Stirling Voice
October 2010
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Is our money safe? Stirling cash machines attacked
www.stirlingvoice.co.uk
Taxis cause chaos in city centre
Being...
...community aware
ATM fraudsters target Stirling The warning comes at a time when so called skimming attacks are on the rise throughout Europe. Reports published by the European ATM Security Team show a 24% increase in attacks for the January to June 2010 period compared with the same period in 2009. Locally, two more devices were fitted on October 17 outside Asda stores in Grangemouth and Alloa. Community PCs Gavin McDevitt A police spokeswoman urges all and Bob Hewison attended the scene those who have used the affected on Pitt Terrace and dismantled the cash-machines to contact their bank mechanism that was detected by immediately to ensure their account bank staff. has not been compromised. “It’s wise to be observant before LINK, the UK’s cash-machine using any ATM, checking the outside network is offering rewards of up of the machine for any signs of to £25,000 for any information tampering. If anything looks out of members of the public may have place, report it to the branch or regarding ATM crime. contact the police,’’ Hewison advises. Police are warning bank card users to be on the lookout as a skimming device was discovered at a Royal Bank of Scotland cashmachine in Stirling city centre on October 12.
Stirling resident Magdalena Marcinek fell victim to card fraud twice last year. Her Halifax Bank of Scotland card was skimmed at London’s Stansted Airport and used to make a payment and withdrawal totalling £400. The bank returned the sum of £100. The second incident occurred while the victim herself was in Poland. An unidentified fraudster completed a transaction of £130 using her Lloyd’s TSB account. As Miss Marcinek could prove she was out of the country at the time her case is currently under investigation. Magdalena has lost all her trust in British banking. “I believe the card security system in the UK is really poor. It’s never happened to me anywhere in the world before,’’ she says.
Stirling grass is greener than ever New figures released earlier this month by a top environment watchdog show Stirling has recycled more waste than ever before, and is almost at the top of the recycling table in Scotland. The Scottish Environment and Protection Agency (SEPA) released its annual report on October 7th detailing the breakdown of local authorities’ efforts in municipal waste management for the year 09/10. Stirling’s record recycling total of 43.5% meant it narrowly missed out on the top green spot, beaten only by the smaller areas of Fife, South Ayrshire and Clackmannanshire who trumped the rest by recycling around 46.7% of its refuse. The SEPA figures show the highest amount of waste diverted from landfill to date - around 22,381 tonnes in the past 12 months alone. This brings the total amount of Stirling’s recycing since 2004 to a massive 122, 314 tonnes! The high figures are the result of a new pull by communities to get into the recycling spirit. Organisations like the Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS) are working with local councils to build a strong recycling sector that creates real social, enironmental and economic benefits for communities. Susan Wright, Media and Communications Officer for CRNS, explained how links are being built between council and community. “Local authorities work on raising awareness – people are becoming much more aware about how to recycle, where they can recycle, and what can be done in their local area. “We can’t go on taking raw materials from the earth and using further energies, along with water and resources, to shape it into something only to toss it back into the earth again. We need to re-claim these raw materials and make them into something that works for us.” 2 | Stirling | October 2010
Since 2004, Stirling has recycled more than 122,314 tonnes of rubbish...
...Thats the weight of more than TWELVE Eiffel Towers!
Being ...
...around town
Frustration is rising in Stirling over local taxi drivers who are blocking traffic in the city centre by parking on the roundabout outside Costa coffee.
Taxis disrupt commuters
the traffic problems. He says that the “taxi ranks are Stirling Voice has overheard some locals talking simply not big enough,” and that the way to resolve of taxi drivers “totally ignoring the double yellow the traffic problem in lines on the the city centre would roundabout and “It is the taxi drivers who are causing the be to “ban entry to all parking on it vehicles except taxis and while they wait traffic problems because they double park. buses”. Young drivers to get in their who circle around proper parking They should be moved to a quieter spot” the city centre are spot.” This is another source of traffic causing all other disturbances. One of Bell’s colleagues added that drivers a lot of trouble using this very small and busy “there are simply not enough taxi ranks in Stirling.” roundabout. Furthermore, during rush hour times, Community PC Brodie is not aware of any specific there is a queue of cars and buses which continues to the second roundabout at Murray Place. complaints about the roundabout as such but has Richard noted some issues there with traffic flow. “If the area Sutherland is congested and blocked then the traffic wardens do from Stirling approach taxi drivers and deal with it and move them said: “It is on as do the police.’’ he says. ‘‘We are working towards improving education and enforcement to try to get the taxi the message across in various ways.’’ drivers who Police and traffic wardens cover large areas of are causing the city which is why they do not always respond the traffic immediately after a traffic problem occurs. “Our problems recourses because they are directed double park. They should be moved to a quieter to where we spot.” require them Local student Mateusz Pastewka spoke of a recent incident when he honked at a badly parked and from a taxi and was shown the middle finger in response. community Another local driver said that “it is not the taxis that policing point are causing the problem, it is simply that the road is of view we are not wide enough.” As a result there is often no other in the town way to get round the roundabout other than doing a as much as three-point-turn, thus slowing the traffic down even possible and deal with all incidences that require our more. attention. So, if we are receiving complaints about an Gary Bell is one of several taxi drivers who agree area then we will obviously direct our recourses to be with this opinion that it is not they who are causing there and deal with the problems.”
October 2010 | Stirling | 3
Being... ... active
Let the battle begin The Peak will host its first ever curling Grand Match this Saturday, October 23, in conjunction with fifteen other ice rinks around Scotland. This Saturday marks the Royal Cal- the first outdoor Grand Match since then unfortunately had to be called edonian Curling Club’s third Indoor off last winter due to health and safety Grand Match, where over 2000 curlconcerns. Graham Baxter, an ice techers will throw almost 24,000 stonesnician at The Peak, said: “The Grand during the battle of North Scotland Match is an old Scottish tradition and versus South Scotland. whether it’s played inside or out, it’s The Peak, one of fifteen participatgreat because it ing ice rinks, will gives young curlaccommodate 36 teams including “A great day for both veteran ers like myself a their very own curlers and new curlers alike.” chance to compete and meet ‘Stirling and District other players Ladies’. The compefrom all over the country.” tition will kick off at 10am, with the The first Indoor Grand Match was ensuing games continuing through held ten years ago to mark the milthe day until either the North or lennium, and after another successful the South is awarded the prestigious Grand Match Trophy. However as Ian event in 2005 it was decided that the McGregor, head organiser of the event match should take place every five years. Robbie Scott, President of the in Stirling, said: “Although this is a competition, nobody really cares who Royal Caledonian Curling Club, said: “It is exciting that this event is taking wins and who loses. It’s a social event place once again with as many curlers where curlers from all over Scotland from across Scotland traveling to othcome together to have a laugh and er rinks to support and take part. The enjoy each other’s company.” The Indoor Grand Match commem- Indoor Grand Match is a great day orates the Grand Match bonspiels that out for both veteran and new curlers alike, where many of the traditions of took place on frozen lakes throughScottish curling are upheld and where out the 19th and 20th centuries, the old friendships are brought together most recent of which was on Lake of Menteith in 1979. An attempt to hold and new friendships are created.” 4 | Stirling | October 2010
What’s on ... in and around Stirling
21-24 October Aberfoyle
The Trossachs Mushroom Festival Focusing this year on the flavours of Hong Kong, attractions include mushroom-picking forays, evening ceilidhs, whisky tasting and Chinese cookery demonstrations.
29-30 October Stirling Hallowe’en in Old Town Jail
The jail promises to be a great Halloween venue for the young and old alike. A whole host of festivities are on the agenda like games for the family and guided tours. Fancy dress is optional but grave-robbers, witches and body-snatchers will apparently be a-plenty...
4 November 7pm Stirling University Guest speaker Dr Kelly Cline
Third in a series of lectures, the theme this time is ‘Infinity and Beyond: from Mathematics to the Big Bang and Black Holes’. Held in Lecture Theatre B3, Cottrell Building. Free and open to all.