Kintyre - in a few words

[sooze]

Young people and folk who have not retired should be allowed more involvement in what is going on down there - not a few elite folk who run it -

Some young people do get involved but the greatest difficulty is getting people involved at all regardless of age. The few who do are often struggling.

Twice this week I have had people moaning about different groups but when asked to go along and state their case they cannot be bothered.

Many organisations would love to have younger people in particular taking part but it is usually too boring to be involved and before anyone says anything I am not against young people helping, joining in or even coming up with ideas but nothing happens overnight and there are always things happening in the background.

The South Kintyre Development Trust has been formed and would love to have more people coming along to get things going in South Kintyre - how many people turned up to an advertised public meeting to formally set it up - 10.

Sooze

[EMDEE]

Young people and folk who have not retired should be allowed more involvement in what is going on down there - not a few elite folk who run it -

Some young people do get involved but the greatest difficulty is getting people involved at all regardless of age. The few who do are often struggling.

Twice this week I have had people moaning about different groups but when asked to go along and state their case they cannot be bothered.

Many organisations would love to have younger people in particular taking part but it is usually too boring to be involved and before anyone says anything I am not against young people helping, joining in or even coming up with ideas but nothing happens overnight and there are always things happening in the background.

The South Kintyre Development Trust has been formed and would love to have more people coming along to get things going in South Kintyre - how many people turned up to an advertised public meeting to formally set it up - 10.

Sooze

Why the apathy? There is obviously a lot of opinion and it is good to get as many ideas as possible from within the local community.

[Ship called Dignity]

AP, I did comment on another thread about the overwhelming number of young people on the streets on the Saturday night but when I looked into it, I couldn't see where they could have gone. You're right, there was nothing for them and that's a real shame.

Hanging around the streets has always been part of growing up in Campbeltown and I don't know if it is as big an issue as some people make out. Open a youth cafe or youth groups and the kids still want to be on the street with their friends. In reality, hanging around the street is their community centre, their youth club and pretty much a safe one at that. Is there really less to do than staying in other areas? Certainly staying in a city will give you more options but it all comes at a cost. Compare Campbeltown to Lochgilphead, Oban, Dunoon, Rothesay and it's probably the same there.

(well except for the lack of an all weather pitch )

[Mary G]

Hanging around the streets has always been part of growing up in Campbeltown and I don't know if it is as big an issue as some people make out. ... Is there really less to do than staying in other areas?

Agree completely with Ship called Dignity. It has been going on for ever, I think, and is a bit of a rite of passage.

The same in many other places too - and it also provokes plenty comment where I live ... possibly more so, because residents here usually do not often know the young people in question - which comes down to scale, and the accessibility of towns in the outskirts of Glasgow. For most of us in Campbeltown, even if you cannot identify every young person, you usually know who they are.

Of course there needs to be an arts centre, sports facilities, entertainment space, or whatever - and a proper choice for our young people. But it won't stop the fact that many will - at some stage - want to be haning around the streets, seeing who else is there and checking out what is happening ... I know that I did

[RMcC]

Having a sports centre/youth club etc won't change anything I think. Rothesay has a youth club and yeah the kids go to it but it only caters up to a certain age. Until you're old enough to go to the pubs thats the most there is to do at nights, hang about street corners and in Rothesay's case do 'laps' of the town until you get bored, not much fun I know but what else is there to do.
This is one thing I noticed about Campbeltown and any other town, kids will hang about the town regardless of what you give them to do, they'd rather be out and about seeing what is happening

[mrn]

Retirement Village.....Aye it's a lovely place to visit if u come from a City but if you live here there is nothing.No jobs,no shopping ,no amusements, no bowling alley, nothing for the kids to do in the Holidays or for the teens to do at night.We lost the Waverley because every shop was closed on a Wednesday afternoon,nobody wants trade but they moan all the time about not having any. This Town is dead.

Perhaps you should look further than the end of your nose and you will find 'something to do'. Then again if this is the attitude you have and instill into the younger generation then what hope is there! Great attitude!

[AP]

Retirement Village.....Aye it's a lovely place to visit if u come from a City but if you live here there is nothing.No jobs,no shopping ,no amusements, no bowling alley, nothing for the kids to do in the Holidays or for the teens to do at night.We lost the Waverley because every shop was closed on a Wednesday afternoon,nobody wants trade but they moan all the time about not having any. This Town is dead.

Perhaps you should look further than the end of your nose and you will find 'something to do'. Then again if this is the attitude you have and instill into the younger generation then what hope is there! Great attitude!

Maybe you can tell me where the jobs are (especially with Vestas closing), what decent selection of shops there are, and what leisure activities there are in the town (apart from the obvious swimming pool) and what teens can do at night?

On top of that, its not just my attitude. Its the attitude of the young people i talk to as well as relatives that visit the town. Not everyone enjoys swimming all the time or visiting the same 3 shops and if you look beyond the end of your nose you'll realise its a problem that plagues most small communities, more so Campbeltown with it being so isolated.

As i said earlier, its a lovely place to visit, theres just nowt for the locals. We should all be realistic and not sugar coat things the way some people like to do.

[oorly gourlay]

AP wrote

Someone tried to open an amusement arcade but was stopped because of the noise it would cause to the people living above it.

Please ensure your facts are correct before posting, the arcade was closed because it was in contravention of Planning Law in that it was an inappropriate use of a retail unit in the Conservation Area. This section of the Planning Law has also recently prevented the conversion of the dilapidated shop beside McGeachy's butcher shop to a carry out. I will not go in to the nuisance that the arcade caused while it was open but suffice to say that it was regularly visited by the police and on one occasion they were accompanied by sniffer dogs.

Yes there is a pub on the corner but this has learned the hard way, by loss of late licence, to keep the decibels down and doors closed.

Like many, I wish I could come up with ways to help the youth of the town keep themselves amused but I see no difference to that experienced by any other generations and I would suggest that they have many more facilities at their disposal than us auld f***s. Go and buy a fitba', that kept me well amused for 25 years

Finally, I assume that "u" in normal grammar is "you".

[Ship called Dignity]

Maybe you can tell me where the jobs are (especially with Vestas closing), what decent selection of shops there are, and what leisure activities there are in the town (apart from the obvious swimming pool) and what teens can do at night?

On top of that, its not just my attitude. Its the attitude of the young people i talk to as well as relatives that visit the town. Not everyone enjoys swimming all the time or visiting the same 3 shops and if you look beyond the end of your nose you'll realise its a problem that plagues most small communities, more so Campbeltown with it being so isolated.

As i said earlier, its a lovely place to visit, theres just nowt for the locals. We should all be realistic and not sugar coat things the way some people like to do.

Hi AP,

There are a number of valid points in your postings especially with the potential news of Vestas closing. This could be a bitter blow to the already fragile economy of Kintyre and the knock on effect is extremely worrying.

But to suggest there is 'nowt for the locals' seems a bit extreme? Granted we don't have access to the 'High Street' shops and we could certainly do with better sports/leisure facilities but you've twice said there is nothing to do for locals. Campbeltown is never going to be like Oban (or even Dunoon) in terms of facilities etc but as Emmdee says we are a totally different community with our geographical location perhaps our biggest liability and in the same breath our biggest asset. By the way I'm not viewing the town through rose tinted glasses as I can certainly see alot of room for improvement but as the old saying goes (put mildly!) 'you can only pee with the johnny you've got!'.

If anything just trying to keep the debate going....
Regards

[Tom B]

and what leisure activities there are in the town (apart from the obvious swimming pool) and what teens can do at night?

On top of that, its not just my attitude. Its the attitude of the young people i talk to as well as relatives that visit the town. Not everyone enjoys swimming all the time or visiting the same 3 shops and if you look beyond the end of your nose you'll realise its a problem that plagues most small communities, more so Campbeltown with it being so isolated.

As i said earlier, its a lovely place to visit, theres just nowt for the locals. We should all be realistic and not sugar coat things the way some people like to do.

Lots of activities for young people, rely on adults giving up lots of their time freely to make them happen (scouts, bands, cadets, sports etc) - would you consider getting involved in helping with something like this AP?

[EMDEE]

I must admit that I didn’t have a problem finding something to do in my younger days, as I was involved in musical activities, and am still involved in music. This is not for everyone, however. As Tom B says there are other activities for young people, but it involves others giving up their time to make them happen. In my experience, this is not an imposition on these people, as generally their time is willingly given as it is also their pastime. I myself have given a lot of time to the promotion of Scottish Music through performance, tutoring and workshops etc., People who are involved with youth activities are there because they have a passion for their particular music, art, sport, etc., and have a desire to pass it on, and it is better than hanging around street corners, though I also must admit to having also hung around a few street corners in my time!

Returning to the tourism debate, there seems to be a bit of consensus that Kintyre is a wonderful place to visit. I suppose that would depend on your family make up, as some of the things that have been highlighted as missing are the very things that a younger family would be looking for.

Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle have been voted the top of the "seven wonders" of the UK in a poll conducted by the RAC.

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/830177

Just goes to show that scenic beauty (and a monster myth) is a good selling point in the tourism industry.

A lot of money and time have been expended on this site, with an extensive visitor centre built into the hill at Urquhart Castle, below the road and in an unobtrusive situation, with interpretive facilities in different languages, and of course there is the advantage of the myth of the monster.

Could Kintyre stand a bit more tourism of this kind, i.e. historical and environmental? There is a wealth of history and historical sites throughout the peninsula, and the scenery of the area speaks for itself! Has the Kintyre Way made a difference to the numbers visiting the peninsula?

Has anybody seen a monster surfacing in Lussa Loch? Crosshill Loch even?

[numberplease]

Whilst I can understand and sympathise with the opinions of people on here as to the shortcomings of Campbeltown, this thread is about the whole of Kintyre, and too much catering to tourism might spoil the very things that we outsiders/ holidaymakers come to Kintyre for, and that is it`s uniqueness, charm and beauty. Long may it last.
And as for youngsters having nothing to do, isn`t that the same old story everywhere we go, regardless of how many things are laid on and provided for them?

[LANDROVER ROGER]

Whilst I can understand and sympathise with the opinions of people on here as to the shortcomings of Campbeltown, this thread is about the whole of Kintyre, and too much catering to tourism might spoil the very things that we outsiders/ holidaymakers come to Kintyre for, and that is it`s uniqueness, charm and beauty. Long may it last.
And as for youngsters having nothing to do, isn`t that the same old story everywhere we go, regardless of how many things are laid on and provided for them?

Totally agree with all points.

[EMDEE]

I see there is another letter in the Courier today praising Kintyre as a holiday destination, from people who have been visiting for 46 years.

[UP THE ROAD]

There is no disputing that Kintyre is a beautiful place but there are beautiful places all over Scotland and at least Oban got it's head out of the sand and ensured that it caters for tourists and Kintyre Vistitors --Campbeltown is in a decline and going on about kicking footballs for entertainment whilst someone has spoken up for what the locals really want is sad. I remember growing up there and got totally fed up of the we'll do it tomorrow syndrome.Well wake up and smell the coffee because if Vestas close with nothing to replace it for a few years then all you will have is the tourism industry and there are equally lovely places to compete with for their custom who are pro-active in ensuring that outdoor and indoor tourists are spoilt for choice.