BBC ALBA and The Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival have once again teamed up with a quest to find the best up-and-coming musical talent from the Highlands and Islands.
The winner of the talent search will be given the opportunity to perform on the main stage at this year’s Belladrum Tartan Heart Music Festival.
Open to solo artists and bands (where at least 50% of its members have a Highland home address) across all genres, one newcomer will be given the opportunity to perform on the main stage at this year’s Belladrum Tartan Heart Music Festival.
Public votes can be cast on the Belladrum website and will be closing at 5pm Friday 20 June, ahead of Belladrum Tartan Heart Music Festival 2025 from Thursday 31 July to Saturday 2 August.
Eight incredible up-and-coming acts are in the running to open the MAIN STAGE at Bella 2025!
Low Light Listening Lounge
Falasgair
The Cherries
Isla Scott
The Chosen Lonely
El Sartel
Ró Ó hEadhra
Scott C. Park
Known for its unique and diverse showcase of music and the arts, the festival has grown in popularity over the past 20 years, now attracting thousands of visitors.
As it prepares for its 21st year, with acts including Texas, Supergrass, Paul Heaton, Tom Walker and Natasha Bedingfield confirmed, the team is on the hunt to find the best new homegrown talent to open the main stage at the Hot House Arena on Thursday 31 July.
True to its longstanding support of Scottish artists, BBC ALBA is supporting the search, providing a platform to propel newcomers onto the celebrated Scottish music scene, as well as an additional opportunity for the winner to record an acoustic session in the BBC ALBA studio at the festival.
For those unable to attend, BBC ALBA will be bringing the best of the festival to viewers at home with its annual live coverage broadcast across the weekend, available on BBC ALBA and BBC iPlayer.
Public Health Scotland (PHS) has published a new analysis of the possible future demand for healthcare services in Scotland over the next decade.
The analysis, which focusses on unplanned NHS hospital activity and is based on historic trends and projected demographic change, offers a best estimate of future demand if current trends continue.
The report, “Projecting Future Demand for Health and Care Services in Scotland (2024-2034) – A Focus on Unplanned Inpatient Admissions to Acute Hospitals”, estimates an 11.8% rise in unplanned hospital admissions between 2024 and 2034, from approximately 586,000 to 656,000. This projected growth appears to be driven primarily by the impacts of an ageing population.
This latest report builds on the work of the Scottish Burden of Disease study, which has highlighted potential future population health challenges across a wide range of health conditions.
This projected demand for healthcare services is far from inevitable and it is being used to plan for a healthier, better future for everyone. PHS’s extensive modelling of possible future demand has helped to inform the Scottish Government’s Population Health Framework, published yesterday (17 June).
Recognising that people’s health is about more than healthcare, the framework introduces a whole-system, whole-person approach to promoting health, preventing illness and tacking health inequalities.
Dr Fatim Lakha, Consultant in Public Health Medicine at PHS, said:“Our report estimates that, by 2034, Scotland’s NHS could be managing around 1,300 additional unplanned hospital admissions each week.
“A substantial part of this rise is expected to come from people aged 65 years and over, primarily driven by Scotland’s ageing population. Meanwhile, admissions amongst children under 18 years are expected to remain at similar levels, even though the number of people in this age group is decreasing.
“It is important to note that these projections are not inevitable. Every additional admission represents a person whose health issue might have been prevented through earlier action.
“Strengthening the building blocks of health – like secure income, fair employment, quality housing and education – offers the greatest opportunity to improve Scotland’s health and stop these projections becoming a reality.
“Reforming NHS services is also essential to managing rising demand. But without sustained action across both prevention and service redesign, pressures on hospitals are likely to continue, even as the quality of care itself improves.”
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Dr Andrew Lee, Whole-systems Lead, at PHS, said:“We celebrate the fact that more people are now living longer, thanks to advances in public health.We must also ensure that, in these additional years, they also enjoy good health and a good quality of life.
“By acting now to improve health and wellbeing across the population, we can support a better quality of life in later years, ease pressure on healthcare services, and help to build a sustainable, future-ready NHS.”
POLICE are appealing for information to help trace 16-year-old Adeddamola Adebayo, who has been reported missing from Edinburgh.
Adeddamola was last seen on Old Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh on Monday, 9 June, 2025 and is believed to have travelled to Easter Road, Edinburgh.
He is described as 6ft 4ins tall, of slim build, with black hair. He was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, black jogging bottoms and carrying a red duffle bag.
Inspector Alan Healy said: “Our enquiries to trace Adeddamola are ongoing, and I am appealing to anyone who has seen Adeddamola or who has any information about his whereabouts to contact us.
“We’re concerned for Adeddamola’s welfare and are keen to trace him as soon as possible to ensure he is safe.
“I would also appeal to Adeddamola directly – if you see this, please get in touch.”
Anyone with information should call 101 quoting reference 2724 of 10 June, 2025.
A man has been jailed for the serious sexual assault of a teenage girl in Edinburgh.Valentin Tica, 24, was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday, 17 June 2025 to eight years in prison, backdated to November 2023.
He previously pleaded guilty on Tuesday, 20 May, 2025. Tica was also given a non-harassment order for an indefinite period.
Detective Inspector Keith Taylor said: “Tica will now face the consequences of his despicable actions in prison.
“I would like to commend the victim for her strength during the investigation, and I hope today’s sentencing brings some sense of closure.
“We would encourage anyone who has experienced any form of violent or sexual offence, regardless of when it happened, to report it to us.
“We will investigate thoroughly and have specially trained officers and partner agencies who will support you throughout.”
To mark the arrival of the highly anticipated relaunch of Superman, Vue is holding an extra special screening of the film – with those who book the slot taking home a very special piece of comic book history.
Taking place during the film’s opening weekend, on Friday 11 July, there will be just one Superman Hero Screening at Vue venues in Edinburgh and every booking for the limited screening will come with a copy of All Star Superman No.1 – the comic that inspired James Gunn’s new take on the Man of Steel – to pick up on the day.
Tickets for the screening are available to book now however the offer will only be available while stocks last.
The film introduces David Corenswet as Clark Kent (Pearl and Hollywood) and Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) asLois Lane, alongside a whole new roster of DC characters.
The latest superhero outing has fans excited for what is expected bold new take on the franchise – with Superman as you’ve never seen him before.
Robert Smith, General Manager at Vue Edinburgh Ocean, said: “We know how excited audiences are for James Gunn’s interpretation of Superman.
“This exclusive screening gives fans the rare opportunity to take home a special piece of cinematic history – the very comic issue that helped shape the film’s story.”
The All Star Superman No.1 giveaway is one comic per booking – not per ticket – and only applies to tickets purchased for the Superman Hero Screening on 11 July.
For the avoidance of doubt this does not apply to Superman screenings without the ‘Hero Screening’ tag.
New initiatives taking advantage of Scotland’s world-class reputation as an innovation nation have been announced by Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes.
Three projects, backed by £4.4 million, are designed to help turn ground-breaking research across the country’s universities and colleges into high-growth businesses that create jobs and support economic growth.
The package includes:
£2.9 million for the Proof of Concept Fund which will explore the commercial potential of research projects by developing prototypes and pitching to investors, as well as analysing markets to attract further investment
£800,000 for the Spinout Pipeline Project which, led by the University of Strathclyde, will help share commercialisation expertise across Scottish universities, culminating in a summit where innovators will pitch to potential investors
£700,000 for the Entrepreneurial Campus Blueprint which will help college students to develop business skills and link in with investors
A further £141,000, spent over two years, will support a new course at the University of Aberdeen to train 40 high school computing teachers, better preparing future generations for careers in tech-based businesses.
Scaling businesses account for the majority of net job creation in the UK and their annual turnover is around £1.2 trillion, highlighting the opportunity afforded to Scotland’s economy by investing in the drive to turn research findings into high-growth start-ups.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “The Scottish Government is fostering and supporting entrepreneurial talent as part of strategic investment to capitalise on Scotland’s reputation as a start-up nation. The economic opportunities presented by this are enormous.
“Our universities and colleges are the engines of innovation. They are known the world over as the home of some of the greatest ideas and inventions ever made and can present real solutions to the challenges we face.
“This new investment underlines our commitment to realising the economic potential of the incredible work taking place across Scottish universities and colleges.”
Chief Entrepreneur Ana Stewart said: “The world’s leading entrepreneurial economies are often powered by universities with strong entrepreneurial cultures. This is an ambitious package which positions Scottish institutions as drivers of start-up creation and growth.
“I look forward to collaborating with universities to maximise the impact of this funding.”
Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, University of Strathclyde, said: “We are pleased to welcome the Scottish Government’s continued investment in universities as engines of economic growth through excellent research, innovation and production of high-quality skills.
“This new Proof of Concept Fund will help to translate academic innovation into real-world economic and social impact.
“As the lead institution for the Spinout Pipeline Project, and a leading entrepreneurial campus, the University of Strathclyde is also pleased to continue to play a central role in strengthening Scotland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“By harnessing the collective expertise of our universities, we aim to accelerate the journey from breakthrough ideas to market-ready ventures – creating high-value jobs, attracting investment, and supporting the next generation of innovators.”
More than £1.5 million targeted funding over two years
Families most at risk of living in poverty are benefitting from expanded childcare offers through projects backed by the Scottish Government’s Access to Childcare Funding.
Almost £1.5 million funding will support the seven initiatives situated in areas from Glasgow to Shetland over the next two years. Organisations will use funding to deliver free or subsidised breakfast clubs, after-school clubs, term-time and holiday childcare, as well as specialist provision for children with complex additional support needs. The expanded childcare offers for these families is improving outcomes for children while also supporting parents and carers to enter or sustain employment.
Confirming the funding, Children’s Minister Natalie Don-Innes met families attending an after-school club at Fairview Primary run by Support, Help, and Integration in Perthshire (SHIP).
SHIP provides after school and holiday clubs for children aged 5-18 years with complex additional support needs, sensory and physical disabilities.
Ms Don-Innes said: “Since 2020, we have provided over £4.5 million through the Access to Childcare Fund to support projects delivering activities, childcare, food and family support.
“Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government’s defining mission, and we know what a difference access to affordable school-age childcare can make for families that need it most.
“The projects receiving Access to Childcare Funding over the next two years are demonstrating the important role that school age childcare services play in supporting children’s health, wellbeing and relationships, and in enabling more parents and carers to balance caring for their children with work commitments, thereby helping increase household income.”
The Access to Childcare Fund is supporting families most in need with expanded childcare offers. Children’s Minister @NatalieDon_ confirmed the funding on a visit to a project in Perth. SHIP provides term-time and holiday care for children with complex additional support needs. pic.twitter.com/qtVx8iXrfx
Lucas and Marc are 16 years old and have autism. They have been supported by SHIP since they were five years old. Their dad Brian said: “SHIP has played a critical role in providing our sons with social opportunities and vital support with meeting their sensory needs that we would not as a family been able to.
“The term time clubs and holiday clubs have provided year round support for the boys, and the happiness and confidence this has given them is genuinely immeasurable.”
SHIP will receive £273,000 funding over two financial years through the Fairer Funding pilot. General Manager at SHIP Nicola Schelbert said: “SHIP provides essential support for children and young people aged from 5–18 with complex needs, delivering youth clubs, Saturday clubs, after-school and holiday clubs.
“Access to Childcare Funding supports our after school clubs and childcare spaces at our holiday club, which enables parents to work or take respite.
“Families we work with tell us that without SHIP, continuing employment would be impossible, which would have a negative impact on their families’ wellbeing.
“This vital service strengthens families and ensures children receive the support they need.”
Breakdown of latest Access to Childcare Fund projects and funding:
Fairer funding pilot – funding over next two financial years
SHIP is a parent-led childcare provider in Perthshire providing holiday clubs and after-school clubs for children with complex additional support needs, sensory and physical disabilities aged 5-18 – £135,000 in 2025-26, £138,000 in 2026-27
St Mirin’s Out of School Clubdelivers free or subsidised childcare for children aged 4-12 with term-time indoor and outdoor play at breakfast clubs, after school clubs and a holiday club in Glasgow – £135,005.92 in 2025-26, £141,787.72 in 2026-27
Indigo offers both childcare and family support through their family matters programme for families in Castlemilk. They provide children aged 4-12 with breakfast clubs and after school clubs and holiday clubs – £196,325 in 2025-26, £196,325 in 2026-27
Stepping Stones for Families provides a School Age Childcare service at their Flexible Childcare centre in Possilpark Glasgow. They deliver school-age childcare for children aged 5-12 years during term time as well as during the school holidays – £77,531 in 2025-26, £79.450 in 2026-27
SupERkids is led by volunteer parents of disabled children and provides children aged 5-18 with additional support needs with after-school activities during term-time, as well as offering unsupported family activities during holidays in East Renfrewshire – £98,700 in 2025-26, £103,635 in 2026-27
Grant funding – financial year 25-26 only
Hame Fae Hame provides wraparound childcare for children aged 5-12 with a breakfast club and after school subsidised childcare during term-time, and childcare during school holidays and in-service days, in Scalloway, Shetland – £37.880 in 2025-26
The Wee Childcare Companyprovides after-school clubs for children aged 4-12, after-school clubs and 25 days of holiday provision across four sites in Angus, with breakfast clubs at two of these – £218,360.44 in 2025-26
From 27 June, Edinburgh’s landmark cinema Filmhouse will re-open its doors with a hand-picked programme of the very best films the cinema missed out on playing during the venue’s two-and-a-half-year closure.
The programme will have a strong emphasis on films that did not screen in the city because of its absence. Tickets are on sale now via the Filmhouse website.
Filmhouse has long been celebrated as a cultural cornerstone, showcasing world cinema in all its brilliance and diversity, from crowd-pleasing favourites and to avant-garde arthouse works, restored classics, and curated retrospectives.
The first film to welcome audiences back to the venue will be the much-loved film gem and ode to the beauty of the cinemagoing experience, Giuseppe Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso (1988).
On opening weekend, audiences can also enjoy Martyn Robertson’s acclaimed new film Make It To Munich, an inspiring documentary which follows 18-year-old Ethan Walker, who just months after nearly losing his life in an accident, embarks on a 1200km cycle ride to Munich for Scotland’s Euros opening game against Germany.
Ethan himself will attend a special Q&A screening on Filmhouse’s opening day, alongside the film’s director Martyn Robertson and former Motherwell, Chelsea, Everton and Scotland winger Pat Nevin.
Edinburgh based filmmaker Matt Palmer will present a free double-bill of his gutsy thriller Calibre (2018) starring Jack Lowden and Tony Curran alongside his hit horror Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025) which debuted at No.1 on Netflix on its release earlier in the year and will have its first ever public cinema screening at Filmhouse. Matt will also take part in a Q&A after the screening.
Lotte Reiniger’s classic feature length paper cut animation The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)will screen in a special event soundtracked with live music by Edinburgh based musical improvisers and innovators S!nk in a transportive performance filled with swirling, spiralling strings, saxophones, accordion, percussion and voices.
Also screening at the cinema are a selection of recent acclaimed films from around the world from new and established filmmakers including Payal Kapadia’s soulful All We Imagine As Light, Sébastien Marnier’s thrilling Origin of Evil, Christian Petzold’s riveting Afire, Gints Zilbalodis’s enchanting animation Flow, Hlynur Pálmason’s nuanced drama Godland, Alice Rohrwacher’s radically adventurous film La Chimera, Maryam Moghadam & Behtash Sanaeeha’s joyous My Favourite Cake, Mario Martone’s brilliantly shot Nostalgia, Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s tense thriller The Beasts, Ilker Çatak’s uncompromising TheTeachers’ Lounge, Alexandre de La Patellière & Matthieu Delaporte energetic take on Count of Monte Cristo, Manuela Martelli’s compelling noir 1976, Víctor Erice’s mysterious Close Your Eyes, Robert Zemeckis’s Here and Celine Song’s acclaimed Past Lives.
70mm engagements at the cinema will include Brady Corbet’s award-winning The Brutalistand Christopher Nolan’s epic Oppenheimer alongsideRobert Egger’sNosferatuon 35mm.
More upcoming screenings will be announced via Filmhouse socials soon.
Alongside this, the cinema will also screen events such as National Theatre Live for the first time, with more details to be confirmed in the coming months. Details of Filmhouse’s involvement with this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival are yet to be announced .
With, ultimately, a total capacity of 340 seats, Filmhouse is set to once again become a hub for film enthusiasts, offering a cutting-edge cinematic experience, a vibrant social space, and a platform for film lovers and filmmakers to engage with the very best in global cinema.
Previously a three-screen venue, the new Filmhouse will become a four-screen cinema and soon will be unveiling a fourth screen with a capacity of 24, allowing for an even more expansive programme, as well as being available for private screenings and hires.
Filmhouse’s technical capabilities include 70mm, 35mm, 16mm, 8mm, and digital projection. The cinema also includes a Clipster Unit for creating Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) required for festival and theatrical distribution.
Comfort has been prioritised across the new Filmhouse. Film-lovers can expect extra legroom and comfortable seats across the cinema’s screens, alongside a completely reworked foyer space.
Built in a repurposed church on Edinburgh’s Lothian Road, Filmhouse has been a cinematic landmark since 1978. Following a £2 million refurbishment, Scotland’s leading independent cinema Filmhouse returns with new leadership, a vision which builds on the venue’s legacy as a space for learning and discovery, and a commitment to building a sustainable future for this iconic cultural landmark.
The completely refurbished Filmhouse Bar will be able to seat 100 people for lunch and dinner, with drinks available throughout the day, catering for the many communities who enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere, and placing an emphasis on produce from Edinburgh and Scotland, offering great food and drink alongside environmental sustainability. Filmhouse fans will be pleased to know that the cinema’s world-famous nachos are staying put too.
The cinema will announce new membership offers and multiple-tier ticket pricing over the next few weeks.
Following its closure in October 2022, the reopening of Filmhouse marks the culmination of a three-year long campaign to save the historic cinema backed by film lovers in Edinburgh, Scotland, and around the world and by A-list film talent including patrons Jack Lowden and Charlotte Wells, as well as Dougray Scott, Brian Cox, and Emma Thompson.
The stage is set, the screens are ready, and the story of Filmhouse continues.
Rod White, Programming Director of Filmhouse, said: “Looking into the films that simply didn’t make it on to Edinburgh cinema screens at all during Filmhouse’s closure only hammered home the need for it in this great City of Culture.
“It’s been tough – whilst Filmhouse was closed – to watch some brilliant films come and go from cinemas without being able to offer a venue to watch them in. The good news is, Filmhouse has never been a better place to watch a film (and talk about it afterward!) than it is today and we simply cannot wait to welcome everyone back, or, for the first time! ”
Call for UK Spending Review to abandon welfare cuts
The UK and Scottish Governments must work together to support shared economic growth, with more flexibility to encourage investment and an end to spending that bypasses devolution, Finance Secretary Shona Robison has said.
Ahead of the UK Spending Review on 11 June, the Finance Secretary is calling on the Chancellor to:
relax fiscal rules to enable investment in public services and stimulate economic growth
fully fund the employer National Insurance increase for Scotland’s public services
end the use of spending powers that bypass devolved governments
abandon UK welfare cuts or, if UK Ministers do persist with these cuts, shield the Scottish Government’s budget from the impact for at least two years
award funding for the Acorn carbon capture project
ensure Scotland receives a share of GB Energy funding that matches its leading contribution to UK clean energy goals
Ms Robison said: “The UK Spending Review is an opportunity for the UK Government to abandon some of its damaging policies such as cuts to welfare support for disabled people, to scrap the two child benefit cap and to reinstate a universal winter fuel payment.
“We are also aware of the huge impact of the increase in employer’s National Insurance, not least on public services.
“I hope UK Ministers will use the spending review to fully fund the costs of this tax hike on jobs to vital public services like the NHS.
“The UK Government should also use the spending review to empower the devolved administrations with more flexible fiscal rules that can enable investment in public services. And we need an end to spending that bypasses devolution so we can direct funds to best meet local needs.
“We called on UK Ministers to involve us at an early stage of this process, but since they’ve refused to provide us with any clarity on their spending priorities it’s clear that its business as usual for Westminster.
“We continue to call on the Treasury to use the Spending Review to change course, providing the funding we need to deliver for the people of Scotland.”
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