Five things you need to know today

• Edinburgh Charity Fashion Show
• Drumbrae Leisure Centre modernisation
• Gondoliers
• Vet shortlisted for award
• Hopetoun Stables reopens for afternoon tea

The Edinburgh Charity Fashion Show returns tonight with a ‘Fresh from the Factory’ format when the glassy veneer of the fashion industry will be stripped away, leaving the core of fashion exposed.

Set on a derelict floor of The Biscuit Factory, Scotland’s fashion-followers will be witness to the urbanisation of fashion across two nights tonight and tomorrow. Instead of the usual white walls, brightly lit and highly-polished catwalks, independent designers and boutiques from all corners of the urban metropolis will be showcased in a way unseen in Scotland before, promising an unforgettable and thought-provoking evening.

This year’s ECFS is in aid of The Rock Trust, a visionary Edinburgh based charity, which prevents and alleviates homelessness for youths in Edinburgh and the Lothians.

ECFS Chairwoman Amber Coleman said… ‘The core values of The Rock Trust really resonated with our creative vision for ECFS this year. We both want to engage with our urban environment more and alter people’s preconceptions of what we represent, be that fashion or homelessness. This year’s shows are about stripping away the unneeded, and exposing the core of fashion and society. We want our audiences to leave the Factory with a fresh view of Edinburgh and homelessness.’

Edinburgh Charity Fashion Show is the closing act of this year’s Edinburgh Fashion Week showcasing Edinburgh as a fashion capital with an ever-growing creative community.

Tickets from £8 are available to purchase at https://fixr-app.com/event/10777

Drumbrae Leisure Centre will be undergoing an exciting refurbishment during summer 2016 and will be closing its doors provisionally from Friday, 17 June 2016, reopening in early October 2016.

Lindsay Renwick, Head of Customer Operations (West) at Edinburgh Leisure said: “As a not-for-profit organisation, we are constantly reinvesting in our various sites to ensure our customers have excellent facilities in which to workout. Drumbrae’s gym recently had new, top-spec gym equipment installed in October 2015 but it’s now time to give the rest of the site a makeover. We’ll be communicating in due course about what customers will see when the site reopens in September.”

All Drumbrae customers will be communicated with in the lead up to the refurbishment and alternative membership solutions offered. Regular updates will be posted on the Edinburgh Leisure website also.

Further information is available on www.edinburghleisure.co.uk. Follow Edinburgh Leisure on Facebook (EdinburghLeisure) and Twitter (@Ed_Leisure).

The Gondoliers is at the King’s Theatre, Leven Street at 7.30pm every night until 12th March, with a matinee performance at 2.30pm on Saturday; tickets are available from the Box Office on 0131 529 6000.

Read Rosemary Kaye’s review here.

EDGAS’s next show will be Me and My Girl at the Church Hill Theatre in October.

Vet Dr Heather Bacon of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies has been shortlisted for Vet of the Year at the 2016 Ceva Animal Welfare awards.

Heather has made a longstanding commitment to animal welfare and she has travelled the world promoting initiatives for animals such as wild dogs.

The awards, now in their fifth year, serve to raise the profile of animal welfare around the world and within the veterinary industry. Nominations were submitted by friends, family, clients and colleagues from all backgrounds, but all with the common theme of acknowledging those who have gone beyond the call of duty to help better the lives of animals.

Awards judge, Chris Laurence, said, “We as veterinary professionals have committed ourselves to the oath that welfare should be a career-long endeavour. However, welfare has always felt like something that occurs in the side-lines of the industry. What these awards really do is help raise the profile of welfare and highlight the shining examples of individuals and teams who go beyond the fulfilment their professional oath and devote themselves to bettering the lives of animals.

“When it comes to judging, it is a huge task to try and equate the effort and value of such a wide range of efforts, all equally deserving of recognition. I am looking forward to announcing the winners of the fifth Ceva Animal Welfare Awards in April and hope their remarkable stories can help inspire others within the industry to keep welfare at the forefront of their work as vets.”

Winners will be revealed and presented with their award during a glitzy ceremony held in Birmingham ahead of BSAVA congress on 6th April 2016.

Sign up here for a daily email from The Edinburgh Reporter

[mc4wp_form id=”169103″]

Good news for fans of Hopetoun House. They are reopening their cafe where they will be serving afternoon tea.

If you are reading this article in print and would like to visit The Edinburgh Reporter website then simply scan the QR code here with a smartphone or tablet.