Latest news with #Dundee-based
Scotsman
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Dundee Children transform charity HQ
A group of Dundee children have made their mark on a charity's headquarters by transforming its windows into art. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Adventures of the Little People Group, run by Hilltown-based charity Front Lounge, designed vinyl prints for Front Lounge's five windows. Adventures of the Little People is Front Lounge's after-school club attended by primary school children aged between five and twelve. The group enjoys games and a hot meal provided by resident chef Charley Griffin. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A recent activity saw them working with Dundee-based artist Louise Kirby, who previously taught learners pursuing the charity's Kindred Clothing garment-making qualification. Louise Kirby Louise, who has transformed many local public spaces through art, said: 'We worked around the charity's themes of aspiration and hope, from what adventures they'd love to go on to what they'd like to do when they're older. It was lovely to see them all collaborating and having fun with their ideas. 'We then used different techniques to engage them, from painting and mark-making to mood boards and looking at shapes, but all driven by their interests and imaginations, whether it's space, palm trees, racing cars or lions! "For those who couldn't attend in person, we got them involved through worksheets to enjoy at home. It was amazing to see their imaginations come to life. In the process, we've transformed a patch of the Hilltown for the wider community to enjoy.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Chika Inatimi, Project Leader, Front Lounge, said: 'For over 20 years, our premises have stood as a white building, until now. Having local children support the transformation with vibrant colour has been significant, instilling a deep sense of pride in everyone who uses the space. Louise Kirby (far left), Charley Griffin and daughters, Chika Inatimi and Christie Wanless "It now mirrors the energy and spirit of Front Lounge, and marks a bold step forward as we evolve into a dedicated learning centre. Most importantly, this transformation has changed how the wider community sees and engages with the building, helping to make Hilltown a more vibrant place to live, work, and connect." Front Lounge Development Worker and mum-of-two Amy Deans added: 'Too many children are missing out on the social aspects of life. Some families can't afford to send their children to activities and clubs, while others might feel anxious and lack confidence. 'We know through many other projects we run that isolation can lead to poor mental health so we wanted to do something to offset this before these children get any older. As we often do at Front Lounge, we turned to creativity, which has an amazing power to change lives and build confidence. The charity's motto is Life is Big: Be All You Can Be, and that thinking has come through loud and clear on our new windows!' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Louise Kirby is a visual artist and designer who enhances experiences and placemaking to support positive wellbeing. Olivia Kirk from Dundee Her designs have a range of applications, from applied artwork to colourful pocket parks, colourful crossings and ground graphics, decorative steel gates, interior and exterior environmental graphics, and murals. Her artwork brings joy to site-specific places within the public realm.
Glasgow Times
26-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Jeweller to showcase nature-inspired work at Glasgow market
Jane Harrison, who works from The Briggait Wasps studio in Glasgow, will exhibit her latest creations at the Tea Green Summer Design Market, taking place at The Burrell Collection in Glasgow on August 2 and 3. Now in its 11th year, Tea Green Events has grown into one of Scotland's leading events for independent designers and makers and will feature around 60 exhibitors. Read more: New mural takes shape on side of Southside Paesano Jane, a graduate of Glasgow School of Art, said: "My jewellery is born from a love of nature and a passion for collecting and curating natural objects, things I find on walks around Glasgow and further afield. "I'm constantly inspired by the shapes, textures and colours I see in parks like Pollok and Mugdock, or along the shores of Luss and Loch Lomond." Her early collections drew from her garden, often incorporating natural elements such as seed pods and twigs, some of which she casts directly into silver. Her latest pieces, which will debut at The Burrell, include earrings inspired by fledgling sparrows and tiny frogs from her garden pond. Jane has been a regular participant in Tea Green's Glasgow events since the very first market. She said: "Tea Green is the only market I attend regularly. "The standard is always high, and the locations are incredible, places I'd never otherwise have the opportunity to exhibit in. "I also love meeting buyers face-to-face, sharing the story behind my work, and often reconnecting after the event for bespoke commissions. "It's also a brilliant space for creatives to connect, collaborate, and support each other, especially as we navigate rising costs and other industry challenges." Founded in 2014 by Dundee-based jeweller Joanne MacFadyen, Tea Green Events began at the Glasgow School of Art's Student Union and has grown into a national platform for Scottish creatives. Joanne said: "Tea Green owes everything to Glasgow, having held our very first market at the Student Union of Glasgow School of Art. "Having grown up in East Kilbride, I also have personal memories of visiting both The Burrell Collection and Kelvingrove, first as a child and then later as an artist and creative. "Returning to these beautiful, iconic venues with Scotland's most talented designers is an absolute privilege." Read more: Glasgow artist pays tribute to music legends ahead of huge reunion gigs Lauren Rhodes, commercial development and programming manager at Glasgow Life, highlighted the value of the partnership. She said: "Tea Green is a fantastic example of what happens when cultural spaces and creative communities work together. "It has been a real privilege to develop this partnership with Tea Green at Glasgow Life, helping independent designers connect with museum visitors while delivering a high-quality public event. "Events like these support Scotland's independent creative economy and generate vital income for the museums service. "They also help our cultural spaces feel relevant, welcoming, and meaningfully connected to the wider arts and design community in Scotland." The Tea Green Summer Design Market at The Burrell Collection will run from 10am to 5pm on August 2 and from 11am to 5pm on August 3.
Miami Herald
14-07-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
World's first forensic jeweler IDs disaster zone victims through jewelry
By Elizabeth Hunter A former jewelry designer has become the world's first forensic jeweler, who IDs bodies in disaster zones through their rings, necklaces and earrings. Dr. Maria Maclennan, 36, analyzes victim's bracelets, gemstones, pendants and trinkets for clues to help emergency crews, investigators and families. She first studied jewelry design at the university, then realized she wanted to use her talents to help people instead. The Dundee-based forensic jeweler has since been drafted in to aid identification in disasters and mass fatalities around the world. She helped identify victims of the 2015 Tunisia terror attacks, worked on Grenfell, the Germanwings plane crash in France in 2015 and the Mozambican airliner disaster in Namibia in 2013. She's also helped ID the bodies of migrants lost in sea crossings. Maria says the "holy trinity of primary methods," teeth, fingerprint, DNA – are the still the foremost ways to establish who the bodies are. But she realized jewelry can hold vitals clues to discovering who a deceased person is - which can help remains be reunited with loved ones. Maria joined a project led by Interpol when she was a master's student at the University of Dundee. It was designed to improve practices around victim identification in disasters, which sparked her interest in the relationship between forensics and personal effects. She said: ''It was a project that was spearheaded by Interpol and a number of other international project partners, looking at how we could improve practices around disaster victim identification. "They were looking at the usual scientific method - DNA, fingerprinting, dental records - but they were also expanding into what we call secondary methods. "They were looking at clothing, personal effects, body modification, tattoos, and jewelry. "That was my background - I was a jewelry designer by trade. "A lot of pieces are very traceable. The might have some kind of mark, a serial number, a hallmark. "A lot are very personalized, they can connect to a manufacturer, a designer, a maker and we can trace something back to the place of purchase. "Distinctive pieces are recognized, they're memorable. Something that has been worn often or for a long time can be a physical repository for DNA. "They might have been gifted between family members - they might symbolize a very significant relationship, they may have been passed down through generations or they could be really important spiritual, religious or cultural items.'' She added: "I was never as interested in designing as a lot of my peers and colleagues. ''I didn't actually enjoy sitting down at the bench and designing and making quite as much as I did the research and studying. "It was all the stories, the histories, the meanings that I was interested in - why people wear jewelry, why they don't wear jewelry, when they decide to take it off or keep it with them, and what it symbolized. "I was living with a medical student, one of my friends, and there was probably a bit of me that saw her go off and thought 'she's really going to save lives and help people.' "As a jeweler, we design wedding and engagement or memorial pieces, and we really have to understand their personality, their identity and relationships. ''It's very much an important job - but the opportunity to get involved in that project made me think there could be some way to really improve or contribute to people's lives. "It really opened up my thinking to this whole new world that I hadn't really been exposed to before. "I loved the idea that I could use my skills and knowledge as a jewelry designer in this completely new way to really help people." Maria and her team worked on a jewelry classification system, which has since been incorporated into Interpol's current disaster victim identification practices. Maria, who has a PhD in Forensic Jewelry, said: "I was working mostly in forensic imaging, so any kind of visual evidence, whether that was photography, fingerprints, footwear, patterns, 360 panoramic views of scenes, and I was carrying on my own research alongside that. "I was starting to deploy to international incidents - aviation crashes mainly, but also natural disasters and terror incidents too. There was a lot of international mass fatality work. "Once I started doing the work, I realized that it wasn't just about studying these objects, analyzing them, trying to trace them, trying to identify people. "I think especially in the mass fatality context, where very sadly, many families and next of kin don't have a dedicated place to go to say goodbye, to visit. "They maybe don't always even receive the remains of their loved ones, they depending on the condition. Very sadly, it might not be possible to repatriate an entire body. "I think this is where it goes back to my initial training and love of jewelry, and all the personal stories and the sentimental value. "I actually drew quite a few parallels with the designing and making that we do in the jewelry world and the return and the repatriation of objects to next of kin, because these little objects, they're very often seen as an extension of us and of our identities, especially if they've got that really personal element. "To receive those back after often quite traumatic incidents and events really means a lot to the families, and that part of the process is not to be underestimated. "We try and treat the objects with the same amount of dignity and respect as we would the person themselves. "That includes everything - ensuring that the families have an opportunity to view the object. "They can choose whether they would like the items returned in their current state, even if they've been damaged or melted or burned, or whether they would like them to be repaired or fully reconstructed. "We give families that option, and we also try to put just as much care into how we package and gift those items. "The care that needs to go into that is just as much an important factor, because that's the first impression that families will often get - it's the first thing they'll see. "Also, many of them may not be quite ready to open that package and confront these items. "For many of them, they may choose to keep them in storage or only revisit them a number of months or years later, so we have to really think about that whole process." Maria has begun teaching - lecturing at Edinburgh College of Art, and traveling the world to train law enforcement and investigators based on her research. "Over the last few years, I've become more involved in training and upskilling law enforcement and investigative agencies on the value of jewelry and personal effects and trying to create practical, hands on training programs, things that will be useful for them in their day to day life," she said. "Most recently, I was over in Brazil, working with the Brazilian Federal Police and running a training program for them - they're kind of forensic gemologists. "They have quite a large criminal investigative department over in Brazil, because they deal a lot with gem crime and trafficking and smuggling of gemstones and other artifacts across borders. "I've developed a lot of training, and now being an educator myself, that's something I'm very passionate about, is trying to share the knowledge I've learned. "I still work on some live cases, but these days, it's more about kind of helping others to help themselves, rather than me doing the work personally." The project closest to her heart today is a humanitarian project called Identifying the Displaced, which seeks to use personal effects to identify people lost while migrating across the Aegean Sea. Maria and her team have recovered over 500 personal objects, belonging to migrants who lost their lives while attempting to cross the "River of Death," which has claimed the life of over 2,500 people between 2014 and 2024. "We're looking to try and study and analyze the objects, the jewelry, the personal effects that were carried with people on the move," she said. "Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, as they make these journeys to try and gain entry into Europe, a lot of them, very sadly, lose their lives. "By collaborating with the local pathologists and people who work in that industry over in Greece, we've designed a database that we're trying to use to collaborate with different communities to raise more awareness of the migrant crisis, to hopefully generate new investigative insight around the objects.'' The post World's first forensic jeweler IDs disaster zone victims through jewelry appeared first on Talker. Copyright Talker News. All Rights Reserved.
The Herald Scotland
07-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish bus company in liquidation with all staff redundant
I reported last month that James Dewar and Alistair McAlinden from Interpath were appointed as joint provisional liquidators and two local authorities are making arrangements for affected school travel. Dundee-based Fishers Tours private hire coach company provided short and long-distance travel in Scotland. The company employed 27 people and operated from Mid Craigie Industrial Estate with a fleet of 18 coaches. The liquidator said: "In recent months, the business has faced financial challenges amidst rising costs but operated with fixed price customer contracts, which impacted its ability to meet its financial obligations." The business ceased trading and on appointment of the joint provisional liquidators all staff were made redundant. The liquidator also told The Herald: "All services, including pre-booked hires, group travel and music event travel, have ceased. Customers with bookings are advised to seek alternative travel arrangements, while customers who have paid deposits are advised to speak to their bank or credit card provider." Dundee City Council and Angus Council are "making arrangements to ensure the continuity of school transport services". THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN BUSINESS HQ MONTHLY Alistair McAlinden, managing director at Interpath and joint provisional liquidator of Fishers Tours Limited, said: "Fishers Tours has been a core part of the local transport network in the Dundee City and Angus region for more than two decades and we recognise the devastating impact the closure of the business will have on staff, customers and wider community. "Regrettably, all bookings and services have been cancelled and customers are advised to seek alternative arrangements and engage with their bank or credit card provider if a deposit has been paid. As provisional liquidators, our immediate focus is to explore the circumstances of the liquidation and support affected employees to ensure they have access to the necessary guidance in making claims to the Redundancy Payments Office." 'Multi-billion redevelopment' of nuclear submarine base Plans have been unveiled for the 'multi-decade' programme. (Image: PA) Elsewhere last month, there was momentous news on the 'multi-billion' pound redevelopment of a nuclear submarine base in Scotland. Plans have been unveiled for the 'multi-decade' work at the Faslane base which is the Royal Navy's main presence north of the Border. An initial £250 million of funding over three years will support 'jobs, skills and growth'. The move was announced as part of the UK Government's Spending Review nuclear strategy that includes the £14.2 billion investment to build Sizewell C plant in Suffolk. The new "Clyde 2070 programme represents one of the most significant and sustained UK Government investments in Scotland over the coming decades". It said it demonstrates commitment to UK defence and bringing the economic, skills and employment benefits to Scotland, "driving defence as an engine for economic growth and supporting the government's Plan for Change". READ MORE: The £250m allocated immediately for the next three years 'will help adapt and improve the working environment and infrastructure at the site, preparing it to welcome the new Dreadnought Class of deterrent submarines and SSN-AUKUS, the Royal Navy's next generation of attack submarines'. As part of the Strategic Defence Review, the UK Government has committed to build up to 12 SSN-AUKUS submarines, which will replace the current fleet of Astute Class attack submarines. The Defence Nuclear Enterprise - the partnership of organisations that operate, maintain, renew and sustain the UK's nuclear deterrent as part of a national endeavour – is "investing to sustain the deterrent for as long as required". Ian Murray, Scottish Secretary, said: "This extra £250m investment for HMNB Clyde is another fantastic example of how Scotland is at the heart of the UK defence policy. "As home of the Royal Navy Submarine Service - including the UK's nuclear deterrent - HMNB Clyde will play a crucial role for decades to come as we restore Britain's readiness, deter our adversaries and help drive economic growth across the UK, as part of our Plan for Change. "Over 6,500 military and civilian personnel are employed at HMNB Clyde, making it the second largest employment site in Scotland, with a total of around 25,600 jobs across Scotland supported by an annual multi-billion pound Ministry of Defence investment." John Healey, Defence Secretary, said: "We have an unwavering commitment to our nuclear-powered submarines. The long-term, sustained investment for HMNB Clyde will provide the infrastructure necessary to keep our submarines maintained and at sea - continuing to protect us around the clock. "This funding, and the continued dedication and skill of the men and women that help build and operate our submarines, will ensure we are able to meet the threats we face, while supporting the Plan for Change and showing how defence is an engine for growth, creating good jobs across Scotland."
The Citizen
04-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Coin-It scheme trio back in court again this month
Three members of the De Beer family (who formed the now-infamous Coin-It investment scheme) were back in court last week, only to have their case postponed to July 25. This is to allow the defence to file a further affidavit regarding their application for documents. Malcolm de Beer (54), Patricia de Beer (53) and Samantha de Beer (31) – all of Dundee – are charged with fraud (with the alternative charge of theft) to the amount of approximately R73.6 million. They are also charged with contravention of the Financial Advisory & Intermediary Services Act, the Banks Act, and money laundering. The trio are out on R50,000 bail. Coin-It promised starry-eyed investors riches that would lead them on their 'route to success'. While many who poured money into the scheme accrued riches beyond their wildest dreams, hundreds more lost their hard-earned money when the Dundee-based pyramid scheme came crashing down, leaving many distraught. HAVE YOUR SAY: Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram or email us at [email protected]. Add us on WhatsApp 071 277 1394. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
