Scotland gets ready for the coronation

COMMUNITIES throughout Scotland are preparing for King Charles III’s coronation on Saturday. Glasgow’s lord provost, Jacqueline McLaren, will this morning become the first person to sign the Dear Green Place’s “Book of Congratulations” to mark the coronation. She will sign the book in the foyer of the City Chambers, before it’s opened to the public…

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Do you remember the Wellgate?

STORIES about the Wellgate are being compiled to celebrate the history of one of Dundee’s oldest streets. Buildings on the Wellgate – which ran from Hilltown to Murraygate – were demolished in the 1970s to make way for the current shopping centre. Now, Dundee City Archives and Leisure & Culture Dundee Libraries want to collect…

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Artificial intelligence to help with Gaelic subtitles

ARTIFICIAL intelligence (AI) is being used to create a Gaelic subtitle service that could be used by the BBC. Linguists and AI researchers from Edinburgh and Glasgow universities have been awarded £225,000 by the Scottish Government to develop the system. The funding will also help the team to begin creating a “large language model” –…

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Ash dieback trees turned into furniture

DESIGNERS are being commissioned to turn trees that were killed by ash dieback into pieces of furniture. The Ash Rise project aims to highlight the threat from ash dieback in Scotland through a nationwide exhibition and education programme. The nationwide tour is due to begin later next year. Twenty designs will be selected for the…

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‘Brave the Bricks’ walk for charity

FAMILIES are being challenged to “Brave the Bricks” to raise money for The Yard, a disabled children’s charity. Thousands of Lego bricks will be placed along a 6.5-foot course on 11 June, with participants seeking sponsorship to tread gingerly through the bricks. The Yard works with children and young people with additional support needs through…

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Stone of Destiny heads to coronation

THE Stone of Destiny has left Edinburgh Castle on its way to Westminster Abbey in London for the coronation. It marks the first time since 1996 that the stone has left the castle. A ceremonial procession from the castle’s Great Hall was led by the Lord Lyon King of Arms – the monarch’s representative in…

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Runrig marks 50th birthday with Inverness Castle news

ROCK band Runrig is marking its 50th anniversary today with news that it will feature in the first exhibition at Inverness Castle. The former court is being turned into a tourist attraction, which is due to open in 2025. The opening exhibition in the castle’s North Tower will feature “the music and stories of Runrig,…

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Royal Conservatoire of Scotland hosts ‘Plug’ festival

THE “Plug” new music festival returns to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) next month. More than 300 pieces of music have received their premieres at the festival during the past 17 years. This year’s festival runs on 8-12 May in Glasgow. Highlights at this year’s Plug festival include nine accordionists being accompanied by a…

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‘Save our Smolts’ salmon project begins

THE Spey Fishery Board has launched its “Save our Smolts” project to help baby salmon make it to the sea. During this year’s trial, smolts will be collected in traps upstream from Loch Insh, which is a “pinch point” on the River Spey through which young salmon struggle to swim. The fish will then be…

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Picts DNA sheds light on Scotland’s history

A GENETIC study of the Picts has shed fresh light on one of Scotland’s most mysterious peoples. Researchers from the University of Aberdeen and Liverpool John Moores University studied genes from Pictish-era cemeteries at Lundin Links in Fife and Balintore in Easter Ross. Dr Linus Girdland Flink, a lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, said:…

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