Five things you need to know today
Post-a-Brownie
Bongou Cafe has announced a partnership with Soul Food Edinburgh with a new festive treat. Under its bakery brand, The Brownie & Blondie Shop, Bongou has set up the Post-a-Brownie – perfect for sending holiday cheer to loved ones near and far.
Available now the chocolatey treats bring a delicious twist to holiday gifting and a chance to support a local charity.
Each Post-a-Brownie is prepared not only for delicious taste, but also for easy online ordering and mailing. This makes it a simple way for anyone to share a taste of indulgence with family and friends. Priced at £5.95 plus postage, the mouth-watering treats can be sent across the UK, delivering a delightful surprise in every bite. Additionally, £1 from each sale will be donated to Soul Food Edinburgh, helping to fund meals for people in need throughout the city.
Tosin Moemeke, founder of Bongou Cafe and The Brownie & Blondie Shop, said: “Our collaboration with Soul Food Edinburgh is a way of spreading holiday cheer while giving back to the community.
“We’re excited to offer a treat that’s not only delicious but also meaningful. Post-a-Brownie will let anyone share the gift of sweetness with loved ones, wherever they are, while contributing to a fantastic cause so that no one goes hungry – not on our watch!”
The brownies are available for online order at www.thebrownieandblondieshop.com.
Each order is beautifully packaged, a perfect holiday gift for anyone with a sweet tooth. With a rich, decadent texture, the Post-a-Brownie offers a chocolatey indulgence to delight the senses and bring festive warmth to any celebration.
Eye Hospital – questions still being asked
Sarah Boyack MSP has written to the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Neil Gray, asking him to clarify the next steps for the replacement eye hospital announced for the third time in the recent Scottish Budget.
There have been multiple U-turns by Yhe Scottish Government and the current facility has not been fit for purpose for around 10 years.
Ms Boyack has long campaigned for the new hospital and is now seeking more concrete next steps following the announcement.
In her letter, Ms Boyack highlights that patients and campaigners ‘need clarity’ and urges Neil Gray to lay out the timeline for delivering the hospital and when the construction work will commence.
She also seeks reassurances about whether Mr Gray will meet with stakeholders and campaigners to update them on the progress with the eye pavilion.
The fate of the current Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion was thrown into the spotlight recently when it was revealed that it would be closed for a minimum of 6 months due to urgent repairs. These repairs were further complicated by the discovery of asbestos.
The disrepair and age of the current building is one of the main reasons cited by campaigners as to why a new hospital is so desperately needed.
Ms Boyack said: “I am incredibly relieved that this project is finally going ahead.
“However, we have seen multiple U-turns in the past on the eye hospital.
“We need urgent clarity on the next steps.
“This project must be completed as soon as possible so that patients finally get the facility they deserve and require.
“I want to work constructively with Neil Gray on this.
“Patients and campaigners deserve clarity and I hope The Health Secretary takes up my suggestion to meet with stakeholders.”
MagicFest
Images created by young carers are on display in a special free-to-see exhibition of photographic illusions as part of Edinburgh’s 15th annual MagicFest.
It’s a journey of discovery where popular stories and the mysterious side of Edinburgh’s history are mixed with the magic of young imaginations.
Magical Edinburgh, is also part of the Edinburgh 900 celebrations, which marks the city’s 900th birthday.
The exhibition is a collaboration between partners including Edinburgh International Magic Festival (MagicFest), the Edinburgh Young Carers charity and illusion expert Professor Richard Wiseman.
New exhibition at Museum of Edinburgh
A new exhibition at Museum of Edinburgh on the Royal Mile will run until April 2025.
Four Seasons in Faith will tell the stories of faith communities which are found in the city. The Edinburgh Interfaith Association helped to curate a collection which reflects how communities would like to see their celebrations of faith displayed and represented in the museum collection.
Culture and Communities Convener Cllr Val Walker said: “Four Seasons in Faith is an important reflection of Edinburgh’s rich, diverse, and evolving cultural landscape, celebrating the faiths that shape the city’s identity and the people who practice them.
“Visitors to the museum can learn all about the traditions, celebrations, and stories that shape Edinburgh’s spiritual landscape throughout the changing seasons. The exhibition is also accompanied by a programme of events led by our community curators and their community contacts which will be a vital addition to our social history collections and will give context to the existing faith collections and the new material we have collected throughout this project.”
Highlights of the exhibition include:
- a Buddhist prayer wheel from the Edinburgh Tibetan Buddhist Temple
- a pair of Shabbat candlesticks and a Kippah and Talitt belonging to a Jewish American immigrant now chair of the Edinburgh Interfaith Association
- a Muslim prayer mat brought from Pakistan to Edinburgh in the 1970s.
The Museum of Edinburgh will also be creating a short film documenting the diverse faith practices in the city today. This film will feature oral history interviews and inter-faith conversations recorded at various places of worship across Edinburgh, providing a vital addition to the Museum’s social history collections. The film will be showcased at the exhibition’s closing event and will be made available on the Museum’s online channels.
Sea Cadets Leith are recruiting
Sea Cadets Leith are looking to recruit new cadets aged 10 or 11 who are looking to make new friends, who are keen to learn new things and are interested in kayaking, sailing, rowing or paddle boarding. Drop a message to Sea Cadets on Facebook or email leithseacadets@hotmail.co.uk