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STV News
4 days ago
- Politics
- STV News
Bunting, ballots, and a bitter battle: One week until crucial by-election
The bunting is already up in the main street of Larkhall ahead of the annual gala. But the town is also at the centre of a political battle which has grown increasingly bitter in recent days. The SNP has held the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency since it was created in 2011. The party of the Scottish Government is defending a majority of 4,582 from the Holyrood election in 2021. Katy Loudon is looking to retain the seat for the party after the death of Christina McKelvie. STV News SNP candidate Katy Loudon, Scottish Labour candidate Davy Russell, Tory candidate Richard Nelson, and Reform UK candidate Ross Lambie are fighting for the Hamilton, Larkhall, Stonehouse seat. STV News Loudon lost out to Labour in the Westminster by-election for Rutherglen and Hamilton West in 2023. Just as that result was used as a pointer for the General Election, this one will also be examined to see what it can tell us ahead of the Scottish Parliament election next year. Has the SNP managed to steady the ship? Has Labour lost the momentum that swept them into Downing Street? Has Reform managed to translate the hype into votes? And what impact has that had on the Conservatives? So far, the campaign has been overshadowed by a racism row, as well as jibes at the Labour candidate Davy Russell for being a no-show at hustings events, as well as a planned debate on STV's Scotland Tonight. These events are a staple of election campaigns like this, a chance to get your message across and connect with voters you might otherwise not be able to reach. He did agree to sit down for an interview with me at a climbing centre in Hamilton. He insisted he isn't running scared, claiming voters appreciate the personal touch on the doorstep instead. He has made the conscious decision to make that the focus of his campaign, shunning the bigger platforms. It's a gamble. He started the campaign as the bookie's favourite, but has since slipped behind the SNP. We'll see if it ultimately pays off after June 5. Candidate name Party Collette Bradley Scottish Socialist Party Andy Brady Scottish Family Party Ross Alexander Lambie Reform UK Katy Loudon Scottish National Party (SNP) Janice Elizabeth Mackay UK Independence Party (UKIP) Ann McGuinness Scottish Green Party Aisha Jawaid Mir Scottish Liberal Democrats Richard Nelson Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Davy Russell Scottish Labour Party Marc Wilkinson Independent Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Glasgow Times
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Two Doors Down star teased popular show's shock comeback
Kieran Hodgson, who plays Gordon in the hit BBC show, is the first cast member from the programme to 'confirm' that the much-loved sitcom is returning for a Christmas special. We reported how the TV show is set to make a comeback following the death of one of its creators, Simon Caryle, in 2023. READ MORE: Star of Two Doors Down confirms shows shock comeback Speaking on Scotland Tonight on STV on Wednesday, May 21, the 37-year-old said there has been no official announcement for the Xmas special, however, he teased there may be some filming taking place this year. The comic said: 'I cannot possibly say things, I can't possibly say, but I might be doing some filming in the next couple of months, I don't know. 'We're like a family, it's great to reunite as we do socially. "Were we to get back together, there would be lots of love, happy memories, and desire to make even more memories.' (Image: Newsquest) At the start of May 2025, we reported how Kieran said there 'will be tears' when the cast reunite for rehearsals for the special episode this summer. It comes after the much-loved sitcom was axed in 2023 when its co-creator, Simon Carlyle, sadly died aged 48. Following that, the co-writer of the show, Gregor Sharp, announced he couldn't carry on the programme without Simon. READ MORE: Two Doors Down star pictured filming new show at Glasgow pub However, fans of the comedy were left buzzing when rumours previously emerged that Gregor had a 'change of heart' and was crafting an Xmas special. The well-known Scottish sitcom ran for seven series, with the seventh season screening in November 2023, several months after Simon's death. It first appeared on TV screens as a one-off Hogmanay pilot in 2013. After that, multiple series of the hugely successful programme were produced.
STV News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- STV News
Why are only SNP and Reform putting up candidates for by-election debate?
I've been to a lot of by-elections so apathy from the voters doesn't surprise me, but apathy from the candidates really is a new one on me. We are planning a candidates' debate on Scotland Tonight on Monday, June 2 – but only the SNP and Reform are willing to take part. The Lib-Dems and Greens ruled it out from the start; the Conservatives don't look likely. And after much to-ing and fro-ing, Labour is not willing to put up its candidate, Davy Russell. Scottish Labour Labour candidate Davy Russell Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Richard Nelson, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party candidate for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. The SNP candidate Katy Louden and Reform's Ross Lambie say he is running scared and in hiding. Davy Russell has told newspaper journalists that he would 'rather be chapping doors and talking and listening to ordinary voters' – but given that Scotland Tonight hustings is not on until 10.40 at night – if he is chapping doors, he's likely to get chased. I can't think of a by-election when the main parties refused to take part in a television debate. SNP Katy Loudon, SNP candidate for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. Reform UK Ross Lambie, Reform UK candidate for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. If you cast your mind back to the Rutherglen by-election in October 2023, that was most people's chance to see the candidates in some kind of action. They are seeking to represent the interests of thousands of local people in parliament. What are voters to think of them if they can't see them and can't see them being tested? There have been some fascinating by-elections in Scotland over the years and some politicians have made their careers on the back of them. Look no further than Hamilton 1967 when Winnie Ewing won for the SNP. That was probably the biggest by-election in Scotland's political history. But there are others too, where political leaders earned their spurs. Sometimes they weren't even on the winning side. Donald Dewar, Scotland's first First Minister lost his Aberdeen seat in the 1970 General Election and restarted his political rise in the Garscadden by-election in 1978. It was seen as a landmark for Labour in stopping the rise of the SNP. Then there was Govan 1988 when Jim Sillars made another by-election breakthrough for the SNP. STV held a thrilling by-election debate that played a big part in the outcome of the election. Former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson cut her political teeth as a by-election candidate in Glasgow North East in 2009. She had no chance of winning but put up a good performance in the campaign and in debates and went on to lead the Tories into second place in the Scottish Parliament. Former Lib-Dem leader Willie Rennie ran by-election campaigns for his party before winning in Dunfermline in 2006. Yet in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse in 2025 only the SNP and Reform candidates are willing to put themselves up for debate on STV. If by-election candidates can't be bothered, how can anyone expect disillusioned and disengaged voters to bother? Candidate name Party Collette Bradley Scottish Socialist Party Andy Brady Scottish Family Party Ross Alexander Lambie Reform UK Katy Loudon Scottish National Party (SNP) Janice Elizabeth Mackay UK Independence Party (UKIP) Ann McGuinness Scottish Green Party Aisha Jawaid Mir Scottish Liberal Democrats Richard Nelson Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Davy Russell Scottish Labour Party Marc Wilkinson Independent Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
STV News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- STV News
Meet the caber-tossing, hammer-throwing female athletes of the Highland Games
Beneath a bright Scottish sky, the Gourock Highland Games mark the beginning of a new Highland Games season in Scotland. Every year, thousands of athletes from across the world flock to Scotland to compete in over 60 events across the country. But this year, much of the crowd's applause was reserved for the female strength athletes – who, for the first time, matched the number of men competing in strength events. Traditionally male-dominated contests like the caber toss and hammer throw are seeing a shift, as more women take centre stage. Competitor Liz Elliot, from Dumbarton, is part of a group campaigning to carve out more space for women in heavy events at the Games. Speaking to Scotland Tonight, she said women now compete in 20 games – with the goal of securing female events at every Highland Games in the country. STV News Liz Elliot. But it hasn't always been this way. Liz has been competing in the Highland Games for two decades after she met her husband Neil – a champion lifter and thrower. She has since travelled the world, competing in Australia, the US and across Europe. But back then, Liz had no other option but to enter open contests against men as there were no female competitions for strength events. Liz said: 'When I first started, there weren't any designated competitions for heavies for ladies. 'There was a few smaller Games that were maybe invitational that I would be invited along because there would be like a couple of throwers and they would need an extra person just to kind of come along and help them be the third person.' Liz soon found more women who wanted to compete and arranged for them to train together a couple of times a month. STV News Rebecca Maeule, who can toss 15ft foot cabers, says people are still surprised when they turn up to compete in the heavy sports. Rebecca said: 'I've been asked a few times, are you a dancer? 'I don't think I look like a dancer. I'm here to throw the caber.' Training and competing alongside Liz and Rebecca is Jenn – a nail tech and beautician. Jenn said: 'It doesn't matter whether you've come from an athletics background or an absolutely nothing background like myself, everyone's there to help one another and help encourage one another and support one another, which is amazing. 'I actually really wish it was something that was about when I was younger…it's such a good thing to be part of and the way it's changed my life.' Rebecca said she hopes to encourage more women to pick up the sport. 'I'm trying to see myself as a young girl…going to a Highland Games and seeing a lady with the hammer boots with the kilt, dragging a hammer and then setting herself up in the cage. 'I think seeing that growing up – you could be able to do this.' More progress to be made Despite their success, Liz and her group say there is still work to do. Prize money isn't always equal – with the men often earning twice as much as their female counterparts. STV News Some Highland Games welcome female competitors, while others struggle to accommodate them. Liz said: 'Some Highland Games just jump at it. They think it's amazing. 'Other Highland Games come back with different reasons – maybe they don't have room or they don't have the time or they don't have support for sponsorship. 'Some of them said that they would really like to have us, but just the logistics, they just can't really make it work.' Liz's husband Neil helps the women in their training sessions and says, while it's not always been easy to get people on board, the women have made a huge impact. Neil said: 'It's been an incredible last two to three years, (seeing) how the games have come on with the women. 'I think a lot of the girls thought they were kind of outsiders in a way, you know, cause it's been a very male dominant sport, for not just decades, for centuries. 'And to bring the girls in and get them to throw alongside the men, you know, now they have their own competitions and it's been absolutely brilliant to watch.' Later this year, the first ever women's world championships is being held at Glenurquhart. With the Highland Games also becoming an international sensation in places like the US, Canada and across Europe – Neil says Scotland is at risk of falling behind. 'It's now become such a massive sport in the States and Canada, Germany, Switzerland and all over Europe and it's become time for girls had their chance to develop, to blossom and to do what they do.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Scottish Sun
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
I saw transplant patient on TV & immediately knew he had my son's heart – we've struck up a bond
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AN emotional dad revealed how he has formed a special bond with the man who received his son's heart - after an incredible 'sixth sense' sparked by a TV show led the pair to meet. Keen footballer Robbie Meiklem - once a youth player at Ayr United - tragically died from suicide in September 2023. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Robbie Meiklem tragically took his own life Credit: Supplied 6 But the promising youngster's organs were donated and his dad Robert found out that his heart was used in a transplant Credit: John Kirkby 6 Colin Gray from Inverness received Robbie's heart Credit: Northpix 6 Colin went under the knife during a life-saving transplant operation Credit: STV 6 He has a tattoo reminding him where his new heart came from Credit: Northpix 6 Robbie was a promising youth footballer Credit: Supplied His donated organs helped save the lives of five people across the UK. Patients don't know who the organs come from and the families of donors aren't given details of recipients. But in an astonishing story, Robbie's dad Robert, 59, immediately sensed Colin Gray, 62, had received his son's heart after watching STV's Scotland Tonight special report: A Second Chance of Life. Colin, from Inverness, featured in the programme and grieving dad Robert instantly knew his beloved lad's heart - which was shown still beating in its preservation box - was inside Colin's chest. That sparked an inspiring mission in which grief-stricken Robert managed to track down Colin before both men broke down in tears when the donation details were confirmed. Now Colin - who was suffering late stage heart failure before his transplant - is set to present the trophy at a charity football match to show his appreciation for ex-Girvan FC player Robbie and his family. Robert said: 'The January after Robbie died I was struggling to cope but my sister Susan urged me to watch a documentary on YouTube about heart transplants. 'I watched it four times that very night. I called Susan and said 'I don't know what it is but I think that man has got Robbie's heart'. 'It really rocked me. Something just kept telling me I was right - it was a sixth sense. 'I kept breaking down crying, saying, 'that's Robbies heart' - I just knew it in my gut. Inside the rise of ex-Rangers ultras chief turned mob boss waging gangland war across Scotland 'They don't tell you anything about the organ donor - there were no clues, nothing - I just kept shaking and crying. 'When I told my family, they kept saying, you need to drop it, you're just upset'. But the determined electrical engineer - who performed CPR on his son for 12 minutes after discovering him unconscious - reached out to Colin, of Inverness, who had been on the transplant list for four months after being told by medics nothing more could be done to help his failing heart. He also asked a consultant for info and hatched a letter-writing plan through the organ donation register to confirm his intuition. Robert explained: 'After watching the show I asked my daughters to message Colin on Facebook and request permission for his phone number. I called him in the February. 'I told him who I was and we spoke for three hours. I told him my son had donated all his organs. 'We became friends over the telephone in the next two or three months. I eventually told him that I thought he had received my son's heart. 'I later went to Glasgow to receive the St John's Medal on Robbie's behalf. One of the surgeons who performed the operation was at the ceremony and I said, 'I think I know who has Robbie's heart. His name is Colin Gray'. 'I could tell from his face that he knew I was right and two weeks later, I got confirmation. The donation people don't tell you who has received the organs. 'And they don't tell the recipients the identity of the donor. You can request an anonymous letter from the recipient - but, of course, they don't know who they're writing to. 'I requested a letter from the recipient of Robbie's heart. When I got it, I called Colin immediately and read the letter to him. 'He said 'Robert. I wrote that letter' 'I was right. He has Robbie's heart 'Colin broke down and I broke down.' Scottish Water leakage technician Colin says he is forever in debt to Robbie and his family and with their blessing he got a tattoo of both their names with a heart in the middle containing the ECG lines of the heartbeat. He said: 'I am so grateful to Robbie and his family for this second chance at life. 'And I just want his family to know that I'll not be wasting it - I'm grabbing this chance with both hands and will make sure I live the rest of my life to the full. Robbie saved my life.' The Rangers fan has even taken to watching Ayr when he can as another tribute to Robbie. And that threw up another incredible twist of fate. In March last year, he went along to watch the side play Inverness in his hometown. Ayr's Fraser Bryden - who was Robbie's best friend - scored the winning goal in a 2-1 win and raised his hands to the sky before dedicating the goal aftewards to his late friend. It was only after the game that Colin found out through Robert who Fraser was. Robert - who has three other children - said: 'Fraser was Robbie's friend and they played football together. After the game he said 'That was for my friend, Robbie'. 'Colin was at the game and saw Fraser score. He called me and said 'Robbie was there, too'. 'I couldn't believe it. My son's best friend scored the winning goal and the guy who has his heart was standing and watching the game. It was mind-blowing.' Colin also told how he also had a 'sixth sense' and knew his donor's name as soon as Robert's daughters messaged him on Facebook. He said: 'I don't know where from, but I kept getting the name Robbie - the name just appeared in my head. YOU'RE NOT ALONE EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide. It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society - from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers. It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women. Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now. That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign. The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives. Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for Not Alone. If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support: CALM Heads Together Mind Papyrus Samaritans 'At that point, I could obviously neither confirm or deny - you're not told anything and the surgeons said they didn't even know - but I was so hopeful because I wanted to know who had given me this second chance at life, from the moment I woke up from surgery.' In October 2024, just over a year on from Robbie death, Robert and his family travelled up to Inverness for a 'life changing' meet-up with Colin and his wife Colleen. Colin presented a special gift to the family - preserving the recording of his heartbeat in a Build a Bear - and had even brought a stethoscope so they could hear Robbie's heart alive and beating. Robert said: 'I gave him a big hug. Meeting him was a life-changing event - we have a very special bond. 'We're now living a new normal - this kind of thing changes people. 'To hear Robbie's heart beating strong was incredible and the teddy bear is a massive comfort to us all - as well as the fact Colin is doing so well.' Rangers-daft Colin has recovered well from the transplant which took place at Glasgow's Golden Jubilee hospital within hours of Robbie's death - and has gone from being only able to walk 20 yards without becoming breathless pre-op, to easily walking five miles a day. Colin said: 'It's hard to put into words how I feel about it all. As pleased as I am for my outcome, Robbie's family are struggling every day with the grief of losing their son. 'I find it really difficult to get my head around it.' Robert added: 'I couldn't save my son, but it gives me some comfort that together we saved five others.'
