Latest news with #BattleofStirlingBridge
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Scottish gifts for fathers who enjoy the finer things in life ...
Struggling to find the perfect gift for Father's Day on June 15? From timeless classics to unique finds, our guide has something to suit whether he's into timepieces, travel or even a wee tipple WALLACE MONUMENT TRIP CELEBRATE Father's Day with an unforgettable visit to Stirling's National Wallace Monument – where heroic tales and stunning views await. Discover how William Wallace, Scotland's National Hero, led a nation to victory. Climb the 246-step spiral staircase together, and marvel at the mighty Wallace Sword. Relive the historic drama of the Battle of Stirling Bridge then design your own battle shield – a perfect activity for parents and wee warriors alike. Finish your adventure on The Crown, where you'll enjoy breathtaking views across Scotland's historic heartland – a memory-making moment for the whole family. Book tickets at ONCE UPON A WHISKY TREAT Dad to a whisky adventure he'll never forget with Once Upon a Whisky, with walking tours in Glasgow and Edinburgh that bring the spirit of Scotland to life. Whether he's a connoisseur or merely whisky-curious, these experiences blend storytelling, culture, and exceptional drams. This Father's Day simply gift one of their beautiful gift cards so they can experience the taste of Scotland, one sip at a time. They can send the physical gift by post or a digital version straight to your inbox. MALT OF THE MONTH has crowned GlenAllachie 12 Year Old its June choice – fresh off winning the prestigious World's Best Single Malt Whisky award. For just £47.50, you'll get a 70cl bottle, a free GlenAllachie nosing glass, tasting note and cocktail recipe cards. It's a world-class dram delivered fast with next-working-day shipping. Limited stock, maximum impact—because your dad deserves the best. Order now at and make a toast to remember this Father's Day. LONGINES WATCHES MARKING a century of horological innovation, luxury brand Longines recently unveiled the Spirit Zulu Time 1925 – a refined GMT watch blending heritage, precision and global connection which is available now at their Glasgow boutique. Whether worn under the cuff of a three-piece suit or over the sleeve of a flight jacket, this watch speaks the quiet, articulate language of refinement and purpose.
The Herald Scotland
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish gifts for fathers who enjoy the finer things in life ...
Discover how William Wallace, Scotland's National Hero, led a nation to victory. Climb the 246-step spiral staircase together, and marvel at the mighty Wallace Sword. Relive the historic drama of the Battle of Stirling Bridge then design your own battle shield – a perfect activity for parents and wee warriors alike. Finish your adventure on The Crown, where you'll enjoy breathtaking views across Scotland's historic heartland – a memory-making moment for the whole family. Book tickets at ONCE UPON A WHISKY TREAT Dad to a whisky adventure he'll never forget with Once Upon a Whisky, with walking tours in Glasgow and Edinburgh that bring the spirit of Scotland to life. Whether he's a connoisseur or merely whisky-curious, these experiences blend storytelling, culture, and exceptional drams. This Father's Day simply gift one of their beautiful gift cards so they can experience the taste of Scotland, one sip at a time. They can send the physical gift by post or a digital version straight to your inbox. MALT OF THE MONTH has crowned GlenAllachie 12 Year Old its June choice – fresh off winning the prestigious World's Best Single Malt Whisky award. For just £47.50, you'll get a 70cl bottle, a free GlenAllachie nosing glass, tasting note and cocktail recipe cards. It's a world-class dram delivered fast with next-working-day shipping. Limited stock, maximum impact—because your dad deserves the best. Order now at and make a toast to remember this Father's Day. LONGINES WATCHES MARKING a century of horological innovation, luxury brand Longines recently unveiled the Spirit Zulu Time 1925 – a refined GMT watch blending heritage, precision and global connection which is available now at their Glasgow boutique. Whether worn under the cuff of a three-piece suit or over the sleeve of a flight jacket, this watch speaks the quiet, articulate language of refinement and purpose.
The National
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Petition against battery storage site to face Holyrood
And the campaigners are calling on people in Scotland to sign their petition demanding clearer regulation around the proximity of BESS to residences. Launched a week ago, the petition already has more than 1000 signatures and is now in the top 40 of petitions on the Scottish Parliament website. The protest has been sparked by a plan for one of the largest BESS in Europe to be sited on agricultural land just 85 metres away from housing at Cockenzie in East Lothian. It would see 140 shipping-sized battery containers, 35 transformers, three substations and fencing on the land owned by East Lothian Council (ELC) near a local health centre, nursery and primary school. READ MORE: Archaeologist may have found William Wallace's Battle of Stirling Bridge camp The protesters claim it would create a serious risk of fire, explosion, pollution and noise, as well as result in the loss of prime agricultural land and land purchased with the aim of providing employment opportunities. 'A prevailing wind fire at this site would mean a huge evacuation of most of the community, including the main shelter at the community centre,' said a spokesperson for Communities Against Cockenzie BESS (CACB). 'All of this means huge risks to the local area, including the health centre and the primary school. This is simply unacceptable – exposing the community to needless risk while better options exist elsewhere. 'An incident would also pose unacceptable risks to wildlife habitats and farmland because there would be no way to prevent harmful liquid or gases entering the Forth or wider local environment.' The campaigners believe there is a 'gold rush' of planning applications for such sites in Scotland as developers and investors try to cash in on the new technology which is aimed at storing electricity when supply is high and demand (and price) is low. A resident whose home is within 85 metres of the proposed site said her 'anxiety was through the roof' over the proposal. 'It's pretty shocking and would create a precedent in Scotland if it goes ahead because it is so near people's back fences,' she told the Sunday National. 'When they built Cockenzie Power Station back in the 1960s, there was a barrier left between it and the housing, so why isn't there something like that now?' The petition, which has been set up by Cockenzie and Port Seton Community Council, calls for a minimum baseline level of practice around the location and proximity of BESS in relation to residential properties, public buildings, and community amenities. 'No communities should be faced with the risks being proposed at Cockenzie,' it states. It goes on to insist that BESS should never be sited on greenfield land where appropriate brownfield sites exist and careful consideration must be given to permanent loss of prime agricultural land for a BESS site which 'may supply the grid only infrequently and at great benefit to its owners'. Lastly, it calls for communities' interests and benefits for land next to residences, amenity and community space to be prioritised over financial gain for landowners. Members of the community council have also written to the Scottish Government to question the local authority's position as a consultee on the plans for the BESS near housing in the village, given it owns the land involved. Chair Ben Morse said: 'It speaks volumes about the strength of feeling that members of the community have felt the need to form the CACB campaign group, let alone arrange a protest at the Scottish Parliament. 'Unfortunately, it speaks to a longstanding feeling of a democratic deficit which is often expressed within our community where development, even involving our own local authority, is perceived as something which is done to us rather than by, with or for us.' READ MORE: Trans women stage topless protest outside Scottish Parliament ELC is only able to comment or lodge objections to the project as it is considered a national development with approval to be given by the Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit (ECU). The council has agreed not to object to the plans but agreed to insist the ECU ensures the 'proposed BESS would not result in an unacceptable fire safety risk or that the matter of fire risk is competently dealt with under other legislation'. 'Recent BESS fires at Rothienorman in Scotland, East Tilbury in England and Moss Landing in California pose real questions over the safety of the technology, particularly when in proximity to populated areas,' said a CACB spokesperson. 'Some developers have in-house rules about proximity to communities such as that batteries must be at least 200m from residential properties. We are calling for guidelines that can add consistency to the consenting process.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said the application was currently under consideration therefore it would not be appropriate for Scottish ministers to comment. A UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: 'Storing energy is key to reaching our 2030 mission, and we will build an energy system that can bring down households' and businesses' energy bills for good. 'Battery fires at storage sites are rare in the UK. We already have high safety standards in place that require manufacturers and industry to ensure batteries are safe throughout their lifespan and robust mitigations where fires do occur.' An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: 'The council strongly insists that the ECU should satisfy themselves that either the proposed BESS would not result in an unacceptable fire safety risk or that the matter of fire risk is competently dealt with under other legislation. 'The council further insists that the ECU should consider whether a safety management plan should be required. The council further recommends that Prestonpans Community Council and Cockenzie and Port Seton Community Council be consulted on any safety management plan that is required. 'The ECU should also consider whether it is necessary to further consult with the Health and Safety Executive on this matter.'
The National
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Highland beaver release blocked after Kate Forbes stepped in
A BID to release beavers in the Highlands was delayed after intensive lobbying by farmers and landowners prompted an intervention by the local MSP and Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, The Ferret can reveal. Emails released under Freedom of Information law disclose why the wildlife agency, NatureScot, postponed a long-awaited plan to move beavers into Loch Beinn A' Mheadhoin in Glen Affric. Forbes, the National Farmers Union in Scotland (NFUS) and local landowners privately piled pressure on the agency to derail a beaver licence application by the Government's Forestry and Land Scotland. The tree-felling, dam-building, semi-aquatic mammals were due to start being released in spring 2025. But NatureScot announced in April that it would 'take the summer' for more consultations because there was 'considerable concern about the proposal among the local community and its representatives'. Campaigners have condemned the delay as 'ministerial appeasement of the NFUS at the expense of Scotland's nature'. They dubbed the revelations 'beavergate', saying they raised 'urgent questions about behind-the-scenes lobbying and hidden voices'. Forbes, however, defended her role as a local MSP relaying concerns of constituents to 'relevant public bodies'. Her status as Deputy First Minister was 'immaterial to progressing constituency casework', she said. NatureScot accepted the delay could cause 'frustration', and promised a 'short and focused' engagement on 'specific impacts'. The planned release was 'contentious' and there was 'ministerial interest', it said. Beavers were hunted to extinction in Scotland in the 16th century. They were accidentally or illegally released in Tayside before 2006, and are now thought to number more than 2000 along the Tay and the Forth. READ MORE: Archaeologist may have found William Wallace's Battle of Stirling Bridge camp In 2019, the Tayside beavers were given legal protection by the Scottish Government. But farmers and landowners, who feared the damage they could cause by flooding, were licensed to shoot 352 of them between 2019 and 2022. In 2021, Green MSP Lorna Slater, then biodiversity minister, announced a change of policy aimed at allowing beavers to be moved to other parts of Scotland instead of being shot. Authorised releases have since taken place at Loch Lomond and in the Cairngorms. In March 2022 Slater asked Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) to identify land it owned suitable for reintroducing beavers. Working with the rewilding campaign group, Trees for Life, FLS developed a proposal to release up to four beaver families on land it owns in Glen Affric, above the Beinn A' Mheadhoin dam. The Ferret reported in October 2023 that FLS had postponed applying for a beaver release licence following opposition from landowners, backed by Forbes. It wasn't until January 2025, after two years of consultations, that FLS finally submitted its full licence application to NatureScot. What happened next has now been revealed by more than 80 pages of emails released by NatureScot in response to a freedom of information request by The Ferret. Local farmers and land managers, whose names have been redacted, wrote a series of angry letters, urging NatureScot to reject the licence application. They expressed alarm about the damage that beavers might do to riverbanks and salmon spawning areas. They complained that beavers had already been illegally released downstream at Strathglass, and criticised the consultations as biased. Forbes wrote to NatureScot in January, also saying that constituents were worried that beaver dams could harm salmon spawning beds. She asked for the matter to be investigated. NatureScot told NFUS it didn't 'normally' seek comments on licence applications, but was 'happy' to receive them from farmers. On February 28, 2025, NFUS wrote to NatureScot expressing 'serious concerns', calling for a 'pause' and requesting a meeting. The letter argued that, if released, beavers would quickly move downstream from Glen Affric to a 'high conflict area of productive agricultural land'. It criticised Trees for Life and FLS for 'poor' and 'inflammatory' responses to farmers' concerns. 'Pausing the processing of this application, or even better postponing it for, say, a year, will show a willingness by NatureScot to address the genuine concerns of those most likely to be impacted,' NFUS argued. 'Our members have engaged with their local parliamentarian Kate Forbes MSP, Deputy First Minister, who is in discussion with Mairi Gougeon MSP, Minister for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, and has advised that the Scottish Government will be looking into the matter.' After receiving the letter from NFUS, one senior NatureScot official told a colleague that it would be assessed. 'The case is considered novel and contentious so when we have completed, we will pass by ministers, who will take an interest,' the official wrote. NFUS chased up its letter and its demands on March 12 and again on March 31. NatureScot announced the decision to delay the Glen Affric beaver application on April 2, prompting accusations of a 'great beaver betrayal' from campaigners. Trees for Life called on NatureScot to explain its actions. 'This growing beavergate controversy raises urgent questions around the behind-the-scenes lobbying and hidden voices seeking to block Scotland's nature recovery,' chief executive Steve Micklewright told The Ferret. 'Exactly what part has Kate Forbes played in this sorry saga? Is she willing to meet and engage positively with rewilding organisations, or should we give up asking?' Micklewright argued that the issue went beyond the multiple benefits of bringing beavers back to Glen Affric. 'It goes to the heart of why the Scottish Government keeps hitting the pause button on restoring biodiversity, and whether NatureScot can show the leadership to fulfil its purpose,' he said. 'NatureScot now needs to show it can lead on nature recovery with vision and integrity – including by standing up to high-powered anti-nature lobbying. And all of our government ministers need to show that they fully support NatureScot in that.' According to the Scottish Wild Beaver Group, which campaigns to protect beavers, it was 'really disheartening' to see Forbes use her influence to halt a beaver licensing process which had been conducted with 'high community consultation standards'. The group's James Nairne said: 'It seems to mark yet another example of ministerial appeasement of the NFUS at the expense of Scotland's nature, and raises serious questions about how committed this government is to Scotland's beaver strategy and the Scottish biodiversity strategy more generally.' Malcolm Wield, a former forest manager who has lived close to Strathglass since 1993, claimed that a lot of local people were 'excited' at the idea of having beavers in the area. 'Even if many often feel the need to keep their heads down, their views have to count too,' he said. 'Undemocratic intervention by the Deputy First Minister on such an important issue is unfair and demonstrates total disregard for the breadth of views here, not to mention biodiversity.' Forbes stressed her role as a constituency MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch. 'I am obligated to relay constituency concerns and queries to the relevant public bodies and I'm proud to work hard on behalf of my constituents,' she told The Ferret. 'When multiple local residents in Glen Affric expressed concerns about the introduction of beavers at drop-in surgeries, I raised those in my constituency capacity with the relevant public bodies. 'This is consistent with the approach I would take on any issue, from healthcare to wildlife.' She added: 'My status as Deputy First Minister is immaterial to progressing constituency casework, and any suggestion to the contrary puts my constituents at a disadvantage.' NatureScot insisted it was 'absolutely committed' to expanding the beaver population across Scotland for the benefit of biodiversity. 'We understand that there may be frustration around the timeframe for this licensing decision,' said a spokesperson. 'This short and focused engagement will be on the specific impacts on land and fisheries managers and the mitigation and management available to them.' NatureScot pointed out that Scottish ministers could modify or revoke beaver licensing decisions, and it had to keep them briefed on 'any novel or contentious issues'. NatureScot's delay was backed by the Scottish Government. 'Given the concerns from the local community, it is only right that NatureScot take the time to undertake further engagement with land and fisheries managers,' said a spokesperson. READ MORE: Europe's first museum of contemporary Palestinian art opens in Edinburgh 'The Scottish Government supports the targeted reintroduction of beaver populations where appropriate. 'We want to make sure that where translocations take place, measures are put in place to ensure rural people and beavers are able to thrive.' Forestry and Land Scotland described the delay to releasing beavers in Glen Affric as 'disappointing' but said it could appreciate NatureScot's position. Consultations were extensive and allowed everyone in the local community to have their say, it argued. 'The consultation process and other inputs helped us to identify where the majority opinion lay. It also helped us to develop appropriate and adequate mitigations to address the concerns raised by those who were not in favour of beaver reintroductions,' said north region planning manager, Euan Wiseman. The National Farmers Union in Scotland said its members were committed to helping nature restoration. 'Local farmers and crofters highlighted concerns in relation to the Glen Affric beaver release to their MSP representative,' confirmed a spokesperson.
