Category: North Edinburgh News

Anger as Lothian Pension Fund increases fossil fuel investments

Climate justice campaigners have condemned the Lothian Pension Fund for increasing its investments in fossil fuels despite the worsening climate emergency. 

The latest investment holdings list from the Lothian Pension Fund reveals that the fund’s investments in oil and gas companies have risen in value to £208m in 2024 from £166m in 2022. This increase is driven by the purchase of additional shares rather than changes in the market value of existing holdings and has arisen despite Edinburgh and East Lothian councils passing motions in 2022 calling on the fund to divest from fossil fuels in order to tackle the climate crisis.

The Lothian Pension Fund is the second biggest fossil fuel investor of all the council pension funds in Scotland. It invests in some of the world’s biggest climate polluters, including TotalEnergies, Exxon Mobil, Eni, Equinor, Shell and BP.

TotalEnergies, now Lothian Pension Fund’s largest fossil fuel investment following a recent significant purchase of additional shares, is currently developing the East African Crude Oil Pipeline. If completed, the pipeline will stretch 1,444km across Uganda and Tanzania, to pump oil out of new oil fields in Uganda to be exported on the international market. It would produce 379m tonnes of carbon emissions if it goes ahead.

Joan Forehand from campaign group Divest Lothian said: “It is appalling that the Lothian Pension Fund is choosing to invest even more of its members’ pensions in companies that, despite responsible investors’ efforts over many years to get them to change course, are doubling down on oil and gas expansion plans. 

“The science is clear: we need to rapidly transition away from fossil fuels to avoid catastrophic climate breakdown, and the economic collapse that would bring. Increasing investment in the fossil fuel industry highlights the failure of the Lothian Pension Fund to adequately assess climate change risk in its financial modelling.”

Sally Clark, divestment campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “It’s unbelievable that despite the worsening climate crisis and clear support for ending fossil fuel investments from councillors in Edinburgh and East Lothian, Lothian Pension Fund has actually increased investments in fossil fuels. 

“These fossil fuel companies are driving climate breakdown and the pension fund’s managers have a responsibility to act in the best interests of their members and future generations. 

“The money moved away from fossil fuels could instead be invested in ways that support local communities and protect the planet for everyone, like renewable energy. As skyrocketing energy bills are plunging millions of people into fuel poverty across the UK, this transition is more important than ever.” 

Jane Herbstritt, climate campaigner at Global Justice Now added: “Despite the certainty of the climate emergency, TotalEnergies is pressing ahead with its climate-wrecking development of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline – displacing local communities and destroying the environment in order to profit from pumping out more new oil than can be safely burned.

“It is wholly irresponsible for the Lothian Pension Fund to give its backing to this by increasing its investment in TotalEnergies, particularly when councillors in Edinburgh and East Lothian have voted for the pension fund to divest from oil and gas.”

Divest Lothian is calling on the pension fund’s managers to stop investing in fossil fuels and to instead invest in renewable energy and social housing in order to prioritise the long-term health and well-being of its members and of communities around the world. 

Silver Sunday at Lauriston Castle

We are taking part in #SilverSunday with Age UK on Sunday 6 October by offering a free tour for elder visitors. We have an option of a tour of the Castle and a step-free option to see the castle digitally.

Join our knowledgeable guide for a FREE tour of Lauriston Castle. Find out about Willian and Margaret Reid, the last owners of Lauriston, and see for yourself the wonderful gift they left the nation.

Silver Sunday is the national day for older people, which is co-ordinated by Age UK. Age UK’s Silver Sunday is a national day where people of all generations can come together by hosting fun and free activities for older people. It is a day where older people can meet new people, visit new places, try new activities and connect with their local communities and the generations around them.

More Info here: https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/…/tour-lauriston…

Michael Pedersen is the new Edinburgh Makar

A report to the city council’s Culture and Communities Committee yesterday has recommended Michael Pedersen as the next writer to be inaugurated as the seventh Edinburgh Makar.

Michael will take over the honorary role from Hannah Lavery later this year at a special reception hosted by the Lord Provost at the City Chambers.

Born and raised in the Capital, Michael is a prize-winning Scottish poet and author, and the Writer in Residence at Edinburgh University. His poetic prose debut, Boy Friends, was published by Faber & Faber in 2022. It was a Sunday Times Critics Choice and shortlisted for Best Non-Fiction at Scotland’s National Book Awards.

Michael has also been shortlisted for the Forward Prizes for Poetry and won a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship. Having co-founded the literary production house Neu! Reekie!, his work has been praised by many writers and performers including Stephen Fry, Sara Pascoe, Nicola Sturgeon, Irvine Welsh, Jackie Kay, Alan Cumming and Kae Tempest.

Culture and Communities Convener, Cllr Val Walker said: “I would like to begin by thanking Hannah Lavery as our outgoing Edinburgh Makar for her generous contribution to the cultural life of Edinburgh residents.

“Hannah has been an enthusiastic and hardworking advocate for poetry and the written word, engaging with a diverse range of people in many different settings including community writing groups, cultural organisations, theatres and festivals, contemporary poets and dramatists and the Council’s Museums and Galleries team. I wish her all the very best for her future endeavours.

“At the same time, I’m very much looking forward to welcoming Michael Pedersen into the role. Michael was a pupil at Portobello High School and is currently Writer in Residence at The University of Edinburgh.

“His work is honest, fearless and witty with a strong focus on mental health and friendship. I am looking forward to seeing Michael engage with our younger community members and to hearing his perspective on Edinburgh 900, as we celebrate 900 years of the city’s history over the next twelve months.”

The Seventh Edinburgh Makar, Michael Pedersen: “Finding myself as Edinburgh’s new Makar is a thrill supreme! I’m brio filled and beaming from it.

“From Parson’s Green Primary to Portobello High School, from years of running literary events with Neu! Reekie! to finding myself as the current Writer in Residence at Edinburgh Uni, I’ve been married to poetry throughout.

“I’ve published three collections over a ten-year period and feel like I’m only getting started. Edinburgh is one of the world’s foremost poetry cities, and I’m elated and electrified to be setting off fireworks (hopefully conceptually and literally) for both these bastions of beauty.

“I told my Granny first, then my Ma, the rest will follow. Long live love and poetry and Edina!”

The Edinburgh Makar is a civic post instituted in 2002 by the City of Edinburgh Council. The writer is selected and nominated by representatives of the Scottish Poetry Library, Scottish PEN, The Saltire Society, Edinburgh City of Literature Trust and the Council.

Dara Ó Briain, Milton Jones, Rose Matafeo, Angela Barnes and more big names join the line up for Underbelly Big Brain Tumour Benefit

Tuesday 13 August, 7.20pm at McEwan Hall, Underbelly Bristo Square

  • So far, Underbelly has raised over £110,000 for The Brain Tumour Charity from these benefits alone, including nearly £20,000 at the last Fringe benefit in 2023.
  • Dara Ó Briain, Milton Jones, Rose Matafeo, Angela Barnes, Ian Smith, Carl Donnelly, Kanan Gill, Amy Gledhill are confirmed to appear in this year’s show with more guests to be announced soon. 
  • The show was created by Underbelly in 2017 following the diagnosis of an aggressive and rare form of brain cancer called Ependymoma in Alfie Bartlam, the son of Underbelly’s co-founder Ed Bartlam. Alfie sadly died, aged 7, in August 2019.
  • Brain tumours are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children and adults under 40. They shorten life expectancy by an average of 27 years, the most of any cancer. Despite this, brain tumour research is more underfunded compared to many other cancers.

Underbelly has today (9th August) announced its much-anticipated line-up for the sixth annual Big Brain Tumour Benefit in the majestic McEwan Hall. 100% of the box office income is being donated directly to The Brain Tumour Charity, the world’s leading brain tumour charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally.

Starring in this year’s show will be:

  • Irish comedy legend Dara Ó Briain
  • King of the one-liners Milton Jones
  • Kiwi Edinburgh Comedy Award Winner and tv actress Rose Matafeo
  • UK tv star and stand up comedian Angela Barnes
  • 2023 Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Show nominee and BBC Radio 4’s  Ian Smith
  • Indian comedy super star Kanan Gill
  • Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Amy Gledhill
  • And our MC will be Fringe favourite Carl Donnelly

All money raised via ticket sales and in donations on the night goes to The Brain Tumour Charity – a cause which is very close to Underbelly’s heart. Co-Founder of Underbelly, Ed Bartlam’s, son Alfie was just 4 years old when he was diagnosed with a form of aggressive brain cancer in 2016 and sadly died three days after the end of the Fringe in 2019.

Research into brain tumours is significantly underfunded in the UK compared to other cancers, despite being the leading cancer killer for those under 40. Each year, over 11,400 people in the UK are diagnosed with a brain tumour – meaning 31 families face the devastation of this diagnosis every day.

Ed Bartlam, Underbelly’s co-founder said: “I’m delighted that we are announcing another superb line up for Underbelly’s sixthBig Brain Tumour Benefit show at the Edinburgh Fringe.

“We have raised over £110,000 for The Brain Tumour Charity since our first show in 2017, and we cannot thank both the comedians and the audiences enough for their support so far.

“My wife and I are raising £1.5M for the charity to fund a specific paediatric brain tumour research and new treatment project based in Cambridge.

“We’re doing this through a range of fundraising events and this annual Fringe show is a vital part of that. Call me biased, but this show is an amazing evening of comedy for the very best of causes. So please buy a ticket!”

Hannah Bowler, Corporate Partnership Manager at The Brain Tumour Charity, said: “We are thrilled that the Big Brain Tumour Benefit comedy gig is returning this year, for its sixth show, and we are incredibly grateful for our amazing partners, Underbelly, for their ongoing support in raising crucial funds for research and awareness of the devastating impact of brain tumours.

“Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40, The Brain Tumour Charity is committed to fighting brain tumours on all fronts.

“We can only work towards our goal of helping people with a brain tumour live longer and better lives with the support from people like Ed, Charlie and the truly incredible Underbelly team.”

To book tickets for Underbelly’s Big Brain Tumour Benefit, please visit:

https://underbellyedinburgh.co.uk/event/underbellys-big-brain-tumour-benefit-2024

St Mary’s Cathedral Choir returns this Sunday

🎵 Our Cathedral Choir is back this Sunday for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe following summer break!

✨ All are welcome to experience the beauty of St Mary’s and its musicians all year, for free.

📯 Festival Services with the Choir start this Sun 11th Aug; Choral Evensong is at 3.30pm, while the Cathedral Eucharist is at 10.30am.

🔗Full Festival Service details: https://www.cathedral.net/whats-on

🎶 The Cathedral Choir also has a concert on Fri 23 Aug at 6pm: https://www.cathedral.net/…/cathedral-choir-classical…

Back to school support from Edinburgh School Uniform Bank

⭐URGENT INFORMATION⭐

Are you a parent struggling with the cost of school uniform? There are a few ways you can get help:

Take what you need from one of our free-to-access uniform rails at various locations (see the first section at https://edinburghuniform.org/signposting/ )

Apply for the School Clothing Grant from the council https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/schoolgrants They sometimes give the grant to families who don’t meet their standard criteria, if they’re on a low income, so it might be worth applying. There is also info about other grants on our signposting page https://edinburghuniform.org/signposting/

Ask your school if they can help when the staff go back a couple of days before the start of term. We support mini uniform banks at lots of schools and many schools also have sharing rails.

If you have a family support worker, a health visitor, a social worker, or another similar professional you can ask them to see if you’re eligible for one of our Clothing Crisis Packs – please ask them to read the info at https://edinburghuniform.org/refer/

Granton Medway Community Park: Second consultation event

Come along and join us at another drop in event at the entrance to the community park on Granton Medway anytime between 4pm and 7pm on Wednesday 21st August to meet the team and see the designs.

We would like to share our initial ideas for the landscape improvements and get your feedback if you like them, or have further suggestions.

Contact: Lynn Stocks, Principal Engagement Consultant

Landscape Architecture & Urban Design

AtkinsRéalis

0131 221 5770

Canning Exchange, 10 Canning Street

Edinburgh, EH3 8EG

Channel 4 to air critically-acclaimed series, Defiance: Fighting the Far Right

Against the backdrop of far-right extremism and racist violence in the UK, @Channel4 will once again air critically-acclaimed & award-winning series, #Defiance: Fighting the Far Right, at 10pm from Mon 12 — Wed 14 August.

The series is also available stream in full on Channel 4.

Across three compelling hours, Defiance: Fighting the Far Right examines how British Asians and immigrants were targeted with a campaign of violence and murder between 1976 and 1981, as National Front and extremist activity became increasingly prominent.

The series investigates seminal events ranging from the Southall protests, the death of Blair Peach, the Battle for Brick Lane and the extraordinary story of the Bradford 12. Through a cache of archive footage and compelling new testimony from key figures on the front line at the time, the ground-breaking documentary series shows what happened when the British Asian community decided to fight back.   

This particularly timely series lifts the lid on a period in recent British history, in which the violence, injustice – as well as the extraordinary courage of those who confronted it – resonates through the decades as well as holding a mirror and bringing context to the scenes of extremism and racism across the UK that dominate the news headlines today.

Defiance: Fighting the Far Right was the winner of Best Documentary at the 2024 Eastern Eye ACTAs. The series was hailed with critical acclaim when it first aired on Channel 4 earlier this year.

BBC Radio 5Live’s Nihal Arthanayake said the series is “incredible viewing whether you’re Asian or not”. The Guardian said: “This striking three-part documentary… does a compelling job of telling the personal and political stories behind Britain’s Asian community as it faced violence and murder between 1976 and 1981.” The Times gave the series four stars, describing it as “powerful”. The Telegraph praised the series as “fresh, important and detailed”, also giving four stars.

The series will air alongside a brand-new, bespoke trailer from Channel 4’s in-house creative agency, 4creative, commissioned by newly installed CMO Katie Jackson.

The 10-second promo, which begins airing tonight (Thursday 8th August), reflects Channel 4’s commitment to anti-racism, and amidst the disturbing scenes being witnessed across the country, serves as an important reminder of the power of inclusion, which sits at the heart of Channel 4’s Altogether Different brand DNA.

The trail lifts directly from a mural found on the walls of Channel 4’s London office at Horseferry Road. The full mural reads:

“Different. It’s the one thing we’ve all got in common. We’re often made to think that different is what divides us, but at Channel 4 we think different is brilliant, that it’s our weird bits and odd bobs – our shared uniqueness – that brings us all together. Altogether different.”

The trail can be viewed here.

Channel 4’s Head of Specialist Factual, Shaminder Nahal said: “As we all try to make sense of the horrific scenes of racist violence taking place on our streets, and what these events say about Britain, this timely series provides important context.

“The series reveals the deep-seated fear of immigration from some British people back in the 70s and 80s, how that informed political debate, and how devastating the violence on the streets was to become.

“Defiance: Fighting the Far Right painfully highlights the impact and toll that racism has on those who courageously fought it across decades, and gives us much to reflect on today.”

Executive Producer for Rogan Productions James Rogan said: “A comprehensive telling of the extraordinary experiences of a generation of Asian refugees and migrants who came to Britain and faced unprecedented wave of racial violence, stood their ground and turned the tide, is long overdue.

“This landmark documentary series is packed with jaw-dropping stories and thrilling tales of resistance, breaking new ground on stories long overlooked forgotten.”

Riz Ahmed and Allie Moore of Left Handed Films said: “The British Asian civil rights movement is a forgotten piece of history. The Southall Protests, the death of Blair Peach, and the story of the Bradford 12 all continue to shape Britain.

“These are stories of bravery in the face of violence, and a refusal to let prejudice go unchallenged – they could not be more timely.”

Defiance: Fighting the Far Right, was produced by Rogan Productions and Group M Motion Entertainment, in association with Left-Handed Films. 

The series was executive produced by James Rogan, Nancy Bornat and Soleta Rogan for Rogan Productions, Riz Ahmed and Allie Moore for Left Handed Films and Deep Sehgal for GroupM Motion Entertainment.

@rizwanahmed