Families unite to raise cash or children’s hospital
A man bound to a wheelchair will push himself for 13 miles to raise funds for a hospital that is supporting a four-year-old family friend, 30 years after he was a regular patient himself.
Brian Spalding from Inveraray is currently preparing to complete the Scottish Kilt Walk to raise funds for Yorkhill Sick Children’s Hospital in Glasgow.
Brian, who received treatment at the hospital for spina bifida, has been inspired to complete the challenge after Inveraray’s Rosie Blyth began receiving chemotherapy in the same hospital.
The 42-year-old will be joined on the challenge by his wife Pamela and Rosie’s parents Laura and Paul Blyth, as well as her 12-year-old sister Cara and other close family and friends.
Rosie’s trips to the hospital have brought back memories for Brian who required treatment for his spine, kidneys and bladder.
"I used the hospital in my pre-teens and have memories of going into hospital. I was taken out of my comfort zone and was not with my family 24/7," Brian said.
"I would not know how it compares now to back then, but I do have fond memories of the ward staff and the people involved with my treatment."
When Brian was born there was doubt as to whether he would be able to walk, but it was not until he slipped on ice six years ago that he required a wheelchair.
Now, inspired by Rosie’s story and understanding the importance of the hospital to so many families, Brian has decided to become a fundraiser.
On April 27, Brian and his comrades will put on their finest tartan outfits and complete the walk from Clydebank to Balloch as part of the team Heels ‘n’ Wheels.
"It is all for a fantastic cause and we want to do something for the charity as it has done so much to support her [Rosie]," he said.
"Yorkhill is absolutely close to the heart of the community. When you are in Glasgow you don’t realise the scope of how far the hospital goes to helping children."
Ormsary in line for turbines?
Proposals for a 40-turbine wind farm at Ormsary which could be visible for a 30km radius have raised concern from Mid Argyll’s community councils.
John Campbell, chairman of South Knapdale Community Council, said: "The main concerns are the sheer scale of it and the visual impact it will have on the whole of the area."
He added that other concerns included the effect the farm might have on house prices and bird stocks.
National Wind Power Limited (NWP) intends to apply for planning permission to put a 40-turbine wind farm on Ormsary and Stronachullin Estates.
A scoping report, which attempts to show how the wind farm would affect the area, has been sent out to community councils. It states that the turbine height is likely to be 70m, with a rotor diameter of up to 90m; the turbine is therefore expected to have a blade tip height of up to 115m.
A ‘worst case’ diagram map in the report shows that the turbines could be seen from as far away as Jura, the Craignish peninsula, North Kintyre, Arran and Furnace.
It would also be visible from the west shore of Loch Fyne between Lochgilphead, Ardrishaig and Tarbert, as well as areas between.
‘Worst case’ indicates the view based on the assumption that turbines would be placed on all parts of the site area.
At the Mid Argyll Partnership meeting, Eric Box, chairman of Lochgilphead Community Council, suggested that all the community councils affected could get together to hear NWP’s proposals.
People at the meeting agreed that Mr Box should write to the company and ask them to organise a presentation.
Mr Box said: "I thought it would be an opportunity whilst all the community councils are together to perhaps discuss if they wanted to do some kind of joint response (to the scoping report)."
He added: "I’m open minded at the moment because in principal I tend to favour wind farms but like everything else you’ve got to look at each particular project on its own merits.
"If I do have any concerns it might be on the scale rather than anything else. They’re talking about 40 turbines, which is quite a lot."
If the wind farm goes ahead construction is expected to last for 18 months, with access via the A83 south of Inverneill.
Prescription service for Lochfyneside
Patients in Furnace and Minard, who have for some time had their chemists prescriptions delivered to their door by the pharmacist, will be pleased to hear that this service, which was formerly carried out on a purely voluntary basis by the pharmacist has now been given the backing of the health board, who will support it financially.
The Pharmacy in Inveraray is only open on a part-time basis, the pharmacist, Mr MacNulty, travelling to the town from Lochgilphead to open the shop.
With the local doctor delivering prescription orders from Furnace and Minard to Inveraray, Mr MacNulty has for the past year or so been delivering the made-up prescriptions to the patients on his return journey to Lochgilphead.
And at a meeting of the Argyll and Clyde Health Board on Wednesday, this formerly unofficial service received the full support of the board, who will now back it financially as well.
A spokesman for the board said yesterday that the service was already in full swing, but that the board would now be giving it full backing.
He said that a similar service operated in Houston in Renfrewshire, but that a previous scheme along similar lines operating in Ardrishaig folded due to lack of support.
Argyll to get four new fire stations
Four new fire stations for Argyll are included in a five-year building programme involving 10 projects approved in principle by the Scottish Western Area Fire Committee meeting at Paisley last week.
The programme is to cost £500,000. Planned for Argyll are smaller stations to be manned by part-time firemen. They will be built at Oban, Lochgilphead, Tarbert, and Tighnabruaich.
The programme also provides for five projects for Renfrewshire - including a four or five-bay station for Paisley and a three-bay for Johnstone and one project for Bute, a small station at Millport.
German choir sings special praise
Easter, which brought many visitors to Mid Argyll, was marked by services in the local churches.
In Lochgilphead Parish Church a 60-strong German choir gave a recital of Passion and Easter hymns as well as motets by Bach, Schuetz and Gabrieli,
It was the first recital of its kind to be held within the church in recent years.
The visit of the Hessische Schuelerkantoroi Choir was arranged through the local Scottish German Club.
On Monday, however, the minister, Rev. John R. Callen, said he was disappointed at the small number of people who had attended the recital.
Said Mr Callen: "Such a fine, religious, cultural and social occasion deserved better support."
Hotels were reported to be busy over the weekend and Easter visitors took full advantage of the fine weather to enjoy the many pleasant walks the district has to offer.
Local Film on Tarbert Screen
A film of local interest is being shown at Tarbert’s Regal Cinema from Wednesday until Saturday when the Tarbert Boy Scouts’ Pipe Band is seen entertaining visitors at Stonefield Castle Hotel.
The public viewing has been brought about through the efforts of Mr A. Cumming, the cinema manager, who had been approached by the local Scoutmaster to see if it could be screened.
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