Clubs and organisations

Blythswood Shoe Box Appeal In this the year Blythswood celebrates its 50th Anniversary it is great to inform readers that thanks to the generosity of people throughout Britain the number of gift filled shoe boxes donated is up 4.2% on 2015, which has allowed Blythswood to give hope to 121,474 needy people by giving them a gift this Christmas. This included a ten year old boy Ionut with special needs in Romania who received the 2 millionth shoe box since the first 300 boxes were taken to Albania and Romania in 1993, Ionut’s mother was so happy that her boy has received a Christmas present. The local Blythswood Group would like to thank everybody in the local community that has supported and helped make the Shoe Box Appeal so successful. Thank you also to Ann Rodgie for donating two hand made quilts and the staff at SSE who bought raffle tickets to try and win the quilts, raising £140 for the Appeal, which Claire Kane SSE presented to Jacqi Brown from the Perth Support Group. Blythswood wish everybody a happy Christmas and best wishes for 2017 when the first Collection Truck is on Tuesday, January 10, from 11.30am to 1.30pm in ASDA Car Park when donation will be most welcome. Common Weal Perth and Kinross Common Weal Perth and Kinross is taking a brief break over the Christmas and New Year period. The next meeting is on Wednesday, January 4, 2017, at Blend Coffee Lounge, 274 High Street, Perth, for “coffee, cake and conversation” on various aspects of current affairs and politics. All are welcome to come along and take part. You can find out more about Common Weal at www. allofusfirst.org and follow the local Perth and Kinross group either on Facebook or on Twitter at @commonwealpk. Meditation group The cumulative and lasting benefits of meditation combined with mindfulness training are now widely accepted both in the fields of early years education and of course mental health. This is of course, particularly true in the treatment of Depression and related issues such as Anxiety and Panic Attacks. Discoveries in the field of Contemplative Neuroscience are revealing positive benefits when applied to abstinence based recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. However, most folk do it because it’s very pleasant and sometimes insightful. “Learn to truly Relax – Learn to Meditate, an eight week Training in Mindfulness and Meditation is titled “Life with Full Attention”, every Wednesday for eight weeks beginning January 11. Arrive from 7pm at Subud House, 7 St Leonard’s Bank, Perth, PH2 8EB. Suggested donation £5 per week is entirely optional Contact: Richard 07889 117803 or richard@ lps-tayside.co.uk or visit, www.perthbuddhists.com National Trust for Scotland, and Kinross members group January 19 PERTH Talk by Prof Duncan Macmillan FRSE, Art Historian on “Scotland’s Shrine, The Scottish National War Memorial, Edinburgh Castle” for the Perth & Kinross Members’ Group NTS. in the AK Bell Library (William Soutar Theatre) at 2.30pm. P & K Members £5. All others £6. February 16 PERTH Talk by Ninian Crichton Stuart, Falkland Palace “The Forest of Falkland: Past, Present and Future” for the Perth & Kinross Members’ Group NTS in the AK Bell Library (William Soutar Theatre) at 2.30pm P & K Members £5 All others £6. March 16 PERTH Talk by Sophie Younger ACR, BA (Hons), MPhil “The Art & Science of Housekeeping & Textiles Conservation” for the Perth and Kinross Members’ Group NTS in the AK Bell Library (William Soutar Theatre) at 7.30pm P & K Members £5 All others £6. Perth Pain Association Scotland The 2017 Perthshire monthly group meeting for people living with chronic pain is on Tuesday, January 10, 2– 4pm at Perth Riverside Church, Bute Drive, North Muirton, Perth, PH1 3BG. Perth Hillwalking Club Some 25 members of the club, and one guest enjoyed walks on a bright and sunny early December day in the Ochils, with everyone finishing in Alva. It was a good day out in lovely weather, but the turnout of members was poor. The next walks are on Sunday, January 8, and two coaches are planned, with trips to Dalwhinnie and the Rob Roy Way. The ‘A’ coach leaves Broxden park and ride at 7am, and the hills for the day are The Fara (Corbett) and Meall Chuaich (Munro). The ‘B’ coach leaves Broxden at 8am, with the main walk being from the forest around Loch Kennard via the Rob Roy Way and Grandtully to Pitlochry (21km/13 miles): there will also be a shorter version of this walk. Bookings should be with Elsie Wilke by December 29. New members are most welcome to try out a walk; please contact Eric Pryde, Membership Secretary, on 01738 445609 or see www.perthhillwalkingclub.co.uk for information on the Club and further details on the walks. Perthshire Writers On December 20 the group enjoyed a workshop organised by the President, William Duguid, on the theme “50:50”, with each person writing the opening half of a story and passing it to his or her neighbour to complete. Some sublime combinations resulted, as well as some hilarity. There was also a good response to the call for submissions for the group’s “Pocketful of Perthshire” performance next year, and thanks are due to everyone for their efforts at a very busy time of year. The next meeting, at 7:30 pm on Tuesday 10 January in the Conference Room at Perth Fire Station, will be a Club Night, for which members are invited to write on the topic “The Past is a Foreign Country”. New faces are always welcome at Perthshire Writers, and anyone interested is warmly invited to come along to a Tuesday meeting to see what the group is all about. See our Facebook page or www.perthshirewriters.co.uk. St John’s Church, Princes Street, Perth Christmas services: Christmas Eve, 4pm Christingle (a service for all ages), Christmas Eve, 11pm Midnight Eucharist, Christmas Day 10.30am

Perth Flower Club held a well-attended Christmas Workshop recently. Pictured are some of the ladies who attended the open day Christmas workshop event which was sponsored by The Guidry Incorporation of Perth. The demonstrators were Mrs Margo Kettles and Mrs Mary Ritchie.

Christmas Eucharist. Why not come and join us? St John’s Probus Club On December 13 Club members and partners met at the Royal George Hotel where they enjoyed an excellent Christmas lunch

and thanks were extended to the staff by the President, Mike Twinn. There will be no meeting on Tuesday, December 27 with the next one to be held in the usual venue on Tuesday, January 10 when Jim Gibb’s subject

will be ‘My Love Affair’. Union of Catholic Mothers Meeting at St John the Baptist. A Happy, Peaceful Christmas to all members, the next meeting will be on Tuesday, January 10.