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Nov 29, 2024 | 
scotsman.com | Cat Thomson
In the aftermath of the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019, the efforts to rebuild it called for people with traditional skills in stone masonry and carpentry. As the Paris landmark prepares to reopen, there are fears there aren’t the skills in Scotland if something similar happened herenote-0, writes Cat Thomson. On the evening of 15 April 2019, disaster struck in Paris, when a fire started in the eaves of Notre Dame Cathedral.
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Oct 15, 2024 | 
scotsman.com | Cat Thomson
The henitentiary at HMP Edinburgh is a key part of prison life, writes Cat Thomson. I was recently invited to meet a flock of VIPs, aka very important poultry. The security was exceptionally tight not because they are rare breeds or flighty fancy fowl, but because they reside at his majesty’s pleasure, inside HMP Edinburgh, Saughton. The henitentiary at HMP Edinburgh, as the hen set-up is affectionately known, was created in 2014, the brainchild of a poultry-keeping prison officer.
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Oct 1, 2024 | 
porthole.com | Cat Thomson
Have you ever wondered if time travel is possible? After an 8-day voyage aboard a century-old wooden trawler, I think it just might be. Just standing and looking up at the billowing red sails, I feel connected to the past sailors, in a way I hadn’t imagined. I had embarked at Dunstaffnage Marina near Oban to join eight strangers to sail around the West Coast of Scotland aboard a boat built in 1924.
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Sep 11, 2024 | 
thescarboroughnews.co.uk | Cat Thomson
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565Visit Shots! nowThe kids may just have returned to school but now is the ideal time to get planning for the October break. For a great family-friendly getaway, without airport delays and passport queues, or even just a fun family day out, look no further than Yorkshire’s ultimate road trip – Route YC.
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Aug 23, 2024 | 
yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk | Cat Thomson
Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565Visit Shots! nowThe organisation behind Yorkshire’s ultimate road trip, Route YC, has teamed up with Yorkshire baker and Great British Bake Off (GBBO) star David Atherton, to sniff out some of the best dog-friendly hotels and restaurants on the Yorkshire coast in time for National Dog Day on Monday August 26.
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Aug 5, 2024 | 
thescarboroughnews.co.uk | Cat Thomson
Watch more of our videos on Shots! and live on Freeview channel 276Visit Shots! nowFrom a new luxury wellness-led sanctuary in Whitby, to a new spa experience in Scarborough, and a range of 12 newly designed cycling routes to explore, the Yorkshire Coast is setting its sights on becoming one of the UK’s leading travel destinations for wellness and relaxation this autumn.
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Aug 4, 2024 | 
thecourier.co.uk | Cat Thomson
Enjoying a delicious brunch out always feels decadent to meHowever, as a meal, it’s not everyone’s favourite. So a menu that offered both lunch and brunchy options seemed like a good choice for a day out with my mother in law and father in law. Having walked past Gracie’s in Broughty Ferry hundreds of times – it’s on one of the town’s main thoroughfares – I decided it was time to give it a go.
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Jul 30, 2024 | 
scotsman.com | Cat Thomson
Chocolate lovers will delight in this world of all things sweet, situated in the Scottish BordersChocolate lovers have been flocking to Peebles in the Scottish Borders for their cocoa fix – and the location is the headquarters of a chocolate empire. Ruth Hinks is a world-class chocolatier and has also been named UK Confectioner of the Year. She grew up in South Africa, but ended up setting up her chocolate school and Cocoa Black café in her husband’s hometown.
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Jul 21, 2024 | 
twickenham.nub.news | Cat Thomson
Richmond based illustrator Lucy Deaner has been picked to create new meadow flower-themed packaging for Scottish beauty company, Seilich. In February 2024 Lucy was commissioned by Dr Sally Gouldstone, the founder of Scottish meadow grown skincare brand Seilich, to create eight illustrations for new packaging for her skincare range. Lucy originally comes from Muckhart near Kinross in Scotland but lives and works in Richmond, London.
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Jul 5, 2024 | 
thetimes.com | Cat Thomson
A trip to the hairdresser normally involves nothing more strenuous than leafing through a glossy magazine. However, I find myself in a scene reminiscent of a Greco-Roman wrestling bout. Luckily for me I am not the one having the short back and sides. I have come to Kirkwood Farm, a 650-acre working farm near Lockerbie, where guests can book a range of fun farm activities from quad biking and fishing to off-roading and tractor driving. Also available, sadly for my hirsute client: sheep shearing.
