The Edinburgh Reporter June 2023 issue

Graduates talent

will be plane to see

6 NEWS

Bees return to Rosslyn Chapel in a nod to its historic past

Hive of new activity

DRS scheme delays add up to loads more rubbish

Stewart Attwood

By OLIVIA THOMAS

THE CHIPPENDALE International School

of Furniture near Haddington is staging

its graduate exhibition between 14 and

17 June.

The students will graduate from the

school’s nine-month long professional

course which is regarded as a training

ground for exceptional woodworkers. The

students learn essential skills to establish

their own furniture making business

during their studies which cover design

techniques as well as marketing strategies.

This year’s graduates include students

from India, Chile, Thailand, Norway, Saudi

Arabia, Malta, UK and Ireland.

Tom Fraser, Principal, said: “Our annual

Graduate Exhibition is a celebration of the

exceptional effort and dedication our

Professional Course students have

demonstrated over the last 9 months.

“The course is intensive and a one-of-a-

kind in the UK, and every year we are

astounded at the creativity and talent our

students showcase in their final designs.

“This is a chance for visitors to witness

the very best in up-and-coming global

furniture design talent – and you can even

go home with one of the stunning designs

if one catches your eye.”

Tickets are free but time slots must be

booked in advance.

http://www.chippendaleschool.com

ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners protested

outside Queen Elizabeth House with bags of

littered cans and bottles. These were found

in one week by litter picking group Fife

Street Champions, one of the many litter

picking groups across Scotland that are

campaigning for a deposit return scheme.

The Association for the Protection of Rural

Scotland (APRS) have formally called on the

UK government to stop blocking Scotland’s

deposit return system by granting an

exemption to the International Market Act

(IMA), legislation. Campaigners say recent

delays means that almost half a billion extra

bottles and cans will be littered, landfilled,

or incinerated. Scotland’s deposit return

scheme was first announced in September

2017, and has now been delayed three

times. The UK Government has now said

Scotland can run a pilot scheme but must

exclude glass leading to claims that the

intervention is an attack on devolution.

By PHYLLIS STEPHEN

NEW BEEHIVES at Rosslyn Chapel have

restored a historic connection between the

chapel and honeybees which dates back more

than 600 years.

Webster Honey provided the bees and will

also care for them. Daniel Webster and his

partner Emily-Kate set up the business in 2016

and established a sponsorship programme with

schools and businesses. The beekeepers visit

every seven to ten days during the honeybee

season to tend the hives.

The new partnership with Rosslyn Chapel

celebrates a historic link with the building,

which was founded in 1446. During a major

conservation project, which lasted from 1997

until 2013, the lower shaft of a stone finial, high

up on the north side of the Chapel, was found to

have been an active beehive and was full of old

honeycombs. A small hole in the centre of a

finely carved flower provided access for bees into

a large cavity and was intended to provide a safe

haven, as they were considered to be sacred.

During further work, an additional twenty-one

hives were discovered.

The four new hives were welcomed by pupils

on Roslin Primary School’s Eco-Committee.

Their artwork has been incorporated into special

designs for the hives and they have given each

hive a name.

Ian Gardner, who is Director of Rosslyn

Chapel Trust, said: “We are delighted to be

working with Webster Honey to reintroduce

bees at Rosslyn Chapel. Unlike the earlier bees,

our new hives will be at ground level, in a quiet

spot in the Chapel grounds where the bees can

enjoy access to Roslin Glen and can be tended by

Webster’s beekeepers. All being well, we would

hope to have the Chapel’s very own honey

available this autumn.”

Daniel Webster, of Webster Honey, said: “We

are really pleased to be working in this amazing

setting. We were also very happy to welcome

another school on board and we look forward to

carrying out our educational classes throughout

the season about the important role bees play in

our ecosystem. With more than 300 hives (and

growing) all over Scotland, we are committed to

supporting the Scottish bee population.

Honeybees are essential to the future of our

country and environment, and it’s great to see so

many young people getting involved and also

becoming interested.”

Roslin Primary School

pupils welcomed the bees