Posts by Peter Ranscombe
REVIEW: Ellen Kent’s Madama Butterfly
Ellen Kent’s production of Madama Butterfly elicits parallels with the war in Ukraine, writes Megan Amato. NOT a dry eye could be seen by the end of Giacomo Puccini’s classic Italian opera Madama Butterfly at the Edinburgh Playhouse on 30 April, performed by the Ukrainian National Municipal Opera Kyiv, presented by Senbla, and produced by…
Read MoreScottish Retail Food & Drink Awards unveils shortlist
THE Scottish Retail Food & Drink Awards has named 140 products as finalists in this year’s competition. The winners will be announced on 31 May at The Corinthian in Glasgow. Executive chef Stewart McAllister prepared the products for the judges over the course of two days at The Corinthian. Among the Scottish Retail Food &…
Read MoreSt Leonards School wins research award
ST LEONARDS SCHOOL in St Andrews has won the boarding research award at the Boarding Schools’ Association supporting excellence awards. The prize recognised the research undertaken by Jenn Murray-Turner, housemistress of Bishopshall – the senior girls’ boarding house at St Leonards – as part of her master’s degree in residential education. Her dissertation delved into…
Read MoreEdinburgh International Book Festival flits to new home
THE Edinburgh International Book Festival won’t return to its traditional home in the city’s Charlotte Square Gardens, but is instead moving into the former Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. The book festival, which began in 1983, broadcast online sessions during 2020 and then moved into Edinburgh College of Art last year to hold hybrid events. The festival…
Read MoreGleneagles Townhouse names opening date
GLENEAGLES Townhouse, the eponymous Perthshire hotel’s outlet in Edinburgh, has unveiled its opening date. The 33-bedroom hotel, members’ club, and The Spence restaurant will open on St Andrew Square on 6 June. The venue will initially open to hotel guests and club members, before admitting members of the public “in early summer”. Gleneagles owner Ennismore’s…
Read MoreVirgin Hotels names executive chef for Edinburgh site
VIRGIN HOTELS has selected Steven Wilson as the executive chef for its Commons Club restaurant in Edinburgh. The hotel is due to open on Victoria Street in the capital’s Old Town on 1 June. It will be the first Virgin Hotels site in Europe. Originally from Edinburgh, Wilson has almost 30 years’ experience in the…
Read MoreBirlinn founder Hugh Andrew receives Shackleton medal
PUBLISHING house Birlinn founder Hugh Andrew has been presented with the Shackleton medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Andrew received the award for his “leadership and citizenship in publishing”. He was also made an honorary fellow of the society. Roger Crofts, former chair of the society, described Andrew as the “vital spark” of Scottish…
Read MoreHigh School of Glasgow gears up for ‘sustainability social’
PUPILS from The High School of Glasgow picked up litter at Lennox Park in Milngavie as they prepare to hold a “sustainability social”. Children from the junior four year group have been learning about sustainability and the impact that plastic has on the oceans. The pupils will tell their families what they have learned about…
Read MoreLangholm Moor extension for community buyout
THE Langholm Moor community buyout has been given an extra two months to raise the money it needs to purchase 5,300 acres in Dumfriesshire. The Langholm Initiative needs to raise £2.2 million to buy the land from Buccleuch Estates. A deadline of 31 May had been set to complete the deal, but the landowner has…
Read MoreGuernsey liberator’s family travel from Scotland for commemoration
GUERNSEY will today mark the anniversary of its liberation from Nazi Germany on 9 May 1945 – and a Scottish family will be in attendance. Seargent-Major Robert Shaw, who was born in September 1915 in Springburn, was the first British soldier to land on the island. Shaw was part of the Task Force 135, the…
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