Waves and wind safety advice from HM Coastguard

High tides and extra large waves are set for this weekend and the combination of tides, winds and large sea swells along Britain’s coastlines means HM Coastguard is asking people to take extra care and be ‘wind and wave safe’.

Although this week’s earlier storm weather warnings have been downgraded, HM Coastguard’s Tago Mcleod, who is based at Falmouth in Cornwall, says people should not relax and stay on safety alert while on the coast.

“The winds are still going to be strong and the mix of wind, bigger than usual tidal swells and large, unpredictable waves can very easily catch people out.

“It’s human nature to relax a little more when storm warnings have been downgraded but the real risks still remain. It’s why we’re asking everyone to take extra care and keep well away from breaking waves, piers and jetties and keep well back from cliff edges this weekend,” he said.

Wind and wave safety – top 5 safety tips

  1. Selfies; It’s not worth risking your life for ‘that selfie’. Keep off groynes, piers, jetties and harbour walls. Big waves can knock you over in a flash. If you can feel the spray, you’re too close.
  2. Wave dodging; playing ‘dares’ with waves is dangerous in the best of weathers. Rocks and walls can be slippery, often there’s nothing to grab hold of if you’re caught off balance and rogue waves and strong currents can sweep you out to sea in seconds.
  3. Doggie dont’s; do keep your canine friends close and on leads if you’re out on the cliffs or the coast. You never know when an ‘interesting’ smell or meeting another dog can lead to trouble. If your dog gets stuck or trapped, call the coastguard for help, we have teams out and about at all times, trained for fast response.
  4. Cliff crises; avoid a crisis on the cliffs by staying well away from the edges, especially in windy conditions when you and children are at risk of being caught off balance. During and after bad weather, cliff faces are especially unstable and landslides and rock falls are common.
  5. Keep in touch; keep a note of tide times so you don’t get trapped and take a fully charged mobile (ideally with a location or ‘find me’ app) so you can call for help if things go wrong. Let someone know where you’re going and when you’ll be back.

If you or anyone is in trouble on the coast, don’t delay calling for help.

It’s better to be safe than sorry. Call 999 and ask for the coastguard.

Historic autograph book to go under the hammer for Poppyscotland

An autograph book featuring more than 300 signatures that was bequeathed to the Earl Haig Fund in 1933 is to be sold in aid of Poppyscotland next week to support the leading military charity’s work in supporting members of the Armed Forces community. Continue reading Historic autograph book to go under the hammer for Poppyscotland

Whisky pillage film to be premiered at charity ceilidh tonight

Three brothers rowing across the Atlantic in the 2019 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge at the end of this year are throwing a musical evening at Summerhall in Edinburgh tonight to raise money for their chosen charities. 

In August, the team pillaged bottles of whisky from distilleries across the West Coast to help bring 3000 people in Madagascar clean water. The ‘whisky pirates’ captured this on film and will premier the mini-documentary at the event.

A unique blend of whisky will be created by Scotland’s leading whisky expert (and father of the boys) Charles MacLean. This ‘BROAR Blend’ will then be auctioned to fund life-saving freshwater boreholes, delivered by Argyll-based charity Feedback Madagascar.

Team BROAR , Edinburgh-based brothers Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan MacLean, hope to raise £250,000 for Children 1st and Feedback Madagascar by undertaking this gruelling row.

Pickering’s Tradlantic at Summerhall will be a celebration of Scottish music and two fantastic charities. Being musicians, the brothers know how music can bring people together like nothing else. Top acts will be performing including Edinburgh’s Samuel Nicholson, the Isle of Mull’s Sorren Maclean & Hannah Fisher and Tony McHugh from Belfast.

“Over the years, music has certainly been the thing that has brought us together as a trio – which maybe explains why we’ve opted to spend up to 60 days on a 28foot long raft together this Christmas.

“The plan is to take scaled-down versions of our instruments for the crossing and record a tune in the middle of the Atlantic – Christmas number one here we come … !

“To help reach our fundraising target of £250,000 we thought that a musical evening would be very fitting – come along to Summerhall to enjoy some gin and music for Pickerings Tradlantic this Saturday!”

Managing Director of Feedback Madagascar, Jamie Spencer, said: “We really appreciate the boys undertaking this challenge for Feedback. We will be building new boreholes with the funds they raise to transform the lives of over 3,000 people in Madagascar.

“Clean water is taken for granted but only 14% of the rural population of Madagascar has access to clean water, and as a result, hepatitis and typhoid are widespread. Diarrhoeal disease from dirty water causes 20% of deaths in children under five.”

Tickets are available here. 

Stewart Brewing and Barney’s Beer join award winning line-up for Aldi’s in-store beer festival

Scotland’s fastest growing retailer, Aldi, has partnered with seven of Scotland’s top craft breweries to each showcase five of their best beers in its 19th annual in-store beer festival.  Continue reading Stewart Brewing and Barney’s Beer join award winning line-up for Aldi’s in-store beer festival

Insurance: customers paying the price for loyalty … or laziness?

Savings to be made by shopping around

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published the interim report of its market study into the pricing of home and motor insurance. The FCA found that competition is not working well for all consumers in these markets. It sets out concerns about how pricing in these markets leads to consumers who do not switch or negotiate with their provider paying high prices for their insurance.

Continue reading Insurance: customers paying the price for loyalty … or laziness?