As Poppyscotland marks the 100th anniversary of Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory on International Women’s Day, the Armed Forces charity is championing its female staff, volunteers and ambassadors.
Lanarkshire teen Chloe McIntosh is among those being publicly thanked by the charity for helping to raise awareness of the vital work they do in supporting current and former members of the Armed Forces and their families.
Chloe, from Strathaven, became involved with Poppyscotland when her dad Andy was supported after suffering catastrophic and life-changing injuries in the Omagh bombing tragedy. Soldier Andy was one of hundreds who were injured when a car bomb exploded in August 1998, killing 29 people.
The events of that day led to years of serious physical and mental health challenges for Andy but, thanks to unwavering support from Poppyscotland, he was able to turn his life around and credits the charity for helping him to do so.
This help made a huge impact on Chloe and ever since, the 17-year-old has used her voice to spread the word about the charity and its vital work, funded by the annual Scottish Poppy Appeal. She also highlights the work done at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory at Poppyscotland, who only employ veterans with supported needs.
In her role as charity ambassador, the inspiring teen has addressed audiences of politicians, dignitaries and members of the public at various charity events, including at the Scottish Parliament.
Chloe, who is currently a pupil at Calderside Academy in Blantyre, and hopes to study veterinary nursing, said: “Poppyscotland means the world to me. I think it’s important to educate as many people as possible about how the charity provides life-changing support to the Armed Forces community by providing tailored funding and advice in services such as employment, housing, mental health, mobility and respite.
“It is a privilege to work with the charity, and I urge anyone who may be struggling to reach out and get the help they require.”
Major Charles Pelling (Retd), Manager at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory, said: “We are delighted to celebrate 100 years of Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory, which was opened on International Women’s Day in 1926, and also to take this opportunity to celebrate our female staff, volunteers and ambassadors like Chloe.
“She has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the important work of Poppyscotland and Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory, and give back to those who helped her father Andy. It is only right that she is celebrated today and indeed all year, as we look to commemorate 100 years of the factory and the people who have helped to shape it along the way.”
To find out more about the work of Poppyscotland, please visit www.poppyscotland.org.uk.
This International Women’s Day, Heriot-Watt University is celebrating the success of Bella Perez, a 2024 graduate of its MSc Brewing and Distilling programme. In less than two years, Bella has risen to become Head Brewer at 71 Brewing, joining a growing number of women working in the industry in Scotland.
Although modern beer production has long been dominated by men, historically brewing was a woman’s responsibility. Beer was brewed in the home as a safe substitute for water.
Bella’s appointment as Head Brewer is not only a personal milestone but is also part of brewing tradition:
“People are often surprised to meet a woman head brewer,” she said. “But women belong here. We always have. International Women’s Day is a reminder of how important visibility is—and why creating space for other women matters.”
Bella grew up in California. Childhood car journeys past the local Budweiser plant and the region’s thriving craft beer culture sparked her interest in brewing. In 2016, an international study trip confirmed her passion for fermentation science. This became her focus when she returned to UC Davis in California.
After nearly a decade working across the US—at MillerCoors in Colorado, craft breweries in California, and as a shift lead brewer in Oregon—she looked to further her progression in an industry where women remain underrepresented in senior production roles.
“I’d been working three jobs at one point and felt stuck,” she explained. “I loved brewing, but to move into upper management you need more than experience—you need technical proof of concept.”
That next step arrived through a scholarship from the Michael James Jackson Foundation, which supports brewers from underrepresented backgrounds.
With a Cuban parent, Bella was eligible. The organisation funded her Master’s degree at Heriot-Watt University, home to one of the world’s most respected brewing and distilling programmes. Bella describes her time at Heriot-Watt as transformative.
“It made all the difference. The Master’s gave me the scientific foundation, the research skills and the professional credibility I needed. Combined with my experience, it opened doors that simply weren’t available to me before.”
Within months of graduating, she was appointed Head Brewer at 71 Brewing, a Dundee-based independent brewery known for innovation and global reach. Her role involves overseeing production, recipe development, quality, and sensory training for an international team – including seven Heriot‑Watt alumni.
Professor Dawn Maskell is head of the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University. She said: “Each year, more women choose to study brewing and distilling at Heriot‑Watt, and their presence in our classrooms and laboratories is changing the face of the sector.
“Seeing graduates like Bella move into senior production roles is a powerful reminder of why representation matters and why supporting women into technical leadership positions is so important for the industry’s future.”
Today, Bella is part of a growing cohort of women shaping Scotland’s brewing. She is the driving force behind this Sunday’s inaugural Cailleach Festival, Scotland’s first beer festival dedicated to showcasing women working in production roles from across the country.
By bringing together female leaders from breweries large and small, the festival aims to increase visibility, foster mentorship and challenge lingering assumptions about who makes beer.
“For young women entering the industry, seeing someone who looks like you in a senior role can be transformative,” Bella said. “Representation shapes possibility.”
Despite progress, Bella acknowledges the challenges women still face. Brewing remains physically demanding, technically complex and often male-dominated. “You need to be thick-skinned and creative.
“It’s hands-on, heavy lifting, long days. But if you like getting your hands dirty, starting with a list of raw ingredients and turning them into something you’ve made yourself, brewing is definitely for you. It’s incredibly rewarding.”
Bella is clear about the message she wants to share on International Women’s Day: “Don’t let the demographics of an industry tell you whether you belong. If you’re passionate, capable and determined, there is a place for you.
“Brewing needs more women. Science needs more women. Leadership needs more women. Progress is never accidental. It comes from women supporting women—and from institutions like Heriot-Watt believing in our potential.”
Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory today marks its 100th anniversary, celebrating a century of life-changing support for Scotland’s veterans.
Founded in the aftermath of the First World War, when Scotland faced the return of more than 100,000 wounded military personnel, Lady Dorothy Haig established the factory to provide meaningful and dignified work for men disabled as a result of their service.
Many of these veterans had skills and experience, but their injuries meant they faced significant barriers to re-entering the workforce. The factory offered paid work in a structured, supportive environment, combining income with routine, purpose and community.
Comissioned Image take by Eamonn McGoldrick Tel: 07810 482491
Its opening on 8 March 1926 — International Women’s Day — which was not yet widely marked in Britain, has now become even more relevant given that the trailblazing Lady Haig was leading a national initiative at a time when few women held prominent public roles in civic life.
From its beginnings at Whitefoord House in Edinburgh with “three workers, a pair of scissors and a piece of paper”, the factory expanded quickly, producing the distinctive four-leafed Scottish poppy assembled by hand, as well as a range of toys and crafted household items. By the 1930s, the factory was a recognised part of Scotland’s civic landscape, becoming both a workplace and a symbol of national remembrance.
Today, a team of more than 30 veterans, all with supported needs, continue to manufacture thousands of handmade wreaths and other remembrance symbols from purpose-built premises on the capital’s Warriston Road. The factory also produces over 2.1 million poppies for the Scottish Poppy Appeal, organised annually by Poppyscotland in October and November.
Funds raised from the Scottish Poppy Appeal support Poppyscotland’s vital work, providing advice and assistance for veterans, those still serving, and their families.
Over the years, the factory has been visited by thousands, from school groups, individuals and organisations to learn about its history and heritage, the development of the Scottish poppy, and the continuing importance of remembrance. It has also welcomed royal patrons, including HRH The Princess Royal, who officially re-opened the factory following a refurbishment in January 2023.
Helen Owen, Chair of Poppyscotland, said: “Lady Haig was practical and compassionate and realised the difficulty many veterans faced in gaining employment because of disability after war.
“A dynamo of a woman, she recognised the need not only to create Scottish poppies for Armistice Day, but to provide meaningful work all year round. The factory turned out goods of exceptional quality, and she and her band of ‘lady collectors’ sold the poppies and goods across the length and breadth of Scotland.
“Today, the work of this remarkable woman lives on, and the Factory proudly continues to play its role in supporting the Armed Forces community in Scotland.”
To learn more about the factory’s history, or to book a tour of Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory, please visit www.poppyscotland.org.uk
Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory – NICOLA PETRIE case study
Having come from an Armed Forces family, it felt natural for Nicola Petrie to move into military life, joining the Royal Navy in 1986 at the age of 20.
Nicola, who suffers from MS and now works as a wreath maker at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory in Edinburgh, began her service as an onshore radio operator at Faslane, tasked with delivering the communication between ships and the naval base, as well as making sure the submariners received their weekly ‘family-grams’.
It was an important role and one Nicola enjoyed for seven years, feeling an overwhelming sense of pride whenever she pulled on her Navy uniform. However, she left her post in 1992 to start a family with her husband John, who she met while serving.
Nicola explained: “I loved my time in the Royal Navy and always looked forward to going to work. The other girls in the department were great and I loved hearing their stories – we had a real bond so I was sad when, after seven years, it was time for me to leave.
“But John and I had made the choice to start a family and that he would remain in the Navy. Back then, if a woman was pregnant she had to leave post. It was disappointing having to give up the job I loved as I really could have made a proper career of it, but it was exciting too knowing that we were going to have children.”
After Nicola left the Royal Navy, she and John went on to have three children – two boys and a girl – and with John away on an eight-month deployment, Nicola juggled home life, looking after their young children and working in a local home improvement firm, later setting up her own company.
Nicola said: “John was in the Navy for 24 years in total but when he left he became a stay-at-home dad and let me put my heart and soul into the business to build a career for myself.
“When I retired from that we both felt that strong pull back to some sort of military life and that’s where Poppyscotland came in. The factory only employs veterans with supported needs, meaning the role was ideally suited to me as a person living with MS. I joined in April of 2025, a year after John, and we absolutely love it.
“We work with like-minded people who have come from all sorts of Armed Forces backgrounds, and everyone has a story or two to tell. It really connects you back to military life, which is all we’ve ever really known.”
When she’s not helping to make the thousands of poppy wreaths produced at the factory every year, Nicola, who lives in Falkirk, enjoys spending time with her two young grandchildren and beloved dog Molly.
Nicola added: “Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory really means something to me. The memorabilia, the tales, the people and visitors who pass by during tours – it’s just a special place and I’m very grateful to be here and be a part of the 100-year anniversary.”
