By Shane Barry

Scotland will hold two more Homecoming celebrations before the end of 2014, First Minister, Alex Salmond revealed yesterday.

Despite much criticism that has been directed at the celebration and the organisation overseeing its running, VisitScotland, by various bodies, Mr Salmond hailed the inaugural campaign as a huge success.

The Homecoming celebrations which this year feted the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scottish bard, Robert Burns are seen as a calling to home for all Scottish ex-pats and also as key to attracting American tourists to Scotland, many of whom claim some form of Scottish heritage.

Of the events that took place this year,  particular emphasis has been placed on The Gathering which this year brought together members and decendants of all Scottish clans. It attracted visitors from North America, Europe and Australia to the Scottish Capital and has emerged as the proposed centerpiece to the next Homecoming that Scotland looks poised to hold in 2012.

By Matthew Nelson

More and more exotic sea creatures may start to appear in Scottish waters, according to a leading marine expert.

Rod Wooten, deputy director of the institute of aquaculture at Stirling University, noted that there was “evidence fish from southern waters are starting to crop up more frequently.” These findings come directly off the back of a swordfish being caught in the River Forth by  fisherman Brian Hynd. The swordfish, which Hynd plans to barbecue, is usually found in more temperate waters. Wooten ascribes this to a “warming of sea temperatures.”

While Hynd’s find seems anomalous, Wooten believes that “it’s possible more swordfish are kicking around.” It is feasible that there are other exotic species lurking beneath the casual fisherman’s bait. Wooten notes that there are “quite a lot of sharks in Scottish waters, some 6 to 8 feet long.”

So what are the chances of bigger and bigger dorsal fins appearing off a coastline near you? Wooten says that it’s a “very hazy subject”; nevertheless he did say that “in general we would expect movement north of some species.” Swimmers should not hesitate to dip their toes in the water just yet though- Wooten predicts that it will be some time before we get “great whites off Dunoon.”

Coming to a shore near you?

By Patricia Pereira

Tollcross Traders Association has organised a prize draw to promote the shopping in the area and to thank the loyalty of their regular customers.

The initiative came from the owners of the jewellery shops Copernicus and The Gallery Bead Shop in one of their regular trader meetings about a yer ago.

Annie Munroe, owner of The Gallery Bead shop said: “The loyalty skim in our own businesses proved to be successful so we thought that, what we have called the Loyalty Christmas Prize Draw, could be a really good idea to reward our regular customers and also to call the attention of those who haven’t tried shopping in our area yet.”

To take part of it all entrants collect a card at any of the participating businesses or printing out a copy from the Internet. Each purchase will get stamp in your card. A total of 9 stamps, filling in the back of the card and posting them in one of the collection boxes is all what entrants need.

The Loyalty Christmas Prize Draw will be held on the 3rd of December at High Riggs. A £50 voucher to spend at Pentland Stone & Bathrooms, a meal from two at Caffe Verde, jewellery or cinema tickets are some of the prizes that will be given.

Munroe said: “It has not been running for a long time but so far the feedback is very positive. We have received an awful amount of cards right from the start. There is quite a lot of traders taking part of the initiative and they have actually been quite generous handing prizes in”.

By Rebecca Gordon

Courtesy of www.mullbirds.com

Hopes are high for a whale beached in Loch Eil, following a gruelling rescue effort. Using killer whale noises, conservation groups prompted the juvenile bottlenose, nicknamed ‘Lilly’, into Loch Linnhe in the first rescue of it’s kind in the UK.

The team rescue, which involved St Andrews Sea Mammal Research Unit, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, British Divers Marine Life Rescue and the local coastguard and sailing club, began on Sunday following the whale’s beaching on Tuesday. SSPCA Inspector Dawn Connolly, who co-ordinated the attempt, is positive that the whale, who was last seen near Corran Narrows, will return to safety “If she can make it beyond the Narrows, there’s a good chance she’ll return to the sea. We haven’t seen her since Monday, which is excellent news.”

But the young female, thought to have become lost while migrating, isn’t out of danger yet “there are no guarantees she won’t turn around or run out of energy and beach herself.”

After SSPCA’s pioneering work with the St Andrews Sea Mammal Research Unit, Inspector Connolly hopes their rescue technique will come in useful for future rescues “Man made noises were also used and while these were perhaps the most effective it was an extremely useful experiment which may lead the way
towards using similar techniques in the future.”

But for now, rescuers must leave Lilly’s fate to the tides “all we can do is hope that tides, luck and determination will help this whale to safety.”