Midmar School Parent Council Meeting

I was delighted to attend my first Midmar School Parent Council meeting. It was great to meet head teacher, Liz Shepherd along with a very dedicated team of staff and parents. In two hours I could glean only a small sample of the good things going on at Midmar. The Parent Council have a busy fundraising calendar and are keen to help provide extra learning and leisure opportunities for the school and indeed the wider community. Mrs Shepherd reported to the meeting the anticipated school roll and staffing levels for the 2012/13 period. Plans are underway to redesign the school car park and Aberdeenshire Council are to report back on this issue very soon. An application to build an extension to the school was granted in February for a 7.4 x 8.8m extension.

I look forward to returning to their next meeting in the new term. Meanwhile I am sure all staff and pupils will be counting down to the summer holiday period with the break extending to 7 weeks this year!

Westhill confirmed as global subsea centre of excellence

 

Sir Robert Smith, MP and Cllr Iris Walker

New signs were unveiled last week proclaiming Westhill’s status as a global centre of subsea excellence. Sir Robert Smith, MP, unveiled the signs along with Aberdeenshire Provost Cllr Jill Webster and Neil Gordon, Chief Executive of Subsea UK.

Confirming the Aberdeenshire town’s subsea status, Mr Gordon said: “Aberdeen City and Shire is home to almost 40% of the UK’s subsea industry which generates £6billion per annum and supports 50,000 jobs.

“There are around 290 subsea companies in Aberdeen City and Shire, and the companies located in Westhill, account for some 6,000 employees.”

Subsea UK also announced its intention of relocating its headquarters to Westhill. The body, which represents the industry around the UK with over 250 members, is investing in new headquarters at Arnhall Business Park, Westhill, where the team expect to be in their new offices in June this year.

Great news for Westhill and I hope that Subsea UK along with other local companies will get involved in the community aspect of the town and be interested to hear what local facilities and groups have to offer.

Metal Matters campaign

Aberdeenshire Council and Aberdeen City Council have joined forces with the metal industry and Zero Waste Scotland to boost recycling rates for metal packaging.

The local authorities are taking part in the Metal Matters campaign which is designed to support councils which offer a kerbside recycling collection by encouraging residents to make full use of their local service.

Drink cans, food tins, pet food tins, empty aerosols, aluminium foil, foil trays and sweet tins can all be discarded in the authorities’ kerbside black boxes.

The average household uses around 600 food and drink cans, 280 foil trays, 27 aerosols and dozens of metres of household foil every year. Although all these items can be recycled using the black box, statistics show that less than half are being recovered, meaning valuable materials are being lost to landfill. I admit to being guilty of throwing some of these items in the normal household bin, but not any more!

The eight week campaign will see leaflets sent to households across Aberdeenshire.

Chairman of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee, Cllr Peter Argyle, said “Over the last few years, we’ve been making it easier for residents to recycle an increasing number of materials, and metal packaging is an important part of this stream.”

Sauchen’s new “notice board”

I couldn’t pass through Sauchen on my way home tonight without checking out the new “notice board”. As previously reported, the community council-owned notice board at the other end of the village had been repeatedly vandalised. Richard Lattimer, a Cluny community councillor re-located the notices to the old phone box – perfect!

Cluny, Midmar and Monymusk Community Council

Not long back from the Cluny, Midmar and Monymusk Community Council meeting. It was good to put faces to some of the names I had come across in my previous life as a community councillor. We heard from PC Mark Robinson about the ongoing Operation Zenith which you can read about here: http://www.grampian.police.uk/Adviceff23.html?id=430&pid=30;34;16;457

PC Robinson also reported minor incidents in the local area of vandalism, speeding and anti-social behaviour. He reminded us that some of these anti-social behaviour incidents could actually be resolved without police intervention if residents approached neighbours and got to know each other. He also shared a good news story of his recent fundraising motorcycle trip to raise money for the Royal Marines. To find out more about his adventure click on the link http://www.commando999.com/pc-mark-robinson-going-the-extra-mile-debrief/

 I like his “never ever ever give up” attitude!

This week has been a steep learning curve for me! As well as finding out from a concerned resident what the difference between English bluebells and the Spanish variety that are set to take over in a local park, I now know how to treat Japanese Knotweed. Is this something a local councillor needs to know I hear you ask? As Sir Archie Grant, Secretary of Cluny, Midmar and Monymusk Community Council pointed out – the council Landscape Services and Roads Departments may be unwittingly spreading this notoriously invasive weed when cutting verges etc and I now have the secret remedy!

Fostering in Aberdeenshire

According to the Fostering Network, a child comes into care and needs a foster family every 22 minutes across the UK.

Some children only need to spend a short time in foster care, if a parent becomes ill and there are no other family members locally to help in these situations or some may need to stay with a foster family until they grow up and can live on their own.

In Aberdeenshire the number of children who need to be looked after outwith their own family is constantly increasing and last year 135 fostering requests for children were made.

There is also a nationwide shortage of permanent foster carers and placements for teenagers and this is evident in Aberdeenshire with around 20 children aged between 8 and 12 years old who are waiting on a permanent foster placement.

Head of Children’s Services, Bob Driscoll said “We have a very committed and skilled pool of foster carers who provide excellent care for children ranging from short periods right through to more permanent arrangements.

“We want to recruit more foster carers however in order to retain children in their local communities.

“I encourage individuals or couples from all walks of life to contact our dedicated team who will answer any questions and explain what is involved in helping our young people be all that they can be”.

Find out more about fostering in Aberdeenshire at www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/children/fostering/index.asp or call 01467 625555

Free home insulation in Garioch

Residents who live in Garioch can get loft and cavity wall insulation installed for free under the Universal Home Insulation Scheme. The scheme will be rolled out in June. The initiative is being delivered by Aberdeenshire Council in conjuction with SCARF (Save Cash and Reduce Fuel) and the Scottish Government.

There are three ways to apply for the scheme:

Complete and return the home energy check (residents will get in the post)

Phone SCARF on 0844 8460551 to complete the home energy check over the phone

Complete the home energy check when the assessor visits your home.

For more information about the scheme contact Kathleen Allan on 01467 628458 or email kathleen.allan@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Additional in-service dates for your diary

The Scottish Government has provided two additional in-service days to support teachers in their development for new qualifications in Curriculum for Excellence.  The additional days will be:

Tuesday 21 August 2012

Monday 29th October 2012

This will mean all secondary schools and secondary departments of special schools being closed on those days. Primary schools will not be affected and will remain open.