BACK TO THE FUTURE - Campbeltown looks back to move forward

[Kintyre Forum News]

Bit late but if you can make it today it would be worthwhile!

We would like to invite you ,and members of your group to an event in The Town Hall on Thursday 19th August at 11.00am to have a cup of tea or coffee and celebrate the findings of a recent project called Mapping The Future which was done with local groups from Campbeltown Community Council, Kintyre YES project and the University of the 3rd Age. The project was designed to look over one generation's lives (the over 60s ) to look to the future with the younger generation (the current teenagers of Campbeltown) to imagine an ideal future with their combined thinking.

Also on display are learning opportunities available from the autumn onwards especially for groups like yours to help improve the skills of members or for individuals who would like to learn computer skills for free as Individual Learning Accounts of £200 are available.

Highlights of the day include the opening of the event at 11.00am by Mr George Mc Millan from The Heritage Centre who will recall the days of the Grumolli family's cafes in Campbeltown which brightened up the lives of many generations over the decades and Jim and Morag McKinven who will perform a rock and roll dance at 6.30pm to pay homage to the dance halls of Campbeltown which were full of dancers in the 50s and 60s in particular.

The Town Hall will have a retro theme and many exhibitors will be dressing up to add to the fun so we would love to see you there if you can make it along.

Look forward to seeing you on 19th,

The Mapping the Future Team (you'll meet us in person on the day)

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PRESS RELEASE

BACK TO THE FUTURE - Campbeltown looks back to move forward.

" Plenty music but not enough cafes and nowhere to dance for teenagers" were some of the conclusions of an inter-generational project held in Campbeltown earlier this year which was championed by Pamela Galbraith on behalf of Creative Front-line, an organisation which has piloted a project for the Scottish Government. Campbeltown Community Council, University of the Third age and Kintyre Youth Enquiry Service project were a few of the groups who put forward their members to take part in this experiment for Community Learning and Development's Standards Council for Scotland, who promote innovative learning and good practice for qualified Community Workers across the country to learn from, and aspire to, within their work programme.



Well known community activist and community councillor, Cathy Duncan and retired taxi driver, Reggie Mc Manus were two of the older group members who took part in this Mapping the Future project which helped them both discover new skills in learning IT which has changed both of their lives. Cathie said " I never knew how much I would enjoy using a computer for everyday things and would never have learnt how to do this if it wasn't for this project. I am getting e-mails from friends and relatives as well as queries about Campbeltown from visitors". Reggie agreed, " When I was asked to do this project about memories from my teenage years and the future, I said "yes", and am glad I did, as during the workshops I realised how much I was missing out on by not using the Internet. I was amazed at how easy it was to use the social networking sites to keep up with friends and family and I have lots of people contacting me from the past, even folk from Australia and Canada ! "



There will be a chance to see the findings from this project on 19th August when Reggie,Cathie and others from the group will be putting on a one day event to celebrate the cafe and dance halls of Campbeltown's past. The major theme which came out of the project was that the teenagers of past decades had three cafes open in the evening just for their age group, and there were also lots of dances every week under 18s could attend.



It is also hoped that some members of the Grumolli family, who opened three of the much loved cafes in Campbeltown will be present at the event to see the artwork done by the group as part of the project in homage to their cafes. Ronald Togneri, whose parents owned the Locarno cafe and is part of the Grumolli family has kindly offered to share photographs taken from the 50's and 60's - the golden age of cafes affectionately remembered by the older members of the MTF group and much envied by the present day teenagers who took part in the pilot. The hall will be decorated in lanterns with the names of dance halls and cafes of the 50's, 60's and 70's in Campbell made by Reggie, Cathie and local young people with art tutor Jan Nimmo to set the scene and take us all back in time to when the Town Hall was one of the dance halls of the era regularly frequented by teenagers after they spending some time in the cafes.



Also, several local training providers will be exhibiting on the day to help you to find out about how the learning opportunities which have enhanced Cathie and Reggie's life can help you by enrolling on a course for the autumn with Argyll Training, Argyll College and the University of the Third Age to name but a few.



The event will be held on Thursday 19th August between 11.00am to 7.00pm in the Town Hall and it is hoped that the public will be enticed in to have a cup of coffee in the retro cafe for one day only and take a step back in time and a look at possibilities for the future. Ex- councillor and historian George Mac Millan from the Heritage Centre will open the event with a few words on the cafes and halls in Campbeltown before the stalls open to display what's on offer for the autumn. Ronald Togneri will give a brief history of the Italian families in Scotland (who are mostly related on the West Coast) on behalf of the Grumolli family.

At 6.30pm Morag and Jim McKinven will dance to rock and roll music to remember the golden days of dance halls in Campbeltown and to put everyone in the mood for the Campbeltown Music festival which starts that evening!

For more information contact Pamela Galbraith from Alba Heritage Trust on 077 96110064