Rural gift card launched

MORE than 120 businesses have signed up to accept a new rural gift card. The Rural Enterprise Directory Scotland (REDS) gift card has been launched by Perthshire-based enterprise support firm GrowBiz. Jackie Brierton, chief executive at GrowBiz, said: “Scotland’s micro-enterprises form the backbone of our rural economy and the REDS card is designed to encourage…

Read More

Kids told to play with their food

TATTIE supplier Scotty Brand is launching a mash potato art competition – and has created some spud-tacular examples. Scottish sculptor Natasha Phoenix has sculptured Prime Minister Boris Johnson and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon from mashed potato. Her nine-year-old twin girls, Hope and Talia Phoenix-Hill, also created tattie versions of Minnie the Minx from the Beano…

Read More

St Leonards: Scotland’s Independent School of the Year 2019

St Leonards is a coeducational boarding and day school for pupils aged 5-18. The school boasts a safe and leafy campus bounded by medieval walls in the heart of the seaside university town of St Andrews. It was named as Scotland’s Independent School of the Year 2019 by The Sunday Times Good Schools Guide. Pupils…

Read More

‘Abstraction’ opens at Gallery Q Dundee

WORKS by six artists have gone on show at Gallery Q Dundee. The exhibition, entitled “Abstraction”, runs until 15 November. Siobhan O’Hehir, who lives and paints at Ancrum in the Borders, is the featured artist. Originally from the West of Ireland, she trained in fine art at the University of Ulster and achieved her master’s…

Read More

Two Scottish sites among ‘museums of the year’

A PAIR of Scottish attractions has been named among the “museums of the year” by Art Fund. Aberdeen Art Gallery and Gairloch Museum were two of the five sites that shared this year’s prize. Each museum will receive £200,000. Councillor Marie Boulton, Aberdeen City Council’s culture spokeswoman, said: “Covid-19 abruptly halted the fantastic momentum that…

Read More

Tattie growing art project marks finalé – with chips

POTATOES grown in Glasgow’s gardens are being turned into chips to mark the end of an innovative art project. Aproxima Arts and the SWG3 venue gave 150 brightly-coloured handmade hessian bags to households in Kelvinhaugh and Kelvindale during the lockdown, each filled with soil and a batch of Maris Pipers. Their “An Empty Gunny Bag…

Read More

Bloody Scotland names McIlvanney Prize finalists

FOUR writers have been shortlisted for The McIlvanney Prize. The winner will be announced on 18 September as part of the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival. This year’s finalists are Andrew James Greig for Whirligig, Francine Toon for Pine, Doug Johnstone for A Dark Matter, and “Ambrose Parry” – husband-and-wife team Chris Brookmyre and…

Read More

Jeweller launches watches social media channel

LUXURY jeweller Laings has created a social media channel to share its love of watches. @LaingsWatches on Instagram will showcase a range of luxury watches and share news and insights with its audience. Retail director Stuart McDowell said: “We’ve created this interactive platform to share our passion for high-quality luxury watches with like-minded individuals. “We…

Read More

Balcarres House auction spans three centuries

FURNITURE and art spanning three centuries from a Scottish country house will go under the hammer next month. Lyon & Turnbull’s “Five Centuries” auction in Edinburgh on 3 September will feature lots from Balcarres House in Fife, home of the Earls of Crawford and Balcarres. The Lindsay family has lived in the house since 1595.…

Read More

Maggie’s funding boost from Christie’s auction

AUCTION house Christie’s will launch an online sale on Wednesday to raise money for Maggie’s cancer support centres. Works have been donated for the auction by artists including David Bailey, Antony Gormley, and the estate of Lucian Freud. Sandy Nairne, former director of the National Portrait Gallery and now chair of Maggie’s art group, said: “These…

Read More