The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) has announced that its historic Palm Houses will reopen to the public on Friday 2 October 2026, following five years of careful restoration work that has transformed one of the city’s most treasured A-listed buildings.
To mark the occasion, the Garden is inviting visitors to sign up for an exclusive presale, with the opportunity to book tickets 48 hours ahead of general admission.
The reopening marks the completion of a transformative phase of the Edinburgh Biomes project, the most ambitious restoration and development programme in the Garden’s history. While the oldest of the two Palm Houses dates to 1834, the newer, rectangular house retains the title of tallest traditional Palm House in the world.
The scale of the restoration work is extraordinary. Over five thousand panes of glass have been created from bespoke templates that have been specially designed to withstand the impacts of climate change, with 600 m² of repairs carried out to the original Georgian and Victorian iron structure to restore the iconic Palm Houses to their former glory.
The refurbishment forms part of a wider £58million investment in the Edinburgh Biomes programme and was supported by the Scottish Government. Over £10.6m has been raised via philanthropic fundraising and a public appeal which also contributed £250,000 towards this project.
Before restoration work could begin, the Horticulture team carefully removed 800 precious plant specimens from the Palm Houses.
The majority were temporarily rehomed within the Garden’s other Glasshouses, while replanting of the empty Palm Houses began earlier this year. Around 600 specimens – including plants endangered in the wild – will ultimately be returned, among them a stone gate palm (Trachycarpus princeps), standing over eight metres tall and believed to be the tallest of its kind in cultivation outside China.
Plantings also include a young sabal palm, the 10-year-old offspring of one of the Garden’s oldest and most celebrated plants, the Sabal mexicana, estimated to be around 200 years old when it was felled in 2021.
Professor Julia Knights, Regius Keeper at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said: “I am thrilled to be reopening the world’s tallest traditional Palm House after five years of painstaking restoration with the support of the Scottish Government and our generous donors.
“As we fight to tackle climate change and nature loss, the reopening of the Palm Houses is a globally significant moment for Scotland and the world. As well as celebrating our Living Collection of plants – including those endangered in the wild – this moment also reflects our work as Scotland’s global scientific centre of excellence in plant science, horticulture, education and conservation.”
Entry to the Palm Houses will be by ticketed admission, with allocated time slots available throughout the day.
To avoid disappointment, RBGE recommends pre-booking in advance.
Those who sign up for presale access at rbge.org.uk/palm-houses will receive the opportunity to book tickets 48 hours before the general public when they go on sale.
Members and patrons of the Botanics go free and will benefit from special preview access in September 2026, ahead of the public opening, with further information on booking to follow soon.
St John Scotland has received more than £2,100 from Tesco Haymarket Express
The total is the highest raised in Edinburgh from a single business collection box
Funds will help St John Scotland volunteers continue delivering life-saving support across Edinburgh
A local Tesco Express store in Edinburgh has raised more than £2,100 for a local charity that helps save lives through CPR training, Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) and volunteer-led community support.
Tesco Haymarket Express has raised £2,186.42 for St John Scotland through an in-store collection box, with customers and colleagues contributing to the total since the fundraiser was launched in April 2020.
The store is located just 15 minutes from St John Scotland’s headquarters on St John Street, making the fundraiser a real show of local support for the charity.
Formed in 1947, St John Scotland is made up of dedicated volunteers who help build safer, stronger and more resilient communities across Scotland. Its work includes providing CPR training, improving the availability of PADs, transporting patients to hospital, and supplying kits for Community First Responders.
The money raised by Tesco Haymarket Express will go towards the charity’s ongoing work in Edinburgh, helping volunteers continue their efforts to improve cardiac arrest survival rates and make communities across the city safer.
Alan Roy, Store Manager at Tesco Haymarket Express, said: “I was shocked to learn that every week in Scotland, around 70 people suffer a cardiac arrest, so the work St John Scotland volunteers are doing to improve survival rates is invaluable.
“We’re proud to support such an important local charity and grateful to every customer and colleague who has contributed to the collection box over the years.”
John Craig, St John Scotland’s Edinburgh Chair, recently visited the Tesco Haymarket Express team to thank them for their fundraising efforts and share how the money raised is helping the charity’s volunteers continue their work.
John said: “The team at Tesco Haymarket Express has been fantastic in supporting our mission to save lives in Scotland through CPR.
“We are incredibly grateful for their ongoing support and for the generosity shown by customers and colleagues in store. This donation will help us continue delivering vital support in communities across Edinburgh.”
Alan added: “It was great to welcome John to the store and hear more about how the funds raised are helping St John Scotland volunteers continue their important work.
“We were also delighted to learn that our collection box has raised the highest amount in Edinburgh from a single business. It is a real testament to the generosity of our customers and colleagues.”
Claire de Silva, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “We are proud to support such a worthwhile cause in St John Scotland.
“Tesco is committed to supporting local communities and charities across Scotland, and fundraising initiatives like this help create a lasting positive impact for residents.”
Important Message from Corstorphine Fair Committee
Dear Corstorphine and Edinburgh community,
After a successful but challenging Corstorphine Fair 2026, we have submitted a detailed report highlighting serious issues with licensing, administration, and support for volunteer-run community events.
We are not alone — many other galas across Edinburgh and Scotland face the same growing pressures. That is why we have joined forces with other organisers to launch a petition calling on the Scottish Parliament to protect our volunteer-run fairs and gala days.
Every signature helps show decision-makers that these much-loved community events matter and must be properly supported, not burdened with last-minute bureaucracy and unrealistic demands on volunteers.
If you enjoyed the Fair, attended as a stallholder or participant, or simply value strong local communities, please take 30 seconds to sign and share this petition widely.
Together we can protect these vital traditions for future generations.
For the first time since Seagull Trust Cruises was founded in 1978, a husband and wife have both qualified as skippers at the same branch at the same time!
Rebecca and John Barr, from Colinton, joined the Ratho branch after retiring from their careers — Rebecca as a social worker, John as a physicist in academia and industry. Rebecca joined the Wednesday crew in June 2022, with John following in March 2024 as part of the Friday crew.
Since then, the couple have progressed side by side through every stage of training, moving from trained crew members to helmsmen, and finally to fully qualified skippers last month.
“What a fantastic achievement,” said Carole McLellan, Chair of the Ratho branch. “I’m sure that some of that drive to achieve was due to a wee bit of healthy competition between Rebecca and John.”
That friendly rivalry sharpened after both completed their Locks and Tunnels module in May. Rebecca earned her Helmsman Certificate first, with John following three weeks later — though the two certificates are numbered consecutively. From there, the race was on to become a qualified Skipper.
Rebecca qualified on 17 June, with John following just six days later. Rebecca then took on her first assignment as a qualified Skipper on 8 July, with John following two days after that.
July holds extra significance for the couple: alongside their joint achievement, it also marks their 44th wedding anniversary on 17 July. Congratulations!
All Seagull Trust Cruises skippers hold at least the Royal Yachting Association’s Inland Waterways Helmsman’s Certificate, with some crew members holding Master Mariner Certificates of Competence. Training is delivered through the RYA scheme at Ratho, one of the charity’s RYA-recognised Inland Waters Training Centres, alongside its Falkirk and Kirkintilloch branches.
Coastguards have scored a huge win in their campaign to stop their pay being cut.
Minister for Transport Keir Mather announced in parliament yesterday [Thursday] the Maritime and Coastguard Agency [MCA]’s plan to stop hourly remuneration for attending incidents and training exercises would be halted.
Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs) carry out rescues and search for missing people around the UK’s coast, including Scotland, Wales and England’s south coast.
The move had followed a landmark case by GMB Union, which saw the Court of Appeal uphold a judgement classifying coastguards as workers.
Now, following a sustained campaign by GMB Coastguards, the move has been stopped.
Nicola Savage, GMB National Officer, said:“This is a richly deserved win for GMB’s coastguards, who took their campaign across the UK and into the corridors of power.
“It was a scandal that these brave, life-saving workers would have their pay cut.
“But Ministers have listened and done the right thing.”
Warm weather could pave the way for colourful clouds of butterflies this summer – but scientists need public’s help to discover the full picture
Fairy-like Holly Blue butterflies have had an excellent spring. Picture: Iain H Leach
Britain could be on the brink of a bumper summer of butterflies, with a warm, dry spring raising hopes of an abundant season ahead for some of the nation’s best-loved species.
After 2024 delivered the worst results in the history of Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count and a butterfly emergency was declared, a sunnier 2025 offered some encouragement, and with this spring one of the warmest on record the UK could be treated to a kaleidoscope of colourful butterflies this year.
That’s why wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation is calling on the public to get out for its annual Big Butterfly Count, which runs from Friday 17 July – Sunday 9 August.
Anyone, anywhere can take part and help to paint a picture of how butterflies are faring by submitting their sightings to help create an interactive map.
These sightings provide important data that help scientists understand where butterflies are thriving, struggling, or shifting due to climate change, habitat loss or restoration.
Some of the country’s most recognisable and loved species have had a better than average spring, setting them up for a potentially abundant summer.
The Small Copper and Holly Blue have been seen in excellent numbers, while Peacock, Red Admiral and sunshine-yellow Brimstone also had a promising start to the year.
This rainbow of colourful characters includes four of the top five of the recent vote to find Britain’s Favourite Butterfly, in which the Peacock took the crown.
With heatwaves, warm dry spells and the occasional welcome downpour creating ideal conditions for breeding and for caterpillar growth, this summer could see gardens and green spaces filled with fluttering wings.
Butterfly Conservation’s Head of Engagement, Kate Merry, said: “After the colourful spring with seemingly lots of beautiful butterflies appearing across the UK, it’s tempting to assume we’re heading for a bumper summer, and we’d love nothing more as most of our butterfly species have undergone long-term declines.
“But a bright spring is only ever part of the story, which is why we need people out there taking part in the Big Butterfly Count this summer. We genuinely don’t yet know how this year will unfold, and the only way to find out is for people to tell us what they’re seeing in their own gardens and green spaces.”
The world’s largest butterfly survey, the Big Butterfly Count asks people to spend just 15 minutes outdoors in a sunny spot, count the butterflies and day-flying moths they see, and submit their sightings via the free app or at www.bigbutterflycount.org.
80% of UK butterfly species have declined over the past 50 years, the result of habitat loss, pollution and climate change, and scientists need as many eyes as possible looking for butterflies this summer to see what’s happening. Every sighting counts.
The Peacock, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Brimstone and Small Copper can all be recorded as part of Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count, along with 15 other butterflies and day-flying moths.
Kate Merry added:“Butterflies are icons of summer and, more importantly, key indicators of the UK’s biodiversity and environmental health.
“Every single person that takes part in the Big Butterfly Count and submits their sightings is helping us to see how these pollinators are doing, which in turn helps conservationists build a wider picture of how all insects are faring.
“It’s easy, fun for all the family, and a great excuse to get outside and experience the simple joy of spotting butterflies.
“You’ll also be helping to protect butterflies for future generations, and if that doesn’t give you the feel-good factor I don’t know what will!”
Between Friday 17 July – Sunday 9 August spend 15 minutes in any sunny outdoor space and count the number and types of butterflies and day-flying moths you see.
You don’t need to be an expert – use the free ID guide on the app and website to help you identify what you’ve seen.
Log your sightings on the website or free app and help protect UK butterflies for future generations
This summer, experience the joy of butterflies and see how many you can count.
Will it be the bumper, colourful season spring has hinted at?
The film will be presented by actor and directorMax Minghella, Anthony’s son
Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has announced a special tribute screening of Anthony Minghella’s iconic film The Talented Mr Ripley which will be presented on Sunday 16 August by actor and director Max Minghella (The Handmaid’s Tale, Shell, Teen Spirit, Clayface), Anthony’s son.
The thrilling 1999 film adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s electrifying novel stars Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett and Philip Seymour Hoffmann. In late 1950s New York, a young underachiever Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) is sent to Italy to retrieve Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), a rich and spoiled millionaire playboy. But when the errand fails, Ripley takes extreme measures.
The screening joins other special presentations of repertory titles at this year’s EIFF including Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting, Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet and Takeshi Miike’s Visitor Q, Hal Ashby’s Coming Home and Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton’s Little Miss Sunshine.
EIFF CEO and Festival Director, Paul Ridd has said: “A titan of television and cinema, Anthony Minghella’s extraordinary career – cut cruelly short at the age of 54 – included directing acclaimed films Truly Madly Deeply (1990), The English Patient (1996) and Cold Mountain (2003).
“A superb director of actors and a master of large scale productions, with a versatility that encompassed sprawling epics and intimate character dramas, Minghella is a much missed British filmmaker who we are delighted to honour with a special presentation of his wonderful Patricia Highsmith adaptation The Talented Mr Ripley (1999).
“Mr Minghella’s hugely talented son Max has followed in his father’s footsteps both as a filmmaker in his own right and as an actor, and we are honoured to welcome him to EIFF to introduce this special screening.”
Max Minghella has said: “Thankyou to Paul Ridd and the fantastic team at the Edinburgh International Film Festival for selecting The Talented Mr Ripley.
“I look forward to this special opportunity for my father’s work to play at this exciting and groundbreaking festival.”
A new study by The James Hutton Institute, Scotland’s leading interdisciplinary research institute for sustainable land, crop and nature management, and DePaul University in Chicago has confirmed unseen benefits to furniture reuse, which go beyond helping the environment.
The study was based on research by Dr Alice Hague, a Hutton social scientist, and colleagues in Scotland, investigating how to increase the re-use of resources in people’s everyday lives, as part of a transition towards creating a more ‘circular’ economy.
Dr Hague’s team found that, as well as diverting large amounts of bulky waste from landfill, second-hand furniture shops in Scotland create jobs and work experience opportunities, often engaging those who struggle with conventional employment.
The organisations behind these furniture reuse shops additionally provide training in logistics, furniture removal, accountancy and business management, equipping employees with valuable career skills. Meanwhile, income from the sale of reused furniture also goes towards providing other support services.
One employee at a furniture reuse centre said, “We have an awful lot of people who perhaps would have struggled to get into the workforce, but only because of, maybe, anxiety or confidence. Very able people, our best members of staff now.”
Alongside the study led by Hutton, Alice discovered through a conversation with her brother Professor Euan Hague, based at DePaul University in Chicago, that he was also leading a study about furniture reuse, but from a different angle.
Working with colleagues based in Chicago, Euan was looking to find out more about the impact of furniture donated for reuse to the Chicago Furniture bank.
His study was pointing to how reusing furniture has impacts on health and wellbeing, providing stability and a sense of home for people transitioning into permanent housing.
In Chicago, Professor Hague’s team heard about a mother who had been able to provide her children with separate beds thanks to furniture donations. She told researchers: “My kids are happy, they have beds, they each are happy they have their own bed. I’m not in the bed with them. They’re just happy.”
Together, the two studies reinforced the significant social benefits of reusing furniture that are often overlooked in discussions about the circular economy, with its focus on reusing resources and reducing the amount of waste going to landfill.
In addition to diverting waste from landfill, interviewees pointed out the impact of reusing furniture include employment and training opportunities, and how families felt more of a sense of home after receiving used sofas, tables and beds.
The study’s findings show that the circular economy – a concept which aims to keep resources, products and materials in use and out of landfill sites for as long as possible – can offer more than just environmental benefits.
Dr Hague said, “I was expecting barriers to furniture reuse to be about policy and lack of funding – I wasn’t expecting to hear about families from Ukraine being helped with furniture in a moment of crisis.
“There’s way more going on here than kilograms or tons of waste being avoided.”
The study, titled ‘The Social Benefits of Furniture Reuse in the Circular Economy’, can be read in full on the Journal of Circular Economy website.
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