A fabulous West End Christmas Fortnight launches soon! #dundeewestend

 
Saturday 23rd November sees the start of the West End Christmas Fortnight, a fortnight of many activities across the West End of Dundee.    The full brochure is launched today!
 
A highlight of the fortnight will be the Christmas Lights Switch On for the West End and a spectacular fireworks extravaganza, taking place on Wednesday 27th November.    This year’s West End Christmas Concert takes place that evening at Dundee West Church at 6.15pm.     There will be musical contributions from local nursery, primary and secondary schools.    The concert will be hosted by Gordon Sharp.    
 
We are delighted that “The Notables” will perform as well as local school pupils from 2 secondary schools, four primary schools and Cherry Blossom Nursery School – it will be a great concert and everyone is very welcome to attend.   Mains of Fintry Pipe Band will pipe everyone from the church to Seabraes for the Christmas Lights Switch-On.
 
At 7pm, there will be singing by the tree and thereafter at 7.20pm the West End Christmas Lights will be switched on at Seabraes by Santa.
There will again be a spectacular fireworks display after the lights switch-on.
 
West End Christmas Fortnight is packed with events and we hope that, as in the past 19 years, the local community will take part.      We are extremely grateful to all the local businesses for their support of the Christmas Fortnight, without which the events would not be possible.
 
Other main West End Christmas Fortnight events include :
 
• Saturday 23rd November                 P6 football Christmas Fortnight competition at Harris Academy.   P6 teams participating from our local primary schools.   All parents and family members welcome to spectate.   
 
• Monday 25th November                Blackness Library – Christmas Craft activities after school (and the following Monday)
 
• Friday 29th November                     Friends of the University of Dundee Botanic Garden’s children’s activities and a “Walk in the Dark” for children aged 4-9 
 
• Saturday 30th November                Christmas Clothes Swap and Repair Café  – The Gate 
 
Children’s Craft Event  –  West End Christmas Fortnight’s lovely children’s craft event led by the wonderful Lisa Earl of Create … Kids Create Craft Workshops.    Taking place at Logie St John’s (Cross) Church Hall.
 
West End Christmas Fortnight West Port Arts and Crafts Event (and again the following Saturday)
 
• Friday 6th December                      Christmas Lights Switch on in West Port at 5pm – music and fun!     
 
• Saturday 7th December                   Christmas Tea and Carols – The Gate – Afternoon tea and a sing-along of old favourite Christmas Carols. 
 
• Over Christmas Fortnight             Window Spotting Competition for local children.
 
Download the full brochure here!

Festive Friends Christmas Day invitation

Do you know someone or a group of people that would benefit from more support on Christmas Day?
 
Dundee United Community Trust will be hosting a free Christmas meal for local people at Tannadice Park from 10am to 3pm in the Hegarty Suite. 
 
This is a lovely gesture, particularly for those on their own at Christmas.   More details are available here.

Living Wage Week 2019

This week is Living Wage Week 2019.    
 
The real Living Wage is now £9.30 per hour, and is based on cost of living.
 
Living Wage Scotland awards the Living Wage employer mark to Scottish employers – a symbol of responsible business practice.
 
Why the real Living Wage is needed :
 
+ 470,000 people in Scotland don’t earn the real Living Wage.
 
+ 182,000 children in Scotland live in poverty despite having one person in their household in work.
 
In-work poverty remains a real problem.
 
You can read more about progress with the Living Wage in Dundee here.    

West End Community Council meeting tonight #dundeewestend

The Community Council meets this evening at Logie St John’s (Cross) Church Hall at 7pm – all residents welcome!   
 
Here’s the agenda :
 
WEST END COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY 12th NOVEMBER 2019, 7.00PM
LOGIE AND ST JOHN`S CROSS PARISH CHURCH HALL
(ENTER FROM SHAFTESBURY TERRACE  –  OFF  BLACKNESS  AVENUE)
 
1. Welcome and Apologies
 
2. Community Council Elections- nominations, roles & responsibilities of Community Councillors, priorities
 
3. Planning Update
 
4. 8pm – Speaker- Catherine Conroy, Low Emissions Zone, Dundee City Council
 
5. AOCB
 
6. Date of Next Meeting – Tuesday 10th December 2019 
 
Light refreshments will be provided.

THIS – An exhibition celebrating the life and work of Jim Stewart

 
From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :
 
THIS
An exhibition celebrating the life and work of Jim Stewart (1952-2016)
Tower Foyer Gallery, University of Dundee
Jim Stewart was an inspirational and much-admired author and teacher described by Dundee’s Makar, W N Herbert, as “one of the most significant poets of the last decade”. 
James Clark Quinn Stewart was born in 1952 to a working-class family in a cold tap and outside toilet dwelling on the Lochee Road, Dundee, barely surviving a near-fatal bronchial illness in early infancy. He and his younger sister, Ros, were brought up by their single mother, a devout Jehovah’s Witness. Often at odds with the church in later life, Jim remained devout and became a learned theologian.
 
Jim studied English at the University of Dundee (where he went on to teach for many years) and completed a PhD at Edinburgh, basing his research on the works of Virginia Woolf – a passion which remained with him, together with a deep reverence for nature and music, all his life.
Known as Jim to friends, colleagues and students alike, he became an inspirational and much-admired teacher.  He wrote poetry from childhood and went on to become one of Scotland’s finest nature poets, if one of the most modest. His keen poet’s eye found beauty in everything: flies, moles, spiders and especially bees. The publishing of collections did not rate highly in his list of ambitions and he often had to supplement his income from short-contract university teaching with bouts of window-cleaning and proof-reading, as he describes in letters included in the exhibition.
Central to the exhibition is a portfolio box designed and created by Marion Archibald at her studio in The Old Printing Works, Thornton. The box contains a hand-painted book of tributes to Jim in the form of poetry and prose. Created by Marion and Jim’s former student Keren Macpherson, the book folds out to five metres in length. 
The exhibition also features several of Jim’s poems along with paintings and etchings by Keren and fellow artists Kirstie Behrens, Merran Gunn and Derek Robertson, interpreting and illustrating Jim’s poems in a unique and personal way.
The exhibition runs until 14th December – Monday to Friday 9.30am-7pm and Saturday 1pm-5pm. 

Weekly Road Report – West End Ward #dundeewestend

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL – WEEKLY ROAD REPORT
 
REPORT FOR WEST END WARD – SATURDAY 9 AND SUNDAY 10 NOVEMBER 2019
 
Tullideph Road (City Road to Ancrum Drive) – closed westbound on Sunday 10 November for BT pole renewal works.
 
REPORT FOR WEST END WARD – WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2019
 
Westfield Lane – closed for up to 4 weeks for building repair works.
 
Minto Place – closed for 7 days from Friday 8 November for carriageway resurfacing.  Access maintained for residents.
 
Forthcoming Roadworks
 
Glamis Terrace – closed from Monday 2 December for one week for sewer connection to new house.