Charity is there for you
Taking back our wild spaces
I spent two and a half years in Cyprus with the RAF during the early 1960s and whenever I could, I headed north to the Troodos mountains which lay just a half hour away.
The maze of “B” roads that threaded their way up the slopes through the mature pine forests made it delightfully easy to explore the many small villages that studded the hillsides.
The contrast between Troodos and our Argyll forests was truly astounding. Here, our slopes are covered with commercial plantations so dense, dark and impenetrable that it is virtually impossible for any undergrowth or wildlife to survive in them. They are hemmed in on all sides by impenetrable deer fences. All gates are padlocked to wheeled traffic and anyone arriving by car to take a walk along a forest road is charged a parking fee. Somewhere in the mists of time it has been forgotten that we taxpayers actually paid for all this real estate!
I make these points at a time when there appears to be a resurgence of interest in scheduling still more National Parks in Scotland to “preserve the beauty of our countryside”.
Before we cast the bureaucratic net even wider across areas that have no pressing need to be artificially identified as “beautiful”, might I suggest an alternative? Namely to recover at least one large coniferous plantation in an area of outstanding natural beauty and restore it back to its former wild state. Not only do our slopes need to breathe and regrow the native trees and the vast population of creatures they once supported – we also need to get them back in order to reduce pressure on popular spots that are getting over-stressed and worn away by excessive foot-traffic.
It would be a far greater achievement to recover and restore something that has been lost for a century, than to lay yet more restrictions on the land in a manner more likely to reflect the values of urban-based planners than of the people who are obliged to live under them.
Andrew McIntyre, by email.
With Mother’s Day just around the corner, I am thinking of the many mums who have contacted me because they are worried about their children.
I work for the WithYou Webchat, a free, confidential service that offers advice relating to drugs, alcohol and mental wellbeing.
Around one fifth of the conversations that take place on our virtual platform are from friends and family who are looking for advice for someone close to them. I have spoken to so many women who desperately want to help their families but don’t know how. The conversations we have with mothers are often very emotional. No matter what age your child is, they are still your child.
I want people in Argyll and Bute to know that support is available. Simply visit wearewithyou. org.uk to chat to me or one of my colleagues. We can advise on how best to speak to and support loved ones who may be using drugs or alcohol harmfully. Importantly, we can also support mothers (and other family and friends) to manage their own stress and worries, ensuring they have the strength to help those they hold dear. Alain Saum, operations manager at WithYou
Time to scrap council tax
Why should anyone in Argyll and Bute pay 10 per cent more council tax than anywhere else in Scotland?
The citizens in this area should therefore refuse to pay the extra money to an already extortionate and draconian tax.
The government needs to scrap this ever-increasing stealth tax and start paying councils in full as they do in the rest of Europe.
Karl Edwards, Argyll.