Archive for June, 2014

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Community land ownership survey finds real economic benefit

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Community land ownership survey finds real economic benefit

Community Land Scotland, the representative body of Scotland’s community land owners has published economic indicators data of community ownership. 
The report demonstrates remarkable results showing that community ownership can out-perform the past private ownership of the land in question.
Among the key results for 12 communities operating in some of Scotland’s most remote areas is:
• Over 300 new or refurbished housing units and house plots delivered 
• Owners direct employment up 368%  to over 100 jobs 
• Business turnover ...

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Community Development

Scottish Government review on land reform backs more community ownership

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The long awaited final report of the Scottish Government Land Reform Review Group is recommending ways of helping the country’s communities, rural and urban, achieve the First Ministers Target of having 1,000,000 acres of land in community ownership by 2020.

The report is of great interest to the people of Colonsay, already proprietors of land on the island through the Colonsay Community Development Company – with aspirations to purchase more.

The report is short on details as to how this target may ...

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Community Development, Politics

Spring Festival Wakes Up The Island With a Bang

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Spring Festival Wakes Up The Island With a Bang

The annual Colonsay Spring Festival, which finished Mid May – saw large numbers of locals and visitors alike getting up close and personal with the Island flora and fauna, and much more.

Walks, talks and rambles saw a host of experts showing off Colonsay’s Hebridean highlights to appreciative audiences. Many people new to Colonsay expressed amazement at the huge range of plant and animal life waiting to be discovered.

In addition to nature there were classes in baking, cooking, foraging for wild ...

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Events

Heritage trust WW1 exhibition

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Heritage trust WW1 exhibition

An exhibition featuring the stories of the men who left Colonsay to fight in the First World War never to return is underway on the island.

Entitled ‘Colonsay Remembers’ the exhibition featured photographs and biographical details of the dead.

The stories behind the names recorded on the island war memorial in Scalasaig are told in a book by Alan Davis called Colonsay’s Fallen – available in the bookshop.

 

Also on show is the remains of a huge shell believed to have been fired ...

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Ancestry, Events

A Recipe Shared

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Bob and Alison liked this so much they thought they would share it with Corncrake readers.  If you have a recipe you thinks deserves to be shared please email colonsayldohannah@gmail.com
SPRING  LUNCH  for two

 
This is what we had today, 27th May, making use of our new flush of homegrown  salad greens and herbs, and eaten in the garden of course, on such a gorgeous day!

 
Mussels and Chorizo in Garlic Butter
Salad with sunflower and pumpkin seeds
Home-baked ...

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Just for Fun

Piershed Tales

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The piershed at ferry time is the place to find out what’s going on – sometimes the stories are even true!

The piershed is the tale – its refurbishment is the most talked about thing on the island – nearly * two weddings have taken place on the island, we believe it was one of the couples first ever visit to Colonsay *a helicopter arrived on the island on Friday morning to collect the ballot box for the European election*Kevin is ...

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On The Grapevine

Golf News

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The Isle of Colonsay Golf Club would like to announce that, contrary to information imparted in an earlier edition, the Open Championship will now take place on Saturday, 16th August. The Golf Club ceilidh will take place on Saturday, 19th July.

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Events, Sport

A word from our local MSP Michael Russell

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Politics is show business for ugly people opined Texas Political consultant Bill Miller in 1991.  He was , I am sure, merely echoing the distaste for organised politics that exists across the world and which sees politicians as noisy combatants in someone else’s war.

But the reality of Scotland today is that our political discourse has come alive and is including for more than just politicians.   I am in the process of holding village meetings right across Argyll & Bute to ...

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Politics

FIRST PERSON

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FIRST PERSON

Each month the Corncrake is going to invite someone with Colonsay connections to give us an insight into who they are and why they’re here.
First up, after a bit of persuasion, is Angela Skrimshire.
Most of my life before Colonsay was spent in the south of England.  I’ve lived here only in retirement, and never had to make a living on the island.  As the late Findlay MacFadyen once wisely told me (though not in these exact words) , ...

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First Person, Uncategorized

A letter from our community owner neighbours of the Isle of Gigha

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A letter from our community owner neighbours of the Isle of Gigha

Following on the Community Land Scotland report the Corncrake asked the convener of the Gigha Heritage Trust, community owners of the island just to the North of the Kintyre peninsula how they are getting on.
Gigha was purchased from the Horlicks Family in 2002 for nearly £4M from public funds and community loans.

Convener of the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust Margaret McSporran takes up the story:

Charting Gighas’ Progress
Gighas’ oxygen; our first wind farm, Gighas’ dancing ladies, Faith Hope and ...

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Community Development, Uncategorized

Supreme sacrifice in memory of a dear friend

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Rangers-mad man about town Angus MacPhee is to make the ultimate sacrifice to raise money for the favourite cause of his recently departed friend Davy Sutherland.

Wee Davy organised the Poppy Ceilidh on Colonsay for many years raising thousands of pounds for the Earl Haig Fund – and Angus is determined this year’s ceilidh will raise more than ever.

“I have pledged to spend the whole of ceilidh day in July wearing a Celtic top – and to add insult to injury ...

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Community News

Stone Me What A Find!

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There is, just to the West side of the 18th green of the Isle of Colonsay Golf Course, a large stone lying between many a golfer and a satisfactory finish on the last hole of one of the world’s great machair courses. How to describe it – a nuisance? Out of place? It is neither. It seems the stone is a relic of Gaelic culture – alifting stone no less, or Clach Togalaich that has lain there, or thereabouts, since ...

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Just for Fun

Seabird Tracking

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Seabird Tracking

For the fifth year running the RSPB Seabird Tracking and Research (STAR) team has returned to Colonsay for the summer months. This year the team consists of Tessa Cole, who is well known to many residents after four seasons on the island and Ruth Brown, who is new to the project but has previously worked on seabird tracking studies in both Antarctica and Hawaii. Tessa and Ruth will be working at the seabird cliffs on the west coast of the ...

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Nature

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