Ross-shire July 2024 review: Shania Twain shout-out; Tain tragedy spurs life-saving campaign; Dingwall sister hails brave brother
A BLACK Isle designer got a shout out from none other than singing sensation Shania Twain - Siobhan Mackenzie’s creation DID impress her much - and the result of a general election constituency were finally revealed in Dingwall after a seemingly endless recount.
July 2024 was quite a month in Ross-shire as this glance back through the front pages reveals.
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July 5
Highland Council leader Raymond Bremner and Scottish Government education secretary Jenny Gilruth agreed to meet parents campaigning for a better deal for children in a number of north-west secondary schools, amongst them Gairloch and Ullapool.
The Ross-shire Journal campaigned on their behalf to help draw attention to shortfalls in curriculum provision.
We also reported how donations made over many years towards a swimming pool on the Black Isle would be diverted to benefit the Puffin hydrotherapy pool in Dingwall.
And Black Isle designer Siobhan Mackenzie was hailed from the stage by singing sensation Shania Twain for whom she had designed a signature tartan outfit.
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Ross-shire review of 2024 through our front pages
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July 12
After a seemingly endless recount process in Dingwall, the General Election had a local result to declare. LibDems Jamie Stone and Angus MacDonald, a newcomer who unseated SNP veteran Drew Hendry, were pictured arms aloft on the front page. MacDonald said he was pleased to see the Highlands return to its liberal tradition.
We told the story of an Invergordon landlord left out of pocket after a torrid time with tenants who said had left his property badly damaged. The story threw the spotlight on the Highland housing crisis and the challenges in the eviction process faced by landlords, some of whom told us they were looking to get out of the private rental sector as a result.
July 19
The Dingwall sister of a man involved in Britain’s nuclear testing programme spoke of her pride at accepting on his behalf a medal designed to recognise those involved in the trailblazing programme in the 1950s. Ina Mutch spoke with pride of her late brother, Cammy Watson.
The prospect of a £400,000 upgrade for the Ross Memorial in Dingwall was welcomed by local MSP, Kate Forbes. It was hoped the work would result in an upsurge in localised health care.
July 26
‘There’s beauty in what’s broken’ was the philosophical take of an Easter Ross woman after vandal damage to stained glass windows at her property in Tain.
The death in Tain of Ellie Chapman at the age of just 54 after a cardiac arrest spurred an outpouring of tributes and a campaign for a defibrillator. Her family came up with the idea of trying to ensure a defibrillator within 200 metres of the vast majority of the population.
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