Grounding techniques can help us when we’re feeling out of touch with our body and surroundings. They can help us reconnect to the present moment.
This might be because we’re experiencing difficult emotions, like fear, anxiety or anger. You can also use grounding techniques if you’re experiencing a panic attack.
This technique uses all 5 senses, and can be used any time.
Professor Sue Rigby has been officially inaugurated as Principal and Vice Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University in a ceremony at the Usher Hall.
Professor Rigby took up the post in January, following the retirement of Professor Andrea Nolan. A palaeontologist by background, she was previously Vice Chancellor of Bath Spa University and held roles at the Universities of Cambridge, Leicester, Lincoln and Edinburgh.
Ahead her first graduation ceremony as head of the University, Professor Rigby was formally introduced by Chancellor Will Whitehorn OBE – the first time the tradition has been held since the inauguration of Professor Nolan in 2013.
The event marked the start of ENU’s summer graduations, which saw around 2,300 students cross the stage to be presented with their qualifications over the course of seven ceremonies.
Addressing the audience, Professor Rigby said: “I am very honoured to stand here as the new Principal and Vice Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University and grateful to University Court for putting its faith in me to guide this institution through its next chapter.
“Edinburgh Napier is unique and truly comprised of difference-makers. Staff are passionately committed to the University, and they understand that this is a community not a location or a history.
“They are world leaders in their disciplines but value the opportunity to teach and support learning above all else. They are bound together by passion and by an unswerving moral compass.
“Their driving purpose is to reduce inequality and to improve lives through their research and teaching. They are do-ers as well as thinkers.
“It is right that people challenge universities about their purpose and the value they offer to society. It is up to us to speak to that challenge and to show our worth.
“This is easy in the case of Edinburgh Napier University, and it is what I will do for the duration of my tenure.”
New programme alert!
Great news—our schedule for the next two weeks is now live! 
Come along to The Wee Hub and The Wee Museum of Memory for a fantastic lineup of free activities! 
With Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre,
Latin American Community Association of Edinburgh,
Хоп-Троп, Единбург / Hop-Trop, Edinburgh,
This August, children attending Dobbies Little Seedlings Club at the Edinburgh store will get the chance to travel back hundreds of millions of years to learn about prehistoric plants and talk about their favourite dinosaurs.
The monthly free-to-attend Little Seedlings Club is taking place on Sunday 3 August for children aged 4-10 at stores across the UK, where they can get involved in hands-on activities and come together to learn about a variety of different topics in a friendly group setting.
At the Little Seedlings Club in August, attendees will start by learning about dinosaurs from different time periods before covering plants that have been around as long as their favourite dinos and can still be found in our gardens today. Attendees at the Edinburgh store will also take part in games and make their own fossil to take home.
Dobbies’ Events Programme Manager, Ayesha Nickson, is excited to welcome families along to this time-travelling event at the Edinburgh store. She said: “Our Prehistoric Plants workshop is a very exciting opportunity for children to show and share their love for dinosaurs while learning more about plants.
“The activities that the children can take part in are a great way to discover and explore the world of prehistoric plants, and the crafts allow the fun to carry on at home.
“Dobbies is a great place for families to come together, whether it’s to experience our free Little Seedlings Club, have fun in the soft play, or enjoy a lovely treat in the restaurant where children can eat for £1.”
To find out more and book a space on the Little Seedlings workshop at Dobbies’ Edinburgh store, visit www.dobbies.com
PUBLIC HEALTH SCOTLAND
Stakeholders across Scotland are invited to support the development of Public Health Scotland’s new strategy for 2025-2035.
As Scotland’s national public health body, we work to protect, improve, and sustain the health of Scotland’s people. We provide leadership for population health protection and improvement, supply trusted and evidence-informed advice, curate Scotland’s health data, and collaborate across all sectors turning policy into action.
Our vision remains simple but ambitious: a Scotland where everybody thrives. Within the next ten years, our aim is to boost average life expectancy by at least a year and reduce inequalities in life expectancy.
Scotland’s Population Health and Service Renewal Frameworks provide the ambition and direction for how Scotland will achieve this, through the core principles of preventing ill health, improving access and strengthening service quality.
Our strategy will define our role: what we will do and how we will lead and work with partners to deliver these plans for Scotland’s health.
We invite stakeholders from across Scotland to contribute their views to shape our strategy and to help us understand how we can achieve these goals in collaboration with partners.
We will proactively contact and engage with a diverse range of stakeholders based on Shaping our Strategy, however we would also like to hear from other individuals and organisations.
To support this process, several questions are provided. The closing date for submissions is Friday 29 August 2025. Feedback should be emailed to phs.strategicdevelopment@phs.scot.
These submissions will inform our strategy which we will publish later this year.
Find more information, including how to submit a consultation response, by viewing Shaping our Strategy.
Go to the Scottish Government’s Population Health and Service Renewal Frameworks
Thousands of people who are out of work due to health conditions, disabilities or other reasons will be helped to find and stay in jobs thanks to a £100million funding boost announced by the Department for Work and Pensions yesterday [Friday 11 July].
It’s part of the Government’s plan to Get Britain Working again including changing Jobcentres so staff have more time to support people, using better technology, and making sure there are good jobs across the whole country. The Get Britain Working plan gives towns and cities the powers they need to grow and help more people into work.
The £103.6 million funding package will go towards the Connect to Work programme in Kent & Medway, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire and Greater Lancashire, supporting nearly 30,000 people.
With 2.8 million people out of work due to ill-health – one of the highest rates in the G7 – the government is taking action to tackle the pressing challenge, and Connect to Work is part of the government’s wider efforts to reduce economic inactivity and grow the economy by supporting more people into work and out of poverty as part of its Plan for Change.
Minister for Employment Alison McGovern said: “For too long, our country has been held back as towns and cities were left on their own to deal with the consequences of people being out of work. This government is investing to create good jobs, and our plan to Get Britain Working will make sure no one is left on the scrap heap any more.
“Changing Jobcentres and providing funding for towns and cities will make sure everyone is included in our economic plan. No more abandoned places.
“This latest funding will make a real difference in the lives of people across the country and give them the chance they deserve as part of our Plan for Change.”
Connect to Work is being delivered across England and Wales, with the government already providing more than £150 million which will help to support around 41,000 people. In all more than 300,000 people will be supported by the programme over the next five years.
The programme comes as part of a major investment in employment support for sick and disabled people across this parliament – worth £3.8 billion over the course of this Parliament, and includes £2.2 billion delivered for support announced in our Pathways to Work Green Paper over the next four years, to help people find good, secure jobs.
The Connect to Work funding will be used to provide services including:
The programme is just one of the ways disabled people, those with health conditions or complex barriers to employment can access support – including assistance provided through Jobcentres.
The latest funding support was announced as the Minister for Employment visited a Jobcentre in Preston to meet people already helped into work by existing employment support.
Under the Connect to Work programme Greater Lancashire – which includes Lancashire County Council, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Blackpool Council – is to receive up to £38.8 million to support 11,000 participants.
The Minister for Employment met with:
As announced earlier this year, through Connect to Work, up to £42.8million has been allocated to West London Alliance to support 10,800 people, and up to £11.1 million to East Sussex to assist 2,900 people.
It comes as 15 regions will benefit from a share of £1.5 million in funding to launch a pilot for the WorkWell Primary Care Innovation Fund. The pilot could transform how local people with health conditions are supported back into employment rather than writing them off with a fit note, reducing pressure on GPs in the area.
Connect to Work is a locally-delivered programme and will follow internationally recognised and successful Supported Employment frameworks which support people who are long-term unemployed or facing complex barriers to work, including those with mental health challenges and learning disabilities.
Edinburgh Leisure is on the hunt for the next generation of divers. For those who have been inspired by divers such as Jack Laugher, Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix (daughter of Fred!) and Tom Daley, Edinburgh Leisure is offering the opportunity for children to come and try diving with our experienced coaches at the Royal Commonwealth Pool to see if they have a talent for the sport.
Children should be between 5 and 16 years old, able to swim 10 metres unaided, confident in deep water and submerge in water without googles. No experience in necessary as they will be learning basic skills but those interested in gymnastics, trampolining, acrobatics or similar sports might enjoy this opportunity to try a new sport.
Priced at just £3, the diving taster sessions at the Royal Commonwealth Pool are offered on:
Monday 4 – Friday 8 August at 17.10 – 17.40
To secure a place, interested people should visit the Edinburgh Leisure website – https://shorturl.at/uLDKw
Edinburgh Leisure offers a world class diving programme at the Royal Commonwealth Pool, complete with a dedicated Dry Dive Area with trampolines and harnesses, which enables more experienced divers to practice the twists and turns before trying them out on the boards.
Their diving programme follows the National Diving Award Scheme right through to competitive level.
Athletes training at the Royal Commonwealth Pool include local Edinburgh boy, James Heatly (GB); Yona Knight-Wisdom (Jamaica) and Grace Reid, who grew up in the capital, are amongst other Olympians who have previously trained at the Commie.
For more information: https://www.edinburghleisure.co.uk/coaching-activities/diving/
Hot on the heels of a thrilling TravFest25 programme, the Traverse Theatre has announced the first details of the exciting work audiences can look forward to seeing in the venue from September.
The Autumn season sees some of the most exciting artists and companies working in Scotland take centre stage with new productions and returning favourites alike.
Stephen Christopher and Graeme Smith’s raucous new comedy, Dancing Shoes, is being fully commissioned by the Traverse to run in Traverse 1 in December 2025. Struggling with isolation and addiction, long-suffering Donny joins a local support group where he meets new-found friends Jay and Craig.
When Donny shares his secret passion – donning his best shoes for a private boogie in his bedroom – Jay smells an opportunity. Unexpected viral fame follows, and the men’s new friendship is put to the test with the whole world now watching on. Packed with humour and emotion, Dancing Shoes is a sure-footed comedy that’s guaranteed to have audiences laughing this winter.
New Traverse production Black Hole Sign – co-produced with the Tron Theatre in association with National Theatre of Scotland – is a new play taking a razor-sharp scalpel to the absurdities, tragedies and realities of working within the modern healthcare system. Written by Uma Nada-Rajah, a practicing NHS nurse and one of the most exciting new voices in Scottish playwrighting, Black Hole Sign sees three generations of NHS nurses doing their best to stay afloat against a crumbling system which seems stacked against them.
Directed by Traverse Artistic Director Gareth Nicholls, the play will be brought to life by a multi-talented ensemble cast including Martin Docherty, Dani Heron, Amelia Isaac Jones, Beruce Khan, Helen Logan, and Ann Louise Ross.
An exploration of changing attitudes towards an institution once world renowned, the play asks what we want for the future of our National Health Service and, crucially, who will hold it together when it all falls down?
Uma Nada-Rajah, Playwright, said: “I’m a nurse in my day job and have been a nurse for a long time. There is something so funny and tragic about day-to-day life in hospital, the way that routine and paperwork brush up against the grand processes of human existence: When you’re born you get a birth certificate. When you die you get a death certificate.
“I wanted to capture that sense of absurdity and put it into a play that will make people laugh or cry. And at a time when there are a lot of questions circulating about the future of the National Health Service, I hope Black Hole Sign will make audiences think about the significance of care in modern society.”
Two productions by celebrated playwright Douglas Maxwell, the man behind previous Traverse favourites including Decky Does A Bronco and I Can Go Anywhere, will delight theatre-going audiences this Autumn.
Man’s Best Friend is a hilariously heart-warming story about the give-and-take of companionship – specifically the four-legged kind. Walking his neighbours’ dogs kept Ronnie together after a very difficult lockdown.
But when a series of mishaps result in the dogs slipping their leads and disappearing off into the woods, Ronnie is forced to take chase and confront some hard truths. Directed by Jemima Levick and starring Jordan Young (River City, Scot Squad) as Ronnie, this Tron Theatre production visits the Traverse as part of its acclaimed Scotland-wide tour in September.
And following its critically acclaimed, Fringe First-winning premiere at TravFest24, So Young returns to the Traverse 1 stage for a hilarious new run of performances from 23 – 25 October.
When Milo invites his two best friends Davie and Liane around for a takeaway to meet his new girlfriend, it promises to be a great night spent reconnecting. As they delve into the past and swap the same old stories they’ve been through a thousand times before, the night becomes more about those absent than present; remembering who they have lost and who they were, or thought they were…
Produced by Raw Material and the Traverse in association with the Citizens Theatre, So Young is a touching and funny story about old friends coming back together after time apart. Following its Traverse performances the production will transfer to the Citizens Theatre as part of its long-awaited reopening season.
Another returning favourite from TravFest24 will be Leah Shelton’s riotous one-woman tour-de-force BATSHIT, which once again takes the Traverse 2 stage by storm from 22 – 25 October.
Quiet Riot’s wildly theatrical, darkly comic, and deeply intimate reckoning with the myths and misconceptions of female madness is created by Shelton and directed by Olivier award-winning Ursula Martinez.
A requiem for Leah’s grandmother Gwen, who was incarcerated for seeking independence in 1960s Australia, BATSHIT draws on personal stories, in-depth research and pop culture to unpack how psychiatry has been shaped by gender bias. The show won both a Scotsman Fringe First & the Mental Health Foundation Fringe Award on its premiere at TravFest24, heralded for its razor-sharp wit, raw storytelling, and unflinching central performance.
The season will also see the venue host visiting productions by some of Scottish theatre’s most exciting artists and companies. On 01 October An Tobar and Mull Theatre present Night Waking – a sharp, strange, and darkly funny exploration of motherhood, colonialism, and the ghosts we inherit.
As Anna ricochets between present-day exhaustion, historical letters, and a past that won’t stay buried, she is forced to confront what it means to nurture, to protect, and to fail. Adapted from Sarah Moss’s novel by Shireen Mula, and directed by Rebecca Atkinson-Lord, this one-woman play is a feat of acting virtuosity—a fragmented, fevered journey through sleepless nights, long-lost voices, and the things that won’t stay hidden.
Glasgow-based dance-theatre company Shotput bring their thrilling new production of Enda Walsh’s Arlington to the Traverse from 06 – 08 November. In a room, high in a tower block, Isla waits for her number to be called. Her only companion, on the other side of the wall, is an anonymous man who collects her stories.
Today there is a new listener. He offers glimpses of the world beyond the tower, and what seems at first to be a small, if strange, conversation between two strangers turns out to be something much more terrifying and sublime – in a dark fable of surveillance, connection, and the power of imagination.
Wonder Fools’ critically-acclaimed production Òran, winner of The Bestie’s Best Debut Award on its premiere in 2024, arrives at the Traverse from 13 – 15 November. A visceral piece of contemporary theatre is a collaboration between Wonder Fools and the acclaimed hip-hop artist Owen Sutcliffe with music by VanIves, creating an urgent and entertaining modern retelling of the classic Greek myth Orpheus.
Against a stunning live soundtrack of gospel and blues, Through The Mud explores what it takes to become a revolutionary. The story of two generations of women activists in the struggle for black liberation in America: One, notorious Black Panther Assata Shakur, the other a college student at the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement in Ferguson in 2014.
Written and performed by Apphia Campbell, Fringe First-winner and creator of the hit show Black is the Colour of My Voice, Through the Mud arrives at the Traverse from 14 – 15 November.
Audiences can also look forward to a night with the multi-award-winning comedian and Taskmaster-star Babatunde Aléshé as he guides us through family life, his new-found fame and the joys of Costco in his hilarious new stand-up show High Expectations, which visits the Traverse on 02 November as part of its UK-wide tour.
The season also sees the return of the beloved A Play, A Pie, & A Pint as it returns to the Traverse for a new run of performances promising some of the very best new-writing on the Scottish stage, with more to be announced soon.
Music At The Traverse continues to bring brilliant gigs and sessions into the theatre this Autumn. Soundhouse present a trio of events spotlighting exciting global jazz, country, traditional and folk acts, including a special concert celebrating the release of jazz pianist Paul Harrison’slong awaited new album Encontros, a slice of Ancient Northumbrian Futurism from Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening, and the exciting Erik Palmberg Quartet bringing their lyrical jazz melodies to Edinburgh on a first UK tour.
Faroese folk masters Spælimennir arrive on a 50th anniversary tour, while there are also gigs from award-winning young violinist Ryan Young and a solo performance from one of the great Irish singers Andy Irvine.
It’s set to be a scorcher over much of Scotland this weekend 
If you’re planning to be outdoors follow our sun safety tips:
Taps aff? Slap the sun cream on!
Don’t be stingy, slather on a minimum of SPF 30 (but SPF 50 is even better!) over any exposed skin.
Hydrate, hydrate, HYDRATE!
Don’t wait till your gaspin’. Drink regularly throughout the day – water and diluted juice are good choices, but ice poles and ice lollies count too. It might be tempting to crack out the beers when it is hot, but remember alcohol is a diuretic meaning it can cause dehydration. Alternate any alcoholic drinks with water or just juice.
Hide during the hottest temperatures
The sun is at it’s sassiest between 11am and 3pm and UV levels are at their highest. Try to keep in the shade as much as possible during these times.
Cover up those pasty bits!
You might want to shed some clothing when it’s roastin’, but your skin will thank you if it’s kept covered up. Think loose, cool fabrics like cotton, your fave pair of sunnies 
, and a big hat to keep the lugs, face and neck protected.
Mind those that need some extra help
Wee tots shouldn’t be in any direct sunlight for any length of time. Babies and bairns can get overheated quickly, so keep a close eye and make sure they are dressed properly for the hot weather.
Keep a check on the auld yins and anyone who has a long-term medical condition too
For more guidance and advice on how to stay safe in hot weather check out our page on #NHSinform
Tennis courts in Juniper Green have opened following state-of-the-art renovations worth £100k, thanks to a major fundraising drive by the local tennis club.
Almost £50k was raised by Juniper Green Tennis Club, matched by grant funding from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), to carry out extensive work on the two courts. This includes resurfacing, repainting, new fencing, nets and a smart entrance gate.
The courts are leased from the City of Edinburgh Council and managed for year-round public use by Juniper Green Tennis Club. All courts will be available to book via the LTA website. New gate access technology means it is now easier to get on court by booking in advance to guarantee availability.
Through the Parks Tennis Project, the LTA is delivering the biggest ever investment in parks tennis facilities across Britain. This nationwide programme of investment is seeing thousands of existing park tennis courts in poor or unplayable condition brought back to life for the benefit of communities across the country, providing vital opportunities for children and adults to get active.
Councillor Margaret Graham, Culture and Communities Convener, said: “I’m delighted to see these tennis courts upgraded at Juniper Green, and offering fantastic facilities for all those who use them.
“Juniper Green Tennis Club pulled out all the stops to fundraise for these renovations and it’s thanks to them, along with funding from the Lawn Tennis Association, that there will be even more opportunities for residents to get involved in the sport.”
Scott Lloyd, LTA Chief Executive, said: “We’re delighted to see the courts at Juniper Green transformed and in better shape than ever.
“Park tennis courts are vital for providing people with opportunities to pick up a racket, and we want as many people as possible, of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, to enjoy playing tennis and being active. Thanks to this investment the sport will be opened up to more players, for years to come.
Juniper Green Tennis Club Chair Paul Murphy said: “A group of local organisations, businesses and individuals successfully secured our participation in this fantastic nationwide scheme to transform local tennis facilities by making generous cash donations, providing five-year interest free loans and committing to five-year fixed term memberships.
“The support of the local community allied to the critical contribution from the LTA Park Tennis Project has helped to future proof the tennis courts in Juniper Green which have been such an important part of village life, on the current site, since their opening in 1907.”
Find out more about Juniper Green Tennis Courts.
