page 36 Issue No 51, September 2015 a huge thank you delivered free to every address in Kilmallie to our sponsors A huge thank you to the businesses below who have sponsored the newsletter this year. Our newsletter costs have been met by donations from all the businesses below, from KCC’s limited funds and in kind from all our many volunteers. in this issue KCC from the chair – p2 plan to fail - p2 KCC meetings – p3 marina update - p4 community policing – p4 planning applications - p4 CC elections - p5 councillors’ corner - p6 bogus tradesmen – p7 slower safer smilier - p8 the K team? - p8 WHILDP - p8 Kilmallie Playgroup - p9-10 Banavie School- p10 High Notes - p11 more growing together - p12 pictures let us know via our suggestion boxes suggestion our via let us know Community Centre - p13 & stories Canal News - p13 inside Go Wild on Canal - p14 Bridge swings - p15 Corpach in Colour - p16-17 Go Wild on Canal - p18-19 Corpach on Colour - p20 Green Fingers - p21 Banavie Floral - p21 Two Margarets - p21 Banavie Park - p22 Waterloo Walk - p22 Rugby Club - p23 BOYD BROTHERS CLYDEBoyd Shinty Club - p23 Fort William Ltd Art Lochaber - p23 (HAULAGE) LTD Rural Education – p24 poem from Ruth - p24 beekeepers – p24 FOCAL - p25 Corpach Woods - p25 Skellig Michael - p26-27 Wild about Kilmallie - p28 war memorial - p29 letters - p29 newsletter help - p29 flower & produce winners, Luchd-polataics - p30 would you like to become a sponsor too? remembering Badabrie - p31 We rely on the contributions from our business community Energy Fayre - p32 garden champions, for the cost of producing and distributing this free newsletter to every address in our area. spotlight - p33 We welcome sponsorship from all businesses located in Kilmallie, or with principal key personnel resident in Kilmallie. If you focus on business - p33 what should KCC’s priorities be? should KCC’s what priorities would you like to see your name or logo in print supporting your community newsletter, please join with our current sponsors. CalAid - p34 & clean winners All donations, big or small, are hugely appreciated. Please contact us at [email protected] for details. puzzles from pithean - p35 sponsors - p36 of the Davy McCook trophy! increasingly we are faced with the ultimatum of loss of services unless communities take them on. It may be a saving on the local page 2 kilmallie page 35 authority budget, but it is rarely a saving to the community when the true cost is taken into account. But we can’t blame the local community council authorities: their budgets have been repeatedly slashed and their hands are tightly tied by the current political forces. Let’s demand End of term excellent comprehensive public services funded by a fair system of taxation, and then we can start to look at what services our We’re approaching the end of KCC’s four year term (see page 5). community would choose to provide for ourselves. Answers to these puzzles are on the website Has it been worth it? Have we achieved anything worthwhile in the www.kilmallie.org.uk last four years? I hope we have – we have certainly been busy! (follow the link on the RHS of the homepage) Tangible achievements include the newsletter, the website, Thank you and will also be published in the next issue of improvements in the local planning process, a community fund, our Thank you to everyone who has supported KCC over the last four the newsletter for people without access to the slower safer smilier campaign, and getting lots of little things years. It’s a long list but it starts with you the community. Your internet. attended to, including the proverbial potholes. But there have questions, grumbles, problems, ideas. suggestions etc have all been intangible achievements too. A woman who’d moved away 2 posed us challenges that we have (mostly) enjoyed trying to rise to. Answer to Picture Quiz No 7: or 3 years ago, but still reads the newsletter, told us there was so We may not always have succeeded (we are a small band of Clockwise from top left: hare, woodpecker, much more going on in Kilmallie now! Maybe there is, or maybe it’s volunteers after all) but I do know that we’ve tried our best. If you peacock, kingfisher, barn owl and wild cat, all just that she is more aware now, but either way the community think we’re failing anytime, do please come along to help. Without seen close to the canal , yes even the peacock! council hopes to claim a little credit, and the newsletter in the community, a community council is meaningless. particular has played a big part. It’s not just about keeping folk Answers to last issue’s crossword: informed of what’s happening, it’s about raising awareness of the Thank you too to our Highland councillors, the local officials of Across: possibilities, and building our collective confidence for community Highland Council, and all the various government agencies and 1 TRIPLET, 4 MEGAN, 7 BREAD, action. other bodies for the many times you’ve listened, taken notice, 9 COUTURE, 10 COLONEL, 11 EAGLE, offered helpful advice, been supportive, and taken action on our 12 ORKNEY, 14 SEASON, 18 HARRY, community’s behalf. We really do appreciate it. (Although no Lines in the sand 20 ANIMALS, 22 BRONCOS, 23 ANGIE, thanks I’m afraid for the times when a few of you have ignored, 24 THEFT, 25 EARPLUG But sometimes, disguised as furry friendly opportunities for dismissed, or even manipulated the community, but no names Down: community empowerment, there is a growing pressure on mentioned!) 1 TOBACCO, 2 IDEAL, 3 TICKLE, 4 MOUSE, communities to take on local public services. This is where we And to KCC colleagues past and present – we have (mostly ) 5 GRUDGES, 6 NIECE, 8 DANCE, should all be drawing a firm line... succeeded in steering a pretty happy consensual course whilst 13 KARAOKE, 15 ERICA, 16 NESTEGG, Community councils exist primarily to represent the community’s respecting our own diverse views and those of the 1700 people 17 LASSIE, 18 HABIT, 19 YACHT, 21 ANGEL views to local and national government, to public and other we’ve represented – thanks guys, it’s been a stimulating four years! eBay on sale for Eil Loch of agencies, and to hold them to account in the interests of our community. We have the power to do almost anything in the Keep ‘em coming Across community interest, but that does not mean we should have the obligation to do so, especially when we are volunteers with little Please keep all the questions, grumbles, problems, ideas, 1 Remark (7) spare time and peanuts for funding. suggestions, opinions, contributions and offers of help coming, so 4 Pastries contained at art school (5) Kilmallie’s common weal can grow from strength to strength over 7 Ben has a GI to start (5) I like the principle of subsidiarity, ie that nothing should be done the next four years. 9 The Lionheart was one (7) centrally if it can be done equally well, or better, locally. But 10 Forgetfulness about main sea (7) communities need to be able to decide for themselves which Mandy Ketchin functions we can do equally well or better. At the moment, [email protected] picture quiz no 8 11 These TV serials should be clean enough (5) where in Kilmallie? 12 Diplomats are confused, so envy them (6) 14 This road in another retest (6) features for which the impact on the view and setting is given “some straight, some cryptic, some easy, some not so easy” 18 Goes down to avoid the birds (5) special consideration when considering planning applications. 20 This has six 6 downs (7) Examples of such features could include the Great Glen Way, West 1 2 3 4 5 6 Failing to plan - 22 It keeps the alternator and water pump turning Highland Way, routes up Ben Nevis, West Highland railway line, (3.4) and the Caledonian Canal. planning to fail 23 15 down is one (5) While different people will like different styles of buildings, there 7 8 9 24 They go up and down - with a bit of help (5) When I tell people I live near Fort William the reaction is often: are some that are almost universally unpopular. Many of these are 25 Do they fly with cups? (7) ‘such a beautiful area, such a planning disaster’. There are no easy as a result of architects trying to make their mark but without a solutions to past mistakes but the new West Highlands and Islands Down good understanding of the local area. It is the buildings that you Local Development Plan (WHILDP) is a chance to try and improve don’t notice which serve their function and fit the landscape in a 1 Greens. But not always (7) planning decisions in the future. Many of the past problems stem 10 11 way that doesn’t stand out or detract from the surroundings that 2 This girl is mean, but good starts inside (5) everyone in Kilmallie is an associate member of the community council community of the member is an associate in Kilmallie everyone from a lack of overall strategic planning for the area which is are a sign of true architectural talent. More recognition needs to something that the plan is intended to try and address. 3 This Scottish design is to be found in the start be given to architects who create sympathetic buildings that suit – and finish (6) the landscape. Planners also have a role to play in encouraging At a time when there are large areas of land which can no longer 4 They might suck your blood (5) coherent building styles in keeping with their surroundings.