Douglas Valley Church – On Sunday January 15, the minister Rev Robert Cleland, led worship and Sinclair Scott read the lesson.  Intimations ought to be given to church secretary, Mrs Irene Smith, as soon as possible. The church office is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 4.30pm – 6pm, and on a Friday from 12.30pm until 4.30pm. If anyone would like to give flowers please contact Shona Nimmo who can arrange delivery afterwards. Bible study prayer meetings will be held in the Manse in Rigside this Thursday evening (Jan 19). Anyone who  needs the services of a minister is asked to contact Rev Ian Watson on 01555 892409.

St. Brides Guild - The Guild held its first meeting of the year in the church library on Monday afternoon of January 9. The guest speaker was Ann Lyle who is a Deaconess from Biggar. She spoke enthusiastically about her work and involvement with the Lodgehouse Mission in Glasgow. She told of her many experiences with the homeless. The hostesses for the meeting were M. Bannatyne and A. Leitch.

Bingo - Douglas Flower Show committee are holding a prize bingo on Wednesday February 8, in the Bowling Green at 7pm. Tea tickets, priced £1.00 are available at the door.

Christmas Party - Douglas senior citizens along with Glespin senior citizens, were welcomed to their Christmas party by Kathleen Greig on Wednesday December 28, which was held in the bowling club Douglas. The caterer who supplied the meal was Shearer from Lesmahagow and the entertainment was provided by Andy Irving which was enjoyed by all. A big thank you goes to South Lanarkshire Council for the grant for this event and also the bowling club for the use of their premises. We are going to see the Shine youth theatre perform Peter Pan the musical on January 31 costing £10. There are still a few seats available and if you would like to go please contact 851484. Will members please note that there will not be a social evening in February.

Stone of mystery unearthed...again - Gazette

ALTHOUGH The Mystery of the Baptismal Stone might sound like a Harry Potter adventure, it took far less than mystical powers to solve it.
In fact, it took only a few phone calls by the Gazette.
The origins of the mystery He hundreds of years back when the Douglas Valley was a hotbed of the Covenanting movement.
Persecuted for their faith by the then Crown, the Covenanters were forced to abandon church worship and hold services and ceremonies in the fields, moors and glens, with armed lookouts posted so that worshippers could be warned of the government troops' approach.
Even baptisms had to be carried out in these remote spots and this left the Douglas area with a legacy of no fewer than four rough-hewn but historically invaluable fontstones.
For the past generation the Douglas Valley has changed from a hive of secret religious practice to the opencast mining 'capital' of Scotland and this placed one of these precious artefacts, the
Glentaggart Baptismal Stone, in deadly peril.
A few years back, as Scottish Coal got its massive Glentaggart mining operation underway, a group of concerned locals made arrangements to have the stone moved from its vulnerable location, where it had been 'rediscovered', to a place of safe keeping.
Now almost none of those initially involved in that rescue can tell for sure who, if anyone, actually carried out that mission and fears grew that the Glentaggart Stone was now lying, smashed to atoms
by a digger and lost forever under thousands of tons of rubble.
This fear was flagged up to the Gazette by Kenny Sludden, well-known Douglas ornithologist, who told us: "A couple of years ago I was up doing some bird survey work in the area and I found the missing Glentaggart Stone in an area that had been planted with trees and then burned."
He said that he then alerted local historians to his discovery.
Kenny said: "I was told that Scottish Coal and the landowners, Douglas and Angus Estates, would
co-ordinate the removal of the stone to local GP Dr Flowerdew's home nearby for safekeeping.
"Dr Flowerdew has now informed me that the stone was never delivered to him.
"I have asked Douglas Heritage Society members what happened to it and nobody seems to know."
But local historians need worry no more. A quick phone call from the Gazette to lan Fleming, manager of Douglas and Angus Estates, quickly solved the mystery.
He told us: "I had the stone moved and stored in a safe place before the mining began there, as arranged at the time. I'm surprised no-one thought to phone to ask where it was before you rang.
"After you told me that they wanted it put in Dr Flowerdew's garden for safekeeping, that's exactly where I took it and that's where they can find it.
"There is another old fontstone about half a mile away from there and there are still very occasionally couples who take their babies up there to be baptised at it!"

By Ron Harris
Carluke and Lanark Gazette
dgazette@jnscofland.co.uk

Gala Day - Douglas Gala Day committee would like to say a big thank you to The Hooch Hounds who donated £170 to the Gala Day from their gig at the Glespin hall. We also would like to say another big thanks to the Glespin hall committee who donated £100 towards Gala funds on the same night. Both donations were totally unexpected but greatly appreciated - thanks guys. A fantastic night was definitely had by all who attended.

Douglas Valley Church – On Sunday January 8 the minister Rev Robert Cleland, led worship and John Jackson read the lesson. Prayers were said for the families of Agnes Mitchell from Rigside and John Douglas. Intimations for this week’s service sheet should be handed to church secretary, Mrs Irene Smith, at the church office which is open  on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 4.30pm – 6pm, and on a Friday from 12.30pm until 4.30pm. If anyone would like to give flowers please contact Shona Nimmo.

Glentaggart coal battle lines drawn - Gazette

THE decision to grant planning permission to another opencast coal mine in the Douglas Valley has angered environmental protesters.
A total of 232 objections were raised to the plans to extract four million tonnes of coal and 200,000 tonnes of other minerals, over a 10 year period from the site at Glentaggart East, proposed by Scottish Coal.
Now campaigners have made a formal complaint to the council over its handling of the application, claiming they were not told the decision meeting was taking place in December.
Fiona Reed, of Coal Action Scotland, said: "We've seen all sorts from South Lanarkshire Council and Scottish Coal and had no faith whatsoever that they would listen to communities this time and reject the application.
"But the way they've sneaked this one through the back door says it all. The planning process is about local government making it easier for big business to make big money, and nothing more.
"This approval isn't the end of our campaign by any means. The battle lines have been drawn.
"We're calling for a full council determination hearing for this application where members of the community are given the opportunity to participate; we're calling for an independent review into South Lanarkshire Council's Planning Department and a full, unequivocal appology from them for how they've handled this and treated us."
The new opencast is 1.5 kilometres to the west of the site of the current Glentaggart opencast site.
A number of organisations were consulted, with only the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds objecting, citing the development's impact on peatland at Flow Moss. Scottish Coal then removed Flow Moss from the site.
Among the biggest concerns of those objecting was noise and dust; that the applicant had a bad track record of restoring sites and that the development would have an adverse affect on the health of local people.
However, those concerns were brushed aside by council planners.
Enterprise Resources executive director Colin McDowall said: "The development proposal will enable up to four million tonnes of coal to be recovered, contributing to the UK's energy mix and addressing in part the nation's energy requirement.
"It is consistent with national planning policy and guidance."

'Glentaggart East: what's next ?' - click on link below

Fire danger to kids – Gazette

CHILDREN in Douglas have been warned that they are putting themselves in danger after fire crews had to fight a blaze at the village industrial estate.
The fire, at the former Incament plant, saw fire crews tackle the blaze at the disused plant.
Youngsters have been using the building to escape the cold at night.
However, Clydesdale Chief Inspector Colin Murphy is in no doubt that the children using
the building are putting themselves and others at risk.
He said: "We have had several reports over the past few months concerning this particular building.
"It would appear that local youngsters are getting into this property and doing some damage to it without realising how much danger they are in.
"They are putting themselves, their friends and other people in
danger through their recklessness.
"I would urge anyone who is doing this to think about their actions and stop it."
Incament closed its doors in Douglas two years ago with job losses for many people in the village.
It had been in Douglas since 1969 with many local people working there down the years.
Since then the building has fallen into a state of disrepair.

Carluke and Lanark Gazette
15/12/11

Dear Ed,

In May this year in Douglas at the Cameronian (SR) Remembrance Service and Conventional "four old codgers" namely Tom Winters, Aberdeen, Ray (Andy) Anderson, Newcastle, lan Bilboe, Essex and myself Kenn Robinson, Birmingham, made up our minds to march in the London Remembrance Parade.
Badged as Cameronians Scottish Rifles, we went to .pay our Regiment's homage, appreciation and respects to the many thousands of British, Commonwealth and Allied troops that gave their lives in two world wars, and still do so today, that we and others that follow may continue the freedom of life and speech we had, and yes, to the envy of many nations, still have.
Having attended separate Remembrance Services on Friday we made our way to meet on Saturday at the Union Jack Club, Waterloo and down a few Grouse, no prisoners were taken!
Sunday was a beautifully warm sunny day, and black cabs were free to take service and ex-servicemen to the assembly area on Horse Guards Parade and check point. Once inside, the four old codgers positioned themselves between the King's Own Scottish Borders contingent and those of the Black Watch, both of whom were well represented in numbers and smart turn out.
Being Cameronians (SR) we were also well turned out, of course. The order was to form ranks of six abreast but, being just four, we had to spread out more and though receiving a few enquiring looks from officers fore and aft we stood our positions.
It was a very long wait, first at Horse Guards then just around the corner in Whitehall and Parliament Street. The sun was very strong, too much for a few stretchered away, though some did return in time to take their places again.
Being part of the service was amazing and very special as was the march past salute to the Cenotaph where, so strong was my awareness of the occasion, that the hairs on my neck stood up.
Round a corner we marched and down into Horse Guards again and there, halfway down on my side, now taking the salute was HRH The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles.
Suddenly I became so very aware that we four Cameronians were now very exposed, "eyes right" and looking him full in the eye we all four saw it, no facial movement, but a definite double blink of his eyes!
His aide meanwhile was staring at the papers in his hand frantically trying to find our entry, but then we were past and again entering the assembly point where, after a short time, we all stood down, the Remembrance Parade and March Past over for one more year.
I have missed out the many interested individual questions we were all four asked like: Are you really Cameronians? Weren't you a Religious order? Is it true your were called Poison Dwarves by the Germans? What tartan is that?
The goody for me was: Are you the Scottish Commandos? When I replied that we were Cameronians Scottish Rifles he said: "But I thought it was only them that wore the black hackle." Did I put him straight? You betya!
Then there were a number that spoke to us saying they too had served in the Regiment before going to another Regiment, and others who had served alongside or been stationed with it.
Later, back in the Union Jack Club, we four old codgers went over it all again and again while again reducing the grouse population.
Would we do it all again? Maybe, because there is no other feeling like that of shared experiences good, bad or so very sad when surrounded by your peers who understand having shared theirs also.

Yours etc,
KENN J ROBINSON
Shelley Close,
Fordbridge,
Birmingham,
B37 5ER

Douglas Valley Church – On Sunday December 11, the morning worship was conducted by the minister Rev Robert Cleland, Jeanette Fleming read the lesson and the organist was Mrs Isobel Wilson. A new sound and vision system has been installed allowing visitors to attend and take part in services. Elders and readers are asked to uplift duty rotas, FWO envelopes and reading rotas from the library. This Sunday will be Gift Sunday.

Douglas Senior Citizens - Will the senior citizens who are eligible to come to the Christmas party on Wednesday December 28 at 1pm in the Bowling Club and have not been contacted please contact any committee member or phone Kathleen Greig on 851484 before December 18.

Poppy Day Collection - The amount raised this year for the annual poppy collection was over £1300. Alan Halliday had the job of distributing to the local shops and businesses, and other volunteers did a door to door collection. The total amount raised included two cans from Rigside, thanks to Irene Bell.

Douglas Valley Church – As Rev Robert Cleland was on holiday, Ross Blackman led worship on Sunday November 6 and Jim Fleming read the lesson. This Sunday the Service of Remembrance will be celebrated at 10am. Anyone who wishes to give flowers is asked to speak to Shona Nimmo who can also arrange delivery afterwards. If you require the services of a minister please contact Mr Cleland. The annual Christmas Fair will take place on Saturday November 26 from 2 until 4pm.

Douglas Senior Citizens – Will the senior citizens please note that our social evening will be tonight (Wednesday November 9) in the bowling club at 6.30pm, when the Gold Boys will give the entertainment. The transport for tonight will be the usual arrangements.

Gala Day – Due to the poor attendance at the Gala Day AGM there is a very real threat that the Gala Day may not go ahead in 2012. We urgently need more committee members to be able to run a gala day. If you are interested please contact Hazel Moule, Gillian Mitchell or Lindsay Anne Marshall or, come to our next meeting in Douglas fire station on Thursday November 10, at 7.30pm.

The Guild – The Guild met in the church library on Monday, October 31. Mr Henry Dorricot was the guest speaker. He spoke of his faith and how it has helped him in his work. A total of 54 shoeboxes have been collected and many thanks go to everyone who donated to this worthwhile cause. The hostesses for the meeting were K Greig and S Wilkinson.

Douglasdale One O’clock Club – Winners of games played on Tuesday November 1 were challenge dominoes – Robert Gardiner and whist – Mary Ramage.

Douglas Heritage Society – Douglas Heritage Society are holding a prize bingo in the Bowling Club on Wednesday November 2 at 7pm. Tea tickets are £1 and are payable at the door on the night.

Douglas Valley Church – The Rev Robert Cleland led worship on Sunday October 30 and Jeanette Fleming read the lesson. Intimations for this week’s service sheet should be handed to church secretary, Mrs. Irene Smith, by lunchtime on Friday. The church office is open on Tuesday between 4.30 and 6pm and on Friday from 12.30 - 4.30pm. Bible study prayer meetings are held in the manse in Douglas on Thursday evenings from 7.15pm, to which all are made welcome. Remembrance Sunday is November 13th. The annual Christmas fair will be on November 26; stallholders and volunteers are asked to get in touch with John Gold. Calendars for 2012 are now on sale. Annual subscriptions to ‘Life and Work’ for 2012 are due to be paid by November 12. In order to receive a discount price – the sum of £18 in cash or by cheque should be paid to the treasurer Jim Fleming or Irene Bell by Thursday November 10.