Strathtay Action Partnership made recommendations from the funding meeting to the SP&R committee of the council who agreed the funding results for the Strathtay Community Investment Fund.
The CIF will benefit 105 local community groups and projects in Perth and Kinross. The administration councillors want to shift the balance from the Council deciding what is best for communities, to trusting communities to come forward with worthwhile projects that need financial support that they would find it difficult to raise by themselves.
The village halls are run by volunteers and it was good to see these applications as they benefit the wider community making them more accessible, safer and altogether more comfortable to use. Congratulations to Strathtay’s successful groups for their well thought out projects which will benefit the communities. Is your community here? It could be.
Ward 5 – Strathtay Group Project Funding
Stanley & District Men’s Shed – Computer Project – £6,000
Meikleour Village Hall – Installation of Disabled Ramp – £3,590
Stanley Public Hall – Fire Risk Improvements – £4,500
Auchtergaven PS Parent Council – Learner’s Mental Health – £6,589.20
Dunkeld & Birnam Community Council –
Meeting Room & Digital Connectivity – £5,029.71
West Stormont Woodland Group – Feeling Good in the Woods – £3,433
A9 Community Group – Strengthening Community Engagement – £3,444
Caputh Village Hall – Electrical Rewiring – £7,000
Luncarty & Redgorton in Bloom – Planter and Seating – £6,690
Spittalfield & District Community Sports Hub – Creating Community – £3,720
TOTAL FUNDING SPENT £49,995.41. We had £50,000 to spend and managed to use almost all of it.
There will be another £50,000 for Strathtay to spend next year too plus the £4.59 from this year so think about what project will benefit your area and watch for the 2019 launch. The Action Partnerships give communities a real say in achieving something that is important to them.
Our exit from Europe is still not decided. Every suggestion is turned down by the MPs and the Europeans are becoming intractable. Who knows what will happen?
Work is started on the A9 dualling Luncarty to Birman. The overnight closures did not cause any problems but that may not be the case as the works progress. So far there is little delay even with the 40 mph limit.
Let me know if you experience problems. I do hope though to see significant benefits in Strathtay through time and hope it will be accomplished with minimum disruption.
Last month’s storm devastated the gardens, my crocuses were flattened but with the settled weather there has been a good recovery and the daffodils are indeed “a field of golden daffodils” Spring is here at last.
As always I am happy to deal with your enquiries or help with your problems.
Contact me by email: AnneJarvis@pkc.gov.uk or phone 01738 475030.

Anne Jarvis

In April Fraser Penny gave us a fine ‘Thought for the Month’. If you still have a copy, do read it again. It’s full of good teaching and it challenges us to think more deeply about our faith.
We are now in the season of Easter. We have to think what that means for us today. The Gospel tells of God’s great outpouring of love and the triumph of good over evil.
Many of us will have been hugely touched by Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Prime Minister. When Muslims were killed as they prayed she acted quickly, courageously, got alongside the people of Christchurch so that they could all take part in the healing process.
One hopes that this was the beginning of a journey for many of them towards greater understanding of our humanity.
Through his Holy Spirit Christ gives each of us the opportunity to make a difference in our family life and in our community, and in our country, and to have the freedom to share our humanity with one another. That is worth celebrating.

Jan and Robin Stewart

Regular readers of this column will know that I belong to the LBJ branch of ornithology. However, even with my very limited knowledge and eyesight, I am able to engage with two amazing feathered spectacles on offer this month.
Firstly, as you will have seen from our front cover picture, LR12 -or Lawrence as I prefer to refer to him - our male osprey, has successfully made it home. This morning I checked on the Loch of the Lowes webcam and was somewhat alarmed to see the nest blowing around in the high winds and Lawrence standing up on the nest looking most annoyed. I’ve just checked now on my way back from work to see if he’s calmed down a bit and he’s gone! I hope he’s not frustrated with the Scottish weather and flown back to Africa. I won’t rest until I see him back on his nest again.
Secondly why not take up the opportunity to go and see the black grouse at their lekking site in Dun Coilllich near Schehallion on either the 13th, 18th or 27th April? I have seen black grouse up at Amulree but never in the numbers mentioned in this article. Admittedly we’ll need to set our alarm clocks for the crack of dawn since we’ll leave from the car park at Dun Coillich at 5:15am… which makes for a 4:30am start from the house. Eeek. However, as Claire Smith, our RSPB Scotland Senior Conservation Officer says, it’s a “must do wildlife experience!” so that ought to be enough to dig us out of our beds. However, if your circadian rhythms are more owl than lark you might prefer to go on the beaver watch at the Loch of the Lowes which happens at 19:00 – 21:00 on 10th and 24th April.
Phew, just checked again on the webcam, and dear Lawrence is back on the nest – however if you ask me he’s still looking a bit annoyed and his feathers are in a bit of a flap. Let’s hope the winds have calmed down by the time his mate, Lassie, (fingers and toes all crossed) makes her welcome return.

STOP PRESS:
News just in … Lassie has made it safely home!

Sally Robertson