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Teaching Excellence Awards The Editorial Team of Crail Matters
would like to congratulate Professor Will Cresswell (School of
Biology) who was recognised in the University Teaching Excellence
Awards. He was nominated by his Head Of School with the award being
presented by the Principal. All of this whilst providing us with a
fascinating column each week. Well done, Will! Clearly, we are not
alone in appreciating you!
Snippets from Crail Primary School CROSSING PATROL We are delighted
to welcome Mr Danny McCulloch to our school team. Mr McCulloch has
been appointed as School Crossing Patrol and he will be situated at
the bottom of Bowling Green Place to cross families over the St
Andrews Road. He will be on duty from 8.30am until 9.05am and in
the afternoon from 2.50pm until 3.15pm. I am sure you will all make
him feel very welcome.
EAST NEUK FIRST RESPONDERS We welcomed Gillian, Keith, Jenny and
Susan from East Neuk First Responders to our school. The First
Responders worked with our P6/7 class to teach them important
lifesaving skills. Our children were then given a CPR kit on loan.
Our children have been set the challenge to teach their families
and friends how to save a life. A big thank you to the First
Responders for visiting our school.
ASSEMBLIES Thank you to our P6/7 class who led our Assembly on
10.03.17. They shared their learning about Mary Queen of Scots with
the rest of our school and their families. Their diary entries were
very detailed and showed an understanding of what it must have been
like for Mary and their trial was thought provoking. Well done
everyone! You are all Successful Learners and Effective
Contributors. Thank you to Mrs Mutch for all of your hard work and
thank you also to our families for coming along to their Class
Assembly. We received lots of positive feedback.
ROTARY QUIZ The annual Rotary Quiz took place at Crail Primary
School on Tuesday 14th March at 6.30pm. 7 schools from our cluster
took part and each team answered questions on lots of different
subjects including Maths, Literacy, Sport and Natural History. Well
done to our P7 team for representing our school and we are
delighted to announce that we were 2nd overall. We are very proud
of you all. Anstruther PS were the overall winners and will now
represent our cluster at the next heat. We wish them lots of
luck!
w/c 24 April 2017 No. 11
Incorporating About Crail Free
BURNS RECITAL COMPETITION
Congratulations to two of our pupils who represented our school at
the final of The Fife Burns Recital Competition at Auchmuty High
School. One of our P5 pupils competed in the singing competition
whilst one of our P7 pupils recited My Hoggie. Lots of pupils from
schools across Fife took part and it was a great experience for
both girls. Well done to you both, we are very proud of you!
GLEE
Well done to all of our children who represented our school at The
Glee Heats in The Rothes Hall on Thursday 16th March. Six schools
participated in the first Fife heat. All of the school’s sang
Justin Timberlake’s ‘I’ve
Got The Feeling’ and then they were able to sing any other song. We
chose ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ by Elton John and Kiki
Dee.
Our children sang their hearts out and demonstrated a ‘Glee’
spirit. We were praised for our team work, including everyone,
dance routines and the quality of our singing. We are so proud of
everyone and I would like to thank Mrs Thomson, Mrs Noble and Sally
Mills, a S6 pupil from The Waid Academy, for all of their hard work
and creativity. You did us all proud and you are a credit to our
school.
Thank you to all of our families for coming along to support us. We
really appreciated it!
Royal Burgh of Crail and District
Community Council
PROPSPECTIVE COUNCILLORS HAVE BEEN INVITED TO MEET CRAIL RESIDENTS
ON
8.15 pm, MONDAY 24 APRIL
CRAIL TOWN HALL
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COMMUNITY COUNCIL
NOTES GP Services Covering Crail The adoption of the Local Plan for
Crail was discussed at recent Community Council meetings. It came
as a surprise to many that provision of GP services was not an
issue that comes within the planners remit. This is because GPs are
“independent contractors”. This basically means they are seen as
being self-employed, although in reality the vast majority of their
work is for the local Health Board providing medical care for the
population. Our local practice in Anstruther has been very helpful
in providing information on how an increasing population in their
catchment area might affect them. Currently, in common with every
practice, they struggle to meet demands for appointments. Any
increase in housing will inevitably make this worse. Currently
there are 4.33 whole time equivalent doctors working in the
practice. (Put simply two doctors working half time equals one
whole time equivalent). They currently look after 6338 patients
which equates to just under 1500 patients per GP. This is a smaller
average than in the rest of Fife and Lothian. The practice does
however, have a higher than average proportion of elderly patients,
more than 25% over the age of 65. Unfortunately, with age comes
infirmity and the older we get the more we consult our GP. Looking
to the future, Dr Mitchell plans to reduce his hours of work in
July prior to his retirement in December. Further ahead, Dr Hall
will probably retire sometime in 2019. The practice is currently in
the midst of recruiting a new partner to fill this imminent
vacancy. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of trained GPs in
Scotland as in the UK as a whole, resulting in a nationwide
recruitment crisis. Finding replacement partners is a problem and
Fife will not be immune from this. The practice will do their
utmost to maintain continuity and we should all do our best to
support them through this time of transition.
Public Meeting with Prospective Councilors
A meeting with prospective councillors has been arranged at 8.15pm
on Monday 24 April in the Town Hall. This will follow the Community
Council meeting, which will finish early at 8.00pm. Tea/coffee will
be available from 8.00pm. All 7 prospective candidates have been
invited to speak to residents, and we hope as many people as
possible will take this opportunity to listen to the prospective
candidates, and ask them questions. Polling to elect the 3
Councillors to represent the Electoral Ward of East Neuk and
Landward will take place between the hours of 7am and 10pm on
Thursday, 4th May, 2017.
Play Areas Over the years there have been a number of proposals to
upgrade the play facilities in Crail. Whilst there is opposition in
some quarters to adding to and making more modern the existing play
areas, there is equally support to improve what we have and to add
to it. We would like to hear what you think, especially if you are
a parent or grandparent, have
responsibility for children, or have experience of using our
existing facilities. We would even more love to hear from
children!
Left on the Coastal Path at Kilminning – you can only wonder
why?
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Prospective Councillors’ Statements.
Crail Matters approached each of the prospective Fife Council
Councillors at the forthcoming election, and invited them to
outline their policies and what distinctive contribution they hope
to make as a County Councilor to the East Neuk in general to Crail
in particular. Here are the responses we have received; one useful
way to judge between them might be in terms of how they have
focussed on local issues of concern to our community. Bill Porteous
(Liberal Democrat): A recent press release from Willie Rennie
referred to our Liberal Democrat Councillors being champions of the
community and having a reputation for hard work all year round. I
am sure you will have recognised this on many occasions over the
years from our Lib Dem Councillors Elizabeth Riches and Donald
Macgregor.The East Neuk and Landward has a strong tradition of
liberal ideals as we have seen from Ming Campbell and others. On
our visits to your doorsteps in Crail we have been encouraged by
your positive responses but several issues requiring attention came
up regularly from residents. - Consideration of a 20mph speed limit
through CRAIL High Street. - More frequent and better timed
intervals for local buses. - A lack of local police presence
exacerbated by the SNP Government' s centralising of Scotland's
police service into Edinburgh. - There was support and relief our
children will at last have a New Waid Academy. - Concern was also
expressed regarding lengthy waiting times to see local doctors. -
Plans for further new housing worries some that the local
infrastructure is not up to scratch. On a National level the
Liberal Democrats want to prioritise Mental Health provision,
consult over a change to an unfair Council Tax system and improve
the provision of Education for all. My Own priorities include
enhancing transport
to ensure children can get to Nurseries, Harbour Improvements and
further improvements in Sports Facilities for all ages such as the
MUGA in Crail and a recently opened one in St Monans. And to work
with others to increase the usage of current sports facilities. I
am a St Monans & Abercrombie Community Committee member. I am
married, living and working in St Monans . We have two grown up
children. I am a graduate of Dundee University. My working life - I
have worked with small and medium sized businesses to encourage
Apprenticeship training with targeted Central Government support
and for the last 20 years as a specialist recruitment advisor
within the U.K. and Middle East. I am the Chairman of Beautiful St
Monans with a dedicated group of volunteers enhancing our village
for both local people and visitors. John Docherty (SNP): At
present, I represent you as one of the East Neuk and Landward Fife
Councillors, I therefore have five years of experience of
representing the good people of Crail, indeed I am the only
candidate, standing here in this Ward, that has that experience.
Over the past five years I believe that I have worked hard and to
the best of my ability to effectively represent you, in fact I gave
up my professional career in the NHS, to do so. I believe I have
shown the highest level of commitment, recognising the role with
which you entrusted me to have. Locally, I have been involved with
the Community Council, assisting you and taking on tasks to improve
the community in which you live and work. I had input into the
Crail Town Hall Committee, where I used my Equality and Diversity
experience to assist them with the installation of a wheelchair
lift, I am proud to say that I was one of the first Councillors to
be involved with the campaign to keep our Libraries open. Along
with ten Community Councils, I am involved, as a Councillor, with a
total of seventeen Groups/Committees/Organisations plus hold a
surgery, monthly.
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I will ensure Crail has a strong voice on the issues that matter to
us all such as education, roads, the local fishing and tourism
industries. Elect me as your Councillor and I will continue that
commitment to ensure our towns and villages get the attention,
investment and care they deserve. Linda Holt (Conservative and
Unionist): I have a track record in campaigning, and I’m standing
to fight for the East Neuk at Fife Council so local needs are
recognised and pledges delivered. Rural and coastal communities
have been neglected in favour of larger towns. Locals know best
what their communities need, and decisions should be taken as close
as possible to those whom they affect.
Administratively, I want more budget decisions devolved to the
North-East Fife Area Committee, with greater accessibility and
public participation at council meetings and enhanced
accountability for councillors. Neuk- wide, I want the budget for
roads and pavements increased and a sustainable maintenance and
upgrade plan created.
Like neighbouring communities, Crail has lost local shops and
facilities in recent years, with those remaining under increasing
pressure. Fife Council should develop a pro-active strategy to
safeguard and grow local business infrastructure, addressing
inadequate internet and mobile access, poor transport links and
punitive business rates. Major housing development is planned for
Crail, but we must ensure that existing services, including roads,
are not overloaded, Crail’s character is enhanced and a mix of
affordable units are provided.
My son finished Crail Primary last year, and I experienced the
incredible job staff do given ever-increasing budgetary challenges.
I would take every opportunity to fight for more support and
resources, including restoring the recent £3million cut to Fife’s
Education budget. Crail’s voluntary groups do essential community
work, but like others in the Neuk,
they need much better support from Fife Council, with fewer
bureaucratic obstacles.
Alisdair Gilbert (Liberal Democrat): I am standing in this election
as I believe in supporting communities and protecting community
hubs. There is a need to integrate and engage with all aspects of
our community to ensure we develop a vibrant and varied society. I
first got involved in local politics through being a member of the
Community Council. I live and work in Fife with my wife, a
secondary school teacher for Fife council, and two young boys. I
recognize the financial situation facing local government which
will remain challenging over the next 5 years. My commitment will
be to ensure we provide high quality, locally accessible, cost
effective services that work in conjunction with local communities.
Some of the projects that I’d like to see progressed are:
• Continued investment in road improvements and public transport
across Fife
• Provision of replacement care homes focusing on the one in
Anstruther
• Building of the New Madras College which will service communities
in the north of the East Neuk
• Monitor the use of the new Pupil Equity Fund and continue to
support our schools ensuring all pupils go on to a positive
outcome.
I have met many residents from East Neuk and Landward, I have
listened to your views, I shall continue the work of Elizabeth and
Donald who have worked hard for their communities for the past 27
years, and I will represent you on the Council where I will work to
develop the traditional, distinctive community nature of East Neuk
and Landward.
Rosalind Garton Scottish Labour Candidate East Neuk & Landward
2017 Learning for Living Adult Education Classes: Rosalind Garton
has lived in East Fife for over 40 years, working as a lifelong
learning tutor in Geology at the University of St. Andrews. She
also runs her own business, giving an insight into business issues
in the East Neuk. She is particularly concerned about the higher
than average number of employees in NE Fife who earn less than the
Living Wage, and about the need for more affordable housing in the
East Neuk area. Rosalind is campaigning on the record of
achievements already delivered and planned for 2017-22 by
Labour-led Fife Council: * The new Waid Academy: part of
FifeLabour’s investment in education, from early years support to
new classroom assistants, protection of school transport, and
closing the attainment gap; * The largest affordable house building
programme in the UK, with high quality homes to tackle fuel
poverty; * Increasing local employment, with investment in
apprenticeships, developing Anstruther Marina, installing a new ice
making machine at Pittenweem, and harbour dredging; * Investment in
social care for the elderly and disabled – still free in Fife – and
renewal of the Ladywalk Care Home. FifeLabour is the only party
campaigning about the growing problem of holiday homes in the East
Neuk and Landward area, a trend which threatens primary schools and
businesses and makes it more difficult for local people to afford
their own homes. Rosalind is concerned to see East Neuk and
Landward thrive, with employment, great education and affordable
housing for all.
Crail Parish Church of Scotland (Charity registered in Scotland SC
001601)
Intimations Sunday 23rd April
Welcome to our Service Readings: NT: Acts 2: 14a, 22-32 & 1
Peter 1: 3-9, Gospel: St John 20: 19-31 Sponsor forms are now
available for Mandy Guthrie's Half Marathon in aid of Church funds
which she runs on the 28th May. They can be found in the Butcher,
the Chemist, The Golf Hotel, at the back of the Church and in the
Hall. Mandy would like to thank everyone who has already sponsored
her. Any items for the next issue of the Karail which will be out
in June can be sent to Heather at (
[email protected]) and
are needed by the 19th May. Intimations to be in by Thursday noon
to Lisa 450035, Joan Forrest or email
to(
[email protected]) Minister: Revd Dr Ann Allison tel
451986 or email (
[email protected])
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Easter Coffee Morning
This past Easter, Crail Parish church held the yearly Easter
Saturday Coffee Morning. The Art Club’s beautiful works decorated
the walls of the Kirk Hall. Tables were decorated with lovely
Easter themed decorations. The door opened promptly at 10:00am
welcoming their guests. The Kirk Hall was filled with over 80
people enjoying the coffee morn with fresh baked goods and freshly
made coffee and tea. There was a large raffle with a cake made by
Heather Aird as the Grand Prize (The Rabbit cake pictured above)
which was won by Ann Mayes. Anne stated when she bought her tickets
she would win the Grand Prize. She also told the room that she
would take the cake along to Miss Christina Ross at Ladywalk. The
lovely cake was shared with the Ladywalk residents on the
landing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lost and Found
Bracelet/Arm Band found on Roome Bay. Silverplated. If you lost
this item or you know who the item belongs to, please email
[email protected].
Hopefully,
we can return to owner.
Christmas decoration from town Christmas Tree 2016. Found on the
ground this week. The bell is gold, pink and white with initials on
the back. Please contact
[email protected] if this belongs to you or you know the
owner. We know a wee one would enjoy having the bell
returned.
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WILD CRAIL
Will Cresswell,
with Photographs by John Anderson Week ending April 21st Spring
migration season has been progressing these last two weeks. There
are still pink-footed geese passing Crail and Fife Ness, heading
north in flocks of a few tens each time. On the 8th April I had a
flock of 18 whooper swans doing the same, passing Fife Ness
majestically, heading towards Aberdeen. As a counterpoint I saw my
first swallow of the summer, conveniently over my garden after
spending all morning looking for one at Balcomie and Fife Ness. A
male powering along, following the coast and singing happily as it
went by. This and a chiff-chaff singing below the doocote at Roome
Bay were my only summer migrants that day, although the pair of
shelducks back again, quacking around the bays north of Balcomie
were definitely another sign of summer being around the corner. A
cycle through the farms of Sypsies, Troustie, and Third Part (i.e.
all the farms two fields north of the Crail to Anstruther road) on
April 9th turned up quite a few corn buntings. More systematic
counts will follow in May but at the moment it is looking good. I
came back along the coastal path. Another swallow hawking over the
sheep flock down at Caiplie caves and a female wheatear – the first
of the year – on a wall just as I got back to Crail. Things picked
up the following week, with sandwich terns passing by in small
numbers from about April 12th. I caught up with first two of the
year on the 15th at Balcomie Beach despite the wind shifting
northerly: my last were fishing in the much warmer surf of Senegal
in October. The two at Balcomie will likely have spent the winter
on the coast of West Africa and will now spend the next six months
with us in the North Sea. There was a chiff-chaff singing
incongruously from brambles at
Saucehope on my way back from Balcomie: although they are early
migrants, the majority will pass through well after the first birds
through Crail, On the 13th there was a handsome male northern
wheatear at Balcomie, feeding on the rocky shore and a bit further
on my first whimbrel of the year, launching itself up with its
lovely seven note whistle to tell me instantly that this wasn’t
just another curlew. Despite these two further migrants, I think it
is safe to say that this spring has not turned into an early one,
and most migrants are still to come.
Willow Warbler
Sandwich Tern
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The wind was a light south-easterly overnight on the 18th after
some stronger southerly winds during the day. Sufficient to push a
lot of seabirds close in to Crail in the evening. A steady stream
of gannets, kittiwakes, fulmars and common gulls passing with the
first puffins of the season further out. In the morning there was a
willow warbler singing from the Denburn sheep field – the first of
the year and about a week earlier than usual. There were also some
chiff-chaffs singing from odd garden locations suggesting they came
in during the previous night as well. There were more arrivals on
the 20th April: a steady stream of barn swallows and the first
house martin of the year at Boarhills. I went to the May Island in
the afternoon. The first time I have been in April. Usually I go
late May or
June when the seabird breeding season is in full swing and the
island can be full of thousands of puffins. This trip it was just
hundreds. Still really nice and impressive, particularly for anyone
who hasn’t seen puffins before, but most of the puffins were either
underground on newly laid eggs or still out at sea improving their
body condition for their stint at incubation and the coming frenzy
when they have to work constantly to feed their chick. If you
haven’t been to the May Island yet, then make it this year. You
won’t regret it – puffins alone make it worthwhile and it is almost
magical as you approach the island and start to glimpse puffins at
a distance or flying by, then you realise you are surrounded by
them, and when you land they really are everywhere, shooting
past
your head, waddling along like penguins, or popping out of burrows.
Then there are all the other birds to see – guillemots and
razorbills (even more penguin like – yet surprisingly aerobatic in
the updraughts of the big cliffs on the west side of the island),
kittiwakes, shags and later in the season terns (just a bit too
early for terns on the 20th unfortunately). Everywhere you look
there is a little natural history story: female eiders trying not
to be noticed as they incubate by the paths while the too
conspicuous males, their job done, try to find late females to
bother down on the shore; great black-backed gulls on the prowl for
an unwary puffin (hundreds get eaten a season, but then there are
96,000 puffins there…); newly arrived willow warblers feeding on
the short turf like pipits because there are so few bushes on the
island; razorbills in pairs, in synchronised slow wing beat display
flights, confirming their pair bond and commitment before their lay
their egg for the season. The two hours or so on the island before
the boat goes back to Anstruther flash by. And on the journey back
there are always the gannets – in fantastic close flybys – to
enjoy. Any trip to the May Island in spring or autumn might turn up
a rarity as well. I failed to connect up with a common redstart
that had been seen earlier – still, we get those in Crail and it’s
a likely species this week. The rarest bird on the island was
actually a common buzzard. This could have been a Scandinavian
migrant off course or just a chancer from Fife out on a day trip
just like me. Exciting for the warden who might only see one or two
buzzards on the island every year, less so for a visitor from
Crail. Rarity is always relative.
Shag
Puffin
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Letter from America
Alex Fleming, Washington DC Many of you baby boomers will remember
the political satire of “That was the week, that was” from the
1960s. It introduced us to the talents of David Frost, Bernard
Levin and Millicent Martin among others. Some would say that it was
part of a golden age for political satire. There were doubtless
subsequent phases in the UK when political satire came to the fore
although my knowledge of post-1980s Britain is a little shaky. The
Spitting Image portrayal of Mrs. Thatcher springs immediately to
mind however. Private Eye of course has been a constant thorn in
politicians’ sides over the years. In the US meanwhile there were
similar phases when the political satirists had a field day. The
most obvious one was the Richard Nixon era Watergate scandal that
provided continuous fuel for the satirists as it unfolded. Then
there was the spicy antics of Bill Clinton with Monica Lewinsky in
the White House that was tailor-made for satirists. After that the
rather bumbling George W. Bush became a constant satirical target.
Some are now asking whether the arrival of Donald Trump at the
White House heralds the start of a new golden age for transatlantic
political satire. The initial signs are good. British satirist, Ian
Hislop, says that he feels
“very lucky that Trump is going to provide most of the jokes for
the foreseeable future”. Trump is almost a perfect target with his
offhand manner, his ill-advised tweets and ad lib comments that
often reflect a poor grasp of the facts. But he has also surrounded
himself with people who have become merciless targets of the US
satirists.
Some of the funniest satire is on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. If you
have not done so already do check out Alec Baldwin’s portrayal of
Trump on You Tube. Whatever the political future brings in the US
it is certain that sharp-witted satirists will keep us well
entertained through it all.
Crail Matters Short Story Award
Crail Matters has established a Short Story Award and Prize to
encourage creative writing in Crail and the East Neuk in general;
if this initiative is successful, we hope it will be offered on a
regular basis. The award will consist of a cash prize of £50 and a
certificate. In addition, selected entries will be published in
Crail Matters, and may also be included in a collected anthology
which may be published as an ebook by Crab Publishing. The
Editorial decision in all matters is final. Stories can be on any
theme or subject but must be original and written in English, and
should not be longer than 3,000 words. They must also be for adult
or young adult readers; non-fiction and fiction written for
children under 13 years is not eligible. Entrants must be 16 years
or over. Work should be submitted by 9 June 2017 to crailmat-
[email protected]. Authors should be resident within the East Neuk, or
be able to demonstrate significant association with the area. See
issue 9 for Conditions for entry, or visit
www.crabpublishing.co.uk
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It is the that time of year ......... calling for all
Volunteers (New and returning) to help make the Crail Festival a
great success!!!!
Everyone who are interested in volunteering please contact: Jill
Bueckardt
01333 450644
2017
10.00am Sat 24th June Legion Hall
Crail Community Choir
Monday 24 April at 7.30 pm.
Everyone will be made very welcome and there is no obligation to
attend every week.
Material for inclusion in Crail Matters should be sent to
[email protected] and received on Friday midday
before publication. We reserve the right to edit copy. © Crab
Publishing 2017: Editorial team this week Graham Anderson, Julie
Middleton, Isla Reid, Valencia
Sowry, Max Taylor, John Wilson.
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Funding Crail Matters The Editorial Team wish to thank those
readers and advertisers who have very generously made donations to
Crail Matters. We continue to depend on your support to maintain
what we hope is an interesting and useful Newsletter. To donate,
please make cheques payable to ‘Crab Publishing’, or please contact
us for the necessary details to make a bank transfer.
The Crail Seagull
An eye on our world
I was having a rest at Denburn recently – it was actually over the
Easter weekend – and I noticed how some cars stop at the new
traffic markings and others didn’t. So, I started to look more
carefully. As far as I could see, most cars approached the new
signs (from both directions) fairly slowly, but some don’t slow up
at all. And oddly enough, they were nearly always SUV’s, often with
one elderly male driver. And I’ve noticed a similar thing when cars
turn into the Sauchope Caravan Park road – the large SUV’s speed
down the road. Is there something odd about the kind of driver
these cars attract? My sneaky little mouse friend from Nethergate
tells me that the Community Trust is at last having an AGM. It
seems to be something of a secret; I can’t find any notice of it,
but I am reliably informed (by my little friend) that it is in the
Legion Hall at 2.30 on Sunday April 30th. I won’t bother going (and
they wouldn’t let a seagull in anyway), but it should be
interesting. Let’s hope someone tells us what’s going on.
Did you know that it was recently Unicorn Day? People from all over
Scotland have been searching for Unicorns, and I noticed people in
Crail looking around. And have you seen ours lately? Well it’s on
the mast head of Crail Matters of course, but just look next time
you are in Marketgate to see the real thing. And you might just see
me there. I hear from another friend in Nethergate (a rather
attractive dormouse) that some of my distant brothers and sisters
are being a
