Following the recent postponement of our AGM due to illness, we are now pleased to give you the new date, and invite you to attend:
As always, we aim to keep it short and sweet, so there is plenty of time for discussion following the business of the evening. But we do have some work to do, and we need members to attend to allow us to make some minor amendments to our Constitution this year. The proposed amendments are as follows: Clause 11.1 (new addition), Clause 14 (removal), Clause 54.1 (new addition). You can see them in the full document here:
Members are strongly encouraged to come along on the evening to vote in our Board of Trustees and approve our proposed Constitution amendments.
Everyone else is warmly invited to just come along for a chat and find out what we do. Membership forms will be available on the night for anyone wishing to join!
The Glencairn Local Place Plan is being launched today, at the start of the statutory 28-day consultation period. It has been drafted by a Steering Group of local people, led by Glencairn Community Council and supported by Moniaive Initiative. It aims to recognise both the challenges to, and the aspirations of, our community. Once adopted, the document will sit formally within the Council’s planning system, and the contents will be recognised as a ‘material consideration’ which has to be taken into account when planning decisions are made.
You can read the document online (below) and will also be able to access paper copies at the Repair Cafe today (Saturday 1st November 2025, 10am-1pm, Glencairn Memorial Institute) and thereafter at The Hive and Watsons Grocery Store.
Apologies, but we have to postpone the AGM planned for Wednesday 29th October due to illness.
We will announce a new date as soon as possible.
In the meantime, those of you who were looking forward to getting your first look at the Local Place Plan document at our AGM will still be able to see it at the Repair Cafe (10am-1pm in the Glencairn Memorial Institute) on Saturday 1st November, where Deborah will be happy to show you the document and answer any questions. Further LPP consultation events will be announce shortly.
Our AGM is coming up, and this is a great time to find out what we have been doing, and what we would like to do next. Your voice counts, so come along and tell us what is important to you. Don’t forget, Members vote to elect our Trustees, so why not come along and show your support for our work?
PLEASE NOTE: Some VENUES have now changed, due to adverse weather conditions!
We have a lovely selection of walks, talks and activities on offer during our Green Gathering. Most of these will take place in, or start from, the Moniaive Community Garden (at the end of the village car park). For all events (except the Saturday afternoon walk) you can just turn up on the day, no need to book.
(MEET AT THE HIVE) For the SEED SAVING WORKSHOP we will take a short walk to a nearby garden to gather seed from heritage vegetable plants, showing you how to safely gather and store them to last until next season.
(NOW IN THE GLENCAIRN MEMORAL INSTITUTE) In FROM ORCHARD TO PANTRY you will learn all about the many ways to process and preserve apples. This activity includes a free lunch.
(NOW IN THE HIVE) Discover the hidden histories carved into everyday objects with WOODEN STORIES, a talk by Chris Lee. Reuse, Remember, Reconnect.
Our regular Saturday morning REPAIR CAFE at the Glencairn Memorial Institute will be a children’s special, with opportunities for youngsters to try a range of hands-on activities to introduce them to the joys of fixing, mending and re-using. Because repairing can be hungry work, we’ll be serving a free lunch.
On Saturday afternoon Antoine will lead: WHO GOES THERE – a walk and talk about animal tracks and trails (Pre-booking required for this one).
Sunday morning starts bright and early with a Bird Ringing Demo from the North Solway Ringing group, so come along to find how their work contributes to conservation efforts and our wider knowledge of the bird populations. The event will take place in the John Corrie Wildlife Garden (behind the Bowls Club).
This will be followed by a BBQ in the Community Garden, and a chance to relax, chat and make new friends.
Finally, we’ll round our weekend off with a WORMERY WORKSHOP. We know you’ll all be full from the BBQ, but why not stay and help us build the new wormery for the community garden? In the process you can learn just how useful our wiggly friends can be!
Throughout the weekend we will also be offering drop-in activities. So if you fancy a go at BOTANICAL PRINTING, or would like to help us with a mini BIOBLITZ, come along and find out how it’s done.
ALL our activities are FREE, but if you’ve enjoyed our events, we will happily accept a donation, to allow us to hold more events like this.
We will be holding our first Green Gathering at the start of October, offering a range of outdoor events and activities, mostly centred on our Community Garden. There will be walks, talks, lunches and activities for all the family. No need to book, just turn up on the day (-but please dress for the weather!)
More information on event times will follow shortly.
Congratulations to everyone at Glencairn Bowling Club for organising another successful Toddy’s Tipple bowling tournament. This year’s event raised a fantastic £2,580 for the Macmillan Community Nurse Team. Our three teams (Repair Cafe, Community Garden and Trustees) had a great time, and are already looking forward to competing again next year!
Earlier this month we were pleased to meet with David and his friend, who had travelled up from England to research David’s family history. David is a direct descendant of Thomas Neilson, a grocer and ironmonger, who had a shop in Moniaive High Street in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Joining us to hear David’s memories of his parents and grandparents, and their visits to Moniaive, was Jackie Lee from the Glencairn History Group.
David brought with him a copy of the Moniaive Photo Book that Thomas sold in his shop, and kindly provided us with scans of all the images. We are currently doing a little work on these, and hope to show them more widely as part of a future project.
We showed David around the village, and photographed him outside the building which once housed his ancestor’s shop. Three of Thomas’ sons fought in the First World War, with the oldest son sadly killed in action, so we were able to show him the war memorial in the Institute, and his ancestor’s page in the Glencairn Memorial Book.
We were pleased to hear, afterwards, that David also made a successful visit to Leadhills the following day. Thomas Neilson’s father was born there in the early nineteenth century, spending his early years there working as a miner. He was sadly killed in a mining accident in Canada, prompting his widow to return home to Moniaive, where the young Thomas was brought up and spent the rest of his life.
Thanks also to Tim at the Craigdarroch Arms for helping David to reach Kirkland Church, where some of his ancestors are buried.
We have a great ‘cafe’ team at the Repair Cafe, in charge of the kitchen. Here are some of the volunteers that help: please meet Liz Wyly, Lesley Whalley and Mandy Sands.
They have been volunteering for 2 years, ever since the Repair Cafe first started. Their motivation in doing so was because they wanted to meet and get to know new people within the village. They consistently dedicate their time each month to helping in the kitchen and providing baking.
Fun facts about Liz, Lesley and Mandy – Liz loves great diving beetles and finds them fascinating. Lesley once got lost at sea on the coast of Sunatra on a small boat. Mandy likes examining owl pellets to find out what they eat. Liz is now a retired musician who plays Viola. Mandy is a retired English teacher. Lesley is a retired podiatrist.
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) published a report on volunteering, where they found that nine out of ten volunteers said they had met friends through volunteering. Similarly, around two thirds of volunteers agreed that volunteering made them feel less isolated. Playing a part in your community through volunteering is fantastic for both your wellbeing, and that of other participants.
If you would like to be involved, please make yourself known at the next Repair Cafe (First Saturday of every month, 10am-1pm in the Glencairn Memorial Institute) or email / Direct Message our Facebook page.
moniaiveinitiative.org.uk 