Category: Leith

Local MP calls for stronger protection for retail workers as shoplifting soars

Scotland has seen a drastic 129% rise in shoplifting since 2021, with 48,564 recorded incidents in the year ending September 2025, according to figures from Police Scotland. Yet only 2,854 people were convicted in 2023/24, showing a growing gap between crime and accountability. 

Tracy Gilbert MP, who worked on the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-Restricted Goods and Services) Scotland Bill before her election to Parliament and has a long history in the trade union movement advocating for worker rights, said: “These figures are deeply concerning. Retail workers are on the frontline, facing increasing risk from shoplifting and associated crime, yet our laws and policing are not keeping pace. Workers and communities deserve better protection.

“This is not just about crime statistics, it’s about real people, and real communities. Adequate resources are required to ensure effective policing, and support for retail staff is urgently needed to tackle this growing problem.”  

The Protection of Workers Bill, which Tracy contributed to before her parliamentary career, provides a vital framework for safeguarding retail staff, ensuring they can carry out their roles safely and without fear. 

Tracy Gilbert added: “We must act now to ensure that Scotland’s workers and communities are protected.

“I will continue to advocate for better policing and laws that safeguard those on the frontline by working with trade unions and employers to ensure retail crimes are reported and prosecuted.”

OMNI enters home stretch of landmark £5 million refurbishment

Edinburgh’s affordable leisure and entertainment hub, OMNi has announced its centre-wide  refurbishment is progressing well and is due to complete at the end of March 2026. 

OMNi is home to brand favourites including Vue, Boom Battle Bar, Wetherspoon, Escape  Hunt, The Glasshouse Hotel, and Edinburgh Street Food.  

The £5 million transformation, which began last summer, is delivering significant  enhancements to the public realm.

These include new flooring throughout the centre, an  upgraded and more visible main entrance, modern LED lighting, new seating zones, and  extensive internal structural improvements.

Together, these upgrades will create a more  vibrant, welcoming, and contemporary space for the local community in the heart of  Edinburgh. 

OMNi is planning a series of celebrations to mark the completion of the project, with further  details to be shared in the coming weeks. 

Neil Mackie, OMNi Edinburgh Centre Manager, said: “We’re thrilled with the progress of the refurbishment and can’t wait to reveal a revitalised  OMNi this spring. These improvements will create a more welcoming and vibrant space for  everyone who visits, works, and relaxes here in the heart of Edinburgh. 

“With the refurbishment entering its final stage, we’re now shaping our celebration plans and  can’t wait to mark the completion with our community soon!” 

International investment group Triple B acquired OMNi in April 2024 and announced its  commitment to enhancing communities and promoting positive experiences through  transformative real estate projects.

The investment will help OMNi kick-start its journey of  evolution, with locals at the heart of the project. 

Refurbishment updates will be available throughout via the OMNi website and social media  channels. OMNi Edinburgh is open 6am – 1am, Monday to Sunday. Individual brand opening  times may vary, including Bank Holidays.

Leith sheltered housing tenants to walk 3,070 miles ahead of Scotland’s first match at the FIFA World Cup

A group of sheltered housing tenants living in Leith have set off on a 3,070-mile walking challenge from Easter Road Stadium.

The ‘Leith Legends’, comprising two teams, are walking the distance from Edinburgh to Boston in 140 days to virtually arrive at the Gillette Stadium ahead of Scotland’s first game against Haiti.

The ‘March to the Match’ will be the longest journey attempted by tenants who have previously walked the distance from John o’Groat’s to Land’s End (1,280 miles) and from Alloway to Dumfries in the footsteps of Robert Burns (60 miles).

The challenge officially kicked-off with a walk around Easter Road Stadium, with the two walking squads adorned with Scotland flags and team t-shirts. They will finish their challenge on Sunday 14 June to coincide with Scotland arriving at the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1998.

Maureen Combe, Sheltered Housing Manager at Harbour Homes said: “This is an exciting year to be a Scotland supporter. With this challenge, both football fans and non-football fans alike can get involved in all the thrills and the atmosphere that a World Cup brings.

“It is known that increased movement and group exercise are among the best things we can do to look after our health as we age, and those taking part are motivated by the benefits walking brings to them. This year’s teams are up for the challenge, and we’ll be cheering them on every step of the way!”

Kathleen Devine who is participating in the challenge said: “I joined Leith Legends and March to the Match to improve my walking and get my steps up.

“I really enjoyed our first team walk at Easter Road Stadium. It was lovely to participate, and being part of a team walking together felt really good. It was great to meet tenants from the other developments.

“I’m really looking forward to lots more walking and counting our steps together until we reach Boston!”

The two teams taking part are ‘We’re Still-Game’ and the ‘Pro-Aimers’. They will be aiming to walk a collective 22 miles per day for 140 days.

Harbour Homes is the largest social landlord in Leith, currently providing over 3,000 high quality homes at affordable prices in places people want to live.

Harbour consists of Harbour Homes and three subsidiary companies: Harbour Lettings, Harbour Connections and Harbour Multi-Trades.

To find out more please visit: www.harbour.scot/homes

Hibernian Community Foundation: Burns Supper Tea Dance

On Thursday Hibernian Community Foundation, in partnership with Pilmeny Development Project and Edinburgh Community Sports Hub, held our annual Burns Supper Tea Dance at the Hibs Supporters Club in Sunnyside!

The Dance was attended by over 90 elderly people in our community: coming together to enjoy warm company, a traditional Burns’ supper, hours of dancing, and the official Hibs Bagpiper @Lou_piper (above).

The Burns Supper Tea Dance is one of four events we hold a year to bring together elderly people from our community as part of our work in the Leith Older People’s Project.

Slàinte mhath!

Edinburgh College students serve up a Royal feast

A group of Edinburgh College students had the right Royal honour of helping cater and host a ship-naming ceremony attended by The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, in the Port of Leith this week.

Princess Anne took part in the ceremony at Forth Ports Cruise Terminal, breaking a bottle of whisky against the ship’s hull and formally naming the vessel POLE STAR.

The students worked alongside professional caterers in a variety of roles, with some cooking up a storm in the kitchens, others taking on front of house duties to make sure all the VIP guests were as comfortable as possible, and some preparing delicious baked goods and cakes to be enjoyed by all.

The event was put on by East Coast Catering Ltd, which is ran by Edinburgh College graduate Kieran Wight, with our students providing vital support. Their hard work was recognised by The Princess Royal herself, who stopped for a chat and learned from the group all about the skills they are being taught on their course.

Adam Robertson, a Level 1 Hospitality student, set out from his home in the Borders at 5am to make sure he was in Edinburgh in time to do his part in the kitchen. He said it was all worth the effort: “When we found out there was an opportunity to cook for such a prestigious guest, I was desperate to do it.

“I think if you want to go out and work in a professional kitchen, it’s so important to have this sort of experience behind you. The College has given us so many amazing opportunities in the short time I’ve been here, and it’s really helped build up my confidence.”

Jodie Dixon is studying HNC Events and she said it was an honour to take part: “I don’t think you can turn down an opportunity like this, to get involved in a literal royal event.

“There’s so much you can learn just by being here, and it’s really nice knowing you’re part of a group that’s all supporting each other too. The lecturers have been great, and have provided us with a lot of support, but they’re also great at letting us go and do our jobs, it makes you feel like you’re trusted.”

Stephanie Tanner, the Head of School for Cookery, Hospitality, Events, Travel and Tourism, said the experience will prove invaluable for the students: “It’s a proud day for everyone at the College, seeing them putting all of their training to use in the real world, and doing so incredibly well.

“Getting the chance to take part in events like this gives them such an advantage when it comes to finding work after graduation. Employers will be able to look at their CVs, and say ‘Wow, they’ve catered an event for a member of the Royal Family!”

Aisha Elshani, a Professional Cookery lecturer, said the students represented the College well: “They’ve all worked so hard, leading up to the event and on the day itself, and it’s really nice to see how well they are all doing.

“They’re all getting on with their jobs, and just conducting themselves really professionally. I think they all have bright futures ahead in the industry”.

Utilita Energy Hub to host Leith Chooses voting due to lift closure at Newkirkgate

The Utilita Energy Hub in Leith will host part of this weekend’s Leith Chooses voting event after the lift at Newkirkgate Shopping Centre was confirmed to be out of order.

This year, the people of Leith will help decide how just over £44,000 of Edinburgh Council funding is allocated to community projects aimed at improving wellbeing across the area. Leith Chooses is a long‑running example of participatory budgeting, giving local residents a direct say in how public money is spent.

Voting Day – Saturday, 24 January 2026

Voting will take place at Leith Community Centre on Saturday, with a quiet voting hour from 11am, followed by general voting from 12pm to 3pm.

Due to the lift closure at Newkirkgate, volunteers in branded t‑shirts will be stationed throughout the area to support anyone requiring step‑free access.

Voters can either:

  • Access Leith Community Centre via the ramp in the Lidl car park, or
  • Cast their vote at the Utilita Energy Hub, located on the ground floor of Newkirkgate.

At the Utilita Energy Hub, visitors will find volunteers ready to assist, along with complimentary hot drinks, biscuits, and free energy‑saving advice.

Who can vote

Anyone aged 8 or over who lives, works, studies, or volunteers in Leith is eligible to vote. All votes will help determine which local projects receive funding to support community wellbeing.

Online voting also available

Those unable to attend in person can vote online from 27 January to 10 February at:  www.edinburgh.gov.uk/voteleithchooses.

Voters attending in person are also welcome to cast their vote online if they prefer.

Support on the day

Anyone needing additional assistance during the event can contact the team on 07718 569916.

The Utilita Leith Energy Hub, located at 41 Newkirkgate, Edinburgh, EH6 6AA, is open Monday to Saturday.

The Hub offers free community space that can be booked by emailing edinburgh@utilita.co.uk.

More information about Utilita Energy Hubs can be found at: 

https://utilita.co.uk/energy-hub.

Vue Edinburgh Omni welcomes luxurious new seats

Film fans in Edinburgh can enjoy the latest releases in the ultimate comfort with the arrival of Vue’s biggest and comfiest Ultra Lux seat at its venue located within the Omni Centre on Greenside Row.

The Ultra Lux is the best seat in the screen and is available for Edinburgh customers to experience now.

88 Ultra Lux seats have been installed across Vue Edinburgh Omni’s 12 screens. Each seat provides the very best view of the screen and comes with a host of premium features including an extra-wide armrest, beverage cooler and personal table for snacks and beverages, and back and leg rests which recline independently, allowing customers to find the most relaxing viewing position possible.

Robert Smith, General Manager at Vue Edinburgh Omni, said: “We have invested in bringing Vue’s best seating option to Edinburgh Omni and are excited for our customers to enhance their experience on their next visit. It is truly the best way to immerse yourself in a film and to have the most comfortable experience.”

The investment means that customers can now book Ultra Lux seating at both of Vue’s Edinburgh venues with its Ocean Terminal venue introducing the seating in November last year.

Tickets for Vue Edinburgh Omni can be booked online by visiting myvue.com. 

Happy 15th Anniversary, NEN blog!

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!

Community donations help create free boutique and vital support for homeless women in Leith

Hillcrest Futures’ Lauriston in Leith service has opened a free clothing boutique for women in supported accommodation, made possible by a strong response from the local community.

Staff at the service shared a request for donations on the I Love Leith Facebook group, asking if people could help set up a small clothing store for women moving into Lauriston in Leith with very few belongings. The response was overwhelming. More than 100 people replied and over 30 separate donations were received, including clothes in a wide range of sizes, accessories and clothing rails.

Unused cupboard space at the service has now been transformed into a well-stocked clothing store, which the women have named The Scorpio Boutique.

The boutique is based on a model that has already proven successful elsewhere in the city. Hillcrest Futures has long operated the Clothesline Project, a fashion boutique within its Bruntsfield House homeless accommodation service, which offers anyone in Edinburgh experiencing or at risk of homelessness access to free, good-quality clothing in a welcoming, retail-style environment.

Yvonne Donaldson, Service Manager at Lauriston in Leith, said: “We often see women arrive with very little after experiencing homelessness. We wanted to create something that was practical, but also positive and dignified.

“The response from the Leith community was incredible. People donated far more than we expected, and it has made a real difference to the women who live here.”

The Scorpio Boutique allows women to browse freely and choose items when they need them, with no limits on visits. Staff say the space has become both a useful resource and an enjoyable activity.

Yvonne added: “It is lovely to see the change in confidence when the women visit the boutique. They enjoy choosing things for themselves and often come back to show everyone what they have picked.”

The name The Scorpio Boutique was chosen by the women themselves, who put forward suggestions and voted, with Scorpio winning as many of the voters share that star sign.

One woman using the service said: “I was made homeless after my mum passed away and I lost my home and everything in it. I was left with nothing. Having the Scorpio Boutique means I can have things that belong to me again. It is not just essentials – being able to get accessories is also really important to me.”

The generosity of the local community also extends beyond clothing donations and into everyday practical support.

Recently, a staff member at Lauriston in Leith approached The Gull’s Grocery, an independent grocer in Leith, to ask whether they would consider donating any leftover fresh produce. The shop kindly agreed and is now providing a weekly supply of fresh fruit and vegetables to the women supported by the service.

These donations make a real difference, allowing residents to cook nourishing meals and enabling fresh pots of soup and other communal dishes to be prepared and shared together.

John Booth, Director of Futures, said: “This is a great example of what can happen when a community comes together.

“From clothing donations for The Scorpio Boutique to weekly fresh food from a local independent grocer, these acts of generosity help create welcoming and dignified spaces for women who have been through very difficult experiences.

“We are extremely grateful to everyone who has contributed.”

Lauriston in Leith is a supported accommodation service in Edinburgh for women experiencing homelessness.

Hillcrest Futures would like to thank the Leith community, and local businesses such as The Gull’s Grocery, for their kindness and ongoing support.