentially administered through the new body. Glen stated he was happy with this situation. 

Cellardyke phone boxes – Sydney Clare Checkland told the group that the Phone boxes were now in the ownership of the East Neuk Centre Trust and transfer over to the Cellardyke Trust could now take place as the Cellardyke Trust had been established with accreditation from OSCR the Scottish Charities regulator.

 

1. Formation of The Cellardyke Trust – RW – stated that we were delighted the Trust was now on the official register of charitable organisations in Scotland as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation SCIO 049941 . This was so recent the trustees had not had their first meeting to elect office bearers and begin developing the organisation, this was scheduled in the near future. Trustees were Richard Wemyss, Peter Shepherd, Elizabeth Dickson, Jessie Barnett, Catriona Macpherson, Johnny Brown, Sydney Clare Checkland and Nette Carder.

 It was agreed unanimously that all CRA assets including funds would be transferred over to The Cellardyke Trust at the appropriate time to suit the winding down of the CRA.

 

1. Treasurer’s Report

Catriona Macpherson reported that with the winding down of the CRA there was little movement in the accounts with the income being held mainly designated Sea Queen funds and a core sum of around £1500 carried over from previous membership income. It was agreed that insurances should come out of CRA general funds.

 

7. Silverdykes Liaison Committee

Glen Jones gave an in-depth report on the Committee and its work to date

Section 75       -           the committee which meets every two months is set up to consist of

3 members of the CRA, 3 Members of the community council, Gerald Cooper as Silverdykes residents’ representative. Cllr Bill Porteous, Muir Homes as minute takers and a representative from Fife Council

discussed

• Ramp at Bankie Park
• Electric Car Charging points – do not meet the criteria
• Dreelside Play area - £15 000 awared
• Crawhill woodland path – lengthy discussions on going
• Disabled path to the Cellardyke/ Kilrenny War memorial
• St Ayles Play area
• History Wall on Windmill Rd to take all information from the recently erected towns history boards.
• Replacement Slide at the Cellardyke pool playpark

 

It is unknown if money is left from the initial tranche. The final £100k is expected to be released to Fife Council on the completion of the sale of the last house possibly in about 4 months time.

 

Glen then reported on the recent meeting where a presentation had been made by Sydney Clare Checkland and others regarding the common good lands at the Town’s Green and the development of them

The proposal would include tree planting, an outdoor gym, work on the paths and seating.

Glen outlined factors to be taken into consideration, such as the Council not maintaining the escarpment, the steepness of the slopes there for tree planting, services underneath some areas such as water pipes. The ownership and lease of some of the land related to the East Neuk Outdoors business.

The SLC felt that there would need to be a community consultation process on the proposal before any decision was made.

There were no questions from the floor.

 

8. Chris Oliver - Karen Penny: The Penny Rolls on - Walking Britain and Ireland for Alzheimer’s Research –

the group agreed that if Chris wanted some publicity or support nearer the time, once he had exact dates he could approach the group with specific requests to be looked at.

9 . Any Other Business

 George Walker asked about the continuation of the CRA Website and its relationship to any web presence for the Cellardyke Trust. Richard replied that as the trust hadn’t yet met it was too early to understand what type of web presence the new Trust would have, but wished to thank George for his work on the existing website. The group asked that George would continue to maintain the current website as it was and things would become clearer we would discuss with him what the future of that site was.

 

Glen Jones asked that the group send their best wishes to Johnny Brown in his absence.

10. Date and Time of Next meeting : It was decided not to make a firm arrangement for the next meeting until it was clear when the Chair and secretary would be available again.

 

The Meeting finished at 7.45

 

CRA AGM Thursday 24^th Sept 2020

Cellardyke Residents Association

 

Thirteenth Annual General Meeting

 

Thursday 24th September 2020

 

7.30pm

 

The meeting was held virtually using Zoom, due to Scottish Government regulations regarding Covid

 

 Present at the meeting:  

 Paul Lewis, Richard Wemyss, Elizabeth Dickson, Mary Thomson, Catriona Macpherson, Glenn Jones, Diana Sykes, Nette Carder

 1. Apologies for absence

 Apologies were received from Chris Oliver, George Walker, Laurie and Lynn Smith

Tribute to John Brown, late Chairman of the Cellardyke Residents Association

Richard Wemyss paid tribute to John Brown, Chairman of the CRA, who sadly passed away at the end of April 2020. John’s devotion to Cellardyke anditshistory was well known. His passing is a sad loss, and his contribution to Cellardyke will be missed both now, and into the future.

 Glenn Jones also paid tribute to John Brown. John’s commitment to Cellardyke was well known. The Cellardyke Interpretation Boards - which are well read and used - would not be there without his tenacity and hard work.

  

1. Minutes of the AGM held on Tuesday 17th September 2019

 Page 2, third paragraph : Borough Collection should be spelt Burgh Collection.

With this correction, the minutes were agreed as a corrected record.

This was proposed by Catriona Macpherson & seconded by Elizabeth Dickson.

3.    There were no matters arising from the minutes that were not on the Agenda.

4.   Election of the Officers to the Cellardyke Residents Association

 

Glenn Jones was proposed as Chairman by Nette Carder and seconded by Elizabeth Dickson. He was duly elected as Chairman.

Paul Lewis was proposed as Vice Chairman by Nette Carder and seconded by Diana Sykes. He was duly elected as Vice-Chairman.

Nette Carder was proposed as Secretary by Catriona Macpherson and seconded by Glenn Jones. She was duly elected as Secretary.

Catriona Macpherson was proposed as Treasurer by Diana Sykes and seconded by Elizabeth Dickson. She was duly elected as Treasurer.

The new officers having been duly elected, Glenn Jones took over the Chairmanship of the meeting from Richard Wemyss, previous Vice-chairman, who had chaired the meeting in the absence of a Chairman.

Glenn set out a brief history of the Cellardyke Residents Association and was pleased to finish the job that was the aim of the original CRA. He congratulated the Cellardyke Trust on its establishment.

5.   Report on CRA Activities and proposed way forward

 

The report was previously circulated. Nette Carder presented the report and set out the position. In summary:

With the establishment of The Cellardyke Trust, which would undertake arts and heritage activities, the Sea Queen funds would transfer to the Cellardyke Trust, which also now owned the two telephone boxes.

The remaining CRA Funds which had been received for floral work would pass to the Royal Burgh of Kilrenny, Anstruther, & Cellardyke Community Council, which had an active group of volunteers. These funds would be spent in Cellardyke.

The CRA would continue and continue to be a key member of the Silverdykes Liaison Committee. In addition, the CRA would continue to lay a wreath on armistice day. Elizabeth Dickson noted that it was John Brown’s wish that the Sea Queen/s would lay the wreath - an idea that was supported by those present, if possible. Clearly, Covid-19 guidelines would need to be followed. The idea of having a wreath that was not made of plastic - but was suitably designed for remembrance - was discussed and supported. Catriona and Paul agreed to finalise the details outside of the meeting. It was also agreed that a donation of £70 from the remaining CRA funds to Poppy Scotland (if the wreath was not bought from them), in remembrance of Cellardyke people who had lost their lives in war, was also agreed.

The report was noted and agreed.

6. Treasurers Report

 

The report was previously circulated. Catriona presented the report and set out the position, which was as set out in the Report on CRA activities. She would organise the transfer of funds to The Cellardyke Trust and the Community Council. The CRA would have enough residual funds to carry out its activities. The report was noted and agreed.

Report appended.

7.   Silverdykes Liaison Committee Report

 

Glenn Jones presented his report, (appended) and set out the history of the CRA and the Silverdykes Liaison Committee. His report is attached to these minutes for information. He also updated the AGM :

It is his understanding that the development may now be complete, and the payment of the final £100,000 may soon be requested. The Muir fund monies - which were gained as a result of the lobbying by the CRA - had been used for a variety of projects to enhance the open space leisure provision in Cellardyke. He also paid tribute to the staff of Fife Council who had been so helpful throughout the process, especially Alan Bisset, who sadly passed away in August, aged just 55.

The disabled swing and the replacement of the slide at the end of Cellardyke, by the old bathing pool, were now out to tender. The priority for the remaining monies would be for amenities in the East end of Cellardyke. Glenn had had initial conversations with the residents at the top and bottom of the brae who were happy to see improvements to the landscaping, but expressed a view that more active facilities should begin on the shore east of the housing. There would need to be full consultation on any proposals and also to seek ideas for improvements. The monies needed to be spent on ‘open space leisure provision’.

Given that the last house may now have been sold, the funds could be paid to Fife Council sooner, rather than later.

It was very much acknowledged that the CRA could no longer be considered a representative body and that wide consultation would be necessary to ensure an effective spend of the monies that would be supported by the community.

8. Chairman’s Closing Remarks

 

Glenn noted that the current role and position of the CRA was as the ‘Continuity CRA’ - finishing the work that had been started so many years ago.

Glenn also wished the Cellardyke Trust all the best for the future.

9. There was no other business.

10. The date for the next meeting was set as :

Thursday 12th November 2020 at 7.30pm.

 

It is anticipated that this meeting will be held virtually by Zoom.

SLC REPORT

 

The CRA began in 2007 as a voice for Cellardyke Residents over the plans for the new Silverdykes Development. Over the following years, an enormous effort went into presenting the community's case in the media and at the reporter's appeal hearing. Following this, improvements were made to the original plan. In 2012 the Silverdykes Liaison Committee was set up to advise Fife Council on the spending of the £400,000 to be paid by Muir Homes to recompense the community for the lack of open space green land in the new development.   The funds were to be spent on open air leisure provision on public land which can be maintained by Fife Council. The SLC consists of 3 members of the CRA, 3 from the Community Council, a councillor, and a representative each of Fife Council and Muir Homes. Additionally, it was determined that up to 3 co-opted members could be invited according to requirements. The SLC meets every second month, though this year, although with the Covid lockdown, no meetings were held between April and October. In August, the committee were very saddened to learn of the death of Alan Bisset, of Fife Council Parks department, who had been of great help to the community and to the SLC.

 

One of the highlights of the SLC year was the erection of the Cellardyke Notice Boards, funded through the SLC, the fruits of many years of dedicated hard work by CRA chairman John Brown, whose untimely passing was a great loss to the community.

 

During the summer, I continued to liaise with Ian Wilson, the SLC's Fife Council representative, who is currently putting out to tender the replacement slide and a disabled swing for Cellardyke Park, both requested by the community, and delayed by the lockdown. Iain is liaising with Fife Parks maintenance over suggestions to landscape the areas of the Braehead and Toon's Green which are to be "rewilded" by Fife council. The SLC will also recommend to Fife Council the refurbishment and/or reconstruction of the pathways on the Brae, and the approaches to the War Memorial.   A proposal was received and subsequently withdrawn for a Cellardyke Recreation Park, part of which will nonetheless by actioned as just described.

 

Currently, almost all of the initial £300,000 has been allocated by Fife Council on the recommendations from the community gathered by the SLC. Full details are on the anstruther.info website, and on its facebook page, as are the criteria for acceptable proposals, and forms for submitting them. These were created by the SLC, there being no guidelines in existence when we set out in 2012. The completion of the Silverdykes development is now imminent, and with it the payment of the final tranche of £100,000, for which the SLC will be seeking proposals. Much has already been allocated to the wider Commmunity Council area, and it is the view of the CRA members of the SLC that is now time to focus on the improvement of leisure facilities in the one remaining green area for Cellardyke, that area between the start of the Toon's Green and Kilrenny Mill Holiday Park. This, we propose, will be the focus of the continuity CRA, once the Cellardyke Trust has separated to promote the culture, history and identity of the village.

 

Currently, the CRA is represented on the SLC by Glenn Jones, Paul Lewis and Dorothea Cargil Thompson, who are all willing to continue and complete the work of the SLC.

 

Glenn Jones

 

Chairman, SLC

 

24^th September 2020.

 

CRA Accounts for year ending 31st August 2020

 

 

 CRA MEETING DRAFT MINUTES

 

Thursday 12th November 2020 at 7.30 pm

Held virtually by Zoom

 

In attendance: Glenn Jones (Chair), Paul Lewis (Vice Chair), Nette Carder (Secretary and minutes), Diana Sykes, Richard Wemyss, Catherine Wilson, Dorothea Cargill-Thomson, Steve Liscoe.

 

Catriona Macpherson attended the meeting briefly.

 

1. Apologies for absence received:

 

Chris Oliver, David Corstorphine, Stella Hunter, Elizabeth Dickson

 

2. Minutes of the previous meeting held on 24th September

 

The minutes were approved, with the caveat that this meeting was also the AGM, so the minutes may be represented at the 2021 AGM.

 

3. Matters arising from the minutes : There were no matters arising

 

4. Update on Silverdykes Liaison Committee

 

Glenn Jones thanked all who were continuing with the CRA, which was now focussed on the Silverdykes Liaison Committee. The SLC membership includes x3 CRA members and x2 Community Council members, as well as Fife Council and Muir Homes. Glenn is the Chairman.

 

The Liaison Committee is not an executive body. Rather it considers proposals from the community - either individual or group suggestions - and recommends them. The work of the Committee has been disrupted by lockdown, however the new Fife Council parks representative Iain Wilson had been very helpful. Glenn noted the untimely death of his predecessor, Alan Bisset, who had made a significant contribution to the work of the SLC.

 

£400,000 was payable in total as part of the Section 75 agreement covering the Silverdykes development, of which £300,000 has been paid over by Muir Homes to Fife Council, who are responsible for the spend and for organising the works. The last £100,000 will be paid when the last house is sold. The monies are for “open space leisure facilities” which are accessible to all and can be maintained by the Council. As recommended projects sometimes underspend or do not come to fruition, there may also be funds available from the funds that have already been allocated. Glenn is checking out how much is left from the existing funds.

 

Two proposals are currently out to tender - a swing for children of restricted mobility, and a replacement slide, both for Cellardyke Park. Work has not started on the agreed works at Dreelside Play Park and arrangements are being made to support disabled access to the War Memorial, working with a local landowner.

 

Other proposals which have been previously approved include: A picnic table/bench with disabled access in Bankie Park adjacent to Ladywalk Home, and the interpretation boards for Kilrenny.

 

A wide ranging proposal was received for recreational development on the land at the end of Cellardyke, but was later withdrawn. Part of that proposal is incorporated in the proposal circulated by Glenn - which includes repairs to the paths on the Toon’s Green and general improvement of that area.

 

Glenn will confirm when the final tranche of £100,000 will be paid.

 

5. Treasurer’s Report

 

This was presented by the Secretary in the absence of the Treasurer.

 

Following the AGM, the CRA had £3277.69 in the Bank and £80.52 as petty cash.

As previously agreed, £884.77 was paid to the Community Council as the CRA was no longer co-ordinating any floral work; £2128.04 was paid to the Cellardyke Trust as Sea Queen monies, as the Sea Queen is now the responsibility of the Cellardyke Trust. This left £264.88 in CRA funds.

 

The only expenditure so far as been a £70 donation to Poppy Scotland, in lieu of purchasing a wreath. It was agreed that a more sustainable wreath would be made this year, although the CRA would also donate to Poppy Scotland.

 

This leaves a sum of £194.88 in the bank, with £80.52 in petty cash.

 

In addition, the CRA had recently been notified by Fife Council that:

 

“Due to the closure of the Flowers in Perpetuity Non-Settlement Trust fund I am delighted to inform you that all ‘in Bloom’ groups in North East Fife are to receive an additional one-off payment of £873.58 this year.”

 

After some discussion about the co-ordination of floral work, the CRA’s decision not to co-ordinate floral work was reaffirmed and it was agreed to pass these funds (£873.58) to the Community Council for Floral work in Cellardyke.

 

Issues regarding broken/decaying tubs and future planting could be raised with the Community Council by individual members of the CRA, acting as individuals. The email of the Community Council is: anstruthercommunitycouncil@gmail.com

 

6. CRA Proposal for restoring and landscaping the Toon’s Green area of Cellardyke

 

The proposal had been previously circulated to CRA members and is for the restoration of paths and steps and planting of escarpment slopes at The Town’s Green, East End, Cellardyke. It particularly affects people living at both the top and bottom of the hill and Glenn has already discussed it with residents there, and those consulted are in support.

 

It is clear that local residents do not wish fixed leisure equipment (eg. a picnic table, or play equipment) adjacent to houses and that trees should be low growing and not block views. The current cut grass areas above and below the slopes will stay as they are. It is important that the work is undertaken as the paths, steps and the area are deteriorating. Glenn will work with Fife Council parks department to ensure it fits with their maintenance criteria - and also to obtain definitive costs.

 

The proposal was supported by the CRA meeting. It will be considered at the next Silverdykes Liaison Committee meeting on 12th December.

 

As part of the discussion, the question of a memorial for John Brown was raised. Richard Wemyss informed the CRA that John’s family had already raised a considerable amount for a bench. In addition, the Cellardyke Trust was considering a proposal for a semi-circular stone bench/enclosure on the shore level at the end of Cellardyke (near East Neuk Outdoors). This could be a proposal that could be put to the Silverdykes Liaison Committee when fully worked up.

 

The SLC will be going back to the community for ideas as to how to spend the remaining funds in due course.

 

Richard mentioned that in 2025 it will be the 150th Anniversary of the loss of 5 fishing boats - three from St Monans and two from Cellardyke - and a joint project may be organised to commemorate these losses.

 

Glenn drew the attention of the meeting to the Norah Webber Trust, which is a local charity which gives grants to local projects, particularly those that assist the young and the old.

 

6 . Any Other Business

 

No items were raised.

 

7. Date and Time of Next meeting :

 

11th February 2021 at 7.30pm.

 

The meeting will be held by Zoom, due to Covid-19 restrictions.

 

   CELLARDYKE RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION

 

   Chairperson: Glenn Jones                                                Secretary: Nette Carder

                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                nettecarder@btinternet.com  

Website : https://e-voice.org.uk/cellardyke/

 

 

DRAFT MINUTES - CRA MEETING

 

Thursday 11th February 2021 at 7.30 pm

Held virtually by Zoom

 

 

 

1.          In attendance:

Glenn Jones (Chair), Catherine Wilson, George Walker, Paul Lewis, Richard

Wemyss, Diana Sykes, Nette Carder (minutes)

 

2.          Apologies for absence:

Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Chris Oliver, Catriona MacPherson

 

3.          Minutes of the previous meeting held on 12th November 2020 - for approval

The spelling of Dorothea’s name should be Dorothea Cargill Thompson.

With this amendment, the minutes were agreed.

 

Proposed by Catherine Wilson and Seconded by Diana Sykes

 

4.          Matters arising from the minutes

With reference to the flower tubs, Catherine had written to the Community Council and received and prompt reply, stating that the matter would be raised and a positive reply was hoped for.

 

Improvements in train - the replacement slide and disabled swing were due to be commenced in April 2021. The repairs to the path would be done before that.

 

5.          Update on Silverdykes Liaison Committee

 

The Committee had met this afternoon, 11th February.

Glenn had circulated a note regarding the work on the Toon’s Green. Fife Council had apologised for undertaking the work recently, which was due to unfortunate scheduling. Glenn had spoken to the Council, with whom there had always been a good relationship. Fife Council will apologise to the residents and speak to residents before doing the repair works. Glenn will also liaise with the Council and residents and he feels confident that the plans are now back on track.

 

Proposals for the use of SLC monies. Proposals already received included:

 

The Dreelside Play Area (did not proceed for several reasons, including the untimely death of Alan Bisset, the timing of tendering and Covid-19).

 

Disabled Access to the War Memorial - an alternative, low cost solution had been fund whereby a low profile path would go from the Caravan site to the War Memorial. Although the War Memorial itself sits on common good land, the path and lane are owned by Andy Peddie.

 

Replacement Slide & Disabled Swing - would proceed along with the restoration work to paths on the Toon’s Green.

 

Benches and Wheelchair seating near Ladywalk - this has been agreed.

 

Nets for Bankie Park Goals - this has been agreed.

 

Forthcoming proposals:

 

Skateboard Park : A group of young people in Primary 7 had approached the SLC with their proposal for a skateboard park in Bankie Park. They would also approach other organisations for funds.

 

Stone Bench and Memorial Garden - a stone bench and memorial garden at the end of Cellardyke, potentially a bid by the Cellardyke Trust.

 

These two proposals had been considered complementary by the SLC. There was also the issue of the space in Shore Street, which had been previously considered for development, but could now become available for community use.

 

Richard Wemyss provided more information on the Stone Bench and Memorial garden and Glenn agreed to circulate the brief provided to the SLC. The idea was that the Stone Bench would have community involvement, with the design of the bench involved local people’s hands, so those sitting there would be ‘in the hands of the community’. There would then be a path through a garden through to further seating, where 5 stone seats would be in the shape of boats (inspired by Dibby Greig’s gravestone). The project was intended to involve local people and also artists - Diana Sykes was advising on how to work with artists in such a creative project.

 

There was further work to do around maintenance, how the process of tendering and artistic involvement might work and how the costs might be managed.

 

The SLC was inviting proposals by 1st September 2021.

 

The funds available were £23k, plus the £100k recently released by Muir Homes. Glenn will announce the call for proposals as Chair of the SLC.

 

6.          Treasurer’s Report: As the TSB had announced it was going to close, all the remaining funds (apart from £1 to keep the account open) had been withdrawn from the bank and the CRA funds of £275.40 were now held in cash.

 

Fife Council were going to refund Car Parking fees paid for the Sea Queen festival. These monies will be returned to the CRA account and then paid to the Cellardyke Trust, which was now responsible for the Sea Queen festival and monies.

 

As the CRA was no longer involved with floral work, Nette was not going to apply for a floral grant this year. Glenn doubted whether there would be any Floral Grants in the future. If there was an evaluation form for the 2020 Floral Grant, Nette would complete this on behalf of the CRA.

 

7.          Any other business

 

No other business was raised.

 

DRAFT MINUTES - CRA MEETING

 

Thursday 8th April 2021 at 7.30 pm

Held virtually by Zoom

 

 

 

1.          In attendance:

Glenn Jones (Chair), Catherine Wilson, George Walker, Catriona MacPherson, Diana Sykes, Nette Carder (minutes)

 

2.          Apologies for absence:

Chris Oliver, Paul Lewis

 

3.          Minutes of the previous meeting held on 11th February 2021 - for approval

The minutes were agreed as a correct record.

 

Proposed by Diana Sykes and Seconded byCatherine Wilson

 

4.          Matters arising from the minutes

The works to the slide and swing were now planned for May.

The repairs to the path on the Toon’s Green had not started yet.

The benches and seating at Ladywalk were now completed.

The nets for the Bankie Park goals will be in place for the summer.

 

The deadline for proposals for the SLC Committee was confirmed as 1st July 2021.

 

5.          Update on Silverdykes Liaison Committee

 

The Dreelside Play Area did not proceed for several reasons, including the untimely death of Alan Bisset and the timing of tendering and Covid-19. The works are now being retendered. It is possible that any increased costs could be a call on the Muir monies.

 

Proposals received include the Memorial Bench and Garden (being worked up by Richard Wemyss) and the Skate Park (being worked up by Ali McCloud).

 

There have been various suggestions from social media - including an outdoor gym - but no worked up proposals as yet. As Fife Council has to maintain any scheme, this means that suggestions such as toilets in Bankie Park, although welcome, are unlikely to be maintained by Fife Council. Other proposals included:

 

Memorial Garden. Richard is speaking to Nick Sweeney who was responsible for the boat memorials. He could do both stonework and benches. As regards the suggested casting of hands, he was in contact with someone at Duncan of Jordanstone who had done similar work. He was also talking to a landscape gardener. Any proposal would need to fit in with Fife Council’s procurement policies - as they undertake the procurement process. Glenn offered to help facilitate discussions with Fife Council so that Richard could understand what was possible - as Fife Council may have concerns about the maintenance of such a scheme.

 

Cycle track for St Ayles (perhaps for children). Fife Council may have concerns about the maintenance of such a scheme.

 

Cellardyke Bathing Pool path - this was a well worked out proposal and there is a lot of interest in the bathing pool at present. The path is already being used by swimmers. Fife Council may have have concerns about maintaining such a scheme.

 

Fife Council will be the ultimate arbiter as to what they will support, in terms of maintenance.

 

There were no further proposals from the CRA.

 

6. Future of the Silverdykes Liaison Committee

 

Muir Homes are wanting to disengage from the SLC now that they have paid the last tranche of the funds. A date now needs to be set for the winding of the SLC (and then the CRA) - once the ‘job’ of participating in the SLC and overseeing the allocation of the s.75 Muir monies was finished. Was this when all the monies were allocated - which would be after the 1st July - or when all the monies were actually spent, which could be some months afterwards.

 

It was not practicable for the CRA to continue for ever, but its business needed to be brought to any orderly end as the organisation had been in existence for so many years and now only had one task. The Cellardyke Trust had taken on responsibility for the arts & heritage activities.

 

December 2021 seemed to be a good time for a glass of wine and a fond farewell to the CRA for those who had been involved for so many years. The ‘long stop’ position would be March 2022.

 

This also needed to be tied up with organisations AGM and any remaining monies being handed over to The Cellardyke Trust as previously agreed.

 

7. Treasurer’s Report: The position remained as at February 2021. As the TSB had announced it was going to close, all the remaining funds (apart from £1 to keep the account open) had been withdrawn from the bank and the CRA funds of £275.40 were now held in cash.

 

8.          Any other business

 

No other business was raised.

 

MINUTES 

CRA MEETING

 

7.30pm - 7th September 2021

Held Virtually by Zoom

 

1. Present at the meeting : Nette Carder (minutes), George Walker, Diana Sykes, Glenn Jones (chair), Steve Liscoe

 

Apologies were received from : Catherine Wilson and Chris Oliver

 

2. Minutes of the previous meeting held on 8th April 2021

 

These were approved, with the addition of an ’s’ to the word ‘path’ in item 4, second line. Path should read paths.

 

3. Matters arising from the minutes - dealt with within the rest of the agenda items.

 

4. Treasurer’s report

 

On behalf of the Treasurer, Nette Carder reported that the financial position had not changed since the last CRA meeting, with no income or expenditure.

 

The bank account remained open, with £1 in it. £275.40 was held in cash. Funds in the region of £150 were due to be funded to the account by Fife Council, for parking relating to the cancelled Sea Queen Festival. These were designated Sea Queen Festival funds, (previously held by the CRA) which would be transferred to the Cellardyke Trust when received.

 

The bank account would need to remain open until these funds were received, as there were risks associated with providing Fife Council with an alternative banking account whilst the refund process was in train.

 

5. Update on Silverdykes Liaison Committee

 

Seven bids were received for the SLC monies:

 

The Community Woodlands Association: - a good bid, but outside the SLC criteria as regards location.

 

Cellardyke Tidal Pool: Approved £3,500 for a technical survey. Fife Council were now in support of work on the pool and had contributed a further £3,500. A senior Fife Council officer was working with the group. A further £37,000 was allocated towards the Cellardyke Tidal pool as this is project that has a lot of community support.

 

Anstruther Skate Park: £29,000 approved for this project, which had been submitted by a group of young people and their parents.

 

Cellardyke Trust: £15,000 was approved for a community memorial garden. This was a good legacy project, although elaborate. The SLC funds allocated should fund the seats and benches.

 

Anstruther Allotments Association: £10,000 was allocated. There was no space for allotments in Cellardyke, but the bid met the SLC criteria.

 

Benches in St Ayles Crescent and Bankie Park. These were bids from individual residents and the costs were estimated in the region of £5,000.

 

The final tranche of the SLC monies were significantly oversubscribed in the proposals received at the July deadline, and no more proposals were required.

 

6. Matters Arising from the minutes

 

Funds for the play area in Dreelside had previously been agreed, with £15,000 being provided from Tranche 2. There were delays in the tendering process which had affected this project. With the underspend from Tranche 2, this project had now been allocated £25,000 from the SLC funds with Fife Council adding a further £10,000. Local residents are now involved and looking for further funding opportunities.

 

The Silverdykes Liaison Committee will now be wrapping up, having completed its work. Each group who has been allocated funding will have a designated Fife Council officer to support their project. All funds are held, administered and spent by Fife Council - the groups themselves do not receive the funds.

 

Should any group not spend the allocated funds for any reason, then those funds would be allocated to the other groups, most likely on a pro-rata basis, as no group had received all the funds they asked for. This would be overseen by the Community Council.

 

The Silverdykes Liaison Committee has evolved into a good and productive committee - which has overseen the allocation of funds over the years - the CRA should be proud of its contribution to the process, which even Muir Homes had found a positive one.

 

There is no date for the formal wind-up as yet, although the SLC is not expected to continue. The SLC next meeting is 7th November 2021.

 

7. CRA AGM

 

The AGM for the Cellardyke Residents Association was set for 28th October 2021 at 7pm.

 

At the AGM, the chairman would put forward a proposal that the CRA would be wound up and any remaining funds would transfer to the Cellardyke Trust (as a charity which met the criteria in the Constitution). None of the existing officers (Chair, Vice-chair, Secretary & Treasurer) wished to stand for office at the AGM.

 

The website could remain. It costs nothing and provides a clear history of the CRA over the years and has useful and valuable information and photos about Cellardyke. It would need a closing statement from the Chairman and links to The Cellardyke Trust and the Anstruther Info site would be helpful in redirecting people who were interested in what was happening in the future.

 

The Agenda for the AGM would therefore be (tbc):

 

            Chairman’s Report

            Financial report & statement of assets

            Resolution to dissolve the CRA

            Election/Resignation of the Officers

 

8. Any other business

 

There were no other business and, given the proposal to dissolve the CRA, no further dates for meetings were set after the AGM.

 

AGM - 28th October 2021

7pm - held at 14 Shore Street, Cellardyke

 

1. Present: Catherine Wilson, Diana Sykes, Glenn Jones (Chairman), Catriona MacPherson (Treasurer) Steve Liscoe, Nette Carder (Secretary)

 

   Apologies: Richard Wemyss, Dorothea Cargill-Thomson

 

2. Minutes of the previous AGM

 

These were agreed as a correct record. Proposed by Diana Sykes and seconded by Catriona MacPherson

 

3. Chairman’s Report

 

The Chairman read his report (attached) setting out the history and achievements of the CRA over the last 14 years.

 

The Secretary then thanked Glenn Jones for his leadership over the years, for his commitment to the community of Cellardyke and for ensure that the Silverdykes monies - some £400,000 -had been spent wisely, with the full involvement of the community. He had impressed all with his fairness and integrity in all matters.

 

4. Financial report & statement of assets

 

The Treasurer then informed them meeting that there were £425.40 in assets. This included £150 of Sea Queen monies and the remaining CRA funds. The bank account had been closed and the funds would now be given to The Cellardyke Trust.

 

5. Resolution to dissolve the CRA

 

This resolution was put to the meeting:

 

The CRA having completed the work for which it was founded, and which it has worked on for the past 14 years, I propose that in accordance with the Constitution, the Association be disbanded, and that the remaining funds, as stated by our treasurer, be given to The Cellardyke Trust, a registered charity which pursues similar aims to the CRA. I further propose that our website be closed, but left online as a record of our activities.

 

The resolution was passed unanimously.

 

6. Election/Resignation of the Officers

 

As the CRA was now dissolved, the existing officers resigned and no new officers were elected.

 

The meeting closed at 7.33pm.