Winners revealed at Bloody Scotland book festival

TWO crime writers carried off the top prizes last night as the Bloody Scotland book festival got underway in Stirling. Alan Parks won the McIlvanney Prize for May God Forgive, while Tariq Ashkanani took the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize with Welcome to Cooper. Ayo Onatade, chair of the McIlvanney Prize judges, described May God Forgive…

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Frankie Boyle on debut novel shortlist

COMEDIAN Frankie Boyle is among six writers shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize. The debut award was launched in 2019, with two of its previous winners – Claire Askew and Deborah Masson – going on to make the longlist for this year’s main McIlvanney Prize. The judges for this year’s debut prize are Arusa…

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Port of Leith opens its Lind & Lime gin distillery

PORT of Leith is preparing to welcome the first visitors to its new Lind & Lime gin distillery. The site, on the port’s Coburg Street, is expected to welcome 10,000 visitors each year for tours and cocktails. The new distillery includes an expanded bottling line, which can handle more than one million bottles each year.…

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Dunfermline named as Scotland’s 8th city

DUNFERMLINE, once the capital of Scotland, is to become our nation’s eighth city. The Fife town was granted the honour this morning as part of the celebrations to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee. It will be presented with its letters patent to mark its new status later in the year. Jim Leishman, provost of Fife,…

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Scotland’s wartime radar history is revealed

The fascinating history of Scotland’s wartime radar stations and the vital role they played in the Second World War is revealed in a new book. It has been written by National Museums Scotland aviation curator, Ian Brown, and will be published this month by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Featuring a unique blend of…

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There’s still time to see A Passion for Art

Time’s running out to see A Passion for Art: Matilda Hall, Collector and Curator. Matilda Hall has been a collector and supporter of Scottish art for more than 50 years, and a display of her collection is on show at the Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling, until Saturday, 28 May. As P.A. to the University of…

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Scots business leaders join Tartan Day Parade

Proud Scots from an award-winning glassmaking firm joined Hollywood star Karen Gillan at New York’s famous Tartan Day Parade. Karen Somerville and Helen Kerr from Stirling-based Angels’ Share Glass sported the firm’s bespoke Whisky and Water Tartan as they marched along 6th Avenue to cheers from New Yorkers. The pair also met Marvel actress –…

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Teardrops – a Glencairn Glass crimewriting prize runner-up

The world’s favourite whisky glass – The Glencairn Glass – has been celebrating Scottish crime writing talent over the past two years as headline sponsor of the prestigious McIlvanney and Bloody Scotland Debut crime-writing prizes. To support this creative collaboration, The Glencairn Glass launched its first very own crime short story competition, inviting all budding…

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Scots outdoor tourist attractions fared better than the rest

Outdoor visitor attractions fared much better than museums and indoor sites last year, as COVID-19 continued to devastate Scotland’s visitor attractions sector. New figures, published today by ASVA, the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions, in conjunction with Glasgow Caledonian University’s Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism Development, reveal overall visitor numbers were more than 47%…

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Celebrating 2000 years of Scots history this summer

More than 2000 years of history are being brought to life, with the return of events to some of Scotland most iconic heritage sites. Historic Environment Scotland has announced details of its summer events programme which will once again see history brought to life at sites across Scotland with the return of live events for…

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