Daniel O’Donnell fans queue TWO DAYS for tickets

Gael McLeod (left) and Anne Meehan (right) queue for tickets

By Cara Sulieman

FANS of Irish singer Daniel O’Donnell started queuing for tickets TWO DAYS before they went on sale.

A group of around 20 admirers were patiently waiting outside the Usher Hall in Edinburgh tonight (Friday) and many had been there since Thursday.

Mainly ladies, they came armed with padded deck-chairs, sleeping bags and waterproofs as they waited for tickets to go on sale tomorrow morning (Saturday).

Anne Meehan, 64, and her husband Peter had travelled from Northumberland to bag their favourite front row seats, arriving at 9.30pm on Thursday.

Shop front given X Factor fame

By Andrea McCallum

AN X FACTOR fan has made a local business famous after vandalising the shop’s sign.

Kirkcaldy vintage clothing shop Edward was the target for the prankster who drew a giant ‘J’ at the front of the shop’s sign.

And only days after staff removed the scribbled letter, shoppers were amazed to see the site had been rebranded ‘Jedward’ – a tribute to the Irish twin duo – for the second time.

Simon Pegg to star in Burke and Hare film

By Cara Sulieman

COMEDIAN Simon Pegg is poised to star in a film about infamous Scots murderers Burke and Hare.

Since the film was announced last year, actors such as Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell have all been tipped for the lead roles.

But director John Landis – famous for horror films such as An American Werewolf in Paris and Michael Jackson’s Thriller video – hinted that the British star has already signed up for the role.

At the US Monster-Mania Convention in New Jersey on Saturday, the legendary filmmaker told fans that Pegg had been lined up to star as Hare.

Scottish record breaker attempts a new one

Don Lennox will be running across the US

By Cara Sulieman

A SCOTTISH gym instructor will be attempting to break a world record when he runs across America – to help wounded soldiers.

Don Lennox, 41, is hoping to complete the 3100-mile marathon in 45 days, smashing the world record in the process.

Already the world record holder for ocean rowing, Don will have to run an amazing 70 miles each day to achieve his goal.

And the sports-mad runner will be raising money for Help the Heroes with his epic journey.

Beating the credit crunch with gold coins

By Cara Sulieman

SCOTS auctioneers are beating the credit crunch by cashing in on the rising price of gold and silver.

Lyon and Turnbull are getting ready for their upcoming silver and jewellery sale in May, and have already accumulated a mountain of gold sovereigns, worth £35,000.

The price of silver has increased by 30 per cent in the last five months – leading to an increase in the number of people flogging their precious items.

All sorts of gold and silver items, from gold sovereigns to silver candlesticks are going under the hammer to raise much needed cash.

Colin Fraser from the auctioneers said: “Silver is often seen as the poor man’s gold.

“As the price of gold increases on the bullion market so does silver, it is one of the best times to sell as there are plenty of customers out there eager to buy.”

“We are planning two silver sales to meet the demand, the first will be in May and the second, an exclusively Scottish Silver and Wemyss Sale, will be held in August.

“This follows the success of our Scottish Silver and Wemyss sale last year.”

The last time the auctioneers held their silver and jewellery sale a George III Irish presentation silver gilt snuffbox sold for a whopping £9375.

Scots shine in cleanliness poll

By Cara Sulieman
SCOTS are the cleanest in the UK – although their feet might be a bit smell a bit, a new survey has revealed.

Findings show Scotland has the cleanest residents in Britain, with 63 per cent of the population washing at least every second day.

North of the border is ultimately gleaming compared to the grubby Northern Irish, with only 38 per cent of them admitting to washing every other day.

In England and Wales, a stinky half of the population go three days or more without a clean, leaving the Scots as clear winners.

But, despite the squeaky clean exterior, Scots are hiding a smelly secret below.

Almost half of the country regularly forgets to wash behind their ears, and a massive 37 per cent say they regularly give their feet a miss.

Although, we are armed to the teeth with cleaning products with almost three quarters of Scottish scrubbers stacking five or more bottles around their showers and over half never running out of shampoo.

On the rare occasion that Scots are caught without suds for their locks, they don’t have to turn far with most people picking up their trusty shower gel to tide them over.

But a brave eight per cent admit to rushing to the kitchen and getting that gleam back by dosing their tresses in fairy liquid, the study by Mira showers shows.

Hair is a bit of an obsession with the nation, with the luscious locks coming top of the list when Scots were asked what they would lather if they could only wash one part of their body.

The sensible option of their bum came second, with a quarter (26%) of the population opting to keep their privates smelling sweet.

Again the Scots are standing alone, with the rest of the UK scrubbing their armpits if they had to choose.

The age old divide between men and women showed up in the survey, with women generally being cleaner than men.