Saturday 30 September, 1995
Co-op concerns
Is the new Co-op in Brodick damaging local shops? When it opened in February, many shopkeepers were concerned. They feared that a larger store would stock more lines and whittle away at their hard-won trade. These concerns were voiced at the time, but in a muted way.
With so much interest in the new store many of those who felt threatened felt it would be churlish to complain, or at least they thought their points would not be well received.
But now some traders have approached the chairman of the community council, John Simcock, to voice these fears. As a reesult Mr Simcock invited new Co-op manager, Brian Murrie, and his deputy, Tom Copeland, to come to the council meeting and discuss the matter. Mr Simcock cited two lines which were causing particular concern, the sale of pre-recorded music tapes and video cassettes and the extension from small plants into a wider range of plants and garden furniture. He had been told that assurances had been given by the Co-op that they had no intention of putting anyone out of business.
Councillor Tom Knox who had been involved in the planning application at the time said that the assurances that had been given were entirely verbal.
Highland raid
They came by night and stormed the beach, and they were gone soon after sunrise. For autumn is the time for army exercises, at least on Arran.
Seven years ago there was Purple Warrior which had troops billeted all over the island and involved hundreds of soldiers. There have been many smaller exercises since and this year we have seen Operation Highland Raid where only 24 men were involved.
The Royal Marine reservists, based in Glasgow, were here to practise landing by stealth. They came ashore at Whitefarland at 4am last Saturday, set up a beachhead and proceeded to conduct further exercises before evacuating at 8am. In and out and no trouble to anyone and yet an essential part of Britain’s military readiness in which Arran plays its own small part.
Arran Antiquarians
On Monday, September 18, at Pirnmill, Mrs Maureen Farquharson gave an interesting talk on the Arran Heritage Project which has been carried out on by second and third year students of Arran High School over the past 15 years.
It began as a result of a school party visiting the Orkney Festival in Kirkwall and evolved into the idea of a heritage project for Arran. It started in the art department and was soon joined by the geography and history departments. Field trips were taken to some of the old townships of Auchareoch, High Clachaig, High Cloined, photographs taken of ruins and research undertaken to find out who lived there.
Contact was made with some of the older inhabitants, who were invited to talk to groups of children who, with the aid of tape recorders, wrote up their stories. This anecdotal history is displayed in the Arran Heritage Museum in a series of volumes covering most areas around Arran and are well worth seeing.