Since launching our Light up a Life Appeal last Monday, we’ve received hundreds of dedications for our Trees of Remembrance!
These lights are a beautiful way to remember a loved one this Christmas, as well as helping to support vital hospice care in your local community.
Our Light Up a Light ceremonies will take place in Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, on 7th December, and at St Mary’s Pleasance Courtyard, Haddington, on 9th December.
You can dedicate a light on either tree today at:
WE’RE proud to share our 2026 Light up a Life appeal.
We’re inviting our Hospice community to come together to remember their loved ones by dedicating a light on one of our Trees of Remembrance, helping their light shine brightly this Christmas.
Dedicate a light in memory of your loved one and find out more, here:
This Christmas, bring care, comfort and lasting memories to people like Tom
For Tom Hunter, St Columba’s Hospice Care is much more than a place. It is where he and his partner of 24 years, Baz, were cared for during the most difficult chapter of their lives, and where Tom found comfort, friendship and a way forward after Baz died.
“Coming to the Hospice feels like coming home,” Tom says. “The team couldn’t be dearer to my heart.”
Baz was diagnosed with cancer in 2023. As his illness progressed, the support of the Hospice became a lifeline for them both. Through the Hospice’s virtual ward, nurses and doctors cared for Baz at home, while the team was always there whenever Tom needed advice or reassurance.
One night, Baz was struggling to get comfortable in bed. Tom still remembers being scared to move Baz, in case he made his pain worse, and the feeling of helplessness he experienced. The following day, he contacted the Hospice, who arranged for an adjustable Hospital bed to be delivered, and nurses Tracey and Elaine even came that evening to help get everything set up.
And it wasn’t only the practical care that made a difference.
Tom remembers a night on the ward when Baz couldn’t settle. At 2am, nurse Lianne came in and gently massaged his head until he fell asleep. “So we both had a peaceful sleep that night,” Tom recalls. “Is that dedication, or is that dedication?”
Baz died peacefully a few days later, surrounded by the care and compassion that had become so important to them.
The kindness Tom experienced stayed with him. After taking some time to grieve, he returned to his position as a volunteer, first in the café and later on reception and with the Hospice’s hospitality team.
Today, Tom is a much-loved face around the Hospice, and his colourful collection of waistcoats is almost as famous as his warm personality.
“I get so much from being here and being able to support other families, I get a lot of comfort from it. It felt great to come back.”
Tom also has a lasting reminder of Baz in the Hospice courtyard, a tribute flower with Baz’s name engraved on its leaf. He can visit it whenever he is at the Hospice.
This Christmas, Light Up a Life is an opportunity to remember someone special while helping families like Tom and Baz’s receive the care, kindness and support they need.
Your gift could help make sure that, when families need us most, St Columba’s is there, bringing comfort, dignity and moments of peace when they matter most.
As the evenings get darker, and the temperature continues to drop, attention here at the Hospice is turning to all things Christmas!
The Pop-Up Shop is traditionally our first Christmas event of the year, and this year it’s back for another bumper year!
From 10am- 4pm on the 6,7 & 8 November, Fidra will be a veritable Santa’s Grotto, stocked with Christmas cards, gifts, stocking fillers, and other seasonal essentials.
We can’t wait to see you all!
FRIDAY 30 OCTOBER from 2 – 4pm
The City of Edinburgh Council has opened its new Source to Ocean Action Recovery (SOAR) fund, offering grants of £2,500–£10,000 for coastal and marine-focused projects
From beach cleans and wildlife projects to environmental art, community planting and educational workshops, the fund is for projects that help local people connect with and protect our marine and coastal environments, as well as watercourses.
£50,000 available in total
Apply by 12 noon on 30 November 2026
Find out more and apply at: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/SOARgrant
LITTER PICK – 30th OCTOBER from 2pm
We would like to invite all the local residents for our final BEACH CLEANING event in 2026 at Wardie Bay on Friday 30th October. We are very grateful to R2 for their ongoing support in organising our litter picking events.
Do remember that we also have some litter picking equipment at Granton Parish Church we are happy to loan to local community groups.
Any questions-email: anna@grantongoesgreener.org.uk
A NATURE WALK
Walking along the beach; noticing what grows, flies and crawls, and the opportunity to sketch a design for your stitched contribution to the Granton Nature Map.
With Katie Smith from the Granton Community Gardeners and Tamsin Grainger, Community Artist
On Thursday 24th September at 5.30-6.30pm
Meeting at Wardie Bay
Booking link:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/2001361358699?aff=oddtdtcreator
This is a Granton Nature Map event https://grantonnaturemap.org/ that is open to all – children and dogs welcome!
Big Forth Cleanup! 28th, 29th,30th August
We’re calling on people all around the Firth of Forth coastline to join us and this is a special callout to folk in East Lothian who might be interested in organising or joining a beach clean along our coastline!
We already have a few beach cleans taking place in east Lothian, but we’d love to see even more communities getting involved!
When you register your beach clean, you’ll have the opportunity to add it to the Big Forth Cleanup map. You’ll also receive lots of useful information, including:
Top tips for beach cleaning
Information to help you plan your event
Guidance on waste disposal from your local authority
Every clean makes a difference, so why not get involved and help us make an even bigger impact along the East Lothian coastline?
Register your beach clean and get involved! https://balancedhorizon.org/big-forth-cleanup/
Have questions? Email us at bfc@balancedhorizon.org
St Columba’s Iona Cafe is changing its opening hours at the weekends!
Starting from Satuday 15th August, the Iona Cafe will be open 10- 4 on both Saturday & Sunday.
As always, there will be a range of delicious food and beverages available, as well as the gift shop, which is always full of wonderful accessories and homewares just waiting to be discovered!
As Scotland’s bathing water season begins on 1st June, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) will continue to monitor and provide information on 19 designated bathing waters across Edinburgh, the Lothians and Borders.
Designated bathing waters are important local spaces supporting recreation, tourism and access to nature for communities and visitors across the region.
From urban bathing waters serving Edinburgh and surrounding communities to popular coastal destinations across East Lothian and the Scottish Borders, these sites play an important role in supporting health and wellbeing, local visitor economies and access to Scotland’s coastline.
Many of the region’s bathing waters are within easy reach of large population centres, providing accessible opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy the water environment.
Throughout the season, which runs until 15th September, SEPA will take regular water samples and provide information including water quality classifications, monitoring results and pollution risk forecasts to help people make informed choices about where and when to bathe.
For the 2026 season, five bathing waters across Edinburgh, the Lothians and Borders are classified as excellent, eight as good, five as sufficient and one as poor.
Across Scotland’s 90 bathing waters, 47 are classified as excellent, 26 as good, 13 as sufficient and three as poor. One bathing water, Ballachulish Peninsula, was newly designated earlier this year and will receive its first classification at the end of this bathing season.
Bathing water classifications are based on four years of monitoring data and are designed to provide a longer-term picture of water quality over time.
Wet weather is one of the biggest factors affecting bathing water quality in Scotland. Heavy rainfall can temporarily affect bathing waters by washing pollution into rivers, lochs and coastal waters across wider catchments, while also influencing more localised sources such as surface water drainage and sewage discharges. For this reason, people are advised not to bathe during or one to two days after heavy rain.
SEPA issues daily pollution risk forecasts at some bathing waters where water quality has previously been shown to be more vulnerable to short-term pollution following wet weather. Available on SEPA’s website and on electronic messaging signs at these locations, these forecasts advise the public whether conditions are likely to be good or whether there is an increased risk of temporarily reduced water quality.
Scottish Water’s new real-time overflow map provides additional information on wastewater overflow activity.
Water quality is influenced by activity across the wider catchment surrounding a bathing water. SEPA uses microbial source tracking techniques at some locations to help identify whether sources of pollution are linked to human waste, livestock, birds or dogs. This information can then be used to help locate pollution sources and direct improvements.
Over the past 30 years, SEPA’s monitoring, scientific investigations and regulatory work have helped identify the sources of pollution affecting bathing waters and supported targeted improvements across Scotland. This work includes investigating pressures linked to wastewater infrastructure, whether public or private, urban drainage and rural diffuse pollution.
This evidence helps target action and investment where it is most needed and has contributed to sustained improvements over time. In 2015, Scotland had 17 bathing waters classified as excellent and 17 classified as poor.
For the 2026 season, 47 bathing waters are classified as excellent and three as poor, reflecting long-term improvements supported by monitoring, investigation and targeted action across Scotland.
For the 2026 season, Fisherrow Sands remains classified as poor.
Fisherrow Sands returned as a designated bathing water in 2023 following partnership work to improve water quality, including identifying and correcting misconnections alongside improvements to wastewater infrastructure. As a result of this work, Fisherrow Sands achieved a good classification.
In 2024, the poor classification was mainly due to a single very high sample result, for which no clear cause was identified. In 2025, another high result was recorded, which microbial source tracking indicated was likely due to contamination from gulls. Assessment against the full four-year dataset at the end of the 2026 season will provide a clearer picture of long-term trends.
Ruth Stidson, Principal Specialist Scientist at SEPA, said: “Bathing waters are important places for communities across Scotland and people rightly want clear information about water quality and the factors that can affect it.
“SEPA’s monitoring, forecasting and investigative work help people make informed choices throughout the bathing water season, while also helping us better understand the pressures affecting Scotland’s bathing waters over time.
Improving water quality is not always straightforward. Conditions can be influenced by rainfall, wastewater infrastructure, runoff and activity across wider catchments and those pressures can vary from place to place.
“For 30 years, SEPA’s scientific monitoring and evidence have supported long-term improvements at bathing waters across Scotland, and we continue to work with partners to identify pollution risks and target action where improvements are still needed.”
People visiting bathing waters across Edinburgh, the Lothians and Borders can also help protect local water environments by disposing of litter responsibly, avoiding feeding gulls, clearing up after dogs and helping prevent sewer blockages by not flushing wet wipes, fats, oils and grease into drains and toilets.
Information on Scotland’s bathing waters, including classifications, monitoring results, pollution risk forecasts and advice for visitors, is available on SEPA’s website throughout the bathing water season.
