Edinburgh will celebrate the arrival of 2024 in the company of Pulp at the 30th anniversary Concert in the Gardens.

This is the first time the Sheffield band has appeared live in the capital for more than two decades, and they will perform tracks such as Common People, Disco 2000 and Do You Remember the First Time? on stage in Princes Street Gardens with Edinburgh Castle providing the perfect backdrop.

Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker said: “When your grandkids ask “Do you remember the first time Pulp played Edinburgh’s Hogmanay?” What will your answer be? Come along and start 2024 in the very best way possible. Oh yes.”

Directors of UniqueAssembly who create and produce Edinburgh’s Hogmanay on behalf of The City of Edinburgh Council said: “Reaching the milestone 30th anniversary for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is a phenomenal achievement, which since 1993 has welcomed millions of party people to celebrate at the Home of Hogmanay. We wanted to make sure that this year was extra special for our audiences and are thrilled to welcome Pulp to the party. This will be the hottest ticket in town, and we recommend people grab their tickets fast to make sure they don’t miss out”.

City of Edinburgh Council Leader Cammy Day said: “The excellent news that pop-pioneers Pulp are set to headline the 30th Anniversary Concert in the Gardens, as part of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations, is testament to the international reputation that our city and festivals command.

“After the difficult years of the pandemic, I’m overjoyed that our festivals are back to their brilliant best and providing such high calibre cultural offerings for our residents and visitors.      

“I would like to thank Unique Assembly and all our other fantastic partners who have worked so hard on delivering our winter festivals. This year’s New Year’s Eve festivities are set to be some of the finest that Edinburgh has ever seen. I’m sure we’ll all fondly remember the first time that Pulp will see Princes Street Gardens and Edinburgh into 2024.” 

There will be 40,000 tickets on sale for the Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party ready to dance their way to 2024 at the Midnight Moment. Pulp’s headline performance and other DJ sets will be broadcast to the partygoers on Princes Street in the Pop Zone creating a massive city centre party. And then we have to hope there will be fireworks as in previous years.

On Waverley Bridge The Tartan Zone will be a night of foot stomping’ music with Elephant Sessions, Kinnaris Quintet and the Hannah Fisher Band leading the way on the ceilidh dancing.

A silent disco for 4,000 people will entertain the party people along with live street theatre, drummers, pipers, vintage funfair rides, and food and drink outlets.

Before and after Hogmanay itself, the format is the well known four day party including the Torchlight Procession, the Night Afore Disco Party and the First Footin’ culture trail with artists from all over Scotland in some of Edinburgh’s best loved buildings. For the family Sprogmanay offers many events in the Old Town.

TICKETS

Concert in the Gardens with Pulp and special guests to be announced, takes place on Sunday 31 December 2023 in West Princes Street Gardens, from 9pm to 12.50am.  Tickets go on general release Friday 29 September at 10.00am from www.edinburghshogmanay.com priced from £75.00 inc. booking fees and 50p charity donation.

A limited Concert in the Gardens pre-sale is available to those registered with www.edinburghshogmanay.com and will begin on Thursday 28 September at 10am.   

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party tickets are on sale now priced £28.50 including fees and charity donation, and discounted EH Postcode Resident Street Party Tickets £23.50 inc. fees and charity donation. Tickets for the Street Party Silent Disco with Silent Adventure are priced £7.50 inc. fees and require a full Street Party ticket to purchase. Spaces for the Silent Disco Zone are limited and available on a first-come-first-served basis. 

50p from every Concert in the Gardens and Street Party ticket purchased will be donated to homeless charity Social Bite, and additional online donations can be made when purchasing tickets. 

Details of further Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 2023/24 events will be announced in October. 

Schools are closed

All Edinburgh schools are closed from today for three days due to strike action by support staff including janitors, cleaners and classroom assistants. The latest pay offer put to the workers by the local council organisation COSLA was a 7% rise backdated to April. Unison the union has rejected the offer saying it is too little, too late. Unite and GMB are recommending the offer is accepted and have suspended strike action.

The Director of Education sent a letter to all parents and carers at the end of last week to advise them of arrangements:

Letter from Amanda Hatton to parents and carers

Dear Parents and Carers,

Closure of Primary, Secondary, Special Schools and Early Years settings

You may be aware from media coverage that industrial action is planned by groups of Council staff in our schools and early years settings next week.

We have been notified by the trade union this will take place on Tuesday 26, Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 September. The impact means all our schools and early years settings will close on those days if the strike action goes ahead.

Children and young people should attend as normal on Monday 25 and Friday 29 September.

As the industrial action includes pupil support assistants, early years colleagues as well as catering, transport escorts and cleaning staff, it will not be possible to ensure the safety of the children and young people.

Individual schools and settings will share their plans for contingency learning and checking in with you for the three days.

Free School Meal payments for eligible families will be sent out by the Council’s Transactions Team on Friday 29 September.

The industrial action also affects childcare provision by Out of School Care providers and means families will need to make alternative arrangements for the three days. Lets will also not be able to go ahead during the strike action.

Should there be any changes to the planned industrial action, we will be in contact with you immediately. I am sorry that these arrangements have had to be put in place to close our schools and early years settings but I hope you understand our position.

Yours sincerely,

Amanda Hatton, Executive Director for Children, Education and Justice Services.

SEWF23 Community Hub

Join The Melting Pot “on a journey to create a wellbeing economy that prioritises people and the planet” 🌐 In a couple of weeks, the Social Enterprise World Forum 2023 will take place in Amsterdam with a focus on “Climate Action, Sustainable Change”, bringing together Social Entrepreneurs, Purpose-Driven businesses and policymakers to raise awareness of social enterprise as a global mechanism for social change. In tandem with the event, The Melting Pot will be acting as a community hub in Edinburgh, enabling people to have the opportunity to connect with the Global SEWF23content, whilst also networking and sharing ideas at a local level. Over the two days there is the opportunity to participate both online connecting with a global audience and in-person hearing from Scottish-based entrepreneurs, whilst exploring the following themes: Ecosystems: Increasing opportunities for trade, collaboration and collective action Fairness: Ensuring equality and inclusion for all Migration: Entrepreneurial solutions for better lives New Economy: Putting people and planet first Planet: Living and trading within planetary boundaries 📅 Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 October 2023, 09:30-19:00 📍 The Melting Pot (15 Calton Road, Edinburgh EH8 9EZ) 🎟️ You can get your tickets here.

The Gathering

Organised by SCVO, the Gathering is the largest free voluntary sector event in the UK, a place for all the amazing people working in the sector to network, showcase what they do and learn from each other.

Over two days on 7 and 8 November 2023, thousands of amazing people from the voluntary sector and beyond will join us at Edinburgh’s EICC to connect, learn and be inspired. 

As well as bringing you a packed programme of workshops, seminars and activities – including online sessions for our most popular events – this year the exhibition will be back, showcasing a wide range of exhibitors from the voluntary, public and private sectors.

https://scvo.scot/the-gathering

Edinburgh Tool Library funding

The lovely people at Edinburgh Tool Library have received a £5,000 grant from The Scottish Building Society Foundation which was set up earlier this year with Foundation Scotland in an effort to give back in the society’s 175th year.

The funding will be used to back a cycle project where volunteers will be trained up as cycle mechanics. The Cycle Kitchen will help to tackle transport poverty and improve self reliance.

Read more here.

Our September issue

Our September newspaper was published and distributed by the beginning of the month. We are now in the middle of producing our October paper which will be packed with new stories all about what is going on in Edinburgh and the people in the news. If you have a story for us then get in touch. And if you would like to receive a newspaper in the mail ahead of everyone else then sign up by clicking on the image below.

And if you click on the image below it will point you in the direction of one of our most popular stories of this last week.(yes this is a bonus sixth thing!)

A local Edinburgh charity has been awarded nearly £5,000 to combat transport poverty across the city. 

The Scottish Building Society Foundation has donated £4,985 to Edinburgh Tool Library.  

The project is called Cycle Kitchen and funds will be used to develop a series of cycle maintenance courses aimed at tackling transport poverty, promoting bicycle tool proficiency, and fostering self-reliance. 

The grant provided by the Scottish Building Society Foundation will be used to cover the training costs for three volunteers to obtain professional cycle mechanic certifications, as well as funding the purchase of workstation tools, training kits. Additionally, the funding will contribute to employing a project coordinator who will oversee volunteers, assist in course development and training, and organise community events to promote the course. 

Paul Denton, CEO at Scottish Building Society, said: “As part of our 175^th anniversary celebrations, we wanted to mark the occasion with an incentive that upholds our core value of giving back to the communities.  

“Edinburgh Tool Library’s Cycle Kitchen is a fantastic cause and it’s great to see it being supported by the Scottish Building Society Foundation with funding.  

“In the first round, we’re encouraged at the volume of interest from a variety of inspiring community groups and charities across Scotland and look forward to seeing how they use the funding to make positive impact.  With the second round, we hope to see this go even further. 

“The Scottish Building Society Foundation whilst in its infancy, we hope will make a big difference to many people across the country and we look forward to continuing our relationship with Foundation Scotland to grow the incentive in the years ahead.  

“By investing in good causes, we are building stronger communities.” 

Thomas Bartels, Project Coordinator at Edinburgh Tool Library, said: “Bringing Cycle Kitchen to life allows us to empower individuals seeking equality in transportation options. We’re here to facilitate those who may be curious about cycling as a means of transportation but are uncertain about bike maintenance.  

“Most importantly, for those looking for more affordable and sustainable alternatives to public transport or car ownership, Cycle Kitchen offers a chance to experience a free and health-conscious mode of travel from point A to B.” 

Scottish Building Society Foundation was established by Scottish Building Society in partnership with Foundation Scotland, which is designed to give back to Scottish communities.  

Launched in May 2023 to align with the organisation’s 175^th anniversary, an incredible £175,000 will be granted to local charities, causes and organisations across Scotland.  

The first phase of funding attracted 44 applications from across 11 local authority areas of Scotland, with nine successful applicants chosen to receive individual grants of up to £5,000 to help their cause.   

For more information on the Scottish Building Society Foundation or to make an application, visit:https://www.scottishbs.co.uk/scottish-building-society-foundation 

UNISON, the largest local government union, said that “The Scottish Government and Cosla have let parents, pupils and school staff down badly”.

A dispute over pay means that three-quarters of Scotland’s primary and secondary schools will be affected by three days of strike action this week, starting on Tuesday.

Up to 21,000 of the union’s members working in more than 1,800 schools in 24 Scottish local authority areas are “reluctantly” walking out today, Wednesday and Thursday. The union confirmed that it would happen as Cosla “failed to come up with an offer realistic enough to pause the action” and that Cosla’s last-minute attempt to end the dispute on Thursday “fell well short of what school staff were hoping for”.

The union has urged its school members to reject the latest offer and hopes the strikes will persuade Cosla and the government that both need to sit down for talks to end the disruption.

UNISON claims that the latest proposal is not an improvement on the original offer made in the spring, and that overwhelmingly rejected at the time by school staff.

UNISON Scotland head of local government Johanna Baxter said: “Cosla finally woke up last week and made a revised offer. But, put simply, this was far too little, and way too late.  

“Both Cosla and the Scottish government had months to get their act together. Both have failed parents, pupils and staff miserably. Not a single school employee wants to walk out, but what’s been offered is substantially short of what’s needed.

“No one wishes to cause disruption for pupils and their parents, but school staff have left with no other option. The blame must be laid squarely at the door of Cosla and Scottish ministers.

“They should give school staff a decent pay rise, fund any increase properly and commit to a timetable for implementing a minimum rate of pay of £15 per hour for all local government workers. That would end the dispute. 

“Anything less risks prolonging a dispute no one wants, cuts to already under pressure services and school staff continuing to quit for pastures new, where the jobs are significantly better-paid.”

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Glasgow Tigers team manager Cami Brown admitted it’s now “win or bust” for their Cab Direct Championship play-off bid and the Scots have it all to do. 

The Allied Vehicles Tigers face Oxford Cheetahs in their final play-off Group B clash at Ashfield on Tuesday (7.30pm) and they need to win by at least 11 points then win at Redcar on Wednesday to reach the Grand Final. 

Brown said: “The Cheetahs have set us the biggest task possible. They have shown a lot of class and resilience to remain unbeaten at the top of the Cab Direct Championship, Group B. That included coming from ten points down at Redcar last Friday to win by four. 

“That shows an awful lot of mental strength and determination, but our destiny is still in our own hands.” 

Brown believes it is achievable for this Tigers side to win by 11 points and then claim a victory on the road at Redcar.

He said: “Play-off speedway is rarely dull and to win any trophy you have to ride the rollercoaster of emotion, but that’s what we love, we live for these tense nights under the lights.”

PICTURE: Tom Brennan leads the way for Glasgow, picture by Taylor Lanning. 

The annual Doors Open Days offer public access to buildings which are not usually accessible. It can be a great treat to explore places that you are aware of but have never actually been inside.

These are, In Donald Rumsfeld’s term, the ‘known unknowns’. The event can also make you aware of buildings or institutions you had no knowledge of; the ‘unknown unknowns’.

For me, this was the case with the building at 57 Henderson Row, recently vacated by Royal London Insurance. It’s a building I often wander past or round the back of but rarely pay much attention to it. Parts of the façade of the building derive from the Tram Depot which stood here before, so it’s a reminder of the industrial heritage of the Silvermills area. The modern ‘iteration’ of this building (from 1988) reeks of late 1980s / early 1990s corporate pastiche and first housed Scottish Life Assurance.

Something more creative is now going on within its bland walls. Like the nearby WASPS gallery and studios at Patriothall, what is going on inside is in line with the artistic tradition of the area. 57 Henderson Row has been taken over by the arts organisation OuterSpaces which makes use of vacant buildings, turning them into hubs of temporary studio and project spaces. Offering low cost art spaces is a way of moderating some of the effects of gentrification which often drives out artists from such areas of the city. At present over 30 artists are based there, their creative activities juxtaposing with the corporate blandness of the space.

Radical Uncertainty
Entering the building on Saturday was an adventure. It reminded me of the radical uncertainty often involved in attending Free Fringe shows (where is the room? Is the show on today? Will it be any good, or am I in for 50 minutes of ‘Fringe cringe’?). The ground floor had a Mary Celeste feel, feel with empty corridors and darkened rooms. In the largely unlit spaces, strange lights and sounds made the visitor uneasy. There was a pervasive sense that the visitor had taken the wrong turn and shouldn’t be in this place. One section is still ‘off limits’: Royal London data is still being removed from these ‘forbidden zones’. In one room, a flickering video played on a loop, featuring leaves and other flora flickering in the wind. It all added to a chilling, disturbing atmosphere – as I’m sure was the intention.

Having survived the post-apocalyptic ground floor, the other parts of the building were filled with the welcome sounds of human voices and human activity. Here visitors encountered a myriad of temporary studios and creative spaces, with artists on hand; keen to discuss their work and their experience of working in this space. Sophia Bharmal, who has been based at Outer Spaces since April, typified the enthusiasm shown by many of the artists. For her, moving to Edinburgh had been a personal and creative release after the “claustrophobia” of London. Her work centres on natural environments, which she finds in great abundance in Edinburgh. She hopes to be based in the building “semi – longish”.

Hidden Doors Open
The second floor has been taken over by the Hidden Door organisation. The building is a manifestation of their desire to see unused spaces in the city come alive through creative activity. Interim Festival Director of Hidden Door, Hazel Johnson, was clearly delighted that the organisation has a base as spacious as this. Having a large space also allows the organisation to store materials, ensuring that as much as possible could be reused. This is all in line with the organisation’s core philosophy of creative reuse.

Johnson feels that the evolution of Hidden Door is one of “deepening” rather than growth in scale. She is keen that Hidden Door retains its grassroots aspect and provides access to all (for example allowing free access to the venues during the daytime). Reflecting on the range of buildings that Hidden Door has used in recent years, Johnson was proud that Hidden Door had helped reinvigorate old (Leith Theatre) and neo-classical buildings (the old Royal High School) but also ‘modernist’ mid/late 20th century buildings, which often receive a lot of flak. Hidden Door certainly helped to show off the qualities of the Scottish Widows building – the sprawling location of their event this year. Though within the architectural fraternity, such buildings are now being re-evaluated, they are still often considered monstrosities by many people. Johnson wanted to show that such buildings were “not an eyesore but an opportunity”.

Johnson related that discussions were still ongoing as to the venue of the 2024 Hidden Door, but wouldn’t be drawn on which places were being considered. My own view would be that the area of Edinburgh crying out for an injection of Hidden Door’s cultural energy is right in the heart of the city: Princes Street. It’s currently in a transitional stage, still seeking a new purpose. Fundamental changes in shopping habits have raised questions about the viability of the high street . As the FT put it recently, ‘the high street is dead and the country is awash with defunct shopping space thanks to the unstoppable digital juggernauts.’ A number of those vacant department stores (such as Debenhams) would surely be a fantastic setting for Hidden Door. Such an event could perhaps counteract the declinist narratives that pervade public discussion of the city centre (‘it’s dead’, ‘it used to be so great’ etc): that change is not necessarily decline.

Abstract(s) Art
The temporary signage in the building was the responsibility of the ‘independent curator, producer and writer’ Iain Irving. The retired college lecturer, who has been involved with a wide variety of cultural institutions (including Fruitmarket), has taken up one of the spaces in the building. He’s found it a energising place to work. Here he turns the cultural themes of his essays into posters and T-Shirts. These lists of thinkers, creatives (and the evocative terms they use to describe trends in culture and society) are intriguing. The contents of these essays stem from the themes he has heard discussed publicly by creatives: he regularly attends cultural talks and presentations. Before you read the essay, these ‘abstracts’ offer you clues as to the themes he will discuss. It’s an interesting way of illustrating the inherent creativity of the writing process; that it should not be considered distinct from the visual arts.

It’s hard not to contrast what is happening at 57 Henderson Row with the vast demolition site around the corner at the former RBS building on Dundas Street/ Fettes Row. Could those buildings not have been creatively reused? Instead, it’s currently a vast space of dust and destruction. In contrast, the vitality and creativity on show at 57 Henderson Row offers a powerful restatement of Hidden Door’s philosophy of the concealed potential of the buildings we overlook.

Hibs, boosted by Saturday’s 2-0 victory over lowly St Johnstone in the cinch Premiership, go in against a St Mirren side buoyed by their narrow 1-0 win over Hearts, in an intriguing Viaplay Cup quarter-final at Easter Road on Wednesday (19.45).

Stephen Robinson’s visitors sit second in the league with 14 points, only two behind pace-setting Celtic, and they are unbeaten in their last five cinch Premiership games.

They are the third top scorers in the division behind Celtic with 14 and Hibs on 11 – The Buddies have scored ten goals – and Hibs are fifth in the table with seven points and they are unbeaten in their last three league fixtures.

Statistics show that the Easter Road side have three wins and St Mirren two in the last five meetings between the sides and Aussie-born defender Lewis Miller insists the Hibees are in a good position.

Personally, Miller is on a high after scoring his first goal for the club, a header across the goalkeeper after a superb cross from Joe Newell, and he told Hibs TV that the win over struggling St Johnstone was “a great result”.

He will not need to be reminded that the Paisley men were the first team to visit Easter Road in the league this season and they came away with three points from a 3-2 win, forward Alex Grieve netting the game-winner after 89 minutes, when former boss Lee Johnson was in charge.

Miller said fans can now see the philosophy of football they are trying to play since the recent arrival of new head coach Nick Montgomery and he added: “We are keeping the ball and we are moving the ball around well.

“We got a lot of opportunities and we could’ve scored a few more (against St Johnstone). If we stick to the gaffer’s game plan we are all confident we can have a successful season.”

The 23-year-old insists the squad are moving in the right direction since the arrival of Leeds-born Montgomery and said: “The gaffer has been great with the players.”

Montgomery coached Miller, who has been capped at under-23 level by Australia, at Central Coast Mariners and the player, who signed a three-year-deal in June 2022, and the player said: “He is almost like a father figure to me because I have known him for that long, so his guidance has really helped me progress as an individual.

“The boys are starting to gel with him so if we continue to keep playing the way we are playing then I am sure we will be pretty hard to beat – especially at Easter Road.”

PICTURE: Celebration time at Easter Road on Saturday. Picture by Ian Jacobs

A sense of “dread and fear” is being felt in Edinburgh as the city faces cuts in vital health and social care services – which bosses warn would have a “direct impact” on people if approved. 

Proposals to tackle a projected £16.7million gap in the budget for council care services being tabled next month will include closing care homes and cutting grants to third sector organisations.

It is hoped the burden can be eased using unspent council cash left over from last year, however councillors are yet to make a final decision on how to allocate it.

Significant funding challenges remain for Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership (EHSCP) despite a £33m cut made in June, which resulted in an employability scheme for people with severe mental health issues being axed – but still left a £14.2m spending deficit which has since increased by £2.5m.

Moira Pringle, chief financial officer for the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB) which has oversight of the Partnership, said the longer the delay in drafting a plan to close the remaining gap, the “more extreme” it would have to be.

EIJB chair Cllr Tim Pogson told a meeting of the Board on Thursday he was concerned people would become ‘unnecessarily alarmed’ at the financial plan when it is published next month as a decision to use £13.7 million of council underspend from 2022-23 would negate the need to go ahead with it in full.

Service user representative Allister McKillop said there was already “a sense of dread and fear” about the impact further cuts would have.

“There is absolute panic and despair within our community,” he said. “People are incredibly concerned. 

“I just sometimes despair that we’re talking about things like this and we’re not remembering it’s people. To make any more cuts, the harm is already happening.

“We’re taking about people’s lives, they’ve already been seriously impacted by the cuts we’ve already introduced. There’s places that have closed, there’s a very small amount of money that was taken away from a very important service and without a blink of an eye.

“We don’t know what’s happened to the people that have been removed from that service – we don’t seem to care.”

Mr McKillop said carers and service users were already “on their knees”.

He added: “I’m getting more and more people phoning up, families in tears who don’t know what to do because so many services have been cut.”

An additional savings plan set out earlier this year included increasing outsourcing and  “closing off” some non-residential care provision, reducing the number of care homes and respite placements and reducing grants to anchor and third sectors organisations which support “those in need including marginalised, disadvantaged, migrant population, those in poverty and homeless” – however officials said this approach, which would have “wide ranging impacts”, was not recommended. 

Interim chief EIJB officer Mike Massaro-Mallinson said these would be contained in the proposals coming forward in October.

He warned more cuts would have a “direct impact on services and people”.

He added: “We do our best to mitigate any risk, but at the same time we do believe it is going to have an impact on people and services.”

On October 9 – the day before the EIJB meets to address the remaining budget gap – a special meeting of the council’s Finance and Resources Committee will decide whether to allocate a £13.7 million underspend from last year to health and social care, which would significantly ease pressures on services.

And a spokesperson for Edinburgh Integration Joint Partnership said: “Despite the challenges posed by a significant budget deficit we have been able to put together a package of reforms which will not only cut the deficit in a manageable way over 3 years, it will allow us to improve services for the people of Edinburgh.

“This is being achieved through initial investment to pro-actively assess and improve the care packages for people in Edinburgh. In some instances this will lead to care being increased, and in other cases it will lead to a reduction in the package only where this is appropriate for the needs of the person and with better access to community services.

“By using a person-centred approach the EIJB can deliver better results for people and save money over the course of the strategy. In addition, through the use of stronger commissioning and an improved “digital front door” for people looking to access services, the deficit reduction will be made through creating a modern service, fit for the future.”

by Donald Turvill Local Democracy Reporter

Hywel Morgan, a world champion fly caster, a Welsh international, and one of the best-known fishermen in Wales, plus a man who has numerous instructional videos on YouTube, stressed it was not expensive to get into fishing. Picking up an inexpensive kit was one way to start.

Morgan, who is a consultant to Scottish-based equipment manufacturer, Daiwa, said that around 30 years ago he would have argued against buying a starting kit because they were made up of items people could not sell, but not now.

He said: “Buy a rod, reel and line for as little as £60 and get out there to fish. The rods now are light and youngsters aged five, six or seven can now start fly fishing, and the good thing is that there are loads of small fisheries around.

“Especially with children, you want them to have success, basically catch a fish, and if you go to places where there are a lot of stocked fish and they catch then they are hopefully hooked for life.”

He agreed that children tend to, when they become teenagers, slide to other hobbies and pastimes, but, if you are a fisherman when you are a youngster, you tend to gravitate back to the sport when you settled down, have a job and a family.

Morgan stressed: “It is very important to get kids into the sport at a young age as they, in the future, will be the people looking after the rivers and the environment.”  

He has been picked by Wales to fish in the Home International Bank Fly Fishing Championship for Wales at Largs in October and argued that it was 100 per cent important that young people, or those coming into the sport, go to a recognised casting instructor when they start.

He added: “People will say they will learn from a friend or relative who fishes. With the best will in the world, they might be really good but people will learn their bad habits so there are qualified instructors all over the UK and it is like building a house.

“If the foundations of that house are correct then the house will end up being built properly, it is the same with fly casting, if the grounding is right everything you add to that will improve you.

“Staring on the wrong foot means that sooner or later your technique will fall down. See a casting instructor then spend a little bit of time practicing on grass and then get out and catch some fish, get some fresh air and enjoy yourself.

“By doing that you would forget all the troubles you may have and de-stress for a couple of hours and relax and get some exercise.”

He admitted that he has a number of videos on YouTube, including a very successful one on casting – it has his largest hit rate – and he also has DVDs. His best seller is his casting DVD.

Morgan said he knows anglers who take the DVD out with their laptop, set it up on site, watch what is happening and try to replicate that. 

He added: “Nowadays, most people have a mobile phone and people should get out there to practice by propping up their mobile phone or get somebody to video you casting so you can see what you are doing.”

The Welshman also produces popular fly tying videos and he said: “Honestly, the best guy to watch by a mile is Davie McPhail (who represents Fulling Mill) and has 30 years of experience in fly fishing. 

Morgan said: “I make flies to catch fish and some fly tyers produce files to catch fishermen but Davie, who is probably the biggest YouTube man in fly tying in the world, produces quality flies.

“If you understand his Scottish accent then all the better for it. The good thing about YouTube is that you can actually pause the video and watch the next step then pause it so it is like having an instructor in the room.

“During the winter a lot of areas have fly dressers guilds or clubs and they meet regularly, once a fortnight or something like that, and the good thing with that is that they say in 14 days we are going to produce this fly.

“You can buy stuff in conjunction with other fly tyers. If I live to the age of 180 I will still not finish all the fly tying stuff I have in my house. Anglers are like magpies, if they go to a store like the Glasgow or Edinburgh Angling Centre and what is on display is shiny then we pick it up.

“Try to find a club because there is nothing better than somebody standing by your shoulder saying try this way or that. The thing is, start with one fly, move on to the next pattern and, once you can make four or five flies, you can then say, hold on, I can make one fly or another fly. You can make it as expensive or as cheap as you want.

“My father started by picking up stuff. If you know people who shoot you can get feathers from them. My dad used to tie in his fingers, he did not us a vise, I think he was too tight to buy a vise, and you do not have to go for the best of the best when you start. 

“Get tying and enjoy yourself and the beauty of fly tying is that every time you sit down at a vise you could be tying the next magical fly.” 

PICTURE: Hywel Morgan on the Daiwa stand at the Open Weekend hosted by Glasgow Angling Centre. Picture by Nigel Duncan      

John Lydon’s return to Edinburgh is apt with his recent admission that the band’s name was inspired by local author Muriel Spark.

He told me prior to the show that the band’s name came from her novel The Public Image.

He said: “I had an early copy of The Public Image novel in 1968 and I loved that book, I loved the writing, it was about the corruption of wanting to be famous. It was from the point of view of the husband who watched the dilapidation of the relationship through the wife’s need to be famous. Everything has to be used or put aside for her alone and it led to the ultimate destruction of everything, it was a very early lesson from literature about what the traps are, without people, family and friends you ain’t nothing!”

Public Image Limited open with Penge with Lydon appearing arms outstretched in red over-sized trousers and an overcoat. The PiL front-man is stationary in red hush puppies while making a range of rubber faced expressions while Lu Edmonds’s Celtic drone rings out across the venue creating a potent atmosphere.

The lion’s share of the set is from PiL’s eleventh studio album End Of The World that, among other subjects, brings other areas of Johnny Rotten’s early history to life.

Car Chase features a hooky guitar riff and pounding dance groove that concerns Lydon’s friend who would “break out a care home and steal cars”. The set is interspersed with PiL classics including This Is Not A Love Song and the grand finally of Rise.

The audience appear to love every moment, a good mix of ageing punks and a new generation of fans who realise the value of a musician and icon such as Lydon.

Steven Naismith faces a tough week as Hearts play at Rugby Park against Kilmarnock in the quarter-final of the Viaplay Cup on Tuesday (19.45) and travel to Ross County in the cinch Premiership on Saturday (15.00).

The head coach told a media briefing at The Oriam that it was good that the Kilmarnock game came so quickly after the 1-0 weekend defeat at St Mirren in the Premiership.

He added: “It is all about small margins, we did not take our chances and we give up a cheap goal which cost us.

“(The quick game) gives you the chance to react and it is a chance to get to Hampden and takes you one step closer to silverware which we, as a squad, are desperate to get.”

The expectation from the club is that Hearts should be in these positions and he added: “We have to go out and perform as it (v Kilmarnock) will definitely be a tough game.

Naismith, a former player with the club, added: “The crowd that travel to away games and the crowd who are in the stadium at home games have a real passion and want to see success.

“You could argue that over the last ten to 15 years that we have not had enough silverware. If you want real success that is defined by winning trophies. I know what it takes and I hope that the squad can do it.”

Overall, in some games, like the home game against Aberdeen, he said the squad started well and they scored a goal in the first half which made a difference. 

Naismith added: “Small margins are if you can get that fast start you then you create chances and that changes the dynamic of the game. It is something we need to get better at. We should come 

“We should come out and play with no fear and hit games head on. That is something we’ve spoken about (in the dressing room) and want to try and chance.

“The priority is winning games and I think in games recently where we have dropped the three points it has been our own downfall our own decision making that has cost us. “There are a lot of things in our play which have been good but if each player concentrates on their individual area of the pitch that will make a big difference to us.”  

Aussie-born midfielder Cammy Devlin has signed a one-year extension to his contract and Naismkith said: “It is important for the club that we try and keep potential within the squad for longer as players mature the consistency level improves.

“Cammy is somebody who has done really well since coming over to Scotland to play and he is an infections character who thinks about the game and is desperate to improve. The next step for him is to perform consistently for us and for Australia.”

PICTURE: Steven Naismith pictured at training at the Oriam ahead of the Kilmarnock clash. Picture by Nigel Duncan

The third day of strike action at National World titles across the UK included journalists from The Scotsman and The Edinburgh Evening News in Edinburgh.

More than 300 journalists who work for the National World Group in the UK have taken industrial action against their employers after 78% voted in favour of strike action in the first ever company wide ballot.

The NUJ has negotiated with National World who own 100 titles in the UK including The Scotsman and The Edinburgh Evening News agree a fair pay package for staff to improve minimum salaries and address pay disparities.

But the publisher imposed a below inflation 4.5 per cent pay increase while the union says it has failed to adequately consider the financial hardship faced by staff on low wages. In an effort to get National World to come back to the table staff have decided their only option is to withhold their labour.

National World owns 100 titles in the UK of which 19 are in Scotland.

The NUJ has set up a petition here.

Championship and League One Cup holders Edinburgh City progressed to the last eight of this season’s competition with a 3-1 victory over Bonnyrigg Rose. First half goals from Holly Aitchison and Niamh Naysmith were supplemented in the second half by an unlucky own goal from Rose. Bonnyrigg grabbed a late consolation from Eilidh Weir.

Also in the second round of SWF’s most senior cup competition, Ayr United and Inverness Caledonian Thistle recorded comfortable 6-0 wins against Hutchison Vale and Falkirk respectively, while 2021 winners Dryburgh Athletic are also through after beating East Fife 2-1 at Bayview. Westdyke beat Morton 6-2 at home to progress.

Rossvale saw off Edinburgh Caledonia 4-1 at Petershill, while Stenhousemuir became the only League One side to make the next round with a narrow 2-1 victory over Queen of the South. 

Buckie Ladies (pictured by Donald Cameron of Sportpix) secured the Highlands and Islands League Cup with a 3-1 victory over Caithness who went ahead after Lorna Young put it into her own net, but Buckie surged back with goals from Rheo Laurenson, Lori Lappin and Emily McAuslan to retain the cup.

The win was accompanied by early presentation of the ScottishPower Highlands and Islands League title trophy, after Brora Rangers withdrew from the league and left Buckie’s lead at the top of the table unassailable.

Earlier in the day, Inverness Caledonian Thistle lifted the girls 14s Highlands League Cup after a final which saw both they and Ross County score in extra-time to send the final to penalties. A save from ICT keeper Josie O’Brien at Ross County’s eighth spot kick ensured her side lifted the silverware.

The Botanist located in St Andrew’s Hall just beside St James Quarter has now officially opened with a launch party featuring signature drinks and music from the decks.

Live music will be a key ingredient in the bar where it will help to create a relaxed atmosphere for families, after work drinks, or evenings when celebration is on the menu. The grand botanical inspired interiors can be seen below.

This is the latest opening on a long list of 33 bars and restaurants run by the New World Trading Company in the UK.

https://thebotanist.uk.com/locations/edinburgh

Cammy Devlin confirmed he had signed a one-year extension to his contract at Hearts and he declared: “It has obviously been such a good move for me switching from the other side of the world.”

The Aussie midfielder has been at Tynecastle for over two years after and the 25-year-old conceded: “It has changed my life in so many ways.”

Edinburgh, he added, feels like home now. He added: Australia will always be where my family are, but I love living over here, I have a girlfriend over here and it is nice having her and her family. I love the city and the boys and they make it feel homely as well.”

Moving to Scotland from Subway Socceroos, said Devlin, has assisted in him making the Australia World Cup squad and he added: “For anyone, when you are in a workplace and you are obviously valued, and to know that they (Hearts) wanted to take my option of another year up, is obviously a really nice feeling.

“It adds confidence being in any workplace and in any job knowing that you are valued by the people in charge and, hopefully, I can turn that into performances.”

The player has made 81 appearances for the Jambos since joining ahead of the 2012/22 season and he believes this is a massive year for the Tynecastle club.

The players desperately want to get back to that third spot in the cinch Premiership table and he admitted they fell short last year which was, he said, so disappointing.

Devlin added: “I just want to help the boys that were here last year, and the players that have come in, to have European nights which is one of our goals.

“For the national team (Australia), every time I get the phone call to say that I am representing my country is what you want to do as a footballer, and to know I have that extra year at Hearts is a good step.”

He admitted: “When you are at massive football club like Hearts there are expectations on you in every game, especially away from home. We know we haven’t been good enough and it is a cliche but we believe so strongly in the training we do under our coaching staff.

“I am loving working under them and, for me as a player, giving me the freedom to go out and play is great. We believe so much in what they (the coaching staff) are doing and it is about us as players to replicate that on the field. That is our responsibility as footballers.”

Devlin stressed that the squad are working so hard to achieve success and he added: “We have to turn that into performances and that starts against Kilmarnock (in the Viaplay Cup, quarter-final, at Rugby Park on Tuesday, kick-off 19.45). We want to take Hearts back to Hampden and that is an experience I have enjoyed.”

The tenacious midfielder added: “In that changing room we are all desperate to bring that (a trip to Hampden) back to Hearts and we are working so hard and we believe so much in the staff. We are doing everything in our power to succeed.”

Kilmarnock are a tough team, he said, and Hearts drew 0-0 with the men from Rugby Park on August 13, Matchday Two of 33 league games this season, a result which Devlin said was disappointing.

He added: “We believe so much in the the game plan we go out with and it is about us as players putting that on the pitch. That is our job and we get the instructions. We are paid professionals and we have to perform at a high level.

“Kilmarnock are a good team but I think we will have a lot of the ball. We’ve had that in the past few weeks but we haven’t got those little final things right. Once they click we will be find. The final pass and the final action went our way and (against Aberdeen) and we produced a win and a clean sheet.”

PICTURE: Cammy Devlin smiling despite the heavy rain as he runs to training at The Oriam at Heriot-Watt University after signing a one-year contract extension. Picture by Nigel Duncan

Today marks the beginning of a full week of strikes at Heriot-Watt over pay and working conditions.

Member of the UCU union joined colleagues from Unite and Unison all over the UK in collective action.

The UCU picket formed at 8am at the main gate and remained in place for two hours on Monday morning.

Tonight at the Traverse

Award-winning singer, Hannah Rarity, has made a lasting impression since being warmly embraced by the folk world, winning BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year (2018) and recording and touring with top acts Blazin’ Fiddles, Rura, Niteworks and Cherish the Ladies. Both of her albums Neath the Gloaming Star (2018) and To Have You Near (2022) have been shortlisted for Album of the Year at the BBC Alba Scots Trad Music Awards and in 2022, she was invited to work as co-musical director for the Opening Concert of Celtic Connections.

Tickets: £15
Date: Monday 25 September 2023
Doors open: 7:30pm | Music starts: 8pm
Location: Traverse Theatre Bar, 10 Cambridge Street, Edinburgh

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tmZU30UfPg?feature=oembed&w=696&h=392]

New galleries opening next weekend

National Galleries of Scotland is opening the new Scottish galleries at the National on Saturday 30 September 2023.

The new Scottish galleries at the National will showcase the very best historic Scottish art and all for free. With 150 years of Scotland’s art to discover in the contemporary and fresh new spaces, visitors will be “sure to recognise some much-loved favourites as they travel through the galleries”.

The years long project has transformed the visitor experience and more than doubled the physical display space, with 12 new galleries allowing visitors to dive into dramatic landscapes, meet iconic images and be wowed by art from 1800 to 1945.

The galleries will offer visitors the opportunity to go in and discover the work of pioneering Scottish artists such as William McTaggart, Anne Redpath, Phoebe Anna Traquair, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Boys. 

Read more here

At the council this week

The calendar of meetings at the council this week begins today with a meeting of the Licensing Board. There ought to be an agenda for the meeting published three days before it takes place in terms of the council’s Standing Orders – but there was none when we last looked.

• Monday – 9.30am – Licensing Board – papers will be here
• Tuesday – 2pm – Pensions Audit Sub Committee – papers and ways to join the meeting are here
• Wednesday – 10am – Planning Local Review Body – papers and ways to join the meeting will be here
• Thursday – 10am – Full Council meeting – papers and ways to join the meeting are here

Edinburgh Multicultural Festival

Edinburgh Multicultural Festival, supported by The City of Edinburgh Council, will be held at Edinburgh College (Granton Campus) and Lauriston Castle on 30 September and 1 October 2023. 

The programme features a diverse range of performers and visual artists telling their stories through creative writing and visual literacy workshops, artwork, poetry, storytelling, music, theatre, and dance.

There are also family activities, including arts and crafts, puppetry, living statues, reading sessions, and drumming workshops facilitated by Visual Literacy Matters and other artists.

More details of what’s on on the festival’s Facebook page.

Maths Week Scotland

The week is full of numbers and the theme is Maths in Motion. As an example of what to expect The Scottish Mathematical Council have created a series of football-themed films for Maths Week Scotland, in conjunction with the Scottish Football Association and featuring the Hearts Women’s team, the Scottish Football Museum and Rugby Park, the home of Kilmarnock Football Club.

The films cover topics as diverse as predicting the outcome of penalty kicks, travel logistics, how to calculate how many people can get through the turnstiles in time for kick-off and the mathematics of the curve on a free kick. 

Read more about the events taking place in Edinburgh here.

A rare set of six bottles of Macallan whisky released to mark the 60th anniversary of the James Bond film franchise fetched almost £8,700 at auction in Edinburgh.

The Macallan James Bond 60th Anniversary Release comprised six bottles of single malt in unique packaging featuring original illustrative designs from the 007 archives to denote each of the six decades of Bond on screen.

The rare complete set, Decades I-VI, went under the hammer at Bonhams’ Fine Whisky and Spirits Sale, where it was sold to an overseas collector bidding online for £8,680.

Georgia Porteous, Bonhams Whisky Specialist in Edinburgh, said: “These highly collectable limited edition bottles were released by The Macallan in 2022 to mark the 60th anniversary of the Bond film franchise.

“It is rare to see a complete set come up for sale at auction, and we were not surprised at the level of interest from international and UK bidders.”

The James Bond movie franchise celebrated its 60th anniversary last October, making it the longest running and one of the most loved franchises in the world of entertainment.

The franchise comprises 25 films over six decades and six lead actors from the Edinburgh-born movie icon the late Sir Sean Connery to Daniel Craig.

The Macallan has been described as “James Bond’s whisky of choice”. Most famously, in the 2012 movie Skyfall, the legendary 1962 Fine and & Rare is described as a “particular favourite”.

The “exceptional” 60th Anniversary Release, created by The Macallan’s Master Whisky Maker Kirsteen Campbell, also reflects “the enduring character of James Bond” as “a force of nature, defined by his Scottish heritage, who carries himself with modesty and humility”.

The whisky was released with an ABV of 43.7% as a homage to Bond’s agent number 007.

With in person and online events in museums, libraries and galleries Maths Week Scotland will promote this year’s theme, Maths in Motion.

There will be daily challenges for everyone to solve with BBC Bitesize learning videos showing how to solve them.

Many topics will be covered from the maths of money to ceilidh dancing, nautical navigation and maths in football.

The Scottish Mathematical Council have created a series of football-themed films for Maths Week Scotland, in conjunction with the Scottish Football Association and featuring the Hearts Women’s team, the Scottish Football Museum and Rugby Park, the home of Kilmarnock Football Club. The films cover topics as diverse as predicting the outcome of penalty kicks, travel logistics, how to calculate how many people can get through the turnstiles in time for kick-off and the mathematics of the curve on a free kick. 

The National Museum of Scotland will host a pop-up exhibition from the Open University entitled Maths in Motion: Pendulums and Patterns, maths-themed Magic Carpet sessions for pre-schoolers, object handling in the Grand Gallery and a maths-themed trail inspired by Dolly the Sheep. 

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “The Scottish Government is proud to support Maths Week Scotland’s delivery of yet another amazing range of activities to promote the important merits of maths in everyday life. We are determined to do everything we can to inspire the next generation of people to engage with maths and the events and workshops on offer will play an important role in doing exactly that.” 

Maths Week Scotland coordinator Ailsa Brien said: “We’re delighted to launch Maths Week Scotland in its seventh consecutive year. Maths in Motion is a theme which invites a wide range of interpretations and so we’re thrilled to see such a creative and diverse programme of activities and events, which I’m sure will inspire and engage a wide range of audiences.” 

Pupils in classrooms can also take part with a range of activities available on the Maths Week Scotland website.

In Edinburgh National Museums Scotland will be involved along with The Museum on the Mound, Surgeons’ Hall Museum and National Galleries of Scotland.

All photos Duncan McGlynn

The Economic Development Team at Fife Council is proud to announce the successful completion of its inaugural “Fit for Defence Programme”. This groundbreaking initiative has provided invaluable support to eight Fife-based businesses, enabling them to access and operate within the highly competitive defence industry.

MRS Training & Rescue, Ductform HFE, Fyneside Developments Ltd, Eurospray, Keela International, Contract Solutions Ltd, Quality Precision Electronics Ltd and Foodmek Ltd all enrolled on the programme to help prepare their businesses to access and increase their market share within the sector.

Developed in collaboration with Make UK Defence, the ‘Fit for Defence Programme’ was specifically designed to address the unique needs and challenges faced by businesses in the defence sector. The programme’s approach included an initial workshop to raise awareness of the defence sector, followed by individual business health checks. Through these health checks, businesses were able to identify areas for improvement and develop tailored action plans to access the defence market effectively.

Furthermore, the businesses involved in the programme will continue to benefit from ongoing support, including specialist business advice from Business Gateway Fife as well as supported attendance at DSEI and DPRTE exhibitions through Fife Council’s Trade Development programme, which will help further enhance their connections within the defence sector.

Pamela Stevenson, Service Manager for Economic Development at Fife Council said: “We are thrilled to see the positive outcomes of the Fit for Defence Programme. By providing tailored support and connecting businesses with industry specialists, we have enabled eight Fife-based businesses to prepare and access the highly competitive defence market. This achievement demonstrates the potential of collaboration and highlights Fife’s capabilities in the defence sector.”

Russell Dillon, representing Quality Precision Electronics, has already experienced the advantages of participating in the programme and stated, “The support and information we’ve received from Fife Council and Make UK’s Fit for Defence programme has helped us to land a new verbal contract with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and enhance our network within the defence sector. Fife Council has been very proactive in getting Fife business out there and we look forward to continuing working and growing in Fife.”

“Jim Fairnie from Eurospray Limited explained that he wanted to expand his defence-related customer base and had found the programme “very helpful with good advice and ideas on how we could develop our defence business. It was helpful to have someone with defence experience identify our strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities. We will implement these suggestions, as well as target the customers highlighted by the expert we engaged with. Thanks to Fife Council’s Economic Development Team, another great programme supporting local businesses.”

The new Scottish galleries at the National will open to the public on Saturday with more art on display than ever before.

This marks the completion of a seven year building project costing £38.62 million, during which time the National Gallery was still open, but was in large part a building site, especially when the excavation on the south of the site was being carried out. The inconvenience was considerable for everyone, whether visitors to the galleries or not, as the Playfair Steps were closed to the public.

A new entrance was formed from Princes Street Gardens ahead of the project beginning, and the whole building was already quite altered by 2019 from the one which previously entered off The Mound Precinct.

The National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) undertook market research asking people in nearby places such as the gardens and the railway station which artists or pieces of art they would expect to see. The results surprised them, particularly finding out that the gallery was not always showing Scottish artists who were best known or who visitors would like to see. Key names suggested during the research included Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the Colourists and the Glasgow Boys. That has now been rectified in the new modern spaces.

Display space has been doubled in the dozen galleries which show artworks from the national collection in their best light. The art includes the well known work by Sir Edwin Landseer of course. The Monarch of the Glen has taken up its rightful position in the new space, along with works by William McTaggart, Anne Redpath, Phoebe Anna Traquair, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow Boys and the Glasgow Girls.

The nation’s artistic heritage will be brought to life – from the much-loved Scottish Colourists as well as major works from the first half of the twentieth century to stellar works from the early 1800s onwards. Reimagined displays of drawings and sketches will celebrate artists such as Glasgow Style pioneer Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh and Alloa-born David Allan, whose depictions of ‘Edinburgh Characters’ will allow visitors to get up close to street life in the Scottish capital in the late eighteenth century.

Progressing through the main doors from Princes Street Gardens, which open majestically and automatically, the new galleries are located off to the left in what was formerly administrative space.

This improvement project was centred on creating a better experience for people visiting and to encourage more visitors to look at the Scottish art on display. The galleries were aware that some international visitors in particular did not come to the National Gallery as they simply “did not know what was there”. Now the National has the feel of an important gallery, much more than it did before.

The pandemic got in the way of course, and The Director-General Sir John Leighton said this was a “complex” engineering project with the main Edinburgh to Glasgow railway line underneath with three tunnels and below a Category A listed building on the surface in the constraints of a World Heritage site to extend the galleries into the former office and storage space. Sir John was also at pains to point out that the galleries are free for everyone to come in and enjoy, and that now there is more space for visitors and more art to see in an easier way.

He said: “For the first time, there are logical routes through the whole complex, a natural flow, no more dead ends, no more retracing your steps, I hope that that will work well for our visitors.

“When we when we set out on this project, we had some very clear and important aims. We wanted to transform the experience for visitors coming to this site. We wanted to make it much more accessible, much more visitor friendly to upgrade the facilities. And we wanted to make it easier to circulate through what is quite a complex set of buildings and levels, but absolutely key to this project was to be able to show the Scottish collection with pride and ambition. And we feel we have achieved those aims.”

And his favourite space? The room where the embroideries by Phoebe Anna Traquair are hung. To see the intricate handiwork close up is most impressive.

Crawfords Tea Rooms

When you enter up the steps to what is the natural beginning of the new Scottish galleries, the artwork is deliberately displayed with the modern works first, and as you progress through the galleries the art becomes older. One artwork which has a very significant connection to Edinburgh is the huge colourful painting titled The Hunt by Robert Burns which used to hang in Crawford’s Luncheon Tea Rooms at 70 Princes Street just across the road from the gallery. This painting was always on show for the price of a cup of tea and a scone, or High Tea if you were pushing the boat out. It now takes pride of place in the first gallery or space as you enter the newly completed wing. And if you didn’t know before it was Burns who designed the interior of the tea room – down to the cake stands.

There are more than 130 works of Scottish art on display in the new space for visitors to enjoy, some of which were just too big to be displayed before.

There is an audio tour of the gallery lasting 1 hour and 45 minutes which you can download and listen to on your own device – even when you are not in the gallery itself using the Smartify app.

Art is grouped in the rooms off to the side of a walkway which is lit by windows with views to the gardens for visitors to enjoy. It was a key part of the project to provide windows where there had not been any before, showing visitors that they are in the heart of a World Heritage Site.

There is a natural focus on Sir Walter Scott – fittingly, as the monument to him is framed by one of the large picture windows on the eastern aspect. Scott is associated with the area as he used to walk through this part of the city on his way up to court. Apparently Scott did not like to be painted or depicted but he did quite like one of the busts of him which is on display, and of course he loved Dandie Dinmont dogs, one of which is the subject of a painting beside him.

Landscapes in their place

Walking from the first room up across the railway lines the ceiling is a lot lower than elsewhere which the galleries have used as a location for some of their landscapes.

A pair of 19th century Nasmyth paintings of Princes Street have been reunited here, one which was in the collection and another which has been gifted to the galleries from a private collection on long term loan. The two views, one of the morning and one in the evening, were painted by the Edinburgh born artist. (And if you are not familiar with the artist Alexander Nasmyth then think of the poet Robert Burns as Nasmyth painted the best known portrait of him). Later in his career he turned to landscapes.

These pictures show the main thoroughfare looking both east and west, and are now reunited and hung around a window through which visitors can see at least part of the landscape as it is today. Sir John said that the galleries thought “it would be fun for people to see 19th century views of the city and then give a half turn and look out the window to see how much or indeed how little has changed in the time since then”.

As with all modern buildings, accessibility is key and there are ramps inside to help those in wheelchairs get around more easily. Part of the rationale for creating the ramps outside in the gardens was said to be for reasons of accessibility as well as recreating the original external view.

Chief Curator Dr Patricia Allerston gave us a guided tour and explained that the works on display begin with 20th century art and the further you go into the rooms and spaces beyond the older the art is.

She said: “We have the cream of the National Gallery’s collection of early 20th century art out – things that are very often shown at the Modern Art Gallery. And that is really one of the points of the strength of the collection.

“This area – the first two rooms are 20th century going up to 1945. The aim is to change that every three years and to have different thematic displays, so there’s always a fresh look, using the 20th century works.”

Dr Allerston explained that one of the strengths of the collections is landscapes and views of Scotland both paintings and works on paper. The new expanded space allows the artworks to be grouped together rather than shown chronologically as they were before. She also said that it was a deliberate move by the galleries to hang the landscapes in places where members of the public can get up close to the paintings and see the way they are painted.

And the work which has become emblematic of the gallery since its purchase, The Monarch of the Glen, is back in a lovely light space along with typically Scottish works surrounding it.

Several issues were discovered when the 1970s building was fully stripped back to its core concrete structure. These included multiple instances of undocumented asbestos deposits which required safe removal, damp and water ingress issues which substantially changed the extent of the waterproofing requirements and undocumented obstructions including remnants from previous developments, which added significant complexity to the building work.

Deeply buried layers of dense concrete had to be extracted, impacting on the sequencing of the works while managing the unique complexity of the engineering works. Just over 800 cubic metres of concrete were removed from site. All these challenges were successfully overcome to create what the galleries describe as “generous, high-quality new spaces for the world’s most important collection of historic Scottish art”. 

Official opening

There will be an official opening on Thursday with local children who will join Sir John Leighton, Culture Minister Angus Robertson and The National Lottery Heritage Fund Director for Scotland Caroline Clark, to open the new galleries.

Sir John said: “This is very different from the character of the other spaces at the National Gallery which people may be familiar with. It’s quite contemporary, it’s modern in its feel, and has great views out to the city as you walk past and hopefully very inviting.”

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “The National Galleries of Scotland has the world’s finest collection of Scottish Art and I’m delighted that the new galleries will now have space to showcase this to a national and international audience. We have supported this redevelopment project from the start with a significant contribution of £15.25 million and it’s wonderful to see the new galleries open, allowing everyone to enjoy them.”

Caroline Clark, The National Lottery Heritage Fund Director for Scotland said:“National Galleries of Scotland have created a truly world-class facility showcasing Scotland’sdistinctiveand internationally important artistic heritage.

“This iconic building at the heart of Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site is safeguarded for the future, creating a focus for our cultural and economic renewal.We are proud and excited to welcome the world to Edinburgh to enjoy the new galleries. We believe heritage helps us to understand who we are and where we are from; and so, we join with the National Galleries of Scotland in declaring this is a place for the people of Scotland.Our support for this project is thanks to National Lottery players and we encourage them to visit as soon and often as they can.”

As part of the project an huge number of paintings, sculpture sand works on paper have been conserved, restored, reframed, remounted, researched and glazed. Conservation of important and rare historic frames has also been a priority.

• This included:
• 673 paintings, about 700 frames and 240 artworks on paper were surveyed
• 15 major painting restorations and about 200 paintings treatments were completed
• 100 drawings were technically examined, with 30 works treated and 100 remounted
• About 250 frames were treated, 7 reproduction frames were made from scratch for paintings and 100 new frames were made for works on paper

The massive project was financed by both public and private donations:

• The Scottish Government £15.25 million
• The National Lottery Heritage Fund £6.89 million
• Public donations £16 million

The new Scottish galleries at the National have been designed by one of Scotland’s leading architectural practices, Hoskins Architects. Exhibition design is by award-winning firm, Metaphor.

https://www.nationalgalleries.org

Challenge Cup: Fife Flyers 5, Glasgow Clan 1

Glasgow Clan’s hopes of ending the weekend with maximum Challenge Cup points were dashed as Fife Flyers ran out 5-1 winners in Kirkcaldy.

The high of Saturday’s 4-0 shutout win in Braehead Arena was quickly forgotten as Fife took their opportunity to exact quick revenge to split the double-header.

Fife started on the front foot and Antti Karjalainen was forced into action from the start as Jonas Emmerdahl tested the Clan netminder with a wrist shot down low.

Luke Lynch had the Clan’s first chance of the game as he rebounded a Rob Lachowicz shot but Flyers goalie Shane Owen was quick to snuff out the danger.

Zach Vinnell came agonisingly close to opening the scoring near the end of the first when his shot from the boards hit the crossbar then Karjalainen then pulled off a superb double save at the buzzer as both sides headed to the dressing room deadlocked at 0-0.

Flyers had the fans on their feet as they roared into the lead 41 seconds into the second period as Anthon Eriksson fired a shot from behind the dot which found the back of the Clan net.

Karjalainen managed to hold off the Fife offence as he made multiple clutch saves while on the penalty kill, then, later in the period, Lachowicz picked up the puck at the Clan’s blue line and travelled into the Flyers’ zone before setting Vinnell up to grab a shorthanded equaliser.

Flyers’ highly-rated netminder Shane Owen later pulled off an impressive back door save as he sprawled across his line to stop Ryan Harrison’s effort and Karjalainen also impressed in the Glasgow net as he made a swift blocker save on an Emmerdahl slapshot.

Eriksson then thought he’d restored Fife’s lead, but on review, it was determined that the puck didn’t cross the line but it wasn’t long before Flyers grabbed their second as Teemu Pulkkinen scored a penalty shot after a Jake Bolton foul.

Gary Haden nearly responded instantly for the visitors as he received the puck on a breakaway play, but he couldn’t send it past Owen and the second period ended with the sides separated by one goal.

In the third period, Flyers took control of the game. Max Humitz bagged two goals in quick succession and both in slick fashion as the game entered the final 10 minutes.

Phillipe Sanche and Kyle Osterberg then got caught up in a scrap before Pulkkinen wrapped up the game with a fifth goal for the Flyers on the powerplay.

PICTURE: Coach Tom Coolen on the Fife bench courtesy of Dean Wooley and the Elite League

Champions Grange came from behind to snatch a 3-2 win over Capital rivals Watsonians and maintain their 100 per cent record so far this season in Scotland’s hockey Premiership.

The men in maroon made it tough for the Fettes-based side when former Great Britain squad member, Dan Coultas, a Scottish international, fired the ball home from a penalty corner after 16 minutes.

Grange levelled after 22 minutes when Jamie Green converted after following up from a penalty corner and edged ahead four minutes after that.

Cale Walsh was the man in the right place at the right time to send the ball home and the scoreline remained the same at the half-time break.

Watsonians levelled after 52 minutes when set-piece expert Coultas netted from another penalty corner to set up a tense finish but three minutes after that Grange were awarded a penalty corner and they made it count.

Aidan McQuade did the damage and kept the points with Grange whose next game is a visit to title rivals Western Wildcats on Saturday at Auchenhowie, a game which could have a major bearing on the title race.

Edinburgh University claimed their second win of the weekend after beating Grove Menzieshill 4-0 at Peffermill on Saturday. They went to Dalnacraig on Tayside to face Dundee Wanderers on Sunday and won 4-0, a scoreline kick-started by a lovely strike from Alexander Marsland.

Andrew Lobb finished off a great team move for the second and Samuel Hunt netted a third following a penalty corner. Tom Cahalin finished off the opposition with a great pick up and strike from the top of the D leaving player/coach Hamish Imrie satisfied with a job well done.

The Scottish international said: “We scored eight goals and conceded zero over the weekend and claimed six points with loads of positives. Yes, we’ve still go a lot of work on to keep on improving but we now focus on our next game on Thursday against Hillhead away.”

Other scores in the Premiership: Erskine Stewart’s Melville 2, Kelburne 1; Hillhead 1, Uddingston 2; Inverleith 3, Grove Menzieshill 3.

PICTURE: Duncan Riddell leaves a Clydesdale defender on the ground as Watsonians slip to a 2-1 defeat at Peffermill on Saturday. Picture by Nigel Duncan

Watsonians secured their second win of the weekend thanks to a 3-2 success over The University of Edinburgh after leading 3-0 early in the second-half.

It was 2-0 at the half-time break thanks to goals from Jess Garden and Emily Dark from a penalty corner. Dark netted again from a penalty corner but the students refused to throw in the towel and opened their account via Louise Campbell from a penalty corner deflection.

And Jika Nyirenda scored a second from a quick counter, but the champions, who thrashed Gordonians 14-0 on Saturday at Peffermill, managed to see the game out.

Keith Smith, Watsonians’ coach, said the first 50 minutes of the game showcased probably some of the best hockey the club have played, really dominant and arguably unlucky not to be even further ahead.

He added: “Then we conceded a goal against the run of play and then didn’t manager the game as well as we would have liked which let the momentum shift and meant the students came back into things.

“It’s definitely something we’ll look to improve but I think we can also be really pleased at the levels we reached and just how well we played for the majority of the game.” 

Sam Judge, coach for the students, who are expected to be one of the challengers for silverware this term, admitted her squad were “really poor” in the first half but improved in the second.

Uddingston won 3-2 at The University of St Andrews with the sides level after the first quarter, Lexie MacMillan scoring for the visitors after two minutes from a penalty corner and the students levelling two minutes later.

Maisy Darce edged Uddingston ahead in the second quarter but the students levelled for a second time before MacMillan grabbed her second and the game-winner late on.

Other scores in the women’s Premiership were Hillhead 0, Glasgow University 1; Inverleith 0, Western Wildcats 5; Gordonians 1, Grange Edinburgh Ladies 11.

PICTURE: Watsonians v Gordonians at Peffermill by Nigel Duncan

In his speech to the national Liberal Democrat conference in Bournemouth, Alex Cole Hamilton MSP for Edinburgh Western and the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats sets out his party’s plans for a power surge for councils.

He said that the 2027 local elections strategy begins now with a mission to increase the number of LibDem councillors to 150 in four years’ time.

We will start engine rooms of activity, in every ward, constituency and region, and give the communities of Scotland the gold-standard Liberal Democrat service they deserve.

Alex Cole Hamilton MSP, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader

This is the speech Mr Cole Hamilton delivered:

Conference, this is the first time I’ve addressed you in person since Willie passed the baton to me two years ago. Can I take this opportunity to thank you Willie for your leadership, your service to our party and your friendship over the years.

Willie mentioned I am the first Liberal Democrat parliamentarian to be officially sanctioned by the Kremlin. My Ukrainian house guest calls that Santa’s good list.

And by the way, if you do nothing else at conference, do not miss Kira Rudik in this hall tomorrow, the leader of our sister party in Ukraine. In over 20 years of attending our conferences, I’ve never heard anything like her speech to us in Dundee earlier this year.

Conference, there are few things in life that cheer me more than the sight that greets me now. I am thrilled to my fingertips to be here.

I love this party. For nearly quarter of a century, I have served it at one time or another in every capacity: activist, staff, candidate, parliamentarian.

Wherever you are I feel at home.

The evidence of my devotion to this party can be found in the pages of a well-thumbed road atlas and a loyalty card for the Starbucks at Charnock Richard Services in Chorley.

It’s why I drove a carload of young Liberals 9 hours down the M6 from Edinburgh to North Shropshire. It’s why I drove them 11 hours to Frome.

And why I’ll do it again in the 7 hours it’ll take us to get to Mid Bedfordshire.

Friends, I come with news of the north, and it is good news.

The liberal revival is underway for us too and we have taken such inspiration from Ed’s leadership and your victories in the south.

Last May, as they had done since I took over as leader, the pundits were writing us off – predicting that the Scottish local government elections would see us slip backwards.

Conference, we outperformed every other opposition party and increased our councillor base by a third.

It made me realise that the history of our movement is rooted in local politics and so too lies the promise of our future.

Because with success in local government we can change and improve the lot and lives of our communities in big, important ways.

From that kernel of realisation, emerged our strategy to grow our Scottish party and its fortunes in every community and at every level of government.  

So here’s the plan.

We will achieve all of that by commencing our campaign for the 2027 Scottish Local Council elections right now.

We call the strategy 150 Rising.

By seeking to increase the number of our Scottish councillors from 87 to over 150 in just 4 years’ time, we will lift our vote at Westminster and Holyrood along the way.

We will start engine rooms of activity, in every ward, constituency and region, and give the communities of Scotland the gold-standard Liberal Democrat service they deserve.

I said I was bringing news from the North, but something tells me that what’s been going on in Scotland may have captured your attention already.

First, of course, there was the shock resignation of Nicola Sturgeon.

Humza Yousaf won the bitter contest to succeed her. He enjoyed a honeymoon period of less than a week. And then came the arrests.

I cannot speak to an active police inquiry, but it’s fair to say the impact of all of this has been transcendent. Everybody’s talking about it.

It is said that when you are elected President of the United States you are immediately told the secrets of Area 51 and the crashed UFOs.

Whereas if you become the leader of the SNP, you are immediately told the secrets of an unused high-end campervan parked in a Dunfermline driveway.

Whilst this is steeped in both intrigue and schadenfreude, it’s a distraction that the people of Scotland just don’t need. 

Nicola Sturgeon’s reputation is now being debated like never before, but she once declared that she wanted to be judged on her record on education.

It took six years to persuade the nationalists to adopt the pupil premium introduced by Liberal Democrats in England and Wales.

It took six years to finally persuade the nationalists. Now we have new evidence of how the Scottish Government have let that slide ever since.

Analysis I’m publishing today shows how the value of the pupil premium has been eroded by more than £200 in real terms for every single Scottish child from a poorer background.

That’s money that could have been spent on breakfast clubs.

On dedicated teachers and support staff.

On activities that inspire and capture the imagination.

It is a £200 stealth cut. They are pulling up the ladder from the poorest children in Scotland. Shame on them.

If the SNP won’t address it in the coming budget negotiations, then they should get out the way for someone who will.

Conference, this is a time of great change and great challenge:

– Record NHS waiting lists

– The cost of living crisis biting

– Crumbling concrete in our schools

– And sewage dumped in our rivers

Yet we are governed by a party unequal to those challenges, wracked by scandal and blinded by division.

The SNP are haemorrhaging fair minded, reasonable voters. People are looking for a party to inspire them again.

Conference, we are the answer they’ve been looking for, and it’s why Humza Yousaf will be the last nationalist First Minister of Scotland.

In Scotland, just like the rest of the UK, change feels so tantalising close, but still just out of reach.

It brings to mind the words of Robert Browning who wrote nearly two centuries ago.

“Glad was I when I reached the other bank, Now, now for a better country!”

And turn your eyes to the bank of the Clyde. There you will find two symbols of nationalist incompetence.

I’m talking about passenger ferries, built for the government, at their publicly-owned shipyard.

In 2017, Nicola Sturgeon attended the official launch ceremony. “May god bless her and all who sail in her”, she said. 3 cheers. High-vis and hard hats. School children waving the saltires they had been given. As the ferry slipped into the Clyde.

But every last bit of it was fake.

The windows were painted on.

The wrong bow.

Fake funnels. Fake engines.

It’s enough to make Kim Jong Un blush.

A full six years later, and guess where those ferries are now.

Still in that very same shipyard.

Costs tripled.

Cheaper to start again.

In fact, the only thing to arrive on time are the bosses’ bonuses.

And the worst part of it all? The human cost beneath it.

The islanders left with broken ferries, their businesses threatened, shelves emptied and hospital appointments missed.

The good workers of a proud shipbuilding industry betrayed, their reputation trashed by government mismanagement.

Rust covered those ferries, just as decay enveloped the SNP.

And Conference, it speaks to the rot at the heart of Scottish politics that not one nationalist minister has had the decency to resign over a scandal that can be seen from space.

Conference, islanders deserve compensation, but on top of that I want to tell you about the liberal vision for connecting these communities.

And for this, we are taking inspiration from even further north. We are looking to the Faroe Islands.

They’ve connected their island communities with bridges and short tunnels. It has been transformational.

18 islands and 90% of their population protected from bad weather and breakdowns.

They’ve built the world’s first undersea roundabout.

That’s the kind of innovation that Scotland’s ferry-dependent communities desperately need.

I’m talking about the village of Corran in the shadow of Ben Nevis, where the ferry crossing is the length of an athletics track but constantly out of order, forcing a 40-mile detour and the closure of businesses.

I’m talking about Unst, the northernmost northern isle of Shetland. It’s as far as it is possible to be from the sands of this south coast.

Perched atop cliffs where the Atlantic crashes into the North Sea, they are actually building a spaceport. It will launch satellites into orbit. It would be so much easier to establish that new industry if they weren’t entirely dependent on sea crossings.

Connecting these communities should matter to all of us. It’s in the national interest.

That’s why Alistair Carmichael and Beatrice Wishart are doing a power of work in both Parliaments to take this forward.

And for communities like Corran, councillor Angus MacDonald is leading with solutions on Highland Council.

And can I say, won’t it be amazing when Angus brings Charles Kennedy’s seat back into the Lib Dem fold at the next General Election.

Conference, whether it’s in our island communities or our Scottish inner cities everyone deserves the chance to get on in life.

They deserve a fair deal.

People are working their socks off, playing by the rules, but finding it harder and harder to make ends meet.

Conference, the Tories are laughing at them, they crashed the economy and are lurching from outrage to outrage.

But the Tories aren’t the only ones making things harder.

Four days ago, the SNP/Green Government closed the consultation on council tax.

They are plotting a wave of increases to a tax they claim to hate amidst the worst cost of living crisis since the end of rationing.

1 in 4 households in Scotland would pay up to £835 more each year.

And they will be paying more for less. Because it won’t offset the systematic underfunding of local government. You can see that already in school class sizes and the cavernous potholes in our roads.

What makes it even more galling?

The SNP have been promising to scrap the Council Tax since 2007. Nicola Sturgeon said she would ‘shout it from the rooftops’.

The nationalists have gone from abolishing it, to freezing it, to plotting the biggest hike in it ever.

So my message to the First Minister is this.

Humza Yousaf,

Back our power surge for councils instead.

End the underfunding of local government once and for all.

And give the council tax to the busiest member of your Cabinet – the ever-reliable, well-worn, SNP shredder.

Scotland deserves better than a government unequal to the challenges of our time.

We face big international problems, that demand collaborative international solutions.

And I want to tell you why I find nationalism to be the polar opposite of liberalism.

In 1966 Bobby Kennedy said:

“Only earthbound man still clings to the dark and poisoning superstition that his world is bounded by the nearest hill, his universe ends at river shore, his common humanity is enclosed in the tight circle of those who share his town, or his views, and the colour of his skin.”

He was talking about the politics of identity and division. 

Ideologies which deflect blame. 

Simplistic populist solutions to complex problems.

So it was for Brexit, so it would be for Scottish independence.

Conference, these islands and our world face colossal, existential threats:

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Pandemics that don’t respect borders.

Global boiling.

They will not be bounded by the nearest hill, they do not end at river’s shore, and conference we all know that the answer to none of them can be found in a border or a flag.

Conference, we come together in halls like these to build our vision for a liberal society. North of the border, that vision is a liberal Scotland proud in its membership of a reformed and federal United Kingdom, at the very heart of Europe.

For so long, that has seemed beyond our grasp. We need it now more than ever.

And the sands of politics are moving in big and unpredictable ways.

The promise of a new enlightenment lies ahead – and we are here for it.  

A spirit of reform is gripping these islands – and we are shaping it.

Change is coming – and we will be part of it.

Conference, that other bank may finally be in sight, we only need to reach for it. 

Now, for a better country.

Tom MacTaggart, secretary of Scottish Anglers National Association Competition Clubs (SANACC) claimed that Scotland’s triumph in the Autumn International at the Lake of Menteith, winning by the largest margin by numbers of fish since 1938, was an outstanding team effort.

The 14 Scotland anglers boated a total of 158 trout with a weight of 336lb 2.7oz which was 54 trout clear of second placed England with 104. Ireland were third with 100 trout and Wales fourth with 72.  

Each angler killed their first three trout and then went on to catch and release with an allowance of 2lb given for each returned fish. 

MacTaggart from Penicuik confirmed that Scottish rods were in four of the top five individual positions in addition to filling ten of the top 15 places. The leading individual and winner of the Brown Bowl and the Silver Salver was Scotland’s Ronnie Gilbert from Ayrshire who had 20 trout for 40lb 4.5oz.

In addition to being Scotland’s National Champion in 2008 and 2014, Gilbert won the Brown Bowl and Silver Salver in the Autumn International in 2022. Close behind in second was Scott Aitken from the Falkirk area who also had 20 trout but with a smaller weight of 39lb .6oz.  

Darren Maguire was Ireland’s top rod and finished in third place with 19 fish for 38lb 15.9oz while Scotland’s Chris McAllister was fourth with 15 trout and his team-mate Martin McCafferty was fifth with 12 fish. 

England’s top rod was Philip Thompson who was seventh overall with 12 fish and top rod for Wales in 19th place was Darren Williams with eight fish.

Local anglers involved were Kevin McCabe from Haddington, Derek Marklow from Penicuik, Stuart Barclay from Pathhead and Keith Renton, the captain, from the Borders.

PICTURE: Scotland’s winning team pictured at the Lake of Menteith.

Back row (left-right: Michael Callaghan(International Fly Fishing Association secretary), George Mackenzie (international secretary), Derek Keenan (team manager), Derek Hessett, Brian Mackenzie, Mark Stephen, Allan McLachlan, Chris McAllister, Martin McCafferty and Paul Sharman (International Fly Fishing Association president). Front row: Kevin McCabe, Derek Marklow, Scott Henderson, Scott Aitken, Keith Renton (captain), Stuart Barclay, Gregor Fleming and Ronnie Gilbert. Contributed..

Edinburgh Stellar Monarchs disappointing season continued when they skidded to a 54-36 defeat in the Cab Direct championship play-off, Group A, at home to Scunthorpe Scorpions.

Only skipper Josh Pickering made double-figures with 12 in the clash in which the English side won the aggregate bonus point.
Ryan Douglas was their top man with 13 points.

Kye Thomson was next best with nine points and guest Justin Sedgmen and Paco Castagna (pictured) both scored six points. Lasse Fredriksen and Dayle Wood failed to trouble the scorers and Bastan Borke claimed three.

Scorpions won the first heat 4-2 and also the second by the same scoreline. The home side drew the next 3-3 but a 5-1 in Heat Four, Michael Palm Toft and Drew Kemp producing the goods, showed early that the writing was on the wall.

Scunthorpe were 32-16 ahead after Heat Eight but lost the next race when Paco Castagne came home in front with Thomson in second position. Scorpions snapped back with a 5-1 in Heat Ten and were never really under pressure after that.

The visitors blasted back to form with this dominant victory only 24-hours after their Cab Direct Championship title hopes took a huge hit when they lost at home to Poole Pirates.

They did all they could at Armadale, repeating the scoreline from their recent league win at the same venue.

Edinburgh manager Alex Harkess said: “I hoped beforehand that we could raise our game for the play-offs, and that maybe Scunthorpe would be a little subdued after their home defeat. Wrong on both counts. There were some exciting moments, but our performance overall was very disappointing.”

Elsewhere, Berwick Bullets were edged 46-44 as Freddy Hodder and James Pearson combined for a Heat 15 scoreline of 5-1 to deny Bullets victory in their last-ever National Development League outing, writes George Dodds.

The Colts’ secured a remarkable victory in a race awarded after home joint top score Danny Phillips crashed heavily trying to secure the second place which would have forced the match into a Superheat decider.

After nine heats the injury and suspension-ravaged bottom club – who will not come to the tapes in 2024 – led by 12 points only to run out of steam – and machinery – in the closing stages.

Berwick have featured in five last-heat deciders this season and lost the lot which – along with season-ending injuries to Josh Embleton and  Connor Coles and the suspension of Steve Boxall – explains their final league position.

Danny Phillips had rattled off four straight race wins going into Heat 13 only to find himself out of contention after the visiting pairing of Pearson and Jack Smith blocked his run from the second bend.

Crucially former Bullet Luke Crang, who had himself only been beaten by Pearson in the opening heat, was pipped by the width of a wheel by Smith for a crucial 5-1 which pegged the deficit to just two points.

Pearson and the hugely impressive Hodder then outgated Phillips again in the decider with the home man taking an uncomfortable looking tumble on the third bend as he looked in vain for the second place which would have sent the evening into a Superheat. Instead referee Jim McGregor awarded the heat, and victory, to the Colts.

Berwick got off to a cracking start as Crang and debutant Senna Summers hit the front in heat one only for Pearson to roar past both and share the heat.

Sam Woods found conditions, the track made heavy by mid-afternoon rain – difficult to cope with, the Colts’ reserve suffering the first in a series of spills in a second heat which went the way of captain for the night Mason Watson and Kieran Douglas.

Crang’s second win was a straightforward affair but with partner Archie Freeman understandably tentative on his return from a season-long leg injury it was another shared heat.

Summers was looking very assured for an 18-year-old in only his second competitive speedway meeting, and he was comfortably clear of Jack Shimelt in his second outing, Crang lowering Smith’s colours as Berwick extended their lead to six points, which became eight when Phillips accounting for Hodder while Woods was on the deck again as he challenged Douglas for third.

A chaotic heat eight saw Summers fighting to regain control after pulling an enormous wheelie from the start and back in contention as the riders reached the third bend. Watson was well clear but behind him Woods fell again, team-mate Edward Davidson laying the bike down while Summers ended up in the safety barrier taking avoiding action.

Referee Jim McGregor put on Davidson’s exclusion light and then the red lights as the Redcar Cub tried to take his place at the startline.
The official overturned his decision after watching video footage of the incident, the lack of definition between the white and yellow helmet covers taking the blame for  the confusion.

Mounted on Freeman’s machinery, Summers took his third point of the night, Watson again winning comfortably. A brave second bend by Phillips to round Smith and with Freeman opening his account Berwick led by 12 points.

Crang beat Smith to the first bend in ten only for the race to be red-lighted and the Colts’ skipper warned for not staying still at the start. Inevitably Smith got the drop in the rerun, Hodder showing his liking for the Berwick track by rounding the Workington skipper coming off turn four.

A hard first bend by Phillips inflicted the first defeat of the night on Pearson in 11 but Hodder took the flag again in 12 with Shimelt just having enough to keep former Newcastle team-mate Freeman at bay.

After the disastrous heat 13, Watson and Douglas followed Hodder home to set up one final last heat decider before the Bullets were consigned to speedway’s history books.

Promoter Steve Dews, team manager for the night, said: “I’m disappointed for the boys because they gave us everything they and it would have been good to see them rewarded for that.

“Senna Summers had a debut to remember while Archie did remarkably well after returning from such a serious injury. In the end we were just stretched too thin, man and machine, in the closing stages.

“I also have to congratulate all the riders who, on a testing track, simply got on with racing and served up a meeting which ended our brief National League history in fine style.”

Bullets: Luke Crang 10, Senna Summer 3+1, Archie Freeman 2, Danny Phillips 12, Kieran Douglas 5+2, Mason Watson 12

Colts: James Pearson 13+1, Edward Davidson 5+2, Freddy Hodder 12+1, Jack Smith 13, Jack Shimelt 2, Sam Woods 0

Cab Direct Championship play-off: Glasgow Tigers 55, Redcar Bears 35.

Cami Brown, Glasgow Tigers’ team manager, wants his side to deliver a “special performance” to keep their title dream alive. 

The Allied Vehicles Tigers kept their league championship push on track with a 55-35 win over Redcar at Ashfield.

Now they need to beat Oxford by 12 points on Tuesday and win at Redcar 24 hours later to book their place in the Grand Final. 

Brown said: “I’m not going to look too far ahead. It’s a cliche, but it’s one meeting at a time for us.” 

He added: “This was an important win over Redcar. We needed to make sure we got the job done and it was a good display from all the boys. Now we need to find a special performance to beat Oxford. 

“We need Ashfield to be packed out with our fans making it a wall of noise. It can be a unique and special atmosphere at Ashfield under the lights. We need the boys to respond and find an extra gear to beat a very good team.”

Chris Harris top scored with paid 14 against Redcar and he received strong backing with double figures from Ben Basso, Vadim Tarasenko and Tom Brennan.

Brown added: “We need a very similar show on Tuesday. It is tough without Claus Vissing and we don’t expect him back until October and that would be in the Grand Final should we make it that far.”

Glasgow 55: Chris Harris 13+1, Ben Basso 13, Tom Brennan 11+1, Vadim Tarasenko 11+1, Lee Complin 5, Jack Smith 2.

Redcar 35: Danny King 13, Connor Bailey 6+1, Erik Riss 5+1, Justin Sedgmen 4, Jason Edwards 3+1, Danyon Hume 3, Luke Harrison 1+1.

Image by Taylor Lanning. 

Goals from Nate Kallen, Dyson Stevenson, Gary Haden and Darien Craighead earned Glasgow Clan a 4-0 victory over Fife Flyers in the Challenge Cup.

Early on, Fife netminder Shane Owen (pictured) was tested by two Ryan Harrison efforts with Mike Pelech going close shortly after.

Clan, sponsored by Asprey Glasgow West, were on a powerplay when the Flyers had arguably their best chance of the game, when Troy Lajeunesse broke forward, but his shot was diverted away by Jake Kielly’s leg pad.

The home side were exerting a period of dominance at one stage in the first period, culminating in Owen standing up to efforts from Robert Lachowicz, Cody Sol and Bryce Reddick.

A Dyson Stevenson chance in the second period went agonisingly wide after Ryan Harrison had fed him with a pass from the left, but it wasn’t to be for Clan’s captain.

Zach Vinnell was the player on the assist, as he drove the puck from the blue line, where Nate Kallen managed to squeeze it in from close range to finally break the deadlock.

Kielly pulled off a magnificent glove save to deny Ben Hawerchuk then a couple of minutes, was in the right spot to divert Adam Holwell’s blue line effort.

Clan almost added a second shorthanded when Rob Lachowicz broke forward, teeing up Gary Haden, but Owen reacted well to make the block.

As the game moved into the third period, there was the feeling that the one goal just wouldn’t be enough.

Thankfully, Stevenson was on hand to make sure any nerves would be alleviated, coming down the inside right, dragging inside and finishing low past Owen.

Then Stevenson set up Haden with a pass to his left, from where the Clan forward drove the puck home.

Fife pushed on a five-on-three penalty, but couldn’t find a way past a determined Clan defence, spearheaded by Kielly and Darien Craighead rounded off the night with the fourth.

UPDATE Sunday – Moira Sutherland, also known as Robertson, who was reported missing in Edinburgh, has been traced safe and well.

Police in Edinburgh are appealing for help in tracing Moira Sutherland, also known as Robertson.

Moira is 85 years-old and is described as 4ft10, with thin grey hair and of thin build.

She was wearing blue leggings, a grey jumper and a purple jacket with lilac fur, when she was last seen around 1.30pm on Saturday, 23 September, 2023, leaving her home in Dalmeny Street, Leith.

Inspector Grant McCulloch from Craigmillar Police Station said: “Moira is vulnerable and we must trace her as a matter of urgency.

“I am appealing for anyone who might have seen Moira in the Leith area on Saturday to please get in touch with Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 2144 of 23 September, 2023.”