‘Can do attitude is getting us through’
Active locals roll up sleeves to save services
Perthshire has risen to the challenge of life under lockdown with people making a myriad of fundraising pledges, mainly to help local causes.
The arts scene in Perthshire may never be the same again after the coronavirus because independent venues lost revenue the day they shut their doors.
The challenge will be to find the funds to open again and sadly it is likely many will not manage.
In Little Dunkeld, one woman in her 70s has decided to run to raise money for her local arts venue, the Birnam Institute.
Katharine Melville (76) is running a mile a day in May, much of it around her garden. She began on May 1 and admitted “although I can run, (before lockdown I did Perth parkrun once a week), it will not be easy for me to run every day.”
The music and theatreloving mother of three and grandmother to three has set a £2000 fundraising target.
She points out that Birnam Arts lays on a top quality arts programme and provides an invaluable focal point for the small community, but relies on fund-raisers to keep it afloat.
Katharine’s current total is £1441, three quarters of the way to her target. Visit https://www.justgiving. com/crowdfunding/ katharine-melville-run-amile-a-day-in-may
In Aberfeldy, The Birks Cinema is experiencing similar pressures to keep going when the restrictions loosen.
Re-opening is the cinema’s point of greatest risk as it still has lots of costs coming in, but management know it will not have the visitor numbers needed, no certainty of programming and will have to reduce opening hours and capacity for health and safety reasons amongst other issues.
Storyteller Claire Hewitt was one of the founding forces that got the town on the road to opening the community venue.
She was there performing for children on its opening day seven years ago and she is determined it will have a bright future again.
On Sunday Claire started her 2.6 challenge fundraiser for the Birks Cinema.
She did the first of five song sessions, live online at 5pm each day on her Facebook page, Tales from the Honeybeehut, which has seen her doing regular stories for younger children during lockdown.
She plans to have sung 26 songs on a number of themes accompanying herself on her Celtic harp. Supporters can donate at https://www.givey. com/lovecinema54
Another Birks Cinema fan is nine-year-old Damien, who has been encouraged to do something with his youthful energy by his mum Libby who is a volunteer usher at the Birks.
Damien said: “I love going to see films at The Birks and love eating popcorn and their Oreo milkshakes, so I’ve decided to do the 2.6 challenge (launched on April 26) and I’m going to run, cycle or walk 2.6 miles each day for 26 days.”
See www.givey.com/ damiens26challengefor thebirks
At the other side of the region, a grandfather living at Crook of Devon in Kinrossshire is in the process of walking at least 40 miles around his garden dressed as a gnome to raise money for a charity that supports children in bereavement.
Alan Harper (76) is on the shielded list because of a heart condition and is currently in total lockdown, confined to his house and garden.
“I am not allowed to go out for a walk, so I am walking around my garden 20 times each day for at least 20 days.”
He is walking for Richmond’s Hope, a charity which has supported thousands of children and young people who have suffered the loss of a parent.
He said the “terrific” charity was close to his family’s heart and would likely be needed more than ever due to the pandemic.
“A lot of young people are going to need counselling because they won’t have been able to have been with their loved ones when they have died and they won’t be able to go to funerals,” Alan added.
Alan said family and friends nicknamed him ‘The Gnome’ many years ago on account of how he looked one day when he was cleaning out his garden pond.
Now his granddaughter Zoe calls him ‘Gnomey’.
Alan is an elder at Fossoway St Serf’s and Devonside Church and his wife Janet is the session clerk.
So far he’s raised an incredible £2810 at justgiving.com and his page can be found at ‘Alan’s aka Gnomey 2020 Challenge’.