The Rampant Scotland Newsletter - your weekly insight into what has been happening in Scotland, snipped from the Scottish media, for Scots in Scotland and abroad, bringing you news, events plus a Scottish magazine section. Printed with 100% recycled electrons.Previous editions of this Newsletter are available in the Archive> and the Index to the other pages of the Rampant Scotland site is available here>.
The Scottish Snippets Newsletter in its original format began in April 1997 and continued in an unbroken series for 591 issues. Although no longer produced in that format there is now a regular update on the new and updated pages on the Rampant Scotland site and also "Scottie's Diary" on an intermittent basis, To receive this, kust send an e-mail to Scottie with "Subscribe Newsletter" in the subject line.
Current Affairs
Historical Affairs - Topical Items from Scotland's Past
Entertainment
Scots Abroad
Sport
In the First Division, St Johnstone failed to reduce Gretna's lead when they went down to Queen of the South earlier in the week. Saints are now 6 points behind Gretna, with both clubs having now played the same number of matches. Ross County and Stirling Albion are equal on points at the foot of the First Division. Having won three matches in a row (including the scalps of Gretna and St Johnstone), Queen of the South are now 5 points clear of the bottom two clubs.
In the Second Division, Greenock Morton are still out in front, 4 points ahead of Stirling Albion and with a game in hand. Forfar are ten points adrift from Stranraer at the other end of the table.
In the Third Division, Berwick Rangers are three points ahead of Queens Park at the top, but have a game in hand. East Stirling slipped to the foot of the table, one point behind Elgin.
Magazine Section
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
Gold for Glasgow in 2014?
Glasgow's chances of winning the contest to stage the 2014 Commonwealth Games were boosted this week when Canadian city Halifax and the province of Nova Scotia decided to pull out due to soaring costs. A review of operating and capital costs had shown that the budget had reached nearly $1.7 billion, which was nearly $1 billion more than the original projection. Halifax had always been seen (at least in Scotland) as Glasgow's main competition. Their withdrawal will mean that Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, is the only other location making a bid. It is aiming to make the games part of that country's centenary. Abuja recently hosted the All-Africa Games, the African regional version of the Olympics. They constructed a world-class Olympic stadium and games village for that. It was a hugely successful tournament with more than 7,000 athletes - larger in size than any Commonwealth Games ever held. The Abuja bid has received strong support from African commonwealth members (which make up the bulk of the commonwealth). So although it is now a two horse race, Glasgow still has a lot to do to win over the decision makers when they meet on November 9, 2007 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Rail Strike Leaves Passengers Fuming
Right up to the last minute, there had been hopes that an industrial dispute between the management of Network Rail and 450 signalling staff might be resolved. But as both sides remained entrenched, over 70% of train services across Scotland were cancelled from noon on Wednesday to noon on Friday. Although that was theoretically a two-day strike, it meant that commuters were unable to travel by train on all three days. The dispute centres on union claims that an agreement last year on a 35-hour week has not been implemented and that rostering arrangements are being breached by management. The agreement is reported to have been largely accepted in England and Wales and indeed a limited service in Scotland has been only possible by drafting in staff from over the border. Network Rail insist that they offered to go to the Acas industrial dispute arbitration service. As the strike came to an end on Friday, the RMT union announced that it was to have two further 48-hour stoppages from Friday 16 March to Sunday 18 March and again on Monday 19 March to Wednesday 21 March. That will mean commuters will effectively have no rail service for four consecutive working days. The strike was not negative for everybody, however. Hotels reported a surge in business as stranded travellers were forced to stay in cities and towns. And the bus companies also attracted a number of new passengers and had to lay on extra services to cope, particularly between Edinburgh and Glasgow and other Scottish cities.
Eight-Year High Baby Boom
Over 55,000 births were registered in Scotland in 2006, the highest number since 1998. Combined with a slight reduction in the number of deaths in 2006 compared to 2005, there were more births than deaths, the first time that has happened since 1994. Deaths from heart disease were down by 8% and strokes by 5%, but they still remain the country's biggest killers. Cancer accounted for 27% of all deaths. The data from the Registrar General also showed that the number of infant deaths at 248 was the lowest ever recorded and 13% down on the previous year.
Glasgow Needs Thousands of Extra Construction Workers
The building boom in Glasgow, particularly Glasgow Harbour (illustrated here), the National Indoor Sports Arena, the Merchant City and the expansion of city centre office and retail space, has put pressure on all the building trades. Wage rates have soared as construction firms desperately try to hold on to existing staff and recruit more. A forecast published this week predicts that the city will need an extra 1,000 building workers every year for the next five years to keep up with all the projects. While many buildings need new high-tech skills, there is also a need for traditional trades such as stonemasons to work on the repair and maintenance of the many older buildings. The need for construction workers is mirrored elsewhere in the country - an extra 34,000 recruits will be needed in Scotland by 2011to meet the demand.
Threat to Survival of Shipyard
The Ferguson shipyard at Port Glasgow on the lower Clyde has announced that it is having to make redundant 99 out of its 126 workforce. It is hoped to keep the yard open and transfer many of the staff to BAE Systems yards. But these are in Scotstoun, ten miles further up the river, or in Devon, 500 miles away in the south-west of England. There have been calls for the Scottish Executive to intervene and place an order for a ship, such as a fisheries protection vessel, so that one of the few remaining shipyards in the lower Clyde can survive. But it appears that there are currently no requirements for such a ship in the near future. Even without an order, the company may be able to continue with repair and design work, but with a much reduced workforce.
Education Merger Confirmed
The University of Paisley and Bell College in Hamilton have confirmed that they are to merge in August this year. The name for the new university has not yet been confirmed - controversially, the University of the West of Scotland had been mooted earlier as the preferred option. The combined institution will have over 16,000 students in campuses in Paisley, Hamilton, Ayr and Dumfries, providing a university facility in Lanarkshire for the first time. The merger is subject to approval by the Scottish Parliament, but that should be a formality.
Picture via Wikipedia.
Airline Shake-Up Affects Staff
The sale of the British Airways loss-making Connect services to rival Flybe has resulted in the cancellation of a number of flights. BA staff involved are being offered either a transfer to Flybe or redundancy payments. Over 430 staff employed in Scotland are affected. Flybe say that the services they are taking over have been losing £40 million a year and they are looking to cutting out a number of major loss-making routes. Edinburgh to Hamburg and Aberdeen to Manchester flights have been cancelled but Flybe are taking over routes such as Edinburgh to Paris Charles de Gaulle and Manchester, Glasgow to Manchester, Inverness to London Gatwick and Aberdeen to Birmingham. The deal will make Flybe Europe's largest regional airline.
Meaningless "Compromise"
After three years of consultation with hundreds of organisations and discussion within the Scottish Parliament, the legislature decided this week to ban retailers from opening on Christmas Day but allow them to open if they wish on 1 January. The advocates of the bill had wanted to protect workers from being pressurised to work on both these days. But the government were very aware that in Edinburgh at least, having some shops open on 1 January was essential if the Hogmanay celebrations by tens of thousands of revellers were not to fall flat on New Year's Day. But the "compromise" of banning opening on Christmas Day only was described as "meaningless" as no shops want to open that day anyway. A few multiple retailers want to trade on 1 January - though there may be more in future years. Of course, traditions are changing all the time. Within the memory of some older people, Christmas Day in Scotland was often a working day or maybe a half-day holiday. That arose from the time when Christmas was seen as a Catholic celebration which was frowned on in the early days of presbyterian Scotland. It was that which made Hogmanay a more important celebration than Christmas, up until fairly recently. January 2 is technically a Bank Holiday on Scotland (not in England) but now a number of shops open that day - and even some bank branches. In the UK, a "Bank Holiday" is merely a day when banks MAY close - it's not mandatory.
Up, Up and Away
By this summer,travellers will have even more choice of overseas destinations from Edinburgh airport, following the launch of 13 new services. There will be new direct flights to a range of European cities, including Rennes, in Brittany, France, and Reus, near the Costa Dorada and Barcelona which were announced this week Other flights previously announced include Milan, Dortmund, Zurich and Madrid and budget airline Flyglobespan is starting a service from the Capital to Toronto in Canada on May 26. There are now 40 airlines flying from Edinburgh's Turnhouse airport, going to over 80 destinations.
New Car Sales Rise - A Little
New car sales are often an indicator of economic confidence. If so, they have been suggesting a downturn, just when many of the other measures have been quite positive. For the last couple of years, monthly figures from car dealerships have more often than not been down on the same period a year earlier. So there was some satisfaction this week when the Scottish Motor Trade Association reported that sales had increased by 1.3% in February, compared with a year ago. The increase was only 1.3%, but that was a much better performance than the UK generally, where sales slumped by 3.5%. The top selling car in Scotland was again the super-mini Vauxhall Corsa (pictured here), followed by the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra. Overall, Vauxhall account for 15.6% of the new car market, with Ford second (14.6%) and French car maker Renault third (7.1%).
Dundee Call Centre Copes with Fuel Crisis
When thousands of drivers in the south-east of England filled up their tanks with petrol at the filling stations operated by supermarket giants Tesco and Morrisons, many found that their cars broke down soon after or the engine misfired and lost power. It was eventually established that this was due to fuel from storage tanks contaminated with silicon (which forms part of diesel fuel). Repairs to engines not only involved replacing the petrol but also the delicate electronics within the fuel system. In some cases, that was costing over £1,000. The supermarkets have accepted liability and asked customers to contact dedicated telephone numbers. Tesco has paid tribute to the "amazing" job done by call centre staff in Dundee who coped with thousands of angry customers. A dedicated team was set up to deal not only with claims and give advice on the information needed to support a claim but also calls from motorists querying whether a particular petrol station was safe again.
Salmon Catches Leap Up
The River Tweed Commission has reported that 2006 had the second highest annual salmon catch on its waters since records began 54 years ago. 17,154 fish were caught last year, over 14,000 by rod and line. Only 2004 produced a higher catch and the higher numbers are being attributed to the success of conservation schemes, as well as improvements along the river. However, a major threat in the form of American Signal Crayfish in tributaries of the river has been discovered and efforts will have to be made to stop an invasion of this non-native predator.
Wild Geese Demolish Windfarm Plans
A windfarm development in Argyll became the first in Britain to be rejected solely because it would break European wildlife protection laws. The windfarm at Largie, near Tayinloan, in Kintyre was only to have seven turbines, but it was argued that the blades would pose a threat to protected Greenland white-fronted geese that migrate to the area in winter. The Argyll and Bute Council's Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Area Committee had been keen to approve the scheme, but planning officials recommended refusal because of the requirement to protect the birds. Scottish Natural Heritage and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) claimed that the turbine blades would kill up to 100 geese a year.
It's Snow Fair
Scottish ski resorts are experiencing one of their worst seasons for many years - and they've had a few bad ones recently. Once again, the lack of snow has been the major problem. And when there has been enough snow, high winds have discouraged skiers and snowboarders and hampered the operation of tows and the funicular railway at the CairnGorm resort. Last year, the season was saved by a late fall of snow in March and the resorts are hoping that they will be lucky again in the next few weeks.
Scotland in the Lead in Fizzy Drink Sales
Despite efforts by the Scottish Executive to get us to cut down on the consumption of fizzy drinks, Scots consume more of these every year than in any other part of the UK. A staggering 324 litres of the sugar-laden drinks are bought by the average Scottish household. There is great loyalty to Irn-Bru with 78% of production from its Scottish factories being drunk here. But even in Scotland, tastes are changing, with many people switching to non-carbonated drinks such as fruit juice or "smoothies". But the market leader is still Coca-Cola, with a 21% share of all shop sales.
Public Takeover of Braemar Castle
Braemar Castle on Royal Deeside was built in 1628 by the Erskine Earl of Mar, but had to be rebuilt after the Jacobites burnt it to the ground in 1689. It was a major tourist attraction in the village of Braemar, but needs over £1 million to be spent on restoration. It has not been open to tourists since 2005 because of this. Now the owner of the fortress has agreed to pass it to the local community in a 50-year lease at a peppercorn rent. It is thought that this is the first community takeover of a castle in Scotland. The new proprietors will have access to sources of finance, such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, which would not be available to a private owner. The community hope to open three rooms to the public this year.
Techno Wars
Teams from 140 primary and secondary schools in Scotland descended this week on Kirkcaldy for the annual Techno Games at the Adam Smith College. Electronics company Raytheon supports the event, which encourages students to enjoy applied technology. The pupils design and build their own "battle-bots" which then compete in a series of gladiatorial contests, inspired by the BBC TV series Robot Wars. Their creations tackle football, an assault course and "robot sumo". An example of the "Dalek" from the BBC TV show "Dr Who" was on hand, but fortunately was not allowed to do what Daleks do best: "Exterminate! Exterminate!"
Starship Linlithgow
James Doohan, the actor who played Montgomery Scott, the chief engineer on the starship Enterprise, passed away in July 2005. There was then an unseemly scramble by a number of Scottish locations to be named as the (future) birthplace of the fictional character. Elgin and Linlithgow vied with Aberdeen, each quoting verbal and written "evidence". It now seems that Linlithgow has won this particular space race. A writer who created many of the original Star Trek episodes has confirmed to West Lothian's "enterprise committee" that the future birthplace (on June 28, 2222) of "Scotty" who regularly beamed up Captain Kirk, was/will be none other than Linlithgow. Now the town where Mary Queen of Scots was born is planning a Star Trek exhibition in the Annet House Museum. It will feature the original Star Trek costume worn by Scotty plus a scale model of the famous starship Enterprise. So in addition to displaying the history of the town, the museum will be showing its future as well...
Weather in Scotland This Week
Another very changeable week, with sunshine and showers. Maximum daytime temperatures had been drifting up to around 10C (48F), though strong breezes made it feel a lot less than that. Then on Friday, the thermometer dropped a bit, allowing some snow to fall on the Highlands and bring maximum daytime temperatures in lowland Scotland down to around 7C (45F). The outlook over the next few days? Why, changeable, of course!
This week's illustration shows a wild primrose, growing at the side of a minor road, north of Glasgow.
This Week's Colour Supplement
This week's large format photographs taken in Scotland to show the current season and its flora and fauna include purple and white striped crocus (see thumbnail here); white crocus with contrasting orange stamens; roe deer; daffodils; a white camellia; a raging torrent after heavy rain. See This Week's Colour Supplement.
Celebrating Thomas Telford
2007 is the 250th anniversary of the birth (on August 9) of one of the greatest Scottish engineers in history - Thomas Telford. The Institute of Civil Engineers, of which he was the first president, are planning to mark the occasion as are other areas in the Midlands of England where much of Telford's work was done. A series of events is being planned for his native Eskdale, but so far the Scottish Executive has rejected any suggestions for an official event as well as turning down a request for financial aid to the local project. Last year much was made of the anniversary of the birth of the English engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Experts in the field argue that the contribution of Telford was the greater. To rub salt in the wound, the Scottish Executive has approved the removal of the historic area Eskdale from the ballot papers for the Local Elections in May. The ward is now to be known as Annandale East, much to the disgust of locals from Eskdale.
3D Replica of Empire Exhibition
In 1938, over 12 million people were attracted to Bellahouston Park in Glasgow to see the 150 pavilions and buildings created over 175 acres as the "Empire Exhibition" for six months of that year. Visitor numbers might have been even higher, but the summer of that year was one of the wettest on record. The most prominent structure on the site was the 300 feet high Tait Tower (officially the "Tower of Empire"). It was intended to remain as a permanent monument after the exhibition, but was demolished in July of 1939. All that remains of that amazing event at Bellahouston is the "Palace of Art". But now the finishing touches are being added to a recreation of the landscape and the exhibition in a hi-tech, 3D replica which will go on show in April in the House for an Art Lover in the Bellahouston park. A bank of computers will recreate the whole exhibition and allow people to "walk up and down" the streets to see the buildings.
Next Week in Scottish History
Lifeline for Lead Mining Museum
Leadhills is a village in South Lanarkshire and lead and silver have been mined in the area for centuries - possibly as far back as Roman times. The village is the second highest in Scotland and its remote location has meant that the lead mining museum, its most important tourist attraction, does not get a large number of visitors each year. The trustees announced last October that the museum would not reopen in 2007, due to lack of funds and rising costs. It has taken a long time, but at last the Scottish Executive has agreed a one-off payment which will enable it to keep going for another 18 months, by which time its application for Museums of Significance funding will have been decided. It's not as if the sums involved are huge - the government grant amounts to £30,000 - less, say, than the cost of an information gathering trip abroad by a small group of politicians.
Top Attractions for Outdoor Festivals
The new Outdoor Festival in the Highlands being organised by Peter Irvine of Unique Events (the company that looks after Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations) is going to have a number of top acts in its line-up. Award-winning singer KT Tunstall and New Zealand Group Crowded House will be headlining a concert for an audience of around 10,000 fans. Salsa Celtica and Shooglenifty will also be performing in the event at Rothiemurchus, south of Aviemore, on 22 to 24 June. In addition, there will be outdoor activities including a mountain bike event over three different distances (20km, 45km and 65km) and a 12k run for all abilities. The Outdoor Festival is part of the year-long Highland 2007 event which aims to celebrate Highland culture.
Bed of Nails
The inaugural Glasgow University Science Festival, which started this week and runs to June 28, aims to entertain as a way of getting young people interested in science. It is billed as commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of Lord Kelvin. He studied and worked at the university and developed the second law of thermodynamics and gave his name to the scale of absolute temperature. But the festival events are light years from his work. There are a lot of "hands on" events including lying on a bed of nails (yes, I know, no hands involved in that one), making and racing a solar powered car, standing inside a giant bubble, smashing glass with sound, extracting DNA from fruit and vegetables and making a simple radio to take home. And "CSI River City" will have youngsters using forensic science to solve a crime. And there are high-voltage tricks in electricity in a lecture entitled "Arcs and Sparks". See Glasgow University Science Festival.
Scottish Culture Around the World
The main focus of the Scottish Snippets is news items, usually about Scotland but occasionally items from overseas are covered. The new "Scots Abroad" section, invites folk to write in about Scottish-related events in their part of the world. It allows publicity for them and an appreciation by others of just how much Scottish culture is perpetuated in every corner of the globe.
Bundadoon is Brigadoon
The village of Bundadoon in New South Wales has earned an enviable reputation over nearly 30 years as the premier site for hosting traditional Highland Games in Australia. In April every year "Brigadoon" wakens to the sound of bagpipes drifting across the village from first light. The street parade features 20 Pipe Bands from all over the State as well as decorated floats and marching Clan Societies. The formal opening is by the Chieftain of the Day - this year it will be the Rt. Hon Mrs Helen Liddell, British High Commissioner to Australia, who earlier in her distinguished career was the Member of Parliament for Airdrie and Shotts in North Lanarkshire and a UK government minister. There are over 150 specialist stalls with Scottish food and memorabilia, a full programme of Highland and Scottish Country dancing, heavy events - and a Ceilidh in the evening for those with energy left. The event raises money for local charities and takes place this year on Saturday, 28th April. See www.highlandsnsw.com.au/brigadoon.
New Australian Tartan
The Bundadoon Highland Games will see the launching of a new Australian tartan. The colours (Red, White, Blue, Green, Gold, and Black) have been selected for specific reasons. Red, White and Blue stem from Australia's National flag and from the time that Captain James Cook first raised the Union Jack flag on Australian soil. The six white stripes represent the Southern Cross constellation, which is unique to the southern hemisphere. Red and White stripes represent the Red Cross of St George (England) on a white background and a White Diagonal cross represents St Andrew (Scotland) on a dark blue background. There is also a Red Diagonal cross representing St Patrick (Ireland). Green and gold were formally proclaimed by the Australian Government as National colours in 1984 after many requests were made to have traditional sporting colours. The Black stripes in the tartan represent Australian's early beginnings as a convict settlement- a dark area of Australia's history.
Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results
Hibernian 0 Rangers 2
Motherwell 0 Heart of Midlothian 2
Queen of the South 1 St Johnstone 0
Cowdenbeath 1 Stirling Albion 2
Berwick Rangers 2 Dumbarton 1
Arbroath 2 Elgin 1
AC Milan 1 Celtic 0 (European Champions League, last 16 - aggregate AC Milan 1 Celtic 0)
Rangers 1 Osasuna 1 (Uefa Cup, last 16, first leg)Bank of Scotland Premierleague Results - 10 March 2007
Aberdeen 1 Heart of Midlothian 0
Dundee United 1 Motherwell1
Dunfermline 0 St Mirren 0
Hibernian 2 Falkirk 0
Kilmarnock 3 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 2
Celtic v Rangers is scheduled for Sunday and Motherwell v Aberdeen for next Tuesday.Scottish Football League First Division Results - 10 March 2007
Airdrie United 3 Livingston 1
Clyde 3 Hamilton 0
Queen of the South 2 Ross County 0
St Johnstone 2 Partick Thistle 0
Dundee v Gretna is scheduled for Sunday and Partick Thistle v St Johnstone and Ross County v Hamilton on Tuesday.Scottish Football League Second Division Results - 10 March 2007
Alloa 0 Greenock Morton 3
Ayr United 3 Forfar 1
Brechin City 1 Stranraer 1
Peterhead 0 Cowdenbeath 2
Raith Rovers 0 Stirling Albion 1Scottish Football League Third Division Results - 10 March 2007
Albion Rovers 2 Montrose 2
Arbroath 2 Dumbarton 2
Berwick Rangers 0 Queens Park 2
East Stirling 0 East Fife 2
Elgin 2 Stenhousemuir1
Dumbarton v Stenhousemuir is scheduled for Tuesday and East Stirling v Arbroath for Wednesday.League Tables
Aberdeen's win over Hearts today put them three points ahead of their Edinburgh rivals and consolidated a third place position (which, if maintained, would give them a place in the Uefa Cup). Celtic, 19 points ahead of Rangers, will be hoping for another win in the "Old Firm" match on Sunday. If Celtic win that match, they could win the SPL title if they defeat Falkirk next Saturday. Dunfermline are firmly at the foot of the SPL, 9 points behind St Mirren.
Scotland 18 Ireland 19
Ireland came from behind in a scrappy 6 Nations rugby match at Murrayfield to win the game - and the Triple Crown - by just one point. Cheered on by a large crowd of travelling support, Ireland had 13 points to Scotland's 9 at half time, thanks in part to the only try of the match, scored by Ronan O'Gara after a Scotland kick had been charged down. It was Chris Paterson's kicking that kept Scotland in the game, with six penalties. Scotland edged into the lead in the second half in an error-strewn match, but could not hold onto it. Ireland came back with two penalties of their own and denied Scotland a victory. After four games, Scotland have won just one match - against Wales (who have lost all their 6 Nations games so far this year).
Celtic Out of European Champions League
After a 0-0 result in Glasgow on the first leg of their last 16 European Champions League match, Celtic faced Italian club AC Milan this week in the San Siro stadium. Milan are Italy's most successful side in Europe, with six Cup or Champions League titles. In the last five years they have always managed to reach the quarter-final stage of the European Champions League So it was to Celtic's credit (goalkeeper Boruc in particular) that the score was again 0-0 after 90 minutes. Celtic had been under pressure for much of the match - but also had two penalty claims rejected by the referee. It took a brilliant goal from Brazilian Kaká (Ricardo Leite) in extra time to dash Celtic's hopes of going further in the competition.
Rangers Slim Lifeline in Uefa Cup
In 1985, Rangers were defeated 2-1 on aggregate by Spanish side Osasuna, after a 1-0 defeat at Ibrox. For much of this week's knockout stage of the Uefa Cup, it looked as though history might repeat itself. A goal by Raul Garcia gave the Spanish side the lead after 17 minutes. Indeed, it was only thanks to the goalkeeping skills of Stefan Klos (making his first start in goal for Rangers in 12 months as a result of the suspension of Allan MacGregor) that kept the score at that level till near the end. That was when Brahim Hemdani gave Rangers a slim lifeline with a goal in the 90th minute. Afterwards, manager Walter Smith expressed his disappointment at the lack-lustre performance of the team. The second leg in Spain will see star player and captain Barry Ferguson probably missing the match as he got a yellow card for elbowing an opposing player. There will be an extra disappointment in that situation for Ferguson - he would have beaten Ibrox legend John Greig's record of 64 appearances in Europe had he been available to play.
Economic Benefit of Open Golf Championship
A new promotional drive has been launched by the Royal and Ancient golf club in St Andrews to maximise the economic benefit of hosting the Open Golf Championship in Scotland three times in the next four years. The R&A has joined with EventScotland, VisitScotland and Scottish Enterprise in a joint project promote Scotland as the worldwide home of golf. The event is being held in Carnoustie this year, Turnberry in 2009 and then St Andrews in 2010. Experts have calculated that the Scottish economy could benefit to the tune of £200 million over the next four years as a direct result of the competition being staged here.