Monthly Archives: January 2009

The news gets grimmer for Argyll’s four Ennstone quarries

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The Ennstone Group has just (28th January) announced that it has today asked for a suspension of the trading of its shares on the London stock exchange – with immediate effect.

In the USA, Ennstone Group’s cash position is still critical. Its US subsidiary, Ennstone Inc., has now suspended payments of interest charges and finance lease repayments to its US lenders. The Group says that discussions with these lenders are continuing and proposals have been made which may result in a solvent solution in that country. This though depends on the response of the US lenders who are still considering the proposals put to them. Should they either reject the proposals or fail to come to a decision by the end of January 2009, Ennstone, Inc.’s liquidity position will become critical.

On 19th December 2008, Ennstone Group announced that it was continuing to negotiate on proposals which it had received for the sale of the Group as a whole – or for a substantial cluster of its UK businesses. These proposals involved a significant equity investment and a refinancing of the Group.

However, the group says that recent developments indicate that there is now a diminished likelihood of it successfully concluding a solvent proposal for Ennstone plc and for the Group as a whole.

It emphasises that it is continuing to manage its cash position rigorously and has made a number of disposals, all reported by For Argyll,  of non-core assets which have provided additional short-term working capital in both the UK and US.

Ennstone reports that its UK lenders remain supportive of the UK businesses and that discussions are continuing to seek a solvent solution for Ennstone’s UK and Polish subsidiaries. This is expected to be announced in the near future and this is the announcement that will impact upon the position of the Argyll quarries.

The Ennstone Group Board believes that it has sufficient liquidity to the end of March 2009 provided that its UK lenders maintain and develop their current facilities. This would also depend upon the continuing support of the Group’s lease finance providers and other stakeholders.

The Group’s UK businesses, Ennstone Johnston and Ennstone Thistle – operator of Argyll’s four quarries at Furnace, Dunbeg, Benderloch and Bonawe – and its Polish subsidiary Ennstone Sp. z o.o., have continued to perform satisfactorily in the current economic downturn.

The Board anticipates that they would be in a position to continue to continue to trade satisfactorily following any required restructuring of the Group.

The Group’s decision to ask for the suspension of its shares from London Stock Exchange trading is a result of the need for space for clarification of any potential transaction and of the Company’s financial position.

The group will make a further announcement in due course but the nail biting at the Argyll quarries continues.

EDITORIAL: Labour and Liberal Democrats betray Scotland in childish ‘victory’ downing the Government’s budget

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John SwinneyThe Scottish Government’s budget was lost at Holyrood today (28th January). This has cast an unforgiving light on the lack of maturity and sense of responsibility of the Scottish Labour and Scottish Liberal Democrat groups at the Parliament. It has left the Green Party looking like two – yes two – shrill jilted lovers complaining that they weren’t offered a deal early enough. Continue reading →

Time changes to evening commuter bus to Inveraray – from 2nd February

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From Monday 2nd February the 428 evening service bus from Ardrishaig and Lochgilphead to Inveraray will travel 15 minutes earlier than previously scheduled.  This enables the bus to call at the Mid Argyll Community Hospital in Lochgilphead.

The new operating times will be:

  • 17.00: Ardrishaig, Chalmers Street
  • 17.10: Mid Argyll Hospital
  • 17.15: Lochgilphead, Lochnell Street

Argyll and Bute Council has been funding additional journeys for commuters on this service for the past three years, Sadly this initiative has had little success. The few passengers who do use the service have suggested that if the evening journey from Ardrishaig to Inveraray is advanced by fifteen minutes it might result in an increase in numbers travelling.

In response to this, it has been agreed to operate the service a quarter of an hour earlier on a trial basis for three months to see if there is any improvement.

The £15 bargain 10-journey ticket is still available as an incentive to leave the car at home.

Argyll’s wildlife photography experience business, Loch Visions, nominated for Scottish Countryside Alliance award

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Loch Visions, a Loch Awe-based wildlife photography experience business won the Argyll regional final of the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust’s (PSYBT) ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ award.

The bsiness was also the focus of the Rural Gateway’s Your Enterprise feature last year and has now been nominated for the Rural Enterprise prize in this year’s Scottish Countryside Alliance Awards.

Winners will be announced in mid-February at a reception in Holyrood. They will then go on to represent Scotland at a UK final to be held on 18th March at the House of Lords, where they will be up against other regional winners from across the UK.

Geva Blackett, chief executive of the Scottish Countryside Alliance says: ‘We are excited about the quality, enterprise and commitment of the nominees, they deserve great praise for the work they have done in the past year in particular.

‘It will be an extremely tough task to select the winners and we are confident that whoever wins will be superb representatives for Scotland at the UK final’.

Argyll to get funding to maintain construction industry and housing development during recession

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The Scottish Government recently announced that it had set aside £17million from its total projected spend of £120million to reinvigorate the Scottish economy in these recessionary days.

Deputy First Minister, NIcola Sturgeon has just announced the successful bidders for parts of this £17million allocation. The money will be spent by housing associations on unsold homes and land and on getting housing developments off the ground.

The government announced in August that it was bringing forward £100million from money it had set aside for 2010/11 in its £1.5billion affordable housing programme. Its intention is to kick start stalled housing developments. Since the August announcement, that money to be brought forward has been increased to £120million, with a pledge to spend £40million of it this financial year and £80million next year.

Argyll and Bute will share £3.7million with the Western Isles, Aberdeen, Angus, North Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire. This is to be used by housing associations to buy up land for developments.

Argyll and Bute will also share £3 million with Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, Borders, West Lothian, East Ayrshire and East Dunbartonshire. This allocation is to be spent on kick starting actual building.

£10.1million will fund the purchase of homes from private developers in Orkney, Dundee, Clackmannanshire, Stirling, East Lothian, Midlothian, Edinburgh, North Lanarkshire and Glasgow.

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland,  is anxious to discover how many of the resulting new homes will be for rent and is urging the government to spend the rest of the promised cash as soon as possible.

Conservative candidate for Argyll & Bute hammers Labour for scale of today’s national debt

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Launching his party’s nationwide poster campaign to highlight the human consequences of Labour’s Debt Crisis, Gary Mulvaney, the Conservative Candidate for Argyll & Bute, revealed the billion pound bill for the county’s residents.

Commenting on the sheer volume of the debt to which the Labour Government has now committed the country, Mr Mulvaney said: ‘Every child in Scotland will be born with a debt of £17,000 because of Gordon Brown’s failing measures to deal with Labour’s recession. He has mortgaged the future of every child in this country and his legacy will be an inheritance that no child should have to suffer.

‘As a constituency, Argyll and Bute’s share of the debt mountain will be a staggering £1.6billion in four years time, over £700 million higher than it is today – debt that every single one of us will have to repay for years to come’.

For Argyll enquired about the source of the figures given and has been assured that the figures given were calculated by Conservative Central Office in London, using data from the Office of National Statistics.

Dunoon Grammar School goes mega with a Burns Supper for 1,100

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Dunoon Grammar School went large.  On 23rd January the school marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns with all 1,100 of the school’s pupils and staff taking part in a traditional Burns Supper.

The school canteen served up traditional Burns haggis, neeps and tatties. The pupils presented a celebration of all things Scottish during the meal – with Highland Dancers, readings from Burns and a stirring set from the school’s pipe band.

Councillor Isobel Strong, Argyll and Bute Council’s Education Spokesperson, congratulated the school, saying: ‘It’s wonderful to see the children of Dunoon Grammar School taking part in this wonderful occasion and celebrating the work of Scotland’s national bard’.

Pupils from the school’s TV station, whose recent launch on 16th January was extensively covered by For Argyll, also broadcast their own version of this year’s Homecoming Scotland video. Pupils and staff of the school took the places of the Scottish celebrities who appeared in VisitScotland’s original promotion; and stunning images of Dunoon replaced the various location shots in the official version.

Dougie MacLean who wrote Caledonia – and who will probably never want to hear it again by the end of this year – had already given the pupils the go-ahead to use the song in the broadcast.

During the Supper, the school’s S1 IT and Enterprise Club also produced and sold tartan ribbons to mark the event and are donating the proceeds to Children 1st.

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Oban High School to launch books for Malawi scheme

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On Thursday this week (29th January) a scheme to collect books to send to Malawi will be launched at Oban High School.

Malawi is one of the poorest regions in the world. The books will be used to help set up a secondary school and a library in the town of Dzuwa. It is also hoped that a Christian book/coffee shop and Internet Cafe will be opened in the nearby town of Kasungu.

The scheme is being run by the charity, Joy to the World Ministries, and is being supported by Oban High School as well as a number of local churches, organisations and businesses.

After the launch on Thursday, For Argyll will publish details of how to contribute books to the collection and contacts for further information.

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Helensburgh’s ‘Heroes’ on target for Spring commercial release of Bowie cover – still time to get involved

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Helensburgh Recording from aboveFor Argyll reported recently on the musical initiative by Helensburgh charity – Helensburgh Heroes: to record and release a commercial single of a community version of David Bowie’s Heroes. This past weekend saw the project well on its way – so over to our reporter with the earplugs…

‘I was delighted to be able to join in with the singing in the Victoria Halls yesterday. What a wonderful experience’. ‘I can’t believe how professional everything was’. ‘The most fun I have had in a choir’. These are some of the comments that organisers of this Saturday’s (24th January) ‘Heroes’ recording session have received in the past few days.

From ages 7 to 77, from Cardross round to the Peninsula, local people and musical groups turned out in force to lend their vocal talents to the Helensburgh Heroes recording of the classic Bowie track ‘Heroes’.

The Helensburgh based charity has embarked on an ambitious attempt to raise the profile of the artistic talent that resides within the area, through the commercial release of the single in late spring. Under the inspirational musical direction of Alan Craig, Musical Director at Langside College, the volunteer artists spent the morning rehearsing in groups, and then came together in the afternoon for a mass choir recording session.

Some of the volunteer artists will now join local professional musicians Kirsten Easdale and Kenny Hyslop (ex Simple Minds) back in the studios to record lead vocals on some of the lyrics.

Helensburgh recording girlsOne of those supporting the event was local resident Suzanne Simpson, ‘This weekend was proof of the talent that we have this area. The voices were superb and everyone seemed to have a great time. We appear to have produced our very own version of “The Choir”. And I can’t wait to hear the finished version’.

Musical Director Alan Craig concurred with this view ‘This weekend has been a real pleasure. I had originally envisaged recording the vocals in small groups of about 10 people, but the sheer quality and passion of the artists involved meant that we could record the entire group as a whole. If you had walked in and witnessed the rehearsals, you would not have believed that most of the artists had never met before, never mind sung together. We ‘d have given the London Community Gospel Choir a run for their money, it was that good’.

Helensburgh Heroes anticipate releasing the single, which will be available in both disc and download formats, at a big musical launch event in late Spring.

Jean Urquhart, a member of the Dorian Choir, commented: “I am so glad I was involved in the recording on Saturday. There was a marvellous feeling of unity, warmth and jollity throughout. Everyone gave it their all and many said to me they found it an amazing experience. As musical director Alan was just great; he communicated with such humour and inspired us to achieve what was needed. You could feel the energy among the singers”.

Helensburgh recording round keyboardsMelanie Andrews, a Heroes’ Director and owner of the Craigard Restaurant, performed two roles on Saturday. Not content with lending her voice to the record, she also spent the morning preparing food for the artists and crew. Melanie stated: “It was simply a brilliant day. It was incredible how everyone just gelled and came together so effortlessly. From the youngest member through to the oldest, we all just all got on and gave it our all. Alan Craig was unbelievable, he managed to motivate, encourage and unite us all within minutes. He deserves a medal.”

The entire day was filmed by a team of 6 operators under the direction of West Highland Photography’s Robert Bell, and the resultant footage will form the heart of an accompanying video. The project team will now spend the next two months filming location shots to the video, and mixing the final version of the song.

Gill Russell, who is managing all the logistics for the project stated, “We hoped that this project would capture the imagination and it appears that it has. We could not have hoped for a more talented group of people to have turned out for us on Saturday and I would just like to thank them all so much. It was a real pleasure to watch the session unfold.”

If you would like to get involved with the project or would like your group/organisation to be featured in the video, please contact the team.

Reporter: Phil Worms

Photographs supplied by Phil Worms with permission for their reproduction here.

First Minister to meet EC Co-ordinator on Scotland’s proposal for a North Sea Supergrid

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Danish offshore windfarm near CopenhagenReinforcing Scotland’s leading position in the development of renewable energy, First Minister Alex Salmond is to meet Georg Wilhelm Adamowitsch, now appointed by the EC to co-ordinate Mr Salmond’s own proposal last year for a North Sea Supergrid.

The two men are likely to talk the same language. Both are former economists.

Scotland has up to 25% of Europe’s potential for wind, wave and tidal energy generation. The First Minister’s proposed supergrid would export Scotland’s surplus renewable energy to Europe.

Mr Abramowitsch has been appointed to progress the development of Europe’s power supply after the establishent of a North Sea / Baltic offshore supergrid was prioritised in a strategic energy review last year.

The Scottish Government has already published its own report on a version of this supergrid, seeing it as a key development harnessing Scotland’s resources for the good of Europe and growing its domestic economy.

Mr Salmond is said to be pleased to see that the strengths of Scotland’s potential contribution to European energy security have been recognised. A spokeperson for the First Minister says: ‘Never before have we been so well placed to become the green energy capital of Europe’.

These steps forward are important for Argyll, one of the main potential suppliers to Scotland of wind, wave and tidal energy and with the planned development of the former Vestas plant in Campbeltown into marine wind turbine production.

The photograph above, reproduced under the Creative Commons licence, shows Denmark’s offshore wind turbine farm at Middelgrunden near Copenhagen – the first such wind farm to be installed.

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