Buddhists in arms
MONKS FIGHT SHOOTING RANGE PLANS US Air Force pulls plug on using farm for training after outcry from locals
PEACE-LOVING monks have sent the US Air Force packing from a Scottish gun range at the centre of a planning row after their protest was backed by thousands.
We told last month how spiritual leaders at Kagyu Samye Ling monastery had hit out at plans for two neighbouring shooting ranges, saying machine gun fire would destroy the calm haven.
Almost 20,000 people have backed the bid to protect the retreat at Eskdalemuir, in Dumfriesshire.
Now the US Air Force, which had been using a range around a mile from the monastery, has confirmed it has pulled the plug on special forces training in the area.
Captain Kevyn Kaler, spokeswoman for the 352nd Special Operations Wing, said: “We regret the disturbance this has caused. We have suspended all training events at this area.”
Samye Ling has attracted visitors looking for spiritual guidance – including rock icon David Bowie – since it was founded in the 60s.
It says two applications lodged with Dumfries and Galloway Council for target shooting ranges at nearby Clerkhill and Over Cassock farms could be disastrous for its future.
The farms want permission for longdistance ranges where high-powered 50-calibre weapons can be used to fire at targets up to two miles away.
The closest, at Clerkhill, will be less than two miles from Samye Ling. And monks say the noise pollution will disturb the peace at their retreat.
Lama Yeshe Rinpoche said: “I will do anything to persuade these people not to bring firing ranges close to Samye Ling.”
Our sister paper, the Dumfries and
We regret the disturbance this has caused CAPTAIN KEVYN KALER ON FIRING RANGE IMPACT
Galloway Standard, told last month how a US special forces military training exercise in the area had left the community up in arms.
A spokeswoman for Gardners Guns and Clerkhill Farm has confirmed a shooting range had been operated for years in the area and the current application is an opportunity to expand and boost the economy.
They added that a second facility was being developed at Clerkhill but the firm withdrew from the Over Cassock site in 2019 due to a disagreement with the landowner.
Fifty Calibre Shooters Association UK is behind the Over Cassock planning bid.
It said it leases the site and has no connection to the previous operator or proposed development at Clerkhill.
The FCSA said it adheres to strict safety procedures and claimed Samye Ling is “not exposed to noise” from the site.
WHEN she was made redundant at the start of the pandemic, Diana Ciornovalic was worried about how long it would take her to find another job and what she would do.
But with help from Work Coach Sean Gough at Leith Jobcentre, the 33-year-old was able to transfer skills she’d acquired from her former military career and IT role into a brand-new job in the private security industry.
“I had to think for a moment because it seemed so different to what I’d been doing,” says Diana. “But then I could see where my background in both areas could give me real poten tial in this industry.”
Diana had served as an officer in the Romanian army for eight years, work ing in specialist commu nication services, and had seen active service in Iraq.
After leaving the army just over six years ago she came to the UK to work in IT for a number of major companies, which included providing support for five international a job and doing it well has always been a source of personal pride, and being unemployed was really disheartening for me,” she says. Determined to stay positive, she contacted local organisation Community Renewal to volunteer – and that led in turn to conversations about the next step in her career. She received some financial support from Universal Credit while Sean arranged for her to attend a Sectorbased Work Academy Programme (SWAP). The SWAP included training in security and a guaranteed interview, and Diana was also awarded a Security Industry Authority licence to practice. She says: “I had applied for other IT jobs but the pandemic made it difficult to get the roles I was trained for. I hadn’t thought of private security but when it was mentioned it made sense – I could use skills I’d gained in the army and IT. “In the army I was command officer for different teams conducting projects in telecommunications, and this made me organised and disciplined – and
I had to think for a moment – but I could see how my background could give me real potential in private security
security companies need people who know how to communicate effectively, act quickly and make decisions. And, on the IT side, the company that hired me is focused on the technological aspect of security.”
Diana landed a job in the security room at Croma Vigilant Ex Military Professionals – and she had impressed everyone so much at her interview that, instead of being offered an entry-level position, she was given a more senior role as a team leader.
“I start on March 27 – but I have already been involved in meetings and I love it. Many of the team have an army background so it feels like home. I would reassure people that the skills you have will suit more roles than you think.
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” Diana says. “People like Sean can point you in the right direction and they can support you and keep you motivated.”
The UK Government has worked with the Scottish Government to develop a range of job support schemes which run in addition to existing support offered by the Scottish Government.
NICOLA Sturgeon has called for a teenage orphan to be granted permission to stay in the UK permanently.
The First Minister said Giorgi Kakava is “Scottish” as far as she is concerned and should be allowed to stay in the country with his gran, Ketino Baikhadze, for as long as he wants.
The 13-year-old’s permit expired in December and he faces being removed from his home in Glasgow and deported to Georgia, a country he hasn’t seen since the age of three.
Asked about Giorgi’s plight at First Minister’s Questions, Sturgeon said: “This is his home... Children who were either born in Scotland or have spent their formative years here should have the opportunity to stay here with their adult guardians.”
THE sun has returned, which means my wife has once again taken an interest in the garden.
Patriarchy has its downsides but evidently my masculinity is not yet so toxic that my darling life partner feels in any way awkward about pitching hot tub-related suggestions.
To be fair to her, I would be unable to earn were she not so supportive.
Yesterday, she kindly wiped a mound of breadcrumbs off the worktop and on to my cleanly polished kitchen floor. How thoughtful of her.
We are a very progressive household. Before lockdown, domestic tasks were split evenly between us – my wife did half the housework and childcare and I outsourced my half to a team of other women.
In any event, a hot tub will be a wonderful addition to the scrapheap of expensive appliances either broken by our children or commandeered as urinals by the cat.