A volunteer who has been at the heart of hospital radio in Edinburgh for over 50 years has been appointed an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to hospital broadcasting.
Malcolm Kirby – the current Chair received that award from HRH The Princess Royal at an Investiture held in Windsor Castle on Tuesday March 10 2026.
Malcolm has been involved since 1969 when he moved to Edinburgh to study electrical engineering at Heriot Watt.
He became technical director in 1972, a post he has held for most of his time with the radio.
Malcolm has been instrumental in the design and construction of the red dot radio studios from the early days in Hanover Street to the old Royal Infirmary and finally to the current location in the Western General Hospital.
He designed and manufactured the studio furniture, customised electronics and wrote special software to aid in programming.
When the pandemic hit he was instrumental in keeping the station going and wrote additional custom software to enable the radio to be streamed online.
His determination to provide a bespoke, personal service for hospital patients has lasted to this day and has been appreciated by hundreds of hospital patients and their families and friends.
Malcolm was previously recognised by the National Hospital Broadcasting Association in 2012 when he received the John Whitney Award for an outstanding contribution to hospital radio.
Malcolm said: “It’s a real privilege being involved in a service that’s entertained hospital patients for 60 years. It seems that today, just as in the past, there is a real need for this sort of personal service for people who find themselves alone in a strange environment.
“It’s particularly gratifying that we were able to continue throughout the pandemic with our new online service providing an invaluable link between the patients and their family and friends at home – let’s hope this continues for many more years.”
POLICE are appealing for help to trace Tyrone Nicholson, 54, who has been reported missing from Edinburgh.
Tyrone was last seen in the Restalrig area around 2.30pm on Friday, 20 March, 2026.
He is described as white, 6ft 2in tall, with short brown hair.
Inspector Iona Cory said: “We’re concerned for Tyrone’s welfare and are urgently trying to trace him to ensure he’s safe and well.
“Officers are carrying out a number of enquiries but I’m also asking for the public’s help. Do you know Tyrone and have any information on where he might be? Or do you think you’ve seen him since Friday afternoon? If you do, please come forward.
“Tyrone, if you see this appeal, please make contact with police so we can ensure you’re safe and well.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting reference 0906 of 21 March.
The ALLIANCE manifesto for the 2026 Scottish Parliament Election sets out our blueprint for the future of health and social care.
Ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election, the ALLIANCE and our members call for all political parties to make several commitments, including to renew social care.
To do this, we call on parties to:
Develop national oversight and scrutiny of social care to end the postcode lottery and improve standards, access, quality and accountability.
Reform commissioning and procurement to take a collaborative and human rights based approach.
Abolish non-residential care charges.
Substantially increase financial investment in social care, to ensure demand is met and third sector providers are adequately funded.
Tomorrow is a special day for us here at FetLor, as some of our staff and young people will be taking part in a 10K fun run to raise funds for our Duke of Edinburgh Programme.
This is hosted by Fettes College who we will be running alongside
A new active travel route from the Foot of the Walk to Dock Street was officially opened this week by the Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson.
The route was supported by over £4.6 million investment from Transport Scotland’s Active Travel Infrastructure Fund for construction in 2024-25 and 2025-26. There was also over £360,000 Scottish Government funding for the design, through Walk Wheel Cycle Trust’s Places for Everyone programme.
This marks the completion of the most recent phase of the Leith Connections project, which aims to improve connectivity, safety and accessibility for everyone who lives in or spends time in the area.
Under this phase, we have now completed 850 metres of two-way segregated cycle track which connects to existing segregated infrastructure installed on Leith Walk, Portobello, the Water of Leith path and on to the North Edinburgh Path Network.
Other improvements include a new signalised junction with pedestrian crossings, new paving, seating and planting, alongside sustainable drainage. Full details are available on our website.
Alongside this progress, we’ve also seen encouraging new data on active travel not just in the north of Edinburgh but across the city.
This showed that 69% of residents walk or wheel at least five days a week, alongside overall increases in walking and wheeling journeys, and improved safety perceptions when walking and cycling.
Over 40% of respondents also said they’d like to walk and cycle more, with a further 57% of supporting shifting investment from road-building schemes to fund walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport.
Just last month Cycling Scotland released new data from their September 2025 surveys, showing an increase in cycling journeys at 11 different sites citywide.
West Coates on the City Centre West to East Link (CCWEL) recorded its highest cycling rate yet of 9.3%, with York Place seeing 1,921 bikes in the 48-hour survey period. Leith Walk also saw a new record rate of 9.71%, with 4,744 journeys. ‘Cycling rate’ here refers to the percentage of trips using a specific transport mode. Other examples include walking or using public transport.
We’re now looking ahead to the next phase of Leith Connections which will span from the Hawthornvale Path to Seafield.
Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: “Today is a key milestone in our plans to transform Leith and the north of the city into a better place for everyone.
“From making it easier to get around through to creating more pleasant places to spend time in, whilst ensuring safety and connectivity are at the heart of the scheme – I’m very excited for these benefits to start becoming a reality.
“I’m grateful for the patience and understanding of local residents and businesses as we complete this important work.
“On the wider picture of active travel in Edinburgh, the data speaks for itself. When we invest in good, sustainable infrastructure then people will use it.
“I look forward to seeing how the next phase progresses as we continue to work alongside our partners and the local community.”
Fiona MacLeod, Director for Scotland, Cymru and Northern Ireland at Walk, Wheel and Cycle Trust, said:“It’s fantastic to see this phase of Leith Connections completed, a project that is creating real transport choice for local people. This new route makes it easier, safer and much more pleasant to travel between Leith Walk and the Shore – whether you’re walking, using a wheelchair, pushing a buggy, or hopping on the bike.
“As well as creating healthier and fairer options for getting around, the improvements have revitalised the surrounding public spaces into a welcoming and inclusive area that people want to spend time in with friends and family, and by visiting local businesses.
“With more projects like this being constructed across the city, the data shows that people in Edinburgh support this investment – recognising the benefits active travel brings to their health and wellbeing, their pockets, and to their communities.”
Keith Irving, Chief Executive of Cycling Scotland, said:“It’s clear from the data that new, well-connected, protected cycle lanes are helping more people to travel efficiently and affordably by bike, with notable morning rush hour peaks.
“The rapid success in Edinburgh, and increases in cycling where other routes are being built in Scotland, show just how strong the appetite is for safe, dedicated cycling infrastructure that takes people conveniently from A to B.
“Supporting more people to travel by bike benefits our health, reduces harmful pollution and our impact on the climate. Beyond this, it also gives people a meaningful way of saving money on everyday transport. We need more cycling routes just like these and safer roads for everyone, to bring these advantages to more people across the country.”
New Strategy to deliver economic growth and prosperity
Wide-ranging measures have been unveiled to place Scotland at the forefront of the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution.
Scotland’s AI Strategy sets out a five-year plan to ensure people, businesses and public services across the country benefit from AI.
Independent analysis estimates the AI sector could be worth £23 billion to the Scottish economy by 2035 and the Strategy details increased support for businesses to expand the use of AI to develop new products and services, grow market share and generate new jobs and investment.
Initiatives to be implemented in the first year include:
establishing an independent expert advisory board to provide strategic guidance on the strategy’s delivery
appointing AI Champions to represent priority sectors and regions
rolling out an expanded AI adoption programme for businesses to help drive productivity and competitiveness across the economy
creating a Future Jobs Panel to assess AI’s impact on the workforce and establishing an AI Leadership Academy
Launching the Strategy at the Edinburgh Futures Institute in Edinburgh, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “The unprecedented pace at which AI is increasing and evolving presents an enormous opportunity.
“It has the potential to be genuinely transformative – for every sector of our economy, and for people from all backgrounds and communities.
“This strategy sets out a clear plan to harness the economic and social benefits of AI responsibly with practical, tangible steps to be taken this year to help ensure we translate our innovation and expertise into more businesses, jobs and investment.
“In establishing AI Scotland we will use the expertise of our enterprise agencies, The Data Lab and other partners to lead an accelerated, co-ordinated approach to ensure Scotland’s economy and society reaps the rewards of this incredible technology.”
Did you know that 1 in 5 older adults has experienced an online scam—with billions of pounds lost every year?
To help tackle this growing issue, we’re hosting a free, practical, and easy-to-understand workshop designed especially for older adults and their families.
Learn how to recognise and respond to AI-driven misinformation, including:
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Ben Macpherson MSP is urging the Scottish Government to open one of its newly announced walk‑in GP clinics at Ocean Terminal – a location very well placed to meet growing local demand for primary care. He has written to the First Minister and Health Secretary to make the case.
Five months ago, the Scottish Government confirmed plans for 15 new GP‑led walk‑in services, offering same‑day access to healthcare without the need for an appointment. The first clinic opened in February at the Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre, marking a major step in strengthening primary care across Scotland. It is already delivering tangible benefits on that side of the city. The rest of the initial tranche of 15 walk-in clinics are currently being delivered across Scotland.
Building on this momentum, the First Minister, John Swinney MSP, announced on Saturday 14 March, at the SNP’s party conference that, should the SNP be re-elected in May, a total of 30 walk-in clinics will be delivered across the country, including a second clinic in Edinburgh.
Ben Macpherson, who has served as Leith’s MSP for a decade, argues that a walk‑in clinic at Ocean Terminal would deliver significant benefits for residents.
The centre has already hosted a successful NHS vaccination clinic for several years, and is very well‑connected by public transport, making it an ideal site for other NHS services, including primary care and a walk-in GP clinic.
This would provide services for local people in Leith and those across Northern and Eastern Edinburgh. Ocean Terminal is also rejuvenating generally, with modern and accessible facilities.
Establishing a GP clinic there would cost less to fit out than creating a new building.
Commenting, Ben Macpherson said: “The SNP Scottish Government’s new GP walk‑in clinics will help make sure people get the care they need at a time that suits them.
“Opening one of these in Ocean Terminal in Leith would be very accessible for a lot of people, ease local pressures on current GP clinics, help meet the demands of population growth in the area, and Lothian more widely, and positively enhance the healthcare facilities on offer in Northern and Eastern Edinburgh.
“I have long advocated for a GP clinic at Ocean Terminal, raising the suggestion in Parliament and writing to the Scottish Government in recent years.
“The existing vaccine clinic has been a clear success, and the site is very well located to host a new NHS facility and GP walk-in clinic. This would meaningfully boost healthcare provision in Leith and for the wider area.”
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.
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.”
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