Doric 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…

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Next 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,…

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‘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…

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Hunt 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…

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Scotland’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…

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The 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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The Glasgow Girls open at Lyon & Turnbull

WORKS of art by The Glasgow Girls have gone on show today at Lyon & Turnbull’s gallery in their home city. The Glasgow Girls met at the Glasgow School of Art at the turn of the 20th century. “Like their male counterparts, The Glasgow Boys, this group of women artists had trouble being accepted or…

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Lady Glenconner at Royal Scots Club lunch

THE Royal Scots Club in Edinburgh is preparing to host Lady Glenconner for its next literary lunch. Lady Glenconner, 90, was maid of honour at the Queen’s coronation and was appointed as a lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret in 1971. Her memoir, Lady in Waiting, was published in 2019 and became a best-seller, with Lady Glenconner…

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High School of Glasgow pupils tutor local kids

PUPILS from The High School of Glasgow are becoming tutors for children in Maryhill through the Volunteer Tutors Organisation (VTO). Glasgow-based VTP runs a leadership programme for senior pupils and provides volunteering opportunities at its local “learning hubs”. Seventeen sixth form pupils from the independent school will spend an hour each week helping children with…

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Search begins for Scots language champion

A PUBLIC vote gets underway tomorrow to find this year’s Scots language champion. Arts organisation Hands Up For Trad is publishing a list of nominees for the title and now wants the public to vote for the winner. The poll opens tomorrow and runs until 18 September. The winner will be named at a ceremony…

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