19th December 2006 - South Kintyre Sports Council launches its Mini Bus Appeal  Read more.....
ED NOTE - 19th December 2006 - Format of the news site has now changed as this page will serve as a current and historical index of all news linking to a separate page for each article.
9th December 2006 - Work continues on harbour Thought I would post this picture I took today which shows work continuing on Campbeltown harbour. Amazing bit of work - removing the old stilt!	Work on Campbeltown Harbour continues.  Pictured today, 9th December 2006.  Click to enlarge image

9th December 2006 - Local Bands To Play at Christmas Night Out

Campbeltown’s Big Christmas Night Out will be held on Dec 16th in the Victoria Hall Campbeltown.  Dunaverty Village Hall committee, in conjunction with J.I.G Events will stage this special fundraising concert with bands Catch 22, Twisted Melons, Violent Echo and Guest DJ.

Don’t miss this entertaining line up which costs £12.50 if tickets are bought before doors open and £14.00 on the night if available.  The concert format will be tables and chairs with a big dance area similar to the Peatbog Faeries concert earlier in the year.  Doors open at 8.30pm with the first band on at 9.00pm. 

Tickets are available from A.P Taylors, Main Street, Campbeltown & the Argyll and Bute Volunteer Centre, Longrow, Campbeltown.  You can also email jigevents@supanet.com for a booking form or phone Iain at 01586 552034 or Susan at 01586 830 335.  The concert web site is www.jigevents.co.uk if you need further information.

The Sound and Lighting systems will be provided by Sound Acoustic Services (Festival PA) and Niall Smyth who did a fantastic job at the Peatbog Fearies concert in February.

Susan Paterson chair of the Fundraising committee said “This is our second concert with J.I.G. Events and should be a great Christmas Party Night for everyone with the added bonus for Dunaverty Hall funds. Hall funds are going well and providing entertainment in this way means we all benefit.”

Tickets are on sale now.

Jamie McCafferty teaches guitar and bass to the youngsters whilst Ryan McGlynn is a drumming instructor and Lorne McDougall gives lessons on how to play the chanter and tin whistle.

Fraser McGlynn teaches the accordion and Veronica Holstead provides violin and fiddle instruction.

Over 50 people attend the club, the vast majority of who are from the village.

The club holds two concerts every year to help build confidence amongst the group and this year’s Christmas show will be held in Tarbert Village Hall on Thursday December 21.

There are still more chanters and fiddles available for loan and anyone wishing to join the group is asked to contact Paula at Tarbert Academy’s school office on 01880 820269 on a Tuesday or Thursday.

Article from the Argyll & Bute Council Website - click here to visit.

Argyll and Bute Council’s Trading Standards Officers are warning people to look out for a chain e-mail that has been circulating the Internet and finding its way on to people’s home computers.

The e-mail refers to a delivery service which was unable to deliver a parcel and invites the reader to call a premium rate number starting with the dialling code ‘090’.

It states the will be charged £15 on connection. This is in fact an urban myth as it is not possible for a £15 charge to be made on connection to a premium number.

ICSTIS, the premium rate telephone regulator also has a number of measures in place in its code of practice to ensure that consumers are protected from unexpectedly high charges. Calls and texts cost a maximum of £1.50 per minute.

ICSTIS removed access to the same service in December 2005, but the e-mail is being re-circulated again this year.

Trading Standards is advising anyone who receives this e-mail or believe there is a problem with the content, promotion or operation of a premium rate service to call the ICSTIS Contact Centre free on 0800 500 212.

Article from the Argyll & Bute Council Website - click here to visit.

Cheers erupted throughout the hall as Jayne and Ross took centre stage in front of an audience of some 800, to collect the Pipe Band of the Year award on behalf of Kintyre Schools from Pipe Major Ian Duncan.  In an entertaining acceptance speech, beamed to the back of the hall on giant screens, Ross Ferguson thanked everyone who had voted for Kintyre Schools.  He paid special tribute to Ian McKerral who was the man mainly responsible for getting Kintyre Schools Pipe Band going just six years ago.  "Then there were just 10 pipers having a bit of fun, " said Ross.  "Last week at our St Andrew's Day celebrations in the school, we had a total of 73 pipers and drummers in the band."  Unfortunately, in the excitement, Ross forgot to mention the band's C.D., but he did graciously pass over the bouquet to fellow piper Jayne.

In the Event of the Year category, the Mull of Kintyre Music Festival was nominated for an Award, but unfortunately missed out to The World Pipe Band Championships.

Kintyre Schools Pipe Bands picked up another two awards in Glasgow on Sunday 3rd December.  The Novice Band was placed Second and the Juvenile Band came third in the West of Scotland Branch Champion of Champions tables for 2006.

The Pipe Bands are now looking forward to their final appearance of the year which will be at the Campbeltown Grammar School Christmas Concert on Tuesday 19th December. 

Hundreds of people braved the gales to attend the spectacular Awards ceremony at Fort William's Nevis Centre on 2nd December. Presented by Mary Ann Kennedy and Stewart Cassells, it was an emotionally charged evening, helped, of course, by brilliant music from some of last year's winners. With over 70,000 votes coming in from members of the general public all over the world, these Awards are a true reflection of the Scottish talent that you, the global trad scene, want to see recognised.

Breaking previous voting records, this year there were over 70,000 votes cast by the public from all over the world (South Africa, USA, New Zealand, Canada, Russia and Argentina) for the Scots Trad Music Awards 2006 which were announced at the Nevis Centre, Fort William on Saturday 2nd December.

“The Executive is committed to improving housing throughout Scotland. Tenants will benefit enormously from their decision to vote in favour of the transfer. Not only will they enjoy stable rents they will see much higher investment, more direct control and better services.”

“I hope that tenants in neighbouring Inverclyde do not to miss the unique opportunity given by stock transfer so they could also share the benefits of community ownership.”

For ACHA’s tenants the completion of the transfer means that they can look forward to improved housing services, including the delivery of a new repairs service, as well as a much needed improvement programme for all homes, that will deliver new kitchens, bathrooms, heating systems and rewiring.

On a day-to-day basis ACHA’s services, delivered from its network of nine offices throughout Argyll and Bute, will build on those offered by the Council and will also include a mobile housing service. The changeover will allow tenants’ greater choice in how they pay their rents. As well as offering all of the same options as the Council, under ACHA tenants will also be able to pay using certain bank branches.

ACHA Chairman Norman Beaton commented, “This is a momentous day for our tenants, who have been very patient in the run up to transfer, and for everyone at ACHA who has worked extremely hard to reach this stage.

“The whole ACHA team has been extremely busy since the ballot result, paving the way for as smooth a transition as possible and whilst we are delighted that the transfer process is
now complete, we are also aware that in many ways this is where the real work begins. I can give tenants an undertaking that we will work tirelessly to deliver on our pledges and make social housing in Argyll and Bute an asset to the community and something of which we can all be proud.”

Now that transfer has taken place, ACHA will have more than £260million available to spend on improving homes and associated services over the next 30 years. This additional funding will be available following housing debt write-off, which sees the Government clear Argyll and Bute’s £48million housing loan debt.

Councillor George Freeman, Housing Spokesperson for Argyll and Bute Council said, “I am delighted that at last, after all the hard work that we have put in over a number of years, that one of the Council’s main priorities has now been achieved and we have taken the final step and passed over ownership of our housing stock to ACHA.

“This is a deal that will secure major improvements for tenant’s homes and their communities over the coming years.

“I would like to thank all staff, both those transferring to ACHA and those remaining with the Council for their hard work over the years. Finally, I would like to thank all tenants for their patience while the deal was being finalised and wish ACHA all the best for the future”.

As part of its pledge to tenants, ACHA has introduced a guarantee that rents will not increase by more than the rate of inflation plus 1% for the next five years, and will be kept affordable thereafter. ACHA is also encouraging tenants to apply for life membership of ACHA, for a nominal fee of £1. As members, tenants will be able to vote on key decisions and put themselves forward for committee membership.

Springbank Distillery Director of Production Frank McHardy was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Malt Advocate Magazine at Whiskyfest New York (6th Nov.).

The award came as a complete surprise to Frank who was lured to New York under false pretences and didn’t know he was receiving the award until his name was called.

Frank says, “ in receiving this prestigious award I also have to recognise the help and support received from all my colleagues during the past 43 years . ”

Everybody at Springbank is delighted that Frank has been honoured with this award in recognition of his 43 years working in the Scottish and Irish whisky industry at distilleries such as Tamnavulin, Bruichladdich, Bushmills and Springbank.

Frank is the only distillery manager to have worked at Springbank twice - from 1977 to 1986 and then again from 1996 until the present day, totalling 20 years of his career spent at the Springbank Distillery.

Managing Director Neil Clapperton says, “The company was delighted to learn of Franks award, even if we felt it was long overdue!"

 - Better future promised for tenants as housing is handed over A new era for social housing in Argyll and Bute has arrived today (Tuesday November 21) with Argyll Community Housing Association Limited (ACHA) officially taking over the ownership and management of all Council housing across the region. The deal was finalised at a ceremonial signing in Lochgilphead.

Transfer of the Council’s entire housing stock of almost 5,400 homes comes eleven months after tenants voted overwhelmingly in favour of transfer in an independently run ballot. The 89.6% ‘yes’ vote set a UK record high for any large-scale housing transfer ballot.

News article taken from the Springbank Website - click here to visit.