Langholm Moor extension for community buyout

THE Langholm Moor community buyout has been given an extra two months to raise the money it needs to purchase 5,300 acres in Dumfriesshire. The Langholm Initiative needs to raise £2.2 million to buy the land from Buccleuch Estates. A deadline of 31 May had been set to complete the deal, but the landowner has…

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Atholl Gathering returns after three-year hiatus

THE Atholl Gathering will return to Blair Castle this month following a three-year break due to the pandemic. More than 4,000 spectators are expected to attend the Highland Games, which will be overseen by the Marquis of Tullibardine, heir to the 12th Duke of Atholl. The event kicks off on Saturday 28 May, when Atholl…

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Buglife survey shows 28% drop in Scotland’s flying insects

CONSERVATION charity Buglife today reports a 28% plunge in the number of flying insects spotted in Scotland over the past 18 years. The group’s 2021 Bugs Matter survey involved members of the public recording how many insects they found squashed on their car’s number plates. Scotland saw the smallest decline, compared with England’s 65% fall…

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‘Dig for Victory’ at National Museum of Flight events

VISITORS will be “digging for victory” this Sunday at the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune in East Lothian. The museum, which is based on a former Second World War airfield, will offer talks, tours, demonstrations, and hands-on family activities to explore how people grew and cooked their food during the conflict. Food historian…

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Highlands and islands to star at Royal Highland Show

NEXT month’s Royal Highland Show will promote businesses from the Highlands and islands as the event celebrates its bicentenary. The inaugural show took place in Edinburgh’s Canongate, on a spot that’s now within the grounds of the Scottish Parliament complex. Since moving to its permanent home in 1960 at the Royal Highland Centre next to…

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Lanarkshire butcher scoops UK title

A BUTCHER’S shop in North Lanarkshire has been crowned the “Best in Britain”. S Collins & Son in Muirhead was named as Britain’s best butcher’s shop shortly after winning the Scottish title for the fifth time. Its sirloin steak and black pudding were also named as the best in the country at the Q Guild…

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Eilidh’s trust helps young musicians with £50,000 fund

YOUNG musicians will benefit from a £50,000 funding scheme set up in memory of 14-year-old piper Eilidh MacLeod from Barra, who was killed in the Manchester Arena bombing. The Eilidh MacLeod Memorial Trust is inviting youth music groups across Scotland to apply for financial support to grow and develop their music lessons by emailing hello@eilidhstrust.org.uk…

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Three days, two wheels, one sceptical cyclist

Kathi Kamleitner of Watch Me See explores Scotland’s west coast by bike. As I cycle down the hill through Glencruitten towards Oban, my hair is flying in the wind. My chest is filled with pure joy and my mind is flashing with childhood memories of sunny family outings on two wheels. But then, a thought…

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How Mary, Queen of Scots, used fabrics in policitcs

Reading Embroidering Her Truth really was a pleasant surprise. In an age when textiles expressed power, Mary, Queen of Scots exploited their symbolism artfully. The most famous example was wearing red – the martyr’s colour – at her execution, but Hunter outlines the many subtle and not-so-subtle ways in which Mary used fabrics to her…

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