Snappy bid for voters
Vegan’s business selling accessories made out of roadkill for up to £500
THE Electoral Commission have enlisted Snapchat’s help in a bid to encourage young voters to take part in the May 4 council elections.
A voter registration “geofilter” has been launched on the social media app to remind users to sign up for the poll before the deadline next Monday.
Bravado at work
Men are more likely to ask for a promotion at work, a poll found. Jobs site Adzuna said it may just be “male bravado” but added: “Women also need to raise their expectations.” A VEGAN is creating £500 novelty sporrans – from animals squashed by cars.
Emma Willats earns her crust as a taxidermist despite her passionate beliefs about not eating animal meat or by-products.
The 32-year-old, from Bridge of Marnoch, Aberdeenshire, has built a successful business turning roadkill into luxury kiltwear.
The sporrans, which sell for between £100 and £500, can take up to a month to complete and also feature recycled leather.
Emma’s latest collection includes dead foxes, badgers, hares and even a raccoon – but she will only accept creatures that have been found dead.
She said: “The way I look at it is that if something has been killed for me, then that’s wrong.
“It feels like a bigger waste to just throw an animal to the wayside once it’s dead. It’s better to use them in taxidermy than have some council employee just discard them.
“If it’s something that’s died naturally, or has been run over, then we should try to preserve it.”
Emma, who formerly worked as an oil and gas engineer, gave up her job after her partner Jonathan Addie suffered a near-fatal car crash last April.
Not wanting to leave him alone at home, she decided to turn her taxidermy hobby into a full-time job and started her business, The Dapper Dead, in a bothy at their remote home near Huntly.
Emma had already taken a few classes in Edinburgh before her teacher suggested she switch from stuffed birds to sporrans.
Although most of her “full mask” sporrans are created for the UK market, Emma has started receiving orders from further afield.
She said: “I’ve just posted two sporrans – a badger and a fox – to America.”
Emma also makes jewellery and sgian-dubhs from animal remains.
She said: “A lot of my followers online are women, so I’m starting to branch out into jewellery using teeth, bones and bird skulls so that I can provide something for them.”
Emma sources most of the roadkill herself. She photographs each animal for licensing purposes and informs Scottish Natural Heritage if she stumbles upon anything unusual.
Her friends also help out, donating everything from dead pets to vintage furs.
She said: “A lot of friends have been embracing my weird job and are quite on the ball and will find me things.
“I don’t think I will ever get bored of taxidermy.”