Holidays are Coming – Christmas Markets and events you must visit this December

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By Nikita Vance

 

Whether you love it or hate it, the run up to Christmas can bring excitement and wonder to even the biggest Scrooges among us. Now we have Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” drilling in our ears everywhere we go, and we’ve all seen the slightly off looking Santa Clause in the shopping centre we can no longer deny it: Christmas is well and truly coming. What better way to get into the festive spirit than the various Christmas Markets and events Scotland has to offer?

Keeping it local, Stirling has a wide array of Christmas events available throughout December guaranteed to keep the little kids (and the big kids at heart) entertained!

 

Christmas Shopping Fayre

 

The Christmas Shopping Fayre returns to Stirling Castle on the 6th of December!

Image Credit: Stirling Castle

The Great Halls will host a variety of local Scottish brands, crafts and fine foods and drink guaranteed to get you excited and prepared for the festive season. There will also be brass band performances throughout the night, and all the mince pies and mulled wine you could dream of!

The fayre is open from 6pm to 9pm, with last entry at 8.15pm. Tickets are £6 per adults and free for children and carers, available here on a limited first-come-first-served basis.

 

 

Christmas Ceilidhs at The Tolbooth

 

It just wouldn’t be Scotland without a Ceilidh, and what better way to get into the Christmas spirit than a traditional festive Ceilidh with the International Ceilidh Collective?

The Tolbooth is hosting afternoon and evening Ceilidhs on the 10th of December for all ages. Doors for the afternoon session open at 2.30pm, while the evening session opens at 7pm with both sessions beginning 30 minutes after doors. Tickets for both sessions are available here.

You don’t have to be a Ceilidh regular to attend! A caller will talk you through all the dances to ensure everyone has fun, and soon you may even become a Ceilidh professional! It’s the perfect opportunity to try something new, and to support the local Arts community.

 

Christmas Spectacular at Blair Drummond

 

Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park’s Christmas Spectacular is back and better than ever! You’re absolutely spoilt for choice, with attractions and experiences that cater for all ages. For £3 per person, you can experience an enchanting story time with Mrs Clause and her elves as she reads “The Night Before Christmas”. Or why not visit their festive fairground and take a spin on the teacups; a drive in the dodgems; a ride on the train and more! Catch Santa on his drive throughs throughout the park several times a day, with his naughty list in tow so be on your best behaviour.

Image Credit: Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park

There’s also a Christmas market which offers all sorts of festive goodies, perfect for getting those last-minute presents out of the way! There are also hot food and drinks on site including hot chocolate from the hot chocolate bar; toasted marshmallows from the fire pits; fish and chips; and (for the adults) gin cocktails courtesy of Stirling Gin.

 

The Christmas Spectacular runs until the 23rd of December from 10am-3.30pm Monday to Friday, and 11am-7pm on Saturdays and Sundays; and between the 21st and 23rd December. Tickets can be booked here, with prices varying depending on which day you plan on going.

 

 

Santa’s Grotto at Thistles

 

Experience the magic of Santa’s Grotto at Thistles Shopping Centre! Your kids can write a letter to Santa; receive a special gift; and take a ride in his magical sleigh. All proceeds go to charity partner Strathcarron Hospice.

The Grotto opens every Saturday and Sunday until the 18th of December, and daily from 19th December – 24th December from 10am to 5pm. (Note: The Grotto closes for lunch between 1pm and 2pm).

Tickets can be booked here, for £6.95 per child. There is a maximum of two adults and four children per time slot, and all children must be accompanied by an adult over 18 years of age.

 

Cut your own Christmas tree at Duff Christmas Tree Farm

 

Pick your perfect tree and make festive memories at Duff Christmas Tree Farm! With over 350,000 trees on site, you’re absolutely spoilt for choice and guaranteed to find the best tree for you.

Their special ‘cut your own Christmas Tree’ experience allows you to choose and cut the tree for yourself, with staff on hand to give you any assistance you may need. They provide you with a saw, but you’re required to bring your own gloves and something you can kneel on. It is also suggested that you bring or wear wellies, as some areas of the far, can be very muddy. There is also a wide selection of pre-cut trees for you to choose from.

Prices for a tree vary based on type and size, and are as follows:

  • Fraser Fir Christmas Tree: 4ft – £35, 5ft – £40, 6ft – £50, 7ft – £60, 8ft – £70, 9ft – £80 – 10ft and above – £10 per foot.
  • Nordman Fir Christmas Tree: 4ft – £35, 5ft – £40, 6ft – £50, 7ft – £60, 8ft – £70, 9ft – £80 – 10ft and above – £10 per foot.

Each weekend in December there will also be various food trucks on site including Traditional artisan pizzas available from Base Pizza, ethically sourced specialty coffee from Fallen Tree Coffee and delicious treats from Flour Bake Girl. The farm also sells their own homemade jams, marmalade, and mince pies.

Duff’s Christmas Tree Farm is open daily until Christmas Eve between 9am and 5pm, and there’s no requirement to pre-book your visit. Perfect for a last-minute outing!

 

 

A Jailhouse Christmas Carol

 

A new festive performance experience at Stirling Old Town Jail takes an original comic spin on the much beloved classic A Christmas Carol. Join the grouchy, scroogey governor of the Old Tolbooth as he’s visited by three spirits – the Cells Ghosts of Prisoners Past – ‘all eager for him to mend his wicked ways and embrace the season of goodwill to ALL convicts’. Guaranteed to be a fun time for all ages!

The performance tour will be running every 30 minutes each weekend between the 3rd and 18th of December, and then daily from the 27th to the 30th of December. You will also have the opportunity to tour the cells of the prison, and the roof-top observation tour which boasts stunning views of Stirling.

Image Credit: What’s On Stirling

Tickets are £12 per adult and £7 per child not including concessions and can be booked here.

 

Support local businesses this Christmas. For all your festive fun, choose Stirling!

The PEAK wins Facility of the Year 2020 at Scottish Leisure Network Group awards

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By Nikita Vance

 

The awards took place on 17th November, at the Inchyra Grange Hotel in Grangemouth.

The award recognises facilities and their teams, who over the last 12 months “have gone above and beyond and made a notable impact in the community”. The panel recognised the PEAK for its achievements in innovating new studios; products; and programmes, whilst keeping everything running through the difficult circumstances caused by COVID.

It is also been recognised as a hub for the community which has a large impact on keeping the local community active and happy “through integrated activities and programmes delivered by Active Stirling’s teams: Sport, Physical Activity and Inclusion, Active Schools, Community Activation, and Employability and Health Referral across Stirling”.

Of the award, Active Stirling’s Director of Operations, Matt Bunnell said; “We are delighted that The PEAK has been recognised for Facility of the Year 2022 at the Scottish Leisure Managers Network awards.

“The facility, community and support teams across Active Stirling have worked tirelessly over the past year under exceedingly difficult circumstances through and out of the pandemic to achieve uninterrupted provision whilst also creating transformational opportunities to improve people’s live through using sport and physical activity as a progressive lever for positive change.”

“This award is an endorsement of their dedication and professionalism in delivering for the Stirling community on behalf of Stirling Council.”

Democracy in freefall at Stirling Student Union

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By Peter Humfrey

 

Three weeks ago a motion was passed at the Stirling Student Union, exposing the crisis unfolding there for student democracy.

 

The plant-based commitment motion set a target of all Student Union food outlets being 100% vegan by 2025. Whilst this has prompted great debate amongst the student population over inclusivity; viability, and the ethics of such a move, the greatest point of concern should be what in fact has happened to student democracy at the University of Stirling.

 

In 2021, at the first round of voting for the Student Union president, just 1159 votes were cast out of a population of roughly 15600. That year Nela Cadinanos Gonzales was elected as Union President; taking 533 votes in the first round, and 546 in the final round. The turnout for that election was the lowest for at least the past 5 years, stretching back to 2017.

Worse was still to come when in March of this year the current Student Union president was elected with just 195 votes in the first round and a shocking 209 in the final round, beating Calum Brown into second place by a nail-biting 9 votes. The Union would go on to confirm this was the lowest turnout for a Spring election “in recent years”.

In a statement at the time a Union spokesperson said – “We note that turnout was low in comparison to pre-pandemic elections and we will be working with both outgoing and incoming Officers and students to further analyse this and establish how we can encourage both more candidates to stand and more students to engage in voting”

 

On another concerning and unusual note, a sabbatical post had not been filled, with no-one running for Vice President Education, despite it being a full-time paid role. The Union confirmed it was the first time on record no-one had run for a sabbatical post in the Spring elections.

In a by-election called on 26th April, incumbent VP Education, Calum Brown would win with just 99 votes. No-one else stood for the post.

In what was quickly becoming a farce, Brown resigned less than two weeks later on the 6th June.

 

Democratic representation had hit an all-time low, and now even a core position in the Student Union, could not be filled.

 

Taking a step back for a moment and it is worth putting into context turnout at Stirling versus the national picture.

Above are the percentages of the student body that voted in the Spring elections for Union President the past 2 years. An already abysmal figure of 6.92% fell to just 4.12% this year, but what does that mean stacked against the national average?

 

 

Well it’s not pretty reading with an already shockingly low national average of 11.7%, partially blamed on the pandemic, vastly exceeding Stirling’s turnout. The next year shows the scale of the problem though with no pandemic to blame as the world has begun to return to normal.

Stirling could not meet even a third of the national turnout. In an on-the-record interview in the run-up to the Spring 2022 elections, VP Communities, Alyson Mackay, was asked if the sabbatical officers could claim a democratic mandate off such a low turnout. In response she would go on to say the following.

“I don’t think so. I don’t think that we can accurately say we represent students when 6% [the 6.7% turnout figure for the 2021 election] of students voted for us”

 

Those words confirmed that even the core of the Student Union, those at the very top, had sat up and noticed the democratic crisis. The slump to 4.1% turnout in the election, just weeks after that interview, was the nail in the coffin for the Student Union’s democratic mandate.

 

There is currently a Union President of whom just 209 people voted for, from a population of 16,000 students. Just 1.3%.

 

In statistical terms that would be within the margin of error, of zero.

 

So where does this leave student democracy at the Stirling Student Union?

 

Voting turnout in terminal decline. Major positions with no-one running for them. Sabbatical officers admitting a lack of a democratic mandate.

 

Where this leads us is to just three weeks ago, when the Student Union’s general meeting on the 10th November voted through the plant-based commitment motion. Just 55.4% of those attending voted for the motion, and with 127 turning up that left 70 students from a population of 17,000, voting the motion through. That’s a microscopic 0.4%, and here’s what all that looks like.

 

 

The motion was proposed by the chair of the Stirling University Labour Society, and seconded by the secretary of the Vegan and Rights for Animals Society (VERA), along with three other motions. This meant two-thirds of the meeting agenda had been proposed by those two societies.

 

The reality is, that in a failing democracy only the most politically active remain, and their ability to shape policy and influence a system becomes greatly enhanced. The passage of that motion was the fault of neither the proposer or the seconder. They represented their agenda and political motivations as they should.

 

The fault lays at the feet of the Student Union for failing to adequately tackle student apathy.

 

The fault lays at the feet of Brig, the student paper that failed to report the motion when it was published on the Union website a week before the meeting.

 

The fault lays with the 16,783 students who did not attend that meeting.

 

Student democracy has died here, and what remains is a deafening silence.

Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter Christine McVie dies aged 79

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By Nikita Vance

 

Her death comes after a period of short illness, says family.

 

A statement posted on McVie’s official Facebook page read: “On behalf of Christine McVie’s family, it is with a heavy heart we are informing you of Christine’s death.

“She passed away peacefully at hospital this morning, Wednesday November 30th 2022, following a short illness. She was in the company of her family. We kindly ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this extremely painful time and we would like everyone to keep Christine in their hearts and remember the life of an incredible human being, and revered musician who was loved universally. RIP Christine McVie.”

Image via Wiltshire Live

McVie shot to fame in 1970s as singer-songwriter and keyboardist for the British American Rock band, alongside Stevie Nicks; Mick Fleetwood; her husband, John McVie; and Lindsey Buckingham. The band has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the most successful groups of all time.

The band paid tribute to McVie in a statement which reads: “There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie. She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure.”

“She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life.

“We were so lucky to have a life with her. Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. She will be so very missed.”

Swimmers, Strikes, and Sashes: It’s Graduation Day!

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By Peter Humfrey

 

An eventful end to last week saw more than 1700 students graduate across two days that saw picket lines, a six-time Commonwealth medallist graduate, and controversy over solidarity sashes.

Graduation kicked off on Thursday against backdrop of historic strikes with UCU Stirling members picketing the University main entrance, along with 70,000 academics engaging in strike action across the UK. 

The strikes and graduation inevitably crossed paths in controversial fashion when two graduands were barred from wearing sashes expressing solidarity with UCU members, as they took to the stage to graduate. This prompted outcry on twitter with many raising questions of free speech and criticising the University for it’s stance.

On the Friday, 28-year-old Scottish swimmer, Ross Murdoch, graduated with an M.Sc. Sports Management degree marking an end to an astonishing journey through the University’s high performance program.

In this time he competed at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games, and three Commonwealth games, amassing six medals as he became European, Commonwealth, and World champion at various points.

 

Ross Murdoch with his six medals, including three from Birmingham 2022. Image Credit – University of Stirling

 

When asked if he’d make a return to the pool, following last year’s comeback from retirement to win three medals at this years Commonwealth Games, Murdoch admitted, “I still dream about swimming every night.”

On his chances at returning for the Victoria [Australia] 2026 Commonwealth games Murdoch pointed out “I’ve not officially retired”. However cautioned against people getting their hopes up saying:

“I haven’t been training in the pool for several weeks. For me, if I still feel this type of fire in eight or nine months, I could consider the possibility of another Commonwealth Games. But training for a Games is a difficult job and I need to wait and see with everything else – and whether it balances with my life after sport.” 

Ross did seem open to the prospect of returning though saying, “A Commonwealth Games is a massive thing; it really does feel like a family – that feeling of swimming for Scotland, there’s just nothing else like it.”

 

Ross Murdoch taking a dip with his degree. Image Credit – University of Stirling

 

Beyond all the excitement surround swimmers; strikes; and sashes, the University welcomed a number of honorary graduates from across a number of fields, some literal in the case of World Hill and Mountain Running champion, Dr Angela Mudge.

Mudge overcame early childhood disability to shatter record after record on her way to winning four Scottish Hill Running Championships and five British Fell Running Championships.

 

Dr Wackernagel. Image Credit – University of Stirling

Alongside were honorary graduates Dr Malcom Fairweather, for his work as a sports scientist; and Dr Mathis Wackernagel, President of the Global Footprint Network and sustainability champion.

Stirling Council call for public input in budget allocation for 2023/24

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By Nikita Vance

 

With a £17 million funding gap on the horizon for the next year’s budget setting process, Stirling Council want to hear your opinion on how they can best tackle financial issues.

No increase to the Local Government’s core funding from the Scottish Government is to be expected over the next three years, the Council need to find a way to “bridge a gap which is almost double its annual roads and land services budget”.

All Stirling residents are invited to take part in the Budget consultation here.

Image via Twitter @stirlingcouncil

Tesco and other supermarkets hit with price inflation

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By Achilleas Salaveris

 

Inflation in the UK has risen to 11.1%, and the consequences of this have not gone unnoticed. Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain, has seen a huge increase in price of even the most basic products across all UK stores – and reported pre-tax profits have risen from £636 million to £2.03 billion since last year.

 

The corporate giant, which dominates 26.9% of the share market – far exceeding all other UK supermarkets – has experienced a sales drop of 1.5% in the first quarter of 2022, as the behaviour of consumers has changed due to the cost of living crisis.

 

The rising cost of food is one of the biggest challenges faced by consumers right now, as the prices of everyday products have increased so much over the last two years – making the same shopping basket almost unaffordable for many people.

Many individuals have been observing the difference in prices on products they usually buy during their typical supermarket trip.

 

Price comparison of basic products from June 2021 to November 2022.

 

Consumers seek bargains in order to afford three square meals per day, or sometimes only two or less. They have to cut back on spending, and one way they achieve this is by switching from name brand products to store branded ones. This switch is mainly between staple items such as bread; beans and cereal.

 

Consumer behaviours have changed in other ways, as they now do more frequent trips to the supermarket and buy less as a way to cope with prices soaring due to inflation.

 

Percentage increase across products, and the basket total price.

 

Of the effect of inflation on the company, Tesco Chief Executive Ken Murphy said, “We are seeing a higher frequency shopping trips so there’s an elevation in the number of shopping trips, we are seeing basket sizes coming down a little bit”.

 

He also added that “Those staples like pasta, bread and beans is where we’re seeing consumers chose to trade down to the entry level or the core own brand level product”.

Image Credit: Achilleas Salaveris

“We are seeing some early indications of changing behavior as a result of the inflationary environment.”

 

Many consumers turn to competitive supermarkets to do their shopping in search for a better deal. The second most popular supermarket is Sainsbury’s so the comparison of the same shopping bag among the two supermarkets is something many consumers will be considering.

 

Comparison of Tesco and Sainsbury’s prices last month.

 

The inflation in the UK has impacted the wages of people and therefore their ability to buy products. With the increase of the prices the buying capability of people has decreased, and this connection is depicted in the diagram below. It shows the percentage increase of the CPIH, the regular pay affected by the inflation and also the change of the basket.

 

The CPIH (Consumer Prices Index), is a measurement of the inflations, that indicates how more expensive owning and maintaining a household is.

Source: Office for National Statistics, latest data available.

 

The same bag in June 2021 would be £10.20 as opposed to the same bag in November 2022 which would be £13.35.

Billy’s back in new exhibition exploring Bremner’s Raploch roots

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By Peter Humfrey

 

Delving into the past of Scotland and Leeds international, Billy Bremner, researchers at the University of Stirling have worked with the local community to unearth new memories from Billy’s life.

 

The online exhibition features key details about a confident and gifted boy from the Raploch, born William John Bremner, in 1942. Billy was described as sure of himself, even “brash”, and this would translate into his skill with a football, and his no-nonsense play at Leeds United.

 

The exhibition is the sum of work from researcher, Professor Richard Haynes, who has worked closely with St Modan’s High, where he went to school, and the Raploch community Billy once frequented. The project also includes a heritage trail starting at the Raploch Community Campus passing through the streets Bremner used to call home before finishing near Sainsburys, where Gowanhill United used to be based. There is also a campaign to create a memorial here for Billy.

 

Haynes underlined Billy’s stardom in the 1960s and 70s and underlined how important it was to preserve local stories now as his friends and acquaintances  enter old age. He stressed that “ these memories were in danger of being lost for good.”

 

Gowanhill United 1957-58, Billy Bremner at the front on the left.
Image Credit – Fae Raploch to Elland Road Exhibition, University of Stirling

 

Bremner started off his youth career at Gowanhill United before eventually moving to Leeds United, racking up a massive 587 caps and 91 goals from midfield.

 

Billy’s decision to head south was surprising considering his love of Celtic but, in the exhibition, William McQuillian recounts how Billy’s French teacher, Mr Sykes, told Bremner not to play for the Hoops, but to “get yourself south”.

 

After his time at Leeds, Bremner would play for a few seasons at Hull City, before finishing his career at Doncaster Rovers.

 

Working his way up from the Scotland Schoolboys, Bremner would go on to rack up 54 caps and 3 goals over a decade of appearances for the Scotland national team. He is generally considered by many to be one of the greatest players to ever represent Scotland, and turned out for the famous 3-2 victory at Wembley in 1967. Billy would go on to captain his country in the 1974 World Cup, with the team coming within goal difference of getting out of a group containing Yugoslavia and defending world champions, Brazil.

 

In covering this exhibition The Stirling Scope has reached out on social media to Stirling locals for their memories and stories of Billy. Amongst the many replies it was impossible to find a bad word said by anyone, showing how loved Bremner was as a larger-than-life figure.

 

A former chief technician from the university, Bob Lavery, 69, attended St Modan’s and later worked there. He described how Bremner was looked upon as “a real hero” at the school. He went on to outline a funny story about Mr Sykes and some graffiti that said “BB is brilliant”.

 

Billy Bremner at a photo call for Leeds in 1960.
Image Credit – Fae Raploch to Elland Road Exhibition, University of Stirling

 

“He at first thought the graffiti was Brigitte Bardot [a famous French actress]. He didn’t approve but he said at least the pupils are interested in something French! He was relieved to hear that it was in fact Billy Bremner the graffiti was about!”

 

He went on to talk about how he’d seen Bremner play on a few occasions for Scotland and seen Billy score for Leeds United in the European Cup semi final against Celtic in 1970.

 

“He opened the scoring with a stunning goal! The crowd at Hampden was and still is the record crowd for a European match, Billy Bremner actually silence around 140,00 fans! The ground was silent after the goal. Fortunately Celtic back and won 2-1 to reach the final”

 

Another local, Neil Mcrobbie, 59, talks about how “When I was very young in the Cornton he srtopped and had a kick about with us! Always been my favourite non Celtic footballer!”

 

Bremner would later enjoy a career in management taking in two stints at Doncaster Rovers, seperated by a 3 year period, 1985-1988, as Leeds United manager.

 

In his final years Bremner resided in the village of Clifton, near Doncaster, where he sadly passed away from a suspected heart attack in 1997, days before his 55th birthday.

 

Bremner memorial flagstone at Riverside Walk on the heritage trail
Image Credit – Fae Raploch to Elland Road Exhibition, University of Stirling

 

A researcher from the project, Dr Karen Fisher praised the reactions and summed up what he meant to those who engaged with project.

 

“It was an honour to talk to people who knew Billy as a friend before he became the footballing legend, and to record their thoughts. Their pride and affection for him shone through as they spoke about his talent, his humour and sense of fun, his loyalty to his friends, his love of Raploch and the fact that he never really left this behind, even when miles away playing and then managing.”

 

For those wishing to find out more about Billy’s journey “Fae Raploch to Elland Road” [Leeds United’s home ground], you can find the exhibition and information about the heritage walk here.

Zookeepers delight as six-week-old white rhino already weighs similar to a piano

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By Nikita Vance

 

Morag, who got her name through an online poll ran by the park, was born on 12th October at Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park to parents Dot and Graham. She is the sixth rhino calf born at the park, as part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) Endangered Species Breeding Programme – designed to ensure the safeguarding and maintenance of healthy rhino populations for the future of the species.

Keepers at the park had to spend a lot of time building the trust of the southern white rhino calf, to get her used to the scales.

On the 28th October, Morag weighed in at a whopping 23 stone 8lbs (149kg), with the parks’ Large Mammal Keeper, Alex Wainwright saying, “she has more than doubled in weight since she was first born.

Image via PA Wire

“This increase is in line with the milestones we would expect to see with our rhino calves.

“Capturing these measurements is vital in ensuring that our animals are healthy, eating well and growing at an appropriate rate. Weight is an especially important indicator of health and wellbeing, and we are delighted that Morag is growing as she should.”

 

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