Issue 134

May 2022

Hello dear readers, welcome to the new issue of the Voice for Arran – we’re into the middle of the year already and looking ahead to a busy month. There is so much to do in the coming weeks! Starting with Pride on 4th, and a botanical drawing workshop at Brodick Castle over the same weekend. Then some theatre in Whiting Bay, Tuesday Talks at the Isle of Arran Heritage museum, Gaelic landscape walks with Arran Geopark, and (definitely a highlight for me) End of Empire biscuits (among other things) at an Indy fundraiser mid-month! The Arran Faerie Trails summer of storytelling is also launching in June, which sees Marty Ross lead performances through the Roots of Arran woodland twice a week over the next few months.

Among some of the things that captured my attention during May was the national Big Plastic Count, organised by Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic. It was an interesting, and rather shocking, experience that quite literally brought home the reality of our ‘throwaway’ culture, and left me questioning – what exactly is all the packaging for? Why is there so much? Surely we don’t need it? Realising the unconscious nature of this disposable way of being was part of the shock. At the beginning of the week I caught myself on several occasions unwittingly flinging things in the bin, then realising – oh, that’s plastic, I need to count it. Making this process of throwing away conscious was a strange mixture of empowering and depressing. For at the end of the week, just in our household, we tallied over 100 pieces of plastic, most of which were single-use.

Sally Campbell has written about her Big Plastic Count week too. She says that the UK produces more plastic packaging per person than anywhere in the world, apart from America. Unless things change, the rate of single use plastic waste produced is set to double by 2040. With the data collected from the Big Plastic Count we can start to learn more about what happens to all our household waste. As Sally reports, the initiative has shown that very little of our waste can actually be recycled, and an even smaller amount can be recycled in the UK. Larger quantities are exported, some goes to landfill and a lot is incinerated. The aim now is to use the data to urge the government to get a move on with its targets, of reducing single-use plastic production and consumption, increasing recycling capacity, and ensuring greater repair and reuse potential of products than is currently the case.

There are signs things are changing – today sees the start of the partial single use plastics ban in Scotland. And last week the Scottish government launched two consultations, one on the Circular Economy Bill and another on a Waste Route Map. The consultations set out the key actions and tools the government will put in place to help people cut waste in our economy, and they are open online for everyone to take part in until 22nd August. As well as the single use plastics ban today, it is also the start of a long holiday weekend, thanks to the longevity of the UK Queen. And while not royalist by any stretch of the imagination, to honour things old and enduring is something I fully embrace. We wish you a lovely weekend, and hope you enjoy the issue… Elsa

Consultations on Circular Economy launched in Scotland

Proposals to help tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis by supporting Scotland’s transition to a zero waste and circular economy have been launched.

By Tony Corbin, 30th May, published in Packaging News

The measures, designed to significantly increase reuse and recycling rates, and modernise and improve waste and recycling services, are set out in two consultations – on a Circular Economy Bill and a Waste Route Map.

Key proposals include:
• banning the destruction of unsold goods to ensure that products never end up landfilled or incinerated when they could be used or recycled
• improving household recycling and reuse services and consulting on separate kerbside collection of textiles by 2025
• introducing new reporting to show where recycling goes once it has been collected
• measures to reduce the consumption of problematic single-use items and promote reuse of products
• new powers to tackle littering from vehicles
• a mandatory requirement for businesses to report surplus and waste figures for goods such as food and textiles
• powers to set local recycling targets, reflecting the success of Wales, which has the one of the highest household recycling rates in the world

The Big Plastic Count 2022

We are all using too much plastic in buying food, and plastic wrapping with just about everything else. The UK produces more plastic packaging per person than almost any other country in the world – only the US is worse. And if things carry on as they are, the amount of single trip plastic waste produced around the world is set to double by 2040.

Supermarkets, brands and the government continue to push recycling as the solution to the plastic waste crisis, even though we are producing too much in the first place and our recycling systems cannot cope. It is yet another smoke and mirrors game, and the favourite of companies nowadays…greenwashing… that maintains the status quo - continuing production. Recycling alone is not going to solve our plastic problem. But at the moment, there is nowhere near enough evidence to show how much plastic leaves UK households. And most of us have no idea where it really ends up when we throw it in the bin or the recycling. That is why Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic came together to create The Big Plastic Count.

A summer of storytelling with Marty Ross

Arran is set to gain its own outdoor storytelling theatre this Summer as locals and visitors are treated to a series of free traditional storytelling walks from June to September, delivered by professional storyteller and Arran-resident Marty Ross.

As part of Scotland’s Year of Stories and under the auspices of Roots of Arran – the community woodland above Brodick – local storyteller Ross will lead four storytelling walks per week, a mix of light-hearted daytime fairy tales and more adult-oriented ‘eco-Gothic’ stories in the evenings. The mobile performances will cover 3 miles. Audiences are invited to meet outside Brodick’s Old Post Office and walk to the upper reaches of the atmospherically landscaped woodland – one of the island’s secret treasures – before returning to the starting point in the middle of town.

The Arran Mountain Festival poetry walk

On Friday 13th May the Scottish poet Stuart B Campbell led a trek up the Goatfell valley from Corrie, with a group of would-be poets, myself included.

Stuart was born in Lanark and was commissioned to write the poetry for the book The Great Mountain Crags of Scotland and for the award-winning film, Distilled. He lives in the small fishing village of Portsoy on the Moray coast. He is also a mountaineer and traditional musician.

The plan was for him to guide us into the creation of a free style Renga, a Japanese collaborative poem in which multiple poets alternately contribute stanzas to a poem. Appreciation of nature often features in Rengas.

Language in the Landscape walks with Arran Geopark

Arran Geopark are running a series of "Language in the Landscape" walks throughout the season. The walks explore the influence of Gaelic culture and language on the island.

Language and the natural environment are very closely intertwined, and place names includes can provide unique glimpses into what Arran looked in previous centuries.

No prior knowledge of Gaelic is required as all walks will be delivered in English.

Sign up at www.arrangeopark.co.uk/events

Yew know me so well

Visiting a 3,000-year-old neighbour

Tree time is slow time. Stand by an old tree for a while and watch how your fast, animal body responds. Your breath lengthens, your heart rate drops, your shoulders relax.

It seems that the tree is urging you, ever so gently and on the sly, to step into the same slow river in which it exists – a river so glacial that to our restless human eyes it appears rock solid.

The longest-lived of all native British trees is the yew, Taxus baccata. There are around 330 ancient yews in the country – that is trees over 1,000 years old.

Epigrams for June

Three Epigrams from Chang Ch'ao (17th century)

Flowers must have butterflies,
mountains must have streams,
rocks must have moss,
the ocean must have seaweed,
old trees must have creepers,
and people must have obsessions.

*

Only when you can take leisurely what the world is busy about,
can you be busy about what the world takes leisurely.

*

I wish to give a great nudist ball,
firstly to propitiate the geniuses of the centuries,
secondly to propitiate the beauties of the ages.
When there is a really great monk, I am going to do it.

Merkland Wood part of the Jubilee Ancient Canopy

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Patron of The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC), has unveiled a nationwide network of 70 Ancient Woodlands and 70 Ancient Trees to be dedicated to Her Majesty in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee.

The Arran Ranger Service report: 

The National Trust for Scotland is delighted that Merkland Wood at Brodick Country Park has been chosen as part of a nationwide network of 70 Ancient Woodlands to be dedicated to The Queen in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee.

Two Hydro Schemes on Arran

• The two Hydro Schemes illustrated here, each generate 500kW electricity when at full power. This is enough to power approximately 400 homes per year or boil approximately 160 electric kettles constantly (one electric kettle uses a maximum 3kW of electricity whilst boiling).
• There are no emissions, other than those used in the construction.
• How can we build on these examples of good practise to generate electricity and contribute to the local economy with minimal impact on the environment on Arran?

Scottish Government’s plans will “squeeze the life” from inshore fisheries

Campaigners have slammed new Scottish Government plans that will allow trawlers to throw away fish at sea, further depleting fish stocks such as west coast cod.

The Scottish Government’s flagship ‘Future Catching Policy’ claims to be a world-leading plan, but members of Our Seas, a wide coalition of 131 coastal businesses, fishing associations, community and environmental groups from across Scotland say the proposals will further undermine the health of inshore fish populations. They argue that the Government’s continued failure to introduce urgent spatial management measures, as well as legalising the controversial practice of discarding fish at sea, will sanction overfishing of depleted stocks such as west coast cod and accelerate ongoing damage to inshore fish nursery grounds.

Our Right to Food community research

Are you interested in the availability of fruit and veg in your community? Join us online to find out how you can become a Community Researcher!

Tue, 7 June 2022, 12:00 – 13:30 BST

Along with Nourish Scotland, Arran Eco Savvy are helping coordinate some exciting research and are looking for Community Researchers on Arran to be part of the project. Food prices vary all across Scotland and the Our Right to Food project is looking at the affordability and availability of fruit and veg within local communities. Some reimbursement for food shopping is available. Come along to the workshop on June 7th to find out more. Follow this link to find out more and book a place.

Smart phone use and the internet amongst the over 65s

Last week Arran CVS organised workshops on Social Media, run by Ross McCulloch of Third Sector Labs. My interest was spiked by the Covid crisis when shops on Arran started to demand purchases by card contactless payment only. It was then I realised how difficult that would be for those without a credit card, or wifi or a smart phone. Then, I started to see everywhere the App brigade, from CalMac to parking in cities when cash options were removed. Thank heavens the Co-op on Arran has continued to accept cash and for many people this has been clearly a lifeline. We see now in large supermarket stores rebellion over the self-checkouts and removal of ‘manned’ tills. For many elderly, or those living alone, the person at the checkout may be the only person they speak to during the day. Certainly, in Lamlash Co-op, Helen and her staff do a superb job of welcoming, asking how is your day, and generally making everyone feel they are interested in our story as we check our purchases; for many buying their daily paper from Jimmy Gordon’s is a similar experience. We all have examples on Arran of that service, especially during Covid.

The ALiVE Exhibition

In 2021 a new ‘Arran Arts Heritage Trail’ was created, weaving a trail of twenty sites identified by sandstone placemarkers to celebrate a landcsape that has been important to many of Scotland's most iconic artists.

here herehereALiVE is supported by Creative Scotland and sees each artist adopting one of the Arran Arts Heritage Trail plinths and creating an artwork interpreting the site or the work of a dedicated artist.

Whiting Bay Drama Club plays in June

The Whiting Bay Club of Drama and Music will be presenting three one act plays in June. By Patrick Scott.

The first play in the line-up is “Victoria Station”, a dramatic comedy by Harold Pinter, featuring a controller in a London cab office (played by David Simpkin) looking for a driver (Allan Nicol) to pick up a fare from Victoria Station.

The second play is “Sleuth School”, written and directed by Andy McNamara, and featuring James Mutch as Sherlock Holmes, Shannon Galbraith as Velma (from Scooby Doo), Andy McNamara as Hercule Poirot, Patrick Scott in various roles, Beverley Scott as Miss Marple, and Rhodri Herapath as Anne Barnard (from The Famous Five). These detectives are put through a test of their skills at a “Private Detective Quality Assurance Revalidation course”, with failure leading to a revocation of their licences.

Tuesday Talks at the Arran Heritage Museum

The Isle of Arran Heritage Museum is inviting different speakers throughout the season to their new Garden Room facility for Tuesday Talks on a variety of different aspects of the history and culture of Island way of life past and present.

The Garden Room can only seat 30 people comfortably and tickets for the Tuesday talks will be available on the day on a first come - first served basis. There is no extra charge for the talk, only the usual full Museum admission and members are free of charge.

Corrie Film Club

The film showing at Corrie film club on Sunday June 12th is A Fantastic Woman (Chile 2017, Sebastian Lelio. 104 mins. Cert 15),  7.30pm start.

The “Best Foreign Language” Oscar winner in 2017, Chili’s Sebastian Lelio’s film is the first such winner to feature a transgender star in the lead role, Daniela Vega. Another outsider film, the script and star capture the disoriented, anguished feeling of society’s exclusion during a painful period of grief.

Whitehouse Woods community survey

The woods are for sale and we would like your views on what happens to them

Whitehouse Woods Feasibility Study

As many of you will have seen in the Banner recently, Lamlash Improvements Association (LIA) has received a grant to undertake a feasibility study on the future uses of the Whitehouse land in Lamlash.

LIA's initial thoughts are that the site could be used to help address some of Arran's priorities, with the site used for some affordable housing, establishing a community centre, and leaving areas as woods and open spaces for community use.

New Electric Vehicle Fund launched

Scotland’s electric vehicle charge point network has received a boost with the launch of a new fund aimed at driving sustainable travel in the tourism industry. A Visit Scotland press release writes:

The Electric Vehicle Charge Point Tourism Recovery Fund, part of the Destination Net Zero programme, will help support businesses to recover from the impacts of COVID-19 in a sustainable manner.

Scottish tourism businesses will be able to apply for funding to assist with the installation of an electric vehicle charge point on their premises. The move is designed to improve the network of charge points across Scotland and encourage responsible tourism practices with both visitors and businesses.

Marine News

Sent in by John Kinsman, operations manager at Coastwatch St Monans, east Fife.

Cliff fall

A man was taken to hospital after falling from cliffs at Arbroath. A major rescue operation was launched after reports of a man had fallen at the cliffs which are more than 200ft at some points.
Coastguard teams attended the incident along with the town's lifeboats, and medics from the Scottish ambulance service.
A spokesman for HM Coastguards confirmed they had rescued the man and took him to Arbroath harbour.
The man sustained injuries and was transferred to awaiting ambulance and taken to Dundee hospital.

Recipe for June

Sent in by Anne Kinsman

Cheese and Spinach tart

Ingredients:

50g (2oz) butter
1 small onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove crushed
2 tablespoons chopped thyme
250g (8oz) frozen leaf spinach thawed
175ml (6floz) single cream
2 eggs beaten
25g (1oz) parmesan cheese grated
20cm (8 inch) frozen pastry tart case (cook from frozen) or ready-made pastry roll
Salt and black pepper

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the onion, garlic, thyme and salt and pepper to taste and cook for 5 minutes. Squeeze out all excess water from the spinach, add to the pan and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes until heated through.
2. In a bowl beat together the cream, eggs, cheese, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spoon the spinach mixture into the tart case, carefully pour over the cream mixture.
3. Bake on a preheated baking sheet in a preheated oven 200C (400F) gas mark 6, for 20 minutes or until set. Serve with a green salad.