Scots goldmsith carries sword to London

 

Kenneth making the hilt

By Cara Sulieman

A SCOTS goldsmith carried a sword through the streets of London to claim his right as a Freeman of the City.

Kenneth Moffatt was the first person to carry a sword from Edinburgh to London in over 400 years – the last being James 6th of Scotland who made the same journey to claim the throne.

After being escorted into the City by a Yeoman Warden and blessed at St Paul’s Cathedral, he now has Freedom of London under an ancient law.

Kenneth crafted the sword himself, putting over 2,000 hours of work into the intricate design.

And his journey was primarily to enter the sword into the Goldsmith’s 2010 competition at Goldsmith’s Hall.

Susan urged to move out of home

Susan returns to her home on Wednesday morning after the scare

By Cara Sulieman

DESPITE vowing never to move from her humble home, Susan Boyle is being pressured by family and friends to quit her council house in favour for somewhere with more security.

Simon Cowell has joined her brothers, Gerry and John, in voicing his concerns over the Britain’s Got Talent star’s safety.

They are worried about the star after an intruder broke into her home on Tuesday night where she confronted them after returning from London.

The youth fled, and police are still trying to find out who was responsible for the attack.

But the star vowed she wouldn’t move from the house she grew up in, even though this wasn’t the first safety scare she’s had.

Scots lose out in Olympics contracts

By Rory Reynolds

FIRMS in Scotland have been awarded just 17 contracts to work on the London Olympics – despite bidding for 2,806.

Scottish companies’ share of the contracts to deliver the 2012 games currently amounts to just 2 per cent of the total budget.

Another 35 companies have been awarded subcontracts, but the total amount for Scottish firms amounts to just £100million of a total £5billion.

Business leaders and politicians have criticised the uneven distribution of contracts to firms north of the border.

Sale of mussels soar thanks to lovers

By Rory Reynolds

SALES of mussels are expected to double in the run up to Valentine’s Day as lovers shun traditional romantic dishes.

Couples are turning to mussels because they are cheaper than traditional choices such as oysters and lobster, according to industry experts.

The Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group has said that they expect to sell 90 tonnes of mussels next week, instead of the 45 they sell in a normal week.

Oldest wine firm collapses

By Rory Reynolds

SCOTLAND’S oldest wine firm has collapsed after two centuries of trading to some of the nation’s most famous figures.

Cockburn’s of Leith, which famously sold Sir Walter Scott 4,200 bottles of wine and 430 bottles of spirits in one visit alone, has gone into administration.

The Edinburgh wine merchants, who also supplied Charles Dickens and a banquet for King George IV, were the first commercial importers in Scotland, setting up shop in 1796.

But severe budget cuts to their banking sector clients and competition from large supermarkets led Cockburn’s directors to call in the administrators on Friday.

Mountain hare found hopping down high street

The hare being released back into the wild

By Cara Sulieman

A MOUNTAIN hare found on a high street in the snow has been released back into the wild after being treated for concussion.

A concerned passer-by called the Scottish SPCA after finding the animal hopping along Lauder High Street in Berwickshire.

Confused and out of his natural habitat, the animal was sporting his white winter camouflage.

Ambulance driver Mairi Stewart, who picked him up, thought he might have been concussed and that might be why he was found on the busy road.

Teacher numbers could continue to fall

By Paul Thornton

EDUCATION Secretary Michael Russell MSP has admitted that the “freefall” of teacher numbers in Scotland will not be reversed and could get worse.

After seeing the number of teachers plummet by more than 2,000 in the last two years, Mr Russell admitted: “There has been a reduction that I don’t see us making up again, to be honest.

The admission is the latest in a series of blows to the SNP’s education policies which were a lynchpin of their election campaign and was branded “astonishing” by Labour.

They say the Scottish Government have now scaled back on almost all of their manifesto pledges including promises on class sizes for younger children.

Only seven per cent of P1 to P3 classes now have a class size of 18 or less despite this being an across the board promise.

Health and safety prevents donation

By Cara Sulieman

A PRIMARY school has been unable to display a hard-earned eco award outside their building because of health and safety fears.

Craigroyston Primary in Edinburgh won a Green Flag award for showing lasting commitment to environmental issues.

The skint school could not afford over £2,000 to install a flag pole and were forced to hang the flag on a wall.

But when a generous contractor offered free poles left from another job the city’s council put a stop to works until they carried out “checks” on the pole.

“Stressed” postman hoarded 1,600 letters

By Michael MacLeod

A POSTMAN stashed over 1,500 letters and parcels in his house and car because he was “stressed” and “mentally exhausted” by his workload.

Ross Henderson blamed Royal Mail bosses for changing his delivery routes on a daily basis.

But the spotlight landed on the 23 year-old when post went missing and customers complained they hadn’t received items they expected.

The Edinburgh man said he always intended to deliver the packages, but his backlog “spiralled out of control”.

Care nurse jailed for attack on Alzheimer’s patient

By Michael MacLeod

A CARE home assistant has been jailed for dragging an 86-year-old woman along the floor and dislocating her shoulder.

Zimbabwean national Carla Nyatsanza, 35, was sacked by the Pentland Hill Nursing Home in Edinburgh following an attack on Jean Burgoyne.

The Alzheimer’s patient was left bruised and bleeding after Nyatsanza pulled her along a corridor shouting “lets go, lets go.”

Today (Thursday) Sheriff John Horsburgh sentenced her to 35 weeks in prison.