Latest news with #McDermid
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Exhibition shines light on River Wye pollution
A group of artists are raising awareness of the "catastrophic problem" of pollution in the River Wye with an exhibition. Campaigners from the Save the Wye group have created a display of 16 glass panels which trace the journey of the river and the build-up of pollution as it flows towards the sea. It is on display at the Forest of Dean District Council offices in Coleford, Gloucestershire until 30 June. "The new exhibition looks incredible and really helps to spread the message about the deterioration of our waterways in the Forest of Dean," said the council's river water quality champion Andrew McDermid. More news stories for Gloucestershire Listen to the latest news for Gloucestershire "After the council unanimously supported the Rivers and Oceans Motion last year, it's essential to keep this conversation alive and push for real change," he added. McDermid said tackling pollution would require cooperation from the community, local groups and government. "This is a problem of such scale it cannot be tackled alone," he said. "We want everyone to be able to enjoy our rivers long into the future, and working together we can make that a reality." The council's Water Improvement Group said it was working to identify pollution sources, monitor water quality and involve local people in caring for the district's waterways. The exhibition comes after a £1m fund to investigate the sources of pollution in the River Wye was announced by the Welsh and UK governments. Artist and Save the Wye member Mollie Meager said exhibiting at the council offices was a great opportunity to highlight the campaign. "We hope that all residents and visitors will take the opportunity to explore the artwork further and to put their voice behind the campaign," she said. "The river should be something that is enjoyed by all. "Together we can make the change." Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Governments to investigate River Wye pollution Government wins court case over River Wye pollution New law proposed over River Wye pollution Forest of Dean District Council
Glasgow Times
02-05-2025
- Glasgow Times
Clydebank sex attacker raped teen after bullying confession
Graham McDermid, 24, pounced on the 13-year-old in Stirling on December 7, 2022. The traumatised girl went on to send a WhatsApp message for her mother stating: "He raped me and I am not lying." READ NEXT: Glasgow postmasters face trial over alleged money laundering READ NEXT: Fans excluded from talks about Celtic title party gatherings McDermid this week appeared at the High Court in Glasgow via video link from prison having pleaded guilty to the crime. The predator, of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, was jailed for six years and eight months. Lord Matthews also ordered he be supervised for a further four years on his release. The court heard how the girl had been in McDermid's company on the night of the incident. They ended up chatting and he "hugged" her as she "disclosed she was being bullied at school". Prosecutor Ken McGuire said McDermid then started suddenly pulling at her clothes. He then went on to rape the girl, which also involved him pushing her onto a bed. Mr McGuire said: "She had continually asked him to stop." The victim's mum became aware that night what happened after messages from her distressed daughter. McDermid was quizzed by police at the time, but it was only in June 2023 that he was charged following forensic results. The court heard he had also raped the girl earlier in 2022. This included an occasion when he had "overpowered" her after she had helped him get access to the wi-fi. Sentencing, Lord Matthews said the attacks involved McDermid "using force" and "taking advantage" of the young victim. She continues to suffer "flashbacks" as a result of her ordeal with the long-term effect not yet known. The judge also imposed a non-harassment order banning McDermid from approaching or contacting the victim.
The Guardian
30-01-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Val McDermid and Damian Barr urge Scottish councils to halt library closures
The writers Val McDermid and Damian Barr have urged councils in Scotland to abandon plans to close more than 20 public libraries, with the worst affected in rural areas. A number of councils across Scotland have proposed cuts in library services, including shutting 13 in Aberdeenshire, seven in Moray and five in Perthshire, as they wrestle with significant funding pressures. McDermid and Barr, the ambassadors for a campaign to promote public libraries led by the National Library of Scotland, said closures could have a devastating effect on the country's cultural future and on equalities. 'You're taking away the opportunity for the next generation to make a mark,' said McDermid, who credits her childhood visits to Kilmarnock's public library for her career as a novelist. 'You're leaving it to the prosperous middle classes to decide what our society should be and you're depriving people of a future. It is burning the seed corn,' she added. 'They should be opening more libraries.' Barr, the author of the award-winning memoir Maggie & Me, said: 'Every library that closes is a dark day for that community and for our country. They are engines of social mobility and community cohesion. 'Libraries are like the NHS: they should be ringfenced, they should be protected in perpetuity, because we understand that their value is not just on the day that somebody goes, their value is for ever when you open a book and you learn something about yourself or about the world.' The National Library of Scotland, one of the UK's four statutory book depositories, is launching its 'love libraries' campaign on Valentine's Day to help mark the centenary of its foundation in central Edinburgh in 1925. Campaigners have been alarmed by a steep increase in councils identifying libraries for possible closure in recent months, after a decade of incremental closures and service cuts that heavily affected school libraries. Information requests have established that 42 public libraries have already closed in Scotland since 2014, with overall staffing cut by 25% and library funding reduced by 30%, despite a statutory requirement on Scottish councils to protect services. About a third of school librarian posts, which are not protected by law, have also been cut in the last decade. Some councils are proposing mobile or virtual libraries instead, or asking for volunteers to run public facilities. Sean McNamara, the director of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland, said this raised serious questions about whether the Scottish government was properly enforcing the statutory protections for libraries. McNamara said a meeting earlier this week between Angus Robertson, the Scottish government's culture secretary, and council representatives to discuss libraries and cultural policy was welcome, but specific action and funding was needed. 'The cuts that are happening at the moment could be really, really damaging,' he said. 'Library numbers have recovered since Covid but people need their libraries there. They need staff in them that can provide the services to support their reading, to support their digital inclusion, to reduce social isolation. If they're ripped out, then the heart of those communities is gone.' Robertson has come under pressure at Holyrood from the Scottish Green party MSP Mark Ruskell to intervene more directly and review the statutory duty to provide public libraries. The culture secretary confirmed on Thursday he would look at 'any measures' that would help protect library provision and access. He said it would 'grieve me greatly' if libraries were to close. 'As Scotland's culture secretary, it matters greatly to me that people right across the country have access to libraries,' Robertson said. Robertson said he wanted to see a close partnership with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the umbrella body for Scotland's 32 councils which he met earlier this week. Scottish councils and cultural bodies have been given more money in the new budget, with a previous ban on council tax rises scrapped this year. A record number of arts and cultural organisations have also received funding from Creative Scotland. 'Both of us are agreed that we want to do everything that we can to promote and support culture and the network of cultural organisations and cultural venues and libraries right across Scotland,' Robertson said.
