Gloriana, The Virgin Queen, destroyer of the Spanish Armada – Elizabeth I has become one of the greatest icons of female power.

But who was the woman behind the legend, ruling alone and sometimes lonely, for decades in an age of warfare, treachery, misogyny and religious strife?

Tammy Meneghini digs deep into the loves, thoughts, feelings and fears of the last of the Tudor dynasty in Elizabeth I in Her Own Words at this year’s Fringe.

As one of the co-creators of the drama, as well as the actor playing Elizabeth, she has developed a deep admiration for Elizabeth and says: “This play is about the woman behind the icon – using the letters she wrote to strip away the majesty and find the person.

“And the more I find out about Elizabeth I, the more I’d love to have met her. She was fierce, funny, feisty and spicy. 

“Something I really admire is that she learned from her mistakes – she made a ton of them, but never the same one twice.

“I try to channel my inner Elizabeth I in my own life.”

Tammy who, as well as being an actor is an associate professor of theatre at the University of Colorado Boulder, used her deep love of Shakespeare to bring an extra dimension to the production.

She said: “As we went through Elizabeth’s life we found pivotal moments, and that there were passages from Shakespeare that perfectly parallel what she was going through. 

“So, we have incorporated Shakespeare into the play because they so brilliantly bring her experiences and feelings to life.

“He is so brilliant at articulating moments of heightened emotion. It’s almost like musical theatre where something so momentous happens that the character just has tosing.”

Indeed, the production includes a passage from Richard II which is believed to have actually been honouring Elizabeth.

She said: “We know that Elizabeth was aware that Richard II was a representation of her, so we started with that.”

One of the biggest characters in the play, the other woman of power in the British Isles at that time, Elizabeth’s cousin and fellow monarch Mary Stewart – queen of Scots.

They never met but were life and death to each other. Mary continually plotted to have Elizabeth murdered and Elizabeth eventually agreed to have Mary executed.

And despite their similar social and political positions, Tammy sees them as very different characters.

She said: “Elizabeth was very cautious, people tried to manipulate her, but she did her best to prevent it. Mary seems very reactive, and when people did things in her name, without her consent, she allowed it.”

The play is directed by Lynn Nichols who has who has worked extensively with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.

It is produced by award-winning director, and stalwart of the Edinburgh Fringe, Penny Cole whose company, Flying Solo! Presents specialises in fostering new work by American artists on the international stage.  

They provide an ideal team to bring the story of the woman who faced down the Spanish Armada, overcame rebellions, struggled to reconcile religious divisions and endured deep personal heartache to the Edinburgh stage.

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/elizabeth-i-in-her-own-words

Hibs Head Coach David Gray was left frustrated at Celtic’s ‘avoidable’ goals in his side’s 2-0 defeat on Sunday. 

The champions dominated throughout at Easter Road after scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes of the game. 

After the game Gray told Hibs TV: “It was a really frustrating start. 

“You cannot give Celtic a goal head start after three minutes, especially when it’s avoidable from our point of view. 

“Pre-match I spoke about us being brave on the ball, being aggressive with our press, and knowing that we can’t give Celtic time and space on the ball, and if you don’t get that right then you’ll be up against it. 

“The real frustration from my point of view was that the goals we conceded were really avoidable.  

“They came from individual mistakes and a lack of bravery and composure on the ball. Celtic got in their flow, and we rode our luck a little bit.  

“The game could’ve got away from us, but we went in 2-0 down. 

“We said what we said at half-time and the reaction from the players was better.   

“We were braver on the ball and carried more of a threat, without really doing enough though. We know we need to improve on that front. 

“This is the level of Scottish football, and the players need to learn from it quickly because we face it again in seven days’ time.” 

Hibs travel to Parkhead to face Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup next weekend.  

And Gray believes that his players can take a lot from Sunday’s game going into that one. 

He added: “The players need to remember how it felt in the first half and how difficult it was for them for 45 minutes.  

“The feeling from the second half was slightly different because they’ll have noticed they did have some success from having that bravery and courage to play. 

“We will work on our game plan to ensure we give a better account of ourselves next week.” 

Police are appealing for information following a serious assault that took place around 5.45pm on Friday, 9 August, 2024 on Park Lane, Whitburn.

A 44-year-old man was taken to hospital for treatment.

The first suspect is described as being white, of heavy build, around 5ft 8in tall, with short grey hair. He was wearing blue jeans and a blue top.

The second suspect is described as being white, around 40 years old, around 5ft 10in tall, with short dark hair, of medium build, and wearing dark clothing.

The third suspect is described as being white, in his 30s, around 5ft 6in tall, of slim build.

Detective Sergeant Tony Gilhooley said: “Our enquiries are ongoing and we are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed anything to contact police.

“We also ask anyone with private CCTV or dashcam footage of the area at the time to come forward.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting incident 2893 of 9 August, 2024. Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

Edinburgh’s botanical garden has digitised one million plants as part of a project to make its collection accessible to people around the world.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is creating a digital record of its renowned Herbarium collection of over three million preserved plant specimens from 157 countries.

Historically hard to access, it is now being digitised into high-resolution images that can be viewed by anyone with an internet connection.

The digitised platform now sees requests come in from across the globe from students, scientists and plant enthusiasts.

The one millionth specimen to be digitised was Stereocaulon vesuvianum, a species of lichen collected from Ben Nevis in 2021.

RBGE lichenologist Dr Rebecca Yahr, who collected the specimen during a climb up Scotland’s tallest mountain, said: “Celebrating the milestone with this important specimen is an exciting opportunity for us to highlight Scotland’s unique biodiversity and extend RBGE’s mission to research and understand lichens more generally.”

The expedition on which the millionth digitised specimen was collected was part of RBGE’s contribution to the groundbreaking Darwin Tree of Life (DToL) project to unlock DNA sequences of every complex living organism in Great Britain and Ireland.

Professor Olwen Grace, Curator of the Herbarium and leader of the digitisation project, said: “Being able to share this information with scientific communities as well as the public allows us to develop a more robust understanding of biodiversity challenges and the solutions that can help us build resilience to shifting climates.

“At the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, we see it as our moral imperative to share this information, especially when we are facing a global biodiversity crisis.”

Miriam Margolyes has told how she has fun getting her signers for the deaf to demonstrate swear words to her Edinburgh Fringe audiences.

The actress, 83, is appearing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the first time in 12 years, with her one woman show, Margolyes & Dickens: The Best Bits.

Speaking on BBC Scotland’s “Edinburgh Unlocked”, she insisted she is a more than just a “foul-mouthed old biddy”, but admitted that swearing is fun.

She said: “(A lot of people know me now) as a foul-mouthed old biddy. I know, I know. But there’s a lot more to me than that.

“I’m not just that. I can be that, and sometimes I’m that too much. But I’m not just a foul mouth you know. It worries me, that. But (swearing) is funny.

“It is funny. One of the things that I so enjoy is I have deaf signers with me, doing British Sign Language. And I ask them at the beginning of the show, ‘I’ve got a few words for you, can you demonstrate it to the audience so they know what’s to come?

“So I say ****, ****, ****, ****, ****. And it’s terrific. I think that might offend. In fact, I’m bloody sure it will offend.”

Margolyes, who played Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films, has spoken previously about her Scottish heritage. Her grandfather was a jeweller with a shop in St Enoch Square in Glasgow, and her father was born in the Gorbals in 1899.

She said it was “an emotional thing” to come back to Scotland and to bring her show to Edinburgh audiences.

She added: “I want to have a go. Even though I’m 83 and crippled, and forgetful, I want to see if I can still entertain…

“I’m just happy that people still want to see me and that I can still convince someone I’m worth watching.”

https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/margolyes-dickens-best-bits

Private fireworks displays could be criminalised in Edinburgh, after a spate of attacks on emergency services last year.

The City of Edinburgh Council is running a public consultation on the introduction of Firework Control Zones (FCZs).

A citywide FCZ would make it a crime under the Fireworks and Pyrotechnics Act Scotland 2022 to set off certain fireworks anywhere in the capital. Alternatively, FCZs could be implemented in up to four individual areas including Niddrie, Calton Hill, Balerno and Seafield.

Official organised displays such as the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Christmas and Hogmanay would not be affected.

The consultation, which closes on August 23, follows incidents of antisocial behaviour around Bonfire Night in recent years.

Last November, police in Niddrie were attacked by youths with petrol bombs and fireworks amid “unprecedented levels of disorder and violence resulting in injuries to officers”.

There have also been concerns about the impact of fireworks on the environment, animals and vulnerable people.

Val Walker, the city council’s Culture and Communities Convener, said: “Bonfire Night and broader fireworks use in the city can be an opportunity for communities to come together to celebrate and spend time together.

“However, we all remember the shocking scenes we saw in some areas of the capital last year with emergency services being attacked, and we are doing everything in our power to prevent similar occurrences this November.

“This consultation is an opportunity for everyone to share their position on the use of fireworks, and I encourage everyone to take some time to have their say before the consultation closes.”

One was inspired by a TV programme about nurses saving babies in a war zone. One became a nurse because he realised that nurses had far more connection with patients and their families than doctors had time for. A third thought she’d be a PE teacher and changed her mind. Her Mum (a nurse) warned her off nursing. She did it anyway.  

They all had one thing in common; they cared.

El Blackwood’s Tending asks the question ignored by managers, politicians, and a large swathe of the public; who cares for the carers?

In this powerful piece of verbatim theatre, three outstanding actors tell the stories of over 70 nurses. No one had ever asked them for those stories before.

The play begins with the three nurses (the characters, unnamed because each one conveys the accounts of many nurses, are beautifully played by Mara Allen, Ben Lynn and Blackwood herself) talking about why they became nurses in the first place. They then describe their working days, starting with the shift handover (you can tell what kind of a day it’s been, they say, by the outgoing team’s body language) and moving on to triaging in A & E, safety checks in the neonatal unit, and lots and lots of personal caregiving – washing, toileting, feeding, dressing. And the smells!

They’re busy, very busy, but they still have time to laugh and joke. They have a song and dance every morning before work, they banter over the bedmaking, they vogue with the bedpans. It’s not easy, they rarely get time to eat, they’re permanently dehydrated and exhausted. The paperwork drives them crazy, they all admit to grabbing the odd nap in a cupboard, but every once in a while there’s a special moment; taking a patient up to the helipad to see the views, stroking a dementia sufferer to sleep, seeing a baby become well enough to come off a ventilator,

It may not fit the romantic image of nursing some of them had before they started, but it’s OK, just. The teamwork, the job satisfaction, the gratitude of patients, all help them through the tough times, of which they are many. Nurses are on the front line, they see terrible things happen to people like you and me. They can’t take time out, can’t ‘recalibrate’; they might watch someone die then go straight on to the drunks in A&E on a Saturday night.

They do it because they care,

Then along comes Covid, and from then on there’s no more fun, and almost no job satisfaction, Instead there’s constant, unremitting horror,

One of the greatest strengths of Tending, and of its superb cast, is that it forces us to understand that nurses are first and foremost people just like us (only better.) They don’t do their jobs in a vacuum, they have lives. When Covid hit, their lives were hit too.  They had all the extra domestic stresses that many of us had, but they carried on. They saw things none of us would ever want to see. Their exhaustion became unbearable, but they bore it,

But it wasn’t only the exhaustion, the fact that their faces were red and raw from wearing PPE (when they could get it), their hair breaking from stress, their eyes sunken from dehydration and lack of sleep. It was the knowledge that the NHS itself was totally overwhelmed. They had to try to cope. Access to a psychologist was only provided after a nurse had killed herself on duty.

Politicians visited but were prevented from speaking with nurses. They felt ignored by managers. If someone had to go off sick, they were consumed with guilt at leaving their team a nurse down. It was hell.

Tending also touches on the strike action taken by nurses and junior doctors. In general the public backed it, but if you ever questioned whether their industrial action ‘should have been allowed’ this play will surely change your mind.

Nurses who have seen Tending say that it’s the first time they’ve seen an accurate picture of the reality of their lives. But they know the truth already; the rest of us urgently need to see this stunning, shocking production. It should be performed in the Houses of Parliament. It should be on our TV screens. We are privileged to have it here in Edinburgh. Please go and see it.

Tending is a Larynx production, directed by John Livesey and produced by Eleanor Birdsall-Smith. It is at Venue 61, Underbelly (Belly Button), Cowgate at 14.15 every day until 25^th August. Please note that there is no show on Monday 12^th August. Tickets here.

Tending is considered suitable for children aged 12+.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe can be divisive, with many locals resenting the way it impedes their journeys.

Particular pinch points in the Old Town, especially on and around South Bridge, can be very difficult to navigate through at this time of year.

Even for those who embrace the Fringe, the desire to escape the centre can be strong. Fringe performers and Fringe goers all need to find balance. Luckily, Edinburgh is groaning with ways of getting away from it all. Usually you are not many metres from relative quiet and peace. But to truly escape, take one of the fantastic pathways that Edinburgh is blessed with.

Many of these are relatively flat, following the lines of waterways and disused railways. Most of these are easy to access via below the Lothian bus network. Many of these are heralded, such as the Water of Leith Walkway, the Union Canal, paths through Holyrood Park, and the wonderful railway path network in the north of the city. After a wet early summer, the vegetation along these walkways is impressively thick this year, adding to the sense of being enclosed in nature.

Other well-known parts include the Innocent Railway Path. One of the glories of this particular path is the way this allows you to enter the city almost unseen. You start either just past Portobello or perhaps at the Jewel and work your way through Bingham and Duddingston before emerging, through the long tunnel (518 metres), at St. Leonards. Here you are just a couple of hundred metres from the Southside and the Pleasance; key hubs for the Fringe. You can even extend your walk by taking the heavily wooded St. Leonard’s Bank Path around the fringes of Holyood Park, and end up at the Parliament and Palace – or even skirt round further to Abbeyhill.

Burdiehouse Burn Valley Park

Among the unheralded paths in Edinburgh is that which meanders through the Burdiehouse Burn Valley Park in the South East of the city. This 2 mile walk can be accessed in a number of places, but the easiest starting point is near the Aldi on Gilmerton Road. The bus stop here is served by the 3, 8, 29 Lothian buses. The nearby Robin’s Nest pub could provide you with a pre-walk watering hole and loo stop.

The substantial iron gates correctly give you the impression that you are in for a bit of a treat. Even for many who live in the city, this walkway has a low profile. On a recent Saturday walk (in early August), the pathway was generally quiet, with just a few joggers, dog walkers and people heading off for their supermarket shop.

From there the past goes to a heavily wooded area, Moredun Wood, reminiscent of more well known places such as the Hermitage of Braid. You pass through the picturesque little village area of Ellen’s Glen. In some ways its traditional buildings and waterside location give it a similar vibe to Dean Village; but without the groups of tourists and Instagramers. In contrast the place is hushed; offers a deeply peaceful spot on the walk.

After that, the valley opens out, with the burn gurgling next to you as you walk. The tarmacked path here is smooth and easy on the feet. The floor and fauna covers the gently sloping valley. The feeling here is very rural, with the busy city centre distant geographically and also far from your mind.

To describe it as a hidden gem might give the sense that it’s something small, but this area is substantial (the park covers 28) and provides a great sense of freedom to those who walk and cycle along it. The valley is surrounded by largely quiet residential areas. The locals have a fantastic amenity right on the doorsteps; there are at least 20 access points to the path. Stepping along the path, you feel you are leaving the city at speed, with very little evidence of traffic or congestion.

The park ends at Burdiehouse Road, where buses 37 and 47 can ferry you back into the city centre. The 47 could take you back into Bristo Square; back into the heart of the Fringe, with your mind and body refreshed from time spent in this calming green corridor.

Hibs fell to a 2-0 home defeat to champions Celtic at a sunny Easter Road this afternoon. 

Hibs boss David Gray made two changes to the starting XI that fell to a 3-0 defeat at St Mirren last weekend. 

Mykola Kuharevich made his first start since returning to the club on loan and Dylan Levitt replaced Dylan Vente and Nathan Moriah-Welsh. 

New signing Kieron Bowie was listed among the substitutes, but Junior Hoilett and Nicky Cadden were not in the squad. 

The club introduced a safe standing area in the Famous Five Stand and the fans made their presence heard throughout the game. 

The champions took an early lead when Josef Bursik pushed Kyogo’s shot wide but James Forrest was first to react and he found Nicolas Kuhn who scored from close range. 

Kyogo almost made it 2-0 after latching onto a poos pass from Josh Campbell but his effort went just wide. 

The Hoops doubled their lead in the 19^th minute with a superb 25-yard strike from Callum McGregor. 

Celtic took their foot off the gas but continued to look the more likely to score and the fans made their feelings known to the Hibs players at the half time whistle. 

Hibs showed some more urgency after the restart then on the hour mark replaced Campbell and Kuharevich with Bowie and Chris Cadden. 

Both Martin Boyle and Rudi Molotnikov tried their luck from distance but both missed the target. 

With six minutes remaining Hibs almost pulled a goal back when Bowie nutmegged Cameron Carter-Vickers on the touchline and his powerful strike crashed off the bar, earning him the cheers of the Hibs fans. 

After the game Hibs head coach David Gray told BBC Scotland:”You can’t give a team like Celtic a goal head-start after three minutes. 

“When you make individual errors and don’t show bravery on the ball, it can be a long afternoon. We were probably fortunate to only go into half-time 2-0 down. 

“Second half was better, we carried more of a threat and a bit more composure on the ball. Obviously we’re really disappointed to lose the game; we need to learn quickly because we’ve got it all to do again next weekend away from home. 

“We’ve got a bit of short-term pain at the moment but I’m really positive about where we can take the squad.” 

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: added:”Easter Road is one of the most difficult places to come in Scottish football. 

“I thought we were very good for large spells. There were moments in the second half when we went too long, too early. 

“We made a great start and showed a real winning attitude and we have quality. We should have had a few more goals.” 

Hibs: Bursik, Miller, Ekpiteta, O’Hora, Obita, Levitt, Newell, Campbell, Boyle, Kuharevich, Molotnikov. 

Substitutes: Smith, Vente, C Cadden, Amos, McKirdy, Bowie, Moriah-Welsh, Megwa, Bushiri. 

Celtic: Schmeichel, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor, McGregor, Hatate, O’Riley, Forrest, Kyogo, Kuhn. 

Substitutes: Sinisalo, Yang, Holm, Tomoki, Bernardo, Maeda, Ralston, Welsh, M Johnston. 

Protests continue in Edinburgh against the situation in Palestine.

On Saturday the protesters took their place on the steps outside the National Museum of Scotland.

There are several flypasts during the Tattoo run and on Saturday night it was the turn of the Red Arrows.

The nine jets were due at 6.15pm and minute perfect they appeared from the east over the Castle Esplanade before disappearing away to the west with their usual red, white and blue smoke trails behind them.

The next fly past takes place on Tuesday 13 August.

If you’re looking to escape the bustling streets of the Fringe while still enjoying top-tier cuisine, ASKR in Leith should be on your radar.

Located on Constitution Street, just a stone’s throw from The Shore tram stop, this fine dining spot led by Chef Dan Ashmore is making waves with its coal-fired cooking and a menu that highlights the best of local meat, seafood, and produce.

Introducing Dan Ashmore: A Culinary Journey

Chef Dan Ashmore’s impressive culinary journey has taken him from a garden centre café at age 15 to leading kitchens at prestigious establishments like The Pompadour by Galvin and Gordon Ramsay Restaurants in Scotland. Now, as Group Executive Chef at the Dean Banks Group, Dan continues to craft memorable dining experiences, bringing his expertise and passion to ASKR.

Intimate Dining with Diverse Offerings

ASKR is compact and bijou, seating just 26 guests, which makes for an intimate dining experience.

The menu is split into four offerings – First, a selection of bar-snacks and sharing plates designed to be enjoyed alongside a cocktail or pre-dinner drink; Second – a selection of what would be your traditional starters; Third – a selection of five mains, including a day boat fish; Fourth – your dessert choice. There’s also a selection of sides, which include dishes including a side of buttered new potatoes, with a fresh and vibrant green chive emulsion and tender stem with a sesame seed dressing.

The restaurant operates five days a week, serving both lunch and dinner. It recently introduced a new à la carte menu alongside its tasting menu, providing diners with more choices. Whether you’re in the mood for bar snacks, sharing plates, or a full meal, ASKR’s offerings are designed to impress.

For oyster lovers, the bar is a perfect spot to enjoy fresh oysters paired with wines from Liberty Wines, available by the glass or bottle. FOH Rich is on hand to expertly match wines with your chosen dishes, ensuring a delightful experience.

Fringe Dining with a Twist

To cater to Fringe-goers, ASKR has extended its hours, staying open from 12pm until late Thursday through Saturday and from 5pm until late on Tuesday and Wednesday. Whether you’re after a pre-show bite or a post-show feast, ASKR is ready to welcome you.

Adding to the allure, ASKR is offering a special Fringe deal: diners who present their tram tickets to and from Leith will have the cost deducted from their total bill. This offer is available throughout August, encouraging visitors to explore the culinary delights of Leith during the festival.

Beat those midweek blues or Fringe madness with one of the best value-tasting menus in town. ASKR’s midweek tasting menu – £45 for 6 courses – is available Tuesday to Thursday. When booking quote “tasting45” to receive this offer.

Fringe Offer

Throughout August, ASKR is reimbursing single and return tram tickets to Leith for diners. Present your ticket upon payment to receive the discount off your bill.

With its extended hours, new menu options, and the Fringe ticket offer, ASKR is more than just a place to eat—it’s a destination. Whether you’re seeking a quiet retreat from the Fringe or simply want to indulge in some of the best food Edinburgh has to offer, ASKR deserves a spot at the top of your list this festival season.

https://www.askr.co.uk/

Opera is best when fully staged, but the expense of such productions means that it is becoming increasingly difficult to manage more than a few of these handiworks in a year.

A fine alternative is to have a concert realisation – whilst tending to lack the grandeur of colourful costume and elaborate sets, the singers can still express the story via action as well as voice.

In this execution of Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutti, even the conductor, Maxim Emelyanychev, was included in cameo bits of the action. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra acquitted themselves with fastidiousness and style. Each of the principals discharged their roles with passion and joy. The SCO Chorus duly filled in the rest.

This satire always provides for chuckles, but this version was even more comical in the best conceivable way. In fact, when I wasn’t laughing, I was smiling through the entire 3½ hours. Especial mention needs to go to Hera Hyesang Park as Despina who stood out for me in her varied voices and portrayal of sarcasm. And Christopher Maltman as Don Alfonso embodied the driving cynicism of the story marvellously. But I need to add that the depictions by the other singers were also impressive, and the singing of all was splendid.

Joyous.

https://www.eif.co.uk/events/cosi-fan-tutte

Scottish Chamber Orchestra 
Maxim Emelyanychev Conductor & Fortepiano

Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus
Gregory Batsleer Chorus Director

Golda Schultz Fiordiligi
Angela Brower Dorabella
Hera Hyesang Park Despina
Josh Lovell Ferrando
Huw Montague Rendall Guglielmo
Christopher Maltman Don Alfonso

Mozart Così fan tutte

Round-the-world cyclist Mark Beaumont led a ride-out from Bridgend Farmhouse on Saturday to celebrate the opening of the community centre’s new “bike barn”.

He told the gathering of 50 cyclists that cycling was for everyone, not just those doing it for sport or those going on long journeys round the world. 

After the opening ceremony, he led a gentle ride through Craigmillar Park, up to the Castle and back. He was joined by Leanne Farmer, from the cycle tours company “A Wee Pedal” based at Bridgend, who has just cycled to Paris and back, with her family, to watch the Olympic Games.   

Bridgend Farmhouse has spent two years converting the old piggery into its new “bike barn”.  It’s open Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm. Two members of staff restore donated bikes for sale, or for distribution to families who are struggling to afford a bike.  They also do bike repairs and offer training to young people wishing to become cycle mechanics.  

Frustrated Cami Brown, Glasgow Tigers team manager, was unhappy with the match referee as the Allied Vehicles-backed side skidded to a 49-40 defeat in the Cab Direct Championship clash at Plymouth Gladiators.

A dramatic Heat 14 turned out to be decisive with referee Barbara Horley excluding Tigers rider Jordan Jenkins after a crash with two rival racers, gifting the home side a 5-0 which all but wrapped up victory for Plymouth. 

Brown (pictured) claimed: “The referee has cost us. That is probably the worst refereeing performance I have ever seen.” 

He added: “Jack Smith was in front of Baek in Heat 5 and she said Jack wiped him out which was a lot of nonsense. 

“Then Jordan was winning Heat 14 by a mile and James falls off. The referee then re-runs it after three laps despite Jordan being well ahead. 

“The race is re-run. Baek falls and the race should have been stopped then but he actually hit Jordan who then lifts and careers into Joe Thompson. Then she puts both Plymouth riders back in the race. 

“I also asked her about Ben Barker clearly moving at the start of Heat 11 but she said she didn’t see anything. I said she could look at the replays on TV but she wouldn’t, but she looked at the replays of Heat 14 three or four times. 

“We should have gone into Heat 15 in a last heat decider at 42 each, exciting for the fans and the possibility of a Super Heat. The referee just ruined the meeting. We would have won that meeting tonight without those poor decisions. 

“We are absolutely sick but we are not giving in yet. We will try and win everything now to stay in the play-off picture. There’s still a chance.”

Despite falling eight points down after Heat 9, Tigers fought back. Harris was outstanding again and broke the track record in Heat 1. Guests Jason Edwards (paid 10) and Jordan Jenkins (seven) were also excellent all night. 

Brown added: “There were positives. I couldn’t ask for anymore from Jordan and Jason, they were exceptional. 

“They really tried 100 per cent for us and we won’t forget that. We loved working with them and they were professional and quality all night. 

“We never gave in all night. I waited to do the tactical substitute and that paid off. 

“But we can look at this and that but we still lost and that hurts. 

“It’s a long way down for bad refereeing decisions to cost us the match.”

Plymouth 49: Ben Barker 14, Dan Thompson 11+1, Alfie Bowtell 9+1, Patrick Baek 5+1, Jacob Hook 5.

Glasgow 40: Chris Harris 15, Jason Edwards 8+2, Jordan Jenkins 7, Anders Rowe 6, James Pearson 3, Jack Smith 1+1, Jody Scott 0.

Steven Naismith summed up the 3-1 defeat in the William Hill Premiership at Dundee in two words: “Really bad.”

Hearts’ head coach saw his hand-picked squad go 3-0 down at Dens Park before the break and he told BBC Sport Scotland: “That was really disappointing.”

Naismith (pictured) said his men conceded cheap goals but added: “In the second half we created more chances.”

His opposite number, Tony Docherty, said: “That was almost a complete team performance. Deservedly, we went in 3-0 at the beak.”

Docherty conceded that Hearts are a good team but said: “Players executed the game plan to the letter and showed real bravery on the ball.”

More than 7,200 fans watched the action and Scott Tiffony fired the home side ahead after 23 minutes with two goals coming in first-half injury time.

The first was an own goal from Gerald Taylor, one of Hearts’ summer signings, and the other from a Luke McCowan penalty after Frankie Kent fouled Tiffony.

Kent pulled one back after 61 minutes with a close range header, but the visitors failed to add another before the final whistle despite enjoying 60 per cent of the possession during the match.

Hearts also had 14 shots against 11 from the home side and they had 31 touches in the box against 17. What’s more, the Jambos had ten corners against two from Dundee, but the statistic which really matters was the final scoreline, 3-1 in favour of Docherty’s men.

Barton Williams stands on stage in front of  a wall of cardboard boxes. Footage of Vietnam plays against a soundtrack of war.

In the dying days of the Vietnam War, Da Nang had fallen to the Communists and Saigon was under bombardment. Charities, and those in charge of the city’s many orphanages, asked the US forces to evacuate their children, and on 3^rd April 1975 President Ford announced a planned series of thirty flights to bring as many orphans as possible to the West.

The first flight ended in tragedy, when locks on a ramp failed and the plane crashed, killing many children and adults. But over the next few weeks Operation Babylift continued until enemy action made it impossible. It is estimated that over 3,000 children were evacuated.

Most of the babies were orphans; many were the children of Vietnamese women and American servicemen. It was not unusual, however, for parents to use the orphanages as day care when they had to work. In the chaos of spring 1975 some of these children were also evacuated, their parents returning to find their babies gone.

The children were taken initially to the Philippines, and then on to their new homes in the USA, Australia, and Europe, where they were adopted. Fifty years later, many are still searching for their biological families.

Precious Cargo is their story.

Barton, who was adopted by an Australian family and grew up in Adelaide, is a remarkable performer. Alone on the stage for the entire show, he expertly combines storytelling (much of it in rhyme) with physical theatre. He was a sports-mad boy; he runs frantically back and forth – ‘Sport! Sport! Sport!’. Despite his size, he became a top surfer – ‘Breathe! Breath! Breathe!’ – and it was surfing that ultimately changed his life.

But first we hear about his childhood; his wonderful, supportive, Australian mother, whose love may have been tough, but was also plentiful; his macho, somewhat racist (‘I hate these immigrants!’) Australian father, who loved him but loved his ‘own’ son Michael a tiny bit more,

Like many of the Operation Babylift children, Barton suffered at school. Children are quick to pick on any differences, but,

The show includes the words of many other Vietnamese evacuees, who were interviewed by Andrew Eaton-Lewis as part of the Precious Cargo project. One girl, adopted in England, thought she was the only Black Vietnamese child in the country (some of the children’s fathers were Black American soldiers.) Another constantly rubbed her eyes; there were shreds of shrapnel in them.

In 2021, Barton travelled to Lewis to appear in a surfing film, Silent Roar. He loved the island, but it was the last place he expected to meet another Vietnamese. Enter Andy Yearley, acclaimed local composer and boatman,

Andy was adopted by Iain and Eileen and had a happy childhood.  On arrival he was half deaf, with shrapnel in his ears; damaged eardrums were common among the war babies. Nevertheless Andy has made a career in music, studying at Broughton High School in Edinburgh and the Royal Academy of Music in London, but always returning to the Hebrides.

Iain:

Andy had already visited Vietnam once. Barton made plans to take Andy and a Gaelic film crew back, to find out what they could about their blood families and revisit the old orphanages,

Bart, Andy and several of the interviewees, talk about their first adult experiences of Vietnam; they loved the country and were happy to be there, but despite physical similarities knew they were different. They don’t speak the language. Bart can’t stand bubble tea,

Andy notes how rich they felt compared to the locals; the poverty shocked them. They found crossing roads terrifying. Andy visited a music shop and didn’t understand a word the owner said, so spoke back to her in Gaelic. Street vendors told them how lucky they were to have escaped. Bart re-enacts the obligatory haggling over prices – prices they could easily afford but were told they must still challenge. He’s a great actor; it’s hilarious.

But Precious Cargo can switch from hilarious to heartbreaking in an instant. These children’s stories are sad as sad; many, including Bart and Andy, never trace their mothers, although some have more luck finding their American fathers – Americans can afford DNA testing. Bart has so many questions about his mother,

Andy visited his orphanage and saw children disfigured by Agent Orange, the chemical weapon used during the war. It has passed through the generations. Andy was moved to tears; none of these children would ever escape, no one would ever adopt them. He was shown the ditch in which he was found, beside a dead woman, presumably his mother.

Bart’s mother once told him that he should always be careful what he said about Americans – without them, she would not have been his Mum. Operation Babylift has not been without its share of criticism; some people question whether it was really in the best interests of the children to remove them from their homeland. Bart, Andy and all of those other Vietnamese babies faced many challenges as they grew up in countries where they would always be different. But Bart adored his adoptive mother, ‘she was my rock’, and is still mourning her recent death; Andy loves Lewis passionately and has his own family there now.

Precious Cargo is a magnificent piece of documentary theatre; Barton Williams is a wonderful writer and performer, and Andy Yearly’s music brings so much more to the project. Examining an event in world history that many of us still remember (but for how long?), Precious Cargo speaks to us not only of the individuals whose lives were changed forever in those last frantic days of a long and controversial conflict, but also, as superpowers continue to fight their wars on foreign territories, of the children who are today being forced out of their homelands across the world.  

While Bart is on Lewis, the Northern Lights perform,

Precious Cargo is performed and was originally conceived by Barton Williams, with music by Andy Yearley and additional text by Andy Yearley and Laura Cameron-Lewis. It is directed by Laura Cameron-Lewis and produced by Andrew Eaton-Lewis. It was developed with support from Creative Scotland, Mark Barbeliuk and Wee Studio. For more information visit www.sruth-mara.com and www.facebook.com/sruthmara.

Precious Cargo is at Venue 26, Summerhall (Demonstration Room) at 15.10 until 26th August. Please note there is no performance on Mondays 12^th and 19^th August. Tickets here.

The Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas is a series of debates taking place monthly at The Stand; during Fringe 2024, however, we’re getting a bumper serving, with a grand total of 47 challenging topics on offer. 

The CoDI was originally developed by Edinburgh’s four universities, Fair Pley Productions, comedian Susan Morrison and The Stand itself, but now involves academics from all over Scotland – even, as Morrison, our host for the hour, informs us,

The idea today is that each speaker will have 20 minutes in which to talk about their subject. Boring? Not at all! Both the researchers I saw were lively, engaging, funny and very interesting – and unlike some Fringe performers, they stuck to their timeslots and knew when to shut up, even though none of us wanted them to.

Morrison is a great warm up act, sharing that she only married her husband when she found out he could cook, and that her favourite comfort food remains Dairylea cheese triangles on crackers, dunked in a bowl of Heinz tomato soup. (Cheers of recognition from the enthusiastic audience, who are packed into a small room at The Place, a boutique townhouse hotel part-annexed by The Stand this August.)

Today we are hearing first from Sheila Erskine, lecturer in Sociology at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen; her subject is food (hence Morrison’s soup story.)  We all eat it, but Erskine isn’t concerned with its nutritional values – her interest is in its emotional and symbolic meanings, the memories attached to it, and the way in which our early feeding experiences can shape our whole lives.

And the most important experiences, Erskine says, start the minute we are born. And no, this is not a lecture about breast being best, or indeed the opposite. Erskine talks instead about what happens while we are feeding; vocalisation, skin-to-skin contact, the baby-carer gaze. They’re all so important; a positive feeding experience soothes babies’ stress and helps them to adapt.

Covering the different treatment of boys and girls (parents, usually entirely unintentionally, feed boys for significantly longer – they ‘need building up’), the four types of adult we become as a result of childhood experiences with food, and Carol Adams’ theories about meat eating and its connection to patriarchal values (‘red meat is seen as a masculine thing – aren’t men always in charge of the barbecue?’ – cue more laughter) in the space of 20 minutes is no mean feat, but Erskine does it brilliantly.

Debate is at the centre of CoDI talks, so the floor is then thrown open for questions, and there are certainly plenty of those. One woman wants tips on how to get her teenagers back round the family table (good luck with that one.) Erskine says it’s normal for teens to kick back against their parents; don’t worry about it. Another audience member says that his son lived on cereal till he was 8 years old, and still smells any new food before eating it. Again normal! says Erskine; it’s just the hippocampus in action; ancient man needed to make sure food was safe.

Second to speak is Giorgi De Paoli, a pharmacist and forensic toxicologist from the University of Dundee. De Paoli moved to Scotland fifteen years ago. She thought it’d be like the USA, where she’d previously lived; it wasn’t, and she gives some very funny examples of Italian-Scottish culture shock.

But De Paoli’s real concern is paracetamol, those handy white pills that you can get for 49p in any supermarket. Or at least, any UK supermarket. We all have them in our homes – ‘hands up how many of you have more than one packet?’  99% of the audience own up. They’re commonplace in the UK, with over six thousand tonnes of them going down out throats every year. You may be surprised, then, to hear that in Italy they are used rarely, must be sold only at the pharmacy counter, and cost eighty euros a box. Yes EIGHTY. No wonder Italians don’t take paracetamol in a hurry.

De Paoli gives us the grim statistics. In countries where paracetamol is freely available – eg the UK, Sweden, Australia and the USA – overdoses, both accidental and deliberate, are common. In the UK alone these result in 100,000 people per year going to A & E departments. 50,000 are admitted to hospital; the worst affected may need liver transplants.

De Paoli explains (via the excellent example of family visit overload at Christmas) how too much paracetamol can affect the liver. It is, she assures us, safe if taken at safe levels – but even the leaflet inside every box is confusing and doesn’t make sense. (Not that most of us will have noticed; I can’t be the only person who consigns it straight to the recycling bin.)

Why do people overdose by accident? De Paoli’s research shows that many are simply in so much pain they stop caring, they just want it to stop. Others are confused, especially if they are taking other medications at the same time. She reads out a roll call of commonplace medicines containing ‘hidden’ paracetamol. Some are well known, some surprising.

But the issue that De Paoli really wants to address is why the UK is so dependent on such a potentially toxic drug. She was shocked when, on her first visit to a GP in Scotland for back pain, she was told to go home and take paracetamol,

I think all of us know the answer to that, and it’s not a clinical one.

De Paoli was given the same advice about migraine, and again after the traumatic birth of her son. A friend of hers has even been told to take it for candida (a yeast infection for which creams and tablets are available.)  De Paoli thinks the UK’s relationship with paracetamol needs a drastic reset,

Once again the questions come thick and fast. What do Italians take if they don’t tale paracetamol? ‘Ibuprofen.’ Isn’t that just as bad?  Antibiotics, which we in the UK keep being told should only be used for the really serious stuff, are probably prescribed more quickly in Italy.

But, as De Paoli acknowledges, paracetamol does work. Her own mother asks her to bring some to Italy every time she visits. The point De Paoli is making is that we must learn to respect this drug far more than we do now, to understand its dangers, and to stop turning to it for every single ailment.

It’s easy to see why paracetamol is so popular here. It’s readily available, but perhaps even more importantly, it’s cheap. Physiotherapy? If you can’t afford to pay for that you’ll likely be waiting many months. See a doctor? Though my own surgery is fantastic, in some places appointments are like gold dust. Paracetamol? Just pick some up with your groceries, or pop into a pound shop.

De Paoli’s talk offers a real wake-up call to all of us who see paracetamol as a quick fix. The only problem is, what other fix can we get?

This was a genuinely informative, stimulating hour, and I’m sure the audience would have loved to have continued the discussions, I know I would. The Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas has lots more sessions coming up over the next few weeks, covering everything from Is AI Real? to The Brie-ggining of Time (‘why Emmental is the key to understanding the elemental’) and Moving On After Brain Injury. Sheila Erskine and Giorgi De Paoli are also each reappearing in their own separate shows, on 19^th and 16^th August respectively. Full details and tickets here.

The Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas is at Venue 319, The Place, 34-38 York Place. Tickets can also be purchased on the door, subject to availability, but be warned, book early – several sessions have already sold out.

Where to start with highlighting the incredible all-round sporting prowess of Edinburgh teenager, Sam Shannon?

Maybe Tuesday’s trip to Wimbledon having qualified for the UK finals of a national tennis doubles competition (East and North Scotland) along with partner Ray Gallacher?

However, that might be just an encore to a week just ended that saw Sam play both competitive golf and 72 social holes in one day with two friends for a charity project!

A nice interlude from some dark winter evenings when his focus is squash at Edinburgh’s Waverley Club where he is men’s champion?

Whatever, the 72 hole charity challenge came in aid of prostate cancer at his home club, Craigmillar Park, where he is junior champion and was conducted in the company of friends Chris Keerie and Ewan Dunlop, Sam undertaking the last round in stocking feet due to blisters.

Oh, and by the way, Sam, who plays off a handicap of 2.9, had a hole-in-one at the 200 yard 7^th during the marathon!

But those 72 holes might even be regarded as light relief in comparison to the rest of Sam’s golfing week which read:

Sunday: Qualifying Round for Lothian Boys’ Championship at Braid Hills brought a scratch score of 68 to earn the Lindsay Trophy for lowest qualifying scratch score
Monday: defence of  South West Edinburgh Junior Open title at Baberton GC where he came third.
Tuesday : 10:15 am – North Berwick Junior Open  where he posted a scratch score of 74. 5pm – Quarter Final of Lothian Boys brought a 3 & 2 win.
Wednesday: Team match at  Ratho Park followed by the semi-final of the Lothian Boys Championship where he lost on the 20^th hole.
                       
Thursday: 72 holes for prostate cancer charities at Craigmillar Park (start 6am, finish 7:30pm). Four rounds brought scratch scores of 76, 68, 69 and 69.

Understandably proud dad Andy says: “Additional info that Sam never talks about but I feel is remarkable in an individual sportsperson of his age:
* Played tennis at county level  (under 12) and won prestigious Waverley Open then switched focus to squash and won Scottish National titles at U11, U13 and U15. Has played many times for East of Scotland in county championships and  been capped twice for Scotland at European National Championships in Netherlands and Poland.
* Plays men’s first team squash for Waverley and won the club’s Men’s squash championship the first time this year.
* Recently won the tennis boys’ doubles U18 Area Competition (East and North Scotland) in the annual LTA  ” Play Your Way to Wimbledon” with Ray Gallacher and is heading to Wimbledon on Tuesday to play in the national finals. 
* Coaches squash and tennis at the Waverley club.
* Just graduated from James Gillespie’s High School: only pupil in its history to be awarded the prestigious Sportsman of the Year Trophy at both junior (1st -3rd year ) and senior ( 4th -6th year ) level.
 

Now a new chapter is about to begin for this extraordinarily talented sportsman as he prepares to enrol at the University of Stirling to study economics and finance.

We may not have heard the last of him in a sporting context – but which sport?

The final concert by the Bamberger Symphoniker consisted of two pieces by relatives, Antonín Dvořák and his son-in-law Josef Suk.

This performance made me regret that I had been unable to attend their other two such was the mastery of both the conductor, Jakub Hrůša, and the orchestra from the harp to the piccolo.

The first was the elder’s Te Deum superbly sung in Latin by soprano Kateřina Kněžíková and baritone Adam Plachetka impeccably accompanied by the Edinburgh Festival Chorus. An expression of Dvořák’s deep, Catholic faith, the ensemble brought great dynamism as well as quiet reflection. Fabulous.

The second piece was Suk’s brilliant Asrael Symphony, named after the Angel of Death, in memoriam of the demise of both his father-in-law and then his wife, Ottilie, the following year. This piece is complex and ranges from a violent expression of rage to subtle contemplation. The orchestra under Hrůša’s exact direction demonstrated practised precision and superb subtlety. This opus needs more frequent recitals. Marvellous.

https://www.eif.co.uk/events/bamberger-symphoniker-dvorak-suk

The 20^th Edinburgh Art Festival opened on Friday, and it’s taking as its theme ‘persistence.’

Launching the Festival at the City Art Centre, which will be the festival’s hub for the coming weeks, director Kim McAleese explained that the festival will celebrate the ways in which people, as individuals and in communities, organise to upend iniquity and challenge the forces that seek to silence them.  In developing the 2024 programme, she considered particularly what has changed, and what hasn’t, since the festival’s inception in 2004. In the UK alone, fourteen years of Conservative governments, the Scottish Independence Referendum, Brexit, Covid and many other events have all re-shaped society.  And in recent weeks we have seen fascism – and counterprotests – on the streets.

This year, throughout Edinburgh’s several festivals, a strong sense of solidarity is emerging, a realisation that, together, we do have the power to resist and to bring about the changes society needs. EAF focuses on artists, activists and groups who are fighting – or who have historically fought – isolation, persecution, destruction and despair, and who seek to replace these with community, positivity, supportive caring and hope.

Over 200 artists from across the UK, mainland Europe, Latin America, and the SWANA region have been invited to participate in the festival, which includes exhibitions, performances, discussions and events at more than thirty venues.

The City Art Centre itself will be home to several commissioned works. In their engaging new film Sanctus! Glasgow-based artist Renee Helena Browne uses Northern Ireland’s car rally culture to reconnect with their mother.  Sanctus! gives us a glimpse of a very specific form of social interaction, entertainment and competition, but more importantly explores the relationship between Renee and Helen. They talk not only about the rallies, in which Renee’s uncle and cousins have been heavily involved, but also about religion, the Catholic Church, and concepts of death. Introducing her work, Renee explained,

Filo was one of the first underground queer magazines in Central-Eastern Europe; Polish artist Karol Radziszewski’s exhibition collects rare photos and ephemera to trace its history. These are accompanied by the artist’s striking paintings of queer, Central-Eastern European historical figures.  At the launch, Radziszewski spoke about the subjects of his paintings, and of exploring the unknown histories of LGBTQ+ communities beyond the West. He himself was the first openly queer official artist in Poland, but when he returned to the country of his birth he discovered many amateur artists working in similar areas.

EAF supports early career artists through its PLATFORM initiative. This year Alaya Ang, Edward Gwyn Jones, Tamara MacArthur and Kialy Tihngang respond to the themes of the 2024 programme in a variety of media, including video, animation, sound, sculpture, performance, textiles and painting. They variously address issues around colonialism, Blackness, queerness, Britishness, capitalism, intimacy, longing, memory, protest and persecution.

Rosie’s Disobedient Press is a collaborative project by artists Lisette May Monroe and Adrien Howard. EAF has invited them to reflect on the framework for the festival’s anniversary, and also on the landscape of the city over the past 20 years. The artists have worked with local archives and organisations to look at language and words as historical forms of resistance; their research has led to the creation of words of textual intervention, which will be seen around the city, on posters, windows, banners and flags (including some outside the City Art Centre.) They have also designed a range of clothing and ‘wearables.’ While prices are suggested for these, Rosie’s is committed to making them accessible to all, and you are encouraged to pay what you can (including nothing) – or, if you can, to pay more.  You can also pick up a copy of Remnants: How you Re-assemble a city, a free newspaper created by feminist architecture collective Voices of Enterprise.

Speaking at the EAF launch, Monroe and Howard noted that one result of the advent of the internet is that people don’t archive any more. The wearables they have created are intended to move language around the city,

Rosie’s Edinburgh archive now contains more than 200 items, many generously shared by city residents; the preserving and sharing of information as a form of resistance is fundamental to the collective’s practice. On 18^th August at Leith Library, Monroe and Howard will talk about their work, and what they found – and found to be missing – during their research in the Scottish archives. (This is a free but ticketed event: book here.)

EAF annually partners with other exhibitions across Edinburgh and beyond. From Ibrahim Mahama’s impressive large scale installation Songs about Roses at Fruitmarket to activist Matthew Hyndman’s inaugural exhibition Upended at Bard on Customs Wharf in Leith, Ade Adesina’s stunning Intersection at Edinburgh Printmakers at Castle Mills in Dundee Street and Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990 at Modern Two in Bedford Road. Meanwhile, Laura Aldridge and Andrew Sim’s Lawnmower and two rainbows and a forest of plants and trees will transform Jupiter Artland in West Lothian. Audiences are encouraged to explore beyond the city centre; to this end EAF’s programme (available online here or in paper form at various locations) is arranged by area.

A full schedule of events, including talks, discussions, performances and even parties, accompanies the festival. On 16^th August, in a car park on Castle Terrace, Prem Sahib will premiere a performance work Alleus (Suella spelled backwards) which will re-order, re-direct and disrupt one of the former Home Secretary’s anti-immigration speeches. Meanwhile the Travelling Gallery will be visiting Leith Library, Restalrig’s Ripple Project and Pilton’s North Edinburgh Arts with its new exhibition, Where We Stand, telling the story of the pioneers of community ownership in Scotland.

EAF is also collaborating with Edinburgh Deaf Festival on BSL tours, workshops and events at City Art Centre and the Royal Botanic Garden.

Partner sessions will take place at Edinburgh International Book Festival, where on 23^rd August biologist and environmentalist Brigitte Baptiste will look at nature through a Queer lens. On 13th August, Remnants: How to Re-assemble a City, will facilitate a discussion with members of Voices of Experience, focusing on imagining future spaces that put people first and encourage equality of access.

Edinburgh Art Festival runs from 9^th to 25^th August although some partner exhibitions will continue after that date.

Edinburgh South cricket club, playing under the guise of Inch Park CC as their players were drawn from 2nd and 3rd teams, captured the prized Terry Newcombe Trophy with a four wicket win over holder Kirkbrae at Newfield.

It was the first time the trophy, originally played for by public parks teams in memory of a late East League stalwart but now expanded to include those who own their own grounds, had gone to Inch Park since 2021.

Batting first Kirkbrae used their alloted 20 overs to compile 125-6 with Gajander Singh making 33 supported by Sharez Khan (31).

For Inch Park Sriran Govindan took three wickets at a cost of 21 runs.

In surpassing their target with two overs to spare Inch Park were indebted to Harry Barrett whose innings of 51 from 26 balls earned him the player of the match quaich.

Pictured celebrating are: P Reddish, R Dsouza, B Polson (scorer), D Penrose, D Saunders, H Barratt, C Barratt (wicket keeper), G O’Neill (captain), D Vithlani, O Henderson, S Govindan, N Gulia. Photo credit: Edinburgh South cricket club.

In 1946 the Second World War was over. The Cold War, however, had just begun.

It was to last for over forty years, during which time Washington and Moscow vied for position while British citizens were advised that, in the event of a nuclear attack, they should hide under tables or jump into ditches.

A new exhibition at The National Museum of Scotland offers vivid insights into this period of worldwide instability, one in which thousands of Scots, military and civilian, took part both at home and abroad, and Scotland itself became a strategic base for NATO.

As the war ended, the superpowers who had united to defeat Hitler no longer had a common cause. Instead America and the West formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, while the Soviet Union and its allies signed the Warsaw Pact. Although Washington and Moscow narrowly avoided direct confrontation, their differences were played out elsewhere – often in former colonies, including Korea, Vietnam, Aden and Afghanistan. Scottish soldiers died in many of these conflicts. Meanwhile another ideological battle was starting at home, with grassroots opposition growing not only to nuclear weapons but also to nuclear power.

Scotland’s geography and landscape made it a prime base for NATO defences. Sites left over from the war were repurposed, especially on the east coast; listening posts, bunkers and radio stations were re-opened, and British and American military personnel were deployed from Inverness to East Lothian, Dounreay to Dunoon.

Cold War Scotland includes maps showing the various installations (and a hand painted one showing the effects of nuclear fallout relative to the distance from the blast), and also the sites of nuclear power stations – for, as a new age dawned, nuclear power was being promoted as the answer to the world’s energy needs. Power stations appeared at Hunterston, Chapelcross and, yet again, Dounreay, where Scotland’s first nuclear reaction took place in 1957.

This exhibition features everything from monitoring equipment to the ‘Survive to Fight’ protective clothing issued to the armed forces. There’s a motorbike provided to the Royal Observer Corps, a section of the first transatlantic cable that facilitated the Washington-Moscow hotline (which actually consisted of two teletypewriters, to avoid spoken misunderstandings) set up in 1963, and a screenprint and lithograph by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi taking the viewer through the decision-making process of a Cold War military response to enemy action.

As is so often the case though, it’s the personal stories of those who lived through these times that really bring what is now history to life.

In 1975 Isabel Jackson from Kilwinning in Ayrshire was intrigued by an advert in a teenage girls’ magazine. “Are you driving to Venice this weekend?” it asked. “These girls can.” “These girls” were members of the Women’s Royal Army Corps stationed in Germany. Isabel couldn’t wait to join up, and soon she was a switchboard operator on a base in Bielefeld.

Interviewed today, she clearly has wonderful memories of her time there. She felt she was doing a worthwhile job while also enjoying the social life provided by the NAAFI – “we had quizzes, dances and of course, it being the 1970s, discos. It was happy times.”  On recruitment she was given a SOXMIS card explaining how to look out for Soviet Military Mission cars (which were to be reported immediately), and she was also shown photographs of “known KGB associates”

Isabel’s uniform – complete with WRAC hat – are displayed, and in the film she demonstrates how the latter was to be worn, rakishly, above one eyebrow. There’s even a WRAC handbag.

Meanwhile, back in 1960, Aberdeen University student Kristin Barrett joined a fledgling Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Her boyfriend had a car and she persuaded him to take her to Faslane (home of the UK’s Trident missile deterrent),

So she joined the campaigners blocking the access road to the site herself. She also took part in one of the Easter Marches from Aldermaston to London, and later the 1982 peace march from Inverness to Edinburgh. By then she had a young daughter, so she simply took her along with her,

Kristin bought lots of badges to hand out to potential supporters.

Kristin’s handwritten instructions on how to make a ‘peace pram’ (which she used to campaign in Blairgowrie every Saturday) are displayed too.

While East and West engaged in a perilous standoff, others were attempting to build bridges. The Scotland-USSR Friendly Society organised INTOURIST holidays to the Soviet Union. Visitors brought back cigarette cases, cameras, ornaments – and more badges; one even had an evening dress made from silk purchased in Samarkand. Soviet fish factory ships often visited Shetland and Ullapool. Their crews made friends with the locals and bartered with Soviet cigarettes. And in 1962 the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich was Guest of Honour (much to the disapproval of a Catholic Herald journalist) at the Edinburgh International Festival, and, despite his numerous bodyguards and “layers of KGB”, the British guitarist Julian Bream managed to meet him.

In 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed, and – in theory at least – the Cold War ended. US Navy submarines left Holy Loch, and over the next few years various military bases closed. Cold War Scotland ends with photographs from a project by Shetland based artists Roxane Permar and Susan Timmins. They explore Cold War sites, using sculpture, sound, film and photography to interpret these spaces; their images of abandoned ROC posts, listening and radar stations were taken on Shetland and at Inverbervie in Aberdeenshire.

Meanwhile the arguments about nuclear power rumble on. On 26 April 1986, No 4 Reactor at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded. As part of the fallout, rain clouds carrying radioactive material contaminated grazing pastures across Scotland. Exhibited here is a Geiger counter issued to farmers in Ayrshire that same year to check the radioactivity of their sheep. Restrictions on the movement, sale and even slaughter of animals recording high levels remained in place for decades.

The last entry on the timeline displayed at the entry to the exhibition is this:

Cold War Scotland is an excellent exhibition, with plenty to interest everyone, not just those with personal memories of those years. On the day I visited, young children were asking their parents lots of questions about everything from secret bunkers (“Did everyone have one?”) to four minute warnings.

Cold War Scotland is at the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street until 26 January 2025. The museum is open 10am-5pm every day and admission is free.

At 10.15am on Thursday 22 August, Wednesday 25 September and Tuesday 29 October you can join a Morning Tour with the exhibition curator. Tickets cost £12 (£10 concessions.)

At 2pm on Thursday 5th September, Spotlight On: Cold War Scotland offers a talk delving deeper into the stories featured in the exhibition. It will explore how the Cold War influenced Scottish lives, politics, landscapes and technologies. Tickets £5/£4.

For more information and to book tickets for the tour or talk, visit https://www.nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events/?museum=1445.

Stellar Monarchs were forced to abandon their Cab Direct Championship clash with Glasgow Tigers at Armadale due to rain and the result does not stand.

Edinburgh were 25-16 ahead when the curtain came down with Paco Castagna (pictured) on six points for the home side and guest Anders Rowe also on six for Tigers.

Meanwhile, Berwick Jewson Bandits stick with rider-replacement for injured skipper Rory Schlein as they bring down the curtain on their Championship against Workington Comets this weekend. The sides meet at Shielfield Park on Saturday (7pm) and in Cumbria on Sunday (3pm).

Berwick’s aim is points to avoid the wooden spoon while Workington are targeting all five to boost their three-way battle with Glasgow and Redcar for the final play-off spot.

They ended a run of five defeats, which coincided with a season-ending injury to teenage sensation Tate Zischke, with a home win over the Bears last Saturday.

Fromer Bandit Paul Starke has replaced Celina Liebmann in the Comets’ line-up and proved a match-winner from reserve on his debut. Berwick track specialists Erk Riss and Simon Lambert guest for the Comets who continue to be without No 1 Craig Cook.

Berwick, who drew with Oxford before clinching a stunning Super Heat win over the Cheetahs last Saturday, are at least ending a disappointing season on a high.

Stewart Dickson, Berwick’s team manager, said: “It’s likely to be tight, home and away so it’s now up to the boys to come up with the goods again. They dug deep and battled away against Oxford.”

Bandits: Lewi Kerr, Danyon Hume, Jye Etheridge, Drew Kemp, rider replacement, Freddy Hodder, Connor Coles. Sunday: Kerr, Hume, rider replacement, Kemp, Etheridge, Hodder, Connor Coles

Comets: Erik Riss, Simon Lambert, Antti Vuolas, Claus Vissing, Troy Batchelor, Sam McGurk, Paul Starke

Hearts have extended the contracts of head coach Steven Naismith plus Gordon Forrest, Frankie McAvoy and goalkeeping coach, Paul Gallacher, by a year and they will be with the club until the summer of 2026.

Andrew McKinlay, the club’s chief executive officer, said that the progress on the pitch last season was there for all to see.

Because of that, Hearts have an exciting year ahead and he added: “By extending the coaching team’s contracts we are reiterating our trust in them.

“Steven, Gordon, Frankie and Paul have started the team on a journey and I’m very much looking forward to seeing where they can take us.”

Meanwhile, Naismith expects to have everybody available for selection against Dundee apart from midfield duo Calem Nieuwenhof (hamstring) and Beni Baningime (knee) and fans should not expect to see them in action until next month.

Defender Billy Koumetio could make his debut for Dundee after arriving from Liverpool, but Charlie Reilly and Clark Robertson are out. 

PICTURE: Hearts coaching team in the dugout at Tynecastle

Following a special meeting of Council Leaders on Friday morning to discuss Local Government Pay, COSLA has this afternoon made what they described as a significantly improved formal offer to the trade unions.

Earlier today, Leaders welcomed that Scottish Government had provided funding to take a pay offer beyond the 3.2% previously offered by COSLA, recognising the financial position facing councils while also providing firm assurances around any recurring additional funding.

This additional funding means that the revised offer is better than the offer made to local authority workers elsewhere in the UK.

Everyone will receive at least 3.6% and for the first pay point on the pay scales,  there will be an increase of £1,292 (or 5.63%), The overall offer value is 4.27%.

In making this improved offer, COSLA is requesting that strike action is suspended while it is considered by the unions, who have been made aware of Leaders’ concerns that the additional funding may be at risk if strikes go ahead.

COSLA’s Resources Spokespeople Cllr Katie Hagmann said: “Having worked hard over the last week with Scottish Government to increase and guarantee additional funding, Leaders are now in a position to make this improved offer to our trade unions.  This offer reflects what trade unions have asked for and we hope that they will now be prepared to call off the strikes while they put that offer to their members.”

UNISON Scotland lead for local government, David O’Connor said: “Our local government committee will consider this revised offer on Monday, and we will decide whether or not it is sufficient to suspend the waste and recycling strikes.”

“However, UNISON is by far the largest union in local government and we must make sure that any pay deal works for all council workers.”

“It’s very frustrating to be here, at the final hour again. UNISON put its pay claim in at the beginning of the year.”

Hibs youngster Rory Whittaker has joined William Hill League Two side Spartans FC on loan until 1 January, 2025. 

The Scotland age-grade Internationalist who has featured at u16, u17 and now u19s level, made the move across the Capital from the Spartans Youth u11s to Easter Road on 15^th July 2017, signing up for the Hibs Elite Youth Academy. 

This is the 16-year-old right-back’s first loan move away from the Club having broken through the Hibernian FC academy. 

He made his Hibs debut in September 2023 becoming the Club’s youngest ever player, and went on to make 14 appearances during his breakthrough season. 

To now gain regular senior game-time, he will join Dougie Samuel’s Spartans who sit fourth in League Two having drawn their opening game with Stranraer. 

Hibs Sporting Director Malky Mackay commented: “This is an important development loan for Rory and gives him the opportunity to play regularly at a competitive level. 

“We do a lot of work on our player development plans and this loan will enable Rory to develop certain areas of his game, whilst show off some of his strengths. He will continue to train with us at HTC, which means he still gets time with our coaches, and we can constantly monitor his progress. 

“We believe Spartans are exactly the right kind of football club to work with for Rory’s development and I look forward to working with them on it.” 

Hibs Head Coach David Gray added: “Rory is a young player that has continued to impress me in pre-season, but due to the number of options we have at right-back, his game-time would be limited. 

“Rory needs to be tested physically week in, week out, and I’m sure he will relish this challenge.” 

Cllr Lesley Macinnes who has been Depute Leader of the SNP group on Edinburgh Council for several years, has announced she is stepping back from the role, although will continue as a councillor.

The Liberton/Gilmerton ward councillor was previously the Transport Convener and responsible for many of the changes made during the pandemic. She also oversaw the decision to extend the tram to Newhaven. Although she stood in the leadership election earlier this year, this was won by Cllr Simita Kumar.

The SNP group will now elect a new depute leader later this month.

The leader of the SNP group, Cllr Simita Kumar, said: “Lesley has been a driving force within the SNP Group, known for her diligence and commitment. As Depute Leader, she has provided steadfast leadership to the group over seven years, and as previous Convenor of the Transport Committee, she has spearheaded numerous transformative projects with both rigour and vigour. Her efforts have significantly contributed to the enhancement of our transport infrastructure and the overall well-being of Edinburgh residents.

“On a personal note, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Lesley. She is not only a dedicated public servant but also a dear friend whom I respect immensely. Her experience and insights will remain invaluable and I’m pleased that she will continue to be a strong advocate for the SNP albeit in a different capacity.

“We now look forward to electing a new depute leader of the SNP in Edinburgh at our group meeting on 20th August. We’re lucky to have an incredibly strong array of talent in the group who can take the SNP in Edinburgh forward and hold this Labour administration and their Tory allies to account.”

Midlothian’s new MP has pledge to fight for fairer funding for local services as she marks her first month in the post.

Kirsty McNeill was elected with nearly 50 per cent of all votes to be the new Labour MP for the county at the UK General Election.

And she has vowed to repay the faith voters showed in her at the ballot box by making Midlothian her priority.

A former political adviser to Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown during his time in office, the new MP will juggle constituency work with a ministerial role at the Scotland Office as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State.

But she said her thoughts in her first month were focused on establishing an office in Midlothian so she can carry on working closely with residents who she met during her campaign.

She said: “I know that many folk took a leap of faith when they cast their vote for me because they were ready for change and ready to have a Labour MP in the heart of a Labour Government.

“I don’t take that responsibility lightly so the thing I felt most pressing was the need to set up a brilliant constituency office to ensure people get support.”

Ms McNeil said speaking to people on the streets concern about funding for local services was at the forefront of conversations.

Midlothian Council has said it has a budget gap of over £13million which is expected to rise to over £25million in the next four years.

The MP said that Midlothian is the fastest growing council in Scotland, but required greater investment, adding: “This means our infrastructure isn’t keeping up with all the demands on it – something so many people across Midlothian said was their number one issue.”

The new MP has sat on the boards for a children’s charity and a climate change project, but has stepped down from those roles.

She said: “As much as I loved my work at Save the Children UK I’ve resigned from that and from the other charity and non-profit organisations I was on the boards of so I could focus solely on my roles as Midlothian’s MP and as a Scotland Office minister.

“I’ll continue to champion their brilliant work and all the other community organisations I’ve been involved with over the years. ”

And she said her work in those fields had given her an insight into the hard work ahead.

She said: “What I have learned during my twenty plus years working to tackle child poverty and climate change is that we need to work collaboratively across sectors and backgrounds if we’re to make a dent in some of our greatest challenges.

“No single person or entity is going to have the solution – that is why we need to approach every conversation with an open mind so we can truly understand each other’s challenges and collaborate to trial innovative solutions.”

The new MP believes the Labour Government will make a difference to lives of people in Midlothian with its planned changes and projects including the Great British Energy plans which she says will “bring down bills, create good new jobs and help tackle climate change”.

But she warned change will not happen overnight.

She said: “We have brought forward transformational proposals on rights for workers, including a genuine living wage delivering a pay rise for tens of thousands of Scots, a ban on exploitative zero-hour contracts and the end of fire and rehire.

“And with the PM and Secretary of State prioritising a ‘resetting of relationships’ with the Scottish Government there is lots of potential for proper joint working on issues like limiting young people’s access to addictive vapes.

“Of course things will take time – there are real long-term consequences of having 14 years of Conservative government. I can’t promise everything will improve overnight. But what I can promise is that my colleagues and I will work tirelessly to deliver the change that both Midlothian and Scotland as a whole voted for.”

By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter