SATURDAY 25th OCTOBER from 11am in EDINBURGH
On Sat 25 Oct, join us in Edinburgh as #WeDemandBetter!
Start: 11am at Scottish Parliament
March through the city
Rally at The Meadows for music, speeches, food & family fun!
Find out more:
Road policing officers are appealing following a serious crash in the Drumbrae Terrace area.
The incident happened around 1.30am this morning (Thursday, 16 October), and involved a black Suzuki Jimny car which hit a building at Drumbrae park.
Emergency services attended and a 20-year-old man, a passenger, was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh where his condition is described as critical.
The driver, an 18-year-old man, and another passenger, a 19-year-old man, were treated at hospital for minor injuries.
Sergeant Grant Hastie said: “Our enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances and we are asking people in the area to check any private CCTV from the surrounding streets to see if they have captured anything that could assist.
“If you were driving in the area please also check to see if you have any dash-cam that might help with our investigation.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0194 of Thursday, 16 October, 2025.
All NHS Boards now have frailty services in emergency departments to help older and vulnerable patients as soon as they arrive – improving care and reducing pressure on A&E departments.
On a visit to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary Acute Frailty Unit, Health Secretary Neil Gray saw the impact the service is having on patient care, including:
Frailty services provide specialist, multidisciplinary assessment and care for older patients where required. They are designed to accelerate early discharge, reduce delays, and shorten hospital stays — helping patients recover more quickly and return home sooner.
This expansion of frailty services across the country is backed by a share of the £200 million investment from the 2025-26 Budget, aimed at reducing waiting times, improving hospital flow, and minimising delayed discharges.
After his visit, Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “The success of the frailty service here in Dumfries and Galloway is something we are replicating across Scotland.
“By shifting the balance of care from acute hospitals to community-based services, we can ensure that people experiencing frailty are supported earlier – whether through GP referral or direct access via the Scottish Ambulance Service.
“This is about making sure people get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
“The work being done here is making a real difference, particularly for older patients, with average length of stay reduced by 14 days and no increase in re-admissions.
“Improving patient flow is a key priority, and services like this show how targeted, well-coordinated care can lead to better outcomes.”
Chief Operating Officer of NHS Dumfries and Galloway Nicole Hamlet said: “This work is making a real and measurable difference.
By reducing unnecessary time in hospital, we’re helping people get home or to a homely setting safely and sooner. It also frees up vital capacity in the hospital, which helps us deliver better care across the board.
“I’m very proud of what the team has achieved.
“The project builds on previous frailty work in Dumfries and Galloway and continues to evolve with input from those delivering the care. The team is supported by Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership’s management team and project leads.”
NHS Board hears of service results and progress towards key target
Join us on Saturday, 25th October, 10 AM–4 PM for the ECHC Halloween Stall – a spooktacular day of games, glitter tattoos, and a chance to meet your favourite Star Wars characters!
Plus, don’t miss the tombola packed with fang-tastic prizes!
All in support of Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity 
Yule love this!
Step into a merry mash-up of mistletoe, music and mulled wine as The Pitt transforms into a festive playground of flavour, fun and fashionable market picks. On top of our usual weekend antics of piping hot international street food and cold frothy pints, our Christmas Night Market kicks off our festive calendar with a bang, bringing together over 40+ local makers, artists and traders offering everything from:
– Unique and thoughtful gifts
– Funky fashion
– Artisan homeware
– Cheeses, chutneys, olives and sweet treats heaven
– Festive decor
– Stocking fillers
– Handcrafted artwork
What’s On:
– Santa’s Grotto: say hello to the boy himself
– Workshops & crafts: wreath-making, face-painting, and make-your-own gifts for wee and big kids alike
– Seasonal sips: mulled wine and local brewskis for the grown-ups, plus fruity mocktails and soft drinks for the wains and drivers
– International street food: piping hot and perfect for keeping you fuelled
– Live DJs: bangers spinning late into the night
– Cosy wee nooks: for toasting, tasting, checking the bank account…
Join us for a night of festive magic, market mayhem, mistletoe and wine etc etc, and soak up our signature blend of industrial charm, cosy vibes and boozy cheer. Shop til you drop on homeware to spice up your gaff or gifts to make your pals laugh. Tear up the dance floor. Gorge yourself silly on truffle fries and momo dumplings. It’s all to play for at our Christmas Night Market!
– Free entry
– All night
– 4-11PM
– The Pitt, 20 West Shore Road
NHS Lothian’s Annual Review is happening at Mainpoint, 1st Floor, 102 West Port, Edinburgh.
Public session includes a chance to ask questions about local health services.
Register to attend and / or submit your question here:
Are you passionate about your local community and interested in helping us shape how it looks in the future? Local Place Plans have been introduced so you can tell us what you care about, like and don’t like about where you live as well as your community’s aspirations.
Every area is different and so your plan can address your community’s needs and concerns. The Council is required to recognise Local Place Plans when preparing the next local development Plan – City Plan 2040.
So how does this work? There is no right or wrong way to develop each plan. It will depend on the resources you have available. But it must include a map of the relevant land, and a proposal of how the land will be used. You can make it very simple, and it doesn’t need to be professionally designed. A word document and a map can be enough.
You can help shape future housing, business, or community spaces by bringing forward proposals to improve quality of life, health and well-being, and help to protect buildings and green space in line with your community values.
If you have an idea, I’d suggest you team up with your local community council or relevant trusts or charities. Children and youth groups, local schools and organisations big and small may also like to get involved with your plan.
A Local Place Plan needs to relate to a specific area, but it can be any size. It can cover a whole district, a neighbourhood, or a single plot of land. It is up to you what you cover.
It doesn’t need to be clearly defined in the beginning. It can evolve during the process.
A good Local Place Plan has information on what life is like in your area and who lives there. It could have ideas for new buildings and homes, improving how you get around, additional spaces for playing, sports or growing food, or proposals to reuse important buildings.
To prepare one you’ll also need to reach out to your community to find out what is most important to them. You should ask about the changes you’d like to make, what you’d like to protect, what they think is missing in the community and you can point out planning policies you think can be influenced in your plan.
You could do this through surveys and questionnaires, drop in events, exhibitions and by attending planned local events. Schools and youth organisations will be able to help you talk to young people too.
Our aim with City Plan 2040 and local place plans is to strengthen communities and make sure that they look after the wellbeing of their residents.
We want to build attractive places where people can afford to buy or rent their homes, walk to educational and healthcare facilities, enjoy cultural and sporting activities and easily access sustainable transport to visit other parts of Edinburgh.
You will find further information on local place plans on our website.
Our winter heating payments helped over half a million families warm their homes last year.
Winter Heating Payment, Child Winter Heating Payment and Pension Age Winter Heating Payment are automatic payments for almost everyone who is eligible and most people do not need to apply for these benefits.
Scam text messages are from criminals often pretending to be Social Security Scotland or another Government department. They tell people they are missing out on financial help and ask them to click a link to update their details or to apply for benefits.
We will never ask for personal or financial details by text or email or ask people to reply by text or email.
Information about our benefits is available on official channels, such as its website and social media accounts. People can also phone our helpline if they have questions.
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “As we approach the winter months, Social Security Scotland will be giving valuable payments to thousands of people automatically to help them stay warm during colder weather.
“It is important that people remain alert to scam text messages and e-mails. Social Security Scotland will never ask people for personal or financial details by text or e-mail.
“If anyone is unsure if they are eligible or are worried they will not receive a payment they are eligible for, please get in touch with Social Security Scotland directly.”
Tips to identify scam messages:
If you think you have been the victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately.
Report fraud to Police Scotland by calling 101.
Social Security Scotland offers free assistance to people making applications for benefits. More details can be found here: mygov.scot/benefits-support
FRIDAY 24th OCTOBER from 10am – 4pm
Join us for a Family History Fair at Central Library on Friday 24 October 2025, between 10am and 4pm!
Come along to talk to experts from the following organisations who will be on hand to introduce their collections and answer questions about using materials to search for missing details in your family history.
We’ll be joined by:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Edinburgh Central Library – Edinburgh and Scottish Collection and Digital Teams
National Records of Scotland and Scotland’s People
National War Museum Library
and The Royal Scots
There will also be a series of presentations held throughout the day. Both the day and talks are free to attend, but the talks should be booked in advance via TicketSource.
Read the full Family History Fair programme on the blog at https://zurl.co/mQieA
We hope to see you there!
Image: Photograph of group of children, Newhaven, c. 1921, © The City of Edinburgh Council Museums and Galleries
Over 115 local primary school students aged between five and 11 years old are due to take part in a competition run by Fort Kinnaird to design a label for the jars of honey produced by its resident beehives.
The centre has teamed up with Niddrie Mill Primary School to host the contest, with pupils tasked with creating a label for the 100 jars of honey created by the beehives located in the service area.
Students are encouraged to put their creativity to the test, with the winner set to win a £100 voucher to spend at Fort Kinnaird and a £20 gift card for five runners up.
The competition follows pupils from Niddrie Mill visiting the beehives at Fort Kinnaird back in June, during which they learned all about the world of bees – including how they are essential to the local environment, how hives function, and what it takes to care for bees first-hand.
Fort Kinnaird runs the beehives in partnership with Colin Mackie, a local beekeeper who has tended to the beehives since they were established in May 2024.
Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said: “Since our beehives were installed back in May 2024, they’ve provided fun and educational opportunities for our community and nearby schools like Niddrie Mill, while the centre’s wildflower areas support biodiversity by creating habitat for pollinators.
“We’re pleased to be continuing this with the competition and can’t wait to see all the designs the pupils of Niddrie Mill create – bringing to life the importance and impact of bees on our local environment.”
For more details and to plan your day at Fort Kinnaird, please visit:
