Temporary scheme planned for Lawnmarket
The Old Town Community Council alerted everyone to a session later today when The City of Edinburgh Council is running an information session about the changes to Johnston Terrace and Castle Terrace as well as the Lawnmarket. This event is fairly well hidden on the council website with a lot more information here.
Read more about what is happening on Lawnmarket here.
University of Edinburgh community grant scheme
The University of Edinburgh has grants of up to £5,000 available for projects, community activities and sustainable local action through funding and collaboration. Anyone applying is invited to Change Local Lives.
An informal, friendly meeting for University of Edinburgh community applicants will be held on 23 April at The University of Edinburgh Paterson’s Land Holyrood Road EH8 8AQ between 10am and noon. An online event will be held on 22 April.
The session is a chance to:
- Hear from colleagues across the University on how your organisation can work together with us in delivering your project
- Find out details of our Spring community grant round
- Connect and collaborate with other grantees
At the Fruitmarket – See with me
Over the last three years, Fruitmarket have been working with See with Me, a group of people who are blind or visually-impaired. The work which began with detailed descriptive tours of Fruitmarket exhibitions, has developed to include monthly creative workshops led by visually-impaired artists working with sighted artists. Every session, participants experiment with art materials, equipment and techniques to test out what is accessible and enjoyable for each participant. An exhibition opens today with a discussion on Thursday evening at 6pm with lead artists Kirin Saeed and Louise Fraser allowing them to share their experiences.
- See with Me – an exhibition curated with a group of visually-impaired participants.
- 08.05.25–13.05.25. Open daily 11am–6pm.
- Fruitmarket Warehouse, 45 Market Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1DF.
Bikepacking book launch
One of mountaineering’s leading figures, Mike Raine, is launching his new book at Alpkit Edinburgh on 17th April to share his best ‘tales from the trails’.
Dubbed a ‘bikepacking travelogue for our times’, ‘Riding My Bike’ brings together several years of bikepacking experience gained by Mike, who is a well-known naturalist, experienced mountaineer, outdoor educator and mountain biker.
Whether you are just starting out in bikepacking or you are a seasoned pro, join Mike for an evening of adventures and anecdotes about the people he meets and cycles with, and the places he’s ridden – from the Highland Trail 550, Trans Cambrian, Lakeland 300, to his own Cylchdaith Cymru/Welsh 550 journey.
A form of adventure travel, bikepacking has been around since bikes were invented but has grown in popularity in recent years, with riders focusing on off-road trails as they combine multi-day cycling with lightweight packing.
Speaking ahead of his book tour, Mike said: “The UK is an exceptional place for bike-bound, off-road trips and I’m looking forward to sharing some of my experiences and some lessons learned with those thinking about their next bikepacking adventure.”
Attendees can expect an “engaging account of bikepacking as it should be done, with head up and eyes open.” (Jethro Jessop, Bikepacker and YouTuber).
Alpkit, sponsors of the Mike Raine Book Tour, are hosting the event at their Edinburgh store on Thursday 17th April between 6.30pm-9.00pm.
Tickets are available now at £12.50 each at https://bit.ly/42nuv8j
Newtongrange garden competition
Residents of a Midlothian village are being encouraged to roll up their sleeves and start sowing and growing ahead of the return of a historic garden competition this summer.
Newtongrange Community Council has announced the launch of the 2025 Newtongrange Garden Competition, with prizes up for grabs in a number of categories including Best Garden, Best Pots and Baskets, Best Wild Garden, Best Fruit and Veg, Best Flowers and Best Young Gardener. Competition to win these coveted cups is set to be especially high this year, as green-fingered locals celebrate 150 years of horticultural heritage in the village.
According to the local history and reminiscence group, Newtongrange Village Voices, the roots of this historic garden competition can be traced back 150 years. A Horticultural Society was formed in the village in 1875, and its first annual show was held in September that year.
June Robertson of Newtongrange Village Voices explained; “Newtongrange was built as a model village with large back gardens and small front gardens. Vegetables were grown in back gardens and flowers were usually planted in the front gardens. Miners spent a good part of their day working hard underground, and enjoyed pastimes such as gardening which let them enjoy sunshine and fresh air.”
The 2025 Newtongrange Garden Competition is open to all residents of Newtongrange. Entrants must email secretary@newtongrange.org by Sunday 1 June 2025 to register their interest. Categories include Best Garden, Best Pots and Baskets, Best Wild Garden, Best Fruit and Veg, Best Flowers and Best Young Gardener. Judging will take place on Sunday 8th June, with celebrations to follow at a later date in Newtongrange Community Garden.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
