News January 2010

Results published today have shown that the UK economy has moved out of recession after growing by 0.1% in the last 3 months of 2009.

Elmwood College have announced a new international programme aimed at strengthening curriculum and expanding work force development across colleges in Europe.

A community safety initiative aimed at vulnerable and elderly residents in north east Fife is being relaunched.

A former north east Fife woman working for Christian Aid has given a moving account of the chaos and despair she's witnessed while helping the victims of the Haiti earthquake.

Councillors in north east Fife have welcomed the proposed changes to Cupar's traffic management system.

Energy saving toolkit launch.

The Met Office has issued an advisory warning of widespread icy roads for Friday, 29th January for all Scotland with a moderate risk of severe weather affecting parts of northern England and Scotland on Friday morning.

Rainbows started back on Thursday 21st January.

A new exhibition in St Andrews is just the right recipe for foodies.

Beekeepers in and around Fife are being urged to work together to help protect the honey bee population and prevent further spread of a disease which is threatening its survival.

A Fife woman was among the team that rescued a 24-year-old man from the rubble in Haiti 11 days after the devastating earthquake.

Budding Fife writers are invited to enter Fife Council Libraries & Museums annual Creative Writing Competition.

After a six week lay-off Strath were back in action in this third round Foster's Fife Cup tie.

On Friday 22nd January the pupils of Ladybank School held a Bring and Buy sale to raise money for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

Fife Council has given a warm welcome to a Scottish Government programme which offers households help with insulation, energy costs and fuel bills.

North east Fife is set to swing next month when the 2010 Fife Jazz Festival gets up and running.

An innovative new facility for young people has opened in Cupar.

A North Fife charity is celebrating the receipt of a grant of almost £10,000 to help the area's native woodlands return to their former glory.

Fife is counting the cost of the big freeze after the extended period of arctic weather played havoc with pavements and roads, creating potholes and loosening paving.

Fife Council's Environmental Services are raising awareness of food allergies and intolerances during Food Allergy and Intolerance Week.

Come along to Ladybank Library on Monday 15th February at 7.30pm to meet and chat with local author, Andrew Arbuckle.

You are invited to visit artists, designers and makers in their studios in the North of Fife over the weekend 2nd, 3rd & 4th May 2009.

Our mini-moans pale into insignificance when compared to the real nightmare that is Haiti, post-earthquake.

Two nights out in row, after weeks confined to ‘barracks' due to extreme weather?

The hall was bonny, thanks to Helen Patterson's artistry; the comestibles copious; the speeches witty; the singing mellifluous; the company convivial; and a good time was had by all at an early Burns Supper in Giffordtown Hall last Friday.

Four short courses covering nine breads, 10am till 2pm each Wednesday & Thursday from January to April 2010. Lunch and refreshments included.

The Rotary Club of the Howe of Fife has responded quickly to the disaster in Haiti by donating £1000 for the purchase of two shelterboxes.

An Auchtermuchty woman who complained about the slippery access and paths at a group of sheltered houses for the elderly had her fears confirmed at the weekend.

Round the world record-breaking cyclist Mark Beaumont (27) reached the summit of Mount Aconcagua in Argentina yesterday on the latest leg of his BBC Cycling The Americas adventure.

As the recession continues to bite, The Courier is backing efforts to get the Fife and Dundee economies back on track and will examine the issues in a series of articles.

Lomond United have the help of a female instructor for a new LADIES ONLY fitness class on a Monday evening. 7pm - 8pm at Falkland Village hall.

A coffee morning is taking place on Saturday (23rd January) from 10am to 12 in the Upper Town Hall, Auchtermuchty, to raise money for the Disasters Emergency Committee Haiti Appeal. Tea and coffee, raffle, cake, candy, jam, etc stall for which donations are needed. All proceeds to DEC Haiti Appeal. Offers of help, donations of money and items for sale to Anne Halford-MacLeod (tele: 828181) or Caroline Fladmark (tele; 828281) or hall on the day. Please help.

Members of the Rotary Club of the Howe of Fife have given £500 to Dr. Amanda Flett of St. Andrews University for her work with the Chimwemwe Children's Centre.

Residents of Auchtermuchty have expressed fury after seeing council workers cutting back trees only yards from a sheltered housing complex where the access and paths are lethal sheets of ice.

Beat the January blues and Christmas bulge by getting inspired and motivated at BA Fitness Classes.

Due to popular demand, the Tai Chi classes are returning in Gateside Memorial Hall on Monday 18 January at 9.30am for one hour. This is a four week block. All welcome - just turn up on the day.

Classes in drawing and painting have resumed in Falkland Village Hall.

The minutes of the January 10 Burgh of Falkland and Newton of Falkland Community Council meeting are now available for you to read.

RSPB Vane Farm nature reserve, loch leven, has been awarded the highest possible accolade by the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland is appealing for more volunteers in Fife.

The £10 million project to modernise Cupar's Adamson Hospital has got under way.

As the big freeze turns into the slow thaw, the post mortem into Fife Council's handling of events is underway.

Celebrating Fife 2010 have two funding strands available for community groups to run events and activities until the end of December next year.

In order to show our funders and for us as a community to see the difference we are making we would be grateful if you could you all help to measure our Community Carbon Footprint.

Cleaner required at Falkland Centre for Stewardship based on Falkland Estate, Fife.

Business Gateway is helping Fife companies aim for a higher level of performance by offering expert help to businesses who have aspirations and potential to grow sales by upwards of £100,000 a year.

Vehicle crime accounts for many of the recorded incidents across Fife. This type of crime is however decreasing both locally and nationally. But despite increased security on newer vehicles, we cannot relax.

Proposals for a low carbon crop growing plant fed by heat generated from waste near Glenfarg have been outlined.

Calling community groups, social enterprises, small businesses, voluntary organisations and public sector bodies! Fife Council has 2 new 'pots' of funding available to celebrate Fife culture in 2010. Read on to see if your organisation or event is applicable...

Discover St Andrews Botanic Garden in winter.

Fife Council and its partners have secured funding for 238 new community based jobs as a result of their successful bid to the UK Government’s Future Jobs Fund.

The announcement made by The Crown Estate on Friday for a further wind farm site located in deep water off the coast of Fife presents a huge opportunity for the local economy.

School and nursery enrolment details for 2010/11 school year.

Could the Transition Town group have chosen a worse year in which to carry out an energy survey?

Well, the thaw at last appears to have set in - and not before time.

The first meeting in 2010 of the Giffordtown Book Club managed to achieve another first: a complete consensus.

Ever thought about karate? Well now's your chance. Shukokai Karate Fife is now enrolling new members for 2010.

Help Required John Stark requires help to get Kettle Church access in a safer condition for the service on 17th Jan . We need a reasonable trailer or ideally a tractor and bogie to transport sand from a local quarry to the church. Can anyone help?

The Auchtermuchty Theatre Group's 30th Pantomime, Cinderella, went down as storm and delighted audience members of all ages from across the Howe. Read the review here.

Severe weather advisory for Monday 11 - Wednesday 13 January:

Applicants should possess personal qualities which will enable them to form meaningful relationships through an understanding and an awareness of the needs of our pupils.

Fife Council be set to reap huge rewards from major wind farm developments off the east coast of Scotland, it emerged yesterday.

The ingredients of what makes a good Letham Night are hard to define but on 28th November, we got it right once again.

A Strathmiglo-based adventure company is big in Japan — and that's official!

People in the Howe of Fife are to be given a chance to have their say on the latest plans by the company hoping to create an energy-from-waste plant at Binn Farm near Glenfarg.

Local people are being warned to brace themselves for yet more extreme weather.

The big freeze finally caught up with the Fife AC as last week’s tortoise and hare two-man relay at Heatherhall Woods.

Strathmiglo Post Office is set to close temporarily following the resignation of the former sub-postmaster.

An exhibition of nature photographs has been opened at the RSPB Vane Farm Nature Reserve, Loch Leven.

Freezing conditions are making life difficult for many of the species on the loch, but despite the odds some are thriving. Download the Jan 10 newsletter

The approved minutes of the 11 Nov 09 Freuchie Community Council meeting and the agenda for the 13 Jan 10 meeting are now available for you to read.

Download the minutes of the 04 Jan 10 Giffordtown & District Community Council Meeting

There anger from Leslie residents yesterday as plans to expand a nearby quarry were given conditional approval by Glenrothes area committee.

Fife Council's Libraries and Museums Service is pleased to announce that they will not charge for overdue books during January.

Please see the latest Severe Weather Advisory from the Met Office.

Local artist, Jan Wightman, has six paintings on display in the Frames Gallery, Perth, at an exhibition that finishes on 16 January.

It’s ironic that, following a heated debate on global warming, fact or fiction, Europe and North America has experienced the most prolonged spell of global cooling than anyone can remember in recent times.

Letham & Gateside Primary Schools have reopened. For more info see Fife Direct Emergency Closures

The first meeting of the Giffordtown Book Club in 2010 takes place on 7 January. After all those cosy days in front of the fire, there’ll be no excuse for not finishing last month’s book, William Trevor’s ‘The Story of Lucy Gault’.

The Scottish Government is to make an emergency statement to parliament on the big freeze tomorrow.

Schools closed due to severe weather conditions

Win a free lunch for 2 at the Lomond Hills Hotel in Freuchie!

Here are a few winter 09/10 images that have been sent in by locals. Please send your contrinutions to jill@smartcommunityfife.org.uk

Happy New Year Everyone! All the best from Letham Nights for 2010 and thank you for your support over the last year.

Bell Baxter HS, Letham PS & Gateside PS now re-opened

As the cold weather continues local curling clubs are preparing for the possibility of a Grand Match on Lake of Mentieth.

Fife Council's severe weather advisory: 5-7 January

Finance secretary John Swinney yesterday moved to assure people that an ample supply of grit remained to keep the country’s roads open, amid concern that some councils—notably Fife and Renfrewshire—were struggling to treat routes in their areas.

A Fife MSP yesterday called for a full inquiry into how the region could be left without grit during the worst cold snap in 20 years.

Letham Primary School now closed due to severe weather

Gateside Primary School now closed until further notice due to Health and Safety.

Bell Baxter High School closed at lunch-time today and will remain closed until further notice due to Severe Weather.

Strathmiglo United wish all their sponsors, supporters and members a happy, healthy and prosperous 2010.

Students from the creative writing class at Elmwood College in Cupar have published their first book.

Work on the £10 million project to redevelop Cupar's Adamson Hospital is to get under way on January 5.

Fife Council, along with many other councils in Scotland, has been left with critically low levels of salt for treating the Kingdom’s roads because of delivery failures from their suppliers.