Keeping customers up to date with service issues

ARGYLL and Bute Council has launched a new service to help customers find out about any service disruptions in their area. Following extensive testing, the council’s new Service Disruptions Line is now live, providing information fed directly from council teams in real time to keep customers up to date in the event of any issues. By calling 01546 604040, customers can find out the latest information about schools, roads, waste collections and council buildings. The system uses a mix of voice automation and ‘press button’ menus in order to find the best way of providing up-to-the-minute details for callers. Lead councillor for communications Louise Glen-Lee said: “It’s inevitable on occasion that services face disruption, especially with the challenges of severe weather to contend with. This makes it even more important that we find the best ways of keeping the people of Argyll and Bute well informed about any issues which may affect them. The new service disruption line is another part of our ongoing efforts to ensure that we keep in touch with our customers.” Even when there are no current service disruptions, it is still possible to call the line and find out how it works. For the most up-to-date council service disruption details, call 01546 604040. Argyll and Bute Council’s website also features a dedicated service disruption page which carries updates on roads, school closures and other issues.

BBC ALBA – WEEKLY PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS Saturday 10 November – Friday 16 November 2012

Title: Motherwell v Dundee The latest full-match coverage from the SPL. Transmitted: Saturday 10 November Time: 5.30pm – 7.30pm Title: Cuide ri Cathy/ Russell Watson Award winning classical music star Russell Watson opens up to Cathy MacDonald about his rise to fame and his battle with cancer. Transmitted: Monday 12 November Time: 10.00pm – 10.30pm Title: Ceilidh@Blas/Blas Music Festival 2012 Featuring Emily Smith, Vamm and Rachel Walker. Presented by Kathleen MacInnes and Fiona Dunn. Transmitted: Tuesday 13 November Time: 8.30pm – 9.00pm Title: Eòrpa/European Current Affairs Eorpa is back with a new series examining the most important stories from across Europe Transmitted: Wednesday 14 November Time: 8.30pm – 9.00pm Title: Soillse - Balaich an Airm/Poisoned National Service in Israel. Growing-up in Israel means going to the army. It is not a question, it is the law. Once you turn 18 you are a soldier or a deserter- it's as simple as that. The film follows four best friends from high-school through their entire army service. Over three years of service the boys are transformed into soldiers: they become commanders, serve in the Occupied Territories and are confronted with ideological and emotional conflicts that lead them to lose all faith in the army and finally grow-up. Transmitted: Wednesday 14 November Time: 9.00pm – 9.50pm Title: Air an Rathad/On the Road Scotland's very own car show - Air an Rathad - is back with top cars, top speeds and top entertainment! The new series of Air an Rathad roars into view with coverage of the Solway Junior Rally. Scotland's motor sport stars of the future get fast and furious on the Borders forest tracks. Donald Neil Macleod, aka Cudig, shares his extensive knowledge of classic cars in a brand new weekly feature, while veteran presenter Calum Iain is out and about test driving the Subaru BRZ - is it a beauty ? Or a beast? And Wacky Races returns with more crazy things to do with cars - and more dressing up for Fiona, Murray and Calum Iain! Transmitted: Thursday 15 November Time: 10.00pm – 10.30pm Title: Triuir/Triplets The heart warming story of the Campbell Triplets; from their birth to the present day. The Campbell sisters are the best known triplets in the Hebrides. But behind the incredible story of their dramatic birth and meeting the Queen, lies a tale of loss and separation, hardship and poverty, amid much laughter and tears. Growing up on the island of Uist, their unique lives have been the subject of great scrutiny, starting with their well-documented birth, through their school days, work life, marriage and children. Now, on the eve of retirement, having experienced poverty, separation, family tragedy and loss, the return of the youngest Theresa to the island gives them the chance to finally get what they have always longed for - the opportunity to be together. Transmitted: Friday 16 November Time: 9.00pm – 10.00pm

Spooky goings-on in Argyll and Bute - past and present

THE heavy wooden door creaked open, and she descended the stairs slowly – taking care not to bump into the spiders lurking in the silvery webs which decorated the stairway. She approached the pile of books with trepidation, lifting the heavy cover of the topmost tome with a hint of a tremble in her fingers. What would she find within…? Fear not – there’s no scary horror lurking amidst the vellum pages. But Argyll and Bute Council’s fascinating archive has yielded one spooky story which has been included in the Scottish Council on Archive’s special Hallowe’en collection. Asked for a suitable contribution to the online resource, Argyll and Bute Council’s archivist searched through the wealth of fascinating material stored by the local authority and came up with the tale of Dawson and the skull. The story features a shinty player by the name of Dawson who encounters a little more than a shinty ball in the course of a game on the Kilberry field. It is believed that the tale of Dawson and the skull was recorded by Marion Campbell of Kilberry, as part of the Campbell of Kilberry Papers which date from 1633 to the 1950s. Most of the records in the collection are typical of estate papers – rental logs, diaries and correspondence – but there are a few anecdotes and quirky stories such as this one. To read all about the ghostly goings-on at the Kilberry shinty field (and much more) visit www.scottisharchives.org.uk/discover/spotlight/apparition - we don’t want to give away all the scary secrets here. And don’t be put off by our spookily fictitious introduction – Argyll and Bute Council’s archives are a veritable treasure trove of historical documents and are well worth a visit. The archive holds and preserves the official records of Argyll and Bute Council and associated organisations whose functions the council now fulfils. There are a number of private records also and the collection tells the story of how Argyll and Bute has developed over the centuries, with fascinating stories of people and places. The oldest record in the archive is the Rothesay Charter, which dates from 1400. There is a dedicated family history section for those carrying out genealogical studies; a section on house history if you’d like to know who lived in your house in years gone by; and a host of other delights to discover. Find out more at www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/community-life-and-leisure/archives It is open to the public between 10am and 1pm/2pm and 4.30pm Monday to Friday, and it is best to call and book in advance. Archive staff are happy to assist with your historical queries and can help you get started off on your quest. Be warned – once you start looking, you might find yourself lost in the past for a few hours. And there aren’t really any spiders – just lots of amazing glimpses into Argyll and Bute’s past.

Community Resilience events in Dunoon and Oban this November

Two events have been organised in Dunoon and Oban to help communities be more resilient this winter. Communities across Argyll and Bute are being asked to prepare their own emergency plan which will help clarify what to do in the event of an incident. The events are designed to help this process and will be held on Wednesday 7 November in the Queen’s Hall, Dunoon and Tuesday 13 November in the Corran Hall in Oban. They are aimed at highlighting the help available from both the public and voluntary sectors. There will be information available from many organisations including the council, Strathclyde Police, Strathclyde fire and rescue service, NHS, SEPA, Argyll Voluntary Action, British Red Cross, WRVS and Loch Watch. You will also have a chance to speak to representatives from each organisation. The events are drop–in and will run from 10.30 am until 14.30pm. Anyone with an interest in community resilience is invited to come along. Council Leader Roddy McCuish said, “The council and its partners are keen to make sure everyone plays their part this winter. I would ask as many people as possible to come along to the events in Dunoon and Oban to find out more and get the opportunity to speak to the experts. “A handbook has already been sent to community councils with clear instructions on how they should prepare an emergency plan including information on roles and responsibilities, details on public safety information and key risks affecting the area. The events could help you to complete this and we are keen to get emergency plans in place as soon as possible.”

Youth employment, training and education a top priority in Argyll and Bute

A local youth employment strategy developed by Argyll and Bute Council and its partners to help prepare young people to make the most of their talents and opportunities will be highlighted at an event at the Corran Halls in Oban. The Rural Action Forum on Youth Employment in Argyll and Bute, which was postponed from September, will be held on 5 November 2012. Key business people from Argyll and Bute, community planning partners, further and higher education representatives, training providers, elected members from council and government and a wide selection of young people from the area have been invited to attend the event along with delegates from other rural authorities. The aim of the forum is to develop a set of actions that will help our young people achieve and sustain a positive destination. The event is being chaired by Sam Coley, a young entrepreneurial businessman from the Cowal area of Argyll and Bute, and the keynote address will be delivered by Angela Constance MSP, Scottish Government Minister for Youth Employment who will outline the Scottish Government’s commitments and the national framework. The meeting will also be addressed by Richard Lochhead MSP, Cabinet Minister for Rural Affairs and Environment, and Cleland Sneddon, Executive Director of Community Services at Argyll and Bute Council. Michael Russell, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning is also expected to attend. The council’s local strategy focuses on four key areas which are empowering people, supporting employers, simplifying the skills system and strengthening partnership and collective responsibility. The aim is to meet the Scottish Government’s ‘Opportunities for All’ policy which makes a commitment to offering a place in learning or training for every 16-19 year old not currently in employment, education or training. Through the Argyll and Bute Employment Partnership Strategy Group, the council and its partners aim to tackle the hardest to place young people and offer them support through a range of options suited to their level of needs. A significant focus will be on preventative work by identifying any risks when young people are still at school, giving them the chance to build firm foundations which will equip them to achieve a positive destination in training, education or employment. Lead Councillor for Education and Lifelong Learning, Michael Breslin said, “The long term goal here is to enable all our young people to gain access to and progress their learning. We want to equip them with the skills to gain a positive destination in training, education or employment. We aim to improve young people’s chances in life and give them access to the personal support they need. “Some significant progress has already been made and overall the number of school leavers from Argyll and Bute getting into employment, training and education increased in 2010/11 to 88.9%. This is the highest level since the School Leaver Destination Report came into being ten years ago. The number of leavers unemployed and looking for work has fallen to its lowest level in Argyll and Bute since 2009/10 to 9.6 %.”

Wind farm application approved at Cour

A wind farm at Cour, around 8 kilometres north of Carradale and 19 kilometres south or Tarbert, has been approved by Argyll and Bute Council’s Planning, Protective Services and Licensing (PPSL) Committee. It will have 10 wind turbines at just over 111 metres tall and a total maximum generating capacity of up to 25 megawatts. The developer, SSE Renewable Developments (UK) Limited chose the site as it is reasonably remote and will have a very limited visual impact. The site satisfies environmental conditions meaning that biodiversity, landscape and tourism economic interests are not adversely affected. A number of environmental improvements around the estate will also be delivered as part of the development including native tree planting, wall repairs and habitat improvement. Lead Councillor for Renewables, Donald Kelly said, “This wind farm has the backing of Tarbert and Skipness Community Council and could provide a real boost for the Kintyre economy if the towers are sourced locally from the Machrihanish factory. “The council supports national and international targets aimed at reducing dependency on fossil fuels and supports in principle the development of renewable energy regeneration provided that this type of development takes place in the right location. “Argyll and Bute is well placed to contribute to the targets set for generating electricity from renewable resources by 2020. It is richly endowed with renewable wind and hydro energy.” The consent is subject to the successful conclusion of a Section 75 Legal Agreement to secure nature conservation interests, a programme of small-scale environmental improvements on the Cour Estate and decommissioning costs and 35 planning conditions. There is more information on wind farm developments in Argyll and Bute here http://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/renewablesinfo/wind

EXERCISE PROVEN TO REDUCE DEPRESSION IN SCOTS CANCER PATIENTS

First study into lasting benefits of exercising during cancer treatment Regular exercise reduces depression in cancer patients according to the first ever study into the long-term benefits of exercising during treatment. The ground-breaking Scottish research, funded by Macmillan Cancer Support, revealed that women who took part in an exercise programme during treatment for breast cancer exercised more five years later and had lower levels of depression. 203 women took part in the original 12-week supervised group exercise programme during treatment for early stage breast cancer and 87 were reassessed at the five-year follow up. The results showed that the women who were more active consistently experienced lower levels of depression and increased quality of life compared to those who were less active. The study, recently published in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship1, revealed that women who had taken part in an exercise programme during treatment for breast cancer five years ago, now averaged three hours twenty minutes more physical activity each week than a control group who did not participate in the exercise intervention during treatment2. Carried out by researchers at the University of Strathclyde the research builds on previous studies carried out by Macmillan that have shown exercise has huge benefits for those going through and recovering from cancer. The charity now wants to work with the NHS and local councils across Scotland to develop exercise programmes aimed at getting cancer patients active. Macmillan’s General Manager in Scotland, Allan Cowie, said: “Cancer patients have traditionally been told to rest, however this research shows there are real and long-lasting benefits to doing some exercise while going through treatment and building on our previous research that found exercise makes some cancers less likely to return, it’s clear that getting cancer patients to exercise is vital. “We have already been working with partners to develop exercise programmes for cancer patients in parts of Scotland and we now want to continue working with the NHS and local authorities across the country to make the existing services responsive to the growing numbers of people affect by cancer in years to comes.” Dr Anna Campbell, Lecturer in Clinical Exercise Science at the University of Dundee, and part of the research team who led the study, said: “This is the first study that has looked at the long term impact of a group exercise programme on cancer patients. The results of this study were much more positive than we had expected, with evidence of lasting benefits including increased positive mood and more active daily living. “The study also suggested that five years after taking part in the group exercise class, the women were now more likely to exercise on their own and didn’t see as many barriers to exercise as the women who had not been allocated to exercise during treatment.” Laura Simm, 52 from Lochwinnoch, took part in the exercise programme whilst undergoing radiotherapy for breast cancer. She said: “I'm not a gym person but it felt really good during the classes and afterwards I felt immediately better, brighter and cheerier in myself. Ever since I took part in the programme I have endeavoured to do something every weekday morning. I'll go for a brisk walk and a bit of a jog for around 4-5km five times a week as well as some swimming. “The most beneficial thing for me about taking part is how it helped me mentally. I suffer from fatigue, but find being active outside in the fresh air is really therapeutic and makes me feel more positive.” The 2011 study also found that after treatment all cancer patients could reduce their risk of getting side effects of cancer and its treatment by doing recommended levels of physical activity. These include fatigue, depression, osteoporosis and heart disease. For more information on physical activity and cancer visit www.macmillan.org.uk/movemore and request an information pack or call the Macmillan support line on 0808 808 0000.

Reshaping Care for Older People in Argyll and Bute

Innovative and groundbreaking work is happening across Argyll and Bute to develop and deliver services that will enable older people to live healthily and independently within their own communities for as long as possible. The focus of this work is on preventing the difficulties and illnesses that cause people to be admitted to hospitals or other care settings for long periods of time. This will help to ensure that there is appropriate care when necessary in a hospital or another care facility. The work is looking at how people who need care can continue to live full and positive lives, supported within their own communities, whilst being less dependent on the formal care system. . Pat Tyrrell, Lead Nurse for Argyll & Bute Community Health Partnership, said: “The Scottish Government has allocated money into a Change Fund to be used to deliver the vision for older people's services. This is being used by NHS Highland, Argyll and Bute Council, the Independent providers, and Voluntary and Community organisations (often referred to as the Third sector) to work together to make the best use of the resources available to develop the services needed to support this new vision. This partnership approach was recognised at the Scottish Care awards in May this year when Argyll and Bute Reshaping Care for Older People Programme Board received the Best Partnership Award. “We are also working with communities across Argyll and Bute to look at how we can support them to develop approaches and services that will meet local needs. This is a challenging programme of work and there are a number of local projects which highlight what has been achieved so far.” Anne Austin, Service Manager for Community Care Resources at Argyll and Bute Council, continued: “The development of Dementia Care Teams is a good example one of these local projects in Argyll and Bute. We have health and social care professionals working closely with local communities and existing hospital and community services. These local teams demonstrate partnership working between the NHS, the Council and Alzheimer Scotland and recently won an award for the most innovative partnership at the Scottish Dementia Awards. Their work is already demonstrating benefits to individuals, carers and families. “Valuable work around Falls Prevention is also taking place across Argyll and Bute. Physiotherapy colleagues in partnership with Third and Independent sector organisations have contributed to the development of a Falls Prevention resource that will enhance the knowledge of older people and their carers/relatives/friends through training and assisted exercise programmes. “We also have additional outreach services provided through Carers Centres in each locality and there is strong evidence of joined up working between the new Carers Outreach workers, the Argyll Voluntary Action workers and the Dementia Care Teams. This has already led to better support for Carers across Argyll and Bute and has allowed us to reach people in some of the islands where there was no service previously.”

BBC ALBA – WEEKLY PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS Saturday 3 November – Friday 9 November 2012

Title: Ross County v Aberdeen The latest full-match coverage from the SPL. Transmitted: Saturday 3 November Time: 5:30pm - 7.30pm Title: Trusadh - The Leverburgh Lifeboat The inspirational story of how the South Harris community came together and raised a crew for their new lifeboat. Communities around the South of Harris have long been campaigning for a lifeboat to be stationed there. The RNLI have approved a trial period of at least one year. This is the first all weather lifeboat station that the RNLI have set up in over 20 years and the 17 brand new crew members have a lot of work ahead of them. A few of them have experience working on boats, however the rest of them have very little knowledge of the sea. The pressure is on to get the crew trained up and ready to go 'live' by the end of the Summer 2012. Transmitted: Monday 5 November Time: 9:00pm – 10:00pm Title: Turas Tony/Tony's Travels:Ranger on St Kilda Former 'River City' actor Tony Kearney swaps the comfort of a television studio for another set of varied and challenging professions. In this episode Tony becomes a Ranger on the island of St. Kilda, welcoming other visitors to the island and surveying the wildlife. Transmitted: Monday 5 November Time: 10:00pm – 10:30pm Title: Ceilidh@Blas/Blas Music Festival 2012 Kathleen Macinnes and Fiona Dunn present music and chat from Blas music festival. Guesting on ceilidh@blas are Hamish & Fin Moore, Blazin'Fiddles and Maeve Mackinnon. Transmitted: Tuesday 6 November Time: 8:30pm – 9:00pm Title: Soillse - Racing Around the World Alone The Vendée Globe is one of the most challenging races in the world. Sailing single-handed, competitors must sail around the world without stopovers and without any external help. Transmitted: Wednesday 7 November Time: 9:00pm – 9:50pm Title: Monte Cassino Brigadier John MacFarlane explores the history and impact of the World War II battles surrounding the Italian hill-top monastery of Monte Cassino. The Allied invasion of Southern Italy in September 1943 led to one of the most controversial campaigns of World War II. To prevent invaders from reaching Rome, the Germans constructed a chain of fortifications across Italy. Integral to this was the mountain-top monastery of Monte Cassino. Monte Cassino and its surroundings would be the site of thousands of Allied and Germans casualties in four battles in 1944. The monastery at Monte Cassino was bombed by the Allies in the mistaken belief that German troops were occupying it. After this bombing which destroyed much of the monastery elite German paratroopers occupied the rubble and it took several months and several thousand lives to dislodge them. Transmitted: Thursday 8 November Time: 9:00pm – 9:45pm Title: Siuthad! Siubhail!/Go! Explore! - The Northern Isles In the last programme of the series Pluto and Emma visit Orkney and Shetland where they learn about brewing and visit an unusual bus-stop before Emma ends up jumping off a cliff! Transmitted: Thursday 8 November Time: 9:55pm – 10:25pm Title: Grinn/Makeover Makeover show. In episode one Donna, Lynda and hair stylist John Comerford transform CarolMcGlone from South Uist. Transmitted: Friday 9 November Time: 8:30pm – 9:00pm Title: Bho Stalag Gu Gulag/From Stalag to Gulag Norman MacArthur pieces together his grandfather's incredible wartime journey, following in his footsteps from the bloody battlefields of France, through Poland and on to the camps of Odessa in an attempt to find out what actually happened to him. Transmitted: Friday 9 November Time: 9:00pm – 10:00pm