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Leith Theatre and Restless Natives hit the big time

The Clown and The Wolfman Ride into Leith Theatre

Leith Theatre is proud to reveal it will be the Edinburgh home of Restless Natives: The Musical.

The brand-new stage version of the classic Scottish film will kick off a three-month summer programme of theatre, music and film co-commissioned by Restless Natives’ producers, Andy Paterson and Wild Yak Productions, and the Leith Theatre Trust team.

Welcoming audiences back into the venue is a significant milestone for Leith Theatre. This curated collaboration will offer a rare and exciting chance to enter the faded grandeur of a theatre that has remained largely the same since opening in 1932. This pop-up summer season will be a unique opportunity for audiences to glimpse at the theatre’s future while it continues on its journey towards restoration.

Original Restless Natives screenwriter and now lyricist, Ninian Dunnett, director Michael Hoffman and composer Tim Sutton, inspired by Big Country songs and themes, will open the season by delivering a not-to-be-missed full stage musical designed to delight devotees of the original movie and capture the hearts of a new generation.

A charming sense of national pride is built as intrepid underdogs Ronnie and Will become Highland Highwaymen, holding up buses and winning international renown, fleecing tourists with panache, with all the quirky idiosyncratic fun coming to Leith Theatre’s raked stage in June 2025.

Although the Trust have operated on a pop-up basis in the past bringing a wide range of cultural activity, the creative focus has more recently been within the TV and film industry hosting a large number of shoots and productions. Excitingly, this will be the first theatre production to make Leith Theatre its home since 2018.

Restless Natives: The Musical will commence a summer 2025 programme, providing audiences with a chance to enjoy live cultural experiences in this iconic heritage venue while supporting Leith Theatre’s preservation.

Restless Natives producer Andy Paterson is thrilled to see the musical leading the summer programming for the venue: “We are so inspired by the Trust’s vision for this incredible building.

” Our memories of shooting key scenes from the film just a few hundred yards away on the Western Harbour make this new partnership all the more special.

“We can’t wait to bring the Clown and the Wolfman back to their actual and spiritual home in Edinburgh.”

By partnering with Restless Natives, Leith Theatre Trust will shine a spotlight on the building’s history and restoration journey and bring an exciting cultural experience to the stage that fits with all of the film, music and theatre connections that already make up the venue’s heritage.

Will this be the end of the story or the beginning of a legend?

Lynn Morrison, Chief Executive from Leith Theatre Trust, said: “We are absolutely delighted to announce Leith Theatre as the Edinburgh venue and to work in partnership to deliver this incredible three-month summer season, starting with Restless Natives: The Musical.

“Despite the challenges posed by our building’s health, we remain committed to being at the heart of cultural life in Leith. This theatre adaptation blends theatre, film and music which is everything we love, and we couldn’t be prouder to welcome this exciting crossover and summer opportunity to our venue.”

Andy Paterson, who was one of the producers of the film and lead producer on Restless Natives: The Musical, said: “The moment we walked into Leith Theatre we had a feeling that we’d come home.

“The unique atmosphere and personality of the venue chimed with Ninian’s story. Both embody the resilience, the spirit of Scottish community, a sense of perseverance and solidarity – and the belief that with the right values and serious ambition, you can make something great.”  

Amazon team celebrates as company is named top employer for second consecutive year

The company, which has a fulfilment centre in Dunfermline has received an accolade as a Top Employer in 2025

Taken: 27th November 2020 Amazon Peak Fun : MME1 Darlington:

Each year, the Top Employers Institute certifies organisations who are focused on putting their people first through their exceptional HR policies and Amazon in the UK has been recognised for the second consecutive year. This is also the third successive year the business has been recognised in Europe.

The Top Employers Institute programme certifies organisations based on the participation and results of their HR Best Practices Survey. This survey covers six HR domains consisting of 20 topics including People Strategy, Work Environment, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Diversity & Inclusion, Wellbeing and more.

Amazon Dunfermline General Manager, Jamie Strain, said: “I am thrilled that Amazon has been recognised as a Top Employer in the UK for the second consecutive year. This accolade reflects our unwavering commitment to the development and wellbeing of our employees.

“Our aspiration is to be Earth’s best employer and our teams continuously innovate and enhance our workplace, ensuring that all employees, regardless of their backgrounds, are proud to work at Amazon.”

In 2025, the Top Employers Institute certified over 2,429 organisations across 125 countries and regions.

Top Employers Institute CEO David Plink says: “Consistency in a not-so-consistent world? In a time of rapid change—where technological, economic, and social factors continually reshape our world—these extraordinary times bring out the best in people and organisations.

“This year’s Top Employers Certification Programme showcases the resilience of the certified Top Employers 2025, who consistently prioritise the growth and wellbeing of their people, as they enrich the world of work.

“We are proud to celebrate these people-first leaders and teams as the Top Employers for 2025!”

Edinburgh pizza restaurant serves up treat with first lunch menu

Edinburgh pizza restaurant Fired Dough is serving up a delicious new treat for customers with its first lunch menu.

The Lothian Road eatery opened its doors four months ago, promising to bring the ‘rich flavours of Naples’ to the city.

The traditional menu features a variety of classic hand-made woodfired pizzas using Neapolitan-style dough, which has been left to prove for up to 48 hours.

Now customers can enjoy a slice of the action at lunchtime with the new menu launching on Monday (January 20).

As well as the usual variety of antipasti and 10” pizzas, among the highlights of the menu are panuozzo sandwiches. These are pizza breads folded over with fillings such as prosciutto, buratta and rocket; pulled chicken, fior de latte mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes; or roasted vegetables with tomato pesto, rocket salad and fior di latte mozzarella.

Lunches are available in the 40-seater restaurant as well as takeaways from noon-5pm, seven days a week, with two courses costing £11.95 and three courses £13.95.

The new menu has been crafted “with passion and precision using traditional techniques and the finest ingredients”, according to owner and head chef Vinu Murugan, who is hoping to appeal to the busy office scene in that area of the city as well as the passing tourist trade.

“I’m really pleased to be able to expand our culinary offerings to the people of Edinburgh.

“We took our time to design what we think will be a great lunchtime menu and I’m sure our customers are going to love it!”

Holyrood publishes new British Sign Language Plan

The Scottish Parliament has published its British Sign Language Plan, setting out the actions it will take over the next six years to improve access to parliamentary information and services for BSL users in the Deaf and Deafblind communities.

This follows a consultation on the proposed Plan, in which over 120 people took part in a series of in-person events across Scotland, as well as online. Contributions from these participants have helped to shape the 20 actions that will be taken between 2025 and 2031.

Some of these actions include continuing to provide BSL interpretation for First Minister’s Question Time, offering educational materials in BSL, and encouraging the use of BSL among Scottish Parliament staff.

“As an official language of Scotland with its own rich cultural heritage and history, BSL is central to the interests of Deaf and Deafblind people and the wider BSL community across the country,” said Presiding Officer, Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP.

“I am proud to present it, reaffirming our commitment to British Sign Language and its communities across our work.

Mark McMillan, BSL Communities Officer for the Scottish Parliament, said: “I am really pleased with how the new BSL Plan has been shaped by feedback from over 120 people, and importantly with many of them being Deaf BSL users sharing their lived experiences.

“I think this will really help to ensure that the Parliament continues to improve access to parliamentary information and services to BSL users in the Deaf and Deafblind communities, and the wider BSL community in the years to come.”

Since passing the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015, all public institutions must commit to producing a BSL Plan, laying out how they will promote the use and understanding of British Sign Language.

These individual plans should aim for consistency between their own plan and the Scottish Government’s National Plan, which seeks to make Scotland the best place in the world for BSL users to live, work, visit and learn.

BSL Plan 20252031 Download

The Plan is available as a series of BSL videos, or as a downloadable PDF

BONUS – watch a video about how the Scottish Parliament protects Scotland’s languages

Health Board asks for help to get patients ‘Home for Lunch’

With winter pressures upon NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde services, patients are being encouraged to get ‘Home for Lunch’.

This involves, alongside their families, carers, and loved ones, making the necessary arrangements to help them return to the comfort of home the morning of their scheduled discharge.

The ‘Home for Lunch’ initiative asks patients, families, and loved ones to use the following checklist:

Arranging transport in advance, if required.
Ensuring appropriate clothing is available for travel.
Making sure their loved one has access to their home.
Preparing essentials at home, such as food and heating.
Establishing a Power of Attorney for healthcare matters.

Getting a patient back to their home environment, which could also include a care home in some cases, gets them back to their personal comforts and avoids the well-known risks associated with prolonged hospital stays.

Professor Angela Wallace, Executive Director of Nursing at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, explained: “We understand that no one wants to be in hospital any longer than required. That’s why we’re encouraging patients, families, and carers to help us ensure their loved ones get ‘Home for Lunch’. Achieving this means patients are back to their home comforts.

“Winter puts additional pressure on the NHS. It may seem small, but ‘Home for Lunch’ allows us to make sure we can admit patients who urgently need our care. This includes patients being seen quickly in our emergency departments and it helps us to ensure people can receive planned care without delay.”

Annette Cunningham, Senior Charge Nurse at the Discharge Lounge in the Royal Alexandra Hospital, said: “We’re here to help get patients home at the final stage of their stay at the hospital. We’re asking for patients, families, carers, and loved ones to help us by thinking about our checklist while in hospital and ahead of discharge.

“We know while in hospital, the focus for patients is on getting better and recovering. It’s during this time that family, carers, and loved ones can play a key role in supporting us with ‘Home for Lunch’. If they consider our checklist, it will mean their loved one can get back to the comfort of their own home in a timely manner.”

Find out more about Home for Lunch in our latest video at Help NHSGGC get you Home for Lunch – YouTube. For further information on patient discharge, visit Home for Lunch – NHSGGC.

YOU, ME, TOGETHER: Educating young people about abuse and coercive control in their relationships

Police Scotland and Education Scotland have come together to deliver YOU, ME, TOGETHER, a resource for secondary school pupils to make them aware of domestic abuse and the wider issue of violence against women and girls.

A video has been released on our social media channels after an event on Thursday, 28 November, 2024, when teachers at Loudoun Academy in Galston and officers provided young people with information about domestic abuse, including themes of coercive control, inappropriate relationships and peer pressure.

Teachers have a number of a resources to work with to help facilitate open and safe discussions about what can be an emotive subject for young men and women. The package includes a short film (add hyperlink to trailer) which follows a story line of coercive control between young people in a school setting and shows the warning signs to look out for.

YOU, ME, TOGETHER demonstrates that if we all work together, we can tackle domestic abuse. The emphasis being on victims, friends, family, supporters, partner agencies, professionals and police all working together.

https://youtu.be/8mY9zLh44_k

Detective Inspector Phillip Kennedy said: “This programme is aimed at young people at an age when they are starting to form relationships.

“Domestic abuse can be a problem at any age but You Me Together aims to address any issues and promote positive behaviours.

“The programme talks about healthy relationships but also about the warning signs when things are not right. It is about empowering young people, giving them advice and information, and helping them make a choice and take action when something doesn’t feel right.

“By helping to educate young people, we hope that in the longer term this will reduce the likelihood of abusive behaviour developing and reduce incidents of domestic abuse.”

Councillor Jim McMahon, East Ayrshire Council’s Spokesperson for Housing, Transport and Communities said: “I was very pleased to join with Police Scotland and Head Teacher David Falconer for the launch of the new resource You, Me, Together at Loudoun Academy.

“East Ayrshire schools were involved in the development of the resource through the pilot project in 2022 and are proud to have had a role in shaping its development.

“I am also pleased that this took place during the 16 Days of Action campaign, which continues to be so important. It brings people together to work towards eliminating gender-based violence and encourages us all to take action to support women and girls in our communities.

“Last year, the Police recorded 1552 reported incidents of domestic abuse in East Ayrshire. There is no doubt that action is required to reduce the number of women and children affected by domestic violence, but we all understand that there is also no quick fix. Education is essential and resources like You, Me, Together take a long-term approach with the aim of encouraging positive behaviours among our young people that they will take into adulthood.”

The resource was initially piloted in 2022 in schools across Scotland reaching more than 1000 pupils, with feedback supporting the enhancement of the resource to meet the needs of students.

In 2023 all high schools in Ayrshire supported the delivery of the resource which has now been developed into a more accessible online interactive format to support national delivery to students in all areas of Scotland. It will be delivered within the existing personal and social education curriculum (PSE).

Police Scotland is committed to tackling gender-based violence and abuse, as highlighted in our prevention campaigns including the recent That Guy campaign and our support for the annual 16 Day of Activism campaign.

A key part of this work is building relationships with partners and working with them on a regular basis to highlight and make people aware of their messages too.

NEVER AGAIN

The Prime Minister visited Auschwitz on Friday, accompanied by his wife Victoria Starmer

Nothing could prepare me for the sheer horror of what I have seen in this place. It is utterly harrowing. The mounds of hair, the shoes, the suitcases, the names and details, everything that was so meticulously kept, except for human life.

As I stood by the train tracks at Birkenau, looking across that cold, vast expanse, I felt a sickness, an air of desolation, as I tried to comprehend the enormity of this barbarous, planned, industrialised murder: a million people killed here for one reason, simply because they were Jewish.

My visit today has also shown me more clearly than ever before, how this was not the evil deeds of a few bad individuals. It took a collective endeavour by thousands of ordinary people who each played their part in constructing this whole industry of death.

To build the tracks, drive the trains, extract the hair and teeth, conceive the method of mass murder – each stomach-churning step rooted in the hatred of difference. The lessons of this darkest of crimes are the ultimate warning to humanity of where prejudice can lead.

My wife was equally moved by what she saw today. It was her second visit, but no less harrowing than the first time she stepped through that gate and witnessed the depravity of what happened here.

Time and again we condemn this hatred, and we boldly say “never again”. But where is never again, when we see the poison of antisemitism rising around the world in aftermath of October 7th? Where is never again, when the pulse of fear is beating in our own Jewish community, as people are despicably targeted once again for the very same reason, because they are Jewish.

The truth that I have seen here today will stay with me for the rest of my life. So too, will my determination to defend that truth, to fight the poison of antisemitism and hatred in all its forms, and to do everything I can to make “never again” mean what it says, and what it must truly mean: never again.

National Insurance funding ‘vital for councils’

Finance Secretary calls for clarity as local authorities set their budgets

The employer National Insurance increase must be fully funded to ensure local authorities have the resources they need to serve their communities, Finance Secretary Shona Robison has said.

Ahead of an appearance before the local government committee next week, Ms Robison again called on the UK Government to provide urgent clarity over the funding to help the Scottish Government and local authorities finalise their budgets.

The Finance Secretary said: “Scotland’s public services face a bill of more than £700 million as a result of the UK Government’s increase in employer National Insurance Contributions.

“There have been indications of likely funding reported in the media, but these fail to take account of the fact that we have a larger public sector per person than other parts of the UK, leaving us some £300 million short.

“It feels like Scotland is now being punished for having decided to employ more people in the public sector and to invest in key public services.

“We know local authorities are already under significant financial pressure. This will only continue to build unless the UK Government reimburses us in full for their tax increase. Councils are in the process of setting their Budgets now, so the sooner we have clarity over this issue the better – this is needed urgently.

“The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with COSLA to press the UK Government to provide the funding needed to support public services in Scotland.”

The First Minister and President of COSLA wrote to the Chancellor on 3 January, supported by 48 public and voluntary sector organisations to raise concerns at the impact of the increase to employer National Insurance contributions and to seek clarity on funding.

National Insurance Contributions: public sector costs – gov.scot

Celebrating a Score: East Neuk’s 20th Festival programme announced

Dates: Wednesday 25th – Sunday 29th June 2025

East Neuk Festival has announced full details of its 20^th Festival programme of live music.

This 5-day music festival, taking place in some of East Fife’s most stunning seaside locations, offers an unmissable line-up of classical, jazz, folk, and experimental music, performed by some of the world’s leading musicians.

Scottish Chamber Orchestra which has played at every festival since it began and will play the opening concert on Wednesday 25 June. Photo credit Christopher Bowen

Among those returning, are festival favourites Diyang Mei (Principal Viola of the Berlin Philharmonic) and Sergio Pires (Principal Clarinet of the London Symphony Orchestra), who first performed at East Neuk when they were young rising stars; four of the world’s finest string quartets: Elias Quartet, The Pavel Haas Quartet, Castalian Quartet and the Belcea Quartet; the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) who have performed at every festival since its inception; and guitarist Sean Shibe who first came to the festival in 2012 and has since toured globally, won a string of awards, and earned the admiration of musicians and audiences from all over the world.

Plus, among those making their festival debut this year are celebrated tenor Mark Padmore and baritone James Newby, and in jazz and folk, the legendary Kathryn Tickell with her band The Darkness, and rising star of the London jazz scene, saxophonist Tom Smith with his septet.

Guitarist Sean Shibe who will perform with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra at this year’s opening concert, and play three solo concerts for lute, acoustic guitar, and electric guitar. Photo courtesy East Neuk Festival.

This year’s 20^th anniversary programme highlights include:

The opening concert with Principal Guest Conductor Andrew Manze directing the Scottish Chamber Orchestra on a journey through rural Sweden, royal Spain and imperial Vienna, joined by guitarist Sean Shibe who performs one of the most famous and popular of all works for guitar – Rodrigo’s Concierto d’Aranjuez. Manze’s programme culminates with Schubert’s Symphony No 6 in C major – a piece he himself entitled ‘The Great’.

All five of Beethoven’s late quartets performed by four of the world’s finest: Elias Quartet, The Pavel Haas Quartet, Castalian Quartet and the Belcea Quartet. Between them they will perform these often mysterious but also humorous, searing and moving works, pairing each of them with music by Mozart, Schubert, Ades and Beamish.

Beethoven’s Septet which was the piece first performed in Elie Church more than 20 years ago in a taster event that led to the creation of the Festival. Some of the original players (Ursula Leveaux and Alexander Janiczek) will be joined by a hand-picked line-up of colleagues, including principals of the SCO, Berlin Philharmonic and Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, English National Opera, and the Nash Ensemble.

Guitarist Sean Shibe performing three solo concerts in Anstruther, spanning five centuries in the evolution of the guitar from lute to electric guitar. Scottish and French lute music collected in manuscripts from over five centuries ago; music by Bach and Thomas Ades on acoustic guitar; and his own joyous rendition of Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint on electric.

His performances will be followed by the return of celebrated Oud player Nizar Rohana with a rare solo performance on this ancient mesmerising instrument that is the ancestor of all European guitar-like instruments.

Schubert has been one of the most regularly performed composers at ENF over the past 20 years and this festival we will feature his three marvellous song cycles performed by celebrated tenor Mark Padmore and baritone James Newby, and pianist Joseph Middleton. Schubert’s String Quintet, (one of the most regularly requested discs on Desert Island Discs) will also be performed as part of The Pavel Haas Quartet’s concert.

To close this 20^th festival, all four quartets join forces to form a ‘mega-star’ chamber orchestra and play Sibelius’s Andante Festivo alongside the world premiere of Field of Stars by Sally Beamish commissioned specifically for these 16 players and inspired partly by the many nations from which they come.

The Pavel Haas Quartet. Photo credit Neil Hanna

Anstruther hosts a weekend of jazz and traditional music concerts including legendary folk artist Kathryn Tickell with her band The Darkening; the Euan Stevenson Trio sharing tunes from Ellington and Evans; and rising star, award-winning saxophonist Tom Smith with his talented septet playing a bluesy, joyful set of jazz tunes.

A grand gathering of Fife community musicians join forces in the Bowhouse for the premiere of a new piece by composer and harpist Esther Swift. Musicians of all ages from StAMP (St Andrews Music Project), Fife Youth Jazz Orchestra, and East Fife Community Ensemble will join Esther and artist Esme McIntyre to devise and perform this piece, telling of stories of the Zulu fishing boats that once thronged the harbours of East Neuk, and their journeys far and wide.

ENF Founder and Chair, Donald MacDonald CBE, said: “I am delighted that we have such a packed programme of incredible musicians joining us in East Neuk to celebrate our 20^th year.

“I find it utterly humbling that we have so much talent at our festival year-on-year, and it brings me so much joy to know that some of these musicians were at the very beginning of their careers when they first performed at the festival, and have since gone on to play in some of the greatest concert halls in the world.

“However, none of this would have been possible without the generous support of all our supporters and funders who dig deep year-on-year, so a huge thank you goes to them all.”

ENF Director Svend McEwan-Brown who has directed the festival since its inception said: “In the past 20 years we have seen so much change, in the world – of course – but specifically in music.

“Undoubtedly things have got tougher, so right now, thinking about how many people have really put themselves out to do something a little special for our 20^th festival, I feel we have so much cause to celebrate. We’re still here! And more people than ever want to come to festivals and share something extraordinary.

“The music is the thing and I hope every single person who comes, goes home with a very special memory of an unrepeatable experience here, combining music with this magical place. This festival programme has been three years in the making – I hope everyone will agree that every minute of that, was worth it.”

Clare Hewitt, Music Officer at Creative Scotland says: “Every East Neuk Festival is infused with a breath of fresh coastal air. The significance of the event to Fife’s communities and to its visiting artists and audiences shines through this year’s programme as it celebrates the past while looking to the future.

“Congratulations to everyone who makes this remarkable event happen.”

ENF 25 Brochure FINAL Download

www.eastneukfestival.com

Letters: Heart Month

Dear Editor,

February is Heart Month – a time to reflect on and act upon how heart and circulatory diseases affect around twice as many people in the UK as Alzheimer’s and cancer combined.

Here at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), we urgently need your help to fund the cures of tomorrow, so we are asking readers to Go Red in Heart Month.

Whether it’s a big ball, an office dress-up day, a coffee morning or a red-themed quiz, red is a great theme to have some fun with.

By fundraising for the BHF this Heart Month, you can help get us closer than ever to a world free from the fear of heart and circulatory diseases and help to keep hearts beating. Too many of us have felt the pain of heart and circulatory diseases – losing a loved one to a cardiac arrest, supporting a child with congenital heart disease or coping with the devastating impact of heart failure.

We are also encouraging your readers to learn the lifesaving skill of CPR in just 15 minutes, through our digital tool RevivR.

Using just a cushion and a phone, you could learn the skills to help save a loved one’s life in the event of a cardiac arrest.  

You can donate to the BHF this Heart Month here: www.bhf.org.uk/donate

Very best wishes

April Davidson

Regional Fundraising Manager BHF Scotland