The 30 Christmas presents you really don’t want to get

They say that Christmas is all about the spirit of giving – but sometimes the presents we receive aren’t exactly what we’d been hoping for. A pair of marigolds, underwear from a boss, anti-cellulite cream and even botox are just some of the most hated Christmas presents to have been received by Brits. With just…

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Wear a jumper to see the jumpers and help a deserving cause

Race go-ers who take their Christmas jumper jumping can help raise funds for charity. Kelso Races is holding the Persimmon Homes Scottish Borders National Handicap Steeplechase on Sunday, 10 December. The race-meeting, which is set to have a festive theme and take place amid wintry weather, boasts £115,000 of prize money for the seven-race programme.…

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Fully booked for Christmas presents this year

The majority of people in Scotland plan to give books as Christmas presents this year. More than two-thirds of people in Scotland intend to give books as gifts, according to a new poll commissioned for Book Week Scotland. A huge 69% of people surveyed said they will buy books or book tokens for family and…

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Glasgow to mark St Andrew’s Day with torchlight parade

A brand new event is taking place in Glasgow tonight. The St Andrew’s Day torchlight parade, run by the West End Festival, will celebrate Scotland’s patron saint. Suitable for all the family, people can join in this community procession through Glasgow’s West End. A donation from every torch sold will be made to Beatson Cancer…

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Council donates obsolete Trust funds to cancer charity

A Scottish council has given almost half a million pounds to a cancer charity. Perth and Kinross Council is donating nearly £450,000 to Macmillan Cancer Support from a trust fund administered by the council where the purpose can no longer be fulfilled in the modern day. The local authority has been reorganising a number of…

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Feeling ruff for dogs’ charity Christmas breakfast

Santa Paws is coming to town next weekend. On Sunday, 3 December, the award-winning, dog-friendly Mercat Grill is holding Santa Paws – a perfect and pawtastic Christmas-themed breakfast event for dog owners and their beloved, four-legged friends to get into the festive spirit and raise vital funds for the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home. The…

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A fantastic year for Scotland’s seabirds

The Outer Hebridean island Mingulay has had its best seabird season since 2000 according to new figures from the National Trust for Scotland. Scotland’s largest conservation charity has been monitoring seabird populations on Mingulay since it became responsible for the protection of the island. Summer 2017 has been a bumper year for razorbills and guillemots.…

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Broadcaster appeals for more support for people with dementia

Writer and broadcaster Sally Magnusson is to speak in Dunblane about how dementia has affected her life. When Sally’s mother Mamie Baird Magnusson was diagnosed with dementia, it inspired her daughter to keep a personal chronicle of her illness. That memoir has brought together many of her mother’s stories about her life and experiences, as…

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Reading with Dogs scheme gets a pet on the back

Bannockburn Primary has been exploring an innovative use of therapets through pilot project Reading with Dogs in a bid to support their pupils’ education and wellbeing. The school has welcomed lovely dogs Dylan and Scruffy, along with their owners Elspeth and Anne-Marie to the school on a weekly basis as part of a successful two-year…

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