UK News
Insights from the UK and beyond
Scots favour traditional funeral hymns
While the English and Welsh are asking for more pop songs to be played at funerals, the Scots are bucking the trend and opting for more religious music.
Fifty-six percent of Scots chose hymns during the past 12 months, a rise of 2 percent on 2005, according to a survey carried out by Co-operative Funeralcare.
In the rest of the UK, only 35 percent selected religious music, a fall of 6 percent on the same period – reflecting an increasingly secular society.
The most popular hymns remained “The Lord is My Shepherd”, “Abide with Me” and “All Things Bright and Beautiful”, while the top songs were Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” and Bette Midler’s “Wind Beneath My Wings”.
Saving a Titian for the nation: money well spent?
The National Galleries of Scotland and London’s National Gallery said on Monday they had raised the 50 million pounds needed to save a key work by Renaissance master Titian before it was put up for sale by the Duke of Sutherland.
Of the 50 million raised for “Diana and Actaeon”, the Scottish government pledged 12.5 million pounds, 7.4 million came from public donations, 12.5 million from National Galleries in London and another 10 million pounds came from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
Brown’s Scotland likely to be hit worst in recession
The Labour Party may have won the Glenrothes by-election this week, partly on the back of the Prime Minister’s handling of the financial crisis, but Gordon Brown’s Scotland is predicted to suffer more than the rest of Britain during the economic downturn.
Scotland was named European Region of the Future for the second time in four years by the Financial Times’ fDi (foreign direct investment) magazine this year.
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The Wall
