A 22-year-old man who died in Leith on Tuesday (2 September, 2025) has been named as John McNab.
Around 2.10am, police received a report a man had been injured on Great Junction Street at Bonnington Road. Emergency services attended and John died at the scene.
Specialist officers are continuing to provide support to his family.
A 16-year-old male has been arrested and charged in connection with the death. He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court tomorrow – Thursday, 4 September, 2025.
Detective Inspector Kevin Tait, of the Major Investigations Team, said: “I would like to extend my sympathies to John’s family and friends at this very difficult time.
“Enquiries are continuing to establish the full circumstances and anyone with information should contact the inquiry team through 101, quoting reference number 0239 of Tuesday, 2 September, 2025.
“Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
The national business support service is encouraging Midlothian locals to start their own business with the help of Business Gateway
Business Gateway, Scotland’s national business support service, has launched Scottish Start-Up Month, a nationwide campaign to celebrate Scotland’s entrepreneurial spirit.
Running throughout September, the campaign is designed to inspire and support anyone with a business idea to take their first step.
Business Gateway is encouraging aspiring Scottish entrepreneurs who are looking to start a business, or take their side-hustle further, to explore the wide range of free support available.
This support includes one-to-one guidance from experienced local business advisers, webinars, online resources, reviews of business plans as well as access to market research reports. Business Gateway’s services are available to businesses in Scotland at every stage in their journey.
One of Business Gateway’s key resources is its Planning To Start tool – an online questionnaire designed to help individuals assess their readiness to start a business. By answering a few quick questions, users can access a start-up toolkit filled with resources, advice, webinars and specific support for their business.
It also connects them directly with relevant Business Gateway services and local advisers, making it easier to access tailored support from day one.
Scottish start-up month is backed by Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes and is supported by a group of hero ambassadors – Gemma Stuart, founder of Gut Wealth; Nicola Johnston, director of Island Larder; Gary Claase, co-founder of Gecko Glazing; Dr Poonam Gupta OBE, CEO of PG Paper and Coinneach MacLeod, Hebridean Baker.
Along with a number of other early pledgers, each of the hero ambassadors has pledged their backing for the campaign to inspire the next generation of Scottish business owners.
The campaign also features the support of small business owners from across Scotland who are lending their voices and experiences, including Louise McMahon of Edinburgh Dyslexic Services and Kasia McGavigan of Blue Bee Mike.
Business Gateway is now calling on other established businesses and organisations across Scotland to pledge their support by using their own platforms to encourage emerging start-up businesses.
Hugh Lightbody, Chief Officer at Business Gateway, said:“Scotland has no shortage of ambition, creativity and drive, but taking that first step can often feel overwhelming. With Scottish Start-Up Month, we want to show that help is not only available but easy to access.
“Whether you’re starting a side project or planning your next big idea, we’re here to help turn that into something real. This collective backing will help spotlight the power of local enterprise and build a stronger entrepreneurial ecosystem across the country.”
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “Entrepreneurs and start-up companies are the backbone of our economy and it has been very encouraging to see a number of different sources indicating a significant increase in Scottish start-up companies being created.
“This indicates a confidence in the business environment and conditions being created to encourage any business-minded person who wants to start or develop their business idea to do so.
“Business founders of course need the right support at the right time to help ensure they can develop, grow and prosper.
“I would encourage anyone who is considering starting or scaling-up a business to get in touch with Business Gateway and the other organisations supporting Scotland’s entrepreneurial talent up and down the country to start a conversation, find out more and get the right help to ensure your business can start, scale and thrive.”
Hero ambassador and founder of Gut Wealth, Gemma Stuart, said: “Starting a business can be incredibly exciting, but it can also be isolating and overwhelming.
“Having access to advice, community and resources through Business Gateway made all the difference to me and my business and I’d encourage any small business owner to reach out for support. I’m proud to be part of a campaign that helps others see that they don’t have to do it alone.”
To find out more about how Business Gateway can help your business, visit:
Visitors can spin into September at the National Museum of Flight’s family fun day this weekend. Celebrate all things circular with cycle stunts, circus displays and hands-on activities at 360 Fest, returning to East Lothian this Saturday (6th September).
The one-day event offers full-circle family fun for all ages. Visitors can step into the ring with drop-in circus workshops and try out hula hooping, spinning plates and diabolo juggling. Think Circus will also pop up around the Museum’s historic Second World War airfield with spectacular circus performances.
The Ultimate Extreme Sports Show will showcase cycle and sport skills, including BMX stunts, mountain bike trials and bike parkour. Visitors who fancy having a go themselves can also choose a bike and zoom round The Dirt Factory’s bike pump track. Family crafts, demos, and STEM activities a complete the packed programme.
Steve McLean, General Manager at the National Museum of Flight, said: “We’re delighted that 360 Fest is returning to the National Museum of Flight for a second year.
“This event offers lots of hands-on activities and entertainment to encourage families to spin into action and get creative together. Combined with the chance to learn about flight and see the magnificent aircraft in our collections up close, 360 Fest offers the perfect day out to round off the summer.”
Visitors can explore the National Museum of Flight and discover iconic aircraft such as a Red Arrows Hawk and Scotland’s Concorde. Families can visit the Fantastic Flight gallery with its interactive displays offering a wonderful way to discover how aeroplanes fly.
There’s also a chance to learn about East Fortune’s wartime heritage through photographs, film, personal testimony and unique objects in the attraction’s Fortunes of War exhibition.
360 Fest takes place on Saturday 6 September. Activities run from 11:00-16:00 and the museum is open 10:00-17:00.
Pictured: Kat Borrowdale from Think Circus practices ahead of 360 Fest, a day of family fun celebrating all things circular at the National Museum of Flight.
Discover! Creative Careers has announced its expansion into Scotland through a new partnership with Into Film
Discover Creative Careers Week, Scotland will run from 10-14 November to coincide with Scottish Careers Week
Following a competitive tender process, Into Film have been awarded the contract to implement the Discover! Creative Careers programme in Scotland across 2025 – 2026.
Working in partnership with Developing the Young Workforce (DYW), Discover! Creative Careers in Scotland has an ambition to reach at least 10,000 young people across 2025-2026.
Nicola Kettlewood, Programme Lead for Into Film Scotland: “It’s a tremendous honour for Into Film Scotland to lead the Discover! Creative Careers Programme. Scotland’s creative industries are rich with opportunity, and this programme allows us to inspire and inform the next generation about the diverse roles available across the sector.
“We’re committed to making these pathways more visible and accessible, particularly for young people who may not have previously seen a place for themselves in the creative world.
“We have built strong, lasting relationships with schools, local authorities, and industry partners across the nation. The relationships include a committed group of Scottish Education Ambassadors and Youth Advisory Council members that meet regularly, providing insights and feedback to shape our programme as well as acting as influential advocates of Into Film’s work.”
Into Film will work with the central Discover! Creative Careers team at ScreenSkills and in collaboration with key local partners Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) to shine a spotlight on careers in creative and cultural industries throughout Scotland.
The initiative will feature a wide range of exciting activities including industry visits and workshops, online and in-class talks and careers events at the Into Film Festival, an annual event that sees 400,000 children and young people visit cinemas across Scotland and the UK for free.
Michelle Fenwick, DYW National Projects Director commented: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Into Film to deliver the Discover! Creative Careers Programme in Scotland.
“DYW make it easy for industry to connect with young people in education, so they develop the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the world of work.
“This exciting collaboration builds on DYW’s existing engagement with the creative industries, and it will create more opportunities for young people, parents, carers, and educators to find out about the vast range of opportunities and pathways in Scotland’s creative sector.”
Mary Rose Programme Lead for Discover! Creative Careers said: “This expansion marks an exciting point in this year’s programme delivery. The tender process was extremely competitive with the highest quality of submissions from a range of organisations across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
“The two separate tenders from Into Film demonstrated a robust approach to collaborating with the core programme, alongside years of experience and deep connections with the careers and education policy landscape in both Scotland and Wales.
“Like us, they are committed to bringing careers awareness across the entire breadth of the creative industries to under 18s as they work with us to help expand on our hugely successful programme.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said:“We believe that all young people, regardless of background, should have the opportunity to pursue a creative career.
“That is why the Discover! Creative Careers Programme is so important, connecting young people with the sector and giving them real insight into the many pathways on offer.
“I am delighted that Into Film have been chosen to deliver this vital programme in Scotland and shine a light on the variety of creative careers available to the next generation.”
Minister for Higher and Further Education; and Minister for Veterans, Graeme Dey said: “I am delighted that Into Film Scotland will be delivering Discover! Creative Careers Scotland in partnership with DYW.
“This initiative expanding to Scotland is a vital step in empowering individuals with the skills and confidence they need to succeed in Scotland’s creative sector. It is great that this programme will be offering a range of engaging activities that will play a key role in shaping young people’s experiences and creating more opportunities.
“I encourage schools and employers to sign up and find out more in advance of Discover! Creative Careers Month in November.”
Employers in the creative industries in Scotland can register their interest to participate here:
The abolition of peak rail fares is a huge win for commuters and climate, says Lorna Slater, the Scottish Green MSP for Lothian.
The policy was first introduced as a pilot project, which was secured by the Scottish Greens in 2023 while they were in Government, but it was soon dropped by the SNP in 2024.
In the year between the pilot project ending and the Scottish Government permanently introducing the Green policy for cheaper rail fares, commuters across Scotland’s largest cities have forked out thousands of pounds to travel.
At present, people from Glasgow had to spend £32 to get a train to Edinburgh. Now that peak rail fares are scrapped, this will be reduced by 48%
Lorna Slater MSP for Lothian said: “This is a really welcome change and one that Greens worked hard to deliver.
“I am delighted that the Scottish Government has agreed to remove this unfair tax on workers, students and regular travellers. For too long, peak rail fares have penalized people who often have no say on when and where they need to travel.
“Commuters in Lothian will save hundreds, if not thousands of pounds per year from peak rail fares ending permanently. I hope that this will encourage more people to leave their cars at home and catch the train, making our roads safer and doing their part for the planet.
“Travel shouldn’t cost the earth. The Scottish Greens want to continue making our public transport here in Scotland the best it possibly can be; affordable, accessible, and ecofriendly, so that we can protect our planet and make our roads and communities cleaner, greener and safer for everyone.”
Fettes students “benefit from a broad and balanced curriculum that is outstanding” says Education Scotland’s recent inspection of Fettes College. The unscheduled inspection was instructed by Scottish Ministers in February, and the findings were published yesterday (2nd September).
Inspectors awarded Fettes excellent ratings in both ‘Curriculum’ and ‘Raising attainment and achievement’, alongside very good ratings in ‘Learning, teaching and assessment’ and ‘Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion’.
Inspectors rightly demand the highest standards, and their report highlights the distinctive strengths of a Fettes education, noting:
Staff have “successfully created a curriculum that supports children and young people to flourish in their academic and personal interests.” and “ensure the curriculum is strongly underpinned by an aspirational vision with a clear focus on academic excellence, building character and supporting personal wellbeing.”
Staff “foster very nurturing and mutually respectful relationships” and are “highly responsive to the wellbeing needs of children and young people”.
Students are “highly motivated to succeed”, producing work “of an exceptionally high standard” and making “excellent progress” in their learning.
Extensive opportunities for students to achieve beyond the classroom, helping them to “know themselves well” and aspire to reach their full potential.
A culture where students, staff and families “celebrate their own and others’ cultural diversity” and observe religious and cultural events together “in an inclusive, respectful way”.
Staff ‘recognise the need to ensure fairness and equality and to identify and mitigate against discrimination and bias in all aspects of the school’s work’.
This is testament to the exceptional work of the team at Fettes, which showed inspectors the values at the heart of the school community — academic ambition, character development, personal wellbeing, and a deeply inclusive culture where every individual is valued.
Head of Fettes College, Helen Harrison, said, “I am immensely proud of everyone at Fettes College – Senior and Prep – and extend my thanks to them all for their commitment and contribution to this fantastic achievement.
“We had a team of inspectors in our school for two weeks and they looked at everything. Their findings, published today about the learning and experience that happens in our classrooms and around our school sets us amongst those at the top of education in Scotland.”
The results of the inspection were published on 2nd September 2025 on the Education Scotland website: https://education.gov.scot/.
Scottish Government and local partners must act now to protect vital palliative care services
St Columba’s Hospice Care and Marie Curie Edinburgh are warning that essential palliative and end-of-life care services are now at serious risk due to funding decisions made by the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) and inaction by the Scottish Government.
The HSCP has chosen to reverse a 3% inflationary uplift in funding to hospices, which they committed to earlier in the year. This decision was taken in reaction to the Scottish Government announcement of an additional £5 million to help hospices address workforce pressures.
That £5 million was solely intended to support hospices with the recruitment and retention of skilled staff during a time of extreme pressure, not to replace existing funding agreements.
This decision from HSCP undermines the purpose of the allocation and places essential palliative and end-of-life services across the Lothians at risk. To date, St Columba’s Hospice Care has not received its share of the £5 million, which is approximately £496,000. The delay is creating further financial uncertainty and threatening frontline services for patients and families.
We call on the Scottish Government and HSCP to:
Reinstate the 3% inflationary uplift immediately.
Release the national pay parity funding without delay.
Commit to a national review of hospice funding to ensure equity and sustainability across Scotland.
Jackie Stone, CEO, St Columba’s Hospice Care, said:“Hospice’s are being pushed to make very difficult decisions that may impact on our patients and families. This reversal sends a devastating message to our staff and to the families we care for that fair pay and essential services are negotiable. They are not.
“The Scottish Government made a public commitment to fair pay and sustainable services, but we are being left with broken promises and growing deficits.
“We urge the Scottish Government and local partnerships to act now before we are forced to withdraw services that thousands of people across Edinburgh and the Lothians rely on every year.”
Hospices are an integral part of Scotland’s healthcare system and must be treated as such. They need sustainable, equitable funding. The government must act now to ensure a consistent national approach to hospice funding.
Hospices deliver vital, high-quality care that the NHS relies on, and they must be supported, not penalised, for working to achieve fair pay for their staff.
A 16-year-old male youth has been arrested in connection with the death of a 22-year-old man in Leith yesterday (Tuesday, 2 September, 2025).
Around 2.10am, police received a report a man had been injured on Great Junction Street at Bonnington Road, Edinburgh.
Emergency services attended, however the 22-year-old man died at the scene.
His next of kin are aware and are being supported by specialist officers. Formal identification has yet to take place.
Detective Chief Inspector Jonathan Pleasance of the Major Investigations Team said: “Our thoughts remain with the man’s family and friends at this very difficult time.
“Officers remain in the area carrying out enquiries as our investigation continues, and we would urge anyone with concerns to speak to them.”
Want to help improve services for British Sign Language (BSL) in the Lothian area? Come along to a public event for BSL users and their families to share your views on how to deliver our BSL Plan!
Latest figures highlight 146 children waiting more than a year for mental health treatment, says SCSC
For the third consecutive quarter in a row, there has been continued progress on waiting times for children and young people’s mental health care.
From April to June this year, 91.8% of those referred to CAMHS were seen within 18 weeks, according to the latest statistics from Public Health Scotland. This is a slight increase from 91.6% in the previous quarter, and above the national standard of 90%.
Mental Wellbeing Minister Tom Arthur said: “I welcome the continued progress in these services – staff across Scotland are working hard to ensure children and young people are getting the support they need when they need it, and I am grateful for their continued dedication.
“We have exceeded our promise to provide funding for 320 additional staff for CAMHS by 2026, and this will have contributed to the improvements we are seeing.
“However, I am aware there is still more to do to ensure standards are consistent across the country and we are supporting all NHS Boards to meet the standard and continue development in the delivery of CAMHS and all mental health services.”
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, is calling for parity of action and parity of spend as new figures highlight 146 children and young people have been waiting more than a year for mental health treatment in Scotland.
These figures were highlighted in the latest waiting time statistics from Public Health Scotland published today (2nd September), indicating that 146 children and young people had been waiting over a year for treatment from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in the quarter ending June 2025.1
Additionally, 271 individuals have been waiting for between nine months and a year for treatment.
The figures come out following a Freedom of Information request to NHS Boards that found that in 2024/25, a patient in NHS Highland waited 1189 days – more than three years – for treatment by CAMHS, and in NHS Tayside, a patient has been waiting 1,137 days to start treatment. 2
The Scottish Government’s target, dating back to December 2014, states that 90 per cent of children and young people should start treatment within 18 weeks of referral to CAMHS.
This comes against the background of a mental health emergency, with an increasing demand on services, exacerbated by the long shadow of the Covid lockdown and cost-of-living crisis.
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, cases of poor mental health in children and young people were at unprecedented levels, with overstretched and under-resourced services struggling to keep pace with growing demand.
However, it should be noted that despite this greatly increased demand, only 0.82 per cent of the total frontline NHS budget was spent on CAMHS in the 2023/24 financial year, amounting to £134.188 million (real terms). This equates to just 82p in every £100 of the NHS budget. 3
A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “The latest figures highlighting that 146 children and young people have been waiting over a year for mental health treatment are extremely alarming.
“While the fact that the Scottish Government is meeting its waiting time target is to be welcomed, many children and young people are still waiting years for help, which worsens their mental health and is a sure-fire way to add to their pain.
“What we need is not just parity of esteem between mental health and physical health, it’s parity of action and parity of spend.
“We are facing a mental health emergency, and many of our children and young people are at breaking point, with stress and anxiety reaching alarming levels as they battle with the long shadow of lockdown and the rising cost of living. This is also having a negative impact on classroom behaviour, affecting the young people concerned, their fellow pupils and staff.
“Each one of these statistics is an individual, and we would urge the Scottish Government to ensure the adequate resourcing of mental health services for our children and young people so that they can get the care and support they need, without lengthy waits.”
In response to today’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services figures, chief executive of Children First Mary Glasgow said: “Today’s figures show the importance of keeping the spotlight on children’s mental health.
“The reduction in waiting times is welcome, but while four months is the target, it is still too long, especially when children are suffering in severe distress.
“By urgently investing in more early help and support the Scottish Government can prevent children reaching a point of emergency.
“Every day our support line and our teams across Scotland hear from children and young people with high levels of worry and anxiety coming to us desperate for help.”
“If you are worried about your child our friendly support line team is here for you on 08000 28 22 33.”
