Five things you need to know today

Visitor Levy becoming more of a reality

The plans to charge those staying in hotels or other accommodation overnight in Scotland are moving apace with the bill passing Stage 2 in The Scottish Parliament and plans for a formal consultation being formed by the council.

Read more here.

Suicide Memorial quilt

Lothians Speak Their Name CIC is creating a quilt in memory of those people who have died by suicide. There are other quilts being sewn in other parts of the UK and all of these memorial quilts may eventually be exhibited together. The project is supported by the National Lottery Community Fund.

There is one more workshop being held for people to come along and make a square to remember someone they have lost before the call for squares closes in May. It is not a formal support group but everyone who attends has had a similar experience and the organiser says there is a common sense of understanding what the others have been through.

Sue Henderson, founder of the project said: “You don’t need to have any experience of sewing or quilting because there will be lots of advice and ideas from others in the room – and we’d love people to use any other craft technique they’re familiar with that can be put on a fabric square. If people prefer to make a square by themselves at home, that’s ok.

“The squares will be stitched together to create a quilt, which we want to display in different venues all around the Lothians. This means that even if you find it really hard to talk about your loss, your loved one’s name will be seen, and they will be remembered – for the life they lived, and not just as a number.  

“And when people come to see the quilt, we know that it will have an impact on them. We hope that it will help them to open up – either about their own mental health struggles, and that we can signpost them to help and support; or about the suicide of a loved one which they may never have been able to talk about before. Through this, we hope this quilt will help to save lives. You can contact the LSTN team on FB or Instagram, where you’ll find details about the workshops and guidelines for making a square, or at lothianspeaktheirname@gmail.com“

Citizen Ticket successes

The Edinburgh based ticketing and booking platform Citizen Ticket has had a number of new wins both international and in the UK. Recent clients who have signed up include Giants Enterprises which runs events for the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park, Hammersmith and Fulham Council and Foxlake.

Colin Palmer, Chief Technology Officer of Citizen Ticket said, “Citizen Ticket continues to innovate and solve complex ticketing problems for events, venues & visitor attractions. These client wins are testament to the power of our platform and we are looking forward to our onward journey, tackling fundamental ticketing challenges for enterprise-level clients globally.”

Founded in 2013, Edinburgh-headquartered Citizen Ticket provides a premium ticketing and booking platform for events, venues and visitor attractions. The company’s cloud-based self-service software enables its clients to generate online payments for ticket sales, manage customers, and capture important data. As well as handling customer service, Citizen Ticket also provides on-site support to clients and assists them with event advertising and marketing.

Cheap flights at the National Museum of Flight

On Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 March the National Museum of Flight in East Lothian is offering free entry to National Lottery players. Visitors to the Museum must book a ticket online in advance of their visit and bring along both their admission ticket and lottery ticket or scratch card.

Steve McLean, General Manager at the National Museum of Flight said: “We’re delighted to be taking part in The National Lottery Open Week again this year. We’ve been fortunate to receive National Lottery funding, which has enabled us to redevelop two of our Second World War hangars. These spaces tell the stories of military and civil aviation, from the first use of air-to-air weapons in 1914 and drone warfare in the 21st century, to flying for fun and connecting distant communities. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity say thank you to everyone who has supported us by buying a National Lottery ticket and we’re looking forward to welcoming them at the National Museum of Flight.”

Located on the UK’s best-preserved Second World War airfield, the National Museum of Flight in East Fortune is home to a world-class collection of aircraft, from a Supermarine Spitfire to Concorde. It explores the history of aviation from the First World War to the present day through interactive galleries, supersonic experiences and historic hangars.   

East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, EH39 5LF  
Tel: 0300 123 6789    

Tickets can be booked online nms.ac.uk/flight  

Winter opening hours:  
Nov – Mar, open weekends only, Sat & Sun: 10:00 – 16:00, last entry 15:00  

To view all venues and offers that are available throughout The National Lottery Open Week, visit www.nationallotteryopenweek.com

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Our monthly newspaper is out now. Please pick up a copy from any of our stockists or subscribe here to have your own copy delivered to your door. 

This month’s paper celebrates the 100th anniversary of Sir Eduardo Paolozzi’s birth in 1924.