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The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Scotland's Home of the Year finalists - who to watch out for
Since its arrival in the BBC Scotland schedules in 2019, SHOTY has become an audience favourite for its mix of design chat, architectural observations, and the banter between Campbell-Jones and fellow judges Banjo Beale and Danny Campbell. This year has seen standards reach new heights, with an incredible four out of six finalists scoring top marks of 30. The remaining two were a whisper behind at 29. Every homeowner who gathers at Glasgow's House for an Art Lover will be hoping the place they have poured money, sweat and yes, sometimes blood into, will receive its just reward. But only one can go away with the prize. Here are the contenders for Scotland's Home of the Year 2025. This year's competition has seen several perfect scores (Image: free) Sandstone Bungalow, Giffnock, the West Home to Pamela and Gordon, their son Caleb and Rosa the Irish Setter, the Sandstone Bungalow blends old with new, whilst retaining the beautiful original 1930s details. The couple's design choices bring the home up-to-date with a bright and modern kitchen, dining and living spaces. Remembered for: Scoring top marks from the judges straight out of the gate, setting a high standard the rest of the series would follow. Hilltop House, Aberdeenshire, North East and Northern Isles Situated on the outskirts of Pitmedden in rural Aberdeenshire, Hilltop House is home to Chris, Jessica, their son Chase and dogs Enzo and Dino. The couple designed their bright, contemporary house around the original footprint of the farm steading, fusing mid-century and Californian cool style to create their dream home. Remembered for: Another showstopper, earning a trio of tens from the judges - the second in the series. Read more Wee City Nook, Edinburgh, East A first-floor traditional tenement in the Stockbridge area, Wee City Nook is home to Devin and Max. The couple combined their creative skills to design and rebuild each room in this small-but-perfectly-formed home, creating clever storage solutions, maximising every nook and cranny. Together, they have created a bold, bright and colourful abode which truly packs a design punch. Remembered for: More top marks and turning skateboards into wall art. The Tree House, Broughty Ferry, Central and Tayside A modernist 1960s property, The Tree House is home to Jackie, Paul and their cats Mirren and Kaja. The couple fell in love with this neglected house, which had lain empty for five years, lovingly breathing new life into it whilst preserving the original architect's vision. Amongst their changes, they reworked the upstairs space to create their bedroom of dreams overlooking the treetops. Remembered for: Introducing the concept of enfilade ('without corridors') into viewers' lives. An Cala Cottage, Isle of Skye, Highlands and Islands A cosy cottage, An Cala Cottage is home to Caroline, Lee and their dog, Nuala. This traditional cottage was brought back to life on a budget, with the couple incorporating charming charity shop finds with a creative use of colour throughout. They took inspiration for their interior design from the coastal and mountain views which surround, creating a cosy and relaxing home. Remembered for: Being another school day for the judges, with Banjo describing a bedroom as 'hurkle-durkle' - a place to hibernate in all day. Craigmount, near Dalbeattie (Image: PHOTOGRAPHER:IWC Media) Craigmount, near Dalbeattie, South A Victorian semi-detached house that's home to Ozzy, Laura, daughter Grace and Ethel the pug. The property's coastal views won the family over and they made it their own by renovating and adding a tasteful extension to the original granite building. Remembered for: The family entered SHOTY because the show was a firm favourite of Grace's late gran. And another trio of perfect tens from the judges. Head judge Campbell-Jones says: "As always we have a set of finalists that are uniquely different from each other, from restored modernist dreams to handcrafted miniature perfection, there's inspiration for everyone. "When we film the final we are never sure who the winner will be - it could genuinely be any of these amazing homes." Scotland's Home of the Year: the final, 8.30pm Monday, BBC1
Glasgow Times
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow's Michelle McManus duet with Robbie Williams
The Baillieston-born singer joined her longtime friend on stage at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium, treating the 70,000-strong crowd to an electrifying duet of Relight My Fire. The performance brought the audience to its feet in a roaring ovation. The setlist included a string of Robbie's biggest hits, such as Angels, Rock DJ, and Let Me Entertain You, creating an unforgettable night for fans. Ahead of the performance, Michelle admitted she was more nervous singing in front of Robbie than she had been when performing for the Pope. She said: 'My happy place is when I sing, so the singing part is not the problem. The nervous part is singing to Robbie Williams in front of 70,000 people. 'When we did the Pope's visit in Bellahouston, it was 80,000—but singing for a bunch of cardinals and a Pope was slightly different from singing for Robbie Williams.' READ MORE: Glasgow singer Michelle McManus on duet with Robbie Williams The Glasgow Times reported that back in March, Robbie surprised Michelle with the invitation during an interview on her BBC Scotland radio show. As the interview wrapped up, Robbie asked unexpectedly: 'Would you like to come and sing with me in Edinburgh?' A clearly shocked Michelle responded: 'Sorry… What? What was that?' before emotionally accepting: 'Yes, I'm saying yes—I would love that. You are amazing. And you are an incredible human being. I meant every word I said before this even came up.' READ MORE: Robbie Williams invites Glasgow singer to join him on stage (Image: Michell McManus Instagram) Following the performance, Michelle shared a photo of the moment on her Instagram Stories, showing her and Robbie singing together on stage. She captioned it simply: 'This diva though.' Robbie also shared post on social media sharing his love for Scotland. Sharing a striking photo from the concert, he captioned the post: 'Scotland – I love you. "That was an incredible opening night. Until next time. Rob x' The comments section quickly filled with love from fans who were blown away by the show. One wrote: 'Rob is the best.' Another added: 'You were on fire. Absolutely incredible show.' A third fan declared: 'What a night. THE KING OF ENTERTAINMENT!' The surprise duet marked a memorable highlight of the tour's kickoff and a proud moment for fans of both artists.
Powys County Times
6 hours ago
- Business
- Powys County Times
Not providing public cash for arms ‘student union politics', says Healey
The Scottish Government's policy of not providing public funding for munitions has been branded 'student union politics' by the UK's Defence Secretary. The comments come as the Prime Minister is due to announce the outcome of a major defence review in a visit to Scotland on Monday. The Scottish Government refuses to provide funding to firms directly for the creation of arms, but does offer cash for other things, such as diversifying away from the munitions industry and apprenticeships. The policy has again come to the fore as a result of a wrangle over £2.5 million of funding required by Rolls-Royce to create a specialist welding centre in Glasgow, with the UK Government saying it would provide the cash if the Edinburgh administration did not. Asked about the policy on BBC Scotland's Sunday Show, Defence Secretary John Healey said: 'It's the first time I've come across (such a policy), but it really strikes me as student union politics. 'This is not a serious Government concerned about the opportunities for young people for the future, concerned about the skills base for Scotland, or indeed the industry and innovation in the future that means that Scotland has a big part to play in strengthening the British industrial base, as we will through more defence investment.' Rolls-Royce, he said, is 'central to much of the most important military equipment that keeps all of us safe' and the welding centre would not only be about work in munitions. Mr Healey added: 'It's about support for Scotland's shipyard pipeline as well as essential skills, new opportunities for young people. 'I can hardly believe this is the case that the Scottish nationalist Government are saying they won't step in to provide some of the funding to make sure this new welding skills centre can get up and running. 'And if the Scottish SNP Government won't step up to support skills and the future of jobs in Scotland, then we will.' Speaking later on the same programme, Scottish Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said the welding centre was never eligible for funding thanks to the 'long-standing' policy. She added: 'I think the key difference here between ourselves and the UK Government is that when we have principles, we stick to them.' The Scottish Government, she went on to say, 'completely understands' the 'really unprecedented threats' the UK faces on the world stage, but pointed out that First Minister John Swinney welcomed the increased defence spending announced by the Prime Minister. 'But that doesn't mean that we can't also still maintain the policy positions that we've had for quite a long time and have been long-standing within our party, that we don't support the use of public finance for the manufacture of munitions and neither do we support that for nuclear weapons,' she said.
The Herald Scotland
7 hours ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Not providing public cash for arms ‘student union politics', says Healey
The Scottish Government refuses to provide funding to firms directly for the creation of arms, but does offer cash for other things, such as diversifying away from the munitions industry and apprenticeships. The policy has again come to the fore as a result of a wrangle over £2.5 million of funding required by Rolls-Royce to create a specialist welding centre in Glasgow, with the UK Government saying it would provide the cash if the Edinburgh administration did not. Asked about the policy on BBC Scotland's Sunday Show, Defence Secretary John Healey said: 'It's the first time I've come across (such a policy), but it really strikes me as student union politics. 'This is not a serious Government concerned about the opportunities for young people for the future, concerned about the skills base for Scotland, or indeed the industry and innovation in the future that means that Scotland has a big part to play in strengthening the British industrial base, as we will through more defence investment.' Rolls-Royce, he said, is 'central to much of the most important military equipment that keeps all of us safe' and the welding centre would not only be about work in munitions. Mr Healey added: 'It's about support for Scotland's shipyard pipeline as well as essential skills, new opportunities for young people. 'I can hardly believe this is the case that the Scottish nationalist Government are saying they won't step in to provide some of the funding to make sure this new welding skills centre can get up and running. 'And if the Scottish SNP Government won't step up to support skills and the future of jobs in Scotland, then we will.' Speaking later on the same programme, Scottish Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said the welding centre was never eligible for funding thanks to the 'long-standing' policy. She added: 'I think the key difference here between ourselves and the UK Government is that when we have principles, we stick to them.' The Scottish Government, she went on to say, 'completely understands' the 'really unprecedented threats' the UK faces on the world stage, but pointed out that First Minister John Swinney welcomed the increased defence spending announced by the Prime Minister. 'But that doesn't mean that we can't also still maintain the policy positions that we've had for quite a long time and have been long-standing within our party, that we don't support the use of public finance for the manufacture of munitions and neither do we support that for nuclear weapons,' she said.
The National
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Michelle McManus joins Robbie Williams for duet at Murrayfield show
The Glasgow-born singer joined her longtime friend on stage at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium, treating the 70,000-strong crowd to an electrifying duet of Relight My Fire. The performance brought Scots to their feet as they could be heard cheering loudly while the pair performed. The setlist included a string of Robbie's biggest hits, such as Angels, Rock DJ, and Let Me Entertain You, creating an unforgettable night for fans. Ahead of the performance, Michelle admitted she was more nervous singing in front of Robbie than she had been when performing for the Pope. She said: 'My happy place is when I sing, so the singing part is not the problem. The nervous part is singing to Robbie Williams in front of 70,000 people. READ MORE: Scottish minister hits back at Defence Secretary 'student union politics' jibe 'When we did the Pope's visit in Bellahouston, it was 80,000—but singing for a bunch of cardinals and a Pope was slightly different from singing for Robbie Williams.' The Glasgow Times reported that back in March, Robbie surprised Michelle with the invitation during an interview on her BBC Scotland radio show. As the interview wrapped up, Robbie asked unexpectedly: 'Would you like to come and sing with me in Edinburgh?' A clearly shocked Michelle responded: 'Sorry… What? What was that?' before emotionally accepting: 'Yes, I'm saying yes—I would love that. You are amazing. And you are an incredible human being. I meant every word I said before this even came up.' (Image: Michell McManus Instagram) Following the performance, Michelle shared a photo of the moment on her Instagram Stories, showing her and Robbie singing together on stage. She captioned it simply: 'This diva though.' Robbie also shared post on social media sharing his love for Scotland. Sharing a striking photo from the concert, he captioned the post: 'Scotland – I love you. "That was an incredible opening night. Until next time. Rob x' The comments section quickly filled with love from fans who were blown away by the show. One wrote: 'Rob is the best.' Another added: 'You were on fire. Absolutely incredible show.' A third fan declared: 'What a night. THE KING OF ENTERTAINMENT!' The surprise duet marked a memorable highlight of the tour's kickoff and a heartwarming moment for fans of both artists.
