Gannets begin to arrive for their breeding season

Scotland’s national conservation and education charity, the Scottish Seabird Centre is celebrating the arrival of the first of this season’s gannets on the Bass Rock. The gannets have been spotted circling the rock in North Berwick for several weeks but, they have finally been seen landing on the island by Seabird Centre guide and gannet…

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New skills address shortage of gardeners

Horticulture student Eilidh Fletcher showed off her new skills when Greenbank Garden, near Glasgow, had a special visitor. The Scottish Parliament’s presiding officer, MSP Ken Macintosh visited at the start of Scottish Apprenticeship Week. Eilidh, who is doing a Modern Apprenticeship in Horticulture at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), has been working as a garden apprentice…

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Saving the bridge between Scotland and England

Work to restore a historic bridge between Scotland and England could begin early next year, if funding is approved in May. Built in 1820, the Union Chain Bridge is the oldest operational suspension bridge in the world still carrying vehicles, and through securing National Lottery support, it is anticipated that the bridge project can also…

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New plans to help save the Scottish Wildcat

Plans to give the Scottish wildcat a sustainable future are now underway. They come after the release of a report by members of The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Cat Specialist Group. The report, published today, reviews all evidence collected and concludes there is no longer a viable wildcat population living wild in…

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Edinburgh city centre could be set for ‘radical change’

A major consultation on proposals to transform Edinburgh’s city centre has revealed an appetite for radical change. More than 5000 people contributed their views as part of the ‘Connecting our City, Transforming our Places’ consultation, 88% of whom said they wanted to see changes to the way the city centre is managed. The majority of…

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Marking 150 years of Wallace Monument with £1m revamp

The National Wallace Monument marks its 150th anniversary this year – and has released new visuals that show how its exhibition galleries will be completely transformed as part of a £1m+ investment scheme. The Monument’s new look interior, funded by Stirling District Tourism (the charity responsible for running the popular tourist attraction) at a cost…

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Scots pine martens repopulating Welsh mountains

Scottish pine martens are looking to take over the British Isles – after a successful reintroduction programme in Wales! Forest Enterprise Scotland staff are celebrating the success of the project, after helping to source and capture specimens from across Scotland. The Pine Marten Recovery Project has been led by the Vincent Wildlife Trust under licence…

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Discuss the future of the bridge across the border

The future of a bridge between Scotland and England is to be discussed at meetings next week. Members of the public are invited to two consultation events on Saturday 9 February to find out more about the bid to conserve the historic Union Chain Bridge. Members of the project team and Friends of the Union…

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An arresting charm in former police station

An attractive former village police house in the Scottish Borders is for sale. Beech House, formerly the village Police House, is an attractive detached four bedroom family home, enjoying a prime woodland edge location within the pretty conservation village of Swinton, presented to the market by Hastings Legal. Dating from 1890 and listed as of…

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Castle Fraser welcomes exotic visitors on safari

If you go down to the woods at the National Trust for Scotland’s Castle Fraser, you’re in for a big surprise with elephants and giraffes having just arrived. Some topiary animals that are more at home in Africa than Aberdeenshire have come for a visit. The magical menagerie has arrived at the conservation charity’s historic…

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