Bug ‘splatometer’ is a hit in Scotland

INSECT charity Buglife’s “splatometer” is proving to be a big hit in Scotland, with more than 100 people already signed up to carry out surveys this summer. The “splatometer” attaches to a car’s number plate and helps citizen scientists to monitor how many insects they kill on their journeys. The results are essential for monitoring…

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Strathallan School swimmer and coach go to Olympics

A SWIMMER and his coach from Strathallan School will represent Great Britain at this summer’s European Youth Olympic Festival. Evan Davidson and Strathallan’s head of swimming, Elaine Johnston, will join a 16-strong junior squad heading to Banská Bystrica in Slovakia. At 15, Davidson is one of the youngest swimmers selected for the squad. He was…

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Beira ‘Dressed To Kilt’ in Great Gatsby mansion

SCOTTISH clothing brand Beira will take part in the “Dressed to Kilt” charity fashion show on Long Island in New York on Saturday. The theme for this year’s show, which has been running since 2003, is “Dress for adventure: from the Highlands to the Hamptons”. Beira will be showing its Elisie coat, Marina dress, and…

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Dollar Academy unveils design for ‘Futures Institute’

PLANS have been unveiled to build a home for the Futures Institute at Dollar Academy (FIDA). Andrew Whalley – a former pupils at the academy and the architect behind the Eden Project, the international terminal at London’s Waterloo train station, and the Experimental Media & Performing Arts Center in New York – has designed the…

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Dundee becomes ‘Beanotown’

DUNDEE has been transformed into “Beanotown” for a week, with a Hollywood-style sign on the Law. The sign is part of the Dundee Summer (Bash) Streets Festival, which runs until Sunday. At six metres high by 38 metres long – or 20 feet by 125 feet, in old money – the sign can be seen…

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Sunscreen, shade, and sunset walkies

VETS are advising owners to stick to “sunscreen, shade, and sunset walkies” during the heatwave. Owners are advised not to take their dogs for a walk during the day. Unlike humans, dogs can’t sweat, and are vulnerable to over-heating. Flat-faced breeds – such as English or French bulldogs and pugs – are at even greater…

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TV chef Clodagh McKenna to headline Stranraer Oyster Festival

TELEVISION presenter and chef Clodagh McKenna will lead cookery demonstrations at the Stranraer Oyster Festival in September. McKenna, the resident chef on This Morning on STV and a previous regular on The Today Show in the United States, will cook in the kitchen marquee at the harbour. “Scotland’s reputation for high-quality and award-winning produce is…

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NC500 repeats motorhome and campervan advice

THE North Coast 500 (NC500) has reminded visitors driving motorhomes and campervans about the “dos and don’ts” while touring the North Highlands. Operations director Craig Mills said: “Experiencing the NC500 by motorhome or campervan has become a popular way for visitors to enjoy all that the North Highlands has to offer. “However, it is important…

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Strathallan pupil serves up US tennis ambition

A PUPIL from Strathallan School in Perthshire is swapping Scotland for Virgina to pursue her tennis career. Katie Bradley is moving to Emory & Henry College to study psychology and join its Wasps tennis team. The 17-year-old pupil from Auchterarder said: “College tennis in North America is on a whole other level – it’s a…

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Boo bags biggest fags haul in Scotland

SNIFFER dog Boo has set a record for the most illegal cigarettes seized by a trading standards team in Scotland. East Ayrshire Council teamed up with the police to raid three premises in Kilmarnock. Boo sniffed out 447,000 cigarettes, worth an estimated ÂŁ134,000. Training for Boo, a three-year-old Labrador-German Wirehaired Pointer cross, was funded by…

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