Adult class numbers rise thanks to recession

By Cara Sulieman

THE NUMBER of adults signing up for evening classes has soared in the last year as the recession is forcing people to pick up new skills for both pleasure and business.

Potential students were treated to a performance of American Tribal Style Belly Dancing today as the variety of classes on offer were showcased.

Drummond Community High School has seen the popularity of their courses soar in the past year as the recession forces people to retrain.

More than 2,000 students have enrolled on their courses for the coming term, a 10 per cent increase on last year’s figures.

Pictish warrior throne brings Scots history to life

By Tom Walker

THE FIRST ever replica of a 1000-year-old Pictish throne has been unveiled at the National Museum of Scotland after months of painstaking research and craftsmanship.

The original throne – thought to be the seat of a bloodthirsty warrior king – no longer exists, but the replica is intended to give visitors a glimpse of Scotland’s brutal tribal past.

Today (Thursday) the National Museum of Scotland unveiled the throne, which was commissioned in partnership with Glenmorangie Single Malt and is set to move around Scotland first going on display at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre from 1 December.

David Clark at National Museums of Scotland said: “Thrones were symbols of authority and power and as such would have been a very important part of Early Historic Scottish society that has hitherto been rather overlooked.

“There are no surviving examples of thrones from Early Historic Scotland and during the process of recreating this piece we’ve learnt so much about the design, manufacture and use of these thrones.