A green sealed plastic bag marked “BAE Systems” was found by an Ardentinny resident on Tuesday afternoon near the path from Carrick Castle to Ardentinny. The resident said “We were following the newly reopened walk from Carrick Castle to Ardentinny in advance of the organised community walk next weekend. We noticed the plastic bag near the path and assumed that it was probably a food pack left over from an exercise”.
Closer inspection revealed that the bag contained 6 boxes of unused blank 5.56mm cartridges, a total of 120 cartridges. Each box showed the following marking: RORG 24-04-07 20CARTS 5.56mm BLANK L18A1. The find was reported to Dunoon Police who have now collected the cartridges.
Over the summer months, more people are going to be using the Carrick Castle to Ardentinny path and local residents are rightly concerned that other ordnance could be in the area.
A Strathclyde Police spokesperson said “It was reported to police that a package was found, police will contact Faslane and police will dispose of the package accordingly”.
A pet dog was shot dead in a field containing sheep near Coul Cottage, Glenfinart on Tuesday morning.
Dog owner Fraser Harding said that the three and a half year old boxer ‘Harley’ had possibly got into the field through a hole in a fence. ‘I let Harley out into the garden as usual at around 7.15am. Later I noticed the farmer was in the field. I called the dog but he didn’t appear. The farmer then drove away and returned around half an hour later. I heard a bang and I just knew it was Harley. The sheep, which I could see from our cottage, had been quite quiet before the bang but were now very agitated with the noise’. Mr. Harding said that the dog had been shot twice.
Mr Harding agrees that the dog should not have strayed into the field and he accepts full responsibility for this. However, he told us that he is upset that the farmer, whom he says he has known for several years, did not immediately alert him to the fact that his dog was loose in his field.
Ardentinny.org contacted the farmer to invite his comments and received the following response:
‘It was with great regret that I was obliged to shoot a dog which had crossed the River Finart and was worrying my sheep which had new born lambs with them. This dog had repeatedly over a prolonged period, strayed onto my land in Glenfinart and on many occasions had chased my sheep into corners in the field immediately adjoining its home but on this particular occasion, in the middle of my lambing season it had crossed the river and was hundreds of metres from Coul Cottage, chasing sheep and newly born lambs. I have been losing lambs in that location over the past ten days and suspected a fox, however in retrospect it may well have been the dog which had probably chased lambs into the river or ditches. Over the past 2 years I had repeatedly asked the owners to restrain their dog and at the very least to repair the fence in their garden in the hope the dog would remain within their property.
I cannot stress enough to dog owners the need to keep their pets under control at all times. It is a dog’s nature to chase and a sheep’s nature to run away and there is no telling how much damage may be done particularly at this time of year when lambs are being born.’
A Dunoon Police source confirmed that the incident had been reported by both the dog owner and the farmer.
Each year thousands of sheep are killed or injured by dogs. The law is clear on domestic animals and livestock. Under The Animals Act 1971, a farmer can shoot any dog considered a threat to his/her animals. Especially during the lambing season, dog owners have to be particularly vigilant when walking their dogs anywhere in the vicinity of fields containing sheep. Dog owners should also remember that farmers regularly rotate fields containing sheep, therefore, the owner may not necessarily be sure what’s on the other side of the hedge. A normally placid family dog can become a killer in a field of sheep and, even if the sheep remain untouched, it could cause lambs to be aborted or death of the sheep later.
We understand that the NFU can supply signs to farmers to help protect their animals, we will be investigating this. With the beginning of the tourist season upon us, ardentinny.org will be working to promote responsible dog ownership to our residents and visitors alike.
and to all who gave to our Cowal Hospice Collection. From Christmas to Easter we managed to raise £95.00, which was handed over to Cowal Hospice on 12 April, 2010. Thanks go too to the Ardentinny Village Hall Committee for hosting our collection box over the Christmas period and for kindly confirming the funds that were collected in the Hall.
Double-Oscar-winning actress, Emma Thompson, has connections with Ardentinny which go back a long way. Her father, actor and writer, Eric Thompson created and narrated the English version of The Magic Roundabout in the 1960’s. Her mother still has a home in the village. Her uncle also ran the Primrose Tearoom in days gone by
On Saturday, 10 April, Emma, with illustrator Scoular Anderson, was at Bookpoint, Dunoon signing copies of her new book “Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang” whose character she also plays in the book’s movie. Several hundred delighted children queued to chat with the two celebrities and have their books autographed.
This weekend Blairmore Village Trust held an exhibition and consultation event in their village hall. The rationale was to consult on a wide variety of issues, i.e.,
– regular ferry service between Blairmore, Helensburgh. Gourock and Kilcreggan
– regular ferry service between Blairmore and Arrochar
– safe facilities for small boats to gain access to Blairmore
– a network of interesting way-marked walks
– inspiring art within the landscape of the shore and/or woodland
– creation of outdoor activity for children
– establishment of an all-year cafe/bar
– landscaping of Blairmore Green
– improved parking within the village centre
– re-establishment of Blairmore House as a hotel and corporate venue
– adoption of the High Road
– re-establishment of market garden on the High Road
– implementation of a ‘Destination Development Strategy’
Is it time for Ardentinny to re-visit its vision for our village? Perhaps an item for discussion at the forthcoming Community Council AGM on 6th April.
t on Tuesday afternoon near the path 
from Carrick Castle to Ardentinny. The resident said “We were following the newly reopened walk from Carrick Castle to Ardentinny in advance of the organised community walk next weekend. We noticed the plastic bag near the path and assumed that it was probably a food pack left over from an exercise”.
