Cellardyke Residents Association

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.