Irresolution

Happily, the collective media has been chasing after trivia so obsessively this year that it didn’t pursue its usual enquiry as to what efforts we will make at the first clang of the bells to change our ways for the better. Will we resolve to be sensible, thrifty, chaste and virtuous? Well, no, probably not. It never was much of an idea to start with, but while everything else gets madder all round us, the notion of sober and correct behaviour loses whatever attraction it ever had.

Irresolution, on the other hand, is a concept I’m warming to. With the good excuse of being antiquated, I’m finding that decisions can be postponed almost permanently. Sooner or later, sheer necessity will make itself felt, and meanwhile it can be ignored, with a resulting drop in stress levels that is very pleasant. When the household cats demand cat food and the car is running out of fuel and one’s hair is so long that you can’t see out, the necessary steps are obvious. Until that point is arrived at, what’s the matter with the non-making of decisions? Such unnecessary effort is a waste of precious energy.

The Westminster government is supremely skilled at irresolution. In its infinite wisdom, it makes no plans that can’t be dumped at the first whisper of inconvenience. Those in charge of it live in a merry state of spitting in the wind and whistling for luck (while not holding up two fingers to Europe), and nobody says a word except the odd member of the green lunatic fringe. Freedom, the gurus of W1 assert, is a state of perpetual bliss. You can stop worrying about earning when earning stops, right? Problem solved. And there’s no need to fuss about a dying health service and debts and being thrown out of your house, because it happens to so many people that it’s the new norm. Have you noticed how fashionable tents are now? Everybody seems to be living in one. Some of the happiest campers even have libraries in tents, at least until the police bulldoze them. How clever is that, when libraries in solid brick buildings are being shut down all over the place? Obviously the tent mentality (‘tentality’?) is the attitude of the age.

Yes, a new dawn is about to bounce up over the horizon - we may notice it when the rain and blizzards stop. It’s going to show us such inspired governmental insanity that we are all going to become wise overnight, charged with common sense and tough, practical smeddum. We’ll be brilliantly irresolute, ready to do absolutely anything. Self-help is already the name of the day, though it was confusingly called The Big Society at first. Such fun! We’ll all enjoy finding clever alternatives to that tedious old thing called Welfare. It’ll need another name, of course - something sexier, with better shelf-life and consumer appeal. Freefare, perhaps, or Freefall - what’s the difference? I’ve always liked the way parachutists manage to meet up in mid-air and do a kind of 40,000ft Morris dance before their parachutes open and they have to come back to dull old earth, hopefully in one piece.

In the face of the inspired, almost genius-level madness displayed by the London Cameronia, New Year resolutions would be just plain silly, and really rather dull. Manning the barricades might be useful, if you have anything worth barricading, but for the rest of us, inspired irresolution is the name of the game. I suggest we love and cherish one another as fellow-lunatics, however sane we may secretly be. And keep our fingers crossed.

Every good wish to all readers. The best of luck to you all, every one.

MBE for RNLI manager

We’re delighted to hear that lifeboat manager Geoffrey Norris has been named on the New Year Honours list. He receives an MBE (Order of the British Empire) for his long service with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). After almost 40 years of work in the voluntary rescue service, Geoffrey said he is ‘utterly amazed’ to have been selected for the award.

Geoffrey Norris, 68, lives in Lamlash, and many Arran people will remember him as a road engineer in the days when he worked for North Ayrshire Council. Since retiring he has devoted a lot of time to the RNLI, the Arran Yacht Club and Arran Junior Sailing Club. He started volunteering as a helper with the RNLI in 1973 and became the Arran lifeboat operations manager five years later, a post which he continues to hold.

With typical modesty, he said he values the award because it recognises, not only his own work but that of all his volunteer colleagues at the station. He said, This award is totally unexpected, it has come right out of the blue.’ Laughing, he added, ‘I wondered what I'd done wrong when the letter arrived from the Cabinet Office. I was utterly amazed.’ Then, more seriously, he went on, ‘I think it is in true recognition of the work we do as a station and all of the other volunteers at stations around the country.’

As everyone on Arran will appreciate, the island’s RNLI volunteers stand ready at all times to help any boat that is in trouble, but they also provide transport to the mainland for urgent medical cases, both from here and Holy Isle. Well trained, these volunteers can also deal with medical emergencies on board boats and ships. They respond to urgent calls at any time of the night or day, and go out in the most appalling weather conditions. They deserve our constant thanks, and we offer warmest congratulations to Geoffrey Norris on his well-deserved honour.

Another day in the dark …

On the last Saturday of January (the 28th) Corrie Film Society will be reprising last year’s successful mini film festival, A Day in the Dark. This year there is a unifying theme - all the films relate in some way to childhood - but the programme has been selected to provide an eclectic mix of genres (thriller, drama, comedy, documentary, animated), vintage (from the 1950s to 2010) and nationality (English, Scottish, American, French, Swedish and Italian) - something for everyone in fact.

Like last year the programme is designed to allow people to drop in for an hour or two or, for those with the stamina, to make a full day of it. We will kick off at 10.30 am with some classic Tom and Jerry cartoons before the main feature in the morning session, the mystery thriller A Cat in Paris. After lunch (soup will be provided but bring along anything else you fancy) there will be a short documentary called The Singing Streets with archive footage from the 1950s of Scottish children’s skipping songs followed by The Kidnappers, a drama about two young orphans living with a stern grandfather in pre-First World War Nova Scotia.

The afternoon continues with The Hedgehog, a moving story about love and the beauty of unexpected friendships seen through the eyes of an 11 year old girl, and is rounded off by My Life As A Dog, a delightful Swedish comedy about a boy sent away to live with his relatives. After a supper break (food will be provided but feel free to bring along something to share) the final film will be the Taviani brothers’ classic Padre Padrone based on a true story of a Sardinian shepherd boy who defies his tyrannical father to find a better life.

As last year this is a free event that is open to non-members, though donations towards the cost of staging the event will be gratefully received.

The provisional programme is below but the precise schedule may vary so please check nearer the time:

• 10.30   Tom & Jerry (USA) (Cert U)
• 11.00   A Cat in Paris (France 2010) (Cert PG)
• 12.30   Lunch break
•  1.30   Singing Streets (Scotland) (Cert U)
•  2.00   The Kidnappers (UK 1953) (Cert U)
•  3.30   Tea break
•  3.45   The Hedgehog (France 2009) (Cert 12A)
•  5.45   My Life As A Dog (Sweden 1985) (Cert PG)
•  7.15   Supper break
•  8.15   Padre Padrone (Italy 1977) (Cert 18)

Guitar and cello in the afternoon

The next Arran Music Society concert is in Brodick Hall on Saturday 14th January, at 1.30 pm rather than in the evening. This is to help people who don’t want to drive (or even venture out) after dark when the weather tends to be unpleasant. This mid-day treat promises to be excellent, featuring the unusual combination of guitar and cello, played respectively by Allan Neave and Robert Irvine. The Herald called them ‘two of Scotland's most laid-back, top-drawer musicians’, and they offer a delectable programme, with many favourites.

The cello is a matchless instrument when it comes to soaring, lyrical sounds, and Robert Irvine’s interpretation of well-loved tunes is a joy. Mendelssohn’s Song Without Words, Faure’s Après un Rêve and Tchaikovsky’s Valse Sentimentale are coupled with The Swan, that glorious cello piece by Saint-Saens - but the programme is wide in its range and includes some less familiar pieces. Vivaldi’s E minor Sonata is a fast-moving, happy composition, and, as the Herald critic remarked, ‘nobody does joie de vivre better than Vivaldi at full pelt.’

The Neave and Irvine duo may also be performing work by Bloch and Albeniz, and have recently unveiled intriguing works by Turkish composer Carlo Domeniconi and by the Peruvian Jaime Zenamon, whose piece called Reflections won praise for its ‘infectiously rhythmic and soulful’ tunefulness.

Certainly an afternoon to look forward to. Make a note in your diary - Cello and guitar, 1.30 pm, Saturday 14th January, in Brodick Hall.

Big bucks for top brass in NHS Ayrshire and Arran

The online Scottish Review revealed last week that the drastic cuts being endured by the NHS leave the most privileged untouched. This year’s figures show that two Ayrshire and Arran administrators receive the highest pay of any NHS area, one of them rejoicing in a substantial increase. Dr Robert Masterton, medical director of NHS Ayrshire and Arran, is the highest earner in the entire Scottish service at £245,000 a year. This in fact is a slight reduction from the pay cheque of £260,000 he received last year, but still leaves him comfortably top of the league.

Dr Carol Davidson (pictured left), director of public health at NHS Ayrshire and Arran, enjoyed a salary hike from £180,000 to £205,000. The increase of £25,000 would have paid an experienced nurse for 12 months.

Although the governments in Edinburgh and London have been warning about the need for extreme moderation in spending, these NHS salary rises represent an increase of 18%. Such profligacy seems unjustifiable in the present context of stringent cuts that affect both patients and medical workers.

The Scottish Review figures are drawn from the study published this week by OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), which shows that the pay gap between the highest and lowest earners in the UK has grown more quickly than in any other high-income country. We in Arran and Ayrshire are lumbered with not one, but two, of the highest earners in Scotland. Robert Masterton leads the pack with his £245,000, closely followed by the £240,000 earned by David Farquharson, Medical Director, NHS Lothian. Next comes Eric Baijal, Director of Public Health, NHS Borders, with £210,000, then Carol Davidson of NHS Ayrshire and Arran with her £205,000.

This record is not, in our view, a matter for pride. On the contrary, in a Scottish district with record unemployment and a history of endemic social deprivation, it should be a cause of shame.

It Happened One Night at the Corrie Film Club

No shenanigans at Corrie Hall, we hasten to assure you - just a showing on Sunday January 8th of one of the all-time great romantic comedies, directed by Frank Capra and starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Made in 1934, this romantic comedy tells a wacky story of a pampered socialite (Claudette Colbert) who is having a dust-up with her wealthy father over her choice of husband. In search of her gold-digging new husband sent packing by her dad, she falls in with an on-the-ball reporter who sees the story as a promising one. Since the reporter in question is played by Clark Gable, you can guess the rest - but it unfolds through a zany comic plot that is as funny today as it ever was.

Like last month’s film, Soft Top, Hard Shoulder, this is a classic road movie, full of mildly disastrous events, including a hitch-hiking sequence that sees a villanous driver trying to make off with their luggage. Misunderstandings abound, but the virtuous reporter triumphs in the end, and even super-rich Dad is pleased.

It Happened One Night was the first film to win all five major Academy Awards (Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay), a feat that would not be matched until One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and later by The Silence of the Lambs (1991). While in no way as serious as its illustrious successors, it remains a perfect example of the great romantic comedy genre that made American cinema what it is, highly professional in both acting and direction and beautifully timed. Made in black and white, it is full of its own kind of colour.

The showing starts at 8.00 pm on Sunday, 8th January. Admission is free and open to all, though a small donation to the running costs of Corrie Hall would be welcomed.

History of Agriculture on Arran

In the early 1880s, big changes set in. Until then, the use of nitrogen had not been understood, and although rotation of land had been practised so that arable years were interspersed with grazing animals, many farmers did not appreciate that the value of cattle waste was in its easily available nitrogen. When it was realised that this valuable fertiliser could be bought in a more concentrated form, there was immediate interest. Guano was imported from Chile as a potent source of nitrogen, and sulphate of ammonia and super phosphate began to be manufactured. Lime, too, was recognised to be of value. This was transported by the Clyde ‘puffers’, which often beached on sandy areas close to the farming community, who loaded the cargo on to carts at low tide. These chemicals increased productivity and met the demand for root crops and vegetables. Reaping and threshing machines became a new sight on Arran and the introduction of metal ploughs and drills improved the farm output.

Arran, though an island, has never been unaffected by national legislation, and the price of corn had been raised by the Corn Laws introduced at the beginning of the 19th century to protect British farmers. This resulted in disaster for Ireland, where the appallingly badly treated small farmers saw ships laden with the corn they had grown setting sail for the rich markets of England, but, though less well known, the same thing was happening in the Scottish Highlands. The Corn Laws had established profitable exports, while the people who produced the corn were trying to live on potatoes, a crop introduced for the table of the gentry but cheap and easy to grow. When Potato Blight set in, famine followed. Arran was not immune. The potato blight ‘Phytophthura Infestans’ is an air-carried fungus that causes the potato to turn into a mushy mess, completely inedible. It first began in a mountain range of Mexico and affected crops in America, then migrated across the Atlantic in infected ships and appeared in France. From there it came to the Isle of Wight before devastating the Irish crop in 1845. Ideal weather conditions had raised expectations of a bumper harvest, but the disease wiped out the entire crop - a disaster for Irish people, who had been reduced to total dependence on potatoes as the grain they grew was exported to rich markets in England. The blight struck the Highlands, including Arran, in 1846, and it was another 3-4 years before the crops began recovering. The disease is still prevalent, but in the present time it is controlled by the use of insecticides and crop rotation, and by planting varieties of potato that are blight-immune. James Allan was the first farmer in Arran to purchase 2 bags of ‘Champion’ potato seed, which proved to return a good crop and became very popular all over the Island. In 1879 the potato crop at the Clauchlands yielded 12 to 15 tons per acre, setting records of production. The best fields proved to be the ones adjacent to the shore, where seaweed is an excellent fertiliser. The potato crop was ‘pitted’ for storage and sale, and secured prices of £3.00 to £5.00 per ton at market. At that time on the Island the varieties of potato seed commonly in use were ‘Walkers Early’, ‘Red Bogs’, ‘Regents’, ‘Dalmahoys’, ‘Skerry Blues’ and the ‘Champion’. The famous Arran breeds came in the early 1900s, developed by Donald MacKelvie, a small farmer on the isle of Arran who also ran a general store. There can be few people who do not know of the Arran Pilot or of course of the Arran Banner, but there were other varieties as well, including the Arran Victory and the Arran Consul.

The Corn Laws were repealed in 1846 as a direct response to the potato famine. There had been international outrage over the indifference that had seen over a quarter of Ireland’s population dead, and the high price of wheat that had denied grain to the mouths of the people who grew it came to an end. The Corn Laws left a bitter legacy. Farmers never forgot from that time on that the international market dictates the product. Diversification, then as now, became a necessary strategy.

Sheep wool was losing its dominance of the clothing market with the introduction of imported cotton and textiles. The market for meat and milk was increasing, as was the demand for root crops. The Duke of Hamilton was keen to see the island’s cultivable land improved, and offered prizes for specific achievements, of which some follow. The cash inducements were, in the value of the time, substantial.

• To the tenant who shall have the first 10 acres enclosure finished in terms of the articles 5 guineas.
• To the tenant who shall have the greatest quantity and best quality of wheat upon enclosed ground, and after a thorough summer fallow of 5 furrows, sufficiently manured, and no less than 2 acres 2 guineas.
• To the tenant who shall have the greatest quantity of clover and rye-grass hay from at least 2 acres, sown with barley or wheat, after summer fallow, of 5 furrows, and properly manured, and not less than 100 stones an acre, and upon enclosed ground 2 guineas.

Amongst the prize-winners in the two years following this announcement were Angus MacKillop, Alexander Thomson, Patrick Crawford, Robert Shaw, John Currie, and Alexander MacKinnon.

The Duke also obtained the services of an experienced fisherman, one Andrew Wilson, to teach the art of line fishing to any of the islanders who applied to him. The whole approach to agriculture was broadening out.

A message from Katy Clark

Welcome to my email newsletter. I hope to provide a regular email update on what is happening
at Westminster and some of the issues I am involved with.

More information about my activities at Westminster is available on my website.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I appreciate that 2011 has been a difficult year for many. I will continue to fight against the Government’s cuts and to work hard for all my constituents in North Ayrshire and Arran in 2012.

I hope that you are all able to enjoy the festive period and that 2012 brings you much happiness. These are some of the issues I have been involved with recently:

The Economy

I met with Michael Moore the Secretary of State for Scotland to discuss what the Coalition Government should be doing to assist North Ayrshire. The latest unemployment figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the there are now 3,644 people on Jobseekers Allowance in North Ayrshire and Arran, a 6.7% increase on the previous year. The number of people who have been unemployed for over 12 months in the constituency has also increased to 740, 20% higher than at the same time last year. The statistics indicate that the unemployment rate in Scotland has now reached 8.5% and is now higher than the rate for the United Kingdom as a whole. I am seeking a parliamentary debate on the economy of North Ayrshire.

Europe

Much of the parliamentary time at Westminster has been spent debating the issue of David Cameron's veto of a European wide treaty and its implications

Farepak

I have secured a backbench debate on Farepak. Five years after the collapse of the Christmas Hamper and savings scheme, the 120,000 who lost out have not received any money back. I am calling for the Government to consider more strict regulation of the entire prepayment industry to protect consumers and savers in an area which is currently poorly regulated in the UK.

Durban Climate Change conference

Whilst I welcome that all countries have committed to coming together to tackle climate change in a legally binding agreement to cut carbon emissions, the agreement will not be put together until 2015 and will not come into force until 2020. With the terrible effects of climate change already being felt, particularly on the developing world, I do not believe that we can wait another 8 years to make sure that every country is committed to cutting emissions.

Control of International Arms Trade

As a member of the Committees on Arms Export Controls I took part in meetings with representatives of both non-governmental organisations and industry groups representing arms companies in this country. The Coalition Government is markedly different in its approach to the current negotiations for a legally binding International Arms Trade Treaty than the previous Government. It is making such a Treaty less of a priority and investing fewer resources into it. The previous Labour Government was forceful in its work for a robust International Arms Trade Treaty with humanitarian goals and strengthening humanitarian law and human rights.

The current negotiations, which are UN based, began in 1997. In 2004 the Labour Government explicitly backed the ATT and in 2006 sponsored the UN General Assembly Resolution which lead to the UN General Assembly passing a Resolution in December 2009, mandating formal negotiation of an International Arms Trade Treaty by 2012. I will continue to work on this issue in the New Year when the Committees on Arms Export Controls will be taking formal evidence.

With best wishes,
Katy

Next Surgeries:

Saltcoats Library - Friday 6th January 2012 - 10am

Kilwinning Credit Union - Friday 6th January 2012 - 2pm

Beith Community Centre - Friday 20th January 2012 - 2pm

Largs Library - Saturday 21st January 2012 - 12:30pm

Kilwinning Credit Union - Friday 24th February 2012 - 12 noon

Largs Library - Friday 24th February - 4pm - 5pm

Tsunami relief funds used to kill whales?

Right now, the Japanese whaling fleet is barrelling south to hunt thousands of majestic whales, escorted by a $30 million private security force paid for out of the tsunami disaster relief funds! The Japanese PM is already under enormous pressure for failing to help victims of the tsunami - a global outcry can shame him into using relief money to save people, not kill whales -- sign the petition, and forward to everyone:

Right now, the Japanese whaling fleet is barrelling south to hunt thousands of majestic whales, escorted by a 30 million dollar security force paid for out of the tsunami disaster relief fund!

Anti-whaling champions were successfully blocking the Japanese whale hunt -- which is exactly why the Japanese government decided to swipe money from relief efforts to stop the activists from bothering the boats while they engage in their brutal slaughter.

If we can stop the whaling security and get the relief money back for desperate Japanese citizens still languishing in radioactive hotspots, we could help end the whale hunt for good. Japanese PM Noda is already under enormous pressure after scandalous failures to compensate victims of the nuclear disaster. A massive global outcry can spark outrage inside and outside Japan and force Noda to use precious relief funds to save people, not kill whales - sign the petition and forward to everyone:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/japan_disaster_funds_whaling_b/?vl

Whale hunting is astronomically expensive, and it's made possible by ludicrous government subsidies amounting to $35,000 per whale! If these subsidies are cut back, the whaling industry could collapse. Now the Prime Minister will squander $30 million to provide private security for whale slaughterers to make sure they’re not bothered by environmental activists in the ocean. With the added muscle, Japan plans to kill 1,000 Minke whales for commercial meat sales this year.

Officials claim that whaling subsidies will support coastal communities hit by the tsunami -- even though Japan has had to stockpile whale meat because so few people wish to consume it. All the while, the government has turned a blind eye to victims trapped in radiation hot-spots, with the few who are entitled to compensation pocketing a pitiful $1,000.

Let's urge Prime Minister Noda to stop caving to the whaling lobby and spend relief money on the people who need it most: the victims -- sign the urgent petition now, and forward widely:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/japan_disaster_funds_whaling_b/?vl

Last year, our community came together in record numbers, and we won the fight to keep a global ban on whaling. And last month, 130,000 Japanese Avaaz members joined together, pressing the government to use tsunami relief funds to protect radiation-exposed children by funding their evacuation from unsafe areas. Time and again we see how powerful lobby groups like the Japanese whaling lobby put profits before people and planet. And time and again, we stop them. Let's do it again.

With hope and determination,

Stephanie, Jamie, Emma, Ricken, Morgan, Laura, Wissam, Wen-Hua and the rest of the Avaaz team.

More Information:

BBC: "Japanese tsunami fund used for whaling programme"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16064002

Guardian: "Japan whaling fleet accused of using tsunami disaster funds"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/07/japan-whaling-fleet-tsunami-earthquake-funds

Letter: "Greenpeace Japan and 15 other NGOs letter to Japanese government"
http://www.greenpeace.org/japan/Global/japan/pdf/2011_Japanese_NGO_statement_for_departure_English.pdf

WSJ: "Use of Government Recovery Funds Stokes Japan Whaling Row"
http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2011/12/08/use-of-recovery-funds-stokes-japan-whaling-row/

Being 50+ the Arran Way

Some of you may remember us mentioning the Sage Youtube video competition way back in our August 2011 edition (if you don’t you can find it here). Well, we are happy to be able to tell you that one of the Arran entries called “Being 50+ the Arran Way” won the fourth prize in the competition.

You can see the prize-winning Arran entry by clicking the link below:

You can see also see the other Arran entry by clicking the link below:

Glenashdale Bridge damaged again

On the Sunday morning before Christmas, a second car crashed on black ice at Glen Ashdale, Whiting Bay. A policeman slid cautiously around in his yellow jacket, noting that the surface was indeed a skating rink, and the Council grit lorry turned up. Nobody was hurt in either crash, fortunately, but the poor old bridge looks like what Marie Lloyd called ‘One of the ruins that Cromwell knocked about a bit’.

Build a wave-power model and win a prize

As part of the Saltire Prize, children in all Scottish schools are invited to enter a competition to help develop the nation’s wave power potential. Junior Saltire Award entries can be from a team of four pupils or a whole class and there are school prizes of up to £750 to be won.

The idea is to devise a generator that can make power from the movement of the sea’s waves. There are three categories, each one with requirements suited to the age group.

Primary five to seven pupils must design and build a simple wave powered generator to operate from a floating platform or from a beam placed across a test tank.

S1 and S3 pupils must design and build a simple wave powered generator and construct a model wave machine to work in conjunction with the generator.

Pupils in S4 to S6 have to design a wave powered generator, a wave-making machine to work in conjunction with the generator and a model to demonstrate the transmission of the power to produce light.

Teams are being asked to register for the competition by 31 January and submit their design blueprint by 29 February. The next step is to create a working model by 30 April.

Nine schools will be chosen as finalists from all the Scottish entries. They will be invited for an all-expenses-paid trip to try out their designs at the University of Strathclyde’s test tank on 7 June and attend the SCDI’s Celebration of Engineering and Science Showcase event at Glasgow’s Science Centre on 8 June.

Dr Lesley Sawers, Chief Executive Officer of the SCDI, said: ‘Scotland’s natural resources and our young people are two of our greatest assets. It’s vital that we get the message across to school pupils about the huge potential of harnessing the powers of Scotland’s land and sea for renewable energy. The Awards challenge young people across Scotland to research the issues around marine renewables and come up with innovative ideas for new energy solutions. This is the pipeline of talent that will help make Scotland’s ambition of being a world leader in renewables a reality.’

In April 2008 the Scottish Government set up the Scotland’s £10million challenge to accelerate the commercial development of marine energy. Scotland boasts a quarter of Europe’s tidal power and a tenth of its wave power.

Full details of how to enter the competition are available by clicking the picture on the right.

For further information please contact:
Audrey Simpson, SDS communications
0141 285 6207 or audrey.simpson@sds.co.uk.

What's Christmas without a brass band?

Arran Brass had surely one of their busiest ever festive periods over the last month or so. Either the whole band or members thereof provided musical Yuletide cheer at eleven events.

It all started on a wet and wild Saturday in late November at Lamlash for Santa's Sparkle, organised by the Glenisle Hotel and Arran Events; a great success despite the weather. The band's final contribution to the festivities was at Cooriedoon Care Home on Wednesday 21st of December. In between, Arran Brass were present at the following: Brodick Christmas lights, Lamlash Carol Concert, Corrie Christmas Bash, Brodick Castle Victorian Day, Blackwaterfoot Christmas lights, Caledonian Isles ferry (raising money for First Responders Southend), Rowan Singers Christmas concert, Kilmory community carols and the McKelvie Road sheltered housing.

However, whilst this might seem like an opportunity to trumpet the band's achievements, it is in reality, an opportunity to say thank you to those people and organisations who asked Arran Brass to be part of their Christmas events. I did joke on numerous occasions that we were 'the busiest brass band on the island' but it's nice to be recognised and to be asked to provide carols and the like to so many events, whilst remembering the achievements and hard work of my predecessor Ian Cargill, in forming and maintaining the band over many years, and without whose efforts Arran Brass wouldn't be as busy as they are.

Santa's Sparkle

See the spectacular Son et Lumière hosted by the Glenisle Hotel in Lamlash for the lighting of the Christmas tree by clicking on the YouTube link below.

Winter concerts

All the concerts are in Brodick Hall, please note that the February concert is in the afternoon.

Tickets for all concerts are available from Inspirations of Arran or online at Arran Events website.

Tickets cost £8 including tea and programme. Membership of Isle of Arran Music Society costs £5 and entitles the member to one free concert for every 4 tickets purchased.

Those wishing to renew their membership can contact Samantha Payn on 01770 820655, at Harefield, Shannochie, Isle of Arran, KA27 8SJ or by e-mail:

samantha@boorertranslations.com.

If you would like to find out what is on in Glasgow for the beginning of the year, visit this link:- What’s on in Glasgow?

Brodick Castle Garden Volunteers

Do you have some spare time on a Wednesday morning?

If so, the volunteer gardeners at Brodick Castle would like to meet you. We meet at the Castle car park at 10am every Wednesday and work in the gardens for about three hours. The work is quite varied and the camaraderie is outstanding! We start the 2012 session on Wednesday January 11th weather permitting.

If you would like to join us please contact Colin or Nic on 302914.

Poem of the month

River is the Plural of Rain

by Rebecca Gethin

‘Each of us is water’ Carole Satyamurti

From a mouth of soil among sedge and willow
water calls out on its journey
to all its other selves: follow

follow us from the shallows into the deep. Below
the surface currents strain their sinews
spilling white foam over stones to follow

the earth vein where it flows,
furling and ravelling together
as stream follows after stream.

Its pulse is the undertow,
its pores are the rain,
and every drop is dreaming of sky.

Rebecca Gethin lives on Dartmoor where she teaches poetry at the prison. She is also a frequent visitor to the mountainous valleys of Italy, hence perhaps the different landscapes evoked by this deceptively simple poem. It is the title poem from her first collection published in 2009 by Overstep Books, an independent press founded by the poet and translator Anne Born who died last year.

Crossword

by Dave Payn

Across
1 Four calling, 7 Nan, 9 Ember, 10 Detriment, 11 Hawker, 12 Legalise, 15 Yule, 17 Mull, 18 Coal, 20 Noel, 21 Imam,
22 News, 26 Cherubic, 27 Advent, 30 Mid-winter, 32 Birds, 33 Inn, 34 Excellently.

Down
1 Freshly, 2 Up-bow, 3 Carved, 4 Ludo, 5 In the Bleak, 6 Guidance, 7 Nee, 8 Nutmeg, 13 Image, 14 Pugilistic, 16 Loose,
19 Illusive, 23 Satisfy, 24 Scampi, 25 Edible, 28 Egret, 29 Oral, 31 Den.

The Rowan Singers’ Winter Concert

We are used to the polished performances of the Rowan Singers at any of their concerts. This year’s Christmas performance in the Community Theatre on Sunday 18th December proved to be no exception.

The concert began with two cleverly penned John Rutter carols, ‘Star Carol’ and ‘I Saw Three Ships’. Rutter is a master of arrangement and clever key changes in his original composition but I sometimes wonder if Rutter is over-performed? There were five Rutter creations in this repertoire alone-the BBC has dozens every Christmas.

Stanford’s ‘Magnificat’ and ‘Nunc Dimittis’ in B-flat is a stirring setting of the Evensong Canticles in the Anglican Liturgy and was performed to near perfection by the choir. Following this, we appreciated a short setting in Baroque style of a medieval carol. ‘Jesu Swete Sone Dere’ was composed by choir member Julian Davidson. This was followed by a Rowan singer’s favourite, ‘Christmas Grace’ which always goes down well. This year’s Darke’s setting of ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’was beautifully sung with solos by Isobel Thomson and Julian Davidson.

After ‘ Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ with audience participation, we had two more choir performances, Burn’s ‘Ae Fond Kiss’ with solo sung by Lillian Smith and the ‘Border Ballad’ brought the first half to a rousing climax.

The interval over, the choir performed two contrasting settings of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ by John Rutter and ‘The Twelve Days after Christmas’ by Frederick Silver.

Now for a walk down memory lane as the choir gave us a masterly performance of Richard Rodger’s ‘Blue Moon’ and ‘Blue Skies’ penned by Irving Berlin. For me being of a certain age, the Lennon and McCartney melodies were pure joy. ‘The Long and Winding Road’ was absolutely wonderful. Another Rutter penning ‘I Wish You Christmas’ well performed by the choir, as was their last entry of the afternoon ‘White Christmas’ by Berlin.

Everyone joined in the rousing finale of ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ which brought the concert to an end.

Thanks to guests ‘Ain’t Misbehaving’ and ‘Arran Brass’ whose presence made the concert an overwhelming success. Well done to everyone!

Silly Verse corner

The City Bike

A lament by one of London’s coin-in-the-slot bicycles accused of non-return to a designated stand

I was assaulted, sir. No token of

esteem slipped in my slot, just a quick screw-

driver to force me to his use, a shove

to get me going, then before I knew

it, he had mounted, riding as if cars

were in some other world. And I was not

asking for it, sir. My handlebars

can’t be called low-slung. And see, I’ve got

this little basket, too - I’m here to serve,

but some folk take advantage. My back tyre

was nearly flat, but all he did was swerve

past a police car like we were on fire

and round the back of Tesco’s, threw me down

and left me spinning helplessly. I lay

here till you came, sir. I’m so glad you’ve found

me. You’re a gentleman. I’m sure you’ll pay.

Freedom from what?

THE Scottish Salmon Company has been granted Freedom Food status at marine sites around Mull and on Loch Carron, ‘as part of the company’s programme for environmental excellence’. The RSPCA has bizarrely added farmed fish to its food labelling scheme, but we can’t quite see how salmon that live in netted cages can be described as free.

Meanwhile -

THE Marine Conservation Society (MCS) says the latest decision by European Fisheries is ‘a disaster for the future of many fish stocks.’ Following the two-day Council meeting in Brussels before Christmas, ministers followed scientific advice for only 14 of the 75 decisions regarding stocks in EU waters. Several species have actually had their catch quotas increased, against scientific advice. These include plaice, sole and Atlantic halibut, which the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has declared to be a species in the same danger as the giant panda.

Deborah Crockard, MCS fisheries policy officer, said, ‘This is a clear case of the European Fisheries ministers once again deciding to ignore scientific advice in favour of short term economic gain.’ She added that over-fishing now might save jobs for a short while, ‘but in the long term our seas will be emptied of fish and parts of the industry will collapse anyway.’

Panda and chips, anyone? Yukky idea. But then, pandas look so much more cuddly than the halibut, even if they’re not. The poor old halibut gets no sympathy.

‘Gay abandon’ at Arran Visual Arts

Elisabeth Ross wrote a rapturous review of the weekend Painting With Knives workshop run by Rebecca Roberts, and said participants all agreed that it was one of the best workshops they had ever been to. Rebecca’s teaching skills were as impressive as her prowess as a painter, as Elisabeth’s report shows. She said:

‘After a little loosening up with some quick life drawings, we got stuck in with our paints and tools and slapped it on the canvas with as much gay abandon as we could manage. Rebecca discouraged the use of brushes and most people quickly learned to love the freedom and three dimensional effects that using the knife generates.

‘When the sun came out on Sunday, some of us ventured outside to draw and paint, which produced more masterpieces. Students all produced more than one picture and some had painted three or four in the two days. The final showing was an eclectic mix of styles, colours, scenes, some abstract, others based on photos, a truly magnificent testimony to the enthusiasm and skills of our tutor.’

Next workshop on Still Life painting

On Sunday January 15th, Josephine Broekhuizen will be running a workshop on painting still life, in whatever medium the students choose to use. Preliminary drawing will be followed by painting, with emphasis on texture, tone, light and shade. Students can bring things of their own to arrange in a group, but there will be things provided as well, so this is not essential. The cost is £25 for AVA members or £35 for non-members. Cheques should be sent to Alison Barr at 6, Manse Crescent, Brodick.

Last year the Visual Arts Association AGM had to be postponed because of snowy weather, so this year it will be held a month later, on Friday 3rd February, in the Ormidale Pavilion at 7.30 pm. The Easter Exhibition will be held in the Community Theatre, Lamlash - a change from the usual venue at Kilmory Hall, and perhaps easier for more people to drop in.

West Coast Lifeboats busy

Oban Lifeboat - RNLB "Mora Edith MacDonald"

In storm force winds of between force 9 to 11, the Oban Lifeboat crew had launched their boat within 7 minutes of getting a call on their pagers on December 8 at 4.49 pm. A 32-foot yacht Sapphire with three people on board was dragging her anchor in Loch Crean in dreadful conditions. In fact, 12 lifeboat crew members turned up, and though only half of them were needed, it shows the sprit of the RNLI voluntary crews around our coasts who are more than usually on standby in days of extreme weather.

The Oban lifeboat reached the stricken yacht at 5.51pm, took her alongside and secured her her on a mooring at a nearby Marine Resources Centre. The three crew members were safely landed

Troon Lifeboat - RNLB "Jim Moffat"

On the same day, the RNLI Volunteer crew at Troon were called out by Clyde Coastguard when a member of the public reported seeing a yacht in trouble between Saltcoats and Stevenson Point.

A severe gale force 9 was blowing from the south west, with waves reaching 40 feet. (For non seafaring folk, if it was a house you would need a big ladder!) When the Troon lifeboat reached the spot, they conducted a search, meanwhile communicating with the mobile coastguard team and the reporting member of the public, and found that the floating object seen was in fact one of the ‘overflow’ buoys in the bay. In such atrocious weather it would be an easy mistake to make.

The lifeboat returned to Troon and the call was reported as a False Alarm with good intent.

Our Marine Editor, John Kinsman, has been appointed the Honorary Agent for the Shipwrecked Fishermen Mariners Society for St Monans and East Neuk of Fife area. The SFMS help retired fishermen and mariners in times of need and are there when disasters occur. John, who has over 30 years experience in the Fishing Industry, said he was honoured to be appointed to this post.

We are offering a special prize of a bottle of whisky to the first person who correctly identifies which editions all of the pictures came from. Yes, we do mean all 32 of them!

Please contact us at info@voiceforarran.com with your list of answers.

Good luck and have a Happy New Year!