Axel Piper

Glasgow City Council has announced that it will double the number of Street Play days in 2024, to allow children and communities to enjoy a traffic-free environment in their local streets. The scheme, which provides a free road closure for residents and groups who want to organise a Street Play session, had been growing in popularity before the Covid pandemic. What is Street Play and why is it important? Street Play is an initiative that aims to create safe and fun spaces for children to play outside in their neighbourhoods, and to bring people of all ages together. It is…

Children need a safe and loving home to grow and thrive. But not every child has that opportunity. Many children are living in difficult or dangerous situations, and they need someone to care for them. That’s where foster carers come in. Foster carers are people who open their hearts and homes to children who need them. They provide temporary or long-term care, support, and guidance to children who can’t live with their birth families. By becoming a foster carer, you can make a profound difference in a child’s life. What is fostering and why is it important? Fostering is a…

What are XL wind turbines and why are they important? XL wind turbines are large-scale offshore wind turbines that can generate more power than conventional ones. They have a maximum tip height of 187m (614ft), which is about twice the height of the tower housing Big Ben. They can also withstand harsh weather conditions and operate at greater depths in the sea. XL wind turbines are important for Scotland’s renewable energy goals, as they can produce more electricity with fewer turbines, reducing the environmental impact and the cost of installation and maintenance. They are also expected to create thousands of…

Princes Square, one of Glasgow’s most prestigious shopping and leisure destinations, has been acquired by a new owner who plans to bring in more high-profile brands and restaurants. The property and investment collective M Core has purchased the five-storey Grade B listed building for an undisclosed sum from Redevco, the previous owner who had invested £7.5m in refurbishing the centre in 2020. A landmark in Glasgow’s city centre Princes Square, which first opened in 1988, occupies a prime position on Buchanan Street, the main shopping street in Glasgow. The centre features four self-contained retail units along the street and an…

Cambo Country House and Estate, a historic venue and attraction on the coast of Fife, is preparing to host its 15th annual Snowdrop Festival in February and March. The festival celebrates the beauty and diversity of snowdrops, which are among the first flowers to bloom in the year. Cambo Estate is home to the UK’s Plant Heritage national collection of snowdrops, with over 200 varieties on display. A rare opportunity to tour the house As part of the festival, Cambo House, which has been the residence of the Erskine family since the late 1600s, will open its doors to visitors…

Carol Forsyth, a 54-year-old woman from Glasgow, has shared her harrowing experience of living with incurable bone cancer and relying on food banks to feed herself and her family. She is one of the thousands of Scots who have faced long delays in receiving the new Adult Disability Payment (ADP), a benefit that replaced the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in Scotland. The diagnosis that changed her life Carol was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that affects the plasma cells in the bone marrow, in 2019. She had been feeling unwell for months, but did not suspect anything…

Police appeal for witnesses after incident involving large group of youths The British Transport Police (BTP) are seeking witnesses to an incident that occurred at Lanark railway station on Friday, December 29, 2023. According to the BTP, a large group of young people gathered at the station around 10 pm and one of them attempted to board a train with a knife. The man was prevented from entering the train by the staff and no one was injured. The BTP are asking anyone who saw the incident or who has any information to contact them by texting 61016 or calling…

A Japanese macaque that escaped from its enclosure at the Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie on Sunday has been safely captured and returned to its home after a five-day adventure in the Scottish Highlands. How the monkey escaped and where it was seen The monkey, a male named Kintaro, managed to find a way out of its enclosure on Sunday morning, taking advantage of a gap in the electric fence. He was soon spotted by residents of the nearby village of Kincraig, where he was seen snacking on nuts and bird seeds from garden feeders. Some locals managed to capture…

Inquiry probes former first minister’s pandemic leadership Nicola Sturgeon, the former Scottish first minister, will face a grilling from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry today over her handling of the pandemic and the deletion of her WhatsApp messages. The inquiry, chaired by Baroness Heather Hallett, aims to learn lessons from the decisions and actions taken by the UK and Scottish governments during the crisis. Ms Sturgeon resigned from her post in May 2023, after a series of scandals and controversies, including a police investigation into the SNP’s finances, a row over gender reform, and criticism of her record on education and…