PARENTS WARNED: BE ON YOUR GUARD
PARENTS at Sandbank Primary School are urging other mums and dads to keep a close eye on their children after a man was reported lurking at the lower school gate.
A hooded man called out to a pupil using the quieter school entrance, asking her to help him up off the ground.
One parent, who did not wish to be named, said: “A child was approached by this man. He was lying on the ground with his hood pulled over his face and he called on the youngster to come over and help him up. Luckily, the child was sensible and walked away and told her mother of the incident. The head teacher was informed and said that she would notify the police.
“This really is a frightening thing to have happened. When you send your children off to school you hope that they are going to be safe until they come home to you later that day. This man has not been seen since, but that does not mean that he will not return or strike elsewhere. I strongly urge all parents and guardians to take extra care and to tell their children, no matter what school they attend, to be extremely vigilant and to stay away from strangers.”
She continued: “The other worrying thing is that the pupils have since been encouraged to use the main entrance on the High Road where there is a lollypop man. However, we have now been informed that, ‘due to the absenteeism of the full time patroller, the unavailability of the reserve patroller and the difficulty of the local constabulary to assist,’ the service of the school crossing patrol has been disrupted. So, now our children are not only in danger from a man lurking at one gate, but they are expected to cross a busy main road without assistance.”
She added: “Please Argyll and Bute Council, the local police and school teachers, keep our children safe. It’s not much out of your day to ensure that they get home safe, from strangers and traffic!”
Asked about the incident, a spokeswoman for Argyll and Bute Council answered: “There has not been any recurrence of the incident. However, police are investigating the matter and patrolling near the school at important times. No other school has been informed as it is considered a localised incident. The safety of pupils is paramount for everyone concerned.”
She continued: “A letter went out to parents on Wednesday informing them that police had completed their investigations and that there are no causes for concern. However, as a matter of routine the school janitor will check all school gate areas immediately prior to when pupils are dismissed.”
She concluded: “Regarding the crossing patrol, police are covering at the moment and arrangements are being put in place for regular patrollers to be back in post as soon as possible.”
A spokesman for Strathclyde Police commented: “An incident was reported to police during the afternoon of May 14, regarding a male wearing a green parka with fur trim on the hood and sleeves, jeans and brown boots, seen on the grassway between Sandbank Primary and Allan Terrace.
“His appearance gave cause for concern to some of the children and police carried out plain clothes and uniformed patrols thereafter - with negative results. However, inquiries are ongoing and police are continuing to monitor the area.”
He went on to say: “We are advising parents to remind their children that if they are approached by a stranger, they should never go with them and they should tell a teacher or parent straight away.”
He concluded: “Although school crossing duties do not fall into our normal remit, we do cover them in an emergency. However, on this occasion we have covered the crossings.”


HELPING GREEN CELEBRATE GOLD!
PROFESSOR David Bellamy helped launch the fiftieth anniversary celebrations of Argyll Caravan Park recently, which he described as “one of Scotland’s most fantastic wildlife wonderlands.”
The world-famous conservationist was a special guest at Argyll Caravan Park on May 7, as its owners, the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, prepare for a golden jubilee summer.
The 50-acre park on the shores of Loch Fyne was named again this year as a winner of the David Bellamy Conservation Award for its outstanding achievements in protecting the natural world.
During his visit, Professor Bellamy, led a party of children from Inveraray Primary School around the park, showing how it is helping to encourage wild animals, birds, insects and plant life.
The school was a recent winner of the Green Flag Award for Eco-Schools, awarded by the government-backed Keep Scotland Beautiful group.
Also accompanying David Bellamy were Jim and Lynda McCulloch who, for the past 18 years, have lived on the park as its managers and helped to implement a wide range of conservation initiatives.
The park is believed to be the oldest in Scotland under the continuous ownership of the same family. Its life as a holiday park began officially in 1953 when a site licence was granted – but even before that time, it had become a popular destination for camping families from the Glasgow area.
Then it was known as Battlefield Park – a name which commemorated its use in the Second World War as a secret naval training camp from where exercises could take place in the deep waters of the loch.
Today, the same shores have a more leisurely role as the launching areas for boats owned by the families who have bought holiday homes on Argyll Caravan Park.
Those without their own craft can hire boats, if they wish, from the park – or even enjoy Loch Fyne from the bottom up, thanks to the presence of a fully equipped diving school with professional instructors. Fishing is also popular in the loch’s sea waters.
For other visitors, however, Argyll Caravan Park’s main appeal is its scenic beauty and the many opportunities which exist for exploring the surrounding countryside on a network of dedicated paths.
There is also the chance to spot some of the park’s many wildlife residents including red deer, red squirrels and various bird species such as buzzards and woodpeckers.
The park’s successful efforts to create wildlife habitats, and to protect feeding resources and breeding areas, helped to secure it this year’s David Bellamy Conservation Award at its top gold level.
Professor Bellamy praised the park’s environmental management policies, and the educational role it plays by encouraging youngsters to make their own discoveries of the natural world.
Jim McCulloch said: “As far as entertainment is concerned, it’s all around you here – it doesn’t need us to add to it with clubs and discos!
“We prefer to concentrate on looking after the natural features of the park which, after all, have been its biggest asset for over half a century,” he added.
Accompanying David Bellamy on his visit was his son Rufus, a writer and wildlife film-maker.


STARS LAUNCH CHILDREN’S HOSPICE
Scottish Superstars Ewan McGregor and Sharleen Spiteri dug the first bit of turf at the site of Scotland’s new £10 million children’s hospice last Wednesday.
The ‘Star Wars’ actor and the lead singer of ‘Texas’ have given the new hospice their full backing - along with the charity organisers who have campaigned for three years to get the second kids’ hospice built.
Six year old Robyn Watterson, who is the face of the campaign, suffers from the terminal illness Hurler’s Syndrome and attends Scotland’s only children’s hospice, Rachel House, near Kinross. Both stars were overjoyed to meet young Robyn and they lavished hugs and kisses towards the little girl during the day.
Ewan, 32, said he was overjoyed that the building of the new hospice would go ahead in Balloch, Dumbartonshire.
He commented on CHAS (Children’s Hospice Association Scotland) website, saying: “It is amazing to be here at Balloch today and to be here at the birth of CHAS. I’m so glad that wee Robyn is here with Sharleen and I to kick off the construction work. I am so proud to be involved with CHAS’ good work at Rachel House, and now at this brilliant new site in Balloch.
“It’s a beautiful site. There is no more important work in the world than looking after our children and this is the perfect place for it.”
Both stars have worked tirelessly to raise funds for the hospice and they urged the public to carry on giving, so the £10 million target can be reached.
Sharleen, 35, who grew up less than a mile away from the new hospice site, commented: “Having spent many happy years in Balloch as a young girl, I am delighted that Robin House is to be built in the town. It’s the perfect location for children and families to enjoy some precious time together. I love to visit Rachel House; the time I spend with the children and families is inspirational. I will certainly be a visitor to Robin House too, when it opens in Balloch.”
After the completion of Robin House, Ewan and Sharleen are determined to open more children’s hospices around the country, and hope to see at least 10 new centres open in the future.
Sharleen added: “We are not going to settle for just two hospices in Scotland. Ewan and I are already talking about moving on to the next one. We want as many as we can get. We’re not talking three either. We want five and then we’ll want 10 built. We don’t have a time-scale for the others, but there’s no way we’re sticking with just two!”


LOCAL STONE-AGE ART RECREATED IN 3D
Archaeological sites and ancient monuments around the Kilmartin Valley, near Lochgilphead, are some of Scotland’s most spectacular and richest prehistoric landscape.
And now researchers from ‘e-lab’ at the University of Warwick, have begun applying virtual reality technology - a high-tech tool more often associated with entertainment than archaeology - to the re-creation of ancient rock art, including the relics at Kilmartin.
The researchers are reconstructing the past by producing dynamic 3-D models of evocative historical artefacts, such as ancient carved cup and ring marks, made by prehistoric artists on rock outcrops.
Although they are a significant part of Scottish heritage, the meanings of the extensive carved patterns remain uncertain.
However, researchers are using virtual reality tools to recreate historically accurate reconstructions of ancient rock art to help shed light on their past and present significance. 
The virtual reconstructions place the engravings in the wider context of the landscape to show how the art related to its immediate surroundings thousands of years ago. Scotland’s ancient cultural and geographical landscapes from 5,000 years ago to today are recreated before your eyes as the state-of-the-art technology demonstrates how the vegetation and landscape has changed through time. 
Mr Colin Schafer, Director of Kilmartin House Museum, where the reconstructions will be displayed, said: “The technology potential for recreating the past is one way in which history will survive through the 21st century. The computer graphics are already turning the heads of academics, historians, architects, teachers and school children.
“This project interprets ancient sites by analysing their landscape situation using geographical information system techniques and builds on work reconstructing the vegetation history at rock art sites, and shows how it influenced site location.”
However, e-lab have only received funding to reconstruct two of 298 ancient monuments around the Kilmartin area, and a question hangs over the future re-creation of important standing stones, cairns, stone circles, gravestones and Celtic crosses.


“RALLY” GOOD SHOW
RAYMOND Munro and Neil Ewing scored a hard fought victory in treacherous conditions on Saturday’s Garelochhead Coaches Rally in Argyll. Their winning margin of almost a minute was their biggest so far in this year’s New Pig Scottish Rally Championship, and consolidates their leading position in the national series with a maximum points score with five rounds to go.
Competitors completed six stages of the rally, which took place at Ardgartan, Glendaruel Coire Ealt, Beinn Lagan, Glenshellish and Glencroe.
Munro and Ewing’s performances to date suggest the duo are dominating this year’s competition, but this is far from the truth. They have had to fight hard for every single second. Munro commented on his victory: “We had a misfire over the first two stages, which meant dropping back to third place and also had to replace a broken throttle body at the first service halt. After that it was a matter of going as hard as I could in the conditions and putting the leaders under pressure.”
Reigning champion Barry Johnson was leading after two stages, but a rare mistake on the third put him out of the running. He said: “The actual special stage set-up was wrong, and that put us off. The first corner of the third stage was a lot tighter than we expected. We were just going too fast for the corner and slid off the road.”
Despite the fact that team mate Alan Barrr stopped to tow him out, Johnson’s hopes of victory evaporated – much like the steam seeping from his Subaru’s damaged radiator.
Last year’s winner, Gary Adam took over, but Munro’s determination in the rain-sodden, mud-slicked conditions had him ahead by the end of the fourth stage. Over the final two stages, Munro set fastest times on both to clinch victory by a margin of 56 seconds. Munro said: “I won the first round by one second, the second round by two seconds and last month’s Granite City Rally by 16 seconds, so at least I’m going in the right direction.”
However, the ‘Drive of the Day’ accolade was awarded to Calum McKenzie. The Stornoway driver, now resident in Skene, finished a quite sensational third overall. Like Yorkshire’s Steve Bannister who finished sixth, MacKenzie was driving a two litre, rear wheel drive Ford Escort MkII, pitched up against a wide variety of much more powerful, four wheel drive cars.
In such treacherous conditions, the all-traction brigade should have enjoyed a superior advantage, but they had reckoned without the fierce rivalry between the two Escorteers. MacKenzie’s pace and bravery in the machine was quite simply magical and thrilled the huge crowds who turned out in Argyll despite heavy rain showers.
Battling against a bad dose of ‘flu, Willie Bonniwell somehow continued his good form with fourth place overall and another category win in Group N (showroom cars). The Oban driver now leads this class in the championship, while Andy Horne’s comeback in an MG Metro 6R4, netted him an encouraging fifth.
Ex-Harris islander, John Morrison, finished seventh behind Bannister and was first to praise MacKenzie’s extraordinary performance. He said: “We usually have a bit of a personal battle to be the best Hebridean, but there was just no living with Calum today.” Aboyne’s George MacDonald was eighth in his Subaru as he fights back to win the form that saw him dominate the 1600cc and two litre classes in previous years.
As an indication of just how treacherous conditions were, ten cars crashed out of the rally at the first stage. Dave Weston was an early victim with transmission failure in the Mitsubishi, while former champion Jon Burn, retired his Metro with gearbox failure after two stages. John Gray was another early retiral when his Metro broke its differential!
Top local seed and former Scottish champion, Jimmy Paterson achieved second and third fastest times on two stages, before his Subaru blew its turbocharger, resulting in him dropping out. Top local finisher was Garelochhead Coaches boss and event sponsor Stuart McQueen, who finished in 17th place.
At the rally finish at Loch Lomond Shores on Saturday evening, championship leader Munro commented: “It’s far from being over yet. I’ve been in this position too often before, and still lost the title. Someone could yet come out and win the next five rounds.”
Results
1, Raymond Munro/Neil Ewing (Culloden/Largs) Subaru Impreza WRC, 47 mins. 9 secs; 2, Gary Adam/Gordon Adam (Dollar/Tillicoultry) Subaru Impreza, 48 mins. 5 secs; 3, Calum MacKenzie/Alan Clark (Skene/Stanley) Ford Escort MkII, 49 mins. 18 secs; 4, Willie Bonniwell/Alan MacDougall (Ledaig/Oban) Subaru Impreza, 49 mins. 2 secs; 5, Andy Horne/Jim Howie (Inverness/Kilmarnock) MG Metro 6R4, 49 mins. 26 secs; 6, Steve Bannister/Kevin Rae (Malton/Hawick) Ford Escort MkII, 49 mins 57 secs; 7, John Morrison/Alistair MacKay (Conon Bridge/Glasgow) Mitsubishi Lancer, 49 mins. 58 secs; 8, George MacDonald/Ian Nicoll (Aboyne/Forfar) Subaru Impreza, 50 mins. 3 secs; 9, Gordon Cunningham/Stuart McManus (Galston/Kilmarnock) Subaru Impreza, 50 mins. 13 secs; 10, Paul Benn/Richard Cooke (Cockermouth/Cumbria) Ford Escort Cosworth, 50 mins. 19 secs.