TUESDAY 20 MAY from 11am with PLACES FOR PEOPLE
To anyone in the local community please join Places for People for an Employability event workshop at Pilton Youth and Children’s Project (PYCP) on Tuesday next week 20th May.
11am – 12 midday start with presentation and workshops
12 midday – 2pm – One to one CV reviews.
Please share with anyone you know who may benefit from updating their CV and getting some help getting a job.
Any questions please get in touch.
We hope to see you there.
A captivating new golf exhibition, ‘Teeing Off Through Time,‘ has been unveiled at Braid Hills Golf Course, coinciding with preparations for the milestone 125th Edinburgh Evening News Dispatch Trophy.
The exhibition celebrates Edinburgh’s rich golfing heritage just as the city’s most prestigious amateur team golf championship returns to Braid Hills.
The historic Dispatch Trophy, dating back to 1890, will commence on May 17th with the final scheduled for May 24th. This beloved tournament features a unique double foursome’s format with four-player teams and has been a cornerstone of Edinburgh’s golfing tradition for over 130 years, interrupted only by the two World Wars and the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘Teeing Off Through Time’ is the third exhibition in Edinburgh Leisure’s series celebrating Edinburgh 900 and is free to visitors in the foyer of Edinburgh Leisure’s Braid Hills golf course.
The exhibition chronicles Edinburgh’s pivotal role in golf’s origins, showcases Edinburgh Leisure’s six golf courses and their vibrant communities, explores the evolution of golf clubs, highlights the storied histories of the Dispatch Trophy and Gibson Cup, and provides information on joining Edinburgh Leisure’s golf club.
“With the Dispatch Trophy being played at the Braids, and the Scottish Open taking place at the Renaissance Club in July, we’re hoping there will be lots of golfers interested in paying the exhibition a visit,” said Kerry Teakle, PR Officer at Edinburgh Leisure, who has led the project.
“The timing couldn’t be better to celebrate our city’s tremendous golfing heritage.”
The exhibition will remain at Braid Hills until Thursday, May 29th, before moving to Silverknowes golf course. Golf enthusiasts will have another opportunity to view the exhibition from July 9-15 as part of the broader Edinburgh 900 Exhibition at St James Quarter, where it will be displayed in a unit on Leith Street, next to Mhor Bakery.
Edinburgh Leisure was selected to represent the “City of Leisure” theme at the St James Quarter exhibition. Their previous Edinburgh 900 exhibitions, ‘Great Lengths’ and ‘Your Health is for Life,’ which showcase the organisation’s 27-year commitment to promoting active lifestyles and the history of swimming pools in Edinburgh, will also be on display.
“Having the opportunity to again display our other Edinburgh 900 exhibitions alongside the newer golf exhibition at St James in July is the perfect opportunity to showcase all the great facilities we have,” Kerry added. “It also highlights Edinburgh Leisure’s Active Communities programmes which supported 14,782 people in 2024-2025 who face significant barriers to physical activity, including those affected by health conditions, disabilities, inequalities, and poverty – empowering participants to improve their health, wellbeing and quality of life.”
Edinburgh Leisure received funding for the exhibition as part of the prestigious Edinburgh 900 celebrations, a landmark initiative commemorating the city’s rich history spanning almost a millennium.
The full Edinburgh 900 programme examines the city’s evolution through commerce, conflict, faith, and finance, while celebrating Edinburgh’s present and envisioning its future aspirations.
Handball players from around the world who could help to boost Scotland’s status in the sport are being invited to apply for a new scholarship programme that is thought to be the first of its kind in Europe, if not worldwide.
The new Handball Scholarship is being launched in a collaboration between the Scottish Handball Association – Scotland’s national governing body for handball – and Oriam, Scotland’s Sports Performance Centre, based at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.
The Handball Scholarship is an expansion of Oriam’s existing Sports Scholarship programmes, which help athletes to study at the same time as competing in high-level sport.
Handball is one of Scotland’s fastest growing team sports, with Scotland seeing a 500% jump in participation in the sport over the last two to three years, according to Scottish Handball. On an international level, the 2024 final of the European Men’s Handball Championship in Germany last year attracted 1.2 billion views.
This very fast and exciting sport involves two teams of seven players competing to score goals by throwing the ball past the goalkeeper into the opposing team’s goal.
Ewan Hunter, Chief Executive of Scottish Handball, said: “Handball is popular because it’s fast, exciting to watch and really easy to pick up.
The basic rules are very quick and simple to understand. And inclusivity is built into the sport, so boys and girls play together through primary school. We’re seeing very strong growth in handball at a grassroots level in Scotland and for the last couple of years, we’ve been focusing on developing pathways from there through into the higher levels of the sport.
“This scholarship programme is the next natural step on that journey and builds on our long relationship with Oriam.”
Scottish Handball has been a partner of Oriam’s since the centre opened in 2016 to help Scotland’s top athletes train and prepare for competition at the highest levels. Oriam is one of only a few venues in Scotland with a full-sized 40 by 20 metre indoor court for handball, and Scottish Handball hosts most of its major events here.
This includes Scottish Cup and Super Cup Finals, where the top two handball teams from England and Scotland in the Men’s Senior League and the Women’s Senior League compete for the British Champion title and European qualification.
Ross Campbell, Executive Director of Oriam, said: “This is an exciting expansion of our Sport Scholarship programmes that also deepens our partnership with the Scottish Handball Association. This allows us to work together to support handball athletes, not only from Scotland, but from across the world.
“The key aim of our scholarships is to help athletes perform both academically and in their chosen sport through access to our world class facilities and Oriam’s performance staff. All of these factors make this programme an exciting opportunity for athletes to be a part of.”
Katrina Gibbon, Performance Sport Manager at Oriam, explained the different elements of the Handball Scholarship in more detail. She said: “Athletes joining this programme will have access to specific technical training in handball and they’ll also have strength and conditioning sessions with our sports science team.
They’ll have weekly access to our hydro pool for recovery, alongside sports psychology support and access to physiotherapy through our Oriam Clinic. Oriam’s Athlete Lifestyle and Advocacy Co-Ordinator can also support athletes with any potential clashes between academic and sporting commitments.”
The partners say they are not aware of other programmes in the world of handball that combine academic study and athlete support in this way.
While handball is not played professionally in Scotland, as it is in other parts of Europe, the aim of the new scholarship is to continue building the sport at an amateur level.
“Handball will continue to be an amateur sport in Scotland for the foreseeable future,” Ewan said. “But we want to embrace that – and our hopes for this scholarship are really clear.
“We hope it cements the pathway for the development of handball at all levels. That means primary school, secondary school, community club, full club and age group level. We recognise that 99.9% of people who play sport in Scotland will not end up earning a living from the sport they play. But with this scholarship, you can still continue your development and growth as a handball player – without having to put your career or academic aspirations to one side.”
Athletes offered a scholarship will be able to show a strong track record in handball at an amateur club level or international age group level.
“We are looking for players who will add quality and value to the handball community here in Scotland,” Ewan said.
One of Oriam’s existing Sports Scholars, Rory Semple, has already played handball for Great Britain at Boys and Men’s age-group level.
Rory, 20, from Renfrewshire, started playing handball at Kelvinside Academy in Glasgow and is at Heriot-Watt in the third year of a degree in economics. “I started playing handball at school when I was 13 and through the years progressed to playing for Great Britain,” Rory explained.
“Now I’m playing at Heriot-Watt University and still at my club at Kelvinside in Glasgow, but playing under 20 at the Great Britain level.
“The Sports Scholarship at Oriam has been really helpful. It’s pushed me to absolutely smash my limits at physical training in the gym here. It gives me a great social balance as well because there are like-minded scholars my age here and we’re all competing at the same sort of level. The coaching staff are absolutely excellent too, so the support is 10 out of 10.”
Handball originated as a sport in the 19th century and has its roots in Europe, particularly in Germany and the Nordic countries, including Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The sport is played professionally in these countries and has also been one of the longest standing sports at the Summer Olympics. 02:07
The rules of the game include a ‘rolling substitution’ rule, meaning there’s no limit on substitutions during a game.
This means there’s “a space and place for anybody of any size, shape or physical fitness,” Ewan said.
Oriam’s facilities include multiple sports halls, outdoor pitches, an indoor tennis centre and a state-of-the-art gym. It also has a performance wing with facilities including a strength and conditioning gym, hydrotherapy pool, medical and rehabilitation suite and sauna.
Sports clubs and governing bodies who use Oriam as a training and performance hub include Scotland’s national rugby team, Heart of Midlothian Football Club and Scottish Squash.
British University and College Sport, the national governing body for higher education sport in the UK, ranked Heriot-Watt University 25th out of 127 institutions for the number of sports scholars it supported in 2023-24.
Oriam is a wholly owned subsidiary of Heriot-Watt and is funded by The Scottish Government, sportscotland – Scotland’s national agency for sport – and City of Edinburgh Council.
The centre is based on Heriot-Watt’s Riccarton campus to the West of Edinburgh and is around four miles from Edinburgh Airport. Other facilities on campus include the Marriott Bonvoy hotel, opposite the Oriam complex.
A range of measures have been taken by the Scottish Government to increase investment in housebuilding and help reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation since declaring a housing emergency last year.
Actions taken in the last year include:
Further action will be taken in the coming year to continue to tackle the housing emergency and ensure more people can access a safe and affordable home, including:
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Providing everyone in Scotland the right to a warm, safe and affordable home is essential to our key priority of eradicating child poverty. The measures we have taken have meant increased investment in the affordable housing sector and fewer families living in temporary accommodation.
“As a result of our actions, an estimated more than 2,600 households with children have been helped into affordable housing in the year up to December 2024.
“We have delivered 136,000 affordable homes, with 97,000 of those for social rent, between 2007 and the end of December 2024. We are also working to identify and turn around empty private and social homes and encouraging more funding streams into the sector through our Housing Investment Taskforce.
“It is encouraging that we are seeing a reduction in families in temporary accommodation in some local authority areas. However, we know there is more to do which is why we have increased the affordable housing budget for this financial year by £200 million to £768 million.
“In the longer term we will also introduce homelessness prevention measures and a system of long-term rent controls in our Housing Bill.
“We are determined to tackle the housing emergency and ensure that everyone in Scotland can have somewhere to call home.”
Assembly Festival have today announced the expansion of the Edinburgh Food Festival, which takes place in George Square Gardens, to include live folk music.
The newly expanded Folk & Food Festival runs from 18 – 28 July and will include a host of delicious food and drinks from local traders, and a jam-packed programme of free and ticketed events and live folk music.
With performances from Duncan Chisholm, The Unthanks, The East Pointers and more, this is an exciting new addition to the Edinburgh festival scene.
On expanding the Folk & Food Festival, Assembly Festival Managing Director Dani Rae said; “We’re really excited for the Edinburgh Folk & Food Festival this year, having built an incredible programme of tasty treats over the years, it’s brilliant to add some of the best folk music in the business.
“We hope foodies and folkers come and join us for what is set to be our best one yet.”
On being part of the Folk & Food Festival, Duncan Chisholm said; ‘I am delighted to be a part of the Edinburgh Folk & Food Festival this year. The beautiful Spiegeltent Palais du Variété is an incredible venue, located in the heart of Edinburgh, at a time of year when everywhere in the city is buzzing.
“I will have a great band with me, performing on the opening night of the festival and we’re all looking forward to it very much.”
Tickets for the first Folk & Food Fest events are on sale 10am TODAY Friday 16 May at edfoodfest.com
Four Edinburgh mothers who bonded through a local exercise group are in the final stages of training for the Edinburgh Marathon, running as a relay team to raise funds for the charity that supported their return to fitness after childbirth – a timely example of community impact as Edinburgh Leisure prepares to celebrate Seriously Social Week.
The women met through the Active Mums programme, part of Edinburgh Leisure’s Active Communities initiative. They’ll join 55 other participants participating on behalf of Edinburgh Leisure at the Marathon events.
The Edinburgh Marathon Festival weekend (24-25 May) will feature 11 Edinburgh Leisure participants running the full marathon, 12 in the half marathon, 4 relay teams, 10 running the 10k, 8 running the 5k and four juniors.
Chio Martinez, one of the relay team members, explained: “Like many people looking for a fundraising challenge in 2025, I signed up to raise funds for Active Communities and Edinburgh Leisure by taking part in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival. Of course, there are lots of other big-name charities out there, but funding for smaller projects is under threat in Edinburgh, and this is my way of giving something back.
“Active Mums has been a lifeline for me and other mothers with young babies and toddlers. It’s not just about fitness—it’s created a community where I’ve formed meaningful connections, established a vital routine, and found reasons to leave the house on those challenging days.
“The programme offers clear fitness milestones in a judgment-free environment where we all understand the unique struggles of postpartum wellness. It’s given me the confidence to take on the EMF challenge—something I never would have considered before. We’re all excited to step up to this challenge together, and it’s become the perfect motivation to keep moving forward on our fitness journeys.”
The Active Mums relay team has already exceeded their fundraising target and have raised £945, which is 150% of their £600 fundraising target.
Seriously Social Impact
The marathon fundraising effort comes as Edinburgh Leisure marks the second Seriously Social Week (12-16 May), part of a national campaign showcasing the work of charities that prioritise people over profit, connect communities, and promote health, happiness, and creativity for all ages and abilities.
Organised by Community Leisure UK, each day of Seriously Social Week highlights how organisations like Edinburgh Leisure create social impact and foster healthier, happier communities. The campaign focuses on five key themes: health and wellbeing, community, inclusion, employment and skills, and the environment.
Jen Holland, CEO of Edinburgh Leisure, said: “We are proud to be part of a network of charities operating with a social conscience, delivering social good through public leisure services.
“Our core mission is about purpose, not profit, helping people first. We support Edinburgh in becoming healthier and happier with quality health and wellbeing services for everyone, regardless of age or ability, including those with serious health conditions, which helps reduce the financial burden on the NHS.”
The Marathon Mums relay team exemplifies this mission in action. Edinburgh Leisure’s Active Communities programmes supported 14,782 people in 2024-2025 who face significant barriers to physical activity, including those affected by health conditions, disabilities, inequalities, and poverty—empowering participants to improve their health, wellbeing, and quality of life.
These vital Active Communities programmes depend on funding and fundraising to continue their work using physical activity to transform lives and communities across Edinburgh. The initiatives foster social inclusion, promote physical activity, and enhance overall wellbeing throughout the city.
Support the Marathon Mums:
Film fans, families and comic book enthusiasts are invited to rediscover the original big screen superhero team as a series of classic X-Men films return to the big screen at Vue this month.
Marking 25th anniversary of their big screen debut, Marvel’s mutant team-up including favourites such as Cyclops, Storm, Professor X and a career defining role for Hugh Jackman as Wolverine has gone on to become one of the genre’s most beloved franchises with some of the cast even returning in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.
Back from today, Friday 16 May, X-Men and X-Men 2 introduces us to the world of the X-Men as Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and his band of heroes must protect the world, and mutant-kind themselves, from the evil forces such as Sabretooth, William Stryker and the legendary villain Magneto (Ian McKellan).
Revisiting the origins behind the friendship and mortal adversary between Professor X and Magneto (this time played by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender), X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Days of Future Past dives back into the 1960’s & 70’s to explain how the team originally learned how to control their powers and got together from Friday 6 June.
The series most acclaimed spin-offs will also be returning to the big screen as the beloved final tale starring Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Logan, sees the character embark on a claws out adventure with a mysterious young girl who is showing similar mutant powers to him on Friday 13 June.
Robert Smith, General Manager of Vue Edinburgh Omni, said: “With fantastic stories and climatic action sequences, superhero films have easily become one of the most popular genres to catch up on the big screen.
“That’s why we’re hugely excited to bring one of the first franchises to start it all, The X-Men, back to Vue – offering a way for families and fans to enjoy their favourite mutant moments on the big screen.
“Whether you’re a fan of the original films, the prequels versions of the team or just excited to rewatch these adventures before the X-Men show up in the MCU with Avengers: Doomsday next year, we welcome fans to enjoy these films as they’re meant to be seen on the big screen at Vue.’
Tickets start from just £7.99 when booked online.
To find out more, visit myvue.com
X-Men Back on the Big Screen season
The Lord Provost of Edinburgh hosted a Civic Reception at the City Chambers last night to honour the 25th anniversary of Volunteer Edinburgh as an independent organisation and its outstanding contribution to the life of the city.
The event brought together past and present staff, volunteers, trustees, and civic leaders to mark a quarter-century of innovation, impact, and service.
At the heart of the celebration was a powerful address by the organisation’s CEO, Paul Wilson, who reflected on the journey from a small volunteer exchange to becoming one of the city’s most dynamic and adaptive third sector organisations.
Paul said: “If anyone asked me what Volunteer Edinburgh is all about,I simply say: ‘people’.”
A Legacy of Innovation and Impact
Volunteer Edinburgh has supported over 60,000 individuals in their volunteering journeys and welcomed more than 20,000 visitors to its annual recruitment fair over the past 25 years. Its pioneering Health and Wellbeing Service, which began as the UK’s first “Voluntary Work as Therapy” project, has helped more than 2,500 people in the past decade improve their lives through volunteering — many credit it with literally saving their lives.
However, this world-leading project is currently under threat due to potential disinvestment from the Health and Social Care Partnership. The CEO called on civic leaders to recognise and protect this invaluable service that embodies Edinburgh’s compassionate values.
Leading in Digital, Crisis Response, and Community Engagement
From launching Scotland’s first local authority-backed Volunteering Strategy in 2006 to building the country’s most-used volunteer management resource at volunteerwiki.org.uk, Volunteer Edinburgh has consistently led the way in developing practical solutions that scale.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisation rapidly built and deployed a Community Taskforce, onboarding 550 trained volunteers to deliver over 17,000 critical support tasks city-wide. This flexible model later supported displaced Ukrainians, NHS vaccination efforts, and even mobilised 200 volunteers during the vigil for the Queen at St Giles’ cathedral in 2022.
“We Just Get Things Done”
Described by peers as an organisation that “just gets things done”, Volunteer Edinburgh has continually reinvented itself — from launching an AI tool for volunteer managers to establishing city-wide hubs and community engagement tools. The CEO paid tribute to the team’s dedication, noting “for a tiny wee organisation, we regularly punch above our weight.”
A Shared Belief in Service
Reflecting on his own 27-year journey with the organisation, the CEO emphasised that the core of Volunteer Edinburgh’s success is a shared belief across its team that “service to others is inherently a good thing.”
He paid tribute to his predecessors, trustees, and colleagues past and present, saying, “Thank you to everyone who has contributed to making Volunteer Edinburgh the vital asset it is today.
“Edinburgh needs it — and I hope it continues to flourish for decades to come.”
Gas network company SGN is investing £120,000 to upgrade the gas network in the Gorgie Road area of Edinburgh. The critical work will begin on Monday 2 June and last for approximately 10 weeks.
The project involves upgrading the old, metal gas pipes in the area to new, plastic pipes which will ensure safe and reliable gas supplies to homes and businesses for many years to come.
SGN Project Manager Matt Ferguson said: “We’ve worked closely with the local authorities in planning this work and we will be doing everything we can to limit disruption during our essential project.
“We know this is a very busy route and would advise motorists to allow more time for their journeys, and plan ahead particularly during peak travel times.
“This particular location has experienced multiple gas leaks in recent years and by upgrading our pipes now, we can prevent future emergency work and disruption.
“We appreciate that roadworks can be frustrating and would like to thank everyone affected for your patience, understanding and support as we work to improve Edinburgh’s energy infrastructure.”
Due to the location of the gas pipe in the middle of the road, three-way temporary traffic lights are required to ensure everyone’s safety whilst the work is carried out. The temporary lights will be in place in Gorgie Road near to its junction with Stenhouse Drive from Monday 9 June for approximately eight weeks.
For the duration of the project, Stenhouse Drive will be closed at its junction with Gorgie Road, and local diversion routes will be in place for motorists.
There will also be no left-hand turn onto Gorgie Road from Els House.
TOMORROW at 10.30am
REMINDER!!! 
JOIN US FOR THE PARADE! 
The parade begins May 17th at 10:30am at North Edinburgh Childcare Centre (address on the flyer!) We want to see you all there, dress up, have fun! It’s time to party!! 
Remember one of our themes this year is 
RAINBOWS so get out your most colourful attire! We can’t wait to see you there 
