WCN 840

weecounty Alloa & Hillfoots

news

09.09.11 In this issue...

Alloa man drowns in Caribbean

Lornshill athletic track officially opened

Page 3

Page 9

Win tickets to Premier League snooker

Price 45p Wee County sports

Page 24

Page 29-32

Oh, look who’s back...

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further developments across our portfolio which will see the launch of new titles and some old ones reappear.

We believe that this community appreciation will provide the foundation of a new and trail-blazing stage in the long and honourable history of the Wee County News.

Our paper is nothing without the help and support of the local community. It is that relationship which keeps us going, enabling us to deliver the news each and every week. In the past, there may have been some issues but that was the past.

Going forward, we would like to think that

ELL, here we are again‌ better late than never, and certainly not trying to pretend that you have not noticed our absence.

We won’t bore you with the technical and economic details, but we will simply say “thanks� for reminding us of just how missed in the community The Wee County News has been.

No one is pretending, either, that these are not challenging times for the print journalism industry generally and we are deeply aware of the depth of readers’ affection as we return to print.

Over the next few weeks there will be

we will become the best newspaper in the County once again, not only in terms of readership but in sales too.

Our advertisers are important to us also, and we would like to work with them during this difficult economic time, as we appreciate the challenges that businesses face on a day to day basis.

Remember, if you have something to share with us, please do get in contact – we are happy to talk and share with you your news stories!

Do join us in the journey. It’s going to be – like the paper itself – informative, exciting and fun.

Have vandals been busy?

P

ASSERS-BY have been alarmed by evidence of vandalism on Parliament Walk, the tree-lined path leading to 14th-century Alloa Tower.

Two decorative objects have been damaged – the reflective Sentinal statue

figure at the start of the walk and one of the slender “tribute� trees halfway down.

The figure, designed by artist Rob Mullholland as part of last year’s Imagine Alloa project, is one of several such artworks dotted around the town – made from marine grade polished stainless steel which has a highly mirrored surface.

Each figure, standing at over 2.7 metres and weighing nearly a ton, creates its own shape and form.

In this case, the upper body and one of the upraised arms have been dented several times - clearly in an act of vandalism.

The tree has been broken over on the lower part of the trunk and now lies at a 45-degree angle, again signs show deliberate interference Several of its branches have also been sheered. Each of the trees along the path, which also leads to the Tesco superstore, carries a tribute plaque ‘in loving memory of Mark Lovell’.

The Wee County contacted Central Scotland Police regarding this, but they were unavailable for comment about our enquiry at the time of going to print.

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weecounty

09.09.11

In this issue Pub Chain looking to come to Alloa - P3 Highlights of the Dollar Flower Show - P5 New Barber in town - P7 New council Chief Exec P13 Suicide Awareness Feature P16-17 Business & Money - P18 Wee County Entertainment P20-21

Wee County Politics Keith Brown MSP I

am delighted to see the return of the Wee County News and delighted to be writing the first of my regular columns for the paper which will aim to keep my constituents across Clackmannanshire informed about some of the issues I am involved in at Holyrood and closer to home here in the Wee County.

This week saw the end of summer recess and MSPs heading back to Holyrood to begin what is likely to be one of the most challenging parliamentary terms to date. On Wednesday I was in the chamber at Holyrood to hear First Minister, Alex Salmond, outline the Scottish Government’s legislative programme. A programme which will build on the action we took in our Economic Recovery Plan that meant the recession in Scotland was shorter and shallower than for the UK as a whole. Our commitment to creating and protecting jobs has mean that Scottish unemployment is also lower than in the UK, while employment is higher, and we will continue this with schemes like the Opportunities for All initiative

– a commitment that every single 16 – 19 year old in Scotland will be offered a learning or training place if they are not in already in a job.

Earlier this week I attended the UK Transport Select Committee at Westminster to press home the case for a high speed rail link to Scotland. Current plans by the UK Government to build a high speed link to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds just don’t go far enough and the Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that Westminster listens to and acts upon the compelling arguments to bring the high speed network – and the associated economic benefits - to Scotland.

Closer to home, the Forth Valley College has opened the doors of the new campus in Alloa has opened its doors to its first intake of students and I would like to wish both staff and students well in their new home.

I am sure the new campus will have a positive impact businesses in Alloa as the town centre is opened up to a whole new customer base on a daily basis.

I was also delighted to hear confirmation that parking charges in Alloa town centre have been ruled out by the administration at Clackmannanshire Council – it’s just a pity they spent £75,000

Extra Police to tackle anti-social behaviour

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before coming to the conclusion that it would the wrong decision for the businesses based in and people who use the town. That’s £75,000 that could have been spent on other facilities for the town – like toilets!

C

entral Scotland Police have announced that there will be extra police patrols to be carried out in the Menteith Court area of Alloa after receiving a number of complaints of anti-social behaviour involving youths.

The anti-social behaviour has ranged from shouting and swearing in the street, running across garages and through gardens. The reports suggest that it appears to involve youths aged between 12-15.

If you have any information that you could pass to the police, contact them on 01786 456000.

entral Scotland Fire and Rescue Service has officially launched its new website last week and to keep up with the popularity of social media has also joined Twitter to aid the way it communicates with the community.

Root Creative were commissioned to design the new and improved website which now offers more information to users.

There is now information on fire safety for the home and business and the opportunity to book a home fire safety visit.

The website also includes a new interactive section to teach both adults and children about the dangers of fire.

The new site can be found at www. centralscotlandfire.gov. uk and on Twitter @ CentralFRS.

weecounty

Alloa man death

3 89% of residents happy with their neighbourhood 09.09.11

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lackmannanshire is going from strength to strength with the Council and its partners making a positive difference people’s lives, says a new report.

The Single Outcome Agreement (SOA) annual report 2010-11, shows excellent progress is being made across a range of issues including tackling the fear of crime, increasing opportunities for young people and improved employment rates.

The annual report shows that almost all indicators relating to perceptions and satisfaction of communities have improved and there is more satisfaction with a range of public services.

Council leader Sam Ovens, who also chairs the Clackmannanshire Alliance, said: “Despite the many challenges that we have all faced in the last couple of years, Clackmannanshire is continuing to thrive.

People feel safer, happier and they enjoy living here.

Partners have made some real inroads into improving life chances.”

The report shows that 89% of residents rate their neighbourhood as a good place to stay and

that the percentage of residents who feel that Clackmannanshire has a strong sense of community has almost doubled in the last year The report also outlines employment in Clackmannanshire has risen to its highest annual levels (76.1%) since 2004. Also, detailed was that significantly fewer people are fearful of becoming a victim of crime.

Also outlined in the report was that residents had increased satisfaction with schools, GPs, hospitals, social care, the police across the county.

Councillor Ovens continued: “These figures reflect the hard work which has gone on for many years by all the partners to transform Clackmannanshire.”

Although overwhelmingly positive, the report also shows that alcohol misuse remains an issue in Clackmannanshire.

Councillor Ovens said: “Like the rest of Scotland, alcohol is an issue here, too. However, a lot of effort is going in to providing services to reduce the harm from misuse and to increase opportunities for those recovering from misuse.”

Pub chain coming to Alloa J

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ributes have been pouring in for Alloa man Nicolas Sagar who drowned whilst swimming in St Maartens.

Nicolas Sagar, 33, from Alloa, was working as a pianist on the paradise island of St Maartens, when he died on Sunday 28th August.

The talented pianist, actor and musical director had gone swimming in the sea, but is believed to have got in to difficulties and drowned.

Tourists who found him at Maho Beach, where he spent much of his spare time, tried to resuscitate him and called emergency services but medics who rushed to scene pronounced him dead at 10.55am.

Police on the island said there appeared to be no suspicious circumstances and that the incident was a tragic accident.

Nick’s parents, Kelly and Liz, said their son, who had a younger brother Cristopher had been travelling the world, working as a muscial director and pianist on cruise ships, after three successful years working in musical theatre in London.

They said he loved his life on the Caribbean island, but was due to move on to Barbados on Monday.

Mr Sagar said: “He was a wonderful son. The piano was his great love -- from the age of eight, the only thing he wanted to do was play piano and sing.

“He attended Alloa Academy and got good qualifications but

he just wanted to work as a musician.

“He was never happier than when he was sitting at the piano with a pint resting on top.

“He was travelling the world doing what he loved.”

Nick’s body was recovered from the sea at Maho Beach and he was only identified after he failed to turn up for work on Sunday night. The manager of the piano bar went to look for him.

Police later retrieved his passport and belongings from his home nearby.

His family are now working with the Home Office to repatriate his body, and arrangements are still being made for his funeral.

Mr Sagar added: “There are no suspicious circumstances -- it was just a tragic accident.

“Nick worked in the evenings and liked to spend his days on the beach. He’d go swimming there quite often and it appears that on this occasion he got in to difficulty.

“He will be missed terribly.”

Friends of the musician paid tribute to him on his facebook page.

Friend and former West End actor David Greer, 50, who worked with Nick for several years at Stirling’s Stageworx School for Performing Arts, where Nick was a musical director, said: “We are shocked and so saddened.

“He was a great musical director, a great pianist, actor and a great friend who you could always rely on.

“He inspired so many people, but he made an impact on everyone he came in to contact with.

“He will be so sadly missed.”

Close friend Andy Stewart, 41, another who sang with Nick, said he was “devastated”, adding: “I was lucky to have known Nick. He was a great friend and a fantastic musician who was a perfectionist when it came to music.

“He was so talented. He also played bass guitar in our band, and just amazed everyone.

“He inspired us all, and we were looking forward to the next time he’d come home so I could introduce him to my first son.

“He was a beautiful person inside and out.”

Broadway performer Margaret Kelly, who also worked with Nick in Stirling, added: “I am so sad to hear this news. Can’t get over it. Far too young and talented.

Awe darlin’, God rest ur soul!!

Goodnight Nicholas xxx” Mr and Mrs Sagar said they were comforted by dozens of messages which have been posted on Nick’s Facebook page.

Nicolas has been described as a brilliant musician and “one of life’s true gentlemen.”

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D Wetherspoon plan to open in Alloa town creating 40 jobs.

JD Wetherspoon have confirmed that they are proposing a £1.3 million development of the former Poundland store on Drysdale Street that could create up to 40 jobs.

The pub chain is looking to develop the site but planning and licensing permissions still need to be approved and granted.

The location is currently not being utilised to its full capacity and the pub chain have agreed to take on the lease from the current landlord.

Eddie Gershon, spokesman for Wetherspoon said; “We are waiting on the outcome of the planning application, but we are keen to open in Alloa.”

“The company has had great

success across Scotland and is confident that a pub in Alloa will be welcomed by locals.”

They have advised the Wee County News that there is no on site or planned opening date as of yet.

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weecounty

09.09.11

Council backed swimming lessons resume C

lackmannanshire Council has started its new season of swimming lessons, moving from Alva pool to Tulliallan Police College Pool - and are offering Wee County residents the chance to come and try the first session for free.

Sessions are due to start on 12 September, with lessons from 5pm to 7pm on Mondays and Thursdays.

As well as Scottish Swimming Association levels 1 to 8, there will be parent and child and swim fit sessions.

All sessions will be staffed by highly qualified coaches and parents receive a feedback report on their child’s progress after every lesson.

Councillor Bobby McGill, spokesperson for sport, said, “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to secure Tulliallan as a venue for our swimming lessons. It’s a deep pool, which means we’ll be able to offer diving and deep water exercises, and because we have exclusive use of it for these times customers will really be able to concentrate on improving their swimming.”

At just £4 per lesson, the sessions remain great value and customers are invited to try their first session free of charge.

The pool is only available for booked sessions, not recreational

swimming, and you must register to gain entry, so please book in advance by calling Clackmannanshire Council’s Sports Development Team on 01259 452350.

The council have advised that priority will be given to existing customers.

Online applications a hit R

ecent data released by the Scottish Government shows the highest ever number of planning applications submitted online across the county has been recorded at 38%.

This far exceeds the Scottish Government’s target of 21% for the year to March 2011.

It means that the use of the on-line portal is becoming well established in Clackmannanshire, with 50% of applications submitted online in 2011 so far.

Councillor Eddie Carrick, sustainability portfolio holder, said: “The Scottish average for receiving online applications is 28% across the 32 local authorities, so with a figure of 38% we are well ahead of the game. In this digital age, people expect to be able to do more and more business online at any time of the day or night and thanks to the eplanning system, more people are becoming aware that it is cheaper, quicker and more efficient to make planning applications online.”

Colin Machin of Alloa-based Chartered Architects & Planning Supervisors Machin Associates said; “Following the introduction of eplanning, we have found

the submission of applications on behalf of clients to be far more efficient and time effective than by submission by paper. In addition, as a practice we have managed to significantly reduce the costs associated with the printing of plans, reports and so on for planning application purposes.

“These cost savings are able to be passed on to clients which, as you can imagine in current times, is very welcome. As a practice, we recognise eplanning as a positive tool which gets our clients’ planning applications registered and in front of a case officer far faster than submission by paper.”

Along with making applications online, a significant percentage of those applicants are also choosing to pay online using Clackmannanshire Council’s electronic payment system.

The report shows that 28% paid online in 2010 and this is rising with 33% paid online in 2011 so far.

Brown hails new Dolly Parton imagination library in Scotland A

n initiative between country singer Dolly Parton, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Book Trust to provide free books to looked after children has been hailed

by Clackmannanshire & Dunblane MSP, Keith Brown.

Funds from the SNP government will enable the Imagination Library to provide 12 free books every year for all 3,341 looked after children in Scotland until they are five years old.

Minister for Children and Young People Angela Constance met Parton this week to mark the arrival of the programme that has seen more than 40,000 free books donated to young Scots, with more set to follow.

Ms Constance said: “It was great to be able to thank Dolly personally for working with the Scottish Government and the Scottish Book Trust to ensure some of Scotland’s most vulnerable children benefit from the Imagination Library.

“It will help us ensure our looked after children will have the same opportunities as their peers to access books, be inspired by literature and learn the joy of reading.

“The Scottish Government is committed to improving the life chances of Scotland’s looked after children.”

The Dollywood Foundation initiative gives looked after children a free book every month until they are five years old.

Dolly Parton said: “This is very important to me and I am so proud of our partnership with the Scottish Book Trust and the Scottish Government.

“They love kids as much as I do and share a belief that if we do what is right for children now, they will do what is right for the rest of their lives.”

Local MSP Keith Brown says the initiative will have a huge impact on the lives of local looked after children. He said: “A lot of consideration is given to children about school-age but what is often missing is how to aid their development from birth to five years old.

“The early years in a child’s life are the most important for their learning and looked after children don’t always have the same opportunities as their peers.

“So this initiative is going to have such a positive impact on the lives of children across my constituency and it is a testament to the SNP’s commitment to improving the lives of Scottish youngsters.

“The Imagination Library is a fantastic idea for the looked after children in this community.”

weecounty

09.09.11

Dollar flower show O

ver 150 people attended the annual Dollar Horticultural and Garden Club flower show last weekend at the Burnside Hall.

According to the organisers, the poor weather did not deter the vast number of entrants with exceptionally good displays.

On view at the show this year was a large variety of garden produce and flowers from green-fingered residents, all seeking to win best in show.

With prizes on offer in many classes including flowers, fruit, vegetables, pot plants, floral art, knitting, handwork, baking, jams, photographs and not forgetting the chidrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classes, the judges were severely tested to decide the winners.

Wilson Brown, Show Manager told the Wee County News; â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were very impressed with the standard of entries this year given the weather that we have had. We had expected the flowers to suffer but the standard was very high.â&#x20AC;?

He continued; â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the vegetable classes, the competition was very fierce indeed, causing the judges some problems.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;There were only 2 points separating the first, second and third spots and we ended up giving many tied results.â&#x20AC;?

Club Treasurer, Margaret Stephenson told us; â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was pleasing to see an increase on last year. We would encourage families to keep entering and for the children to get involved â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that is were the future of the show lies.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was really pleased with the entries from Strathdevon School with their organic vegetables.â&#x20AC;?

Silver Shield presented by Mr H. J. Inches for Best Exhibit in Cut Flower Classes 1 to 13 - W. Bolton;

MSP warns of bogus call scam

Silver Cup presented by Mr and Mrs Harvie for Best Exhibit in Cut Flower Classes 14 to 25 - W. Bolton: McNamara Cup presented by Dent Family for Best Exhibit in Dahlia Classes - W. Bolton;

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Rose Bowl presented by Dr and Mrs J. D. T. Wilson for Most Points in Cut Flower Classes W. Bolton; Rose Bowl presented by Mrs Gascoigne for Best Exhibit in Roses - W. Bolton.

Silver Cup presented by Mr A Mitchell - A. Mitchell.

Centenary Cup for Best in Class 26 Bowl Mixed Cut Flowers - M. Stephenson.

Silver Cup presented by ex-Provost and Mrs J. C. Shaw for Best Exhibit in Vegetable Classes - Winner Mr. Raeburn.

The group of prize-winners Silver Cup presented by Mrs N. Clark for Best Exhibit in Baking - M. Maltman.

Silver Cup presented by Mrs J. Halley for most points in Knitting and Handwork - M. Dow.

Grace Campbell Cup for Best Miniature Arrangement Class 84 - S. Catton.

Silver Cup presented by Dr and Mrs W. Y. Galloway for most points in Baking Classes - M. Maltman.

Belle Russell Cup presented by Mrs Marshall, Glenfoot, for most points in jam classes - M. Stephenson.

Silver Cup presented by Mrs D. G. Marshall for most points in Knitting and Handcraft and Baking and Jam classes. Points must be won in each section - M. Stephenson.

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The winners are as set out below:

Quaich presented by Mr D. Dorward for most points in Vegetable Classes - L. Hadlow.

Silver Cup presented by Mr and Mrs A. E. Walls for Best Exhibit in Floral Art Classes S. Catton.

5

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The children (L to R) - Grace Tindall, Leo Docherty and Sophie Ferguson

Mr W. Bolton with his haul of trophies

Silver Cup presented by Mr and Mrs D. Toon for Best Overall in Novices classes 88, 98 and 108 - P. Page.

Tait Cup for Best Exhibit in Class 117, Miniature Garden - Strathdevon Nursery Class.

Silver Shield presented by Mr and Mrs J. King for Best in Handwork - E. Macdonald.

Silver Shield presented by Mr and Mrs R. R. Henderson for Best Exhibit in all Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classes - 3rd Dollar Brownies.

Silver Cup for most points in Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classes 119 to122, up to and including age 5 - Leo Docherty.

Marshall Trophy presented by Mrs Marshall for most points in classes 123 - 126, age 6 to10 Grace Tindall.

Silver Cup presented by Mr A. Mitchell for most points in classes 127 - 130, age 11 to 15 - Sophie Ferguson.

Silver cup presented by Mr D Bradley for best exhibit in photographs - M. Stephenson.

Silver cup presented for Young Photographer of the Year in class 118 - Leo Docherty.

Henry Campbell Cup for best overall exhibit in classes 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 26 or classes 44 -77 - M. Stephenson.

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he SNPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire & Dunblane is urging constituents to be aware of a new telephone scam that he has been made aware of.

The new scam involves a call, claiming to be from BT or the Telephone Preference Service offering protection from bogus callers for a ÂŁ50 fee.

Mr Brown said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bogus calls are a real nuisance with callers, often from overseas, trying to con folk into giving away their bank details or access to their computers. It is very easy for folk unsure about technology, particularly the elderly, to be tricked by these calls. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This most recent scam is particularly sneaky, playing, as it does, on the suspicion about bogus calls that the fraudsters have built up amongst the population. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have ben told these calls claim to be from BT or the Telephone Preference Service, offering protection from bogus callers. The sting comes when the recipient of the call agrees that they would like this service and are then asked for their bank details to pay in the region of ÂŁ50 for the service. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to stress to my constituents that the Telephone Preference Service is free. No-one from the TPS will call you up and ask for money.

Anyone doing so is a fraudster and you should simply hang up the phone.â&#x20AC;?

Van stolen from Dollar

C

entral Scotland Police are appealing for information regarding the theft of a white Vauxhall Corsa van from Cairnpark Street, Dollar last Tuesday, 30th August.

It was later recovered a short distance from Dollar.

Anyone with information on this incident should contact the police on 01786 456 000.

6

weecounty

09.09.11

Imagine better business in Alloa ‘Imagine Alloa – Better for Business’, a collaboration between the private and public sectors to try to encourage businesses to consider the area of Clackmannanshire as a place to locate or expand their business.

Kevin Deighan, Project Manager at Imagine Alloa confirmed that Contral Instrument Services 2010 Ltd relocated from Grangemouth to Alloa at the beginning of July.

It is also anticipated that Fennelwood Fine Foods will conclude their relocation from Stirling to Alloa within the next four weeks.

With the initial target of 40 jobs over 2 years the project is already on the way to exceeding that target after only nine months.

Kevin Deighan said “We have been pro-active in our approach as Alloa seemed to have fallen off the radar of businesses looking to relocate or expand.

“The name of the project is apt in this regard, we want business owners to stop and just think of the huge benefits of being based in Clackmannanshire whether it is the central location, extremely competitive property costs or the support they would receive from the local business community and Clackmannanshire Council.”

Mr Deighan hinted at several other significant developments in the pipeline.

It would seem that, subject to planning, Alloa Town Centre will see the opening of a restaurant and possibly a niche market independent retailer.

He told us: “Whilst it would be

premature to reveal names, there is a likelihood of a high end restaurant coming to town. We would hope that this proposition would simply add to the appeal of coming into Alloa Town Centre.”

The crucial benefit of attracting new business to the area is that the local economy is boosted.

Margaret Mary Rafferty, Chief Executive at Ceteris commented: ”Imagine Alloa has had an extremely positive impact on our business. We are speaking to businesses that we otherwise would not have had it not been for the project.”

Imagine Alloa – Better for Business truly is a coming together for the benefit of the local economy.

All of the private landlords have contributed to the project, Mike Mulraney of Mulraney Group and Chair of Clacks Business has been a leading light in the development of the project and has committed time and ideas to the progression.

Kevin Deighan added: “The support for the project has been fantastic and we are convinced that the local economy will reap the benefits.

We are informed that local suppliers are being contacted by the new businesses with a view to trading.

Whether it is stationary or IT, when new businesses arrive they will look around for local suppliers.”

Victoria MacFarlane of Contral Instrument Services 2010 Ltd, highlighted the fact that had it not been for Imagine Alloa approaching them they would probably have remained in Grangemouth.

Ms MacFarlane told us: “We were first approached in January by Imagine

Alloa. We were looking to move premises however the notion that we’d leave Grangemouth had never entered our heads. Having considered the information we received we visited

New project to increase County broadband Speeds T

he new ‘ClacksMax’ project – an innovative project to increase broadband speed - has been given a boost with the announcement of the firm appointed to carry out the works.

Briskona, a UK, Irish and Spanish Joint Venture, has been appointed to carry out the work needed to bring wireless broadband to Clackmannanshire and parts of rural Stirlingshire.

The ‘ClacksMax’ project, which is part-financed by the Scottish Government and the European Community Forth Valley & Lomond Leader 20072013 programme, will put in place the necessary infrastructure to allow high speed broadband of between 2Mbps to 20 Mbps to be offered wirelessly as a commercial service which, as a minimum.

The project will cover the communities of Tillicoultry, Alva East, Alloa West, Bandeath, Throsk, South Alloa, Cambusbarron and parts of rural South West Stirling.

It focuses on the business ‘not-spot’ areas of the Forth Valley, using a WI-MAX wireless broadband solution which builds on the ClacksMax test system put in place by Clackmannanshire Council and Briskona’s technology partner Networks by Wireless.

Briskona are now seeking individuals and businesses to be part of the pilot.

ClacksMax will be rolled out in stages, so for the first stage, beginning in December 2011, they are looking for homes and businesses in the Alloa, Tillicoultry area.

Craig Bluff, Country General Manager for Briskona-U.K. & Ireland said, “This is a very exciting opportunity for the area of Clackmannanshire and for Briskona. We have a wealth of experience

several properties in Clackmannanshire and decided that Cooperage Way in Alloa was perfect for our business.”

For more information on Imagine Alloa – Better for Business visit www. imaginealloa.com or call 01259 726613.

R.D. McFARLANE OPTCIANS 01259 212420

www.rdmnicols.co.uk

“I wish I could see what my glasses look like before I choose them!”

By Douglas Richmond FBDO, R.D. McFarlane Opticians Do you ever go to the opticians, try on new specs and then struggle to see what they look like? R.D McFarlane Opticians have the answer!

of serving low population density and rural underserved areas in Ireland and Spain. We currently serve 10’s of thousands of Broadband and VOIP phone users.

“We are very pleased to be awarded this contract in Scotland. Our aim is to bring class leading quality, affordable Broadband to the Clackmannanshire area, and to improve areas where Broadband speeds are currently poor or none existent.

“We now live in an age where Broadband IS the 4th utility and not just a luxury. Fast, reliable, quality Broadband allows businesses, families, schools, students and home workers to eliminate the digital divide of living outside major towns and cities. Clackmannanshire Council has been pivotal in driving quality Broadband forward in this area to lead Scotland in rural Broadband.”

Councillor Bobby McGill, deputy leader, said, “I’m delighted to welcome Briskona to the project. They bring a wealth of experience and we’re keen to work together to get high speed broadband to as many of our customers as possible. Clackmannanshire already has a great transport infrastructure that puts it at the heart of Scotland and ClacksMax will make our information infrastructure one of the best in the country.”

Customers can register an interest at enquiries@ brisknona.com.

We have a brand new iPad with a new app called EyeDispense.

EyeDispense allows us to take up to four videos of you trying on new glasses and compare them so you can decide which suits you the best.

If you are still not sure, we can email you the photographs so you can gather other opinions.

EyeDispense will even let you upload your chosen frames to Facebook so your friends can help you with your decision.

For more information about EyeDispense visit www. eyedispense.com or to experience EyeDispense yourself simply pop into the practice or call to make an appointment.

To make an appointment phone: 01259 212420 Visit our website: www.rdmnicols.co.uk

R.D McFarlane Opticians 40 Primrose Street Alloa FK10 1JG For the latest news from the practice or follow us on twitter @McFarlaneOptic

weecounty

09.09.11

Young Turk will cut YOUR hair – but not his own There’s a new barber in town and he’s going with the flow

By Rick Wilson

A

NEW Turkish barber has moved into town with a view to grooming many local heads – but he won’t be having a short back-and-sides of his own.

Ali Yanik sports flowing shoulder-length hair and says he has had such long locks since the age of two. Showing an old photo of himself as a toddler to prove it, he does admit there have been moments – three actually – when he yielded to the scissors.

“Once when I joined the army and didn’t have much choice in the matter,” recalls the 29-yearold Turk whom came to Scotland in 2007 after meeting and

marrying a Scots girl he met on (her) holiday. “Then again when I got a job in a hotel which insisted that I shorten my hair, and another time when I just felt like change. That didn’t last long, as I have always liked lengthy hair.”

So why does he like cutting other people’s? “I don’t know, I suppose I’m just interested in hair generally. I picked up my skills in a shop in my home town of Antanya. From the age of 14, I just kept watching and watching the others at work till I could do it myself.”

Called Address, the shop recently opened by Ali and his

31-year-old partner Cev Bayrak, occupies what has been quite an international spot of late – the corner of Drysdale Street and Primrose Street – where the last occupant was a “foods of the world” diner that had to admit commercial defeat after some months.

Now the Turkish flair for hair is making its presence felt in Alloa as “business is really good”.

With another shop in Stirling, the partners’ expansion represents a leap of faith as “we felt there were not so many barbers in the town and certainly not so many offering hot shaves”.

HAIR FLAIR: Ali with locks above and partner Cev

Hotel stages free wedding show I

T’S only the third time they have staged a wedding show but – on the basis of the popularity of their last one – the bosses of Alloa’s elegant Dunmar House Hotel are expecting quite a crowd for this Sunday’s free event.

They will be putting their own establishment forward in the “hotel venues” category, of course, but there will be many other venues and themes on display to catch the eye of current or soon-to-be wedding organisers.

“The show will include contributions from some of the best local businesses to help make your day unforgettable,” says co-owner Robert Westland, who reckons that around 300

people should be turning up.

“Apart from hotel venues, stalls will feature a long list of offerings as wedding day essentials – wedding dresses, kilt hire, honeymoons, wedding bands, chair coverings, discos, balloons, beauty and hair, florists, photographers, videographers, wedding jewellery, pipers, car hire, wedding stationery, tips on stag and hen dos, and wedding cakes.”

And just to get visitors in the mood, there will be sunshine (perhaps) and certainly “a glass of bubbly on arrival as helpful staff help you to plan and make your big day one to remember”.

For more details, call 01259 214339.

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weecounty

09.09.11

weecounty Alloa & Hillfoots

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weecounty

09.09.11

Lornshill track officially opened

J

ust under 200 people turned up, in glorious sunshine, to try out the new running track at Lornshill Academy this week as it was officially opened on Monday evening.

The new running track features six lanes that will now allow most athletic events from across the county to be held at Lornshill.

For the opening, Scottish Athletics brought their speed gates and many children and adults had fund finding out their speed along 60 metres.

In addition to the speed trials, there were 12 stations of athletic activities for young people to try out ranging from shot putt to javelin throwing.

There were many talented athletes from across the county at the opening to support their support for the event; Karen Montador, Eilidh MacQuorkidale, Kyle Henderson and Meggan Dawson Farrell.

An exciting part of the evening for many who attended was the racing bikes and chairs for

9

people with a disability. Sports Development and Scottish Disability Sport Association are keen to develop training and competition on this track.

Another popular event was the adults 1-mile race which saw fierce competition between the runners as they battled to be first over the line.

Water, to keep the athletes hydrated was donated for the event from B&Ms new store situated at Clackmannan Road.

There were many talented athletes at the fun event who are not members of a sports club, out of the event sports development are hoping to create a new athletics club which will meet at Lornshill Academy on Monday nights.

If there are any volunteers or coaches who are interested in supporting a new club please contact Clackmannanshire Council's Sports Development team: sportsdevelopment@clacks. gov.uk, 01259 450000.

Clackmannanshire Fastest Kids, over 60 metres Hayley Black 14 years 9.71 secs Alexis McNicol 13 years 9.06 secs Jodie Currie 12 years 9.36 secs Christina Jack 11 years 10.60 secs Iona Jack 10 years 10.30 secs Robbie McNicol Euan Doherty Ewan Jack Euan Smith Alexander Hutton

12 years 12 years 12 years 9 years 5 years

9.12 secs 9.15 secs 10.50 secs 10.19 secs 13.20 secs

One Mile round the Track - Adults ladies 1st Sharon Balhame 2nd Kirsty McKay 3rd Alison Greig

7 min 25 sec 7 min 30 sec 8 min 07 sec

men 1st 2nd 3rd

Gordon McNeill Eric Adam Ben Earl

5 min 50 sec 6 min 01 sec 6 min 15 sec

Speed Bounce Iona Rae Ewen Doherty Scott Wood

10 years 12 years 9 years

58 in 30 seconds 64 in 30 seconds 64 in 30 seconds

Standing Long Jump Jodie Currie 12 years Lauren Mullheron 12 years Jack Edmond 10 years Kyle Gillespie 9 years

1 metre 90 cms 1 metre 72 cms 1 metre 78 cms 1 metre 60 cms

Turbo Javelin Iona Rae Ewen Smith

11m 80 cms 12m 60 cms

10 years 9 years

10

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weecounty

09.09.11

Food festival set for Alva Win tickets for Scotfest food and drink festival

T

he Scotfest festival 2011 is set take place on Saturday 17th September at Cochrane Park in Alva.Now into its third year, the festival has grown in size and stature, it has come a long way since the first event which set out purely as a food and drink festival. It is now more fun and interactive incorporating a range of activities for everyone to take part in.

It is expected that over 80 exhibitors will take part in the festival celebrating the best food, drink, crafts and designs from across the country.

All exhibitors are hand-picked to ensure that there is a broad mix of specialities for you to enjoy. They will have a

free tasting session ranging from Arbroath Smokies to handmade chocolate, cupcakes and tablet.

There is also a Drinks Den at the event with a range of quality brands to sample.

This year, the festival will include the ScotFest Encampment, which allows you to visit and discover what life might have been like had you been here 1000 years ago!

Visit the encampment and you could try your hand at the ancient arts of cooking, baking, spinning, weaving and carding. If you are feeling more adventurous then try on the armour which would have been worn, learn how to use the different weapons and have a

go at archery.

Providing musical entertainment will be Clanadonia, who will be playing throughout the day between Noon and 3pm with their mix of high energy Scottish Pipes and Drums.

Since the festival is taking place in Scotland, the organisers have set up marquees to combat the weather, ensuring that your visit to the festival will be enjoyable.

Scotfest will be open between 10:30 and 16:30 . Admission is £5 for adults, £2.50 for seniors and students and children under 12 go free.

For more information visit www. scotfest.co.uk

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weecounty Chief Constable: officers in our Council is taking community will be a mainstay action at Gubber Hill 12

09.09.11

First Minister announces we are heading towards a national Police Force

K

evin Smith, the Chief Constable of Central Scotland Police, said: “The First Minister has announced today that we will be moving to a single national police service in Scotland from the current eight force structure.

“I’ve been Chief Constable for three years and Central Scotland Police is one of the highest-performing forces in the country. The force’s record on tackling issues in the heart of communities, working closely with the public, through to complex multi-agency international criminal investigations, speaks for itself. As a force we have much that will influence the transition from eight forces into a single police service.

“The officers and staff of Central Scotland Police have much to bring to the new single police service. They demonstrate their skills on a daily basis serving the communities across the Forth Valley.

“Our priority over the coming weeks and months will be to continue to deliver excellent policing locally. While the reforms take place nationally, it will be very much business as usual for policing in the three council areas of Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling.

“Moving into the new single force structure, communityfocused policing will be the foundation on which the Scottish Police Service will be built. It will continue to have a significant presence and footprint in your communities.

“While the new national police service will bring added capacity in dealing with big issues like serious and organised crime and counter terrorism, highly visible and accessible officers in our communities will be a mainstay.

“During this time of change, we will still need to have the confidence and trust of the public to continue working with us so that we can be as effective as possible in addressing community concerns, preventing crime and tackling criminality.”

Warning over giving out bank details

P

olice are urging members of the public not to give out their bank details – no matter how plausible the caller may sound.

The warning comes after a 70-year-old woman in the Stirling area was persuaded to give out her details to a company saying they could save her money on her fuel bills.

A Central Scotland Police spokeswoman said: “Many different tactics are being used to persuade people to give out their bank details.

Our advice is quite simply to never give out banking or personal details.

“In this case the person calling said their company could save money on fuel bills. While this may sound plausible our advice is to go to a reputable energy firm for such advice.

“Luckily in this instance the woman was suspicious after she had given out her details and contacted her bank immediately.”

Anyone with information can contact Central Scotland Police on 01786 456000 or information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

C

ouncil staff had already met with the owner and issued a Temporary Stop Notice after work on the site, which lies between Alloa and Tullibody, in April. The Council offered the opportunity to seek retrospective planning permission, but this was not taken up.

The owner had assured the Council that he would alert officers to any further proposed work.As further developments have taken place without notice which appear to significantly breach planning regulations - including the positioning of caravans and showground equipment - Council officers have now instigated formal enforcement action.

Trees felled on the site were not covered by a Tree Preservation Order and therefore not protected under planning legislation enforced by the Council. However, the owner failed to apply for or obtain a Felling Licence from the Forestry Commission. The Forestry Commission are continuing to investigate the matter.

To maintain public and pupil safety, the Council has issued a Traffic Order to prevent vehicles using the section of footpath to the Lornshill Academy entrance from Ormiston Drive in the morning, lunchtime and afternoon when pupils are arriving at and leaving the school.

Councillor Eddie Carrick, portfolio holder for sustainability, said: “The Council has given the owner of this land a reasonable time to submit a retrospective planning application and has explained the consequences of not doing so. Planning rules are in place to ensure the safety of our residents and to protect our countryside, and Clackmannanshire Council will enforce them rigorously where necessary.”

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Council cracks down on dog fouling C

lackmannanshire Council is looking to raise awareness of dog owners’ responsibilities with a new leaflet and asking for help in bringing irresponsible owners to book.

The Council has produced a leaflet, given out by community wardens in areas with high incidences of dog fouling, explaining the penalties of being caught not cleaning up after your dog. What’s more, if you know that someone regularly allows their dog to foul the same area, you can report it to the community wardens and they will increase their patrols to try and catch offenders.

Councillor Eddie Carrick, portfolio holder for sustainability, said: “There are almost 300 dog fouling bins located across

the county and dog fouling bags are available free from Council offices, CAPs, libraries, from the animal welfare officer and from the community wardens.

“There’s no excuse for dog fouling. Thoughtless dog owners are ruining other people’s enjoyment of our streets and countryside and giving responsible dog owners a bad name.”

If you have any information regarding irresponsible pet owners or would like to report dog fouling please contact the wardens on 450000 or email cat@clacks.gov.uk You can also report it online via the Clacksweb ‘Report It’ page: http://www.clacksweb.org.uk/ council/reportit/

Decades Party tickets still available T here is still time to purchase tickets for The Decades Party on the 17th September.

The charity event, which is in aid of Help for Hereos has been organised by local business Party People.

The entertainment on the event includes cover artists for, The Beatles, Blondie, Rubix Cubes and Lady Gaga. Party goers are

invited to dress in the style of their favourite decade.

A raffle with many prizes will also take part on the evening.

Tickets are priced at £12.50 for general admission and £10.50 for the seated balcony area, are on sale at The Thistle Bar, Locker Room or from Party People direct on 0845 25 01259

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weecounty

Towering backdrop for Mairi’s wedding

By Rick Wilson

New chief executive takes the reins at Council T

here is a new chief in town as Elaine McPherson, Head of Strategy and Customer Services at Clackmannanshire Council, has been appointed as the new Chief Executive.

Elaine will take up her post on 26 September and has worked for the Council for 19 years, starting as a Policy Officer and rising to Head of Service, first in the Education service and then at the corporate centre as Head of Strategy & Customer Services.

She has a breadth of experience across many aspects of Council business and played an important role when Clackmannanshire was established as a unitary council in 1996.

In her role as Head of Service in Education, she oversaw the implementation of mainstreaming policy for pupils with additional support needs.

More recently, she has advised the Council on policy matters and led the development of community planning.

Elaine said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been appointed as Chief Executive. I have been fortunate to be part of the huge positive changes the county has experienced over the past twenty years and I am committed to working with all elected members and our partners to ensure Clacks continues on the up and up. The Council has tremendous staff and I am looking forward to leading them through the exciting, if challenging, times which lie ahead.”

In her spare time, Elaine, who

09.09.11

T

he bride arrives for her special day at one of the Wee County’s most romantic wedding venues -the handsome and historic 14th-century Alloa Tower.

Mairi Hughes of Tillicoultry smiled radiantly for the photographer as she prepared to enter the building to marry catering executive George Lyle of Clackmannan on Saturday.

“Weddings are available by arrangement at Alloa Tower,” according to its website; “We have a civil wedding licence.”

Alloa Tower is the largest, oldest keep in Scotland. It was the ancestral home of the Erskine family, the Earls of Mar and Kellie. The Erskines were loyal supporters of several Stuart monarchs who spent part of their early lives in Alloa Tower, including Mary Queen of Scots and James VI and I. As the family rose to prominence they played an important part in many episodes of Scottish history.

Today, Alloa Tower is a beautifully restored and furnished “to period”. It contains several rare medieval features, including the original oakbeamed roof and an original dungeon.

For wedding enquiries, call 0844 4932129.

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is married, enjoys scuba diving and underwater photography.

Council Leader Sam Ovens said, “Elaine was one of eight people shortlisted for the most senior role in the Council and was the strongest candidate throughout the process. We have

already been working together closely and her experience in Clackmannanshire will be a huge asset.

“I would like to thank Angela Leitch for her leadership over the last few years and wish her well in her new position.”

Contact Neil on 07789216953 to discuss your requirements.

Email: n.cramond@btinternet.com No payment until work is approved to your satisfaction.

13

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weecounty

09.09.11

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weecounty Recycling is working but we need to do better O

ver the past year, 2,200 tonnes of newspapers, magazines, plastics and glass is needlessly being sent to landfill

by Clackmannanshire residents instead of being recycled.

To enable the Council to monitor the ratio between waste and recycling they carried out tests on what householders put in their green bins to discover if resources are being missed by the blue bin and blue box services.

The results show that whilst we are recycling, some householders aren’t recycling as much as they should be.

Overall, 37% of green bin waste could still be recycled if every household made full use of their blue box and blue bin.

And top culprit of the missing recycling list was paper and cardboard which made up 17% of green bin waste sent to landfill.

Closely following paper and cardboard on the missing recycling list were plastic bottles, food containers, cans and glass that made up a further 16% of resources being wasted.

The lost recycling resources that are sent to landfill is costing the community over £120,000 every year.

Councillor Carrick, portfolio holder for sustainability, said, “Every household that doesn’t recycle is costing their neighbours dear. As well as the extra cost to the community, resources that aren’t recycled mean lost opportunities for local jobs and damage to the environment.

“I would urge every resident to use their blue bin and blue box to the maximum. We simply cannot afford to throw these resources away.”

Over a whole year, to empty just one lorry of green bin waste costs the Council about £250,000. Last year the total cost of Clackmannanshire’s waste disposal was more than two million pounds.

The Scottish government is

proposing new laws in the Zero Waste Scotland Regulations 2011 to boost recycling. The new rules will mean collecting separated household waste for recycling will become the law next year.

The Council in the future will have to ensure that the maximum amount of recycling material is separated and that householders do not leave recycling items in their green bins.

This means the Council cannot empty green bins where there has been no attempt to recycle by the household.

Green bins that have glass bottles or jars, paper, cardboard, cans and plastics that should be recycled will not be emptied until the contents are properly sorted into blue bins or blue boxes.

The new law will also apply to business waste and the Council is currently introducing more blue bin collections for its commercial waste customers.

The Council will also introduce household food waste collections by 2013. An estimated 3,000 tonnes of food waste is thrown away by county residents every year. Discarded food made up 36% of the green bin waste analysed by the Council.

As part of the Council’s efficiency measures, the garden waste recycling facility at Glenochil Nursery is being closed from Monday 12th September.

In comparison to the large quantity of garden waste handled by the Council the amount of garden waste coming from the Glenochil recycling site was relatively small.

Instead, a full range of recycling facilities, including garden waste drop off, is available at Forthbank Recycling Centre, Bowhouse Road, Alloa which is open 7 days a week from 8am until 8pm during the summer months.

Free compost is also available at Forthbank.

New homes needed for cats T

he Cat Protection based in Fishcross have a lot of cats looking for new homes through no fault of their own, and they are asking for help from the general public.

The cats and kittens will all have been checked by a vet, treated for any issues which may have been found, had flea/worm treatment and a dental check If the cat you choose is over six months old he/she wil have been neutered, vaccinated (at least one) and microchipped.

This is done by the Cat Protection to ease the kitten situation which seems to explode every year.

Kittens in the shelter will have had one vaccination and be ready to go home with you from nine weeks old.

The shelter volunteers are available to help and advise you

in choosing a cat you like and it likes you. Once you have given your details, it will be followed up by a home check by a volunteer and all going well you come along and pick up your cat/kitten to take home and enjoy a long happy life together.

There is an adoption fee of £45 per cat kitten, we also accept donations for the shelter if people are able to give that’s fantastic.

The shelter/shop is run by volunteers, we rely totally on public donations and it all goes

for the cats and running costs of the shelter/shop. The shop takes in donations of virtually anything although they are unable to accept electrical goods.

The shelter/shop is now open Thurs and Friday 1pm - 3pm and Sat and Sun 1pm - 4pm

09.09.11

15

Youngsters encouraged to dig up the past W

ee County children are being invited to look into the past during a special archaeology workshop.

The workshop will see participants try to reconstruct the burial of the ‘Alloa Warrior’ will be held next month.

September is Scottish Archaeology Month, with two events taking place in Clackmannanshire to mark the occasion.

The ‘Reconstructing the Alloa Warrior’ workshop is being held on Saturday 17th September and is for young people aged 8 - 15 years old.

The workshop will be based on the extremely rare discovery of an Iron Age kist in Alloa in 2003. This is one of only five such burials to have been found in Scotland, and the only one to have been fully excavated.

The kist contained the remains of a man buried with his sword, spear and other personal possessions.

Who was he? What was he like? Where did he live?

How did he die?

This workshop will try to answer these questions by ‘reconstructing’ the burial and looking at the excavated evidence. This is a great opportunity for young people to learn about archaeology and develop their forensic skills! There will also be a chance to find out how Iron Age people lived.

The workshops takes place from 10am -noon and 1.30pm - 3.30pm. Places are limited to 20 per session. To book a place call 01259 216913.

Members of Clackmannanshire Field Studies Society will lead ‘A Walk from Forestmill to

Gartmorn Dam’ on Sunday 11th and Sunday 24th September.

This guided walk will begin at Forestmill, then will follow the 2.5 mile lade all the way to Gartmorn Dam, then finally down to the filters at Jellyholme.

The walk, which will take in the B-listed ‘horseshoe’ weir and lade system, will take about 2.5 hours and is generally on relatively level ground.

An application form, giving full details of the walk, is available at www.cfss.org.uk.

To find out more about Scottish Archaeology Month go to www.archaeologyscotland.org.uk.

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09.09.11

09.09.11

Suicide Prevention Awareness Week T

his week saw the arrival of Suicide Prevention Week, a full weeks worth of awareness on the risk of suicide in our communities and spreading the message that the best way to save lives from suicide is to talk about it The Scottish suicide statistics make for sobering reading with an average of 2 people taking their own lives every day in Scotland. In 2010, 771 people died by suicide, up by 35 people (5%) than in 2009 and it is the leading cause of death in 18-34

year olds. North Lanarkshire had the 4th highest suicide rate in Scotland in 2009, with approximately one person every week taking their own life.

Thoughts of suicide start when a situation or problem in life comes to feel overwhelming, when it starts to feel that there is no solution and no one to talk to. That problem or feeling might be about job loss, debt, divorce, bereavement, ill health – at some point in most people’s lives there will be a time when facing the day feels unbearable or the solution is just out of grasp.

This is the time that we need to reach out to ask for and offer help to talk about suicidal thoughts.

Research shows that this really helps to save lives and that thoughts of suicide can’t be planted in someone’s mind.

We sincerely hope that the days when it wasn’t ok to talk about suicide are coming to an end, because we know now that the best way to save the life of someone struggling with thoughts of suicide is to talk about suicide openly and directly.

Suicide – the facts

Every day around 2 people die by suicide in Scotland Talking about suicide can save lives If you are worried that someone is suicidal, ask them - It could save their life.

If you are feeling suicidal, don’t hide it. Talk to someone you trust or pho ne a helpline.

Suicide affects all ages, genders and cultures.

Most people who attempt suicide do not want to die; they want to end the pain they are suffering.

Cut out and keep guide to resources: Helplines: Breathing Space - 0800 83 85 87 Samaritans - 08457 90 90 90 Childline - 0800 11 11 Womens Aid - 0870 241 3548

Action on depression - 0845 123 2320 Cruse Bereavement - 0870 1671677 Survivors of bereavement by suicide - 0870 214 3337

Raising Awareness in S Clackmannanshire about Suicide S

uicide. Don’t hide it. Talk about it. Is the strap line for Scotland’s national suicide prevention strategy ChooseLife In 2010 there were 781 suicides in Scotland this equates to almost 2 suicides a day. During Suicide Prevention Week, 5-12th of September 2011, North Lanarkshire council is one of 32 local authorities working to raise public awareness and reduce the taboo of suicide by commissioning suicide prevention advertising in its localities using bus, rail and billboards.

Andrew Sim the Director of Samaritans Scotland said “We have always been good at promoting our work and these adverts are bright engaging and we hope it will help vulnerable

people seek help.”

Locally the Licensing Board, Strathclyde Police, Scottish Ambulance Service, NHS and Housing and Social Work have worked on designing adverts which are clear and engaging.

ChooseLife want people to tell friends and family if they’re having thoughts of suicide however many of us may not feel comfortable doing this due to fear of being judged however there are Samaritans and Breathing Space who can be contacted for help.

At an event in North Lanarkshire, Housing and Social Work Convenor Barry McCulloch was on hand with local Councillor Gerry McElroy to support the launch of the bus advertising. “We feel that it’s essential to show people that there’s help out there.

No matter how

suicidal you feel there are people who can help. If you let out those feelings you are bottling up, friends, family and others can help keep you safe.

On seeing the billboard advert in Airdrie, Strathclyde Police inspector Gary Balfour was struck by the brightness of the advert; “this advert definitely grabs you.

Our officers often support people who have thoughts of suicide; we want people to talk. Friends and family are often good listeners and do want to help just telling someone can help” Since the launch of the Choose Life in 2002 Scotland’s suicide rate has decreased by 14%.

If you are feeling suicidal or suspect that someone you know is considering suicide, contact Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 (24 hours) or Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87 (Mon-Thurs (6pm-2am; weekends Fri 6pmMon 6am).

Or Log on to Samaritans.org or breathingspacescotland.co.uk

Andrew Sim the national Director of Samaritans Scotland

“Hi”

You’ve just done the hardest part.

It’s not easy for a man to pick up the phone and talk about his problems or emotions. We’re not ones to open up. Instead we bottle things up. That’s why we have Breathing Space.

They try and make it easier for us to talk about what we’re going through. Call in strict confidence on 0800 83 85 87.

Open up when you’re feeling down.

Billboard advert at Airdrie Train Station Housing Betty Watson SDC Joanne Kane, SSW Monklands Hospital - Greg Burgess ChooseLife Co-ordinator Inspector Gary Balfour Martin Dickson of Airdrie Regeneration manager NHS Chaplin Helen Mee Lynne Cruickshank Mental health Brian Norton Airdrie Addictions Services

www.breathingspacescotland.co.uk 4415-BS_Oban_Times_250x141.indd

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25/3/08

14:11:48

unday 11th September sees a charity mass Zumbathon take place in the Ravenscraig Sports Centre in Motherwell that will be sponsored by suicide prevention group ‘Choose Life’.

The event will help raise funds for The Samaritans and will feature Zumba instructors from all over Scotland and promises to be an exciting Latin themed dance party.

Timed to coincide with the final day of Suicide Prevention Week in Scotland, The Samaritans are a confidential emotional support service for anyone in the UK and Ireland. The service is available 24 hours a day for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which may lead to suicide.

Organiser Emma Dunlop told The Wee County News; “It is through the Zumba Fitness program that promotes health, wellbeing and community, that we can raise awareness and challenge the stigma of suicide and mental health. We are very passionate about the cause and are so excited about organising a positive and enlightening eventexercise, keeping fit, being well, speaking with others, meeting new people, working together

Ravenscraig Zumbathon to Raise Money for Samaritans

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“We work with homeless people and those threatened with homelessness, providing person centred support and quality accommodation”

and being creative can give someone a very valid reason to live life fully, and a Zumbathon charity event in my opinion is the way to communicate this message. Although suicide can be a sad subject, it is very real and we want to inject the word ‘suicide’ into our vocabulary so that we can all start helping the people closest to us who may be struggling.”

Registration will take place from 10.30am on the day with the first dances commencing at 11am (Age 16 and over). For further information, or to purchase tickets priced at £10 each, please contact Emma Dunlop at zumbaemmadunlop@yahoo. co.uk

ůƵĞ dƌŝĂŶŐůĞ ;'ůĂƐŐŽǁͿ ,ŽƵƐŝŶŐ ƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ >ŝŵŝƚĞĚ ϯƌĚ &ůŽŽƌ͕ ϭϬϬ ĞƌŬĞůĞLJ ^ƚƌĞĞƚ͕ 'ůĂƐŐŽǁ 'ϯ ϳ,h dĞů͗ Ϭϭϰϭ ϮϮϭ ϴϯϲϱ &Ădž͗ Ϭϭϰϭ Ϯϰϴ ϴϳϭϭ www.btha.org.uk admin@btha.org.uk Blue Triangle (Glasgow) Housing ƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ >ƚĚ ŝƐ ĐŽŵŵŝƩĞĚ ƚŽ ŚĞůƉŝŶŐ ƌĞĚƵĐĞ ƚŚĞ ŶƵŵďĞƌ ŽĨ ĚĞĂƚŚƐ ďLJ ƐƵŝĐŝĚĞ ŝŶ ^ĐŽƚůĂŶĚ͘ Scotland has the highest suicide rate in Britain with more than 2 people per day killing themselves. In 2010 Lanarkshire had 98 people who died by suicide or undetermined death, a tragic loss of life where ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƟĞƐ͕ ŝĨ ƚŚĞLJ ŚĂĚ ďĞĞŶ more aware, may have been able ƚŽ ŚĞůƉ͘ ^ƵŝĐŝĚĂů ƚŚŽƵŐŚƚƐ ĂīĞĐƚ many people, around 5% of the ƉŽƉƵůĂƟŽŶ͕ ŝŶ ^ĐŽƚůĂŶĚ ƚŚĂƚ͛Ɛ approximately 261,000 people last

LJĞĂƌ͘ ^ƚĂƟƐƟĐĂůůLJ LJŽƵ ĂƌĞ ŵŽƌĞ ůŝŬĞůLJ to meet someone who has had thoughts of suicide than someone ǁŚŽ ŚĂƐ ŚĂĚ Ă ŚĞĂƌƚ ĂƩĂĐŬ͘ dŚĞƌĞ ŝƐ training available for people to learn how to help someone with thoughts of suicide, awareness training, ĂůĞƌƚŶĞƐƐ ƚƌĂŝŶŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ŝŶƚĞƌǀĞŶƟŽŶ ƚƌĂŝŶŝŶŐ͘ ůƵĞ dƌŝĂŶŐůĞ ;'ůĂƐŐŽǁͿ ,ŽƵƐŝŶŐ ƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ >ƚĚ ǁŽƌŬ ŝŶ and around many deprived local ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƟĞƐ ĂŶĚ ĂƌĞ ĐŽŵŵŝƩĞĚ ƚŽ ƚƌĂŝŶŝŶŐ ƚŚĞŝƌ ƐƚĂī ŝŶ ƐƵŝĐŝĚĞ ĂǁĂƌĞŶĞƐƐ ĂŶĚ ƉƌĞǀĞŶƟŽŶ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ their ongoing work with vulnerable people.

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Classes available all across Lanarkshire and Glasgow, check out our website for full details (16+)

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09.09.11

Business and Money

weecounty

Sexism in the workplace Q

: My workforce consists of mainly male employees, with only a few females on my team. The atmosphere around the office does seem good yet I am very wary that some of the male workers may take office ‘banter’ a bit far and I’m worried this could cause offense. What is classed as sexism in the office and how can I prevent this from occurring?

A

: Sexism in the workplace, notwithstanding legislation introduced over the years in order to eradicate it, still poses a problem. We only need to look back as recently as the Sky Sports debacle to see that sexism is high profile, newsworthy and can come at a substantial cost.

The Equality Act 2010 is the piece of legislation which aims to punish incidents of discrimination in the workplace.

Previous sex discrimination legislation – the Equal Pay Act 1970 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 have been subsumed into the 2010 Act. Sexism, or sex discrimination, can take many forms in the workplace. The most obvious kind – direct discrimination – occurs when a member of one sex is treated less favourably than a member of the other sex, and the reason for the treatment is on account of their gender. Indirect discrimination refers to the situation where a rule (a ‘provision, criterion or practice’) is applied equally to everyone but that rule puts or would put, for example, a man at a particular disadvantage compared with a woman.

Subjecting a man or woman to a detriment because he/she has done something, or it is believed he/she has

or may do something with reference to discrimination legislation is classed as ‘victimisation’, and ‘harassment’ is unwanted conduct related to a person’s sex which has the purpose of violating dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.

It is sex discrimination in the form of sexual harassment that commonly hits the headlines as in the Sky Sports case where two presenters were heard on more than one occasion discussing women in a derogatory way.

The presenters may have claimed that it was merely casual banter but this alone is not a sufficient defence to a claim.

What is important is the effect that any ‘jokey’ comments have on the ‘victim’. If a degrading environment is created, it does not matter how the joke was intended and continued occurrences may result in a sex discrimination claim. It goes without saying that a man or a woman could be the victim of sexual harassment.

The harassment provisions were widened by the Equality Act to cover harassment of an employee by a 3rd party e.g. a customer or a supplier in the course of the employee’s employment.

It is therefore essential to create a workplace in which it is clear that such behaviour will not tolerated, by staff or anyone else who enters the work location, and any abuse of the policy will be consistently punished. An equal opportunities policy and, in some cases, managerial training are appropriate ways of getting the message across to

staff that discrimination is not acceptable in the organisation.

If an employee wishes to complain about harassment, they would usually raise a grievance which would need to be dealt with under an organisation’s grievance procedure or personal harassment procedure where there is one. There is also a statutory questionnaire that an employee may send to an

employer which asks certain questions about their treatment and the reasons for it. There is no obligation on the employer to complete this questionnaire but a refusal to, or incomplete answers may well go against an employer when the questionnaire is used in evidence at a tribunal.

Where a sex discrimination claim is made to a tribunal, there is no upper

cap on the amount of compensation that can be awarded for a successful claim. Under the vicarious liability provisions, where an employer cannot show that it took measures to ensure discrimination does not occur in his workplace, the employer will also be held responsible for compensation for discrimination in respect of a matter of which he had no control or knowledge.

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09.09.11

19

BACK TO THE OLD JOB

By Rick Wilson

W

hoever – among those alive at the time – can forget Patrick Duffy’s literally unbelievable shower scene in which he played the “dead” Bobby Ewing miraculously reappearing in Dallas in 1986?

Sid Owen’s Ricky has done the big comeback too, rather more habitually in EastEnders. Chris Evans has done it on Radio 2.

Robbie Williams is finally back – for good? – with Take That. Gordon Brown has occasionally returned to the cut-and-thrust of the Commons.

And Ben Elton is returning to his stand-up roots.

The fact is, they all wanted to get back to their professional roots. And even top businessman are doing it. Who would have thought that Sir Tom Farmer, having sold his KwikFit empire to Ford for a billion pounds in 1999, would retread his tyre tracks with a very similar fast-growing empire a few years later?

It also happens to ordinary people.

No matter where they wander in search of greener grass, the pull of the old job, or at least the old industry, seems always to be there; especially if there were few black clouds around the leaving of it, and more especially if the pastures new have turned out a touch muddy.

“Never burn your bridges” is an oftheard “wise” expression. As is “Never go back”. But is either of them right?

How easy or wise is it to go back?

Does wisdom even come into it when you might be driven back by despair at a wrong turning and the harsh realism of economic necessity?

And what about your pride? That colleague who was your equal back then, not to mention the one you hired, could now be your boss.

Is it worth swallowing that much pride to make a living? Often, to keep the wolf from the door, the answer simply has to be Yes. Of course, moving off for a while before returning might just have the opposite effect – of advancing your original career, as having worked for a competitor can also make you attractive and promotable to a previous employer who thinks you could be back with more valuable experience and insider knowledge.

From new heights in this case, some patient diplomacy is required… to cool down “who do you think you are?” resentment on the office floor and give people time to get to know you (again?).

On the other hand, it’s a real test of maturity to realise you must take a step back after having taken a step too far, or imploded after blast-off into an entrepreneurial venture, or tested the Peter Principle – “rising to the level of your incompetence” – to your own near-destruction. Such adventures and retreats add up to good, if sometimes painful, way of finding your natural level.

William Hague and John Swinney are a couple of political examples of those who have tried the top job and failed but haven’t done too badly,

thank you, one level back down.

As he gave up the Tory Party leadership in 2001, Hague conceded that “I have been unable to persuade sufficient numbers that I am their alternative prime minister”. And in his 2004 resignation speech, Mr Swinney said: “As leader of the Scottish National Party, I take full responsibility for the fact that we have not made as much progress as I would have liked.”

Nonetheless, after a brief whiff of the cold wilderness air, they quickly realised that working one rung down might not have been so bad after all.

Ditto the impatient employee whose career progresses so slowly he/she decides to go it alone – and fails.

Ditto the baker who wins a Lotto million but misses the smell of a wellturned sausage roll. That could be you. And if having a couple of Ferraris in the driveway doesn’t do for you what it clearly did for Fred Goodwin, getting back to the old routine might be a surprisingly appealing prospect.

Indeed, almost a quarter of British workers have returned to an old job at one time or other and there’s even a name for it these days – boomerang hiring.

As lost expertise is often to be regretted from the boss’s point of view, many companies are surprisingly open to the idea – such as the rent-a-car hire firm Enterprise, which has seen 68 employees return in the past five years. There are massive cost advantages to employers in boomerang hire, says Donna Miller, that company’s European HR director. “You know who the candidates are, what they are good at, and it saves teaching the philosophy of the company.”

Employees benefit too, as double returnee Hayley Cook, account manager at multi-media marketing agency HPS Group, points out. “In 2000 I joined HPS on my university placement year, returned as a graduate in 2003 and then returned for my third time in 2007, which was a little nerve wracking as the agency had moved and doubled in size, so there were lots of new faces – I could have been starting a job in a totally different agency,” she says. “But I already had a good working relationship with the senior management and understood the company’s culture.”

Some employers now invest real money in tracking their leavers.

“You have to think of a reason to keep in touch with them,” says Steve Huxham, chairman of the Recruitment Society. “Create an alumni network, but don’t make it too formal. Find a wine bar close to work, stick a credit card behind the bar once every six months and just have a relaxed evening catching up with everyone.”

That way, the bosses can sense who regrets leaving and whether their return would be welcome. “It’s also much cheaper to bring people back than train from scratch, and

if they have gone to another similar accountant David Land trained for, after 17 years, I simply thought: company, that makes them more and practised, his chosen profession been there, done that, it’s time marketable as they have gained new in the early Eighties, he didn’t to change back again.” He set up experience.” expect that one of its sidelines – his own company in the capital, It has to be said that the Big contributing to the professional AccountsPlus, quickly built up a Return doesn’t always work out. John journal – would result in a change client base, and soon felt “very Need, 37, left his job as an account of career. But writing brought him comfortable, with no regrets” about executive with an Edinburgh training into public relations for Lloyds TSB either move. “Going back was like company to join another that wanted and, on the crest of the Thatcher riding a bike. The bike was bigger, his help in remodelling its IT courses. business-equals-prosperity wave, flashier, more hi-tech, requiring some Seven months later, he was tempted he steadily turned into a full-blown extra training, but essentially the back to the first lot with offers of national business journalist. same.” more money, more responsibility, big “My family thought it was a bit rash,” The fact is, going back to the old job budgets, etc. he recalls. “Well, actually, they may or may not work, but it is nothing “It was weird,” he recalls. “Sitting in thought I’d gone off my head. But to fear or be ashamed of these days. the same seat, with the same phone I really enjoyed it, interviewing the Whatever floats your career boat, as number and same email address, as great and the good, working with they say… a much bigger beast. It was like I’d some very nice and talented people.

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09.09.11

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Your Horoscope Predictions

By Anne Smith Aries (21 March - 20 April) zŽƵ ũƵƐƚ ĐĂŶ͛ƚ ŚĞůƉ LJŽƵƌƐĞůĨ Ăƚ ƟŵĞƐ͕ ƌŝĞƐ͕ ĐĂŶ LJŽƵ͊ /ŶƚĞƌĨĞƌŝŶŐ ŝŶ ŽƚŚĞƌ people’s business will get you into deep ƚƌŽƵďůĞ͕ ƐŽ ƚŚŝŶŬ ďĞĨŽƌĞ LJŽƵ ůĞĂƉ ĂŶĚ you should manage to get by without too much trouble. Good news is you are ŚĞĂĚŝŶŐ ŝŶƚŽ Ă ƟŵĞ ŽĨ ĐŚĂŶŐĞ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞƌĞ will be some endings that bring in fresh ŚŽƉĞ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ĨƵƚƵƌĞ͊

Libra (24 Sept - 23 Oct) zŽƵ ŚĂǀĞ ďĞĞŶ ĨĞĞůŝŶŐ Ă ůŝƩůĞ ůŽǁ spirited of late and the good news is as ƚŚĞ ƐƵŶ ŵŽǀĞƐ ŝŶƚŽ sŝƌŐŽ LJŽƵ ǁŝůů ĮŶĚ ƚŚĂƚ LJŽƵ ƐĞĞŵ ƚŽ ƉŝĐŬ ƵƉ ƚŚĞ ĐŚĂůůĞŶŐĞ of life and start organizing some fun ƟŵĞ ĂŶĚ ƉůĂŶ Ă ĨĂŵŝůLJ ĞǀĞŶƚ͘ dƌLJ ƚŽ go out into nature as you have been ĐŽŽƉĞĚ ƵƉ ƚŽŽ ůŽŶŐ͊

Taurus (21 April - 21 May) dŚĞƌĞ ĂƌĞ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ŚŽƌŝnjŽŶ and it is very important that you trust LJŽƵƌ ŝŶƐƟŶĐƚƐ ǁŚĞŶ ŵĂŬŝŶŐ LJŽƵƌ decisions as this is an important step ĨŽƌǁĂƌĚ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵ ŶŽǁ͕ ƵŶĨŽƌƚƵŶĂƚĞůLJ LJŽƵ ĐĂŶŶŽƚ ŚĂǀĞ ŝƚ Ăůů ƐŽ ƉƌŝŽƌŝƟnjĞ ĂŶĚ ĨŽůůŽǁ LJŽƵƌ ĚƌĞĂŵƐ͊͘

Scorpio (24 Oct - 22 Nov) As the sun enters Virgo this month LJŽƵ ĂƌĞ ŵŽƌĞ ĂǁĂƌĞ ŽĨ ĂƩĞŶƟŽŶ ƚŽ ĚĞƚĂŝů ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ĮŶĂŶĐŝĂů ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ LJŽƵ ĂƌĞ ŝŶ͕ zŽƵ ǁŝůů ďĞ ŵĂŬŝŶŐ ĚĞĐŝƐŝŽŶƐ ŽŶ ŚŽǁ ĂŶĚ ǁŚĞƌĞ LJŽƵƌ ĮŶĂŶĐĞƐ ĂƌĞ ďĞƐƚ ƉůĂĐĞĚ͘ dƌLJ ŶŽƚ ƚŽ ďĞ ƚŽŽ ƌĞƐƚƌŝĐƟǀĞ with your cash as you need some for ĚĂŝůLJ ůŝǀŝŶŐ͊

Gemini (22 May - 21 June) You let your heart rule your head too ŵƵĐŚ ĂŶĚ ŝƚ ŝƐ ƟŵĞ ƚŽ ĐůĞĂƌ ĂǁĂLJ Ăůů ĞŵŽƟŽŶƐ ĂŶĚ ůŽŽŬ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ĨĂĐƚƐ͘ KŶĐĞ LJŽƵ ŚĂǀĞ ĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚĞĚ ƚŚĞŵ ŵĂŬĞ LJŽƵƌ ĚĞĐŝƐŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ƐƚĂŶĚ ďLJ ŝƚ͕ ƚƌLJ ŶŽƚ ƚŽ ůĞƚ ŽƚŚĞƌƐ ŝŶŇƵĞŶĐĞ LJŽƵ Ăƚ ƚŚŝƐ ƟŵĞ͘ dƌLJ ƚŽ ĨŽĐƵƐ ŽŶ ƐŽƌƟŶŐ ŽƵƚ LJŽƵ ĨŽƌ Ă ĐŚĂŶŐĞ͘

^ĂŐŝƩĂƌŝƵƐ (23 Nov - 21 Dec) Some of you have been really struggling to get by on a day to day ďĂƐŝƐ͕ LJŽƵƌ ŚĞĂĚ ŚĂƐ ďĞĞŶ ƌƵƐŚŝŶŐ ƚŽŽ ĨĂƌ ŝŶ ĨƌŽŶƚ͕ ƟŵĞ ƚŽ ƐƚŽƉ ĂŶĚ ůŝǀĞ ĞĂĐŚ ĚĂLJ ĂƐ ŝƚ ĐŽŵĞƐ͕ ƚŚĞƌĞ ŝƐ ŶŽƚŚŝŶŐ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ƚŽ ĐŽŵĞ ĨƌŽŵ ǁŽƌƌLJŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ LJŽƵ ĂƌĞ ĞŶƚĞƌŝŶŐ Ă ŵƵĐŚ ŵŽƌĞ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĮŶĂŶĐŝĂů ƵƉůŝŌŝŶŐ ƉŚĂƐĞ͕ ĞŶũŽLJ͊

Cancer (22 June - 23 July) zŽƵ ŚĂǀĞ ĨŽƵŶĚ ƚŚĞ ůĂƐƚ ĨĞǁ ǁĞĞŬƐ Ă ďŝƚ ŽĨ Ă ƐƚƌƵŐŐůĞ͕ ƐƟůů ũƵŐŐůŝŶŐ ƚŽŽ ŵĂŶLJ ŝƐƐƵĞƐ͕ Ăƚ ůĂƐƚ ƚŚĞƌĞ ƐĞĞŵƐ ƚŽ ďĞ ĂŶ ĂǁĂŬĞŶŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ LJŽƵ ĂƌĞ ĚĞůĞŐĂƟŶŐ ĂŶĚ ůĞĂǀŝŶŐ ĚŽǁŶ ƟŵĞ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵƌƐĞůĨ͕ ƚƌLJ ƚŽ ŬĞĞƉ ƚŚŝƐ ŶĞǁ ĨŽĐƵƐ ĂƐ ŝƚ ǁŝůů ŚĞůƉ LJŽƵ to let go of all that no longer serve you ĨŽƌ LJŽƵƌ ŚŝŐŚĞƐƚ ŐŽŽĚ͕ ƚƌLJ ƚŽ ŐŽ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ŇŽǁ͊

Capricorn (22 Dec - 20 Jan) /ŶĚĞƉĞŶĚĞŶĐĞ ŝƐ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚ͕ ƐŽůŝƚƵĚĞ ŝƐ ŶŽƚ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞƌĞ ŝƐ Ă ĚŝīĞƌĞŶĐĞ͕ ŝƚ ŝƐ ĮŶĞ ƚŽ ŐŽ ĂďŽƵƚ ƚŚŝŶŐƐ LJŽƵƌ ŽǁŶ ǁĂLJ but not to the detriment of those you love. Please allow your family to help ƚŽ ƚĂŬĞ ƚŚĞ ǁĞŝŐŚƚ ŽĨ ƌĞƐƉŽŶƐŝďŝůŝƚLJ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵ ĂŶĚ ƚƌLJ ƚŽ ƌĞůĂdž Ă ůŝƩůĞ͘

Leo (24 July - 23 Aug) dŚĞƌĞ ŝƐ ŶŽ ƉŽŝŶƚ ƐƵīĞƌŝŶŐ ŝŶ ƐŝůĞŶĐĞ͕ ƐŝƫŶŐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ĨĞŶĐĞ ŝƐ ŶŽƚ ŶŽƌŵĂůůLJ LJŽƵƌ ĂƉƉƌŽĂĐŚ͕ ƐŽ ǁŚLJ ĂƌĞ LJŽƵ ĂĐĐĞƉƟŶŐ ƚŚŝƐ ƵŶƉůĞĂƐĂŶƚ ƐŝƚƵĂƟŽŶ͘ dŝŵĞ ƚŽ ĚŽ ǁŚĂƚ LJŽƵ ĚŽ ďĞƐƚ ĂŶĚ ůĞƚ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ŬŶŽǁ ǁŚĂƚ LJŽƵ ƌĞĂůůLJ ƚŚŝŶŬ͕ ŝŶ Ă ĚŝƉůŽŵĂƟĐ ǁĂLJ ŽĨ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ͊

Aquarius (21 Jan - 19 Feb) That complicated mind of yours could be causing you some headaches ƚŚŝƐ ǁĞĞŬ͕ ƚƌLJ ƚŽ ƚƌƵƐƚ LJŽƵƌ ŝŶƚƵŝƟŽŶ ŝŶƐƚĞĂĚ ŽĨ ŚĂǀŝŶŐ Ă ďĂƩůĞ ŽĨ ǁŝůůƐ ǁŝƚŚ LJŽƵƌ ŵŝŶĚ͘ zŽƵ ǁŝůů ĮŶĚ ƚŚŝƐ ŝƐ ĞĂƐŝĞƌ ĂŶĚ ŵƵĐŚ ƐŝŵƉůĞƌ͕ ůŝĨĞ ŝƐ ŶŽƚ ŵĞĂŶƚ ƚŽ ďĞ ĐŽŵƉůŝĐĂƚĞ͕ ŚŽŶĞƐƚ͊

Virgo (24 Aug - 23 Sept)

ǀĞƌLJ ďƵƐLJ ƟŵĞ ĂƉƉƌŽĂĐŚĞƐ ƐŽ ŝƚ ŝƐ important that you are organised and planned as last minute hitches could throw everything in the air. The good news is that there is success and money ĐŽŵŝŶŐ͕ ƚŚĞ ďĂĚ ŶĞǁƐ ŝƐ ŝƚ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĐŚĂůůĞŶŐŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ŝĨ ŽƌŐĂŶŝƐĞĚ͕ ƌĞǁĂƌĚŝŶŐ too.

Pisces (20 Feb - 20 Mar)

&ƌŽŵ Ă ůŝƩůĞ ƐĞĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŵŝŐŚƚLJ ĂĐŽƌŶ ŐƌŽǁƐ ĂŶĚ ĂƐ ǁŝƚŚ LJŽƵ Ăƚ ƚŚŝƐ ƟŵĞ your ideas over the last few months ĂƌĞ ĂďŽƵƚ ƚŽ ĐŽŵĞ ƚŽ ĨƌƵŝƟŽŶ͘ ƟŵĞ ŽĨ ŐƌŽǁƚŚ ĂƐ ŶĞǁ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ present themselves in the way of new ũŽďƐ Žƌ ƉƌŽũĞĐƚƐ͕ ƚƌLJ ƚŽ ƌĞŵĞŵďĞƌ ƚŚĞ long term and not to let pound signs lead you and you won’t go wrong.

Anne is a Spiritualist Medium, Tarot reader and a Reiki Master & available for private consultation, healings and church services

contact, ANNE on

07506723569

Email angelanne@btinternet.com or visit www.angelanne.co.uk

ANGEL ANNE Psychic Medium Food for the soul

Sizzling Suzie’s Entertainment weecounty

Summer Spreads

Q’s Views!

Well that’s us all well and truly back into the swing of normality. My visitors have gone back to Australia. Having thoroughly enjoyed themselves back ‘home’. Kids are back at school and family life is back Spanner on an even keel. Now we just have to struggle Once to juggle work andgot abroad ĨĂŵŝůLJ ƟŵĞ͘ tŽƌŬŝŶŐ ŵƵŵƐ ĂŶĚ ĚĂĚƐ ŚĂǀĞ ĞŶŽƵŐŚ ƚŽ ŽƌŐĂŶŝnjĞ ǁŝƚŚŽƵƚ and recovered from a 48hr having to worry about what to have for dinner.hangover, I have comehe uptexted with a me to ĨĞǁ ĨƌĞĞnjĞƌ ĮůůĞƌƐ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĐĂŶ ďĞ ƌĞŚĞĂƚĞĚ ŝŶ ϯϬ ŵŝŶ ŝĨ ĚĞĨƌŽƐƚĞĚ Žƌ ĂďŽƵƚ say what I good time he was ϰϱŵŝŶƵƚĞƐ ĨƌŽŵ ĨƌŽnjĞŶ͘ zŽƵ ĐĂŶ ŵĂŬĞ LJŽƵƌ ŽǁŶ ŵĞĂƚďĂůůƐ ĂŶĚ ƐĂƵĐĞ ďƵƚ having, and that I’d love the This edition of Q’s Views is an ĨŽƌ ƐƉĞĞĚ ƵƐĞ Ă ŐŽŽĚ ƋƵĂůŝƚLJ ƌĞĂĚLJ ŵĂĚĞ ŽŶĞ͘ zŽƵ ĐĂŶ ŵĂŬĞ ƚŚĞƐĞ ŝŶ fuel prices abroad. I jokingly international edition, as I am batches so one big pan can be the basis for 2 family meals. halfhe andshould fill texted backEat that writing it from my honeymoon. ĨƌĞĞnjĞ ŚĂůĨ ͘ ůů LJŽƵ ŶĞĞĚ ŝƐ Ă ďŝŐ ďĂŐ ŽĨ ĨƌŽnjĞŶ ǀĞŐĞƚĂďůĞƐ ƚŽ ĂĐĐŽŵƉĂŶLJ up some ginger bottles for my Yes, I am in Florence where them.

AIRPORT SECURITY

car. I didn’t realise he would it’s 35 celsius. This has no actually do it folks. Once the relevance to this week’s airport staff on his return home column, am mentioning Sausage andIPotato Hotpot the saw a bag full of bottles of temperature merely to taunt petrol, they assumed he was you as you look outside to what 'ŽŽĚ ƋƵĂůŝƚLJ ďƵƚĐŚĞƌƐ ƉŽƌŬ ůŝŶŬ on his way to London to riot sausages is probably a rainy Scottish and surrounded him with dogs 1 large onion sliced roughly day.

Indeed, every time I go and tasers.

2 carrots chopped into small dice on holiday, Scotland seems to 1 garlic clove flood, socrushed.

I’d take care if I were 1 tbsp tomato puree you. ϭ ƉŝŶƚ ŽĨ ǀĞŐĞƚĂďůĞ ƐƚŽĐŬ Anyway, on my way here i 2 lbs of potatoes peeled and boiled encountered quite a bizarre Before going to Florence, ĐŽŽůĞĚ ĂŶĚ ĐƵƚ ŝŶƚŽ ĐŚƵŶŬƐ display in an airport. It was my new wife and I stopped ůŝƩůĞ Žŝů ĨŽƌ ĨƌLJŝŶŐ a cabinet full of items you in at the Edinburgh Fringe couldn’t bring on a plane for to see a few shows. There security reasons but may not are a Scottish few acts worth &ƌLJ Žī ƚŚĞ ƐĂƵƐĂŐĞƐ ƵŶƟů ďƌŽǁŶĞĚ͘ WůĂĐĞ ŝŶ Ă ŚĞĂǀLJ ĐĂƐƐĞƌŽůĞ ĚŝƐŚ ƐĞƚ be aware of (e.g- liquids). The looking out for if you fancy ĂƐŝĚĞ͘ &ƌLJ Žī ƚŚĞ ŽŶŝŽŶ ĐĂƌƌŽƚƐ ĂŶĚ ŐĂƌůŝĐ ƵŶƟů ƐŽŌĞŶĞĚ͘ ĚĚ ƚŚĞ ƚŽŵĂƚŽ items included toothpaste, a a trip there yourself, namely ƉƵƌĞĞ ĂŶĚ ƐĂƵƐĂŐĞƐ ĂŶĚ ƐĞƚ ĂƐŝĚĞ͘ &ƌLJ ƚŚĞ ƉŽƚĂƚŽĞƐ ŝŶ Ă ůŝƩůĞ ŚŽƚ Žŝů ƵŶƟů glass snow globe, and a swanBilly Kirkwood, Des Clarke, ĐƌŝƐƉLJ ĂŶĚ ŐŽůĚĞŶ͘ ĚĚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƐĂƵƐĂŐĞƐ ĂŶĚ ƚŽƉ ƵƉ ƚŚĞ ĚŝƐŚ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ƐƚŽĐŬ͘

off shotgun. The latter item is ĂŬĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŽǀĞŶ ϭϴϬĐ ĨŽƌ ϯϬ ŵŝŶ͘ ^ĞƌǀĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĐƌƵƐƚLJ ďƌĞĂĚ͘ Raymond Mearns, and a a tad obvious, but did we ever nutter with a paintbrush. think aand time would come Meatball Macaroni Bake when “Paintbrush?” I hear you cry a tube of toothpaste could be “Does he do an art based deemed as deadly as a firearm? act?” Well, not quite. A few ϭ ƉĂĐŬ ŽĨ ƌĞĂĚLJ ŵĂĚĞ ^ǁĞĚŝƐŚ ŵĞĂƚďĂůůƐ ϭ ŽŶŝŽŶ ĐŚŽƉƉĞĚ ĮŶĞůLJ Indeed, my mate Spanner years ago he turned up on the 1 clove garlic crushed hasoftwice fallen foul of airport Royal Mile asking passers by ϭ ƟŶ ŽĨ ĐŚŽƉƉĞĚ ƚŽŵĂƚŽĞƐ security recently. On a trip if they’d like to appear in his 1tspabroad of dried oregano he was stopped with Fringe show covered in body 1tspaofbottle dried basil of liquid in his pocket. paint. Most people weren’t ŽŽŬĞĚ ƉĂƐƚĂ The friendly airport security staff keen, but two young ladies 1 large tub of ready made cheese sauce said “We’re going to watch you duly obliged and followed him drink it all right now!” thinking to his studio. &ƌLJ Žī ƚŚĞ ŐĂƌůŝĐ ĂŶĚ ŽŶŝŽŶ ƵŶƟů ƐŽŌĞŶĞĚ͘ ĚĚ ƚŚĞ ŵĞĂƚďĂůůƐ ĂŶĚ it was water and that they Now, people would be tomatoes and simmer for 15 min. Add the herbs.

Mix most the macaroni werethebeing kind. was suspicious being through meatball mixItand putvodka. into an oven proof dish. Topatwith the asked Spanner doesn’t remember this question in the first ĐŚĞĞƐĞ ƐĂƵĐĞ ĂŶĚ ďĂŬĞ ŝŶ ŚŽƚ ŽǀĞŶ ϭϴϬĐ ĨŽƌ ĂďŽƵƚ ϯϬ ŵŝŶ͘ much of the flight after that. place. They would be certainly Crusty bread Chicken Casserole

THE FRINGE

be suspicious when they discovered at his “studio”, and discovered that it was in fact a public toilet. And they’d certainly have been suspicious when the tin of “body paint” had the Dulux dog on it.

But not our two heroines.

They stripped down to their underwear, and allowed the nutter to paint them from head to toe gloss paint.

As the paint dried in and the paint fumes made them dizzy, the nutter told them to be at a rather plush Edinburgh hotel at 9pm that evening, and off he went. Imagine their faces upon arriving at the hotel later, only to be told that there were no Fringe shows whatsoever at it.

As if they hadn’t been sickened enough by the prankster and the paint fumes, they decided to get their pictures in a tabloid newspaper telling everyone their names and what had happened. Yes...

Anyway folks, if a strange looking man invites you into a toilet to be body painted, tell Lothian and Borders police immediately. Then get yourselves off to see Billy, Des or Raymond. You won’t be disappointed. Or painted.

Paris- a bridge with lots of little padlocks clipped to it.

At first I thought this meant a lot of people had had their bikes stolen, but upon examination I saw that the padlocks had messages of true love written on them by romantic couples, and had been left there as a symbol of love and to leave a little bit of themselves behind in Paris.

Now that we’re in Florence, we have seen the exact same thing on a bridge over here. Which has given me a thought- why don’t we have something like this in Glasgow? So folks, here’s what I suggest- if you truly love someone, get yourself a wee padlock, write something nice on it, and clip it to the Squiggly Bridge? Go on, you know you want to, and I will do it when I get home.

I was thinking of starting a Facebook page urging people to do this, but if David Cameron has his way I could get up to 4 years in prison.

AND FINALLY Back in April 2010 when Claire and I got engaged, we saw something odd yet nice in

CROSSWORD

ŚŝĐŬĞŶ ƚŚŝŐŚƐ ĂŶĚ ůĞŐƐ ϭ ŽŶŝŽŶ ƐůŝĐĞĚ ĮŶĞůLJ 1 small can of sweet corn drained. ϭ ƟŶ ŽĨ ĐŚŽƉƉĞĚ ƚŽŵĂƚŽĞƐ 1tbsp of tomato puree ½ tsp of dried chilli ϭ ƐŵĂůů &ƌĞŶĐŚ ƐƟĐŬ Žƌ ŐĂƌůŝĐ ďƌĞĂĚ Grated Cheddar

&ƌLJ Žī ƚŚĞ ĐŚŝĐŬĞŶ ƚŚŝŐŚƐ ĂŶĚ ůĞŐƐ ŝŶ Ă ůŝƩůĞ Žŝů ƵŶƟů ƚŚĞ ƐŬŝŶ ŝƐ ǀĞƌLJ ĐƌŝƐƉLJ ĂŶĚ ďƌŽǁŶĞĚ͘ ĚĚ ƚŚĞ ŽŶŝŽŶ ͕ ƉƵƌĞĞ͕ ƚŽŵĂƚŽĞƐ ĂŶĚ ƐǁĞĞƚ ĐŽƌŶ͘ ĚĚ ƚŚĞ chilli and simmer for 20 min. Transfer to an oven proof dish. Top with ƐůŝĐĞƐ ŽĨ ďƌĞĂĚ ĐŽǀĞƌ ǁŝƚŚ ĐŚĞĞƐĞ ĂŶĚ ďĂŬĞ ĨŽƌ Ă ĨƵƌƚŚĞƌ ϭϱ Ͳ ϮϬ ŵŝŶ ŝŶ Ă ŵĞĚŝƵŵ ŽǀĞŶ ϭϳϬĐ ƵŶƟů ďƌŽǁŶĞĚ ͕ŐŽůĚĞŶ ĂŶĚ ďƵďďůŝŶŐ͘

&ƌŽnjĞŶ ďĞƌƌLJ ĐƌƵŵďůĞ Bag of frozen berries 2 tbsp of sugar ϭ ƉĂĐŬ ŽĨ ƌĞĂĚLJ ŵĂĚĞ ĐƌƵŵďůĞ ŵŝdž͘

Recently featured in “Pick Me Up” Magazine Is AvailableFor Readings Every Wednesday Day time & Thursday Evenings in Baillieston ƌƌĂŶŐĞ ƚŚĞ ďĞƌƌŝĞƐ ŝŶ ĂŶ ŽǀĞŶ ƉƌŽŽĨ ĚŝƐŚ ĂŶĚ ƐƉƌŝŶŬůĞ ƚŚĞ ƐƵŐĂƌ ŽǀĞƌ Glasgow £30 per reading ĞǀĞŶůLJ͘ ^ŚĂŬĞ ƵƉ ƚŚĞ ďĂŐ ŽĨ ĐƌƵŵďůĞ ŵŝdžƚƵƌĞ ĂŶĚ ƚŽƉ ƚŚĞ ďĞƌƌŝĞƐ͘ ĂŬĞ ĨŽƌ ĂďŽƵƚ ϮϬͲ Ϯϱ ŵŝŶ ŝŶ Ă ŚŽƚ ŽǀĞŶ ϭϴϬĐ͘ ^ĞƌǀĞ ǁŝƚ ŝĐĞ ĐƌĞĂŵ͕ ĐƌĞĂŵ Žƌ To book call Anne on 07506723569 custard.

Anne’s Spirit Art Cards For Divination

The Wee County is pleased to have the infamous ‘Q, from Airdrie’ writing for the Entertainment Pages, to give you all some comic relief. As a regular contributor to the Glasgow Metro newspaper, and a regular in the comedy scene in Glasgow and Edinburgh, Q has given the Wee County an exclusive column, which we are sure will have you wanting for more in the next edition of the Wee County!

ŶũŽLJ͕ ůŽǀĞ ^ƵƐŝĞ dž

Across

Down

1. Seafarer (7)

1. Gruesome (7)

4. Attain (5)

2. Variety show (5)

7. Catlike mammal (5)

3. Elevated (6)

9. Type of rock (7)

4. Parts of a ladder (5)

10. Respire (7)

5. Fruit (7)

11. Gaze (5)

6. Precipitance (5)

12. Resembling a horse (6)

8. Colossus (5)

14. Unit of time (6)

13. Unwitting (7)

18. Pandemonium (5)

15. Tripod (5)

20. Melodious (7)

16. Joy (7)

22. Elusive (7)

17. Hinder (6)

23. Fibbing (5)

18. Pancake (5)

24. Foe (5)

19. Glossy (5)

25. Distinguished (7)

21. Percussion instrument (5)

weecounty

09.09.11

SUDOKU

Ambleside YHA, Cumbria

by Brian Hartie

pet of the week

Milly Name:

Milly

AGE:

Just over 1

LIVES:

Alva

BREED: Mini-Lop

LIKES: Carrot drops and nuggets DISLIKES: Dried up hay and yogurt drops

To submit your pet please send a photo of your pet to weecounty@hubpublishing. co.uk or post your photo to The Wee County News, Lomond Suite, Ellismuir House, Ellismuir Way, Tannochside Park, Uddingston G71 5PW with your name, your pets name, breed, age and his or her likes and dislikes. * although we will try, we cannot guarantee the return of any photos posted to us.

21

A

s a fan of hill walking, and hiking in general, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to join some friends on a trek up Scafell Pike, England’s highest mountain.

The idea was to meet at Ambleside Youth Hostel, spend the Friday night on one of the local ‘pub walks’, climb the Pike on the Saturday, and spend the Sunday morning recovering with a cruise on nearby Lake Windermere.

Now being the sometimes lucky man that I am, I got the chance to do this with four fantastic ladies. Three of which I had never met before, but was quickly acquainted with due to the charms of some of the locally brewed ales!

Ambleside Hostel is a fantastic early 20th Century building on the shores of Lake Windermere. It caters for all with a great bar, refectory and sitting areas, as well as watersports hire and hiking advice. Due to being the only male of the party, I had to share a six bed dorm alone with the usual mix of hikers and bikers, as well as the odd snorer. But at £15 a night, I was never going to complain.

As I had mentioned, the pub walk on the Friday night took in some great little places, where the hospitality could not have been any better, the pubs more quaint, and surrounded by scenery which, if I was not fiercely patriotic, would say was as dramatic as anywhere you could see here.

This meant however, that the Saturday morning had started off a little cloudier than was anticipated! However after a huge breakfast in the hostel, we picked up our packed lunches which are an optional extra, and headed for the hills.

Now Scafell Pike stands at 978 Meters, and by our standards would not qualify as a Munro. It is however a great climb, and, due to its location involves a fair bit of trekking to get to its base. I would set aside six to seven hours for the climb.

Great weather and great company, as well as a good sense of achievement, led to five happy walkers as we reflected on our day in another one of the areas fine hostelries! (Try the Honey Ale!) Sunday’s excursion of a small cruise on Lake Windermere was about as adventurous as we could muster after the previous day’s excursions, but a very pleasant and breezy one at that!

For any of you hikers out there, I could

not recommend this area for a jaunt highly enough. And for anyone else, the beauty of the area, its hospitality and great pubs would keep you occupied, even if the only walking you planned to

do was to the bar and back!

Even if you are not as fortunate as me, and are unable to go with four beautiful ladies, I am sure you would not regret a visit.

DODGY PICTURE

Have you got any dodgy pictures that you would like to add to our ‘Dodgy picture hall of shame’?

Then send them in and the next dodgy picture might be yours in a future issue of the Wee County news for everyone to see! weecounty@ hubpublishing.co.uk

DODGY PARKING

We are on the prowl to find the Wee County’s dodgy parkers but we need your help! Unfortunately, we cannot do this campaign on our own – so please send in your dodgy parking pictures to wishaw@thehubpaper.com. Does one of your colleagues suffer from dodgyparkingitis? If so, take a picture of the evidence and send it to us!

Don’t worry, all identities will be protected and vehicle registrations blanked out.

This is all in the name of good fun, and in no way are we personally attacking any individual or group.

22

09.09.11

weecounty

weecounty

09.09.11 09.09.1123 23

More Scots dream of living abroad

A

THIRD of the Scottish public (33 per cent) will consider relocating abroad due to the general rising cost of living in the UK. The study, conducted by Bishop’s Move Edinburgh the UK’s largest privately owned removals company, has gained an insight into the emigration motives of the Scottish public and highlights what impact the rising cost of living is having on attitudes to moving abroad.

The research, conducted amongst 1,000 respondents, found that in comparison just 22 per cent in London and 20 per cent in East Anglia will consider moving abroad due to the rising cost of living. However, a third (33 per cent) of those in the North West also cited this as their main motive for wanting to relocate abroad – pointing to a North versus South divide in attitudes.

A further 21 per cent of Scottish residents will con-

sider relocating abroad due to the bad weather and 14 per cent will consider leaving d u e to anti-social behaviour problems – the latter being the highest polled region across the UK for that specific question.

Other results from the Bishop’s Move survey show 11 per cent of those living in Scotland would consider emigrating if more tax rises are introduced, compared to just 4 per cent of those living in Yorkshire.

Spain was another popular destination for those saying they wished to escape the UK to chase a dream in the sun.

And the increase in cold winters over recent years has only added to that figure.

A further 17 per cent of Scottish residents blamed a lack of trust in the current Government regime.

David Bruce, Bishop’s Move Edinburgh Branch Manager comments on the findings: “It’s interesting to

see the attitudes of the Scottish people to escalating living costs.

“In comparison to other regions it might be fair to say we are feeling the pinch more than others.

“Those in the South of England are seemingly being less affected by the general rising costs of living compared to those in the North and further afield to Scotland – clearly pointing to a North and South divide.

“If people do decide to move abroad or instead look for a new life at another location in Scotland, then I encourage them to plan rigorously well before their move.”

Bishop’s Move offers specialised removals and storage services for domestic and business customers, from small moves to international relocation.

To find out more about Bishop’s Move International Moves visit www.bishopsmove.com Chasing the dream: More Scottish residents want to leave the UK and move abroad

Rise in cost of running a home Find your new house on TV THE cost of owning and running a home in Scotland has risen by £116 in the year to March, according to economists.

While mortgage payments fell, the cost of energy bills and repairs put the total up by 1.4 per cent, to an average £8,641. The

Bank of Scotland research showed costs were lower than three years ago because of the mortgage element - but only by 1.8 per cent, or £159 on average.

This was a smaller fall in costs than any part of England, but slightly bigger

than Wales and Northern Ireland. The study indicated that the cost of mortgages, including lower interest rates with capital repayments, had fallen by 21 per cent - about £796 on average. That fall continued over the year to March, by 3 per cent.

Why not advertise your property with the Wee County News?

Call

01698 803 909 or email sales@hubpublishing.co.uk

EDROW TV is dedicated to all the latest news R from the award-winning

housebuilder including product information, buying guides and virtual show home tours.

Video footage of the show homes at Middlebank Rise in Dunfermline is among one of the most popular films on the awardwinning broadband TV station.

Mary McHutchison, sales manager for Redrow Homes (Scotland), explained: “At Redrow we take pride in building quality homes that people really want to live in. We’re particularly proud of the latest new homes at Middlebank Rise and are delighted that the film footage on Redrow.TV is among the most watched. It’s great that house hunters can ‘look around’ the show homes at their leisure at any time of day or night.

“The film of Middlebank Rise is consistently one of the most viewed, with more than 800 people watching the footage in a typical month.

“As well as showing people what the properties in Dunfermline are like it also

gives buyers in other parts of central Scotland an insight into what our New Heritage Collection homes have to offer.”

Current availability at Middlebank Rise includes a selection of three and fourbedroom traditional looking homes from Redrow’s New Heritage Collection, with prices from £140,000. And while the architecture of the properties gives a nod to the past, inside they are bright, modern and full of family friendly features.

“Convivial open plan layouts put the kitchen at the heart of our homes. It means that the kitchen isn’t just somewhere to cook or eat, but an inviting

space for families to gather and spend time together,” Mary explained.

“Practical and stylish, our kitchens enjoy the convenience of integrated top brand name appliances with tall units and extra wide drawers that offer plenty of storage.

“Customers can choose their preferred finish of the kitchen units and then sit back and relax until the hard work is done. But it’s not just the kitchens our clients can pick for themselves.”

For details of the latest availability and pricing, call 0138 322 3043 or log on to www.redrow.co.uk/middlebank-rise

24

weecounty

09.09.11

Premier League Snooker is coming to Scotland Snooker to debut at Ravenscraig Sports Facility

Y

ou probably think there’s nothing much more boring than watching paint dry unless that paint just happens to be whitewash!

Actually white walls can be a stroke of genius when it comes to deciding on colour schemes for your home.

White goes with almost anything, so it makes interior design and decorating just a little bit easier… and you don’t have to be so careful with the paintbrush and roller, white against white is a dream… it even makes the room look bigger than it really is.

Sleek modern furniture with its angular protrusions or curvy twists sit well against a completely white canvass, while antique and distressed furniture, dark or light wood and a variety of metals can look equally at home against the white gallery feature walls.

To be honest though white everywhere will eventually make your eyes hurt so add some bold splashes of statement colour, a

statement wall centre piece, a statement clock or statement piece of furniture can break up all that white with a wow of colour that not only looks good amongst all that pristineness (yes that is a word) but can be the start of any contrasting theme in any room.

Go for Bright Greens, Hot Pinks, Primary colours and Purples to stay within the current trends. Be really bold and go for the whole lot in one room… we dare you!

You’ll find lots of inspiration in magazines or even in your local DIY store, most of which now sell accessories such as mirrors, lighting and art, so it’s a great starting point if you want to make that first leap into changing a room without going down the “home makeover TV show” route and having someone create weird shapes with masking tape or paint that 300 year old antique sideboard (and family heirloom) with a tin of orange emulsion.

Photos courtesy of www.mylivingspace.co.uk

Scottish Snooker Star John Higgins will be playing in his own back yard

T

he PartyCasino.com Premier League Snooker is coming to Scotland as four of the biggest names in snooker compete in a brand new format at the Ravenscraig Leisure Facility in Motherwell on Thursday 22nd September.

The evening features an exciting mini-tournament with two semi-finals followed by the final. The first match features World Champion and local hero John Higgins against 2009 World Champ, Australia’s Neil Robertson.

Higgins missed out on the event last season and despite playing regularly in the competition since the ‘90’s has only recorded one title – in 1999. Robertson will be contesting his third Premier League and like

Higgins, will be looking to make a big impact this year.

The second semi-final is an intriguing clash between 2009 Premier League Champion, Shaun Murphy, and Masters winner Ding Junhui. Murphy will be chasing his second title while Ding will be looking for his best ever PLS finish.

The two winners then face off to find the night’s winner and all frames won during the evening equate to points which go towards the players’ standing in the Premier League.

In addition to the new format there are some exciting rule changes to make League matches even more cut

COMPETITION

for grabs. pairs of tickets up signed cue and 5 ment? rna The Wee County a or tickets to the tou win a signed cue So if you want to . following question..

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in also known as? er What is John Higg C) Wishaw Wander Wizard of Wishaw B) s ts ke wa tic at of th ir pa rd a A) Wiza yers and ned by 4 of the pla eive a Cue sig tickets.

The winner will rec l receive a pair of Each runner up wil nt. me rna tou for the HUB or by post to The ubpublishing.co.uk @h nty ou W. ec 5P we 1 to G7 , Entries via email Way, Uddingston uir House, Ellismuir ephone number.

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throat. There is an even quicker 20 second shot clock, and if a player fails three times to escape from a snooker, his opponent gains ball in hand anywhere on the table.

And what’s more, any games that reach 2-2 will be decided with a final frame played to Sky Sport’s Shoot Out rules! That means a maximum ten minute frame, a 20 second shot clock decreasing down to 15, and ball in hand for any fouls.

Televised live by Sky Sports, the competition features ten of the greatest stars of the game contesting snooker’s most prestigious invitational event.

Now entering its record-breaking 26th season, Premier League Snooker is the world’s only major snooker tournament played to a league format and plays out on Thursday nights, live on Sky Sports across the UK. Following the round robin section of play, the top four players move forward to the big money play-offs in November.

All the Premier League Snooker action takes place on Thursday 22nd September and tickets are available from the Box Office at Ravenscraig Regional Sports facility priced at just £14 (£10 concessions) each.

Telephone 01698 274600 or visit www.nlleisure.co.uk for further information._

I

n the self-care and beauty industry, the latest craze is to include sugar in skin care products.

If you search the internet you will find everything from sugar body scrubs to sugar hair removers. The prices can range from a few £’s to as much as £30.00 for each product. How’s that for a product in which the main ingredient can cost you a no more that £1.00 a bag!

To enjoy all of the benefits of a sugar based product without shelling out your hard earned cash, try these really simple recipes: Orange Cream Sugar Body Scrub This recipe is great to remove dead skin and give your skin a healthy glow. The sugar contains glycolic acid and the cream is a source for lactic acid. Avoid irritated or broken skin areas.

Ingredients: ½ cup sugar, 2 TBSP cream or whole milk, 5 drops orange oil, and 1 cup olive, jojoba, or almond oil Mix sugar, oil and cream together. Add orange oil after main ingredients are completely mixed.

Apply to your body by starting at the feet and working your way up. Massage in a circular motion and leave it on for 10-15 minutes, then shower it off. This recipe is enough to make one full body treatment.

Lemon Head Sugar Body Scrub This recipe is both cleansing and detoxifying. Lemon is very detoxifying to the body and will also help brighten the skin.

Ingredients: ½ cup sugar, 10 drops lemon oil, or ½ a lemon freshly squeezed, and 1 cup olive, jojoba, or

Sweet treats

almond oil Mix all ingredients together. Apply to your body by starting at the feet and working your way up. Massage in a circular motion, then shower it off. This recipe is enough to make one full body treatment.

Facial Cleanser Ingredients: white or brown sugar, your favorite facial cleanser, witch hazel, and water Using your favorite daily facial soap, an easy, inexpensive facial scrub can be made by adding sugar. Simply add a teaspoon of either white sugar or brown sugar and massage it gently on your facial skin. Rinse with cool water and spritz your face with a ½ witch hazel and ½ water mixture.

Sugar is a natural and inexpensive way to include alpha-hydroxy acids in your skincare program. It produces glycolic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid, which is included in many skincare product lines.

Today’s pricey beauty products that include sugar or alpha hydroxy acid, can be created inexpensively right at your kitchen table. You can experience all of the benefits without the inflated price.

weecounty Russell Preservation Woodworm rot & Rising damp specialists

Tel/ Fax: 01357 529877 Mobile: 07980 957270 Email: russell@btconnect.com 69 Commercial Road Strathaven ML10 6JJ SC:208342 Vat Reg: 775037026

09.09.11

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26

weecounty

09.09.11

Motoring

Outgoing Audi A6 – grab a bargain I

t has been well known that in the executive market, there are a few cars that spring straight to mind.

Natural choice is the BMW 5 series, followed closely by the E-Class Merc and the Audi A6.

With the new A6 available, does buying up an outgoing model stack up?

Yes it does, particularly if you are looking to travel in business class but only have the budget for a Fiesta. The Audi A6 has all you need in a saloon at very sensible prices in the used car market.

With the A6, Audi has managed to blend refinement with a relatively sporty drive (depending on which model you opt for).

The suspension on the A6 is firm, which allows good nimble handling with the feeling of plenty of grip.

If you opt for the sports suspension the A6 can feel unsettled on bumpy roads.

One thing you would notice is just how light the steering is on the A6, which to some may feel unusual at first, but it does make low-speed manoeuvring, such as parking, much easier.

The build is generally very good, which means that Audi have managed to control wind and road noises, even at motorway speeds.

Inside the cabin and there’s generous head- and legroom inside for four adults and the boot is suitably cavernous and, on some models, the rear seats fold down, allowing for those all important golf clubs to be carried with ease.

As you would expect from Audi

these days, the fit and finish are literally flawless, utilising high quality materials.

In terms of which power plant to go for, you would be best spending your hard earned cash on one of the many diesel options.

The diesel cars are far more common than the petrols variants, and hold their value better.

That said, the entry-level 138bhp 2.0-

Cool or not?

By Rick Wilson

W

ho does he think he is, deciding at his age whether or not this or that car is “cool”? When people like Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson adopt such words, the words can be no longer... er, cool.

Indeed, it’s just been confirmed for me, by a trendy one who should know, that cool is now distinctly uncool, if you get my drift.

I wasn’t told what had replaced it, but could it be that we have won one back from the Americans at last?

For 20 years or so everything has

had to be cool: the colour of your shirt, your choice of car, your behaviour, your impression of him or her…

So who’s been saying it? To my ear, everyone under 40, plus Clarkson. And especially the children. When their noses aren’t stuck to US-made telly programmes, they use “cool” where “nice” would have been my generation’s description for, say, a tasty wee cookie… er, biscuit.

Anyway, I just wanted to say, if I may: Please cool off, Jeremy, before you find yourself judging the coolness of this or that Zimmer frame.

litre TDI performs well in such a large car but can be found lacking under certain circumstances.

If you crave more performance, then the smooth middle of the road, 178bhp 2.7-litre V6 is the next best option. The A6 also is available with a 233bhp 3.0-litre V6 diesel, despite being the quickest A6 diesel they are very hard to come by.

It would be wise to consider a petrol model, though, if the price is right.

Buyers can select from an array of engines here ranging from the turbocharged 2.0-litre with 165bhp, three V6s and two V8s with between 177 and 345bhp.

Like all Audi’s, their fantastic quattro four-wheel drive is an option certainly worth looking out for. While the quattro does improve handling and traction, it could be argued that it doesn’t add much extra to the A6.

When looking for a second hand A6, it would be wise to search out an automatic gearbox version as they are smooth and feel well matched to the engines.

Kit in the A6 was pretty good, at SE level you’ll get a goodies, including climate control, CD player, four electric windows and cruise control.

Opting for the more sportier S line variant you get stiffer suspension and racier cabin detailing.

Cars that have metallic paint, auto gearboxes, sat-nav and leather seats will fetch better resale values.

Economy is an important part of buying a car these days and the A6 is able to offer something for everyone.

The 2.0 litre diesel returns an official average of 44.8mpg, compared with

the 2.0-litre petrol’s 34.5mpg.

The 2.7-litre diesel is respectable at 40.9mpg, with the 3.0 V6 at 35.3mpg.

Servicing costs are typical for this type of car, but there are plenty of specialist independent garages who will save money but the top tip is to shop around and only go to the main dealer if you really have to.

For cars that are three years old and over Audi dealers have fixed-price servicing, along with set prices for replacing standard parts, such as

brake pads, which represent decent value.

The A6 has a good reputation for reliability, but like all manufacturers, some issues have become known more than others.

Top of the list is the air-con, which is surprisingly susceptible to faults; make sure it blows ice cold. The diesel engines can get through a fair amount of oil between services, so it is vital to keep an eye on the oil level.

In all, the A6 is an excellent car and available at very competitive prices.

Unleaded ASDA – Alloa – 130.7

Diesel ASDA – Alloa – 134.7

Tesco Extra – Alloa – 130.9

Tesco Extra – Alloa – 134.9

Morrisons – Alloa – 130.9

Morrisons – Alloa – 134.9

Highest – 137.9

Highest – 141.9 *Prices correct at time of print Source: petrolprices.com

Fuel Price Round Up

weecounty

09.09.11

27

get a GRIP this year Get ready for

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28

weecounty

09.09.11

Local Runners Top Dogs!

Wee County runners lead the way at CaniX

L

ast weekend saw the second race in this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Canix championship.

The event was held at Mugdock Park, by Milngavie and has

Colin Reid and Mitch battle for first place

*VSVNUL

seen that venue show preference over Lochore Medows Country Park as the only Scottish location in this years Championship.

The travelling has not let that stop Wee County residents hitting the top of the table in both the Female One Dog Class, and the Master Male one dog class.

Canicross is a relatively new sport in the UK, and is gaining popularity throughout the country. Canicross (canine â&#x20AC;&#x201D; cross-country) means running with your dog (any breed). If you are already running with your dog â&#x20AC;&#x201D; you already do canicross!

The sport is suitable for all shapes and sizes, any breed and all fitness levels â&#x20AC;&#x201D; canine and human.

Humans from the age of seven and dogs from the age of one onwards can enter the CaniX races. At certain events, short courses are set for under elevens to enter on the day (not for competition).

Events have included vision impaired entrants running with a human guide, hearing impaired entrants running with their Hearing Dogs, people who have had a triple heart by pass, 10km, marathon and ultra-endurance athletes, to kids, have-a-goes and those that just love to do things with their dogs.

Canicross is a brilliant way to get out in the fresh air and spend quality time with your dog. You and your canine chum can enjoy the peace and tranquillity of your surroundings and get in shape at the same time with an invigorating workout. Canicross: â&#x20AC;˘ maintains a healthy lifestyle for you and your dogs. â&#x20AC;˘ strengthens the bond between you and your dogs. â&#x20AC;˘ can be enjoyed by all ages, male or female. â&#x20AC;˘ is a versatile sport that can be practiced anywhere.

There is no handicap for the breed of dog as, regardless of breed, most dogs can run faster than their human team mate. You ARE the weakest link!

If you are interested, you can find CaniX on facebook, or www.cani-cross.co.uk.

The Wee County wish our local runners (two and four legged!) as much success throughout the rest of the season.

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weecounty sport

09.09.11 29

Junior Football Action

Beechwood Park side go joint top

Dechmont Forklift League Cup Semi Final Sauchie 1 Newtongrange Star 2

Continued from back page

S

auchie faced fellow Premier League side Newtongrange Star in the semi-final of the League Cup last night.

The 19:45 scheduled kick off was delayed slightly due to technical issues with the floodlights and partly to allow the large travelling crowd time to get into the stadium.

Both sides started well and had mediocre chances to take the lead but neither were able to take full advantage.

The lighting technical issues continued as Beechwood plunged into darkness, threatening the playability of the match but they recovered and play continued uninterrupted.

Sauchie had a did come close forcing the visitors keeper to make some good saves, and some efforts went wide or high over.

There was some good link up play between the midfield and the forwards which clearly unsettled the Star defence, nearly allowing Sauchie to capitalise.

The goal for the home side was looming and it arrived on the 25th minute, when a ball drilled in from the right wing, somehow managed to find Carroll who held off a Star defender before turning to hook the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

Star had claims for a penalty dismissed soon after as the assistant referee flagged for a foul just outside the box, whilst some good saves by Halliwell kept the home side in the lead.

The goal advantage was reduced after 35 minutes when after good pressure play, Star equalised before carnage erupted resulting in a player from each side being sent off.

With the referee busy involved with some slap and tickle on the initial challenge, it kicked off on the touchline.

Unsure what exactly happened, the referee looked to his assistant referee for guidance, which led to both players receiving their marching orders. Half time 1-1.

Into the second half and Star attacked from the off and were rewarded on the 46th minute with a goal putting them ahead.

Sauchie were reduced to 9 men on the 60th minute and clearly struggled to get back into the match despite one or two good chances.

ACA Sports East Premier League Home TEAM

P

W

Away

D

L

F

A

W

D

L

F

A

GD

Oakley United

2

1

0

0

4

0

1

0

0

2

1

5

6

Sauchie Juniors

2

1

0

0

1

0

1

0

0

4

2

3

6

Newtongrange Star

2

1

0

0

3

0

0

1

0

1

1

3

4

Glenrothes

2

1

0

0

3

2

0

1

0

3

3

1

4

Penicuik Athletic

2

1

0

0

4

1

0

0

1

0

1

2

3

Tayport

2

0

0

1

1

2

1

0

0

2

0

1

3

Broughty Athletic

2

0

0

1

2

4

1

0

0

3

2

3

Broxburn Athletic

2

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

1

2

3

1

Armadale Thistle

2

0

0

1

0

2

0

1

0

0

0

1

Ballingry Rovers

2

0

1

0

3

3

0

0

1

1

4

1

Arniston Rangers

2

0

1

0

1

1

0

0

1

0

4

1

Downfield

2

0

0

1

2

3

0

0

1

0

3

0

30

sport

09.09.11

weecounty

Eton visit Dollar for opening fixture Sides contest fierce battle in front of large crowd

D

ollar Academy’s rugby season got off to an impressive start last week with a 1st XV match against Eton.

In front of a large crowd at Dollar’s immaculate ground at the foot of the Ochils, two closely matched teams played a high quality match with defences well on top.

A late score eventually gave Eton a hard-fought 17-5 victory.

With pre-season training now complete, Dollar have fixtures against Howe of Fife at all age groups this Saturday.

Over the years Dollar has produced several internationalists, including current Scotland World Cup squad members John Barclay, Graeme Morrison and Rory Lawson.

Barclay captained the Dollar Academy XV who in 2006 became Scottish Schools champions for the third successive year.

This is the first time that an Eton XV have travelled to the Scottish school, but it is unlikely to be the last. Plans are also in hand for a reciprocal visit for cricket later in the year.

Talking to the Wee County News, Head of PE Steve Newton said; “Conditions were perfect and it was lovely to see so many former pupils and locals turn out to support the local team. This was a close match, Dollar played very well and we are feeling positive for the start of our new season.”

Grangemouth Stags RFC 18 Cameron Gibson scores Dollar’s try against Eton Alloa RFC 5 Hillfoots kick off to a winner A lloa got their season off to a disappointing start in terms of the result, but there was nothing disappointing in their level of performance and commitment.

Grangemouth, quite rightly, fancy their chances of competing for top spot in this league and have secured no less than 20 new players to help them do so.

Many of these players have performed at higher levels with Linlithgow, Falkirk and Stirling County, to name but a few, and were keen to put on a show for their new club.

However, Alloa were determined to put on a show of their own and for the first half of the match forced the Stags to defend deep in their own territory.

During this period, Alan Keir was unlucky with a couple of long range penalty attempts and for the second time in 2 matches, Stevie Scott was held up over the line by some excellent defensive cover from the home side’s winger when it looked a certainty that he would open the afternoon’s scoring. But however hard they tried they could not convert this pressure into points and were penalised when Grangemouth slotted over an easy penalty attempt for a 3-0 half time lead.

Grangemouth were determined to start the second half better than they had the first and with only 2 minutes on the clock they scored the game’s first

converted try from a well worked line out move, which ended with an impressive surge over the line from their powerful open side flanker.

Alloa were stunned by this early score and before they had time to recover found themselves 13-0 down when Grangemouth were awarded a penalty for a ruck infringement.

Alloa managed to regroup from this seatback and bravely continued to push forward at every opportunity and deservedly scored a try of their own when a nice handling move out wide put in Alan Keir for a well worked score.

Unfortunately, the young Full-Back could not add the conversion from the wide angle.

The game was still in the balance at this point with both sides contributing to a hard, physical contest, although clear cut chances were few and far between.

Ironically, it was ex-Alloa Captain, Davie MacFarlane who decided the match when he received a long looping pass on the touchline and there was no stopping him from 10 yards out.

This was an enjoyable match to watch for the large crowd and Alloa can take heart from their performance and look forward to hosting Fife Southern this weekend at Earlsfield – 3pm KO. Although this was a real team performance, Gary Taylor was deservedly singled out as Man of the Match.

Hillfoots RFC 30 Strathmore RFC 13

T

he RBS Caledonia Division 1 kicked off at Tillicoultry Public Park, with home-side Hillfoots taking on last season’s top rivals Strathmore. The visitors travelled from Forfar to start the league in a highly anticipated encounter.

Play started slow with both sides proving difficult to break-down. Having the majority of possession worked in ‘Foots favour and they received a penalty 10 metres from the line, opting for the kick at goal. Ali Page converted with ease, and then again 10 minutes later.

After going 6-0 down, Strathmore re-acted with relentless pressure in the ‘Foots half. Robbie Hogg had a clearance kick charged down and the visitors capitalised by collecting the ball and moving play to the wing where they score the opening try of the day.

Their scrum-half converting from outwide. Another slip in Hillfoots play gave the opposition a penalty just inside the 22-metre line. They kicked the points to take a 10-6 lead at the break.

After playing so well in the first half yet being behind by 4 points, a sense of disappointment filled the home-side but

as shown in previous weeks this didn’t discourage the ‘Foots team and they began strong in the 2nd half.

Attack after attack hounded the Strathmore half and the home-side looked as though the pressure would finally turn into points. A great lineout,15 metres out from the visitors line, saw the Hillfoots pack drive to within yards. Play edged in field and the attacks continued. Euan Jamieson then switched play to a powering Sandy Penman, who ran Hillfoots first try of this years league campaign.

Another kick glided over from the boot of Page. The home-side now lead 13-10 and play resumes with the Strathmore restart. The visitors gained momentum and moved up the pitch towards the ‘Foots line. A dip in discipline saw Hillfoots give away a penalty underneath the posts.

Strathmore kicked to level the score.

The home-side, looking unfathomed, restarted well and collected their own kick. Pressure again lead to a penalty for Hillfoots and again Page slotted it over to take a 3 point lead. Hillfoots seemed to be in command now and the visitors looked to be slipping in concentration.

A good chip over the top from Robbie Hogg put Hillfoots back down the park and ultimately resulted in a line-out to ‘Foots, 12 metres from the line. Same as before, it was collected well and the powering pack charged towards the line, this time nothing stopping them and Captain Gavin Spowage scored the home-side’s 2nd try of the encounter.

The relentless boot of Page did not fail and the try was successfully converted.

Around 10-minutes to go and Hillfoots were now leading by 10 points. Again it started with brilliant line-out play from the front men, successfully wrapped up and popped out to Jamieson. Play moved out to the backs and Hogg passed flat to a motoring Andrew Hamilton who scored under the posts.

To cap off the day, Page converted for a 100% record, giving Hillfoots the lead and final score of 30-13. An all round outstanding performance saw Hillfoots go top of the league, on the opening day against last years toughest opposition. A well deserved Man of the Match award went to Robbie Hogg.

Hillfoots travel to the furthest opposition in the league this coming Saturday to face Orkney.

weecounty sport

09.09.11

Hartley: Promotion is our agenda Wasps manager already has promotion in his sights

Scottish Third Division Fixtures Sat 10 Sep 2011

Berwick v Montrose Clyde v Queen’s Park East Stirling v Alloa Peterhead v Elgin City Stranraer v Annan

League Table

Annan Elgin city Clyde Alloa Athletic Stranraer Berwick Queen’s Park Peterhead East Stirling Montrose

aul Hartley has only been managing the team since before the new season started in August and in his opinion, is pleased with the team so far.

The Wasps are currently sitting fourth in the Scottish Third Division after their 2-1 win against Peterhead, giving them seven points, level with Clyde.

Hartley, who left Aberdeen before coming to Alloa, is happy with the results so far but is striving for better.

P 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

W 4 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1

D 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0

L 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3

F 11 8 5 7 10 7 5 5 3 3

A 4 4 3 7 6 9 8 7 8 8

PTS 12 9 7 7 6 4 4 3 3 3

Cricket festival at Dollar Academy

By Alison Mann

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31

The former Scottish International told the Wee County News; “So far it’s going well, I’m pleased with the progress we are making and with the squad we have. We’re a new team and we’ll get better, and as a manager, you always want to strive to get better.”

He is also determined to see the team progress and gain promotion into the Second Division.

He said: “Obviously we want to push for promotion and that was my aim when I took the job.

“We had to get a group together in a short space of time but it’s going well and I want to try and get promotion this season.”

Hartley who took the job back in May, added; “I’m happy with everything so far, the Chairman has been very supportive and everyone has been great.

“At the end of the day, we are all pushing for the same thing and that’s for promotion this season.

I’m really pleased and everyone has made me feel welcome.”

Wee County Fanzone

Sauchie Fans delighted at their team’s win over Penicuik

The Wee County are looking for the best fans from across the county to feature in our new weekly fanzone section. If you see our field team at any of your events, make sure that you ask them to be in the ‘fanzone’ and you could see yourself right here in the Wee County Fanzone.

Dollar Academy pupils who acted as Umpires on the day.

D

ollar Academy hosted a festival of cricket last weekend, with 170 children aged ten and under from across Scotland coming to the school for the National Kwik-Cricket Tournament on Sunday 28th August.

The school was hosting the tournament on behalf of the Scottish Cricket Union and provided 8 wickets and boundaries and access to the pavilion facilities.

There were 16 different clubs represented. The teams were welcomed by Jamie Frost a member of the Dollar PE teaching staff, who said: “Cricket at Dollar is played in one of the most picturesque settings in Scotland.

We are delighted to be sharing our facilities with young cricketers from across Scotland.”

The emphasis of the day was on gaining experience, improving game techniques and having fun.

Five rounds of cricket were played.

Commenting on the day, Kirsteen

Ross, Perth and Kinross Cricket Development Officer, said: “It was a really super day of cricket and we have been very impressed with the talent on display, which bodes very well for the future of Scottish Cricket.

I saw some terrific fielding; catching, diving and stopping the ball; some accurate bowling and a high standard of batting with every player giving their best in each game. The atmosphere was very positive and encouraging and the “spirit of cricket” was very evident with children, coaches and parents applauding good play from both teams.

“Cricket is a major sport for both boys and girls at Dollar Academy with coaching available for all year groups. The school has produced a significant number of cricket internationalists. In 2011, two Dollar boys represented Scotland at u17 level and a recent leaver will be part of the Scotland squad for the ICC u19 World Cup in Australia. “

weecounty sport Beechwood Park side go joint top Sauchie make it two wins in a row

Sauchie 1 Penicuik 0

World champion attending Alloa Darts Masters Finals

Star attraction - Five Times World Champion, Raymond Van Barneveld

T

P

enicuik were the visitors to Beechwood Park at the weekend in the Premier League.

The match which was a well

Wee County News is registered at the Post Office and is published weekly, every Wednesday by HUB Media Ltd., Suite 17, Ellismuir House, Ellismuir Way, Tannochside Park, Uddingston G71 5PW. Printed by Newsquest, Cambuslang, Glasgow.

contested affair was by all accounts a fair test of skill, determination and character for the newly promoted home side.

Having got the league campaign off to a good start, the home crowd were sensing that Penicuik were there for the taking.

In the early stages of the match it was end to end stuff with both sides having chances but both failing to take full advantage of the opportunities.

Sauchie had perhaps the best of the opening chances and could have scored but were denied by some good goalkeeping by visiting Bald.

Halliwell in the home goal also had to look lively by saving a 20 yard

effort from the visitors.

Sauchie then went on the offensive and had a few good chances to score but were either denied by the goalkeeper or failed to connect to the chances.

Halliwell had to look lively just before half time and turn a goal bound shot past the post to keep the score level at the interval.

Into the second period and both sides started sharply, clearly looking for any chance to break the deadlock in a match that was shaping up to be a battle of the midfield and a real test of ‘who wants it more’.

Sauchie were rewarded for their pressure play when Jon Tully

managed to get on the end of a knockdown by Carroll at the back post to guide the ball home from close range, leaving Bald in the Penicuik goal helpless.

Clearly not out of the match, the visitors looked to quickly draw level and had a few good chances but could not take advantage of any of them.

Penicuik did however come agonisingly close with about 10 minutes left when a superb volley from Barr smashed off the crossbar.

It was frantic defending by the home side as the clock was running down, but they did enough to gain another valuable three points.

See page 29 for more action

he Biggest darts event in the Wee County’s history is only a few weeks away, which will be held on Saturday Sept 24th at Alloa Town Hall.

The showcase exhibition match will see local qualifers from across the Wee County will take on the best in the world for the masters title.

Five Times Champion of the World, Raymond Van Barneveld is taking on County Champion John Goldie from Alloa.

County Captain Colin Mitchell, also from Alloa, takes on 7 Times Major Champion and current UK Open Champion James Wade, whilst Gartmorn Captain Sandy Uttley will take on the Wizard from Oz, Simon Whitlock who has won over 100 Titles worldwide.

The last 1/4 final sees Bryan Whyte take on Former World Trophy Winner and Current England Open Champion Gary Robson.

The event, sponsored by Oakwood Lounge and GH Taxis from Tullibody promises to be a great evening of entertainment.

Doors Open for Vip Ticket Holders from 5pm with other tickets 7pm.

Very few Limited tickets remian contact Davie Hanson at Scottish Darts Exhibitions Ltd on 07872078715.

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