BBC ALBA – WEEKLY PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS Saturday 4 August – Friday 10 August 2012

Title: Live Shinty - Camanachd bheo/Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup Semi-Final Inveraray v Kinlochshiel - live shinty with Hugh Dan MacLennan. The first of the 2012 Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup Semi Finals to determine who will contest the sport's blue riband event in Oban on September 15. Inveraray, cup winners in 2004 at Oban, versus Kinlochshiel, making their first ever appearance in the semi-final. Transmitted: Saturday 4 August Time: 4.00 – 6.00pm Title: Horo Gheallaidh / Celtic Music Sessions World class musicians from the Celtic Connections festival drop in to give special, intimate performances at the Horo Gheallaidh ceilidh session's filmed in Glasgow and presented by Sarah Cruickshank. This week, Cahalen Morrison and Eli West and Scots singer Shona Donaldson are among the guests. This is a unique opportunity to watch world-class artists up close, performing stripped down versions of their songs live on our sofa in a way you won't have seen them before. Transmitted: Saturday 4 August Time: 9.00 – 9.30pm Title: Belladrum 2012: Cridhe Tartan Live Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival coverage hosted by Fiona MacKenzie, Niall Iain MacDonald and Sarah Cruickshank. Coverage starts on Friday 3 August and continues to Sunday 5 August. Transmitted: Saturday 4 August Time: 9.30 – 11.30pm Title: Belladrum 2012: Cridhe Tartan A look back at the weekend action from Belladrum. Main stage highlights and unseen performances from Belladrum, Tartan Heart Festival 2012. Hosted by Fiona MacKenzie, Niall Iain MacDonald and Sarah Cruickshank. Produced by Donna L. Murchison. Transmitted: Sunday 5 August Time: 10.30pm – 12 midnight Title: Dileas: Working Horses An insight into equestrian sport in Scotland; competing at Blair Atholl Horse Trials, and in the Le TREC Kelly Marks Winter Series. Transmitted: Monday 6 August Time: 8.30 – 9.00pm

BLUE BADGE CHANGES DUE

ARGYLL and Bute Council’s 4,300 blue badge holders are being alerted to significant changes in the way that applications for the disabled parking permits are assessed. From 1 September the UK government is introducing significant changes to the process for assessing eligibility for a blue badge. The changes will affect customers who are not automatically entitled to a blue badge through qualifying benefits, and who are applying under discretionary criteria such as ‘unable or virtually unable to walk’. Up to 56 per cent of applications currently fall into this category. At the moment GPs provide medical assessment under discretionary criteria – but from September, independent mobility assessments (IMAs) will be introduced to provide more consistency and objectivity. IMAs must be carried out by qualified practitioners. Customers in Argyll and Bute who require an IMA will now be referred by the council to NHS occupational therapists trained in assessing mobility needs. Initial applications should still be made to Argyll and Bute Council, either in person at a customer service point, by post or online. Only applicants who do not automatically qualify for a blue badge will be referred to the NHS. However, this process may take up to eight weeks if the NHS requires a face to face assessment before making a decision. To ensure that customers will not be left without a badge and to allow for the longer processing time, Argyll and Bute Council is accepting renewal applications up to eight weeks before the expiry date of the existing blue badge. In addition, the council will also accept applications under the existing GP assessment system for badges expiring before 1 October. These applications, completed with GP support, should be submitted before 1 September. All applications submitted after that date must, by law, be assessed under the IMA procedure. There will also be a new appeals system for customers whose application is refused following an IMA. Argyll and Bute Council is writing to all customers whose blue badges expire before 1 October so that they are aware of the new arrangements. There is also information on the council’s website at www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/bluebadgechanges and within customer service points. Social work and NHS staff will also be able to assist customers with the new process. The blue badge application fee will remain set at £20 and will be refunded if no badge is awarded after assessment.

BBC ALBA – WEEKLY PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS Saturday 28 July – Friday 3 August 2012

Title: Live Shinty – Camanachd Bheo / Aberdein Considine Sutherland Cup Final Live shinty with Hugh Dan MacLennan from Beauly, near Inverness. Badenoch rivals Kingussie and Newtonmore clash for just the third time ever in the final of the Aberdein Considine Sutherland Cup. The Junior championship of Scotland. Transmitted: Saturday 28 July Time: 4.00 – 6.00pm Title: Horo Ghealaidh / Celtic Music Sessions World class musicians from the Celtic Connections festival drop in to give special, intimate performances at the Horo Gheallaidh ceilidh session's filmed in Glasgow and presented by Sarah Cruickshank. This week, Cedric Watson with Creole and Zydeco music, Highland based band Cruinn, Mindy Smith with music from Tennessee and Ana Moura with a taste of Europe. This is a unique opportunity to watch world-class artists up close, performing stripped down versions of their songs live on our sofa in a way you won't have seen them before. Transmitted: Saturday 28 July Time: 10.00 – 10.30pm Title: Dileas – Working Horses New series observing ways in which the famous Scottish Clydesdales, and the iconic Shetland ponies are put to use today. Transmitted: Monday 30 July Time: 8.30 – 9.00pm Title: Ullaidhean – Museum of Islay Life Derek MacKay and Kirsty MacDonald scour Scotland's museums in search of fascinating artefacts and the stories behind them. In this programme they explore the treasures of the Museum of Islay Life. Transmitted: Wednesday 1 August Time: 8.30 – 9.00pm Title: Soillse – Ionnsigh na Muir-teachd Invasion of the Jellyfish There are billions of them and their numbers are growing by the day. From Japan to Australia, China, the USA and Europe the seas are being taken over by...... jellyfish. What are the consequences of this upsurge and how it can be halted - or turned into profit? Transmitted: Wednesday 1 August Time: 9.00 – 9.55pm Title: Donny B – The Original King of Daytime Another chance to see Donny B, an hour long documentary film that tells the inspirational story of the writer and broadcaster Donny B Macleod and his journey from a small Hebridean town to the Hollywood homes of the rich and famous. It studies a life work grounded not only in a vast knowledge that grew out of his voracious appetite for reading, but also his deep humanity and unaffected personality. This film delves into the rich archive of Donny's programmes, films and writings. It also looks at the fascinating life that he led before embarking on his broadcasting career - including an eye-catching spell as a school teacher and a famous, charisma fuelled, general election campaign. Narrated by Patsi Mackenzie and featuring contributions from family, colleagues and celebrity friends - including musician Aly Bain and journalist Angus Macleod of The Times. Donny B is the story of a man of vast talent and radiant personality, one that affected the ordinary and the famous equally, and treated them all with the same respect. Transmitted: Thursday 2 August Time: 9.00 – 10.00pm Title: Belladrum 2012: Cridhe Tartan Live Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival coverage hosted by Fiona MacKenzie, Niall Iain MacDonald and Sarah Cruickshank. Coverage continues on Saturday 4 August. Transmitted: Friday 3 August Time: 9.30 – 11.30pm

Farmers and Crofters Reminded the Argyll and the Islands Survey Still Seeks their Views.

Scottish Agricultural College News Release. Farmers, crofters and land managers are being urged to complete the Survey recently sent out by SAC on behalf of the Argyll and Isles Agricultural Forum the regional partnership, set up to raise awareness of their concerns. The aim is to identify the level of confidence of agricultural businesses in the area and learn more about their future needs. The survey was issued last month and the response has been excellent to date, but there are many more opinions out there. Development Manager for the Forum, Fergus Younger says: “We want to catch as many different views as possible and gain a better understanding of farmers and crofters future intentions. Only then can this information be used with any authority by the forum, or when lobbying Government to develop initiatives that benefit the area.” Organisations on the Argyll and the Islands Agricultural Forum include farming, crofting and landowners bodies like NFUS, SCF and Scottish Land and Estates. There are conservation groups like RSPB Scotland, as well as local authorities, development agencies and advisers, such as SAC and SAOS, who encourage co operation. The last survey was completed nine years ago and much has happened since then. One of the main local consultants involved in producing this report, SAC’s Oban-based Robert Logan, notes; “This is an appropriate time to be seeking an update on producers’ thoughts and aspirations due to the period that has lapsed since the last report and the changes since then. We now face even more change with subsidy reform, strengthening Sterling, rising inflation and transport costs, so it is even more important to understand what those in the industry are thinking. “ Farmers and crofters are asked to continue sending in their completed Surveys using the pre-paid stamped addressed envelope provided. They can even opt to enter a prize draw for a crate of Fyne Beer! Any farmer or crofter who has not received a survey is also asked to contact their local NFUS or SAC office. The more surveys that are returned, the more confidence can be taken that the summary results reflects the consensus and used to achieve maximum benefit for the area.

HIE consults public on broadband coverage Issued: 13 July 2012 With the rollout of superfast broadband across the Highlands and Islands looking set to begin next year, the region's development agency is launching a public consultation on current levels of service. Highlands and Islands Enterprise is asking broadband providers to confirm any plans they may have to upgrade to superfast, and seeking information from local people and businesses about the quality of their current service. HIE aims to ensure that superfast broadband – delivering speeds of 30 megabits per second (Mbps) or more – is available to everyone in the region by 2020, with significant progress made by 2015. Last month, the Scottish Government announced a £120m investment package to back the agency's ambitions. HIE is also seeking co-investment from the private sector, as well as local authorities and the European Union, and has estimated that the total project cost may exceed £200m. Negotiations between the enterprise agency and BT, as the potential industry partner, are well advanced, following a competitive tender exercise launched last year. Assuming a successful conclusion, the partners' first action will be to agree a definitive plan of how the region should benefit from the first phase of superfast rollout, starting in 2013. Last year, HIE published a provisional list of 50 settlements, located throughout the region, which appeared to offer the best potential to introduce the service quickly to a mix of remote mainland and island communities and larger centres. The present consultation aims to test the accuracy of the information HIE currently holds about current and future broadband provision, and inform discussions leading to a detailed rollout plan. Stuart Robertson, the agency's Head of Digital, says it is vitally important that such a huge investment is carefully targeted to achieve best value and impact. "This is probably the largest rural broadband project anywhere in Europe at present," he said. "We've been very successful so far in securing a substantial amount of the funding we need to make it happen. Now we want to make sure we have the most up to date information, both from customers and suppliers, to inform final decisions on rollout. "It's important we know where private providers are considering investing in upgrades so we can ensure there's no risk of duplication. "At the same time, we want members of the public to let us know if the information we hold on current provision is accurate, particularly with regard to download and upload speeds." Broadband is currently available to around 99 per cent of the Highlands and Islands population. However, average speeds are well below the UK average of 7.6Mbps, with many places only capable of receiving a maximum 0.5Mbps. HIE's project will make 2Mbps the minimum speed available anywhere in the region by 2015, with most places experiencing a much faster service. The Highlands and Islands covers more than half of Scotland, yet is home to just eight per cent of the country's population, so the private sector could not be expected to deliver superfast broadband without significant public investment. For more information, and to take part in the consultation, which runs until 13 August, please visit www.hie.co.uk/digital/consultation.html