Major Shake-Up For Glasgow Hospitals

A £700 million plan to modernise hospitals in Glasgow has been approved by Scottish Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm. The proposals have taken three years to be agreed during a lengthy consultation process. There has been concern that the proposals will cut the number of Accident and Emergency units from five to two (Glasgow Royal Infirmary - pictured here - and the Southern General). In-patient services will be provided at a re-developed Glasgow Royal, Gartnavel General and a major new development at the Southern General. There will be substantial investment and development of two new Ambulatory Care Hospitals at Victoria Infirmary and Stobhill Hospital, involving an investment of £60 million. Of course, although the plans have now been approved, it will be many years before patients see any improvements.

Exam Results Lower

In previous years there has been much media comment about the steady rise in the number of pupils passing the Higher Leaving Certificate exams at the end of secondary education. Did they mean that marking standards were slipping? Were too many pupils being given the highest grades? This year, there has been a media frenzy because the pass rate has fallen - from 71.9% to 69.7% - similar to the pass rates in 1998 and 1999. But the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has pointed out that the number of pupils sitting the exams and the number of subjects available have both gone up. They suggested that candidates who previously had not attempted the qualifications were now being encouraged to do so.

Top Civil Servant Leaves for University

Sir Muir Russell, Permanent Secretary at the Scottish Executive, informed Ministers at a Cabinet meeting this week that he has accepted an invitation from the University of Glasgow (pictured here) to be their next Principal and Vice-Chancellor. Aged 53, he will take up the new position from October next year. As the top civil servant, it was Sir Muir's role to translate into action the policy of the government. While he will be moving to another challenging role, it is being suggested that although the First Minister, Jack McConnell, was full of praise for Sir Muir following the announcement, the two have not always seen eye-to-eye.

Major Delays on Edinburgh/Glasgow Motorway

Contraflows and reduced speed limits have been introduced on sections of the M8 motorway between Edinburgh and Glasgow as a new programme of major road repairs get underway. The restrictions, between Baillieston and Newhouse, are expected to last for at least the next 17 months. Parts of the road will be reduced to one lane in each direction at the weekends and although two lanes will be available on weekdays, there will be speed restrictions as the lanes will be made narrower than usual as road surfaces are renewed and new hard shoulders are built. Hopes that the Edinburgh to Glasgow rail service would at last revert to every fifteen minutes to encourage travellers to leave their cars behind were dashed earlier this week as Railtrack failed to complete its repairs and maintenance work.

Harvey Nichols Opens in Edinburgh

When the new Harvey Nichols store in Edinburgh which opens this week, Scots are expected to descend like locusts (or should that be midges) - despite the up-market store offering jeans at £950, Dior bikinis, Madonna's favourite face cream and Carrie's latest horse's-head handbag from Sex and the City. This is the Knightsbridge, London store's first branch in Scotland and its fourth outlet in Britain. The 95,000sq ft of retail space replaces a run-down bus station facing onto the capital's St Andrew Square which is more used to banks and insurance companies than retailers.

Ralph Lauren to Open in Glasgow

Unfazed by Edinburgh's success in attracting up-market London retailer Harvey Nichols, Glasgow has counter-attacked in the battle for retail supremacy between the two cities and has announced that Ralph Lauren is opening his first Scottish store in Glasgow's Merchant City area in November. The Polo Ralph Lauren shop will start up in Ingram Street, not far from the branch of Versace in the Italian Centre and Emporio Armani. Retail analysts currently rate Glasgow as second only to London in terms of shopping vitality - Edinburgh is ranked 12th.

Bought For £1 Billion - Sold For £330 Million

Three years after motor giant Ford bought the Edinburgh-based tyres and exhausts group Kwik-Fit from Sir Tom Farmer (who started the company in 1971) for £1 billion, they have sold the business for £330 million to a private equity group. Kwik-Fit has more than 2,500 outlets and 11,000 employees.

Stormy Waters for Superfast Ferry

The new daily direct ferry service from Rosyth in Fife across the North Sea to Zeebrugge in Belgium is successfully attracting personal travellers, but the freight side of the business is said to be "slow". The service started in May and 50,000 passengers have used the ferry and another 30,000 tickets have been booked to the end of the year. But Scottish transport companies have been slow to adopt the new route, saying that it is more expensive than sending lorries to Newcastle or even the ports on the English Channel.

Tear Down Building Says Edinburgh Preservation Group

The Cockburn Society in Edinburgh is usually concerned with retaining Edinburgh's heritage but the amenity group has called for the pulling down of New St Andrew House, describing it as one of the UK's ugliest buildings. Built in the late 1960s, using concrete instead of stone, the building dominates the skyline of Edinburgh from many view-points. The brutal, modern, angular design certainly stands out like a sore thumb amongst Edinburgh's historic and elegant buildings. New St Andrew House used to be full of Scottish Office civil servants. But they are now in a fancy new building overlooking the waterfront at Leith. A few years ago, the Royal Bank of Scotland was going to pull it down and create a world headquarters but problems arose with the owners of the adjacent St James Centre retail mall. The building is now behind the new up-market Harvey Nichols store (which has itself a rather boring, plain facade).

UK's Fastest Growing Airport

In July, Edinburgh Airport's increase in passenger numbers made it the fastest growing in the UK. 685,000 passengers passed through Edinburgh Airport that month, an increase of 15.4% over the same month last year. Glasgow Airport grew by 6.5% to 885,000 but numbers at Aberdeen, heavily influenced by helicopter traffic to North Sea oil rigs, fell by 1.7%.

Instant Fines for Dropping Litter

Special patrols are to be set up in the main shopping areas in the centre of Glasgow with power to impose fines of £25 on litter louts which will have to be paid within 14 days. Offenders will first be asked to pick up their litter and put it in a bin. If they do that and apologise, they will escape the fine. But of course it is hoped that the scheme will increase awareness of the problem of litter and encourage pedestrians to use the litter bins. A similar scheme has been operating in Edinburgh for some time.

First Elected Muslim in Scotland to Retire

Councillor Bashir Maan became the first Muslim and the first Pakistani politician in the UK to be elected to local government when he won the Kingston ward in Glasgow in 1970. He came to Scotland in 1953 from the Punjab and made his fortune by under-cutting the fixed-price cartels of the shops selling wines and spirits in the early 1960s. He is currently chairman of the Strathclyde Joint Police Board and his views are often sought on race relations issues. But, after serving Glasgow for 32 years and reaching the age of 75, he has announced that he is to retire next spring. But he will continue to be in the chair at the British Pakistani Association.

Hindu Wedding at Hampden Park Stadium

An Indian couple have arranged to hold their traditional Hindu wedding at the national football stadium at Hampden Park, Glasgow. They will be the first Asian couple to marry at the national stadium. There will be 350 guests from around the world and the groom, Rajan Pandey will arrive on a white horse. His bride, Omita Gaikwad is studying medical law at Glasgow University and met Rajan (who is studying computer networking at Paisley University) at a university night out. They thought that Hampden was "a bit different" and as some members of their families were Rangers and Celtic supporters, it was "neutral territory".

Glasgow Show Returns

Last year, at the end of August, the City of Glasgow Council organised a flower show (they called it a gardening celebration) in Victoria Park (pictured here). Thanks to some glorious sunshine, the tremendous variety of plants and the entertainment laid on in the park (ranging from a classical music quartet to a model ships regatta in the boating pond) the event was a huge success. So it is coming back again this year - on 24/25 August. This year, TV gardening presenter Charlie Dimmock will be there - along with Bill and Ben the Flowerpot Men (children's TV show marionettes from the days of black and white television who have been brought back to the screen for another generation). There is a feature on last year's flower show here.

Saving the Bacon - McQueen's Great Escape

On Wednesday, police were vainly searching for an escaped fugitive, dubbed McQueen, in the woods near to Dunblane after his dramatic bid for freedom over a 6ft wall. Unlike the film "The Great Escape" however, there was no motorcycle involved - just four legs. The audacious breakout was perpetrated by an 18 stone, hairy, black boar who decided that the slaughterhouse was not for him. At one stage McQueen was surrounded by police and animal health officials - but burst through the cordon. Later, two actors, Martin Shaw and Jenny Seagrove, currently filming a BBC TV drama called "Judge John Deed," offered to buy the freedom of the pig. They say they are prepared to pay double the market value to save McQueen. And a wildlife sanctuary in Norfolk, East Anglia said it would care for the wild boar - if they police can catch him.

Regeneration of Derelict Docklands

Another piece in the transformation of the banks of the river Clyde from a desolate, industrial wasteland into a vibrant, modern waterfront was announced this week. The old graving docks at Govan (an eyesore from the nearby, modern, Glasgow Science Centre) is to be redeveloped as a site for 500 homes, a 300-bedroom hotel, houseboats, bars, a floating restaurant and shops. Across the river from Govan, the Glasgow Harbour project is already underway in a £500 million development which will be the biggest single construction project in the UK.

Survey Into Scottish Identity - Can You Help?

Anne Foy is a PhD student at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, and she is conducting research into Scottish Identity. She would be very grateful if any people with Scottish connections could spare approximately 15 minutes of their time to complete an online survey to help her research. If you would like to take part, please visit www.scottishhistoryresearch.net The website will be online until midday GMT on August 31st 2002. Data gathered in the survey will only be used for academic research and there is a full explanation of how data will be used and protected on the site. If you know of other specific people who may be interested in taking part in this survey, you may forward this information to them. However, please observe "netiquette", and do not forward this to anyone you do not already know.

Top Chef Hangs Up His Oven Gloves

Nick Nairn, one of the biggest names in Scottish cuisine, has acknowledged that he is no longer a working chef and that he is concentrating full-time on running his catering businesses, including the restaurant in Glasgow which bears his name. Reservations at the 40-seat restaurant are booked months in advance. Nairn leapt to fame as the star of television food programmes such as "Ready Steady Cook". But now he has a cookery school as well as a restaurant and outside catering business.

Butt to Barra Dating Agency

In the past, residents of the Outer Hebrides have apparently been reluctant to use dating agencies based on the mainland. But now the lonely hearts in the Western Isles need look no further than Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis to meet a soul mate. There are only 29,600 people living in the islands and it is predicted that the population will fall by 17% by 2016. So anything which might help to stem the flow of people leaving the area is to be welcomed. However, although the geography may be correct, naming the new organisation "Butt to Barra Dating Agency" may not do much for business. The name refers to the Butt of Lewis in the north and Barra in the south of the Western Isles.

Battle Begins Against Sunday Flights

The Lord's Day Observance Society, has called a meeting in Stornoway on the island of Lewis to drum up opposition to the introduction of the Sunday air services which Loganair say it will introduce in October. The airline says that they are responding to demand from the residents and that seats have already been booked. An opinion poll two years ago suggested that 60% of the people on the island favoured Sunday air services. But not surprisingly, neither the local Chamber of Commerce nor the Western Isles Tourist Board have come out openly in support of the move - the moral pressure by the Presbyterian die-hards may not be as strong as it once was, but they can still create a stooshie (the Scots word for a row created when people are complaining about something). Of course, it was Scotland which led the way in the trend to Sunday trading in the UK. This was due to England having to first repeal 19th century legislation which restricted it. In Scotland, no such laws had ever been passed - the Presbyterians in those days didn't think that anyone would ever dare to break the Sabbath.

Highland Games - In France

The skirl of the pipes will be heard, Highland cattle will be displayed and large quantities of whisky and Walkers shortbread will be consumed this weekend in the town of St Orse in the Perigord region in the heart of France, as the town holds its first ever Highland Games. Even the mayor is having a kilt specially made for the occasion. The town is home to five Scots families but the Burns Club from Lyon, a Scottish friendship society from Bordeaux and Scots from all over the south of France are expected to attend. Pipers are coming from the Glasgow College of Piping and a Mod gold medallist from Uist will be performing in front of the Scottish contingent and the bemused local French (at least ten of whom are getting kilts made for the tartan extravaganza).

Sheriff Apologises to Dundee Men

A sheriff in Scotland is a legal officer who sits as judge in a Sheriff Court, hearing the more minor criminal cases. But Richard Davidson is a senior sheriff in Dundee, who roused the wrath of the Lord Provost, politicians and many locals when he described the behaviour of an accused as "vicious rather than stupid - only too typical of Dundonian man". Although Dundee is proud of the rough, tough "Desperate Dan" in the locally-produced children's weekly comic, there was an outcry. The sheriff was forced to issue a statement in which he apologised for any offence for the comments which he said were "not premeditated but spontaneous and did not and does not represent my views about the male population of the city in general." The sheriff has acquired a reputation for controversial remarks and actions - earlier in the week he suspended a trial of a man accused of stealing from a charity so that a newspaper reporter could be fetched to publicise the case.

Dullest July

The weather statistics for July, published this week, show that a number of places broke records for rainfall and lack of sunshine. The excessive rain in the east of Scotland meant that Leuchars in Fife had its wettest July since records began there in 1922 and Aberdeen had the wettest combined June and July since 1957. It was the second dullest July in Paisley since records began there in 1885. In Edinburgh, it was the dullest July since 1931. During the month, temperatures were slightly below average in the south but above average in the north. On 30th July, over 2.5 inches of rain fell at Loch Venachar, near Callander in The Trossachs.

Weather in Scotland This Week

This week temperatures have hovered around 17/21C (63/70F) with Aberdeen faring best as far as sunshine was concerned - a total of over 19 hours over Monday and Tuesday. There have been a number of showers across the country, with Edinburgh getting more continuous rain on Sunday. The outlook is for warmer weather for the weekend, with temperatures around 24/25C (75/77F).

This week's illustration of current flowers in Scotland is of a thistle growing in a field on the edge of Glasgow. As you can see, the wasp was so busy on top of the thistle that it didn't see the camera moving in close!

Riding The Marches

Common ridings are an important part of community life in the Scottish lowlands and one of the most entertaining is to be found in Sanquhar between Friday 9th and Sunday 18th August. The cavalcade has its roots in the traditional horseback inspection of the marches, or boundaries, of the burgh of Dumfries first recorded in 1730. Although discontinued in 1829, the parade was revived 100 years ago and has been growing in popularity ever since. To mark the beginning of the celebrations, a flag bearing the town's colours is raised on a nearby hill. The ride-outs are open to all and take place throughout the week. Recent years have seen as many as 190 horses join the procession. Riders from many of the nearby towns will also be in attendance, sporting their own colourful sashes. The main event takes place on Saturday 17th August with the ride out to the boundaries starting early at 8.00am through to 11.30am in the morning. Following the main cavalry, there will be a parade of decorated vehicles - this year's theme is One Hundred Years of Disney - and local schoolchildren and clubs will be presenting their floats.

Scottish Championship Horse Trials

Thirlestane Castle, Lauder, is the venue of the Scottish Championship Horse Trials which consists of a day full of show jumping, cross country trials and dressage.

This Week in History

• August 18 1966 - Tay Road Bridge opened.
• August 19 1561 - Mary Queen of Scots lands at Leith on her return from France, after the death of her husband, King Francis II
• August 19 1745 - Charles Edward Stuart, raises his standard at Glenfinnan, at the start of the '45 uprising.
• August 21 1689 - Battle of Dunkeld when the newly formed Cameronians defended the town against 3,000 Highlanders.
• August 21 1937 - Birth of Donald Dewar, former Secretary of State for Scotland and First Minister in the new Scottish Parliament.
• August 22 1138 - Battle of the Standard at Northallerton in which King David I was defeated by the English.
• August 22 1567 - James Stewart, Earl of Moray and a half-brother of Mary Queen of Scots, proclaimed Regent of Scotland.
• August 22 1582 - James VI abducted and taken to the Castle of Ruthven by the Earls of Mar and Gowrie - the so-called "Ruthven Raid".
• August 22 1847 - Alexander Campbell Mackenzie, composer and conductor, born.
• August 23 1305 - William Wallace executed.
• August 24 1482 - Berwick on Tweed finally ceded to England (Edward IV) after changing hands 12 times.

Damp Fringe Sunday

The traditional Fringe Sunday, when many of the acts in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival put on a free show in the Meadows (an area of grassland near the centre of the city) fell victim to heavy rain and only 40,000 spectators turned up with umbrellas and raincoats, compared to 150,000 last year. Organisers described the event as "soggy but successful". However, ticket sales for the Fringe, the main Edinburgh International Festival and the Film Festival are breaking all records for the second year in succession.

Glasgow Film Theatre Struggling

There has been a significant drop in the number of customers at the arthouse Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) after the opening of the 18-screen UGC multiplex only 500 yards away in the centre of the city last year. Over the years (it opened in 18 May 1939 as the Cosmo cinema and became the Glasgow Film Theatre in 1974) the GFT has been an oasis of culture, avoiding the major blockbusters and showing instead European and British classics. But with the GFT having created a market for such films, the large multiplexes are now muscling in on the same territory. The GFT, which is seen as a national institution, has seen a 13% drop in admissions in the last six months and has now asked the Glasgow City Council to write off £82,500 remaining on a loan from the city to relieve the financial pressure. The Art Deco cinema has received a lot of support from stars of the British film industry including Sir Richard Attenborough, Glenda Jackson, Janet Leigh and Ewan MacGregor.

Billy Connolly to Stage "Flood Aid"

Glasgow comedian and actor Billy Connolly was moved by the plight of Glasgow families in the East End of the city whose homes were flooded by torrential rain last month. Many of the tenants lost all their possessions and a fund has been set up to help those who did not have any insurance cover. Billy is now planning two charity gigs at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre to raise cash for the flood victims. The picture of Billy shown here is from a display at the People's Palace in Glasgow.

River City

Details are emerging of BBC Scotland's new big-budget TV soap which is set in the fictional Clydeside district of "Shieldinch" (in reality, the former J&B whisky bottling plant in Dumbarton). A convincing set of Glasgow tenements has been built there, complete with graffiti, back courts, a pub, a corner shop, a sunbed parlour - and a boarded-up derelict shop. In the street is an ornate Victorian fountain, modelled on the one at Saracen Cross in Possilpark and the local pub looks convincingly like the "Three Judges" at Partick Cross. Unlike the popular TV drama "High Road" which is set in a traditional country environment (actually Luss, on the banks of Loch Lomond), "River City" is intended to represent a modern multi-cultural community. The best-known actor in the new series is Johnny Beattie. Initially the show will not be screened outside of Scotland but will be shown here in prime time, twice a week, starting in the autumn.

Scotland's Newest Cinema Multiplex

A small cinema chain with multiplexes in Livingston and Aberdeen, is opening Scotland's latest multi-screen cinema in Hamilton. The Lanarkshire town lost its last cinema some time ago, so the SBC chain decided there was an opportunity there as well as the catchment area of Motherwell and Airdrie and the rest of Lanarkshire. The latest facility will have nine screens. But unlike other cinemas, there is no dedicated ticket kiosk - you can buy your ticket, popcorn and drinks at any of the cash points in the foyer, saving customers from having to queue twice.

Curtains for Inspector Rebus?

After two decades and 18 novels, the Inspector Rebus character created by Edinburgh-based writer Ian Rankin, may be eventually killed off. Rankin says that he is contracted to write another two novels about the detective who has a penchant for a wee dram. But he is not sure yet whether he will kill him off. But as a writer, Rankin says he is always looking for new subjects. The books have been translated into 18 languages and sell in their millions across the world.

Festive Ice Rink Expands

Organisers of the ice rink which has been set up in Glasgow's George Square over the festive season for the last few years, have been given the go-ahead to make it even bigger, better - and longer. It will run for an extra two weeks from November 29 to January 5. Last year it had been dismantled to allow for the Hogmanay celebrations on 31 December, much to the displeasure of the many people who enjoyed the open air rink and the cafe bar where spectators could enjoy a coffee or other refreshment. There will also be stalls selling mince pies, shortbread, mulled wine and hot chestnuts.

Gig on the Green Struggling

The promoters of one of Scotland's biggest pop festivals have admitted that it could be a flop as ticket sales are very slow - only 8,000 of the 80,000 available for the Gig on the Green (which takes place on Glasgow Green) have been purchased, with only days to go before the concert on 24/25 August. Last year, the event was a sell-out because of controversial appearances by Eminem, Marilyn Manson and Iggy Pop. But this year, pop fans are said to be disappointed by the lack of star quality in this year's line-up. Even so, the promoters are still expressing confidence that the Gig on the Green will be a success.

The Big Draw

'The Big Draw' is an annual event organised by The Campaign for Drawing, which aims to show how drawing can encourage fresh approaches to museum collections and provide an insight into the working methods of today's artists. The Stirling Smith Art Gallery has a new exhibition as part of this event, showing a selection of drawings and etchings from its collections. It looks at different types of drawings such as sketches, completed works and technical drawings, and examines some of the reasons why people make drawings. Speaking of the importance of drawing for his own work, David Hockney says: "If you can draw, even a little bit, you can express all kinds of ideas that might otherwise be lost - delights, frustrations, whatever torments or pleases you." The Stirling gallery will be presenting 'The Big Smith Draw' later in the Autumn, when visitors will be given the opportunity to develop their own drawing skills.

Double Date for Dolly

Country music queen Dolly Parton was to make her first visit to Glasgow for 25 years at a concert arranged at the Clyde Auditorium for October 16. But the date is being changed to November so that the popular singer can squeeze in two dates in Glasgow instead of one.

Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results

Hearts 5 Hibernian 1
FC Vaduz (Switzerland) 1 Livingston 1 (Uefa Cup qualifier)
Celtic 3 Basle 1 (Uefa Champion's League qualifier)

Bell's Scottish Cup, 2nd Round

Alloa Athletic 0 Ross County 1
Berwick Rangers 2 Airdrie United 0
Brechin City 3 St Johnstone 2
Clyde 1 St Mirren 2
Dumbarton 3 Ayr United 0
Forfar Athletic 2 Queen's Park 2 (Queen's Park won 6-5 on penalties)
Montrose 0 Falkirk 2
Queen of the South 1 Greenock 0

Scottish Premier League and First Division

Due to the early publication this week of this Newsletter, results from Saturday's matches are not available. They will be included in next week's edition.

Business Booming at Ibrox

The success of Rangers on the football field last season has led to the sale of a record number of season tickets for home games at the Ibrox ground. Sales have gone up this year by 3,000 to 40,000. Of course, the fact that the club have kept prices fixed for the last two years will also have contributed to the increase. But the new "smartcards" issued to season ticket holders caused problems at the turnstiles last Saturday. The start of the match was delayed by over 30 minutes as fans queued to pass through the gates on a manually-operated basis instead.

Paul Lawrie Wins Wales Open

Former Open Champion Paul Lawrie from Aberdeenshire won the Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open last Sunday in commanding style - he was 5 shots ahead with a 16-under par total of 272, despite having to play 36 holes on the last day. The tournament had been badly delayed because of bad weather and heavy rain. Lawrie was in a three-way sudden-death play-off for the title last year (when heavy rain reduced the event to 36 holes). He picked up the winner's cheque for £183,000 - and a confidence boost for the forthcoming US PGA Championship.

Karrie Webb Becomes Three-Time Winner

With a final round of six-under-par 66 and a 15-under-par total of 273, Australian golfer Karrie Webb swept into the history books by becoming the first three-time winner of the Women's British Open at Turnberry last Sunday. The Queenslander finished two shots ahead of another Australian, Michelle Ellis and Paula Marti (Spain) to take the £155,000 prize money and the trophy. Karrie came from behind on the last day to win the sixth major of her career.