Grapevine SPRING 2026 Kirkton Auchencairn Duncow Dalswinton
You’ll find lots of information in here about groups, clubs, contacts, events etc. Please come along to one of the many events on the calendar. It’s a great way to get to know your neighbours and meet like-minded people. This will be the last edition of the Grapevine with Editor Alice Howdle helping support this community magazine as she moves on to greener pastures. Thank you, Alice, for your support, we wish you well in your latest endeavours. Following our appeal in the last issue and rigorous interview session (a cup of coffee with Alice and Irene), we’ve recruited a new editor, Nina Sanders. She has helped with putting this Grapevine together and will be the lead next time. Nina will be helped into the role by Irene Paterson, our remaining Editor before she also leaves her role. Due to this shake-up, we are looking for new recruits to join the Grapevine project to ensure this fantastic community resource can continue long into the future. It does not require a huge amount of time to collect articles and edit them and offers a chance for aspiring writers, journalists, photographers, artists, students looking for extra credit and those wanting a deeper involvement in the community to have their voice heard and share their perspectives on Kirkmahoe and its values. Thanks to Derek Ivy for his help with proof reading. Without this community involvement, the magazine will be at risk of being discontinued, as it takes more than one person to produce and share this resource. Let us strengthen our community connections and build an even better magazine for the future. If you are interested to get involved, please email kccgrapevine@gmail.com Community Council News Resilience What Three Words We have updated the resilience plan for Kirkmahoe and a separate plan has been put in place for Kirkton. These have been submitted to Dumfries and Galloway Council so that our activities and those of volunteers acting in good faith are covered by their insurance. The first aid course brought to light the usefulness of ‘WHAT THREE WORDS’ which is a system for telling the emergency services your location if you need to call them. It is an app which you can put onto your mobile phone and the instructor suggested that everyone should have it installed in case of an accident. She said that if you need the emergency services it saves time and stress to have it already, rather than having to download it first. In January we had a very good day of first aid training for 12 volunteers. It was provided by Dumfries and Galloway College and paid for out of the contributions from Dalswinton windfarm. The training included practice with the defibrillator. Everyone completed the course and received a certificate, lasting for 3 years. If there is sufficient demand before the three years is up, we will consider running another course for anyone who is interested. We have purchased a new case for the defibrillator at Kirkton Village Hall which is more visible and easier to use. It has a keypad on it and the code is displayed in the phone box or is obtained by phoning for an ambulance. Both village halls and the phone box in Kirkton have notices of their What Three Words location displayed. Reminder Equipment for households to protect against flooding including sandless sandbags are available from Dumfries and Galloway Council at cost price. https:// www.dumfriesandgalloway.gov.uk/sites/default/ files/2024-12/Flood-Lft-DMac-July-2023.pdf 3
Events The Community Council is hoping to run a desk top exercise/resilience practice day probably in early September which will be for everyone in the community to join in. There have been both Halloween and Christmas parties held at Kirkton Hall which were well attended by the local children of Kirkmahoe. Local volunteers helped to organise, set up and run the events which were very successful and thoroughly enjoyed by the children in attendance. The Community Council funded these events which couldn’t have gone ahead without the help of the many volunteers (and elves) involved, not to mention the visit from Santa himself! So thank you to all for the support given and we look forward to more parties in future. Community Council News From a summary of the minutes, we can see that the Community Council has been quite busy, but most of the activities relate to community resilience and place planning. Additionally we have responded to consultations on flooding and the effects of being flooded on mental health. Ian and Irene attended a regional day for Community Councillors which they found interesting. We have corresponded with D&G Council about the state of the road/potholes/road signs, especially along the C11N. There is a new portal called Fix My Street for reporting these things. You can see what has been reported and the Council response.You can find it at: https://repair.dumfriesandgalloway.gov.uk/ There are moves afoot from community councils in the Scottish Borders to work together to lobby the Scottish Government on the way that energy infrastructure is being introduced piecemeal into the countryside without proper consideration of the existing systems. In particular Battery Energy Storage facilities which could potentially cover very large areas of our countryside. There is another request from a different community council in the Scottish Borders to participate in lobbying the Scottish Government about the way forestry is being rolled out and the absence of consultation with local communities. We are following both of these campaigns with interest and will likely sign the associated petitions. Place Planning The place planning group is delighted that Nithsdale Area Committee has agreed to register the Kirkmahoe Local Place. The plan and supporting statement has been added to the list of registered LPPs on the Council’s webpage. We were commended for the quality of the plan. Now that the plan has been registered the Development Planning team will be able to take it into account when preparing the proposed local development plan. We are extremely grateful to Derek Hextall for his patience and guidance, and to all the people in Kirkmahoe who shared their opinions and ideas with us. 44 Carol Singing in December took a different form this year as the weather was unreliable. Instead of walking around Kirkton we had a friendly gathering in Kirkton Hall which was ably led by Claudia Banks, a talented singer who recently moved into the village. It was very successful and enjoyed by everyone who was there. We raised £43.80 which was sent to the Bethany Trust in Dumfries Farewell We are saying goodbye to someone who has been at the very heart of our community for many years. Alice Howdle has served Kirkmahoe with dedication in almost every role imaginable – Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer – and has been a constant presence at community events and initiatives. Her commitment, energy and kindness have shaped and strengthened the Community Council and the wider community in ways that will be felt for a long time to come, and she will be truly missed. On behalf of my family, the Community Council and the whole community, thank you Alice, for everything you’ve given and for the help, support and advice you’ve given me personally in my time as Chair. We wish you and David every happiness in the adventures ahead, and we hope you’ll always feel part of Kirkmahoe. Graeme Lawrence
The heritage group is up and running again. We are currently sorting through a large quantity of documents and assembling them into an archive which will be filed in the room upstairs in Kirkton Hall and be available for everyone to look at. This edition’s front cover photo is taken from the archive and shows the prefabs which were in Kirkton prior to the new building in the village in the 1980s. Can you guess who the child in the front garden is? If you would like to be part of the group, please contact Ian White 07872 986 477 or Janette Roberts 07974 717 544. Discover Kirkmahoe We are delighted to report that the walk along to Nith has been repaired and is now easily passable near Milnhead. Whoever did this, thank you very much! And we are obviously not very good at proof reading! We discovered that the Dalswinton walk on page 32 of the walks book has the same text in boxes 1 and 2. So here is the correct version of box 2. Please cut it out and stick it over the existing one. We have cut back some overgrown hedges which should make walking more enjoyable. But the best way to maintain the paths is for lots of people to walk them from time to time. One jaunt we especially enjoy is to take the bus to Heathhall Garden Centre for a coffee and then walk back to Kirkton along the path leaving from Dalscone Farm. We also enjoy following the Dalswinton route and calling in at Blumen for refreshments. We even feel justified in trying one of the delicious cakes on offer after our exertions. The crocuses on the green at Kirkton put on another great show this year and the tubs on the green will be replanted very soon. In previous years, we have been given plants by the council but following the closure of their nursery at Castledykes, they have given us a grant to purchase what we need. Thanks to Heathhall Garden Centre for supplying us with a discount! As in previous years, we will be holding a plant sale/swap. This year it will be on Sunday 24th May. At the same time, we are having a tabletop sale in the hall. If you would like to book a table to sell craft items, bric a brac, toys or any other items in good condition, please contact Alice or Irene (contact details in What’s On pages). Tables will cost £5 each. 2 Turn right and walk towards the gates of the house. If you glance through a narrow gateway in the wall on your right, just before the junction, you will see some lovely geese sculptures. In the area to the left of the gateposts of Dalswinton house are the ruins of Comyn’s tower. It is worth a short detour to take a better look at the tower. Continue along the road with the loch on your right, towards the stable block (Dalswinton Mains). Follow the signs for Bankfoot farm. Dalswinton House sits high on your left at this point, on the same site as the 13th Century castle. If you wish, you can walk round the loch, across the wee Japanese bridge to see the folly tower. You can walk all the way round the loch or just retrace your steps back to the road. Carry on the road past the stable block following the road sign towards Bankfoot farm. 55
Kirkton Badminton Club Here at the Kirkton Badminton club, we’ve had another successful year. We have a couple of new members, welcome to Nigel and Julie, and a lovely return of our favourite junior, Bailey. This brings our membership back up to a healthy 14. We have a mixture of ages and abilities, and we most definitely don’t take ourselves too seriously. Our motto is, a wee bit exercise, a few laughs with some lovely homemade treats at half time. Our club meets weekly on Monday nights in Kirkton Village Hall from 7.30 to 9.30pm. Each player averages 4 or 5 games in an evening. Throughout the year we have a few theme nights. was a wonderful surprise as she never wins anything and it had such variety of contents, she didn’t know where to start! Even though we are a non-competitive club we do have awards for various things at the end of the season. This year award winners are: Tam McCormack Shield club champion: Shirley Currie Runner up: Matthew Buxton Junior champion shield: Bailey Smith Good Companion award: Nigel Musk Most improved player award: Julie Peacock Best attendance: Angela McNay & Nigel Musk This year’s Halloween one was well supported and the winners were 1st Gillian Gemmell 2nd Shirley Currie and to keep it a family affair, 3rd place was Matthew Gemmell. And as always, we honour our players who scored the least in any single game. This year we award the Wooden Spoon for a score of 2 to Angela McNay (x2) Sammy Roper and Nigel Musk. At Christmas we had our festive attire theme. Again, the membership all put in a great effort trying to outdo each other. We may be finished for the summer, but we shall be restarting on Monday 28 September at 7.30pm in Kirkton Village Hall. On the last evening of the season we hold a games night, with a great variety of games provided by John. This year I think we are having curling on wheels, skittles, beanbag tossing and a mystery game being chosen by John. It’s such fun for some of us reliving our bygone years. This is followed by us going tenpin bowling, another fun night. Everyone is welcome. We accept well behaved children from the age of 10 years. Our Christmas hamper raffle is going from strength to strength with more people generously donating extra prizes this season. The main prize was won by Marianne, a member of Kirkmahoe SWI, who said that it For more information, please contact Shirley 07724 385 234 or Curriekirkton@outlook.com Adult membership is £10 per season + £2 per week Junior membership is £5 per season + £1.50 per week Adult visitor is £3 per visit Junior visitor is £2 per visit We look forward to welcoming returning and new members next season. The Post Office Tuesdays and Thursdays 9.00-11.00 Kirkton Village Hall There are so many services available at the post office in Kirkton hall. Please pop in and see what’s available. • Cash Withdrawals and Pay-Ins • Pay household bills – phone, electricity etc • Pick up and return of parcels • Stamps and much more 6 use it or lose it
Soup & Pud April 2nd April 16th April 30th May 14th May 28th June 11th June 25th July 9th July 23rd August 6th August 20th Why not come along to Kirkton village hall on alternate Thursdays – see list of dates – for a delicious home-made lunch. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with pals, old and new. This is free to all Kirkmahoe residents. This term we had a visit from the local Environmental Health officer to check on our premises and procedures. We’re pleased to say we passed with flying colours. And many thanks to all our volunteers who prepare the meal, set up the hall, serve, clear tables and wash up. If you’d like to join the team, call in on a Soup and Pud day, enjoy your lunch and talk to us! Blueberry Cake • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour • 1 ½ cups white sugar • 1 tablespoon baking powder • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 cup milk • ½ cup vegetable oil • 2 large eggs, beaten • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract • 2 cups fresh blueberries • 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, or as needed • 2 tablespoons butter, melted • 2 tablespoons white sugar, or more to taste 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking dish. 2. Sift 2 ½ cups flour, 1 ½ cups sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract; mix into a semi-thick batter. 3. Toss blueberries with about 2 teaspoons flour in a separate bowl; fold into batter. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. 4. Bake in the preheated oven until cake is lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Brush melted butter on top of cake and sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons sugar. Continue to bake until golden brown and glazed on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 5 to 10 more minutes. Police Contacts Your local Community officer is: PC Hayley Elliot Your Community Team email is: NithsdaleCPT@scotland.police.uk Dial 999 for an emergency that requires urgent police attention. For non-emergency contact, call 101 If you have information about crime in your area and wish to provide it anonymously, call CRIMESTOPPERS on 0800 555 111 Service users who are deaf or have a hearing impairment can contact Police Scotland via TextRelay on 18001 101 for non-emergency, or 18000 in an emergency. To follow us on social media: Facebook: DumfriesGallowayPoliceDivision X: @POSODandG For further information about Dumfries and Galloway Division or your local Community Policing Team please visit the Dumfries and Galloway section of the force website at: https://www.scotland.police.uk/your-community/dumfries-and-galloway 7
Another exciting and fun term has been had at Duncow School Sand! Sand! Sand! We are delighted to announce that Duncow Primary has its very own incredible SANDPIT!!! With the help of all the pupils and some amazing parents who arrived at the end of the day, 12 bags of sand were carried round the back of our school and our sandpit was made! The children, and adults, are enjoying this amazing new learning space. We are looking at many many more years of fun to come! Parent Power! Thanks to all who shared their muscles with us!! 8
Joke Time FROM DUNCOW PRIMARY Thomas What happened when the bird was stuck in the tree? They couldn’t get down! Albie What do you call a fish with no eyes? Fsh! Lewis What do you call a Deer with no eyes? James What do you call it when you drop a piano on a child? A flat minor! No ‘i’dea!!! Finley Why don’t fish play basketball? Because they’re afraid of the net! igging in I love d sandpit the new Rosie P1 Cale P2 / I like it be it is like cause a beach Maggie P 1 I like to s ol shape make co sand in the Raife P3 Lewis and Henry won joint 3rd place and Kayleigh, Matthew L, Annabelle and Albie received highly commended certificates! Well done! The last day of term What fun we had! ‘Egg’ parachute challenges, egg hunts, bunny drives and of course, our egg design challenge! Super learning and fun was had by all! We only lost 6 eggs in our parachute challenge! Super effort to all teams! Lewis What do you call a Deer with no eyes and no legs? P1-3 worked hard on a challenge designing a basket to carry an egg, UNBOILED EGG, safely around an assault course! Still No ‘i’dea!!! What results and we are pleased to announce that all eggs we all delivered safely back and were eaten by Mrs Miller for tea!! It is rea ll fun to p y lay in Isla P2 I really like the sand because I can make tunnels Mathew P6 Rotary Art Competition ying e pla ys in v o l I to the h t i w sand the 1 cer P Spen Please take time to check out our school blog - ‘Duncow Diaries’ - Just type Duncow Diaries – Working Together to Achieve Excellence into google search and there we are! Here you will be able to keep up with all the news from the best school in Dumfries! sa ed off a It start it w ut no vision b e e tru has com P6 Annabelle I love th es because and make m I can ud cake s Maggie P 2 97
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