Two people have been arrested and charged under the Misuse of Drugs Act after police in Edinburgh recovered a quantity of controlled drugs in the North of the city.

Officers carried out an intelligence-led search of an address in Ferry Road yesterday (Tuesday) where they seized around 28grams of Diamorphine along with various items of drug paraphernalia.

A number of diazepam tablets and £910 in cash were also removed from the property.

The total value of the recovered Diamorphine is around £3,000.

A 32-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman are scheduled to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.

Chief Inspector Sara Buchanan, Local Area Commander for North Edinburgh said: “Whenever the public alert us to ongoing drug crime in their area we will respond appropriately to bring those responsible to justice.

“If you wish to report any criminal activity within your community then please contact your local policing team, call 101 or make an anonymous report via the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

The latest group of young Edinburgh and Falkirk volunteers graduated from Scotland’s first canal college at an awards ceremony held at Polwarth Parish Church beside the Union Canal on Wednesday 17^th December.

The young people, aged between 16-25 years, and their volunteer mentors, celebrated completing the 14 week heritage skills training programme designed by the Scottish Waterways Trust to help address youth unemployment in Edinburgh and Falkirk.

The £400,000 canal college, which will run for two years up until June 2015, is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the European Union Interreg IVB North West Europe project ‘Green & Blue Futures’, Scottish Natural Heritage and Scottish Canals.

The next canal college programme will begin in January. To find out more or register, please contact Danielle Moore on 07795 645 683.

Hogmanay Bookbug! Songs and rhymes for young children. 10.30-11am, Oxgangs Library, 343 Oxgangs Road North.

NMS Hogmany Ceilidh! Enjoy an afternoon of whirling and birling for all ages with the Canongate Cadjers Ceilidh Band. 2-3.30pm, Grand Gallery, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Free. ‘It’s enthusiasm not experience that counts!’

Aerial View: A Guid New Year with STV (U). Go on a trip into STV’s past and open the archives to see how the broadcaster celebrated Hogmanay in 1957 and 1978. STV had been on the air for just four months when it screened its first Hogmanay Outside Broadcast in 1957, live from Glasgow Cross. Rai Purdy is your genial host for a look back at the year’s news, alongside comedy from Mike and Bernie Winters and interviews with members of the public – look out for a Glasgow tram! Fast-forward to Cowcaddens in 1978 for the astonishing, disco-infused, Out With The Old, In With The New. Hosted by former Saint Iain Ogilvy, this music and comedy extravaganza features some ‘wonderful Scottish girls’ – Beryl Reid, Amy MacDonald, Una McLean, Molly Weir and Lulu, while Rikki Fulton makes a cameo appearance. ‘When the girls start dancing, you won’t believe your eyes….’ The screening will be introduced by Jonathan Melville, Edinburgh arts journalist and curator of Aerial View, bringing TV programmes to the big screen. 1pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Book online or call the box office on 0131 228 2688. Part of the Filmhouse’s Scotland Galore! season.

Serenity Hogmanay with Nobby Clarke and Friends: bring in the New Year with ex-Bay City Roller Nobby and friends. Serenity Cafe, 8 Jackson’s Entry, The Tun, 111 Hollywood Road: call cafe for times. £5 per person. Serenity is Scotland’s first Recovery Cafe, run by people in recovery for people in recovery, and for public customers who want good value, good quality food in a relaxed space. All events are drink and drugs-free and are family friendly. For more  information call the cafe on 0131 556 8765.

Masquerade Party at Sofi’s! Dress code: masked. 7pm-3am, Sofi’s Bar, 65 Henderson Street. Tickets cost £7 and can be pre-ordered (strongly advised) from Sofi’s, in person, by emailing sofis@bodabar.com or by calling 0131 555 7019.

Hogmanay Hat and Wig Party with DJs Nik Nak. 7pm(doors open – Nik Nak from 10pm)-3am, Victoria Bar, 265 Leith Walk. Free tickets available from the bar: call 0131 555 1638 or email Victoria@bodabar.com.

New Year’s Eve Watchnight/Candlelight Service: inside for the service – outside in time to watch the fireworks! 11.15-11.55pm, St Cuthbert’s Parish Church, Lothian Road.

Tonight’s the night

Edinburgh’s Christmas is blowing you kisses

Leith Bridge Project

First same sex marriages will take place today

The men in charge of the fireworks

Tonight is THE big night for partying in the city centre.

If you are going out in town then do make sure you know how you are going to get home again. There are free buses from Queensferry Street after the partying and concerts in Princes Street. Details here.

Remember the advice not to take any glass with you and wrap up warm!

If you get any photos of the fireworks then will you share them with us and our readers? Use our sister site EdinburghReportage by clicking here.

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Today you may be entitled to a freebie on the rides at Edinburgh’s Christmas (except the Santa Grotto) as all you need is to have a piece of mistletoe with you.  Produce this and you may get one of the 450 free tickets available today between 10am and 5pm.

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Greener Leith discusses the interesting possibility of the Leith Bridge project and how much it might cost here and the report on the possible future project is accessible here.

Leith is one of the areas of the city where car ownership is among the lowest and what is being proposed is a project based on the hugely successful High Line in New York or the Viaduc des Arts in Paris where we shot this tiny little time lapse in the autumn. These are areas above the city’s streets where you may promenade or use the walkway for exercise or active travel.

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Walkway above the Viaduc des Arts from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

Either way it would be a novel project which is worthy of some discussion and some of your attention if you are at all interested in the Leith area of the city.

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Same sex couples can now marry today if they have given 15 days notice of their intention to do so. We interviewed one couple who will be among the first to get married. Good luck Georgie and Stacey!

Watch our interview here.

[vimeo 114659404 w=500 h=281]

The Edinburgh Reporter NEWS Same sex marriage legal from today from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

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Toby Alloway and Simon Page from Titanium Fireworks are both pretty unassuming characters, but they are in charge of the fireworks display tonight at Edinburgh Castle.

The Edinburgh Reporter spoke to them earlier in the week to find out what preparations they have made.

[vimeo 115593458 w=500 h=281]

The Edinburgh Reporter NEWS from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

You can share your fireworks photos or videos with our readers here on our sister site EdinburghReportage. We look forward to seeing them!

Photo courtesy of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay – Chris Watt

Sue Bruce, Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council, has been made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, in recognition of her long and distinguished career in local government.

The announcement has been made within the New Year’s Honours list which will be published tomorrow. The Edinburgh Reporter would like to add our warm congratulations to Ms Bruce.

Sue Bruce said: “This honour is something that I never expected to receive and as a lifelong public servant, it is a tremendous privilege to be recognised in this way.

“From my first job as a Youth & Community Worker for Strathclyde Regional Council back in 1976,  I have been hugely proud to dedicate myself to local government and am now in my 39th year of public service.

“Serving as Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council, particularly during such a challenging and exciting time for the capital, has undoubtedly been the pinnacle of my career.

“Of course, I couldn’t have got as far as I have without the support of the people around me and this honour is as much for them as it is for me.”

Lord Provost Donald Wilson said: “Sue has successfully tackled some key challenges during her time as Chief Executive and has achieved real progress for the Council.

“From the outset, she has worked tirelessly, way beyond her role and normal expectations of a Chief Executive, particularly in relation to charity work and measures to enhance the prospects of children and young people in our city.”

Ellen Muir, Head Teacher at Pilrig Park School, has also been honoured with a Member of the Order of the British Empire as well as Yvonne Ramsay who founded Kinsfolkcarers.

The Edinburgh Reporter’s Mike Smith clearly wasn’t impressed with what was on television over Christmas. Well, he isn’t impressed any other day of the year so why should Christmas be any different…?

It is, perhaps, another sign of being a fifty something that one of the many gripes I have about life is the lack of entertainment one can glean from television programmes these days. Christmas Day merely underlined just how much tosh is produced for the small screen in an age when celebrities rule (for celebrity this can also mean non-entity) and people with next to no talent can achieve ‘fame’ On Christmas Day the terrestrial channels in the UK – BBC, ITV and Channels Four and Five – had schedules so bland it made my partner Marion’s attempt at Christmas dinner look positively drooling… (if you’re reading this, dearest, you know I’m only kidding. Does anyone know the name of a good lawyer..?) In years gone by, the BBC and ITV would put their Christmas Day faith in a big family entertainment show such as Morecambe and Wise or The Two Ronnies or a big film such as the latest James Bond release. ITV’s major offering this year – apart from the obligatory hour long episode of Coronation Street – was Downtown Abbey while the BBC went with the tried – or should that be tired? – and trusted Dr. Who (and the obligatory hour long episode of EastEnders) Predictably, both BBC and ITV stuck with a format that had brought above average ratings earlier in the year with special Christmas Day showings of Strictly Come Dancing and New You’ve Been Framed. In case any of their viewers didn’t realise it, ITV helpfully added ‘At Christmas’ to their programme title…

Add Paul O’Grady, The Queen’s Garden – right after the Queen’s Speech at 3.00pm – and the pantomime soap opera that is Emmerdale on ITV and Miranda, Call the Midwife (so a double dose of Miranda Hart – cheers…) and Mrs Brown’s Boys on BBC and the Christmas Day television fare was as banal as turkey and Brussel sprouts. Am I the only person who just doesn’t ‘get’ Mrs Brown’s Boys? A middle-aged Irishman dressed as a woman who swears a lot seems to be quite popular. Why this is so, I’m not quite sure…

The other terrestrial channels were no better. Channel Four showed a 26 year old Tom Hanks film – Big – and Alan Carr – Chatty Man who is about as palatable as a large plate of undercooked sausages wrapped in bacon. Channel Five showed a 46 year old film, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and a Chas and Dave Knees up – from 1982…

Boxing Day was little better. Naturally, Coronation Street and EastEnders were back on. Both the BBC and ITV resurrected ‘old favourites’ from years ago with Still Open All Hours on the Beeb and Birds of a Feather on ITV. If you tried your best to avoid Alan Carr on Christmas Day, then those crafty schedulers at Channel Four repeated the Chatty Man on Boxing Day. What joy…Meanwhile, Channel Five was stuck in the 1970s with Morecambe and Wise, Tommy Cooper’s Christmas Special and Carry on Christmas being given prime time slots. This would have been required viewing in 1974 but in 2014 it merely compounded the sadness of the festive schedules. In today’s age of multi-channel television with satellite and Freeview channels aplenty there is certainly more choice of viewing than when I was a lad. But, sadly, it means there is more rubbish on than ever before. As Christmas has proved for the umpteenth year in a row. On Wednesday it’s Hogmanay. No wonder we turn to alcohol at this time of the year…

Happy New Year, dear reader! (hic!)

Hearts unbeaten start to their league campaign in the SPFL Championship – at the halfway stage in the season the Gorgie club are an astonishing 15 points clear of second-placed Rangers, the pre-season favourites for the title – has rightly earned plaudits from around the country. Even from across the capital city where Hibernian boss Alan Stubbs heaped praise on his city rivals – before saying his team would look to end Hearts unbeaten run when the pair meet in the New Year derby at Tynecastle this Saturday. A photograph of Stubbs in the national press clenching his fist under the headline ‘The Jambos Are Next’ and his assertion that Hearts can only throw away the Championship given their commanding lead, seemed to be a case of the former Celtic and Everton defender starting the mind games ahead of the capital city clash. Hearts Head Coach Robbie Neilson, however, is maintaining the stance he has adopted since the first game of the season when his team defeated Rangers at Ibrox – namely, he is not looking any further than the next game.

It’s an attitude Neilson is eager to instil in his players and if centre forward James Keatings is anything to go by, the Hearts chief, nicknamed The Tackle after his heroics in the 2006 Scottish Cup final triumph over Gretna, is certainly getting his message across.

Keatings netted the only goal in Saturday’s win over Livingston and his fourth goal in four games has seen the player – who passed up an opportunity to play in the SPFL Premiership with Hamilton Academical to sign for Hearts – become joint top goalscorer at Tynecastle.

Keatings has become a favourite with the Maroon Army, possibly because he’s the sort of player who works tirelessly for the team and never lets his head go down when faced with a setback. This was proved at the weekend when, early in the game, he scooped a chance wide from six yards and then missed a penalty kick. However, while some players might have put it down to ‘one of those days’ and let others take responsibility, Keatings kept working and was rewarded when he drove home the only goal of the game after being set up by Billy King.

“Scoring is what I was brought here to do,” Keatings told the official Hearts website. “Four goals in four games is a good record, but I should have more. The chance at the back post and the penalty were unfortunate, it’s just one of those things. When I played for Hamilton, I took all the penalty kicks and scored them all. But I’ve missed two here. I was glad to be able to make up for it with the goal.

“You just need to get it out of your head as quickly as possible. If you let it get to you it’ll affect your game, so I focused on getting into the right positions again because I knew I’d get another chance. I’m off penalties now though, the boys have caned me for the miss, so someone else can get a shot.”

Like his manager, Keatings played down the significance of Hearts opening up a 15 point lead at the top of the table, following Rangers crushing defeat at Easter Road. “We don’t care what Rangers and Hibs, or any other teams do. It’s only down to one team, and that’s us, no matter what. If we win all our remaining games we will win the league. And we’re remaining focused on winning games.”

A mouth-watering Edinburgh derby would seem the best way to start 2015. And James Keatings will be looking to make it five games in a row that he has found the net. If he does, his stock among the Hearts support will rise even higher.

If you are a fan of The Good Wife then you will know him as Eli Gold who has all the answers for every situation, and on Broadway right now he is starring with Emma Stone in Cabaret. Alan Cumming is a Scottish actor of considerable stature who warmed the cockles of our hearts in Who Do you Think you Are? when he traced his family roots, and who also has just published his autobiography Not My Father’s Son: A Family Memoir (2014) which tells us more about that whole experience. But now we have him (or at least a portrait of him) right here in the middle of Edinburgh.

The portrait by Christian Hook is to replace the portrait of The Queen on the ground floor of the gallery.

An impressive, unconventional and vibrant portrait of the actor, this is the result of a nationwide artistic competition, and it is displayed for the first time today at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.

Alan Cumming OBE is an outstanding Scottish actor, who enjoys an international reputation. He studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow and has appeared to critical acclaim in numerous films, television programmes and plays in Scotland, London and New York, where he now lives. He has also forged a reputation as a highly successful writer.

This portrait is the winning commission for the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of The Year 2014 competition. The artist, Christian Hook, who is from Gibraltar, studied at Middlesex University, and has lectured on the art of Illustration at the Royal College of Art. The competition lasted ten months and involved heats being held around the country in order to find new portrait painters. As the winner, in addition to securing this prestigious commission which now enters the collection of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Hook has received a year’s supply of art materials. He painted Alan Cumming in New York; the actor is depicted on stage, before a row of footlights, with a top hat before him, which refers to his role in Cabaret. Other details, such as his chosen tartan, allude to Cumming’s political convictions, as a supporter of Scottish independence.

Sky Arts Portrait Artist of The Year 2014 airs on Sky Arts 1 at 8pm on Tuesdays. A special episode detailing Christian Hook’s experiences of painting Alan Cumming – Portrait Artist of the Year: Painting Alan Cumming – will air tonight. The presenters of the series, Joan Bakewell and Frank Skinner, along with Alan Cumming and Christian Hook, were filmed at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery for the series finale.

Christopher Baker, Director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery commented: “This extraordinary portrait celebrates the art of performance. It’s a remarkable tribute to a widely admired actor and an impressive work of painterly drama, which displays the skills of a talented artist, whose work will now become more widely recognised.”

The Standard Life Investments Pooled Pension Property Fund along with joint venture partners, Peveril Securities, has secured a deal to pre-let the entire office space in the new £75m St Andrew Square development in Edinburgh, two years before construction completes.

The lease of 6 St Andrew Square is the largest pre-let of prime grade A office space in central Edinburgh and the largest Edinburgh office letting deal for a decade.

The fund has leased 108,000 sq ft of office space over five floors on a 15 year agreement to global asset manager, Standard Life Investments at an average rent of over £30 per sq ft. Due to global expansion of the business, Standard Life Investments intends to use the building in addition to its existing headquarters at 1 George Street. Over 1000 people are expected to move into the offices in 2017.

The 165,000 sq ft project under construction on the South side of St Andrew Square in the heart of the city centre is owned by a joint venture of Standard Life Investments Pooled Pension Property Fund and Peveril Securities. The Fund acquired the site along with Peveril in February 2014 to create a first class, mixed-use asset that will deliver long-term income for the Fund and its investors. The development will breathe new life into a site which has lain vacant for years, creating quality stores and prestigious offices, linking Princes Street with Multrees Walk and the St James Centre. Along with the office space, around 50% of the retail space is also pre-let.

David Stewart, Fund Manager of the Standard Life Investments Pooled Pension Property Fund, said:

“This considerable pre-let reflects the quality of the development and we’re really pleased to have secured a lease for the whole of the office space at such an early stage – before construction has even started.”

Ralph Jones, Managing Director of Peveril Securities added:

Standard Life Investments was represented by Jones Lang LaSalle, whilst the joint venture of Standard Life Investments Pooled Pension Property Fund and Peveril Securities was represented by Savills.

Our photographs were taken in July 2014. The site is now cleared ready for new construction.

I came across a slip of paper in an old book, the other day, which simply said: “Books, which Miss AP Thomas will collect tonight.” It was written in beautiful, old-fashioned handwriting and probably refers to my mother who was born in 1915. It made me wonder about her early world. People then thought the war was about to end – it was only supposed to last till Christmas after all. They little imagined what the year ahead would bring.

I don’t suppose 2015 will be cataclysmic, though, of course, I can’t be sure. The old year has certainly ended under dark clouds – the Glasgow bin-lorry crash, an airliner lost in the Java Sea, a Greek ferryboat on fire. But it has also been one of those “historic” years, a year we will remember for its Referendum, its Commonwealth Games and its long dry summer. Looking forward, it’s hard to imagine 2015 will be as significant.

Let’s start with the certainties. I predict that the weather will be less predictable than ever, as climate change creeps inexorably across the planet. The winter storms will be more violent, more rain will fall, the average temperature will rise, as it has done, almost without exception, for the last decade.   Of course, we will do little or nothing to stop it, especially as the price of oil has halved in the last year.

The United Nations will try its best to warn us of our folly but I don’t expect any great news from the Climate Talks in Paris towards the end of 2015. Instead the UN will be celebrating its 70^th anniversary and holding conferences on the International Year of Light and the International Year of Soils.

It will also be reporting back on the eight Millennium Development Goals. Remember that by 2015, we were supposed to have halved the number of people living in extreme poverty, given every child a primary education, halted the spread of AIDS and malaria, halved the number of people without clean drinking water and reversed the destruction of natural resources such as forests and rare animal habitats. Less than half of these targets have been met.

Nor has the UN done well on stopping wars in Syria and Iraq and solving the eternal knot of Palestine. And, tragically, I just don’t see any progress being made in the coming year.

As to the economic outlook, the IMF is predicting a 3.3 per growth rate for the world economy. Here in Britain, the government is hoping for 2.7 per cent. Both forecasts I think are what civil servants might term “courageous”, since the Eurozone, Russian and Japanese economies are in dire straits and the Chinese forecasts are dropping with every new report. No one really has yet recovered from the bankers’ Great Recession of 2008. In Britain, we have been rebuilding on the sands of part-time, low-paid work and, with more austerity cuts coming from the Chancellor, I don’t see any streets paved with gold for many years ahead.

Of course, those on the left of British politics are hoping for a change in direction on 7 May. This interesting General Election is one of the certainties in 2015, thanks to the new system of fixed term parliaments. If the opinion polls are anything to go by, the Conservatives will lose votes to UKIP, but Labour will not win a majority either and our old friend Alex Salmond will coming storming down to Westminster with a substantial contingent of SNP MPs who will be able to put Labour into power, at a price. And that price is likely to be “Smith Plus” even more powers for the Scottish Parliament.

Here in Scotland, I expect Nicola Sturgeon’s government to finally get around to addressing the equality gap – with more taxes on the rich in form of a mansion tax and more targeted measures in deprived areas of Glasgow and Dundee. I expect too that she will quietly drop unworkable ideas like a local income tax and the abolition of corroboration.

During 2015, we will all have to come to terms with our sordid past as official inquiries are held in England, Wales and Scotland into child abuse. We will be forced to become a much more aware society and taboos over privacy and confidentiality will have to be broken.

On the environmental front, I predict that the Scottish government will come out against fracking, will hint at a new national park somewhere along the west coast, and will approve the re-introduction of beavers. That in turn will provoke a national debate over the re-introduction of the lynx and even the wolf.

As for the arts and culture, I guess Glasgow will continue to flourish – perhaps with plans for a long-awaited film studio. The Edinburgh Festival will continue to grow like Topsy and thereby lose some of its charm.

And in sport, we will see professional football clubs finally learning to balance their books, as Hearts, Hibernian and Aberdeen have been doing in recent weeks. I predict that Scotland will do better than expected in the Rugby World Cup but fail to qualify for the Cricket World Cup. The first European Games, in Bakar Azerbaijan in June will be a flop…..because no one will believe Azerbaijan is in Europe !

I wonder if even half my predictions will come true, like the Millennium Goals, or whether, at the end of the year, I will laugh at my stupidity. The glorious thing is that other events will happen, totally unpredictable events. Some of them will be horrific, others uplifting. Looking into the future is like looking into a fast flowing river, it’s fascinating, hypnotic even, and dangerous. And we are about to fall in.

The Hibernian Community Foundation have announced detaill of their latest Football Fans in Training FFIT course which is open to men aged between 35-65 with waist size of at least 38 inches.

The FFIT programme has been developed by the SPL to include the most effective approaches to weight loss and physical activity.

Designed specifically for male fans, FFIT is a 12 week plan delivered by experienced community coaches at Easter Road. Each week will consist of a different physical activity some of which include challenge football matches. These are accompanied by a ‘classroom’ sessions that will help give participants the nutritional tools to maintain long term change.

More than 2000 men have participated in FFIT across Scotland since it started in 2010 and its popularity has been cemented through the mutual support and camaraderie of participants and coaches.

Course start date and duration: 12th January 2015 – 12 weeks

Find out more: email: info@hibernianinthecommunity.org.uk or call 0131 661 1903

Torchlight Procession

Hogmanay buses

Hogmanay Ice Hockey

Massed Fiddles at the Usher Hall

At the Museum this Hogmanay

The three day event that has become Edinburgh’s Hogmanay starts today with a torchlight procession up to Calton Hill. Torches were already sold out by last week.  The arrangements are that if you wish to join in the procession then you can but you will not be able to buy a torch unless you have already done so or can get some of those available later today. The procession begins in the Old Town on George IV Bridge and makes its way to Calton Hill where there will be fireworks around 8.15pm.

Gather at George IV Bridge start position from 6.15pm
Torchlight Procession leaves George IV Bridge 7pm
Free Event to participate in Torchlight Procession
To carry a torch please book in advance:
Torch Vouchers – TORCHES SOLD-OUT
Limited availability of Torches on the day – Book NOW to avoid disappointment!
Procession from George IV Bridge to Waterloo Pl and Calton Hill
Finale Fireworks at 8.15pm approx.

Last year’s event welcomed over 35,000 participants and spectators, joining the Up Helly Aa’ Vikings, massed pipes & drums and thousands of torch carriers as they illuminate the city from the start position on George IV Bridge to the finale viewing areas at Waterloo Place and Calton Hill.

The Torchlight Procession fireworks finale can be viewed across the city and beyond!

The organisers ask you to note the following:

• Torchlight Procession is an outdoor event using wax-based torches, please dress appropriately
• Wax from torches can blow onto clothing when windy, please dress appropriately
• You don’t need to get on Calton Hill! Access to Calton Hill is limited and will be closed when full. Firework finale viewing position also from Waterloo Place.

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Details of the bus service which will get you home to Kirkliston, Ratho, Dalmeny and South Queensferry tomorrow night after the Hogmanay celebrations are here.

Stagecoach is running a free bus service leaving Edinburgh from Queensferry Street at Drumsheugh Place until the early hours.

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There is a tradition between Fife Flyers and Edinburgh Capitals to play each other on Hogmanay. Tomorrow the match is at Murrayfield which is a hop skip and a jump from the city centre by bus or tram.

Get along to Murrayfield for the Hogmanay Hockey match which starts at 4pm. Booking details on the Caps website.

Listen to Riley Emmerson the enforcer at Edinburgh Capitals here.

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 Tickets and booking details here.

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Activities for a variety of ages at the Museum over the next day or so:

Christmas Art Competition

27 – 30 December

10:30-16:30

Free (drop-in)

Be inspired by the objects in the museum and get drawing.  Take part in our popular annual art event suitable for all ages and abilities. Basic materials and lots of encouragement provided.

Hogmanay Family Celidh

31 December

14:00-15:30

Free (drop-in)

Enjoy an afternoon of whirling and birling for all ages with the Canongate Cadjers Ceilidh Band. It’s enthusiasm not experience that counts!

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay: Scot:Lands

1 January 2015

12:00-17:00

Free

Artists and musicians welcome in the New Year at surprising and atmospheric venues in Edinburgh’s Old Town and beyond. Begin your journey of discovery at the Home:Land, the National Museum of Scotland.

More information about these activities here on the museum website.

‘I Know Where I’m Going’ (U): the classic 1945 film in which a headstrong, rather proud young woman travels by train and ferry to the Hebrides to marry her wealthy fiancee – but on the way she falls under the spell of the Scottish landscape and encounters another man, with whom she falls suddenly and passionately in love. A film with ‘unique power…odd, dreamlike interludes, weird symbolism, a sense of ancient forces and the supernatural, and …alertness to the possibility of romantic love…a magical, unforgettable experience, a work of real and enduring genius’. 1pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Book online or call the box office on 0131 228 2688. Also showing at 6pm on Thursday 1st January. Part of the Filmhouse’s Scotland Galore! season.

The Death of the Fin King: Bryony Knox’s intricate metal creations will bring the ocean to life using puppetry techniques, while Erin Farley tells the tale of the struggle between fisherman Johnny Brass and the Fin King. Try out metal working and help to create the Fin King – or make something to take home – at the Fish or Fin workshops before the performance. Suitable for ages 12+ and adults. 11am-12 noon or 2-3pm, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £6/£4 and can be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579.  This event has been commissioned by Craft Scotland with support from Creative Scotland, as part of Tales In The Making.

eBook Surgery: get help with downloading free eBooks, emagazines and audiobooks. 2-3.30pm, Central Library, George IV Bridge. No appointment necessary – just drop in.

National Museum of Scotland Christmas Art Competition: be inspired by the objects in the museum and get drawing! A popular annual event for all ages and abilities – basic materials and lots of encouragement provided. 10.30am-4.30pm (drop-in), National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Last day today!

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (12A): the Oscar-winning Classic set in a private girls’ school in Edinburgh, where Maggie Smith’s headstrong teacher ignores the curriculum and influences her impressionable young charges – her Creme de la Creme – with her over-romanticised world view. 6pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Book online or call the box office on 0131 228 2688. Also showing at 1pm on Friday 2nd January. Part of the Filmhouse’s Scotland Galore! season.

A £12 million scheme which will support Scotland’s most promising clinical researchers has been launched by the Scottish Government.

Jointly funded by NHS Research Scotland (NRS), Scottish Universities and health boards, the NRS University Senior Clinical Fellowship scheme will fund up to 15 Scottish clinicians over the next 10 years in order to expand the amount of health research carried out in Scotland.

Clinical research is a valuable resource for Scotland that not only improves Scotland’s health but also drives economic growth through the country’s growing life sciences industry.

Clinical fellows from the previous scheme have brought in more than £65 million to Scotland through research awards since 2009, either through leading the research or collaborating in it.

This research in disciplines such as cardiology, oncology and psychiatry has assisted in the understanding and treatment of these conditions. Previous appointments have also boosted capacity in areas identified as needing more R&D input, such as paediatrics and toxicology.

Cabinet Secretary for Health Wellbeing and Sport, Shona Robison said:

“I very much welcome this prestigious scheme that will support Scotland’s most promising clinicians to become the health research leaders of the future.

“This scheme demonstrates the importance that we place on research within Scotland, and will help to further enhance our growing reputation as a global centre of excellence for clinical research. It reflects our manifesto commitment to explore ways of incentivising research within the NHS, building on the work of NHS Research Scotland.

“This scheme is a statement of our clear ambition for Scotland to be at the forefront of clinical research in the years to come.”

This scheme follows on from a previous clinical research initiative which successfully appointed 18 researchers, some of whom are already are leaders in their fields.

The scheme will be administered through the Board for Academic Medicine.

Professor Sir David Carter, Chair of the Academic Board for Medicine said:

“The creation of this new NRS University Senior Clinical Fellowship scheme, funded by a partnership between NHS Research Scotland, the five Scottish universities with medical schools and their associated Health Boards, provides an exciting opportunity.

“It will allow outstanding young clinical academics to make a critically important contribution to improving Scotland’s health, health service provision and economic standing.”

The iconic sight and sound of pipers playing Auld Lang Syne at Hogmanay Street Parties could be under threat – according to piping enthusiasts who are campaigning for more tuition in state schools.

More than 75,000 people are expected to descend upon Princes Street on 31 December to attend one of the world’s biggest and most famous celebrations, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party, when thousands of revellers will sing along to the famous song at midnight.

But according to David Johnston, Championships Convenor for the Scottish Schools Pipe Band, the world famous tradition could become a thing of the past unless more is done to increase the number of opportunities for state school pupils to learn how to play the pipes and drums.

David says there is also a concern in piping circles that the skills will become regionalised and elitist with many of the country’s top bands coming from rural communities or private schools.

Many of Scotland’s state schools are still not offering their pupils the opportunity to learn piping and drumming in the classroom, with Edinburgh and Glasgow viewed as the real problem areas.

David said: “The future of our national instrument is under threat because if the inability of most of Scotland’s councils to offer lessons in their schools.

“Some say there is no money for it, some say there is no demand. Yet where we have helped schools get tuition the demand is huge – and if a council can afford a glockenspiel teacher, surely they can afford to teach pipes and drums.

“In several schools across Scotland, parent councils have had to resort to take their own action to set up after school clubs and bring in teachers at their own expense to offer tutoring to their children.

“I find it disappointing that in so many Scottish state schools piping and drumming is not on the curriculum – yet many private schools have flourishing bands and dedicated pipe tutors which bring huge prestige and self-esteem to band members and to the school.

“If this worrying trend continues we won’t have any future pipers and drummers and hearing the roar of pipes and drums on Hogmanay could become a thing of the past.”

Councils in areas such as the Highlands and Argyll and Bute are known to have a significantly larger portion of their students playing the pipes and drums whilst in school than in other areas. In the largest Scottish cities, there are only a handful of pupils playing the pipes and drums and in some council areas, there are no students playing these instruments all.

The Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships – the world’s biggest schools piping competition – is looking to change this by hosting a unique competition which looks to celebrate the pipes and drums and encourage their growth in schools throughout Scotland.

Craig Munro, a piper from the hugely successful Red Hot Chilli Pipers, believes that if more state schools in Edinburgh and Glasgow were to introduce the pipes and drums into their curriculum, other schools across Scotland will follow.

He said: “It is clear that several schools are trying to get school pipe bands up and running but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get the piping and drumming onto the curriculum.

“If schools can offer students the likes of the recorder to learn music, then why not the bagpipes? It seems as though there is a lack of choice as to whether or not kids can learn the pipes and drums whilst in school. What many people perhaps don’t realise is that it is possible to build a fulfilling career from the bagpipes.”

He added: “What’s great about The Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships is that they help to raise the profile of these instruments and encourage our younger generations to learn them.”

Last year, the Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships attracted more than 400 young pipers and drummers from schools across Scotland.

The 2015 Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships are to be held at Broughton High School in Edinburgh on Sunday8 March. Schools still have until 26 January 2015 to submit an entry. For more details, please visit:www.thechampionships.org

The Edinburgh Reporter was asked up to the castle earlier today to see the preparations they are making up there for the fireworks displays on Hogmanay.

We met Simon Page and Toby Alloway from Titanium who are in charge on the night.

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The Edinburgh Reporter NEWS from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

There will be four fireworks displays fired from Edinburgh Castle and Princes Street Gardens on 31^st December – countdown fireworks at 9.00pm, 10.00pm, 11.00pm culminating in the magnificent midnight moment from Edinburgh Castle and Calton Hill.  All displays are designed and fired by Titanium Fireworks Ltd.

Share your photos or videos of the Hogmanay fireworks with our readers here on our sister site EdinburghReportage. We look forward to seeing them all!

Did You Know?

·                The Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Spectacular Midnight Moment Fireworks Display is 5 minutes long with many of the fireworks fired at the same time, but if each effect were fired individually the display would last for over four hours.

·                If you take the burst radius of all the fireworks (the circle of stars seen visible high in the sky) and line them up next to each other, the display would stretch from Edinburgh to Glasgow and back.

·                If you measure the lift height of each effect from where it is fired to where it bursts in the sky for all the fireworks effects and add them together they would reach from Edinburgh to Paris.

·                There are over 2200 individual cues delivering nearly 11,000 shots into the sky producing hundreds of thousands of stars in 18 different shades of colour.

·                It’s taken over 70 hours of design time for the Midnight Moment Fireworks display to fit perfectly with this year’s music.

·                A production team of four people have spent a combined total of 480 hours in advance preparation for the shows.  That’s before 5 days’ work begins on site in Edinburgh.

·                A crew of 14 pyrotechnicians will walk around 105 miles whilst setting up the fireworks in their positions at Edinburgh Castle, West Princes Street Gardens and on Calton Hill.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is a three day party with events for all the family, but in the words of Chief Superintendent Mark Williams who heads up Police Scotland in Edinburgh the street party is not a place for small children. As well as leaving your children at home you should also leave any glass at home too as you will not be allowed into the cordoned off city centre with any glass containers. But this does not mean you can’t have a tipple as you are allowed to bring alcohol with you, but it must be in a plastic container.

You will need a wristband to gain access anywhere near Princes Street or the gardens, but remember you can also see the fireworks at midnight from Inverleith Park and Calton Hill.

Pete Irvine of Unique Events who is in charge of all the Hogmanay celebrations said there is one change this year: “On 30 December the fireworks after the torchlight procession will be higher than ever as the launch site has been changed and they will pitch further into the night sky. We have seen a simulation of the main display for Hogmanay and it looks very special indeed.”

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The Edinburgh Reporter NEWS Edinburgh’s Hogmanay from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

Now is the time to look out your Tupperware and your thermals, although we are told the weather is set to be fair. Graeme Forrester, Senior Met Office Advisor, said: “It won’t be as cold as it has been the last couple of nights and current forecasts show it will be quite blustery with some patchy rain around through the afternoon and evening.”

Concert in the Gardens is headlined by Lily Allen, who will be joined by special guests Björn Again and Soul II Soul.  Enclosure tickets for the Concert are sold out, but there are still limited Gardens tickets available. The Waverley Stage at the Street Party will see performances from Twin Atlantic, Young Fathers and Twilight Sad while the Scottish Stage on Frederick Street will welcome Eddi Reader, Breabach and the Ross Ainslie & Jarlath Henderson band.

Free Hogmanay NightBus services will run throughout Edinburgh and the Lothians for revellers at the Street Party and throughout the City Centre, supported by Johnnie Walker and courtesy of Lothian Buses (Stagecoach are providing the services to Ratho and South Queensferry).  The services start at approximately 00:20 and run until 04:00 – details of times and routes can be found at www.edinburghshogmanay.com. These safe rides home are part of the Join the Pact global responsible drinking initiative from Johnnie Walker which has secured over one million personal commitments from people across the world to never to drink and drive.

While all tickets for The Candlelit Concert, The Enclosure at Concert in the Gardens and the Keilidh on the Mound sold out, there are still Street Party wristbands and Gardens tickets for Concert in the Gardens available – these can be booked on-line at www.edinburghshogmanay.com or on the phone on 0844 573 8455 but must be collected from the Box Office at 180 High Street, Edinburgh before 9.00pm on 31 December.   Pre-Booked torch vouchers for the Torchlight Procession are also sold out as are places at the Queensferry Loony Dook on Thursday 1^st January although spectators are most welcome at both events.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay will continue on Wednesday 1^st January with a programme of free activities for all the family.  For the hardy, the sold out Loony Dook – the annual New Year’s Day dip in the River Forth – will start off with a Dookers Parade through South Queensferry featuring pipers and a host of entertainment at 1.20pm followed by the brave (or daft) Loony Dookers. For those not quite brave enough to take the plunge, there are plenty of vantage points to watch the action and spectators are welcomed.

Revellers are also invited to come and enjoy some of the very best of art and culture from across Scotland, brought to Edinburgh’s Old Town at Scot:Lands.  Visitors can take a journey around ten atmospheric venues in the Old Town, each curated and customised by notable artists and arts organisations from all over the country.  This cultural feast, supported by the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund starts from midday.  Participants are invited to pre-register at www.edinburghshogmanay.com to be allocated a departure point at one of the two Home:Lands destinations

Hibs’ fans will have the chance to own up to 51% of the club through a new share issue which was announced at a press conference this morning.

The board also confirmed that the stadium and training facility will remain in the hands of the club, and the initiative has the backing of Hibs’ legend Pat Stanton.

A statement outlining the plan was published on the club website: “Today the Board of Hibernian Football Club is announcing its intention that supporters will have the opportunity to own up to 51% of the shares in the Club.   All money raised from supporters through this process will go direct into the Club, to help fund sporting ambition.

“Money raised will not be used to buy shares from existing shareholders.   Instead, the money raised will go into the Club in return for new shares.   Existing shareholders, including the holding company, will retain their existing shares but their percentage ownership of the Club will be reduced as new shares are issued.   New shares up to the value of £2.5m will be made available so that over time the holding company’s ownership will be diluted to less than 50% of the enlarged share capital of the Club.

“The home of Hibernian Football Club is Easter Road Stadium.   The Club has also created a state of the art Training Centre.   The property assets were valued at more than £25m in July 2014 on a depreciated replacement cost basis.   It is a fundamental part of the Board’s strategy that Easter Road Stadium and the Hibernian Training Centre will continue to be owned by the Club.

“Accordingly, supporters will have the opportunity to own shares in the Club which in turn owns Easter Road Stadium and the Training Centre and has received the cash raised by supporters.

“The plan enjoys the support of Hibernian legend Pat Stanton.

“The Club is pleased to confirm that it has agreed a settlement with Bank of Scotland and that the Club is now free of Bank debt.   That settlement was funded by new loans provided by the holding company to the Club and by a payment made direct to the Bank.   The fixed securities held by the Bank over Easter Road Stadium and the Hibernian Training Centre have been released.

“Following the settlement with the Bank, the holding company has agreed to halve the Club’s debt by converting £4.5 million of loans into new ordinary shares in the Club.   A formal written resolution to give effect to this will be sent to shareholders with the papers for the AGM.   The remaining loans will be refinanced as a single £5m mortgage provided by the holding company on terms acceptable to the Club.

“To underpin this commitment to wider supporter involvement and ownership, two new Non-Executive Directors are being elected directly by supporters.   The election process amongst the 17 candidates is underway and the two new directors will be in place by the time of the AGM on 28 January 2015.

“The Board is making these commitments following a full consultation with supporters both at a series of supporter meetings attended by over 500 supporters and based on the results of an online survey of the views of almost 4,000 supporters.

“The Board will be sending details of its plans to shareholders in the second week in January in advance of the AGM.

“Club Chairman Rod Petrie said: “The environment of Scottish football is changing including a working group set up by the Scottish Government to look at supporter involvement with football clubs.   After extensive consultations with supporters we have decided on the Hibernian Way, the right way forward for Hibernian Football Club.

“Supporters will have the opportunity to contribute directly to their Club.   The more supporters contribute then the more of the Club they will own.   And by owning the Club they will also own Easter Road Stadium and the Training Centre and the cash they raise.”

“Leeann Dempster added: “The Board’s plan is radical, a real first in Scottish football.   I think it’s daring, exciting and we now need all supporters to rally behind the plan and take the Club forward on a united footing. The opportunity exists, and now it’s up to all of us to take it and make it work.

“Supporters should not lose sight of the fact that the one thing they can always do to support the Club in its ambitions is to come along to games and support the team – through buying Season Tickets, through walk-up and through buying merchandise from the club store.

“Hibernian supporters are rightly proud of the Club and its history, and I want to assure them that the plans we have will make them even prouder in future.”

“Pat Stanton said: “A lot of people have come forward since relegation, and they’ve done so because they care passionately about our Club.   A lot has been said, and now it is the time to get behind the team, and support this plan. As far as I am concerned, the plan gives people what they have been telling me they want, a much greater stake in their Club.

“I am particularly delighted that the stadium and training centre will remain in the ownership of the Club, and therefore the supporters.  I would urge supporters to look at what is being proposed, and I think they will find it to their liking.

“Things also look to be going in the right direction where it matters most, on the park, and I would urge everyone to unite behind the Club.”

“Head Coach Alan Stubbs added: “I think supporters will really embrace the opportunity to have such a stake in their Club, and I echo Pat’s sentiments that we all need to unite behind the Club now. If we do, we can progress even faster.”

Hibs’ captain Liam Craig praised the supporters for their part in Saturday’s historic 4-0 win over Rangers at Easter Road.

The former St Johnstone player scored Hibs’ fourth in the victory, his first league goal since scoring the penalty which beat Hearts in the new year derby in front of a sell out crowd.

The rest of the year however is one that Craig want to forget. After sufferng relegation, the midfielder was told that he was no longer in the manager’s plans and that the club would not stand in his way should a suitable offer come in. Over the summer he was linked with a move to Aberdeen or back to Perth however it was Terry Butcher who left and Craig insisted that he wanted to remain to help the club back into the top flight.

When Alan Stubbs was appointed as Head Coach, one of his first acts was to assure Craig that he would remain club captain.

Speaking to Hibs TV after the Rangers game, Craig said: “Credit to the fans and players for achieving the result because it was a real team effort.

“There is no better feeling than winning that convincingly against Rangers at Easter Road – it was massive.

“We’ll enjoy it, but we’ll look forward to the next big game on Saturday.

“I think over the last three games the team has been excellent with two clean sheets.

“We’re under no illusions how hard it will be at Tynecastle, but it’s a game we’re looking forward to.

“The fans played their part too – they were excellent. As a Hibs player, to hear Sunshine on Leith after the game was a special feeling – hopefully we’ll hear them singing it again after the game on Saturday.”

Photo by John Preece

The Case of the Curious Clock. The clock did not strike. Midnight was not marked. The New Year did not arrive. Join textile artist Sarah Reay and storyteller Allison Galbraith in a workshop of textile design and story creation. Choose a piece of reclaimed fabric, create your own stories and find out if New Year ever arrives. Drop in over the course of three afternoons: each day will culminate in a short performance. For adults and children aged 8+. 1-4pm (performance 3.30-4pm daily), Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Free and unticketed. This event has been commissioned by Craft Scotland with support from Creative Scotland, as part of Tales In The Making.

National Museum of Scotland Christmas Art Competition: be inspired by the objects in the museum and get drawing! A popular annual event for all ages and abilities – basic materials and lots of encouragement provided. 10.30am-4.30pm (drop-in), National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Also at same times on Tuesday 30th December 2014.

The Snow Queen: a special performance of this classic winter tale. Let storyteller Grace Banks and glass artist Laura Reid take you on a journey as they bring the story to life using song and illustrations in glass (inspired by toy theatres). Laura will also demonstrate the various glass engraving methods, including the 16th century technique of copper wheel engraving, before each performance. For adults and children aged 8+. 11am-12 noon or 2-3pm, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £6/£4 and can be booked online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579. This event has been commissioned by Craft Scotland with support from Creative Scotland, as part of Tales In The Making.

Keith Edwards Quintet: ‘hard-bop’ swinging arrangements from Keith Edwards (sax) with Donald Corbett (trumpet/flugelhorn), plus Robert Pettigrew (piano), Jay Kilbride (bass) and Bill Kyle (drums). Their two sets include some original compositions by trumpeter Corbett, some rarely heard jazz tunes, and pieces by late, great heroes of British jazz, Londoner Tubby Hayes and Scots trumpet legend Jimmy Deuchar. 9pm, The Jazz Bar, 1a Chambers Street. £5/£4 on the door, cash only.

Movie Monday: From Scotland with Love. Made entirely of Scottish film archive, From Scotland with Love is a 75-minute film by award winning director Virginia Heath with a transcendent score by Scottish musician and composer King Creosote. ‘A journey into our collective past, the film explores the universal themes of love. loss, resistance, migration, work and play. 8pm, Sofi’s Bar, 65 Henderson Street. Free entry and free popcorn! First come, first served, so to reserve a seat either call 0131 555 7019 or send Sofi’s a Facebook message. See The Edinburgh Reporter’s article ‘Top 5 Films of 2014 – A Personal Selection‘ (of which list this film was top) here.

Lunchtime Concert

Your patch of Edinburgh

Royal Society of Edinburgh lecture

The news your way

Exercise with a professional

One for your New Year calendar. Just after things get back to normal the Eric Liddell Centre is putting on a concert.

First Monday Lunchtime Concert – Monday 5th January.  Doors Open 12.30pm 

with The Fauchdean Players – Woodwind Trio 

“The fourth of our monthly lunchtime music mini-concerts running over the winter in the Centre’s Robertson Gold Medal Suite, we are delighted to have The Faucheldean Players (Woodwind Trion) along to play.  

“It’s a simple format:  Doors open at 12.30pm, with the concert starting itself at 12.40pm.  Afterwards, there will be a light lunch served.  Entrance is just £5, payable at the door (which included lunch).  Finishes by 1.30pm.  Vegetarian lunch option available.”

 

***

Thousands of people have helped the council to create a new map of Edinburgh’s “patches” following an online consultation.

Thirty-two licensed venues from across Edinburgh celebrated recently after receiving official accreditation at the Best Bar None 2014 Awards ceremony.

The event, held at the Lothian Chambers at the end of November, marked the fourth year the awards have been held in the city.

The Edinburgh Reporter spoke to Councillor Eric Milligan and restaurateur James Thomson ahead of the presentation:

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The Edinburgh Reporter NEWS from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

The Best Bar None scheme, which is sponsored by Diageo, Molson Coors, Heineken, Tennents and Maxxium and Chivas Brothers is an integral part of the Safer Areas Initiatives throughout Scotland.

Accreditation to the scheme shows the venue and its staff have met a level of standards that assures members of the public they will be able to enjoy a safe and welcoming atmosphere.

The scheme has operated in Leith from 2011 and in the Grassmarket from 2013.  It was extended to incorporate Gorgie/Dalry this year.

 Stacey Lucas from Police Scotland, BBN Co-ordinator for Edinburgh said:

“The scheme focuses on  customer safety and care and allows each venue to demonstrate that they meet the standards set by the Government and the alcohol industry at a national level.

“The scheme  recognises and awards well managed licensed premises  and the Best Bar None award can then be used to promote their venue. The overall aim is for partner agencies; the Scottish Business Resilience Centre, City of Edinburgh Council, Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue service, to work together with the licensed premises to create a more welcoming and safer environment  within venues across the capital.

“Congratulations to all the premises who have taken part this year.”

Councillor Eric Milligan, Convener of the Edinburgh Licensing Board, presented the awards alongside renowned Edinburgh restaurateur James Thomson.

Cllr Milligan said:

“I am delighted that we have been able to extend the Best Bar None accreditation to include licensed premises within Gorgie/Dalry.

“What started out as a pilot project in Leith was confirmed and then extended to the Old Town of Edinburgh around the Grassmarket and Cowgate.

“We have now been able to extend again to Gorgie/Dalry- an area I myself represent.

I offer my congratulations to all award winners and my appreciation to all premises that subjected themselves to this accreditation.

“I hope it will be possible during my time as Licensing Board Convenor to extend this scheme throughout the whole City.

“We have the finest pubs and restaurants in the Country and I want to lift the standard of all of them’

James Thompson added:

 “Enhancing our reputation for delivering great hospitality and a warm welcome is vital to making Edinburgh and attractive place for those who live, work or visit here.

“Hospitality workers are in the front line of delivering those experiences every day. All of today’s winners and finalists have shown great commitment to improving their service and delivering it safely. They are all working hard to ensure their guests have the most enjoyable time whilst keeping them, and the wider public, safe.

“They should all be commended and I look forward to seeing next year’s group of finalists.” 

List of Winners

MONDAY 29TH DECEMBER 2014

The Case of the Curious Clock. The clock did not strike. Midnight was not marked. The New Year did not arrive. Join textile artist Sarah Reay and storyteller Allison Galbraith in a workshop of textile design and story creation. Choose a piece of reclaimed fabric, create your own stories and find out if New Year ever arrives. Drop in over the course of three afternoons: each day will culminate in a short performance. For adults and children aged 8+. 1-4pm (performance 3.30-4pm daily), Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Free and unticketed. This event has been commissioned by Craft Scotland with support from Creative Scotland, as part of Tales In The Making.

National Museum of Scotland Christmas Art Competition: be inspired by the objects in the museum and get drawing! A popular annual event for all ages and abilities – basic materials and lots of encouragement provided. 10.30am-4.30pm (drop-in), National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Also at same times on Tuesday 30th December 2014.

The Snow Queen: a special performance of this classic winter tale. Let storyteller Grace Banks and glass artist Laura Reid take you on a journey as they bring the story to life using song and illustrations in glass (inspired by toy theatres). Laura will also demonstrate the various glass engraving methods, including the 16th century technique of copper wheel engraving, before each performance. For adults and children aged 8+. 11am-12 noon or 2-3pm, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £6/£4 and can be booked online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579. This event has been commissioned by Craft Scotland with support from Creative Scotland, as part of Tales In The Making.

Keith Edwards Quintet: ‘hard-bop’ swinging arrangements from Keith Edwards (sax) with Donald Corbett (trumpet/flugelhorn), plus Robert Pettigrew (piano), Jay Kilbride (bass) and Bill Kyle (drums). Their two sets include some original compositions by trumpeter Corbett, some rarely heard jazz tunes, and pieces by late, great heroes of British jazz, Londoner Tubby Hayes and Scots trumpet legend Jimmy Deuchar. 9pm, The Jazz Bar, 1a Chambers Street. £5/£4 on the door, cash only.

Movie Monday: From Scotland with Love. Made entirely of Scottish film archive, From Scotland with Love is a 75-minute film by award winning director Virginia Heath with a transcendent score by Scottish musician and composer King Creosote. ‘A journey into our collective past, the film explores the universal themes of love. loss, resistance, migration, work and play. 8pm, Sofi’s Bar, 65 Henderson Street. Free entry and free popcorn! First come, first served, so to reserve a seat either call 0131 555 7019 or send Sofi’s a Facebook message. See The Edinburgh Reporter’s article ‘Top 5 Films of 2014 – A Personal Selection‘ (of which list this film was top) here.

TUESDAY 30TH DECEMBER 2014

‘I Know Where I’m Going’ (U): the classic 1945 film in which a headstrong, rather proud young woman travels by train and ferry to the Hebrides to marry her wealthy fiancee – but on the way she falls under the spell of the Scottish landscape and encounters another man, with whom she falls suddenly and passionately in love. A film with ‘unique power…odd, dreamlike interludes, weird symbolism, a sense of ancient forces and the supernatural, and …alertness to the possibility of romantic love…a magical, unforgettable experience, a work of real and enduring genius’. 1pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Book online or call the box office on 0131 228 2688. Also showing at 6pm on Thursday 1st January. Part of the Filmhouse’s Scotland Galore! season.

The Death of the Fin King: Bryony Knox’s intricate metal creations will bring the ocean to life using puppetry techniques, while Erin Farley tells the tale of the struggle between fisherman Johnny Brass and the Fin King. Try out metal working and help to create the Fin King – or make something to take home – at the Fish or Fin workshops before the performance. Suitable for ages 12+ and adults. 11am-12 noon or 2-3pm, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £6/£4 and can be purchased online here or by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579.  This event has been commissioned by Craft Scotland with support from Creative Scotland, as part of Tales In The Making.

eBook Surgery: get help with downloading free eBooks, emagazines and audiobooks. 2-3.30pm, Central Library, George IV Bridge. No appointment necessary – just drop in.

National Museum of Scotland Christmas Art Competition: be inspired by the objects in the museum and get drawing! A popular annual event for all ages and abilities – basic materials and lots of encouragement provided. 10.30am-4.30pm (drop-in), National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Last day today!

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (12A): the Oscar-winning Classic set in a private girls’ school in Edinburgh, where Maggie Smith’s headstrong teacher ignores the curriculum and influences her impressionable young charges – her Creme de la Creme – with her over-romanticised world view. 6pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Book online or call the box office on 0131 228 2688. Also showing at 1pm on Friday 2nd January. Part of the Filmhouse’s Scotland Galore! season.

WEDNESDAY 31ST DECEMBER 2014

Hogmanay Bookbug! Songs and rhymes for young children. 10.30-11am, Oxgangs Library, 343 Oxgangs Road North.

NMS Hogmany Ceilidh! Enjoy an afternoon of whirling and birling for all ages with the Canongate Cadjers Ceilidh Band. 2-3.30pm, Grand Gallery, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Free. ‘It’s enthusiasm not experience that counts!’

Aerial View: A Guid New Year with STV (U). Go on a trip into STV’s past and open the archives to see how the broadcaster celebrated Hogmanay in 1957 and 1978. STV had been on the air for just four months when it screened its first Hogmanay Outside Broadcast in 1957, live from Glasgow Cross. Rai Purdy is your genial host for a look back at the year’s news, alongside comedy from Mike and Bernie Winters and interviews with members of the public – look out for a Glasgow tram! Fast-forward to Cowcaddens in 1978 for the astonishing, disco-infused, Out With The Old, In With The New. Hosted by former Saint Iain Ogilvy, this music and comedy extravaganza features some ‘wonderful Scottish girls’ – Beryl Reid, Amy MacDonald, Una McLean, Molly Weir and Lulu, while Rikki Fulton makes a cameo appearance. ‘When the girls start dancing, you won’t believe your eyes….’ The screening will be introduced by Jonathan Melville, Edinburgh arts journalist and curator of Aerial View, bringing TV programmes to the big screen. 1pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Book online or call the box office on 0131 228 2688. Part of the Filmhouse’s Scotland Galore! season.

Serenity Hogmanay with Nobby Clarke and Friends: bring in the New Year with ex-Bay City Roller Nobby and friends. Serenity Cafe, 8 Jackson’s Entry, The Tun, 111 Hollywood Road: call cafe for times. £5 per person. Serenity is Scotland’s first Recovery Cafe, run by people in recovery for people in recovery, and for public customers who want good value, good quality food in a relaxed space. All events are drink and drugs-free and are family friendly. For more  information call the cafe on 0131 556 8765.

Masquerade Party at Sofi’s! Dress code: masked. 7pm-3am, Sofi’s Bar, 65 Henderson Street. Tickets cost £7 and can be pre-ordered (strongly advised) from Sofi’s, in person, by emailing sofis@bodabar.com or by calling 0131 555 7019.

Hogmanay Hat and Wig Party with DJs Nik Nak. 7pm(doors open – Nik Nak from 10pm)-3am, Victoria Bar, 265 Leith Walk. Free tickets available from the bar: call 0131 555 1638 or email Victoria@bodabar.com.

New Year’s Eve Watchnight/Candlelight Service: inside for the service – outside in time to watch the fireworks! 11.15-11.55pm, St Cuthbert’s Parish Church, Lothian Road.

THURSDAY 1ST JANUARY 2015

Edinburgh’s Hogmany: Scot: Lands. Artists and musicians will welcome in the New Year at surprising and atmospheric venues in the Old Town and beyond. Begin your journey at the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street: discover exciting new worlds and enjoy the very best of music, art and theatre created and curated by Scotland’s most innovative artists and musicians. This event is part of Edinburgh’s Hogmany and is free, but was very popular in 2014 so advance registration is now required via eventbrite. There will be two departure points, and yours will be emailed to you when you have registered: the event will require walking between venues. At NMS, events will take place 12.30-3pm (museum open 12 noon-5pm). For more information see Edinburgh’s Hogmany website.

‘I Know Where I’m Going’ (U): the classic 1945 film in which a headstrong, rather proud young woman travels by train and ferry to the Hebrides to marry her wealthy fiancee – but on the way she falls under the spell of the Scottish landscape and encounters another man, with whom she falls suddenly and passionately in love. A film with ‘unique power…odd, dreamlike interludes, weird symbolism, a sense of ancient forces and the supernatural, and …alertness to the possibility of romantic love…a magical, unforgettable experience, a work of real and enduring genius’. 1pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Book online or call the box office on 0131 228 2688. Part of the Filmhouse’s Scotland Galore! season.

Sun Juice: Edinburgh bass legend Dave Ellis and ex-NZ sax player Doug Tiplady bring in their five-piece, playing original material. Funk, swing and bouncy Balkan/Klezmer sounds, featuring Rich Harrold (keys), blues guitar ace Neil Warden, and ‘driving funky drums’ from Willie Molleson. 9pm (entry from 8pm)-12 midnight, The Jazz Bar, 1a Chambers Street. £5/£4 on the door, cash only.

Granary Gigs: The Granary will be open all day, with breakfast served till 2pm and Granary Gigs starting at 8.30pm. The Granary, 32 The Shore.

Whisky Galore! (U) The classic 1949 film, based on Compton McKenzie’s story of a ship that runs aground carrying 50,000 cases of whisky, and of the fictional Todday islanders’ attempts to salvage and hang on to the cargo. 1pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Book online or call the box office on 0131 228 2688. Also showing at 6pm on Sunday 4th January. Part of the Filmhouse’s Scotland Galore! season.

FRIDAY 2ND JANUARY 2015

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (12A): the Oscar-winning Classic set in a private girls’ school in Edinburgh, where Maggie Smith’s headstrong teacher ignores the curriculum and influences her impressionable young charges – her Creme de la Creme – with her over-romanticised world view. 1pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Book online or call the box office on 0131 228 26881 Part of the Filmhouse’s Scotland Galore! season.

Ali Affleck and Vieux Carre: Alison (Jazz Singer of the Year 2013) brings her six-piece purveyors of vintage swing jazz, with the whimsical and slightly cheeky attitude of the late 1920s Jazz Age, and more than a hint of Vaudeville. 9pm (entry from 8pm), The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. £5/£4 cash on the door only.

SATURDAY 3RD JANUARY 2015

Bookbug: songs and rhymes for young children. 10.30-11am, Oxgangs Library, 343 Oxgangs Road North.

GENERATION Tours at Modern One: free, discussion-led tours of the exhibition, focusing on key themes and artists. 11-11.45am or 1-1.45pm, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Belford Road. Free and unticketed.

Portrait Gallery Thematic Tours: The Jacobites. Thematic, changing tours of the Portrait Gallery’s collection, led by Abbey Ingham. Explore the Gallery’s unparalleled collection of Jacobite art and hear about daring escapes, bloody battles and the struggle for power in Britain in the 17th and 18th centuries. 2-2.45pm or 3-3.45pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. Free and unticketed.

Cats and Big Cats: New Year Art School with Damian Callan. For children and young people. First day: drawing in the Museum in the morning followed by beginning a sculpture in the studio in the afternoon, second day: in the studio, making a collograph print in the morning and finishing the sculpture in the afternoon. 10am-4pm today and Monday 5th January 2015, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street and WASPS Studios, West Park Place. £75 per person. For further details and to book call 07951 878560 or see website.

The Big LGBT Music Jam: a creative and supportive space for making music. Play, sing your own song or just be an appreciative listener, all music tastes welcomed. Bring your own instruments,some percussion supplied. 1-4pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. No need to book, just turn up. Group contact: biglgbtmusicjamedinburgh@gmail.com.

SUNDAY 4TH JANUARY 2015

Art Maker: January. If you are aged 4-12, join the Art Maker Club and make your own masterpieces with artists Tessa Asquith-Lamb and Louise Fraser. 2-4pm, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Belford Road. Free: no booking required. Supported by the Friends of the National Galleries of Scotland.

Edinburgh Living History and World War One: against the backdrop of the gallery’s iconic World War One paintings, meet some Edinburgh locals from 1916. They will be discussing the war, its progress, how their lives have been changed by it and how it has affected Edinburgh as a city. Come and eavesdrop on their conversations! The Living History team are award-winning performers. 2pm or 3pm, City Art Centre, 2 Market Street. Free: no booking required.

The Thrive Archive – Live Art Project: Away Being. A premier musical performance of Coming Home (composer Mike Vass) by Edinburgh Youth Gathering Band, with projections by Mettje Hunneman and contributed artworks, as part of curator and artist Jan Bee Brown’s Thrive Archive. Come along, get involved and contribute your own ideas about home, family and community, and in particular ‘what makes Scotland feel so homely’, to this heart-warming project. 2-4pm, St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road. Free: all welcome.

Fellowship Lunch for Malawi: food and friendship to raise money for a good cause – this month, the church’s partners in Malawi. 12 noon-1.30pm, Undercroft Cafe,  St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, 13 George Street. £3 minimum suggested donation. All welcome.

Whisky Galore! (U) The classic 1949 film, based on Compton McKenzie’s story of a ship that runs aground carrying 50,000 cases of whisky, and of the fictional Todday islanders’ attempts to salvage and hang on to the cargo. 1pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Book online or call the box office on 0131 228 2688. Part of the Filmhouse’s Scotland Galore! season.

St Giles’ At Six: Danny Miller and Alison Miller – violin music for two violins and piano by Telemann, Stamitz, Bach and Bartok. 6pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Mile. Free admission: retiring collection.

The Edinburgh Reporter brings you many reports of local news on video. If you would like something you’re doing included in our video reports then get in touch.

If it is an amateur football match or a charity fundraiser, or somebody interesting to interview then there is room for it in one of our news bulletins as long as there is something to connect it to Edinburgh.

Here is our News review for the final couple of months of 2014. We hope you like it. If you do then scroll to the very bottom of the page and you can catch up on our other Vimeo videos of the last year. We also have videos on YouTube so click here for a link to our YouTube page.

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The Edinburgh Reporter NEWS Review from Phyllis Stephen on Vimeo.

Hibs’ Head Coach Alan Stubbs was delighted with his players’ performance during yesterday’s emphatic 4-0 win over Rangers at Easter Road.

His gamble of playing vice-captain David Gray who has been suffering form a groin/stomach problem which will require an operation paid off when the former Manchester United defender opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a sensational strike.

Youngster Jason Cummings added a second a few minutes later then second half goals from Scott Robertson and birthday boy Liam Craig secured the historic victory.

After the game Stubbs told Hibs TV: “I’m thrilled – I’m actually trying very hard to hold all the excitement in; we were outstanding.

“I thought all our goals were good – from David’s strike to the other goals with our movement and build-up play, which was first class.

“Overall, I’m really happy and the win was fully deserved.

“It sets us up great for the Derby. It’s always nice to go into a Derby on the back of a morale-enhancing win – it will be another cracker next week.

“Hearts are at the top of the league, but if we perform in that game like we did against Rangers we will give them a very good game.

Coincidentally the last time Rangers lost by four clear goals was against Celtic fourteen years ago when a certain Alan Stubbs played in a famous 6-2 win.

“We’ve finished the year well and we want to start 2015 the same way.”

Police are appealing for assistance from the public to locate a CS spray canister, which was lost in the South of the city.

Officers responded to a report of disturbance at an address in the Prestonfield area of Edinburgh at around 2.30am today (Sunday).

Whilst pursuing a suspect through gardens in Prestonfield Avenue an officer’s CS spray has become detached from their belt.

A 23-year-old man was subsequently detained and later charged in connection with the disturbance.

A thorough search of Prestonfield Avenue, Priestfield Crescent and the surrounding areas has since been undertaken, however, the canister has not been recovered.

Anyone who finds the item is asked to hand it in to their nearest police station.

Inspector Stephen Rosie said: “While pursuing a suspect an officer’s CS spray has become detached from his belt and despite a thorough search of the area, it remains unrecovered.

“The canister is approximately 12cm tall, grey in colour and is clearly marked. It is within a black plastic holder.”

“CS Spray is for police use only item, utilised in very demanding circumstances to protect both the officer and the wider public.

“Anyone who comes across the canister should not in anyway attempt to use it and should contact us on 101 or bring it to your nearest police station.”

A 22-year-old man has been arrested and charged following a serious sexual assault that took place in Spring Gardens on Boxing Day evening.

He will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court tomorrow.

Detectives are still eager to trace a couple who are believed to have seen the victim and the male in the area between 10.30pm and 11pm.

These individuals are asked to contact police immediately.