Alice Gully and Kate Mactaggart, business women and mothers, both aged 46 from the Scottish Borders have been selected out of thousands of applicants to participate in the August 2022 Mongol Derby race.
Gully and Mactaggart (AKA Doddie’5 Dazzlers) are racing to raise £30,000 in aid of My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, set up by fellow Scot, Doddie Weir OBE. The Foundation is committed to helping improve the lives of those affected by Motor Neuron Disease.
With just 40 selected jockeys riding, this gruelling 1000km course takes up to 10 days and it is regarded as the longest and toughest horse race in the world. It is genuinely dangerous with a high chance of injury and typically only half the jockeys complete the race.
This is the greatest equine adventure in the world – high passes, huge valleys, wooded hills, river crossings, wetland, dunes and of course open steppe.
The jockeys live with the herders at night, eat local food (a diet of mutton and offal) and rely on their wits and skill during the day. Weather extremes are expected in the Mongol Derby with temperatures ranging from freezing to 38⁰C and anything from horizontal rain to scorching sun.
To prepare for this epic race, Alice and Kate are both currently undergoing an intense training and exercise regime, which includes cycling 100 miles and rowing 21,000 meters per week, as well as a weekly 5k run, 20,000 steps per day and over 7hrs in the saddle each week.
A huge commitment to undertake in addition to their businesses and family life, with 6 children between them!
In 1224 Genghis Khan set up the world’s first long-distance horse messenger system, which connected half of the planet.
Using a massive network of horse stations (‘morin urtuus’ in Mongolian) his hardy messengers could gallop from Kharkhorin to the Caspian Sea in a number of days.
Nearly 800 years later, for 10 days each August, the Mongol Derby recreates this legendary system, utilising a network of urtuus at 40km intervals along the entire 1000km course.
Over 2,070 shows now available to browse online, with more to be announced monthly in the lead up to the Fringe’s 75th anniversary this August
Today (Thursday 5 May), the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce that tickets for a further 1,281 Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows are now available to browse and book atedfringe.com.
This is the third set of tickets to be released for 2022, with the first 283 shows revealed in March and 796 in April.
In total, there are 2,074 shows now available, with more set to be announced on Thursday 09 June. The official programme launch will take place on Thursday 07 July.
The 75th anniversary of the Fringe takes place from 05 – 29 August 2022 and will feature an exciting range of shows, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, events and more all featured in the programme so far.
Below is a small representative sample of shows available to book from today. The full list of shows released so far can be found at edfringe.com.
Theatre
Paines Plough return to Summerhall this August with a programme of work, including Caste-ing, which explores “the experiences of three black actresses using beatboxing, rap, song and spoken word”, Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder is “a true-crime podcast reframed as ‘a hilarious murder-mystery musical’”; and Feeling Afraid as If Something Terrible Is Going to Happen is “a dark new comedy about vulnerability, intimacy, ego and truth” starring Samuel Barnett, written by Marcelo Dos Santos and directed by Matthew Xia.
Hamlet with Ian McKellen features McKellen alongside Danish ballet dancer Peter Schaufuss in a new performance concept adapted from William Shakespeare’s play. It takes place at Ashton Hall, Saint Stephens Stockbridge.
Black Sheep at Assembly follows Livia: an aspiring circus star who uses “poetry, music and performance to speak about the challenges a Black woman faces when daring to move into her power”.
A Hundred Words for Snow follows a teenage girl on “a comic, complex, epic, undulating story” as she journeys to the North Pole with her father’s ashes. That’s at Leith Arches, as is Bits N’ Pieces, “an access-all-areas approach to working-class life and what it’s like to come of age at the height of Scotland’s drug crisis” by Saltire Sky.
Something About Productions present two biographical music shows at Assembly: Something About George deals with Beatles star George Harrison, while Something About Simon tackles the life and work of Paul Simon.
At the French Institute in Scotland you’ll find S-ex-iety, exploring the impact pornography has on the lives of “three roommates on an intense journey through the adult industry”.
Online, Ben Hur: The Theatre Show follows ‘a young prince’ whose eventful life includes slavery, revenge and an encounter with a man from Nazareth; while Outside the Gate is a dramedy about two mums meeting at the school gates, featuring an Iranian and an American living in Middle England.
Tinted at Gilded Balloon, “originally written as a disabled response to #MeToo”, examines bodily autonomy and consent from a blind woman’s perspective. At the same venue is Angel by Henry Naylor: an award-winning story of a female anti-ISIS sniper who allegedly has more than 100 kills to her name. Fans of Naylor can also catch the European premiere of Afghanistan Is Not Funny by Henry Naylor, a description of the playwright’s experiences in the war-torn region performed by the man himself.
Tamara Al-Bassam makes her Fringe debut with Able(ish) (Greenside), ‘a lighthearted monologue about one woman’s uphill struggle applying for disability support while coming to terms with her own strengths and limitations’. Also at Greenside, I just like you | a gay myth is “an intimate two-hander about the messy complexities of the contemporary gay dating experience.”
At Hill Street Theatre is Hey That’s My Wife!, a pastiche of 1950s Americana that follows two advertising executives as they navigate a tale as old as time: who’s sleeping with whose wife? Hill Street Theatre is also where you’ll find OCD Me, a one-woman comedy about what it’s like living with OCD, written and directed by Aisling Smith.
Theatre Paradok, “Edinburgh’s premiere experimental theatre society”, present Paradok Platform at Just the Tonic: ‘more than ten brand new experimental pieces of theatre, ranging from comedy and drama to musicals and movement’.
At Laughing Horse, Horrible History for Adults (Or Those That Think They Are!) offers “a zany mix of stand-up and historical reportage. Fearless lives, fearlessly lived from Lord Byron to Quentin Crisp”. Plus, Apradhini – Women Without Men is by India-based Theatre Nisha. Apradhini is ‘a collection of stories about women who have been incarcerated for life for crimes including armed robbery’ and murder.
Return to the Hiding Place, ‘Corrie Ten Boom’s biographical tale of forgiveness and reconciliation in the shadows of WW2’, is being staged at Palmerston Place Church, and focuses on a Dutch family hiding Jews in their small clock shop. Also at Palmerston Place Church is The Liberator, in which ‘a strange man radiating love’ upends normality in a corrupt, cynical environment. “How long before the powers that be crack down on this subversive, this quiet revolutionary, this liberator?”
Emil Ferzola stars in Bathroom of a Bar on Bleecker (Paradise in The Vault), the “tragicomic final recording of America’s number one comedy podcast”. In the same venue is The Richard Osman Fan Club, “a farcical comedy based around a park bench, where we find an elderly lady and Richard Osman fan Greta, supposedly writing a novel, joined by young jogger and Granny killer Adam who ends up making various futile attempts to end Greta’s life.”
At theSpace on North Bridge, A Young Girl’s Guide to Madness “truly displays how draining it is to be a teenager in the 21st century”; while The Hound of the Baskervilles at the same venue is an adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s “side-splitting, bone-chilling mystery”.
PBH’s Free Fringe is hosting a pair of magic-themed theatrical shows: Reclaiming Harry, “a fabulously queer quest” from Rich Watkins (creator and star of Happily Ever Poofter), and Nightmare Magic: “a ghost story told using magic” by writer and magician David Alnwick.
Fringe regulars Pianodrome are occupying a new space at the Old Royal High this year. Among their shows are Clara: Sex, Love and Classical Music, “the story of 19th century piano star Clara Schumann”, and Some Other Mirror, “a solo show about a gender identity crisis, in the high-pressure isolation of lockdown”, written and performed by Laurence Owen and produced by Chronic Insanity.
Rapsody (Pleasance), is “a raw look at inner-city life in Britain today”, featuring four characters confronting “the realities of our modern-day class system through live rap, trap and drill”. No Place Like Home “is a tragic odyssey into gay club culture and the places we can call home”.
Captivate Theatre brings the comedy One Man Two Guvnors to the Rose Theatre this August, joining Francis Henshall in 1960s Brighton as he attempts to stop his two employers from meeting each other.
At the RSE Theatre, Hiding Anne Frank focuses on the story of Miep Gies, Otto Frank’s 32-year-old secretary who helped him and his family hide from the Nazis at great risk to her own life. RSE Theatre is also where you’ll find The Gay Train, “a vicious love letter to the middle-class horror that is weekday morning TV” by Yellow Mug Theatre that follows the events resulting from an attack of a non-binary student in a pub bathroom.
About Money at Summerhall is a Glasgow drama about family, love and friendship, “drawn from interviews with young kinship carers and inspired by the McDonald’s strikes of 2018”. Also at Summerhall, Isto é um Negro? (This is a Black?) describes itself as a performance essay investigating what is to be a black artist in Brazil today.
The Edinburgh Makars adapt Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park (The Royal Scots Club) this August. “Corrie, a romantic free spirit, decides to set up her conservative widowed mother with an eccentric, bohemian neighbour,” setting up conflict with her strait-laced new husband Paul. The Royal Scots Club also hosts Tay Bridge, “a homage to the victims of the Tay Bridge disaster of 1879 realised as a series of set pieces’ and an ‘insight into the ordinary people of Victorian Dundee”.
Pip Utton as Bacon is at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, depicting “the gutters, sleazy bars, rough sex and alcohol” of artist Francis Bacon’s life. Time’s Plague, also at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, sees David Hayman return as everyman Bob Cunninghame, who rants “about injustice and the state of the world… laughing at everything, including himself.” It’s written by Chris Dolan, and directed by David Hayman Jr.
Winston and David (Underbelly, Bristo Square) sees Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George “wrestle with love, ambition and friendship” as Britain goes to war in 1914.
Comedy
Edinburgh Comedy Award winner John Robins presents his Work In Progress / Progress In Work at Just the Tonic, “a heady mixture of ropey material and competent crowd work”. In the same venue, Taiwanese comic Kuan-wen curates Comedy with an Accent, a line-up of ‘comedians from all over the world who are not native English speakers’.
Shazia Mirza brings her show, Coconut, to Gilded Balloon, reflecting on the events of the past two years, while Rob Rouse (Bottom, BBC’s Upstart Crow) performs No Refunds. At the same venue, Tehran Von Ghasri (who was ‘named to honour the city of his birth’) is a “charismatic, sexy, no-holds-barred, Black, Iranian, Jewish, Baptist, Muslim, Zoroastrian, agnostic comedian” who promises he’s GONNA GET CANCELLED.
Phil Wang assures us he is The Real Hero in All This at Assembly this Fringe, with more material “about race, family and everything that’s been going on in his Philly little life”. At Assembly Rooms, Reginald D. Hunter tackles “climate change, mass unemployment, economic pandemics and the rise of global fascism” in Bombe Shuffleur. And musical comedy duo Flo & Joan “are climbing out of their pits, armed with a piano and percussion section to bring you a brand new show”: Sweet Release.
The Mash Report’s Rachel Parris performs at Underbelly this year, performing “stand-up and songs about sudden love, the highs and lows of relationships, family, weddings, kids, going viral, going mental, and the baffling state of play in society right now”. And Sudanese-Aussie comedian Emo Majok presents his European debut, Black Santa, with “stories of adjusting from a refugee camp in East Africa to gifting out jokes globally”.
Pleasance hosts the return of three Fringe regulars as part of its programme: Nick Mohammed Presents The Very Best and Worst of Mr Swallow, Tim Key: Mulberry and Tim Vine: Breeeep!
At Frankenstein Pub, impressionist Danny Posthill “has decided to put the world to rights with a brand-new show Stand Up for the People, where he takes you on a journey where comedians will be running our country”. At the same venue, This Is Your Trial returns to the Fringe: a “comedy courtroom show where audience members accuse friends of crimes” and comedians take on the roles of judge, prosecutor and defence lawyers.
Online, we have Mo-to-the-oncle, “a socially conscious solo comedy about a teen who must wear a monocle after his dad loses their insurance.” And Rob McLennan: Pool Shark offers ‘smorgasbord of pun-heavy one-liners, quickfire jokes and sight gags’ filmed on the go from various locations in New Zealand.
Potty Training With Joey Rinaldi is at Greenside, sharing “the outrageous and humiliating details of being the only kid at school who peed into a urine bag while battling the church and his tormented mom”. Horrible Herstories presents an opportunity for “the women of history to set the record straight”.
Laughing Horse is home to Thor and Freya: Norse as F*ck, an hour of stand-up from emerging comedians Freya Mallard and Thor Stenhaug; while Sameer Katz (‘three-quarters of a PhD from Cambridge’) presents Agnostic Economist.
Monkey Barrell is home to the debut show from English stand-up and actress Thanyia Moore, Just Being Funny, while All Killa No Filla co-host Rachel Fairburn performs Can I Be Awful?.
I Miss Amy Winehouse (Paradise Green) is the first solo hour from writer / comedian / journalist Suchandrika Chakrabarti, covering her love of the music icon who died 11 years ago. And Brexico is an hour of stand-up comedy that is “half Mexican, half British, full madness”, featuring “two comedy aliens, Andy Casper and Héctor Ayala, making light of their experiences of living as immigrants in Barcelona”.
Fringe regulars #Jollyboat return with two shows at PBH’s Free Fringe: Daft Puns, “a high-energy show of comedy songs,” and The Best of Jollyboat, “their best comedy songs from 10 years” at the festival. Plus, two Edinburgh Newcomer nominees try out new material in Huge Davies and Janine Harouni Do New Jokes (WIP).
At RSE Theatre, Vik Footring’s Blood and Sorbet “recounts the defining moments in growing up in a world where growing up happens later and later”, while Here Goes Nothing! joins New York comedian Brandon Barrera as he shares tales from his eventful life, from “cracking jokes with prostitutes in Amsterdam’s red light district to running with the bulls in Spain”.
I’m Not a Girlboss, Not Yet a Womanboss (The Chrisroads Redux) presents “humour, music and a reason to drink at midday” from Edinburgh locals Chris Weir and Chris Iskander (Scottish Comedy Festival). At the same venue, Jay Lafferty presents Club Sets by herself and guests, offering ‘undiluted, unadulterated’ material honed on the comedy circuit.
Poet, comedian and musician John Hegley returns to Summerhall with John Hegley’s Biscuit of Destiny, incorporating stories of John Keats’ romantic adventures alongside Hegley’s own life. Also at Summerhall, Edinburgh Deaf Festival Presents Perspectives with Gavin Lilley, “a deaf comedian who’s performed his signed shows to audiences across Europe. In his entertaining style, Gavin shares his experiences as a deaf person navigating a hearing world with hilarious consequences”.
The Edinburgh Yes Hub hosts Full Throttle OCD by Jim Dziobek and Kevin Turner: the former offering “fresh takes on life” to help you “forget about this cesspool of a world we are leaving our children’; the latter ‘the fourth of five kids, a military veteran in a divided country, and – as if things can’t get worse – he’s got Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.”
Mark Thomas is back at The Stand Comedy Club this August with Black and White, “about the simple act of being in a room together and toppling international capitalism.” A short distance away at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, “Edinburgh-born supermodel Eunice Olumide” presents AfroPolitiCool: “a hilarious exploration into the crazy and complicated world of the modern day political narcissists, sociopaths and psychopaths running the planet we live on today”.
Joffrey! The Pantomime is at theSpaceUK, retelling “the true story of Joffrey’s fight to secure his rightful place on the Iron Throne, untainted by certain Season Eight”. And Siobhan Argyle presents You’re on Mute! (A Musical Walk Down Lockdown Memory Lane). “Come experience the lighter, brighter, funny side of lockdown with songs to make you smile and laugh ranging from toilet roll shortages, online yoga, being on mute, work clothes for the lazy and many more!”
Music
The Nothing Ever Happens HereNEHH Presents… concert series returns to Summerhall this August with a programme including world music DJ Auntie Flo; musician and producer Cate Le Bon; experimental, electronic chamber-pop outfit Efterklang; shimmery, summery indie-pop duo Sacred Paws and off-kilter twosome Tune-Yards.
Mairi Campbell is at the Acoustic Music Centre, performing songs and stories with “deep bardic heritage and masterful Celtic courage.”. At the same venue, John Carnie and Spider Mackenzie explore the bluesier side of a music legend in Tangled Up in the Blues: The Blues of Bob Dylan.
When they’re not busy penning crime fiction novels, Mark Billingham, Val McDermid, Chris Brookmyre, Luca Veste, Doug Johnstone and Stuart Neville join forces as the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, “happily murdering much-loved songs by The Clash, Elvis Costello, The Beatles” and more. You can catch them this year at The Stand’s New Town Theatre.
In “a rare intimate evening of dark and light songs”, Fringe stalwart Camille O’Sullivan will perform Dreaming at Underbelly, Bristo Square, incorporating songs by “Bowie, Cohen, Pulp, Radiohead and Rufus Wainwright”.
At Pianodrome at the Old Royal High, “Sean Logan presents funky and furious keyboard acrobatics with musings on life as a neurodiverse musician” with his show Full Spectrum, while harpist and vocalist Esther Swift “combines her love of folk, jazz, classical and all things in-between” in Sound Effects, a brand-new commission from Celtic Connections.
The Jennifer Ewan Band performs the Bonnie Bayou Blues at the Argyle Cellar Bar, bringing together “a mix of heartfelt original songs, Louisiana accordion blues and old-time Cajun dance music with a Celtic tint”. At the same venue, Los Chichanos bring to the Fringe “a live fiesta of psychedelic Latin vibes” with Tropical Jungle Cumbia Fiesta.
Dancing on the Edge of Blue and Green is a concert of new music for solo piano, performed at at theSpaceUK.
At Assembly, The Three Seas features “an international, cross-cultural ensemble fusing West Bengali Baul music and Himalayan folk song with contemporary sounds from Sydney and Kolkata”. Meanwhile, Stewart D’Arrietta shares “poetry, stories and insights” as part of My Leonard Cohen: Up Close and Personal.
Bannermans hosts a selection of music performances at this year’s Fringe, including Absolutely (Not) Free – An Evening of Zappa (performed by Pygmy Twylyte) and Beefheart – New Beef Dreams! by Orange Claw Hammer.
At the French Institute in Scotland, Christine Bovill explores ‘le yé-yé’ and the Americanisation of French music in Paris: From Piaf to Pop!, while French duo Fergessen ‘create a live synthetic-folk atmosphere’ using the words of Robert Louis Stevenson in Stevensongs.
Gilded Balloon hosts an Epic Film Music Concert, “featuring violin, piano, guitar and a superb light show”, and spanning soundtracks such as Pirates of the Caribbeans, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and more. Plus, The Oxford Alternotives offer creative choral takes on contemporary music.
Scottish troubadour Dean Owens performs songs and stories from his back catalogue in From Leith to Tucson (Pleasance), blending the ‘unfettered enthusiasm of a rock’n’roller and the sympathetic delivery of folk’s best storytellers. Plus The Sorries return to perform “a Corries-inspired hour of uplifting traditional music”.
Perfect Forth’s Athena (Rose Theatre) combines “original music inspired by Greek mythology and fresh arrangements of modern hits”.
Irish trad singer Cara Dillon will take to the stage at Musselburgh’s The Brunton this Fringe, performing old favourites as well as material from her new album, Wanderer. At the same venue you’ll find the Young Classical Artists Trust Showcase Concerts, as performed by Kronberg Academy musicians Irène Duval, Jean-Selim Abdelmoula and Maciej Kulakowski.
The Jazz Bar includes some tributes to musical greats among its Fringe 2022 programme, including Cat Stevens Reconstructed (as reinterpreted by New York vocalist Jess Abrams) and Riding With the King: The Music of Eric Clapton, from ‘up-and-coming Czech jazz fusion guitarist’ Honza Kourimsky.
At The Queen’s Hall, experimental composer Michael Begg’s Black Glass Ensemble ‘reveals new music from the borderlands of classical and experimental music’ in Black Glass in Pieces, while 70s folk-rock pioneers Lindisfarne return with ‘a classic five-piece line-up of long-time members, fronted by founding member Rod Clements’.
Stewart D’Arrietta heads to theSpaceUK to perform Tom Waits For No Man, tackling Waits’ back catalogue with ‘characteristic gravel-voiced sensitivity’. While WeMu “reimagines the traditional in a concert combining Western and Korean instruments, creating modern music based on ancient customs” in Six Stories.
Cabaret and Variety
With late-night cabaret line-ups, the Kaye Hole Hosted by Reuben Kaye returns to Assembly, while Briefs will be “manufacturing a conveyor belt of high-quality circus treats” with their show, Sweatshop.
Cab-arette Showtour, hosted in a taxi cab, offers an immersive experience as it takes an audience of five on a musical comedy tour.
At Underbelly, Definitely Maybe Actually Nevermind, sees drag artist Crystal Bollix in a ‘new cabaret extravaganza all about the pitfalls of chick-flicks and Colin Firth’. At Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows is “subversive break-out hit of the international cabaret and circus circuit” Blunderland, featuring “outrageous nightlife naughtiness, club-kid antics and a heady dose of arthouse weird”.
At Gilded Balloon, Jesus L’Oreal brings Nailed It!, as the “fabulous influencer” tells stories from his life in a “high-octane hour of song, dance and interactive Jehovah’s Fitness”. Meanwhile, A Secret Show by magician Cameron Young offers a show “filled with wonder, illusion and laughs”.
In Darren McGarvey’s The Social Distance Between Us – Live at The Stand’s New Town Theatre the Orwell prize-winning author and celebrated hip-hop artist Darren McGarvey asks: ‘If all the best people are in all the best jobs, why is Britain such f*cking bin fire?’ and more.
At Summerhall is Grandmother’s Closet, in which Luke Hereford (he/they) “stumbles along his journey of queer self-discovery through the glamorous spirit of his very own personal cheerleader – his Nan… all to the tune of Madonna, Kylie, Kate Bush and all of his favourite pop divas”. Also at Summerhall is Life Is Soft by Turner prize-winning artist, performer and composer Martin Creed.
Like Other Girls at theSpaceUK “is the sensible roast of musical theater’s finest historical women that you’ve been waiting for”. And Becoming Chavela “is a docu-cabaret performance of iconic Mexican singer Chavela Vargas Chavela’s life and music, set within the art world and social milieu of mid-century Mexico City”.
In Madame Chandelier’s Opera House Party at Greenside, you can join Madame Chandelier and ‘all her favourite opera characters for jokes, party games and lots of dramatic death scenes’. At the same venue, The Magic Show Starring Liam A Black as the Glittering Prince of Magic, is a “brand-new Las Vegas-style magic spectacular”.
Just the Tonic will host Sugarcoated Sisters: Bittersweet at the Caves as they “unleash their multi-million-hit TikTok personas onto the stage… Armed with original songs, guitar and double bass”. And ‘drag queen Vanity von Glow swaps the studio for the stage as she interviews the stars of the Fringe in this hour-long live podcast’, in The Vanity Project.
In Ask a Stripper at Laughing Horse, ‘Stacey ‘The Legs’ Clare aka the Ethical Stripper is back with her work wife, Morag, to impart stripper-style wisdom into your lives and deliver some no-holes-barred stories from the Pubic Triangle’. And the award-winning Life’s a Drag “takes you on a reality-shaking rollercoaster ride of what it really takes to be a queen” with ‘Australian vocal powerhouse’ Dean Misdale.
Mono Restaurant is playing host to Drag Queen Wine Tasting, in which you can join “drag queen, Vanity von Glow and wine expert, Beth Brickenden to taste through three wines and a snack, with a dash of mischief, a dollop of humour and a twist of glamour”.
At Outhouse, Little West End Theatre Cabaret will present an “evening of sizzling cabaret fun using songs from many well-known cabarets and musical shows”.
Absolute Burlesque Cabaret at Paradise Green is “Edinburgh’s only homegrown burlesque and cabaret show”, demonstrating that “regardless of age, gender, or belief system, everybody is a burlesque body”.
At PBH’s Free Fringe, 1 Hour Straitjacket Escape Magic Show promises “mind-melting magic, showstopping laughs and unexpected twists” from award-winning magician and entertainer Arron Jones. And Laurie Black will be “jump-starting musical comedy into the future with synths and sick beats”, with her show, Dystopiano.
In Fladam’s Musical Comedy Hootennany! at Pleasance, Florence Poskitt and Adam Sowter’s ‘heartfelt and humorous songs tackle the topical with witty wordplay, rollicking piano and a dash of the Carry On!’. And The Magic of Jim, is “resident close-up table magician” and annual courtyard fixture’s first indoor residency, promising an “jaw-dropping magic and true tales”.
At the Voodoo Rooms is Elliot Bibby and the Magical Beach Ball. In this show, the multi award-winning magician is supported by his faithful friend Barry the Beach Ball for “an evening of mind reading, illusions and feats of the impossible”. Also Viva GlasVegas Burlesque Showcase, in which GlasVegas Showgirl Roxy Stardust “presents an hour of burlesque performance featuring a host of homegrown heroes and traveling performers from far and wide”.
Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus
At Acoustic Music Centre, Kunfetaga and Talking to Mum is a dance piece which explores the question: ‘what’s the worst thing to happen to you?’, as it deals with a four-year-old’s painful death. At the same venue, N’zrama Show, presents “energetic and lively performances of traditional and contemporary dance from several regions of West Africa’s Ivory Coast.” The star of the show, Assiny Toé, will play the toéwu (which he invented).
At Assembly, DONUTS, is “inspired by classic sitcoms from the 90s and 00s” and follows three close friends as their friendship evolves over time, through “hypnotic and playful contemporary dance to jazz and funk”. Plus, JD: (Le) Pain, is a show about “breadmaking, physical heroics, growing up queer in a boulangerie in the south of France, endings and new beginnings.” It “involves circus, dance, storytelling, Béarnaise folklore, video, karaoke and laughter”.
Bamboozled at French Institute in Scotland sees artists Sonia Killmann and Constant Vigier invite you to their house-warming party. Expect “live piano and electronic music, dance and projections”.
Catch Ordinary via Fringe Online, “a modern pantomime solo show depicting all the parts of human life.”
At Greenside, A Death Has Occurred sees Kennedy Muntanga Dance Theatre return to the Fringe with their newest creation. This contemporary work tells the story of the miraculous journey of a young lion-hearted journalist. And Alice in Wonderland is an adaptation of the classic tale told through ballet.
Transhumance – winner of Best Weekly Award for Circus and Physical Theatre at Adelaide Fringe in 2020 – is at Laughing Horse. In this, “award-winning clown Ania Upstill playfully explores what it means to be a trans human.”
At Summerhall, Dance Body sees internationally acclaimed writer and performer Yolanda Mercy (Quarter Life Crisis) “challenge what being a plus-sized body means in the contemporary dance world”. And Taiwan Season: Tomato “is an absurdly funny expression of dancer-choreographer Chou Kuan-Jou’s ongoing interest in gender issues from a feminist perspective”.
At Underbelly, Havana Steet celebrates the street dance culture of Cuba; while Rebel is a live circus rock tribute to David Bowie, bringing to life a body of work spanning more then 50 years.
Spoken word
At Pleasance at EICC, LBC broadcaster Iain Dale will appear in conversation with several public figures, including Keir Starmer, Jeremy Corbyn,Mary Beard, Ruth Davidson and Nadine Dorries.
Tales from the City Below is at Arthur Conan Doyle Centre. In this, Edinburgh medium, Ewan Irvine, “tells the tales of this city where it is said many still reside despite their earthly demise” – including the likes of Burke and Hare.
Triggernometry, the” hit political and cultural podcast and YouTube phenomenon” is in town for two nights only at Gilded Balloon.
At Greenside, Pauline Holmes Goes to the Dogs, is a ”poetry show for dog lovers, celebrating the opportunistic thieves stealing the Sunday roast, the family dogs who vet boyfriends and the rebels running amok on the heath”. Plus, The Taste of Sweat and Sand is “a creative expedition through life after military service, exploring encounters with trauma and struggles with civilian adjustment.”
Guerilla Autistics Year 8 – Scenes From an Undiagnosed Life is at Laughing Horse. “For the eighth year of this universally unique, neurodiversifying, audience-participatory solo show, Paul Wady has changed the name to Guerilla Autistics and wants to take you all back in time.”
At Paradise Green, Poems on Gender is “a series of poems on gender, sex and revolution” by David Lee Morgan.
PBH’s Free Fringe has Attila the Stockbroker – 40 Years in Rhyme. “Celebrating his 40th anniversary earning his living as a poet/musician, Attila is using this year’s Fringe to launch Heart On My Sleeve, his collected works, and 40 Years in Rhyme, his new dub poetry album.” Plus, In This Is Not Therapy, “join Tina as she tackles her fifties with as much humour, grace and sensible footwear as she can muster.”
At Summerhall, Stop Trying to Be Fantastic is a new work from award-winning writer/performer Molly Naylor. It’s a “mostly true story about suffering, saviour complex, self acceptance and a magpie who refuses to quit.”
And at TheSpaceUK, The Church of the Fall is “one man’s award-winning celebration of the work of the late writer, musician and working-class genius that is Salford’s Mark E Smith and his group The Fall.”
Children’s shows
Roustabout adapts Dinosaurs and All That Rubbish, Michael Foreman’s rock-n-roll-fuelled environmental tale of dancing dinosaurs, at Assembly this August. At the same venue, Knuckle and Joint present The Adventures of Bo Peep, “a perfect theatre introduction for 2 to 6-year-olds with an interactive story and sensory learning”.
At Deaf Action HQ you can catch Once Upon a Raindrop, “a cheerful, funny, magic show for toddlers: a walk-through performance with sensory games and magic tricks”; and The Funny Punny Magic Show, “a riot of silly stunts and crazy magic” from Tricky Ricky. Both shows are accessible to deaf and hard of hearing audiences, presented in partnership with Edinburgh Deaf Festival.
Pirates and Princesses vs Sea Monsters is “a family show filled with singing, dancing and comedy” at Gilded Balloon. Meanwhile, Marcel Lucont presents Les Enfants Terribles – A Gameshow for Awful Children, “pitting children against adults and each other to try and find the most awful child”.
Stage Door Enigma Theatre Company presents Game On! at Greenside: “an unexpected adventure with characters from alternative gaming worlds”.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez‘s darkly comic tale, A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings, is at Summerhall. Two storytellers share a story “of magic realism… brought to the stage with beautiful, strange, emotional richness”.
Inside the Robot: Quick, I Need Your Help! is on at Just the Tonic, and features “stunning visual effects and immersive interactive technology” for kids aged 5 to 95. At the same venue, comedian Lee Kyle is An Actual Giant, presents “a family show for families who don’t think that kids are little angels”.
Performer Kat Placing devised Bubba-Licious (Laughing Horse) as “a sensory display of colour, sound, light and movement to spark joy and ignite wonder’ in babies and toddlers. For slightly older kids, Grumpy Pants is “a children’s show that entertains parents alongside kids with a mix of perfectly crafted juggling routines, clowning, physical comedy and fork throwing!”.
An ’enchanting’ new adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny will be staged outdoors for families at Musselburgh Racecourse.
Betwixt-and-Between present The Princess and The Dragon (PBH’s Free Fringe). It’s described as a “music-full, modern fairy-tale about freedom, friendship and finding boundaries” for children aged 7-11 and their families. Plus, Return of the Maths with Kyle D Evans is a “fast-paced hour of inclusive maths-based family fun”.
I Piano is “an interactive kids show about music and love, told with a piano, shadow puppetry and everyone in the room.” It takes place within the Pianodrome.
At Pleasance, Blue Badge Bunch describes itself as “the disability Taskmaster” – a “game show with humour for all ages, where kids join in the games and learn about disability”. Also at Pleasance, Everything has Changed is “a joyful, kaleidoscopic new show for 5 to 12 year-olds about change, why change happens and how to deal with it”, created by theatre company Rhum + Clay and made in consultation with a child psychologist and children across London.
Physical storytelling specialists NYT bring The Lost Letters to Quaker Meeting House, “a magical portmanteau production of love, friendship and forgotten messages… a collection of heart-warming modern fables for older children and their families.”
At Rose Theatre, Captivate presents Smashing Shakespeare, a revolving selection of comic tales and musical tales adapting the Bard’s work for all ages.
Stockbridge Church is home to at least two “fun, interactive and educational show for babies and toddlers” by Recitals for Wrigglers: The Lion and the Mouse, featuring music inspired by animals, and the international sounds of Wriggle Around the World! (featuring the story of the Gingerbread Man). Both feature violin and cello music.
ETC presents Our Teacher’s a Troll (theSpaceUK, a “colourfully comic show” written by Dennis Kelly (Matilda the Musical). And the Adventure Bubble Show with Milkshake promises “shadow bubbles, light bubbles, square bubbles, smoke bubbles, spinning carousels, track bubbles, vortexes, bubble puppets, giant bubble tubes and a million-bubble finale”.
Underbelly is the home of A Bee Story: “a uniquely Australian physical theatre show for children and families incorporating a kaleidoscope of circus, acrobatics, dance and live music” that also incorporates an important message about the environment. At the same venue, Manual Cinema Presents: Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster is an adaption of the children’s books by Mo Willems ‘realised through puppets, paper cut-outs, DIY cinema and live original songs’.
Musicals and opera
Carpe Diem Productions continue “their tradition of bringing powerful new music to the Fringe” with The Last Judgement (theSpaceUK) featuring Peter D Robinson.
At Assembly Rooms, Friendsical is”‘a 60-minute celebration and loving parody” featuring characters called Ross and Rachel, but is “not to be confused with the Warner Bros Entertainment Inc series Friends”.
As part of the Fringe’s online offering this year, the jazz-flavoured Cooperstown is “an opera about one heart too big and one heart too small that plays out like a present-day Othello”. Also online is Lag: A Zoomsical Comedy, “the world’s first original musical created to be performed over video conferencing”, written and directed by Haddon Kime.
A pair of musicals form part of the programme at Gilded Balloon. I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical “lifts the lid on awful auditions, debilitating dance routines, mid-performance mishaps, and backstage backstabbing – plus those magical moments that make it all worthwhile”. RuneSical, on the other hand, is “an interactive parody musical” inspired by online game RuneScape.
Guilty: A Legal Musical Comedy is being staged at Greenside, giving “fiction’s greatest villains, from Hannibal Lecter to Cruella de Vil,” their day in court. And Dr Theatre uses songs from the likes of Cabaret, The Sound of Music, Blues Brothers, Wicked and more in Last Night a Musical Saved My Life!
Paradise Green is the venue for Gatsby: A New Musical, in which the team behind ‘Jekyll!’ recreate F Scott Fitzgerald’s famous jazz-age masterpiece.
Sex With Friends (and Other Tiny Catastrophes) is a new musical following “six friends as they fall in love and fall apart” – you can catch it at Pleasance.
Edinburgh’s Captivate Theatre has their own mini-season of work at the Rose Theatre – in addition to their own Sunshine on Leith, they’re also staging versions of Lionel Bart’s Oliver!, Shrek the Musical and The Addams Family – A New Musical, as well as an all-female staging of We Will Rock You: Young@part from the Captivate Theatre Summer School.
Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin is the subject of musical production The Mould that Changed the World at The Edinburgh Academy this August.
Seven and a Half Years (theSpaceUK) is a “unique one-man musical” that “tells an extraordinary true survivor’s story, touching on many issues including grief, love and mental health”. And Trial by Jury is “a one-act operatic satire of the British legal system” in the 1960s.
Fat Rascal Theatre’s Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch returns to Underbelly “in a tell-all tale of sex, sorcery and suckers”.
If you can’t come this Friday, and you need assistance from me as your local MSP, you can also contact my office via phone on 0131 600 0134 or email me at ben.macpherson.msp@parliament.scot
The North Edinburgh Community Festival is THIS SATURDAY!
Saturday 7th May from 12noon to 6pm.
The main stage will be jam-packed from 12noon!
Make sure you catch your favourite act:
12.00pm – Fischy Music 12.50pm – Pulse of the Place 1.15pm – Ama-zing Harmonies 1.35pm – Granton Youth MixTape 2.00pm – Big Fish Little Fish Scotland 2.45pm – Tinderbox Hub 3.10pm – Broughton High School 3.35pm – Yer Local Bams 4.10pm – City of Edinburgh Music School Jazz Quartet 4.35pm – DJ Dynamite 5.00pm – Tinderbox Collective & Guests
Plus Children and Families marquee with lots of workshops
the Open Space area with lots of activities for young and old,
sport activities if you’re feeling energetic,
52 + stalls with local organisations providing information and activities,
food vans offering complimentary food and festival delights,
a sit down Community Lunch inside the WPNC.
Oh and don’t forget the UNDER THE SEA PARADE, from Millennium Centre to the Park!
Detectives are appealing for information following an attempted murder in Edinburgh.
At around 11pm on Tuesday (3 May, 2022) a 25-year-old man was with two friends in a blue Honda in Balfour Place. The man was sitting in the front passenger seat when two men approached the car from Pilrig Park and began speaking with him.
The two men then attacked the 25-year old, stabbing him, before running off.
The man was taken to hospital where medical staff describe his condition as stable. No-one else was injured in the incident.
The suspects are described as two males, 14-18 years old, skinny build, one with ginger hair, wearing a blue hooded top and one with dark hair.
Officers have been carrying out door-to-door enquiries and are checking relevant CCTV for any information it could provide which could assist the ongoing enquiries.
Detective Inspector Kevin Tait said: “A young man has been stabbed in what we believe to be a targeted attack. I am appealing to anyone who was in the Pilrig Park and Balfour Place area, around the time of the incident to get in touch with us.
“Did you notice the two men in the street, did you see the car? Any small piece of information could prove relevant to our enquiries. I would also ask motorists who were driving in the area around that time to check their footage as it could have captured images which could help us in locating the two men responsible for this attack.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 3627 of 3 May 2022. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and give your information anonymously.
£45 million in UK funding confirmed for UN and humanitarian organisations working in Ukraine and the region
Support will protect the most vulnerable, including women and children, both in Ukraine and fleeing the conflict
Further UK medical equipment, food and other urgent lifesaving aid to be delivered in coming weeks
A package of UK support will help reach the most vulnerable people affected by the conflict in Ukraine, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced today.
United Nations (UN) agencies and charities working on the ground to provide care, support and protection for those in Ukraine and at its borders will receive £45 million in UK funding, as part of a wider package of support.
Nearly 16 million people are reported to be in need of humanitarian assistance within Ukraine. Over five million refugees have arrived in European countries since the conflict started, making it the fastest-growing refugee crisis since the Second World War.
Women and children are particularly vulnerable to abuse and harm. Of the £45 million, £15 million will go to the UN Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF), to provide immediate life-saving assistance and help tackle sexual and gender-based violence through targeted services, legal support and crisis accommodation.
A further £15m will go to UNICEF, the UN children’s agency, to fund vital services like nutrition for pregnant women and mental health support for children.
The Foreign Secretary is also announcing today that the UK will provide further deliveries of medical supplies, on top of more than five million items already delivered, including wound care packs to treat over 220,000 patients and around 380,000 packs of medicine.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “Britain has stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine throughout this conflict. As one of the largest humanitarian donors we will continue to make sure those bearing the brunt of Putin’s vile war have the lifesaving aid they need.
“British aid is supporting the most vulnerable in Ukraine, particularly women and children, who are facing increased risk of sexual violence and exploitation.”
These latest allocations mean the UK’s full £220 million package of support has now been committed to governments and partners to deliver support in Ukraine and the surrounding region.
Following a request from the Government of Ukraine, the UK has already committed up to £2 million in vital food supplies like dried food, tinned goods and water to areas of Ukraine encircled by Russian forces. Seventeen trucks of food with over 50,000kg of pasta, 10,000kg of rice, 60,000 tins of corned beef and over 80,000 litres of water have already been delivered.
The UK has already tripled its humanitarian support to Poland, providing £30 million to ensure vital supplies reach those in need, both inside Ukraine and those fleeing the conflict.
We are also playing a critical role providing expert assistance to countries bordering Ukraine. The UK is deploying a specialist team to Poland to assist the Ukrainian government with gathering evidence and prosecuting war crimes, including experts in conflict-related sexual violence.
Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said: “The war in Ukraine has caused immense human suffering and as always, the highest price is paid by civilians.
“This generous contribution from the United Kingdom will enable the UN’s Ukraine Humanitarian Fund to scale up the delivery of fast, effective and life-saving aid to people who are caught up in this unfolding nightmare.
“Managed in-country, the Fund is uniquely positioned to support partners, including front-line local and national NGOs, providing an agile response to the fast changing needs on the ground.”
Lukasz Czapla, 41, has been sentenced to at least 23 years in prison following his conviction for the horrific murder of his two-year old son Julius in Muirhouse.
Czapla, who claimed he suffered from poor mental health, murdered his son in a drink and drug-fuelled jealous rage to get back at the child’s mum Patrycja Szczesniak.
The court heard that, on the night Julius died, Ms Szczesniak had told Czapla he was seeing somebody new.
Passing sentence at the High Court in Edinburgh yeserday, judge Lord Beckett said that Czapla’s use of drink and drugs were no excuse for what he did to Julius.
Lord Beckett said: “Your son will never grow up and his loving mother has lost him forever and will forever be haunted by the truly evil act that you did.
“Your son will never grow up and his loving mother has lost him forever and will forever be haunted by the truly evil act that you did.
“You acted out of spite to punish his mother for leaving you and getting on with her life.
“Suffice to say you showed considerable determination to ensure that a defenceless child would die in considerable distress.
“It is no excuse that you were full of drink and drugs. Indeed it is significantly aggravated given that you were being asked to look after a two-year-old.”
Emergency services were called to the family home at Muirhouse Place West in November 2020, where Julius was found seriously injured. He was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.
The jury heard that Czapla shot Julius three times in the head with a gas-powered air pistol. Three ball bearings were later recovered from the child’s head. Czapla then stabbed the toddler with a metal skewer before smothering him with a pillow.
Detective Inspector Bob Williamson, of Police Scotland’s Major Investigation Team, said: “Julius was a bright, happy young boy and his loss in such horrendous circumstances has been devastating for his mother and his family.
“Lukasz Czapla is now facing the consequences of his actions. The outcome of this case will never bring Julius back but it does bring this aspect to a close. Julius’s family have understandably asked for privacy during this difficult time.
“I would like to thank the local community and our dedicated team of officers, along with our partner agencies, who assisted throughout the duration of the investigation.”
Patrycja Szczesniak, Julius’ Mother, has also released the following statement through Police Scotland and asks her request for privacy to please be respected:
“I only wanted the best for you. If only I could only turn back time to have you in my arms again my child.
“Despite the breakup with Juliusz’s dad, I wanted him to have contact with our son. I never stopped him seeing Juliusz. Julek loved him like every child loves their dad. He trusted him, he trusted him completely.
“Juliusz was murdered only for revenge. His dad wanted me to suffer, he succeeded and achieved his goal, at the cost of my beloved little boy’s life.
“If only I knew what was going to happen. I would have never thought he could do this to my child.
“He was only two and a half.
“Every day I think about Juliusz. I can’t imagine what his little, helpless heart felt that night and I feel his fear and pain every day. He was part of me, part of my heart and soul.
“I wish I could hug him, play with him and watch him grow.
“Every day I ask myself why there is so much evil in this world, why the innocent have to suffer.
“He not only took Juliusz life but my life too.
“That day, the world stopped, not only for me but also for my mother and my sister.
“Juliusz was a very happy child. He lit up the place wherever he showed up. He could put a smile on anyone’s face and always looked forward to calls with his Grandma and Auntie. They managed to build a strong relationship despite the distance in miles between us and enjoyed every minute they had together.
“It is breaking our hearts that we are no longer able to take his hand and lead him through life. To watch him enjoy riding his bike and eating his favourite ice cream. Listen to his giggling and laughing and being amazed by the things he learned every day.
“There was so much we wanted to show him but this chance was brutally taken from us and now the only thing we can do is to prey for the highest possible punishment. We want to believe in the justice system and that justice will be served, although I know there is no sentence that will bring my angel back to life.
“Czapla should not have the right to any defence and we will fight to ensure that monster never leaves prison.
“My suffering and my pain will stay with me for the rest of my life. But the unconditional love I have for my baby; my dearest child Juliusz will never end.
“My family, friends and l will miss him dearly and we will suffer his loss until the end of our days.
“Juliuszek left us the most beautiful memories that will remain in our hearts forever.”
Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council and Returning Officer for Edinburgh, Andrew Kerr, wrote in yesterday’s Edinburgh Evening News:
Preparations are well underway as the Capital readies itself for Thursday’s Local Government Election to elect the next set of councillors to represent our city.
In 2017, 63 councillors were elected to the Council, with a 50.5% turnout across the city – up from 42.6% in 2012 – and we’re hoping for even higher numbers this year. A total of 399,239 people are registered to vote in Edinburgh, of whom 96,671 have applied to vote by post – almost one voter in four. We have a record 143 candidates from many different parties and independents all looking for your support.
The local councillors you elect will make important decisions on how public services are provided. As a Council, we deliver over 700 services that have an impact on every resident’s life, including waste collections and road repairs, maintaining culture venues and play parks and caring for our youngest and eldest citizens.
In recent years, we’ve been working to reduce our use of schools on polling days as we‘ve always appreciated the disruption unscheduled school closures can cause to parents, teachers and pupils.
Following the huge interruption to normal schooling through the pandemic it was paramount not to close any schools on polling day and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to achieve this. As a result we are using some new and exciting venues from yoga studios to supermarkets!
As is the case for all local authorities, polling places are chosen to provide the best location, accessibility and space to allow as many people as possible to cast their vote easily. So, whilst many venues have changed, we’ve kept them as close as possible.
We’ve alerted people to their new polling place on their polling card and we also have an online tool where you can check.
Our elections web pages can help you find your polling place, accessible voting options, emergency voting and useful information on how the single transferable vote system works, i.e. you need to use numbers to rank as many or as few candidates as you choose in order of your preference.
As the returning officer I’m lucky to have an experienced and talented Election team here in Edinburgh and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them. Running an election in the Capital is no mean feat with 300 polling stations to set up and hundreds of staff to recruit and train.
Our team worked hard to replace polling places and also had to ensure a successful election included plans for any additional restrictions required due to the ongoing pandemic.
Our polling places will be safe spaces to cast your vote and we’ll be following the latest Scottish Government guidance as we have done throughout the pandemic.
They will also be accessible and welcoming, particularly for those voters with a disability, and our election team has worked closely with Public Health Scotland, our local Director of Public Health and our own Health and Safety team to ensure our polling places – and the people staffing them – are as well prepared as they can be.
Elections are opportunities to have a say on issues that matter to us all so please take the chance to make your voice heard at the ballot box.
Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner WILL BE CHARGED WITHIN WEEKS an investigator claimed yesterday.
Jon Clarke said he had been informed of the bombshell development by a source in the office of the team of German investigators probing the jailed sex offender. (TUES).
Clarke, a journalist who has led the way in investigating her disappearance, also believes the DNA of the missing girl may still be found in one of the vehicles Brueckner was driving on the night of her disappearance 15 years ago.
He told GB News: “I can tell you that there’s lots of circumstantial evidence, but today I was made party to some evidence to suggest that there may be traces of Maddie’s DNA in one of the cars that Christian was driving on the night that she went missing.
“He was living very close to the resort, regularly burgled homes and the results clearly has a long track record of child sex abuse.
“He’s currently in prison serving seven years for rape and will be will be charged later this month.
“I’m told by my sources from the German prosecutor’s office he will be charged with three if not four cases in the next couple of weeks with the Madeleine charge likely later in the year.”
He was speaking to Alex Philips on the 15th anniversary of her disappearance during We Need To Talk About on GB News.
Mr Clark also talked about how he was one of the first on the scene after she was reported missing from an apartment complex in Praia da Luz in Portugal.
He added: “I was actually able, believe it or not, to go up to the back of the apartment, to walk under flimsy pieces of police tape and step up the steps right up to the front of the apartment.
“As you probably know now, I think 26, 27, 28 people actually traipsed right away through that apartment in the early hours of the morning making the crime scene completely null and void really for future investigators.
“The golden hour was a complete disaster from start to finish. I did my best in those early hours and … just went around and asked lots and lots of questions and I’ve continued to do that to this day.”
“Once again, the figures show the worst performance since records began, meaning record numbers of patients facing extremely long waits. March 2022 also saw the highest number of attendances since September 2021.
“There are immense pressures on our health system. Patient safety is compromised, staff are burnt out, ambulance services are severely struggling, and Emergency Departments are dangerously over-crowded.
“During this difficult time, we commend all staff in our Emergency Departments for their resilience and hard work. These are unprecedented and extremely challenging circumstances, a result of a broken health system in dire crisis. We know morale is very low right now, and we know the challenges in providing effective care, but frontline staff across all grades continue to do their very best to keep patients safe.
“Opening 1,000 beds in the health system in Scotland and addressing the staffing crisis in social care is urgently needed to begin to tackle the current situation and to move patients appropriately and timeously through the system. This is an unsustainable situation, month-on-month performance deteriorates, and patients are coming to harm as staff face severe moral injury.”
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