TEN YEARS AGO
Friday November 29 2013
Recipe books and home-made meals
Youngsters from Craignish Primary School will be selling recipe books and homemade meals to raise funds for the Pelandaba Orphan Fund tomorrow (Saturday).
The children have been busy in the kitchen this week with the fund’s founder Cindy Macdonald and have made a variety of African-themed dishes to sell as ready meals.
People will be able to purchase the meals, which will feature chicken, coconut and rice dishes, at the Rotary Club of Mid Argyll’s Christmas Fair tomorrow.
Those who would like to try and make the delicious meals themselves can purchase a cookbook that has been made by the youngsters and features all the recipes.
All the money will be donated to the fund, which pays for the education of 35 orphans living in or around Pelandaba.
The Christmas fair will be held in Lochgilphead Community Centre between 2pm and 4pm.
Families crying out for help as poverty rockets in Mid Argyll
Charities and social services in Mid Argyll are joining forces to tackle poverty in the area as it emerges families are struggling to feed themselves.
The Advertiser has learned that the number of people plummeting into debt just to pay for household essentials is rocketing, while a local charity has started making up emergency food parcels.
Argyll and Bute Council, the Citizens’ Advice Bureau and charities have told the Advertiser people in the local authority area are crying out for help as the effects of welfare reforms take hold.
Moving on Mid Argyll (MOMA), a charity which supports people out of homelessness, last month began responding to calls for food parcels.
Angus MacNeil, chairman of MOMA, said: “In September the whole question of emergency parcels arose. We had a discussion about a food bank but it is a huge undertaking: you have to have premises and staff to manage it.”
Under the current set up, the organisation receives a request from social work and makes up a package, which is then passed to the family to ensure privacy. In October the charity made up three food parcels.
Geraldine Day, manager of Argyll and Bute Citizens’ Advice Bureau, said 70 per cent of the cases it deals with are about debt.
Geraldine said: “In past years we saw a lot of people who had easy access to credit and with a change of circumstances they have struggled making repayments.
“But now people are struggling to pay for the basics. Often that’s because of redundancy, reduced working hours or less overtime. We can see here in Lochgilphead businesses are failing and that has a knock on effect.
“The Trussell Trust [a UK food bank charity] is seeking to establish food banks in Argyll and Bute…we are certainly seeing more of a need for that. Money just doesn’t go as far as it used to.”
TWENTY YEARS AGO
Friday December 5 2003
Terrestrial TV via satellite scheme branded a ‘shambles’
A scheme to allow people not subscribing to satellite television to view terrestrial channels through a satellite connection has been described as a complete ‘shambles’.
Argyll and Bute MP Alan Reid has hit out at BSkyB, claiming it has put hurdles in the way of people trying to obtain replacement Solus cards following changes at the beginning of November.
The new Solus card allows people to watch terrestrial channels ITV1, Channel Four and Channel 5 via satellite television if their analogue signal is too poor or non-existent.
These cards – which cost £23.50 – are necessary following the move by the BBC to switch its free-to-view channels to a different satellite, leaving the other terrestrial channels with the BSkyB satellite.
Now those who want to continue watching the three terrestrial channels, without paying for a Sky digital package, have to phone to obtain the new Solus card. But they must have the number of their old Solus card and a credit or debit card.
Mr Reid said: “It is outrageous that BSkyB will not sell viewing cards to people who do not have a debit or credit card.
“Many people in Argyll and Bute, particularly the elderly, have no credit or debit card and are being deprived of their right to watch ITV and Channels Four and 5.”
In order to keep watching these channels many people with poor analogue reception were told they would have to subscribe to BSkyB for 12 months to keep receiving the terrestrial channels.
Now that BSkyB, after political pressure, has introduced the replacement Solus cards, Mr Reid has written to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Tessa Jowell saying those people who subscribed should be given the opportunity to get their money back.
“The whole affair is a shambles,” said Mr Reid. “The Government should allow people, who cannot receive proper terrestrial analogue signals free viewing of the five main terrestrial channels via satellite. Instead they are forcing people to pay money to BSkyB for the same service that the rest of the country takes for granted.”
FORTY YEARS AGO
Friday December 2 1983
Arch to be bypassed
Travelling through Inveraray’s historic arch will soon be a thing of the past.
A new roundabout is to be formed to the north of the present castle access.
Road improvement plans by Strathclyde Regional Council were approved by Argyll and Bute Planning Committee last week amid fears that a local filling station would lose considerable trade.
Planning Director Mr Michael Oliver said a very substantial part of the Arch Filling Station trade was ‘passing trade’. With the area behind the Arch becoming a cul-de-sac, the station would be divorced from through traffic.
The committee heard that the plans related to the southern section of the Dalmally road, including the notoriously bad bend above Inveraray.
The new 4-way roundabout will point to Glasgow, Lochgilphead, Dalmally and the Castle. The Dalmally road is to run parallel to the existing road, avoiding the Arch, and meeting the line of the existing road approximately 600 metres northwards.
Said Mr Oliver: “The new road will form a significant sweep through the existing woodland to the north of Inveraray but there is no alternative acceptable roadline.”
He admitted that access through the Arch due to the partial closure of the road in front to the Anvil Wool Company would make access to the filling station difficult.
“It may be impossible for heavy vehicles especially delivery tankers,” he said.
Committee Chairman Col James Taylor said he had every sympathy for the station but hoped that the loss of trade could be partly made up through signposting.
“There may be a special case for relaxing the council’s policy on advance signs,” he said.
Objections to the plan were also lodged by the Argyll Arms Hotel who were concerned about the lack of space for bus turning.
Said Mr Oliver: “There is a simple remedy to the objections. While the application has not been amended, the Divisional Engineer’s intentions are to make specific provision for coaches turning.”
SIXTY YEARS AGO
Tuesday December 3 1963
Ardrishaig housing protest
A deputation from the Ardrishaig Vigilance and Improvement Association to discuss the site chosen by Argyll County Council for 38 houses in High Glenfyne Park, Ardrishaig, met Mr Michael Noble, Secretary of State for Scotland in Lochgilphead recently.
The deputation was formed following a public meeting arranged by the Ardrishaig Vigilance and Improvement Association held recently out of which came a public protest against the building of the houses on the grounds that the site was too far away from the village centre and that it would be too expensive.
The deputation put their objections before Mr Noble and discussed them fully. At the end of the discussion, which lasted 45 minutes, Mr Noble promised to take the matter up with the Argyll County Council.
Another public meeting in Ardrishaig public hall on November 26 was extremely well attended, the business being confined to a decision to form a Ratepayers’ and Electors’ Association to work closely with the A.V.I.A, and to the appointment of office-bearers and committee members.
Rev. J. J. Stanley Whyte was unanimously elected chairman. The secretary is Mrs Catherine MacMillan, and the treasurer, Mr R. Gargan.
The following were appointed to be members of the committee Messrs H. Walker, D. MacMillan, Dr S, D. MacKenzie, Coll Jackson, G. Ferguson, N. MacMillan, T. MacPherson, D. MacBrayne, with the county councillor for the district and the district councillor also members ex officio.