- Fire in stairwell
- Tattoo programme announced
- Scotch Malt Whisky Society
- Festival at the Museum
- Quirkology at the Museum of Childhood
Firefighters rescued eight people from a block of flats after a fire broke out in the stairwell.
They were led to safety by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) crews after the blaze caught hold at Murrayburn Gardens, Edinburgh.
Firefighters gave oxygen to six of the casualties who were suffering smoke inhalation, before the arrival of ambulance personnel.
After being assessed by medical crew, five of the casualties were taken to The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for further assessment.
A total of three fire engines had arrived at the scene in response to 999 call at about 3.30pm on Sunday 31 July.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used two high pressure hose reels to put out the fire in a couch in the communal stairwell of the three-storey building.
Crews ventilated the area and made sure it was safe before leaving the scene just after 5.00pm.
A joint investigation between Police Scotland and SFRS into the cause of the fire is currently underway.
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo begins on Friday, after the press night on Thursday which is always such great fun. Yesterday morning Brigadier David Allfrey was delighted to announce the programme to the press.
Twelve new projectors will beam animations onto the castle during the performances from 5-27 August which will involve 1200 performers, 250 pipers and drummers, Jordanian cavalry, five British Military bands and a musical performance from the US Army Europe Band.
The show is absolutely sold out on 17 August, and for the rest of the month 96% of tickets have already gone, but you might still be one of the lucky members of the 220,000 strong audience who will have the privilege of watching the show.
Highlights this year include:
· The Jordanian Royal Guard, Band and Drill Team will join this year’s cast to mark 100 years since the Great Arab Revolt and tell the story of one of history’s most famous battles
· A magical snowfall across the Esplanade and as Mount Everest is revealed on Edinburgh Castle, the Nepal Army Band will celebrate their homeland and links with the United Kingdom.
· Tattoo favourites, the 38-strong Imps Motorcycle Display Team will return for another year, riding to their own ‘Tunes of Glory’.
· Everyone’s favourite, Massed Pipes and Drums will make a thunderous return as the sounds of eleven Regimental and Commonwealth bands, comprising over 250 pipers & drummers, tuned to perfection, will ring out across the capital
· The Royal Air Force, will open the show in spectacular style with impressive flypast on selected evenings including a planned flypast by the world famous Red Arrows on Saturday 6 August at 7.30pm. This year, the flights are scheduled for: August 6, 10, 17, 19 and 24
Brigadier David Allfrey was enthusiastic at the press launch: “I get to meet so many lovely people and I have visited 35 countries during my five years in post. I watched the Nepal Army Band rehearse this morning at 7am here at the Castle with a beautiful sun brilliantly lighting the Esplanade.
“Every single show we build from the ground up and in fact we plan three years concurrently. We think about our acts a long time in advance. We have some acts this year who were with us in Australia and New Zealand. We have the Lochiel Marching Drill Team and the New Zealand Army Band and we have the King’s Guard from Norway.
“What is amazing is that not only will we sell out here in Edinburgh but when you add in the tickets sold in Australia and New Zealand that is almost half a million tickets.
“Some old favourites will include the Massed Pipes and Drums, and The Imps who have been with us for many years.
“It is a huge honour having the US Europe Army Band here and we also look forward to The King’s Guard from Norway who are well-known to the audience. Unbelievably these are only conscript soldiers who have been in the army for just nine months.
“Fireworks, projections, special effects and music feature for around 100 minutes in each show, which all promises to be a fabulous spectacle.
“I am hugely excited at the prospect of the next month. The audiences will be entertained and inspired as we entertain under the theme of Tunes of Glory.”
Tim Harfield and Sarah Bartholomew, lighting designer, apply the finishing touches to new features at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Queen Street venue after a £300,000 refurbishment.
The venue opens in time for hosting Fringe show Project Flavour Behaviour & At the Illusionist’s Table
The return of the hugely popular Fringe extravaganza Museum After Hours, award-winning contemporary dance, a new partnership with the Gilded Balloon and live music inspired by National Museums Scotland’s five star summer exhibition Celts, all feature in the National Museum of Scotland’s largest ever Fringe programme.
Following sell-out runs in 2014 and 2015, the National Museum of Scotland will open after hours, on 12, 19 and 26 August, to offer audiences an unforgettable flavour of the Fringe in one of Scotland’s most spectacular venues.
Artists from across the globe have been hand-picked to perform at these unmissable events. Showcasing the very best of the Fringe, the line-up of comedy, music, dance, circus, and spoken word will change each week creating a never-to-be-repeated experience for audiences. In addition to the programmed acts, Fringe-goers can put on their best poses at a themed selfie studio, explore a range of hands-on activities around the Museum, and enjoy pop-up bars, food stalls and late night opening at the Museum’s Brasserie.
Museum After Hours: Friday Fringe Takeover
Friday 12, 19 & 26 Aug 2016
19:30-22:30
Cost: £18/ £16 concessions (includes admission to Celts)
Tickets are on sale now. Tel: 0300 123 6789 or book online at www.nms.ac.uk/afterhours
Celts
Until 25 Sept 2016
10:00–17:00
Cost: £10/ £8, Child (12-15) £6.50. Members are under 12s Free.
For more information and to book tickets visit www.nms.ac.uk/celts
Janis Claxton Dance presents POP-UP Duets (fragments of love)
Previews: 4–5 Aug, 10–14 Aug, 17–21 Aug and 24–28 Aug 2016
15:30–16:20
Free
Find out more www.nms.ac.uk/duets
Free Fringe Music
6 Aug–28 Aug 2016
14:00–14:40
Free
Discover the full programme www.nms.ac.uk/fringe
Art Late
Thu 4 Aug 2016
Meeting outside the west door of the Main Entrance of the National Museum of Scotland at 17:45
Cost: £7.50 / £5, complimentary drinks included in the ticket price.
For more information and to book tickets, visit www.edinburghartfestival.com
Gilded Balloon at the Museum
3 Aug–29 Aug 2016
Various times and prices.
For more information and to book tickets, www.gildedballoon.co.uk
The new Quirkology ‘Mind Tricks’ exhibition at Edinburgh’s Museum of Childhood will allow visitors to experience the impossible.
The display is the creation of psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman. He said: “Master magician David Copperfield has invented an optical illusion in which he appears to levitate visitors, and has kindly allowed us to be the first exhibition in Britain to stage the piece.”
In another first, famous Japanese illusion inventor Kokichi Sugihara has granted the exhibition special permission to exhibit his latest creation, ‘Rectangles and Circles’ (Best Illusion of the Year finalist 2016). This illusion is currently taking the Internet by storm, and shows several 3D rectangles that transform into circles when reflected in a mirror. The Quirkology exhibition is the only place in the world where visitors can experience Sugihara’s amazing creation live.
“Our Quirkology videos are full of tricks and illusions that have received over 360 million views online. I loved creating the exhibition, and hope people of all ages will come along, get involved, and have fun”, added Wiseman.
Councillor Richard Lewis, Edinburgh’s Culture Convener, said: “Master of the Impossible Richard Wiseman gives the Museum of Childhood a sprinkling of magic this summer. Prepare to be attacked by a monster, levitated by David Copperfield and followed by the gaze of goats.
“We are delighted that the world’s first Museum dedicated to Childhood is now the very first to exhibit Richard’s mindboggling illusions. The Quirkology exhibition will entertain adults as much as kids but the display has to be seen to be believed.”
The Quirkology ‘Mind Tricks’ exhibition is open now and will run until 1 September 2016 at the City of Edinburgh Council’s Museum of Childhood on the Royal Mile. Admission is free.
The exhibition will also feature an interactive video show, classic illusions, a goat that appears to follow visitors around the room, fun photo opportunities for all ages and a special Quirkology trail throughout the museum.
The hugely popular Royal Mile visitor attraction – the first museum in the world devoted to childhood – attracts more than 200,000 visitors from Edinburgh, the rest of Scotland and beyond every year.
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.
Sign up here for a daily email from The Edinburgh Reporter
[mc4wp_form id=”169103″]
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
