Currie Community Council

The Currie Fair and Common Good Fund was set up by Currie Community Council to look after events such as the Fair and the Common Riding. There is a sub-committee called the Ride Committee which manages the Common Riding.

The Fund is managed by a Committee elected annually at a General Meeting open to all the people of Currie. This was last held on 9 October 2000. At this meeting, Graham Dane was elected to chair the Currie Fair and Common Good Fund Committee (CFCGFC) and Charles Girdler was elected to chair the Ride Committee.

Documents available:

  1. What is the Common Riding?
  2. Itinerary of the Common Riding
  3. Constitution of Currie Fair and Common Good Fund
  4. Minutes of meeting of CFCGFC, November 2000

What is the Common Riding

The Currie standard is paraded around the parish by an Ensign and Equerry, accompanied by a retinue on horseback and on foot. It is associated with a Fair, which usually takes place on the same day. The Common Riding is a civic occasion where the community celebrates and visitors from other towns are welcomed. In many ways it is the Lowland equivalent of the Highland Games.

Guests visited Currie in May 2000 from the following towns:
Lanark, Penicuik, Jedburgh, Duns, Berwick upon Tweed, Coldstream, Sanquhar.
In return, our Ensign and Equerry visit as many common ridings as possible. In 1999 these were Penicuik, West Linton, Moffat, Biggar, Sanquhar and Lanark. Invitations from Lauder and Kirkudbright unfortunately coincided with other engagements. As well as these towns, Biggar and Dumfries were visited in 2000. Currie thus maintains friendly relations with more than a dozen other towns.

In May 2005 morning visitors included the Cornet and Cornet Elect from Biggar, and the Lord Cornet and his Right and Left Hand Men from Lanarkfrom Lanark joined the Riding on foot. The two representatives of Annan stayed all day.At the first Parade of the Sashes during the evening ceilidh, we formally welcomed from:-
Annan : The Cornet's Lass 1989 (Ashley Pool) and the Cornet's Lass 2005 (Melanie Jones);
Dumfries : The Cornet's Lass 1986;
Kirkcudbright: Pursuivant 2002 (Jane Maxwell);
Moffat: Shepherd 2000 (Ewan McTeir) and Shepherd 2002 (Chris McTeir);
Penicuik: Hunter's Lass 1990 (Roberta Gray McMath), Hunter 1998 (Robbie Sutherland), Hunter's Lass 2004 (Sarah Munro), Hunter Elect 2005 (Mark Campbell), Hunter's Lass Elect 2005 (Carol Lumsden);
Sanquhar; Cornet's Lass 2002 (Laura Shankly), Cornet's Lass 2003 (Claire Forsyth), Cornet 2004 (Derek Hextal), Cornet's Lass 2004 (Christy McGoldrick), Cornet Elect 2005 (Scott Jamieson), Ensign Elect 2005 (Scott Grierson).

From Currie teh following past and present Principals were formally introduced:-
Gillean Docherty 1995
Liz Day 1999
Jenny McNair 2000
Fiona McErlean 2002
Karin Bone 2004
Equerry 2005 Libby Clark Ensign 2005 Dave Smith

Itinerary of Currie Common Riding in 2008

Currie Fair and Common Good Fund

09:24 Depart Heriot Watt University, East Car Park. Parking for trailers and lorries will be here.
09:30 Arrive Heriot Watt Statue, exchanging of rosettes with Principal.
09:40 Depart Heriot Watt Statue, ride led by outgoing Ensign and Equerry. The ride will leave the back entrance of the campus and proceed up Curriehill Road past the train station turning left on to Riccarton Avenue.
10:00 Arrive Weavers Knowe Green, meet other horses/riders
10:10 Sashing Ceremony of new Ensign and Equerry with distinguished guests.
10:30 Depart Weavers Knowe Green, the Ride will pass along Muir Wood Road to Lanark Road West, Ensign and Equerry to touch the boundary at Juniper Green. The ride will proceed up Blinkbonny Road through Blinkbonny Village.
10:55 Rosebank Farm, Kirkgate. Rough Ride section begins.
12:35 Arrive Bonaly Reservoir, light refreshments will be served.
12:55 Depart Bonaly Country Park via Bonaly Road , Woodhall Road, Woodhall Mains Farm, Blinkbonny Road, Kirkgate.
13:40 Depart Currie Goods Yard, We welcome our lead rein riders to join at this point.
13:55 Arrive Waulkmill Loan, across Lanark Road West, Ensign and Equerry to touch Balerno boundary, Stewart Avenue, Dolphin Road ,Curriehill Road.
14:10 Arrive Riccarton Arms Hotel, preceded by Heriot Watt Pipe Band. Presentation of Best Turned Out Rosette.
14:25 Depart Riccarton Arms Hotel for Heriot Watt Campus
14:50 Arrive Heriot Watt University East Car Park.

A small number of pictures is shown from the large number taken. For more pictures, contact the Community Council.

Currie Fair and Common Good Fund: Constitution

1. OBJECTS
To further the charitable purposes for which Currie Fair:Committee is established through the organisation and running of up to two fairs per annum and a weekly market, in accordance with permission granted by Act of the Scots Parliament in 1705 and the assent of Queen Anne, and the organisation and running of the Riding of the Currie March. To further any project or cause which can be shown to be for the Common Good of the residents of Currie Parish. In furtherance thereof, but not otherwise:
1.1 To raise funds;
1.2 to provide the cash required as "running expenses" for the Fair/s, Market and Riding of the Currie March;
1.3 to disburse from any surplus of the Fund, which is not required for 1.2, only to causes or projects which are for the common good of the residents of the Parish of Currie.

2. ORGANISATION
2.1 The "Currie Fair and Common Good Fund" herein referred to as "the Fund" will be administered by a "Committee of Management", hereafter referred to as "the Committee".
2.2 In the first instance, the Committee will be appointed at a Public meeting convened by Currie Community Council.
2.3 The Committee will comprise of a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and a minimum of four other persons representative of the Community of Currie or its Organisation.
2.4 Thereafter not later than 30th October in each year, the Committee shall call a public meeting for Currie residents, and the election of existing members or of others to fill any vacancies will take place at that meeting.
2.5 The Committee will have powers to co-opt any person for the furtherance of the aims and objects of the Fund.

3. DUTIES OF THE COMMITTEE
3.1 The Chairman's duties will be:-
to chair meetings of the Committee which will meet not less than four times per annum;
to agree the agenda for each meeting with the Secretary;
to inform the Committee of the agenda for each meeting;
to represent the interests of the Fund on other bodies;
to perform other duties as specified by the Committee.
3.2 The Secretary's duties will be:-
to maintain a record of the proceedings of the Committee;
to maintain a record of the sederunt at each meeting of the Committee;
to ensure that all correspondence is efficiently dealt with;
to circulate info to members and others, where appropriate.
3.3 The Treasurer's duties will be:-
to maintain the accounts of the Fund in good order, with receipts of all transactions;
to disburse monies from the Fund only at the express instruction of the Committee who must keep the accounts in credit at all times.
3.4 The Committee will appoint a suitable qualified person as the Fund's auditor and ensure that the auditor is furnished with all information relating to the financial affairs of the Fund in time for the publication of a statement of the Fund's accounts for the annual public meeting.
3.5 The Committee will organise fund raising events, appeals to statutory bodies and commercial agencies and take all steps consistent with the aims and objects of the Fund. In this respect the Committee will consider itself free to act in pursuance of the Fund in whatever way it chooses.
3.6 The Committee may authorise payment of reasonable expenses incurred by its members in pursuance of the aims and objects of the Fund.

4. TRUSTEES
4.1 Trustees shall be a minimum of two members of Currie Community Council who shall be appointed for this purpose at the A.G.M. of Currie Community Council.

5. FUNCTION OF TRUSTEES
5.1 The consent of the trustees must be obtained for any change to the constitution of the Fund.
5.2 The trustees will be entitled to attend meetings of the Committee as observers.
5.3 In the event of failure of the Committee to fulfil the aims of the Fund or failure of the Fund,it will be the duty of the Trustees to wind up the activities of the Committee and cause the cessation of all actions in pursuance of the aims of the Fund.

6. DISSOLUTION CLAUSE

In the event of failure of the Fund, in addition to the provision of clause 5.3 above, the Committee will seek an audit of accounts of the Fund and will then transfer to the Trustees the direct control of monies remaining in the Fund's accounts. It will then be the duty of the Trustees to use these monies to the benefit of the residents of Currie Parish in whatever manner, charitable in law, seems to the Trustees most consistent with the aims of the Fund.

Currie Fair and Common Good Fund Committee

Minutes of Meeting Monday 27 November 2000
7.30 pm in Gibson Craig Hall

1. Present: Graham Dane (Chair), Roisin Calvert, Derek Henderson, Robert Taylor, Gordon Browne, Elizabeth Day, Charles Girdler, Brenda McGovern, Nairn Wight
Apologies: Sherridan Houliston, Margo Arnott, Jim McCraith

2. It was decided to investigate whether interest on the capital account could be paid free of tax without formally gaining charitable status for the fund, and that the Treasurer should pursue this.

3. Gordon Browne was elected Treasurer.

4. It was decided that a Fair would be a good idea, provided that:
No one person was left to bear the main burden;
Plans were to be kept modest, so that the event could be repeated without exhausting people;
Organisers of parts of the event could be found to take responsibility for their section.

5. In order to avoid clashes with other events in May 2001, Derek Henderson offered to approach the primary schools and the Scouts to discuss dates.

6. Our preferred date for the Fair would be the first Saturday in May (ie the same as the Riding) and this was agreed subject to satisfactory feedback from Derek's contacts by mid December.

7. Gordon Browne offered to write the letters booking facilities etc.

8. Roisin offered to investigate support from Heriot-Watt informally (including students), and to firm this up once it was clearer what was required. Help with publicity should be no problem.

9. Graham would approach the Youth Club nearer the date to see if any mutual support could be arranged.

10. Many suggestions for stalls etc were offered, and those present were invited to discuss these with possible organisers.

11. The committee would meet again on Monday 15 January at 7.30 pm, probably in the same venue.