Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 2nd February 2016
The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed all to the first meeting of the new year.
Present: Glenn Jones (Chairman), Dorothea Cargill Thompson, David Corstorphine, Paul Lewis, Steve Liscoe, Allan McLelland (Treasurer) and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).
Apologies for absence: a record of these is held on electronic file.
Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 1st December 2015 approved: proposed by Allan McLelland and seconded by David Corstorphine.
Matters Arising
(a) Development of a footpath from Silverdykes to Toll Road: This was considered under the SLC agenda heading below.
(b) Solar Panels in Conservation Areas: The Secretary reported on a telephone conversation with Alastair Hamilton of Fife Council. Solar panels are generally encouraged outwith conservation areas (and planning permission is not needed) but within conservation areas this is not the case. Each application was considered on its individual merits or demerits and factors taken into consideration are ‘visibility’, effect on the overall character of a scene, historical environment, etc. In historic areas such as the East Neuk virtually all external work needed planning permission. Generally, the planners are reluctant to see solar panels on the fronts of properties. Steve Liscoe added that alterations that would be allowed elsewhere, were now subject to formal planning consideration when for buildings within conservation areas. .
Secretary’s Report: Correspondence
There was nothing to report.
Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer tabled and spoke to a report for the period 1st December 2015 to 31st January 2016 which showed working capital of £1665.58 at the end of the period. (£180.92 cash in hand and £1464.66 in the bank). As at the time of the meeting there was £1235.65 in the Burns Supper Account and the Floral Account balance was £194.47.
The Chair thanked the Treasurer for all his admirable work.
Social/Community and CRA Activities
(a) Burns Supper 2016: The general feeling of the meeting was that this had been a most successful event. It had had a very happy atmosphere and already some were said to be looking forward to the 2017 Supper! There had been one minor problem relating to reserved seating which had resulted in some without reservations facing difficulty in finding spaces to sit together. It was agreed that to have no reserved seating in the future was not a good option. However, such seating might be in just one block in the future with the option only open to those who gave good notice. It was agreed that due thought to arrangements for 2017 would be given nearer to the time of the event.
It was noted that those attending had been very generous in their support of the raffle so that overall the evening had made a small surplus.
It was agreed that the Chair should explore with the caterers and hall organisers the date of 1st February 2017 as the date for the 2017 event.
(b) Safe Cycle Routes: The Secretary reported that a meeting had taken place between those working to develop the route and representatives of Sustrans and Fife Council. This had been a very positive meeting exploring a number of key aspects and including a visit to some of the ‘problem’ areas. The timetable for applying for funds from Sustrans was very tight but the work was in hand and a decision by mid-April was possible. This then created further pressure as the work was expected to be completed in a financial year. However, Fife Council was being very supportive in this regard.
It was noted that an application for funding had also been lodged with the SLC for funds from the Section 75 funds and the committee had agreed to recommend that £50 000 be provided (which was likely to be matched by Fife Council).
(c) ‘Anstruther Burgh Survey’ Meeting: The Secretary and Chairman had both attended a meeting about this initiative, which, despite its name was a Survey which would cover the three villages of Kilrenny, Anstruther and Cellardyke. The ‘survey’ was the final part of a five-year project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic Environment Scotland and was led by Fife Council. It would create a lot of opportunities for community engagement and activities and would also result in a book on the history and archaeology of the area.
The report of this meeting resulted in quite lengthy and interesting conversations about various aspects of the history of the area which are not recorded here. Members were encouraged to look for further information at https://www.facebook.com/AnstrutherSurvey and to make contact with Rathmel Archaeology Ltd, the consultants undertaking the work on behalf of the Council, with information and ideas (peter.klemen@rathmel-arch.co.uk )
Strong feelings were expressed that the name of the initiative should be changed to The Kilrenny, Anstruther and Cellardyke Burgh Survey, so that it reflected truly the scope of the project.
(d) Anstruther Harbour Festival: It was noted that the dates of the Festival, which was to be for two days only, were 4th and 5th June. A planning committee was to be held shortly. See end of minute for further info.
Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)
(a) Applications for Grants: The Chair referred to his earlier indication of a grant being recommended for the new cycle route, adding that an application had also been made for money to develop the path between Silverdykes and Toll Road, but that it had been suggested that this was part of the safe cycle route project. Applications had also been received for: a grant towards the cost of a ‘garden style’ swimming pool for the new Waid Academy; for new equipment for the Cellardyke Playpark; and for a path/cycle track/running track round Bankie Park.
It was questioned whether either the school or the Council would be in favour of a pool, although it was recognised that the area needed one, given the fact that there were times when Leven and St Andrews Pools were not accessible, and that the bus fares for families going to either of these locations were not inconsiderable.
The Chair also reported that the second tranche of money from Muir Homes would soon become due.
(b) Related issues: (i) The matter of the path linking the Silverdykes development to Toll Road via CellardykeChurch field was raised. The Secretary reported that the church was in communication with Fife Council about the development of such a path, and some progress had been made.
(ii) The state of the pathway, with regard to accumulated litter and dog fouling, between Taeping Close and the Skeith Medical Centre was raised. No reply had been received from Muir Homes to an enquiry about responsibility.
(iii) It was questioned when the artwork would be added to the plinths within the Silverdykes development.
(iv) It was noted that the condition of Blacklaws Road was not only very poor, but worsening daily.
Local and Environmental Issues
(a) Interpretation Boards: It was noted that John Brown was currently in Panama. However, he had moved the project further forward in that ten possible sites for boards, including three in Kilrenny had now been identified. He had sent a list and photographs of these to Cllr Riches prior to seeking formal planning permission. He also intended to attend a meeting of the Community Council seeking its approval of the proposed locations.
(b) Floral Matters: The Secretary reported that the grant awarded by Fife Council for 2017 was £229, which was considerably less than the amount awarded in the previous year and half as much as the grants awarded to several Anstruther organisations. In discussion, various reasons were suggested of why the CRA had not been favoured with more. The Chair agreed to write to register the extreme disappointment and anger/frustration of the Association at the decision.
The Secretary reported that she had contacted the Community Council about funds which had been promised in 2016 to supplement the small grant Fife Council to the CRA and also about the allocation of funds from the Coffee morning to the CRA. The CC Chairman had responded indicating that the matter was in hand.
It was agreed that enquiries would be made of Cllr Riches re the operation of the new regionalised process for applying for funding in 2017 and the criteria to be used in making decisions.
Communications
(a) CRA website: In the absence of the webmaster, there was not report.
(b) CRA Newsletter: The Secretary reported that she had made progress with the compilation of the next issue of the newsletter but needed one or two more items such as one of Sonny Corstorphine’ memories.
KACC News
Yet again there was nothing to report as the Anstruther.info website was still not carrying minutes of meetings and, as reported previously, much of the information on the website relating to the Community Council was VERY dated. It was assumed that this was because up-to-date information was not being provided.
AOCB
(i) It was noted that the Three Burghs Community Development Trust had been wound up. Questions were raised about the dispersal of its assets and it was suggested that the Community Council should be asked about this.
(ii) Paul Lewis suggested a competition to be run through the website – challenging participants to identify and locate, from a collection of photographs, some obscure ‘elements’ which were part of the Cellardyke environment. Members were asked to send ideas to Paul.
There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 2030 hrs.
Additional information which has become available since the meeting
1. Anstruther Harbour Festival: The next planning meeting of the Anstruther Harbour Festival will be on Wednesday, March 2, at 7:30pm. The meeting will take place in the Meeting Room of the Anstruther Library (lower level of the AnstrutherTown Hall).
The AHF is continuing to expand and evolve, and new changes will be discussed at this meeting. As the AHF committee is interested in feedback and suggestions from the business owners and residents of Anstruther, please try and attend this meeting so you can learn about these new changes and let us have your thoughts.
Future planning meetings will all take place in the Meeting Room of the Anstruther Library; will each be at 7:30 pm, and will always take place on a Wednesday. The dates of these meetings are March 2, April 6, May 4, and June 1.
Entertainers and kids activity leaders are sought, and if interested, should contact Harbourfest2016@aol.com, or phone 310063.
2. Footpath through the Cellardyke Church Field: The Moderator and the Clerk at the church have met on site with the engineer concerned from Fife Council. There was agreement that the Council would construct a path from Silverdykes development to Toll Road, providing fencing to designate the area and also fencing and a gate at the roadside. As part of the agreement, a section of the field would be turned into a hard-standing car park. After various details have been approved the work will be advanced. – in all likelihood in the summer months 2016.
3. The Burgh Survey: An e-mail just received provides a progress report as follows:
“Our project historian; Dr Tom Turpie has started on the research aspect for the survey and keep an eye out on the Facebook page over the coming months for details and information that he will be posting regarding some of the material he has uncovered. I have also uploaded an outline of the research aspects that Dr Turpie will be covering for everyone to have a look and get an insight into the areas that we are focusing on. Over April and May we will be carrying out workshops for those interested in getting involved with some of the historical research which we will be looking to form part of the final published text.
Douglas Speirs and Stephen Liscoe (Fife Council Archaeology Curators) have been investigating possible locations for the excavation(s) across the burghs. We are also looking into the possibility of carrying out small excavation within the gardens of residents across the burghs. If people are willing, we would be excavating small 1m by 1m test pits to investigate and catalogue any features that may come up. This is a common practice that is used by a number of projects within urban areas and many may have seen employed by the likes Time Team. If anyone is interested, we will put up a note on the Facebook page onto which people can register their interest.
We are also looking for any possible individuals/groups for the heritage plaques. As mentioned we are particularly interest in people/groups that are often overlooked such as women. We have already had a couple of individuals mentioned to us; Elizabeth Johnson, Robert Williamson and would greatly appreciate any more ideas. AGAIN LOOK OUT FOR A FACEBOOK NOTE ON THIS.
As the weather gets better we will also start on the streetscape analysis and will also be looking for volunteers to get involved. Again, please keep an eye on the Facebook page as this will keep you posted on the specific dates and detail of the upcoming projects.
We are really looking forward to the coming months and what we may uncover.”
Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 1st March 2016
The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed those present.
Present: Glenn Jones (Chairman), Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Paul Lewis, John Brown, Kate Shearer and Allan McLelland (Treasurer)
Apologies for absence: a record of these is held on electronic file.
Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 2nd February 2016 approved: proposed by Paul Lewis and seconded by Allan McLelland.
Matters Arising
Invitation received to Anstruther Harbour Festival meeting on 2 March.
Toll Road Pathway: indications were that Fife Council had been in discussion and were funding the new path. Not yet confirmed.
Anstruther Burgh Survey Facebook: Members were reminded to look for further information at https://www.facebook.com/AnstrutherSurvey and to make contact with Rathmel Archaeology Ltd, the consultants undertaking the work on behalf of the Council, with information and ideas (peter.klemen@rathmel-arch.co.uk ) The CRA had registered an interest, despite the name not reflecting the full title of the Burgh.
Paul would proceed with the fun photo competition on the website.
Secretary’s Report: Correspondence
Covered above.
Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer tabled and spoke to a report for the period 1st Feb to 29th Feb 2016 which showed working capital of £1835.06 at the end of the period. (£290.65 cash in hand and £1544.41 in the bank). As at the time of the meeting there was £1398.62 in the Burns Supper Account and the Floral Account balance was £204.47
The Chair thanked the Treasurer.
Social/Community and CRA Activities
(a) Burns Supper 2017: No further progress.
(b) Safe Cycle Routes: See above.
Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)
The next meeting would be on 1st April 2016, with proposals to be made by the end of March. (See the SLC page on anstruther.info for information.) Alan Bisset had forwarded the requested plans for proposed improvements to play equipment at Cellardyke park. This had been proposed by Cellardyke resident Sandra Doherty. An additional basket swing might be added to this plan, which had been supported by local mothers and children. It was reported that Blacklaws Rd had been patched. The results were rather better than might have been expected. It was noted that rubbish continued to be dumped on the pathway at Taeping/Ariel, as reported in last month’s CRA meeting.
Local and Environmental Issues
(a) Interpretation Boards: John Brown had circulated proposed sites for the information boards, and final sites were under discussion. John was thanked for taking the project, on which work continued to expand, forward.
(b) Floral Matters: Glenn and Mary Thomson, with apologies from Kate, had attended the floral meeting, chaired by the Community Council. The meeting was generally supportive of our position, viz, that we were in receipt of an inexplicably smaller floral grant than any of the other organisations/associations in the Anstruther/Cellardyke grouping. The meeting had been supportive, and a proposal, that half of the money from the Coffee Morning and the collecting tins should go to Cellardyke to balance this, was accepted. It was eventually agreed that we should receive £400, and that, plus £100 promised from last year, had resulted in a cheque for £500 being passed to our treasurer from the Community Council. The overall result is that group unity was preserved. Prior to this adjustment, the total awards to each group within the Anstruther/Cellardyke CC area from FC gave £1950 to Anstruther and £229 to Cellardyke.
Our extra funding gives us a total of £729 for this year’s budget. One key issue raised was whether we should remain in the Beautiful Fife Competition despite last year’s travesty in the judging. As future grants may depend on participation, and as the organisers have indicated they will make changes, it was decided to continue participation for this year and review the situation next year. Carl Van der Lees confirmed that any of the groups could use the polytunnel at the allotments to bring on plants. An approach will be made to the Waid to see if any D of E students would like to volunteer to help. Ken Brown is keen to continue working with the CRA with his Waid pupils on outdoor education. The CRA could apply to the community Kist for money.
The chairman had written to Fife council making clear our unhappiness with our inequitable floral grant, and was still awaiting a response.
(c) Planning: The proposal for extensive solar panels on the house in James St had been refused.
Communications
(a) CRA website: In the absence of the webmaster, there was no report.
KACC News
No report.
AOCB
Paul reported that a new street light in Windmill Road was leaning. (Note: subsequent examination by the chairman confirmed this, and that there was some evidence that a collision may have caused the pole to lean.)
There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 2030 hrs.
Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 5th April 2016
The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed all to the meeting.
Present: Glenn Jones (Chairman), John Brown, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Paul Lewis, Allan McLelland (Treasurer) Kate Shearer, Diana Sykes, George Walker and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).
Apologies for absence: a record of these is held on electronic file.
Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 1st March 2016 were approved: proposed by Kate Shearer and seconded by Paul Lewis.
Matters Arising
(a) Development of a footpath from Silverdykes to Toll Road: The Secretary reported that agreement had been reached between CellardykeChurch and Fife Council and a path down the northern edge of the church field would be constructed in the early summer. The path would be separated from the field by a fence.
(b) Safe Cycle Route: The Secretary read out an e-mail from Cllr Riches reporting on progress. A representative of Sustrans had visited, walked the route and asked pertinent questions. A decision from Sustrans re a grant to partially fund the project was expected in mid-April.
Secretary’s Report: Correspondence
The Secretary reported that she had written to Peter Klemen about aspects of the Anstruther Burgh Survey, including the view that the name should be changed, and the problem of checking progress for those not on Facebook. He had replied in detail and the full text of his message is attached to the minute. The matter of the change of name would be considered by the Project Steering Committee at its next meeting. Information about the project would be made available via the Anstruther.info website. (See http://www.anstruther.info/projects/anstruther-burgh-survey/ )
Note from the Secretary: I have been told that it was agreed that the name of the survey should be changed to "Anstruther & Cellardyke Community Burgh Survey". Kilrenny is not included in the title as the work being undertaken and the activities being organised do not extend to Kilrenny.
The Chair took the opportunity to mention that representatives of the Burgh Survey team intended to promote the project and meet the public to outline what it was aiming to do, during the Burgh Collection exhibition from 19th to 24th April. He encouraged CRA members to promote the exhibition and to attend during the week. Further information about the exhibition was available on Facebook – and would be posted on the CRA website.
Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer’ report for the period 1st March to 31st March had been circulated in advance of the meeting and the Chair spoke to it briefly. Working capital at the end of the period amounted to £2332-08 (£287.67 cash in hand and £2044.41 in the bank). As at the time of the meeting there was £1235.65 in the Burns Supper Account and the Floral Thanks to the Treasurer were recorded.
What next for the CRA?
The Chair explained that this item had been included on the agenda as the Association was approaching a watershed at the AGM in September with a number of Officers, Namely Allan McLelland, George Walker and Catherine Wilson, having indicated their intention to stand down from the time of the AGM. Additionally, Kate Shearer had indicated that this season would be the last in which she was willing to co-ordinate the floral activities and Glenn himself wished to stand down as an officer of the association, after 10/11 years of service in a variety of positions, at the AGM in 2017.
He suggested that there were two or three possible ways forward: one being for other existing members to step forward as new officers; a second being to continue in a much diminished way (managing the floral work and providing electronic communications; a third being to re-think the mode of operation of the association and to recruit more members.
Much positive discussion then ensued about how to publicise and explain the work of the Association more effectively, how encourage more people to join, and how to involve more people with specific aspects of the Association’s work. It was agreed that the Association needed to reach out to engage more residents actively in its work but there was less agreement about the best way to do this – through a special version of the Newsletter, through Facebook, through posters, through inviting particular residents with influence/status to join the Association., etc. Whereas there might be value in pointing to the achievements of CRA and its current activities, it was questioned whether this would prompt much of a response.
It was then suggested that each CRA member attending meetings on a regular basis should invite two non-members or some of the local ‘inactive members’ to attend a meeting with a view to involving them in some way. It was thought that the June meeting might be the time to do this, as a starter, and then to use the set September date for an Extraordinary General Meeting for the discussion of ways forward. These could then be brought to the Annual General Meeting which would be put back to the first Tuesday in October. In the interim a promotional issue of the Newsletter would be developed (Catherine) and a special poster (Kate and Paul). All members were urged to come up with names of people who might be invited to the June meeting and to bring names to the next meeting (All).
Glenn indicated that he was willing to serve for one more year as Chair of the Association.
Social/Community and CRA Activities
(a) Photographic Images Fun activity: Paul Indicated that he had not made any progress yet.
(b) Anstruther Burgh Survey: See Matters arising (above)
(c) Anstruther Harbour Festival: Members were encouraged to look for further information on the Harbour Festival website: http://www.anstrutherharbourfestival.co.uk/ which was also available via the Anstruther.info website
Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)
(a) Update: The Chair reported that the next meeting would be held in two days’ time, the previous meeting having been cancelled due to the unavailability of key personnel. (Paul Lewis agreed to deputise for George Walker at this meeting.) The Chair also reported that the second tranche of money from Muir Homes was likely to be confirmed soon and that of the order or £16 000 was still left from the first tranche.
(b) Applications for Grants: The Chair confirmed that the Windmill Court playpark proposal was being recommended to Fife Council for funding, as was the Cellardyke Pool playpark proposal. Full plans for this were currently being drawn up.
Local and Environmental Issues
(a) Interpretation Boards: John Brown’s progress report (No 7) which had been circulated in advance of the meeting was noted. This covered a meeting with the Community Council, at which there had been approval of the proposed locations. The Council had also agreed to submit a planning application on behalf of the CRA and John had been in contact with Chris Smith (of Fife Council) who would be the link person. Photos of the proposed locations had been sent as a ‘preview’ to Fife Planning Department in advance of the formal planning application.
An application would be made for funding (estimated cost £15 000) from the ‘Muir fund’ by the end of April.
John made reference to potential difficulties over the use of copyright photos. He indicated that he was working of four particular boards ‘as a starter’ and was checking with various authorities and individuals with regard to accuracy of information.
The Chair thanked John for the huge amount of work that he had done already.
(b) Floral Matters: The Chair reported that he had not yet received a reply to his letter to Fife Council questioning the small grant made to the CRA, although one had been promised within a time period which had now elapsed. Kate reported that she had weeded and tidied all the containers, and Allan had indicated in a written report that he (assisted by Colin Ingram) had carried out maintenance on the containers where necessary.
It was agreed that efforts should be made to find local people who would adopt various of the containers for the future as this was the most likely way of sustaining the effort when Kate stood down. Kate recommended that the containers in the John Street parking area should be withdrawn on safety grounds and the problems of maintaining them. She reported that she had already approached various individuals about looking after specific displays. John Brown volunteered to look after the containers at the War Memorial.
(c) Planning Matters: It was noted that a minute of the February meeting of the Community Council had made reference to a developer interested in meeting with small groups from the Council to talk about the possible development of land between Cellardyke and Kilrenny. The exact location was not clear. The Council, it was reported was very wary of this approach.
AOCB
(a) It was noted that the lamp standard on Windmill Road was still leaning at an angle. It was also noted that the bollard at the bottom of Urquhart Wynd had not been repaired.
(b) The Secretary reported that an invitation to the Citizen of the Year Award presentation had been received. She agreed to represent the Association at it. Glenn would also be attending wearing one of his many hats!!
There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 2100 hrs.
Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 3rd May 2016
The Vice Chairman, George Walker, welcomed all to the meeting, especially Susan Cathcart and Elizabeth Dickson.
Present: John Brown, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Susan Cathcart, David Corstorphine, Elizabeth Dickson, Susan Holmes, Paul Lewis, Steve Liscoe, Allan McLelland (Treasurer) Kate Shearer, Diana Sykes, Mary Thomson and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).
Apologies for absence: a record of these is held on electronic file.
Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 5th April 2016 were approved once two amendments had been corrected (Planning Matters – penultimate line ‘Kilrenny’ not ‘Anstruther’ and AOCB second line ‘’repaired’ not ‘replaced’: proposed by Diana Sykes and seconded by Kate Shearer.
Matters Arising
(a) Citizen of the Year Award: Mary and Catherine reported that this had been a pleasant occasion.
(b) Burgh Collection Exhibition: Those who had volunteered for duty and those who had visited reported that this had been a successful event with attendances and the number of people helping out being most satisfactory. The venue had been good but the cost of renting the space for a permanent exhibition would be £5000 per year at current rates. The Burgh Collection Committee was looking into the possibility of raising this sum, possibly through sponsorship.
Secretary’s Report: Correspondence
The Secretary reported on events following an e-mail from a Mr Peter Aikman of Aberdeen, a member of the Alex Keay family, seeking help in setting up a visit by a relation from England, the visitor being a direct father-son descendant of the Keays who had lived in Shore Street. Positive responses from a variety of CRA members had resulted in the correspondent making contact with the current residents of the family home and with Coull Deas and future meetings and a visit to the family home. It was pleasing that the CRA network had worked so well.
Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer’s report for the period 1st March to 31st March had been circulated in advance of the meeting and the Allan spoke to it briefly. Working capital at the end of the period amounted to £2332-24 (£287.67 cash in hand and £2044.57 in the bank). There had been no transactions in the past month beyond the receipt of 16 pence interest from the bank. The subs received at the April meeting would be included in the May accounts. As at the time of the meeting no payment had been received from Fife Council for floral work. (Payment has now been received.)
What next for the CRA?
(a) Ideas for engaging new people: The Vice Chair invited John Brown to introduce those whom he had persuaded to engage with the CRA through specific activities rather than regular membership, namely Susan Cathcart, Elizabeth Dickson and Janis Morris.
Elizabeth wanted to look into the possibility of bringing back the Sea Queen ceremony, with 2017 in mind as this would be the 70th anniversary of the first Cellardyke Sea Queen in 1947. It was noted that it had been revived, albeit temporarily, for the millennium. In the discussion that ensued various issues were considered – location, possible linking with the Silverdykes Street Party, manner of choosing the queen, extending the ceremony to a gala day, etc. It was agreed that Elizabeth would investigate various possibilities further and report back to the next/a future meeting. It was further agreed that at an appropriate time, the local paper and the CRA website could be used to appeal for volunteers to take forward the initiative.
John reported that he had approached Susan about the possibility of contributing to the Interpretation Boards initiative by developing information for the associated website. Each board would carry a bar code/QR-code’ to take the interested reader to the website for further information, especially information about local people who had contributed to Cellardyke life and about local businesses. Susan had agreed to help him in identifying relevant people/businesses from James Street, John Street and George Street (with particular reference to the period 1850- 1960???). Other sources of relevant information were suggested, such as that identified at the time of ‘The Homecoming’.
John also reported that Janis would be happy to look after various aspects of the Toon Green – floral tubs, trees, and support for specific activities that might be staged there in the future - such as any party to celebrate a specific anniversary.
(b) Poster/newsletter: Paul Lewis tabled a draft for a poster which he had developed in consultation with John. It was agreed that its ‘message’ was in line with what was needed and that it should be displayed on the notice board at the shop, in the first instance. It might also be tried in other locations. (The draft will be attached to these minutes, on circulation,) The draft would also be incorporated into a ‘Newsletter’.
Members were reminded that they had been challenged to bring at least one new person to the June meeting of the Association. (It was noted that with regard to difficulty of finding new members and officers that the Town Centre Working Party had the same problem.
Social/Community and CRA Activities
(a) Photographic Images Fun activity: Paul indicated that he had, as yet, made little progress with this. The document on the Cellardyke Conservation area was suggested as a possible source of suitable images. Catherine agreed to send an electronic version of the document to Paul.
(b) Anstruther Burgh Survey: It had been reported that between the April and the current meeting, it had been decided by the management committee to include Cellardyke in the title but not Kilrenny because the funding for the project covered coastal developments only. However, at an open meeting during the week of the Burgh Collection exhibition, strong feelings had been voiced that Kilrenny should be included and now additional resources for the purpose had been secured. The turnout for the meeting in question had been small but enthusiastic. It was noted that both John and Paul were actively involved in the project.
(c) Anstruther Harbour Festival: Members were reminded that they could access further information from the Harbour Festival website: http://www.anstrutherharbourfestival.co.uk/
Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)
(a) Update: Paul, who had deputised for George at last month’s meeting gave a comprehensive report of developments. Work was to start soon on the section of the development bordering the Crail Road, and there had been a change to the types of buildings to be included with houses replacing the flats which had been planned originally, thus reducing the total number of dwellings planned. It was estimated that the number of houses occupied or ‘missived’ would reach 220 by November, thus triggering the release to Fife Council of the next tranche of Section 75 funding.
Work would start on the playground areas within the site in the near future, and it should be completed by July/August. A new Managing Director had been appointed who was dealing with the matter of the plaques for the ‘capstans’. He wanted an event to publicise the completion of the artwork and a progress report on this would be made at the June meeting of the SLC.
(b) Applications for Grants: Paul reported that the application for new equipment for the playground in Windmill Court playpark had been approved. He also spoke of the development planned for the CellardykePark play area. It was suggested that a spreadsheet should be produced so that income and expenditure could be tracked more readily.
Local and Environmental Issues
(a) Interpretation Boards: John Brown made a brief progress report (No 8). He would be filling in the planning application forms to be submitted via the Community Council and had been in contact with Chris Smith who had a lead role in Fife Council planning in this area and who was willing to advise on the drafts. The application for funding from Section 75 funding had been submitted to the SLC and would be considered at the June meeting of the committee.
(b) Floral Matters: Kate Shearer reported that limited progress had been made with planting because of the poor weather. However, a lot of maintenance work (by Allan and Colin Ingram) and weeding and preparation of the tubs (Kate) had been undertaken. Offers of provision of plants had been received.
(c) Planning Matters: It had been noted that a minute of the February meeting of the Community Council made reference to a developer interested in meeting with small groups from the Council to talk about the possible development of land between Cellardyke and Kilrenny. The location was confirmed as land on the north side of the Crail Road opposite the top of Toll Road. No further information was available.
It was noted that access to the Fife Council Planning website was readily accessible via the CRA website, allowing members to view application relating to the area.
AOCB
(a) It was noted that the lamp standard on Windmill Road was still leaning at an angle
(b) The possibility of CRA having a Facebook ‘page’ was discussed. It was agreed that for the time being members with access to an existing Cellardyke group Facebook page should use it to post CRA news/issues.
There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 2030 hrs.
Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 7th June 2016
The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed all to the meeting, albeit with a tone of slight regret/resignation that there were no new members or visitors to welcome.
Present: Glenn Jones (Chair), John Brown, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Paul Lewis, Steve Liscoe, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Fiona Mitchell, Kate Shearer and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).
Apologies for absence: a record of these is held on electronic file.
Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 3rd May 2016 were approved, proposed by Kate Shearer and seconded by John Brown.
Matters Arising
(a) Anstruther Harbour Festival: It was agreed by all those who had been able to take part in any way that the festival had been a success with much better promotion in advance, a full programme and plenty of people, including a large number of visitors, attending. It was further agreed that the Secretary should write to Gail Sorley to congratulate her and the organising team on the success of the event.
(b) Burgh Collection Exhibition: Glenn Jones as Chair of the Burgh Collection Group/Committee outlined issues facing the organisation including the need to recruit new members who would be willing to take on responsibilities for furthering the aim of the organisation – to connect with the community to help preserve the history of the area. The recent exhibition had been good in this regard, as was the FaceBook page hosted by Kenneth Dunnion. However, if, as was hoped, a permanent exhibition was to be established, more volunteers would be needed, as would a ‘home’ which could provide both storage and exhibition space. Various possible venues were suggested, including several not currently available but which might become so in the near future (the current library, the Waid Centre, the former Empire cinema, Fife Council local offices, the former Alec Murray shop, to name but a few.
(c) Use of a friendly FaceBook page: Kate indicated that she would approach Doug Clement about using the Cellardyke page that he hosted for advertising CRA news.
Secretary’s Report: Correspondence
The Secretary indicated that there was nothing to report.
Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer spoke to his report for the period 1st May to 31st May. Working capital at the end of the period amounted to £2437.25 (£263.68 cash in hand and £2173.57 in the bank). During the period in question membership subscriptions and the Floral Grant from Fife Council had been received. Payments included limited expenditure relating to floral displays, room hire charges and the annual payment to First Responders for the maintenance of the defibrillator at the Skeith Health Centre.
What next for the CRA?
(a) Engaging additional new members: Kate Shearer expressed the view that it was very difficult to persuade people to join in with organisations such as the CRA in this day and age. Many organisations in the community had the same problem. However, John Brown reported that with new ideas, some new people did come forward.
(b) Progress with ideas floated at the May meeting: John indicated that Elizabeth Dickson was still keen to pursue the idea of a Cellardyke Sea Queen and hoped to bring a plan to the August meeting. Janis McKay was also keen to work on ideas for a Toon Green development and Susan Cathcart had submitted a wealth of material, for the proposed ‘cellardyke.org’ website, on former shops along James, John and George Streets.
John indicated that he would like to arrange an open meeting with a large street plan and to encourage people to come along to identify on the plan, shops/houses of interest over the years. It was recognised that the various premises would have changed several times over the years. The names of various people who might have information to contribute were mentioned, including Elsie Dick, Malcolm MacDonald, May Bridie, Cecilia Anderson, Mary Thomson, Kenneth Dunnion, Margaret Ferrier, John P(?) and Linda Fitzpatrick (of the Fisheries Museum. Catherine volunteered to work with John to set up a meeting once she had relinquished her secretarial role. Glenn added that the Burgh Collection would have an interest in such a ‘project’.
(c) Posters promoting the CRA: Catherine tabled a possible promotional ‘newsletter’/poster for circulation throughout Cellardyke based on the poster developed by Paul Lewis. The reverse side carried information about current CRA activities. It was agreed that the thinking was on the right lines and some additions to the leaflet were suggested. It was agreed that such a leaflet would be best circulated in August.
(d) Extraordinary General Meeting: It was agreed to shelve the idea of an Extraordinary General Meeting in September and to hold the AGM then as was normal practice.
Social/Community and CRA Activities
(a) Anstruther and Cellardyke Burgh Survey: It was noted that a meeting of the working group had been held the previous week. Good progress was being made on a number of fronts with Paul Lewis and John Brown both involved. Among other matters links between the Spanish Armada and this area of Scotland were being investigated. Paul was researching the history of the area between the 1500 and 1700s. John made reference to the accessibility, on line, of historic maps of the area from the National Library of Scotland which showed the changing names of the burghs over periods of time. A project on witches in the area was also being undertaken.
It was noted that the information on the anstruther.info website was not very up-to-date with regard to the project.
(c) Silverdykes Street Party: The Secretary reported that Eleanor Bowman would be arranging a Street Party again this year, but as yet the date had not been fixed. (A communication since the meeting suggests that the date has been set provisionally for 3rd September.)
Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)
The Chairman reported that the next meeting was due to be held in two days’ time.
(a) Artwork: It was noted that the stainless steel plaques were now in place on the ‘capstans’ but some disappointment was expressed that they were not more striking.
(b) Play areas: It was suggested that the area of open space within the development, close to the footpath access on to East Forth Street, might be made into additional play area. Reference was made to concrete table tennis tables that had proved popular elsewhere and it was suggested that one of these might be positioned there.
The Chairman reported that he had noted recently there had been no progress in the development of the CellardykePlayPark for which Section 75 funding had been agreed. The matter having been raised by him, the project would now be moving forward. Work would also be proceeding in the Windmill Court Play area, funded in part by the Council and in part with Section 75 funding.
(c) Further funding: The application for funding for the Interpretation Boards project would be considered at Thursday’s meeting. Fiona Mitchell noted that there were still small sums of money available from the Local Community Planning Fund. Members were reminded that there had been an informal proposal that there should be a bench at the bus stop at the top of Windmill Road.
Local and Environmental Issues
(a) Interpretation Boards: John Brown reported that he was still awaiting a response from Chris Smith with informal feedback from Fife Council on the proposed positioning of the boards and that he did not think it wise to proceed further until some assurances had been given. In the meantime, in the light of ‘research’ into similar boards elsewhere, he was now proposing boards mounted on two posts and was talking further with the company identified for the production of the boards about what appeared to be the most durable form of board. (Since the meeting John has received a favourable reply from Colin Smith although the position of one of the boards was questioned and a minor adjustment was being suggested.)
(b)Floral Matters: Kate reported that she had been very busy planting new plants in the tubs and other containers, and watering them. She pleaded that all responsible for helping with watering keep on with this, daily, if possible while the dry spell continued. More people willing to do the watering were needed, even this year and new volunteers to help with all aspects of the floral work would be needed next year.
(c)Planning Matters: The Secretary reported that there were rumours around that a new housing development was planned for the north side of the Crail Road between The Marches and the top of Windmill Road. However, there was no evidence for this on the Fife Council website. It was not known whether the land in question was a potential development zone in the Fife Local Plan.
References were made to various small scale development of some properties within the community which did not appear to fit with the notion of the conservation status of the area. It was questioned whether some were being undertaken without consent. The Secretary agreed to take up the matter of one such development with Lyle Scott, although it was noted that it was unlikely that anything would be done retrospectively.
Those present were reminded that access to the Fife Council Planning website was readily accessible via the CRA website, allowing members to view application relating to the area.
AOCB
(a) Dorothea reported that the ‘glass’ in the noticeboard at the Cellardyke Corner Shop was badly discoloured making it difficult to see notices clearly. Allan agreed to look into this and replace the glass if necessary.
(b) It was suggested and agreed that at the AGM in September, there should be short presentations on some of the current and possible future ‘projects’ being undertaken or supported by the CRA, such as the Interpretation Boards project, the possible re-establishment of the Sea Queen celebration, the Burgh Survey, etc. It was further agreed that the programme for the evening would be discussed at the next meeting.
(c) A question was raised about the gate at the top of Toft Terrace which gave the impression that the footpath down the terrace was private, when in fact it was a public right of way. It was suggested that the matter should be referred to Alison Irvine of Fife Council.
There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 2045 hrs.
Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 2nd August, 2016
The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed ‘the faithful band’ of members(!) to the meeting.
Present: Glenn Jones (Chair), Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Kate Shearer, George Walker and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).
Apologies for absence: A record of these is held on electronic file.
Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 7th June 2016 were approved as a correct record of the meeting, proposed by Dorothea Cargill-Thompson and seconded by Kate Shearer.
Matters Arising
(a) Use of Cellardyke Facebook page to promote CRA activities: Kate reported that she had posted a CRA-related question and it had prompted about 40 replies. Generally, readers were satisfied. Kate agreed to post information about the AGM and about floral matters via Facebook.
(b) Revival of the Sea Queen Festival: The Secretary had spoken to Elizabeth Dickson who had been unable to attend this meeting. There was limited progress to report although Richard Wemyss had expressed interest in linking historic boats into such an event. Elizabeth had agreed to make a short presentation on the matter of the Sea Queen at the AGM.
(c) CRA Newsletter/Poster: Catherine tabled copies of a revised version of the poster taking account of suggestions made at the previous meeting. There were still some reservations about the message conveyed and it was decided that the number of words should be reduced and that it should focus more on the AGM.
(d) Noticeboard at the Corner Shop: It was agreed thatthis needed replacing as the front cover was no longer fully transparent. Catherine agreed to find the likely cost and the source of a possible replacement, given that CellardykeChurch had recently purchased a new ‘glass-fronted’ board.
Secretary’s Report: Correspondence
The Secretary indicated that there was nothing to report.
Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer spoke to his report for the period 1st June to 31st July. Working capital at the end of the period amounted to £2143.06 (£96.68 cash in hand and £2046.38 in the bank). During the period in question few incoming payments had been received. The only outgoing payments were for floral displays. There were some payments outstanding including a final bill from Pathhead Nurseries and room hire charges for two months. It was noted that Kate had been very successful in keeping floral expenditure down in the light of the reduced grant from Fife Council.
The Treasurer reported he was working on the accounts for the year, and would be passing these to David Thomson for auditing on 15th August,
CRA Matters
(a) Planning the agenda for the AGM (6th September): It was agreed that, unless it proved to be necessary, no time should be set aside for any traditional monthly business ahead of the AGM. In addition to the normal AGM reports, however, there would be presentations on the Interpretation Boards Project (John Brown) and the proposed revival of Sea Queen event (Elizabeth Dickson).
(b) Finding new Office Bearers: While Allan McLelland, George Walker and Catherine Wilson had indicated their intentions to stand down as Treasurer, Vice Chair and Secretary respectively, no likely replacements had been identified. Nor had anyone volunteered to take over from Kate Shearer as Floral Co-ordinator.
Some possible office bearers for the longer term future had been identified but it was acknowledged that the Association could not continue in 2016-17 as it operated currently. After further discussion it was agreed that the pattern of meetings should be changed to every other month, with a shortened agenda focusing on the projects and currently successful activities. It was also agreed that the venue might be switched to, say, ‘The Haven’ so that there was a more social aspect to meetings. The Secretary agreed to approach Trevor about the use of a room at The Haven.
It was acknowledged that changing the frequency of meetings would require a change to the Association’s constitution. The recommendation was that Section 7. Meetings should be reworded as follows:
Ordinary meetings of the CRA shall be held up to six times in the year, the date time and place of meetings being decided at the AGM. Any variations required by circumstances to be confirmed at the preceding meeting whensoever possible.
It was agreed that ordinary meetings should be scheduled for the first Tuesdays of the following months: October, December, February, April and either June or August. In the light of these changes, Allan, George and Catherine agreed to remain in office for one more year. However, it was agreed that Paul Lewis would be asked to consider working alongside Allan on the business side of the Burns Supper and that Kate would work alongside Allan on the monthly accounts. Kate also agreed to act as Floral Adviser but NOT to undertake all the planting and maintenance. (See the report of the discussion of item 9 (ii) on the agenda for further consideration of arrangements for floral displays.)
(c) Refreshments of the AGM: It was agreed that members should bring items for the post-meeting refresh-ments, as had been arrangement for last year. A list of requirements and members to provide these is attached to these minutes.
Social/Community and CRA Activities
(a) Kilrenny, Anstruther and Cellardyke Burgh Survey: It was noted that the local ‘dig’ was due to start on 31st August but details of the venue were not known.
(b) Safe Cycle Route: There was nothing formal to report as the ‘next’ meeting of the group was being held at the same time as the CRA meeting. It was noted that the Bike in the Park event was being held on 28th August, but the CRA would not be taking part, not least due to the short notice and the prior commitments of most of the active CRA members. It was agreed that consideration should be given at the October meeting to the development of a CRA pop-up banner for use at such events in the future.
(c) Silverdykes Street Party: There was no further information currently available. The Secretary agreed to contact Eleanor Bowman for confirmation of the event and any further details. (The Street Party will take place on 3rd September.)
Muir (Silverdykes) Liaison Committee (SLC)
The Chairman reported that the next meeting was due to be held in nine days’ time.
(a) Report from June meeting: At the June meeting, Glenn had declared his intention to stand down as Chair of the committee, having served in this position for several years. The committee had agreed to recommend to Fife Council that a sum of £12,100 be allocated to the Interpretation Boards project when the 2nd tranche of the money became available. The committee had expressed disappointment in the appearance of the plaques, mainly because the engravings did not show up at all well. This feeling had been minuted.
Dorothea had shown the committee information on outdoor table tennis tables. She had asked if a proposal for these tables could be submitted and a positive response had been given.
(b) Cycle path/footpath through to Toll Road: The Secretary reported that an agreement had been reached between Cellardyke Church and Fife Council on the construction of a path down the north side of the church field. A fence would separate the path from the field and the ‘sale’ of the land would take the form of an agreement by the Council to provide hard-core car parking for most of the remaining field area. It was hoped that work would start before the end of the summer. (The Law Department of the Church of Scotland, having been consulted about certain aspects of the development, is now raising a number of questions. The result has been a delay in the commencement of the work!)
(c) Funding matters: The Chairman reported that the first tranche of money had now been spent and some of the money from the second tranche, soon to be released, had also been allocated. It had been decided that at the next meeting, the proposals held over from previous meetings, pending further information, should be discussed with a view to progressing them if possible. Dorothea intended to propose that several outdoor table tennis tables might be erected in the area. The suggestion that a bench might be purchased and placed close to the tattie boxes was raised again, but it was noted that the land in question did not belong to the Council. It was also noted that more seating was needed now on the Braes and that there would be more demand once the cycle route was opened.
Kate was asked to post a note on the Cellardyke Facebook page, encouraging local people to bid for funds for leisure-related projects.
Local and Environmental Issues
(a) Interpretation Boards: John Brown had submitted a short report, the key element of this being his fight against Fife Council’s proposal to charge for planning applications on a ‘per board’ basis. He had persuaded the Council to accept the applications as a two-part process, one part for Cellardyke and one for Kilrenny and for charges to be raised for the two sets of boards.
Work was progressing, but it was proving to be a much bigger project than was originally envisaged. John, in absentia, was thanked for his hard work and persistence.
(b)Floral Matters: There was discussion about how to maintain the current floral displays next year when Kate had ceased to undertake the major work or growing and/or bringing on the necessary plants, preparing the containers and planting them up – and co-ordinating the whole programme. It was recognised that some individuals were already taking some of the responsibilities for particular containers, but that not all would be covered in this way. More volunteers were needed. It was suggested that Kate should produce an advice sheet including recommendations for plants which were likely to look the best at the time of the Beautiful Fife judging in July.
On the subject of judging, it was noted that Allan had been allowed to drive the judges and Jim Braid round the Cellardyke displays on the relevant day, and thus he had been able to draw their attention to particular elements. Jim Braid had issued an optimistic report on the whole community tour at the end of the day.
To encourage more people to get involved, various strategies were suggested such as offering grants of £5 per tub, and/or running a competition for the best plants grown from seeds provided by the CRA.
With regard to the display at the top of Windmill Road which was a major responsibility, not least with regard to watering, it was noted that the Community Council/Anstruther and Cellardyke in Bloom was considering enhancing the displays at the entrances to the town – Pittenweem Road, St Andrews Road and Crail Road – in the coming year and there might be implications for the Windmill Road corner.
AOCB
(a) Floral displays in the roadway at Harbour Head and the encroachment of seating areas and the storage of boats in this area: It was agreed that the situation should be monitored and that Fife Council should be contacted if rights of way were being obstructed or traffic hazards caused.
(b) Path from Taeping Close to Ariel Close/Skeith Road: It was reported that (i) the pathway at the western end was restricted in width as a result of the newest phase of the Muir development and (ii) the surface was gradually breaking away at the edges representing a possible safety hazard. Glenn agreed to raise the matter at the forthcoming SLC meeting.
(c) Membership enquiry via the website: George reported that he had picked up a membership enquiry via the website
There being no further business, the meeting closed at approx. 21.00 pm.
Minutes of 9th Annual General Meeting - Tuesday 6th September 2016
Those present were Glenn Jones (Chairman), Carole Anderson, Aileen Bracket, John Brown, John Carder, Marie Carder, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, David Corstorphine, Robin Dewar, Elizabeth Dickson, Claire Docherty Christine Herd, Jo Hilton, Susan Holmes, Norrie Hutcheon, Dave Jeffery, Marie Jeffery, Elinor Kirk, Paul Lewis, Steve Liscoe, Alison McCulloch, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Catriona Macpherson, Pam Moncur, Chris Oliver, Kate Shearer, Peter Shepherd, Diana Sykes; Mary Thomson; George Walker, Ian Watson, Richard Wemyss and Catherine Wilson (Secretary);
Apologies (from regular members) were received from Fiona Mitchell.
Glenn welcomed all present to the meeting with a particular welcome to those for whom it was a first CRA meeting.
Presentation on the proposed revival of the Sea Queen Ceremony (Elizabeth Dickson)
Elizabeth, with some personal reminiscences, outlined the history of the Cellardyke Festival which had started in 1948. She suggested that it would be good to revive it, albeit with a slightly different format, in 2018 – seventy years on. One aim in doing this would be to celebrate the separate identity of Cellardyke and its strong association with the sea and its fishing traditions, and to give thanks to/for the sea. She proposed that a revived festival should have CellardykeHarbour as its backdrop.
Elizabeth indicated that she had already received some offers of help but pointed out that a lot more volunteers would be needed to make a success of the venture. However, her hope was that with wide community involvement, people would be brought together. She referred to conversations she had had with Richard Wemyss who was very keen to be involved and had suggested some historical re-enactment of Old Cellardyke – washing, mending nets, children playing, all in costume – and small old boats in the harbour. The aim was to make a Cellardyke Sea Queen ceremony which was different from others in the area and also one in which pupils from the local school had a part to play in electing the queen and her attendants. The day might end with a ceilidh.
Richard Wemyss then elaborated on some of the ideas Elizabeth had floated and the way in which a festival might develop from a modest start over several years and result in activities complementary to the Sea Queen and the Interpretation Boards Project.
It was confirmed that the robes and the music from past ceremonies were still available. July was mooted as the most appropriate time for the ceremony.
Glenn noted that one of the aims of the CRA was to celebrate and safeguard the identity of Cellardyke and what was proposed was in keeping with this. Also the CRA is a properly constituted organisation with its own bank accounts and thus could apply for and hold grants to help with funding.
The feeling of the meeting was that the proposals should be taken forward and that the CRA website and the Cellardyke Facebook ‘page’ should be used to disseminate information and to seek further views and offers of help.
Presentation on the Interpretation Boards Project (John Brown)
John spoke of what was proving to be a very major project, bringing together ideas that he had had for an information-giving development on the Toon Green and a project that the CRA had been struggling to take forward to develop information boards to be erected throughout Cellardyke. (Kilrenny was now to be included in the project.) The objectives of the current project were to carry out a major investigation into historical and cultural aspects of the two communities and then to design and manufacture 11 boards which would carry information on the architectural, social and historical significance of these communities, and their industries, trades and professions, etc. Such boards would raise awareness of the history of the burgh and its people in present day children and young people and enhance the open-air leisure provision in terms of heritage and educational benefits for residents and visitors. The need for boards of this nature had been highlighted in the Fife Council Appraisal and Management Plan for the Cellardyke Conservation.
John provided facts about the boards: the designer (Derek Munn); the proposed manufacturer (John Young Signs); where they were to be sited (seven in Cellardyke and four in Kilrenny); the support of Cllr Riches in setting up negotiations with the Planning Department; and the grant to be awarded from the (Muir) Section 75 funding. He had hoped initially for faster progress but now anticipated that the boards would be in place by the time of the Sea Queen Ceremony in 2018.
In the discussion that followed the presentation it was noted that people would provide the principal historical focus with a time span of the 1500s to 1960s. QR codes would be incorporated into the boards and it was hoped that by 2018 signal strength in the area would have been improved. The ‘Welcome’ board will include foreign languages.
In thanking Elizabeth, Richard and John for their contributions to the meeting, Glenn expressed the view that it was through projects, such as those which had been outlined, that the Association would move forward in the future.
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of 1st September 2015
The Minutes of the AGM of 2015 were approved: proposed by Diana Sykes and seconded by Allan McLelland. There were no matters arising.
Secretary’s Report – 6th September 2016
This is my fourth report as Secretary of the CRA and as some regular recipients will have realised, brevity is not my strongest attribute when it comes to report writing. This year, I shall try hard to reduce the length but cover the points which are worthy of reporting for the records.
First some statistics: the Association has met nine times in the past year, including the AGM. Attendances have not been large but we have always been quorate. We have recruited three new members. We have issued one news-sheet for distribution throughout the community and our website has attracted an average of over 300 visits per month.
As Secretary, my main tasks have been to answer letters and e-mails (I have n’t received any of the former), to prepare agendas, in consultation with the Chair, and to produce and circulate minutes. I have also circulated information from other organisations or news of local activities when these have been deemed to be both interesting and of relevance to members.
One of the most interesting communications this year was an e-mail from a descendant of the Keay family of Shore Street Cellardyke, seeking help in setting up a visit by a relation (a direct father-son descendant) from England to the former family home. Positive responses from a variety of CRA members resulted in the correspondent making contact with the current residents of the family home and with various Dykers who were able to provide a lot of historical information about the family. It was pleasing that the CRA network worked so well.
Once again the Association applied for a Floral Grant from Fife Council and once again, we were disappointed that the grant awarded was further reduced from the award of the previous year. Nevertheless, through the tremendous efforts of Kate Shearer and Allan McLelland, supported by Colin Ingram, and by an increasing number of Cellardyke residents who make their own, very varied contributions, floral displays in the village have been more numerous and more attractive in 2016 and we are hoping for a Silver Gilt Award, if not better, from the Beautiful Fife judges.
On the flower front, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to Kate and with regard to the Burns Suppers, we are equally indebted to Glenn Jones who not only master-minds the programmes but also chairs proceedings in true music hall style. (We will forgive him for some of his jokes and puns!) The 2106 Supper was once again a very great success.
The three CRA representatives serving on the Silverdykes Liaison Committee (SLC) - Glenn Jones, George Walker/Paul Lewis and Dorothea Cargill Thompson - have served diligently. I shall leave it to Glenn, as Chairman of the committee to report on the main business of the SLC during the past 12 months. Those of you with good memories will recall that Glenn indicated his wish to stand down as Chair last year but no-one agreed to step up to the rôle and so he agreed to serve for one more year.
Our website, with George Walker in charge, has been used to disseminate information about activities in the ACK area, and snippets of history, etc, of possible interest to residents of Cellardyke.
As you will have heard by the time this report is presented formally, considerable progress has been made with the Interpretation Board initiative, and not inconsider-able frustration has been experienced by John Brown who is the prime-mover with this initiative. A lesser person would probably have given up by now, but John is persevering and although the time-schedule has slipped, he will see the initiative through to fruition. (A grant towards the costs of the project from the ‘Silverdykes’ has been recommended to Fife Council.)
John, along with Paul Lewis, has now become involved with the Kilrenny, Anstruther and Cellardyke Burgh Survey, one of a number of a variety of organisations working locally and in which the CRA is playing an active part.
The role as Secretary has continued to be interesting and generally enjoyable. Once again it has been a real pleasure to work with Glenn, Allan (who makes so many contributions – financial, floral and organisational) and George as officers of the Association (and as friends), and also with those who attend meetings regularly, and/or make significant contributions to its work in the community. I thank you all!
If it is the will of the meeting, I am willing to continue to serve as Secretary - for one more year!
Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer, Allan McLelland, reported that the accounts for the year September 2015 to August 2016 had been prepared and approved in due time by the auditor, Mr David Thomson (of Kilrenny). The assets of the Association stood at £2049.52 as at 31st August 2016. He noted that floral expenditure during the year had amounted to £626.57 which was considerably more than the grant from Fife Council but which, nevertheless, represented a small cost given the extent and quality of the floral displays in the community.
Allan also reported on the accounts for the period 1st to 31st August 2016, a period which had seen very few transactions He noted that the floral account stood at £522.51 while the Burns Supper account showed a balance of £1398.62.
Glenn duly thanked Allan for his work over many years and praised him for his clear well documented accounts. He continued to be a pivotal member of the Association.
Chairman's Review of the Year 2016
Catherine's report has highlighted the key events of the CRA year. I would like to thank her for all her dedication through the year, and also tonight give an especial thanks to Elizabeth for raising the possibility of reviving the Sea Queen ceremony, and to John, for updating us on the Information Boards project. And to thank all of you for joining us at our AGM this evening.
I think the CRA has come to a crucial stage. As we enter out tenth year, we can look back on a number of achievements. Still being here, is one of them. And that is thanks to our small but loyal band of regular supporters, to our regular attenders, to our subscribers from afar, and to our long standing, or is that long-suffering, office bearers: Catherine Wilson, our incomparable secretary, Allan McLellan, our iron chancellor, and George Walker, our vice chairman and internet guru, and everyone else who has helped us. But as the CRA enters its second decade, we need to ask some questions. What is it? What does it do? Where is it going? And how can we best connect with all those who are interested in the village, because they are residents, or have their roots here, or just love Cellardyke.
In a way, the CRA has become sort of mini-community council. We are not elected, but then, neither are many of the country's official community councils. The CRA is run by a small band of committed regular attenders, like most other groups in the Three Burghs. Originally, the CRA was formed to represent the residents who were concerned about the scale of the proposed Silverdykes development, and its impact on Cellardyke. In 2007, we had lively, combustible meetings of 30 plus people in this room. 180 people wrote letters of objection. We became the go-to people for the local press. The first Detailed Planning Application was turned down. Three years of campaigning ended in an appeal hearing in which we pitted our wits against an eminent QC, and effectively won. The Scottish Office Reporter ruled that the original scheme needed changing, and the Silverdykes area is now an improved version of the original plan. One small but significant final victory was in persuading Muir Homes not to advertise the development as being in Anstruther, which it isn’t. Have a look at the name Silverdykes, Cellardyke on the hoardings on Windmill Road. If it wasn’t there, another huge psychological step towards losing the identity of Cellardyke as a separate village, with its own history and heritage, would have been taken.
Since those days, Silverdykes and it residents have become part of Cellardyke, and the function of the CRA has evolved. The CRA now works co-operatively with Muir Homes on the SLC. One of the most significant outcomes of the planning process was the setting up of the Silverdykes Liaison Committee (SLC), with representatives of Fife Council - Cllr Riches; Muir Homes - David Scobbie; three members of the CRA, three of the Community Council, and currently two co-opted members, invited for their experience and skills. Currently I am the acting-chairman of the committee, despite my annual attempts to resign. The CRA have always provided the chair for the committee, which should ideally be rotated. Its main function now is to invite and consider recommendations from the public for the spending of the £400,000 payable by Muir Homes in instalments to Fife Council, for the development having limited open space. Muir Homes handle the minutes, and give reprographic and other assistance. There is only one office bearer, the Chairman, who also acts as secretary. And no budget. We are cheap to run.
The anstruther.info website carries our explanation of what the SLC does and how it operates, which we worked out for ourselves, as there is no precedent for operating such a group. We drew up a constitution. The key function now is to advise Fife Council on the spending of the open space leisure money provided by the Section 75 legal agreement. It is available across the local community council area, with a weighting given to the closeness to Cellardyke of any proposed facilities. The First £147,000 has been allocated after proposals from the community. Right now, £25000 of the money is being spent on the improvement of Cellardyke Play Park thanks to a proposal from resident Sandra Doherty. £12, 100 will be spent on the installation of the information boards across Cellardyke on which John Brown updated us, and £10,000 will improve the play equipment in Windmill court. £62,000 enabled the Bankie Park Group to complete the excellent play facilities which youngsters are enjoying every day in Bankie, and £50,000 has enabled the Safe Routes to School Group to get matched funding and develop the safe cycle routes from Cellardyke to the outer reaches of the known world, Anstruther. Permanent outdoor table tennis tables will soon be available in up to three locations. The CRA has played a full part in developing and leading the SLC, and in creating a straightforward process for people to make proposals and have then considered.
What comes next, however, is the challenge of spending the next tranche of Muir Homes money. £150,000 should become available from the end of 2016 when two thirds of the Silverdykes development is complete. Anyone, whether part of a group or as an individual, can download the proposal forms from the SLC webpage on the Anstruther.info website, or get one from the library. If you have an idea for improving outdoor leisure facilities in Cellardyke, or know anyone who has, this is a unique opportunity to make a difference. Spending is being cut across Fife, yet we have this chance to improve our community.
As I said, one of the improvements will be the CRA sponsored information boards. These achieve one of the key aims of the CRA, as set out in our constitution: to safeguard the identity of Cellardyke, and promote its history and heritage. There is also now an opportunity to join Kilrenny and Anstruther Burgh Collection's project to photograph the sites of all of the businesses and shops in the three burghs, and compare them with photographic records from the past. There will be an invitation for your inner photographer to take part. The KABC will co-ordinate this project, and will launch it soon.
Other significant events which the CRA has introduced have been the Burns Supper, and the floral displays, led by Kate Shearer and Allan McLellan, and helped by residents who have been spontaneously adding to the displays and locations. The Burns Supper is going to take a break this January, partly because of a clash of dates which prevents our normal catering on our chosen date, but also because of the lack of an alternative date which Allan and I could both work to. He and I have thought through every aspect of mounting the Supper in 2017, and our conclusion is that unless someone else would like to take over and run the Burns supper, we will take a break. But we have heard from Elizabeth Dickson of the possibility of reviving an important part of Cellardyke's heritage, the Sea Queen Ceremony, and this could be a huge contribution to village life. It will require a shared community effort, which the CRA could co-ordinate, but cannot achieve on its own.
Which brings me back to the starting point. I have looked at what the CRA does, and has done, and what it is after 10 years. But it is a group which is likely to have to rely once more on the old guard. I am grateful that Catherine, Allan and George have joined me for one last year, in standing for election. It's time for a renewal of the CRA, and over the next year we are going to rethink the way we operate. We do not have enough regulars to carry on with the regular meetings and the workload that we have created for ourselves. Above all, we do not have the involvement of a younger generation to carry on our work. Unless new people become involved, the CRA will wither away. So will our floral displays, for we cannot expect Kate Shearer to continue to give the huge amount of time and effort she devotes to improving our environment. Perhaps an Adopt your Local Tub scheme is the answer, co-ordinated by the CRA. New ideas are needed. People, especially those still working hard to support their families, do not have the time or the energy to attend a monthly meeting to discuss a general agenda of good works. All across the three burghs, groups are struggling to keep going with ageing, and apparently irreplaceable, personnel.
So, where are we going? We start tonight with a proposal to reduce the number of formal meetings, and to focus more on particular activities. Our hope is that new people will come forward to help with activities that interest them. The Cellardyke Facebook page has over 500 members with an interest in Cellardyke, and Richard Wemyss regularly posts interesting extracts of historical news reports. There are new ways of developing the aims of the CRA. If we fail to take them, we will become irrelevant. We are a constituted group which can support efforts in the village. Cellardyke has people with all sorts of talents and skills, but the question is, how can we encourage them to become involved? The CRA has much to offer the village of Cellardyke. It will now look to new ways to do that, with your help.
Change to the Constitution
In the light of the proposal for less frequent meetings, a change to the constitution was proposed, namely to the section on meetings which should read: “Ordinary meetings of the CRA shall be held at least FIVE times in the year, the date, time and place to be decided at the AGM, and any variations required by circumstances to be confirmed at the preceding meeting whensoever possible.”
This change, representing a change from a minimum of six meetings to five, would be brought to the October meeting for ratification.
Annual Subscriptions and Membership.
It was proposed from the Chair that no change be made to the existing arrangements; i.e. members attending meetings would continue to contribute £1 per meeting as subscriptions, while those unable to attend would be invited to make a donation, recommended at £10 per year, to support the work of the Association, receive minutes etc. The proposal was unanimously agreed.
Election of Office Bearers.
All the current officers, as listed below, had indicated their willingness to continue to serve for one further year. This offer was accepted and there being no further nominations, the ‘candidates’ were duly elected!!
Chairman: Glenn Jones
Vice-Chairman: George Walker
Secretary: Catherine Wilson
Treasurer Allan McLelland
There being no other matters to discuss, the meeting closed at approximately 20.30 hrs.
The next monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday 4th October, at the Haven (ground floor room) and the next Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, 5th September 2017.
Members then enjoyed light refreshments and a most enjoyable social time together.
Minutes of Meeting Tuesday 4th October 2016 (held at the Haven Hotel, Cellardyke)
The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed the faithful few to the meeting. He expressed disappointment after the encouraging turnout at the AGM, and suggested that the small attendance served to confirm that standard meetings and routine business did not attract people and that a project-based approach to CRA activities was the way forward.
Present: Glenn Jones (Chair), John Brown, Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Kate Shearer and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).
Apologies for absence: A record of these is held on electronic file.
Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 2nd August 2016 were approved as a correct record of the meeting, proposed by Kate Shearer and seconded by John Brown.
Matters Arising
(a) Footpath/Cycle path between Silverdykes and Toll Road: The Secretary confirmed that work would start shortly on the construction of the path.
(b) Chairmanship of the Silverdykes Liaison Committee: Glenn reported that he had agreed to continue to chair the SLC meeting later in the week but, in reality, he envisaged having to continue as Acting Chairman for the rest of the year in the absence of any other candidate. It was expected that the second tranche of commuted money from the Muir Development, £150,000 would be available around December, and proposals from the community were to be encouraged. Appreciation was expressed at the considerable improvements, made possible by Section 75 funding, to the play area at Cellardyke bathing pool and the Chair was asked to pass on congratulations to those had been involved in taking the development forward.
(c) Noticeboard at the Corner Shop: The Treasurer reported that the matter of replacing the noticeboard was in hand. A new board would be in place by the end of the year
Planning for the future
(a) Floral Cellardyke: It was noted with pleasure that Anstruther and Cellardyke had been given a Gold Award in the Beautiful Fife initiative. Kate and Allan were congratulated on this success and thanked for all the work they had done in the past year (and previous years.) Time was then spent discussing how the displays were to be created and tended in the next year. Some volunteers to take responsibility for specific displays had already made themselves known – John Brown (War Memorial); Janis Morris (the boat at the East End; Christine (???); Rob (James Street); Mrs Fraser (the telephone kiosk); Catherine (tubs mid-Windmill Road). It was recognised, however, that more volunteers were needed.
It was noted that there had been a suggestion at a recent meeting of Anstruther and Cellardyke in Bloom Group that monies received in grants from the Council might be pooled and shared across the community so that funding was more equally divided across the area. Although changes had been forecast for grant applications for the coming year, the method for making applications remained the same.
(b) Proposals for projects to be supported with Section 75 funding: The Chairman indicated that the next date for consideration of proposals was at the meeting on December 1st. It was open to those who had already been allocated money to make application for more.
Various possible projects were mentioned: John Brown - flagpoles for the entrance to the new Waid Academy with floral displays at their base – John to approach the Rector; Catherine – Carl van der Lee’s idea of a unit to support the maintenance of floral containers, the growing of plants, etc – Catherine to contact Carl re making a bid for funds; new ‘electrics’ for Cellardyke Town Hall; improvement of access to the War Memorial. Members were encouraged to follow up where they could on these ideas.
(c) Projects linking Cellardyke Past and Present:
(i) Interpretation Boards: John reported that some problems had been encountered with proposed locations for boards, eg at the bottom of Burnside Terrace, so some had to be re-considered. Chris Smith from Fife Council was being involved in the ‘pre-planning’ prior to a formal application being made, via the Community Council. John further reported that he had met with the company which it had been proposed would produce the boards, to discuss new designs and materials.
(ii) Revival of the ceremony of the Sea Queen: John reported that he, Richard Wemyss and Elizabeth Dickson had met, and had viewed a CD which had confirmed how dated the ceremony was and how new thinking was needed. Wide-ranging plans for a day of celebrations, with the Sea Queen ceremony as one part, had been discussed. A report of the meeting will be circulated with this minute. The group intended to meet monthly with a view to planning a major event for 2018.
The question of accountability was raised. It was noted that there would be a leadership team of three or four with sub-groups taking responsibility for specific aspects of the programme.
(iii) Additional historical project: Glenn indicated that he had been made aware of a proposed plan for a major on-going historical project involving many aspects of the community, especially the young. It would build upon the current Sea Queen revival – a living Cellardyke history project, celebrating its heritage – for which an application could be made for Heritage Lottery Funding. It is anticipated that more information about this project might be available at a future meeting.
Administrative matters
(a) Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer spoke to his report for the period 1st to 30th September. Working capital at the end of the period amounted to £2149.52 (£134.68 cash in hand and £1012.84 in the bank).
(b) CRA Constitution
Following discussion on the matter at the AGM on 6th September, the Secretary proposed a minor change to the Constitution, as follows:
“Section 7. Meetings
Ordinary meetings of the CRA shall be held at least five times in the year, the date, time and place to be decided at the AGM, and any variations required by circumstances to be confirmed at the preceding meeting whensoever possible.”
In the previous version of the constitution, the minimum number of meetings had been six.
The change was approved.
(c) Communication:
It was agreed that Kate should continue to ‘promote’ the CRA and its activities using FaceBook.
Minutes of Meeting held on Tuesday 6th December 2016 at Cellardyke Town Hall
The Chairman, Glenn Jones, welcomed everyone to the meeting, especially Elizabeth and Morag who were to speak under agendum item 3.
Present: Glenn Jones (Chair), Dorothea Cargill Thompson, Elizabeth Dickson, Morag Findlay, Susan Holmes, Paul Lewis, Allan McLelland (Treasurer), Catriona MacPherson, Fiona Mitchell, Kate Shearer Diana Sykes and Catherine Wilson (Secretary).
Apologies for absence: A record of these is held on electronic file.
1. Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 4th October 2016 were approved as a correct record of the meeting, proposed by Kate Shearer and seconded by Allan McLelland.
2. Matters Arising
Floral Grant Application: The Secretary confirmed that the application for a grant for 2017 had been submitted on time and its receipt had been acknowledged.
3. Updates on key local projects
(a) Historic Cellardyke (Sea Queen Festival): Elizabeth, supported by Morag, reported on the second meeting of the group looking to promote the Sea Queen as part of a wider ‘Historic Cellardyke’ initiative. It was noted that work was still at the ideas stage and that while there was enthusiasm for something developed from the old Sea Queen Festival, it was recognised that the old way of doing things had had its time and a new scheme was needed involving the community more actively – and linking to Anstruther for some aspects.
The hope/intention was to develop a programme of activities for a Saturday at Cellardyke Harbour in July 2018 which would start with the arrival from Anstruther by boat of the Sea Queen. This would be enhanced by the involvement of four local historical personalities enacted by students from the school (?). Historic boats would also be involved. The crowning would be followed by a ceremony of ‘remembrance’ for those mariners lost at sea over the years and their families. This, in turn, might be followed by activities involving the wider community but not much thought had yet been given to what this might be. (John Brown’s notes of the meeting about which Elizabeth spoke are attached for information.)
Members were impressed by the progress that had been made to date. It was noted that Health and Safety issues would have to be addressed and that this would mean that there would be a lot of Fife Council forms to fill in!! It was suggested that John Smith (Rodger Street) might be able to help with regard to process and procedures.
(b) Interpretation Boards: John Brown, who was about to leave for a visit to Australia, had reported that achieving planning permission was proving to be a more complex and challenging issue than he had anticipated. However, he hoped a meeting arranged with Chris Smith of Fife Council Planning Department would help him in working through the exact requirements.
(c) Silverdykes Liaison Committee – Section 75 Funding: Glenn reported that the second tranche of funding would be made available soon. As yet few applications for this money had been made. He expressed the view that an application for funding for improvements to Cellardyke Town Hall was unlikely to be successful as it did not match the criteria. However, funding for specific equipment might be considered.
A second grant of £50K was to be awarded towards the cost of the second phase of the Safe Cycle Route and this would allow for an application for matched funding (from elsewhere) to be made. This would still leave £88K for other projects although £20K was to be allocated for a project at Billowness.
With a further tranche of funds to become available in due time, an application for funding for the Sea Queen Festival and associated celebrations should be given due consideration. There were a few other possible applications in the pipeline, including one for £6.5K for a telescope for Anstruther Harbour.
Questions were asked about the viability of the Cellardyke Pool. Could it ever be restored or was there anything of historical interest in the area that was ‘retrievable’? While it was noted that restoration and maintenance costs would be huge, it was also noted that Pittenweem was to receive an Aviva grant for its pool. Furthermore, following lengthy discussions with Fife Council it had been agreed that the Friends of Craigtoun Park should take over the running of all facilities in the park, including the lake, and, in a partnership arrangement, the Council would maintain the grounds and assist with grants/investment.
4. Floral Cellardyke
(a) Planning for 2017: Kate reported that she had planted 20 bags of bulbs in tubs around the area, and that she had had an offer of help from Pam Moncur. However, more volunteers were needed to look after tubs and a special effort was needed with the displays at the top of Windmill Road. This latter subject should be raised at the next meeting of the Anstruther and Cellardyke in Bloom Group on February 6th.
As yet, there had been no indication of the success or otherwise of the CRA bid for funds from Fife Council for floral work.
(b) Fund-raising Coffee Morning: Catherine confirmed that the date for this would be 28th January (Saturday) in Cellardyke Church Hall, probably between the hours of 10 am and 12 noon. In all likelihood, Mary Thomson would be the organiser.
5. Kilrenny, Anstruther and Cellardyke Burgh Archaeological Survey
Paul Lewis gave an excellent report on the work of the survey, work on which was almost complete. He indicated that outcomes would include a written study, a book to be published by Fife Council in March 2017 and various supporting materials including trails and the installation of plaques. Paul had taken an active part in the excavation work which had been undertaken in the graveyard at the back of the Dreel Hall, which had proved to be fascinating. There was a possibility that further work might be undertaken under the auspices of the Fife Council Archaeological Department.
Paul was thanked warmly for all his hard work in support of the Survey and commended on his report. (The full text of Paul’s report is included as a separate article on this site.)
6. A O C B
(a) Treasurer’s Report: Allan presented a report covering the period 1st October to 30th November 2016. Working capital at the end of the period amounted to £1975.28 (£52.18 cash in hand and £1923.10 in the bank).
The meeting closed formally at 2030 hrs and the assembled company enjoyed a period of socialising over festive fare!