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BBC CASTAWAY 2000
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WHAT ELSE IS AT GARDENCROFT??
C4'S BIG BROTHER IS COMING SOON! GET THE FACTS HERE PLUS ARCHIVE WEBCAMS FROM HOLLAND £ BILLY GATES AND DICKIE BRANSON WANT TO RUN THE LOTTERY (I'M SENDING THEM MY SHIRT AS WELL!) INTO V.W BEETLES AND CAMPER VANS? CHECK THIS OUT TESTING BALLISTIC MISSILES ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT?? THEY DID IN THE FIFTIES!! CLICK HERE THE GARDENCROFT HOMEPAGE--ALL THIS AND MORE
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Island puppy brings back Castaway memories
By Jane Newark The dog, which was born on the Outer Hebridean island made famous as the home of the BBC Castaway 2000 project, had been a constant companion to the artist who spent two years living on the island with her late husband Colin. But, thanks to the Castaway community, Mrs Ruffles now has a new companion – a puppy called Molly. The amazing link was made after Mrs Ruffles was chosen from more than 300 people to keep one of the six puppies born on Taransay in February. “When we lost Bette it felt as though the final link with Taransay had been lost,” said Mrs Ruffles who lives in North Norfolk with her partner Mike. “We had been watching the Castaway 2000 programmes and when we saw that Fran had had pups, Mike thought about writing to ask if we could have one because I had once lived on the island. “Then when we knew that homes were being sought we wrote straight away. We were so pleased we were chosen.” Mrs Ruffles, who runs the Field Dalling Gallery, between Fakenham and Holt, made the eight-hour drive to Dumbarton in Scotland to collect Molly on Monday. Yesterday the four-month-old border collie, who was born on St Valentine’s Day, was settling into her new home. “Molly was really good on the journey home and has been sniffing around the garden getting used to everything. She has never seen flowers before because there aren’t any growing on Taransay,” said Mrs Ruffles, who owns a house on the island of Harris, a 15-minute boat trip away from Taransay “She’s a lovely dog but is different to Bette, which is good because they both have their own characters.” It seems as though Molly will have a more relaxing life than Bette who worked hard during her two years on the four-mile long island rounding up the hundreds of sheep grazing there. When Mrs Ruffles collected Molly she received a handwritten note from the Castaway community. “I will be keeping in touch with the people staying on Taransay and will be taking Molly back to Harris at New Year so maybe she will even go back to the island.” Molly left Taransay after the Castaways decided to give four of the six puppies away because there were already four dogs on the island. Molly and her brothers Bruiser, Duke and Merlin completed a long journey before reaching their new homes. The dogs were taken on the fortnightly ferry to Eigg before catching another ferry to Stornaway on the Isle of Lewis. They were then flown free by British Airways to Glasgow before the final leg of the journey by van to the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ kennels at Dumbarton. Charity spokesman Doreen Graham said: “We were amazed at the level of interest. But we felt Val was an appropriate owner because she had owned collies before and had lived on Taransay.” Duke and Bruiser will be housed with families in North Yorkshire and Fife. Merlin will be trained as a search and rescue dog in north-eastern Scotland.
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