Tag: new winton

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Events News

Pencaitland’s 2014 Litter Pick starts 2pm on 11th May

Pencaitland’s regular community Litter Pick is set to take place on Sunday the 11th May from 2pm.

As with previous years the action kicks off from 2pm in Pencaitland’s Trevelyan Hall. Groups or families turning up will be given litter pickers and bags before heading off to various parts of, not only Pencaitland, but hopefully some of the other areas covered by the Community Council. We’re particularly keen to have groups or families who want to cover Glenkinchie or New Winton this year.

This year's free prize draw, open to all under-16s taking part in the Litter Pick, is a Samsung ST72 16MP camera with 8GB card included.
This year’s free prize draw, open to all under-16s taking part in the Litter Pick, is a Samsung ST72 16MP camera with 8GB card included.
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 Samsung ST72 digital camera and it comes with an 8GB memory card so you’re ready to go.

For 2014’s Litter Pick we are working with Clean Up Scotland, part of the charity Keep Scotland Beautiful. We’ll also be handing out tabards to make everyone stand out as they seek out the oddest item of rubbish.

Last year we had a great selection of litter oddities including a truck mud guard, four car hubs, signs, clothes, shoes and many many cans, bottles and crisp packets. Let’s see if we can find even more unusual stuff this time round.

At the 2013 event more than 50 people came along and helped make the Litter Pick a great success. This year we want to beat 2013’s numbers, so make a date in your diary and come help make your community a place we can all be proud of…

Bring your Camera

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.

Some snaps from last year’s event



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News

Call for local groups to seek help from Pencaitland Community Council

Each year Pencaitland Community Council seeks to give financial help towards the work of local groups. If you run, or know those running, a local community organisation read on to find out how to apply.

Pencaitland Scouts were just one of eight local community groups to benefit from Community Council support in 2013.
Pencaitland Scouts were just one of eight local community groups to benefit from Community Council support in 2013.
Each year Pencaitland’s Community Council seeks to make available funds to help support the efforts of local groups working for and with members, young and old, of the local community around Pencaitland, New Winton and Glenkinchie. Typically these are only small sums of money as the Community Council itself receives very limited funding support from East Lothian Council.

Last year the Community Council was able to award between £100 and £200 to eight different groups active in the area. Examples of past support include funds to New Winton and Boggs Holdings for maintenance of local community halls, cash towards books for Pencaitland Parish Church, money to assist the local Rainbows Pack and many other beneficiaries over the years.

If you work with a local group in the community, to be considered for funding support we ask for the following:

  • What does your group do in the community?
  • How much do you require?
  • What will the funds you are seeking be used for?

Whilst we cannot guarantee that the Community Council will be able to meet funding requests, we will do our best to allocate what we do have as fairly as possible.

How to Apply


The Community Council will consider all requests it receives before the 15th of February. Please email your funding request to chair@pencaitland.org or, if you would like to discuss it first you can contact any of the Community Council members or call the Chair Ralph Averbuch on 01875 340 641.


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News

Winton Estate plans 2nd site tour for Pencaitland community

Last December Winton Estate took members of East Lothian Council and local community leaders from Pencaitland, New Winton and Ormiston on a site visit of the estate.

The primary role of that visit was to allow the Estate to demonstrate what it currently does to generate income and discuss ideas for ways it may be extended and diversified in the future.

Ideas included the potential to revive, reinstate and redevelop existing sites such as Winton Hill to more ambitious plans to potentially generate income from sand and gravel extraction on the Estate, which then leads to leisure opportunities in creating an artificial water reserve.

Community leaders generally were open to hearing more and left heartened by the Estate enthusiasm to engage with local opinion on its plans.

A tour for the whole community

Of course, the thoughts and views of the community are not simply those held by elected councillors from East Lothian Council nor those sitting on local Community Councils. So, in an effort to reach out to the widest possible audience potentially affected by any future developments, Winton Estate is holding a further tour on the 25th of January. Below is an open invitation from owner Francis Ogilvy made to any locals living in and around Pencaitland, Boggs Holdings and district.

Francis & Dorothy Ogilvy in the grounds of Winton House and Estate
Francis & Dorothy Ogilvy in the grounds of Winton House and Estate

Please come to the Pencaitland and Winton Bowling Club next Saturday, 25th January at 1.00pm for a soup and sandwiches lunch, followed by a brief tour of Winton Estate. We shall aim to return to the Clubhouse for further refreshments and a time of discussion.

The purpose of the tour is to hear what the local community would like the adjoining Winton Estate to do in the future. It is also to share some of the estate ideas we have and to see how a process of dialogue can be taken forward to develop ideas generally. The desire is to secure mutual benefit and plan for the long term of the village and the estate where practically possible. We have already held tours for members of the community and county councils as well as other officials at national and local levels. We are now seeking to consult directly with adjacent village communities. We have met in New Winton and two tours are taking place next Saturday with Ormiston in the morning and Pencaitland in the afternoon.

This is an early stage in a consultation exercise, intended to enable myself and a community planning colleague, Nick Wright the opportunity to listen to views from the community. I have my own ideas and I shall share some of these on the day, however they are not fixed or the whole process would be nullified from the outset. Even if you are unable to attend next week, it would be appreciated if you could pass this invitation on to anyone you may consider likely to be interested to come along. I should ask, however that my colleague, Audrey Stevenson be alerted for the sake of catering and transportation as numbers are limited. Her email address is audrey@wintonhouse.co.uk or a message can be left on the Winton phone 01875 340 222.

For transportation purposes there is a limit to how many spaces are available on the mini tour bus, so if you are interested in attending we recommend you get in touch early to secure a place.

Some facts about Winton Estate…

  • Winton Estate comprises 2,500 acres
  • Winton House is considered one of the most architecturally important buildings in the UK
  • The House is used to provide corporate and private hospitality
  • There are two self catering properties on the estate
  • It employs 34 people (half part-time) plus temporary seasonal staff
  • Farmland makes up two thirds of the estate
  • Managed woodland covers 850 acres including Saltoun Big Wood
  • 100 acres of farmland were converted back to broadleaf woodland
  • £1.25 million has been invested on the woods over the last ten years
  • There is 12 miles of pathway around the estate – The Winton Walks
  • There are 30 estate houses and cottages
  • A third of the estate houses are occupied by staff
  • Three fields next to the Tyne river on the estate contain high quality sand and gravel

 

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News

Courier covers Sunday Litter Pick

The Courier featured a picture and short story in this week's paper on last Sunday's Litter Pick, which enjoyed the biggest turn-out to date.
The Courier featured a picture and short story in this week’s paper on last Sunday’s Litter Pick, which enjoyed the biggest turn-out to date. Click above for full story.


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News

Great turnout at Pencaitland’s Litter Pick doubles volume of junk

It was touch & go but in the end the Sun shone down on Pencaitland’s army of litter pickers who scoured the streets & pathways for a record rubbish haul.

Just some of the kids who helped make the 2013 Litter Pick a success with the pile of litter collected continuing to swell throughout a fine sunny afternoon. Click the photo for more pictures.
Just some of the kids who helped make the 2013 Litter Pick a success with the pile of litter collected continuing to swell throughout a fine sunny afternoon. Click the photo for more pictures.
With the recent hard to predict weather we have been encountering it was anyone’s guess as to how many would choose to venture out to spend a few hours helping clean up their community. In the end any doubts were quickly dispelled when around 60 kids turned up, either with family or with one of a number of community groups, including Cubs, Beavers, Rainbows, Pencaitland Youth Football Club and Guides. Then there was a strong cohort of parents and other adults along to help out making it a community-wide affair, covering all ages and backgrounds.

The Community Council would like to say a huge thank you to all those who took part in today’s event. In addition to the usual well-trodden routes, with such a good turnout we were able to cover far more ground which resulted in a significant increase in the amount finally collected. It’s estimated that the volume of litter bagged is around double the amount retrieved at last year’s event.

Many thanks also to Pencaitland Primary for putting together some fantastic posters publicising the event.

Amongst the flotsam found:

  • Two Wooly hats
  • Three single gloves
  • Three wellies
  • Four car hubs
  • Many many plastic and glass bottles and aluminium cans.
  • A pair of jeans
  • Underpants
  • A hoodie
  • A truck mud guard

You can see photos from today’s event below. Anyone wishing to have an original copy should email website@pencaitland.org

Categories
Events News

Pencaitland Litter Pick 2013 Countdown: Day 2 — What cost litter?

Did you know that local authorities spend £100 million every year cleaning up after us? Every bit of litter not put in a bin is a cost to everyone.

Just turn up at 2pm to Trevelyan Hall, get your raffle ticket, bag & a picker & you're ready to roll... Click the photo above for full details.
Just turn up at 2pm to Trevelyan Hall, get your raffle ticket, bag & a picker & you’re ready to roll… Click the photo above for full details.
You might not think it when you see it but there are financial consequences to litter. Tourism is worth over £4bn a year to Scotland with over 90% of tourists citing scenery as the main reason for their visit – every tourist who won’t come back because of litter and mess basically costs us all money. We get our own share of tourists in this part of the world taking part in the whisky trail to Glenkinchie.

Householders and land owners spend huge sums clearing mess from their own properties. And local authorities spend £100m of your money on street cleansing every year.

But small actions can make a big difference, and save us millions. Concern about this goes right to the top of Government. Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for the Environment and Rural Affairs, says, “action must be taken now against Scotland’s litter problem. It is a poor advertisement for our country, which should instead be recognised for its clean air and unspoilt landscapes.” Together we can make a difference.

Come to your Litter Pick

As with past years the Litter Pick action kicks off from 2pm in Pencaitland’s Trevelyan Hall. Groups or families turning up will be given litter pickers and bags before heading off to various parts of, not only Pencaitland, but hopefully some of the other areas covered by the Community Council.

Why a Litter Pick?

Scotland has a litter problem. Take a look the next time you walk outside and you’ll be hard pushed to miss it. Cigarette butts, takeaway wrappers, crisp bags, cans and cartons, newspapers, ATM slips, chewing gum. You name it, and it’s on our streets and motorways, in our parks and our lochs, up our mountains, on our beaches and on your doorstep!

Our local Council does a pretty good job keeping on top of the bulk of our rubbish but the fact is that if we want to live in an attractive village it’s down to all of us to keep it that way. We can’t always rely on someone else to come along and clean up the mess for us. If each of us picks up just one item of rubbish blowing around our streets each day, it will help keep on top of a perennial problem.


Categories
Events News

Pencaitland Litter Pick 2013 Countdown: Day 3 — Dog Fouling

We are fortunate in Pencaitland in generally having responsible pet owners who clear up after their dogs.

Clean Up Scotland & the Dogs Trust work together to promote Poop Scoop Week later this year.
Clean Up Scotland & the Dogs Trust work together to promote Poop Scoop Week later this year.
However, sometimes doggy deposits do make it onto our local pavements and paths. Owners can get free poop scoop bags from the local Post Office and then pop it into one of the public bins.

It’s a dog’s life

There are between 6.5 and 7.4 million dogs in the UK, producing a hard-to-believe 1,000 tonnes of poo per day. It has been estimated that, in a ten year life span, the average dog produces a half tonne of waste!

In recent research into public attitudes to littering carried out by Keep Scotland Beautiful, 69 percent of people rated dog fouling as the item on our streets, parks and beaches that bothered them most, with 13 percent of the people blaming dog owners for the problem.

The Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003 came into force in 2003 which empowers police officers and authorised local authority officers to issue fixed penalty notices. A Fixed Penalty Fine for not picking up after a dog starts at £40, rising to £60. If the fine is not paid, owners can be convicted and end up paying up to £500. Probably not worth it for the cost of a free poop scoop bag from the Post Office!

The Dogs Trust and Keep Scotland Beautiful jointly promote National Poop Scoop Week throughout Scotland each summer.

As ever, East Lothian Council has its own small team of Dog Wardens with plenty of information to be found here.

Come to your Litter Pick

As with past years the Litter Pick action kicks off from 2pm in Pencaitland’s Trevelyan Hall. Groups or families turning up will be given litter pickers and bags before heading off to various parts of, not only Pencaitland, but hopefully some of the other areas covered by the Community Council.

Why a Litter Pick?

Scotland has a litter problem. Take a look the next time you walk outside and you’ll be hard pushed to miss it. Cigarette butts, takeaway wrappers, crisp bags, cans and cartons, newspapers, ATM slips, chewing gum. You name it, and it’s on our streets and motorways, in our parks and our lochs, up our mountains, on our beaches and on your doorstep!

Our local Council does a pretty good job keeping on top of the bulk of our rubbish but the fact is that if we want to live in an attractive village it’s down to all of us to keep it that way. We can’t always rely on someone else to come along and clean up the mess for us. If each of us picks up just one item of rubbish blowing around our streets each day, it will help keep on top of a perennial problem.


Categories
Events News

Event: Local band The Domestics supports Nine Mile Burn gig in New Winton on 20th April

Two local bands are set to rattle the rafters for revellers at an up-coming gig in New Winton village hall in aid of the community venue.

Nine Mile Burn play New Winton Village Hall 20th April with support The Domestics
Nine Mile Burn play New Winton Village Hall 20th April with support The Domestics.
Nine Mile Burn was formed in 2007 and used to be called White Noize. They now specialise playing blues with a jazz influence. Meanwhile the Domestics have two vocalists from Pencaitland in the form of Stella Birrell and Lynn Fraser. They were most recently seen in action at a fundraiser held in Pencaitland Bowling Club in February.

Funds raised at the New Winton gig are to help maintain the hall and keep it open for community use. Tickets can be bought on the door for £5. From 7.30pm on Saturday the 20th of April 2013. Cost of entry includes tea or coffee and a raffle. Bring your own bottle.


Categories
Events News

Pencaitland’s 2013 Litter Pick set for 21st April from 2pm

Pencaitland’s regular community Litter Pick is set to take place on Sunday the 21st of April from 2pm.

Pencaitland's Litter Pick-up 2012
Click the photo to see snaps from last year’s event.
As with past years the action kicks off from 2pm in Pencaitland’s Trevelyan Hall. Groups or families turning up will be given litter pickers and bags before heading off to various parts of, not only Pencaitland, but hopefully some of the other areas covered by the Community Council. We’re particularly keen to have groups or families who want to cover Glenkinchie or New Winton this year.

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.

This year's free prize draw, open to all under-16s taking part in the Litter Pick, is a Nikon L25 with memory card and case.
This year’s free prize draw, open to all under-16s taking part in the Litter Pick, is a Nikon L25 with memory card and case.
Last year we had a great selection including a rugby ball, a car bonnet and the Spar’s old shop sign blown away in a storm. Let’s see if we can find even more unusual stuff this time round.

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…

Bring your Camera

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.


Categories
News

Pencaitland Community falls short of full Council – Seeks new Reps

A recent letter in the East Lothian Courier laments the lack of locals stepping up to look out for their local area. Click to read.
A letter in the Courier laments lack of locals stepping up. Click to read.
Nominations recently closed for the twenty community councils within East Lothian. Most will return with no need for elections.

This has been the picture in the Pencaitland Community Council area for many years, with no elections ever having taken place for seats in this ward.

In all there are fifteen seats on Pencaitland’s Community Council with twelve taken up for the next session. Sadly, this means that we are under-represented.

We really want local representation for other parts of this ward including Peastonbank/Glenkinchie, New Winton, Boggs Holdings, Fountainhall and everywhere in-between. Equally, for a rural area we have no-one from the farming community nor anyone in their teens or 20s. Did you know you can be 16 and sit on the Community Council?

Pencaitland Community Council Area MapWe are searching for new blood to join the team. We need more voices on issues which directly affect you and your local environment. If you care about local matters then take the next step – come along to your local community council and see if you’d like to become a co-opted member.

Interested? Next Steps

Want to know more? Contact the current Community Council Chair, Ralph Averbuch, on 01875 340 641 or 07920 094 923 to discuss how you can get involved. Or you can email chair@pencaitland.org.

This is your chance to represent your local community and directly affect the way it develops in the future. Come along and be part of the team.