Borders firm says ‘suit you, sir!’ – At a price

By Alexander Lawrie

A SCOTS-BASED fabric company is producing the world’s most expensive cloth.

Holland and Sherry have been based in Peebles for over 100 years and the company is famous for clothing Hollywood A-listers such as Nicole Kidman, George Clooney and Tom Cruise.

It has taken the prestigious company five years to gather enough of the special yarn, and another year and a half for them to develop the unique cloth.

And even though it will cost over £3000 a yard for the rare fabric, the firm are bracing themselves for orders to come flooding in.

One of the first to place an order for a £35,000 suit is the mega-rich King of Morocco.

The material comes from the wool of the Vicuna llama which inhabits the high alpine reaches of the Andes.

A rare and extremely shy animal, the llama only produces tiny amounts of very fine wool and can only be shorn every three years.

Holland and Sherry have spun their special Vicuna worsted from llamas in Peru and Bolivia, before having it shipped back to Britain where it is spun at the company’s factory in Yorkshire.

The Scots firm has revealed they have enough material to make just 18 of the ultra-expensive suits, and wealthy customers will only have a choice of three colours to choose from – black, midnight and natural.

Ross Greenshields, Holland and Sherry’s sales marketing manager, said: “There are other Vicuna fabrics on the market, but we have woven the world’s first 100 per cent worsted spun Vicuna fabric – it is unique, it is original, it is exclusive and it is the most expensive cloth in the world.

“We went to the next level. If you picture feeling cashmere – and cashmere feels fantastic – this feels finer.

“Even if you’re not in the business, you could tell the difference – it really is a stand out fabric.”

The company, which was founded in 1836, has offices in New York, Paris, Milan, Sydney, Shanghai and Savile Row, London.

Recently the Borders company has clothed both Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in the hit movie Australia, as well as having their cloth used in Harry Potter, Moulin Rouge, Ocean’s 11, 12 and 13 and prison film The Green Mile.

This year Hollywood heart-throb Johnny Depp will wear Holland and Sherry in Public Enemies – a crime drama set during the Great Depression.

British movie stars Kiera Knightely and Sienna Miller have been seen around town wearing Holland and Sherry attire, while top designers Versace and Thom Browne are also regular customers of the Borders-based firm.

Pop songs at funerals are “unhealthy”

By Cara Sulieman
MOURNERS have been slammed by the Church of Scotland for requesting cheesy songs at funerals.

Reverend Ron Ferguson said popular tunes chosen for a loved-one’s funeral are part of a general disregard for death.

He claims that families often want to keep the service jolly – even asking if the coffin can be kept out of sight.

These wishes have been branded “unhealthy” by the retired minister, who thinks that we need to take the issue of death more seriously.

He was writing in the latest edition of Life and Work, the magazine for the Church of Scotland, in response to a survey of the most popular funeral songs carried out by Co-operative Funeral Care.

He wrote: “This is not healthy. Such songs might seem a good idea down at the pub, but may not feel so appropriate at the actual ceremony.”

Instead he suggests that people choose hymns that are designed to steel the soul for such occasions and provide comfort to those who are grieving.

Reverend Ferguson suggests “something more traditional, with poetic words which speak of a transcendent love which knows no boundaries to help to bear the true weight of the occasion and bring solace to the grieving congregation.”

There is a growing tendency for funerals to be treated as a “celebration” – leading to the popularity of cheery, cheesy pop music in the church.

Reverend Ferguson believes some Scots are trying to block out the reality of death by hiding the coffin away and lightening the mood.

He said: “Some modern music choices seem to reflect a desire to avoid the stark reality of death. Ministers are often under pressure from families to make the funeral service exclusively a celebration of the person’s life.

“At the core of the service there has to be a public acknowledgement that a death has taken place.

“I’ve heard of clergy being pressurised to keep the coffin out of the kirk, on the grounds that such a public intrusion of reality would interfere with the upbeat talk.

“This is not healthy.”

But mourners disagree, with many saying that the choice of song doesn’t reflect their attitude towards death.

Pop songs played at funerals are such a common occurrence that they often feature in fictional funerals.

The famous 2003 film Love Actually featured the Bay City Rollers ‘Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby Goodbye)’ in the funeral scene.

When Liam Connor was laid to rest in Coronation Street last year he was sent off to a combination of classical and popular tunes.

Both ‘Ave Maria’ and ‘Everything I Own’ accompanied the mourners at the tragic ceremony.

And at Vera Duckworth’s funeral, the congregation were treated to the dulcet tones of Ray Charles’ ‘I can’t stop loving you’.

Reverend Ferguson believes that these songs are a sign that Brits are trying to hide death rather than celebrate it as a natural part of life.

He said: “There is a conspiracy of silence about death today.”

This attitude is a stark contrast to celebrations and traditions across the world where death is celebrated as a natural part of life.

Mexican Day of the Dead brings the whole country together in a celebration of death and the afterlife.

The Chinese celebrate Ghost Day when they leave food and other items out for the spirits of their ancestors.

Sir Chris Dragged Into Honours Row

By Alexander Lawrie

SCOTTISH Olympic hero Chris Hoy has been dragged into a row over the New Year Honours list.

Members of Britain’s Paralympic team are “disappointed” that almost half of the squad has been overlooked in this year’s honours.

At first glance the list seems to honour many of the paralympic stars, but a closer look at the figures reveal that while every Olympic gold medallist was featured in the New Year Honours list only 18 of the 35 British Paralympic champions secured a gong of some sort.

Individual comparisons have been made between Hoy, who received a knighthood for winning three Olympic cycling golds in Beijing, and his Paralympic counterpart Darren Kenny who won four gold medals but received the lesser award of an OBE.

Multi medal-winning Paralympian Dame Tanni Grey-Thomson appeared to criticise the “lack of parity”, and suggested the Government should give equal recognition to the achievements of both non-disabled and disabled athletes when London hosts the 2012 Games.

She said: “The reality – and it is surely not right – at the moment is that you have to multi-medal at the Paralympic Games to get a New Years Honours list award.

“By the time 2012 comes around, we need to get this in order.

“There is a lack of parity, and we are playing catch-up.

“When I got my MBE after 1992 (after three gold and one silver medal at the Paralympic Games in Barcelona) there were hardly any Paralympians who ever received honours.”

Team GB’s Paralympics squad finished second in the medals table with 42 golds – beaten only by host nation China.

In comparison, Britain’s able-bodied Olympians only came fourth with 19 gold medals.

Rebecca Adlington received an OBE for her two Olympic golds in the pool, but Paralympian swimmer Eleanor Simmonds was only given an MBE for her two Olympic golds.

Tim Reddish, the Paralympics GB Chairman, said: “We are delighted to see these Paralympic athletes recognised in the honours list for their contribution to British sport and their magnificent achievements.

“We are however very disappointed that not all the Beijing 2008 Paralympic gold medallists could be recognised, but we look forward to more athletes being honoured in the future.”

And Hoy, who won the coveted BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award last month to add to his four Olympic gold medals, admitted he was “shocked” to receive his knighthood, but did not want to comment on the Paralympians situation.

And after her views were published Dame Tanni seemed to change her mind and denied having concerns about disabled athletes’ standings in the honours list.

She told the BBC: “This is how the honours system works. I’ve been hugely honoured in that I’ve received three honours through the system. I’m hugely supportive of the honours system as I’m part of the decision-making process, albeit at a fairly low level.

“I think there’s an assumption by the public that they look at medals and think, this person has been awarded this medal therefore this is the award they should get. I don’t think it works like that.

“I don’t think there’s any right or wrong when it comes to the honours system. It all depends on where you are in your career, the magnitude of what’s been achieved, whether you’ll be around in another four years.”

Bamboo breakthrough could save Giant Pandas

By Michael MacLeod 

GIANT Pandas could be saved by global warming – because it’s good for their diet.

In a bizarre twist of fate, boffins found that climate change can actually HELP bamboo flourish, which makes up 99 per-cent of the Panda diet.

There are now hopes the research by experts at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh will safeguard the endangered species’ future.

A team of scientists returned from China yesterday (Wednesday), with “striking” results they say could change the way Pandas are protected.

They predict the number of bamboo species will increase with global warming – helping fussy eaters like Pandas, which rely on up to 20 different kinds of the plant to survive.

The Botanic director, professor Stephen Blackmore, said: “Nature has surprised us here.

“Our studies show that some of the bamboo species is likely to increase in range with the warming of the climate.

“Of course it doesn’t mean climate change is a good thing overall; it simply highlights how quickly plants react and change and move around.

“The Chinese authorities regard the Panda’s image as an important tourist attraction because it makes them millions, so hopefully they’ll take note.”

The findings are now with policy makers in China, who are considering investing in extending the rainforests to allow Bamboo to flourish.

Scientists from Edinburgh and the University of York teamed up with Chinese collaborators to develop a special computer programme that forecasts the future climate.

They used the technology the predict changes in the Pandas’ tiny home range in Sichuan province, Western China.

York Uni’s Dr Jon Lovett said: “The results were particularly striking in that some of the key food plants were badly affected, whereas others actually increased their ranges under global warming.

“So the impacts of climate change are complex, favouring some species while making others rarer.

“We should also remember that though the Giant Panda can help us focus attention on climate change, it is not the only species that will be affected.”

The development was welcomed by WWF Scotland, whose logo of a panda is said to be the most recognisable on earth.

Director Richard Dixon said: “The science in this sounds very promising.

“While climate change is normally bad news, this may well be different.

“The fact China are considering investing in extra land for the rainforest is very pleasing to hear.

“We were one of the first non-governmental organisations to be given access to China’s pandas many years ago, and still to this day continue to campaign for their safety.”

Olympic protest sees Scot arrested 121

By Paul Thornton

THE FATHER of the Scottish student who has been arrested in China following a protest at the Olympic Stadium has backed his son’s actions.

Brian Thom said his son Iain, 24, had planned to carry out the protest “for some time” before he left for Beijing last week.

And he said his distraught family were hoping to be able to speak to Iain as soon as possible.

Mr Thom, 53, said: “He had discussed the protest with us some time before he left and the whole family back him completely.

“Now we are just manning the phones and trying to get an update on what is happening with him.”

Iain, a graduate of Edinburgh University, travelled to the games last Tuesday with other members of Students for A Free Tibet (SFT) to hit out at China’s human rights record.

The protesters scaled a 120ft lighting pole early in the morning and unfurled banners reading “One World One Dream Free Tibet” and “Tibet will be free”.

They timed the action to coincide with the arrival of the Olympic torch in Tiananmen Square in the early hours of yesterday (Wednesday) morning.

Mr Thom said he and wife Betty, both from the Inverness area, had been keeping their daughter Aileen, a student at a university in Glasgow, up-to-date over the phone but had heard nothing from Iain himself.

He said: “It will be nice just to get a few words with him if we can, that is the first thing we are looking toward.

“We haven’t made any plans to go out there as yet, but if it is required we will be there.”

Mr Thom said Iain would be “very happy” with the attention he has focussed on China’s human rights record, adding that his son would most likely be in good spirits following the arrest.

Yesterday, Victor Spence, General Secretary of the Edinburgh Interfaith Association, held a protest outside the Chinese Consulate in support of his colleague Iain Thom.

Cambridge woman Lucy Fairbrother, 23, is also being held, following the protest early yesterday.

The Foreign Office confirmed that Iain had been arrested and that they were negotiating with Chinese authorities for access to him.

Fury over Saltire ban at Olympics 117

By Martin Couper

SCOTTISH spectators have been banned from cheering on their Olympic heroes with the Saltire flag in Beijing.

The house rules for the forthcoming games state that only flags from countries with a National Olympic Committee will be permitted within stadiums in China.

And because Scottish athletes participate as part of Team Great Britain, only the Union Jack can be flown to support our competitors.

The decision has caused controversy among proud Scottish nationalists who say fans should be able to fly whatever flag they want.

And it means that as crowds gather to cheer on Scots tennis hero Andy Murray, they will be forced to wave a Union Jack.

Jamie Hepburn, Scottish nationalist MSP for Central Scotland, and Convenor of the Cross-Party Group on Human Rights said: “Athletes from across Scotland and the rest of the UK will be taking part in the Beijing Olympics, and fans should be allowed to show their support by waving the national flag of their choice.

 “With participants like Andy Murray often wearing Saltires on their kit as a symbol of national pride it will be a shame if fans are not able to echo that by waving Saltires from the stands.”

Scotland is well represented in Team GB in Beijing with 31 athletes vying for medals and a further 16 competing in the Paralympics.

Andy Murray, fresh from his Cincinnati Masters victory, will also be taking part in the games along with brother Jamie.

The Murray brothers regularly fly the flag for Scotland during their matches – including badges worn on their kit – but will be prevented from doing so in China under the restrictions.

However, Tennis Scotland said that the Saltire ban will have no effect on the brothers, who they insist are desperate to win gold for Team GB.

A spokeswoman for Tennis Scotland said: “The Olympics, like the Davis Cup, are represented by Great Britain so Andy, Jamie and the other members of the Olympic squad will be playing for Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, in line with the Olympic regulations.

“However, the fact that Andy is playing for Great Britain in no way diminishes the pride that fellow Scots will feel watching Andy play and his fans all over the world will continue to support him all the way.”

But John Watson, Programme Director for Amnesty International Scotland has blasted the rules, claiming it is further proof of the ongoing censorship in China.

He said: “With so many internal critics silenced, I am not surprised to see the Chinese authorities trying to control everything that happens at Olympic venues. But clamping down on freedom of expression in this way is completely unacceptable.

“We don’t want politics to overshadow the Games, which are a wonderful expression of global humanity and shared values. But the Chinese government promised to improve human rights when they were awarded the Olympics and this promise has been completely broken.”

He is now calling for a relaxation on both the flag rule and other forms of censorship and oppression within China.

He said: “These restrictions on freedom of expression mean that anyone supporting Andy Murray at the tennis must wave a union jack and not a saltire.

“Local athletes winning medals at the Beijing Olympics should be able to do a victory lap with a Saltire if they wish.”