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Daily Record
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
West Lothian schoolboy joins big bunch of jokers at the Scottish Parliament
P3 pupil John McGlynn from Livingston left MSPs in fits of laughter A Livingston schoolboy was one of 32 pupils from across the country who left MSPs chortling after cracking jokes at the Scottish Parliament. John McGlynn, a P3 pupil at St John Ogilvie RC Primary School, left them in fits of laughter as he represented West Lothian at the VoiceBox grand final. The national joke-telling competition is organised by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), with a regional winner representing each local authority in the final. Every finalist performed their joke live before an audience of MSPs, families, and supporters. The final followed a nationwide call for entries that saw thousands of jokes submitted by pupils from hundreds of primary schools. Ezra Pasifull, who's in P3 at Oakbank Primary School in Perth, was crowned Scotland's funniest young comedian after leaving MSPs in stitches. The winning joke, delivered with confidence and impeccable timing, was: 'I bought 10 bees but the beekeeper gave me 11 bees. I asked him why there is an extra bee and he said, because that one's a 'Free Bee!' The final was hosted by the Presiding Officer, Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP, and compered by BBC journalist and comedian Zara Janjua, who returned for her second year with the competition. Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament said: 'It was a pleasure to welcome so many young people from across Scotland to their Parliament. Following a strong nation-wide competition, I want to congratulate all our finalists. The effort, imagination and thought that went into their contributions was extremely impressive. I'm pleased that once again the Parliament was able to support such a worthwhile competition.' VoiceBox was created by the RCSLT to spotlight the importance of early speech, language and communication development and the power of speech and language therapy. While rooted in fun, the competition's purpose is to raise awareness of the vital role communication plays in a child's confidence, learning, and life outcomes. Glenn Carter, Head of RCSLT Scotland, said: 'While the event is full of joy and laughter, its purpose is serious. Speech, language and communication are essential skills that underpin a child's learning, relationships, and long-term opportunities. VoiceBox shines a light on this by showing just what children can achieve when they're supported to express themselves.' The 2025 final marks the second year VoiceBox has been held at the Scottish Parliament, following its January launch on Blue Monday, a date chosen to brighten the calendar and kick-off joke competitions in classrooms nationwide. Each of the 32 finalists received £100 worth of books from sponsors Collins Big Cat, the UK's leading whole-school primary reading programme. The overall winner's school received £500 worth of Collins Big Cat books, while the runner-up, Freya McVie Branley from St Winning's Primary School, Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, and third-place winner, Craig Speirs from Shortlees Primary, Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, were awarded £200 worth of books for their schools. In addition, the top three finalists received toy gift cards – £100 for the winner, £75 for second place, and £50 for third place.
Scottish Sun
03-06-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Ex-Celtic keeper Scott Bain to join Premiership rivals just five days after ending his seven-year Parkhead career
PREMIERSHIP new boys Falkirk are set to snap up Scott Bain following his release from Celtic. The 33-year-old is a free agent after seven years at Parkhead and will get an immediate chance to become a number one again. 2 Scott Bain has been relegated to third choice at Celtic in recent times Credit: Kenny Ramsay 2 John McGlynn is an admirer Credit: Andrew Barr Bairns boss John McGlynn is on the hunt for an experienced stopper to help his side on their return to the Premiership. So he's poised to hand Bain a one-year deal. The keeper brings a wealth of experience from his time with Alloa and Dundee, before joining the Hoops in 2018. He played 78 games for them during his seven seasons, but will now hope to get regular games for Falkirk next season. Bain, who has three Scotland caps to his name, was signed from Dundee by Brendan Rodgers in 2018. He was offered a surprise new deal from He has worked hard to get where he's got in his career - having revealed previously that he would have considered chucking it had Paul Hartley not taken him to Dundee early in his career. He worked as a joiner's labourer while playing part-time for Alloa. He has since gone on to star at the top level for both club and country, but he knows his life could have taken a very different path. He said: 'I might have walked away from the game five years ago. It happens to a lot of people." The diggers move in as Celtic Park pitch is dug up Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
BBC News
30-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Falkirk begin new season at Brechin
Falkirk will begin the 2025-26 season with a trip to Highland League Brechin City in Premier Sports Cup Group McGlynn's side return north to face Cove Rangers before home matches against Queen's Park and The Spartans.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Arfield agrees Falkirk stay for Premiership return
Scott Arfield has opted to remain with Falkirk for their return to the Scottish Premiership return after signing a one-year 36-year-old midfielder rejoined his first club on a short-term contract in February, helping to seal the Championship title win with nine goals in 13 former Burnley and Rangers player left Falkirk to join Huddersfield when the club was relegated from the top flight in he will be part of John McGlynn's squad as they end that 15-year absence."Scott made a huge impact after joining us, the nine goals he got went a long way to helping us achieve our goal," manager McGlynn told the Bairns' website."Scott has been very influential on the pitch and also off the pitch where his experience has helped us no end."We look forward to working with Scott in the Premiership next season, it's exciting times ahead for everyone at the club."
The Courier
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The Courier
Ross Matthews singles out pals at rival team as inspiration as he sets Raith Rovers promotion goal
Ross Matthews insists Falkirk's success with a team packed with his pals has shown that Raith Rovers can reach the Premiership's promised land. Matthews is celebrating signing a new 12-month contract at Raith, where he has played all his senior career so far. And he admits achieving promotion to the top-flight was uppermost in his thinking when he put pen to paper through to summer 2026. The 29-year-old has been at Stark's Park for the last 13 years and has seen plenty of ups and downs along the way. However, after finishing fifth this term, the midfielder is convinced there are good times ahead for Rovers under manager Barry Robson. 'I'm delighted to sign another year, mainly because I think the club's got a great chance of doing well next year and got a chance of getting promoted,' he told Courier Sport. 'I felt the same going into last season, to be honest, but it didn't quite go for us. 'Obviously, it was a difficult season. But we managed to end it well by going ten games unbeaten. If we can carry that run into next season, then we've got every chance. 'This will be my 13th season. I've loved every minute of it, although there's been a couple of downs and a couple of ups. 'The main thing, since I've been there all that time, is getting promoted to the Premiership. I've never managed to do that. 'So, to get another chance, another season, another go at it, that's the main thing in my head. 'I don't really want to leave without doing that, I want to be part of a team that gets promoted. 'I feel like we've got every chance of doing it next season. That's the main aim.' The team that won promotion from the Championship this term, Falkirk, is packed with figures from Raith's recent past. Tom Lang, Brad Spencer, Dylan Tait, Ethan Ross and Sean Mackie have all been Matthews' team-mates over the years and they were led by Rovers' former management team of John McGlynn and Paul Smith. The Bairns will be playing Premiership football next season. And Matthews is convinced Raith – who lost the Premiership play-off final to Ross County 12 months ago – can follow in their footsteps. 'There's plenty of that Falkirk team that played with myself at Raith Rovers,' he added. 'And if we weren't going to win it when we were out of it, I was quite happy that they won it. 'I've got a lot of good friends there – half their team used to play with Raith, it seems. 'And, obviously, the manager, John McGlynn, as well as Paul Smith. I was delighted for them as much as I was gutted that it wasn't us in that position. 'But them doing it just shows that it's possible.'
