WestFest Big Sunday 2017

For the past seven years WestFest's Big Sunday on Magdalen Green has marked the beginning of Summer, and this year will be no exception.

For lovers of music, good food and a great atmosphere, Big Sunday has always maintained a friendly, local feel - offering entertainment for all ages. 

There will be many different types of food and drink available, as well as stalls from local businesses and community groups.

Big Sunday is next Sunday [4th June] from 1pm to 7pm on Magdalen Green a free event and all are welcome!

More information is available here.

Harris Academy FPs' Lunch

The next Harris Academy Former Pupils’ Association Lunch is on Monday 5th June at 12 noon for 12.30pm.

It will be held in Invercarse Hotel on Perth Road and the cost per person, payable on arrival, will be £16.00.

More information is available from the FPs’ Treasurer Freida Soutar on 562788. 

You can read more about the Harris Academy Former Pupils’ Association here.

No surgeries today - Victoria Day!

As today is the Victoria Day holiday, my surgeries will not run this afternoon.

However, I can be contacted at any time on 459378 or at esurgery@frasermacpherson.org.uk. 

My Thursday evening surgery at Blackness Primary School this week takes place as usual - details here.

Weekly Road Report - West End Ward

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT

REPORT FOR WEST END WARD WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 29 MAY 2017

Riverside Esplanade/Riverside Drive (Tay Road Bridge off ramp to 75m along Riverside Drive) – westbound nearside lane closure for 25 weeks to facilitate V&A construction works.

SSE Glenagnes Cable Renewal – Lochee Road lane restrictions and closures on Blinshall Street, Fleuchar Street and Scott Street for 8 weeks.

Forthcoming Roadworks

Ancrum Road (Charleston Drive to Logie Street) – closed from Monday 3 July for 2 weeks for carriageway resurfacing works.

Event today at the Botanic Garden

The Friends of the University of Dundee Botanic Garden have an event later today.

It is a foraging walk in the Garden with Clare Reaney, Horticultural Technician. 

Meet at the Education Centre in the Garden (pictured) at 2pm. 

There is no charge for members of the Friends; visitors are invited to make a donation.

Friends of Riverside Nature Park AGM

Tayside MS Therapy Centre - volunteers wanted!

I recently visited the Tayside MS Therapy Centre in Peddie Street to discuss a number of local issues with the team.    I have been asked to advertise the following notice for HBO Chamber Operator Volunteers that the centre has recently issued :

HBO Chamber Operator Volunteer 

Due to the retirement of 2 long serving volunteers, we are

now recruiting for Chamber Operator Volunteers

(To comply with operator guidelines, the minimum age is 18)

This is an opportunity to undertake a satisfying and rewarding role as part of our team of trained volunteer operators, working in our friendly therapy centre while providing an extremely useful and appreciated service to the community. 

We are looking for people who are physically fit, friendly, caring and available for a couple of hours (ideally early evening, but hours variable to suit) and who are willing to undertake appropriate training to be capable of operating our HBO Chamber along with a second, back-up, operator. This is a very important role involving following simple documented procedures, which meet Health & Safety requirements while providing a secure and relaxed atmosphere for people undergoing treatment. Involvement can be on a regular, relief, back-up or emergency basis.

The charity operates a volunteer policy which provides a two-part agreement, that volunteers attend any relevant training sessions to ensure they are confident and comfortable in their role(s) and that we are providing the best possible service for our members while meeting legislative requirements such as Health & Safety and Data Protection.

Please feel free to get in touch or pop in to see us and find out what we do.

Tayside MS Therapy Centre

Unit 12b Peddie Street

Dundee DD1 5LB

Telephone: 01382 566283             e-mail:  info@taysidemstherapy.co.uk 

Morning Call service

Blether Tay-Gither - Storytelling in Dundee

From Blether Tay-Gither :

Our May Blether will be on Tuesday 30th May 2017 at 7pm in Madigan's Food Emporium and Bookshop, Castle Street.

The theme this month is "The rites of Spring.”

Hope to see some of you there – all welcome!

The Shrubbery - 200th Anniversary

Celebrating the 200th anniversary of The Shrubbery, Elaine Kuwahara is opening her beautiful garden on Magdalen Yard Road for three days, with all proceeds to charity, including Friends of Camperdown House and Scotland’s Gardens.

The opening will be on Friday 26th May by former Lord Provost John Letford and the event will run until Sunday 28th May.

Home of famed Dundee artist McIntosh Patrick for many years, the garden and house were the subject of several of his paintings. The Georgian townhouse was designed and built by Dundee architect David Neave in 1817.

The garden has been sympathetically restored to McIntosh Patrick’s time and features mainly herbaceous perennials and shrubs. It also includes surviving fruit trees from its original layout as a working garden. There is a pond with goldfish and koi carp.

Don’t miss it – more details here.

Dundee Design Festival 2017

From Dundee Design Festival 2017 :

This year's Dundee Design Festival runs from 24th to 29th May.   The theme for this year’s festival is Factory Floor through which we celebrate and explore makers, machines, and the future of manufacturing.

We’ve drawn inspiration from Dundee’s illustrious yet complex industrial heritage and the extraordinary festival venue itself to describe what making means now.  Across three enormous galleries, we present a programme of design-inspired exhibitions, talks, film screenings, live performances and family events.

You can expect to experience an assembly line of creative activity at West Ward Works. Try out new techniques at one of our many drop-in and ticketed workshops, including plaster casting, ceramic mould making, and carving jewellery. This year’s festival is all about making, so we invite you to don a smock, roll up your sleeves and try something new.

Find out more here.

204 bus - Roseangle closure arrangements

I previously advised that, from tomorrow for up to 5 days, Roseangle will be closed to through traffic (towards the Perth Road end) from tomorrow due to gas connection works.

I have been in touch with the City Council regarding the running of the 204 bus which comes down Roseangle then along Magdalen Yard Road on its route from the City Centre to Ninewells Hospital.

As this bus is used by many elderly residents for whom a walk uphill from Magdalen Yard Road or up Windsor Street is a struggle, I was anxious to see what could be done to minimise the effect of the road closure.

I am pleased to advise that the council's Sustainable Transport Team Leader has now advised me that :

"We have been in discussion about the possibility of serving Magdalen Green area during the Roseangle closure (5 days from Monday, 22 May 2017).   Obviously I'm keen to offer something to the residents living between Perth Road and Magdalen Green but it's not easy to do so without compromising the timetable of the 204.   

I have taken the view that most users of the service come into Dundee City Centre and therefore I have approached Stagecoach and asked that they try and serve Magdalen Green on the way into town.  They'll do that by coming down Windsor Street and as far as the triangular junction of roads at Riverside Approach, turn there and then back up to the Perth Road via Windsor Street.  On the way out of town the bus will only serve the Perth Road and will miss out Magdalen Green.  Hopefully passengers can manage the downhill walk if alighting on Perth Road.    Notices have been put out ... at affected stops."

Weekly Road Report - West End Ward

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT

REPORT FOR WEST END WARD - SATURDAY 20 AND SUNDAY 21 MAY 2017

West Marketgait (Hawkhill to Ward Road) - northbound closure on Sunday 21 May for crane operation.

Perth Road (at Union Place) – temporary traffic lights on Sunday 21 May for crane operation.

REPORT FOR WEST END WARD WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 22 MAY 2017

Riverside Esplanade/Riverside Drive (Tay Road Bridge off ramp to 75m along Riverside Drive) – westbound nearside lane closure for 26 weeks to facilitate V&A construction works.

SSE Glenagnes Cable Renewal – Lochee Road lane restrictions and closures on Blinshall Street, Fleuchar Street and Scott Street for 9 weeks.

Roseangle (Perth Road to Seabraes Court) – closed from Monday 22 May for 5 working days for SGN service connection works. 

The University on Screen

From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee (and, as part of the university's 50th Anniversary celebrations) :

Sunday 21st May, 11am, Dundee Contemporary Arts

The University on Screen

We’re teaming up with DCA and the University Archives to present a one-off screening of some rarely seen films made about the University in decades past. 

From biology expeditions in the 1930s to Stephen Fry’s installation as Rector in the 1990s, we present a fascinating glimpse into the various activities that make up University life in Dundee. 

The centrepiece will be a unique 16mm promotional film from 1977 called Live and Learn in Tayside. Were you a student here at that time? You might just spot a groovier (or at least hairier) version of yourself!

This event is free. Tickets must be collected from DCA box office for the film screening.

Friends of Wighton update ...

With thanks to Sheena Wellington, here's the latest update from Friends of Wighton :

Wighton Heritage Centre, Central Library - Saturday 20th May 2017, 11am – noon.  

Cappuccino Concert!    :   David Allison, guitar

One of Scotland's most talented and innovative acoustic guitarists, David’s strong, self penned melodies are backed up by a creative use of real-time sampling and looping, resulting in rich textures of sound live on stage. Improvisation is increasingly becoming a feature of his live shows. 

Audiences from Hollywood in California to Rostov-on-Don in Russia and from Andalucia to Berlin have warmed to his unique approach to making music. 

Nearer home David has performed at festivals such as Glasgow's Celtic Connections, the Edinburgh Fringe, Kirkmichael international Guitar Festival, and the International Guitar Festival of Great Britain, as well as frequent appearances on radio and television. He recently featured in a Scottish Television documentary about the acoustic guitar alongside Martin Taylor and Gordon Giltrap. 

His second album "Guitar Gi-tar" won warm reviews, and was launched at Sound City in Glasgow, an event sponsored by Radio 1. His debut CD "Reporting" was produced by Scottish singer songwriter, Dougie MacLean. 

“Nashville session musicians are the hardest people in the world to impress – I remember an evening at the Tennessee Performing Arts Centre when they rose as one to give David Allison a standing ovation!” Sheena Wellington .

Admission £5.  Tea, coffee & biscuits available for a small donation.

Students take on historic team in Dundee’s University Challenge

As part of the University of Dundee's 50th Anniversary celebrations, Dundee’s historic University Challenge champions from the 1980s will return to campus to take on the students set to represent the University in next years’ television series.

The 1983 side became the second only Scottish team to win the competition, a record that hasn’t been added to since. They will once again flex their mental muscles when they return to campus for the University’s 50th Anniversary celebrations this Saturday, 20th May.

Three of the 1983 team, James A. Smith (Economics and Politics), Graeme Davidson (Law) and Peter Burt (Zoology) will be joined by Tom McGhee (English) a member of the Dundee team who finished runners up in 1978. See photo (left).  Donald Kennedy, the fourth member of the 1983 team now lives in Australia and is unable to join his old colleagues.

They will face the newly formed student team of 2017 - Ian Bertram (Medicine), Mason Mcilreavy (Medicine), Iain Brodie (Philosophy, Psychology and Film student) and Rory McDowell (History) and reserve Greg Armstrong (Medicine).

Rory said, “It will be wonderful to take on the team that are technically the reigning Scottish Champions! However, if you look at Dundee’s rankings in the University league tables since the 1980s, we have been on the up - so I say out with the old and in with the new.”

The showdown takes place between 3.45pm – 5pm in the Dalhousie Building and will be chaired by Fordyce Davidson, Academic Director of International College Dundee and Professor of Mathematics at the University.

Professor Davidson said, “As a Dundee graduate who turns 50 in the same year as the University, it will be a great honour to see the old boys pitched against the students - the majority of whom were not even born when the competitors won in 1983.

“It begs the question, are the young genuinely smarter than their predecessors?   We will find out on the 20th May. Perhaps beating the champions could set the new generation on their way to Paxman.”

To book your seat click here.

Action taken to cut smell problem from Riverside composting site

In the past few years, I have received numerous complaints from residents who live to the immediate north of the Riverside recycling centre and composting operation about the extent of the bad smell coming from the operation from time to time.

I have raised these concerns on numerous occasions with the City Council's environment staff and undertook a site visit at their request to see the composting operation.   The council promised an environmental audit  to hopefully tackle the issue to minimise any further smell issues and I have received the following update from the City Council in the past few days :

Just an update to let you know that we had our PAS 100 audit of the 14 week process a few weeks ago and we shall shortly receive our new accreditation. 

Site staff have been making PAS 100 compliant 14 week compost for some weeks now and all material through the site will be made to this standard. We aren't able to dispatch this until we receive our certification. The 26 week process will be rendered obsolete.

We have generally found we now only require to turn windrows once during sanitisation and once during stabilisation.  Previously we would have turned windrows twice/three times during both sanitisation and stabilisation and once during maturation. This has reduced the need for turning from 6/7 turns down to 1/2.

Furthermore we have also been trialling shredding more frequently to avoid waste sitting longer on site than required. Again this has proven successful. 
We continue to have our annual bio-aerosol survey carried out and look at our control measures that we have in place. We received our latest report last month.

Finally we received our results of SEPA's compliance scheme for each of our licensed waste management sites relating to environmental performance for 2016. As our regulator this information is made publicly available on SEPA's website.  I am pleased to report that all waste management sites including Riverside once again have been rated excellent (SEPA assess the licence holder as fully compliant with the licence conditions).

I hope this re-enforces our efforts to minimise any environmental issues from the site.

I am hoping that this marks a real improvement in the situation going forward although I would ask residents to contact me should they have any issues regarding any smell nuisance from the site in the coming months.

Weekly Road Report - West End Ward

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT

REPORT FOR WEST END WARD WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 15 MAY 2017

Riverside Esplanade/Riverside Drive (Tay Road Bridge off ramp to 75m along Riverside Drive) – westbound nearside lane closure for 27 weeks to facilitate V&A construction works.

SSE Glenagnes Cable Renewal – Lochee Road lane restrictions and closures on Blinshall Street, Fleuchar Street and Scott Street for 10 weeks.

Riverside Approach (Roseangle/Magdalen Yard Road to Riverside Drive) – closed for one week for carriageway resurfacing works.

Perth Road (at Farington Street) – temporary traffic lights from Friday 12 to Monday 15 May for BT manhole repairs.

West Marketgait (Hawkhill to Ward Road) - northbound closure on Sunday 21 May for crane operation.

Forthcoming Roadworks

Roseangle (Perth Road to Seabraes Court) – closed from Monday 22 May for 5 working days for SGN service connection works. 

Deaf Awareness Week 2017 - Events at Ninewells Hospital

Temporary Traffic Order - Roseangle

From the City Council :

THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 : SECTION 14(1)

THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of SGN service connection works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Roseangle (between Perth Road and Seabraes Court), Dundee.

This notice comes into effect on Monday 22 May 2017 for 5 working days.

Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained.

Alternative routes are available via Perth Road / Windsor Street / Magdalen Yard Road.

For further information contact 433082.

Mike P Galloway

Executive Director of City Development

Dundee City Council

Botanic Garden Annual Plant Sale

The Friends of the University of Dundee Botanic Garden Annual Plant Sale in the Garden, in conjunction with Garden Power of Plants day, is on Sunday 21st May.    

It will take place from 11am to 2pm – times to be confirmed (check the Friends’ blog here for updates on the timing).

Contributions of plants and offers of help will be very welcome (contact fudbg.committee@gmail.com or telephone 350990).

Garden Tigers, Gold Spangles and Burnished Brass

From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

Our next free talk in the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum will be on Tuesday 16th May at 6pm, when Georgia Carr and David Lampard will be speaking on Garden Tigers, Gold Spangles and Burnished Brass: Digitising the Kenneth Tod Moth Collection. 

Did you know there are over 2 500 species of moths in the UK compared to 59 species of butterfly? Or that not all moths fly at night? Some moths have ears, some don’t have mouths!

Little is known about moths in Angus and Dundee yet there is a wealth of information hiding in our museum stores. The Kenneth Tod Collection at the University of Dundee holds rare, localised Alpine species which are of particular concern in times of changing climate. Learn how digitising museum collections across the county gives the global scientific community access to historical, geographic and taxonomic specimen data that can help answer our greatest ecological and conservation questions. Find out how Tod discovered new and unusual locations for the Small Dark Yellow Underwing and the Northern Dart, and how Tod’s fear of other collectors means these locations are a secret to this day.

The Angus Moth Project is an 18-month digitisation project funded by Museums Galleries Scotland. Over the course of the project three historical moth collections at the McManus, Montrose Museum and the University of Dundee have been digitised, photographed, conserved and rehoused. All data pertaining to specimens collected in Watsonian Vice County 90, the historic county of Forfarshire, has been sent to Butterfly Conservation for use in the 2018 National Moth Atlas. Data and specimens are now easily accessible to the scientific community and the wider public.

David Lampard is the Natural History Curator of Invertebrates and Geology at The McManus: Dundee's Art Gallery & Museum. He is the Butterfly Conservation moth recorder for the County of Angus.

Georgia Carr has a background in ecological and conservation management and is the Angus Moth Project officer based at the McManus.

Admission is free but it would be very helpful if you could book a place here.

Refreshments will be served after the talk. Please enter by the main front door of the Carnelley Building. Latecomers may not be admitted.

Lochee Park - former toilets area - grass seeding

Residents will recall that the former toilets in Lochee Park were finally demolished last November.

I have had a number of enquiries about the state of the site within the park where they were situated - see below :

I contacted Neighbourhood Services at the City Council about this and have now been assured that the area will be prepared and seeded in the coming weeks to add to the grassed area within Lochee Park.

West End Community Council Update

I have today launched my May 2017 Update to West End Community Council.    

Subjects covered include:

•         Bus Services in the West End

•         Utility Works – Blackness Street   

•         Pavements – Magdalen Yard Road   

The Community Council meets tonight at Logie St John's (Cross) Church Hall at 7pm - all residents welcome.      You can download my Update here.

Police Community Surgery today

The latest police community surgery for the West End is at Blackness Library later today :

John Stoa's latest exhibition

I was delighted to be invited to the Lady in Red art exhibition at John Stoa's studio (17a Menzieshill Road in the West End) and Janet and I popped in yesterday.

There are superb paintings on the “Lady in Red” theme as well as John’s Scottish landscape paintings as well as some still life studies.

The exhibition finishes today but is open from 11am until 5pm, so it is not too late to make a visit.   Here’s examples of the excellent exhibition :

Weekly Road Report - West End Ward

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT

REPORT FOR WEST END WARD WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 8 MAY 2017

Riverside Esplanade/Riverside Drive (Tay Road Bridge off ramp to 75m along Riverside Drive) – westbound nearside lane closure for 28 weeks to facilitate V&A construction works.

SSE Glenagnes Cable Renewal – Lochee Road lane restrictions and closures on Blinshall Street, Fleuchar Street and Scott Street for 11 weeks.

Riverside Approach (Roseangle/Magdalen Yard Road to Riverside Drive) – closed for one week for carriageway resurfacing works.

Perth Road (at Farington Street) – temporary traffic lights until Tuesday 9 May for Hydro cable fault repairs.

Perth Road (at Farington Street) – temporary traffic lights from Friday 12 to Monday 15 May for BT manhole repairs.

West Marketgait (at Nethergate) – off-peak offside lane closures from Tuesday 9 May for 3 days for traffic signal ducting works.

Wright Avenue – off-peak temporary traffic lights on Friday 12 May for telecommunications works.

Riverside Nature Park event tomorrow

It is polling day - many thanks for your support!

Take pride in your city events - May #takepridedundee

Karen Hannah at the Wighton!

From Sheena Wellington :

Wednesday 3rd May, Lunchtime Recital  - 1.15pm – 1.45pm.   Admission free

Wighton Heritage Centre, Central Library.

Karen Hannah, fiddle!

The inimitable Karen Hannah will be the guest at the first of the Friends of Wighton May Lunchtime Recitals on Wednesday 3rd.

A fine solo musician with an engaging personality, Karen also plays in several ensembles, including the wonderfully named Nifty Shades of Grey, Sporran Again and Ceilidh Minogue!  She has shared the stage with the finest traditional musicians around and has travelled the world, representing Scotland across Europe and as far afield as New Zealand, and South Korea.

Karen has tutored our fiddle class for ten years, most recently being involved with the formation of Abercraig, bringing young traditional musicians from Tayside together to play, in the first instance, at the televised Scottish Traditional Music Awards at the Caird Hall. 

No ward surgeries today - but on this Thursday!

As today is the May Day holiday at local schools, my usual ward surgeries at Harris Academy and the Mitchell Street Centre do not take place but I can be contacted at any time at home on 459378 or by e-mail at surgery@frasermacpherson.org.uk. 

My surgeries resume again on Thursday at 6.15pm prompt at Blackness Primary School (yes, its polling day, but Blackness Primary is not used as a polling station so my surgery can go ahead as normal!)

Weekly Road Report - West End Ward

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - ROAD REPORT FOR THE WEST END 

REPORT FOR WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 1 MAY 2017

Riverside Esplanade/Riverside Drive (Tay Road Bridge off ramp to 75m along Riverside Drive) – westbound nearside lane closure for 29 weeks to facilitate V&A construction works.

SSE Glenagnes Cable Renewal – Lochee Road lane restrictions and closures on Blinshall Street, Fleuchar Street and Scott Street for 12 weeks.

Riverside Approach (Roseangle/Magdalen Yard Road to Riverside Drive) – closed from Tuesday 2 May for 2 weeks for carriageway resurfacing works.