Great Tapestry of Scotland artist Andrew Crummy among honours

ARTIST Andrew Crummy, who led the creation of The Great Tapestry of Scotland, was among those featured in the new year’s honours list. Crummy was made a member of the order of the British empire (MBE) for his “services to art and cultural heritage” in Scotland. He follows in the footsteps of his mother, Helen,…

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Holyrood and Heriot-Watt eye old barley varieties for whisky

SCIENTISTS and distillers are investigating which aromas and flavours are produced in whisky by old varieties of barley. Holyrood Distillery in Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University will study at least eight varieties over the next six years. Chevallier, a variety popular during the 19th century, is among the strains being tested. The variety fell out of…

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Native trio plans show at Aberdeen Art Gallery

WORKS by three local artists are visiting Aberdeen Art Gallery to wow crowds in their home city. Lennox Dunbar, Ian Howard, and Arthur Watson all attended Aberdeen Grammar School, where art teacher Charles Hemingway introduced them to the collection at Aberdeen Art Gallery. Howard went on to teach at Aberdeen and Dundee colleges of art…

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National museums unveil festive events

SCOTLAND’S four national museums are running a series of festive events. The National Museum of Rural Life at East Kilbride has hidden miniature festive scenes in displays throughout the museum. Visitors can follow Clyde’s winter trail until 8 January. In Edinburgh, the National Museum of Scotland is running “Drawn Together at the Museum”. Artists can…

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Historic Canongate gasworks to become student flats

PLANNING permission has been granted to turn the former Canongate gasworks in Edinburgh into student flats. The application was rejected by City of Edinburgh Council in August, but a Scottish Government planning reporter has now upheld an appeal. The flats will include 76 studio rooms, a gym, and two study rooms. The development is aimed…

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Rest and recuperate with Waldorf Astoria Spa

You’ve braved the shops the week before Christmas. You’ve danced till dawn at the office party. And today, the cat tore down the tinsel for the 300th time.  Burning the candle at both ends is part and parcel of the festive season, but with winter solstice finally here it is time to recalibrate for the…

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Royal Scottish Academy gets Blackadder Houston bequest

THE Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) has received a donation worth more than ÂŁ7 million from the estate of Dame Elizabeth Blackadder. The artist, who died last year, left the money to the arts charity to create the RSA Blackadder Houston Bequest. The money will help more than 60 artists and architects in Scotland each year.…

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Rower Jamie Douglas-Hamilton prepares for Antarctic trial

SCOTTISH adventurer Jamie Douglas-Hamilton is preparing to row from Antarctica to South Georgia to raise money for the British Heart Foundation and honour Sir Ernest Shackleton’s carpenter. Douglas-Hamilton is undertaking the row just months after undergoing open heart surgery at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to repair a leaking aortic valve. The 950-mile expedition is…

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Vegware appoints new boss as founder steps down

PLANT-BASED packaging maker Vegware has unveiled its new top team as the Edinburgh-based company’s founder stands down. Joe Frankel launched his business in 2006 and was joined by his sister, Lucy, in 2011. The company was bought last year by American packaging giant Novolex. Now, Joe is stepping back from the firm to make way…

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Foresters donate Scottish Government Christmas tree

THIS year’s Scottish Government Christmas tree has been donated by a Scottish forestry company. Highfield Forestry, which is based in Perth, grew the seven-foot Nordmann Fir at Beauly, near Inverness. David Grieve, head of operations at Highfield Forestry’s Biggar office, said: “We are really proud to have been able to supply the Scottish Government with…

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