Drinking Round the Clock

A review commissioned by the government of the laws governing the sale of alcohol in Scotland was published this week. The Nicholson Report, produced after two years of investigation and consultation, proposes the widest reform of Scotland's licensing laws for nearly 30 years. It recommends that the present restrictions on opening hours would be largely swept away, allowing bars, off-licences and supermarkets to sell alcohol 24 hours a day, mirroring the more relaxed regime in continental Europe. But hours of opening would still be controlled by the local authorities, on a case by case basis. The Scottish Licensed Trade Association, representing pub owners across the country, has condemned this proposal. 70% of Scottish bars are owner-occupied and they would be unable to compete with extended hours by the larger pub chains. The liberalisation would also apply to supermarkets, allowing them to sell alcohol around the clock, seven days a week. The report also recommends the end of "happy hours" when bars attract customers with low-priced drinks as they encourage "binge" drinking. Other proposals include a proof-of-age identity card scheme to cut down on under-age drinking, and improved training for bar staff. There would also be a crackdown on "rowdy" bars with teams of enforcers monitoring performance.
The illustration shows one of Glasgow's famous watering holes, the Horse Shoe Bar in Drury Street. Until 1996 it was listed as having the longest bar in the world.

16.5% Pay Rise for Civil Servants

The Scottish Executive was forced to try to defend a pay rise of 16.5% over the next two years for some government officials. Average increases will be 3.25% this year and 4% next year but graduate entry level and lower grade staff will see their pay scales rise by a whopping 16.5%, more than five times the rate of inflation. The Executive claim that the increases are necessary because of recruitment problems and to reflect current market rates. But they come at a time when other public service workers have had to accept much lower pay rises. However, civil service pay is performance related - staff must meet personal objectives before any pay award is made. The extra payroll cost will amount to £3 million a year.
The illustration shows the Scottish Executive offices in Leith.

Fishing Fleet in Crisis

The Scottish white fish fleet is in crisis with half the boats having caught their full quota for 2003 - with four months of the year still to go. And this is despite the boats only being allowed to operate for 15 days each month. Skippers are now being forced to quit the sea, pay off their crews and put their boats on the market. A few will continue by paying exorbitant prices to buy additional quotas from other vessels. The situation has been made even worse by only 50 of the 69 skippers who were offered grants under the government's decommissioning scheme actually accepting the cash on offer. Government officials will now have to work through the reserve list of boats which applied to give up their boats, but were not allocated finance in the first phase. Scottish fishermen were originally restricted to nine days fishing a month and this was extended to 15 on the understanding that the fleet's capacity to catch cod would be reduced through decommissioning by 15/20%.

Retail Sales Wilt in the Heat

Although retail sales in July increased by 4% compared with the same month a year ago, the recent spell of hot weather in August has meant that shoppers were more likely to head for the beach than department stores. As a result, many retailers have been feeling the heat with significantly lower sales this month. The John Lewis Partnership has reported sales down by nearly 13% in the first week of August, compared with a year ago, with sales down by even more in the south-east of England where temperatures were record-breaking. Clothing and furniture sales have been particularly badly affected. But of course supermarkets have experienced an upsurge in the sale of soft drinks and ice cream and sales of barbecue equipment has risen.

"Restructuring" for Banking Lobby Organisation

The Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers (CSCB) represents the main Scottish banks in the financial structure of Britain and promotes the industry by providing a voice on Scottish matters (not just banking interests), to ensure that they are adequately recognised and safeguarded. It deals with non-competitive issues and maintains regular contact with the Bank of England, the Scottish Executive and others, to provide advice and assistance and a channel of communication on all matters of significance to Scottish banking. The Committee itself is made up of the chief executives of the four largest banks in Scotland - but much of its really useful work is done by a raft of operational Committees. But the bank chief executives, who constantly restructure their own organisations, have now turned to CSCB and after lengthy debate have decided to merge the organisation with the Chartered Institute of Bankers. The operational committees would continue. Quite how an educational organisation which aims to develop professional standards in Scottish banking and is largely funded by the professional fees paid its members, can be squared with the aims of CSCB, is unclear. The restructuring has been common knowledge in banking circles in Edinburgh but when the CSCB Secretary was approached earlier this week by the Herald newspaper, he could only comment "That is not yet in the public domain."

Scottish TV Moving to Paisley?

Scottish Media Group (SMG), the owners of Scottish Television, are said to be considering a move from their premises in the heart of Glasgow to smaller and less expensive offices in Paisley, near to Glasgow airport and the M8 motorway. Glasgow City Council is trying to persuade the company to stay in its Cowcaddens building but the media group has been down-sizing and does not need the space in its present custom-built premises.

Schools Too Small?

There have been many years of falling birthrates and school closures due to reduced numbers of pupils. But education officials are warning that the government's target of reducing English and Mathematics class sizes to 20 in the first two years of secondary education cannot be met in Glasgow, because of the lack of sufficient classrooms. Temporary teaching units may have to be built to provide some of the extra 75 classrooms needed. Glasgow has gone through a massive building programme to create modern school environments but the project was based on previous class sizes.

Confusion Over Directory Enquiries

Until recently, British Telecom (BT) had a monopoly of supplying the directory enquiry service in the UK. That was understandable when they also had a monopoly of the telephone service itself. But with an increasing number of telephone service providers, it was decided some time ago that the directory enquiry service should also be opened up to competition. So, instead of dialing "192", phone users will have to dial 118 and another three digit number to get to a range of providers offering different services at various prices. User groups have complained that there has been insufficient publicity about the changes which come into effect this weekend (though this giant "Post-It" note on the side of the former main Post Office building in Glasgow tried to address that). And some of the 15 new organisations are being accused of "daylight robbery" by offering to make the connection (at an exorbitant additional fee) rather than just provide the number for the callers to dial themselves. Mobile users are charged even higher rates. Of course, the cheapest option is to use the Internet to look up a number - it's free (so far).

£17 Million Revamp for Town Centres

The green light has been given for major makeovers for the town centres in Cambuslang and Hamilton in South Lanarkshire at a total cost of £17 million. It is claimed it will transform them and make them "virtually unrecognisable" from just a few years ago. The developments are expected to be completed in 2005.

Agreement Ahoy in Ferry Dispute

Further lengthy talks were held this week involving the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry company and the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union to thrash out yet another deal to settle the pay dispute and avoid a damaging strike by the 450 staff. The latest proposals are being put to the work force - with no details being revealed this time to the media by either side. The union leaders said, however, that they were "quietly confident" about the outcome and claimed that a lot of ambiguity had been resolved.

No Smoking at Pizza Hut

The Pizza Hut chain has become the first major restaurant group in Scotland to announce that it is banning smoking in its premises. Designated smoking areas are being closed in response to customer feedback. A bid by a Glasgow Member of the Scottish Parliament to introduce a bill to ban smoking in all restaurants in Scotland failed last year. Many restaurants believe that a ban would result in a loss of customers. Others argue that a smoke-free atmosphere would encourage more people to dine out. They point to the trebling of cinema audiences since smoking was banned there in 1981 - though other factors may have contributed. The medical profession is in no doubt about the benefits of a ban and estimate that 14,000 Scots die every year from smoking-related illnesses.

Planning Hitches for Kelvingrove Art Gallery

The cost of the refurbishment project for the Kelvingove art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow is following the pattern of just about all major building projects - the price tag is rising. The upgrade is now estimated to cost £27.9 million instead of £25 million and now a pair of glass "pavilions" on either side of the Victorian building have been rejected by Historic Scotland. The conservatory-style covered glass area was designed to allow light into the basement which is being opened up to create additional public space. One of the areas is also designed to be a restaurant area - with magnificent views across the river Kelvin to Glasgow University. But to create the space two ornate sandstone walls would have to be removed. Addressing the Historic Scotland reservations will no doubt add further to the total bill. The news came as a further delay was announced to the opening of the "Open Museum" at Nitshill which was designed to display 200,000 items decanted from Kelvingrove until it reopens in three years' time. The Open Museum will not now be available to the public until November.

"Welcome" for 5,000th Solar Powered Parking Meter

Glasgow city councillors brought out the champagne this week to mark the installation of the 5,000th solar-powered parking meter in the city. But they had to shelter under umbrellas as the rain fell and the sun refused to join in the celebrations. Fortunately, the solar power meters do operate, even on dull days.

Busy Glasgow Hotels

Greater Glasgow Hoteliers' Association has reported that occupancy rates in the area were up 10% in June and 6% in July compared to last year as a series of events, including the World Bowl and conferences such as the International Rose Convention swelled the number of tourists visiting the city. It is also suggested that low-cost flights to Glasgow and Prestwick are not only being used by Scots to go abroad but also by foreign visitors to travel to Scotland for budget holidays. The National Geographic Traveller recently voted Glasgow as one of Britain's "coolest" locations - and they were not referring to the weather! Plans for a river festival next year are being drawn up to create a number of special events on the Clyde, from Glasgow to Greenock.

Highland Hotels "Fully Booked"

An increase in the number of visitors to the Scottish Highlands is beginning to put a strain on accommodation in the area. Some hotels are fully booked until the middle of September. The recent warm weather, plus a downturn in the number of people travelling abroad, have contributed to a surge in late-season visitors. Inverness seems to be a tourist "hot spot" at the moment. Scottish schools have begun their new term, but English schools are still closed so tourist numbers from south of the Border are still high. The number of people using Inverness airport rose by nearly 17% in July and other airports in the Highlands and Islands also saw passenger numbers increasing - Stornoway saw a 21.2% growth.

Wedding Bells for Foreign Couples

Figures published by the General Register of Scotland have revealed that an astonishing 30% of marriages in Scotland involve couples who do not live here. It used to be that the minimum age for getting married in Scotland with no parental consent being 16 (two years lower than in England and Wales) was a factor. But ever since Madonna chose to get married at romantic Skibo Castle near Dornoch, the numbers of non-residents flocking to Scotland to tie the knot has increased by 20%. Last year, there were 29,826 weddings in Scotland (down from 41,000 in 1951). Of these, 8,947 were of partners who did not live in Scotland. Romantic venues include Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness, Dornoch Castle Hotel and Eilean Donan Castle on Loch Duich in Wester Ross.

Anchovies and Sardines Head for Scottish Waters

Rising sea temperatures off Scotland's coasts have resulted in increasing catches of fish normally found in southern European waters. Small fish such as anchovies and sardines are turning up in greater numbers according to research carried out by the Fisheries Research Service. They have checked on data going back as far as 1925 and have found that these two warm water species increased quite suddenly in Scottish waters after 1995. Although in absolute terms the numbers are still low and would not support a commercial fishery, they may increase further in the future.

Best Mushrooms for 27 Years?

Mycophiles - the name given to mushroom enthusiasts - are predicting that ideal growing conditions and one of the hottest summers in living memory, plus an expected wet autumn, will produce the best wild mushroom season for 27 years. The long hot summer of 1976 produced a bumper crop of the cep mushroom (boletus edulis to give it its correct botanical name) and this year is expected to produce a similar bonanza. Other varieties such as chanterelles, oyster and field mushrooms have suffered because of the long dry spells. However, the cep mushroom, regarded by many as the tastiest of them all, are expected to make up for this. Woods are often saturated at this time of year but they are currently very dry. Rain in September will trigger a bounty of the boletus variety. And with the price of wild mushrooms at £15 per kilo, pickers will gain rich rewards.

Step Forward for Mountain Path

The John Muir Trust has owned the eastern slopes of Schiehallion, one of Scotland’s landmark mountains, since 1999. It is the scene of their largest conservation effort - a five year programme to realign the main footpath to the summit on to an older route and to restore the existing eroded path line. This conservation project will remove the ugly scar of the current summit path and open a new one for visitors later this year. The £800,000 programme has been principally funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, BP and Scottish Natural Heritage. This week, the project took an important step forward when Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace opened a new footbridge which had been built entirely by volunteers who are employed by the BP oil company.

Weather Data for July

The Scottish Meteorological Office has published the official weather data for July and it shows that the month was very warm - all parts were at least 2°C higher than the normal monthly average, with Shetland over 3°C warmer than usual. But despite a heatwave from the 13th to 17th July, only the north-east of the country had above average hours of sunshine. Rainfall in west central Scotland was around the expected level but the east and north had less than the long-term average. Overall, it was the warmest July since 1983 and June and July combined were the warmest since the Scottish temperature series began in 1961. The highest temperature in July was 30C (86F) recorded at Prestwick on 16th.

Weather in Scotland This Week

The long, hot spell came to an end this week as Atlantic weather fronts passed over, affecting the west side of the country in particular. On Tuesday, Glasgow was shivering at 16C (61F) while Aberdeen still basked in sunshine and temperatures of 22C (72F). Some much needed rain also arrived, Glasgow had nearly half-an-inch on Thursday. But by Saturday, sunshine had returned and the thermometer headed back up towards 20/21C (68/70F) and the outlook is for the weather to continue to be bright.

This week's illustrations of current flowers in Scotland are from the Glasgow Show in Victoria Park on Saturday. The first group of four blooms are begonias and the illustration below is of a variety of different cosmos flowers,

More Clues on Bannockburn Battle Site

It is strange that the exact site of the Battle of Bannockburn is a matter of controversy. It was one of the pivotal conflicts in Scottish history, in which King Robert the Bruce defeated the much larger army of the English King Edward II and led to Scotland being recognised as an independent nation by England (not that this stopped later invasions). The National Trust for Scotland looks after a national monument on what it believes to be the site of the battle which took place on June 24, 1314. But the location is based on historical accounts - no weapons or other items have ever been found to pin-point the battle site. Recent research has suggested that while the initial skirmishes took place near where the Bannockburn memorial is located, the main battle took place elsewhere, possibly in an area known locally as Balquhidderock, close to Bannockburn town centre. Others have suggested a stretch of fertile land near the burn. Now two archaeologists, carrying out painstaking research using metal detectors for a historical TV series, have found two horse stirrups and a sword handle on a flood plain to the east of the Bannock Burn. These have been dated to the 14th century and the stirrups show signs of being violently torn from their fixings. The details of the find will be featured in a BBC TV programme on August 31.

Theatre Loses Out to Palladian Villa

A TV series, in which viewers are asked to vote on which crumbling historic building should be saved, covered three Scottish sites last week. The historic Britannia Panopticon Music Hall in Glasgow's Trongate (where Stan Laurel made his stage debut and Archie Leach performed before changing his name to Cary Grant) was pitted against Mavisbank House in Midlothian, the first Palladian villa to be built in Scotland and a Kirkcaldy linoleum factory. When the viewers' telephone votes were counted it was the gutted shell of the villa which gained over 50% support. It will now go on to the next round where it will face competition from buildings in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. Ultimately, only one property will be given a multi-million pound facelift. Of course, the other buildings will not necessarily be pulled down - they just have to fight for finance from other sources. Indeed, since its TV appearance, an unnamed developer has expressed an interest in the Panopticon, which opened as a theatre in 1857. The trust which owns the building says that they could never have achieved such publicity without the appearance on the TV series.

Cramond Lioness Returning Home?

In 1997, a ferryman uncovered a magnificent carved Roman lioness from the mud of the river Almond at Cramond, west of Edinburgh. It was taken to the Museum of Scotland and, after cleaning, was put on display in the new building. It shows a crouching lioness with what appears to be a human in its jaws. But now the statue is expected to form the centrepiece of a new conservation and management plan being drawn up for the site of a Roman fort and bath house at Cramond. A £2 million project is to be approved by Edinburgh City Council next week for a new interpretation centre to be built near the site. The remains are associated with the Roman Emperor Severus.

This Week in History

• August 24 1482 - Berwick on Tweed finally ceded to England (Edward IV) after changing hands 12 times.
• August 25 1776 - Philosopher David Hume died.
• August 25 1819 - James Watt, developer of steam power, died.
• August 25 1819 - Birth in Glasgow of Alan Pinkerton, founder of the Chicago-based detective agency which bears his name.
• August 25 1930 - Actor Sean Connery born.
• August 25 1931 - Ramsay MacDonald formed a National Government.
• August 26 1875 - Novelist and statesman John Buchan born in Perth.
• August 27 1784 - First balloon ascent in Britain by James Tytler, Edinburgh.
• August 28 1296 - Edward I of England held a parliament at Berwick to which he summoned all Scottish landholders to sign the Ragman Roll.
• August 28 1413 - Bull of Pope Benedict XIII ratified the founding of St Andrews University.
• August 29 1930 - Island of St Kilda evacuated.
• August 30 1870 - Birth of golf course designer Dr Alister Mackenzie; he was responsible for Augusta National and Cypress Point, among others.
• August 30 1901 - Scottish born Hubert Cecil Booth patented his design for a vacuum cleaner which sucked in the dust and retained it by means of a filter.
• August 30 1991 - Liz McColgan won the World Athletics Championship 10,000 metres in Tokyo by a margin of 20 seconds.

Blooming Glasgow Show

The Glasgow Show in Victoria Park is not just a flower show but has a range of entertainment including model boats on the pond (see illustration), demonstrations of birds of prey, Clydesdale horses, motorcycle display teams, drum majorettes, funfair and plant sales. Taking place on the 23 August, it once again enjoyed brilliant, warm sunshine. 25,000 people enjoyed the displays and events last year and the organisers hope that the additional attractions will produce an even larger audience this year.
The illustration here is of a model of a Clyde cruise ship, the "Duchess of Montrose". The authenticity of the model extended to strains of an accordian band wafting across the water from the model!

Festival Smashes Ticket Sale Record

With two weeks still to run, the Edinburgh International Festival has already exceeded last year's total ticket sales. More than £2.35 million has been taken at the box office, with around 20% of sales being made online. The Fringe, Film and Book Festivals have also all reported record bookings. One of the hottest tickets in town is for Scottish Opera's 16-hour production of Wagner's Ring cycle at the Festival Theatre.

Financial Support for Fringe Festival?

Despite its huge success, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, an essential element of the festival season in the capital, receives very little financial support from public funds. Indeed, there have been complaints from performers that the city council has been increasing the price of premises, making it more difficult for them to make a profit. But now the city's deputy Lord Provost and the council's "festival tsar" has said that he is open to the idea of strategic investment in the Fringe. This might take the form of an Olympic-style village for the performers, the refurbishment of venues and improved public transport. But the deputy Lord Provost suggests that any finance should not come just from Edinburgh tax payers but from central government support. Other one-off festivals such as the MTV Awards in Leith, receive extravagant financial backing (£750,000 in the case of the MTV extravaganza).

Sean Connery Painting Discovered

An oil painting of Sean Connery, aged about 20 and posing as an artists' model in swimming trunks, has been uncovered in the archives of an Edinburgh arts promoter. Richard Demarco was an artist at the time and he had encouraged the young Connery to pose at the Edinburgh College of Art for £3 a week, after spotting him as a lifeguard at the Portobello swimming baths. Demarco later encouraged Connery to approach the actress Anna Neagle when she was playing at the Empire Theatre in Edinburgh. Connery made such an impression, he was immediately hired as an extra and the actress helped him to get early film roles. Some of Demarco's photographic archives are currently being exhibited at the Dean Gallery in Edinburgh and they include 15 photos of Connery from those early years. Sean Connery was born in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh in 1930 and, after service in the Royal Navy, he began body building. He entered the Mr Universe contest in London in 1953 - and came third.

Big Idea in Liquidation

The "Big Idea" science centre at Irvine, which was established with £11 million of funding (half from the Millennium Commission), has gone into liquidation and is now being run by receivers after struggling to survive for three years. Ironically, it has been the good summer weather which has brought thousands to the Ayrshire coast which has sounded the death knell for the attraction. Based on the tenuous idea that Irvine was the home of the Nobel explosives division of ICI, it has failed to attract sufficient visitors. It received a £500,000 handout from the Scottish Executive last March when it was within days of closing. But the centre needed 70,000 visitors a year to break even and was well below 50,000 instead. The Glasgow Science Centre, located in a much larger population catchment area, has also had financial problems. So it was hardly surprising that the Big Idea, built in the Ayrshire coastal town of Irvine, would struggle attract sufficient visitors to make it viable.

International Horse Trials and Country Fair

The Bowmore Blair Castle International Horse Trials and Country Fair takes place from Thursday 21 to Sunday 24 August. Event riders from around the globe will converge at Blair Castle to compete for a record amount of prize money in a three-day Scottish event. This year the event becomes three star - making it not only one of the three trials of this level that take place in the UK, but also the first ever horse trials of this level to be held north of the Border. Visitors to Blair Castle over the four days will be treated to not only to a first class equestrian competition, but also to a spectacular Country Fair including demonstrations, displays and over 200 shopping opportunities in a tented village.

Sunday Football Results

Dundee 0 Dunfermline 2
Hibernian 1 Hearts 0

Bank of Scotland Premier League Results - 23 August 2003

Aberdeen 1 Dunfermline 2
Dundee 2 Livingston 1
Hearts 3 Dundee United 0
Motherwell 2 Kilmarnock 1
Partick Thistle 1 Celtic 2
Rangers 5 Hibernian 2

Scottish First Division Results - 23 August 2003

Clyde 2 Brechin 1
Falkirk 0 Queen of the South 0
Raith Rovers 1 Ayr United 1
Ross County 2 St Mirren 0
St Johnstone 1 Inverness 2

League Tables

Rangers' emphatic win over Hibs ensured that they remained at the top of the Scottish Premier League with maximum points from their first three games. Celtic and Dunfermline are two points behind. At the foot of the SPL, Dundee United and Aberdeen have yet to record a single point.
In the First Division, Clyde have moved to the top with 7 points. Ross County are just one point behind and both Raith Rovers and Falkirk are one further point below.

Norway 0 Scotland 0

The best that could be said about this friendly in Oslo was that at least Scotland didn't lose again. But that was as much to do with Norway's inability to exploit their superiority in mid-field and an excellent performance by the Scotland goalkeeper, Rab Douglas. For long periods, Scotland was on the back foot, defending against probing Norwegian attacks. Scotland will have to do better in their next two Euro 2004 matches against the Faroe Islands and Germany. Especially as Iceland defeated the Faroes to go top of Group 5, four points ahead of Scotland (after playing one more game). Fortunately, Iceland still have two games to play against the group favourites, Germany. But Scotland's earlier defeat by Lithuania and draw against the Faroes could yet prove to be fatal slips.

Scotland 47 Italy 15

Six tries gave Scotland a comfortable win over Italy in this World Cup warm-up game played at Murrayfield, Edinburgh in front of a crowd of 25,000.

Blackburn Rovers Lodge Bid for Ferguson

Graeme Souness, the manager of English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers, announced this week that he has lodged an official bid for Rangers' captain Barry Ferguson. It is thought to be around £9 million. There has been increasing speculation that Ferguson was unhappy at the Ibrox club and although he had not put in an official request for a transfer, it was clear that his agent had been busy behind the scenes. Over the summer, Rangers have sold Lorenzo Amoruso, Arthur Numan, Neil McCann and Claudio Caniggia.

Dundee Reveal Loss of £6.6 Million

Dundee Football Club has at last revealed its accounts for the year to 31 May 2002, filing its figures nearly five months beyond the deadline set by the regulatory body. The accounts show a loss of £6.64 million, compared to a loss of £2.5 million in 2001. The dire figures came at the end of the disastrous management of Ivano Bonetti, when the club brought in a large number of overseas players in the hope that they would produce results and be sold on at a profit. But only Claudio Caniggia and Zurab Khizanishvili provided any financial benefit. And as more players joined the club and their high salaries were added to expenses, Dundee's achievements on the field declined (6th in 2001 and 9th in 2002). The wage bill in 2001/2002 increased by £800,000 and the total wage bill was equal to 154% of annual revenue. The club's auditors point out that the club has continued to incur substantial operating losses which are being financed by increased indebtedness, mainly to the club's bankers, Bank of Scotland.

Referee Admits Mistake

Video evidence has been allowed since the start of 2000/2001 season by players who are appealing against being ordered off in a senior football (soccer) match. This has allowed a number of appeals to be successful but a referee made history this week by reviewing the video himself and advising the appeal panel that he was wrong. The incident arose in last Sunday's Hibs versus Hearts derby at Easter Road when referee Stuart Dougal ordered off Hibernian's Grant Brebner for a tackle. The referee decided that the incident only merited a yellow card after he had sen the video evidence after the match. The Scottish Football Association commented afterwards that referees have to make instant decisions and the appeal system is designed to consider the evidence at leisure.

Overhaul for Parkhead

The distinctive red brick frontage of Celtic's stadium at Parkhead was built in 1988 to celebrate the club's centenary. But planning permission is now being sought to replace it with bricks in the club's green and white colours, plus glass. There would also be changes to the hospitality areas inside. Redevelopment work currently ongoing at the stadium will bring it up to UEFA five-star standard, allowing the club to host a European final. Rangers' Ibrox stadium has already been upgraded to that standard and Hampden Park, also in Glasgow, has already hosted three European Cup Finals (in 1960, 1976 and last year).

Third Time Lucky for Falkirk?

Building work on the new Falkirk stadium is progressing on schedule and the club hope to be able to have the 10,000-seater structure completed by next March. Falkirk have won promotion to the Scottish Premier League twice - but have been thwarted each time because they did not have a stadium of the required standard. Now all Falkirk have to do is be at the top of the First Division by the end of the season and they will then move up to the SPL.

New Look for Ski Centre

Work has started on upgrading the Lecht Ski Centre which straddles the border between Aberdeenshire and Morayshire. The development includes a £900,000 scheme which will include the highest bar in Britain at over 2,000 feet. The aim is to provide first-calss facilities for both winter and summer visitors. With large picture windows and terraces, the Lecht provides spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. The Lecht has the largest artificial snowmaking facilities in Britain to allow it to cope with the unreliability of natural snow.

Sport of Kings at Scone Palace

A star studded international polo tournament was staged in perfect weather conditions at Scone Palace last weekend. Polo, a game resembling hockey but played by teams of horsemen, is a popular sport of the Prince of Wales and his two sons, William and Harry. While none of the royals were at Scone, there were a number of jet-setters and aristocrats at the Team Management International Cup. The day's events ended with a fiercely competitive Scotland versus England match - which the Scots won by 10-4.