Perth FM New 09/09/10

Funding for Public Orchards

A little bit of rural bliss could be created in Perth with funding for a community orchard. Orchard 800 will commemorate the towns fruit growing heritage at the appropriately named Orchard Place in Craigie. It is part of a scheme to plant fruit tree on public sites in Perth and funding has been granted to several schools and local beauty spots. The orchard will be planted this winter and maintained by the South Perth Greenspace group. The Craigie site is though to be where Pitheavlis Castle’s original orchard once stood.

Perthshire Companies Reach for the Stars

Perthshire Companies are being urged to reach for the stars as the closing date approached for entries to the areas business awards. Perth Chamber of Commerce’s annual Business Star Awards recognise and reward local companies vying for a place in the spotlight.Businesses have a week to enter the nine categories with the aim of being named Perthshire business of the year. Chamber president Paul shields urged businesses to enter. He said "To be judged the best in the business that you do is a real boost for any organisation especially in these difficult times".

Moothill Site Dated

Archaeologists studying the famous Moothill in the grounds of Scone Palace, where ancient Scottish kings were crowned, have for the first time pinpointed the origins of the ancient inauguration mound using scientific laboratory analysis. The new discoveries came from radiocarbon dating of samples retrieved during excavations of a massive ditch which once surrounded the Moothill. The tests indicate that the mound was created over a 1000 years ago, meaning that the quarry ditch for the Moothill was completed shortly before the late-9th to early 11th century AD.
The new discoveries have been made possible by an archaeological research project led by Dr Oliver JT O’Grady, which since 2005 has aimed to find out more about the origins and development of Scone.