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Profile: Shona Craven

Columnist & Community Editor

Latest articles from Shona Craven

A five-step guide to preventing a policy headache like GRA

IF any Yes supporters imagined the heated debate around gender…

Why I volunteer: I’m channelling my anger into helping others

Iga Gumulinska is a fundraising volunteer for Amina – the…

Leadsom was naive to think Tories care about ‘respect’

IT’S easy to knock Andrea Leadsom. That’s twice she’s…

Why I volunteer: It’s such a buzz to work for Dogs Trust

STUART Frankland lives in Glasgow and has volunteered at Dogs…

16 of the best baby gift ideas made in Scotland

IS there anything more delightful than shopping for a new baby?…

Luxury Bosie Hug booties are keepsakes to be treasured

MAIRI Flood is the maker behind Bosie Hug

Do Tories think the Edinburgh Fringe is like a bag of spuds?

WHAT’S your proudest achievement? And if it involves flags,…

Shona Craven: The bogeyman lurking in women’s toilets is real

IT was a burp that gave him away. A loud, thoroughly unladylike…

Shona Craven: Is it right to make contraceptive use a condition of support?

WHEN we talk about sterilisation, it’s usually in one of two…

Why I volunteer: You needn’t be a high-flyer to be a charity trustee

Raymond O’Hare is a trustee for ProjectScotland

Shona Craven: Change UK might want to consider another rebranding

REMEMBER those heady days in February, when The Independent Group…

Place your bets now as top Tory failures limber up for leadership contest

READY, steady, go! The news that failed work and pensions…

Planning a wedding? Keep it Made in Scotland with our supplier guide

ONCE upon a time, planning a wedding was a fairly straightforward…

Shona Craven: Coming soon to BBC One – Gavin Williamson in the Line of Fire

AN interrogation room deep in the bowels of AD-13. The atmosphere…

It’s time to set the ground rules for cross-party talks

GOOD morning everyone, and welcome to the first session of…

Shona Craven: How to conduct a witch hunt of female SNP politicians

LEAKED messages have this week raised questions about unity…

Hallowe’en made easy: disguise yourself as a 'thick as mash' Brexiteer

PRE-ORDER now in time for Hallowe’en, and give your friends a…

Me, denied a peerage? That would be out of order!

ORDER! Order! Roll up, roll up for the latest thrilling…

Made in Scotland: Your ultimate Easter chocolate guide

SPRING has sprung, the daffodils are in bloom, and amid the…

Made in Scotland: The chocolatiers behind Cocoa Mountain

Paul Maden and James Findlay are the chocolatiers behind Cocoa…

The Unprincipled look and talk just like us ... be afraid. Be very afraid

I DON’T want to alarm you, but they’re coming. They’re…

Has ‘Theresa May’ actually been Lorraine Kelly all along?

This week we learned that (for tax purposes) the Scottish…

Made in Scotland: Little treasures are inspired by striking scenery

Miriam Emerton is the maker behind Ailleagan Art

Made in Scotland: Scottish products inspired by beautiful landscapes

SPRING has sprung, and what better time to start thinking about…

The impact of our insatiable appetite for new clothes on Earth's health

PICTURE the scene: a young woman in a striking pink dress is…

Segregating pupils by religion is a barrier to friendship

THIS isn’t a story about “my sectarianism hell”. Growing up…

The Nine: A promising start from a team not afraid to ask the right questions

THE pressure was on Rajdeep Sandhu last night. As Westminster…

BBC Scotland: Three thrilling minutes ... followed by half an hour of cringe

‘I’M not asking for a miracle,” sang Lauren Mayberry of…

Exclusive: It’s with a heavy heart and great excitement that I resign

GOOD morning everyone, and thank you for coming to hear my…

We must not let these EU bureaucrats win the war against jam

THANKS to everyone for making it along to this emergency meeting…

Exclusive: We reveal the special place in hell reserved for Brexiteers

HELL-O and welcome to your induction session! My name is Lucifer…

Meet the Maker: Designs with a dash of dry wit strike a chord

Glasgow-based illustrator Corrin Strain talks greetings cards,…

Made in Scotland: Our pick of products from Scottish firms and independent makers

How to win at politics ... vote against yourself

JUDGING by the headlines, it’s been a great week for our Prime…

Heaven help us with these Scottish Tory MPs and their Unionism

PEOPLE make mistakes. We’re only human after all. So perhaps we…

Why we have so much to learn from ‘old and irrelevant’ women

I DIDN’T intend to spend my evening eavesdropping on one of…

Shameless British Army ads harness power of negative thinking

MAGGOTS! Pukes! Pieces of amphibian shit! Your country needs you!…

How a St Andrew's Day quip led to the creation of the Eat Haggis brand

Allistair Burt is the maker behind EatHaggis.com, a range of…

Made in Scotland: Make it a Burns Night to Remember

THE presents are all unwrapped, the last of the turkey’s been…

Young people are giving the rest of us much-needed hope

JUDGING by the more alarmist news headlines from the past year,…

Dear Nicholas Soames, this is a message from Skye. Woof.

DEAR Sir Arthur Nicholas Winston Soames, Woof woof woof! Friendly…

The ghosts who will be haunting Theresa May this Christmas

REPORTS from across the pond suggest a new spectral trend could…

Generic gifts from Santa let children know they are poor

IT’S the thought that counts, so we’re told. The actual gift…

Made in Scotland: The National's guide to Christmas gifts

STRUGGLING to think of gift ideas for your nearest and dearest?…

Harris Tweed plus animal magic is a winning formula for The Canny Squirrel

KATHERINE Pentney is the maker behind Paisley-based brand The…

How you can do a good deed on St Andrew’s Day this year

TODAY is St Andrew’s Day, which presents an excellent…

Can Theresa save the day for Brexit Britain? Oh yes she can!

ROLL up, roll up, and grab your tickets now for the family panto…

An indyref2 campaign guide for our Scotland in Union pals

AS the nation holds its breath waiting for Nicola Sturgeon to…

Who will be left once the Brexit blame game is played out?

INT. a bleak greasy-spoon cafe with blacked-out windows in…

A corpse just got elected but let's face it he's not the worst politician around

THE news that a dead brothel-keeper has been elected to…