Mother’s determination to change the world inspires UK launch of acclaimed memoir

Every copy sold is supporting Salvesen Mindroom Centre’s mission

As charity Salvesen Mindroom Centre (Mindroom) marks its 25th anniversary, founder Sophie Dow launches the English edition of her internationally acclaimed memoir, with proceeds from the limited 1,000-copy run helping ensure “No Mind Is Left Behind.”

What happens when a Mother refuses to accept a broken system? For journalist, writer and Mum Sophie Dow, the answer was to change it.

Now, twenty-five years after co-founding Scottish neurodiversity charity Mindroom following the birth of her daughter Annie, Dow is publishing the first English-language edition of her acclaimed memoir, “When Life Doesn’t Follow the Script”, an extraordinary true story of love, resilience and one family’s determination to create a better future for neurodivergent people.

Inspired by Annie, who lives with a unique and rare chromosome deletion now informally known as Annie’s syndrome”, the book tells the deeply personal story behind a decision that has gone on to transform the lives of thousands and thousands of families.

The book was officially launched at an intimate soft launch on Wednesday, 9 July, as part of Mindroom’s 25th anniversary celebrations. In a special limited-edition print run of just 1,000 copies, every penny of proceeds will support the charity’s work with neurodivergent children, young people and families across Scotland.

Originally published in Sweden in 2018 as “När livet inte följer manus”, the memoir received widespread critical acclaim and has now been updated and translated into English by Sophie and her husband Robin for the first time.

At the heart of both the charity and the book is a simple belief: society should stop focusing on what neurodivergent people cannot do and instead recognise what they can.

‘When Life Doesn’t Follow the Script’ is an inspiring, personal detective drama written with humour, passion and a determined focus on the question: Why aren’t all minds valued equally?

Each chapter is illustrated with artwork created by Annie herself, making the book not only a memoir but also a celebration of creativity, individuality and the many ways people experience the world.

Author Sophie Dow says: “When Annie was born, everything changed. We found ourselves navigating systems that often focused on limitations rather than possibilities. I found that totally unacceptable.

“We are certainly not alone. There are thousands of other families out there in the same situation. This is a public health issue that needs to be addressed. So, Salvesen Mindroom Centre was founded 25 years ago to ensure that no mind is left behind.”

That vision has flourished into an influential organisation with a trusted reputation for advice, advocacy and practical support for neurodivergent children, young people, families and people in the workplace across Scotland and beyond, whether or not they have a formal diagnosis.

Photography for Salvesen Mindroom Centre in Leith Edinburgh

Alan Thornburrow, CEO for Mindroom, continues: “In 2025 alone, Mindroom supported 2,172 families. We received 1,801 NEW enquiries over the course of this year alone and trained 3,546 delegates. Since 2020, we have experienced a 309% increase in the number of families seeking support.

“Sophie and Robin’s story is one I recognise, and I know so many other parents and carers will too. Every day, families tell us about the challenges of navigating fragmented systems while trying to secure the understanding and support their children need.

“That’s why we work so hard to help parents, carers, children and young people – as well as employers and employees – find a path through those barriers and access the support that enables everyone to feel valued and thrive.”

As Mindroom celebrates 25 years, the publication represents both a reflection on how far understanding of neurodiversity has come and a call for much more to be done.

Every copy sold will help fund the charity’s continuing work to ensure neurodivergent children, young people and neurodivergent people in the workplace have equal opportunities to thrive.

As demand for its services continues to grow, Mindroom also works alongside leading researchers to deepen understanding of neurodiversity and help drive lasting change.

To purchase the book, please visit: “When Life Doesn’t Follow the Script – Buy the book”

For more information about Sophie’s work, please visit www.sophie-dow.com.

To find out more about Mindroom and the support it provides, visit: www.mindroom.org.

Through the Shortbread Tin to tour to historic Scottish venues following Edinburgh Fringe run

  • Acclaimed National Theatre of Scotland show Through the Shortbread Tin returns for 2026, opening at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August, before touring to historic settings across Scotland in September 2026
  • The production will be presented in historical locations: Glasgow Cathedral, Stirling Castle and Urquhart Castle (Visitor Centre) in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland from Thursday 3 September to Saturday 19 September 2026.
  • Written and performed by Martin O’Connor, the show is a poetic and playful show, performed in Scots with Gaelic songs, which explores Scottish culture, myths, history and identity.
  • In this remounted production, directed by Joanna Bowman, O’Connor is joined on stage by Gaelic singers Josie Duncan, Iona Mairead and Mairi McGillivray. 
  • The show originally toured in 2025, garnering critical acclaim and award nominations. 
  • Through the Shortbread Tin opens at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at the Scottish Storytelling Centre on Friday 7 August, presented as part of the Made in Scotland showcase, running until the 31 August at 4:45pm.
  • Full dates below.

Through the Shortbread Tin – Photo credit Eoin Carey

National Theatre of Scotland in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland presents

Through the Shortbread Tin

Written and performed by Martin O’Connor

Remount directed by Joanna Bowman
Original production directed by Lu Kemp

With Josie Duncan, Iona Mairead and Mairi McGillivray

Musical Director and Composer – Oliver Searle, Sound and Video Designer – Rob Willoughby, Set and Costume designed by Emma Bailey and Rachel O’Neill, Lighting Designer – Michaella Fee, Gaelic Consultant – Alasdair Whyte

At the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026 at the Scottish Storytelling Centre from 7 to 31 August at 4:45pm, with a preview performance on 6 August 2026.

Touring to Glasgow Cathedral, Stirling Castle and Urquhart Castle (Visitor Centre) in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland from Thursday 3 September to Saturday 19 September 2026.

Opening press performance at the Scottish Storytelling Centre on Friday 7 August 2026 at 4:45pm.

Part of the Made in Scotland Showcase.

The story of the greatest literary hoax of all time.

Returning to venues across Scotland following a critically acclaimed and award-nominated Scotland-wide tour in 2025, Martin O’Connor’s Through the Shortbread Tin is a poetic, poignant and playful show, performed in Scots with Gaelic songs, which explores Scottish culture, myths, history and identity.

“Fierce, Funny and Challenging” The Scotsman ★★★★

“an entertaining and intelligent investigation into the illusions and inconsistencies of Scottish history, culture and identity.” The Stage ★★★★

Through the Shortbread Tin will open in Edinburgh at the Scottish Storytelling Centre as part of the Made in Scotland Programme at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on Friday 7 August 2026.

The show will then undergo a special tour to historic settings in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland. Touring to Glasgow Cathedral, Stirling Castle and Urquhart Castle (Visitor Centre) in September 2026, these performances will connect Martin O’Connor’s unique dive into Scotland’s history with the resonant surrounds of some of Scotland’s landmark sited locations.

Twenty years since the internationally acclaimed production of Black Watch premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Through the Shortbread Tin marks National Theatre of Scotland’s 42nd production at the Edinburgh festivals, including last year’s Edinburgh International Festival sell out success, Make It Happen.

Through the Shortbread Tin is directed for this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe and tour by Joanna Bowman, whose previous productions include the award-winning Tron Theatre Company production of Escaped Alone, Doubt: A Parable (Dundee Rep) and most recently, Sweat (Citizens Theatre and Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh). Joanna won the 2024 CATS Award for Best Director.

In 1760 Scottish poet James Macpherson set the world ablaze with stories of the third-century Scottish bard, Ossian. This tartan-trimmed tale of Highland history spread far and wide, capturing the imagination of thousands– but was it built on a deception?

In 2026 Scottish poet Martin O’Connor decides to revisit Macpherson’s epic and begins to question his own relationship with Scottish culture. The sporrans, the stags, the shortbread – do these ‘gift-shop’ images of Scotland hold us back or bring us forward? What does it mean to be authentic, and is the truth sometimes better told in a lie?

Imagine that ye didnae ignore the myths.

Imagine ye were telt yer history.

Imagine ye could hod onto the stories.

Imagine ye could create yer ain truth.

“A tartan wrapped gift of a show” The Herald

Martin will be joined on stage by Josie Duncan, Iona Mairead and Mairi McGillivray, three distinctive Gaelic choral singers, singing original songs composed by Oliver Searle.

Audiences are invited to join Martin and Macpherson on an oral odyssey spanning centuries of Scottish history, exploring the myths we tell each other and the stories we tell ourselves.

Through the Shortbread Tin was nominated for Best New Play in both the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland 2025 and the UK Theatre Awards 2025.

Through the Shortbread Tin is part of the National Theatre of Scotland’s 20th birthday programme, marking twenty years of game-changing theatre. National Theatre of Scotland is delighted to be part of the Scottish Storytelling Centre’s 20th anniversary celebrations, as well by being part of their specially curated Festival Fringe programme, the centre piece of their year’s anniversary offering.

BACKGROUND TO OSSIAN

In 1760 Highlander Macpherson published Fragments of Ancient Poetry to great critical and commercial acclaim.

The poems were collected from oral sources around Scotland and were presented as the work of a third century bard, Ossian, soon dubbed The Homer of the North. There soon followed two other publications, Fingal and Temora, and together they set the Scottish and European literary world alight.

The ‘Ossian effect’ soon saw a rise in interest in Scottish and Highland ways of life and an increase in tourism and cultural interest. The impact of Ossian was immediate and permanent, even if the individual poems eventually fell out of fashion. But soon after publication, debates over Ossian’s aesthetic and moral ‘legitimacy’ surfaced, which plagued the writer and the impact and legacy of the work.

Martin O’Connor is an award-winning theatre-maker, performer and poet from Glasgow. He is interested in exploring ideas of voice and identity through theatre and poetry, with particular interest in Scots, Gaelic and verbatim. Martin won Scots Performer of the Year Award at the Scots Language Awards 2024.

He was granted a Gavin Wallace Fellowship in 2018, hosted by Playwrights’ Studio Scotland and the Lyceum Theatre, marking the first stage in his research into James Macpherson and Ossian.

He makes work for solo performance as well as with, and for, other people. He was the National Theatre of Scotland Writer in Residence in 2020. Previous projects include Turntable (MJ McCarthy/Red Bridge Arts), Mark of the Beast (Martin O’Connor/Platform), Togail Nàisean/ Building a Nation (Glasgow Life).

This remount of Through the Shortbread Tin is directed by Joanna Bowman. Joanna has directed for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Citizens Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre, Tron Theatre, Dundee Rep Theatre, Perth Theatre, and Òran Mór.

Previous productions include the award-winning Tron Theatre Company production of Escaped Alone, Doubt:A Parable (Dundee Rep) and most recently, Sweat (Citizens Theatre and Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh). She was Associate Director of the Tron Theatre between 2022 and 2025 and is Associate Artist with the Citizens Theatre. Joanna won the 2024 CATS Award for Best Director.

The original production of Through the Shortbread Tin was directed by Lu Kemp, a theatre director and dramaturg with a distinctive reputation for her work in new writing. Lu was Artistic Director of Perth Theatre between 2016 to 2023.

Her tenure was notable for supporting the creation of new work by Scottish artists and community engaged productions. As a freelance director, Lu has worked for The Citizens, The Royal Lyceum Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland, Artangel, London, The Tricycle, Almeida and The Royal Shakespeare Company.

Josie Duncan is a folk-inspired songwriter and award-winning singer from the Isle of Lewis. Her songs have been showcased worldwide from the Hebridean Celtic Festival Opening Concert to the National Celtic Festival Australia. Josie’s music features in National Theatre of Scotland’s Carry Me Home – A Ferry Tale, an award-winning short film directed by Seth Hardwick, and she reprises her role from the original production of Through the Shortbread Tin in 2025.

Iona Mairead is a Gàidhlig singer from the village of Bravas on the west coast of Lewis. Iona joined the line-up of An Lanntair’s Hebridean Women 2023 concert when she was just eighteen and returned to the HebCelt stage with her first solo slot last summer. She recently competed at Mòd Lochabar 2025, reaching the finals for the Traditional Gold Medal.

Her debut EP, “Tog do Ghuth” (2024) pairs traditional elements of Gàidhlig song with dreamy, electronic arrangements, creating a fresh and easy listen. Iona is driven by her passion to keep the Gàidhlig language and its poetry alive, but also the potential to explore new possibilities and boundaries for contemporary Gàidhlig music.

Mairi McGillivray is a Gaelic singer from the island of Islay off the west coast of Scotland.

Mairi has performed at various venues and festivals across the UK and Europe including, Celtic Connections, The Reeling, Jura Music Festival, EDF and Under Canvas. Mairi graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2020 and has since won a prestigious Danny Kyle Award in January 2021 and was a finalist in BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2023. Mairi’s debut album, Mo Thìr will be released in July 2026 with grounding in songs from and about her native Islay. Joined by host of acclaimed musicians and produced by John Lowrie, it is set to bring old and new songs to life with their captivating style.

© Eoin Carey

Through the Shortbread Tin at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Venue: Scottish Storytelling Centre

Dates at Edinburgh Festival Fringe: Thursday 6 August (Preview); Friday 7 August to Monday 31 August (no shows on Wed 12, Sat 15, Wed 19, Wed 26 August)

Time: 4.45pm

Touring to Glasgow Cathedral (Thurs 3 September to Sat 5 September); Stirling Castle (Fri 11 September to Sun 13 September) and Urquhart Castle (Visitor Centre) (Thurs 17 September to Sat 19 September).

Full information here.

PY: New Date for Sponsored Walk

New Date for our Sponsored Walk

Saturday 29th August

Our Youth Committee are taking on an exciting sponsored challenge to raise vital funds for PYCP. This time they’re pushing themselves even further by climbing a Munro, Ben Chonzie in Perthshire, as part of a sponsored walk!

This challenge is a fantastic opportunity for our young people to:

✅ Build confidence

✅ Work as a team

✅ Get outdoors

✅ Raise funds to support children and young people in our community

To sponsor the group and support the young people as they take on this challenge you can do it two ways:

• JustGiving – https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/pyhighlands

• CAF Donate – https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/28035#!/DonationDetails

Every contribution, big or small makes a real difference to the work we do.

BALD-E’S UNITE AS PITBULL ACHIEVES GUINNESS WORLD RECORD

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ (GWR), the global authority on record-breaking achievement can confirm that Pitbull and BST Hyde Park have officially achieved a new Guinness World Records title for the largest gathering of people wearing bald caps with a total of 22,141 people. 

The record was achieved on Friday 10th July at American Express presents BST Hyde Park before Pitbull’s headline set.

Guinness World Records Adjudicator, Will Munford said: “The scenes down at BST Hyde Park were absolutely incredible.

“The excitement was palpable and the fact that so many people donned bald caps in the heatwave to break this record alongside Pitbull and BST Hyde Park is a huge testament to the power of music and the communities that fanbases can become.

“Mass participation events like this one are a brilliant way for people to get involved in record breaking, and being part of a massive cultural moment like this is always going to be special and it was a pleasure to be able to declare them all Officially Amazing!”

City Cabs extend Front of Shirt Partnership with The Spartans

THE SPARTANS are delighted to announce that City Cabs, Edinburgh’s longest-serving taxi association, have extended their partnership as Principal Home and Away Shirt Sponsor taking them to the end of the 2027/28 season, with their branding taking pride of place on our new first-team jersey – launched on Friday 10th July.

As City Cabs celebrates an incredible 101 years of serving Edinburgh, the partnership brings together two organisations with deep roots in the local community. City Cabs continues to deliver exceptional service, supported by industry-leading technology and a fleet of more than 450 vehicles, offering a comprehensive range of transport solutions to meet every customer’s needs.

Chairman of City Cabs, Gary McFarlane said, “City Cabs are proud and delighted to continue our sponsorship of Spartans FC for a second consecutive year.

“As a community-focused organisation we value the club’s ambition, dedication and strong local support, and it’s fantastic for us to be part of that journey once again.

“We wish the team every success for the upcoming season and look forward to another exciting year ahead both on and off the pitch.”

Graham Carbis, Head of Commercial at The Spartans FC, added “The Spartans are absolutely delighted that City Cabs has renewed its commitment as our Principal Home and Away Shirt Sponsor for the upcoming season.

“They have been valued supporters of the club for many years, with their perimeter advertising a familiar sight around the Vanloq Community Stadium, and it’s fantastic to see our partnership continue to grow.

“It’s particularly pleasing to strengthen our relationship with such a respected Edinburgh business now in their second century of servicing the capital city.

“We’re incredibly grateful for their continued support and look forward to working closely together as we build on what has already been a successful partnership, both on and off the pitch.”

For more information about City Cabs, visit their website at: https://www.citycabs.co.uk/ 

The City Cabs App is also available and can be downloaded via App Store or Google Play.

Bike Marketing TODAY at Inverleith Park

SUNDAY 12 JULY from 2 – 5pm

Police Scotland Edinburgh: Your local Community team will be working in partnership with BikeRegister and will be at Inverleith Park TODAY 12/07/2026 between 1400-1700 hours.

We are here to support the community by holding a free bike marking session.

Come along to get your bike marked, sign up to BikeRegister and speak to local officers about bike security & theft prevention (and any other Policing matters you’d like to discuss).

Everyone is welcome and it would be great to see you there.

Regular physical activity adds up to real health benefits

Whether it’s a walk to the shops or taking the stairs, regular physical activity adds up to real health benefits ‍♀️‍➡️

The UK Chief Medical Officers have refreshed their Physical Activity Guidelines for adults to reflect new evidence on how moving more improves your health:

https://www.gov.uk/…/physical-activity-guidelines-uk…

The benefits of physical activity at all stages of life for health

Professor Chris Whitty writes for The i paper on the update to the UK CMOs’ physical activity guidelines

Almost everybody reading this will be aware in broad terms that physical activity is good for health. To exercise more is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions in the UK according to surveys.

Quite how good it is for physical and mental health has however become steadily clearer from multiple studies over the last few years, and the evidence base in both men and women is now very robust. Among the diseases physical activity makes less common, delays or prevents are coronary heart disease, stroke, dementia, diabetes, breast cancer and bowel cancer, arthritis and depression.

The UK Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) have just updated their main physical activity guidelines to reflect the new data. 

We have made clearer that for those who do almost no physical activity even small amounts will significantly improve their overall physical and mental health, and this increases rapidly with every increment of activity up to 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, with the benefits increasing more slowly after that.

Do not therefore be put off if you think you cannot make 150 minutes – make a start and see how you go. Every extra bit will benefit you.

In addition to this general improvement in health, it is important to do things which maintain strength and balance. As we age we all lose muscle mass – keeping strength and balance into older age can be the difference between an active and independent later life and earlier frailty and dependency.

Since the last time CMOs reviewed the guidelines many people have started GLP-1 agonist drugs for diabetes and weight loss and it is important those taking the drugs concentrate on strength as weight decreases to protect muscle.

Physical activity is far more likely to be sustained if it is either useful, enjoyable or both and ideally built into a routine. Active transport including walking, cycling and wheeling; all sports; gyms and running; and dancing are examples of the wide range of activity that help.

Whether it is in groups, with friends or alone, if it works for you it is a good thing to do – and mid-July is often a lot easier to start than the beginning of January.

Residents asked to share views on Community Payback Orders

A consultation is now open inviting Edinburgh residents to share their views on Community Payback Orders and the unpaid work carried out in their area.

Last year alone, just under 50,000 hours of unpaid work was completed in Edinburgh – equivalent to over 6,000 working days. Projects supported over the last year include:

  • Gyle Park Pavilion – Improvement work to the appearance of Gyle Park Pavilion and the car park. This included repainting exterior doors and step bannisters to cover up unpleasant graffiti and work in the car park to clear vegetation in the car park drainage channels.
  • The Ferry Road project – The unpaid work team helped clear areas in the community blighted by rubbish and fly tipping. The work had a big impact on the local environment making a previously heavily littered area useable and accessible.
  • Leith Theatre – The unpaid work women’s group cleared the outdoor space at Leith Theatre. This included weeding, gardening and pruning trees to make the area safe and accessible.

Edinburgh residents are encouraged to share their views on the unpaid work part of a CPO, which replaced community service in 2011. We want to know:

  • Do you have any experience of people doing unpaid work in your community?
  • Do you think unpaid work gives people the opportunity to repay the community for the crimes they have committed?
  • Do you have any ideas about residents, community projects or organisations who could benefit from unpaid work support?

CPOs are given by the Court to enable people to make amends for their crimes as an alternative to a prison sentence, with communities putting forward ideas to their local authority for the unpaid work carried out where they live.

Council Leader and Chair of the Edinburgh Partnership Jane Meagher, said:Community Payback Orders (CPOs) offer an alternative and more positive way for people to repay locally for crimes committed.

“We know that CPOs are mutually beneficial to both the individual and the wider community. For those completing a CPO, they have the chance to learn new skills, work as part of a team, and make a positive contribution to society.

“This year alone, with just under 50,000 hours of unpaid work carried out, we’ve seen a real difference to communities with previously unused or neglected areas transformed and, in some cases, put back into use.

“I encourage all Edinburgh residents to take the opportunity to have their say on the future of unpaid work and how it could benefit their local community in the future.”

Share your views here.

Walking football club marks decade of transforming lives at Oriam  

One of Scotland’s largest walking football clubs has marked a decade of success playing at a leading sports facility, where it has helped to improve the health and wellbeing of hundreds over the years.

Oriam Walking Football (OWF) has been playing at Heriot-Watt University’s Oriam, where for the last ten years it has welcomed men and women of all abilities to play.

Recently, over 60 of its members gathered to mark this success at its annual summer gathering at Oriam, with players taking part in a round robin and raising £330 on the day for the club’s 2026 charity partner, Care & Repair Edinburgh.

The celebrations also had a wider community impact: in the week leading up to the event, OWF held a food drive, and presented local charity Community for Food with a cheque for £500.

The club has fast become a vital pillar of the local community, helping older men and women build friendships and improve physical and mental wellbeing in a supportive and accessible environment.

Paul Rendall, club Chair, said: “Our club motto is ‘more than a football club’ and it sums up everything we’ve been building here at Oriam.

“We started as a small pilot in 2015 on the outdoor pitches at Balerno High School, where we wanted to bring walking football to this corner of Edinburgh.

“When Oriam opened its doors in 2016, we jumped at the chance to move indoors, and we’ve just continued to grow every single year since.

“We now have over 135 registered players, the oldest of whom is 84. Walking football here is open to women aged 40 and over and men aged 50 and over – some haven’t kicked a ball in years, others have played all their lives. In 2025 alone, over 4,000 player places were taken up, and in the year to date we’ve already seen a 45% uplift on those numbers

“But what’s been most incredible to witness over the past decade is the friendships that have formed and the camaraderie that’s developed, along with the walking groups, social clubs and other activities that have grown up alongside the football.

“Oriam has been a gamechanger for us. Having world-class indoor facilities means we can play whatever the weather, and for a group of players in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond, that accessibility makes all the difference. It’s been remarkable to see the impact it has had on people’s lives.”

Over the past decade, the club has grown into a thriving community, with regular sessions and competitive fixtures taking place at Oriam’s world class indoor facilities, as well as providing a growing range of social activities.

Walking football is one of the UK’s fastest growing sports and is a slower-paced version of the game, where players must keep one foot on the ground at all times. 

The ball must be kept below crossbar height, with no heading, no tackling from behind and a three-touch limit per player, rules designed to keep the game safe, fair and enjoyable for all.

OWF currently runs four open social sessions each week at Oriam and fields seven competitive teams across a range of age groups, including over-50s, over-60s, over-65s, over-70s and an over-40s ladies squad, who are currently unbeaten in their first ever league campaign.

Chris Sellar, Director of Delivery at Oriam, said: “When we first supported this pilot back in 2015, we could see the potential for walking football to make a real difference in the local community. What OWF has built over the past decade has surpassed all expectations.

“This is exactly what Oriam is about. Yes, we are home to some of Scotland’s elite athletes, but we are just as committed to ensuring our facilities are open and accessible to people of all ages and abilities.

“OWF embodies that perfectly, proving that sport has no age limit and that staying active, whatever form that takes, can genuinely transform lives.”

Beyond the football, OWF has built a thriving social hub, with a walking group, grub club, golf club, pool club, badminton, all growing organically from the club, ensuring members stay connected year-round regardless of whether they can play.

Charitable giving has also become central to the club’s ethos. Last year, OWF chose Alzheimer Scotland as its charity partner for its tenth anniversary year, raising over £6,200 for the organisation.

It is a milestone that reflects the broader spirit of Oriam itself, which is also celebrating a decade of success since opening in 2016.

Born out of a £33 million national investment, Scotland’s Sports Performance Centre is home to world-class facilities and counts the SFA, Scottish Rugby, and Heart of Midlothian as just some of the large elite organisations that uses its facilities.

Tracy Gilbert MP urges Rockstar Games to recognise union

Tracy Gilbert MP has called on Rockstar Games, creator of Grand Theft Auto, to recognise the Rockstar Game Workers Union, urging the company to give workers an independent voice in their workplace.

In a letter to Rockstar Games, Tracy highlighted the importance of trade unions in protecting workers’ rights and called on the company to show leadership by voluntarily recognising the union.

Rockstar Games is one of the world’s leading video game developers, and Gilbert said that as an industry leader, the company has an opportunity to set an example for workers’ rights across the games sector.

Only one other UK games studio currently recognises a trade union, and Gilbert has urged Rockstar to take steps to progress discussions with workers and their representatives.

If Rockstar does not voluntarily recognise the union, Tracy has pledged her support for the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain’s (IWGB) application for statutory recognition through the Central Arbitration Committee.

Tracy Gilbert MP said: “I strongly support the work of trade unions and believe that every worker should have an independent voice in their workplace. Rockstar Games has an opportunity to show leadership and recognise the union representing its workers.

“I look forward to hearing what steps Rockstar is taking to move discussions forward.”