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RHASS and Edinburgh’s St Giles’ Cathedral come together to celebrate Scotland’s farmers at Harvest Thanksgiving service

The hard work and contribution of Scotland’s farming community has been recognised in the heart of Edinburgh at a Harvest Thanksgiving service hosted by St Giles’ Cathedral and supported by RHASS (the Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland).

This years’ service held particular significance for RHASS, with its 2026–27 Presidential Initiative (PI) representing the Lothians and celebrating the people, produce, businesses and organisations that make the region one of Scotland’s most important agricultural areas.

The annual service took place on Sunday 4 October at the historic cathedral and was conducted by Rev Scott Rennie, Chaplain and Minister of St Giles’ Cathedral, who is also a member of this year’s Lothian Presidential Team.

Bringing Scotland’s rural and city communities together, the service celebrated the people behind the country’s harvest and recognised the vital role farmers and producers play in putting food on tables across Scotland.

Displays of seasonal vegetables, including potatoes, carrots, parsnips, broccoli and pumpkins, were donated by RHASS Directors and M&S, with produce sourced from farms across the country to showcase the variety of food grown in Scotland.

Following the service, the produce was donated to Edinburgh charities Empty Kitchens Full Hearts, the Grassmarket Community Project and The Salvation Army, helping to provide nutritious meals for people in need.

Those arriving at Sunday’s service were also greeted by a John Deere 9RX, a four-track tractor which is built to pull massive tillage, seeding, and land-preparation equipment across huge acreages and kindly provided by Thomas Sherriffs of Haddington. Bringing a striking piece of Scotland’s farming industry to the heart of Edinburgh and highlighting the machinery used by farmers during harvest.

The Harvest Thanksgiving service takes place annually at St Giles’ Cathedral, with this year’s service forming part of the RHASS Lothian PI 2026–27, a year-long programme celebrating the people, businesses and organisations across the region.

The programme will culminate in a dedicated Presidential Showcase at the 2027 Royal Highland Show, RHASS’s flagship fundraising event.

Funds raised throughout the Presidential Initiative’s 2026–27 tenure will support RHASS and its partner charities, RHET (The Royal Highland Education Trust) and SAYFC (the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs).

RHASS Chairman, James Logan, said: “Our role at RHASS is to champion Scotland’s rural community all year round, and the Harvest Thanksgiving service is an important opportunity to recognise the hard work of farmers and producers across the country.

“It also gives us the chance to celebrate the incredible variety of produce grown here in Scotland and to bring farming into the heart of Edinburgh, helping people connect the food on our plates with the people and communities who produce it.

“This year’s service is particularly poignant as our Presidential Team is representing the Lothians, making it a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the farmers, producers and fantastic produce we have right here on our doorstep.

“We are extremely grateful to the farmers and RHASS Directors who donated produce, which will now benefit local Edinburgh charities, and to everyone who joined us at St Giles’ Cathedral. We hope the service helped shine a light on the essential contribution Scotland’s farming community makes every day.”

The service followed the team’s first fundraising event at St Giles’ Cathedral on Saturday 3 October, which saw guests enjoy a special evening of live music from performers from Sing in the City.

Wider PI activity will continue with a Day at the Races in January 2027 and a Gala Dinner at The Scottish Cafe & Restaurant at the National Galleries of Scotland in March 2027, alongside farm visits, community events and fundraising activity throughout the year.

Missing: Have you seen Jim?

POLICE are asking for the help of the public to trace a 69-year-old man reported missing in Edinburgh.

James Bryson, known as Jim, was last seen in Burnhead Crescent around 6.50am this morning (Sunday, 11 October).

He is described as around 5ft 8ins, with short, greying hair. He was wearing a black hoodie, black tracksuit bottoms and blue trainers.

Jim is believed to have travelled in his green Nissan Qashqai car, registration SK76 BVJ, along Howden Hall Road to Kaimes crossroads and then in the direction of Edinburgh city bypass.

Sergeant Zoe Martin said: “It is out of character for Jim to go missing and we are concerned for his welfare.

“We are asking anyone who has seen Jim or knows where he might be to get in touch.

“Likewise, if you see Jim’s car please also make contact with us.”

Anyone who can help is asked to call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0739 of Sunday, 11 October, 2026.

Tomorrow: Last Monday Cafe at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre

All good things must come to an end!

This Monday (12th October) will be our last Monday Café, and what a lovely few months it’s been! We’ve loved cooking for our community, meeting new people and trying out new recipes. Together, we’ve served 412 meals, all freshly prepared each Monday using lots of rescued food and produce from our garden.

A huge thank you to all our wonderful volunteers who have helped make this project possible. We couldn’t have done it without you!

But don’t worry, our community lunches aren’t going anywhere! We’ll be moving them to Friday afternoons, making it easier for more people to join us, including families after school pick-up and anyone popping along to Dr Bike at the centre. We’ll share more details about timings over the next week or two.

Fancy getting involved in cooking up our community lunches? We’re starting a cooking group where people can come together, share skills and learn new recipes on a Friday morning. If you’re interested, get in touch with Rebecca at rebecca@drylawnc.org.uk to find out more.

And we’re going all out for our final Monday Café!

Breakfast: All your usual favourites, plus homemade blueberry scones.

Lunch: Bangers and mash, followed by an indulgent Banoffee Pie.

Come along, enjoy some good food and help us give the Monday Café a lovely send-off. We’d love to see you there!

SEPA: Lower Tweed reaches Significant Water Scarcity despite autumn rainfall

The Lower Tweed has reached Significant Water Scarcity, as prolonged dry conditions continue to affect rivers across eastern Scotland despite recent rainfall.

The latest weekly Water Scarcity Report from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) shows that the Lower Tweed has reached the highest level on Scotland’s five-tier water scarcity scale, just a week after improvements elsewhere meant no areas were at Significant Scarcity.

SEPA warned last week that the Lower Tweed was approaching Significant Scarcity and could reach this level without further sustained rainfall.

The Tyne (Lothian) and Tweed catchments remain at Moderate Scarcity, while low to very low river flows continue across much of eastern Scotland. Several rivers have fallen below recognised low-flow thresholds again this week.

Although recent rainfall has largely been within the normal range for this time of year, it has not been sufficient to reverse the effects of prolonged dry conditions in eastern catchments. More sustained rainfall is needed to bring significant and lasting improvement.

Eastern rivers remain under pressure

Conditions remain very different across Scotland. While much of eastern Scotland continues to experience low river flows, the west is generally seeing normal to high flows, with very high flows in parts of the northwest.

Groundwater levels remain low across much of eastern Scotland, although levels in Dumfries and northern Scotland are generally within the normal range for the time of year. Most monitored lochs are at normal to high levels, although Lochindorb, east of Inverness, remains low.

Temporary restrictions on some licences to abstract water from the environment are in place in the Lower Tweed to protect rivers and the wildlife that depend on them.

While most seasonal agricultural irrigation has now finished, restrictions are still necessary where river flows have remained exceptionally low. These are kept under regular review and lifted when conditions improve sufficiently.

Stephen McGuire, Senior Hydrologist at SEPA, said: “Last week’s rainfall brought welcome improvements across Scotland, but we warned that parts of the east remained vulnerable. The Lower Tweed has now reached Significant Scarcity, showing just how fragile that recovery has been.

“After months of dry conditions, a few days of rainfall are not necessarily enough to restore river flows or replenish groundwater. What matters is how much rain falls, where it falls and whether it is sustained for long enough to make a lasting difference.

“Although we’re now into October, the effects of the dry spring and summer are still being felt in our rivers. Water scarcity doesn’t simply end when the seasons change.

“We may see further rainfall over the coming days, but it will take more prolonged rainfall to bring a sustained recovery in the areas that remain under pressure.

“SEPA will continue to monitor conditions closely and work with businesses that take water from the environment. Restrictions remain an important part of protecting our rivers when flows are exceptionally low, even where seasonal demand for water has reduced.”

SEPA will continue to publish weekly Water Scarcity Reports while conditions require monitoring, providing information to help businesses and other water users understand changing conditions and plan ahead.

The latest report, advice for abstractors and irrigators, and SEPA’s Drought Risk Assessment Tool are available at beta.sepa.scot/water-scarcity.

Challenge Poverty Week: Sunday

COMPASSION AND JUSTICE

Tech Abuse: a growing threat

WESTMINSTER’S Science and Technology Committee has launched an inquiry examining how digital technologies can be used to facilitate harms such as stalking, harassment, coercive control and non-consensual intimate image abuse.

Inquiry: Technology-facilitated abuse

Domestic abuse is, as we know, far too prevalent in the real world but it is also expanding into digital spaces and creating new ways that abuse can occur, with smart devices like Ring doorbells, speakers and fitness trackers being used to track and abuse victims.

The issue sits within the wider context of domestic abuse and violence against women and girls and continues to grow. For example, referrals to the domestic abuse charity Refuge’s specialist Technology Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment team rose by more than 62% in 2025 alone.

The government has taken steps to tackle some forms of technology-facilitated abuse through its violence against women and girls’ strategy and the Online Safety Act 2023. However, recent cases have raised questions about whether existing legal and regulatory frameworks remain fit for purpose.

This inquiry will explore the scale and impact of technology-facilitated harm and assess how technology companies and the government are responding to this. It may also look at the gender divide in technological spaces, and whether this is exacerbating or limiting abuse. The committee will focus primarily on digital abuse and online platforms.

Read the terms of reference here.

The deadline for submitting evidence is 4 November.

Dame Chi Onwurah, Chair of the Science and Technology Committee, said: “Technology can empower and protect its users, but it also has the potential to create new ways for people – particularly women and girls – to be abused.

“Our inquiry, my committee will examine how digital technologies are being used to facilitate harm, whether current legislation is keeping pace and the responsibilities technology companies and online platforms have to prevent it.

“I encourage anyone with expertise in this area to submit evidence to our inquiry and inform our work.”

School Holiday Programme at Corstorphine Library

The October holidays are here, so it’s the perfect time to check out our holiday programme! We’ve got a few extra children’s events on, plus our usual Bookbug and adult events.

Everything is free, just come along for the start of the event and join in!

LIFT: Look & Buy

LIFT, LOOK & BUY!

Come along and grab yourself a bargain!

There will be LOTS at extremely low prices!

You never know, you might just find exactly what you’ve been looking for at a price that’s hard to resist!

Great bargains

Amazing low prices

Something for everyone!

Pop in, have a look and see what treasures you can find!

DON’T MISS OUT — COME AND GRAB A BARGAIN!

Industry support at Glee raises record amount for the Greenfingers Charity

The Greenfingers Charity is celebrating a fundraising milestone, with the garden retail sector coming together to raise a grand total of £5,912 at Glee 2026 – surpassing last year’s impressive £4,200 and marking the strongest Glee total to date.

The money was generated through a series of activities across the show, including the much‑loved Floral Thursday, reflecting the industry’s ongoing commitment to supporting the charity’s work creating therapeutic gardens at children’s hospices across the UK.

The biggest contribution came from Floral Thursday, which once again transformed the halls of Glee into a vibrant celebration of colour and creativity. Exhibitors and visitors donned their finest floral attire, with exhibitors and visitors alike sporting bloom-inspired shirts, dresses, suits and accessories; all whilst donating generously and buying raffle tickets throughout the day.

By midday, a very festive-looking crowd gathered at Glee’s Centre Stage for the Floral Thursday finale, clutching tickets for the hotly-anticipated Greenfingers raffle and to take part in a world record attempt for the greatest number of people wearing florals in a single photograph. The joyful moment captured the spirit of the industry and helped push the day’s fundraising total to £3,313.

Original artwork and product donations boost total

Another highlight came from the Woodmansterne stand, where watercolour artist Kate Leach painted an original piece of artwork live at the show. The finished piece was offered as a raffle prize to anyone donating to the Greenfingers Charity, raising £657 and drawing strong interest from visitors throughout the event.

At the close of Glee, exhibitors once again showed their support for Greenfingers by donating products from their stands. These items were auctioned by W&H Peacocks after the show closed, raising £1,942 and providing a welcome boost to the final total.

New Collaboration launched

During the show, Ivyline unveiled another way for retailers to support Greenfingers with the debut of a specially designed collection – Pots with Purpose – created in partnership with the charity.

The brand-new range of cacti pots drew strong interest from buyers looking for meaningful, gift‑ready products with a charitable purpose. With 50p from every set sold donated directly to Greenfingers Charity, retailers now have a simple and commercially attractive way to help raise future funds for hospice gardens, while offering customers a stylish new addition to their indoor plant ranges.

Linda Petrons, Director of Fundraising & Communications at Greenfingers Charity, said: “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make this year’s fundraising such a success.

“From the amazing support shown on Floral Thursday to the generosity of exhibitors donating products and the beautiful artwork created by Kate Leach, the industry has once again come together in the most wonderful way.

“It was also lovely to see Ivyline launch its Pots with Purpose collection at the show, giving retailers a new way to support the Greenfingers Charity in the coming year.

“Every pound raised helps us to create and maintain more therapeutic gardens that allow children, families and hospice staff to spend meaningful time in surroundings that feel calm, natural and far removed from the clinical environment.

“These spaces support play, reflection and respite and we cannot thank the garden retail community enough for their kindness, enthusiasm and continued support.”

To find out more about the Greenfingers Charity and its work creating gardens for children’s hospices across the UK, visit www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk.

You can also follow Greenfingers Charity on Instagram and LinkedIn (@GreenfingersCharity) for the latest news, fundraising events and inspiring stories.

Holyrood Committees seek evidence on AI data centres

Two Holyrood committees are working together to gather evidence on the impacts of potential hyperscale data centre construction and operation in Scotland.

The Climate Action Committee is calling for data and evidence on the environmental impacts of hyperscale data centres from construction and operation to the long-term management and disposal of waste, hardware and materials.

The Economy, Tourism and Energy Committee, meanwhile, wants to understand the potential economic and energy implications of hyperscale data centre development in Scotland.

A hyperscale data centre is a large facility that can be used for internet-based applications, data processing and artificial intelligence. There are no hyperscale data centres in Scotland, although more than 20 are proposed in different locations across the country.

Rather than focusing on specific proposals, the Committees’ call for evidence wants to gather a complete picture of the impact of data centres.

The Committees plan to share their findings with the Scottish Government’s Minister for Public Finance, Hannah Mary Goodlad MSP who has said that guidance on hyperscale data centres will be published by Christmas.

In addition to its consultation, the Climate Action Committee will hold evidence sessions in October and November. The Committee has also agreed to consider whether to carry out further work in this area at a later date.

The call for views is open until 15 November 2026.

https://yourviews.parliament.scot/…/hyper-scale-data…

Stuart McMillan MSP, Convener of the Climate Action Committee, said: “We want to understand the environmental impacts of hyperscale data centres and will share our findings ahead of the Scottish Government’s upcoming guidance.

“We would like to hear expert views about impacts on air and water quality, nature and biodiversity, noise pollution and emissions. We also want to understand what can be done to prevent or mitigate negative environmental impacts.

“We’re particularly keen to ensure that Scotland learns lessons from other countries where hyperscale data centres are already in operation.”

Find out more about the Climate Action Committee’s inquiry into the environmental impacts of hyperscale data centres

Convener of the Economy, Tourism and Energy Committee, Duncan Massey MSP, said: “Data centres have been grabbing the headlines but now it’s time to dig into the details.

“We want to ensure we understand whether there are economic positives for Scotland and what they are. Will they drive new jobs and create long term employment? What about our energy systems, are they able to support hyperscale data centres?

“To aid our scrutiny of Scottish Government decision making, we want to hear from experts working in these areas in order to build a clear picture of all the positives and negatives associated with bringing large scale data centres to Scotland.”

https://yourviews.parliament.scot/…/hyper-scale-data…