FAMILY and friends have said farewell to a much-loved North Berwick fundraising stalwart following her sad passing at the age of 62. Carol McMinn (née Duffy) was well-known in the town for her involvement with the local RNLI, with whom husband Ian is a volunteer, and for having once run local pub The Auld Hoose. She also latterly worked in the newspaper kiosk at the town’s train station. Born in Ayrshire on December 6, 1958, Carol, who was an only child, moved to North Berwick with her mother as a teenager, after she had left school. She worked at the Marine Hotel, becoming the face of their reception and welcoming people to North Berwick.
Letters
The White Heather Club may have sometimes been a little over the top, but it was well received in its day HOW sad it was to learn that Richard Walker’s memories of programmes he watched while growing up such as The White Heather Club were embarrassing and negative (Celebrating our culture can beat Scottish cringe, January 21). Since my memories are the opposite I find it surprising, and I don’t recall any negative comment at the time. I have heard some comments since from the “Scottish Cringe Brigade” but they’re still a minority in my experience and I have travelled life and the world with no regrets on the matter.
‘PLEASE drink up. the pub is on fire’ was a headline in the East Lothian Courier on December 29, 1995. Time was called early at the Auld Hoose pub in North Berwick last Wednesday after a fire broke out in the public bar. Customers spotted smoke coming from the floor near a fireplace about 10pm and the local fire brigade was alerted. The premises were evacuated – including an upstairs flat occupied by Jean Borthwick and her Labrador dog, Freeway – as landlord Ian McMinn tried to tackle the blaze with a fire extinguisher containing powder. But help was soon at hand in the shape of his brother Hugh, a local fireman, and the rest of the retained crew who began fighting the dense smoke and flames.
Musselburgh s David Macbeth Moir Bar won gold and also scooped a national nomination in the Best Bar category SEVERAL county licensees are raising a glass to success, after receiving their East Lothian Best Bar None awards 2019/2020. The awards, part of an accreditation scheme, were due to be handed out at a special event in March, but the Covid-19 lockdown saw that cancelled. Instead, East Lothian community safety officer and Best Bar None co-ordinator PC Allen Paul personally delivered the awards to each of the 27 participating venues. PC Paul said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has hit everyone involved in the licensed trade particularly hard and there are challenging times ahead.