Want to be part of something that makes a real difference?
We’re on the lookout for passionate volunteers who want to make a positive impact in their community and work with amazing young people.
As a Scran volunteer, you’ll be part of a welcoming, supportive family that’s committed to creating opportunities, empowering young people, and making a difference together.
Following his success at the Clacton-on-Sea by-election, Count Binface is to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for one night only at the Pleasance King Dome on Wednesday 26th August at 16:50.
The universe’s favourite novelty politician returns with COUNT BINFACE: FACE OF THE ESTABLISHMENT, a one-hour dose of political comedy and sci-fi satire.
Galactic phenomenon Count Binface comes back down to Earth for his Edinburgh Festival Fringe appearance. Join Binface for his unique take on Britain, his special brand of sci-fi satire and, of course, his unbeatable manifesto.
Cheaper 99 Flakes? Check. The nationalisation of Adele? Check. The return of Ceefax? Check. Water bosses to take a dip in UK rivers to see how they like it? CHECK! FACE OF THE ESTABLISHMENT brings Binface’s unique dose of political comedy to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for one night only.
Count Binface is the intergalactic space warrior and novelty politician who has delighted millions with his unlikely tilts at power in the United Kingdom.
After taking on Theresa May in the 2017 General Election, cunningly disguised as ‘Lord Buckethead’, and challenging Boris Johnson in 2019, he ran for Mayor of London in 2021, receiving a glorious 92,896 votes and soaring into ninth place.
He returned to the mayoral race in 2024, winning 24,260 votes, earning the endorsement of a national newspaper and beating Britain First.
Following his success at the Clacton-on-Sea by-election, where he won 9455 votes, Binface now returns to the stage with COUNT BINFACE: FACE OF THE ESTABLISHMENT.
Discover the magic of Theatre School of Scotland Edinburgh!
We’re opening our doors and inviting you to experience everything our Edinburgh campus has to offer at our upcoming Open Day!
If your child has a passion for performing, loves to sing, dance or act, or is simply looking to grow in confidence while making lifelong friends, this is the perfect opportunity to see what we’re all about.
Saturday August 15, 2026
2:30PM – 4:30PM
Edinburgh College, 350 W Granton Road, Edinburgh, EH5 1QE
Open Days give you the chance to:
Meet our expert teaching team
Take a look around our studios
Learn about our exciting performance opportunities
Ask any questions you may have before signing up
At Theatre School of Scotland, we’re proud to be developing Scotland’s next generation of talent, offering high-quality training in a welcoming, supportive environment where every student is encouraged to reach their full potential.
Whether your child is stepping into the spotlight for the first time or already has a love for performing, we’d love to welcome you to our Edinburgh community!
This is a free event, but booking in advanced is recommended!
Families with young children are invited to join local charity LifeCare for relaxed, fun and free intergenerational activities, bringing little ones together with some of the older people who attend one of LifeCare’s day clubs.
Led by local storyteller Claire Mulholland, the sessions will be packed with stories, singing, music, and games – it’s all about giving children and older people the chance to spend time together, play, laugh and share experiences.
Suitable for children aged 1–5, parents and carers are asked to stay for each session.
When: Every Monday 11-12 noon, from 17 August to 14 September
Where: LifeCare Hub and Café, 2 Cheyne Street, Stockbridge, EH4 1JB. The LifeCare Hub and Café is very family-friendly, with plenty of space for prams and buggies. It’s a perfect spot for coffee or lunch before or afterwards, making it easy for families to come along and join in.
Fettes College is celebrating as grades were published nationwide yesterday, with the school’s combined International Baccalaureate (IB) and A Level results breaking previous records.
While predominantly a day marked in the calendar of schools south of the border, the Edinburgh institution is unique in its academic pathway with students opting for either A Levels or IB, the internationally recognised education programme.
In total, 46% of all A Level grades were at A* or A and 80% of entries achieved A* to B grades. There were also 14 students who achieved a clean sweep of A* and A grades and a further six students who achieved 3A*s or more.
Fettes is the only school in Scotland to offer both IB and A Level pathways, and these latest results mark a record-breaking year for combined results: A*/7: 22%; A*-A/ 7-6: 63%; A*-B/ 7-5: 89%.
School leavers are now heading to university places across the UK, including Bath, Cambridge, Edinburgh, King’s College London, Imperial, LSE, St Andrews and UCL. A number have also secured places internationally, at institutions such as Georgetown University, McGill University, UC Berkeley, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Toronto.
Anushka Chakravarty, Deputy Head (Academic), said: “We are incredibly proud of our A Level students and the brilliant results achieved today. They have demonstrated academic curiosity, determination and high aspirations to achieve fantastic outcomes and secure competitive university places.
“Behind the statistics are also some inspiring personal journeys and individual successes, not to mention the staff who have gone above and beyond, offering around-the-clock support sessions, as well as pastoral support in our boarding Houses. Huge congratulations to everyone involved.”
Richard Girvan, Head of Fettes College, said: “As I begin my time as Head of Fettes, these very strong results are a compelling reflection of the ambition and quality of the community I am privileged to join.
“Our leavers depart not only with impressive academic achievements, but also with the confidence, independence, breadth of experience and friendships developed through an education with a range of opportunities that is distinctive in Scotland and stands in comparison with the very best schools across the UK.
“As Old Fettesians, they will continue to draw on those experiences, relationships and opportunities long after they leave us. I congratulate them warmly and wish them every success for the future.”
56 A Level students at Fettes also completed the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) with 23% of EPQ projects awarded the A* grade, 80% achieving A*/A, building further on last year’s outcomes.
A scheme to help people on low incomes and in priority groups buy their first affordable home has opened for applications.
The Open Market Shared Equity Scheme (OMSE) is available for first-time buyers and priority access groups who can’t afford the full price of a home. This includes social renters, disabled people, people aged 60 and over, members of the armed forces and veterans.
The scheme, along with the First Homes Fund, provides financial assistance to prospective homeowners and is part of the Government’s programme of action to provide affordable housing across the country.
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Housing Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “This Government is delivering on affordable housing and this scheme, along with our First Homes Fund, will provide a vital support for those looking to buy their first home.
“We know how hard it is to get that first foot on the property ladder – our shared equity schemes assist households who can sustain mortgage repayments but find it difficult to accumulate the necessary savings to secure a purchase.
“I encourage everyone who is eligible and looking to buy a home to apply to these schemes. Giving more people the chance to buy an affordable home also plays a crucial role in reducing homelessness and eradicating child poverty across the country.”
The Open Market Shared Equity Scheme (OMSE) is open for applications. It is a shared equity scheme designed to help eligible buyers on low-to-moderate incomes purchase a home on the open market by funding a percentage of the price (usually 60% to 90%) while the government holds the remaining equity stake.
The First Homes Fund was introduced by the Scottish Government in June this year. This offers a £10,000 contribution to first-time buyers that struggle to save enough for a full deposit.
Forth Ports team up with environmental charity Balanced Horizon to deliver largest ever clean of the Firth of Forth 28-30 August
The Big Forth Cleanup will be a large-scale, community driven weekend of beach cleaning and juvenile lobster releases organised by Balanced Horizon in collaboration with Forth Ports.
The goal of the event is to clean as much of the coastline of the Firth of Forth over the course of the 28-30th August 2026, and is open to everybody of all ages. Pollution and litter are major problems facing this iconic waterway, with vulnerable and important wildlife species calling this environment home.
Balanced Horizon wants to clean the Forth up not only to protect these ecosystems, but also for everybody to enjoy the magnificent beaches and coastlines this part of the world has to offer.
Katy Reid, Group Head of Sustainability at Forth Ports, said: “It’s great to be partnering with Balanced Horizon for our first Big Forth Cleanup, which will be a landmark event all around the Firth of Forth with coastal clean up and juvenile lobster release events taking place from 28 – 30 August.
“This coastline is central to Forth Ports’ Scottish operations and plays a vital role in supporting the economy, local communities and the rich diversity of wildlife found both on land and at sea.
Bringing people together to take action at scale will make a meaningful difference in caring for and preserving the coastline and local environment. We are very pleased that so many individuals, organisations and local beach clean community groups have signed up to join the event and we invite everyone to get involved and be part of something that can have a lasting impact on the Forth.”
The event is self-led, meaning participants choose a beach to clean along the coast of the Firth of Forth. This can be done with the help of Balanced Horizon’s online interactive map, which shows the beach cleans part of the events that are taking place, helping participants target areas close to them, or identify areas in need of attention. You can join groups like the Scottish Seabird Centre, CLP Nature Action, and Coast to Coast Surf School with cleaning up our shores!
Kerrie Flockhart, Project Lead at Balanced Horizon, said: “We’re proud to be partnering with Forth Ports to unite communities from across the Firth in a shared effort to protect and celebrate this incredible coastline.
“As well as removing litter, we want to shine a spotlight on the many community groups and individuals who already dedicate their time to caring for our shores.
We hope this event will help connect more people with those local efforts, inspire new volunteers, and create a lasting network of people working together to protect the Firth of Forth for years to come.”
As well as beach cleans taking place over the weekend, there will also be releases of juvenile European lobsters on the Sunday (30th) of the weekend in North Berwick, Anstruther and Kirckaldy, led by Balanced Horizon’s Forth Marine Hatchery project as part of their efforts to boost wild European lobster populations. These releases will be open to the public to get involved with!
With only a few weeks before we head out with our litter pickers, Balanced Horizon needs your help! If you are a group or an individual, please be encouraged to head to Balanced Horizon’s website to register to get involved.
We are excited to share a delicious community meal with you tomorrow. We do our best to have a variety of options, including vegetarian and a delicious pudding.
What’s on the menu today:
Root veg medley soup
Crispy chicken
BBQ-style beans
Halloumi pastries
Lemon cheesecake with blueberry compote
Please check the board or ask our volunteers about allergens. And just a heads-up, our food is served until it runs out! Do come along and enjoy. Thank you!
Water scarcity continues to put pressure on Scotland’s rivers and the businesses which rely on them, as hot and dry conditions return following recent rainfall.
The latest Water Situation Reportfrom the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) shows river flows remain very low across much of the country, with some catchments which had recovered now returning to very low levels.
The River Teviot and Ettrick Water have now experienced 39 consecutive days of very low flows. Restrictions on water abstraction remain in place in these catchments and will continue until river flows have recovered sufficiently.
Lower Dee and Water of Feugh have also moved to Significant Scarcity. There are no impacted abstraction licence holders in this area.
Without sustained rainfall, the Dee in Galloway and Urr Water could reach Significant Scarcity within the next week.
Other catchments which previously reached Significant Scarcity and recovered following rainfall are now experiencing very low river flows again, demonstrating the continuing pressure on Scotland’s water environment after months of dry conditions.
SEPA officers have been carrying out visits in catchments where abstraction restrictions are in place and have seen good levels of compliance. Abstractors affected by restrictions are required to comply with the conditions set out by SEPA to protect the water environment.
Shona McConnell, SEPA’s Head of Compliance, said: “This has been a challenging summer for businesses which rely on water from the environment, and we recognise the impact restrictions can have on them.
“Our officers have seen good compliance with the restrictions currently in place. These are regulatory requirements designed to protect rivers when they are under significant pressure, and it is important that businesses continue to comply.
“Recent rainfall has helped in some places, but we’ve also seen rivers return to very low levels. That underlines why we can’t look at individual periods of rainfall in isolation, recovery depends on sustained rainfall over time.
“As our climate changes, rainfall is becoming less predictable and water may not always be available where and when it is needed. Building resilience means planning for that uncertainty, adapting how we use water and taking action early rather than waiting until water availability becomes a problem.
“We’ll continue to monitor conditions closely, work with abstractors and take action where necessary to protect Scotland’s water environment.”
We’re looking for Academy support volunteers! 
Discover the magic of Theatre School of Scotland Edinburgh! 
Saturday August 15, 2026
2:30PM – 4:30PM
Edinburgh College, 350 W Granton Road, Edinburgh, EH5 1QE
