CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL
Join us for our Japan Sakura @ Lauriston Castle – a festival spanning 2 weekends (Sat 18/Sun 19 & Sat 25/Sun 26 April), celebrating the blossom at Lauriston Castle.
Full details of #Japanese#cultural events here: https://cultureedinburgh.com/…/japan-sakura-at…
Free and drop in. #Edinburgh#Scotland
SHUTTLE BUS SOLUTION TO D MAINS ROUNDABOUT CLOSURE
Important update on 47 bus diversion
We wrote to you yesterday about Lothian Buses’ decision to divert the 47 bus service during the 9 week duration of the roadworks at the Davidson’s Mains roundabout.
The consequence of the change, due to start from Monday, is that the 47 will run along Queensferry Road to the terminus at Cammo without serving Cramond Road South and Whitehouse Road.
As we explained yesterday, it was completely unacceptable to us for Cramond to be left without a key bus link for so long.
We want to thank the literally hundreds of our constituents who have emailed us about this. Please accept our apologies for the fact we’ve not been able to reply to everyone.
We hope you’ll understand our focus over the last 24 hours has been in finding a solution for our constituents who rely on the 47. As councillors, we felt our job was to keep up the pressure on both Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Council officers to get action.
Our strong preference was for Lothian to simply route the 47 right at the Barnton junction and into Whitehouse Road for a loop around Cramond. This would replicate the old route of the service. We pressed Lothian to consider this.
However, Lothian have refused to adopt this temporary route because of their concerns over the impact it could have on the timings of the service as a whole.
Nevertheless, we have now managed to secure an important new alternative service which we hope will help –
We’ve had it confirmed tonight that that a free to use shuttle bus will be available for Cramond residents. This will operate between Cramond and Cammo. People can then connect to the 47 bus for journeys along Queensferry Road and onward.
This will be up and running by the middle of next week – ahead of the schools returning from their Easter break. We will share more specific details of when we have them.
We know this shuttle service is far from ideal – however, it will mean people can still get public transport to connect to the 47 bus service when they need it.
We also want to make sure the work in Davidson’s Mains is completed as quickly as possible so things return to normal just as soon as they can.
We will of course keep you informed as we get more information.
With best wishes,
Cllr Kevin Lang
Cllr Louise Young
Cllr Lewis Younie
Lib Dem councillors for Cramond and Barnton
Davidson’s Mains roundabout closed from Monday (13 April) for work to improve road safety. There will be no access for vehicles from Cramond Road South, Main Street or Quality Street.
This will affect Lothian Bus services 47 and 21.
Find out more about bus diversions: www.lothianbuses.com/service-updates
The city council is working hard to limit disruption and working closely with Lothian Buses to put alternative plans in place for Cramond residents from next week.
More information www.edinburgh.gov.uk/davidsonsmains
This year, as part of our Lauriston Castle Lecture Centenary Programme, we have 24 fantastic and varied lectures to tempt you.
Explore them here:
To celebrate 100 years since the Castle was gifted to the nation by the Reids, this year’s programme has a strong 1920s theme.
The centenary programme was officially launched with a visit from Councillor Margaret Graham, Culture and Communities Convener, who joined colleagues and volunteers at the castle to mark the beginning of a year-long celebration.
Featuring an exciting and varied selection of events, the programme will include talks, creative workshops, film screenings, and family fun activities. Highlights include:
A highlight of the year will be the original murder mystery plays, composed and performed by Edinburgh Living History, where guests can use their sleuthing skills to uncover the culprit.
In August, the 1920s-inspired scavenger hunt, reflecting popular leisure activities of the era, will have guests following the clues to meet some characters from the past whilst enjoying the beauty of the grounds.
Visitors will be able to enjoy the return of much-loved Japan Sakura, offering another weekend of fun, with the opportunity to take part in traditional crafts and hands-on activities for all ages.
To mark the centenary, guests can also watch a series of film screenings of titles both made and set in the 1920s starting with ‘The General’ (1926).
Many events will be free to attend, with some ticketed experiences available through advance booking. Details of all events are listed on the Culture Edinburgh website.
Culture and Communities Convener Margaret Graham said: “Lauriston Castle is one of Edinburgh’s most treasured sites, and the centenary is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate both its past and its future.
“This programme brings together heritage, creativity and community in a way that reflects the spirit of Mr and Mrs Reid’s generous gift.
“We look forward to welcoming new and returning visitors to discover everything that Lauriston has to offer in 2026.”
Our Lauriston adult creative workshop programme for 2026 is now live and bookable.
16 fantastic adult creative workshops for you to explore your creativity in our supportive relaxing setting.
Explore here:
https://cultureedinburgh.com/search?q=Adult%20Creative%20workshops
ROAD Policing officers are appealing for information after a fatal crash in Edinburgh.
Around 11.10pm last night – Monday, 2 February, 2026, Police received a report of a crash involving a car and a pedestrian on the A90 near the Kirkliston slip road at Cramond Bridge.
The car involved was a red Ford Fiesta.
Emergency services attended, but the pedestrian, a 36-year-old woman, was pronounced dead at the scene.
No other injuries were reported.
Sergeant Michael Thomson, of Road Policing East, said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of the woman who died at this difficult time.
“I am appealing to anyone who was driving in the area at the time and witnessed the crash to come forward with information.
“I’d also ask that those with dash-cam footage review this to see if it has captured anything of significance.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident 3646 of 2 February, 2026.
The A90 remains closed northbound from Cramond Bridge towards the Queensferry Crossing due to a crash reported to police at around 11.10pm last night (Monday, 2 February, 2026).
Motorists are asked to avoid the area.
NEN PUBLISHED OUR FIRST BLOG POST ON THIS DAY IN 2011
The very first NEN blog post was published on this day in 2011. The post read:
Hello, and welcome to the brand new NEN blog.
For those of you not already familiar with the newspaper, we are a local community paper serving the North Edinburgh community. We’ve been here for over thirty years.
This blog, along with our new Facebook page and Twitter stream, represents our first foray into the world of social media. We really want to encourage more participation, more questions and ideas from the North Edinburgh community – both online and offline – and hope that these new tools will help us to do that.
We already have a good website, where you can always find the latest edition of the printed newspaper. The blog won’t be replacing that, but will instead be there to show people the latest news about the area, and also to help us cover the current funding crisis we are facing as an organisation.
Above all, we want to include your input on the blog – be it ideas for stories, comments, pictures and events. So get in touch!
The NEN’s website was sadly deleted when funding ceased but our social media presence continues on both Twitter and Facebook and the blog is still going strong with 10 – 12 posts daily.
2025 was the NEN blog’s busiest ever year with 36,000 visitors. As I write this we’ve published more than 38,000 posts – all of these remain accessible online – and we’re currently on a run of publishing on 2749 consecutive days.
When the NEN office in Crewe Road North closed much of the NEN archive material was lost, but thankfully some of our picture library was salvaged and can now be found at granton:hub (Madelvic House), where the volunteer archive team has also collated all remaining hard copies of the North Edinburgh News newspaper.
Hopefully, between the physical archive and the NEN blog, you can find all you need to know about our community’s rich history – and we’re adding to that history every day!
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES? GIFT COINCIDENCE ASTOUNDS CARE HOME RESIDENT AND FAMILY
Betty Roy, a resident at Queens Manor care home on Queensferry Road, and her son Ivor were completely astounded to discover that a Christmas gift sourced by one of the home’s key workers, Clarissa, was actually a long lost family heirloom!
Clarissa was looking for a unique and meaningful gift for Betty for Christmas and whilst browsing online happened across ‘Aye Ready, The History of Edinburgh Fire Brigade, The Oldest Municipal Brigade in Britain’ (by Alexander Reid).
Initially she wondered about gifting a ‘second hand’ item but decided it would be perfectly appropriate for Betty as she often spoke of her father, Robert Thomas Wyllie, whose photo she proudly displays in her room. Robert was Assistant Fire Officer at Edinburgh’s Laurieston Fire Station during the 1930’s.
Betty was showing the book to son Ivor, who was amazed to discover that the book now in Betty’s possession was in fact his own copy, which had belonged to his father. Ivor had inadvertently donated the book along with other items to charity, many miles from Queens Manor and Edinburgh Fire Brigade.
Clarissa found it online purely by chance and now it has found its way home to Betty and Ivor – a chance in a million!
Ivor commented: “I couldn’t believe it when Betty told me she had a copy of the book. When she showed it to me, I realised it was the original copy given to me from my Grandfather’s things, because inside it contained an original letter with coupons which he had never cashed in – I recognised the piece of paper and the edges where it had been inserted in to the book all those years ago!
“I didn’t even realise until today that the book was no longer in my house!”
Margaret-Ann Davidson, General Manager for Queens Manor, added: “This is a fantastic example of a person-centred gift, made even more special by the provenance.
“There must have been many copies of the book, and for the family copy to find its way back to Betty and Ivor is incredible! We’re very lucky to share in this story – all of our residents have lived interesting lives and we love to hear all about it.
“This is a truly extraordinary coincidence and I’m sure it will be shared at many a family dinner table for years to come!”
Queens Manor is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering high-quality care across its care homes and hospitals.
Queens Manor provides residential, dementia and respite care for short breaks and longer term stays.
