Children’s wildlife drawing contest launched

GARDEN BirdWatch is marking its 25th anniversary with a drawing competition for children aged five to 11. The British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO’s) summer project includes watching, counting, drawing and writing. The results from each year’s Garden BirdWatch are used by the BTO’s scientists to understand how British birds are faring and how gardens can…

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Authors pick top lockdown crime novels

Ahead of the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival, which begins online on 18 September, authors Alex Gray and Gordon Brown – who writes as Morgan Cry – pick their favourite lockdown books. Alex Gray Three books that were really good during lockdown days include Kate Atkinson’s Big Sky. A terrific read, thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully written and quirky.…

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Lockdown learning at Belhaven Hill School

Scottish Field caught up with members of staff and parents from Belhaven Hill School, a day and boarding preparatory school for seven to 13 year olds in Dunbar to find out how they were adjusting to lockdown learning. How did you set up your distance learning programme? Headteacher Henry Knight said: “The first question was…

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Poets compete to complete April Writing Challenge

With everybody stuck indoors for the foreseeable, many are seeking new, interesting, and accessible ways to fight loneliness and engage their brains during these difficult weeks. The team behind Loud Poets, a Scottish spoken word collective, are aiming to complete a mammoth writing task over the next month and are encouraging everybody to join in.…

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A stunning look at the beautiful Hebrides

Hebrides is a beautiful book of narrative extracts from Peter May’s bestselling trilogy. The text features alongside specially commissioned photographs by David Wilson depicting the eerie mists, abandoned buildings and dramatic lighting of the Outer Hebrides. This book allows fans of May’s Lewis trilogy to experience the land that gave the writing and his characters…

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From Shetland to the moon for Mark Bonnar

Scots actor Mark Bonnar is following in the footsteps of an Oscar winner. When you think of his work, the chances are Mark’s appearances in Line of Duty, Shetland or Guilt will spring to mind, or even a short spell in Casualty. But Mark’s delighted with his latest role, which has taken him to the…

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A novel take on the five sisters of Robert the Bruce

Sisters of Bruce is a hefty novel, giving novel gives voice to the five sisters of Robert the Bruce, highlighting the challenges they faced as sisters of Scotland’s great hero. It is certainly refreshing to hear the female voice within history’s discourse of wars and battles that is so often dominated by men. The story…

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Relocating red squirrels is saving the species

Relocating endangered squirrels offers a road to recovery. Safeguarding red squirrels in Scotland may be an ongoing concern, but the pioneering work of one man is offering hope for the future of this threatened species. Ornithologist and wildlife consultant Roy Dennis MBE has an impressive track record. His name is frequently linked with ospreys, a…

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1917’s Scots screenwriter to give a talk in Glasgow

An Oscar-nominated Glasgow screenwriter with Hollywood at her feet is returning to her roots. Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) graduate Krysty Wilson-Cairns is one of the most-talked about new voices in film … and her star is rapidly on the rise. She’s behind box office smash 1917, the stunning World War One war epic, which…

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Annual £1500 Wigtown Poetry Prize invites entries

The annual £1500 international Wigtown Poetry Prize – which celebrates Scotland’s three indigenous languages – is now open for entries. As Scotland’s international poetry prize it promotes and nurtures work in English, Scots and Scottish Gaelic, attracting entries from as far afield as the USA, Canada, Australia, Ecuador and China. Founded in 2005, Wigtown Poetry…

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