Back in the 1970’s, when the ‘new’ A9 was built, Inver was, in many ways, cut off from the rest of our community. However, the road did come with an underpass which provided pedestrian access connecting the Rec to the Inver road. Later when the Sappers were billeted here in the run up to their deployment in Bosnia, they built us a bridge across the Braan enabling us to walk along the Braan path rather than along the road. And so, we were connected.

That was until everything got washed away in the autumn storms and once again our community has been divided. Thanks so much to the many organisations who have prioritised trying to find a way to sort this situation out from volunteers like Jackie McLean offering to ferry people across the road to Jane and Stewart Pritchard leaders of the Paths and Nature Action Group for taking on a coordination role with PKC and other stakeholders.
Click here for an update on the situation. I hope that by the time you are reading this there will be a safe way of walking between Inver and Little Dunkeld even if the Sappers Bridge may take longer to sort out.

2024 will see the 50th Anniversary of this publication. We are starting a community consultation on what communications should look like for the next 50 years to come. How could we coordinate across all the various, and different communication platforms from paper to TikTok and Facebook or even digital screens to reach all members of our community? Please feel free to share your ideas with us including coming along to one our ‘Super Second Saturdays’ to share your thoughts and ideas on how we could adapt to meet the ever changing needs of our dynamic and wonderful community.

As the winter inches its way towards us please take time to help our feathered friends make it through the cold, dark days. Now is the best time to make and erect swift (and other bird) boxes. Loch of the Lowes is also offering us some top tips from cleaning our bird feeders to selecting different feeds and offering water for birds to wash and drink.

Thank you for all your support during 2023. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2024.

Sally Robertson

These notes are being written in the period leading up to Advent, the four week season that invites us to slow down and ponder what is important before the Christmas celebrations begin. In the last edition I was particularly struck by the poetic beauty of Reverend Lesley-Anne’s reflection on the beginning of Genesis. Over the years for me the first three chapters of Genesis have come to read almost as if they were actually conceived as poetry. They present for us the iconic symbolism of the Garden of Eden, the Apple and the decision that opens human consciousness to the dilemmas of good and evil. This is a story that does not need to deny the science of evolution, instead it symbolically highlights the differentiation of our human condition. In that in contrast to the animal kingdom, no matter how much comfort we have, we somehow still seem to have to plan for more. During the Christmas season we are invited to reflect on a beautiful story which from a Christian perspective tells how a potential resolution to this underlying discomfort first gets under way.
During my lifetime our Western world has rapidly become more secular, so it does not seem unreasonable that those of us who still practise faith should from time to time be asked by our friends to explain the reasons we keep with that choice. I was recently asked by a genuine enquirer what for me was the central aim of Christian spirituality. For me spirituality has to do with how we live our lives and I prefer to avoid becoming involved in intellectual debates that seek to justify belief. Such often polemical debates can so easily distract our attention from the simple but clear advice that Jesus gives us at Matthew 22:
A lawyer asked him a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ Jesus said to him. ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’
If we were truly able to treat those around us with the sort of relationship with which we would ourselves like to be treated, is it naïve to wonder whether this might have avoided the terrible pain currently being suffered by ordinary people in Ukraine and Gaza? A huge question but this should not however distract me from doing something about this in my own life. Thomas Fuller once said ‘Charity begins at home’ before adding ‘but should not end there’ but nowadays being usually quoted outside of its Christian context, the second important part is left out. So to return to the question I mentioned about the aim of spirituality, my tentative answer is that Jesus’s second commandment above would surely provide a solid basis for how we might aim to conduct ourselves, be we Christian or otherwise. How to better do this is going to provide me with plenty to reflect on during Advent and a challenging resolution for the New Year.

In the meantime I very much hope everyone will be able to enjoy the Christmas season when it comes.
Roderick Campbell Guion OCDS

As I write Perth & Kinross is in a post storm Babet phase with many teams and officers working to deliver repairs post clean-up. Areas in North Perthshire have felt the effects of the storm, areas of roads, bridges, paths, and riverbanks washed away or damaged by the force of water. It has been challenging for those who have been personally affected.

Perth & Kinross teams worked hard to deal with the cleanup process. These teams are continuing to work on repairs, which will impact on the scheduled repairs list due to resources being diverted to the essential repairs. At Dalguise the road culverts were inundated by the debris running from the forest tracks, all road culverts required attention and the eroded edges of the road will be repaired if not yet carried out.

A section of road embankment was repaired North of Gilmerton on the A822, chocked culverts at Corrymuckloch were attended to.
Further eroded embankments on the A826 between Griffin and Calliacher wind farms also dealt with.

The road at Rotmell is more complex with a design process required to identify the reinstatement and involvement from the landowner during this, none the less it is a priority. Once the design is agreed the repair will progress.

Similarly with the Inver underpass and Sappers Bridge. The underpass has been given priority for repair. However the bridge is more complex and also requires a new design combined with conversations with landowners and SEPA before any understanding of time and cost to deliver the replacement.
Roads winter maintenance programme began mid-October and will run to mid-April. Please remember public footways are not treated on Public Holidays.
To finish on roads a few stats – Perth & Kinross have 2,400 Km of roads, 44,000 road gullies and 1,600 grit bins.

Many of you will be aware and have hopefully engaged with the consultation process of Perth & Kinross National Park bid, Tay Forest National Park. The stage of the process is currently at the evaluation and analysis of evidence. The finalised bid being presented to Council at the February meeting before submission to Scottish Government.

For the second year Perth & Kinross Council are supporting free bus travel on the four Saturdays running up to Christmas, December 2,9,16 and 23, those with free travel passes should use as normal. This offer does not include Citylink, Ember, Flixbus, Parks of Hamilton, Megabus or Fishers Tours.

Wishing all a Joyous Festive Season and a Happy New Year,
Cllr Bailie Claire McLaren
ClaireMcLaren@pkc.gov.uk