Two tartans launched in Edinburgh

TEXTILE designer Araminta Birse-Stewart has launched two tartans at The Scottish Textiles Showcase, a boutique in Edinburgh. Her “Highlands at Dawn” and “Highlands at Dusk” designs were triggered by Scotland’s skies. Birse-Stewart, founder and creative director at Araminta Campbell, explained that her inspiration for the designs came from her childhood holidays spent exploring the Highlands,…

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Tall ship Glenlee is getting ship-shape

THE tall ship Glenlee on the River Clyde has secured £1.8 million of cash from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. The cash will be used over the next two years to check and repair the hull, decks, and rigging of the ship, which is docked at Glasgow’s Riverside Museum. This year, the 126-year-old vessel marks…

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Wines for Australia Day

Drinks blogger James Robertson picks wines to celebrate Australia Day. AS WE wearily trudge through the tail end of winter, looking forward to those glimpses of spring, down under in Australia today they celebrate their national day. The BBQs will be lit, stubbies of beer will be in the cool box alongside some chilled bottles…

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Wildlife struggles as climate change bites

SCOTLAND’S wildlife is struggling to recover due to biodiversity loss and climate change, according to experts. Figures published this morning by NatureScot, the Scottish Government agency known previously as Scottish Natural Heritage, showed species are struggling to increase their numbers or to spread their locations. More than 2,800 species are stuck at 1990s’ levels, which…

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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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Tilda Swinton gets film archive award

NAIRN’S favourite actress, Tilda Swinton, has received the International Federation of Film Archives’ (FIAF’s) annual award. The actress – famous for starring in films including Michael Clayton, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Marvel’s Doctor Strange – was presented with the prize last night at the National Library of…

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Dunvegan Garden scoops RHS award

DUNVEGAN Castle & Gardens has been selected as this year’s top Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) partner garden in Scotland. The RHS said that the award recognised the “sizeable investment, hard work, and passion” that has gone into the five acres of formal and semi-formal gardens since 1978. Estate director Hugh MacLeod, who is also his…

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Culloden scholar Dr Christopher Duffy has died

THE death has been announced of Dr Christopher Duffy, a former chair of the 1745 Association, and researcher into the Battle of Culloden. Duffy studied history at Balliol College in Oxford, graduating with first-class honours, and went on to complete his doctorate. He taught military history at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and at…

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Fossils hunters have their say on Scottish Fossil Code

SCOTLAND’S fossil hunters are having their say on the revised Scottish Fossil Code. NatureScot, the Scottish Government agency known previously as Scottish Natural Heritage, published the code in 2008. It’s now being revised, with the next version due to be issued early next year. Katherine Leys, NatureScot’s head of biodiversity and geodiversity, said: “Fossil collecting…

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Deaf heritage celebrated by three short films

THREE short movies by deaf filmmakers will be shown at Filmhouse Edinburgh on Sunday to celebrate deaf heritage. The films include Scotland, Forgive Me by Will Clark, which was shortlisted for a prize at DeafFest 2022. Scott Campbell’s film Deaf Kilmarnock, Their Story features the Ayrshire Society for the Deaf, while Ruaridh Lever-Hogg’s documentary Deaf…

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