Community

We came to West Ardnamurchan in 1996 to run the shop. We didn't know much about retailing, and keeping the shelves well-stocked was always a challenge, but the support from the community as a whole, and the staff in particular, made the experience a pleasure. We never felt we 'owned' the shop, more that we borrowed it from the community for nine years, and like to feel that we left the shop in a better state than when we bought it.

One of the best things I ever did here was to join HM Coastguard. It was fun - particularly things like training to drive the truck off-road, under instruction from our leader, Mr Hughie MacLachlan - but it was also at times deadly serious, for example when we were called out at night and in dreadful weather to find a missing person. The sense of teamwork, the working in sometimes dangerous conditions, the mutual support, offered experiences which I will never forget.

We have always felt very much part of the community and, as such, became involved in many of its activities. This is a fragile community, a long way from the seats of power and therefore easily forgotten and neglected, so there were times when it has had to fight to maintain services - like when the NHS chose to withdraw the district nursing cover without proper consultation. This is a battle which has yet to be fully won.

As time went on I became increasingly fascinated by the communities which existed here a long time before today's. The history of western Ardnamurchan is an ancient one, spanning the last 6,000 years, and the evidence was little recorded. The Ardnamurchan History & Heritage Association has begun to rectify this. It has identified over a hundred sites not previously recorded, maintained sites, such as the Campbell graveyard at Camas nan Geall, and....

....it has obtained a number of grants. One was to repair the beautiful church of St Comghan's in Kilchoan township, where the three arches and the doorway were in imminent danger of collapse. The other, from the Heritage Lottery Fund, was, among other things, to publish a number of booklets for sale, to introduce the Kilchoan Primary School children to some of the sites, to create a website - Heritage Ardnamurchan -  and to erect interpretative signs at five of the sites.

In 21 years we have come to know people very well, and to respect them and their way of life. It isn't easy living out here, conditions can be harsh, prices for basic commodities are high, travelling long distances is normal, holding down several jobs to make ends meet is normal. Such constraints make for a community which looks after its members, is supportive and inclusive. It also produces people who are warm and caring and have a wonderful sense of humour. It has been a privilege to have known and worked with them.

Notices

Comar's 'Face' tour is at Kilchoan Community Centre on Saturday 16th September - more details here.

We're still trying to clear our house. The following are available, prices negotiable:

Apple iMac, several years old but in very good condition, running Snow Leopard. Free to a good home.

Office Chairs, choice of two, good quality, swivel - £20

B&W laser printer - £5

Silver & Bone Fish Knife & Fork Set, vintage - £5

RISK Board Game - £5

Hand-held Circular Saw - £10

Wrought Iron Companion Set for Woodburner - £5

Soapstone Chess Set with Board - £15

Shepherd's crooks, hand made locally - £5 each

Breadmaker, Russel Hobbs - £5

Microwave oven, Samsung - £5

Sheepskin Coats, men's large, ladies medium, good condition - £5 each.

Contact us on 510 293.

A Community Event - Ardnamurchan Style

Thank you, thank you so very, very much, to everyone for yesterday afternoon's party in the Community Centre which gave us an opportunity to say our goodbyes. Particular thanks to those who organised it, who cooked for and cleared up after it, who spoke so very kindly of us, who chauffeured us around, who came to the church to meet us and make sure we walked the last few hundred yards - in the rain and to a favourite Bob Dylan track - to the children of Kilchoan Primary School and their teacher who sang us two moving Gaelic songs, to those who organised the projection of some of the Diary's photographs, to those who organised the collection for, and to everyone who donated to such generous leaving gifts, to those who gave us cards and gifts, and to all who came along - both to the Community Centre and, afterwards, to the pub.

Those who were there will have seen at first hand how desperately sad we are to be leaving, and how very much we will miss the wonderful people of West Ardnamurchan.

Many thanks to Ritchie Dinnes for the picture.

West Ardnamurchan Community Action Plan Report

From Dale Meegan:

The West Ardnamurchan Community Development Company and Community Council have received the final report following the Lottery funded community consultation which was held earlier this summer, and with it sixty recommendations. To view a copy of the report (2.4MB) click here, and/or for its summary document (1MB) click here.

James Hilder of An Roth Associates Ltd who led the Lottery funded community consultation said they had been “....struck by the strength of feeling towards West Ardnamurchan, and that it somehow works differently to other local areas. For a population of approximately 281 there is strong ‘social capital’ generated by some 9 Committees, 5 Grazings Committees, 3 service teams & 20 or so clubs or societies or informal activity groups. In addition, the area boasts over 80 businesses or employing organisations…. (The report) is offered to all West Ardnamurchan groups to prompt further thought and discussion and hopefully, stimulate action."

A Community Meeting will be held on Wednesday 20th September at 7pm in Kilchoan Community Centre to present the findings of the consultation exercise and also to hear from various community organisations about their current plans or developments. There will also be an opportunity to discuss how we take things forward collectively.

The Ferry Stores and Kilchoan Post Office

Revised Opening Times Monday to Saturday

Due to recent changes in staff availability and continued staff shortages we have decided to make some changes to the opening times of the Ferry Stores, which we hope will remain in place for the foreseeable future. These changes will enable us to maintain services, deal with weekly deliveries and allow the current staff adequate time off.

The Ferry Stores will close for two half days each week on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.

The Post Office will be closed all day Monday and for half days on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. We hope to commence staff training shortly that will allow us to re-open the Post Office on Mondays.

For full details of opening times please see the notices posted at the Ferry Stores.

If you are interested in working in the Ferry Stores then please speak to Helen in the Store as soon as possible.

Chris Ball

Community Council Agenda

The agenda for the next Community Council meeting, on Monday 14th August, is available here.

Regatta Results

A full listing of the results of the West Ardnamurchan Regatta is available for download here.

Picture shows start of the Ladies Canoe Doubles.

Regatta - Day 2 Highlights

Day 2 of the West Ardnamurchan Regatta, 2017, saw....

....fast starts and hard-fought racing

....collisions

....more collisions - and these competitors really should have known better

....confusion

....lost oars

....concentrated, if a bit splashy, co-ordination

....the sedate approach to racing

....and the fiercely competitive approach

....raw power

....and celebration (before the race had even started)

....and more celebration - this is the hard-working safety crew who did a fantastic job by saving nobody

 ....recognition, of Colin Skeath's efforts in being the first to circumnavigate Great Britain in a Canadian canoe, seen here with his wife Katrina (centre) and Elaine Shaw who presented the prizes - Colin was awarded the Malcolm MacMillan Shield

....and recognition, both for those who had competed and for the many who had worked so hard behind the scenes to make the day so successful.

Then, after all the excitement, with the humans heading home, the bay was suddenly at peace.

Many thanks to Johnny Watson for taking the Diary to sea.

Regatta - Day 1

Day 1 of the West Ardnamurchan Regatta always starts with the morning briefing for the sailors conducted by Regatta Chairman Alastair MacColl. Today's first problem related to light winds - it was almost calm at time of briefing - so a decision was made to shorten the course for the morning race.

Five boats took part in the first race - they're seen here jockeying for position moments before the start flag dropped. By this time the wind had begun to pick up so....

....Geoff Campbell (right) and his crew Alex Hester were quickly away in the Topper Omega.

The other competitors were Paul Bentley with his partner Kathryn crewing in a Caledonian yawl....

....Tom Colville in a Drascombe Coaster....

....and Dave Syme in a Drascombe Dabber. All these are regular competitors but this year Regatta welcomed....

....a very special guest, Colin Skeath and his wife Katrina in a Swift Temagami Canadian canoe. Colin, from Strontian, along with Davis Gould-Duff, from Limerick, last week completed the first round-Britain voyage in an open Canadian canoe. Chairman Alastair MacColl commented that this presented him with another problem: he had to work out a handicap for a canoe, and this canoe really travels. It was soon well ahead of all the boats except the Topper.

The race took place in crowded waters. In the distance can be seen the yachts taking part in the West Highland Regatta, based in Tobermory today, while in the foreground it looked for a short time as if this large yacht, which dwarfed Dave Syme's boat, was joining the West Ardnamurchan Regatta - but the skipper had obviously failed to attend the briefing so was going the wrong way.

Many thanks to Chris Gane in the safety boat for taking me out this morning.

Pram Race 2017

From our Perambulator Correspondent:

This year's Pram Race theme was Pop Stars and we managed to get the full range from Justin Timberlake to Dolly Parton via the Spice Girls and the Village People (more of them later!). There was a really good turn out of spectators who gathered to see the competitors zoom off from the start or to cheer them along the way and was much appreciated as the legs began to tire on the last push up the hill to the finish line.

The Junior Race saw an excellent set of prams and fancy dress, we had most of the Spice Girls, Ariane Grande and Justin Timberlake with Holly & Isla crossing the line to claim first prize in the race with Edie taking best fancy dress and Holly & Isla getting the prize for the best pram.

There were five entries for the Adult Race including a double set of The Proclaimers, Daft Punk, Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers and the Pet Shop Boys. With the competitors switching to wet weather tyres to match the conditions they were introduced by MC Ricky (not a pop star) and sent on their way.

First over the finish line were the team from France, Alex and Alexis as Daft Punk in a blistering time of 11m 5s, closely followed by Katie & Lauren as one set of The Proclaimers and shortly after the fantastic team of Rosie & Morven aka The Pet Shop Boys crossed the line to claim third.

When it came to the fancy dress it had to be Kenneth and Gayle for the prize, a most impressive effort. Rosie & Morven's pram took first prize with the judge being impressed at the detailing of the design.

Then it was the turn of Johnny Watson and the rest of the Village People to be the sole entry in the Senior Race. With most of the competitors being built for comfort rather than speed they got plenty of cheers as the completed the short course to the church and back. This is certainly a category the organisers wish to repeat so those who are still young at heart - get building your prams!

The organisers would especially like to thank Marine Harvest for their kind sponsorship of the event and for everyone who helped to make the day such a success....

....which raised a huge £710 for the Jetty Association and will help towards further repairs.

Many thanks to Hamza Yassin for the photographs - hamzayassinphotography

and Chris Gane for the report.

WACC Minutes

The minutes of last Monday's West Ardnamurchan Community Council meeting, which include discussion about BT's decision to remove the 'phone from the Kilmory box despite several objections on safety grounds, are available for download here.

Pram Race is Tomorrow!

From Our Racing Correspondent:

The annual Kilchoan Pram Race, sponsored by Marine Harvest, will be held this Friday, 28th July, with events kicking off at 12:00 at the pub. As in previous years there will be a junior race to the church and back followed by the main race to the shop and back plus a special seniors category for those who are young at heart but old of limb

The theme this year is "Pop Stars" and there are posters throughout the village with details of how to enter - pick up an entry form from the pub or register on the day. There will be T-Shirts for sale as well as hot dogs to keep you going. Anyone can enter, you just need 2 people and a "vehicle" with at least 3 wheels and less than a metre wide. There are prizes for best fancy dress, best pram and for the race itself. We are particularly keen to know what the theme of your pram will be ahead of the day so we can make the start a bit more special for the competitors and spectators, so get your entries in as soon as you can.

Many thanks to Chris Gane.

Kilchoan Post Office Closures

From Chris Ball:

ADVANCED NOTICE:

The Kilchoan Post Office will be shut:

From midday Thursday 3rd August

Opening again 9am Wednesday 9th August

The shop and petrol station are unaffected and will be open as usual.

I have no option but to shut the Post Office for the above period for personal reasons. Susanne will be traveling to Kent where the family is gathering to remember Jonathan and my Mother. Unfortunately, there is no one else who is trained and available to run the Post Office.

I apologise for any inconvenience and ask that you to please try and arrange your post office needs ahead of the closure.

We have been able to overcome our staffing issues so that the shop will now be open Mondays and all days as usual. My thanks are due to Helen for resolving this. However, that has not helped resolve staff shortages with the Post Office. Susanne has kindly run the Post Office in a voluntary capacity for the last 8 months with little by way of breaks. Jim Caldwell has done a sterling job in standing in for Susanne when he has been able, but alas it is no longer possible for him to do so. I am sure you will want to join me in thanking Jim for all that he has done.

Susanne has asked that going forward she has two full consecutive days off each week, which I don’t think is unreasonable. Therefore, until further notice:

The Post Office will remain closed on Mondays.

In the fullness of time we hope to be able to train up someone else to run the Post Office counter, but as you will be aware, we are still suffering from some staff shortages at this busy height of the season and the training takes a little while.

Please respect these closures and plan accordingly. If you have any concerns please raise them with me, Chris Ball, 07697 663521, rather than with the staff who are doing an excellent job in maintaining this vital service to the community through difficult times.

My continued thanks to all the staff and volunteers for their invaluable help in continuing to ensure the shop remains open for the benefit of the community.

Unfortunately due to further ill health in recent days I have not yet been able to move forward with the sale of the Shop. Please rest assured that I want to resolve this as fast as I can, but not at further expense to my health.

Thank you again for your patience and understanding.

Chris Ball

Annual Show & Sports Day 2017

From Derryck Morton:

The booking request for the usual sunny weather obviously did not get through for last Friday’s West Ardnamurchan Annual Show and Sports Day but that did not over-cast the spirits or standards. Stock judging began proceedings under the eye of Rhoda Munro....

....and Angus-John Cameron took Best in Show.

Encouraged to stand foot-perfect and perky, the methods of winner’s owners were an amusement to the crowd while....

....one of the sponsors, Johnny Watson, was rightly impressed with Alan Curtis’ stockmanship and awards.

The high standards continuing in one of the marquees with the display of craftwork, garden produce and food.

Again this year, there was the traditional Scottish regalement of live piping by Alastair Peterson and dance by Connie MacLennan.

As the sky opened to let through a little sunlight, the heavy sports began and races took place in front of the refreshment marquees, bouncy castle and slide.

A lot of fun was had powering the smoothie maker made by Paul, Richard and Chris.

Events concluded with the tug of war. The last time the visitors won was in 1969 and the status quo remains.

Proceedings concluded with the prize giving, officiated by Richard O’Connor and Joyce Hillard, who presided over a groaning table of silverware.

Many thanks to Derryck for pictures and story.

Derryck has been visiting Ardnamurchan for many years.