A group of 20 women took on a 12-hour continuous football match on Sunday to raise money for St Columba’s Hospice Care.
Two teams played 7-a-side football from 8am until 8pm at South Queensferry Hub in an endurance challenge.
The women hoped to raise at least £2,000 for St Columba’s, who also kindly provided playing strips for the day, but organiser Amie Johnston has been in touch to report that the group has raised £3500, ‘playing all day in the rain!’
Households struggling with food costs could benefit from price controls on essential items under proposals published for consultation.
Fulfilling one of the commitments made for the Scottish Government’s first 100 days, views are being sought on the proposals and accompanying draft Bill. These are intended to ease cost of living pressures, particularly for lower income households who spend a greater share of their budget on food.
The consultation seeks views on the proposals and how the mechanism would work in practice, including the retailers and foods that could be included in the scheme.
Minister for Business Tom Arthur said: “Helping people with the cost of living is a top priority of this government. Our aim is to make essential food items more affordable for households struggling to pay for their weekly shop, particularly those on lower incomes.
“The consultation covers the wide range of factors we need to consider to implement a food price cap. I am committed to taking action to address food affordability that works with retailers and protects farmers and food producers.
“I have spent the last three months engaging with bodies with an interest in this and encourage everyone to have their say.”
The consultation is live at www.gov.scot/isbn/9781807754938 and closes on 24 November 2026.
Last week, an article in the media and subsequent posts on social media channels, inaccurately reported details about how we prioritise and allocate council housing.
It is important that we address misinformation and set out the facts.
Status of those applying for council housing
How we prioritise council housing
By-elections in Southside/Newington (Ward 15) and Portobello/Craigmillar (Ward 17) take place this Thursday (3 September).
We’re urging residents in these wards to remember their polling cards and to cast their votes.
Residents in these wards who are aged 16 or over and have registered to vote can participate in Thursday’s by-elections.
One new councillor will be elected for each ward. The current electorate for Ward 15 is 24,666 and for Ward 17 it’s 28,062.
Returning Officer for Edinburgh, Paul Lawrence said: “With these by-elections fast approaching, I encourage residents in these wards to take this opportunity to have their say on Thursday. Please remember your polling cards and check your polling place. These new councillors will represent your communities on issues affecting your local area and Edinburgh as a whole.
“Our elections pages provide useful information on how the Single Transferable Vote system works – you can rank candidates in order of preference, choosing as many or few as you’d like.
“If you’re voting by post, please return your completed ballot as soon as possible to make sure your vote is counted.
Please check your polling place as this may have changed since the last time you voted. If you bring your polling card to vote this will help us and speed up the process, but this isn’t mandatory.
A full list of the candidates standing in both wards is available on the Council’s website.
Further information on voting in Ward 15 and Ward 17, including accessibility information and spoken ballot papers are also on the Council’s website.
Polling places will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 3 September.
Polling Places (Ward 15):
Polling Places (Ward 17):
The by-elections will use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system, where voters rank candidates in order of preference, rather than using a single cross. Voters can rank as many or as few candidates as they like.
The electronic count will take place at Waverley Court, starting at the close of poll at 10pm on September 3.
Dear friends and members of the Cramond Association,
Our September litter pick will be this Sunday, 6th September at Cramond Beach carpark (accessed from Cramond Glebe Road).
We’ll meet at the notice boards in the carpark for a 10am start, and will be finished at 11am. The carpark always benefits from a clear-up, and depending on attendance, we can spread out to the promenade and adjacent field.
All equipment is provided, although our gloves are size large so your own may be more comfortable. If you have a Hi Viz, please bring it along.
Everyone is welcome!
CRAMOND ASSOCIATION
FRIDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 9am – 12pm
We are delighted to announce that Nadia, a qualified nutrionalist, will be here on Friday 11th September running an efficient, Healthy and Sustainable Cooking Class.
Learn how to:
Cook healthy, balanced meals
Eat well on a budget
Reduce food waste
Cook efficiently and sustainably
Limited spaces available book your place today!
A much-loved community book exchange in Edinburgh’s Stockbridge will reopen on Monday 8 September, after being destroyed in the storms of January 2025 and rebuilt from scratch.
The Little Free Library was created by bookbinder and artist Rachel Hazell, aka The Travelling Bookbinder, who first installed it in Stockbridge in 2016. It quickly became a fixture for local readers, walkers and visitors – and during the Covid-19 lockdowns, a source of connection and comfort for residents cut off from much else.
When the library was blown down and damaged beyond repair last winter, Hazell set out to find someone who could build a replacement able to withstand Scotland’s weather while staying safe, accessible and welcoming to readers of all ages.
The job went to Yann Jameson, a boatbuilder based on Mull, who constructed the new library from locally sourced larch and finished it with three coats of marine-grade oil to protect it against rain, wind and damp.
The reopening lands during the National Year of Reading 2026, and continues a movement with an unlikely point of origin. When the Little Free Library movement began in 2009, its founders drew inspiration from the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who around the turn of the 20th century funded the creation of 2,509 free public libraries across the English-speaking world – and set themselves the goal of surpassing that number, which they did within a few years.
Today there are more than 200,000 Little Free Libraries in 128 countries worldwide, and Little Free Library tourism – seeking them out while travelling – has become its own small pastime among book lovers.
Registered as Little Free Library #36444, the Stockbridge library is part of that worldwide network, used by locals and passers-by alike, and stocked with everything from romance and contemporary fiction to philosophy and Penguin Classics – all shared on the movement’s founding principle: “Take a book, share a Book.”
Rachel Hazell, founder and bookbinder, said: “When I first installed the library in 2016, the idea was simply to share books I’d loved and to support my belief that everyone has a book inside them. Over the years it became something much bigger than that, particularly during lockdown, when people told me it was a source of comfort, connection and escape.
“When it was destroyed in the storms, I was heartbroken. It’s taken longer than I’d hoped to find the right person to build a replacement, but Yann has created something truly special and robust.”
“I take my role as librarian very seriously, although admittedly the collection isn’t organised according to the Dewey Decimal System. I try to keep it well stocked, though sometimes the new titles that appear on the shelves are very tempting.
“I’m absolutely delighted to see it return. It belongs to the community as much as it does to me, and I can’t wait to see people using it again.”
Local resident Barbara said: “It’s been strange walking past the empty spot all year – the library was always a nice excuse to stop for a minute, get my bearings and see what’s new. Glad to have it back, and it looks better built than ever – very smart!”
The Stockbridge Little Free Library officially reopens on Tuesday 8 September and is free for everyone to use.
The Communist Party of Britain’s (CPB) candidates in Edinburgh’s two by-elections have called out political opinion in the city.
The party is standing candidates Richard Shillcock (Southside/Newington ward) and Peter Olech (Portobello/Craigmillar ward) in the September 3rd council by-elections.
The Communist candidates note Edinburgh’s reputation for liberal politics. Many voters—particularly young ones—across Labour, Greens and the SNP see themselves as voting for a much better, new kind of Scotland.
But Communists are presenting crucially different policies to what is on offer from the other parties.
Communists say particular policies of Edinburgh’s established parties might sound good in isolation but they are overshadowed by the liberal commitment to rejoining the EU and/or to Scottish “independence”.
The EU. Rejoining the EU means accepting the EU’s foundational principles of the free movement of capital, goods and services, and its restrictions on state funding of industry.
Communists say we need to trade extensively with Europe but we need to be able to control the movement of capital and we need to be able to direct state-led investment if working people are ever to own and control a rebuilt productive economy.
“Independence”. Similarly, we need to control our own currency. A separate Scotland, in or out of the EU, means losing our central bank. Greece’s debt crisis had its roots in adopting the euro and losing its central bank.
Communists say the Scottish people have the right to decide whether to secede from the UK, but that better prospects for working people lie in strengthening working class organisation across Britain to win deeper and deeper federal autonomy in which working people own and control the productive economy.
Housing. Few idealistic voters would say “just let the market sort out housing”. But that is exactly what is happening when other parties’ housing policy is for a mix of measures like “affordable housing” at the expense of council housing. Communists say only large-scale, permanent investment in council housing, owned and run by the local authority, can solve the housing problem.
Women’s rights. Communists say that we need to urgently implement the Supreme Court ruling on sex in the Equality Act 2010. Local government should fully uphold women’s rights and protections under the Act, including the right to single-sex services. The Scottish Government should enforce the Act.
Violence against women. Liberal activists have been arguing that prostitution is “sex work”, that it is a mutually consensual transaction, that it can be empowering and that it should be decriminalised and destigmatised.
Communists say prostitution is not work. A woman’s body is not a workplace. Prostitution is unique sexual exploitation, reflecting class and sex inequalities. We need to support women to exit prostitution, with zero tolerance towards the sexual exploitation of women by men.
Caring for each other. There is strong liberal support—in the Greens, LibDems and SNP—favouring assisted dying.
Communists stand with disabled activists in opposing assisted dying. It cannot be made safe. It will disproportionately endanger disabled people. Communists call for adequate funding for end-of-life care.
The local by-elections were triggered following the resignation of two local SNP councillors who were recently elected as MSPs to Holyrood.
The Communist Party urges voters across Southside/Newington and Portobello/Craigmillar to use their ballot papers to vote for the policies they believe in—ones that will defend and extend the rights and the quality of life of working people.
We’re delighted to be hosting a screening of I SWEAR on Thursday 24 September. Join us for an evening of food and powerful storytelling!
Doors open & food sharing from 5.30pm (soup & bread served)
Screening starts 6pm
£2 (NEA Members) | £4 (General Admission)
Book tickets at: https://northedinburgharts.co.uk/…/i-swear-film…/
I SWEAR is a frank, funny and powerful film inspired by the life of John Davidson, MBE, charting his journey from a misunderstood teenager in 1980s Britain to a present-day advocate for the understanding and acceptance of Tourette Syndrome.
Diagnosed at 15, John navigates troubled teenage years and into adulthood, finding inspiration in the kindness of others to discover his true purpose. It’s a hilarious, moving and life-affirming story that shines a light on a condition still widely misunderstood.
This screening is part of the Local Cinema Network, supporting film screenings co-curated with and for local communities across a range of community venues in Edinburgh.
From splitting bills to keeping up with social plans, money is becoming an early test of university friendships, with more than half (59%) of students in Scotland saying finances have caused friction in their relationships according to new Royal Bank of Scotland research.
The survey of over 5,000 current undergraduates found that for almost one in ten (11%) Scottish students the friendship ended altogether and that money pressures can quickly spill into shared living. 39% reported experiencing tension or awkwardness with flatmates over differing budgets and 58% are owed money by friends or flatmates they do not expect to get back.
The findings form part of new Royal Bank of Scotland research into the financial realities facing today’s students. With just over half (53%) of those who received parental advice about university saying at least some of it proved outdated or inaccurate, Royal Bank of Scotland created the Student Handover Report to turn current students’ first-hand experience into practical guidance for the next intake.
New friendships quickly become financial relationships
The financial stakes of university life can rise quickly:
Despite the reluctance to admit when money is tight, university appears to make financial conversations more commonplace. 66% of Scottish students say they are more open discussing finances with friends than they were before university, while 78% have helped a friend or flatmate with a money issue, whether by covering their share of something (19%) or helping them to budget and find better deals (27%).
The costs students did not see coming
Socialising is only one area where the financial reality of university differs from students’ expectations. Among Scottish students who receive a maintenance loan, 84% have run out of money before their next instalment at least once, including 42% who say it happens in most or every term.
While the research highlights the financial pressures many students face, it also points to the financial skills gained through university life, 78% of Scotland students say they are now more confident managing their finances than when they first arrived. Many also report developing practical money-saving habits, from meal planning and batch cooking (42%) to switching to cheaper alternatives for everyday essentials (38%).
What current students want freshers to know
The Student Handover Report brings together practical money advice based on the experiences of current students. Among the key lessons for the next intake are:
1. Don’t ghost the money chat
If a plan is out of budget, say so rather than making an excuse. Being upfront can make it easier for everyone to suggest something that works.
2. Don’t let shared costs become shared drama
Talk about bills, food and who owes what before it becomes an issue. Agreeing the basics early can save awkward conversations later.
3. Make saving part of the social plan
If money is tight, suggest something cheaper rather than sitting it out. Students say movie or game nights in, park hangs, walks and studying together are all part of how they socialise without spending heavily.
4. Budget for fitting in, not just moving in
Freshers’ week, society events, spontaneous plans and the everyday costs of getting to know new people can add up quickly. Students recommend leaving room in your budget for the social side of settling in, as well as the obvious essentials.
5. Don’t make full price your default
Current students recommend getting smart about how and when you spend — from reduced-to-clear food and student discounts to buying second-hand, selling what you no longer use and sharing costs where it makes sense.
Paul Slinger, Head of Customer Onboarding at Royal Bank of Scotland said:
“Starting university is a major step towards financial independence, and it can bring money decisions that are difficult to anticipate before you arrive, particularly when new friendships, shared living and social plans all come with their own financial pressures.
“At Royal Bank of Scotland, we support one in three UK families and we want to help young people feel confident taking action with their money, from setting a realistic budget and speaking openly about what they can afford, to looking out for the little wins that can help money go further. That’s also why our Student Account includes practical benefits designed to support students day to day.”
Getting a bank account set up is another part of preparing for university. The Royal Bank of Scotland Student Account currently comes with a £100 cash offer, an interest-free arranged overdraft of up to £3,250 and a four-year tastecard.
