Why Local Selects’ gift boxes are here to stay

Peter Ranscombe reviews some of the amazing Scottish drinks featured in Local Selects’ gift boxes. ONE of the few positive results of lockdown has been the inspiring and innovative ways in which many Scottish drinks businesses dealt with the closure of bars, pubs, and other on-trade venues. The Start-up Drinks Lab in Port Glasgow is…

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‘Outdoor adventures manager’ joins Gleneagles

GLENEAGLES has appointed an “outdoor adventures manager” to help children enjoy its 850-acre estate. Alan McGonagle, 34, from Loch Lomond, was previously manager of Pinkston Watersports in Glasgow, a community paddle sports hub and home to Scotland’s only artificial whitewater course. The Perthshire hotel has also created an “adventurer’s guide” featuring more than 50 activities…

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Bowhouse unveils market dates

BOWHOUSE in Fife has unveiled the dates for its autumn and winter weekend markets – and the first one’s this Saturday. Customers placing orders through the Bowhouse Link website can collect their groceries between 9am and 11am on Saturdays, before the site opens to the general public. Produce on offer includes wholemeal organic flours from…

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Johnnie Walker centre back on track

WHISKY maker Diageo now expects to open the doors to its Johnnie Walker visitors’ centre on Edinburgh’s Princes Street next summer. The company – Scotland’s largest distiller and the owner of brands including Bell’s, J&B and Talisker – announced the revised timescale as it launched the attraction’s website. Construction work on the former department store…

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Finalists named in shinty music contest

THREE musicians have been selected as the finalists in a unqiue composition competition. Ewen Henderson, Chris Gray, and Mary Ann Kennedy will compete for the top prize. The contest has been organised by the Royal Celtic Society (RCS), the Glasgow Celtic Society, and the Camanachd Association, shinty’s governing body, to mark the absense of the…

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Air ambulance wants patients to share their stories

SCOTLAND’S Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) is calling on the patients it’s saved to share their stories as part of this week’s UK-wide air ambulance week. The charity, which flies helicopters from Aberdeen and Perth, has operated since 2013. During August alone, the air ambulances responded to 65 emergencies as far afield as the Hebrides, Orkney…

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Alcohol-free ‘spirits’ up 30%

SALES of alcohol-free “spirits” in the UK are up 30% year-on-year, according to market research firm Neilsen. Shoppers have spent £5.4 million buying 171,000 litres of alcohol-free “spirits” in supermarkets so far this year, analysts said. Many alcohol-free “spirits” use herbs, berries, roots and botanicals to create flavours similar to gin, prompting their use in…

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More wildlife spotted on Invercauld Estate

GAMEKEEPERS at Invercauld Estate on Royal Deeside have spotted more nesting birds from a wider range of species during their latest wildlife surveys. In total, 1,117 breeding pairs of endangered birds were identified during the three-month study, up 16% on last year’s results. Thirty-seven species were recorded nesting on the estate, including curlew, dotterel, and…

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Wigtown Book Festival reveals line-up

WIGTOWN Book Festival has unveiled its online programme, which includes the world premier of author Alexander McCall Smith’s Ninian’s Gift song cycle Other highlights across the ten-day virtual festival include Alastair Campbell, Maggie O’Farrell, and Andrew Marr. More than 80 guests will take part in the festival, which aims to promote local businesses affected by…

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Trust launches footpath etiquette guide

THE National Trust for Scotland (NTS) has introduced a footpath etiquette guide to help slow down the spread of the coronavirus without eroding the edges of tracks. The conservation charity has also launched a footpath fund to raise money for repairs. More than 250 miles of paths in upland areas are maintained by the NTS.…

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