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Colin HattersleyBudding young poets say it their own way
Hop along to Easter
events in the park
By OLIVIA THOMASDALKEITH COUNTRY Park is putting on
many Easter events from 1 to 16 April 2023.
There will be a huge variety of family events
and activities during the first half of April,
including egg hunting, craft workshops, Fort
Douglas adventure park activity area, 1K and 5K
Bunny Fun Runs and the very first Dalkeith
Country Park Duck Race on the River Esk on
1 April. This is followed by the Golden Egg
Hunt searching the park for elusive
winning eggs.
The Fort Douglas adventure park will
have an Easter activity area. Little adventurers
are invited to hop on in and take part in the
scavenger hunt, down slides, along wobbly
bridges and flying down zip lines to collect a
chocolatey prize. Once the hunt is done, join the
bunny helpers to get creative and decorate eggs
to hang on the Fort Douglas Easter tree.
Children should keep their eyes and ears open
for an extra special guest who may just hop on
in to say hello.
Restoration Yard will host many workshops
for both adults and children. Adults can try their
hand at the art of decoupage, creating a beautiful
set of six hanging decorations or their very own
unique plant pot. Scotts Apothecary are running
a Spring Candle Making workshop, producing
bespoke hand-poured candles that pack a
blissful punch.
Easter workshops for little ones include Spring
Storytelling, Easter Cookie Decorating and
Easter Craft Workshops. Parents can indulge in
some well-deserved ‘me-time’ in The Kitchen or
The Store, while little ones enjoy the workshops.
http://www.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/eventsBy STAFF REPORTERJUST AS THE new First Minister gets
his feet under the desk, Bute House,
the Official Residence, will be closed for
repair. There will be work carried out
both internally and externally to the
A-listed building in Charlotte Square.
The building is owned by National Trust
for Scotland and in addition to
stonework, there will be repairs made to
the roof and windows. The closure will
also allow for essential fire safety works
to be carried out.
Work is due to begin on 17 April and
will last for 20 weeks with a targeted
completion date of Friday 1 September.
Meetings of the Scottish Cabinet will
take place at St Andrew’s House for the
duration of the works. Temporary
alternative arrangements are being put
in place for the First Minister’s
accommodation and working
requirements while he and his family are
in Edinburgh.
The repairs have been advised by
specialist surveyors, following a survey
of the building’s stonework and roof
which identified work required to
maintain the fabric of the building.
The repairs are being coordinated by
Scottish Government contractors MITIE.THE ROYAL Botanic Garden Edinburgh
(RGBE) has begun work on the Palm House.
The Temperate and Tropical Palm Houses
will no longer be separate. The almost
200-year-old Palmhouse stands 72 feet
(21.9metres) high and is hewn from Scottish
sandstone with glass and iron above.
Amy Murray, Head of the Edinburgh
Biomes programme at RBGE explained:
“Our A-listed Palm House is showing its age.
“Working with specialist stonemasons,
architectural glazers and conservation
architects, we have now embarked on a
comprehensive programme to repair,
restore or replace every inch of the
deteriorating infrastructure.”Bute House
will be closed
for repairs
Major restoration
work at RGBE
We’re happy bunnies
TO MARK World Poetry Day
Primary 7 pupils from Royal
Mile Primary School visited
the Writers' Museum to learn
about poets and to recitetheir own poetic works.
The museum is situated in
Makars' Court which was
officially opened by Iain Crichton
Smith in August 1998. Duringthe visit the pupils learned
about the famous names which
feature on the monument there.
The young people had
written their own poemsinspired by Robert Louis
Stevenson's Kidnapped and
Treasure Island and an audience
gathered for the recital of the
pirate-themed works.Easter fun galore
at Dalkeith
Country Park