Police have arrested three more men during Operation RAC enforcement activity within the city.

On Wednesday 22nd April a flat in Royston Mains Crescent was broken into and a computer games consol, computer games, jewellery and handbags were stolen from within.

An address in Wardieburn Road was then also subject to a housebreaking on Thursday 30th April, where various electrical items were stolen along with jewellery and a three-figure sum of cash.

Community Investigation Unit officers conducted enquiries into both incidents and executed a search warrant at a home in Wardieburn Terrace where various pieces of property from the break-ins were recovered.

Two men aged 25 and 21 were subsequently charged and are due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today (Tuesday).

As part of proactive Operation RAC patrols undertaken in the East of the city yesterday, the CIU identified a man wanted on a warrant offence in Greendykes House.

The 31-year-old will also appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.

Superintendent Phil O’Kane said: “In addition to the continued investigation of housebreakings across the city, which has resulted in more arrests, officers regularly conduct proactive patrols to detect and deter criminal activity.

“Housebreaking has been identified as a local policing priority and we are using a range of tactics to target the criminals committing these offences, who clearly show no respect for the property of others.

“Local communities can be reassured we are prioritising all of the specialist resources available to us to arrest the offenders and prevent further crimes occurring.

“The public can help us in our crime prevention efforts by always ensuring their homes, businesses and outbuildings are appropriately secured and to utilise additional security measures such as alarms and lighting were possible.

“Further advice on safeguarding your properties is available by speaking with your local policing team or by visiting our website at www.scotland.police.uk.”

A 27-year-old man will be reported to the Procurator Fiscal for a series of housebreakings to churches in Edinburgh.

As part of Operation RAC the male was detained on 4th May in connection with a break-in and theft from a home in Cambridge Avenue.

He was subsequently charged with this incident.

Following further enquiry into three housebreakings at Wardie Church, St Columbas Church and St Patrick’s Church, which occurred between 12th and 19th February, the same male will now be subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal.

In addition to these offences, the male is also being reported for a similar incident at a disused church in Lorne Street, where an attempt was made to gain access via the roof on 12th February.

At this morning’s Culture and Sport Committee councillors heard that a profit share would be paid to the city of just under £29,000 from the two festivals at Christmas and Hogmanay.

Ticket sales at Edinburgh’s Christmas were up by 40% over the previous year and the number of visitors in St Andrew Square and Princes Street increased from 2.6m to 3.6m.  A range of  discounts was made available to locals with the EH postcode area and may have accounted for some of the improved figures.

[tweet_box design=”default”]Hogmanay had its most successful year for seven years with all events selling out in advance. 64% of the street party audience at Hogmanay comes from outside Scotland. Tickets for this year’s Hogmanay event were bought by people from 70 countries. [/tweet_box]

While it is clearly a positive outcome financially, the three year contract awarded to a consortium of Unique Events and Underbelly was worth just under £4m when it was entered into in 2013/14 so we asked Councillor Richard Lewis the city’s Culture Convener and Festivals Champion if he considered that a satisfactory return:

[vimeo 128866875 w=500 h=281]

The Edinburgh Reporter News from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

The Green Group had lodged an amendment to the committee asking that the council also took into account the policing costs of £107,000 which was completely unbudgeted and unprecedented and which was paid out of the council’s Corporate Governance purse. (See below for the text of the report and the amendment which was adopted in full)  The Greens were keen to ensure that the Finance Committee takes this into account when entering into any new contract.

Chas Booth, Green spokesperson for Culture and Sport, said: “Edinburgh’s winter festivals are an important part of the city’s cultural offering and brought in over £160m of income into the city last year.

“Greens want a transient visitor levy to ensure the economic benefits are shared with the city, but in the meantime our amendment sought to limit the council’s financial exposure to the festivals. We’re glad the administration accepted our proposal.”

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We know Edinburgh has loads of good places to eat but now the connection has been drawn between the capital’s buildings and our food heritage.

The Edinburgh Food Heritage Trail was launched today, revealing some of the hidden links between the city’s unique built heritage and its food traditions, and offers visitors a new way to experience the city’s World Heritage Site.

Some of the historic locations highlighted include the Georgian House in Charlotte Square with its fully-equipped eighteenth century kitchen, the banqueting house where Mary, Queen of Scots would entertain her guests with a private dessert course, and Parliament Hall which hosted Edinburgh’s most lavish dinner in 1822 in honour of King George IV. The trail also shows how visitors can experience some of the city’s food traditions today at places such as the Edinburgh Farmers’ Market, and dine in historic style at venues like the seventeenth century Cannonball House.

The trail also reveals some little-known areas of the city’s food history. For example, Edinburgh produced a series of celebrity chefs from the mid-1700s, each running their own cookery school and publishing their own best-selling recipe book. The city was also once famed for the quality and quantity of its oysters from the Firth of Forth, to the extent that ‘oyster cellar’ parties were a uniquely fashionable entertainment in the city.

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The trail is available in hard copy and online at www.ewht.org.uk. In the autumn, a series of videos will also be produced to support the trail along with a programme of guided tours, highlighting more hidden aspects of the city’s food history.

Adam Wilkinson, Director of Edinburgh World Heritage said: “The way to our hearts is through our stomachs, and the food heritage trail offers a completely new angle on the World Heritage Site, which the people of Edinburgh hold so dear. This trail highlights the links between our city’s historic buildings and its gastronomic traditions.  The aim is to encourage visitors to explore off the beaten track, to discover some of the nooks and crannies of the World Heritage Site, and to experience the city’s food history on the way. Edinburgh is famed for its landmarks buildings, but this trail will show that the city’s heritage is more than skin deep – our culinary traditions also helped to put Edinburgh on the map.”

Manuela Calchini, VisitScotland Regional Partnership Director, said: “This fantastic project is certain to whet the appetite of visitors to Edinburgh, particularly in the Year of Food and Drink 2015.  Edinburgh is a hotspot for tourists but it is vital the Capital continues to grow and develop its tourism offering if we want to keep attracting visitors. The Year of Food and Drink Growth Fund is designed to help businesses, with an interest in this area, to work together. With such a rich culinary history, I’m sure this self-led tour, coupled with the amazing variety of eating experiences on offer throughout Edinburgh, will help make the Capital a ‘must’ for foodies.”

Led by Edinburgh World Heritage, the trail is a unique partnership project, bringing together a range of public, charitable and private sector partners to showcase the city’s built heritage and food traditions. The project is supported by the VisitScotland Year of Food and Drink Growth Fund.

The project partners are Edinburgh World Heritage, the National Library of Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland, Victor and Carina Contini, Essential Edinburgh, the Edinburgh New Town Cookery School, Ondine Restaurant, Welch’s Fishmongers, the Fudge House, Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and the Gardener’s Cottage.

Putting Pictures to Words: Jessica Stafford Cameron and Sir Roy Cameron. The father-in-law and daughter-in-law duo write and illustrate children’s books, including A Highland Boyhood in Ardnamurchan, I Once Had a Chimpanzee and The Tale of Jessie the Highland Cow. At this event they will discuss their collaboration, read from their books and show original examples of Jessica’s illustrations. 6.30-7.30pm, George Washington Browne Room, Central Library, George IV Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained via eventbrite.

Druids, Knights and Fairy Folk: Scottish Art and the Celtic Revival. Dr Frances Fowle (University of Edinburgh/Scottish National Gallery) will give a talk focusing on artists such as EA Hornel, George Henry and John Duncan, who drew their inspiration from Celtic myths and legends, archaeological discoveries and stylised forms of insular manuscripts like the Book of Kells. For adults only. 10.30am, Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South. £8 per person including a tour of the castle, coffee and cake; tickets must be purchased in advance from the Usher Hall Box Office, in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here.

LGBT Age: Hidden Gardens Tour. An easy walk with Greenyonder Tours in the Old Town; behind the historic buildings find hidden nooks and crannies, each with a story to tell. 6.30-8.15pm, starting at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. The tour costs £2 per person and booking is essential; please email lynda@lgbthealth.org.uk. LGBT Age is a project run by LGBT Health & Wellbeing for people aged 50+: it offers a befriending service, a social programme and information sessions.

Islamophobia, War and the Middle East in Chaos – the legacy of Bush and Blair: a public meeting with Lindsey German (Stop the War Coalition UK), Moazzam Begg, Aamer Anwar and Safeena Rashid from Muslim Women’s Association of Edinburgh. ‘A chance to hear some great speakers and participate in a discussion about the way forward’. 7.30pm, Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge. All welcome. Organised by Edinburgh Stop the War Coalition.

100 Masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland: John Leighton, NGS Director General, discusses his new, lavishly illustrated, book containing one hundred of the NGS’s greatest and best-loved treasures. 12.45-1.30pm, Hawthornden Theatre, Scottish National Gallery (Gardens Entrance), The Mound. Free and unticketed.

Cameo Silver Screen: if you are aged 60+, join the Silver Screen Club – it’s free to join (ask at the Box Office), and allows you to buy tickets for the special weekly screenings at just £5, with free tea/coffee and biscuits provided. Today’s screenings are: A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (15) showing at 3.30pm, Moomins on the Riviera (U) showing at 1.30pm and The New Girlfriend (15) showing at 1.10pm and 3.40pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723 or online.

Looking Glass Books Presents Gavin Francis: Adventures in Human Being. The Edinburgh-based GP and award-winning author takes you on a voyage of discovery through the human body as he discusses his latest book; drawing on his own professional experience, he blends first-hand case studies with reflections on the way the body has been imagined and portrayed over the millennia. ‘A sober and beautiful book about the landscape of the human body: thought-provoking and eloquent’. (Hilary Mantel). 7pm, Looking Glass Books, 36 Simpson Loan, Quartermile. Free tickets may be obtained in person from the shop, by calling 0131 229 2902, emailing hello@lookingglassbooks.com or via eventbrite here.

Leith Folk Club: Wendy Carle Taylor. Best known for her moving and beautiful interpretations of contemporary and traditional songs,Wendy performs through a range of languages and genres, from folk to chanson, jazz and blues. With support Reece Hillis. 7.30pm, Victoria Park House Hotel, 221 Ferry Road. Tickets cost £9 and may be purchased online here or via the club’s text booking line on 07502 024 852.

Edinburgh Napier University TV Graduate Show (15): Napier’s students display their much anticipated final projects on the big screen. 6pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688 or online here. The Filmhouse is showing the best new work from film, TV, media and animation students at Edinburgh’s colleges and universities during May and June: work by Edinburgh College and Edinburgh College of Art students will follow, with the next event taking place on 2nd June – see listings.

Dementia Awareness Week 2015: Information Drop-In. Teresa Straczynski, Dementia Adviser with Alzheimer Scotland, will be available to offer advice, put you in touch with local sources of support, help you plan for the future and assist you in navigating health and social care. 11.30am-1.30pm, St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace. All welcome: no booking required. The Drop-In will be followed at 2pm by a Dementia Awareness Workshop; again all are welcome but if you would like to attend the workshop, please call St Bride’s in advance on 0131 346 1405.

Edinburgh Napier University Photography Lecture Series: Laurence Winram. The Scottish photographer splits his time between commercial and personal projects, working for clients as far afield as New York and Singapore. 5.30pm, Lecture Theatre B2, Edinburgh Napier University Merchiston Campus, 10 Colinton Road. Free, but if you are not part of the university and would like to attend, please RSVP to Sophie Gerrard, Lecturer in Photography, at s.gerrard@napier.ac.uk.

Edinburgh All Comers Writers Club: local writers get together to share/read their work and get positive feedback and constructive advice. 7.30-10.30pm, Sofi’s Bar, Henderson Street.

#artcore LIVE: Edinburgh’s freshest young bands in a night of exciting unsigned acts from Verden Studios’ DEMO project. See performers from North Edinburgh Arts, WHALE Arts Agency and Verden Studios take to the stage as part of the Bongo Lives! Festival. Line-up: Zep-Tepi, The McRibs, Rachel Alice Johnson Arts, Pessimist, The Factory and Sugar Panthers. 7-10pm, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. Tickets cost £3 and are available via eventbrite here or on the door (sta).

Cello in the Church: Tim Cais (cello) and Chris Harding (piano) play JS Bach Gamba Sonata No 1 and Mendelssohn Variations Concertantes Op 17 and Cello Sonata No 2. 1.45-2.45pm, St John’s Episcopal Church, Princes Street. Free admission.

Westminster gets down to business

Year of Food and Drink Scotland 2015

Edinburgh Dungeon are recruiting 

Learn how to sew!

Forth Bridge to be considered for World Heritage Status

The State Opening of Parliament will take place tomorrow. The House is expected to meet at 11.25am for the Queen’s Speech after which the real business of the new parliament begins.

You can read more about it by clicking here.

Some of our Edinburgh MPs took their oath or affirmed in the House of Commons last week

You can see two of their number Joanne Cherry QC and Michelle Thomson here at 11.43 onwards.

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Two events taking place in Scotland’s capital this summer are to benefit from funding granted through the second round of events funding awards for the Year of Food and Drink Scotland 2015.

The Royal Highland Show (18-21 June) has received £7,000 and the Edinburgh Food Festival (29 July -2 August) has been awarded £8,000.

With a potential audience of almost 200,000 people, the Royal Highland Show’s funding award will support the development of ‘Food to Go’ maps to promote the availability of quality local food and drink available this year at the Ingliston event.

The Edinburgh Food Festival, which takes place at George Square Gardens, will be featuring a food area, street food vendors and a market place in the Spiegeltent as well as a daily programme of entertainment and theatre with live cooking demonstrations and debates.

The enticing menu of food and drink events taking place across the entire country during the Year of Food and Drink Scotland 2015 includes a series supported through a dedicated food and drink events fund, from which the latest awards – to support events from June to December – were announced last week by Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing.

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Edinburgh Dungeon are recruiting for people to come along and help them with their entertainment. Deadline is 1 June 2015.

Come and join the performance team at the Edinburgh Dungeon, one of Scotland’s top tourist’s attractions.
We are currently recruiting for our busy summer 2015 season. As Edinburgh becomes the hub of creative energy during the summer months, we too open our doors to all those visiting and locals who want to see some top notch theatre.

More information here.

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We already know that the Forth Bridge is a fabulous iconic structure. Now people all across the globe may become even more aware of that as the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meets next month to discuss adding it to the list.

Read more here.

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‘I am interested in the patterns, the indentations, the writing not done by human hand….the glory of the inner workings of the place’.

In a fascinating and illuminating film accompanying this new exhibition, the artist Paul Martin explains the thoughts behind his some of his paintings. He’s been looking, he says, at the nature of nature; what is in it? how is it made up?….what does it mean? He’s interested in the qualities of wind, rain, rocks and seasons, and in depicting these in a non-naturalistic way. What gives a cloud its essence, its being? His most recent work also looks at the mystery and phenomenon of colour in connection with the material qualities of things.

The titular pieces, Seawrack Rising, form a series that follows the changes in the sea as the waters churn and the plants surface, only to disappear again. The series was started on Iona; Martin likes to use found materials in his work, and so he arrived on the island with only a pot of varnish, sourcing his pigments and materials from nature. The first painting is white and cream with small patches of brown; a calm sea but with a hint of coming turbulence; in the second we see more brown as the seawrack starts to rise.

Martin talks of ‘the rhythmic intensity…the vigour of the sea and wind…the detritus of seaweed and shells…the marks..and also the poetry…the coolness of the wind, the sticky sliminess of the weed’. Brown and black dominate the third painting; everything seems to be moving faster. As the seaweed comes to the fore, so also does all manner of detritus – bits of coloured plastic, a tiny model of a figure on a motorbike, shards of glass, old wires, string. Words are half seen; some are indecipherable but ‘ACTION‘ is clearly legible. In the fourth painting, the sea starts to calm again; it is still brown, but there are fewer extraneous objects, just a few squiggles of white.

Martin is not making any comment on pollution, on man’s despoliation of the world; the bits and pieces that wash up with the weed are instead evidence (good or bad) of our relationship with nature, ‘further examples of quiddity’ – the essence of the thing, the life within the landscape. As Above, So Below is a painting started in East Lothian; its base is the black sand found on one of the area’s beaches, and this is studded with bottle tops, shells, small bones and rocks – things, Martin explains, that we’re used to ‘looking at but not seeing’. In Sea Swell blue vertical lines suggest the dynamics of the ocean, ‘things more than we see’, the tide patterns, the pull of the moon. ‘Forget about beautiful sunlit expanses of land or sea – think about the elements of geography and geology, and the way that life springs from these cold labels’. The washes of white in Sounds of the Silent Sea convey energy and movement, a feeling of constant change, of waves washing back and forth. And again there are the words, the enigmatic ‘even if it so…’

Another theme in this exhibition is maps. The wonderful Mundi looks at ‘ways of thinking about where we are, locating ourselves, describing our distance from something else’. The reds and browns of the painting are scratched with many words; ‘drift’, ‘oscillation’; more shapes are hidden – tiny birds,the head of a cow or perhaps a dog, a basket, dragonflies. Martin speaks of Yeats’ Byzantium, ‘our distance from something mythical’.

A recent visit to Strontian has been the inspiration for several paintings. It is a place whose ‘atmosphere and even sounds were green and deep red and blue’. A place full of legend, history, storylines and traditions. Faerie Road explores the ancient idea of a valley path along which the spirit world travels; black pinhead trees and white clouds  against glorious reds, blues and oranges. In Sig Rerum Martin again seeks the specific essence of the place; the location appears similar but now light streams down through the clouds, the brown hills are lined to reference their geology, numbers and letters appear; Martin is very interested in Plato’s view that ‘a place exists before the thing is made’, and so he strives to create a satisfying painting whilst also conveying the physical and the metaphysical qualities of place. The valley, Martin found, ‘seemed to trap the light’ – a phenomenon he captures in The River and The Corrie.

The Warburton Gallery is a superb place to show these paintings, and also to experience the accompanying music, Orpheus Sings: A Soundscape, a collaboration between Martin and his son Ben, inspired by Martin’s readings of Rilke’s Sonnets to Orpheus, and by the Orpheus myth in general. The sounds, created to reflect the dynamics of our relationship with nature, are at times reminiscent of orca whales calling to one another; Martin describes them as ‘primordial’.

Paul Martin began his studies in the late 1960s; he has exhibited widely all over the world and is the recipient of many awards, including The British Institution Prize for Printmaking and the Royal Academy Awards for Painting and Printmaking. Ben Martin is a percussionist with the group North Atlantic Oscillation.

The Warburton Gallery is a not-for-profit organisation founded with the aim of fostering the imagination, facilitating the creation of new art of the highest quality and enabling artists to experiment and takes risks in their artistic practice. The gallery seeks out interesting, historic or unusual properties that are sitting empty or waiting to be redeveloped and can in the meantime be transformed into high quality exhibition spaces. It is currently housed in the magnificent domed atrium of the India Buildings at the junction of Victoria Street and the George IV Bridge and is open 10.30am-5.30pm Wednesday to Sunday. Stag Espresso (Dovecot) runs the adjacent gallery cafe, which is open 10.30am-5.30pm daily.

You are invited to look out your favourite childhood toys and have them photographed for a new exhibition.

Simon Moorhouse’s Nostalgia exhibition features photos of adults with their favourite childhood toys and memorabilia, exploring their attachment and the stories behind the strong bond they feel with these items.

Simon graduated with distinction from an HND Professional Photography course at Edinburgh College, and now works as a learning assistant in the college’s photography department.

Simon got inspiration for the exhibition when he was looking through old belongings and found the first cuddly toy that his mum had knitted for him, Charlie the monkey.

He said: “I thought to myself, I’ve gone through so many moves over the past few years, from Sheffield to Edinburgh, and it has always moved with me for some reason. I never really knew why.

“That intrigued me a little bit, because we live in this sort of throwaway society where we’re quite happy to buy new TVs, new printers and everything like that. Back when I was younger we used to send our TV to the repair man, or have one come round to the house to fix it. Now it is so easy to throw them away and get a brand new one, but we always seem to keep these little trinkets. I wanted to find out why.

The most interesting item Simon has photographed so far was an old chemistry set from the 1960s. He said: “Some of the stuff you would get in a chemistry set then would be illegal in a chemistry set today. The owner, Stewart, has stuff missing from the set. But some of the stuff, like the chemical powders, were just very peculiar. Stewart went on to work in science, he had the kit from being about four years old, he loved science and went on to become a science technician and work with children at a science centre. Now he’s an actor, but he still holds on to the chemistry set!”

Now that the exhibition has taken shape, Simon wants to expand the project outside of Scotland. First, he wants to go back to Sheffield, his home town, then carry on further down the country to photograph his connections in London and Cambridgeshire.

Simon is also keen for anyone with a nostalgic childhood item to come forward and share their stories through the Edinburgh College Facebook page and Twitter, and is offering a free professional photo shoot at the college for one lucky winner. Post a photo of your own item and tell us in one sentence why it is important to you. Simon will choose his favourite entry.

Nostalgia will be on show at Creative Exchange, 29 Constitution Street, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH6 7BS from 18 May – 5 June. Creative Exchange is open Mon-Thurs 9am-5.30pm and Friday 9am-4.30pm. Admission is free.

This week Tollcross Primary School becomes the first City of Edinburgh Council primary school to entertain language exchange students during a week long visit.

The Edinburgh Reporter met all of them on Monday morning when the Spanish schoolchildren had just arrived and found them exchanging some details about each other by way of an ice breaker. But this is not the first time the children have met each other as they have regularly conversed by video link or in writing over the internet in the last two years.

[vimeo 128789709 w=500 h=281]

The Edinburgh Reporter NEWS from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

Lynn Brand, Principal Teacher at Tollcross Primary School is already very good friends with her Spanish colleague Miriam Pastor who teaches at Colegio Joaquim Blume in Madrid.

There are great plans for this week’s visit. Lynn said: “This is a big experience for us having the Spanish students come here as we get to meet them in the flesh. We are including them in our sports day in The Meadows, there is an open top bus tour, we are putting on a ceilidh party on Tuesday evening, joint teaching plans on Wednesday, a presentation by the Spanish children on Thursday at school assembly and a film evening on Friday as we think everyone may be a bit tired out by then!”

The very final part  is to sum up and write the report on the whole project and Lynn Brand is returning to Spain with the school group so that she can contribute to that.

The Comenius funded project is a local authority level partnership scheme with the Comunidad de Madrid education authority. There have been reciprocal visits for teachers in the past but this is the first time that any pupils have visited. Teachers have learned Spanish and taught joint lessons learning how the other country approaches language learning.

This is part of the City of Edinburgh Council 1+2 languages strategy to develop a real life experience of using languages.

Tollcross have not yet gone to Spain but there is every chance that may happen in future.

Two prominent Edinburgh criminals have today  been ordered to pay back more than £1million from their illegal activities.

Confiscation Orders have been issued to Margaret Paterson and Robert Munro under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA). In 2013, they were sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted for brothel-keeping, money laundering and living on the earnings of prostitution.

However, under the POCA, enforcement authorities have the powers to track down and recover the profits of crime from individuals deemed to have benefited from a criminal lifestyle.

As such, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, has secured an order against Paterson and Munro to pay back £1m and £96,836 respectively.

Detective Chief Inspector Kenny Gray said: “These Confiscation Orders are some of the largest in Police Scotland’s history and they send out a very clear message to organised criminals everywhere that we will do everything in our power to ensure they do not benefit from illegal gains.

“Organised crime can cause untold harm on our communities and Police Scotland is committed to tackling serious crime and associated offences.

“If criminals believe their money is safe once a sentence has been handed down then they are wrong. We will work tirelessly to ensure that we can reclaim criminal earnings and put them to good use in our towns and communities across Scotland.”

The money seized under the POCA will be redistributed to communities across Scotland under the Cashback for Communities programme.

Police have arrested and charged a 25-year-old man in connection with a public indecency offence that took place in the Morningside area last year.

The man was arrested following the release of CCTV images last week.

Officers issued a statement thanking the public  for their assistance during this inquiry.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service youth engagement programme ran at Bathgate fire station last week in conjunction with St Kentigerns Academy in Blackburn, West Lothian.

Local Area Liaison Officer Stuart Watson explains: “Working with young people means that the fire service can raise awareness and challenge attitudes to fire safety and other forms of anti-social behaviour.

“The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Youth engagement project engages with young people aged between 12-17 in order to work towards reducing hoax calls and secondary fires and to increase awareness of local community safety issues.

“We encourage positive social behaviour by using a combination of intensive group work and fire service activities with a view to raising self-esteem, confidence, personal motivation and increase problem solving skills

“The programme allows participants to experience basic fire service tasks such as team building, first aid, hose running and ladder climbing to develop physical stamina.

“All activities incorporate a fire safety message and endorse a strong group work component.’’

Councillor John McGinty said: ““It was terrific to be able to join with the young people, their families and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service staff for the final day presentation of the Cool down crew programme. I was really impressed by the skills and team work shown by the young firefighters and took time to congratulate them on their achievements. It was also great to see so many family and friends turn out to support the young people, and I know how proud they were of their youngsters.

West Lothian Council is grateful to the Scottish Fire and Rescue service, and all our local firefighters, for all they do to keep our communities safe day in and day out. Cool down crew is an outstanding example of the additional work that the service delivers for our communities and their work with our young people is particularly appreciated by the Council. I hope that this is something that we can continue to develop and deliver in the future.”

On the final day of the programme, the young people displayed a practical presentation to demonstrate the skills they have learned.  This was an opportunity to invite friends, family and teaching staff from St Kentigerns along to the fire station to share in their success.

They were presented with certificates by Councillor John McGinty to recognise their achievements.

The names of the pupils that took part are:

Dominic Dalton

Declan Girdwood

Declan McGarry

Ben Foster

Adele McConnell

Sarah Berry

Council news

Gretna 100

Edinburgh Art Festival has begun!

Granny Green 

Police Scotland are recruiting

At the full council meeting this Thursday there are a lot of administrative matters to be dealt with. Councillor Ricky Henderson who was a candidate in the recent General Election is to be reinstated to the NHS Lothian Board. New Board members have been appointed at Lothian Buses and Transport for Edinburgh.

The new board members at Edinburgh Tram will include Charles Monheim as Chair, Charlene Wallace and Andy Neal. Mr Neal was until recently the CEO at Essential Edinburgh.

Former MSP Susan Deacon bas been appointed to the Board of Lothian Buses along with Jim McFarlane (Chair), Tony Rose, Mark Yexley and Charlene Wallace.

But apart from that the council will approve a feasibility study to look into a master plan for developing the future of Custom House which has been let to the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust on an internal repairing lease for five years with a further 99 year lease on a full commercial basis.

The feasibility study will cost £50,000 and will investigate lodging applications for funding of around £10m which is needed to restore the building.

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Over this last weekend on the centenary of the Quintinshill rail disaster the sacrifice of the 1/7th Battalion of the Royal Scots was remembered in a variety of ways. We spoke to Jan Bee-Brown the curator of an exhibition which will continue over the summer:

[vimeo 128713119 w=500 h=281]

The Edinburgh Reporter News from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

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A new exhibition at The Scottish National Portrait Gallery, featuring approximately 100 photographs focuses on the relationship between Lee Miller, Roland Penrose and Pablo Picasso has just opened in the last couple of days.

Lee Miller first met Picasso in the summer of 1937 at Hotel Vaste Horizon where she was staying with Roland Penrose. In the ensuing years she photographed the Spanish artist more than 1,000 times and he in turn, painted her portrait six times. Lee Miller and Picasso features photographs by Miller and a painting and drawing by Picasso and reveals the love and experiences of their long-lasting friendship.

Image: Lee Miller, Lee Miller and Picasso after the liberation of Paris, Paris, France, 1944 © Lee Miller Archives, England 2015. All rights reserved. © Succession/DACS, London, 2015.

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At the Scottish National Portrait Gallery later this week, Granny Green, a recently formed trio of trumpet, tuba and accordion, will perform a mixed programme of classic Scottish and wartime tunes brought into the modern day by the quirky arrangements of the ensemble. The programme will include It’s a long way to Tipperary, Herr Roloff’s Farewell and When the War is Over.

No booking required – Thursday, 28th May 2015, 6-6.30pm

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Police Scotland are recruiting but you have to book yourself a place on their briefing session for police officers or special constables on Tuesday 28th July 2015 – 18.30 – Police Station, Fettes Avenue, Edinburgh EH4 1RB

To reserve a place you have to email policerecruitingunitedinburgh@scotland.pnn.police.uk with the header ‘Insight Edinburgh’, detailing your name, email address and mobile telephone number.

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Cameo Toddler Time: Rastamouse – Hot off Da Press (U). Short screenings for pre-school children, their parents and carers: no adult unaccompanied by a child will be admitted. Today another adventure with the skateboarding, reggae-playing Rastamouse and his crime-fighting crew; the stories focus on finding creative and positive solutions to problems and situations. ‘Through understanding, love an’ respect, Rastamouse will always make a bad thing good’. 11am, Cameo, Home Street. Membership of the Toddler Time Club is free, please ask at the Box Office. Tickets for club members cost £3 (accompanying adults free) and may be purchased by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723 or online here.

Breathless: a new collection of work by Paul Charlton, comprising of a series of blind embossed prints produced at Edinburgh Printmakers. ‘Visually impressive yet remarkably subtle, these prints explore the fragile balance between the untouched emptiness and the precision of the detail’. 10am-6pm Tuesday to Saturday, Edinburgh Printmakers, Union Street. Ends 27th June 2015.

Lunchtime Concert: Enebakk Blandakor (Norway). 1pm, Canongate Kirk, 153 Canongate. Free.

Muirhouse Library Garden Club: a free weekly activity suitable for children, teenagers and families. 3.30pm today and every Monday, Muirhouse Library and North Edinburgh Arts, Pennywell Court.

Causey Development Trust AGM 2015 – with speakers Willy Roe, Chair of Edinburgh World Heritage Trust and Andrew Dalzell of Grays Ferry Triangle Project, Philapdelphia. 7pm, Southside Community Centre, 117 Nicolson Street. All welcome! The Causey Development Trust is a community organisation led by a steering group of volunteers, working to transform the public space at West Cross Causeway into a vibrant place for people to enjoy.

Blackwell’s Edinburgh Presents Beth Shapiro: How to Clone a Mammoth. Could extinct species like mammoths and carrier pigeons be brought back to life? In her new book Beth Shapiro, evolutionary biologist and pioneer in ‘ancient DNA’ research, takes readers through the astonishing and controversial process of ‘de-extinction’. From deciding which species should be restored, to sequencing their genomes, to anticipating how revived populations might be overseen in the wild, Shapiro vividly explores the extraordinary cutting-edge science that is being used – today – to resurrect the past. 6.30pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained from Blackwell’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8218, emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk or via eventbrite here.

Lunchtime Concert: Trio Dionysus – Louder Than Words. Trio Dionysus are a leading ensemble from Winston Salem, North Carolina; Juliana Witt (piano), Alastair Wright (saxophone) and Dylan Ward (saxophone). 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.

LGBT Spiritual Space: Maxwell Reay, NHS Mental Health Community Chaplain, offers a supportive space for people to discuss and develop ideas of spirituality and identity. Suitable for people of all faiths or none. Today there will be a group discussion Holidays on the Horizon, reflecting on journeying towards summer and the places we go when we want to experience our connections to the outside world – share memories of the past or talk about what you value in the present. 6.30-7.30pm (within weekly Drop-In, which runs 5.30-8pm), LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please contact Alison Wren on 0131 652 3283 or email alison@lgbthealth.org.uk.

Picturesque Panoramas: enjoy a relaxing visit to the gallery, exploring the expressive skies in some of NGS’s landscape paintings of Edinburgh and Rome and then creating your own painted panoramas, assisted by artists Katharine Aarrestad and Tessa Asquith-Lamb. These one-off workshops are suitable for community groups, including care homes and those with dementia. Wheelchair users are welcome; please note that there will be some moving about between the gallery and the workshop area. Groups can book a morning or afternoon workshop any day this week (Monday-Friday). 10am-12 noon or 2-4pm, Clore 1, Scottish National Gallery (Gardens Entrance), The Mound. Booking is essential and may be made by calling the Information Desk on 0131 624 6560.

Filmhouse: For Crying Out Loud. Special screenings for parents/carers and their babies under the age of 12 months, accompanied by no more than two adults. Babychanging, bottle-warming and buggy parking facilities are available. Today’s film is Only Angels Have Wings (U) (1939): in a South American port city swathed in perpetual fog, a daredevil band of mail pilots led by Geoff Carter (Cary Grant) struggle daily to get their planes through a treacherous mountain pass – then Carter’s cool is tested by the arrival of a wisecracking blond (Jean Arthur) and an ex-mistress (Rita Hayworth). 11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets for Crying Out Loud screenings cost £4.50/£3.50 per adult and may be purchased by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688.

Leith Links Community Council AGM: the Guest Speaker will be Lindsay Grant (Edinburgh City Council) who will give a presentation on Edinburgh Living Landscape. 7pm, Leith Community Education Centre, 12a New Kirkgate. All welcome.

Sofi’s Cult Movie Nights: popular classics on the silver screen in Sofi’s cosy, darkened back room – free popcorn too! This week’s film is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. 8pm, Sofi’s Bar, Henderson Street. Free.

New posters have been unveiled this weekend at Edinburgh Airport to welcome back homeward bound travellers and welcome visitors. The new imagery shows off iconic locations across Scotland with straplines reminiscent of airport activity such as ‘Customs’ (Edinburgh Military Tattoo) ‘Fasten Seatbelts’ (Dalbeattie 7Stanes mountain biking trails) and ‘Landing Gear’ (Glenshee Ski Centre).

The giant posters are designed to inspire and capture travellers’ imaginations and have been installed throughout the tunnel between the gates and the aircraft entrance and on some gates on the connecting airbridge itself.

Those departing Scotland will also be given a final glimpse of Edinburgh’s most iconic landmark leaving natives and visitors with fond memories, captured on enticing imagery to remind them to return soon.

The brand campaign is a partnership between VisitScotland and Edinburgh Airport to encourage more visitors to use the airport when visiting Scotland.  The campaign purposely aligns itself with the airport environment and will be seen by people living in Scotland as well as UK and International visitors.

The posters have been tailored to be relevant to the specific gate locations different airlines use so that International visitors are more likely to see iconic images of Scotland – such as castles, whisky, and golf – which strongly appeal to these markets.

In contrast, airline gates used by people from Scotland will feature promotions of the events and activities taking place in this country, in a bid to encourage them to plan a staycation this summer.

The poster installation will be phased over the next two weeks with everything in place by 1 June with the full campaign running until 30 September.

Helen Campbell, Head of Global Brand and Marketing Communications in VisitScotland, said:

“This has been a really exciting and challenging project to work on in partnership with Edinburgh Airport. Coming up with imagery and lines that will appeal to Scots, English and International visitors is quite a challenge as they are very different markets which need to be communicated to in very different ways.

“We wanted something that reminded Scots about why they love their country so much and encourage them to explore more but at the same time welcome and heighten the excitement of arriving visitors.  Tourism is at the heart of the visitor economy in Edinburgh and the Lothians, generating economic success and growth opportunities, with VisitScotland showcasing the very best of what the city and surrounding area has to offer.

Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport said:

“We want every passenger to feel inspired from the moment they arrive into Edinburgh until they leave.  We’re delighted to have been working closely with our partners at VisitScotland to create this striking campaign which really captures the essence of Scotland and highlights our airport’s strong links with the national tourism body.

“We’re seeing more people travel through our airport than ever before.  These images are the perfect welcome and goodbye for those passengers travelling through our airport.  We’re sure they will leave a lasting memory of our amazing country.”

Please remember to check with the venue before setting out to any event, as last minute changes do happen!

MONDAY 25TH MAY 2015

Cameo Toddler Time: Rastamouse – Hot of Da Press (U). Short screenings for pre-school children, their parents and carers: no adult unaccompanied by a child will be admitted. Today another adventure with the skateboarding, reggae-playing Rastamouse and his crime-fighting crew; the stories focus on finding creative and positive solutions to problems and situations. ‘Through understanding, love an’ respect, Rastamouse will always make a bad thing good’. 11am, Cameo, Home Street. Membership of the Toddler Time Club is free, please ask at the Box Office. Tickets for club members cost £3 (accompanying adults free) and may be purchased by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723 or online here.

Breathless: a new collection of work by Paul Charlton, comprising of a series of blind embossed prints produced at Edinburgh Printmakers. ‘Visually impressive yet remarkably subtle, these prints explore the fragile balance between the untouched emptiness and the precision of the detail’. 10am-6pm Tuesday to Saturday, Edinburgh Printmakers, Union Street. Ends 27th June 2015.

Lunchtime Concert: Enebakk Blandakor (Norway). 1pm, Canongate Kirk, 153 Canongate. Free.

Muirhouse Library Garden Club: a fee weekly activity suitable for children, teenagers and families. 3.30pm today and every Monday, Muirhouse Library and North Edinburgh Arts, Pennywell Court.

Causey Development Trust AGM 2015 – with speakers Willy Roe, Chair of Edinburgh World Heritage Trust and Andrew Dalzell of Grays Ferry Triangle Project, Philapdelphia. 7pm, Southside Community Centre, 117 Nicolson Street. All welcome! The Causey Development Trust is a community organisation led by a steering group of volunteers, working to transform the public space at West Cross Causeway into a vibrant place for people to enjoy.

Blackwell’s Edinburgh Presents Beth Shapiro: How to Clone a Mammoth. Could extinct species like mammoths and carrier pigeons be brought back to life? In her new book Beth Shapiro, evolutionary biologist and pioneer in ‘ancient DNA’ research, takes readers through the astonishing and controversial process of ‘de-extinction’. From deciding which species should be restored, to sequencing their genomes, to anticipating how revived populations might be overseen in the wild, Shapiro vividly explores the extraordinary cutting-edge science that is being used – today – to resurrect the past. 6.30pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained from Blackwell’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8218, emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk or via eventbrite here.

Lunchtime Concert: Trio Dionysus – Louder Than Words. Trio Dionysus are a leading ensemble from Winston Salem, North Carolina; Juliana Witt (piano), Alastair Wright (saxophone) and Dylan Ward (saxophone). 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.

LGBT Spiritual Space: Maxwell Reay, NHS Mental Health Community Chaplain, offers a supportive space for people to discuss and develop ideas of spirituality and identity. Suitable for people of all faiths or none. Today there will be a group discussion Holidays on the Horizon, reflecting on journeying towards summer and the places we go when we want to experience our connections to the outside world – share memories of the past or talk about what you value in the present. 6.30-7.30pm (within weekly Drop-In, which runs 5.30-8pm), LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please contact Alison Wren on 0131 652 3283 or email alison@lgbthealth.org.uk.

Picturesque Panoramas: enjoy a relaxing visit to the gallery, exploring the expressive skies in some of NGS’s landscape paintings of Edinburgh and Rome and then creating your own painted panoramas, assisted by artists Katharine Aarrestad and Tessa Asquith-Lamb. These one-off workshops are suitable for community groups, including care homes and those with dementia. Wheelchair users are welcome; please note that there will be some moving about between the gallery and the workshop area. Groups can book a morning or afternoon workshop any day this week (Monday-Friday). 10am-12 noon or 2-4pm, Clore 1, Scottish National Gallery (Gardens Entrance), The Mound. Booking is essential and may be made by calling the Information Desk on 0131 624 6560.

Filmhouse: For Crying Out Loud. Special screenings for parents/carers and their babies under the age of 12 months, accompanied by no more than two adults. Babychanging, bottle-warming and buggy parking facilities are available. Today’s film is Only Angels Have Wings (U) (1939): in a South American port city swathed in perpetual fog, a daredevil band of mail pilots led by Geoff Carter (Cary Grant) struggle daily to get their planes through a treacherous mountain pass – then Carter’s cool is tested by the arrival of a wisecracking blond (Jean Arthur) and an ex-mistress (Rita Hayworth). 11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets for Crying Out Loud screenings cost £4.50/£3.50 per adult and may be purchased by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688.

Leith Links Community Council AGM: the Guest Speaker will be Lindsay Grant (Edinburgh City Council) who will give a presentation on Edinburgh Living Landscape. 7pm, Leith Community Education Centre, 12a New Kirkgate. All welcome.

Sofi’s Cult Movie Nights: popular classics on the silver screen in Sofi’s cosy, darkened back room – free popcorn too! This week’s film is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. 8pm, Sofi’s Bar, Henderson Street. Free.

TUESDAY 26TH MAY 2015

Putting Pictures to Words: Jessica Stafford Cameron and Sir Roy Cameron. The father-in-law and daughter-in-law duo write and illustrate children’s books, including A Highland Boyhood in Ardnamurchan, I Once Had a Chimpanzee and The Tale of Jessie the Highland Cow. At this event they will discuss their collaboration, read from their books and show original examples of Jessica’s illustrations. 6.30-7.30pm, George Washington Browne Room, Central Library, George IV Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained via eventbrite.

Druids, Knights and Fairy Folk: Scottish Art and the Celtic Revival. Dr Frances Fowle (University of Edinburgh/Scottish National Gallery) will give a talk focusing on artists such as EA Hornel, George Henry and John Duncan, who drew their inspiration from Celtic myths and legends, archaeological discoveries and stylised forms of insular manuscripts like the Book of Kells. For adults only. 10.30am, Lauriston Castle, 2a Cramond Road South. £8 per person including a tour of the castle, coffee and cake; tickets must be purchased in advance from the Usher Hall Box Office, in person, by calling 0131 228 1155 or online here.

LGBT Age: Hidden Gardens Tour. An easy walk with Greenyonder Tours in the Old Town; behind the historic buildings find hidden nooks and crannies, each with a story to tell. 6.30-8.15pm, starting at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. The tour costs £2 per person and booking is essential; please email lynda@lgbthealth.org.uk. LGBT Age is a project run by LGBT Health & Wellbeing for people aged 50+: it offers a befriending service, a social programme and information sessions.

Islamophobia, War and the Middle East in Chaos – the legacy of Bush and Blair: a public meeting with Lindsey German (Stop the War Coalition UK), Moazzam Begg, Aamer Anwar and Safeena Rashid from Muslim Women’s Association of Edinburgh. ‘A chance to hear some great speakers and participate in a discussion about the way forward’. 7.30pm, Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge. All welcome. Organised by Edinburgh Stop the War Coalition.

100 Masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland: John Leighton, NGS Director General, discusses his new, lavishly illustrated, book containing one hundred of the NGS’s greatest and best-loved treasures. 12.45-1.30pm, Hawthornden Theatre, Scottish National Gallery (Gardens Entrance), The Mound. Free and unticketed.

Cameo Silver Screen: if you are aged 60+, join the Silver Screen Club – it’s free to join (ask at the Box Office), and allows you to buy tickets for the special weekly screenings at just £5, with free tea/coffee and biscuits provided. Today’s screenings are: A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (15) showing at 3.30pm, Moomins on the Riviera (U) showing at 1.30pm and The New Girlfriend (15) showing at 1.10pm and 3.40pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723 or online.

Looking Glass Books Presents Gavin Francis: Adventures in Human Being. The Edinburgh-based GP and award-winning author takes you on a voyage of discovery through the human body as he discusses his latest book; drawing on his own professional experience, he blends first-hand case studies with reflections on the way the body has been imagined and portrayed over the millennia. ‘A sober and beautiful book about the landscape of the human body: thought-provoking and eloquent’. (Hilary Mantel). 7pm, Looking Glass Books, 36 Simpson Loan, Quartermile. Free tickets may be obtained in person from the shop, by calling 0131 229 2902, emailing hello@lookingglassbooks.com or via eventbrite here.

Leith Folk Club: Wendy Carle Taylor. Best known for her moving and beautiful interpretations of contemporary and traditional songs,Wendy performs through a range of languages and genres, from folk to chanson, jazz and blues. With support Reece Hillis. 7.30pm, Victoria Park House Hotel, 221 Ferry Road. Tickets cost £9 and may be purchased online here or via the club’s text booking line on 07502 024 852.

Edinburgh Napier University TV Graduate Show (15): Napier’s students display their much anticipated final projects on the big screen. 6pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688 or online here. The Filmhouse is showing the best new work from film, TV, media and animation students at Edinburgh’s colleges and universities during May and June: work by Edinburgh College and Edinburgh College of Art students will follow, with the next event taking place on 2nd June – see listings.

Dementia Awareness Week 2015: Information Drop-In. Teresa Straczynski, Dementia Adviser with Alzheimer Scotland, will be available to offer advice, put you in touch with local sources of support, help you plan for the future and assist you in navigating health and social care. 11.30am-1.30pm, St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace. All welcome: no booking required. The Drop-In will be followed at 2pm by a Dementia Awareness Workshop; again all are welcome but if you would like to attend the workshop, please call St Bride’s in advance on 0131 346 1405.

Edinburgh Napier University Photography Lecture Series: Laurence Winram. The Scottish photographer splits his time between commercial and personal projects, working for clients as far afield as New York and Singapore. 5.30pm, Lecture Theatre B2, Edinburgh Napier University Merchiston Campus, 10 Colinton Road. Free, but if you are not part of the university and would like to attend, please RSVP to Sophie Gerrard, Lecturer in Photography, at s.gerrard@napier.ac.uk.

Edinburgh All Comers Writers Club: local writers get together to share/read their work and get positive feedback and constructive advice. 7.30-10.30pm, Sofi’s Bar, Henderson Street.

#artcore LIVE: Edinburgh’s freshest young bands in a night of exciting unsigned acts from Verden Studios’ DEMO project. See performers from North Edinburgh Arts, WHALE Arts Agency and Verden Studios take to the stage as part of the Bongo Lives! Festival. Line-up: Zep-Tepi, The McRibs, Rachel Alice Johnson Arts, Pessimist, The Factory and Sugar Panthers. 7-10pm, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. Tickets cost £3 and are available via eventbrite here or on the door (sta).

Cello in the Church: Tim Cais (cello) and Chris Harding (piano) play JS Bach Gamba Sonata No 1 and Mendelssohn Variations Concertantes Op 17 and Cello Sonata No 2. 1.45-2.45pm, St John’s Episcopal Church, Princes Street. Free admission.

WEDNESDAY 27TH MAY 2015

The Art of the Classroom: an exhibition of work by pupils of Craigroyston Primary School. Paintings, models, pictures and drawings all reflecting the wide variety of study in the school. Opens tonight 6-7.30pm, then 10am-5pm Monday, 10am-7pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 1-5pm Thursday, North Edinburgh Arts, 15a Pennywell Court, Muirhouse.

Craigmillar Employment and Learning Fair. Find out more about real jobs, training and learning opportunities and meet representatives from a range of organisations; several employers with live vacancies will attend. 10.30am-1.30pm (drop-in), East Neighbourhood Centre, 101 Niddrie Mains Road. Organised jointly by Craigmillar Library, Edinburgh College, DWP, Community Learning & Development, Third Sector and City of Edinburgh Council Employability & Skills Team.

Lunchtime Concert: Piano Speak with Will Pickvance. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.

Stop Climate Chaos Scotland and Christian Aid Rally for the Climate. Crafts, music and live performers as thousands of messages from across the country are handed to the First Minister, requesting strong political ambition on climate, both at home and internationally. All supporters welcome. 12 noon-2pm, Scottish Parliament, Holyrood.

Evenings of Enlightenment: join University of Edinburgh researchers on Wednesday evenings in May and June to celebrate the 2015 International Year of Light. Experts from various disciplines will explore this fascinating area – from historical discoveries to today’s cutting-edge research. Tonight Stefan Galander (Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology) will talk on You Light Up My Life: – how organisms sense light and what they can do about it. 6.30-7.30pm, Red Lecture Theatre, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets are free and may be booked via eventbrite here.

Nothing Ever Happens Here: Lost Map Records and Gold Flake Present Tuff Love. Hyper-infectious, fuzzed-up lo-fi pop from Glasgow-based Julie Eisenstein and Suse Bear, with support from Bruising and Alphabetical Order Orchestra. ‘Perfect pop music’ (BBC Radio Scotland). For over 18s only. 8pm-late, The Dissection Room, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets cost £8 and may be booked online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 560 1581.

Edinburgh Gay Men’s Book Group: an inclusive group where you can meet new people and read and discuss interesting books. 7-9pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please contact info@gaybookgroup.co.uk.

Blackwell’s Edinburgh and Sandstone Press Present Moira Forsyth: The Treacle Well.  David and Caroline are twins for whom the rest of the world is always distant. After the death of their mother and their father’s remarriage they are sent to separate boarding schools, then a dramatic accident when they are students divides them again. The repercussions last for years, as they cut themselves off from the relatives who raised them and the cousins who adore them. Underneath the stable family life their grandparents worked so hard to establish run currents of insecurity and restlessness, and a secret only one person is able to uncover. 6.30pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained from Blackwell’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8218, emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk or via eventbrite here.

LGBT Icebreakers: if you want to meet new people, are just coming out or don’t feel confident going out on the ‘scene’, try this informal, fun and friendly social group for LGBT people and anyone questioning their sexuality or gender identity. For over 18s. 7.30-9.30pm, The Regent Bar, Montrose Terrace. For more information please contact Alison Wren on 0131 652 3283 or email alison@lgbthealth.org.uk.

The First World War in Cinema: Gallipoli/Gelibolu (PG) (in English and Turkish with English subtitles). More than 120,000 soldiers lost their lives in the deadly Gallipoli campaign in 1915. To capture the human spirit of the campaign through the experience of the soldiers, this film tells the story simultaneously from both sides, focusing on the diaries and letters of two British, three New Zealand, three Australian and two Turkish soldiers, ordinary men forced by history to do extraordinary things. Director: Tolga Ornek. 6.10pm, 3.30pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688 or online here. The First World War in Cinema is a four-year series of films, programmed in association with the University of Edinburgh. Peter Weir’s 1981 drama Gallipoli will screen in August 2015.

Sofi’s Clothes Swap: bring as many items as you wish and leave with the same number – freshen up your summer wardrobe at no extra cost! 7pm onwards, Sofi’s Bar, Henderson Street.

THURSDAY 28TH MAY 2015

Cameo Big Scream: special screenings for parents and carers and their babies under 12 months old. Membership of the Big Scream Club costs £5, lasts until your child’s first birthday and allows you to buy tickets at Picturehouse members’ rates. Only customers with babies will be admitted to these screenings. Today: Moomins on the Riviera (U). 10.30am, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased  by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723 or online here.

Lunchtime Concert: North Dakora State University, USA. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.

Ragged University: Littoral Art/Education for Sustainability. In the first talk of the evening Julia Barton shares the results of her beach litter findings, recorded within 18 littoral zones in Ross-shire over the past 18 months. At least one million seabirds and one hundred thousand sharks, turtles, dolphins and whales die from eating plastic every year. Julia explains how she wants to use contemporary art to highlight ways in which we can change our behaviour to reduce this environmental degradation and the loss of marine life. The second speaker is Susan Brown, who will talk on Fostering Vandalism of the Earth? Or Stewardship? Susan hopes to promote initial thinking about what ‘education for sustainability’ is, why it is important to engage with this question, and how people are working towards integrating sustainability into curricula. 7-10pm, The Counting House, West Nicolson Street. All welcome, free, no booking required.

Live Music Now: Granny Green. This recently formed trio of trumpet, tuba and accordion perform a mixed programme of classic Scottish and wartime tunes, brought up to date by the ensemble’s quirky arrangements. The programme will include It’s a Long Way to Tipperary, Herr Roloff’s Farewell and When the War is Over. 6-6.30pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. Free and unticketed.

Spotlight On: Pringle of Scotland. Join NMS experts as they discuss Pringle’s evolution from hosiery manufacturer to cutting-edge fashion brand. For ages 14+. 2-3pm (doors open 1.45pm), Auditorium, Level One, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Free tickets may be obtained in person from the Museum’s information desk, by calling 0300 123 6789 or online here.

UnCAPped: Edinburgh College HND Contemporary Art Practice Graduate Exhibition. Preview today 6-8pm, then 10am-5pm, Friday 29th and Saturday 30th May, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Hawthornvale.

Golden Hare Books and Vagabond Voices Present Peter Gilmour: Spring Manoeuvres. The Glaswegian writer launches his new novel, the tale of Douglas Low, a man who has reached the last slice of life. Recovering from a heart condition, he retires to a cottage on Holy Loch with his invalid wife Edith and visiting lover Helen. This new life, lived in the shadow of nuclear weapons, finds a gentle, clandestine rhythm, but this is complicated by the arrival of Douglas’s son, an unpredictable drifter who soon ruffles military feathers. 7-9pm, Golden Hare Books, St Stephen Street, Stockbridge. Free tickets are available via eventbrite here or by calling the shop on 0131 629 1396.

Spark Greyfriars Lunchtime Concerts: Italian Baroque Programme. Dr Anne Desler, Lecturer in Music Performance, Reid School of Music, (mezzo-soprano) and Gina Baker (piano). 12 noon-12.45pm, Greyfriars Kirk, Greyfriars Place. Free: no booking required.

Stockbridge and New Town Community Orchestra Spring Concert: Haydn Te Deum (with Stockbridge Parish Church Choir), Vaughan Williams The Wasps Overture, Walton Crown Imperial, Strauss Die Fledermaus Overture…and more. 7.30pm, Stockbridge Parish Church, Saxe Coburg Street. Tickets £5 on the door.

Swim Teacher Open Evening: ever thought about becoming a swimming teacher? If you have a passion for swimming and would like to find out more about the work of Edinburgh Leisure’s friendly Aquatics and Learn to Swim Teams, the courses they offer and the employment opportunities available, come along to this open evening. 5.30-8pm, Portobello Swim Centre, 57 Promenade, Portobello. Please book your place by calling the Swim Centre reception on 0131 669 6888.

FRIDAY 29TH MAY 2015

One World Peace Ceilidh:  a fun night of dancing, entertainment, food and drink to raise funds for the One World Shop and Edinburgh Peace & Justice Centre, both of which need to relocate while St John’s Church is redeveloped. With Clapshot Ceilidh Band, Protest in Harmony Choir and Voice Box Theatre; poetry, raffle with fabulous prizes, tombola and a bar. Delicious vegetarian and vegan food available to purchase until 9.30pm. All ages welcome! 7.30pm-12 midnight, Edinburgh Steiner School, 60 Spylaw Road. Tickets cost £10/£7 (children 0-5 years free) and are available online here or from Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre, Terrace (underneath the church), St John’s Church, Princes Street. Last year’s ceilidh was sold out, so get your tickets early!

Fresh Start Sponsored Walk: a fun and social walk from Jubilee Gardens, Stockbridge, along the Water of Leith to Colinton Dell and back to Polwarth, where lunch will be served at Fresh Start’s Food Station. The walk is about 8 miles long and takes 2-3 hours at a leisurely pace, with a refreshment and toilet stop available at the Water of Leith Visitor Centre. Please wear appropriate footwear and carry water. Begins 10am, Jubilee Gardens, Stockbridge. All welcome: if you would like to take part, please email admin@freshstartweb.org.uk or call 0131 476 7741 to register. There is no registration fee but you are asked to raise a minimum of £25 per person. Fresh Start is an Edinburgh-based charity that helps people who have been homeless get established in their new home.

Lunchtime Concert: Selkorinn Choir, Seltjarnarnes, Iceland. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.

Edinburgh Palette – New Exhibitions, all on Third Floor, St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road:

(1) Mad World: On Sane People in Insane Situations. From individuals interred for their homosexuality to women who wanted divorces, teenagers who wanted to write for a living, and malnutrition – discover the history and see if you can logically spot madness. This collaborative exhibition offers everyone the chance to contribute their own definitions of insanity, to come and see what is on view and decide who is ‘sane’ and who is ‘crazy’. Mad World is inspired by the emerging academic field of Mad Matters, the work of Mad People’s History, Oor Mad History, Asylum Magazine, Advocard and many other organisations. Preview from 6pm tonight, then 10am-6pm daily. Ends 21st June 2015.

(2) Memory and Imagination: An Unfolding Visual Process. An exhibition of painted works by Vittoria Grant and Jacqui Higgs, delving into memories of places of origin and places lived, including Italy, Africa and Scotland. Preview from 6.30pm tonight, then 10am-6pm daily. Ends 14th June 2015.

(3) The Curves on a Straight Line: an exhibition of drawings and life studies by local artist Amanda Atkinson. Private view from 6.30pm tonight, then 10am-6pm daily. Ends 21st June 2015.

Ratho Library Adult Colouring Group: come and try this new de-stresser! 11am-12.30pm, Ratho Library, School Wynd.

Interim: a two-day exhibition featuring work by first year students from the MFA/MA Contemporary Art Practice course at Edinburgh College of Art. Preview 7-9pm tonight, then 12 noon-5pm Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st May, Talbot Rice Gallery, University of Edinburgh, Old College, South Bridge.

Showcase 25: in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support this production celebrates 25 years of Showcase and features a cast of over one hundred, backed by a fourteen-piece orchestra. Songs from the great musicals – including Les Miserables, Wicked and Hairspray – along with some of the greatest songs of the last fifty years by Queen, Adele, Elbow, Oasis, the Beatles and many more, all performed with Showcase’s signature huge choral sound. 7.30pm, King’s Theatre, 2 Leven Street. Tickets may be purchased online here, by calling the Box Office on 0131 529 6000 or in person at the King’s or Festival Theatre Box Offices: prices vary. Also at 2.30pm and 7.30pm on Saturday 30th May 2015. To read The Edinburgh Reporter’s review of February’s  Amateur Showcase, at which Showcase 25 and other amateur companies previewed their productions, click here.

Nicolas Party: Boys and Pastel – Curator’s Tour. Curator Paul Nesbitt and Exhibitions Officer Chloe Reith lead an in-depth discussion on the work of Nicolas Party and his current exhibition. 2-3pm, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row. Free: all welcome. Also at same time on 12th June 2015.

Guid Crack: Fifty Glorious Years of ‘Listen to This’. Scotland’s famed storyteller Michael Kerins entertains with hilarious tales from fifty years of storytelling. Edinburgh’s monthly storytelling night: accompanied young adults welcome. 7.30-10pm, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Entry by suggested donation of £3.

Marathon Weekend at Joseph Pearce’s: lots of pasta on the menu – and just show your medal from any of the Edinburgh Marathon races to get a free starter or dessert with your meal. From 11am today until 9pm on Sunday 31st May. Joseph Pearce, Elm Row.

Invisible Lines: a new exhibition combining sculpture, paintings, installation and video performance. Cantabrian artists Ricardo Cavada, Jose Cobo, Ana Diez, Juan Carlos Fernandez, Daniel Gutierriez and Eloy Velazquez ‘delve into the meanings that affect our relationship with the body and its fractures, with the back of image, with the transient and perishable, with the flow of life and its disappearance’. Opening event tonight 6-8pm, then 2-7pm Wednesday to Friday, 11am-2pm Saturdays, Interview Room 11, 38 Castle Terrace. Ends 27th June 2015.

Four Corners: DJ Smoove. The Four Corners crew welcome Newcastle soul, jazz and funk renegade DJ Smoove – ‘another rapturous blend of soulful dancefloor music, new and old, from right across the map’. 11pm-3am, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. Tickets cost £4 before midnight, £6 after midnight, and are available online here.

The Border Gaitherin: here’s this week’s first getaway opportunity – a traditional music festival weekend in the border town of Coldstream. Line-up includes Shetland superstar fiddler Ross Couper, flute and whistle player Tom Oakes, Scots singer Christine Kydd and the Kirsty Law Band. Concerts, workshops, masterclasses and a ceilidh. Bookings may be made online here or by calling 01835 862423. The Gaitherin continues until Sunday 31st May 2015: for full programme and more information (including advice re accommodation) see the Gaitherin’s website here.

SATURDAY 30TH MAY 2015

Once Upon a Time: weekly storytelling in the Book Bothy with BB the Bookshop Bunny and Hardy the Guinea-Pig! 11am, Far From the Madding Crowd, 20 High Street, Linlithgow. For more information please ask in the shop,  email sally@maddingcrowd.co.uk or call 01506 845321.

Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway: Mixed Traffic Gala. A special event featuring steam and heritage diesel-hauled trains. Special timetables and fares will apply. The Scottish Railway Preservation Society, Bo’ness Station, Union Street, Bo’ness. For more information please call 01506 822298 or email enquiries.railway@srps.co.uk. Also on Sunday 31st May 2015.

The Story Kist – Inclusive Storytelling with Ailie Finlay and Marie-Louise Cochrane. Summer is nearly here…pack up your backpacks and go over the hills and far away on some multi-sensory adventures! Sunny, fun stories and games, with props, tents and lots of joining in, in a session especially suitable for children with additional needs, their families, friends and carers. 11am, Storytelling Bothy, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £5 per child (transaction fee applies to online and telephone bookings) and may be purchased online here, by calling 0131 556 9579 or in person at the centre. Please remember to ask for a free adult’s ticket for yourself when you buy your child’s ticket.

Tiger Tales: stories and crafts for children aged 4-8 years. 3-4pm, 137 Fountainbridge Library, Dundee Street. All welcome!

Jubilo Lunchtime Concert: Midday Musical Cocktails. An hour of attractive light choral and instrumental music (Bernstein, Lennon and McCartney, Pietro Mascagni, Robert Schumann and Juan de Anchieta) performed in aid of Enable Scotland.  John Willmett (piano); Lesley Bruce (soprano), conducted by Walter Thomson. 12 noon-1pm, St Andrew’s & St George’s West Church, 13 George Street. Tickets cost £8. Enable Scotland is a charity working for a better life for adults and children with learning disabilities.

St Bride’s Family Cinema – see your favourite films for free. Adventure, excitement, fun and laughs – they’re all here! Choc ices and juice for sale in the interval at 50p each. Please note that all children under the age of 16 years must be accompanied by an adult. This week’s film is Postman Pat – The Movie (U). 10.30am-12.30pm (includes interval), St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace. Next week’s film is Rio 2 (U).

Bob Dylan Tribute Night: an annual celebration of classic Dylan tunes. Dalriada, 77 Promenade, Portobello.

Canongate Concerts: Open Orchestra. Dvorak Carneval Overture, Crisp Trumpet Concerto (soloist Jasper Taylor) and Schubert Rosamunde Overture. Conductor: Andrew Lees. 7.30pm, Canongate Kirk, 153 Canongate. Free: retiring collection.

Sofi’s Saturday Session feat. Pilgrims We, Small Feet Little Toes, Faith Elliot and Grayson King. 2pm, Sofi’s Bar, Henderson Street.

Stills Taster: Cyanotypes. A hands-on taster session for young people aged 10-16, inspired by the current Anna Atkins exhibition. Using one of the first photographic techniques still widely practised today, the session will include an inspiring tour of the exhibition, and will guide you through the steps to making cyanotype prints. You will then be able to make your own prints to take away, and will also be given comprehensive instructions to make more prints at home. 2-4pm, Stills, Cockburn Street. £10 per person; booking is essential and may be made online here.

Victoria Bar Singles Night: a fun night with speed dating and postman game. 8pm, Victoria Bar, 265 Leith Walk.

National Gallery Highlights Tours: an introduction to and tour of the gallery’s permanent collection, focusing on key paintings. 2-2.45pm or 3-3.45pm, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.

Bookbug: songs and rhymes for pre-school children and their parents and carers. 11-11.30am, Newington Library, Fountainhall Road.

Edinburgh College of Art Degree Show: a public showcase of the work of over four hundred graduating students from the Schools of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Art and Design. From Animation to Textiles, thirty-eight programmes will be exhibiting, all displaying the achievements of the College’s emerging creative talents. 11am-5pm today and every day until 7th June (late opening to 8pm on 3rd and 4th June), Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh, Lauriston Place. Free and open to all.

Out of the Blue Flea Market: over 45 stalls full to bursting with clothes, jewellery, small furniture, music, books, bric a brac and more. Delicious refreshments available to purchase from the Drill Hall Arts Cafe. 10am-3pm, Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street.

Lunchtime Concert: Lydian Singers, Dundee. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.

French Family Saturdays: Je dessine au fusain. Introduce your children to a popular piece of French culture at these all-in-French Saturday sessions. Today the children will discover Akiko Miyakoshi’s beautiful book ‘Un gouter en foret‘ before getting the chance to have a go at drawing in charcoal (fusain) – and as usual, a gouter will be offered. For ages 3-10 years. 12 noon-2pm, Institut francais d’Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent. Tickets cost £5 per child (£3 for Institute members) and advance booking is highly recommended as places are limited; please email accueil@ifecosse.org.uk or call 0131 225 5366.

Ragged University: IT and Biscuits. If you have something you want to learn on your computer – or maybe you need basic instruction, want to access free (legal!) software, find out about computer security, learn about social media and WordPress or ask others about IT, come to this workshop for tutorials and person-to-person guidance. Relax in a social setting, enjoy a cup of tea and have your questions answered. You will need a laptop (but if you haven’t got one you can arrange to borrow one) and current membership of Edinburgh City libraries. People who already have computer skills are also very welcome to come along and share their knowledge. 1-4pm, George Washington Browne Room, Central Library, George IV Bridge. All welcome: free. If you have any questions please contact Ragged University via their enquiry form here.

Ingleby Gallery: New Exhibitions. (1) Craig Murray-Orr: Thirty Small Paintings. Craig’s fifty year career, as a sculptor of meticulously carved wooden forms and as a painter of intensely concentrated landscapes, has been shaped by a mix of childhood memories of New Zealand and more recent travels in Asia and North Africa. For the past three years he has worked exclusively on a series of small oil paintings, thirty of which will be the subject of this presentation. (2) Ben Cauchi: Echo Chamber. A solo presentation of new and recent work by the photographer, who uses long outmoded techniques to make unique photographs with a strange and spectral beauty. 10am-6pm Monday to Saturday, Ingleby Gallery, Calton Road. Both exhibitions end 4th July 2015.

LGBT Rainbow Families at Dynamic Earth: a day of fun and exploration! The group will take part in an exclusive interactive workshop for all ages, followed by a tour of Dynamic Earth and an opportunity to watch a film in the Show Dome. 10.45am-3pm, Our Dynamic Earth, 112-116 Holyrood Gait. Booking is preferred and the event will cost £2.95 per person: for more information and to book, please contact Jules Stapleton Barnes on 0131 523 1104 or jules@lgbthealth.org.uk. Rainbow Families offer LGBT parents the chance to meet other parents, enjoy family activities, share experiences and socialise in a family setting. If you would like to find out more or join the mailing list, please contact Jules.

#everyafternooninjune: artist Margaret Gilbertson drew every afternoon in June 2014. She found a new direction in her work and her drawing became a vital part of her day. Although the works in this exhibition are end products, she has strived to keep a sense of the uncontrolled freedom that sketchbooks offer. Preview today 3pm, then 11am-5pm, Coburg House Studios, 15 Coburg Street, until 11th June 2015.

A National Anthem for Scotland: join musician Bob Murray, who has been considering the topic of possible Scottish national anthems for 25 years – hear Bob’s observations, and at least eight of the songs which are seen as potential candidates. Do we need to make a choice? – and if so, how? 7.30pm, Storytelling Court, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £8/£6 (transaction fee applies to online and telephone bookings) and may be purchased online here, by calling 0131 556 9579 or in person at the centre.

Edinburgh Society of Musicians: Steven Armstrong and Avril Evans Piano Duo play Beethoven, Schubert, Rachmaninov and Ravel. 7.30pm (prompt), Edinburgh Society of Musicians, 3 Belford Road. The Edinburgh Society of Musicians was founded in 1887; it promotes practical music-making in the city and arranges chamber music recitals every Saturday from October to June. Admission is free.

Scots Music Group Ceilidh with the Portobello Ceilidh Band. Licensed bar – no BYOB but water freely available. 7.30pm (dancing from 8pm)-12 midnight, St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace. Tickets cost £8/£6 in advance and may be purchased from SMG on 0131 555 7668 or online here, or from the St Bride’s Box Office on 0131 346 1405. Tickets on the door will cost £10/£8 (sta).

3 Harbours Festival: your second chance to get out of the city this weekend is much closer to home, as the three East Lothian coastal communities of Prestonpans, Port Seton and Cockenzie host their annual festival. Art, music, workshops, tours, trails, literature, film, photography and drama in venues varying from tiny cottages to the soon-to-disappear Cockenzie Power Station. Exhibitors include Emma Mackenzie, Andrew Crummy, Sandy Moffat, Sheena Phillips, Karen Rogers, Liz Neilson, Esther Cohen, Janet McCrorie, Rona MacLean, Aileen Grant, Karen Shewan, Mel Shewan, Julie Galante and many more. The full programme can be viewed here, and paper copies are available at many Edinburgh outlets. The festival continues until 7th June, but please check the programme as not all venues are open every day.

SUNDAY 31ST MAY 2015

Water of Leith Conservation Trust: Art Walk from Belford to Canonmills. Discover the hidden art treasures – from industrial relics to stunnning wells – along the walkway from the Gallery of Modern Art to Canonmills. 2pm, starting at entrance to Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (near the buried Gormley statue), Belford Road. £4 per person (Trust members £2): advance booking is essential and may be made by calling 0131 455 7367 or emailing admin@waterofleith.org.uk.

Dementia Awareness Week 2015: St James Centre Information Day. Come for a chat with the Alzheimer Scotland Edinburgh team. 10am-4pm, St James Centre, 1 Leith Street.

Friends of Harrison Park: come and get stuck into the herb garden! Planting and tidying up, harvesting herbs for your kitchen and sowing the new wildflower bed. Learn how to plant seeds and take cuttings. 10.30am-1pm, Community Herb Garden (at the dog-free zone, accessed from Harrison Road), Harrison Park, Polwarth, All welcome: gloves and tools provided. Please note that under-16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Filmhouse Junior: screenings for a younger audience. Today’s film is The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (U). 11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £4 per person, big or small, and may be purchased by calling the Box Office on 0131 228 2688 or online here.

Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway: Mixed Traffic Gala. A special event featuring steam and heritage diesel-hauled trains. Special timetables and fares will apply. The Scottish Railway Preservation Society, Bo’ness Station, Union Street, Bo’ness. For more information please call 01506 822298 or email enquiries.railway@srps.co.uk.

Cameo Vintage Sundays: Piccadilly (PG). One of the pinnacles of British silent cinema, Piccadilly is a sumptuous showbiz melodrama seething with sexual and racial tension. The Chinese-American screen goddess Anna May Wong stars as Shosho, a scullery maid in a fashionable London nightclub, whose sensuous tabletop dance catches the eye of suave club owner Valentine Wilmot. She rises to become the toast of London, and the object of his erotic obsession – to the bitter jealousy of Mabel, his former lover and star dancer. ‘One of the truly great films of the silent era’ (Martin Scorsese). 1pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723 or online here.

Symphonic Praise: a full symphonic concert led by Origin’s Exile Choir and Chamber Orchestra. Origin is an Edingburgh-based evangelistic youth ministry. 8pm, St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Palmerston Place. Free but booking is required and may be made here.

Shore Poets – May: poetry, music and a raffle for the famous lemon cake! 7.45pm, Henderson’s at St John’s, 3 Lothian Road. Admission £5/£3 on the door: all welcome – for more information contact publicity@shorepoets.org.uk.

#artcore Presents Create a Scene at Bongo Lives! An exciting day of #artcore activities as the #artcore team showcases a full programme from the ongoing Microprojects, a series of workshops for young people aged 13-25 years, featuring everything from animation to Zine-making. Hear some of the capital’s finest young bands and solo performers from Verden Studios’ Demo Lite project, get gaming with interactive demos from Freemachines, watch the animation showreel from Red Kite Animation, check out some guerilla art with Creative Electric, listen to Strangetown perform their new radio plays and make your own publication in the Create-a-Zine workshop. 2-6pm, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. Free entry.

Ragged University Film and Curry Night: Ragged University believes that we learn through social means – these nights are about taking in a film, thinking about what you’ve seen, eating good (vegetarian) food and then discussing the film together. The film tonight is The Corporation: Part Two (PG). Some of the discussion will be recorded to share with those who are unable to attend. Although the food and venue are both provided free, Serenity is a social enterprise run by people in recovery for people in recovery, providing a social space without alcohol for people to meet (it is also a great cafe, open to the public and serving delicious food), so those who can afford a donation towards costs are invited to make one on the night. 6-8.30pm, Serenity Cafe, The Tun, 8 Jackson’s Entry, Holyrood Road. Please email info@raggeduniversity.com for more information. And please support Serenity; it’s open 9am-5pm every day.

Anyone Can Play Guitar feat.Lost Proclaimer. A new open music night for anyone who plays anything BUT guitar (whether or not they can sing). Hosted this time by local folk troubadour Lost Proclaimer. 8pm, Sofi’s Bar, Henderson Street.

Marathon Party with DJ Joybox: shake your tired muscles to some groovy music. 6-9pm, Joseph Pearce, Elm Row.

Rock and Roll Ping Pong with DJ Ding and DJ Dong. A free monthly Sunday night social. 7-11pm, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate.

St Giles’ At Six: Matthew McAllister (guitar) plays an all French programme featuring music by Francois Couperin, Francis Kleynjans, Gustave Samazeuilh and Roland Dyens. 6pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free; retiring collection.

Two of Waverley Care’s key corporate supporters have discovered that they share more than their choice of charity.

Adam Knight, General Manager of Edinburgh Playhouse met Adam Knight, Manager of Starbucks at Waverley Steps to share a cup of coffee and a chat about charity support during this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.

Both Adams are keen to generate funds for and raise awareness of the innovative work of Waverley Care in Edinburgh, with the Playhouse having adopted Waverley Care as one of its two beneficiary charities and hosting their annual Comedy Gala* and Starbucks planning to make the charity’s distinctive tartan awareness ribbons available in selected stores throughout this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.

Karen Docwra, Fundraising Manager of Waverley Care said: “We are extraordinarily lucky to have the support of both Edinburgh Playhouse and Starbucks and it’s serendipitous to be working with two people of the same name who both have such genuine enthusiasm for and understanding of all that we achieve.”

Adam Knight, General Manager of Edinburgh Playhouse, said: “The Edinburgh Playhouse is a theatre for everyone and we have a long history of supporting local charities. We are incredibly proud of our partnership with Waverley Care and the important work they do in providing care, social support and in helping to break stigmas associated with HIV and Hepatitis C.”

Edinburgh Playhouse and Starbucks are just two of a growing number of companies and organisations in the city who have chosen to work closely with Waverley Care, the leading Scottish HIV and Hepatitis C charity. Current supporters also include Harvey Nichols, who have selected Waverley Care as their charity of the year and Lloyds Banking Group, whose volunteering support has extended to gardening, bucket shaking and support for the charity’s management team. Waverley Care also enters its 24th year of partnership with Fringe venue, The Pleasance at the 2015 Fringe.

*Waverley Care’s Comedy Gala, put on for the charity by Off the Kerb, takes place at the Edinburgh Playhouse on Sunday 16th August at 7.30 pm.

Tickets for the Waverley Care Comedy Gala, Edinburgh’s biggest comedy event, are on sale now and are available to purchase in person from the Edinburgh Playhouse Box Office; over the phone by calling ATG Tickets on 0844 871 3014 or online at atgtickets.com/Edinburgh

Submitted by Karen Docwra

Should Inverness Caledonian Thistle beat Falkirk in the William Hill Scottish Cup final next weekend, manager John ‘Yogi’ Hughes will dedicate the victory to former Falkirk’ youngster Craig Gowans who was tragically killed on the training ground when a six metre high net, designed to catch stray balls,  that he was carrying came into contact with overhead power lines.

The seventeen year-old was only two weeks into his professional contract with the Bairns when the tragedy occurred. As well as being a talented footballer, Craig was a straight A pupil and talented artist at Stewart’s-Melville College, where he won the School’s Athletic Championship. He also had an unconditional offer to study Architecture at Edinburgh College of Art, but chose a career in football.

Yogi said: “It’s ten years since Craig Gowans died and to be playing Falkirk in a Scottish Cup final? The last time I managed in a Scottish Cup final it was his dad John who led the team out. And everything I do, that young kid’s my inspiration. I’ve lost people close to me, my brother, parents, and it’s different. You handle it because you have the rest of your family. With Craig, that young kid is my inspiration.

“I look at Scott Arfield and where he is now and often wonder ‘Where would the kid be?’ He was an Alan Hansen,he strolled through the game, he cruised, he was quick, strong, good passer – and he was caring and kind as well. Maybe that was the flaw in his game, he tried to help too many people, but that was his character.

“Over the years, when I feel sorry for myself, I just think of him and it gets me going again. If the cup comes back to Inverness and I get a medal, I will be dedicating it to Craig, that’s for sure. I’ll never forget him.”

“I spoke to John the other morning because for the tenth anniversary they are doing a 72-hour football marathon to get in the Guinness Book of Records. They’re a wonderful family and I always look back at him. He was a top academic, he could’ve been anything he wanted to be, but we offered him a football contract and he took it. ’

“They are a magnificent family and you can see why he had so much style and class about him. And then you look back and you say ‘tragic’.”

The football match will kick off at 3:00pm on Saturday the 4th July and will run continuously until they beat the Guinness World Record which currently stands at 72 hours. The match will consist of two teams of 11 players and 7 substitutes who will be working in shifts (night and day) to achieve their goal.

This will be the hardest psychological and physical challenge that each of the 36 players has ever undertaken; in terms of distance covered, this works out at an equivalent of approximately 9.03 marathons. Each player will be putting their bodies to the test with a maximum of 6 hours rest at a time over the period; this really will give new meaning to pouring blood, sweat and tears into achieving a goal for the greater good in the name of their friend Craig.

The UK Parliament is very new, so new in fact that the Queen’s Speech has still to be heard which it will be this coming week with all the pomp and ceremony of the State Opening of Parliament.

There is not enough room to seat all 650 MPs at the same time but senior members of the government have places and Her Majesty’s Official Opposition have theirs on the opposite side of the despatch box. The 56 SNP MPs elected at the beginning of the month now form the third largest political group in the House of Commons and they apparently tried to muscle their way into the Labour seats when Parliament convened last Monday, including trying to displace veteran Labour MP Dennis Skinner from the position which he has made his own for the length of his 45 year parliamentary career.

According to The Guardian the Father of the House Gerald Kaufman thought this behaviour reprehensible and he was moved to brand all the SNP group of MPS ‘goons’.

//

Four out of five of our Edinburgh MPs are also brand new and still getting their feet under their respective desks. Parliament first met last Monday when they went to Westminster to get their bearings and have instruction on parliamentary rules.  We asked all five Edinburgh MPs what they thought of Gerald Kaufman’s comments.

Ian Murray MP for Edinburgh South is the only Labour MP in Scotland and he has been returned to Westminster for his second term. He has just been appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, and could be described as an ‘old lag’ in comparison with the four SNP representatives. Murray told The Edinburgh Reporter what he thought about the SNP group’s actions: “I’ve found their behaviour slightly embarrassing. Many of the procedures at Parliament are in place to facilitate the smooth running of the place and ensure MPs, staff and members if the public are safe. I’m sure their constituents will reflect on whether they are in parliament to represent their constituents or to play silly games and juvenile stunts. Part of the problem is that they are being egged on by some of the more established figures in the SNP who have been MPs for some time.

“Both the Energy and Climate Change select committee, and Scottish Affairs select committee, are especially important to Scotland in this parliament.

“We will be seeing one of the major bills coming forward in the Scotland Bill on more powers for Scotland, and of course the Energy and Climate Change committee is of particular importance with our oil and gas sector and renewables industry.”

Other matters to be discussed during this Parliament will be set out in the Queen’s Speech but the House of Commons Library researchers for Members of the new Parliament in 2015 produced this briefing :

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Hibs’ Head Coach Alan Stubbs yesterday insisted that he has made progress since taking over at Easter Road last summer despite the fact that he was unable to guide the club to promotion at the first attempt.

After a brave performance against Rangers, the players were applauded off the pitch and a defiant Stubbs told a packed press conference. “Analyse the season from the day I walked in, to the last minute of the last game, and if you do that, I think you’ll see that we have made progress.

“I’m not going to say we’ve done a brilliant job because that would be going up but I think we’ve done ­reasonably well. I think the fans appreciate that. You saw the reaction they gave the players at the end and the players haven’t seen that for quite a bit. That’s an indicator.”

Stubbs will now spend the summer trying to persuade a number of his key players that their futures should be at Easter Road and if he is successful then he believes that automatic promotion will be the result. He added:  “I think that the team’s good enough. I want to try to take all these play-off games out of the ­equation and do it the way Hearts have done it this year. I honestly feel that if we can keep them together, we’ll go up automatically next year. You know me, I’m not one for making predictions I don’t believe in.

“I believe in these players, I think they’re good enough and  they’ve got their best years ahead of them and I’m quite excited by that. We just need to start again and hopefully do what Hearts did by winning the league comfortably.”

The result of this week’s play-off final could have a bearing on Hibs’ fate next season however. Should Motherwell overcome Rangers then Stubbs will have to a club with a much larger budget but that does not concern him.

lt;a href=”http://ad.uk.doubleclick.net/jump/scotsman.jp/spfl-lower-divisions;nav=sport;nav=football;nav=spfl-lower-divisions;pgid=13781699;tile=5;pos=mpu4;pos=artmpu4;sz=300×253,300×250;;gs_cat=GS_TOPIC;weathertoday=lightrain;weathertomorrow=cloudy;ord=[timestamp]?” target=”_blank”> <img src=”http://ad.uk.doubleclick.net/ad/scotsman.jp/spfl-lower-divisions;nav=sport;nav=football;nav=spfl-lower-divisions;pgid=13781699;tile=5;pos=mpu4;pos=artmpu4;sz=300×253,300×250;;gs_cat=GS_TOPIC;weathertoday=lightrain;weathertomorrow=cloudy;ord=[timestamp]?” alt=”Dynamic Dart Advertisement” /> </a>   <a href=”http://ad.uk.doubleclick.net/jump/scotsman.jp/spfl-lower-divisions;nav=sport;nav=football;nav=spfl-lower-divisions;pgid=13781699;tile=6;pos=mpu2;pos=artmpu2;sz=300×252,300×250;;gs_cat=GS_TOPIC;weathertoday=lightrain;weathertomorrow=cloudy;ord=[timestamp]?” target=”_blank”> <img src=”http://ad.uk.doubleclick.net/ad/scotsman.jp/spfl-lower-divisions;nav=sport;nav=football;nav=spfl-lower-divisions;pgid=13781699;tile=6;pos=mpu2;pos=artmpu2;sz=300×252,300×250;;gs_cat=GS_TOPIC;weathertoday=lightrain;weathertomorrow=cloudy;ord=[timestamp]?” alt=”Dynamic Dart Advertisement” /> </a>   He concluded: ” I think we’ve proved over the season we’re capable of beating anyone. If Rangers are still in this division, it would be between us and them. But I’ll relish the challenge. We’ll see over the next week or so who it is, Motherwell or Rangers.

    <a href=”http://ad.uk.doubleclick.net/jump/scotsman.jp/spfl-lower-divisions;nav=sport;nav=football;nav=spfl-lower-divisions;pgid=13781699;tile=7;pos=mpu3;pos=artmpu3;sz=300×250;;gs_cat=GS_TOPIC;weathertoday=lightrain;weathertomorrow=cloudy;ord=[timestamp]?” target=”_blank”> <img src=”http://ad.uk.doubleclick.net/ad/scotsman.jp/spfl-lower-divisions;nav=sport;nav=football;nav=spfl-lower-divisions;pgid=13781699;tile=7;pos=mpu3;pos=artmpu3;sz=300×250;;gs_cat=GS_TOPIC;weathertoday=lightrain;weathertomorrow=cloudy;ord=[timestamp]?” alt=”Dynamic Dart Advertisement” /> </a>   <a href=”http://ad.uk.doubleclick.net/jump/scotsman.jp/spfl-lower-divisions;nav=sport;nav=football;nav=spfl-lower-divisions;pgid=13781699;tile=8;pos=mpu3;pos=artmpu3;sz=300×253,300×250;;gs_cat=GS_TOPIC;weathertoday=lightrain;weathertomorrow=cloudy;ord=[timestamp]?” target=”_blank”> <img src=”http://ad.uk.doubleclick.net/ad/scotsman.jp/spfl-lower-divisions;nav=sport;nav=football;nav=spfl-lower-divisions;pgid=13781699;tile=8;pos=mpu3;pos=artmpu3;sz=300×253,300×250;;gs_cat=GS_TOPIC;weathertoday=lightrain;weathertomorrow=cloudy;ord=[timestamp]?” alt=”Dynamic Dart Advertisement” /> </a>   “The fans are back with us, we have good management and that ambition hasn’t changed for me.”

Scotland Open Gardens: Belhaven Hill School with Belhaven House. Originally called Winterfield House, the school has retained the formal garden in front of the walled garden, which is accessed through an ornate gate and archway and is laid to lawn with box-edged borders, some containing wildflowers. A gate from the playing field leads to Belhaven House Garden, which has four acres of formal Georgian gardens, walled vegetable and fruit gardens and open woodland. Owned for a while by Sir George Taylor, famous botanist and a former director of Kew. Refreshments available at the school. Both gardens are situated on Belhaven Road, Dunbar and will be open 2-5pm. £4 per person for admission to both gardens (children under 12 free), of which 40% will go to East Lothian Special Needs Play Schemes and the net remainder to SG beneficiaries.

Filmhouse Junior: films for a younger audience. This week: Fantastic Mr Fox (PG), Wes Anderson’s quirky animation of Roald Dahl’s children’s book. 11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £4 per person, big or small, and may be purchased from the Box Office on 0131 228 2688 or online here.

Storytelling: Mary, Queen of Scots. Join storytellers Fergus and Claire McNicol for an afternoon of fun stories and songs about the amazing adventures of Scotland’s most famous queen. For ages 7+. 2pm or 3pm (45 minute sessions), Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. Free: no booking required. Supported by the Friends of NGS.

Beyond the Veil Story Session: Prophet Ibrahim. Activities, story and snacks for children aged 5-10 years. 2-4.30pm, John Hope Gateway (West Gate), Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row. £3 per child: booking is essential; please email beyondtheveil@hotmail.co.uk with your name, your child’s name and age, details of any allergies your child may have, and at least one contact number. For any enquiries please contact Nasim Azed on 07795 417 030. Beyond the Veil is a Muslim Women’s Group based in Edinburgh, aiming to promote a better understanding of Islam on a basic level: ‘we believe it is through integration and partnership that understanding on a reciprocal basis can be achieved’.

Cameo Vintage Sundays: classic films back on the big screen. Today: Freaks (12A) – the story of a travelling circus of freaks who exact a terrible revenge on a beautiful trapeze artist and her strong-man lover after one of their number is nearly murdered for his fortune.  1pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0871 902 5723.

Scotland’s Open Gardens: 20 Blackford Road. A Victorian Walled Garden designed for all year colour, structure and interest. Mature trees and box hedging with a wide range of mixed beds of shrubs and herbaceous plants. Refreshments available. 2-5pm, 20 Blackford Road, EH9 2DS. £4 per person, of which Retired Greyhoud Trust – Edinburgh will receive 40%, with the remainder going to SG beneficiaries.

Sofi’s Nocturnes: weekly open stage hosted by Matt Norris and Arno Blok. Unplugged and intimate – all acts welcome, including music, spoken word and anything else you’d like to perform. House guitar available. A free drink for all performers! 8-10pm, Sofi’s Bar, Henderson Street.

Scotland’s Open Gardens: 61 Fountainhall Road. Large walled town garden in which trees and shrubs form an architectural backdrop to a wide variety of flowering plants. A collection of hellebores and triliums, several alpine beds and three ponds with a lively population of frogs. Refreshments available. 2-5pm, 61 Fountainhall Road, EH9 2LH.  £4 person, of which 40% will go to Froglife and the net remainder to SG beneficiaries. For further information please contact Mrs Annemarie Hammond on 0131 667 6146.

Hidden Door x Bongo: Alternative Orchestra After-Party. Live sets from Black Diamond Express and special guests, followed by DJs and dancing till late. 10pm-2am, The Bongo Club, Cowgate. Tickets cost £7 on the door sta (free with Hidden Door combined tickets).

Me & T Monthly: a supportive space for people who have friends, family or partners who are transgender or exploring their gender – an opportunity to meet others who may have similar experiences, questions or concerns. 2-4pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please contact me.and.t.edinburgh@gmail.com at any time.

Scotland’s Open Gardens: Dr Neil’s Garden. Secluded, landscaped garden on the lower slopes of Arthur’s Seat, featuring conifers, alpines, physic garden, herbaceous borders and ponds. Also Thomson’s Tower with the Museum of Curling and beautiful views across Duddingston Loch. Refreshments available. 2-5pm, Dr Neil’s Garden Trust, Old Church Lane, Duddingston Village, EH15 3PX. Please park at the kirk car park on Duddingston Road West then follow signs. £3 per person, of which 40% goes to Dr Neil’s Garden Trust and the remainder to SG beneficiaries.

St Giles’ At Six: William Jewell College Concert Choir, Missouri. An eclectic programme featuring works by composers from around the world. Conductor: Anthony J Maglione, organist: Ann Marie Rigler. 6pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free: retiring collection.

Canonmills Bridge

Planning applications of the week

Last chance to see

Film in the City

Hidden Door

The owners of the buildings where Earthy stands on Canonmills Bridge have applied for permission to demolish them, and there is only a short time remaining within which any comments or objections may be made.

Permission was granted in 2013 for a mixed use development of 2 restaurants, 6 flats and 3 townhouses on the piece of land which is described as a ‘triangular site  currently occupied by a two storey building with a pitched roof’. There is also some land beneath which is used for storage and car parking, although the north and western boundaries are formed by the Water of Leith. The buildings will therefore be much taller than those currently in place, making this a fairly dominant development.

But in any case has the time for serious objections to development here not already passed? The Broughton Spurtle certainly thought so when it reported the last planning application for this site last year when the owners applied to change the use to retail along with the construction of 9 homes. Seven members of the public have commented on this application

One of the 150 objectors to last year’s application proferred his view: “This new application will place an extremely poor quality design in an iconic location which provides gateway views towards Calton Hill.”

You can see where the site would extend to in the photos prepared by architects Fouin & Bell below:

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BT Openreach have lodged applications to install telecoms apparatus 26 metres southwest of 229 Oxgangs Road North, 44 metres South Of 12 Laverockdale Crescent Edinburgh

An application has been made for 138 houses at 20 Newhaven Place Edinburgh EH6 4UJ on behalf of Forth Ports.

Another interesting application is that made by Starbucks for 120 Princes Street where they wish to change the lighting on the front elevation so that the historic features there are ‘dusted by green LED lights”. Our interest was sparked by the apparent typo in the listing which suggests that the application is for a lightning scheme!

All of these are contained in this week’s planning papers which you can access on the council website by clicking here.

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This exhibition at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art 2 will finish today.

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If you are a film fan then you might want to put some dates in your diary now for June. The programme launch for the Edinburgh International Film Festival between 17 & 28 June will take place at the Filmhouse this Wednesday morning and we will bring you news of that live from the venue.

But This is Edinburgh have organised some other film offerings in the weekends leading up to the premieres and red carpets of EIFF with some real gold in the line-up whether it is in the Grassmarket or St Andrew Square. But to watch these films you will be expected to bring your own snacks and rug to sit on as the films are being shown on a big outdoor screen.

Read more here.

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HRH The Princess Royal officially opened Scotland’s First World War Centenary Wood in the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh, unveiling a stone structure created as a space to rest, reflect and remember those who lived through the First World War.

Her Royal Highness also planted a rowan tree to complete a grove within the woods dedicated to the hundreds of soldiers from Leith who died in the Quintinshill Rail Disaster. Rowan, known in folklore as the traveller’s tree, was chosen to remember those who never returned from the long journey from Scotland to the front lines.

While Her Royal Highness planted the tree, fiddler Thoren Ferguson played a specially written tune entitled ‘The Lads of Quintinshill, 1915’ on a violin crafted from a sycamore branch sourced from the grounds of Costorphine Hospital in memory of war poet Wilfred Owen.

Photos  : Helen Pugh Photography

T : 07837 533051

Films are big in Edinburgh this June with the Edinburgh International Film Festival taking place between 17 & 28 June and now some free outdoor cinema in the Grassmarket and St Andrew Square.

There has been some poor weather at outdoor screenings in recent years so we must hope that the weather gods are kinder this time round.  (nothing worse than soggy grass to sit on!)

On 6 & 7 June you can enjoy musicals including Mary Poppins, West Side Story and Dirty Dancing in the Grassmarket, where you can also get involved with dance workshops led by Dance Base teaching you how to boogie on down just like the stars of the films. And yes don’t tell everybody but they are also going to show Mamma Mia!

This will be followed by films such as Indiana Jones, Willy Wonka, Guardians of the Galaxy, Life of Pi and Brave on 12 to 14 June in St Andrew Square.

Roddy Smith, Chief Executive of Essential Edinburgh said: “This is the fourth year we have brought outdoor screenings to St Andrew Square Garden, and as part of the This is Edinburgh campaign we have been able to expand this wonderful event to include the Grassmarket for the second year running.

“The outdoor screenings have always been incredibly popular and create an amazing buzz around the city in the run up to the world famous EIFF. When it comes to creating an atmospheric, cinematic backdrop, there are few places in the world that can compete with Edinburgh’s city centre.”

As well as the outdoor films the bars restaurants and retailers in the area will support Film in the City with a range of special offers.

You can join in by  recreating your favourite film moment in the capital using #MyFilmMoments on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Vine. The best entries will be shown at the film screenings and the winner will get two tickets to the VIP screening on the closing night of EIFF for Scott Graham’s Iona on 28 June with entry to the EIFF closing night party.

No reserved seating at either venue so you are urged to bring a rug and a picnic and settle yourselves down for a cinematic treat or two. Some films later in the day may carry certificates making them suitable only for older audiences so the organisers ask you to check the certification for each film if you have younger children with you.

Film in the City screenings and times:

Let’s Face the Music and Dance, Grassmarket, Edinburgh

Saturday 6 June

11.30 Happy Feet (U)

13.50 West Side Story (PG)

16.50 Grease 2 (PG)

19.15 Dirty Dancing (12)

Sunday 7 June

12.00 Mary Poppins (U)

14.50 Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (U)

17.00 Step Up (PG)

19.15 Mamma Mia (PG)

St. Andrew Square Garden, Edinburgh City Centre

Friday 12 June

17.00 Flash Gordon (PG)

19.00 Guardians of the Galaxy (12)

21.15 Raiders of the Lost Ark (12)

Saturday 13 June

10.00 Lilo & Stitch (U)

11.45 Brave (PG)

13.40 The Sound of Music (U)

16.45 Restless Natives (PG)

18.30 Life of Pi (PG)

21.00 Ghost (12A)

Sunday 14 June

11.00 The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (U)

12.50 How to Train Your Dragon 2 (PG)

14.50 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (PG)

16.50 The Princess Bride (PG)

18.50 Mean Girls (12A)

20.50 Batman (15)

For further details on all the Film in the City events and activity or to download the Edinburgh Movie Map visit: www.thisisedinburgh.com#EdinFilm #MyFilmMoments

Hibs will spend next season in the Championship despite a brave performance against Rangers at Easter Road this afternoon.

Head Coach Alan Stubbs made one change to the starting XI that lost 2-0 in the first leg at Ibrox on Wednesday with Dylan McGeouch replacing Scott Robertson who dropped down to the bench.

Rangers boss Stuart McCall also made one change, bringing back the experienced Lee McCulloch in place of Nicky Clark.

There was an impeccably observed minute’s silence before kick off to remember the Quintinhill Rail disaster.

The Rangers’ fans occupied only a third of the south stand with the remaining seats lying empty ensuring that the home support could make themselves heard and this plan worked with Easter Road bouncing.

Hibs exploded out of the starting blocks and had an early penalty claim denied when the ball clearly struck a Rangers defenders hand, before Liam Fontaine headed just over from a Scott Allan corner.

Fraser Fyvie ,Jason Cummings and Liam Craig all had shots saved then in the 10th minute David Gray sent a dangerous cross into the six yard box but Cummings was unable to turn the ball into the empty net.

Hibs continued to press forward and dominated possession but the Rangers defence held firm.

Hibs almost scored in the 52nd minute when Allan’s cross found Dominique Malongs unmarked on the penalty spot but the striker’s volley flew inches past the post.

Two minutes later Malonga picked up the ball at the corner of the box and cut inside before firing a fierce shot toward the bottom right hand corner but Cammy Bell produced a world class save.

Rangers then started to waste time to the annoyance of the Hibs’ fans and Haris  Vuckic was booked for a blatant dive in the penalty box.

Stubbs then threw caution to the wind and Hibs ended the game with four forwards on the pitch after Farid El Alagui and Franck Dja Djedje replaced Liam Craig and Lewis Stevenson.

In the dying minutes, Ian Black was shown a yellow card for time wasting and the referee added five minutes of injury time,

With seconds remaining, Hibs managed to score when after a stramash in the penalty box, the ball fell to Cummings who calmly lobbed the ball into the top corner of the net with Bell helpless.

The Hibs’ players left the field to a standing ovation from their fans, but in the end it is Rangers who will progress to meet Motherwell in the play-off final next week.

Hibs: Oxley, Gray, Hanlon, Fontaine, Stevenson, McGeouch, Allan, Craig, Fyvie, Malonga, Cummings. Subs: Cerny, El Alagui, Stanton, Handling, Robertson, Djedje, Dunsmore

Rangers: Bell, Foster, Zaliukas, McGregor, Wallace, Shiels, Law, Vuckic, Murdoch, Miller, McCulloch. Subs: Robinson, Smith, Black, Walsh, Ferguson, Boyd.

Attendance 14,742

Police in Edinburgh will have a policing operation present this weekend to keep the public safe during the playoff semi-final second leg match between Hibernian v Rangers.

Over 12,000 spectators are expected to attend at Easter Road Stadium today for the game, which kicks off at midday, and a significant police presence will be in place to identify anyone in possession of alcohol, fireworks or flares.

Anti-social drinking in the surrounding streets will also not be tolerated and officers will be enforcing the Edinburgh by-law in this regard.

In addition, police will be assisting stewards to carry out searches outside the ground to prevent illegal or prohibited items being smuggled in, including explosive or combustible materials.

Fans from both sides are urged to ensure their behaviour during the match does not put themselves or others in danger.

Superintendent Phil O’Kane said: “This is a significant fixture in the SPFL Championship play-offs for both clubs and we want all supporters to enjoy the day.

“Police will be patrolling around the stadium with a focus on stopping anti-social street drinking and fans will be subject to searches as a condition of entry to the ground.

“Police Scotland is committed to keeping people safe and while the behaviour of the vast majority of Hibs and Rangers fans is exemplary, the reckless conduct of a small minority could place others in danger.

“Anyone found to be in possession of these items, or any other objects that are not permitted within the stadium, will be refused entry and may face further police action.”

It’s fair to say that Alan Stubbs’ insistence that Hibs can overcome a two goal deficit to Rangers has been received with some scepticism in the Scottish media, but that was nothing compared to the ridicule heaped on another Easter Road manager who made a similar boast almost 50 years ago.

On 29 November 1967, Italian giants Naples arrived in the capital in confident mood with a 4-1 lead from the first leg of an Inter Cities Fairs Cup tie. The fact that they had the best goalkeeper in the world, Dino Zoff, may have added to their belief, but Hibs’ boss Bob Shankly, brother of Liverpool’s Bill, told anyone who would care to listen that his players were more than capable of progressing.

The Naples’ manager however was less than convinced with Shankly’s bravado and decided to leave his star striker Jose Altafini back in Italy to prepare for a forthcoming league game, a decision he would soon regret.

Naples won the toss and decided to play ‘down the slope’.

Hibs attacked from the off and Easter Road erupted in the fifth minute when full back Bobby Duncan scored what many believe to be the finest goal ever scored at the famous old stadium. Picking the ball up in midfield, Duncan beat off two challenges and struck an unstoppable left foot shot into the top corner of the net from a distance which increases every time the story is told. (The papers reported it as 25 yards but my memory is that is was at least 40)

Two minutes later Hibs were denied a penalty when Peter Cormack was brought down inside the box but referee Antonio Rigo from Malorca inexplicably awarded an indirect free kick.

The Italians reverted to illegal tactics and Eric Stevenson was lucky to escape serious injury after a particularly bad foul by Nardin and the Hibs’ winger had to have his knee bandaged.

Pat Quinn, Alan McGraw and Colin Stein all went close as Hibs bombarded the Naples’ goal then with half time approaching, Stein’s determination paid off when he cut the ball back into the path of Quinn who raced in and hit a low hard shot which flew into the net off the post.

In the 67th minute Cormack rose to head the ball into the net from a Scott corner, then two minutes later, with the fans chanting ‘Easy Easy’ Pat Stanton made it 4-0 with a fine header.

The Italians were stunned and with 15 minutes remaining, Gerardo was ordered off  kicking Stevenson as both players were on the ground.

In the 79th minute a Naples’ clearance was intercepted by Stein who raced through to hammer the ball past Zoff for the fifth time.

After the game a delighted Bob Shankly said: “I thought from what I had seen in Naples that we could do it but never quite so comfortably as this. A wonderful result for us.”

Bobby Duncan said: ” This was my first ever goal – and from my left foot too. I could hardly believe it as I saw the ball sailing into the net.”

Naples President Signor Lauro said: ” Hibs were anther team altogether from the one we met in Naples. Their power, their force and their speed were too much for us.”

Hibs’ star Scott Allan  who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a youth player will talk to children and young people on how he manages his condition as a sportsman at a  special event at Easter Road on Monday evening.

The event, which is the first in a series of health promotion activities planned by the Hibernian Community Foundation and NHS Lothian, will be attended by close to 100 children who have been diagnosed with diabetes and their families.

Allan was recently named PFA Scotland Championship Player of the Year, proving that the condition does not need to stand in the way of a successful sporting career.

The popular midfielder told the club website: “I am delighted to be asked to provide positive messages to young people with diabetes. If they can draw some extra energy from meeting with me and having a conversation about how I manage my diabetes then that is fantastic. The fact that so many people want to come along is really humbling.”

Leeann Dempster, Chief Executive of Hibernian FC and a Director of the Hibernian Community Foundation, said: “Scott is a high profile professional athlete and sportsman who has managed to build a successful career despite being diagnosed with diabetes.

“He manages the condition very successfully, even during matches, and because of the help and support he has received is keen to help children and young people with diabetes understand the condition, how it can be managed better, and how much can be achieved despite it. Scott approached us to say he was keen to help in any way that he could, and to raise awareness of diabetes.”

Dr. Alan Jaap, Consultant in Diabetes, NHS Lothian, said: “Around 4% of the population of Lothian have diabetes – which although is a life-long condition, as Scott has proved, it does not need to stop you living a full and normal life.

“I’m sure Scott will act as an inspiration and positive role model for all of the youngsters attending.”

This event is by invitation only and promises to be hugely beneficial – making a difference to the lives of local children with diabetes.

There will be a minute’s silence prior to kick off at Easter Road today to remember those who lost their lives in the Quintinshill Rail Disaster.