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Colintraive Glendaruel News Opportunities Projects Working Groups

New Board of Directors Elects Office Bearers and Calls for Ideas from the Community

On Thursday 14th January the new board of directors of the Development Trust met for the first time this session.

One of the things the directors are keen to get started on developing is a new work stream for the next period. We are in the process of looking at projects that can be developed for the benefit of the community. We have a few projects that have been suggested by the Resilience group and others but we are keen to hear about projects that you would like us to investigate and try to develop on behalf of the community. The board will then investigate them, make a list with information and distribute to the membership for consideration.

New Board Members:
Paul Bulmer,
Garry Kirby,
Calum Maclean,
Ros McGhee and
John Allan (Co-opted)
Graham Curran (Co-opted)


Retiring Directors:
Alex MacNaughton,
Colin Boyd and
Jim McLuckie

The board wish to thank Alex, Colin and Jim for all the hard work and dedication they have shown over the years. They have done a lot for our community and we have much to thank them for.

At the first meeting of the new board the following office bearers were selected:

  • Chair Cathleen Russell
  • Vice Chair Harry Andrews
  • Secretary Paul Bulmer
  • Treasurer Calum Maclean
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Colintraive Environment Forestry Glendaruel Greener ColGlen Ideas News Opportunities Press & Publicity Projects Resilience Warmer Colglen Working Groups

ColGlen Resilience Newsletter Issue 4: Looking in the Mirror

Community Council Chair, Cathleen Russell reflects on the community response to COVID-19, how we have been helped by businesses and individuals alike, and what the next months hold for our community as we move into the colder months.

In this Issue:

Update from the Resilience Group Contact list Prescription Deliveries Food Deliveries Other help on offer

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Clachan Colintraive Glendaruel Ideas News Resilience Working Groups

Community Food Supply Service

Colintraive and Glendaruel Community Council writes

In order to help the community access a stable and regular supply of food and supplies, we are now working with a number of local suppliers to provide a food delivery/collection service that will allow members of the community to receive food deliveries at home and avoid the need to travel to Dunoon, Rothesay or Tighnabruaich. Such shopping trips are costly, time consuming and, most importantly, expose members of our community to potential infection. The following food delivery/collection services will be available

Fynest Fish Robert will continue to deliver to the community as long as he has supply. Robert can be contacted on 07880 718000. This should provide a good source of fresh fish and vegetables. 

Shellfield Farm Within the next few weeks, Nikki & Fraser will be launching a range of homemade farm2fork frozen ready meals for safe home delivery to your doorstep. These will be sold as single or 2 person portions with prices starting at £5.50 and £8.50.  Initial recipes will be Beef Bourguignon, Cottage Pie, Veggie Shepherds Pie and Fish Pie, with more to be added in the future.  Pease contact on 07799 137779 or shellfieldfarm@outlook.com to join their mailing list; follow their social media pages/ website for up to date info on launch date, offers and pricing

Colintraive Hotel Clare has offered to take orders from the community and place them with her suppliers. Orders can be collected from the hotel at a pre-arranged time slot or delivered to your door. Orders placed by 5pm Sunday will be ready for collection/delivery on the following Friday. To place an order, please call Clare on 01700 841207. To make the process as efficient and cost effective as possible, only one brand of each product will be available, depending on supply chain capacity. New items will be added over the next few weeks. We have attached an order form which can be used to order over the phone. An online ordering form will be available soon. Clare can also order meat from McQueens in Rothesay and venison from Winston Churchill to avoid multiple delivery charges

Nikki and Clare have both offered to set up accounts to make payment easier as we would like to avoid the use of cash for safety reasons. Payment can be made over the phone or by bank transfer.

Our aim in setting up this arrangement is twofold. Firstly, we feel it is vital that the community has a secure, safe and cost effective supply of food and groceries for the next few weeks and months. Secondly, it is important that we support our local businesses. We feel that this initiative helps achieve both.

If you have prescriptions that need to be collected, let us know and we can co-ordinate pickup and drop off. Tighnabruaich surgery prescriptions will be delivered.

If you have any questions about this service please contact one of our Community Resilience Volunteers.

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Clachan Colintraive Environment Glendaruel Ideas News Opportunities Projects Resilience

Resilience Survey in Colintraive and Glendaruel

Many of residents in ColGlen will have received a paper version of this survey in the Spring 2020 newsletter. For those who need more copies or who haven’t received the survey, please find the downloadable and printable PDF below:

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Climate Challenge Fund Energy Efficiency Environment Glendaruel Greener ColGlen Ideas News Opportunities Press & Publicity Renewables Resilience Warmer Colglen

ColGlen is going Greener!

The Development Trust is delighted to announce that it has been successful in its application to the Climate Challenge Fund for the “Greener ColGlen” project. The project which is worth £172,357, will run from October 2013 until the end of March 2015, employ a project officer and an administrator, and follows on from the trust’s highly successful ‘Warmer ColGlen’ project which has just finished.

Project Description

“What will our Community look like in 2050?”  This is a considered first step on the journey by Colintraive and Glendaruel Community towards greater resilience in the face of extreme weather events, climate change and the increasing centralisation of goods and services.

FOOD

This project aims to establish a food growing group within the Community, to include all growers, past, present and future.  2 polytunnels in central points of the two villages will provide focus for activity – growing food, sharing tools, plants and tips and engaging socially.  Participants will be able to take advantage of the extended season, trial and research different varieties, and learn how to make the most of local conditions to improve the range of fresh fruit and veg available.  A website and blog, food waste workshops and a harvest festival event to celebrate the first growing season will be held.

COMPOSTING

Composting facilities will be adjacent to the polytunnels and will demonstrate good practise with garden waste, which is not uplifted by the Local Authority.  Re-usable bags will be supplied to households to fill and leave out for volunteers to collect when passing to drop off at either site.  A composting and food waste event and chipper training will give growers and volunteers the opportunity to learn new skills and a Community wood-chipper will render garden waste that would otherwise have been burnt, fly-tipped or rotted, into compost for the growers.

WOODFUEL

Stronafian Community Forest will provide a sustainable source of woodfuel for the Community in 2 or 3 years time. Meanwhile, as Rhododendron Ponticum has been identified as a particular threat locally, harvesting mature plants will help to interrupt the spread for one season, and also provide burning wood, kindling and charcoal, amongst other benefits.  Currently 4 out of 10 households, from a snapshot, ‘import’ woodfuel from other areas and this initial local supply will help to increase choice and localise buying habits. Private and Community spaces will receive a free initial service of cutting back mature specimens. Community members will be trained in techniques to continue the eradication work.

ENERGY

So far in the UK only 306 households have proceeded with a Green Deal Plan. New support for 5% of householders providing local Green Deal Assessments will improve uptake of the funding available locally.   Availability and cost of assessments – due to the remote geography – and understanding of the various schemes are barriers to uptake. Local knowledge is key to identifying eligible properties, and the Assessor will compile a portfolio of dwellings to attract funding with support from Home Energy Scotland to link up with local contractors, minimising travel. Heat mapping will also help to identify where a ‘mini warm zone’ can be created for a cluster of local buildings.  This will build on the raised awareness and engagement achieved by the Warmer ColGlen Project.

A full-time Project Development Officer will oversee the project, coordinate the Community, volunteers  and contractors to install the infrastructure and deliver the other outcomes, also providing or organising the Green Deal Assessments, and a part-time Project Admin and Communications Officer will provide support with payroll, purchasing, marketing and communications.

LEGACY

The polytunnels and composting will be valuable community facilities. The Growing Group will continue to take forward the improved health and social benefits and on going carbon savings by growing more food.  They will have the capacity to expand not just in numbers, but also to other possible sites within the Community that have been offered, for example to set up a Community orchard.  Other projects would include expansion into the Community Forest – allotment, croft or farm – and other types of food production – meat, seafood and bee-keeping – can all be explored.

Gardeners will be able to continue contributing their garden waste to the compost project and also benefit from the produced soil improver.  The skills and training will enable the volunteers to continue the operation of the site.

By beginning a project of eradication of ponticum in the local area, and raising awareness of uses for the wood and eradication methods, the Community will have the skills and capacity to continue the work, also benefitting from increased supply / demand of local woodfuel until timber begins to be made available from the Community Forest.  This will ensure continued carbon savings, opportunities for local employment for the trained people, and increased biodiversity in the cleared sites.  This activity is also in line with the aims of the Development Trust and will be a core activity in the Community Forest Management Plan.

Eventually this supply chain will lead into a robust woodfuel sales enterprise, due to increased demand and year round activity, it will provide employment and sales income.

Households who have received Green Deal or Green Homes cashback vouchers and/or ECO measures will continue to benefit from reduced energy use.  Even if their energy bills do not decrease, they will be able to live in increased comfort.  Households and buildings that have been identified as suitable for conversion to a district heating scheme can look forward to leading the way with new technology and enjoy considerably reduced fuel bills.  ColGlen’s built heritage will be brought up to standard for the next generation to enjoy.

The legacy of this project will be that ColGlen will be working towards adaptation to climate change and will be considerably closer to the vision of “What will our Community look like in 2050?”

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Energy Efficiency Environment Glendaruel Ideas News Opportunities Projects Renewables Resilience Warmer Colglen

Familiar faces talking about the “Are You Ready” Project

Adaptation Scotland have just uploaded videos taken from their pilot “Are You Ready” scheme onto their website. You’ll see some familiar faces talking about what the project might mean to Colintraive and Glendaruel, and also the effect weather has on our community. This sort of feedback has led to further meetings, the formation of a focus group and potentially a very exciting CCF application.

To see the videos, click here

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Climate Challenge Fund Colintraive Energy Efficiency Environment Ideas News Projects Renewables Resilience Warmer Colglen

We’re readier then we were!

Last night Sara held the second of our Are You Ready? meetings. This was follow-up to the session in Edinburgh which Charles and Sara attended and was designed to develop our ideas into a more concrete format. Everyone enjoyed the session, as well as the tea and cake afterwards. We even got our new Community Forest Project Officer along too, Mark — here’s a photo of the group.

IMG_1687

The other thing to notice is the refurbished Colintraive Village hall. Warmer, more efficient and much better acoustics mean it is truly a delight to meet there.

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Climate Challenge Fund Colintraive Energy Efficiency Environment Ideas News Opportunities Projects Renewables Resilience Warmer Colglen

Are We Ready? Looks like it!

Alan Caldwell brought the Are You Ready? project to Colintraive Village Hall this evening. With 17 residents, Sara led an interesting and lively session looking at how we can be ready for the increasingly turbulent weather that climate change is likely to bring. The group established the outline of an action plan which the DT was tasked with taking forward. The next step is to attend a follow-up session in Edinburgh and find out how and when we might implement things. For more on this, click here.