Posts by Peter Ranscombe
Alexander McCall Smith blends whisky with words
AUTHOR Alexander McCall Smith will host a reading tomorrow on The Malt Whisky Trail Instagram channel as part of Book Week Scotland. The writer, who is also a columnist for Scottish Field magazine, will team up with The Glenlivet distillery for the event at 1pm. He will read stories and poetry from his home in…
Read MoreLochaber estates launch venison brand and shop
JAHAMA Highland Estates has launched a wild venison brand and opened its first shop in Fort William. The brand has been named “Fiadh á Fireach”, Gaelic for “‘a deer from the hill”. Jahama is selling cuts of meat, along with mince, burgers, and sausages. Julia Stoddart, the estates’ chief operating officer, said: “Our mission is…
Read MoreMarkets donate lamb for St Andrew’s Day campaign
LIVESTOCK markets across Scotland are donating lambs to celebrate St Andrew’s Day. Campaigners want Scots to eat lamb on our patron saint’s day, in the same way that they eat haggis on Burns’ Night. The campaign, “Lamb for St Andrews Day”, is a joint effort between members of the Institute of Auctioneers & Appraisers in…
Read MoreArtists set to benefit from online auction
BORDERS auction house Brown & Turner will help 24 contemporary artists target the Christmas shopping market tomorrow through a special online auction. Seventy pieces will be auctioned, including two portraits by Berwickshire artist Gill Walton, oil paintings by Kelso artist Neville Storer, mixed media works by East Lothian artist Julie Barnes, and two pieces by…
Read MoreRural gift card launched
MORE than 120 businesses have signed up to accept a new rural gift card. The Rural Enterprise Directory Scotland (REDS) gift card has been launched by Perthshire-based enterprise support firm GrowBiz. Jackie Brierton, chief executive at GrowBiz, said: “Scotland’s micro-enterprises form the backbone of our rural economy and the REDS card is designed to encourage…
Read MoreCraft Week Scotland ends with online and in-person events
THE first Craft Week Scotland closes this weekend with almost 50 online and in-person activities. Katie Leask, manager at Nielanell Knitwear, will open her studio at Hoswick on Shetland tomorrow to welcome visitors for a socially-distanced “meet the designer” event. More than 3,000 craft makers and businesses have taken part in this week’s activities. Irene…
Read MoreEdinburgh’s ‘Digital Diwali’ marks ‘triumph of light’
EDINBURGH’S Diwali celebrations are moving online this year, with two hours of dance and music kicking off at 5pm on Sunday. The programme includes music from Edinburgh’s own Ajay Dixit, classical Indian dance by Bharatiya Ashram from Dundee, fusion dance from Edinburgh’s Dance Ihayami and songs by African Connections. The climax will feature the Odissi…
Read MoreScotland stars in The Crown series four
SERIES four of The Crown begins streaming on Netflix on Sunday, with locations throughout Scotland starring once more in the television show. Estates including Ardverikie, Dunbeath and Rothiemurchus were used to film scenes for the series, which charts Queen Elizabeth’s life from the 1970s to the 1990s. Oscar-winner Olivia Coleman plays The Queen, having taken…
Read MoreTheatres to commission new musicals
SINGERS Barbara Dickson and Ricky Ross have joined a selection panel to find the next great Scottish musicals. Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Edinburgh’s Capital Theatres – which runs the Festival Theatre, the King’s Theatre, and The Studio – have created a musical commissioning hub, which will bring new shows to stages around Scotland. The submissions…
Read MoreOnline bookshop helps local stores
AN ONLINE bookshop has raised more than £122,000 for local bookshops. Bookshop.org donates most of its profits to bookshops, authors, and other groups involved in literature. “By design, we give away over 75% of our profit margin to stores, publications, authors and others who make up the thriving, inspirational culture around books,” it said. The…
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