North Edinburgh News – Page 2 – The NEN

BLENDED: Walking Art Exhibition

Blended, a walking art exhibition at Granton:Hub / Madelvic House

October 23rd – 25^th 2026

Opening Event:

Community Walk 5pm (Madelvic House and the Riddle of the Sphinx, United Wire, ‘To The Beach’ (sculpture by Vincent Butler made by Powderhall Bronze), Caroline House, Granton Gasworks, Granton Station and back)

Exhibition Opening with refreshments – 6pm at Granton:Hub

Saturday and Sunday opening: 10am – 5pm

The winner of the international Marŝarto Award for Walking Art in 2024,

Tamsin Grainger, will be exhibiting current solo and collaborative mixed-media art work on Friday. All made during or after walking together and with others.

The works include:

textiles – ‘Walking the Granton Burn’ which has been selected for the SAU exhibition at the RSA in 2027, and more
‘Repair’ – a fence made from wire donated by United Wire, the factory opposite the venue, with deckchairs which have new knitted covers
‘A Street Blanket for Homeless Children’ – a collage of knotted and stitched doormat, manhole covers, and Granton graffiti
Plus, short films and works on paper
Pop-up shop with zines and new Granton postcards set

Venue address: 37 Granton Park Avenue, Edinburgh, EH5 1HS

Further information: Tamsin Grainger tamsinlgrainger@gmail.com

Menopause Goals returns to Spartans

Back by popular demand our free Menopause Goals programme!

Starting this Thursday (22nd October) 6pm at Spartans Community Foundation.

Our warm and welcoming professional team will be empowering women with knowledge, coping strategies, and peer support to manage physical and emotional menopause symptoms.

Just come along next Thursday at 6pm, or contact Jenni on 07831 721086 or email jenniferpullen@spartanscf.com

#Hereforgood.

The Space Between Us: Exhibition at North Edinburgh Arts

The Space Between Us is an exhibition of poems and images by sisters Rachel Barr and Bridget Grant.

Together, they explore the impact of a glioblastoma brain tumour diagnosis.

It is a tender, honest and deeply moving body of work, and North Edinburgh Arts is proud to support it.

The exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to spend time with the sisters’ work and gain a personal perspective on the experience of a glioblastoma diagnosis.

North Edinburgh Arts

Macmillan Hub, 12c Macmillan Square, Edinburgh EH4 4AB

Exhibition Opening Dates: 16th to 29th October

Monday–Friday: 9am-5pm

Saturday: 10am-2pm

Free entry

Rachel and Bridget are raising funds for Brain Tumour Support during the exhibition

Claudia Winkleman wears Judy R Clark after first look sells out within hours

Award-winning Scottish fashion designer Judy R. Clark saw her work worn by Claudia Winkleman for a second time on The Celebrity Traitors on Thursday (15 October), with a bespoke adaptation of the Cream Victorian Lace Shirt from her Lace Noir Collection appearing at the round table.

The appearance follows the sell-out response to Winkleman’s first Judy R. Clark look, with two pieces from the Edinburgh designer’s Ebony collection selling out within hours of appearing on the programme last week (Friday 9 October).

The Cream Victorian Lace Shirt is designed and handmade in Scotland using Madras lace woven on 19th-century looms in Ayrshire by MYB Textiles, Scotland’s only lace mill and the only producer in the world manufacturing patterned lace on original Nottingham lace looms.

The shirt features a high ruffled collar, full gathered sleeves and ruffled cuffs.

The Cream Victorian Lace Shirt is available to order now for £450 and is made to order, with shipping in three to four weeks. Clark recommends ordering one size up due to the delicate nature of the lace.

Judy R. Clark said: “Seeing Claudia in the lace shirt at the round table is a moment I’ll never forget.

T”he response to her first look in pieces from my Ebony collection was amazing, and it means so much to now see this lace, woven here in Scotland by MYB Textiles, on screen too.

“It’s incredibly special to see Scottish craftsmanship reaching such a huge audience.”

Based in Edinburgh, Judy R Clark is known for hand-tailored womenswear using Harris Tweed, Scottish lace and antique fabrics. Named by British Vogue as a designer “to watch”, her work has previously been worn by Annie Lennox, Emeli Sandé, Freya Ridings, KT Tunstall and Courtney Love.

Her accolades include Designer of the Year at the Scottish Style Awards and the JOLOMO & PSYBT Award.

£30m Scotland Together Fund to tackle poverty, disadvantage, and racism

Building stronger communities

Community projects and services working to tackle poverty and inequality in some of Scotland’s most disadvantaged communities across Scotland will share in more than £30 million over the next three years, First Minister John Swinney has announced.

The new Scotland Together Fund will support grassroots organisations to address pressing issues facing communities affected by poverty, disadvantage, and racism from 2027/28.

By improving living standards for the people they support, the projects backed by funding will help communities to become stronger, more cohesive, and more resilient.

The First Minister said: “Scotland is stronger for its diversity, and we want to ensure that common ground and shared values between diverse communities are promoted and strengthened.

“We know that poverty and disadvantage can fuel the conditions that lead to tensions within communities, and that is something we all need to do our part to tackle.

“This Scotland Together Fund over is being designed to provide multi-year support a wide range of grassroots projects in communities across Scotland to help to improve people’s quality of life and ensure they have access to support with a range of issues.

“By making people’s lives better, it will help tackle tensions between communities and create a more inclusive and resilient society, building bridges between different groups.”

Help Space in Broomhouse reach pool table target

We are 73% of the way to our £300 target. Can you push us across the finish line?

Please donate today & help @SpaceBroomhouse continue making Fridays @ The Hub something to look forward to for young people across Broomhouse.

BBC Christmas Day Service to be broadcast live from St Mary’s

Big news: we are extremely excited that the BBC One Christmas Day Service this year will be broadcast live from St Mary’s Cathedral!

We would love to welcome as many people as we can to this very special service; you can reserve a place (and make an optional donation) at http://www.cathedral.net/eve…/christmas-day-eucharist-2026.

Please note that this service begins at 10am, with final entry at 9:30am (earlier than our usual time).

Swinney: Action against misogyny

First Minister announces series of interventions to tackle violence against women and girls

A new Respect Fund for Scotland will see school pupils supported to reject misogyny and promote respect as part of a package of Scottish Government action to tackle violence against women and girls.

Up to an additional £1 million will be invested from 2027/28 to ensure high school pupils can access third sector programmes teaching young people how to reject misogyny, whilst primary school pupils will receive age-appropriate learning on respect.

The funding will be bolstered by the rollout of a Scottish Government backed campaign with leading sporting organisations and prominent sportsmen for a new phase of the Don’t Be That Guy campaign.

Initially run by Police Scotland in 2021, the advertising campaign rose to international prominence for encouraging men to challenge attitudes and behaviours that contribute to violence against women and girls.

Scottish Rugby, the Scottish Football Association and Scottish Tennis are amongst the leading national organisations backing the refreshed campaign, along with leading sports personalities including Scotland rugby players Jamie Dobie and Grant Gilchrist, and tennis player Connor Thomson.

The move forms part of a package of action led by the First Minister to tackle misogyny in Scotland, including a commitment to introduce a Misogyny Bill before the 2027 summer recess.

First Minister John Swinney said: “Violence against women and girls is completely deplorable and has no place in the Scotland we are building. I am determined we do all we can to tackle it and ensure men change their behaviours.

“People of all ages need to feel able to talk openly to their male friends and colleagues about behaviour that is misogynistic and damaging to women, and contributes to a culture that targets, minimises and harms women and girls.

“This funding will help empower pupils to challenge the attitudes that help perpetuate harmful behaviour, backed by the refreshed Don’t Be That Guy campaign – which will use the reach and influence of some of Scotland’s most well-known sporting personalities, to give prominence to this important national conversation.

“I want Scotland to be a place where women and girls live free from violence, coercive control, abuse and exploitation, which is why over the coming year this government will also bring forward a Misogyny Bill to give women and girls specific legal protection from harassment.”

Sporting organisations working with the Scottish Government to support positive action to promote positive masculinity and respect:

Scottish Football Association
SPFL / SPFL Trust
Scottish Rugby
Scottish Cycling
Scottish Swimming
Scottish Athletics
Scottish Golf
Tennis Scotland
Team Scotland

Life Drawing at Madelvic House

NEXT BLOCK OF CLASSES BEGINS ON TUESDAY EVENING

Relaxing, untutored life drawing classes at Granton Hub.

What better way to spend your autumn evenings than developing your skills of observation and drawing in a welcoming, friendly atmosphere?

Four week block of classes begins next week on Tuesday 20 October 6.30-8.30pm.

See you there!

AITEAL: Breaking down digital barriers to Gaelic

£600,000 awarded to spoken language project

A new digital platform for recording, transcribing and translating spoken Gaelic has been awarded £600,000 through the CivTech innovation programme.

AITEAL – which means “ray of light” – will help in developing advanced technologies, including AI, for Gaelic speakers.

The project will initially create four jobs including three fieldworker posts in rural and island communities and a dedicated Project Manager. Over 18 months, the team will record up to 500 hours of high-quality spoken Gaelic in the Western Isles and Skye.

This data can then be used to improve existing technologies like speech-to-text software or develop new ones such as Gaelic AI chatbots. It could also be used to make educational resources or automated transcription and subtitling services.

AITEAL has been created by the Gaelic arts organisation Fèisean nan Gàidheal alongside the charity Community Enterprise and digital technology partner Northcode Digital.

It is one of the successful projects to benefits from Round 11 of the Scottish Government’s CivTech programme, which provides critical support to some of Scotland’s most promising and growing tech start-ups, harnessing their creative talent and innovation to improve public services.

Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic Màiri McAllan said: “The lack of data on Scottish Gaelic presents a significant barrier in developing technologies for Gaelic speakers. AITEAL aims to overcome this, ensuring Gaelic language and culture thrive.

“This exciting project will enrich communities, safeguard cultural heritage and unlock economic opportunities, providing lasting benefits for Gaelic speakers.

“AITEAL has the potential to be of international significance as it can provide a model which other languages can follow to overcome digital inequality.”

CEO of Fèisean nan Gàidheal and Director of AITEAL Limited Calum Alex Macmillan said: “We look forward to working directly with Gaelic speakers in their communities, recording the language as it is naturally spoken and capturing the richness of its dialects and idioms in everyday use.

“AITEAL presents exciting opportunities to make Gaelic more accessible and usable across all aspects of community life, from education and healthcare to public services, workplaces and everyday interactions in our communities.

“The company’s ambition extends beyond the initial 18-month development and data collection phase. Established to provide long-term stewardship of both the project’s linguistic resources and supporting technology, AITEAL will oversee the management, governance and future development of the data. It also creates potential opportunities for future specialist roles as the initiative grows and evolves.”