Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Struan has designs on creative career

Struan Butler hard at work on one of his creations.
Struan Butler hard at work on one of his creations.

An enterprising Tayside youngster has turned his interest in jewellery-design into a thriving cottage industry which is raising funds for children living with kidney conditions.

What started as a pastime during sleepovers at his granny’s house when he was seven has blossomed into a lucrative hobby for Struan Butler.

Now 12, his attention to detail and love of the intricate bead work resulted in him gaining his first wedding commission for a bridal party earlier this year to create bracelets for four bridesmaids and two flower girls.

Some of his intricate bead work.

Struan, a first year pupil at Forfar Academy, now sells his work at local craft fairs after personally sourcing the coloured beads needed for his creations.

His proud mum, Cherie, explained: “My mum, Vicki Farquhar, loves making jewellery and it was when Struan was staying for a sleepover that he saw what she was doing and asked if he could have a shot.

“He sells his pieces at Christmas fairs and craft fairs and everyone is astonished about his work.

“He also donates a percentage of his profit to Kidney Kids Scotland.”

Struan with some of his hand-made jewellery.

Cherie explained Struan chose to donate funds to help children living with kidney conditions as his older brother, Adam, had one of his kidneys removed when he was 11-years-old.

The Scottish charity is the only one which supports children with renal/urology illness and their families. Its main aim is to enable children to receive treatment as close to home as possible.

Cherie continued: “Adam, who is now 16, is the reason why he donates to Kidney Kids Scotland.

“He was very ill when he was 11-months-old and it was discovered one of his kidneys wasn’t working properly.

“He eventually had the kidney removed when he was 11 and he’s great now.

“He didn’t need dialysis but was very thin.”

As Struan is too young to have his own website, he has set up his own Facebook page, Struan’s Jewellery, which showcases some of his creations, from bracelets and necklaces to pendants and ear-rings.

His entrepreneurial flair was demonstrated when he was a pupil at Whitehills Primary School in Forfar, making loom bands and key-rings with some of his friends.

He is now hoping to use his interest in design and his love of technology to build on his business success.

He said: “This year I have done a Christmas market in Forfar and two in Kirriemuir.

“I stock up at a beads fair in Perth and enjoy being able to make something out of them.

“I was a bit nervous when I got the commission for the bride but she was delighted with the bracelets.”

A member of the 6th Forfar Scouts, Struan is now putting his artistic talent to good use as he is working on stage one of his hobby and craft badge.