YOU CAN WRITE !

June 24 2007

2 - 4 pm

At the Corn Exchange Melrose

This was one of the events out of twenty-nine or so that ran over four days and made up The Borders Book Festival 2007.

Up stairs, via the chair lift for me, I could hear chatting and laughter, clatter of cups on saucers, and scraping of chair legs. The room, with tea/coffee and biscuits at one end; Displays of work, people had sent in, the work LEARNING FOR ALL and THE BIG PLUS do across the Borders, at the other end. With chairs and tables in the middle, soon filled.

It was nice to see faces I remembered, from across the Borders and beyond, and still lots more I didn’t know.

Time to start. We were all gently herded into a second bigger room with chairs all round. I chose my seat along side the camera thinking I was safe. Photogenic I am not, but hadn't counted on the ingenuity of the cameramen, relocating, to record all.

A welcome from Oonagh McGarry, a speech by Glenn Rodger, the Council’s Director of Education and Lifelong Learning.

Then back to Oonagh who told us about photos and filming being taken, if no one minded? Where the fire exits were (air stewardess style) and to everyone relief, owing to the non-stop rain, that there were no planned drills. Maggie Elliott, needed no introduction, since most had attended her workshop she had been all over the Borders. Straight to work is her benchmark! This eased the tension and relaxed some people.

My head was crammed with the task ahead, so I didn’t manage to put pen to paper to write about my hero. Some had written lots, others just a few words. Maggie introduced some to read out. This filled the first hour. Time for a tea/pee/fag stop. When back seated, Oonagh called for attention! Then, in no particular order, introduced people that had agreed to read. I listened to some very good readers and hoped I would do as well. I liked the lyrics read to music, and the poem by Janice. Lottie’s poem gave everyone the giggles. Then it was me. I took a deep breath, imagined “sitting in the Annexe with my friends from 2CA” then read, as I had practiced, applause, and on to the next poem. When all had read, Oonagh thanked people for working so hard, to make the event happen, seemingly so effortlessly, with great success, and called time.

Lots of people, whose faces I remember, but names I do not, said nice things about my poem and how well I’d read.

The room became very noisy, so I said my farewells, rode the chair lift once more.

Stopping for a tick to view the rain and the washed out road then set off for the car and home.

By Victoria

August O7

               2CA AT THE NEW
 COLDSTREAM COMMUNITY CENTRE.

This picture is Ann, Catherine and I hard at work helping visitors at Second Chance Academy (2ca) display table in the Coldstream Community Centre. (C.C.C.)
It was the official opening as all the rooms can be used now, and very nice it is too.
It was a busy afternoon, where lots of groups from Coldstream had a table displaying their activities. Groups like: The Play Group, Lennel Tennis Club,
Coldstream Women’s Guild, The Over Sixties Club and many more.
At three everything paused for the Opening speeches.
Catherine was presented with a big bouquet of flowers, thanking her for her hard work and form filling netting grants essential to keep the project going. Her speech thanked many people for the work and money they had given and handed the stage over to Jock, Dick and Martin.
Right from the start Jock Law, Dick Mitchell and Martin Johnson
have worked hard (sometimes non stop) chasing out the damp and rebuilding so much of the old church and its hall to make the C.C.C. the great place it is now.
They were each given a quaich and photos of the last ten years.
Jock pulled on a ribbon and balloons fell from above.
The centre was declared open.
Everyone worked hard at 2ca to make a fun, informative and thought provoking display.
William and Donald made a bright colourful eye catching board, which brought people to our table in the corner.
Ann made up a word search. I made up some clues for a crossword and did some printing for William and Donald.
Kelly designed cards with letters on, so that people could make the longest word. This was our prize game, with a memory stick to the person with the longest word.
The longest words made had eight letters, four people got different eight letter words. Ann and I gave them numbers, when Catherine (who had been making a speech) came back (carrying her bouquet) she chose the winning number.
This was the fairest way to pick our winner, as Catherine didn’t know what the numbers were for until she picked. Then she gave the winner her stick.

By Victoria

November 2008