Uncategorized – Page 15 – The NEN

Outwith Words: Tinderbox Orchestra scale new heights with launch of spoken word EP

Tinderbox Orchestra are set to release their new spoken word EP Outwith Words on Wednesday 25th March 2026. The live EP, which was launched during a co-production with Edinburgh Hogmanay’s First Footin’ Festival, features distinctive collaborations from some of Scotland’s most exciting spoken word artists.

Outwith Words consists of four tracks created with collaborators including poet Hannah McCooke, writer, theatre-maker and performance poet RJ Hunter, and spoken word poet, actor and rapper Ace V!s!on. The connecting theme throughout the collection is of community, connection, and activism.

The EPis the culmination of the Orchestra’s work over the last few years, touring libraries across the UK and Ireland and championing the ‘We Make Music’ Instrument Libraries initiative – an initiative to get musical instruments into public libraries across Scotland.

A partnership between Tinderbox Collective, Music Partnership Education Group, and Edinburgh Libraries, the project now operates in ten local authorities and 30 community libraries across the country – resulting in thousands of people having borrowed instruments.

The project collects donated instruments, restores them, and makes them available to anyone – free of charge – so you can borrow them just like a book.

Bringing together rappers and singers with soaring strings, heavy brass, woodwind and thundering bass and drums, Tinderbox transforms preconceptions of what an orchestra can be.

Over the last few years they have performed at major festivals, events and venues including; Edinburgh’s Usher Hall, Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall (Celtic Connections), Latitude Festival (BBC Introducing Stage), Fuse Festival (London), Hidden Door Festival, Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe by the Sea.

They have also produced multiple sell-out shows at Edinburgh Fringe Festival and have toured across the UK and Ireland.

Claire Docherty, Orchestra Manager, said: “Outwith Words” is the culmination of Tinderbox Orchestra’s work over the last few years, touring libraries across the UK and Ireland and championing the ‘We Make Music’ Instrument Libraries initiative, which now operates in nearly 30 libraries across Scotland.

“This EP features distinctive collaborations with Hannah McCooke, RJ Hunter and Ace V!s!on, with Hannah’s piece telling the story of the Instrument Libraries project.

“Made up of live recordings from our Edinburgh Fringe shows at Edinburgh Central Library — where the project began through a joint effort between Tinderbox Collective and Edinburgh Library Service — this EP celebrates how far the initiative has grown since starting in Edinburgh.”

RJ Hunter, collaborator, said: “It’s a true honour to work with Tinderbox Orchestra every single time and to have this piece immortalised is beyond exciting.

“War Cry is an original track made in collaboration with the orchestra during the Outwith Words project, a piece about using your voice for your community and for others that need it most, written from a trans perspective.”

Ace V!s!on, collaborator, said: “Only Lovers, Guilt Survives is what I call a piece of uplifting melancholy. The title of the piece came from two poems written prior, contextually in a moment of grief at the loss of a loved one.

“To me, the ‘Only Lovers’ section stands out for its actually quite simple but necessary repeated statement, an almost gruelling reminder of the importance of love not just in a romantic sense but as a fundamental human component for relationality, for care and understanding and perseverance in the face of adversity.

“This sets up the transition into ‘Guilt Survives’ a piece that reflects on the loss of said love and the vulnerability required to hold such tenderness especially when it hurts, touching on themes of mental health & loneliness.”

Outwith Words will be released on streaming platforms on Wednesday 25th March.

Edinburgh’s Winter Festivals raise over £46k for local charities

L-R: Tommy McCormick (Age Scotland), Judith King (When You Wish Upon a Star), Alan Thomson (Unique Assembly), Paul Wilson (OneCity Trust) and Fiona Williamson (Simon Community). Photo credit: Ian Georgeson

Encompassing Edinburgh’s Christmas celebrations and Edinburgh’s Hogmanay New Year festival, Edinburgh’s Winter Festival events are created and designed by Unique Assembly on behalf of The City of Edinburgh Council.

Over the seven weeks of world-class events and attractions, the Festivals bring festive cheer to residents and visitors alike, putting Edinburgh on the world map as the key winter destination. They are the perfect combination of a global spectacle with community spirit at heart.

Both events have substantial and proven positive impact on both the city of Edinburgh and Scotland as a whole, and just one of the examples of the benefits they bring is their work with local charities, fundraising and promoting the incredible work of organisations who are helping those who need it most:

OneCity Trust which fights against inequality and exclusion in Edinburgh
Age Scotland which provides connection, friendship and advice to older people.
Simon Community Scotland which provides safe places and support for people experiencing, or at risk of homelessness in Scotland.

When You Wish Upon A Star which grants wishes for children living with life-threatening illnesses.

Edinburgh’s Winter Festivals 2025 raised a total of £46,243.09 in donations, which means that the four official charity partners each receive a £11,560 donation from Unique Assembly.  

Alan Thomson, Co-Director, Unique Assembly said: “We are immensely proud to present our local charity partners with cheques of £11,560 each, and would like to thank those who made donations through purchasing tickets and at our fundraising events.

“It is a testament to the remarkable generosity of everyone who visited Edinburgh’s Winter Festivals. As an Edinburgh-based company, we’re continually inspired by the warmth, kindness, and festive spirit shown by people across this city.

“We are honoured to play a part in celebrating and strengthening the community we call home.”

Culture and Communities Convener Margaret Graham said: “I am delighted that these events not only bring economic benefits to the city, but also create opportunities for residents, businesses and visitors to come together and make a real difference for charities across Edinburgh.

“These diverse charities do valuable work every day to help individuals and families across the city, and these fundraising efforts help ensure they can continue providing that vital support.”

Granton Goes Greener: Litter Pick this Saturday

SATURDAY 21st MARCH 11am – 1pm

We are very excited about our next Litter Picking event this Saturday (21/03). This time we will be focusing on Granton Crescent Park, across the road from the Salvation Army.

Huge THANK YOU to R2 for their support with the litter picking equipment.

Tea/coffee and snacks provided.

It is a family friendly event so we would welcome young litter pickers as well as well behaved dogs

“Not Just for Gym-Goers: Why Glute Strength Matters for Your Heart”

HEART RESEARCH UK HEALTHY TIP

When we think about heart health, we often focus on cardio exercises like walking, running, or cycling. But did you know that your bottom, AKA the glutes, can play a surprisingly important role in keeping your heart healthy?

Your glutes are the largest and most powerful muscle group in the body. They are essential for everyday movement, posture, and balance. When they are strong, being active feels easier and is sustainable, which supports long-term heart health.

In this month’s Healthy Tip, Luca van Cleemput, Healthy Heart Coach at Heart Research UK, explains why strengthening your glutes is about much more than aesthetics, and discusses how it can help protect your heart.

Why do glutes matter for heart health?

Strong glutes power everyday activities such as walking, climbing stairs, standing up from a chair, or carrying shopping. When these muscles are weak, other parts of the body, like the lower back or knees, often compensate. Over time, this can lead to discomfort and reduce daily movement.

Regular activity is one of the most effective ways to protect your heart. Research shows that even small increases in daily movement, like walking more, are linked to a lower risk of heart disease. Strong glutes make movement feel easier, which helps you stay active consistently.

Luca explains: “Cardio is essential for heart health, but muscle strength is often overlooked. Strong muscles support heart health, bones, balance, independence, and long-term quality of life.

“For best results, include regular cardio along with at least two strength-training sessions per week. Since the glutes are the body’s largest muscle group and support everyday movement, they’re a great place to start.”

Glutes, energy, and metabolism

Because the glutes are such a large muscle group, strengthening them has benefits beyond movement alone. When muscles work, they generally use glucose for energy. Therefore, doing strength training regularly helps improve blood sugar control and supports insulin sensitivity, which is important for overall health and specifically heart health.

Luca adds: “People often think strength training has to be time-consuming. In reality, even simple glute exercises done regularly can help your body manage blood sugar and support heart health over time.”

Maintaining muscle mass as we age is also important for supporting a healthy metabolism. From mid-life onwards, we naturally begin to lose muscle, a process called sarcopenia. Because muscle burns more energy than fat, even at rest, losing muscle gradually lowers the body’s resting metabolic rate. This means we burn slightly fewer calories over time at rest, which can make gradual weight gain more likely, even if eating habits remain the same.

Luca explains: “Even simple glute exercises done consistently can support your metabolism and help you burn more calories at rest. Strong glutes aren’t just about aesthetics, they support your heart, weight management, and independence as you age.”

Carrying excess weight, particularly around the waist, is linked with higher blood pressure, cholesterol, and an increased risk of heart disease.

Keeping large muscle groups like the glutes strong helps preserve overall muscle mass. This supports weight stability, a higher resting metabolic rate, and better long-term metabolic health.

While glutes are the largest muscles, strengthening other major muscle groups, including the legs, core, and back, complements glute strength. Building overall muscle mass supports everyday fitness, makes daily movement easier, and reduces the strain on joints.

Stronger glutes make exercise feel easier

When your glutes are doing their job properly, activities like walking, cycling, or climbing stairs require less effort from smaller muscles. This reduces fatigue and improves movement efficiency.

Lower-body strength also helps your body cope better with aerobic exercise. Strong muscles make everyday activities feel easier and more manageable, even at the same pace or intensity. This makes it easier to maintain moderate-intensity activity, the level most strongly linked with improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol, and overall cardiovascular fitness.

In simple terms, when movement feels easier, you are more likely to do it regularly. And when it comes to heart health, consistency matters more than intensity.

Strength training works best alongside regular aerobic activity such as walking, cycling, or swimming. Together, they provide the strongest protection for heart health.

Posture, balance, and injury prevention

Weak glutes can contribute to poor posture, such as slouching or excessive arching of the lower back. Over time, this may make daily activities feel more tiring.

Strong glutes play a key role in balance and stability. They help control movement at the hips, which is essential for staying steady when walking, turning, stepping up or down, or getting out of a chair.

As we age, we naturally lose muscle mass and strength if it isn’t regularly challenged. Reduced lower-body strength increases the risk of falls, a major cause of injury and loss of independence in older adults. Even short periods of inactivity following an injury can negatively affect heart health, as people often move less and lose confidence in their ability to stay active.

Luca adds: “Glutes play a surprisingly big role in preventing falls. Keeping them strong stabilises your hips, which can help you move safely and more confidently every day, especially as you age.”

Maintaining glute strength improves balance, reduces the risk of falls, and supports long-term independence. Even small improvements can make a meaningful difference.

Simple ways to strengthen your glutes

You don’t need a gym or heavy weights to start strengthening your glutes. Simple exercises at home can be adapted to suit different abilities.

The UK physical activity guidelines recommend muscle-strengthening activities at least two days per week. These sessions do not need to be long and can use bodyweight alone.

Examples of glute-strengthening exercises:

Sit-to-stands from a chair
Glute bridges
Step-ups
Glute kickbacks
Romanian deadlift

As your strength improves, exercises may feel easier. Gradually increasing repetitions, adding an extra set, or introducing light resistance (from a resistance band or dumbbells) helps maintain progress. Small, steady increases are safer and more effective than sudden large jumps in intensity.

A good rule of thumb is that the last few repetitions of an exercise should feel challenging, but you should still maintain good form and breathe steadily.

Luca explains: “Strength training should feel challenging, but not overwhelming. Start at a level that suits you and build up gradually.

“Choose exercises you can perform without pain and focus on perfecting your technique before increasing intensity. This is the best way to get all the benefits of a specific exercise.”

Remember, the goal isn’t necessarily large muscles. It’s to maintain strength, support everyday movement, and protect long-term heart health.

Bringing it all together

Strong glutes are more than just an aesthetic goal. They:

Make everyday movement easier
Support heart health and blood sugar control
Helpmaintainweight and metabolism
Reduce the risk of falls and injury
Contribute to overall muscle strength, functional fitness, and independence

Incorporating glute exercises into a total-body strength routine provides maximum benefits for your health, both now and in the long term.

Download Heart Research UK’s Free Resource

To help you get started, we’ve created a ‘Glute Strength for Everyday Movement’ exercise sheet. It includes simple, step-by-step exercises to support mobility, balance, and heart-healthy movement, with options for different ability levels.

These exercises focus on movements that strengthen not just the glutes, but other important lower-body muscles too, helping you build functional strength that supports everyday life.

Download the free resource and take the first step towards stronger glutes and a healthier heart:

Glute-Strength-for-Everyday-Movement-exercise-sheet Download

Grammy-nominated composer creates opera after losing family to addiction

Scottish Opera and Opera Ventures Productions present world premiere of The Galloping Cure at Edinburgh International Festival on 9 August 2026

TRAILER AVAILABLE HERE

PHOTO: Composer Missy Mazzoli. Credit Shervin Lainez

Grammy-nominated composer Missy Mazzoli and Pulitzer Prize-winning librettist Royce Vavrek both lost immediate family members to drug overdoses. Now Scottish Opera and Opera Ventures Productions are bringing their opera about it to the world stage.

The Galloping Cure, premiering at the Edinburgh International Festival this August, tells its story through a darkly seductive allegory: a mysterious carousel that arrives in a struggling rural town, promising to eliminate all pain. The first ride is free. Getting off is much harder.

Conducted by Stuart Stratford and directed by Tony Award-winning Tom Morris (War Horse), the production reunites the creative team behind Breaking the Waves, the 2019 Edinburgh International Festival hit that toured internationally to critical acclaim. They have collaborated with Opera Ventures Productions and Scottish Opera to create what they are calling an opera for the age of addiction.

It is co-commissioned with NorrlandsOperan AB (Sweden, supported by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond), Edinburgh International Festival, and San Francisco Opera. The production will be co-produced with State Opera of South Australia and Canadian Opera Company, ensuring the work reaches audiences worldwide. This unprecedented international coalition of funders spans three continents to back a brand-new work tackling one of the defining crises of our time.

Missy Mazzoli said: ‘The opioid crisis is not merely a headline for me and Royce; we have both lost immediate family to overdoses and other drug-related tragedies, and this crisis reverberates through nearly every aspect of our lives.

‘For years we have wanted to write a work about these experiences, and opera provides a large enough palette to create something that is both compassionate and illuminating.’

Tom Morris said: ‘Missy and Royce are Titans of the 21st century operatic stage. They take no prisoners and will tear up trees to show the world that opera can tell powerful, horrifying, tender stories that resonate to the core of our age.

‘The Galloping Cure is exactly that and it is a huge honour to work with them on its world premiere production. And it’s not just an allegory about the opioid crisis. It’s a story about existential pain and the allure of shallow instant solutions. Inspired by texts from Kafka and Karen Russell, they have created a world that is both mythic and brutally recognisable. Their visceral operatic language allows us to hold beauty and horror in the same moment, and to struggle with the compulsions caused by both.’

The story follows Dr Theresa Hart as she struggles to ease the suffering of her community in a forgotten corner of the world. When the charismatic Lucky Mack arrives with his carousel, the town is swept into euphoria. But the ride won’t stop turning.

Mazzoli’s score blends orchestral and choral writing with club rhythms and DJ textures, creating what she describes as ‘a dark parallel to our own world, devastating and gorgeous in equal measure. Swirling brass and winds mesh with exaggerated house music beats, Appalachian folk sounds unite with orchestral strings, and operatic vocals soar over a hallucinatory landscape.’

Leading stage designer Rebecca Ringst matches the ambitious score with cutting-edge immersive audiovisual design evoking a post-industrial town transformed into a fever dream.

Scottish Opera Music Director Stuart Stratford added: ‘Missy Mazzoli’s music has an immediacy that connects with contemporary audiences while remaining deeply operatic. After the success of Breaking the Waves, we knew we wanted to continue our partnership with her. This score is thrilling to conduct. It moves between intimate moments of devastating beauty and these massive, visceral soundscapes that put you right inside the experience of addiction. Working with Opera Ventures and our international partners allows us to take risks on work this ambitious.’

The cast is led by Argentinian mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack in her Scottish Opera debut as Dr Theresa Hart, alongside baritone Justin Austin (Rising Star of the Year at the 2024 International Opera Awards) as Lucky Mack, and Susan Bullock as Ivona Kowalski. They are joined by Scottish Opera Emerging Artists Edward Jowle and Luvo Maranti, and former Emerging Artists Catriona Hewitson, Lea Shaw, and Ross Cumming. The role of Noy is yet to be announced.

The production is inspired by Franz Kafka’s 1917 short story A Country Doctor and based on an original tale by Pulitzer Prize finalist and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Karen Russell. She is the author of short story, Proving Up,which was also made into an opera by Mazzoli and Vavrek in 2016.

Opera Ventures Productions has pioneered a new model for creating opera in the 21st century, bringing together international houses and festivals to share resources and risk. Founded by John Berry (former Artistic Director of English National Opera), Opera Ventures has previously commissioned and produced with partners including Scottish Opera, Greek (Mark-Anthony Turnage) and Ainadamar (Osvaldo Golijov), all of which have toured internationally. In an era when commissioning new opera has become increasingly rare, Opera Ventures has proven it is still possible, if you are willing to think globally.

Scottish Opera has been a key partner in this model, bringing seven years of collaboration with Opera Ventures to The Galloping Cure. As Scotland’s national touring company, Scottish Opera’s workshop and production skills are specifically designed to create sets that adapt to theatres of different sizes, making them the ideal partner for international touring productions. This expertise, combined with Scottish Opera’s track record of championing contemporary opera, has been crucial to bringing Mazzoli’s ambitious vision to life.

‘Commissioning new opera is one of the hardest and most essential challenges the art form faces’, said John Berry. ‘Opera can be as immediate and relevant as cinema, and The Galloping Cure reminds us of opera’s communicative power through the combination of music, theatre, and design. This piece exists only because ambitious organisations across continents have chosen to back a brand-new project with something urgent to say.’

Performances of The Galloping Cure are on 9, 11 and 12 August 2026, at Edinburgh International Festival.

Tickets are available from www.scottishopera.org.uk/shows/the-galloping-cure/

Supported by a syndicate of donors including Sarah and Howard Solomon Foundation, Susie Thompson, Eli & Ashley Wald, Malcolm Herring, Sally Groves in memory of Dennis Marks and the New Commissions Circle.

www.scottishopera.org.uk

You can follow Scottish Opera on BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube @ScottishOpera

Cast

Theresa Albertine Hart, The Doctor Daniela Mack

Lucky Mack Justin Austin

Ivona Kowalski Susan Bullock

Samatha (Sam) Edward Jowle

Megan (Meg) Catriona Hewitson

Mayor Luvo Maranti

Zoe Rosie Lavery

Erin Lea Shaw

Shawna Donna Bateman

Duane Connor James Smith

Jackie Boy Frank Church

Warren Ross Cumming

Creative team

Conductor Stuart Stratford

Composer Missy Mazzoli

Libretto Royce Vavrek

Original story Karen Russell

Director &Dramaturg Tom Morris

Set and props designer Rebecca Ringst

Associate Director & Movement Director Leah Hausmann

Costume Designer Christina Cunningham

Lighting Designer Lucy Carter

Projection Designer Will Duke

Beats by Blume and Lorna Dune
Mixed by Lorna Dune

Performance diary

9,11 &12 August 7pm

Festival Theatre Edinburgh

real time friction: Travelling Gallery’s 2026 exhibition gets ready to roll

The exhibition brings together work by five artists, MV Brown, Nina Davies, Gavin Gayagoy, Hardeep Pandhal and Gregor Wright, who all explore our relationship with technology and the internet and how, as a medium or material, its slippery nature creates spaces of inauthenticity where curated versions of ourselves blur and distort reality, and algorithms and applications construct fictional narratives or environments to play with or react against.

Spanning performance, moving image, sculpture and drawing each artist creates a user experience that highlights the friction existing between our physical body and its digital counterpart, with authorship and representation disrupted or rendered through computer generation.

Rooted in performance, MV Brown’s practice uses the human body and new technologies to explore the tensions that exist for the body within a digital realm.

Using avatars, prototypes, and ‘false-self’ hoods, MV extends and replicates their body to question how technological advances – often framed as enhancing cognitive and bodily capacities – mediate emotion, interaction, and the construction of identity as beings-in-the-world both online and ‘IRL’ (In Real Life).

Nina Davies’ artistic practice is heavily influenced by her former training and career as a professional dancer. Her work looks at how dance is disseminated, circulated, made, and consumed within popular culture with a particular focus on social media, and the dances derived from trends and films made for present-day digital platforms. Much like MV her work touches upon how bodies are evolving in a world dominated by synthetic media.

Multi-disciplinary artist and designer Gavin Gayagoy uses game design elements to explore how digital environments influence perception, truth, and identity as well as highlight the compulsive consumption of digital content and its impact on us.

Visitors are invited to interact with his work in the exhibition and explore a range of both familiar looking and futuristic landscapes. Through these fragmented 3D environments and limited game mechanics, Gavin questions the authenticity of our digital lives and the contradictory nature that being online can bring.

Hardeep Pandhal has also used the visual aesthetics of gaming in his work as a means to comment on cultural production, capitalism and racial stereotypes as perpetuated through everyday popular culture and categorization.

Whilst conservative opinions of gaming often focus on its contribution to societal ills, here the bleed between games and reality could be seen to provide a space where varying forms of alienation can be addressed and co-opted, creating a form of empowerment and a means to comment on societal inequalities in a transformative way.

Also included in the exhibition are a number of works by Gregor Wright. Predominantly a painter, Gregor has created a body of work that looks at current modes of image consumption as mediated by algorithms and advancing technology.

Presented together are a selection of Gregor’s recent drawings made using graphite pencil, crayon, acrylic and oil and one of his digital ‘screen-based paintings.’ With the rise of AI-generated artwork Gregor highlights the tensions that lie between traditional painting and the virtual digital representations that increasingly dominate our lives.

Launching in Edinburgh at the Collective Gallery, Calton Hill on Friday 20 March from 10.30am to 4.30pm, the exhibition will tour to arts venues, community centres, high streets and schools across Scotland.

Louise Briggs, Curator, Travelling Gallery said: “It has been interesting to think about our ever-increasing relationship with technology through the ideas and artworks of the five artists involved in the show.

“The exhibition is not meant as a criticism of technology but takes a closer look at its slippery nature where reality can be blurred and authenticity distorted. A number of the artists in the exhibition play with these ideas, whilst others push against them – but all in some way are using technology as a material or medium.

“The Travelling Gallery team look forward to introducing the artwork and ideas to audiences across Scotland as part of our Spring Tour and seeing how opinions and thoughts may differ geographically, generationally, and culturally.

“Everyone usually has an opinion on technology and its place in the world today, we look forward to some healthy discussions around it inspired by the work of this exciting group of artists.”

Culture and Communities Convener Margaret Graham said: “Featuring work by five talented artists, this exhibition offers an insightful look into our relationship with technology and the internet.

“The Travelling Gallery plays such an important role in ensuring that high-quality contemporary art is not limited to traditional venues. By bringing exhibitions into communities across the city, it helps widen access and encourage new audiences.

“I’m proud to support an initiative that broadens access to culture in such a practical and meaningful way, and I hope people will take the chance to step inside and experience the exhibition for themselves.”

The exhibition will run from Monday 23 March – Friday 19 June 2026. More information about confirmed tour dates and venues can be found here.

Earth Matters: Free exhibition at The Botanics

20th MARCH – 1st NOVEMBER

What’s really beneath your feet? Dig into the hidden world of soil with our new exhibition Earth Matters, opening next week.

Marking 300 years since the birth of James Hutton, the Edinburgh-born geologist who transformed how we understand the ground beneath our feet, 30 artists unearth the beauty and brilliance of the living ecosystem.

Open daily from Friday 20 March at Inverleith House Gallery, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Earth Matters is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery and the Edinburgh Geological Society with special thanks to The James Hutton Institute.

Bringing Hope, Building Futures: New package of support for parents

Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2026-2031 published

New support for parents to increase their incomes and reduce the burden of everyday costs, on top of existing work, will help to keep approximately 100,000 children out of poverty in 2026-27.

More than £111 million is being committed to updated plans to eradicate child poverty through Bringing Hope, Building Futures.

It builds on existing Scottish Government action which has already reduced relative child poverty rates in Scotland to the lowest levels in almost a decade – with rates nine percentage points lower than the UK in 2023-24.

Action includes:

Investing £61.5 million in the Tackling Child Poverty Fund to strengthen and introduce measures, including to expand childcare support for low-income parents, help employers offer progression opportunities, grow the Family Nurse Partnership to help up to 500 more young parents during pregnancy and into parenthood, and to expand Bookbug
A £20 million Whole Family Support Third Sector Delivery Fund for charities to help families in their communities
£30 million to boost incomes through work, create more training opportunities for parents by investing in the college sector, and to reduce transport costs for low-income parents travelling to work
£9 million to mitigate the UK Government’s freeze on Local Housing Allowance rates, which caps the amount of housing support a household can receive, to support up to 18,000 families

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government’s driving mission – no child should live in poverty in a country as rich as Scotland.

“This plan builds on a great deal of progress and sets out a broad range of actions to help parents – by reducing the cost of living, helping increase incomes received through work and social security, and helping their children to thrive.

“I am proud that Scotland is the only part of the UK to have statutory targets to drive down child poverty, which were unanimously agreed by parliament.

“Our plan focusses on concrete action this year while providing the foundations on which any incoming administration can build and reflect its own policy priorities, working with industry, local authorities and charities, to give children in Scotland a future free from the scourge of poverty.”

tackling-child-poverty-delivery-plan-2026-2031 Download

Families freed from school meal debt

Fund cleared historic debt in over 70,000 cases across Scotland

More than 70,000 instances of support were provided to families to clear historic school meal debt as a result of nearly £2.9 million investment, a new report shows.

The School Meal Debt Fund, launched in May 2024, was distributed to the 30 councils that applied for assistance to clear debt accrued by families up to 31 March 2024.

The fund was established in response to cost-of-living pressures and the stigma that school meal debt can place on children.

The School Meal Debt Fund Report, published today, also sets out councils’ strategies for addressing meal debt, such as flexible payment options, simplified free school meal applications and extended free meal provision.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “No child should feel the burden of school meal debt, and no family should face unnecessary stress over the cost of their child’s lunch.

“This report highlights the compassionate and innovative approaches being taken by councils to support families – from streamlining free school meal applications to offering flexible payment options and working directly with families facing hardship.

“School meal debt is still an issue. While councils are proactively identifying and supporting those who need help the most, they must ensure that all families never reach the point of debt in the first place. We will continue to work with councils to ensure that more can be done to address this.

“Over 230,000 pupils are currently benefitting from free school meals, a crucial element in our commitment to eradicate child poverty. This saves families who take up the offer every school day around £450 per child, per year.

“Our 2026-27 Budget expands free school meal provision to reach an additional 5,500 pupils, continuing our mission to give every child the best possible start in life.”

School Meal Debt Fund: report – gov.scot

Joshua Stewart convicted of serious organised crime offence in Edinburgh

A 21-year-old man has been convicted following an attempted murder in Edinburgh. Joshua Stewart pleaded guilty at the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday (5 March, 2026.)

Officers were made aware of the attempted murder of a 54-year-old man on Pitcairn Grove in Edinburgh around 9.20pm on Thursday, 22 May, 2025.

Stewart was arrested and charged in connection with the incident on Monday, 16 June, 2025.

Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Ferry, Specialist Crime Division, said: “This was a violent incident and the conviction is testament to the hard work and dedication by detectives, specialist officers and partners across the country.

“We will continue to bring those involved in serious criminality to justice.

“Police Scotland remains committed to the Serious and Organised Crime Taskforce and its national strategy.”

Operation Portaledge is the ongoing investigation into violent incidents in the East and West of the country.