Good News in Scotland 2022 | 22 of the most wholesome Scottish news stories this year you should know
How was your 2022, Scotsman readers? Wonderful, good, bad… Horrendous? Regardless of where you sit emotionally on the topic, what’s for sure is that this year has been a chaotic one indeed.
From the death of Queen Elizabeth II, to navigating 3 prime ministers in one year on top of reports of energy crises and looming threats of war just as normality appeared to tiptoe back in following Covid-19, even the toughest amongst us can be affected by it all.
But what’s easily forgotten is that life goes on and life finds a way (no film reference intended) and we mustn’t lose sight of that amid any troubled times. That’s why we’ve assembled these 22 news stories from Scotland in 2022 that tell the tales of kindness, triumph, brevity and hope.
We hope you enjoy them as we approach Hogmanay and boldly enter 2023.
But what’s easily forgotten is that life goes on and life finds a way (no film reference intended) and we mustn’t lose sight of that amid any troubled times. That’s why we’ve assembled these 22 news stories from Scotland in 2022 that tell the tales of kindness, triumph, brevity and hope.
5. 100-year-old volunteer commutes 4 hours to do charity work
Talk about dedication! Despite recently celebrating his 100th birthday, David Flucker went to work at the St. Columba’s Hospice shop in Edinburgh the following day. Rain or shine, this dedicated volunteer spends 12 hours weekly commuting to the job regardless of his years. Photo: Submitted
6. 800-year-old Highland castle saved from ruin by local community
Castle Roy is one of Scotland’s oldest castles dating back to 1200 which was saved from ruin by the local community. Local resident Richard Eccles pledged 30 years ago to protect the remains for the future and now Eccles, chair of the Castle Roy Trust, said: "It has taken 29 years from standing on that mound to re-opening the castle. That was wonderful and it also came with a great sense of relief. There were certainly times when I never thought the trust would see it finished.” Photo: Submitted
7. Man quits job to offer Highland tours in a yellow New York school bus
Angus Luff graduated university in 2019 and began his career as a management consultant in Leicester (England) but after only 3 months on the job he concluded, ‘I don’t want to do this’. Instead, he chose his passion and created a hostel on wheels that offers trips to tourists across the Scottish Highlands (in quite possibly the least authentic vehicle for such a location but that’s the beauty of it!) Photo: Submitted
8. One-eyed cat safely returns to his owners after a 5-year disappearance
This cat was ‘well-loved’ at Her Majesty’s Prison Grampian in Peterhead where he was regularly fussed over by staff who nicknamed him ‘One-eyed Joe’. Yet one day Joe somehow entered a shipping container almost 2 miles away at the town’s port which saw him shipped offshore to an oil rig where he started a new life with the rig workers where he was reportedly “spoiled rotten”. Eventually, he was reported to the SPCA who got him on a helicopter and returned him home after so many years. Photo: Submitted