Join us on Saturday 3rd Feb for a day of walking activities. At the Repair Cafe in the morning (from 10am) we’ll provide everything you need to WAX YOUR WALKING BOOTS. We hope you will have time to join us for a Soup & Roll lunch before we all head out for a COLOUR WALK in the early afternoon (-wear your brightest hats, scarves & gloves!) Then it’s back to the GMI to warm up with a hot drink before settling down to listen to Luke from the Ramblers as he explains the Scottish Paths Map Project. Everyone welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Dress for the weather!

We are holding an Informal Drop-In session to discuss our plans for Growing in Glencairn. We will be looking for keen gardeners to share their skills and experience, new gardeners interested in learning about food growing, and generous people to donate everything from cardboard to seeds and hand trowels, to help us get started. Come along and talk to Katie or Deb to find out more.

Everyone wlecome. Light Refreshments provided.

On Monday 15th January we will be hosting the Galloway & South Ayrshire Biosphere at the Glencairn Memorial Insititute, as they hold a Sense of Place workshop. This is your chance to find out about the Biosphere and what a Biosphere Community is. You will also have the opportunity to share your views on what is important to you, what isn’t, and to discuss ideas on how we can protect and improve the things about Glencairn that we most cherish. 

Everyone welcome! We will provide light refreshments to keep the talk flowing.

Are you interested in community land and woods projects? Why not come along to the AGM of the Glencairn Land & Woods Trust (GL&WT) to find out what they have been doing recently, and what they plan to do in the year ahead?

We are holding a Path Mapping workshop in the Glencairn Memorial Institute
on Tuesday 3rd October 2023, as part of our work with the N76 Sustainable
Transport project. We are keen to hear your views on active travel (walking and
all forms of wheeling) and your ideas for improving access around Glencairn.

We will be available between 2-5pm for informal discussions on where you
walk/wheel, where you would like to go, and how we could improve access
generally. We are happy to take a note of any access issues you have
experienced, so we can consider these as we develop ideas for new projects.

Then at 6pm we will have a presentation by Luke from Ramblers Scotland, who will be explaining their Path Mapping project, how you can use it, and how you can get involved with mapping the paths you use.

Everyone is welcome, and refreshments will be available.

On behalf of the Moniaive Playcare Management Committee, we would like to thank everyone who attended the Duck Race and Official Opening of the new Moniaive Playcare extension on Sunday 3rd September 2023. We were blessed with beautiful weather – just right for a gentle stroll along the river, followed by coffee and cakes in the Playcare garden!

Moniaive Playcare, our local, community-operated wrap-around childcare provider will finally open the doors of its new extension following 11 years of planning, designing and fund-raising by the volunteer management committees. Moniaive Initiative has been supporting them since 2019.

When the project started, the existing playcare facility could accommodate just 12 nursery children and 8 after-school children.  Located in the old wood working extension to the school, it operated from a single small room with a concrete yard, and had been catering for the children of Glencairn for over 40 years.   In 2012 discussions began about extending the building with a sun-room. Plans were developed over the following few years and applications to other grant funders were looking positive.  A final proposal was developed in 2017 with funders lined up.  Sadly, one of the major funders changed their funding criteria at the final hour and the project had to be put on hold. That same year was a bumper year for children in the village with 26 children needing places and only 12 available. 

Fast forward to 2019 and Moniaive Initiative signed a Partnership Agreement to support Moniaive Playcare. We were able to do this through our ‘Securing Our Future’ project, funded by Scottish Government’s Investing in Communities Fund.

An application was made to Dumfries & Galloway Council’s Capital Grant Fund, but to to be successful the space had to take a significantly increased number of children – the original plans needed rethinking.  Further successful grant applications were made to Annandale & Nithsdale Community Benefit Company, Glencairn Community Council Wind Farm Fund and Blackcraig Wind Farm Fund. 

Everything changed when the building next door was offered for sale to Playcare by Mr & Mrs Pressley.  Here was the space, the garden and proximity to the school.  After 3 years of design and building in a post-pandemic environment, Moniaive Playcare have finally achieved their goal of extending their premises, thanks to local architect John Murray, Main Contractor Lewis Murray, significant project development and management from Moniaive Initiative, a hands on proactive Management Committee and huge local support from the whole community.

Fiona McMillan, who was once one of the early service users and now manages Moniaive Playcare explains “we have been moving more towards outdoor play and free-flow activities over the years, giving the children more freedom to develop their own interests outside… the garden and facilitates that the new extension offer us will take us on for another 40 years, our dreams have indeed become a reality”.

The Grand Opening of the new Moniaive Playcare building will take place on Sunday 3rd September 2023, beginning with a Duck Race at 2pm, and followed by a Silent Auction. Everyone is Welcome!

Moniaive Playcare would like to thank the following for making this project possible:

FUNDERS:

• Moniaive Playcare would like to thank the following for making this project possible:
• Dumfries & Galloway Council
• Glencairn Community Council Windfarm Fund
• ANCBC
• Blackcraig Windfarm Fund
• Aviva Community Funding
• Watsons Grocers
• BSW Timber
• Johnstone’s Paints
• Learning Through Landscape
• McJerrow & Stevenson Solicitors
• The community of Moniaive and Glencairn

PROJECT TEAM:

• John Murray Architect
• Lewis Murray Builders
• David Taylor Structural Engineers
• Kara Millen, Moniaive Initiative

DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY COUNCIL:

• Laraan Foss
• Rosie Smith
• Louise Rae

CARE INSPECTORATE:

• Allison Tyson
• Cathie Branson
• Karen Quinn
• Donna Laing
• Lynn McColgin

And finally, heartfelt thanks to Mr & Mrs Pressley, the previous owners of Corrie Doon, who so kindly supported the project by selling their beautiful property to Playcare.

It’s nearly time for our AGM and we need your support. We are a community led organisation, and rely on your comments and feedback to inform our decisions. If you are a Member, please do come along and vote in our Trustees – we need at least 8 members to attend. If you are not a member, why not come along and sign up on the night! Our Chairman will give a talk about our progress over the last year, our Treasurer will present our latest Annual Accounts (2021-22) and our Project Officer will explain what we hope to do over the next 12 months. The meeting should last approximately 45 minutes, and there will be time afterwards to ask questions or discuss projects with our Trustees and staff.