Tuesday 27th December 2022 Mr.
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Friday 24th December 2010 Church ring stolen during house raid
The unique gold ring of office worn by the Moderator of the General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland has been taken during a burglary.
The item was taken along with christmas presents and a wallet when the
home of the Right Reverend John Christie in Helensburgh was burgled.
The robbery took place sometime between 2300 GMT on Wednesday and 0400
GMT on Friday. The ring is totally unique with a large amethyst stone
and bearing the church's Latin motto, "nec tamen consumebatur",
meaning, "yet it was not consumed" - an allusion to the biblical story
of the burning bush. Argyll

Friday 29th October 2010 There’s gold in the glens
Scotgold Resources is prospecting in a glen just outside the Lomond
National Park boundary after they were refused permission to reopen
the existing Cononish Mine within the park itself. Scotgold Resources
issued a statement saying it was "very encouraged" by the gold
potential in the River Orchy area. The new prospect is three miles
north west of the old Cononish mine. The mine is outside the Lomond
National Park but the gold deposits are close to popular climbing
venue Beinn Udlaidh. Outdoors writer Chris Townsend said: "I would
imagine that exactly the same concerns would apply outside the
national park as inside the park. In a sense the park boundary is
artificial - it doesn't mean that the highlands outside it are any
less valuable." Argyll

Friday 24th September 2010 Attempt to re-introduce beavers to Scotland
Beavers were a common and a native UK species before they were hunted
to extinction in the 16th century. Now a team of environmentalists is
trying to reintroduce the animal to Scotland. A two-year-old male
beaver was recently released into Knapdale Forest in the hope that it
would partner a female already loose in the wild, but who recently
lost her previous partner. The male beaver, which comes from Norway,
becomes the latest of a fragile beaver community that now numbers just
12 animals. The Scottish Beaver Trial project leader, Roisin
Campbell-Palmer, said: "This male is at an age where he would
naturally disperse from his family group in search of a breeding
partner, so we are really hopeful that this arranged introduction will
be the start of a very happy relationship.” The trial is a five-year
project to see if the beavers might flourish in Scottish habitats. Argyll

Wednesday 2nd June 2010 Helicopter ditches while searching for lost boat
A pilot crashed his helicopter into a loch in Argyll as he was
searching for his missing boat. The cabin cruiser was allegedly taken
during the night from its mooring near Ardgartan on Loch Long. The
owner went out in his helicopter to look for it but was forced to
ditch in the water at about 0910 BST. He escaped serious injury
and managed to swim ashore.

His boat was later found drifting on the loch with a man asleep on
board and was towed back to shore. Clyde Coastguard spokesman said:
"We started searching and put teams out but it was spotted by someone
else. It had not gone very far. The man that owns it owns his own
helicopter and went looking for it and ended up ditching into the
loch, but he managed to get out and swim ashore." Argyll

Tuesday 6th April 2010 Talks hope to revive Highland air routes
Argyll and Bute Council is holding talks with a potential new operator
hoping it will step in to resurrect Highland and Island air services.
Council leaders have expressed hope that flights will be reinstated
imminently .

Following the collapse of Highland Airways the routes, seen as a vital
lifeline to the Islands were under threat. Argyll and Bute Council
said it had "exhausted" discussions with the airline's administrator
on public service obligation (PSO) routes and was now in talks with an
alternative operator.

The local authority had previously subsidised the Inverness-based
Highland Airways services flying from Oban Airport. Return flights
between Stornoway and Benbecula in the Western Isles have already been
reinstated by Loganair. Argyll

Monday 8th February 2010 Ballot for community buyout of Attenborough’s island estate
Resident of Bute are set to vote on plans to purchase nearly 2,000
acres of land from film director Richard Attenborough. Supporters of
the buyout of Rhubodach Forest claim it could help to rejuvenate the
island’s fortunes. The islands 5,000 voters will decide if Scotland’s
largest ever community buyout will go ahead. More and more communities
are buying the land they live on as community buyouts have gained pace
Scotland recently. The Bute Community Land Company has been formed to
organise the buyout of the land currently valued at £1.4m.

Christine McArthur, a director of Bute Community Land Company, said:
"During community buyouts in smaller islands, like Eigg or Gigha,
fewer than 100 were eligible to vote. Here we've got well over 5,000.
That brings particular challenges in trying to reach everyone and get
a positive message out." Argyll

Tuesday 12th January 2010 Jurassic pine unfazed by Big freeze
The Wollemi Pine was once thought to have died out over two million
years ago, until it was discovered growing in Australia in 1994. Trees
from the single isolated grove in Australia were used to cultivate
eight trees now planted at the National Trusts’ Inverewe Garden last
June. Despite temperatures dropping to -7C in the recent cold snap the
trees seem to be flourishing in their new Highland home.

National Trust for Scotland’s gardener Kevin Ball said: Mr Ball added:
"The Wollemi Pine was only discovered in 1994, so we're learning about
it all the time. However, evidence at the moment suggests it can
tolerate the cold more effectively than its Australian origins would
suggest and can survive temperatures as low as -12C. Wollemi Pine can
live up to 1,000 years and we're hoping this will be the case for our
sturdy little saplings." Argyll

Thursday 23rd July 2009 Batmobile turns up at a Scottish retail park
The Batmobile is be one of several famous film and television cars currently parked up in the basement of the Loch Lomond Galleries, Alexandria. The vehicles are part of the collection from the Cars of the Stars museum in Cumbria.

Peter Wilson, founder of the museum, has literally run out of space to keep his exhibits so hit upon the idea of sending some of them out on show. 13 cars in total can be seen at the Galleries, including Del Boy Trotter’s Reliant Robin and Postamn Pat’s van. Argyll