2008 October 30

Dance School Bring Home 21 Medals

October 30, 2008 By cla89 Leave a Comment

By Claire Buckie

A group of 16 dancers from Falkirk have done themselves proud after winning a total of 21 medals at the European Festival of Dance and Performing Arts at Eurodisney in Paris last weekend.

The group of girls aged 9 to 16 from Central Scotland Ballet School travelled to Paris last Friday to compete in the competition which was held in Disney Land itself. The girls faced a tough competition as they performed solo and group routines in Ballet, Modern and Tap against other dance schools from all over Europe. The girls won 21 out of the 27 medals that were on offer and left their parents and teachers beaming with pride.

Central Scotland Ballet School principal Jacqueline Clark said: “The girls had an absolute ball, the weekend was fantastic and everyone is just so proud of them. They certainly set the standard for the other girls.”

The young dancers swept the board by winning medals in every category they performed, gaining firsts, seconds and third places. Teacher Samantha Clark said: “The girls have done extremely well, we are so pleased with all the hard work and the effort they put into their performances.” The troupe also took part in a workshop with Kylie Minogue’s choreographer, Tim Noble after which 16 year old Rebecca McPhee said: “I feel like I learned so much from the workshop with Tim. It was such a good experience.” Speaking about the weekend as a whole, Rebecca said that winning 3rd place for senior ballet was the best 16th birthday present she could ask for!

This is not the only success that this group of talented youngsters have experienced. In July 2006 they left passengers onboard cruise ship MSC Opera, which toured the Mediterranean, in awe of a spectacular Scottish routine and an energy filled upbeat disco routine. They impressed organisers so much so that they have been asked to travel again in Summer 2009. The group not only have their trip across the seas but in January they will take to the stage of the Theatre Royal in Glasgow to perform in Peter Pan and April 2009 they are to fly to Spain to dance with Ballet West and Guitart School of Performing Arts.

For such young girls they certainly seem to be aiming extemely high and by the look of things it is paying off. The dance school already has two of its former students, Vicki Paterson, 18 and Katie Deacon, 16, training as full time ballerinas at Central School of Ballet in London and with the way they are going there could be several more following in their footsteps.

Filed Under: Entertainment, Life and Society

Charities In Crisis

October 30, 2008 By faith90210 Leave a Comment

The voluntary sector in Scotland has been trying to weather the storm of the current financial crisis this past week. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisation’s Chief Executive, Lucy McTernan, has met with the Secretary of State for Scotland to discuss the issue of Icelandic bank deposits.

Ms McTernan said: “The voluntary sector in Scotland is facing troubling times, demand for its services is rising while income is uncertain and reserves continue to fall.”

The meeting was positive, with Jim Murphy expressing an interest in the voluntary sector and pledging to discuss the issues that had been raised with Westminster. Murphy sits on the new National Economic Forum in Westminster and has a major role to play in guaranteeing voluntary sector deposits which have been lost in Icelandic banks.

SCVO have also called on UK and Scottish Ministers to implement a four point plan which will help charities and voluntary organisations survive the turbulent financial climate.

The plan includes asking the UK Government to guarantee all voluntary sector bank deposits, which will ensure that charities can continue to operate with confidence. It also calls on the government to alter the rules around Gift Aid, a move which could mean a significant cash injection for charities.

Lucy McTernan is backing the plan: “I believe it is right that the UK Government give assurances that the assets of charities and other voluntary organisations will be fully protected from the economic downturn and I believe that the Government ought to take any action which will increase the funding going to charity, such as altering the rules for Gift Aid.”

The four point plan further asks that the UK Government use its new influence within major banks following their bail out, to ensure that their charitable foundations will continue to provide vital funding for good causes and that corporate social responsibility remains a high priority for the financial services industry.

SCVO are based in Edinburgh but operate throughout Scotland. They provide many services to the public including helping local people recover from drug and alcohol addictions and integrate back into society, they also assist people of all ages in gaining employment.

SCVO will be holding a meeting in November to evaluate the impact of the economic downturn and to look at ways in which voluntary organisations can collaborate to help each other through this difficult time.

A ‘Dooking’ World Record Attempt

October 30, 2008 By faith90210 Leave a Comment

Locals in Peebles are to attempt to break a seasonal world record this weekend.

Around 200 people are expected to turn up at The Gytes Leisure Centre on Saturday to ‘dook’ for apples. The event is hoped to form a new world record for most people bobbing for apples.

The local businessman who came up with the idea, Euan Carr, said: “This event is for everyone to have fun and we hope to put Peebles on the map.”

Entry is free and those coming along are asked to bring a bucket with them. The event is not reliant on the weather as the forestry commission have supplied tarpaulins and plastic sheeting for it to be held inside if necessary. The community have also been pitching in and donating apples for the event.

The event is one of a series in which it is hoped to raise enough money to purchase Christmas lights. Mr Carr said: “The day is also to raise money for the town’s Christmas lights and we need about £4000. This payment means that the lights will belong to the town and we will not have to pay such a large sum in future years. We have been leasing them for the past three years but now it will only be the cost of erection and taking them down.”

There is no current record for mass apple dooking and a spokesman for Guinness World Records said: “We do monitor a category for ‘most people apple bobbing’ but there is no current record. There is a record held for ‘most apples bobbed by an individual in one minute’, it is 33 and is held by Ashrita Furman of New York and was achieved on 19 February 2008.”

The record attempt will be held at 5pm on Saturday 1 November at The Gytes Leisure Centre, Walkershaugh, Peebles. Although entry is free there will be a silver collection so donations are appreciated. Everyone is welcome, so go along and have some fun.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Guiness World Record, Peebles

Life outside Glasgow?

October 30, 2008 By bmcl89 Leave a Comment

Curly's Heroes in action

By Brian McLaughlin

In a week that has seen music fans shell out £45 to see Oasis at Murrayfield, it’s refreshing to hear of a promoter that really is all about the music.

Renfrewshire-based J.S. Promotions, set up in late 2007 by Renfrew teenager Jamie Size, is crusading against perceived high ticket prices in nearby Glasgow by staging shows in and around Renfrew for as little as £1 entry in hope of helping local bands develop a strong fan base.

J.S. Promotions chief Jamie Size said: “The Glasgow music scene is all about money, they don’t care about the acts. My aim with J.S Promotions is just to help local bands get a good following, and to show people that it is worth coming out of Glasgow once in a while to hear good music.”

Although none of the acts on J.S. Promotions’ roster can claim to be musical heavyweights, what they lack in fame (or infamy, as the case often is with musicians) is made up for in raw talent and potential.

Engage the Enemy’s brand of driving metal is reminiscent of early Metallica, while Size’s own band, Curly’s Heroes, bring the spirit of punk to 21^st century Renfrew through their rag-tag sound and DIY attitude, and they are just the tip of an ever-growing iceberg.

This, it would appear, is only the beginning for J.S. Promotions, as Size is in the process of setting up his own recording studio to provide low-cost use of equipment that would normally only come at a premium. On this, Size said: “I’m excited about the recording side of things. It gives me a chance to use my passion for music in another way, helping the bands record demos that might get them signed.”

All of this brings J.S. Promotions closer to achieving their aim of bringing life to the Renfrew music scene, and proving there is such a thing outside Glasgow.

Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: Glasgow, Oasis, Renfrew