Butt to Barra District News

Official opening - Back Football and Recreation Club will be officially opening the all weather enclosed sport arena at Upper Coll on May 20th.

The opening kicks off another chapter in the history and ongoing development of Back Football and Recreation Club in that it adds yet another facility to the array of resources available at the Upper Coll Recreation Centre.

The local community are cordially invited to attend this special occasion with a special invitation being extended to all those who have had a connection with the club in the past.

HARRIS

Thanks - Crossroads (Harris) wish to acknowledge and give thanks for a generous donation of £5,000 from the Cardona Trust.

They have also received a donation of £150 from the Manish Scarista Church of Scotland.

A new domestic help service has now started which is available to the elderly, ill and people with disabilities. This service is separate from Crossroads normal service. The new service is not funded and there is a charge of £10 per hour. For more information contact Crossroads (Harris).

The group will be holding their AGM in the Bays Community Centre, Leacklea on Moday, May 30th at 7.30pm.

The guest speaker will be Dr Ron Culley, Chief Officer of Health and Social Care. Members of the public andcarers are welcome to attend.

Charity dinner - The Leverburgh Care Home will be hosting a charity dinner on Friday, May 20th in Leverburgh Hall.

Tickets are priced at £20 and available from The Clachan and Leverburgh Care Home. Guest speaker is Charlie Nicolson from Blythswood.

It is Blythswood’s 50th anniversary this year and a small collection will be made for them on the night.

STORNOWAY

Fun run - The Stornoway 3km Family Fun Run will take place on Saturday, May 28th.

The gathering point for the run is at Lazy Corner starting at 10:05am the entry fee is £2.50, and there is a family fee of £10 for four or more.

Entry are forms available on the Stornoway Running and Athletics Club (SRAC) website or from the Lewis Sports Centre Reception.

Registration and entry for the Fun Run will take place on Friday, May 27th from 5pm to 9pm and again on Saturday from 9:00am to 9.40am in Stornoway Town Hall.

Runners to be ready to start at Lazy Corner 10:05am at the start of the Half Marathon.

Medals will be provided for all finishers and the prizegiving will take place after the race at 10:50am.

Under 8s must be accompanied by an adult.

Age Categories for winners will be Under 9, 11, 13 & 15. Run for your School - ‘Fastest School in the West’ – the first four runners from one Primary school past the finishing line.

WESTERN ISLES

Rural manifesto - Scottish Rural Action is aiming to hold the country’s biggest ever conversation on rural issues this year with a campaign to write a manifesto for rural Scotland.

Events are being held all across rural Scotland and are planned for places as far apart as Shetland to the Borders, Isle of Eigg to Angus. Confirmed events taking place as follows:

Bayhead Bridge Centre, Stornoway May 26th, 6.30pm - 8.30pm; Tarbert Community Hall, Pier Rd, Isle of Harris HS3 3DG, 6.30pm-8.30pm, Saturday 28th May 2016, RSVP: http://harrisruralmanifesto.eventbrite.co.uk; Balivanich Community Hall, Balivanich, Benbecula, HS7 5ND, 6.30pm-8.30pm, Tuesday 31st May 2016, RSVP: http://uistruralmanifesto.eventbrite.co.uk

The campaign will culminate with debates on the manifesto at the Scottish Rural Parliament in October 2016, before participants vote to adopt the document.

Scottish Rural Action will use the final manifesto to promote the view of rural communities throughout Scotland to decision-makers at all levels of government.

LOCHS

Thursday 19th May –Murdo Beaton will be giving a talk and slide-show on the battlefields of Flanders titled ‘Walking in the Footsteps of Heroes’. 7.30pm, North Lochs Community Centre, Leurbost.

Soup and pudding - Saturday 21st Kinloch Women for Mission are having a soup and pudding event with a baking stall on Saturday 21st May from midday to 2.30pm in aid of SASRA. Kinloch Free Church Hall.

Sgoil nan Loch - Mairi Maclennan (Gaelic Medium P7) has recently won a competition for her piece of artwork entitled ‘Fuil a’ Chogaidh’.

The competition was run by the London registered charity Never Such Innocence. Mairi won for the age category 9-11 and it was run across Britain. For this she won £500, half of which goes to Mairi and half to the school.

Not only this, Mairi and her mother have been invited to the House of Lords in London on the 16th of May where she will receive her award.

The event is being hosted by Baroness Jenkin of Kennington. She will be awarded her prize and certificate by General Gordon Messenger and they will also watch a special video message recorded for them by the Duke of Westminster.

New Art work - The concrete bus shelter at Keose Road end is one of the first shelters in the Isle of Lewis to have an art exhibit mounted on its walls. The work of Artist Roos Dijkhuizen is supported by An Lanntair Gallery.

Saturday 11th June – Date for your diary Comann Eachdraidh Cheann a Tuath Nan Loch walkers will be meeting at Cameron Terrace (Time TBC) and will car share to North Harris to walk to the Eagle Observatory at Meavaig, Isle of Harris.

GLASGOW LEWIS AND HARRIS ASSOCIATION

Event postponed - The participants in Oidhche Chaluinn were ready to perform the excerpts which had been selected from the long history of unique performances.

An ongoing industrial dispute ruled otherwise and the Committee decided yet again to postpone this particular evening to a future date.

As and when this can be finalised is not known at this time but the Committee have not lost sight of the promise to promote once circumstances are more favourable.

On a more positive note the Glasgow launch of the new book based on the songs generated during the first world war was an informative and educational evening for all those present.

Jo Macdonald and Anella Macleod ‘s book was reaching out and in gathering the compositions reflecting the suffering and cruelty which surrounded that generation.

Bringing it all to immediate reality was the task facing Joannie Morrison who sang some of the songs in this new publication. Those who collected and collated the songs deserve congratulations on what they have achieved with this book. Without their dedication the songs could have become remote to the point of obscurity and everyone, especially future generations, deprived of this treasure chest of Gaelic songs.