Glasgow Says Goodbye to Mr Happy

There have been a number of alternative slogans invented to market the City of Glasgow since it adopted the cartoon character Mr Happy and the phrase "Glasgow's Miles Better" in the early 1980s. There was "Glasgow's Alive" and "Glasgow's For It" (which played on the local word forit meaning forward) and "City of Love" makes a fleeting annual appearance. But none have had the same impact. Indeed, from time to time Mr Happy has appeared to bolster the image of the city. The catchy slogan (which could be mispronounced to read "Glasgow Smiles Better" to reflect the local humour and warmth) was so successful that it even convinced the residents of Glasgow that indeed the city was a lot better. Of course, a major urban renewal programme, civic buildings, being European City of Culture and a major Flower Festival all in the 1980s helped the process. But now the marketing men have decided to completely pension off Mr Happy and have come up with "Glasgow: Scotland with Style" as the new slogan, using a font with hints, it is said, of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. It remains to be seen whether it has the same impact as Glasgow's Miles Better. While the Glaswegian humour is legendary, "style" is not perhaps the first word that springs to mind in relation to Glasgow - despite the Versace, Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren and Emporio Armani outlets in the city. But there is no doubt that over the years Glasgow has always aimed high.

Scotland Continues to Lag Behind

The latest Royal Bank of Scotland's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), a respected barometer of economic performance, shows that Scotland is continuing to grow - but at a slower rate than most of the rest of the UK. In March 2003, the UK and Scotland had almost identical PMI figures of 49.7 and 49.3 respectively. Since that trough, the recovery in the UK economy has resulted in the UK index rising to 58 in February. While Scotland has seen an upturn, it is only to 55.2. The Scottish figures mean that it has been the second-worst performing region in the UK for the last eleven months. Only the north-east of England is growing more slowly. Part of the reason may be the closer ties between Scotland and Europe where there has been stagnant growth for some time. The Royal Bank data are at odds with the Scottish Executive's recently much-revised GDP estimates which suggested that Scotland was outperforming the rest of the UK last year. Most economists are treating the government figures with considerable scepticism.

Free Milk for Primary School Pupils

In 1971, many local authorities in Scotland were forced to stop issuing free milk to pupils in primary schools. It was Margaret Thatcher, as education secretary, who argued that the service was no longer justified as ill health due to poor nutrition was no longer a major problem... The decision was unpopular at the time and some local authorities continued to allocate some of their budget to the provision of free milk to underprivileged pupils until 1986. Then the Conservative government (with Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister) put a stop to it. Now Glasgow City Council, Scotland's biggest local authority, is to become the first in nearly 20 years to provide free milk to all primary school pupils who want it. And unlike the "old days" when the milk was often warm from lying around in school corridors, the milk will be served chilled. From April, all 41,228 primary school children will be offered free milk at lunchtime, with a choice of full-fat, semi-skimmed or flavoured varieties.

First Woman Heads Chamber of Commerce in 221 Years

Lesley Sawers, a communications advisor with VisitScotland, the tourist agency, has been appointed as the chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce. It is the first time since the organisation was founded in 1783 that a woman has been appointed to the top job. Over 2,000 businesses are represented by the Chamber which speaks out on their behalf on issues affecting them such as transport, skills and training, local taxation, government red tape and links with government at local and national level.

New Scotland-Ireland Air Service

Irish airline Aer Arran is to begin a new twice-a-week air route from Prestwick to Donegal in north-west of Ireland, beginning in the summer of 2004. There has been a direct flight between Edinburgh and Cork since August 2002.

Fewer Passengers at Glasgow Airport

A reduction in the number of passengers travelling to London was being blamed for a fall of 2.2% in passenger numbers at Glasgow airport in February, compared with the same month last year (and after adjustments were made for the extra day in February this year). But the airport owner, British Airports Authority, said that new routes were coming into operation in the summer and they anticipate a strong growth over the summer at Glasgow. Edinburgh airport, however, saw a 4.1% underlying growth in February. But bad weather in the north-east resulted in a decline of 2.6% in passenger numbers at Aberdeen airport.

Galleries Ignore Vettriano

The way in which Jack Vettriano, the popular artist from Fife, is treated with disdain by the arts establishment has been highlighted by a leading TV arts programme which asked the National Galleries of Scotland and the Tate Gallery in London to explain why the artist is not represented in their collection. Both organisations declined to respond. In the "South Bank Show" TV presenter Lord Melvyn Bragg compares Vettriano to artists such as Monet and Van Gogh who were critically unpopular in their lifetime but later found favour. Vettriano (born in 1954) worked in the Fife coalfields before turning to art and had no formal training. But his rich colours, romantic subjects and considerable technical skill have made his works popular. His prints sell to the public in greater numbers than most classical artists. In 1999, when his work was first shown in New York, 20 of his paintings were sold within an hour. Original paintings by Vettriano (he changed his name from Jack Hogan) have been sold to celebrities such as Sir Terence Conran, Jack Nicholson and Robbie Coltrane.

Truth and Consequences

It is being suggested in the media that sales of the biography of former Scottish First Minister Henry McLeish (entitled "Scotland First: Truth and Consequences") have been extremely low. The usual book monitoring service of Nielson BookScan confirmed that it had not reached a place in the top 5,000 books in the UK, after going on sale ten days ago. Books which scrape into the list barely sell 100 copies. Needless to say, the book's publisher has declined to comment or divulge sales figures. The book was serialised in a Scottish tabloid and that may have dented the sales of the book. The former First Minister resigned amid accusations that he had not properly accounted for rent in the subletting of his office in Glenrothes - an episode he described as "a muddle not a fiddle." The picture is of Henry McLeish in the Scottish Parliament.

Over the Sea to Skye Needs Lifeline

When the bridge from the mainland to the Isle of Skye opened in October 1995, the ferry service between Kylerhea and Glenelg continued to operate. This is the oldest ferry route to Skye and operates a route where, in centuries gone by, thousands of cattle a year swam across on their way to the mainland market. But the service, which operates from April to October, receives no subsidy from public funds (unlike the Caledonain MacBrayne service between Mallaig and Armadale and the bridge itself). Because of the bridge, passenger numbers have declined over the years - there were just over 14,000 cars last year. Now the owner of the ferry says that he is to retire and he is giving the local community first refusal to buy the boat. If they do decide to purchase the ferry, they may be able to get financial assistance which is not available to a commercial operator.

Staff Bid to Buy Ski Resort

A group of staff and supporters has been formed to bid for the Glenshee Ski Centre near Braemar, which was recently put up for sale by the present owners. Friends of Glenshee has been established by a group willing to put up their own funds to buy the resort from the Glenshee Chairlift Company. The operation has been struggling as a result of a series of poor seasons due to low snowfalls. The buyout group would plan to add year-round activities. The nearby Lecht ski slope has followed that strategy and this has helped to stabilise income.

Nationwide Search for Castaway Ends in Failure

After considering over 100 applicants, including lawyers, teachers and accountants, to live in a house on the remote island of Eigg, the residents there have eventually decided to sell the house to an existing islander. They had offered the property (which has no mains water or electricity and car parking is over 500 yards from the house) to a couple from England. But that sale fell through when the couple were unable to sell their own house. Eigg Heritage Trust, which now owns the island on behalf of the people who live there, have now chosen Stuart "Scruff" Millar and his partner Kathleen to be the new owners of 18th century Howlin House, which has magnificent views over Laig Bay to Rum.. The house has been derelict for many years but was on the market at "offers over £40,000". The community numbers about 80.

Gaelic on the Map?

Signs incorporating Gaelic names (such as can be seen here at Queen Street Station in Glasgow) could start to appear in the Highlands if the regional council agrees to a proposal to erect bilingual signposts. In 1996, a policy was adopted which said that bilingual signs would only be introduced if the existing signs needed replaced and only in areas where there was a local tradition and a clear demand. The latest proposal is likely to meet some opposition. Additional costs involved will be hard to justify at a time when local authorities are being attacked for significant increases in local taxation. And there will be resistance in Caithness - where the area has a Norse rather than Gaelic heritage.

World's Best Whisky Bar

The Lismore Bar in Glasgow's Partick has been voted the "World's Best Whisky Bar" from a short list drawn up by the Whisky Magazine which included bars in Tokyo, Chicago, Stockholm and London. Whisky connoisseurs will no doubt be calling in at the Lismore when they descend on Glasgow for a two-day "Whisky Live" tasting event which is to take place in the city's George Square in September.

Famous Whisky Brand Sponsors Soap

The Famous Grouse whisky brand is to sponsor Emmerdale, one of the UK's top TV soap operas. Famous Grouse already sponsors the Scottish rugby team and now it is helping the stars of Emmerdale to raise £150,000 for the Anthony Nolan Trust. The whisky company will be the major sponsors of this year's "Emmerdale Extravaganza", a day of outdoor activities at Inchmarlo golf course at Banchory in Aberdeenshire on June 5. Famous Grouse will also be seen more frequently in the TV series.

Cardhu Loses War

Diageo, the world's largest spirits company, has admitted defeat and is withdrawing its Cardhu "pure" malt in the face of sustained pressure from the whisky industry. All other malts are "single" and come from a single distillery. Faced with increasing demand for Cardhu, which could not be met from the one distillery, Diageo had come up with the strategy of creating a product which was still a malt, but from more than one distillery which it then began to market as Cardhu "pure" malt. Competitors argued that it could confuse consumers. After strenuously defending its position, Diageo has surprisingly agreed to re-introduce the Cardhu single malt into its four key European markets of France, Spain, Portugal and Greece. Cardhu has been the fastest growing single malt in its markets with an increase in sales of 900% over the last ten years.

Lost May Be Found Again

A few weeks ago, the problem of the road sign for the Aberdeenshire village of Lost was reported in the press. The local council had decided that the cost of replacing the sign - which kept being stolen by souvenir hunters - was getting too much and they decided to change the name of the hamlet to Lost Farm in the hope that this would be less attractive for thieves. But there has been an outcry at the change, with letters to Aberdeenshire Council from all over the UK and abroad, including the US, Australia, New Zealand and France. It is argued that by giving in, the thieves are being allowed to win. So the council are to discuss the matter with local residents again. Attempts on a previous occasion to use anti-vandalism fittings proved to be to no avail as the sign just got lost again. Lost, for those who need to know, is a few miles from Strathdon, off the A944 road, heading toward the Grampian mountains.

Weather in Scotland This Week

The sun shone and temperatures hovered around 10C (50F) on Monday - the west was particularly favoured, with Glasgow to Tiree enjoying nearly ten hours of sunshine. But the rest of the week saw mainly cloudy skies and the thermometer falling to a maximum daytime level of 5C (41F) and below freezing overnight. Strong north and east winds made it feel even colder. By Saturday, the temperatures recovered as the wind changed more to the south-west, but that brought in more rain clouds.

This week's illustrations of current flowers in Scotland were taken last Monday - the only sunny day in the week. The rhododendron was blooming in the Linn Botanic Gardens at Cove on the Rosneath Peninsula. The gardens are on the shores of Loch Loch Long in Argyll and the picture below shows some daffodils (in the car park for the botanic gardens) and the loch and hills beyond.

New Tapestries for Stirling Castle

A project to recreate tapestries which will adorn the walls of the Palace at Stirling Castle is well underway- but will take more than three more years to complete. The Palace is currently having a major makeover and the tapestries will be hung in the Queen's Presence Chamber in the building. The design is based on a set of medieval tapestries depicting the "Hunt of the Unicorn". Dating from 1495-1505, the original tapestries were woven in Brussels and are now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. There will be replica furniture and fittings alongside the tapestries to recreate the splendour of the royal apartments in the 1540s, following the death of King James V and the regency of Mary of Guise (parents of Mary Queen of Scots).

Ruminating on the Runes

A series of 1,200-year-old Viking symbols found on a slate in a rabbit hole at Dalgety Bay in Fife is causing the experts to scratch their heads. As they cannot translate the runic script, they are not sure whether it is the work of a Viking raider or of a Scandinavian who had settled in the area. The Vikings are known to have ransacked parts of Fife in the middle ages (600 monks were massacred in a monastery on May Island off the coast) but prior to this find there is little evidence that they settled there (unlike the northern isles and the north-west of Scotland). But archaeologists think it is possible that the stone found in Fife may have been used to mark the boundary of Viking property. Although the Vikings initially came to Scotland as hostile raiders in the 9th century, a few hundred years later they had settled in the north and west of the country.

Next Week in History

March 14 1952 - First television programmes broadcast in Scotland.

March 15 1886 - Low-level platforms at Glasgow's Queen Street Station opened.

March 16 1309 - King Robert the Bruce convened his first parliament, at St Andrews.

March 16 1935 - John J R Macleod, Scottish/Canadian physiologist and winner of Nobel Prize (in 1923) died.

March 17 1328 - Treaty of Edinburgh between King Robert I and Edward III which recognised Scotland's independence, ending the 30 years of Wars of Independence.

March 17 1473 - King James IV born (that's his portrait on the right).

March 17 1951 - The cartoon character "Dennis the Menace" appeared for the first time in the "Beano" comic.

March 17 1969 - Longhope lifeboat sank in the Pentland Firth with the loss of eight men on board, all from the small island of Hoy.

March 17 1984 - Scotland won Rugby "Grand Slam" at Murrayfield - the first time in 59 years.

March 17 1990 - Scotland beat England 13-7 at Murrayfield to win the rugby "Grand Slam".

March 18 1689 - Earl of Leven raises a Border regiment to hold Edinburgh against the Jacobites. It later becomes the King's Own Scottish Borderers.

March 18 1857 - William Henry Playfair, architect, died.

March 19 1286 - King Alexander III died after crossing the river Forth to Fife at Queensferry.

March 19 1641 - Foundation stone of Hutchesons' Grammar School laid by Thomas Hutcheson as a residential school for the poor in Glasgow.

March 19 1721 - Novelist Tobias Smollett born. Books included "The Adventures of Roderick Random" and "The Expedition of Humphrey Clinker".

March 19 1813 - David Livingstone, missionary and explorer, born Blantyre.

March 19 1938 - Rugby first appeared on British television - England v Scotland at Twickenham in London.

March 19 1955 - Billy Graham began All-Scotland Crusade.

March 20 1141 - King Malcolm IV born.

March 20 1780 - The firm of James Watt and Co was established to manufacture the world's first duplicating machines.

March 20 1814 - Birth of Dr John Goodsir in Anstruther, Fife, who showed in 1842 that bacteria was the cause of disease and that it could be eliminated with selective poisons - 18 years before Louis Pasteur, who is usually credited with the discovery.

Egyptian Treasures for Kelvingrove

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum may be undergoing a major refurbishment and is not scheduled to reopen until 2006, but the curators have to plan far ahead for special exhibitions. They have announced that there will be a permanent exhibition in the refurbished building of ancient Egyptian treasures borrowed from the British Museum in London. The British Museum has 100,000 artefacts, mummies and art objects from Egypt, the finest collection outside of Cairo, so they have plenty to spare and will be lending an important selection. The director of the British Museum, Dr Neil MacGregor, a Glaswegian, has long been an admirer of Kelvingrove. He considers that Glasgow has one of the finest civic collections in Europe.

Piper Reeling at Invitation from Madonna

It looks as though a piper who welcomed Madonna at Inverness Airport with "Like a Virgin" as she arrived to marry film director Guy Ritchie must have made a big impression on the pop megastar. Because Calum Fraser has been invited to appear with the diva on her next world tour. Madonna's staff tracked him down via his Web site and now he will be playing in places like Milan, Barcelona and Los Angeles. Fraser is no stranger to glamorous occasions - he played in a glitzy wedding in America (where Jamie Lee Curtis asked him what he wore under his kilt - like a true Scotsman, he refused to answer) and last year was on a promotional tour to India for a Scotch whisky firm.

Glasgow International Comedy Festival 2004

Massive success in 2003 means that this year’s festival from 17 March - 3 April is bigger and better, with 150 performances at some 20 venues across the city. International talent comes from as far afield as Australia, Germany and the USA, and the fun starts on St Patrick’s Day with a special line-up of top Irish comics. As well as the live shows, there is also a top programme of classic comedy films courtesy of Glasgow Film Theatre. These include Jerry Seinfeld’s ‘Comedian’, Laurel and Hardy classics, the Finnish docu-comedy Screaming Men and the much - loved Whisky Galore! Full details of all events and how to buy tickets are available at www.glasgowcomedyfestival.com.

Badenoch & Strathspey Music Festival 2004

This music festival, running from 15 - 19 March, will be packed with adult and children's competitions, dance, piping, traditional folk music and Gaelic song and verse culminating in a festival gala concert . The concert will be held in Kingussie High School, Ruthven Road, Invernesshire.

Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results

Celtic 1 Rangers 0 (Tennent's Scottish Cup Quarter Final)
Kilmarnock 1 Hearts 1
Aberdeen 0 Partick Thistle 0
Falkirk 0 St Johnstone 1
Brechin City 1 Raith Rovers 1
Queen of the South 1 Clyde 2

Bank of Scotland Premier League Results - 13 March 2004

Dundee 1 Aberdeen 1
Hearts 1 Rangers 1
Partick Thistle 1 Dundee United 1
Celtic v Motherwell will be played on Sunday

Scottish First Division Results - 13 March 20004

Clyde 0 Brechin 0
Falkirk 0 Queen of the South 2
Raith Rovers 2 Ayr United 1
Ross County 1 St Mirren 0
St Johnstone 3 Inverness 2

League Tables

If Celtic win against Motherwell on Sunday, they will go into a 18 point lead over nearest rivals Rangers after the Ibrox club failed to hold onto their 1-0 lead over Hearts on Saturday and lost another two points as the Edinburgh club scored an equalizer. Hearts, who have played one game more than Rangers, are in third place, with a 12 point gap between the two sides. Partick Thistle, trailing 14 points behind Kilmarnock, will be watching to see who wins out in the First Division. It seems likely that the only way they will stay up will be because the team that wins that league will not satisfy the SPL requirements for promotion, thus saving Partick from the drop.

First Division leaders Clyde had a surprise 0-0 draw against Brechin City (second from the bottom) and that has made the title race slightly more open. But both Inverness and St Johnstone are 7 points adrift. Ayr United are only one point behind Brechin at the foot of the table.

Celtic Take Narrow Lead

In the cauldron of Celtic's ground at Parkhead, the club maintained their reputation for being difficult to beat at home with a 1-0 win over Spanish giants Barcelona, in the first leg of their UEFA Cup fourth-round match. That brought the Celtic unbeaten home record to 74 consecutive matches. The close fought match was full of incidents - including a fracas in the tunnel as the players walked off at half time which resulted in a Barcelona player and the Celtic goal-keeper being banned from the second half. A Barcelona player was also red-carded later in the match for a scything kick on Alan Thomson. It was Thomson who scored the winning goal 12 minutes later, from a superb header by Henrik Larsson. But it remains to be seen whether the slim 1-0 lead will be sufficient on the return leg in Barcelona on March 25. At least Barcelona did not score a valuable "away" goal which would count as two in the event of a tie.

Scottish Cup Semi-Finals

The draw for the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup (to be played on 10 and 11 April) will see Inverness play Dunfermline and either Aberdeen or Livingston play Celtic. Aberdeen replay their match against Livingston on 18 March to decide who goes forward to face Celtic.

No Silverware

Rangers' 1-0 defeat by rivals Celtic in the quarter-final of the Tennent's Scottish Cup last Sunday means that they are unlikely to have any trophies to add this year to the large collection of silverware already at Ibrox. It was Celtic's Swedish striker Henrik Larsson who scored the winning goal - not for the first time. But the Rangers manager Alex McLeish said afterwards that the players had battled hard in the match and gave 100% effort and should have their heads up. Even so, the team only managed one meaningful shot on target and that came in the 89th minute.

Ground Sharing for Dundee Clubs?

There is speculation that the administrators sent in to run Dundee Football club are about to propose a ground-sharing arrangement with Dundee United, ending a history at Dens Park which began in the 19th century. The idea has been floated before and angrily rejected by Dundee fans. But the bankrupt club are in no position to pass up an opportunity to save money and Dundee United would also benefit financially from any deal. The two grounds are within sight of one another.

Ski Resorts Turn to Mountain Bikes

The Scottish skiing industry is struggling to survive as a result of the lack of snow during winter months over the last few years. The number of days with enough snow for skiing has fallen by 25% in the last 20 years - the White Corries ski slope, the oldest commercial ski resort in Scotland, had only 7,557 skier days last year compared to an annual average of 25,122 since 1985. The situation is likely to get worse as global warming continues and some resorts are desperately looking at alternatives such as mountain-biking. The number of bikers visiting Scotland's official mountain trails now exceed the number of skiers and the Nevis Range near Fort William is developing mountain bike trails and downhill runs. Glenshee has commissioned a study into creating similar facilities. In the south of Scotland, where commercial ski resorts have not been developed at all, there has been the development of the "Seven Stanes" project with seven mountain bike centres stretching across the Scottish Borders to Dumfries and Galloway.

Debt Stops Stadium Expansion

Plans to build an extension to the seating at Clyde's Broadwood stadium have been postponed after it was revealed that the club has outstanding rent arrears of £250,000 owed to North Lanarkshire Council who own the ground. The extra seating capacity is needed if Clyde (currently at the top of the First Division) are to meet the requirements for promotion to the SPL. Now a Supporters' Trust is aiming to make a bid for the club, even though full details of the club's debts are not known. If successful, the Trust would become the first senior club in the country to be run by its supporters. But a rival consortium, led by a Glasgow businessman is said to be willing to inject cash into the club over the next few months.