In 2026, the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival celebrates its 20th year!
In 2026, the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival celebrates its 20th Year. Taking place from 19 October to 8 November, it’s an opportunity to recognise two decades of mental health and creativity while looking at where we are now and where we might go next.
Our theme for this milestone year, Reflections, invites artists, communities and audiences across Scotland to pause, take stock and explore how our experiences, stories and creativity shape our mental health, individually and collectively.
GET INVOLVED!
SMHAF takes place across Scotland and covers all artforms, reaching around 17,500 people each year. It spotlights art inspired by mental health, explores how the arts and creativity can help everyone to have better mental health, and provides a platform for everyone to be creative.
We’re inviting you – organisations, artists, communities and individuals – to help us bring our Reflections theme to life, and explore how looking back can help us imagine what comes next.
Whether you’re working on a creative project, have an idea for an event, would like to help develop your local programme, or want to talk about anything else, please get in touch at smhaf@mentalhealth.org.uk.
SMHAF is led by the Mental Health Foundation and is supported by Multi-Year Funding from @creativescots and national partners.
Too many families in Scotland face hunger due to a lack of income.
Join us & the Scottish Food Coalition on 8 April for Scotland’s National Food Debate. Hear how political parties will act to ensure everyone has dignified access to food.
We invite you to take part in Scotland’s flagship ‘National Food Debate’ ahead of the 2026 Scottish Elections.
With the publication of Scotland’s first National Good Food Nation Plan, continued pressure on household budgets, significant public health challenges and a farming sector under severe strain, food policy has become a defining issue for this election.
This pre-election hustings will see party representatives answer questions from a live audience from Augustine United Church in central Edinburgh and will be broadcast online to members of the public across Scotland. The session will be a mixture of pre-selected questions and questions from the audience on the night.
The debate, chaired by Vicky Allan, Environment Correspondent for The Herald, will reach a highly engaged audience of voters, civil society leaders and food-system stakeholders in Scotland, with significant online reach beyond the room.
Who we are:
The Scottish Food Coalition is a diverse alliance of 70+ organisations working for a just transition to a fair, healthy, sustainable food system.
Our members come from across the food system including those concerned with poverty, health, biodiversity, climate change and animal welfare, as well as trade unions, food producers and retailers, international development organisations and faith groups.
Established in 2015, we were instrumental in securing Scotland’s Good Food Nation Act and offer support and expertise to Scottish Government, local authorities and health boards during the journey to achieve our Good Food Nation ambitions.
Primary School children to learn vital water safety skills
Primary children will have the chance to learn to swim as the Scottish Government capitalises on the forthcoming ‘spectacular summer of sport’.
The rollout of the National Primary School Swimming Framework, a universal offer to primary aged children, is part of a package of measures to get people more active, inspired by the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games and the Scotland men’s team playing in the FIFA World Cup finals.
An additional £40 million for sport has been allocated in the 2026-27 Budget, with £2 million for the swimming initiative in its first year, with plans to expand the offer in future years.
Watching pupils from Pirniehill Primary School learning the basics at a pool in Edinburgh, Sport Minister Maree Todd said: “We believe that every child, regardless of their background, should be given the opportunity to learn to swim – a core skill that can save lives.
“There is no better time to offer them that chance than now. We are preparing for a spectacular summer of sport which will see Scotland welcome some of the world’s best swimmers to Glasgow and having elite sportsmen and women competing live on our doorstep is an experience which can only serve to inspire.
“This investment is part of an additional £40 million of funding for sport – enabling more people to get active and enjoy the wide-ranging physical and mental health benefits that will last long after this year’s World Cup and Commonwealth Games have come to a close.”
Swimmer Duncan Scott, who has won eight Olympic medals and 13 Commonwealth medals across three Games, said: “I am delighted to see this Scottish Government commitment and investment in school swimming to keep children safer and more confident in, on and around water.
“As an island nation with so much access to water it’s critical that primary school children have access to basic swimming and water-safety skills.”
Scottish Swimming Chief Executive John Lunn said: “It’s fantastic to see this commitment to school swimming after a long-fought campaign to ensure children have access to basic swimming and water safety skills.
“This is an investment in the future – a future where children are equipped with critical life skills to keep them safer in, on and around water.”
The Scottish Government has allocated an additional £40 million in the 2026-27 Budget for sport.
Ahead of May’s election, Scotland’s sexual and reproductive health leaders are calling on an incoming Scottish Government to put high‑quality, accessible care at the top of its agenda to reduce health inequalities, improve public health and strengthen the country’s economy.
For the first time, The College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (CoSRH), the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), and the British HIV Association (BHIVA) – which collectively represent more than 3,000 sexual and reproductive healthcare professionals across Scotland – have come together to publish Improving Scotland’s Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare: A Joint Manifesto for the Next Scottish Parliament.
While the manifesto acknowledges Scotland’s progress through initiatives like the Women’s Health Plan and the Sexual and Blood‑Borne Virus Action Plan, it also makes clear that the system is under real strain.
Demand for services has risen sharply, including a 50% increase in abortions in less than 10 years, rising rates of sexually transmitted infections and HIV testing numbers surpassing pre‑COVID levels. Yet this surge comes at a time when resources remain limited, and workforce pressures continue to grow. These pressures are creating longer waits, busier services and widening gaps in care.
Without decisive action, these pressures risk deepening existing disparities in health outcomes, particularly for women, young people, minority ethnic communities, and under served populations.
The manifesto urges immediate action from the next Scottish Government on five priority areas to improve SRH, HIV, maternity and abortion care across the country:
1. Integrated sexual & reproductive healthcare;
2. Investment to improve maternity services;
3. Deliver the HIV Transmission Elimination Plan and ensure equitable access to STI and BBV testing and treatment;
4. Reduce gynaecology waits and improve care pathways;
5. Implement the recommendations of the Review of Abortion Law in Scotland Expert Group and guarantee access to abortion care up to 24 weeks for all who need it.
Dr Sinead Cook, Chair of the CoSRH Scotland Committee, said: “Scotland has made real progress in women’s health and sexual health, but far too many people still face long waits, limited access and avoidable barriers to the care they need and deserve.
“Improving access to high‑quality sexual and reproductive healthcare not only benefits patients and service users, it also strengthens Scotland’s economy by reducing time lost to poor health.
“That’s why investment in abortion care, menopause care and sexual and reproductive healthcare more broadly must be a priority for the next Scottish Government.”
Dr Alison Wright, President of the RCOG said: “We very much hope that Scotland’s next political leader will seize the opportunity to build upon the strong foundations already laid through the Women’s Health Plan, the review of Scotland’s maternity services and the recommendations of the Review of Abortion Law in Scotland.
“Maternity staff are working under extreme pressure; caring for increasingly complex pregnancies, whilst facing ongoing workforce and resource shortages that affect the provision of safe, personalised care. At the same time, unacceptably long gynaecology waiting lists, rising demand for abortion care, and inequalities in access to sexual and reproductive health services, present significant challenges.
“Addressing the five priority areas set out in this manifesto will enable the next Government to deliver meaningful change where it is most urgently needed for women. We look forward to working with the next Scottish Government and our colleagues across Women’s Health and Maternity services in Scotland, to turn these ambitions into practical improvements in care.”
Dr Graham Leslie, Chair of the BASHH Scottish Branch, said: ““Sexual health and HIV services play a vital role in Scotland’s public health, yet they are operating in an increasingly challenging environment, exacerbated by workforce pressures and persistent inequities in access and outcomes.
“This manifesto sets out clear recommendations to strengthen prevention, expand access to testing and specialist genitourinary medicine, and deliver the HIV Transmission Elimination Plan. With sustained commitment and prioritisation, political leaders can deliver a legacy of world‑leading sexual health and HIV care for everyone who needs it across Scotland.”
Dr Tristan Barber, Chair of the British HIV Association (BHIVA), said: “BHIVA looks forward to ongoing commitment from the next Scottish Government in delivering success for the HIV Transmission Elimination Plan.
“This means funding and removing barriers to equitable access to prevention, testing, and treatment, making all readily available as a fundamental part of routine healthcare. We must also continue to challenge the persistent stigma that keeps key groups on the fringes of the health system, especially women and those from ethnic minorities.
“For those who acquire HIV, early testing and rapid engagement with treatment and care is crucial to both preventing onward transmission and enabling these individuals to live a long and healthy life.
“The next Scottish Government has an opportunity for Scotland to be the first UK nation to achieve the UNAIDS targets of zero HIV transmissions, zero HIV related stigma, and end late diagnosis and HIV related deaths. Scottish Government in achieving these goals.”
Workplace expert, Acas, commissioned YouGov to ask which changes in the Employment Rights Act 2025 will have the biggest impact on bosses and workers.
New rights on sick pay topped the polls for both, followed by new protections on unfair dismissals. Employers ranked new paternity leave rights as their third biggest while workers opted for the new changes on flexible working.
The valuable insights gained from the results will help Acas target its support for workers and bosses where they need it the most.
Niall Mackenzie, Acas Chief Executive, said: “It is clear from our polls that new worker rights on sick pay and protections from being unfairly dismissed from work are at the forefront in the minds of employers and workers.
“Acas will play a crucial role working with employers, workers and their representatives on the implementation of the Employment Rights Act and updating its advice and training.
“These reforms represent the biggest shake-up to employment law in a generation. Acas remain best placed as independent experts helping everyone at work throughout this period of change.”
The survey results revealed that:
43% of employers said that workers getting sick pay for the first day of illness rather than the fourth day would have the biggest impact on them and 36% of workers also listed it as their biggest impact too.
Workers being protected from unfair dismissal after six months in a job instead of two years was the second most-commonly chosen reform with 31% of employers and 30% of employees selecting this.
For employers, rights for paternity leave from the first day of employment was their third-most important reform (28%), while workers said making it easier to get flexible working arrangements at work (28%) was theirs.
New rules, brought in by the Employment Rights Act, regarding paternity leave and sick pay will come into force on 6th April 2026.
From 6 April, employees will be eligible for paternity leave from the first day of employment. Currently employees must have worked for their employer for 26 weeks before they are eligible.
From 1 January 2027, employees will be protected from unfair dismissal if they have worked for their employer for at least six months. Currently an employee must have two years continuous service to be able to claim unfair dismissal.
A dismissal may be considered unfair by law if there was no fair reason for the dismissal; the reason was not enough to justify dismissing them; or the employer did not follow a fair procedure.
In 2027 new measures will come into force intended to improve access to flexible working.
Flexible working can involve a change to when, where or how someone works. Employers and employees should follow the Acas Code of Practice on flexible working when handling a request.
Acas has an online roadmap of when all the new expected law changes in the Employment Rights Act are likely to come into effect, which includes webinars and training: Employment Rights Act 2025 – Acas
@KingsTrust are hosting an event for 18-30 year olds that are interested in starting their own business speakers, discussions on the issues/obstacles, networking and refreshments
Integration Joint Boards (IJBs), together with their NHS and council partners, must urgently take decisions on where to redesign, reduce or discontinue services.
Funding to Scotland’s 30 IJBs increased by over two per cent in 2024/25 to more than £12 billion. But this was insufficient to meet rising costs and demands, with many IJBs using dwindling reserves to help meet the almost £450 million gap between demand and available funding. This is not sustainable.
Increasing demand, rising costs and a growing number of people with long-term complex needs are placing mounting financial pressures on IJBs. The boards have reached a critical point, with a significant risk they will become financially unsustainable within the next 12 to 24 months.
Alongside savings and using reserves, IJBs have been relying on substantial additional funding from their partners in the NHS and councils. IJBs need to plan their finances more realistically to reduce this reliance, as health boards and councils face their own significant financial pressures.
Malcolm Bell, member of the Accounts Commission said: “The cost of delivering services is rising faster than available funding.
“Tackling this could include difficult decisions about redesigning or reducing services, and whether new or additional charges need to be made. Whatever decisions are made, service users, their families and wider communities must be consulted.
“But without radical change the services delivered by IJBs can’t be sustained. The gap between funding available and the cost of meeting demand is widening, and the gap of nearly £450 million cannot be bridged with savings alone.”
COSLA Health and Social Care spokesperson, Councillor Paul Kelly, commented: “The Accounts Commission report on Integration Joint Board finances for 2024-25 confirms the stark reality our Health and Social Care Partnerships face: that severe financial challenges continue to pose a risk to the sustainability of social care, which threatens the every day lives of our most vulnerable citizens and communities.
“The challenges also threaten the sustainability of our councils, who have continued to prioritise social care, with an additional £163m invested over and above Scottish Government funding in 2024-25. This level of additional funding is unsustainable for partners, but in many cases the only option given the diminishment of reserves held by Partnerships.
“The report makes clear the validity and need for our budget lobbying ask of an immediate investment of £750m in social care. We will continue to press the Scottish Government for this investment to avoid further cuts, reductions and increased charges in future.”
Edinburgh Leisure continues to strengthen access to multi‑sport opportunities for young people across the capital
As the largest provider of sport and physical activity in Edinburgh, Edinburgh Leisure is continuing to invest in inclusive, high‑quality opportunities for young people with the launch of a brand‑new Junior Golf Instruction Programme.
The new programme further enhances Edinburgh Leisure’s extensive junior coaching offer, which already spans a wide range of sports including Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Climbing, Dance, Diving, Football, Gymnastics, Judo, Netball, Swimming, Tennis and Trampolining.
The addition of golf reflects Edinburgh Leisure’s ongoing commitment to ensuring children and young people can access and experience a variety of sports across the city, regardless of background or ability.
Delivered at Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh Leisure’s fast‑growing coaching hub, the Junior Golf Programme will run indoors, making it accessible year‑round and ideal for beginners.
Meadowbank has seen significant demand across multiple junior sports in recent years, and the introduction of golf builds on this momentum, reinforcing the venue’s role as a centre of excellence for youth sport.
Notably, Gymnastics was successfully introduced to Meadowbank in Summer 2025, enabling the programme to expand its capacity and offer even more opportunities for young athletes.
Designed for children aged 7–12, the programme offers a fun, supportive introduction to golf, led by friendly Community Golf Instructors. Two six‑week courses are available:
Golf Minis (Ages 7–9): A playful introduction focusing on confidence, coordination and fundamental movement skills.
Fairway Flyers (Ages 10–12): Helping older children develop technique, coordination and an early understanding of the game.
Sessions began on 23 February, with Golf Minis running on Mondays from 3.30pm–4.30pm, followed by Fairway Flyers from 4.30pm–5.30pm. With February and March courses fully booked, be sure to follow Edinburgh Leisure social channels for upcoming sessions.
Angela McCowan, Sports Development Manager at Edinburgh Leisure, said: “As a city‑wide provider, our focus is on giving young people the chance to try different sports, find what they enjoy and build confidence through movement.
“The introduction of junior golf at Meadowbank strengthens our multi‑sport offer and helps ensure children across Edinburgh can access high‑quality coaching in a welcoming and inclusive environment.”
For those ready to progress beyond indoor sessions, Edinburgh Leisure also provides access to six golf courses across the city, including Craigentinny, Carrick Knowe, Silverknowes, Portobello, Braid Hills, and the Wee Braids, supporting young players to continue their sporting journey close to home.
Through its expanding junior coaching programme, Edinburgh Leisure remains committed to helping young people be active, confident, and connected, using sport as a gateway to lifelong physical activity across communities throughout Edinburgh.
HOLYROOD has approved the 2026-27 Scottish Budget, including a record £22.5 billion for health and social care and enhanced cost of living support.
The Budget Bill sets out funding of almost £68 billion with investment in Scotland’s infrastructure, direct support for household budgets and extra help for families.
The spending plans include:
continued investment in cost of living measures, including free prescriptions, free eye examinations, removal of peak rail fares on Scotrail – and freezing of remaining Scotrail fares
free tuition fees for young Scots, free school meals for thousands of children, including all pupils in P1 to P5, and free bus travel for under-22s and over-60s
an increase in the Scottish Child Payment and, from 2027-28, a premium payment of £40 per week for eligible children under 12 months
an almost £15.7 billion record settlement for local government to support the services communities rely on including social care and education
significant extra funding for universities and colleges, more than £5 billion to tackle the climate emergency and £4.3 billion transport funding
record investment of £926 million for affordable housing supply, record funding for police and fire services and an additional £10 million investment in community justice services
Finance Secretary Shona Robison said: “The Scottish Government’s Budget delivers for the people of Scotland – strengthening our NHS and providing real, practical support with the cost of living.
“It will improve access to healthcare, including funding for a network of 16 walk-in GP clinics open seven days per week, and builds on our game-changing work to eradicate child poverty, with an increase in the Scottish Child Payment.
“This Budget demonstrates our determination to improve lives across Scotland, and our plans mean that 55% of taxpayers can expect to pay less income tax than in the rest of the UK.”
WE CAN THANK THE LIB-DEMS, OF COURSE …
‘The £300m that we have secured in a whole host of areas shows just how serious we are about getting stuff done. With the Scottish Liberal Democrats, you get grown-up, sensible politics.
‘You can get more of that by backing us in May on your second, peach-coloured ballot paper.’
Celebrating the Third Year of the Festival City Stories project
Edinburgh Festivals and BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland celebrate third year of the Festival City Stories project
Showcasing the partnerships of Edinburgh’s Festivals and local community groups with new collaborative artwork from the Edinburgh Sketcher and a Dundee Street hoardings takeover
Edinburgh’s Festivals, BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland and local community groups have come together to celebrate the third year of the Festival City Stories project.
As part of the celebration, new artwork has been unveiled from renowned Edinburgh artist, Mark Kirkham, also known as the Edinburgh Sketcher. Attending events and workshops from across the Festivals’ work with local communities, organisations, charities and schools, he captured their projects through a series of sketches, which were transformed into postcards for the participants to share their own stories and experiences.
These sketches and postcard responses are now presented as a part of an artwork takeover across BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland’s hoardings on Edinburgh’s Dundee Street and Wishaw Terrace from 23 February – 8 March this year.
The artwork takeover was unveiled at the event at Edinburgh Printmakers which also featured stories and performances from people involved in year-round partnerships between some of the festivals and local community groups, schools and organisations.
Project participant Sally and Dance leader Albi Mendoza from Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival – Inclusive Latin Dance project at the Dundee Street hoardings takeover | Credit Iain MacKay
Projects featured include:
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival – Latin Dance Inclusive is a community-based project that introduces young people with disabilities, alongside their parents, carers and families, to the joy of dance in a fun, friendly and inclusive environment.
Edinburgh International Book Festival – Paper Trails is Edinburgh International Book Festival’s multi-year communities project working to tackle literacy inequality and social isolation, in partnership with Edinburgh Libraries and Streetreads.
Noëlle Cobden, Edinburgh International Book Festival – Paper Trails project looks over Edinburgh Sketcher postcards for Festival City Stories at Edinburgh Printmakers | Credit Iain MacKay
EIBF activity so far has included poetry residencies in care homes with the Mobile Library, author talks at Muirhouse Library, an intergenerational storytelling project at Ratho Library and zine-making sessions at Liberton High School Library.
Edinburgh Art Festival – World AIDS Day marked World AIDS Day on 1 December 2025 with a celebration of the ongoing work of Ally Van Tillo: Leith resident, and pioneering activist in the Scottish fight against the AIDS crisis.
People gathered to watch a documentary, participate in a table discussion, and experience a musical performance before congregating outside for a torchlight procession.
Edinburgh International Festival – Welcome to the International Festival was a course tailored for international residents in Edinburgh, inviting group members to explore how experiencing different cultures connect us through workshops. These culminated in an international community meal featuring performances by International Festival performers.
Edinburgh International Children’s Festival – Creative Encounters – Election performance. Part of Imaginate’s landmark project, Creative Encounters,Election by Bishop May Down, commissioned by North Edinburgh Youth Arts Collective, imagined children as bigwig decisionmakers with the power to make real change. Three eleven-year-olds in oversized suits and fake moustaches delivered a political manifesto, offering a child’s perspective on what is valuable in the world.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Generation Fringe, formerly Fringe Young Ambassadors, works with young people from high schools around Edinburgh to explore careers pathways to the arts. The project aims to engage and inspire young people, introducing them to parts of the industry they might not have known existed, and provides opportunities to visit Fringe venues and arts spaces around Edinburgh.
Scottish International Storytelling Festival – BSL Apprenticeship Programme. Hosted by Deaf storyteller Tania Allan, the Festival set up the BSL storytelling workshops at the Blackwood Bar, to provide a welcoming space where the Deaf community can come together to share stories, humour, memories or anything they feel inspired to perform in BSL.
Edinburgh International Film Festival – In Conversation. Edinburgh International Film Festival’sdynamic programme offers audiences the opportunity to engage directly with filmmakers and creative talent, through In Conversation events and post-screening Q&As.
Belinda McElhinney, Chair, Festivals Edinburgh said: “Residents are the lifeblood of our festivals and so it’s great to have this opportunity to highlight the year-round partnerships between the festivals and their local communities, with thanks especially to BuildHollywood Scotland for their support and to the Edinburgh Sketcher who beautifully presents the many festival community projects in his unique creative style.”
Charlotte Black, General Manager, BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland has said: “It’s been a real pleasure to once again champion the many incredible stories behind our city’s leading festivals and their collaborations with our vibrant, creative communities, organisations and schools.
“Through the magic of the Edinburgh Sketcher and handwritten postcards from participants, these stories have been brought to life beautifully. Together, they form a series of rich visuals we’re proud to platform across our posters and billboard sites throughout the city.”
Mark Kirkham, The Edinburgh Sketcher has said: “I am so pleased to work with Festivals Edinburgh and BUILDHOLLYWOOD Scotland to create these sketches that showcase the great community work that many of Edinburgh’s festivals are doing as part of the Festival City Stories project.
“Seeing the work going on behind the scenes in my community and meeting the many people who are coming together to help others and to make lives easier for locals and visitors to the city has been a very positive and hopeful experience.
“I hope these sketches capture some of the energy of these happy occasions and lead to more people taking an interest and finding out more about the events the Edinburgh festivals are running within the city throughout the year.”
Mark Kirkham at the Dundee Street hoardings | Credit Iain MacKay
