North Edinburgh young people invite the community to their charity football match

Spartans Alternative School are organising a charity event we for the local community:

On Friday 2nd October 2026, we are hosting a charity football match at Spartans, with students taking on staff, and we would love to see families, young people and community groups from across North Edinburgh come along and support us.

⚽ YOUNG PEOPLE’S CHARITY FOOTBALL MATCH

Friday 2nd October 2026
Gates open: 1:00pm
Kick-off: 1:30pm
Entry: £5 per person

The event is raising money for Therapet, a charity that is particularly important to us.

We have four therapy dogs who regularly support young people at the Alternative School, and we get so much from the time we spend with them.

They provide companionship, support and positive experiences for many of us, so this year we wanted to give something back to a service that has given so much to us.

The afternoon will be family-friendly, with lots happening alongside the football:

🧁 Bake sale
🎟️ Raffle
🎉 Tombola
🍦 Ice cream
🐶 Therapy dogs
🎤 Half-time performer – to be announced
⚽ Students vs Staff football match
…and much more!

All money raised will go to Therapet.

What makes this event particularly special is that it has been planned, organised and will be delivered by us — the young people.

For the past six years, as part of our Art sessions and social enterprise work, we have organised a wide range of events, including art exhibitions at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall, art pop-up shops, DJ events and previous charity football matches.

Through these events, we have raised approximately £8,000 for a variety of charities and community causes.

With support from our Art Teacher, we take responsibility for the different parts of our projects — from coming up with ideas and planning, to promotion, fundraising, activities and helping to run the events themselves.

This year, we really want to open the event up to our local community and invite the people of North Edinburgh to come along, have some fun and get behind the young people.

For us, this isn’t just about football or fundraising. It’s about young people coming together, developing skills, creating something positive and finding ways to give something back to the community that we are part of.

You can follow our social enterprise journey and see some of the work we have been doing through our Art Offenders Instagram page:

https://www.instagram.com/theartoffenders

We hope you might be able to help us spread the word and encourage people from across North Edinburgh to come along on 2nd October.

Thank you for taking the time to read about our project and for supporting local community stories and initiatives.

We hope to see you there!

Best wishes,

The Young People of Spartans Alternative School

NEST out and about in Edinburgh

Neighbourhood Engagement and Support Team

#NEST (City) Special Constables and their coordinator have been out conducting routine transport safety patrols across Edinburgh last night.

• The team traced two females, aged 13 and 14, in connection with an assault and vandalism incident in St Andrew Square. Both have been charged and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

• The team also located two vulnerable people and ensured they were safely conveyed to appropriate care and health settings.

• Patrols were also conducted in support of policing colleagues at Edinburgh Airport.

• Community Engagement – Our dayshift team members also attended a community fun day at Norton Park, joining colleagues from other emergency services and helping to support a fantastic event for the local community.

• Throughout our shift, support was also provided to community and response teams across the city, assisting colleagues wherever we could.

A busy day focused on keeping people safe, supporting vulnerable members of our community, and collaborating with partners across Edinburgh.

#SaferCommunitiesEdinburgh

C3R: Creative Writing Workshop

TUESDAY 8th SEPTEMBER 11am – 1pm at ELREC

COMMUNUTIES REDUCE REUSE & RECYCLE

Autumn season is getting closer, and it means start of our cosy indoor activities where you can relax, meet new people and get creative! 

🍁
📖

We are excited to invite you for the first of our Winter Creative Writing workshops organised together with Open Book and lead by local writer Amy Moreno who will be using existing stories and poems to help you develop your own writing skills in a relaxed and informal setting. In these sessions we will hear a selection of different stories and poems, and will also have an opportunity to try our strengths in creative writing focusing on nature related topics.

You’ll have the opportunity to share and hear what others have written in a supportive and encouraging space.

Date: 8th September (Tuesday) 2026
Time: 11am-1pm
Location: ELREC, 14 Forth St, Edinburgh EH1 3LH
Language: English

Registration: https://forms.gle/7DyF88h1Q7VPbHZ39

Trams to North Edinburgh: Open letter from Granton & District CC

Granton & District Community Council has sent an open letter to members of the Council’s Transport and Environment Committee (TEC), who will discuss the future of proposed tram extensions at their meeting on 10 September.

Read the full letter here: https://grantoncc.scot/…/trams-to-from-granton…/

We believe that future construction of the Granton section is vital in bringing much-needed economic, social and environmental benefits to the communities of North Edinburgh.

Our part of the city faces significant socio-economic challenges, along with imminent population growth resulting from the Granton Waterfront development.

Development of a rapid transport link is essential to improving quality of life for those already living here, and ensuring that the new Granton Waterfront precinct becomes a thriving, sustainable community, rather than an isolated ghetto at the northern edge of the city.

Both the current route options for the Granton leg have their merits and drawbacks. However, we fear that the complexities and public controversies around both have led to a position where it may seem easiest for Councillors simply to ‘kick the can down the road’ and de-prioritise the Granton leg in principle – without due consideration of the socio-economic impact on present and future communities here in North Edinburgh and reneging on two decades of promises.

NEN COMMENT

THE change in priority from delivering the North Edinburgh section first may indeed have been caused by the ongoing stushie over the best route (i.e Orchard Brae vs Roseburn Path); yes, it’s divisive and there are council elections next year!

But whatever route councillors do eventually decide for North Edinburgh (and assuming that a robust business case can be made), there is a strong argument that the tram remains a key element, economically and socially, in the ongoing regeneration of the waterfront and wider North Edinburgh.

Failure to deliver this section (AGAIN!) would be seriously detrimental to progress which has been stop/start for years already; for it to happen again now is hardly a vote of confidence in what remains one of the UK’s biggest regeneration projects and sends out the wrong message both to both potential investors and communities that have been let down too often before – Ed.

‘Intense engagement’ shaping Scotland’s public sector reform

IMPROVING SERVICES?

A period of intense engagement is underway to ensure streamlined public services are delivered for Scotland, Public Service Reform Secretary Ivan McKee has said.

This week’s Programme for Government set out how the Scottish Government plans to deliver stronger and efficient public services that are sustainable for generations to come.

Plans include replacing the current 14 territorial health boards with two strategic health boards, removing unnecessary duplication and overlap in public services and seeking a clear shared direction on substantial reform to local governance, including social care.

Mr McKee said: “Public service reform is at the heart of this Government’s priorities for the next five years and this work will help to ensure that every pound of investment is focused on frontline delivery, with the right staff in the right roles to deliver real improvements in public services.

“I will meet public sector leaders and other key partners at the Public Service Reform Summit later this month to discuss the challenges and opportunities posed by public service reform and the agenda set-out in the Programme for Government.

“My colleagues and I are also engaged in intensive dialogue with public bodies, NHS Boards, local government, trade unions, the third sector, businesses and communities to strengthen the work that is already taking place and to ensure that proactive leadership and collaboration are central to our approach.

“Our focus over the coming months is to build a shared understanding of how we will deliver the changes necessary to support the needs of diverse communities across Scotland.”

COSLA President, Councillor Shona Morrison, has responded to Scottish Government’s Programme for Government plans: “The Programme for Government is a significant statement of the Scottish Government’s priorities, and we will take time to consider its detail carefully.

“There are important implications for local government and council services, particularly the proposed NHS reforms and what they will mean for the future delivery of social care.

“Over the coming days, COSLA will engage closely with our member councils and with Scottish Ministers to ensure these proposals are focused on what is best for communities across Scotland and respect the democratic legitimacy of local government.

“Public services work best when decisions are taken as close to communities as possible. We look forward to meaningful engagement with the Scottish Government and believe that the dialogue on the future of local governance must be carried forward with councils and COSLA as the collective voice of local government.”

STUC: Programme for Government ‘reckless rather than revolutionary’

Commenting on the Programme for Government, STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “Presenting the public with a misleading choice of cuts packaged as public service reform was disingenuous at best and a falsehood at worst from the Scottish Government.

“Crushing down Scotland’s health boards into two may seem bold on paper but further centralising power when local communities are crying out for health and social care services tailored to their needs seems more reckless than revolutionary.

“This is not the way to do public sector reform. Before the axe is swung on any public service, whether health, council or social care, Scottish Government ministers would do well to engage meaningfully and purposefully with the workers who deliver on the ground.  This cannot be done in the timescales outlined. 

“Measures on food cap prices, childcare, breakfast clubs and bus fare caps are welcome. However, by avoiding the big decisions on wealth redistribution – on council tax reform, wealth taxes and taking national stakes in our energy infrastructure – cost of living measures will always fall short of the radical transformation both our economy and communities require.

“We will be engaging actively with Government on its promise to bring forward a responsible strategy for data centres in Scotland. We need to take stock of how such projects can benefit decent jobs, workers and the communities in which they will reside. We need to move away from industrial strategy that allows our heavy industry, manufacturing and renewables sectors to be sold off to the highest bidders with little public benefit in return.

“Finally, it’s deeply welcome the First Minister has pledged further support for survivors of gender-based violence. It’s time that all organisations, employers and society as a whole adopts a zero-tolerance approach to violence against women and girls and it’s correct that this is a strategic priority for the Scottish Government in which the First Minister will find support from Scotland’s trade unions.”

Programme for Government 2026 to 2031 – gov.scot

Barkcloth wedding outfit goes on display at National Museums Scotland

An outfit by Fijian designer Hupfeld Hoerder has gone on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. The outfit was created in the early 1990s using barkcloth and was worn as a wedding dress.

Barkcloth is a type of natural cloth made by stripping, soaking, and beating or weaving lengths of the inner bark from certain trees, often decorated with intricate painted or stamped patterns.

Pacific Islanders have been making barkcloth for millennia, but its use declined during the 19th century. Today it is being revived in places such as Hawai’i and Niue and remains strong in the Islands of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa thanks in part to contemporary fashion designers who create couture from barkcloth.

The striking outfit consists of a skirt, bodice and jacket. It is now on display in the Facing the Sea gallery at the National Museum of Scotland.

National Museum of Scotland  

Chambers St, Edinburgh EH1 1JF    

Open daily, 10:00 – 17:00  

nms.ac.uk/Scotland 

Pics: Neil Hanna

Letter: Take action to improve lymphoma care this Blood Cancer Awareness Month

Dear Editor

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month, and as part of our Let’s talk lymphoma campaign, Lymphoma Action is inviting people affected by lymphoma to write to their MP, MSP or MS and ask them to raise important issues about lymphoma treatment and care in Parliament.

The campaign aims to make it easier for decision-makers to understand the realities faced by people affected by lymphoma, and to encourage practical action to improve diagnosis, treatment and care.

Lymphoma is officially categorised as a rare or less common cancer. The recent National Cancer Plan recognised that people affected by rare and less common cancers often face major challenges with diagnosis and care. Lymphoma is the most common type of blood cancer, but too many people still experience delays in diagnosis, limited access to treatment and unequal care.

For the first time, the National Cancer Plan gives rare and less common cancers dedicated focus and commits to improvements in treatment and care. It recognises that people with these cancers must receive the same priority as those with more common cancers. But making promises is only the first step – they need to become reality.

This September, we want to hold the government to account and make sure the plan is put into action, leading to meaningful change for people affected by lymphoma and other cancers. If you are affected by lymphoma, you can write to your representative this September and ask them to raise lymphoma in Parliament.

Together, we can push for the improvements people affected by lymphoma deserve and help make sure the National Cancer Plan delivers real change.

Find out more about how you can get involved at www.lymphoma-action.org.uk/BCAM.

Once you register your interest, we’ll send you a draft email with the information your representative needs and details of how to send it.

Yours sincerely

Amanda Harris

Lymphoma Action

Dobbies’ Edinburgh store start the search for Santa and Elves to bring the festive magic

As Dobbies’ Edinburgh store launches its Best Ever Christmas, the garden centre retailer is on the lookout for a jolly team of Santas and Elves to help create unforgettable festive experiences for families visiting this season. 

As one of the UK’s largest employers of Santas and Elves, Dobbies is recruiting enthusiastic seasonal colleagues to play a starring role in its popular Christmas events programme.

From welcoming families and even four-legged visitors to Santa’s Grotto, to hosting the much-loved Santa’s Breakfast in the restaurant, successful applicants will help bring the magic of Christmas to life in Dobbies’ Edinburgh store.

Whether candidates have previous experience in festive roles or simply enjoy spreading Christmas cheer, Dobbies’ Edinburgh store is encouraging people from across the UK to apply.

Every successful applicant will complete Dobbies’ immersive North Pole Academy programme, designed to set seasonal colleagues up for success. The programme provides skills, confidence and support, as well as the opportunity to connect with other seasonal colleagues as they prepare to deliver memorable experiences for customers. 

Preparations for the festive season will begin in mid-November, ahead of Santa’s Arrival on November 22, which marks the beginning of Dobbies Christmas events programme at the Edinburgh store.

Dobbies People Experience Manager, Victoria Craig, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome back many of our much-loved Santas and Elves, who bring festive magic to families across our stores year after year. 

“This Christmas, we’re also inviting new recruits to join the team and become part of something truly special.

“With enhanced onboarding to help colleagues immerse themselves in the Grotto experience, there’s never been a better time to step into the role. Whether you’re a seasoned Santa or discovering your Elf persona for the first time, we can’t wait to help create magical memories together this Christmas at Dobbies.”

A range of flexible seasonal positions is available, offering hours to suit different lifestyles and commitments.

Applications are now open. To find out more about Christmas recruitment at Dobbies’ Edinburgh store and to apply, visit https://careers.dobbies.com/.

Scotmid kicks off search for Scotland’s next food and drink favourites

Scotmid has begun its search to find the next Scottish Favourites, giving shoppers the chance to discover more locally sourced products in stores and helping Scottish producers reach new communities.

Producers from across the country are being invited to put their products forward for the chance to secure a place on Scotmid’s shelves, with applications now open to producers across a wide range of food and drink categories.

Scotmid has teamed up with Scotland Food & Drink for the 2026 Scottish Favourites competition, giving Scottish food and drink businesses an opportunity to bring their products to new customers through Scotmid stores, while helping shoppers discover more locally made products in their own communities.

The competition is turning up a notch this year. Scottish suppliers now have a chance to win one of three Gold Awards, with these lucky winners receiving both a listing in Scotmid stores and a £2,000 monetary prize to support their launch.

Scotmid Members will have the opportunity to decide on one of the Gold Award winners too and will be invited to taste and score products from all 12 shortlisted suppliers, with their highest-scoring product receiving the Member Gold Award.

Previous winners have seen a significant impact from taking part. Three Robins founder, Karen Robinson, said winning a listing for the company’s oat milk range had allowed the business to “double our distribution overnight, making our products available to families all across Scotland.”

Danny Scobie, Head of Commercial at Scotmid, said: “Scottish Favourites has become a great way for us to discover exciting products and producers from across Scotland, while giving businesses a real opportunity to get their products in front of more customers.

“We’ve seen the difference a Scotmid listing can make for previous winners. We want to hear from producers of all shapes and sizes – whether you’re an emerging business ready to take the next step or an established producer with something new for our customers.

“Scotland has an incredible food and drink sector, and we’re looking forward to discovering the products that could become our customers’ next Scottish favourites. As a community retailer, we know how much customers value local choice, and this competition is one way we can help bring more of Scotland’s best products into the heart of our communities.”

The launch coincides with Scottish Food & Drink September, the annual celebration of the people, products and businesses behind Scotland’s food and drink sector.

Alex Kidd, UK Market Manager – Retail at Scotland Food & Drink, said: ““We’re delighted to be partnering with Scotmid for the fifth consecutive year, providing Scottish food and drink businesses with a valuable platform to access the convenience retail market and raise awareness of their products.

“Scottish Food and Drink September is all about celebrating our vibrant and diverse food and drink industry, so it’s fantastic to have the Scottish Favourites competition launched as part of our month-long campaign.

“From innovative start-ups to well-established brands seeking to expand their retail presence, competitions such as Scottish Favourites play a vital role in supporting growth by helping producers build meaningful retail relationships, increase visibility, and take the next step in their business journey.”

Applications are now open to Scottish food and drink producers and close at 11.30am on Friday 16 October.

Find out more and apply:

https://foodanddrink.scot/events-and-membership/events/scotmids-scottish-favourites-2026

https://fs22.formsite.com/scotfooddrink/0ardbwq6s0/index

Utilita Energy Hubs Unite for National Football Rebooted Day 2026

Communities across the UK encouraged to donate pre-loved football boots and help give the beautiful game a second life

Saturday, 3 October 2026 will see all twelve Utilita Energy Hubs across the UK come together to host Football Rebooted Day 2026, a nationwide community event designed to collect pre-loved football boots, raise awareness of the award-winning Football Rebooted campaign, and make football more accessible for families and young people.

Hosted simultaneously at Utilita Energy Hubs in Leith (Edinburgh), Hartlepool, Huddersfield, Blackburn, Sheffield, Derby, Leicester, West Bromwich, Luton, Shirley (Southampton), Gosport and Newport (Isle of Wight), the event will encourage members of the public to donate unwanted football boots that can be refurbished and rehomed through the Football Rebooted initiative.

Since its launch, Football Rebooted has helped thousands of pairs of football boots find a new home, reducing waste and helping remove one of the financial barriers that can prevent children and young people from participating in sport.

Visitors to any Utilita Energy Hub on the day will be invited to donate football boots via dedicated Football Rebooted collection points. In return, donors will have the opportunity to enter prize draws featuring a range of rewards, including football tickets, Utilita Arena tickets, signed shirts, and other household and spot prizes.

The day will also feature a range of interactive football-themed activities and competitions, including games such as ‘Guess the Footballer’ and the ‘Lace Race’, giving participants of all ages even more opportunities to win prizes while supporting a worthwhile cause.

Sam Cook, Senior Marketing Partnerships Manager, at Utilita, said: “Sport participation should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their circumstances.

“Football Rebooted Day is an opportunity for communities across the UK to come together and make a real difference with a simple donation. Every pair of boots collected can help another young player stay involved in the game they love, while also preventing perfectly usable footwear from going to waste.”

The event forms part of Utilita’s ongoing commitment to supporting communities through its nationwide network of Energy Hubs, which provide free advice, guidance and practical support to thousands of people every year.

As well as collecting boots, Football Rebooted Day aims to increase awareness of how individuals, schools, grassroots clubs, businesses and community organisations can get involved in the initiative, including becoming an official Football Rebooted collection point.

Members of the public are encouraged to bring along football boots in good, reusable condition and help kick-start a new journey for boots that might otherwise remain unused at home.  

All donated boots will be re-distributed to local football club foundations.

Event Details

Event: Utilita Energy Hubs Football Rebooted Day 2026 

Date: Saturday, 3 October 2026 

Locations: All 12 Utilita Energy Hubs across the UK

For more information about Football Rebooted and how to get involved, visit www.footballrebooted.co.uk.