MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
31 March 2010
A POLICE officer has told how a chance inquiry in the middle of the night led to the rescue of a family of four from a house fire.
Pc Alan Mark and his colleague Pc Dale Jackson have been commended for going beyond the call of duty by rushing into the house to extinguish the blaze and evacuate a mother and her three young children.
The woman is understood to have been asleep on the couch with her three-year-old daughter in the living room of her house in Gareloch Way, Whitburn, when she was woken by a knock on the door at 2:20am on Friday.
Police had found her partner's car damaged and off the road earlier that night, and the two officers had called round to make sure the family had not come to harm.
However, shortly after the woman answered the door, the officers smelled smoke coming from the room where she had been sleeping just minutes earlier.
Pc Mark said: "She went back into the living room and saw that the place was on fire.
"She shouted to us for assistance and my colleague helped her get her three children, a two-year-old son and two daughters aged three and seven, out of the house. I put out the fire with several jugs of water that were passed through to me from the kitchen. There was quite a bit of smoke.
"We called the fire brigade for assistance and an ambulance was also sent out.
"The fire brigade found that the fire started in a lamp, and they believe an item of clothing was left lying on it.
"The children were a bit frightened getting woken up at that time in the morning, and the two- year-old was eventually taken to hospital as a precaution.
"The woman was also quite stressed. We think we had just woken her up when we knocked on the door."
The family at the centre of the drama declined to comment.
However, the officers' chief inspector, Graham Jones, has commended Pc Mark, 40, and Pc Jackson, 29, for their quick thinking. Chief Inspector Jones said: "I am delighted that the quick thinking and decisiveness of these two officers prevented a frightening incident from turning into a more serious ordeal.
"Fortunately, all occupants were safely removed before the fire service attended and made the property safe.
"Lothian and Borders Police are committed to making our communities safer. However, Pc Mark and Pc Jackson surpassed what was required of them to ensure these members of the public came to no harm."
David Lockhart, Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service community safety manager, also commended the officers.
He said: "We always stress that if you discover a fire, you should get out, stay out and call the fire and rescue service.
"The occupier was fortunate to have such immediate help to evacuate her and her children safely and the police were obviously confident enough to tackle the fire and extinguish it before we arrived."
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
NEWS: Memorial to the Merchant Seamen
MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
31 March 2010
WHEN built it will be an iconic national memorial to 6,500 lost merchant seaman - but exactly what it will look like is a closely guarded secret.
The Merchant Navy Memorial Trust has applied for permission to erect "a memorial of national importance" near Tower Place, at The Shore.
All going well, the £100,000 structure will be unveiled in November. However, the Trust has called for "a degree of secrecy and confidentiality" prior to the official publication of the plans and the launch of a public appeal next month to raise the required cash. The memorial is the brainchild of Professor Gordon Milne, 74, a retired company director from Kingsknowe whose family has a long association with the merchant navy.
He said: "The memorial itself will cost £100,000, funded largely by substantial private donations from benefactors who wish to remain anonymous, but we hope to raise around a quarter-of-a-million pounds through our public appeal for various projects associated with memory of the merchant seamen.
"There are precious few memorials to these brave men in Britain. There is the Tower Hill Memorial in London which commemorates the sailors of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets during the wars, and a memorial to the Arctic convoys recently unveiled in the Orkneys, but there is nothing to mark the loss of the 6,500 Scottish merchant seamen who died in the first and second world wars, the Falklands War and other disasters."
The drawings accompanying the plans show a plinth 4.5 metres high with a cloud obscuring the secret bronze statue at the top.
A series of bronze reliefs will also be attached to the plinth, but the nature of these are also secret.
The works are being designed by renowned Edinburgh sculptor Jill Watson who created the red lion above the door of the Queen's Gallery at Holyrood House.
She also recently completed a series of sculptures in the Borders commemorating the 125th anniversary of the 1881 Eyemouth fishing disaster.
The Trust's directors include John Menzies chairman William Thomson, heir to the company that ran Leith's famous Ben Line vessels which lost 18 ships during the Second World War alone. The directors also include Rear Admiral Roger Lockwood, chief executive of the Royal Lighthouse Board and vice-patron for Scotland of the War Memorials Trust.
Edinburgh Evening News
31 March 2010
WHEN built it will be an iconic national memorial to 6,500 lost merchant seaman - but exactly what it will look like is a closely guarded secret.
The Merchant Navy Memorial Trust has applied for permission to erect "a memorial of national importance" near Tower Place, at The Shore.
All going well, the £100,000 structure will be unveiled in November. However, the Trust has called for "a degree of secrecy and confidentiality" prior to the official publication of the plans and the launch of a public appeal next month to raise the required cash. The memorial is the brainchild of Professor Gordon Milne, 74, a retired company director from Kingsknowe whose family has a long association with the merchant navy.
He said: "The memorial itself will cost £100,000, funded largely by substantial private donations from benefactors who wish to remain anonymous, but we hope to raise around a quarter-of-a-million pounds through our public appeal for various projects associated with memory of the merchant seamen.
"There are precious few memorials to these brave men in Britain. There is the Tower Hill Memorial in London which commemorates the sailors of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets during the wars, and a memorial to the Arctic convoys recently unveiled in the Orkneys, but there is nothing to mark the loss of the 6,500 Scottish merchant seamen who died in the first and second world wars, the Falklands War and other disasters."
The drawings accompanying the plans show a plinth 4.5 metres high with a cloud obscuring the secret bronze statue at the top.
A series of bronze reliefs will also be attached to the plinth, but the nature of these are also secret.
The works are being designed by renowned Edinburgh sculptor Jill Watson who created the red lion above the door of the Queen's Gallery at Holyrood House.
She also recently completed a series of sculptures in the Borders commemorating the 125th anniversary of the 1881 Eyemouth fishing disaster.
The Trust's directors include John Menzies chairman William Thomson, heir to the company that ran Leith's famous Ben Line vessels which lost 18 ships during the Second World War alone. The directors also include Rear Admiral Roger Lockwood, chief executive of the Royal Lighthouse Board and vice-patron for Scotland of the War Memorials Trust.
NEWS: Samantha Wright RIP
MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
26 March 2010
THE mother of a young woman discovered dead more than a year after she went missing is finally preparing to lay her remains to rest - as the News can reveal that a man has been charged with her murder.
Catherine Gibson told of her agony as the body of 25-year old Samantha Wright was released by Lothian and Borders Police, more than six months after her remains were discovered in a wheelie bin in Duddingston.
Robert Chalmers, 57, who appeared in private at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on 14 October last year charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice, has since been charged with murdering Samantha.
FOR 18 agonising months Catherine Gibson prayed for the day that her missing daughter Samantha Wright would come home. For the last six months she has been dreading it.
Ever since the 25-year-old's remains were discovered in a wheelie bin in Duddingston last October, she has known the time would come when she would have to lay her "beautiful" daughter to rest.
Now, finally, her body has been released by Lothian and Borders Police and she can start to do the things that other grieving relatives normally do, such as planning a funeral service.
"I'm just glad we have got her back and we can finally lay her to rest," said Ms Gibson, 47, a council cleaner. "It's been six months that we have been waiting. Bless her."
Samantha - a lively and outgoing young woman, "happy and bubbly and trusting of anybody" in her mother's words - had friends in Edinburgh and Stevenage, Hertfordshire, where she grew up.
Many are expected to pack the Harwood Park Crematorium in her family's home town next Thursday to celebrate her tragically short life. The family have said that all who knew Samantha are welcome to attend.
On that day, they will briefly put aside the horrific circumstances of Samantha's death - the discovery of her body in an overgrown garden in Magdalene Drive after months of searching by police - to remember the joy she brought into their lives.
For Samantha's father, Jeremy Wright, 47, who works for a Stevenage joinery firm, it will be a moment of healing after months of "hell".
He said: "We've had an awfully long wait but the police were quite clear about what they had to do and the reason for delay.
"In fact, it was our insistence that they hold on to Samantha's body for as long as they needed to recover whatever evidence they could to secure a conviction.
"We're expecting quite a crowd to come to pay their respects.
"It's taken us all back six months. We're still a long way from getting over her loss - in fact, we'll never get over her loss - but we've been trying to move on.
"We knew that all of these feelings were going to come back and bite us eventually, with the funeral to plan and a trial looming, but the news that she's coming home has been a major setback for us emotionally.
"We've been through hell and I don't think it's something we'll ever recover from."
Samantha moved to the Capital four years ago after falling in love with the city on a family holiday.
She worked initially as a waitress, but later fell into a "haphazard" lifestyle, with a dwindling circle of friends.
The last sighting of her alive came as she made her way home from the Jobcentre at High Riggs in Edinburgh on 12 June, 2008.
She left behind all her belongings at her rented home in Stevenson Drive, Saughton.
Friends, including boyfriend Simon Sawers, 22, assumed she had upped sticks and moved back to England.
Her family reported her missing in February last year after she failed to get in contact at Christmas or on her birthday on 5 January.
Detectives soon discovered no cash had been withdrawn from her bank account and she had not used her mobile phone.
It was several months, though, before the grim discovery in the back garden of the flat on Magdalene Drive on 12 October.
Nestled amongst bits of wood and tools, behind an overgrown garden hedge, police found the bin with her remains inside.
Ms Gibson said: "She wanted to be an actress and did really well at school. I don't think she ever got told off. She was a beautiful person and I can't tell you how much I miss her and love her.
"The last time I saw her alive, I remember seeing her off on the coach and I'll never forget her face that day until I die."
Looking towards next week's funeral, her brother, Jeff Slingsby, said: "We feel like we can pay our respects and be with her again."
Samantha Wright's funeral will be held at Harwood Park Crematorium in Stevenage at 1:15pm on Thursday, 1 April.
Edinburgh Evening News
26 March 2010
THE mother of a young woman discovered dead more than a year after she went missing is finally preparing to lay her remains to rest - as the News can reveal that a man has been charged with her murder.
Catherine Gibson told of her agony as the body of 25-year old Samantha Wright was released by Lothian and Borders Police, more than six months after her remains were discovered in a wheelie bin in Duddingston.
Robert Chalmers, 57, who appeared in private at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on 14 October last year charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice, has since been charged with murdering Samantha.
FOR 18 agonising months Catherine Gibson prayed for the day that her missing daughter Samantha Wright would come home. For the last six months she has been dreading it.
Ever since the 25-year-old's remains were discovered in a wheelie bin in Duddingston last October, she has known the time would come when she would have to lay her "beautiful" daughter to rest.
Now, finally, her body has been released by Lothian and Borders Police and she can start to do the things that other grieving relatives normally do, such as planning a funeral service.
"I'm just glad we have got her back and we can finally lay her to rest," said Ms Gibson, 47, a council cleaner. "It's been six months that we have been waiting. Bless her."
Samantha - a lively and outgoing young woman, "happy and bubbly and trusting of anybody" in her mother's words - had friends in Edinburgh and Stevenage, Hertfordshire, where she grew up.
Many are expected to pack the Harwood Park Crematorium in her family's home town next Thursday to celebrate her tragically short life. The family have said that all who knew Samantha are welcome to attend.
On that day, they will briefly put aside the horrific circumstances of Samantha's death - the discovery of her body in an overgrown garden in Magdalene Drive after months of searching by police - to remember the joy she brought into their lives.
For Samantha's father, Jeremy Wright, 47, who works for a Stevenage joinery firm, it will be a moment of healing after months of "hell".
He said: "We've had an awfully long wait but the police were quite clear about what they had to do and the reason for delay.
"In fact, it was our insistence that they hold on to Samantha's body for as long as they needed to recover whatever evidence they could to secure a conviction.
"We're expecting quite a crowd to come to pay their respects.
"It's taken us all back six months. We're still a long way from getting over her loss - in fact, we'll never get over her loss - but we've been trying to move on.
"We knew that all of these feelings were going to come back and bite us eventually, with the funeral to plan and a trial looming, but the news that she's coming home has been a major setback for us emotionally.
"We've been through hell and I don't think it's something we'll ever recover from."
Samantha moved to the Capital four years ago after falling in love with the city on a family holiday.
She worked initially as a waitress, but later fell into a "haphazard" lifestyle, with a dwindling circle of friends.
The last sighting of her alive came as she made her way home from the Jobcentre at High Riggs in Edinburgh on 12 June, 2008.
She left behind all her belongings at her rented home in Stevenson Drive, Saughton.
Friends, including boyfriend Simon Sawers, 22, assumed she had upped sticks and moved back to England.
Her family reported her missing in February last year after she failed to get in contact at Christmas or on her birthday on 5 January.
Detectives soon discovered no cash had been withdrawn from her bank account and she had not used her mobile phone.
It was several months, though, before the grim discovery in the back garden of the flat on Magdalene Drive on 12 October.
Nestled amongst bits of wood and tools, behind an overgrown garden hedge, police found the bin with her remains inside.
Ms Gibson said: "She wanted to be an actress and did really well at school. I don't think she ever got told off. She was a beautiful person and I can't tell you how much I miss her and love her.
"The last time I saw her alive, I remember seeing her off on the coach and I'll never forget her face that day until I die."
Looking towards next week's funeral, her brother, Jeff Slingsby, said: "We feel like we can pay our respects and be with her again."
Samantha Wright's funeral will be held at Harwood Park Crematorium in Stevenage at 1:15pm on Thursday, 1 April.
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
READING: Majd: The Ayatollah Begs to Differ
Hooman MajdThe Ayatollah Begs to Differ
2008
Majd, an English/US educated Iranian who moved to the US permanently after the Islamic Revolution, clearly still has a lot of love and affinity with his home country, and judging by this book the feeling is mutual.
He is the grandson of a revered Ayatollah and describes himself as both 100 per cent Iranian and 100 per cent American, making his book a decent window into the often imperceptible world of Iranian politics, religion and culture.
Majd skips from trendy cannabis-fuelled student parties to clapped out opium dens, and this striking contrast alone is enough to cast a thousand Iranian preconceptions assunder. Some westerners view Islamic Iran as abstinent and austere, but many of the youths Majd encounters live in thrall of American culture, taking "cool Western drugs" in contrast to the opium of the grandfathers. They watch scantily clad Iranians gyrate in music videos in defiance of the Revolution's strict dress codes.
The fact that many of the videos are made in the States may indicate a Western intent to ferment anti-revolutionary fervour amongst the youths, but in reality the Revolution doesn't appear to intrude into their private lives at all. Provided they keep their misdemenours behind closed doors, The Ayatollah, it seems, doesn't ask questions.
The nation's opium addicted old men, meanwhile, seem too spaced out to care.
One of Iran's most interesting cultural foibles, which dominates Iranian society and therefore runs throughout the entire book, is the practice of "ta'arouf", an almost manic politeness that makes even a simple taxi-ride a battle of self-deprication - ranging from "I am your devoted servant" to "Piss, and I'll dive in". In the end Majd practically has to force the money into the driver's hand.
Ahmadinejad is apparently an expert at "ta'arouf", managing to be both self-depricating and acerbically withering in a single sentence.
But it is the similarities between East and West the Majd exposes most colourfully, particularly the American God-fearing Right's pathological fear of fundamentalist Islam: "It strikes me often when I am in Iran that were Christian evangelicals to take a tour of Iran today, they might find it the model for an ideal society they seek in America.
"Replace Allah with God, Muhammad with Jesus, keep the same public and private notions of chastity, sin, salvation and God's will, and a Christian republic is born."
NEWS: There's a cold (war) wind blowing
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
25 March 2010
THE owners of a Cold War nuclear bunker on Corstorphine Hill want to build a 190ft wind turbine on the site to raise money for its restoration.
It is hoped the heavily shielded underground air-defence bunker at Barnton Quarry, built at the beginning of the Cold War in 1952, can be turned into a thriving visitor attraction.
But restoring the bunker will cost up to £10 million after vandals set fire to thousands of tyres dumped there in 1993.
The owners - who operate tours of Scotland's Secret Bunker, near Anstruther, in Fife - hope to raise some of the money by harnessing the wind power on the hill. Residents are expected to protest at the size of the proposed turbine on the beauty spot.
Kelvin Donaldson, of Grassmarket-based Gilbert architects, who is working on the project, said: "People will probably think the creation of a wind turbine in central Edinburgh is a bit unsuitable, but there have been two in central Dundee for years without any problems.
"People have a conception that they're noisy but decibel tests have shown that the noise dissipates very quickly.
"The bunker itself is little more than a burnt-out shell so it will be a costly task to restore it.
"The Anstruther bunker was handed over in perfect condition, with polished hardwood flooring and everything still intact. Even the beds were made. It will cost almost as much to restore the Edinburgh bunker as it did to build it from scratch, and even if you cut some corners you're still looking at several million pounds."
Friends of Corstorphine Hill secretary Donald Gorrie said the association has been in regular contact with the bunker's owner, James Mitchell, about antisocial behaviour on the site.
Mr Gorrie said: "We've spoken to Mr Mitchell about this many times so he's not top of our Christmas card list, shall we say. As the site's owner he's entitled to try to make something from it, within reason, so we'll just have to live with it provided he does it without making it a Mecca for more local undesirables.
"We have had some discussions about the turbine but we've yet to lodge a formal objection to plans. There are concerns about having something of that size on the hill so I think it's likely that an objection will be lodged soon."
Corstorphine Community Council is also concerned, with planning leader Warren Hope saying: "Most of the objections have been about the appearance of it.
"Corstorphine Hill can be seen from all of the major viewing points in the city, such as Edinburgh Castle, and we would be adverse to anything that detracts from the appearance of the hill."
Edinburgh Evening News
25 March 2010
THE owners of a Cold War nuclear bunker on Corstorphine Hill want to build a 190ft wind turbine on the site to raise money for its restoration.
It is hoped the heavily shielded underground air-defence bunker at Barnton Quarry, built at the beginning of the Cold War in 1952, can be turned into a thriving visitor attraction.
But restoring the bunker will cost up to £10 million after vandals set fire to thousands of tyres dumped there in 1993.
The owners - who operate tours of Scotland's Secret Bunker, near Anstruther, in Fife - hope to raise some of the money by harnessing the wind power on the hill. Residents are expected to protest at the size of the proposed turbine on the beauty spot.
Kelvin Donaldson, of Grassmarket-based Gilbert architects, who is working on the project, said: "People will probably think the creation of a wind turbine in central Edinburgh is a bit unsuitable, but there have been two in central Dundee for years without any problems.
"People have a conception that they're noisy but decibel tests have shown that the noise dissipates very quickly.
"The bunker itself is little more than a burnt-out shell so it will be a costly task to restore it.
"The Anstruther bunker was handed over in perfect condition, with polished hardwood flooring and everything still intact. Even the beds were made. It will cost almost as much to restore the Edinburgh bunker as it did to build it from scratch, and even if you cut some corners you're still looking at several million pounds."
Friends of Corstorphine Hill secretary Donald Gorrie said the association has been in regular contact with the bunker's owner, James Mitchell, about antisocial behaviour on the site.
Mr Gorrie said: "We've spoken to Mr Mitchell about this many times so he's not top of our Christmas card list, shall we say. As the site's owner he's entitled to try to make something from it, within reason, so we'll just have to live with it provided he does it without making it a Mecca for more local undesirables.
"We have had some discussions about the turbine but we've yet to lodge a formal objection to plans. There are concerns about having something of that size on the hill so I think it's likely that an objection will be lodged soon."
Corstorphine Community Council is also concerned, with planning leader Warren Hope saying: "Most of the objections have been about the appearance of it.
"Corstorphine Hill can be seen from all of the major viewing points in the city, such as Edinburgh Castle, and we would be adverse to anything that detracts from the appearance of the hill."
NEWS: Universities in a fine mess
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
25 March 2010
TWO Edinburgh universities have been fined for over-recruiting students during the recession.
Edinburgh Napier University and Queen Margaret University have been fined GBP 338,000 and £42,000, respectively, as part of nearly £1 million of fines handed out to Scottish institutions as a result of a 12 per cent increase in students accepted on university courses last year.
The rise has been attributed to a lack of jobs in the recession.
Aberdeen University was hit with the highest penalty of nearly £500,000, while Robert Gordon University has a fine of £62,000.
The fines were revealed as the Scottish Funding Council announced a 1.4 per cent increase in funding for the 2010-11 academic year, awarding £1.12 billion of funding to Scotland's 20 universities.
However, critics say the £15.3m increase on 2009-10 amounts to a 0.6 per cent funding cut, in real terms, when inflation of 2 per cent is taken into account.
Under the settlement universities will get a total of £994.1m to support their core activities of teaching and research and to help modernise and maintain campuses.
A further GBP 129.5m of cash is being awarded as part of the horizon fund - which supports strategic initiatives such as the pooling of research activities across several universities.
SFC chief executive Mark Batho said: "Maintaining high quality teaching and learning in Scotland's universities has been at the forefront of our minds when making decisions about our allocations for university funding.
"The public spending environment is undoubtedly challenging but the funds which the Scottish Government have made available have allowed us to provide a cash increase for the coming year, reflecting the important contribution that higher education has to make to economic recovery and future prosperity in Scotland.
"These resources will safeguard the stability of the sector and mean that the quality of the student experience is maintained at a high level."
SFC chairman John McClelland said: "Scotland's universities are extremely well-positioned to play a vital role in the country's long-term economic growth.
"Our universities are already leading in areas such as energy and cutting-edge medical research that are at the forefront of innovation and technology. They also produce the skills and attributes in people that help businesses to compete internationally.
"By protecting investments in strategic areas such as skills, employability, and research, this funding settlement is important for both our economy and for society."
However, Liam Burns, president of the National Union of Students, said the decision not to expand university places meant "the door had been slammed shut" for many.
He added: "However, for those that are already at university, this announcement represents protection from course cuts and department cuts."
Mary Senior, of the University and College Union Scotland, called the real-term funding cut "disappointing and embarrassing".
Edinburgh Evening News
25 March 2010
TWO Edinburgh universities have been fined for over-recruiting students during the recession.
Edinburgh Napier University and Queen Margaret University have been fined GBP 338,000 and £42,000, respectively, as part of nearly £1 million of fines handed out to Scottish institutions as a result of a 12 per cent increase in students accepted on university courses last year.
The rise has been attributed to a lack of jobs in the recession.
Aberdeen University was hit with the highest penalty of nearly £500,000, while Robert Gordon University has a fine of £62,000.
The fines were revealed as the Scottish Funding Council announced a 1.4 per cent increase in funding for the 2010-11 academic year, awarding £1.12 billion of funding to Scotland's 20 universities.
However, critics say the £15.3m increase on 2009-10 amounts to a 0.6 per cent funding cut, in real terms, when inflation of 2 per cent is taken into account.
Under the settlement universities will get a total of £994.1m to support their core activities of teaching and research and to help modernise and maintain campuses.
A further GBP 129.5m of cash is being awarded as part of the horizon fund - which supports strategic initiatives such as the pooling of research activities across several universities.
SFC chief executive Mark Batho said: "Maintaining high quality teaching and learning in Scotland's universities has been at the forefront of our minds when making decisions about our allocations for university funding.
"The public spending environment is undoubtedly challenging but the funds which the Scottish Government have made available have allowed us to provide a cash increase for the coming year, reflecting the important contribution that higher education has to make to economic recovery and future prosperity in Scotland.
"These resources will safeguard the stability of the sector and mean that the quality of the student experience is maintained at a high level."
SFC chairman John McClelland said: "Scotland's universities are extremely well-positioned to play a vital role in the country's long-term economic growth.
"Our universities are already leading in areas such as energy and cutting-edge medical research that are at the forefront of innovation and technology. They also produce the skills and attributes in people that help businesses to compete internationally.
"By protecting investments in strategic areas such as skills, employability, and research, this funding settlement is important for both our economy and for society."
However, Liam Burns, president of the National Union of Students, said the decision not to expand university places meant "the door had been slammed shut" for many.
He added: "However, for those that are already at university, this announcement represents protection from course cuts and department cuts."
Mary Senior, of the University and College Union Scotland, called the real-term funding cut "disappointing and embarrassing".
SPORT: Hillend: The End?
By MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
19 March 2010
LOTHIANS MSPs have called on sports minister Shona Robison to "turn her words into action" as it emerged that Scotland's national sporting body won't stump up the cash to save the troubled Midlothian Ski Centre.
The Hillend snowsports centre is struggling with a projected deficit of over half a million pounds and may be facing closure unless it can eliminate its deficit or secure external funding.
Owner Midlothian Council is set to implement a raft of cost-saving measures - including job cuts and price rises. But these will only reduce the deficit by a third, suggesting the only viable option to save the centre will be external funding.
Donald S MacKay, Midlothian Council's director of education and communities, has warned that the centre is now at "significant risk" of closure.
A report to go before councillors on Tuesday states: "The council will no longer be able to keep the snowsports centre open unless the operating deficit is reduced to zero or there is significant external assistance and financial support available."
Stuart Harris, chief executive of national sporting agency Sportscotland, gave council chief executive Trevor Muir an assurance last month that the centre is "a facility of national importance" and pledged to work with the council to ensure it stayed open. However, this help will not extend to financial backing.
A Sportscotland spokeswoman said: "We are exploring ways we can use our expertise to support Midlothian Council in ensuring the centre operates on a more economically sustainable model."
Midlothian MSP Rhona Brankin is now seeking an urgent meeting with Ms Robison to convince the Scottish Government to shoulder some of the burden.
She said: "The minister regards the centre as being 'important to the future of snowsports in Scotland'. She needs now to turn those warm words into action to secure the future of the facility.
"There is no way that Midlothian Council can take an annual loss of GBP 500,000 from Hillend ski slope when only 20 per cent of its users come from Midlothian."
Lothians MSP Robin Harper has also requested a meeting with ministers to safeguard the centre's future.
Mr MacKay also confirmed that informal discussions have been held with private individuals and organisations. However, he warned that private partnerships would simply replace one set of problems with another, reducing the council's financial risk but exposing it to other risks associated with handing partial control to an outside party.
A council spokesman refused to disclose the names of the private parties involved but one local businessman, 25-year-old ski holiday entrepreneur Stuart Murphy, managing director of Colme Street-based Snowtraxx, revealed he has had a brief discussion with council officials.
He said: "I've yet to receive an official invitation to discuss my proposals in detail.
"Obviously I would want some say in the way the centre is run if they accept my proposal. But I think the council are still hoping Sportscotland will simply give them the money and leave them to it."
A Scottish Government spokeswoman declined to reveal whether Ms Robison would be taking up the MSP's calls for a meeting but said: "We are monitoring the situation closely and will be interested in the outcome of the package of efficiency measures."
Edinburgh Evening News
19 March 2010
LOTHIANS MSPs have called on sports minister Shona Robison to "turn her words into action" as it emerged that Scotland's national sporting body won't stump up the cash to save the troubled Midlothian Ski Centre.
The Hillend snowsports centre is struggling with a projected deficit of over half a million pounds and may be facing closure unless it can eliminate its deficit or secure external funding.
Owner Midlothian Council is set to implement a raft of cost-saving measures - including job cuts and price rises. But these will only reduce the deficit by a third, suggesting the only viable option to save the centre will be external funding.
Donald S MacKay, Midlothian Council's director of education and communities, has warned that the centre is now at "significant risk" of closure.
A report to go before councillors on Tuesday states: "The council will no longer be able to keep the snowsports centre open unless the operating deficit is reduced to zero or there is significant external assistance and financial support available."
Stuart Harris, chief executive of national sporting agency Sportscotland, gave council chief executive Trevor Muir an assurance last month that the centre is "a facility of national importance" and pledged to work with the council to ensure it stayed open. However, this help will not extend to financial backing.
A Sportscotland spokeswoman said: "We are exploring ways we can use our expertise to support Midlothian Council in ensuring the centre operates on a more economically sustainable model."
Midlothian MSP Rhona Brankin is now seeking an urgent meeting with Ms Robison to convince the Scottish Government to shoulder some of the burden.
She said: "The minister regards the centre as being 'important to the future of snowsports in Scotland'. She needs now to turn those warm words into action to secure the future of the facility.
"There is no way that Midlothian Council can take an annual loss of GBP 500,000 from Hillend ski slope when only 20 per cent of its users come from Midlothian."
Lothians MSP Robin Harper has also requested a meeting with ministers to safeguard the centre's future.
Mr MacKay also confirmed that informal discussions have been held with private individuals and organisations. However, he warned that private partnerships would simply replace one set of problems with another, reducing the council's financial risk but exposing it to other risks associated with handing partial control to an outside party.
A council spokesman refused to disclose the names of the private parties involved but one local businessman, 25-year-old ski holiday entrepreneur Stuart Murphy, managing director of Colme Street-based Snowtraxx, revealed he has had a brief discussion with council officials.
He said: "I've yet to receive an official invitation to discuss my proposals in detail.
"Obviously I would want some say in the way the centre is run if they accept my proposal. But I think the council are still hoping Sportscotland will simply give them the money and leave them to it."
A Scottish Government spokeswoman declined to reveal whether Ms Robison would be taking up the MSP's calls for a meeting but said: "We are monitoring the situation closely and will be interested in the outcome of the package of efficiency measures."
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