Talk of the Town: Shoppers drive off with a real bargain

WE all like to come away from our Christmas shopping with a bit more than we expected.For two lucky shoppers in the Lothians that was exactly what they got after they each picked up a new car in a supermarket competition.

Janet Fairgrieve from Tranent and Eileen Murphy from Penicuik each won a Nissan Micra in prize draws at Tesco stores in Dalkeith and Penicuik.

Janet, 74, showed the true spirit of Christmas when she picked up her car, saying: “I never thought for one minute that I might win. I’ve never won anything in my life.”

Easy way to get connected to your Scottish roots

FOR Americans with Scottish roots, picking up an old history book or watching re-runs of Braveheart are the two easiest ways to connect with their Scottish heritage.

But now, thanks to an Edinburgh-based firm, they’re able to access all the information they need by way of an iPhone application.

The Scottish Clans App, created by company ScotClans, allows users across the world to read up on the history of hundreds of family histories, spanning the whole country.

If the app takes off, it could even persuade some with Scots ancestry to visit the country.

Thankfully for users, a dubious transatlantic accent is not included in the app.

SuBo dress still on hanger

CELEBRITY memorabilia is a big business, with everything from Marilyne Monroe’s iconic dress to Michael Jackson’s glove fetching vest sums at auction.

So it’s a bit of a puzzle why there is such a struggle to sell a dress worn by our very own singing sensation Susan Boyle.

SuBo donated the silver-grey dress, worth £3000, to the Prince’s Trust after wearing it during her performance on The Ana Rosa show in Madrid in February 2010.

The dress has now failed to sell at two different auctions – with the highest bid being just £350.

Perhaps now a few more interested buyers will get in touch.

Cash remains credible

WITH the financial crisis gripping it seems warnings about over-using credit cards at Christmas are finally being listened to, with a new survey suggesting, cash is king.

More than seven out of ten people in the Capital said it was important to have cash in their wallets. The research was commissioned by NoteMachine, the UK’s largest independent operator of cash machines.