Category: North Edinburgh News

Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society announces recipients of the 2026 Keep it Fringe fund

Bursaries of £2,500 to support artists bringing work to this year’s Fringe

Today, Thursday 09 April, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has announced the recipients of the 2026 Keep it Fringe fund.

This important initiative was launched in 2023 by Fringe Society honorary President Phoebe Waller-Bridge and supports artists who may face financial barriers in bringing work to the festival. 

This year, 402 applications were received for an initial £30,000 of available support.  Following the launch announcement, further donations have increased the funding available to £40,000.

In 2026 the Fringe Society has been delighted to receive donations from actress Miriam Margolyes, the Williamson family, and James Seabright, who pledged support in 2024 for new theatre in recognition of 25 years of producing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

We are also grateful to Cheez-It for its donation via a fundraising partnership with the Co-op. The Keep it Fringe fund has gained significant interest since its inception and is now in need of further financial support to ensure the Fringe Society is able to sustain it in future years.

The shows that have received Keep it Fringe funding explore a range of topics, including club culture, nostalgia, PTSD, declining seaside towns, moving back in with your parents, hypnosis, eating disorders, declining journalistic standards and growing up in the shadow of the British Empire, with companies and artists spanning the cabaret, comedy, musical, spoken word and theatre categories in the Fringe programme. 43% of the successful applicants identify as disabled or have a health condition, and more than 30% come from a working-class background.

Tony Lankester, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: ‘We recognise the significance of the Keep it Fringe fund and the number of applications this year demonstrates how important it has become.

“We know that bringing work to Edinburgh comes at significant cost, and Keep it Fringe goes a long way to helping artists bridge the gap.

“We are extremely grateful to Miriam, James, the Williamson family and Cheez-It for their kind donations to this year’s fund. We are busy working on fundraising to ensure Keep it Fringe continues in 2027 and beyond and would encourage anyone able to support us in this work to reach out to us’.

The Fringe Society hopes to continue the Keep it Fringe fund for as long as possible and is actively seeking new funding and donations to ensure the long-term sustainability of the fund. 

Donations can be made here, and updates will be provided as the project progresses.

The successful recipients of the Keep it Fringe Fund 2026 are the following shows (alphabetical):

  • Abbie Edwards: Knee Touch
  • Crush
  • Ele McKenzie: Bringing It All Back Home
  • Fantasy World Adventures Mega Park! The Musical
  • Giraffe
  • Half-Time
  • hame. teeth. CLUB
  • The Hypnotist & Mind Reader Live
  • Mothman: A Romance Musical
  • One Dog One Nutter – PTSD to Pleasure
  • paywall
  • The Poetical Life of Philomena McGuinness
  • A Simply Beastly Murder
  • SLAY
  • Target Audience
  • The Wreck

As wider show information becomes available, full information will be listed on edfringe.com.

Art For Grown Ups exhibition at North Edinburgh Arts opens today

SPECIAL EVENT THURSDAY 16 APRIL 6 – 7.30pm

EXHIBITION RUNS FROM 9th – 21st APRIL

We’re excited to celebrate the work of three local people – Yasmin Shorter, Kirsty Sutherland and Kevin Jack – the first Local Artists in Residence at Art for Grown Ups’ Studio at North Edinburgh Arts.

After months of creativity, now it’s time to share the results with you!

The exhibition opens today, Thursday 9 April and runs until 21 April. Pop by and see it during the NEA’s opening times: Monday – Wednesday: 9am-5pm, Thursday & Friday: 9am-8pm, Saturday: 10am-2pm.

✨ We’ll be hosting a special celebration event on Thursday, 16 April at 6pm. You’re invited!

– Meet the artists

– Enjoy refreshments

– Take part in a studio tour

– Explore the creative journey of the past 9 months!

Joint Statement on the conflict in the Middle East

WORLD LEADERS WELCOME ‘CEASEFIRE’

Statement by President Macron, Prime Minister Meloni, Chancellor Merz, Prime Minister Starmer, Prime Minister Carney, President Dan, acting Prime Minister Frederiksen, Prime Minister Frostadóttir, Prime Minister Jetten, Prime Minister Kristersson, Prime Minister Mitsotakis, Prime Minister Sanchez, Prime Minister Støre, President Stubb, Prime Minister Takaichi, President of the European Commission von der Leyen, President of the European Council Costa:

We welcome the two-week ceasefire concluded between the United States and Iran today (Wednesday 8 April). 

We thank Pakistan and all partners involved for facilitating this important agreement.

The goal must now be to negotiate a swift and lasting end to the war within the coming days. This can only be achieved through diplomatic means.

We strongly encourage quick progress towards a substantive negotiated settlement. 

This will be crucial to protect the civilian population of Iran and ensure security in the region. It can avert a severe global energy crisis.

We support these diplomatic efforts. To this end, we are in close contact with the United States and other partners.

We call upon all sides to implement the ceasefire, including in Lebanon.

Our Governments will contribute to ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Girlguiding: Be a Peer Educator

Become a peer educator and give girls a space to talk about what’s important to them!

As a peer educator you will explore important topics like mental wellbeing, safety and gender stereotypes, using your own experiences to become a role model for girls all across Scotland.

If you are 14-25 join us in May at our next peer education training weekend. Find out more through the link below 👇

https://bit.ly/4scuRKL

If you know someone who would make a great peer educator make sure to share the link with them 🔗

Art: A lost Eardley returns

As the National Galleries of Scotland opens Joan Eardley | The Nature of Painting at Modern Two, a remarkable rediscovery has brought one of her paintings back into public view more than sixty years after it was last handled by The Scottish Gallery. 

In the summer of last year, The Scottish Gallery received an unexpected call. A manager from a charity shop in the East Midlands had taken in a dark, unassuming painting through a house clearance donation.

On the reverse, a worn and fragmentary label revealed just six words: “Summer, Joan, Exhibited, The Scottish Gallery.” 

Intrigued, Director Tommy Zyw turned to The Scottish Gallery archive. After searching through its historic day books, he uncovered a handwritten entry from May 1961 recording the sale of a painting titled Summer Fields by Joan Eardley. The possibility was compelling.

The painting was retrieved and brought to Edinburgh for inspection. From the moment it was unwrapped, its authenticity was clear. The surface, the handling, the authority of the mark all pointed unmistakably to Eardley. Sixty-four years after it had left us, Summer Fields had returned.

Conservation brought the work back to life, revealing an atmospheric landscape painted in the final years of Eardley’s life in Catterline. A corner of a farmer’s field is caught in the golden light of late September, with the foreground alive with textured grasses and seed heads. It is a deeply observed and quietly powerful work, rooted in the landscape that she loved and defined her practice.

The painting was unveiled by The Scottish Gallery at the British Art Fair in September 2025, where it attracted significant attention, and was later exhibited at the gallery on Dundas Street, Edinburgh.

It has recently been acquired by a distinguished collector of Scottish art. Its rediscovery carries impact beyond the art historical. Sold on behalf of the charity from which it emerged, the work achieved the largest single work sale in the charity’s history of £29,500, directly supporting vital medical research in the UK. 

Tommy Zyw, Director of The Scottish Gallery commented: “This story speaks of the enduring power of Joan Eardley’s painting and of the role of careful stewardship, archives, and expertise in bringing such works back into the public arena.

“From Joan Eardley painting this work in Catterline, its sale in 1961, decades enjoyed privately then its arrival on the charity shop’s shelf, to the phone call that started its return to Scotland; we have been proud to support Summer Fields on its continuing journey.”

Since first exhibiting Joan Eardley’s work in 1955, The Scottish Gallery has played a central role in shaping and sustaining her reputation through scholarship, exhibitions, and careful placement in major private and public collections, ensuring each work is presented with context, care, and authority.

The Gallery sells many works on behalf of private clients and families, offering a discreet and considered alternative to auction, allowing works to be placed directly with committed collectors and achieve consistently strong results without the uncertainty of a single sale day.

Running from 2 April to 28 June 2026 at Modern Two, the National Galleries of Scotland exhibition brings together over 30 works by Eardley, alongside paintings from the national collection. 

It places Eardley’s work within a wider artistic context, revealing her engagement with both international and Scottish contemporaries, while reaffirming her status as one of the most powerful painters of the twentieth century.

It is a timely moment to reflect not only on her legacy, but on the extraordinary journeys her paintings can take.

First British astronaut Helen Sharman to speak at Edinburgh Science Festival

First British astronaut Helen Sharman to give a talk this Sunday, 65 years to the day since Yuri Gagarin’s historic flight to space

SUNDAY 12th APRIL 7pm USHER HALL

In this special event Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut, shares her unique, personal experiences from her historic 1991 mission aboard the Mir space station. Audiences will hear about some of her training, blasting off on a Soyuz rocket, what it’s like to live and work in space including conducting science experiments.

In conversation with Earth scientist and former BBC presenter Dr Hermione Cockburn, Helen reflects on the evolution of space exploration – from Tim Peake’s International Space Station mission to private space companies – and the growing international diversity in space programmes.

Helen Sharman said: “Space is getting really exciting again! I’m delighted to return to Edinburgh to share some insights, including my own experiences of what it’s like in space.”

Tickets here: https://www.edinburghscience.co.uk/event/helen-sharman/

Here to Listen: Forth Community Police drop-in sessions this month

👮‍♀️ We’re here to listen.

Join your local Forth Community Police Officers at our April drop‑ins. Stop by, say hello and chat about any community concerns or questions you may have.

📅 Mon 20 April

📍 Granton Library

🕑 2pm–3pm

📅 Sat 25 April

📍 Morrisons, Pilton Drive

🕥 10:30am–12:00pm

Everyone welcome!

#ForthCommunity#CommunityPolicing#HereToHelp

Granton Library: Growing things in Granton session with Lisa

WEDNESDAY 22nd APRIL from 4 – 4.45pm

Come and meet our new seeds!

They’re all neatly packed in envelopes and waiting to go to new homes. Or perhaps you have some of your own that need somewhere new to grow?

You can swap or use packets from our brand-new seed library. Lisa will advise you in this handy drop-in session if you have questions.

In partnership with Granton Community Gardeners .

Never Fear, Sir Keir’s Here!

Prime Minister travels to Middle East to meet allies and support ceasefire

The Prime Minister is travelling to the Gulf today to meet with Gulf partners and discuss diplomatic efforts to support and uphold the ceasefire in order to bring about a lasting resolution to the conflict and protect the UK and global economy from further threats.

  • The Prime Minister will travel to the Gulf this week to meet leaders of countries who have been in the front line, and will set out his full support for the newly agreed ceasefire 
  • In meetings with regional leaders, he will reiterate unwavering UK support and need for a long-term diplomatic resolution to make sure the ceasefire leads to a lasting agreement 
  • He will hold talks on ensuring the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remains permanent, with the United Kingdom continuing to lead international efforts

The Prime Minister is travelling to the Gulf today to meet with Gulf partners and discuss diplomatic efforts to support and uphold the ceasefire in order to bring about a lasting resolution to the conflict and protect the UK and global economy from further threats.   

On the visit, the Prime Minister will make clear his government’s commitment to de-escalation, and hold further talks on practical efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz following promising progress reported as a result of the ceasefire. As announced by the Prime Minister last week, the United Kingdom is continuing to lead the international effort, convening allies from across the world to ensure the Strait of Hormuz is reopened.  

He will also see in person the defensive support the UK has provided in the collective self-defence of our allies in the region and thank UK personnel for their brave service. 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: I welcome the ceasefire agreement reached overnight, which will bring a moment of relief to the region and the world. 

“Together with our partners we must do all we can to support and sustain this ceasefire, turn it into a lasting agreement and re-open the Strait of Hormuz.”

The Prime Minster’s travel follows the UK-convened meeting last week of more than 40 countries to begin work on a viable plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz when the fighting subsides, and subsequent military planning meeting hosted by the UK on Tuesday to further advance this work. 

Work will now continue at pace in light of the ceasefire and the Prime Minister is expected to discuss this further in meetings with leaders in the region.

The Prime Minister’s first stop will be to thank the UK and local personnel who have bravely put their lives at risk in the defence of our people, our interests and those of our allies. 

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that UK personnel have intercepted more than 110 drone attacks in the region, and the RAF have conducted more than 1600 hours of defensive operations.

The Prime Minister will also pay tribute to the work of our partners in the Gulf, whose armed forces have protected the hundreds of thousands of UK nationals living in the region in the face of Iran’s brutal aggression.

IRAN’S BRUTAL AGGRESSION? You couldnae make it up! – Ed.

RCEM: “Crying out for help”

Dire state of A&E should be top of the Scottish Election agenda as record numbers experience long waits

As thousands of patients each month in Scotland are forced to wait more than half a day in Emergency Departments (ED) before being discharged, transferred or admitted, whoever forms the next Scottish Government must make this healthcare crisis an emergency.  That’s the key message from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine following the publication of new ED performance data from Public Health Scotland.  

A total of 7,967 patients, or one in 13, people who attended a major (type 1) ED in Scotland in February waited 12 or more hours before being admitted, discharged or transferred. 

That’s an unacceptable proportion – and the worst of any February on record. In February 2025, the figure stood 1,895 lower, which was already dangerously high.  

Less than a decade ago, in February 2019, just 344 patients waited that long across the entire month, despite more people attending EDs.  

Dr Fiona Hunter, RCEM Vice President for Scotland, said: “Long waits in EDs are dangerous for patients and, for the sickest patients who require admission into a ward, are associated with increased risk of death. 

“The state of our departments is utterly dire. This winter has left our members, and the departments they work in, on their knees. We are crying out for help.” 

Driving this breakdown in patient flow are inefficiencies and blockages throughout the system. One of the greatest causes is delayed discharges. 

PHS’s new data showed that in February, a daily average of 1,984 patients were occupying hospital beds despite being medically fit to leave.  

Dr Hunter continued: “If the ‘back door’ blockages in our hospital, causing patients to be stuck in beds they do not need, it would ease pressure across the system – particularly in ED. 

“Addressing the elephant in the room, next month’s elections: we call on all political parties to bring patient flow to the top of the agenda. 

“We need whoever forms the next Scottish Government to tackle delayed discharge, end ED overcrowding and help us make the abhorrent practice of corridor care a thing of the past.”  

Latest figures also showed that, for February 2026:  

  • 16,041 (one in six patients) waited eight or more hours to be admitted, discharged or transferred in a major ED 
  • The proportion of patients waiting less than the target of four hours stood at 62.4%, far lower than the 95% system target 
  • 105,647 people attended ED, a slight increase compared to last February, but a reduction compared to February 2019, when patient flow was substantially better.