Day: February 1, 2026

Academics gather to celebrate career of Edinburgh professor 

Endowed Chair of Rheumatology retires from University of Edinburgh

Professor Stuart Ralston retired from his position as Arthritis UK’s Endowed Chair of Rheumatology at the University of Edinburgh and a Festschrift event was held in his honour (January 29).  

Professor Ralston has had a decorated career in rheumatology, including holding the position as Arthritis UK’s Endowed Chair for over 20 years. His research focused on the management of bone and joint disease, with a special interest in Paget’s disease. 

Professor Ralston’s research has benefitted patients and influenced policy. His medical education contributions have benefitted students globally and his contribution to medicines regulation has saved many lives, notably through his oversight of emergency approval of COVID-19 vaccines as chair of the Commission on Human Medicines. 

He was recently (December 2025) duly recognised for these contributions by being awarded the Royal Society of Edinburgh Sir James Black Medal.  

Professor Ralston said: “A highlight of my career has been the work in Paget’s disease of the bone, looking at the genetic basis of the condition and doing clinical trials to establish optimal treatment strategies. 

“I’ve also enjoyed bringing in new people and seeing them make their own way over the years. It’s been a privilege. I have been lucky to reach the top of my profession. 

“While I will be sad to leave, I have still got some outstanding projects to finish off during my retirement and am looking forward to having more time to spend with my family and friends.” 

To commemorate his achievements Professor Ralston attended a Festschrift event, where his closest colleagues and collaborators gathered to share warm remarks and celebrate his contributions to the field. 

Arthritis UK’s Head of Research Strategy, Sarah Rudkin, attended the event and said: “Professor Ralston has led the field on the molecular and genetic basis of osteoporosis and Paget’s disease for the benefit of people living with these conditions.  

“We greatly value his long-standing relationship with Arthritis UK and the varied contributions that he has made to the work of the charity. It’s been a privilege to support him throughout his professional endeavours, and we wish him a joyful retirement.”  

Professor Cosimo de Bari, specialist in osteoarthritis and stem cell therapies, has been appointed the new Arthritis UK Endowed Chair of Rheumatology.  

Deborah Alsina MBE, Arthritis UK Chief Executive, said: “The position of Endowed Chair at Edinburgh was established to create a nucleus for rheumatology research. 

“Professor Ralston’s work has been a testament to our joint commitment to expanding knowledge, improving practice and bettering the lives of those who live who live with these often-debilitating conditions.  

“It has been an honour to endorse his successes from his pivotal research developments and clinical trials to his PhD mentorships. He has truly been instrumental in defining the contemporary landscape of rheumatology. 

“We are delighted to welcome Professor Cosimo de Bari to this prestigious position and are eager to support him as we journey together towards a cure.” 

Professor David Argyle, Head of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, said: “Established nearly 50 years ago, the Endowed Chair recognises the University’s long-standing excellence in the field of rheumatology.

“Professor Ralston has been central to this endeavour, advancing research to improve patient outcomes worldwide.

“As we celebrate his achievements and bid him a congratulatory farewell, we are equally thrilled to welcome Professor Cosimo de Bari to the position, and look forward to continuing our valued partnership with Arthritis UK to champion innovative research.” 

New Scottish Favourites products heading to Edinburgh Scotmid stores

Six Scottish food and drink suppliers are celebrating after being named winners of Scotmid’s Scottish Favourites competition, securing the opportunity to have their products listed in Scotmid stores in 2026. 

Launched as part of Scottish Food & Drink September 2025, the competition is designed to support local producers by raising their profile, opening routes into retail, and bringing innovative Scottish food and drink products to convenience shoppers in Edinburgh.

The recent competition, once again run in partnership with Scotland Food & Drink, attracted a strong field of entries from producers based across Scotland, reflecting the continued strength, diversity and quality of the nation’s food and drink sector. 

With “Innovation” set as the theme, producers were challenged to submit products that offered something new, imaginative and distinctive. From retro-inspired favourites and globally influenced flavours to on-trend dairy and healthier snacking options, this year’s winning line-up highlights the breadth of ideas currently shaping the market. 

Following a rigorous judging process, six suppliers were selected as winners. The successful suppliers, their locations and winning products are: 

  • The Gin Bothy (Angus) – Scottish Chilli Jam and Scottish Strawberry Jam 
  • Cosmo (Midlothian) – Margherita Pizzini and BBQ Chicken Pizzini Twin Pack 
  • Nudie Snacks (Glasgow) – Soured Cream & Chive and American BBQ Sweet Potato Chips 
  • PK Foods / Mr Singh’s (Glasgow) – Chicken Bhuna Curry and South Indian Garlic Chicken Curry 
  • Yester Farm Dairies (East Lothian) – Cottage Cheese and Luxury Soft Cheese 
  • Nakey Bakey (Fife) – Mixed Berry and Strawberry Mango Fusion Granola 

Each winning supplier will receive a Scotmid listing, with products expected to launch across selected stores during 2026, subject to final ranging and rollout plans. 

Steven Addison, Local Sourcing Manager at Scotmid, said: “Our Scottish Favourites competition has grown year on year and is now a recognised route to market for Scottish producers. As ever, selecting the winners was a real challenge, with a high standard of creativity and quality across the entries. 

“We’re proud to support local suppliers and help innovative brands take the next step in their retail journey. This year’s winners demonstrate just how dynamic and forward-thinking the sector is, and we’re looking forward to working with them as their products launch in our stores in 2026.” 

Angus Bell at Scotland Food & Drink, added: “Scottish Favourites continues to provide an important opportunity for ambitious producers to engage with retail and showcase their products to a wider audience. 

“Scotmid’s commitment to local sourcing and to championing innovation plays a valuable role in supporting the growth of Scotland’s food and drink sector and Scotland Food and Drink are delighted to have partnered with Scotmid again.  

“The winners combine creativity with commercial appeal. Whether reinventing familiar favourites or responding to emerging consumer demands, these businesses are helping to grow our brilliant food and drink sector in Scotland”  

Scotmid and Scotland Food & Drink would like to thank all producers who entered the competition and congratulate the winning suppliers on their success. 

High streets to receive £150 million to restore community pride

Multi-million-pound package to turn the tide on ailing high streets, targeted in places most in need of support

High streets with boarded up shop fronts and lacking essentials such as butchers, grocers and bakeries will be given a multi-million-pound boost.

The £150 million cash injection will be targeted in areas hit hardest in recent years, and most in need of being brought back together.

Part of the government’s path to renewal, it will help turn the tide on this decline and restore a sense of pride people feel in their high streets and local area – which serves as a vital meeting point for communities.

Communities will bring people back into their local high streets by supporting local, independent businesses, improve neglected shopfronts and open up empty units. This will be the first step in the government’s upcoming High Streets Strategy, announced earlier this week.

It will build action already taken to restore pride in our communities, empowering councils in England to say no to new betting shops and vapes stores, supporting more than a thousand local pubs that offer extra services for communities and rejuvenating over 330 of the most deprived communities through our Pride in Place programme.

This is renewal in action, led by the people who know their neighbourhoods best, and backed by the government which is choosing unity over division.

Communities Secretary Steve Reed said: “Our high streets are the beating heart of Britain — where communities come together and local businesses can grow.

“Town centres have suffered from high streets falling into decline, and that is why we’re taking action to turn the tide with this crucial investment and more to come.

“We have listened to what people are telling us and that’s why we’re giving them the power and control to breathe new life back into our high streets and restore the sense of pride communities feel, building on our transformational Pride in Place programme.”

More details on the High Streets Strategy, including how funding will be allocated to specific places, will be announced in the coming months. 

Other steps taken by the UK government to regenerate high streets include:

  • Introducing a new community right to buy through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, giving local people greater power to save valued community assets like sports clubs and pubs. 
  • Ending ‘pub deserts’ by banning the loss of the last community facility in an area.
  • Action to tackle the proliferation of betting shops on high streets.

Tree Planting at Lauriston Farm

SATURDAY 7th FEBRUARY 11am – 1pm

Interested in supporting local biodiversity whilst spending a great morning outdoors? Join us for our next tree planting event, where we will be planting together and learning all about the importance of supporting local nature in our communities.

Let’s plant some trees and have some fun! 🌳

When: 7th February from 11 to 1pm

Where: Lauriston Farm, Edinburgh EH4 5EX

Registration: http://eventbrite.co.uk/…/tree-planting-event-tickets…

#treeplanting#edinburgh#nature

First Scottish patient enters ground-breaking lung cancer clinical trial

The first patient in Scotland recruited to a major research study has described it as “the light at the end of the tunnel” after he was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer last year.

The TOURIST PRINCE trial is part of the world’s largest clinical trial using radiotherapy in the treatment of metastatic lung cancer, funded by a £3.4m grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

The trial is looking at whether modern radiotherapy treatments can improve outcomes for patients with stage IV disease, who often have a poor prognosis and typically have about a year to live.

PRINCE is part of the wider TOURIST trial platform which is sponsored by The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester and managed by Southampton Clinical Trials Unit.

81-year-old great-grandfather Robert Brown, a retired managing director from Glasgow, was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the summer of 2025. He said: “At the beginning of July, I had a cough which lasted for six weeks before I went to see the GP. He jumped on it right away and sent me for an X-ray at the New Victoria Hospital and it was then that I was diagnosed with lung cancer.

“I’ve had a decent life and lived pretty healthily for 81 years, so I suppose it’s just life, isn’t it? But when the team at the hospital told me about the trial and asked if I’d consider taking part, I went straight on to it. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Lung cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in the UK, but is the biggest cancer killer, accounting for 21% of cancer deaths annually.

Between 85 and 90 per cent of cases diagnosed are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and nearly half of these cancers are diagnosed at a late stage when the disease has spread and is incurable, meaning treatment focuses on controlling symptoms and extending life, rather than curing patients.

TOURIST is the first trial in 20 years to look at how radiotherapy could benefit late-stage metastatic lung cancer patients.

It uses a technique called ‘VMAT’ (volumetric modulated arc therapy) which is a form of radiotherapy that uses multiple beams of varying strengths to treat cancer. A device called a linear accelerator (LINAC) delivers high-energy beams while rotating around the patient to treat the tumours.

Professor Matthew Hatton, Honorary Professor of Clinical Oncology at The University of Sheffield, who is the chief investigator for the TOURIST PRINCE trial, said: “Giving the radiotherapy in this way makes it very accurate, shortens the treatment time, and uses a lower overall dose of radiation.

“It means more cancer cells can be killed while also sparing healthy tissue around the organ. Previously this machine has only been used to treat patients with early-stage cancer that has not spread, but we are hoping to show that it could also have benefits for those with late-stage disease. If successful, this trial could change global clinical practice for treating advanced lung cancer.”

Robert, who has been married to his wife Caroline for 56 years and has two children, two grandchildren and two great grandchildren, said: “Being on the trial has been okay for me, I’ve had no issues so far.

“I am still keeping myself fit and strong, and despite my treatment I’m even continuing to go jogging. It feels good to be part of the trial and part of research. Research has got to help.”

The PRINCE trial is aiming to recruit 472 patients newly diagnosed with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer at hospitals across the UK. It first opened to recruitment in autumn 2024, but Robert is the first patient in Scotland to take part.

Lucy Badesha is a Senior Research Nurse at the New Victoria Hospital in Glasgow. She said: “As a satellite site of the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, part of our mission at the New Victoria Hospital is to offer clinical trials to patients who may not be able to access them otherwise.

“We were delighted to hear that we had recruited the first TOURIST PRINCE participant in Scotland, and we hope to be able to continue to offer participation in this and other life-changing cancer clinical trials to patients living on the south side of Glasgow.”

PRINCE is one of two trials currently recruiting patients in the TOURIST platform, which has been set up to see if radiotherapy, alongside other treatments, improves outcomes and quality of life for lung cancer patients.

Nicky Downs, Senior Trial Manager for the TOURIST trial platform at the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, said: “It is wonderful to see the first patient recruited to the PRINCE trial in Scotland, and we are so grateful to Robert, and to all the other patients who have agreed to take part in TOURIST, for helping further our research into this awful disease.

“We hope to be able to expand the platform in the coming months with new trials, allowing us to include even more patients, understand the disease better, and learn how we can control patients’ symptoms and improve survival.”

Dr David Woolf, consultant oncologist at The Christie and is the joint chief investigator for the TOURIST platform, said: “The TOURIST trials represent a huge shift in the way we potentially treat lung cancer patients and could bring additional benefit to patients undergoing their standard treatments in the future.

“This is the first time we have delivered a trial in radiotherapy for stage IV NSCLC patients for two decades and techniques have advanced massively in that time. We therefore hope to provide enough evidence to change clinical practice globally, which could help up to a million people a year worldwide.”

Professor Anthony Gordon, Director of NIHR’s Health Technology Assessment Programme, said: “Living with late-stage lung cancer is difficult and challenging for patients and their families.

“This important trial demonstrates innovation by harnessing the latest radiotherapy treatments aiming to improve care for people with this disease to help ease their symptoms and improve outcomes and life expectancy.

“This trial demonstrates NIHR’s mission to drive life-changing research for the health and wealth of our society and ensuring more people can get involved in research. Our aim is to help new treatments reach patients earlier, helping them lead healthier and happier lives, while reducing the burden on the NHS.”

Valentine Craft Session at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre

SATURDAY 14 FEBRUARY 11am – 1pm

💖 Valentine’s Craft Session 💖

Come along on Saturday 14th February, 11am–1pm for a workshop with Sylvia, crafting beaded hearts and bookmarks!

👨‍👩‍👧 Children must be accompanied by an adult

💗 Pay what you can – donations welcomed

🎟️ Limited spaces available

Get in touch to book your spot 💌

When Rankin Met Rankin

Marking Muriel Spark’s Birthday on 1 February 2026

  • A new production of David Harrower’s adaptation of Muriel Spark’s classic novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is set to tour Scotland in 2026
  • The production is directed by Vicky Featherstone and features Gayle Rankin as Jean Brodie
  • To mark the birthday of author Muriel Spark on 1 February, new images will be released of Gayle Rankin, in the iconic role of Jean Brodie, shot by renowned photographer Rankin.

A National Theatre of Scotland Production

Presented in partnership with The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and in association with Pitlochry Festival Theatre

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Adapted by David Harrower from the novel by Muriel Spark

Directed by Vicky Featherstone

Featuring Gayle Rankin as Jean Brodie

Touring Scotland from 02 October to 07 November 2026.

Previews and opening at The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh before touring to The Citizens Theatre, Glasgow; His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen and Pitlochry Festival Theatre.

Opening performance at The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh on 9 October 2026.

National Theatre of Scotland in partnership with The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and in association with Pitlochry Festival Theatre is bringing one of Scotland’s most iconic and enduring Scottish literary characters to the stage, in a brand-new production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. This production will mark 60 years since the premiere of the original stage version.

Adapted for the stage by acclaimed Scottish playwright David Harrower from Muriel Spark’s much-loved novel, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is directed by Vicky Featherstone and features Gayle Rankin making her National Theatre of Scotland debut as the charismatic Jean Brodie.

To mark Muriel Spark’s birthday, born in Edinburgh on 1 February,1918, National Theatre of Scotland is releasing newly commissioned images to promote this new production. The photos were captured by Rankin in his studio in London.

Gayle Rankin, photographed by Rankin.

Born in Edinburgh in 1918, Muriel Spark he wrote 22 novels including The Driver’s Seat, Memento Mori and The Girls of Slender Means with The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie being the best known of her works.

First published in the New Yorker and reissued in volume form in 1961, the novel is set in Edinburgh in 1936 with the central character based in part on a teacher at Muriel Spark’s Edinburgh school, James Gillespie’s School for Girls. The novel was subsequently adapted for stage, film and television.

Gayle Rankin is a Tony Award-nominated Scottish performer well known for her role as Sheila the She-Wolf in the hit Netflix series GLOW. Gayle recently finished a run on Broadway as Sally Bowles opposite Eddie Redmayne in the award-winning production of Cabaret (Tony nominated).

Other TV credits include House of the Dragon and Perry Mason (HBO). Film includes Alex Garland’s Men, Amazon’s Blow the Man Down, Bad Things and The Greatest Showman. New York theatre credits include Sam Gold’s Hamlet and Phyllida Lloyd’s The Taming of the Shrew.

Gayle Rankin said: “Working with the legendary photographer Rankin was an incredible experience.

His deep curiosity as an artist, alongside Vicky Featherstone and me, helped crack open the earliest beginnings of our Jean Brodie—approaching her not just as an icon, a myth or character, but as a real woman for our time. We were thrilled to start this journey with Rankin’s lens on her.”

Rankin is a British photographer, publisher, and film director.

Best known for work that is on the cultural cusp and leading future trends, he has produced rule-breaking campaigns for brands such as Rolls Royce, Unilever, L’Oreal, Lego, and Samsonite; creating wide reaching projects for charities including Women’s Aid and Macmillan; and shooting music videos for the likes of Miley Cyrus, Rita Ora and Kelis.

As a photographer Rankin’s portfolio ranges from portraiture to documentary. He has shot The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Kate Moss, Kendall Jenner and Zendaya to name only a few. In 2023 Rankin photographed King Charles III to mark the monarch’s 75th Birthday for The Big Issue magazine.

As a publisher, Rankin co-founded the seminal magazine Dazed & Confused with Jefferson Hack in 1990 and has since published the likes of AnOther and AnOther Man, alongside over 40 books, and the fashion and culture publication Hunger. His photography has been published everywhere from his own publications to Elle, Vogue, Esquire, GQ, Rolling Stone, and Wonderland, and exhibited in galleries globally, including MoMA, New York, and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.

Gayle Rankin, photographed by Rankin

Rankin said: “It was a thrill and a privilege to be invited to capture the extraordinary Gayle Rankin in the iconic role of the dangerous but alluring Jean Brodie. Her power as an actor brought an electric theatricality to the shoot as can be seen in the final images.

“It was fantastic to collaborate with the National Theatre of Scotland on this production, which I hope I can get to see later this year.”

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

‘Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she is mine for life’

At the Marcia Blaine School for Girls, junior-school teacher Miss Jean Brodie is, famously, in her prime.

Each year, Brodie selects her ‘set’. The crème de la crème of girls whom she will shape through art and politics, stories of sexual liberation and titillating glimpses of the women they could become. In return, she demands utter loyalty from them all.

Witty, seductive and swirling in contradictions, Brodie’s mythical ability to invent her own truths and manipulate her girls ultimately leads her to risk everything.

In an adaptation by David Harrower, which sharpens the knives of Spark’s extraordinary work, and with a cast led by Gayle Rankin (Sally Bowles in Cabaret on Broadway, and TV’s Glow & House of The Dragon and The Greatest Showman), this visceral production takes a head-on look at the enduring moral fascination with such a beguiling and dangerous character.

“The crème de la crème of Brodie adaptations”

The Theatre Times on The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Donmar Warehouse, 2018

This is the first time that David Harrower’s adaptation of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie has been performed in Scotland, having been originally staged at the Donmar Warehouse in 2018 to critical acclaim.

The original 1966 London stage adaptation was by Jay Presson Allen (Marnie, Cabaret). Scottish productions include Pitlochry Festival Theatre in 1985 and 2009 and at The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh in 2003.

Gayle Rankin played one of the schoolgirls in The Lyceum production and this 2026 production marks her homecoming to Scotland’s stages.

Vicky Featherstone, director, said “20 years after we made our first tentative steps towards what a National Theatre for Scotland could be, I am honoured to be part of this year’s celebrations, with what is undoubtably one of the most iconic characters and stories ever written.

“It is testament to Spark that this story penned in 1961 Edinburgh, feels as sharp, as shocking, as thrilling, as alive as it did on publication and is an incredible opportunity to exalt the exceptional theatre artists and celebrate Scottish audience’s unbridled passion for theatre that gave us the courage to begin all those years ago.”

David Harrower is an Olivier Award-winning and Tony-nominated Scottish playwright and screenwriter. Plays include Blackbird (Olivier Award for Best New Play and Tony nominated), Knives in Hens, Kill the Old, Torture Their Young (Traverse Theatre), Six Characters in Search of an Author, 365, Calum’s Road (National Theatre of Scotland). Film & TV work includes Una, Outlaw King, Lockerbie: A Search for the Truth and the forthcoming The Day of the Jackal Season 2.

Vicky Featherstone was the founding Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland, and she returns to direct The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie with the company, following a decade as Artistic Director of London’s Royal Court Theatre. Theatre credits include: Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, Enquirer (National Theatre of Scotland); Shoe Lady, The Glow (Royal Court); The Outrun (Royal Lyceum Theatre for Edinburgh International Festival 2024). Her production of Krapp’s Last Tape with Stephen Rea recently played in NYC following an earlier presentation at Barbican, London and Pavilion Theatre, Dublin in 2025.

Touring in 2026 to The Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh (Previews Fri 2, Mon 5-Thu 8 October) Fri 9 October to Sun 18 October; The Citizens Theatre, Glasgow Wed 21October to Sat 24 October; His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen Thu 29 October to Sat 31 October; Pitlochry Festival Theatre Wed 4 November to Sat 7 November 2026.

Additional investment for neurodevelopmental support

Increased funding to support children and families

Children, young people and their families will benefit from £3.4 million of additional investment to improve access to neurodevelopmental support.

This brings investment in neurodevelopmental supports and services this year to more than £5 million, providing earlier help for families and ensuring people can access support that meets their needs.

More than £1 million is intended to directly support families, including providing access to digital support on neurodevelopmental conditions – including autism and ADHD. A successful hub model developed in Edinburgh will also be expanded to Tayside, bringing together health, education and third sector support for families in one place.

The investment will also help improve services, including testing new approaches to neurodevelopmental assessment and ADHD support for young adults.

Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing Tom Arthur said: “I am determined to drive real, meaningful improvements and deliver the best possible outcomes for neurodivergent people. Demand for neurodevelopmental support and diagnosis has increased significantly in recent years, both in Scotland and globally.

“This additional £3.4 million will improve the help available to families – providing better information, practical support and access to services in their communities. This funding will create the groundwork for additional investment in the future – as proposed in our Budget for next year. 

“We want to ensure that children, young people and their families can access the support they need, regardless of where they are on their neurodevelopmental journey.

“A diagnosis is just one part of someone’s experience. What matters most is that people get the right support at the right time, and this funding will help make that happen.”

The investment builds on the additional £500,000 funding announced in June 2025, bringing the total additional investment to £3.9 million in 2025-26.

Funding is being made available for a range of projects, including:

  • supplementing health board assessment capacity, particularly for young people approaching transition to adult services
  • providing digital support to 1,000 families through the EPIC Think Learn platform
  • extending the Yard’s Edinburgh Disability and Neurodevelopment Hub model to Tayside, bringing together support from health, education and third sector services
  • testing holistic approaches to assessment and support with a new neurodevelopmental research clinic with the University of Glasgow
  • work to develop and test digital support tools for ADHD for young adults
  • continuing the Fife children and young people’s neurodevelopmental test of change
  • and work to better understand support needs of children and young people on health board waiting lists and assist connection of families with local support

Neurodevelopmental conditions include autism and ADHD.