Organ and Tissue Donation Week

The City Chambers and the EICC will be lit up pink this week in support of the health campaign raising awareness of the ongoing need for organ donation. People are encouraged to decide whether to opt in or out and to make sure that family members know of their wishes. This is a UK wide campaign but The Scottish Government, NHS Lothiand and the council are all supporting the campaign in different ways.

Read more here.

Governance Risk and Best Value Committee

This council committee meets on Tuesday at 10am.

The papers are published here.

This committee has an important role in the checks and balances of the way the council works and is expected to hear a report on the annual Internal Audit with opinion on the council’s governance framework. SNP councillor Kate Campbell is the Convener – it is usual to have a convener from one of the opposition parties simply to keep tabs on the administration. In this case the administration is currently run by a minority Labour group and so scrutiny is perhaps even more important.

North Edinburgh Community Festival Gathering

A gathering will be held on 21 September at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre to talk about next year’s festival. Some of the funding which the festival has been supported by is not being renewed and meantime there is an opportunity to help by donating from ÂŁ3 upwards through Ko-Fi at this link. This money will provide free meals at next year’s event.

The North Edinburgh Community Festival is a free, family friendly and community-led event which will be held in West Pilton Park, Edinburgh on Saturday 11 May 2024, from noon until 5.30pm. In 2023, 8000 people attended the festival where there were more than 80 stalls, live music, entertainment, workshops, and sports. Around 2,000 free meals were provided to those who were in need.

Doors Open Days 2023

Visit Edinburgh Chess Club

Established on 4 November 1822 and now celebrating its bicentenary year it is not only the oldest chess club in Scotland and the UK but probably the second-oldest club in the world.

Chess games and demonstrations will be taking place during the day.

On display are chess sets, clocks, trophies and the historic library and archives as well as a number of collections of books and scorebooks.

Find out more here.

Our September issue

Our September newspaper is freshly published and on the streets of the capital.

Our cover story is about the Lord Provost and Council Leader who took riding lessons to allow them to take part in the Riding of the Marches on horseback.

You can now see the suite of photos we took of the event on Facebook and in our articles over the years here.