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Winter 2023/24 Issue 29 £1 

The Wee Vine 

news & resources for the community of Kippen 

INSIDE 

● Special Feature ● Clubs ● Community Affairs 

● Did You Know ● Police Report ● Supporters 

theweevine.org 

www.theweevine.org 1

Welcome 


Editor 

Denis Bradley 

Original Design 

Rick Dekker 

Layout 

Stewart Hislop 

Proof Reading 

Annabel Griffin 

Printing 

Mixam 

Website 

www.theweevine.org 

Contact us at: 

enquiries@theweevine.org 

The Wee Vine, The Windings, Fore Road 

Kippen, FK8 3DT 

The Wee Vine is produced quarterly and 

distributed within the Kippen area. 

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Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the 

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agents cannot accept responsibility for the errors 

or omissions. Views held by contributors are their 

own and do not necessarily coincide with those of 

the editorial team. 

We also reserve the right to edit or refuse insertion 

of any article submitted. 

The Wee Vine magazine is published by The Wee 

Vine, which is a not-for-profit organisation. 

Welcome to 

issue 29 of 


A happy New Year from all at 

the Wee Vine. 

This is our 7th year of publishing. A big thank you 

to everyone involved with the production and 

distribution to residents of Kippen and beyond. 

Congratulations to the Ladies tennis team who 

won the Ladies Doubles League Division 2. Also 

winning the Ladies Doubles League 45 & Over. Full 

report on page 8. Kippen FC awards night on page 

7. Memories from the Doctor’s House and Cancer 

Whist on pages 10/11. 

Primary School reports on pages 16/20 and 

Reading room update on page 21. 

Over 60s Christmas Dinner features on pages 

24/25 - Kippen For Ukraine on page 22/23 and 

Woodland Group update on page 26. 

Our next issue is scheduled for the second half 

of April and contributions will be needed by 31st 

March. 

Your feedback about the Wee Vine is important 

to us so please get in touch with your comments/ 

ideas for this year. 

Email to enquiries@theweevine.org or text/ 

Whatsapp to 07736 362011. If you wish to donate 

go to https://theweevine.org/donations/ If 

you would like your photograph featured on the 

front cover, send to enquiries@theweevine. 

org (minimum size 1 MB). This should feature a 

seasonal picture at time of printing. 

Front cover picture - Denis Bradley. Ben Ledi 

from Fore Road. 

Index 

Special Feature 3 

Clubs 7 

Community Affairs 10 

Did You Know 27 

Police Report 29 

The Wee Vine Supporters 31 

2 www.theweevine.or

Special Feature 

There have been three meetings of 

Kippen Community Council (KCC) since the 

summer break and there is a lot going on. 

Meeting schedule 

Meetings take place on the second 

Wednesday of the month at 7.30pm in 

the Reading Rooms (with the exception of 

January, July and August). In 2024 the AGM 

will take place on Wednesday 8th May. 

Wednesday 14 th February 

2024 

Wednesday 10 th April 

2024 

Wednesday June 12 th 

2024 

Wednesday October 

9 th 2024 

Wednesday December 

11 th 2024 

Wednesday 13 th March 

2024 

Wednesday May 8 th 

2024 (AGM) 

Wednesday September 

11 th 2024 

Wednesday November 

13 th 2024 

Community Council Members 

Derek Shanks (Chair) 

Barbara Ross (Vice Chair) 

Michaela Yates (Secretary) 

Robert Clubb (Treasurer) 

Margaret Beaton (Planning) 

Scott Crawford 

Ann Milligan 

Christine Stewart 

Contacting Kippen Community Council 

If you wish to contact KCC about any 

issue please either come along to 

a meeting or email your concern to 

kippencommunitycouncil@gmail.com. 

In the first instance you will receive an 

automated response confirming that your 

email has been received. 

Stirling Council Budget Cuts 

Most people will be aware that Stirling 

Council needs to make significant cuts 

to try and plug the potential £13 million 

pound deficit and that they recently 

carried out a consultation exercise with 

residents to try to gauge where people 

thought that cuts should be made. It was 

considered by many that the consultation 

was flawed and potentially put people in 

rural communities at a disadvantage. In an 

attempt to give rural communities a united 

voice, 16 community councils, at the 

initial instigation of Strathard Community 

Council, have been cooperating to try to 

ensure that the voice of rural communities 

is heard when decisions about cuts are 

being made. 

With the backdrop of a very short 

timeframe, the following areas were 

identified as likely to have the greatest 

negative impact on the lives of people in 

rural communities: 

Nursery provision 

Public toilets 

Bin collections from unadopted 

roads 

Transport services (especially 

the X10 bus) 

Education services 

Village hall support 

Library services 

Essential road repairs 

In addition, an overarching workstream 

was identified to address the cumulative 

and synergistic impacts of these cuts. 

Specific questions for each workstream 

were sent by each community council 



to Stirling Council 

Enquiries and the 

intention is to use 

the answers to help 

to inform impact 

statements for each 

community which 

will be presented to 

councillors at a meeting 

in mid-January. The 

time frame for all of this is very tight but 

community councils, including KCC, are 

rising to the challenge. 

The Scottish Government set their budget 

on 19 th December so Scottish Councils 

will now have a clearer picture of the 

actual size of their budget and how much 

of the loss of income resulting from the 

freeze of council tax will be offset by the 

government. 

Maintenance of Kippen War Memorial 

In November, a local resident contacted 

KCC asking for volunteers to take over the 

care of the war memorial with immediate 

effect as he as no longer able to do so. A 

member of KCC contacted the church and 

a working party was quickly established to 

clean up the memorial and surrounding 

area in preparation for Remembrance 

Sunday. Meanwhile both Stirling Council 

and the War Memorials Trust were 

contacted to try to establish the ownership 

of the memorial. According to the Trust’s 

records Stirling Council are the current 

custodians of the war memorial. Stirling 

Council’s Land Services Officer stated that 

they only carry out grounds’ maintenance 

while the Infrastructure and Delivery 

Officer confirmed that they manage the 

war memorial, and it has been surveyed 

recently. They currently only have a budget 

to conduct health and safety maintenance 

but not upgrades. 

KCC agreed they were happy to take over 

oversight of the War Memorial subject 

to the formation of a committee of 

community helpers and ownership of the 

land being confirmed. 

It has been noted that there are various 

community areas and pieces of land within 

the village of uncertain ownership. It has 

been suggested that KCC apply for funding 

to conduct a land search to identify who 

owns what land within the village and to 

decide how it can best be maintained. This 

could also feed into the Local Place Plan. 

Reading Room Defibrillator 

Trossachs Search and Rescue Team (SAR) 

recently carried out a maintenance check 

on the defibrillator located in the external 

cabinet at the front of the Reading Rooms. 

They reported that the cabinet is leaking 

and advised that it should be replaced. 

A like-for-like replacement would cost 

£498 (excluding delivery and installation) 

however, they have recommended that 

a newer and sturdier cabinet should be 

fitted at cost of £594 plus delivery and 

installation costs. Trossachs SAR also 

advised that the defibrillator is due for a 

software update without which it could 

be showing an inaccurate reading and a 

change of batteries at a cost of £204. KCC 

arranged for the battery to be replaced in 

2022 so replacement at this time should 

be unnecessary. 

As this work is urgent it was agreed that a 

GoFundMe page has been set up to raise 

funding for this important maintenance 

work. The GoFundMe page can be found 

on KCC’s website (https://kippencc.org. 

uk) and on the village Facebook pages (The 

Village of Kippen and Kippen Community 

Group). It is also important that a source 

of funding for future maintenance is 

established. 

Repairs to the bridge over the burn on the 

village green 

The bridge over the burn leading to the 

village green is in need of repair. It has 

been agreed that an application should 

be submitted to the Windfarm Trust to try 

and secure funding for the repairs. 

Giant hogweed 

Concerns have been expressed about the 

4 www.theweevine.org

spread of giant hogweed in the local area, 

where it is spreading along waterways, 

particularly the River Forth. It is also found 

on waste land, beside roads and train 

tracks. It is a non-native invasive plant 

whose sap contains a phototoxic chemical 

that causes severe skin blisters, burns 

and even blindness. Nature Scotland have 

reported that every year children, walkers, 

gardeners and animals are adversely 

affected. Stirling 

Council have been 

contacted and 

have responded 

to say that it is 

the landowner’s 

responsibility. 

It appears that 

there is no legal 

requirement to 

control it although 

it is apparently 

an offence to allow this species to grow 

in the wild. Nature Scotland is the lead 

agency for advice about managing giant 

but enforcement orders are very rare. We 

have been in informed by Stirling Council 

that they have no jurisdiction to put in 

place enforcement orders (presumably 

unless the giant hogweed grows on 

Council property). Currently the onus 

appears to be on teams of volunteers to 

spray emerging plants on an annual basis 

(for a minimum of 5 years) with a herbicide 

that is only available under licence to 

trained operatives. Recent research has 

also demonstrated that sheep can be 

useful at eradicating emerging plants in 

certain areas. 

KCC has now written to two of our MSPs 

and our MP requesting that the Scottish 

Government becomes more proactive in 

enforcing landowners to eradicate giant 

hogweed and other non-native species 

such as Japanese knotweed. 

Local Place Plan 

An important and big undertaking by KCC 

in 2024 will be the collection of relevant 

data including the views of residents and 


stakeholders to allow the production of a 

Local Place Plan (LPP) for our community. 

A LPP is a proposal by a community body 

about the development and use of land. It 

can describe what changes people want to 

see made to the Local Development Plan. 

LPPs aim to improve people’s engagement 

and involvement in the planning system. 

They are a way for communities to achieve 

change in their local area by proactively 

feeding into development planning. The 

intention is for local communities to think 

about how to make their place better, 

agree priorities, and take action to make 

change happen. As well as being linked 

to our council’s Local Development Plan, 

they must also ‘have regard to National 

Planning Framework 4’. 

Keep in touch 

We welcome any questions, comments 

and suggestions from residents and it’s 

easy to get in touch. 

You can read about what we do and pick 

up the latest news on our website at 

https://kippencc.org.uk 

You can contact us via the website at 

https://kippencc.org.uk/contact-us 

You can email us at 

kippencommunitycouncil@gmail.com 

You can subscribe to our weekly news 

digest – just head over to the website at 

https://kippencc.org.uk and fill in the 

SignUp form on the right-hand side 

We also post information on the Kippen 

Village, Community and Action Group 

Facebook pages and the minutes of all our 

meetings are on the website and posted 

on the notice board beside the shop. 

If you want to come along to one of our 

regular meetings just drop in – you don’t 

need to tell us beforehand. They’re usually 

held in the Reading Room on the second 

Wednesday of each month (except for 

January, July and August) 



Village Hall 

Happy New Year from the Kippen Village 

Hall Committee! We look forward to seeing 

the Hall being in full swing again with 

regular activities throughout 2024... and 

there’s always room for new bookings! 

Please check out our online booking 

system where you will find an events 

calendar and all the info you need to make 

a new booking (https://hallbookingonline. 

com/kippen). The Hall is now regularly 

being used for private events, particularly 

family celebrations, birthdays, etc, so 

please do consider supporting your local 

Hall if you are looking to hire a venue! Our 

new Committee Member, Rosie Cochrane, 

has taken on the role of Bookings 

Secretary and would be more than happy 

to discuss any future bookings with you 

(email: kippenvillagehall@gmail.com). 

Auchentroig, Buchlyvie for donating the 

tree... much appreciated by all! 

A plea for help! Can we please ask all Hall 

users and members of the public not 

to deposit any rubbish into the Village 

Hall bin. It is a “condition of hire” that 

all users remove their own rubbish at 

the end of each event. Unfortunately 

in recent months, committee members 

have regularly had to remove rubbish 

(including piles of dog poop bags!!) from 

in and around our overflowing bin and 

personally dispose of the rubbish. The Hall 

is not a commercial operation and relies 

on the same schedule of bin uplifts (and 

size of bin!) as the private residents of the 

village.... thank you! 

Did you watch the new BBC Drama 

“Payback” which was broadcast on BBC1 

and iPlayer in early October? Did you 

spot the Kippen Village Hall “starring” in 

Episode 3?!! Here’s a screenshot of filming 

the inside the Hall, although the outside 

did feature too! Filming took place towards 

the end of 2022, but we were sworn to 

secrecy until the programmed went on air! 

Weekly events: 

Mon 

19.00 Yoga 

Three incredibly successful community 

events took place in the Hall in Nov/Dec 

(highlighted elsewhere in The Wee Vine) 

- Kippen FC Annual Awards Night, Kippen 

Playgroup & Toddlers Christmas Market, 

and the Over 60s Christmas Dinner - and 

we’d just like to add our congratulations 

to everyone involved in organising these 

events on behalf of the community. 

Coming up early in 2024 will be the regular 

weekly events listed below, and the annual 

Whist Drive on 2nd February. 

You may have noticed the lovely Christmas 

tree and lights outside the Hall this year? 

Our thanks to Kippen Playgroup & Toddlers 

for organising this and to Duff Trees at 

Tue 09.30 Playgroup (term-time only) 

18.30 Fitness Class 

19.30 Badminton Class 

Wed 10.00 Strength & Balance Class 

Thu 08.30 Fitness Class 

09.15 Move It! Class 

10.15 Toddlers 

Fri 09.30 Playgroup (term-time only) 

Sat 08.45 Fitness Class 

Ruth McLaren 

(On behalf of the KVH Committee) 


Clubs 

The Kippen FC Awards & Speaker night proves to be a 

huge success 

We know that Kippen FC were away from 

competitive football for a period of five 

years, but we believe that it was 25 years 

or more since the club hosted such a large 

Player of the Year event . 

With a successful reintroduction to the 

Forth and Endrick League, allowing 

records to tumble on the park, we wanted 

to ensure that there would be positive 

developments off the park to report too. 

Our plan was to combine the end of 

Season Awards Night with having some 

high-class football entertainment that 

every football fan in the village would 

enjoy. Through our network of contacts, 

we were able to have a first-class top 

table that was hosted by BBC Scotland’s 

very own Amy Irons who introduced two 

football legends in Dave McPherson and 

Jimmy Bone to our attentive and respectful 

audience. Both Scotland Internationalists 

with amazing lists of achievements behind 

them entertained everyone gathered at a 

bustling village hall. We were so blessed 

that we had the stars giving their time to 

support the club. With no talent fees to 

pay it allowed us to hold the ticket price at 

£30 and still be able to raise some funds 

too. We can’t thank our top table enough 

for their support for Kippen FC. Likewise, 

thanks to Bailie Councillor Gerry McGarvey 

for supporting us too. 

There is no doubt there was a degree of 

trepidation about booking such a large 

venue as the Village Hall given how long 

we had been away; but those concerns 

turned out to be ill founded. The Grapes 

fans did not disappoint us and snapped 

up tickets to take the hall to near full 

capacity. The packed hall allowed us to 

celebrate the successful Redemption as it 

was called on the View from the Terrace, 

as well as helping us fundraise for the new 

challenges that lie ahead. It was wonderful 

to see so many players represented 

including the family of the boys in the USA 

who are on scholarships with GSR. 

The Village Hall was dressed to look the 

part and we were so blessed to have the 

food provided by the Skinners of Kippen 

team who produced a superb meal for 

all out guests. We had our bar stocked by 

The Scottish Gantry who kindly offered us 

drinks on a sale or return basis. The night 

was sponsored by Mills Milk and supported 

by some fantastic local sponsors too . The 

club would like to thank everyone for their 

contributions large or small which allowed 

us to raise £1000 which will go a long way 

towards building a sustainable football 

club. 

There following awards were made on the 

night: 

Player of the Year Sponsored by The Cross 

Keys : Ben Mitchell 

Players Player of the year sponsored by 

The Drymen Beer Shop: Mikey Gray 

Young Player of the year sponsored by 

Rhubarb Lime : Charlie Jackson 

Goal Assists sponsored by The Inn at 

Kippen: Gregor Goodwin 

Goal of the season sponsored by Skinners 

of Kippen: Rory Currie 

Top Goal scorer sponsored by The 

Woodhouse: James Mather 

With the club currently in winter 

hibernation the committee have already 

started planning for what we hope will be 

an even more successful 2024.The action 

is due to commence in the middle of April 

so please follow us on Social Media to 

keep up to date with all the fixtures. 

For those fans who want to support the 

club you can visit our club shop here 

https://kippenfc.clstore.co.uk/ 


Clubs 

Tennis Club (KTC) 

KTC is delighted to report that 2023 was a very successful year. 

Kippen Ladies Teams WON the Ladies Doubles League Division 2, which means the Ladies 

will be entering Division 

1 in 2024, and also WON 

the Ladies Doubles 

League 45 & Over, which 

is a great achievement 

and testament to great 

teamwork and leadership 

by Captain Karen Dekker. 

The Kippen Men’s Team 

also did well throughout 

the year being very ably 

led by Captains Richard 

Boyd and Mark Saunders 

with the Mens 1st Team 

being placed 4th in 

Division 2, and the Men’s 

2nd Team 6th in the 

same division. KTC also 

came 5th in the Autumn 

League 

As well as the Open Day in April with BBQ, Kippen Juniors Championship in June with singles 

won by Gavin Rogers and Layla Olivarius, and Holly Fielden in 2nd place for doubles, the KTC 

Club Championships took place on the weekend 16/17th September where John Warttig won 

Mens Singles in the final against Harry Robb. Harry and Helen Robb won in the mixed doubles. 

Coaching continued in the autumn on Friday evenings for children/adult beginners, and 

Saturday’s adult improvers and advanced, as well as a children’s Summer Camp in August 

that was well attended. 

On behalf of a very hard-working committee, we enjoy welcoming new and existing 

members to the club. If you are interested, find out more and sign up to membership and 

lessons via: www.kippentennisclub.org.uk 

As always, I would like to thank everyone who works so hard behind the scenes to keep 

the Club in such good repair, including all the maintenance and the beautiful plant tubs 

(Helen Robb and Michael Loughray). 

We now look forward to kicking 2024 off with our AGM in January, and to another 

successful year ahead! 

With best regards, 

Annabel Gaywood (President 2022-2024) 


Bowling Club 

Clubs 

Sunday 26 November saw a very successful fun 

bowling, dinner and prize giving event held at Fintry 

Sports Club. This was enjoyed by a good number of 

members and guests. 

Our next event is our AGM which will be held towards 

the end of February/beginning of March when among 

the more formal matters preparations will commence 

for the new season in April. Meanwhile some of us will 

continue with indoor bowling at Fintry. 

We are, of course, continually on the lookout for new members. No experience is 

necessary, basic tuition will be given and everyone will be assured of a warm welcome 

and friendly playing atmosphere. 

John Anderson 

01786870001 

Bridge Christmas 

Deck the Keys with boys from Bridge Club 

All accompanied by their lasses 

Lavishly fed and watered by the pub 

All thoroughly enjoyed their glasses. 

Kippen Cricket Club 

The recent departure overseas of the 

erstwhile club captain Sean Kelly has 

unearthed a few interesting pictures of 

matches from bygone days (and years). As 

an example, here is a summary of a match 

between Kippen and Clackmannan played 

in Alloa on 10 July 1985: 

Kippen Innings: 

P Collier 4 

P Turner 0 

A Dunlop 0 

D Bradley 14 

R Duff 17 

M Turner 0 

G Waley 22 

I Turner 5 

Extras 9 

Total 71 

(R Chapman and T Begg did not bat, along 

with an unnamed eleventh) 

Clackmannan had already batted, posting 

an impressive score of 200 to win the 

match. Kippen bowlers were D Bradley, 

P Collier, T Begg, P Turner, R Duff and A 

Dunlop. 

Stuart Thomson 


Community Affairs 

Childhood Memories from 

the Doctor’s House 

Dr Scott, my father, joined Dr Willie McKay 

in Kippen in 1951 when the surgery was 

attached to Dr McKay’s house, not unlike 

Tannochbrae in Dr Finlay’s Casebook. 

Indeed, there was much about that drama 

which reflected real life at that time. 

The photograph shows Dr Scott making a leaving 

presentation to District Nurse Grierson. (She was the last 

nurse to live in the nurse’s house between the Playpark 

and the road leading down to Oakwood, with the Police 

house on the other side of that road, and facing what is 

now Scott Brae (a further memorial to Dr Scott)). 

I was born in 1956 and I remember walking 

down to Farringford when the house was 

built. Growing up I remember we always 

answered the telephone by saying “Dr. 

Scott’s house” for Farringford was not 

just home but also surgery and drug 

dispensary too. There was no dedicated 

receptionist, so it was often my mother or 

Dorothy Stewart, “Inda”, our housekeeper, 

who played that role. For many years, 

Daddy had no secretarial help either and 

became a wizard two finger typist writing 

referral letters, medical reports and the 

like himself. Eventually, I remember Helen 

Honeyman arriving and being his very 

efficient secretary in an office in the house. 

Surgeries were held every morning and 

evening, except weekends and Wednesday 

evenings (Daddy has always had a ‘call’ 

either at Glenbervie or Stirling Golf Club on 

a Wednesday afternoon). He was on call 

24 hours a day, except those Wednesday 

afternoons and every other weekend, 

when Dr Murdoch in Buchlyvie was on call, 

and vice versa. Latterly, Buchlyvie became 

part of the Aberfoyle practice which meant 

my father might have to head up as far 

as Kinlochard in the middle of the night. I 

remember that during winter, in addition to 

his medical bag, he always carried curling 

stones in his car to prevent it slipping 

in icy conditions. He never complained 

and always seemed to manage to get 

back to bed and sleep before morning. I 

would sometimes accompany him on his 

daytime calls to Fintry, Port of Menteith, 

Gargunnock and elsewhere. 

Surgery played an integral part in our daily 

life. There were always cars in the drive, 

be it patients or drug reps. Patients would 

often come to the front door asking for 

the doctor and my mother or Inda would 

have to help them if ‘himself’ was out on 

a call. In later years he was joined by a 

junior partner, Dr. Moira Campbell, then 

Dr Graham Park but, unlike today, there 

was no team of medical practitioners or 

support staff, just a single district nurse. 

My father was devoted to his patients and 

nothing was too much trouble for him. 

He had a list of elderly patients whom he 

would visit on a regular basis, just to check 

on their welfare. 

After many years at Farringford, a new 

surgery was built at Castlehill Loan of 

which he was immensely proud; and he 


was devastated when, shortly after its 

opening, it was badly damaged by fire. 

Sadly, when the surgery was re-opened, 

he did not have many years to enjoy the 

benefits of his new workplace. He was 

still very much the village GP when he 

died in 1990, just nine weeks after he was 

diagnosed with cancer and during which 

time he continued to look after his patients 

selflessly. 

Cecelia Bishop (nee Scott) 

In the early 1950’s the Kippen branch of 

the Women’s Rural Institute had organised 

whist drives to raise money for Cancer 

Research. In the latter part of the 60’s 

the event was formalised and became the 

Kippen Cancer Aid Committee. Following 

the death of Dr Railton Scott in 1990, the 

title of the fundraising group was changed 


to “The Dr. Railton Scott Cancer Appeal”, in 

honour of the doctor’s devoted service to 

the people of Kippen. In 1992, Mary Scott, 

Dr Scott’s widow was President of the 

Appeal when £5,400 was raised. Kippen 

still raises exceptional amounts of money 

for this worthy cause, and we hope it will 

do so for many years to come. 

The 2024 Appeal 

Peter Singleton is President of the 2024 

Appeal and has the honour of being the first 

male President! It will take the form that it 

always has, with the Appeal letter, sale of 

raffle tickets and the Whist Drive which will 

be on Friday 2 nd February in the Village Hall 

at 7pm. If you would like to reserve a table 

please contact Stuart Thomson on 07736 

362011 or stuartsthomson@aol.com 

Friends Say Thanks 

The Friends of Kippen Kirk Trust are most grateful to all the Kippen folk who attended 

their recent Evening of Music and Song in Kippen Kirk. Chair of the trustees, Sir Michael 

Hirst, told The Wee Vine that thanks to a number of very generous donations, the event 

had raised a great deal of money for the Trust’s work in helping to preserve and maintain 

Kippen Kirk as a gathering place for the community. 

We are most grateful to Kathleen McKellar Ferguson of the Royal Conservatoire of 

Scotland for accompanying two beautiful singers, Roisin Linehan and Libby Clarence. We 

were also delighted that John Gormley, also from the Royal Conservatoire, gave a superb 

performance on the organ after its recent overhauled. It was wonderful to hear the organ 

in full strength once again. Kippen’s Dr Tom Begg spoke of the amazing treasures in our 

local Kirk and emphasised the importance of the Kirk remaining at the centre of village life. 

My fellow trustees and I are very pleased that we enrolled quite a number of new members 

following the event, and anyone who is interested in joining the Trust, or having more 

information about its work and activities, should contact Mary Lawson, the Treasurer, 

01786 870202, or at mary.lawson1@byinternet.com” 

Sir Michael Hirst 



Community Concert 

We were delighted that the annual 

Community Christmas Concert took 

place with its usual enthusiasm. The 

concert started with great excitement 

as Miss Alexander led the School Choir 

singing Christmas Carols as mulled wine 

was served followed by Callum Wynd 

piping down the aisle, and Pippa Maclean 

welcoming everyone. 

As well as the children performing in their 

classes, Bethlehem Ballroom Medley 

(P1- P3), Winter Fantasy (P4-7), soloists 

performed beautiful renditions of We 

Wish You a Merry Christmas (Jamie and 

Elsie), Recorder Medley (Agnes), Boogie 

Riffs (Lucy), Old Time Rock (Niamh), Great 

Balls of Fire, How Long Blues (Cameron) 

and The Snowman (Freya). Smaller groups 

performed Jingle Bells (P.1 Annabelle, 

Cecilia, Charlotte, Esmee, Fiadh, Grace, 

Holly, Kit, Millie, Sofia and Skye) being 

joined impromptu by Nursery and 

supported by P7 girls, Last Christmas (P.6 

Girls Cara, Elisabeth, Marley, Orlagh and 

Skye), All I Want for Christmas is You (P.7 

Girls Anna, Bryony, Heidi, Leah, Marlie and 

Niamh) and ‘Surprise’ by Kippen Primary 

School Teachers. It was wonderful to hear 

the sound of the new repaired organ 

accompanying Christmas carols, ‘O Little 

Town of Bethlehem’ and ‘Joy to the World.’ 

The Rev. Ellen Larson-Davidson gave a 

cheering Christmas Message and Mrs 

Logan the vote of thanks. 

We are greatly indebted to Mrs. Logan, 

Staff & Pupils of Kippen Primary School 

for their strong support and participation, 

David Loosley (Organist), The Rev. Ellen 

Larson-Davidson, Joanna MacPhail, 

Photography (June Waley), fellow 

committee members (Ellen, Heidi and 

Kim), all Concert Participants, all helpers 

and organisers, Treasurer (Adrian, Tonya), 

printing programmes (Stacy), lights (Cat / 

Louise), sound (Simon), manning the doors 

(Ashley, Margaret and Kim) and the mulled 

wine stand (Alex, Jeeka, Charlie, Aimee, 

Heidi) that helped to raise funds for the 

2023 Over-60s Lunch and Kippen Cuppa! 

Not to mention loan of pots and pans from 

Cameron and help clearing up afterwards 

from Karen, Lorraine and Simon! 

As always, it was a team effort, and just 

wonderful to see children performing in 

the church – a beautifully decorated venue 

complete with adorned Christmas Tree - 

and excellent acoustic for all the budding 

musicians! 

We are looking forward to next year’s 

concert already! 

Annabel Gaywood 

Kippen W.R.I. 

This has been a very successful season so far with well-attended and interesting meetings. 

All are welcome at future events, most of whish take place at 7:15 p.m. in the Reading 

Rooms: 

• February 21 st – Travels with June Waley. 

• March 20 th – Craft Night with Anne Artis. 

• April 17 th – Visit to Japanese gardens. 

• May 15 th – AGM with song and music. 

Thanks to all our friends and continued financial support from the Wind Farm Trust. 

Fiona Clark President 

01786 870371 



Kippen and Norrieston Churches - Guild 

Look Forward in Faith - “New Wine, New Wineskins” 

All men and women are welcome to attend Guild Meetings, now held on Wednesdays. 

If something interests you, please come. Members are always pleased to see occasional 

visitors. 

10 th January 2.00 p.m. Kippen Church, Fore Road, Kippen 

David Smith “Fintry Museum” 

14 th February 2.00 p.m.Norrieston Church Hall, Main Street, Thornhill 

“Scottish SPCA’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre at Fishcross” 

1 st March (Friday) 2.00 p.m. Gargunnock Church 

“World Day of Prayer” 

13 th March 2.00 p.m.Kippen Church, Fore Road, Kippen 

Liliane McGeoch “The Raising of The Mary Rose” 

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:7) 

Further information is available from Joanna M. McPhail - joanna.mcphail@btinternet.com 

or 01786 870681 

Burngreen Grass Areas 

We featured this situation of dog fouling 

in issue 21 and it seems to be a continuing 

problem. 

The main offending is on rural Stirling 

property grass areas top and bottom 

of Burngreen. These areas are not play 

areas for Kippen residents but are part 

of the Burngreen Estate with costs of 

maintaining these areas paid for by the 

residents. Would dog walkers please 

respect this area and take your dog poo 

home with you. 

Kippen Cross Flower Tubs 

I hope everyone enjoyed the summer 

display at the Cross. A big thank you to the 

team of Sue, Eileen, Wendy, Hamish, Kirsty 

(and Gillian), who planted and tended 

the plants over the summer. Hopefully, 

the bulbs will come again this year (their 

3rd year!). I’d also like to thank the Spence 

family who allow us to fill the watering 

cans and connect a hose to their water 

supply. It’s a big help to have a nearby 

supply of water. Thank you also to the 

people who contribute to the collection 

box in McNicoll’s. This is our only source 

of funding, and any donation is very 

gratefully received. 

Naomi Hirst 



Peace doves in Kippen Kirk 

What do you do when the world is challenging, and we hear of violence and hurt? Big 

questions that young and old struggle with from time to time. In the church in Kippen, the 

children’s corner created and expression of peace by folding doves for peace in October. 

Doves and working for peace became a theme 

in the creative part of church as doves and hearts 

were painted and prayers were folded into more 

doves. The young people invited the congregation to 

write prayers on paper and these were folded into 

doves. One dove has words for peace written in a 

number of languages from around the world. 

As the weeks carried on and Remembrance Sunday 

was coming, our doves of peace, our prayers for 

peace became an art installation which some of the 

children helped to suspend from the ceiling in the 

church so our flock of prayers for peace would be 

a witness in the centre of our worship. The church 

was open for prayer and peace on a few Sunday 

afternoons. Our doves of peace were front and 

centre for Remembrance Sunday along with poppy 

art pieces in the windows. 

In the preparations for Advent, the children helped 

the doves migrate from flying above the worship 

space and become part of our decorations for 

advent and Christmas. The church Christmas Tree 

was simply decorated with a star atop, white lights 

and our doves of peace. As we continue to pray 

for peace in the world and the Christmas season is 

over, we start the new year with the doves of peace 

migrating again but always present as we seek to be 

peace in our little piece of the world and pray and 

work for peace wherever there is conflict. 

I am inspired and encouraged by the creativity and 

enthusiasm, along with the thoughtful curiosity of 

the young people. Life together shows us the beauty 

and the challenges that we all face, and also God›s 

love working through us right in the messiness 

of life. I am grateful for the challenge of sharing 

the good news of God›s love as we learn together 

through the creative expressions and curious experiments (like building volcanoes). God›s 

love is bubbling up in our lives even when it is messy and unpredictable. We are invited 

to share in the work of God›s love in the world not because we have it all figured out but 

because we have known God›s love and get to show God›s love to others. 

May peace, hope, joy and love be yours in this new year. May you be inspired by young 

and old to see the beauty and challenges before us. May you work for peace in your little 

piece of the world. 

God bless, Ellen 



Playgroup, Babies and Toddlers 

Looking back over the last term, we have been very busy 

with some seasonal activities. Our Toddlers group had a 

visit from Zoo Lab with their creepy crawlies including their 

cheeky frog Cécile, we had a very very messy play session 

at our Halloween party, a brilliant trip to the Lanternhouse 

Theatre to see their children’s show and we even had a visit 

from the big man himself at our Christmas party. Toddlers 

runs 10:15-12pm at the Village Hall every Thursday. 

We have been equally busy at Playgroup on Tuesday and 

Friday mornings. During the autumn term, we spent a lot 

of time looking at the changing colours of nature. We got 

creative with some outdoor painting and practiced our fine 

motor skills as we threaded table centres for the Over 60s 

Christmas Dinner and hammered nails into pumpkins which 

was surprisingly cathartic. 

At the children’s bidding, 

imaginative play has dominated 

the last few sessions at Playgroup 

with the main theme bizarrely 

being injured cats. Through 

this fun role play we have also 

covered what to do in emergency 

situations and how to get help which has particularly 

interested the older children. 

On top of all this, we have squeezed in a lot more singing 

and dancing this term, so when Play Leaders Lindsey and 

Pam surprised us with a pair of musicians at our Christmas 

party we couldn’t have been more excited. Contact our Play 

Leader Lindsey at kippenplaygroup@gmail.com if you know 

an adventurous 2–5-year-old who’d like to join the fun. 

Finally, Kippen Playgroup, Babies and Toddlers Committee 

would like to extend a huge thanks to everyone in Kippen 

and further afield who came and supported our annual 

Christmas market and raffle. We thoroughly enjoyed bringing 

the festive spirit to the village. Many thanks especially to our 

happy Elf Chris Aldous and the Lightbody Brothers for their 

musical entertainment. This fundraising event is essential in 

maintaining the running costs of Playgroup and we amazingly 

beat our target amount. We are so humbled by the support 

we receive from the community, and we hope you enjoyed the 

day as much as we did. 

Happy New Year from everyone at Kippen Playgroup, Babies 

and Toddlers! 



Primary 1/2 

Term 2 has been extremely busy for Primary 

1/2. Alongside the nativity, Primary 1/2s 

topic was Toys Old and New. We looked 

specifically at how toys have adapted 

overtime and toys in other countries of 

the world. We completed timelines of toys 

and wrote letters discussing our favourite 

toys. At home, the children discussed their 

parent’s favourite toys and how different 

they were to now. We created oil pastel 

paintings for our wall display, showing our 

“I loved singing ‘This inn is swinging’ in the 

nativity.” – (Skye, P1). 

favourite toys. During this art lesson we 

looked at different textures and explored 

different blending of colours. Primary 1/2 

brought in their own toys at home for 

show and tell to the class. This topic linked 

exceptionally well when writing our letters 

to Santa. 

Moreover, we worked tremendously 

hard during the nativity to produce two 

spectacular shows. After the nativity, we 

then were given the chance to perform 

two songs from the nativity at the church 

Christmas concert, which again we worked 

immensely hard on. At the end of term we 

really enjoyed making lots of Christmas 

crafts and decorations. We had so much 

fun at our Christmas lunch and Christmas 

parties! 

“I enjoyed being able to show the class my 

favourite toy and using the oil pastels to 

draw it.” – (Joseph, P2). 

“I liked drawing my owl and seeing it 

presented on the wall.” – (Cece, P2). 

“I loved acting in the nativity and the end 

where I got to hold baby Jesus in front of 

all the people.” – (Sofia, P1). 

Primary 2/3 

This has been a very busy term in P2/3. 

Alongside nativity rehearsals our topic has 

been ‘Food Glorious Food!’ We learned 

about food groups and where our food 

comes from. We made posters about the 

journey of different foods from the farm 

or field to our plates. We also enjoyed 

investigating the science of food and 

carried out lots of experiments to develop 

our understanding. We made our own 

apple juice using a press, we tested which 

types of foods were soluble, leaving white 

eggs in different drinks like cola and milk 

helped us to learn about how drinks 


affect our teeth. We tested our sense of 

taste with a blind experiment and tried to 

identify what the mystery solutions were … 

some were yummy…others were definitely 

not! Finally we explored how moulds 

develop and managed to grow some 

very interesting and colourful moulds on 

different slices of bread which had been 

touched with clean hands, muddy hands, 

anti-bacterial gel and one slice even 

touched the bottom of a shoe! During 

all our experiments we felt like proper 

scientists and loved trying to find answers 

to our scientific questions! 


Primary 3/4 

Primary 3/4 have had a busy term 2. Our 

topic has focussed on Recycling, what it is, 

why it is important and how things have 

changed. 

We started by learning about how rubbish 

was disposed of in earlier days and the 

children were surprised to learn how 

everything was thrown into the one bin 

and even burned. They also considered 

the benefits of shopping at the local grocer 

and how this reduced waste and pollution. 

The class learned about what materials 

can be recycled and how these can be 

made into new products. They also used 

recycled materials to make lovely works of 

art. 

At the end of term we really enjoyed 

making lots of Christmas crafts and 

decorations. We had so much fun at our 

Christmas lunch and Christmas parties! 

“I loved the taste test. It was so funny and 

some of the tastes were not good. We 

laughed a lot.” (Libby, P2) 

“I loved the taste investigation, and I 

learned about the different parts of the 

tongue and what they taste.” (Hannah, P2) 

“It was interesting learning about the 

journey of food. I learned about the 

journey of milk and bread.” (Belle, P2) 

As well as learning about Recycling the 

class also did Firework Safety learning 

around Bonfire Night, producing Fire 

Safety posters for display. 

P3 have been extra busy with Nativity 

rehearsals and performances, and P4 

have enjoyed getting to grips with their 

new Chromebooks and Google Classroom. 

Next term we are looking forward to our 

Scottish poetry focus alongside learning 

about Scottish scientists and inventors 

followed by a bigger topic, ‘The Polar 

Regions.’ 



Primary 4/5 

Our context for learning in Primary 4/5 this term has been the Aztecs. There has been so 

much to learn about this ancient civilisation with lots of opportunities for cross curricular 

learning. We started our learning by exploring where in the world the Aztecs lived and 

what that part of the world is now known as. 

Following this we created a timeline of key 

events during the time of the Aztecs and also 

explored how this timeline fits in with other 

historical events that we already knew about. 

We explored the ancient Aztec capital of 

Tenochtitlan and what life was like for Aztec 

people. 

The class really enjoyed learning about all the 

Aztec gods and had the opportunity to carry 

out their own research into gods they found 

the most interesting. Learning about the gods 

allowed the children to learn a little about the 

more gruesome side to Aztec history and their regular use of human sacrifice. 

Towards the end of the topic the class had the chance to be creative by building Aztec 

pyramids and temples, creating their own version of the Aztec sunstone and making Aztec 

masks. 

Primary 5-7 

This term P5/6 alongside P6/7 have 

been doing a topic on Micro Tyco. 

Micro Tyco is a project where you learn 

how to create a business and have 

the opportunity to learn how to make 

it successful. You are given £1 and 

have to try to make as much money 

as possible, which goes to charity. 

We were split into groups of four or 

five and each carried out a variety of 

different odd jobs, as well as creating 

competitions or selling crafts, baking 

and other things to make money. This 

Micro Tyco topic has allowed us to 

explore various business opportunities 

and prepared the pupils to take responsibility for their own business ventures. Throughout 

our topic we had visits from different local businesses to learn more about how they 

created their business and made it successful. 

Rebecca came from Arnprior Farm to talk about how they have diversified their business, 

created a very successful business reputation and found a product which there was a 

great market for in their location. She also helped us to understand more about how a 

business can achieve climate conscious goals by finding ways to avoid waste. We also had 

a visit from Fiona from Stirling Pizza, which is a mobile pizza van that travels to different 

locations and sells pizza on specific days. We learned from her how demand can change 



across a year and how she has adapted her business to maximise the number of people 

she is able to sell pizzas to by researching where to go and going to different places. 

We had a visit from Mrs Stewart to talk to us about being an optometrist and running 

a healthcare style business which needs to look after people but still make a profit. We 

also used this opportunity to learn a lot about eyes! Finally we had a visit from Ellen our 

local minister to talk about charitable careers which don’t focus on profit and instead 

aim to contribute freely towards a local or wider community. We learned about all of the 

different things which her job involves and found out that there is quite a lot which she 

does outside of the church! We are looking forward to a few more visits in the New Year 

too. 

The last thing which we did was run a jumble sale in school to help to create an eco-friendly 

opportunity for items to be re-used, as well as making some money! Our groups were 

quite successful in this Micro Tyco project and although we need to wait until January to 

get our final totals, we know that every group made a good profit and we all also learned 

a lot about running a business! 

“I like working as a team with my friends. I enjoyed the feeling of owning a business.” - 

(Ruairi P7) 

“The jumble sale was so much fun. I enjoyed selling to pupils and parents. My team worked 

really well together.” - (Patsy P6) 

“I enjoyed watching each group making financial progress. It was great to share our ideas 

together and I learned that opportunities don’t just happen, you need to work to make 

them happen.” - (Bryony P7) 

NATIVITY 

This year Primary 1, 2, and 3 

performed in a nativity called 

‘Bethlehem Ballroom’. It tells 

the story of Bethlehem’s 

newest ballroom as it opens 

its doors to the many visitors 

arriving for the Census. For 

the guests who have arrived 

early enough, it is party time, 

and the music is playing! For 

those faced with a longer 

journey – such as Mary and 

Joseph – it means there is no 

room anywhere. 

The pupils greatly enjoyed 

this nativity and worked very 

hard to put on a fantastic 

show. The age range was 4 – 7 years old and the quality of their performances was 

outstanding. We were very proud of how hard everyone worked to learn lines, lyrics and 

dance routines. A huge achievement for our youngest pupils. 



GOLD SPORT AWARD 

The Balfron Schools Cluster proudly announced that all eight schools within the area have 

received the esteemed Gold School of Sport Award from Sport Scotland. This remarkable 

achievement was celebrated 

during a prestigious ceremony 

held on Tuesday 5th December 

at Balfron High School. The 

award is the highest level given 

out by Scotland’s national agency 

for sport. 

The award is a national initiative 

designed to encourage schools 

to reflect, plan, improve, connect, 

and place young people at the 

heart of what they do, and has 

set the standard for schools 

across the country for many 

years. The Gold School of Sport 

Award is granted to educational 

institutions that demonstrate exceptional commitment and dedication to promoting 

physical education, sports participation, and overall well-being among their students. This 

recognition acknowledges the tremendous efforts made by the staff and students at each 

school within the Balfron cluster. 

Representatives from Sport Scotland, along with distinguished guests, were in attendance 

to commemorate this significant 

milestone. The ceremony 

highlighted the relentless pursuit 

of excellence in sports by the 

Balfron Schools, reinforcing their 

status as leaders in physical 

education within the region. 

Kippen Primary was represented 

at the event by 4 pupils and 2 

parent volunteers along with Mrs 

Smith, PE specialist, who teaches 

all classes at Kippen Primary for 1 

term per year. The pupils, Heidi, 

Bryony, Aiden and Harry, have all 

taken part in a variety of sports at 

Kippen Primary and love to share 

their enthusiasm about sport, both when competing and spectating. Thank you to all 

pupils, staff, parents, families and volunteers who contribute to sport at Kippen Primary. 


Reading Room 

As we look back over the past year, and 

beyond, we can now see how the longerterm 

effects of Covid have impacted upon 

the community. 

When we hunkered down, in 2020, to await 

a worldwide catastrophe, nobody gave 

thought to the longer-term depressive 

effects of that event. In 2023, we can claim 

to have finally shrugged off the effects of 

that time. 

In the Reading Room, we are now 

witnessing a very happy return to 

normality, as villagers return to pass the 

time with each other. The upgrading of The 

Rooms is now beginning to show benefits. 

Committee 

Over the last three months, the committee 

has been expanded with the welcome 

joining of David Little and Shonah Escombe. 

However, it was with considerable regret 

that the committee received and accepted 

Betty McAllister’s retirement as secretary 

after many years of great contribution to 

the Reading Room. 

Over the last few years in particular, Betty 

has underpinned our operations with 

great skill, always with quiet humour. Her 

services will not be easily replaced. 


Activity 

The Reading Room has been busy over 

the last three months with both old and 

new group activities taking place. With 

the aim of making it as easy as possible 

for users to make bookings, a new online 

booking system is now available and can 

be found at: Hallbookingonline.com/ 

kippenreading 

As the system is an established application 

which has been used by other halls for 

quite some time, it is hoped that it will 

prove to be problem-free. That said, if 

serious problems are experienced, please 

bring it to the attention of a member of the 

committee. 

Betty has given much time to this 

development and has undertaken to 

oversee its operation as it comes into use 

in 2024. 

Jumble Sale 

The jumble sale held in early November 

was very successful and sincere thanks 

are due to everyone who contributed 

either items for selling or helped with both 

setting up and on the day. A total of just 

over £800 was raised which will help with 

the running costs over the winter. Please 

note that another sale will be held in early 

March and the usual hand-out will be 

distributed in due course. 

Kippen Cuppa 

Our regular ‘window on the world’ remains 

the Kippen Cuppa, so ably managed by Ali 

Thom and her team. 

It is this event which principally reveals 

the return of communal participation in 

village life – now mirrored by other villages 

- notably Buchlyvie. 

The original founders of these rooms, the 

Mitchell Trustees, would have been proud 

of these developments. 

Jeremy Gaywood, Ricky Muir-Simpson 



Kippen For Ukraine 

Since the start of the war in Ukraine 8 hosting households have welcomed Ukrainians 

into their homes in Kippen and an additional family came to live in our village in rented 

accommodation. There are now only 3 hosting households as others have settled in their 

own rented flats in Balfron and Stirling. They are still grateful to feel part of activities in 

our community. 

Early tasks were practical to help guests source 

their requirements and settle into the area. On a 

number of occasions our Ukrainians felt welcomed 

and supported by the whole of Kippen. Help has been given with transport, driving 

lessons, English language classes and tutoring, training and employment. 

Ukrainians love to explore places beyond Kippen, being together as their own community 

and sharing their culture with Scots. Many outings have been organised and they have 

enjoyed short breaks in other parts of Scotland, walks, swims, BBQs, camping and parties. 

Recently Kippen for Ukraine has supported 2 events, both in the Holy Trinity church in 

Stirling. Ukrainians and the local community were invited to participate together. 



The first was a workshop organised by Katya from Kippen along with a friend. After 

beginning with meditation and contemplation on the bounties of nature a presentation 

was given about the history of garlands. This was followed by Ukrainian women creating 

beautiful garlands with colourful autumnal foliage. With a little tuition Scots did likewise 

while discovering a new creative talent. Katya was also active with friends from Stirling 

in organising a Ukrainian Christmas Market. This was a delightful event with delicious 

traditional food, stalls, singing and dancing. 

These events were great successes, not only in sharing culture but on many levels. Practical 

and financial support is always greatly appreciated. 

Many Ukrainians who have fled the war are still living living in hub hotels and hoping to 

be matched with a host. If you would like to consider opening your door to offer safe 

accommodation, please contact June Waley 01786 870454. 



Kippen’s Over 60s Christmas 

Dinner 2023 

A happy time was had in Kippen Village Hall on 

Monday 4th December for the community’s 

Over 60s Christmas Dinner.Guests were 

warmly welcomed by Dawn Warttig, new 

chair of the committee, and Alan Hunter who 

has taken over as treasurer. 

Tribute was paid to Mary Lawson and Alasdair 

McColl for their many years of service in these 

roles. 

A Spokesperson said, “The Rev Ellen Larson 

Davidson said the grace and gave pause for 

reflection on friends no longer with us. 



The guests were treated to a delicious meal with drinks 

and provided with lively entertainment from Billy Hutton 

on drums and Norman Skinner on accordion, giving 

opportunity for dancing. 

A special Strictly Come Dancing guest appearance was 

made by Paul Smith of the Inn at Kippen and partner 

Alice as they performed their Blues Brothers live routine. 

This was a showcase of their work for the ‘learn to dance’ 

challenge to raise money for Maggie’s Centres in Scotland 

and was much enjoyed by attendees of the Kippen 

Christmas Dinner event. 

The afternoon was rounded off with a raffle and Auld 

Lang Syne. 

This was a magnificent effort from the community of 

Kippen in appreciation of our older residents. 

Many thanks are extended to all of our volunteers who 

delivered invitations, set-up, served, washed-up, cleared 

the hall and provided transport. 

Kippen Primary School children made placemats from 

their artwork which were admired and taken home as a 

souvenir. Playgroup provided beautiful table decorations, 

McNicolls donated crackers and Simon Littlejohn gave the 

wine. Skinners of Kippen are thanked for the tasty food, 

expertly timed. 

Accommodation by the hall committee was appreciated. A 

donation from the wind farm panel allowed the purchase 

of crockery and glasses which will be available for all to 

use 

In addition, thanks are given to all the organisations and 

individuals who made donations, financial and in kind to 

make this a very special day to remember.” 

Annabel Griffin 

www.theweevine.org 25 

Photographs by Annabel Griffin


Kippen Community Woodland Group 

We have been busy in Burnside Wood since the last edition of The 

Wee Vine and sadly had to repair the Black Brae path again after 

the middle of it was scoured out during heavy rainfall. The overflow 

from the Cuthbertson burn has been built up to prevent the drain 

being inundated with water and contractors have been approached 

for quotes to re-profile the path and improve the drainage. 

If anyone was wondering what we were up to on 2 nd December, in addition to clearing 

drains and removing saplings from the fen, fallen leaves and vegetation were cleared 

from the sides of the main path to help retain the full width of the path. If left alone, 

vegetation will encroach onto the path surface. Not only is it unpleasant brushing against 

wet vegetation, but it restricts people from 

stepping off the path to allow others to pass 

and locating dog poo to pick up. Raking 

certainly keeps you warm and hopefully the 

piles of leaves won’t be blown back onto the 

path. 

We are pleased to report that our 

application to the Kippen Community Fund 

was successful. Thanks to the Renantis 

Kingsburn Community Fund, which is 

administered by the Kippen Community 

Trust with support from Foundation 

Scotland, the boardwalk along the western 

edge of the pond will be removed, the 

outlet from the pond culverted and infilled 

with aggregate to provide an even surface 

flush with existing paths. Having secured 

funding, Stephen Paul Associates has been 

appointed to do this work. Depending 

on weather and other commitments, it is 

hoped that the work will take place during 

January or February 2024. The section of 

the path on the western edge of the pond 

will be closed for a couple of days to enable the work to be completed safely. When the 

time comes, please respect the footpath closure signs and take an alternative route. In 

the meantime, if using the boardwalk please take care when putting your weight on the 

boards. 

Woodland work mornings are held on the first Sunday of the month with a start time of 

10.30am. All equipment is provided, and we would encourage local residents to become 

involved. Please get in touch via kippenwoodlandgroup@gmail.com if you would like to 

find out more about the work of the Group or receive details of our activities. 

Paula Watson, Secretary 


Did you know 

Across 

1 Surprise move to Sudan (7) 

5 Orders student blanket (7) 

9 Come to a conclusion aboard Dublin ferry 

(5) 

10 Measure dirty cask incorrectly (9) 

11 Loves going back to lake before summer - it 

can help elevate the body if not the mind 

(10) 

12 Swear car is empty (3) 

14 Smooth running utility bills are bang out of 

order (4,8) 

18 Burns evident in analysed lung fragments 

(4,4,4) 

21 Blame peeled fruit (3) 

22 Faded skirt worn by food journalist (10) 

25 French priest welcomes tax on old city arch 

(9) 

26 No one points to racket (5) 

27 First class piece of chicken? (7) 

28 Word of comfort about a tense, dramatic 

situation (7) 

Down 

1 Among 500 entertained by a film (6) 

2 Caesar shifts steeds to grassy mound (6) 

3 French article on subject is inaccurate (10) 

4 Wood nymph dances round yew and 

dogwood primarily (5) 

5 Nursery workers throw grenades around roof 

top (9) 

6 Retreat from son wearing drag perhaps (4) 

7 Come up with new design for control outlet 

(8) 

8 By the same token detest Morecambe? 

Quite the opposite! (8) 

13 Active centenarians lack an ephemeral 

quality (10) 

15 It lounged around - with a degree of 

precision perhaps? (9) 

16 Camp taunts (8) 

17 Cobblers about to drink gin (8) 

19 No end to the split economy (6) 

20 Stick to a date he essentially agreed (6) 

23 Useless technology holding a writer up (5) 

24 Who’s afraid of one dropping potassium? 

Glen (4) 


Did you know 

Electric vehicle charging tariff to increase due to rising 

costs 

Due to rises in operating costs, the tariff for using Stirling Council’s electric vehicle charging 

points will increase from 8 January 2024. 

Vehicle owners will now be required to pay a minimum fee of £2 (previously £1.50) at 

Stirling Council owned EV charging points. 

At slow and fast charge points at Park 

and Ride sites, the new tariff is set at 35p 

per kWh (previously 25p). The tariff will 

increase to 45p per kWh (previously 25p) at 

other slow and fast charge points, while at 

rapid charge points it will rise to 59p per 

kWH (previously 35p). 

Since a tariff was approved for using Council 

charging points in October 2022, the cost 

of running and maintaining the current 

charging network has increased. This is due 

to rises in energy prices, additional charges 

imposed by energy providers and admin fees from Charge Place Scotland. A number of 

local authorities have recently increased their EV tariffs, and the local increase is broadly 

in line with current average charged at other Scottish local authorities. 

As part of the decisions made at December’s meeting of Council, a mechanism to support 

sustainable tariff setting will also be developed, taking into account sector feedback and 

insight from key national reports. 

The Council currently operates 186 public charging points across 24 locations, with an 

additional 51 charging points at 10 sites to be completed by the end of 2023. 

Stirling Council Leader, Cllr Chris Kane said: “This increase in the tariff enables us to cover 

the rising costs of operating and maintaining our EV infrastructure and is line with the 

rates charged by other Councils. 

“While we will continue to encourage and support the growth in EV ownership to help 

achieve our net zero ambitions, we have a responsibility to ensure the infrastructure for 

charging vehicles remains financially sustainable. 

“This increase has been carefully considered and strikes that balance, and it’s also 

important we develop a flexible process for setting future tariffs in response to usage and 

energy costs.” 

The demand for electric vehicles has risen significantly in the last six years with Stirling 

Council now ranking second out of all local authorities in Scotland for EV ownership, 

accounting for 10% of all licensed vehicles. 

Full information on the new tariffs will be available shortly on the ChargePlace 

Scotland website. 


Community Engagement and 

Reassurance 

PC Matt McCammon is based at Balfron 

Police Office and can be contacted on 

101 or at ForthEndrickCPT@scotland. 

pnn.police.uk. It is recommended that 

this email address is used by the local 

community for email contact. 

Road Safety 

The camera unit has continued to perform 

speed enforcement and hi-visibility patrols 

in and around Kippen, resulting in a 

number of motorists being prosecuted. 

There have been a number of reports 

regarding animals on the A811. Please 

bear this in mind on your travels as due 

to the speed of the road, striking one can 

have fatal consequences. 

Please check and maintain your vehicle 

for road worthiness. The winter weather 

causes roads and driving conditions to 

be hazardous. This includes ensuring that 

vehicle windscreens are defrosted, and 

you have a full view of the road ahead 

prior to driving off. On that note, please do 

not defrost the windscreen by leaving your 

engine running unattended on the road or 

driveway 

Theft 

In the last few months in the Forth and 

Endrick area there have been a number 

of thefts of Quad bikes and motorcycles. 

Please remain vigilant and report any 

suspicious activity. 

Police Report 

There has also been a distraction theft 

/ bogus workman type incident in the 

area, whereby an unknown person has 

purported to be an employee of Scottish 

water, they have then been allowed access 

to an elderly person’s home and have 

taken a quantity of Jewellery believed to be 

of high value. Please continue vigilant and 

report any suspicious activity. 

What is doorstep crime? 

From bogus callers to rogue traders, 

doorstep criminals are cunning, creative, 

and convincing. 

Anyone can be fooled as these people are 

professional con artists. The over 60s are 

targeted the most. 

What types of doorstep criminals are 

there? 

There are two main types: 

Bogus callers try to get into your home or 

get personal details by pretending to be 

someone they’re not. 

This can include council staff, charity 

collectors, meter readers and police 

officers. In reality, they are criminals trying 

to steal money and valuables. 

Rogue traders usually cold-call. They claim 

to be workers offering services, make 

repairs or carry out work on your property. 

In reality they charge inflated prices for 

shoddy or work that isn›t needed. 

We do not recommend dealing with coldcallers. 

www.theweevine.org 29

Crossword Answers 

Across: 1 Astound, 5 General, 9 Infer, 10 Yardstick, 11 Stepladder, 12 Vow, 14 Ball 

bearings, 18 Auld lang syne, 21 Rap, 22 Diminished, 25 Curvature, 26 Noise, 27 Supreme, 

28 Theatre. 

Down: 1 Amidst, 2 Tuffet, 3 Unreliable, 4 Dryad, 5 Gardeners, 6 Nest, 7 Reinvent, 

8 Likewise, 13 Transience, 15 Longitude, 16 Barracks, 17 Claptrap, 19 Thrift, 20 Adhere, 

23 Inept, 24 Dale. 


Supporters 

The Wee Vine Supporters 

Without our supporters, there would be no Wee Vine. They offer support in a variety of 

ways. All essential. 

Firstly, our financial supporters. Printing and other costs are totally met through the 

support of a number of local organisations. These have all been affected to a greater or 

lesser extent by the current Covid crisis, but continue to provide support, which is greatly 

appreciated. Currently, these are (in alphabetical order): 

Acorn Cottage (03454986900} 

Arnbeg Farm Stay (01786 871121) 

Arnprior Swimming Pool (870481) 

Blue Juice Media 

Brian Reynolds Carpentry (870531) 

Cameron Skinner, Skinner of Kippen (870203) 

Central Auto Repairs (Glengyle) (870254) 

David Kirkwood, Fishmonger 

John Coubrough & Son, Joiners &Funeral Directors (870737) 

Kippen Singing Studio 

McNicolls Country Store (870237) 

Renantis 

Stephen Paul Associates (870906) 

The Cross Keys (870293) 

The Inn at Kippen (870500) 

The Woodhouse (870156) 

For those not familiar with the name “Renantis” this is the parent company of the 

community facility known as “The Windfarm,” to whom our grateful thanks are due for the 

significant support provided. 

A welcome addition to our family of supporters is “Blue Juice Media”, who provide 

video coverage of many local (and non-local) events. Each of our financial supporters 

is entitled to use the magazine to publicise forthcoming events, or significant awards 

obtained. Anyone who would like to offer support in this way, can do so by contacting us 

at enquiries@theweevine.org. 

Secondly, many thanks to those who have supported this issue by contributing articles. 

The Wee Vine is for Kippen, about Kippen and by Kippen. We would like to know about 

events as they happen, and also those which are planned. Also, organisations, clubs and 

their programmes and activities. Plus, comments, queries, photos, and anything else that 

takes your fancy. 

“Letters to the editor” on paper or electronically are welcome from all. 

And finally, those who support by offering help in many ways, such as the delivery of the 

magazine round the village. 

Stuart Thomson 


Kippen FC Award Photos 

Amy Irons presented Players Player award Mikey Gray 

Jimmy Bone with Goal of season winner Rory Currie 

Jimmy Bone and Goal assist winner Gregor Goodwin 

Dave McPherson & Walter Mather For James Mather

0ooooo 

Kippen Post Office 

Full Postal Service 

• Free cash withdrawals from 

all named banks 

• Full banking service- 

Business and Personal 

• Utility bill and road tax 

payments 

• Full Bureau de Change 

• Euros and US Dollars 

stocked 

• Money Transfers 

Opening Times 

Mon-Tue-Thur-Fri 0900-1300 1400-1730 

Wednesday 0900-1300 

Saturday 0900-1230 

Mobile Outreach Service 

Van 1 - Buchlyvie-Croftamie-Fintry Village, Sports Centre 

and Caravan Park- Gargunnock-Killearn-Thornhill 

Van 2 - Blackford-Braco-Carnock-Clackmannan 

Village and Town- Torrance

The_Wee_Vine_29_cloner

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