Scots prisoners help to build effigies for Indian festival parade

By Christine Lavelle

SOME of Scotland’s hardest prisoners have helped create giant 40ft effigies to be torched to mark a major Hindu celebration this Sunday.

The colourful figures are for a parade marking the Indian festival Dusherra held Edinburgh this weekend.

Dusherra is a Hindu celebration of good conquering evil, telling the story of Lord Rama, who defeated the demon king Ravana following a 10 day war.

Inmates at the Edinburgh jail were given the chance to build woodwork models of Rama and the demons from scratch, which have taken them around four weeks to complete.

Adult class numbers rise thanks to recession

By Cara Sulieman

THE NUMBER of adults signing up for evening classes has soared in the last year as the recession is forcing people to pick up new skills for both pleasure and business.

Potential students were treated to a performance of American Tribal Style Belly Dancing today as the variety of classes on offer were showcased.

Drummond Community High School has seen the popularity of their courses soar in the past year as the recession forces people to retrain.

More than 2,000 students have enrolled on their courses for the coming term, a 10 per cent increase on last year’s figures.

Funeral of motorcycle crash victim to be held on Friday

By Christine Lavelle

THE funeral of a father-of-two who died in a motorcycle crash in East Lothian is to be held on Friday.

Graham Rowe, 38, from Newtongrange, died in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh on Sunday 22 August following a collision between his Suzuki bike and a Volkswagen Golf car three days earlier.

The accident happened shortly after 3.30pm on Wednesday 18 August, at a crossroads near Saltoun Hall in Tranent.

Both drivers and the passenger of the Golf were rushed to hospital, but the other two people involved did not suffer serious injury.

Royal homecoming for Scots in batallion which lost 30 men in Afghanistan

By Michael MacLeod

INJURED soldiers were given a Royal welcome home from their bloodiest tour of duty in 50 years today.

In an emotional parade of heroes, the 3 Rifles battlegroup marched down Edinburgh’s Royal Mile – short of 30 men who were killed during a six-month deployment in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

The battle scars and conflict injuries sustained by many of the company were clear for the thousands lining the streets to see.

HRH Princess Alexandra took a salute from the Riflemen before meeting wheelchair-bound soldiers who were unable to march, some of whom lost limbs fighting the Taliban in the Sangin area of Helmand.

Harrods boss to build luxury homes in Highlands

By Cara Sulieman

HARRODS boss Mohamed Al Fayed has caused outrage in a remote Highland community by winning the right to build luxury housing on his estate.

He was given the go ahead earlier this month to build stables and eight houses on the land, despite worries from the nearest inhabitants in the hamlet of Rosehall in Sutherland.

The area has seen a decrease in birth rates and increasing numbers of retired people moving in – sparking worries that it is a dying community.

Residents fear that instead of attracting more people to the idyllic setting, Al Fayed’s development will make the situation worse as he already owns unoccupied property in the village.

Reality TV comes to quiet Fife village

By Cara Sulieman

A QUIET coastal village has been shortlisted as the setting for a new reality TV show, leaving residents worried that they will be manipulated to make good television.

Aberdour has been earmarked as the potential location for a new Channel 4 programme following four couples who are fighting to win a house in the picturesque village.

The 2,000 current residents would vote for the winning couple after they’ve lived there for eight weeks.

But villagers now say that they were initially told it the production company wanted to film a documentary – and that they knew nothing about the reality aspect.

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.

Private garden members locked out by teenage boozers

By Michael MacLeod

A PRIVATE pleasure garden for the rich has been hijacked by yobs holding their own “lock-in” drinking sessions.

Keys to the tranquil gated Dean Garden at Edinburgh’s West End costs £110 per-year each – enjoyed as a private playground for almost 150 years.

But police have raised fears that some sets of the expensive keys have fallen into the wrong hands.

Scottish hedge campaigners take their thorny issue to the Scottish Parliament

By Oliver Farrimond

A HEDGE-BUSTING campaign group took their fight to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh yesterday.

Scothedge – who represent hundreds of Scots whose lives are blighted by high hedges – presented a dossier on the thorny issue to MSPs at Holyrood.

The document – named “A Growing Problem” – highlights the key issues for MSPs, who are currently undergoing a consultation on the issue, due to end on November 13.

Dr Colin Watson, Scothedge campaign leader, said: “We have been fighting for years against the problem of ‘vegetation tyranny’ caused by high hedges in Scotland and the effect it can have on victims’ lives.

“In England and Wales there was legislation passed in 2003 to help address the problem, but in Scotland there is no legal framework in place to help victims.

Japanese film crew looking for Susan Boyle fans

By Cara Sulieman

A JAPANESE film crew are searching for Susan Boyle fans to join them in her home town to celebrate her rise to stardom.

The team – who are travelling from Tokyo for the project – are planning a programme all about Boyle-mania.

American Leslie McMillan is already signed up to show the group around Boyle related landmarks like the Happy Valley Hotel in West Lothian.

She spent two weeks in Blackburn earlier this year with her husband Del, visiting Susan’s old haunts.