Sports centre flood – ‘could take weeks’
Repairs to Lewis Sports Centre could take weeks after a lightning strike last week damaged the roof, while torrential rain flooded in. Several central parts of the building were left underwater, with soft play, weights' and indoor climbing facilities damaged. Some areas could remains out of action for weeks as clean-up and repair work continues, it’s been reported.
Family move to declare fisherman lost
An action at Stornoway Sheriff Court has been moved to declare fisherman Paul Alliston lost at sea, under the Presumption of Death (Scotland) Act 1977. Paul has been missing since the fishing vessel Louisa sank at anchor off Mingulay in April this year. The bodies of two of her crew members were recovered, and one survived after swimming to shore, but despite extensive searches no trace has been found of skipper Paul Alliston. A funeral was held in Harris for his crew-mate Chris Morrison in April. In a public notice the court requires that any person wishing to be formally included in the legal process should have lodged an application before yesterday. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch recovered the Louisa from the seabed as part of their investigation into the sinking, which is still ongoing.
Lightning bolts wake up photographers
Tuesday night’s spectacular storm woke up many, and generated a boom in lightning photography, with images taken in the islands all over social media yesterday. Temperatures in Stornoway on Tuesday topped 22º – to be followed by torrential rain overnight with 22.9mm recorded in Stornoway.
Gold for Lewis duo
A daring duo from the Isle of Lewis have raised nearly £5,000 for The Leanne Fund by completing the Peking to Paris Rally, and getting a gold award in the process. Claudine Bloom and Andy Twort set off from the Great Wall of China in June, in their faithful 1965 Volvo Amazon model 122, nicknamed Amy Amazon. They finally reached Paris on July 17th after an epic journey across two continents. Finishing in 14th place – well within the top section of drivers – gives them Gold status, which Claudine said was 'far far higher than our wildest dreams'. Chrisetta Mitchell of the Leanne Fund, said: "We are so grateful to Claudine and Andy for supporting the Leanne Fund through this amazing challenge. We have enjoyed watching their progress along the way and we were delighted to see the Leanne Fund t-shirt in various locations including the Great Wall of China and Belarus." You can still support Amy Amazon's challenge for The Leanne Fund visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/AndyTwort or find them Amy Amazon on Facebook to read all about the adventure.
Record breaking HebCelt
The weekend’s Hebridean Celtic Festival smashed all records with the most successful event in its 21-year history. An estimated 18,000 people – by far the highest audience yet – savoured four days of outstanding music in Stornoway and surrounding communities. Rock legends Runrig, who brought the festival to a close on Saturday night, led the praise for this year’s event. Keyboard player Brian Hurren said: “It was incredible. The crowd was unbelievable. It was so good to hear Runrig’s music played at home, it just comes alive like nowhere else. It was definitely one of the top gigs the band have ever done.” Drummer Iain Bayne posted on social media: “There are gigs and then there are experiences. We love every concert we play of course, but few can match HebCelt. What a crowd! The atmosphere and the energy were amazing. From the first beat to the last note we gave it everything. We were all on a high afterwards. Thanks for proving yet again that Stornoway is very, very hard to beat.”
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