Irn-Bru submits plan to 'transform The Kelpies into unicorns'
The council is carrying out a 'call for ideas and sites' ahead of its new Local Development Plan – which determines its vision and strategy for Falkirk's future.
The call for ideas is an opportunity for individuals, community groups or other organisations to suggest 'new uses, improvements, or protection' for sites the area.
Falkirk Council says these will be considered in preparing its proposals.
Responding to the call, Irn-Bru submitted a suggestion for giant unicorn horns to be mounted onto the Kelpies to 'celebrate and raise awareness of the unicorn's status as Scotland's national animal'.
Sculptor Andy Scott designed the monumental pair of horse-heads in 2013 based on the concept of the mythical water horses.
The stand over the eastern gateway of the Forth and Clyde Canal that runs across Scotland's Central Belt.
But Irn-Bru has suggested the sculptures could be adapted to represent different mythological horses.
The proposal comes with CGI artwork showing how the sculptures would look with the horns added.
The mythical beasts have been Scotland's official national animal since the 1500s, according to the drinks maker, which also suggested the horns should be added temporarily each World Unicorn Day – celebrated on April 9. Irn Bru Irn-Bru has suggested transforming The Kelpies into unicorns every year on World Unicorn Day. Irn Bru
Kenny Nicholson, head of brand at Irn-Bru said: 'The Kelpies are one of the most inspiring sculptures in the UK – an incredible feat of engineering and creativity – so we think they're the perfect spot to celebrate Scotland's most legendary animal.'
The submission to Falkirk Council's call for ideas is part of a PR stunt for the launch of the Irn-Bru's latest flavour – branded Unicorn Tears.
'By crowning them with a unicorn horn every World Unicorn Day, we can help tell the story of Scotland's centuries-long love affair with the unicorn – from royal seals and ancient coins, all the way to cans of Irn-Bru Xtra's new Unicorn Tears flavour,' Ms Nicholson said.
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
12-08-2025
- The National
I tried to go to 10 Edinburgh Fringe shows in 1 day – here's what happened
During my mission, I didn't want to just see and review shows, but observe the city, the energy and how much the public was actually enjoying themselves. This year, the total number of shows has risen to 3853, accompanied by a staggering 54,474 performances across 265 venues. For context, this makes 2025 the second-largest Fringe ever, trailing only the 2019 record of around 4105 shows. While not yet up to pre-pandemic scale, the annual rhetoric of the city being overtaken by the Fringe continues, and so I entered the day wondering; how many shows is too many shows? How it all began AS any good journalist for The National should, I started the day at 9.30am with A Political Breakfast, at the Hot Toddy. Advertised as a show were comedians who wake up in time join a panel to discuss a range of topics over their morning coffee, I was actively excited for this. The large room I entered was full, and the 40-plus folk were, in true Fringe style, from all over the world. The parallels in politics from all corners of the earth were drawn as we discussed the monarchy to attitudes towards driving instructors. Will Jeremy Corbyn help Nigel Farage become Prime Minister? Is Charles a better King than Elizabeth was Queen? The comedians in attendance were on fire for 9.30am, and Harun Musho'd hosted the discussion incredibly well. This was a Free Fringe show. The Free Fringe came into existence in 1996 to try and mitigate what the industry saw as the exploitation of artists by the paid Fringe. "If you see a paid Fringe show, chances are, none of the performers are making any money and they are probably losing loads," Musho'd told the audience at one point in the show where they took five minutes to all plug their individual shows. As he spoke, his fellow comedians nodded. READ MORE: I tried the viral Irn-Bru and espresso drink – here is my verdict Musho'd continued: "That's what happens at most paid Fringe shows, and they are usually screwed by the venues by the way their fee structure is. I think the venues are screwed over on the other end but that's another story. "The only way to make money at the paid Fringe is to be famous in the first place, then have a sold-out run in a big venue. The Free Fringe was designed to do something about that." Artists don't pay for the venue, and the audience is not charged. The whole thing runs on voluntary donations and the fact audience members buy things, such as drink or food, from the venues while they are there. Musho'd added: "The Free Fringe is a non-profit making organisation but is more accurately described as a 'almost goes bust every year' organisation." If A Political Breakfast was a paid Fringe Show, the audience would have been paying about £10-15 each for a ticket, with the average across the Fringe in 2024 at around £12, though prices could sometimes climb as high as £50-60. Musho'd told the audience, don't pay if you don't want to, with another point of the Free Fringe being that the public can see shows before they pay. Musho'd is on the board of trustees for the Fringe Society and he is questioning where the money from the Fringe goes, as according to him, "nobody actually knows". He added: "We need to find out, so I'm actually trying to persuade universities to put up a study about the economics, and the impact [of the Fringe] and where the money goes." Will Edinburgh's visitor levy help see the city see more money from the Fringe? "I think that Edinburgh is unbelievably lucky to have the festival," Kat Brogan, managing director of Mercat Tours, told me after my first show. "It brings everybody here where we can shine, and in this day and age, to have everybody talking and listening and thinking physically together – and they're doing all of that in Edinburgh – it shows us why we were the city of enlightenment. "It's a bit of a scary world out there so the idea that humans can come together and do something really positive, I think that's a huge privilege to host." Having just been in a room where more than 40 folk all discussing politics without any voices being raised or a whiff of tension, I couldn't help but agree. READ MORE: US vice president JD Vance to visit Scotland 'this week' There is also a rhetoric of tourists overrunning the city, however, Brogan tells me that "locals are actually the biggest audience, which is not often reported". Edinburgh locals made up the largest audience segment in 2024, representing 33% of ticket buyers. Combined with visitors from elsewhere in Scotland (15%), local and domestic attendees accounted for nearly half of all Fringe ticket purchases last year. Brogan sees the Fringe as one of the country's greatest adverts for tourists to visit, not just in August, and enjoy Scottish culture – as well as an immense benefit to locals. "The Fringe is a charity, they do work year round to benefit locals, and physically the spread of events is happening, so we just need to keep listening. Ask and listen, they're the experts," she adds, while highlighting Fringe By the Sea as one way the festival is moving out of the concentrated Old Town. Brogan is also on the advisory forum for Edinburgh's Visitor Levy, and is "really excited" about the prospects of it. Councillors in Edinburgh have approved a 5% per night charge, capped at seven nights, which will apply to those staying in hotels, bed and breakfasts, and other forms of accommodation, including holiday lets. "We've got a chance to steer potential decisions and then listen and and take the right path for locals. There's an awful lot of negativity and speculation about something that doesn't actually exist yet," Brogan explains. The advisory forum is meeting in September, where they will be given proposals by the council of what they suggest spending the money on, before members consult and discuss and make recommendations back. She added: "We're the first visitor levy in the UK, there's a lot of people working awfully hard to try and get it right, and I would just urge people to give it a try and get behind and understand the intention, and yes, there's still work to be done, but it's not here yet. "There's still time to make changes and and steer us on the correct course as far as the community and businesses are concerned." Up next ... With the very live concerns of the Free Fringe, the festival acting as an advert for the city, and the visitor levy swirling in my brain, I continued on my quest to see and review 10 shows. Next was Florence, a one-woman show starring and written by Honour Santes Barnes on George Street. The satirical tragicomic play follows the story of an ambitious young woman willing to use any means necessary to secure her success in the art world. Even if it means taking on a new identity. READ MORE: 'Cathartic': Indigenous Celtic heritage shines in Mairi Campbell's Fringe show This was the show's first performance and the crowd loved it. It will definitely be one of the many hits of the festival. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the demographic of the audience (mostly young women) and found that throughout the day, taking in what kind of audience turned up for each show was just as entertaining as the shows themselves. Then, heading back to politics, I ventured to the C-venues on Victoria Terrace. This meant a 20-minute walk up the Mound. It was at this point I realised I had to be much more tactical about my geographical decisions if wanted any chance of seeing 10 shows. With a much-needed coffee, I saw Dreams of Peace and Freedom, a song cycle commemorating Edinburgh-born David Maxwell Fyfe. Fyfe was a prosecuting counsel at the Nuremberg Trials, a human rights lawyer and a key figure in drafting the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Performed by descendants of Maxwell, Robert and Lily Blackmore (above), alongside Sue Casson, the trio gave the audience a love letter to Edinburgh, as well as to the values of peace, freedom and remembrance. Three down, and all quite intense, I needed some comedy to perk me up. A change of pace Australian comic Zoe Coombs Marr (below) came to the Monkey Barrel with so much energy for The Splash Zone. The premise of the show is what it means to be "in the splash one" of a comedy show, and who a comedian on stage wants in the audience. It is all rooted in one instance when Marr learned Trump fans were in her audience at one show, and she began to ponder about the relationship between performer and audience. Her crowd work, full-circle jokes, and observational comedy was some of the best I'd seen, and it felt there had been an important topic explored. "If we get locked in our own zones, we lose all the other stuff and people outside," she said at the end. READ MORE: 'We are sovereign': The people's constitution that could see an independent Scotland "We have to stay engaged, keep looking into each other's eyes, and leaning into the discomfort." Marr is also donating 50% of everything she earns during her run to an aid charity supporting those on the ground in Gaza. Afterwards, I went to Love Letter to a Sandwich by Alvin Liu, a performance of One Man Poe by Stephen Smith, When Billy met Alasdair by Alan Bissett, a very late comedy set by Rebecca Lamb, and an even later show called When Time Bends. You can read all reviews from the day here. I saw 9 shows in one day — and loved it As you have probably figured out by now, I did not manage the 10. I ended the Monday night with nine shows under my belt. I did gain a new sense of love for the city — when I hadn't planned to. Yes, the exploitation of artists must be faced, and questions have to be answered over where the money from the Fringe really goes. There also has to be more work done on shifting further towards the festival's candid grassroots origins rather than the current corporate, profit-driven model, acknowledging when the oversaturation of shows should end, as well as the physical and mental toll on both artists, festival staff and other businesses in the city. READ MORE: See the setlist for AC/DC at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium this August However, credit must be given on where organisers are making moves to improve aspects, such as providing mental health support for artists, creating networking hubs for peers, collaborators, agents, and producers, as well as the continued ultimate success of the world's largest arts festival. I thought I'd end the day grumbling, frustrated by the tourists clogging the pavements, the lack of space to move, and the ever-climbing festival ticket prices. But where else on earth could you step out of a show about four people earnestly attempting to 'improve' a ham sandwich with rice and soy sauce, straight into a demonic retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's greatest works, then find yourself in the lobby of a Radisson Blu, deep in conversation with a physicist, before the two of you try to unravel a queer drama where the only person not confused is the director — who is weeping uncontrollably?
The Herald Scotland
12-08-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Meet the chip shop owner who deep fries Oreos in Jammie Dodger batter
Owned by David (Davie) Henderson and Richard Newton, it's Davie's interesting take on classic dishes that has attracted customers from across the UK to the Happy Haddock on Duff Street in the small coastal town of Macduff. Read More: Racking up tens of thousands of views on various TikToker's review videos, customers can't get enough of the weird and wonderful flavours. Most famous for their Irn-Bru batter, you'll find everything from chocolate to lemon and lime, Jammie Dodger and a special chocolate orange batter around Christmas time on the menu. Deep fried Oreo cookies in Jammie Dodger batter (Image: Julia Bryce) 'We've had people as far as the south of England come,' chuckles Davie while bagging his homemade crisps fresh out the fryer. 'I can't believe it. I'm genuinely shocked at the number of folk that have been visiting for our Irn-Bru chicken fillets. We've had to close the shop on multiple occasions because we've sold out. I'm going through about 20 kilos of chicken in a night and two and a half stone of fish, which is over 100 fillets.' Fan favourites are the Irn-Bru chicken fillets, of which there are five in a portion, and the battered haddock. And the suppers aren't for the faint hearted either as Davie likes customers to feel they've got good value for money. He said: 'The most rogue combinations must be either onion rings in chocolate batter, or an eight-year-old girl requested a beef burger in chocolate batter. I asked her to taste it before she left because I couldn't believe that she'd like it, but she loved it. We've also had requests for fish in chocolate batter, but I'd recommend the lemon and lime, personally.' An Iron Bru battered chicken supper (Image: Julia Bryce) Sporting a sweet tooth himself, customers can purchase deep-fried Tunnock's teacakes, Magnums, Oreos, chocolate brownies and doughnuts off the menu as it is, as well as a range of stocked chocolate bars. And never mind BYOB (bring your own bottle) it's BYOC – bring your own chocolate – at the Happy Haddock as Davie actively encourages customers to bring in chocolate bars they'd love to try deep-fried for £1 a bar. He's also known for deep-frying a whole host of interesting items including mushy peas and cheesy beans. 'I'll give anything a try,' the batter artist declares. The shop has been a part of Macduff's history since the 1960s, although the current ownership's involvement doesn't quite span the 60 years it has been in operation. Davie worked at the shop for two and a half years before it shut in 2022 as a result of rising energy costs. However, Richard purchased it in 2023, and he and Davie brought back to life one of the two remaining fish and chip shops in the town. The Happy Haddock (Image: Julia Bryce) Since then, they've grown the team to around 10 part-time employees at the shop which is open from 4-8pm Tuesday to Sunday, or until they sell out. A usual shift for Davie can be up to 10 hours prepping, cooking and cleaning. The Happy Haddock features local produce across its menu, sourcing its fish from Macduff's Inshore Fish Supply, pies from Strichen's Pie Aroma, McWilliams' puddings and the burgers are sourced from The Smokehouse in Portsoy. Davie is also known for his generosity, handing out free samples of new batter flavours he's experimenting with, offering loyalty cards, and providing free meals to on-duty emergency services workers with The Happy Haddock even offering discounts to Blue Light badge holders. Taste test On the day I visit the Happy Haddock, Davie's head is down and focused on the homemade crisps he's frying up that are made fresh every day. He tells me the fish itself had just been landed at the harbour earlier that morning, and the oil is bubbling away like a cauldron awaiting its next feast. The promotion of their now famous Irn-Bru chicken fillets hits you in the face as soon as you step into the shop with the large sign hanging above the warming counter. No one's missing that. Davie at the counter (Image: Julia Bryce) I leave our order mainly in Davie's hands, suggesting the firm favourites and some of the items he insists my partner and I try. We retreat to the car, two bags full. Irn-Bru chicken fillet supper (£11.50) The succulent chicken breast is excellent quality and with five pieces and a box stacked full of chips you're getting your money's worth. While the batter looked incredibly crisp as soon as it came out the fryer, by the time I tried it in the car it was a bit soggier due to the condensation in the box. The batter did have a subtle tangy, sweetness to it, but I didn't experience the smack in the face Irn-Bru flavour I was anticipating. The size of them is worth shouting about alone. Presentation: 3/5 Taste: 3.5/5 Standard haddock supper (£10) The piece of fish was cooked to perfection. The batter was crispy on the outside and the fish inside was soft and flavoursome. Again, excellent value given the portion size of the fish and the added chips. Presentation: 4/5 Taste: 4/5 Mucky pigs (battered pigs in blankets) with cheese and gravy (£7.50) Pigs in blankets aren't just for Christmas, they are also for loading cheddar cheese and gravy all over. While the sausage inside was fragrant, the bacon was a little too soft for my liking. The gravy was rich and beefy, and the molten cheese finished off this glutenous dish of five battered pigs in blankets perfectly. Presentation: 3.5/5 Taste: 3/5 Homemade crisps (£1.50 per bag) Davie's homemade chips (Image: Julia Bryce) Large fried pieces of thinly sliced potato make for excellent homemade crisps. I added some sea salt flakes and vinegar to the bag and gave it a good shake at home and this elevated them. I'd recommend asking for this in the shop to them at their best. Presentation: 4/5 Taste: 4/5 Deep-fried Oreos in Jammie Dodger batter (£3.50) You don't think this should work, but it certainly does. The Jammie Dodger batter was my favourite of all the flavoured batters and had a beautiful, sweet custard meets raspberry flavour to it. The batter was the star. Presentation: 3/5 Taste: 4/5 Deep fried chocolate Magnum in chocolate batter (£3) A Magnum in chocolate batter (Image: Julia Bryce) Taking a classic chocolate Magnum and deep frying it in chocolate batter can surely only mean it gets better? Don't knock it until you've tried it. But beware, it's a messy eat. Presentation: 4/5 Taste: 4/5 Deep-fried Mars Bar in chocolate batter (£2.50) This classic fish was first invented at a Stonehaven-based chipper but Davie has put his own spin on it. And yes, the chocolate batter makes it even more indulgent than the regular battered version. I'd have preferred if the batter was just a little crisper, however. Presentation: 3/5 Taste: 3/5
Glasgow Times
12-08-2025
- Glasgow Times
Anais Gallagher thanks Scotland and pays homage to Celtic FC
Anais Gallagher, who is Noel and Meg Mathews' daughter, attended the only Scottish dates of the Oasis Live '25 Tour on Friday and Saturday evening at Murrayfield Stadium. (Image: Picture credit: Anthony Devlin/PA) Taking to her Instagram Stories, the 25-year-old uploaded a video of her father performing an electric guitar solo on stage, reports the Daily Record. Anais added several sticker icons to the video including one of the Celtic FC badge and an Irn-Bru sticker. She wrote on the post: "Thanks for a great weekend Scotland." READ NEXT: Noel Gallagher's daughter wears Celtic top at Edinburgh Oasis gig (Image: Image: It comes after Anais shared a picture on her Instagram story of her wearing a Celtic zip-up in the Edinburgh audience last weekend. The model and photographer has been in the audience of several Oasis concerts throughout their 2025 reunion tour. READ NEXT: Owner of TikTok famous snack bar to retire after three decades Tonight will be Oasis' final Scottish show of their reunion tour. The run of Edinburgh shows mark the band's first performances in the country in 16 years. It is currently unknown whether Anais will be attending tonight's final Oasis show at Murrayfield as she shared snaps at Lake Windermere in the Lake District on Sunday evening.
