The Gorebridge CARS Newsletter no 6 is hot off the press!!!... this features the last phase of the training plan , all the trainees and school pupils who successfully completed the courses received their certificates at a presentation ceremony held in Midlothian Council Chamber on the 21st June 2017 presided over by Councillor Jim Muirhead , the education portfolio holder for the Council , and Archie Pacey from the Gorebridge Community Development Trust handed out the certificates.40 people attended the event .

The newsletter also gives an update on the building grants that have repaired and restored a number of properties in the Main Street and Hunterfield Road and an update on the community engagement projects lead by the Archivist Sean Watson and the CARS support officer Stephanie Walker .

We are waiting to hear the outcome of the bid we have made to the Borders Railway Blue Print Fund for improvements to Hunter Square , the Main Street and the repair and restoration of the station building.If successful this will be the subject of Newsletter no 7 .

Please click on the link  here to downolad the newsletter no 6.

The last phase of the training plan which was delivered in May/June and October of last year was celebrated at a presentation ceremony at Midlothian Council Chamber on June 21st 2017. Councillor Jim Muirhead, Midlothian Council Education portfolio holder and one of the local Gorebridge Councillor's presided over the event and welcomed invited quests.William Gillespie from Edinburgh College talked about the importance of training in traditional construction skills and Rod Lugg the Gorebridge CARS project officer talked about the training in the context of the overall Gorebridge CARS scheme. Archie Pacey from the Gorebridge Community Development Trust handed out the certificates and congratulated the successful trainees and school pupils.

The training that was delivered was in three sections and the following successful trainees and school pupils completed the courses:

17 trainees completed the traditional construction skills workshop courses at Edinburgh College  :

Erin De Groome
Successfully completed:
Making and using mortars
Traditional masonry repair of stone
Surface repair of stone
Ashlar pointing
External finishes – harling
Limewash and traditional paint
On site training at Newbyres Hall Gorebridge
repointing stone in lime mortar

Damian Sawers
Making and using mortars
Ashlar pointing

Stuart Clyne
Making and using mortars
Traditional masonry repair of stone
Surface repair of stone

Jim Matson
Making and using mortars
Traditional masonry repair of stone
Surface repair of stone
Ashlar pointing

Darragh Keenaghan, Paul Harper, Jonathan McBrearty, Paul Mckenzie, Alan Stuart ,Andrew Howard, Mark Bews,Jamie Morrison and Ruairi Mitchison
All did:
Traditional masonry repair and surface repair of stone

James Fairley
Limewash and traditional paint

Ross McLenaghan and Jordan Krawczyk
External finishes – limewash

Murray Potter
Limewash and traditional paint

10 trainees completed the onsite training at Newbyres Hall , Gorebridge: 

Joanna Martin
Onsite training at Newbyres Hall, Gorebridge
Repointing of stone in lime mortar

Stewart Boyle, Finn Morning, Thomas Easton, Alex Ramsay, Rory Hutchison, Ryan Quinn, Aaron McLauchlan and Jamie Guild

9 pupils from Newbattle Community High School completed the Schools Heritage Awareness course at Edinburgh College , one day a week over 5 weeks :

Ryan Robertson, Dean Cornwall, Jack Holmes, Kameron Ness, Scott Robertson, Matteo Carter, Kyle Hutchison, William Mackenzie, Jamie Davidson.

Photos of the event 

The Gorebridge CARS scheme worked with Stobhill Primary School to develop a local heritage project .THe tagline being, "A Didnae Ken That ".

Brief outline of the proposal :
Elaine Robertson and Lea Taylor local storytellers ran six one hour afternoon sessions with primary six. Each week the children had a story written down and an item which they made so that at the end of the project they had a booklet to keep and show parents, teachers and other pupils. At the end of the project each child was presented with a certificate at the school assembly by a Rod Lugg , Gorebridge CARS Project Officer. 
This  tied in with the Heritage play which will be preformed in the Autumn about Annie Swan. The children  also read and  performed one of their favourite stories at the assembly.

The first session was about Annie Swan and the first instance of her discovering the power of her storytelling while playing in the fields with her family as a little girl. She throws off her hat in abandonment and enjoyment of the moment and at the end of play she can't find it and pretends she had not put it on that day. The children acted this out and wrote it down as their own story then they were shown  how to make the hat. There is also the moral issue here about whether the children agree she should have told such a story or not. At the end of the session the children had their  first page of their booklet with a hat to pop in a plastic pocket.

The second session was about Newbyres Castle and was based on the life of a maid in the castle and  consisted of stories, songs and games about castle life. The children made up an articulated puppet person to tell a story which they wrote down and have a puppet to pop in the pocket of that page of the booklet.

The third session covered the mining heritage of the area. There was a story about a child's life pulling a heavy buggy. The children made a cart with articulated wheels and made coal to put in the buggy.
There was also  a story called Monday Tuesday.
The children  wrote their own story.

The fourth session was about the Riot at the Railway when the railway first came to Gorebridge. There was a story, a song and a poem. The children were able to write their own story and make a train. During the course of this session we brought in what industries needed trains to carry their goods for example coal, gunpowder and provisions for the local trades people.

The fifth session was about the Middleton story of The Witch and the Hare which the children  acted out against a backdrop of scenery. We made lolly stick puppets and had one person dressed as the witch. The children wrote down the story and have their puppet to pop in the poly pocket.

Week 6 was a chance to finish off any story or craft item and bind the books together.

The children prersented their work at a family and friends event at the school on the 18th May and then they did some further perfomance and presentations at the full school assembly on the 19th May and were presented with their certificates .

Photos from the project

The Gorebridge CARS as part of it's community engagement work is assisting with the production of a play about the work and life of Annie Swan, famous daughter of Gorebridge. Matt Dunn  of 3 in 1 Theatre has written the script and will be directing  with advice and help from Sean Watson the CARS Archivist .A call out for participates was very successful and all the parts in the play have now been allocated . The actors are children plus adults from the local area . The first reading of the script took place last night in the local Catholic Church Hall next to the Station .Rehearsals will now take place on a regular basis , weekly leading up to the production in the new Beacon building later in the summer .All very exciting !!!!!!, bringing the story of Annie , her family and work to life. 

Gorebridge CARS contributed to the events organised as part of Heritage Week (May 1st -7th)

The Guided walk on the 2nd May along the Main Street  illustrating the built heritage of Gorebridge was well attended with 10 people and this will now form the basis of a heritage trail in the town centre.

The guided walk exporing the site of the Stobs Hill Gunpowder Works was also popular ,again 10 people attended . There is the need now to investigate how this fascinating site can be made more accessible and understandable.

 Photos of the guided walk around the gunpowder works 

On the 3rd May Archaeology Scotland came out to do an Archaeological 3D workshop based on Newbyres Castle . This was fascinating and started with the team clearing some vegetation from the monument then taking a series of photographs .The team then went to the Trust's office to listen to a short prersentation about 3D imaging and then the photos were down loaded and an image created of the monument.This process will inform the next stage of the project to improve accees to the site and understanding of the history of the castle.

   Photos of the work to record Newbyres Castle for 3D imaging

Throughout the  week an exhibition of the life and work of Annie Swan during the Great War was set up at Gorebridge library and a free booklet was available . This has proved very popular and will be followed up with a drama event that will be put on at the new Beacon later in the year. 

Photos of the exhibition . The booklet is down loadable by clicking here. 

Midlothian Tourism Forum and Midlothian Council  are working with partners to promote the history and heritage of Midlothian as part of History,Heritage and Archaeology year 2017.Event Scotland are also working across the country to encourage visitors and residents to discover Scotland's rich heritage and cultural traditions . Gorebridge will be playing it's part to support the initiative . Midlothian Heritage Week takes place in the first week of May , , next week 1st May to the 7th May . The Gorebridge Community Development Trust and the Gorebridge CARS are assisting with the following events in Gorebridge as part of the week: