The results of the  Lochranza and Catacol 200 club April draw were as follows: 1st prize Nigel Wells, 2nd prize Sarah Giles.

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Thought for the week

‘Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church.’ Ephesians 5:28

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Bird Notes for April by Jim Cassels 

April is the month when spring migration gets underway, with arrivals and departures of birds, all seeking their best breeding territories.

This April was an interesting, almost ‘four season’ month with a wide range of temperatures and other weather conditions. Like last April it was cold with a mean temperature half that of April 2016 but it was wetter than April 2017. There was a lot of easterly winds. The impact on migrating birds heading north seemed to be to initially hold them up. Even by the end of the month the bulk of the migrants had still to arrive.

By the end of March the first chiffchaff, wheatear, manx shearwater and sandwich tern had been reported.  Here are April ‘firsts’ with the 2017 arrival date in brackets for comparison: swallow in Brodick on 6th (26 March), willow warbler in Clauchlands on 7th (4 April), white wagtail in Kildonan on 7th (7 April), sand martin in Sannox on 14th (28 March), common sandpiper in Clauchlands on 14th (15 April), house martin in Blackwaterfoot on 15th (12March), cuckoo in Glen Cloy on 16th (8 April), grasshopper warbler in Whitefarland on 20th (20 April), tree pipit in North Sannox on 24th (22 April), whitethroat in Sliddery on 27th (30 April), whinchat on Sliddery Shore on 28th (1 May), Arctic tern at Dougarie on 29th (14 May), ring ouzel on Beinn Bharrain on 29th (2 May) and spotted flycatcher in High Kildonan on 30th (12May).

Not surprisingly with the cold weather, some of our wintering birds were still around including: 27 wigeon at Machrie Bay on 2nd, 300 greylag geese in South Feorline on 4th, 28 redwing on High Kildonan on 9th, 50 fieldfare on the top of the String on 14th and one whooper swan in Whiting Bay on 18th. In addition there were four further reports of Iceland gull involving at least two birds. The last report was off Fairy Dell on 23rd.

April is an ideal time for watching migration.  These are a few examples: 11 turnstone on Silver Sands on 4th, a merlin in Clachaig on 6th, five great northern diver off Kildonan on 8th, 50 song thrush over the String on 14th, two dunlin on Silver Sands on 19th, four black-throated diver at Machriewaterfoot on 24th and 40 golden plover over Clachaig on 30th. In addition there was a much reported passage of sandwich tern, including seven at Cosyden on 27th, and whimbrel, including 15 at Auchenhew on 29th. One whimbrel which had been ringed on a southern Arran shore 12 months ago was reported again almost on the same shore having spent the winter in Africa!

Migration was also in evidence from the widespread reports received of goldfinch, siskin and lesser redpoll moving through people’s gardens throughout the month. Larger garden numbers reported included; 25 goldfinch in Kildonan on 13th, 20 siskin in Brodick on 15th and four lesser redpoll in Lamlash on 24th.  Tens of thousands of birds seem to be moving through the island at this time of year.

In April there were 112 species recorded. Here is a further small selection from this list: A great crested grebe off Laggan on 1st, only one record last year, puffin east of Holy Isle on 5th, red kite in Sannox on 12th, first record since May 2016 and a pair of goosander in the Iorsa on 24th. The magpie reports in March continued until 9th. While common on the adjacent mainland, magpie is a vagrant to Arran. Finally it was good to see an increase in the reports of greenfinch in April.  They may be on the recovery.

My thanks to the many people who have been in touch to share their sightings in what has been a remarkable month. Those of common birds are as welcome as those of rare ones. May should be an equally interesting month with the arrival of more summer visitors including lesser whitethroat, garden warbler, wood warbler, swift, common tern and, hopefully, even corncrake and nightjar.

Finally, spring is a great time to be birding, as most birds are getting on with the business of breeding. The business of breeding involves attracting a mate by song, courtship display and ritual, defining a territory, nest building, and generally establishing relationships. Please take a moment to report any signs of breeding birds to me. Already there have been reports of blue tits nest building, robins feeding young, blackbirds carrying food, grey heron with young in the nest, dipper carrying food and greenfinch with young out of the nest.

Please remember that under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is being built or used. Take particular care on our shores and beaches and please keep your dogs on a lead at this time.

Enjoy your birding.

Please send any bird notes with ‘what, when, where’ to me at Kilpatrick Kennels, Kilpatrick, Blackwaterfoot, KA27 8EY, or e mail me at jim@arranbirding.co.uk  I look forward to hearing from you.  For more information on birding on Arran purchase the Arran Bird Atlas 2007-2012 as well as the Arran Bird Report 2016 and visit this website www.arranbirding.co.uk

A dipper flying to a nest hole with food. Photo by Arthur Duncan. No_B19bird01

One of the lingering winter visitors, an Iceland gull. Photo by Alex Penn. No_B19bird02

Spotted in many Arran gardens during their migration, a lesser redpoll. Photo by Walter Vendeveken. No_B19bird03

A large passage of whimbrel are heading north this month. Photo by Alasdair Fyffe. No_B19bird04

Sandwich tern are also migrating north during April. Photo by Jim Cassels. No_B19bird05

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Whiting Bay Bowling Club held their opening day last Saturday on their perfectly manicured greens before members took part in the friendly game.

The first jack and bowl was this year thrown by Keith Irving before members took part in the friendly game.

The green, which is completely run by the club, is always on the look-out for new members and anyone interested will be made very welcome.

The green is open on a Monday and Wednesday at 6.30pm and on a Saturday from 2pm.

Keith Irving throws the first jack at Whiting Bay. 01_B19bowls01

Members who took part in the opening day game. 01_b19bowls02

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Work on Brodick’s brand new mini golf course is continuing apace as workers push to have the attraction ready for the school summer holidays at the end of June.

It had remained largely unchanged since it was built in 1960, but the new 18-hole course will be’truly all weather’ and feature artificial grass, but it will have  a reminder of the old course, with the retention of the Forth Rail Bridge which was created almost 15 years ago.

The course is being built by Armitage Groundworks and already the first holes are beginning to take shape. Since work began last week heavy machinery has been seen removing the old course, and already the site has been reduced to soil level with mounds of concrete being taken away. The lorries then return with loads of aggregate which is being laid over a layer of plastic membrane that will assist with site drainage.

Further below the course, drainage pipes – already buried  – have been laid, which will ensure that the persistent drainage problems of the past will be completely prevented.

Working from one side of the site to the other – getting the hard landscaping completed in preparation for the new course – the initial groundworks are progressing well.

Destined to become a new Brodick landmark and tourist attraction, excitement among Arran’s young golfers and children is steadily growing in anticipation of trying out the new course during the summer holidays.

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The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) has appointed a new Commander who finds himself very much at home in Blackwaterfoot.

The new commander is newly promoted, Lieutenant-General Alexander Donald Meinzinger CMM MSM CD who was  sworn in at a ceremony held at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in the nation’s capital, Ottawa.

Lt-Gen Meinzinger, known as Alister, is the second son of Dave and Kate Meinzinger of Orleans, Ontario and is the grandson of the late Donald and Helen MacAlister of Cairnhouse, Blackwaterfoot. His cousin Alan MacAlister, who still lives there, flew out to Canada ahead of the ceremony last week.

Dave Meinzinger was serving with the RCAF in France in 1961 when, by chance he came to Arran for the first time with his Air Force friend Dave Thorburn, a relative of the MacAlister’s of Cairnhouse. He met Kate, then a teacher at Shiskine Primary School, and romance blossomed. They were married in October 1962 and moved to Dave’s next posting in Vancouver, British Colombia. Dave retired from the RCAF as a Chief Warrant Officer after 36 years service.

Alister joined the RCAF in 1985 under the Regular Officer Training Plan. He earned a BA Honours in economics and commerce from Royal Military College of Canada, (RMC) Kingston, and was awarded the Governor General’s Medal for academic excellence. Immediately following graduation, he attended Queen’s University, earning an MA in economics in 1990, before obtaining his pilot’s wings in 1992.

In the course of four flying tours, he deployed from CFB Edmonton, Alberta with 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron as a member of the first contingent in support of the United Nations Mission in Haiti, serving as an instructor pilot and Flight Commander, before assuming command of 403 (Helicopter) Operational Training Squadron at CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick in August 2006.

In 2008, Al returned to Canadian Forces College where he attended the inaugural National Security Programme, graduating with an MA in security and defence management and [olicy.

In addition to various staff positions Lt-Gen Meinzinger deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2011, as the then Colonel A.D. Meinzinger he commanded Canada’s Joint Task Force Afghanistan Air Wing in what was then a `theatre of operations’.

The following two years were spent as deputy director of NORAD’s and Northcom’s strategy, policy and plans directorate, at the Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Arizona in the United States.

In 2013 Alister and the family return to Canada when the then Brigadier-General Meinzinger was appointed Commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario.

Lt-Gen Meinzinger is married to Joy and along with their children Nolan and Shayna, they enjoy regular visits to Blackwaterfoot where the family have a home.

Lt-Gen Meinzinger is the new Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force. NO_B18canada01

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The Levelling  ( UK 2016, Cert 15, 80 mins)

This month’s Corrie Film Club showing is a stunning debut from an exciting new directorial female voice on the British film scene – Hope Dickson Leach.

The title refers to the film’s setting on the Somerset Levels, on a farm, at the time of devastating flooding and the tragedy of the early death of a brother of the central character Clover, outstandingly played by Ellie Kendrick (Game of Thrones).

Clover is a vet and a vegetarian who has to deal with her flood devastated home, her estranged father, ill- remembered conflicts and unspoken regrets. She sets out to heal their fractious but loving relationship and, although, this is a stark film, it is a compassionate one with fiercely intelligent acting and startling images. This is powerful cinema which stays with you.

See this interesting film in Corrie and Sannox Village Hall tomorrow (Sunday) at 8pm. All welcome.

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Brodick residents were left without water for more than six hours after main pipe burst early on Wednesday.

Scottish Water workmen received a callout at 6.30am to deal with the incident which occurred under the road near the Brodick Hall. A mini digger was seen excavating about a metre under the soil to reach the pipe. A small section of the road to be cordoned off while workmen undertook the repairs and had residents’ supply reinstated shortly after 1pm.

Brodick Castle garden and country park, who were left without water for visitors and staff, made the decision to close for the day.

A spokesperson from Scottish Water said: ‘We apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused as a result and thank them for their patience.’

Many affected by the outage believed that the disruption to the water supply was part of a cleaning effort which users receive written notice of the week prior.

The flushing of the water network which was undertaken two days before and which involved opening hydrants on the network to flush out sediment and grit which builds up over time, was unrelated to the incident and took place overnight to avoid disruption to customers.

Throughout the outage users were kept up to date on the repairs and an estimated completion time with a message on the ScottishWater website and text message updates for mobile users.

Scottish Water workmen can be seen digging a hole in the road to gain access to a water main pipe that needed to be repaired. 01_B19water01

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There can be no doubt that it is good news that North Ayrshire Council has announced details of how it is planning to implement the Scottish governments long promised expansion of early years provision.

The fact that they have budgeted £13 million for the changes which will see the availability of free early learning and childcare provision almost double for all three and four year olds, as well as vulnerable two year olds, shows the size of the task.

However, the provision or nursery and early years classes is different on Arran than it is in the rest of North Ayrshire and this must be taken into account in any shake up planned on the island.

Brodick Nursery operates privately and is run by a committee of parents. It therefore differs significantly from the other early years provision 0n the island and they are right to have concerns.

The council has already engaged in talks and it is hoped the consultation will be effective in allowing the service to maintain a role in any expanded scheme of provisoon.

For if the most recent Care Inspectorate report is anything to go by they are doing a good job with the inspector noting: ‘Brodick Nursery provides children with a welcoming, inclusive environment in which
to learn and to develop confidence and independence.’

We couldn’t agree more.

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More than 200 runners will today (Saturday) take part in the annual Goatfell hill race.

A total of 212 runners have entered are and looking forward to making the gruelling 15.5 kilometre, 870 metre climb to the summit and back.

Setting off from Ormidale Park at midday the runners will follow the tourist path to the summit with members of the Brodick Improvements Committee marshalling the road route and the Arran Mountain Rescue Team assisting on the mountain.

The course record, which was broken last year by the first two runners, is now 1 hour, 12 minutes and 11 seconds.

While most of the competitors come from the mainland a number of Arran runners also take part with brother and sister, Jon and Kirstie Smith, both taking first place in the local male and female categories respectively last year.

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Youth rugby on Arran has received a welcome boost with the hosting of the Rugby 7s Series at Ormidale Park last Thursday where participants also had the opportunity to see at first hand the historic Calcutta Cup.

The series which involves Largs, Ardrossan and Auchenharvie rugby teams, saw the youngsters competing in three age groups, S1/S2, S3 boys and under 15 girls.

Scoring for the tournaments is through accumulated points and is calculated over three tournaments taking place on Arran, Largs and Ardrossan.

Requiring a huge amount of organising, the series involves Scottish Rugby development officer Andrew Duncan, Scottish Rugby coach Euan Rains and high school physical education teachers, Steve Evans, Julie McGhee and depute head Suzie Dick among many others.

Defending their title after winning the series last year, Arran High School were competing in their new red kits which were provided with the assistance of Scottish Rugby and the school’s parent council.

Rugby enthusiast Steve Evans said: ‘Arran High School has a rich tradition of playing rugby so it is great to see it taking off and gaining traction again.’

Coach and Arran rugby player Euan Rains, said: ‘ This is a great tournament. We are all here for the enjoyment of rugby and to have fun while doing it. The players are very enthusiastic and it is inspiring to see more than 30 Arran pupils getting involved.’

Creating a huge amount of excitement at the tournament Scottish Rugby education manager Paul Kesterton brought with him the the historic Calcutta Cup which Scotland won at Murrayfied in February with their first win over England in the Six Nations Championship in a decade

The cup, which dates back to 1879, which is at present touring schools around the country, has been won by England 70 times and 40 by Scotland.

Arran High School under 15 girls practise their tackling skills under the tutelage of Scottish Rugby coach Euan Rains. 01_B20rugby01

Scottish Rugby education manager Paul Kesterton shows off the Calcutta cup dating back to 1879. 01_B20rugby02

Largs players have a post game strategy discussion. 01_B20rugby03

Arran and Largs players shake each others hands after their match. 01_B20rugby04

Arran players receive support from the sidelines from their  team mates. 01_B20rugby05

A bruising encounter between Auchenharvie and Largs players. 01_B20rugby06

An Arran player sprints away from the opposition. 01_B20rugby07

Arran’s under 15 girls relish the chance to pose with the Calcutta Cup. No_B20rugby08

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The Federation of Arran Bowling Clubs have made their draw for this year’s inter-club competitions, which are as follows:

Laidler Gardiner Trophy. All matches start at 6.45pm prompt at home team’s green. Tuesday May 22, Whiting Bay v Blackwaterfoot and Brodick v Lamlash. Thursday May 24, Blackwaterfoot v Whiting Bay and Lamlash v Brodick. Tuesday May 29, Blackwaterfoot v Lamlash and Brodick v Whiting Bay. Thursday May 31, Lamlash v Blackwaterfoot and Whiting Bay v Brodick. Tuesday June 5, Brodick v Blackwaterfoot and Lamlash v Whiting Bay. Thursday June 7, Blackwaterfoot v Brodick and Whiting Bay v Lamlash.

Federation Trophies. All matches to be played at Brodick starting at 6.45pm prompt. Monday June 12, ladies singles: Brodick v Lamlash and Blackwaterfoot v Whiting Bay. Gents Singles: Brodick v Lamlash and Blackwaterfoot v Whiting Bay. Tuesday June 13, pairs: Lamlash v Brodick and Blackwaterfoot v Whiting Bay. Triples: Brodick v Blackwaterfoot and Whiting Bay v Lamlash. Thursday June 15, all finals, followed by prizegiving in Brodick Hall.

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Arran residents will also be given the opportunity to have their say on North Ayrshire Council’s future development plans at a consultation meeting next week.

Since the publication of the Local Development Plan – which sets out how the council will guide development and investment in the area over the next 20 years – a region wide consultation is taking  place to help shape and finalise the plans.

At the Ormidale Pavilion on Tuesday May 22 between 10am and 4pm, Arran residents will be given their chance to contribute to the plan which will, once finalised, become a legal document that council will refer to when making decisions on funding and planning applications among others.

Councillor Alex Gallagher, cabinet member for economy, said: ‘The Local Development Plan is important to North Ayrshire’s future prosperity as it sets out how land will be used and provides a framework to guide development. We are keen to hear from as many local residents and businesses  as possible.’

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The Douglas Deli has closed its doors for the last time.

The shop, in the Douglas Centre in Brodick, which latterly was only operating as a pizzeria, never really got off the ground since opening last July and now The Douglas Hotel are to consider other options for the site.

Hotel manager Elaine Campbell said: ‘We realised early on that margins were going to be very tight, and felt that we could cut no more corners on our product without affecting it too much, so when poor Corey Allan, who was running the deli,  injured his leg during a football game, it just seemed that the time was right.

‘We feel sad, because we were very proud of our hand rolled pizzas, they tasted delicious, and maybe these will become part of the Douglas Hotel menu repertoire, who knows as we have a new head chef who started with us this week too.

‘We do want to thank everyone who bought from us, supported and visited us. We will be looking for a new tenent if anyone would like to rent the unit, we’d be delighted to hear from them. Ideally for us, a sympathic business, such as a beauty/hair salon or maybe a niche retail unit.’

The deli has now closed its doors. 01_B20deli01

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Brodick 6 Lamlash 0

League champions Brodick secured their first cup win of the season with a rout of last year’s beaten finalists Lamlash.

In the Arran Haulage Cup final played in Lamlash last Saturday it was to prove a second final defeat in a row for the home side who lost to Southend in the inaugural competition last year.

Supported by a large crowd of spectators on one of the hottest days of the year, the old rivals battled it out in a one sided match with Brodick barely putting a foot wrong and romping to victory.

Lamlash looked to have drawn first blood when Grant Adamson powered the ball into the Brodick goal only for it to be ruled offside. Two minutes later it was Brodick who made it 1-0 when Toby Wingham opened the scoring for the blues. Tony McDowall had made the trip back down from Glasgow for his side and he was on hand to make it 2-0 before half-time.

In the second half it was one way traffic as Brodick were playing down the hill and ran riot. New signing Andrew Brisco made it 3-0 in the first minute of the second half after his thunderous strike hit the underside of the bar and went in.

Toby added his second goal of the match along with Andrew getting a brace as well. Archie McNicol, who had also got off the boat just before kick off to help his team out, had been provider for most of the goals and finally got on the score sheet himself.

With the score at 6-0 Brodick were just going through the motions. It could have been a lot more if it wasn’t for some brilliant last ditch defending from Fraser Thomson of Lamlash.

Brodick’s only blip on an otherwise perfect display was when Babbies MacNeil was given his marching orders after picking up two yellow cards  for repetitive fouling.

Referee Danny Head have the man of the match to Tony McDowall for a faultless display in the middle of the park with almost every bit of his play wreaking havoc in the Lamlash play.

Willie Anderson of Arran Haulage was on hand  to present the trophy to captain Matthew Dobson of Brodick for their first trophy win of the season.

A spokesman for the Isle of Arran Football Association said: ‘Thank you to Struan and Rachel Armitage for their generous sponsorship and support of football on Arran. The refreshments provided to both teams after the game on such a warm day were also very much appreciated.’

Pg 27 heading: Southend get league off to a flyer

Arran Dairies League

Southend 8 Shiskine 1

Monday night saw the first Arran Dairies league games of the season played in lovely conditions once again.

In Whiting Bay the Southenders ran riot against Shiskine with Donald Park scoring four goals for the home side. Referee Greg McCrae gave Ryan Armstrong man of the match for his play and for his scoring. Lewis Kennedy and Stephen Judge also scored and James Mitch achieved his first goal in Southend colours. Young Calum McAlister scored a conciliation goal for Shiskine.

Lamlash 2 Northend 0

In the other league game, Lamlash had to have a quick turnaround from their cup final defeat as the hosted Northend two days after. In a close game the home team came out on top with goals from Luc El Adm and Sam Tattersfield. Grant Adamson was given man of the match.

The next fixtures on Monday May 21 will see Shiskine taking on Lamlash at 6.30pm and Northend at home to Brodick at 7pm.

Southend start another attack in the middle of the park. 01_B20southend02

Johnnie Sloss in full flow dances through the defenders. 01_B20footy02

The Brodick keeper punches away the ball after a Lamlash attempt at goal. 01_B20footy04

Archie McNicol maintains possession of the ball as a defender blocks hi way 01_B20footy06

The Lamlash goalkeeper looks on helplessly as the ball sails past him and into the goal. 01_B20footy07

Goalie at the ready, a thwarted attempt at goal goes awry. 01_B20footy08

Celebrating their success Brodick break open the bubbly. 01_B20footy09

Willie Anderson of Arran Haulage presents the cup to Brodick captain Matthew Dobson. 01_B20footy10

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Good to see significant progress this week for the dreadful McLaren Hotel site.

A full planning application has been submitted for a new 97 bedroom mid-market hotel which has been two years in the process. And the developers, the Norfolk-based abodeGroup, have certainly done their homework. They have submitted a full an detailed economic impact appraisal and a transport assessment, produced by consultants, in support of their application.

So much of the work during planning applications these days is done during the pre-planning stage and it is clear that the developers have already met many of North Ayrshire Council’s requirements.

Of course the public now have their chance to submit their views on the plans with the hotel’s nearest neighbours given formal notification as well. We know Brodick Improvements Committee and Arran Community Council will also want to have their say and it will be interesting to find out their views.

The most important thing is that something is done to transform the eyesore that is the McLaren Hotel site. Even the long deflated bouncy castle is still under the long grass somewhere.

We know there will be mixed opinions to the hotel plans, as was shown at the public consultation last year, but we hope there will be a positive outcome.

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NHS Ayrshire and Arran is latest health board to warn the Scottish government that cash saving measures will fail to balance books.

Speaking to MSPs of the health and sports committee at Holyrood this week, the health board confirmed it will be unable to repay a £23m brokerage loan from the Scottish government next year, despite proposed plans to close a cancer treatment centre in Ayr.

The loan was the first issued to the board, after it was unable to balance its budget in the year 2017/2018.

Chief executive John Burns claimed that financial losses were due to a rise in unscheduled care and difficulties in recruitment for key medical posts during 2016 and 2017.

He said: ‘Those two elements demonstrated pressure in the system and we recognised we needed to do work with our health and social care departments.’ The NHS board also used up to 24 locum staff in their neonatal unit at Crosshouse Hospital.

He confirmed the health board will require two years of extra brokerage.

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The 2018 Holiday Arran magazine is out now and is a must read for all visitors and everyone who is interest in what’s going on around the island.

If any advertisers and other businesses are looking for more copies of the free magazine they are available to collect at the Arran Banner office in Brodick. Alternatively if anyone requires them to be delivered please call the office on 01770 302142 and we will do our best to oblige.

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More than 100 of Arran’s fashionable ladies gathered on a glorious spring evening at Brodick Golf Club on Monday to see some of the latest outfits available on the island.

Organised jointly by Chameleon Ladies Boutique in Lamlash and the Old Byre Showroom in Machrie and Brodick, ‘Passion for Fashion’ featured this summer’s on-trend styles and colours.  Proceeds from the event were donated to the Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST) to help their continued marine conservation efforts around Arran and beyond.

Lorna Gunaydi, owner at Old Byre and Lynn Walker of Chameleon gave commentary as a series of volunteer models, including a surprise male model from the Old Byre, strutted the stage with this summer’s must have fashions, accompanied by a rousing soundtrack of cheesy 80s disco and dance-floor favourites.  At the interval Jenny Stark  of COAST ran a light-hearted quiz that demonstrated the audience’s knowledge – or lack thereof – of various flora and fauna on our local seabed!

Lynn said: ‘We wanted to showcase to the ladies of Arran a variety of stylish fashions, to suit all occasions from formal to casual.  All available on the island without the time and effort of travelling up to Glasgow or the hassle of ordering online.  It’s great to be able to do that whilst supporting such a worthwhile cause as COAST.

‘Everyone seemed to enjoy the evening and there were some lucky prize draw winners during the show. Thanks to all who attended and especially to Brodick Golf Club for being such excellent hosts.’

Jack Ewing struts his stuff to the delight of the ladies. 01_B20fashion01

Amy Rickard models a dress and shawl. 01_B20fashion02

This lady is ready for the rain in her heavy waterproof coat. 01_B20fashion03

Yvonne Brothers shows off some of the latest golfing gear. 01_B20fashion04

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Standfirst

Around 30 farmers gathered in Kilmory hall to discuss the future of farming and the latest technological developments that can help them remain competitive and  viable in the modern age. The hi-tech talks were organised by technology consultant Andrew Stirling of Larkhill Consultancy.

Speakers included representatives from Strathclyde University who discussed advances in dairy herd monitoring using smart collars. There was also an interesting talk from CENSIS, a special institute who support advanced sensing technology development as well as by Broadway Partners, the company behind Arran Broadband. Here is Andrew’s report.

Main copy

Farming stands at a crossroads. It needs to answer questions about how the growing world population can be fed, how the environment can be protected and how it can remain viable as a rural business.

Farmers need to embrace advances in science, adapt to changing market requirements and help sustain the rural society and culture of which they are part-custodians. The extent to which they adopt new data-driven approaches to business is likely to affect their future viability as well as the communities that depend on them. At the same time, farmers must preserve the trust in the quality of their products and safety of their processes, resisting the temptation to sacrifice standards by a narrow focus on lower operating costs.

Digital technology has helped power a new generation of small independent food producers, shops and cafes. The artisan experience offers a personal touch with excellent presentation and fulsome taste which consumers are increasingly prepared to pay a premium for.

Arran’s scenic setting, colourful history and focus on growing tourism would appear to give its farmers a headstart along this road. The island  is a good example of a rural area with a long-established farming tradition supporting a number of communities and hosts a wide range of farm types. The varied nature of the terrain poses practical challenges to farming, limiting the efficiencies that can be achieved – especially in arable production. At the same time, the island is benefiting from growth in tourism, which appears to offer excellent scope for business diversification and direct marketing of food products to consumers.

The Future of Farming event attracted a strong showing of Arran farmers, to hear industry and academic experts paint a picture of how more effective techniques for gathering and analysing data are revolutionising the farming and food production industry. The speakers also looked at improvements in connectivity and digital skills, as foundations for future farming success.

The event had been organised under an initiative called the Digital Blacksmith, aimed at applying digital technology to local business and service needs – and fostering local development of digital skills.

The core of the presentations were concerned with how data can now be gathered more intensely and analysed to help farmers get the most out of their land and livestock.

Highlights included wearables for animals, robot milking parlours and multi-skilled drones – enabling farm staff to improve efficiency and spot problems before they become serious for the animals’ health and expensive to rectify.

Our farmer audience engaged the experts with detailed questions on costs, reliability and practicalities of the new digital tools, particularly for the smaller farms which are prevalent on Arran, and many other parts of Scotland.

Farmers suggested features, such as potential alternative forms of animal tagging, that would be kinder to animals and improve safety.

The recent announcement that Arran’s iconic Torylinn Creamery is up for sale has raised questions about the potential for increased future cooperation between creamery with the farms that supply it with milk. With growth in Arran’s tourism and strong Scottish government interest in securing a future for the creamery and supporting local farms, there’s an opportunity to look at how innovation could yield a sustainable future for the creamery.

The technology in its current stage is not cheap and tends to appeal more to owners of larger farms, who have more budget and staff flexibility to look evaluate the benefits. However, as with previous generations of farm technology there’s an opportunity for smaller units to cooperate – acting effectively as a larger virtual farm.

Digital technologies have much to offer towards integration of food production, distribution and marketing – as Graham’s Dairies have so expertly demonstrated.

In summary, Arran’s farmers seem interested to be open to learning more about the options that new farming technology could open for them. It seems that there’s plenty of scope for applying new digital technologies to enhance farming in this beautiful, tranquil and rugged setting.

Farmers share a laugh at the Kilmory event dealing with technology and agriculture. No_B20farm01

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