350 extra medical school places allocated in NHS training boost

The UK Government has funded 350 additional medical school places in England for the academic year 2025/26 in latest step to deliver NHS Long Term Workforce Plan

  • The Government has funded 350 additional medical school places in England for the academic year 2025/26 
  • This is the next stage in delivering the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan commitment to double medical school places by 2031
  • The places have been allocated to medical schools across the country but targeted to address disparities in the distribution of places and support under-doctored areas

The Westminster government has allocated an additional 350 medical school places, to deliver the future workforce the NHS requires.  

Last year, the NHS set out its Long Term Workforce Plan, backed by more than £2.4 billion in government funding. It outlines how the NHS will recruit and retain hundreds of thousands more staff over the next 15 years – delivering the biggest training expansion in the health service’s history.  

One of the key commitments is doubling the number of medical school places in England to 15,000 by 2031, and levelling up the geographic training of places to help tackle unequal access to services.  

In the next step to deliver this commitment, the Office for Students (OfS) has now allocated 350 places in the academic year 2025/26 to medical schools across the country.  

Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said:  “Thanks to the Government’s plan for a faster, simpler and fairer healthcare system, the NHS now has record funding, and a record number of doctors.

“I want to make sure that we will have the medical professionals we will need in the years ahead.

“That’s why we are delivering the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, and doubling the number of medical school places, so we can train the next generation of world-class doctors to offer patients the highest-quality care.”

 Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: “Our frontline health workers do tremendous work in serving the nation every single day and ensuring all of us receive the care we need.

“I know what a popular career medicine is among young people, and it’s so important they have the chance to pursue their ambitions.

“With this expansion of places – alongside our new doctor degree apprenticeship – the opportunities for a career in medicine are greater than ever.”

Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of NHS England said: “This is a hugely important moment for the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan and marks one of the first steps towards our ambition to train more doctors in England than ever before – the record expansion will help us boost care for patients right across the country.  

“The ambitious blueprint for our workforce, is a once in a generation opportunity to put NHS staffing on a sustainable footing, particularly as we continue to adapt to new and rising demand for health services.”

Dr Katie Petty-Saphon, CEO, Medical Schools Council said: “The Medical Schools Council welcomes the announcement of 350 additional student places from 2025. 

“Medical schools are committed to widening participation to the profession and particularly important is the need for local recruitment in under-doctored areas.

“We will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure that the NHS has the staff it needs to deliver high quality patient care.”

Places have been provided across the country, but the OfS has used analysis of geographical distribution provided by NHS England to target under-doctored areas in its allocation of the places.  

This includes substantial increases to medical schools at universities in Sunderland, Leeds, East Anglia, Anglia Ruskin, Plymouth and Surrey. The University of Surrey is also receiving government-funded places for the first time.  

This is the second year of expansions to deliver the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. Delivery started a year early, allocating 205 additional medical school places for the 2024/25 academic year, including providing Government-funded places to three schools for the first time. 

This builds on the 25% expansion of medical school places in England that the Government completed in 2020, taking the total number of places to 7,500 per year and delivering five new medical schools. 

A combination of the additional medical places this year and next, along with medical apprenticeship places, puts us on track to exceed current plans. 

Through the allocation of places for 2026/27 and beyond, the Government and NHS England will work closely with partners including medical schools, NHS trusts and the General Medical Council to deliver ambitious reforms to medical education set out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

Responding to the announcement the Government is to fund 350 further medical school places for 2025/26, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Adrian Boyle said: “This latest news detailing the uplift of med school places is welcome. Medicine remains one of the best, rewarding – and, I hope, – still attractive careers.

“But medical school places can only ever be part of the picture. They must also be accompanied by the educators needed to teach and mentor these students, and enough dedicated specialty training places for them to move on to when they have qualified.

“However, it is pointless investing in the next generation if the Government does not also look after the current workforce – morale is at rock bottom, stress levels are sky high, and attrition is a serious problem.

“Medicine is a vocation which starts the day you step through the doors of Med School and lasts a lifetime. Proper government support is nothing less than these dedicated professionals need and deserve.”

Community Navigator wanted

Do you have experience in community engagement and development? We have an exciting new paid role for a Community Navigator, to support more people in North Edinburgh to access and benefit from Lauriston Farm.

The Community Navigator will work to foster relationships, increase engagement, make the farm more accessible and inclusive and reach people within our neighbouring communities of Muirhouse, Pilton, Drylaw and Granton.

You would collaborate with local organisations such as Pilton Community Health Partnership (with a desk based at PCHP), North Edinburgh Arts, Granton Youth, Low Income Families Together, Muirhouse Medical Practice and Community Renewal to offer activities and support individuals and groups with their engagement at the farm.

We would particularly like to encourage people from the Muirhouse, Pilton, Drylaw and Granton areas and from under-represented and marginalised groups to consider applying for this role.

Click here to see all details and the application process:

https://drive.google.com/…/1bxCcCAvDVphjq8ES2RTOfi…/view

Harmless pollen deposits identified on coastlines around Scotland

The mystery of a paint-like substance spotted by members of the public on coastlines around Scotland has been solved by scientists from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

Staff from SEPA’s National Monitoring Team came to the rescue and collected samples of the substance on the West coast from a stretch between the Isle of Arran, Fairlie and Largs.

The samples were taken to the agency’s Marine Ecology Team based at Eurocentral near Motherwell. They processed the samples and identified the strange substance as conifer pollen deposits.

Reports of the pollen deposits have been reported across Scotland with enquiries coming in from Glasgow, the Hebrides, the Highlands, and Fife and Angus.

While pollen is produced every year, a spell of warm weather can release a large amount at the one time. These deposits are harmless to the environment and naturally occurring due to many trees of the same species, in this case conifers and spruce, growing together close to the sea. When they all produce pollen at the same time, it collects on the shorelines.

During the summer months, there may be other natural occurring events, including the presence of algal plankton blooms which can discolour water or form shoreline slicks or scums.

Myles O’Reilly, Senior Marine Ecologistt from Scottish Environment Protection Agency, said: “At this time of year, the public can expect to see yellowish slicks of pollen deposits collecting on shorelines around Scotland.

“In Spring around April and May, conifer trees, such as spruce or pine, produce copious quantities of pollen. Conifer pollen grains have little buoyancy sacs to help them disperse in the wind, and these sacs also mean they float well on water.

“The pollen deposits can form a mat or slick on the sea, collect around the seashore and look like a paint-like substance covering rocks and beaches. It can also coat parked vehicles and stationary objects which may look like a yellow dust.”

We would like to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who spots anything they think might be a potential pollution incident to contact SEPA via the Pollution Hotline 0800 80 70 60 or report an environmental event on our website.

Wee Eilish’s campaign is in the running for National Award

A disabled girl’s campaign that secured £2 million of funding to improve support for disabled kids in Scotland has been nominated for a national award. 

Eilish Cowan (5) and her dad Lawrence (39) from Dunfermline launched the Our Kids Won’t Wait Campaign alongside Edinburgh disabled children’s charity The Yard in September 2023, with a call for the Scottish Government to reverse a 76% real terms cut to the amount of funding the charity received per family supported.    

They successfully convinced politicians, including the then First Minister, Humza Yousaf, to back the move and invest further in growing The Yard’s reach. The investment means in particular that the charity can improve its service in Tayside and open up a new centre in the West of Scotland. 

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) Charity Awards are the charity’s version of the Oscars. Eilish, who has a rare genetic condition affecting her TUBA1A gene, struggles to walk and has a learning disability, is nominated in the Campaign of the Year category.

The family are calling for people to get behind the campaign and vote for them to win at https://scvo.scot/scottish-charity-awards 

Eilish’s dad Lawrence Cowan, said, “We’re so proud of our wee girl. We hope that this nomination is something she can look back on and feel proud about. 

“Eilish’s genetic condition means she struggles with things we all take for granted like walking or talking and she has a learning disability. But just like any other wee girl she deserves love and a place to feel like she belongs.

“The Yard provides a place for disabled children like Eilish to have fun, make friends and be proud of who they are. We need to expand the great work of The Yard right across Scotland so we were delighted when the First Minister visited and announced the extra funding. 

“To be able to say that Eilish contributed to growing the Yard’s work and opening up more opportunities for disabled children to be celebrated makes my wife and I so emotional and proud. 

“But to win we need your votes! So please get behind Eilish’s campaign.” 

Eilish added, “I’m proud. I love The Yard. Vote for me!” 

Celine Sinclair, CEO of The Yard said, “Thanks to this campaign we are now in a position to grow the work of the Yard.

“The funding from the Scottish Government will mean that we can make real improvements to our service in Tayside and open a new service in the West of Scotland. A huge thank you to Lawrence, Eilish and all of our families who rallied behind the campaign. It makes a huge difference.” 

The Yard works with children and young people with additional support needs through adventure play sessions in Dundee, Edinburgh and Kirkcaldy. 

The service offers creative and inclusive play experiences in a well-supported environment, alongside wraparound support for the whole family, with a varied programme of drop-in, respite and transition youth clubs, early years, specialist sessions with schools, family play sessions, plus inclusive play and disability training.

Missing Man: Body found near Forth

Around 4.35pm on Sunday (5th May 2024), the body of a man was discovered in a wooded area near Forth in Lanarkshire.

Formal identification is still to take place however the family of Robert Dickson (above), who had been reported missing from Edinburgh, have been informed.

There are no suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

Exhibitions on the Capital’s fiery past and dynamic present open at the Museum of Edinburgh

Two new co-curated exhibitions with partnership organisations were launched at the Museum of Edinburgh this week (May 2).

‘Edinburgh Rising from the Ashes: 200 Years of the Scottish Fire Service’ marks the bicentenary of the world’s first municipal fire brigade, which was founded here in Edinburgh in 1824.

This exhibition, in partnership with   the Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage, charts the remarkable development of firefighting in the Capital and across Scotland over the centuries.

In addition to the exhibition there is an accompanying series of lectures and family craft workshops covering everything from Edinburgh’s influence on global fire safety standards to painting a mini fire helmet.

‘Pedal Power: Cycling and Activism in Edinburgh’ is an exhibition which focusses on cycling safety, sustainability and history in our city. This exhibition was curated in conjunction with local cycling groups Critical Mass, Infrasisters, Spokes and Bike Buses.

There are also lectures and a family craft workshop taking place during the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling, which runs from 31 May to 9 June 2024.

Both exhibitions run until Sun 22 Sep 2024 and entry is free.

For more information on the Museum of Edinburgh please visit our website.

Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker said: “I was delighted to launch these exhibitions and see first-hand some of the incredible stories that they tell.

“From our proud history and traditions of firefighting to promoting active travel in modern day Edinburgh these provide two very distinct views of life in the Capital.

“The different themes and ideas explored in these exhibitions shows our museums as the incredible spaces they are to explore contemporary issues as well as historical events.

“I’d like to thank all our partners who contributed to these exhibitions, some of whom I was lucky enough to meet at the launch. 

“I’d also urge our residents and visitors to take advantage and get down to the Museum of Edinburgh in the coming months.”

Assistant Chief Officer for Operational Delivery at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, David Farries said:This year is an incredibly historic year for us as we recognise and proudly celebrate Scotland’s rich fire and rescue heritage. 

We have a wealth of great commemorative and educational events lined up across the year to celebrate 200 years since the creation of the world’s first municipal fire service in Edinburgh.

“The world has changed drastically since 1824 and so has our service. Through these exhibitions we want to showcase the people, the innovation, and the values that our service was built on and are still at the heart of the modern Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

“We have something for all ages so I would encourage anybody who has an interest in the Fire Service, its history and the importance of the wider history of the city and beyond to head along to the museum and view the exhibition.”

Pedal Power Co-curator and Member of Edinburgh Critical Mass, Victoria Hawkins said:We got involved with the Pedal Power exhibition because we are all keen to show that better, safer cycling benefits everyone.

“At some point we lost the balance of transport in the city, and we now know how harmful that has been to our lungs, our health and our wildlife. We’re all working in different ways to create a future city where more people can share the joy of walking and cycling safely.

“We hope people will come to the exhibition and see an opportunity to move forward from binary car vs bike debates and support better active travel infrastructure in Edinburgh.”

Breaking new ground for replacement Liberton High School

The next major phase for the replacement Liberton High School has been marked by a special groundbreaking event on the site yesterday (Tuesday 30 April).

Head Teacher Alison Humphreys was joined by current high school pupils and primary school pupils who will be educated at the new school. They were joined by Education Convener Cllr Joan Griffiths, Jenny Gilruth, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills at the Scottish Government, and Hector MacAulay, from contractors Balfour Beatty as Managing Director of their regional business in Scotland.

The construction of the school is due to be completed by early 2026 and has been funded from the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme and the City of Edinburgh Council.

Once pupils and staff have moved into the new building, the second phase will be the demolition of the old school which is due to be completed within a year.

The plans for the school, which will have capacity for 1,200 pupils, will consist of a variety of inspirational and inclusive spaces for learning.  Classrooms, studios, workshops and science labs will connect and work with shared collaborative areas and breakout spaces, providing learners with more personalisation and choice over their learning environment. 

Sports facilities include a floodlit multi use games area, basketball court and athletics facilities. The current tennis and beach volleyball courts and mountain bike trail will be retained as will the sports block.

A new fitness suite and dance studio will be provided to complement the existing sports facilities. There will also be outdoor learning spaces and a grassed amphitheatre.

A key part of the new school will be the community campus features as it will include non-educational facilities such as a café, library and flexible workspaces.

The school will also be constructed to Passivhaus standards designed to meet the city-wide aspirations for our schools to be as energy efficient as possible in response to the climate emergency and net zero targets.

The building has been designed to be energy efficient and will utilise high-performance windows and doors, and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery to reduce carbon emissions, improve indoor air quality and decrease heating bills.

Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “It was great to join pupils at the groundbreaking event for the replacement Liberton High School yesterday.

“Our new school campuses are innovatively and sustainably designed so they are inspirational places for learning for the next generation of young people creating a vibrant and thriving learning environment.

“The Liberton Community Campus is a really exciting project which provides an amazing opportunity to create a community lifelong learning and sports hub to replace the existing school. This means public services can be co-located with links to active travel networks, green infrastructure and public transport networks.

“Our Community Hub vision for the building to be ‘more than a school’ aligns with our 20 Minute Neighbourhood Strategy – to localise and co-locate services, making them more accessible for communities and to improve the experiences and outcomes for everyone.

“This is all part of the Council’s plan to support the wellbeing of everyone and end poverty and isolation in Edinburgh.”

Jenny Gilruth, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, said: “The Liberton Community Campus is another example of the Scottish Government working together with local authorities to provide learning environments which are both modern and state-of-the art.

“The Scottish Government will invest over £21 million in the Campus and I am grateful to the Council for providing me with the opportunity to get a glimpse of how our support will be of significant benefit to pupils and their families in the local area.

“Right across the country, we are continuing to invest in Scotland’s schools through the £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme. Thanks to direct investment from the Scottish Government, the quality of our school estate has improved from 61% of schools in good or satisfactory condition in 2007, to 90.7% in 2023.

“We will continue to work with local authorities, who own school buildings, to drive improvements across the school estate.”

“Many of our future pupils are currently at these primary schools, so it was very important to us that they played a part in the special event yesterday to celebrate the work on the site.”

Alison Humphreys, Headteacher at Liberton High School, said: The Liberton High School community, and our wider learning community including Craigour Park, Gilmerton, Liberton and Prestonfield Primary Schools, are very excited about the creation of our new Liberton Community Campus.

“Many of our future pupils are currently at these primary schools, so it was very important to us that they played a part in the special event yesterday to celebrate the work on the site.

“In addition to a new secondary school with state-of-the-art facilities for learning, the building will also include a community library, community cafe, partner agency spaces and community fitness facilities.

“This is something that we are really looking forward to as it will bring so many opportunities for the wider public to use the space as a hub for accessing supports, learning, and fitness, and for socialising too.”

Hector MacAulay MBE, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s regional business in Scotland, said: “It was an honour to join with colleagues and pupils from Liberton High School today to mark this important occasion.

“As we embark on the next phase of the project with construction now underway, we remain committed to delivering a modern, safe and sustainable learning estate that will enhance and support communities and improve the lives of families in the local area.”

Cash injection for millions as National Insurance cut hits payslips

  • Millions of workers checking payslips tomorrow will see a tax cut
  • As the economy turns a corner, the government is rewarding hard work, with over £900 a year boost for typical worker
  • Marks another step in long-term ambition to end unfair double tax on work

There are 27 million employees in the UK, and today [Tuesday 30 April] millions of them on monthly salaries will wake up with a little more cash in their pockets, as the UK government’s Spring Budget cut to National Insurance appears in April’s pay-packets.

Since Autumn 2023, National Insurance Contributions (NICs) for workers have been slashed by a third – the largest cut to employee and self-employed NICs in history.

The main rate of employee National Insurance has been cut for 27 million workers from 12% to 8%, saving the average employee on £35,400 over £900 a year. An average full-time nurse will save £1053, a typical junior doctor £1508 and an average teacher £1270.

These cuts are possible because the economy is turning a corner, thanks to the government’s decisive action that has helped bring inflation down from 11.1% to 3.2% and ensure borrowing costs start to fall. Because of this progress, the government can now cut taxes to reward work and grow the economy.

This marks another step towards the longer-term ambition to end the unfair double tax on work and abolish employee and self-employed NICs altogether.

These tax cuts – worth over £20 billion a year – have been achievable while protecting spending including keeping the Triple Lock and the government has commitment to going further only when it’s possible to do so.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: ““At the start of last year I made to pledge to half inflation. And because of the difficult decisions we have taken, inflation has more than halved and we are now able to reward work, and cut taxes for millions of workers who are seeing the benefit in their pay checks today.

“We have now cut National Insurance by £900 because it’s unfair that workers pay double tax on their income. We need to make it much simpler and much fairer and we are going to continue cutting this tax until it’s gone – while continuing to protect pensioners with the triple lock and providing record levels of funding to the NHS.”

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said: “We’re on the right track – we’ve been able to slash National Insurance to return hundreds of pounds back into the pockets of hard-working Brits because of the decisions we’ve made to manage the economy responsibly.

“Over the years ahead we want to get rid of National Insurance completely for workers – it is an unfair double tax on work and we’ve shown we can protect spending on public services while eliminating it.”

The tax cuts to date mean that for single individuals on average salaries, personal taxes would be lower in the UK than every other G7 country, based on the most recent OECD data.

The smart nature of the tax cuts will also help grow the economy by bringing more people into the labour market. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) expects that, as a result of these combined cuts, total hours worked will increase by the equivalent of almost 200,000 full-time workers by 2028-29.

To mark the record cuts to NICs, HMRC launched an updated online tool earlier this month to help people understand how much they personally could save in National Insurance this year.

These cuts to reward work follow a raft of changes that came into force on 1 April and could save households up to £3,850 a year to help those struggling with cost-of-living while igniting the economy.

This includes a record increase in the National Living Wage from £10.42 an hour to £11.44, and a 12.3% drop in energy bills from the previous quarter.

In addition, households can benefit from a separate increase to the Local Housing Allowance that will mean some of the poorest families on either Universal Credit or Housing Benefit will gain £800 a year on average.

Who does this help?

The combined cuts to National Insurance mean:

  • A ‘hard-working’ family with two earners on the average salary of £35,400 each will be better off by £1,826.
  • An average full-time nurse on £38,900 will be better off by £1,053.
  • A senior nurse with five years experience on £42,618 will be better off by £1,202.
  • The average police officer on £44,300 will be better off by £1,270.
  • A cleaner working night shifts on £21,058 will be better off by £340.
  • A typical junior doctor on £65,000 will be better off by £1,508.
  • A typical self-employed plumber on £34,361 will be better off by £846.
  • The typical teacher on £44,300 will be better off by over £1,270.

What is Power of Attorney?

A few places still available at LifeCare’s free info event to help local people simplify the future

Thinking about what would happen in the future if our, or our loved ones, faculties deteriorated can be stressful and worrying. How would someone manage our affairs, access our accounts to set up the right care for us, or pay the bills? Without the right processes in place, an already very emotional situation can be made worse with often very serious consequences.  

Local charity, LifeCare Edinburgh understands how daunting and complex these situations can be and will next month host a free information giving event to help debunk the complexities and help people put the right practical support in place to ensure someone trusted can quickly make decisions on behalf of a loved one if they’re not able, or no longer able, to make them themselves.  

Power of Attorney is a legal document where someone – while they still have mental capacity – nominates a trusted friend or relative to look after their affairs if they later lost capacity in the event of an emergency, illness or accident.

It is not limited to people who are older or unwell, everyone needs to consider setting up a Power of Attorney at any stage of life to avoid any future complications. For example, due to having a stroke, serious accident or dementia.  

Delivered in partnership with experts from Lindsay’s Legal Services team, LifeCare will host its first information giving event designed to encourage people to stop and think about what they need to put in place to help simplify the future.  

Sarah van Putten, Chief Executive of LifeCare saidUnfortunately at LifeCare we are well aware of how stressful life can be when people don’t have the right documents in place.  No one can predict when they may face an unforeseen illness, accident or other debilitating event that may render them incapacitated.  

“As one of Edinburgh’s leading charities providing practical care support we know how emotional these situations can be at the best of times but we also know how much worse they can be when family members and loved ones are locked out of helping access the support for the people they care for. 

“Relatives can’t just walk into a bank and access your money, even if it is to pay for your care. Unless you’ve a Power of Attorney, loved ones would need to apply through court, which can be long and costly. 

“We understand that thinking about the future can be upsetting and frightening. Our free and informal information giving event delivered in partnership with Lindsays is designed to simplify matters; there will be no jargon and there will be plenty of time for questions and discussions and an opportunity to discuss any concerns with legal experts for free.”

LifeCare’s ‘What is Power of Attorney’ event, delivered in partnership with Lindsay’s, will take place at 2pm on Wednesday 1st May in the charity’s fully accessible community café, CafeLife at 2 Cheyne Street, EH4 1JB. 

Free tea and coffee will be available along with the opportunity to find out more about LifeCare’s vital services for older people and the community overall.  

The charity is encouraging people to register via Eventbrite in advance of the meeting: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lifecares-power-of-attorney-information-event-tickets-856970821797?aff=oddtdtcreator

or visit the LifeCare website https://www.lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk/

or call 0131 343 0940 to register interest.

Boost for Ocean Terminal as Tesco Express store confirmed for Leith redevelopment project

The owners of Ocean Terminal have confirmed they have signed a deal which will bring a Tesco Express to the Leith waterfront development as part of multi-million pound plans to regenerate the site. 

The addition of the supermarket to the retail section of the redevelopment is expected to create up to 20 jobs as part of a major investment in Leith’s waterfront. The 4,700 sq ft ground floor unit will look out over a new public realm and future residential development.

The announcement is the latest in a chain of positive developments on the site, including the relocation and upgrade of the 24/7 PureGym to a brand new unit earlier this month.

Last year Ocean Terminal revealed it had agreed a long-term lease with Level X, the gaming and immersive entertainment provider, which will see a new purpose-built, state-of-the-art leisure venue open at the centre adjacent to a brand new Club 3000 Bingo venue which promises to be one of the best clubs ever developed in the UK, enhancing the leisure offering at the new look centre. 

Chris Richardson, Managing Director of Ambassador Investment Management, the Scottish owners of Ocean Terminal, said: “We are delighted to confirm a fifteen-year lease with Tesco which will bring significant benefits to the Leith waterfront development, cementing our commitment to ensure this project delivers for the local and wider community.  

“The addition of a new major retailer is a huge boost to the project and our longer term vision to to regenerate this waterfront area into a thriving, sustainable development creating an outward-looking, mixed-use town centre here in Leith. 

“We’re thrilled to have Tesco fully on board, which further enhances the multi-use, dynamic offering within the leisure space at the Ocean Terminal site.”

Head of Campaigns for Tesco, Tony McElroy added: “We are excited to be opening a new Tesco Express in Ocean Terminal, as part of our ongoing investment and job creation plans across Edinburgh. 

“We look forward to serving our customers and supporting local community groups through our Stronger Starts and Community Food Connection initiatives.”