Readers’ opinion - week 13, 2024.
Easter is the season of hope and life
Sir,
Easter is the most important festival in the church’s calendar when Christians throughout the world celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the grave.
It is a celebration of hope and happiness. Jesus has overcome the consequences of the forces of evil in the world and opened a new door into the kingdom of heaven.
All the Christian churches on the island will be pleased to welcome everyone to join in the celebration of this great event in the history of the world.
Details of all the services taking place on Arran are in this paper and everyone is warmly welcome to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Easter is the season of hope and life - something which we all need in this world with all its conflicts and hate.
We wish everyone a most blessed Easter, praying for peace and understanding in everyone’s heart.
Yours,
Reverend Barry Roberts,
Honorary assistant priest, St Margaret of Scotland.
With grateful thanks
Sir,
A huge thank you to everyone who attended the recent Pirnmill coffee morning.
There was a great turnout from around the island, resulting in £534 being raised for the Arran Defib Project with a few donations still coming in.
The children from Pirnmill Primary School popped in for juice and to see how to do CPR and use a defibrillator. They were brilliant.
Many thanks to everyone who came along, supplied baking or helped out on the morning.
Yours,
Fiona Laing,
Arran Defib Project.
Arran’s economy already impacted
Sir,
With reference to your correspondents in the edition of March 15, it is difficult to see an agreeable outcome before the return of MV Caledonian Isles in late June/July.
Troon is clearly a realistic alternative to Ardrossan in the short term, given the Scot Gov/CMAL inaction in tackling the deterioration of Ardrossan harbour.
We expect the new Glen Sannox in late summer and Peel Ports (PP) is on record saying it will entertain no expenditure for Ardrossan until the Glen Sannox is in operation.
Scot Gov/CMAL have had seven to 10 years, in conjunction with PP, to develop a design and contractor, but amazingly, there is no evidence this has happened.
Arran’s economy relies heavily on visitors, a lot of them as foot passengers. Data suggests more than 100,000 passengers per year. The Ardrossan railhead is crucial in passenger traffic.
Mr E Gilmour’s letter refers to a passenger ferry. I am aware of four separate projects to develop a fast electric powered ferry to carry between 120 and 150 passengers and small freight.
One such carbon-zero ferry is currently being built in Belfast and is rumoured to be undergoing sea trials before the end of this year.
A ferry such as this is capable of 30 knots which would bring Arran and Ardrossan to a 25-30-minute journey and it can operate from a floating pontoon at either end.
CMAL and CalMac are unlikely to be happy but perhaps it might help in the matter of digital extraction.
It remains to be seen who might operate a passenger service, but the Belfast team is reportedly keen to prove the operational worth of its vessel.
It is a roaring certainty that foot passenger traffic via Troon will fall away dramatically.
Note: restoring Ardrossan to full operating capacity will take at least four years from a decision being taken. Anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded.
The negative impact on Arran’s economy is already being felt and over four years will be massive.
Yours,
Douglas Bilsland,
Lamlash.
The elephant in the room
Sir,
In answer to Eric Gilmour’s query in the Banner, the elephant in the room during this fiasco has been the RMT Union’s intransigence with regard to crews and its insistence on on-board sleeping quarters, eating facilities and a gymnasium for a 50-minute crossing.
I agree there are acres of space at Ardrossan and Brodick for on-shore sleeping quarters and a restaurant for crews, but this discussion is not even on the table.
After 75 years, we are now being forced to face up to the possibility that our days on Arran are numbered. What a tragedy and a disgrace.
Yours,
John NE Rankin,
Whiting Bay.
Tydeman’s gone
Sir,
That’s Tydeman off with a lot of dough
Who next to run the show?
Our new guru called Petticrew
Ex Harland - what will he do?
Can he deliver a boat soon
For Arran, a real good boon
I suspect more failure and loss
Then sacrifice another boss
Nobody fired in the SNP,
Ministers let off - ’It wisnae me’
Glen Rosa promised in 25
Aye - maybe - if the workers don’t skive
But if we build in more delay
We can keep, forever, drawing pay
Well, what else can we do
When the boats built, we’re on the burroo!
Spend money - rebuild the yard
But finding custom will be hard
Well, how did the last build go?
It turned out to be gie slow
The tech spec was quite wrong
That’s why the build was long
If you need a boat in fine fettle
Make a choice, just settle
On a deal with Turkey
Delivered on the promised day
Yours,
John Lamont,
Dippen.
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