Mc Coll's Clippings

It may be hard to believe that for many residents, winter provides a very busy social life. It is during the winter that people have time to do things that cannot be managed during the long days of summer. These columns attempt to show just this by outlining some of the many events that have taken place here since last summer.


[Photograph and subscript "Miss Elizabeth Smith with Carrlea Daisy May"]

Mrs Elizabeth Smith, Coll's district nurse, won a reserve challenge certificate, two first and second at Cruft's Dog Show with her English toy terriers. Her dog Carrlea Prince Rgent was judged second to top overall in the new breed and her Coll Pricess of the Isles took a first as the best puppy bitch. So it's not only our sheep and cattle that are rare - Miss Smits's English toy terriers are the only ones in Scotland!

Whist drives and other charitable events

The organisers of the many Whist Drives that are held on Coll never cease to be amazed at the generosity of everyone who attends. Before Chirstmas a Whist Drive in aid of the BBC Children in Need Appeal, organised by Margaret Wheeler-James, netted £129 for the appeal. In February, a Whist Drive organised by the Hall Committee earned £80, which will be put towards the cost of a badly needed new roof, while the Show Committee raised £82 at theirs.

THE whist Drive was not the only thing which was done for the Childeren in Need Appeal on the island. One member of the community, Iain Cochrane, decided to have a sponsored beard removal and hair-cut, which Linda English duly accomplished on November 29th. Iain's effort raised over £50 for the appeal.

The fund raising event which raised the most money on the island this winter, however, was the School's 'Bring and Buy' Sale in aid of the Blue Peter Sightsaver appeal, which made £200.15 on the afternoon of Saturday, January 31st. Credit for this admirable achievement must go chiefly to teacher Louise Oliphant and her hard working pupils.

Winter evenings on the Island

NO-ONE can say that Coll is lacking in things to do on winter evenings. at the end of October the ladies 'Knitting Bee started up again, meeting every Wednesday evening at 8p.m. This year there have been an average of 12 regular participants who take it in turns to host this enjoyable social evening for women. It is a good opportunity for people to swap news and knitting tips in front of a roaring fire, and during the evening the hostess provides food and coffee.

Men are conspicuous by their absence at the Bee, although the man of the house can sometimes be heard lurking in a back room with a book, TV or radio. Men have their night on Thursdays, when the Mens's Club takes place in the Hotel. Participants put money into a kitty to pay for their beer, and in addition the landlord always profivdes a steeming cauldron of soup midway through the evening. Pool and darts ar the two most popular games played at Men's Club. In February a pool and darts tournament was arranged in which anyoune could play. Sometimes Club nights will finish with a quiet (or not so quiet) game of cards.

Every Tuesday winter evening a group of women meet in the school for 'Keep Fit', excercising to a variety of tapes for an hour. Some of the group enjoy a sauna in the Hotel afterwards to banish all their winter chills and rellax some newly discovered muscles!

From September to April, the Coll Parish Church Women's Guild meet monthly in the Manse. A reading and a psalm are followed by a visitor or resident giving a talk about a huge range of subjects, often accompanied by slides. Topics this year have included fire prevention in the home, Glacier National Park in America's Rocky Mountains, and a trip to Indonesia and Sarawak. Many members have continued to sponsor a little girl's schooling in Gambia, and other regular fund raising activities help provide support for the guild and the church.

On December 18th the Guild had its annual Christmas Dinner at the School. The members were there for the scrumptious three course candlelit dinner cooked by Nancy Brackenbury.

Power to the people

POSSIBLY our lights burned a little brighter in early December when the island joined the National Grit.  This happened twelve years after electricity first came to the island from tiree. Preparations for our joining the National Grid had been taking place for several years. Workmen were a conspicuous presence on the island for the last couple of years putting in a new set of power lines to bring current from the mainland across Mull to Tiree and back to Coll.