Latest news with #MullofKintyre
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
'I live in Scottish seaside town where homes cost £100k - but there's a catch'
A quaint seaside town in the UK, so charming it inspired a classic number one hit, boasts average property prices around £100k. However, Campbeltown, nestled at the southern end of Scotland's Kintyre Peninsula, has one particular quirk that newcomers might need time to adjust to. This week, Campbeltown made headlines as the most affordable coastal area for property purchases across the UK. The peninsula gained notoriety thanks to Beatles legend Paul McCartney, who has been the owner of High Park Farm since 1966. McCartney penned the track 'Mull of Kintyre' in the 1970s, which soared to chart-topping success in 1977, becoming the first single to surpass two million sales in the country. When Millie West, now 19, was born, Paul's iconic song had already celebrated its 30th anniversary. A lifelong resident of Campbeltown, Millie cherishes her hometown despite acknowledging a certain climatic challenge. Speaking to the Daily Mail, she commented on the frequent rainfall, noting "you get used to it" rather swiftly. During this season, the region typically sees about 60 mm of rain monthly, which is roughly two inches. Come July, precipitation increases to approximately three inches and remains consistent throughout the summer. Winter brings its own deluge, with residents bracing for an impressive five inches of rainfall during October, November, and December, ensuring their wellies are put to good use. Residents are also struggling with a lack of job opportunities. Millie, who currently works in a charity shop relying on donations from locals, hopes to escape the town to further her education: "Eventually, hopefully, I'll go off to college or something because I've not done that yet," she said. A 2018 report listed two major employers in Campbeltown; Campbeltown Creamery and CS Wind UK, who provided "a substantial portion of the Campbeltown area's high skilled jobs and are a vital part of the local economy," according to the government. Late the following year, CS Wind UK had declared 22 jobs redundant. On a more positive note, the whisky industry is thriving, with three distilleries - Glen Scotia, Glengyle, and Springbank - providing a welcome boost to the local economy. In terms of amenities, the town boasts two primary schools, a high school, a police station, Post Office, health centre, leisure centre, churches, cafes, and a veterinary surgery. According to Millie, the local nightlife is "decent" for young people, with a handful of pubs and a DJ night on Saturdays. One major advantage of living in Campbeltown is its affordability, with one-bedroom flats available for a mere £60,000. The town even has its own airport, which operates twice-daily flights to Glasgow, whisking up to 17 passengers away in just 45 minutes.
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Mull of Kintyre crash: Wife's 'anger' at 1994 helicopter tragedy
The wife of a senior police officer killed in an RAF Chinook helicopter crash in 1994 has said she is still "angry" at the government's stance on the Susan Phoenix's husband Ian was among leading security personnel killed when the helicopter went down in foggy conditions over the Mull of Kintyre in of the 29 people killed have said they are launching legal action against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for not ordering a public inquiry. The government has said the crash was a "tragic accident".Dr Phoenix, 77, who now lives in Portland, Dorset, said the case had been an "obscenity of justice". The helicopter was carrying 25 passengers - made up of personnel from MI5, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the Army - and four crew from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to a conference at Fort George near Inverness on 2 June the crash, pilots Flt Lt Jonathan Tapper, from Norfolk, and Flt Lt Richard Cook, from Hampshire, were accused of gross negligence, but this verdict was overturned by the UK government 17 years later.A subsequent review by Lord Philip set out "numerous concerns" raised by those who worked on the MoD's testing centre at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire declared the Chinook Mk2 helicopters "unairworthy" prior to the crash. Dr Phoenix, whose husband Ian was a detective superintendent in the RUC, has joined with other families to campaign for a "judge-led objective inquiry"."It really is heart breaking. We stuck in there and fought for the pilots - who were the cream of the air force and trying to make do with a faulty piece of kit," she said."We now know the aircraft was not airworthy, but the government are constantly re-iterating that it was just a tragic accident."Whatever happened on that night we may never know that, but we certainly know they should not have been flying it and they did not want to fly it."The families of the victims want a High Court judge to review information that they say was not included in previous investigations and could offer new information on the airworthiness of the Phoenix said the tragedy had been "locked up in cover up" over the 31 years since the crash."I wasn't even angry at the time. I was consumed in heart-wrenching grief," she said."Now listening to the young families paying tribute to their fathers... so now I'm angry."Let's give these young people back a sense of pride - they knew their dads were doing great jobs. "We though our men would be protected by the government - they weren't."The MoD has said that records held in The National Archives contain personal information and early release of those documents would breach their data protection MoD spokesperson said: "The Mull of Kintyre crash was a tragic accident and our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Chinook families to launch legal action against MoD
Families of those killed in an RAF Chinook helicopter crash in 1994 have said they are launching legal action against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for not ordering a public inquiry. Four crew and 25 passengers were killed when the helicopter went down in foggy conditions over the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland. The helicopter was carrying leading security personnel from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to a conference at Fort George near Inverness. The families of the victims want a High Court judge to review information which they say was not included in previous investigations. They believe it will offer new information on the airworthiness of the helicopter. All 25 passengers - made up of personnel from MI5, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the British Army - were killed, along with the helicopter's four crew members. The families of the victims, who have formed the Chinook Justice Campaign, said failing to order a public inquiry is a breach of the UK government's human rights obligations. In a letter to the government, the group said: "The investigations conducted to date, whether considered individually or in combination, have failed to discharge the investigative duty." Thirty-one years after, the group have also called for the release of documents that were sealed at the time of the crash for 100 years, as revealed in a BBC documentary last year. The solicitor representing the families said there is enough evidence to convince the families that there was "a failure by the MoD to apply appropriate safeguards in order to protect the passengers and crew". Solicitor Mark Stephens added: "In fact, they were put on board an aircraft that was known to be positively dangerous and should never have taken off. "That is why we are seeking a judicial review into the government's failure to hold a public inquiry - which the families have sought for more than a year." After the crash, pilots Richard Cook and Jonathan Tapper, were accused of gross negligence, but this verdict was overturned by the UK government 17 years later. A subsequent review by Lord Philip set out "numerous concerns" raised by those who worked on the Chinooks. The MoD's testing centre at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire declared the Chinook Mk2 helicopters "unairworthy" prior to the crash. Esme Sparks, who was seven years old when her father Major Gary Sparks lost his life, said: "We don't want to have to take legal action against the government and MoD but we do want and need answers surrounding the circumstance of this crash. "We want to know who or what is being protected? Who made the decision to let this helicopter take off? What is being hidden? In our view, a public inquiry is key." The MoD said that records held in The National Archives contain personal information and early release of those documents would breach their data protection rights. An MoD spokesperson said: "The Mull of Kintyre crash was a tragic accident and our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died." Chinook crash families call for release of 100-year sealed file Grief and pain 30 years after Chinook disaster RAF Chinook: Anger over lack of 30th anniversary memorial
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE We live in the cheapest seaside town in the UK - it's in the middle of nowhere and it rains all the time - but we love it
It's a town so adored by locals that Paul McCartney dedicated his hit song to it in 1977. Located along the Kintyre Peninsula in Scotland - 140 miles from Glasgow -Campbeltown sits on the coast and largely inspired The Beatles star's famous folk number 'Mull of Kintyre', which topped the UK charts for nine weeks straight. McCartney owned High Park Farm just outside the town and, like many of the 4,500 residents still living there today, loved the area for its idyllic setting and quieter way of life. Campbeltown made new headlines this week when it was named the cheapest coastal region to buy a property in the whole of the UK - much to the surprise of its adoring residents. The average home in the area is just £103,078, research by Lloyds Bank found, compared to the £965,708 you'd have to fork out to buy in Sandbanks, Dorset, the most expensive seaside town. Audrey Jopson, who moved to Campbeltown seven years ago to experience its small town charm, told MailOnline: 'It's lovely. It's peaceful, quiet, and everybody's friendly.' One shop owner, who was born in the town, said: 'It's just a different way of life. It's so relaxed, so beautiful; the beaches, walks, fresh air, the whole atmosphere of Campbeltown is lovely. 'It's a beautiful place to live. I don't understand [why it's cheap] because the properties are beautiful, absolutely stunning.' The shop owner travels between Edinburgh and Campbeltown and rents his seaside home of 30 years as an AirBnb - a phenomenon becoming ever more common within seaside towns across the UK as holidaymakers flock to the coast to escape city life. Emilia McMillan, proprietor at estate agent Kintyre Property Co., said the growing number of holiday lets in Campbeltown are making it harder for locals to rent. 'The properties are great, especially for those who are looking to invest, Buy To Let, it's very good return,' she said. 'Holiday lets are very good return, because quite a lot is happening although it's a small town, in the summer especially. 'Flats are ranging from £30,000, even less, to £60-70,000; it depends on the area, the condition and the size of it.' Ms McMillan added: 'The actual houses are very popular; unfortunately there is a shortage of those, for renters, because there are quite a lot of people buying to put them through AirBnb, so that's creating a shortage of housing. '[So it's difficult] maybe not to buy but to rent.' Containing two primary schools, one high school, a police station, Post Office, health centre, leisure centre, churches, several pubs, cafes and a vets, the town arguably has everything one would need to happily live there forever. Additionally, the area even boasts the tiny Campbeltown Airport, which offers twice-a-day, 17-seat flights to Glasgow taking just 45 minutes - by far the quickest way to travel to the nearest major city. But for the younger members of the town, settling there for the rest of their lives seems unlikely given the limited career and social opportunities. Millie West, 19, who runs second hand shop Campbeltown Supplies with her family, adores Campbeltown but has dreams to one day go off to college. 'I've lived here for nearly 18 years. I really like that it's a lot quieter, because in the bigger areas there's a lot more violence and everything. Here, you kind of know everybody, at least by face, so you know what's happening. 'Also, everyone kind of flocks together. Here we did all this on our own. Everyone helping out, everyone chipping in, everyone helping each other, it's a really good community for that. 'Obviously with it being so small, you can walk about a lot so it's not always that you need a car to get here, a car to get there.' Ms West said the nightlife is 'decent' for youngsters, with a few pubs and a DJ night on Saturdays. 'There are a couple of pubs that people tend to flock to, like The Feather and The Commercial,' she said. 'Because you can get the DJs in there on a Saturday night in The Feathers, and there's a pool table and everything in The Comms.' Information signs at Linda's memorial garden in Campbeltown, which explain what she did for the town and its surrounding areas On whether she wants to stay in Campbeltown forever, Ms West said: 'Probably not, but while I'm young I'm enjoying my time here. 'Eventually, hopefully, I'll go off to college or something because I've not done that yet. 'But it's something in the pages for me - I'm not quite there yet - but hopefully, eventually, I'll get there, and I'll be able to do my own things, and get a job that I'm wanting to do. Obviously I'm wanting to do this [run the shop]; it was my idea.' Ms West said it is possible youngsters will be able to buy houses one day, but it's made harder by the limited job opportunities in the area. 'It kind of depends what kind of job you're wanting to do [...] because there's not an awful lot of jobs around here,' she said. The teenager said it rains a lot but 'you get used to it' quickly. Like Ms West, 22-year-old Demi has lived in Campbeltown her whole life and works in the town's sweet shop. 'I think because you're used to it, if you were to come back, you'd probably see there're a lot more things to do in Glasgow, or wherever else, but it's good. Everybody knows everybody as well.' On whether she will leave Campbeltown, Demi said: 'I don't think so. I did think about it for uni when I wanted to go. I stayed. I was going to but I decided not to. 'I don't think I would cope with the business of a different setting. 'There're two primary schools in the town, and there's one high school. There are not too many people you wouldn't know.' Considering whether she will buy a house in the town one day, Demi said: 'Eventually yeah. I'm still living at home right now just saving, but hopefully a wee flat or something.' Despite its small size, Campbeltown was dubbed the 'Whisky Capital of the World' during the 19th Century due to its role as a major whisky production centre. At its peak, the town boasted more than 30 active distilleries, with three still operating there today. But perhaps what the town is most famous for is its links to The Beatles star McCartney, who bought High Park Farm just outside Campbeltown in 1966, marking his first home with his then wife, Linda. Before Linda's tragic death from breast cancer in 1998, the couple were married for three decades and had three children together, sharing a love for Campbeltown and its surrounding areas. Seven years after his public split from The Beatles, McCartney released 'Mull of Kintyre' in 1977 with his new rock band, Wings. The song details McCartney's 'desire is always to be here, Oh, Mull of Kintyre' and expresses his love for the area's 'dark distant mountains with valleys of green'. The hit's music video features McCartney, Linda and co-founder of Wings Denny Laine, strolling through the peninsula's hills. The clip also famously features The Campbeltown Pipe Band, made up of seven pipers and seven drummers, most of whom remain in Kintyre today. McCartney and his first wife were so devoted to the area that a memorial garden for Linda stands in Campbeltown's centre today, featuring a statue of Linda holding a lamb. Eunice Crook, a trustee at Campbeltown Heritage Centre, is an expert on the town's history - having been born there - and recently moved back after years away ever since attending university. Mrs Crook said she was not surprised to see Campbeltown offered the greatest value for money on properties and described it as a 'great place to live'. 'My husband and I were living in Glasgow [...], we spent a lot of time overseas, and then after Covid we decided that we needed to get out of Glasgow. 'We were looking around and Campbeltown was one of the places on our list, and it turned out that the right house came up here and we absolutely love it; we haven't regretted at all coming back.' Mrs Crook added: 'It's a nice community, it's a nice place to live. Although it's 140 miles from Glasgow, because it's the largest town for miles around, you've got the health centre, the leisure centre, we've got good connections. We've got everything you need. 'Given our age we wanted to be able to walk to a shop basically. We bought the house. Because I'm essentially local, and my sisters still lived here, I knew you could get good value for money in Campbeltown. And there are a lot of very nice properties.' Kenny McMillan, a 70-year-old mechanic who has lived in Campbeltown his whole life, said the cheap property prices are a reflection of the low wages offered to workers in the area. 'We've lost a lot of people as they go to university, colleges, and their jobs are not here to come back to,' he said. '[Property prices] are reflected in the wages. It's an attraction for people to come here and retire.' He added: 'I like the remoteness because I go to Glasgow a lot. We don't have the same problems you have in the cities.' Meanwhile, others were not born in Campbeltown and flocked to the area more recently for its offer of a quieter life. Ali Nash, 32, who runs a barber shop in the town centre, made the move from Liverpool to Campbeltown last year, and said he has bought his own house. 'It's a quiet town so a safe town,' he said. 'Liverpool is a busy town; it's better for the young but here is a quieter town, for safety.' Recent research by Lloyds found that Rothesay, on Bute, was the second least expensive seaside town in Scotland to buy a property, with an average of £111,764, followed by Millport, in Cumbrae, where the average cost was £114,008 and the Bute village of Port Bannatyne close behind with £115,421.
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
RAF Chinook: Families of victims to launch legal action against MoD
Families of those killed in an RAF Chinook helicopter crash in 1994 have said they are launching legal action against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for not ordering a public inquiry. Four crew and 25 passengers were killed when the helicopter went down in foggy conditions over the Mull of Kintyre in helicopter was carrying leading security personnel from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to a conference at Fort George near families of the victims want a High Court judge to review information which they say was not included in previous investigations. They believe it will offer new information on the airworthiness of the helicopter. All 25 passengers - made up of personnel from MI5, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the British Army - were killed, along with the helicopter's four crew families of the victims, who have formed the Chinook Justice Campaign, said failing to order a public inquiry is a breach of the UK government's human rights a letter to the government, the group said: "The investigations conducted to date, whether considered individually or in combination, have failed to discharge the investigative duty."Thirty-one years after, the group have also called for the release of documents that were sealed at the time of the crash for 100 years, as revealed in a BBC documentary last year. 'Should never have taken off' The solicitor representing the families said there is enough evidence to convince the families that there was "a failure by the MoD to apply appropriate safeguards in order to protect the passengers and crew". Solicitor Mark Stephens added: "In fact, they were put on board an aircraft that was known to be positively dangerous and should never have taken off."That is why we are seeking a judicial review into the government's failure to hold a public inquiry - which the families have sought for more than a year."After the crash, pilots Richard Cook and Jonathan Tapper, were accused of gross negligence, but this verdict was overturned by the UK government 17 years later.A subsequent review by Lord Philip set out "numerous concerns" raised by those who worked on the MoD's testing centre at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire declared the Chinook Mk2 helicopters "unairworthy" prior to the crash. 'What is being hidden?' Esme Sparks, who was seven years old when her father Major Gary Sparks lost his life, said: "We don't want to have to take legal action against the government and MoD but we do want and need answers surrounding the circumstance of this crash."We want to know who or what is being protected? Who made the decision to let this helicopter take off? What is being hidden? In our view, a public inquiry is key."The MoD said that records held in The National Archives contain personal information and early release of those documents would breach their data protection MoD spokesperson said: "The Mull of Kintyre crash was a tragic accident and our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died."
