Latest news with #Stonehaven
BBC News
06-07-2025
- BBC News
Appeal after copper cable thieves target Aberdeenshire wind farms
Detectives believe copper cable thieves who targeted two wind farms used a large Scotland said wind farms in Laurencekirk and Stonehaven were broken into some time between Thursday and said the value of the cable stolen would run into tens of thousands of first break-in happened between 23:00 and 04:00 at Tullo Wind Farm, Easter Tulloch. A force spokesperson said three wind turbines were forced open and copper cables were cables were also stripped from a single turbine after it was forced open at Meikle Carewe Wind Farm in said this happened some time between 16:00 and 08: Sgt Kim Patterson said: "We believe these thefts are linked and that those responsible, due to the remoteness of both areas, would need to have used a fairly large vehicle."Whilst the value has yet to be confirmed, it is believed it will run into tens of thousands of pounds."She urged anyone who saw anything unusual around the sites, or a van or large vehicle near the wind farms, to get in touch.
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Rowe inspiring her children after personal heartbreak
Nearly three decades after the moment that ended her cycling career and changed her life forever, every day is a gift for Sarah Scot's story may not be one with which a lot of people are familiar, but it is a powerful tale of happiness, heartbreak and return to happiness that deserves to be told the mid-1990s, Sarah [then Phillips] very much had the cycling world at her 29, she competed at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, finishing 19th in the women's individual road race and 21st in the individual time trial."As many athletes will say, the first time is the learning experience, the second time you can actually perform," she suggests. "The next event would have been the Commonwealth Games two years later, two years before the Olympics again, so the aim would have been to do the Commonwealths and plan for the next Olympics."However, there would be no other major championship outing, or any other race for than a year after hitting the heights in Atlanta, during a training run on her bike near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, she was hit by car "from behind at great speed and smashed up my lower leg".She admits: "I am incredibly lucky to be here, I know that. Somebody was looking down on me that day. "If it had been an inch further over, I wouldn't be here. I honestly don't know how I survived it."Rowe says "deep down, I knew how bad the injury was" as she embarked on a gruelling recovery journey during which she was unable to walk for a year and endured "10 or 12 operations"."It was very difficult," she says. "I was living with my parents at the time because I couldn't do a lot for myself."My parents were very supportive, I swam in the outdoor pool in Stonehaven every day, I rode on a turbo trainer with a piece of skirting board as a pedal, all sorts of innovations I could."I just took it in my stride. It was a new challenge ahead and I took each day of physio and each day of learning to walk again - that was my goal."Having gone from the highest of highs, to the lowest of lows, did Rowe believe her cycling career was finished, or did she think she could complete a remarkable comeback by competing once again?"I always hoped I would ride again," she states. "I worked hard to ride again – I rode again, I never raced again."The Olympics was the last race I ever did. I was never able to get back to training because of the limitations in the movement of the ankle."I tell people now, 'enjoy it while you are doing it because you never know what is round the corner'. I didn't dwell on it - I just moved on."Riding my bike outside was everything to me, that was my goal. The racing was the icing on the cake that I never quite got, but riding a bike again was the ultimate goal." 'Heart in mouth when kids are on road' Now 57, Rowe, who subsequently got involved with cycling coaching, still feels the effects of the injury in terms of her to accentuate the positive, she says: "I can do things in adapted form and I just thank my lucky stars I am here."While Sarah may have been lost to the sport, in a competitive sense at least, far too early, her two children are showing plenty of signs that they, like their mum, could be heading to the son, Elliot, 19, has been signed by cycling giants Team Visma Lease a Bike, as part of their development team, and won a bronze medal in June's British under-23 individual time trial. Her daughter, Melanie, 16, recently finished first in the under-17s race in the prestigious Tour of Flanders event."I have to say my heart is in my mouth every time they go out on the roads, but that is part of life and they just have to get on and enjoy it and be careful and be safe as best they can," Rowe says."It is lovely seeing what they are doing because I can relate to it. I just love to see them enjoying the journey - it is such a special thing what the bike can give you."Elliot and Melanie were not born when their mum was competing at Olympic her knowledge and experience is clearly a huge help as they aim to make their own way in the sport, with Elliot suggesting: "My mum is really modest."She never bigs it up too much, but we get little stories here and there, which is pretty cool, because it is just a reminder that it did happen and it is something that you will always remember and something that me and my sister would both want to work towards in the future."Melanie adds: "I find it really helpful because she always knows exactly how I feel about everything because she has done it before."If both children continue to deliver on their early promise, perhaps their mum will find herself back, as a proud parent, at an Olympic Games some day in the future.
Telegraph
23-06-2025
- Telegraph
Parents pay tribute to ‘fearless' wingsuit flyer after Swiss Alps death
The parents of a Scottish wingsuit flyer who died during a jump in the Swiss Alps have paid tribute to their 'fearless' son. Liam Byrne, 24, was critically injured on Saturday while attempting a skydive from the 2,500-metre Gitschen mountain. The British champion, from Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, was an experienced wingsuit flyer – a type of skydiving that involves wearing a special suit with webbing to allow mid-air lift – and had completed more than 4,000 jumps during his 10-year career. He previously said that no matter how safe he tried to make the sport, he was aware how much it worried his family. In a statement, his parents, Mike and Gillian Byrne, said: 'We would like to remember Liam not just for the way he left this world, but for how he lived in it. 'Liam was fearless, not necessarily because he wasn't afraid but because he refused to let fear hold him back. He chased life in a way that most of us only dream of and he soared. 'Skydiving and base jumping was more than just a thrill for Liam – it was freedom. It was where he felt most alive.' Mr Byrne's death is being investigated by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland and the public prosecutor's office of Uri. The Uri Cantonal Police, which has called for witnesses to come forward and assist the investigation, said three wingsuit pilots launched a jump from Gitschen at about 2,400 metres above sea level towards Seedorf. A spokesman added: 'One of the jumpers, a 24-year-old man from Great Britain, deviated from his intended course shortly after take-off for reasons still unknown and crashed into a rocky outcrop at approximately 2,100 metres above sea level. He suffered fatal injuries.' Mr Byrne featured in a BBC documentary last year called The Boy Who Can Fly and described how he told his father, a builder and former commando in the British Army, that he 'wanted to fly like a bird' when he was about 13. The BBC documentary featured Mr Byrne's dad, who, in an emotional scene, watched his son take off on a training jump and said: 'I have buried him 10 times already in my head.' 'More than just an adventurer' Mr Byrne told the documentary makers that preparation was key to being safe. 'I've spent the last decade training to increase the skills and decrease any risk. Preparation has always been at the heart of all my challenges. The more I prepare, the more control I have.' Mr Byrne took to extreme sports from a young age. At 12 he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, a peak in Tanzania, Africa, standing at 5,895 metres. That adventure led to dog-sledging through the Arctic, scuba diving and multiple big summit climbs. At 16 he took his first sky dive and by 18 he was pulling on a wingsuit, which he described as a 'second skin, letting me move through the air in a controlled way'. The family statement added: 'Liam was more than just an adventurer. He was a son, brother, grandson, cousin and friend. He was a source of laughter and strength. 'He inspired all of us and made life better with his bold spirit and kind heart. We will miss Liam's wild energy and contagious laugh. 'Though he has now flown beyond our reach, he will always be with us.' The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirmed it was supporting the family of a British man who died in Switzerland.
Times
23-06-2025
- Times
British champion wingsuit flyer dies during jump in Swiss Alps
Police in Switzerland have launched a criminal investigation after a Scottish wingsuit flyer died during a jump in the Alps. Liam Byrne, a 24-year-old British champion, was critically injured on the Gitschen, a mountain in the Urner Alps, on Saturday. He took off from 2,400 metres (7,874ft) and veered off course for unknown reasons. Wingsuit flying is a form of skydiving in which a special suit with webbing is worn to generate lift and allow wearers to glide through the air. Byrne, from Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, was an experienced flyer and had completed thousands of jumps during his career. He recently featured in the BBC documentary, The Boy Who Can Fly, which followed his rise to becoming Britain's youngest wingsuit flyer on his 17th birthday, after dreaming as a child of taking to the skies.
CNN
23-06-2025
- CNN
British wingsuit champion Liam Byrne, 24, dies in Swiss Alps base jump
A 24-year-old British wingsuit flyer was killed on Saturday during a base jump in the Swiss Alps, local police said in a statement. The man was later named as Liam Byrne by his parents, who released a statement to the BBC, paying tribute to their son's 'bold spirit and kind heart.' Byrne was experienced in wingsuit flying, a strand of skydiving that involves wearing a specially designed suit to maximise gliding time before deploying a parachute. He became a British champion in the sport in 2022, recording the fastest speed in the advanced category. More recently, he was the subject of a BBC documentary, 'The Boy Who Can Fly,' which traced his dreams of flying like a bird and his careful preparations to do so. On Saturday, he and two other wingsuit flyers launched a jump from the Gitschen mountain in central Switzerland at approximately 2,400 meters (7,900 feet) above sea level, but he deviated from his intended course for unknown reasons, Swiss police said. He crashed into a rocky outcrop at approximately 2,100 meters (6,900 feet) above sea level and suffered fatal injuries, the statement added. CNN has reached out to Byrne's family and Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for comment. Growing up in Stonehaven, a small town on Scotland's northeast coast, Byrne was always drawn to adventure and extreme sports. According to his LinkedIn profile, he had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro by the age of 12, covered 500 kilometers (310 miles) with his own team of huskies through Norway, Sweden and Finland by 14 and qualified as a skydiving instructor by 19. 'Liam was fearless, not necessarily because he wasn't afraid but because he refused to let fear hold him back. He chased life in a way that most of us only dream of and he soared,' his family said in its statement. 'Skydiving and base jumping was more than just a thrill for Liam – it was freedom. It was where he felt most alive.'
