Balfron Community Council

BALFRON COMMUNITY COUNCIL NEWS 

Strathendrick Care Home

At an online meeting on 8th December, it was formally announced, for the first time in an open forum, that Strathendrick Care Home will close in the near future.   This is due to the fact that the facilities and services offered there are not appropriate for the Model of Care now deemed necessary for those who require the full range of Health and Social Care services available during periods of respite;  indeed, it was stated that the Home was never intended to be a respite centre.

To enable the Health and Social Care Partnership to plan the next steps in developing the appropriate model of care, a consultation process is underway, and a request to be included in the consultation can be accessed via this online survey.

Balfron Bank of Scotland Closure

We continue with our campaign to get the Bank of Scotland to reconsider their latest decision to close the Balfron branch in March 2021. We feel that the alternatives being offered are totally inadequate to the needs, not just of Balfron, but of all the communities of West Stirlingshire.

On 11th December, we had virtual meeting with representatives of the Bank of Scotland. Joining BCC Chair, Colin Cameron, were Alyn Smith MP; Bruce Crawford MSP; Cllr. Graham Lambie; and Crawford Bell, Community Development Manager for Stirling Council. To no-one’s surprise there will be no change to the published closure of the branch on 23 March 2021. What we did achieve was to get the Bank to think again about the nature of their continuing presence in the community – potentially something a bit more substantial than the occasional visit from a mobile branch. In particular we asked them to consider different ways of using the bank building itself, perhaps in partnership with others. It’s a big presence at the heart of the village and needs to be cherished. A big thank you to all of you who signed the petitions and kept the pressure up, and let’s hope we can get something positive out of it. I hope we might have more news in the new year.

Please continue to share our online petition as widely as possible – we have had over 1,300 signatures on our petitions to date and our elected Councillors, MPs and MSPs are all actively supporting our campaign. And please add your comments and concerns to our Facebook page.

A message from P6 pupils at Balfron Primary School!

Our class project has been about Becoming a Global Citizen, thinking about our duty as citizens to work towards a fairer world. We have been learning big words such as fairness, balanced views, influence and representation. We have been writing fair reports which tell the untold stories of groups of local people. In this way, pupils learned about representative, responsible and unbiased reporting. We focused on groups such as charities, carers, children, the ill, the elderly, and families.

We interviewed some local people/children using an online survey the pupils created and they then collated the results to write a report. Most of the reports reflect how Covid19 has impacted people in some way as it has been such a big part of our lives.

We worked on a collaborative document to compile our reports in small groups and then share it to make one final digital magazine containing all our reports. It has taken a lot of work but P6 have worked very hard!

We are now ready to share our reports with the community of Balfron and have put QR codes around the village. These will be put up around the village on Wednesday 18th November.

We hope that residents and local people will scan the codes and enjoy reading our reports. 

Japanese knotweed invasion

Over the autumn period Loch Lomond Fisheries Trust have been treating Japanese knotweed in the Endrick valley and found large sections above and below Fintry which although now treated has allowed this plant to spread downstream to a number of locations.  

The Trust is keen to identify and treat any plants before the winter die off period.  This year Japanese knotweed is still alive and healthy, even at this late stage of the season, so any treatment we undertake should be effective. So if you spot any sign of this weed, please contact @LochLomondFisheriesTrust on Facebook, or let the Community Council know by emailing us at hello@balfroncc.org.uk

Balfron Active Places, Construction Phase One

Following last year’s community engagement and consultation exercise undertaken as part of the Balfron Active Places project, the improvement works to The Clachan and Printers Row started on 28th September 2020, and will last approximately ten weeks subject to Covid-19 restrictions.

The works reflect the outcomes that were highlighted by the community during the consultations, such as:

• Improve the public realm and create space that provides enjoyment, comfort and protection.
• Provide positive road safety impact. Improve pedestrian and cyclist circulation.
• Improve accessibility for those with impaired mobility.

To ensure the safety of pedestrians, vehicle traffic and contractors at certain times there will be traffic management controls in place which will include temporary traffic lights and may also include temporary road closures.

Full details, including plans of the two areas can be seen at www.stirling.gov.uk/balfronactiveplaces.

Balfron Community Council Meetings

All Balfron Community Council meetings will be held remotely by video conference for the foreseeable future due to the Coronavirus. We will continue to keep you informed via this website, our Facebook page and via the Balfron Community Resilience page. We will also share information on our 2 noticeboards in the village. If you have an issue you want raised at our online meeting, you can contact us via the Facebook page or by emailing us at hello@balfroncc.org.uk

COVID-19 – Support and Information

If you or a member of your household are showing symptoms of COVID-19, arranging for a test to be carried out is straightforward. Find out more on the NHS Inform page.

If you are self isolating or need support if you have to self-isolate any time in the future, there is a group of Balfron volunteers who are happy to help with errands such as shopping, dog walking, urgent supplies and posting mail (for free). Please call Michelle Conway on 07540 667260 if you need assistance or if you want to join the local volunteer group.

You can also contact Stirling Council if you are vulnerable, know of somebody who is vulnerable, self-isolating and has no immediate support available on 01786 404040 or email communitysupport@stirling.gov.uk.

Keep up to date with the latest local information about the Coronavirus on the Balfron Community Resilience Facebook page. Balfron has its own resilience plan, and the volunteers behind the plan are now working closely with Stirling Council to ensure our village needs are understood, and what we as a community can do to support Stirling Council to ensure the most vulnerable are looked after.