Saturday 13th July: Tyninghame Community Farm Visit

Tyninghame residents were invited to visit the new Tyninghame Community Farm on Saturday. The Community Farm is on a 2 acre site at the top of St Baldreds smallholding where Danny and Erica live. Its one of a few Community Supported Agriculture projects in Scotland and involves an intensively cultivated organic market garden that prioritises soil health using green manures, and where pests and diseases are controlled through encouraging biodiversity. The tour was led by Dave Barfoot, an experienced grower who explained the rationale and challenges of the project. The business relies on income from regular members of the veg box scheme and sales to Crunchy Carrot in Dunbar. They also rely on a growing body of volunteers to help with planting, harvesting and preparing the beds.

 

Sunday 29th June: Tyninghame Village BBQ Night

On Saturday around 35 adults and children braved the chilly evening to partake of the fabulous food on offer. The BBQ coals were a welcome heat as well as a source of lots of tasty morsels. The sharing salads provided by residents were colourful, healthy and equally tasty. The chat and the wine flowed easily despite even the hardy folks eventually moving into the Village Hall. It was lovely to see so many regulars’ and wonderful to see several newcomers and of course our adopted village Cat.

We are now getting our plans in place for the Annual Summer fair on Sunday the 18th of August and we look forward to residents, families and friends joining us for this fun afternoon. Keep an eye out later this month for more information.

 

Sunday 23rd June 1pm and 5pm: Tyninghame House Open gardens

Thanks to all those who attended Tyninghame Houses Open Gardens organised by Scotland’s Gardens Scheme.  We were the beneficiary Charity of this event and raised an incredible £1800. A tea and coffee stand was available run by various Tyninghame residents throughout the day.

A huge Thank You to all that attended and all those that assisted in making the day possible!

 

Saturday 25th May 4:30pm and 7:30pm: Pix in the Stix film showings.

*  Migration – 4.30pm (Doors open 4pm)                  Rated U

*  Wicked Little Liars – 7.30pm (Doors open 7pm)  Rated 15

              1st Come 1st Served, Limited seats available

 

Easter Activities Saturday 30 March 2024

Arts and crafts were the “in thing” when residents along with friends and family enjoyed Easter activities in the village hall. Two sessions were held with painting of hen and goose eggs proving very popular along with picture painting, card making and basket decorating, keeping the young and the old engaged for several hours.

We were pleased to see such a good turnout for this year’s slightly scaled back event with around 40 people of all ages in attendance. It appealed to all ages with the youngest just 4 months and a few others in their 60’s and 80’s and everything else in between.

Saturday 10th February 3pm: Inaugurate the new/old Binning Wood path

Tyninghame residents are invited to join the Tyninghame Village Hall and Community Committee in inaugurating the new/old footpath from Teviot Cottage/ the Old School House up to Binning Wood.  Read more about this achievement here.

Burns Supper Friday 26 January 2024

Once again Tyninghame Village Hall held a Burns supper in celebration of the life and poetry of Scotland’s national bard Rabbie Burns.

The Hall was welcoming and cosy with splashes of tartan, a roaring log fire and the beautiful sound of the bagpipes played by David Scott. About 43 village guests and friends enjoyed an amazing three course dinner starting with a sharing platter of hummus and smoked trout pate, followed by traditional haggis, neeps and tatties with a whisky cream sauce. The dinner was completed with a delicious Cranachan dessert. 

Whisky was brought and shared and toasts were raised to Burns and to the lads and lassies of course! The evening’s entertainment was very lively with some wonderful poetry, music and stories. Any funds raised will be put towards the Hall upkeep.

—– 2023 —–

Wreath Making Workshops Friday 1 December & Saturday 2 December 2023

We hosted another very successful series of Christmas wreath making workshops thanks to the efforts of a number of the community engagement group (CEG). There was an abundance of lovely local greenery from Tyninghame Gardens, pine cones, holly and ivy plus a few more interesting individual additions to the wreaths.

We are very grateful to the 70 or so participants who braved the icy roads and weather to come to our lovely cosy festive Hall and enjoy being creative. Lots of chat was shared over cups of tea and coffee and delicious baking provided by the CEG.

The event raised over £950 for Hall funds and £110 was generously donated separately for the East Lothian Food Bank.

So a big thank you to all of you for coming along and to the bakers and helpers and super star Barbara for her excellent organisation of the event.

Wine Tasting Pub Night Friday 10 November 2023

It was an excellent change from our usual pub night when we were treated to a wine tasting organised by three local wine buffs! Three teams of 4-5 people enjoyed sampling some white wines followed by red wines and ending with a wine quiz at the end. Who knew that Italy is the biggest wine producer in the world!

Halloween Sunday 29 October 2023

There were shrieks to be heard on the evening of Sunday 29^th but most thankfully were of joy and not fright as the village entered the spirit of Halloween.

This year there was a spooky pumpkin trail again and many villagers welcomed the children at their doors for Trick or Treating or as we still say in Scotland, Guising.

There were at least 22 children who took part in the trail and then joined in the activities in the village Hall.

Equally as many adults from family friends to aunts, uncles and grandparents joined in the fun. We even attracted visitors from further afield.

Apple Pressing at the Hall Sunday 17 September and Sunday 22 October 2023

This year we enjoyed our apple pressing events again with loads of home grown apples being brought to be pressed into delicious apple juice. Everyone went home with bottles and bottles of apple juice which the children were especially excited about. Bottles were offered to the residents and the visitors for a donation towards a new gate for the village core path. We also had bottles of wonderful apple cider vinegar made by Marie Liston to offer for donations. A nice sum of £25 in total was donated to go towards the new gate.

Bridge Lunch Tuesday 19 September 2023

The Community Engagement Group held another very successful and enjoyable Bridge Lunch in the Hall. A delicious hot lunch, with a choice of 3 very tasty dishes, a desert and a glass of wine, was enjoyed by 36 guests, 9 tables of 4 players. A game of bridge was played before and after lunch with the highest score being awarded a prize!

Thanks to the superb effort of the volunteers in bringing this together, the event was thoroughly enjoyed by the guests and all those involved. The donations for the event will be used towards upgrading some outstanding works required in the Hall.

Summer Fair Sunday 20 August 2023

We had another very successful sunny Summer Fair this year organised by the village Community Engagement Group. Entrance donations included a cup of tea with home baking available to buy. These donations help to offset any expenses and extra funds raised will go towards a community asset or future event.

It was a really happy day for local families, friends and visitors, even some of the family dogs dressed up for the occasion! The tables were laden with a wonderful array of home baked cakes, muffins, cup cakes, biscuits and more, so a huge thank you to all the bakers. Activities included a jam jar tombola with jars filled with exciting treasures and sweets, face painting, giant bubble making, a bric a brac stall, a dog parade with prizes and lots of races for the children and grown ups!

Tyninghame House Gardens and Walled Garden Open Day Sunday 25 June 2023

A wonderful group of volunteers supported this event with sales of lots of delicious baking and    cup’s of tea for visitors to the gardens. Children were also provided for with free mini bakes and juice. Despite the big black clouds overhead, the rain held off and the gardens were enjoyed by lots of people. 60% of funds raised from the entrance fee and the teas will go to the nominated charity, Tyninghame Village Hall and Community with the remaining 40% going to Scotland’s Gardens Scheme and to their core beneficiaries.

 

 

 

Coronation Tea Party Monday 8 May 2023

In celebration of the Coronation of King Charles III, we wanted to create an event that would celebrate our community. With grateful thanks to the National Lottery, we created an afternoon tea event with a fancy dress competition for the children and a celebration of some of our unsung heroes. 

Our creative team crafted two thrones for the event and the bakers in our community ensured that there was some really delicious food for everyone to enjoy. The hall was awash with red, white and blue bunting, flags, flowers and candles. It was a fabulous turnout and there was some stiff competition in the children’s fancy dress with some brilliant costumes on show. 

Westminster’s official photographer for Scotland’s coronation events also joined us, so we hope to have some wonderful images of the day. We enjoyed some beautiful Clarsach playing throughout the afternoon and with thanks for a generous donation of sparkling wine were able to raise a glass to celebrate a memorable afternoon. 

Having been awarded lottery funding for the event, we wanted to pay it forward so we encouraged the community to provide donations for East Lothian Food Bank. A huge thank you to everyone for your generous donations.

Easter Fun Sunday 9 April 2023

Easter weekend was celebrated in the village with a cheerfully decorated bus shelter and lots of activities for the children in the Hall. It was really great to see so many Tyninghame families, grandparents and friends enjoying the Easter themed activities. There was a choice of crafts, shapes and eggs to paint and some face painting for those wanting to be real Easter bunnies.

The kitchen was open for refreshments plus some delicious baked goodies for everyone to enjoy. Easter bunny and her sister joined in and brought a basket of yummy chocolates, much to the surprise and delight of everyone.

An Easter nature trail was laid along Ladies Walk for families to enjoy at their leisure on this beautiful sunny day.

 

 

Pix in the Stix 25 March 2023

Pix in the Stix returned to Tyninghame Village Hall after many years absence. We were very pleased to welcome them back with two new films. #

The afternoon showing was for the children featuring “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile”.

In the evening we had the much acclaimed “Banshees of Inisherin”.

 

Burns Night 27 January 2023

We were delighted to once again be able to host a Burns Night Supper for local residents and friends. The piper, David, welcomed everyone in to the Hall where we had tables set out for 45 people who had booked to attend. Elinor also provided a warm welcome of Burns’ music on the clarsach.

The evening was filled with lively and sometimes quite moving entertainment of music, singing, poetry and toasts. Sharing platters of starters followed by haggis, neeps and tatties and delicious deserts were a feast for all.

The evening was very much a community evening and any funds raised will go towards Hall upkeep.

—– 2022 —–

Carol singing on Christmas Eve 2022

Our tradition of singing carols in the village began in 2019 when a small group of around 15 gathered in the cafe courtyard with local clarsach musician, Elinor Evans, to enjoy the age old Christmas Eve tradition of carol singing. This small gathering has grown each year with around 60 people attending in 2022. We hope to continue this tradition for many years to come.

The centre of the village was beautifully candle lit and resounded in song. With so many happy faces it was lovely way to start the Christmas celebrations. Many came from the village with their extended families and many were from further afield. This joyful event was hugely supported by Dave Wakefield with the provision of coffee, hot chocolate and tasty bakes. We are extremely grateful to him for his generosity.

Thanks must also go to Elinor for her beautiful harp playing.

 

Christmas Party 9th December 2022

Tyninghame Village Hall & Community Committee hosted a very enjoyable Christmas party in the Hall for all those living in the community.

We had about 60 guests who spent a very sociable evening enjoying wine, tasty savories and mince pies.

The Tyninghame Sings group entertained us with some lively singing!

Wreath Making Workshops 2nd & 3rd December 2022

The Christmas tree was up and the Hall decorated when we held another very successful series of 3 wreath-making workshops. In total 62 wreaths were made by the people attending the workshops raising about £900. £100 of funds raised will be donated to East Lothian Food Bank and the rest will be used for the continuing Hall refurbishment and maintenance.

Some beautiful wreaths were made and everyone seemed to enjoy a relaxing 2 hours being creative and chatting over a coffee and some tasty baking. It always amazes us the diversity of the styles made, everyone taking home a unique decoration. 

Halloween Sunday 30 October 2022

We held another spookily fabulous Halloween event in the village with a pumpkin trail and fun and games in the Hall.

The children all enjoyed being able to trick or treat this year and a big effort was made with some scary fancy dress outfits!

Harvest Lunch Sunday 9 October 2022

We held an excellent SOLD OUT Harvest Lunch in the Hall.  The tables were beautifully decorated with vases of lovely garden flowers and all the food was locally sourced as well. There was a 3 course menu finished off with tea and coffee and petit fours. One of our guests, who celebrated her 100th birthday this year, said it was a really wonderful and very friendly afternoon! Although this is run as a community event, donations toward the Hall upkeep raised about £400.

 

Apple Pressing Day Sunday 25 September 2022

We had another very successful apple pressing event for the community and beyond. Once again the sun shone and there was a superb team effort by everyone who turned up.

Many trugs of a great variety of apples were brought to the Hall for processing in the press. The resulting juice was absolutely delicious with a few visitors and stall holders attending the Wee Fair requesting bottles to take home.

Generous donations for these were given towards Hall funds.

 

Summer fair 21 August 2022

A really wonderful day was had by all at our wee summer fair organised by the village community engagement group.

There was a dog parade (fancy dress optional) and all those pets taking part were on their best behaviour and seemed to love every minute. One little girl even chose to dress up as well and both she and her little dog were among the deserving winners.

We had lots of races and competitions, with a very healthy competitive streak emerging from those adults who joined in. The sack race and the chucking of the wellies caused much hilarity and were completed without injury! The crowd of over 100 villagers, friends and families were spoiled for choice with a chocolate tombola and a very popular bottle stall! We had a lucky dip treasure chest filled with sweeties, face painting and a giant bubble making stall which was a hit with all ages. The bric a brac stall was as popular as ever with quite a few pocket money purchases being made by the children and a few bargains were equally snapped up by adults.

Beautiful tasty cakes and tea were in abundance along with prizes and winners rosettes for all the events. The prizes for the village sunflower growing competition were also announced with a few worthy winners .

We had a wonderful window of fine weather where the sun shone all afternoon. The fair was run as a community event and not for profit with any donations received being used to offset expenses. Any extra funds will be put towards the village hall upkeep.

Memorial for Steve 16 July 2022

Some members of Tyninghame Sings + friends sang at Steve Tossel’s memorial on Saturday in the village hall.

Steve used to come along to Tyninghame Sings on a Sunday evening and also joined us on Zoom during COVID.

We sang his favourite song – ‘All Around My Hat’. He died about a year ago during the COVID pandemic.

Bridge and Lunch 14 July 2022

The Community Engagement Group (CEG) held a successful fund raising event in the Hall. A game of bridge and a buffet lunch were enjoyed by 40 people, 10 tables of 4 players. Many said how nice it was to be able to get together having been unable to have such a gathering for several years. There was a lot of positive praise for the delicious food, the lovely Hall and the cheerful atmosphere.

Funds raised will be put towards the kitchen refurbishment fund.  We hope very soon to be able to start the kitchen refurbishment which will make running such events so much easier.

Basic Life Support 8 July 2022

We were very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to brush up on our basic life support training.

Stephen Hartley and Brenda Binnie from the NHS Lothian Resuscitation team visited the Village Hall and ran 3 sessions for local people.

The sessions were informative and all who attended said how much they enjoyed the training. For the majority it has helped them to realise that they can always do something to buy time before the para medics arrive. The sessions also removed the   scare factor of ever having to use an automated defibrillator.

Platinum Jubilee Children’s Party 3 May 2022

A children’s party was held for some local families living in and around Tyninghame to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. The Village football pitch saw some fiercely competitive races, namely a running race, a very colourful sack race and an (unboiled) egg and spoon race! The adults delved into croquet, table tennis, Pimms, and delicious food made by all who attended.

A wonderful day was had by all to mark this special occasion!

 

Book Event – Afternoon Tea and Talk  22 May 2022

A most pleasant Sunday afternoon was spent in the village hall hearing from Judy Riley about her newly published book “Tyninghame, Landscapes and Lives” about the history of the gardens and wider landscape around Tyninghame House.

Judy lives at Tyninghame House and has previously spoken at one of our Pub nights about the wonderful gardens at the House and their creation. At this event many an appetite was whetted to learn more about the people who inhabited the land surrounding the House.

Over 30 people attended  this event and enjoyed the abundance of home baking, lots of cups of tea and coffee and of course an opportunity to chat to Judy about her research for the book.

Judy’s book was on sale at the event and she very generously donated a percentage of the book sales to the hall refurbishment fund as did others who kindly gave donations for the wonderful spread provided by the volunteers of the Community Engagement Group.

Pub Night 13th May 2022

Tyninghame residents enjoyed a Potluck Curry Pub night with an amazing choice of delicious meat, vegetarian and vegan curries, breads and chutneys. We had a green Thai chicken curry, prawn curry, lamb curry, pheasant curry, dhal, cauliflower korma, spinach & chickpea curry, Bombay aloo and an aubergine curry. These were served with naan breads, rice and chapatis. The Hall was so warm and welcoming with a big communal table for us all to sit and enjoy each other’s company and food.

Sunflower growing competition 2022

With all the seedlings being sold at Easter we are looking forward to see them growing tall and strong.

Tyninghame bird box making workshop 23^rd April 2022

Well done to the 12 bird box makers who have successfully put together some new bird box homes for blue tits or tree sparrows. The kit comprised of untreated larch sourced from Tyninghame sawmill, recycled bicycle tyres donated by Law cycles, all cut, sanded and pre drilled and made ready to assemble.

 

Easter Trail around Tyninghame April 2022

With such lovely weather this Easter, the children from the village and their friends enjoyed participating in the Easter themed trail. The starting point was the brightly decorated bus shelter where they collected an activity pack andmade their way round the village,sampling Easter cakes, collecting shapes to decorate and some chocolate eggs to enjoy. Even the resident frog from a garden beside Frog Lane put in an appearance! Giant Sunflower seedlings were out for collection with donations being made to support the Ukrainian refugees settled in Edinburgh. A total of 24 seedlings were raised with a grand sum of £76 going to the charity.

 

Advent Windows December 2022

To celebrate the festive season, some windows in the village were decorated for Advent with the Hall revealing the nativity scene on 24th December. The bus shelter also put on a festive display with messages being written for Santa and friends.

—– 2021 —–

Christmas Wreath Making workshops December 2021

We held workshops on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 December in the village hall. There was also an opportunity to collect a bag of wreath making items, greenery and instructions for those who preferred to make one at home.  Once again this was a very successful event enjoyed by all the participants. Many beautiful wreaths were created in the cozy atmosphere of the hall with cups of tea or coffee and seasonal baking goodies.

 

Halloween pumpkin trail and children’s activities October 2021

This year with fewer restrictions on Covid Guidance the children of the village and their friends were able to enjoy an amazing Pumpkin trail and Halloween themed activities in the village hall. Over 25imaginatively carved pumpkins were on display throughout the village. Frog Lane was spookily decorated and, together with a few households joining in, the children were able to let their imaginations run wild. It was also brilliant to see the children dressed up. We had an adorable pumpkin, Hermione from Harry Potter, a zombie bride, spiders, Dracula, a cat and several more. Games in the hall saw the children trying to catch ghosts on strings,looping the witches hat and, of course, dooking for apples. The ghoulish food was a hit with both children and adults who enjoyed old favourites like parkin and cinder toffee as well as eye balls and green monsters.

 

Art in the Bus Stop September 2021

The theme of this year’s Bus Stop Art was~”Sea & Space, Stars & Skies”.  We wanted everyone to let their imagination run free and to create something over the summer. This could be a collage, a painting, a drawing or something in papier-mâché.

Apple pressing events 12 September 2021 and 3 October 2021

We held the first community apple pressing event at Tyninghame Village Hall on Sunday 12th September using the new apple pressing equipment. We pressed about 10 trugs of apples in about 4 hours doing almost 4 full presses. It was great fun and we produced a lot of very tasty apple juice. Another similar apple pressing day on Sunday 3 October. It was another beautiful sunny day in Tyninghame.

Bric-a-Brac sale 25th August 2021

Members of the community organised a very successful bric-a-brac sale in the Hall on Saturday 25 August. The event was run in order to raise some much needed funds for continuing with the Village Hall refurbishment. Eleven tables were booked for a £10 donation, with stall holders coming from Dunbar, East Linton and Tyninghame.  We had over 170 adults and about 30 children at the Hall over the course of the day, despite the rather wet weather in the afternoon. Items left at the end of the day are being donated to Zero Waste.

Tyninghame House and Walled Garden Open Day 4 July 2021

The Open Day in aid of the Village Hall was held on 4 July and was a great success. Between the gate money, teas and plant sale, Scotland’s Gardens Scheme made just over £4000. 60% of that total goes to the Village Hall, which received just under £2500. The remainder (40% of the total) is divided between Scotland’s Gardens Scheme charities –  The Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland, Maggies and Perennial. A HUGE thank you to all our volunteer bakers and helpers – we really couldn’t have done it without you. The weather was kind to us and it was good fun being able to meet and chat and create our new outdoor, socially distanced teas!

Easter in Tyninghame 2-4 April 2021

At Easter the bus Shelter was brightly decorated by a group of grown up Easter bunnies, featuring hanging eggs, paper flowers, birds and art from many budding artists! The red Phone Box had a beautiful woodland display which the children loved especially all the ‘bunnies’ in there.

A nature trail and a few other activities including an Easter quiz, word search and bird identification sheet were put in the Shelter. There was a wee basket for each of the children to collect their finds. Some of the activities to do were hop like a rabbit, spot the silver trees, name some birds on the feeders, collect a feather, spot the ‘animals’ in Frog Lane and paint a picture.

 

—– 2020 —–

12 Days of Christmas 2020

The Tyninghame community displayed the Twelve Days of Christmas in windows throughout the village. In addition the bus shelter was given a festive overhaul and there was an opportunity to leave good wishes for fellow villagers or even messages for Father Christmas himself. On Christmas Eve the villagers were treated to some lovely Christmas music played by Elinor Evans on the clarsach. We gathered at social distances on Main Street with our candle lamps while the sun set spectacularly.

 

Christmas Wreath-Making Workshop – 6th December 2020

There were some very beautiful wreaths adorning the doors of Tyninghame village (and beyond!). The winner of the wreath-making workshop was Sabina Struthers.