News December 2009

The next Giffordtown & District Community Council meeting will be on 4 Jan 2010, at the Giffordtown Village Hall. Start time: 7.30pm

Fifers have been given a reassurance Fife Council is working hard to keep the Kingdom’s roads safe this festive season.

Responding to the claims of a lack of effort by Fife Council during this period of severe weather, Councillor Tony Martin Chair of Enterprise, Environment & Transportation committee said: “Fife Council’s Winter Maintenance teams have been working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep Fife on the move during these extremely harsh weather conditions.

The Fife Energy Park at Methil last night emerged as a key contender after a German company revealed plans to create up to 150 offshore wind industry jobs in Scotland.

Thanks to all our visitors and content contributors for your support this year. Elaine & Jill will be taking a short break from 24 Dec 09 until 4 Jan 10. Any content you submit during this period will be published, but perhaps not as quickly as it usually is! Have a blast over the holidays. See you again in 2010.

Ron Bissett was nominated by Falkand Community Council as a worthy recipient of the Howe of Fife's Rotary Club Citizen of the Year Award.

Transportation Services is trialling a new road gritting product called Safecote to help keep our roads ice-free this winter.

Sandy Mathews, long-standing member of the Rotary Club of the Howe of Fife, was presented with a Paul Harris Award by President Dennis Beattie at the club's Christmas dinner at the Village Inn, Pitlessie, last Tuesday.

People in Fife are being urged to nominate their local schools, nurseries or individuals who have excelled in their field of education as part of the Scottish Education Awards 2010.

NHS Fife is reminding people to make sure they have an adequate supply of regular medication as GP practices in north east Fife prepare to shut down for the festive season.

A charity that brings a little light into the lives of the less well off around the world has thanked Fifers for their generous response to this year’s appeal.

Friday 18 Dec was the final day for posting cards through the Scout post. Many thanks to all who have again supported this service, and assisted the Scout group financially. Final details will be announced later.

The service last Sunday as conducted by Rev. George Nicol and scripture readings were given by Mr Jim Rodden.

Please give us your feedback on using wood from local sources for fuel.

The Advisory for Heavy Snow on Monday now covers all parts of Scotland.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown was back in his homeland at the weekend to hand out badges to more than 90 war veterans at a ceremony in Kirkcaldy.

We advise road users on winter driving conditions, roadworks and road closures via Kingdom (FM 95.2/96.1) and www.fifedirect.org.uk

Fife Council will only be a call or a click away during the festive break.

Award winning golf course photographer, Mark Alexander, showcased his work at the Scottish Parliament last week.

A row brewing over financial regulations is threatening to disrupt the harmonious relationship between Fife Council and the region’s police force, it has emerged.

Councillors in Fife have backed a proposal that could see six local authorities share services and best practice.

It's been another bumper year for the annual Christmas potato sales, organised by the Rotary Club of the Howe of Fife.

Met Office Advisory on Weather

Following two Drop-In events organised by Fife Council’s Development Services, residents of St Andrews and East Fife are reminded that they have until 24 December to have their say on the future planning policies for their area.

Lucky Ladybank, in having its own smart little library, where once a month, a member of the Giffordtown Book Club (is it really eight years since its inauguration in November 2001? How time flies!) picks up the new ‘box of books' for the next month.

Everyone is being urged to think - and live - in more sustainable ways.

People from across Fife provided a welcome financial boost for our Maggie's Centre recently, with a flurry of fundraising activities.

Our very own Free Range turkeys..

About 40 local people, spanning several generations, gathered in Letham village hall on Saturday evening.

Only a few days remaining of our Christmas Fayre...

Comprehensive list of christmas and watchnight services in churches of all denominations across the Howe

Here's the low down on Fife Council's waste collection from Xmas Eve to Mon 18 Jan...

Please help Muchty's own Polly Murray by handing in your old holey socks to the DebRA shop, Bonnygate, Cupar!

Fife Council heard today, Monday December 14, 2009, that it is to receive £25,000 per property from the Scottish Government to help to build 57 new council houses in Rosyth and Ladybank.

A new guide,‘Kingdom of Fife & St Andrews Where to Stay 2010’ has been launched to market the region’s accommodation providers.

Trading Standards professionals are warning Fife consumers to be on their guard against bogus telephone callers asking questions about home security and alarm systems.

Last Tuesday, President Dennis Beattie welcomed retired pharmicist, Bob Henderson, into the ranks of the Howe of Fife Rotary Club, the fourth recruit this year.

Falkland Nursery was closed due to Heating Problems at 9am this morning. This has now been resolved.

The centre will close for the Christmas period on Mon 21 Dec at 2.30pm and will re-open on Tue 5 Jan.

The minutes of the 8 Dec 09 Burgh of Falkland and Newton of Falkland Community Council meeting are now available for you to read.

Falkland Nursery is now closed until further notice due to Heating Problems.

Motorists caught drink driving in north east Fife this festive season face having their cars seized.

If you are looking for a locally made something to give for Christmas then have a look at the range of gifts on offer from Wren Cottage Preserves, Letham.

R.H. Waters, Ladybank's long-standing, renowned family butcher is now under new management.

People in north east Fife are being urged to get into the community spirit as the countdown begins to Fife's Year of Culture.

Sir Menzies Campbell has called on Ofcom and BT to explain why north east Fife, along with other rural areas in Scotland, lags so far behind the rest of the UK in its broadband provision.

Since the Auction that was held to raise funds for the hall in November the hall committee have had two further items received which would both make an excellent Christmas present..

Churchgoers in the Howe of Fife could have a new, purpose-built place of worship if radical new plans are given the go-ahead.

Listen out on the morning of Sunday 13th December when Monimail Church bells will be ringing 350 times in support of the 350 campaign.

Infra-red photographs will be used this winter by North Howe Transition Toun in their ongoing project to save energy and reduce carbon emissions in the Letham/ Collessie and Giffordtown area.

The Big Tent has been awarded the Greener Festival Award 2009.

Are you part of an ambitious charity or social enterprise based in Fife?

The DRAFT minutes of the 30 Nov 09 Kettle Community Council meeting are now available for all to read.

Philip Graham was welcomed to the Rotary Club of the Howe of Fife last Tuesday by President Dennis Beattie.

We had our last session of Rainbows before breaking up for the Christmas holidays.

With its coastal setting and rich heritage the East Neuk is, unsurprisingly, a popular destination for visitors—so much so that a staggering 10% of local properties are said to be holiday homes.

The deputy leader on Fife Council last night hit out at “inaccurate” Labour Party claims that the rail concession scheme in Fife has been ditched by the council—a thorny issue since it announced that it planned to scrutinise the scheme.

Fife is facing a dementia time bomb, with the number of people affected by the condition forecast to double in the next 20 years.

Fife Health board’s budget is heading for a projected overspend of just over half a million pounds, according to figures for the first half of the financial year.

In a week that delegations from 192 countries have descended on Copenhagen for two weeks of talks for a global treaty on Climate Change, Fife has made headway on a series of priorities in this area.

Catch up on the summer that was, and how to ensure you get your venison in time for Xmas, in the Fletchers latest newsletter.

The team at Scott Robb Hairdressing in Falkland are delighted to announce that they are one of the 20 national finalists in the American Crew Face-Off 09/10 Awards.

Get involved with the Master Composter Scheme - as a volunteer or to access free help and advice about composting

North Howe Transition Toun are delighted...the opening of the Green Library at Monimail Tower was a huge success!

A big thank you must go out to all those who contributed by donating baking and items to be sold and also to the people of Newburgh in their continued support for this event. It was down to their overall generosity that the fantastic sum of £680 was raised.

Birnie & Gaddon Loch News Dec09

The next Freuchie Community Council meeting will be on 9 Dec 09, at the Lumsden Memorial Hall in Freuchie. Start time: 7.30pm

At the Kettle Community Council meeting of 30 November, a Fife Council Transportation Services officer attended and explained the reasons for withdrawal of Service 67.

The dangerous building dubbed 'Cupar's leaning tower' is likely to be reduced to rubble early in the new year.

Labour Politicians in Fife have stepped up the campaign to fight the SNP/Lib Dem administration's attempt to scrap Fife Council's concessionary rail travel scheme.

Two surveys (one from Fife Council; another from the Transition Town movement) are going the rounds of the neighbourhood, each designed to discover how energy efficient our homes really are.

Last Friday, it was showdown for Madusa, a combined team of Giffordtownians, Collessie-ites and Ladybankers, when its members defended the shield they'd won at last year's Collessie Quizz.

It's coming up to Christmas and we all need something to take our minds off the stress of Christmas shopping, so enjoy our festive Right Guid Read!

Stagecoach in Fife would like to advise passengers of changes to services commencing on Monday 7 December.

The opening of the Green Library at Monimail Tower was a huge success with over 40 people arriving to participate in the event.

The winners of this month's draw.

Competitors at the British Kitesurfing Championships held recently in Frazerburgh may well envy the kiting home patch of Fifer, Ian Sanders.

The Fife Diet, a small voluntary organisation based in Burntisland, is looking for an experienced and skilled Finance & Admin Assistant to work approximately 0.5 days per week.

On Sunday the 29th November, junior and senior students at the Glenrothes Martial Arts Centre were welcomed to the annual Karate Kata (bunkai) course by Sensei Iain Abernethy BCA.

We are delighted that Big Tent has been chosen to be a Flagship Event in Fife's Year of Culture 2010.

On Saturday 5th December 2009, join people from across Scotland to send a clear message about climate change to world leaders meeting in Copenhagen for the UN climate change negotiations.

We sang our Xmas songs which the girls sang with gusto. most of our new rainbows got enrolled and we had invited parents to come at the end of the session, to watch. The girls had learned their rainbow promise and were presented with their certificate and badge and they were all very excited.