Workplace design and management consultancy, Space Solutions, has refreshed Edinburgh Zoo’s Penguins Café to enhance the customer experience.
Overlooking Penguins Rock, Europe’s largest outdoor penguin pool, the Penguins Café is a busy eatery at Edinburgh Zoo. Challenged with a tired and inefficient space, SPACE upgraded the café to accommodate its large, diverse clientele while meeting the ambitious timescales of completing the project ahead of the opening weekend of school summer holidays.
The SPACE Design & Build team undertook the design services and fit-out, collaborating with graphic designer Heather Cumming who handled the updated branding, from the new logo to menu boards and wall murals.
Transforming the black and white space with bright, vibrant colours, the refreshed Penguins Café mirrors the excitement of visiting the adjoining penguin enclosure, with penguin facts featuring around the space.
Following a review of the space and customer needs, SPACE retained many of the existing features and furniture to reduce waste, including reupholstering the existing banquette seating for reuse.
To seamlessly manage the high foot traffic, SPACE designed a two-colour flooring system, with blue areas designated for highlighted key customer touch points, such as servery counter and seating areas, while neutral beige trails encourage movement. Cleanable, soft seating and coverings as well as acoustic rafts suspended from the ceiling were incorporated to better the acoustics in the active space.
Isobel Jones, Senior Interior Designer at SPACE, said: “We are thrilled to have worked with Edinburgh Zoo to refresh the popular Penguins Café. Our design has enabled the space to feel bigger and work more efficiently for both customers and staff.
“At the heart of the café remains an appreciation of the penguins, enabling visitors to retain the excitement of visiting Penguins Rock while improving their dining experience.”
Beccy Angus, Head of Discovery Learning at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, commented: “Overlooking Penguins Rock, Penguins Café is situated in the heart of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Edinburgh Zoo.
“The café is an essential part of the customer experience and the refreshed design will ensure all of our visitors continue to have a memorable time at the zoo which helps inspire them to protect, value and love nature.”
Space Solutions has been creating award-winning interiors since 1997. The business continues to develop the concept of workplace consultancy and has worked with major public & private organisations across the UK. The business has locations in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee Livingston and London and employs 198 members of staff.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding anyone who is new to Self Assessment for the 2022 to 2023 tax year that they have just two weeks until 5 October to tell HMRC and register.
New Self Assessment customers could be someone who has set up a side hustle to earn money in addition to their PAYE job or disposed of cryptoassets; they may be newly self-employed or a new landlord renting out property. Whatever the circumstances, if a customer has any income that they have not already paid UK tax on, they need to register for Self Assessment.
Customers can use HMRC’s online checking tool on GOV.UK to quickly assess whether they will need to complete a tax return. And they can use the step-by-step guide to check what they need to do to file their first Self Assessment tax return.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said:“If you are new to Self Assessment and unsure how the process works – HMRC is here to help. We have a wealth of resources and guidance available on GOV.UK to help customers register, sign up to the online services and complete their tax return.
“We want to help customers get their tax right first time, just search ‘Self Assessment’ on GOV.UK to find out more.”
Customers can register for Self Assessment on GOV.UK. They will then receive their Unique Taxpayer Reference, which they will need when completing their return.
The deadline for customers to file their tax return online and pay any tax owed for the 2022 to 2023 tax year is 31 January 2024. And last year, 96% of customers filed their return online.
Filing online means customers don’t have to complete it all at once, they can save their progress and finish it later and have that added reassurance that HMRC has received their form when they press submit.
HMRC has a wide range of resources to help customers file a tax return including a series of video tutorials on YouTube and help and support guidance on GOV.UK. HMRC has produced 2 videos to help customers registering online for Self Assessment these are for those who are self-employed and those who are not self-employed.
If customers think they no longer need to complete a Self Assessment tax return for the 2022 to 2023 tax year, they should tell HMRC before the deadline on 31 January 2024 to avoid any penalties or needing to complete a tax return. HMRC has produced 2 videos explaining how customers can go online and stop Self Assessment if they are self-employed and those who are not self-employed.
Customers need to be aware of the risk of falling victim to scams and should never share their HMRC login details with anyone, including a tax agent, if they have one. HMRC scams advice is available on GOV.UK.
Join Live Music Now Scotland for a brand new series of performances, connecting a multicultural community through the power of music
‘Family Music Time’ is a new opportunity to enjoy free of charge music performances from some of Scotland’s most talented emerging artists.
The relaxed and informal concerts are taking place in a stunning venue that welcomes all.
“Live Music Now Scotland is very much looking forward to working with the local community of Stenhouse, along with the team at St Salvador’s and its Community Food Initiative” says Live Music Now Scotland Director, Carol Main MBE.
“The location is in the heart of an area of multi-cultural diversity and multiple deprivation. There is little or no opportunity for people to come together socially or interact with their neighbours, with many living in social isolation.
“Through Family Music Time, musicians from Live Music Now Scotland, including those from Poland, Spain, Latin America and Scotland, will offer the chance of shared social pleasure and joy through the international language of music and traditional cultures.”
“St. Salvador’s Scottish Episcopal Church is a growing congregation in Stenhouse, Edinburgh. Our vibrant and multicultural congregation reflects the diversity of the surrounding area. Through our worship and social outreach, we seek to engage and support our local community, says Revd Dr Ross Jesmont of St Salvador’s.
“We are looking forward to collaborating with Live Music Now Scotland to host a series of music events for local children and their families.
“The opportunity to have live music events in an area of the city where this is not a regular feature is an exciting prospect. We hope these events will both provide families with an opportunity to enjoy live music in their area and inspire a new generation of musicians.”
Sun 24 September Troppos Ensemble, Troppos Ensemble, instrumental ensemble with a Latin twist
Sun 29 October
Sun 29 October Megan MacDonald and Calum McIlroy,
Megan MacDonald and Calum McIlroy, accordion and guitar duo
Sun 26 November
Sun 26 November Roo and Neil,
Roo and Neil, fiddle and accordion duo
All at 2.00pm I St. Salvador’s Scottish Episcopal Church, Stenhouse.
Sheep sculptures featured in national ‘Flock to the Show’ public art trail raffled off in 2 weeks
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There are less than two weeks to go until the Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) raffles off their colourful ‘Flock to the Show’ sheep sculptures, which featured in a popular national public art trail earlier this year.
There are 500 raffle tickets available for each sheep, at a cost of £25 each. The funds raised will support the Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland Bicentennial Fund, which supports projects dedicated to sustainability in the rural sector.
The popular ‘Doddie’s Sheep’ will see a minimum of £20 from the sale of each ticket donated to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation – this sheep was decorated by Megan Reilly in the distinctive bright blue and yellow Doddie’5 tartan.
The 38 fibreglass sculptures were decorated by local artists from across the UK in a range of striking designs and travelled around Scotland earlier this year, before flocking home to the Royal Highland Show in June.
The campaign celebrated the return of the Golden Shears World Sheep Shearing & Woolhandling Championships to the Royal Highland Show. Some of the sheep have already been purchased outright so won’t be available in the raffle, but the majority still need to find their forever homes.
RHASS Chairman, Jim Warnock, commented:“The Flock to the Show campaign was a resounding success, bringing joy to people across the length and breadth of Scotland and at the Royal Highland Show.
“We are delighted that our flock raised awareness of important issues in the agri sector and they will continue to do good by being raffled off to raise funds for the RHASS Bicentennial Fund and the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.”
The Royal Commonwealth Pool is holding a taster weekend on Saturday, 23rd and Sunday, 24th September, with the chance to access their fitness classes, swim, and gym for £3 for the entire weekend, bookable online or in venue – perfect for those wishing to try before they buy.
Affectionately known as ‘the Commie’, this iconic venue rich in sporting history, which has hosted three Commonwealth Games in 1970, 1986 and the diving events in 2014, has a top-spec gym, Edinburgh’s only 50-meter pool, diving facilities, and fitness studios with a variety of classes, including spin and Les Mills classes.
To take advantage of this offer, people will be required to sign up online here or in venue and book for the activities they wish to try.
Edinburgh Leisure is also running their September campaign, so for customers joining in September, there will be no joining fee and gives access to member benefits like priority bookings, free gym introductions and 1:1 Instructor Sessions.
There is no contract and it’s possible to freeze or cancel your membership at any time. So, wherever you’re at on the map or in life, Edinburgh Leisure has activities to help you enjoy a healthy, happy and active life for less.
See all information about the Taster Weekend here.
We are hosting a Festival Gathering and invite you to come along and share your thoughts.
This will take place on THURSDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER 2023 AT 6PM at the West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre. We’d love to see you there.
We now have a Ko-Fi account. A Ko-Fi account lets anyone donate a minimum of £3 to the festival which will go towards providing free meals at the festival next year. We have lost some funding for next year, so any contributions to this festival cause are most welcome.
Family honour Victoria Cross recipient at The Royal Scots Museum, Edinburgh Castle
On Monday (18 September 2023), the Royal Scots Regimental Museum in Edinburgh Castle was delighted to welcome Mr Brian Gaskin and his family from Ontario, Canada.
They came to view the Victoria Cross which Brian’s grandfather, Private (Pte) Henry H. Robson, originally from South Shields, had won for an act of “most conspicuous bravery” in December 1914, when aged 20, whilst serving with the Regiment in Flanders.
For Mr Gaskin, his family’s trip to Scotland has a deeper resonance. As a fourteen-year-old boy in 1965, Brian had been present at the ceremony when, after Pte Robson had passed away, his family had presented his Victoria Cross to the Royal Scots Museum.
Mr Gaskin has now returned with his wife, Jane, his son Kevin and grandson Luke to “visit the museum and medals and keep the history alive”.
Pte Robson was a regular soldier in the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Scots, which had deployed to Belgium in August 1914 as part of the British Expeditionary Force that was sent to prevent the German advance.
The Battalion took part in a number of significant actions as the war ebbed and flowed that autumn before an attack near Kemmel on 14 December. Badly wounded during the action for which he received the award, Pte Robson survived the war and emigrated to Canada where he raised a family.
Pte Robson was presented with his Victoria Cross by King George V and Queen Mary at Buckingham Place on 12 July 1915.
The official citation reads: “Private H. H. Robson. 2nd Battalion The Royal Scots. For most conspicuous bravery near Kemmel on the 14 December 1914, during an attack on the German position, when he left his trench under a very heavy fire and rescued a wounded non-commissioned officer, and subsequently for making an attempt to bring another wounded man into cover, whilst exposed to a severe fire. In this attempt he was at once wounded, but persevered in his efforts, until rendered helpless by being shot a second time.“
For Pte Robson’s great great grandson, Luke Gaskin, a first visit to Scotland was a wonderful opportunity not just to see the medal, tangible evidence of his family’s history, but to see its place in wider Regimental history and how that story continues to be told today.
Lt Colonel Gordon Rae, Chairman of The Royal Scots’ Museum and Heritage Committee, presented the Gaskin family with a copy of “Pontius Pilate’s Bodyguard”, the Regiment’s three volume history, as a memento of their visit showing the bond between the Regiment and the family.
Lt Colonel Gordon Rae said: “It was a great honour to host three generations of Private Robson’s family at the Regimental Museum today.”
Charities and community groups across Edinburgh are today sharing in the latest round of funding from The National Lottery Community Fund.
Thanks to National Lottery players, they are amongst 453 projects sharing in £11, 824,401 for a range of activities, helping to empower and connect people in communities across Scotland.
West Pilton’s FRESH START is among the big winners, receiving £180,000. The local charity will use the funding to continue to support people moving on from homelessness across Northwest Edinburgh.
Across the three years of the project, the group will support approximately 5,800 people with 450 volunteers. Volunteers will be individuals with lived experience of homelessness.
Fresh Start said: “We are delighted to announce that we have been successful in our fundraising application to the National Lottery Community Fund.
“This award will allow us to continue to run our services, helping people with lived experience of homelessness, providing support through starter packs, the community pantry, community meals, empowering people with new skills, growing produce, cooking skills and having access to specialised advice.”
The National Lottery Community Fund, Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “National Lottery funding can make amazing things happen in local communities across the country.
“This project delivered by Fresh Start (Scotland), is a great example of community activity in action, showing just what can be achieved when people come together for a common cause or to help others.
“National Lottery players can be proud to know that the money they raise is helping to support this vital work which is making a real difference to so many.”
Edinburgh College received over £136,000 to continue delivery of their counselling service for students. The counselling is delivered by trained staff, either in person or online, and is flexible to suit the schedule and needs of the individual in need of support.
There was over £82,000 for Edinburgh Women’s Aid, who will use their funding to build an integrated mental health programme for women and children who have experienced domestic abuse.
As well as supporting hands on mental health delivery, this project will look to improve internal evaluation processes and engage with other services across Edinburgh to make their services more effective. The project will work with 555 people over the three year delivery period.
Dads Rock received £67,391. The project will continue to match trained peer support volunteers with new dads during the perinatal period who are experiencing anxiety, depression, difficulties in bonding with their new baby.
Passion4Fusionoffer a range of programmes for the diverse needs of minority ethnic families in Edinburgh and the Lothians. Thanks to an award of £41,500 they will be able to offer a range of support services for black, African people dealing with long term conditions.
One service user Nala* (*not her real name) a 57-year-old African woman with a range of long-term health conditions who moved to Edinburgh to seek asylum.
Nala was missing important appointments as she struggled to read and interpret her medical letters in English. A worker from the project supported her to understand the health systems in Scotland, linked her with African groups and supported her at hospital appointments.
Nala said: “I am very happy I found people like me who can understand my situation. I was feeling very lonely and isolated but now I have my new African family I belong to.
“I am now able to do things that I haven’t been able to do in a while for instance, I really love going to the gym and I wouldn’t have done it without the support.”
Commenting on the project Huruma Health worker Lucrecia said “There is nothing more rewarding than helping others.
“As you can imagine, being alone in this country can be challenging and most of our service users have no immediate family members. The Huruma project creates culturally appropriate family support and a sense of belonging.”
Jonathan Ssentamu, Founder and CEO, Passion4Fusion, said “The Huruma Project continues to address the disproportionate impact of health inequalities affecting Africans in our community who are finding it difficult to access mainstream services.
“This contribution is enabling us to support our service users, we’re so grateful for the continued support for our work.”
An award of £30,000 means that the Scottish Book Trust will run their ‘Reading is Caring’ programme for the next three years.
The programme uses shared reading to support people living with dementia and anyone who cares for them and is designed to ease daily challenges of dementia by creating special moments of connection, sparking positive memories and relieving stress.
Martha and her husband Sandy took part in the project while caring for Martha’s mother Susan, who was living with dementia at the time.
Martha said: “Thank you again for your wonderful course – it added new skills and confidence to the way I read with Mum for her last few months and that was something very special.”
Commenting on the latest funding, Koren Calder, Project Manager, Scottish Book Trust, said: “This funding from The National Lottery Community Fund will allow us to reach more people living with dementia and the people who care for them, by creating new, flexible ways to access the benefits of the Reading is Caring programme.”
A neurodiversity charity is to launch a three-year specialist service for children and young people in Lanarkshire living with the challenges of neurodiversity thanks to Lottery funding.
Edinburgh-based Salvesen Mindroom Centre has been awarded £109,343 from The National Lottery Community Fund, made possible by National Lottery players, to deliver a dedicated one-to-one support service for children and young people who have neurodevelopmental conditions and neurodiverse families in North and South Lanarkshire.
The initiative will be led by two highly-skilled outreach specialists within the communities and address issues including problems surrounding the assessment and diagnosis of neurodevelopment conditions; securing appropriate help at school or in further and higher education; and dealing with complex correspondence and multiple agencies.
Support will be tailored to individuals and families and is aimed at achieving positive changes on a practical level and, through advocacy, ensuring the voices of children and young people are heard.
Between 15 and 20% of the population are estimated to be neurodivergent and Mindroom has witnessed a 137% rise in people using their services in Lanarkshire since 2018.
Chief Executive Officer Alan Thornburrow says: “We have seen at first hand the difference that receiving appropriate resources can make to neurodivergent children, young people and neurodiverse families in crisis.
“Over a number of years, we have steadily increased our caseload in Lanarkshire in response to a growing demand for our services and we’ve had some amazing feedback from clients whose lives have improved.
“This award from the National Lottery will help us ensure that many more people are helped and their lives transformed. We put the needs of the client at the very heart of our rights-based approach and aim to empower individuals, families and carers to become more confident and active participants in whatever they choose to do.
“We already have valuable, established relationships with a range of agencies and organisations in Lanarkshire including the NHS, Love Autism, schools and social work departments. This longer-term funding will enable us to build on these vital connections and increase our provision so that more neurodivergent children and young people and neurodiverse families can receive personalised help and benefit from opportunities for enhanced support.”
The National Lottery Community Fund, Scotland Chair, Kate Still: said: “National Lottery funding can make amazing things happen in local communities across the country.
“This project delivered by The Salvesen Mindroom Centre (SMC), is a great example of community activity in action, showing just what can be achieved when people come together for a common cause or to help others.
“National Lottery players can be proud to know that the money they raise is helping to support this vital work which is making a real difference to so many.”
The Lanarkshire initiative, funded under the National Lottery’s Improving Lives scheme, will run from September 1 this year to the end of August 2026.
For more information on the Salveson Mindroom Centre go to:
Commenting on the latest grant round of funding The National Lottery Community Fund, Scotland Chair, Kate Still: said: “National Lottery funding continues to make extraordinary things happen in communities across Scotland.
“I am delighted that this funding will be used to support projects across Edinburgh which have been developed by and for local people which will allow communities to come together to make life better for everyone.
National Lottery player players can be proud to know that that money they raise is helping to support this vital work in Edinburgh.”
The National Lottery Community Fund distributes funding on behalf of National Lottery players who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK.
Two men responsible for the non-recent sexual abuse of children have been convicted.
At the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday (Tuesday, 19 September), Alexander Philip, 57, and Craig Hodgkins, 52, were found guilty of sexual offences against five young people aged between six and 13-years-old between 1978 and 2008.
The conviction followed a Police Scotland investigation after survivors came forward.
Following significant inquiry, the pair were arrested and charged in connection with the crimes, which took place in Edinburgh, Hamilton and Airdrie.
Police Scotland’s Detective Inspector Jonny Wright, who led the investigation, said: “Over the course of three decades, Alexander Philip and Craig Hodgkins subjected their victims to sustained levels of sexual abuse, sometimes together, and other times separately.
“Their offending may have gone undetected had it not been for the survivors coming forward and reporting the circumstances to police.
“The convictions of this pair should serve as a reminder that time is no barrier for Police Scotland to investigate any report of criminality and we will utilise all resources at our disposal to bring perpetrators of sexual abuse to justice.”
