Charity match raises thousands for honeymoon crash couple

John and Nicola Tams

By Cara Sulieman

A CHARITY football match has raised almost £5,000 for the Scots couple who were mown down by a speeding motorist on their honeymoon.

John and Nicola Tams were on holiday in Sorrento when they were hit by the vehicle, leaving Nicola, 31, with broken ribs.

It took John, 30, a lot longer to recover after he had to be put in a medically induced coma to treat head and facial injuries.

His leg, pelvis and ribs were also smashed in the accident.

The football match saw John’s teams – the Heart’s supporters team Real Maroon and amateur team Duddingston Athletic – pitched against Hearts legends.

Bay City Rollers guitarist to re-release albums in Japan

By Christine Lavelle

FORMER Bay City Roller Patrick McGlynn is to re-launch his music career – in Japan.

The guitarist is re-releasing five albums he made during the 1970s, and also has plans to write and record a new album.

Working closely with producer Iain McKinna of Offbeat studios in Edinburgh, Mr McGlynn said getting back on the road is the most important thing to him now.

Charity football match for honeymoon Scots

 

John and Nicola Tams were hit by a car on their honeymoon

By Cara Sulieman

A CHARITY football match is to be held to help raise money for a Scot who was left fighting for his life after being hit by a car on honeymoon.

John Tams, 30, was on holiday with his new wife Nicola when they were mowed down by a speeding motorist in Sorrento.

Nicola, 31, suffered broken ribs and was treated in hospital before being released after the accident two weeks ago.

But John is still in intensive care after he had to be put in a medically induced come to treat head and facial injuries.

Brave Fife Student Ready To Graduate Despite Kidney Failure

Roxan Buys gets ready to graduate next week

By Cara Sulieman

A BRAVE design student is getting ready for her graduation day despite being on kidney dialysis since Christmas.

Roxan Buys, 22, is set to collect her BDes in Product Design from Edinburgh Napier University next week.

With a prestigious design prize under her belt, she should be looking forward to a bright future.

But the student, from Kirkcaldy, has had to hook herself up to a noisy dialysis machine every night since Christmas after her kidneys failed.

Now on the organ donor list, Roxan faces up to three years waiting for a new kidney.

But she isn’t letting her restrictive illness stop her and has passed her course with flying colours as well as managing to keep up her passion for snowboarding.

Lockerbie bomber won’t let public see his health records

By Cara Sulieman

THE LOCKERBIE bomber has banned his health reports from becoming public.

After being released with just three months to live last August, Abdelbaset al Megrahi has to provide East Renfrewshire Council with a monthly update on his health.

But his lawyers have been asked to prevent the public from getting their hands on the reports, which are used to keep to Scottish Government informed of the Libyan’s progress.

Opposition politicians have been calling for the information on his health to be made public. They argue that the public have a right to know what’s happening.

Woman behind Sick Kids scandal denies wrongdoing

Elaine McGonigle (left) with Jack McConnell and George Foulkes

By Cara Sulieman

A WOMAN at the centre of a fundraising scandal affecting a famous Scots children’s hospital has slammed her critics – and insisted she has done nothing wrong.

Elaine McGonigle, who headed of New Pyjamas fundraising campaign to raise cash for the Sick Kids in Edinburgh, has been suspended while alleged irregularities in campaign finances are investigated.

It was also claimed that she had kept on a job a second job at Rosslyn Chapel that the bosses at the fundraising appeal for the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh didn’t know about.

But in a statement released yesterday (Tues), Ms McGonigle denied that she had done anything wrong and that she had herself raised concerns with the charity.

Director of New Pyjamas suspended ahead of finance investigation

Elaine McGonigle (left) with Jack McConnell and George Foulkes at a New Pyjama event at the Parliament last November

By Cara Sulieman

THE director of a fundraising campaign has been suspended while the chairman has resigned amid concerns about how much money the initiative has raised.

Elaine McGonigle has been suspended from the New Pyjamas Campaign for the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh ahead of crisis talks with NHS Lothian due to take place tomorrow (Wednesday).

Chairman Graeme Millar has also stepped down from his position.

NHS Lothian Chairman, Dr Charles Winstanley, said the health board called an emergency summit after expressing their “deep concern” when brought up to date on how much had been raised.

The Sick Kids Friends Foundation said they were beginning an “urgent review” of the fundraising campaign.

Susan returns to Scotland after American album launch

By Cara Sulieman

A WINDSWEPT Susan Boyle breezed back into Scotland yesterday (Wed) after making a flying visit to America to launch her debut album.

And with her first disc ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ already going down a storm in the charts, SuBo said the outlook had never looked sunnier.

Sheltering from rain and gales with her trademark hair protected by a hood, she wandered around her locals shops almost unnoticed at first back in her West Lothian hometown of Blackburn.

Sporting a bright red scarf – complete with a badge of her pet cat Pebbles – she was eventually stopped by overjoyed friends and school children keen to welcome the star back home.

No fuss for Susan Boyle as film crew checks in

By Cara Sulieman

FANS failed to turn out for a Susan Boyle documentary when a Japanese film crew visited the Britain’s Got Talent star’s hometown of Blackburn today.

Two of SuBo’s biggest fans flew over from the States to meet up with a crew from Japan’s state broadcasters NHK to show them around the West Lothian town.

But they couldn’t find any of the singer’s fans so resorted to giving out badges featuring Susan’s smiling face to bemused passers-by.

Leslie McMillan – who had travelled from New York – said: “We just wanted to see where Susan Boyle was from and what her life was like before she became famous.”

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.