Latest news with #Morag
Business News Wales
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- Business News Wales
Council to Showcase Electric 4x4 at Denbigh and Flint Show
A UK first electric 4×4 is getting a taste of the Denbighshire highlands at the Denbigh and Flint Show. Morag the Munro will take centre stage at Denbighshire Fleet Services stand at the 2025 show on August 21. Sporting a front bumper pair of horns in homage to its roots from Scottish lands, visitors young and old will be able to meet and greet with the new addition that will soon become a familiar site moving across the terrain of the Clwydian Range. Morag's arrival, the first of its kind anywhere in the UK, has been made possible by funding from the Welsh Government's Energy Service and the need to replace a fossil fuel-powered pick-up truck that has reached the end of its fleet life. This addition is part of the Council's continuing drive to reduce its Fleet carbon footprint. The Munro Series-M M280, will be used by the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscapes rangers to help with daily duties on the hills and will be based at Loggerheads County Park. It has a 'real-world' electric driving range of 170 miles, a 3.5 tonne towing capacity and is the first series production vehicle from Scotland in more than 40 years. Named Morag for its similar nature to its Highland cattle counterparts, the Munro was chosen for its ability to tackle the terrain of the Clwydians and other hilly sites, having been thoroughly tested on all types of off-road situations and being able to handle gradients above 40 degrees. Introducing the Munro is part of Denbighshire County Council's ongoing effort to reduce fleet carbon emissions, improve air quality, and lower long-term maintenance and service costs by replacing end-of-life vehicles with proven electric vehicle equivalents. Councillor Barry Mellor, lead member for environment and transport, said: 'Morag is going to be a great addition for supporting the rangers with work across the Clwydian terrain and will be easy to spot by visitors to the area as well. It's also fantastic to have what is a UK first, home nations developed EV vehicle now helping maintain Denbighshire landscapes. 'This new addition will provide greener and cleaner mileage at a lower fuel cost and with the general maintenance costs less as well, will provide long term savings. 'It's a fitting vehicle to operate within this area of outstanding natural beauty and I would encourage all to come and see Morag and chat to our fleet staff to learn more at the show.'
Daily Record
10-08-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Perthshire woman who lost two stones and 12 lbs is Crieff Slimmer of the Year
Morag MacKenzie was joined by two other members as part of the Slimming World group's competition finals, Donna Mackay and Gwen Barrowman. A Perthshire woman who transformed her life by losing almost three stones has been named Crieff Slimming World Woman of the Year 2025. Morag MacKenzie, who attends the Crieff Tuesday evening Slimming World group, was voted by fellow members to win the accolade after losing two stones and 12lbs. Morag decided to join Slimming World after a devastating run of family bereavements left her in despair. She turned to food for comfort and soon found her weight rising and her confidence at an all time low. After receiving counselling she decided it was time to start making herself a priority and took the step to join her local Slimming World group. Since joining, she has lost almost three stone and her life has completely changed. She feels healthier, happier, fitter and slimmer. She is particularly proud to be able to run around after her grandkids more easily and enjoy being active with them. Morag said: 'I'm a real food lover, so when my consultant explained the plan to me and said I could still eat real food without having to restrict myself, I knew I was in the right place. 'I couldn't believe it when the weight started falling off. I hadn't been hungry once.' Morag was joined by two other members as part of the group's competition finals, Donna Mackay and Gwen Barrowman, also nominated by their peers for their inspirational weight losses and life-changing transformations. Donna has lost six stones with the support of Slimming World and shared that losing weight has helped alleviate her fibromyalgia symptoms. Donna said: 'I knew I wanted to start exercising and when my consultant spoke about all of the benefits activity would bring, such as feeling stronger and improving my mental health, as well as helping to maintain my weight loss, it was just the motivation I needed. 'I didn't want to have to hit the gym every day or start running marathons though – at least not at first – so I started with walking more and then built up gradually. 'Now I'm always on the go, and with my boys we've become an 'adventure family', enjoying active days out together and eating healthy meals on the go.' Gwen lost five stones 9.5lb. She said: 'I'm a qualified nutritionist, so I understood the principles of healthy eating, but after caring for my father I had turned to comfort and convenience with my food. 'My sister had joined Slimming World in Dundee, and we decided to walk the journey together. I looked up my local group and went along to find out more – soon realising there was more to the support than just the healthy eating plan. 'The group has helped me with mindset, long-term behaviour change and I have been blown away by what I've achieved in such a short time. 'With only a few pounds to go until I reach my dream target weight, I'm confident that with the strategies I've learned along the way, and the things I've learned about myself as a slimmer.' The Crieff Slimming World groups are held every Tuesday at 5.30pm, and every Wednesday at 9.30am in the Strathearn Community Campus.
Scotsman
12-06-2025
- Scotsman
The Malt Whisky Murders, by Natalie Jayne Clark review: 'an entertaining caper'
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers 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... Whisky and Murder go together, in Scottish crime fiction anyway. Here they do so quite light-heartedly. One of the quotes on the back cover calls this book "Hilarious, brave and original." Others might call it a caper. That's to say: it is entertaining, but seems to have little connection with reality. Of course, that's true of much crime fiction here in Scotland, where we have just been told that the homicide rate is the lowest for more that 20 years - a fact not really reflected on the shelves of our bookshops. Whisky has of course gone up in the world - single malts that is. They were rare when I was young, rarely seen in a pub. In middle-class households, the whisky bottle - Johnny Walker Red Label, Famous Grouse or Vat67 - sat next to a soda syphon. In public bars there would be a jug of water and a bottle of lemonade on the counter. Farmers and manual workers often topped up their dram with the lemonade free of charge. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Times have changed. Eilidh is a young woman who, from her early years, has made herself a malt whisky expert, starting off with a blog and then branching out. Now, with her wife Morag, formerly a distinguished Scotsman journalist, she has bought a distillery in Campbelltown. This should ring alarm bells with the reader; we know from the work of the late lamented Denzel Meyrick that the Mull of Kintyre has a murder rate to rival Chicago in Prohibition days. The distillery is derelict, and much clearing-up and renovation needs to be done before TV crews can be invited in to promote the new venture. This, it transpires, will take longer than hoped: long-dead, fully-clothed corpses are soon discovered in two of the barrels which came with the sale. Sign up to our FREE Arts & Culture newsletter at Now most of us, I suppose, if we discovered we had bought two corpses along with a distillery, would call the police. But not Eilidh, even though the bodies in the barrels have been there about as long as she has lived. Morag, being a former journalist, has her doubts about remaining silent and carrying on with the renovations, but she nevertheless agrees with her wife. So, Eilidh gets on with the work and with winning the support of the local community. She is good at this. She is pretty good at most things, and headstrong too. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Parts of the novel are told in another voice. This belongs to a character we know only as "You". This person worked in the distillery long ago when it was already in decline, sales falling, if slowly. 'You' insisted they must change their image - suggested innovative advertising was needed to attract new customers, that it was no good just appealing to old buffers, that you can't win a new market with images of of tweedy old boys sitting in the heather with a Labrador at their feat. But "You' was rebuffed, and went away promoting and selling other brands all overt the world. Now, however, "You" is back in Campbelltown. Does "You" have anything to do with the dead men? And who are they anyway? I couldn't possibly comment. The Malt Whisky Murders is an entertaining novel, feather-light, flowing along at a good pace. The main characters are likable and Eilidh and Morag have a fine dog, always welcome in a novel. It is brisk and frothy and you will also quite probably learn something about whisky. It would of course have been different if they had called the police, but this doesn't really matter.
Hamilton Spectator
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
The Ship of Tolerance Sails into Canada with Message of Peace and Diversity
A vibrant wooden vessel docked in Oakville is drawing attention and sparking conversations about unity, inclusion and hope. The Ship of Tolerance, an international art installation by renowned artists Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, has been open to the public for a week and a half and will remain on display until Sept. 30, 2025. The installation aims to educate and connect youth from diverse backgrounds through the language of art. First launched in Siwa, Egypt, in 2005, the project involved children living near the Libyan border. Since then, the boat has travelled to 17 cities around the world — including Venice, Miami, Moscow, Zug, and London — and now Oakville. 'The Ship of Tolerance has been realized in over a dozen cities around the world over the past twenty years,' said Orliana Morag, director of the Kabakov Foundation. Oakville Galleries has played a central role in bringing the project to the community, organizing workshops with 2,000 local children, coordinating with international partners, and facilitating the shipbuilders' arrival from Manchester. 'Many children expressed pride and excitement at seeing their artwork featured in a large-scale public installation,' said Shannon Ye, communications manager for Oakville Galleries. The city was selected for its ongoing relationship with the Kabakov Foundation and its commitment to public art. Morag noted that cities are often chosen based on social issues they face — from U.S.–Cuba relations in Miami and Havana to refugee resettlement in Zug and environmental awareness in London. 'Director of Oakville Galleries has worked on various projects with Ilya and Emilia Kabakov going back about twenty years,' said Morag. 'When he invited us to bring the Ship to Oakville, we jumped at the chance to partner with him, his incredible staff at Oakville Galleries, and the National Gallery of Canada.' 'Oakville Galleries initiated the presentation of The Ship of Tolerance in Oakville as part of its commitment to public art and community engagement,' said Ye. Visitors have praised the exhibition for its creativity and meaningful message. 'It's nice to see the space used for something different and unique, and especially the message is really good for the community,' said Oakville resident David Sandison. Another visitor said she learned about the installation from the local library and called the ship a 'marvellous' expression of beauty and compassion. 'This type of art should be shared with everyone to encourage tolerance, kindness and inclusivity,' she said. Morag emphasized that children often have a clearer, more open-minded view of the world than adults. 'They see past borders and superficial differences and are willing to engage with one another on a deeper level — one that explores both shared aspirations and shared fears,' she said. For many in Oakville, the exhibition offers a first-time experience with global public art and a reminder of the shared humanity that connects communities worldwide. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Edinburgh Reporter
14-05-2025
- General
- Edinburgh Reporter
Edinburgh bombing raids remembered in new book
A captivating account of the almost-forgotten bombing raids on Edinburgh and Leith during World War 2 has hit bookshelves alongside an exhibition at the city's Central Library. Featuring high-quality recently discovered police archive photographs and fascinating official reports, the book combines tragedy and farce to meticulously document the experience of the victims and survivors of up to 15 bombing raids which took place from 1939 to 1942. Former police chief turned author, Tom Wood, combed a unique archive which had been passed to Edinburgh Lothian and Borders Police Historical Society (ELBPHS), and has produced a fascinating account of Edinburgh during wartime to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of the conflict. The book, The Bombing of Edinburgh & Leith 1939-1942, is published by Ringwood Publishing and contains details of the 19 lives lost and photographs of bomb sites in Drylaw, Leith, Restalrig and Portobello – where three unexploded bombs lie 30ft underground to this day. One of the most poignant accounts is of the deaths of sister and brother, seven-year-old Morag and five-year-old Ronald McArthur, who perished in a raid on Crewe Place, Drylaw, in September 1940. Documents in the archive suggest they may have survived if air raid alerts had been sounded earlier, giving them a chance to make it to the 'Anderson' bomb shelter, and following a public outcry the alert procedure was changed. Site of Crewe Place bombing in September, 1940 Tom Wood said: 'The archive is an important and fascinating history of this extremely dangerous time, which was at the peak of the Battle of Britain and when German invasion was thought to be imminent. To this day, few people know about the extent of bombing over Edinburgh and sadly there is no memorial to the 19 people who lost their lives.' The archive and photographs will feature in an exhibition at the Central Library in George IV Bridge until 30 September and will be supported by a number of public lectures at the same venue on 11 June, 16 July and 13 August which are free and can be booked on the library website. The official launch of the book is at the Royal Scots Club in Abercrombie Place on 24 May which will be an immersive experience and feature a rationing-era lunch from the 1940s and guests are encouraged to wear WW2 attire and 1940s clothing. Tickets can be booked on Net proceeds from the book will be donated to ELBPHS and it can be ordered direct from Ringwood Publishing or on the Amazon website. Duff Street Distillery was destroyed in a bombing raid. Like this: Like Related
