The full results detailing the six MEPs who have been elected for Scotland will be announced later today.
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Almost a year ago the council decided to spend £1.215m on a cycling hub at the Jack Kane Centre. This might include a road loop, a regional track cycling facility and a bmx track. Some work has been done on master plan options and after a further period of consultation a decision will be made by the Culture and Sport Committee in August.
The Culture and Sport Committee meets on Tuesday of this week.
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You can add your name to a petition to the Scottish Parliament if you are quick. Mr James Macfarlane has lodged the following petition at Holyrood:-“Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to issue a code of practice setting out a minimum standard for wifi connections provided by public authorities to members of the public; and to urge all Scottish public authorities to provide wifi connections that meet this standard in all their public buildings.”
There is a bit more background on this petition here.
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Two Faces of January just opened at the Filmhouse yesterday and shows there today at various times during the day. Booking details here. Rotten Tomatoes gives it 82%. If you would like to write a short review for us then feel free!
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Did you get any good photos of the weather yesterday? Then you could add them to our weather storyboard here! We are sure that some of you snapped a rainbow or the torrential rain!
Edinburgh chef Tom Kitchin teams up with John Lewis for their 150th anniversary celebrations.
To mark the important anniversary, John Lewis has unveiled an exclusive heritage menu designed by the top Michelin star chef.
John Lewis Edinburgh’s The Place to Eat restaurant will serve the 150th Heritage Menu, from 26 May to 29 June, transporting diners back to 1864 – the year the retailer opened its doors as a humble draper’s shop on London’s Oxford Street. The menu includes three dishes inspired by the kitchens of the 1860s; Sheep’s Heid Scotch Broth, Stargazy Fish Pie and Scottish Strawberry Fool.
Each of the dishes developed by Tom Kitchin have been inspired by the John Lewis archives, as well as Tom’s research with the National Library of Scotland. Tom drew on old menus and recipes found in the archives giving them his own twist of Scottish flair. Tom has also been personally training the John Lewis chefs on how to perfect his inspirational recipes, which combine history and local heritage with a little Michelin star magic.
Tom Kitchin said: “In Scotland we are lucky to have such a rich culinary past. I’m incredibly passionate about discovering and recreating traditional, classic Scottish dishes so looking back in the archives and developing these recipes has been really interesting for me. Each of the dishes we’ve created are simple yet delicious and bring a little bit of history and fun to the John Lewis celebrations.
“I also had the opportunity to look through Beatrice Lewis’s recipe book. Beatrice was the wife of the founder of the John Lewis Partnership. Her recipes included gooseberry fool, roast mutton, pea soup and grouse served with bread sauce and game chips – all fantastic dishes that I in fact regularly cook myself today,”
Barry Blamire, head of branch at John Lewis Edinburgh, said: “At John Lewis Edinburgh, our 150th anniversary celebrations are in full swing. John Spedan Lewis, the founder of the John Lewis Partnership was a great food-lover and told his staff, ‘for most people eating is one of the chief pleasures of life, immensely important to good temper and liveliness of mind.’ Spedan Lewis recognised the importance of enjoying food and dining and our 150th Heritage Menu celebrates this whilst offering our customers a new unique and exciting dining experience.”
The limited edition menu will be available from 26 May to 29 June in The Place to Eat at John Lewis Edinburgh and includes the following dishes:
Shiep’s Heid Scotch Broth (£6.25)
Stargazy Fish Pie (£8.95)
Scottish Strawberry Fool (£4.50)
Author Neil Broadfoot launches Falling Fast
Twenty-five years ago,Neil Broadfoot made a promise to his Gran; that promise sustained him through all the trials and tribulations of writing his first novel. On Wednesday night at Looking Glass Books Neil introduced Falling Fast; his Gran, he says, would have needed a whisky and soda to cope with the body count in the book, but she would still have been very proud.
Neil, a former journalist, was in conversation with his agent Bob McDevitt of Jenny Brown Associates; Bob opened the evening by reading the first few cracking paragraphs of the book to an appreciative audience. Neil has put his journalistic experience to good use; there is no faffing about in this story – within minutes a girl has fallen from the Scott Monument and crashed in graphic manner into Princes Street Gardens. Who she was and why she fell are questions by which we are instantly hooked, and the story moves on at a fast pace.
Inevitably there will be comparisons with that other Edinburgh author – no, not JK Rowling….but Neil says that although he was obviously conscious of Ian Rankin‘s Rebus novels, every writer tells his own story in his own voice. He just set out to write a good book, but like everyone he’s been influenced by what he’s read over the years; Rankin, Stuart MacBride, Christopher Brookmyre and Iain Banks are all great favourites. Stephen Kingnovels borrowed from the school library were Neil’s earliest influences; he especially admires the plot-drive structure of Carrie, and used to write horror stories to keep his school friends awake at night. Eventually he decided to ‘stop mucking about’ and work on something that would grab readers from page one and keep them reading. He doesn’t rule out a return to the horror genre though, and hopes that he’s managed to emulate some of King’s style in Falling Fast.
Journalism taught Neil to look at the hard facts – the who? where? what? when? and why? – and although writing a novel reverses this order it is still the why? in particular that drives his work. Whilst Neil admits that he sometimes finds it hard to build emotion back into his writing, his newspaper experience made the editing process much easier, saying ‘You leave the ego at the door.’ If a journalist can see the sense in an editorial suggestion, he’ll do it; there is no point in being precious about a story. Bob explained, however, that agents can never be as dictatorial as press editors; it’s a two-way conversation and agents are just readers who can suggest things that might improve a book, with the author generally still having the final say. Neil feels he’s been exceptionally lucky to have both an agent and a publisher who understand his work. Bob advised him to enter Falling Fast for the Dundee International Book Prize; it was longlisted and although it didn’t win, it was spotted by Sara Hunt of Saraband Books. Sara was looking to start Contraband, a new crime imprint and tweeted Neil to express interest; from then on the process has been painless. He’s also had the good fortune to have great support from his wife Fiona and family – including the smallest member who came along on Wednesday night and had a great time exercising her lungs when all this book talk got a bit too much…
Neil believes you should write about what you know; he now works as a Communications Officer for the Scottish Government, and politics soon rear their head in Falling Fast, when the remains splattered over the grass where office workers are eating their lunch turn out to belong to an MSP’s daughter. He started with the bare bones of a ‘twisty-turny’ plot then fleshed it out to show that everyone has good and bad points, and as he did so he found that some characters became more complex and interesting. He calls the first draft the ‘chaos version’, in which the writer pours everything onto the page – but the writer knows what’s going to happen, so needs to go back and hide a few things, to shape the story and make the reader’s experience satisfying. The quality of the relationships in Falling Fast is, says Bob, one of its greatest strengths. Although Neil had a rough idea of the story’s ending before he started to write, the motive for the crime only came to him in the second draft; the characters informed it.
Neil’s already nearly finished book two, in fact he’s now working on how the plot of this second novel will fit in with books three and four. Being shortlisted at Dundee has given him much more confidence about his writing, although he still finds it ‘surreal’ to see his family and friends reading his book. His work colleagues say they’re amazed that such a quiet person could produce such a thriller. A publishing deal has given him the space to expand his imaginary universe, and although the next four books are his main focus just now, he’s open to any ideas that come along. He hasn’t yet managed to give up the day job, but he’s working on it; he tries to write something every day.
Neil Broadfoot used secretly to make spaces on bookshop shelves for the novels he hadn’t quite written; now, after years of hard work, those spaces are filled by Falling Fast. As Neil says, ‘it’s surreal.’
Falling Fast by Neil Broadfoot is published by Contraband, an imprint of Saraband Books and is available from Looking Glass Books, Simpson’s Loan.
Looking Glass Books hosts a continuing programme of writers – see website for details of forthcoming events.
View from Oz on Scottish Independence
Scotland should be given the right to vote for Independence, we live in a democratic society, they should be supported, no-one, I mean no-one should deny a country Independence, or the opportunity to vote on it. It will be interesting to see who her friends are should they become successful.
My Glaswegian father youst ta say:-
”Proud Scotsmen without freedom hurt, Shameless Scotsman without money cry” Hoist your flag high and best wishes from Australia.
Hibernian 0-2 Hamilton Academical – HIBS RELEGATED
Hibs have been relegated from the SPFL after losing a dramatic penalty shoot out to Hamilton Academical in front of a packed Easter Road stadium today.
The result sparked a demonstration from furious supporters outside the main stand at the end of the game, as fans demanded the resignations of both Chairman Rod Petrie and manager Terry Butcher.
Hibs went into the game with a 2-0 lead from the first leg and the manager made one change to the starting line up with Danny Haynes replacing Alex Harris however the on-loan winger lasted only a few minutes before being forced to leave the field with an ankle injury.
Hamilton grabbed the lead in the 11th minute following a poor clearance from Ryan McGivern when Jason Scotland turned Michael Nelson and hammered the ball into the far corner of the net to the delight of the travelling support.
Hibs almost responded immediately when Jason Cummings released Paul Heffernan who rounded Kevin Cuthbert but the linesman’s flag was raised.
Scott Robertson tested Cuthbert with a well struck shot, but Hamilton looked dangerous on the break and Hibs had Ben Williams to thank in the 21st minute when he blocked from Louis Longridge.
Hibs almost grabbed an equaliser just before half time when Liam Craig’s corner kick found Cummings at the back post, but his goal bound header was hooked it clear from the line.
Accies’ started the second half strongly and Williams once again did well to prevent Scotland doubling their lead.
Midweek hero Jason Cummings almost scored following a Lewis Stevenson cross then substitute Mickael Antoine-Curier saw his effort deflected over by McGivern as Hibs held on to their aggregate lead.
There was some confusion when the announcer reported four minutes of added time as the Easter Road scoreboard clock had stopped on 86 minutes, then with seconds remaining, Andreu swept in Scotland’s cutback from close range to send the game to extra-time.
Neither side went close in the additional 30 minutes and the game was decided on penalties.
Kevin Thomson took the first and his effort was saved by Cuthbert. The Hamilton players all scored, as did Ryan McGivern, Liam Craig and Owain Tudur Jones. With the score standing at 4-3 to the visitors, Jason Cummings needed to score to keep Hibs hopes alive but the youngsters effort was well saved and Hamilton celebrated their promotion with their fans in the south stand.
After the game around 500 Hibs supporters vented their anger at Terry Butcher and Chairman Rod Petrie outside the West Stand.
Roller Derby – Waverley Station access – T in the Park – Greater Liberton – Red Arrows
Auld Reekie Roller Girls’ all-star reserve team the Cannon Belles will be taking on Newcastle Roller Girls’ B Team the Whippin’ Hinnies in a fast and fierce tussle for the top. Get along to Meadowbank and see which team will hit, whip and skate their way to victory!
Edinburgh’s Belles have had a successful season so far, losing only one game in the past year and gaining experience through playing both at home and abroad, most recently taking on the Amsterdam Roller Dames. But can they tackle Newcastle’s Whippin’ Hinnies, who have won every single one of their bouts in the past six months? It’s sure to be a close game, though the Belles will have the advantage of being on home ground with the raucous support of the Edinburgh crowd.
The Cannon Belles’ captain Mallory Powers told us ‘We’re really looking forward to this bout: it’s going to be tough, but I think we can take them. We fully intend to whip the Hinnies!’
It’s sure to be an eventful game, full of big hits and speedy skating. There will also be the usual fantastic stalls in attendance where the public can snap up some of our new, limited edition merchandise, or tuck in to the delicious cakes on offer. There is also a special guest announcer – Phill Jupitus of Never Mind The Buzzcocks fame!
Auld Reekie Roller Girls’ Cannon Belles vs Newcastle Roller Girls’ Whippin’ Hinnies: 2pm, Saturday 31st May 2014 – Meadowbank Sports Centre
To complement the recent changes to vehicular access into Waverley Station made by Network Rail, the council is to make major changes to the road and pavement layout on Waverley Bridge and Market Street. These changes are designed to support an increase in pedestrian and road traffic, as well as further enhancing the public realm and improving connectivity for pedestrians between Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns.
Construction of £1.2m worth of improvements will begin around Waverley Station starting from tomorrow.
The project is due to be carried out in two stages:
Market Street – 26 May to 26 July
Waverley Bridge – 8September to 1December
The council explain what they are about to do:-
“The construction work includes: widening and resurfacing the footways in natural stone paving, installing new raised tables to improve pedestrian crossing points, installing a new zebra crossing, providing a new 10 bay taxi rank on Market Street, creating new loading areas, a new cycle lane, new street lighting, resurfacing the carriageway and reducing street clutter.
These improvement works have been carefully planned to minimise disruption to businesses and associated tourism, with programming purposely avoiding the summer festival period.
At certain stages of the project there will be a need for temporary traffic lights, lane width restriction and parking suspension, however access for pedestrians and deliveries will be maintained at all times and all shops and businesses will be open for business as usual.
We will continue to work with the local residents and businesses throughout the course of the project so that we can minimise disruption and inconvenience to all those affected by the works.”
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Some Edinburgh bands are getting a chance to strut their stuff at T in the Park this summer.
Tennent’s Lager have revealed the T Break line-up for 2014 with Edinburgh based bands Birdhead, NAKED and DJ, Tisoki all making the bill. Tennent’s Lager put out their annual call in March for Scotland’s unsigned acts to submit their demos to T Break in the hope of landing one of 16 highly coveted slots on the T Break Stage at T in the Park.
Edinburgh duo Birdhead describe their sound as prog come post punk groove rock and 2013 saw the release of their debut album Pleasure Centre which drew widespread critical acclaim and was listed amongst the top 50 albums of the year by T Break judge and BBC Radio DJ Vic Galloway.
Birdhead front man Stephen Donkin said, “We are absolutely over the moon to be picked for T Break. T in the Park is a festival that I’ve been to more times than I can count, and to be able to be part of it from the other side of the fence is an amazing opportunity. I just can’t wait to give a performance as memorable as the ones I’ve seen down the years!”
Joining them on the bill will be the hypnotising NAKED, with a sound compared to walking through Japan at night where neon-lit beats filter under dissonant guitar sculptures NAKED are sure to bring a beautiful set to the T Break Stage this summer.
The final Edinburgh act to take to the T Break Stage this summer is bass music DJ, Tisoki. Gaining millions of hits online with tracks such as MMXIII and Sky Child and having played shows across Europe the Edinburgh DJ is sure to play an unmissable set at this year’s festival.
Tennent’s Lager have been proudly supporting Scotland’s grassroots music scene through T Break for the past 19 years, providing the country’s freshest unsigned talent with the chance to showcase their material to fans, musicians and music industry insiders alike on the biggest platform for unsigned artists at T in the Park – the T Break Stage.
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The Greater Liberton Heritage Project is one of the first groups in the UK to receive a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Sharing Heritage grant, it was announced this week. The funding is for their exciting project, ‘The Search for Bridgend Medieval Royal Chapel’, in south Edinburgh. The Greater Liberton Heritage Project, has been given £9,900 to carry out archaeological excavations to find out if local farm buildings include the remains of a medieval Royal chapel.
Sharing Heritage is a new funding programme to help people across the UK explore, conserve and share all aspects of the history and character of their local area.
The Greater Liberton Heritage Project are a team of volunteers established in 2002 to support and encourage research and public interest into the unique heritage and cultural identity of the area of Greater Liberton. As well as collating and disseminating the history of the area, we encourage the conservation of sites important to the cultural heritage of the area. On the Search for Bridgend Medieval Royal Chapel project we will be working with Rubicon Heritage Services, a professional archaeological firm, with the support of Edinburgh City Council. Oral tradition and historical references indicate a Royal chapel was constructed at Bridgend during the medieval period. Historical research and archaeological field survey have shown that the remains may be incorporated into upstanding farm buildings. Archaeological excavations will be carried out to find structural and/or dating evidence which could prove whether the upstanding buildings are the medieval Royal chapel. Local schools, groups and societies are encouraged to get involved with the project which will allow them to learn about heritage in the local area and archaeological techniques.
Commenting on the award, Margaret Collingwood said: “It’s great that we have been awarded this grant and we can’t wait to get started. We love where we live and know there’s so much more to discover about our past. We are all really excited about telling other people about our findings and sharing our heritage and history with them.”
Convener of Culture and Sport Richard Lewis
Councillor Richard Lewis, Convener of Culture for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “This project will significantly support the cultural heritage of the South Edinburgh area. It is fantastic that the search for Bridgend Chapel will also offer local schools and community groups the chance to get involved and learn about their local heritage and archaeological techniques. Edinburgh’s rich history is by no means restricted to the World Heritage Sites of the Old and New Towns, and we look forward to uncovering important insights into the unique history of Greater Liberton.”
Colin McLean, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund Scotland, added: “Sharing Heritage is a wonderful opportunity for communities to delve into their local heritage and we are delighted to be able to offer this grant so that the community of Greater Liberton can embark on a real journey of discovery. Heritage means such different things to different people, and HLF’s funding offers a wealth of opportunities for groups to explore and celebrate what’s important to them in their area.”
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Tickets are now on sale for the Airshow at the National Museum of Flight on 26 July 2014. The Red Arrows are coming!
Edinburgh College has swept the board at the British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP) Scottish Region Image Awards, with students picking up 22 awards and graduates snapping up eight prizes. The haul included the prestigious Student Photographer of the Year award and the Professional Photographer of the Year prize, which was won by a former student.
As well as the Student Photographer of the Year award, HND and BA Professional Photography students claimed first places in the Advertising & Fashion, Social & Portraiture, and Open categories. They also picked up 18 second and third places and merits, meaning the college took home all available prizes in some categories.
This is the fifth year in a row that Edinburgh College photography students have had a winning streak at the awards, picking up 21 category awards and merits at last year’s competition.
Antonio Castro – who studies BA Professional Photography at Edinburgh College – won the title of Student of the Year 2014 with his striking photograph portraying the themes of loneliness and love in a sterile, modern world. The image is of a man with a bouquet of red roses alone in an elevator, leaving his story open to the interpretation of the viewer.
Antonio, who is originally from Spain and is 27 years old, said: “It felt amazing and almost unreal to find out I had won Student of the Year at the British Institute of Professional Photography Awards. I really believe that winning competitions like this will help me when I eventually become a professional and set out on my own.
“The inspiration for my image came from a number of portrait shots that I have produced with hidden and subtle narratives during my time at college. I wanted to create a scene that would trigger some kind of emotion in the viewer, which may vary depending on their own outlook and experiences. By using a single man standing alone in a lift with a bouquet of flowers, looking slightly disappointed, I wanted to leave his story and the meaning of the photograph open to interpretation.”
Four Edinburgh College graduates also grabbed the spotlight with awards in several categories. Former star student Lee Howell was crowned Professional Photographer of the Year 2014. He also claimed first prize in the Industrial, Commercial, Fashion & Advertising and Pictorial & Illustrative categories and second place in the Portraiture category. Lee has now set up his own commercial photography business in Edinburgh, which specialises in creative advertising and contemporary editorial portraiture.
Lee’s fellow graduate Angela Isac won the Press & PR category.
Edinburgh College photography lecturer Jon Lee said: “The number of students winning awards this year has been outstanding and underlines the continued quality of work produced by our photography students year after year. Winning the top prizes in the student and graduate categories is exceptional enough, but the number of other placings shows the incredible strength in depth we have here, and how our students are constantly pushing each other on to achieve greater things.
“Our graduates’ success is testament to the talent we have at Edinburgh College and how our courses prepare students for employment in the creative industries.”
BA Professional Photography graduate Lee Howell said: “It’s just incredible to have been awarded BIPP Scottish Professional Photographer of the Year 2014. None of this would have been possible without the hard work, mentoring, nurturing and encouragement I received from my lecturers while studying at Edinburgh College. I am eternally grateful for everything that they have taught me. It was such an amazing foundation to build a career upon and it’s not an understatement to say that for me it has been life changing, and this is only the start.”
The students and graduates will now go on to compete at the BIPP UK National Awards in June.
All students’ photographic work will be exhibited at the college’s Let’s Glow creative industries festival. A full list of the events can be found here. The photography events include BA Photography Free Range ExhibitionandExposed ‘14, whereHND and BA Professional Photography students’ work will be on display.
The Scottish Independence Poll Dance
The campaign for an independent Scotland has become something of a poll dance.
It’s been a week since a mysterious pollster named Kelly Brown leaked news that Westminster allegedly covered up results of a survey because it showed a surge in support for the Yes campaign. Ipsos MORI, which conducted the survey, denied employing anyone by that name (at least, not anymore, it would seem), but the allegation still spawned a predictable barrage of accusations from both campaigns. For the Yes camp, Alex Salmond and SNP MP Angus MacNeil lambasted the Tory-Lib Dem coalition for a lack of transparency and spending nearly £50,000 for partisan research, while #publishthepoll trended on Twitter (so now it’s an official “issue”). Union backers, for their part, pointed out that internal research isn’t ever disclosed, but if you really must ask, this particular survey didn’t reveal anything different than other recent polls.
It is perhaps precisely because of “other recent polls” that the Yes campaign was so eager for a bump in support to be published. An ICM poll this week showed No support gaining nine points over last month, now clocking in at 46%, significantly higher than Yes’s 34%. Panelbase also found a boost for the union—though it was a tepid two-point bump—moving the split to 47%-40% with four months to go.
The widening gap seems to deaden gains made by the Yes camp since the New Year, given that a month ago Scotland on Sunday’s ICM numbers pegged them trailing only 39% to 42%—a spread commonly within the plus-minus margin of error. But faced with these mercurial, temperamental polls, it’s becoming more and more rewarding to follow issues (gasp) over survey data to get a read on the campaign.
The SNP is being questioned over its commitment to tackling income inequality (read David Torrance’s piece in the Herald on the legislative “levers” the Scottish government have perpetually overlooked on this issue). Is a full-fledged Scottish social democracy of universal benefits merely waiting for Westminster to butt out before emerging? Or was the ideal of Scottish egalitarianism a myth created as devolution took hold? Either way, to see the Nats tackle the underpinnings of class inequality would make early 20th century union-aligned Labourites scratch their heads.
European Commissioner for Enlargement, Stefan Fule, added to the Yes woes this week with news that an independent Scotland would lose the UK’s opt-out of VAT on many consumer items. New members face a 15% VAT, which the Tories were quick to point out would raise the price of a Guinness Book of World Records by £3, God forbid. Cue SNP rebuttal: according to Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, SNP candidate for European Parliament, Scotland wouldn’t be an accession state, and would argue “from within” to keep their opt-out authority. Lump that one in with the other thousand unknowns regarding an independent Scotland in the EU.
Okay, so an issue-based analysis of the past week doesn’t bear much fruit for Yes, either. (Did I mention a group of 14 biomedical researchers also expressed concern about academic funding, should a border be placed along the Tweed?) But the SNP is still steadfastly courting the youth vote, and has continued to woo undecided voters with a positive enthusiasm mostly unmatched by Better Together. Broader-scale advantages still reside in the Yes arsenal too: First, according to a University of Stirling study published earlier this month, independence supporters are more committed to voting than their union counterparts, meaning election turnout should be considered in pre-referendum speculation. Second, a late summer surge of nationalist fervor can’t be undervalued, given Glasgow’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games, and the 700th anniversary of the Bannockburn.
There you have it—a week of poll-whistleblowers, financial warnings from the Continent, and questions of commitment to social democracy. If the deluge of attacks on the independence campaign tells us anything, it’s that Better Together is not resting on its laurels. And if the oscillating poll numbers since the New Year tell us anything, it’s that a lot can happen in four months.
Once again Flashback has devised a brand new piece of exciting theatre for this year’s Leith Festival in Edinburgh in June. Fish is the Future will be performed at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall from 19-21 June 2014.
The small island community of Fishtown has existed for centuries, cut off from the world. But when a mysterious bridge appears, heading off into the mist, Fishtowners are faced with a choice – seek a connection with others or preserve their autonomy?… Is this a religious miracle, an opportunity or a threat of invasion? As Fishtowners try to find the answers they are forced to confront the divisions within their own community. Will they keep their autonomy or cross the mysterious bridge?
Fish is the Future takes a humorous look at what independence means for Fishtown and may be of interest to residents of other countries having similar debates…
There is also a Facebook page for the performances here
And tickets can be booked through the Out of the Blue Box Office here
Last year all of the evening shows sold-out so if you would like to come then you had better book!
The Central Library, George IV Bridge, will be holding an Open Day on Saturday 7 June 2014. There will be lots of events and activities for all ages, including musical performances, meet the author sessions, crafts, a sketching workshop, family history drop-ins and a chance to find out what your council neighbourhood team can do for you.
Learn how to stream music via Naxos or borrow free e-books and audio books.
Many of these events will run as drop-ins but a few do need to be booked, so get ahead – seethe libraries blog to find out what’s on offer and how to reserve your place.
Foodies is back in 2014 – bigger and better than ever
Foodies Festival, the UK’s largest celebration of food & drink returns to Edinburgh’s Inverleith Park on 8-10 August 2014 for a weekend celebration of Scotland’s finest produce, international street food, and culinary masters.
Although it started as a small event in Edinburgh eight years ago, the festival has now grown into Scotland’s food and drink event of the Summer, transforming Inverleith Park into a foodie paradise with over 200 artisan producers, pop-up restaurants, premium brands and the chance to watch your favorite chefs cooking live.
Festival Director Sue Hitchen said:- “Edinburgh is where it all started for Foodies Festival, so it’s a very special event for me and our team. This year we are delighted to be the official partner of the MasterChef Dining Bus, which offers our visitors a unique onboard dining experience with the contestants and winners from the series cooking onboard and serving visitors top-notch dishes from the purpose built kitchen.”
Top chefs joining the festival this summer include MasterChef the Professionals runners-up Adam Handling and Scott Davies, Great British Menu’s Jacqueline O’Donnell of The Sisters, Mark Greenaway of Bistro Moderne, TV Chef Tony Singh, The Pompadour by Galvin Head Chef Craig Sandle, Café St Honore’s Neil Forbes and Glasgow’s The Three Sisters bakers Gillan, Nichola and Linsey, all of whom will cook their signature dishes live in the Chefs’ Theatre while explaining how home cooks can prepare the same dishes for friends and family.
MasterChef’s Adam Handling said:- “I am delighted to be a part of the Foodies Festival in Edinburgh, I always love it when I can meet other foodies and share my love of cooking with them, and if I can help to inspire and encourage people in their kitchens, then that for me is an honour. Coming back to Scotland is always special for me, it was the where I undertook my first apprenticeship when I was 16, where I gained my first two AA rosettes at Fairmont St Andrews, and where I was awarded ’Scottish Young Chef of the Year 2011’. Being a part of the Edinburgh Foodies Festival will add to the many special memories that I have here.”
Exciting new features for 2014 include a spectacular Chocolate, Bake and Preserves Theatre, which will host top pastry chefs, chocolatiers, bakers and sugarcraft experts. This is complemented by the new Chocolate, Baking and Preserves Village, for those with a sweet tooth and who enjoy home baking, with a selection of stalls selling baking essentials and the latest gadgets.
A brand new outdoor BBQ Arena will appeal to lovers of al fresco dining. The purpose built BBQ stage will feature hourly BBQ cooking demonstrations and invite the audience to take part in BBQ challenges; meat-eating competitions and they can even learn how to make a ‘BBQ cake’!
A new Chilli Market spices things up with a range of chilli-growers and artisan producers of sauces, sweets and jams. For those who can handle the heat a Chilli Eating Challenge takes place at 5pm daily.
A new Feasting Tent at the heart of the festival becomes a social hub, where visitors can relax and enjoy their purchases in the company of chefs, friends and family at long banqueting tables.
Another exciting addition this year is the Vintage Tea Tent that will hold daily tea dances, alongside a Vintage Kitchen Market allowing visitors to pick up beautiful pieces to add to their own kitchens at home.
Returning features this year include the popular Drinks Theatre, where regular masterclasses and demonstrations allow visitors the chance to taste and learn about wine, champagne, sherry, ales and spirits with experts including TV’s Charles Metcalfe, beer expert Melissa Cole and champagne expert Neil Phillips. There is also a daily cocktail making competition to find the best cocktail in Edinburgh, judged by an audience of Foodies visitors.
Foodies Festivals are recognised for their focus on street food with the introduction of the Street Food Avenue in 2012. This year visitors can enjoy a huge selection of award winning hot and cold food from around the world including hog roasts, Vietnamese buns, exotic meats, tapas, churros, burritos, Moroccan tagines, South American prime beef, Jamaican and Thai street food.
There is plenty for little foodies to do as well with the Children’s Cookery Theatre hosting “Around the World” themed cookery classes. These workshops will help children find their taste buds and teach them basic cooking skills.
The entertainment stage features live music acts and fringe performers throughout the day until 7pm.
Five things you need to know today
Spa in the City – Edinburgh Marathon Festival – Tram roadshow – Tough Mudder – New bus timetables from next week
Spa in the City has taken over St Andrew Square this weekend. Well done to those of you who have won the goody bags. We emailed you all yesterday evening!
Leading lifestyle retailers are offering free pampering and preening with the return of Spa in the City, which arrives back in St Andrew Square from Saturday 24 – Sunday 25 May, while also expanding into new bases in Grassmarket and the West End for the first time.
Edinburgh Marathon Festival takes place today and tomorrow.More details here about the route the runners will take and all you need to know if you are taking part in the fastest marathon in the UK. Good luck to all of you!
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There is another chance today to get on board a tram in St Andrew Square. No it will not take you anywhere but you will be able to have a look around and familiarise yourself with it.
The tram will be there between 12 and 2pm.
From next Saturday you can jump on and off trams and buses all day across the city all the way out to the airport for the price of £9, although our top tip is that if you get off before the airport then you can get a day ticket for the normal price of £3.50 and use it on both trams and buses. The City Zone covers all stops except Edinburgh Airport and if you can manage to borrow three children for the day then you can get a family ticket for up to two adults and three children for only £7.50 for unlimited travel.
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Come and test your physical and mental fitness in what is regarded as ‘Probably the toughest event on the planet’. Tough Mudder returns to Scotland next month, taking place in Dalkeith on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th June.
If you’ve not yet heard of Tough Mudder, the events are hard-core 10-12 mile-long obstacle courses designed by the Special Forces to test all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. Tough Mudder is not a race, but a challenge. The recent Tough Mudder London West event in April attracted over 17,500 participants and 6,000 spectators across the weekend.
Tough Mudder Quick Facts
1.3 million Tough Mudder participants since 2010
The event takes place in 7 countries
There have been over 100 events to date
There will be over 60 events in 2014
800,000 participants are expected to take part in 2014
Over 4,000 participants have Tough Mudder tattoos
For more information, please visit www.toughmudder.co.uk or if you need further inspiration to get muddy, watch this video!
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Lothian Buses will be amending their timetables to fit around the trams which start running on 31 May 2014. All details of the new timetables are here. The airport bus will now run 24 hours a day, some services are running more often and others less frequently. Check out your times before next weekend!
Radio 1’s Big Weekend launches in George Square, Glasgow
14,000 music fans descended on Glasgow’s George Square on Friday evening, to celebrate the launch of BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend – a music festival set to take place at Glasgow Green over the next three days.
The BBC had prepared a non stop evening of electronic dance music in the city centre’s iconic square, with performances from the broadcasting giant’s own radio presenters, as well as illustrious international DJs Martin Garrix and Tiesto.
Renowned BBC disc jockeys and presenters Danny Howard, Annie Mac, Zane Lowe and Pete Tong opened up the evening with four varied sets; featuring everything from deep house to current pop music.
Tweeting pictures from the stage, Pete Tong MBE called the crowd “bonkers”, as they danced near non-stop throughout the five hour event.
Special guest Martin Garrix also played a short set, playing both his biggest hits ‘Animals’ and ‘Wizard’, which peaked at number one and number seven in the UK charts respectively. Having turned eighteen just nine days earlier, the sub-headline act barely met the minimum age for entry to the event.
The headliner for the evening, world famous DJ Tiesto, delivered a relentless set featuring both his current and classic music, as lights and video were projected on to the face of the Glasgow City Chambers building.
For more information and reviews over the weekend, check back here with The Edinburgh Reporter.
BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend Glasgow 2014 takes place 23-25 May.
Highlights and live stream are available on Radio 1, online, on mobile, via the BBC iPlayer Radio app and on BBC Three.
NEW TEAMS BEEF UP BRITAIN’S FLAGSHIP RUGBY 7s SERIES
Scottish Thistles will face two new sides when they begin their challenge for GB7s honours at London’s Allianz Park, home of the Saracens, on Friday.
The British Army and an England IPF 7s team have been drafted into the three-round competition which will head to Boroughmuir Rugby’s home at Meggetland on 31 May 2014.
Also taking part in Britain’s flagship sevens competition, which will again be supported by a Sky Sports highlights programme, are the Suzuki Wailers, Apache, Crawshays Welsh, Irish Exiles and reigning champions Samurai.
World class players such as the ‘Fastest Man in Rugby’ Carlin Isles are lining up in the GB7s London tournament on the 23rd May and Edinburgh can also expect international class players to be competing as well.
The eight teams will be split in to two pools of four before progressing to a knockout style phase which ranks teams one to eight on the day. Points will be carried over so that an overall champion can be crowned at the end of the series.
Tournament director Dickie Jeavons-Fellows said: “We’re building a structure that delivers consistently high competition and great entertainment. It will evolve as the sport grows up to and beyond the Olympics.
“With the commitment of the teams we will steadily build the audience for sevens while providing players with a route to becoming international athletes.”
Jeavons-Fellows added: “Can you imagine a better way for a young sevens athlete to develop than playing week in, week out, alongside proven, experienced internationals, against top teams who are serious about winning? It’s a formula for success.”
The inaugural GB7s tour featured recent or current international players from England, Wales, Scotland, Kenya and Nigeria with several emerging athletes moving up to their national squads after impressing selectors.
Samurai were last year’s winner at Meggetland, will be keen to hold on to their Edinburgh title again this year.
Marketing Director at Boroughmuir Justin Tito said: “This is such an exciting tournament to come to Edinburgh. With the focus from home nations to build their 7 squads ahead of the Commonwealth and Olympic games, we can be sure that the level of 7s rugby on display, will be some of the highest Edinburgh will see.”
The competition kicked off earlier tonight at Allianz Park before heading for Edinburgh on Saturday, May 31, tickets only £5!
Easter Road is heading for a sell-out crowd for Sunday’s Play Off second leg against Hamilton Academical.
Supporters started queuing early this morning and by 2pm the East Stand was sold out.
Terry Butcher’s men hold a 2-0 lead from the first leg on Wednesday night at New Douglas Park thanks to two wonder strikes from teenager Jason Cummings, who has been rewarded with a contract extension.
It has been a remarkable year for the youngster who was freed by hearts following an injury, but after resuming his career with Hutchison Vale, he joined rivals Hibernian at the start of the season.
After scoring freely in the Under 20s, Cummings made his debut as a substitute in a 2-0 home defeat against Inverness Caledonian Thistle, a match manager in waiting Butcher watched from the stand.
His first goal came on Wednesday and fans are hoping that this will open the floodgates.
After the game, Cummings had the television viewers in stitches when he told Sky Sports presenter Luke Shanley: “It was some zing from myself. I opened a tin of beans there!”
Meanwhile, Hibs midfielder Owain Tudur Jones has been named in the Welsh squad for their friendly against Holland in Amsterdam on June 4.
Operation Wolf day of action in east Edinburgh
Police in Edinburgh have been building on the success of Operation Wolf with a targeted day of action in east Edinburgh yesterday .
Police officers focused on the issues that concern residents in the east of the city, particularly drugs and anti-social behaviour, which are the policing priorities outlined on the multi-member ward plans.
Two premises in Northfield and Bingham were searched on the back of intelligence, and three people were arrested for drugs offences. A quantity of drugs and a four figure sum of cash was also recovered from these properties.
Officers carried out high visibility patrols during the evening to crack down on anti-social behaviour, and to offer reassurance to the public.
Two men were also arrested on domestic assault warrants.
Superintendent Matt Richards said: “This day of action in east Edinburgh has been another success for Operation Wolf, and demonstrates that we will always go after those who commit drug offences and anti-social behaviour. There is nowhere to hide for these offenders that bring misery and fear to communities across the capital and beyond.
“We are listening to the concerns of residents in Edinburgh, and anyone who would like to help shape the activities we undertake in their area during Operation Wolf should contact us on 101 or speaking with your local policing team.”
LeithLate 2014 announces extended programme
Ahead of all the bigger festivals across the city which take place later in the summer, Leith has its own unique offering which takes place in the evenings of 21 – 22 June 2014.
LeithLate returns for its fourth year with an expanded programme, time-frame, duration and route, making this LeithLate even longer and later than ever before! Expanding from the previous Thursday evening slot to a weekend event over two days, LeithLate14 promises to be a veritable smorgasbord of art, music, film and spoken word with something for everybody to enjoy.
The evening of Saturday 21 June is when LeithLate14 opens across its 25 venues from 5pm – 10pm with the additional excitement of a bespoke LeithLate14 vintage red London bus transporting participants around the expanded route. The LeithLate circuit now includes Great Junction Street and Shore venues stretching down to latest afterparty venue, the Thomas Morton Hall on Ferry Road where Glaswegian rockers Holy Mountain headline on the Saturday night, alongside performances by SAY award-nominated Adam Stafford and RAMMED dj’s. LeithLate14 continues on Sunday 22nd June from 12pm – 5pm with plenty of live events taking place, including live outdoor mural painting by The Too Much Fun Club at Brass Monkey Leith and a special LeithLate Bruncheon at The Out of the Blue Drill Hall with performances by William Douglas and King Creosote.
Primarily a visual art event, LeithLate14 has a wide variety of art on display this year, taking in almost all disciplines including painting, video, sculpture, illustration, photography, collage, printmaking, performance, textiles and jewellery. A number of events have been curated at LeithLate14 too, including a showcase of Ugandan contemporary art festival KLA ART via photography installations of work by Immy Mali and Moses Serubiri in two of Great Junction Street’s African businesses (Super 5* and African Flavour Lounge), along with a mixture of old and new work by internationally exhibiting Berlin-based Edinburgh artist Andrew Gilbert who is producing paintings and sculpture as part of his installation in the Settlement Projects charity shop.
New arts venues participating in LeithLate this year include Collective on Calton Hill (‘gateway to Leith’), Embassy Gallery, the newly reopened and renovated Gayfield Creative Spaces, Vision Mechanics (who also run Puppet Lab) and Coburg House Art Studios. New participating businesses include Joseph Pearce with a MishMish live music showcase, Junkadelic and the (in)famous Gallery of Bad Art, Area C Coffeehouse, Bainbridge Vaults (part of Bainbridge Recording Studios) and Sofi’s Bar.
New collaborators include: Neu! Reekie! with their spoken word, music, animation and film fusion, Kalopsia Collective, a contemporary textile collective, CinemaAttic, the platform for Spanish, Iberian and Latin-American cinema in Scotland, Scottish skateboard company and creative project curators Harvest Skate Co and Faction North Productions who are producing an Edinburgh version of their Commonwealth Games film project From Scotland With Love for LeithLate14.
Developments this year include sponsorship from Leith’s only brewery Pilot Beer who are creating a bespoke LeithLate14 beer that will be available at the afterparty and other Leith venues throughout the event, and the announcement of a new public art project in association with Leith Walkers (www.leithwalkers.com).
With the support of The City of Edinburgh Council, the organisers are producing a large-scale outdoor exhibition of Leith Walker portraits to be displayed on advertising boards and in the windows of local businesses along Leith Walk throughout June, and John from Leith Walkers will operate a mobile photo booth during LeithLate, capturing portraits of attendees.
The full list of participating venues and events at LeithLate14 is as follows:
Collective(outdoor space): Conversation of Monuments project by Laura Yuile (till 8pm on Sat).
Edinburgh Printmakers: Scottish Print Network: Carol Rhodes & Louise Hopkins exhibition & Matt Wilson exhibition plus printmaking demonstrations (Sat) and studio tours (Sun).
Embassy Gallery: ribofunk exhibition featuring Kari Altmann, Laura Yuile, Naomia Davies, Thomas Aithchison, Katie Cercone, Joey Holder and IlonaSagar.
Gayfield Creative Spaces: Broughton Design District exhibition, Kalopsia textiles exhibition & Natasha Russell installation.
Joseph Pearce: MishMish live music showcase.
Windsor Buffet: Live music from Roberta Pia & Olivia Salazar(Sat) and Graeme Mearns (Sun).
Settlement Projects: Andrew Gilbert paintings and installation.
Brass Monkey Leith: Neu! Reekie! world animation showcase with live performance from poets and musicians (Sat) & Too Much Fun Club live outdoor mural painting (Sun).
Elvis Shakespeare: Live music (both days) including Calum Carlyle, Little Pebble, Collar Up, A.H. Doune, St Kilda Mailboat, Banjo Lounge 4 and Blueflint.
Rhubaba Gallery and Studios: The Rhubaba Choir & PET sing 4 songs, I Wanna Be Your Dog | West End Girls | Sloop John B | When My Dog Died at 6pm & 8pm on Sat.
The Out of the Blue Drill Hall: Exposed 14 Stevenson College photography exhibition & ping pong (from 7.30pm on Sat), LeithLate Bruncheon live music event curated by William Douglas plus King Creosote (Sun – suggested donation £3).
Victoria Bar: Omar Zingaro Bhatia exhibition and Albaroma live music (Sat).
Boda Bar: Night Lights exhibition and The Flint original live music showcase (both days).
Woodland Creatures: Ingrida Danieliute exhibition and CinemaAttic short film screening (Sun).
Junkadelic: The Gallery of Bad Art and busking (Sat).
Area C Coffeehouse: Dj’s and live music (both days) including The Victor Pope Experience.
SilverHub Studios: Open studio event and exhibition.
Sofi’s Bar: FiST exhibition & The Last Battle (Sat).
Vision Mechanics: Open studio event & exhibition.
Bainbridge Vaults &The Art Cave: Stacks group exhibition curated by Jamie Johnson of Harvest Skate Co. and From Edinburgh With Love film screening.
Super 5* & African Flavour Lounge: KLA ART Showcase: Immy Mali & Moses Serubiri exhibition installations.
Coburg House Art Studios: Art by the Water 2014 exhibition.
LeithLate14 vintage red London double-decker bus on constant rotation around LeithLate14 route (Sat only) with live music onboard (donation fare).
Leith Walkers outdoor exhibition (various sites along Leith Walk throughout June) & LeithLate14 mobile photo booth (both days).
Thomas Morton Hall: LeithLate14 Afterparty (9pm – 1am, Sat only) with Holy Mountain, Adam Stafford and others tbc plus Backstage Booths theatrical photo booth. Tickets priced at £6 (advance) from www.wegottickets.com/event/275906, £7 on door.
Busiest year for baby birds according to Scottish SPCA
The Scottish SPCA is urging the public to leave baby birds alone, revealing this nestling and fledgling season has been its busiest ever.
Scotland’s animal welfare charity has reported that many young birds have ended up in their care when they should not have.
The Scottish SPCA’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross is currently home to 280 birds, with more arriving every day.
Manager Colin Seddon said, “This is proving to be our busiest ever year for baby birds and fledglings.
“We’re currently caring for over double the number of casualties as this time in 2013.
“Our centre is also having a bumper year for ducklings, with over 200 here at the moment.
“Although some of the birds were rescued because they were injured, others are in good health but were picked up by worried passers-by when they should have been left alone.
“It’s understandable for people to be worried when they come across a young bird on the ground that appears clumsy and unable to fly. However, this is a vital part of the learning to fly process and the parents are very likely to be nearby, watching their young making their first efforts to take to the skies.
“We would ask anyone who has concerns to try to monitor the fledglings from a distance to see if the parents appear. “If it does seem a baby bird has been abandoned or orphaned, they should call our animal helpline for advice.”
Colin advised members of the public to only intervene immediately if a fledgling is in danger.
“If a fully feathered young bird is in harm’s way, on a road or somewhere it could be vulnerable to predators then it may be possible to move them to a safer spot in a nearby hedge or tree,” he said.
“Any unfeathered birds found on the ground are most likely to have accidentally fallen from their nest and it may be possible to put them back in, ideally wearing gloves.
“Under no circumstances should anyone who discovers a nest try to touch or move the fledglings inside. This could cause the parents to abandon them and would also be illegal.”
Anyone with concerns for an animal should call the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.
Photographs by Scottish SPCA
Bogus police officers target tourists in Edinburgh
Police are appealing for assistance from the public in order to trace a group of thieves who are continuing to target tourists in the capital.
In the past three weeks alone, there have been in excess of ten reports of thefts committed by people impersonating police officers. On each occasion the suspects have claimed to be police officers in order to search visitors’ bags.
The latest such incident came on Wednesday 21st May, when a mother and daughter on holiday in Edinburgh from Chile had over £1,000 stolen from a bag.
The pair were firstly approached by a man on Magdala Crescent who handed them a camera and asked them to take a photograph of him. Another two men soon approached stating they were plain-clothes police officers, produced a photo card with the word ‘police’ on it and then demanded to check identities.
They initially searched the bag of the man with the camera, who immediately complied, and then looked through a bag belonging to the Chilean tourists, managing to steal a large sum of dollars and sterling in the process.
Extensive enquiries are ongoing into all the incidents and Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Houston said: “There is clearly a group of thieves operating in Edinburgh who are falsely presenting themselves as police officers in order to search the bags of unsuspecting tourists.
DCI Houston added: “These crimes are being carried out in streets across the city centre. And unfortunately the so-called ‘officers ’ act so quickly that the victims are being duped into thinking the cash is still in their wallets or bags.
“We would urge members of the public to look out for men who are acting suspiciously, especially around tourists, and contact police immediately the minute they see something untoward.”
There are three suspects linked to many of the crimes that have taken place this month.
The first is an Asian male in his late 30s or early 40s, 5ft 10in and of medium build; another is an Asian male in his mid-40s, 5ft 7in and of slim build; and the other is of Mediterranean appearance, 30 to 35-years-old, 6ft 2in and of medium build. The men claiming to be police officers generally wear dark clothing and often have earpieces visible.
Anyone who thinks they have any information which could help in the investigation should contact Police Scotland on 101 or, alternatively, the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Five things you need to know today
Edinburgh Marathon Festival – Forth Bridges Festival – Jason Dee at the Talbot Rice – National Trust for Scotland – Car Rally at Lauriston Castle
Over this weekend the Edinburgh Marathon Festival takes place. Both the council leader Andrew Burns and the Lord Provost, the Rt Hon Donald Wilson are doing their bit. The council leader is running the full marathon on Sunday to honour a 30 year-old bet with his father, and the Lord Provost is running a 5K on Saturday in a personal challenge to his own fitness.
You can see the Lord Provost out training on Arthur’s Seat in our video.
Registration is now underway for the Flotilla on the Forth on Sunday 7th September, one of the highlights of the Forth Bridges Festival which will mark the 50th birthday of the Forth Road Bridge.
The event is open to yachtspeople and boating enthusiasts to take part in creating a floating spectacular on the River Forth. Sailing vessels large and small will form the flotilla which has already attracted naval ships, tugboats, yachts and ‘Reaper’, the famous restored Fifie herring drifter museum ship.
While the event is free and open to all, places are limited and early registration via the Forth Bridges Festival website – www.forthbridgesfestival.com/flotilla-entry – is recommended to secure a place in this memorable event which is anticipated to be one of the flagship photographic opportunities of the Festival.
The event will begin at noon on 7 September and, from 5pm, participants will be invited to attend a barbeque at Port Edgar Marina, where entertainment will be provided by local performers.
The flotilla promises to be a great day out for all the family with a range of entertainment for spectators and participants. During the day a food and drink market, featuring cookery demonstrations, sampling of local produce and a range of products for sale, will be one of the highlights. Visitors can also enjoy a variety of Festival activities, from art exhibitions and installations, to historic walks in the area.
The Forth Bridges Festival is being organised by FETA (Forth Estuary Transport Authority) in partnership with Queensferry Ambition to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Forth Road Bridge. The Festival is a signature event in the Year of Homecoming Scotland 2014, and the flotilla is funded by FETA using revenue raised from the sale of 2014 trips to the top of the Forth Road Bridge this summer.
For full details on all the events, as well as information on how to buy tickets to take part in the celebrations, please visit www.forthbridgesfestival.com
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The University of Edinburgh’s Talbot Rice Gallery will be filled with shadows, echoes and reflections for the largest exhibition to date of Kent-based artist Jason Dee. Pursuit of a Shadow, featuring never-seen-before work, is a captivating exposé of the underlying changes in our relationship to moving images. From spectacular, theatrical works, to subtle visual illusions, Dee creates a fascinating and timely dialogue with the history of cinema.
Jason Dee’s work reflects the transformation of cinema’s material origins, revealing the uncanny effects of a contemporary medium still haunted by its past. Where celluloid film was dictated by the mechanical time of the Modern World, digital technology allows images to be frozen, scaled, reversed and displaced; Dee uses these possibilities to form enigmatic, autonomous story worlds caught between reality and illusion.
At the centre of the exhibition is 24 Times (2007/12), a large-scale installation comprising of 24 monitors facing inwards in a circle. Film clips taken from movies featuring flash photographers play upon the monitors, cutting from one clip to the next as a flash consumes the screen. As the monitors are synchronised one frame apart, the white light – and each frame – dances round the circle. As viewers are caught in the bright light, as apparent subjects of the photographer’s shots, their shadows are then cast across the space so they become part of a rudimentary shadow animation.
31 May – 5 July 2014
Exhibition Open | Tues – Fri 10am–5pm, Sat 12–5pm | Admission Free
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Willow-weaving at Falkland Palace, tackling thistles at St Abb’s Head and bracken control at Rockcliffe are all on the agenda this summer for the National Trust for Scotland’s Lothian Conservation Volunteer Group.
The group has dozens of members who regularly donate their time and talent to the conservation charity, going out on conservation projects at National Trust for Scotland properties across the Borders, Lothians and Fife.
They are always looking for new members.
Conservation Volunteer Co-ordinator Julie Bond said:-“There is a packed programme for this summer, with projects planned in some of Scotland’s most stunning countryside and gardens. Volunteering with the Trust is a great opportunity to get out, explore your outdoors and play a key part in caring for our countryside too. We also know that volunteering makes you happy – what better reason to get involved?”
Travel, accommodation and meals are all organised for volunteers signing up for these projects. For more information on becoming a conservation volunteer and the full programme, visit http://www.nts.org.uk/Volunteering/Outdoor/.
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There is a car rally taking place this Sunday at Lauriston Castle. The Scottish All Rover Rally takes place between 10am and 4pm and is part of the Festival of Museums. These are classic Rover cars and you are invited to bring a picnic to make a day of it.
The Lord Provost the Rt Hon Donald Wilson is running the 5K on Saturday to raise funds for the STV Appeal which aims to help the lives of children in poverty.
He seems to have become a bit of a fitness fanatic, going to the gym and out running in Holyrood Park several times a week.
The Edinburgh Reporter hiked up Arthur’s Seat earlier today to find out how his training programme is going with Andy his personal trainer from Edinburgh Leisure.
The 5K race starts from the Edinburgh Marathon Festival at Our Dynamic Earth at 11am on Saturday, and goes around Holyrood Park.
Hibs’ boss Terry Butcher has praised the spirit shown by both players and supporters during yesterday’s win at Hamilton Academical but insists that his team are taking nothing for granted ahead of Sunday’s second leg.
Speaking in his exclusive column in The Hibernian, Butcher said: “Your tremendous support can and does make a huge difference to the team, and it is fantastic to reward your backing with a good performance and a win.
“We all know there is still a long way to go and on Sunday we require another strong and gritty display to ensure that we get over the line together.
“It was absolutely brilliant to see all the Hibs fans celebrate the goals and the victory in midweek.
“Once more, the Hibernian spirit came to the fore and I am sure there will be another wall of noise on Sunday afternoon.
“When you are backed into a corner, the only way forward is to come out fighting, and to try and beat what’s in front of you.
“Hamilton are a good side who have hungry and talented individuals but are well organised and carry a serious goal threat.
“Their confidence was sky high after defeating Falkirk in the semi finals, so to score two goals against them and keep a clean sheet was very pleasing and made quite a difference to the coach journey back to Edinburgh.”
The Scottish SPCA is appealing for information after an emaciated cat with matted fur was found in Edinburgh.
Scotland’s animal welfare charity was alerted after the Persian crossbreed cat was discovered on Home Street on Monday evening (19 May).
The peach and tortoiseshell female cat is now in the care of the charity’s Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Balerno, where she has been named Gloria.
Animal Rescue Officer Steph Grant said, “Gloria’s fur was very matted on one side of her body and the clump of hair had to be removed by a vet.
“She is really underweight and was given a body score of just one out of five.
“Gloria is an older girl with a lovely nature but, understandably, she is quite scared at the moment.
“At this stage we don’t know how Gloria came to be found in this terrible state.
“It could be that she has been living rough for a while but we also have to consider that she may have been abandoned or neglected by her owner.
“We’d ask anyone who recognises Gloria to contact our animal helpline on 03000 999 999 to assist us with our enquiries.”
Photo by Scottish SPCA
Class A drugs recovered in house searches
Police Scotland has recovered a quantity of drugs following a series of house searches in Edinburgh yesterday.
Cocaine to the value of £1,800 was found at an address in East Kilngate Place, and £2,800 worth of diamorphine being recovered at an address in West Winnelstrae.
A 35 year old man and a 26 year old woman were charged under the Misuse of Drugs Act and appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.
Detective Inspector Stuart Harkness said: “Police Scotland remain committed to ridding our communities of controlled drugs and the associated criminal behaviour of those involved in Serious and Organised Crime. Should anyone have information in relation to controlled drugs or criminals operating within their communities I would encourage them to either speak to their local community officer, call 101 or alternatively contact the registered charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Concern for missing Edinburgh woman
Police in Edinburgh are appealing for information to help trace a woman reported missing from her home in the Northfield area of the city.
Michelle Downie was last seen in the Drylaw area of Edinburgh around 2am on Sunday 18th May.
However, the 42-year-old has not been seen or heard from since and concern is now growing for her welfare.
Anyone who can assist police with their enquiries is asked to come forward.
She is described as white, 5ft 4ins tall, thin build with curly brown hair.
She was last seen wearing a brown hooded coat and black jeans.
Inspector Johnny Elliott said: “There is concern for Michelle as she has not been seen since the early hours of Sunday morning.
“Anyone with information that can help us in finding her is asked to contact police immediately.”
Those with information can contact Police Scotland on 101.
Police target metal theft in capital
Police in Edinburgh are targeting metal theft across the city as part of ongoing Operation Wolf activities.
In support of British Transport Police during their national Metal Week of Action, officers carried out checks at scrap metal dealers to detect, disrupt and deter criminals who dispose of stolen metal at such sites. Road checks were also put in place on arterial routes throughout the city to seek out those using the roads network for the transportation of stolen metal.
Yesterday a targeted day of action was undertaken in the Leith area of the city.
47 police officers worked with City of Edinburgh Council Licensing Standards and Community Safety Officers to target issues of concern to residents.
Arrests were made for shoplifting, assault and vandalism and six people were issued with fixed penalty tickets for anti-social behaviour. A dedicated road check resulted in the detection of numerous road traffic offences resulting in seven individuals being reported to the Procurator Fiscal. Additionally, a Misuse of Drugs Act warrant was carried out resulting in the recovery of personal quantities of cannabis and Valium.
Superintendent Matt Richards said: “Metal thefts are a particular concern for residents in Edinburgh as this crime leads to costly repairs and can cause significant damage to buildings in the process of illicitly removing metal.
We’ve been working with British Transport Police in their national campaign to target the perpetrators and to recover stolen metal.
Our day of action in Leith yesterday also resulted in major success, not only gathering intelligence but cracking down on drug misuse, dangerous driving and other anti-social behaviour.
Residents in Edinburgh can help shape the activities we undertake during Operation Wolf by contacting us on 101 or speaking with your local policing team.”
Edinburgh University calls for global unity on antibiotics
Growing resistance to antibiotics and other drugs demands a coordinated global response on the same scale as efforts to address climate change, experts say.
Without an international commitment to tackle the issue, the world faces a future in which simple infections that have been treatable for decades become deadly diseases, they warn.
Resistance to antibiotics to tackle bacterial infections and antimicrobial drugs used to treat parasites, viruses and fungi is spreading at an alarming rate. Treatment for many infectious diseases is now reliant on just one or two drugs.
Professor Mark Woolhouse, of the University of Edinburgh, and Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust, outlined their concerns at an event hosted by the Royal Society in London and in a Comment piece published online in the journal Nature today.
The authors recommend the foundation of a powerful global organisation similar to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to lead an international response.
They argue that the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance is similar to that posed by climate change because it is a natural process exacerbated by human activity and the actions of one country can have global ramifications.
Yet the international response to this threat – caused by the overuse and misuse of antimicrobial drugs – has been feeble, the authors say.
They are calling for the creation of an independent body to oversee surveillance efforts and set strict evidence-based targets, to stem the loss of drug potency and speed the development of new therapies.
Such an organisation should work closely with the national governments and international agencies who will be tasked with implementing its recommendations.
In a world without antibiotics, routine surgical procedures would become deadly, scientists say. Treatment for cancer and diabetes, as well as organ transplants, would be impossible in their current form. Industrial agriculture would also suffer, owing to the increased use of antibiotics in animals as growth promoters.
Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation spending £750 million annually on biomedical research, said: “We have needed to take action against the development of antimicrobial resistance for more than 20 years. Despite repeated warnings, the international response has been feeble. The World Health Organisation has missed opportunities to provide leadership, and very little progress has been made. The result has been the emergence of strains of infections including tuberculosis and malaria, pneumonia and gonorrhoea that resist all known classes of drugs. We need a new independent body that will not only monitor the spread of antimicrobial resistance, but also drive and direct efforts to contain it.”
Professor Mark Woolhouse, of the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, said: “The time has come to stop re-stating the problems of antimicrobial resistance and start taking action. We need independent, international leadership on this issue before the massive health gains that have been made since Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin are lost forever.”
Hamilton Academical 0-2 Hibernian
Two sensational goals from Hibs’ teenage striker Jason Cummings helped secure a valuable victory last night in the Play Offs first leg at New Douglas Park.
Hibs now go into Sunday’s second leg in confident mood, knowing that barring a disaster they will be playing in the SPFL next season.
Terry Butcher made three changes to the Hibs starting XI with Alex Harris, Lewis Stevenson and Cummings replacing James Collins, Jordon Forster and Duncan Watmore.
Hibs almost grabbed an early opener when Scott Robertson’s curling effort crashed off the post then Accies’ Louis Longridge fired wide from a good position under pressure from Alan Maybury.
Hibs took the lead seven minutes before the break in spectacular fashion when Cummings pounced on a headed clearance from Jesus Garcia Tena who was under pressure from Paul Heffernan.
The youngster took time to control the ball before striking a sensational effort from 25 yards which left the keeper helpless.
Ben Williams then did well to prevent former Hibee Mickael Antoine-Curier from equalising following a mistake from Michael Nelson.
On 54 minutes Hibs doubled their lead when Paul Heffernan’s driven low cross found from the left was touched on by Robertson into the path of Cummings who produced a stunning finish to chip the ball over Cuthbert and despite an attempted clearance from Ziggy Gordon, the ball had clearly crossed the line.
Hibs looked to add a third and Sam Stanton went close with a long range shot.
Williams was forced into action in the latter stages, but Hibs held on to secure the victory to the delight of the large travelling support.
After the game a delighted Terry Butcher said: “We’ve got to go out [on Sunday] and be professional. We want to make the most of it and finish the job.
“It’s horrible when you’re on the sidelines watching it because there’s so much at stake. It’s only our second win in 20 matches and it feels really good in such an important match”
“Then Jason scores and we didn’t know what to do. We’re not used to coming in at half-time 1-0 up and we’re not used to scoring two goals and keeping a clean sheet. The boys are in the dressing room and don’t know what to do.
“But it’s a lovely feeling and I’m not being blase about it. This is a situation that we wanted to be in and, credit to the players, because they came back after the Kilmarnock game and their attitude since then has been spot on.
“They’ve done remarkably well in terms of how they’ve bounced back. It’s testament to them that, because they did that, it obviously showed tonight.
“It’s only our second win in 20 matches and it feels really good in such an important match. We’ve kept a clean sheet, scored two goals and changed the shape of the team because Hamilton were beginning to dominate the midfield.
“Fair play to them, they’re a good little side and have some good players; they made it difficult for us, but we stopped the rot in the middle of the park, contained it and then thought ‘we’ve got some pace, let’s see if we can get behind them and score’.
“Jason took his second goal really well and his first goal was a dream. We’ve had absolutely no luck in the last two or three months to be honest and there was nothing lucky about our second goal.
“It was a great little dink, a calm finish from someone so young. Before, that would’ve been cleared off the line and nothing been given.
“It’s nice when they do go in. We didn’t play fluently but it was a gritty performance and a steely performance. You need that in these games, high pressure games.
“The players have always stayed firm, have been resolute and shown great character. They’ve believed, I’ve believed and I think that showed tonight.
“You treat it as 0-0 and get on with it. We’re playing at Easter Road and it’s going to be a bumper crowd and the fans will be there cheering us on, on a lovely surface as well.
“We want to make the most of it and enjoy the occasion and make sure we play well and finish the job.”
Just off the Royal Mile in Edinburgh’s Old Town two thriving businesses are working away in buildings which are centuries old. Both of these businesses depend on having quick access to the internet, but although they lie in the same place, one has homemade fast broadband and one has a very slow internet speed.
The List, which is the business with access to fast broadband, gets their service from a cable slung out of the window connected to the broadband service in their founder’s house which by lucky coincidence lies right next door. The other business on the top floor, political monitoring company, Newsdirect, cannot access this homemade arrangement as they simply do not have a suitable window. Is this really the 21st century? How can a fast broadband service be accessible to one building but not another three feet away?
And why should it be the case in the 21st century that these businesses in the heart of the city cannot get access to fast broadband? One is a metre nearer the Royal Mile than the other, and you cannot get much more central than that.
We asked Brendan Dick the Chief Executive Officer of BT for his comments, and he has indeed responded to The Edinburgh Reporter, but unfortunately not yet with a solution. He explained that he is having the company’s engineers check on the latest position.
Newsdirect’s business employs a dozen people and is based on political monitoring. As part of that business they stream live videos from Holyrood on Parliament TV. This is made pitifully slow by their existing broadband speed of just under 3mbps. The firm has been in its city centre offices for over 15 years now. They had a sub-tenant until the end of last year and although they now have room for more staff they do not feel able to expand at present. Business owner Kirsty Regan said:-“Any thoughts of doing this is on the back burner until the broadband issue is sorted out. Even if we take up the council’s voucher scheme the broadband would cost us £40,000 over the next three years, rather than the cheaper version offered by BT Infinity, so it is really not viable, as this is 10 times as much as we would otherwise have to pay.”
The List is the producer of a fortnightly magazine but also the producer of a deal of information on their own website. They have about 23 employees, but are also a bit reluctant to expand due to the uncertainty of their access to the internet. All it would take is for their neighbour to move, and they might lose their access to fast broadband.
The List’s Digital Director, Simon Dessain, explained that BT accepted the order to install Infinity in the office last year, but now it seems they cannot fulfil it. Dessain said:-“We have been told by BT that they have to upgrade the cabinet, and that there are two side by side. Quite where they are we are not sure. The number of hours I have spent on this is detracting from my business. We may have to consider moving if this service, which is fundamental to our business, cannot be offered here. It is just pure luck that Robin Hodge who founded The List lives next door!”
The City of Edinburgh Council offer vouchers of up to £3000 to each business to help with the cost of accessing the internet. Sadly this scheme is of little benefit to either The List or newsdirect at this time. Even if they buddy up together the cost of the new internet and the cost of servicing that for the next three years is much more than the £3000 offered.
CEO Brendan Dick has replied as follows:-
Sorry for the delay in reverting to you, I had to go and check for the latest on the cabinet serving Tweeddale Court.
The situation has not changed since this was last investigated, in that whilst BT has upgraded Waverley exchange for fibre to the cabinet and fibre on demand, as well as faster ADSL and Ethernet, FTTC is not currently available to businesses located at Tweeddale Court as the local cabinet has not been included in our commercial deployment.
BT is investing £2.5 billion in its UK fibre deployment and, like any business, it has to make its investment decisions based on sound rationale. When planning fibre investment, Openreach looks at a number of criteria including costs of deployment; likely demand from service providers on behalf of their customers, existing network topography and costs of infrastructure build. Not every cabinet in any given exchange area will meet this criteria, this being one such case.
Unfortunately, our understanding is that Tweeddale Court is not eligible for inclusion in the intervention project with the Scottish Government as this programme, and others like it across the UK, is set up to provide fibre in largely rural areas beyond the reach of commercial fibre upgrade programmes, and as such this cabinet as it does not meet the State Aid criteria as defined under EU rules.
As mentioned, BT has upgraded Waverley Exchange for Ethernet, a business class product which offers speeds ranging from one megabit per second (Mbps) up to 10 Gigabits per second. Depending on their needs, businesses can opt for a choice of guaranteed broadband speeds over a dedicated line and if relevant across multiple sites, at a fraction of the cost of previous comparable services., from a range of service providers.
Mr Dick recognises that one property in Tweeddale Court has broadband but not the other. When The Edinburgh Reporter pointed this out he explained:-“The difficulty is that the lines serving some premises in Tweeddale Court are served from an already enabled cabinet, which was commercially viable, whilst these businesses are served from another, which isn’t. I appreciate that may seem odd, but is the case unfortunately.”
Today’s your chance to vote in the European Elections 2014
Edinburgh’s residents are being urged to make their vote count in the European Elections 2014 which take place today.
Voters can help decide who will represent Scotland in the European Parliament. The Edinburgh Reporter was invited along to the old Royal High School on Regent Road where the boxes of election papers were being delivered out to all polling stations ahead of today’s election. From there they go to Meadowbank to be counted and the results will be declared for the Scottish MEPs on Monday 26 May 2014.
Postal voters who have not yet filled out and sent their postal packs are also being advised that they can still cast their vote by bringing postal ballot papers to their local polling place.
Of the 65, 863 postal packs sent out to Edinburgh residents more than 23,000 still remain to be returned, though these voters need not lose out on their opportunity to take part.
Those planning to cast a vote in person should check their polling card for their local polling place as some addresses have changed since last election. They can also find maps on the Council website.
All polling places will be open from 7am to 10pm today.
Council Chief Executive and Returning Officer, Sue Bruce, has encouraged voters not to miss out.
She said: “This is an opportunity for Edinburgh’s residents to have an input into how we are represented in the European Parliament, which makes decisions that influence our everyday lives.
“I would encourage everyone who is registered to vote to do so, and make their voice heard on 22 May.”
Voting in the European Parliamentary Elections allows citizens to return six members of the European Parliament to the Electoral Region of Scotland.
The European Parliament is currently made up of 766 members from 28 EU member countries, and has powers in areas including animal rights, the environment and workers’ rights.
