Alan Cumming calls on Scottish politicians to commit to rewilding
The Traitors, X-Men and Avengers star Alan Cumming has backed a campaign calling on the Scottish government to declare Scotland the world’s first Rewilding Nation and commit to rewilding 30% of the country’s land and seas.
The acclaimed Scottish theatre and movie actor – who has just wrapped filming his role as mutant X-Man Nightcrawler in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday movie, the latest instalment of the blockbuster Marvel franchise – has posted a call for action to his 750,000 Instagram followers.
Speaking about why he is supporting the campaign, Alan said: “Scotland could have more forests, healthier seas, and lusher wildlife. Rewilding is how we can make that happen – bringing with it balance, hope, and fantastic opportunity – creating jobs, teaching new skills, and bringing people together to look after Scotland’s future.”
The comments come as more than 100 people from across Scotland will gather outside the Scottish parliament on 1 October to draw attention to the barriers holding back rewilding.
Full council the questions and answers
Councillors will meet on Thursday at the City Chambers. This offers an opportunity to all 63 of them to question conveners on any aspect of their roles in writing – and receive answers.
The Questions and Answers are included in the papers published online ahead of the meeting – where you will also find details of how to watch the meeting either online or afterwards.
Disappointingly the first question is about asking areas of Edinburgh to introduce participatory budgeting similar to Leith Chooses. The answer is a bit negative about this – which will be one of the ways attached to the Visitor Levy and how it is distributed around the 17 council wards in the city.
The answer from Culture and Communities Convener, Cllr Margaret Graham is: “In August, community organisations were surveyed to select their preferred decision-making models for the Community Grants Fund (CGF), which included the option of moving to a participatory budgeting model.
“The results of this survey were inconclusive as to the desire for the introduction of a participatory budgeting approach,
and as such Council officers will shortly email community councils and community organisations to seek expressions
of interest in converting their current Community Grants process into a Participatory Budget process similar in kind to
Leith Chooses.
“The outcomes of this will be reported to Culture and Communities Committee in December 2025.”
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Open in new tab Local Place Plan for Astley Ainslie
As reports of the closure of the wards at Astley Ainslie Hospital in Morningside are revealed people in the area are preparing a local place plan which will feed into the council’s City Plan 2040. There is a drop in session on 27 September to hear what is proposed.
Doors Open Day
We have picked our top five destinations for you to visit this weekend.
And read about the particular venues we have chosen here.
St Andrew’s Children’s Society – fundraiser
St Andrew’s Children’s Society has launched its new fundraising campaign, We Won’t Stop Until Every Child Feels Safe and Loved, calling on its supporters to help provide vital support for all the children and young people who are adopted and fostered through the charity.
Stephen Small, CEO of St Andrew’s Children’s Society, said: “It is still sadly the case that many children do not receive the loving care that they need from their parents and wider family. These children are usually placed in foster homes to assess whether a return home is possible. If a safe return home is not possible then our job is to find and support foster carers and adopters in the numbers that mean children don’t live in a temporary ‘limbo’ situation for any longer than is necessary. The support these foster carers and adopters need to help children overcome early adverse childhood experiences is costly and is largely unfunded by statutory agencies. We need to work hard to attract voluntary funding to allow us to provide the support these children and their adoptive and foster carer families deserve.”
Claire Shah, who was adopted through St Andrew’s Children’s Society 24 years ago said:
“The lifelong support that they have provided has allowed me and my family to access guidance and knowledge as I have grown up. It was particularly helpful when I needed support with family finding as a teenager. The step-by-step support allowed me to undergo this process in a safe and supportive way. It has without a doubt been a comfort to my family to know that there is always someone to answer your call whether this was early on or years later.
“Furthermore, as an adult and a volunteer at St Andrew’s Children’s Society, I now have the opportunity to see first-hand the impact of this support and Life Story Work. Any donations will have life changing impacts on young people and their families.”
For more information on the fundraising campaign and how to donate, visit
We won’t stop until every child feels safe and loved – JustGiving.
BONUS PHOTOS!
The Queen Mary 2 at South Queensferry on Wednesday 24 September – all photos Alan Simpson
