00
Tennis finals today at Craiglockhart
Pick your own fruit
At Dalkeith Country Park
Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival
New face at The Real Mary King’s Close
Over 300 of the most promising young players in Britain have been playing in the 2015 Scottish Junior Open Championships which started last Saturday at tennis centres in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The Grade 2 tournament, part of the Summer National Tour, has attracted most of the country’s top juniors who have been competing for titles in 10 singles and 8 doubles events.
More than 40 of Scotland’s leading junior players have been taking part in a Tennis Scotland Junior Training Camp this week in preparation for next week’s championships and the Nike Junior International Edinburgh which will be played at the same venue next week.
Scottish players won 4 singles titles in 2014 with Alexandra Hunter winning the 14U girls title, Louie McLelland winning the 16U and 18U titles and Vincent Gillespie beating Ewan Moore in an all Scottish 18U boy’s final.
The 12U to 18U events will be played outdoors at Craiglockhart Sports Centre, Edinburgh with finals scheduled for today Friday 3rd July.
The 10U championships will be played this weekend 27th and 28th June indoors at Scotstoun Leisure Centre, Glasgow. 48 of the best young players at this age group will compete over two days for this year’s titles.
***
Fancy picking some of your own fruit this summer? Then check out what Craigies have on offer here on their website! They charge £2 entry fee per person which is refundable against the sum you have to pay for your fruit at the end of your labours! They will also offer you some tips on jam making.
***
Dalkeith Country Park is hosting a range of activities, shows and fun days for the whole family to enjoy during the summer holidays.
The annual Dalkeith Agricultural Show takes place Saturday 11th July at the picturesque country park. There will be classes for a whole array of farm animals including cattle, sheep, and various horses and ponies. A food hall is located on site for families to refuel during the day, as well as a craft tent and fun-filled events taking place throughout the day.
Tickets cost £8 per adult, £4 per child (under 16) or concession and £20 for a family ticket (two adults, two children).
The Central Scotland Horse Trials will return to Dalkeith on 25th and 26th July. This British Eventing affiliated event has something for everyone as it combines dressage, show jumping and cross country. Held across these two days from 8am to 6pm, visitors can witness a range of competitors across all classes.
Visitors who are keen to get involved can respond to a call for volunteers at the Horse Trails this year across a variety of roles including writing for dressage judges, stewards for all phases, quad-biking score collectors, show jumping pole pickers and cross country jump judges.
Iain Herbert, Visitor Services Manager at Dalkeith Country Park, said: “We always appreciate the support of our volunteers which helps our events to run smoothly. Full briefings are given for all roles so first time helpers are encouraged to lend a hand and enjoy a fantastic weekend.”
Anyone interested in volunteering can contact csht@btinternet.com for more information.
Edward added: “We love welcoming families to Dalkeith and the summer holidays provide the perfect opportunity to get out and about enjoying our events and facilities.”
***
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival starts on 17 July. Do you have your tickets? Read the full programme here.
Loading...
Reload document 
Open in new tab There will be 150 concerts over 10 days and the Mardi Gras Carnival on Sunday 19 July.
***
A new face joined the cast of characters at The Real Mary King’s Close for a special one-off performance as part of the School Competition: History in your Hands.
The Candlemaker was created by Dunbar Primary School pupil, Adam Barnes, 11. Adam and his classmates joined the Candlemaker on an exclusive tour of the Close which was inspired by the original poem written by Adam himself as part of the School Competition: History in your Hands.
“I like to make candles,
Candles with handles,
Candles with wax from bees […]”
The competition was judged by children’s author Philip Caveney whose children’s fiction novels, Crow Boy, 17 Coffins and the recently released One For Sorrow, were inspired by The Real Mary King’s Close and the city of Edinburgh.
“This was a great competition to judge.” said Philip, “The range of entries received highlighted the pupils’ creativity and time and effort dedicated to the research and development of characters that were both historically appropriate and entertaining.”
The competition was set up to engage with school children whilst encouraging them to get involved with Edinburgh’s history in a creative and inventive way. From the entries received, it was clear to see that the pupils had gone the extra mile to understand the history of the site and the people who lived, worked and died on the Close.
In addition to the tour of the Close, the pupils were able to experience the new exhibition area which forms part of the £500,000 investment by the attraction’s operator, Continuum Attractions. The investment includes the reinstatement of doors on the Royal Mile, new welcome area and a 40-seater indoor café.
The Real Mary King’s Close welcomes school groups throughout the year to experience the uniqueness of Edinburgh’s world famous hidden history.
For further information regarding school visits contact Lucy Simpson on lsimpson@realmarykingsclose.com or visit http://www.realmarykingsclose.com/groups.
Photos courtesy of The Real Mary King’s Close
Sign up here for a daily email from The Edinburgh Reporter !
[mc4wp_form]
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
