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Autumn <strong>20</strong>21 Issue <strong>20</strong> £1<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong><br />
news & resources for the community of Kippen<br />
INSIDE<br />
● Special Feature ● Clubs ● Community Affairs<br />
● Did You Know ● Police Report ● Supporters<br />
theweevine.org<br />
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Welcome<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong><br />
Editor<br />
Denis Bradley<br />
Editorial Group<br />
Ali Thom<br />
Naomi Hirst<br />
Rick Dekker<br />
Stuart Thomson<br />
Original Design<br />
Rick Dekker<br />
Layout<br />
Stewart Hislop<br />
Proof Reading<br />
Annabel Griffin<br />
Printing<br />
Mixam<br />
Website<br />
www.theweevine.org<br />
Contact us at:<br />
enquiries@theweevine.org<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong>, <strong>The</strong> Windings, Fore Road<br />
Kippen, FK8 3DT<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong> is produced quarterly and<br />
distributed within the Kippen area.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong> magazine accepts no responsibility<br />
for the return or the condition of unsolicited<br />
manuscripts, art and photographs.<br />
Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the<br />
accuracy of the information contained within<br />
the magazine, the publishers, printers and their<br />
agents cannot accept responsibility for the errors<br />
or omissions. Views held by contributors are their<br />
own and do not necessarily coincide with those of<br />
the editorial team.<br />
We also reserve the right to edit or refuse insertion<br />
of any article submitted.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong> magazine is published by <strong>The</strong> <strong>Wee</strong><br />
<strong>Vine</strong>, which is a not-for-profit organisation.<br />
Welcome to<br />
issue <strong>20</strong> of<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong><br />
As we now move into Autumn it’s time<br />
for pumpkins and bonfires.<br />
Our thanks to Ellen Larson Davidson for the<br />
wonderful rainbow picture on the cover.<br />
We are happy to see an article for the first time<br />
from the Community Council and trust this will<br />
continue. <strong>The</strong>re is an interesting entry from<br />
Kippen Ways on page 14 regarding the route from<br />
Kippen to Gargunnock using the old military road<br />
plus an extended feature covering the Kippen Trail<br />
Race on pages 16-21.<br />
New to <strong>The</strong> <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong> is our first crossword on page<br />
26 and for those who have not had information<br />
regarding the new waste collection we have the<br />
schedule on page 22.<br />
Our next issue is scheduled for the second half of<br />
January and contributions will be needed by 31st<br />
December.<br />
Your feedback about the <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong> is important<br />
to us so please get in touch with your comments/<br />
ideas for this year. Instances of Covid togetherness<br />
especially welcome.<br />
Email to enquiries@theweevine.org or text/<br />
Whatsapp to 07736 36<strong>20</strong>11. If you wish to donate<br />
go to https://theweevine.org/donations/ If<br />
you would like your photograph featured on the<br />
front cover, send to enquiries@theweevine.<br />
org (minimum size 1 MB). This should feature a<br />
seasonal picture at time of printing.<br />
Cover Photograph by Rev. Ellen Larson Davidson<br />
Index<br />
Special Feature 3<br />
Clubs 6<br />
Community Affairs 7<br />
Did You Know 23<br />
Police Report 28<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong> Supporters 31<br />
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Special Feature<br />
Spreading Yet Further!<br />
In a recent issue of the <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong>, it was noted that cuttings from the original Kippen <strong>Vine</strong><br />
had been spread through the village and in addition, from Angus and Galloway to Surrey<br />
and Somerset. <strong>The</strong>re has been further spreading since then.<br />
Firstly, Margaret Oswald (Chair of Kippen Heritage) has sold several cuttings to locations<br />
in the village via Kippen Facebook, with the proceeds going to Kippen Heritage.<br />
And the issue of the <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong> containing that article was<br />
bought at the Woodhouse by Margaret Pollock, a leading<br />
member of the Community Trust responsible for the<br />
ongoing restoration of Bannockburn House. She read<br />
the article and sent a wee email to the <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong> to see if<br />
it would be possible to take a cutting of the Kippen <strong>Vine</strong><br />
over to Bannockburn House. A cutting was accordingly<br />
grown (as in attached photo) and delivered to Margaret<br />
at Bannockburn House.<br />
On delivery, Margaret provided a guided tour of the<br />
restoration work being undertaken in the house and<br />
gardens. Horticulturally, historically, and architecturally<br />
fascinating!<br />
<strong>The</strong> gardens are extremely interesting – Californian<br />
Giant Redwoods (with more to come!), rare fruit trees<br />
from a bygone era, their own (non-Kippen) vine, a turf<br />
maze, hidden cherubs and much more besides.<br />
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Special Feature<br />
And the house with some magnificent architectural features. You can see a<br />
photo of the Gallery, but there is so much more.<br />
And then, the history – Robert the Bruce, the history of tartan, and particularly<br />
the Jacobite connection which spreads over both the ‘15 and the ‘45 risings<br />
but with a marked emphasis on Bonnie Prince Charlie. <strong>The</strong> house was his<br />
headquarters (quite a while after his brief stay at Boquhan) during the Battle<br />
of Falkirk and the Siege of Stirling Castle. Also, where he met his ‘mistress’<br />
Clementina Walkinshaw. Many of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s battle flags and<br />
standards have been reproduced by volunteer Robert Dennis and hang in<br />
the Upper Hall and the Prince’s bedchamber.<br />
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Special Feature<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are so many other facets to this house of<br />
which space precludes mention. More details<br />
of this and of visiting tours can be seen on their<br />
website – www.bannockburnhouse.scot.<br />
Image copyright: Hugh McCusker, a volunteer with<br />
Bannockburn House Trust<br />
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Clubs<br />
Kippen Bowling Club<br />
<strong>The</strong> formal end to the bowling season took<br />
place with our Closing Day on Sunday 19<br />
September. For some of us it is now on to<br />
the indoor rinks at Fintry.<br />
We were fortunate again with the weather<br />
this year and managed to complete<br />
our full range of in club competitions<br />
as well as being able to compete in the<br />
Forth and Endrick league which Kippen<br />
won. Unfortunately there were again no<br />
open competitions because of Covid but<br />
hopefully we will<br />
return more or less<br />
to normal next year<br />
by which time, again<br />
hopefully, we will<br />
have managed to<br />
complete the badly<br />
needed repairs to<br />
the clubhouse roof.<br />
Our fun bowling, prize giving and dinner<br />
will be held at Fintry Sports Centre on<br />
Sunday 28 November <strong>20</strong>21.<br />
John Anderson, President<br />
01786 870 001<br />
Kippen Curling<br />
After a year and a half<br />
with no curling, we<br />
finally got back onto<br />
the ice to start the new<br />
season.<br />
Our Opening Bonspiel<br />
took place on 15th<br />
September at the<br />
Peak and although we were slightly fewer<br />
in number, we still had 4 teams taking part<br />
with the team consisting of Ewan Ferguson,<br />
Toby Ross and yours truly as winners over a<br />
series of competitive games.<br />
Although we hadn’t been on the ice for a<br />
while, we were soon back into the swing of it<br />
with some great play from all teams. We are<br />
looking forward to a (hopefully) full season<br />
so “Good Curling” to all those taking part.<br />
If anybody is interested in joining the club,<br />
we would welcome new members. Please<br />
contact the club using the email address<br />
below if you are interested.<br />
Dougie Chalmers, Secretary<br />
kippencurlingclub@gmail.com<br />
Kippen Bridge Club<br />
Let me start by saying this is a wonderful game - a kind of gymnastics for the mind, which<br />
calls upon memory, partnership, risk, and strategy! I can only think that this new hobby will<br />
improve my mental capacity over time and could be a real tonic for a woman of a certain<br />
age! As the newbie (and apparent youngster) I have been made to feel most welcome with<br />
care taken to ensure I understand the fundamentals of the game. Thank you partners!<br />
Played from 8pm every Tuesday (<strong>The</strong> Inn at Kippen) and Thursday (<strong>The</strong> Cross Keys), you<br />
will not only be enjoying this intriguing and slightly addictive game but also supporting<br />
your local hostelries.<br />
What’s not to like? Come and join in the fun! Contact kippenbridge@aol.com or just come<br />
along.<br />
Lynn Hood<br />
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Fore Road<br />
Annabel Griffin has kindly donated some<br />
excellent photos of various activities and<br />
scenes occurring in Fore Road.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is the Inn with its new panoply of<br />
table shades and just a hint of the floral<br />
decoration outside.<br />
And John McNicoll delivering messages<br />
in his 1953 BSA Golden Flash (650 cc),<br />
providing the first-class service to which<br />
we have become accustomed, in his own<br />
unique method.<br />
Community Affairs<br />
<strong>The</strong> Dr. Railton Scott<br />
Appeal<br />
This summer we went ahead with our<br />
delayed Annual Appeal. In June the letters<br />
were distributed around homes in the<br />
village, with a request that donations be<br />
put in a deposit box in McNicolls. We<br />
had a wonderful response and the total<br />
raised was £4,227. <strong>The</strong> crowd funding<br />
page which was set up by Stuart Thomson<br />
in January raised £1,550 with the balance<br />
being made up from raffle ticket sales and<br />
donations.<br />
This is a magnificent sum and we owe a<br />
huge thank you to everyone who helped<br />
in such a generous way to raise money for<br />
Cancer Research. <strong>The</strong> raffle draw took<br />
place at Thistle cottage with members of<br />
the committee in attendance. Margaret<br />
McDougal won the star prize of £150, the<br />
Hewines of <strong>The</strong> Beeches the second prize,<br />
and the Menzies of Scott Brae won third<br />
prize. Thank you to all who generously<br />
donated to the raffle.<br />
I think it is unlikely that we will be able to<br />
hold the Whist Drive next February as it<br />
will not be possible to forecast what the<br />
Covid situation will be for large groups of<br />
people. <strong>The</strong>re will not be an Appeal as<br />
such, but if restrictions still allow we would<br />
like to encourage small groups of people to<br />
gather in their home with friends to have a<br />
Whist evening and make a donation to the<br />
charity. <strong>The</strong>re will be more information<br />
about this at the end of the year.<br />
Once again, a huge thank you to all who<br />
contributed to the recent Appeal.<br />
Naomi Hirst<br />
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Community Affairs<br />
Community Council<br />
<strong>The</strong> Kippen Community Council normally<br />
meet in the Reading Rooms on the 2 nd<br />
Tuesday of the month except for January,<br />
July & August. Due to the Corona Virus<br />
Pandemic, we hadn’t met for almost a year<br />
before moving online and utilising Zoom.<br />
Stirling Council’s recommendation is that<br />
ALL Community Councils should still be<br />
meeting virtually which will be continually<br />
reviewed over the next coming months as<br />
necessary.<br />
We have been using the local Facebook<br />
pages to advertise, in advance, as many<br />
meetings as possible and provided a copy<br />
of the agenda. Copies of the Minutes are<br />
put in the notice board outside McNicolls,<br />
on the KCC Website (https://kippencc.org.<br />
uk/) and sent to Stirling Council for them<br />
to post on their page (https://stirling.gov.<br />
uk/community-leisure/your-community/<br />
kippen/).<br />
If you would like to be added to a mailing<br />
list to receive notice of and agendas for<br />
upcoming meetings and to receive a copy<br />
of the minutes, please feel free to e-mail<br />
us at kippencommunitycouncil@gmail.<br />
com. Please also use this e-mail address if<br />
you wish to raise any points or concerns<br />
that you feel we should know about.<br />
If you have any other suggestions of ways<br />
we can let you know about Community<br />
Council Matters, please let us know.<br />
One of the best ways to have your say,<br />
is to attend one of our meetings. We<br />
have started a “Round Table Discussion”<br />
whereby we go round everyone who<br />
attends to find out if they have any<br />
questions or concerns that they would<br />
like to raise. This has proved extremely<br />
popular for those attending, especially<br />
as Zoom can get confusing if too many<br />
people talking at the same time.<br />
With this in mind, we have had some<br />
discussion points recently.<br />
<strong>The</strong> first one concerns an Anaerobic<br />
Digester Application. We had a higher<br />
number of attendees at our recent<br />
meetings to discuss and all of whom<br />
wished to Object to the Application,<br />
with no one at the meetings who would<br />
like to Support the Application. KCC,<br />
therefore, have sent in an Objection<br />
on behalf of those in attendance. Since<br />
then, we have submitted a further two<br />
Objections that you are able to view on<br />
Stirling Council’s Online Portal (https://<br />
pabs.stirling.gov.uk/online-applications/<br />
applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summa<br />
ry&keyVal=QX7BJCPIG0N00).<br />
We were asked if we could name the<br />
Dawn Homes housing estate currently<br />
being built. We were given a very limited<br />
timescale to work with in order to meet a<br />
deadline provided to us by Stirling Council.<br />
It was suggested at one of the meetings<br />
to offer Kippen Primary School (KPS) the<br />
opportunity to name it. This was put to<br />
Kippen Primary School and suggestions<br />
were then put on a poll on the Kippen<br />
FB pages. We felt that this was a good<br />
idea and was agreed by members of the<br />
KCC and Community who attended the<br />
meetings.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are rules regarding the naming<br />
of new roads such as they WILL NOT<br />
accept the name of a person living or<br />
within living memory of the Community –<br />
therefore excluding many of the excellent<br />
suggestions from the Community after the<br />
poll was announced.<br />
NB – Stirling Council DO NOT have to<br />
accept any of the suggestions that we have<br />
put forward<br />
KCC requires a minimum of 7 Full<br />
Members, with a Maximum of 9 Full/Co-<br />
Opted Members<br />
Until recently, KCC had 8 Full Members,<br />
with 2 Associate Members. We were<br />
already part way through a Co-Option<br />
Nomination process (which will complete<br />
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at our next meeting 30/09) when one of<br />
our members decided to reduce their role<br />
from Full Member to Associate Member.<br />
Your current Community Councillors are:<br />
Hugh Aitchison (Associate – applied for Co-Opt)<br />
Margaret Beaton (Full)<br />
Kevin Carty (Associate)<br />
Robert Clubb (Treasurer)<br />
Scott Crawford (Secretary)<br />
Susan Hewett (Full)<br />
Sarah Hill (Full)<br />
Barbara Ross (Full)<br />
Derek Shanks (Full)<br />
Christine Stewart (Associate – Co-Opt at next<br />
meeting)<br />
Please feel free to say “hello” if you meet us.<br />
Thank you, Scott Crawford<br />
Community Affairs<br />
Kippen Village Hall<br />
Are you looking for an opportunity to do<br />
something great for our fantastic village?<br />
Kippen village hall committee is looking<br />
for some new members to join our team<br />
and help us keep the hall running for the<br />
community. <strong>The</strong> hall is important for many<br />
groups in the village and as we emerge<br />
from the pandemic we have several<br />
projects planned, but need some help<br />
to make them happen. Joining the team<br />
will not require a big time commitment<br />
(honestly!!) and will be a huge help! If<br />
you might be interested in joining us or<br />
just want to find out a bit more, contact<br />
Jon Evans (jonevans2311@aol.com) or<br />
Claire Thompson (kippenvillagehall@<br />
gmail.com).<br />
Thank you!<br />
Jon Evans<br />
It has been great fun to be back after the<br />
summer holiday. We have welcomed new<br />
Rainbows and it was great to see the older<br />
Rainbows back again.<br />
We have been busy working on our<br />
construction badge and we have visited<br />
the Arnprior Pumpkin Patch.<br />
If your daughter is between the ages of 5<br />
and 7 (or will turn 5 in the next couple of<br />
months) and if she is interested in joining<br />
Rainbows, please contact me at any time<br />
via email: kippen.rainbows@gmail.com or<br />
go to the girl guiding website and register<br />
your daughter.<br />
Jolanda, Charlotte and Emily<br />
Flower Tubs<br />
<strong>The</strong> lovely summer weather has helped to<br />
produce a great display of colour this year.<br />
<strong>The</strong> tubs were planted up by Naomi, Una,<br />
Fiona, Sue, and Wendy (ably assisted by<br />
Hamish) at the beginning of June, with a<br />
rota throughout the summer for watering<br />
and dead heading. My thanks to everyone<br />
for your continued help. As Summer<br />
begins to wane and Autumn takes over,<br />
we will soon be clearing out the tubs and<br />
planting pansies to see us through the<br />
winter. All new bulbs were planted last<br />
Autumn so I am hopeful that they will<br />
come again in the Spring.<br />
As always, thank you so much to all<br />
who contribute to the collection box in<br />
McNicolls.<br />
Naomi Hirst<br />
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Community Affairs<br />
Minister’s Musings<br />
Where have you been lately? Anywhere exciting or interesting, beautiful, and inspiring?<br />
I must admit I miss traveling a bit. I know some people have been able to travel for work<br />
or leisure or to see family overseas. I have only made short trips and taken holidays within<br />
Scotland.<br />
I wonder if you have been travelling and not realised where you were until you are<br />
caught off guard by something. Have you been out for a walk or drive and been struck<br />
by something strange or different? <strong>The</strong> world around us is changing. Life is changing and<br />
so are we. Even if we go on the same walk every day for months or years, we never really<br />
go on the exact same walk because little aspects of place change, seasons change, and<br />
we change too. I remember vividly driving into the town I grew up in (much smaller than<br />
Kippen) and noticing a tree gone and a new sign constructed. I was caught off guard and<br />
found myself wanting ‘home’ to have been the ‘same’ as I had left it even though I knew it<br />
impossible. Our community here is constantly changing with new families moving in, dear<br />
friends leaving through moves and death, houses being built or changed, and all of us<br />
growing a bit older day-by-day.<br />
In Kippen Kirk we are a few years shy of the centenary of the major renovation work of<br />
1926. I wonder what the church looked like before the drastic changes in architecture<br />
and art. I also wonder how we may need to change again going forward if the space is to<br />
be more useable and inspiring ‘for generations yet unborn’ (quoting artist and instigator<br />
of the last changes D. Y. Cameron). I wonder what we carry with us as we find our way<br />
out of pandemic and the first quarter of the 21 st century. I wonder where we will travel<br />
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Community Affairs<br />
together. What stories will we hold in our hearts? What practices will endure? What will we<br />
leave behind and pick up instead? And if the recent return to singing together in worship<br />
reminds us, what songs will we sing? What songs will we pass on? What new songs will be<br />
written?<br />
A song inspired by a song from the Bible (Psalm 40) is U2’s ‘40’ from their third album<br />
‘War’ which is almost 40 years old now. Bono was inspired by the ancient words asking<br />
how long I wait and how God taught a new song of praise even when it’s been murky<br />
and mucky times. Look up U2’s performance on YouTube of ’40’ from their Vertigo tour,<br />
Chicago, <strong>20</strong>05. I wonder how these words may be sung again today? In a century?<br />
Where have we been and where are we going? I’m excited to see and hear with wonder<br />
and praise. As we grow and change, learn and let go, may we see beauty in the travelling<br />
and community along the way.<br />
May God bless you on your journey through life, Ellen<br />
Sunday Worship at Kippen Kirk is weekly at 11.15 am with some continuing Covid<br />
safety mitigations like sanitising, face masks and 1 m distancing.<br />
We are working to offer hybrid worship of online linked with onsite. <strong>The</strong> 10 am service<br />
in Norrieston Church is accessible through Zoom and you are invited to contact Ellen<br />
(elarsondavidson@churchofscotland.org.uk) for link and details.<br />
From <strong>20</strong>th October the Bible Study on Wednesday mornings at 10 am will be looking<br />
at the Book of Job over about 5 weeks. Watch the noticeboards, Kippen and Norrieston<br />
Parish Churches Facebook page and group for further details.<br />
Rev. Ellen Larson Davidson, Minister<br />
Kippen linked with Norrieston Parishes, Church of Scotland<br />
Reg. Charity No. SC004286 (Kip) & SC028719 (Nor)<br />
Kippen Playgroup and Toddlers<br />
We are delighted to<br />
be back at playgroup<br />
after the summer<br />
holidays and are<br />
enjoying being back<br />
out in the woods<br />
with the good weather.<br />
With the continued uncertainty of COVID<br />
restrictions, we have taken the difficult<br />
decision not to run our Christmas Market<br />
again this year, however there will be a<br />
special guest making an appearance early<br />
December. Please keep an eye on the local<br />
Facebook pages with more information<br />
to follow. We really hope to have our<br />
Christmas Market back up and running for<br />
<strong>20</strong>22.<br />
If we could politely ask dog owners that<br />
when we are in the woods that dogs are<br />
keep under control near the children, we<br />
do have a few children who are nervous<br />
around dogs.<br />
We currently have spaces on our Tuesday<br />
session (9:30am – 12 noon) and have a<br />
waiting list for Friday, if you know any little<br />
people (2 years plus) who would like to join<br />
in the adventure please get in touch.<br />
Our Parent, Toddlers and Baby sessions<br />
are back on a Thursday (10:15am – 12<br />
noon) with all ages between 0-5 welcome,<br />
if you would like more information or to<br />
come along to a session please email<br />
below.<br />
Contact us for further details at playgroup.<br />
toddlers.kippen@gmail.com<br />
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Community Affairs<br />
<strong>The</strong> Reading Room<br />
happen, notices will be displayed in the<br />
usual places across the village.<br />
Our committee remains very keen to play<br />
its part in helping the village to resume<br />
our normal social life as and when the<br />
pandemic passes into history.<br />
Let us hope that this will happen soon.<br />
Jeremy Gaywood<br />
We are very pleased to be able to report<br />
that, subject to the ongoing anti-Covid<br />
requirements, it has been possible to reopen<br />
the Reading Room for a number of<br />
user activities. Detailed requirements are<br />
now displayed in the entrance hall, and it is<br />
asked that approved users abide by these<br />
instructions. Those interested in hiring any<br />
of the rooms in the building are asked to<br />
contact Betty McAlister (07703821125)<br />
or Dawn Wartig (07870562396) before<br />
making a booking.<br />
Under government guidelines still in force,<br />
each of our user institutions which may<br />
wish to use the Reading Room must carry<br />
out their own risk assessments, and to<br />
apply social distancing rules during their<br />
activities.<br />
It is therefore currently not possible to<br />
hold our usual Autumn Jumble Sale, or<br />
the Kippen Cuppa until the Covid risk has<br />
passed.<br />
<strong>The</strong> refurbishment project remains a<br />
top priority and the plans are now at an<br />
advanced stage. However, it is clear that<br />
the building industry, which had largely<br />
been furloughed, are faced with supply<br />
difficulties as they return to work. Our<br />
project must therefore take its place in the<br />
queue.<br />
In due course, therefore, it is intended<br />
that the work will be undertaken with as<br />
little disruption as possible to users. That<br />
said, in the event it may prove necessary<br />
to deny access to users for reasons of<br />
safety and working efficiency. Should this<br />
Kippen Parish Church Guild<br />
“Look Forward in Faith” - “Lights and<br />
Bushels”<br />
Sadly, as covid is still around, the Guild<br />
Committee has decided it is not wise to<br />
begin regular meetings just yet. If you<br />
are interested in reading the regular Guild<br />
Newsletters, please let Joanna have your<br />
email address.<br />
“Lord as we look forward in faith help us to<br />
be aware of your light, constantly shining,<br />
never dimming as you care and guide us.<br />
May we bring light and colour into the lives<br />
of those we meet on the way. Where a light<br />
is needed to brighten a life may we be there.<br />
Where a hand is needed to ease a load may<br />
we be there offering it willingly.<br />
Where an ear is needed to comfort may we<br />
be there to stop and listen.<br />
Where a prayer is needed when troubles arise<br />
around the world caused by nature or by<br />
man’s inhumanity may we be ever prayerful<br />
and offer our help in any way we can.<br />
May we go forward in faith and in the light of<br />
the Lord, Whose we are and Whom we serve.<br />
In Jesus name we pray.”<br />
Further information is available from<br />
Joanna M. McPhail: 01786 870681 or<br />
joanna.mcphail@btinternet.com<br />
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Kippen Community Woodland Group<br />
Community Affairs<br />
<strong>The</strong> Group has once again been busy since the last edition of the<br />
<strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong>. On 1 st August we were joined by Wallis Weir of Weir<br />
Forestry who removed the fallen tree on the far side of the pond<br />
as well as an unsafe tree near the pond bench. Removing the tree<br />
from the pond was a complex job and one that would have been<br />
very difficult to complete without the Weir Forestry winch. Many<br />
thanks to Wallis (and his family) for taking time on a Sunday to help<br />
us out and saving us from the time-consuming task of manually<br />
cutting away the branches.<br />
Members of the Group have cut back<br />
vegetation from along the sides of the main<br />
paths; this has highlighted a large amount of<br />
dog poo that is not being picked up. Not only<br />
can dog poo make a mess of the clothes worn<br />
by the person strimming, but it also can also<br />
present a health risk to users of the wood<br />
come into contact with it. As dog fouling is<br />
an environmental crime, please can everyone<br />
clear up after their dog and place the poo in<br />
the bins provided around the wood.<br />
We are pleased to have made a successful<br />
application to the Falck Renewables<br />
Kingsburn Community Fund for funding of a wooden dipping platform at the pond. <strong>The</strong><br />
existing platform on the north side of the pond was installed over 15 years ago when<br />
the bank of the pond was damaged during clearance. <strong>The</strong> platform has become a focal<br />
part of the pond, particularly for children,<br />
but it was never intended for anything other<br />
than to cover up the bank damage. <strong>The</strong><br />
condition of the wooden platform has started<br />
to deteriorate, and it is not straightforward to<br />
repair. It is intended to remove the existing<br />
platform and for a contractor to replace with<br />
a new, purpose-built dipping platform later<br />
in the year. <strong>The</strong> platform will be closer to the<br />
surface of the pond and level with the bank of<br />
the pond, to facilitate easy access.<br />
Woodland work mornings continue to be<br />
held on the first Sunday of the month with<br />
a slightly earlier start time of 10.30am. Our Annual General Meeting will take place on<br />
Thursday, 25th November <strong>20</strong>21 at 8.15pm, location to be confirmed. <strong>The</strong> current office<br />
bearers are willing to be re-elected, but the Group would be happy to receive nominations<br />
if anyone else would like to be more involved. If you would like to find out more about the<br />
work of the Group or receive details of our activities, just email kippenwoodlandgroup@<br />
gmail.com or find us on Facebook.<br />
Paula Watson, Secretary<br />
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Community Affairs<br />
In the Spring edition of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong>, the<br />
formation of the Kippen Ways community group<br />
was mentioned. <strong>The</strong> Group is now formally<br />
constituted and its initial focus is on improving<br />
the existing right of way between Kippen<br />
and Gargunnock along the old military road.<br />
Discussions are on-going with landowners, with<br />
Phase 1 focussed on the section of the route<br />
that runs across the field between the end of Glentirranmuir Road and Boquhan Bridge.<br />
It has been identified that planning permission is required before any improvements<br />
can take place to the surface, fencing and gates; this needs to be supported by a design<br />
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Community Affairs<br />
and drawings. An application<br />
has been made to the Kippen<br />
Community Fund which will<br />
hopefully enable the outline<br />
design report with drawings to<br />
be progressed.<br />
Discussions with landowners<br />
and the funding application<br />
have been informed by the<br />
results of the Kippen Ways<br />
community survey which was<br />
open to responses in July and<br />
August <strong>20</strong>21. We would like<br />
to thank all those who took<br />
the time to respond. A total of<br />
89 responses were received<br />
with responses to the main<br />
questions summarised below.<br />
When asked if there were other<br />
aspects to be improved before<br />
respondents would be happy<br />
for their children to use the<br />
right of way between Kippen<br />
and Gargunnock by themselves:<br />
3 said no improvements were<br />
needed; 3 raised concerns<br />
associated with sharing route<br />
with vehicles (lack of pavement,<br />
passing spaces & warning signs),<br />
6 had concerns regarding cattle,<br />
2 would like easy opening gates;<br />
2 would like route more clearly<br />
marked and 1 would like to see<br />
the farmyard bypassed.<br />
If anyone would like to find<br />
out more about the work of<br />
the Group or be kept informed<br />
of our activities, please email<br />
kippenways@gmail.com or find<br />
us on Facebook.<br />
Angus Warren, Chair<br />
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Community Affairs<br />
Kippen Trail Race<br />
On Sunday 26 th September <strong>20</strong>5 runners and their supporters flocked in to Kippen to take<br />
part in the annual Kippen Trail Trace. It was a record number of runners for the race and<br />
the atmosphere was extra special due to not being able to hold the event in <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong>. Regular<br />
attendees were delighted to be back and new runners were excited about the course that<br />
they had heard so many good things about.<br />
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Community Affairs<br />
Kippen Trail Race is a low-cost, no fuss event. <strong>The</strong> entry is fee is £1, there are no medals,<br />
no goody bags, no water stops and no times (apart from the winners) and that’s the way<br />
the participants like it with one commenting “Brilliant event, loved it! Other races could<br />
learn from the no goody bag, no medal, £1 entry – fantastic! A cracking wee race.”<br />
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Community Affairs<br />
Participants came from all over with the furthest travelled runners flying in from Berlin!<br />
<strong>The</strong> youngest female runner completing the 4.7-mile route was Rebecca Gribben, just 7<br />
years old and the youngest male runner was Connor Campbell aged 11.<br />
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Community Affairs<br />
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Community Affairs<br />
Of course none of this is possible without the fantastic support from the<br />
community, huge thanks go to the marshals - Michael, Paul, Paula, Iain<br />
and Murray, the photographers - Ali, Annabel, Roger, Kay and Jon, the<br />
musician – May, the neighbouring farmers who kindly let us run through<br />
their fields and a very big thank you to our sponsors - Skinner of Kippen<br />
, Fallen Brewing Co. and Rhubarb Lime who provide the very generous<br />
prizes every year.<br />
Hope to see you all again next year.<br />
Thank you from Kippen Trail Race Team<br />
Morna O’May<br />
RESULTS:<br />
First Male FINLAY WATERS 28:58<br />
Second Male DAVID CHAPMAN 30:09<br />
Third Male ANDREW MCCALL 30:25<br />
First Female EDEL MOONEY 31:22<br />
Second Female CATRIONA O’DONNELL 32:11<br />
Third Female CHARLOTTE SCHMAUTZ 32:49<br />
Fastest Under 16 Male FINLAY WATERS (15) 28:58<br />
Fastest Under 16 Female TUSCANY WRIGHT (15) 38:31<br />
First Place overall FINLAY WATERS 28:58<br />
<strong>20</strong> www.theweevine.org<br />
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Community Affairs<br />
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Community Affairs<br />
Bin Schedule<br />
As most of you will know, Stirling Council has changed the collection of the grey and blue bins<br />
from fortnightly to every 4 weeks from late September. You have also received the revised bin<br />
collection schedule to accompany this, but a copy is here for ease of reference.<br />
Stuart Thomson<br />
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Classics @ Kippen<br />
All live music and the performing arts have<br />
“fallen silent” during Covid-19 and I really<br />
can’t believe that it is now nearly 2 years<br />
since our last Classics@Kippen concert.<br />
For those of us for whom the performing<br />
arts is our life, it’s been a truly heartbreaking<br />
time and, like so many others,<br />
our music students and recent graduates<br />
have suffered greatly. Even for top artists<br />
who have had no work and no income of<br />
any kind during lockdown, the future still<br />
looks quite bleak. It’s a cultural desert out<br />
there and we’re certainly not out of the<br />
woods yet!<br />
Whilst we can now sing again in person<br />
there are still many restrictions. <strong>The</strong><br />
2-metre distancing rule is still firmly in<br />
place for singers, so we are all having to<br />
be very patient for things to get back to<br />
normal. As a result, I have no idea when<br />
it will be safe to put on another Classics@<br />
Kippen concert. I can’t wait! Neither can<br />
the students at the Conservatoire who,<br />
despite all the difficulties and frustrations<br />
of the last 18 months, have been literally<br />
Did you know<br />
clinging on and practising and developing<br />
their voices. Hats off to them! It’s been<br />
tough! One of the reasons Classics@<br />
Kippen exists is to offer these young<br />
singers some much needed performing<br />
opportunities and post lockdown. This is<br />
needed more than ever before. I have a<br />
long queue of young performers who are<br />
ready to go and who would just love to<br />
come and sing to you all in Kippen. Rest<br />
assured, that when the time is right, we<br />
are looking forward to inviting you to a<br />
bonanza of a concert which will be a huge<br />
celebration for us all. Watch this space!<br />
Those hugely talented and gifted<br />
performers haven’t been invited to the<br />
party of furlough schemes or any kind of<br />
help these past 18 months but somehow,<br />
they have tried to survive, keep their<br />
art and creativity alive and, with great<br />
resilience, continue to fly the flag for<br />
culture in our country. However, singers<br />
still must keep to 2 metres distance so<br />
we’re not out of the woods yet!<br />
Scottish Poppy Appeal <strong>20</strong>21<br />
This year the Kippen Scottish Poppy<br />
Appeal is going follow the same format<br />
as last year. <strong>The</strong>re will be no door-to-door<br />
collection, but I would ask you to support<br />
it through the following ways.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re will be the usual collection tins and<br />
boxes of Poppies at McNicolls, <strong>The</strong> Cross<br />
Keys, <strong>The</strong> Inn and Rhubarb Lime as well<br />
as the various shops and cafes in the<br />
area. <strong>The</strong> appeal has also gone digital,<br />
and monies can be donated in a variety of<br />
ways.<br />
In the collection tin beside the Poppies<br />
Using this official Just Giving link that is<br />
specifically for Kippen so we can still know<br />
what funds as a community we raise:<br />
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/<br />
ao-kippen1<br />
On each of the Poppy boxes there is a QR<br />
code that can be scanned and will take you<br />
straight to the Just Giving site<br />
I do hope that everyone continues to give<br />
generously without the human presence. I<br />
will share the link repeatedly on our Village<br />
of Kippen face book page.<br />
Last year the monies raised from Kippen,<br />
Gargunnock and the surrounding cafes<br />
was £2168.79. This was the best year<br />
ever since I took over as AO and I do feel<br />
the digital platforms helped in this now<br />
cashless society.<br />
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you<br />
have any question.<br />
Kirsty Pemberton-Pigott<br />
AO Kippen Scottish Poppy Appeal<br />
07887514594<br />
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Did you know<br />
News Release<br />
Citizens Advice Bureau opens outreach<br />
drop-in sessions within rural Stirling<br />
libraries.<br />
Stirling District Citizens<br />
Advice Bureau Ltd, in<br />
conjunction with Stirling<br />
Council Archives and Library<br />
Service, will now be offering<br />
drop-in sessions across five<br />
rural libraries to meet the<br />
growing demand in our<br />
communities.<br />
In addition to the already well-established<br />
service that was held in Callander library<br />
(pre lockdown), further drop-in sessions<br />
are scheduled to occur in Killin, Balfron,<br />
Strathblane, Fallin, Plean and Cowie<br />
libraries. <strong>The</strong> outreach service is due<br />
to begin week commencing Monday 6 th<br />
September.<br />
During the Covid restrictions advice and<br />
assistance was only able to be provided<br />
via remote telephone or web-chat<br />
means. By re-engaging in face-to-face<br />
appointments in our communities we<br />
aim to offer a holistic and wider reaching<br />
service, providing residents with free,<br />
independent, impartial, and confidential<br />
advice on a range of issues.<br />
Craig Anderson, CEO of Stirling CAB said,<br />
“<strong>The</strong> prolonged restrictions and continuing<br />
aftermath of the global Covid pandemic<br />
have hit our communities hard, and<br />
Stirling District Citizens Advice Bureau aim<br />
to address and assist clients in rectifying<br />
these hardships. Specialist accessible<br />
advice can be sought on debt, benefit<br />
entitlement, fuel, and housing issues, as<br />
well as support with food capacity and<br />
wider community issues”.<br />
Convener of Stirling Council’s Community<br />
Planning and Regeneration Committee,<br />
Councillor Chris Kane said: “Our libraries<br />
are important community hubs that offer<br />
so much more to local areas than simply<br />
loaning books.<br />
“By working together with Stirling District<br />
Citizens Advice Bureau we can help<br />
them get right into the heart of our rural<br />
communities to provide essential advice<br />
and support to residents in their own<br />
towns and villages.<br />
“Residents can benefit from free, impartial<br />
and confidential support on a range of<br />
issues from trained CAB advisers who<br />
have vast experience in offering advice<br />
and guidance when you need it most.”<br />
Vice Convener, Councillor Scott Farmer,<br />
said: “We want to ensure that nobody<br />
is excluded and everyone can get<br />
appropriate advice and support as close<br />
to home as possible. <strong>The</strong> reintroduction of<br />
face-to-face appointments in an expanded<br />
selection of our rural libraries is excellent<br />
news for local communities.<br />
“Whether you need advice about your<br />
money situation, want to make a complaint<br />
about faulty goods, or would like to talk to<br />
someone about tax credits, the CAB will be<br />
able to offer clarity and a way forward.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> details for the dates and times of the<br />
drop-in sessions are as follows;<br />
Mondays – Cowie Library (10am-1pm)<br />
<strong>Wee</strong>kly service & Plean/Fallin (2pm-4pm)<br />
alternating fortnightly service<br />
Tuesdays – Killin Library (1pm-3pm)<br />
Fortnightly service<br />
Wednesdays – Callander Library (10am-<br />
4pm) <strong>Wee</strong>kly service<br />
Thursdays – Balfron library (10am-1pm)<br />
<strong>Wee</strong>kly service & Strathblane (2pm-4pm)<br />
Fortnightly service<br />
How can I get further help?<br />
Contact Chris Kinnaird on 07498 925157<br />
or by e-mail: chris.kinnaird@stirlingcab.<br />
casonline.org.uk<br />
You can also contact us via our website<br />
www.stirlingcab.org.uk<br />
To find out more, please get in touch<br />
with your local CAB online: https://www.<br />
cas.org.uk/bureaux/stirling-district-cabcallander-outreach<br />
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TreeLink Stirling<br />
Join us in the woods on the second<br />
Saturday of each month.<br />
<strong>The</strong> TreeLink Woodland Group has<br />
arranged a series of activities in the Old<br />
Harbour Woods, between Riverside and<br />
Forthside. Each event will be on the<br />
second Saturday of the month. Meet at<br />
the two pillars at the start of the woodland<br />
path - beside the Riverside Quay student<br />
flats (FK8 1HZ) at 10:00 am. <strong>The</strong>re will be<br />
three events at Old Harbour Woods this<br />
year:<br />
Tree Seed Collection and Planting:<br />
Saturday October 9th, 10.00am – 1.00pm<br />
Alder seeds, rowan and elderberry seeds<br />
can all be collected here. We will have<br />
compost, pots, containers etc. for the<br />
preparation of seeds for planting. You<br />
can collect for your own garden or site or<br />
contribute to the TreeLink Tree Nursery<br />
Hub at Brahead Community Garden. Bring<br />
your own snacks for a picnic.<br />
Suitable for all ages, under 14-year-olds to<br />
be supervised by parent/carer.<br />
Tree Coppicing: Saturday November 13th,<br />
10.00am – 1.00pm<br />
After an induction on safe tool use, help us<br />
to thin some of the young trees on site, to<br />
make space for others to grow and let light<br />
into the ground layer of the woods. <strong>The</strong><br />
brash that we produce will also be used to<br />
Did you know<br />
make dead hedges to prevent erosion on<br />
the steep slopes.<br />
Not appropriate for children under<br />
12. Under 16-year-olds to be closely<br />
supervised by parent/carer.<br />
Green Woodworking: Saturday December<br />
11th, 10.00am – 1.00pm<br />
Join us at this session to make simple,<br />
greenwood stools, and use the shave horse<br />
to create mallets and tent pegs (perfect as<br />
festive gifts!) <strong>The</strong>re will be canopy cover<br />
in case of rain. Bring a hot drink and/or<br />
snack to keep you going. <strong>The</strong>re will be a<br />
box for voluntary donations to help us pay<br />
the workshop leader.<br />
Suitable for all ages, with under 14-yearolds<br />
supervised by parent/carer.<br />
As well as these three events, TreeLink<br />
will be supporting a tree planting session<br />
held at Borrowmeadow as a part of the<br />
<strong>The</strong> Stirling Climate Festival. On the final<br />
day of the festival (Sunday, 17th October)<br />
we will meet volunteers at <strong>The</strong> Peak<br />
(FK8 1QZ) to plant trees in the open land<br />
behind Forthbank Stadium. Details will be<br />
available nearer the time on the Climate<br />
Festival website and Facebook page.<br />
Our most recent event was held at the<br />
Cashel Forest Trust where, as reported<br />
in the ‘Stirling Observer’, we had a very<br />
successful day.<br />
Pumpkin Festival<br />
We are doing our pumpkin festival from<br />
11th -31st October. Tickets are all sold out<br />
for parking, but if anyone wants to come<br />
along by foot, they can get the bus from<br />
Kippen to Arnprior, no ticket required.<br />
Rebecca McEwen<br />
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Did you know<br />
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Haiti Earthquake<br />
Did you know<br />
After retiring Giles Waley spent 2 years<br />
training to be an Urban Search and Rescue<br />
Engineer with a charity called Search and<br />
Rescue Assistance in Disasters (SARAID).<br />
He had worked for 40 years as a civil and<br />
structural engineer. This enables him to make<br />
rapid structural assessments when operating<br />
as an engineer with SARAID.<br />
On August 14 th , <strong>20</strong>21, there was a powerful<br />
earthquake in Haiti. A few days later Giles<br />
mobilised to Heathrow to join a team of 6<br />
being deployed, on an engineering basis, to<br />
carry out rapid structural assessments of<br />
priority buildings, in particular hospitals, schools and churches. This was carried out in Les<br />
Cayes, a city close to the epicentre.<br />
Haiti is an insecure country and travel can be<br />
dangerous. To reach Les Cayes the team joined a<br />
World Food Programme convoy travelling from the<br />
capital city with an armed escort. On arrival in Les<br />
Cayes they set up a Base of Operations. Because<br />
of the danger from aftershocks, they avoid staying<br />
inside buildings, so they bring their own tents for<br />
accommodation. To remain independent, they<br />
carry their own ration packs, water and filtration<br />
system and satellite phones.<br />
In a few days 49 buildings were assessed and<br />
classified as RED - dangerous to enter, YELLOW–<br />
restricted access, GREEN – safe to enter. Training<br />
was also planned for provincial, national, and<br />
international assessors to continue the damage<br />
assessment process, with consistency, once the<br />
SARAID team had departed. With this model in<br />
place 493 more buildings were assessed in the<br />
following few days. Much more remains to be done<br />
in the future.<br />
In addition to the insecure conditions in Haiti the difficult travel logistics, communications,<br />
COVID, heat and humidity made the deployment particularly challenging. Dealing with a<br />
variety of agencies involved with national and provincial governance and administration<br />
resulted in significant complexity. SARAID’s contribution was universally welcomed and<br />
was endorsed at the highest government level.<br />
Such deployments are expensive. All SARAID team members are volunteers and each one<br />
has to fundraise. If you would like to make a donation, please do so via the Just Giving<br />
site on SARAID’s website, or you can hand in a cheque or cash to Giles at Burnbank. A big<br />
THANK YOU to those of you who have already contributed so generously.<br />
If you would like to read a fuller account, please go to the <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong> web site.<br />
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Police Report<br />
Community Engagement<br />
and Reassurance<br />
PC Steven Graham is based<br />
at Balfron Police Office and<br />
can be contacted on 101<br />
or at ForthEndrickCPT@<br />
scotland.pnn.police.uk. It<br />
is recommended that this<br />
email address is used by<br />
the local community for email contact.<br />
Please remember that we regularly publish<br />
useful information and updates on social<br />
media, including appeals for information,<br />
updates about road closures and crime<br />
prevention advice. Our Facebook and<br />
Twitter pages can be found at:<br />
www.facebook.com/<br />
forthvalleypolicedivision<br />
www.facebook.com/policescotland<br />
www.twitter.com/stirlingpol<br />
www.twitter.com/policescotland<br />
Road Safety<br />
<strong>The</strong>re were a couple of multi vehicle RTCs<br />
on the A811 near Kippen Roundabout.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re were no injuries at either however<br />
Police attended on both occasions. At<br />
one of the RTCs a driver was issued with<br />
a Conditional Offer of Fixed Penalty for<br />
careless driving.<br />
I have carried out hand-held radar speed<br />
checks within the village and will be<br />
continuing to do so.<br />
A male was reported to the PF after being<br />
caught drink driving in Main St, Kippen.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Central Scotland Safety Camera<br />
Partnership have continued to operate on<br />
the A811 near to Kippen.<br />
Local officers have and will continue to<br />
carry out high visibility patrols to improve<br />
road safety.<br />
Anti-social behaviour<br />
<strong>The</strong>re was a report of youths on the roof<br />
of Kippen Primary School. Tiles were<br />
damaged although no break in was<br />
attempted. That same night a fire was<br />
started at the toddler’s area in the woods<br />
near to the football pitch. Enquiries were<br />
carried out and it was established that<br />
these incidents were linked. Youths from<br />
out with the area were responsible for<br />
both and were reported for the offences.<br />
Fraud<br />
Fraud has become very common<br />
unfortunately and many people are being<br />
scammed in a variety of different ways.<br />
Here are some common scams.<br />
Account takeover and phone redirection<br />
This is where the victim’s phone company<br />
is contacted to temporarily redirect calls<br />
to a new number. <strong>The</strong> fraudster, who has<br />
the victim’s banking details, then makes<br />
transfers between the victim’s account.<br />
<strong>The</strong>n make transfers to their own account.<br />
Sometimes the victim’s account has<br />
received loans. <strong>The</strong>se have been applied<br />
for by the fraudster who then transfers the<br />
money to their own account.<br />
Advanced fee fraud<br />
This is a popular crime with organised<br />
crime groups based overseas. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
involve requests to help move large sums<br />
of money with the promise of a large share<br />
of the cash in return.<br />
Business telephony fraud<br />
This is a type of electronic fraud where a<br />
company’s internal telecommunications<br />
system is ‘hijacked’ by criminals. It is used<br />
either to redirect calls or to dial premium<br />
rate telephone numbers. <strong>The</strong> revenue<br />
from this is then paid to the criminals.<br />
By using auto dialler programmes, the<br />
criminals can make multiple calls at<br />
the same time. Each call makes money,<br />
sometimes thousands of pounds before<br />
the fraud is detected.<br />
Cold callers – e.g., Microsoft scam, PPI<br />
refunds<br />
Computer repair scam – this scam is<br />
usually from fraudsters based overseas.<br />
<strong>The</strong> fraudster telephones the victim at<br />
random. <strong>The</strong>y then tell them they are from<br />
Microsoft or another similar company.<br />
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<strong>The</strong>y tell the victim that they have viruses<br />
on their computer. <strong>The</strong> fraudster asks<br />
for access to the victim’s computer. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
then spend a lot of time (sometimes up to<br />
2 hours) on the phone whilst interfering<br />
with the victim’s computer. After some<br />
time, the fraudster requests bank details<br />
to make payment for the work they have<br />
done. <strong>The</strong>y have not done any work<br />
but may have copied files and obtained<br />
personal information.<br />
False job offers<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are different kinds of this type of<br />
fraud. <strong>The</strong> most common is the fraudster<br />
advertising for a job position such a night<br />
porter, cleaner or mystery shopper. <strong>The</strong><br />
mystery shopper scam is advertised as a<br />
job on sites such as Gumtree. <strong>The</strong> victim<br />
is sent out forged travellers cheques<br />
or stolen bank cheques. <strong>The</strong>y are then<br />
asked to put them into their own bank<br />
account. Sometimes the funds clear<br />
without the forgery, or the stolen cheque<br />
being noticed. <strong>The</strong> victim is then asked<br />
to make a purchase somewhere such<br />
as Tesco with the funds. <strong>The</strong>y are told to<br />
keep some of the funds and to send the<br />
remainder to the fraudster, often at a<br />
London address. However, a week or two<br />
after the cheques have been lodged, they<br />
are uncovered by the banking system<br />
and the victim can be left out of pocket.<br />
Often the jobs are advertised claiming to<br />
be from local businesses. Emails are sent<br />
out with application forms and requests<br />
for sizing for uniforms. <strong>The</strong> victim is often<br />
asked to send a copy of their passport.<br />
<strong>The</strong> victim is notified that they have got<br />
the job and need to attend an induction<br />
or training course at some time in the<br />
future. In order for the job position to be<br />
finalised the victim is asked to forward<br />
a sum of money (usually around £50 or<br />
£60) by Ukash voucher. <strong>The</strong>y must also<br />
pay for advanced background checks or<br />
administration. <strong>The</strong>y are told this money<br />
will be reimbursed. A week or two later,<br />
they realise they have been scammed.<br />
Loan scams<br />
Police Report<br />
<strong>The</strong> fraudster registers with loan<br />
brokerage site. <strong>The</strong>n when the victim<br />
enters their details into the site the<br />
fraudster offers them a loan. <strong>The</strong> victims<br />
often have poor credit ratings and may be<br />
struggling financially. <strong>The</strong> fraudster then<br />
requests various sums of money up front<br />
for administration fees etc and the victim<br />
never receives their loan. Payment is often<br />
requested by online money voucher such<br />
as Ukash.<br />
Paypoint scam<br />
<strong>The</strong> fraudster telephones a business that<br />
processes Paypoint transactions. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
then claim to be an engineer calling from<br />
Paypoint. <strong>The</strong> fraudster tells the victim<br />
that there is a problem with the processing<br />
of Ukash vouchers. In order to fix the<br />
problem, the fraudster gets the victim to<br />
carry out Ukash transactions. <strong>The</strong> Ukash<br />
numbers are then passed to the fraudster.<br />
<strong>The</strong> fraudster then spends or launders the<br />
vouchers through money transfer sites or<br />
online betting sites. This ‘technique’ has<br />
also been used in relation to MoneyGram<br />
transfers.<br />
Property let scam<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are two main types of this type of<br />
fraud:<br />
1) <strong>The</strong> fraudster places an advert for<br />
accommodation on a site such as<br />
Gumtree. <strong>The</strong>n when the victim responds<br />
to the advert the alleged property owner<br />
(the fraudster) is out of the country but<br />
will return to show the victim the property.<br />
However, to prove his time isn’t being<br />
wasted, the victim is asked to send money<br />
to a relative via Western Union and send<br />
a copy of the receipt to the fraudster. <strong>The</strong><br />
fraudster then takes the money and leaves<br />
the victim out of pocket.<br />
2) <strong>The</strong> fraudster hacks into a genuine<br />
property letting website (usually for<br />
properties to let abroad) and intercepts<br />
customer emails. <strong>The</strong> fraudster then<br />
passes himself off as the genuine property<br />
owner. <strong>The</strong>y then get people to transfer<br />
money into their account.<br />
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Police Report<br />
Safe account fraud<br />
This type of scam has become more<br />
common in recent times. <strong>The</strong> victim<br />
receives a call from someone pretending<br />
to be calling from a credit card agency or<br />
the victim’s own bank. <strong>The</strong> fraudster tells<br />
them there’s been suspicious activity on<br />
their bank account, to stop to stop any<br />
further loss, the victim should transfer<br />
all their money into a ‘safe account’. <strong>The</strong><br />
fraudster then instructs the victim to hang<br />
up the phone and call the number on the<br />
back of their bank card. <strong>The</strong> victim doesn’t<br />
realise that the fraudster has kept the line<br />
open. <strong>The</strong> fraudster, then pretending to<br />
be a bank official, provides the victim with<br />
details of the ‘safe account’. <strong>The</strong>y are then<br />
told how to transfer the money in their<br />
account. <strong>The</strong> fraudster may request online<br />
banking information from the victim to<br />
carry out the transfer on their behalf.<br />
Please heed the below advice:<br />
• Consider making your phone number<br />
ex-directory.<br />
• Don’t give out any personal information<br />
unless you are the one who made the<br />
call, and you are certain of the identity<br />
of the person you are speaking to.<br />
• Don’t give out your credit card or<br />
bank card details to strangers on the<br />
telephone.<br />
• NEVER tell somebody your bank PIN<br />
number, even if they claim to be the<br />
bank or police. If the caller is genuine,<br />
they will never ask for this information.<br />
• Don’t give out information which may<br />
infer that you live alone, are older or<br />
vulnerable.<br />
• Never send money to anyone who<br />
claims to have a prize for you.<br />
• If it sounds too good to be true, it<br />
probably is.<br />
• Contact local trading standards – they<br />
may be able to use approved ‘call<br />
blocking’ technology.<br />
Crossword Answers<br />
30 www.theweevine.org<br />
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Supporters<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong> Supporters<br />
Without our supporters, there would be no <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong>. <strong>The</strong>y offer support in a variety of<br />
ways. All essential.<br />
Firstly, our financial supporters. Printing and other costs are totally met through the<br />
support of a number of local organisations. <strong>The</strong>se have all been affected to a greater or<br />
lesser extent by the current Covid crisis, but continue to provide support, which is greatly<br />
appreciated. Currently, these are (in alphabetical order):<br />
Acorn Cottage (03454986900}<br />
Arnbeg Farm Stay (01786 871121)<br />
Arnprior Swimming Pool (870481)<br />
Brian Reynolds Carpentry (870531)<br />
Cameron Skinner, Skinner of Kippen (870<strong>20</strong>3)<br />
Central Auto Repairs (Glengyle) (870254)<br />
Classics@Kippen<br />
Fallen Brewing Company (07500 906924)<br />
Fusion Flowers Magazine (870<strong>20</strong>4)<br />
Graeme Thompson Plumbing & Heating Engineers (870648)<br />
John Coubrough & Son, Joiners &Funeral Directors (870737)<br />
McNicolls Country Store (870237)<br />
Munro Electrical Service (07951 913983)<br />
Stephen Paul Associates (870906)<br />
<strong>The</strong> Cross Keys (870293)<br />
<strong>The</strong> Inn at Kippen (870500)<br />
<strong>The</strong> Woodhouse (870156)<br />
As of the previous issue, we have one further very welcome source of funding – a grant<br />
from Kippen Windfarm which is tiding us over the worst .of Covid/ Brexit.<br />
Each of our financial supporters is entitled to use the magazine to publicise forthcoming<br />
events, or significant awards obtained. Anyone who would like to offer support in this way,<br />
can do so by contacting us at enquiries@theweevine.org.<br />
Secondly, many thanks to those who have supported this issue by contributing articles.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Wee</strong> <strong>Vine</strong> is for Kippen, about Kippen and by Kippen. We would like to know about<br />
events as they happen, and also those which are planned. Also, organisations, clubs and<br />
their programmes and activities. Plus comments, queries, photos and anything else that<br />
takes your fancy.<br />
“Letters to the editor” on paper or electronically are welcome from all.<br />
And finally, those who support by offering help in many ways, such as the delivery of the<br />
magazine round the village.<br />
Stuart Thomson<br />
www.theweevine.org 31<br />
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Everyone at McNicoll’s Country Store would like to thank our<br />
customers for their support during these difficult times.<br />
McNicoll’s Country Store<br />
Licensed Grocer - Open 7 days<br />
• Large Freezer Section<br />
• 5 Metre Dairy Cabinet<br />
• Newsagent<br />
• Fresh Fruit & Vegetables<br />
• Fresh Bakery Rolls Daily<br />
• National Lottery Outlet<br />
• Post Office Services<br />
• Payments can be made by<br />
credit/debit cards<br />
• Contactless Payments Available<br />
Main Street, Kippen.<br />
Tel: 01786 870 237<br />
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