Strathaven Echoes

02/02/2024

The Saturday Magazine Show this Saturday, February 3, is packed with interviews, news and great music. There are interviews with Discover Strathaven about the upcoming Sports Dinner, with Oran and Mia about naming 'Bus One' at Climate Action Strathaven, with Andy Kerr about volunteering for the Community Fridge, and with Douglas MacIntyre & Stephen Cameron about the upcoming 'We Could Send Lettets' event at Strathaven Hotel. There's an interview withAlison Harley about the new names for the two CAS 3C buses. There are also a couple of performances from the Strathaven Academy Holocaust Memorial Day event last Tuesday and an interview with the school captains about their involvement. Plus Robert Craig' regular Book Shelf. And finally I've got an interview and some music choices from Craig Robertson about the release of his new novel 'The Trials of Marjorie Crowe'. There's some happy music as well on the show.

Sponsored by Dunlop Gas & Boiler Services

13/01/2024

Tomorrow’s Avondale Sports on Avondale Radio, sponsored by Broadlees Golf, features interviews with Jo Martin about her fitness classes and nutrition, Graham Ferguson about his time as a referee and Sinclair McLaren with an update from Strathaven Rugby Club.

12/01/2024

Tomorrow’s Saturday Magazine show on Avondale Radio features a chat with Alison Harley of Climate Action Strathaven, an extract from the feature on the 3C bus on Morning Live and an interview with the captains at Strathaven Academy (Zoe and Scott) about the careers evening. There’s a selection of music from classic albums released 50 years ago in 1974, Robert Craig’s Book Shelf and in the second hour some new music from Last Night From Glasgow. Local news, good chat, great music. The show is sponsored by Dunlop Gas & Boiler Services. Thanks Ross. Station sponsored by The Guitar Trade Centre.

30/12/2023

The New Year’s Eve edition of Avon Valley Discs on Avondale Radio at 3pm is a special edition featuring my chat with Sarah Hoggan on her 21st birthday about life in Glassford, her music , college life,Glasgow, etc. We had a great time recording the show.

23/12/2023

There’s a special edition of Avon Valley Discs on Xmas Eve on Avondale Radio at 3pm. It features tracks by artists I’ve interviewed this year including Kirsten Adamson, Emma Dunlop, Chris Thomson & The Bathers, Grahame Skinner, Duglas T Stewart & BMX Bandits, Bruce Findlay, The Bluebells, John Douglas, David Scott & The Pearlfishers, Stu Kidd, Douglas MacIntyre & Port Sulphur, Amy Louise and Ewan MacFarlane Music.

A great selection of music and thanks to all of them for agreeing to appear on Avondale Radio. Looking forward to more interviews in 2024. Merry Xmas.

22/12/2023

My Saturday Magazine show on Avondale Radio from 9-11am on Dec 23rd features interviews with award winning local songwriter John Young, Richard Duthie RC from Sandford Giving Tree, Matthew Chapman from Avondale Vet Group - Small Animal and Jamie and Becky about their Retrofit work at home with Climate Action Strathaven.

There’s a new single from Last Night From Glasgow, a selection of the same songs by different artists in the first hour and a great selection of music in the second hour.

You can listen again at our website. The show is sponsored by Dunlop Gas & Boiler Services. Much appreciated Ross D Frame.

10/12/2023

Listen in to Business Blethers at 10am on Monday December 11th on Avondale Radio as I chat with Becky Howie about all things Maldod life. A great chat with Becky about how she can give support to current your life. Great music too. The show is sponsored by the Bike Barn.

26/11/2023

This Monday's edition of Business Blethers at 10am on Monday November 27th on Avondale Radio features my interview with two women owners of local accommodation businesses, Jacqui Laing of Avonholm House near Glassford (www.avonholmhouse.com) and Lesley Gliksten of Sandknowe in Strathaven (www.sandknowe.com).

We have a great chat about how their businesses developed at the same time as their friendship and we hear about Lesley's background in fine dining and catering.

Listen again after it goes out at www.avondaleradio.com

For the Community, By the Community

26/11/2023

This Monday's edition of Business Blethers at 10am on Monday November 27th on Avondale Radio features my interview with two women owners of local accommodation businesses, Jacqui Laing of Avonholm House near Glassford (www.avonholmhouse.com) and Lesley Gliksten of Sandknowe in Strathaven (www.sandknowe.com).

We have a great chat about how their businesses developed at the same time as their friendship and we hear about Lesley's background in fine dining and catering.

Listen again after it goes out at www.avondaleradion.com.

25/11/2023

Listen in at 3pm on Sunday November 25th on Avondale Radio to the latest edition of Avon Valley Discs as I play the first half of a fascinating interview with former local MP Adam Ingram. He tells a enthralling story of his time in Westminster and his role in the Whip's Office and then as PPS to Neil Kinnock. He tells about his parliamentary career right up to his involvement in negotiating the Peace Process in Northern Ireland as Securities Minister for NI.

The second half of the interview will be on December 10th.

25/11/2023

This week's edition of Avondale Sports on Avondale Radio is at 2pm on Sunday November 25th at 2pm.

THe show features interviews with Jack Fleming and Colin about Strathaven Dynamo AFC, Sinclair McLaren with updates from Strathaven Rugby Club, 15 year old STRATHAVEN STRIDERS Triathlete Euan Green, Hayley McEwan about her football career and her transformation into an international triathlete and Ahriana Brennan's first interview for Avondale Sports where she talks to Adele Brennan from the Bike Barn about winter rides.

There's so much sport happening in Avondale and it's all on Avondale Sports on Avondale Radio.

18/11/2023

Sunday’s Avon Valley Discs on Avondale Radio features the audio from our video that we did to promote the many services provided by Kilbryde Hospice. A fantastic benefit to our community that we are happy to support. On at 3pm November 19th and then on listen again at

For the Community, By the Community

14/11/2023

Annual General Meeting December 5th 2023

The annual general meeting of the Strathaven John Hastie Museum Trust SC043189 will be held on Tuesday 5th December 2023 at 7.30pm at 10 Todshill Street, Strathaven ML10 6DD. We would be delighted to see as many people as possibleat our AGM. Please come along to show your support and share your ideas!

01/11/2023

Dugald Tait, Plumbing Services based in Glasgow Road in Strathaven, has been a valued advertiser in Strathaven Echoes throughout my time as editor and owner and previously. I would like to thank Andrew and Linda for their support.

They have asked me to post this (it should have been in the last Echoes but due to an oversight on my part it wasn't so apologies to them).

It is a thank you to all their customers over many years.

27/09/2023

Well that’s the final edition of Strathaven Echoes done and dusted and sent off to 360 Graphics to be printed. It’s been a real rollercoaster over the last seven years and a real pleasure to have been involved with. There are loads of people to thank in the final opinion column and it will be odd when the next fortnight rolls round and I’m not at my Mac ranting away about something. It’s been great covering local stories and highlighting the positive things about our wonderful community.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Echoes over the last seven years and I’m grateful for all the really good friends I have made through the paper. Avondale Radio is there to pick up the slack where we can with interviews, news, features , etc. Please keep in touch and I’m happy to arrange interviews on local stories to include in my Saturday Magazine show.

26/09/2023

It may be the week of the final ever edition of Strathaven Echoes but we are still out reporting on stories and getting photos. This is the women of Chapelton Primary School bracing the horrible weather on the picket line at the village school this morning.

20/08/2023

What a fantastic start to the food initiative being run by Rotary Club of Strathaven supported by Strathaven Echoes and Avondale Radio. The Round Strathaven 50 organisers asked cyclists to bring along food donations and they certainly went for it. This is a great start to the campaign and we look forward to seeing how Avondale responds over the next two weeks. Thank you all.

18/08/2023

Strathaven Echoes and Avondale Radio are part of the food initiative launched by the Rotary Club of Strathaven called 'Empty Shelves mean Empty Stomachs with the aim of filling the shelves at Loaves and Fishes..

This initiative is due to run from August 21st until September 1st with the aim of collecting as much food as possible to help restock the shelves of Loaves and Fishes in East Kilbride, which provides help and support to many families and individuals in Avondale. The need for foodbanks has increased dramatically over the last few years for many reasons, resulting in many more households having to rely on foodbanks. Lesley Davidson of Loaves and Fishes told us some heart-wrenching stories including one where a single mother, working fulltime, had to take the decision not to eat for two days a week so that her two children were fed. Loaves and Fishes doesn’t just provide food, it also provides hope and helps put families back together again. We would urge you to look at the leaflet and donate whatever food you can at any of the ten drop-off points (all eight local schools, Climate Action Strathaven and Strathaven Hotel). The Rotary Club of Strathaven will arrange for these to be collected on a regular basis and dropped off at Loaves and Fishes. Let’s see what we as a community can do over the two weeks starting August 21st to help restock the shelves at Loaves and Fishes. Remember ‘Empty Shelves mean Empty Stomachs’.

If you have any queries about this initiative please call me on 07557 234124

Rotary Club of Strathaven Nigel R L Thomson

18/08/2023

Please consider supporting this initiative run by Rotary Club of Strathaven and supported by Avondale Radio and Strathaven Echoes

18/08/2023

The August 18th edition of Strathaven Echoes is now in the shops and available to buy as a PDF for smartphone and tablet from www.leshogganphotography.com/strathaven-echoes .

Available from Climate Action Strathaven, The Heron Farm Shop & Kitchen, 13 Barn Street, Craigs newsagents, Scotmid, roasted, No 40 Common Green, Chapelton Shop Local, USave, The Crib - Community Coffee House.

I hope you enjoy this edition. After this one I have three more to produce before the final edition goes out on September 29th 2023.

30/07/2023

As you may know, the last edition of Strathaven Echoes that I will be editing is scheduled to come out on September 29th.

The Strathaven Echoes title is owned by ML10 Media, a Limited Liability Partnership run by myself and my partner Morag. ML10 Media has been producing Strathaven Echoes since 2016.

We are keen to talk to anyone interested in continuing to run Strathaven Echoes whether as a going concern or as a community venture. I am happy to continue to provide articles and/or photos.

If you are interested in buying out the title or in discussing options for the future of Strathaven Echoes please contact us by email at [email protected], by calling me on 07557 234124 or by sending a message through Facebook.

We would be delighted to see a local newspaper continue in Strathaven or across Avondale. If you have ideas on how Strathaven Echoes could continue then please get in touch and we would be happy to have a chat with you about options.

21/07/2023

Strathaven Echoes is back refreshed after a short break and ready for the final six editions before my last edition on September 29th. This week's edition is packed with local news and photos and available to buy as a pdf for smartphones and tablets from www.leshogganphotography.com/strathaven-echoes .

Echoes is available from The Crib - Community Coffee House Climate Action Strathaven Craigs newsagents The Heron Farm Shop & Kitchen 13 Barn Street Scotmid, USave, Chapelton Shop Local No 40 Common Green

10/06/2023

The latest edition of Strathaven Echoes is now in the shops and available to buy as a PDF for smartphone and tablet. Just go to www.leshogganphotography.com/strathaven-echoes and follow the instructions.

Echoes is available from Craigs newsagents, Chapelton Shop Local, Climate Action Strathaven, The Heron Farm Shop & Kitchen, The Crib - Community Coffee House, USave, Scotmid, roasted, Creative Strathaven CIC, No 40 Common Green.

I hope you enjoy this edition. It has images from Hangarfest 2023, Strathaven Gala Raft Race, Stonehouse Gala, Gilmourton Primary School Film Premiere and Kirklandpark PS Eco Committee.

25/05/2023

The May 26th edition of Strathaven Echoes is now in the shops and available to download as a pdf for smartphone and tablets from www.leshogganphotography.com/strathaven-echoes.

It is available from Craigs newsagents Chapelton Shop Local Climate Action Strathaven The Heron Farm Shop & Kitchen The Crib - Community Coffee House roasted Scotmid, USave

I hope you enjoy this edition.

18/05/2023

As many of you will know, I have been running Strathaven Echoes since November 2016, producing the paper every fortnight.

I am planning to step back from Echoes in September 2023 with my last edition going out on September 28th. I would be happy to continue to provide articles and photographs if we can find someone or a group to take over responsibility for producing Strathaven Echoes on a fortnightly basis.

I would love to find a way for Strathaven Echoes to continue as it is a great vehicle for local groups, organisations, events, festivals, etc. Echoes is produced from a limited liability partnership called ML10 Media, formed after we bought out the previous owners in 2016. There would be options for taking over this partnership as a going concern.

I would love to have a chat with anyone interested in taking over the running of our local newspaper, and as I said I would be happy to step back completely or stay involved in some capacity.

There are options for Echoes to be run as a community newspaper, an online only paper or to continue as a printed newspaper.

If you are interested, or have an idea or a proposal for how Echoes could continue, please email me at [email protected] or call me on 07557234124. I'm happy to have a chat and flexible on options for Echoes for the future.