- Did you read at the Iraq Out and Loud event? Then read this!
- Yesterday at the Edinburgh International Book Festival
- Dame Kelly Holmes Trust
- School meals during the holidays
- Volunteers needed to clean up in Broomhouse
Ten days in and ten volumes of twelve down, the organisers of Iraq Out & Loud, the non-stop, 24/7, out loud reading of the Chilcot Report at the Edinburgh Fringe, have announced that they expect the reading to reach its conclusion at some point on the morning of Saturday 20th August.
Organisers are inviting all of the hundreds of readers who have been turning up to an ordinary-looking shed on South College Street on the hour, every hour, since the reading began at 6pm on Monday 8th to join them for a mass reading of the final page of the executive summary which will end the report. Notice will be given via Twitter (@IraqOutLoud) and a countdown will be displayed on the shed.
Alongside a host of well known names from comedy to politics, hundreds of members of the public have taken part in the reading, which has ploughed through the 2.6 million word report considerably faster than originally estimated.
The shed has seen veterans of the Iraq war, a six year old girl, and a man celebrating his 82nd birthday read from the report. Its words have been sung and rapped, and at one point set to music by nearby buskers – who stepped in to keep things going in the early hours of the first morning. The longest stint was put in by Cammy Sinclair who stayed in the shed for five hours straight 2am – 7am on Saturday morning, dressed throughout as a giraffe.
Producer Bob Slayer said: “We had no idea what to expect when we decided to do this, but it has been an incredible experience so far. Our volunteers and readers have been amazing – working together to keep the reading going, staying behind after their hour to discuss what they had read, and spreading the word to others to come and take part.”
Executive Producer Omid Djalili, who read in the shed on Sunday, said: “It’s an experience like no other and we are proud to have put on this non-political people-powered public service.”
A screening of We Are Many, Amir Amirani’s documentary telling the story of the global protests against the war in Iraq, will take place at The Cameo on Wednesday 24th August.
Advance tickets to read in the shed are currently available through edfringe.com, but from 9am on Saturday 20th all tickets will be allocated in person at the shed on a first come first served basis.
“She thinks she’s Jeremy Paxman,” Jackie Kay told the audience at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, as she was pushed for answers by her interviewer, who just happened to be Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon. Although strikingly at ease in the role of questioner (and far less aggressive than that notorious bulldog of the BBC), Sturgeon revealed that her own childhood ambition was to be a writer.
“It would be an odd child that always wanted to be politician,” she said. “To be fair, I was an odd child. But no, I wanted to write children’s books. I thought I was going to be the next Enid Blyton. J K Rowling got there slightly before me…” Her investment in children’s reading remains, however, as evidenced by her flagship project in support of it, the First Minister’s Reading Challenge. “All of my best childhood memories come from the reading of books,” she said. Although another secret ambition revealed itself. “We’re all frustrated rock stars,” she said of politicians. “Very frustrated, in my case.”
Jackie Kay – poet, novelist and now Scotland’s Makar – also had early showbiz ambitions, having undertaken acting training at what was then the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. “There’s probably still a bit of the ham actress in me.” But writing, she said, had provided her with “a sanctuary – a place to go. It helps you to survive. The page doesn’t judge you.” Her new position had been “a wee whirlwind every day,” she laughed – and not one that she could have predicted taking up. “I didn’t feel destined to be Makar. But I wouldn’t have turned it down!”
“I wish I’d known that when I phoned you,” deadpanned the First Minister. “I’d have been more relaxed.”
Kay revealed that during the conversation in question, she had been in her car with her parents, and had been so overwhelmed that she’d passed the phone to her mother. “I’d at least remembered to say ‘Hello First Minister,’” she recalled. “Then I handed the phone to my my mum and she went, “HELLO, NICOLA!’”
“It was lovely,” Sturgeon reassured her.
Of Nigerian parentage, Kay was adopted in infancy by Scottish parents, and race and identity form central themes of her writing. Both agreed that such ideas have added potency in a time of renewed racial tensions. “Just you keep writing polemics about Nigel Farage,” said Sturgeon, referencing Kay’s poem Extinction, which addresses and attacks the UKIP leader.
An audience question about support networks between women did prompt Sturgeon to be more philosophical about the barbs thrown between politicians of different parties, however. “Politics could learn a lot from other disciplines,” she said. “It is by its nature competitive and adversarial – but there is more we could do to hold out hands of support and friendship.”
Kay senses that support not only in Scotland’s scene of writers and readers, but in its history. “Scotland has an amazing legacy of poets and you continue to have a relationship with them whether they’re alive or dead.” And if her stewardship of the Makar role didn’t work out? “Well, I’m out in four and a half years!”
“So am I, so we’re in the same boat,” Sturgeon fired back. Maybe it’ll be time for those children’s books or rock concerts then.
Students at Broughton High School in Edinburgh will receive transformational mentoring from world class athletes, as part of an innovative new project to support young people facing disadvantage in isolated areas of England, Scotland and Wales.
Launched by Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, pupils from Broughton High School will participate on their On Track to Achieve programme and also help support vital research to truly understand the barriers that young people face to access support in these hard to reach areas.
The project was made possible following a significant Extra Award of £200,000 from players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
YMCA Edinburgh has been tackling holiday hunger this summer for 3 weeks by providing free hot meals for children who can’t access free school meals during the holidays as part of their playscheme. Up to 30 children between the age of 5-8 years attended the playscheme each week taking part in crafts, games and loose parts play in the morning. At lunchtime parents and children’s siblings up to the age of 12 were invited to join the children for a hot lunch and an afternoon family activity to combat the pressure of families facing holiday hunger.
More than 360 meals were served to children and their families thanks to referrals from agencies in the area including; schools, social workers, family support organisations and health visitors. The kitchen supported the Make Lunch project, a nationwide initiative which aims to provide hot meals to children from low income families who would otherwise go without.
On Wednesday 24 August 2016 , staff from the Caledonian Brewery and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society will be brewing some laughs with Neighbourly and making a difference to the Broomhouse community in the heart of Edinburgh. And they need your help!
There’s wonderful range of opportunities to get involved:
– Painting and DIY
– Garden make-overs
– Vintage bunting and cake making
– Host a tea party
– Make bird-boxes with RSPB Scotland
– Local river clean
The results will make a huge, lasting difference to the Broomhouse community and you can be part of this amazing transformation. And after a fun and rewarding day on the project site, you’ll be invited to celebrate with other local volunteers and be given an exclusive performance from some of the Edinburgh Fringe artists!
Whatever your skills you will undoubtedly have something to offer. Click here to find out more about what’s happening and register to take part by pressing ‘volunteer for this event’. Once you’re all signed up, don’t forget to tell your friends!
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
