Banks urged to insist their contractors pay a living wage
GMB Scotland is to hold a protest demonstration outside Royal Bank of Scotland HQ in St Andrew Square on Tuesday to step up the campaign for them to pay a living wage to members employed by G4S and ISS to provide security and cleaning at RBS buildings across Britain. Continue reading High noon: Union plans Tuesday protest at RBS
Edinburgh’s Museum of Childhood has created the ultimate advent calendar for big kids – a digital door a day back in time to childhood winters! Continue reading Museum of Childhood to launch digital advent calendar
Johnstone questions Marketing chief’s ‘patronising’ comments
Alison Johnstone, Scottish Green MSP for Lothian, has questioned comments by John Donnelly, chief executive of Marketing Edinburgh, in which he supported plans to turn the Royal High School into a luxury hotel and the controversial redevelopment of the St James Centre. Continue reading Out of character, out of touch
Central Taxis to sponsor Spartans Connections
Taxi for Spartans! Edinburgh’s Central Taxis are to sponsor local community club Spartans Connections. The Connections squad are delighted with the sponsorship deal and the new partnership is a great result for the Ainslie Park footballers. Continue reading Fare play to Spartans Connections!
Choosing to attend only organised displays is the best way to keep yourself, your family and your community safe. Continue reading Help protect your community from bonfire tragedy
The City of Edinburgh Music School is holding on Open Day at Broughton High School on Saturday 7 November from 11am – 2pm.
Charlotte Square’s Roxburghe Hotel will play its part in Cash for Kids Mission Christmas this year – as a local toy drop-off point.
Radio Forth presenter Mark Martin (pictured above with porter Jamie Wood), paid a visit to the hotel yesterday to deliver its Mission Christmas donation box and meet the Roxburghe team.
As part of Cash for Kids Mission Christmas, locals are being asked to buy one extra gift to be given to a disadvantaged child or young person on Christmas morning.
Marcello Ventisei, general manager of The Roxburghe Hotel, said: “We’re delighted to play our part for such a great cause. It’s such a simple but effective way of making sure that children and young people living in more difficult circumstances still wake up to a gift on Christmas day. We would encourage anyone passing the hotel, staying with us or attending our Christmas party nights to donate a gift no matter how small.”
New, unwrapped gifts suitable for those aged 0 to 18 can be dropped off at The Roxburghe Hotel’s reception from anytime between now and 14 December.
Any other local businesses who wish to sign up as Cash for Kids Mission Christmas drop-off points have until 23 November to do so. Contact emma.kemp@radioforth.com for further information.
Pictures: Sandy Young
Top Scottish authors on hand as Des McDonald opens his first Edinburgh edition
A new chapter opened on George Street yesterday when some of Scotland’s literary greats were the first guests at the official opening of the The Printing Press Bar & Kitchen.
To mark the opening of the new restaurant, respected restaurateur Des McDonald was joined by head chef Colin Fleming to serve some of Scotland’s literary elite, including leading Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin, Chris Brookmyre, Sue Lawrence, Doug Johnstone, Jenni Fagan and Lin Anderson.
Des, who has over 20 years’ experience running some of London’s most high-profile restaurants, has shaped every aspect of The Printing Press – including the concept design and menu – in what is his maiden venture in Scotland.
Housed in a Georgian townhouse on George Street, The Printing Press pays homage to the capital’s rich literary heritage: number 25 was home in the 1780s to the acclaimed novelist Susan Ferrier and in late 1840 records show one John Oliphant living there – Oliphant’s and Ferrier’s descendants founded Oliphant, Anderson and Ferrier, one of Scotland’s most prestigious publishing houses, best known for the series of Famous Scots books.
Now, a multi-million pound refurbishment has created an elegant, all-day, 180-seat restaurant and bar that restores many of the building’s original Georgian features alongside contemporary touches to create a series of rooms that are elegant and comfortable from morning though to the wee hours.
“We set out with a clear vision to create a warm, distinctive restaurant and bar in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town that nods to the heritage of the building and the city itself,” says Des. “We’ve worked with some of the most reputable suppliers in Scotland, as well as talented designers and contractors to bring this new restaurant experience to Edinburgh’s dining scene.
“It’s a great achievement to see The Printing Press officially open its doors and I can’t think of a group of guests more fitting to join us on our first day of business than the literary greats of modern-day Edinburgh.”
Open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner – with a late bar serving food and drink till 1am – The Printing Press has already found favour with some of Edinburgh’s most influential food writers, including Alright Treacle’s Anna Hamilton, who loved the “quality of the ingredients” and “the incredibly flavoursome dishes”, which give the restaurant “all the makings of an Edinburgh gem.”
Pictures by Sandy Young
William Gear exhibition opens this weekend
The story of a former Edinburgh College of Art student who became a highly-acclaimed abstract artist before slipping into obscurity will be remembered at a major retrospective exhibition arriving at the City Art Centre this Saturday.
Featuring around 120 works spanning his colourful career and coinciding with the centenary of his birth, William Gear 1915-1997: The painter that Britain forgot seeks to re-position William Gear in his rightful place as one of the most advanced British abstract painters of his generation.
Following a successful first run at the Towner Art Gallery this summer, the partnership exhibition between Eastbourne and Edinburgh will run alongside Jagged Generation: William Gear’s Contemporaries and Influences, an exhibition drawn from the City Art Centre’s collection which explores the artist’s links to Scotland.
Raised in Methil, a Fife mining community, Gear (self portait, above) studied at Edinburgh College of Art during the 1930s where he was taught by influential figures such as S.J. Peploe, John Maxwell and William Gillies.
He went on to train in Paris under the Cubist artist Fernand Léger before travelling widely during the Second World War, even becoming one of the ‘Monuments Men’ whose job it was to help save parts of Europe’s culture during and after the conflict.
After returning to Paris in 1947, Gear met the avant-garde artists of the CoBrA group and exhibited with them in Amsterdam and Paris in 1949. In the same year his work was shown in New York alongside paintings by Jackson Pollock. He eventually returned to live in the UK in 1950, and continued to exhibit both at home and internationally until his death in 1997.
Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “How and why William Gear fell into obscurity is quite remarkable. Gear was an artist who was born in Fife 100 years ago, trained in Edinburgh and then went on to create some of the most radical compositions of the 1950s. He was one of the greats of British abstract art and his career and his works tell a fascinating story. These exhibitions cement his place as a pioneer and he is finally getting the recognition he deserves.”
William Gear 1915-1997: The painter that Britain forgot has been created in partnership with the Towner Art Gallery where Gear was curator from 1958 – 1964. It traces his prolific career, from his early pen and ink drawings and experiments in colour during the 1930s and 1940s, to his radical monochrome and block paintings of the 1950s and mature works created during the 1960s and beyond.
As one of the first British artists to present screenprints as works of fine art, the exhibition also presents Gear as a printmaker. This exhibition includes loans from The Estate of William Gear, the Royal Academy of Arts, London and The Redfern Gallery amongst many other lenders.
Jagged Generation: William Gear’s Contemporaries and Influences presents a selection of artworks from the City Art Centre’s own collection. This exhibition focuses on the vibrant circle of Scottish artists associated with Gear – his tutors, friends and contemporaries. It was at Edinburgh College of Art that Gear met like-minded fellow students including Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Margaret Mellis and Alan Davie, who also made innovative contributions to the post-war art scene.
Gear spent most of his career outside Scotland, yet he retained many Scottish ties and friendships. Jagged Generation showcases Gear’s work within this wider Scottish context, shedding light on his personal and professional relationships, as well as his artistic development.
Find out more at the Council’s Museums and Galleries website
The Beltane Fire Society is to bring the renowned Samhuinn Fire Festival to Edinburgh’s Grassmarket on Halloween. This year’s event marks the 20th anniversary of the society’s modern twist on this ancient celebration of the turning seasons, and festivities will start at a new time – 7pm.
The Festival will bring a host of volunteer performers with fire, drums and wild costumes to the city centre for an evening of revelry, representing the end of summer and rise of winter. The event will be on Hallowe’en (31 October) from 7 – 9pm at the Grassmarket. No tickets are required, attendance is by donation.
David Simpson, Festival Secretary for the Beltane Fire Society said: “We are really excited to bring Samhuinn Festival to the Grassmarket for its 20th anniversary. It will be a fantastic setting for our atmospheric hallowe’en night event. We have so much planned to entertain everyone who will be joining us – from drums and fire to impressive stage performances and drama. Our performers will act out the battle between the summer and winter kings, keeping ancient traditions alive.”
The event is organised by the Beltane Fire Society, a charity run by volunteers, dedicated to marking the fire festivals of the ancient celtic calendar and keeping traditional Scottish skills of street theatre, music and pageantry alive.
Samhuinn Fire Festival is a modern ‘re-imagining’ of an ancient celtic festival marking the end of summer and rise of winter. The modern event has been held in Edinburgh since 1995. Its spring and summer counterpart, Beltane, takes place on Calton Hill on the last day of April each year, and has been running since 1988.
