The village of Cambusbarron, Stirling remembered today all those that fell during the Great War.

For my generation World War 1 feels such a long time ago, with World War 2 feeling closer to our time as that war is more associated with being around the birth of our parents and the stories they could pass on to us. 

Unless you go deep into studying the history of WW1 I don't think we truly can appreciate the atrocities that our grandfathers and great grandfathers went through in that conflict.

Like many millions throughout the world, today my family and I took time to remember and pay our respects to the millions that fell and who sacrificed to allow many future generations hope and opportunity. 

My new podcast is now available where I will discuss business, fitness and family.

Hopefully I will provide some words of wisdom along the way.

The podcast is available to listen and subscribe to on a host of popular platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Full details are on my new podcast page.

I was delighted to welcome Stirling Council leader Scott Farmer to our Fallin office on Friday afternoon.

We had good talk about local business as well as a tour of our premises. 

This week it was announced that the city of Stirling will get it's own edition of the popular Monopoly board game in time for Christmas 2017 and I know it will be purchased for my family to enjoy.

Today the nomination window is open for suggestions to occupy the spaces on the board and while it is a given and correct that landmarks such as Stirling Castle and The National Wallace Monument will feature, local businesses have been taking to social media over the past few days to drum up interest and increase the nomination amounts for their own businesses.

I'm sure like me you don't want to see the board become a free advertising space for certain businesses just because they can muster up a lot of nominations and I'm sure the board manufactures are well used to being 'spammed' by businesses in the past for other editions.

We want to see the castle, monument, museum, jail, university, shopping centres, sports facilities plus popular streets and areas on the board not the local chippy, butcher, cafe or coffee shop.

​Picture - Daily Record

On Friday evening I attended a small event in our village to celebrate 40 years of Cambusbarron Community Council.

Cambusbarron is one of the oldest community councils in Scotland and a number of the founding councillors were present at the event.

Like Fallin, the village I grew up in, Cambusbarron has a strong community spirit enhanced by both old and newer residents to the village.  Engaging with your local community council as well as our village organisations is vital in supporting and influencing your local area. ​

I was delighted on Tuesday evening to have been re-elected as Vice-Chair of Cambusbarron Community Council. I became a member of our local community council in 2012 and have served as Vice-Chair since November 2015.

At Tuesday's AGM members voted in the following office bearers for the next 12 months.

- Chair: Alan Rennie

- Vice Chair: Scott McLean

- Secretary: Keith Ratcliffe

- Treasurer: Marion MacAllister

- Planning: Alan Rennie

You can contact Cambusbarron Community Council by emailing Secretary Keith Ratcliffe or by private message to our village Facebook page.