Latest news with #Arran
BBC News
35 minutes ago
- Business
- BBC News
Stagecoach strike over as bus drivers accept pay deal
Hundreds of bus drivers in the west of Scotland have ended strike action after accepting a pay deal from Unite union said the new terms would be worth an 11.5% uplift on basic pay, ending a long-running dispute between unions and the bus operator that affected services in Ayrshire and 430 workers began several weeks of consecutive strike action on 9 June, but halted the walkout on Wednesday after Stagecoach made the new offer. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the drivers had taken "a brave stance" by going on strike. The pay deal amounts to an increase backdated to January, taking basic hourly pay from £13 per hour to £14 in June this February 2026 the rate will be lifted to £14.50 until July 2026 when pay negotiations will take place continuous strike action followed three one-day strikes in May and June, affecting services throughout Ayrshire and Arran. The dispute centred on the union seeking an improvement on a 4% pay rise offer tabled last November - a proposal Unite had described as "unacceptable".Stagecoach claimed an increased offer would risk the viability of services, while the union argued drivers in Ayrshire were among the worst paid in the company. Stagecoach operated a reduced timetable during the days of Graham said the drivers "have stood firm to get an improved pay offer" and the dispute was about "decency and fair pay."Unite industrial officer Siobhan McCready said the deal represented "significant progress" for the announced this week it was ending almost all of its bus services in Dumfries and Galloway - a region not affected by the recent strike - because they were "no longer commercially viable".
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Return of MV Caledonian Isles on Arran route delayed again over pressure issue
Ferry operator CalMac has said it is "impossible to say" how long a ferry serving Arran will remain out of action due to a pressure Caledonian Isles has been unable to carry passengers since January 2024 due to a series of faults that have cost nearly £11m to 32-year-old ship had been due to resume sailings from Ardrossan to Arran last week but sea trials revealed a problem with the ship's operator said the ship would return to dry dock in the next week to resolve a pressure issue with the vessel's propulsion system. CalMac said it was unable to confirm a return to service date until an inspection takes place, but sailings from Troon would still be available in the meantime with a two-vessel service of MV Glen Sannox and MV Alfred. MV Caledonian Isles was initially taken out of service in January last year after routine annual maintenance revealed serious steel ship underwent months of major repair work in dry dock at Cammell Laird shipyard in Merseyside, which required removal of the ship's the ship returned to Scotland in September, a gearbox and propeller fault were investigation at Dale's Marine in Greenock revealed the rear of the ship was had been due to return to the Arran route by the end of April, but this was repeatedly pushed back and the ship was expected to return to service last week. Ferry service update The state-owned operator's chief executive officer Duncan Mackison said: "Everyone at CalMac is disappointed that MV Caledonian Isles isn't ready to carry passengers yet, and I know that disappointment will be shared by communities across our network and by those who travel to and from Arran regularly."He said the inspection of the vessel would take a few days and until then, it was "impossible" to determine how long repairs might Mackison added: "But there is a range of possible scenarios going from the issue being resolved in a few days to it taking significantly longer. "To give communities and customers certainty, we're removing MV Caledonian Isles from deployment plans for now and will provide a detailed update on any service impact early next week."When it returns to service, MV Caledonian Isles will run from Ardrossan, the only ferry in the vicinity able to do so since the long-awaited MV Glen Sannox and its yet-to-be-delivered sister ship are too big to dock at the passengers heading to Arran have to board the replacement ferries at Scottish government is investigating potentially buying the port at Ardrossan to make the necessary changes to allow both newer vessels to berth there, but talks are reported to have stalled.
Edinburgh Reporter
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
The 77th Edinburgh Taxi Outing sets off
The 77th Edinburgh Taxi Outing is taking place on Tuesday. The outing is organised and paid for by the taxi drivers themselves and offers a fun day out for children with additional needs, life-limiting conditions and terminal illnesses. The taxis are all decorated with balloons or as floats and assembled this morning at the car park at Edinburgh Zoo for judging and presentation of prizes. The procession of cabs then left the car park under Police escort to make its way through the city and along the coast to Archerfield Walled Garden (between Gullane and Dirleton, East Lothian) with a stop outside Luca's in Musselburgh to refill the water tanks and to eat as much ice cream as possible. Our galleries of photos from the Zoo car park and on Princes Street show just a few of the day's fun moments. PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson One of the prizewinners with the Rt Hon Lord Provost PHOTO Alan Simpson A prizewinner with the Rt Hon Lord Provost PHOTO Alan Simpson A prizewinner with the Rt Hon Lord Provost PHOTO Alan Simpson A prizewinner with the Rt Hon Lord Provost PHOTO Alan Simpson A prizewinner with the Rt Hon Lord Provost PHOTO Alan Simpson A prizewinner with the Rt Hon Lord Provost PHOTO Alan Simpson A prizewinner with the Rt Hon Lord Provost PHOTO Alan Simpson Richard Tod, Neil White and Iain McHardy PHOTO Alan Simpson Matt Jones PHOTO Alan Simpson Kerri and Joshua 6 PHOTO Alan Simpson Jasiu 10 PHOTO Alan Simpson Logan 11 PHOTO Alan Simpson Joe 9 Arran 11 Ava 4 Yosaf 12 PHOTO Alan Simpson Barry Collins and Sonny 13 PHOTO Alan Simpson Casey Carlyle 5 PHOTO Alan Simpson Casey Carlyle 5 PHOTO Alan Simpson Lucas Petit 11 PHOTO Alan Simpson Rad Szczerbinski and Antony 7 PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson The Rt Hon Lord Provost conducting the judging PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson A winner with the Lord Provost PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson The Lord Provost and Lennon Ford 12 PHOTO Alan Simpson Ryan Preston age 12 with the Lord Provost PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson PHOTO Alan Simpson Like this: Like Related
BBC News
05-06-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Public to see Arran shipwreck pottery for first time
Pieces of rare 19th Century pottery - which were recovered from a shipwreck off the coast of Arran - are to go on display for the first ceramics were discovered by diver Graeme Bruce, 65, from Oban in the wreck of the SS Eagle, a mile from Lamlash Bay, last July. The ship - an early steamboat - was heading to Ireland when it sank in 1859 after colliding with another vessel. Eleven people artefacts made by the Glasgow-based Bell's Pottery will appear in the Scottish Maritime Museum's Summer exhibition which opens in Irvine on Saturday. Graeme, a retired engineer, and the team of seven other divers, were 53 metres beneath the surface when they spotted the treasure trove of rare of the ship had rusted away but the cargo was lying well preserved in the the 19th century, Glasgow was a major centre for the production of ceramics and rivalled the Staffordshire potteries. Bell's Pottery is recognised as arguably the most internationally significant producer of ceramic wares in Scotland at the haul on the SS Eagle is an unprecedented example of an almost intact cargo of 19th century Glaswegian ceramics. The SS Eagle's ceramics cargo was destined for trade and exhibition in include seven plates and a bowl, a teapot lid and two bottles which still hold 'sparkling water' in addition to a decanter and Bukowska, exhibitions and events officer at the Scottish Maritime Museum, said: "We are really excited to host the first showing of these fascinating ceramics recovered from SS Eagle."The vessel also has a significance for the museum as it was built by Alexander Denny, who was the brother of William Denny, whose test tank is now home to our second collection in Dumbarton." Graeme Bruce said: "Diving has been my great passion for 35 years. "For me, a shipwreck is a 'time capsule' hidden from view over time by the sea. The privilege of being able to explore and connect with the past is beyond description. "Enabling the artefacts from shipwrecks like this Bell's Pottery collection to then have a new life on show for everyone to learn from and appreciate is so important. "Connecting people with a heritage like this means everything to me and those I dive with."The SS Eagle launched from the Dumbarton yard of Alexander Denny in July 1857. The 324-tonne steamer was acquired by the McConnel and Laird Line of Glasgow in June 1859 for service as a passenger and cargo five months later, on 28 November 1859, SS Eagle sank after colliding with a sailing ship, the Pladda, whilst en route from Glasgow to Londonderry with a general cargo, 200 sheep and 54 passengers. According to the Scottish Pottery Society, Bell's Pottery export wares have been found as far afield as South America, the Far East, Australia and last piece of Bell's Pottery was probably made around Beneath the Waves exhibition, in the museum's Linthouse building in Irvine, also features award-winning underwater photography and an artist's detailed marine runs from Saturday 7 June to Saturday 13 September.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Police hate crime probe after Arran Pride flags removed
Police are investigating the removal of Pride decorations from a street in Arran as a hate crime. Officers on the island launched a probe after flags were pulled down from Main Street in Brodick between 02:00 and 07:00, ahead of the Arran Pride event. Reports on social media said some of the flags had been torn from their posts and later found dumped on the beach. Organisers of the event said they had been made aware that decorations had been removed by "an unknown group". The Pride parade went ahead as planned on Saturday afternoon, finishing at about 13:00. Sgt Clare Neilson, from Arran Police Office, appealed for anyone with information on the incident to come forward. She added: "We are taking this very seriously and are following positive lines of inquiry." Police Scotland
