We’ve seen an increase in bicycles being used on pavements and being ridden in an erratic or unsafe manner. Please remember:
EDINBURGH ACADEMICALS, RAEBURN PLACE
THURSDAY 15 OCTOBER 11am – 2pm
BT DIGITAL VOICE EVENT – 15 OCTOBER
Wondering what the BT Digital Voice switchover means for you?
Neighbourhood Watch Scotland is hosting a local drop‑in session at The Place at Edinburgh Academical Football Club, 124C Raeburn Place, offering free, friendly advice to help you understand what’s changing, explore your options, and get support with any concerns you may have.
Thursday 15 October 2026
11:00am – 2:00pm
The Place at Edinburgh Academical Football Club, 124C Raeburn Place, Edinburgh EH4 1HG
No appointment needed
Local, community‑focused event
Practical advice and signposting
If you are unsure whether the Digital Voice switchover could affect you, or would simply like more information, please feel free to drop in we would be very happy to help.
Everyone is welcome. For more information on the BT Digital Voice Programme, please go to https://s-url.co/EDo1AA
LITTER PICK – 30th OCTOBER from 2pm
We would like to invite all the local residents for our final BEACH CLEANING event in 2026 at Wardie Bay on Friday 30th October. We are very grateful to R2 for their ongoing support in organising our litter picking events.
Do remember that we also have some litter picking equipment at Granton Parish Church we are happy to loan to local community groups.
Any questions-email: anna@grantongoesgreener.org.uk
Autistic adults are to benefit from more than £600,000 of new funding to improve access to advice, support and assessment, including support while waiting for assessment.
The funding will ensure more people can access help at the right time, in the right place, based on their individual needs.
It is part of wider work by the Scottish Government to improve neurodevelopmental support for adults and children and comes ahead of the publication of a draft route map for adult neurodevelopmental support in the autumn.
The route map will set out a four-tier approach, based on recommendations from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, comprising public health, universal, targeted and intensive support based on individual need.
Mental Wellbeing Minister Maree Todd, said: “I know that too many neurodivergent people, including those with autism, are waiting too long for the support they need.
“This funding will help improve people’s access to support based on their individual needs, and supports our aim for people to be able to access support as soon as needs are identified regardless of diagnostic status.
“Specialist secondary services have been overwhelmed in recent years with increased demand for assessments and support.
“Tackling that is key so we can ensure neurodivergent people, and people with learning disabilities are understood, supported, and empowered.”
Scottish Government action to improve outcomes for people with learning disabilities, autistic people and neurodivergent people includes:
Almost three-quarters of Edinburgh residents (73.5%) have had to use their savings over the past 12 months to cover everyday outgoings as they contend with the cost-of-living crisis.
New data from Scottish Building Society’s Savings Barometer 2026 reveals that 74.7% of people in Edinburgh believe the economic climate has negatively affected their finances over the past year.
Launched in 2025, Scottish Building Society’s Savings Barometer tracks savings habits across Scotland. This year’s findings come as rising prices continue to put pressure on household finances, with annual inflation reaching 3.1%.
For many Edinburgh residents, economic pressures have forced a change of plan with their finances, with more than seven in ten stating they had scaled their financial goal back, extended the time to reach it, or put it on hold altogether.
Nearly three-quarters (73.5%) of those in Edinburgh said they were concerned about their ability to save at all throughout 2026.
Of those able to save, a holiday was the most common savings goal, cited by 33.3% of respondents, compared with 17.5% saving for a new car and 17.1% for a new home.
Their responses mirror the national outlook. Nearly three in four Scots saw their finances negatively affected by the current economic climate, and 65.5% had used their savings to pay for day-to-day outgoings.
Across the different generations, 71.7% of millennials, 67.8% of Gen Z, 64.0% of Gen X and 60.7% of baby boomers said they have had to dip into their savings in the past year.
Paul Denton, CEO at Scottish Building Society, said: “This research is a stark reminder of the pressure Edinburgh households are under. When almost three-quarters have had to draw on their savings over the past year to cover everyday costs, it is clear that, for many, the priority is getting through the month rather than saving for longer-term plans.
“What’s clear from the research is that people want to save, but we know that finding money to put aside can be difficult when household budgets are stretched.
“We want to help people make whatever they can save work as hard as possible for them, whether they are rebuilding a buffer after dipping into it or saving towards a particular goal. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and even a small amount set aside when circumstances allow can help people feel more prepared for what lies ahead.”
Scottish Building Society is the only building society headquartered in Scotland. Established in Edinburgh in 1848 as the Edinburgh Property Investment Company, it is the oldest remaining building society in the world.
As a member-owned mutual, it offers savings accounts and mortgages, reinvesting surplus profit for the benefit of those members.
For more information visit: Savings & Mortgages Scotland | Scottish BS.
TACKLING CHILD POVERTY
Specsavers is donating £15,000 to the STV Children’s Appeal as it gets behind this year’s STV Children’s Appeal Challenge at the Kelpies.
As part of its sponsorship of the challenge, Specsavers is supporting the Appeal’s work with children and young people across Scotland, while also highlighting the importance of regular eye health checks.
STV presenters Laura Boyd and Sean Batty are preparing to take on this year’s challenge by making sure their eye health is in top form. The pair recently visited Specsavers Grangemouth for comprehensive eye tests and to speak to the store’s eye health experts about the importance of looking after their vision.
The duo will take on a team challenge at the Kelpies today (8 October 2026) to raise vital funds for the STV Children’s Appeal – although exactly what they will be up against is still under wraps.
With Laura and Sean preparing to put their skills to the test at one of Scotland’s most recognisable landmarks, getting them challenge-ready was high on the agenda.
This year marks the first time Specsavers has sponsored the STV Children’s Appeal Challenge, with the £15,000 contribution supporting the Appeal and its work with children and young people affected by poverty across Scotland. Specsavers is also using its involvement to raise awareness of the importance of regular eye health checks.
Specsavers dispensing optician and Grangemouth store manager Joe Smith welcomed Laura and Sean to the locally owned and run store at La Porte Precinct.
More than 20 Specsavers colleagues from across the business, including Joe, will also take part in the Kelpies challenge on 8 October.
Laura Baird, Specsavers Scotland Chair, says: “It is a privilege to support this year’s STV Children’s Appeal Challenge. It’s such an invaluable cause, which raises funds for children and young people living in poverty across Scotland.
“We’re delighted to be supporting the Appeal with a £15,000 contribution as part of our sponsorship of this year’s challenge. With Specsavers stores and colleagues across Scotland, supporting a cause that makes a difference to children and young people in communities right across the country is incredibly important to us.
“We’re also pleased to be highlighting the importance of regular eye tests and giving Laura and Sean the opportunity to make sure their eyes are challenge-ready!”
Laura Boyd, TV presenter and entertainment reporter, says: “Every year, the STV Children’s Appeal Challenge is something I look forward to, and this year it’s been very much kept under wraps.
“We know it’s taking place at the Kelpies, but we’re not sure what this involves – no doubt there will be some nerves but plenty of excitement on the day.
“There’s also a bit of friendly competition between Sean and me, which will add another fun element to the day, and I’m sure our teams will quickly get into the spirit of it. Ultimately, though, the most important thing is raising awareness and much-needed funds for the fantastic STV Appeal.”
Sean Batty, TV presenter and meteorologist, adds: “This is the fifth challenge that Laura and I will be doing together, and I have a feeling it’s going to be very special. We’re looking forward to seeing what they have in store for us.
“It’s also great to have Specsavers on board this year as our official sponsor, and it was fantastic to visit Joe and his team at Grangemouth to make sure our sight was in perfect shape ahead of the challenge.
“Knowing that Specsavers is also supporting the Appeal with a £15,000 contribution makes it even more special, and we can’t wait to get involved in the challenge at the Kelpies.”
The STV Children’s Appeal has raised more than £39 million since it launched in 2011. In 2025, the Appeal raised more than £2.4 million, taking its total raised since launch to more than £39 million.
This year’s challenge will be unveiled on the show on Thursday 29 October and will reveal the fundraising total.
For more information, visit https://stvappeal.tv/https://www.specsavers.co.uk/
The ‘Bendy Tree’ in Newcastle, Northern Ireland, has won UK Tree of the Year 2026.
This “astonishing and bizarre” wych elm in County Down has been crowned winner of the popular, annual competition run by the Woodland Trust to find the nation’s favourite tree.
With more than 30% of public votes, the Bendy Tree has become the first ever tree from Northern Ireland to win UK Tree of the Year.
Since voting opened in July, tens of thousands of people picked their favourites from a shortlist of 10 tenacious trees, chosen for being impressive, beautiful and sometimes baffling examples of how nature can survive adversity, as part of this year’s theme: ‘Against the odds.’
The extreme seaside gusts that the Bendy Tree has survived are glaringly apparent from its near-horizontal trunk. Its unexpected rainbow shape casts welcome shade for locals resting on the town centre bench located beneath its leafy branches.
Strong coastal winds over many decades have forced the Bendy Tree into its unusual shape.
A much-loved feature of Newcastle’s promenade, the Bendy Tree has also resisted Dutch elm disease (Ophiostoma novo-ulmi), a fungus which, during its second UK outbreak, destroyed most of the UK’s 30 million elms, after it was accidentally imported from North America in the 1960s.
Now over 150 years old, the Bendy Tree was planted as part of a row of wych elms along the town’s original promenade around the mid-19th century to shelter the main street from sea winds. Many of those trees were felled during redevelopments in the 1980s, and the Bendy Tree is now the last one standing.
May Chemais, Ancient Tree Inventory lead for the Woodland Trust, said: “When you look at this astonishing and bizarre tree, there’s no doubt about what it has endured.
“The Bendy Tree has been blasted by extreme winds over and over again, for well over a century. But it has continued to exist and remain rooted, adapting to its surroundings and flourishing into this unusual shape that is providing shade and joy to its community.
“We’ve all been through changes and hardships that have shaped who we are: I think that’s why the Bendy Tree has struck a chord with people.
“Older trees like this one are providing our communities with so much – from shade, wellbeing and health benefits, to stories, culture and pride of place.
“Anyone inspired to protect ancient and veteran trees in their area can help by adding them to our Ancient Tree Inventory or by donating to the work of the Woodland Trust.”
PICTURES: Michael Cooper Photography
The past five years of a near-continuous cost of living crisis have caused the real incomes of typical working-age households to fall rather than grow, leaving them £2,900 (7.9 per cent) worse off this year compared to a world of normal inflation, according to new analysis published today (Thursday) by the Resolution Foundation.
The report Counting the cost, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, assesses the toll of three crises (the post-pandemic supply shock, the invasion of Ukraine, and conflict in the Middle East) that have already delivered 13 years’ worth of ‘normal’ inflation in five, with inflation peaking at 11.1 per cent and prices nearly 30 per cent higher in August 2026 than July 2021.
The report details how energy has been at the epicentre of this price shock. By the autumn of 2022, household energy bills had more than doubled since the start of the crisis. Higher energy costs then bled into other prices: food inflation peaked at nearly 20 per cent in March 2023, and services inflation reached 7.4 per cent in July 2023, its highest level in more than three decades.
Household energy bills and food together account for a quarter of the change in the price level over this period.
The pain felt from these price rises has not been shared equally. Inflation was steepest for essentials, which make up a larger share of poorer households’ spending. As a result, the rise in non-housing costs since before the pandemic has been around one-sixth bigger for the poorest tenth of households than for the richest tenth.
Overall, the report finds the real incomes of a typical working-age household this year (2026-27) are £2,900 a year lower than they would have been compared to a world in which inflation had stayed at 2 per cent over the past five years.
The hit has been similar in scale for households across the distribution. Despite tens of billions in government support, the scars from the cost of living crisis are no smaller for low-income families, and much harder to bear.
The analysis also confirms that between 2020-21 and 2026-27, real median income after housing costs for non-pensioners looks set to fall by 1.3 per cent (£450). Incomes at the 25th percentile are set to fall by 1.2 per cent (£270), while better off households at the 75th percentile will see marginal income growth of 0.3 per cent (£130).
Families have responded to higher prices by heating their homes less – with an extra 1.7 million households saying they were unable to keep warm enough in 2022-23 compared to 2021-22 , 950,000 of whom were in the poorest 40 per cent of the population.
The poorest tenth of neighbourhoods cut energy use by 15 per cent more than the richest in response to price rises in 2023. There were also larger cuts in usage in colder areas, meaning the biggest adjustments happened in the places where those most vulnerable to a gas price shock are more likely to live.
Arrears are also mounting as families fall behind on priority bills, such as energy, water, Council Tax and rent. By March this year, almost one-in-five (18 per cent) households in the poorest half of the country were behind on a priority bill, up from one-in-ten (10 per cent) in September 2020.
The total owed to energy suppliers has more than tripled in real terms since 2018, to £5 billion, while Council Tax arrears in England have more than doubled since 2012-13 (up 117 per cent to £7.5 billion in 2026-26).
As the Government considers fresh cost of living support in the upcoming Budget, the authors warn that recent help was expensive and poorly targeted. The Energy Price Guarantee alone cost over £20 billion and was paid regardless of need. The country cannot afford to repeat that approach.
Instead, any new support should be targeted at the poorer families who have fared worst over the past five years – heating their homes less, taking on more debt, and falling behind on their bills more often – with energy bills the clear priority.
James Smith, Chief Economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: “Having experienced 13 years’ worth of inflation over the past five, families across the country are struggling with the cost of living. Unfortunately, help is needed just when the public finances leave less room than ever to provide it.
“While the hit to incomes from rising prices has been felt right across the board, the hardship has not been equally shared. It is poorer families who have cut back hardest on heating and are falling behind fastest on essential bills, and conflict in the Middle East is set to keep energy prices high.
“The Government can’t borrow its way out of this, and repeating the expensive blanket support of 2022 isn’t an option. Any new help must be squarely targeted at the poorer families facing the greatest hardship – starting with their energy bills.”
Alex Beer, Assistant Director of Strategy at the Nuffield Foundation said: “Five years of unusually high inflation have had a substantial impact on household finances, with lower-income families facing the greatest pressure.
“By showing how rising energy and food prices have reduced living standards and made it harder for people to pay essential bills, the report provides timely and valuable evidence on the consequences of an extended costs of living crisis.
“At a time when policymakers face difficult choices and public finances remain constrained, understanding who has been most affected and why is essential to designing effective policy responses.
“This work forms part of a wider programme of research funded by the Nuffield Foundation examining the consequences of the recent conflict involving the US, Iran, Israel and the wider region.”
Don’t suffer in silence with dental pain. 
Do you know what to do in a dental emergency? NHS inform has clear, reliable advice on exactly when and where to seek help when you need it most.
Be prepared and find out more here: https://nhs24.info/dental-emergencies
