Members' Centres and
Friends' Groups
EASTWOOD and DISTRICT MEMBERS' CENTRE
NEWSLETTER 50, August 2010
Chairman's Comments.
The first, and most important, item I have to tell you is that we shall be going back to Clarkston Hall for our meetings in the new session! East Renfrewshire Council officials agreed that we could go back provided we made arrangements to help anyone who has difficulty with stairs to get out of the building in an emergency; I therefore have to ask that anyone in this category tells us so that a Committee Member will give assistance in getting you to an emergency exit. They also told us that the lift had not broken down since we left!
The October meeting this year will be a milestone for the Centre, as it will mark 25 years since the first meeting took place, and we hope to mark the occasion with a small celebration after our talk: we have booked the Hall for extra time to allow this.
Our first meeting in 2010 had unfortunately to be cancelled; we felt that there was so much snow and ice around that it was dangerous for our members to come out to a meeting. I am glad to say that we are to have Joy Blair's talk which was supposed to take place that night in January 2011. February saw a welcome return of Ann Glen with the subject A Baltic Odyssey, and we again found her talk fascinating. In March we heard about Dumfries House, and in April our own Iain McGillivray gave us a description of the achievements of Duncan Forbes of Culloden, "the man who saved Scotland".
Special items and outings started the year with a Burns Supper in Clarkston Hall, where almost all of the contributors were members of the Committee, with the addition of Hugh MacGilp (whom we met last year) and Marjorie Miller (as no female members of the Committee were prepared to sing). In February we attended the Orpheus Club's production of Fiddler on the Roof, and at the end of March we had lunch at La Bonne Bouche restaurant in Forth Valley College, followed by a trip on the Falkirk Wheel. We followed up the March talk with a visit to Dumfries House in May, and in June went to visit Blair Castle and the House of Bruar.
You will find below the details of the talks we are to have over the next season, and of the outings which will take place over the next few months. We are most grateful to Jess Nimmons for arranging the talks, and to Maggie Kirk and Anne Robertson for the outings. I must also thank all the Committee for the various duties they do month by month: we are very fortunate in having such a group who all play their part in keeping the Centre running so smoothly.
Holmwood House matters.
The summer season is going well with the many first-time visitors to the house interested to see the exploration of the decoration scheme and impressed by Thomson’s use of light, which of course has been pouring in this summer. A long delayed project to completely expose a vertical strip of the stencil work in the Dining Room is expected to begin in October – good news! Meanwhile the volunteers have been able to take up the generous offer of the owner of 1 Moray Place, originally Thomson’s own house, to see the interior decoration which he has been restoring - an exciting glimpse of what might lie ahead for the grander scheme in Holmwood. (See below for the forthcoming events at Holmwood.)
Renewal of Membership.
As usual at this time of year the form for renewing your membership was enclosed with the printed copy of the Newsletter: the fee is still a bargain at £8 per person. Please make sure that you enclose a stamped, addressed envelope for the return of your membership card, as it is very time consuming for us to write out addresses. In the same way please make sure you do the same when you are booking outings. It would be most helpful if those who have an e-mail address would let us have it, as this is a great help if we have to be in touch with you quickly (as last January, when a meeting had to be cancelled).
Winter Talks Programme.
- Thursday 14th October 2010.
- Stuart McCombie: Glencoe in Trust.
An illustrated talk by Scott McCombie, NTS Property Manager.
This event will be followed by a celebration of our Silver Jubilee. - Thursday 11th November 2010.
- Tom Marchant: The 1938 Empire Exhibition in Colour.
Tom uses little known colour slides to illustrate the extent of the event. - Thursday 9th December 2010.
- Maureen Park: The Scottish Colourists.
An illustrated talk on a topical subject. - Thursday 13th January 2011.
- Joy Blair: Walk these Parks with Me.
Joy tells us about Scotland's country parks, and why her journey through them was undertaken. - Thursday 10th February 2011.
- Iain Stewart: The Rise and Fall of the Glasgow Tram.
Ian gives a picture of the tramway system over the years. - Thursday 10th March 2011.
- Nick Prower: Windpower and Recreation at Whitelees.
Nick Prower, the Access Project Officer, describes this huge project on our doorstep. - Thursday 14th April 2011.
- Godfrey Evans: The Lost Palace of Hamilton.
Godfrey describes the grandeur of Hamilton Palace, which was the home for generations of the Dukes of Hamilton.
(Talk preceded by AGM)
Talks Programme Arranged by Jess Nimmons.
Visits and Theatre Outings.
- 23rd Sep 2010
- Lunch at Scholars Restaurant and visit to the Glasgow Boys Exhibition at Kelvingrove.
- 3rd Nov 2010
- Christmas Fair at Duntreath Castle, Blanefield.
- 3rd Dec 2010
- CLIC Sargent Christmas Concert, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
- 30th Dec 2010
- Matinée performance of Scottish Ballet's "Cinderella", Theatre Royal, Glasgow.
Holmwood Events.
- 23/24 October
- Halloween at Holmwood: a ghostly event for all the family.
- 4/5 December
- Celebrate Christmas at Holmwood House.
Outings by Anne Robertson and Maggie Kirk.