Portencross Castle

Our talk on Tuesday 22 January is on the topic of Portencross Castle and it will be given by Alistair Glen, Chairman of  "Friends of Portencross Castle".
Friends of Portencross Castle (FOPC) is a charitable company formed with the goal of protecting the future of Portencross Castle in the best interests of the public. The local residents who founded the company set out to give the castle new life by repairing it so as to protect it from the elements. Having done so, their hope is that future generations can continue to enjoy both the castle and its beautiful and serene surroundings.

Come along and join us in Kilmarnock College at 7.30pm on the 22nd.

http://www.portencrosscastle.org.uk/

Alexander Templeton - RAFVR

We received this e-mail from Belgium, seeking help in contacting any surviving relatives of a young Kilmarnock airman shot down and killed over Belgium in 1943, while serving with No.77 Squadron RAF.  Any help would be appreciated.


"My name is Christophe Mathy, I live in Belgium and I am part of a group that aims to honor the memory of airmen of the Halifax JD371 O KN-77 Squadron RAF.

We are looking for the families of these men died for our freedom or escaped on 28/08/1943 in Modave (Belgium).
We seek these families in order to invite them to the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the crash that will take place this year.
We are already in contact with the families of A. Brannigan, Arthur Beard, William Catley, Peter Humphries, we expect news of the family of James Silver in Canada.

Unfortunately, we do not find the last 3 families. Namely, Ronald Rodgers Hanging Heaton, Batley, Yorkshire, Alexander Templeton from Kilmarnock, Ayrshire,Son of Gilbert C. and Ann Woodburn Templeton and

William (Bill) Palmer of The Yews, Berkswell, Coventry, Warwickshire, England.
That's all we know.

Maybe you can help us to find his family ?

Maybe you know this man or do you know a family member or the family of Alexander Templeton? We would like to make contact with them.
If you do not know, I apologize for the inconvenience.

Thanks in advance, Sincerely,

Christophe Mathy "

Burns Night Celebration - Burns Monument Centre

 

Burns Night Celebration

 

Friday 25th January, 7.30pm, Burns Monument Centre, Kilmarnock

 

Join us for a Burns Night celebration in an evening of Scottish songs with Mezzo-soprano Anne Lewis and musician Bill Taylor.

 

The performance will include a programme of traditional Scots songs and airs, many of which are taken from the Scots Musical Museum, by James Johnson and Robert Burns, published between 1787 and 1803.  Other pieces in the recital will come from a variety of historical sources and include different melodies, lyrics and settings from 17th-18th century collections for lute, mandore, fiddle and keyboard.

 

There will be plenty of familiar Burns favourites and also some less well-known, along with some beautiful Scots airs played on the Highland wire-strung clarsach and a copy of an early 18th-century gut-strung hook harp.    

 

Tickets priced £10/£8 concession are available from the Dick Institute on 01563 554300 or the Burns Monument Centre on 01563 576695.

 

 

 

Ross McGregor

Heritage Services Officer

Library, Registration and Information Services

 

Burns Monument Centre

Kay Park, Kilmarnock

East Ayrshire

KA3 7RU

01563 553655

 

Blog http://bmc.burnsmonumentcentre.co.uk/

 

Website www.burnsmonumentcentre.com

Make It Kilmarnock

An excellent attendance last night to hear Lawrence Wyper talk about the "Make It Kilmarnock" project.  He supplied loads of info about future plans for the town, including a revision of our one-way street system.  But will it all come to pass?  Only time will tell.

You can get a copy of the Integrated Urban Development  Plan, which he mentioned at

http://issuu.com/eastayrshire/docs/kilmarnock_final_report_nov2011/1

Just copy and paste the URL.

The Sandbed - Thomas Smellie.

Happy New Year

A very happy and successful 2013 to all our members and all our on-line friends.
Tomorrow night (Tuesday 8 January) is our first meeting of 2013. The talk, by Lawrence Wyper, is entitled "Make it Kilmarnock". Lawrence is the Project Coordinator for this initiative.  Come along and learn more about it.

Make it Kilmarnock is a community-based initiative to stimulate the economy of Kilmarnock.

 Its aims are to facilitate:

the development of Kilmarnock as a dynamic business community  where people want to live, work and visit.

wide career opportunities for everyone, built on attitudes of success and achievement, especially among young people.

The initiative is focused on four inter-connecting themes for economic transformation

• 
  

  Kilmarnock’s vibrant heart

  creating a town centre that is lively, attractive and safe for residents and visitors
• 
  

  Business nurture

  developing a business community that is engaged, encouraged, accommodated and respected
• 
  

  Education innovation

  creating a lifelong learning community with unique opportunities and first class facilities for study
• 
  

  Visitor attraction

  developing a high quality visitor experience based on heritage, culture, shopping and hospitality