WEDNESDAY 10th SEPTEMBER from 10am – 12.30pm
at CORSTORPHINE COMMUNITY CENTRE
Supporting Neurodiverse Children: workshop for parents and carers
Day: September 1, 2025
Boost for Scottish shipbuilding as Norway selects UK warships
£10 billion boost expected to support 103 Scottish businesses including 54 small and medium enterprises
- Major partnership with Norway set to secure 2,000 jobs in Scotland until the late 2030s with a further 2,000 roles sustained across the wider UK supply chain.
- Deal will see a combined fleet of 13 Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates – eight British and at least five Norwegian – operate jointly in Northern Europe, significantly strengthening NATO’s northern flank
BILLIONS of pounds will be pumped into the Scottish economy following Norway’s decision to select Glasgow-built warships for their Armed Forces – securing thousands of jobs in Scotland for years to come.
The UK will supply Norway with Type 26 frigates in a historic deal worth £10 billion announced today, cementing Scotland’s position as a world leader in naval shipbuilding, and on the government’s Plan for Change.
The deal supports 2,000 jobs at BAE Systems’ shipyards in Glasgow and a further 2,000 roles across the UK maritime supply chain until the late 2030s. The agreement is expected to support 103 Scottish businesses which includes 54 small and medium enterprises
Norway’s selection of the UK’s world leading Type 26 frigates builds on decades of close cooperation between NATO allies and strengthens both nations’ strategic partnership and maritime security in the face of increasing Russian threats in northern Europe. Both Australia and Canada have also bought a licence to build their own ships based on the Type 26 design for their Navies.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “This £10 billion deal is what our Plan for Change is about – creating jobs, driving growth and protecting national security for working people.
“This government has forged new partnerships across the world to deliver for people at home and the export of our world leading Type 26 frigates to Norway will do exactly that, supporting well-paid jobs up and down the United Kingdom, from apprentices to engineers.
“This success is testament to the thousands of people across the country who are not just delivering this next generation capabilities for our Armed Forces but also national security for the UK, our Norwegian partners and NATO for years to come.”
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: “Norway’s decision to choose Scottish-built frigates demonstrates the tremendous success of our shipbuilding industry and showcases the world-class skills and expertise of our workforce on the Clyde.
“This contract is another ‘defence dividend’ for Scotland and supports thousands of jobs and reinforces Scotland’s vital contribution to both UK prosperity and international security. The deal demonstrates that when we back Scottish industry, it delivers for communities, workers, and our allies.”
Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said: “For over 75 years, Britain and Norway have stood together on NATO’s northern and north-eastern frontiers, keeping the UK and Europe safe. This historic defence deal deepens our strategic partnership.
“With Norway, we will train, operate, deter, and – if necessary – fight together. Our navies will work as one, leading the way in NATO, with this deal putting more world-class warships in the North Atlantic to hunt Russian submarines, protect our critical infrastructure, and keep both our nations secure.
“This deal confirms Scotland’s place as a world leader in shipbuilding. It will support 2,000 high-skilled jobs in Scotland for the next 15 years and beyond, driving forward this Government’s Plan for Change and making defence an engine for growth.”
The frigates are designed for anti-submarine warfare – strengthening the strategic partnership and maritime security of both nations in the face of increasing Russian threats in northern Europe.
The decision comes ahead of a new UK-Norway defence agreement that will bolster Euro-Atlantic security while bringing the two defence industries closer together to boost jobs, growth, and innovation.
Rare Bronze Age hoard saved for the nation
CARNOUSTIE HOARD WILL GO ON DISPLAY NEXT SUMMER
A Bronze Age hoard discovered in Carnoustie has been acquired by National Museums Scotland and will go on display for the first time in a new exhibition opening next summer.
The hoard includes a rare spearhead decorated with gold and a bronze sword in a wooden scabbard, dating from around 1120-920 BC. Scotland’s First Warriors (27 Jun 2026 – 17 May 2027) will bring together over 250 objects spanning thousands of years, to explore the origins and impact of conflict and warfare in prehistoric Scotland.
The spearhead has an intricately decorated gold-bound socket, one of only two such examples known from Scotland. It was discovered alongside a bronze sword with an unusual lead-tin pommel, still sheathed in the remains of a wooden scabbard.
The sword was carefully wrapped in a woven wool garment, fastened with a disc-headed pin; the spearhead blade was wrapped in sheepskin, and the socket was wrapped in a fine woollen cloth.
The weapons hint at the existence of a localised warrior elite in the Angus area over 3,000 years ago.
The hoard was deliberately and thoughtfully placed near a Bronze Age round structure. This is the only Bronze Age weapon hoard from Scotland to be found within a clearly defined settlement, offering a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between these treasured objects and the lives of the people who crafted and used them.
The survival of prehistoric textiles and organic material is also extremely rare and reveals an extra layer of the care and attention that went into the formation of the hoard.
Dr Matthew Knight, Senior Curator of Prehistory at National Museums Scotland, said: “The Carnoustie Hoard is a remarkable discovery. This is the first time we’ve encountered weapons buried at a settlement where people lived. It forces us to reconsider relationships between people and these objects and enriches our picture of life in Bronze Age Scotland.
“On top of that we have the exceptional survival of wood, textiles and animal skin that express how much these objects were valued. After hours of painstaking conservation, I can’t wait to for visitors to see the hoard for the first time in our new exhibition Scotland’s First Warriors.”
Alongside the Carnoustie Hoard, Scotland’s First Warriors will include never-before-seen internationally significant archaeological discoveries from across Scotland.
From the Neolithic (late Stone Age) to the coming of the Romans, the exhibition will present the origins of organised conflict.
It will explore how people fought, the motivations for fighting, the brutal impact of war on people’s lives and the long-lasting legacy of prehistoric conflict.
The hoard was unearthed in 2016 by GUARD Archaeology near Carnoustie, in an area that was due to be developed into two football pitches.
The full assemblage of archaeological finds from site represents a nationally significant group of objects spanning nearly 3000 years from the early Neolithic to the late Bronze Age.
Scotland’s First Warriors
27th June 2026 – 17th May 2027
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Admission Free
nms.ac.uk/ScotlandsFirstWarriors
ScotRail: Peak fares ‘gone for good’
From today – Monday, 1 September – customers will pay the same fare no matter what time they travel, or the day of the week.
The policy announced by the Scottish Government in May this year is aiming to make train fares simpler, more flexible, and provide better value for money for rail users. A further aim of the change is to get more people to leave the car at home and travel by rail instead.
Removing peak fares will mean significant savings for customers across the country, with some journeys set to reduce by almost 50 per cent – including those between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Examples of the massive savings to be made include:
| Journey | Return fare from 1 September | Saving | Percentage saving |
| Edinburgh – Glasgow | £16.80 | £15.80 | 48% |
| Inverkeithing – Edinburgh | £7.40 | £5.20 | 41% |
| Perth – Dundee | £11.20 | £5.10 | 31% |
| Glasgow – Stirling | £10.80 | £7.40 | 40% |
| Inverurie – Aberdeen | £10.10 | £2.50 | 20% |
| Inverness – Elgin | £16.30 | £8.50 | 34% |
There are some routes where no off-peak fare exists because the same fare is already available at any time of the day, and as such, customers will not see any change in those areas.
Customers can now check the ScotRail website, or the app, to see Off-Peak fares for their route, and get set for savings when peak fares are removed. The ScotRail website also has a fare comparison tool that helps customers find the best ticket option for their travel needs.
As part of the move to simpler and more flexible fares, a number of other tickets will also be updated:
- Season Tickets will remain at their current pricing until 27 September, offering exceptional value. For regular travellers, this represents a saving of at least 40 per cent compared to purchasing five Anytime Day Return tickets at pre-1 September prices. This discount was part of a 12-month offer launched in September 2024.
- Flexipass tickets will have adjusted pricing from 1 September to ensure they continue to offer a saving compared to buying multiple Anytime Single or Return tickets, while still providing flexibility for part-time or hybrid commuters.
- Super Off-Peak Day Return tickets will be withdrawn, as the removal of peak fares means customers now benefit from great value fares all day, every day.
- Railcards, concessions, and enhanced discounts will continue to be available, with most remaining valid for travel after 9.15am, in line with existing conditions.
These changes are designed to make rail travel easier to understand and more accessible, while continuing to offer excellent value for a wide range of customers.
The significant change to the fare structure will support the Scottish Government’s ambition to achieve net zero, providing more people with the opportunity to use trains as their primary form of transport.
ScotRail was recently ranked as one of the best train operating companies for customer satisfaction. With an overall satisfaction of 91 per cent, ScotRail is performing better than all other large operators in Britain.
It has been a hugely successful summer for the operator, with more than 200,000 customers travelling on services to attend events across the country, including the Tall Ships Races in Aberdeen, music events at Hampden Park, the Edinburgh Festivals, and Oasis in concert at Murrayfield stadium.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop said: “Public ownership has created the opportunity to deliver a railway which is run for the benefit of the nation. ScotRail is one of the fastest growing operators, with one of the best passenger satisfaction rates and we are building even further on this success by removing peak fares for good.
“We want more people to choose to travel by public transport for work, study and leisure but we know that many are still struggling with cost-of-living pressures.
“By removing peak fares, we are making ticketing more simple and more straightforward while at the same time supporting a shift towards sustainable public transport, protecting the climate, and saving people money.”
Joanne Maguire, ScotRail Managing Director, said: “This is fantastic news, not only for our existing customers, but for everyone across the country considering rail travel for their commute or leisure journeys.
“Travelling by train remains one of the most convenient ways to get around, and with simpler, more affordable fares, we hope to see many more people choose ScotRail.”