Advance notice of temporary road closure and diversion in place on Saturday 21 April at West Morham for some tree felling operations.

 

Gifford Families Facebook group ran an awards competition this week, to do something positive to celebrate our ‘community spirit’. Amongst all the giving people we are lucky to have in our community, I am pleased to announce we had two Garvald winners, Penny Short and Hazel Clark, and several other Garvald residents were nominated: Barrie Ash, Alastair Kerr and Liz Leckie. Well done to all of the winners and nominees!

Here’s the WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT:

GIFFORD’S SHINING LIGHTS COMPETITION

To celebrate the amazing folks in our area we asked you to nominate people with COMMUNITY SPIRIT or those who have done something KIND, recently or in the past.

A judging panel representing different areas within the Yester Primary School catchment got together to choose some of the stand-out nominations and match them with a token of thanks provided by our fabulous local businesses and people. We want to mention outstanding businesses though they are not eligible for a gift.

Obviously there aren’t enough thank you gifts to go round as we live in such a giving community, so here’s a BIG public THANK YOU to all those who do whatever they can to support friends, neighbours and the community. Whether it be the little things or huge commitments, work done publicly or under the radar – they all make a difference and are greatly appreciated by those you help.

THANK YOU!

And the Winners are…!

Outstanding Businesses:

• YESTER DAIRY
• COOP
• HOGGS

Outstanding Community Contributions:

• JAMIE KELMAN (Longnewton)
• NEV KILKENNY (Sheriffside)
• PENNY SHORT (Garvald)
• LIZ STEWART (Gifford)
• CARRIE MURRAY (Gifford)
• DAVE GRIFFITHS (Gifford)

Young Citizens Award:

ALISTAIR PURVES (Gifford) who last year, while aged only 12, helped an injured resident who had fallen off his bike and broken 5 ribs. Alistair got to the scene first and put him into recovery position while waiting for emergency services to attend.

Long Service Awards:

• RITA BUCHAN (Gifford)
• HELEN BANKS (Gifford)
• HAZEL CLARK (Garvald)
• JOE AND JEANIE CLARKE (Gifford)
• KIM WHITE (Gifford)
• ELISE BROWN
• DAWN HOLMES

Snowstorm Superstars:

• GERRY MOORE (Gifford)
• GARY BLYTH (Gifford)

With schools closed again on Friday 2nd March, Garvald Village Hall will be open again from 10am, providing warmth for sledgers, somewhere for the children to meet and play and a hot cuppa for the adults. All welcome!

A message from Hazel and Doug: Many thanks to the “shovel wielders” of all ages who have cleared snow in Burnside Court from the OAPs at No6!

A message from Sylvia Wood:

Would anyone in the village be interested in doing an ‘Amsterdam King’s Day’ type event in Garvald, where everyone turns out to sell their second-hand wares on the streets, or from their gardens perhaps? Easier than taking it all to the hall and back again if not sold. The village hall could be the refreshment centre? Please let Sylvia know or send a message via the contact form if you are interested.

Irresponsible dog walkers are failing to clean up after their pets in and around Garvald, and the matter has now been reported to East Lothian Council Dog Warden. The fixed penalty fine for dog fouling is £80. Further details about reporting an offence can be found on East Lothian Council website on the dog fouling page, and some of the relevant details are listed below.

Who is responsible for cleaning up after dogs?

Under the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003, if you are in charge of a dog you must clear up after it – regardless of your age and whether or not you own it.

You must pick up any fouling immediately and throw it away in a proper bin or take it home with you. Please note that picking up dog excrement in a bag and then leaving the bag lying around is still an offence. 

The Act requires “pick up” in any “public open place” apart from designated agricultural land.

A “public open place” includes —

• any place which is open to the air and allows public access including playgrounds, common land, beaches, footpaths and public rights of way.
• any common passage, close, court, stair, back green, garden, yard or other similar common area.

Excuses (such as not knowing your dog has fouled or not having a bag with you to pick it up) won’t be accepted by our wardens, and you will still be fined.

Poop Scoop Bags

Free poop scoop bags are available from most council offices and libraries.

Notice from P Short, Chair G&MCC:

Following the cancellation of the scheduled works on 17 January (due to Scottish Power’s reluctance to leave households without power in horrendous weather conditions and their need to service emergency call-outs), I have been contacted by Chris McVey from SPIE (contracted by Scottish Power to carry out the work) with an update.

The work will now take place on Monday 12 February and I am told you should receive letters shortly. This is outwith the 28 days notice that we were told we’d be given for the rescheduled work, but there doesn’t appear to be another option. I understand that certain households in the village centre will be served by a generator which will continue to provide electricity, but I have not been told which houses this will cover. Unfortunately this backup service will not extend to outlying areas such as Tanderlane, Castle Moffat, Garvald Mains or Nunraw Barns. Obviously this is not ideal, as the work will now occur during the school holidays but unfortunately they will not change the date. If you have any concerns or questions or wish to complain please telephone Chris McVey on 01750 725404.