Posts by Peter Ranscombe
Strathallan School pupils spread their wings
FORMER pupils from Strathallan School in Perthshire are starting their university courses after celebrating their exam results. Charlotte Gilmour, who was the Perthshire school’s captain, is in Boston as she starts her first semester at Harvard University. Gilmour, who was also the captain of the girls’ rugby team at the independent school and a player…
Read MoreAnother six golden eagles moved to the south
SIX golden eagles were moved from the Highlands to a secret location in the Borders over the summer during the latest phase of a reintroduction scheme. The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project now estimates that there are around 40 birds in the area – the most for 300 years. The project is now preparing…
Read MoreScottish Portrait Awards winners named
THE winners of the Scottish Portrait Awards have been unveiled. Sam Dalby from Moffat won the Scottish Portrait Award in Fine Art and £5,000 for his painting “Meeting Daniel”, a posthumous portrait of the artist’s mother, meeting her grandson, Daniel, for the first time. Gordon Mitchell, director of the Scottish Portrait Awards and chair of…
Read MoreREVIEW: Bugsy Malone
Kenny Smith reviews classic musical Bugsy Malone at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow. THE wonderful thing about musicals is that they can be about pretty much anything – the lives of cats on the street, a battle between two men in revolutionary France, or a battle between gangsters in prohibition New York. The latter was…
Read MoreDoric scriever starts residency
DORIC writer Shane Strachan has been named as the next Scots scriever by the National Library of Scotland. The role involves promoting the Scots language by carrying out research at the library and producing original work. Strachan said: “I’m fair trickit tae be this year’s Scots scriever, especially gettin tae promote the Doric o my…
Read MoreNext rural medical drones test flights begin
DRONES could soon be delivering medicines, blood, and test results to rural and island communities throughout Scotland as the next phase of a pilot project takes flight. The “Care & Equity Healthcare Logistics Unmanned Aircraft System Scotland” project – or “Caelus” for short – has secured £10.1 million of funding from UK Research & Innovation,…
Read More‘End is nigh’ again for capercaillie, warn experts
THE capercaillie could become extinct in Scotland for a second time unless its predators are controlled, according to conservationists. This year’s brood survey by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) found only 300 to 400 birds now live in Scotland, with 90% confined to part of Strathspey. That number has fallen from around 2,200…
Read MoreHunt is on to find game meat champions
NOMINATIONS have opened for the next Eat Game Awards. The Eat Game initiative, which was created by the British Association for Shooting & Conservation (BASC), wants members of the public to nominate their champions. The awards were set up five years ago to reward the promotion of wild meats. Last year, 250 individuals and businesses…
Read MoreScotland’s bartenders toast success
BARTENDERS from Scotland have been raising a glass to their success in a duo of competitions. Sean Cavanagh from Panda & Sons in Edinburgh won the UK title in whisky brand Naked Malt’s Global Bartender Competition. He and a colleague will now take part in a “bar swap” with bartenders from one of the other…
Read MoreThe Portobello Bookshop launches books by post
A SUBSCRIPTION service for book lovers has been unveiled by The Portobello Bookshop in Edinburgh. “Porty by Post” provides a fiction or non-fiction book each month, along with an interview with an author in an accompanying booklet. Gifts from fellow independently-owned local businesses are also included in the pack, along with a bookmark and a…
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