Rivertrack monitors back online

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Alyth’s river-monitoring system is being restored so that the town gets as much early warning as possible ahead of potential flooding.

Three flood sensors were installed in 2020 at the Pack Bridge in Alyth itself and further upstream at the Tullyfergus Bridge and Mill of Fyal in Alyth Den.  The sensors, part of the national Rivertrack system, are designed to measure the height of the water flowing past and give early warning about rising floodwaters via the Rivertrack displays installed in nominated properties in Alyth.

How the Rivertrack monitor looks online

The sensors have proved their worth many times over the years, giving warning of rising flood-waters and enabling the Resilient Alyth Flood Team (RAFT) to swing into action to help property-owners get their defences ready.  Recently, however, they had stopped working properly and required maintenance and refurbishment.

The sensors are designed and maintained by Rivertrack, which operates more than 40 river-level monitors across Scotland, working closely with communities as well as public and private sector bodies.  Alyth Development Trust funded the Alyth Burn the sensors and worked with the Scottish Flood Forum to decide the best locations.

As well as automated alerts to nominated individuals, anyone can go online and see for themselves what the water levels are like in realtime:  https://map.rivertrack.org/  Just zoom into Alyth and click on any of the three marked monitors.

Liam Tweedie, who recently took over the leadership of RAFT, commented:  “It’s great to have these sensors in place to allow us as much warning as possible. Two out of three sensors are fully operational, and we hope to have the third one up and running ASAP.  We thank Rivertrack for working hard to bring them back online.  

“RAFT is expanding, with some new volunteers having joined in the last couple of months, but we are always interested in hearing from anyone who could help.  In particular, we’re currently keen to find a new communications lead for RAFT who could take on the responsibility of liaising with the public, the media and other organisations during emergency events,” he added.

Find out more at raft.alyth.online

Puppy training at Millhaugh

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Our Millhaugh community facility will be resounding to cries of “Good boy!” and “Good girl!” this autumn, when a new programme of dedicated puppy classes gets going.

Canine Consultations Perthshire started the classes this week and will be running them from now until late October. October.

Local dog trainer Syd Taylor says she is excited to be offering classes at Millhaugh. Her business, Canine Consultations Perthshire, centres around ensuring dogs and their humans are communicating effectively. 

Syd offers private training consultations and will be offering classes for dogs of all ages soon.  Her puppy classes for young pups can be attended on a pay-as-you-go basis throughout October before the next block starts.  She looks forward to helping the dogs of Alyth have fun and be on their best behaviour (and their humans too!).

Millhaugh is the community facility created by Alyth Development Trust at the old sawmill on Bamff Road. With plenty of open space, partly under cover, it’s the ideal venue for puppy training.

September minutes now available

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The minutes of our September board meeting are now available online: https://lovealyth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/minutes-7.9.-2026.pdf Have a look and see what we’re currently up to, and if you’d like to join the next meeting, on 2 November at 7pm via Zoom, get in touch via the Contact tab above or through Facebook.

Community projects grant for Christmas Day lunch

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Eunice Rodger (left) and Linda Martin (right) are getting ready for a bigger Alyth Christmas Lunch

Last year’s Alyth Christmas Day Lunch was such a success that it is being repeated this year, with the help of a £500 grant from Alyth Development Trust’s community projects fund.

The inaugural Lunch last year brought together a team of volunteers to provide a full traditional Christmas meal for members of the Alyth community who would otherwise have been on their own on Christmas Day.  Around 20 guests enjoyed a proper Christmas feast and good company in Alyth Town Hall.

The ADT grant will enable organisers Eunice Rodger and Linda Martin to start the serious fund-raising and planning for what they are confident will be an even bigger and better event than last year.  

Eunice commented:  “We believe the event embodies the true spirit of Alyth, caring for neighbours and reducing social isolation.  Social isolation at Christmas can be very difficult to those on their own, especially the recently-bereaved. This event gives an opportunity to bring people together to share a meal along with company, thus improving the quality of life for local folk who would otherwise spend the day alone.”

This year, Eunice and Linda are moving to the Airlie Street Hall to take advantage of its larger kitchen, so that they can cater for up to 30 or more guests.  The plan is still for a full traditional Christmas lunch, with broth or lentil soup followed by turkey with all the trimmings (vegetarian option if preferred), and then trifle or pavlova and finishing with tea/coffee and Christmas cake or mince pies. 

The ADT grant kick-starts fund-raising over the next few months, beginning with a coffee morning in the Airlie Street Hall on Saturday 3rd October.  There will be a selection of stalls, raffle, tombola, home baking and hampers, as well as tea and coffee, and booking forms for the Christmas Day Lunch will be available.

Eunice said:  “As well as taking bookings, we’ll be happy to chat about volunteering opportunities and donations towards this community event.  We’re specially keen to hear from anyone willing to volunteer either as a server in the Hall or as a driver giving lifts to guests who need it.  We look forward to seeing everyone on the 3rd.”

ADT’s Community Projects Fund distributes the community benefit funds provided for Alyth by the operators of the Tullymurdoch Windfarm, some five miles north of the town.  Applications to the fund are judged by an independent panel of volunteers drawn from across the community.  Apply at https://lovealyth.org.uk/projects/alyth-community-projects-fund/.

New training strips for Alyth Juniors 2012s squad

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The Alyth Juniors 2012 football team will be training even more effectively this season, thanks to a grant from Alyth Development Trust’s community projects fund.

The independent panel that judges applications to the fund has awarded a grant of £1500 to the club to buy enough kits to equip each boy with his own training tops and bottoms.  The club has bought 20 full sets, enough to equip the whole squad.

The club had already secured a sponsor for their playing kits, and having the training kits will keep the playing strips pristine for games over the winter season. The kits will also keep the boys warm during training sessions at the club’s home on Jubilee Park in Alyth.

Team secretary Jenni Milne said:  “We’re committed to encouraging boys to be involved with youth football in Alyth. Having enough training kits means they can keep warm during training sessions even in cold weather, which is an important part of physical exercise.”

ADT’s Community Projects Fund distributes the community benefit funds provided for Alyth by the operators of the Tullymurdoch Windfarm, some five miles north of the town.  Applications to the fund are judged by an independent panel of volunteers drawn from across the community.  Apply at https://lovealyth.org.uk/projects/alyth-community-projects-fund/.

Liam Tweedie is our new RAFT leader

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Liam Tweedie has been appointed as the new leader of RAFT – the Resilient Alyth Flood Team.  He fills the vacancy left by the departure of Grant Train for pastures new earlier this year.  RAFT is the first volunteer team in Scotland to pioneer a proactive approach to addressing flooding risk within a community.

Liam said:  “I’m delighted to be taking on the role of leader of RAFT and to have the opportunity to continue supporting the Alyth community.

“I’ve lived locally since I was 16 and have called Alyth home with my wife and our two children for the past five years. I also run my own business, based here in Alyth, so I’m proud to be both living and working within the community.

“I’ve previously volunteered with RAFT and have seen first-hand the valuable work the group does. I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in, working with the existing team and building on the excellent work that has already been done.

“We would also love to see more people from the community getting involved. Whether you can offer a little time or would simply like to find out more, every bit of support makes a difference.

Ann Hooper, ADT chair, said:  “It is a great pleasure to welcome Liam to the RAFT leadership. He has the ability and drive to take things forward, maintaining RAFT’s focus on keeping Alyth safe.” 

If you’d like to volunteer with RAFT, please get in touch — we’d be delighted to hear from you:  https://raft.alyth.online

Updated Community Action Plan for Alyth

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Alyth’s current Community Action Plan has helped to enable and deliver a wide range of new projects and initiatives led by volunteers over the past four years, and will need to be revisited at the end of 2026. To this end, Alyth Development Trust have begun working in partnership with Alyth Community Council to make preparations for a refresh and update of this important document.  Part of this work is to integrate our Community Action Plan into the Local Place Planning for Alyth with PKC.

Through survey and consultation activities, the Community Action Plan process highlights what is most important to Alyth’s residents: it provides a direction of travel for coming years, giving organisations such as the Development Trust, Community Council and other community and voluntary groups a clear focus.

We will be recruiting an external consultant to coordinate this work and help us formulate the best possible outcomes for our town and its residents.  To submit an Expression of Interest for this opportunity please email, by end of August 2026, secretary@lovealyth.org.uk outlining any relevant experience in this type of work.

To find out more about the Alyth Community Action Plan, visit: https://alyth.online/cap/

July board meeting minutes now online

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The minutes of our board meeting on 6 July are now available to read online: https://lovealyth.org.uk/about-alyth-development-trust/board-minutes/

Have a look and see what we’re currently up to. Our next meeting will be in person on Monday 3 August at a venue to be confirmed. You are more than welcome to come along – just get in touch or check our Facebook page for more information on the venue when it’s confirmed.

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