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4th April - 18th April 2014 | Issue 56 | Published by West of Scotland Media

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Murder Gang Accomplice Smith Jailed

Georgina Smith, who was an accomplice in the torture and subsequent murder of Scott Blackwood in July of last year, has been jailed for 12 years.

Scott Blackwood, who was classified as a vulnerable adult, was stabbed, strangled, restrained and tied to a bath before and attempt was made to set his body alight at a flat in Saltcoats.

Smiths accomplices who carried out the vicious assault on Mr Blackwood, Allan Nicol and Thomas Moore were sentenced to life imprisonment with no chance of parole until they have served 20 years behind bars.

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Tortured and Murdered: Scott Blackwood

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Continued from page 1 After sentencing Smith to 12 years, the presiding judge Lord McEwan told Smith: “You have been found guilty by the jury of the culpable homicide of Scott Blackwood, a litany of horrific assaults on this young man.”

Smith is reported to have shown no emotion when she was being led away by court staff to begin her 12 year sentence.

During the trial, witness Sean Sinclair, told the court how he went to Nicol’s home on the 3rd of July last year and discovered an already badly beaten Mr Blackwood.

He said Moore stood over Mr Blackwood armed with a metal pole which was covered in blood.

In a police interview, he went on: “Tommy hit Scott with the barbell. Alan started laying into Scott on the side of the legs.”

“Georgie (Georgina) was shouting, ‘Finish him, finish him’. Georgie just kept egging Tommy on.”

The killers eventually dragged a dying Mr Blackwood to his own home because Nicol was

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“panicking” about the blood in his home.

Once there, the brutal assault continued as Smith hit the victim while Nicol held him up.

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Sinclair added in the interview: “Scott could not stand, so he could have already been dead.”

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Mr Blackwood was then hauled back upstairs before being tied to a bath and his ankles bound together with a dog lead.

In the interview, Mr Sinclair told police: “Georgie then got a bottle of turps and when she came back, she poured it all over him. She tried to set him on fire using a lighter; but I stopped her because it was not happening.”

The jury heard Moore again yelled that Mr Blackwood “deserved it” and that Smith “was agreeing”.

The court heard that Mr Blackwood suffered 72 separate injuries, including scalds and chemical burns.

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The witness recalled Mr Blackwood falling downstairs and Nicol claiming he had “deserved” it.

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Whisky lo ! the future - because tears a vers shed a ultsInspire s e R fter blu river o m i l our future needs inspiration e r f P nder ws 3 re Ne4 Ayrshire News | 7th February - 21st February 2014

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It’s time to nominate those inspirational young people in East Ayrshire for the Young Scots Awards 2014. upstanding citizen. A person to be celebrated, a person that society can be proud of.

This young person in question could be the type who goes without adulation, the next door neighbour who, without a doubt, helps neighbours with their shopping, something as simple as checking in on an elderly neighbour or offering to do their shopping for them., it’s up to you the reader, to make sure this unsung hero gets the praise that they deserve.

With a total of eleven categories to choose from there will be three finalists from each category will receive an invite to the awards ceremony in Glasgow’s SECC Arena on 10th April

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by Sand Distillery empi the Loch Ayrshire have only two more weeks to pressing gh the slip of the time river being of rain a re owne Alan Editorand of the Sundayin Mail produ y Bulloch. nominate the unsung heroes. as Rennie whisky the wrong butto finger, and the a down d It has ction of and the wouldn’t an annu ky was spoke of whis his pride at being a fall partner spirit trouble. operator n, led the just relea al s per year.36.5 million The Closing deadline being 18th Vat 2A the whis bottles for this have worthwhile causesed.

“We are into majo which was the ky facto been the owne It Mana of February 2014. r was nearl recipient a massdelighted rs Scot torybe part of the Young of whis y full ive head who were left of mem ging director of the ky. vast Awards forache the eighth year.

It is a big Chief Executive Louise McDonald Henr managed with ber amount y Jagie of the if the to for lko, a consu at Ayr The poor year ourme nation and fish morehad than ever of Young Scot said in regards to the Sheriff Bulloch famil the whis safety syste The comp Court as the safety young will play a ky. major part. We prestige surrounding the awards in regar on 24th y, was m had anyScots meas firm ds to Catri January in to admitted overflowed ures meaning no back up forward receiving hundredswate of r envir ceremony “In every town and city in ne look quest the sending Bond ion Glen ed nominations the spirit incident. “Wh Warehous from acrossSepte the mber onment regul breaching Scotland, there are young peopleprevi whoouslyinspiring river with pouring straig the whisky appears ile to the been warn e had no one ht into to have were routi danger country.” after the 6, 2011. A whol ations on deserve to be nominated for a Young any the been cause wrong tank the error, surroundin ed twice incident It was e wiser. there Gauges nely filled abov meas d by huma the only thank Scot Award. The Awards highlight how in quest two years the poor of were ures of and arrangeme For moreginformation or if you know e that Procurator n ion. forklift no conti s their tanks were alarms to safety hard young Scots work and are a great facto truck drive to a quick think warn whenlevel. ngency someone or ry a group of young people accident nts to prevent system. how 5000 fiscal Tom danger been conn 92% perce the opportunity to celebrate the effort and this kind causing Dysart and raise r who notic ing nt full litres of deserving of a young scot award and ected to a syste 67% ed the d the alarm higly flammspoke percent m could pollution. Altho of Mr dedication displayed by them. So if you the contr had not The Scott proof whis . would like to nominate them contact have been ol syste autom Wallace ugh atically know a young person in East Ayrshire, ky mana able m.

Agency’s ish Environm installed www.youngscotawards.co.uk before staff were went on to open ged to to pick ent Prote (SEPA) ment help recognise their dedication and also unab David the corre the correct valveto spira ction midnight on 18 February 2014. reporting le to deal ion that Wallace lling activated. ct s determination by nominating them for tank office released with the it of adeq situation becau were alarmIn addition, altho was not a statem r uate ent drain had training and se of a lack the tanks s to tell opera ugh there a been rain being a water were 80% tors when left open safety . The percent gate to stop full they any unwa which is intengate escaping nted mate ded into the rials from river. of a packed SECC.

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Christians, (which was forbidden at theNaylo time);r welco elsewhere. e it http://w ming the Valentine was subsequently arrested and tried for But once a year on February 14th, people have to change said crime. Claudius took a liking to St Valentine run the emotional gauntlet that is Valentine’s Day. offering him leniency if he would denounce But who was St Valentine? Why is there a day Professi Christianity. Instead, Valentine attempted to onal devoted to love, named after him? & friendly , reliable convert Claudius, ultimately sealing his fate.

There are many conflicting stories in regards to service Emperor Claudius sentenced him to death, first the man that ladies love more than Ryan Gosling, with clubs and stones and when that failed, had 87 Kilm George Clooney and Brad Pitt combined. arno Call Jam him beheaded and allegedly, his heart cut out from Shawland ck Road Saint Valentine according to one of the theories ie now his body. for a free was as third century Roman priest, who conducted Tel: 0141 s G423YR no has Rumour has it, that on the day of St Valentine’s 387 9046 the tradition of Courtly Love (Courtly Love being sle quo execution, he left a note to the jailer’s daughter All pain te: the pursuit of someone who wasn’t your spouse t supplie whom he had healed, whilst incarcerated, signing through deeds of nobility) d at trad it “Your Valentine.” e prices There is not much more known of this mythological The very first valentine card! man except he died on February 14th, has a bridge

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Magnum campaigners take fight to Scottish Parliament Campaigners to save the iconic Irvine Magnum are waiting on a response from the Scottish Cabinet after Robert Milligan demanded answers from the Scottish Parliament.

Mr Milligan wrote the council to explain that there will be an increase in pollution that will affect residents especially as the number of people visiting Irvine is set to increase exponentially with the opening of new leisure activities and home building.

It has also came to light that Irvine has one of the highest pollution rates in Britain as pollution has increased in the area by four microgrammes per

cubic metre since 2012. In an area designated for a new health/leisure centre and an increase in traffic flow in the city centre. Something will need to be done, Robert Milligan of the Save The Magnum campaign has said that the idea of building a new leisure centre in Irvine whilst increasing pollution at the same time is “heavily ironic”.

He also questioned the benefit of knocking the Magnum down only to

build another smaller venue in another part of town, however the SNP Government were more focussed on the new investment and regeneration of Irvine rather than the demise of the old complex.

With the creation of a golf course, leisure centre, shopping complex and a variety of other new projects the SNP are hoping to appease people with supplying new activities for local patrons.

9

Whisky love more than rs look awa y now 7000 bott quality , The les of whisky high fine company escap into the ed with of £12,0 River Ayr.were washed a meag occurred being warn 00 poun re The incid ds even pour into when ent £12,000 ed twice of after carr yingScot Awards the Young 2014 Some of the categories that are their cond a today.” pounds, 2000 narrothe river and tanker bottle emptied the precious wly avoid nearly anoth s of high being a mere uct. available for nomination are Sports, river as liquiatd the The list ofinto awards available er ed pollu drop in quality well.

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During the Parliamentary meeting Nicola Sturgeon spoke of her fondness at visiting the Magnum in the 70’s when it was at its peak.

The NAC councillors refused to answer the questions or debate the necessity for the new leisure centre in the Scottish Parliament.

NAC admitted that it wasn’t the campaigners who are holding up the progress of the new work but its an issue with parking and the limited

amount of car park spaces available when the new buildings open.

Parking is still a major issue facing

the NAC as there will be a very limited amount of car parking spaces

available for visitors to Irvine and a vast increase in people wanting to use them simultaneously.

By

G Kelly

ban yrshiren

ews.net

to Ayr Ga

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Available from 01292 288 235. the box office on Or onlin (online e at www.ayrg transactio aiety.co.uk two poun ns recei ds charg ve a smal e) l

Step in the

4th April - 18th April 2014 | Ayrshire News 3

www.ayrshire-news.co.uk

Ayrshire Smokers

right direction Little steps are leading to big strides in improving road safety with the launch of a new educational resource by the Council’s Road Safety team, the Little Steps Road Safety Challenge.

People in Ayrshire & Arran who think they are doing enough to protect their children from their second-hand smoke are being targeted as part of a new campaign.

With new research showing the harmful chemicals in second-hand smoke lingers for up to five hours, the campaign is urging people to take smoking right

The new regulations on access to pension pots came into effect last week, with new pensioners now being allowed to withdraw anything up to a £30,000 lump sum from their pensions savings, up from £18,000.

Critics of the new scheme have raised concerns that the new deregulated pension fund system will allow some new retirees making the wrong decisions with their money. With some suggesting that some may spend the money they need to keep them in their old age on a holiday or other luxury purchase, leaving themselves destitute in the future.

Launched by Councillor Tom Cook, Depute Leader and Spokesperson for Improving Community Safety at Riccarton Early Childhood Centre, the challenge is carefully designed to help teaching staff and parents develop positive behaviour in children near roads and travelling in vehicles.

The first five years of a child’s life are the most informative and what they are taught early on helps to shape what kind of pedestrian they will be and eventually what kind of driver they will become.

The Road Safety team are committed to keeping children safe and working with local schools to help develop the great work that is already taking place.

Councillor Cook said: “The Little Steps Road Safety Challenge is a fantastic resource for teaching staff and parents which encourages the promotion of road safety to the youngest children in our schools.

It encourages partnership working between Council services and provides young people with the opportunity to develop basic road safety skills, which will follow them through life.

“Importantly the challenge encourages children to walk, cycle or scoot to and from school which has many benefits for the children and the environment. Worryingly 45% of children are driven to school and miss the opportunity at an early age to learn basic road safety skills.

“Road Safety is a vital life skill and I was delighted to launch this extremely worthwhile project which builds on the good work already being done in our schools and is evidenced by a significant reductions in child road casualty figures.”

By

G Kelly

The government has hit back at these criticisms saying that those who have amassed considerable pension pots are those who have been historically good with their money and as such

Children in the Communication Centre and P5, 6 and 7 after-school volunteers were involved in developing airbrushing techniques and gold leafing for lettering on the boards, as well as the transfer of the figure drawings.

The two councils claim that the Ayrshire Road Alliance is Scotland’s most innovative public sector partnership and are hopeful that they will be able to save upwards of £8million pounds over the course of a decade thanks to reduced management and admin costs.

As part of a school and community project, all pupils recently had dedicated art lessons with Frank Carty of Artisan Artworks, developing skills in figure drawing.

The figures created by the young artists are to appear on large boards which will be displayed at Crosshouse Gala Day and when the Commonwealth

The project was funded by Crosshouse Action Now, with a grant from the Big Lottery Celebrate fund.

Councillor Eoghann MacColl, Spokesperson for Lifelong Learning, said: “I’m delighted that children at

Crosshouse Primary have had this opportunity to work together with their local community and with a professional artist, on such an interesting and topical project.

“They have produced some excellent artwork with a sporting theme, which will be ideal for the summer of the Commonwealth Games”.

For a full gallery of amazing Crosshouse Primary School art go to our online publication at www.ayrshire-news.co.uk

Insurers have viewed the changes to the pensions systems with skepticism, as the new regulations also negate the need for pensioners to purchase annuities, which guarantees an annual pension income for the rest of their lives.

The government is promising to put together a new money advice service for pensioners who are affected by the new regulations, however, it will not be in place for a further 12 months and as such new pensioners will need to seek advice from elsewhere in the mean time.

By

Lauren Black

East and South Ayrshire council have decide to combine road departments and create a joint agency to maintain local roads.

Crosshouse Primary School artwork baton passes through the village on 21 June.

there should be no concerns over reckless spending by new pensioners.

Ayrshire Councils merge to create Ayrshire Roads Alliance.

Transport Minister Keith Brown officially launched the agency on Tuesday and it is hoped that it will save millions of pounds a year without cutting the ability to maintain the high standards of the roads in Ayrshire.

Children at Crosshouse Primary School are a talented lot when it comes to drawing and painting and their fantastic work will soon be displayed for all to see.

85 per cent of second-hand smoke is invisible and odourless, many are unaware that smoking indoors, even at an open window, isn’t enough to protect children, as the harmful chemicals linger and easily drift around the home.

Access to pension pots commences

This new withdrawal limit is a temporary measure before the regulations on pensions change to allow an unlimited amount of flexibility next April as set out in the budget which was released last month.

Councillor Cook with Alfie Rennie, Neave Rielly and Gary Anderson.

outside of the home or car for the sake of their children.

Nearly 90 South Ayrshire staff are being transferred over to East Ayrshire Council but retaining the entirety of their existing terms and conditions Councils are responsible for the

vast majority of Scotland’s road network - essentially all roads other than motorways and the key roads which are “trunked” and the direct responsibility of the Scottish government.

Due to budgetary concerns and limited funds it has long been discussed whether councils could join forces and lead to lasting and substantial savings as well as help prevent frontline cuts.

If the merger is deemed a success other councils will look at the ambitious partnership and look to share services with neighbouring councils, ensuring jobs and a budgetary monetary boost.

By

Greg Kelly

4 Ayrshire News | 4th April - 18th April 2014

www.ayrshire-news.co.uk

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The end of the tax year can only mean one thing, local councils hack into the public services budget.

Whether it’s a reduction in grass cutting, cuts in elderly care, or cuts for special needs, it all makes for a rather sorry conclusion.

One of the most contentious issues in South Ayrshire has been the proposal by the council to close school kitchens for the purpose of cooking food.

Essentially, what the council is suggesting is that if the meals are cooked elsewhere and then transported to the school where they are to be served, then the quality of food will be exactly the same as fresh food cooked in the kitchen and served immediately to the pupils.

In situations like this I believe it

would be far more preferable if the council just came up with an honest appraisal of the situation and said that we are in a difficult position and this a collective decision, rather than trying to justify it with claims of the same standard of food, the same service will be in place and nobody will be losing their jobs.

Many GMB Members work in the kitchens in South Ayrshire and the service which they provide is incredible. They come in early and stay on late, without any extra pay.

The staff are aware the children might not have had breakfast and ensure that there is some toast and milk available.

If families might be struggling financially they make sure the

children are guaranteed something.

The catering staff are such an integral part of the school and some children rely on the canteen for their most important/only hot meal of the day.

The most frustrating aspect of all of this is that the Scottish Government has recently published a document titled ‘Better Eating, Better Learning’ and highlights the issue of how important lunchtime is to pupils.

Further to this, South Ayrshire Council want to limit the hours of work done by janitors and cleaners in the very same schools where they are closing school kitchens.

The parents’ group at Holmston Primary care so much about the threat

to the kitchen and their staff they have doggedly protested the closure.

The catering staff who work at this school are GMB Members and they are devastated that the council has deemed it appropriate to close the school kitchen.

This council has paid out around £500,000 to two previous chief executives and now they feel it is appropriate to close school kitchens.

This council’s priorities are all wrong.

They should be supplying the people not denying them.”

How happy would you be if your child was in a school with no janitor?

Cleaning is at a minimum and the school meals are being transported and reheated, what happened to the

nutritional needs of children?

With all this in mind the GMB Trade Union is campaigning to have these cuts reversed and we have started a petition with the ambitious target of reaching 1,000 signatures. The petition is called ‘S.O.S. – Save our Schools’. The support we have received has been overwhelming and as soon as we present the petition to the council we are hoping they will reverse the deeply unpopular decision to axe staff and services.

For more information on how to join GMB Scotland please call: 01563 574455 or email paul.arkison@gmb.org.uk

Ayrshire tourism big draw for Visit Scotland Buyers from Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg) have been visiting Ayrshire & Arran throughout the start of April as part of ten familiarity visits to the area hosted and organised by VisitScotland, both before and after Scotland’s biggest tourism trade show.

VisitScotland expo is Scotland’s flagship travel trade show where around 800 buyers are expected this year to do business with Scottish tourism suppliers, resulting in new leisure packages to be sold abroad.

They will all be experiencing attractions, accommodation and everything Ayrshire & Arran has to offer.

VisitScotland organised the Northern European buyers’ tour utilising skills of the Scottish Tourist Guides Association who took the group around Arran, dining and staying at Auchrannie Resort on their first night, before enjoying archery activities at Arran Adventure the next day.

The two day business-to-business event for the travel trade hosts both international and UK buyers and is the only one of its kind in Scotland with more than 250 Scottish exhibitors from all around the country.

The first full day itinerary took the group to Brodick Castle and the Isle of Arran Distillery for a tour and lunch. The tour operators learned about whisky making before enjoying a stroll on Arran’s Blackwaterfoot Beach, taking in the island’s natural assets before settling into the Douglas Hotel for their second night stay.

The Benelux group included nine tour operators from Motoerit, SIMA Bus and SIMA Tours, Beautiful Britain, Primotours, House of Britain, Pharos Reizen and De Jong Intra Vakanties.

During their second day on the island the group toured Arran Aromatics and Cheese Factory and visited the Island Cheese Company before taking the ferry back to Ardrossan to dine on

fresh local produce at the Waterside Restaurant.

Ayrshire & Arran has a dedicated stand at this year’s VisitScotland expo coordinated by the council’s Tourism Team. Ayrshire & Arran exhibitors include Blair Estate, Gailes Golf Experience, SimpsInns, The Park Hotel, Costley & Costley, Auchrannie Resort, VisitArran as well as Dumfries House.

Annique

Armstrong,

Regional

Director of VisitScotlan said; “We are delighted to welcome so many buyers to Ayrshire & Arran as part of our VisitScotland expo familiarity trip programme and hope they enjoy their experience here.

“We have great representation from Ayrshire & Arran at this year’s show in what is such an exciting year for Scotland as we welcome the world with the Commonwealth Games,

Ryder Cup and more than 700 events as part of the Homecoming Scotland 2014 programme. Hosting ten trips for international buyers to the area gives us a fantastic chance to show off our local tourism product which will potentially be used overseas in travel itineraries to promote this very special part of Scotland to a worldwide market.”

www.ayrshire-news.co.uk

Batonbearers announced for Queen’s Baton Relay

4th April - 18th April 2014 | Ayrshire News 5

It was no April Fools when 100 East Ayrshire residents found out that they had been chosen to be batonbearers for the Queen’s Baton Relay.

Almost 4,000 batonbearers from all 32 local authorities will join the relay in more than 400 communities over 40 days and for the first time in the history of the relay; all 545 secondary schools in Scotland have been invited to nominate a pupil as a batonbearer.

The baton arrives back in Scotland, after its epic 248-day global journey to the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, on Saturday 14 June.

And on Saturday 21 June, the baton will reach East Ayrshire and will visit communities from Dalmellington to Kilmarnock. Almost 100 local people will be given the honour of carrying the baton through their communities.

Local batonbearers will include:

• Jim Young, who has been a member of Kilmarnock Harriers for the past 60 years. During this time he has gone from a talented middle distance runner to club president and head coach. Jim gives up his time every Tuesday and Thursday night to his athletes as well as Saturday mornings. He is there encouraging the athletes wind rain or shine. 80 year old Jim also volunteers in a variety of roles at local races making sure events run smoothly.

• Kelsey Caldow, 17, has been involved with MEND programme in East Ayrshire since it started 6 years ago (MEND is for children above their ideal weight to promote healthy living and eating habits) since then she has been a superb role model for other children on the programme giving support and encouragement, assisting in the running of more programmes and promoting further interest by giving

talks at meetings and events. She also volunteers at kids clubs and at sheltered accommodation.

• Joan O’Sullivan, who runs Sports for Special Needs which is a swimming club for people with disabilities. She also volunteers for other charities and organisations including Ayrshire Sportsability and Scottish Swimming Teachers Association.

• Ann Sharp, is the leader of Stewarton Guides having been involved as a leader for 36 years. Holder of the Queen’s Guide Award, she extends empathy, selflessness, knowledge, experience and consideration for others to the girls who hold her in high regard.

• Ron Robertson who has selflessly dedicated his time to improving the lives of children and adults in Kilmarnock through coaching the swim team, the Jets disabled swim team and

Kelsey Caldow

the Galleon masters swim sessions. His dedication, patience and encouragement to swimmers of all capabilities has instilled confidence and a sense of pride to those of varying abilities.

Provost Jim Todd said: “I can just imagine the excitement in households across East Ayrshire as the email arrives from Glasgow 2014 to say – you have been chosen as a batonbearer. This is an incredible honour for those selected and is also an opportunity for East Ayrshire to say thank you to the people who are out there every day selflessly working for the benefit of others.

“I led the independent panel in East Ayrshire and I can tell you that the nominations we received filled us with

pride. It really brought it home the number of people in our communities who are helping to achieve a positive legacy. In the coming weeks we will be highlighting other individuals who have been chosen as the excitement really starts to build for the Queen’s Baton Relay.”

Kelsey Caldow said: “I am so excited to have been chosen to be a batonbearer for the Queen’s Baton Relay in the lead up to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. I feel like all the work I have put in through the MEND programme in East Ayrshire has really paid off!

“This is an amazing honour and I am really looking forward to it and know it will be a great experience for me!”

200 pupils sign up for schools Scot wins landmark rugby sevens event In the lead up to the Commonwealth Games, South Ayrshire Council’s Active Schools Team, supported

by Sport Development and Community Sport Hubs and Ayr Rugby Club, held a rugby sevens competition, offering local school pupils the opportunity to try the sport.

In addition to increasing physical activity, the event was also aimed at promoting awareness of the Commonwealth Games, which start on 23 July.

Open to secondary schools in South Ayrshire, four teams of players could enter in categories which included S1 boys, S2 boys, S3 boys and S1-3 girls – and the uptake was fantastic, with 200 pupils signing up to play!

The tournament builds on three successful open days of sporting action held in Ayr, Girvan and Prestwick, which offered local communities a wide range of Commonwealth Games sports, with well supported follow-up events held for gymnastics, hockey and inclusion sports.

Councilor Margaret Toner, Portfolio Holder for Lifelong Learning said: “The excitement of the Six Nations rugby tournament has just ended and it was clear to see how many young pupils had been inspired by this event.

“To see over 200 young people come along and take part in the rugby sevens event is a brilliant success and proves the sport is alive and kicking in South Ayrshire, where we enjoy a long and successful rugby heritage.

“So far, this has been the most successful sports taster event we have hosted and I’d like to congratulate the Council’s Active Schools team who are making sport fun for all.

“We’re now well on track to build a lasting and successful Commonwealth Games Legacy Programme by promoting healthier lifestyles through increased activity for all in sport and that’s a fantastic achievement.”

Councilor Toner concluded: “I was especially pleased to see so many girls taking part in the rugby tournament and hope this experience will encourage them to keep playing this great sport or any of the other legacy events we offer.”

gender

case

A Scot living in Australia has won her landmark court case allowing her to be described as neither male or female.

marvellous victory. It’s a fantastic thing not just for one person but for the huge team who worked towards this and all the people they did it for.”

Norrie May- Welby who is originally from Paisley was born male but had a sex change at the age of twenty eight.

She then realised that she wasn’t happy as a woman either, and pursued the right to be called spansexual.

The case caused uproar internationally when the Registar’s Office in Sydney designated Norrie’s gender on a birth certificate as not specified, however the document was soon withdrawn.

Fighting her case to the highest court in Australia claiming that not all humans are definitively male or female.

After winning her landmark case The Registar of Birth Deaths and Marriages in New South Wales has been ordered to declare Norrie’s birth certificate with the sex listed as “non-specific” Speaking about the jubilation in gaining equal rights Norrie said “I’m extremely excited. This is a

Norrie fought that decision at the New South Wales Court of Appeal in 2012 – and won.

The court came to a unanimous verdict and gender non specific will now be written on the 52 year old’s birth certificate.

Norrie left for Australia 45 years ago and speaking of the expatriates home country Norrie said “Scotland is a great place to come from.”

6

6 Ayrshire News | 4th April - 18th April 2014

Ayrshire Couples Celebrate

Wedding Milestones

www.ayrshire-news.co.uk

Fraudster jailed for Well Would claiming for imaginary baby.

You Look

At That!

Here at The Ayrshire News we’ve scoured the world weird web for some unusual facts to brighten up your day and astonish your friends.

Cleo and Caesar were the early stage names of Cher and Sonny Bono.

A woman was jailed for six months after claiming nearly £15,000 pounds in illegal benefits for a daughter that didn’t exist.

Fiona McMillan aged 24, was jailed after conning registration officials into issuing her with a birth certificate for her imaginary daughter.

McMillan managed it after forging a birth registration card usually issued to community midwives and pulled off the scam claiming her daughter “Bailey” had been born, and continued to claim tax credits for more than two years.

Councillor Douglas Reid visited John and Margaret Cassidy from Kilmarnock recently to pass on congratulations as they celebrated fifty years of marriage.

Councillor Bobby McDill visited Jim and Grace Craig from Darvel recently to pass on congratulations as they celebrated fifty years of marriage.

Provost Jim Todd visited Alex and Nan Barlow from Kilmarnock recently to pass on congratulations as they celebrated fifty years of marriage.

Provost Jim Todd and Councillor David Shaw visited Mauchline couple Archie and Ferries Stewart recently to congratulate them on 60 years of marriage.

The benefit cheat who was previously an administrator from Stewarton in Ayrshire, admitted presenting false documents and committing fraud between Nov 2009 and Jan 2012.

Depute Provost John Campbell and Councillor Eric Ross visited Cumnock couple Bill and Sheila Smith recently to congratulate them on 60 years of marriage.

Deputy Lieutenant Nancy Mortimer presented the couple with a telegram from the Queen.

Deputy Lieutenant Nancy Mortimer presented the couple with a telegram from the Queen.

Sheriff Brian Murphy said to McMillan at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court “This is a matter of some seriousness and what makes it worse is the previous conviction.”

McMillan’s defence lawyer Sandy Currie said that McMillan had paid back nearly £3000 of the illegally obtained money since pleading guilty.

A spokesman for Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service released this statement “This sentence reflects that this kind of fraud is a serious crime, COPFS will continue to prosecute people who think that targeting public funds is a way to make easy money.”

By

G Kelly

Ayrshire Cancer Support to hold Ayrshire Bake Off Ayrshire Cancer Support are calling Ayrshire’s finest bakers to take part in the Great Ayrshire Bake Off.

Bringing in expert judges from Sugar and Spice and Braehead Cook School, leading to a coffee afternoon where the public get the opportunity to join in with the mass consumption of the cakes.

Prospective bakers are asked to drop their delightful culinary creations at the hall between 11am and 12pm to allow the judges fair time to choose their favourite.

The general public will be allowed entry from 1pm til 3pm.

Entry fees are £2pounds to enter the competition and £2pounds for the

Al Capone’s business card said he was a used furniture dealer.

The band Duran Duran got their name from an astronaut in the 1968 Jane Fonda movie Barbarella.

Madrid is the only European capital city not situated on a river.

Kerimski Church in Finland is world’s biggest church made of wood.

The Dutch town of Leeuwarden can be spelled 225 different ways The name of Soweto in South Africa is derived from SOuth WEst TOwnship.

Donald Duck’s middle name is Fauntleroy.

Now in its second year the charity is holding the bake off to end all bake off’s and everyone is welcome.

The ‘Bake and Taste’ will take place at Cathcart Street, Church Hall, in Ayr on Saturday 12 April.

Provost Jim Todd and Councillor Billy Crawford visited Ochiltree couple John and Nan Brown recently to congratulate them on 60 years of marriage.

McMillan had already committed fraud before this offence and was actually awaiting sentencing for benefits fraud to the value of £3400.

tasting segment of the day, whereas children can be admitted for £1.

There will be winners from a variety of categories such as Muffin, Empire Biscuit, Millionaire Shortbread etc.

Children have Best Easter Cake (up to 11 and 12-16 years) If you have any questions about this event please contact Gail Anderson at the charity on 01563 538008, email andersong@ayrshirecs.org or visit www.ayrshirecs.org By

G Kelly

The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra’s “Its A Wonderful Life” Armadillos have four babies at a time, always all the same sex. They are perfect quadruplets, the fertilized cell split into quarters, resulting in four identical armadillos.

4th April - 18th April 2014 | Ayrshire News 7

www.ayrshire-news.co.uk

Ayrshire School Plant Time Capsule Youngsters from Annanhill Primary School recently buried an important time capsule in Howard Park –but the next time it sees the light of day, they’ll be nearly 60!

Fifteen P5 pupils interred the capsule beside a commemorative bench to celebrate the completion of Scottish Water’s environmental improvement scheme in the Kilmarnock and Irvine areas.

Items buried inside the time capsule included a diary extract from presentday Kilmarnock, children’s pictures of the town, photographs of children in front of various local buildings and a leaflet about the environmental project.

Wording on the outside of the time

Pupils: Max Stevens, Téa (corr.) Paul, Ally Mitchell, Lottie Lambert, Fraser Robinson, Connor Bolton, Basant ElWasseif, Heather Johnston, Luke Bolton, Keira McNulty, Hannah Morrison, Ben Pilkington, Robert Cree, Katie Skilling and Conor (corr.) Allan.

“Hopefully the capsule’s contents will be seen by future generations as they too learn about this major project and about Kilmarnock in 2014”.

For your chance to win a pair of tickets to the Glasgow Tigers next home fixture on the 13th of April at Ashfield Stadium, simply answer the following.

How many members of last years Tigers squad has been kept on this years team?

capsule states that it is not to be opened until 2064 when the pupils involved will be about 59 years old.

Jacqueline Hanlon, headteacher of Annanhill PS, said: “We were delighted to have been able to take part in the burial of the time capsule.

Our pupils were involved in projects related to the improvement work and we have been very interested in the scheme from beginning to end.

WIN!

Those in the picture include the council leader and deputy leader, the schoolchildren, their teachers Graeme Crossley, Annanhill PS and Graham Boyd (Grange Academy) and Scottish Water representatives.

Scottish Water also donated two trees for planting in Annanhill’s eco-garden.

The £51m storm water management scheme, which was officially opened in November 2013, will substantially improve the water quality in the River Irvine and Kilmarnock Water and the bathing waters of Irvine Bay in the Firth of Clyde.

Councillor Douglas Reid said: “This event marks the completion of Scottish Water’s work in Howard Park – one of the biggest projects of its kind ever undertaken in Scotland and also the culmination of their engagement with local schools and the community.

Send your answers on a self addressed postcard or envelope to West of Scotland Media, Suite 26, Brook Street Studios, 60 Brook Street, Glasgow G40 2AB

Donate your unwanted furniture and household items to help Cancer Patients We are always looking for good quality donations and we will collect FREE from your home

We are also in need of Volunteer Collectors so anyone interested in joining our team please contact Joan.

To arrange a free uplift or to enquire about Volunteering please contact us on

Tel: 01560 321875 Or Email: info@scottishcancersupport.org.uk

Scottish Cancer Support, 29b Brown Street, Newmilns KA16 9AD

www.scottishcancersupport.org.uk

8 Ayrshire News | 4th April - 18th April 2014

Star Signs

Joan Charles

I am delighted to be delivering your stars although; I won’t be doing them in the traditional way, as I am not an astrologer. For many years I have provided the stars using Tarot cards and that is what I will be doing here so, I guess in a sense they should be called, Taroscopes.

Anyway, I do hope you enjoy what the cards have to say.

Aries

Looks like you may be the centre of attention and loving every minute of it – I’m sensing this is in a works environment and perhaps you have something good to offer in the way of information. Whatever the case you’ll be on top form.

Taurus

Finances are on the agenda as you cast an eye over them to ensure that they are running smoothly and everything is how it should be.

Money is not your God but you do like to keep a check on it.

Gemini

You are the master of your own destiny and it very much looks like you are controlling it well. Things appear to be happening in a positive way and you may find there are a few new avenues that present themselves.

Cancer

Issues with relationships could be about to reach some kind of conclusion allowing things to move forward in an acceptable way.

This may have required some external help but it may have been well worth it.

Leo

There are times when you can’t see the wood for the trees and get tied up in the poor me scenario – there is so much abundance all around you when you really open your eyes and see it.

Virgo

I sense that you are moving from the storm to the calm and better times lie ahead. The past wee while things may not have gone your way but all of a sudden the tide is turning in your favour.

Libra

Answering to others is not your strong point and you mainly fight against this however, some times you need to re-evaluate things and admit when your in the wrong eating humble pie if need be.

Scorpio

The smell of success is in the air and you could be toasting the fact that you are in a good place and things are all falling into place nicely.

Keep an eye out for a wedding invitation heading your way too.

www.ayrshire-news.co.uk

A Knight to Remember James Clare was born in Scotland in 1955. He has been a media and public relations photographer since graduating in 1977, and is the author, so far, of three books. He lives outside the city of Glasgow with his wife and daughters, and his many interests include writing, photography, art, guitar, hill-walking, Scottish history, hypnosis, and Past Life Research.

His book, A Knight to Remember tells his own story of a past life with historic facts along side this amazing story James was initially reluctant to accept that he could have actually had a past life but, couldn’t get the memories or information out of his mind and so, through a serious of regression sessions he came to understand and accept that he was in fact, the trusted lieutenant of his uncle, the hero King of Scots, Robert Bruce on whose death in 1329, he became Regent of Scotland.

The author strives to bring the theory and practice of reincarnation into the hearts and minds of all, and encourages the reader to embark on a fascinating tourist excursion into the past, a wonderful journey of self-discovery, with the ultimate aim of raising the reader’s spiritual consciousness to a new level.

The book is well worth a read especially for those who are interested in reincarnation.

To purchase this book go to; http://www.amazon.co.uk/ Knight-Remember-ReincarnationScotland-Paperback

Sagittarius

Work could be slightly over loaded at this time and you’re having to balance and juggle at the same time. Delegation is the key to lightening the load even if you do think that you’re the only one who can do things.

Capricorn

Joan Charles

Clairvoyant, Columnist & Author

There are times when life feels a little unfair and you can’t see progress and stagnation rules. You can change this but you need a clear mind and that means some early nights not burning the midnight oil.

Courses:

Aquarius

Readings:

A work opportunity may resent itself and be something that you find hard to decline. The gods are in your favour and this is not the only thing that will come your way. You are in a highly positive phase.

Pisces

This could be a time to make your cash work for you and see it grow.

I sense a new way of looking at things that brings about what you’re looking for. There could also be home improvements that you’re looking into doing.

Introduction to the Tarot Courses on-going, check for dates and details.

Tarot, Angel, Spiritual, Chakra and Tarumenology [a combination of tarot and numerology] www.itison.com - Psychic Floorshow on the 21st April at Sloans Glasgow

For details of any of the above contact Joan on mobile: 07930 697 229 or email: joan.charles@btopenworld.com

4th April - 18th April 2014 | Ayrshire News 9

www.ayrshire-news.co.uk

Your Life in Your Hands

When you think of hand reading or palmistry do you immediately have a vision of a Gypsy woman complete with the heads scarf and hoop earrings, sitting in a tent in Blackpool or country fayres of yesteryear who ALWAYS predicted that you would meet a tall dark stranger some time soon?

Well I am an expert in modern hand reading (chirology) which is a completely different type of hand reading to that which gypsies and psychics offer. I have always been able to read palms intuitively or psychically but now I marry this with the super powerful scientific, well researched method of hand reading, which highlights to me

everything about the owner of said hand whether they acknowledge it or not!

To me it is the hands, and not the eyes are the window of the soul – immediately revealing your strengths & challenges in life, your past experiences and stumbling blocks, the type of career which would fulfil you and the type of partner and relationship you should be seeking. I can also look at your partner’s hands and immediately see the challenges which you face in your relationship and how you may overcome them and live happily together, enjoying a mutual understanding of what makes the other ‘tick’. This can be done with any relationship whether it is in a domestic or working environment.

Everything that you are, have been

and your potential for the future is reflected in your hands. This includes long standing emotional issues, which can date back to childhood, ill health and dis-ease, which you have already suffered or may be statistically prone to in future. In fact any area of your life, which has shaped the way you are now, is there in your hands for the modern hand reader to clearly see.

The wonderful thing about a skilled and caring hand reader is their ability to encourage you about the present and future...and help you to understand those issues, which are firmly rooted in the past.

If I take a handprint I can discern much more information about you by studying your fingerprints and the smaller lines on your hands.

Do you know even the shape of

your hand tells me so much basic information about you:

& acid in the stomach

‘Air’ Hand – Square palms with longer often ‘knotty’ fingers...

Intelligent people, often intellectual, always in their heads. Can find reality difficult to deal with.

‘Water’ Hand – Long slim palms with long slim fingers...

‘Earth’ Hand – Square palm with short fingers...

Earthy, practical people. Good constitution & hard working. Down to earth. Can tend to get stuck & blocked in life.

‘Fire’ Hand – Rectangular palm with shortish fingers...

Tend to be quite impetuous & go for it. Can be very driven and find it difficult to relax. Often have ulcers

Very sensitive & emotionally driven.

Can be dreamy and in a world of their own. Reality can be difficult to deal with!

If you’d like to find out more visit her website at www.angelladyjane.com

By Jane Dawson

The Animal Whisperer Is it really possible to communicate with animals, hear what they are thinking, what they are feeling, be given details of their past and an insight into their fears, worries and health?

For hundreds of animal lovers throughout the world who have entrusted Anne Dee to speak with their horses and much-loved family pets, the answer has proven to be a resounding yes.

Anne is a fourth generation psychic who not only grew up in a spiritual environment, but gave free astonishingly accurate readings to anyone in need since her midteens. She later trained to manage and develop her gifts with her local Psychic Association. Although Anne had always felt a deep empathy and understanding for all animals, and always pinpointed accurately her own pets’ health issues, she had no previous experience or practical knowledge of horses - until that was, her first encounter talking with a friend’s mare. From that moment, Anne unwittingly discovered her unique gift of hearing and speaking with these beautiful creatures, and her ability to tune in to their innermost feelings has evolved and strengthened over the years.

Today, demand for Anne’s services has grown into a major commitment, with requests for help flooding in from

all over the world. From the likes of a parrot owner whose feathered friend seemed a bit off-colour, to invitations to speak with cats, dogs, rabbits and even the odd monkey, her passion for giving animals a voice and her track record has earned her an enviable reputation, with the overwhelming majority of new clients the result of word of mouth or recommendation.

Anne helps owners unlock the mysteries behind their horses’ behavioral or learning difficulties.

Troubled or worried horses have

been known to tell Anne they need more time to learn something new, or perhaps their new owners are riding them in such a way that confuses them.

Many owners have reported that they have changed their own approach and training methods following a consultation with Anne. For horses with health problems, Anne has correctly pinpointed illnesses, later confirmed by veterinary surgeons, given accurate causes of lameness, back problems etc, and enlightened owners on past histories, traumatic episodes and of happy, memorable times in their horses’ lives. Over the years, Anne has spoken to many sick horses and some as they approach the end of their lives. With the horses’ understanding, Anne has been able to reassure and guide their owner toward the right decision at the right time.

Anne confirms that whether a problem seems great or small, she gives horses a voice to speak of their well-being or of any underlying problem, followed,

importantly, by a practical solution.

Anne travels the length and breadth of the country, speaking with pets and every kind of horse from retired veterans, companion ponies, pony club ponies, international polo ponies and competition sports horses from some of the top show jumping and showing yards in the UK. Anne has also been involved with some successful racehorses and their trainers in the UK and Europe.

Anne is keen to point out that the welfare and happiness of each and every horse and pet she helps is of paramount importance to her, and she is the first to recommend conventional veterinary help when necessary.

Find out more about Anne at: www.annedee.co.uk

10 Ayrshire News | 4th April - 18th April 2014

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Putins Russia, Attempting to rebuild the Soviet Empire?

North and South Korea US Supreme Court exchange fire, South removes examines drone

political donor limits

In the past fortnight, tensions have reached new heights between Russia and the West as a number of reports from the Crimean - Ukrainian border alleged that tens of thousands of Russian troops have been stationed just kilometers from the border on full combat alert status.

The US, EU and Nato have told Putin to withdraw his troops from the border, a request which has been met with little enthusiasm from the Russians, who claim that their troops “will withdraw when their military exercises in the region are concluded” In a statement by one of Putin’s closest former advisors Andrej Illarionov, the former chief economic advisor to the President. Mr Putin seeks to create “historical justice” with a return to the days of the last Tsars and the Soviet Union.

Mr Illarionov continued describing how Putin “will not stop trying to expand Russia” until he has “conquered” Belarus, the Baltics and Finland. Mr Illarionov also says that Putin believes Finland being granted independence in 1917 was “treason against the national interests” of Russia and that “Parts of Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic States and Finland are states where Putin claims to have ownership.”

In response to these claims and the posturing attitude of Russia in Ukraine.

Nato is bolstering its defences in the nervous Baltic states. With a squadron of 10 American F-15 fighter bombers and a number of surveillance aircraft being stationed in a former Soviet airbase in Lithuania, with Denmark, Sweden, France, the UK and half a dozen other nations offering to install further air resources in the region.

LT Col Lendy Reneger, the US Air Force commander at the Lithuanian base stated that he felt Nato’s response to recent events has been “swift and strong” and that they are projecting a message of “air superiority” in the region to Russia.

The Lithuanian Defence Minister in an interview did not call the current situation a cold war but instead said that “it feels hot and very near” adding that NAto must do more to stop “this aggression”.

General Edvardas Mazeikis, the head of the Lithuanian air force said “of course we feel threatened” yet adding that the “enemy is not yet at our gate.”

North and South Korea, last week began exchanging fire over the contested sea border between the divided peninsula after the North began a pre planned live fire exercise which they informed the South Korean Navy of via fax.

The sea border has been a point of contention since the ceasefire was signed at the end of the Korean war and the border was drawn by the U.N, with the North refusing to recognise the divide.

According to the South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok: “The North fired some 500 shots and some 100 hundred of them landed in the waters of the border.”

At the Nato Air Command and Surveillance facility in the heart of Germany, which monitors air traffic from the tip or Norway to the Mediterranean, the air operations commander Gp Captain Stephen Richards of the RAF says that over the years they have seen a “gradual increase” in Russian military air activity which has now developed into “weekly” sightings of Russian warplanes in the Baltic regions.

Nato planners are apparently now looking into creating a series of permanent military bases in the Baltic region in order to allay the small states fears of being annexed by their neighbour.

Such talk has created great concern in Moscow, which has been gradually increasing its military spending over the last decade and now feels it could respond conclusively to any threat posed by the west.

By

Michael McDaid

A statement from the defence ministry itself stated: “North Korean shells landed south of the border. So our

WWll Bomb in

Bangkok

A suspected World War ll bomb exploded in a scrap metal plant after workers attempted to cut it open with a blow torch, the explosion which leveled the plant is reported to have killed seven workers and has seriously injured a further 19.

Construction workers found the bomb at a building site in the outskirts of the city and transported it to the scrap recycling plant to be recycled.

When it reached the plant the scrap recyclers attempted to dismantle the bomb with a blow torch and subsequently detonated it.

military fired back north of the border in line with ordinary protocol” After firing had ceased, the South Korean military reported the discovery of a North Korean drone, which crashed on the border island of Baengnyeong.

“The relevant departments of the South Korean government have confirmed that North Korea is responsible for it,” said South Korea’s Unification Ministry spokesman Park Soo-jin.

Yonhap news agency reported that a similar drone was found just outside of the demilitarised zone which separates the two countries on the 24th of March.

The drones are equipped with high resolution cameras and have reportedly been taking photographs of top secret South Korean military installations.

By

Michael McDaid

EU net neutrality bill passes first vote In a closely contested vote at the European parliament, a new telecoms bill, which aims to close loopholes for rogue security agencies, and ensure freedom of the internet for private individuals and the elimination of mobile telephone roaming rates has passed.

The bill which was jointly written by an industry committee had amendments put forward by the Greens, Socialists, Liberals and Lefts which closed loopholes the committee had left open for themselves.

The bill still requires two further votes in the European parliament in order to become law, it is already pegged to pass, as most of the members of the parliament are supporting it.

Last week the US Supreme court removed all limits for personal and corporate donations to political parties and senators for election campaign funds.

The amendment was voted through the Supreme court by a 5 to 4 margin, splitting the court between conservatives and liberals.

The bill was challenged by Republican and Alabama businessman Shaun McCutcheon who heads an electrical company in the state, on the grounds of free speech, as guaranteed by the constitution. With the belief that being able to spend ones money as they saw fit was protected under the constitution saying: ”It’s a very important case about your right to spend your money how you choose.”

Chief Justice Stephen Breyer who voted against the removal of limits said in a statement: “today’s decision eviscerates our nation’s campaign finance laws, leaving a remnant incapable of dealing with the grave problems of democratic legitimacy that those laws were intended to resolve.

Many American citizens groups have been protesting the change to the rules, with critics of the decision saying that this new deregulation will allow corporations to dictate who is in the White house and not the people.

By

Brendan Doherty

4th April - 18th April 2014 | Ayrshire News 11

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NATIONAL NEWS

High levels of air pollution plague England By

Last week, England suffered from massively increased levels of air pollution, which on the Department of Environment’s one to 10 scale reached level ten in parts of Norfolk at the beginning of last week.

Levels of air pollution were at level 7 in other parts of the country, meaning many towns and cities in East Anglia and rural south-east England were covered by a visible layer of smog.

The Met Office has warned that conditions are likely to worsen due to wind currents which are bringing dust up from the Sahara which normally settles in the Mediterranean regions, accompanied by pollution being carried in the same wind currents from south eastern and western Europe.

The smog has settled mostly due to the stability of the current weather

Lauren Black

pattern, which changed from blowing in a southwesterly direction, which blighted Paris with a thick smog a fortnight ago, to blowing in a southeasterly direction, moving the combined air pollutants over England.

There a number of sources for the pollution but the most common source is from road transport and domestic power generation, with four in six new cars in Europe being bought with diesel engines, the levels of particulates from the dirtier fuel has created a higher level of sulphur dioxide and ammonia in the atmosphere.

This move is contrary to the banks own charter which it set out in 2010.

In the charter it promised not to close any of its branches which had effectively became the last banks in a given area.

A spokeswoman for the RBS rebuked this promise in a statement saying that the banking landscape has “changed

Last week the Queen travelled to Rome to meet the Italian President and Pope Francis, the meeting fell on the 32nd anniversary of the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina. The Island, which belongs to the UK but is claimed by the Pope’s native Argentina and known as the Malvinas are not expected to be on the agenda for the meeting. The visit was originally intended to be scheduled for last year but was postponed due to health issues.

This smog blanket comes a month after the EU announced that it would be taking legal action against the UK for consistently failing to keep the level of air pollution under a safe limit as set by Brussels.

Royal Bank of Scotland closing 44 branches across UK

The publicly backed bank RBS has announced last week that it will be closing 44 branches across the UK, 14 of which are classed as the “last banks in town”, leaving residents in some areas without a bank within their local area.

Queen meets Pope on Falklands anniversary

like the Queen is the head of state and serves in an entirely ceremonial role. She was met by a number of dignitaries before travelling the Vatican to meet Pope Francis.

The Queen, who heads the Church of England, has supported moves to improve relations between the two churches. Particularly after some controversy when the Catholic church took in hundreds of Anglican Priests who disagreed with the Anglican Churches decision to ordain female Priests.

The Queen has visited the Vatican twice during her reign - once to meet John XXIII in 1961 and again in 2000 to see John Paul II, who had earlier met her at Buckingham Palace during a trip to London in 1982.

The Queen also met with Pope Pius XII in 1951 - a year before she took the throne - and the now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in Edinburgh when he visited the UK in 2010.

The Queen arrived in the Italian capital and was greeted by the Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, who

The 87-year-old Queen and her 92-year-old husband’s last foreign trip was to Australia in 2011.

By

Garry Smith

A 17 year old has been arrested in relation to the disappearance of a terror suspect, who escaped government forces after changing into a burka at a London mosque and leaving via the womens only exit.

Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed, who is still at large, evaded government minders in November of last year, while under a government order restricting his movements by changing into a burka, traditional islamic womens clothing, and absconding into the streets of London.

Mr Mohammed was purportedly linked to the Somali Islamic militant group al-Shabab, the same group which was responsible for massacring 67 people in a Kenyan shopping center last November.

The 17 year old who has been arrested, was charged on suspicion of conspiring with another suspected terrorist in an attempt to breach the Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Act (TPIM) order, the same order which Mr Mohammed was under when he disappeared.

since then” and detailed how there has been a 30% fall in branch transactions in the past four years.

RBS has stated that customers in remote areas who will be left without a local banking service will be serviced by mobile banking vans and that others will continue to have access to RBS banking services through the Post Office and cash machines.

Campaigners at Move Your Money have said that they have been expecting such a move for some time, with Charlotte Webster of the group saying: “It’s no surprise to see the bank let down its customers once again by upping sticks and leaving town, even where it’s promised not to

Arrest made in burka escape case

TPIM acts are used to restrict the movements, use of computers, mobile phones and meetings with others who are under suspicion for terrorist activities. do so. Banks of this scale just can’t be trusted to take its customers’ needs into account, even when the only reason it’s still around is because of our support.”

The towns in Scotland which will be affected by this move of

closing the “last banks in town” are: Castletown, near Thurso; Patthead, Longniddry and East Linton, East Lothian; Greenlaw, Scottish Borders; Bonnybridge, near Falkirk. and Chirnside, Berwickshire.

By

Michael McDaid

Despite the fact that Mr Mohammed is on the run from the law, his lawyers have launched an appeal against the restrictions placed on him and another terror suspect, who is also of Somali origin and suspected of al-Shabab membership.

By

Brendan Doherty

12 Ayrshire News | 4th April - 18th April 2014

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4th April - 18th April 2014 | Ayrshire News 13

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Protecting Scotland’s ageing Krokodil set to sink teeth population from fire into North

Ayrshire

Protecting Scotland’s older people from fire, demands strong partnerships between members of the public, firefighters and other key service providers who are often in a position to spot when someone could be at risk.

This message from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) comes as population trends indicate rising life expectancy for both men and women in Scotland.

Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay, the SFRS director of prevention and protection, said: “Almost 300 older people have died in fires over the past 10 years. This represents nearly half of the total number of fire deaths in Scotland. It is vital that we all consider the safety of those around us and help people to stay safe.”

ACO Ramsay continued: “Over the past few years, the government has consulted widely and looked at how health and care services can continue to be delivered – and improved for Scotland’s older people. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service stands ready to work in a co-ordinated manner with key partners to ensure residents can continue to live safely and securely within their own homes.”

ACO Ramsay explained “Statistics reveal that if you are in a house fire your risk of injury is the same regardless of where you stay but if you live

The deadly drug krokodil which has been the scourge of drug addicts across Eastern Europe is making its way to South Ayrshire after officials issued warnings to social workers in the area.

Krokodil, so called because of its effect on the human body and skin, turns an addict’s skin green before it causes it to rot off the body. in a deprived area then the risk of you having a fire in the first place is more than three times greater.

Certain lifestyle factors have long been known to increase the chances that someone will experience a fire within the home, with people who are older, live alone, or with limited mobility at higher than average risk.

“In addition, firefighters consider whether special equipment, such as linked fire alarms or fireretardant furnishings – may be needed to help householders stay safe. Rather than focussing on the number of home visits carried out or how many people were spoken to at an event, for example, we now focus on the difference services have made and how effective local people feel these have been.”

By

G Kelly

West of Scotland Media

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Krokodil is also known as the zombie skin eating drug because of how it looks when it starts to rot the skin.

Although krokodil has yet to be seized in Britain, the spread of the drug across Europe has been frightening and officials are now worried that before too long, addicts in South Ayrshire will be either creating batches themselves or using pre purchased bags of the drug.

As a precaution, officials in Glasgow, Shetland, West Dunbartonshire, South Ayrshire and Argyll and Bute have issued warning letters to social workers.

Christine Duncan, of Scottish Families Affected by Drugs and Alcohol, said “krokodil is something we are aware of but have not yet

met anyone affected by it.”

“That could easily change”, She continued “New drugs and legal highs are appearing on the market all the time. My advice to anyone thinking about using any homemade or unknown drug is simply not to do it. Anything concocted outside a proper laboratory, like krokodil, is untested and potentially lethal.

What makes these drugs so dangerous is that no-one knows exactly what is in them.”

Krokodil which is is injected into the body contains codeine and petrol, together with bleach, iodine, phosphorus and other chemicals can kill users who inject it, within two years and has killed thousands of addicts across Europe so far.

For the addicts who do survive the horrifying addiction krokodil causes irreparable damage to the human body, leaving the person in incurable agony and sometimes unable to walk.

Because pictures of the effects of krokodil are so horrifying we are unable to print them in this paper (Google krokodil for evidence).

By

Dreeva Vine

14 Ayrshire News | 4th April - 18th April 2014

www.ayrshire-news.co.uk

S E I T I V I T C A F O E M M A R G E R O I R H P 4 S 1 T R 0 A Y 2 E A il r p A GR S SOUTH A t s 1 2 it S s y i O a v r R d o n AC o ow n M e r u h t ch 4 o r y b a e th Frid py of erfun st co a a e / p k u v.u o Pick g . e r hi s r y a south

There is so much to do this Easter at a number of venues and facilities across South Ayrshire, so the only thing you need to do is choose what you want to do where and when!!!

There are so many different activities on offer including, athletics, archery, badminton, tennis, gymnastics, netball, just to name a few. If you fancy trying your hand at golf there are coaching sessions available at both Belleisle and Troon golf courses.

If swimming or water sports are more your thing then we have something for you too. At Prestwick, Maybole and Troon Pools you can join in with the inflatable fun sessions, dance around the pool to the latest sounds at the pool discos, or even bring the whole family along for fun in the pool at the family fun sessions. If you would like to do something outdoors and a little different why not try our FREE coastal rowing sessions at Troon Marina.

There are sports camps being offered right across South Ayrshire at a number of venues including the Citadel Leisure Centre, Girvan Academy, Whitletts Activity Centre, Marr College and Prestwick Academy. These can be attended on a half day or full day basis and offer a wide variety of sports simply something for everyone.

If you would like to find out more about any of the activities on offer then please call the relevant facility or visit

south-ayrshire.gov.uk/easterfun

4th April - 18th April 2014 | Ayrshire News 15

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Its Official Men Can’t Clean!

Frankie Knuckles off to the DJ Box in the sky The “Godfather of House” music has passed away at the age of 59, due to apparent complications with his type 2 diabetes.

Initially learning his trade in New York City he moved to Chicago in the 1970’s as disco was dying out and pioneered the new sound, a sound that would change the face of music and give birth to the electronic dance industry. An industry that is now worth billions of pounds a year.

It was in Chicago that the term “House” music was initially coined.

After people seeing the popularity of the events and music Frankie Knuckles was putting on, other people started to create their own nights in other parts of the town and people were heard to say, lets go and listen to that “house” music in the “Warehouse”.

Working with everyone ranging from Janet Jackson, Candi Staton, Mary

J Blige, Robert Owens and Luther Vandross amongst others, he had a career that spanned nearly forty years and had seen him play across the world.

In 2004 Knuckles had a street in Chicago named after him, and on 25th Aug of the same year there was a Frankie Knuckles Day championed by a then Senator Barack Obama.

Frankie Knuckles street was in the former site of the Warehouse Club and paid respect to the importance of his contribution for the music scene in Chicago.

The Godfather was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and even after having his foot amputated in the mid 2000’s refused to let that hamper his passion for DJ’ing.

He DJ’d right up until two days before

New contraception available A new three year contraception will be available from the beginning of April which will help woman who arent happy with their current form of contraception. Jaydess will

be available to woman for the first time after the Government aimed to cut the amount of unwanted pregnancies in the UK.

New research conducted by Karcher has revealed something that every woman knows, men can’t clean. his death and had many scheduled on his Facebook page therefore after.

Radio 1 DJ Danny Howard spoke of watching Frankie Knuckles perform in his hometown of Blackpool “You could tell everyone had the utmost respect for him.

“His legacy has continued right through until now.

“It’s the work that he did with the likes of David Morales, Derrick May and all those guys that has had an impact on the thriving dance music scene that we see today. We’ve lost a legend” By

Dreeva Vine

More than half of all the woman surveyed who live with their partner said that they can’t trust their other half with the cleaning chores.

designer, a home’s appearance is very important to me and I understand how house-proud people are. I’m not surprised to learn more than half of women judge people on the cleanliness of their homes. Beautiful windows can help you to create the perfect first impression of your home.

Rather hilariously two thirds of women have admitted to going back over the cleaning after the men in their life have abjectly failed, some even doing it, immediately after their partner has finished.

Some of the gripes mentioned on the cleaning shortfalls are dusting round objects, wipe crumbs on the floor, failing to correctly clean the dishes, failing to ever clean the shower, leaving smears on windows or mirrors and destroying washing by mixing colours.

Scotland and Ayrshire are home to the most prolific house cleaners in the UK with the people questioned admitting to tidying on a daily basis.

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16 Ayrshire News | 4th April - 18th April 2014

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Recent figures released by All Media Scotland, paint a stark picture for paid for titles in the print industry.

With paid for titles on average losing twenty percent of their readership per year. In monetary terms that’s nearly a fifth of all revenue down the proverbial drain.

Bucking the trend however, is free for titles which includes this fine established newspaper, The Glasgow News, with advertising revenue on the increase and readership at an all time high, the demise of the print industry especially local news, seems a touch premature.

Some of the largest paid for titles are haemorrhaging money at the minute, From Trinity Mirror laying off journalists and sales team employees, Evening Times laying off staff and budgets being slashed across the board. Many say that it was the industries failure to evolve with the progression of technology and failing to see the potential of the internet.

Sadly it was an almost smug, snobbish, belief that society would

only ever read news if a journalist had written it. People want news and they want it now.

In our fast moving and disposable society people don’t want to wait until the following day to find out breaking news that happened the previous day.

It could be said that the powers at be or the “big beasts” in charge of the newspapers, refused to take heed because people had been writing off the print industry since the creation of commercial radio, terrestrial television, and finally subscription television. Each time, newspapers took a few blows but came out relatively unscathed.

But the internet revolutionised everything, music, news, television, the ability to connect with each other, and rather than think of ways that

this new invention could promote the industry, they decided to deny. Slowly it grew, consuming the industries that failed to adapt, and threatened the very lifeblood of the newspaper industry itself, readership.

The question the new generation of readers asked was, Why pay for news that lags a day behind? When you can go online and get current news instantly.

“Times they are a changing”, so said Bob Dylan and with the power of the internet and an easier access to infinite knowledge across the web, through home computers and mobile phones, citizen journalism was born.

People talking to people, the industry stood up and took notice.

Citizen journalism, blogs, online forums, people had the ability to learn

about everything and write about everything, breaking news became a video recorded on someone’s phone, everybody remembers the horrors of September 11th nearly all of the

video’s were taken by the average citizen who just happened to be there at the site. Citizen Journalism has proved time and time again that it can be productive, the man on the ground,

ife in the yet

4th April - 18th April 2014 | Ayrshire News 17

www.ayrshire-news.co.uk

According to AllMediaScotland.com newspaper readership is almost universally down.

Except local news is quietly bucking the trend and many titles are actually increasing in readership especially free titles like the Glasgow News.

Daily Record – 9.7% drop The Scottish Sun – 9.8% drop Sunday Mail – 9.9% down Evening Times- 15.9% down Irvine Times – 2,677, up 3.1% Annandale Herald & Moffat News – 3,560, up 31.4% Glasgow News and Ayrshire News (Free) full online newspaper and readership upwards of 100,000

the first man over the trench.

The internet provided the platform for people to supply the news and pictures because it is impossible for a journalist to be everywhere at any given time, whereas the general public can be and are everywhere.

Now, with breaking news a 24 hour event, society has a bigger role to play in the concept of news and news gathering, but the journalism industry is slowly understanding its place. The age of the industry surviving solely as a print based entity is gone.

People have respect for the average journalist, the guy in war zones, the guy fighting to uncover corruption, the guy fighting for the average man.

It could be said that with the phone hacking scandal, people lost faith in the industry, but the phone hacking

scandal was purported by less than 1%percent of the entire profession and even then, without phone hacking, and underhand tactics, there would have been no expense scandal, no Jimmy Saville enquiry, every politician that has ever fallen would have been safe if not for underhand tactics to pursue a person who believes they are untouchable. As far back as the Watergate Scandal in the 70’s. If the end justifies the means is is not a necessary evil?

If phone hacking helps stop a terrorist attack(which it has) or helps save someone’s life, is it acceptable?

That is why journalists and the industry will always have a place in the world. And that is why local news will always be the strong beating heart in the centre of the community.

People want local news from their local area, they want to be able to go online and check out stories that involve their local surroundings.

Or stories from the area where their granny or their sister stays, people want to be able to put a picture to the story, or to be able to show their friends their kids school in the newspaper.

Events that are actively affecting them, the closure of a school, crime levels, drug levels, politicians fighting for the local area, local employment, housing, benefits, stories that effect the day to day living of people in their local area.

Local news give people the ability to connect with their area.

It gives people a sense of community pride, and that is why Glasgow News,

a free local paper with international stories, entertainment stories, music stories and political stories are essential, but more importantly a strong focus on local stories, a healthy and functioning social media platform to connect with the community, and the ability for the readers to grab the latest edition online is equally as essential.

That is the reason although parts of the industry are in a state of convergence, we don’t see progression or evolution as a bad thing.

The need for up to date local news will never fade, it’s as much a part of the fabric of the community as the local chippy, and we intend to stay that way.

18 Ayrshire News | 4th April - 18th April 2014

www.ayrshire-news.co.uk

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4th April - 18th April 2014 | Ayrshire News 19

Gregory’s Girl Competition!

Listed as one of Barry Norman’s 50 Best Ever British Films in the Radio Times and number 30 in the BFI’s Top 100 British Films, Gregory’s Girl is a truly outstanding piece of classic British cinema from renowned director Bill Forsyth.

Second Sight Films is delighted to announce a newly restored version to be released on DVD, Blu-ray, download and video-on-demand.

Altered Images’ Clare Grogan stars alongside John Gordon-Sinclair and Dee Hepburn in this heart-warming coming of age British classic, which garnered a BAFTA award for best screenplay, and nominations for best film and best director, it now comes to DVD and Blu-ray complete with a host of fantastic new special features

and for the first time in widescreen on 5 May 2014. It will be available for download on 21 April and VOD on 28 April 2014.

Gawky teenager Gregory Underwood (Gordon-Sinclair), loses his place as striker in the school’s shambolic football team but soon finds comfort with the arrival of new star signing Dorothy (Hepburn). ‘She’s absol-ute-ly gorgeous’ he pines to his equally girl-obsessed mates. He sets out to win her heart, but when he finally gets a dream date there’s a surprise in store.

‘Quirky and utterly endearing’ Time Out ‘The film has fresh, no-nonsense performances and a script so rooted in truth that it seems to have materialized not been written’ Film4

‘This is a case of near-faultless filmmaking from Bill Forsyth’ Radio Times

We have two DVD’s of the classic comedy Gregory’s Girl, featuring John Gordon-Sinclair and Dee Hepburn.

For a chance to win one of two copies which actor played Gregory in Gregory’s Girl?

Send your answers in to us on the back of a self addressed envelope or a post card to: West of Scotland Media, Suite 26, Brook Street Studios, 60 Brook Street, Glasgow G40 2AB

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4th April - 18th April 2014 | Ayrshire News 21

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ODEON CINEMA

April and May releases The Quiet Ones (15) Starring Jared Harris and Sam Claflin A University physics professor assembles a team to help create a poltergeist.

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ODEON Plus performances are available at ODEON Kilmarnock. Ask a team member for more information, pick up a leaflet in the foyer or check the website for future performances. The above mentioned performances are available to book now and it is recommended to purchase tickets in advance to avoid disappointment.

Now booking at ODEON Kilmarnock

Starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Jamie Foxx Peter Parker runs the gauntlet as the mysterious company Oscorp sends up a slew of supervillains against him, impacting on his life.

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Enjoy a night at the...Royal Opera House, National Theatre and the Royal Ballet @ ODEON Kilmarnock Met Opera: Saturday: 5th April 17:55 La Boheme (live) 205min Met Opera: Saturday: 26th April 17:55 Cosi Fan Tutti (live) 245min

Starring Johnny Depp and Morgan Freeman

The Royal Ballet: Monday 28th April 19:15 A Winter’s Tale 180min

A terminally ill scientist downloads his mind into a computer.

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National Theatre: Thursday 1st May 19:00 King Lear 180min

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National Theatre: Thursday 12th June 19:00 A Small Family Business 210min

National Theatre: Thursday 22nd May 19:00 The Curious Case Of The Dog In The Night Time (encore) 160min

Starring Kit Harington and Kiefer Sutherland A slave-turned-gladiator finds himself in a race against time to save his true love, who has been betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts, he must fight to save his beloved as Pompeii crumbles around him.

Tarzan (PG) Starring Kellan Lutz Tarzan and Jane Porter face a mercenary army dispatched by the evil CEO of Greystoke Energies, a man who took over the company from Tarzan’s parents, after they died in a plane crash.

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Bad Neighbours (TBC) Starring Seth Rogan and Zac Efron A couple with a newborn baby face unexpected difficulties after they are forced to live next to a fraternity house.

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Price applies to standard 2D ticket booked in cinema, at ODEON Kilmarnock All quoted prices and discounts apply to bookings in cinema only. For tickets booked online or by telephone, please note: (a) remote booking fee of 50p per ticket applies and (b) bookings made using a credit or debit card will incur a card handling fee of 21p per transaction. Additional upgrade costs apply to other film formats and seat types. Does not apply to special screenings, events and Bank Holidays.

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22 Ayrshire News | 4th April - 18th April 2014

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Hats Off to Greenfingers Led Zeppelin at Gardening Scotland Louise Wakeling, a student at Scotland’s Rural College, Ayr campus, is delighted to be joining forces with children’s charity NSPCC at this year’s Gardening Scotland event on 30 May-1 June.

With work on NSPCC Scotland’s Garden of Childhood Adventure – A garden of imaginative play – already well underway, Louise said that the team have high hopes for this year’s entry.

“I think that for children having outdoor space to play in is an invaluable part of growing up. A garden provides a space for imaginative play where they can encounter and explore the natural world as well as somewhere to run around and get some fresh air.

Come and (Robert) Plant your bum on a seat at the Ayr Gaiety because the UK’s number one Led Zeppelin tribute act, Hats Off to Led Zeppelin play Wednesday April 9th.

Recreating one of the bands most majestic concerts, it will feel like you’ve jumped in Dr Who’s TARDIS and been transported back in time.

Featuring Peter Eldridge from the West End production of ‘We Will Rock You’ and Jack Tanner and Kevin Oliver Jones from the world tours of ‘Thriller Live’ and ‘Dancing in the Streets’ this is a truly sensational live show.

The only band to have official recognition endorsed by Marshall amplifiers and are actually manged by the progeny of original Led Zep manager Peter Grant.

Lead vocalist Peter Eldridge’s first break came about when he landed a role in the original West End production of “Rent”. After understudying the lead role of Roger for eight months, he was then offered the part full time.

He has worked with a number of rock legends such as Neil Murray and Bernie Marsden

(Whitesnake), Jeff Whitehorn (Procol Harem), Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), and guitar supremo Steve Vai. Guitarist in the show Jack Tanner had a formal training in acting at London’s prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has enjoyed a thorough career in TV, theatre and film.

Multi instrumentalist Kevin Oliver Jones has been involved in ‘the biz’ from a very early age, making his first professional appearance in the West End at the age of nine. He has since been involved in a host of rock and roll theatre shows, taking him from the West End of London to the Raffles Hotel, Singapore – his favourites being Return to the Forbidden Planet, The Buddy Holly Story, The Circus of Horrors, Thriller and Dancing in the Streets with Edwin Starr.

“This project was particularly appealing as I have always admired the work that the NSPCC does, and was keen to be able to partner with them to support and raise awareness for the work they are now doing in Scotland.”

Describing what drew her to a career in garden design, Louise said: “I always enjoyed being out in the garden as a child and had my own little patch in the corner of my parents’ vegetable garden to grow whatever vegetables and flowers I wanted.

“I actually studied International Politics and the Third World at Aberystwyth University before deciding that I’d really like to work outdoors with plants instead, so I started a course here in horticulture. I then started taking garden design modules as well and found that I really enjoyed the design side of gardening so am now hoping to become a garden designer.”

Brooke O’Connell, Legacies Manager for NSPCC Scotland said: “We are over the moon with the concept behind our entry. Most of us will have had the opportunity to indulge our youthful imaginations and embark on outdoor ‘adventures’, but we hope that by taking a moment to reflect on those good times we can also spare a thought for children whose life

“NSPCC Scotland’s vital work can only continue with the generous support of the public. Take a moment to recollect the pure joy of childish escapades, and consider the impact a legacy donation could have on the lives of our most vulnerable children and families.”

The design team are all studying for HNCs in Garden Design at SRUC’s Ayr Campus; this course introduces students to the many facets of garden design which include design, plant knowledge, hard landscaping and business studies.

Design students are SRUC regularly compete at prestigious garden design competitions; last year’s two teams both took home Silver Gilt medals at Gardening Scotland with the Ayrbased team awarded the coveted Best in Show title. SRUC student gardens have also been highly placed at the Chelsea Flower Show and the Hampton Court Flower Show.

With 15 top notch races, more than £520,000 in prize money and the sport’s top names in action this is a truly enjoyable two days of racing action intertwined with some superb on course entertainment.

Jockeys who are household names ride some of the country’s top horses for leading trainers and celebrities mingle with the crowd who flock to the course.

The highlight of the Festival is of course, the Coral Scottish Grand National - the joint sixth richest race on the National Hunt calendar with £200,000 in prize money.

Before, during and after racing both days there is super entertainment with something to suit everyone.

Ayr Gaiety, Main Theatre.

Greg Kelly

experiences are not so positive.

The richest and biggest horse racing extravaganza in Scotland - the Coral Scottish Grand National Festival takes place on the weekend of Friday April 11 and 12 when the racing world focuses firmly on the west coast of Scotland.

Wednesday 9 April at 7.30pm

By

Louise Wakeling

Scottish Grand National 11th and 12th of April

Hats Off To Led Zeppelin Presented By Bandwagon Productions & Warren Grant

Tickets: £19.50 / £18.50 (conc) Online bookings are subject to a £2 booking fee per transaction

GOING OUT

All around the town of Ayr and beyond there’s a real air of excitement that builds over the 48 hours culminating at 3.50 pm on Saturday when the tapes go up on the Coral Scottish Grand National itself.

The 2014 Coral Scottish Grand National Festival promises to be a weekend to remember and we hope to welcome you here.

For more information and tickets for your day at the races, go to the Ayr Racecourse website at: www.ayr-racecourse.co.uk

4th April - 18th April 2014 | Ayrshire News 23

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Kidnapped at the Ayr Gaiety

GOING OUT

A family adventure tale packed with action and drama will enthrall the audience when the Sell A Door Theatre Company presents its adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped at the Gaiety Theatre on Saturday April 12.

Adapted by Ivan Wilkinson from the classic novel, Kidnapped tells the story of Davie Balfour as he survives shipwreck and attempted murder to dramatically escape to the Highlands of Scotland.

Set against the fierce social and political backdrop of 1750s Scotland, this gripping, fast paced adventure story is packed full of physical storytelling and imagination.

Ideal for family audiences aged six

and upwards, the show stars Stewart McCheyne as Young David Balfour, Simon Weir as Alan Breck and Jamie Laird as Old David Balfour.

The Sell A Door Theatre Company is a regional touring theatre company with bases in London and also at the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock.

Formed in 2008, the company’s début production, The Secrets Inside, written by co-founder David Hutchinson and directed by Richard Adams, was presented at the 2008

Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Since then the company have toured the UK with a string of original and adapted works, including recent hits Ghosts, Suessical and Avenue Q. Saturday 12 April at 7.30pm Ayr Gaiety main Theatre Tickets: £15.50 / £14.50 (conc) / £12 (children under 16 and full time students) Online bookings are subject to a £2 booking fee per transaction

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The Middleton Family, Winners of the Park Hotel Mothers Day Competition sitting down to a beautiful meal last Mothering Sunday in the Park Hotel at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock

24 Ayrshire News | 4th April - 18th April 2014

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4th April - 18th April 2014 | Ayrshire News 25

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Stamp Duty to be scrapped in Scotland

Top ten things to consider when visiting a show home

On average Spring tends to be the season were people decide to move, here is a top ten guide for people looking to make that step into a new home.

1. Condition of the site: Is it tidy and well managed?

2. Which way does the house face: South improves energy efficiency, North better consistency of natural light 3. Timescales: Will the house be ready for you moving in?

Scottish Government have announced plans to scrap Stamp Duty on houses in Scotland after the more devolved powers on tax come into force in April.

Finance Secretary John Swinney said that Scots will be told “just pay your taxes” and will create a “change of culture” from the less than effective enforcement in place at Westminster.

The Scottish Government believes the new charge which will apply to all property sales from April 2015 onwards will be more progressive, as it will include a zero rate and at least two other bands.

Holyrood will soon set 10p income tax, land and buildings transaction tax

and landfill tax in “the first exercise of tax management responsibilities in Scotland in 300 years.

Labour MSP Malcolm Chisolm asked if Mr Swinney had considered a Scottish equivalent of the UK GAAR Advisory Panel, established last year to explain what types of tax avoidance schemes are unacceptable.

Mr Swinney said: “W hen you go into discussions about an independent review panel, it feels to me a bit like you’re devising a mechanism to undermine the principle that we are trying to take forward, which

4. Personalisation: Will you be able to personalise your home to fit your personality 5. Peace of mind through warranty cover: Is the builder registered with N.H.B.C 6. Will my furniture fit: Check before you move in is to attack tax avoidance, because we almost are trying to approve of, condone, find a way of accepting tax avoidance initiatives.

7. Consumer Code for home builders: Protect your rights, ask to see the builders Consumer Code.

He continued, “If we were going to be principled about it, why would we want to do that?

9. Council tax banding: Find out which council tax band the house will be allocated to.

The Finance Secretary has said that no rates or tax bands will be introduced until September possibly after the Independence Referendum.

By

G Kelly

8. Energy efficiency: Ask to see a copy of the homes EPC (Energy Performance Certificate)

10. The wider community: Schools, shops, G.P surgeries and other amenities, check their distance and the area to see how the community will progress in upcoming years.

More importantly always remember to use common sense.

The final decision is yours to be made.

Happy House Hunting!

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Hanover’s housing is designed specifically with older people in mind. It contains a wealth of useful features that help make life easier, without intruding on your independence.

It lets you enjoy the life you want without the expense, worry or effort of maintaining a property which isn’t practical for your lifestyle.

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26 Ayrshire News | 4th April - 18th April 2014

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PROPERTY

A guide to what you should look at when visiting a new home As the drudgery of winter is put behind us and the return to longer and brighter days, many of us look forward to new horizons and a new home.

Since this is one of the biggest decisions any family or individual can make, whether the prospective home is a new build or an existing property, one must have a clear idea of what to look for.

Here at the Ayrshire News, we’ve put together a number of suggestions on what to look for in a prospective property when you go to view it and tips for getting the most out of a viewing.

Which direction does the house face?

A home with south facing windows can help improve the energy efficiency of the home, with the sun helping to heat the house during the day, one could take advantage of this

with solar panels. However a home which faces North will have a more consistent quality of light throughout the day.

Will your furniture fit?

This is something which is often overlooked by prospective buyers, the simple fact of buying a new home is that furniture you already own may not be able to squeeze into the new spot you’ve picked for it. So a measuring tape is an essential piece of kit for a viewing.

Timing

This is particularly important for those of us viewing new builds.

Naturally you want to move as quickly as possible, however, if it’s an unfinished property that you’re going to be buying, it may be weeks or months before it’s ready to occupy.

So don’t sell your current property or end your lease too quickly!

Modifications

An important piece of information a prospective buyer needs to be aware of when buying an older property is what modifications can they carry out. As more and more buildings are being registered as listed buildings this is something that it would be best to discuss while in the initial stages of viewing.

Council Tax

Don’t rely on the current value of the property to gauge what tax band the property will fall under, as the sale price may not be a reliable guide to what you might end up paying on a yearly basis. Ask the current owners or the estate agents what you can expect to shell out on council tax.

The wider community

Research the local area, and make a checklist to confirm if it will be suitable to you and your family. For some, the need for hustle and bustle

and things to do will supercede the need for a good school while for others the opposite is true. So make sure you’re not buying the perfect

piece of property in a less than perfect area for your needs.

By

Michael McDaid

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4th April - 18th April 2014 | Ayrshire News 27

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PROPERTY

Scottish Property Market Still Lagging Despite the property market in England and particularly London experiencing a massive resurgence and a climb in property prices above the pre financial crisis price levels, the Scottish property market continues to lag behind.

The average market price for property in Scotland is 15.5% lower than it’s peak in October 2007, according to analysis in a report released by property website home.co.uk the average asking price for residential property in Wales and England has risen by 4.3% in the same period.

The report also points out how homes on the market in Scotland tend to stay on the market longer than anywhere else in the UK, something which contributes to the sluggish increase in prices as the sellers must now compete with each

SPRI

NG S

Rent in Scotland on the rise

other in a buyers market as the choice of property in a given area increases to a level of saturation.

However the report also points out how one area of Scotland is bucking the trend of a slump in the housing market, with Aberdeen showing massive growth in its housing market, with the ‘Granite City’ no sporting the lowest selling times in the whole of the UK, outstripping even London.

However, the rest of Scotland continues to lag behind the shining example of Aberdeen and Doug Shephard, director of home.co.uk has said: “Considering the much improved availability of cheap mortgages and government help to get on the housing ladder, Scottish properties are spending far too long on the market.”

ALE

By

Garry Smith

By

Lauren Black

Rent prices in Scotland have saw the highest level of increase in the UK with a 2.8% equating to an average advertised monthly rent of £695, an increase of 3.96% compared to the same period last year.

This is the largest increase in private rent in the entirety of the UK, beating out even London, these increases have been spurred on by the resurgence of the economy across the UK, with the current national average rent being at the highest level it’s been in the last three years when the price was first recorded hitting an all time high of £923 per month.

While this is great news for Scottish landlords, it’s an unwelcome change for Scottish tenants,

who continue to struggle with rising energy prices and the ever rising costs of living essentials.

However to combat the increase in energy prices, landlords must also take on some additional costs, with new stricter government regulations on energy efficiency in rental properties, thus forcing landlords to bring their properties up to spec, possibly cutting down profits for those who own older properties.

There has also been an increase in the number of properties on the rental market, with more and more people deciding to invest in property rather than low yield ISA’s, and banks giving out ultra low rate mortgages for those with the intention of buying to lease.

28 Ayrshire News | 4th April - 18th April 2014

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Scottish Motor Racing Club returns to Knockhill The weekend of the 6th saw the return of the Scottish Motor Racing Club (SMRC) to Knockhill racetrack for the new season, with the Alex Bruce Tribute Race Day. The action from the weekend included as usual a wide range of different formulas and classes, including the always entertaining formula Mini Cooper championship, with a range of thrills and spills as to be expected from the aggressive little cars.

The Scottish Legends category also included a wide range of different cars from every class imaginable, from the American muscle which pounded down the main straight with the mighty roar of V8’s to the classic Mini’s which made up for their lack of power with break neck speed through the bends, creating a David and Goliath type battle for pole position.

With 16 races over the course of the day, it proved to be the perfect day out for families and piston heads alike, with the legendarily relaxed atmosphere at the Knockhill track

BTCC Season opener at Brands Hatch

Last week signalled the kick off for this years British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Brands Hatch, and as always the series impressed fans with bumper to bumper racing and exciting on track antics in the three race meet at the BTCC’s spiritual home.

Defending champion Andrew Jordan got his title defence off to a flying start, taking pole position in the first two races of the day, despite having to lug an additional 45kg of success ballast in his Pirtek Racing Honda Civic. Jordan only faltered in the third race eaking out a poor 13th place, however this was after he knew he had already won the day, securing himself the top scorer position for the meet.

The first race of the day, was uneventful for the most part with a rescued slide in the first bend by Jordan which he rescued and pounded on to finish in pole.

The second race of the day was the one to watch, with a number of

mid race mechanical failures and a number of paint trading incidents as all the drivers fought to put points on the board in the first meeting of the year.

With Jordan opening up an early lead, it was a crash between Collard and Neal which brought the safety car onto the track and tightened up the grid once more, with the Scottish contender Gordon Shedden, capitalizing on the closed up pack taking his Yuasa Honda Civic Tourer up to Jordans doors just before the chequered flag was dropped for the second time that day.

However, by the end of the day the tables had remained as many had expected ahead of the meeting, with Andrew Jordan taking home pole, Matt Neal second and Colin Turkington in his BMW taking third and the flying Scotsman Gordon Shedden coming in at fourth in his brand new Honda Civic Tourer.

By

Brendan Doherty

allowing the spectators to wander through the pits and soak up the excitement and sometimes heart ache projected by the teams.

The next event and Knockhill will be for the motor enthusiasts in the crowd, with the track playing host to a hot hatch and sports car track day, with spots available to take your own car out on the track and put it to the test along side some of the more exotic fare on display.

For more information, visit the tracks website at www.knockhill.com By

Garry Smith

Volkswagen Golf R Estate spotted, but not confirmed With the recent rash of luxurious fast estates hitting the market from marques such as Mercedes, BMW and Audi, the more garden variety manufacturers are all trying to cash in on the buying public’s move away from the doldrums of SUV’s and soft roaders which plagued the market for what felt like an age, with hatchbacks come estates, which have, in this enthusiasts opinion, been sorely missed.

The Golf R has been spotted in Germany, while no official statement has been released about the car by VW A.G, there are rumours, that despite the fact the car spotted appears to be a production ready model, the motoring giant is still in two minds as to whether or not the car will hit the showrooms.

If the powers that be a Wolfsburg do decide to pull the trigger on yet another addition to the Golf’s already burgeoning selection of models, it will most likely be revealed at the Paris Motor Show in October of this year.

By

Michael McDaid

Fairer deal for UK Hauliers

Foreign hauliers will be charged to use UK roads for the first time from April 1st Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has announced.

UK truck drivers working in Europe currently pay tolls and levies when delivering goods abroad. But foreign trucks operating in the UK have not been required to make a similar payment.

Patrick McLoughlin said: “The HGV levy will provide a massive boost for the UK haulage industry. It will create a level playing field across Europe, giving UK firms a much better opportunity to win business. This is yet another example of how we are taking positive action to back British business and build a stronger, more competitive economy.”

billion to add at least 400 miles of capacity on the busiest motorways.

The levy affects all HGVs of 12 tonnes or more that drive on UK roads, irrespective of country of registration.

The HGV road user levy, which is being brought in nearly a year ahead of schedule, introduces a charge that ensures British hauliers are better able to compete with their foreign counterparts.

The levy is part of the coalition’s promise of a fairer deal for UK hauliers. Duty on standard diesel is now lower than it was in October 2010 and there has been no increase in HGV vehicle excise duty (VED) during this Parliament.

The levy is structured in a series of bands which reflect vehicle type, weight and number of axles. UK operators will pay the levy at the same time as VED in one transaction for administrative ease. At the same time as introducing the levy, the government is reducing VED, such that more than 9 out of 10 UK vehicles will pay no more than now.

The levy has long been called for by the UK haulage industry and creates a fairer system by removing some of the inequality UK hauliers feel when paying to use many roads abroad.

The government is also investing £3.3 billion in major road schemes which will provide over 500 miles of additional lane capacity to the strategic road network and £10.7

Foreign operators must pay the levy before using UK roads. Discounts are available for longer periods with charges varying between £1.70 and £10 per day or £85 to £1,000 per year.

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4th April - 18th April 2014 | Ayrshire News 29

Lewis Hamilton Wins Malaysian Formula 1

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Last weekend, Lewis Hamilton lead team Mercedes to a one two win in Malaysia with his teammate Nico Rosberg coming in at second position. This one two victory allowed Mercedes’ Rosberg to maintain his top of the table position after two races after winning the first race of the season in Australia.

Throughout the race, Hamilton controlled the pace of the pack before pulling away and leaving everyone else in his wake, finishing the race with a 17.3 second lead over Rosberg.

Championship defender, Sebastian

Vettel, was once again scuppered in his attempts to put in a decent performance on the board by a car which according to the Red Bull chief engineer Adrian Newey was suffering with straight line speed. Vettel however managed to come in third, bringing him to seventh position in the drivers tables.

Overall the entire grand prix in Malaysia showed that there are still a number of teething problems with the newly redesigned cars, with a number of technical failures from a wide range of teams, including Force India, who could only field one car on the grid as their second car driven by

Sergio Perez suffered a failure on the way from the pits.

Toro Rosso also suffered from mechanical problems, with Jean-Eric Verne being forced to stop after only 18 laps due to a loss of power. Both of the Sauber cars were unable to finish the race, partly due to an argument between Sutil and Guitierrez but also due to technical failures mid way through, both of them stopping within moments of each other.

By

Michael McDaid

VOSA and DSA merged to form new group DVSA This week Roads Minister Stephen Hammond has launched the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), which is set to replace the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and the Driving Standards Agency (DSA).

The new organization is going to streamline the way in which a number of services for motorists are provided. With the DVSA taking over administrative duties for driving tests, goods and passenger vehicle testing, operator licensing and the supervision

of MOT’s.

The merger follows a consultation last year looking at how the government can reform its motoring services agencies to put customers first, reduce costs and improve consistency.

DVSA will be responsible for setting, testing and enforcing driver and vehicle standards in Great Britain and employs more than four thousand staff.

This year it will conduct 1.5 million theory tests and 1.6 million practical driving tests; it will be responsible for regulating 28 million MOT tests

and will carry out 137,000 roadside inspections; it will issue 87,000 operator licenses and will test and inspect 790,000 commercial vehicles.

Announcing the launch of DVSA, Stephen Hammond said: “The creation of DVSA builds on the vital work that has already been done to improve road safety and offer modern, cost effective services for motorists. The merged agency offers the opportunity to increase efficiency and further explore ways of providing innovative, convenient services.”

By

Garry Smith

New checks for elderly drivers encouraged The Institute for Advanced Motorists (IAM) is calling on the government to introduce a national strategy of driving health checks and better information for elderly drivers and their families.

The call comes after a poll showing that 42% of the population are worried about an elderly relative driving, yet they are unlikely to do anything about it.

The IAM and Vision Critical poll of 1297 people shows that while concern about elderly drivers is evident, acting on our concerns is another issue. Fiftyeight per cent of those concerned did nothing about it When we do talk to our relatives about their driving it does not always

go down well. Of those that had done this, nearly half of respondents (47 per cent) were met with negative reaction.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Talking to an elderly relative about their driving is a difficult conversation to have. Driving is associated with independence, so giving up the car keys can be a very stressful process.

This is especially true for drivers with dementia as they often underestimate the impact of the condition on their driving skills.”

Mr Best also went on to say: “Voluntary online and on road driving assessments will provide an unbiased view and help everyone make the right decision at the right time. We are finding while there are some elderly drivers who should not be on

the road, most get it right and as many as 15% give up too early But with ever increasing numbers of elderly drivers, this is a growing mobility and road safety issue that won’t go away.

The government needs to act now.”

The IAM wants: A government action plan for older drivers; Widespread availability of voluntary on road driving assessments; More car manufacturers considering older drivers in vehicle design; Better information and online assessment tools for older drivers, their families and health professionals; Road designs that make it easier for older drivers to keep driving.

There are now more than four million drivers over 70 years old, a figure that is set to increase to 5.8 million in 2032.

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30 Ayrshire News | 4th April - 18th April 2014

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Finnerty Focussed On Play-Off Tilt Braehead Clan head coach Ryan Finnerty says he is happy for his side to be underdogs as they look ahead to their play-off quarter final with Nottingham Panthers.

With the play-off finals being hosted in Nottingham, the motivation is on for the Clan to cause an upset and boost the Scottish contingent by joining either Dundee Stars or Fife Flyers in the finals.

However Finnerty admits it was another frustrating weekend as his team lost home and away to the Flyers, who reached the play-offs as a result of their victories over the Purple Army.

He said: “We’ve got to be ready and match the intensity of the Panthers on Thursday in the first leg. We’re going in as the underdogs and that suits us.

Nottingham have won the play off’s for the past three seasons and, as

Morton Face Relegation and Shiels risks the boot

Morton Chairman Douglas Rae has struck out at not only the clubs manager Kenny Shiels but also at the squad for their poor performance in the past four and a half months since the Irishman took over the struggling club from Alan Moore last December.

In an interview with SportTimes Mr Rae said:” Allan brought in eight new players and I felt at the time that was too many. It was then replicated

by Kenny, who brought in around 10 new players. I didn’t agree with three of the players that went away, but it was the manager’s choice and he knew who he wanted.

“He (Shiels) admitted the second window is really not a great window.

You get the players that clubs don’t want. Garry O’Connor has only scored one goal and it was an in-off.

When Kenny got him, he was doing cartwheels. He said we will get goals out of him, and we did, one.”

The struggling team has now been relegated to the third tier Scottish division, and has continued to put in poor performances, with declining ticket sales and sponsorship cash, Mr Rae is continuing to bankroll the club out of his own pocket.

By

Brendan Doherty

the holders, will be favourites to go through to the final four weekend.

Finnerty also went on optimistically:

“On the day we are capable of beating any team and we are solely focussed on making the play off weekend.

Looking back at the two games with Fife, it was frustrating, but you have to give credit to a very good Fife team. They needed to win and showed great intensity and just couldn’t claw our way back and we

found it tough get ourselves going.”

The Clan are heading to the National Ice Centre on Thursday for the first leg in poor form with only one win in their last seven, before the tie comes back to Glasgow on Saturday.

Now the Clan have to get themselves out of their rut and the frustration was felt keenly by defence man Chris Frank as he reflected on another unsuccessful weekend saying:

Tigers

SPORT

“Going to the play-offs, you’re going to need fight and we showed character in the third period of our game on Saturday, even though we lost the game in the end. We should take the positive out of that and seeing the fans turn out the way they did was incredible. It’s the reason you play hockey as a player.”

By

Craig Anderson

big opening The waiting is just about over, with an exciting new season of speedway thrills and spills due to get under TICWKEITNS ! way this coming weekend.

S COM EE OUR P ON P ETITION AGE 7!

Tigers bosses have retained just one of last year’s side, which picked up the wooden spoon, as they look to be far more competitive in the year ahead. The riders – a German, a Dutchman, a Frenchman, two Danes and three Aussies - are now all gathered here in the UK as the excitement level rises amongst the City’s speedway fraternity.

The Glasgow Allied Vehicles Tigers launch the 2014 British Premier League season with a tough three meetings in three days schedule this weekend.

Following their first practise session at

Ashfield Stadium this week, the team travel to face arch rivals Edinburgh Monarchs on Friday night in the first leg of a season opening challenge fixture between the two Scottish sides.

24 hours later the Tigers will travel to Cumbria to launch their league cup campaign against title favourites Workington Comets, before returning to conclude their home and away challenge against Edinburgh at Ashfield Stadium on Sunday, start time 3pm.

Tigers bosses are appealing for a big turnout for their season opener: “There has been a lot of hard work

into getting ready for the new season.

We have a good team to represent the City against opposition from all around the UK this season, and we want as many people as possible to come along and cheer on the lads.”

“If you have never seen live speedway, or haven’t been to watch it for some time, now is the very time to put that right – it’s fast, noisy, atmospheric and above all else great family entertainment.”

For more information about the Tigers, and how you can get along to see them race, visit the club website at www.glasgowtigers.co

4th April - 18th April 2014 | Ayrshire News 31

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Eagle Eye: The Ryder Cup Review

Welcome to my new column counting down to the 40th Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in September. It may be 7 months away but it is already the talk of clubhouses up and down the country.

SPORT

Rocks Progress to the BBL Trophy Final

Glasgow Rocks overcame a 6-point aggregate deficit to defeat Cheshire Phoenix 98-77 in the BBL Trophy semi-final second leg at the Emirates Arena. The win secured a 172-157 victory on aggregate for the Rocks, earning themselves a place in the final of the competition against Worcester Wolves on the 30th March.

into dreamland as the noise levels continued to increase around the Emirates Arena.

When asked what his half-time words of encouragement were, Sterling said: “I just told them that we had to come

The sluggish start to the game from both sides did not prepare anyone inside the arena for what was to unfold during the course of the match.

This week the attention turns to the 4 time Ryder Cup superstar Ian Poulter.

It’s been a relatively slow start for Poults this season having played six events with a highest finish of T20.

Paul McGinley has in recent weeks publicly stated he is not a guarantee for a place in the team this year which is fair enough but let’s be honest, Poulter is a one off. He was simply born to shine on the Ryder Cup stage.

In my opinion he needs an average summer and he’s in.

Privately, Captain McGinley will be hoping and praying he shows some steady form this season just justify selection but Poulter’s heroics in The Miracle at Medinah in 2012 will put him at the top of the Wildcard list for the 3rd time at the very least.

If he doesn’t make the team, McGinley would be foolish not to have him in his backroom staff and I know Ian Poulter will be part of the 2014 Ryder Cup as a player, cheerleader, assistant captain or even as a water carrier.

No Poulter means American advantage and no one on these shores wants that! Or do they?

Till next time, this is Eagle Eye signing off.

Baskets were traded before Phoenix stretched to a 7-point lead midway through the opening quarter. That then livened up the Rocks who finished the quarter with a 20-17 lead following a 10-0 scoring run in their favour in the latter stages of the first period.

For once everything was falling for the Rocks as they outscored their Cheshire opponents 33-14 in the third quarter – sending the home crowd

The game boiled over with a matter of seconds on the clock as Nix’s Bailey faced-off with a number of Rocks players before a couple of Cheshire fans attempted to get onto the court to defend their man – an ending which marred what was a great spectacle overall.

Cheshire had a score to settle with the Rocks following the suspension of Creppy prior to the game and made sure their feelings were known with abuse being hurled at home fans from the travelling support.

Phoenix head coach, John Lavery, even got himself involved shouting at a Rocks fan during the course of the game.

An outstanding team performance by the home side ensured their progression in the competition.

The ‘Nix were without Mike Creppy, who was given a one-game suspension for his punch of the Rocks’ own Gareth Murray in a game at the Emirates six weeks previous.

their lead to double figures once more.

Speaking of the events that unfolded, Davis said: “I just think it’s all in the nature of competitiveness.

Both teams wanted to win and I think at the end of the game if you’re not Picture: Kierran Allardice on the winning side it hurts.

We’ve been on the other out and make sure we threw the first side of that before too so it was just punch. We had to stay consistent with all in competition.” what we’ve been doing in the past and I think we faltered when we didn’t do In the end, the Rocks prevailed and setthat but we did a good job of it today.” up a home court final against Worcester The Rocks suffered a scare in the Wolves on 30 March at 3pm. fourth as the Phoenix reduced the Tickets for the BBL Trophy Final aggregate score-line to just three are still available via Glasgow Rocks points at one stage before the Rocks re-asserted themselves and increased website – www.glasgowrocks.co.uk

Scotland’s cricketers to face off against Kiwi’s in summer tests Scotlands cricketers are set to face off against the New Zealand A team in the summer in a series of matches which will be played at New Cambusdoon in Ayr and at the Grange in Edinburgh.

This series of matches will allow Scottish spectators to become more acquainted with the New Zealand A team who are vying for positions on the national squad for the World Cup next year.

Ayr Cricket Club will host the first two fixtures in August, confirmed this week for the 15th and 17th, before the teams head to the capital for the penultimate match of the test series on the 21st.

Scotland will be entering the test on a high, having recently won the ICC World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand, the team will be using these matches to prepare themselves for a return to the island nation next year for the World Cup.

This will be the first time the Saltire Squad will be returning to Ayr since defeating Canada in 2012, a match in which Scotland pulled off a 4 wicket win.

Cricket Scotlands Chief Executive Roddy Smith said: ‘’We are delighted to welcome the New Zealand ‘A’ team to Scotland for three matches.

Scotland and New Zealand are countries closely linked culturally and historically, as well as through sport” Smith also went on to say: “Forging close links with New Zealand Cricket has been a huge benefit to Cricket Scotland, and we are very grateful to them for agreeing to travel to Scotland for these three matches.’’

These fixtures will add to a summer that will see Scotland take on England at Mannofield, and Ireland in Dublin.

By

Lauren Black

32 Ayrshire News | 4th April - 18th April 2014

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Kilmarnock still hopeful of holding onto in form Boyd

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Kris Boyd’s second spell with Kilmarnock has proved fruitful for both him and club this season.

The strikers 19 goal haul has almost guaranteed Kilmarnock’s survival in the top flight, however manager Allan Johnston knows that...more goals, equals more problems.

With rumours circulating that teams are now looking at the prolific striker and with his contract set to run out at the end of the season the Kilmarnock Manager Allan

Johnston knows he faces a fight to keep the marksman at the Ayrshire club.

With Rangers manager Ally McCoist having said that he would consider signing the ex Rangers favourite for the beginning of next season. English Championship chasing Rotherham have a strong chance of being promoted next season and could also offer the

Kilmarnock striker another chance at playing in England. After his last spell at Middlesbrough and later Nottingham Forest was less than spectacular.

However Kris Boyd admitted his decision was far from certain at the moment and could still remain at Kilmarnock as he’s enjoying his football again “I’m settled and I’ve loved every minute of being back at

Kilmarnock I’ve always said I was grateful to Kilmarnock for giving me the chance to come back because I hadn’t played in a long time.”

The in demand striker continued “I had found myself in and out of teams for the last couple of years and to get back playing regular football was great.”

Allan Johnston said on his teams prospects of keeping the free

scoring striker “I’m sure it won’t just be Rangers who is looking at Boydy with the amount of goals he has scored. There’s a lot to be said for enjoying your football, though.

He’s a Kilmarnock boy and I know he has loved his time here, so we can only try our best to convince him to stay.”

By

Gregg Kelly

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