joecraigfanclub

at www.loonyalba.com

Badges now available at www.loonyalba.com

at www.loonyalba.com

Due to a number of moans, sorry requests, for a re issue I have a limited number of badges from the friendly in Budapest last year. The website needs updating but if you can’t wait, please buy a Mexico badge and I will take it as an order for a Hungary badge. Go to the shop page at www.loonyalba.com

Both matches will be shown in the Albion pub. The nearest tube is Blackfriars http://www.thealbionlondon.com/live-sport

Missed out on a macth badge? Got to www.loonyalba.com to get one for this game or the set for the campaign

Just to point out the Kazakhstan game is a 3pm ko GMT

Both the upcoming matches will be shown in the upstairs bar in the Albion pub. The closest tube is Blackfriars http://www.thealbionlondon.com/live-sport

Badges for all the qualifiers are now available to pre order at www.loonyalba.com They will be dispatched on or around the 10th of March

I have put this together. The assistant at the real Russia travel agency said you will only have to list the places you have visited in your passport on the application, not everywhere from the last ten years. Most Scotland fans will be looking for a tourist visa which will be valid for up to 30 days. You’ll need to get a visa before you travel. The Russian Embassy advised in March 2018 that it takes around 20 business days (4 weeks) to process most visa applications. As part of the visa application process, all applicants based in the UK aged 12 or over will need to visit a visa application centre to submit biometric data (scanned fingerprints). These are located in London, Manchester and Edinburgh. Passport validity Your passport should be valid for a minimum period of 6 months after the expiry date of your visa. It’s not possible to enter Russia using a visa in an expired passport, even if carried with a new, valid passport. You will need to either apply for a visa transfer or for a new visa. Further details are available from the Russian Embassy. If you’re travelling on a British passport issued since January 2017, you should make sure you’ve signed your passport before you travel. Some British nationals who haven’t signed their new passports have been denied entry into Russia. Immigration cards You must sign an immigration card every time you arrive in Russia. This will be given to you at passport control. The card is in 2 identical parts. One part will be retained by the Immigration Officer. You should keep the other part safe as you’ll need to submit this at passport control when you leave Russia. Should you lose it, your departure from Russia could be delayed. There are also many hotels and hostels that will not accept guests without an immigration card. Link to online application form http://ru.vfsglobal.co.uk/online_application_form.html Address in Edinburgh for the biometric tests Russia Visa Application Centre 64 Albion Road (back entrance) Edinburgh EH7 5QZ Submission of Applications: 08:30 - 15:00 Monday to Friday except Declared Holidays. Passport Collection: 16:30 - 17:30 Monday to Friday except Declared Holidays. Russia Visa Application Centre in Edinburgh: rvacedinburgh@vfsglobal.com Address in London for the biometric tests Russia Visa Application Centre 15- 27 Gee Street, Barbican, London EC1V 3RD Submission of Applications: 08:30 - 15:00; VIP premium lounge service: 08:30 – 17:00 Monday to Friday except Declared Holidays. Passport Collection: 16.00 - 17:30 Monday to Friday except Declared Holidays. Russia Visa Application Centre in London: info.ruuk@vfshelpline.com Please note that no applications will be accepted after 15:00 (except Manchester), therefore kindly ensure that you have all the required documents and completed application form, especially if you are applying close to your travel date. Otherwise you may be asked to come another day to submit your application. Please note, if you will come after 14:30 with incorrect documents, that will need an amendment, we can refuse to submit your documents due to disturbance to operational process. You might be asked to come again on the other day. Please make sure you have all documents as per check list at the bottom of this document- “Documents required” Upon completion of your application form please print it out, sign it and submit at the Russia Visa Application Centre together with all support documents, payment and passport. Please make sure that the signature of your application for is identical to the one in your passport. We would like to assure you that we take particular care in handling your personal data. FEES Visa fees are depending on the Visa Type that you are obtaining and your Nationality. For UK nationals the price is £63 for a single standard £125 single urgent Along with the visa fees, there is a service charge applicable per visa application: Normal applications (5-20 working days service): £38.40 (inclusive of VAT) Urgent applications (1-3 working days service): £45.60 (inclusive of VAT) Applicants have the option of paying their visa fees by cash or Credit/Debit card (except American Express) when applying at the Visa Application Centre. Cheques will not be accepted. Postal Return of Passports: You have the option of having your passport returned, once processed by the Embassy of Russian Federation, via DX Secure at a nominal charge of £13.80 (in addition to the visa fees and service charges) to be paid at the time of submitting your application. The passport will be sent directly to your home/office address as specified by you in a Special Delivery Envelope (SDE). PASSPORT COLLECTION When submitting a visa application in our London and Edinburgh centres, you may choose either collect your passport or have it sent by post. Please Note – there is no biometric or passport collection facility in Manchester. Passports will be returned only via recorded delivery post the next working day, after the processed application is received at the application centre. You can check the status of your application by entering the tracking number RULN/ on your receipt. Collection times in London from Monday to Friday between 16:00 and 17:30, in Edinburgh from Monday to Friday between 16:30 and 17:30, except Declared Holidays. Please note that in order to collect your passport at the Visa Application Centre you will need to present the original receipt given to you during the submission, which will be collected from you and retained as proof of collection of your passport. Please make a copy of the receipt if you require it for your records. If the original receipt was lost, please provide another ID on passport collection to identify you. If you are collecting passport on someone’s behalf, please provide the authorization letter and copy of the original receipt from the person you are collecting for or please provide person’s original receipt. On receiving your visa you should check the details carefully including the validity dates and passport number to make sure they are correct. You should adhere to the validity and conditions of your visa while you’re in Russia, as the authorities strictly enforce all visa and immigration laws. UK Emergency Travel Documents If your passport is lost or stolen while you are in Russia, then you will need to obtain a police report from the nearest police station and get a UK Emergency Travel Document (ETD). Once you obtain these, then you will need to apply for an exit visa to leave Russia. ETDs are accepted for entry, landside transit and exit from Russia only if they contain a valid Russian visa. The Russian authorities will only put a visa for Russia in an ETD in limited circumstances. Contact the nearest Russian embassy or consulate outside Russia or local migration office in Russia to find out if a visa can be issued. You also need to check with the Russian embassy, consulate or migration office on the required length of ETD validity. Documents Required for your Aplication United Kingdom Tourist Visa 1. Current passport which should be valid for a minimum of six months after visa's expiration date and has at least 2 blank pages which do not need to be consecutive. 2. Visa application form filled in and printed out from vfs.global website only. Kindly ensure that the dates of your entry and exit, as entered in the application form, match with or fall within the period specified in the supporting documents. 3. A 'Tourist voucher' and a 'Tourist confirmation' document stamped and signed by authorized person. They can be obtained through your hotel or an approved travel agent who deals with trips to Russia, and should be valid for the entire duration of your trip. The stamp and all details should be clearly readable. 4. One recent passport size photo glued to the indicated space on the application form. 5. Tourists on board large cruise Ships have the right to stay in the Russian Federation without a visa for up to 72 hours. They have the right to leave the ship and come back on board the ship only as part of an organized tourist group Tourists who wish to leave the ship on their own or in a group of less than 5 tourists must have a visa. 6. Self employed, company directors, working from home or unemployed applicants need to provide bank statements for the last three months which have a current balance of a minimum of £100 per day for the duration of the visit. Please note that if you wish to provide online banking printouts please make sure they will be certified and stamped by your bank. Students, house-wives and retired people are not required to provide bank statements. 7. Applicants going for auto tourism should enclose the Registration Certificate of the vehicle they intend to travel by and covering letter mentioning the details of the journey, itinerary and names of the accompanying travellers. Notice: Tourist Visa is issued according to the dates specified in the voucher and confirmation and can be for a maximum period of 30 days. Kindly ensure that the dates of your entry and exit, as entered in the application form, match with or fall within the period specified in the supporting documents.

Firstly let me wish you all the very best of luck in your endeavours. I had a meeting with Luath press nearly fifteen years ago and came away feeling completely and utterly patronised. I went down the self publishing route with Trafford press which was ok but not ideal. When I added to the first book and then passed it off as a new book, yes you can do that and get away with it, especially when you have very small sales for the first book, I went to Amazon's publishing arm and they have been very good. You don't have to pay for it upfront though clearly you will have to find the money to buy 100 books if you think you can sell the hard copies. Their online sales system is easy to use, uploading books for sale via Kindle is also straightforward though I would wait until you have written the very very last version of the book before uploading it to kindle as it can get a bit boring updating it every time you tweak it. Amazon have a couple of issues imho, they set a rather high amount target before they pay you i.e. you have to make £100 or 100 euros before they cough up the royalty cheque. You also have to strike a balancing act between an attractive price and one that will actually generate a few bob. Stapes makes very good points on submission and a marketing plan. If you go down the self publishing route you may find yourself pushing the book at every opportunity on social media which can get tedious not just for your friends but for you as well. I believe there are now various tools to help you promote a book in certain areas but I have never looked at them. I gave all the proceeds of my last book to the Sunshine Appeal and if you are doing it for a charity you should be looking for them to help as much as possible when it comes to publicising the book. If you go down the self publishing route and you have a small independent bookshop near you, you could ask them if it would be possible for you to do a signing in the shop. Likewise if it its for charity and they are having an event you could do a signing there or in the charity shop. If you want to talk about anything else PM me and I will see what I can do to help.

Both the Albania and the Israel games will be shown in the upstairs bar of the Albion pub. The closest tube is Blackfriars and City Thameslink station is also close by. They are also showing the Scotland rugby match on Saturday if you want to make a day of it on Saturday http://www.thealbionlondon.com/

Anyone down in the smoke on the 1st of December, Lunnainn Albannaich, the London Scotland supporters club, are holding a St Andrews night in the Blue Lion pub on Grays Inn Road to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the forming of the club. We have taken the whole pub over for the night. Tickets are £25 for non members and £15 for members. This gets you two free drinks plus there is a buffet a disco and a raffle with the first prize of a Scotland shirt signed by the squad from the Albania game. Late bar. To buy tickets go to www.loonyalba.com

Thanks. Am staying opposite the Arndale but plan to wander

I would buy a day pass for the water busses and just jump on and off. The island of Morano is the glass centre and is quieter. You can walk round the whole place in about 30 minutes. Look out for the football ground. I have been to the Lido a couple of times and its quite interesting. If you walk up the beach you will come to the cinema that is the main screen for the Venice film festival. It and the station are the only two pieces of Fascist architecture on the island. As someone says, it is truly magical at night. Getting a water bus up the grand canal is an experience hat will live in your memory for a long time with the apartments either side lit up