Evening Times

Fly Flag; Exclusive: Kids Can Win Chance to Wave Starball Before Celtic Play Barcelona

IT'S the dream ticket every young Celtic fan will want to get their hands on the opportunity be in the centre circle at Parkhead as the Hoops take on Barcelona in the Champions League. If you're aged between 12 and 16 this could be the chance of a lifetime to share the stage in front of a worldwide television audience of millions, as well as 60,000 supporters at Celtic Park.

Why We Will Not Be Gagged by Glasgow's Health Chiefs

TODAY the Evening Times publishes serious allegations regarding the state of orthopaedic services in Glasgow. They have been made by a leading specialist who believes these key NHS services are close to collapse.

Top Doctor's Damning Verdict; the Orthopaedic Service in Glasgow Is About to Collapse Due to Lack of Planning, Poor Morale and Inadequate Support; News Special: Leading Surgeon Attacks Glasgow Health Chiefs Over Waiting Times for Operations

NHS bosses aim to spend millions of pounds more this year to cut waiting times for joint replacement operations. Yet one of Glasgow's top orthopaedic consultants claims the entire service is close to collapse. Chief Reporter DAVID LEASK investigates. GLASGOW'S orthopaedic service - which carries out vital hip, knee and other operations - is close to collapse, it has been claimed.

Motoristswarned of Delays

MOTORISTS are being warned of possible delays over the next three weeks on Scotland's main route to England. Contraflow systems will be in force on the M74 southbound between junction six and seven at Hamilton while vital maintenance work goes on northbound.

Kids' Gym Aims to Fight Flab

SCOTLAND'S first gym designed specifically for children has opened in a bid to halt the rise in obesity. The Tryst Sports Centre in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, is designed especially for kids and features weight resistance units and exercise bikes.

Hunt After (Pounds) 30,000 Shop Raid

POLICE are hunting thieves who stole an estimated (pounds) 30,000 from a supermarket safe. Cash, phone cards scratch cards and cigarettes were all stolen from the Co-op on Pollokshaws Road in Shawlands, during the overnight raid.

First Class Hospital Care

AFTER all the recent bad publicity about the Victoria Infirmary, I would like to redress the balance and praise the staff of orthopaedic ward 8. My mother was recently a patient for three and a half weeks and the care and attention she received from the doctors, nurses, auxiliary and cleaning staff was first class.

Times Past :Glasgow Marathon, 1982

Glasgow Marathon, 1982 The Glasgow marathon has built a tremendous reputation as a sporting occasion since it was first held in 1982. Back then, around 20,000 runners of all ages made it to the finish on Glasgow Green.

Soapworks Staff Start 2-Day Strike

SIXTY-ONE workers at a Glasgow factory that supplies soap products to the Body Shop today began the first in a series of two- day strikes. Workers turned out in force early this morning to stage a picket line at Soapworks Ltd, in Easterhouse.

Charity Trek Appeal

KEEN walkers are needed to trek across Cuba to raise cash for charity. Adventurous people are invited to sign up for a Momentum Champions' Challenge from October 22 to 30, 2005.

Man Guilty of Brutally Killing Baby Stepson; Waiter's Horror Attack On Tot Caused Injuries Similar to Car Crash Victim

A man was today found guilty of murdering his baby stepson. Mohammad Ullah, 25, stared ahead in silence as the jury found him guilty of the murder of eight-month-old Kyle Mutch in Turriff, Aberdeenshire, in January this year.

Snow Palace Planned in Festive Ice-Rink Facelift; Fair Rides Face Axe to Deter Gangs

GLASGOW'S festive ice-rink is to be given a facelift this year to lure more families into the heart of the city. In previous years the huge ice-rink in George Square, one of the biggest of its kind in Europe, has attracted around 30,000 skaters of all ages over Christmas.

Safety Idea Is a Belter

A BUDDING designer is heading for Germany after winning a prestigious competition. Car giant Audi is treating Lauren Currie, 17, of Kilmarnock, to an all-expenses-paid trip to their European plant.

Reliance Vows to Act On Staff Problems

SECURITY firm Reliance has said it will act to prevent staff problems delaying trials in future. A High Court judge has received an assurance from the troubled security company, that steps have been taken to prevent a repeat of problems earlier this week which resulted in three major trials being disrupted.

Epilepsy Volunteers Wanted

VOLUNTEERS are needed to man a helpline for teenagers with epilepsy. Care charity Quarriers says teenagers with the condition often face more complex problems than adults, difficulties which often coincide with a breakdown of communication with their families.

M&S Pair Stuffed (Pounds) 30,000 in Socks; Sacked City Store Workers Face Jail for Audacious Theft

TWO workers stole (pounds) 30,000 from a Glasgow store by stuffing banknotes down their socks. George Rankin and Noel Reid took the cash last July while employed at the Marks & Spencer branch in Argyle Street.

Please Don't Send My Sick Son Into the Firing Line in Iraq; Mum's Plea As Teenager Goes Awol

A DESPERATE mum has pleaded with Army bosses not to send her sick teenage son to Iraq. Glasgow soldier David McBride, 17, has been diagnosed with depression and refuses to return to his unit.

Terror As 80-Year-Old Drove Wrong Way Down M8 Fast Lane; Cops Left Stunned by Oap's Blunder

STUNNED police watched in horror as a pensioner drove towards them - going the wrong way up a motorway fast lane. The officers couldn't halt the vehicle because of the speed it was travelling.

Fitness Firm Boost for Street

A FITNESS firm is set to boost the fortunes of a Glasgow shopping street after snapping up a vacant shop unit. Workout World, currently based in Bothwell Street, will move to nearby Union Street on September 7, raising hopes of a regeneration for the area.

Ports Group in (Pounds) 44m Move

THE firm that operates the ports at Ayr and Troon today unveiled a (pounds) 44.5million expansion of its Humber terminal in a bid to meet the UK's hunger for imported coal. Associated British Ports pledged to build a new coal facility at Immingham to serve the UK electricity supply industry after clinching deals with BHP Billiton, Drax Power and EDF Energy.