As part of Winton House’s annual Spring Family Open Day, this year Pencaitland Scouts were out in force to help set up and participate in an assault course within the walled garden.
All those taking part in the Scouts’ Assault Course were asked to make a voluntary contribution to raise funds for Pencaitland’s new scout troupe which was only recently revived late last year after a seven year hiatus.
Below we’ve got a selection of photos from the day…
East Lothian Council’s transport team have almost finished making upgrades to signage coming in and out of Wester Pencaitland.
As part of the upgrade to signage there are also plans to add three sets of yellow rumble strips before reaching the newly installed 30mph signs. This gives cars and their drivers notice that they are coming to a slower section of road.
This is part of wider plans, some of which are still under discussion, to improve road safety throughout the village. The main road through Pencaitland is also due to be resurfaced, most likely later this year.
As reported recently, a number of residential roads around Pencaitland have fallen into very poor repair over the years. Some will shortly be tackled.
Anyone going to the FixMyStreet website will see that there are quite a few problems listed on the service when you search for Pencaitland. Whilst not all of them can be addressed immediately, due to budget limitations at East Lothian Council, we’re pleased to report that one of the worst, on Woodhall Road, looks like it will finally be addressed after local residents complained that it had never been properly resurfaced in over 40 years.
As a council official explains in a response on the FixMySteet website, “All roads are inspected as part of the Council’s Needs Assessment Policy whereby individual locations are assessed and rated for comparison against other locations in East Lothian so that the funding the Council is able to allocate to such works is targeted where the need is greatest. Roads are currently being assessed to be included in the proposed programme of maintenance works and I am pleased to confirm that Woodhall Road has been included in the 2013/2014 programme of Urban surfacing renewal. In the meantime any necessary temporary repairs will be carried out.”
Other pot spots slated for a fix include a crumbling drain/pothole on a bend of the A6093 and temporary repairs of potholes on Bruce Grove and on Huntlaw Road.
Remember that if the Council does not know about a problem it cannot get on its list of road repairs. There are a number of options for reporting either directly or via FixMyStreet which we’ve covered in the past.
The Scottish government’s Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee is holding an inquiry looking at whether community transport services are able to better meet the needs of the people they serve.
That’s why the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee is keen to hear from community transport users and providers on what they feel are the key issues. The Committee wants to move the debate on, identify the priorities, and make a difference as a result of this inquiry. Your views will help shape that debate.
The call for written views will close on 19 April 2013. Responses should be sent as email attachments in Word format to:
ici.committee@scottish.parliament.uk
Or written submissions to:
Infrastructure and Capital Investment
Committee
T3.40
Scottish Parliament
EH99 1SP
How can community transport systems be improved? For more details, visit the Community Transport inquiry website.
Following the most recent Pencaitland Community Council meeting in Trevelyan Hall, it was agreed to give financial support to a number of local groups.
The funds will help to partially pay for the use of buildings, buy much needed new equipment and contribute towards repairs and other running costs many groups must meet in order to operate.
Many local community groups struggle to make ends meet financially and rely heavily on the goodwill and generosity of those who give up their time to keep things going, or to help fundraise. In a small way it’s hoped that this year’s modest contributions from your Community Council, will ensure that the good work carried out by local groups will continue… for many years to come.
Pencaitland’s regular community Litter Pick is set to take place on Sunday the 21st of April from 2pm.
Then, once your area has been covered, pop on back to Trevelyan Hall with your haul of flotsam and jetsam where there will be refreshments and the opportunity for anyone under 16 to participate in our free Prize Draw for a fabulous compact Digital Camera. This year it’s a Nikon L25 and it comes with a memory card and case too.
For 2013’s Litter Pick we are working with Clean Up Scotland, part of the charity Keep Scotland Beautiful. With the nearest Greggs’ support, Clean Up Scotland will be providing goodies for all those taking part. We’ll also be handing out bright yellow tabards to make everyone stand out as they seek out the strangest item of rubbish.
At the 2012 event more than 50 people came along and helped make the Litter Pick a great success. This year we want to beat 2012’s numbers, so make a date in your diary and come make your community a place you can be proud of…
If you have a camera please grab some photos during your Litter Pick and email them to us at website@pencaitland.org where we will then feature them on the website.
East Lothian Council’s website has been rated as ‘four star’ in an independent survey of 433 local authority web services.
The website was among thirty-seven to achieve the top four star rating with 140 receiving three star status.
A reviewer comment on the East Lothian Council website said: “Overall, a very good site, which provided answers to our questions. The search seems pretty good and well organised. I am impressed by how easily I found things and the simplicity of the layout.”
This is the 15th annual survey of all 433 local authority websites and a team of reviewers carried out a structured survey with 224 questions for local authority websites, followed by four shorter surveys on specific topics.
Q. Do you use the East Lothian Council website? Good or bad the Council wants to know what you think and you can take part in a short survey to help improve it for the future. Alternatively, just leave a comment below.
East Lothian Council regularly calls for applications to each new round of its Civic Pride Fund. Applications are now being sought for 2013 funding.
Projects need to demonstrate community support and involvement and deliver two or more of the following criteria:
Locally Pencaitland Parish Church was a recent beneficiary, receiving £2,100 towards repairs to the church’s buildings. The grant from the Council’s Civic Pride Fund was used to repair the bowed leaded windows and cracked window panes to help keep the Grade A listed church weather tight. As Minister David Torrance said at the time of the award, “Through the centuries, the Church has stood as a symbol of faith and hope, serving families, groups and individuals in the local community, so maintaining the building is very important. We are pleased that this has been recognised by the Civic Pride Fund”.
Other awards around East Lothian have gone towards park improvements, plantings, renovation of local monuments, Village Hall improvements, new public seating, public sculpture and floodlights to name a few.
To apply to the fund applicants need to be properly constituted community groups, local heritage groups and voluntary organisations. The £50,000 Civic Pride Fund’s closing date for this funding round is 31 March 2013 with grants of up to a maximum of £20,000 potentially being awarded. Any requests for £5,000 or more require matched funding from a source other than the ELC. A copy of the application form can be found here.
Applications should be sent to:
Landscape & Countryside Manager
East Lothian Council
John Muir House
Brewery Park
Haddington
EH41 4HA
Do you have a community group project or idea in Pencaitland, New Winton or Glenkinchie which would benefit from financial support from the Civic Pride Fund? If you would like to discuss this with a member of your Community Council you can email website@pencaitland.org with your contact details and we will get in touch to help you develop your idea.
Following consultation last year, East Lothian Council’s transport team have begun making some improvements to signage coming in and going out of Pencaitland.
This is part of wider plans, still under discussion, to improve road safety throughout the village. However, it is unlikely that any major changes will take place until after the main road through Pencaitland is resurfaced, most likely later this year.
Pencaitland Community Council is looking into the pros and cons of having a local car that anyone can use. What do you think?
Car Clubs are becoming an increasingly important part of the personal transport mix. They offer a way to have access to private transport without the added hassles of insurance, maintenance, road tax and car recovery memberships.
Basically it’s all the benefits of private transport without the downsides of owning a car. That’s why your Community Council is asking you to give your views in a short survey.
In recent years private companies have sprung up offering Car Clubs around the UK. One such is the Edinburgh Car Club which has one vehicle in Musselburgh. However, the economics of running a commercially-based Car Club in rural areas makes it unattractive to for-profit shareholder businesses.
This is where community based car club schemes can make all the difference, providing local villages with the same benefits enjoyed by large urban areas, but with all the proceeds going into developing the service rather than paying shareholders.
Dunbar already enjoys the benefits of its car club scheme SpareWheels, launched in 2011 and now with three available vehicles. It operates as a not-for-profit, using any surplus to provide a better service to its members and keep member costs as low as possible. Shortly Haddington will do likewise with the launch of Easywheels later this month.
In Pencaitland, working with Carplus, your community council wants to assess the level of interest in having a car based in the village and accessible to any members for use for as little as half an hour up to several days at a time.
Carplus was established back in 2000 to support the development of car clubs across the UK, in response to growing environmental concerns around private car use.
Please take a few minutes to take part in the short survey and help us assess the level of interest in this community becoming part of the wider network of community-backed car clubs developing in the county. Please also pass on the word to others — especially those who may not be online but would benefit from access to a private car.
Car clubs typically provide members with access to pay-as-you-drive vehicles which are parked in reserved spaces and available for hire on an hourly or daily basis, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The club covers all the costs of owning and operating the vehicles, such as insurance, tax, fuel, cleaning and servicing. Members usually pay an annual membership fee to be part of a car club and then pay an hourly charge (typically between £3 and £5) to hire a vehicle and a mileage charge (typically around 21p per mile) that covers fuel and vehicle wear and tear and are usually billed for their use monthly in arrears. Members book vehicles online or over the phone for as little as 30 minutes up to several days at a time and can access car club vehicles via a smart card or by a key, accessible via a key safe.