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.

Perthshire war evacuee, 92, scores a hit with her lockdown art

Dorothy McDermont, 92
Dorothy McDermont, 92

A talented 92-year-old, who was an evacuee in Perthshire during World War Two, is enjoying a hit with her latest lockdown creations.

Dorothy McDermott has made dozens of colourful bead bowls as a vital distraction during the Covid crisis.

The arts-loving pensioner, who trained as a silversmith, was inspired to experiment with Hama Beads, a creative product originally designed for children.

Dorothy said the work helps her enjoy a happy, fulfilled life, and now she has been flooded with orders for bowls from family and friends, as well as residents and staff at the Cramond Residence care home in Edinburgh where she stays.

“I’ve made over 20 in just one month,” she said. “I’m thrilled to bits that people like them.

“But I couldn’t have done it without the help from staff as my fingers don’t work the way they used to.

Dorothy with her parents in 1948

“I have to pick up the Hama Beads with a safety pin due to my arthritis and have to get one member of staff to help separate the brown and black beads, due to my double vision.”

Widowed Dorothy has had a lifelong passion for art and said her creative streak even helped sustain her as a child during the darkest days of the war.

“Art has always been a passion of mine. I used to get my dad to make a hole in silver sixpences and thruppennies so I could get a wire or thread through to make necklaces.

“When I was evacuated from Edinburgh to the home of my auntie and uncle in Perthshire at the beginning of World War Two, I used to gather hazelnuts to paint and make brooches from, to keep everyone’s spirits high and bring a little bit of happiness during a difficult time.”

The mother-of-one said: “I’ve always made things, right through school I was painting and making jewellery.

“I went on to study silversmithing at Edinburgh Art College. It’s fun to see how the creations turn out and makes me feel good to see the way people have appreciated them over the years.”

Dorothy is now leading classes at her care home, with a course planned for next month on tie-dye silk scarves.

“Making things keeps my mind active,” she said. “I’ve started becoming a bit forgetful so this gives me something to focus on and I really enjoy it. I’d say I spend several hours every week creating new designs whether it is for a new bead bowl or a painting.”