25/05/2017 Timeline

Tonight, after Manchester, how safe are we on a weekend

Plus rugby legend Gavin Hastings and wife Diane are here to talk

Welcome to Timeline, where we're also marking 15 years

of the Falkirk Wheel, and checking out the spectacular

scenery of Scotland's answer to Route 66.

That's the North Coast 500 - stand-by for some

Plus what happens when you take ponies into a care home?

This week's atrocity in Manchester has prompted a major

review of security and led to the announcement that more

armed police will be deployed across Scotland

It also saw the threat level increased, to the highest

As we will see here now, there's a weekend of major events ahead,

including tomorrow's visit of Barack Obama to the capital,

Saturday's Scottish Cup Final, and the Edinburgh Marathon.

So what's the best way to respond to any potential threat?

Earlier I discussed this with the human rights lawyer

Aamer Anwar, and first, former Justice Secretary Kenny

MacAskill, who gave his view on more armed police on our streets.

I think it's necessary. It's the world in which we live. Every

government, both the British and Scottish, have a duty to keep their

citizens safe and part of the armed police to reassure individual

through a lot concerned. -- reassure individuals who are concerned. It

will be scaled down once the security is moved from critical

severe again. But at the moment to deter those who would perpetrate

harm and to reassure honest citizens, high visibility is

necessary. This has personal residence for you, the attack in

Manchester, because you were born there and have family there. Yes,

Mike two nieces probably would have been at the concert with my sister

had they not had exams, so when I switched on the TV and saw this

horror, they go several times a year and the fact that contacting

friends, wanted to know their kids were OK, that their families were OK

for me the issue very much was when it's about speaking with people,

bombs don't distinguish race, colour and creed. This affects the whole

community. We need to remember that in terms of what the solution is on

the solution is the humanity and compassion we see in Manchester,

that we saw at the jewel in Glasgow and cities across the country, how

people feel about this. They struck at children, because they want to

cause horror. They want to unleash our anger and throw away all the

liberties and securities we take for granted in this country, to sow

division. And have fear. And obviously, I asked my sister the

question, she said, I'm not going to let my children go to a concert

again. I said, you can't do that. This is what they want. I know when

I came to this city when I was 18 years old music was the catalyst

that tore down racial and political barriers and that's exactly what

these people don't want and the way we do defeat them, obviously we have

police, we need resources, we want these individuals caught soon as

soon as possible but life, I don't often agree with the Prime Minister,

which is our way of life has to prevail which includes music, dance,

singing, football, and it has to go on. I know this weekend there will

be football, there will be music, there will be events that memorials

and people in Majesty will unite with the rest of the people in this

country. Some have said the presence of armed police in the streets plays

into the terrorists' hands because they want to frighten others into

curbing liberties. Does that concern you? Oh, I think actually the advice

given some years back was prescient in the criticism of the former Duke

cost has been shown to be fair, the concept that officers should have

their weapons locked away as fanciful when we have seen what has

happened in London. These people are trying to attack not just our

democracy but our values and our way of life and that causes great

difficulties. The solution rests in intelligence. But we do have to be

prepared for it. That's why there has to be armed police there. There

does have to be visible, I think citizens could expect no less, that

can't at the end of the day protected because that's why they

attack aeroplanes, because it is symbolic of the Western world. Why

do they attack football matches in Paris, or pop concerts with

youngsters in in Manchester? It's because they view was as decadent

and depraved to some extent in how we live. These soft targets are

always going to be there, which is why both the police and security

services require to protect them because they are targeting. That's

why security at airports is necessary. It's why the checks we go

through on planes might seem superfluous, but actually there is

the desire to take down aviation because as -- because of its

symbolism and likewise tragically, a friendly game between fans and Paris

in -- France and Germany in Paris, or a pop concert, it's attacking the

soft culture we have in the west, so we need to protect these things. Do

you have concerns, Aamer Anwar, that peace-loving Muslims will feel once

again targeted? I don't want to see a climate of fear where people are

marked out because of the colour of their skin, where there is a climate

of suspicion. That's the danger. Last time we were in the situation

was 7/7, John Charles De is was shot dead and that's danger that lies

ahead. The real issue is how to defeat terror is community-based

intelligence. That won't come from the reassurance of armed police

officers on the streets, but it's actually going to come from people

contacting. There's a question about Salman Abbey-Leigh, five times over

five years members of the Muslim community contacted the security

services and said they had concerns about this individual -- Salman

Abedi. Web with thanks for joining us.

It's an engineering marvel which links two

of Scotland's main canals - and doubles as a tourist

The Falkirk Wheel has been a huge success since it

Now, it's marking that anniversary with a special event this

The Falkirk Wheel is 15 years old. In fact, 15 years old this week. It

was opened by the Queen in a fanfare of excitement. We are absolutely

thrilled to be celebrating this Saturday. We're expecting 5000-6000

people to come and join us for the biggest birthday party the Falkirk

Wheel has ever had. We've got lots of entertainment, from Romans, the

real Romans coming to entertain people. We've got street theatre,

we've got the biggest birthday cake the Falkirk Wheel has ever had, and

it promises to be a really fantastic day. The Falkirk Wheel replaces a

series of locks that originally existed to join the Forth and Clyde

Canal with the Union Canal, which is around 35 metres higher up the land.

The Falkirk Wheel essentially has two gondolas. It lifts water and

boats using the power of eight kettles, no more, and it lifts

boasts between those two canals. We get about 500,000 people year, many

of whom want to come on the boat trips, some who take photos and

marvel at the incredible engineer, and people come from all over the

world to see this really unique attraction. Well, we just went up

and round, like we are here now. Very enjoyable. It's not until you

take the trip up and back you fully understand and appreciate what's

gone behind in inventing that. Absolutely incredible. There's a

magic about this place. It's nice. It looks marvellous, I've never seen

anything like it. I don't care what the weather people say, we're

expecting sunshine, so if you're at a loose end this weekend this is a

great place to come and spend your time. Ewan-macro great weather this

weekend. Looks fun. He's one of the most famous rugby

players Scotland has ever produced. This one was a captain

of the British and Irish Lions - And this weekend it's his wife Diane

who's in the spotlight, as they're running as part

of a relay team in the Edinburgh Marathon to raise

money for Parkinson's. Diane was diagnosed with Parkinson's

in 2003, and recently had a ground-breaking operation

to improve things. I'm delighted to see you looking so

well. Thank you. You've been living with Parkinson's for 14 years.

What's life be like for you on the family in that time? Really, when I

was first diagnosed my main issue was to bring the children up as well

as I could and I think we've managed to do that. Honestly, they are

lovely children! Yes, I think have established that, so one side done

that my condition did deteriorate quite quickly last year, so that's

when we decided to go down the way of the DVS operation, which has been

an amazing success, given me a new lease of life. Tell me about the

operation. I was unconscious for six hours, he probably knows more than I

do. There were a couple of electrodes put into the brain, in a

very selected, targeted area of the brain, and she is fitted with a

battery powered stimulator. It sends all these stimulating signals into

the areas of the brain. As a result of that, all the nasty side effects

of the drugs that Diane has had to take, heard drug consumption has

dropped by probably 60-70 percent. So all the side-effects of the means

that she wouldn't be able to have sat still like this this time last

year, and as a result she's put on some much-needed weight and our

lives really have been transformed. How much weight have you put on and

how has life changed? Three stone. I came out of hospital seven stone ?1

and managed to put on about three stone, so I've given up weighing

myself now. When you say, how has it changed, we are about to find out on

Sunday because we're running in this relay marathon in the Edinburgh

Marathon. I'm in a boys team and I've got former rugby colleagues Rob

Andrew, a former British Lion and Richard Moon, who we were at

Cambridge with and a son Connor Cameron, running in the boys' team

and Diane has some of her girlfriends. We are running

alongside the partners. Diane and I are doing the glory lead right at

the end. How long are you running for? 4.4

miles. How long we are running for maybe about two hours! The amount of

training we've done! IQ OK to run? We find out on Sunday! You both are

very fit and well. Thank you. Diane, how much training did you have to do

for that? I've done more than Gavin, actually. He'll probably still beat

me on the day. We are running together, love, it's all right, it's

OK. He is Mr competitive. I have done training. This is all part of

fundraising for Parkinson's and the two of you have devoted yourself to

fund-raising over the last few years. Has that helps the two of you

deal with this? In a funny way I'm sure you're right but I think when

you are involved and obviously people, when they raise money for

charity, they have a very personal cause to do so and clearly our cause

is in Parkinson's. It's an extraordinary illness, there's

literally tens of thousands of people that are affected by

Parkinson's in the UK, and yet the drugs have not really changed in the

last 50 years. Money will eventually find a cure for Parkinson's,

probably not in our lifetime, but we hope that we can slow down or even

stop the progression. So I'm a great believer that Diane's illness, it's

not going to go away, she's had this amazing piece of ground-breaking

surgery if you like, that's really helped her condition, but it's not

in any provided a cure. But it's helped Diane and others manage her

condition. As a result, we want to do our little bit. We are raising

funds for Parkinson's UK. There's a little just giving page we have.

Hopefully we'll raise a few more thousand pounds and that's what it's

all about. Before you go, we've known each other a long time and I

saw you when Parkinson's had a pretty strong grip on you, so

compared to them, now, what's the difference? Well, I can sit at a

dinner table without kicking men under the table without them trying

to think I'm playing FTSE with them! I would literally be moving the

whole time. I couldn't walk very far. I'd lost all my confidence. I

had never gone on a plane on my own or gone into town, stopped at a

friends at night because it was uncomfortable and people would be

staring at me as well while I was moving the whole time, which made it

worse. Whereas now, I have the confidence back and I feel a lot

better with it as well. I was at a dinner where you both talked about

each other and you really love each other. Gavin, you publicly said how

much you loved Diane, how close you are. I think we are great pals and

you get to a stage in life now that Diane goes off on holiday with her

friends and I'm busy going off like I am in a few weeks' time with the

Lions team and going to do some work in New Zealand, so it's a

companionship, it's a friendship, and we've known each other for a

long, long time. We are very comfortable with each other. All my

friends have known as for almost as long as we've known each other.

Diane W said he was your rock. I know, he is. We've been through a

lot together over the past 14 years and you always say, I'm the only

person who laughs at your jokes! You support each other through the

marathon. Is it Sunday? Yes. We will certainly be doing that. Great to

see you, you are looking fantastic. Thank you.

You've probably heard of therapy dogs, who bring comfort and cuddles

But did you know about therapy ponies?

A group of them are spreading joy in care homes across the country.

We popped along to Cluny Lodge in Edinburgh to meet them.

Go on then. These horses are miniature Shetland ponies, Paul

Wilson and Eduardo. We have got 14 altogether in our little heard. We

use about eight of the horses out of the 14 for coming into care homes

and doing visits. The manager here kept it a secret from them, telling

them there would be VIPs coming in to visit them today, so nobody knew

there were ponies coming in. Little did they know that the VIP stood for

a very important horny. Here is Wilson! It takes people on journeys

of memories. Take them back to when they had an experience of horses in

their lives, and this, probably in their wildest dreams, did not think

that where they were in life, that they were very frail, they were in a

care home, that they were probably never going to get to part a force

again. My granddaughter, she trained on a little black Shetland, which

was the most bad tempered little animal! That ever walked the face.

These are very good. These are angels. I think it is a good thing

because this is what you missed. I know I miss my dogs. The worst is

that I spoke to. That is what I miss a lot. I miss the animals more than

the family, they say, but not quite true. A lovely wee boy! We have had

them burst into tears with joy. Cuddling them, giving them, just

really enjoying their company. And we have got them as soft as teddy

theirs, so they like cuddling into them as well. To have it come into

their home, to come into their room, so from -- for some very frail

ladies and gentlemen in here who could not hope to set up in a chair,

and John and Illingworth the horses enter the rims and that was

fantastic. Can I patted again? We have seen people who, you know, in

their journey through dementia, there is not one of a lot of that

can reach them. -- there is not a lot. We had one lady, I noticed, who

has a pretty poor short-term memory. She remembered the pony, she

remembered their names. She sees me every day, she knows she knows me

but she did not remember my name! That tells you a lot. That is

magical. It really is. What is not to love about that. I was worried

that they might make a mess, if you see what I mean. You know. But they

actually wear nappies apparently. 'S we were going to get one in the

studio. Accident waiting to happen!

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Last week you may remember my film about homelessness,

when I spent the night out on the streets of Glasgow.

But for the vast majority of homeless people, it's not

You'll have seen political satirist James Devoy on this show

What you probably don't know is that James was homeless for two years.

We have all seen people huddled in doorways on rainy nights, curled up

in sleeping bags and cardboard. It is awful but is not the whole story

when it comes to almost missed. In fact, it is just the tip of the

iceberg. I should know, I was homeless for two years. Yes, between

the ages of 17 and 18, I was homeless. But unlike some people, I

was lucky enough to find space in a shelter. Leith Street in Edinburgh

is the first place I was registered. As of -- as I was under 18 at that

end, I was found in young people's altar and, from there, moved to

supported accommodation. All of these things are still count as

homelessness. Never being able to settle or having a fixed abode,

moving around at the drop of a hat, bouncing around friends south of

between shelters, it all counts. After I was evicted from my

supported accommodation, as my time had run out, a friend took me in and

gave me enough time to sort some college I don't get back on my feet.

I do not know what would have happened to me if he had not done

that, so cheers, Mike. A bunch of together within the shelter with got

hooked on drugs. I did not see most of them ever again and 50 I bumped

into doing OK. It sucked, trust me, but for a huge amount of homeless

people in Scotland, sleeping rough as a last resort. Stir in any

shelter is not easy either. There are rules, lots of rules, and for

some, sticking to them is not easy. People battling addiction may be

asked to leave. People with undiagnosed mental health issues.

What we see on the streets is just the most obvious side-effect of

homelessness in Scotland. There is a less visible element of that which

is affecting the entire country. As conditions change in Scotland,

housing is becoming more precarious for some. There is an increased use

of the bank and 0-hours contracts. More and more people are in danger

of slipping into the invisible crack. Women escaping violent homes,

often with children. One missed rent cheque, a redundancy or not enough

shifts and you are where I was 17 years ago. It is not easy to climb

out. I was told by one social worker,

in no uncertain terms, that I could not get a job. I still had to sign

on but I could not get a job because it would be minimum wage and that

would not be enough to cover my shoulders so I had to do it so Spot

from Trainspotting, go for interviews and purposefully not get

them, which is not easy when you are as good looking as me. While many

think of the homeless as people outside on wet nights, that is not

what the word means. It is homelessness, not being without a

house or not having a rest, it means to be without a home. Take it from

me, home is far more than just four walls.

That was James Devoy, talking about his own experience of homelessness.

It's known as Scotland's answer to Route 66.

The North Coast 500 was launched two years ago, as a way of encouraging

tourism to some of the country's most remote places.The B-road

journey of over 500 miles takes in breathtaking scenery -

and Anne Lundon has seen it all for a series for BBC Alba.

We'll chat to her in a moment, after a quick look at the programme.

That looks absolutely spectacular. It was spectacular. Dell is exactly

where this route is. It forms a loop around the Northern half of the

country, so starting in Inverness you can go clockwise, which is not

the way we did it. We did it anticlockwise. I think if I were to

do it again I would go the other way, just to see things from a

different perspective. But it was designed by the North Highland

initiative, which will they would have always been there, that was set

up to really push, you know, the less visitors parts of the

Highlands. It has really taken off and I think a lot of people are

really interested in doing the road. What kind of areas does it take him?

Good start in Inverness. We went west and headed ... That is an

incredible Winding Road. Supermarket is not for the faint-hearted. The

driving experience is spectacular. At the bottom of the road, it says

not advisable for a learner drivers! I have seen cyclists doing it, I do

not know how they manage. We met all sorts of different people on the

road. Cyclists, people in caravans, going by road, we met a group of

bikers who were from Caithness. We bumped into them at an inn, which is

not quite on the road. That is one of the things I would recommend as

well, if you are going to be doing the right. Take the time to go off

the beaten track. Asserting ins are just a little bit of the road. It is

stunning, because you look at the Road to Gareloch. If you're going to

do this, what would you see? Line summits, hair pin bends. I would

say, from their afterwords Gareloch, up towards Ullapool, I am from the

Hebrides myself so I am quite ashamed to admit that there are

parts of that route I had never been on. I have obviously been to

Ullapool to catch the ferry, but I would say that area on the West

Coast, perhaps I am a little bit biased, being from the West Coast,

but the scenery and the views on that route, on the West Coast, were

just unlike any other I have seen anywhere else in this world. Is the

infrastructure up to it? If they are promoting this route so much now, is

there not a danger that all of these be roads will get clogged up? Speak

out that is probably, you know, quote concern for a lot of the

locals who live in the area. Because the roads have always been there,

but, you know, there is no this page to advertise it as an official

route, as it were, they are not designed for the amount of traffic

on these roads now. That is probably something that might need to be

looked at in the future. I am curious, I have a friend who

was late for something and was up on top of that mountain and had to

freewheel down a the stop cycling through the night to get somewhere,

but you must submit some incredible people. It is not just drivers and

cyclists, people from all over the world. Absolutely. We met all sorts

from all over the world. Doing it in various different stages of the

well. We did it in a daze. If I were to do it again, I would do it in the

opposite direction and maybe take a little longer, do it at a more

leisurely pace. But there definitely is something for everyone. All ages,

I would say. Young and old, different budgets. You can stay in

nice hotels or you can stay in equally as Naseby and bees, that are

not as costly. I did meet, actually, a family setting out from Germany.

-- equally as nice Bed Breakfasts. I asked the German family who they

felt about the majors. Pre-warning them, because they were just

starting out. They had never heard of midges before. I wonder how they

got on. They did not have any repellent. They did in September and

the midges were pretty bad them. We were very lucky with the weather.

The person who can come up with a cure for that will be a millionaire!

What is the end point? Started in Inverness and ended in Renfrew,

Inverness. 01 signal? See, I really liked that about the route. Most

people are relying on the phone, it was great. Wonderful.

And you can watch the next episode in the series next

Tuesday night at 8:30pm, on BBC Alba - and it's

But before we go we'll leave you with a poem by 13-year-old

schoolgirl Mila Stricevic, called "If I Ruled Scotland".

She won a national competition to go to tomorrow night's

big event in Edinburgh, where Barack Obama

If I ruled Scotland, here's what I would do

I'd make everything equal for me and you

I'd educate Scotland on hope and peace

If I ruled Scotland, here's a law I would pass

When the sun shone, no kids were in class

Instead, we'd play rounders or read in the shade

After all, it's unlikely to last more than one day

If I ruled Scotland, here's what I would do

-- If I ruled Scotland, here's some stuff I would ban

Like Mars bars deep-fried, or those pies in a can

But don't fret, even though it has a strange hue

For I would never get rid of our loved Irn-Bru

If I ruled Scotland, I wouldn't allow

Any racist nonsense to interfere with my vote

That no matter the colour or tone of your skin

..team them up with a Michelin starred chef,

putting their reputation on the line.

..which team will have the recipe for success?

One minute to get the food on the plate.

He could be some psycho for all I know.

I have never slept with a man that I just met.