BBC Scotland coverage concerns

Ambulances are in need of urgent funds

Sir,

The recent announcement by Connectivity Secretary Fergus Ewing of plans to build up to 70 new telecommunications masts in Argyll and the Isles is of concern to the Scottish taxpayer.

An investment of £25 million in mobile connectivity should raise questions as to this government’s priorities.

Moreover, these masts are not about connecting remote communities.

They are ‘infilling’ to cover any potential blackspots and the question should be asked as to whether this huge amount of money could have been better spent.

I would urge your readers to email their MSPs to ask serious questions regarding why their money is being used to ensure 100 per cent mobile coverage when we have many other issues in the Highlands, not least the lack of funding within the NHS.

As a former member of the ambulance service, I am acutely aware of the limited resources that are at the forefront of emergency care.

These lack of resources do not include a need for 100 per cent mobile coverage or 4G but are more about maintaining vehicles with mileages equivalent to the distance needed to get to the moon.

Creaking and unsanitary conditions are present in ambulances because they are so old. It is not unusual for vehicles to break down. Some essential equipment therein is almost at the point of being unusable. Only the very hard work of ambulance staff keep these on the road at all.

Have a good look at an ambulance next time you can and think about where that £25 million should really go.

How can we trace litter louts?

Sir,

As one who volunteers to pick up litter, I came across a receipt listing goods that matched the nearby empty plastic bottles and a cake box lying on the roadside verge, all recently bought from a local shop.

The goods were paid by a debit card, which only shows the last four digits of the account number. If it was a Silent Witness serious crime scene, I’m fairly certain that the person(s) could be traced back to the shop, probably having CCTV, transaction records, forensic evidence (fingerprints, DNA) and so on.

I know it’s a sledgehammer to crack a nut situation, and that police and local authorities have not got the resources to deal with littering, especially beyond urban areas. However, I do wonder whether just one well advertised successful prosecution would send out a strong message that it is possible to be caught.

And what is wrong with using mobile miniature spy cameras at roadside lay-bys, as we have mobile speed cameras? Fortunately, Blue Planet 2 has provided the wake-up call over the need for action to protect our fragile environment.

If televison is that powerful in conveying serious global matters then governments should act – for example, by enforcing big drinks companies to highlight in their TV adverts the problem of litter when their products are disposed of irresponsibly. Sir,

A mass protest against weapons of mass destruction is due to take place on September 15 at the Anglo-American naval facility at Faslane.

The Faslane Coulport base holds the greatest arsenal of nucleur weapons in Europe and is a clear and present danger to the people of central Scotland.

Concerned people from all over the UK and Europe will be gathering at Faslane to make their protest and deare determined to make Westminster think again.

Having concerns about the ‘black propoganda’ campaign by BBC Scotland during the Independence Referendum, I have written to the head of news at the same and asked for assurance that the reporting of the mass advent will receive impartial coverage.

Children have right to free travel to GMU

Sir,

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the consultation on the catchment area for Bun-sgoil Ghaidhlig Loch Abar.

I do so as as a parent of two sons who attended the Gaelic Medium Unit (GMU) in St Mary’s School, Fort William.

I was active, with many local activists and council colleagues, in establishing the Fort William GMU in 1994 and then Bun-sgoil Ghaidhlig Loch Abar in 2015 as part of the reorganisation of Fort William’s primary schools.

I support the general proposals the consultation paper.

However, I challenge the assertion that the general limit for travel to the Gaelic school (GME) should be six- to 15 miles. Many past pupils attending GME have travelled much greater distances.

My own children travelled 22 miles by road from Achaphubuil to attend the Fort William GMU. We also used the Camusnagaul ferry to do so.

It is good that this will be free but pupils from south Locheilside should have the right to access from this transport link to Caol.

Other pupils have attended from Ardgour by crossing the Corran ferry. Again, they should have the right to transport from Nether Lochaber to Caol.

I would ask that Highland Council be more flexible in allowing future pupils from Invergarry, Glencoe and South Ballachulish to attend Bunsgoil in Ghaidhlig Loch Abar if requested. The reasons given against this is that the distances are too long for the pupils and the cost would be excessive.

Many parents of pupils attending Gaelic Medium Education in Lochaber have done so by transporting their children 40-50 miles so that they could attend croileagan, Gaelic nurseries and after-school activities all at their own expense and by considerable personal effort.

The Highland Council’s own Gaelic committee, under the chairmanship of Councillor Hamish Fraser, provided the evidence that Gaelic medium units and schools, once fully established after five years, were cheaper per pupil than English medium education. This was mainly because the support network for GME was much smaller.

I would ask that this cost saving of attending the Gaelic school is used to offset the right to access transport from Corran and Camusnagaul, and also to give serious consideration to any future requests for pupils from Invergarry, Glencoe and Ballachulish to attend GME.

This will then allow more of our young people to access the benefits of bilingual education.

Litter pickers to be thanked

Sir,

Congratulations to the team of litter pickers who are clearing a stretch of the grass verge on the A85 close to Taynuilt.

This particularly twisty section of road had its verge littered with rubbish and is being transformed!

Thank you, all.

Annual Killin Community auction

Sir,

The annual Killin Community Auction, will be held on Easter Saturday, March 31, in the McLaren Hall Killin. Viewing is from 4pm with the auction at 6pm prompt.

This eagerly awaited event raises much needed funds for local groups and worthy causes, and is well supported by both locals and visitors who all take the opportunity to relax, renew friendships and enjoy the friendly atmosphere the auction evening creates.

This year donations includes some surprising items, including a Cape Buffalo Skull with a horn span of over three feet, several items of china and stoneware in the antique category, as well as the more modern items and many collectibles new to the market.

There are some photos on the locl masonic lodge website and their Facebook page which give a view of some of what’s on offer. The wine and ale bar will help the craik and the kitchen will provide snacks and hot drinks.