Rain didn’t dampen coronation celebrations

BAD weather didn’t stop Scots from celebrating the coronation. Families gathered in Aberdeen’s Duthie Park today to join Lord Provost David Cameron, who attended the coronation in London yesterday. On Friday, coronation-themed packs – including decorations and cakes made by local school children – were delivered to nursing homes and sheltered housing centres. Cameron said:…

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Whisky news round-up: Gavin Hastings and more

Peter Ranscombe presents his final whisky news round-up. RUGBY legend Gavin Hastings has launched two limited-edition single malt whiskies to raise money for Hearts & Balls, which supports injured rugby players. Hastings launched the bottles made by Loch Lomond Whiskies alongside Struan Kerr-Liddell, a former rugby player who has been wheelchair bound since dislocating his…

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Yardworks Festival opens studio at Glasgow’s SWG3

GLASGOW’S SWG3 venue yesterday hosted Yardworks Festival, one of Europe’s biggest events dedicated to street art and graffiti. The festival, which marked its fifth year at the Finnieston site, featured works by more than 100 artists. This weekend also marked the opening of Yardworks Studio, an purpose-built space in which hundreds of artists, youth and…

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Find out how salmon were filmed for Wild Isles

FILMMAKERS Richard Davies and Chris Howard will share the secrets next week of how they captured shots of Atlantic salmon for Wild Isles, the recent BBC One wildlife series presented by Sir David Attenborough. The Missing Salmon Alliance (MSA) is hosting an online evening with the Silverback Films duo on 18 May. The free event…

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Dovecot hosts next generation of Scottish artists

RECENT Scottish art school graduates will be in the spotlight at the next exhibition at Edinburgh’s Dovecot gallery. “Scottish Landscapes: A New Generation” opens on 1 July and runs throughout the Edinburgh festivals until 7 October. Dovecot director Celia Joicey said: “This exhibition is a platform to connect promising artists with new audiences. “I am…

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Which birds are missing from your area?

THERE are 73 million fewer birds in the UK than there were back in 1970, according to figures released by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) to mark today’s International Dawn Chorus Day. Almost 30 million house sparrows, 20 million starlings, four million skylarks, two million blackbirds, and one million chaffinches have vanished from the…

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Whisky news round-up: James Cosmo, The Nose, and more

Peter Ranscombe rounds-up the latest whisky news from Scotland. ACTOR James Cosmo has teamed up with Annandale distillery to create a blend called “Storyman”. The Scotch, which is priced at £55 a bottle, is made by mixing Annandale’s single malts – Man O’ Words and Man O’ Swords – with a grain whisky. The Games…

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Dalkeith Palace model goes on show

A MODEL built nearly 200 years ago for a proposed redevelopment of Dalkeith Palace has gone on display at Biggar & Upper Clydesdale Museum. George Meikle Kemp, who went on to design the Scott Monument in Edinburgh, spent two years building the model for architect William Burn, which he completed in 1838. Burn wanted to…

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Forth & Tay Disabled Ramblers ride Great Glen Way

MEMBERS of the Forth & Tay Disabled Ramblers are riding along the Great Glen Way this week on mobility scooters to raise funds for their group. The team set off from Fort William on Sunday and aims to reach Inverness on Saturday. The group was founded in 2002 and now has 50 members. Chairperson Shelia…

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‘National effort’ needed to save Scottish wildcat

A MAMMALS expert has warned that a “national effort” is needed in order to save the Scottish wildcat from extinction. Roo Campbell, the mammal adviser to government agency NatureScot, used the publication of a report to highlight the threat to the wildcat, which is critically endangered. The report draws together the findings from the Scottish…

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