:00:12. > :00:14.A survey of Christians claims that the number of regular
:00:15. > :00:20.church goers in Scotland has fallen by more than half in 30 years.
:00:21. > :00:22.The Scottish Church Census said the number of attendees
:00:23. > :00:26.was now at a record low - and that elderly people make up
:00:27. > :00:50.In that year, around 854,000 people regularly attended church. That
:00:51. > :00:56.figure fell to around 390,000 by last year. The research also
:00:57. > :01:03.revealed that 42% of churchgoers were over the age of 65. The number
:01:04. > :01:12.of congregations in 2016 was around 3700. Down from around 4100 in 1984.
:01:13. > :01:17.So, do the figures indicate a crisis in Christianity across Scotland?
:01:18. > :01:24.This report shows to us what we already sense, the scale of the
:01:25. > :01:27.challenges facing churches in Scotland today. Scotland is a hugely
:01:28. > :01:32.different country which has changed a lot over the last 50 years but
:01:33. > :01:35.there is still a huge appetite to understand what Christianity is all
:01:36. > :01:39.about, but churches also have to change the way in which that it is
:01:40. > :01:43.celebrated and presented. But the Census also revealed growth
:01:44. > :01:47.amongst some denominations in some parts of Scotland.
:01:48. > :01:50.It's not as if all churches in Scotland are feeling at the same
:01:51. > :01:58.time, all churches are deserted at the moment, many churches have been
:01:59. > :01:59.filled today, it is is today. And I think that you have to look at the
:02:00. > :02:03.filled today, it is is today. And I churches that are growing at the
:02:04. > :02:07.moment. This church has grown by 20% year since last year, and that
:02:08. > :02:11.indicates that some churches are doing very well at a time when some
:02:12. > :02:14.are not. While they do not necessarily make
:02:15. > :02:17.happy reading, the figures are being seen by some as an opportunity to
:02:18. > :02:18.bring Christianity to a new generation.
:02:19. > :02:21.The parents of a young girl with cerebral palsy have praised
:02:22. > :02:23.volunteers at a Scots charity who travelled from Glasgow
:02:24. > :02:27.to Newcastle to deliver a vital feeding tube.
:02:28. > :02:29.Molly Grace was suffering from severe complications
:02:30. > :02:33.because the one she had was the wrong size, but got the help
:02:34. > :02:36.she needed after a plea from her family on social media.
:02:37. > :02:50.Molly Grace has cerebral palsy and cannot walk or talk. The
:02:51. > :02:54.seven-year-old from Newcastle has to be fed through a tube attached to
:02:55. > :02:57.her bowel, but the one she had was not the right size, and last week
:02:58. > :03:01.she became very sick. Getting hold of the device she needed quickly was
:03:02. > :03:04.proving difficult because of a of the device she needed quickly was
:03:05. > :03:08.national shortage, and in desperation her parents made an
:03:09. > :03:11.appeal on social media. It made us feel better by putting
:03:12. > :03:16.the appeal out, we felt like we were doing something in the meantime, not
:03:17. > :03:20.expecting at all that it was going to work.
:03:21. > :03:25.The response was staggering. My phone was pinning with all sorts
:03:26. > :03:29.of messages and shares and requests to help, really unbelievable.
:03:30. > :03:34.The right bit of equipment was found in Glasgow, and volunteers at the
:03:35. > :03:37.medical transport charity drove it to Newcastle. They even got to meet
:03:38. > :03:43.Molly and her family. Very humbling, obviously, to meet a
:03:44. > :03:46.brave girl like Molly and speak to her mum and dad and see what they
:03:47. > :03:49.have been through and what Molly has been through as well. And get to
:03:50. > :03:54.know that this could potentially give her a bit of rest and respite.
:03:55. > :03:57.There was something really special and the fact that we had made such a
:03:58. > :04:01.great difference, and mum and dad have reached out to us as well on
:04:02. > :04:04.social media, so hopefully we will get to hear some updates of how she
:04:05. > :04:08.is getting on. Molly was fitted with her new tube,
:04:09. > :04:14.and has been recovering in hospital. Her family helped the drivers with
:04:15. > :04:16.this home-made card, and have started another home-made campaign
:04:17. > :04:21.to raise money for the charity which came to their aid.
:04:22. > :04:23.Football, and Ross County drew 2-2 against Celtic in the Premiership,
:04:24. > :04:30.Liam Boyce scored from the spot, then Celtic captain Scott Brown
:04:31. > :04:42.Ricky Burns says he won't quit after losing his super-lightweight
:04:43. > :04:46.unification fight against Julius Indongo
:04:47. > :04:50.The Coatbridge boxer had put his WBA belt on the line,
:04:51. > :04:53.with the unbeaten Namibian putting his IBF and IBO
:04:54. > :05:01.Let's get the weather forecast for this evening
:05:02. > :05:11.Thank you, good evening. It has been a mixed bag of weather today with
:05:12. > :05:16.rain giving way to sunny spells and some showers. This evening, the
:05:17. > :05:22.showers were largely diet, leaving most of the country dry during the
:05:23. > :05:26.overnight period, with some clear spells and perhaps a touch of frost
:05:27. > :05:29.developing in shelter. A few wintry showers moving in across the
:05:30. > :05:36.northern isles come the end of the night on a cold northerly wind. Lows
:05:37. > :05:39.of around minus two Celsius, more typically around 2-4 . Tomorrow we
:05:40. > :05:44.will have wintry showers affecting parts of Sutherland, Caithness, the
:05:45. > :05:48.north-east. Through the day, however, they will become confined
:05:49. > :05:52.to the borders under South East, leaving mostly dry conditions with
:05:53. > :05:56.plenty of sunshine, and a distinctly cold feel with brisk northerly
:05:57. > :05:59.winds. Thanks, Christine.
:06:00. > :06:11.Our next update is just after the 10pm news.
:06:12. > :06:15.Good evening if you spend Easter under cloudy skies with rain
:06:16. > :06:16.hopefully I can promise you