Baldragon Academy Christmas Concert

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On Thursday I attended the Baldragon Academy Christmas Concert. This was an entertaining showcase for the outstanding quality and range of musical talent in the school.

The fifteen items included a wide variety of musical styles. Amongst the singing, I particularly enjoyed the Vocal Ensemble's rendition of the carol, 'By Candlelight'; the Soul Band performing 'All I want for Christmas is You' and Erin Clancy solo singing of a classical Italian aria, 'Se tu m'ami'. The string playing was also varied and impressive from a Ukelele band to a String Ensemble. There were also creditable performances from the School Orchestra, the Percussion Ensemble, a Percussion soloist, a piano duet and a solo Saxophonist.

The Music Department in Baldragon Academy and the visiting instrumental teachers are to be congratulated for nurturing and coaching so many young musicians.

World AIDS Day 1 December 2012

World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day and the first one was held in 1988.

In an email letter, Dr. Patricia Nkansah-Asamoah at the Tema Clinic in Ghana has written:

"I used to feel helpless when I told my patients in Ghana that they had HIV. There was very little we could do for them. We had no drugs for treating HIV. Many didn’t make it to the next week. It was a period of hopelessness and despair.

When we finally got access to medicine because of money from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and other partners, I felt so empowered. I knew my patients would finally live to see the next day, and 10 years down the line most of them are still living. 

It’s time to make sure every mother, every child, every person gets a chance to see tomorrow.To mark World Aids Day today, please join me in signing ONE’s petition with just one click."

The petition reads:
Dear World Leaders,
Step up your fight against AIDS. Scale up your commitments to support the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and help make the beginning of the end of AIDS a reality by 2015.
Right now we are at a critical moment in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The world has made incredible progress in its efforts to understand, prevent and treat this disease. But we need to do more. If enough of us take action we can ensure we bring about the beginning of the end of AIDS.
Please sign the petition

"We have all the tools. Now we need the passion to fight for what’s right.
It starts with you.

Thank you,

Dr. Patricia Nkansah-Asamoah
Tema Clinic, Ghana and ONE member"

Christmas Poster 2012 - Winning Designs from each of our three Broughty Ferry Primary Schools

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Congratulations to our three winning young designers:

• Theo Romanowski Class P1A Barhill Primary School
• Rachel Lindsay Class P7B Eastern Primary School and
• Hannah Benns Class P6 Forthill Primary School

Switching on The Ferry Christmas Lights and Street Party Thursday 22 November Brook Street Starting at 6pm

The countdown to the switching on of the Christmas Lights and Street Party in the heart of The Ferry continues.

It's getting closer by the minute. Don't forget it's this Thursday, 22 November,
beginning at 6pm
in Brook Street. 

Don't miss out on the fun
and spectacle.

Dundee Christmas Light Night 2012 - City Centre Friday 23 November 2012 from 6pm

Dundee's Christmas Light Night- on Friday 23 November 2012 between 6 and 9pm- will see the whole City Centre opening up to become an event arena for one big family street party.

There will be performances from local groups and entertainers at outdoor locations and indoor venues. Stroll around and enjoy some of the city's unique talent

• Magical Torchlight Procession
• Switching on of the Christmas lights
• One Big Ceilidh
• The Dundee Nativity
• Choirs and Dance Groups
• Cartoon Characters and Facepainters
• Heritage Walks 
• Shopping
• Projections and One Big Choir
• Firework Finalé

Link to Updates about the Programme for Christmas Light Night 2012

Countdown to 2012 Switching On Broughty Ferry Christmas Lights & Street Concert Thurs 22 November from 6:15 pm

Christmas Street Concert Brook Street

This year The Broughty Ferry Christmas Street Concert, sponsored by Gillies and supported by Radio Tay, will take place on Thursday 22 November 2012 and will feature music and entertainment from local groups including the Eastern School Choir, together with a special performance by a soon to be announced headline act.

There will be street entertainers, carnival rides, the famous Scott Brothers BBQ, together with complimentary mince pies, sweeties and hot mulled wine courtesy of the Broughty Ferry Traders. 

The Music and entertainment will start around 6:15pm and the Christmas lights will be switched on by The Lord Provost at 7pm.

This year’s Christmas celebrations in Broughty Ferry promise to be even bigger and better than before and Broughty Ferry Traders hope that you will join in and enjoy the wonderful festivities they have arranged.

Broughty Ferry Library Children's Activities Programme October Holiday 2012

Click on programme to display full size

Over the October school holidays,  Broughty Ferry Community Library are organising a series of activities for children. These start on Monday 8 October 2012.

These include six sessions of Count Me In -Stories and Rhymes for Under 5's - no booking required.
and
Two Friday afternoon activities - Make a Skeleton and Make a Toad Pencil Holder for children aged 5-10 years. Pre-booking of a place at these two sessions is required.

The dates and times of each session are on the yellow timetable.

Please note:
All children under 5 years old must be accompanied by an adult
and 
All activities and material are provided free of charge.

Broughty Ferry Library
Queen Street, Broughty Ferry, Dundee DD5 2HN
E: broughty.library@leisureandculturedundee.com
T: 01382 436919

Entering Dundee Cyclathon Sunday 9 September 2012

Ready to go in the 2011 Cyclathon

Sunday 9 September is the 2012 Dundee Cyclathon organised by Claverhouse Rotary Club with cyclists raising money for the Caring for Kids charity or their own nominated charity.
I shall be joining hundreds of cyclists who will pedalling around the 26 miles of the Dundee Green Circular route with the start and finish at Camperdown Park. 

This year I will be riding with my two daughters Naomi and Imogen and we will be making up a team entry.

Our team are raising sponsorship cash for Tushinde Childrens' Trust. If you would like to sponsor us, we have a fund raising page on Just Giving.

If you want to join in the cycling fun and raise some cash for good causes there is still time to enter the Cyclathon. More details of how to enter.

Balmossie Fire Station Has Busy Open Day

Earlier today fire fighters at Balmossie Fire Station hosted their Open Day celebrating the thirtieth  anniversary of the station opening in 1982.

Unfortunately when I arrived I had just missed the fire and rescue demonstrations which apparently went down well with children of all ages.

There were also stalls from other organisations involved in community safety work. I especially appreciated meeting the volunteers from the new team of Community First Responders who provide defibrillation and other life saving techniques until an ambulance arrives.

The 24 x 7 on call availability of our fire and rescue crews make it easier for us all to rest easy in our beds at night confident in their readiness to attend a fire incident.

Lifeboat Open Day Very Well Supported

Broughty Ferry Lifeboat opened its doors and decks today to a public that usually observes their work from the shore line or from reading a newspaper article or watching a TV news bulletin. 

Many members of their admiring public were clearly interested to take advantage of the all too rare opportunity to see round the lifeboat shed and the lifeboats.

I think we appreciate why the volunteers crewing and supporting the busiest lifeboat in Scotland have to prioritise rescues over arranging and staffing open days. 


I am delighted they opened up the lifeboats and shed today and gave their supportive public a closer peek into the kit they deploy to rescue those in peril on the seas.

It was a great family afternoon out and a good opportunity to gain a closer insight into their rescue work.

Opportunity to Apply For or Nominate a Community Group or Organisation for a Community Award 2012

Applications are now being invited for the 2012 Dundee Partnership Awards which recognise groups and organisations which are making a difference to the lives of people in Dundee. The awards recognise voluntary groups and organisations which are making a real difference to the lives of people in Dundee and the communities in which they live and work. The awards are intended to recognise the commitment and achievement of volunteers and participants, rather than paid staff, so the work done by volunteers and participants should be highlighted in the nomination form. It is they who would receive the award if successful.


I am sure that many community groups and organisations that operate in The Ferry might benefit from the recognition that these awards provide. I know their volunteers deserve recognition for their committed and effective unpaid work and the consdierable and successful achivements of their particpants, so I hope that the leaders of these groups will give some thought to applying or nominating this year.

Download the application form here.

More details of the award categories and criteria are given in the information sheet.


If you would like to apply, or to nominate a group or organisation for one of the awards, please complete the nomination form and return it no later than Friday, 24th August 2012 toPeter AllanCommunity Planning ManagerDundee City Council 21 City Square DUNDEE DD1 3BYemail: peter.allan@dundeecity.gov.uk

Broughty Ferry Gala Week 2012 All Week Events Sunday 1st - Sunday 8 July

One World Centre Dundee Free Lecture and AGM Thursday 28 June 7pm

Professor David Bradley’s talk – see opposite - 
promises to be very interesting and stimulating.  It’s free.  


All welcome

Thursday 28 June 2012 at 7pm


Venue - Methodist Church, Marketgait, Dundee.

Also incorporating the AGM of the One World Centre Dundee.

One World Centre Dundee 189 Princes Street Dundee DD4 6DQ

telephone 01382 454603 email admin@oneworldcentredundee.org.uk

Broughty Ferry Gala Week Sunday 1st - Sunday 8th July 2012

The programme for Broughty Gala Week 2012 has just been published by the Community Gala Committee. This year Broughty Ferry Gala Week will run from Sunday 1st to Sunday 8th July. The programme includes many old favourites such as:

• Children's Shop Window Guessing Competition (throughout Gala week);
•  Gala Fete on Castle Green on Sunday 1st July 1pm - 5pm;
• Pavement Artist Competition outside M&S on Wednesday 4th July 10am - 12noon and
• Secret Gardens of Broughty Ferry (visits to) on Sunday 8th July 1pm - 4pm.

For more information about each of the events - more than 50 from my count - consult the free Gala programme. Printed booklets are available to pick up from shops in the Ferry as well as the counter of the Library in Queen Street. 

• Download the Sunday 1st July Gala Fete Programme (0.3MB)
• Download the all-week events list (0.3MB)
• Download the Window Competition Entry Form (0.5MB)
• Download the full programme for the week (7MB)

Broughty Ferry Beach Gets its Blue Flag Back

On Wednesday Broughty Ferry beach was presented with its blue flag for 2012 by Keep Scotland Beautiful.

The prestigious blue flag is only awarded to a beach that provides high levels of cleanliness, good water quality and has top class facilities. The judges at Keep Scotland Beautiful believe that for the 2012 season, Broughty Ferry beach fits the bill.

The Blue Flag is a voluntary eco-label awarded to only 3849 beaches and marinas in 46 countries across Europe, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada and the Caribbean; so clearly Broughty Ferry beach is in very select company.

It was a different story last year when unusually high levels of rainfall meant that pollutants were leeched into the water and these were present when the water quality was tested.

Christian Aid Week 2012 in The Ferry

As part of Christian Aid Week 2012 in the Ferry, Broughty Churches are coming together to run a number of events.
A Flower Festival will run on Thursday 17, Friday 18 and Saturday 19 May between 10 am and 4pm at St Luke's and Queen Street Church, 5 West Queen Street, Broughty Ferry DD5 1AU.
Admission £3 (including Tea). All proceeds to Christian Aid.
Volunteers, from Broughty Ferry Churches, will also conduct a house to house collection this week dropping off and collecting Christian Aid envelopes for donations.

Christian Aid Week 13-19 May 2012

This week, 13-19 May 2012, is Christian Aid Week. 
Christian Aid is a organisation that insists the world can and must be swiftly changed to one where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty.
They work globally for profound change that eradicates the causes of poverty, striving to achieve equality, dignity and freedom for all, regardless of faith or nationality. They are part of a wider movement for social justice.
They provide urgent, practical and effective assistance where need is great, tackling the effects of poverty as well as its root causes.
For more information about Christian Aid in Scotland and how you can be more involved, visit www.christianaid.org.uk/scotland or contact your local church.

Whinny Brae School Site More Difficult to Sell After Budget Changes to VAT

Unfortunately, the sale and the redevelopment of the former Eastern Primary School site looks more unlikely. This gloomy prediction comes about because of a proposal obscured in the small print of the budget from the UK coalition government in March. This proposal will add VAT at the standard rate of 20% to the cost of the conversion and renovation of listed buildings.  The former Eastern Primary School is a grade A listed building and as such its conversion and renovation would, in the past, have been zero rated for VAT. The former school was built in 1911, and its listed status means the exterior cannot be changed and only minor alterations would be permitted inside. Last year the Council produced a planning brief that envisaged the old school buildings being converted into housing. It was hoped to find a developer willing to redevelop the site without major changes to the existing school building; but no suitable bids have been received. 


This is very disappointing news. Its disappointing because adding VAT will make the cost of conversion more expensive and therefore in a time when the local housing market is flat, the sale and redevelopment of the school seems a more remote possibility. I know residents will be concerned that long delays may mean these empty buildings deteriorate and become a target for vandals. It's disappointing for the Council too because a substantial sum was anticipated from the sale of the site when the school moved out and this will affect other projects in the capital plan.
Unfortunately, this same VAT hike would make similar listed building conversions more expensive, which might tip the balance more in favour of demolition of listed buildings rather than conversion. In a place like Broughty Ferry that would make finding alternative uses for historic buildings such as redundant churches more difficult. 
This budget change, detailed in VAT Addressing borderline anomalies, is subject to a formal period of consultation closing on Friday 4 May. I was keen to ensure that the Council was going to respond to the government. I am relieved to learn from the City Development Department that the Council will be supporting joint responses from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and Historic Scotland about the negative effects of this proposal. 
But I am wondering whether this is enough to turn the tide of public opinion? Apart from encouraging churches and other custodians of listed buildings to make representations, I wonder whether we should emulate Pamela Greener, the wife of the Dean of Wakefield Cathedral, who posted her protest song on YouTube as her way of transmitting her message to George Osborne over his plans for VAT. She performed and recorded her message in the style of a musical hall style ditty in the midst of the building works at the Cathedral.
If that's what it takes, perhaps Mike Marra might oblige and write and perform a distinctly Dundonian message to send to the coalition government at Westminster?

Councillor Calls for a Clean Sweep in The Ferry

While British Summer Time began at 1am on Sunday morning, the gulleys of the Street outside my home were still choked by the accumulated grit and sand from the winter road treatment and rubbish swept to the side of the road by vehicle movements. However I fare in the forthcoming elections, I think I made a clean sweep of these gulleys on Sunday afternoon!


This does however beg the question about the frequency of road sweeping in The Ferry. I know many constituents are frustrated by the apparent lack of service in Central Broughty Ferry.


I have taken this up with the Environment Department to try to pin them down about the frequency of service that residents should expect in return for their Council Tax. The best that can be said about the current state of the gulleys is that constituents can see that their Councillor receives no special treatment in his Street!

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