GATHER is a brand new exhibition showcasing work by artists and community members from across Edinburgh, coming together for the very first time.
As well as artwork from the other hubs, the exhibition features 21 Art for Grown Ups members showing their work, plus our community banner (still a work in progress but almost complete!) on display alongside artwork created by NEA and Royston Wardieburn Community Centre members.
This is a truly special exhibition, and we’d love for you to join us!
GATHER EXHIBITION
Opening: Friday 11 September 2026, from 4:30pm
Main Exhibition: 12 – 26 September 2026
St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road, Edinburgh EH7 6AE
Free. No need to book.
The Creative Community Hubs Network consists of eight partner organisations based across Edinburgh: WHALE Arts, The Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Granton:hub, North Edinburgh Arts, Duncan Place Leith, The Crannie, Lyra and Craigmillar Now.
The results of the Southside/Newington (Ward 15) and Portobello/Craigmillar (Ward 17) by-elections have been announced at Waverley Court.
Ruth Elliott (Scottish Labour Party) and Lorenzo Martinico (Scottish Greens) have been duly elected to serve in the City of Edinburgh Council for Ward 15 and Ward 17 respectively. Ruth Elliot received 2,153 votes, and Lorenzo Martinico (Scottish Greens) received 1,781 votes.
The new councillors were elected through the Single Transferable Vote system.
The turnout was poor – 6,741 votes (27.3%) in Ward 15 and 6,427 votes (22.9%) in Ward 17.
The declaration was made in the early hours of this morning (Friday 4 September) by Depute Returning Officer for the City of Edinburgh, Chris Highcock.
Depute Returning Officer for the City of Edinburgh, Chris Highcock, said: “I would like to welcome Councillors Elliot and Martinico into their new roles and wish them all the best as they begin serving their wards.
“My thanks goes to everyone who took part in these by-elections, alongside our elections team and council colleagues, who have been working hard behind the scenes over the last few months.”
SCOTTISH GREENS HAIL HISTORIC BY-ELECTION WIN
Portobello housing campaigner Lorenzo Martinico has made history by becoming the first Scottish Green to win a council by-election in the City of Edinburgh.
Lorenzo is a local housing campaigner and was previously a postdoctoral researcher at Edinburgh University, specialising in computer security and digital privacy.
Reacting to the result, Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer MSP said: “This is a truly historic day for Edinburgh and the Scottish Greens. For the first time ever our capital has elected a Scottish Green councillor at a by-election, showing the failing Labour administration that Edinburgh demands better.
“By electing Lorenzo, voters in Portobello/Craigmillar have demanded radical change in Scotland’s capital. Just a few months ago, Greens won our first ever Holyrood constituency here in the heart of the city. This result confirms that we are fighting to win next May’s council elections in Edinburgh.”
“I know that Lorenzo will make a huge difference for the people of Portobello/Craigmillar. He will push to deliver urgently needed rent controls, tackle the climate emergency, and build a more affordable Edinburgh.”
Edinburgh Green Group co-convenor and fellow Portobello/Craigmillar councillor, Cllr Alys Mumford said: “Portobello-Craigmillar is now the first ward in Edinburgh to be represented by two Green Councillors, and residents there will benefit hugely from Lorenzo being their new local Councillor.
Alys added: “We’d like to congratulate Lorenzo on his election and also pay tribute to Isabella, who narrowly missed out on securing our second by-election win in Southside/Newington, but whose vote share increase reflects a growing desire for change.
“Green volunteers and activists ran a fantastic campaign across both wards and the results show that our message of hope is resonating with the people of Edinburgh.”
Lorenzo Martinico, the newly-elected Green councillor for Portobello/Craigmillar, said: “I am really honoured that my neighbours in Portobello/Craigmillar have chosen me to represent them as their councillor.
“I would like to thank the hundreds of Scottish Greens volunteers and supporters who have spent the last two months campaigning for us, securing our first by-election wins in the city.
“It’s been an honour to be part of such a positive and energetic campaign. When I first moved to Edinburgh, I could never have imagined I would be elected as a councillor.
“There are thousands of people like me who weren’t born here but have chosen to make Edinburgh their home – I hope my election gives them a bit of hope, at a time when some in our community feel unsafe because of how they sound when they speak, because of the colour of their skin or their religion.
“I am looking forward to working to make a difference for the people of Portobello/Craigmillar.”
The by-elections were initiated by the resignation of two SNP city councillors who were elected as MSPs in May’s Scottish Parliament elections. Another two city councillors – Green Kayleigh Kinross‑O’Neill and Lib-Dem Sanne Dijstra Downie – also became MSPs in the Holyrood elections but both decided to stay on as councillors, carrying out dual roles until next May’s council elections.
By-elections in Southside/Newington (Ward 15) and Portobello/Craigmillar (Ward 17) take place this Thursday (3 September).
We’re urging residents in these wards to remember their polling cards and to cast their votes.
Residents in these wards who are aged 16 or over and have registered to vote can participate in Thursday’s by-elections.
One new councillor will be elected for each ward. The current electorate for Ward 15 is 24,666 and for Ward 17 it’s 28,062.
Returning Officer for Edinburgh, Paul Lawrence said:“With these by-elections fast approaching, I encourage residents in these wards to take this opportunity to have their say on Thursday. Please remember your polling cards and check your polling place. These new councillors will represent your communities on issues affecting your local area and Edinburgh as a whole.
“Our elections pages provide useful information on how the Single Transferable Vote system works – you can rank candidates in order of preference, choosing as many or few as you’d like.
“If you’re voting by post, please return your completed ballot as soon as possible to make sure your vote is counted.
Please check your polling place as this may have changed since the last time you voted. If you bring your polling card to vote this will help us and speed up the process, but this isn’t mandatory.
Further information on voting in Ward 15 and Ward 17, including accessibility information and spoken ballot papers are also on the Council’s website.
Polling places will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 3 September.
Polling Places (Ward 15):
Nelson Hall Community Centre (New for 2026)
Blackford and Grange Parish Church Centre
St. Catherine’s Argyle Church
Newington Trinity Church
Reid Memorial Church Hall
75th Braid Scouts’ Millar Hall
Cameron House Community Education Centre
Polling Places (Ward 17):
Portobello Library (New for 2026)
Branch Out Together
St Mark’s Episcopal Church (New for 2026)
Bingham Community Centre
St Martins Parish Church
Craigmillar Library
Hays Business Centre
Newcraighall Leith Victoria FC
The by-elections will use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system, where voters rank candidates in order of preference, rather than using a single cross. Voters can rank as many or as few candidates as they like.
The electronic count will take place at Waverley Court, starting at the close of poll at 10pm on September 3.
The Communist Party of Britain’s (CPB) candidates in Edinburgh’s two by-elections have called out political opinion in the city.
The party is standing candidates Richard Shillcock (Southside/Newington ward) and Peter Olech (Portobello/Craigmillar ward) in the September 3rd council by-elections.
The Communist candidates note Edinburgh’s reputation for liberal politics. Many voters—particularly young ones—across Labour, Greens and the SNP see themselves as voting for a much better, new kind of Scotland.
But Communists are presenting crucially different policies to what is on offer from the other parties.
Communists say particular policies of Edinburgh’s established parties might sound good in isolation but they are overshadowed by the liberal commitment to rejoining the EU and/or to Scottish “independence”.
The EU. Rejoining the EU means accepting the EU’s foundational principles of the free movement of capital, goods and services, and its restrictions on state funding of industry.
Communists say we need to trade extensively with Europe but we need to be able to control the movement of capital and we need to be able to direct state-led investment if working people are ever to own and control a rebuilt productive economy.
“Independence”. Similarly, we need to control our own currency. A separate Scotland, in or out of the EU, means losing our central bank. Greece’s debt crisis had its roots in adopting the euro and losing its central bank.
Communists say the Scottish people have the right to decide whether to secede from the UK, but that better prospects for working people lie in strengthening working class organisation across Britain to win deeper and deeper federal autonomy in which working people own and control the productive economy.
Housing. Few idealistic voters would say “just let the market sort out housing”. But that is exactly what is happening when other parties’ housing policy is for a mix of measures like “affordable housing” at the expense of council housing. Communists say only large-scale, permanent investment in council housing, owned and run by the local authority, can solve the housing problem.
Women’s rights. Communists say that we need to urgently implement the Supreme Court ruling on sex in the Equality Act 2010. Local government should fully uphold women’s rights and protections under the Act, including the right to single-sex services. The Scottish Government should enforce the Act.
Violence against women. Liberal activists have been arguing that prostitution is “sex work”, that it is a mutually consensual transaction, that it can be empowering and that it should be decriminalised and destigmatised.
Communists say prostitution is not work. A woman’s body is not a workplace. Prostitution is unique sexual exploitation, reflecting class and sex inequalities. We need to support women to exit prostitution, with zero tolerance towards the sexual exploitation of women by men.
Caring for each other. There is strong liberal support—in the Greens, LibDems and SNP—favouring assisted dying.
Communists stand with disabled activists in opposing assisted dying. It cannot be made safe. It will disproportionately endanger disabled people. Communists call for adequate funding for end-of-life care.
The local by-elections were triggered following the resignation of two local SNP councillors who were recently elected as MSPs to Holyrood.
The Communist Party urges voters across Southside/Newington and Portobello/Craigmillar to use their ballot papers to vote for the policies they believe in—ones that will defend and extend the rights and the quality of life of working people.
20% increase in footfall, with more than 28,000 people welcomed to the site on each of the Book Festival’s three weekends
Fewer events delivered more ticket sales, with 62% of tickets sold to people in EH postcodes
Changing Your Mind: Book Festival audiences gathered to explore the defining questions of our age, from AI and social media to democracy, culture and the future of society
People in 52 countries tuned in online, extending the Book Festival’s international reach
62 schools from across Scotland were welcomed during the National Year of Reading, with every child receiving a free book
217 library watch parties across more than 80 libraries in 22 local authority areas brought Book Festival conversations to communities across Scotland
International artists, writers and cultural leaders came together through Global Ink and Scotland to the World
Val McDermid and Jo Sharp’s This Door of the Seas and Lyse Doucet’s The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan were among the Book Festival’s bestselling books
Edinburgh International Book Festival has concluded a record-breaking year that reaffirmed its position as one of the world’s leading spaces for public conversation.
With a smaller programme but a higher proportion of available tickets sold, the Book Festival brought together writers, thinkers, artists and audiences to explore the defining issues of our time under this year’s theme, Changing Your Mind.
In its third year at Edinburgh Futures Institute, footfall increased by 20% compared with last year, while ticket sales rose despite a smaller programme. Meanwhile, 62% of tickets were sold to people in EH postcodes, underlining the Book Festival’s strong local support.
Alongside major discussions on politics, technology and society, audiences flocked to hear acclaimed fiction writers including John Grisham, Maggie O’Farrell and 2026 International Booker Prize winners Yáng Shuāng-zǐ and Lin King.
The programme also brought together leading voices writing in English alongside internationally celebrated authors in translation, reinforcing the Book Festival’s reputation as a global home for literature and storytelling.
Together, these conversations demonstrated the Book Festival’s role as a space where complex issues can be explored openly, while helping connect people of all ages with books, writers and reading.
Jenny Niven, Director and CEO of Edinburgh International Book Festival, said:“Changing Your Mind was more than this year’s theme. It was an invitation to approach the world with curiosity rather than certainty, and to do that in real life, in the company of other people, has felt both joyful and necessary.
“In the National Year of Reading, it is heartening to see footfall increase, more tickets sold across a smaller programme and our Waterstones bookshop achieve its biggest-ever sales. At a time when literacy rates are declining, book festivals have an important role in helping people discover the pleasure, confidence and connection that reading can bring. Our schools programme, free books for every child attending and year-round work with communities are all part of that commitment.
“With 62% of tickets sold to people in EH postcodes, the Book Festival remains deeply rooted in Edinburgh. At the same time, people in 52 countries joined us online. That combination of strong local support and international reach shows a Book Festival that is both determinedly local and open-heartedly international.”
A PLACE TO DISCUSS THE DEFINING ISSUES OF OUR TIME
From artificial intelligence and social media to democracy, culture and creativity, the Book Festival provided a space for audiences to engage with some of the defining questions of our age.
Former technology executive and whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams highlighted the urgency of debates around social media and public discourse, arguing that “it’s really important that we start to build up that offline muscle of disagreement”, and warning that social media algorithms encourage people “to fix our identity in increasingly strident and narrow boxes.”
Professor Daisy Fancourt explored the growing importance of meaning, creativity and culture in an AI-driven world, arguing that “What we’re all inherently going to want more and more in an AI world is meaning.”
Politics and public life also remained central to the programme. Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown considered how citizens can help bring about positive change, while former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin reflected on the challenges and choices that shaped their leadership. Former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt also joined the programme, bringing audiences into conversations about the political and economic questions shaping public life.
The appetite for new perspectives extended beyond Book Festival events. The Book Festival’s Waterstones bookshop recorded its biggest-ever sales.
Among its bestselling titles were Val McDermid and Jo Sharp‘s This Door of the Seas and Lyse Doucet‘s The Finest Hotel in Kabul, reflecting audiences’ appetite for ideas and stories that help them see the world differently.
YEAR-ROUND IMPACT ACROSS SCOTLAND
The Book Festival’s commitment to access and participation extended far beyond Edinburgh through a programme of free digital activity hosted in communities across Scotland.
This year, more than 80 libraries across 22 local authority areas hosted 217 watch parties, enabling audiences to experience major Book Festival events together in their local communities. People from 52 countries also tuned in online, extending access to the programme around the world.
These free screenings ensured geography and cost were not barriers to participation and demonstrated how the Book Festival continues to use technology to connect audiences with writers, thinkers and ideas.
THE BBC
A new collaboration with the BBC brought Book Festival conversations to wider audiences through programmes including Front Row, Loose Ends and Take Four Books, extending the reach of writers, thinkers and cultural commentators appearing across the programme.
SUPPORTING THE NEXT GENERATION OF READERS
The Book Festival welcomed more than 62 schools from across Scotland and 21 from Edinburgh, with every child receiving a free book to take home.
Taking place during the National Year of Reading, the schools programme is central to the Book Festival’s commitment to encouraging reading and helping children build lasting relationships with books.
GLOBAL REACH THROUGH GLOBAL INK
2026 marked the third year of Global Ink, supported by Expo, bringing international festival directors from four continents to Edinburgh. The programme created opportunities to exchange ideas, develop partnerships and strengthen Edinburgh’s position as a global meeting place for literature, culture and ideas.
SCOTLAND TO THE WORLD
This year’s Book Festival also saw the continued development of Scotland to the World, showcasing ambitious collaborations between writers, musicians and theatre-makers.
Highlights included India Alba, Ali Smith’s collaboration with the New European Ensemble, Delusions by Len Pennie and Paul Leonard-Morgan, and a Japanese Noh Theatre adaptation of The Song of Rona Island, demonstrating how Scottish stories can inspire new artistic forms and reach audiences around the world.
The Communist Party of Britain is calling on voters in the upcoming City of Edinburgh Council by-elections to reject “political tinkering” and “vote for principles” to fix the city’s deepest problems.
The local by-elections take place on Thursday, September 3, 2026. The Communist Party is standing two candidates: Peter Olech in Portobello/Craigmillar and Richard Shillcock in Southside/Newington.
The candidates argue that while other parties try to manage a failing system, only the Communist Party offers a real alternative to more budget cuts and privatisation.
They believe the only way to truly fix these issues is through permanent public ownership in three key areas:
Fixing the Housing and Homelessness Crisis: Other parties suggest market options like “affordable” rents or small planning changes. The Communists say private developers need a shortage of homes to keep their profits and share prices high. They argue the housing crisis will never be solved by the private market, calling instead for large-scale, permanent council housing built and run entirely by the local council.
Ending Council Cuts and Outsourcing: To handle tight budgets, other parties propose changing funding formulas or adding new local taxes on working people. The Communists argue that the wealthiest should pay, and public money must stay under public control. They want to end cuts and outsourcing, demanding that all public services be delivered directly by council workers with strong unions and good apprenticeship programmes.
Bringing Back Real Local Democracy: Other parties avoid the big issues or suggest moving paperwork between different levels of government. The Communists say shifting decisions around does not change who holds the real economic power. They argue that only public ownership gives communities true control over housing, energy, jobs, land, and food distribution.
“The other parties agree on the problems we face, but their policies only tinker at the edges,” said candidate Richard Shillcock.
“We are asking voters to reject political games and on Thursday 3 September to vote for the socialist principles needed to transform local government.”
The Communist Party of Britain campaigns for a socialist society that puts working-class interests, public ownership, and democratic control of local services first.
The local by-elections were triggered following the resignation of two local SNP councillors who were recently elected as MSPs to Holyrood.
The Communist Party urges voters across Southside/Newington and Portobello/Craigmillar to use their first vote and their numbered preference votes to opt for the policies they believe in—ones that will defend and extend the rights and the quality of life of working people.
Spiegeltent, Edinburgh Futures Institute, Lauriston Place, EH3 9EF
We’ve challenged local writers and poets to respond to this year’s Festival theme: Changing Your Mind.
Join us as we bring them together to perform their work and create a patchwork of ideas on trying new things, listening to different perspectives, and keeping a sense of wonder in our ever-changing world. You can expect a diverse, thought-provoking, and energising evening of live music, poetry, and storytelling.
I’ll be joining Citizen writer colleagues to read a short piece at tonight’s event – see you there (unless I change my mind, of course!) – Ed.
The eighth annual Big Brain Tumour Benefit has raised £20,000 for groundbreaking research into new treatments for brain tumours.
Eight acts performed for this year’s benefit: Nish Kumar, Rosie Jones, Rhys James, Larry Dean, Catherine Bohart, Emmanuel Sonubi, Felicity Ward and Justin Moorhouse.
Underbelly announces the 8th Annual Big Brain Tumour Benefit has raised £20,000 for Professor Richard Gilbertson’s lab at The Cancer Research Centre in Cambridge, helping to fund new treatments for the most aggressive forms of brain tumours in children.
This year’s star-studded lineup included performances from Nish Kumar, Rhys James, Rosie Jones, Larry Dean, Catherine Bohart, Emmanuel Sonubi, Felicity Ward and Justin Moorhouse.
Underbelly created the Big Brain Tumour Benefit in 2017 following co-founder Ed Bartlam’s son Alfie being diagnosed with Ependymoma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. Alfie passed away two years later, at the age of seven. 100% of the profits from the Big Brain Tumour Benefit will be donated to Professor Richard Gilbertson’s lab to fund brain cancer research.
Ed Bartlam, Underbelly’s co-founder said: I am so grateful to everyone who attended Underbelly’s 8th annual Big Brain Tumour Benefit last night, and to the fantastic line up of comedians who gave their time and talent to make it such a success.
“It’s incredible that as a community we have raised more than £20,000, with all of the funds going to Professor Richard Gilbertson’s lab and directly funding cutting-edge tumour prevention and treatment.
“The Big Brain Tumour Benefit is always such a special night, and together we can continue to raise vital funds that save lives.”
Professor Richard Gilbertson said: “We are truly excited and humbled by the amazing partnership with Underbelly and Angel Child. Everyday, we work to end the devastation caused to children and their families by brain tumours.
“We will accept nothing less than total eradication of these devastating childhood cancers. Thanks to the support we have already received we are about to take a completely new therapy to the clinic.
“We could not have done this without Underbelly and Angel Child. Together with our collaborators, we have developed a number of other, completely new and kinder treatments, taking us even closer the day when no child will suffer or die from a brain tumour.
Brain tumours are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in people under 40. They shorten life expectancy by an average of 27 years, the most of any cancer. Despite this, brain tumour research is underfunded compared to many other cancers.
The principal aim of Professor Richard Gilbertson’s Lab is to improve the accuracy of brain tumour classification and treatment, with a particular focus on children’s brain tumours.
Their research involves conducting genomic analyses of brain tumours to identify cancer-causing abnormalities, and using that knowledge to develop effective new cancer cures through clinical trials of molecular targeted therapies.
Underbelly’s Big Brain Tumour Benefit is a one-night-only show. For more information on the wider programme for the remainder of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, please visit the website here.
The Communist Party of Britain (CPB) has spoken out on women’s rights and opportunities in its campaign for the September 3rd City of Edinburgh Council by-elections. They ask ‘What is a feminist vote?’, ‘How do council policies affect women and girls?’
They condemn the City of Edinburgh Council for opposing the updated Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Code of Practice on single-sex spaces, and for failing to implement it.
The party is standing candidates Richard Shillcock (Southside/Newington ward) and Peter Olech (Portobello/Craigmillar ward). They are offering distinct feminist policies within a socialist alternative to the mainstream parties.
They say the lives of girls and women in Scotland are under attack—from the widening gap between rich and poor, from cuts and underfunding and from an epidemic of male violence.
Women’s lives.
We need to rebuild women’s ‘social wage’ by investing in public services that lift the load from women in childcare and social care, and by increasing bargaining power and raising wages for the women who work in them.
Women’s rights.
We need to urgently implement the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010. Edinburgh City Council must fully uphold women’s rights and protections under the Act, including the right to single-sex services. The Scottish Government should require all public bodies to fully implement the Act.
Violence against women.
We need to strengthen domestic abuse and sexual assault services for women and children, with secure long term investment in prevention. We need to support women to exit prostitution, with zero tolerance towards the sexual exploitation of women by men.
The local by-elections were triggered following the resignation of two local SNP councillors who were recently elected as MSPs to Holyrood.
The Communist Party urges voters across Southside/Newington and Portobello/ Craigmillar to use their first vote and their numbered preference votes to opt for the policies they believe in—ones that will defend and extend the rights and the quality of life of working people.
Following his success at the Clacton-on-Sea by-election, Count Binface is to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for one night only at the Pleasance King Dome on Wednesday 26th August at 16:50.
The universe’s favourite novelty politician returns with COUNT BINFACE: FACE OF THE ESTABLISHMENT, a one-hour dose of political comedy and sci-fi satire.
Galactic phenomenon Count Binface comes back down to Earth for his Edinburgh Festival Fringe appearance. Join Binface for his unique take on Britain, his special brand of sci-fi satire and, of course, his unbeatable manifesto.
Cheaper 99 Flakes? Check. The nationalisation of Adele? Check. The return of Ceefax? Check. Water bosses to take a dip in UK rivers to see how they like it? CHECK! FACE OF THE ESTABLISHMENT brings Binface’s unique dose of political comedy to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for one night only.
Count Binface is the intergalactic space warrior and novelty politician who has delighted millions with his unlikely tilts at power in the United Kingdom.
After taking on Theresa May in the 2017 General Election, cunningly disguised as ‘Lord Buckethead’, and challenging Boris Johnson in 2019, he ran for Mayor of London in 2021, receiving a glorious 92,896 votes and soaring into ninth place.
He returned to the mayoral race in 2024, winning 24,260 votes, earning the endorsement of a national newspaper and beating Britain First.
Following his success at the Clacton-on-Sea by-election, where he won 9455 votes, Binface now returns to the stage with COUNT BINFACE: FACE OF THE ESTABLISHMENT.
