Evening Times

Crippled at 38...But Miracle Hip Op has Given Me a New Life ;Revolutionary Surgery Gave a Glasgow Gym Teacher Her Life Back

EVERY year, around 50,000 people in the UK, many in their 40s and 50s, face the prospect of hip-replacement surgery. But an exciting new operation means they can now look forward to jumping for joy - like Glasgow gym teacher Sheila Crawford. Sheila Hamilton reports

Iain's Rich Slab of Life; John Byrne's Slab Boy Trilogy has Long Been an Inspiration to One Young Govan Actor

AT 22 years old, Slab Boys star Iain Robertson is too young to have seen John Byrne's comedy trilogy on stage. However, that's not to say the Govan-born actor, who rose to fame with the cult Glasgow movie Small Faces, is clueless about comedy life in a Paisley carpet factory.

Don't Miss

Beowulf at the Arches Theatre, from February 11-21 AN epic poem written more than a thousand years ago, Beowulf tells the story of a young warrior battling with - and defeating - a series of grim and powerful monsters.

In the Wings

SHAKESPEARE'S R & J runs at the Theatre Royal from February 5-7. This adaptation, described as 'one of the most electrifying ever', is set in a Catholic boarding school, where four young boys smuggle in a forbidden copy of the play and secretly act it out at night. Call 0141 332 9000 for details.

[It Was Like Stepping Back in Time at the Barrowland Last Friday Night]

IT was like stepping back in time at the Barrowland last Friday night. One of Scotland's most influential folk artists of the last 30 years, Bert Jansch, has been lauded by the likes of Jimmy Page, Neil Young, Nick Drake, Noel Gallagher, Johnny Marr and of course ex- Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, who joined him as he took the stage.

[Following On From the International Success...]

Following on from the international success of his first show Back O' the North Wind, exploring the history of the Scots in America, singer and songwriter Brian McNeill moves on to address Scots' adventures in Europe with Baltic Tae Byzantium. Brian has researched the lives of six Scots - some famous, some not - in whose lives the European experience was a significant factor.

Sharing a Loo Is No Threat to Your Religion

GOD didn't go to school. That's a pity, because he obviously had a lot to learn about the big 'R' religion. He would have learned that two doors are better than one. Two staff rooms make for twice as much comfort during breaks and separate identities within a single school complex are at the root of an educational schizophrenia which afflicts Scotland.

Boost for Scottish Unis As More Students Stay at Home

MORE Scots students are opting to stay at home and study at local universities, it was revealed today. The number of stay-at-home students last year was up 450, or 2%, on the previous year.

Kidnap Ordeal of Tortured Niece

TWO aunts kidnapped and tortured their niece in a dispute over jewellery. Jean Cochrane, 49, and Michelle Thomson, 35, tied their 21-year- old niece to a tree, stuffed a stocking in her mouth and put a hood over her head, before abandoning her in an isolated patch of woodland.

Mccoist Strikes a Deal in (Pounds) 2m Divorce Battle; Football Legend Reaches Agreement with Wife Allison to Avoid Court Confrontation

FORMER Rangers and Scotland star Ally McCoist is today contemplating life as a single man after settling his (pounds) 2million divorce battle with wife Allison. The ex-footballer turned TV presenter reached an agreement after lawyers thrashed out a deal ahead of the warring couple's expected face-to-face meeting in court next month.

15 Months for Driving Car at Man

A DRIVER who steered his car onto a pavement and tried to mow down a man has been jailed for 15 months. Edward Lavery, 30, of Easterhouse, Glasgow, attacked Hugh Brown last October in Wester Mavisbank Avenue, Airdrie, Lanarkshire.

Sexy Card Man Loses Fight Over Sacking

A WORKER who wrote messages with sexual innuendoes on a colleague's leaving card has lost his appeal against his sacking. Michael Duncan was fired after a boss saw the card intended for Marie Stewart and noticed "offensive" comments with sexual innuendoes. Three colleagues also complained.

Water Cut Off for City Residents

CITY centre residents were left without water for 24 hours after a main burst at Charing Cross. Water bosses disconnected the water supply of people living nearby to allow engineers to repair the damage.

Blitz On 100 Rogue Landlords Over 'Death Trap' Flats; Council Cracks Down As Dad Blasts 'Arrogant' Owners

ALMOST 100 rogue landlords have been caught renting out potential death trap flats in Glasgow despite tough new safety laws. Inspectors have served enforcement notices on 98 owners to remove metal bars from the windows of their properties since two students died in a basement flat fire in 1999.

Two-Day-Old Baby's Mercy Dash Drama; Tot Fights for Life in Yorkhill After Rescue Crew Finally Beats Blizzards

A HERO helicopter crew defied horrendous weather to bring a two- day-old baby to Yorkhill Hospital today for life-saving treatment. The seriously-ill boy was flown from Raigmore Hospital in Inverness in a Royal Navy helicopter in an incubator - but the crew had to make three trips totalling more than 300 miles through snowstorms to bring the tot to Glasgow.

Blunt Deadly Blade Culture

THE hidden blade is a lethal scourge on Glasgow's streets. And there is no doubt that, despite a series of recent initiatives, their easy availability contributes to crime.

Top of the Ops

SHEILA Crawford is the last person anyone would think was an arthritis victim. The 38-year-old gym teacher was the picture of health until she was stricken by the crippling disease.

Get Tough On City's Death Trap Landlords

GLASGOW'S private landlords have had long enough to clean up their act. It's been five years since James Fraser and Daniel Heron died in their blazing west end flat after any chance of escape was thwarted by bars on the windows.

Project Lifts Flood Threat From Homes

A (pounds) 1.8million project to protect hundreds homes from sewer flooding has been completed. Scottish Water has installed new tank sewers to boost the capacity of the system in an area of Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow.

Fire Families Told Flats Must Be Demolished; More Agony for Tenants and Business Owners After Blaze Tragedy

HOMES and buildings gutted by a fire in which a woman died are to be demolished. Families who had to flee the inferno have been told by Glasgow City Council officials that the building, at the corner of Maryhill Road and Clarendon Street, is dangerous and cannot be reoccupied.