News
£10m fund to revive rural businesses and their suppliers
RURAL businesses and their suppliers are poised to benefit from a £10 million fund being raised to help them recover from the coronavirus lockdown. Companies will be able to able to apply to the Rural Enterprise Directory Scotland (REDS) Fund for grants of up to £5,000, with half the money going to the applicant and…
Read MoreFrom the seabed to your sofa…
ARMCHAIR explorers can learn how to survey the sea and shoreline thanks to online training launched by conservation agency Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). The training accompanies the Community-led Marine Biodiversity Handbook, Scotland’s first “how to” guide for planning and carrying out surveys and monitoring. Participants will learn about habitats and species and how to improve their…
Read MoreArtistic family supports children’s hospice online auction
A FAMILY of award-winning Scottish artists are auctioning works online to raise funds for the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS). James and Doreen Davis, together with their children, Jason and Emma, who all come from Beith in North Ayrshire, have submitted 28 pieces for the auction, which runs until next Friday. Sales from the auction…
Read MoreA Hume gears up for reopening
COUNTRY clothing specialist A Hume said it is “thrilled” to be reopening the ground floor of its shop at 46 The Square in Kelso on Monday. The upstairs ladieswear department is then due to reopen next Friday. Its shop at 22 Horsemarket will remain closed for the time being, with customers being served at The…
Read MoreMexico’s first whisky reaches Scotland
A NEW whisky will hit Scotland next month – and it comes from Mexico. Abasolo is the first Mexican whisky to go on sale in the UK. It’s made from Mexican corn and was produced in the Central American country’s first purpose-built whisky distillery. Destileria y Bodega Abasolo is one of the highest in the…
Read MoreArtist supports golden eagle project
PRINTMAKER Lisa Hooper has won a competition to create a print that will promote the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project. The Wigtownshire-based artist’s design will be used on a poster and information leaflets. Hooper said: “I don’t normally do commissioned work, but this brief really grabbed me because of the subject matter and the…
Read MoreNTS gardens springing back into action
THE National Trust for Scotland (NTS) is preparing to reopen around 30 of its gardens from 6 July. Culzean Country Park in Ayrshire, Brodie Castle’s garden and estate in Moray, and Crathes Castle’s garden and estate in Aberdeenshire are among the properties that will begin welcoming back guests. The trust’s countryside sites, including St Abb’s…
Read MoreRecord results for Belhaven Hill School
PUPILS at Belhaven Hill School in East Lothian have managed to post record exam results during the coronavirus lockdown. All 28 boys and girls aged 12 to 13 were accepted into their first-choice senior schools in Scotland and England. Headmaster Henry Knight said: “Just shy of 80% of all grades at common entrance are A*,…
Read MoreFace coverings in gondola as Nevis Ranges eyes return
FOOT passengers and cyclists using the mountain gondola at Nevis Range will be asked to wear face coverings when the outdoor activities centre reopens. The site – which attracts 75% of its visitors between May and September for walks, mountain bike rides and other outdoor activities – expects to welcome visitors back from 15 July.…
Read MoreWork resumes on two iconic Skye tourist sites
VISITORS will be able to enjoy greater access to two of Skye’s iconic sites – once movement restrictions ease – after a pair of maintenance projects got underway again. McGowan, the principal contractor for repairs to 600 metres of footpath at the Old Man of Storr, has been putting stones into bags to be airlifted…
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