May 2011

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May 2011

Gordon Cockburn opened his new exhibition last Saturday in his Maybole High Street gallery. The exhibition, which will remain on view till June 26, shows images Gordon has painted of his travel throughout Europe and features night and street life scenes of Amsterdam, Paris and Venice. He will be donating 25% of sales from his exhibition, or any other painting on display, to the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity.

A fantastic musical in Maybole to raise funds for Yorkhill Hospital - officially the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (Yorkhill) – exceeded all expectations last week. more

Johnjo Innes is getting a waxing! ouch! to raise funds for Prostate Cancer Scotland which started with a Psychic Night and a disco after the waxings. What’s amazing here is the looks on everyone’s face – they are absolutely enjoying the pain inflicted!!! Kate Hutchison would like to thank Isobel Cree, psychic; Ian, Jonjo and Willie for being waxed; Tonya for the waxing and Allison McGregor for doing the disco.


Willie Parker is looking quite cheerful before Tonya Dowie waxes his bikini line– but then not .... on to his armpit


and now the chest, back of leg and back where it started		...is that the worst you can do	Ian Watson quite nonchalant

Race for Life The three Sabbatini sisters - Gail, Cindy and Theresa Marie decided to take part in the "Race for Life" in memory of their mum, Mary. They told us, “Our beloved mum was born, brought up, married, raised her family and sadly died recently in Maybole. She loved Maybole and never wanted to leave the town, and she never did. Mum died on 27th February this year after a short illness that she dealt with gracefully. She was 75 years old and had cancer. The three of us and our dad John, feel the need to thank everyone who helped look after mum for she had nothing but the best of care during her illness; but saying "thank you" did not seem enough. more

Carrick Colts under 7s with their new strips donated by Sandy and Alice Abbott of Rainbow Services, Maybole (3rd and 4th from left)

Brownie Royal Wedding Party. Local Brownies recently celebrated the Royal Wedding. Some of the Trefoil Guild members came along to join them. Mrs Cruickshank was a Brownie 79 years ago - quite amazing.

“I will be eternally grateful to her.” That was how Carrick Academy head teacher Keith Webster summed up his feelings towards retiring senior depute head teacher Isabel Johnstone. The occasion was a farewell dinner in the Savoy Park Hotel, Ayr which was attended by many of Mrs Johnstone’s colleagues, family and friends. Mr Webster went on to offer his thanks to her for all her help when he started at the Maybole secondary school two years ago and commented on the esteem in which she is held by colleagues, pupils and others in the community. He then presented her with a cheque as a mark of the high regard felt for her and wished her a long and happy retirement. more

Recently, Strathclyde Police in partnership with Carrick Crime Prevention Panel, South Ayrshire Council and the primary schools in Carrick, successfully re-launched the Vamoose to Vandalism anti-vandalism campaign. This campaign is targeted at elderly primary school kids and is part of an ongoing project to impress in young people of the wider consequences and dangers of vandalism. The key part of this campaign is an interactive theatre production. Chief Inspector Neil Kerr, South Ayrshire Area Commander said: “Although we’ve seen favourable trends recently, vandalism unfortunately is ever present in our communities. more

Gardenrose Nursery pupils were taking part in a sponsored dance last week They were raising funds to buy equipment for outdoor play and enjoyed dancing in the brilliant sunshine as their families watched.

Saint Cuthbert’s Primary School celebrated Green Britain Day last week to showcase some of the Green Projects they have been working on. Pupils and staff paid 50p to wear green and all pupils had the opportunity to participate in a Toy Swap to recycle toys and books. There was also home baking donated by parents and pupils which proved very popular. All pupils were encouraged to make a green pledge to become more environmentally friendly. In the afternoon the pupils worked to pick up any litter in the surrounding school area. The day raised £50 for the school Eco fund and pupils of the eco council will decide how the money should be spent. Well done eco warriors of Saint Cuthbert’s.

As part of Keep Scotland Tidy’s National Spring Clean campaign, pupils at Gardenrose Primary took part in a litter picking day on Thursday 28th April. The older children, supported by parents and staff, collected litter from the local community streets and parks. Younger children remained in the school grounds. A total of 25 bags were collected, with the majority having been collected outside the school. The local area and school grounds are now looking spick and span! Thanks to all who helped.

Gardenrose Primary recently held its annual Family Fun Day and, unlike previous years, everything was held indoors due to the weather. However, loads of families turned up and they certainly had lots of fun with music, dance mats, games, bouncy castles, a BBQ, tea and coffee, face painting, nail painting, stalls, home baking plus fantastic raffle prizes to be won including a wheelbarrow of beer – and the wheelbarrow was included!

The complete text of the headlines above and more articles follow below.

People have been walking in Hadrian’s Wall country for hundreds of years and that’s the next goal for Maybole postman Alex Gemmell in his attempt to raise funds for cancer charity Prostate Scotland. On July 1 Alex is heading for the Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail, the long-distance footpath that runs through the World Heritage Site and is 84 miles long. Hadrian’s Wall Path was opened in 2002 and has proved a success with walkers from both the UK and abroad. The route follows the line of Hadrian's wall, constructed by Roman emperor Hadrianus between AD120 and 128 to protect the northern extreme of the Roman Empire. It crosses the country from coast to coast from Wallsend, near Newcastle, to Carlisle and finally to the Solway Coast. Over the years Alex has raised a fantastic amount for various charities and he hopes that he will be supported again this year. If you spot him on his round just give him a shout or you can get in touch with him at 55 Hicks Avenue or on 01655 883496.

To celebrate her 60th birthday local carer Wilma Milligan decided that she would hold a party but instead of presents she asked guests to make a donation to charity. In addition, Wilma said that she wanted the collection to be in memory of her friend and colleague Agnes Jamieson who tragically died on October 25 last year after a short illness. Local carers thought this would be a nice gesture and when the donations were totalled the amount raised was a massive £925. Last week Wilma presented a cheque to Bryan Jamieson, Agnes’ son, who immediately passed it on to Eddie O’Hara, CEO of the charity “Ovarian lets shout for Linda”. Bryan said afterwards that his mum would have really appreciated the gesture and Mr O’Hara said he was delighted to accept the cheque on behalf of the Trustees. Eddie added, “I am overwhelmed by the generosity of Wilma and her colleagues and to raise such a fantastic amount is truly appreciated. “The money will be used in raising awareness of this dreadful disease but there is hope if detected early there is a 80 % survival rate. Even if one woman is more aware of the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer then Wilma's and our own efforts will be worthwhile.”

Before mum died we heard about the "Race for Life" event that is held every year for cancer research and thought that this was a fitting tribute to our mum. So, on 15th May, we set off to do our sponsored walk in memory of, and in honour of, our much loved mum. We would like to sincerely thank all who sponsored us and helped us raise the amazing sum of more than £1,400 for cancer research. Mum knew before she died that we were doing this sponsored walk and we hope she would have been pleased with our effort.”

Maybole lady bowlers celebrate their 50th anniversary as members of Maybole Bowling Club. On Saturday 7th May a match was held involving lady and gentlemen members to celebrate the fact that ladies had been playing in the club for 50 years. This was followed by a dinner in the clubhouse to which past office bearers and long-term members were invited. In toasting the ladies Hugh Paterson (club chairman) commented on the fact that it took until 1961 to allow ladies to play in the club. They are now full members holding the presidency of the club in alternate years and their contribution to the success of the club is immense. After the meal an anniversary cake was cut by May Hay and Stella McEwan the longest serving members present.

Ian and Alan Make It A Girvan Double Whammy. 82 hardy golfers recently defied a cold wind to compete for the Carrick Speakers Open trophies. By the end of a highly competitive day, Alan Gaff and Ian Garner, both of Girvan had captured the scratch and handicap trophies respectively. Alan was round in a super 64 and a jubilant Ian in a magnificent net 57. Richard Scott of Girvan was in second place with a net 60 with Bobby Green of Maybole in third place with a net 61. In his summing up of the day , Club Captain, Les Newlands thanked all sponsors for their generous support, South Ayrshire Council for the courtesy of the course, the starter for all her help, the staff of the 19th Hole and the greenkeeping staff at Girvan golf course. Both winners acknowledged the contribution made by the committee and members of Carrick Speakers Golf Club to the smooth running of the day. Special thanks were accorded to the Carrick Sports Club in Maybole for its very generous sponsorship once again. From L to R in the picture: Alan Gaff, Les Newlands, Ian Garner

The 16th Robin Speirs Memorial golf competition was held at Maybole Golf Course recently when 20 golfers took part on a sunny but blustery day. Winner was Kevin McSorley net 64, 2nd was Kevan McCrorie net 68, 3rd was Malcolm McKay net 68 and best scratch was Bobby Green 75. The golfers returned to the Maybole Arms for some much needed food kindly provided by Callum and Lesley. Thanks also goes to the staff for preparing the food. Golfers and regulars of the Maybole Arms raised £100 in the raffle which was donated to the NSPCC which will help to care for an abused child for a month. Photo shows Kevin McSorley receiving trophy from Robin’s mum Robina Campbell and brother Paul.

Maybole junior Golf Club goes from strength to strength. Maybole’s Clubgolf programme has over 50 junior members this season with Gareth Hardy, PGA professional at, Belleisle, returning to take charge of the coaching. Gareth has worked hard over the winter with South Ayrshire Council’s Catherine Malcolm to develop golf passports for the kids. Maybole has again been chosen to pilot this project after extensive input from the coaches who recognised a need to develop a simple way to let the parents and kids know how their golfing abilities are developing. Anyone wanting their child to get Golf Tuition should come along to Maybole Golf course on a Thursday night at 6pm to register, golf clubs will be provided, just remember to take a waterproof.

An interesting knock on effect that the coaching is having is that parents of the children involved are taking up golf for a first time and our photo shows some of them at Belleisle. The Ladies section of Maybole Golf Club now has a dozen mums wanting to take up golf. This is in no small part due to the success of Maybole’s junior section. Coaching staff were asked by some of the mums if they could get lessons, as they wanted to play golf with their kids. Ladies’ captain Stella Boyd rose to the challenge and arranged for Gareth Hardy to start coaching sessions earlier this year.

Catherine Malcolm(S.A.C) assisted by providing some demo clubs and now, due to the progress made, the mums are getting ready to take to the course. Stella Boyd said everyone is enjoying the lessons, its been great fun. Any ladies interested in going along and trying golf should visit the Clubhouse at Maybole Golf Course on Friday night at 6pm, or pass on their details to the starter at Maybole.

Tuesday May 10th was an important date for Maybole Ecumenical Prayer Group as it celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. It first met in 1981 in the West Parish Manse where it continued to meet for some years. It later moved around private homes and even spent some years in Maybole Castle, lastly transferring to 7 Kildoon Drive where it meets every Tuesday evening at 7.30pm until 9.30pm. This year the group is inviting speakers to celebrate with them. Revs. Ian Meredith, Brian Hendrie and Gordon Reid (former Old Parish Minister) have already been along this year and Fr. Philip and Bishop Maurice Taylor will be joining the group in May and July to celebrate the anniversary. Over its 30 years some 50 people have been members and last Tuesday saw 30 of them get together for dinner at Malin Court, an event which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Photographs of members taken over the years were a source of great hilarity and evoked many tales of past retreats and meetings. The group welcomes new members and if interested please do not hesitate to go along any evening.

Via a video link, Mike Goodwin, former head at Carrick Academy, commented on Mrs Johnstone’s work in peer helping and added that South Ayrshire Council owed her a huge debt of gratitude as do staff and pupils. Former colleague Elizabeth McCrindle said that as well as on professional and personal levels she had always valued Mrs Johnstone as a friend and paid tribute to her leadership, enthusiasm and encouragement. Sina Currie, representing the Parents Council, said that she had been a pupil of Mrs Johnstone and later a colleague whom she could depend for support and who had made her job so much easier.

David Kiltie, chair of Maybole Community Council, paid tribute to the relationship built between the school and community groups which had led to several projects being organised in partnership. He also then thanked her for all the hard work and dedication she had given to these projects and presented her with a vase inscribed with her name and the town’s coat of arms. In reply, Mrs Johnstone thanked everyone for their gifts and said that it was wonderful to share the evening with so many people and spoke of her plans for the future.

POLICE RE-LAUNCH VAMOOSE TO VANDALISM Recently, Strathclyde Police in partnership with Carrick Crime Prevention Panel, South Ayrshire Council and the primary schools in Carrick, successfully re-launched the Vamoose to Vandalism anti-vandalism campaign. This campaign is targeted at elderly primary school kids and is part of an ongoing project to impress in young people of the wider consequences and dangers of vandalism. The key part of this campaign is an interactive theatre production. Chief Inspector Neil Kerr, South Ayrshire Area Commander said: “Although we’ve seen favourable trends recently, vandalism unfortunately is ever present in our communities. This project targets primary school kids teaching them of the wider consequences of vandalism and interacts with the kids on their level. Vamoose to Vandalism is fun performance and all of the kids had a great time and understood the anti-vandalism message. Hopefully as they enter their teens they will remember some of the key messages from the performance and think twice before committing acts of vandalism.” Over 500 primary school kids took part during the two day event, held at Girvan and Gardenrose Primary schools. If you have any questions regarding this press release, please contact Mark Green at Ayr office on 01292 664010.

Fashion Show. A highly successful fashion show was held in Maybole Town Hall on Friday 6th May. Fashions were provided by Debenhams and commentary was by Christine Campbell whose husband Craig and niece Kirsty supervised the sound system. Those present were impressed by the offers Christine described and enjoyed seeing local people give a very professional modelling display. Live music was provided by Murray Patrick who played his accordion in the intervals. His rendition of “the Dark Island “ in particular was so beautiful that it stilled the whole audience. The Carrick Centre and the church will benefit by £1,100 as a result of the evening.

A fantastic musical in Maybole to raise funds for Yorkhill Hospital - officially the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (Yorkhill) – exceeded all expectations last week.

The concert was organised in the name of Cameron Kelly, of Hawthorn Drive, Ayr who was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the age of ten. Since then he has been grateful for all the assistance of staff at Yorkhill Hospital in controlling his condition. Cameron is very active and plays badminton, tennis and represents his school at football. He is also in the Boys’ Brigade and attends church bible class.

He wanted to repay his friends at Yorkhill for all their care and asked his mum Elizabeth for ideas to raise funds. She suggested a concert involving “Hugh and Friends”, a local group she is musical director with. The varied programme included Hugh Paterson and his Friends; as well as Jenna Reid and James Thomson; and the multi award winning Ayr Academy choir.

Their audience was treated to a selection of modern and old favourites, classical and religious songs with humour thrown in and how they loved it. It is doubtful if Maybole Baptist Church has heard such sustained applause in a long time. The concert was a sell out and a cheque was prepared beforehand for a £1,000 but afterwards, Hugh Paterson told us, “When the collection on leaving the hall and late donations were added the total raised became £1,500. It makes you proud to belong here!”

MC for the evening was Winnie McCulloch who filled the gaps between artistes with her humorous stories. Hugh and Friends started the entertainment off with Some Enchanted Evening, Marion Mitchell sang a classical Italian song, then it was a Scottish selection from Hugh’s group—Duncan Gray, Bonnie Gallowa’, Bonnie Wee Thing (assisted by Ayr Academy choir), and Killiecrankie.

Elizabeth McCrindle recited a couple of humorous poems and then Ayr Academy choir sang Hushaby Mountain and Colours of the Wind. Pie Jesu Marion Mitchell and Mhairi Gibson was a real highlight and then a change to the programme was announced. The Reid Sisters, Jenna and Bethany, are supremely talented Shetland Fiddlers who have close ties to Maybole and were scheduled to play but unfortunately Bethany could not make it. Her fiancé, James Thomson, stepped in however and accompanied Jenna on a number of selections.

Closing the first half, Hugh and Friends sang Do You Hear the People Sing?, Stars, again featuring Ayr Academy, and Bring Him Home from Les Miserables. After the interval Hugh an company sang All in the April Evening, No Man is an Island, and Speed Your Journey followed by The Rose; and One Voice from Ayr Academy choir.

Then it was time for “A Bit of Fun” from Jim Stevens and his guitar, followed by Jim and Hugh. Some Abba next with Super Trouper, and Thank you for the Music before a Scottish selection from Mhairi accompanied by her father Jim. Jenna and James played their final selection before the finale with the whole company singing Highland Cathedral to tremendous applause.

Hugh and Cameron thanked everyone who had taken part in the concert and special thanks went to the audience for their support and sponsors Jamieson Plant Hire, John M Paterson Ltd, and Maybole Pet Food Co.