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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
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
Neuro Central aims to ensure that people in Scotland who live with neurological conditions, as well as their carers and families, have access to high quality services, therapies, information and support in a friendly, relaxed environment so nobody has to feel alone. For the last 18 months, due to Covid restrictions, we have been unable to hold our ‘face to face’ meetings. As guidelines have now been relaxed, meetings have resumed on the first and third Monday of the month at Stirling County Cricket Club from 11am-1pm. Precautions will be taken to ensure, as far as possible, the safety of our members, volunteers and therapists. Further information is available on the Facebook page, by calling 07526 281747 or on the website ‘neurocentral.org.uk.’ As usual, everyone is welcome and we look forward to seeing you there. If you would like to have a cuppa, please bring your own cup.
ALZHEIMER SCOTLAND
Contact dementia advisor Donna Paterson at dpaterson@alzscot.org, 01786 8311 or 07733 302772.
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.
STIRLING CITY CHOIR
Weekly rehearsals for the choir are held in Park Church (former St Columba’s) each Tuesday. In line with Government guidelines, sessions will be shorter (7.30-8.30pm) and physical distancing will be observed. New members are welcome, new male voice members are very welcome. The choir will be working towards a performance of Handel’s Messiah this year. The choir can be contacted through www.stirlingcitychoir. org.uk or on Facebook.
ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS REGIMENTAL ASSOCIATION (STIRLING BRANCH)
Monthly meetings are now being held face to face again in line with current Covid regulations at the King Robert Hotel, Glasgow Road, Whins of Milton. Meetings are monthly on the first Wednesday in the month If you would like any further information please contact the secretary on secretary. aashstirlingbranch@btinternet.com, or by contacting the chairman by phone 07940 828 434, or email: james21healy@ outlook.com.
FALKIRK SINGLES CLUB
Looking for something to do on a Friday night then come to an evening of socialising and dancing to live music from 8pm in The North Broomage Club, Graham Avenue, Larbert FK5 4PS . The club has members from all areas. All singles over 50 welcome. Call Liz on 07585 334521.
ARTS SOCIETY STIRLING AND FORTH VALLEY
Anyone is most welcome to join the society. Please contact the membership secretary by e-mail: artssocsfvmembership@ gmail.com. More details at www. theartssocietystirling.org.uk.
POETRY SHARING GROUP
The Stirling group is restarting on the first Thursday of the month from 11amnoon in the Smith Art Gallery, Dumbarton Road. All are welcome to come along to share and enjoy poetry being read aloud. Bring a couple of poems of any era or style if you wish to read, or just come along to listen. If you wish to hear a particular poem read, but do not wish to read yourself, the group will provide a willing reader. The Smith Cafe is open for the sale of refreshments. Further details from 07464 602207. Next meetingh is on Thursday, December 2.
DUNBLANE IN BLOOM
Volunteers work every Sunday from 10am to enhance the environment for residents and visitors alike. The group gathers for coffee for a break, to chat, or to learn from others. Youngsters join as part of their Duke of Edinburgh community involvement. More details on Facebook, email info@dunblanedevelopmenttrust. com or leave a message on 01786 822422.
STIRLING AND DISTRICT PHILATELIC SOCIETY
Next meeting of the Stirling Stamp Club is at 7.30pm on Monday, November 8 in the Allan Centre, Bridge of Allan. This will be a display from the Alba Stamp Club . Visitors and/ new members are welcome. The society website is www.nzstamps. org.uk/sdps.
BRIDGE OF ALLAN AND DUNBLANE ROTARY CLUB
Only days before the 26th UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow - COP 26 – it was particularly appropriate for members to hear from Neil Kitchings, whose talk was entitled Carbon Choices – the title of his recent book on this subject. Neil explained that he had worked as a Chartered Accountant and auditor for 20 years but became increasingly frustrated knowing that humans were slowly ruining the planet by the endless extraction of raw materials and our excessive consumption. COP 26, he explained, is designed to tighten the targets agreed in the Paris Agreement; to create a new rulebook; and to establish the financial structure that will drive the necessary changes. We are, Neil reported, annually pumping 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere resulting in significant rises in global temperature, causing the level of the sea to rise, and bringing extremes of weather. There is, he insisted, no point in talking of cutting emissions by 10-20 per cent: they need to be slashed. But this is by no means easy to achieve. If one thinks of the 40 or more years needed to convince people to stop smoking, we shouldn’t be complacent about the difficulties we face in bringing about a significant reduction in emissions. Looking positively, Neil described basic building blocks that can provide a structure to bring about sensible changes in our behaviour, leading to reductions in emissions. These include commonsense changes for individuals in terms of reducing consumption of power, altering shopping choices to select lower carbon alternatives, and changing patterns of travel, including a move to electric cars. For businesses, the drive must be towards more efficient uses of resources, with investment in technologies that will improve productivity and reduce carbon emissions. Examples already exist where companies have reduced carbon emissions to net zero. For governments, a fundamental priority will be to ensure that education and training effect changes in our attitudes to consumption, and support retraining to encourage new jobs and improved working practices. Changes in taxation can encourage, or may require, improvements in the delivery of goods and services. As an example of the effectiveness of a change in legislation, Neil cited the introduction of the charge for plastic bags that has resulted in a reduction of some 90 per cent in new bags. Alongside these developments, government should support rewilding to develop the beneficial aspects of nature. Looking positively, Neil insisted that by applying these principles to our lives we can be healthier and happier; we can help regenerate nature and, overall, can lead more fulfilled lives. Stuart Brown thanked Neil for a very interesting, positive and instructive talk. Club meetings are held in the Westlands Hotel, Dunblane. It is also possible to attend by Zoom. Non– members are welcome; anyone wishing to attend should contact secretary Stuart Brown at secretary@dunblanerotary.org. uk. The club’s programme can be found on the club website: www.dunblanerotary. org.uk or on Facebook: www.facebook. com/dunblanerotary.
STIRLING ROTARY CLUB
President Robin Sutton welcomed members to the Friday meeting in the Golden Lion Hotel. Now that meetings are face-to-face, all regular meetings will be at 1pm on Friday. Alan Rankin updated members on progress in filling shoe boxes for distribution to deprived youngsters abroad. The club will be able to send 300 boxes, of which, 120 have been filled by Riverside Primary School. Thanks go them for their continuing support, a great effort at this difficult time. Speaker Lilliane McGeoch, one of the club’s own members, gave a seasonal talk on the origins of Halloween, and had decorated the tables appropriately. The festival as we know it bears little resemblance to the original which arose from a belief in the continuing existence and power of the departed. The end of summer and the start of the dark period of winter was thought to be a time when the boundary between the living and the dead was at its thinest. The Celts celebrated Samhain and in 837AD Pope Gregory moved the Christian All Saints Day from May 13 to coincide with the older ceremony. Both had a common awareness of those who had departed to other world, saints, martyrs and all the dead, with a belief that they might still influence the lives of the living. As well as a respect for the dead, there was also a fear of spirits returning, not always with benign intent, hence the Jack o’ Lantern, now the Turnip Lantern, a repulsive face to deter the spirits. This was especially strong in Scotland and Northern Ireland from where it crossed the Atlantic. A wide variety of customs has arisen all remembering the dead, cleaning bones and gravestones, leaving food and toys on graves. We enjoy the fun of the festival, but in earlier darker times lives were shorter and there was less control over life events, so it was better to deal with these fears in a more formal way. As with many festivals the move to the USA has transformed Halloween into an opportunity to buy and sell, but it is still celebrated widely in a variety of ways.
CARSE OF STIRLING ROTARY CLUB
Last week saw club members forget their usual meeting venue and instead go on an outing to an interesting local business. Members were joined by family and friends for a fascinating trip to Stirling Distillery. Hearing about the history of the business took them on a trip from the first bottle being produced, to the Old Smiddy move and on to the continuing success of Stirling Gin. Attendees were delighted to experience the tasting table and be told the stories and mythology behind the distillery’s product names. Members were also joined on the night by former Global Grant Scholar Hannah Box from North Carolina. It was great to hear how Hannah has got on since finishing her studies at Stirling University and President Gordon presented her with a gift from the club. Anyone who would like more information on becoming a Rotarian can either pay a visit on a Wednesday at the Golden Lion Hotel from 6.30pm or get in touch through social media channels, by searching for ‘@carserotary’.
OCHILS MOUNTAINEERING CLUB
Despite unsettled weather last weekend some club members managed hillwalking in the Ochils and Trossachs, there was also indoor climbing at Ratho. With the shorter days the climbers in the club are arranging indoor climbing sessions at The PEAK in Stirling.