Latest news with #JohnKirkby
Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Climate
- Scottish Sun
Scots brace for a Midsummer Meltdown after country records hottest day at 29C
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Sweltering Scotland recorded its hottest day of the year today – with Midsummer Meltdown expected to be hot on its heels tomorrow. The mercury topped 29C at Drumnadrochit on the shores of Loch Ness, blitzing the previous 2025 record by more than three degrees Celsius. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Scots basked in temperatures of around 29C today Credit: Alamy 4 Many flocked to Drumnadrochit on the shores of Loch Ness to soak up some rays Credit: Northpix 4 Jack Russel Terrier Cherry cools down in the garden on the hottest day of the year 4 While others cooled down in Gourock pool this afternoon Credit: John Kirkby One of the hottest spots was Cullen on the Moray Coast, where the town beach proved a magnet for a number of locals. Stacie Wilson and Meghan Hutcheon were among a group who were having a fun day splashing in the waves. Stacie said: "It's fantastic weather today and we are having a great time.' Meghan added: "It's the summer solstice tomorrow and it looks as though we are going to have another hot day.' This was confirmed by Met Office forecaster, Aiden McGivern, who said: "It's the summer solstice, of course, so the sun doesn't get much stronger than that. 'Temperatures, as a result, will be in the low 30s Celsius across parts of central and eastern England, perhaps as high as 33C or 34C in one or two spots. It's the summer solstice, of course, so the sun doesn't get much stronger than that 'Edinburgh will be 27C, but all that heat may result in some severe thunderstorms. 'Expect large hail, gusty winds and frequent lightning as well. But not everywhere. Some places will avoid them entirely.' With the scorching weather guaranteed through Midsummer's Day, ASDA say they expect to sell over seven million litres of beer, the equivalent of 12.3million pints or enough to fill just under three Olympic size swimming pools. With BBQs in mind, Asda are preparing to dish out almost 350,000 packs of burgers and 600,000 packs of bread rolls. ITV's first female weather presenter Wincey Willis on Good Morning Britain in 1985 The supermarket says they will sell twice as many garden paddling pools, reduced to just £12 for the summer. Today, beer gardens were in high demand as Glasgow finished off the working week several degrees warmer than Rio de Janeiro in Brazil (27C) and even Los Angeles in California (25C). At the Orchard Park Hotel in Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, thirsty punters began packing tables in the beer garden. By mid-afternoon, a member of staff quipped: "There's a lot of red faces out there, now.' With the sun at its highest point in the sky, UV levels across Scotland's central belt will be 'high'. This means skin will burn in minutes without protection. The sun will also be blazing for the penultimate day of the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh. And later tomorrow, the Sex Pistols will kick off the Summer Sessions festival at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, with ScotRail laying on extra trains for fans. Meanwhile, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency say above-average rainfall is still required for water scarcity levels to recover in the east of the country, where some parts have seen below-average rainfall for over a year. Recent downpours have allowed some river catchments to recover from 'moderate scarcity' to 'alert' on SEPA's warning graph.
Scottish Sun
11 hours ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Tunnocks slams UK Government over TV advert ban
But junk food advertisements are soon to be banned from airing before the TV watershed as part of the government's drive to improve public health Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TUNNOCK'S bosses have slammed plans to ban TV ads for their tasty treats until after 9pm. The iconic company, based in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, are famed for their snowballs, teacakes and caramel logs which are exported around the globe. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Tunnock's chiefs have hit out at the UK Government over a TV advert restriction Credit: Les Gallagher - The Sun Glasgow 2 The historic confectionary firm is renowned for its teacakes Credit: John Kirkby - The Sun Glasgow But junk food advertisements are soon to be banned from airing before the TV watershed as part of the government's drive to improve public health. In addition, online ads for products that are high in fat, salt and sugar will be banned altogether. In an interview, Fergus Loudon, sales director at Tunnock's, said: 'What we really need to guard against is, as an industry, being blamed for societal problems which are most definitely not of our making. 'Obesity is a serious issue but it's an issue that only education will address. 'Banning chocolate biscuit ads on TV before nine o'clock to prevent obesity is rather like banning foreign holidays to prevent skin damage from too much sun.' In February, Tunnock's took a swipe at rival brands that reduced the size of their products in a new advertising campaign. The biscuit firm teamed up with Taggart star Alex Norton to investigate other chocolate makers "getting away with murder" by shrinking their bars. The actor played the role of a detective probing the growing trend of "shrinkflation" in the confectionery industry. Westminster plans to introduce the new AD restrictions on October 1 2025 across the UK. Ally McCoist is in cycling crash as he rides 555 miles across Ireland to raise money for the My Name's Doddie Foundation A recent survey by Obesity Action Scotland showed a majority of Scots would support a ban on junk food advertising before 9pm. The poll, which was carried out by YouGov on behalf of the campaign group, found 74 per cent supported a ban on junk food adverts on TV before 9pm, with 69 per cent supporting a similar ban online and 66 per cent a ban on adverts outside the home before 9pm. A UK Government spokesperson said: "Obesity robs our kids of the best possible start in life, sets them up for a lifetime of health problems, and costs the NHS billions. "This government is taking action now to end the targeting of junk food ads at kids, across both TV and online. "This is the first step to deliver a major shift in the focus of healthcare from sickness to prevention, and towards meeting our government's ambition to give every child a healthy, happy start to life."
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Major Glasgow bus service set to be axed in huge blow to commuters
Passengers are advised to use the alternative services available STOP THE BUS Major Glasgow bus service set to be axed in huge blow to commuters Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) COMMUTERS in Glasgow have been dealt a major blow after plans to axe a major bus service was confirmed. The First Bus service will be scrapped from Sunday, July 13. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 First Bus said the difficult decision was down to "insufficient passenger demand" Credit: John Kirkby The travel firm announced it had made the "difficult decision" to scrap the 65 bus service after a 12-month period where it "consistently had insufficient passenger demand". It said that the 65 bus, which travels between Glasgow City Centre and Halfway in Cambuslang, was no longer sustainable. Passengers are advised to use the alternative services available. Chris Coleman, Head of Network at First Bus Scotland, said: 'Removing a route from service is never an easy decision, nor is it one we take lightly. 'Sadly, service 65 is no longer viable due to low passenger demand on the route. For passengers who currently use service 65, there are a number of alternative services available for them to use to get to their end destination. 'Details of these can be found on our website.' Instead, First Bus is reinvesting the funds into increasing the frequency of other services and improving timetables across Greater Glasgow. The company has invested more than £3m in bus, driver and timetable resources since April. This should improve the reliability of services. More than 30 per cent of their routes are said to be experiencing improved reliability already. Moment man swearing on bus is put in his place by fellow passenger First Bus said this will "hugely benefit" more than 63 million journeys in Glasgow annually. Elsewhere, Scots holidaymakers will now be able to travel directly to and from the UK's busiest airport as a brand new transport link launches.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Scots streets transformed for huge blockbuster as A-listers JJ Abrams and Glen Powell spotted
Film crews have taken over several streets in Scotland's biggest cities WHEN HOLLYWOOD CAME TO TOWN WHEN HOLLYWOOD CAME TO TOWN Scots streets transformed for huge blockbuster as A-listers JJ Abrams and Glen Powell spotted Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SOME of Scotland's busiest streets have been transformed in recent days as Hollywood production teams rolled into town. Shooting has been taking place in Glasgow and Edinburgh for blockbuster director J.J. Abrams' new movie, Ghostwriter. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 7 Streets in Glasgow have been locked down for the filming of Ghostwriter Credit: John Kirkby 7 Shooting also took place in Edinburgh earlier this month Credit: Michael Schofield 7 Futuristic signage has been erected outside some businesses Credit: Andrew Barr 7 Hollywood star Glen Powell has returned to Glasgow for filming Credit: James Chapelard 7 The actor has been spotted on set with what appears to be a stunt double Credit: John Kirkby Film crews have taken over several streets in Scotland's biggest cities, while A-list star Glen Powell have been spotted on set. In Glasgow, filming has been ongoing in and around Bothwell Street. A row of shops near the corner with Blythswood Street has been transformed. Futuristic signage has been erected and a false brick wall has been put up on the side of Launch Coffee. Shooting has also been taking place on Newton Street under the Kingston Bridge, between the Broomielaw and Argyle Street. Last week, Star Wars and Star Trek director Abrams was seen on set in Edinburgh. And yesterday, Powell was spotted dressed in a trench coat and scarf with what appeared to be his stunt double. The actor, 36, was in the city last November during the filming of the dystopian thriller The Running Man, which will be released later this year. A futuristic subway carriage or hover bus-type vehicle was seen on set, on the back of a flatbed lorry. British cinematographer James Friend was also busy working alongside dozens of crew members and extras. Hollywood hunk Glen Powell braves Glasgow weather with 'bizarre' warm-up on set of 80s remake In Edinburgh, trucks emblazoned with the Warner Bros logo were seen around the city's streets. Filming spots included Advocate's Close, Borthwick's Close, Fleshmarket Close, Mary King's Close, Old Assembly Close and Parliament Square. Shooting wrapped up in the capital on June 13. Ghostwriter will star Glen Powell, Jenna Ortega, Emma Mackey and Hollywood royalty Samuel L. Jackson. The script has been kept under wraps but the film is understood to centre around a fantasy author who finds that the mythical world he imagined is real. The upcoming flick is expected to be a mix of retro sci-fi and fantasy. Scotland has become a hotbed for big-budget movie productions in recent years. Avengers, The Batman, James Bond: Skyfall, Prometheus, Under the Skin, and World War Z were all partly filmed in the country. Other renowned films to have been shot in Scotland are The Da Vinci Code, Harry Potter and Outlaw King. We previously told how the Scottish movie and TV industry was on course to generate £1billion a year for the economy. Screen Scotland believes it will hit a 10-figure turnover by the end of 2030/31 and major productions continue to film north of the border. In March, it emerged that the US animation company Halon Entertainment was looking to open a £28million studio in Glasgow. 7 Ghostwriter is directed by blockbuster filmmaker J.J. Abrams Credit: The Times
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Fears over future of BBC's iconic River City set once show is axed for good
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RIVER City bosses don't know what to do with the axed soap's iconic set, show insiders revealed. The fictional Glasgow district of Shieldinch will disappear from our screens next year after 24 years of drama and scandal. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 BBC Scotland previously announced that it is scrapping River City Credit: John Kirkby 4 It will disappear from screens next year Credit: John Kirkby - The Sun Glasgow 4 But bosses 'don't know' what to do with the set Credit: BBC But the huge custom-built set, including the Tall Ship pub and Oyster Cafe, will still be there when the cameras stop rolling. And sources say BBC executives are being bombarded with questions about what will happen to it. It comes amid suggestions fans could snap up pieces of TV history from the filming lot in Dumbarton. An insider said: 'The question on everyone's lips has been, 'What will happen to the Shieldinch set?'. 'And the truth is, bosses have absolutely no idea. "It's an impressive filming space and was the backdrop for so many legendary scenes. 'Many viewers feel an attachment to it. Bosses are not ruling out the possibility of auctioning off some of the props.' Corporation chiefs decided to cancel the soap due to a 'change in viewing patterns' — as demand for long-running shows falls away. They told MSPs last month the £9million-a-year soap was no longer 'value for money' as its audience figures were down so much that it cost too much 'per viewer' to produce. BBC Scotland's drama budget over the next three years is expected to rise to £95million. Tragedy looms when the O'Hara's family holiday takes a dramatic turn after a life-threatening car crash Three new shows with shorter runs will be created for the channel — Counsels, Grams and The Young Team. Shetland has been renewed for a tenth series while there will be third runs for Vigil and Granite Harbour. River City's cast, including Stephen Purdon who plays Bob O'Hara, only learned it was being dumped minutes before the public was told in March. It is understood exact details of the final episodes and whether former cast members will return have not yet been discussed.
