Campbeltown Regeneration

[general jack o'niell]

want another recent example? when argyll fm was being set up they got very little in the way of support from local agencies, one small grant from HIDB or Argyll and Islands or whatever they call themselves now, and one from the council, plus one from the common good fund. the council one was conditional on the radio raising and spending up to £50,000 by itself.

since then theres been nothing bar the rental for the police mast being scrubbed. then look at the recent plan to create a Fyne FM based between inverary and arrochar and only providing five hours live broadcasting a week. i've been told they had over £900,000 ringmarked for the project with countless thousands to subsidise the cost of bussing presenters to the studio from the likes of inverary, and post in place paying over £30,000 for station manager etc. luckily their application was rejected, they were questioning the remit of argyll fm to broadcast to their proposed area as they said the license didn't cover mid argyll. it does because i wrote the application, its lucky for all concerned in this scheme and the government bodies that were throwing money at it that i'm no longer involved with the station, i wouldn't have missed and hit the wall. i only hope some of this money can now find its way to argyll fm, maybe to pay someone to seek advertising for the station.

my CV is in the post!!!!!!

[bubbly jock]

my CV is in the post!!!!!!

So is my resignation if they let you back in!!!!!!!!!!!

bubbly

[Beachcomber]

Not sure what effect the Parliament Square demolition/re-construction will have on that - got to be messy for a while - but you never know your luck.

It can only be a good thing in my opinion, at the very least aesthetically anyway, as opposed to the old dark dingy buildings that are there at present, new builds are going to freshen things up no end

Building site's are never pretty, though. The sooner they clear the site and get the new houses up the better.

Seriously though, someone mentioned our heritage, culture, wildlife, scenery etc earlier, other areas have done well off those subjects - why can't Campbeltown?

The key to this is getting the people to come here, and for that we must have better transport links.

[Golfmad]

Once built the new course can't be moved to india or closed down becasue someone in denmark is having a bad quarter, it will attract thousands of additional golfers to Machrihanish and the area and with two courses they'll stay overnight. Logabn air will have to put on more flights, campbeltown have demand (not subsidy driven weekend air services) If shops have things to sell golfers will buy (golfers spend 5 times what normal visitors spend (according to visitscotland).

The economic impact of the new golf course to Kintyre is suppose to be in the area of £18m a year, and unlike vestas, or call centres or other business that come and go it will alway be here. The Royal being renovated to coinside with the new course opening the Ugadale proposed development at Machrihanish all mean jobs, sustainable long term jobs. Kintyre needs to regenerate on the back of its strengths, ,its golf, its whisky, its food, its music it's culture and it's people

[Ags]

There are plenty rich golfers about - just not convinced they do anything for the local economy. They fly in on their private plane or helicopter - play their round and jet off again all in a 5 or 6 hour turnaround.

[mary,queen of everything]

I had at one time heard that there was a proposed air link from belfast to CN, any truth in it

[Machrihanish]

There are plenty rich golfers about - just not convinced they do anything for the local economy. They fly in on their private plane or helicopter - play their round and jet off again all in a 5 or 6 hour turnaround.

That's where the entrepreneurial spirit of the locals come in hopefully...find some other way to keep them there and spend their hard earned

[Golfmad]

Exactly Ags, with two golf courses it's almost impossible to fly in and out in the same day. Try play two championship courses in 5 to 6 hours... unlike today, golfers who want to play the old and the new courses will have to stay over, they'll have to spend money off the golf course. This spells major opportunity for retail in Campbeltown.

[Charlie]

are management of the 'old' and the 'new' courses, on good terms, and planning joint marketing in this way?

[Golfmad]

The management/committee of the old course changes every year and the new one just started. by the time the new course opens there will be a new committee. I believe the new captain at the club was at the recent turf cutting for the new course

[general jack o'niell]

hope the two courses will compliment each other, machrihanish is still rated in the top twenty courses and the first always appears in any british and world 18 dream holes.

thanks bubbly, if ever i needed a push to return you have just provided it, i've no idea who you are, nor do i particularly care, but if the times i'm asked when i'm going back are any measure i'm sure i'd whip your broadcasting butt with both hands tied behind my back and operating the deck with my teeth, the fact i've never been replaced on my old slots in four years bears that point out quite nicely.

when the public have heard the best, why would they settle for less?

[The Hitman]

I agree and think the courses would compliment each other nicely, however I think a Kintyre Golf Package would be the thing to market, give other Courses like Dunaverty and Carradale a turn aswell.

[Ship called Dignity]

This Town needs something for family's to do. I have spoken to people who have came here for jobs and taken their family's to see what the place is like and they have said there is nothing to do and left.

Smokynuk - there is nothing to do? In comparison to where? I honestly think kids here have an abundance of things to do. Albeit, the vast majority of these are outdoor activities - but when you are young, you don't care.

Must admit if people come here and don't take up a job becuase of the lack of things to do - then good riddance!

[general jack o'niell]

hear hear

things to do don't just come to your doorstep, you have to go out and find them, those types obviously have a particular "thing to do" in mind, maybe that stupid tenpin bowling alley idea? which would have been great for six months then gone to the wall, must admit i'd love one but you have to be realistic about these things.

maybe if cafe's opened later till ten or eleven it might help avoid this standing in the street spitting gum on the pavement or up the cutting drinking buckie culture that is common among the "nothing to do" generation.

[Sheik Yir Erse]

The golf courses are two entirely different entities. One is being run by members, for members on what essentially amounts to a not-for-profit basis (although if a profit is made, then all the better). The other will be a purely commercial business where the keyword will be profit. I'm not sure how much, if anything, Machrihanish sets aside each year to market itself, but you can be rest assured that the Dunes course will have a full-time team and dedicated budget for this purpose.

My company has corporate membership at both Gleneagles and Archerfield - very well run marketing department, but the last thing they want you doing is spending your hard earned cash anywhere other than their premises. Me thinks therefore the joint marketing approach is likely to be 'Duned to failure'

I imagine however that Machrihanish course will benefit from the marketing performed by the Dunes course.

My 2p worth.

How is the course coming along anyway, if I'm not straying too far from thread?