Wishing you all a Merry Christmas

This is the first Christmas for Kirkmahoe News, and our readership is building very well indeed. Here is our Christmas Greeting (with a difference)

Carol Singing Kirkton 2010

It was a cold, snowy and frosty night, but our faithful Carol Singers turned out to sing for the Village, which was looking very festive. The amount raised and the Charity to gain will be announced shortly.

Snow Diary 2 Send in your Snow Photos

We have been hit with more snow this December. Kirkmahoe News has started another Snow Diary. Once more you are invited to send your Snow Photos to kirkmahoe@googlemail.com

The Geese are here! You can watch a clip of them coming in to land in a field on the outskirts of Kirkton.

Clip of geese below

This looks VERY COLD indeed

Race to Infinity Update

I have taken some info off this site which I think you will agree, means that we have been a teensy bit tardy in this area, regarding our Broadband. However we can make this up with a massive surge in voting over the next week or so. So everyone tell your friends about it and get everyone voting!

Amisfield

Dumfries and Galloway

Percentage of votes

3.11%
.36 votes have been cast out of a total of 1,156

'VOTE NOW' and your area could be next to enjoy superfast broadband

This also came off the BT site which starts to explain what the Race to Infinity is all about.

Race to InfinityVote now and your area could get BT Infinity next
WelcomeLoginHTML VersionHomeThe Race ExplainedExperience BT InfinityCampaign for BT Infinity.BT What is The Race to Infinity?
Over the next five years BT is rolling out superfast fibre optic broadband across the UK. If you're not on the announced roll out plan The Race to Infinity gives you the opportunity to fast track your area to get BT Infinity next.

The five areas with the largest percentage of votes by December 31st 2010 will win the chance to bring superfast broadband to their area. BT will also donate £5,000 of computer equipment to a local community project.

Whether you're big on social networking, gaming, streaming, uploading or downloading, prepare to have your life transformed with superfast speeds.

To vote simply go to 'VOTE NOW' and enter your details. Don't forget to pass it on to your friends on Facebook and Twitter to get your area to the top of the scoreboard.

Visit our FAQs page if you have further questions about the race.

1 Top speeds affected by various factors including distance from the cabinet and internal wiring.
- Winning exchanges will be enabled in early 2012 subject to availability, survey, terms and conditions
- Exchanges need 1,000 premises votes to be eligible to be one of the winning exchanges
- One vote per address
- Race ends midnight 31st December 2010

http://www.racetoinfinity.bt.com/home

Go to this site TODAY to register your vote!

If anyone wishes to volunteer to campaign for Faster Broadband in the area, the BT site has a Campaign Pack which can be downloaded, with info on how to campaign in your local area.

Broadband URGENT Message

I have received this email from Lucy Mair who reminds us that if we would like an improved Broadband service we need to petition for it, and that the chance runs out at the end of the month.

Another reminder - Carol Singing on Sunday. 6.30pm at the pump in Kirkton. All welcome.

On behalf of the Community Council, I would like to take this opportunity for thanking you for your support during the year and to wish you a Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year

Jean Muir

Please use this link to register our case for faster Broadband in the area

http://www.racetoinfinity.bt.com/home

"Just wondered if you had heard or were interested in trying to promote getting involved in the Race for Infinity where anyone that is in the area votes to have our broadband service improved. I know ours is very slow and I am sure we are not alone so was just to provide above BT website where you go on enter your postcode and vote for our area. The more people that vote the higher you move up the list to get upgraded.

This has been going on for a while now but finishes at the end of the month so if interested maybe worth posting around to get people involved, or pass to schools in area etc."

Kirkmahoe Concerts 23rd January 2011

Maelasta

Feargus Hetherington – Violin

Matthew McAllister – Guitar

Kirkton Church, 2.30 pm 23 January 2011; tickets £8 (from the Midsteeple, Dumfries; Thomas Tosh, Thornhill; at the door; or tel 01387 740 045)

The violin and guitar duo Maelasta has appeared in major concert halls across the country including the Sage, Gateshead, the Harty Rooms in Belfast and the National Galleries in Edinburgh. They have performed and given workshops as far afield as Denmark and Abu Dhabi and recorded a debut album Maelasta for Natural Studio Records. The duo performs a wide range of music from classical works to traditional Scottish music. Their concert will include the virtuosic elegance of Paganini, through to the contemporary traditional music of Shetland’s Chris Stout.

... telepathic, dance-like interaction between the two musicians ... (The Scotsman)

Feargus Hetherington is one of Scotland’s most talented young violinists. He is also a highly accomplished viola player. Feargus studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and the Cleveland Institute of Music, USA, where his teachers were Jerre Gibson, Angus Ramsay, Elizabeth Layton and David Russell. He has been guest leader of orchestras and chamber ensembles in Scotland and the USA and has participated in performances by many orchestras including the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He is a former leader of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra.

Matthew McAllister is one of the most exciting and talented classical guitarists in Europe. After an extremely busy start to his professional career, he has been delighting audiences across Europe and beyond with his thoughtful performances and effortless presentation, from renaissance miniatures to contemporary masterpieces. Matthew studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, with Allan Neave. During his studies he toured with Scottish Ballet and performed at the 5th & 7th Simon Bolivar Guitar Festivals in London. Since graduating in 2003, Matthew has become a regular performer and educator at classical guitar festivals and concert series worldwide.

Programme
Nocturne: Andante & Rondo – Francesco Molino
Cantabile – Nicolò Paganini
Suite no.2 – Leo Brouwer
Sonata no.6 op.27 – Eugène Ysaÿe
SHORT INTERVAL
Sonata no.2 op.8 - Filippo Gragnani
A’e Gowden Lyric – Ronald Stevenson
Farewell to Stromness – Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
Hamnataing – Chris Stout (Trad. Shetland)
Libertango – Astor Piazzolla

Refreshments will be served after the performance

Carol Singing

We would like to invite you to come

Carol Singing
in
KIRKTON
Sunday 19th December
6.30pm Meeting at the Pump

(There will be a collection for a charity agreed
by the singers on the night)

For further information
Contact Jean Muir 710216

Snow Diary December 2010 Send in your Snow Pictures

We have been fortunate not to have had the volume of snow in our area as other parts of the country have been enduring. It is very pretty to look at so I am starting a Snow Diary so that we can record how our area looked in December 2010.

You are invited therefore to send in your snow photos to kirkmahoe@googlemail.com

Here are some to start us off.

11 12 2010 With the snow now melted we shall close the Snow Diary until next time. Many Many Thanks to those who sent in their pictures.

Race Night Results

You will all be pleased to know that our extremely successful Race Night earned us around £550. The money will be used to fund future events for our Community.