Support a sustainable LORN
Window stickers
A new way to show your support for a more sustainable community in North Argyll.
LORN has lots of ideas and plans for improving our local personal and commercial sustainability in the Oban & North Argyll area in future years.
Join in with the Lorn community to add your ideas, needs, and thoughts.
your new LORN committee is here, more volunteers always welcome.
- click here to see the gallery of some of the things we are getting up to!
You can also learn of similar events, and new producers joining LORN all the time.
Things ARE changing, be part of it, we can do alot for ourselves, after all, no-one else is going to do it for us !!!
Looking forward to an exciting 2011.
Local Origins Rural Network
Local Origins Rural Network would like to wish everyone the very best for the New Year.
And especially all who are interested in working together to create a sustainable community in our local area
In 2012 Together May We :-
~Find inspiration from each other;
~Share our experience and expertise;
~Support our local economy, producers, creativity, culture and heritage;
~Work together to find solutions to local issues;
~Protect and make best use of our local resources : both natural and human.
We would like to say a very heartfelt Thank You for all your support for our efforts so far, especially all our LORN Community Market customers, and really look forward to working with all individuals, groups, organisations throughout 2012 to create a better future for us all.
LORN enterprise members are delighted to present a selection of the wonderful gifts they can offer you for your loved ones : check out their page here
for all our up to date news, ideas, sustainability links and local gossip please check out : LORN on Facebook ~ ~ LORN on Twitter ~ ~ LORN commmunity ~ ~ LORN photo albums
Mrs Willie Fish in her Victorian finery as part of Obans Winter Festival. The stalls look great in yet another novel environment, and great to see so many LORN marketeers out and about getting good trade in our local community. - see https://www.facebook.com/weebeauty for more great images of the Festival.
A great fundraising effort at our Children in need market with a fab total of £262.50 deposited in their post office account. Special thanks to Isle of Mull Cheese for donating all their takings for the day, North Argyll Young Carers for their fab baking, and Oban Bay Jewellery for organising a raffle.
One of our wildest Producers Markets today but fantastic support from all ..... THANK YOU EVERYONE .. Your local producers really appreciate your custom, and your tenacity.. Its a hard day to be standing out in the cold and wet and wind, but YOU make it all worthwhile.
click here for some pics of our stalls today
LORN October newsletter 2011
Local Origins Rural Network Community Producers markets - our news: -
The LORN Community Producers Market is going all PINK this week and are looking for your support, all in aid of Breast Cancer awareness.
Stall holders are creating all sorts of special PINK goodies and fancy dress and pink silliness will be all about.. expect lots of inappropriate bras, fluff, and frippery.
A very special guest for this market is Michael C.M Riemenschneider who has recently taken over Barcaldine House Hotel from the previous owners. He is a remarkable young chef, using very modern techniques and coming from a proving ground of working in and managing some of the best establishments down south, including those with several Michelin Stars !! He even has his own cookery book.
The Swiss chef has been described as "inspirational", his food as “cooking of the very highest order, combining sublime ingredients with cutting edge technical innovation.” and acclaimed as a chef “destined for the top.”
He certainly sounds like he will give us a real treat in his cookery demonstration : "my food is very different to what anyone on the westcoast has seen before - liquid nitrogen, anti griddles science waterbaths, thermoblenders, etc.....I want to make barcaldine a food destination which it deserves to be.
He shares our passion for local produce "I love the local produce - so therefore I will be using everything local as much as I can".
Michael will be here from 12 noon. You cannot afford to miss this spectacle.
The market has a lot of new members, and some old friends, joining us over the next few months : felting, textiles; Boafrosh jewellry ; Hebridean knitting from Colonsay; Cruachan Bakery; Painting with Parkinsons; recycled art.
The markets have gone from strength to strength this year and everyone is immensely grateful to you all for your support and encouragement.
LORN very much welcome community participation in any of the market themes, like charity fundraising and awareness of causes and new activities.
Please contact the Market Organiser with your ideas : market@lorn.org.uk 01631 720223
For lots of images of the markets and more from this summer please browse the LORN photo albums
This seasons markets are promising to be even better than ever - they have MORE marketeers joining each event with more interesting produce to share with you.
· September 15th : see you on Thursday with more new stallholders joining. Remember that the surface mail deaadline for most overseas places is coming soon so this is a great opportunity to get wonderful unique presents sent off to your loved ones.
· October 6th : Breast Cancer awareness - expect lots of PINK !! and silliness - join in..
· October 20th : Argyll Apple Day - celebrate the harvest of the area with the Scottish National Apple Collection: hundreds of apples of many varieties on display under cover, with professional advice on planting and caring for your fruit trees and how to create community orchards. Bring your surplus apples and pears along to be put through the press and taste the delicious juice. (if we can coordinate enough surplus in the next year we can look at LORN getting a community fruit press: use the fruit growing group on the LORNcommunity.ning.com to let us know what fruit you are growing in the LORN area)
· November 3rd : 10 am to 2pm market - This MAY be a SAUSAGE celebration ........
· November 17th : Children in Need fundraiser, and our first winter market indoors in the Victory Hall, Benderloch. 10 am to 2 pm. Join us with all the fundraising ideas you can - (market@lorn.org.uk) all our stall fees will be going to the cause, as well as all sorts of other fun activities. We have the space, nice and dry, and lots of people wanting to support you.
· December 1st : First Christmas Fayre : Victory Hall,
two sessons : 10 am to 3 pm ~ 5.30 pm to 8 pm
Christmas entertainment
· December 15th : second Christmas Fayre : Victory Hall, 10 am to 3 pm
· December 15th : LORN Christmas ceilidh
- evening celebration for all LORN members and supporters
There is much more information to share about each market.. producers, products, community organisations and activities. Each one is unique.
You can find this on the lorncommunity.ning.com calendar and our facebook page : facebook.com/lornargyll.
Please join either / both of these - the ning is a private social network so you can join the various groups of your interests in sustainability and local issues, to begin to build
Great news : Mull Slaughterhouse is up and running again.
The bad news is that they have no customer database from before, as it was all lost in the fire.
You can
more details on the LORNcommunity
Any crofters or farmers who wants to work with the LORN Livestock project to create more cost effective transporting and logistics of home grown stock back and forth for home and local consumption
please get in touch with our Pasture 2 Plate coordinator on P2P@lorn.org.uk
Look at the fun we had last week ~ thanks for all the support from the Scottish 6 days Orienteers
Menu for the coming DOUBLE markets this week - Wednesday 3rd and 4th August
for the full details and updates from producers join the lorncommunity site - free registration.
fab picture in OT from the Feis Cothlam crafts day - featuring the very rare double flyer spinning wheel from Lismore.
More pictures
https://picasaweb.google.com/lornnetwork/GaelicWoolFestivalCraftsDay
https://picasaweb.google.com/lornnetwork/WoolFest2011
Keep up with our news as it happens at the Feis Cothlam - our Gaelic woolfest - on facebook.com/lornargyll - IT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW -- PICTURES OF ALL THAT IS HERE ARE BEING UPLOADING TO FACEBOOK NOW.
more pictures from this morning https://picasaweb.google.com/lornnetwork/WoolFest2011
WOW what a fabulous day, we are grateful to all thank you so much.
Last years woolfest
We would love it if you would nominate the LORN market in the BBC Food and Drinks Awards for best local food market - click here
Take a look at the fun we have at our markets, and other events, in our photo albums - https://picasaweb.google.com/lornnetwork - we welcome all contributions, if you have photos to send us - editor@lorn.org.uk
Only a few weeks to go to before our Gaelic Wool Festival - Feis Cothlam - 21st - 23rd July 2011 : we welcome all enquiries about the event whether booking workshops and the gaelic working songs concert or if you would like to run crafty courses like felting, or get involved in the woolly market day. email : feiscothlam2011@lorn.org.uk for more details
just to show you how much fun we have at the LORN community markets here is a Great wee film done by About Oban on the LORN community producers market last week..
Alex Needham of the Waterfront Restaurant who comes to the LORN market to demonstrate his skills, is showing us how to make his seafood chowder
LORN, in association with a number of other organisations, are looking at facilitating a variety of workshops and courses in the coming months.
We would like to know what interest there is in the various options, as well as what other topics there are that you would like to see.
If you would like to offer a workshop, please email admin@lorn.org.uk
to register your interest, (no pack drill just to get an idea how many and what is popular and what else is needed ) please visit this quick online questionnaire :
Mull Slaughterhouse meeting
There will be at meeting this coming Friday, 3rd June at 3pm in the NFU office at the Caledonian Mart, Oban, open to all livestock producers who may be interested in using the slaughterhouse on Mull.
The purpose of the meeting is to update us on the progress of the rebuilding of the slaughterhouse and is our opportunity to put forward our requirements in terms of lairage, hanging, cutting, packing, labelling etc.
It is very short notice, but it would be good to have as many local farmers there as possible, to show that we are serious in our desire to get our stock from "pasture to plate", whether it be via the producers market, private sales or for our own personal consumption, and to show our commitment to supporting our local slaughterhouse.
If you are unable to attend at 3pm, there will be a second meeting at 7pm.
Local Origins Rural Network are actively pursuing a project to explore ALL the issues involved in getting more local meat from Pasture to Plate : the problems for the farmers in our limited growing season, the relative qualities of the different breeds, the logistics of moving beasts, the needs of the consumer in regards the cutting and packaging, as well as getting the meat back, eaten and sold to all the wide variety of consumers in the whole LORN area.
If anyone cannot get to this meeting but would like to be involved or learn more about the Pasture to Plate project and generally getting more meat eaten locally please get in touch with Cath Thomson : LORN Chair and Co-ordinator of LORN Livestock - Pasture to Plate Project
on P2P@lorn.org.uk
A new way to show your support for a more sustainable community in North Argyll : - LORN now have self-cling window car stickers available for a small donation that will go towards developing new support for the community. Available from Kintaline Farm, Benderloch, and on market days.
These are free to all community and enterprise members.
scarecrows - scrolls - glitter - gorgeous gifts - scrummy scran - easter decorations - and SUNSHINE !!
What more could we want for the first April market tomorrow ??
see you there - follow the signs from Benderloch - from 10 am - 3 pm
FEIS COTHLAM 2011 : A GAELIC WOOLFESTJoin us in our second celebration of everything woolly - from sheep to shearing, waulking, singing, carding, spinning, dyeing, food, insulation, composts, felting, knitting, weaving .... what can you offer ?
Phil Vickery, celebrity chef on This Morning, ITV, was filming cooking at the first LORN market - Thursday 3rd March, from 12 noon. A great way to start the season.
To view the programme click here http://thismorning.itv.com/thismorning/food/coastal-cuisine-reaches-scot...
HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE LIVING IN 2020 in North Argyll?
Local Origins Rural Network is Growing Up and getting bigger. Everyone will be welcome !
At the very start the idea of supporting the local producers of Lorn came from the deep chasm of need, and lack of local provision from any other sector. The issues around trying to get more food on our plates, and more of our local skills valued and supported are myriad, but ignoring them does not change things. None of these can be tackled in isolation from the rest of the community, the economy is part of the community and visa versa.
Local Origins Rural Network started out as a means to bring the primary skills and producer economy and community together with the aim of building our way to a more sustainable community.
We have had lots of success - and are now ready to take things forward to the next stage.
LORN is developing into a charitable Community Network to Create A Sustainable Community in North Argyll.
LORN Enterprises remains as an integral part, the engine that will help drive the network, maintaining the emphasis on primary producers, skills, and tackling the problems that are faced, creating joint promotional opportunities for the businesses of the area.
To see a little more about what we are planning - have a look at our mindmap - it's work in progress - very active work !
Local Origins Rural Network ,itself, (LORN), the Community, will be starting on all the other aspects of what we need to work on together to create our own sustainable futures in each of our small communities. How we tackle this will depend on you, anyone who is interested in building some resiliance into our locality is part of the solution.
Join us at our AGM on Saturday 5th February, at the Victory Hall, Benderloch 2011 from 11 am to find out more.
PLEASE RSVP to agm@lorn.org.uk so we know how many seats to put out, and also if you would like to join us for a light lunch, so we make enough for everyone.
Our 2011 newsletter is here
Even though the markets don't restart until the 3rd of March you can still purchase from your local producers all year round by visiting their websites. So if you are looking for a birthday present or missing that locally produced food don't wait till March visit us now.
Support your local producers
Free Range Geese from Highland Geese
Smoked Salmon, freshly made pates, fresh fish - local supplies and mail order from Feochanmhor Smokehouse and Willie Fish
Cocoalicious hand made Chocolates from Cocoalicious
Dexter Beef from Balliemore Farm, Kerrera
Free range Pork and Hebridean Wool from Camus Enterprises, Cuil Bay
Fresh Oysters from Loch Creran Caledonian Oysters
Preserves, Jams, Chutneys and Baking from a number of our members - Paradise Kitchen and Balliemore Farm.
Free Range Eggs from Kintaline Farm
Cheese from Isle of Mull Cheese
Jewellery and Knitwear from Phoenix Fabrics
Celtic and wooden art from Keltia Art
Jewellery from Oriana's Jewellery
and from Catherine Hall
Silk Scarves from Vibrant Silks
Photographic Art from Lorn Landscape Art
Follow LORN activities and join in
Linked In
LORN Community
Latest news :
The second November Local Producers market (18th November) will be a Children in Need fundraiser, and in the Victory Hall, Benderloch. We welcome all ideas, stalls and activities from local schools and the community. Any Children in Need Stalls and activities will be free. Email us with your ideas
Local Business Forum meetings
LORN has started Local Business Forum meetings at Benderloch, and the first get togethers have been well received.
The dates for the next month are - 5th November, 19th November, and 29th November.
Margaret Jacobsen, of Business Mentoring Scotland, has facilitated this series of meetings, and we aim to continue them throughout 2011 with the aid of other support organisations. The first topics have been on sales and marketing, but there is no agenda, and the topics will be determined by the needs of those who attend. The format allows for local, regional and national officials to be invited to help as well as tapping into the rich resource of our own members experience and expertise.
Can you please also email - lbf@admin.org.uk if you are ->
- not interested in the Local Business Forum at all
- are interested but need a different time of the day to be able to attend
- would like a Local Business Forum meeting in a different location.
The meetings are being followed by a Supper and Social Evening with the bar, which is open to all the local community. Friends, family and neighbours are invited to join everyone to chill and relax.
Local Business Forum meetings are open to everyone in the local business community, so please pass this invitation on to anyone else you think might be interested.
For Full LORN members they are free, a small charge of £5 is levied for others.
Supper is available to anyone who books at £5 per person.
British Cheese Week : --- and we have our very own right here to celebrate : - Isle of Mull Cheese found at every LORN market and shops around the area.
See the
events listing on the lorncommunity to see more scrummy offerings
Cath and Jill had a brilliant day out on Friday 24th September, supporting the Crofting in the Community Schools of Furnace, Inveraray, and Minard, at Auchindrain Museum - taking the LORN market stalls and a range of full members produce to wide acclaim.This is a site that needs to have a regular market !!
More pictures here
Check out the online community if you want to hear about events like these in the Oban and North Argyll area.
If you want to learn more about LORN - please explore our website here as well as the new online community
To see some of the things we have got up to this year - check out our picture galleries
If you would like to join LORN - please get in touch
We would also welcome any offers of help, especially in the marketing and promotion of our aims, objectives and members.
Our Aims : Working together to create a sustainable future in our North Argyll community;
From Loch Leven to Loch Craignish, including Oban
all images and text are copyright.
From Loch Leven to Loch Craignish, including Oban
all images and text are copyright.
contact us :
email: admin@lorn.org.uk phone: 01631 720223
Enterprise membership open to all primary skills and produce businesses
Community membership open to all who support our sustainable community aims.
Next Market
all grown and created in the North Argyll area.
Second CHRISTMAS FAYRE
Thursday 15th December
10 am to 7 pm
at the Victory Hall, Benderloch, by Oban, Argyll followed by Community Ceilidh. All welcome.
poster of all this markets attractions
Local Farmer's and Crafter's Market
Christmas Wreaths, Fresh bread, Fresh Highland Beef, Free Range pork, Dexter beef; Jacob lamb & hogget, fish & smoked fish, preserves, baking, lots of crafts to solve all your Christmas presents : celtic art, soap, photography, calendars, felt work, cards, silk scarves, paintings, jewellery, Mary Meals christmas decorations.
freshly cooked locally sourced lunch and snacks
Local produce at it's very best, reduce your food miles, support local craftsmanship.
Barcaldine Primary School, ALIenergy, Seil Natural history Group
follow our facebook page for all the updates
your new LORN committee is here, more volunteers always welcome.
Our latest Enterprise members
Hebridean Isles Trading Hebridean meat and wool
Richard Childs photography and Fussy Cow Framing
Barrie Richards Paintings
Sally Weaser Jewellery and baking