Our recent survey has shown strong support from the Auchtertool community for ACT bursary awards to be extended to include the purchase of technology or devices such as laptops or tablets. This is intended to help people across our community access digital services more easily. 

Therefore we invite all residents who would benefit from the purchase of a new device to submit a bursary request through application process outlined in the Community Trust (ACT) section. 

The standard bursary is for £200 and can be used towards the purchase a laptop, tablet or equipment that helps people access online services more easily. The bursaries  are based on individual residents and not per household so if you have multiple people in your household who require a device please submit an application for each person. 

Our next meeting to approve bursary applications is on Thursday 21 January so if your request is urgent please make your submission before then. We’ll endeavour to approve any requests after that date as quickly as possible.

​Whilst we hope to be able to fulfil all requests we don’t have unlimited funds so we may have to review our criteria if demand is higher than expected. 

You can find the application form, submission details and contact process on the Auchtertool Community Trust page of this website 

We appreciate the latest set of Covid restrictions means that many people in our community are having to access services remotely through digital channels whether that’s for shopping, schooling, keeping in touch with family and friends, medical services etc. All of these services require access to digital devices such as laptops or tablets. Our community survey in 2019 highlighted that connectivity is one of the key priorities for our community.

Auchtertool Community Trust has been discussing ways that we can help make it easier for people to access these services remotely especially during the Covid restrictions. One of the ways we think we can do that is through providing financial awards to put towards the purchase of new or additional devices so that everyone who needs to access a suitable device can.

Our £200 bursary process wasn’t initially designed to provide support to purchase communication devices. However we believe there may be value in extending the bursary awards to be used towards the purchase of new laptop or devices for anyone in the village who would benefit.

Therefore we would like to ask for your view. Please use the survey below to let us know if you would be in support of us extending the bursary awards to provide £200 towards the purchase of new devices.

The survey will close at on Sunday at 7pm

Vote here

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Auchtertool Community Film event

Our next cinema day takes place on Sunday 9th December at Auchtertool Village Hall.

4pm Family-friendly Disney's Nutcracker And The Four Realms (PG)

7:30pm Bohemian Rhapsody (12A)

Tickets are £2 per person, your ticket also includes Christmas snack and tea/coffee for adults or juice, crisps and sweets for kids.

You're also welcome to bring your own snacks, refreshments and drinks.

Tickets must be collected by 30th November from

• Deirdre McKenzie on 01592 780 391
• Alison McAlpine on 01592 780 988
• Auchtertool School office.

Hope to see you all there.

The Community Council received this notice from SEPA:

19 April 2018
Dear Tom,
Final warnings to Exxonmobil Chemical and Shell for environmental non-compliance
I write to you in your capacity as Chair of Auchtertool Community Council to inform you that this week the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) served petrochemical companies ExxonMobil Chemical Ltd and Shell UK Limited with Final Warning letters following an enhanced unplanned flaring event at the Mossmorran complex in Fife, during June 2017.
In addition to Final Warning letters, SEPA commissioned a full review of the environmental permits to operate both sites, with a view to strengthening environmental compliance and reducing the impact of flaring on local communities. An enhanced programme of air quality monitoring will inform relevant public agencies.
Following an intensive SEPA investigation, which included formal statements from local residents, we found that whilst flaring is an important safety feature in the event of a process fault, a series of maintenance failures had led to elevated levels of unplanned flaring in breach of environmental controls between 12 and 18 June, following the breakdown of a condensate pump.
We found that residents were subject to considerable disturbance in their homes from noise, vibration and black smoke over the seven-day period in summer 2017, during which we received 74 complaints in total.
Every day, SEPA works to protect and enhance Scotland’s environment and compliance with Scotland’s environmental rules is simply non-negotiable and I have personally met senior ExxonMobil Chemical Ltd and Shell UK Limited executives directly on site to make it clear to them that environmental compliance is non-negotiable.
The impact of unplanned flaring from Mossmorran last year was both preventable and unacceptable. We’re disappointed that both ExxonMobil Chemical and Shell UK caused an environmental impact on local communities which is why we’ve issued formal Final Warning letters and have announced a full review of environmental permits and an enhanced programme of air quality monitoring.
It’s clear that further actions are required by ExxonMobil Chemical and Shell UK to ensure the frequency and impact of flaring is reduced but I’m encouraged by how both companies have responded, committing to respond positively to a strengthening of environmental controls. We’ll be working together with the Health and Safety Executive, public health partners and communities to strengthen environmental controls and deliver powerful transparency over site operations.
While the Final Warning letters brings to a close SEPA’s regulatory investigation for June 2017, the unplanned flaring events which took place in October 2017 and March 2018 are still under investigation.
The latest SEPA Mossmorran newsletter has just been published and is available on SEPA’s dedicated Mossmorran Hub at www.sepa.org.uk/mossmorran where we also publish regular updates.
Yours sincerely

Terry A’Hearn
Chief Executive Officer
Scottish Environment Protection Agency
Strathallan House
Castle Business Park
STIRLING
FK9 4TZ

Good morning folks

As reported previously there is a public meeting regarding independent monitoring of the Mossmorran site to be held tomorrow at the Adam Smith Theatre Kirkcaldy. This has been reported locally also and is open to all to attend.

Mossmorran Meeting – Agenda

11am – 1pm, 20th April 2018

Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy

1. Welcome and introduction from Lesley Laird MP

2. Update from Professor Wilson Sibbett, Chair of the Independent Monitoring

Committee

3. Current report from ExxonMobil and Shell

4. SEPA update

5. Break out into two work groups – each group to discuss the following

questions:

a) What are the key community-related issues that are of concern?

b) Do the current monitoring, communication and wider community liaison

structures work? Are the right people involved in these structures?

c) What short, medium and long terms solutions are needed? Who is

responsible for dealing with these?

6. Feedback

7. Next steps

Tell us what matters to you in Auchtertool by letting us know how you want the Clentrie Wind Farm community benefit invested in our community.
Everyone will receive a survey through their door but you can complete it online if you prefer.
Each member of your household is invited to complete their own survey.
This is your chance to have your views heard.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/F2VPTQX

At our last committee meeting we requested that Shell Exxon provide us with better advance communication of scheduled maintenance. They've provided the following update for September:

​Shell Fife NGL Plant would like to advise that there will be planned maintenance activities on the refrigeration system of Module 1 on 1st September. During the preparation phase of this Module 1 Shutdown, there may be intermittent flaring within a period of 24 hours from 1st to 2nd September.
 
Most of the evacuated hydrocarbons will be routed to storage and so only residual hydrocarbons will be routed to the flare system, and we will prefer the use of ground flares. This is expected to cause minimal noise and light impact to the local community.
 
The activities include inspection and maintenance on the main compressor, and maintenance on vessels and pipework that are normally covered in insulation due to operating at cold temperatures.
 
The same module will be shutdown for five days from 4th to 9th September to carry out maintenance on a control valve. However, this activity is not expected to cause any flaring. The module is expected to return to service by 20th September.

We've just published the second issue of the Auchtertool Village newsletter. It's been less than two months since our last newsletter but the Clentrie Wind Farm Community Benefit for Auchtertool is moving at pace so we wanted to keep everyone updated. 

You'll receive your copy over the next couple of days but if you can't wait until then you can read it here

Everyone should have received their copy of the first issue of the Auchtertool Newsletter last week. Hopefully everyone has found it useful but if you think it's missing anything please let us know. 

A lot of people have asked for an electronic copy so they can send it to people outside the village. You can find a digital copy below.

If our little helpers have missed any houses let us know and we'll pop a copy through your door.

You can comments to this post or send a message to the Village Council here.