Body believed to be missing woman

Tuesday 5 March 2013

The body of a woman recovered from the River Clyde near Mavisbank Gardens in the city centre, is believed to be that of Yasmin McLaughlin the 46-year-old who has been missing from her Ruchill home since Friday 1 March.

A post mortem will take place to establish the exact cause of death. Strathclyde Police say there appear to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal. The body was recovered on Monday 4 March 2013 around 6pm.

Dead woman identified

The body of a woman found in the River Clyde close to Napier Drive, Govan on Saturday 1 December 2012 has been identified as 23 year-old Victoria Sloss from Glasgow.  Family members have been informed.
Following a post mortem examination,  Police say her death is not thought to be suspicious. However, they are  keen to establish her movements prior to her body being found.

It is understood Victoria got out of a silver coloured taxi in Seaward Street, Kinning Park,  around 04.30 am on Friday 30 November 2012.  She was  around 5’6″ tall:  slim build and had very long brown hair.  She was wearing a white t-shirt, maroon jumper, blue legging jeans and knee high beige UGG boots.
Anyone with any information which can help re-trace Victoria’s movements,  is asked to contact Helen Street Police Office on 0141 532 5400.

Woman found dead in the river

The body of a woman was taken from the River Clyde near Napier Drive, Govan around 8.45am on Saturday 1 December 2012.  Emergency services attended, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene which is across from the Riverside Museum.  Strathclyde Police say a post mortem will be carried out to establish the exact cause of death. Till then, the death is treated as ‘unexplained.’

Mascot Clyde is airborne

Thanks to sporty schoolgirl – 12-year-old Beth Gilmour from Cumbernauld – the Commonwealth Games 2014 now has an official mascot! Her design for a thistle figure with purple hair, green body, golden running shorts, and a saltire flag running vest won a UK wide competition which attracted 4000 entries.

Named ‘Clyde’ after the River Clyde, the mascot was unveiled with great excitement today (Thursday 20 September 2012) at the BBC Scotland HQ in Pacific Quay, Glasgow.

Beth met Michael Jamieson, Olympic silver medal swimmer and Rebecca Adlington, Olympic bronze medal swimmer. ‘It hasn’t sunk in yet,’ said the schoolgirl badminton player who also swims. Earlier she’d commented: ‘It’s amazing to see Clyde come to life. I hope everyone loves him as much as I do.’

Hosted by Sam and Mark, children’s tv personalities; the event saw  Mascot Clyde  swing into the arena  from the upper reaches of the BBC’s vast interior, much to the delight of the crowd.

Ship shape for the summer season

It’s a tall order to spruce up The Tall Ship for the summer season but 16 people from Hewlett Packard’s Glasgow office in Brown Street have volunteered to dust the deckhouse and paint the portholes of the floating museum which is moored on the River Clyde outside the Riverside building.

Volunteer Coordinator at the historic vessel, Marlene Anderson, said: ‘We are very grateful for their enthusiasm, participation and commitment in giving something back to a Glasgow based charity.  We look forward to a busy summer… in pristine surroundings!’

Since re-opening at the new location a year ago, The Tall Ship has welcomed 70,000 visitors aboard. This figure was not expected to be reached until June this year.

Claire Rowlands, Visitor Attraction Manager for The Tall Ship said: ‘We are absolutely delighted to have received so many visitors in that time.  The public’s reaction to the ship in her new home has been extremely encouraging and we are now looking forward to welcoming the next 70,000 visitors!’

Run by the Clyde Maritime Trust, The Tall Ship is a three masted barque named SV Glenlee, which attracted half a million people in the 12 years it was at its previous moorings at Yorkhill quay. The ship traded between Glasgow and Australia from 1896 and is an independent museum committed to preserving and interpreting the Glenlee, its story and the maritime history of the area for the benefit of local people and visitors alike.  It is open to the public

and can be hired for events. For more information see the website: www.thetallship.com

 

East End opens up with new roadway running clear

The £25 million Clyde Gateway (the East End Regeneration Route) opened to traffic on Thursday 26 April 2012. It is a key piece of infrastructure associated with Clyde Gateway Urban Regeneration Company and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and the expectation is it will bring jobs and economic advantage to the East End of Glasgow – Shawfield and Dalmarnock in particular – by improving accessibility.

The four-lane, 2.6km carriageway links the Oatlands and the M74 junction at Polmadie in the south to the Forge Retail Park in the north. Designed by Gronmij and built through a joint venture between Farrans and I&H Brown, it will give easy access to Celtic Park, where the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games will be held, the Commonwealth Arena, Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome and the Athletes’ Village.

This will be a critical route to transport some of the 18,000 athletes and support staff and hundreds of thousands of spectators expected during the Games. Afterwards, the roadway will be a legacy for the benefit of the local community.

Traffic congestion on existing local roads should also ease, especially during peak times. Recent traffic modelling studies have shown that there will be a reduction in traffic across the major east/west arteries crossing road around London Road and Gallowgate and in association with the new M74 link, this will free up road space to allow for additional walking, cycling and bus routes to be put in place.

Phase 1 of the road opened in April 2007 as part of the development of new housing in the Oatlands area and was officially re-named- New Rutherglen Road. Phase 1A followed in April 2010, running from the Polmadie junction of the M74 and Shawfield Stadium. This stretch totals 1.5km.

Phase 2 is the longest section, crossing the Clyde at Rutherglen Bridge and passing Dalmarnock Railway Station, the Commonwealth Arena and Celtic Park before joining the Parkhead by-pass at the Forge Retail Park

Brian Devlin, Executive Director for Land and Environmental Services said: ‘The Clyde Gateway creates a new, direct link between the completed M74 and the heart of Glasgow’s East End. This will offer fantastic new opportunities for people and business either currently living or based in this part of Glasgow or looking to move there. This is part of the wider regeneration of the city.

Neil MacDonald, Chairman of Clyde Gateway Urban Regeneration Company said: ‘The M74 has already shown that new roads play a very important part in businesses choosing where to make crucial investment decisions and there is no doubt that Shawfield and Dalmarnock in particular will benefit from this new piece of infrastructure. Our on-going efforts to attract developers to the East End have been helped immensely by this road opening and I’d like to thank Glasgow City Council for again demonstrating their commitment to the long-term regeneration of the Clyde Gateway area.’

Prior to the formal opening when traffic started flowing, children from four primary schools in the east end were given the chance to try out the newest section of the road.

More than 100 Primary 6 and 7 pupils from St Michael’s, St Anne’s, Dalmarnock and Quarrybrae primary schools cycled around an obstacle course set up on part of the new tarmac running from new Oatlands over Rutherglen Bridge, through Dalmarnock to Gallowgate.

The children experienced, first hand, the road’s new cycling facilities including dedicated cycle lanes and extended footpaths that are provided along the full length of the route.

They also got the chance to brush up on their safety skills with Glasgow City Council road safety officers and Strathclyde Police cyclists and motorcyclists.  Dr Bike offered advice on maintaining bikes and gave practical demonstrations to ensure they were fit for the road.

As well as providing better facilities for cyclists, the new road, funded entirely by the Council, will improve public transport links and accessibility around the East End.

With phase one opened as part of the Oatlands new neighbourhood development last year, phase two of the 2.4km stretch runs over Rutherglen Bridge, continues via Dunn Street, Poplin Street, Dalmarnock Road, Mordaunt Street, London Road and Camlachie to join the existing road network at the Parkhead by-pass, Forge Retail Park.

 

TheClydeGateway (Phase 2) Facts

1.   More than 35,000tonnes of asphalt used to lay roads, footpaths and cycle ways.

2.  800m of 2.74m diameter tunnel used to alleviate storm water flooding.

3.  More than 250 trees planted and 40,000 sq m of landscaping to the road corridor.

4.  10km of new drainage pipes installed for new roads.

5.  250 new traffic signal heads installed over seven junctions.

6.  330 new lighting columns.

7.  Construction period 2 years (April 2010 to April 2012)

 

 

 

Ship ahoy!

The great River Clyde as it runs through Glasgow is – usually – devoid of any craft sailing on it. However, thanks to the Marine Faculty of the City of Glasgow College, there is a survival boat to be seen most days.

Said Simon Palmer, an Instructor in that Faculty:

‘Anyone who is at sea is required to have survival training. We have three types of rescue boats and train people in all of them for the survival certificates.’

So on the day this photograph was taken, this open life boat was in use as part of a five day course. ‘We take people out in each type of boat during the course,’ said Simon.

He commented that on another day this week the River near the casino was ‘busy’ with a survival boat from the Marine Faculty, two boats from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service and a Glasgow City Council tug!

Schools line up for Molendinar Awards

The third year of the Molendinar Awards marked a successful celebration of the life of Glasgow’s Patron Saint – Saint Mungo.

More than 30 schools entered with the final 12 schools being showcased at the awards presentation in the city’s Banqueting Hall.

Molendinar is the name of the burn that runs into the Clyde and it was alongside it, near what is now the High Street area, that St Mungo (who was also known as St Kentigern) is thought to have settled.

For Primary and Secondary schools, the Molendinar Awards enables children to become more aware of Glasgow’s rich cultural heritage and the vital links between the school and the neighbouring communities.

Entries ranged from posters, power point presentations and DVD animations to songs and poems.

Winners of the Molindinar Awards were: Primary 3 – 1st Barmulloch Primary, 2nd Keppoch Nursery, 3rd Greenview Learning Centre

Primary 4 – 1st St Paul’s Whiteinch, 2nd Drummore Primary, joint 3rd – St Mungo’s and Kelbourne Park Primary Schools.

Secondary School winners: 1st St Mungo’s Academy, 2nd Ashcraig Secondary, 3rd John Paul Academy.

Framed certificates were presented for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place Primary and Secondary. Winners also received a plaque to display in their school.

Bailie Jean McFadden, Executive Member for Education, is delighted by the enthusiasm shown by pupils. She said: ‘The Molendinar Awards are a tremendous opportunity for our schools. We have some very creative and talented young people as shown by the standard of entries this year. I know the judges had some very hard decisions to make. I hope the enthusiasm continues and that we will see more and more young people participating in the Molendinar Awards over the next few years.’ Glasgow City Council Leader, Councillor Gordon Matheson, joined Bailie McFadden in presenting the winning pupils with their framed certificates on Friday 13 January. He said: ‘The pupils have enjoyed all aspects of this competition.’

Other ways the Patron Saint was feted included a beautifully choreographed promenade performance by dancers from Visual Statement for shoppers at St Enoch Centre.

They told the tale of the city’s coat of arms – the Bird, the Bell, the Fish and the Tree. The medieval monk’s miracles involved, at different times, a bird, a tree and a fish. The inspirational performance by Nicola Gilmour, Brian McIntyre, Pauline McGlinchey and Cheree Thompson as the respective symbols, along with a dozen other dancers aged from 10, was a modern symphonic piece by Danny Dobbie assisted by Brian McIntyre and Wendie Reid. A movable sculpture commissioned by Visual Statement and designed by Andy Scott added an extra dimension as the dancers moved in and out and on to it.

Around 350 young people saw a performance of the tales by five Glasgow schools with a senior pupil from Lourdes Secondary being the compere, in the City Chambers.

 

Repairs under way after the storm

Glasgow is picking up the pieces after the storm. Teams of workers have been called back from holiday to deal with the hundreds of damaged buildings.

Winds of more than 90mph swept across the city in the first few days of 2012. Rail services were suspended and people advised not to travel. Two high sided vehicles were blown over on the Kingston Bridge causing it to be closed for the first time in most people’s memories. More than 180 trees were damaged as winds up to 95mph hit. The city’s Christmas Tree in George Square was blown over causing the square to be closed to the public for safety’s sake. The River Clyde broke its banks around the George V Bridge.

Many residents in the West End, in particular, woke to find their chimney stack blown off. In most instances debris fell to the ground and damaged cars below. In many cases, huge holes were left in the roof.

Workers were called back from holidays by David Hunter which is part of the long established Glasgow company Hugh Scott Builders and Slaters. Said Callum Hunter: ‘We have had between 500 and 600 calls to repair the damage done by the storm. We will get around to everyone but we have to prioritise and first make each place safe and make a temporary repair. Then we will have to come back.’

He said the properties most affected by the storm were traditional West End flats where the chimney heads had collapsed and flat roofed buildings from the 1970s and 1980s. ‘Often they were shoddily built and of poor design,’ he said. ‘As for the tenements; one top flat in the West End has a four metre square hole in the roof where the chimney head has been blown in. It will be at least three months before the owner can return home and he’s not alone in that situation.’

American student, Bill Baehr from St Louis, Missouri stopped to ponder one of the fallen trees in Kelvin Way as he walked to Glasgow University. He said: ‘I come from Missouri and we have tornadoes. We don’t associate Scotland with storms like this!’ But he added that it hasn’t put him off the city.

If you have experiences of the storm you’d like to retell on this website or if you have  good pictures of the storm damage you’d like to show, please email this website : franklinfeatures@gmail.com  The website is:www.localnewsglasgow.co.uk

High winds cause havoc

Storm force winds brought Glasgow and Central Scotland to a halt today. Rail services were suspended and travellers advised not to set out to go anywhere. Two high sided vehicles were blown over on the Kingston Bridge causing all lanes into and out of the city to be closed for the first time in most people’s memories. More than 180 trees were damaged around the city from the early morning when winds of up to 95mph first hit. The city’s Christmas Tree in George Square was one blown over causing the square to be closed for safety’s sake.

Glasgow City Council’s Land and Environmental Services’ Assistant Director, George Gillespie, said the storm damage was being assessed for priority along with road repair work. He added: ‘ Cleansing operations were suspended for a short time today so some people will experience disruption to bin collection services.’

In the morning the River Clyde broke its banks in the city centre around the George V bridge.

 

Residents in Partickhill  woke to find their chimney stack had been blown off and into a car parked at the front close entrance.

Tomorrow – Wednesday 4 January – is expected to be stormy with strong winds from the west and rain throughout the day with some chill in the air.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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