Category: North Edinburgh News

Springfield Golf Society marks 43 years of fundraising for Scotland’s children

The Springfield Golf Society celebrated an incredible 43 years of fundraising for Scotland’s national children’s charity at its annual golf tournament at Linlithgow Golf Club on Sunday 12 October.

This year’s event brought together more than 100 players and sponsors as part of a proud tradition of enjoying friendly competition while helping raise vital funds for Children First.

Founded in 1982 by four golf-loving neighbours from the Springfield Estate in Linlithgow, Frank Donnelly, Bill Thomson, Bobby Adair and George McKellar, the golf society began its charitable journey in 1986, raising a modest £45 for Children First, then known as the Royal Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

That first effort sparked a legacy that has now raised over £150,000, helping Children First provide practical, emotional and financial support to children and families when they need it most.

Frank Donnelly, now 81, is the last surviving founding member and remains a cherished figure in the society.

Reflecting on the early days and how it started with a golf professional running a competition to see who could raise the most money for charity, Frank said: “Being fathers ourselves, myself and the other three co-founders chose Scotland’s national children’s charity when we entered that first competition.

“We didn’t win that day, but we went on to do many, many fundraisers for Children First over the years and it’s become a great tradition. I’m proud that the society has grown since those early days and of every one of the past and current members who have played a huge part in raising funds for a worthy cause, which the local community has really got behind. The rest as they say is history.”

Frank’s wife, Cathie Donnelly also plays a key role, captaining the Springfield Ladies Golf Society, which was formed 25 years ago and has significantly contributed to the fundraising total.

While the society has held a variety of fundraisers over the years from whisky tastings to afternoon teas, the annual tournament at Linlithgow Golf Club remains the society’s flagship event.

This year’s competition featured sponsorship on all 18 holes and player entry fees that included donations to Children First.

Michelle Supple, Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications at Children First, praised the society’s enduring commitment to supporting the charity. She said “Our heartfelt thanks go to both sections of the Society and every single person involved in fundraising for Children First at Springfield Golf Society over the past four decades. Their dedication means the world to us.

“Their incredible efforts have raised over £150,000 to help protect Scotland’s children and give them a brighter future.”

To donate to Children First go to www.childrenfirst.org.uk/donate

FINAL WEEK: Touch Woods exhibition at Edinburgh’s Central Library

HILLSIDE ART GROUP’s EXHIBTION RUNS UNTIL 31st OCTOBER

Hello friends,

I’m letting you know that our art group’s new exhibition, TOUCH WOODS, is in the last week

📅 Thursday 2nd – Friday 31st October 2025

📍 Art & Design Department, Central Library, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.

This time we’ve been exploring the theme of the forest. The works include paintings, clay footprints, sculptures, and imaginative tactile pieces. Visitors are welcome to touch and experience the art — something that is especially important to us as visually impaired artists.

It would mean a lot if you could come along, spread the word, or even bring a friend.

We have a selection of fridge magnets that are availible for donation and all proceeds will go to our materials fund.

Hope to see you there!

💚Hillside Art Group facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/hillsideartgroup

Youtube Alan McIntyre Studio Art channel – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRXJKjXf67BktrsTmhwd-sA

My Music Youtube – neonmyth channel – https://www.youtube.com/@neonmyth

INSTAGRAM – @alanmcintyrestudio

Alan McIntyre

Hillside Visual Impaired Art Group is a weekly meeting point for those who wish to practise their creative skills though visually impaired.

The group is based at the RNIB Scotland’s headquarters in Edinburgh.

New composition to premiere at Railway 200 celebration event

LNER has been announced as sponsor of the world premiere of a new music composition celebrating 200 years of the modern railway called ‘Engine Shed’.

The piece, composed by Shildon-born Edinburgh-based composer Deborah Shaw (aka AURORA ENGINE), will be performed by the Linlithgow String Orchestra at a free public concert on Sunday 9 November 2025.

The project is supported by the charity Making Music and their ‘Adopt a Music Creator’ programme.

As well as supporting Railway 200, the concert also celebrates the 10th anniversary of the founding of the string orchestra and 90 years of the charity Making Music.

The concert will take place at the historic St. Michael’s Parish Church, Linlithgow with the performance starting at 7pm on Sunday 9 November 2025.

You can book your free tickets via the orchestra’s website here. 

Deborah Shaw, the composer of the new celebratory piece of music, is from the historic railway town of Shildon, situated on the original route of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, which is front and centre of this year’s celebratory Railway 200 events. Her new striking work explores Scotland’s rail history through music while amplifying often unheard voices.

Commissioned through Making Music’s ‘Adopt a Music Creator’ initiative and developed in collaboration with the Linlithgow String Orchestra, their musical director Bill Jones, and with mentorship from composer Ailie Robertson, the composition explores sounds of the railways, whilst reimagining stories of trains, industry, and identity.

Deborah explains: “The piece incorporates snippets of archival recordings and field sounds from the steam engine ‘Twizell’ which was built by Robert Stephenson & Company and is now lovingly cared for by the Tanfield Railway. Orchestral cues are directed with authentic LNER guards whistles and traditional railway hand signals.

“This new composition is so much more than a celebration of trains, I wanted my work to shine a light on the underrepresented voices in both rail and music, from women and marginalised workers to African American railroad traditions.”

Edinburgh-based harpist, songwriter and sonic artist Aurora Engine  (Deborah Shaw) releases her new single ‘Coal Dust’, the first from an upcoming EP  ‘Railway Queen‘ exploring women’s roles in industrial towns 

 LISTEN HERE

WAV MP3 HERE

VIDEO SHORT TEASER HERE

Raw, mechanical textures intertwine with harp, electronics, and voice, creating a sonic landscape that merges the industrial and magical. The EP has been written, recorded and produced by Deb mixing  collected industrial sounds. 

‘Coal Dust’ single draws inspiration from women like the Winterton Sisters early pioneers in railway signalling engineering, as well as the countless women who kept domestic and emotional labour turning while industrial progress was built around them.

Field recordings from steam trains collected by Deborah herself can be heard as a steady undercurrent, collected from railways towns where she was brought up. Lyrics blend nursery rhymes with story of labour and graft.

Funded by Stockton and Darlington Railway for Rail 200 celebrations, and PRS Foundation

Aurora Engine www.auroraengine.com

Aurora Engine / Deborah Shaw is a composer, harpist and pianist based in Edinburgh originally from CO. Durham.

Fusing real instruments, voice and progressive electronica, her work encapsulates a singular and striking sonic landscape. Currently with Hen Hoose as a mentee, recent performances include Celtic Collections, Belladrum and Hidden Door Festival.

Her 2024 work Flutter  about women and Torette’s syndrome is being programmed at CRYPTIC  2026. 

‘Magical and Delicate’ Tom Robinson BBC 6 Music

‘Splendid….mellifluous harp playing elegantly woven around electronic fizzles…dark magic abounds’ – Electronic Sound Magazine (Feb 2024)

COSLA launches Holyrood Election 2026 Manifesto

For our communities to live well locally, councils are essential. Councils provide safer communities, housing, roads and transportation, education, social work and social care, environmental health, trading standards, mental health services, advice services, employability, recycling and waste services, libraries, leisure facilities and many more vital services that support and create opportunities for every community in Scotland.

This manifesto sets out what local government needs from Scottish Government to continue to serve local communities and enable us all to live well locally.

Our key asks are grouped under six priority areas, divided into ‘enabling priorities’ focusing on key levers at our disposal (finance, workforce and democratic powers) which enable delivery of our ‘outcomes-focused priorities’ (future generations, thriving places and thriving communities).

We need Scottish Government to work together with local government, as equal partners, to deliver lasting change and improve outcomes.

COSLA-Manifesto-2026v2Download

Wes Streeting hails use of private sector in England’s NHS

STREETING: “WEALTH SHOUDN’T DETERMINE HEALTH”

FASTER CARE FOR THOUSANDS THROUGH NHS USE OF INDEPENDENT SECTOR

  • A total of 6.15 million appointments, tests and operations were delivered by independent providers for NHS patients this year.
  • The almost 500,000 increase on last year is helping to cut waiting times, free up NHS capacity and deliver national renewal through the government’s Plan for Change
  • Patients able to cut waiting times by up to five months by switching to nearby hospital with shorter queues.

Hundreds of thousands of people are receiving faster care thanks to the Labour government’s partnership with the private sector, which is helping provide the treatment they need to get back on their feet – free at the point of use.

More than 6 million tests and operations for NHS patients were delivered by independent healthcare providers over the past year – almost 500,000 more than last year.

Independent healthcare providers delivered an average of 19,000 surgical procedures and 100,000 outpatient appointments every week this financial year – helping to treat more than 1.1 million people

This is all part of the drive to use every resource available to stop patients suffering on the unacceptably long waiting lists this government inherited – which have now fallen by 206,000 over the past year.

Using spare capacity in the private sector is central to the government’s goal that 92% of patients in England should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment – which is fundamental to delivering the renewal this country needs.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “I’ll do everything I can to get NHS patients treated faster, free at the point of use.

“This is a principled, progressive position, not just a pragmatic one. We’re not prepared to continue two-tier healthcare, when those who can afford it get treated on time, and those who can’t are left behind. Wealth shouldn’t determine health.

“This is just one reform which has helped deliver 5 million more appointments, grown NHS productivity, and cut waiting lists by 200,000.

“We are also investing in growing the NHS capacity, opening up CDCs and operating theatres at evenings and weekends, and bringing in modern technology like robotic surgery. Through investment and relentless reform, we will make sure every patient is treated on time, not just those who can afford to pay.”

The partnership with the private sector comes alongside the other UK government measures to cut waiting times and expand NHS capacity in England, including:

  • Opening more Community Diagnostic Centres seven days a week, 12 hours a day. They have delivered over 8.7 million diagnostic tests since July 2024, closer to where people live, freeing up hospitals.
  • Opening new 22 new surgical hubs and expanding a further 12.
  • Introducing a national programme of weekend High-Intensity Theatre (HIT) lists once a month in 50 hospitals to get through a week’s worth of planned operations in a day
  • Setting up NHS Online, which will deliver up to 8.5 million appointments in its first three years and allow patients to digitally connect to expert clinicians anywhere in England.

The partnership with the independent sector strengthens the commitment set out in the 10 Year Health Plan to boost patients right to choose where they are treated, with new research showing patients are cutting their wait for an NHS operation by up to five months by switching to a nearby hospital with shorter queues.

Sir Jim Mackey, NHS Chief Executive, said: “The independent sector is playing a vital role in supporting our efforts to bring down waiting lists and ensure patients can get the NHS care they need faster.

“Thanks to the ambition and hard work of NHS teams, we are seeing early signs of progress with waiting lists falling for the first time in years – but we are determined to go further and faster to improve patients’ experiences and this data shows clearly that maximising use of this capacity is an approach that is working for patients.”

Research from the Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN), alongside the Patients Association and Arthritis UK, found patients need to travel on average just under 13 miles – typically under 30 minutes by car – to cut over two and a half months off their waiting time for treatment.

For particular treatments, patients can cut their wait even further. For example, in the South East, patients requiring general surgery such as a hernia operation could cut their wait from an average of 27 weeks to just 6 weeks – a reduction of almost five months – by travelling from the areas with the longest waiting times to shortest.

David Hare, Chief Executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, said: “These latest figures demonstrate just how important the independent sector is in providing much-needed NHS treatment – delivering around 10% of all NHS elective activity, and a record amount of appointments, tests and scans – all free at the point of use to patients.  

“In committing to better commissioning, patient choice and clear incentives, the recent NHS & Independent Sector Partnership is having real benefits to patients and by sticking to these principles, the Government and the independent sector can continue to drive down NHS waiting lists long into the future.”

Deborah Alsina MBE, Chief Executive of Arthritis UK said: “Thousands of people with arthritis in need of life changing hip and knee replacements are waiting in unnecessary pain.

“We know that the longer people wait, the more impact this has on their lives and causes a further deterioration in their joints which results in more complicated and expensive surgery and too often worse health outcomes.

“Promoting patient choice, including being able to be treated by independent providers, is therefore an important tool which may ensure that people can get faster access to the treatment they so desperately need.”

Sarah Tilsed, Head of Partnerships and Involvement, The Patients Association: “It’s encouraging to see more patients receiving the care they need sooner, with over six million NHS appointments, tests, and operations delivered through the independent sector in the past year.

£Every patient who has their treatment brought forward no longer has their life on pause and is able to take the next step in their care journey.

“As the NHS continues working to reduce the backlog, it’s vital that patients are supported with clear information and real choice about their options. Using all available capacity to deliver care sooner is essential, as long as patients are well informed of their right to choose and feel in control of their care journey.”

  • All figures above relate to the period September 2024 to August 2025
  • Independent healthcare providers deliver NHS care free at the point of use under contract to the NHS
  • 7.6 MILLION people were on NHS England waiting lists last month

Mental Health Foundation: The four pillars of good sleep

With the clocks going back this weekend, many of us will relish the extra hour in bed. 🛌

Sleep helps us process our thoughts and feelings and gives our minds a chance to heal. 💜

But too many of us are struggling to get good sleep, with serious impacts for how we feel and function. 🧠

Our free guide to getting a better night’s sleep is full of tips for anyone struggling with their sleep.

Check it out now: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/…/publ…/how-sleep-better

#SleepGuide

#SleepBetter

#MentalHealthMatters

#MindfulRest

#SleepWell

REMEMBER – Clocks go BACK this Sunday!

Pets Foundation support for Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home

We’re thrilled to share some good news! Earlier this year, we were successful in receiving grant funding from Pets Foundation! 🙌

This multi-year funding will help part-fund our dedicated Foodbank Coordinator role, ensuring that our Pet Food Bank can continue to support pet owners across our community.

Since launching in 2019, our Pet Food Bank has provided essential meals to owners facing financial difficulties, illness, homelessness, or domestic abuse.

Last year alone, we provided 674,734 meals to pets in need!

Thanks to this funding, we can continue keeping pets where they belong – at home, with their families.🏡

Directors planned £20m tax fraud at secret meetings

HMRC: West Lothian family sentenced

A network of corrupt company directors has been jailed for more than 70 years after they were caught planning an elaborate multi-million-pound tax fraud during clandestine meetings.

The company at the heart of the fraud, Winnington Networks Ltd (WNL), deliberately understated how much VAT was owed to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) between 2011 and 2014.

Key evidence was secured when WNL’s Financial Director, Neil Pursell, 60, and key players, were caught conspiring at two hotel meetings held in Manchester and Birmingham in late 2013.

At each meeting, the men openly discussed the fraud; the mechanics and how they could just “invent the numbers” to falsely offset their output VAT claims.

Three earlier trials have already resulted in prison sentences of more than 62 years and Director disqualifications of more than 100 years.

The fraud, which was described by trial Judge Dafna Spiro as “complex and highly sophisticated” saw WNL generating VAT by creating price drops on metals and electrical items they sold via a contrived chain of business transactions outside the UK.

After adding VAT back on to items and selling them at competitive rates to real customers in the UK, Winnington set about offsetting the VAT they had created.

They did this by falsely claiming they had sold VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol or telecommunications/internet airtime) to UK suppliers.

Richard Las, Director of HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, said: “This incredibly complex fraud was dismantled thanks to the tenacity, skill and dedication of our criminal investigators.

“I hope this sends a clear message to anyone involved in tax fraud that regardless of how complex it may be, we have the skills, resources and the determination to catch you and to bring you to justice.

“The scale of the sentences and the significant director disqualifications show how seriously the courts have treated this sustained and sophisticated attack on the UK tax system.

“Tax fraud is not a victimless crime. It steals money that funds the public services we all rely on and I’d urge anyone with information about any type of tax fraud or money laundering to report it to HMRC on GOV.UK.”

The vast majority of VOIP was fake, but WNL and the co-conspirators recruited people who owned VAT-registered businesses to issue fake documents. In return they were handed a share of the profits of the fraud.

They created multiple fictitious deal chains to make it look genuine and even created two fake offshore banking platforms, said to be based in the Seychelles and Canada, in a bid to produce a convincing set of financial records.

A nationwide HMRC operation in March 2014, led to the arrest of 15 people, searches of 36 premises (including a property in Cyprus) and the winding up of three companies.

The huge investigation ultimately led to four trials at Southwark Crown Court and the conviction of 20 people.

Alexander White, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Kashaf Bashir, William Lindfield, Assim Rather, Vishal Chudasama,  Adeel Karamat Malik,  Beverley Thompson, and Sarah Jane Peploe were sentenced for playing important roles in stealing and laundering £20 million from the UK taxpayer.

“Together with the other thirteen convicted defendants, they helped operate a complex and sophisticated fake system of offsetting VAT payments to HMRC, money which was meant for public services but was instead stolen for their own selfish purposes.

 “The CPS has commenced proceeds of crime proceedings against all of these defendants to claw back this illegally obtained money.”

All 20 people were convicted of or admitted either conspiracy to cheat the public revenue or money laundering offences.

Three family members from West Lothian have been sentenced for their role in the £20 million tax fraud case. It follows four separate trials, with the final sentencing hearing having taken place on Monday (20 October 2025).

Leslie Thompson, of Chapman’s Brae, Bathgate, (DOB: 25/07/1962), was convicted of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue following trial one, which ended in March 2024 and was then jailed for six years.

He was also disqualified from acting as a director of any company for a period of 12 years and handed a three-year Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO) which begins when released from prison.

Beverley Thompson (wife of Leslie), also of Chapman’s Brae, Bathgate, (DOB: 22/12/1964), was convicted of money laundering.

On Monday 20 October 2025, Thompson was jailed for 24 months, suspended for 18 months, handed a 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement and ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.

Andrew Collins (formerly Thompson, son of Leslie) (DOB: 06/06/1984), of Falside Crescent, Bathgate, entered a guilty plea on 22 July 2024 to conspiracy to cheat the public revenue.

He was sentenced to 22 months in jail, suspended for two years, given a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 20 days and disqualified from acting as a director of any company for eight years.

A trip to Modern One for Strachan House Care Home residents

Strachan House care home in Blackhall have recently enjoyed a day out to the Modern One art gallery following the request of some art savvy residents. 

Residents on the Ground Floor community were desperate to flex their creative muscles and attend an art gallery before returning to the home to create their own contemporary art. 

Art is something that the residents feel crosses divides, it allows everyone to be creative and really gives everyone something to talk about. Favourite exhibitions from the day included the Rhythm display and Connection which the residents really loved especially with the links this display had to their own lives. 

Zoe our activities coordinator said: “Art is very popular with everyone who lives here at Strachan House values it very much, we love an outing and this one was a real highlight, we can’t wait to visit Modern 2!” 

Strachan House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care for 83 residents from respite care to long term stays.