We have lots of interesting stories and lovely photographs for you online and in this week’s edition of The Oban Times.
The countdown to Christmas has well and truly started in Oban, with around 5,000 people turning out for this year’s Reindeer Parade and Christmas lights switch-on.
It is also a wrap for the town’s Winter Festival as organisers take a well deserved rest until planning begins for next year after serving up 10 days of outstanding fun and entertainment. One of the last events of the festival this year was the Haggis and Whisky Festival on Sunday, with a Cumbria native taking top prize.
Meanwhile, the Oban RNLI crew kept up a longstanding tradition when they presented Mull’s Emma Cato with a brass bell with her name on it to mark her 18th birthday. Emma is one of four babies to have been born on the current Oban Lifeboat.
Argyll & Bute Council’s consultation over its future plans for managing Oban Bay will start on Thursday (November 30), with this impacting everyone who uses the bay. It will last for 42 days and there has been concern that this consultation period does coincide with the festive holidays. There will also be a public meeting at The Rockfield Centre next month and bay users are encouraged to have their say.
In other news, MyDentist patients in Oban have raised concerns after appointments were cancelled at one of the town’s three dentists as the Shore Street clinic considers its future.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt announced £20 million to fund improvements for the Corran Ferry in the Autumn Statement last week. However, Highland Council’s £50 million bid to the UK Levelling Up Fund for a new electric vessel has failed.
Argyll & Bute Council and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar also welcomed £20 million from the Levelling Up funding.
Argyll & Bute councillors also voted to double the council tax on second homes in the region if MSPs pass the relevant legislation as expected. It may be tripled in the future and is part of a bid to tackle Argyll and Bute’s housing emergency.
Elsewhere, a Kintyre and the Islands councillor claimed there are “chronic” care issues on Islay. Councillor Dougie McFadzean referenced ongoing issues at Gortonvogie Residential Home in Bowmore during last week’s Argyll & Bute Council meeting.
Oban golfing ace, Bob MacIntyre was awarded the Freedom of Argyll at the same council meeting.
The Ryder Cup star also teed off on his Australian adventure and finished joint 33rd place in the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship last weekend. He will be hoping to go slightly better in Sydney this week.
In other sports news, the latest Oban & District Darts season came to a close on Friday as Adam Brook bagged yet another win to secure the overall title.
We also have plenty of rugby action for you this week, with the Oban Lorne Ladies and Men both recording impressive wins over Cumnock and Annan respectively.
In our weekly shinty round-up there is all the lowdown from the Oban Camanachd player awards night and Ganavan Sands was awash with tartan last Saturday as the ‘Tartan Dash’ tackled the hilly 5K parkrun route.
You can read all these stories and much more in this week’s newspaper and at www.obantimes.co.uk