The Hailes Quarry Park course was officially opened this week by the Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Margaret Graham.
Disc golf is played in a similar way to traditional golf, but instead of clubs and balls, players throw a flying disc towards a fixed metal basket. Each hole begins at a designated tee area, with players continuing from where their previous throw lands until they reach the target.
With more than 12,000 courses worldwide, disc golf is one of the fastest-growing sports globally. Despite its popularity, the nearest course to Edinburgh was located in Dunbar and required an entry fee.
The new course is free to use and open to everyone, offering a great opportunity for individuals, families, and groups to get outdoors and try something new.
Supported by the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA), it has been developed and will be maintained by the newly established Edinburgh Disc Golf Community (EDGC), helping to grow the sport locally.
Culture and Communities Convener Margaret Graham said: “It’s fantastic to see more opportunities like this being introduced at Hailes Quarry Park. Having activities that are free and open to all makes a real difference, and I hope it encourages people of all ages to come along and give disc golf a go.
“I had such a great time having a shot on the course during the launch and I’m sure this will be a valuable addition for the community.
“Supporting people to be more active is a key priority, and initiatives like this play an important role in making that happen.”
Edinburgh Disc Golf Community member, Peter Dawson, said: “It is brilliant to finally be opening Edinburgh’s first disc golf course!
“The Scottish Open was first held on the Isle of Mull in 1992 and since then disc golf courses have been popping up all around Scotland so it’s brilliant to finally be opening Edinburgh’s first course!
“The Edinburgh Disc Golf Community formed in 2023 to bring disc golf to the city so it’s very exciting to see all our plans become a reality. Hailes Quarry Park is the perfect location, and we are incredibly grateful to the local community for their warm welcome to ‘The Quarry’.
“We can’t wait to share this fast growing, free to play, inclusive sport and welcome them into the community – if you can throw a frisbee you can play Disc Golf!”
Sophie Steenberg, founder of Steenbergs, makes a range of organic loose leaf teas at their Yorkshire factory, comments:
What should you look for when tasting a tea? What flavour notes should it have?
When tasting a tea look for freshness, no overpowering bitterness. Different teas suit different moods and different times of days, so floral lighter teas work well in the afternoon. Experiment and try out different teas and mix it up to find flavours you enjoy.
What is the difference between English breakfast and everyday tea?
English Breakfast is a blend, generally a “house blend”. We blend ours to our own recipe at the Steenbergs tea factory in North Yorkshire. It is traditionally a balanced medium strength tea with lots of different flavour notes combining. Everyday tea tends to be a cheaper less complex tea, often just one tea, that is about strength of tea not flavour notes.
What’s the biggest mistake people make when brewing tea?
There are a few big mistakes that people tend to make:
Not using fresh water when brewing – old water in the kettle gives that dishwater taste and doesn’t wake up the leaves to release the flavour. Tea needs the oxygen in freshly boiled water.
Making it with the wrong temperature water – too cold for black tea and too hot for green or white teas. Aim for 90–98°C for black tea and around 80°C for green tea.
Too short a brewing time – let loose leaf tea steep for around 3-5 minutes for black tea and 2-3 minutes for green and white teas.
Generally, I would advise people to choose a good quality loose leaf tea for a better tasting brew.
Is it bad to reheat tea or leave it sitting too long?
Yes, water should be fresh and if tea is brewed too long it becomes bitter.
Can tea support sleep, focus, or digestion – and which types are best?
Infusions and teas can help but there’s no magic cure. For better sleep, it’s about helping you get into the right mental framework. Slow yourself down, pause and take stock. Teas that can help to calm the mind and body for sleep include camomile or those with valerian in them.
If you’re looking to sharpen your focus, choose tea that contains caffeine, milk free green teas are great (don’t over brew these as they will get bitter and you don’t need a lot of leaf for the brew). Improve digestion with fennel, anise seed and mint teas.
What teas are best to drink in the morning vs evening?
Black teas are best drunk in the morning, and green or white teas in the evening. I drink only herbal teas after 5pm.
What ingredients should you look for in functional or wellness teas?
Simple mixes are best, nothing too complex and “no added ingredients” as they are usually not in large enough percentages to give the supposed impact.
Police Scotland’s national roll out of body worn video to frontline officers concludes today (Tuesday 21 April), with officers on duty with the cameras in Renfrewshire & Inverclyde (K Division) and Argyll and West Dunbartonshire (L Division).
Around 900 officers including road policing officers, dog handlers and custody staff, will be provided with devices over the coming weeks.
The equipment can help to de-escalate incidents, improve public trust in policing and reduce complaints, as well as support officer and staff safety, and bring wider benefits to the criminal justice system.
Since its introduction in March 2025, over 864,000 recordings have been captured by the devices with almost 174,000 hours of footage uploaded of which over 55,000 media files have been exported to our digital evidence sharing system, DESC.
Since taking command in October 2023, Chief Constable Jo Farrell has prioritised the introduction of body worn video.
Chief Superintendent Conrad Trickett said: “The national roll out of body worn video cameras to our frontline officers is a key priority for us and is one of the ways that we can work towards our vision of safer communities and less crime.
“The cameras and technology will improve the quality of evidence presented in court to deliver faster justice for victims by increasing early guilty pleas and reduce the time spent at court for victims, witnesses and police officers.
“Body worn video can significantly enhance public confidence and support officer and public safety by providing effective and transparent evidence of police and public interactions.
“There is strong public and partner support for body worn video and we will continue to explain our use of this important technology including assurance around data privacy and human rights considerations.”
Every frontline uniformed police officer, including Special Constables, will be expected to wear a video camera on their uniform while on duty and to activate it when using police powers – including stop and search, an arrest of a suspect or executing a search warrant.
Police staff in custody suites will also use cameras when interacting with people in custody.
The footage may be used as evidence, but it will not replace existing procedures and requirements when gathering all available information. It will remain a matter for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) to review and determine competence on a case-by-case basis.
Video footage will be uploaded to secure police systems and the evidence will be shared with the COPFS using the new Digital Evidence Sharing Capability (DESC) system.
The introduction of body worn video is not intended to encourage the greater use of single police officer deployments or alter current deployment model.
We need your help to shape the future of the Community Grant Fund – you have until 4th May to have your say.
You may be aware that the Community Empowerment and Engagement Team are in the process of making changes to the Community Grants Fund (CGF).
This began with an evaluation of the current funding model in 2024, then in 2025 we worked with CGF volunteers, applicants and grant experts to develop three options for a refreshed funding model for the CGF.
As we enter the next phase of the process, we’d like your views on which funding model option meets the following aims:
reduces barriers to accessing the fund
creates opportunities for wider community participation in decision-making
improves the efficiency of the fund
Your feedback will directly influence how the fund operates, making it more accessible and impactful for communities across Edinburgh. The survey takes just a few minutes to complete:
Please also share the link to complete the survey with anyone who lives or works in Edinburgh, who might benefit from the community grant fund.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team. Thank you for helping us create a stronger, more inclusive community grants process.
Best wishes,
The Community Empowerment and Engagement Team
Community Empowerment & Engagement Officer | Community Empowerment & Engagement Team | Culture and Wellbeing | Place | The City of Edinburgh Council | Waverley Court 1.7 | 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8BG | Tel 0131 200 4088 | Mob 07718569916 | www.edinburgh.gov.uk
Hidden Door returns to The Paper Factory in June for another ambitious and unique multi artform experience marking “The Last Shift” for the iconic building.
From Wednesday 3rd – Sunday 7th June, the festival brings together the talents of over 100 creatives to offer live music, immersive art installations, dance performances, poetry and spoken word, unique collaborations and much more.
The festival will explore how spaces and objects hold memory, and how fragments of everyday activity become preserved, misremembered or reimagined over time.
Audiences will navigate deep into the site as the programme unfolds around them. Unique experiences will be shaped through individual routes, encounters and personal perspectives. No single path will reveal the whole truth as the building and performances shift around you.
Tickets are on sale now – read on for more about what to expect ….
Music
Each night of the festival offers a diverse roster of musical acts, kicking off on Wednesday with enigmatic electro-pop sensation BIG WETT and experimental artist ICHI taking the concept of a one-man band to new limits with his quirky handmade instrument inventions.
Thursday brings punk duo Cowboy Hunters along with a mystery headliner to be revealed soon, whilst Friday presents local dream pop duo Sarah/Shaun, electronic genre hopper Makeness and Norwegian singer-songwriter, producer and novelist Jenny Hval before feminist DJ collective EPiKA get the party started in the club space.
On Saturday Skye natives Valtos present their acclaimed High Water Mark show, fusing traditional Gaelic folk with club-ready electronic music. Later that night in the club space, Fred Deakin, the legend behind Lemon Jelly, will take to the decks to play us out. Then on Sunday, the last shift welcomes the endless energy of Tinderbox Orchestra, harpist Dara Dubh and the hypnotic orchestral pop of Lauren Auder.
We’ve got more musical surprises to be revealed in the coming weeks, including the ten bands selected from over 300 applications to our open call, in partnership with Creative Edinburgh and the National Centre for Music.
Visual Art
Once again, the festival’s visual art programme will make the most of its unique setting, inviting audiences to explore and discover every corner of The Paper Factory. Discover a range of work including large sculptural installations, wall-based work, projection and textiles, all curated amongst the defunct machinery and industrial spaces.
The visual artists confirmed so far include Chema Rodriguez Alcantara, Ellie Harrison, Emma Macleod, Tiphereth, Fraser MacBeath, Iris Ollier, Jamie McNeill, Jo Fleming Smith, Lilian Ptacek, Michele Marcoux, Nathan Smith, Oana Stanciu, Pandora Vaughan, Ray Downie, Rosie Aspinall Priest, Silas Thomas Parry, Stuart Stafford, Tess Glen and Holly Booth.
Poetry and Spoken Word
Thought provoking, personal, funny and moving – this year’s programme brings the power of spoken word back into a building that has fallen silent; the factory’s atmospheric chambers echoing with the voices of raw human expression.
Over the five nights, our spoken word programme will feature Iona Lee, Josh Cake, Emily Grace Briggs, RJ Hunter and Sean Wai Keung.
Dance
Once again, the Paper Factory will play host to cutting-edge dance performances, popping up around the cavernous industrial spaces.
Look out for experimental multidisciplinary artist and choreographer Ellen Crofton seeking rhythms in chaos and repetition, plus award-winning duo PCK Dance, celebrated for pushing the boundaries of contemporary dance. Elsewhere, Lothian Youth Dance Company present Flies, reimagining the classic Lord of the Flies through a raw and physical dance language, with choreography by Tough Boys Dance Collective.
Creative Collaborations
Threading throughout the 2026 programme are four newly commissioned interdisciplinary collaborations, waiting to be encountered by visitors as they explore The Paper Factory.
Artists, musicians, dancers and performers have joined forces to create something unique for this year’s former factory space. Between them they tell the Paper Factory’s story – both real and imagined – through its past, present and future.
Ghosts in the Machines is a physical theatre and roaming performance art piece featuring animal-like ghost figures emerges from the fragments and residues of the site itself. Awoken by last year’s festival, the Ghosts will return but not all is the same. They now move across the site, searching for clues, performing rituals and searching the factory for their missing pigeon companion.
Everyone Left is a live, site-responsive performance; immersive encounter between dance, architecture and moving image. Dancers navigate the industrial environment and the traces left behind when bodies disappear. The work also draws on the after-hours life of such spaces, shaped by decades of unofficial gatherings and temporary use, where activity continues beyond their original function.
The Last Worker at the Paper Factory: A Musical Tour of 7 Visual Artworks. Poet and performer Josh Cake had conversations with seven Hidden Door visual artists about the processes behind their work to be featured at the festival. Cake turned these conversations into a musical story about the work and their creators, told through song.
The Machine Stops is a celebration of factory life told as a mini symphony of words, pictures and noise across five short acts, featuring DIY film footage, archive photographs, recordings of former factory workers and bespoke live and recorded sound.
These four works form key routes through the building, shaping distinct ways for audiences to encounter the festival. Alongside these works will be a wider set of collaborative projects creating additional pathways, connections and ways of navigating the space. Expect everything from visual art pieces, community-led projects, layered sonic installations and live drumming – we’ll be sharing more on these projects very soon.
This year’s festival also welcomes back Tinderbox’s Room to Play bringing interactive experiences through sound, art and performance with their customary playful spirit.
Hazel Johnson, Director of Hidden Door, said: “We are excited to invite audiences to the Paper Factory’s “Final Shift” to witness the last, most vibrant chapter of this incredible site’s history.
“By bringing together sound, movement, performance and visual art, we are transforming these now silent warehouses into a living, breathing, shifting entity.
“It is a celebration of collaboration and the incredible artistic talent we have here in Scotland; this year’s programme has created the environment for our team to explore the story of a truly unique space. The result is going to be something entirely unrepeatable and spectacular.”
Hidden Door 2026 is possible thanks to vital support from Creative Scotland’s Multi-Year Fund, a major funding commitment that secures the future of the festival through to 2027 and enables our volunteer-run charity to embark on ambitious planning for 2026.
We look forward to welcoming you back to the Paper Factory this June!
SP Energy Networks has joined forces with conservation charity Buglife to transform Scotland’s Central Belt into a thriving, connected network of wildflower-rich habitats and nesting sites, providing a vital lifeline for bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects.
Through the Pollinator B-Lines project, SP Energy Networks and Buglife will repurpose unused land at several electrical substations including Busby, Leven, Livingston East and Drumcross, turning them from barren grass patches into wildlife havens.
Using a mix of wildflower seed sowing, plug planting and the installation of bee posts for nesting, the sites will be transformed into nectar-rich grasslands and sheltered breeding areas. Together, these spaces will act as “stepping-stone” habitats, helping insects move across the landscape and creating connected green corridors for species to move, feed and thrive.
SP Energy Networks,Buglife and Tom Angel Studio – an environmental subcontractor completing landscaping works as part of the project – were buzzing with excitement as they installed bee posts in Busby, providing essential nesting habitats to protect and nurture solitary bees and wasps, which are among the world’s most important insects.
As part of the wider habitat works at the site, 150 metres of mixed native hedgerow have been planted, alongside plans to sow wildflowers into the existing grassland to encourage more insects into the area. The bespoke bee posts were designed by Tom Angel of Tom Angel Studio and made by a local Glasgow carpenter from untreated Scottish Larch.
Kelly Murray, Conservation Officer – Pollinators B-Lines at Buglife Scotland said: “Many of Scotland’s bees, butterflies and hoverflies are struggling in today’s modern landscapes. Creating safe, connected spaces for them to feed and nest is essential.
“By working with SP Energy Networks, we’re transforming unused land into a network of wildflower-rich habitats that reconnects the Central Belt. It’s a simple idea, but one that can make a meaningful difference, support wildlife recovery and help nature thrive again.”
To ensure the project delivers benefits well beyond the initial planting, the partners are developing long-term management plans for each site. These plans will support the successful establishment of the habitats and ensure they continue to benefit wildlife and local communities for years to come.
Tayler Henderson, Sustainability Specialist at SP Energy Networks said: “Partnering with Buglife has allowed us to breathe new life into the land around our substations, creating new wildflower habitats across the Central Belt.
“By investing in habitat creation and a long-term commitment to managing these sites, we’re helping to build a more resilient environment for wildlife across the region while we build the network needed for a cleaner and greener future.
“At SP Energy Networks, we’re committed to minimising our impact on nature and improving our understanding of how our network interacts with the surrounding environment to deliver ‘nature-positive’ outcomes. Our partnership with Buglife is a brilliant example of that in action – in fact, you could say it’s the bees’ knees!”
Around 240 of the UK’s 270 bee species are solitary, living independently rather than in colonies and producing no honey. These insects nest individually, often in dead plant stems, small holes in wood or the ground, and play a vital role in pollination. By installing specially designed bee posts and creating nectar-rich habitats, the project provides the food and shelter these essential pollinators need to thrive.
The initiative forms part of Buglife’s wider B-Lines programme, a UK-wide network of insect pathways linking towns and countryside through wildflower corridors. By reconnecting habitats, the programme aims to restore at least 150,000 hectares of flower-rich land across the UK, helping wildlife access food and shelter while being able to move more freely.
The project is part of SP Energy Networks’ Action Plan for Nature, a commitment to halt and reverse biodiversity loss through targeted habitat creation and restoration.
By delivering projects like Pollinator B-Lines, SP Energy Networks ensures that investment in its network not only keeps homes and businesses powered but also protects Scotland’s natural environment and benefits local communities.
Families across the country will be better protected from energy crises, as government moves to break link between gas and electricity prices
Families across the country will be better protected from energy crises, as government moves to break link between gas and electricity prices
New plans include long‑term fixed‑price contracts for renewables, protecting families when gas prices spike
Immediate action to tax excess profits through the Electricity Generator Levy by raising the rate from 45% to 55%, ensuring an increased proportion of the extraordinary revenue generated when the gas price spikes is available to government to support businesses and households with the cost-of-living
Comes as government doubles down on drive for clean, homegrown power with raft of measures to unlock public land, speed up planning and cut bills for families
Plans to better protect families and businesses by ending the unfair way international gas prices push up electricity prices across Great Britain take a major step forward today.
Instability in the Middle East has shown that Britain’s reliance on international fossil fuel markets leaves families and businesses exposed to volatile gas prices, driving the cost-of-living crisis even though much of the country’s electricity comes from cheaper renewables and nuclear.
When wars, geopolitical tensions or supply shocks abroad push up global gas prices, electricity bills rise with them, exposing families to crises they have no control over.
Over time, this problem is easing as new clean energy projects are built on fixed price contracts that protect consumers from gas price volatility. But a significant share of renewable generation – about 30% of Britain’s power supply – is still exposed to wholesale prices set by gas, leaving families vulnerable when international prices rise.
Therefore, to shield families from future crises, today the government is setting out new measures to ‘break the link’, reducing the impact that volatile gas prices have on the price of electricity. This will be done by:
Voluntary long term fixed contracts: offered to existing low-carbon generators not on fixed‑price contracts – covering around a third of Britain’s power supply. This will help protect families and businesses from higher bills when gas prices spike, with contracts offered only where they deliver clear value for money for consumers
An updated Electricity Generators Levy: immediate action to tax excess profits through the Electricity Generator Levy by raising the rate from 45% to 55%, ensuring an increased proportion of the extraordinary revenues generated when the gas price spikes is available to government to support businesses and households with the impacts of the conflict in the Middle East on the cost of living
Measures announced today will further reduce the share of electricity exposed to gas price shocks and provide generators the economic incentive to move on to fixed contracts not linked to volatile gas. The government is monitoring the impact of the current crisis on energy bills and will be ready to step in to provide targeted support where necessary.
Britain has already moved from gas setting the price of electricity around 90% of the time in the early 2020s, to around 60% today. Through the government’s clean energy mission, it is estimated gas will set the wholesale price around half of the time by 2030.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “We need to get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster – this will make energy bills more stable and take the pressure off family budgets.
“When global gas prices spike, people here shouldn’t be picking up the tab.
“Our focus is simple: easing pressure on household budgets now, while building a homegrown energy system that protects families from global instability in the years ahead.”
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “As we face the second fossil fuel shock in less than 5 years, the lesson for our country is clear: The era of fossil fuel security is over, and the era of clean energy security must come of age.
“That’s why we’re doubling down on clean power, to give our country energy security and bring down bills for good.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “Hardworking British families and businesses should not bear the brunt of global gas price shocks while electricity generators are making exceptional profits.
“Alongside moving generators onto the competitive pricing assured through wholesale Contracts for Difference, increasing the EGL to 55% will help to break the link between high gas prices and high electricity prices – offering households and businesses stronger protection against future energy shocks.”
Further measures
Speaking today at the Good Growth Foundation, the Energy Secretary set out further measures to help cut bills for families and deliver more clean, homegrown power:
Bigger grants for households on heating oil and LPG
The crisis in the Middle East has impacted those on heating oil and LPG the hardest. The government is today announcing an increase to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) grant for properties heated by oil and LPG, taking the total grant to £9,000. This will help those households and small businesses in England and Wales most impacted by rising energy prices, particularly in rural areas, to electrify their heating and provide greater certainty over energy bills.
Further details on Transitional Energy Certificates
Today in advance of legislation, we are publishing further details on Transitional Energy Certificates to provide greater certainty and clarity for industry looking to invest in already-explored areas near existing licensed fields, supporting a fair and managed transition.
Faster upgrades for social housing
The government is already investing £1.2 billion to upgrade 100,000 social homes over the next 2 years. To accelerate further, the government is today providing an additional £100 million of funding for the Social Housing Fund, subject to final approvals, to support the delivery of up to a total of 57,000 solar installations for households this financial year. Through the Social Housing Fund and social housing regulations in the ‘Warm Homes Plan’, this will help households cut bills by hundreds of pounds and support up to a million homes reach EPC C.
Solar panels for schools and colleges
Building on the success of Great British Energy’s solar scheme, the government is backing the company to extend support for more rooftop solar installations on a further 100 schools and colleges this year. Up to £40 million of government investment, subject to final approvals, Great British Energy will deliver new rooftop solar and renewable schemes – helping the public sector cut energy costs and reinvest savings.
Public land
Driving forward plans to massively expand renewables across the Public Estate – including using brownfield land, industrial sites and railway sites to host solar panels and wind turbines. This could unlock up to 10 GW of capacity, even using only a fraction of government land, powering the equivalent of around 5 million homes.
Planning and land rules
Streamlining outdated rules to unblock the grid and speed up clean, homegrown power, through the biggest overhaul of planning, land access and grid connection processes since the start of the government’s clean energy mission — cutting delays for essential grid upgrades and renewables, and exploring new routes for developers to build and connect their projects faster.
EVs, heat pumps and solar
Plans to make it easier for people to switch to cheaper electric transport and heating, by making EV chargers, solar panels and heat pumps easier to install for renters, flat-dwellers and households without a driveway.
The government is exploring ways to ensure that low-income households can benefit from plug-in solar through our ‘Warm Homes Plan’ this year, and have earmarked up to £25 million with a view to piloting support for plug-in panels in partnership with local authorities and mayors: our vision is a street by street approach where tens of thousands of low-cost solar panels are delivered to those most in need.
Reformed National Pricing
Households and businesses will benefit from a cheaper, more efficient energy system through a new Reformed National Pricing Delivery Plan. The delivery plan shows how smarter planning and faster delivery of electricity infrastructure could unlock up to £20 billion in benefits between 2030 and 2050.
Announcement coincides with the centenary of her birth
Permanent memorial in central London to include statues of Queen Elizabeth in Garter robes and Prince Philip, The late Duke of Edinburgh, in Naval uniform.
A new charity, The Queen Elizabeth Trust, and a Digital Memorial are also launched today.
Prime Minister says that Elizabeth II devoted her life to public service during her extraordinary reign.
The recommendations made by the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee have been announced today [21 April], including the masterplan for a permanent memorial in St James’s Park, London, a new charitable trust for regenerating community assets across the United Kingdom, and an online Digital Memorial to allow people to submit their own memories of the late Queen.
Today [21 April] Their Majesties The King and Queen, other Members of the Royal Family and the Prime Minister will view the designs and other elements of the memorial at an event at the British Museum in London, to coincide with the hundredth anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “As our longest‑serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II devoted her life to public service. The nation will commemorate her extraordinary reign with a memorial that offers a place of reflection for generations to come.“
The permanent memorial park, designed by Foster + Partners in collaboration with Michel Desvigne Paysagiste, commemorates Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her lifelong commitment to public service.
It features a new standing statue of Queen Elizabeth overlooking The Mall at Marlborough Gate, close to Buckingham Palace. The statue, to be sculpted in bronze by acclaimed sculptor Martin Jennings, will show Her Majesty in an early stage of her reign dressed in the robes of the Order of the Garter, using the famous painting by Pietro Annigoni as an inspiration.
Mr Jennings will also sculpt a nearby statue of Prince Philip, the longest-serving consort, at a similar age wearing a uniform of Admiral-of-the-Fleet. His statue will be located close to Queen Elizabeth’s, in recognition of the support he gave her during her 70-year reign. The appearance of both statues will be further refined during the sculpting process.
The permanent memorial will also feature: a new cast-glass bridge inspired by Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara, which was worn by Queen Elizabeth on her wedding day; a bust of Her Majesty in her later years by sculptor Karen Newman; and The Commonwealth Wind Sculpture, a new abstract work by Yinka Shonibare.
The design also includes gardens dedicated to the Commonwealth and to the nations of the United Kingdom, creating spaces for relaxation and reflection. The memorial has been developed in consultation with the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee following a design competition held last year.
A new UK-wide independent charity, The Queen Elizabeth Trust, has also been established on the occasion of the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth to honour her lifelong commitment to public service. His Majesty The King has accepted the Royal Patronage of the Trust, which will bring the late Queen’s values to life for present and future generations.
Inspired by the words “everyone is our neighbour”, shared by Queen Elizabeth in a speech to mark her twenty-first birthday, the Trust will work hand in hand with communities, providing funding and targeted support to restore and sustain spaces that will thrive long into the future. The Trust’s Chair is Sir Damon Buffini, who currently serves as Chair of the Royal National Theatre and Deputy Chair of the BBC Board.
The Trust will support places at the heart of local life such as community centres and green spaces. To ensure the Trust can have the widest positive impact, the Government is providing a one-off £40 million endowment. This provides the initial funding needed to support local projects of public value and will act as a catalyst for future fundraising.
Today also marks the launch of The Queen Elizabeth Digital Memorial, which will digitise Court Circular records and bring them to life online alongside materials from museums, archives and the media to create a record of Elizabeth II’s public life.
It will map the key events from her reign and allow people from across the world to contribute their own memories and images of Her late Majesty to this historic record.
The Memorial Committee is keen for everyone to submit their memories of Elizabeth II and tag them to events and locations on the site. Notable public figures have already provided memories, including Tom Daley, Dame Tracey Emin, Baroness Valerie Amos, and others.
Models of the permanent memorial and details of the Queen Elizabeth Trust and the Digital Memorial will also be displayed at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, the Millennium Centre in Cardiff and Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland on 24 April to allow people from across the UK to view the details.
Chair of the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee Lord Janvrin said:“Queen Elizabeth was admired around the world for her quiet leadership through times of great change – driven by her common sense, optimism and strong sense of duty. Our task has been to recommend a memorial capturing her role, her personality and what she meant to so many of us – whilst being of public benefit which was so important to her.
“We hope the physical Memorial will enhance a most beautiful space in the heart of our capital for people to meet, relax and reflect, whilst the new Queen Elizabeth Trust aims to benefit local communities in every part of the United Kingdom.
“The Digital Memorial will allow people across the country, the Commonwealth and beyond to share their memories of the late Queen to build a living archive of her reign for future generations.”
Founder and Executive Chairman of Foster + Partners Lord Foster said: “The Queen’s reign encompassed periods of significant change – socially and technologically – which she negotiated with incredible composure and stability.
“The memorial reaches across all ages and interests – and communicates the common values that Her Majesty promoted. With a serene and contemplative atmosphere, there will be opportunities to rediscover – or perhaps for some to discover – the legacy of Her Majesty.”
Interim Chief Executive of the Queen Elizabeth Trust Claire Whitaker CBE said: “I am delighted to be part of the Queen Elizabeth Trust, a charity which aims to make a lasting difference in communities across the UK.
“Its focus on working hand in hand with people to renew and sustain shared spaces reflects what we’ve heard from local groups across the four nations: that these places work best when they are shaped by and for the communities they serve.
” I am looking forward to seeing this work come to life over the coming months, and to supporting inclusive, revitalised spaces which bring people together for years to come.”
In addition to this Memorial for the whole United Kingdom, the UK Government has allocated funding for memorial projects in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee was established in 2023 to develop plans for the memorial. It has consulted experts in arts, history and heritage and other stakeholders from across the United Kingdom. His Majesty The King has been sighted throughout the process and the Committee’s proposals were approved by the Prime Minister in April 2026.
Get ready for big colours, big noise and big North Edinburgh spirit. Whether you’re marching, cheering or just soaking up the atmosphere, come join the fun and show what this community is made of. Let’s make it unforgettable.
If you want to be part of the parade, wear costumes, sing, dance, or just walk the route, contact stephnecf@gmail.com
COMMUNITY PARADE ALERT 