VisitScotland encourage people to shop local

Ballater’s VisitScotland iCentre is the venue for a festive Shop Local ‘Meet the Maker’ event later this week. There will be an opportunity for visitors to not only buy unique and locally-produced gifts at the event – part of Ballater Winter Festival – but to also meet the person who has created it. The iCentre…

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International tapesty weaving prize now open

Entries are now open for the 2019 Cordis Award, the biggest international award for tapestry weaving. The prize fund has been increased to £8000 to reward ambitious and skilled use of tapestry weaving techniques and the organisers hope that the prize will attract both domestic and international entries from established artists working in the field of contemporary tapestry.…

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Edinburgh bar is revamped for a new audience

A popular Edinburgh bar is set to relaunch for a new audience. Harry’s Bar, the west-end nightspot has been the destination of choice for revellers since its opening back in 1986 – and now it’s set to find a whole new audience. The award-winning Boda Bar Group, owner of renowned drinking destinations Sofi’s, Joseph Pearce…

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Castle hosts exhibition on Wars of Independence

A brand new exhibition exploring the dramatic events that Edinburgh Castle endured during the Wars of Independence was officially opened today. ‘Fight for the Castle’ focusses on the historic stronghold’s many sieges as it changed hands between the Scots and English several times from 1286 to 1356. The castle is the most besieged in Britain.…

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Get your hands on a little bit of Scottish history

Shoppers in the North East will have the chance to get their hands on a slice of history this week when a small display of treasures from the Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums collection goes on show. Visitors to Union Square will be able to get up close to a treasure box of real objects…

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Scots schoolboy’s poem read at Buckingham Palace

A schoolboy from the Isle of Harris read a poem to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War I. Hamish Scott (15), was one of 100 young people taken to London by Never Such Innocence, the charity set up to give children a voice in the commemorations of the centenary of the First…

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The love story that produced beautiful Paxton House

Unusually for Scotland, Paxton House, situated on the banks of the meandering River Tweed in Berwickshire, has its origins in a love story. It began when Patrick Home met and fell in love with Prussian heiress Sophie de Brandt whilst at Leipzig University in 1750, and continued when, being affable and charming, he eased his…

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Sorry seems to be the easiest word for Scots

Scots are renowned for their overuse of apologies, with the word ‘sorry’ firmly established as a staple of Scottish phraseology, according to new research. A survey of 1,004 adults carried out by leading online florist SerenataFlowers.com, has revealed that the average Scot now says ‘sorry’ as many as eight times per day, with the most apologetic Scots…

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New lighting highlights beautiful fountain at night

The Ross Fountain in Edinburgh’s West Princes Street Gardens is, for the first time, glistening after dark as the new lighting was switched on. The recently restored water feature in West Princes Street Gardens has been fitted with a low energy, state of the art, waterproof LED system integral within the fountain pools which will…

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There’s more to his paintings than meets the eye

What do Liverpool football player Mohamed Salah, a dog with flowers on its head and singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne have in common? To the untrained eye: nothing. But to Stonehaven-based artist Colin Brown, putting these images together on a canvas makes perfect sense: ‘It’s about putting a piece together, balancing structure and composition. The placement of each…

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