We have lots of interesting stories and lovely photographs for you online and in this week’s edition of The Oban Times.
If you want to find out what happened at Tuesday’s crunch meeting on the Rockfield Centre’s future make sure you pick up a copy of the newspaper this week.
Meanwhile, cheques to the tune of £800 have been received for charity after a night of song at the latest Oban Gaelic Choir concert as part of the Oban Winter Festival. Around 250 people packed into St John’s Cathedral to enjoy performances by eight choirs as the evening raised £850.
More than 200 pupils also had a ball at the Oban High School’s 2023 senior Jingles party, with Masquerade the theme at the big Christmas event staged at Corran Halls last week.
We also have some cracking photographs of some pre-Christmas mayhem in New Dunbeg as we find out what three mischievous elves have been up to.
There is relief after the A816 Lochgilphead to Oban road was reconnected. Argyll and Bute Council and its contactors were able to open a new emergency detour near Ardfern after the road was blocked by a huge landslide on October 7.
A young Oban apprentice has been recognised for his efforts at Drax’s Cruachan Power Station, bagging two awards at the Drax Group Apprentice Awards in Selby, North Yorkshire.
In other news, a petition has been launched after concerns were raised about plans to cut funding to two Cornerstone operated disability and respite services in Argyll and Bute. It is expected that CLASP and Jigsaw will lose funding when Cornerstone’s contract with the Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership comes to an end on March 31, 2024.
Elsewhere, Argyll and Bute councillors have endorsed the proposed closure of Kilchrenan Primary School, meaning plans for its closure will go out for public consultation.
In other news, Bid4Oban has estimated that damage caused to Oban firms by the October flooding will cost millions. The business network is urging other businesses to get in touch with their losses, and has been asking the council questions about Oban’s flood defences.
Police Scotland has announced plans to consult and engage the public on proposals to close its vacant buildings in Tarbert and Dalmally. This is part of public consultation launched on the fate of 29 of its properties across the country.
And two Argyll rowers are racing across the Atlantic Ocean over the next two months to raise money for sea-life charities and prove the feat can be achieved while suffering from arthritis. You can read more about their epic adventure in this week’s Oban Times.
In this week’s sport, Oban Lorne Men were made to work hard for a 22-18 victory against Dalziel in atrocious weather conditions at Glencruitten on Saturday. This their last game of the year as the Oban Lorne Ladies were defeated on their travels by Ayr.
And in our shinty round-up we detail a Macaulay Cup draw which has thrown up some interesting fixtures, with Oban Camanachd and Oban Celtic facing off in the south section. The cup’s opening fixtures will also see a derby match between Col Glen and Kyles Athletic, while Inveraray take on Glasgow Mid Argyll.
Don’t forget you can read all these stories and much more by picking up a newspaper in local shops and petrol stations from Thursday and if you have a story please get in touch.
You can call us on 01631 568000, email us at editor@obantimes.co.uk or message us on our Facebook, Instagram or X (formerly Twitter) pages.