New chapter for capital’s festivals
Enjoy a year of entertainment in Edinburgh
THE colourful spectacle of Edinburgh’s annual festivals are now as synonymous with the city as the castle that dominates the skyline.
Edinburgh Art Festival (28 July - 28 August):
The head of the Perth-based national gamekeeping body has written to Cairngorms officials seeking answers after estate members raised fears over their jobs due to tree planting and deer culling plans for the national park.
Gamekeepers and shepherds held an online protest last Wednesday urging the Cairngorms National Park Authority’s board to reconsider “extreme” elements of its five-year Partnership Plan.
The draft plan, provisionally unveiled in January, advocates a programme to increase grouse population, deer culls of up to 50 per cent (on top of current levels) and a major surge in tree planting, mostly unfenced, to help tackle climate change.
Should the plan be passed by the board, the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) say protesters feel it will spell the end for some residents’ jobs in gamekeeping and deer stalking because it will “further erode the viability of businesses operating in the country sports sector”. SGA chairman Alex Hogg MBE has written to Cairngorms National Park Authority board convener Xander McDade expressing his concerns. With huge tree planting being encouraged, the SGA wants to see the park’s evidence that schemes will actually lead to climate and net zero benefits.
In the letter, he asks: “What is the consultation process with park residents, such as rural land workers, before the proposals appear in the draft?
“This is the second draft plan where our