La Gala Nostra "stitching up" Avocet group

 by DOUG COLLIE

A branch of the Scottish Borders mafia - now dubbed La Gala Nostra by witty observers - is colluding to 'stitch up' Avocet Natural Capital plc, according to the company chairman Martin Frost.

In a self-confessed six page 'rant' circulated to ANC's long suffering shareholders, Mr Frost brands Bill Chisholm, the retired journalist who runs this blog site as the Goebbels of the Scottish Borders.

The controversial businessman hurled a similar insult at Chisholm a day earlier following our factual article based on a report from the joint administrators of insolvent Avocet subsidiary Orrdone Farms Ltd.

Avocet management has since called for the critical report by the administrators to be taken down from the Companies House website, and administrator Emma Porter to be removed from her post. It is claimed by Mr Frost and his fellow directors that Ms Porter's appointment to the farming business was and is invalid.

Here in full is the opening paragraph of Mr Frost's newsletter dated 7th March and headed A rant against those who seek to defraud Avocet: 

"OK, though the enclosed has a light-hearted side, these people truly seek to stitch us up. Consider further: Mr. William Cleghorn is Ms. Emma Porter’s partner in Aver. As prior noted, Ms. Porter remains the sole unlawful Administrator of Orrdone Farms Limited. Both Porter & Cleghorn along with Ms. Gina Johnston, the Scottish Borders Goebbels, Mr, W. Chisholm, and the Sin Bin Forum munchers are part of the Scottish Borders Mafia (Galashiels Branch) where one finds in-dweller, the lovely lady Mistress Aileen Orr. Problem is that these people have the inward smug hubris of a self-satisfied missionary lynch mob."

A disillusioned shareholder who invested a significant sum in Avocet in the belief that the company would soon be highly profitable after marketing a revolutionary brand of vehicle fuel told us: "We've had excuse after excuse from Mr Frost and his colleagues for the non-appearance of the wonder fuel these last two or three years. Now it appears the Galashiels branch of the mafia - La Gala Nostra rather than La Cosa Nostra perhaps? - is to blame. What utter hokum".

The text of Mr Frost's letter - like so many others - reserves much of its venom for members of the farming Orr family, based in rural Berwickshire.

He writes: "From the Galashiels mafia’s myopic and self-satisfied viewpoint, these people do believe that the Orr family is not only central to Avocet and its funding, but Andrew Orr and John Orr were Avocet’s concept creators. Furthermore, pivotal to their actions is their underlying false belief that you and I are attempting to steal the Orr creation.

"If attempting to destroy Avocet is not enough, the Galashiels Mafia seeks to damage individuals who they believe are associated with Avocet. On this their obvious target is me, but currently they move onto unfortunate others".

The directors of Orrdone Farms have also sent Avocet investors a nine-page rebuttal of the administrator's latest report.

According to the Orrdone board: "The Joint Administrators state that the sum due to the purported secured lenders [UKAL Ltd] is £3.25miIIion plus interest and charges. As at the date of their report they state that the total sums due to the purported Secured Creditors including interest and charges from their Statement 31 December 2020 stands at £4,497,019.67."

But the rebuttal states: "The directors are of the belief that the statement of the Joint Administrators has no basis in law or in fact. No loan was ever made by UK Agricultural Lending Limited to Orrdone Farms Limited. Orrdone Farms Limited has never owed any money or obligation to UK Agricultural Lending Limited."

Bill Chisholm commented: "First Mr Frost 'accused' me of being a well known Scottish Nationalist, and my elderly wife's Facebook account was hacked in a bid to make that allegation stick. Now he bestows the dubious honour on me that I'm a Joseph Goebbels type character, and at the same time a member of a mafia cell plotting his downfall. Quite an exciting life for a frail old pensioner!

"Perhaps I should also explain that I've never met any other of the members of The Mob (Galashiels Branch) named in Mr Frost's 'rant'".