Butt to Barra District News 24.3.16

The Carloway Community Shop AGM - The Steering Group will be holding its Annual General Meeting in the Carloway School Annex on Friday 25th March, starting at 7:30pm.

We will be unveiling our plans for the Community Shop at the meeting as we now enter the final stage of the feasibility study.

The group have received a huge and positive response from local businesses in Carloway and indeed across the island who have expressed a keen interest in selling their local produce in the proposed store, with over twenty five letters of support already received.

The project aims to serve the community of Carloway, the residents of which see as a key priority with the nearest shop six miles away and 12 miles to the nearest filling station, as well as those who visit the area with the district playing a key role in the island’s tourist sector.

We encourage every resident, community groups and others with an interest in the shop to attend the meeting to see our plans for this exciting project.

Tea, coffee and cakes will be served on the night. A warm welcome awaits!

UIG

Community Dinner – the annual Senior Citizens’ Dinner was held this year on Saturday 20th February, having been postponed from January because of stormy weather.

There were about 60 people at the dinner this year, all very appreciative of the occasion and pleased to have the opportunity of gathering together at such a sociable event.

The Community Hall was warm and welcoming, with the tables nicely decorated for the occasion; the meal was beautifully prepared and presented and as always, there was plenty of it.

Guests were welcomed by Community Council Chairman, John Maciver and grace was said by Rev. Hugh Stewart, parish minister. The highlight of the occasion this year was the presentation, from the Uig community, to Ann Fraser, Callanish, who recently retired from the district nursing team.

Nurse Fraser started as Uig district nurse in January 1994 and became very well-known throughout the area for her professional skills and also for the very special, cheerful and friendly manner in which she went about her duties.

After the re-organisation of the district nursing service, although not actually based here, she continued as one of the nursing team who serve this community when required and we are all now very sorry to lose her and extend good wishes to her for a long and happy retirement.

Cllr. Macdonald and Dr Hay both spoke in tribute to her and then tokens of the community’s esteem were presented to her by former district nursing colleague, Mary Ann Maciver. Nurse Fraser then thanked the community and assured us that she would always be very happy to continue visiting here.

The annual dinner this year was a very enjoyable event with a lovely, friendly atmosphere and all who were there wish to thank the Community Council for organising it.

Sad Death – the community was saddened by the death on February 16th at Dun Berisay Home, Stornoway ,of Mrs Peggy Ann Macdonald, of 4 Crowlista.

Peggy Ann, who was 93, had been lovingly cared for at Dun Berisay since 2009 when she became unable to continue on her own at home following the death of her husband, Donald Angus.

We were all saddened to hear of her final illness, then of her death, but, in a sense, we lost Peggy Ann when she had to leave her own home and her cheerful, outgoing personality was very much missed from the neighbourhood and by a large circle of relations and friends.

She was a lady who was never idle, attending to all the duties of home and croft and for many years, working as a home carer for her neighbours whenever the need arose.

We are left with pleasant memories of her kindness and hospitality in a home, which was one of the happiest any one could ever visit. The sympathy of the community is extended to her daughters, Donalda in Shetland and Christine in the Edinburgh area, to their families and to her sister, Marion, at Valtos.

The wake and funeral services were held Uigean Church which Peggy Ann and Donald Angus faithfully attended all their lives and were conducted by Rev Hugh Stewart, assisted by Rev Roddy Morrison and Rev Stephen Mathews. Interment followed at Ardroil cemetery.

EDINBURGH

Event - The Edinburgh Society of the Land of the Hills is holding an event on March 26th from 7.30pm at Augustine United Church ,George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.

The programme for the evening includes: Kirsteen Macdonald Mod Gold Medal; James Graham Mod Gold Medal; Linn Phipps Silver Pendant; John Cooke Nyckleharpa; Highland Dancers; Neil McClure Piper.

The event is suitable for all ages and admission is £6 (members £5) accompanied children free. Tickets available at the door.Tea/Coffee and home-baking served at the interval.

STORNOWAY

Pupils learn about careers in construction - Pupils of the Nicolson Institute received a careers talk from GRAHAM Construction, the main contractor for the refurbishment work on Lews Castle.

Pupils heard about the many different routes into the construction industry and the opportunities which are available to them after leaving school. Next month sixth formers from the college will go on a site visit to Lews Castle, the Victorian Grade A listed building, which GRAHAM is refurbishing.

The work includes a new museum and archive extension on the site of the former glasshouses as well as extensive works to repair and restore the historic interior of the Castle located west of Stornoway. Work experience opportunities have also been offered to students from Lews Castle College and the Nicolson Institute, with four engineering students from the college scheduled to start placements during Easter.

As part of its commitment to the local community, almost half of the people (43%) employed on the contract are residents of the Western Isles whilst 45% of sub-contractors are also local. Each sub-contractor has also been offered full funding of SVQ’s to upskill their workforce.

Once completed, the museum, which will be the first in the UK to use Gaelic as its first language, will form a key visitor destination and gateway to a unique heritage network across the 15 inhabited islands of the Outer Hebrides.

It will display the collections of Museum nan Eilean (MnE) while enhancing the work of over 20 community heritage organisations which have been actively preserving and promoting the language and local culture of their Gaelic communities for the last 30 years and have collected photographs, documents and memorabilia on a scale unparalleled elsewhere in the UK.

LOCHS

Easter Fayre - There will be an Easter Fayre in Balallan Hall on Saturday 26th at 2pm.

Tea and coffee will be served and there will be raffles and sales tables: including baking, face painting, hand knitting, shellac nails, caricature drawings, Jenni Aw things, trinkets and lots more.

There will also be an Easter Egg hunt. Come along from 2pm.