USA Presidential news just in… I probably don’t need to remind you to stop what you’re doing at 5pm today to watch the wonderful spectacle of the inauguration of Donald Trump, but we locals have a “close to home” reason to celebrate. For not only is the new president a close friend to the UK, and have Scottish a roots, but it has just come to light in local family records that on his father’s side he is descended from a local Beckworth family. And not just any family. Mr Donald comes from a long line of scaffolders, the Turays, who are still in business today (despite going bankrupt twice in recent years). It is this family who brought scaffold-making to England in the 12th century and it is claimed that one of Donald’s ancestors, Ali Turay, built the scaffolds that hanged so many Royal wives. I spoke to the president’s distant cousin Muhhamad Turay-Trump and his Mexican wife Beryl earlier today and they said they hope to meet Mr Trump soon and offer him a great deal on scaffolding if he goes ahead with any wall building. I’ll keep you posted in case Donald does come to visit his ancestral scaffolding yard. Christine Batley. Deputy Chief US of A Correspondent. Beckworth And Slocombe Herald Incorporating Nightly Gazette