We’ll be back on site this weekend and WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Our volunteers are busy clearing, tidying and transforming The Paper Factory.
If filling skips, painting, decorating and building stuff sounds good, get involved!
We’ll be there from 11am every Saturday and Sunday this month.
Details: https://hiddendoorarts.org/volunteer
Great British Bake Off winner, Peter Sawkins, is partnering with Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy to host an intimate ‘cook along’ masterclass event for foodies and baking enthusiasts in the heart of Edinburgh on Saturday 30 May.
The youngest ever winner of The Great British Bake Off, Peter will deliver a live demonstration on how to master the French classic dessert, Croquembouche, at Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy on Queen Street.
The 12 attendees will then cook along with Peter, creating an Almond, Ricotta and Strawberry Celebration Cake, learning professional techniques, tips and insider secrets to create their very own competition-worthy bake.
Rounding off the event, delegates will sit down with Peter for an informal Q&A over a cup of tea or coffee and freshly baked goods, before taking home their finished cake. Taking place from 2pm – 5pm, the three-hour masterclass is suitable for all capabilities and costs just £140.
Commenting on the event, Peter said: “I’m looking forward to being back in the kitchen at Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy and helping local bakers create their own delicious and beautiful bakes.
“Hosting an intimate event like this allows me to really engage with attendees and help them develop their skills and confidence in the kitchen, before we sit down together over a cuppa and cake for a chat.”
Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne, executive chair at Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy, commented:“A great friend of Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy, we’re delighted to be able to offer keen bakers the opportunity to meet with and learn directly from Peter.
“Tackling the famously tricky croquembouche, a staple challenge on the Great British Bake Off, Peter will be demonstrating the skills that won him the competition and helping delegates to pick up some tips and tricks along the way.
“At Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy we have one central mission – to create, connect and elevate the food and drink industry, and events like these are just one of the ways in which we do this.”
Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy (EFDA) relaunched earlier this year, following 17 years as the Edinburgh New Town Cookery School, with a clear mission to create, connect and elevate the food and drink industry.
Based in the centre of Edinburgh, which is regarded as a vibrant food and drink destination, it brings together innovation and experience to deliver a range of professional chef courses and recreational classes and events for home chefs with an interest in mastering the kitchen.
With only 12 spaces available for the event, tickets can be purchased online at www.efda.co.uk.
Five emergency responders in Aberdeen will take part in the Edinburgh Half Marathon later this month to raise money for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA).
Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) staff Saoirse Killian (Paramedic), Katie Ross (Paramedic), Mia Bremner (Paramedic), Lauren Dunridge (Technician) and Sophie Fraser (Technician) will run the 13.1 miles on 24 May.
SCAA operate two helicopters which supplement the two helicopters and two fixed- wing aircraft which are operated by SAS and are government funded.
Mia said: “We have all experienced first-hand the life-saving impact of the charity air ambulance, from providing vital support to ground crews to enabling a rapid response in rural areas and ensuring patients are conveyed to the most appropriate setting for definitive care.”
Criona Knight, SCAA’s Director of Development and Engagement, said: “As a charity, we work in close partnership with the experienced clinical and paramedic teams at the Scottish Ambulance Service, and we see their expertise and dedication every day.
“We are very grateful to Saoirse, Katie, Mia, Lauren and Sophie for their fundraising efforts. We will all be right behind them on Sunday 24 May, supporting them as they take on this challenge. Lives are saved across Scotland every day thanks to the teams at SAS and SCAA.
“Through this effort, they are going even further by helping to raise vital funds. On behalf of the whole team, I would like to say a huge thank you, and we look forward to seeing you at the finish line.”
Calling volunteers! Help us spread the word of the festival by joining us for our big leafletting event
Whether you are already volunteering with the festival or if you want to just come along and help out for the day – everyone is welcome!
We will start with a quick brief together, then separate into smaller groups to cover different areas across the city and finish with a social picnic at the Edinburgh Meadows. Get to know new people and help us share the festival with more of our local community!
*Posters are printed sustainably by Out of the Blueprint in Edinburgh
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/edinburgh-climate…
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has unveiled its newly refreshed Garden View Deck & Bar, in association with Maison Pommery & Associés, offering a relaxed and elevated al fresco escape in the heart of the capital, in time for the summer season.
Located within the John Hope Gateway, the Garden View Deck & Bar will, for the first time, extend its opening hours across the summer months. The Deck & Bar is open from 12PM to 8PM on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 12PM to 4:30PM on Sundays, offering the perfect weekend lunchtime escape with a view.
On Fridays and Saturdays, guests can continue enjoying the space with extended opening hours until 8PM. While the wider Gardens close at 5PM, the Deck remains open, offering panoramic views over the Living Collection in the light summer evenings.
The new evening offering invites guests to experience the Botanics at a different pace, encouraging them to linger longer and unwind in a beautiful garden setting as the sun sets. In collaboration with catering partners Heritage Portfolio, the menu has been designed for informal grazing and sharing, with a focus on seasonality and bold, summery flavours.
Freshly prepared stone baked pizzas include classic combinations such as Margherita with tomato sugo, mozzarella and basil, and pepperoni with nduja and hot honey, as well as a vegan bianca with potato, caramelised onion and vegan mozzarella.
A selection of artisan small plates includes a cheese board for two with Stilton blue, Camembert and Arran smoked cheddar, seasonal pickles and Gordal olives and more. Just like the Gateway Cafe, the menu will be inspired by produce from the Kitchen Garden, infusing fresh, seasonal, and hyper-local ingredients into the menu.
Dr Julia Knights, Regius Keeper at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh said: “Today marks an important moment in an exciting new partnership between Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Maison Pommery, which brings together shared values of excellence, heritage, sustainability and cultural engagement.
“Together we are creating a premium experience that invites our visitors to enjoy nature and celebrate the Garden through a new lens, showcasing both the beauty of the Garden and its important mission to protect Earth’s fragile habitats.”
Sandy Robson, Executive Director of Heritage Portfolio commented: “We are delighted to offer a new space for Edinburgh locals and visitors to enjoy this summer, with a food and beverage offering that champions local produce while reflecting the best of the season in a relaxed, open-air setting for long summer evenings.
“The menu has been designed to be informal and shareable, encouraging guests to graze, try a little of everything and spend time together over food.”
Maison Pommery is highlighted through a selection of its emblematic cuvées, reflecting its expertise and heritage. Each Champagne precisely expresses the House style, combining finesse, freshness, and balance.
Julien Lonneux, CEO of Maison Pommery United Kingdom, adds: “At Maison Pommery, we firmly believe that excellence cannot exist without responsibility. Preserving nature means preserving the very essence of our wines and our heritage.”
The drinks offer also includes a selection of wines, beers and soft drinks chosen to complement relaxed outdoor dining. A dedicated spritz menu brings a playful, botanical focus inspired by summer evenings.
Alongside classic serves like an Aperol Spritz and Hugo Spritz, the bespoke Garden Party collection includes the Strawberry Meadow with strawberry and elderflower, and the Provençal Bloom with lavender and lemon.
The Garden View Deck & Bar operates on a walk in basis, offering a flexible way to visit whether guests are rounding off a day in the Garden or arriving specifically for an evening drink and something to eat. Guests can enjoy the refreshed space on weekends from May 8th.
For more information on the Garden View Deck & Bar, please visit:
Hello to all our amazing Friends and followers and people who support us.
We are celebrating 100 years of Lauriston.
You may have seen all of our facebook events appearing on your timeline.
We still have 126 fantastic events to come this year.
It would help us so much if you were able to like and share all, or even some of our events on your own facebook pages to help us spread the word.
This is a chronological list of all our events:
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES DAY – SATURDAY 16 MAY
OUT OF THE BLUE DRILL HALL
Sign up, and join in the fun at one of the two FREE family-friendly Scottish Ceilidh workshops which are part of the afternoon activities taking place at this year’s Festival of Europe Scotland’s European Communities Day.
Particularly aimed at families with children aged 3-9 years, new Scots and Old Scots can discover and enjoy for the first or 100th time the dances and tap along to the music.
Lead by Caroline from Ceilidhkids each workshop is aimed at families with children aged 3 – 9 years. It’s family dancing, not children’s dancing so children should be accompanied by an adult willing to join in. One adult can dance with two children.
The dance steps are simplified and non-scary. As it is a shoes off dance floor there is a chance for everyone to show off their favourite socks!
Sign up via this link to be assured of a space: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/ceilidhkids-workshop…
Workshop 1: 2pm – 2.55pm
Workshop 2: 3.05pm – 4pm
But there will be first come spaces saved for those who turn up on the day! Please note: a ticket is required for every person attending (both adults and children), so be sure to book a place for each member of your group.
We hope you can join us!
This Ceilidh Workshop is part of European Communities Day, 16 May, Out of the Blue Drill Hall. It is made possible thanks to #NationalLottery players
Find out more about #FestivalofEuropeScotland and European Communities Day here: https://festivalofeuropescotland.org/…/european…/
Credit Photo: Ruth Armstrong Photography
South Queensferry • Dalmeny • Bo’ness
35+ artists and makers
11 venues
Free public arts event
Open studios – Pop‑up exhibitions – Creative workshops* School art competition – Meet artists and makers – Explore local independent businesses
After the huge success of its 2025 inaugural event, the Forth Bridges Creative Trail (FBCT) returns for the last weekend of May — bigger, more inclusive and even more ambitious. We invite you to enjoy a vibrant celebration of art, creativity and community across South Queensferry, Dalmeny and Bo’ness.
This year’s trail features over 35 local artists and makers exhibiting across 11 venues, showcasing work ranging from fine art and ceramics to jewellery, woodwork and a wide variety of contemporary crafts.
The Creative Trail is a free public arts event that shines a spotlight on the incredible talent within our community. Visitors can look forward to:
The 2025 event attracted hundreds of visitors and received overwhelmingly positive feedback from residents, artists and local businesses.
FBCT Chair, Juliet Russell, commented, “We are a small voluntary organising team, who feel passionately about the importance of encouraging creativity within our community.
“In our crazy world, creativity has never been more important! It promotes good mental health and helps people feel connected and inspired by something they can make or see.
“The Forth Bridges Creative Trail has the ability to act as a catalyst in creating a sense of place, which in turn drives the vibrancy of an area. Community‑led, grassroots arts events can transform public spaces and help social connection, local identity and economic vitality.
“We hope more local organisations and businesses will collaborate with us, so we can continue to build pride and a sense of belonging – as well as having creative fun along the way”
Building on a Successful First Year
Last year’s Creative Trail was a huge hit – the artists and makers enjoyed taking part, visitors loved the range of work and the vibe, local residents revelled in the creative talent living around them and local hospitality venues reported increased footfall.
This year, with more artists, more venues and expanded marketing activity, we hope to attract an even bigger and broader audience and make an even bigger splash.
It’s a fun, family‑friendly weekend with a wide range of creative work on show, fantastic local eateries to enjoy, and the stunning backdrop of the Forth and its bridges. Come explore your own creativity at one of the workshops or simply chat with the wonderful artists and makers who help make our community so special.
Help us put the Creative Trail firmly on the map — share our posts, spread the word and join us the last weekend in May. We look forward to welcoming you!
Please note: (*workshops are paid events that require booking)
Thousands of children from England’s most under-served communities are set to benefit from targeted support that will transform their life chances through two pioneering new education programmes.
Mission North East and Mission Coastal will bring expert support into classrooms and new opportunities beyond the school gates for children in the North East, Hastings and Scarborough from this September — communities where too many young people have been held back for too long, with persistently low results.
Announced by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson today, these landmark programmes will transform children’s lives — giving the most disadvantaged children the mentoring, careers support, and enrichment opportunities they need to achieve and thrive.
The data driving these decisions is stark. The North East has the lowest exam results of any region in England at 1.9 points below the national average of 46.0 in Attainment 8. In Hastings, disadvantaged pupils average just 26.0 and in Scarborough around 27.
Across the country, disadvantaged White British pupils are being consistently let down, scoring 30.9 against 48.6 for their better-off peers. That is a generational injustice.
These missions will change that. Expert practitioners will work directly with leaders and teachers, building teacher capacity and raising standards. Schools will work together in local clusters, learning from each other rather than tackling challenges alone.
Beyond the school gates, new partnerships with employers, sports clubs, faith groups and youth organisations will provide vital mentoring, careers support and cultural enrichment — the building blocks of a full childhood.
These programmes build on the success of the London Challenge, which launched in 2003, and proved what is possible when you concentrate expert-led, place-based support in communities that have previously been left behind.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “I grew up in the North East and know the challenges families face. I want every child there, and in coastal communities like Hastings and Scarborough, to have the same opportunities I was lucky enough to have.
“For too long, children living in these areas have grown up without the opportunities that they need and deserve to be able to achieve and thrive.
“That is not a matter of ability. It is a matter of justice. Mission North East and Mission Coastal are our commitment to change that postcode lottery for good.”
Designed with a Test, Learn and Grow approach, these programmes will identify what works quickly and feed those lessons back into national policy – so these missions benefit not just local communities, but similar communities across the country.
Over time, we will look to form a wider alliance of other coastal areas with similar challenges, where children and families can benefit from the approach being taken in Scarborough and Hastings.
The landmark Schools White Paper set out the government’s plans for Mission North East and Mission Coastal as part of our plan to cut the link between background and success and halve the disadvantage gap for this generation, so that every child can achieve and thrive.
This work builds on the passing of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act, which introduced free breakfast clubs to all primary schools and places new limits on branded school uniform costs.
Together, these measures form part of the most ambitious programme of investment in children and childhood England has seen in a generation.
EIFF will run from 13 – 19 August 2026
Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has announced today that Edinburgh-born filmmaker Louis Paxton’s spirited and witty debut film, The Incomer will open its 79th edition, running from 13 – 19 August 2026.
The Focus Features and Universal Pictures International film, stars Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina, The Paper), Gayle Rankin (House of The Dragon, Glow) and Grant O’Rourke (Outlander) with ensemble cast including John Hannah (Sliding Doors, The Last of Us) Michelle Gomez (Green Wing, Doom Patrol) and Emun Elliott (The Gold Sexy Beast).
The Incomer is set on a remote Scottish island and follows siblings Isla (Rankin) and Sandy (O’Rourke) who have lived in peaceful isolation for decades, hunting seabirds, chatting to mythic creatures and defending their isle from dreaded Incomers. Their world is upended with the arrival of Daniel (Gleeson), an awkward council worker, tasked with uprooting them to the mainland.
Written and directed by bold new filmmaking talent Louis Paxton, the film won the NEXT Innovator Award at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
Produced by Bafta winner Shirley O’Connor and Emily Gotto and co-produced by Wendy Griffin, The Incomer has been praised by critics and audiences for its wit, heart and independent spirit.
The film is supported by the BFI (awarding National Lottery funding), Screen Scotland with additional support from musician Moby and Lindsay Hicks’ U.S. production company Little Walnut, Trevor Noah’s Day Zero Productions, UK’s Head Gear Films and Ireland’s Inevitable Pictures.
The Incomer will be released by Universal Pictures International in the UK and Ireland later this year.
EIFF CEO and Festival Director, Paul Ridd has said: “With wit, grace and intelligence, this striking, unpredictable and beautifully acted Scottish debut dazzled, moved and amused us immensely when we first saw it back in January.
“We are thrilled to open this year’s edition with a film which embodies such a stirring and inspiring spirit of creativity, empathy and invention in filmmaking. This is precisely the kind of film that EIFF is all about.”
Film Producers, Shirley O’Connor and Emily Gotto said: “It’s such an honour to open Edinburgh with this film. Shooting in Scotland with this exceptional cast and crew was a genuinely special experience and bringing that work home to a Scottish audience means everything to us.
“Huge thanks to EIFF, and all our partners, including Screen Scotland, who helped get us here.”
Director Louis Paxton said: “Opening the Edinburgh International Film Festival with my debut feature is a dream come true.
“Screening in my beloved hometown, and the festival where I started as a teenage usher, sharing this story with a Scottish audience, is nothing short of mind-blowing. I couldn’t ask for a more meaningful premiere.”
Kezia Williams, Managing Director UK & Ireland, at Universal Pictures International commented: “We’re delighted to see The Incomer open this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival. Louis Paxton has made a wonderfully distinctive film, firmly rooted in Scotland, full of character and heart.
“We’re proud to be bringing it to audiences across the UK and Ireland.”
Isabel Davis, Executive Director of Screen Scotland said: “Louis is bringing it home following The Incomer’s triumph at Sundance earlier this year.
“It marks an extraordinarily assured debut feature. This singular story of a remote community on Scotland’s Far North coast feels truly distinctive, something that could only have come from here.”
Mia Bays, Director of the BFI Filmmaking Fund, said: “Opening the 2026 Edinburgh Film Festival with The Incomer means a great deal to us.
“It’s a terrific film made by Louis, Emily, Shirley and team that looks at Scottish island life, sibling relationships and the quiet forms of loneliness that shape people — but it does so with such generosity and bright humour.
“Watching Daniel (Domhnall Gleeson) reassess the world he’s taken for granted when he meets Isla and Sandy (the peerless Gayle Rankin and Grant O’Rourke) is both moving and gloriously funny.
“We are grateful to Paul Ridd and team for centring such bold, character driven storytelling and cannot wait to experience the response to it from a homegrown and internationally blended crowd.”
EIFF’s invigorated vision under leadership from CEO and Festival Director Paul Ridd and Festival Producer Emma Boa continues to accelerate the discovery of new film talent and engage with audiences, industry members and local, national and international media.
More information will be released on the shape of the 2026 Festival, venues and key strategic partners in the coming months.
EIFF 2026 is supported by Screen Scotland.
The EIFF team continues to create a world-class showcase for independent film and filmmaking talent.
The Festival is supported by a Board chaired by Andrew Macdonald of DNA Films, producer of the iconic Edinburgh-based film Trainspotting, including Vice Chair Amy Jackson, producer of BAFTA award-winning indie, Aftersun; Peter Rice, former Chairman of General Entertainment at Disney and President of 21st Century Fox; Teresa Moneo, producer and former Director of UK Film, Netflix; Isla Macgillivray, Partner at Saffery; and gaming executive Romana Ramzan.
