Youth festival cancelled

A Catholic youth festival in Scotland has been cancelled due to lack of demand, writes Brian Morton.

“Stirling 2015” had been due to be held at the city’s university at the end of July and was aiming to replicate some of the spirit of World Youth Day. It was designed for Catholics aged 14 to 25 and was going to include talks on faith, prayer, worship, workshops and social events.

The festival was also going to follow on from Scotland’s Rio, held in 2013 at Stirling University and marking the World Youth Day in the Brazilian city.

The price of the 2015 event had been reduced to £150 per person thanks to a generous donation. A spokesman for the bishops’ conference of Scotland said the event had been cancelled due to insufficient interest.

Aberdeen City Council is set to buy a Catholic primary school in the city for £12.75million.

St Joseph’s is currently leased to the council by the Society of the Sacred Heart but the lease ends in summer 2017 and the council has been concerned about the rising cost of leasing. In Scotland, denominational schools are run by the local authority.