Catriona Knapman has lived in nine different countries over the past ten years. As a human rights worker she’s driven over mountains with Nicaraguan revolutionaries, tasted democracy brewing in Burmese teashops, walked the streets of Cairo during Egypt’s uprising, danced with a fat dancing teacher in a fire station (‘the only man in Nicaragua to wear Lycra’)……and met a few very bad cows.  As a writer, she’s crafted insightful, entertaining poems and stories about her experiences.

Now Catriona’s coming to the Fringe to tell us all about her travels, and to consider the impact that travel has on us all. On Friday 17 August, for one night only, she’ll be at Lighthouse Bookshop to perform her one-woman show Out on the World as part of Lighthouse’s Fresh Voices at the Fringe programme.

All the poems in Catriona’s show are original pieces, written during her time in each country. She invites the audience out into the world, to get to know unfamiliar places, to meet a range of people, to consider the unusual, and also to reflect on some deeper questions about justice and injustice in our global world.

Catriona Knapman is a Glaswegian writer and human rights worker. Her poems have been published widely in journals such as Magma, Gutter, The Mekong Review and Vox Poetica. She brought her 4-star, award winning show Out On The World to the Edinburgh 2016 Fringe (read our review here.) Find out more and connect with Catriona here: Instagram: @catrionaknapman or https://www.facebook.com/catrionaknapmanwriting/.

Out on the World, 8pm Friday 17 August, Lighthouse Bookshop, 43-45 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9DB.

The show is FREE (donations welcome), BYOB. No booking is required, but there are just 20 seats, so it’s first come first served. If you need assistance to access the venue, please get in touch with Lighthouse Bookshop on 0131 662 9112.

Performers gather to celebrate two-and-a-half centuries of circus

To mark the 250th anniversary of circus in the UK, this morning (Thursday) a very special showcase performance was presented from The Beauty (spiegeltent) at Underbelly’s Circus Hub, the first and only venue at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe dedicated to circus.

Hosted by the fabulous Bernie Dieter (Little Death Club), Udderbelly presented a showcase of the development of circus, from the traditional through to the contemporary as performed by a selection of short show extracts including; juggling, fire-breathing, aerials, clowning, hand-vaulting and many more dazzling acts from the world’s finest circus performers.

It was very much a unique moment in which circus celebrates circus, in that our audience was circus performers encouraging and cheering on their peers and fellow performers, all in costume. The call concluded with a big group photo outside the Circus Hub site with Underbelly directors Ed Bartlam and Charlie Wood.

For more information on events in the Meadows – Circus Hub

Police are following a positive line of enquiry after a 20-year-old man was attacked outside a house in Brackensbrae in Broxburn, West Lothian, shortly before 10pm last night.

The victim was taken to hospital with a slashed throat whilst officers cordoned off several streets to allow for a forensic examination.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Police were called to reports of a man injured outside at an address in Brackenbrae in Broxburn at around 9.50pm on Wednesday.

“A man in his 20s was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment.

“Enquiries are ongoing in the area to establish the circumstances surrounding this assault and officers are following a positive line of inquiry.”

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “We received a call at 9.55pm to attend an incident on Brackensbrae in Broxburn.

“We dispatched our special operations team to the scene and one ambulance.

“We transported one male in his 20s to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.”

Long serving defender Lewis Stevenson believes that Hibs ‘tight knit’ squad could make the difference in tonight’s Europa League qualifying tie against on-form Molde FK.

Games have been coming thick and fast for Hibs, including two away ties to the Faroe Islands and Greece which have allowed the players to bond more that they would normally have done.

Stevenson knows that progression to the play-off stage would be a massive achievement for the club who were European pioneers over 60 years ago, playing in the inaugural European Cup and he insists that the players go into the tie in a confident mood.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference Stevenson said: “There is a lot of confidence in the squad although we know it will be a tough task.

“We are going to have to score and be pretty solid at the back as well. Everyone is close and we are a tight knit squad so that could be the difference in coming out on top.

“I have played in European games in the past after only one or two games preparation and it doesn’t feel the same, but now we feel sharp enough and ready to go.

“Reaching the Europa League would be the ultimate achievement. We had good league success last year and had good runs in the cup as well but to do it on a European level would be the biggest of all but we are not quite there yet.

“We have a massive game tomorrow night and we could make history again. We want to progress and be successful and so far we have done pretty well.

“It’s a totally different style to what we pay in the SPL where we are used to playing the same teams four or five times a season.

“Molde will be good at home and expect to win but we showed in Greece that we can compete away from home. We were disappointed with 0-0 at home at the time but it’s not such a bad result in Europe.

“We know we have players in the team who are capable of scoring and can change the game.

“In the last couple of seasons we have been beating records here and there but tomorrow could be the biggest of them all. I didn’t realise how long it had been since we have been this far in Europe.

Neil Lennon believes that tonight’s Europa League qualifier against Molde is the biggest game of his Hibs’ career to date.

After a goalless first leg, Hibs know that a score draw will be enough to guarantee  progress to the play-off round against Dinamo Minsk or Zenit St Petersburg, with the Belarus side 4-0 up after the first leg.

The Hibs’ Head Coach also revealed that on-loan goalkeeper Adam Bogdan will be fit to start the game after missing the last two fixtures with an injury.

Lennon said:”For the profile of the club and where we want to take the team, the magnitude of the game is big although we have had big games domestically. Getting promotion was great and we had a great season last year, with a couple of semi-finals along the way.

“I think it’s 50/50. Having home advantage gives them a slight edge.

“We either win the game or a score draw and we are through, so we have to make the most of that platform from the first game. I thought we were very unlucky not to take the lead.

“I would imagine they would try and take the game to us. They have good variation in their play and they are scoring goals. They got five at the weekend against the team who are top of the league so that will give them a confidence boost.

“We know they are dangerous. It’s a big step up in class.

“We are capable of scoring and have tidied up defensively and we always seem to create chances.

“I just hope we can stay mentally strong in the tie and not get too emotional. And we will have to be patient and maybe have to rely in our goalkeeper to make some saves, as their goalkeeper did in Edinburgh.

“He (Adam Bogdan) is fit and will train tonight (Wednesday) and hopefully he will come through that okay. We had him pencilled in to play and nothing has changed from that.

“We have tidied up defensively in recent weeks and we always seem to create chances and that will be at the forefront of our minds.”

The game kicks of at 6pm UK time 7pm local time.

DELEGATIONS FROM OVER 40 COUNTRIES WILL ATTEND EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL CULTURE SUMMIT (22 – 24^TH AUGUST)

IN SCOTLAND’S YEAR OF YOUNG PEOPLE 2018 THE SUMMIT INCLUDES 13 INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DELEGATES AND 20 YOUTH CONTRIBUTORS PARTICIPATING IN  EVERY ASPECT OF THE PROGRAMME

The fourth Edinburgh International Culture Summit begins next week in Edinburgh, during our festival season.

The Summit, this year titled Culture: Connecting Peoples and Places will address three areas of cultural debate – Culture in a Networked World, Culture and Investment and Culture and Wellbeing.

Delegates will attend from Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, England, Gambia, Ghana, Indonesia, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, United Republic of Tanzania, USA, Wales, Zambia.

The Summit is a collaboration between the Scottish Government, UK Government, the British Council, Edinburgh International Festival and Scottish Parliament, delivered on behalf of the partners by the Edinburgh International Culture Summit Foundation.

Headline speakers include:

The Rt Hon Nicola Sturgeon MSP, First Minister, Scottish Government, Scotland

The Rt Hon Jeremy Wright QC MP, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, UK Government, UK

His Excellency The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae GNZM, QSO, KStJ, High Commissioner, New Zealand High Commission, UK

Dr Catarina Vaz Pinto, Councillor of Culture, The City of Lisbon, Portugal

Joshua Ramo, Vice Chairman and Co-Chief Executive, Kissinger Associates, USA

Pu Cunxin, President, The China Theatre Association, China

Ong Keng Sen, Artistic Director, TheatreWorks, Singapore

Sanjoy Roy, Managing Director, Teamwork Arts, India

Constantin Chiriac, President, Sibiu International Theatre Festival, Romania

Eng Ahmad Al-Maziad, Chief Executive Officer, General Culture Authority, Saudi Arabia

Prof Richard Sennett OBE, Founder and Chair of the Advisory Committee, Theatrum Mundi, UK

Elizabeth Diller, Founder, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, USA

David Leventhal, Programme Director and Founding Teacher, Mark Morris Dance Group’s Dance for PD® Programme, USA

Prince Totto Théogène Niwenshuti, Multidisciplinary Artist, Dancer and Scholar, South Africa

Dr Assal Habibi, Assistant Research Professor, Brain and Creativity Institute, The University of Southern California, USA

Prof Bas Bloem, Medical Director and Consultant Neurologist, Radboud University Medical Centre, The Netherlands

Julian Herman, Violinist & Former Concert Master, The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, The Netherlands

Faisal Abu Alhayjaa, Fellow, Georgetown University Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, USA

In addition The Rt Hon Theresa May MP, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom contributes a video message to the Summit in the opening session.

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) has announced the appointment of Iain Livingstone as the next Chief Constable of Police Scotland, taking up the post on Monday 27 August.

The appointment will be for a fixed term of four years with the possibility of extension in line with legislation.

The appointment was made by the SPA and approved by Scottish Ministers in accordance with the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 and follows a robust assessment and selection process.

Susan Deacon, Chair of the SPA and Chair of the Selection Panel who interviewed candidates for the role, announced the appointment. She said : “I am pleased to announce the appointment of Iain Livingstone as Chief Constable of Police Scotland. The decision follows an extremely rigorous and robust selection process which has involved a range of external advice and inputs.

“Iain Livingstone is an outstanding police leader who has made an exceptional contribution to policing in Scotland. I am confident that as Chief Constable, working together with a recently strengthened leadership team, he will provide renewed stability, purpose and direction to Police Scotland after a demanding and challenging period.

“This is a significant milestone in our continued efforts to strengthen the leadership and governance of policing in Scotland. I look forward to working with Iain Livingstone and his team as we continue to develop policing to keep people safe and meet the needs of a changing Scotland.”

Iain Livingstone said: “I am extremely proud and humbled to be appointed as Scotland’s next Chief Constable. It is a great responsibility and opportunity to lead a 22,000 strong team of dedicated and committed professionals, and to harness their ideas and potential in the service of the people of Scotland. Policing has been my life and the demands on it are developing faster today than at any time in my career. It is my job now to lead and drive change in policing to adapt to those challenges and to build on the values, ethos and traditions of policing in Scotland that first attracted me to this profession 26 years ago.”

Cabinet Secretary for Justice Humza Yousaf welcomed the appointment. Mr Yousaf, who approved the SPA’s appointment, said: “I am delighted that the Scottish Police Authority has completed its robust assessment and appointment process, naming Iain Livingstone as Scotland’s new Chief Constable.

“Iain has demonstrated he has the right qualities to lead Police Scotland as the service continues to enhance its ability to tackle crime and keep people safe.

“As Chief Constable of the UK’s second largest police service, Iain will mobilise the skills and expertise of more than 22,000 dedicated officers and staff who have built up national specialist capabilities to tackle key issues of public concern and, alongside community safety partners, contributed to crime falling by around a third from a decade ago and more people feeling safe in their local area.

“Iain will head up a strong senior officer team, providing stability, support and clear direction for Police Scotland’s officers and staff in the months and years ahead. I look forward to working with the new Chief Constable and the SPA as the service continues to strengthen national and local partnerships and how it works with the public in order to help keep crime down and communities safe.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: “Iain Livingstone now inherits, on a permanent basis, an organisation that faces a wide range of challenges.

“Officers recently warned that they are so stretched that beat policing has ‘effectively died off entirely’ in some areas while everything about the merger of the British Transport Police points to it needing to be halted.

“Problems are hardwired into the structures of Scottish policing as a result of the SNP’s botched centralisation. Without change, they will persist, irrespective of who is in the leading roles. That is why we need an independent expert commission to recommend reform and repair the damage. That is the kind of reset Police Scotland needs.”

Iain Livingstone

Mr Livingstone has been Police Scotland’s Deputy Chief Constable Designate since May 2016.  Prior to this, he was Deputy Chief Constable for Crime and Operations since Police Scotland was formed in 2013.

He graduated in law from the Universities of Aberdeen and Strathclyde, working as a solicitor in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London before joining the police in 1992. Prior to the formation of Police Scotland, he served with Lothian and Borders Police.

His career has included external attachments to the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland as a special investigator, to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary as a member of Lord Bonomy’s review of corroboration, and he currently sits on the Scottish Sentencing Council. He was awarded the Queens Police Medal in May 2015.

AN ICONIC children’s toy is assisting in the development of communication skills for young people living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Lego therapy, an initiative being funded with the help of Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) is being used in Edinburgh secondary schools to address some of the difficulties faced by adolescents with ASD, such as verbal communication and conflict resolution.

As well as supporting the work of the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, ECHC helps to fund projects which mean that young people can receive treatment in community settings.

By taking part in therapy sessions at school, they are easily able to transfer the skills they learn into everyday life.

Therapy groups or ‘Lego club’ consists of three members – engineer, supplier and builder – who can only complete the model by using verbal and non-verbal interaction to work together.

Kristina Doran, a Speech and Language Therapist, runs these sessions in two mainstream high schools in Edinburgh, which have enhanced support for some pupils with additional support needs.

She said: “The secondary school environment can be very challenging to young people with ASD, and their difficulties can have a profound impact on their learning and social competence.

“Being able to build relationships is a vital life skill and providing evidence-based interventions to support this is a key part of a speech and language therapist’s role.

“Some research suggests that having completed a block of Lego therapy, the young people show increased initiations with their peers and increased duration of social interactions.

“We have definitely seen positive progress in the time we’ve been running these sessions, with some young people’s vocabularies improving significantly.”

Using the famous coloured bricks to support the development of communication skills is supported by evidence which suggests that the fun, yet structured nature of gameplay helps young people with ASD to cope better with the everyday challenges they may face.

The concept was first invented by Clinical Neuropsychologist Daniel B. LeGoff, who found that children with ASD were more interested in interaction with each other through the medium of Lego.

Building with Lego is essentially systematic and rewarding, which benefits young people with ASD who are drawn to predictability and systems.

Since introducing the groups, other Speech and Language Therapists in the secondary schools team have established groups in other high schools in Edinburgh.

Kristina added: “The funding provided by ECHC has encouraged some of the schools to go out and source their own Lego for therapy purposes, which is fantastic.

“Working alongside them to make this a reality has been extremely positive and timely – we barely had to wait any time at all after applying for the initial grant and can’t thank them enough for their support.”

Rachel Baxter, Director of Fundraising and Marketing at ECHC said: “It’s fantastic to know that the Lego therapy sessions are going so well and that there are already real results beginning to show.

“By providing this kind of therapy within the young people’s natural environment, it is a great opportunity to practice and put into action new skills.

“These small grants can go a huge way in helping young people with ASD to get the support they require to face everyday obstacles.”

ECHC distributes around £1.5 million per year at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and in young people’s community healthcare settings.

‘West Texas is a pretty hard place to be a vampire.’ (Andy Davidson)

The days of every vampire story being set in Transylvania may be long gone, but Texas is a long, long way from Romania, and even from Rhode Island (where a suspected case of vampirism occurred as late as 1892.) So why, asked chair Ryan Van Winkle, has Andy Davidson set his first book In the Valley of the Sun, in the Lone Star State?

One of the answers, Davidson said, is that he was thinking about loneliness. As one of the largest states in the union, Texas has a mythic status. It’s full of wide open spaces and sunlight, both of them anathema to vampires. He wanted to put one of his central characters, Travis Stillwell, in a difficult environment – so where better?

Davidson’s sense of place reminds Ryan van Winkle of Steinbeck. Bob Pastorella (This is Horror) has called it ‘supernatural rural noir’. It makes me think of Ode to Billy Joe. The same bleakness, the same mystery, the same sense of melancholy and decay. Davidson can handle landscape so that it seems different when different people inhabit it; a sundown can evoke a sense of dread in four words; ‘the sun bled out’. He reads from a scene describing the whereabouts of Travis’s nemesis, Rue;

‘The blood is hot and dry like a Texas wind….she roosts, she roosts and dreams darkly.’

For Ahmed Saadawi, the setting of his prize-winning novel Frankenstein in Baghdad was never in doubt. Sadaawi is an Iraqi and lives in the capital. In a country that has suffered years of foreign intervention and violent internal upheaval, Saadawi’s story seeks to highlight the absurdity and sheer futility of war.

Frankenstein in Baghdad is set in a just a few streets, but as home to people of many different religious and ethnic backgrounds, those streets encapsulate both the city and the country. Similarly, ‘Whatshisname’, the monster who roams those streets seeking vengeance, is made up of many body parts (parts originally picked up off the streets by a local scrap dealer). He is, Saadawi explains, a symbolic representation of all of us : ‘People who fight start forgetting what they are fighting for, but they keep doing it for different reasons. In history, especially in the Middle East, people who are trying to achieve justice eventually become part of the problem.’

Just as Whatshisname can’t stop seeking revenge on behalf of every body part he has acquired, so Travis Stillwell is trapped in a cycle of violence (he has served in Vietnam), controlled by his insatiable hunger, but sickened by every attempt he makes to satisfy it. Davidson didn’t want to make Travis’s life look like fun, (and he’s certainly succeeded there); drinking blood and hiding from the sun all day aren’t exactly fulfilling pursuits, and it’s through Travis’s suffering that the reader starts to find sympathy with the character;

‘He’s a serial killer from page one, but maybe he’s a moral one…..we find points of compatibility with a monster…he’s made mistakes.’

Travis, and Rue do bad things, but they are perhaps reflecting the bad things of which we, as a species, are capable. This emotional connection between Travis, Rue and the reader is very important to Davidson, and one of the reasons why the book is not written in linear style; he needed to find a place to feed in certain things about the characters’ back stories.

Whatshisname shows us, says Saadawi, that although one person may commit a crime, everyone is morally responsible for it, and it’s important that we remember that to avoid endless repetitions. In Iraqi superstition, fantasy and supernatural creatures have always been popular, especially in times of war when societies become fragmented. When Saadawi was writing the book there was heavy fighting between American troops and Iraqi insurgents in the city of Fallujah, and many people reported that a giant spider had eaten US soldiers, or that a monster scorpion had rampaged around a graveyard. People wanted someone – or something – to blame for crimes to which no-one was prepared to admit. In such a culture, Whatshisname is perhaps just another scapegoat – but Saadawi wants us to see that we are simply deflecting our own collective responsibility onto a fantasy figure. In war in particular, people rarely hear the other side’s point of view, but each one of us is made of different components, even if they’re not other people’s noses and ears.

Two horror stories, both of them fiction, both with things to tell us about modern society. A genre that has spent too long in the shadows is rapidly becoming a highly respected literary phenomenon.

In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson is published in the UK by Contraband (an imprint of Saraband).

Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi is published in the UK by Oneworld Publications.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival continues until 27 August 2018: the full programme is here.

It’s a year since the first baby box was handed out to expectant parents in Scotland. Since then 52,065 boxes have been gifted to families across the country as far away as Haroldswick in Shetland.

9172 boxes have been delivered In the NHS Lothian area in the last year.

The area with the highest number of baby boxes is Greater Glasgow and Clyde where 12,815 baby boxes were delivered. On the Western Isles 199 boxes were sent to newborns.

Now one of the boxes has been placed in the Museum of Childhood to mark of its significance in the lives of Scotland’s babies.

Children and Early Years Minister Maree Todd said: “A year on from when the first Baby Boxes were delivered, we can say these boxes are having a real impact on the lives of those who receive them. I’ve heard stories from across the country about how the thermometers have helped parents seek appropriate medical care for their babies, how its contents are providing essential products for babies who arrive early, and much needed comfort for those who might not have family or friends around to shower the little one with gifts when they arrive.

“These boxes demonstrate that, as a society, we value each and every child in Scotland. We’ve had a very successful first year, with 85% take-up, and we want to continue to build on this as we move into year two.

“I’m delighted to have reached this milestone . It’s an honour for everyone involved – from the organisations providing the items to the box packers to the people delivering the boxes – to have been part of something that is having a real impact on the lives of babies and their carers across the country.”

Shelagh Young, Scotland Director of Home-Start UK, said: “Many parents have been telling Home-Start staff and volunteers just how much the items they receive are helping them. Being a parent, especially for the first time, can be overwhelming, and many of the families we work with we work with feel isolated and alone. The Baby Box gives the clear message that every child matters, and that parents are not alone.”

NHS Lothian Chief Midwife, Frances McGuire, said: “The Baby Box has been a great opportunity for our midwives and health visitors to chat to expectant parents about its contents and how they can help improve a child’s health and wellbeing. Not only that, but the box helps new parents at a time where they may be particularly stretched financially, and can provide crucial support.”

One new father The Edinburgh Reporter spoke with said that he thought the Baby Box was a great concept.

He said : “It is a great idea as we all feel very vulnerable at that stage no matter what our circumstances. Even now some three months on we still use the Baby Box and everything in it.”

Although all contents were highly rated, parents thought the most useful item was the bathroom/room thermometer, the ear thermometer and sling. When asked what was missing many could not think of anything but 10% said they would like newborn nappies included.

Three quarters said that a second sheet for the baby box mattress would be welcome and this has now been added.

All photos courtesy of The Scottish Government

Edinburgh couple Nick and Claire Connelly held a Beats&Bakes sale at the Leith Walk Police Box last weekend and raised £1400 for The Brain Tumour Charity.

They want to give their support to the charity which researches brain tumours after Nick’s brother Jamie was treated for a brain tumour at the age of 36. Jamie had treatment including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and although he has recovered well, the tumour is incurable.

Nick, said: “After Jamie was diagnosed with a brain tumour I did some reading and was horrified by the shocking figures that showed the limited funding and the lack of research into the biggest cancer killer in children and adults under the age of 40.

“This inspired me and my wife Claire to hold this bake sale to raise funds for The Brain Tumour Charity.” 

Saturday’s bake sale was a huge success and so far £1486.77 has been raised for The Brain Tumour Charity with donations still coming into their JustGiving page.  

Nick said: “I’m so pleased we’ve managed to raise so much money and it has far exceeded my expectations. 

“It’s all about raising awareness and Claire and I are delighted that we can help in some small way.

“Friends and family had also stepped up to the challenge and I was particularly moved by the total strangers who turned up on the day and donated baked goods to the cause. 

“Thankfully we managed to sell most of the delicious goods on the day!

“It was a busy and fun day and we’ve received incredible support from friends, family and total strangers; several of whom have been affected by this terrible illness. 

 “People’s generosity is truly something to behold and I want to thank everybody who helped make this event such a success, it truly was a team effort and most importantly, the money raised can help to aid vital research.”

Shona Richardson, Community Fundraiser for The Brain Tumour Charity (Scotland), said: “We are incredibly grateful to Nick, Claire and all their family and friends for supporting The Brain Tumour Charity and for raising awareness of this devastating disease.

“It was a fantastic day and there was a real buzz around the event.

 “It was really great to see so many passers by stopping to chat and buying the lovely homemade bakes. 

“We receive no government funding and rely entirely on voluntary donations and gifts it in wills, so it’s only thanks to supporters and fundraisers like Nick and Claire that we can make progress towards our twin goals of doubling brain tumour survival and halving the harm caused by the disease.”

Here you are – now you can read the electronic version of the August issue of The Edinburgh Reporter.

We hope you like it and that you also like reading it in print.

You can pick it up in hard copy from any city library. There will be a new one there on 1 September.

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John Gay’s 18th-century opera brought forward into the modern day

Swarming with highwaymen, thieves, jailors, pimps and prostitutes, John Gay’s savagely satirical and wildly entertaining ‘ballad opera’ invites you into a world of greed, crime, poverty, inequality – and outrageous comedy. Where politicians and officials are just as corrupt as the lowlife below them. And where, if you want to get ahead, all you can do is join them.

Devious gangmaster Peachum is a scammer: he shops criminals to the law, while pocketing the proceeds of their crimes himself. When he discovers that his daughter Polly has secretly married notorious highwayman Macheath, Peachum conspires with his prostitute wife to have Macheath hanged – and make off with his ill-gotten money himself. But they reckoned without Lucy Lockit, daughter of Newgate Prison’s corrupt jailor – herself jilted by Macheath and out for revenge.

This brand new production from Paris’s Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, resident company at the 2018 International Festival, has been created by two commanding figures across international stages.

Director Robert Carsen has worked in many of the world’s most prestigious opera houses and theatres. The production’s original music direction is by William Christie, a pioneering figure in early music and founder of virtuosic Baroque ensemble Les Arts Florissants.

With an eminent international cast of actor-singers, plus period musicians from Les Arts Florissants, this brand new, contemporary take on Gay’s work delves deeply into the opera’s pungent world of dark wit and double standards – a Beggar’s Opera very much for our own turbulent times. The Beggar’s Opera is part of the residency of the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord at the 2018 International Festival.

The Beggar’s Opera is on at The King’s Theatre 16-19 August

Tickets and further information from https://www.eif.co.uk/whats-on/2018/beggars

Adventurer Mark Beaumont has become the ambassador for Edinburgh’s cycle hire scheme which will be launched in September.

Beaumont once cycled round the world in 79 days, but now he has his own cobalt blue bike Joy to get around Edinburgh. He used to cycle 240 miles a day while on his circumnavigation of the globe but may do alittel less on the city’s streets.

Mark said: “I’m really pleased to get behind Edinburgh’s first cycle hire scheme which will open up cycling to a much broader audience, showing the benefits and possibilities getting on a bike can bring to anyone. You don’t have to go round the world to get something back from cycling, and as someone who lives in Edinburgh, I’m excited to see the bikes and cycle hire points beginning to pop up all over the city as more people see the benefits of travelling on two wheels.”

Jason Holtom, Serco’s Director of Leisure Services, said: “Mark is someone who embodies the sense of adventure, energy and fun that cycling can unlock and we couldn’t think of a better person to test out our high quality hire bikes as we approach the launch. We thank Mark for his support and look forward to working with him over the next year as Your Bike Edinburgh establishes itself as a new mode of transport in the capital.”

Transport for Edinburgh Chief Executive George Lowder MBE said: “We are really excited that Mark will be an ambassador for the new Edinburgh cycle hire scheme.  With Mark’s support we can help inspire people of all generations who work, study, live in and visit the city to cycle more and enjoy our improved transport network.”

Transport and Environment Convener and Chair of Transport for Edinburgh, Councillor Lesley Macinnes, said: “It’s fantastic to see these brand new bikes in use, and being tested by Mark Beaumont no less. By introducing a cycle hire scheme to Edinburgh we want to make it as easy and appealing as possible for people to cycle in the Capital, whether they live here, commute to or are visiting the city. With Mark as ambassador of this initiative, I look forward to seeing a lot more people choosing to explore our fantastic city by bike.”

The scheme’s operator, Serco signed a concession agreement with Transport for Edinburgh (TfE) to introduce and operate the new cycle hire scheme for the City of Edinburgh earlier this year. The initial three-year agreement will deliver at least 500 manual bikes by April 2019.

The council says that the cobalt blue Pashley bikes will offer cyclists good handling and ride quality, featuring high quality Shimano gears and brakes, comfortable gel saddle, front and rear LED lights, full-length mudguards, puncture resistant tyres that do not compromise ride quality, and a step- through frame allowing ease-of-use for all cyclists regardless of height.

The scheme will also be using technology including the unique hybrid lock provided by Urban Infrastructure Partner (UIP) the operators of cycle hire schemes in Oslo and Bergen.

A benefit match between Man United legends and an Ireland-Celtic selection is to be held in memory of former Hibs’ player Liam Miller.

The popular midfielder played for 12 teams during his career but featured more times for Hibs than any other side after John Hughes brought him to Easter Road in 2009.

His sublime skills instantly made him a favourite amongst the fans and news of his passing following a short battle with pancreatic cancer aged just 36 earlier this year saddened everyone at the club.

The tribute match on 25 September 2018 will take place at Turner’s Cross Park in Miller’s native Cork, and the game will be followed by a black tie gala dinner in Cork City Hall with all the proceeds going to help Miller’s young family rebuild their lives. Tickets are available on tickets.ie

Manchester United legends Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Denis Irwin, Jaap Stam, Louis Saha, Nicky Butt and Rio Ferdinand, have agreed to take part while Roy Keane will lead the side.

The Ireland-Celtic combined selection will be managed by current Ireland boss Martin O’Neill and will include Robbie Keane, Damien Duff, Stephen Carr, Kevin Doyle, Keith Andrews, Richard Dunne, Kenny Cunningham, Kevin Kilbane and Andy Reid.

Sir Alex Ferguson, Roy Keane, Man United chief executive Ed Woodward and family neighbour Michael O’Flynn have all been involved in the planning.

O’Flynn, who is chair of the committee, said: “We are energised and greatly encouraged by the support from Manchester United, Celtic, John Delaney and the FAI and a host of players who have rowed in so readily behind this effort.

“The game at Turner’s Cross will attract fans across the country, who will descend on Cork to see many of the game’s greats. Liam was a friend and neighbour of mine. His whole family, including Clare and their three children, suffered a devastating loss when he passed away and our hope is that the events in September will honour his memory and help his loved ones move forward with their lives.

“It is rare you get to see so many outstanding football players on the one pitch, and I hope it will be a great day for all involved.”

Police have charged a 44-year-old with assaulting another man who died after being found unconscious at the junction between Montgomery Place and Brunswick Road in the early hours of Friday.

The assault is alleged to have happened in the days before the incident and police continue to treat his death as unexplained.

Officers say they are still trying to establish the full circumstances of the 51-year-old man’s

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “The death is currently being treated as unexplained and inquiries are continuing to establish the full circumstances, which include police activity in the area.

“A 44-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with an assault on the deceased in the days prior to his death.”

Iain Livingstone has been confirmed as the new Chief Constable of Police Scotland.

He took interim charge of the national force last autumn when previous Chief Constable Phil Gormley was placed on special leave following allegations of gross misconduct.

Mr Livingstone will formally take up the post on 27 August and will be responsible for leading Police Scotland’s 22,000 officers and civilian staff.

He graduated in law from the Universities of Aberdeen and Strathclyde, and worked as a solicitor in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London before joining the police in 1992.

Mr Livingstone previously served with the Lothian and Borders force, where he was head of CID and his career has included external attachments to the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland as a special investigator, to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary as a member of Lord Bonomy’s review of corroboration, and he currently sits on the Scottish Sentencing Council.

He was awarded the Queens Police Medal in May 2015.

Mr Livingstone said, “I am extremely proud and humbled to be appointed as Scotland’s next Chief Constable. It is a great responsibility and opportunity to lead a 22,000 strong team of dedicated and committed professionals, and to harness their ideas and potential in the service of the people of Scotland.

“Policing has been my life and the demands on it are developing faster today than at any time in my career. It is my job now to lead and drive change in policing to adapt to those challenges and to build on the values, ethos and traditions of policing in Scotland that first attracted me to this profession 26-years ago.”

Susan Deacon, Chair of the SPA and Chair of the Selection Panel who interviewed candidates for the role, announced the appointment saying, “I am pleased to announce the appointment of Iain Livingstone as Chief Constable of Police Scotland. The decision follows an extremely rigorous and robust selection process which has involved a range of external advice and inputs.

“Iain Livingstone is an outstanding police leader who has made an exceptional contribution to policing in Scotland. I am confident that as Chief Constable, working together with a recently strengthened leadership team, he will provide renewed stability, purpose and direction to Police Scotland after a demanding and challenging period.

“This is a significant milestone in our continued efforts to strengthen the leadership and governance of policing in Scotland. I look forward to working with Iain Livingstone and his team as we continue to develop policing to keep people safe and meet the needs of a changing Scotland.”

Scotland’s Justice Secretary, Humza Yousaf said Mr Livingstone had “demonstrated he has the right qualities to lead Police Scotland as the service continues to enhance its ability to tackle crime and keep people safe.”

British Transport Police have charged a 27-year-old man from Edinburgh after a five-year-old disabled girl was allegedly verbally abused on a train from Glasgow to Bathgate as she made her way home with her family on August 2.

Police officers were called to Bathgate station to investigate the report and the matter was treated as a ‘hate crime’..

A BTP spokesman said: “A 27-year-old man from Edinburgh has been charged with an offence contrary to Section 39 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing Act.

“The charge relates to a hate crime on board a train at Bathgate station shortly before 12.30am on August 2.

“A report will be made for the Procurator Fiscal.”

Hibs Colts lost 4-3 on penalties to Dundee Colts in the Irn Bru Cup last night after a hard-fought 2-2 draw at the Kilmac Stadium at Dens Park.

Thomas Bradbury headed Dundee in front from close range midway through the first half with Fraser Murray equalising moments later after Lewis Alan’s shot was blocked and he was first to react.

Sean Mackie’s gave Hibs the lead in the 7th minute with a powerful strike but ten minutes later a Daniel Jeffries’ header made it two each.

The game was decide on penalty kicks.

Jamie Gullan and Cameron Dow both scored for their sides, before Samuel Jackson got down well to save a low strike from Ben Stirling, with Matthew Henvey converting for the hosts.

Kevin Waugh equalised then Paddy Martin saved the following effort from Jack Lambert. Innes Murray had his next penalty saved, with Cameron Dow and Thomas Bradbury scoring the last two spot-kicks to win the game 4-3 for Dundee.

After the game Kevin Waugh told Hibernian TV: “We are devastated obviously. We had enough chances to win the game and on another day we do win it but when it goes to penalties it’s  a lottery.

“We can play better. It boiled down to two set pieces which isn’t like us but we will go back to the drawing board and correct it for the next match.

“We are not here to dig each other out, because we are a team at the end of the day and we win together and lose together.

“Set pieces are a massive part of the game and you have to be aggressive in both boxes but at the end of the day we weren’t that tonight. If we defender two ball into the box tonight we would have left with a win.”

Dundee Colts: Jackson, Rodger, Rice, Bradbury, Jeffries, Hornyik (Meres, 83), Lambert, Moore, Henvey, Scott, Dow. Unused substitutes: Sharp, Anderson, E. Smith, J. Smith.

Hibernian Colts: Martin, Blake (Shanley, 31), Donaldson, Campbell, Waugh, Stirling, Gullan, I. Murray, Allan, F. Murray (Gallantes, 82), Mackie. Unused substitutes: Dabrowski, O’Connor, Yeats, Paton.

Police are appealing for witnesses following vandalism to a number of cars in Fountainbridge which took place between 01.45 am and 05.15am on Monday morning in Brandfield Street, Fowler Terrace and Upper Grove Place.

A total of 17 cars had their windows smashed, dented bodywork, or had attempts made to smash their windows. Officers are following a positive line of enquiry, however, there may have been other vehicles damaged.

Officers are treating the incidents as linked and are appealing for anyone whose vehicle may have been damaged and who has not yet reported it to come forward.

Inspector Scott Richardson from Wester Hailes Police Station said: “This is a shocking amount of vandalism and the sheer scale of the damage caused is completely unacceptable. This damage has caused inconvenience and upset to a large number of residents.

“I would appeal to anyone in the area whose vehicle has been damaged and who has not yet reported it to police to do so as soon as they can. I would also appeal to anyone who may have seen anything to come forward.

We are eager to trace those responsible as soon as possible. We would ask anyone who saw anything suspicious to get in touch.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident numbers 0249, 0303 and 0478 of the 14th of August or to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

CASA MIA TO SHOWCASE THE FOOD OF CAMPANIA

• Former Ciao Italia presents a new look to Dunfermline diners as it is taken over by chef and his family

A new Italian eating experience has come to Dunfermline, with the news that the former Head Chef at Ciao Italia in Nethertown Broad Street, Fabio Teti, and his parents, Silvana and Giuseppe, have taken over the popular restaurant.

Renamed Casa Mia, (meaning Our Home in Italian) the new restaurant will now showcase the food of the Campania region of Italy, where the family are from. Campania, which has Naples as its Capital, is known for its fresh seafood, rich tomatoes used in the most famous of all Italian Pizza – the Neapolitan – and its world famous wheat which makes fantastic pizza.

The new menu will feature weekly changing meat and fish specials, alongside homemade pasta dishes with new textures and flavours. There will also be with a selection of traditional Neapolitan dishes given a fresh twist, including Pizzella Fritta, a deep fried pizza topped with fresh tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella and basil, Calzone fritto (a deep fried Calzone pizza) and Strozzapreti del Matese, a short shape pasta dish with Italian broccoli, Neapolitan sausage, and melted caciocavallo cheese.

Many ingredients for the new dishes are being supplied by a specialist food supplier in Fabio’s home town of Alife, which is close to the coastal holiday spot of Amalfi. Dishes will be plated up in an innovative and eye catching way, unlike any other Italian restaurant in the town. Central to the new menu will also be a wide choice of authentic stone baked pizza, now available to customers due to the installation of a bespoke pizza oven, specially made for the restaurant.

Along with this addition, Casa Mia has new chairs, tables and fresh internal decoration. The new Casa Mia logo takes pride of place in special signage outside, and features a quirky acronym, which uses the letters of Alife, to create a saying.

“Our catchphrase is Casa Mia – A Lively Italian Food Experience,” says Fabio Teti, “We are really pleased with it – it sums up what we are all about in terms of the authentic Italian food we are now offering. We wanted to reference Alife, as it obviously holds a special place in our hearts, being our home town. We are using specialist food suppliers from Alife to provide us with pasta and various other quality ingredients.”

Casa Mia will hold an opening night launch in early September, showcasing its new look and new menu.

Added Fabio: “My parents and I are excited about running this business together as we can put our own stamp on it. The name “Casa Mia” says it all – the restaurant is a representation of what we like to eat ourselves as a family. We are now going to be sharing our unique food heritage with our customers old and new.”

“We want our diners to share in the excitement of the fresh food we are creating,” said Fabio’s mum Silvana who will perform a front of house role. “It’s a very sociable way of eating and we want to celebrate this at Casa Mia.”

The new website can be viewed at www.casamiadunfermline.co.uk and you can also follow Casa Mia on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/casamiarestaurant.

Olympic athlete and animal lover Andrew Butchart got the second annual Scottish SPCA Pound for Paws event off to a flying start by taking to the track against one of his four-legged competitors.

The track and field athlete, who has trained alongside Mo Farrah and captained Team GB at the recent World Championships in London, is lending his support and is asking people to walk, jog, run or pedal a distance of their choice throughout the month of September to raise much needed funds for the animals in the Edinburgh and Lothian area.

Edinburgh Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre Manager Diane Aitchison said, “We are delighted to have Andrew’s support.

“It’s a great opportunity for all ages and abilities to get out and about in their local communities, all while raising vital funds.

“This event is unique – there’s no minimum sponsorship or specific distance, all we ask is that anyone involved raises as much as they can and has fun while taking part! There’s only a £5 registration fee which covers the cost of a fundraising pack and t-shirt.

“We don’t receive any government or lottery funding which means we rely on the public to be able to continue our work rescuing and rehoming animals in desperate need of our help.

“Anyone who sets themselves the challenge of taking part in this event really will be helping save lives. And as an added bonus – by the end of the month you’ll be feeling fitter!”

Participants can choose to walk, jog, run or pedal a distance of their choice throughout the month of September to raise much needed funds for the abused, abandoned and injured animals across Scotland.

For more information on Pound for Paws and to receive your fundraising pack please visit email fundraising@scottishspca.org or call fundraising on 03000 999 999 (option 4).

In 2016 Graeme Macrae Burnet’s novel His Bloody Project was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. On Saturday he was in the new Spark Theatre at Edinburgh International Book Festival, talking to Roland Gulliver (EIBF Associate Director) about his more recent book The Accident on the A35, a sequel to The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau (2013). So why, asks Gulliver, when His Bloody Project was such a huge hit (a bestseller as well as a success with the literati), did he not write a sequel to that? The answer is that he’d already written the first draft of The Accident before he got the call from Booker. And he’s very glad he had;

‘Otherwise I might have felt pressurised to write another story of persecution and murder in 19^th century Scotland.’

For although there are aspects of mystery to all his books, what really interests Macrae Burnet is how events affect people’s lives, how they react to something unexpected and unplanned for. In The Accident on the A35 a man is killed in a car crash. The mystery centres on where he had been on the night of his death, and why, but what concerns Macrae Burnet is the impact the accident has on the victim’s teenage son Raymond and Chief Inspector Georges Gorski, who is convinced that the accident was not as straightforward as it first appears.

The story is set in St Louis, an unremarkable small town near the French-German border. Macrae Burnet has loved St Louis ever since he visited it while writing The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau, and one of the reasons he loves it is that it always stays the same;

‘I went back twelve years later and had the same lunch in the same café with the same tables.’

Change, he says, is something some people want – Raymond, as an angst-ridden teenager, can’t wait to get away from St Louis (‘I couldn’t wait to get out of Kilmarnock’) – and some people don’t; Gorski may have had his eyes on Marseille or Paris in the past, but now he’s content with his life as it is (or as it was before his wife left him.)

The small details of people’s lives are important to Macrae Burnet; Gorski shaving in the en suite bathroom as an act of rebellion against his absent wife; Raymond getting off a train and back on again to get away from another passenger, then realising she’ll notice when they arrive at their destination – the little things that we all do but rarely admit to. He tells an hilarious story about buying sandwiches in Sainsbury’s en route for his daily visit to Glasgow’s Mitchell Library. It’s a story in which nothing really happens, but it’s one with which few could fail to identify – and that’s one of the great strengths of Macrae Burnet’s writing.

He’s also fascinated by ‘hyper self-consciousness’ or overthinking – something he assumed everyone did, but now realises they perhaps don’t (they don’t?) Gorski and Raymond both play out scenes in their heads, always imagining what other people are thinking about them, creating entire fictive narratives. So Gorski is sure that his staff will place a certain interpretation on the position of the door to his office (open/closed? ajar?); he performs an elaborate charade to persuade people that he hasn’t planned to go into a bar, even though he’s been thinking about little else all morning. Of course no-one else notices or cares – but what if they do?

The foreword to The Accident on the A35 tells us that the manuscript was written by one Raymond Brunet (also the ‘author’ of The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau), and that it was sent to the publisher by his executor after his death. There’s a clear suggestion that the book is autobiographical – though in the narrative Raymond’s surname is Barthelme – but Macrae Burnet is quick to point out that he doesn’t say that, and that the Jean Paul Sartre quote at the beginning of the narrative is part of Brunet’s manuscript, not his;

‘What I have written is false. True. Neither true nor false.’ (Words 1963)

He’s very interested in concepts of truth, of multiple possibilities, and in the ‘Translator’s afterword’ he speculates on how much of the book is ‘true’, and on whether it matters. At least half of the readers of His Bloody Project thought it was non-fiction (‘that’s OK but I get no credit’….). What matters to Macrae Burnet, however, is whether a story feels true;

‘It has, however, to ring true, to be psychologically plausible; that’s the truth fiction is striving for.’

He cites Patrick Hamilton’s Hangover Square as an influence, and refers to a scene in that book where a waiter takes an order holding a tray in a certain way;

‘That tiny details brings it to life, regardless of whether it’s ‘true’ or whether that person really exists.’

The reader needs to be immersed; the story must seem real.

One of the 2018 Book Festival’s key themes is ‘Freedom’, and many writers have been asked to contribute their interpretations of the word to a series of ‘Freedom Papers’. Macrae Burnet originally thought he’d need to write something profound (‘I’d been reading Simone de Beauvoir…’) but the more he pondered the considerable freedom he, as a white middle class man, enjoys, the more he wondered what he had to say (‘There’s people with deep and meaningful things to say, and then there’s me.’) It was, in fact, his fascination with the minutiae of everyday life that eventually gave him his story, which concerns the way in which we place constraints on our own freedom, the need we have to stick to our routines, to cling to our comfort zones.

Macrae Burnet’s story is A Minor Incident in Amsterdam, which he reads aloud in his wonderfully restrained Ayrshire tones. It’s about a visit to a bar. And as ever with this witty, sophisticated author, there’s a very clever sting in the tail. If you want to know what it is, get along to the EIBF Bookshop and buy your copy before they sell out.

The Accident on the A35, The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau and His Bloody Project are all published by Saraband.

Graeme Macrae Burnet’s next appearances will be at Bloody Scotland in Stirling on 21 and 23 September, where he will be discussing European Crime Fiction and The Art of Crime Fiction. His website can be found here.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival is on until 27 August 2018.

The Bonham Hotel in Edinburgh’s West End held a special afternoon tea for the local dementia group.

The four star Bonham invited members and staff from the North Edinburgh Dementia Care group for a luxury afternoon of tea, cakes, and scones served with cream and preserves.

The group provides nurturing services, activities and support for people with dementia, as well as their carers.

Lee Walker, Duty Manager of The Bonham Hotel, said: “After meeting the group last year and hearing about their need for local trips for members, we knew we wanted to host a special afternoon tea.

“We had a wonderful afternoon and it gave the members a chance to relax, chat and enjoy cakes and scones prepared by our head chef.”

Susan Cull, Manager of North Edinburgh Dementia Care, said: “We want to say a huge thank you to The Bonham for their invitation to afternoon tea for our members and staff. Our members thoroughly enjoyed the treats and fabulous service from the friendly hotel staff who went out of their way to accommodate all of our needs.

“Our members benefited greatly from the fun-filled day and it gave everyone the opportunity to socialise in a different environment and enjoy a relaxing afternoon while taking in the beauty of the hotel. The delicious scones and cakes were the cherry on top of a lovely day out.”

The Bonham recently had a multi-million pound refurbishment, and unveiled its 49 individually styled and refurbished guest rooms and suites only a few weeks ago.

You can find out more about The Bonham at thebonham.com

A new art show will open later this month on 24th August 2018 at the Water of Leith Café in Canonmills.

Abstract Mythology, is an exhibition of small format highly textured and
vibrantly coloured acrylic paintings by Edinburgh blind artist Alan McIntyre.
They explore the play and expressions of the media. These abstract expressions
also allude to the magical and cultural beliefs, practices and traditions of
institutions of mankind.

Alan has had a lifelong passion for art until he was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition. He is now registered blind andchallenges to maintain his passion to produce art by constantly being both constrained and liberated by his altered experience of the world.

He said : “I am driven to keep exploring and adapting my art while my sight changes.”

Alan hopes to show his work as just another perspective of the World but from the less acknowledged or known about area of blindness and sight loss.  He continued : “It is okay to touch these works. So I hope that these paintings can be enjoyed by both sighted and those with sight loss.

alnmcintyre.wixsite.com/alanmcintyre-artist

alanmcintyrevisualartist@outlook.com

Abstract Mythology.

Paintings by Alan McIntyre.

Fri 24th August – Fri 28th September
2018.

Water of
Leith Cafe Bistro,

1 Howard
Street. EH3 5JP.

Open
Hours –

Tues to Sat.
– 09:30 – 17:00.

Sunday –
10:00 – 16:00.

Phone
Number: 0131 556 6887.

http://thewaterofleithcafebistro.com/

Last night at the McEwan Hall Underbelly held a second Big Brain Tumour Benefit. All the ticket income will go to the Brain Tumour Charity and will be matched pound for pound by the entertainment company which this year has 199 shows at the Fringe.

It was a sad discovery when in September 2016, Underbelly Director Ed Bartlam’s son Alfie, then age 4, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour. The road to recovery has been anything but smooth and despite extensive treatment two more tumours were found in his brain and spine in December last year.

Ed explained that Alfie still powers on with boundless energy and optimism but his fight is far from over, and throughout the experience he has been made all too aware of how underfunded brain tumour research is in the UK.

The magnificent 900-seater McEwan Hall was this year’s venue. The line-up included Susan Calman in her only Fringe appearance this year, joined by Joel Dommett, Nish Kumar, Zoe Lyons, David O’Doherty and Rhys Nicholson.

The event sold out and all ticket income (£15,000) is going directly to the Brain Tumour Charity.

Underbelly announced that it will match every penny of the box office income from the event, bringing the total raised to over £30,000.

There will be bucket shakers across Underbelly sites throughout the Fringe and there is now a Just Giving page where you can make a donation www.justgiving.com/underbellyedinburgh. Already people have generously given over £1,000 since the page opened when all tickets had sold out.

The Brain Tumour Charity is an incredibly worthwhile cause to support. Underbelly is proud to have raised over £30,000 tonight and will continue to spread the word and raise as much as possible towards this under-funded and important work.

The company and its employees want to make a big difference to brain tumour research in the UK.

Northcare Manor one of the newest care homes in Edinburgh has created a street full of memories for its residents. They have Binns’, Lillywhites, Rankin’s grocers and Duncan’s sweetshop along with a 1950s car and petrol pump, cinema and cocktail bar. This is all aimed at making the residents feel more welcome.

The company which owns the home was assisted in the development by a £7.73 million funding package from Royal Bank of Scotland.

Margaret and William Sawers are the mother and son behind the new care home. They  want a gold star commendation from the Dementia Services Development Centre at the University of Stirling for their 74 bedroom luxury care home. The family run firm has five other homes and have created 75 jobs in Edinburgh in their second development here.

William Sawers, director at Northcare, said: “We went to great lengths to research some of the features we wanted to create here at Northcare Manor to ensure they were suitable for the home, but more importantly, they would be suitable and welcoming for our residents. Some of the residents we’ve welcomed so far remember the shops we’ve recreated, and you can see the positive effect it has as they reminisce. We have been Royal Bank of Scotland customers for 25 years, and they have been instrumental not only in what we have created here in Edinburgh, but throughout the history of our business.”

Charles Robertson, Relationship Director at the Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “With nearly 30 years’ experience, Margaret and William have created a truly unique care environment, focusing on the highest standards of care coupled with five-star facilities and characteristics. Royal Bank of Scotland is proud to support Northcare in the next stage of its growth and we wish the team every success.”

Hibs have apologised to fans following ticket issues at the recent Molde FK match and the upcoming Betfred League Cup match against Ross County.

A statement on the club website read:”The club is aware of several ticketing issues faced by supporters in recent matches and we have been working to identify and address the causes of the issues.

“A large number of supporters had difficulty entering the game on Thursday night against Molde FK through no fault of their own.

“The cause has been identified as an error on our side. We apologise to those who suffered delays in entering the game and thank the majority who were patient and understanding while we rectified the issues on the day.

“The high volume and quick turnaround of cup games in recent weeks has caused a high level of work for club staff in general to manage.  That being the case, standards have been below what supporters expect – we recognise that and are making efforts to make sure this does not continue.”

The club also responded to a proposed move by the singing section, who have been based in the Famous Five Upper, to the middle section of the Famous Five Lower as an experiment.

“We were made aware late on Monday night of plans by the singing section to move to the Famous Five Lower for Sunday’s match with Ross County.

“The Famous Five Lower is our designated family section – it has been for a number of years and we have no plans to change.

“For league matches the whole lower section is almost completely sold out with season ticket members. Ticket holders should only be family groups, and we normally have ticket rules in place both online and at the Ticket Office to ensure that anyone buying individual match tickets are part of a family group.   Mistakenly, these rules were not implemented for Sunday’s match, which resulted in a small number of adult tickets being purchased for that section. We have paused ticket sales in this section and refunded supporters who have purchased non-family tickets in this section.

“We have worked well with the singing section on several projects since their mutually agreed move to the Famous Five in 2017. The atmosphere around the whole ground has been positive over the past few seasons, and we want to make sure that continues.

“The suggested move for Sunday’s game was made without any consultation with the club despite the fact that it is well established that the Famous Five Lower is a Family Section. To avoid doubt, we have no plans to change the use of this section of the ground.  It is heavily populated with season ticket holders and we want to put a focus on our matchday experience for families and the next generation of supporters.

“We remain committed to engaging with all of our supporters, including the singing section and through our Safety Officer we have made a number of attempts in the last few weeks to communicate with this group.”

Four events are being held across Scotland aiming to inspire, celebrate and connect women at all stages of their careers

In a landmark year celebrating 100 years since some women were granted the vote, Royal Bank of Scotland is bringing together Edinburgh’s most inspiring, like-minded and motivated women to encourage businesswomen to connect, support one another and thrive together.

Hosted by author of Ctrl, Alt; Delete and The Multi-Hyphen Method podcaster Emma Gannon, the 100 Women event series will travel to Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow to celebrate and connect women at all stages of their careers.

Emma Gannon will be joined in Edinburgh by an expert panel of local female business leaders including Kylie Reid, founder of the Edinburgh Gossip Girls and Susan Doherty, founder of Hula Juice Bar and owner of concept store Life Story, to offer a unique experience and guidance through a live panel discussion and Q&A with the audience.

The 100 Women event series is free to attend and will take place at:

·         The Principal Edinburgh George Street, Edinburgh (5 September)

·         The Chester Hotel, Aberdeen (21 August)

·         The Malmaison, Dundee (4 September)

·         Barras Arts and Design, Glasgow (6 September).

The events come on the back of a report commissioned by Royal Bank of Scotland and YouGov, which  revealed that a third (33%) of the female microbusiness owners surveyed suffer from ‘imposter syndrome’ in regards to their microbusiness, a psychological pattern in which people doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent fear of being exposed as a ‘fraud’.

Although they run their own successful companies, this high percentage of microbusiness owners have developed imposter syndrome and feelings of anxiety, nervousness and discomfort – a mental roadblock experienced by Emma Gannon and many other female business women across Scotland.

Amongst several key findings, the report has identified a rising generation of female microbusiness owners who are forward-thinking, socially savvy and use the online world to achieve success.

·         A third (33%) of female microbusiness owners surveyed are aged between 35-44.

·         46% of microbusinesses owned by women were set up in the past five years.

·         63% of female respondents believe innovation to be important for the future of their business (in comparison to 54% of male respondents).

·         Female-led microbusinesses would go to the online community when seeking advice, with 46% using online forums and 35% using social media.

·         Cybersecurity is one of the community’s top priorities – 76% of female microbusiness owners regard it as important to their business (compared with 60% men).

Yvonne Greeves, Women in Business Manager, Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “At the Royal Bank of Scotland, we are passionate about supporting microbusinesses and doing our part to help microbusiness owners develop their own networks and meet their ambitions to thrive and succeed.

“Our research has shown that Scotland is a nation of hardworking, multitasking microbusiness owners who need more support, so these events will act as a stepping stone in the right direction for female business owners across the country.

“Our 100 Women events seek to inspire women in business and bring them together to give them the opportunity to discuss the ways in which they can support one another and thrive together.”

Emma Gannon, Author and Podcast host, said: “I’m extremely passionate about women of all ages finding increased freedom, motivation and autonomy at work. The Internet has made it easier to launch brilliant businesses in new ways, but building an in-real-life community has never been so important. These communities help build confidence and knowledge, whether you’re in a company, side-hustling or starting your own new business. It’s an exciting time to be an entrepreneur and to be surrounded by other inspirational female business owners.”

For more information on the events or to book your place, please visit the link below:

·         Aberdeen

·         Dundee

·         Edinburgh

·         Glasgow

A historic city institution is set to host its biggest ever Edinburgh Festival Fringe as it celebrates a decade-long partnership with one of the festival’s leading production companies.

Breaking its own record this year, Surgeons’ Quarter expects to welcome an estimated 80,000 visitors walk through its doors by the end of the month.

Surgeons’ Quarter, the commercial arm of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd), will be playing host to a total of seven ‘theSpaceUK’ theatres across three of its different venues.

With 150 different productions taking place over the 23-day festival, theSpaceUK is working alongside Surgeons’ Quarter for the tenth year in a row, as their partnership has gone from strength to strength.

The multi-genre programme of shows across the College’s traditional buildings makes it one of the biggest Fringe spots, creating a platform for a wide range of performers.

Charles Pamment, Director of theSpaceUK said: “It’s certainly going to be a big year for us and it’s fantastic to be able to say this is our tenth one working with Surgeons’ Quarter.

“Our different expertise have worked so well in tandem that we’ve created one of the most desirable destination venues for audiences at the festival.

“It’s always been an extremely positive relationship. Surgeons’ Quarter has embraced everything we do, and has given us the freedom to make use of the range of spaces to showcase our hugely diverse performances.

“From orchestra, to cabaret, to comedy and kids’ productions, there really is a show for everyone – and in that way we stay true to what the festival is all about.

“It’s thanks to its impressive buildings, social spaces and great location that Surgeons’ Quarter has become one of the big players in the city when it comes to Fringe venues.”

Situated just a minute’s walk from the Royal Mile, theSpaceUK at Surgeons Quarter is ideally placed for soaking up the festival atmosphere and is well catered for by a 200-seat courtyard bar.

Scott Mitchell, Commercial Director at Surgeons’ Quarter, said: “Through our work with theSpaceUK, we have successfully positioned Surgeons’ Quarter as one of the best venues in the city.

“Key to this success is that, unlike many Fringe spaces in Edinburgh, Surgeons’ Quarter is established and defined as an events venue, designed to cater to the thousands of visitors that walk through our doors.

“With the professionalism and expertise of theSpaceUK, and with our hard-working and experienced team on hand, we can provide an authentic and comfortable atmosphere for audiences, to give them the best possible festival experience.”

Surgeons’ Quarter promotes, sells and manages all commercial activities held within the RCSEd Campus, which includes the Playfair Building. All profits support the charitable aims of the College which are education, assessment and advancement in surgery.

The RCSEd is one of the most illustrious institutions in Scotland. It provides education and assessment for medical students, surgical trainees and consultants and supports research to advance standards of care for the future.

Surgeons trained and assessed through the College take their life-saving and life-changing skills all over the world.