Successful Projects | Blackhill Windfarm Community Fund

Friends of Duns Primary School

Year Completed:

2017

Funds received - £3,000.00

Friends of Duns Primary School received £3,000 in December 2017. These funds where used to help furnish the new library at Duns Primary School. When the school moved to its new premises, in the old High School building, the library was left with limited shelving which was not fit for purpose. From the start the children were heavily involved in setting up the library and used the funds received from BWCF to purchase shelving, seating, tables and additional books.

Thanks from everyone in FDPS.

Duns Senior Citizens Club

Year Completed:

2017

DUNS SENIOR CITIZENS CLUB

On Friday 2 June 2017, the Club held a Summer Lunch to celebrate Queen Elizabeth being our longest reigning monarch.

The room was appropriately decorated and a delicious lunch was enjoyed by members and guests, who included Diana Findley, Regional Ambassador from Age Scotland. Entertainment was firstly provided by Ronald Drummond. Being local, Ronald has become a 'regular' at our social afternoons, and his beautiful singing voice is always a delight to listen to. Then 'The Jockuleles' from Earlston, performed various popular songs and members were encouraged to join in. Dolly Parton even made a special appearance! The humour of this band was second to none, and members went home feeling uplifted and very happy. It was a truly memorable afternoon.

Thank you to Blackhill Windfarm Community Fund, who awarded the Club a grant to assist with the cost of this special Summer Lunch, it was much appreciated.

Sunrise Nursery

Year Completed:

2017

Firstly I am writing to say thank you very much for the funds that were awarded to Sunrise Nursery from Blackhill Community Fund.

With the funds we were able to purchase a beautiful furnished dolls house, a wooden hospital complete with ambulance, helicopter, people and equipment. We also bought a large indoor climbing frame, this has been a great addition in our back room. The children are loving the new toys, in particular the climbing frame especially on wet days when we cant go out in the garden.

Sunrise Nursery

Photo Gallery:

Re Tweed

Year Completed:

2017

Re-Tweed

Securing three grants totalling £64,250 will enable Eyemouth-based social enterprise Re-Tweed to expand its work. ReTweed runs 11-week training programmes for women to help them back into the workplace, teaching them sewing skills and using upcycling material that might otherwise have been destined for landfill.

A series of recycling and upcycling workshops can now be developed to encourage local people to reject our throwaway culture and return to a make-do-and-mend philosophy, thanks to grants from the Robertson Trust, Blackhill Community Windfarm Fund and the Unltd Foundation.

The new workshops include creative upholstery, rag-rugging, patchwork and wool crafts using donations of textiles from Berwickshire and through Borders textiles companies, including Hawick Knitwear and House of Cheviot.

“Without the generosity of local people, community groups and local businesses we wouldn’t have achieved the success we have – women reconnecting with their communities, making progress in their lives and careers and going on into other creative learning and volunteering,” said ReTweed founder Hazel Smith.

“We are especially chuffed to get support from the Robertson Trust since it was three Berwickshire women who founded the trust to support social justice and common good.”

The latest ReTweed graduates, presented with their certificates at Foundation Scotland’s Edinburgh headquarters by Sue Robertson, chair of the Women’s Fund for Scotland, brings the number of women to complete the courses to 29.

Sue said: “It was an inspiration to give the ReTweed women their graduation certificates. I’m impressed with what the project has achieved in such a short time.”

RHET

Year Completed:

2017

Report on Estate Day

A hugely successful days at Hirsel Estate, Coldstream was held in November 2017 by RHET Scottish Borders Countryside Initiative working alongside Field to Fork (based at the Hirsel Estate).

RHET Scottish Borders Countryside Initiative’s main aim is to help educate children from ages 3-17 on Food, Farming and the Countryside and to create a wider understanding of the environmental, economic and social realities of rural Scotland. Field to Fork has very similar aims so working together was an obvious fit.

The whole of S3 from Berwickshire High School in Duns was transported to Hirsel Estate paid for by RHET Scottish Borders for the whole day where the year groups were split into six groups.

RHET Scottish Borders and the Field to Fork team set up the following six sessions

Game keeping presented by Craig Birkett the gamekeeper on Hirsel estate. During this session they looked at the role of a gamekeeper in the rearing, care and sport of game birds. Also looking at vermin control. The children were privileged to a gun dog display.

An arable farming session was presented by Alistair Hodge a local farmer who often volunteers for RHET Scottish Borders. His presentation was based on general discussions of what is involved in growing arable crops including care of the soil and the huge usage of technology involved these days including GPS.

The pupils saw a seed drill up close and they

seemed to have a huge range of questions.

The Douglas fold of pedigree Highland Cattle on the Estate were shown to the pupils by Alan Telford who has been in charge of the cattle for a huge number of years and has a vast knowledge of the heard and livestock as a whole. He discussed the importance of maintaining a native breed such as the Highland cattle and discussing the care of the cattle.

Cheviot Trees very kindly came along to the day and presented a woodland management session, discussing the importance of woodland
management along with the children taking part in tree identification and discussing careers involved in forestry.

River/lake management was delivered by The Tweed Foundation. Who discussing river life and fishing in the Scottish Borders, allowing the children to get up close to the river life.

Bread making was undertaken by the Field to Fork team. Each child got their bread roll to take home. The story of wheat to bread was discussed to follow on from the farming session, discussing wheat grown on the estate.

The feedback from both staff and pupils was fantastic and very keen to undertake a similar event next year. The weather was kind to us on the day which helped hugely. A huge thank you was expressed by RHET Scottish Borders to Field to Fork at the Hirsel Estate and to all the other session providers. This day wouldn’t have been possible without the funding we received from the Blackhill Windfarm Trust.