Tartan Blanket Company gets thumbs up from B Corp

THE Tartan Blanket Company (TBCo) in Leith has been certified by B Corp, an organisation that measures the social and environmental impact of businesses. The fashion and homeware company donates 2% of its revenues to charity each month, with 1% going to organisations that help people and the other 1% to bodies that help the…

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V&A Dundee prepares for tartan show

THE Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in Dundee wanted to see your tartan – and you didn’t let them down. Last year, Scotland’s design museum sent out a plea for Scots to search their wardrobes for examples of forgotten fashions featuring our national dress. Now, the museum is preparing to open “Tartan”, an exhibition that…

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The story behind the Doddie Weir Cup

SCOTLAND beat Wales on Saturday to win rugby’s Doddie Weir Cup. Ahead of the Six Nations match, the silversmiths from Hamilton & Inches in Edinburgh reflected on how the trophy was created. “We were privileged enough to welcome Doddie into our workshops during the crafting of the Doddie Weir Cup, a perpetual rugby union trophy…

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Lochcarron launches ‘Coorie’ tartan range

TARTAN weaver Lochcarron has created the “Coorie” range of scarves and throws for Historic Environment Scotland, the public body that looks after sites including Edinburgh and Stirling castles. The range includes a lambswool scarf, a wool scarf, and a lambswool throw. The tartan garments join the wider “Coorie” range, which features ceramics fired by Clod…

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Holyrood marks 200th year since George IV visit

THE Palace of Holyroodhouse is marking this week’s 200th anniversary of the visit by King George IV to Scotland with a series of events. The Royal Collection Trust’s (RCT’s) curators are holding a study morning at the palace today, including a tour of the rooms used by the king during his visit. Tomorrow, an hour-long…

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Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers at the Fringe

THE Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers – a band made up of tartan noir authors – is preparing to play four shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The super group – which consists of Mark Billingham, Chris Brookmyre, Doug Johnstone, Val McDermid, Stuart Neville, and Luca Veste – play “songs about murder and death”. Its covers…

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V&A Dundee wants to see your tartan

ROOT through your wardrobe because the Dundee branch of the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum wants to see your tartan. The museum will mount an exhibition featuring Scotland’s most famous pattern next year and it wants contributions from the public. “The People’s tartan” is billed as the story of a “unique pattern that expresses tradition,…

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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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ARRAN introduce a new liquid tartan soap

ARRAN Sense of Scotland has found the answer to a conundrum that’s baffled bath and body care product developers for years – by creating a tartan handwash that holds its pattern when squeezed from the bottle. Launching just in time for Tartan Day (6 April), the new handwash reflects the brand’s Scottish heritage and is…

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The Heretic is a gripping read from start to end

The prequel to The Heretic, Liam McIlvanney’s The Quaker, earned him ‘The Scottish Crime Book of the Year’ prize. I’ve little doubt this will do just as well. It has all the ingredients for a classic piece of crime fiction: a dark, gritty plot, authentic characters and an unpredictable ending. Set in Scotland’s Dear Green…

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