The 10th Annual Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders Archaeology Conference will be held at Queen Margaret University on Saturday 19th November.
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Topics include an update on the archaeology from the Edinburgh Tram project; an update on the Cousland Local History Project; and recent findings about Roman Inveresk. Find out more and book your place here.
You can also view the conference programme, which details all the topics to be covered here [PDF].
Pencaitland Community Council
Recent reports to Pencaitland Community Council about the poor state of the playground equipment in Pencaitland Park prompted East Lothian Council to pull out the paintbrushes and tidy them up.
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Other residents have also highlighted problems with the hedging next to the main road, just behind the playpark equipment. In places it has been pushed back leaving large gaps where a toddler or small child could crawl through onto the main road.
East Lothian Council is now aware of this problem and will be looking at measures to resolve this.
If you want to report problems with local amenities please alert the Community Council by sending an email stating what the problem is and where it’s located.
Pencaitland Community Council
As many villagers will know, parts of Pencaitland Parish Church are in a parlous state. In an effort to address the problems before they get any worse members of the church, along with Minister David Torrance, have launched a programme of events to help to raise £70,000 to make the building wind and watertight before the onset of winter.
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The great news is that, as of the 1st October 2011 the appeal has raised £47,000 towards the target.
A number of local events are planned over the coming months to boost the funds raised by the appeal. They are listed below in date order and further details, including ticket availability, will be posted on the church’s new website.
Meantime, if you want to know more about how you can help save this historically important building take a look at the appeal pamphlet [PDF].
When the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning came to Pencaitland no-one, let alone organisers Lynn Donohoe and Patsy Spalding, could have anticipated just how well attended it would be.
The venue for the Macmillan Cancer Support fundraiser was Pencaitland’s Bowling Club with teas, coffees and a variety of home baking all helping towards raising a figure in excess of £700, to help in the charity’s work.
As Lynn Donohoe explained, “It was a great success. We couldn’t have hoped for a better turnout. We opened at 9am and between then and 11am we were absolutely packed.”
Macmillian Cancer Support is running a UK-wide fundraising coffee morning on the 30th September and you can take part. Pencaitland’s Bowling Club is the venue for this year’s event and it will be open from 9am to 1pm.
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The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning is Macmillan Cancer Support’s biggest fundraising event. They ask people across the UK – and sometimes further afield – to hold a coffee morning, where donations on the day are made to Macmillan.
Last year 43,000 people signed up to hold a coffee morning, raising over £8 million.
This year they want to raise even more money to help change the lives of people affected by cancer. Find out about how Macmillan helps.
The gusting winds which began in earnest on Monday afternoon have thus far left little obvious mark on the environment, other than large piles of leaves. However, sometime during the evening of the 12th September one of the largest trees overlooking the western edge of Pencaitland Primary collapsed taking out a chunk of the perimeter fence as it fell.
RELBUS formed in November 2010, following cuts to First Bus services between Dunbar/East Linton/Edinburgh. The first public meeting took place in January and a committee was put in place. The aim is to encourage bus travellers from all areas of East Lothian to join the campaign for better public transport links in the East of the County where fares are high and some services unreliable.
This year the East Lothian Archaeology & Local History Fortnight will run from 1st to 18 September and promises two weeks of archaeological and historical treats. The event kicks off with an Archaeology and Local History Festival at Haddington Town House on Saturday September 3rd following an evening reception and illustrated talk on Thursday September 1st.
Find out about the Scotland’s Rural Past recording work at Walden Farm House, the East Lothian Council Archaeology Service Historic Kirkyard Project, Aberlady Heritage pilgrimage trails and lots more.
Events include a variety of guided tours and illustrated talks throughout the county. Find out about archaeological work at Dunbar Town House, the survey and GIS work of the Royal Commission at Roxburgh and join local archaeological and historical experts on guided archaeological and historical tours around Musselburgh, North Berwick, Carberry and more. Take a walk in the footsteps of Rennie and Meikle at East Linton and discover what lies beneath the vegetation at St Andrews Kirk in Gullane. Join a knight in chainmail and find out about sieges and battles at Tantallon Castle.
You can find out more here and you can download a programme here
East Lothian Heritage Forum recently held a meeting informed by a recent battlefield inventory undertaken by Historic Scotland. Reference was made to the Battle of Prestonpans, the Battle of Dunbar and the Battle of Pinkie. If you have an interest in the battlefields of East Lothian, you can find details of the inventory at battlefield consultation
As part of the Council’s commitment to improving services a review of libraries in the County has taken place. This has resulted in changes to the opening hours of most libraries. Haddington Library continues to operate the same opening hours, but changes have been made at Ormiston and Tranent.
Further information about the opening of the new library at the John Gray Centre in Haddington can be found at www.johngraycentre.org
The new opening hours will operate from Monday 1 August. More details on changes to opening hours can be found here
Ormiston
| Monday | 2pm to 5pm | |
| Tuesday |
CLOSED ALL DAY |
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| Wednesday | 2pm to 8pm | |
| Thursday | 10am to 1pm | 2pm to 5pm |
| Friday | 2pm to 5pm | |
| Saturday | 10am to 1pm | |
Tranent
| Monday | 10am to 1pm | 2pm to 5pm |
| Tuesday | 10am to 1pm | 2pm to 7.30pm |
| Wednesday | 10am to 1pm | 2pm to 8pm |
| Thursday | 10am to 1pm | 2pm to 7.30pm |
| Friday | 10am to 1pm | 2pm to 5pm |
| Saturday | 10am to 1pm |
Haddington
| Monday | 10am to 1pm | 2pm to 7.30pm |
| Tuesday | 10am to 1pm | 2pm to 7.30pm |
| Wednesday |
CLOSED ALL DAY |
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| Thursday | 10am to 1pm | 2pm to 7.30pm |
| Friday |
10am to 5pm |
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| Saturday | 10am to 1pm | |