News

Saturday, 28 August 2010 - A "Practical Completion Certificate" has been issued to FOPC and the key to the castle has been handed over to the Company Secretary.

After a run of 12 years, this will be the last entry on this website by this writer.  The website has been placed under new management and promises to be successfully "more academic" in its presentation.

Monday, 02 August 2010 - A MESSAGE FROM THE FOPC CHAIRMAN, ALASTAIR GLEN:

The substantial programme of work to repair the castle and make it safe for public access is now nearing completion.  Later in the year, following the installation of interpretation materials, it is hoped that access will be available, in this instance by arrangement only.  This limitation is because the castle can only accommodate 40 visitors at one time.

From April next year, the intention is that the castle will be open as follows:  First two weeks of April, all of July and August, daily.  May, June and September, Saturday and Sunday.  All 11am - 4pm.  At other times, by arrangement only.

Wednesday, 28 July 2010 - Another successful Music Evening Fundraiser took place on Saturday, 24th of July 2010!  Despite very unsettled weather conditions throughout the day, evening brought dry, although a bit chilly, conditions.  Our local music makers, "The Banned", were in top form...and we must thank them again for their generousity in donating an evening of professional entertainment!  The dance floor is going to have to be enlarged for next year's event, as it was filled to capacity to all of the dance numbers.  The evening concluded with high praise for the delicious buffet and "The Banned"...quite evidently, the guests were all in an upbeat mood.  On top of all this, we netted just over £2,100.00 for the Portencross Castle Fund.  Thank you all...supporters, participants, the ladies who provided the buffet, those gentlemen (and one lady) who erected the marquee and gazebos and dance floor (and also helped disassemble and clean up on the following day).  We had a wonderful time...it all fell into place with great results!  Thank you!

By the way, two raffle tickets neglected to respond to their numbers when they were called:  441 (white) and 471 (bright green).  If you still possess either of these tickets, please call Walter at 01294-823949.

Wednesday, 30 June 2010 - The 10th Annual Portencross Art Exhibition, which took place at Farland House, Portencross on the weekend of June 26 - 27 June, successfully raised a net sum of £3,295 for the Portencross Castle fund.  Of 198 exhibits displayed, 55 were sold.  The weather was kind once again, attracting visitors throughout the two days.  Our thanks to all who participated and made this event possible.  Special thanks to Bobby and Margaret McKee, who made their property and garden available in support of this event.

Wednesday, 28 April 2010 - Again, a successful fundraiser coffee morning!  The weather was pretty decent, the daffodils were (and still are) in bloom and loads of familiar and friendly faces came through South Banks House in Portencross.  Always good to see old friends and to make new ones.  Nearly £750 was raised, with donations still being received from those who were unable to attend.  Many thanks to all of you!

Sunday, 25 April 2010 - The Ardneil Beach Clean-up, which took place on Saturday, April 24th, far exceeded expectations!  A turnout of over 200 people with positive attitudes resulted in the collection of 505 black bin bags of trash, six tires, one television set, one computer monitor and two very large pieces from someone's boat from the beach between Seamill and Portencross.  This civic effort was sponsored and supported by the:  West Kilbride Civic Society; Friends of Portencross Castle (FOPC); Hunterston Rotary; West Kilbride Boys Brigade and Girl Guides; Youth With a Mission (YWAM); North Ayrshire Council (special thanks to Mark McNeil for providing bags, grabbers, gloves and a special pick-up of the mountain of collected trash and litter); Community Service Department (George Hannah and his teams); Kate, Karen, Laura and Audrey's super soup, filled rolls, coffee, tea and soft drinks; and Seamill Hydro for providing rolls.  A note of appreciation also goes to the "Keep Scotland Beautiful Campaign", which provided support and supplies (posters, tabards, bags) throughout our effort.  A number of welcome volunteers also appeared out of nowhere...to all, you should be proud of your accomplishment...it has been many years since our, your, beach has looked so clean!  Perhaps we can make this into an annual event?

Sunday, 28 March 2010 - EDITORIAL NOTE:  A serious break in the continuity of information on this website was the result of the "demise" of this computer's hard drive and the loss of all data.  Recovery of some of the data has been a long and arduous process, but quite a bit has been re-installed in the new hard drive.  Concurrently, there have been a series of faults in the internet connection. 

Most of the above problems have now been resolved.  There is the problem, however, of fragmented recovery of email.  If you have sent an email to this website and have not received a reply, please re-transmit your message.

Sunday, 22 November 2009 - Many thanks to all of the guests and those who made the coffee morning fundraiser a success! Nearly £700 was raised!  The debut of the 2010 Portencross Castle calendar surpassed all expectations!  We thank you for your continued support and look forward to the Spring 2010 coffee morning to welcome you back.  Meanwhile, Happy Holidays to all!

Saturday, 01 August 2009 - The Music Evening at South Banks House in Portencross on Saturday evening (July 25th) was again one of the favourite events on the fundraiser calendar!  Someone (up there!) must distinctly be casting a kind eye upon us...the weather on the preceding week was pretty wet and on the subsequent Sunday was atrocious...but we could not have asked for a more lovely day for the event on Saturday!  If we were to put in a "wee"  request for next year, could we possibly have just a bit warmer evening?  I know...mustn't complain!

The fundraiser brought in a net sum of £2,500!  We thank each and everyone of you who supported the event.  We especially wish to express our appreciation to "The Banned", who have made the music evening fundaisers such a pleasurable event for all of us.  They have contributed their time and talent for the past three years, and we thank them both collectively and individually.  "The Banned" is made up of local residents who have have a love of music and are willing to share it with us.  The group is made up of:  Bernard Thain (leader of the group and guitarist), John Kindness (drums), Ken Fegan (saxophone), Ike Grant (bass), Howard Smallwood (guitar and banjo), Stuart Fyfe (keyboard) and..."she who belts out our favourites"...Ann Brooks.  To each of them from all of us, "Thank you for your valuable participation in providing us with an evening of fun and music!"

To our supporters, thank you...without you it would have been an empty dance floor!

To the ladies (and a couple of gentlemen) who prepared and donated the makings of a lovely buffet...delicious, attested to by the fact that very little was left over.

To the team that erected and disassembled the dance floor, the marquee and the gazebos...a job well done! 

To the houseguests who cleaned up on the following day and who learned how to take down and store the marquee...you earned your breakfast!

To Audrey, without whom the entire event wouldn't have come to pass...many, many thank you's!

We hope to see all of you...and more of your friends...next year!

 

Wednesday, 29 July 2009 - A most successful 9th Portencross Harbour Art Exhibit!  Of 224 items which were exhibited, 67 were sold!  A total of £3,299 in proceeds  from sale of the exhibits, raffle and sale of homebaking and teas went to the Portencross Castle Fund...exceeding the amount realised from each of the previous eight exhibits.  Two outstanding works of art, donated by Derek McLean and Pam Glennie, were the top raffle prizes, won by Janette Scott and David Moroney, respectively.  Many thanks to all who attended and many more thanks to all who made the event possible...we appreciate your continuing support.

Sunday, 29 March 2009 - Again, apologies for the erroneous year reflected here!  Thought the glitch was fixed, but evidently not!  Anyway, it is meant to be 2009...and we're very pleased to report that yesterday's fundraiser coffee morning netted £638.44 for the Portencross Castle Fund.  This exceeds the money raised at the Spring fundraiser of last year by about £30.    Not bad for a very chilly, but clear almost-Spring morning...on the brink of reverting to Winter!  Thank you to all of our supporters who braved the cold and to the small army of helpers who made the event possible and successful.

The next fundraiser will probably be the Art Exhibition during the last weekend of June.  On  Saturday, 25 July,  we hope to reprise the successful Music Evening of last summer.  We'll  have more specifics for you soon.

Monday, 16 February 2009 - The "glitch fairy" continues to plague us!  The year reflected should be 2009!  Sorry about that!  Anyway, formal site works were initiated on this date.  A portion of the Portencross Car Park has been allocated to contractor's equipment and storage, while the immediate grounds around the castle have been cordoned off.  A heavy-duty scaffolding has been erected around the exterior of the castle and entry to the works is restricted for obvious health and safety reasons.  Although work has been sporadically progressing inside the castle, the general public has been unaware of any progress/activity.  Now, it is more evident and as significant progress is made you will be be informed.

Wednesday, 24 December 2008 - 'Tis Christmas Eve, and we wish all of you a Happy Christmas and a healthy and bountiful New Year!  There is much to reflect upon as we close out 2008.  We have lost friends, gained new ones, had our sad moments and enjoyed lighter ones.  To all of you who have travelled a long road with us, a very sincere and heartfelt thank you.  We look forward to a brighter 2009.  In the event we don't see you before then...Happy New Year!

Monday, 24 November 2008 - The weather was kind, once again, for the winter fundraiser coffee morning.  In total, just over £700 was realised!  Donations are still trickling in from those who were unable to attend our coffee morning!  Many thanks to all our supporters as well as to all of the organisers and volunteers who made this event possible and successful. 

The introduction of the new Portencross Castle Calendar for 2009 was heartily received...and was almost totally sold out.  Equally, a new Portencross Christmas card made its appearance, and has also been a popular item.

Thursday, 31 July 2008 - The music evening fundraiser at South Banks House on Saturday, 26 July 2008 was eminently successful!  The weather was outstanding..."The Banned" played all that we wanted to hear...the guests (approximately 180-200) were wonderfully supportive...and, the dance floor was crammed with happy feet.  On top of everyone truly enjoying themselves, the fundraiser netted over £2,800!!!  Considering that many of our stalwarts were away on vacation, the results very pleasantly surprised us...and it looks as if we have developed additional new "stalwarts" and friends!

Many thanks are extended to all who made this event possible.  All of the members of "The Banned" deserve special thanks for once again contributing their time, effort and talent to support this charitable evening.  We heard nothing but praise for them and the enjoyment they provided!  One would not believe the amount of preparation (and clean-up) that had to take place to hold this three-and-a-half-hour fundraiser!  We thank you and all of the supporting public, without whom none of this would have been possible.  This encourages us to do even better next year!  THANK YOU!!!

Monday, 30 June 2008 - The 8th Portencross Harbour Art Exhibit was successful...thanks to all of you who supported it and worked hard to make it possible!  The weather cooperated with the event, the supporters flocked to see and  purchase the art work and to enjoy tea, coffee and homebaking...which netted the Portencross Castle Fund just over £2,800...better than we have ever done in the past!

This year, 54 paintings were sold...again, better than we have ever done before.  The attendees must have been thirsty and hungry, because of the net total, £506 was spent in quenching their thirst and hunger pangs! 

We thank all of you and look forward to the 9th Portencross Harbour Art Exhibit...YOU make it what it is...THANK YOU!

Sunday, 01 June 2008 - The May 25th Portencross Carboot Sale benefitted from excellent weather and good attendance.  This was the third such event (the others being in 2003 and 2004) and the fundraising aspect of it netted £668 for the Portencross Castle Fund.  In 2004, we netted £531 and in 2003, it was almost £400.  While most of the funds were the result of the public purchasing homebacking, tea/coffee and snacks, we must also thank those who made generous donations during the course of the day...and some who were unable to attend, but mailed their donations for the event.  Our thanks to all of you!

Wednesday, 07 May 2008 - On this day...on a beautiful afternoon...the ashes of Sadie Naomi Ridgway Douglas, MBE, were committed to the Clyde at the Old Harbour of Portencross Castle and the castle flag was flown at half mast.  Sadie died on this date two years ago.   She was a founding director of the board of Friends of Portencross Castle and, concurrently, the Chairman of the West Kilbride Amenity Society.  Among her last wishes, she asked that the proceeds of a collection taken at her funeral service be passed to the Portencross Castle Fund...this was done, and with that money a replacement flagpole was erected atop Portencross Castle.  Her other request, was to have her ashes either scattered or interred near the castle...this has been accomplished...with fondest wishes from all of us.

Thursday, 01 May 2008 - Since the beginning of 2008, there have been a number of noteworthy activities pertaining to Portencross Castle...mostly of a positive nature.

It has been gratifying to see the funding aspect of FOPC efforts showing results.  In addition to the Heritage Lottery Fund award of £510,000, the Historic Scotland award of £367,442  and the promised contribution from FOPC's own funds (derived from fundraising activities and donations from individual supporters), there have been several quite sizable donations from the following trusts and funds:  Moffat Charitable Trust, £30,000; North Ayrshire Council Community Landfill Fund, £27,300; W.M Mann Foundation, £6,500; The Dalrymple Donaldson Fund, £3,500; The Architectural Heritage Fund (which has provided enormous support and encouragement throughout the project), £6,000.  All of this has brought the grand total of funds raised to £1,009,269.  A funding gap of approximately £32,000 remains.

On the downside, during the early part of this year, an internal management upheaval within the parent organisation of one of our consultants created slippage in our projected schedule of works.  The matter has now been resolved, but some work which was anticipated to have been initiated this year has now slipped into Spring 2009.

Nevertheless, some of the passing public may have noticed movement and activity in the castle area during the past few weeks.  First, a small group of volunteers cleared rubbish and stored materials from the castle cellar.  This was in preparation of an archaeological survey of the castle by the Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division (GUARD) prior to initiation of works.  The archaeological team is currently on site.

Wednesday, 30 April 2008 - The first fundraiser coffee morning of 2008, held on April 19th, was blessed with fine weather and excellent attendance.  A total of just over £600 was netted for the castle fund!  THANK YOU to everyone who made this into another successful event!  The homebaking goes down a treat, because there is never anything left over!  For those who missed this coffee morning, there are a series of events to follow this year (...they are listed in the Events Diary section of this website...) and your desire for homebaking may be fulfilled at these.

Again, many thanks for your support!

Monday, 31 December 2007 - We watch 2007 becoming a matter of history.  To recapitulate significant events for FOPC in the closing months of November and December, we cite the following:

FOPC had a first-time presence at the Farmers' Market, held at Fins in Fairlie on the last Sunday of every month, on November 25th.   Virtually all of  the home baking and  "sweeties"  were sold together with a number of cards, with a profit of £205.  Many thanks to Jill and Bernard Thain for donating a stall for FOPC use  We believe that this was an excellent opportunity to expose FOC to a different target audience.

On December 1st and 2nd, FOPC had a presence at a table at the West Kilbride Craft Fair, which it shared jointly with the West Kilbride Amenity Society.  On this occasion, with a very limited supply of home baking and sweets (which were totally sold out) and FOPC cards, a total of £67.60 was realised.

The final fundraiser coffee morning of 2007, on December 8th, earned £582.  The atrocious weather did not deter attendance.  The raffle first prize, a painting of the castle, kindly donated by William Hunter, was won by Alison and Will Wood.  The unique part of this painting is that it was rendered on a feather!

The combination of money gained through fundraisers (while the amounts pale in light of the more sizable recent grants), the conscientious voluntary investment and individual contribution of time, effort and money are reflective of public support and the continuing development of public awareness. 

In this vein, we wish to wholeheartedly and sincerely thank all of you who have supported FOPC goals and activities during 2007 as well as the lead-up years!  To all of you, a very Happy Christmas and a bountiful and healthy New Year!

Saturday, 01 December 2007 - Friends of Portencross Castle are delighted to report the award of a Heritage Lottery Fund of £510,000 toward the project "A New Life for Portencross Castle".

An application to Historic Scotland for a £400,000 grant has also been accepted.  The exact amount will depend upon the final tender for the contract. 

FOPC has committed £55,000 from its own resources toward required matching funds.  This money has been raised entirely from donations from the public and fund-raising activities.  We sincerely thank all of you who have contributed to this and provided support and encouragement.  There is still a shortfall of approximately £50,000 toward confirmed matching funding and this is being actively addressed.  

The £50,000 donated by BNFL at the time of title turnover in December 2005, has been set aside to provide an endowment for long-term maintenance.

Apart from financial contribution, your support has displayed, to the grant-awarding bodies, the enthusiasm for this project within the wider community.  We depend upon, and are very grateful for, your continued support.  We began this effort together nearly 10 years ago...we are finally viewing results!  Efforts are now concentrated on starting work during the summer of 2008.

We wish to encourage those of you who are not yet participants in the Guardian Programme to consider becoming a Guardian of Portencross Castle in return for small regular payments.  For further information, please call the Company Secretary at 01294 823799 or see contribution information in this website.

Monday, 20 August 2007 - Letters to FOPC:  We thought that we should share the following message which was received yesterday:

"Yesterday, my mother took me to Portencross.  As a child, her father used to take her, and she always dreamt of owning the castle (as I am sure many children did).  My mother loves the castle, but nothing prepared me for how stunning it is.  As a design student, I don't have any money to donate to your cause, but I wish I could, because it's a tragedy that the castle is in a state of disrepair.

I hope once I am working and I have some money, I will be able to help you in some physical way, but for now all I can give is my best wishes and absolute support for your cause.

It seems to me that the enigmatic beauty of this building is a staple that has fired the minds of generations of people, and I hope that it inspires generations of people to come.

I admire your work and your dream, and I hope for it to be as strong and steadfast as the walls of the tower themselves."

Callum

Response:

Hi, Callum!

Many thanks for your message of encouragement and support.  It is always good to hear from others who understand why we are determined to bring Portencross Castle back to a better state of repair.  It all takes time, but I hope you will have the opportunity for a visit to a consolidated castle before too long. We hope that you have no objection to our posting the text of your message on our website...we feel it should be shared.  Best wishes for your studies.

Alastasir Glen
Chairman, FOPC

Tuesday, 07 August 2007 - The music event fundraiser on July 21st was attended by over 160 supporters and netted just under £1,800 for the Portencross Castle Fund!  This was the first time we had attempted this type of fundraiser and were overwhelmed by the supportiveness, good will and generousity of all concerned.  Special thanks go out to "The Banned", who provided us with an evening of very listenable and enjoyable music...all on a voluntary basis!  To all of you, again...THANK YOU!

Tuesday, 10 July 2007 - Many thanks to all who participated in making the 7th Annual Portencross Harbour Art Exhibit a success!  While the weather was a bit "iffy'', at least we were not forced to wear wading boots as in one previous year!  The fundraiser netted just over £2,000...almost as much as we raised last year.  Now, to begin to look forward to next year's exhibit.  Keep supporting us...and, thank you!!!

Wednesday, 06 June 2007 - EDITORIAL NOTICE:

IF ANYONE HAS WRITTEN TO FOPC AND HAS NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE, PLEASE RE-TRANSMIT YOUR MESSAGE.  WE ENCOUNTERED A COMPUTER PROBLEM AND SUBSEQUENTLY LOST THE HARD DRIVE AND MOST DATA.  OUR APOLOGIES TO THOSE WHOSE E-MAIL MESSAGES HAVE BEEN AFFECTED.

Saturday, 31 March 2007 - The first coffee-morning fundraiser of 2007, held at South Banks House in Portencross, was well-attended both by stalwart supporters as well as new faces.  A net total of £502 was raised!  Many thanks to our supporters as well as to all of our helpers!

Monday, 25 December 2006 - A most Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year to all of our friends and supporters...wherever they may be!

Thursday, 26 October 2006 - The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded a grant of £33,100 for the Project Planning Stage of work required to safeguard Portencross Castle and to ultimately allow access to visitors.  The 635-year-old castle, a Scheduled Monument, needs work to consolidate its structure.  Project Planning will provide necessary detail as to what is required to give the castle a new lease on life.

The Heritage Lottery Fund is the major contributor to the £42,188 planning project, which has also been generously supported by the Moffat Charitable Trust, North Ayrshire Council and public donations to the Friends of Portencross Castle.

Colin McLean, Heritage Lottery Fund Manage for Scotland, said:  "This grant will enable the FOPC to carry out important planning work before they embark on a larger-scale project to ensure the future of Portencross Castle."

Monday, 28 August 2006 - Sadly, we were just informed of the death of Patricia Gerber, who passed away after a prolonged illness.  Pat was a long-time supporter of our activities in respect to Portencross Castle and was one of our first "Guardians".  A lovely lady, who will be  missed by all of us.  Friends of Portencross Castle offer our sincere condolences to Pat's family. 

Further information will be posted in "The Herald", either today or tomorrow, regarding her funeral, which will take place in Kilmalcom.