RNLI crew commended for rescue
Three members of the volunteer crew who staff North Berwick lifeboat have received letters of commendation for a rescue successfully carried out last year. The crew saved three lives – and the D-class lifeboat SUNIJO was on the scene within six minutes of launching.
A family of five had been paddle boarding when strong offshore winds started taking them out to sea. Two of the children were able to make it ashore, however the youngest, and the parents who entered the water to try and help, soon ended up approximately 800m from the beach, and heading further out to sea.
Thankfully beachgoers had seen the emergency unfolding, dialling 999 for HM Coastguard who paged North Berwick Lifeboat volunteers.
New Town Quarter – council set to approve student flats
The council’s planning committee is recommending approval of the purpose built student accommodation at the 5.9 acre vacant site on Dundas Street. Building of some of the development has already begun as permission was granted in 2021, but this represents a material change in the Ediston scheme which was previously a mixed use development of housing and commercial space.
Edinburgh Science Festival 2026
Helen Sharman – the first British astronaut – and Hamza Yassin – wildlife cameraman, author and TV presenter – are both appearing at the Edinburgh Science Festival next year. Tickets go on sale on 10 December.
Both of these events take place on 12 April at Usher Hall.
At 2pm, Hamza Yassin’s Adventures in Nature brings wildlife cameraman, presenter and author Hamza Yassin in conversation with science presenter Siân Bevan, sharing stories of unique experiences and adventures as a wildlife cameraman. Having been born in Sudan, Hamza moved to the UK as a young child and now lives on the incredible west coast of Scotland where he is often found high up in the mountains filming his beloved eagles.
Hamza will be available for book signing after the event.
At 7pm, An Evening with Astronaut Helen Sharman will see the first British astronaut sharing her extraordinary experiences from her historic 1991 mission aboard the Mir space station. Audiences will hear about her training, blasting off on a Soyuz rocket and what it’s like to live and work in space including conducting science experiments. In conversation with Earth scientist and former BBC presenter Dr Hermione Cockburn, Helen will reflect on the evolution of space exploration – from Tim Peake’s International Space Station mission to private space companies – and the growing international diversity in space programmes.
Tickets will be available at:
www.edinburghscience.co.uk/event/hamza-yassins-adventures-in-nature/
www.edinburghscience.co.uk/event/an-evening-with-astronaut-helen-sharman/
Christmas time at Heriot Watt
Heriot-Watt has two events guaranteed to raise your spirits with some festive cheer.
The Christmas Carol Celebration is taking place at the Edinburgh campus on Friday, 12 December.
Go to the James Watt Centre at 5.30pm for an evening of seasonal music and readings.
Members of the University Choir will be accompanied by the University Orchestra. Complimentary mince pies and mulled wine (alternatives available) will be provided before the concert starts at 6.30pm.
Matthew Brown, Heriot-Watt’s Director of Music, has promised a memorable evening: “The Christmas Carol Celebration is a highlight of our year, bringing together the community to share in the joy and beauty of the season through music. We can’t wait to welcome you.”
Tickets are free and early booking is strongly recommended to avoid disappointment. Please secure your place through Eventbrite – and mark your calendar!
If you can’t make the Christmas Carol Celebration, then there is also ‘A Christmas Carol’ on Wednesday 10 December at 7.30pm. In the beautiful setting of St Cuthbert’s Church, Edinburgh, the Heriot-Watt Chamber Choir will entertain with words and music based on the Charles Dickens classic.
Further details and tickets for ‘A Christmas Carol’ are available through TicketSource.
MOONS
The largest astronomy instrument ever constructed in the UK left Royal Observatory Edinburgh on Monday bound for Chile. The spectrograph will be installed at the VLT (Very Large Telescope) there and after six months it will begin to survey the stars and galaxies. The unique feature is that the Multi Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph (MOONS) can observe 1,000 celestial objects at a time.
