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Archive: 2003 Articles

DECEMBER 2003

Christmas at Home for Forster
CROOKED EX-LAWYER will spend Christmas at home after his case was delayed for two months ... 24 December 2003

Cairnryan Petition Against Speeding
RESIDENTS, angry at speeding through their village, have signed a petition demanding action ... 24 December 2003

Bail for Forster
FRAUDSTER Kennedy Forster has been released from prison on bail ... 17 December 2003

Academy Rebuild Delayed
TIMESCALES for the second phase of Stranraer Academy rebuild have been put back again ... 17 December 2003

Wave Problem for Stena
WAVES created by the Stena Voyager catamaran have forced the company to abandon Stranraer ... 10 December 2003

Unique Double for Academy
TWO teachers at Stranraer Academy achieved a unique double for the school last week ... 10 December 2003

£1000 Reward for a Phone Call
WHEN Stranraer businessman answered his phone he never thought the call would cost him £1000 ... 04 December 2003

Former Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement
FORMER Stranraer lawyer has admitted 34 charges of embezzlement at the High Court ... 04 December 2003

NOVEMBER 2003

TV Stars for the Day
PORTPATRICK pals Freya Stewart and Fraser Fulton were the envy of their school mates last week ... 26 November 2003

Local Furniture Project on TV
STRANRAER Furniture Project will feature on a Border Television documentary on Sunday ... 26 November 2003

Coffee Shop gets the Vote from MP
GALLOWAY MP Peter Duncan is urging Stranraer folk to give their backing to a new coffee shop set up in town ... 19 November 2003

Anti-social Driving Initiative Success
POLICE in Galloway have reported a high level of success in their clamp down on street racers ... 19 November 2003

New Kite-surf Record set at Portpatrick
A NEW record for crossing the North Channel was created at Portpatrick on Thursday ... 12 November 2003

Gordon is a Man on a Mission ...
A STRANRAER minister is to embark on a mission to help under privileged youngsters - in Peru ... 12 November 2003

Plans Go on Show for Area's £10million Hospital
BUILDING work on Stranraer's £10.2 million new hospital is scheduled to start in the spring ... 06 November 2003

Stranraer Set for Community Wardens by Spring
COMMUNITY wardens could be patrolling the streets of Stranraer by April if a council scheme gets the go-ahead ... 06 November 2003

OCTOBER 2003

"Conserve Water" Appeal
THERE IS only enough water in Stranraer's reservoirs to last for another six weeks ... 30 October 2003

No Passport - No (UK) Flight
WAR veteran Willie Allison was refused a flight to London because he did not have a passport ... 30 October 2003

Academy Rebuild Hangs in the Balance
COUNCIL chiefs admit there are still no guarantees phase two rebuild of Stranraer Academy will go ahead next year ... 22 October 2003

Dog Fouling Fine
DOG OWNERS could face a £40 fine for allowing their pets to foul streets and other public places ... 22 October 2003

Stranraer Waterfront Development
A MULTI-million pound redevelopment programme for Stranraer waterfront has been adopted ... 18 October 2003

A Driving Success
POLICE say they are seeing early success in their campaign to cut down on irresponsible driving ... 18 October 2003

Shows Keep Shutters Up
FOR THE first time in living memory, the shows did not operate on Fair Day in Stranraer. For safety reasons because of the gale-force winds that disrupted ferry sailings, the showmen decided to keep the shutters up on their equipment on Monday. (08 October 2003)

Pupils Underwear Warning
PUPILS at Stranraer Academy have been warned about the amount of exotic underwear on show at the school ... 08 October 2003

Crack Down on Street Racers
STREET RACERS are to be targeted in a police crackdown throughout Wigtownshire ... 01 October 2003

Auction Raises £20,000 for Charity
MACMILLAN Cancer Relief's Stranraer Appeal was given a tremendous kick start at the weekend... 01 October 2003

SEPTEMBER 2003

Hospital Planning Permission Sought
PLANNING permission for Stranraer's new £10.3 million hospital on the Dalrymple site is to be sought ... 24 September 2003

Almost Sweet Smell of Success
A STRANRAER-based company is in line to win £750,000 worth of orders ... 24 September 2003

Schools' Stolen Goods Recovered by Police
ALMOST £10,000 worth of equipment stolen during a break-in at Stranraer Academy has been recovered ... 17 September 2003

Car Winner Can't Drive - Yet!
A LUCKY Stranraer fan won herself a car in a prize draw on Saturday, but she will not diving behind the wheel - yet ... 17 September 2003

Folk Festival Fun in Portpatrick
Portpatrick Folk Festival got off to a rousing start this year with a performance from Stranraer & District Pipe Band on the Dorn Rock ... 11 September 2003

Facelift Project Ends with Praise
A FIVE-YEAR facelift scheme in Stranraer town centre has concluded, and drawn widespread praise from officials ... 11 September 2003

Fishermen " Extremely Lucky"
TWO fishermen had a miracle escape after their boat capsized during a fishing trip to Wigtownshire at the weekend ... 09 September 2003

Barley Steals the Show
A TWO-YEAR-OLD dog from Stranraer stole the show at a major agility trial in Yorkshire last weekend ... 09 September 2003

AUGUST 2003

Stena and P&O to Share Cairnryan Terminal
THE Office of Fair Trading have cleared the way for Stena Line and P&O to operate jointly out of Cairnryan ... 27 August 2003

Lesley's Second in Command of JobCentre Plus
STRANRAER woman Lesley Strathie has just become the second most powerful member in the Jobcentre empire ... 27 August 2003

Fish Suppers & Champion Chips!
FISH FRYER Romano Petrucci is hoping his family's unique fish supper recipe can land him a place in the final ... 20 August 2003

Boys Have a Lucky Escape
PORTPATRICK brothers had a miracle escape last week after they wrote-off a car in a head-on smash ... 20 August 2003

Sahara Sand Marathon
A FORMER Stranraer man has raised £1743 for charity after an epic race across the Sahara Desert ... 13 August 2003

Millennium Centre Gets a Cash Boost
STRANRAER Millennium Centre have been given a cash boost by Lloyds TSB ... 13 August 2003

TBT Waters Cleared as Cause of MS
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS clusters have not been caused by exposure to chemical in the waters of Lochryan ... 07 August 2003

Baking Trophy for Stranraer Girl
KATHLEEN Eaglesham has just won a prestigious baking trophy and she is just 12 ... 07 August 2003

JULY 2003

West Freugh Steering Group Successes
WEST FREUGH Steering Group have recorded a hat-trick of successes ... 31 July 2003

Stranraer Agricultural Show
STRANRAER Agricultural Show continues to maintain its position as the premier one-day show for dairy livestock... 31 July 2003

Golf Tourney "A Fantastic Experience" for Portpatrick Pro.
PORTPATRICK golfer Euan Little was pitched onto the world stage at his first ever British Open last week ... 23 July 2003

Euro Cash to Help Re-train Workers
A TRAINING centre is to be established aimed at helping the people who lost jobs at West Freugh this year ... 23 July 2003

HORSE DRIVING TRIALS A SUNNY SUCCESS
CASTLE KENNEDY Horse Driving Trials and Country Fair was a resounding success ... 16 July 2003

FERRY FIRE CONCERN
A CONCERNED councillor has claimed there could be a "disaster waiting to happen" on one of the North Channel ferries ... 16 July 2003

HISTORY OF TROPHY SOUGHT
A TROPHY with a fascinating history will be presented at the Country Fair and Horse Driving Trials ... 10 July 2003

MOBILE PHONE TO THE RESCUE
A MOBILE phone was used to raise the alarm when a small boat carrying a party of anglers got into difficulties ... 10 July 2003

AULD LANG SYNE IN THE RHINS OF GALLOWAY
THE TENTH BOOK to be published by Stranraer & District Local History Trust will shortly by launched in Stranraer Library ... 03 July 2003

SKODA HELP TO DELIVER ROAD SAFETY MESSAGE
LESWALT car dealer South West Skoda have teamed up with the local constabulary to help drive home road safety message ... 03 July 2003

JUNE 2003

MS CLUSTER SURVEY
A SURVEY is under way to try to find out if cases of MS in two North Rhins villages are significantly higher than average ... 26 June 2003

THE MACHARS MYSTERY CAT
A MINISTER and his young daughter are convinced that The Machars has its own mystery big cat ... 26 June 2003

German Warships in Lochryan
ONLOOKERS were surprised to see military vessels flying German flags in Lochryan last week ... 19 June 2003

Caring Pupils link with Thorney Croft
"We had strong connections with Thorney Croft and that gave us the idea to enter the competition ..." 19 June 2003

GOING BATTY!
SCHOOLGIRL Bethany Leslie thought she was going batty at the weekend ... 12 June 2003

CASTLE KENNEDY PUPILS WIN CITIZENSHIP AWARD
CARING pupils have won their school £1500 for their work with the Thorney Croft Care Home in Stranraer ... 12 June 2003

A DREAM COME TRUE FOR STRANRAER LAD
STRANRAER lad Ross Adams celebrated his birthday with a five-minute slot on national television on Saturday ... 04 June 2003

STRANRAER FC WIN FAIR PLAY AWARD
STRANRAER did not emerge completely empty-handed from the season in which they were relegated to Division Three ... 04 June 2003

MAY 2003

STENA SET TO MOVE IN BESIDE P&O AT CAIRNRYAN
FERRY OPERATORS Stena Line have scrapped plans to move to a new terminal seven miles north of Stranraer ... 28 May 2003

GILLIAN IS SIMPLY A CUT ABOVE!
STYLE QUEEN Gillian Ironside is helping put Stranraer Campus of Dumfries and Galloway College firmly on the map ... 28 May 2003

Revamped Hospital Plan gets Scottish Executive Green-light
OFFICIAL Scottish Executive approval has been granted for the development of Stranraer's brand-new hospital ... 22 May 2003

Ross is set to have the Final say
BUDDING commentator Ross Adams will enjoy a dream birthday treat at the Scottish Cup Final next week ... 22 May 2003

Shops move in to Stranraer
TENANTS are expected to move into Stranraer's newest retail development within weeks ... 14 May 2003

Educational Retreat planned for Leswalt
PLANNERS have given the green light to a pioneering educational retreat in Leswalt ... 14 May 2003

Motorbikes back in Dunragit
SCOOTER and motorbike distribution is returning to Dunragit ... 07 May 2003

Work Begins at Cheese Packaging Plant
FORTY-FOUR cheese jobs will be created in Stranraer by the end of the year after work began this week ... 07 May 2003

APRIL 2003

Surprise Home Coming for War Hero
GULF WAR HERO Raymond Shingleston this week came home to give his Stranraer dad the surprise of a lifetime ... 30 April 2003

Rescued by Stranraer Football Club
STRANRAER Football Club players were involved in rescuing people involved in a two-car pile-up on the A77 ... 30 April 2003

Law Enforcers at The Academy
LAW enforcers will descend on Stranraer Academy this week in a drive to divert youngsters away from a life of crime ... 24 April 2003

A Message from The Queen
A MESSAGE from The Queen signalled the beginning of a special celebration for one Stranraer couple this week ... 24 April 2003

McLelland's - a Top Business
WORKERS at a Stranraer creamery had yet another reason to say cheese this week ... 17 April 2003

Swallows back for Early Summer
SWALLOWS are back for the summer. Mr Cedric Rogers reports that on Tuesday he saw three on Dunskey Estate, Portpatrick, the earliest he has seen them. 17 April 2003

Adios Stranraer Academy!
IT WAS ADIOS Stranraer Academy for 18 lucky pupils as they jetted-off for a week in the Spanish sunshine ... 03 April 2003

Refurbished Centre Opens
STRANRAER'S refurbished Millennium Centre was officially opened by Galloway MP Peter Duncan ... 03 April 2003

MARCH 2003

Cheese Plant Jobs
ANOTHER major boost on the Stranraer jobs front was announced this week ... 27 March 2003

Police Combat Revellers
POLICE in Stranraer have declared war on late-night revellers who cause trouble ... 27 March 2003

New Coach Services for Region
STRANRAER and Dumfries will soon be linked with a two-hourly coach service ... 19 March 2003

Police on the Streets
POLICE took to the streets of Stranraer at the weekend as part of a unique initiative aimed at tackling vandalism ... 19 March 2003

Cheese Store for Stranraer
ANOTHER multi-million pound development is planned by the Caledonian Cheese Company in Stranraer. ... 12 March 2003

Top Public Speaker
MRS DOROTHY CAIRNS has won a place in the finals of a top public speaking competition. ... 12 March 2003

New Hospital Costs
STRANRAER'S new hospital will cost £3.2 million more than first anticipated ... 05 March 2003

Jail for Drug Dealer
A MAJOR LOCAL drug-dealer ran a heroin-supply ring using former pals in his football team, a court heard this week ... 05 March 2003

FEBRUARY 2003

Stena Commit to Cairnryan
MORE than 500 Lochryan jobs have been safeguarded after Stena Line committed themselves to a brand-new base just north of Cairnryan .... 26 Feb 2003

Scottish Cup Heroes
STRANRAER'S Scottish Cup heroes re-wrote the history books on Saturday ... 26 Feb 2003

Bank Lock-in!
BUNGLING bank staff locked-up their branch forgetting that a customer was still inside waiting to be served.... 13 Feb 2003

Cheese Company Jobs
NEARLY 500 PEOPLE have applied for fifteen jobs with the Caledonian Cheese Company in Stranraer. ... 13 Feb 2003

Demand for Harbour Action
LOCHRYAN fishermen are to lend their weight to the fight for Stena Line harbour fees to be brought back to Stranraer ... 06 Feb 2003

Weather Chaos
TREACHEROUS WEATHER CONDITIONS caused problems for road-users and communities in Wigtownshire this week ... 06 Feb 2003

JANUARY 2003

Pier Plans Stalled
MOVES to grab a £600,000 windfall for spending on the West Pier at Stranraer have stalled ... 30 Jan 2003

Community Summit in Stranraer
A MAJOR conference aimed at tackling Wigtownshire's drugs problem is to be held in Stranraer ... 30 Jan 2003

Money left to Hospital
STRANRAER'S Garrick Hospital and a local charity have each been left
£156,000 by a Portpatrick widow ... 23 Jan 2003

Black Swan on Lochryan
BIRD-WATCHERS gazing out over Lochryan this week have been met with a rather unusual sight ... 23 Jan 2003

Short-list for Stranraer Furniture Project
STRANRAER Furniture Project has been nominated for a major award ... 15 Jan 2003

Local Scottish Motorcross Champion
ANDREW SLAVIN entered his first-ever Scottish Motocross Championships last season and he emerged victorious ... 15 Jan 2003

Wind Farm Plans
PLANS have been revealed for a wind farm near New Luce ... 08 Jan 2003

Retail Jobs for Stranraer
£1 million retail project will lead to over 50 full-time jobs in Stranraer.... 08 Jan 2003