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Post date: 10-Jun-2016 00:04:06
THE NEWS FROM THE SCHOOL
Big Family Picnic is on Thursday 16 June between 12.35-1.20pm and is followed by Sports Afternoon at 1.20-3pm for Saline pupils and their families. Please come to support in the school grounds. Bring a picnic too!
Thanks to all who supported our Primary 7 pupils as they did their Torch Relay on Friday 27 May. They are off to meet with challenges and new experiences at QAHS on 1 and 2 June in a mini Olympics.
Primary 7 pupils will be having their Showcase of Talent in the school hall on 29 June to say farewell to their Saline experiences. They will be sharing a snippet of this at the School Summer Service at Saline Parish Church from 9.30-10.30am on Thursday 30 June, when we will be celebrating wider achievements across the school. Please come along and support us.
The school is looking to develop links with groups, businesses and the local community to support our curriculum. Please get in touch with the Head Teacher at the school. We’d be delighted to find out what makes Saline unique for our youngsters and how we can all work together.
The Parent Council has raised money this session to support Information Technology in the school. Thanks to everyone who has supported fundraising activities. Next session, the aim is to develop our outdoor learning spaces in conjunction with the local community. Can you help with time, resources and fundraising? We will be working alongside the Play Park developments in our local community. The children have many ideas for our school grounds. Together we can make it happen!
THE SALINE AND STEELEND STENCH!
(depending how the wind blows)
The pervasive smell that has been permeating Saline/Steelend for the past six weeks or so has been due to the spreading of biosolids, the nice name for sewage sludge, on a number of fields to the north of Saline. Scottish Water markets three different biosolids products to farmers as an alternative to fertiliser through distributors. Scottish Water pay the distributors to supply farmers who will take the biosolids (free of charge) as an alternative to more costly fertilising methods. The difference in the products lies in the way the sewage is treated. One method for instance requires much more energy than another to produce to kill off certain microbes. These products have different application uses and have differing levels of nutrients and dosage rates per hectare of land.
Legislation covering the use of biosolids can be found by internet searching 1989 Sludge Regulations (Use In Agriculture - Which Includes The Safe Sludge Matrix) and The Code Of Practice For The Prevention Of Environmental Pollution From Agricultural Activities (PEPFAA). The PEPFAA code was issued by the Scottish Government Environment and Rural Affairs Dept (SGERAD).
There are also best practice guidelines that are issued by Scottish Water that should be followed to reduce contamination of the food chain and to reduce the public nuisance effect of storing and spreading the biosolids.
The distributor so far has been responsible for recruiting farmers to take the product, for taking and recording pre- and post-application soil samples, and for advising farmers on the right product for their needs and the right dosage, along with informing them of their environmental responsibilities (this will change from August when Scottish Water will have their own land management team). The distributor, which in this case is James McCaig Farms in Falkirk, can also be contracted to apply the biosolids to the land.
The distributor informs the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) of the location and contact details of any farm receiving biosolids, provides details of the amount they receive, the area of land that is being spread and the results of pre- and post-application soil samples. SEPA make sample inspections as part of their monitoring process. They also make ad-hoc inspections when alerted by members of the public. They notify SGERAD of the outcomes.
Unfortunately, guidelines are not always followed. The enforcing of best practice guidelines are down to two organisations :
• SEPA for issues around the storing of biosolids
• Fife Council Environmental Services for issues post-spreading
Some examples of the storage guidelines are that biosolids should not be stored on a slope of more than 12 degrees and that there should be no risk of contamination to watercourses such as streams or ditches. Any breaches of these guidelines should be reported to the SEPA pollution hotline on 0800 807060.
Some key post spreading guidelines are that it should not create a public nuisance (partly decided by the number of calls received from the general public), that this particular biosolid should be ploughed in within 48 hours and that in the meantime the areas where biosolids have been applied should be closed off from the general public. Any breaches of these guidelines should be reported to Fife Council Environmental Services on 03451 550022.
Mark Baugh
SALINE AND STEELEND BUS SERVICES
Fife Stagecoach will be holding consultation events in the West Fife Villages over the next couple of weeks to find out people's views on the current service.
A meeting has just been held to discuss some of the issues with them. Whilst it was a useful and interesting meeting, there is the very real possibility that, instead of improving the service, it might actually be cut. No-one wants this, so it is very important that your opinions and views are heard.
We don't know where these consultations will be held, so please look out for them and, if possible, a notice will be put up in the village shop once exact details are known.
Even though many of us have cars, we do not want to lose our bus service.
Linda Moyes
STOP PRESS!
Stagecoach will be consulting on their revised timetables between 11.30 and 12.30 in Saline turning circle on Tuesday 14th June.
It does look like Stagecoach would rather no-one turned up, so they can cut our service altogether. If we want a bus service in future, we should act today.
116TH FIFE SCOUT GROUP
The Beaver Colony is continuing to attract new members at the rate of one or two each week. In the past month the Beavers enjoyed a trip to the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and the District will shortly be holding a Hogwarts-themed sleepover.
The Cubs have had a quiet month, but are continuing to work towards gaining several Challenge Awards.
The Scouts took part in the District Camping Competition; though not winning, they acquitted themselves well. The Scout Leader was heard to comment that he had not seen the camping gear returned in such a clean and tidy condition; in fact he had not seen the dixies so clean before. One of the Scouts who has recently moved up to the Explorer Unit was awarded the Chief Scout's Gold Award, the highest award in the Scout Section.
Last month one of the Explorers took part in the District Survival Camp and gained many new skills which he is going to pass on to the others in the Unit.
Peter Philp
Group Scout Leader
01383 852612
116th Fife Scout Group
Registered Charity Number SC031132
MEALS ON THE MOVE
If you’re looking for a quick weekend breakfast or lunch and don’t want to cook it yourself, there is now a Snack Van in the car park of the old football ground in Steelend on a Saturday and Sunday from about 7.30am till 2pm. Cathy Wood has full certification from Fife Council, including her licence and environmental health certificate.
SALINE AND BLAIRINGONE CHURCH NEWS
Christian Aid Week: We would like to thank everyone who supported the fund raising efforts in any way. The final cheque has not been sent off yet as there are still some gift aid donations to be added to the total. So far over £600 has been raised.
Farewell service for the Reverend Tom Johnson: A large congregation from the linked charges of Saline and Blairingone and Carnock and Oakley enjoyed a most inspiring time of worship led by the Rev Tom Johnston on Sunday 29 May. This was Mr Johnson's last service as Locum Minister and the opportunity was taken to express the sincere thanks of the congregations for his conduct of worship, pastoral care and leadership over more than two years. The opportunity was taken to present gifts from both congregations and a giant card prepared by the children of the Sunday School. Mrs Jenny Johnson also received flowers and fruit in recognition of all her support. We are glad to report that she plans to continue in her post as organist. The congregation then enjoyed an informal time together over lunch in the Church Hall.
Family Open Day, organised by the Heritage Society. Saturday 11 June, 11.00am-2.00pm. The Church and Museum (with the 2016 theme Sports and Pastimes over the years) will be open. There will be various stalls, activities and refreshments in the Church Hall and grounds and the opportunity to see some of the improvements in the old graveyard.
Sunday School Service & Family BBQ: Morning Worship, Sunday 12 June, 10.30 am. During the service the children of the Sunday School will receive books to mark their attendance. The service will be followed by a Family BBQ to which all are invited. This marks the end of the Sunday School session but there will be provision made for children during the morning services over the summer months.
Open Church: As in recent years, the church will be open on Wednesday mornings from 10.00am-12.00noon during June, July and August. Refreshments will be available in the Church Hall as usual on Wednesday mornings and the Museum is open during the summer months.
SALINE & DISTRICT HERITAGE SOCIETY
Everyone is welcome to come to our Open Day on Saturday 11 June between 11.00am and 2.00pm in the Church Hall. There will be stalls and entertainment with teas and coffees provided by the Church Committee.
There will also be tours of the graveyard (find out about some of our past residents) as well as a look at the smartened up Mausoleum.
The museum will be open. The exhibition this year is Sports, Games and Pastimes; you might even get to try some of them out.
Entry for everything is free.
Drumfrosk, Bridge Street, will be open as part of Forth Valley Open Studios and is just along the road from the graveyard.
Sunshine is ordered too.
Linda Moyes
COMMUNITY COUNCIL MATTERS
With fine weather for a change, there was a good attendance at May's meeting and, despite the need to finish punctually, a lot of ground and a number of issues were covered.
Roads and Flooding
Ian Jones from Transportation responded to concerns that had been raised at previous meetings, some of which have been around for some time. He explained that Fife Council was responsible for keeping water off roads and that it was discharged to watercourses, ditches etc. From there, it is owners' responsibility to keep these clean. Where watercourses are blocked to the extent that water flows onto the road, the Council can take action against the owner. Several people raised the regular flooding of the road beyond the Steelend football ground and Ian agreed to investigate. He also agreed to investigate the problem of water running into some properties on Main Street, Saline.
Melanie Mitchell raised the flooding of the North Road play area while a neighbour suggested that water was entering his garage foundations as a result of the drainage problems in the play area. Ian's investigations had established that drains had been damaged by either BT or Scottish Water. The problem drains are in the play area and Parks' responsibility but, nevertheless, Ian agreed to have another look and to meet the neighbour. Melanie was concerned about the danger to children and urged early action by Parks.
George Duncan complained that the “safety” measures through High Steelend and on West Road had made the situation worse, which are not matters for Ian's team. It was noted that High Steelend residents were pleased with the works while Phil Clarke from Transportation had previously agreed to look again at West Road. It was agreed that Phil would be asked to comment on Mr Duncan's concern.
One piece of good news is that the South West Fife Area Committee has agreed to resurface the road through Steelend. Ian explained that the road is structurally OK; the problem is that the surface has de-laminated in places. He pointed out that defects have to be 40mm deep to necessitate early action and that this was now 60mm in Perth and Kinross. The works are likely to start in August or September. It should be noted that these works have been brought forward from the normal resurfacing cycles as councillors were aware of locals' dissatisfaction.
New Area Service Manager
Alistair Mutch has replaced Donald Grant as our Area Services Manager. He explained his role and his relationships with community groups. He advised that Fife's new Local Community Plan can be examined on Fife Direct.
One of Alistair's priority tasks is to examine the possibility of greater community involvement in running some community centres, including Saline. Both he and Cllr Clelland were at pains to point out that this is not an exercise to close community centres; the aim is to make them more attractive to people.
David Chisholm pointed out that a consultation at the recent car boot sale and play consultation had shown support for action and how the centre could be developed. Nevertheless, money is a key factor and it was felt that a proper feasibility study is required. Fife Council has invited the Community Council and user groups to a meeting to establish their views. If this has a positive outcome, the next stage would be raising funds for a feasibility study and full discussions within the wider community.
Street Naming
Fife Council has advised of the need to name three streets in the Allanwater development and has asked the Community Council to make suggestions. This question was asked at the recent car boot sale and play consultations where it was suggested that the contributions of John Crane, Jim Hensman, Jane Roxburgh and Donna Chesby to our community be acknowledged. Other suggestions were old farm names or Walter Scott who visited Nether Kinneddar House.
If you have any comments, please contact David Chisholm (david.chisholm47@btinternet.com) or Donald Murdoch (djmurdoch47@btinternet.com)
Treasurer's Report
Marie Crane was delighted to confirm that Fife Council had speedily paid the Community Council Grant for 2016/17 compared to last year's tortuous process. Steelend Gala Committee had sent a letter of thanks for the Community Council donation, which was appreciated
Bus Services
Linda Moyes has contacted the Bus Users Council and will be meeting their representative with a view to getting help with negotiations with Stagecoach. It is hoped that a representative can attend the next Community Council meeting. Linda has put a power of work in on this and her efforts must be appreciated.
The Glebe
Fife Council has sent copies of the decision notice to objectors. The reasons reflect the concerns raised by residents and the Community Council, and the notice can be inspected on our community web site. Residents felt that the committee's site visit had made a big difference and expressed their thanks to councillors.
Boundary Changes
Avid readers may recollect that many were disturbed by the Boundary Commission's proposals to reduce the number of councillors in Ward 1 to three and to move our community to The Lochs Ward. This was opposed by the Community Council and alternatives were proposed by Fife Council. The outcome is that the Commission has advised that Ward 1 is served by three councillors, that Charlestown and Limekilns move to the Rosyth ward, and that our community remains in Ward 1 but with an extension to the M90 at Kelty. Who is going to deliver the Bulletin to the new area?!
Date of Next Meeting
Meetings continue to be well attended and are covering more issues relevant to people in our communities. The community council and Saline and Steelend Community Development Trust can take positive action to make our community better for all but need more people to contribute. Why not give it a try? Meetings are informal so why not come along on Tuesday 29 June 2016 at 7.30pm in Saline Community Centre.
Submissions
All contributions for inclusion in the Bulletin are welcome and can be submitted to Jacquie Clapperton on salineandsteelend@btinternet.com
or by telephoning 852367.
COMMUNITY BROADBAND UPDATE
Firstly “Thank You” to all of you who wrote in. It built a good picture of what is happening out there. You have written how a low broadband speed affects your working life and your social life too. There have been stories of less-abled folk relying on the internet to contact friends and family to maintain a deeper sense of connection using the likes of Skype and for streaming films and TV programmes (you need a minimum download speed of 2mb for BBC iPlayer to function without interruption). There have also been stories of frustration of wasted work time and being unable to properly “meet” colleagues using conference technologies that are generally available.
Three weeks prior to last month’s bulletin going out, you have written that broadband Infinity was being offered through a BT circular and many of you, having signed up to the package, are enjoying a speed uplift from 1mb to 40mb download and up to 10mb upload in Saline with Steelend reporting up to 23mb download. One reader in Saline was promised 50mb and the highest recorded speed so far has been 32mb. Upper Kinneddar are receiving between 25-50mb download and up to 18mb upload. (The Monty Python shoe box sketch is coming to mind – Oh! to have 5mb). Another reader believes that there are a limited number of upgrade slots that can be made at the exchange. So, if you are interested in upgrading your speed it seems it is best to do so sooner rather than later.
Good news indeed – at last for those living in the villages.
For those living in the outlying dwellings, Infinity, although technically possible, is not being offered yet. Recently a BT engineer was again at my place (this time a faulty router); he said that folk in the village should be able to get 80mb. He showed me a signal performance curve and for properties 1.5miles from the box a speed of 10mb should be perfectly feasible. He explained that he had connected a property in another area with similar infrastructure and they were offered a discount for a reduced product ie Infinity 10mb rather than the usual 80mb. I phoned Openreach while he was there and they agreed that it was possible but it just isn’t being offered yet. They also said that they are looking into alternative wireless technology for outlying dwellings. So I guess for now we need to watch this space.
All this talk about speeds and some of you may be wondering how you can check it for yourself. You can do so by going to www.speedtest.btwholesale.com.
Thank you again to all those who took time to write.
Mark Baugh, T: 851059, marklbaugh@aol.co.uk
TELL FIFE COUNCIL YOUR VIEWS ON LOCAL FACILITIES
- Including Saline Community Centre
Fife Council are currently running a consultation exercise on community facilities. They want to hear what we think about the community halls and centres in our area. Local councillors have thought about which halls and centres should be core facilities for the delivery of local public services and which ones we need more discussion around – including Saline Community Centre.
The link to the South West Fife consultation is found by going to www.fifedirect.org.uk and choosing Have Your Say from the menu on the left, then clicking on Let’s Talk Community Facilities: South West Fife Area on the right of the next page.
The consultation is open until 30 June and the resulting report due on 30 July.
FORTHCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS:
Steelend Miners’ Club
Zumba: Mondays, 7.00pm-8.00pm
Zumba Toning: Wednesdays, 7.00pm-7.45pm
Sambangra Drumming Group, Tuesdays, 7.00pm-8.30pm, £2
Saline Golf Club
First Saturday of each month: Family Night, 5-7pm
Tuesdays: Bingo Night, 7.30pm
Thursdays: Quiz Night, 8.30pm, entry £1/person
Sky TV and free wi-fi. Associate membership £10 per annum, £4 concessions
Q’zine Catering: also available for all functions.
Rainbows
Every Thursday 5.00pm-6.00pm
Saline Church Hall
Brownies
Every Thursday 6.00pm-7.30pm
Saline Church Hall
116th Fife Scout Group
Beaver Colony, Every Friday, 6.00pm-7.30pm
Cub Pack, Every Thursday, 6.30pm-8.00pm
Scout Troop, Every Thursday, 7.30pm-9.00pm
Explorer Unit, Every Thursday, 7.30pm-9.00pm
Carnock Community Centre, Camps Road, Carnock. Open to both boys & girls
Community Council Meeting
29 June, 7.30pm
Saline Community Centre
Highland Dancing Classes
Tuesdays 4.00pm-5.00pm
Thursdays 6.30pm-8.00pm
Saline Church Session Room
Adult Badminton
Mondays 7.45pm
Wednesday 1.30pm and 7.30pm
Saline Community Centre
Saline Smilers (Toddler Group)
Tuesdays 9.30am-11.30am during school terms
Saline Community Centre
Craft and Chatter
Thursdays 10.00am-12.00noon
Last Friday of month 7.00pm-9.00pm
Shieldbank Coffee Shop
Sambangra Drumming Group
Tuesdays, 7.00pm-8.30pm, £2
Steelend Club
Fitness with Lesley Halstead
Thursday mornings, 10.00 am
Saline Community Centre
Line Dance Classes
Monday 10.00am - 11.00am
Friday 10.00am - 11.00am
Saline Community Centre
Saline & Blairingone Parish Church
Family Open Day 11 June
Sunday School Service & Family BBQ: 12 June, 10.30am
Afternoon Craft Group
Every second Tuesday from 8 March
2pm-4pm, Saline Church Hall
Country Dancing
Mondays, 7.00pm
Saline Community Centre
Shieldbank Coffee Shop, North Road, Saline
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 9.30am-6pm
Coffee/Tea/Cakes/Lunch or Afternoon Tea
Vegetarians, Vegans and Coeliacs catered for
Meeting Place available for local clubs/groups
Venue available for Birthday Parties and Evening Functions
Home Baking can be ordered and carried out
Please let us know if you need transport.
Shieldbank Riding & Vaulting Club
Riding Lessons on Wednesdays - Sundays all year
Tuition in Small Groups or One to One
Child & Adult Beginners
Adults Coming Back to Riding
Summer Holiday Courses
Pony Days
Equestrian Vaulting for Children & Young People
Follow us on Facebook: Shieldbank Riding & Vaulting Club
Tel: 01383 852 874
This Community Bulletin is produced by Saline and Steelend Communications Group
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