CITIZEN ADULT WRITERS’ FINAL PERFORMANCE AT BOOK FESTIVAL TONIGHT
As a charitable non-profit making organisation, the work of the Book Festival stretches far beyond the month of August. Indeed, our Communities Programme runs year-round, focused on inspiring and empowering people of all ages and backgrounds.
Our City, Our Stories is an outpouring of this year-round work: an event created both for and by those taking part in the Communities Programme.
This inspiring, recurring, and FREE event showcases new writing from both professional and non-professional writers across our Citizen project (and other community-based groups including Intercultural Youth Scotland and Open Book).
The stories performed make up a collective love letter to Edinburgh.
The final Our City, Our Stories session of this year’s Book Festival takes place this evening at 6.15. We’d love to see you there!
Tails will be wagging this weekend when the ‘Lewis Leap’ Dog Show takes place at the Cammo Estate on Sunday 20th August, between 2 and 5 pm.
The annual show, now in its second year, celebrates all kinds of canine capers – with judging categories including ‘waggiest tail’ to ‘cutest puppy’ and the ‘most fabulous costume for both dog and owner.’
As well as nine judging categories – which culminate in the prestigious ‘Best on Show’ award – there is also a host of other fun attractions including food stalls (hotdogs, naturally), tombola and doggy merchandise. There is even a special ‘Dog Bar’ catering for the stars of the show serving ‘Puppuccinos’ and various dog treats.
The show aims to raise awareness and funds for the Lewis Leap charity which was set up to honour the memory and spirit of Cammo schoolboy Lewis Johnson, who died suddenly whilst on a family holiday aged just 13.
The charity’s vision is to introduce a new service later this year to offer early support to local families who have suddenly and traumatically lost a child, sibling or parent. They are partnering with national bereavement support group Cruse Scotland and the new service will support family members collectively and individually in the early stages of grief.
The Lewis Leap Dog Show costs just £3 to enter each category online before the 19th August – or £3.50 on the day of the show. For more information and to enter online, visit: www.lewisleap.com/cammo-dog-show
Edinburgh Leisure, the largest provider of sport and leisure facilities across the city, has begun the search for a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), following the announcement of the retirement of their current CEO, June Peebles (who was part of the original team that helped establish Edinburgh Leisure in 1998).
June led the organisation through the unprecedented period of the COVID-19 pandemic, the various lockdowns and venue closures, leading with unflappability and transparency.
Although venues were closed, some projects were fast-tracked including staffing reviews, and building projects continued where possible, including retiling the Royal Commonwealth diving pool, upgrading the front façade at Portobello Swim Centre and the refurbishment of Warrender Swim Centre (one of Edinburgh Leisure’s five much-loved Victorian pools).
June Peebles, Edinburgh Leisure’s current CEO said: “I reached the conclusion that, for me, there is no ‘right’ time to leave Edinburgh Leisure.
“I love my work, irrespective of how challenging or less challenging things are, and hardly a day goes by when I don’t experience a proud moment, whether that’s because of the performance of a colleague or from seeing and/ or hearing about the impact of our work on people’s lives. I feel very fortunate to work in an industry and for an organisation I feel passionate about. But there comes a time…and after 38 years, now feels like the right time to retire.
“I leave whoever picks up the baton with an organisation that is mature and certain of its purpose, the value it brings to the city of Edinburgh and, importantly, with the ambition to do more. This is a great opportunity for someone to put their own stamp on how Edinburgh Leisure continues to thrive.
June Pebbles Chief Executive Edinburgh Leisure
June continues: “A charity with one clear purpose – to make a positive difference by creating opportunities for everyone to get active, stay active and achieve more, the new CEO will be required to ensure that Edinburgh Leisure continues to deliver on its purpose in a sustainable way.
“Leading an experienced, enthusiastic and committed team – all of whom are focused on making a positive difference through physical activity, working effectively with our many partners (especially the elected members and officials at the City of Edinburgh Council), and providing all our customers with a great experience.”
Eden Scott is handling the recruitment and interested applicants should contact Sarah Gracie, Associate Director on 07999 421 314
Museums & Galleries Edinburgh has recently completed a partnership project which aims to share Edinburgh’s unique stories of LGBTQ+ history with digital and real-life visitors.
Curators have been working with Rowan Rush-Morgan, a PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh, to make digital object records more accessible for audiences and to share key objects in a digital exhibition.
The project, hosted by Museums & Galleries Edinburgh, and funded by the Scottish Graduate School of Arts & Humanities, focuses on the Remember When? Project, which collected objects from 2004 to 2006.
The collection includes posters, magazines, t-shirts, badges, and larger items including the distinctive hand painted sign of Lavender Menace, the first LGBT bookshop in Scotland. The collections are stored at the Museum Collections Centre in Broughton.
The exhibition – Our Rainbow Past: LGBTQ+ objects from Edinburgh – launched this week on the Our Town Stories platform.
Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker, said:“Museums & Galleries Edinburgh is proud to reflect our diverse communities in our venues, events, and exhibitions.
“Partnership projects like Rowan’s enable us to access expertise which helps us and our visitors to see our collections in a new light.
“The important contribution of the LGBTQ+ community to Edinburgh is showcased brilliantly in the new digital exhibition. We plan to keep collecting objects which tell the story of LGBTQ+ Edinburgh, and to keep sharing them with our visitors.
“We’re so excited to be able to share some of the most iconic objects from our LGBTQ+ collection online. New photography has really brought the objects to life, while Rowan’s research has added depth to the stories. Anyone with an interest in the LGBTQ+ life of Edinburgh and how far we’ve come in the journey towards equality and inclusion will love the exhibition.”
Rowan Rush-Morgan, Project Lead and PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh, said:“The Remember When? Project was groundbreaking at the time, bringing together objects, archives, and interviews to give a complete picture of LGBTQ+ life in Edinburgh.
“My placement was designed to make sure the collections database uses the correct terminology to allow researchers and the public to search for the stories from the collection important to them. We also wanted to highlight some of the star objects in an online exhibition, which was great fun to put together.”
You can visit the Our Town Stories exhibition here.
The Remember When? Project was an oral and community history project carried out between July 2004 and July 2006. The project was run jointly by the City of Edinburgh Council and the Living Memory Association and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the City of Edinburgh Council and Lesbian & Gay Switchboard.
The project documented the lives and achievements of Edinburgh’s LGBT people, past and present. It involved over 60 volunteers, culminating in the 2006 exhibition Rainbow City, shown at the City Art Centre, and a book of the same name. Part of the project involved collecting LGBT memorabilia, which was then added to the collections of Museums & Galleries Edinburgh.
Bored and tired of the same old Saturday routine ? Why not join us for a sunny cycle to Craigie Farm to pick your own Fruit!
The rides are fun, social and inclusive. Participants will ideally need their own bike although we have a small selection of adult and kids bikes we can rent for free.
Booking is essential.
There is also the opportunity to get your bike checked for free on the Friday afternoon prior to the ride. All details in the poster.
If someone has had a change in circumstances, then they might need to complete their first ever Self Assessment tax return for the 2022 to 2023 tax year, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding people.
Taxpayers can use the quick and easy free online checking tool on GOV.UK and register with HMRC by 5 October if they do need to self-assess. Taxpayers can also use it if they think they may not need to complete one this year too.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “It is important that taxpayers check if they need to complete a Self Assessment tax return so they can pay the right amount of tax owed and avoid penalties for not filing a return.
“It is quick and easy to check by using the interactive tool on GOV.UK – there is no need to ring us.”
Taxpayers may need to complete a tax return if they:
are newly self-employed and have earned more than £1,000
have multiple sources of income
have received any untaxed income, for example earning money for creating online content
earn more than £100,000 a year
earn income from property that they own and rent out
are a new partner in a business partnership
are claiming Child Benefit and they or their partner have an income above £50,000
receive interest from banks and building societies (more than £10,000)
receive dividends in excess of £10,000
need to pay Capital Gains Tax
are self-employed and earn less than £1,000 but wish to pay Class 2 NICs voluntarily to protect their entitlement to State Pension and certain benefits
The online checking tool can also be used by those who may no longer need to do Self Assessment, including if they:
Taxpayers can register for Self Assessment on GOV.UK. Once registered, they will receive their Unique Taxpayer Reference, which they will need when completing their tax return.
HMRC has wide range of resources to help taxpayers file a tax return including a series of video tutorials on YouTube and a new step by step guide. for anyone that is filing for the first time.
Taxpayers need to be aware of the risk of falling victim to scams and should never share their HMRC login details with anyone, including a tax agent, if they have one. HMRC scams advice is available on GOV.UK.
POLICE are appealing following a robbery on a footpath in the Gyle area.
The incident happened between 5.50pm and 6pm on Monday (14 August), on the path between the Gyle shopping centre and Gogarloch Syke.
A man was walking on the path from the shopping centre towards Gogarloch Syke when he came across a man lying on the ground. On approaching, the man on the ground has produced a knife and demanded money, before making off into a wooded area towards Gogarloch Syke with a four-figure sum of cash.
The man is described as white, aged late 20s, of slim build and around 5ft 11ins to 6ft. He was wearing a burgundy/maroon hoodie with the hood up, light grey tracksuit bottoms and grey trainers.
Detective Constable Peter Lyons said: “Fortunately no one was injured but the man who was robbed was left extremely upset and shaken by what happened.
“The area was likely busy with dog walkers and pedestrians at the time and we are keen to speak to anyone who saw what happened.
“We are also keen to speak to the man described and would like anyone who saw him before or after the incident to get in touch.”
Anyone who can help is asked to call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 3269 of Monday, 14 August, 2023.
Discover how former religious buildings can be resurrected for energy-efficient housing
Organiser of the upcoming Green Home Festival are urging religious and community groups to attend their upcoming show and discover how Scotland’s abandoned churches can be transformed into energy efficient social housing that benefits whole communities.
In Bringing Churches Back to Life, architects will explain what happens to former churches and community halls at the end of their working lives and how they can be converted into sustainable, eco-friendly homes for those who need them most.
And organisers say the show is the ideal opportunity for religious bodies to see how Scotland’s classic buildings can be saved for future generations – and the potential of transforming them into low-carbon homes that also benefit the environment.
Green Home Festival co-organiser David Logue, who is partner at Gardiner & Theobald, said: “Scotland has a large number of churches and other religious buildings that face a wide range of challenges due to their ageing infrastructure and exposure to the elements.
“Running costs, ongoing maintenance and dwindling usage can all mean that such buildings face an uncertain future, plus their very size often means that it’s difficult to know what to do with such a large space.
“Converting such buildings into energy-efficient social housing is already gaining traction and the upcoming Green Home Festival will give examples of how such ideas have already become reality.
“We hope that religious bodies, community groups and those with an interest in Scotland’s heritage will join us to explore the options for resurrecting buildings that might otherwise be left to decay or stand empty.”
They’ll reveal details of the first social housing built to such standards in Glasgow and share their experience in developing retrofit plans for the conversion of existing buildings for housing, with a focus on the delivery of low-energy and zero carbon strategies.
This will be followed by a presentation by James Anthony of Eco Congregation Scotland, who’ll outline the many issues found in church buildings while seeking to reduce carbon and give an overview of the body’s own ‘greening’ strategy for such structures.
Co-organiser Gordon Nelson, Scotland Director of the Federation of Master Builders, added: “Scotland has some truly beautiful religious buildings that are coming to the end of their working lives and yet absolutely deserve to be preserved, used and admired for generations to come.
“If we can combine such preservation with energy efficient-housing that benefits local communities, that has surely got to be a good thing for both the environment and the people who live in them?
“This Green Home Festival show will demonstrate some excellent initiatives and we would encourage anyone with an interest in church buildings to attend and find out the potential for bringing them back to life and giving them a useful and rewarding purpose.”
The festival is the latest in a string of practical and constructive initiatives launched by the CICV since its creation at the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
Made up of 28 trade associations, professional services bodies and companies, it has maintained a steady supply of information and practical advice to the sector as well as carrying out surveys, producing animations and posters, hosting webinars and maintaining close dialogue with Scottish Government ministers.
Full details, including how to book tickets for each event, are available on the Festival’s website at greenhomefestival.co.uk
On Friday 4th August the 76th edition of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe officially began. In celebration of the first day, the annual Artist Address took place for the first time since 2019, and the Fringe Society was delighted to welcome Le Gateau Chocolat as keynote speaker for this important event.
Designed as a celebratory moment for Fringe artists to gather at the beginning of the festival, Gateau gave a thought-provoking, empowering, and at times emotional speech to those gathered for the event.
It was in 2008 that Gateau made his debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, shortly after an appearance at the Adelaide Fringe. Due to work commitments in London, he felt unable to fully ensconce himself in the ‘anarchy of its magic’ and returned three years later in 2011 with Le Gateau Chocolat.
‘When you’re not performing the show, you’re selling it. When you’re not selling it, you’re doing PR. When you’re not doing PR, you’re rehearsing, adjusting to the conversation with the audience – in a permanent state of dampness. The exhaustion at a cellular level whilst also being deeply invigorating. You’re on a constant high which amplifies the lows – however brief they are.’
Highlighting the platform the Fringe can offer artists for career development, Gateau shared insights into the journey his show took following his 2011 debut as Le Gateau Chocolat: ‘The magic of Edinburgh Fringe was very present, and I was lucky enough to tap into the zeitgeist. Shows sold out. Reviews were great. It got a London transfer to The Menier Chocolate Factory. The Sydney Opera House. Poland. Christchurch, New Zealand. Melbourne. Auckland. It set me on a course that introduced me to Basement Jaxx and had me performing with them and Metropole Orkest at the Barbican. It’s how T-Mobile found me and reached out for me to be part of the flash mob ad at Terminal 5. It changed my life.’
Returning to the Fringe in 2018 with three shows, Duckie, Icons and Jonny Woo’s All Star Brexit Cabaret, Gateau’s journey continued, and he worked hard to engage with new audiences and build on his touring opportunities. Duckie went on to tour extensively across the UK and continues to do so with a new non-binary and neurodivergent performer.
Highlighting a need for greater inclusivity and access at the festival, Gateau stated ‘Inclusivity is not a word, it’s an action, it is practise.’ Citing the current cost of living crisis, accommodation costs and the risks artists take to bring work to the Fringe every year, Gateau referenced the ongoing impacts of the pandemic and the resilience of artists, but that ‘elasticity doesn’t mean we can’t break.’
With an audience listening intently to Gateau’s story, the 2023 Artist Address highlighted the continued need for artist support across a range of areas.
Encouraging the room to support each other and to drive a sense of comradery and community, Gateau concluded his speech by stating: ‘There is magic here. I haven’t found it at every Fringe I’ve attended but I have found it several times.
You can and will be in conversation with your audiences – my hope for artists present and all artists at this festival is that you indeed find audiences. You are enough and the experiences that have brought you to this moment are valid.
“Lean into telling your stories as authentically as you can versus seeking validation from audience numbers, audience responses and reviews. If you succeed at doing that, tell me how because at 41 it’s a code I’m yet to crack! And to the facilitators of the storytellers, my plea to you is don’t take advantage of our reality; what we do is who we are.’
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “When Le Gateau Chocolat took to the stage you could hear a pin drop.The room was there to hear from an artist who has attended the Fringe for over 15 years and who has first-hand knowledge and experience of everything that this glorious event can challenge you with.
“We recognise the great financial risk that artists take in bringing work to the Fringe every year, and Gateau’s story highlights that every artist’s journey is different. Our immense thanks to Gateau for sharing his story, and to all the artists taking part in this year’s festival for making the commitment to be at this year’s Fringe.’
