Following the recent official launch of the Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) project, to help celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, and further to discussion at last week’s meeting, MCC is pleased to announce its full support for this initiative to help ensure that this project fulfils its potential across the Muckhart area and beyond.

According to the Chief Executive of the project, “the aim of The Queen’s Green Canopy is to thank Her Majesty The Queen for her exceptional service, celebrate her Platinum Jubilee and promote the importance of trees to the environment, through the encouragement of tree planting and tree preservation across the nation.”

In support of this project, MCC has already established a Working Group, consisting of members who volunteered during our meeting at the end of March, which will be supporting Tim Allan, in his position as Deputy Lieutenant for Clackmannanshire, with this initiative in the coming weeks.

This project will see communities, charities, schools, youth groups, councils and landowners planting trees across the four nations to create a lasting legacy in honour of The Queen’s leadership of the Nation that will enhance our environment and the landscape for generations to come. The campaign will encourage the planting of healthy, native trees that will thrive in their environments.

The following is a link to the recent BBC article on the campaign launch of the Queen’s Green Canopy: BBC news – Queen’s Green Canopy

And the following is a link to Tim’s earlier post, on the Muckhart Gets Together Facebook page, announcing his plan to help support this initiative:

Muckhart Gets Together – QGC

Further details on the Queen’s Green Canopy can be found on the official web-site:  https://queensgreencanopy.org/

Please feel free to contact the MCC Secretary [email protected], forwarding your contact details, if you would like to join the local Group supporting this initiative.

Mike Wilson

Secretary – Muckhart Community Council

[email protected]

MCC is pleased to announce that the Open Gardens Day May 2021 event has been a record-breaking year !!

The Muckhart and Glendevon Amenity Society has reported that the number of visitors was up on previous years with approximately 300 people attending, split equally between the two days, compared to 191 people who came in 2018.

Ticket, guide book and Rumbling Bridge Nursery sales, combined with donations made, totalled just over £2,100 which will be spread across the Scotland Gardens Scheme, the Coronation Hall and the School.

A special thanks goes to everyone who helped to organise and co-ordinate this year’s event, as well as to those who visited.

Mike Wilson

Secretary – Muckhart Community Council

[email protected]

As announced at last night’s Meeting, MCC is delighted to confirm that the Burnfoot Hill Community Fund (BHCF) panel has awarded Muckhart a further £2,500 grant. This is in addition to the Event, Winter and Micro-Grants also recently awarded to MCC by the BHCF panel.

In support of the Muckhart Community Plan, this latest grant will be used to create a Nature Trail that will run from the Pool of Muckhart along to the Primary School which is intended to benefit today’s school children, as well as other residents and visitors, and the generations to come.

The design of the Nature Trail will focus on educational content and value to support the school’s outdoor learning programme and, as the Trail will run along a Core Path, it is also hoped that the peaceful, rural setting will become a local attraction to all those seeking a stress-free and restful location to visit.

The grant awarded will be used to purchase native trees, wild flowers and bulbs, nesting boxes, interpretation boards and a picnic table and bench.

With this funding and the anticipated relaxation of Covid restrictions we intend to address one of the Aims of the Muckhart Community Plan, i.e. to prepare for an entry into the Beautiful Scotland Competition, by implementing this Nature Trail project over the next 12 months.

Our thanks go to MCC member Peter Wyatt who is taking the lead on this project and who prepared and submitted the successful grant application on behalf of our community.

Peter will be checking with those people, who previously volunteered to help with the Beautiful Scotland proposal, for their continued interest. Should you wish to join this group to help carry out the works associated with this project then please contact Peter (at: [email protected] or on Facebook via Muckhart Gets Together) who will be very pleased to hear from you !!

Mike Wilson

Secretary – Muckhart Community Council

[email protected]

MCC has been made aware of a new campaign being supported by the Citizens Advice Bureau.

The following information has been taken from a letter issued by the Managing Director of the Clackmannanshire Citizens Advice Bureau and provides links to information intended to support anyone who may be affected by the issues raised or who may be looking for advice on financial support.

As you know the disruption and uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have had a severe impact on the incomes and living costs of citizens in Clackmannanshire many of whom may already have been facing economic hardship.

To support our community the Citizens Advice network in Scotland is running a national ‘Money Advice Matters’ campaign from 31 May to 11 June.

As part of this campaign, we will be raising awareness of the support we provide to people worried about bills, arrears or debt piling up. We want people to know that our trained volunteers and staff are here to help with their money worries.

Our advisers will talk through options, check for ways to increase income and help make a plan to improve their situation. In addition to this free, confidential and impartial advice we also provide a range of free and easy to use online tools:

• Our public advice site which includes information on getting help with debt, mortgage problems, budgeting and what to do if you can’t pay your bills
• Our Money Map tool directs users to online help and ways to make the most of their money, decrease their bills and help meet the costs of daily living
• Our Council Tax tool tells citizens quickly if they’re entitled to a discount, reduction or exemption

Yours Sincerely,

Jonny Miller
Managing Director, Clackmannanshire Citizens Advice Bureau

Saturday 8^th May, Coronation Hall Car Park, 9:00 – 11:00 am

Further to recent posts regarding MCC membership of the Burnfoot Hill Community Fund, the Light Up Muckhart team have arranged to hold a Drop In event to consult on possible options for Christmas lighting. This is your opportunity to have a say in the kind of Christmas lighting and decorations that you would like to see in Muckhart and both Light Up Muckhart team and MCC look forward to seeing you there.

MCC is happy to share the following which has been prepared by Light Up Muckhart regarding the event:

Muckhart Community Council, has recently secured Muckhart as a beneficiary of the Burnfoot Hill Community Fund. As a consequence, Muckhart will receive an annual winter grant from the fund for use by the community. MCC have asked the Light Up Muckhart Team to investigate using the winter grant monies for some village Christmas Lights to complement our fabulous individual displays.

The LUM team have worked up some options and would welcome your feedback before progressing.

We know it’s only May but there is a lot to do……and there will only be 231 sleeps left until Santa arrives.

So please stroll down to the hall carpark on Saturday and give us 10 minutes of your time. We will have a number of materials available for you to view and discuss with the LUM team and give us your feedback.

After that the elves will get busy.

Alison, Dawn, Kirstie, Cindy, Sheila and Val

MCC is pleased to announce that Foundation Scotland has confirmed that Andrew Davis  will be joining MCC members John Anderson and Peter Wyatt as the community representative on the Burnfoot Hill Community Fund Muckhart Panel. This Panel will form part of the wider Advisory Panel, made up of representatives from all of the fund member communities, which governs the fund and which advises upon and decides grant awards. MCC very much looks forward to working closely with Andrew in his new role.

The Muckhart Panel has also confirmed the dates agreed for those individuals and groups wishing to apply to MCC for a Micro-Grant. Please see the Burnfoot Hill Community Fund web-page for further information on how and when to apply.

Mike Wilson

Secretary – Muckhart Community Council

[email protected]

Muckhart Community Council (MCC) is pleased to announce that, further to earlier posts advising that Muckhart’s membership of the Burnfoot Hill Community Fund has been approved, individuals and groups resident and based within the Muckhart area are now able to apply to MCC to be considered for a Micro-Grant award, worth up to £500.

For your information, the annual Micro-Grant award to MCC, for this year, totals £1,500, and once this funding has been allocated, any further applications cannot be considered until the next grant award.

What is an MCC Micro-Grant?

MCC Micro-Grants are awards of up to £250 to individuals and up to £500 to groups for: “charitable purposes to the general benefit of local residents, including individuals and non-constituted groups” in line with the aims or purposes of the main Burnfoot Hill Community Benefit Fund.

How will an MCC Micro-Grant benefit our community?

The MCC Micro-Grants scheme can impact a wide number of residents, for example, by supporting:

• Those not involved with, or benefiting from, activity run by formal, constituted groups, i.e. small, un-constituted groups providing valuable services or activities (for example, voluntary groups, lunch clubs or friendship groups) which may be ineligible to apply to the main Burnfoot Hill Community Fund
• Individuals undertaking specialist training (for example, music or athletics) which fosters local talent
• Individuals or small groups with an idea they wish to ‘test’ or try out
• Participation (including travel) of community members to represent our community at regional or national events or in activities that are not available locally

Who can apply for an MCC Micro-Grant and for how much?

The following may apply to MCC for a Micro-Grant:

• Individual members of the community, resident within the MCC area
• Informal, non-constituted groups, based within the MCC area
• Constituted groups, based within the MCC area

Note: non-constituted groups, generally speaking, will be considered a priority for Micro-Grants, as other funds are unlikely to be open to such groups, however, constituted groups are also eligible to apply. Also, the purpose of the Micro-Grant must be charitable in nature.

Awards made by MCC will be no more than £250 to individuals and no more than £500 to groups.

For further information on all of the Burnfoot Hill Community Fund grants available, and who to contact to apply for a specific grant, please visit the MCC Burnfoot Hill Community Fund web page via the link below:

Burnfoot Hill Community Fund

Clackmannanshire Council recently confirmed its support for the Slow Ways initiative and the Traffic & Transportation team has adopted Slow Ways as an external resource in its latest Active Travel Action Plan. MCC welcomes and supports this development.

Amongst other ideas, the Active Travel Action Plan sets out the plans for inter-community routes for active travel, off our roads, and part of this process will involve identifying and testing various walking and cycling routes and options. This is where Slow Ways – and you – can have an important role to play. Your support and local knowledge can make the Council’s task easier and more informed. So, what is the Slow Ways initiative?

Slow‌ ‌Ways‌ ‌is‌ ‌an‌ ‌ambitious‌ initiative‌ to‌ ‌create‌ ‌a‌ ‌comprehensive‌ ‌network‌ ‌of walking‌ ‌routes‌ ‌that‌ ‌connect‌ ‌all‌ ‌of‌ ‌Britain’s‌ ‌cities‌ ‌and‌ ‌towns‌ ‌as‌ ‌well‌ ‌as‌ ‌thousands‌ ‌of‌ ‌villages. 700 volunteers completed a first draft mapping of the Slow Ways network during the Spring 2020 lockdown. The organisers are now looking for 10,000 volunteers to help walk, review, record and improve the Slow Ways routes.

Each Slow Way route connects two neighbouring settlements and routes can be combined for longer journeys. As far as possible, routes are direct, off-road, safe, accessible, easily navigable and pass through settlements with services and public transport hubs. The Slow Ways network – through its unique approach to plotting, mapping and recording routes – aims to make it easier for people to see, plan, enjoy and share walks between places.

Slow‌ ‌Ways‌ ‌will be used for both recreational and functional purposes, aiming to offer‌ reasonably direct walking options backed by trusted route information. This will include walking‌ ‌to ‌visit ‌friends‌ ‌and‌ ‌family, ‌travelling to meetings, going to shops, pilgrimages, charity fundraisers or travelling ‌to‌ ‌school‌ ‌or‌ work.

A large number of potential benefits have been identified by volunteers, partners and backers in developing the Slow Ways initiative. These include, but are not limited to:

Health benefits
• ‌improving ‌health‌ ‌and‌ ‌wellbeing‌ ‌by‌ ‌encouraging‌ ‌physical‌ ‌activity‌ ‌for‌ ‌short‌ ‌trips‌ and ‌longer journeys ‌
• helping to mitigate the causes and effects of Covid-19, being part of recovery plans, and offering public transport alternatives
• creating opportunities for people to connect with friends, family and colleagues

Environmental benefits
• reducing ‌pollution and ‌emissions‌ through active travel options as an alternative to carbon-based transport
• contributing to the decarbonisation of local and national transport systems and helping to address the climate emergency
• connecting people to ‘nearby nature’, heritage, places and communities

Transport benefits
• encouraging modal shift – supporting more people to walk more of the time, for more purposes
• providing ‌safe, ‌direct‌ ‌and‌ ‌enjoyable‌ ‌routes‌ ‌between neighbouring‌ ‌towns‌ ‌and‌ ‌cities
• linking active travel to public transport hubs
• promoting greater use of existing paths, trails, networks, and the connections between them

‌Economic benefits
• saving people money by encouraging ‌an‌ ‌inexpensive‌ ‌form of travels
• spreading economic activity by inspiring visits to, and stays in, more places

Community benefits
• sharing a positive, empowering, rewarding and inclusive project at a time of national crisis and recovery
• offering a source of community‌ engagement, focus, ‌identity‌ ‌and‌ ‌pride‌
• ‌boosting the equity of use of path networks
• increasing the use of currently under-used paths – thereby keeping them open and valued

Further Information

Web – slowways.uk

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Newsletter – slowways.uk

Twitter – @SlowWays, #SlowWays

Contact – [email protected]

References
– Ledbury Town Council was the first to officially support Slow Ways. 20 July 2020 Report, with Recommendation “that Ledbury Town Council promote the Slow Ways Project within Ledbury in the hope that groups and individuals will get involved with the project”.

– The Clerk magazine ‘for Local Council professionals’: ‘Creating a new national walking network’, November 2020, page 61.

– BBC News, 16 Oct 2020 – Slow Ways “seeks to elevate the position of walking in our national conversation, to be seen not just as a worthy, healthy hobby but part of our national transport infrastructure” – and ITV News, 16 Oct 2020.

Further to the post on 9^th February (see below), announcing Muckhart’s membership of the EDF Burnfoot Hill Community Fund, Foundation Scotland is now ready to recruit a member from our community to join the Muckhart Community Panel.

This Panel will be made up of two members from Muckhart Community Council (MCC) and one member from our community and will represent Muckhart on the Burnfoot Hill Community Fund Advisory Panel which awards community grants – worth up to £5,000 – based on entitlement and the benefits to be gained.

The Burnfoot Hill Community Fund Advisory Panel, in turn, is made up of local representatives from Alva, Menstrie, Dollar and Tillicoultry, Coalsnaughton and Devonside and, now, Muckhart. It will deal with grant applications, across all five communities, and will meet three times a year, twice to consider applications and once for a review meeting.

Briefly, the purpose of the Panel is:

• To advise the Foundation regarding awards from the Fund
• To advise the Foundation on other aspects of the management of the Fund, such as, promotion and awareness-raising or the development of strategic activities designed to maximise benefits to the community

The Muckhart Community Panel, in addition to representing Muckhart on the Burnfoot Hill Community Fund Advisory Panel, will also assist MCC in managing and allocating local Winter and Event grants – each worth £2,500 – which will be awarded to our community on an on-going, annual basis. The Muckhart Community Panel will also assist MCC in managing and awarding local Micro-grants – worth up to £500 each – designed to fund local, small-scale projects.

So, if you are aged over 16 years, live in the Muckhart area, have an interest in community activity and wish to join the Muckhart Community Panel, then please contact Eimear, at Foundation Scotland, to request a nomination form or to discuss the fund, or panels, in more detail, via the contact details listed below:

Email: [email protected] Telephone: 07912 759623

Alternatively, you can request a form from Mike Wilson, MCC Secretary, via the link below:

Email: [email protected]

Click on the following link to access the poster:

EDF Burnfoot Muckhart Panel

Further to discussions and the Minutes taken at recent MCC Meetings (MCC Minutes) this is just a brief note to confirm that at the last Advisory Panel meeting of the EDF Burnfoot Hill Community Fund, held in October, Panel members voted unanimously to support MCC’s request for Muckhart to join this fund and, subsequently, to take a seat on the Fund’s Advisory Panel. On behalf of the whole of our community, MCC’s sincere thanks goes to both Foundation Scotland and the Advisory Panel for accepting our community into this fund.

Further to  a recent introductory meeting of MCC members with Foundation Scotland, it was confirmed that Muckhart organisations and groups would shortly be able to apply for grant funding – up to £5,000, per application – for a wide range of projects which can be demonstrated will bring clear benefit to our community.

In addition to being able to access the wider Clackmannanshire Community Fund, MCC can confirm that two grants (a Winter and an Event grant) will be awarded to our community, on an on-going, annual basis, and that MCC will also be able to access and award individual Micro-grants, worth up to £500 each, designed to fund local, small-scale projects, again, which can be demonstrated to benefit our community.

Three Panel members, comprising of two members from Muckhart Community Council and one member appointed from the wider community, will represent Muckhart on the wider Clackmannanshire Advisory Panel which decides upon the larger grant awards, based on entitlement and the benefits to be gained, as described in the grant application.

MCC will be working closely with Foundation Scotland, over the coming weeks, to establish the local Panel, together with local administrative and management resources, and, shortly, will be looking to recruit a member of the community to join the Muckhart Panel.

It is not clear yet, how the community member is to be appointed, as this process is currently being reviewed by Foundation Scotland and the Advisory Panel, so, some kind of election process may be required, however, this is still to be confirmed.

Watch this space for further announcements !!

Mike Wilson

Secretary – Muckhart Community Council

[email protected]