As a 20-year-old cub reporter in the early 1980s I was invited in to the 16th century Ayrshire castle that had been the base for many of the nation's Pre-Raphaelite artists who aimed to reform art by rejecting the "formulaic" academic approach in favor of bright colors, intense detail, and "truth to nature," inspired by Italian art before Raphael.

My invitation came from Elton Eckstrand, a US corporate attorney who spent more than a decade restoring the castle and curating the artworks that hung on its walls. That castle was Penkill, located close to the town of Girvan where I worked on the Carrick Gazette.

Meeting people like Mr Eckstrand was one of the joys of the job I did at the time and Elton Eckstrand sure was an interesting mix, from his love of art and architecture to his passion for motor facing, muscle cars and dragsters.

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The first episode of a new season of People & Landmark podcasts. This time we're visiting Linlithgow Palace in central Scotland, home to Mary Queen of Scots and a significant royal residence for the Stewarts.

Photograph by Andrew Sutherland.

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Everyone knows about 9/11 not so many know that when the US closed its airspace, 38 planes carrying nearly 7,000 passengers from around the world were unexpectedly diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, nearly doubling the town’s population overnight.

Come From Away is a heart-warming and multi award-winning musical, based on this remarkable true story. The show follows both the stranded 'come from aways' and the townspeople who opened their homes, schools, and hearts to care for them.

Amid fear and uncertainty, strangers form deep connections, friendships, and even love. The musical celebrates human kindness, resilience, and community spirit in the face of tragedy – and gives us hope in today’s unsettled world.

Usefuk web links

https://www.sedlescombeplayers.co.uk/

https://stablestheatre.co.uk/

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Stuart Baillie has been writing about the Seaview Project in St Leaonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, since 2019. Seaview is a local charity that works with those on the margins of our society and reaches out to offer help to the homeless and rough sleepers.

Last Friday (Oct 3rd) Seaview staged one of its Big Sleep fundraising events. There was a night of live music and entertainment then around 40 hardy souls slept rough raising awareness - and crucially cash - to help the charity. Once all the money is tallied it looks like the event will have raised around £35,000 and in times when securing funding for this kind of work is becoming ever more challenging.

Stuart was one of those hardy souls prepared to brave the elements and during the evening he caught up with Seaview staff, supporters and volunteers and with people who are very frank about the fact that Seaview saved their lives.

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Homelessness and rough sleeping are big news when politicians decide to use the issues to make political capital. But behind the headlines are real people living on the margins of society. The Seaview Project in St Leonards in East Sussex has been providing an open access wellbeing centre since 1985 and is currently the only such facility focused on homelessness and mental health in East Sussex outside Brighton and Hove. Seaview is a small independent charity that delivers an open access approach to people experiencing a range of issues including mental health, learning disabilities, substance misuse, physical disabilities, social isolation, rough sleeping and homelessness. Last year Seaview served the needs of more than 1,200 people.

In this episode Seaview's Sue Burgess talks about the charity in general but about The BIg Sleep in particular. Takning place on October 5th she hopes it will raise much needed funds that will allow Seaview to continue to do its amazing work.

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Too many young men are taking their own lives and too high a proportion of those are former military men who feel cut adrift from the life they have lived and loved. Darren Clark from Bexhill in East Sussex is doing something about it; raising awarenes and raising money as he battles his own mental health demons. He seen close friends and former comrades die needlessly and carried their coffins to their final resting places - something has to be done.

In this podcast Darren recalls his time in the military and says more needs to be done to prepare servicemen for a life in civvy street: "...they need to do more than just teach you how to write a CV," he says.

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Actions should speak louder than words but when you can't get any action are the words on their own enough?

Governments have pledged Hastings tens of millions but where the evidence of that moeny working to our benefit?

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