Some GOOD NEWS from North Berwick Environment and Heritage Trust
‘More than Lighthouses’ – A date for your diary
We are delighted to announce that the guest speaker at our AGM will be Mike Bullock OBE, Chief Executive of the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB).
Mike served 34 years in the Royal Navy, retiring as a Commodore, before joining the Northern Lighthouse Board as Chief Executive in 2014.
During his long and distinguished naval career, Mike served in six ships and submarines, worked in the British Embassy in Washington, NATO Headquarters in London, the Ministry of Defence in Whitehall, the Pentagon as the UK representative for Logistics, and finally, in Navy Command HQ in Portsmouth. He holds an MA in International Security and Strategy from King’s College London, and is a Trustee of the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses in Fraserburgh, the Northern Lighthouse Heritage Trust, and The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust – amongst many other things! He was awarded an OBE in 2021 for Services to the Safety and Welfare of Seafarers.
Mike’s talk, ‘More than Lighthouses …’, is a chance to find out about the Northern Lighthouse Board’s rich heritage and history and how the organisation operates today. The NLB has provided a vital service to mariners since 1786 and is responsible for the management of all lights, buoys and beacons within Scottish and Isle of Man waters. The service not only helps to prevent accidents around the coastline, safeguarding lives and property, but also protects our precious marine environment. This engaging and informative talk will follow our AGM on Tuesday 25th March at 7pm in St Andrew Blackadder Chapel. There will be nibbles and refreshments after Mike’s talk and everyone is welcome. We look forward to seeing you there – bring your friends!
NB Heritage is born
This past year we’ve been working hard preparing to become a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO). We are delighted to tell you that our application has now been approved by OSCR and NB Heritage has been registered as a Scottish charity (SC053977). This is an important milestone – the new SCIO is a legal entity and a corporate body in its own right, which will provide greater protection and confidence for Trustees, funders and contractors alike.
We now need to transfer all of NBEHT’s assets and liabilities to the new charity, which may take a little while – after which we will wind down NBEHT and it will cease to exist.
The mission of the new charity is: ‘To conserve, enhance and celebrate North Berwick – its townscape, heritage and setting’.
For now our website address is unchanged: www.nbenvironmentheritagetrust.com. Please do check out the website – we’d welcome feedback and ideas for further improvements.
Restoration work is underway at the viewpoint shelters
We are delighted that work is finally underway to restore the viewpoint shelters at Tantallon Terrace and Glasclune Gardens. Prompted by our member, Gerry Taggart, NBEHT has worked with a local Veterans’ Group to ensure that the Glasclune Gardens shelter was also restored. Once the work is complete, the plan is to re-name this upper shelter ‘Veterans’ View’. As far as possible, these historic structures are being returned to their original appearance. This includes replacing the rare cedar shingles on the roofs – shown here being added to the Tantallon shelter. The project is funded by North Berwick Trust and North Berwick Rotary Club, with help in kind from East Lothian Council – to all of whom we extend our grateful thanks. The work is expected to be complete by mid-March.
‘The Importance of Being Ruined’ – another date for your diary
Robin MacEwen
Our Chair, Olwyn Owen, will be giving a talk on ‘The Importance of Being Ruined’ to the Friends of the Coastal Communities Museum on Thursday 20th March at 7.30pm in St Andrew Blackadder Church. As Olwyn says: ‘North Berwick’s ruined monuments are an important part of the town’s story and help us to understand the shape and character of the town today. This talk will explain how and why we protect archaeological sites and monuments, and it will explore the archaeology of North Berwick and its monuments, with a focus on the ruins in our midst such as St Andrew’s Kirk Ports – and why they matter’. This event is free to members of CCM and open to non-members with a small entry charge.
NB Heritage needs you …
As we attract more members and continue to grow, we are looking for more people to play an active role in our work, including on the Committee. The more people who volunteer, the more we can do to conserve, enhance and celebrate North Berwick. We will soon need a new Chair, Treasurer and Membership Secretary, but we are also looking for people with skills in managing website and social media content, and in fundraising. In fact there is a host of ways to get involved, so if you would like to help us make even more of an impact, please do get in touch at: nbenvironmentheritagetrust@gmail.com.
With very best wishes,
From the NBEHT Committee