Latest news with #RanaldMacdonald
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Clan cash probe after trust puts ancient Highland lands on sale for £6.8m
The Clan Donald Lands Trust (CDLT) has overseen Clan Donald's historic lands on the Isle of Skye since the 70s but decided in March to sell up. Scotland's charity regulator is investigating a trust which is selling an ancient Highland clan's lands for £6.8million. The Clan Donald Lands Trust (CDLT) has overseen Clan Donald's historic lands on the Isle of Skye since the 70s. It announced in March it would sell the entire estate due to financial challenges. The move was met with fury by locals and families around the world with ties to the clan – one of the oldest and largest in Scotland. Now the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) has opened a probe into the CDLT's governance and finances following complaints. A spokesman said: 'OSCR has received a number of concerns from the public about the CDLT. 'We are now engaging with the charity trustees to establish the facts of this case, and we have sought extensive information and explanation from them. 'We are specifically looking to understand the current financial position of the charity and the circumstances that led to the decision to put significant charitable assets up for sale.' The watchdog said it would decide if further action is necessary once it has established the facts. The CDLT was founded in 1971 to manage the clan's assets on Skye's Sleat peninsula to 'promote and preserve the history and heritage of Clan Donald'. It currently owns the 40-acre Armadale Castle and gardens, also the site of a beloved Clan Donald heritage museum. The CDLT has four trustees – its chair, London businessman Ranald Macdonald, owner of the Boisdale restaurants, Yorkshire-based landowner Sir Ian MacDonald of Sleat, US-based retired Major Bruce MacDonald, and Diane Carey-Schmitz. The entire estate, covering much of the southern Sleat peninsula, is up for sale at a guide price of £6.8million. A closing date has been set for the end of the month. We previously told how members of the US branch of Clan Donald had spoken out about their 'deep hurt' over the sale. And we revealed last month how hundreds of families with loved ones' memorials in the grounds of Armadale Castle haven't been told what will happen to them. At least 450 trees are said to have been planted in the gardens in honour of lost relatives along with memorial benches and wall plaques, some of which cost families thousands of pounds. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. Joshua Vice of Clan Donald USA – which boasts more than 2000 families with Scottish ancestry – said CDLT failed to consult them and made a 'unilateral decision' to sell the castle stronghold and the 22,000-acre South Sleat estate. He told the Sunday Mail in April: 'At no point was the radical step of a sale ever brought to light.' Last month, the US organisation called for the sale to be put on hold to allow for 'meaningful consultation' with the wider clan as well as Sleat residents. Clan Donald's high chief Lord Godfrey Macdonald previously said the loss of the Clan Centre at Armadale in particular would be a 'tragedy' and a 'betrayal'. The CDLT was approached for comment. In a statement in March announcing the sale it cited the 'high-cost, low-income nature of Armadale'. It added it planned to reform into a grant-giving charity to 'focus on our core purpose of protecting and promoting clan and indigenous Highland heritage'.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Unique Scottish hill race which began with £1 bet celebrates 50th event
Hundreds of athletes turned out to celebrate the 50th edition of one of Scotland's most popular hill running races – first established in the 1970s when a £1 bet was wagered in a university bar. On Wednesday, the Dumyat Hill Race – organised by the University of Stirling – saw 450 runners from across Scotland complete the 8km, 418-metre ascent and descent. A prominent fixture in the hill running calendar and highly competitive, the event sells out every year and the fastest runners complete the gruelling challenge in little over 30 minutes. But it's the quirky history of the race that makes it truly unique. While standing in the University's Gannochy Sports Bar in 1971, Stirling psychology lecturer Dr Ranald Macdonald laid a £1 bet claiming 'no member of the University could, without mechanical assistance, do the return trip from the Gannochy to Dumyat in less than an hour'. On graduation day 1971, intrepid researcher John Evans won the wager – completing the run over a rocky, rough terrain with three minutes to spare. In 1972, a small group of athletes took part in a run to and from the summit – however, there was no formal mass start nor winner – before Professor Ian Thomson, the University's first Director of Physical Recreation, oversaw the creation of an official event from 1973 onwards. It has run almost every year ever since – becoming a staple in the University's sports calendar on the first or second Wednesday of May. READ MORE: How Scotland's Parkruns set off on the road to success How Scandinavian style outdoor saunas changing the face of swimming in Scotland Scottish racing driver makes pit stop in Stirling for graduation ceremony Dr Macdonald had his £1 returned to him decades later – when, on his retirement in 2007, his colleagues presented him with a framed note in recognition of the part he played in the founding of the race. Cathy Gallagher, Executive Director of Sport at the University of Stirling, said: 'With an intriguing history, and a stunning setting, the Dumyat Hill Race is unique to the University of Stirling, Scotland's University for Sporting Excellence. 'We are delighted to be celebrating the race's 50th edition and it has been great to see yet another sell-out event in 2025. Decades after it was established, the Dumyat Hill Race continues to bring together students, staff, alumni, athletes and the wider community with the core message of health and wellbeing at its heart. We are proud to have reached this milestone – and look forward to another 50 years of success.' This year's race – which doubled as the Scottish Student Sport Hill Running Championship and the Scottish Hill Running Race – took place on the evening of Wednesday, May 7. Men's winner Angus Wright, of the University of Edinburgh, came agonisingly close to beating the course record – missing out by just one second – with a time of 32 minutes, 14 seconds. Fellow University of Edinburgh runner Matt Knowles continues to hold the record after setting a time of 32 minutes, 13 seconds in 2024. Terry Macdonald, widow of lecturer Ranald Macdonald, with the £1 note (Image: Jim Mailer) Speaking after the race, Mr Wright said: 'It was a really nice course, and a lovely evening for it. For a hill, it's quite fast and quite runnable – especially the descent, you can definitely get the legs moving! 'I was a bit behind at the top, but I had a really good downhill section – it was really good fun. I only realised towards the end that I was in a winning position and had a look back, and that might have cost me the course record in the end, which is a shame. But it didn't even occur to me that was a possibility, so I'm not worrying too much. 'It was a good fun course, and I look forward to coming back next year.' In the women's race, first-time hill runner Emily McNicol, of the University of Glasgow, won with a time of 38 minutes, 55 seconds. That record continues to be held by former World Mountain Running champion Dr Angela Mudge, a former student and an honorary graduate of the University of Stirling, with a time of 36 minutes, 36 seconds set in 2007. Ms McNicol said: 'It was great fun – and hard work! I've not ran Dumyat before; it was my first hill race, and I really enjoyed it. There were great views at the top, but it was hard coming downhill. 'Towards the end, people were shouting that I was the first female – so I just kept going. It's quite special to be the winner in the 50th edition of the race.' In addition to competitive runners, the event also attracts students, staff and community members alike. Daniel Færestrand Ellefsen, from Norway, is studying MSc Human Rights and Diplomacy at Stirling and decided to give the race a go. Asked about his running background, the 28-year-old joked: 'There's not actually much to tell! I've been running a little bit – I've always been athletic – and I enjoy the slow-paced tranquillity of running. 'This was a fun little challenge, right here at the University, so I thought I might as well take part.'
The Herald Scotland
09-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Unique hill race which began with £1 bet celebrates 50th event
A prominent fixture in the hill running calendar and highly competitive, the event sells out every year and the fastest runners complete the gruelling challenge in little over 30 minutes. But it's the quirky history of the race that makes it truly unique. While standing in the University's Gannochy Sports Bar in 1971, Stirling psychology lecturer Dr Ranald Macdonald laid a £1 bet claiming 'no member of the University could, without mechanical assistance, do the return trip from the Gannochy to Dumyat in less than an hour'. On graduation day 1971, intrepid researcher John Evans won the wager – completing the run over a rocky, rough terrain with three minutes to spare. In 1972, a small group of athletes took part in a run to and from the summit – however, there was no formal mass start nor winner – before Professor Ian Thomson, the University's first Director of Physical Recreation, oversaw the creation of an official event from 1973 onwards. It has run almost every year ever since – becoming a staple in the University's sports calendar on the first or second Wednesday of May. READ MORE: How Scotland's Parkruns set off on the road to success How Scandinavian style outdoor saunas changing the face of swimming in Scotland Scottish racing driver makes pit stop in Stirling for graduation ceremony Dr Macdonald had his £1 returned to him decades later – when, on his retirement in 2007, his colleagues presented him with a framed note in recognition of the part he played in the founding of the race. Cathy Gallagher, Executive Director of Sport at the University of Stirling, said: 'With an intriguing history, and a stunning setting, the Dumyat Hill Race is unique to the University of Stirling, Scotland's University for Sporting Excellence. 'We are delighted to be celebrating the race's 50th edition and it has been great to see yet another sell-out event in 2025. Decades after it was established, the Dumyat Hill Race continues to bring together students, staff, alumni, athletes and the wider community with the core message of health and wellbeing at its heart. We are proud to have reached this milestone – and look forward to another 50 years of success.' This year's race – which doubled as the Scottish Student Sport Hill Running Championship and the Scottish Hill Running Race – took place on the evening of Wednesday, May 7. Men's winner Angus Wright, of the University of Edinburgh, came agonisingly close to beating the course record – missing out by just one second – with a time of 32 minutes, 14 seconds. Fellow University of Edinburgh runner Matt Knowles continues to hold the record after setting a time of 32 minutes, 13 seconds in 2024. Terry Macdonald, widow of lecturer Ranald Macdonald, with the £1 note (Image: Jim Mailer) Speaking after the race, Mr Wright said: 'It was a really nice course, and a lovely evening for it. For a hill, it's quite fast and quite runnable – especially the descent, you can definitely get the legs moving! 'I was a bit behind at the top, but I had a really good downhill section – it was really good fun. I only realised towards the end that I was in a winning position and had a look back, and that might have cost me the course record in the end, which is a shame. But it didn't even occur to me that was a possibility, so I'm not worrying too much. 'It was a good fun course, and I look forward to coming back next year.' In the women's race, first-time hill runner Emily McNicol, of the University of Glasgow, won with a time of 38 minutes, 55 seconds. That record continues to be held by former World Mountain Running champion Dr Angela Mudge, a former student and an honorary graduate of the University of Stirling, with a time of 36 minutes, 36 seconds set in 2007. Ms McNicol said: 'It was great fun – and hard work! I've not ran Dumyat before; it was my first hill race, and I really enjoyed it. There were great views at the top, but it was hard coming downhill. 'Towards the end, people were shouting that I was the first female – so I just kept going. It's quite special to be the winner in the 50th edition of the race.' In addition to competitive runners, the event also attracts students, staff and community members alike. Daniel Færestrand Ellefsen, from Norway, is studying MSc Human Rights and Diplomacy at Stirling and decided to give the race a go. Asked about his running background, the 28-year-old joked: 'There's not actually much to tell! I've been running a little bit – I've always been athletic – and I enjoy the slow-paced tranquillity of running. 'This was a fun little challenge, right here at the University, so I thought I might as well take part.'
