Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Picture perfect success
Stevie’s ‘Little People’ are a big hit with public
A Coatbridge photographer with a keen eye for a creative snap has defied the Covid pandemic to continue developing his hugely popular business.
Stevie Spiers’ My Little People firm – which sees him place tiny railway figures at locations and on props and everyday objects – has gone from strength-to-strength since its launch in 2015.
When the pandemic first struck, Stevie and partner Bren were restricted to selling their photos, calendars, coasters and other items online.
But the determined duo are now back in business in their two shop spaces, based in Glasgow’s Buchanan Galleries and George Street in Edinburgh – with the former giving Stevie’s snaps a special spotlight.
Stevie, 58, said: “We are involved with a company called Scottish Design Exchange and rent space within both the stores, which are now open again.
“The stores are a great platform for Scottish artists and designers to showcase and sell their work.
“We decided to extend our wall space in Buchanan Galleries to give our customers more fun images to view and, hopefully, purchase.
“Bren and I are always busy making up stock for both shops and I am always working on new fun scenes.
“Leading up to the reopening of Buchanan Galleries, we were contacted by them to ask if we would be interested in some of our images being used on a grand scale on some empty shop fronts.
“We were delighted to help out as it provides us with free publicity and also shoppers can have a wee giggle at our images rather than looking at an empty shop window.”
Stevie, who took up photography at the age of 18, is also hoping to branch his work out even further if Covid restrictions continue to be lifted.
He said: “Fingers crossed at some point this year we will be able to return to our craft fair at the weekends in Merchant Square, Glasgow.
“The space normally used for the craft fair is at the moment being used by the restaurants to help with social distancing during these difficult times.
“It would be great to see people in there in person again.”
On his innovative My Little People concept, Stevie added: “I thought it was an interesting twist of my traditional photos and I’ve had a lot of fun scouting locations and placing the railway figures.
“I’ve accumulated a large amount of figures and have many images in my head that I will create in the future and, as always, they will make their way onto my website.
“We have had a fantastic response from people who see my images for the first time and it’s a really nice feeling.”
To view Stevie’s My Little People work and merchandise, visit www. steviespiersphotography.com/
A boozed-up motorist who caused a crash that left a mum-to-be with horrific head injuries has been jailed for a year.
Calum Maciver, 64, had no lights on and was nearly three times the limit when his vehicle ploughed into another car in which the injured woman was a passenger.
Her skull was fractured and her jaw shattered, leaving her with longlasting health issues.
Miraculously, her unborn baby survived the crash.
Hamilton Sheriff Court heard that when Maciver, of Caldercruix, was asked if he had been drinking he replied, ‘Aye and what’.
Maciver, from Moss Avenue, admitted driving dangerously and causing serious injury to his victim.
He also admitted being nearly three times over the drink limit.
The crash happened on North Road, Bellshill, shortly before midnight on July 6, 2019.
The woman, who was 17 weeks pregnant, was a front seat passenger in a Suzuki Swift being driven by her partner.
Jennifer Cunningham, prosecuting, said: “As her partner negotiated a bend, he was confronted by the accused’s Vauxhall Astra coming towards him on the wrong side of the road with no headlights on.
“He braked and swerved to the right and at the last moment the accused became aware of him and swerved to his left.
“As a result, the vehicles collided in the centre of the road.” The mum-to-be was knocked unconscious by the impact and was bleeding from the head, nose and mouth.
Her partner was not hurt and passing motorists stopped to help.
Ms Cunningham stated: “The accused was in his car, drifting in and out of consciousness.
A witness explained to him he’d been in an accident and the accused replied sarcastically, ‘Oh have I?’
“It appeared he’d been drinking and when asked if he had he answered, ‘Aye and what’.
“Police officers noted he was smelling strongly of alcohol and was obviously impaired. He was treated by paramedics.”
The victim, who suffered bleeding on the brain, spent two-and-a-half weeks in hospital and later required surgery on her jaw.
The fiscal added: “The woman now suffers from short-term memory loss as well as impaired cognitive ability and a loss of feeling in her ear that will be permanent.
“She still suffers pain in her jaw and will be on a soft diet for the rest of her life. She undergoes physiotherapy and has had to deal with psychological trauma.”
Defence solicitor Nicky Matteo said Maciver was remorseful and a criminal justice social work report indicated why he had been drinking that day.
Mr Matteo added: “He has very little recollection of the events that followed.”
Sheriff Colin Dunipace jailed Maciver for a year, banned him from driving for three years and ordered him to resit his test. The sheriff said: “You drove in an extremely dangerous manner with appalling consequences. Your actions have had life-changing consequences for the victim. Thankfully her child was born without injury, but the period of worry for the mother must have been unimaginable.”