St Andrews Timber & Building Supplies is increasing its stock options at its Stenhouse base after significantly modifying the Edinburgh facility.

Work has been completed on a ‘slap through’ which will expand the site by linking two separate warehouses which had previously been used for deliveries and customer collections.

It is the biggest change to the branch which the company has undertaken since opening it 2016, when it became the third addition to the firm’s chain after Prestonfield and Paisley.

Offering a greater selection of stock including a wider range of bespoke skirtings and mouldings such as old Victorian profiles for listed buildings and old-style townhouses often found in the centre of Edinburgh, St Andrews hopes the change will appeal to the bespoke and specialised joining trade while filling a gap in the market for customers.

A range of metal and insulation has also been introduced, these having been previously unattainable at Stenhouse due to the logistics of the restricted space.

Stenhouse branch manager Tam Whitehead said: “We had noticed in recent years that it was becoming harder and harder for joiners to source the old-style finishing pieces, skirtings and facings.

“If we couldn’t help them, we would often send them on to other merchants.

“Now that we have completed the ‘knock through’, we are able to stock all this and more, such as

more metal, specialised insulation and a wider range of sizes of items such as marine, hardwood and finished plywoods.

“The new arrangement will not only allow a greater variety of stock options from our smallest branch, it will also reduce waiting times for our customers as the logistics and layout of the yard have been drastically improved.

“Previously, if a customer needed an item that was housed in our other warehouse, they would have to be sent out of the estate and around the corner to reach the other area. Now the items can be loaded straight through into the main yard without the customer moving.

“The improvements complement the existing Stenhouse offering which includes a cutting service and a rapid response pick-up for same day deliveries.”

A sure sign of better weather is when young birds emerge from nests to take to the water in the case of these young cygnets.

Cygnets stay with their parents until around the spring of the following year after hatching.

The SNP group of councillors in Edinburgh have elected Simita Kumar, who is still in her first term as a councillor, as their new leader at their group’s AGM on Tuesday.

Cllr Kumar was elected ahead of the group’s deputy leader Lesley Macinnes in an internal vote among the 18 SNP councillors.

Cllr Kumar was first elected to represent the Southside/Newington ward in 2022 and has been serving as the SNP’s education spokesperson, having previously held the fair work and economy brief. Cllr Kumar has broad experience working in public health in Scotland prior to entering politics. This is the first time the SNP group on Edinburgh’s council has elected a female leader at an AGM. Cllr Kumar is also the first person from a minority ethnic background to lead any council group in Edinburgh.

Cllr Macinnes, the group’s finance spokesperson and formerly Convener of Transport and Environment, will continue to act as the SNP’s deputy leader. She was first elected in 2017 and represents Liberton/Gilmerton ward and sits as a member of the Scottish Government’s Mobility and Access Committee.

The contest was triggered by the decision to stand down of Adam Nols-McVey, who had led SNP councillors for seven years and served as Council Leader 2017-2022.

The new SNP group leader Cllr Kumar said: “It is an immense privilege and honour to earn the trust and confidence of my SNP colleagues as I assume the leadership of the largest party in the City of Edinburgh Council.

“I’m deeply grateful to have the opportunity to build upon a strong foundation laid by Cllr Nols-McVey and I extend my sincere appreciation for his dedicated service – not only to our group but for all Edinburgh residents. I would also like to pay tribute to Cllr Macinnes who is a friend and valued colleague and I look forward to working with her to take our team from strength to strength.

“I am fully committed to deliver the best possible outcomes for Edinburgh residents against the backdrop of a unionist administration of Labour, Tories and Liberal Democrats. The lack of leadership and strategic vision from Labour councillors is very concerning and the SNP group will hold this administration to account. However, I am also determined to work collegiately across all political parties on issues where our values and policies align.

“Today also marks a significant milestone toward equalities in our city, and I am humbled to be the first woman to lead the SNP group and the first person of colour to lead any group in Edinburgh. I hope to inspire and pave the way for more diverse voices in our political landscape.”

Cllr Macinnes commented: “I wholeheartedly congratulate my colleague Cllr Kumar on being elected as leader of our very strong SNP group on the City of Edinburgh Council. Not only is this the first time the group will be led by a woman but also by a woman of colour. That is a significant and very welcome step towards greater diversity in our city’s political representation. Simita hit the ground running when she became a councillor and she will continue to bring that energy, thoughtfulness and leadership as Leader of the SNP council group. She will have the full support of the SNP group and myself in helping to reinforce the SNP’s priorities for our city – poverty reduction, attaining net zero and reducing inequality.

“I will continue as Deputy Leader of the group and we will be working closely together to make progress in holding this administration to account and finding the best solutions for all the people we represent and the city we love.”

Outgoing leader Cllr Nols-McVey said: “I’d like to thank my colleagues for their support of the last 7 years and congratulate Cllr Kumar on becoming the new Leader of our group.

“I know Simita has the whole group behind her and has proven herself as an outstanding public servant and has already shown an incredible level of leadership since she joined the Council. She has made history with her election as the first woman to lead the SNP, the city’s largest party, and I’m excited to see how she drives us forward. She’ll have my steadfast support as she does.”

The council have agreed to award the contract for Christmas and Hogmanay for the next three years to Unique Assembly Limited (UA), the consortium which has produced the winter entertainment in the capital for the last couple of years.

The contract covers the production and delivery of Edinburgh’s Christmas for 2024/25 and then for Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay festivals until 2026/27, with the opportunity for two optional twelve-month extensions.

The delivery of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay for 2024/25 was already agreed in June 2022 and will also be undertaken by Unique Assembly. Two bids were received by the council.

The way the new Christmas contract will work is that UA will pay to “rent” the space in the city centre which could mean they pay anything between £405,000 and £1.5million over the three years, whereas the Hogmanay contract will be paid for out of the council’s revenue budget.

Council Leader Cammy Day said: “I’d like to congratulate Unique Assembly following today’s unanimous decision by councillors. They bring decades of experience in delivering major events, including our own Winter Festivals, and I’m confident that they’ll provide a fantastic service to the city over the next three years.  

“The festivals occupy a central element in the cultural calendar of our city and delivering them well for our residents and visitors remains a key priority for us – not least given the huge enjoyment they bring each year. They also deliver substantial economic benefit for the city and for Scotland more widely, supporting jobs and businesses in many sectors most notably tourism, hospitality, and leisure.” 

Due to earlier difficulties with these contracts when a previous contract partner stepped back without notice. There are many “lessons learned” referred to in the council report identified in 2022 when UA stepped in to “save” the Christmas festival.

These lessons have governed the competitive bidding procedure to ensure for example there is opportunity for clarification after initial bids are submitted, and that there are clearer instructions in regard to “securing permissions”. A separate producer, Underbelly, had failed to obtain planning permission for the events in Princes Street Gardens for at least two years.

There are also more stringent regulations which the producer will have to comply with in regard to sustainability and environment. For example council officers confirmed that rules around Tree Protection Zones have been updated and made much clearer. Waste must be reduced with no single use plastics allowed.

In addition, financial assessments of those bidding for the contract were checked by officers in the finance and legal teams, and UA will pay any workers the Real Living Wage.

Councillors were also assured that the All Party Oversight Group will receive regular updates, something which was lacking and noted during the failure of the 2022 Christmas contract.

The Christmas festival will run for four to six weeks from mid November and Hogmanay for at least three days at the end of each year.

The procurement for the contract has been conducted by council officers through what the council calls the Light Touch procedure with procurement costs of up to £35,000 incurred.

It was evident during the meeting that a decision had to be made today to allow for contracts and procurement to follow as it gets “extremely tight in reality” according to the Executive Director of Place, Paul Lawrence

Some of the discussion about specifics, including the threat of a legal challenge by another bidder, followed on the B Agenda behind closed doors and without any press or members of the public present.

Hogmanay will be funded from the council revenue budget – as before the maximum budget available for each year is £812,456.

Some 8,614 individuals replied to a public consultation (which we think is a record) conducted to find out what locals really want from the winter festivals.

This new contract will run from 27 May 2024 until 26 May 2029 with two options to extend after the three years has elapsed.

Looking back in history at events which have taken place in May in years gone by with the Old Edinburgh Club

• Compiled by Jerry Ozaniec, Membership Secretary of the Old Edinburgh Club, membership@oldedinburghclub.org.uk 

ICR Vets Pentland recently held a pets first aid evening at their Pentland Clinic.

The interactive session was led by the practice’s vets and nurses with more than 50 members of the public in attendance. The attendees learned about first aid for dogs and cats, and practical bandaging and CPR.

The vets wanted to ensure that everyone learned basic skills to recognise an emergency, how to keep the pet calm and life saving techniques.

Dr Rachel Roper MRCVS, Branch Manager of ICR Vets Pentland & Balerno said: “Emergencies can happen at any time, so we need to ask ourselves ‘Could I cope in a pet medical emergency?’ The aim of the first aid session was to provide pet owners with knowledge and skills to manage pet emergencies while they seek veterinary help for their pet. We aimed to ensure that as well as being fun, the session was also very informative to ensure that participants left feeling confident and able to cope, should they find their pet in an emergency situation. The whole team has really enjoyed the evening, and the support from the local community has been outstanding. We wish to thank everyone who came along, and hope to run future similar events for the pet owners of Currie & Balerno.” 

The decision to push the start of this season’s Eastern Cricket Premiership back a week until Saturday, 4 May, due to the recent inclement weather, has afforded a longer settling in period for new players at various clubs.

And few have been busier over the winter than defending champions and Scottish Grand Final winners, Grange.

Not only have they recruited new sponsors, more of which later, but also a string of recruits one of whom, Jamie Crawley, has already made a mark by hitting 119 for Scottish Saltires in a win over the MCC at Lord’s last month.

Crawley, one imagines, will be champing at the bit to get into league action for the club his internationalist dad, Steve, served well when the curtain goes up for Grange at Watsonians.

Watching on as Jamie compiled his Lord’s century were his new club-mates – Finlay McCreath, Jack Jarvis and Jasper Davidson. a trio of all rounders.

Davidson, a Scotland under-19 cap in 2020, joined this season after learning much of his cricket in South Africa and having also played for Stirling County.

From further afield comes batter Liam Smith, an Australian who has represented Queensland at age group level. He is also a Cricket Australia level 2 coach.

Captaining Grange men will be Angus Brown while Catherine Edwards, a Scotland cap, takes the helm of the women’s team who have recruited Scotland star Ellen Watson (pictured above).

Sponsoring Grange this season will be Cold Town Beer and Murray Capital whose names will appear on the men’s and women’s kit with Rathbones sponsoring the Grange junior team.

The Scholar Hotel won the top prize Winner of Best 4 Star Hotel East Scotland category and placed Highly Recommended for Best Hotel Team and Best City Hotel categories at the 2024 Scottish Hotel Awards (Prestige).

The hotel, part of The University of Edinburgh’s Hospitality & Events Collection, won top honours in three categories, showcasing its commitment to excellence in the hospitality sector.

The Edinburgh-based hotel impressed a judging panel of hospitality professionals with its dedication to exceeding guest expectations and championing sustainable practices.
The hotel has invested in supporting local businesses, furthering its community engagement and ethical sourcing: from the curation of artwork in partnership with ArtPistol and a wine list selected by Dalgety Bay’s l’Art du Vin, to the luxury toiletries and scent diffusers by a North Berwick business, Laura Thomas Co.

There was also recognition for the newly refreshed hotel restaurant, The Brasserie, and its newly appointed Executive Chef, Ed Fortune, for his fresh take on a modern Scottish menu. The seasonal menus blend traditional local favourites with innovative flavours, drawing from Scotland’s very own larder of ingredients sourced from local suppliers.

The seventh annual awards were presented at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Glasgow on Monday night and exist to ‘showcase and reward outstanding service within the hotel industry in Scotland’.

Gavin MacLennan, Group General Manager – Operations, The University of Edinburgh Hospitality and Events Collection, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won the title of Best 4 Star Hotel in East of Scotland and be Highly Recommended Best City Hotel and Best Team. This is not just recognition of our fantastic team’s hard work, but also a celebration of their incredible dedication and passion. These achievements are particularly heartening given we have just experienced a major rebrand and relaunch of the hotel over the past year.

“We are extremely proud to be recognised by the judging panel of hospitality professionals who are looking for the absolute best in the industry, and we are also immensely grateful for all of the continued support from our guests this year.”

http://www.uoecollection.com/hotels/the-scholar

Edinburgh Castle has been crowned Scotland’s “most Instagrammable” tourist destination, according to a new study.

The fortress has a staggering 723,165 posts featuring its hashtag on the social media platform, ahead of Glencoe with 607,634 and Loch Lomond with 596,695.

Private Tours Scotland analysed Instagram data for popular Scottish tourist destinations, to uncover which have been tagged the most on the platform by users.

Loch Ness (527,939) and Cairngorms National Park (331,923) make up Scotland’s top five, ahead of Arthur’s Seat (305,598), Ben Nevis (276,055), the Isle of Arran (149,863), Eilean Donan Castle (108,495) and Stirling Castle (92,983).

Edinburgh’s Castle Rock has been a stronghold for more than 3,000 years. The castle itself was constructed in the 12th century and is home to the Scottish Crown Jewels, amongst the oldest regalia in Europe.

It also hosts events including rock concerts and spectacular firework displays at the end of the Edinburgh Festival and at New Year.

The One O’Clock Gun has been fired almost every day from Edinburgh Castle since 1861 and St Margaret’s Chapel, the oldest building in Edinburgh, is one of the most romantic places to get married.

Scotland’s top paid-for visitor attraction, it attracted nearly two million visitors last year.

Glencoe, famed for its mountainous landscapes and rich history, is described as “a perfect destination for explorers”, while Loch Lomond is world renowned for its beauty, surrounded by “charming villages, rolling countryside and hills”.

Struan Baird, Co-founder of Private Tours Scotland, said: “Discovering the most Instagrammable destinations in Scotland offers a unique insight into the country’s most popular and picture-perfect spots for tourists.

“From spectacular lochs and mountains to fascinating castles rich with history, this data showcases the appreciation of Scotland’s beauty from tourists and locals, hopefully providing inspiration for your next trip.”

Edinburgh Festival of Cycling

The programmes for the eighth festival are out now. It will run from 31 May to 9 June 2024.

Full details of the programme here.

Sea Rising festival

Porty Energy are holding the Sea Rising Festival on 22 June but they have a crowdfunder running here which you may like to donate to. A spokesperson said: “The festival will include a music stage and stalls near the Seafield end of the Promenade with bike demos and family activities. It will be during the day and there is a full moon that day so we expect a High Spring Tide (so if you are performing you may have the waves lapping at your ankles and the audience will be in the Sea at some point).”

The organisers are looking for musicians and performers.

More information here.

Support The Edinburgh Reporter

The May edition of The Edinburgh Reporter newspaper will be in stockists from tomorrow but if you would like to support us and ensure your copy is sent to you please sign up here. Click the image below.

The Crannie

There is an art exhibition at The Crannie (on Cranston Street) and the opening event is being held on Friday 10 May from 4pm to 6pm. If you would like to have your work included in the exhibition then you are invited to send some in.

Contact a member of staff at the Crannie.

Consultation on designs for St Margaret’s Park bowling greens

The Thriving Green Spaces team at The City of Edinburgh Council are currently developing proposals for unused Bowling Greens in parks throughout the city. This includes St Margaret’s Park’s bowling green. 

The team has delivered several consultation sessions. Drawing from this feedback, the council have developed several ideas for ways these spaces could be improved and re-integrated back into the park. The landscape architects have visually developed these ideas further, and at this stage the council is asking for feedback on these ideas to help refine future proposals.  

The re-opening and improvements of these spaces will provide significant value to the local community, benefitting people who live in or work in the area, as well as those travelling through. 

The link to the consultation is here.

Postal Bowling Club held an inaugural Invitation Triples Competition at the weekend with sixteen triples from local clubs playing a round robin in four sections.

The winners were Hillside with (from left to right) John Newall, Colin Bell and Graham Laidlaw.

Edinburgh’s Playtime jazz sessions have announced a new season of concerts. Beginning with the house quartet of saxophonist Martin Kershaw, guitarist Graeme Stephen, bassist Mario Caribe and drummer Tom Bancroft playing the music of Miles Davis on Thursday 2nd May, the concerts run fortnightly into July.

Violinist Greg Lawson and accordionist Phil Alexander, of Moishe’s Bagel and the new trio Triptic, join the house quartet to play the music of new tango creator Astor Piazzolla on 16^th May. They’re followed by a celebration of Chicago-born saxophonist-composer Henry Threadgill, with guests, trumpeter Robert Henderson, trombonist Anoushka Nanguy and drummer Chun-Wei Kang.

Guitarist and founder of the Celtic jazz band Lammas, Don Paterson appears on 13^th June and singer and songwriter Michelle Willis follows on 27^th June, with saxophonist Rachel Duns completing the series on 11^th July.

Now in its tenth year, Playtime was founded by Kershaw and Stephen to create opportunities to play new music, with sessions initially taking place weekly. Joined by Caribe and Bancroft they have gone on to play tributes to most of the major figures in jazz as well as performing new compositions by all four musicians and on occasion playing completely improvised music.

“The loft space in the Outhouse has proved very conducive to sharing music in intimate sessions,” says Tom Bancroft. “As a group we’ve played in other venues, and in other towns and cities, and we’d like to do more of that. But the familiarity of the Outhouse is a big plus for us and audiences seem to enjoy it, too.”

Keith Smith saw Watsonians women claim four late goals to win Scottish Hockey’s Grand Final by beating Clydesdale Western and declared: “It was a really mature performance.”

Katie Stott netted late in the third quarter and Gen Hussell claimed the second a minute into the final session.

Her strike was followed by two more, one from Milly Berndes-Cade and the fourth and final goal came from Scottish international striker Sarah Jamieson soon after.

Coach Smith now eyes Sunday’s Scottish Cup Final against Western Wildcats at Glasgow’s National Hockey Centre (16.00) to claim a domestic treble having already won the Premiership crown.

He praised Clydesdale for their efforts and said: “They did a great job of nullifying the threat of The University of Edinburgh in their semi-final on Saturday. They really frustrated them.

“We knew how difficult they would make the Grand Final but we also recognised how much the win over the students could have taken out of them.

“Our plan for the Grand Final was to be really patient, not to chase the game and move them around until we created quality chances.”

Smith feels his side were unlucky not to score at least two goals in the first half and he added: “We could have easily let that impact on our mindset, but the players were calm and composed and stuck to doing the things we knew would get the results we wanted.”

WATCHING BRIEF: Keith Smith (with glasses) and his assistant David Knipe in the dugout at George Watson’s College as Watsonians played Western Wildcats in a recent Premiership game. Picture Nigel Duncan

Dalmeny Estate Golf Club opened their season with a match between a team representing the club’s captain against one hosted by the vice-captain.

Vice-captain Ricky Simpson celebrated with his squad after they beat a team led by captain Ian Bell in the match played in calm conditions.

The teams competed in a Texas Scramble over nine holes and 27.8 was the winning score on the night. 

The club then held their first competition of the season and it was Andy Allan who emerged victorious with a net 64 playing off a handicap of seven.

Second was Ricky Simpson who edged Willie Ruffle into third place. Simpson had a better inward half as both men recorded net 65 on the testing parkland course near South Queensferry.

The match was played in a gentle breeze coming in off the sea and Allan collected the Simon F Carruthers Memorial Salver. Carruthers was the 6th Earl’s factor and a former Dalmeny Estate Golf Club convenor.

TOP PICTURE (left to right): Graham Alston, Mark Cottle, Ricky Simpson, Ian Bell, Colin Campbell and Andy Allan after the captain v vice-captain event. Contributed by Willie Ruffle, secretary of Dalmeny Estate Golf Club

PRIZE GUY: Andy Allan (right) receives the Simon F Carruthers Memorial Salver from Dalmeny Estate Golf Club vice-captain, Ricky Simpson. Contributed by Willie Ruffle, secretary of Dalmeny Estate Golf Club

The Eric Liddell Way on Bruntsfield Links has been officially opened at a renaming ceremony, celebrating the achievements of sportsman Eric Liddell at the 1924 Paris Olympics when he won gold in the 400 metres.

The Eric Liddell Community led the celebrations honouring Liddell’s remarkable life, sporting achievements, and community service. The Eric Liddell Way will highlight his Scottish legacy and will allow locals to walk in Eric Liddell’s footsteps as he would have used this path when walking to work, to church, and back to his home.

Unveiled by Scotland rugby cap, Darcy Graham, local councillors, pupils from neighbouring schools and representatives from local businesses attended the event with a performance from the George Watson’s College pipe band.

Edinburgh’s family-run ice cream business, S.Luca’s, also donated free ice cream to all in attendance from their 101-year-old Rolls-Royce.

Eric Liddell won seven caps for Scotland in 1922 and 1923, losing only once, and scored back-to-back tries in four of his international caps as a winger. He was inducted into the Scottish Rugby Hall of Fame in 2022, to mark 100 years since his first international cap. 100 years on, Darcy Graham is on track to create Scottish sporting legacy of his own, with his 24 tries leaving him just three behind Stuart Hogg’s record of 27.

Darcy Graham, said: “It was an honour to come along and be a part of an amazing event, getting to unveil ‘The Eric Liddell Way’. Many won’t know that as well as his athletic heroics, Eric Liddell won seven caps for Scotland playing rugby.
“With small-sided rugby games taking place, and a 400m track set out for all to get involved in, we really did live life like Eric did – even just for a few hours. Eric is one of Scotland’s sporting greats, and it is important that we do our best to share his
story and recognise his legacy.”

John MacMillan, CEO of The Eric Liddell Community said: “We are incredibly excited and proud to see that the local community have come together to celebrate Eric’s legacy as we continue to share his story 100 years on from his famous gold medal victory. The path being renamed is made even more special since it was a route that Eric often walked over 100 years ago and is so close to The Eric Liddell Community in Bruntsfield.”

This Eric Liddell 100 event was attended by the local Councillor for the Morningside Constituency, Marie-Clair Munro.
She said: “We knew that something special had to be done to commemorate the incredible achievements of Eric Liddell in such a historic year, and we wanted to bring together the local community in doing so. The path being renamed to ‘The Eric Liddell Way’ signifies a community effort to appreciate the achievements of Eric Liddell, build on his legacy, and showcase the values that he is still remembered by to this day.”

As part of this ceremony, 10-year-old Seb Jellema, and his brother Max Jellema – local pupils at South Morningside Primary – were recognised with The Eric Liddell 100 medals for their running. Seb started his journey in 2023, as he aimed to run at least 3km every day of the year, raising money for charities such as Kids Love Clothes, and the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
His brother Max has this year embarked on his own running challenge. The brothers were identified by the local schools in attendance as children who have shown Eric Liddell’s values, passion, compassion, and integrity.

Mr Grant Gillies, Head Teacher at South Morningside Primary School enthusiastically spoke about Seb, Eric and the event saying:
“South Morningside Primary is very proud to be part of this event; Eric Liddell’s legacy continues to inspire generations of students. One of our own pupils, Seb, embodies this spirit and has been in the news recently as he committed to running at least 3km every day. Rain or shine, Seb managed a year of running every day and has decided to continue, setting himself the goal of beating Ron Hill, the award-winning athlete by running every day until 2075. All goals start with small steps, and runners like Eric, Ron and Seb motivate us all to do whatever we can and achieve success. Whether it’s running its length or walking part of it on the way home from school, I hope
we can all be inspired to get outside and make those small steps towards bigger goals.”

Tony Segall, Active Schools Coordinator for Edinburgh, said: “Active Schools Edinburgh is excited to be part of this event to honour the life and achievements of Eric Liddell. The aim of Active Schools is to get ‘More Children, More Active, More Often’ and therefore we are delighted to help celebrate Eric’s dedication to encouraging and inspiring young people to take part in sports.”

https://ericliddell.org/the-eric-liddell-100/

On a day when there was enough political news the dogs were competing for the annual title of top dog at Holyrood.

Heidi, a Biewer Terrier, was crowned winner.

Heidi, who entered the event with MSP Marie McNair, Scottish National Party MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, impressed the judges with her loveable character as well as her strong bond with MSP Marie McNair. 

The sixth Holyrood Dog of the Year competition, organised by The Kennel Club and Dogs Trust, took place today in the Scottish Parliament Member’s Garden, Edinburgh. Heidi showed dogged determination as she battled it out to defeat eight other ‘paw-litical’ opponents to win the coveted title of Holyrood Dog of the Year, arguably the most sought-after accolade in Scottish politics.

Winning MSP, Marie McNair said of their winning moment: “Absolutely shocked to win today, it’s really really great!

“Heidi is owned by one of my staffers, so I’m really pleased for her owner as well!” 

This year’s competition was all about celebrating the unique bond between humans and their canine companions and the positive impact that dog ownership can bring into our lives. The event encourages an open dialogue on dog welfare issues, as well as providing an opportunity for MSPs to meet with experts to discuss all aspects of the canine world.

The judging panel – Bill Lambert, Health, Welfare and Breeder Services Executive at The Kennel Club; Owen Sharp, Dogs Trust Chief Executive; and David Torrance MSP, 2023 winner of Holyrood Dog of the Year – spent the morning with dogs from different political persuasions and ambitions.

Commenting on the reason Heidi was selected as the 2024 Holyrood Dog of the Year, judge Bill Lambert said: “Congratulations to Heidi and Marie for being crowned the sixth winners of Holyrood Dog of the Year!  It was a well-deserved win and the bond between the pair was clear to see today. 

“There was strong competition from all the competing MSPs and their dogs and we’d like to thank all those who took part. Holyrood Dog of the Year is a fantastic way to raise awareness of the issues currently affecting the nation’s dogs.”  

Owen Sharp added: “It’s always a pleasure to visit Edinburgh to witness the wonderful bonds MSPs have with their canine companions and the instant connections that are forged with MSPs who enter with one of our fantastic rescue dogs.  

“Dogs are devoted members of the family, who shower us with unconditional love, joy and laughter, and Holyrood Dog of the Year is all about celebrating these special relationships.  Congratulations to Heidi and Marie who won today due to their unique bond which was evident for all to see.”

Leading the opposition in second place was Alfie, a Hungarian Vizsla, owned by Sue Webber, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party MSP for Central Scotland, while third place was awarded to Bramble, a Cockapoo, owned by Alex Cole-Hamilton, Scottish Liberal Democrats MSP for Edinburgh Western.

Prior to the event, MSPs entering the competition campaigned hard, canvassing for votes from the public via an online vote before meeting the expert judges to share their dog’s heroic deeds and acts of devotion. Winner of the ‘pawblic’ vote was announced as Oscar, a Cockapoo, owned by Shirley-Anne Somerville, Scottish National Party MSP for Dunfermline.

Shirley-Anne MSP, winner of the public vote said of their win: “Oscar has been such a brilliant addition to the family since we got him just after lockdown, so to have him recognised by the public is just fantastic!”

Its origins have been shrouded in mystery, with legends linking it to Biblical heroes and ancient Egyptian royalty. Now, a new exhibition celebrating the Stone of Destiny has revealed it may originally have been a doorstep.

The new theory comes after the Stone underwent scientific analysis prior to being moved from Edinburgh Castle to its new permanent home at Perth Museum, which opened last month.

Wear on the top of the historic artefact appears to have been caused by footsteps prior to its being used as the crowning stone of Scotland’s monarchs at Scone, near Perth, in medieval times.

The first detailed account of the Stone being used in the crowning of a monarch was that of the young King Alexander III in 1249.

Analysis carried out in preparation for its transportation to Westminster Abbey for the Coronation of King Charles III last year determined that the Stone was quarried from the Scone area.

Together with the wear, this suggests it may originally have been used in a nearby church or possibly a Roman building.

One legend of the Stone’s origin held that it was “Jacob’s pillow”, the stone on which the Biblical figure was shown by angels a vision of a stairway to heaven.

The 152kg Stone was said to have been transported from ancient Egypt by Scota, the daughter of a pharaoh, to the Hill of Tara in Ireland and later taken to Scone by Kenneth MacAlpin, traditionally considered the first King of Alba.

Visitors to the new exhibition at Perth Museum are told: “As compelling as these and other myths are, recent scientific research shows the Stone was quarried near Scone and may originally have formed part of a step or threshold, perhaps from an earlier church at Scone or possibly a nearby Roman ruin.”

According to Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the level of wear on the top surface identified as the result of the use of the Stone as a step must have been caused before England’s King Edward I took it to England in 1296, and also predates its role in inauguration ceremonies.

Dr Nicki Scott, Senior Cultural Significance Advisor at HES, said: “While we know some inauguration rituals did involve the individual being inaugurated to step onto the stone, such as at Dunadd Hillfort, the level of wear on the Stone of Destiny doesn’t support such use.

“Even several hundred years of such a ritual wouldn’t create the level of wear we see. It’s more likely that the stone had earlier served as a step, although we don’t know the context for this.”

Professor Dauvit Broun, Chair of Scottish History at the University of Glasgow, who contributed to the new interpretation at Perth Museum, said: “The evidence is quite compelling. It means that, at some point, the Stone was repurposed as an inaugural throne.

“The earliest detailed account of a royal inauguration that we have is Alexander III’s in 1249, where the Stone is referred to as covered by ‘silk cloths woven in gold’, which means that its rather bare and worn appearance would not have been visible.”

Prof Broun added: “Once it became the inaugural throne it would be understandable if new legends were fashioned to ‘explain’ its association with the kingship as an ancient one — legends which, unfortunately, have obliterated whatever tales were told about its original significance before it became the inaugural Stone.”

The Stone of Destiny — also known as the Stone of Scone — was used during the coronations of the Kings of Scotland until 1296 when it was seized from Scone in Perthshire by King Edward I of England.

Edward had the stone built into a new oak throne at Westminster, where it was used in the inaugurations of the monarchs of England and later of Great Britain.

It was officially returned to Scotland on St Andrew’s Day in 1996 and was housed alongside the Honours of Scotland in the Crown Room in Edinburgh Castle, only leaving Scotland again for the coronation of King Charles in Westminster Abbey in May last year.

A “health check” carried out prior to the crowning allowed researchers to look at the object in greater detail than ever before.

Experts were able to verify that the stone was quarried near Scone, while cutting-edge digital technology including the first ever 3D scan of the historic object revealed surface details previously unseen.

These discoveries offered new clues to the history of the Stone, how it was quarried and then worked over time as well as evidence of wear and human interactions over the centuries.

Although still the property of the Crown, the Stone’s return to Perth last month — as the centrepiece of the new Perth Museum — marked the end of a 728 year absence.

Recent analysis showed that the stone on display in Perth was quarried near Scone and appeared to prove that it was the same rectangular block of red sandstone seized from Scone Abbey by King Edward I in 1296.

However, for centuries, rumours have abounded that replicas of the Stone of Destiny were created at different times to fool various authorities.

According to one legend, the monks at Scone Abbey hid Scotland’s precious inauguration stone as King Edward I approached, and that the king took a copy back to England.

Another tale suggests the real Stone of Destiny may actually be on display in a pub in Glasgow.

Signage displayed over the stone in The Arlington Bar in Glasgow’s Woodlands district suggests that it is the one taken from Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1950, and that the stone that resurfaced on the altar of Arbroath Abbey, draped in a Scottish flag, in April 1951, may have been a fake.

According to this story, the four daring Glasgow University students Ian Hamilton, Gavin Vernon, Kay Matheson, and Alan Stuart who smuggled the stone over the Border, stopped at The Arlington for a pint, and placed the Stone on the bar.

The sign reads: “Within two weeks the game was up and the police were tipped off that the Stone could be found at ‘The Arlington’.

“Under pressure the students decided to hand it back… Or did they? Stories abound across Scotland that the students handed a replica to the police and that the ‘real’ Stone is here in ‘The Arlington Bar’.”

Passengers using Edinburgh Airport’s popular Twilight bag drop service should note that opening hours have increased as more people are encouraged to drop off their bags the night before.

Passengers with a car parking booking in official Edinburgh Airport car parks can also access the 1 hour parking area for free the night before travel, making the Twilight bag drop service even easier and more convenient to use.

The trial of the free use of the 1 hour parking area for customers with official Edinburgh Airport car park bookings will be assessed throughout the summer schedule to determine next steps.

The trial will begin on May 1 2024 and customers with existing bookings will be able to take advantage of the free area, while customers yet to make bookings will be informed of the free parking area in their confirmation emails.

The Twilight offering means passengers on early morning flights can come to the airport the night before to check in bags, heading straight to security on the day of travel.

Four airlines currently offer the service:

Adam Wilson, Chief Operating Officer at Edinburgh Airport said: “The Twilight service was very popular last summer, so much so that it continued into the winter months, so we know there is a demand for the service and that passengers like to use it where possible.

“We’ve worked with airlines to extend days and hours of operation where possible, and we hope that benefits passengers who have those early morning flights and want to head straight to security on the morning of their flight.

“We’re also trialling free Twilight parking for customers with official Edinburgh Airport car park bookings to encourage more people to use the service. That will be kept under constant evaluation to judge the effectiveness of it and to determine the next steps for the Twilight bag drop service.”

Tardiest with a packed programme of music, film and storytelling begins this weekend, running from 3 May to 13 May.

Organisers say that it is due to continued support from The National Lottery through Creative Scotland and the William Grant Foundation that the festival is secure this year.

The eleven day Festival opens with electro-trad supergroup VALTOS one of Scotland’s best live bands, who are performing with folk trio Assynt and award-winning singer Josie Duncan at the Queen’s Hall. Over the weekend the music programme continues with folk legend Martin Simpson whose latest solo album Skydancers has just been released; Americana, rock, folk and blues icon Alice Howe and legendary bassist Freebo and late night sessions in the Traverse Bar.

Plus, folk musicians playing at any level, can take part in #WorldPlayAStrathspeyDay on Saturday by uploading a strathspey tune online using the hashtag, or by joining fiddlers Eryn Rae, Matt Tighe, accordionist Megan Macdonald and pianist extraordinaire Rory Matheson for a live afternoon concert to celebrate the humble Strathspey.

This year the festival boasts an incredible line-up of master musicians including Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis who closes this year’s festival in concert with special guests Laura Wilkie and Ian Carr whose debut album Vent will launch later this year. Other masters of traditional music playing this festival include singer, harpist and composer Rachel Newton, stalwart of the 1990s Edinburgh session scene Simon Bradley trio-ing with Anna-Wendy Stevenson and Michael Bryan, the newly formed Triptic featuring three musicians of peerless pedigree – Phil Alexander, Greg Lawson and Mario Caribe, dazzling instrumentalists Simon Thoumire and Dave Milligan, legend Archie Fisher and West Highland high energy supergroup, Dàimh.

Also playing this festival are a host of hugely talented Nordic musicians including Nordic Fiddlers Bloc, and raucous fiddler Lena Jonsson from Northern Sweden who duos with the legendary Brittany Haas from Northern California. Other highlights include the incredible Malin Lewis who launches their new album Halocine at this year’s festival; soulful electro-trad tunes from Frankie Archer whose music is shaking up genres and traditions and championing women, challenging perspectives and calling for a fairer future, BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year finalist 2024 Evie Waddell and sixth generational fiddle player Clare Sands.

For film goers there is this year’s Folk Film Gatherin’ which includes on-screen highlights – Journey to the Isles: Marjory Kennedy Fraser an archive film with live accompaniment from storyteller Marion Kenny and multi-instrumentalist Mairi Campbell; and two films from Ukraine – the silent masterpiece Earth (1930) directed by Alexander Dovzhenko and accompanied by Scottish musicians Luke Sutherland and Semay Lu; and Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors – a tale of crossed lovers introduced with a short concert from Edinburgh’s Ukrainian Choir.

This year’s May Day Parade also takes place during the festival on Sunday 5 May setting off down the Royal Mile at mid-day and finishing with a rally, music and speeches. Plus fans of traditional storytelling can enjoy events at the Scottish Storytelling Centre including old tales from Lithuania and around the world brought to life by Daiva Ivanauskaite and musician Gaynor Barradell in Fire from the Woods (Her Father Has Nothing to Say) a new production exploring the silence between generations and life growing up without hearing stories from your ancestors; and Welsh storyteller Milly Jackdaw presenting Mochyn Mryddin / Merlin’s Pig a fusion of traditional storytelling, physical theatre, music and ceremony based on the life of Myrddin, the inspiration for Merlin in Arthurian legend.

Douglas Robertson and Jane-Ann Purdy, co-producers of Edinburgh Tradfest said: “We are beyond excited to present our biggest and best Edinburgh Tradfest ever. Every single show has been curated with care by our team, so you can book with absolute confidence. As usual we’ll be at every gig enjoying the music. See you soon!”

Edinburgh Tradfest runs from Friday 3 May to Monday 13 May.

www.edinburghtradfest.com

Following the resignation of the First Minister, Humza Yousaf, Scottish Labour have called for an election in Scotland.

Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar MSP said: “Regardless of our political differences, I want to thank Humza Yousaf for his public service.

“In particular, Scots will remember the dignified way in which he acted while his loved ones faced danger in Gaza.

“I wish him and his family the best for the future.

“For Scottish Labour, this has never been about one person – this is about 17 years of SNP failure.

“The fact is this is a crisis of the SNP’s making and it appears they will yet again put party before country while Scots are being failed every day.

“Scotland faces the biggest challenges since devolution but it now has a dysfunctional, chaotic and divided SNP government.

“All this at a time when our country needs strong leadership to get us through the twin challenges of the economic crisis and the crisis in our NHS.

“The SNP are a divided party which is out of ideas and incapable of rising to the challenges Scotland faces.

“They cannot impose another unelected First Minister on Scotland in a backroom deal – the people of Scotland should decide who leads our country.

“There must be an election – it’s time for change and Scottish Labour is ready to deliver it.”

Despite claims by the Scottish Conservatives that it was their motion of no confidence in the First Minister which caused his downfall, it appears to have been an internal SNP decision that the First Minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf has stepped down as leader of the SNP after only a year.

Amid rumours of an announcement on Monday morning the news came just after 10 that a hastily arranged press conference would be held at Bute House when 39 year-old Mr Yousaf was expected to make a resignation statement.

He has indicated to the SNP National Secretary today that it is his intention to step down as party leader and has asked that she commence a leadership contest for his replacement.

Last Thursday the First Minister called the Co-leaders of the Greens to Bute House to sack them as Scottish Ministers and end the Bute House Agreement. The acrimony which then ensued after the two motions of no confidence were lodged – one in the First Minister and one in the Scottish Government – indicated that the Greens would not back him. He would have been left to rely on Ash Regan MSP and the Alba Party led by former First Minister, Alex Salmond, but that proved an impossible hill to climb.

Mr Yousaf said: “After spending the weekend reflecting on what is best for my party, for the government and for the country I lead, I’ve conclude that repairing our relationship across the political divide could only be done with someone else at the helm…”

He said: “Last week, I stood here to announce the ending of the cooperation agreement between the SNP and the Greens – The Bute House Agreement – and that the SNP would seek to govern as a minority government. I made that decision as the leader of the SNP, as I believed ending the Bute House Agreement was the right one for the party I lead.

“And I still do believe that to be the case. But most importantly, I believe it was the right decision for the country. My hope was to continue working with the Greens in a less formal arrangement as the SNP moved into a new phase of minority government. Unfortunately, in ending the Bute House Agreement in the manner that I did, I clearly underestimated the level of hurt and upset that caused Green colleagues. For a minority government to be able to govern effectively and efficiently trust when working with the opposition is clearly fundamental. And while a route through this week’s motion of no confidence was absolutely possible I am not willing to trade my values and principles or the deals with whomever simply for attaining power.

“Therefore after spending the weekend reflecting on what is best for my party, for the government and for the country I lead, I’ve concluded that repairing our relationship across the political divide could only be done with someone else at the helm. I have therefore informed the SNP’s national secretary of my intention to stand down as party leader and asked that she commences a leadership contest for my replacement as soon as possible. In order to ensure a smooth and orderly transition it is my intention to continue as First Minister until my successor has been elected, but particularly as the parliament will be debating some incredibly important legislation in the coming days and the coming weeks.”

The Scottish Greens have issued this statement: “Co-leader Patrick Harvie said: “Humza Yousaf is right to resign. His position was no longer tenable after he broke the bonds of trust with the Scottish Greens and with everyone who wanted a stable, progressive, pro-independence government. 

“It is regrettable that it has ended this way, it didn’t need to. We draw no satisfaction or pleasure from this.

“But the Scottish Greens could no longer have confidence in Humza Yousaf after he chose to unilaterally end the Bute House Agreement. 

“In doing so he let down the large majority of Scottish Green and SNP members who approved the agreement who wanted it to work. 

“He chose to end a stable majority government and jeopardised the progressive policy programme that both parties had committed to and were working to deliver. 

“It is to his credit that he has taken personal responsibility. 

“Now though is the time to return to some stability.

“The SNP is still the largest party in Parliament by some distance, and has the right to form a minority government. 

“The Scottish Greens have a long track record of working constructively from opposition and will do so with any First Minister who shares our progressive values and who can secure our confidence. 

“We know many people will be disappointed by the events of the last week. We are too. But we cannot afford to look backwards.

“This is a pivotal moment for our country, and our politics must live up to the challenges we face, and hold true to our values . 

“All parties have a responsibility for what happens next, and the kind of country we build. The Scottish Greens will play our part, as we always have done.

“Important work is already underway on a range of issues, from tenants rights to transforming the way we heat homes and buildings. It is essential that work continues. 

“We will reflect on what has happened and do everything that we can to ensure that people and planet remain at the heart of our politics.

“Finally, to the next First Minister. Trust matters, integrity matters, values matter. Do not ever take them or your political allies for granted. The country expects, demands, and deserves better.”

Wildlife

Photographer Alan Simpson spotted something quite rare at the weekend when out near the River Tweed.

Take a look at this photo below – and read more about the creature usually only spotted at night with more photos over here.

Support The Edinburgh Reporter

The May edition of The Edinburgh Reporter newspaper goes to press today. If you would like to support us then please sign up here for a subscription ensure your copy is sent to you – click on the image below.

Become a friend of Hidden Door Festival

Hidden Door Festival is run by volunteers on a not for profit basis and they are asking for just a wee bit of help. A spokesperson said: “We’re still making plans for a full festival later this year, and to support that we’ve launched a new Friends of Hidden Door scheme.

“Our volunteer-run charity is entirely funded by ticket sales, sponsorship and fundraising. All income goes straight into our festival and paying our creative contributors. For just £4 a month you can help us open more spaces and support even more artists and creatives.

“In return, you’ll get:

early access to exclusive events
regular newsletters with advance announcements
10% discount on tickets with priority booking
the opportunity to donate to a cause you love
flexibility to pay monthly or annually
25% Gift Aid boost for UK taxpayers on their contribution
a special ‘Friends of Hidden Door’ pin badge

“Have a look at our fundraiser here.”

Heritage restoration event in Granton

On 4 May join the discussion behind developments at Granton Waterfront as a variety of groups invite ideas and comments on heritage restoration in Granton – particularly the Granton Lighthouse, Granton Station Platforms, Madelvic House and the Granton Castle Walled Garden. The council already has the funding but wants to know what locals think about the heritage in Granton. There is an online survey running from 1 May and on 4 May there is a drop in session at Granton Station from 11am to 2pm. Staff from Granton Station will also be there to talk about WASPS in Granton. Consultation will be live here from 1 May.

Confusion reigns

The new road layout at Charlotte Square is designed as a temporary layout in an effort to reduce vehicle traffic in the city centre. The lanes next to the central area are not for cyclists – or so The Edinburgh Reporter has been told by the Transport Convener, Cllr Scott Arthur.

The signage does lead to confusion however.

The largest known collection of rare Scottish copper communion cups, dating back over 300 years, is expected to fetch up to £5,000 at auction today.

The small metal cups, thought to be exclusively Scottish, were made singly and in pairs from around 1700 to around 1830.

It is believed they were carried to church for taking communion wine, with the earliest known dated example inscribed from Coldingham Abbey in Berwickshire.

Formed in two parts, once taken apart they could be reassembled for travelling with the stem and foot hidden inside the bowl.

Over 200 of the rare cups, divided into 17 lots, are being sold online by Bonhams as part of the David McFarlan Collection of antiques and other rare objects.

Bidding in the online sale will close at midday on Monday

Gordon McFarlan, Director, Bonhams Scotland, and son of the late antiques dealer David, said: “My father collected these cups over a period of over 60 years.

“It was one of his interests and he bought them whenever he came across them. They are intriguing.”

David McFarlan and his wife Phyllis opened their antique shop in Callander, Perthshire, in 1964 and traded there for more than 30 years.

We gain the ‘Summer Triangle’, but lose the ‘Winter Triangle’, as the predominantly twilit sky reduces observability to the brighter objects in the heavens. Keen observers should continue to be vigilant for a nova (new star) in Corona Borealis (The Northern Crown).

The Sun starts the month in Aries and enters Taurus on 13 May at 5:58 pm. Daylight lengthens from 15:25 (15.413 hours) on 1 May to 17:11 (17.175 hours) on 31 May so we lose 1 hour and 46 minutes of night time by the end of the month. If we define astronomical night as the time between astronomical dusk and astronomical dawn the following day then we lose the astronomical night completely after 4 May until August as the Sun never drops below the twilight boundary at −18.0° altitude! Our astronomical night, in the late spring and summer months, is really perpetual twilight. Consequently, only the brightest objects can be observed during this time.

The Moon experiences a double ‘last quarter’ in May. The first occurs on 1 May at 12:27 pm in Capricorn. Lunar perigee (closest to Earth) on 5 May at 10:58 pm finds the Moon some 363,146 km away from Earth – around 21,254 km closer than average – subtending an angle of 32.9 arc-minutes. The new Moon appears on 8 May at 4:22 am in Aries beginning a new synodic (Lunar) month. The first quarter of the new cycle shows up on 15 May at 12:48 pm in Leo. Lunar apogee (furthest from Earth) occurs on 17 May at 7:56 pm and takes the Moon to 404,676 km away from Earth – around 20,276 km further than average – subtending an angle of 29.5 arc-minutes. in Scorpio. The full Flower Moon makes an appearance on 23 May at 2:53 pm. Finally, the Moon enters the second last quarter on 30 May at 6:13 pm in Aquarius.

The Moon can also be used to identify stars and nebulae as it swoops through the heavens and there are several such conjunctions this month. Pollux, one of the pair in Gemini (The Twins) will be 1.6°N of the waxing crescent Moon on 12 May. This is also a good time to see earthshine nights where the Moon is bathed in light reflected off the Earth. It is also known as the Da Vinci glow. The following day, the Moon conjuncts with the Beehive Cluster (M44), also known as Praesepe, in Cancer (The Crab). On 15 May, Regulus in Leo (The Lion) will be 2.5°S of the first quarter Moon. In the pre-dawn of 24 May, the waning gibbous Moon occults Antares in Scorpius (The Scorpion).

If we thought last month was difficult viewing for the planets, May is not much easier given the twilit skies mentioned above. Mercury and Venus rise and set with the Sun so remain unobservable. With binoculars, we may fare better—but marginally—with Mars which begins to emerge from the Sun’s glare. On 1 May at 5:15 am it will be at altitude 2.5° in the east at 1.12 mag. If you are out of luck with Mars at that time, try the International Space Station (ISS) at an altitude 33° and azimuth 146.5° (roughly SE). By 31 May at 4:15 am Mars will be at altitude 8.5° in the east and ever so slightly brighter at 1.06 mag.

The earthshine morning Moon sweeps by ISS, Saturn, Mars and even Mercury around 5 am on consecutive days 3, 4 (Star Wars Day), 5 and 6 May.

Both Jupiter and Uranus reach solar conjunction—behind the Sun when viewed from Earth— so are lost to us. They both also reach their maximum distance from Earth for the whole year with Jupiter at just under 902 million km away and Uranus at just over 3,082 million km distant. Like Mars, Saturn may be viewable in the early morning sky at altitude 6.3° on 1 May at 5:15 am rising to altitude 13.5° on 31 May at 4:15 am. On that last day of the month, it can be found in second conjunction with the Moon, at last quarter, in Aquarius (The Water Bearer). Neptune at 7.8 magnitude is lost in the perpetual twilight of May.

As a bit of fun, though, there are two transits during May but they cannot be seen from Edinburgh and Lothian. In fact, they cannot be seen from anywhere on planet Earth at all. On 17 May at 2:09 pm (Earth time), a transit of Mars will be viewable from Saturn and on 25 May at 11:31 pm (also terrestrial time) Jovian gas dwellers (if there are any) will see a Venusian transit.

There are 2 meteor showers in the May sky for Edinburgh and Lothian. The strong Eta Aquarids, radiant from Aquarius (The Water Bearer), began last month and are active until 28 May. They peak on 5–6 May with up to 50 meteors per hour. They are viewable on 6 May at 3 am for about 90 minutes before being lost in the Sun’s morning twilight. The waning crescent Moon, with only 3% illumination, helps. These are one of only 2 meteor showers seeded by the world’s most famous comet: 1P/Halley. Halley passed aphelion last December and is slowly making it’s way back into the solar system and will reach the next perihelion in your present interlocutor’s 100th year!

The weak Eta Lyrids, radiant from Lyra (The Lyre), are active between 3–14 May and peak on 10 May with up to 5 meteors per hour. This shower is associated with comet C/1983 H1 IRAS-Araki- Alcock. They are hard to see but the waxing crescent Moon only has 8% illumination so offers some hope. They will be radiant from an area between Vega and Deneb: two of the bright stars in the Summer Triangle.

Be careful not to confuse meteor tracks with satellite trails. As of last month, Starlink has 5800 operational satellites in orbit and these can be seen quite frequently. A useful tool is findstarlink.com. For overpasses of the International Space Station, check out NASA’s spotthestation.nasa.gov

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks (the Devil’s Comet) is now lost to us but another comet is rushing towards perihelion and will brighten considerably over the coming months: C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan- ATLAS is currently below 11th magnitude but may well reach 2 mag in October. This is as bright as the star Polaris so one to watch, for sure.

T Coronae Borealis (T CrB)—also known as the Blaze Star—is one of only 5 recurrent nova in the Milky Way. A binary system, the white dwarf component—at 1.37 Solar masses—is rapidly approaching the Chandrasekhar limit where instability begins. The companion red giant is close, 0.54 AU, and is shedding mass to an accretion disk around the white dwarf. As this falls in, it heats up and eventually initiates a nova (exploding star). This happens on an 80-year cycle and, typically, the star dims a year or so before the nova and this dimming started in March 2023. Consequently, we are now poised to witness a runaway nuclear reaction in the sky from the safe distance of 2.365×10^16 km, 2,500 light years. We can expect this ‘new star’ to appear near CrB ε-13 literally at any time. The constellation Corona Borealis (The Northern Crown) is not the easiest to spot but it’s neighbour, at the time of our skymap, is Bo ̈otes (The Herdsman) which contains the bright star Arcturus and should be readily seen in the east. Alphecca (sometimes called Gemma or α CrB) is the brightest star in the crown, at 2.2 mag, and should guide you to this, once in a lifetime, transient event.

At the time of our sky map, some constellations visible are Ursa Major (The Greater Dog) at zenith, Hercules (Hercules) in the east, Lynx (The Lynx) in the west, Cepheus (The Seated King) in the north and the sky’s largest constellation Hydra (The Female Water Snake) in the south. The ecliptic hosts Libra (The Scales), Virgo (The Maiden), Leo (The Lion), Cancer (The Crab) and Gemini (The Twins). We lose much of both the ‘Winter Triangle’ (Sirius, Betelgeuse, Procyon) and the ‘Winter Hexagon’ (Rigel, Aldebaran, Capella, Pollux, Procyon and Sirius) in May. We do, however, begin to glimpse another pseudo-constellation called the ‘Summer Triangle’: Vega in Lyra (The Lyre), Altair in Aquila (The Eagle) and Deneb in Cygnus (The Swan). At the time of our skymap, Altair has not yet risen but by midnight the triad will be seen in the east. These stars will remain with us during the coming months providing bright beacons in the twilit summer skies. Another prominent pseudo-constellation is the ‘Diamond of Virgo’: Arcturus in Boo ̈tes, Cor Caroli in Canes Venatici (The Hunting Dogs), Denebola in Leo and Spica in Virgo. At center of the diamond is Coma Berenices (Berenice’s Hair) which hosts the north galactic pole.

Circumpolar constellations—always above the horizon—include Cassiopeia (The Seated Queen),Draco (The Dragon), Ursa Minor (The Little Bear) and Perseus (The Hero).

Leith Rugby will break new ground when hosting an annual seven-a-side tournament at Academy Park on Saturday, 27 April.

For the first time a women’s tournament will run alongside the men’s event.

Taking part will be: Pool A – Leith, Dunfermline, Royal Dick Vet; Pool B – Gala, The Pigs, Berwick.

In the men’s tournament 2023 winners Newton Stewart are unable to defend the Carl Waugh Trophy so the winner will come from:

Pool A – Leith, Dunfermline, Bannockburn; Pool B – Trinity Acads, Forrester, Hawick Linden; Pool C – Portobello, Edinburgh Northern, Livingston; Pool D – Royal High, Rosyth, Clifton.

Action starts at 12 noon with the final set to get underway at 6.15. Sponsors are Malone’s Irish Bar, Leith.

Public views on plans for new student flats will no longer be aired in public, as the council has failed to determine a planning application in time.

The 138-bed crescent-style block on the corner of Willowbrae Road and Northfield Drive will now be decided directly by a Scottish Government planning reporter.

A local councillor called it “outrageous” that locals “won’t get to make their case against this development in a formal public forum”.

The city’s planning convener said the applicants were “within their rights to appeal”. This has happened on at least one occasion before at Eyre Place, when the developer appealed to the Government Reporter immediately on the deadline for a decision.

The company behind the redevelopment have been criticised for switching their plans for the former Radical Road bar site from 48 homes – approved by the planning sub-committee last September – to an application for student accommodation.

The developer – 83S Student Residence Limited – lodged  revised proposals two months later – sparking accusations from a local MP they were trying to “pack in students like sardines” in a bid to maximise their profit margin during a housing emergency.

However they have now lodged an appeal as the local authority missed the February deadline to issue a decision.

It means the application will no longer be scrutinised by councillors or members of the public at a council committee and the fate of the site is in the hands of the Government’s Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA).

In total 128 objections and 57 letters of support were received by the council.

A report drafted by planners recommended refusing the application, concluding that it would be located too far away from university and college campuses with inadequate public transport links. It also failed to include any mainstream housing on the site in accordance with student housing guidance for developers which on plots bigger than 0.25 hectares.

SNP councillor for Craigentinny/Duddingston, Danny Aston, said: “It’s outrageous that the council failed to bring this in front of councillors in time for a decision, meaning that local people, who objected in big numbers, won’t get to make their case against this development in a formal public forum. 

“The Labour administration assured us after previous high profile failures like this that this wouldn’t happen again – yet here we are.

“I do welcome the eventual officer recommendation to refuse this application. Just a few months ago, this site was deemed suitable for mainstream housing, including 25 per cent affordable rent. 

“Now the developer wants to flip the site to student accommodation despite the housing emergency in our city. I urge the reporter to heed the officer report and to reject this application.”

The earlier application to the Reporter on the Eyre Place site resulted in any planning permission for student flats being refused in March this year, although a separate application for townhouses on the same site was allowed. There is a similar situation at the Gillespie Crescent site where local developers S Harrison plan to demolish a standalone building used by Sight Scotland and replace it with 156 student flats. This was appealed in January but is currently on hold for a second bat survey to be produced by the beginning of May.

Cllr James Dalgleish, convener of the planning committee, said that as the committee is quasi-judicial – meaning it has to make decisions based on policies and evidence as opposed to political positions – he could not comment or make commitments on live planning applications as that would be considered a conflict of interest.

He said: “However, I have every confidence in our officers to proactively engage with agents and applicants, and to assess and determine planning applications in an efficient manner.

“The applicant is within their rights to appeal and the final decision on the application now rests with The Scottish Government.”

Planning reporter Keith Bray, who has been appointed to consider the case is now set to visit the site in advance of issuing a decision, which is expected by June 26.

by Donald Turvill Local Democracy Reporter.

There was joy for Watsonians women who continue to chase down a glory treble but heartbreak for Grange men in the hockey Grand Finals in Glasgow.

First the winners and coach Keith Smith’s squad, who recently claimed the Premiership, emerged with a 4-0 scoreline against Clydesdale Western, but all the goals came late in the game.

Earlier, the Edinburgh side started on the front foot and pinned their rivals back but found the opposition rearguard difficult to break down.
The first quarter was blanked and so was the second and Clydesdale eventually asked some questions.

The the score remained deadlocked until the break and Watsonians maintained their high press into the second-half but Clydesdale survived to the end of the quarter without conceding.

Things changed dramatically in the final session when the Glasgow side eventually cracked, Katie Stott slotting into the bottom left corner.
A second soon followed. It was set up by Sarah Jamieson who fed Genevive Hussle at the far post for a tap in.

Clydesdale Western almost pulled one back from a penalty corner rebound when Scotland international Bronwyn Shields shot but she was denied by the Edinburgh side’s goalkeeper, Lucy Camlin.

The desperate West of Scotland outfit gambled by withdrawing their goalkeeper to give themselves an extra outfield player but the move failed and they conceded two goals.

Milly Berndes-Cade claimed the third, firing the ball into the empty net before Jamieson counted to complete the scoring.

Grange now and Western Wildcats will represent Scotland in the European Hockey League next season after beating the newly-crowned men’s Premiership champions 1-0, a team who defeated the West of Scotland club 4-0 at Fettes recently in the regular season run-in.

On this occasion, Grange found themselves up against a determined side with an experienced goalkeeper, Gavin Sommerville, in fine form. He pulled off a string of quality stops to keep a clean sheet.

It was Wildcats forward Fraser Moran who netted the game-winner in the second quarter. Scottish international Callum Duke sent a delightful diagonal ball to skipper Rob Harwood who fed Moran. He turned to fire into the bottom left corner.

Grange earned a three penalty corners as they upped the pressure, but evergreen Sommerville stood firm to keep the scoreline 1-0 going into the break.

The Edinburgh combine continued to probe and Sommerville continued to defy them. A quality stop from a one-on-one with David Nairn was arguably the pick of the bunch.

Sommerville and his team-mates kept their cool in the final session despite Dylan Bean coming close for Grange and Wildcats held out for the welcome win.

Disappointed Martin Shepherdson, Grange’s team manager, sportingly said: “Great credit to Western who defended well and especially to their keeper who had an excellent game.”

He added: “I felt we had the better of the game and definitely created the better chances. We know we should have done better with the chances we created, but I was proud of the effort and the application with our side slightly depleted due to injury and unavailability.”

The Edinburgh side still have the Scottish Cup final to come next weekend and victory would secure a notable domestic double.

There was joy, however, for Erskine Stewart’s Melville (ESM) who will play in the Premiership next season after a 4-1 victory over Gordonians in the relegation/promotion clash, and the Edinburgh club had to come from behind to survive in the top division.

Gordonians bagged an early lead when George Jones swept home after an attack down the right but the Capital club responded and Edward May slammed into the bottom right corner to level from a penalty corner.

ESM found Gordonians defence to be strong, but they eventually broke through from a penalty corner routine, captain Jack Collister slotting at the right post.

The third arrived via a penalty stroke from Rich Wright, this time into the top left corner, for 3-1 and Collister had the final say when he counted with a slick finish into the bottom left to secure their win.

Hillhead Ladies retained their Premiership status with a 3-2 win over Dundee Wanderers and a 4-3 victory for Greenock Morton over Uddingston 2s saw them retain their Men’s Regional League status for next season.

In the women’s Championship League, Highland recorded a 4-0 play-off victory over Falkirk and Linlithgow to secure promotion.

PICTURE: Watsonians on parade taken by Nigel Duncan

Friends of Starbank Park held a Cherry Blossom picnic on Sunday.

They invited everyone to come along and enjoy the views inside and from the park with live music from the Edinburgh Brass Band.

The holiday let boom has changed the face of the capital’s tourism economy in the last 15 years – but in that time those behind their rise have remained largely a mystery. 

That has all changed, thanks largely to a crackdown launched by The City of Edinburgh Council, and backed by The Scottish Government, amid a rising housing crisis and concerns about the impact the holiday lets were having on the city. 

After a three-month investigation digging into the details on some of the city’s 4,000 or so short term lets (STLs), the Local Democracy Reporting Service has uncovered a group of Edinburgh holiday let ‘superlandlords’.

Profits have soared for some landlords who turned homes into holiday flats and signed up to Airbnb and other booking platforms. It is a trend which the sector argues has been essential to meet the city’s tourism growth – but critics say it has destroyed communities vital to the capital’s social fabric. 

The search has turned up a varied line-up, among it royalty and well-known business people. In several cases, large property portfolios were owned through shell companies registered to tax havens and overseas countries. 

Owners include a businessman who owns an entire block of short term lets, a petrol station owner who has a dozen properties, investment by the world’s second richest family, and an Australian investor who has been quietly running several short term lets for more than a decade.

In all cases there is no suggestion any of those involved are acting improperly in owning or operating multiple short term lets in the city.

Identifying the ‘superlandlords’ was far from easy. Unlike the much less lucrative long-term rental sector where landlords can be quickly found on an easily-accessible register, there has been no database listing those who own short-term lets. Long-term landlords are obliged by legislation to register on a database.

In 2022 the council introduced licensing and planning checks in response to concerns about the increasing number of holiday lets in the city centre, particularly in the Old Town – where it is now not uncommon to find tenement blocks where the majority of  flats are STLs –  and their impact on residents who still live there year round. 

A quick scroll through the 4,000 or so properties which appear on the council’s STL licensing register still revealed very little in the way of property ownership, however. The ‘applicant’ column – intended to provide transparency and accountability – remains largely blank, with only a small handful listed.

Thanks to the planning application process put in place as part of the council’s crackdown however, it has now been possible to link property owners with multiple homes.

Despite legal wranglings over the various new policies, information now publicly available on the council’s planning portal and Companies House has allowed the LDRS to cross reference properties from the licensing register to identify Edinburgh’s Airbnb ‘superlandlords’:

Prominent businessman Alasdair Dougall Locke, founder and chairman of the UK’s largest owner of petrol station forecourts, Motor Fuel Group, currently has 12 flats within the same block on the Royal Mile which are used as STLs. 

Locke, one of Scotland’s richest men and co-founder of Glenrinnes Distillery, owns the city centre flats through Glenrinnes Farms Ltd. 

The apartments were developed by Mr Locke after he purchased the site – ‘air space’ above a pub previously occupied by homes before they were destroyed by a fire in 1966 – which came complete with planning permission for 14 flats. 

Speaking to the LDRS Mr Locke said they were built as ‘high end’ tourism accommodation. However in 2022 – four years after building work was completed – Mr Locke was granted planning permission for change of use of the properties from residential to short-term letting. He has also applied for licensing approval which is outstanding. 

He said: “It’’s a very useful contribution to the tourist economy of Edinburgh; we wouldn’t be as full as we are if there wasn’t a demand. In the right area we think we’re attracting people who come in – yes, they pay us but that’s actually a small part. They spend a lot of money in restaurants, shops and tourist attractions around the city and that’s very good for the economy.”

The highest number of holiday lets under the ownership of one individual was 25, located all within the same block at Western Harbour in Newhaven operating as ‘Ocean Serviced Apartments’. 

Landlord James Adam – about whom the LDRS has found very little information online – has applied for a ‘certificate of lawfulness’ for the apartments’ use as STLs for more than 10 years, which if can be proved through bookings means full planning permission is not required. 

Built in the mid-2000s as homes for long-term residents, in 2018 the council received a complaint from a member of the public about an ‘unauthorised change of use’ to holiday accommodation. However, planners concluded as the conversion had occurred over a decade prior that no enforcement action could be taken against Mr Adam or Ocean Serviced Apartments. Both were approached for comment. 

Investigations also appeared to reveal a member of the Royal Family of Kuwait as having 12 STLs on Torphichen Street in the West End. Suad Al Sabah, an 82-year-old economist and writer, has ownership through the dormant company Haaz Real Estate (Distillers House) which is registered to the Isle of Man – a UK tax haven where companies face no capital gains tax. 

The second richest family in the world, the Al Sabah dynasty has ruled Kuwait since 1756 and is estimated to be worth $360 billion. 

Edinburgh’s Gold Brothers, who run a large number of souvenir and gift shops around the city centre, were found to own 13 holiday lets in the Old Town. This includes 10 within one block on the High Street where planning and licensing applications are under consideration. The Singh Gold family’s STLs are held through Tron Kirk Residences and GB England Ltd. 

Abdul Hamid emerged as another of Edinburgh’s short-term ‘superlandlords’, owning 11 on Home Street – which accommodate 54 guests and are well reviewed online – and part-owning a further six elsewhere in the city. Mr Hamid’s correspondence address is listed as the Edinburgh Multicultural Research Centre on Lochrin Place. 

The search also showed that Josephine Morton, who lives in Australia, has seven holiday flats around the capital owned through limited company JGH Investments. Claiming to have operated them as STLs for more than a decade, she has applied for certificates of lawfulness from the council. 

A much more difficult hurdle to clear, the recent requirement of change of use planning consent for ‘secondary lets’ – the term used to describe STLs where guests have the whole property as opposed to sharing with the owner – has resulted in hundreds of applications being rejected. 

The council itself has included an “assumption of an 80% reduction from the Edinburgh 2021 number of active listings reported on Airbnb” in projecting how much income would come from its new tourist tax. Estimates range from £25 million upwards and the legislation currently passing through parliament will instruct councillors on the way the funding can be spent.

A judicial review last year brought by a group of operators – the second challenging the council’s approach to STL regulation – ended the status quo of planning consent for all secondary lets, with town planners now only seeking applications from those which have a ‘material’ impact on neighbours and the ‘character of the area’ – which can only be judged by planning officers. 

by Donald Turvill Local Democracy Reporter

Mary McCardle, wife of new president Scott McCardle, delivered the first jack and the season was underway at Postal Bowling Club.

Afterwards a vice president’s team defeated a president’s team in the first competitive outing of 2024 for members.

The photo below shows the bowlers from the Seafield club beautifully attired in their club tops on opening day.

The season is also up and running at Seafield Bowling Club (pictured).