Issue 102

August 2019

Hello and welcome to this month’s edition of the Voice.

As September begins there is a lot going on around the world to contemplate. There is a lot going on with the nation’s precarious political situation, or rather about to stop, with the suspension of Parliament. Further afield problems continue with the fires burning in the Amazon, and closer to home the prospect of fish farm expansion is looming. There is so much to potentially take in, where does one begin?

The Poem for September might be a good place. Isla Blair, our regular poem contributor, has chosen Caterpillar by Norman McCaig. It is a close look at the way a caterpillar journeys, a refreshingly simple but powerful reflection on the particular way caterpillars move, before McCaig brings the reader back to a broader perspective on how we in some way all experience this world. We each take our particular steps but as the caterpillar illustrates, as it reaches into empty space, trying to find the certainty of landing its next step, we don’t know what we will find or where exactly we will get to. Isla reminds us that what makes the difference is how we approach this uncertainty, with resistance and fear, or with some acceptance and grace. With so much information in our lives, and so many issues and uncertainties to navigate, this seems like an honest, modest and hopeful place to start.

Having the poem to introduce this issue is perhaps fitting as well, as the start of September takes us right into the heart of the McLellan Festival.

Otherwise there is a lot going in Arran this month. There is a screening of the film Vitamin Sea, the story of an inspirational woman Cal Major who last year achieved a paddleboarding record, from Land’s End to John o’Groats, to highlight the urgency of protecting our marine environments. The now annual Arran Geofest is also on in the middle of the month, as well as a variety of concerts, an event on understanding dementia and an unusual and highly imaginative theatre for children is coming to Whiting Bay at the end of the month too. We hope you enjoy the issue and have a great month!

Poem for September

Caterpillar

He stands on the suckers under his tail,
stretches forward and puts down
his six legs. Then he brings up
the sucker under his tail, making
a beautiful loop.

That's his way of walking. He makes
a row of upside-down U's
along the rib of a leaf. He is as green
as it.

The ways of walking! - horse, camel, snail, me, crab, rabbit-
all inventing a way of journeying
till they become like the green caterpillar
that now stands on his tail
on the very tip of the leaf and sways, sways
like a tiny charmed snake,
groping in empty space for a foothold
where none is, where there is no
foothold at all.

Responding to the North Arran Salmon Farm Planning Application

Scottish Salmon Company Planning Application for Millstone Point, North Arran On Saturday 17th August 2019 the Scottish Salmon Company submitted their planning application for a new development off Millstone Point to North Ayrshire Council. The council’s planning committee have four months to consider this application.

So what can we do?Taking ActionAs mentioned above, COAST are working on a set of suggested guidelines to help with responses which they will share in the coming week, along with instructions on how to comment. Please keep an eye on their facebook and web page for updates.

The Critical Path to Global Ocean Protection

“The Critical Path to Global Ocean Protection” Greenpeace’s strategy for Protecting 30% of our oceans by 2030

A report from Sally Campbell

30X30: A Blueprint for Ocean ProtectionthreeSharks under Attack: Over Fished and UnderprotectedGreat Pacific Garbage PatchReferencesGreenpeaceP.S. With the aim of ending overfishing, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) voted this week to regulate the trade of 18 depleted species of sharks and rays. Brilliant news!

So what do YOU think of Scottish Salmon Company’s North Arran Proposal?

We all make choices, sometimes in a very logical process and sometimes emotionally, and even sometimes both. But however we come to a decision about a brand, a product, our evening meal, we make a judgement, and usually, I hope, that includes that it has been produced safely, with care for the environment, as well as cost considerations. Brand publicity will play a big part if we believe all the hype on the wrapper.

So Arran residents and visitors are now talking about the Scottish Salmon Company’s (SSC) application for an enormous salmon farm of 5,000 tonnes in 20 huge net cages on the North Arran coast and we have our chance to comment on the application before it will come before North Ayrshire Planning Committee. Arran Community Council as a statutory consultee, will feed in a collective view to the Council. The other statutory consultees, Scottish Natural Heritage, Marine Scotland, SEPA and others will have already made their comments and recommendations and these will be taken into consideration in the Council’s decision to allow or not this enormous salmon farm proposed for North Sannox. A company that whilst hosting a thoroughly Scottish name, is an off-shore company registered in a tax haven, with private shareholders outside of the UK, also minimizing exposure to UK tax. So telling us about the economic footprint and benefits to Arran (=Scotland) is disingenuous since it to some extent avoids directly contributing to the UK tax coffers that benefit us all. The NHS, schools in North Ayrshire and Arran, even social services and care for the elderly are all short changed of support by these companies that deploy legitimate tax avoidance through complex holding structures which we might term morally and ethically questionable.

Scottish Greens publish Green New Deal proposals

THE Scottish Greens published a set of measures for a Scottish Green New Deal last Thursday, arguing that Scotland needed an “interventionist state” if it is to rise to the challenge of the climate emergency.
The idea of a Green New Deal, based on the name given to US President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s massive state investment strategy which helped lift America out of the Great Depression in the 1930’s, has attracted global attention over the past year, after being backed by US Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders and high-profile congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as means to tackle inequality and address climate breakdown while modernising economic infrastructure.

Day at the Dump with Eco Savvy

In this piece, project coordinator at Eco Savvy, Ruth, tells us all about what actually goes on at the Household Waste Recycling Centre and waste transfer station in Brodick, Arran.

Last Wednesday saw a lucky group of us attend the Eco Savvy “Day @ the Dump” info tour around the Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) and waste transfer station in Brodick.

The tour was taken by Jake Elliott from North Ayrshire Council who gave us a ton of information and was able to answer all our Arran based waste and recycling questions.

The Lochranza Summer Concert

Contributed by Alice Maxwell

Lochranza church hosted its hugely popular annual summer concert on 22nd August. The church was packed with locals and visitors who were treated to a varied evening of entertainment by resident and guest performers.

The evening began with the rousing hymn Guide Me O Thy Great Jehovah, accompanied by Arco, Arran’s string orchestra, under the competent baton of Alice Maxwell. Arco was thrilled to have two professional violinists joining their ranks – Angus Anderson and Angus Ramsay, who both spent many years playing with Scottish Opera. Arco began with their old favourite the Eine Kleine Nacht music, this time including the final Presto, which they played at break neck speed.

Eco Savvy travel and transport event

A message from Emma Tracey, one of Eco Savvy's new sustainable transport coordinators

We are really excited about our upcoming event Arran in 10 Years - Travel + Transport, which will take place on Tuesday the 1st of October at Brodick Hall. Eco Savvy will be hosting the public consultation designed to challenge the public and our contributing partners to think about what Arran's travel + transport will be like in 10 years, this will give people the chance to think creatively, positively and aspirationally about the future of sustainable travel on the island, and ultimately cultivate a community where active travel is the norm.

Running for Neil McNicol

On 22nd September, local Arran lady Sarah Thomson will be running the Scottish 10K in Edinburgh raising funds for British Heart Foundation in memory of one of her best friends, Neil McNicol, who sadly died before his 60th birthday last year.

Sarah has set up a Just Giving page to help raise money for the charity, which has helped halve the number of people dying from heart and circulatory disease in the UK but every day hundreds of people lose their lives.

Prioritising Wellness

In a speech to the Technology, Entertainment. Design (TED) Summit in Edinburgh on 24 July, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP advocated for a focus on policies that promote wellbeing and not just economic growth, to help address the rise of alienation and disaffection from politics.

In a world of growing division and inequality, it is more important than ever for governments to focus on broader measurements of health and wellbeing, rather than just material wealth. As such, the First Minister said that we can no longer use Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as the only measurement of a country’s success.

Crafty fundraisers for Macmillan Cancer Support in September

Crafts and Company (the team behind the 52 Stitched Stories community project) has joined with some extra helpers to fund-raise for Macmillan Cancer Support. We are also working with two local venues to offer people different options.

The first is on Friday 27th September 10-1pm at The Shore, Whiting Bay. Come along and make a wee textile postcard while enjoying tea/coffee and a slice of cake. Cost of the crafty activity will be £3.50 (£2.50 to the charity) and 50% off hot drinks will also go to the charity. A lovely way to spend a morning while helping to support such a vital charity.

A Play by Mamoru Iriguchi

Independent Arts Projects, with Arran Theatre and Arts Trust, presents

Eaten by Mamoru Iriguchi

Whiting Bay Hall

Saturday 28th September at 2pm

Mamoru Iriguchi EatenTickets are £5 from Arran Events or at the door.

“Whimsical hi-jinks” The Herald ★★★★ “Big Cuddly and Clever” The Times ★★★★ “Daringly inventive” The Stage ★★★★

Mamoru Iriguchi is an award-winning Edinburgh-based performance maker and theatre designer with background in zoology. His performance work includes Eaten (CATS nominee), 4D Cinema (Autopsy Award), PAINKILLERS (The Yard NOW commission), One Man Show (The Place Prize commission) and Projector/Conjector (Aerowaves Spring Forward). His Theatre design work includes Mincemeat (Cardboard Citizens, Best Design, Evening Standard Theatre Awards)website

Music in the Time of Anne Frank – An evening with Deborah Nemko

Please join us for a recital and talk in Lamlash featuring Deborah Nemko, pianist and professor of music at Bridgewater State University, USA.

“Music in the Time of Anne Frank” focuses primarily on Dutch Jewish composers who suffered at the hands of the Nazis. This programme celebrates the piano compositions by Leo Smit, Daniel Belinfante, Henriette Bosmans, Geza Frid and Dick Kattenburg. Their music is often jazzy and sometimes influenced by French and American composers and though largely unknown, deserves to be heard.

The Tattoo Toorie on tour

After the very successful launch of her newest book at the Glenisle Hotel in July, local author Alison Page has been busy out on tour with The Tattoo Tourie. Alison says, “It's been a very busy but wonderful July. Launching The Tattoo Toorie was a highlight and my CC selfie frame has been so popular at events and signings. Thanks to Graham at Arran Graphics for making it for me!”

Here are a few of the photos from the launch, all credits to Cams Campbell (featured image also).

Rural and Island Depopulation

In this article, local MSP Kenneth Gibson discusses the issue of depopulation in rural and island communities and talks of the ways in which the SNP government aims to address this.

Ivan Minguez Guillem, an Associate at the Local Government information Unit, Scotland, has started an interesting discussion on what he describes as “The puzzle of rural exodus in high income countries.”

Mr Guillem highlighted that as cities worldwide continue to grow, this is often at the expense of smaller communities, depopulating towns and rural and island communities almost everywhere.

Opera Bohemia to perform in Arran

Music Arran and the McLellan Festival are very excited to present the Scottish opera company, Opera Bohemia, who will be performing their latest production The Merry Widow

Saturday 14th September at the Arran High School, 7.30pm

Opera Bohemia celebrates its 10th anniversary with one of the world’s best loved operettas, The Merry Widow by Franz Lehár. Set in the romantic city of Paris, various suitors squabble and fight to win the hand of the recently widowed, but very wealthy Hannah Glawari.

Corrie Film Club – Before Night Falls

Corrie Film Club is on the third Sunday this month, on September 15th, at 8pm in the village hall.

The film showing is Before Night Falls (Director Julian Schnabel .UK 2000. 133 mins Cert 15).

An impressionistic biopic about the troubled life of the gay Cuban poet and novelist Reynaldo Arenas. Javier Bardem puts in a strong performance in the title role and is supported by Johnny Depp.

Before Night Falls tells the story of Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas. Raised in the Oriente Province of Cuba in the 1940s, Arenas began his life-long love of the sea and water. Leaving home as a young adolescent, he moves to Havana where he finds himself swept up in the revolutionary spirit and joins a circle of writers and artists. His first novel, "Singing from the Well," is published in Cuba, but as Castro's oppressive regime gathers force, Arenas' homosexuality and political writing make him a target. After being falsely accused of molestation, Arenas is arrested and imprisoned at El Morro. Eventually released from prison after dehumanizing treatment, Arenas flees Cuba in the 1980 Mariel Harbor boatlift. After moving to New York with his friend Lazaro Gomez Carilles, Arenas' hopes for a new life are destroyed by AIDS, and he dies in 1993, at the age of 45.

Marine News

Family in sea alert

A family of seven sparked an alert after trying a treacherous crossing in a 6 ft dingy.
The Dutch visitors including five kids did not have life jackets as they squeezed in the inflatable.
They were branded lucky to make it back to shore at John o'Groats, after sailing on the Pentland Firth. The holiday makers were helped by a coastguard rescue team.
A spokesman for the Longhope Lifeboat said, "Strong tides can make these waters perilous. They appeared to be without life jackets and there were serious concerns for their safety."