Hard Rock Cafe Edinburgh invites fans to their VIP Big Game Event on Sunday, 9th February 2025, to mark this year’s Super Bowl in style.
Held in the VIP Back Room, the event will feature two Big Game screens, with festivities kicking off at 9:00 PM and running late into the night (alcohol served until 3:00 AM).
Tickets include a carefully curated game-day experience:
Four beers
One Big Game Eat and one side
Half-time Jumbo Soft Pretzel with beer cheese and mustard sauce
A Hard Rock Cafe goody bag
The Big Game menu offers classic favourites such as Classic Nachos, Signature Wings, and Loaded Tater Tots, paired with sides like Twister Mac & Cheese and Cheese & Smoked Bacon Fries.
This special event provides the ultimate setting for sports enthusiasts to enjoy the Super Bowl in a vibrant atmosphere with great food, drinks, and entertainment.
Tickets are available to book on Opentable for both general admission and the VIP event.
On January 27th the UK will observe Holocaust Memorial Day (writes TUC General Secretary PAUL NOWAK).
It is a day we remember the millions murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust, and in the genocides which followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
We encourage every trade unionist to take part – at home, in workplaces and union branches, and in their communities.
Sculpture by Sir Jacob Epstein
This year – as we mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia – everyone is invited to light candles at 8pm in their windows.
Across the country, iconic buildings and landmarks will light up purple during this powerful national moment of commemoration and solidarity.
As part of this, the TUC will illuminate Jacob Epstein’s powerful sculpture at the home of the trade union movement, Congress House. And I will represent the trade union movement at the national commemoration on the 27th.
Holocaust Memorial Day is an occasion for reflection – but it is also a call to action.
The Holocaust was not an inevitable event. It was the result of unchecked prejudice, propaganda, and the dehumanisation of entire groups of people.
By remembering the past we are reminded of our collective responsibility to challenge hatred in all its forms. The atrocities of the Holocaust serve as a stark warning of what can happen when societies remain silent in the face of intolerance and extremist ideologies.
The theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is ‘for a better future’.
As I light my candle I will think not only of those who were senselessly killed but of the world we are striving to build. A world rooted in compassion, understanding and justice. And this year, I will think in particular about the need for a lasting peace in the Middle East after more than 15 devastating months of conflict that have seen so much human suffering. That lasting peace will only be built on a two-state solution – a safe and secure Israel and a safe, secure, free Palestine.
By remembering the horrors of the past we can commit ourselves to ensuring that darkness never takes hold again.
We must never forget. We must always strive for peace.
Reminder that this year we will be serving three community lunches a week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 12 to 2pm, as well as our monthly ‘Pitch to Plate’ multicultural meals with Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society – SABS.
All meals are served out of our new Hibernian Community Hub in the Famous Five Stand at Easter Road Stadium, and have vegetarian and takeaway options.
Please share this news with anyone you think needs to know.
Aldi stores in Edinburgh and the Lothians donated 14,639 meals to those in need over the recent festive period.
The UK’s fourth largest supermarket teamed up with local good causes across the UK to donate a range of fresh and chilled foods from its stores after closing early on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Research from Neighbourly, the community giving platform that works with Aldi, found that 78% of the good causes it supports were more concerned about meeting demand this Christmas, compared to the same time last year.
Additionally, 51% felt they would not be able to respond to every request for help due to capacity and funding.
The supermarket has also donated £25,000 to Neighbourly’s GoGive Christmas campaign to further support local charities across UK and Ireland.
Aldi has worked with Neighbourly since 2019 and provides surplus food from all of its UK stores to hundreds of charities across the country throughout the year.
Luke Emery, National Sustainability Director at Aldi UK, said: “This Christmas we were proud to support so many incredible charities across the UK who provide essential support to those in need.
“The services provided by food banks are more important than ever over the festive period and we’re committed to ensuring those that rely on them have access to a wide range of high-quality foods.”
Steve Butterworth, CEO at Neighbourly, added: “We’re so grateful to have had Aldi’s support for another year.
“Christmas is one of the busiest periods for our charities and the donations from Aldi mean we can help even more people across the country who need that bit of extra support over the festive period.”
Shoppers can donate food to local charities, food banks and community groups via the community donation points in Aldi stores nationwide.
Aldi also works with Company Shop Group, the UK’s leading redistributor of surplus food and household products, to redistribute surplus food from its Regional Distribution Centres. This year, it provided more than 2,000 free Christmas lunches to Company Shop’s award-winning social enterprise, Community Shop.
Forth 1 have announced details of Forth 50 – Live!, a huge celebration to mark the station’s 50th birthday with an epic line up of 90s pop dance acts at The Royal Highland Centre.
Taking place on Saturday 31st May, Forth 50 – Live!, with Eastern Western Motor Group, will welcome dance icons including Whigfield, Robin S, Mary Kiani, Haddaway, Heather Small, Corona and more for a daytime disco party like no other.
Tickets on sale 9am Friday 31st January via forth1.com
Celebrating Forth 1’s first 50 years, the incredible live gig will welcome fans to The Royal Highland Centre from 2pm- 10.30pm for the station’s biggest ever daytime disco. Forth’s most legendary presenters will join in the birthday celebrations with Boogie and Arlene, Marty, Garry Spence, Steven Mill and Callum Gallacher all presenting live on the day.
The one-off gig will have fans dancing throughout the decades with the sound of the 90s dance scene taking to the stage in Ingliston. Filling dance floors around the world from Ibiza to Edinburgh itself, the full line-up includes legends of the scene:
Haddaway, Heather Small (below), Whigfield, Snap, Corona, Robin S, K:Klass, D:Ream, Rozalla, Angie Brown, Alison Limerick, Oceanic and Mary Kiani.
Since Forth 1 first took to the airwaves on 22nd January 1975, the station has proudly represented Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk for five decades, breaking some of the hottest new acts and welcoming legends of the music scene to their shows. Forth 1 has remained at the heart of the community and is currently the number one station for Edinburgh and the East.
The daytime dance extravaganza will include some of the biggest tunes from the 90s with the likes of Whigfield’s ‘Saturday Night’, Haddaway’s ‘What Is Love’, Corona’s ‘The Rhythm of the Night’ and ‘Show Me Love’ from Robin S all sure to get the party started. Familiar faces on Top of the Pops in the 90s, there are countless number 1 hits to choose from as Forth fans can dance the day away to the tracks that defined a generation.
The special birthday gig was unveiled live on air by Boogie and Arlene, with tickets set to go on sale from 31st January.
Angie Brown (above) said, “I am really honoured to be performing at Forth 50 – LIVE this year. I’m incredibly excited and I am actually buzzing, because I know it’ll be a very glamorous and glittering occasion!”
Mary Kiani said,“Wishing everyone at Forth 1 ‘100% Real Love’ on their 50th birthday, thanks for letting the music play and I can’t wait to see you in May!”
Rozalla said,“I so look forward to performing and celebrating Forth 1. It’s a fantastic line-up and celebration to be part of. See you all there!”
Boogie and Arlene said,“It’s an amazing achievement for any radio station to still be going strong after 50 years. One thing Forth has always been well-known for is a good party and this is going to be the biggest one we’ve ever had.”
The Royal Highland Centre in Ingliston will host Forth 50 – Live, with Eastern Western Motor Group, welcoming fans and listeners to the indoor arena for a gig that is sure to kick off summer in Edinburgh and the East.
For a day of timeless tracks, era-defining songs and non-stop dancefloor fillers… don’t miss out – tickets on sale from 9am, 31st January via forth1.com
Tickets – £72 (subject to booking fee)
Over 18s only, photo ID may be required to gain entry.
Chancellor continues ‘bold reform’ of the planning system in England to deliver on the Plan for Change
Chancellor reveals new plans for more houses near commuter train stations to kick start economic growth, as government continues its bold reform of the planning system to deliver on the Plan for Change for working people.
Sweeping reforms under the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will take an axe to red tape that slows down approval of infrastructure projects and the government will work with Parliamentarians to ensure a smooth and speedy delivery.
Chancellor highlights in its first six months the government has already taken 13 planning decisions and approved 9 nationally significant infrastructure projects spanning airports, data centres, energy farms, and major housing developments.
Untapped land near commuter transport hubs will be unlocked to build new housing for working people, as part of ‘bold new steps’ to reform the planning system and unlock growth to deliver win-win outcomes for the country and the economy. The reforms will create secure, high-paying jobs and deliver major infrastructure faster to bolster public services and lower bills.
Ahead of the Chancellor’s speech next week on economic growth, the government has today announced how it will go further and faster to deliver Plan for Change milestones of 1.5 million new homes over five years and 150 decisions on major infrastructure projects by the end of the Parliament.
It follows the ambitious reforms unveiled by the Chancellor in July and delivered by the Deputy Prime Minister at the end of last year through publication of the overhauled National Planning Policy Framework.
The government’s next steps on planning reform include streamlining a set of national policies for decision making to guide planning decisions taken by local authorities and promote housebuilding in key areas.
In a major new growth push, the government will ensure that when developers submit an application for acceptable types of schemes in key areas – such as in high potential locations near commuter transport hubs – that the default answer to development is ‘yes’.
This will unlock more housing at a greater density in areas central to local communities, boosting the government’s number one mission to grow the economy. These measures will transform communities, with more shops and homes nearer to the transport hubs that working people rely on day in day out.
As part of these measures, the government will streamline decisions on critical infrastructure projects by slashing red tape in the planning system which is holding up projects. That means looking again at the input from expert bodies who developers are required to consult – and replacing the current systems of environmental assessment to deliver a more effective and streamlined system that reduces costs and delays for developers, whilst still protecting the environment.
The Chancellor also revealed today that she is championing a regeneration project around Old Trafford in Manchester that will see new housing, commercial and public space as a shining example of the bold pro-development model that will drive growth across the region, with authorities exploring setting up a mayoral development corporation body to redevelop the area.
The government is also working with Greater Manchester to release growth-generating land around transport hubs through local development orders, such as around Castleton Station, with the potential for this innovative use of existing powers to kickstart building in these sites to be a blueprint for the rest of the country so that every corner of the UK benefits from growth.
The new proposals tackle the dire inheritance head on. Last year homebuilding fell below 200k and permissions reached their lowest for over a decade, which is why the government is taking radical action necessary to reverse this trend and deliver the homes necessary to reach 1.5 million homes over this Parliament.
This government is turning the page on the decline and decay of the past and choosing growth with a significant number of planning decisions already made by Ministers since July. This includes 13 planning decisions taken by Ministers over 90% of which within the target timeframe, and 9 nationally significant infrastructure projects approved, collectively spanning airports, data centres, solar farms and major housing developments such as the Expansion of London City Airport, a data centre in Buckinghamshire and a new M&S store in Oxford Street, London.
The government has committed to making 150 decisions on these major economic infrastructure applications over this Parliament, more than doubling the decisions made in the previous Parliament and more than 130 made since 2011.
This will unlock the growth necessary to deliver win-win outcomes for the country and the economy – creating stable and high-paying jobs, building more affordable homes, and delivering critical infrastructure faster to bolster public services and lower bills – while improving the environment where it matters most.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves said: “I am fighting every single day in our mission to kick start the economy, deliver on our Plan for Change, and make working people better off. That includes avenues that others have shied away from.
“Too often the answer to new development has been “no”. But that is the attitude that has stunted economic growth and left working people worse off. We need to do things differently and that journey began as soon as I started at the Treasury in July. These are our next steps and I can say for certain, there is more to come.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Angela Rayner said: “From day one I have been clear that bold action is needed to remove the blockers who put a chokehold on growth. That’s why we are putting growth at the heart of our planning system.
“Growth means higher wages, better living standards, families raising their children in safer homes, and the next generation taking their first steps onto the housing ladder.
“This year we will go even further to make the dream of homeownership a reality for millions and fix the housing crisis we inherited for good – getting more shovels in the ground to build the homes and vital infrastructure that our communities so desperately need.”
Growth is the number one mission of the Labour Government’s Plan for Change, so we can put more money in people’s pocket. Today the Chancellor is setting out further action on the government’s growth mission by announcing the following:
Planning
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will provide the powers to accelerate the infrastructure and homes needed to deliver on the government’s ambitions – and fast track critical infrastructure such as windfarms, power plants, and major road and rail projects. Today the government is confirming for the first time that the Bill will be introduced in Spring and we will work with Parliamentarians to ensure a smooth and speedy delivery.
Further detail on the Bill is being published today in a working paper on streamlining decisions on nationally significant infrastructure projects, including reducing the burden on developers by making consultation requirements more proportionate, strengthening statutory guidance to ensure they are clear over what is and is not required when submitting planning applications, and ensuring that National Policy Statements are updated at least every five years to give more certainty to developers, speeding up decisions.
Previous working papers have already set out reforms to the operation of planning committees, and an overhaul of the way developers can discharge their environmental obligations so that they can crack on with building.
The Chancellor is today also announcing reform to the statutory consultee system, which requires developers to consult local communities and expert bodies when making planning decisions. This often means too many organisations consulted on too wide a range of issues, clogging up much-needed development.
Today the government has declared a moratorium on any new statutory consultees and the Chancellor and the Deputy Prime Minister will review in the coming weeks the existing arrangements to make sure they meet this Government’s ambitions for growth.
This follows changes announced last week to the rules around challenging major infrastructure projects through the courts – stopping blockers getting in the way of the Government’s Plan for Change and getting nuclear plants, trainlines and windfarms built quicker. Current excessive rules mean unarguable cases can be bought back to the courts three times.
This will be overhauled, with just one attempt at legal challenge for hopeless cases that would previously have caused much more delay.
Environment
The government is also reforming environmental impact assessments, which have strayed from their original purpose of supporting decision making and have become voluminous and costly documents that too often support legal challenges rather than the environment.
They will be replaced by Environmental Outcome Reports which will be simpler and much clearer, which will support growth by saving developers time and money, whilst still protecting the environment. The government will publish a roadmap for the delivery of these new Environment Outcomes Reports in the coming months.
This follows a working paper on development and nature published by the government before Christmas setting out a new approach that will turbocharge the delivery of housing and infrastructure while securing positive environmental outcomes.
Developers will be able to pay into the Nature Restoration Fund which will allow them to discharge relevant environmental obligations for protected sites and species and focus on building, safe in the knowledge that appropriate action will be taken to support nature’s recovery.
Major infrastructure
A working paper is being published setting out the government’s plan for its 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy, which will be focussed on infrastructure’s role in enabling resilient growth, delivering clean energy by 2030 and net zero by 2050 while securing the growth benefits of the transition, and improving public services.
The working paper seeks industry views as part of the government’s continued consultation on the development of the strategy which will be published in late Spring.
Jennie Daly, CEO of Taylor Wimpey said:“We continue to be impressed by the speed with which the government has gripped the need for planning reform to deliver much needed new housing supply. New high-quality housing and the infrastructure it brings are essential drivers of economic growth.
“We welcome the commitment from the government to introduce the Planning and Infrastructure Bill as a priority in the spring, and we look forward to supporting the promised consultation work on reforming the planning system to expedite decisions and overcome local barriers to growth.”
Mark Reynolds, Mace Group Executive Chairman and Co-Chair of the Construction Leadership Council said:“When the government and the Construction sector work in partnership we can unlock growth of up to 2% of GDP.The simplification and streamlining of the planning system is a significant contributor to this so the announcements today are a welcome development which could deliver £2 billion per year in savings once fully implemented.
“In addition the upcoming publication of the 10 year National Infrastructure Strategy is an opportunity to set out plans for ambitious growth and chart a direction for the industry, instilling confidence in businesses to invest in skills, innovation and deliver profitable growth, we look forward to contributing to its success.”
Neil Jefferson, CEO of Home Builders Federations said:“Identifying more land for development and removing the treacle from the planning process that delays applications is essential if we are to increase housing supply.
“The swift moves to address these blocks in the planning system are very welcome and will pay dividends if the other constraints on housing supply can be tackled. Housing delivery is dependent upon a range of factors, of which planning is a major one, and these changes underline the government’s commitment to increasing supply.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham said: “With our devolved powers we’re mobilising the whole Greater Manchester system to lock in growth for the next decade and reap the rewards for our city-region and UK plc.
“The project around Old Trafford represents the biggest opportunity for urban regeneration this country has seen since London 2012 and is a key part of our 10-year plan to turbocharge growth across Greater Manchester.
“We look forward working with the Government on moving freight away from the site around Old Trafford to new locations to open up capacity our rail network, and unlock massive regeneration potential – delivering benefits across the whole of the North.”
As part of its ‘relentless focus’ to get Britain building and achieve the ambition to build 1.5 million new homes over five years, the government has already:
Overhauled the National Planning Policy Framework, including new and higher mandatory housebuilding targets for councils, a comprehensive modernisation of the Green Belt, and far greater support for growth-supporting development such as labs and datacentres.
Launched a New Homes Accelerator group to unlock thousands of new homes currently in the planning system.
Published a series of working papers on further reforms to the planning system:
‘brownfield passports’, designed to ensure that where planning proposals meet design and quality standards, the default answer to planning permission is ‘yes’,
development and nature recovery, detailing a new approach for developers to discharge environmental obligations through payment into a Nature Restoration Fund which then allows them to crack on with building,
planning committees, proposing a national scheme of delegation to speed up the approval process and provide greater certainty to developers.
Set up an independent New Towns Taskforce, as part of a long-term vision to create largescale communities of at least 10,000 new homes each.
Awarded £68 million to 54 local councils to unlock housing on brownfield sites.
Awarded £47 million to seven councils to unlock homes stalled by nutrient neutrality rules.
Extended the existing Home Building Fund for this year providing up to £700 million of vital support to SME housebuilders, supporting the delivery of around 12,000 additional homes.
Confirmed that government investment in housing will increase to £5 billion for this year, including an extra £500 million in new funding for the Affordable Homes Programme to deliver tens of thousands of new affordable and social homes across the country.
First Minister thanks people for patience as recovery operation continues
A further meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) was chaired by First Minister John Swinney last night to coordinate the recovery response to Storm Éowyn.
Due to the severity and impact of the storm, there is significant disruption to parts of the country. This includes around 35,000 properties without power and continued transport disruption with road closures and rail, bus, flight and ferry cancellations. It is expected to take some time to get all services fully restored.
Utility companies, national agencies and local authorities are working at pace to restore power and assess the impact, including responding to significant damage, removing fallen trees and debris, to ensure services can fully resume in the coming days.
The First Minister joined a Ministerial COBR meeting chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden earlier on Saturday evening. The First Minister also spoke with the Prime Minister to discuss the ongoing response to Storm Éowyn and the impact on Scotland.
First Minister John Swinney said: “I want to thank everyone who followed Police Scotland advice not to travel and express my sincere gratitude to the emergency services and to those working in the public, private and third sector who are continuing to support people and communities across the country.
“With yellow warnings in place for wind, snow and ice over the weekend, it is clear the severity of Storm Éowyn will continue into next week and this will have an impact on the speed at which utilities and local services can fully resume.
“Given the damage and disruption facing the network across the United Kingdom, utility companies are under significant pressure and are working in challenging conditions.
“I have stressed the importance of getting power restored as quickly as is practically possible and have been assured that assessments are being made at pace to ensure power is restored to affected properties in Scotland as soon as possible.
“Alongside our partners, Ministers are being updated regularly and ensuring all steps are being taken.
“I am pleased at the progress made to restore power to many communities over the course of today however a significant number of properties remain without power. Utility companies are continuing to provide support to customers, including ensuring provisions are in place for the most vulnerable.
“I want to thank people for their continued patience and encourage them to take extra care and look out for each other, particularly those who are supporting vulnerable neighbours and family members.
“As we look ahead to Monday, partners are working at pace to ensure services can resume next week. Local authorities – who are responsible for school closures – will be working to ensure all buildings meet the required safety standards to reopen safely to pupils. We would expect decisions on schools to be clearly communicated by local authorities to parents, pupils and staff, with as much advance warning as possible, and would encourage all parents to follow that advice.
“People should prepare for continued disruption, especially in areas that have been impacted by a loss of power, and I encourage everyone to follow advice being issued by local authorities, as well as continuing to follow updates from national agencies.”
SGoRR was attended by the Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop, Justice and Home Affairs Secretary Angela Contance, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Neil Gray, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth, Rural Affairs and Islands Secretary Mairi Gougeon, Acting Net Zero and Energy Secretary Gillian Martin and Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Angus Robertson. They were joined by representatives from the Met Office, Police Scotland, Transport Scotland, SEPA, transport and utilities companies and resilience partners.
The latest Met Office weather warnings are available on the Met Office website.
Flood alerts are issued by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and can be viewed on their website.
Follow Traffic Scotland for the most up-to-date information on the trunk roads throughout the warning periods, via their website, social media channels and radio broadcasts. Updates on ScotRail services and road conditions are available online.
To report a power cut or damage to electricity power lines or substations call the SP Networks national Freephone number 105. More information on what to do during a storm can also be found on SP Energy Website.
During a power cut firefighters can be called to fires started by candles or portable heaters. For advice on how to stay safe during a power cut visit Scottish Fire and Rescue Website.
2025 MEAL CHANGES
