Top racing and entertainment makes for the hottest ticket in town
MUSSELBURGH Racecourse is set to serve up a weekend of exciting horse racing and top-class entertainment, cementing its status as one of Scotland’s premier destinations this Easter Saturday.
Racing enthusiasts can soak up the action as the East Lothian course launches its 2024 Flat season with the Virgin Bet Easter Saturday Race Day.
Featuring the coveted £100,000 Queen’s Cup and Scottish Sprint Cup- also known as Scotland’s fastest race- those in search of a great day out will find no lack of entertainment.
Featuring live music and plenty of dancing, the event promises to be one of the biggest social gatherings in the Easter calendar.
With a full day of entertainment lined up, Musselburgh Racecourse promises to be the hottest ticket in town this Bank Holiday weekend where racegoers can soak up the party atmosphere while enjoying spectacular top-class racing.
The variety of street food and drink vendors will tickle everyone’s tastebuds. Offerings include everyone’s favourite Nee Naw Pizzeria, run by Edinburgh firefighters from a converted fire engine and Cheese on Coast.
The popular Corgi Derby is also making a return, which will see spectators witness a four-legged race like no other with a distant cousin of one of the late Queen Elizabeth’s corgis in the running, Paddy.
Aisling Johnston, Musselburgh Racecourse Head of Marketing and Business Development, said: “Whether you’re a racing fan or just looking for a fantastic day out, we’ve got something for everyone.
“Make sure you bring your dancing shoes as the Funkwagen DJs will be heading keep the atmosphere going at the after-racing party.
“With prestigious races, live music and delicious food, it’s the perfect chance to meet up with friends or family this Easter.”
The Virgin Bet Easter Saturday Raceday on 30th March 2024 will open doors at 11:30 am and the first race is off at 1:50 pm (subject to change).
Book your tickets before midnight on the 29th of March and save £5.00 per person with under 17s going free when accompanied by an adult, T&Cs apply.
For more information and to book tickets now for Easter Saturday, visit:
Children’s author Yvonne Banham, who was a nurse for ten years before deciding to embark upon her lifelong dream of becoming a children’s novelist, will be taking over the reading chair at the free Book Club at The Centre, Livingston on Saturday, 16th March.
The aim of the book club is to give visitors to the shopping centre the opportunity to join in regular storytelling and interactive sessions with award-winning authors and discover new books.
Yvonne, who was also a lecturer in Higher Education and won a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, (SCBWI), Undiscovered Voices Award in 2020, grew up on the island of Walney, off the coast of Cumbria and spent lots of time huddled on the wild beach with a scary book.
When she left school, she couldn’t decide whether to be a nurse, an artist, or a writer, so she tried them all and decided she liked words best.
Yvonne, who now lives in Stirlingshire and writes paranormal/fantasy fiction for readers age 10-14 years old, will be talking about how she became an author and read extracts from her book, ‘The Dark and Dangerous Gifts of Delores Mackenzie’.
The book is a ghost filled, paranormal ‘whydunnit’, packed with ghouls, shapeshifters and a grumpy gargoyle played out with lots of humour in the dark underbelly of Edinburgh’s Old Town with themes of friendships, trust, personal boundaries and the joy of found family.
Her interactive sessions will include tips on crafting your own scary story with ghosts, monsters and magical creatures, making the ‘monster’ the hero, and what makes a great villain. Kids will also have the chance to create their own bookmark.
The two 45-minute sessions on Saturday, 16th March will take place at 11am and 1pm across from Waterstones where Yvonne’s book can be purchased and personally signed on the day.
Yvonne said: “I love any opportunity to talk about books, reading and writing, so was thrilled to be invited to The Centre, Livingston to take part in their brilliant Book Club initiative.
“I’m really looking forward to talking about Delores Mackenzie’s spooky Edinburgh adventures as well as chatting to readers about their own fantastic ideas.”
Patrick Robbertze, Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston, said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming the very talented author Yvonne Banham to our free Book Club which is designed to give our shoppers the chance to meet lots of award-winning authors and hear extracts from the fantastic books they’ve written.
“The sessions are very interactive and great fun, with visitors also getting the chance to pick up a copy of the books from Waterstones and get them personally signed on the day too.”
Authors and illustrators who have taken up residency at the Book Club since it launched last year, include Catherine Rayner, Justin Davies, Morag Hood, Lindsay Littleson and Linda Erskine.
Further details can be found on The Centre, Livingston website, www.thecentrelivingston.com and @shopthecentre on Facebook and Instagram.
Further regulation of the process for buying dogs should be welcomed, says the Rural Affairs & Islands Committee, but registering unlicensed litters is unlikely to make a difference to issues around traceability.
The Committee’s report concludes its stage 1 scrutiny of the Welfare of Dogs (Scotland) Bill which aims to establish ‘a more responsible and informed approach to acquiring and owning a dog’ and ‘regulate the selling or transferring of puppies from unlicensed litters’.
In light of a growing number of problems across Scotland resulting from people buying dogs which suffer from poor health or buying breeds unsuitable for their lifestyles, the Committee agrees that further measures are needed to promote the more responsible acquisition of dogs.
It says that educating people looking to buy puppies and dogs, so that they buy the right dog for their lifestyle, and avoid the pitfalls of purchasing through unscrupulous breeders, is key.
To this end, the Committee agrees with Part 1 of the Bill which would establish a code of practice and require both buyers and sellers to sign a certificate to confirm they have thought through the practicalities of owning a dog before taking on the responsibility.
It also says that a publicity campaign to raise awareness of the code of conduct is essential but calls on the Scottish Government to do all it can to ensure the campaign is more effective than some previous campaigns, which have had a limited impact.
However, the Committee does not agree with Part 2 of the Bill and the proposed requirement to register unlicensed litters. Members agree this approach wouldn’t give any indication about a dog’s welfare or whether it had been bred by a responsible breeder. Neither, the report says, do local authorities have the finances or the resource to be able to enforce it.
Instead, the Committee calls on the Scottish Government to continue to explore whether a UK-wide single microchip database would help solve the problem. If this is not possible, the Committee asks the Scottish Ministers to detail what other measures they will take to improve the traceability of dogs.
Launching the report, Beatrice Wishart, Deputy Convener of the Committee, said; “This is an extremely well-intentioned Bill, introduced at a time when dog welfare issues are, as we heard from stakeholders, almost at an unprecedented level.
“We were told that a fifth of people spend less than two hours researching whether to get a puppy and a third say they wouldn’t know how to spot a rogue breeder. Clearly measures are needed to promote the best chances for a dog’s happy and healthy life and to support buyers in making responsible decisions for their families, lifestyles and their finances.
“We support the Bill’s aim of influencing unscrupulous breeding by educating prospective dog owners and that is why publicity should be maximised around the strengthened regulation this Bill would create.”
“It is also vitally important that a solution is found to reassure buyers about the origins, health, and well-being of puppies they are buying, and we will continue to press the Scottish Government on this.
“Thank you to everyone who contributed to this inquiry.”
The Old Edinburgh Club has launched its newly redesigned website at www.oldedinburghclub.org.uk. With a fresh and friendly look, the site aims to make exploring Edinburgh’s rich history more accessible and engaging.
Publicity lead, Jo Chapman, said, “Our revamped site features a modern design that makes it easier to delve into our historical resources and find out about the Club’s activities.
“Improving our online presence will help us reach new audiences and support us in promoting the study and enjoyment of Edinburgh’s history. We want it to appeal whether you’re a seasoned historian or a curious newcomer.”
Site visitors can explore historical narratives, discover hidden gems, and gain insights from the Club’s authoritative journal, the Book of the Old Edinburgh Club, and find further sources using the comprehensive Bibliography of Edinburgh History which now lists nearly 3,000 published items.
Jo Chapman added, “There is a calendar of Club lectures, visits and guided walks, and we have thought-provoking book reviews and short articles which complement what goes into the Book of the Club.
“We are pleased to promote the latest news of our collaboration with the City Libraries in cataloguing their little-known manuscript collection and of the exciting projects we are supporting through Jean Guild Grants. We also want to do more to publicise developments in the world of Edinburgh history, building on our existing use of social media.”
Join the English Conversation Cafe, running on Monday the 11th of March 9am – 11am for drop ins at Fresh Start’s Welcome Space at 28-30 Ferry Road Drive!
Please help us to collect Easter Eggs for our local schools, pantries and food banks. You can drop donations at the Foundation until March 22nd. Thank you
Family members of police officers, firefighters and other public servants who have died in public service will be recognised by a new emblem
Police officers, firefighters and other public servants who died in the line of duty will be commemorated with new Elizabeth Emblem
National form of recognition conferred by His Majesty The King will be awarded to next of kin
Elizabeth Emblem incorporates a rosemary wreath surrounding the Tudor Crown
Family members of police officers, firefighters and other public servants who have died in public service will be recognised by a new emblem.
The Elizabeth Emblem, which is conferred by His Majesty The King, is a national form of recognition awarded to the next of kin of police officers, firefighters, and many other public servants.
The award is the civilian equivalent of the Elizabeth Cross, which recognises members of the UK Armed Forces who died in action or as a result of a terrorist attack.
The design of the Emblem incorporates a rosemary wreath, a traditional symbol of remembrance, which surrounds the Tudor Crown. It is inscribed with ‘For A Life Given In Service’, and will have the name of the person for whom it is in memoriam inscribed on the reverse of the Emblem. It will include a pin to allow the award to be worn on clothing by the next of kin of the deceased.
The Emblem recognises how the sacrifices made by public servants who have lost their lives as a result of their duty could be recognised within the honours system.
From today, next of kin of the deceased will be able to apply for the Emblem via gov.uk. Nominations will be reviewed by the George Cross Committee and recommendations then made to His Majesty The King via the Prime Minister.
Recipients of The Elizabeth Emblem will receive their award from a senior representative such as a Chief Constable, Chief Fire Officer or His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said:“We will not forget those who died in our service.
“The Elizabeth Emblem will bring the nation together to honour the dedication and commitment of these exceptional public servants who have given their lives in service of the United Kingdom.”
Policing Minister, Chris Philp said:“We owe so much to our public servants who make sacrifices every day to keep us safe.
“The Elizabeth Emblem will recognise those who tragically lost their lives in public service and rightly enshrine them in our country’s history so that their sacrifices are never forgotten.”
High quality, accessible and affordable childcare is a key part of driving equality in the workplace and tackling the gender pay gap, First Minister Humza Yousaf has said.
On a visit to mark International Women’s Day 2024, the First Minister announced £16 million of additional investment to enable people delivering funded early learning and childcare in the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) childcare sectors, to be paid at least £12 per hour from April 2024.
Guidance published today confirms how this funding will be allocated. This is part of efforts to deliver the Scottish Government’s Fair Work agenda and to support sustainability in the childcare sector.
The First Minister confirmed the funding on a visit to TASK Childcare in Glasgow yesterday with the Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise, Natalie Don.
The announcement reflects the United Nations’ designated theme for International Women’s Day 2024: ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’ with a focus on addressing economic disempowerment.
First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “This International Women’s Day, I’m proud the Scottish Government’s cabinet has a majority of women and to have appointed Kaukab Stewart as the first woman of colour to hold a ministerial role in Scotland. In 2024, it is vital the Scottish Government represents modern Scotland.
“We have made great progress to prioritise and accelerate gender equality across our country. We rightly no longer question what women can accomplish but we should always question whether we are doing enough to remove barriers that too many women in our society continue to face.
“Evidence shows that a lack of affordable and accessible childcare for many women with children will result in too many women leaving the workforce, working part time or taking up work in inflexible employment which pays less and doesn’t make best use of their skills. That is why my government is prioritising additional investment of £16 million in Scotland’s childcare workforce.
“The Scottish Government has already delivered the most generous early learning and childcare offer on these islands and high quality, accessible and affordable childcare is a key part of our goal to drive equality in Scotland’s workforce and tackle the gender pay gap.
“Supporting families is not only fundamentally the right thing to do, it is critical to our national missions – affordable and accessible childcare supports female employment and enables secure, sustainable employment.”
Children’s Minister Natalie Don said: “This International Women’s Day, I am proud we are delivering on a key pledge to ensure £12 per hour for those working in the private, voluntary and independent childcare sector to deliver funded ELC. We are already delivering the most generous funded childcare offer in the UK today but we recognise we need to do more to tackle poverty and support gender equality.
“High quality, accessible and affordable childcare is a critical part of the national infrastructure we need to drive greater equality in Scotland’s workforce and tackle the gender pay gap. The innovative work we are leading through our six early adopter communities will enable us to better understand what a future all-age childcare system could look like for Scotland, to support more families out of poverty.”
COSLA Children and Young People Spokesperson Councillor Tony Buchanan said: “Scotland’s councils, working closely with their partners in the private, third and childminding sectors, are committed to supporting families through delivering 1140 hours of high quality funded early learning and childcare (ELC) across our communities.
“Providing the youngest in our communities with positive opportunities for play, learning and development, funded ELC provision is enabling parents – including mothers, who we know can often face particular barriers – to access work, training or study.
“The guidance being published today to support delivery of the £12 per hour pay commitment during 2024-25 has been developed and agreed through positive partnership working between Scottish and Local Government. We look forward to continuing to work in partnership as we take forward the range of actions identified in the joint Sustainable Rates Review.”
Chancellor doubles-down on biggest childcare reform
Chancellor commits a further £500 million for childcare providers over the next two years.
New funding will give the sector the certainty to invest in staff and space for the future
The Chancellor also confirmed new rules which will require local authorities to pass through more government money and confirm final hourly rates faster.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt added £500 million in funding for the rollout of free childcare, helping tens of thousands of parents back to work and growing the economy.
The new money means childcare providers will be protected from rising costs by increasing the national average hourly rate with inflation, average earnings and the National Living Wage. This comes on top of more than £4 billion of investment per year announced at Spring Budget last year and will benefit around 60,000 childcare providers in England, giving them more confidence to invest and expand.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said:“Last year I announced the single biggest investment in childcare in England’s history, saving parents up to £6,900 a year in fees and helping tens of thousands into work.
“We’re now going a step further by protecting nurseries and preschools from rising costs and getting funding to them quicker, helping parents back to work and the economy to turn a corner.”
New funding rules will mean providers are given more financial certainty and receive more government money. Planned reforms to local funding rules will mean local authorities will be required to confirm final hourly rates to providers within eight weeks of local authority rates being published and pass through at least 97 percent of funding. Currently local authorities need to pass through 95 percent of funding and confirm final rates by the end of the financial year.
To ensure that nurseries and early years providers can get the workers they need to offer more childcare places, the government recently launched a national recruitment campaign to encourage people to start a career in childcare.
There are currently 1.5 million childcare places available across England and around 330,000 staff working in the sector. The new investment will help deliver thousands more places and staff to ensure the sector is ready.
Tens of thousands of parents have already received childcare eligibility codes so they can access free childcare from April, when the first stage of the offer is rolled out. Working parents using the full 30-hour entitlement next year will save up to £6,900, helping tens of thousands back into work.
This significant expansion of childcare provision is part of the government’s plan to reward work and grow the economy. Inflation has fallen from 11.1% to 4%, borrowing costs are starting to come down and debt is on track to fall as a share of the economy. Because of this progress, the government announced tax cuts for working people Spring Budget 2024, which will bring thousands more people into work.
Building on the 2 percentage point cut to Employee National Insurance at Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced a second 2p cut from 10% to 8% from April. Taken together with the cut to Employee National Insurance at Autumn Statement, this slashes the main rate of Employee NICs by a third and means the average worker earning £35,400 a year will be over £900 better off this year.
The Chancellor also went further with tax cuts for the self-employed, having reduced Class 4 NICs from 9% to 8% and abolished the requirement to pay Class 2 NICs at Autumn Statement. Today he announced a further 2p cut to Class 4 NICs for the self-employed to 6%, meaning the average worker earning £28,000 will be £650 better off compared with last year.
This support for working parents comes on top of plans for the High Income Child Benefit Charge to be assessed on a household basis by April 2026, with a consultation to come on achieving this.
To ensure working families benefit from increasing their earnings before this change is made, the threshold to start paying back Child Benefit will increase in April from £50,000 to £60,000 – a 20% increase which will take 170,000 families out of paying the charge this year – while Child Benefit will no longer need to be repaid in full until earnings exceed £80,000.
This represents a £1,260 boost on average for around half a million working families, rising to nearly £5,000 for some families when combined with tax cuts since Autumn Statement. This will put an end to the current unfairness, where two parents earning £49,000 a year receive the full Child Benefit while a household with a single earner on over £50,000 does not.
The OBR says the immediate changes to the HICBC will lead to an increase in hours worked equivalent to around 10,000 more people entering the workforce on a full-time basis.
Garden centre invites families to hop along to its children’s breakfast event
Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre, is bringing back its much-loved Easter event, inviting families to hop along to its Edinburgh store and enjoy an Easter Bunny Breakfast egg-stravaganza.
Taking place between Thursday 28 March and Monday 1 April, this is a great chance to get the whole family together for a breakfast to remember with a special guest appearance from Dobbies’ Easter Bunny after breakfast has been enjoyed.
Whether you’re taking your own kids along to Dobbies’ Edinburgh store, or it’s the grandparent’s opportunity to take them out, everyone can get stuck into an egg-cellent breakfast and hop-tastic games.
Children and adults can enjoy a traditional cooked breakfast, a vegetarian breakfast or a breakfast roll. Kids will have the choice of an apple juice, orange juice or water, and adults will be able to choose from a pot of tea or regular coffee. Kids will get to finish on a sweet note with a chocolate rice crispy cake.
After everyone has eaten, the kids will seek out the Easter Bunny, who will be hopping about the Edinburgh store, and get involved in some spring inspired activities and games.
The Easter Bunny will encourage kids to hop back to the restaurant, learn about their favourite wildflowers and get the chance to plant their very own miniature wildflower meadow to take home, with the help of Dobbies’ gardening colleagues.
Dobbies’ Easter Bunny Breakfast event in Edinburgh is great for children aged 3-10, and for families with kids aged 5 and under, there is a dedicated session on Thursday 28 March.
Sarah Murray, who developed this year’s Easter Bunny Breakfast, tells us why this event makes a fantastic, family-friendly day out. She said: “We’ve got a spring in our step as we launch our Easter Bunny Breakfast, and we’re delighted to be adapting this experience for the first time for families with children under 5 years old.
“Our Easter event this year is all themed around wildflowers, which is a lovely way to introduce young gardening fans into ways they can encourage wildlife into their gardens and create a pretty mini wildflower meadow at home. With a fun and lively group setting, we hope that families in Edinburgh will have a memorable time with us.”
Tickets are priced at £10.99 per child, and adults can enjoy breakfast from £8.60. The under 5s session is taking place on Thursday 28 March and the 3-10 years old session is happening between Friday 29 March and Monday 1 April.
For more information about Dobbies’ Easter Bunny Breakfast and to make a booking, visit dobbies.com/events
