November 2011

2011 - MAYBOLE NEWS FOR THE MONTH OF:

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November 2011

Four Maybole twinners headed to Belgium recently to meet up with fellow twinners from seven other towns across Europe. Margaret and Alex Davidson and Margaret and David Kiltie travelled to Beloeil, and were welcomed by Mayor Alain Carion and Philippe Cambier, president of the local town twinning organisation. more

Remembrance Sunday in Maybole began with an ecumenical service in the Town Hall conducted by Rev Brian Hendrie. Also in attendance were Fr Philip Kitchen, Our Lady & St Cuthbert’s, and Rev Peter Neil, St Oswald’s. During the first hymn, the flags of the local branch of the Royal British Legion Scotland were accepted from standard bearers Mark McEwan and Alex Gemmell . Following the service, Maybole Pipe Band led the parade to the war memorial for the traditional two minute silence and a wreath laying service led by Fr Kitchen, chaplain to the local RBLS, Rev Neil and Rev Hendrie. Pipe Major Gavin Nicol played the lament and Alex Kelly recited Binyon’s Lines and the Kohima Epitaph. more

At the eleventh hour of a very unique day 11/11/11, Maybole held its annual Armistice Day service at the Greenside. The service was led by Fr Philip Kitchen, chaplain to the Maybole Branch of the Royal British Legion Scotland, who was assisted by Rev Brian Hendrie. Attending were members of the branch, other local organisations and representatives from all four schools. Parade marshal was Alex Davidson. more

A twelve year old pupil at Carrick Academy is heading off shortly to the Middle East to take part in an international athletics competition which is classed as second only to the Paralympics. But we’ll let young Kayleigh Haggo tell the story herself. She told us, “I have cerebral palsy and attend Carrick Academy in Maybole.Photo shows Kayleigh on her bicycle and the other one is her being congratulated by head teacher Keith Webster. more

The Cockburn Gallery, in Maybole, opened its Christmas/Winter exhibition with a private view on Sunday November 6 and will now be open to the public until January 2012. Alongside Gordon Cockburn’s diverse exhibits are works from Bellany, John Byrne, Peter Howson and Frank McFadden whose pastels are at greatly reduced prices. Redbus Art too are featured in this exhibition showing for the first time contemporary works; they were well received by all who viewed them. Gordon is known for his support to up and coming artists and has included original works from young artists in the area; and he is extending an invitation to everyone to go along and experience these works.

True Community Spirit in Burns Drive/Burns Way On Saturday the 5th of November true community spirit was shown in Burns Drive and Burns Way in Maybole.
more fireworks

Maybole and District Committee for Cancer Research had a very successful day last Saturday despite the weather and raised £2,690 at their coffee morning in the Town Hall. Committee members would like to thank everyone who braved the dreadful weather to support them.

From left to right on front row of committee photo (at right), Sandra Lindsay (Secretary), Morag McCulloch (Chairperson), Janie Hamilton (Committee Member) and Mattie Templeton (Treasurer) Back Row Eva Montgomerie (volunteer) and Rowan Main (Cancer Research Area Organiser)

Maybole golf club held its annual dinner dance presentation recently.This year the gents section was joined with the winners from the Junior section of the club, Zak Roy won the junior club championship, the first time in 10 years that it has been contested for. Euan Ferguson won the Carrick Cup, with Jack Broun winning the season opening and South Ayrshire Club Golf Trophy. Lewis Kirkwood competed in both the junior and senior sections of the club winning several competitions at both levels. Colin McIlwraith led the way in the Gents section winning the Provost Fairlie Medal -order of Merit. The committee would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the club and South Ayrshire Council for their continued support.

Pantomime time—oh yes it is! St Cuthbert’s pupils had an early Christmas treat last week when Hopscotch Theatre Company presented “Mother Goose” in the school hall. It was a fantastic hour of entertainment and the comments from the children ranged from “brilliant” to “awesome”. A few of the senior pupils met the cast before the show and afterwards some of the others got the chance to hold the amazing golden eggs. (photos) During the performance the young people had a great time with the traditional cry of “He’s behind you” ringing out. There were lots of opportunities for laughter and the odd occasion when the Demon King had some of the pupils cuddling up to each other! Sometimes a pantomime can be scary but if you’re with friends it’s OK. Other times it can put a smile on your face.

What a fantastic day pupils had at Cairn Primary in Maybole this week when they were joined by Gem, Rowan, Merlin, Magic, Harley and Sparky. Yes, you’ve guessed it – the most magical group of owls you’ve ever seen. The visit was organised by P2/3 teacher, Mrs Owens, as part of her class topic and the experience was shared with the whole school. “An enormous thank you to Gillian from Hoots Owls who brought her little troupe with her to spend the day with us at Cairn,” said Mrs Owens.” The birds were truly fantastic and every child in the school had the opportunity to handle these fantastic creatures, a very rare treat indeed.”

Cairn Primary had another visit from History Alive’s Kathryn Baldwin, last week. This time the theme was Vikings in the P4/5 class. Pupils had a great time trying on Viking costumes and listening to stories from Kathryn about Viking times. As you can see from the photographs, the class really enjoyed the morning and would like to thank Kathryn for making it such an exciting lesson.

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A twelve year old pupil at Carrick Academy is heading off shortly to the Middle East to take part in an international athletics competition which is classed as second only to the Paralympics. But we’ll let young Kayleigh Haggo tell the story herself. She told us, “I have cerebral palsy and attend Carrick Academy in Maybole.

I am having a really good and exciting year with my sports. I swim for the Kilmarnock Jets and have just been invited to attend the West of Scotland Swimming Squad. “I also race on a Petra Running bike for ACE, Red Star and Scottish Disability Sports and I'm off to the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sport Federation (IWAS) World Games in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates in December to represent Scotland at RaceRunning.” Kayleigh added, “This is the first time RaceRunning will be featured at the IWAS World Games and these games are second only to the Paralympics.

Only the best disabled athletes in the world compete and I am looking forward to going. “I am going with Gavin, his dad Peter, my mum Sandra and my coach, Ian. The Games are for seniors however an exception has been made for RaceRunning and Gavin and I hope that this will help to raise the profile of the sport. I also hope that I can bring home some medals and perhaps even a World Record. “I only started doing competitions this year and have 24 gold medals, 2 silver medals and certificates for personal bests that I have achieved.” Sharjah is the third largest city (after Dubai and Abu Dhabi) in the United Arab Emirates.

And the Games have attracted entries from over 40 countries. The event is being hosted by the Althiqah Club for Handicapped, and will see athletes participate in Shooting, Athletics, Powerlifting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Race Running and Amputee Football. Kayleigh brought home the gold! See our follow-up story

True Community Spirit in Burns Drive/Burns Way On Saturday the 5th of November true community spirit was shown in Burns Drive and Burns Way in Maybole. Led by two young mothers who were keen for their children and the residents to experience the feeling of a community working and pulling together for the good of all in the streets, they came up with the idea of having a bonfire firework display for all residents.

They organised door to door collection to buy the firework display and people in the streets donated cakes, crisps, and other goodies for this first street party. Others donated their time to cordon off an area where the fireworks could be let off safely, built a bonfire with a guy on top and cordoned off an area for the residents to stand safely in. They had two chimineas where kids and some adults could roast marshmallows; every child was given glow sticks and crisps. Soup and hotdogs were freely available, and all sorts of cakes, tray bakes, etc. were available for all.

The fire work display was amazing and the organisation of the event was outstanding with health and safety the first priority of the organisers. A local resident said afterwards, “All credit must be given to the two young mums who set the wheels in motion for their outstanding community effort for this event. Thanks must also be given to the people who worked cordoning off safe areas for the public and a safe area for the bonfire and fireworks. Thanks also to those who donated the glow sticks that the kids enjoyed so much. After the success of the evening there was talk of holding further events

Bypass: First Minister Alex Salmond has outlined transport and regeneration plans to support a new ferry port in Dumfries and Galloway. He was in the region to officially open Stena Line's £80m facility for Irish Sea services at Loch Ryan. He said improvements to roads and rail infrastructure were in the pipeline to "make the most" of the new port. A regeneration task force for Stranraer will also be created after ferry services moved out of the town. Mr Salmond said he wanted the Scottish government to play its part in supporting a major investment in the south west of the country. Roads and rail improvements on routes leading to the area were highlighted as a key element of that process. He said work on the A75 Dunragit bypass would start "as soon as capital funds become available" and work would start on statutory permissions for the Maybole bypass. Mr Salmond added that although Ayr had been selected as the main interchange for bus services to the ferries, this did not mean the line further south would be "neglected". He said direct services between Glasgow and Stranraer would use a different route from next month, cutting about half an hour from journey times. He also announced the creation of a taskforce, headed by Infrastructure Secretary Alex Neil, to help regenerate the waterfront area in Stranraer which has been vacated by Stena Line. He said it would work with the council and other agencies to "explore the potential for the future" for the area.

CARRICK RFC 9 – McLaren RFC 11: The Carrick RFC Vs McLaren RFC game sponsored by The Royal Bank of Scotland, Maybole went ahead on Saturday after a pitch inspection. The conditions were extremely difficult and credit must go both teams who put on a very good display. McLaren started the game with the wind and driving rain on their backs and gained a lot of territory early in the game. However, Carrick defended their lines extremely well throughout the first half and went in at half time only 6 – 0 down. Carrick had to make changes after about 30 minutes when an unfortunate collision between Connor Wyllie and Ross Knight resulted in Connor getting a nasty bang to the head and he had to be replaced with the ever versatile Stuart Birnie going from scrum half to stand off and Chris Reid coming on at scrum half. Stuart Birnie has been an outstanding servant to Carrick this season playing in at least 4 different positions as well as getting married!

At the start of the 2nd half Carrick had the wind on their backs and used this advantage well for the first 15 minutes of the half. Fraser Thomson kicked 3 penalties (One from the halfway line) to put Carrick 9 – 6 ahead with about 20 minutes remaining. Carrick loosehead prop John Hutton also scored a good try after some excellent driving by Carrick but the try was dis-allowed as the referee did not see the ball being grounded!(Where was the TMO!) McLaren worked their way into the game and up into the Carrick half and managed to score an unconverted try after some good play by their forwards from a lineout to put them 11 – 9 up. Carrick managed to gain possession and territory advantage again in the last 5 minutes and were awarded penalties on two occasions, but both penalties were from very difficult positions and Fraser Thomson was unfortunate not to convert at least one of them which would have given Carrick a deserved win.

It was very difficult conditions and not a day for attractive running rugby, but congratulations to both teams for their efforts and keeping the game entertaining and exciting right to the end. Also, thanks to the referee, Mr Euan McQuarrie for keeping the game flowing in very difficult conditions.

At the halfway point of the league Carrick are sitting in 3rd position only 2 points behind leaders Millbrae and Carrick coach Mitchell Waugh is happy with the progress the team are making. There is still a long way to go and Carrick are confident going into the second half of the season.

Paisley 6 - 19 Carrick: Carrick travelled to Paisley on Saturday for their first match in three weeks. The Paisley pitch was extremely wet and had to go through a referee's inspection before the match began but was given the go ahead. Once the match began it was yet again a slow start by Carrick in the first ten minutes with Paisley dominating in terms of possession and territory, however the Carrick defence held strong and an interception by Connor Wyllie on the Carrick 22 gave the Carrick side the boost they needed with a try under the posts.

The remainder of the half followed the same pattern with Paisley dominating in the forwards but without the flair in their back line to turn possession into points. Late in the first half Nick Rossi broke through the Paisley defence on the Carrick 10m line and threw a huge miss pass which landed in the hands of Ross Knight who passed back inside to Grant Alexander to score a very well worked try.

The second half provided more of the same with Paisley dominating in possession but not coming close to scoring, Connor Wyllie crossed the line late in the half for his second try of the day to end the game 19-6 to Carrick who now go to second in the West 3 Division. Next week Carrick play Mull away from home.

Mull RFC 6 - 20 Carrick

Carrick travelled the long road to Mull on Saturday hoping to continue their quest for the West 3 title. It was said before the game that these are the matches which win leagues, lets hope the result of this one is a good omen for the rest of the season.

The Carrick side started the first half unsure of what to expect from a Mull side which is much stronger on its home turf than travelling. Mull started strongly pinning Carrick in their own 22 for the first 10 minutes, however the Carrick defence held strong with some excellent rucking from both Ewan and Grant Alexander in particular. From this point Carrick began to dominate the rest of the half scrummaging well and taking control in the forwards. Simon Mcgregor scored an excellent try from a rolling maul mid wat through the half, which meant that Carrick came in at half time in the lead.

Mull came out fighting in the second half not willing to be beaten on the occasion of the grand opening of their clubhouse and with senior members of the SRU as spectators. Carrick were in their own half for at least 30mins of the half but soaked up the pressure put on by Mull very well with both Fraser Thomson and Connor Wyllie clearing the line well with the boot. Late in the half some well worked back play by Ross Knight and Alexander Kerr resulted in Kerr going over the line to win the match 20 points to 6.

Carrick remain 2nd in the West 3 table 2 points behind Millbrae. Next week Carrick play McLaren at home 2pm kick off.

Covenanters Gait Residents Association is a new group which was set up in Maybole last week at a meeting in the Town Hall. All residents in Burns Drive, Burns Wynd and McAdam Way were invited to attend the meeting and 58 turned up whether they wanted to form a Residents Association. This was adopted unanimously and six residents sent apologies saying they were in favour also. Councillor Brian Connolly sent along his apologies for not being able to attend but pledged his full support for the group and offered assistance within his powers to help the group in any way he could. The association was set up because of concerns about landscaping, roads, social events, and litter to and a committee of nine residents (three from each street) has been tasked to take on the challenge. They have already applied for funding for plants, trees, bushes, etc. and they are going to be applying for a start-up grant from South Ayrshire Council. The first full meeting of the committee will be held on Monday November 28, and they are already talking about getting together to bring the bells in together at New Year. to enter into the spirit of Maybole Gala with a street party on the night of the gala, even the Queen’s jubilee was talked about, and the idea of a street party is going to be considered. At the start of this month a few residents did a great job of setting up a fire work display, for Burns Drive, which may now become an annual event for the Association.