Free music at the National Museum of Scotland
Fringe tip of the day
Kevin and Natalie are walking for Bield!
Day off for Fringe performers at the Salt Cave
Maggie’s Cultural Crawl
Cherrygrove – folk ensemble will play today in the Grand Gallery
Cherrygrove are one of Scotland’s most exciting folk ensembles, made up of former students of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music, plus a finalist from the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year. They have performed everywhere from the London 2012 Olympics to Europe’s largest Celtic music festival, Festival Interceltique in France. Expect a blend of traditional songs and contemporary melodies on harp, fiddle, guitar, piano and accordion.
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Today at the Fringe we recommend that you go to George Square to Studio Four where you will find Irish comedian Andrew Ryan. He is a poor wee soul without a girlfriend (apparently!) and scared to go home to Ireland as he is terrified of rejection at the end of a weekend…from his parents!
And all these problems arise because of the damp towels he leaves behind in his wake.
Now this is a good show. But there is a bit of swearing so be careful that you are okay with that before you go to see him! He has appeared on Russell Howard’s Good News in case that helps you make up your mind!
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A footsore pair of fundraisers have marched almost 100 miles to raise hundreds of pounds to help older people living with dementia.
Bield employee Kevin Rowe recruited his friend Natalie Ross to join him on his latest fundraising effort for Bield’s care services.
The pair successfully completed a 96 mile walk along the Kintyre Way in six days, raising over £400 which will go towards providing care service across Bield’s developments in Scotland.
Starting in Tarbert and finishing west of Southend, they walked on average for eight hours or 16 miles every day.
Kevin Rowe, who has been the Fundraiser at Bield for more than five years, said: “I am so pleased with the money we have managed to raise by walking the Kintyre Way and especially with Natalie’s efforts as this was her first long-distance walk. It was also her suggestion originally to raise money for Bield at the same time so she was the real driving force behind it.
“It was very difficult and boggy in places, lots of hills to climb and lots of fog to battle through. However, it remained mostly dry, the scenery was beautiful and with all the money we were raising, we knew that it would all be worth it in end.
“We were aiming to walk the full 100 miles from Tarbert to Machrihanish but unfortunately due to adverse weather conditions and our imperfect navigational skills, we had to turn back to Southend during the last section for safety’s sake. However, we still managed 96 miles which is pretty good and still longer than the original 87 mile route so not bad at all.
“The money raised will benefit Bield tenants in so many ways & I would like to thank everyone who has donated. We greatly appreciate it and your money will help us enhance and enrich the lives of the older people we care for.”
Following on from this fundraising walk Kevin will also be leading a 27 mile walk along the John Muir Way from Kirkintilloch to Linlithgow.
This walk will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 5 and 6 and Kevin is inviting anyone who would like to take part in the walk to join in to raise money for their own local development or a service close to their heart. You can join for just one section or the whole two days and the terrain will be fairly flat so it will suit all abilities from some of our older care users to our younger staff members.
If you would like to donate to this worthwhile cause you can do so by visiting the Bield JustGiving Fundraising page www.justgiving.com/BieldMuir.
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Scotland’s first and longest running Salt Cave, located in Edinburgh, is offering Festival performers free exclusive use of its salt cave for one day on Sunday, 16th August, to help them recharge their batteries, rest their vocal chords and give their airways a good clean out, to see them through to the end of a busy month.
Over 6000 people from all over Scotland have visited The Salt Cave since it was opened in 2011 by Pete Flynn and Janet Butt either with varying respiratory conditions, including asthma and COPD or in some cases just to relax and de-stress.
Over the last 12 months, there has been a sharp rise in the number of performers visiting the cave from singers and comedians to actors and public speakers who feel it not only dramatically enhances their vocal chords but also improves lung function by increasing lung capacity and stamina.
Scottish comedian, Vladimir McTavish, said: “The whole experience of being in the Salt Cave is very relaxing, particularly when I’ve had a hectic day and especially during the Fringe. After half-an-hour, I always feel much more chilled out and leave really looking forward to going back.”
Robin Morton, former lead singer with Boys of the Lough and founder of Temple Records, who is a regular visitor to the Salt Cave in Edinburgh, said: “I’ve been going to the Salt Cave now for some time as not only does it help with my breathing and to strengthen my vocal chords but it’s also a great way to relax and de-stress.
“As a singer it’s important to rest your voice when you can and the Salt Cave is the perfect place to do it. I genuinely can’t recommend it highly enough!”
Salt Therapy, also known as Halotherapy, which dates back to ancient Greek times, is a 100% natural, drug-free treatment in a controlled air environment that simulates the natural salt cave microclimate to treat respiratory and skin conditions.
It was researched extensively in 1843 by Polish doctor, Felix Bochkovski, who became the first person to discover the environment inside salt mines had a therapeutic effect on respiratory disease and also found salt mine workers didn’t seem to suffer from the same respiratory problems as the general population.
Since then and more so over the last 30 years, salt therapy has become commonly used as a recognised treatment worldwide with clinics in America, Australia, Singapore, South Africa, and India.
Pete, who has carried out intensive research and training into salt therapy, which included many visits to the world-famous health salt mines in Wieliczka and Bochnia in Poland, said: “From the very first day I heard about salt therapy and the benefits it has for people suffering various illness, I was blown away.
“What I hadn’t realised initially was the benefits it has for people who use their voices a lot in their line of profession, including performers and teachers.
“This is why we’ve decided to open our doors on Sunday 16th August to give all performers the opportunity to take some time out, free of charge, to enhance their vocal chords, help with their breathing techniques and all whilst relaxing at the same time.”
The Salt Cave, which has two treatment rooms, one which is family-friendly and the other for adults, uses salt from the world’s oldest and leading pharmaceutical grade salt and chemical company, Merck, founded in Germany in 1668.
The Salt Cave Edinburgh, wwwsaltcave.co.uk, is located at Marionville Rd, Meadowbank. To secure a one hour session on Sunday, 16th August bookings must be made in advance by calling 0131 510 1091. Limited spaces available and will be given on a first come, first served basis.
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Maggie’s Culture Crawl Edinburgh, sponsored by Brodies LLP, is inspired by the architectural design and programme of support so integral to Maggie’s, as walkers get the chance to explore Edinburgh and discover cultural, architectural and artistic delights along the way, and raise funds for Maggie’s at the same time.
Alexander McCall Smith is curating the walk and writing a special short story to celebrate the 10-mile route which will take in sights such as Parliament Hall, Dovecot Studios, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and, of course, Maggie’s Edinburgh. Art and design are both important to the unique support that Maggie’s Centres offer: the beautiful buildings and gardens and the art in the Centres create a welcoming and uplifting environment, while expressive writing and art workshops are part of the programme of support offered by the Centres’ professional staff.
Maggie’s Culture Crawl Edinburgh takes place on Friday 25th September. To find out more about Maggie’s Culture Crawl Edinburgh or to register to take part and to order a fundraising pack go to :
www.maggiescentres.org/culturecrawl/find-event/culture-crawl-edinburgh or
phone 0300 123 1801
or email edinburghculturecrawl@maggiescentres.org.
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
