A 20-year-old man as been arrested and charged following a report of a serious sexual offence of a 15-year-old girl in Edinburgh.
The incident took place in the York Place area on Sunday, 25 May, 2025.
He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Courttoday (Monday, 2 June, 2025).
A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.
Enquiries are ongoing.
The 2 million vulnerable people who rely on lifesaving telecare alarms to call for help have today been urged to get in touch with their landline providers so companies can provide additional support for them during the switch to digital landlines.
The switch from analogue to digital landlines is being rolled out across the country as copper networks become increasingly unreliable and spare parts are no longer available.
Putting safety at the centre of the switchover, landline companies will send an engineer to carry out the switchover and personally test the telecare alarm, ensuring it continues to work once a household has moved onto the digital network.
Landline providers will also offer vulnerable customers a free battery back-up device so their landline can continue working in an outage.
It comes as a major new campaign funded by BT and Virgin Media and backed by the UK government launches today (Monday 2 June), urging the millions of telecare users in the UK– typically elderly and disabled people – as well as their support network to identify themselves so nobody gets overlooked.
Many local authorities and private telecare operators have already signed data sharing agreements with landline providers to ensure that as many telecare users have been identified as possible. With over two thirds of landlines already migrated, the campaign is the final layer of protection to identify any additional users.
Following a fall last year, Ann, who is in her 90s and from Stockport, became reliant on her telecare device. She is backing the campaign after her provider successfully migrated her landline last year.
Ann said: “The visit with the engineer was most enjoyable and very smooth, they handled everything for me. It’s left me feeling more reassured and confident.
“It’s also given my daughter Vickey peace of mind, knowing that if I need support, my pendant will work as it should. I’d encourage other people like me who rely on a personal alarm to get in touch with their landline provider for support.
Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant said: “We cannot afford to leave anyone behind during the vital transition to digital landlines.
“I have personally set a strict checklist of safeguards for industry to comply with before they migrate any telecare user.
“This industry-led campaign marks a further step towards keeping people safe as we boost the resilience of our networks for the digital age.
“I urge anyone with a telecare alarm – or anyone close to a user of a telecare alarm – to pick up the phone and contact their provider to access the help that’s available.”
Since 2017, UK operators have been carrying out work to retire the decades old copper home phone network and move customers to digital landline services ahead of the analogue switch-off. Analogue landlines are reaching end of service life, becoming increasingly unreliable and spare parts are no longer available.
Recent Ofcom data reveals faults rates substantially increased by 45% in 2024.
The campaign launched today and builds on the voluntary industry charter signed by BT, Virgin Media and other providers and the checklist agreed in November 2024. The checklist commits providers to complete a strict checklist of safeguards before transferring customers from old analogue phone lines onto a digital network, reducing the risk of them being disconnected during the migration. This includes engineer visits and issuing battery backups.
Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, said: “Patient safety is our priority and by supporting this campaign we are making sure that no-one will be put at risk by having to use unreliable devices.
“We are working with communication providers who are delivering the digital phone switchover to make sure no-one falls through the cracks. BT and VMO2 are offering free advice as well as supported installations for vulnerable people.
“Modernising our telecoms infrastructure will make a world of difference for millions of people and help guarantee their safety.”
Claire Gillies, BT Group’s Consumer CEO, said: “Moving customers onto newer digital services is a necessary step as the reliability of the 40-year-old analogue landline technology is increasingly fragile – therefore the time to act is now.
“The Digital Switchover project requires team collaboration, so we’ve been working hard with industry partners and are really pleased to have the support of government in helping us raise awareness and drive action.
“It’s incredibly important that nobody gets left behind, and we encourage telecare users and their carers to contact their provider to ensure a smooth switch.”
Rob Orr, Chief Operations Officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “This major new campaign marks a significant moment where 2 industry leaders have come together to raise awareness of the digital landline switchover.
“With traditional analogue landlines becoming less and less reliable, the programme is essential step to safeguard services for the future. Inaction would mean putting services at risk.
“Our message is clear: if you or someone you know use a telecare alarm, pick up the phone and talk to your provider. Let us know, and we’ll support you every step of the way.”
Amy Low, CEO at AbilityNet, said: “As a charity our core aim is empowering older and disabled people to use technology, so we’re fully behind this campaign which will raise further awareness to the most vulnerable, as well as their carers, with an urgent message to act.
“With the digital switchover happening it has never been more important that they contact their provider who can offer tailored support and in-home assistance to ensure everything goes to plan.”
Matthew Evans, Director for Markets and Chief Operating Officer at techUK, said: “As the current PSTN system becomes increasingly unreliable – with faults rising 45% in 2024 – we need to ensure a swift transition to a digital network fit for the future.
“With many other countries and many millions of UK households having already completed the migration, it is essential to raise awareness and complete this move.
“We are proud to support VMO2 and BT as well as the UK government as they establish this important campaign and we look forward to continuing to work with the telecoms sector and other parties to ensure the delivery of a safe and sustainable switch.”
Alyson Scurfield, chief executive of telecare advisory body, TSA said: “Landline phone lines are switching to digital, which could stop telecare alarms working.
“However, many people, families and carers just aren’t aware of the impact this could have on life-saving telecare. That’s why TSA is supporting this incredibly important national campaign.
“If you or someone you know uses a telecare alarm, then please call your landline provider. They will make sure your alarm keeps working through the switchover. Please help us spread this message far and wide.”
Dear Editor,
As we mark Volunteers’ Week (2–8 June 2025), I wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate the outstanding volunteers who contribute towards the work of RNID – the national charity supporting 18 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus.
Every day, through our community activities across the UK, around 300 incredible RNID volunteers take part in a diverse range of activities.
Whether it’s offering hearing aid maintenance and advice on hearing loss and tinnitus at RNID Near You drop-in sessions – or acting as ambassadors by giving talks to local groups and organisations, raising awareness of our work. These activities simply wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of volunteers who generously give their time to support others.
Over the past year alone, RNID volunteers gave more than 16,000 hours of their time, helping us reach over 47,000 people across the UK. It’s a remarkable achievement.
That’s why this Volunteers’ Week is the perfect opportunity to recognise everything our volunteers do and say a huge ‘thank you’. Your time, passion and dedication mean the world to us and make a real difference to people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus.
Yours sincerely,
Jackie White
Director of Community Services, RNID
Hidden Door Festival 2025 takes place from 11th – 15th June 2025, transforming The Paper Factory, a huge disused industrial space in west Edinburgh, into a vibrant celebration of music, art, dance, spoken word and more.
Last month, Hidden Door launched an Open Call inviting Scottish-based musicians, bands and electronic artists to join the 2025 music programme. With 200 applications received, organisers have sifted through hours of music to select 10 exceptional acts to feature at the festival.
The acts join an ever-growing programme of music, visual art and performances featuring hundreds of creatives. The packed line-up will fill the festival’s largest ever venue for five days of immersive entertainment.
Hazel Johnson, Festival Director of Hidden Door, said: “Hidden Door exists to showcase incredible emerging talent, and our open calls are a key way for us to discover and present that talent to large audiences.
“We had 200 applications to our music open call and the sheer volume and quality of submissions demonstrates the wonderful breadth of creativity that exists across Scotland.
“The selection process was tough and we would have loved to include everyone, but we’re thrilled to reveal some exceptional acts who truly embody the raw energy and diverse talent that we’re known for showcasing.”
The selected acts are:
Eloi – Wednesday 11 June
Eloi are an Edinburgh based 7-piece future-jazz group. Alongside numerous sold-out headline Edinburgh gigs, they have supported bands such as Surprise Chef at Glasgow’s Broadcast, alongside local Scottish groups including Grace and the Flatboys, Dinosaur 93 and Nani.
In 2022, they secured a slot at Edinburgh’s Hidden Door Festival through the Edinburgh-based community radio station EHFM, and also hold a monthly show on the station called Eloi Selects.
Inspired by the likes of Nubiyan Twist, Ezra Collective and Hiatus Kaiyote, their debut EP ‘Maya’ was released in 2022, and the follow up ‘Bloom Again’ was released in 2023.
HENS BENS – Friday 13 June
HENS BENS make pop music in BLOCK CAPITALS. Their live shows aren’t like those by other bands. They incorporate fresh fruit, balloons, archery and power tools.
HENS BENS do not speak between songs, with the band instead relying on computer-generated crowd banter over which they have no control. There are LEDs attached to things. There are costume changes.
Their 2025 album WORLD’S STRONGEST BAND features songs about steroids, revenge, Clint Eastwood’s 1988 film ‘The Dead Pool’, having an argument with the guy from Sleaford Mods, politicians the singer went to school with, Jerry Seinfeld becoming a bit right-wing these days, the band’s great great granddaughters, nuclear war and more.
Humour – Sunday 15 June
Humour live together in Glasgow. They formed across the 2021 lockdowns, writing and recording their material at home, with the music intended as a backdrop to Andreas’ lyrics.
Sometimes they’re about letting people down, sometimes they’re about pets dying, sometimes they’re about trying to say something when you don’t have anything worth saying.
Signing to SoYoung Records off the back of a few rough demos, it was clear Humour had a unique sound. Their first release ‘Yeah, Mud!’ gained critical acclaim from NME, Clash Magazine, DIY, Dork and more.
With two EPs released to date, they have now announced their debut album Learning Greek which is set for release in August 2025.
Nick Dow – Sunday 15 June
Scottish electronic music producer Nick Dow blurs the lines between club, ambient and experimental music, combining cinematic melodies with organic instrumentation and visceral textures, enveloping the listener in a world of surging musical landscapes.
Night Caller – Saturday 14 June
Night Caller is made up of members from established Scottish acts including Callum Easter, Neon Waltz, The Stagger Rats, The Merrylees and more – instantly asserting their experienced presence within the Scottish music scene. Band members have recorded with the likes of Paul Weller, The Coral and The Zombies.
They brand their music as “gutter pop – fun, fast, kinky and chaotic!”. Expect deep vocals and ballad-inspired melodies with a sing-along chorus.
Puppy Teeth – Saturday 14 June
Puppy Teeth is an independent Edinburgh based band composed of singer and rhythm guitarist Anna Trost, singer and lead guitarist Theo Black, bassist Ed Meltzer and drummer Niamh Jordan. The band has been described as heady, dreamy, 90s melodic, shoegaze/grunge with psychedelic, hypnotising female vocals.
Huge influences for Puppy Teeth‘s music are artists such as Men I Trust, Jeff Buckley, Mazzy Star, Big Thief, Sorry and Deftones.
racecar – Thursday 12 June
racecar is an alt-pop trio composed of Izzy Flower (vocals, keys, synthesizer), Robin Brill (guitar, drums), and Calum Mason (bass).
They are based in Edinburgh, Scotland, and formed in 2018. They released their debut album, Orange Car, in 2022.
Their latest album, Pink Car, a bold fusion of nostalgia, coming-of-age themes, and genre-blurring sounds, was released earlier this year. With festival-ready anthems like ‘Zephyr’ and ‘Fall Leave’, the album expands on their signature style with a fresh, dynamic energy.
samwooddoowmas – Saturday 14 June
samwooddoowmas is a musician and visual artist based in Edinburgh. He records out of a DIY studio held together with electrical tape.
He makes sounds using a variety of techniques including tape loops, digital processing and analogue instrumentation. He is known for performing in unusual spaces (such as a urinal) and using instruments in strange ways live, such as a bass guitar played with a bicycle.
San Jose – Sunday 15 June
Their name pinched from a Dionne Warwick song, San Jose wield their forthright, raucous and versatile reputation with a snarled grin. With ever-evolving theatrics and everything you’d expect from a circus with the exception of the caged animals, San Jose, are the only 5 piece band with an average of more than 5 members.
Although falling under the ever expanding umbrella term of “post-punk” San Jose have a dedication to avoid musical confinement, the five piece often incorporate instrumentation uncommon to heavier styles of music, such as brass and accordion, and interweave it with their punk attitude.
With a background in musical theatre, San Jose blur the lines between performance art and concert. With people in bear costumes, auctions, fine dining, plumbing and pantomime levels of audience interaction all to be expected from their shows, the five piece sonically and visually paint a picture of the inherent absurdism that lies within Scottish culture.
Their live performances have been described as “the ideal descent into hell”.
The Era – Saturday 14 June
The Era are a duo from Glasgow consisting of Electric Harp player Lochlann and Singer/Guitarist Cal. Taking as much influence from pop icons such as Sky Ferreira and Charli XCX as they do from indie references like Arctic Monkeys, The Kills & Nine Inch Nails.
The Era are pushing the boundaries of modern pop/rock music by using their USP; unlike any other band on the scene The Era use an electric harp played through a selection of amplifiers and effects pedals to create a face pounding wall of sound.
Recent shows include support slots for 80’s legends Heaven 17 as well as notable slots with GGLUM for Plastic Factory LDN, The Ninth Wave, Vlure as well as a sold out debut headline show in Broadcast, Glasgow – all within their first 8 months as a band.
Tickets are now available at www.hiddendoorarts.org/tickets
An inspirational business leader who overcame cancer twice launched Race for Life in Scotland’s capital.
Gail Izat was guest of honour at Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, sounding the starter horn to send around 1,300 participants on the courses at Holyrood Park, Edinburgh. She was cheered on by her colleagues from Standard Life, part of Phoenix Group and headline sponsors for Race for Life.
More than £201,300 was raised at Race for Life Edinburgh – vital funds which will enable scientists to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer – to bring about a world where everybody lives longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.
Every year, around 34,600 people are diagnosed with cancer in Scotland.
Gail, who is Standard Life Managing Director (workplace & retail intermediary), was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2019, just two months after celebrating her 50th birthday.
It was a shock when the disease returned days before Christmas in 2022. Now in remission, mum of two Gail has vowed to do everything she can to help give others more tomorrows with their loved ones.
Gail, from Edinburgh said: “I’ve had cancer twice but I’ve got through it twice thanks to life-saving science.
“When you’ve had cancer suddenly you realise you’re not immortal and actually you have something that might kill you. At first having cancer felt like being admitted to a secret club I didn’t want to belong to. I felt strongly that I didn’t even want to talk to people about cancer until I found out more information about what I was actually facing, until I knew it was curable.
“But as time went on I started to believe I was going to get through the disease. And as I’ve recovered, I’ve found events like Race for Life offer a chance to meet people whose lives have also been touched by cancer. It offers a wonderful support and a sense of community.”
Over the last 50 years, Cancer Research UK’s work has helped double breast cancer survival in the UK.
Race for Life Edinburgh included a 360 degree photobooth, provided by headline sponsor Standard Life, where participants were able to receive a digital copy of a photo as a reminder of the day. Standard Life fielded a team of 30 staff who completed Race for Life Edinburgh.
A group of 17 pupils aged between nine to 26 from the award winning Sarah Hendry School of Dance in Glenrothes entertained the crowds with Highland Dance moves. Sharon Holgarth from Event Buddies Scotland was at the picnic area offering face painting and a stilt walker circulated to chat to supporters.
Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership with headline sponsor Standard Life, part of Phoenix Group, is an inspiring series of 3k, 5k, 10k, Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids events which raise millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer by funding crucial research.
Now organisers are sending a heartfelt message of thanks to everyone who put their best feet forward as well as their supporters. And they’re appealing for people to make every step count by paying in sponsorship money as soon as possible.
Linda Summerhayes, Cancer Research UK’s spokeswoman in Scotland, said: “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who took part in Race for Life Edinburgh.
“No matter how cancer affects us, life is worth racing for. Sadly nearly 1 in 2 of us will get cancer in our lifetime but all of us can support the research that will beat it.
“We’re proud that Race for Life has had such a positive impact. Every pound raised supports our life-saving work, which has helped double cancer survival in the UK over the last 50 years.
“It was a fantastic day at Race for Life Edinburgh, full of emotion, courage, tears, laughter and hope as people celebrated the lives of those dear to them who have survived cancer and remembered loved ones lost to the disease.
“Now we’re asking everyone who took part to return the money they’re raised as soon as possible. Every donation, every pound raised will make a real difference.”
Since it began in 1994, more than 10 million people have taken part in Race for Life, contributing millions of pounds towards life-saving research.
Cancer Research UK funded scientists led the development of the Human Papillomavirus Virus vaccine, which is expected to prevent almost 90 per cent of cervical cancers in the UK. The charity was a key player in the development of radiotherapy which now benefits millions of cancer patients worldwide.
Cancer Research UK played a leading role in the development of abiraterone – a drug that gives men with advanced prostate cancer more time with their friends and family.
Andy Curran, Chief Executive of Standard Life, part of Phoenix Group, said: “We are incredibly proud to continue as headline sponsor for Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, with the opportunity to encourage participation across the country.
“By working to raise funds for life-saving research, we can move towards a future where people live longer and better lives, free from the fear of cancer.”
To enter, visit raceforlife.org
Gail Izat’s story
Gail Izat is in remission from triple negative breast cancer.
Around 15 per cent of people diagnosed with the disease have this type of breast cancer. Triple negative breast cancers are cancers whose cells don’t have receptors to the hormones oestrogen and progesterone or a protein called Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER 2).
This means doctors cannot use targeted hormone therapies or drugs that specifically target those receptors, leaving chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy as the main treatment options.
On October 1 2019, Gail had day surgery to remove the tumour and she started chemotherapy treatment on November 30 2019. Gail had eight sessions of chemotherapy in total. After the side effects of treatment meant she lost her long dark hair, her husband Bill McGeoch and their sons, Rory, now 21, and Euan, 19, also shaved their heads in solidarity.
In the spring of 2020 as the UK went in to lockdown due to the COVID 19 pandemic, Gail started six sessions of radiotherapy. Treatment was complete by the end of April 2020. Gail steadily recovered and was monitored closely over the next two years.
But in December 2022, the results of her annual mammogram stopped her in her tracks. Gail said: “After I’d had cancer for the first time I couldn’t fully shake off a sense of dread that it might return.
“I’d had a busy few days at work and I remember an O131 Edinburgh number kept coming through to my mobile phone as a missed call. Eventually the hospital left a voicemail asking me to call.
“The doctors had found something and I had to go in the next day for urgent tests. I had cancer again.”
That Christmas was difficult for all the family. But it was a relief in January when tests showed the cancer had not spread. On February 23 2023 at St John’s Hospital, Livingston, Gail endured a 14 hour mastectomy surgery and reconstruction.
She was in the intensive care ward for several days. Early in March, Gail had to return to hospital for seven days for more surgery due to complications.
Gail said: “It took me a good ten weeks to recover from the surgery and it was actually harder than all the treatment I’d had previously. But I was lucky. They’d caught the cancer early and I got through it thanks to the amazing support I had from my family and my colleagues at work.”
Gail had six months of daily chemotherapy tablets which she completed in October 2023. She now has an annual mammogram and a CT scan every six months. She keeps fit by walking every day with the family pet labradoodle, Poppy.
Gail said: “It’s important to live for the moment but also to think of the future. I feel passionate about Standard Life’s work as we make a positive difference.
“We support people to think about how they can be kind to their future selves by pension planning and through long term savings.”
POLICE are appealing for information following a crash involving a child pedestrian and a car on Ferry Road, Edinburgh.
The incident happened around 6.35pm on Friday (30 May 2025) in Wester Drylaw and involved a blue Land Rover Discovery.
The pedestrian, a 7-year-old boy, was taken to the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People for treatment. His injuries are serious but not described as life threatening. The driver was uninjured.
The road reopened around 11.15pm following further investigation.
Sergeant Fraser Mitchell said: “Our enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of this incident, and I would urge anyone with information to come forward.
“I am also keen to speak to any drivers who were in the area at the time and may have dashcam footage which has captured something of significance.”
Anyone with information is urged to call Police Scotland on 101 quoting reference number 3229 of 30 May, 2025.
BBC ALBA has secured the exclusive rights to air the Scottish Junior Cup Final – the annual tournament labelled the ‘Holy Grail’ in junior football.
Broadcasting from Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld, BBC ALBA Spòrs presenter, Micheal Steele, alongside commentator, Alex O’Henley, will bring viewers all the live action as Johnstone Burgh take on Tranent this afternoon (Sunday 1 June).
As both sides battle it out for the coveted piece of silverware, it’s set to be a high-stakes clash in one of junior football’s most prestigious competitions.
Johnstone Burgh midfielder Aaron Mason, who scored the winning goal against Largs Thistle to secure the Renfrewshire-side’s place in the Junior Cup Final for first time in 25 years, said: “It’s a great feeling to be playing in a Scottish Junior Cup Final, and to be part of it with my teammates representing a great football club means a lot. We’ve worked hard all season for this and now we have the chance to go make it count!”
Burgh last made it to the final in 2000 when they faced Whitburn Juniors at Partick Thistle’s Firhill. The game finished 2-2 with the East of Scotland League side going on to win on penalties.
Tranent celebrated reaching the Junior Cup Final for the first time in 90 years after a 3-2 aggregate win over Drumchapel United earlier this month. The East Lothian club have played in the final twice before, losing to Yoker Athletic in 1933 and then lifting the trophy two years later, with a 6-1 victory over Petershill at Ibrox.
Playing in the tournament for the first time since leaving the Junior leagues, Tranent defender, Euan Bauld, said: “It’s a great feeling to be in the final! We’ve had a month to look forward to it so all the boys are buzzing.
“It’s a massive day for the club as it’s 90 years since Tranent last won the Scottish Junior Cup. Hopefully we can do the town proud and bring home the trophy.”
The Junior Cup Final kicks off at 4.05pm, with BBC ALBA coverage from 4pm.
Fiona MacKenzie, BBC ALBA commissioning editor, said: “The Scottish Junior Cup Final is a standout event in BBC ALBA’s spring sporting schedule that showcases the passion and commitment of the players – and their communities – at every level of the game.
“With two passionate clubs, with everything to play for, this year’s final promises all the drama and excitement that makes Junior football so unique and we’re proud to be able to showcase this iconic fixture to a wider audience across our channels.”
Watch the Scottish Junior Cup Final live or on demand on BBC ALBA and BBC iPlayer:
BURGER KING® UK’s EDINBURGH PRINCES ST RESTAURANT LOOKS BETTER THAN EVER AFTER RECENT GLOW UP
It’s a great day for burger fans in Edinburgh Princes St! After much anticipation, Burger King® UK will officially re-open the doors to its newly designed restaurant in Princes St, allowing hungry locals to indulge in BK classics such as the flame-grilled Whopper®, classic Chicken Royale® and juicy Bacon Double XL once again.
Burger King® UK is celebrating the reopening by giving away 1,000 FREE Whopper® or Chicken Royale burgers* to lucky customers for one day only, on Tuesday 3rd of June.
The newly remodelled Edinburgh Princes St restaurant brings customer experience to a new level, with all-new in-restaurant innovations such as table service and a sensational menu that caters to all customers, whether they’re looking to start their day with a delicious breakfast butty and coffee for just £2.99, enjoy a family feast on delivery, or indulge in a late night snack.
Burger King® UK has also confirmed its extended hours at the Edinburgh Princes St restaurant, which is now open from 08:00 to 00:00. This means customers can make the most of Burger King® UK’s delicious menu from morning to late.
Paul Beach, Restaurant Manager at Burger King® UK, said:“The team and I are thrilled to return and serve our customers in Edinburgh Princes St.
“We look forward to welcoming both familiar faces and new guests to experience the renovated restaurant, and we’re confident they’ll have a fantastic time while enjoying our delicious meals.”
The re-opening of Edinburgh Princes St is the perfect opportunity for Burger King® UK fans to make the most of the tasty deals and discounts available on the Burger King® app. Whether it’s the classic Whopper® or Chicken Royale, customers can make savings all year round!
National Galleries Scotland exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy building
26 July – 2 November 2025
Tickets £5-£19 | Friends go free
Andy Goldsworthy | Fifty Years | National Galleries of Scotland
This summer, the largest ever indoor exhibition by Andy Goldsworthy will take over the National Galleries of Scotland in the heart of Edinburgh.
Featuring over 200 works, the show will include major installations made in response to the iconic Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) building, as well as drawings, photographs, films, sketchbooks and archival items dating back to the mid-1970s and spanning fifty years.
Sure to be one of the most talked-about art events of the year and only to be seen in Edinburgh. Brought to you by the National Galleries of Scotland, Andy Goldsworthy: Fifty Years opens on 26 July 2025. Tickets are on sale now.
Born in England in 1956, and based in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, for the past four decades, Goldsworthy is internationally recognised for his work with natural materials such as clay, stones, reeds, branches, leaves, snow and ice. Over fifty years, he has created a unique and highly influential body of work that speaks of our relationship with the land. In Andy Goldsworthy: Fifty Years the land is brought indoors, into Scotland’s capital city.
Working as a teenager on farms near Leeds in Yorkshire, where he grew up, Goldsworthy developed a passion for working with the land: harrowing the fields, bailing hay, picking out and piling stones, feeding cows and sheep.
This is where he acquired many of the skills he uses in his practice today: cutting, digging, gathering, stacking, building. Goldsworthy then studied art at Bradford and Preston, while based in Morecombe Bay. It was there that he began making ephemeral works in the sand, recording what he made in photographs and film.
Andy Goldsworthy: Fifty Years has been conceived by the artist as a single immersive artwork in response to the space, materials and character of the RSA building. Occupying all of the upper rooms and most of the lower floor, the exhibition is at once beautiful and ambitious in scale.
The interrelationship of humans and the working land is a recurrent theme in Goldsworthy’s art and in the exhibition. He often presents the land as a hard, hostile and brutal place. Fences and barriers feature prominently, in the form of rusted barbed wire stretched across a room, and a massive, cracked clay wall. As in nature, beauty and danger co-exist.
In dialogue with the oak floor, the vast 20-metre-long Oak Passage fills the largest room, with hundreds of oak branches forming a narrow path through its centre. Made from the leftovers of windfallen trees, the passage acts as a reminder that the gallery floor was once a tree, and that a building is part of nature – just as we are.
Another highlight is the floor of one large room which is entirely covered with stones left over from gravedigging – collected from over 100 graveyards in Dumfriesshire. With this new work, Goldsworthy explores the metaphorical correlation between the body and the earth.
When a body is buried, the body takes the place of the stones, and the stones take the place of the body. At the other end of the sculpture court, in contrast, a room will contain 10,000 reeds suspended from a halo on the ceiling. They will appear to rain down from the sky and float above the gallery floor at the same time.
Red Flags was originally created for the main square in the Rockefeller Center in New York and installed there for a month in September 2020. The fifty large canvas flags, individually stained with red earth collected from each of the fifty US states, refer equally to difference and similarity, a work, in the words of artist, ‘that talks of connection and not division.’
The colour red features in many of Goldsworthy’s works in the exhibition, referencing blood and the iron content which makes blood red – another connection between our bodies and the land.
Themes of access to the land and the right to roam have informed Goldsworthy’s work. Another new sculpture, which stretches up the impressive entrance stair at the RSA, is made of sheep fleeces marked with the colour codes of different farmers.
While Andy Goldsworthy is one of the most celebrated figures in contemporary art, his work is seldom seen in exhibitions. He has completed outdoor commissions all around the world, from the Arctic Circle to Tasmania, but the inclusion of his work in museum shows is rare.
Andy Goldsworthy: Fifty Years is by far the largest and most ambitious indoor exhibition of his work ever attempted. Conceived by the artist specifically for the RSA building in Edinburgh, never seen before and never to be seen again, this exhibition is set to cement Goldsworthy’s position as one of the leading artists of our time.
Andy Goldsworthy, says: “The show has come at a particular time for me. I don’t think I’ve ever had an exhibition that has paralleled the work that I’m making in the landscape here in Scotland.
“That’s because the RSA is not far from where I live, so I have been able to make work in Dumfriesshire alongside visits to the RSA, which has become connected to what I am doing outside. I couldn’t have done this exhibition anywhere else. Actually, describing it as an exhibition seems wrong – it is a work in its own right.”
Anne Lyden, Director-General at the National Galleries of Scotland, says: “Andy Goldsworthy is a unique artist, he has such vision, and his work is extraordinarily beautiful.
“Andy Goldsworthy: Fifty Years is incredibly special, bringing the land indoors, and only at the National Galleries of Scotland. I’m so excited for everyone in Edinburgh to have the opportunity to visit this wonderful exhibition this summer.”
Andy Goldsworthy: Fifty Years is a National Galleries Scotland exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy building, opening on 26 July 2025. Tickets are on sale now!
The Westminster Labour government has sold its remaining shares in NatWest Group (formerly Royal Bank of Scotland, RBS) — ending public ownership that began when it stepped in to protect millions of savers and businesses during the financial crisis.
That intervention prevented the UK economy and financial system from going over the edge – protecting millions of savers, businesses and jobs.
Over 2008 and 2009, the government provided £45.5 billion to stabilise RBS (now NatWest), which at the time was one of the largest banks in the world- with over 40 million customers and operations in more than 50 countries.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said: “Nearly two decades ago, the then Government stepped in to protect millions of savers and businesses from the consequences of the collapse of RBS.
“That was the right decision then to secure the economy and NatWest’s return to private ownership turns the page on a significant chapter in this country’s history. We protected the economy in a time of crisis nearly seventeen years ago, now we are focused on securing Britain’s future in a new era of global change.”
Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Emma Reynolds said: “Bringing NatWest fully back into private ownership marks a significant milestone for the UK banking sector following the financial crisis.
“Since coming into government, we have halted the NatWest retail share sale, which could have cost taxpayers hundreds of millions. Instead, we put taxpayers first by only selling NatWest shares at market value— securing more money to invest in vital public services.”
To date, £35 billion has been returned to the Exchequer through share sales, dividends and fees. While this is around £10.5 billion less than the original support, the alternative would have been a collapse with far greater economic costs and social consequences.
The Office for Budget Responsibility are clear on this point: the cost of doing nothing would almost certainly have been far greater than the difference between the capital injected and proceeds returned.
Allowing the bank to fail would have devastated people’s savings, mortgages and livelihoods — and shattered confidence in the UK’s financial system.
Since taking office in 2024, the government says it has prioritised securing value for taxpayers — scrapping plans for a retail sale that could have cost hundreds of millions of pounds due to the need to sell shares at a discounted price to attract retail buyers.
Instead, shares were sold only at market price and when it represented value for money — helping fund the Plan for Change to invest in the NHS, education and defence.
The government has now exited all banking sector interventions made during the financial crisis.
