Monarch of Glenfinart pulls in the crowds

Glenfinart Walled Garden’s Easter Fun Day marked a sunny and successful start to the 2024 season at Ardentinny’s community garden. The good weather may have been a contributing factor in attracting large numbers to the event and, once there, fun activities and attractions were in abundance.

As the gates opened at 12 noon, excited youngsters poured in to quickly search for the hidden eggs which would then be exchanged for a chocolate egg in the Easter Egg Hunt. This was followed by the Easter Bonnet competition and great excitement in the Egg and Spoon and sack races. As ever, the stalls were busy and huge queues formed for the burgers and hotdogs.

A new introduction this year was the mural created by artist Kathy Bruce of Dunoon MOCA. The ‘Monarch of Glenfinart’, as it has been affectionately named, was very popular with families having their photos taken with the garden wildlife! Look out for them on social media!

Glenfinart Walled Garden is run entirely by volunteers and aims to provide a space for people to connect with nature and learn about gardening, while also promoting the use of local produce. The success of the Easter Fun Day is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Ardentinny Community Trust volunteers who have transformed this once neglected garden into a thriving community hub.

For more information on volunteering at the garden, visit the group’s Facebook page or www.glenfinartgarden.org.

Click on any photo to enlarge.

February 3, 2024February 28, 2026

Dennis Gower (31.1.1927 – 27.1.2024)

Former Ardentinny resident and friend, Dennis Gower, peacefully passed away last Saturday.

Dennis was amiable, warm and welcoming, possessing a certain quiet dynamism. Calm, kind, caring, compassionate, witty, quietly mischievous, astute, steadfast, determined & effectual! He was the one you wanted in your corner if your aim was to achieve necessary change or a peaceful resolution.

He was such a gift to Ardentinny, both to the place and to those who visited or called it home. He dedicated many years to Community Council work – being the first advocate of harnessing local hydro power and successfully opposing ill-conceived plans, always approaching every issue in a calm, fair and measured way.

However, there is one project that stands out – that of Glenfinart Walled Garden, whose community purchase and successful development largely belongs to him. He spearheaded the initial survey of village opinion on its purchase while also garnering a vision for its future use. From there he steered us through a fact finding and fundraising campaign culminating in community ownership which he went on to manage and develop into the vibrant community resource it is today.

Dennis on BBC Beechgrove Garden at Glenfinart Walled Garden, August 2013.

His tireless efforts and commitment were rightly recognised in a Loch Lomond & Trossachs Community Partnership Award, not to mention a Dragon’s Den fundraising win from Argyll and Bute’s Social Network Enterprise!

While there is sadness at his going, Dennis leaves us much to cherish and sustain for future generations.

Dennis Gower with the Dragon’s Den £500 cheque at Glenfinart Walled Garden

Filming of BBC Beechgrove Garden at Glenfinart Walled Garden 2013

Dennis with former Argyll MSP Michael Russell at the garden c. 2010.

Glenfinart Walled Garden exhibition 2010.

October 15, 2023February 28, 2026

Ardentinny Community Council Meeting – Minutes 5 Sept, 2023

Minutes of Ardentinny Community Council meeting held on 5 September, 2023 in Ardentinny Village Hall.

October 5, 2023February 28, 2026

Prodigious pumpkin is star of the show

Patron of Glenfinart Walled Garden, Sophie Thomson had the limelight overshadowed last weekend by of all things a monster pumpkin! Sophie, who was taking some time out from her busy acting career to raise funds for the popular community garden, was in charge of the confectionary stall and the guess the weight of the vast veggie competition at Sunday’s Harvest Fair.

The enormous pumpkin was grown in the garden by Jan Honolee and came in at a hefty 32 kilos! Winner of the competition was Frauke Thornton who won a tin of sweets and a normal size pumpkin.

This year the sun shone for the annual event which has been held since 2013 and attracted a large crowd of visitors who were entertained by the young at heart Elderly Brothers as well as an impromptu appearance by local Jim Robinson.

Visitors were welcomed at the gate with a complimentary glass of apple juice, fresh from the garden’s orchard and other attractions included the ever-popular coconut shy, bottle stall, wooden crafts, garden produce, burgers and Ardentinny’s unique selection of home baking.

Rounding the day off, was the grand finale of Quickest Quackers, the ultimate duck race down the River Finart. Fastest duck of the day was sponsored by Tom Williamson with second and third place going to Lesley Boyce and Jemma McCluskey.

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September 17, 2023February 28, 2026

New sculpture unveiled at Glenfinart Walled Garden

International environmental artist and sculptor Kathy Bruce of Dunoon MOCA has donated her latest work ‘Anna: Joy of the Garden’ to Glenfinart Walled Garden in Ardentinny. This spectacular living sculpture was created from and continues to grow in the garden, as was demonstrated at a small public presentation on Sunday 10th September, 2023.

Born in New York, Kathy received an M.F.A. from Yale University School of Art and a certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Recipient of a Fulbright Hayes Senior Scholarship Grant for Lecturing and Research in Puno, Peru and a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Fellowship, she has exhibited in the US, Senegal, Taiwan, France, Denmark, Peru, Canada, and the UK. Most recently in Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park, Colintraive and now Ardentinny!

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Sue Garton, Flute Lessons, Flute Teacher Champaign-Urbana

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Sue Garton, Flute Teacher

I’m Sue Garton, a flute teacher who loves teaching flute lessons and sharing the joys of making music, right here in Champaign-Urbana, in person and/or online. FluteKeys welcomes flutists and aspiring flute players from ages 7 through adult.

Whether you want to elevate your flute skills to the next level or you’ve never played flute before, I invite you to join me on your flute lessons journey.

Private flute lessons and ensembles at FluteKeys Studio are just the beginning of a series of motivating and enriching musical experiences. I’d love to meet you and discover your flute interests.

Welcome to FluteKeys Studio, where private flute lessons are just the beginning of a series of motivating and enriching musical experiences.

FluteKeys Studio is located at 1202 Devonshire Drive in Champaign, just a few minutes from the University of Illinois, Urbana and Savoy. Private flute lessons are offered to individuals by flute teacher Sue Garton. Students range from second grade through adult. A free trial flute lesson is encouraged, and parents are always welcome. Click here to read more about FluteKeys policies.

National Flute Conventions

As an active member of the National Flute Association (www.nfaonline.org) I attend their national conventions each August. Over the years I have met and heard several great flute musicians that I have mentioned during private and group sessions.

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Resident composer & arranger Roland Garton occasionnaly provides pre-publication samples of upcoming new releases.

Flight of the Wood Sprites. a spirited journey for flute quartet (four C flutes with two doubling on piccolo) and lightweight, affordable percussion (minimum two semi-skilled performers).”

Click here to play MP3 file, or right-click and select “Save Link As” to download

What do area band directors want?

What do band directors in the Champaign vicinity like to see in their flute students? Click here to find out what many area directors find most important in their flute students.

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