For the first time since Seagull Trust Cruises was founded in 1978, a husband and wife have both qualified as skippers at the same branch at the same time!
Rebecca and John Barr, from Colinton, joined the Ratho branch after retiring from their careers — Rebecca as a social worker, John as a physicist in academia and industry. Rebecca joined the Wednesday crew in June 2022, with John following in March 2024 as part of the Friday crew.
Since then, the couple have progressed side by side through every stage of training, moving from trained crew members to helmsmen, and finally to fully qualified skippers last month.
“What a fantastic achievement,” said Carole McLellan, Chair of the Ratho branch. “I’m sure that some of that drive to achieve was due to a wee bit of healthy competition between Rebecca and John.”
That friendly rivalry sharpened after both completed their Locks and Tunnels module in May. Rebecca earned her Helmsman Certificate first, with John following three weeks later — though the two certificates are numbered consecutively. From there, the race was on to become a qualified Skipper.
Rebecca qualified on 17 June, with John following just six days later. Rebecca then took on her first assignment as a qualified Skipper on 8 July, with John following two days after that.
July holds extra significance for the couple: alongside their joint achievement, it also marks their 44th wedding anniversary on 17 July. Congratulations!
All Seagull Trust Cruises skippers hold at least the Royal Yachting Association’s Inland Waterways Helmsman’s Certificate, with some crew members holding Master Mariner Certificates of Competence. Training is delivered through the RYA scheme at Ratho, one of the charity’s RYA-recognised Inland Waters Training Centres, alongside its Falkirk and Kirkintilloch branches.
Coastguards have scored a huge win in their campaign to stop their pay being cut.
Minister for Transport Keir Mather announced in parliament yesterday [Thursday] the Maritime and Coastguard Agency [MCA]’s plan to stop hourly remuneration for attending incidents and training exercises would be halted.
Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs) carry out rescues and search for missing people around the UK’s coast, including Scotland, Wales and England’s south coast.
The move had followed a landmark case by GMB Union, which saw the Court of Appeal uphold a judgement classifying coastguards as workers.
Now, following a sustained campaign by GMB Coastguards, the move has been stopped.
Nicola Savage, GMB National Officer, said:“This is a richly deserved win for GMB’s coastguards, who took their campaign across the UK and into the corridors of power.
“It was a scandal that these brave, life-saving workers would have their pay cut.
“But Ministers have listened and done the right thing.”
Warm weather could pave the way for colourful clouds of butterflies this summer – but scientists need public’s help to discover the full picture
Fairy-like Holly Blue butterflies have had an excellent spring. Picture: Iain H Leach
Britain could be on the brink of a bumper summer of butterflies, with a warm, dry spring raising hopes of an abundant season ahead for some of the nation’s best-loved species.
After 2024 delivered the worst results in the history of Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count and a butterfly emergency was declared, a sunnier 2025 offered some encouragement, and with this spring one of the warmest on record the UK could be treated to a kaleidoscope of colourful butterflies this year.
That’s why wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation is calling on the public to get out for its annual Big Butterfly Count, which runs from Friday 17 July – Sunday 9 August.
Anyone, anywhere can take part and help to paint a picture of how butterflies are faring by submitting their sightings to help create an interactive map.
These sightings provide important data that help scientists understand where butterflies are thriving, struggling, or shifting due to climate change, habitat loss or restoration.
Some of the country’s most recognisable and loved species have had a better than average spring, setting them up for a potentially abundant summer.
The Small Copper and Holly Blue have been seen in excellent numbers, while Peacock, Red Admiral and sunshine-yellow Brimstone also had a promising start to the year.
This rainbow of colourful characters includes four of the top five of the recent vote to find Britain’s Favourite Butterfly, in which the Peacock took the crown.
With heatwaves, warm dry spells and the occasional welcome downpour creating ideal conditions for breeding and for caterpillar growth, this summer could see gardens and green spaces filled with fluttering wings.
Butterfly Conservation’s Head of Engagement, Kate Merry, said: “After the colourful spring with seemingly lots of beautiful butterflies appearing across the UK, it’s tempting to assume we’re heading for a bumper summer, and we’d love nothing more as most of our butterfly species have undergone long-term declines.
“But a bright spring is only ever part of the story, which is why we need people out there taking part in the Big Butterfly Count this summer. We genuinely don’t yet know how this year will unfold, and the only way to find out is for people to tell us what they’re seeing in their own gardens and green spaces.”
The world’s largest butterfly survey, the Big Butterfly Count asks people to spend just 15 minutes outdoors in a sunny spot, count the butterflies and day-flying moths they see, and submit their sightings via the free app or at www.bigbutterflycount.org.
80% of UK butterfly species have declined over the past 50 years, the result of habitat loss, pollution and climate change, and scientists need as many eyes as possible looking for butterflies this summer to see what’s happening. Every sighting counts.
The Peacock, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Brimstone and Small Copper can all be recorded as part of Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count, along with 15 other butterflies and day-flying moths.
Kate Merry added:“Butterflies are icons of summer and, more importantly, key indicators of the UK’s biodiversity and environmental health.
“Every single person that takes part in the Big Butterfly Count and submits their sightings is helping us to see how these pollinators are doing, which in turn helps conservationists build a wider picture of how all insects are faring.
“It’s easy, fun for all the family, and a great excuse to get outside and experience the simple joy of spotting butterflies.
“You’ll also be helping to protect butterflies for future generations, and if that doesn’t give you the feel-good factor I don’t know what will!”
Between Friday 17 July – Sunday 9 August spend 15 minutes in any sunny outdoor space and count the number and types of butterflies and day-flying moths you see.
You don’t need to be an expert – use the free ID guide on the app and website to help you identify what you’ve seen.
Log your sightings on the website or free app and help protect UK butterflies for future generations
This summer, experience the joy of butterflies and see how many you can count.
Will it be the bumper, colourful season spring has hinted at?
The film will be presented by actor and directorMax Minghella, Anthony’s son
Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has announced a special tribute screening of Anthony Minghella’s iconic film The Talented Mr Ripley which will be presented on Sunday 16 August by actor and director Max Minghella (The Handmaid’s Tale, Shell, Teen Spirit, Clayface), Anthony’s son.
The thrilling 1999 film adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s electrifying novel stars Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett and Philip Seymour Hoffmann. In late 1950s New York, a young underachiever Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) is sent to Italy to retrieve Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), a rich and spoiled millionaire playboy. But when the errand fails, Ripley takes extreme measures.
The screening joins other special presentations of repertory titles at this year’s EIFF including Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting, Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet and Takeshi Miike’s Visitor Q, Hal Ashby’s Coming Home and Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton’s Little Miss Sunshine.
EIFF CEO and Festival Director, Paul Ridd has said: “A titan of television and cinema, Anthony Minghella’s extraordinary career – cut cruelly short at the age of 54 – included directing acclaimed films Truly Madly Deeply (1990), The English Patient (1996) and Cold Mountain (2003).
“A superb director of actors and a master of large scale productions, with a versatility that encompassed sprawling epics and intimate character dramas, Minghella is a much missed British filmmaker who we are delighted to honour with a special presentation of his wonderful Patricia Highsmith adaptation The Talented Mr Ripley (1999).
“Mr Minghella’s hugely talented son Max has followed in his father’s footsteps both as a filmmaker in his own right and as an actor, and we are honoured to welcome him to EIFF to introduce this special screening.”
Max Minghella has said: “Thankyou to Paul Ridd and the fantastic team at the Edinburgh International Film Festival for selecting The Talented Mr Ripley.
“I look forward to this special opportunity for my father’s work to play at this exciting and groundbreaking festival.”
A new study by The James Hutton Institute, Scotland’s leading interdisciplinary research institute for sustainable land, crop and nature management, and DePaul University in Chicago has confirmed unseen benefits to furniture reuse, which go beyond helping the environment.
The study was based on research by Dr Alice Hague, a Hutton social scientist, and colleagues in Scotland, investigating how to increase the re-use of resources in people’s everyday lives, as part of a transition towards creating a more ‘circular’ economy.
Dr Hague’s team found that, as well as diverting large amounts of bulky waste from landfill, second-hand furniture shops in Scotland create jobs and work experience opportunities, often engaging those who struggle with conventional employment.
The organisations behind these furniture reuse shops additionally provide training in logistics, furniture removal, accountancy and business management, equipping employees with valuable career skills. Meanwhile, income from the sale of reused furniture also goes towards providing other support services.
One employee at a furniture reuse centre said, “We have an awful lot of people who perhaps would have struggled to get into the workforce, but only because of, maybe, anxiety or confidence. Very able people, our best members of staff now.”
Alongside the study led by Hutton, Alice discovered through a conversation with her brother Professor Euan Hague, based at DePaul University in Chicago, that he was also leading a study about furniture reuse, but from a different angle.
Working with colleagues based in Chicago, Euan was looking to find out more about the impact of furniture donated for reuse to the Chicago Furniture bank.
His study was pointing to how reusing furniture has impacts on health and wellbeing, providing stability and a sense of home for people transitioning into permanent housing.
In Chicago, Professor Hague’s team heard about a mother who had been able to provide her children with separate beds thanks to furniture donations. She told researchers: “My kids are happy, they have beds, they each are happy they have their own bed. I’m not in the bed with them. They’re just happy.”
Together, the two studies reinforced the significant social benefits of reusing furniture that are often overlooked in discussions about the circular economy, with its focus on reusing resources and reducing the amount of waste going to landfill.
In addition to diverting waste from landfill, interviewees pointed out the impact of reusing furniture include employment and training opportunities, and how families felt more of a sense of home after receiving used sofas, tables and beds.
The study’s findings show that the circular economy – a concept which aims to keep resources, products and materials in use and out of landfill sites for as long as possible – can offer more than just environmental benefits.
Dr Hague said, “I was expecting barriers to furniture reuse to be about policy and lack of funding – I wasn’t expecting to hear about families from Ukraine being helped with furniture in a moment of crisis.
“There’s way more going on here than kilograms or tons of waste being avoided.”
The study, titled ‘The Social Benefits of Furniture Reuse in the Circular Economy’, can be read in full on the Journal of Circular Economy website.
Mauled by midgies, tormented by ticks, chomped by clegs?
Scotland’s summer wildlife is out in full force and they’re hungry!
Whether you’re hiking the Highlands or just enjoying a garden BBQ, insect bites can be more than just annoying. Some can cause allergic reactions or even carry infections like Lyme disease.
Top tips to stay bite-free:
Use insect repellent
Wear long sleeves and trousers in grassy or wooded areas
Keep food covered
Avoid strong perfumes that attract bugs
If you’re camping, avoid pitching your tent near water like rivers or lochs
If you’ve been bitten and it’s swollen, painful or not healing, get it checked. Your pharmacist can provide helpful advice or visit our bites and stings page on #NHSinform.
The Communist Party of Britain has today (Friday 17 July 2026) officially launched its campaign for the upcoming Edinburgh City Council by-elections, announcing a slate of candidates running on a platform of peace, public ownership, tax justice and workers’ rights.
The party will stand candidates in both the Southside/Newington and Portobello/Craigmillar wards.
A Communist Party spokesperson said: “”Our candidates are standing to address the city’s growing housing crisis, its underfunded public services, and the rising cost of living.
“We are offering voters a distinct socialist alternative to the mainstream political parties.”
Key Platform Priorities
Housing for Need, Not Profit: Immediate rent freezes, a cap on short-term holiday lets, and an expansion of high-quality, municipal council housing.
Funding Local Services: Reversing budget cuts to local services such as libraries, community centres, road maintenance and youth services by demanding a fairer funding model from national government and taxing the wealthiest in the city.
Investment in people not wars: Demand an end to funding genocide in Palestine and endless foreign wars and instead spend that money for the benefit of working class people.
Peter Olech, the Communist Party candidate in Portobello/Craigmillar ward, said: “Edinburgh is a city of vast wealth, yet working-class communities are being priced out of their own homes and left with crumbling public services.”
Richard Shillcock the Communist Party candidate for Southside/Newington ward, added: “We are standing in this election to give a voice to working class people and to fight for a city managed in the interests of the many, not the wealthy elite.
“Edinburgh Council should have greater responsibility for local economic development, with increased investment in council housing and public services.”
Residents will go to the polls on Thursday 3 September to elect one new councillor in each ward. The current electorate is 24,304 for Southside/Newington and 27,347 for Portobello/Craigmillar.
PICTURED: Peter Olech (L) and Richard Shillcock (R) outside City of Edinburgh Council Chambers after declaring as candidates.
Police and partners continue to respond to a large fire near to Ryvoan Bothy within the Cairngorms National Park.
The fire was reported around 11.50am on Wednesday, 15 July, 2026, and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service remain on scene.
Police Scotland is co-ordinating a multi-agency response and a number of properties and premises in the area have been evacuated as a precaution.
The C7 road, known locally as Ski Road, is closed at Coylumbridge.
Please avoid the area and check with your accommodation if you are due to travel in the coming days to check if it is still accessible.
Police have assisted walkers off the hill, and we are advising remaining walkers to continue to make efforts to get to safety. Anyone requiring emergency assistance should call 999. Please let family or friends know when you have returned.
The Care for People plans are in place, and partners have been in touch with vulnerable people in the area.
Nearby residents are asked to keep windows and doors closed. Anyone concerned about symptoms should check NHS24.
Unmanned aircraft should not be flown close to or within the airspace.
Drone pilots and operators are reminded it is an offence to fly over an ongoing emergency response without prior permission from emergency services.
Please check NOTAM information and Drone Safety Map before flying.
SCOTTISH Fire and Rescue Service said earlier: ‘We are currently in attendance at a large fire in the open near to Ryvoan Bothy within the Cairngorms National Park.
Operations Control were first alerted at 11.49am and we have mobilised four fire appliances and specialist wildfire resources to the area. There are no reported casualties.
‘Due to large volumes of smoke travelling towards populated areas nearby, residents in Aviemore, Glenmore and the surrounding communities should keep their windows and doors closed. If you are within this area and can see or smell smoke, please follow the same advice.
‘While we want people to enjoy the good weather, we ask that anyone in the Cairngorms National Park near to Aviemore and Glenmore avoids the area.’
Dry weather has led to more Scottish river catchments moving through the water scarcity levels, according to the latest report from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
The number of catchments affected continues to grow this week, with four additional areas moving into Moderate Scarcity and nine more reaching Early Warning. Around half of Scotland’s river catchments are now at one of SEPA’s water scarcity levels.
Moderate Scarcity is now in place in the Tyne in Lothian, Firth of Forth, Firth of Tay, Don in Aberdeenshire, Esk and Tweed catchments.
Alert remains in place for the Deveron, Ythan, Dee in Aberdeenshire, Almond and Findhorn catchments, while Early Warning now covers the Conon, Spey, Tay, Earn, Ness, Forth, Esk in Dumfriesshire, Annan, Nith, Dee in Galloway, Cree, Clyde, Irvine and Ayr catchments.
The River Lossie catchment is no longer at Significant Scarcity following rainfall last weekend. However, the overall trend across Scotland is one of continued drying, with more catchments now affected.
Water scarcity means there is less water available in rivers, lochs and groundwater, increasing pressure on the environment and on businesses, farmers and other organisations that rely on taking water directly from these natural sources.
Rainfall has been normal to wet across western and much of northern Scotland. In contrast, much of the east has experienced dry conditions, with parts of Angus and Fife extremely dry.
River flows reflect this pattern, with high to very high flows across western catchments and low to very low flows across much of the east. In the Tweed catchment, July river flows at the Coldstream gauging station reached the second lowest recorded at the site since records began in 1971.
Ground conditions are dry across much of eastern Scotland, particularly in parts of the northeast and along the east coast. Groundwater levels in Fife are also very low for the time of year.
SEPA are continuing to work directly with businesses, farmers and other organisations that take water from rivers, lochs and groundwater, providing practical advice to help them plan ahead, use water efficiently and reduce pressure on the environment.
Eilidh Johnston, SEPA Senior Leader in Compliance, said: “Scotland’s climate is changing, and periods of prolonged dry weather are becoming an increasingly important challenge for our rivers and the businesses that rely on taking water directly from the environment.
“While conditions are not as severe as they were at this point last year, the coming weeks and months are a critical time for water demand. Those who take water directly from rivers, lochs and groundwater should already be taking steps to use less, plan ahead and make sure they are prepared if conditions continue to deteriorate.
“We are working directly with businesses and other water users in affected catchments, providing practical advice to help them manage water responsibly and reduce pressure on Scotland’s rivers and the plants and animals that depend on them.
“Acting early will help protect the environment and reduce the risk of restrictions being needed later in the summer. Anyone concerned about accessing enough water for their business, or who needs advice on preparing for drier conditions, should contact SEPA as early as possible.”
SEPA are advising businesses and other organisations that take water directly from the environment to:
monitor how much water they are using;
use water as efficiently as possible;
keep equipment in good working order to reduce leaks and losses;
understand the water scarcity level in their catchment;
have contingency plans in place should conditions worsen.
People can also help by reporting signs of water scarcity, including exceptionally low river levels, dry riverbeds and impacts on habitats, through SEPA’s website.
These observations complement SEPA’s monitoring network and help build a clearer picture of conditions across Scotland.
The latest Water Scarcity Report, catchment maps, advice for businesses and other water users, and information on reporting signs of water scarcity are available on SEPA’s website at sepa.org.uk/waterscarcity
Importance of legal documents highlighted as new partnership is announced
Lawyers will donate a percentage of their fees to charity to support its work with older people
Age Scotland Chief Executive Katherine Crawford and Grant Johnson, Partner and Head of Private Client Services at Lindsays, marking the organisations’ partnership promoting Powers of Attorney. Picture: Ryan McGoverne / Lindsays July 2026
A new partnership has been forged to encourage more people in Scotland to put a Power of Attorney in place.
Age Scotland has joined forces with independent Edinburgh-headquartered legal firm Lindsays to help people appoint someone they trust to manage their finances and make welfare decisions on their behalf, should they need extra help.
The move comes as new research by the charity reveals that more than one million over-50s in Scotland do not have a Power of Attorney – with its staff fielding high numbers of queries from older people and their families around the legal process.
They are now making referrals to Lindsays, whose headquarters are at Caledonian Exchange, who will help clients draw up Powers of Attorney.
Lindsays is making a donation from every referral to the charity, which supports people across the country to grow old securely, with a good quality of life.
A Power of Attorney is a document that an individual creates to set out who they would like to take decisions for them around critical issues such as money and care if they become incapacitated. They are relevant whatever someone’s age or personal circumstances.
Katherine Crawford, Chief Executive of Age Scotland, said: “One of the most common requests for support older people and their families make to our helpline and information service is for advice about Power of Attorney.
“Our research shows more than one million over-50s in Scotland do not have a Power of Attorney. If life takes an unexpected turn, it is important to know that the support you need will be available, but barely one in five people in their fifties have this important tool set up.
“Having a Power of Attorney in place can give you peace of mind, as you know you will have the support of someone you trust if you are unable to make decisions for yourself. It is an essential part of planning for the future and retaining control of how you wish to live your life.”
She added: “Our new partnership with Lindsays deepens the level of professional advice and legal support we are able to signpost people to, at the same time as helping to raise vital funds for the services we offer older people and their families. We’re grateful for their support and look forward to working closely with them on this important issue.”
Lindsays has been raising awareness about the importance of Powers of Attorney for a number of years.
Grant Johnson, a Partner and Head of Private Client Services at Lindsays, said: “Too few people have Powers of Attorney in place.
“Having one gives clarity, reduces uncertainty, and helps avoid difficult decisions and potentially additional delays and costs later on. It gives people and their loved ones peace of mind at what are challenging and stressful times.
“Age is not a factor. Any one of us can become unexpectedly incapacitated at any time, whether temporarily or permanently.
“For small business owners, having a Power of Attorney in place can ensure your company can continue should something unforeseen happen to impair your ability to work, or even if you are simply unavailable to manage things for an extended period of time.”
He added: “We are delighted to be working with Age Scotland not only to increase awareness in its network about the importance of having a Power of Attorney, but to also be able to directly support the charity’s critical work.”
Powers of Attorney are lodged with The Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland).
Age Scotland’s latest Big Survey questioned 4,400 over-50s across Scotland.
About half of respondents (49%) said they had yet to put a Power of Attorney in place. If translated to Scotland’s entire over-50s population, that would equate to more than one million people – a number the charity says needs to dramatically reduce.
Only 21% of those aged 59 and younger said they had a Power of Attorney.
More details about the Age Scotland and Lindsays partnership – and the importance of Powers of Attorney – are available at www.lindsays.co.uk/age-scotland/.
Top tips to stay bite-free:
Use insect repellent
