News
Feragaia opens Scotland’s first alcohol-free distillery
ALCOHOL-FREE brand Feragaia has opened a distillery at Glenrothes in Fife, the first facility of its kind in Scotland. So far, Feragaia – which was launched in 2019 – has been made at a distillery in the south of Scotland. Now, the label has moved into its own site to cope with demand for its…
Read MoreScotland’s seabirds disturbed by rising boat traffic
INCREASED boat traffic is disturbing many of Scotland’s seabirds, according to new research by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). The charity monitored 11 species of seabirds during ferry journeys around Orkney. Data on more than 6,000 flocks was recorded. Red-throated divers, Slavonian grebesm and black-throated divers were the most sensitive to boats Black guillemots,…
Read MoreArtificial intelligence gets arty for Scotland
TOURISM marketing body VisitScotland has used an artificial intelligence (AI) program to create pictures of Scotland. Photographs and paintings were fed into the NightCafe AI art generator, which then produced images in-keeping with the originals. The agency is using the images to promote the 13 sites on Scotland’s United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organisation…
Read MoreForaging Fortnight begins on Saturday
SCOTLAND’S Foraging Fortnight begins on Saturday, with events taking place throughout the country. Talks, workshops, and walks have been organised as part of the Orkney International Science Festival, which also begins on Saturday. The Scottish Wild Food Festival is also taking place at Tir na nOg, near Drymen, on 17 and 18 September. The Foraging…
Read MoreYoung Islanders’ Network launched
CHILDREN and young people from Scotland’s islands will be sharing their views through a new Young Islanders’ Network (YIN), which was launched yesterday. The YIN has been set up as part of the Scottish Government’s national islands plan. The network will help to share young people’s views on how the plan is implemented. Ministers teamed…
Read MoreVoxblock plays audiobooks without a screen
AN EDINBURGH couple has today launched Voxblock, a device for playing audiobooks without a screen. Rebecca Lundgren and Tom Williams were inspired to create the machine after watching their daughter play Lundgren’s childhood audiobooks on an old cassette player. ‘‘Watching our own daughter listen to and love my old storybook cassettes was a revelation and…
Read MoreWhisky news round-up: Talisker, Glenlivet, and more
Peter Ranscombe rounds-up the latest whisky news from Scotland’s distilleries. TALISKER ambassador Ross Edgley is attempting to break a swimming world record to promote the distillery’s partnership with conservation charity Parley for the Oceans. The long-distance swimmer aims to break the world record for the longest tideless open water swim. Edgley wants to swim for…
Read MoreEdinburgh youngsters pick 50 favourite places
CHILDREN in Edinburgh have selected their 50 favourite activities for a guide compiled for youngsters visiting Scotland’s capital. More than 100 recommendations were received from young people aged between three and 15. The project was run by Forever Edinburgh, the city council’s marketing body, and women’s network Egg. Egg’s community of mums asked their “mini…
Read MoreSeaton Park in Aberdeen is ‘best in Scotland’
OUTDOORS charity Fields in Trust has named Seaton Park in Aberdeen as Scotland’s favourite park. Members of the public nominated 364 parks for the UK title, with more than 30,000 votes being cast to decide the winner. Seaton took the Scottish title, with five other parks achieving enough votes to reach “local favourite” status. Aden…
Read MoreNatureScot Future Routes Fund hands out cash
THE winners of money from the NatureScot Future Routes Fund have been announced. Nine projects are being supported by the £20,000 fund, which was created to help young people improve the environment. Among the winners is Yunique Oqunshe, 14, whose “Nature 4 Wellbeing Sake” project will plant trees and dig ponds on neglected grounds. Under…
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