Sometimes you have to stop and reflect how far you've come.
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| The Loo sign at Wemyss Castle Gardens. |
We opened a year and a half ago to support our wee village by the sea which, over previous years, had lost its pub and its hotel and its shop. This is a fairly common story just now, with village pubs and shops across the UK closing every day. But West Wemyss had also lost what it held most proud -its sense of community spirit, a heritage centred on mining and fishing and a space where locals and visitors young and old could pass the time and enjoy being a part of this beautiful coastline.
Starting up, in this still depressed economic climate, has been hard. We are committed to supporting our staff and maintaining their employment - even during the difficult winter months: We're not a through road -which is great for those of us who live here, but presents its own challenges in terms of passing trade etc: People have less money in their pockets this year than last: Finding the money to advertise over what seemed a very long winter has been difficult. We're also committed to offering the local community a place 'to be' all year round. Whether this means that we can provide the odd cup of sugar, or a welcoming hello when you're having a bad day. Survival is hard, but certainly worth fighting for because part of the 'profit' in what we do, as a social enterprise, is about simply making a difference
So, this last month has been incredible. During the beautiful spell of weather that we have just enjoyed, the Growing spaces and Floral enhancement group have planted up all of the hanging baskets and planters in the village and the next few months are going to bring such colour and joy to our village.
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| The bluebell woods bordering our lovely village |
The West Wemyss Boating Club donated an old fishing boat to the Buckhaven Beehive (another exciting art and culture social enterprise which is growing locally) who along with local volunteers turned it into a work of art and planted it with lovely flowers so that now people walking The Fife Coastal Path from Dysart are welcomed with another burst of colour and loveliness.
Children and parents and volunteers all worked together to 'de-winter' the sensory garden next to the park and the Tots to Teens Group carried out a beach clean that ensured we could enjoy our water's edge.
The Events Group put on a fabulous Community lunch - and we were able to enjoy a bbq in the sun, with no threat of rain and everyone sitting outside in the park and on the square.
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| Barbeque at the ready |
The Heritage Group finalised their plans for the opening of a wee heritage centre at the back of The Walk Inn: At last, an opportunity to share and preserve the stories of years gone by: work is beginning this week to bring this 'dream' - Auld Wemyss Ways - to life and I think all of us (whether we've lived in West Wemyss all of our lives or have only recently become a part of it) are excited by this project (scheduled to open on 27th July - also the date of our Vintage Gala by the Sea.)
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| Members of the memories group sharing stories |
The Walk Inn, with the help of a group of trusty volunteers, provided a vintage tea extravaganza over the 5 days of the Wemyss Castle Gardens Clematis Festival - We baked 400 scones, 12 Victoria sponges, 300 shortbreads, made a zillion cups of tea and coffee and sold crayfish rolls and old fashioned lemonades to the 1500 visitors to the garden in some of the loveliest weather that I can remember. Via Charlotte Wemyss, we donated £320 to the Maggies Centre in Kirkcaldy -the Clematis Festival was a fundraiser for this wonderful charity. We were able to hand out hundreds of our leaflets and brochures and menus and the fact that we were trusted enough by the Wemyss family to do what we did makes us very proud of what we are achieving here at The Walk Inn. Our food is generous and seasonal; it tastes fabulous. And it makes you smile.
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| Vintage teas at the castle |
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| Lovely Lorna's baking |
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| A crockery of chocolate mousses |
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| Our trusty volunteers up at The Castle |
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| Lovely Shona who works with us on a Sunday and brings wisdom and smiles with her every day. |
Our raffle meant that we were able to replace my defunct Kenwood Chef (25 years of solid service but defeated by one too many batches of meringues) with a fabulous brand spanking new Kenwood machine (did you know that they were invented by Mr Ken Wood) which has brought squeals of delight to our kitchen - well OK to me, but it's awesome. I cannot lie!
Lucia, our lovely Italian cafe assistant, has been hosting our Italian breakfasts - Pane i tulipani - and with the fabulous weather, customers have been able to sit outside and enjoy the view as well as the company.
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| Our Italian Breakfast mornings |
The 'Bar Downstairs' is now open Friday and Saturday nights and it's getting busier with every weekend that passes. We serve nachos and puffy chips and plates of olives and biscuits and cheese and Chef Tomasz is looking to expand bar food - let us have your thoughts.
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| Handsome chef Tomasz at work. |
And this weekend we launched the first of a series of speciality weekends - Our seafood and shellfish nights were a huge success, and an opportunity to showcase our fabulous new chef Tomasz - who is the loveliest of individuals, popular with everyone in the village and happy to be full on in the bistro and serving delicious nachos and olives and puffy chips downstairs. We all feel incredibly proud to have him on board and again, we remain constantly grateful for the genuine support of a growing group of volunteers who help with every aspect of not just the Walk Inn, but the community as a whole.
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| speaks for itself! |
Which is why I am feeling very proud right now: Of how far we have collectively come; of the people who are part of our world; of the volunteers who put in hours way beyond what they most likely have to spare; of the difference we are all making in our own community: and the fact that we have collectively come a really long way in a relatively short period of time. Tear to the eye stuff. Tear to the eye.
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| Handsome Bert who brings wife Winnie in to see us every day. We enjoy their company. |
