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ARTS SOCIETY STIRLING AND FORTH VALLEY
Anyone is welcome to join the society contact membership secretary by e-mail : artssocsfvmembership@gmail.com or visit www.theartssocietystirling.org.uk.
HANDYPERSON SERVICE
Handyperson volunteers carry out small/minor maintenance jobs in older people’s homes in the Stirling, Bridge of Allan, Dunblane, Callander and Clackmannanshire areas. The service is co-ordinated by registered charity Volunteering Matters. There is no charge and donations are gratefully accepted. Volunteers welcome. For details during the current climate call 01259 928088.
COUNCIL ON DISABILITY STIRLING
The office in Cameronian Street regrets having to close its doors for an indeterminate period due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. Staff do not know how long they will be unable to see clients on a face-to-face basis. However, there will be someone in regularly to check the phones, mail and emails. Please get in contact should you need assistance and CoD will do its best to help you.
ROCKTALK
Stirling’s talking newspaper for the blind is free to visually impaired members of the community. Contact Mike Milne at enquiries@rocktalk.org.uk or 01786 816673.
NEURO CENTRAL
Meetings on first Monday of the month at Stirling County Cricket Club have been cancelled until further notice. See www. neurocentral.co.uk for more details.
ALZHEIMER SCOTLAND
Contact dementia advisor Donna Paterson at dpaterson@alzscot.org, 01786 8311 or 07733 302772.
GOING FORWARD STROKE GROUP
Meetings currently suspended.
TOWN BREAK
The charity group supports people with early to moderate stage dementia to live well. For more information in the current climate, contact 01786 641841 or email admin@townbreakstirling.org.
FRIENDS OF THE SMITH
Talks and events planned cancelled until further notice.
PARKINSON’S
All Stirling and Clackmannanshire branch meetings have been cancelled until further notice. More details from Jim 01259 762734, Muriel 01360 850357 or national helpline 0808 800 0303.
STIRLING CITY CHOIR
The choir has resumed rehearsals using Zoom on Tuesdays at 7.30pm. Current choir members who wish to participate should check their email for details. Any potential new members should contact the choir through the website www. stirlingcitychoir.org.uk. It is hoped that physical rehearsals will resume in St Columba’s Church Hall when guidelines permit.
FORTH VALLEY FRIENDS OF SCOTTISH OPERA
For the first time in a year a branch evnet will be held - but on Zoom! Stuart Stratford, Scottish Opera’s Music Director, will be in conversation on Zoom with Kirsten Howie, talking about his background and career and answering members’ questions on Friday, March 12 at 5pm. Members on the branch email list should know about this already but if you have not heard or are not on the list and would like to participate, please contact Elise Macrae at macraefernbank@ btinternet.com. This event is for members only. If you’d like to get updates by email from the Friends, whether you’re a member or not, please contact Elise.
ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS REGIMENTAL ASSOCIATION (STIRLING BRANCH)
Due to the current and continuing Covid restrictions, the branch will not be holding any monthly meetings but will let everyone know when these will resume. If you would like any further information about the branch please contact us by emailing the secretary on secretary. aashstirlingbranch@btinternet.com or by contacting the chairman by phone 07940 828434 or email: james21healy@ outlook.com.
DUNBLANE VERSUS ARTHRITIS
Monthly meetings cancelled due to the coronavirus. The website with helpline and forums are available to any person requiring information relating to their arthritis. They can be found at www. versusarthritis.org; helpine 0800 5200 520 and email helpline@versusarthritis.org. The local contact is dolly.g@talktalk.net.
BRIDGE OF ALLAN AND DUNBLANE ROTARY CLUB
The meeting on Thursday was an opportunity for a relatively new member - Jill Scott - to share information about her background - an occasion that is known in Rotary as a Face to Face. Jill joined the club in early 2020 with little opportunity, other than through Zoom meetings, for members to get to know her, so her talk was very much welcomed. She explained that she had looked at various options for a university course. Having done so, it was, she said, not difficult to choose: law was very much what she wanted to do. Asked what might have influenced her in this choice, she said that she thought it might well have been her father who, in his approach to life, had always shown a sense of propriety and fairness. She loved the university course which, she realised, gave her a range of options for applying her skills. Her initial employment involved property law that, in a largely pre-computerised system, involved examining copious title deeds. She then decided to enhance her qualifications by pursuing a Masters programme in comparative law in Germany. Having completed that, Jill spread her wings and moved to Canada. There, after an initial accreditation period, she qualified as both a solicitor and barrister (the norm in Canada), working with the legalities associated with Stock Exchange operations. It was here that she became particularly interested in the legal niceties of protecting intellectual property, at that time a relatively under-developed area of law. Seeing an opportunity to develop this aspect of her work, she moved to work in the legal area of franchising, including the protection of designs, patents and licences. In turn, she was drawn to applying her expertise to legal aspects of healthcare, particularly to ensuring that the design and implementation of databases would protect patient confidentiality. Looking more widely, Jill said that she could see parallels between the evolution of intellectual property for literary rights and other copyright issues in the 18th and 19th centuries and more recent developments influenced by our current digital and knowledge based economy. As examples of this, she instanced the recent conflict between Apple and Samsung over alleged infringements of a design patent related to the iPhone; and the recent court case involving Prince Harry and Meghan regarding protection of the copyright and privacy of letters. Jill is now working in Scotland in a university research environment developing and sharing her expertise. George Morrison thanked Jill for an excellent talk. Her Face to Face had been very interesting in describing the different facets of her career to date. Information on the club’s programme and activities can be found on the website: www.dunblanerotary. org.uk or on Facebook: www.facebook. com/dunblanerotary.