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More pamphlets of Pencaitland turn up

Thanks to Phil Summerfield we have a selection of historical pamphlets produced by the now defunct Pencaitland Amenity Society back in 1976 - click to view them.Thanks to villager and community council member Phil Summerfield we’ve dug up some more leaflets from 1976 covering Pencaitland, it’s buildings and walks in the area.

You can view and download them by following these links:

Taken from Buildings of Pencaitland (1976): “The older cottages remaining in the village are early 19th century and perhaps late 18th century. There has been gradual development since and the East village, with its finely integrated buildings, is an example of the change in building styles during the last 200 years or so. The public park was once known as the Vineyard, a fact possibly connected with the village’s position on a well known smuggling route from the coast.”

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News Notices

Community Council Elections 2012 – Pencaitland really needs you

Pencaitland needs new blood - have you got any to spare? Click for background info and documents on the upcoming elections.Have you thought about joining us on Pencaitland Community Council? Here’s your opportunity to help the community you live in and shape the future direction of your village.

East Lothian’s twenty Community Councils are run on a voluntary basis by local people just like you. They act as a vital link between East Lothian Council and the local area, giving residents an opportunity to speak out on local issues of concern. Pencaitland holds ten meetings a year.

Pencaitland’s Community Council extends to cover the villages of New Winton, Boggs Holdings & Glenkinchie/Peastonbank, plus everything in-between. We really need some new blood, not just from Pencaitland but all the those parts that fall within this community council and form part of our ward.

In all there are fifteen seats on the community council. Elections are only held where there are more nominations than available seats on the community council. There have been no elections to Pencaitland’s community council in recent years though all seats have, until recently, been taken up.

Pencaitland Community Council Area MapIf you are interested in becoming a member of your local Community Council the only requirement is that you are aged 16 or over.

Interested? Want to know more? Then contact the current Community Chair, Ralph, on 01875 340 641.

Nomination forms must be returned to the Returning Officer no later than 4pm on Thursday 13 September 2012.

Tea & biscuits come free…

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News

A Walk through Pencaitland

A walk through Pencaitland - click to view the PDFPencaitland at one time had an Amenity Society which produced this leaflet on the village, describing the key buildings of note as you walk through it…

It’s not clear when the leaflet was originally produced but on reading it, it’s obvious that one or two thing have changed.

It describes a walk through the main road from East to West Pencaitland, noting buildings of interest along the way and includes a useful map for the uninitiated.

Here’s an extract:

“Pencaitland Bridge over the Tyne Water is ancient. By today’s standards it is narrow, but its builders must have been far-seeing men as few early bridges match its width. On the south side are the arms of the Sinclair family and the date 1510.

In Wester Pencaitland is the entrance to Tyneholm House a Jacobean style mansion built in 1835 by Patrick Dudgeon, designed by William Burn. Stone walls are in evidence here and the one by the new houses was four times higher before the houses were built. Pencaitland Cross may date from the 17th century. Pencaitland became a burgh of barony in 1695, but markets were held before then. Some old cottages stand here, the most interesting being the old schoolhouse with its bellcote and statue of a scholar over the door.”

We decided to scan it and save it as a PDF for posterity. You can view it here.

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News

Pencaitland’s website is back in action

OurLocality was able to step in and help Pencaitland get it's community site back online after a malware attack East Lothian's excellent edubuzz.org - click to find out more about OurLocalityTHANKS to the good people over at OurLocality.org Pencaitland’s very own community website is back in action and better than before.

A bunch of East Lothian websites, mostly Primary & Secondary schools plus parents’ and community sites such as our own, disappeared recently after a malware attack on edubuzz.org sometime on the 24th of August. It could be a few weeks before edubuzz.org returns, along with the many hosted sites it serves. This is an unfortunate bit of bad luck for the excellent platform which delivers a fantastic solution to quick and easy websites for all of East Lothian’s schools and much more.

Now on OurLocality.org, we’ve recovered all of the information pages and news stories whilst making a few minor changes under the bonnet to try to improve your experience of the site. But if you have any suggestions then fire them off to website@pencaitland.org. We’re all ears.

You’ll also notice we’ve finally got around to updating the masthead with a new image. If you haven’t worked it out, it’s Pencaitland’s Parish Church spire. If you have pictures you think might make a nice replacement (we want to update it a little more often in future) then send them to the same email address.

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News

Planning Committee makes onsite visit before consent decision

ELC's Planning Committee makes a site visit to consider approval of the plans for an alternate footpath avoiding the narrow pavement.Members of East Lothian’s Planning Committee were on-site at the parish church earlier today to go over the proposals for a footpath from the bridge up to the school, avoiding the narrow main road pavement.

As well as members of the committee, two of Pencaitland’s local councillors, Jim Gillies and Donald Grant were present. There were also representatives from the Community Council, the Minister David Torrance, Francis Ogilvy and a few interested locals.

Members of the Planning Committee convene at the Town House in Haddington next Tuesday at 10am to make a final decision on the plans in their current form.

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News

Make it a date to remember

Anyone familiar with the pencaitland.org website will know that it includes a ‘what’s on‘ section for local dates and community activities.

Tell us when and where and we will include your event in Pencaitland's free calendar service.If you run or take part in regular events open to the public, such as kid’s playgroups or music and dance classes, don’t forget to send details of when and where to website@pencaitland.org. We will then include the supplied information in the public calendar on the community website.

So send us the date and we’ll do the rest…

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Phoenix Drama Club places going fast

We’ve had reports that the two drama classes being offered by Natasha Phoenix this September, in Pencaitland’s Bowling Club, are filling fast.

Natasha Phoenix aims to bring a drama club to Pencaitland in the new school year.Classes start on the 4th September with two groups – ‘Fledglings‘ for primary 2,3 and 4 kids starts at 3.45pm – ‘Fliers‘ for primary 5,6 and 7 kids begins at 4.45pm.

If you want to ensure your child secures a place then contact Natasha on 07961 964377 or email natasha.phoenix@btinternet.com.

Visit the website at http://www.phoenixdrama.blogspot.co.uk

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Nits pick Pencaitland

We’ve had reports that a number of people have recently discovered head lice (or nits) on their children and/or themselves.

Hairbrush - do not share your brush or comb with any other family members and rinse under warm water (image copyright stopherjones @ Flickr)If you don’t know how to detect them we recommend you read the following information on the NHS Choices website…

Head lice are tiny wingless insects that live in human hair. They are common, particularly in children.

Head lice are grey-brown in colour, the size of a pinhead when hatched and of a sesame seed when fully grown.

They cannot fly, jump or swim and are spread by head-to-head contact, climbing from the hair of an infected person to the hair of someone else.

A head lice infestation is not the result of dirty hair or poor hygiene. Head lice can affect all types of hair irrespective of its condition and length.

Head lice only affect humans and cannot be passed on to animals or be caught from them.

For details on life cycle, detection and treatment visit the NHS Choices website

Nits are tenacious critters. Kids with an all-clear one week can easily pick up an infestation playing with other children. So it’s best to frequently check for evidence by regularly combing with a specialist nit brush. Head cleanliness provides no advantage or protection.

If you discover a member of your family is affected, ensure that you tell anyone you or your family have been in recent contact with. This will reduce the chances of reinfestation.

Lastly, do not share hair brushes between family members. Ensure everyone uses their own comb or brush.

Good luck…

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Phoenix Drama Club set to start September

Pencaitland resident Natasha Phoenix has firmed up dates for the first round of drama classes being held in the village Bowling Club. Check out her new website for further details.

Phoenix Drama Club starts classes for P2's to P7's in two classes starting 4 September 2012. Click for more details.As we reported in May local mum and Primary school Teacher Natasha Phoenix is planning to bring drama classes to kids from all over Fa’side.

After school classes begin on the 4th September based in Pencaitland’s Bowling Club, with Primary 2, 3 and 4 kids at 3.40pm and Primary 5, 6 and 7’s at 4.40pm.

But these sessions are about much more than learning lines, aiming to provide a club which offers fun, quality experiences for children who feel involved, valued and respected. The aim is to use a child-centred approach to planning, using the kids’ imaginations and interests as starting points. Lastly, it goes into teaching Neuro Linguistic Programming and Emotional Literacy skills and strategies, offering children enhanced life skill learning.

For further details on price and availability you can contact Phoenix Drama Club by emailing Natasha at natashaphoenix0@gmail.com or visit the brand new website.

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ELC proposes traffic calming measures for Pencaitland

Traffic plays a big part in the concerns of many locals. In an effort to have a number of issues addressed the Community Council sought the recommendations of East Lothian Council’s Transport department. Here’s the suggestions it came up with in response to this request.

Beech Terrace - moving speed sign and adding rumblestrips - click to view full PDF plan1. Easter Pencaitland Roundabout: Entering Pencaitland from the Haddington road ELC is proposing a roundabout with a proper central island. The current recommendation would necessitate relocating the war memorial and seating to a different corner. Additionally speed restrictions would be extended so that the 30mph limit would not cease until after leaving the village and would come into force before entering.

2. Pencaitland village road (Easter): After entering the village ELC is proposing traffic calming measures which are a combination of road narrowing and forming parking bays to the south side of the road in two locations.

3. Wester Pencaitland: Entering Wester Pencaitland ELC is proposing to move the speed restriction signs further west so that they come into force before vehicles arrive at houses. Additionally, in the run-up to the 30mph speed sign there would be 3 sets of rumble strips.

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