Latest news with #Auchinleck
Daily Record
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Boswell Book Festival draws in the crowds with another successful year
Dumfries House hosted the Boswell Book Festival, the world's only festival dedicated to biography and memoir, at the weekend. Crowds flocked to the Boswell Book Festival as the world's only festival dedicated to biography and memoir was held at the weekend. Audiences were treated to a star-studded line up with the likes of Chloe Dalton, Helen Lederer, John Suchet and Wayne Sleep taking to the stage at Dumfries House near Cumnock. Sold-out events featured Rupert Everett in conversation with Fiona Armstrong about his book, The American No, and Pam Ayres - one of the UK's best-selling poets - with her book Doggedly Onward. A rare opportunity for tours of Auchinleck House, the family home of James Boswell, were also snapped up. Dom Joly took audiences on a tour of conspiracy theories around the globe including the funny and the quirky but also attempting to understand what makes people so drawn them. Ayrshire was at the heart of the festival - named after Auchinleck's James Boswell, the father of modern biography. Kilwinning author Andrew O'Hagan brought the house down in a riotous keynote that celebrated the dialect and humour of Scotland. Download the Ayrshire Live app today The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now. Get all the local news in your area – plus features, football news and the latest on the coronavirus crisis – at your fingertips 24/7. The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories while you can customise your page with the sections that matter to you. The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now on iOS and Android. Rob Close and Gillian Hope gave an insight into the lives of soldiers from Ayrshire and Sanquhar on the front lines during World War 1 on the weekend that the 80th anniversary of VE Day was commemorated. The history of witchcraft and the persecution of 'witches' in Scotland was highlighted by Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi alongside their book, How to Kill a Witch: A Guide for the Patriarchy. Events for all ages were a plenty on the Saturday and Sunday with Alison Galbraith, Alan Dapré and Vivian French entertaining as part of the Boswell Children's Festival.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Construction worker turned kiltmaker to light up New York City catwalks
A former Ayrshire construction worker who designed the first tartan to journey into the cosmos is preparing to illuminate the catwalks of New York City. Graeme Bone, from Auchinleck, has designed and produced five outfits for the Dressed To Kilt fashion show, a highlight of New York's Tartan Week celebrations next month. Commissioned by Dressed To Kilt organiser Dr Geoffrey Scott Carroll, the designs will grace the runway on stars including Ayrshire singer and 2011 Britain's Got Talent winner, Jai McDowall. Mr Bone said the show could be a 'pivotal' point in a career that has already established him as one of Scotland's foremost tailors of Highland wear. 'Geoffrey had seen my work through online presence and from past articles and said he thought it was fantastic and really cool,' he said. 'That blew me away. It is an astounding chance for me and hopefully it could be a pivotal point in my career. 'The feeling of pride is literally inexplicable and I'm looking forward to representing myself, my brand and The King's Foundation at Tartan Week.' The 39-year-old worked in construction for 11 years before retraining in fashion, initially via a college course and later through courses run by the King's Foundation at Dumfries House. The kiltmaker now receives private commissions from international clients and is known to the King, and in 2022 he designed a tartan that became the first to go into space. However for McDowall the forthcoming show will be a celebration of the pair's home county of Ayrshire. 'I love Scotland and this is a way to connect with my Scottishness,' he said. 'With Graeme's outfits, me with my Tarbolton roots, and the Ayrshire choir Songs For All all taking part, it will be a proper celebration of Ayrshire as well. 'It will be a proud moment when we all step out to strut our stuff.' Mr Bone also reflected on the support he received as he embarked on his career change, giving particular credit to the King, whom he has kept updated as his career has blossomed. 'I find him to be an amazing man – he's so genuinely interested in giving opportunities to people who would otherwise have no access to them,' Mr Bone said. 'I'm so glad I've had the chance to be able to think bigger than myself. Being told by His Majesty that he's proud of me makes me feel like I've come further than my younger self could have ever thought possible. 'Growing up in Auchinleck, Dumfries House was just down the road. We used to fish on the river and pinch apples to make cider from the ancient orchard. 'It felt pretty surreal, years on, to be sat behind a sewing machine chatting to HRH Prince of Wales.' The fashion designer added that studying at Dumfries House equipped him with practical skills, but its 'real value has been in the doors it's opened up for me'. He went on: 'I had the chance to meet so many inspirational people from the fashion industry, which boosted my confidence and helped me focus on what my end goal could be.' Dressed To Kilt was co-founded in 2003 by Dr Carroll and the late Sir Sean Connery, and takes place in The Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York on April 5.
