9th May - 23rd May 2014 | Ayrshire News 1
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9th May - 23rd May 2014 | Issue 58 | Published by West of Scotland Media
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Horror scalping see page 15
see page 16
at Kilmarnock Garage
A local woman was left fighting for her life after suffering a freak scalping accident at The Garage leisure complex in Kilmarnock.
Shenaz Ahmed was feared to be paralysed after the accident occurred but doctors have confirmed that the mother of three has been moving her hands following a second operation.
The 48 year old from Cumnock was taken to Crosshouse Hospital before being transported to Glasgow’s Southern General.
She is being treated for serious head and neck injuries and had to have emergency surgery following the incident. In a tragic twist of irony it is believed that Ms Ahmed had no plans to join her children on the go kart track on the day but made a last minute change of decision once she had arrived at The Garage in Kilmarnock.
Continued on page 2
see page 20
2 Ayrshire News | 9th May - 23rd May 2014
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Continued from page 1 A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesperson said paramedics rushed to the scene when the serious accident was reported at 8.20pm. He said Ms Ahmed’s injuries included a serious head and neck trauma.
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The Garage which has been opened for twenty years also offers other leisure activities such as bowling, amusements and a late closing nightclub. Health and safety officers have since visited the premises and conducted a full investigation into the accident. The procurator fiscal are now waiting to receive the findings. A council spokesman said “East Ayrshire Council is the health and safety enforcement authority for small businesses in the area Therefore when the council was notified of this very serious incident, senior officers from the Environmental Health services immediately conducted a full investigation of the site.” At the present moment the officers are preparing their findings which will help to explain how this terrible accident took place, once finalised, a report will be sent to the procurator fiscal. A Police Scotland spokesperson said “At 8.40pm we received a report that a 48 year old woman had been injured while riding a go-kart at The Garage in Kilmarnock. The local authority is investigating.”
South Ayrshire employment figures on the up Figures have shown that the amount of unemployed young people in Scotland was slightly higher than the United Kingdom as a whole last year, however there was a fall in unemployment in South Ayrshire. Scotland’s chief statistician have released figures that also showed youth unemployment has risen by 7% since 2008, yet they have also revealed that overall unemployment fell last year in 21 council areas in Scotland but 10 of the other local authorities saw an increase in unemployment. The largest falls were in Inverclyde -4.1%, South Ayrshire -1.7% and East Dunbartonshire -1.2%. The local area labour market statistics are based on the Annual Population
Council agrees additional support for homeless households South Ayrshire Council have agreed to measures to make sure that homeless people move quickly from living in bed and breakfasts or hostels, to high quality longer term accommodation. There will also be emphasis on reducing the amount of time that people without homes will spend in temporary accommodation before long term housing solutions can be found for them. Worryingly despite new council houses being built, increased partnership working with private landlords and the Council’s Housing service (introduced in 2009) which aimed to improve advice, guidance and support for homeless people, the number of people in temporary accommodation has remained almost constant.
Kenny Leinster, South Ayrshire Council’s Head of Community Care and Housing explained: “In the last 12 months, we’ve had 736 households presenting as homeless and 505 of these are single persons.
Survey (APS). Youth and Women’s Employment Secretary Angela Constance said they showed that employment prospects were improving across much of Scotland. She said: “With the survey also showing that over 91% of all adults holding a Modern Apprenticeship were in employment, we remain committed to supporting even more young people towards jobs through MAs, the Youth Employment Scotland Fund and a variety of other programmes.” By
Kimberley Matthews
Ayr Aldi alcohol licence approved
German supermarket, Aldi, have been granted a provisional drinks licence by South Ayrshire Council’s licensing board. The store, due to open by Christmas, will follow licensing hours between 10am and 10pm. Work is due to start in July and will create up to 30 full-time jobs.
It has also been revealed that the store will stock Ayrshire-made products, much to the joy of local suppliers.
Councillor Peter Convery said: “I’ve already publicly stated how delighted I was that the company were coming into an area that needed an injection into it.”
Ayr shopping centres to get makeover
“We’re determined to make sure every person presenting as homeless receives the best possible package of support and advice to help them find appropriate housing as quickly as possible.”
who have nothing in life no jobs, no homes, no prospects, it is societies duty to make sure that they are given the opportunity to help themselves and giving them somewhere to stay is a good start.
Considering during this time of austerity that even people who have well maintained jobs struggle to keep a roof over their head, people
Kenny Leinster followed up with “One way we’re doing this is to look at Council properties such as Elba Gardens in Ayr, where a unit with 16
self-contained flats has just been given the green light for a comprehensive £170,000 modernisation, which will see the installation of central heating, kitchen and bathroom improvements, helping bring it up to Scottish Housing Quality Standards by March 2015.” By
Gregg Kelly
The Kyle Centre and Arran Mall shopping centres are going to be given a bit of tender loving care after being bought by property development company, Squarestone.
Robert Sloss, a partner at the company, believes that the centres have the potential and hopes by introducing bars and restaurants, it will generate a bit of a buzz in the area. This will be the first retail investment in the UK for Squarestone. The Kyle Centre which includes New Look, Internacionale and Superdrug has 30 shop units.
9th May - 23rd May 2014 | Ayrshire News 3
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Troon Youth Centre given Can you hear what I hear? 25 year financial security Troon youth centre has been given a new lease of life – literally – by South Ayrshire Council following approval of a 25-year lease of the building to the 28th Ayrshire (Troon) Scout Group on behalf of the wider Troon community. The building had been declared surplus to the Council’s requirements as part of the budget efficiency measures approved by elected members for 2014/15. However, the Troon community was keen to keep the facility and worked with the Council to find an appropriate way forward. A temporary lease will now be offered to the Scout Group – who will work with existing centre users and interested parties to ensure the centre delivers for all of the local community – while negotiations continue to conclude the final lease. The final lease will cost just £1 per year, with the Scout Group responsible for all insurance, repairs and maintenance on behalf of centre users. South Ayrshire Council’s Executive Director for Economy, Neighbourhood and Environment, Lesley Bloomer said: “This is a terrific example of the Council working in partnership with the local community to find a way to keep a popular community facility in use while reducing the financial burden on the Council. “My thanks to the Scout Group, Troon Youth Centre Development Committee, Troon Community Council, Troon Round Table, Troon Rotary Club and all those who played a part in achieving this outcome for the local community.
New system set up in Scotland to review child deaths
Concerns that the mortality rate is higher than in many EU countries has prompted a new national system of reviewing child deaths to be set up.
Research has showed that the UK had the second highest rate of “excess mortality” in 15 western European states. Health Secretary Alex Neil believes the system would help to find ways to lower child mortality rates.
Alex Neil said: “The death of a child is always a tragedy for the families and it’s only right that the reasons for that death are explored thoroughly to enable us to put in place measures that can help prevent any future tragedies.
“These arrangements will ensure continued use of the centre by all existing users and will also provide scope for further development through a new centre users group, which will be led by the Scouts. “This truly gives Troon youth centre a new lease of life, which I’m sure will be very much enjoyed by the local community.” David Mathieson, Group Scout Leader, 28th Ayrshire (Troon) Scout Group, said: “The 28thAyrshire (Troon) Scout Group are delighted to have been chosen as the lead group for future management of the youth centre building. “We are keen to have existing users continue with their meetings and activities and look forward to our own use and to that of our sister movement Troon Brownies and Guides. We plan to have various improvements appropriate to youth use put in hand over the next few years. “We are grateful to all from South Ayrshire Council for their support and confidence and we will do our best to ensure continued availability of the resource for the people of Troon.” Callum Russell, Chairperson of the Troon Youth Centre Development Committee, added:“On behalf of the committee, I would like to wish the Scouts all the best and give special thanks to the Rotary, Round Table and Community Council for their help and support.”
A&E waiting times over four hours have tripled
The number of patients waiting for over four hours in accident and emergency departments is almost three times the amount it was five years ago. Audit Scotland has revealed a report showing that in 2012-13, 104,000 people waited longer than four hours, compared to 36,000 in 2008-09. Four hours is the target waiting time the NHS have set to treat patients. Health Secretary Alex Neil said the NHS in Scotland was “treating more emergency patients than ever before”. He added “This trend and pressure is evident across all developed health services, including the rest of the UK, and there is no doubt it presents considerable challenges in terms of treating patients quickly - as Audit Scotland’s report makes clear.”
The fear of losing your hearing can be a frightening one, the ability to hear is something that people take for granted, and yet almost everyday people subject their ears and hearing to noise levels and sounds that can permanently damage one of your five senses for ever. Tinnitus which derives from the Latin tinnitus or “ringing” is a condition that can have a variety of effects on the person suffering from it, some of the causes of this debilitating condition range from, continuous ringing in the ears, inability to hear someone speak in a crowded room. One of the biggest causes of tinnitus is exposure to loud music/noise for extended periods of time, regular concert goers, people who work with power tools, even people who regularly listen to music through their earphones. All are high risk candidates to experience hearing loss. Sounds travel from the outer ear through the middle of the ear into the inner ear which contains the cochlea. The cochlea is a coiled spiral tube which contains an uncountable amount of sensitive hair cells. The auditory nerve transmits sounds to the brain after this. If the cochlea gets damaged, the brain attempts to overcompensate for the lack of signal, it does this by multiplying the signals that it is receiving(the bits that aren’t damaged) and its the over representation that causes the sound of tinnitus and it’s irreversible. The EDM DJ Aly from Aly and Fila recently retired from DJ’ing live because of a severe ear injury during a performance, doctors informed him of the damage and if he had continued would have risked being permanently deaf in both ears. Some other celebrities who suffer from tinnitus are Black Eyed Peas member and BBC1, talent show, The Voice coach, Will.I.Am, Hollywood actor and homegrown hero, Gerard Butler, Ex Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher, WHO guitarist Pete Townsend and legendary front-man Bono from U2 have all complained in the past about suffering from the irritating condition. At the present minute there isn’t anything that Otolaryngologists (ear doctors) can do for
sufferers, in some cases tinnitus will be caused by flu and cold symptoms, Multiple Scelorsis, ear infections or even stress, however the most common cause tends to be noise induced hearing loss. As of 2014 there were no effective medications and because of the sensitive nature of the ears its almost impossible for doctors to offer any kind of solution to tinnitus. In some more extreme cases the sufferer will experience pulsatile tinnitus (the sound of hearing their own pulse). The ears are sensitive, so incredibly sensitive to be precise, that any slight change in air pressure on an aeroplane can lead to experiencing immense pain. In comparison, imagine you could possess an item or a smell so strong that when you sniffed it for an extended period of time your ability to smell anything would become irreversibly damaged. Would you continue smelling said item? Of course not. That is similar to people continuing to listen to music at such a level that it endangers their hearing indefinitely. In youth culture today and with people who regularly attend concerts or “gigs” people would still rather play Devils Advocate with their hearing and refuse to wear ear plugs to protect their hearing at concerts. Musicians nowadays will not play live without protection for their ears, and yet the thousands of people listening below still refuse to. Why? Music should be beautiful, not painful. By
Andrew Garland
Aspirin could combat hearing loss A study has been launched by Cancer Research UK investigating whether high doses of aspirin can help prevent hearing loss, a common side effect from chemotherapy drug cisplatin. Around 18,500 cancer patients receive cisplatin each year, around half have suffered some
form of permanent hearing loss as a side effect of treatment, ranging from tinnitus to some deafness in one or both ears. The phase II trial, called COAST, is recruiting around 88 adult cancer patients who have been prescribed cisplatin to take part.
4 Ayrshire News | 9th May - 23rd May 2014
Celebrations at Prestwick for Ryanair 20th Anniversary Sprits were high at the weekend as Ryanair and Prestwick celebrated 20 years of the airline running at the airport. The Irish airline started flying in and out of Prestwick in May 1994, with Dublin as its first destination. Now the company operates more than 1,600 daily flights from 62 bases across Europe, including Spain, Italy and Greece.
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Hobbs team up with Ayrshire mill for new collection
to offer low fares. The demand was so high, there were queues for three days when it did it’s first ever “seat sale”. A few years later, when internet in the home became more common, people started buying online and the company has soared (literally!) since then.
changed the game as regards tourism by making air travel affordable for all.
Prestwick’s Chief Executive Iain Cochrane said: “We’re delighted to reach this fantastic twentyyear milestone with Ryanair. It’s a mutually successful partnership and they have been great for the airport but, more importantly, they have been great for Scots who want to fly inexpensively around Europe for holidays or short breaks.
And Ryanair’s Maria Macken added: “Ryanair is delighted to celebrate its twentieth anniversary at Glasgow Prestwick.
Founded in 1985, the airline had a rocky start and after five years of financial losses it looked to American airline Southwest for ideas and relaunched itself as Europe’s first airline “Put simply, Ryanair has completely Ambition_advert(training opps)PrintReady.pdf 1 08/05/2014 11:58
“Happy birthday Ryanair…and we look forward to twenty more years of low fares and great customer service at Prestwick!”
“ We look forward to welcoming many more passengers at our Glasgow Prestwick base and also look forward to celebrating many more milestones at the airport.” By
Kaitlin McManus
Fashion chain Hobbs have collaborated with an Ayrshire mill, MYB Textiles in Newmilns after it was visited by their lead designer from the label whilst on holiday in Scotland. The textile mill, known for its doilie lace, is about to hit the high street after the retail chain, a favourite of Duchess Kate, joined forces to create a beautiful new lace for their latest spring/summer collection. Karen Boyd, Hobbs’ head of design, works with the fashion firm in London but lives on the Isle of Wight. She said: “My mum grew up in Annan and we tend to holiday in Dumfries and Galloway. It’s a special place for me. “We’d been working on a collection linked with the historical royal palaces. “I was aware of MYB Textiles and
knew they can translate any design and I was excited about the idea of having a lace from them in the collection.” Karen visited the historic mill and saw for herself the Nottingham lace looms still in use since 1913. “They were so welcoming and showed us around the factory and we saw all the machinery and how the process works right through.” Design director Margo Graham added: “In the last few months we have been busier designing for fashion rather than interiors. There is an increasing demand for lace, although we find only premium brands can afford the luxury of Scottish lace woven on Nottingham-built looms.” Hobbs’ Collection No2, including the Tijou lace garments, will be available in their Glasgow and Edinburgh stores from May 26 and at hobbs.co.uk
We have employment and training opportunities for young people aged 16-24.* Contact us now. youthemployment@south-ayrshire.gov.uk 01292 616291 www.ambitionprogramme.co.uk myjobscotland.gov.uk/south-ayrshire
*Must be eligible - Terms and conditions apply
9th May - 23rd May 2014 | Ayrshire News 5
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Plans to abolish corroboration of evidence in Scottish courts on hold
Plans to abolish the need for evidence against the accused to be corroborated by two sources have been put on hold for at least a year by Holyrood. An in depth investigation into the implications of the plans will not go forward until after a general review is completed in April of next year. Kenny MacAskill, the Justice Secretary, has said that he is still committed to the reforms and that many victims could be denied justice if the current system was allowed
to continue and that changes to the current legislation was backed by police and prosecutors.
No Fracking Way With the announcement that Scotland could be potentially sitting on £5 billion pounds worth of shale gas, and the SNP and Con-Dem Government’s refusing to rule out permission to allow companies the right to mine under peoples homes, Scotland’s ambitions at becoming a greener country and reducing Carbon Emissions looks to be another failed promise. With fracking companies refusing to disclose the exact contents of the fluid that is used in breaking down the shale rock, geologists are still unsure what the long term damage could be to the ground beneath us.
With a whole collection of environmental problems the cons of fracking vastly outweigh the pro’s.
By
Caroline Lucas Britain’s only Green M.P and staunch activist against fracking said “These policies show the Tories in their true colours. Far from aspiring to be “the greenest government ever”, it’s now clearer than ever that the Conservatives stand for the backward looking fossil fuel energies of the past. “The tragedy is that by turning their backs on the cheapest form of renewable energy, on shore wind, which will soon undercut the price of gas, the Tories are also turning their backs on hundreds of thousands of green jobs, and the chance to position the UK in the forefront of the renewable energy revolution. By
Lauren Black
Matalan stores in Ayr and Kilmarnock are celebrating raising over £5,043 for children’s charity the NSPCC over the last year, thanks to fundraising efforts from their staff and customers.
Prosecuters demand crackdown on domestic abuse
Dreeva Vine
Well Would
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.
The popular clothes and homeware retailer has raised an impressive £669,942.43 across its UK stores since April last year and stores in Scotland helped raise an astounding £53,471 towards the total.
Mike Jeans, Matalan HR and Retail Director said: “We are very proud of all our fundraising efforts for the NSPCC over the past ten years. We have seen a real team effort made by all staff and customers from Matalan stores nationwide and we are delighted to be raising vital funds which will help support the children’s
Shockingly no-one knows what happens to the other half of the water used in the process. The best “guess” (hope) is that it stays underground but there is a very real possibility of it making its way into the water supply.
The delay in the changes have been celebrated by the other parties at Holyrood who believe that the current legislation prevents unfair convictions, with Labour MSP Graeme Pearson saying: “While we all support the need to help more victims of crime see justice done, we needed to see what would replace corroboration”
Matalan Stores in Ayrshire celebrate raising £5,043 for NSPCC
As well as donations from customers, staff fundraising has contributed considerably towards the grand total with Matalan employees taking part in activities ranging from running events to fancy dress days in order to raise vital funds for the charity which will help children in Ayrshire and across Scotland.
There is the very real chance that large parts of Scotland’s water could be contaminated at a result of this. As each well uses between two and five million gallons of locally- sourced freshwater in which half of the water will rise back to the surface and be permanently by polluted by ground contaminants and toxic chemicals.
The Scottish Government has been asked to strengthen the law on domestic abuse. charity and the invaluable work they do across the country.” Matalan is one of the country’s most popular family retailers. The remarkable amount collected by Matalan marks the 10th anniversary of their fundraising for the NSPCC with over £5 million raised for the National Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Children since their partnership began in 2004. Kathryn Taylor Corporate Fundraising Manager at the NSPCC said: “For the past decade Matalan’s staff and customers have continued to smash targets and raise more funds year after year for the NSPCC. This will
ensure the most vulnerable children in communities across Scotland can access help from the NSPCC, including through our ChildLine Service. We would like to thank all the hard work everyone has put in.” Money raised by Matalan this year will contribute towards wider NSPCC services based in communities across the whole of the UK, where vulnerable children and families in these local areas are being supported through Matalan’s continuing passion and dedication to the NSPCC cause. For further ways of supporting the NSPCC locally please visit www. nspcc.org.uk
The plea has come from Soliciter General, Lesley Thomson QC who believes that making domestic abuse a specific offence would help victims.
She stated that the legislation that was introduced on stalking in 2010 is an example of this.
Lesley Thompson said it “gave prosecutors a new tool to tackle this harmful behaviour and sent a clear public message that this sort of conduct was not acceptable and would not be tolerated”. Ms Thomson added: “Domestic abuse is in my view another area in which specialist legislation has a role to play.” By
Kimberley Mathews
Other than humans, black lemurs are the only primates that may have blue eyes. The ship, the Queen Elizabeth 2, should always be written as QE2. QEII is the actual queen. Libya has the only flag which is all one colour with no writing or decoration on it. It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.
6 Ayrshire News | 9th May - 23rd May 2014
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Katy Clark MP (far left) with the volunteer litter pickers.
BEITH LITTER PICKER, KATY CLARK On Saturday 26th April the Orr Park Neighbourhood Watch organised a litter pick in Beith. This was part of a recent series of litter picks that were organised through the Garnock valley – including Garnock Canoe Club at Kilbirnie loch and 6 bags of rubbish collected in Gateside and Barrmill. Katy Clark, MP for North Ayrshire and Arran, attended the Beith litter pick to help out. Speaking afterwards, Katy Clark said: “Despite the grey skies there was no dampening the enthusiasm of the volunteers. Orr Park Neighbourhood Watch did a great job in co-ordinating the litter pick, targeting the areas in
Beith that were in particular need of attention. While it is sad to see that people still litter public spaces, it is heartening to see that so many public minded individuals are coming together to do something about it. “There can be no doubt that over the past few years there has been a general reduction in the amount of litter in Beith town centre and surrounding area is looking much tidier. There is no doubt that the efforts of Norrie Brown and the Orr Park Neighbourhood watch and the annual litter picks are helping to reduce the presence of litter. It just goes to show the positive difference that community groups can make.” The litter pick organiser, Norrie Brown
of the Orr Park Neighbourhood Watch said: “I just want to say thanks for the help and support we received for our attempts to help make the place better and tidier. At the end of the day, the lads who collected the bags of litter had a pretty full load and commented, “where did all the rubbish come from?”. While we didn’t have as many pickers out this year as last we did have a great effort by everyone who attended.”
Pioneering sight loss service set for Ayrshire Action for Blind People’s pioneering mobile Sight Loss Information Service packed with the latest aids, equipment and specialist advice for blind and partially sighted people will be visiting Largs, Auchinleck, Kilmarnock, Prestwick and Ayrin May at the kind invitation of the Ayrshire Local Integrated Sensory Service (ALISS), which is a joint venture with RNIB Scotland and Action on Hearing Loss Scotland.
The mobile Sight Loss Information Service, run by national charity Action for Blind People, will open its doors to people interested in or affected by visual impairment. Staffed by a friendly and knowledgeable team, the mobile carries the latest technology and gadgets to improve daily life. From vibrating bank note detectors to talking microwaves and tin lids, staff on the unit offer impartial, practical
Scotland, the only country as diverse as its weather
advice and support.
Robert Harris from Action for Blind People’s Sight Loss Information Service said, “Everybody is welcome to come along to visit us on the mobile. Whether you are visually impaired or know somebody who may be having problems with their sight, please pay us a visit and pick up information or ask us questions. Visitors can try out a wide range of daily living aids or the latest computer and magnification technology.” For more information on Action for Blind People’s mobile units, please visit http://www. actionforblindpeople.org.uk/ mobileteam The Mobile Itinerary: Tuesday 20th May 2014 Morrisons Car Park Irvine Road LARGS KA30 8JT Between 10am and 4pm Wednesday 21st May 2014 Tesco Car Park
Main Street AUCHINLECK KA18 2AA Between 10am and 12noon AND
Scotland is a diverse country, every person has a place in the fabric of Scotland’s society, ranging from the cultures that have moved to Scotland either to flee persecution, with the promise of a better life or simply to bathe in the majesty of the countries deep rooted history. (One thing they certainly don’t come here for is the weather). The old joke is that there is a slim chance of actually finding someone from Edinburgh living in Edinburgh.
ASDA Car Park Queens Drive Kilmarnock Between 2pm and 4pm
But what you will find across all the cities in Scotland is many people from many different cultures and they all feel themselves Scottish, and proud to be Scottish.
Thursday 22nd May 2014 Sainsburys Car Park Ayr Road Prestwick KA9 1TR Between 10am – 12 noon
One of Scotland’s most famous modern day singers have a rich diverse background Paulo Nutini, 100% percent Scottish but his family originated in Italy.
ASDA Car Park Heathfield Retail Park AYR KA8 9BF Between 2pm – 4pm
World Day For Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on the 21st of May was established by the United Nations in November 2001 its aim is to help people live better
AND
together and to appreciate diversity in society. With the eyes of the world descending on Glasgow and Scotland in time for the Commonwealth Games. Scotland should take pride in its diverse nature, from cuisine, to population to celebrations. Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games 2014 will be a time for Scottish people of all race and creed to take pride in their country, and be proud to celebrate as one. Win or lose Scotland win or lose as a country. Perhaps with the 71 countries and 6,500 athletes set to take part in July’s athletics exhibition, some of the participants will experience something culturally significant relating to Scotland and take a part of our culture home with them in their heart. Who knows, instead of Usain Bolt eating chicken nuggets before his championship race he will tuck into some haggis or a wee plate of mince and tatties.
9th May - 23rd May 2014 | Ayrshire News 7
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T: 0141 221 8777 140 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow G2 5LA Traditionally, Scotland’s national foods would include haggis, stovies and tablet. However, as our country becomes more and more multicultural, is this still the case? What is modern Scotland’s national food? Wander into Ayrshire city centre for a bite to eat and you will have more than haggis, neeps and tatties to choose from. From Greek to Turkish, the world is your tabasco splashed oyster. Many ‘exotic’ choices of food have become second nature to us Scots, like Indian, Italian and Chinese. Italian is a choice of cuisine that we are so used to eating, we could forget that it is Italian. It is also so accessible, thanks to Domino’s and Pizza Hut. You can dine in on a Margarita without leaving the sofa. Indian is possibly the most ‘Scottish’ of them all, with reportedly more than 50,000 curries being eaten by Scot’s every night. So how did this happen? Curry was introduced to Scotland in 1888, when the International Exhibition in Glasgow featured an Indian kitchen. Since then it
has become a part of Scottish culture. It is also due to the Scot-Indian merge that has developed over the years. Don’t believe me? Two words - Haggis Pakora. Whoever decided to experiment with Scotland’s Burn’s Day favourite, cover it in pakora batter and throw it in the fryer deserves a medal. However, it doesn’t stop there. Scotland is now the place to go if you fancy trying something a bit different from all over the globe. Fancy noodles? Try Japanese or Thai, which is much lighter and tends to be made nice and healthy. If you are going out with the girls and want to share a few dishes, go for Spanish tapas. Tapas has become very popular over the past few years and is perfect to taste different things. Now before you moan that the Haggis will be forgotten and no one will remember how to make stovies in 20 years time. Here’s the golden question, would you rather eat nothing but haggis, neeps and tatties every day or feast on a souvlaki kebab on monday, salmon sushi on tuesday and maybe a chicken enchilada today? I know what I would rather have! ...Arrribaaa!
Dojo
Pete
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8 Ayrshire News | 9th May - 23rd May 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 it’s perhaps a bit of a financial struggle this month and to be therefore fore warned means that you can plan ahead a little better. This may not be helped by the fact that someone will be asking you for cash you had not budgeted for.
Taurus
If things have been causing you anxiety then that is about to pass as a new phase is coming for you which will bring some new beginnings with it. I sense things maybe taking a turn for the better.
Gemini
Some news may bring a surprise or two along with it and leave you feeling like you’re on cloud nine however, someone with a black and white attitude could try and spoil things so, stay on your cloud and don’t let them get to you.
Cancer
This is a month when things you want to happen might just go your way and not before time either. I sense luck is heading in you’re direction and enabling you to enjoy a little freedom for a change.
Leo
Some quiet reflection is all you need to get you back on track and feeling like your old self. The way ahead my look a little unclear but you just need to have a little blind faith and allow it to happen in its own time.
Virgo
I’m sensing something that feels unjust and that has perhaps been kept a secret but these things have a way of coming out in the end so Karma, as they say is a wonderful thing and sorts everything out.
Libra
Look out for an invitation coming your way and making your day. I feel this is a week for more than one or two interesting things showing up and all in a positive way so enjoy this, as before you know it you will be back to the norm.
Scorpio
If you have been feeling that life is a challenge then remember that every cloud has a silver lining and this it no different. Things can happen and while you are annoyed they can turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Sagittarius
Patience is not one of your strong points and when it comes to folk you don’t suffer fools gladly – this week you could find you will be confronted but something that will require you to stand back and count to ten so, you’re patience will be tested.
Capricorn
It may not be easy at times to forgive but you can push things from the past to the back of your mind and try to keep it there, as it no longer serves your purpose. I sense that since then you have moved on in a good way so don’t let it spoil things.
Aquarius
Perhaps you are in need of a wee break to recharge the batteries and your energy levels too. You may not normally take time out but sometimes you just need to allow yourself to unwind and relax.
Pisces
In the attempt to reconcile differences you may end up with more issues that you started with. Think carefully about any new changes before you dive into something head first and end up with egg on your face.
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Aura Soma
When, you want something that gives you some insight into what your purpose is right now; when you would like to uncover what your own gifts are to help you overcome the challenges in your life; and when you, like me, need to know what you can have right now or maybe in the near future if only you could just get out of your own way, then the Aura-Soma system of colour can help. Aura-Soma is the language of colour in liquid form filled with the energies of crystals, essential oils, and Universal energy poured into over 100 bottles of jewelled coloured beauty. The messages are based on ancient wisdoms brought forward for modern times. And as you stand in front of the full array of colours at the beginning of your consultation you are interacting with the energies within each bottle. You are invited to choose only 4; the ones you feel drawn too; catch your eye, not the ones you like most.
all to a whole new level. Created by an amazing woman, Vicky Wall, who was blind when she was guided to bring this wonderful system of colour to the world, it lets you reflect on who you are, and consider where you want to go by letting you
Most of us already use the language of colour in everyday situations. We talk about feeling blue or being in the pink or maybe green with envy. The Aura-Soma system of colour takes it
We have such a response to what colours we see that the advertising industry use it extensively when trying to persuade us to by their products. Hospitals use it to create a calm environment, as do prisons. It’s Universal. The numbers of the bottles mean you can also have the numerology of your name and date of birth calculated and find out what influences you were born into or named for. And each bottle has a place on the Kabbalah Tree of Life; each astrology sign has 3 or 4 bottles associated giving more information relating to each star sign, and all of them have their own tarot card.
Each bottle has a name and a number, each with its own significance. And when you place your selection in sequence on the consultant’s table she will translate the language of colour for you. You can take home your very own bottle from your consultation; put it on your body around each corresponding chakra, or just put some in the bath and work with the energies that way to bring out the best in you. They are organic so no nasty preservatives or chemicals.
Light split into the energy signals that the rods and cones at the back of our eyes pick up and translate into what we see as colour.
see the tools you already have within you to create your own path. There’s even the science bit if the spirituality of it isn’t for you; if you think of yourself as a being of energy; molecules all vibrating at a certain frequency. Colour is also energy.
I had my very first consultation almost 15 years ago now. As a carer I had lost my own identity but I so fascinated by how much the bottles could see of who I was and how I was that I was hooked immediately. I’ve now gone on to study to teacher level and I’m the only Aura-Soma Teacher distributor in Scotland. You can find me working from Sea Change Therapies www.seachagetherapies.co.uk or on my own Aura-Soma site www. rainbowreflections.org.uk
Joan Charles
Clairvoyant, Columnist & Author
Courses:
Introduction to the Tarot– The Law of Attraction and Psychic Development courses are on-going, so, check for dates and details.
Readings:
Tarot, Angel, Spiritual, Chakra and Tarumenology [a combination of tarot and numerology]
For details of any of the above contact Joan on mobile: 07930 697 229 or email: joan.charles@btopenworld.com
9th May - 23rd May 2014 | Ayrshire News 9
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THE WEEM WITCHES It would be nearly two years now since I put a proposal to Pittenweem Community Council to raise a modest monument with the names of 26 of its fellow citizens on it but the motion and idea failed. You see these 26 fellow citizens of Pittenweem were all charged with Witchcraft with 16 being burnt at the stake two dying under the torture process and another was beaten and killed by a mob while the authorities sat back saying “do what you wish to her” A horrific barbaric spectacle where the husbands after the Witch burnings as if there humiliations weren’t enough by now, were handed bills…. bills to cover the costs of torture and the wood supplied to burn your wife…(can this be where the phrase “money going up in flames comes from?) Pitteweem on the Fife East coast was once the 12th richest town in Scotland, a thoroughfare of wealth earned from exporting coal, wool (spun and raw), beer and of course salted fish. It discovered its first witches in 1593. A woman called Janet Loquhour who was charged tortured and burned in St Andrews. This was followed by David Zeman in 1597, a few months’ later 4 more….Janet Foggow, Beatrix Forgesonn, Janet Williamson and Fritte Gutter. The hunt for Witches in Scotland properly started in 1563, with Mary Queen of Scots Witchcraft act; it had followed from her cousin Queen Elizabeth of England’s bill 6 months earlier. Thousands of bewildered dementia struck individuals, midwifes losing still born bairns, peculiar behaviour and people practicing the old pagan religions would now make easy pickings for accusations of Witchcraft. Not to say
the well off like Lady Foullis (1590) or the Earl of Bothwell (1591.fled the country) or say the rich Advocates daughter Euphame Mac Calzean in 1590 would escape the hunts and suffer the charges also. The rich once confessed under the tortures were burnt and fanatical preachers would carry out Queen Marys witchcraft bill to the full….”no person seek only help response or consultation at any such users or abusers foresaid of Witchcraft under pain of deid” it was now an undefendable act! In the bill all property and belongings of a Witch whether a castle, house or land once the accusation of Witchcraft was found, the properties would be split 50/50 between the church and the civil authorities. It could be a very profitable venture. Pittenweem didn’t stop there…finding in 1643…Margaret Kingow, Margaret Horseburgh, Janet Anderson, Mrs Dawson and two Mrs Wandersons accused of Witchcraft…All were burnt and bills given to their husband still survive…. £4 to £40 was the bills depending on how long your wife took to collapse and confess through the expenses of a torturer. (An accountants wage was £10 and 9 shillings for the year) The following year a further 5 more, Christian Dote, Beaty Dote, Christian Roch, Margaret Myrton and Margaret Balfour….met the flames. 1704 would bring Beatrix Laing, Thomas Brown, Margaret Wallace Isobel Adam, Janet Cornfoot, Mrs White, Margaret Jack, and Nicolas Lawson and her husband. Thomas would die during the tortures and Janet Cornfoot would be handed to a mob to have their way with her, ending crushed to death under a door piled high with stones as the mob used her for sport! I felt so sorry for these forgotten individuals I wrote a
Intuitive Negotiator They quickly scan each other looking for clues and all the while trying to decide what their next step should be. The mission, should they choose to accept it is one of the “negotiator” just like a scene from mission impossible the business world holds many situations just like this where individuals wish they had some way of discovering greater insight into what the real deal actually is but - all they have at this point is the basic information as not everything has been revealed and the players hold their cards close to their chest. However, what if they were able to look around the room and quickly spot the guy third from the left with the red tie and know that what he was telling them was in fact - not the whole pictures and that he held the aces? Imagine being able to link into what the hidden agenda actually was? How much would this save in terms of training, finances and a whole load of other things that make the difference to the bottom line? You could easily earn or save a fortune, all in the space
of a nano second.
You might be asking yourself, what are the techniques needed to infiltrate this invisible force field? Well, the first step has to be at the initial stages when you meet each other, which happens before they get to the boardroom. By taking more time to focus on each of the individuals and looking at their none verbal language this could reveal the real core deal that you are after and not just the superficial stuff that’s put up for display as a red herring. Connecting to this information, reading it carefully and also checking in with what you’re sensing could pay off big time as there are enormous amounts of information sitting there for you to pick up if you choose to look for it. I know it sounds like a spy movie but really, it is a game and you win by being ahead of the competition therefore that means you tap into all of your resources including your intuition and make it work for you. All through this process you are building an intuitive profile, a REAL sense of what’s going on, which could
biography of them called “THE WEEM WITCH”. It became a bestseller earning itself a reprint and tonnes of media attention. I felt the citizens of Pittenweem betrayed by their own kind so long ago that they should have some apology and a memorial would be a fitting gesture.
BY LEONARD LOW
Picture the scene, a well polished business executive walks into the board room, a blinding sheen radiates from the highly polished mahogany table, and as the main players take their seats each of them produce a file containing information about a potential business deal.
lead to a number of new questions that were not there before as a result of you simply tuning in. By now we should be at that polished board room table ready to move one way or the other on the decisions you have to make and you will understand what this is all about as you have taken the time to sense your way through the mine filed of barbed wire put there to keep you out of the true essence of what is happening. This may not always apply to the business world, it is life in general but nevertheless, intuition plays a big part and we can either choose to use it or ignore it but, rather than look back and say “if only I had paid attention to what I felt at the time’ you can save yourself so much time,
effort and emotion if you go with what you feel. Here is a wee technique you can try if you’re ever in a situation where you need to get a true sense of things: Carry with you three small counters like the ones used in the game of tiddlywinks: Green, Blue, and Black. Holding them in your hand allow them to passed through your fingers without looking at them, look closely as someone that really draws your attention and imagine that you are picking up on their energy levels and getting a sense of “true or false”. If you end up with Green at the top, and it feels good then it’s a
done deal, if the top colour is black be extra cautious, as there could be some clouded areas and missing elements, which might spell disaster. Blue is for clarity and communication, depends on where this lies in the pile can be an indicator of how clear and true the communication you’re receiving is, the closer to the top of your pile the better. Its not rocket science but then it doesn’t need to be, following your intuition should be like child’s play so have a go and see for yourself.
10 Ayrshire News | 9th May - 23rd May 2014
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS ROUNDUP Ukraine begins ousting rebels, Putin faces difficult decisions
In recent weeks, the Ukrainian interim government has mounted an increasingly more successful anti insurgency campaign against Russian backed separatists and covert Russian military units in the east of the country. The operation to wrest control from separatists has gained momentum in the past fortnight as Ukrainian forces continue to take control of previously occupied buildings and towns, despite the threat of the more numerous and better equipped Russian army stationed just over the border on full combat alert. The effectiveness and relatively low civilian casualty rate of the Ukrainian operation has forced Putin into a stalemate situation, as his reasons for intervening in Ukraine have ostensibly been to “protect Russian
Art collector hoarding stolen Nazi art Cornelius Gurlitt dies German art collector Cornelius Gurlitt, known for his possession of a number of pieces stolen by the Nazis dies at 81.
Cornelius Gurlitt was the son of Adolf Hitlers art dealer, Hildebrand Gurlitt, who was tasked with confiscating art from Jews and other ethnic groups and seizing art which was considered by the Nazi’s to be “degenerate”. Gurlitt’s priceless collection was confiscated in 2012 by the German authorities after an investigation was launched into the reclusive art collector when he was found to be
America provides assistance in Nigerian kidnap case
speakers”, yet with no fallout from the Ukrainian anti insurgency operation, Putin has been denied an excuse to move his forces over the border. The Western powers have wholly condemned Russian actions in Ukraine and have directly accused Putin’s government of intentionally destabilising the country and deploying military personnel in Ukraine. Western rhetoric has been becoming steadily more aggressive in regards to Russia with the UN Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen describing Russia as an adversary rather than a partner. The increased levels of activity by Russian separatists in recent days have came after the announcement of plans by the Interim Ukrainian government to hold a presidential election on the 25th of May. By
Garry Smith
The United States has provided assistance to the Nigerian government in the search for over 200 hundred girls who were kidnapped last month by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. The group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of over 200 school girls in the northern province of Borno. In a video posted online claiming responsibility for the kidnappings, Boko Haram’s leader Abubaka Shekau said that the girls were to be sold into slavery. It is feared that a number of the girls
have already been sold for marriage in neighbouring Cameroon and Chad, sold for bride prices as low as £7. The Boko Haram group, whose name translates to “Western education is forbidden” has staged attacks on a number of schools and other educational facilities in the last few years, particularly girls schools, as the group believes that women and girls should not be educated and instead married off at a young age. The USA has sent a team of military, law enforcement and hostage specialists in order to aid with the search. The Nigerian president
Goodluck Johnson has thanked president Obama for his assistance. Both the Nigerian public and the international community have criticized Johnsons government for its slow reaction to the crisis and lack of effective solutions. Johnson pulled out of talks with Boko Haram last year, despite an agreement having been reached and a ceasefire confirmed. Since then Boko Haram have continued to wage a terrorist campaign, with a view to creating Islamic Shariah law states within Nigeria. By
Michael McDaid
Thai court deposes Rebel fighters Prime Minister evacuating carrying hundreds of thousands of Euros in cash on a train in Switzerland. When the investigation into his collection began, Gurlitt refused to co-operate, however after a short time, Gurlitt agreed to assist the German authorities with returning the stolen artworks to their rightful owners. Gurlitt filled in a will shortly before his death last week, the contents of which have not been publicly released. There is speculation the the remaining art will be passed on to either Swiss or Austrian museums. By
Lauren Black
Homs
The Constitutional Court of Thailand has ordered the Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and several of her cabinet ministers to step down.
Ms Shinawatra was forced to step down due to the transfer of her national security chief, through which her relatives, particularly her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister who was ousted in 2006 by a populist military coup. Protests have been ongoing in Thailand since 2013 against Ms Shinawatra’s primacy, fueled by allegations that she was being controlled by her exiled brother.
According to activists in Syria, rebel fighters have been evacuated by bus from the Old City of Homs.
Snap elections were held in February of last year in which Ms Shinawatra’s party was victorious, however the Supreme Court found the result invalid. By
Brendan Doherty
This move which marks the end of the rebel presence in the city auspiciously shows that the rebellion is now completely on the backfoot. Homs was once known as the “capital of the revolution” but now lies derelict and abandoned. Those who remained in the city have been subject to starvation and recently frequent air bombardments. By
Michael McDaid
9th May - 23rd May 2014 | Ayrshire News 11
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NATIONAL NEWS ROUNDUP Former BBC Presenter Stuart Hall admits sexual abuse The former BBC presenter Stuart Hall, known primarily for hosting “It’s a Knockout” has admitted to a court that he committed acts of sexual assault on two teenage girls in the 1970’s. Both of the women who have come forward were in their early teens when the abuse took place, when Mr Hall groomed them and sexually assaulted them on a regular basis over a number of years. Both girls had expressed an interest in careers with the BBC in the future and Mr Hall took advantage of this in order to groom and subsequently abuse them. Peter Wright QC, the crowns chief prosecutor said in his opening statement last week:
Police confirm ‘activity’ in Portugal in McCann investigation Seven years since the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, police have confirmed that they will be conducting a joint operation with the Portuguese police in coming weeks. “These were young, impressionable teenagers being groomed by a sexual predator into satisfying his sexual requirements.” Mr Hall is alleged to have relied on alcohol to coerce the girls into doing what he wanted and the prosecution has claimed that he raped the girls in his dressing room “on a weekly basis” Mr Hall’s barrister, Crispin Aylett made a short opening statement saying: “The defendant says in his pleas of not guilty that whatever his shortcomings, whatever he has done - and none of this should have happened - he says ‘I’m not a rapist’, and that in due course is the issue you will have to decide.” By
Michael McDaid
Barclays bank cutting 14,000 jobs as investment wing shrinks Barclays has announced that it will cut 14,000 jobs this year, 7,000 of which are planned to be in the UK.
This latest round of job cuts comes as the company tries to balance its books, with the bulk of the cuts planned for it’s investment banking wing which has seen a slowdown in recent years as there is less and less interest in buying government and business debt. This measure is only the first in a larger campaign by the bank to shed
unnecessary assets and departments with a total of 19,000 jobs expected to be cut by 2016, 10,000 of which are expected to be lost in the UK. Barclays chief executive Anthony Jenkins said: ‘This is a bold simplification of Barclays. We will be a focussed international bank, only operating in areas where we have the capability.’. Barclays investment banking arm employs around 26,000 people, but is expected to half buy 2016. By
Brendan Doherty
No price hike for British Gas customers this year Energy giant Centrica, announced last week that it’s British Gas business will not be increasing the cost of domestic energy for the rest of this year despite reduced profits due to a milder winter than expected.
British Gas along with its competitors controversially raised their profits at the beginning of winter last year, thanks to a milder than expected
winter customers had on average 10% lower energy bills than projected, affecting energy companies profits in the first quarter of this year. Despite this British Gas will freeze its prices for the rest of this year, in line with a labour election promise of an energy price freeze until 2017. By
Michael McDaid
The investigation will once again be focussed on the small coastal town of Praia da Luz, where it has been speculated that the police have been granted permission to search sites in and around the town. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley has said
that he would be unable to comment on the details of the investigation. The lack of information on the new activity is due to the Portuguese police policy of not releasing information to the media about ongoing investigations. The Portuguese authorities have warned that any disruption to the investigation caused by the media would stall the investigation. Mr Rowley has said: ‘We don not want to undermine our prospects of providing Mr and Mrs McCann with
Mail pays damages to JK Rowling The Daily Mail has had to print an apology to Harry Potter author JK Rowling as well as pay her an undisclosed fee after printing an article about her about her time as a single mother. In January this year the Daily Mail claimed that Rowling had told a sob story about being stigmatised by churchgoers. Rowling is donating the undisclosed damages to charity. The issue arose after the world famous author wrote an article on the website for single parent charity
Gingerbread in which she spoke of a single occasion in which she was taunted by someone who was visiting the church. In her case presented to the court JK Rowling said that the Mail presented “a false picture” of her own article on the website Gingerbread of which she is president. She says of her time as a single mother “I am prouder of my years as a single mother than of any other part of my life.” She also said in her court statement that she had not accused her fellow churchgoers of stigmatising or cruelly taunting her, but merely one person on one occasion.
answers in this tragic case.’ Going on to ask the media to respect the work that they are conducting. By
Garry Smith
She accused the Daily Mail of being “misleading and unfair” and the right wing newspaper had also suggested that the Harry Potter author “had given a knowingly false account of her time as a single mother in Edinburgh.” The newspaper admitted liability in January, agreeing to both apologise and pay damages. Whilst the High Court judge has also agreed to allow JK Rowling to read out a court statement on the case. The date is yet to be set for Rowling to make the statement in court. By
Gregg Kelly
UK education ranked second best in Europe Education in the UK has been ranked second in Europe behind Finland and sixth in the world in this years rankings carried out by the education and publishing firm, Pearson. The new rankings did not only include international school tests but also higher education. In Europe, the UK is only behind Finland, which has slipped from first place worldwide to fifth, in a downward trend which is being suffered by all of the Scandinavian nations. However, the difference between the overall score awarded
to Finland and the UK is a margin of .25 points, which while sounding insignificant is infact a huge gulf, with the top five in the table being separated by a margin of around 0.6 points. The top four countries in the table are all in South East Asia, with South Korea exhibiting the highest score which has ever been awarded.
The rankings are based on a number of different factors, amalgamating a range of international tests and educational data, the UK received a significant boost in its score thanks to the number of university
graduates the country produces, yet failed to make the top 20 in the state education tables. By
Lauren Black
12 Ayrshire News | 9th May - 23rd May 2014
www.ayrshire-news.co.uk
The Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE) is the national organisation for supporting enterprise and entrepreneurship in Scotland’s universities and colleges. SIE turns students into entrepreneurs with a variety of activities that inspire and encourage those who may never have thought about starting a business before, and by developing and supporting those who are taking their first steps as entrepreneurs. SIE’s national competitions, workshops and events take place across Scotland and are supported by SIE Interns at every university and a team of dedicated business advisers. SIE is supported by Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Funding Council and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Blair Bowman came up with the idea for World Whisky Day as a student at Aberdeen University. With help and advice from SIE, Blair developed the idea and went on to win the national New Ventures Competition and the Young Innovators Challenge 2013. Going from strength to strength, World
SIE helps Scotland’s students start their own businesses, with national competitions, workshops, FREE advice and support.
I’m a whisky lover I’m helping put Scotland on the map
I’m an entrepreneur. Blair Bowman Founder | World Whisky Day
Get more on Blair’s start-up story --------->
Whisky Day is now in its third year and is operating in five continents. A success story of the Entrepreneurial Spark network is to be found in Kirsty Gillies company Angelic Gluten Free which specialises in a range of free from cookies and savoury biscuits. Angelic has recently won £50k from the Scottish EDGE awards, a prize which will be used to grow the company internationally. With a wealth of specialist information at its fingertips SIE and Entrepreneurial Spark ideally placed to help new start and existing business owners get their ventures moving. From helping to source finance, cash flow management, marketing and customer care to business planning, new product development and planning for growth, SIE and Entrepreneurial Spark offer a programme of advice and support that can help business owners and entrepreneurs make the right decisions.
9th May - 23rd May 2014 | Ayrshire News 13
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AYRSHIRE Kilmarnock FARMERS is on the MARKET Commonwealth map
The Ayrshire Farmers Market is coming back to The Cross in Kilmarnock to provide the people of Ayrshire with fantastic local produce. The market, which takes place later this month on the 17th of May, will allow you to talk directly to the producer, and therefore be sure that the produce is fresh and prepared to the highest standard. You can also be sure that the sum paid is going to the farmer / producer and not to anyone inbetween or on unnecessary packaging. Another advantage of shopping at Farmers Markets like this one, is that by using these venues, you are supporting the local economy and sustaining local jobs. The stalls will be offering local produce such as meat, fish, vegetables and confectionary. For more information go to http:// www.ayrshirefarmersmarket. co.uk/
The Sooty Show comes to Ayr!
With just four weeks till the team announcement for Weightlifting for the Commonwealth Games Kilmarnock’s Amateur Weightlifting Club’s preparations are well underway. Supported both financially through the Talented Athlete Support Programme and in kind by East Ayrshire Council’s Vibrant Communities, the club have been dominating the Scottish scene with four of their lifters making the Games qualifying standard at recent trials in Glasgow.
Young Sophie Smyth, who is just 21 years old, perfectly matched the Commonwealth target of a combined total of 146kg from the snatch and the clean and jerk.
Georgi Black, 24, who has become a star in the national media, is now competing in a lighter class and set a new Scottish record with a clean and jerk lift of 99kg, easily making the Games standard.
Craig Carfray broke the Scottish record in his weight category and must now match that feat on Saturday 10 May in Coventry to ensure he meets the criteria of reaching qualifying totals on a minimum of two separate occasions.
Joining the nations favourite bear will be Sweep , Soo and Sooty’s TV Partner Richard Cadell who will be attempting to keep Sooty from getting up to mischief. Special guests include legendary Sooty favourites Butch the bulldog and Ramsbottom the snake. There’s also a chance to meet Richard and Sooty after the show. A spectacular mix of magic, music and mess- guaranteed giggles for Sooty Fans of all ages. The shows are on Sunday, with showings at 11am & 2:30pm. Tickets are £13.50/ £12.50 (concession) / £10 (children under 12).
Peter Kirkbride, Dehli silver medallist, came very close to lifting a new Scottish record and easily met the Games target. He clearly demonstrated his desire to be on the podium in Glasgow in front of a home crowd.
Councillor Kathy Morrice, Spokesperson for Improving Community Health and Wellbeing said: “Each time I meet Chick Hamilton’s team, I am impressed by their professionalism, their dedication and of course their incredible results at a national level. “Chick has created a team who are pushing the boundaries within their sporting field and we are very proud of their achievements to date. To think of them coming back with medals makes me want to burst with pride!” The announcement may only be a
matter of weeks away but Chick and Peter welcomed winter SHOUT card builder winner Fiona Livingston, P7 St Andrew’s Primary, and four of friends for a tour of the club and a training session as a big reward for using her SHOUT card more than anyone else! After their training session with Peter, Fiona and her friends got to meet all the club’s athletes and chat to them about their hopes for the Commonwealth Games. It was a prize that money couldn’t buy and all the youngsters were really enthused by their visit.
LIFE AND DEATH SPORTING EVENTS An open letter from Paul Arkison, Regional Organizer of GMB Scotland Trade Union
Izzy Wizzy let’s get busy – It’s The Sooty Show! Sooty comes to the Ayr Gaiety Theatre for a fabulous new show to delight the whole family.
BULLETIN BOARD
The recent Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia has been a spectacular event to watch on television. There seems to be something really dramatic about sporting issues on the ice and snow where with just one slip a sporting dream can be cruelly ended. The opening ceremony was a fantastic event to watch and all in all the Winter Olympics has deemed to be a huge success. However the facilities that the participants use and the stadiums which they have performed in have to be built and it has been well documented that Central Asian migrant workers who transformed the small resort town of Sochi into a lavish, international winter sports hub will not be around to celebrate. Over the course of the construction, approximately 700 hundred workers were not paid, with hundreds expelled back to their home countries. Overall since 2009, at least 16,000
migrant workers from Serbia, Bosnia, and Central Asian countries have made the journey to take on construction jobs with the prospect of earning much more money than they would normally, but many hundreds of workers have not been paid and more than 100 workers from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina were deported back to their home countries after they finished their job. Some even fled the country following worksite raids. Many workers have been poorly paid, detained and put in prisons before being helped out by government embassies. But the majority of migrant workers were promised higher wages and ultimately given far less than promised. Repeated calls by Human Rights Watch to the International Olympic Committee and the Russian government to stop migrant abuse prompted the Russian government to announce in a November 2013 meeting with President Vladimir Putin that Russia would “assist in the removal of nonresident workers
and settle accounts with them.” Some migrant workers at 13 companies are finally receiving millions of pounds in back payments. Even though Russian officials have agreed to settle back pay issues, it’s already too late for many migrant workers who are no longer in the country. Workers who complained about their situations were expelled from Russia, a fate many journalists who documented the abuse and corruption also faced. Human Rights Watch researchers have found consistent migrant abuse and wage theft during the past six years of Olympic-related construction projects. Employers often underpaid workers, requiring them to work 12-hour shifts with few days off, and took away passports and work permits — without such documentation, migrant workers are unable to access other employment
opportunities and health care. As viewers of glamorous sporting events we have become very complacent about the fate of the many workers who have been involved in the construction of the stadiums and the venues where much of the sporting excitement takes place. For more information on how to join GMB Scotland please call: 01563 574455 or email paul.arkison@gmb.org.uk GMB is a campaigning trade union focused on protecting GMB members in their workplaces and growing the number of GMB members in order to strengthen the Union’s power. GMB has almost 610,000 members working in every part of the economy. One in every 32 people at work in the UK is a member of GMB. GMB is organised in 34 of the UK’s biggest 50 companies.
14 Ayrshire News | 9th May - 23rd May 2014
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COMPETITION TIME! The brave young knight stood at the mouth of the dark cave sent on a quest by the good Queen Alex...
Finish this story in 100 words or less and send in your completed piece to us for your chance to win a copy of either Holes by Louis Sachar or Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling.
Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe Ingredients
QUICK QUIZ! What is the distance to the moon? Who painted the Mona Lisa? What has the scientific formula H2O? Which sport takes place in a velodrome? Which sea separates Europe from Africa? What type of boat is most associated with canals?
100g softened butter • 100g soft brown sugar 1 tbsp golden syrup • 150g self raising flour 1/2 tsp vanilla extract • 50g chocolate chips
What does the French song Frère Jacques mean in English?
Preheat the oven to 170°C Beat the butter, sugar and syrup together. Mix in the flour, vanilla extract and add the chocolate chips. Divide the mixture into about 15 pieces and roll into balls using your hands. Place well apart on greased baking sheets. Do not flatten them. Bake for about 10 mins until a pale golden colour. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool. Suitable for freezing
Send your entries in a self addressed envelope with your name and age to:
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In which country in ancient times was mummification carried out on important people when they died? 384,403 km, Leonardo da Vinci, Water, Cycling, The Mediterranean, Barges, Brother John, Egypt
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16 Ayrshire News | 9th May - 23rd May 2014
www.ayrshire-news.co.uk
Lets all sneak up to Kilmarnoc
All you filthy music lovers, Kilmarnock’s Dirty Weekender is returning for its third year, and what a stellar lineup this year is bringing with it. 50 acts, five venues, three days 23rd to 25th May.....One nice big Dirty Weekender. Five amazing venues The Grand Hall, Bakers Niteclub, The Liquor Lounge, The Hunting Lodge and The Granary are spread across the three nights and is sure to be a fantastic event filled weekend. Some of the acts due to perform include The Sunshine Underground, The Complete Stone Roses, The Birthday Suit, Brown Bear and The Bandits, Holy Pistol Club and Mechanical Smile. Festival organiser, David Hanvey says “This year I feel we have been at our most ambitious with the line up. We have kept the Rip it Up all agers stage and have been fortunate enough to bring on board Emu Bands to run another stage this year.” Kilmarnock’s Dirty Weekender has just announced another bedfellow for its ambitious musically charged weekend. World famous, Alabama 3, responsible for one of the most easily recognisable theme songs in a TV programme ever. Alabama 3 are of course responsible for The Sopranos theme song. The Scottish band are regulars on the
festival circuit and have amassed a worldwide following thanks to their stint as the song plying in Tony Sopranos car in the opening credits.
Also appearing at the Grand Hall are Brown Bear and The Bandits and the new and very impressive Holy Pistol Club.
The band are are also wicked live and have signed up to most of the main festivals this year and thanks to their live sets have garnered a huge fanbase.
Other acts appearing throughout the weekend are Rod Jones(of Idlewild fames) new project “The Birthday Suit”, homegrown heroes Losing Ground, Rose Parade, The Stumblers, One Last Secret, Brave Young Red, Closer The Mavis Project, Huxtable, Outstandifold and The Wettigrippers, All But Gentlemen, Nemcyst and many many more.
The Dirty Weekender is proud to announce that the band will be playing an exclusive acoustic set in Bakers Niteclub 23rd of May. Joining the band on stage are Kilmarnock youngsters Point Blank, Sonic Templars and Ayrshire Troubadour Tragic O’hara. Festival organiser, David Hanvey says “Having Alabama 3 come to the festival this year I feel is a major coup for us as they are a huge act with a wide appeal. I feel this gives an indication of how far the event has progressed over the past few years. Saturday the 24th May also has stormtrooping acts such as “The Sunshine Underground” headlining the Grand Hall, as well as the only officially acknowledged Stone Roses tribute act to be given the full seal of approval by the band themselves. The Complete Stone Roses.
Kilmarnock’s Dirty Weekender have also announced that home grown heroes Fatherson are set to play at the weekend festival. The band who have recently just released their début album “I Am An Island” to critical acclaim supported, Frightened Rabbit, Twin Atlantic, and Idlewild. The band who are fast gaining popularity thanks to support from BBC Radio 1 and a stonking televised set at TITP last year. Geof Ellis backed Vigo Thieves were the first unsigned band to sell out two consecutive nights at King Tuts in Glasgow. Ellis owner of DF Concerts called them “Scotland’s hottest unsigned act.”
9th May - 23rd May 2014 | Ayrshire News 17
www.ayrshire-news.co.uk
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Topping up the stellar bill is The Ok Social Club who have been supported by MTV Rocks, Hollyoaks, Soccer AM and BBC Introducing on Radio 1 Festival organiser, David Hanvey says “To have these three acts come along to perform at our event is wonderful as they have each had such successful years. Especially Fatherson who in my opinion
are the most successful act to have come out of Kilmarnock since Biffy Clyro. We have always done our best to give local acts a platform to perform with more established acts but for one of the established acts to actually come from the town is great for other acts from the area, I hope it gives them something to aim for.”
Weekend passes are available from Ticket Scotland at £35 with day tickets available at £15 Contact www.ticket-scotland.co.uk to book or call 0141 204 5151 or available from http://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Kilmarnock/Bakers-Niteclub-/Kilmarnocks-Dirty-Weekender You can stay up to date: Facebook: http://facebook.com/KillieWeekender
www.killieweekender.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Killieweekender By
Richard Garland
18 Ayrshire News | 9th May - 23rd May 2014
www.ayrshire-news.co.uk
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LIFE&STYLE 9th May - 23rd May 2014 | Ayrshire News 19
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Spring into May, Hay fever free!
Pastel pieces
are bang on trend at the moment and perfect for spring. Get the look with our top picks!
Baby Blue Floral Midi Skirt Dorothy Perkins
Have a bath or shower after being outside to wash away any pollen clinging to skin or hair. Avoid being outside when pollen count is at its highest – usually early mornings and evenings. Avoid mowing the grass as this will trigger hay fever. Wash clothes after being outside and avoid hanging them to dry in the garden, especially on high pollen and windy days. However, if you are still finding hay fever uncomfortable, Professor George Crooks, NHS 24’s Medical Director urges sufferers to get help “If you get hay fever symptoms even when taking care, there are a number of over the counter medicines available from your local pharmacy. The site is also helpful and quality assured information about other allergies, their prevention and treatment.”
Lilac Quilted Cross Body Purse River Island
£15.00
The smart girls guide to... Packing light
There is only one occasion when us ladies will admit we have too many clothes. It’s saturday night and you just have absolutley NOTHING to wear. When you’re packing for a week in the sun? You have more clothes you NEED to take than backstage at London Fashion Week. But fear not, here are a few tips to help you looking fabulous on the beach without slipping a disc or paying hefty airport charges...
Make a List Making a list is vital because: a) you don’t forget what you need, and b) you can forget what you don’t need. We are all guilty of over packing and taking that neon orange jumpsuit to sunny Portugal and not even taking it out the suitcase. Make a list – and stick to it!
Phone, Passport, Persil! Take a travel size bottle of washing detergent and wash your smalls in the hotel sink. If your going for a fortnight there is no point taking 14 pair of pants. Also, if its a beach holiday you will probably be in your bikini most of the time!
Pack a capsule wardrobe
Budget or Blowout?
Orange lips are all the rage at the moment so whether it’s pay day or end of the month you can still afford to look tangerine-tastic! Try either of these two coral orange shades that will compliment any skin tone on whatever budget! Barry M Lip Paint in Flamingo Peach Superdrug
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Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Lip Colour in La Favorite House of Fraser
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Kale – Green, mean and keeps you lean!
£30.00
People in Scotland have been urged to visit the NHS information site for advice on how to manage hay fever. So what exactly is hay fever, and what causes it? Hay Fever affects 20% of people in the United Kingdom and is caused by an allergic reaction to pollen. The most common allergy is grass pollen which is released between May and July. The symptoms include; blocked nose, sneezing, itching and watery eyes. More severe cases include head aches and disturbed sleep.
Wear wraparound sunglasses to prevent pollen getting into eyes.
Pink Duster Coat Miss Selfridge
£59.00
As we enter into May, there are plenty of things to look forward to; light nights, (hopefully) warmer weather and bank holidays. However, for some of us it means a runny nose, itchy eyes and sneezing fits – yep, you guessed it - hay fever.
There is no cure for hay fever at the moment, but it’s treatable. Your doctor can prescribe antihistamines and these will prevent an allergic reaction from happening. There are a few tips which can prevent the symptoms of hay fever:
By Kaitlin McManus
Pack items of clothing that can be worn numerous ways. A kaftan is a great example – cover up on the beach, or over a vest and shorts for sightseeing.
Perfect if your visiting churches that require covering your shoulders. Another tip would be to leave your Micheal Kors arm candy at home and travel with your beach bag.
Shoes, shoes shoes! Limit the amount of shoes you take to 3 at the most – Flip flops, glam sandals for night and comfies for sight seeing. Unless you’re a die-hard heel gal, leave them at home if its a hot climate. Your feet will swell in the heat – not a hot look!
Big things come in small packages Head to Boots or Superdrug and stock up on miniature essentials like shampoo and moisturiser. Otherwise, you can buy small bottles to fill yourself. Perfect for the 100ml or less hand luggage liquid requirements!
When it comes to Superfoods, Kale is the word on everyone lips at the moment. But what is it and what’s so amazing about it? Kale is part of the cabbage family and it is a dark green colour with curly leaves. It is known for its nutritional qualities and being so low in fat and calories, (4 heaped tablespoons have only 19cals), it’s no wonder why it’s so popular. So it’s low in calories but is it actually good for you? There are many health benefits to introducing Kale into your diet according to Discover Kale a website dedicated to the leafy green. An 80g portion of cooked kale has 17 times more vitamin C than carrots and four times more than spinach. Vitamin C is important for a healthy immune system. It is also a great souce of calcium. This makes it a great choice for vegans and people on dairy free diets. Kale is also an excellent source of folate, a form of folic acid, which supports the growth of a mother’s tissues during pregnancy, plays a role in normal formation of blood, and supports the immune system to function normally. And that’s not all, eating kale could also help protect your eyesight, due to it’s high levels of lutein. If that isn’t enough, health-freak Gwyneth Paltrow has reportedly described kale as “one of the best things you can put into your system.” And if it’s good enough for Gwynny it’s good enough for us!
20 Ayrshire News | 9th May - 23rd May 2014
www.ayrshire-news.co.uk
ODEON CINEMA
May and June releases Godzilla (12A)
Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen and Bryan Cranston The world’s most famous monster is pitted against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.
X-Men: Days Of Future Past (TBC) Starring Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.
Blended (12A) Starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore After a bad blind date, a man and woman find themselves stuck together at a resort for families, where their attraction grows as their respective kids benefit from the burgeoning relationship.
Postman Pat: The Movie (U) Starring David Tennant, Rupert Grint and Jim Broadbent A veteran postman finds his beliefs challenged after he enters a TV talent show competition
Maleficent (PG) Starring Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning and Sharlto Copley A vindictive fairy is driven to curse an infant princess only to realize the child may be the only one who can restore peace.
ODEON PLUS Give all your passions the big-screen treatment See your Sporting heroes larger than life. Catch front-row seats for every concert. Enjoy a night at the opera or the ballet. ODEON Plus brings that unique cinema experience to everything you love. Now you can enjoy sport, music and theatre on the big screen, often beamed in by satellite and always using the latest state-of-the-art sound and digital projection technology. Now that’s entertainment! ODEON Plus performances are available at selected cinemas. We aim to screen these as widely as possibly but please double check the listings to identify which cinemas will be showing the individual performances.
Now booking at ODEON Kilmarnock 10th May - ‘Met Opera - La Cenerentola 2014’ sees Joyce DiDonato sing her first Met performance of the title character in Rossini’s Cinderella story, La Cenerentola, with bel canto master Juan Diego Flórez as her dashing prince. 15th May - Shakespeare’s King Lear (Encore) sees an aged king decide to divide his kingdom between his three daughters, according to which of them is most eloquent in praising him. His favourite, Cordelia, says nothing. Lear’s world descends into chaos. 22nd May - Following its smash-hit live broadcast in 2012, the National Theatre production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time returns to cinemas. Based on the acclaimed novel by Mark Haddon, adapted by Simon Stephens and directed by Marianne Elliott, it has been hailed by The Times as ‘a phenomenal combination of storytelling and spectacle’. 3rd June - For the first time ever, Tate will broadcast live into cinemas around the UK with an exclusive tour of the Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs exhibition at Tate Modern. At this one-off event, audiences are invited to enjoy an intimate, behind the scenes tour of this blockbuster exhibition with Tate Director Nicholas Serota and broadcaster Francine Stock, featuring interviews with experts, friends of the artist and rare archive footage of Matisse at work. 12th June - A riotous exposure of entrepreneurial greed by Olivier Award-winning playwright Alan Ayckbourn, A Small Family Business returns to the National Theatre for the first time since its celebrated premiere in 1987, when it won the Evening Standard Award for Best New Play.
A Million Ways To Die In The West (TBC) Starring Seth McFarlane, Charlize Theron and Liam Neeson As a cowardly farmer begins to fall for the mysterious new woman in town, he must put his new-found courage to the test when her husband, a notorious gun-slinger, announces his arrival.
Edge Of Tomorrow (12A) Starring Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton A soldier fighting in a war with aliens finds himself caught in a time loop of his last day in the battle, though he becomes better skilled along the way.
ODEON Kilmarnock
22 Jump Street (TBC) Starring Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill and Ice Cube After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt and Jenko when they go deep undercover at a local college.
Grace Of Monaco (PG) Starring Nicole Kidman and Tim Roth The story of former Hollywood star Grace Kelly’s crisis of marriage and identity, during a political dispute between Monaco’s Prince Rainier III and France’s Charles De Gaulle, and a looming French invasion of Monaco in the early 1960s
From
The Fault In Our Stars (TBC) Starring Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort and Willem Dafoe Hazel and Gus are two teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them on a journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous given that Hazel’s other constant companion is an oxygen tank, Gus jokes about his prosthetic leg, and they met and fell in love at a cancer support group.
£5
ckets Great value ti* a ll d a y s apply* Transaction fee des apply. gra up al on diti Ad
For your chance to win a family pass and a Maleficent goody bag, just answer this simple question.
Who stars in Disney’s latest feature film Maleficent? Send your answers on a self addressed post card marked ‘Odeon competition’ to:
West of Scotland Media, Suite 26, Brook Street Studios, 60 Brook Street, Glasgow G40 2AB
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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9th May - 23rd May 2014 | Ayrshire News 21
www.ayrshire-news.co.uk
PUZZLE PAGE EASY SUDOKU
CROSSWORD 1
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Down 2 - Dinner party; feast (7)
5 - Hair colourant (3)
3 - One who lives through affliction (8)
7 - Colour of snow (5)
4 - Rank (4)
8 - Opposite (7)
5 - Melody; a song (7)
9 - Competed in a speed contest (5)
6 - Obvious (7)
10 - Easily deceived (8)
7 - Shafts dug to obtain water (5)
12 - Part of a motor (6)
11 - Intellectual (8)
14 - Group of seven (6)
12 - Wither (7)
17 - Makes more elaborate (8)
13 - Side by side (7)
18 - Perfect (5)
15 - Female ruler (7)
20 - Went around and around (7)
16 - Roost (5)
21 - ___ Harding: Girls Aloud singer (5)
19 - Brian ___ : West Indian cricketer (4)
23 - Pass (of time) (6)
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Move from the word at the top of the ladder to the word at the bottom, changing just one letter on each rung of the ladder to make a new word each time (eg FOOD to GOOD). There may be more than one way of doing this.
FEED Complete the grid so that each number from 1 – 9 appears once in the white squares in the grid, and so that the six sums give the answers written in the grey squares. The sums should be calculated from left to right and top
á -
WORD LADDER
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BACK
22 Ayrshire News | 9th May - 23rd May 2014
www.ayrshire-news.co.uk
CULTURE AND EVENTS Katie Price announces shock divorce
her - Pheonix rises This film is more than just your ordinary love story. Set in the near future, it focuses on a lonely, introverted man, played by Joaquin Phoenix, who earns his living writing intimate letters for strangers. Heartbroken due to divorcing his childhood sweetheart, Theodore Twombly purchases an operating system with artificial intelligence. It isn’t long before he falls in love with her. Phoenix, known for playing dark, conflicted characters, sheds this typecast role for the emotionally weak and needy character of Theodore. Scarlett Johansson is the voice of Samantha, Theodore’s operating system. Her husky, seductive tone and ability to empathise gives a strong sense of character despite being a bodiless, advanced kind of Siri. We find
Katie Price has taken to Twitter to blast her husband Kieran Hayler as a “disgusting human being” after announcing that she is divorcing him after 16 months of marriage. The 35-year-old star - who has children Harvey, 11, Junior, eight, and Princess, six, from previous relationships, as well as eightmonth-old Jett with Kieran, recently announced the news just after revealing that she is pregnant again. Katie took a test after she came home from a family vacation in Lake Verde and revealed that she is six months pregnant, despite still looking tiny in her bikini. The reality TV star posted a series of tweets accusing Keiran of cheating on her with her friend. “Sorry to say me and Kieran are divorcing, him and my friend been having a full blown affair for 7 months,” Katie tweeted. “Kieran is a disgusting human being doing this after I’ve just had a baby and still doing it until I caught them. “No human being deserves this especially being 6 months pregnant... Worse pain in the world.”
ourselves, like the protagonist, buying into the illusion. Writer and director Spike Jonze cleverly reimagines the rom-com genre in his film. He satisfies most of its conventions, following the ups and downs of a relationship, the lovers’ spats, the outbreaks of jealousy and the reconciliations. However, the story has a darker, more meaningful edge than other films of this genre. Masquerading behind a futuristic setting, it explores love and relationships in the age of social media, commenting on how technology can both bring us closer together and isolate us from interacting with real human beings. Overall, an insightful film on the social pitfalls of modern technology. By
Lex Haringman
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9th May - 23rd May 2014 | Ayrshire News 23
www.ayrshire-news.co.uk
Pompeii - More of a minor eruption Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington stars in Pompeii, a historical drama meets disaster film. The production and plot boasts a blockbuster’s ego, which is its biggest problem – it is everything you expect it to be and leaves little else to surprise the audience.
CULTURE AND EVENTS
introduction is incredibly moving, showing what at first appears to be rock and statues pans out to show the ashencased corpses of Vesuvius’ victims.
The film is set during 79 A.D., when Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed the town of Pompeii. It follows the story of Milo, a slave turned Gladiator, whose family was destroyed during the Rebellion of the Celtic Horse Tribes. When his paths cross again with the Roman senate (Kiefer Sutherland) that ordered the slaughter of his people, he is filled with the desire of vengeance. Milo also catches the affection of a merchant’s daughter, who in a foreseeable plot twist is unwillingly betrothed to the senate.
In my opinion, there is too much emphasis placed on the disaster and its foreshadowing for the audience to form a strong connection with its characters. It also does not leave much room for those characters to deviate from their stock roles and develop original personalities. Sutherland’s character is perhaps the most one-dimensional of them all, a straightforward villain who has no other purpose apart from setting off a chain of events whereby Milo becomes a gladiator and preventing the lovers from escaping Pompeii in time.
We can see that Kit’s Night’s Watch training in Game of Thrones hasn’t gone amiss here as he battles his opponents in the arena with such skill he seems almost invincible. Pompeii does not fall short on its action and the special effects are impressive to say the least.
The ending of the film can be considered slightly redeemable in terms of getting an emotional reaction from the audience. The two lovers, in realising that they cannot bear to live on without one another, resign to their fate and let the volcano’s molten ash engulf them. When the ash hardens their bodies are sealed into an eternal embrace. The image of true, everlasting love is not lost on the audience, but still, it is no Titanic. No tissues were required in the watching of this film.
However, the film is not as emotionally provoking as it clearly intends to be. This is disappointing as its
By
g
Lex Haringman
TRUCK AYR Taste Ayrshire
rin u t a e F
24 Ayrshire News | 9th May - 23rd May 2014
www.ayrshire-news.co.uk
PETS The Scottish SPCA’s Ayrshire and South West Scotland Animal Rescue and Rehoming centre is hoping kind residents will be willing to offer a rescue pets a second chance at happiness. Here are four adorable guys looking to find forever homes
Name: Shamus Age: 1-2 years Gender: Male Breed: Crossbreed Reference: 266453
Shamus is a friendly and excitable boy aged around 18 months old. This is his third visit to kennels so he’s desperate to find someone who will let him show what a fantastic dog he really is! We don’t have much information on how he is with other dogs so if you’re interested in possibly introducing him to a household with other canines please contact the centre, who’ll be able to arrange a meet and greet! We feel he would prefer a home with teenage children as youngsters may be too much for him.
Name: Morse Age: 8-10 years Gender: Male Breed: Domestic Short Hair Reference: 275721
If you’re interested in rehoming any of these animals, you can download and complete a pre-homing questionnaire on the Scottish SPCA website and bring it with you when visiting our Ayrshire Rescue and Rehoming Centre. The centre is open from 10am to 4pm seven days a week.
This is the lovely Morse who came into our care after he was sadly abandoned along with his friend Rebus. Morse is a friendly big boy and although a little bit overweight, he is a large cat by nature. Morse would enjoy the great outdoors and would love a home where he can cuddle up in a comfortable spot and may be suitable to live with another cat pending a successful introduction. Can you offer this guy the loving forever home he deserves?
Morrisons to stop animal testing on their products
Name: Polly Age: Unknown Gender: Female Breed: Hamster Reference: 275639
Polly is a gorgeous girl who is looking for an experienced owner. She has not been very well handled in the past so will need a new owner that can work with her daily so that she feels comfortable when picked up. Polly also loves running about on her exercise wheel. With regular handling Polly should make a great pet for someone. Can you give Polly a forever loving home?
Ticks on the rise due to mild winter
Name: Lemon Age: Unknown Gender: Unknown Breed: Canary Reference: 277686
Lemon is a happy wee soul and she especially likes to chirp to herself in the mirror.
She was found as a stray but since no one has claimed her she is now looking for a forever home. Any new owner should have a suitable cage or aviary ready for her arrival. Can you offer this lively lady a place to call home?
Man who kicked cat found by Facebook
A mild winter may be the reason for an increase in parasitic ticks, says the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (McofS). Hillwalkers have said to have came across a large number of ticks whilst on treks in Scotland. The mountains saw heavy snow fall, however areas lower down were considerably milder. Heather Morning, MCofS mountain safety advisor has see it for herself whilst on a camping trip.
Supermarket giant Morrisons has revealed that they will be offering cruelty-free beauty and personal care, starting this summer. The store was awarded the Leaping Bunny mark by Cruelty Free International for its policy on animal testing. Martyn Jones, group corporate services director at Morrisons, said, “We have been clear in our opposition to animal testing for many years and I am pleased to announce that after months of work with Cruelty Free International we are now certified under the Humane Cosmetics Standard. “This certification builds on our core values and sends a clear message to our customers that we are committed to promoting ethical standards.”
She said “Relaxing at the camp site after a day on the hill, we noticed several ticks on our feet and during the following week found several latched onto our bodies even though we had thoroughly checked ourselves when we got home. “The dog didn’t escape either. We have been removing engorged ticks from her for several days now.” For more information on dealing with ticks go to http://www.mcofs.org.uk/ hillwalking-essentials-video.asp
A man who was videoed kicking a cat has been arrested after police found him through an internet campaign through the social networking site, Facebook. The video shows Andre Robinson kicking the cat around 20 feet in the air, in front of a group of friends. He was arrested by New York Police Department for aggravated criminal assault after the video went viral after being shared by thousands. It has been said that the cat was found safe and well, however police officers revealed they are still looking for it.
9th May - 23rd May 2014 | Ayrshire News 25
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PROPERTY
Well Would
You Look
Private highland island Tanera Mòr up for sale
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.
The Hudson River along the island of Manhattan flows in either direction depending upon the tide. The smallest mountain range in the world is outside of Marysville, California and is named the Sutter Buttes. Lion whiskers are unique - no two lions have the same pattern of whiskers.
800 acre Tanera Mòr island which is the largest island in the chain known as the Summer Isles just of Ullapool, has came up for sale for the surprisingly low amount of £1.95 million through specialist property agent Savills. The current owners of Tanera Mòr are partners of the Coigach Assynt Living Landscapes Project, a ground-breaking initiative formed to promote both the conservation
and restoration of the landscape and sustainable thriving communities. It is a partnership of private, community and charity landowners including the Scottish Wildlife Trust and The John Muir Trust. The island has been put up for sale in order to encourage further development of the land as both an environmental project and a business. Under the current owners stewardship the island has been transformed from a barren wind blasted rock into
a thriving eco system, through the planting of over 150,000 trees. Whoever takes the plunge and buys the island will also become the proprietor of the islands postal service which was granted special licence in 1970 by the Royal Mail. This special licence allows the owner of the island to print their own postage stamps which are highly prized around the world by collectors and aficionados. The island is also almost totally self sufficient from the mainland, with it’s
own diesel electric generator set up and a private water supply which complies to the latest EU standards. The island seems to be ideal for a small start up commune of individuals who want to live entirely by their own means. Despite it’s idyllic setting, the island is suspected to have been the inspiration for the 1970’s horror classic The Wicker Man, so potential buyers beware. By
Garry Smith
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26 Ayrshire News | 9th May - 23rd May 2014
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PROPERTY
Squatter succeeds in gaining home for diddly squat
In one of the stranger stories to feature in this weeks paper a squatter has won the right to stay in a house that he had renovating after the elderly owner died. Builder Keith Best apparently began to treat the £400,000 pound house as his own as soon as he realised that it lay empty. In a strange turn of events the High Court judge ruled in favour of Best after the owner of the property took no action after court proceedings had begun. Neighbours of the £400,000 pound house took umbrage when Keith Best in 1997 decided to claim the property for himself and set about
Average new buyer needs £40k salary to afford mortgage
bringing the house up to liveable standard. The previous owner’s son had not been seen near the property since 1996 after being attacked in the local area, meaning the house began to fall into a state of disrepair and vandalism. Mr Best only moved in in 2012 and the entire time he was there there was never any complaints about his use of the property. Mr Justice Ouseley yesterday said a claim for adverse possession was possible in any private property where at least ten years had passed ‘without effective action by owner or by an enforcement authority’.
MA S DIS SIVE CO SU UN MM TS! ER
By
Gregg Kelly
A study by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has revealed that first time buyers will on average have to be earning a salary of £40,000 a year to afford to pay off the average mortgage in Britain. Most new entrants into the housing market in the last 12 months have taken out an average mortgage of £119,000, a sum which is entirely out of reach for the majority of people with the average salary coming in at a paltry £26,500, well below the amount needed to safely get on the property ladder. As the market recovers it seems that young first time buyers have been scrambling to get onto the the property market before being priced out of it due to rapidly rising values, however with interest rates at historic lows, many lenders are becoming more apprehensive about giving mortgages to
those who are barely able to afford them at the moment. This is due to the Bank of England promising that the rates will be increased in the near future, with plans already in place to carry out an interest rate stress test. As rates increase, those who have taken out mortgages on the upper limits of their budget may start defaulting on their payments. The figures released in the study show that currently young first time buyers are using 19.2% of their total income just to pay the fees and interest on their mortgages. The governments help to buy scheme has been credited with bringing the property market back to life, but it may turn out to be a double edged sword, leaving many without the means to repay their mortgages after the interest rate increase. By
Lauren Black
9th May - 23rd May 2014 | Ayrshire News 27
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Families panic buying properties as supply continues to fall
Prospective home-owners are apparently panic buying property as the market continues to slow down, through a lack of houses coming on the market, and an increase in demand for housing. A survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) found that some estate agents are seeing more than ten potential buyers chasing every property coming onto the market. It has been said that two and three bedroom homes are in particularly short supply. In Scotland 46%percent more chartered surveyors predicted that prices over the next three months would increase, rather than decrease. In London 49% percent more respondents conveyed similar expectations. Rics Scotland director Sarah Speirs
said: “House prices in general look set to remain firmly on the upward trend, however, the critical issue for the market remains the lack of second hand supply, despite a slight increase in April. “It is too early to conclude whether this will undermine the positive trend in transactions volumes, but clearly the absence of properties to buy will ultimately be a factor in influencing the ability of people to move homes.” Rics said estate agents sold an average of 23 properties over the last three months, the highest figure for six years. As many as 26% percent of surveyors reported increased agreed sales in three months to April. Sarah Speirs from Rics Scotland said “That said, despite the disappointing trend in instructions, a net balance of 45% of surveyors expect to see sales levels increase as we head into the summer.”
Cash in
PROPERTY
the attic
A new study has found that there is literally cash to be had in the attic, with a good loft conversion netting up to £37,000 in extra value for your property. According to the results of a new study by the Nationwide Building Society, utilizing the wasted space of your attic could boost the value of your property by 21%, which translates to a cash sum of around £37,000 on average, this increase in value isn’t matched by anything else you can do to your home, with adding another bedroom to your home only bringing in £20,000 in value. Based on the average house price of around £178,000 in
the first quarter of this year, Nationwide has done the math to work out how much each home improvement could benefit your pocket when it comes to selling up. With an extra bathroom coming in at an increase of £8,900 in value and boosting floor space by a similar amount to what an extra bedroom would be will increase the value by a further 10% it seems that it really is worth it at the moment to start calling your local builders for a quote and see how much you could invest in your home while the market recovers. By
Garry Smith
Simple solutions for life
Enjoy security and peace of mind with Hanover’s retirement housing. We have properties available now in Kilmarnock, Newmilns and Coylton. Each are conveniently located in the centre of their communities, close to all amenities and within easy reach of all useful services. Depending on your own circumstances, you may also qualify for help to cover the costs. 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. And, as Hanover is a non-profit making housing association with more than 30 years’ experience of providing high quality services to older people - we keep our rent levels affordable.
Want to find out more? Call 0141 553 6300 or email westinfo@hsha.org.uk Hanover (Scotland) Housing Association Ltd: a Scottish charity no: SC014738
28 Ayrshire News | 9th May - 23rd May 2014
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car world for bi-annual event
The 2014 Scottish Malts Classic Reliability Trial and Tour has been won by Mark and Sue Godfrey in their immaculately prepared MG „B‟. Fifty-three cars started the event from Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterader on Monday 28 th April, the route took in many of Scotland‟s iconic roads and passes, the winning margin after 1072 competitive miles was just 22 seconds. Running over five days and finishing on Friday 2 nd May in Gleneagles, The Scottish Malts is a round of The Hero Cup in association with EFG International Bank; it was also part of The Golden Roamer Trophy for Navigators series. The event was partnered by Hagerty classic car Insurance, DD Classics, Gleneagles Hotel, Octane magazine, Motors TV UK, Orianda 1937 and HERO Arrive and Drive. A television programme of The Scottish Malts will be shown on Motors TV on Friday 20 th June at 22:35.
9th May - 23rd May 2014 | Ayrshire News 29
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Day 1, Gleneagles to Loch Lomond.
An air of expectancy was apparent as the crews assembled for the start of the event, competitors from 13 countries worldwide were taking part in what is fast becoming a „must do’ event. At exactly 08:30, Markus and Brix Kirchgeorg led the event away, the Swiss couple taking part this year in their immaculate 1934 Bentley 3 1⁄2 litre Sports. Last year’s winners, Graham Walker and Sean Toohey were the first of the fancied competitors to lose time. A mistake from the usually meticulous Toohey saw the Chester based crew drop 24 seconds in their Lotus, handing the lead immediately to the Godfrey’s. The route today was an easy introduction to classic rallying, many of the crews taking part had never competed, and the organisers, Historic Endurance Rallying Organisation (HERO) included a practice section to ease newcomers into competitive rallying. Starting out from Gleneagles, a loop north to Crieff, and then west towards Lomond saw the event pause for breath overnight at Cameron House Hotel.
Day 2, Loch Lomond to Skye.
A beautiful dawn over the Lomond Shores greeted “The Malts” as the event pushed north; however, a reroute had to be instigated on the very first section, Glen Fruin, as a farmer was herding 50 plus cattle along the narrow road! To avoid any collisions and injury to the cattle, event director Peter Nedin skilfully re-routed the competitors, his knowledge of local roads ensuring that The Malts was not delayed, and the second driving test of the day, the formidable “Rest and be Thankful” section could go ahead on time. The Malts has two distinct sections, the Trial and the Tour, the Trial section is competitive with both driving and regularity sections to determine the winner. The Tour follows the same route, but participants do not compete and are free to explore the wonderful attractions and sights that Scotland offers. From “Rest” The Malts wound its way past Inveraray heading up to Oban, a regularity section along Glen Lonan taking the crews to a fantastic lunch at The Falls of Lora. Leaving Oban behind the competition was hotting up, Richard Dresner and Colin Mackenzie were having the drive of their career in their E-type Jaguar, holding a very fine third place whilst Walker and Toohey continued to claw back their previous penalties. After visiting Ben Nevis Distillery in Fort William, the stunning roads through Spean Bridge and on through Glen Shiel took The Malts to the Isle of Skye for its overnight halt, the ferry trip from Glenelg to Kylerhea aboard
their Porsche 911 being flung round the driving tests trying to keep the following crews behind.
event director Peter Nedin announced the event would again take place biannually, so 2016 sees us start and finish from Cameron House, Loch Lomond, we cannot wait to be back with the hospitality and warmth of welcome Scotland always shows.
Day 5, Strathpeffer to Gleneagles.
MV Glenachulish was received well, a unique chance to utilise the last manually operated turntable ferry in Scotland.
Day 3, Skye to Strathpeffer.
Crews had stayed in several establishments on Skye overnight, the event restarted from Skye Airport where many crews saw a submarine in operation just off the coast of Skye. Crossing the Skye Bridge in beautiful weather gave many regular competitors to the Le Jog rally
The Scottish Malts gets its name from visiting many of the wonderful whisky distilleries around Scotland. On one day at least, this bi-annual event will take in many distilleries, allowing competitors to view and purchase some of the wonderful spirit on offer. Thursday, day 4, saw the loop begin with a regularity just outside Strathpeffer, The Malts then visited Glen Ord, Cardhu, Macallan, The Cooperage, Aberlour, Glenfiddich and Glenlivet distilleries, all interspersed with driving tests and regularities! This was a busy day, and one crews seemed to really enjoy, it was great to see so many taking the chance
Top Ten
The good weather came back today, and although a little chilly, the bright sunshine made the Scottish countryside come to life, it was wonderful to hear the bark of classic vehicles reverberate off the hills and Glens, at times being met by the crow of a cock Pheasant, or the “Go-back” call of the Grouse on the higher moorland. A slippery test around Leys Castle, Inverness saw the event progress south via the Tomatin distillery and head to Balmoral Castle for coffee.Over the Spitttal of Glenshee and on to Pitlochry for the final two distilleries, Blair Atholl and Edradour on this year’s Malts. From here, a trip to Kinloch Rannoch and the last leg via Crieff to finish back where we started, Gleneagles. A gala dinner was held in The Ballroom of Gleneagles, with Lord and Lady Steel of Aikwood joined us, Lord Steel being the HERO Honorary Club President presented the awards to the successful crews, it was a wonderful night with an after event party going on into the wee small hours. HERO
1) Mark Godfrey & Sue Godfrey, MG B 2) Graham Walker & Sean Toohey, Lotus Elan Sprint 3) Richard Dresner & Colin Mackenzie, Jaguar E-Type Series 1 4) Daniel Gresly & Chrisitan Prunte, Porsche 911 SWB 5) Nigel Perkins & David Kirkham, Porsche 911 SC 6) David Brown & Wendy Brown, Porsche 911 Targa 7) Max Behrndt & Giona Bachmann, Lancia Fulvia Zagato Sport 8) Keith Graham & Susan Hoffmann, Mercedes 280SL 9) Richard Worts & Nicola Shackleton, MG CGT 10) Barry Weir & Roma Weir, Mercedes 280 SL Pagoda
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Car Hire their first chance to see the Kyle of Lochalsh in daylight, it was a sight to behold. A coffee break at Loch Carron preceded what was to be one of the highlights of the event. The chance to run over one of (arguably) Europe’s finest section of roads, Bealach na Ba, The Pass of the Cattle, Scotlands answer to the Stelvio Pass in Italy. A run through Applecross village and on to Lunch at Ledgowan Bridge saw the weather turn slightly on us, heading north via Ullapool The Malts reached its most Northerly point at Ledmore and descended back down via Oykel Bridge and a regularity section ending at Ardgay. The last control or check point was at the Dalmore Distillery where crews then made their way to Strathpeffer for the night.
Day 4, Strathpeffer to Strathpeffer, the distillery loop.
to purchase their favourite brands. It was now becoming apparent that Mark and Sue Godfrey were weathering the storm pushed on them by Walker/ Toohey, but down the ranks Barrie and Roma Weir had made a mistake, not entering their time on a time card and losing two minutes, dropping them down the leader board. This was pounced on by Swiss pair Daniel Gresly and Christian Prunte,
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SPORT
Sirvino still going strong at Hamilton
Eagle Eye: The Ryder Cup Review
Welcome to my 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.
Sirvino shouldered top-weight to victory in the Totepool Buttonhook Handicap on the first Hamilton Park card of the season. Ridden by Phillip Makin, David Barron’s charge was always travelling strongly as he trounced last year’s winner O Ma Lad by three lengths. Barron’s son and assistant Tim said: “He’s still got plenty of ability and is holding his form well. The ground suited and he is a grand old lad.” Mecca’s Angel was a most impressive scorer for Paul Mulrennan in the EBF
SWPL Round Up By
Stallions Tangerine Trees Conditions Stakes as Michael Dods’ filly scorched away from Eccleston by eight lengths. The winning trainer said: “I think she is very good. She’s entered in a good race in France and could go to York. She will go in Listed or Group races for three-year-old fillies but she needs it soft.” The first two races of the Hamilton Park campaign were photo-finishes. Alan Berry’s Economic Crisis scrambled home in the opener to record her fourth course success while Richard Fahey- trained
Khelman pipped Rasaman by a shorthead in the second. Economic Crisis is owned by Tom Blane who said: “I live in Southport but I’m originally from Hamilton. She loves it here and this is her third win. But she can be a bit of a madam and she nearly bucked James Sullivan off going down to post at Ayr last time - he performed miracles to stay on.” Berry went on to complete a 368-1 double when Busy Bimbo sprung a 40-1 upset as she lost her maiden tag at the 57th time of asking in the sprint handicap.
The last couple of weeks have been no exception. From a European perspective there have been some encouraging signs from Luke Donald and Ian Poulter with strong finishes at Harbour Town and The Volvo China Open. Tommy Fleetwood of England had an impressive week in the latter tournament, eventually finishing in the runner up spot behind. Alexander Levy of France. Fleetwood is a proven tour winner after his debut win last season at the the Johnnie Walker -coincidentally at Gleneagles. I expect a big push for a Ryder Cup place from the young Lancashire man this season. Having a member of your team who has won on tour at Gleneagles is only going to be an advantage.
Laura Montgomery
It’s League Cup Semi-Final day on Sunday with Recreation Park, Alloa set to host both matches as Celtic take on Hibernian and Aberdeen face Glasgow City with all sides looking to take one step closer to the first silverware of the season. Aberdeen defeated three times finalists Spartans to reach this stage, but Dons boss Allan Smith knows his side need to claim an even bigger scalp if they are to make the their first final for some time. He said, “We are under no illusions as to how tough a test this will be. The current Cup holders’ (Glasgow City) squad
The feeling a couple of weeks after any of the 4 majors always has the air of an anti climax.
is lined with internationalists and combine a wealth of experience with some very talented youngsters. We have huge respect for Glasgow City and the standards they set in Scottish Women’s Football. “With this said, we appreciate we are the underdogs, however come into the match fully prepared and in decent form. We will be without two key players for the match with Melissa Aitkenhead and Susan Murray both missing. They have been outstanding for us in defence this season, yet the strength and depth of the squad this year is extremely promising and we will be giving it our all to reach the final.”
City boss Eddie Wolecki Black knows his team are favourites, but having faced a gritty Aberdeen in the League only a few days ago, is well aware Sunday will be just as tough. He said, “We won 2-0 last Sunday, but that game means nothing now. Over the past few seasons Aberdeen have made great progress as a club and having finished in the top half of the table for the past two seasons. As for ourselves we will approach the tie in the same manner as always and that is with the utmost respect for our rivals. We will stay true to our style of play and look to dominate the ball. I am sure the contrasting styles will make for an exciting game for all concerned.”
Till next time, this is Eagle Eye signing off. In the other semi-final Hibernian take on Celtic and like City, faced their opponents only last week in the League. Hibs won 1-0 on that occasion and HIbs boss Willie Kirk is confident of an another attractive and competitive encounter. He said, “Our semi-final game sees two very talented and progressive teams face each other, in what I believe will be a very entertaining match.
“We have had a fairly good start to the season, and we have managed
that by working hard every week on the training pitch and continuing our own development as a team. We will
be focusing on our game and if we play to our potential and work very
hard, we will give ourselves a chance
of progressing to the first final of the season.”
9th May - 23rd May 2014 | Ayrshire News 31
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SPORT
Tigers Turning the Tide
The torrid start to the 2014 campaign appears to be over as the Glasgow Tigers speedway team have recently run into a stream of much improved form which has seen the club win their last two Premier League meetings in incident packed circumstances. Having lost out in their opening six fixtures, including two home reversals against rivals Edinburgh, the Allied Vehicles Tigers have eventually run into much improved form which has seen them lose narrowly away to Redcar, and then take successive Premier League wins at Ashfield Stadium against Peterborough and Redcar. The winning run has come at a cost though as rising teenage track star,
Frenchman Dimitri Berge suffered internal injuries in a horrific pile up in the final heat against Peterborough almost two weeks ago. The 18 year old has remained in hospital in Glasgow and is expected to shortly return home for a period of recuperation until he is again able to re-join his Tigers team mates later this season. The loss of the sensational Berge, who had top scored for the Tigers in the three race meetings prior to being injured, is an undoubted blow to the club and has caused team bosses to consider introducing another rider to help the team through the next phase of the season. The absence of Berge didn’t hamper the Tigers at the weekend as they still managed to take all three league points
on offer in a 51-39 win over Redcar Bears at Ashfield. Tigers young Danish reserve Anders Thomsen, the only surviving home man from last year’s squad, racked up his biggest points scoring display of his British race career to bolster his teams tally by 18 points through his efforts. This weekend attention to turns to Knock Out Cup duty as the Tigers race home and away first round ties against Hertfordshire based Rye House Rockets who eliminated the Tigers from the same tournament at the same stage last season. Glasgow have identified their other young Danish rider, Kasper Lykke, a former Rye House rider, as a key man this weekend if the Tigers are to progress to face Newcastle in the quarter finals.
Image by Ian Adam
Next week Tigers travel to race 2012 league champions Scunthorpe before returning to round off their League Cup qualification group fixture (Sunday, 18th May) against the much fancied Workington Comets with the visitors targeting a win to see them
through to the semi-finals. To catch-up on all the latest Glasgow Speedway information and check out forthcoming fixtures at Ashfield Stadium visit www.glasgowtigers.co
Against all odds 10/11 16/5 8/15 Trump card for Turnberry It has been announced that American billionaire and all round golf enthusiast Donald Trump has purchased Turnberry golf result in Ayrshire for around £35 million pounds. This is following his battle with locals last year as he attempted to make the greatest golf course in Aberdeenshire last year at Trump International Golf Links.(It has been noted that it is indeed a fantastic golf course.) Trump the multi billionaire infamously went to war with a local resident who refused to sell his land. Michael Forbes refused to sell his land even after being offered £450,000 pounds for what Trump described as a pigsty. As well as £50,000 pounds yearly salary for an unspecified job. It does seem however that Donald Trump does not wish to tamper with the majestic nature of Turnberry and many feel that he has acquired
this world famous golf course, not to tear it down but to have another “trophy hotel” alongside the Trump International Golf Links. Golf lovers have probably less to fear about the safety and financial stability of Turnberry with Trump in charge in comparison to Leisurecorp the previous company who owned the prospective Open participating golf course. The businessman will of course have less to worry about financially than Leisurecorp, meaning it could make excellent business sense for the golf loving American and the previous owners of the world famous golf course. With Trump’s financial backing the local area and economy surrounding Turnberry could actually benefit. An increase in publicity, means an increase in visitors, thus meaning an increase in revenue.
Donald Trump also promised to leave Turnberry untouched because of its “historic values and its place in the home of golf.” Peter Dawson retiring chief executive of R&A (Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews) said this to reassure fans of Turnberry “Donald Trump is investing in golf properties in Great Britain and Ireland, so he must have great faith in the future of the game.” Dawson goes on to say that “I’m quite sure he will be putting a lot of investment in when he does purchase.” Donald Trump finished with his admiration for Turnberry “The golf course itself is one of the greatest in the world-some rate it as the best in the world and don’t want to change a thing. I wont change anything unless the R&A ask for it, and not without their full stamp of approval.” By
Gregg Kelly
With the Premier league going into it’s final weekend of the season, and with it all still to play for at the top, will we see the title swap hands like the dramatic dying seconds of the 2011/12 season?
Personally I don’t think we will, I think the trophy will know it’s destination by 3.30pm on match day. Man City only have to win to bring the trophy back to the Etihad. Pellegrini’s men will be out to ensure that it happens. Expect a Man City win, with a -2 handicap (10/11) . Meanwhile Liverpool HAVE to win to stand any chance of winning the title for the first time in 24 years. At home to a dogged Newcastle outfit, I think Liverpool will win, with both teams to score (11/8) . Chelsea who have been tight at the back over recent months, travel to an already relegated Cardiff, I think under 3.5 goals will be the outcome of this game (8/15). Taking these results in to consideration, the Trophy, and the £ 70 million that comes with it, will be back in Manchester, just not the red half.
The two national cup competitions take place on the 17th May, with Dundee Utd taking on St Johnstone at Celtic Park and Arsenal taking on Hull at Wembley.
Dundee Utd started the season with in scintillating form, but faded away to miss out on an automatic European place in the SPL. St Johnstone have have had a great season under Tommy Wright, this game will definitely have goals, with United’s youngsters prevailing. Dundee Utd to win and both teams to score (16/5). Arsene Wenger has the chance to end the Gunners trophy barren spell, I fancy Arsenal to, convincingly, lift the cup and there to be over 2.5 goals (5/4) Singles: Man City -2 goals, Liverpool to win and BTTS, Chelsea game under 3.5 goals, Dundee Utd to won and BTTS, Arsenal to win and over 2.5 goals. Singles: Man City -2 goals, Liverpool to win and BTTS, Chelsea game under 3.5 goals. Correct score lucky 15: Arsenal 2-1, Everton 2-1, St Mirren 1-1, Aberdeen 2-1 By
DD
Only gamble with money you can afford to lose Odds correct at time of going to print
32 Ayrshire News | 9th May - 23rd May 2014
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Kilmarnock back beleaguered boss
Kilmarnock chairman Michael Johnston has backed underfire Kilmarnock manager Allan Johnston and guaranteed that he will still have a job no matter the outcome at the end of the season. With uncertainty surrounding Kilmarnock slide down the league table, many of their fans have begun to vent their frustrations at the Rugby Park manager.
With the 5-0 drubbing to relegated Hearts still fresh in the mind, many fans are beginning to ask themselves. If we do stay up, what happens next season? If, as expected, top scorer Kris Boyd leaves? Or worse, what happens if they get relegated and top scorer Kris Boyd leaves? Michael Johnston had this to say on the matter however “We don’t see
any reason to change things at this stage of the season.” Around 500 shareholders were in attendance al Kilmarnock’s annual general meeting, with some of the questioning put forward to both chairman and manager, more than a little hostile. The determined manager refused to get upset at the questioning “You could see the passion of the
supporters and how desperate they are for the club to do well-and I’m the same.” The last time Kilmarnock played in the second tier was 1992/1993 but the chairman says that the financial consequences are no where near as severe any-more.“We are basically debt free and league reconstruction last year means that the Championship is financially a much healthier place to be.”
Kilmarnock fans will be hoping
that they wont need to worry about financial security in the Championship and that last years PFA Manager of
the Year will prove to the doubters that he is worthy of managing a team in the Scottish Premiership. By
Gregg Kelly
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