Humanitarian aid efforts in Venezuela will receive £250,000 Scottish Government funding following the devastating earthquakes that have struck the country.
The support will help those affected by the earthquakes, which have caused significant loss of life and severe damage to homes and infrastructure.
The funding will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to support people to access shelter, food, water and medical care in the worst affected areas.
International Development Minister Simita Kumar said: “My heart goes out to everyone in Venezuela who has lost their loved ones or their home in the wake of these devastating earthquakes.
“The scale of suffering is immense, and I am deeply concerned for everyone caught up in the crisis, including the hundreds of thousands of children who most urgently need support.
“Scotland has a proud tradition of standing with communities in their darkest hours and will play its part in supporting the international humanitarian effort in Venezuela. This funding will help get vital assistance to those who need it most.”
Val Brown, Head of Christian Aid in Scotland and spokesperson for the DEC Scotland Appeal, said: “This is an unimaginably difficult time for the people affected by the earthquake.
“From the terror and chaos of the earthquakes to the ongoing anguish of missing or injured loved ones. People are coming to terms with the fact that their whole lives have changed in seconds. Many have lost their homes and belongings, whole neighbourhoods have been destroyed.
“Many of DEC’s member charities were already working in Venezuela so are able to work well with local and national experts. They responded immediately by delivering basic aid from the very beginning – food, water, emergency medical care. But so much more is needed now and in the coming days and weeks.
“We’d like to thank the Scottish Government for their generous support for this latest appeal, the 80th we’ve launched in the DEC’s 60 year history. We hope the £250,000 they have provided will encourage people from all over Scotland to dig deep and help make a difference right now.”
The DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities to raise funds quickly and efficiently at times of humanitarian crisis overseas, with 10 of its 15 member agencies already operational in Venezuela or working with local partners on the ground.
To make a donation to the Venezuela earthquake appeal, visit the DEC website.
People in Edinburgh are going All In for Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, as local groups prepare to host National Lottery-funded arts, sport and community activities, inspired by the Games.
With just three weeks till the Games begin, four projects in Edinburgh have received over £26,000 (£26,919) of National Lottery Awards for All funding, including Big Hearts Community Trust, Edinburgh Giants Inclusive Sports Club, Edinburgh International Jazz & Blues Festival and Fischy.
This will help bring people together, encourage participation and help local communities by creating inclusive, locally led activities and events that build excitement, pride and connection ahead of an unforgettable summer of sport.
The awards are part of an additional £2.2 million investment through National Lottery Awards for All Scotland, delivered jointly by The National Lottery Community Fund, sportscotland and Creative Scotland.
The announcement is part of the wider All In campaign, Glasgow 2026’s Scotland‑wide movement inviting communities, schools, sports clubs, cultural and voluntary organisations and businesses to celebrate the Games in their own altogether brilliant way.
Big Hearts Community Trust will use its funding to expand its Together Equality Achieves More (T.E.A.M) project, providing access to free activities for children and young people, aged between eight and 12 years old from multicultural communities across Southwest Edinburgh.
Amanda Farquhar, Head of Delivery at Big Hearts said: “The Big Hearts’ TEAM project is about building a community that celebrates our young people in all their diversity and helps them thrive emotionally and physically through sport.
“We are grateful to National Lottery players whose support has enabled our charity to bring the spirit of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games to south-west Edinburgh. We look forward to hosting more opportunities for young people to get active and build friendships outside of school.””
Edinburgh International Jazz & Blues Festival will deliver a five-month community Carnival Arts programme and a street parade to coincide with the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Explaining how the funding will be used, Giles Agis, Carnival and Community Manager, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this National Lottery Awards for All Scotland funding.
“This support will help Edinburgh International Jazz and Blues Festival bring communities together through carnival arts, music, dance, and cultural celebration, marking the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games in a way that is inclusive, creative, and rooted in Scotland’s diverse communities. We are very grateful to National Lottery players for making this possible.”
Other projects to receive funding, include Edinburgh Giants Inclusive Sports Club, will help train and certify 12 people in wheelchair rugby league coaching and first aid so they can then develop, run and evaluate a 9-month wheelchair rugby league programme for around 100 disabled children and young people living in Edinburgh.
Fishcy received support to deliver a free, celebratory Commonwealth Games 2026 online music and movement event to engage primary schools and Additional Support Needs schools across Scotland.
The funding is helping remove barriers to participation, enabling more people to take part in sport, arts and community activities while supporting health, wellbeing and social connection. Projects will also celebrate Scotland’s cultural diversity and ensure communities across the country can feel part of Glasgow 2026.
Announcing the first 40 grants totalling £317,456, on behalf of National Lottery Awards for All Scotland distributors, Neil Ritch,The National Lottery Community Fund Director for Scotland,said: “We’re delighted to support Big Hearts Community Trust, Edinburgh International Jazz & Blues Festival and Edinburgh Giants Inclusive Sports Club and Fischy to bring the spirit of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games to their community through The National Lottery Awards for All Scotland.
“It’s really exciting to see so many communities go All in and get inspired to deliver sports, arts and cultural activity. Thanks to National Lottery players, we’re helping make sure the benefit of the Games is felt in communities right across Scotland.”
Chris Ansell, Glasgow 2026 Director of Live Programmes and Engagement, said “From Shetland to the Borders, we want every community in Scotland to feel part of Glasgow 2026.
“The response from communities across the country has been brilliant with the nation really embracing the spirit of the Games and channelling it into sport, arts and cultural activity. Thanks to support from the National Lottery, we are gathering communities together to celebrate the Games in their own way.
“These projects are proof that the impact of the Games reaches far beyond our incredible venues, sparking something real and lasting in communities. We couldn’t be more proud to see that happening right across Scotland.”
National Lottery Awards for All Scotland has awarded grants of up to £10,000 to help groups deliver activities that resonate with local communities. Funding remains available for projects taking place after the Games, helping extend the legacy of Glasgow 2026 long after the closing ceremony.
Community groups interested in applying can find out more about National Lottery Awards for All Scotland on The National Lottery Community Fund website.
Exhilarating horsemanship and medieval hijinks made a gallant return to Linlithgow Palace over the weekend as part of Historic Scotland’s annual Spectacular Jousting event.
The event featured a range of medieval-themed experiences for visitors, including falconry displays and a historical reenactment camp.
In the jousting arena, the thundering of hooves and clash of lances accompanied four knights who battled it out to become the tourney’s champion.
Join us at the Nepali Mela on 13 July at Ross Bandstand, Princes Street Gardens
We warmly welcome people from all communities, cultures, and backgrounds to come together, celebrate diversity, enjoy great food, music, and cultural performances.
Bring your family and friends and be part of this wonderful event.
An Edinburgh woman is preparing to take on a unique fundraising challenge that will see her and her beloved pet pooch walk 100 miles and visit 30 war memorials across Edinburgh and East Lothian.
Claudea Rizzo and her dog Zeus will embark on their ‘Paws for Remembrance’ fundraiser on July 1st, 2026, walking 100 Miles to 30 memorials in 30 days in a bid to raise funds and awareness for veterans and their families while encouraging remembrance within local communities.
Throughout the challenge, Claudea, who works as the Events & Communications Coordinator at Legion Scotland, and Zeus will visit war memorials and places of remembrance across the region, sharing photographs and reflections from each location through social media and a dedicated fundraising page.
Claudea said: “Working for Legion Scotland, I see first-hand the importance of supporting veterans and preserving remembrance. This challenge is an opportunity to combine both.
“Every memorial tells a story, and I hope this journey encourages people to pause, remember those who served, and support veterans who may need help today.”
Funds raised will support the work of Legion Scotland, which aids, advocacy, community support and remembrance activities for veterans and their families throughout Scotland.
Supporters will be able to follow the journey online as Zeus becomes the face of the campaign, accompanying the challenge every step of the way.
Anyone wishing to support the fundraiser can do so through the challenge’s JustGiving page.
Families can enjoy free ocean-inspired fun at Fort Kinnaird this summer, as the centre launches its summer holiday activity programme.
Running from Saturday 27th June until Saturday 1st August, the Ocean Putt Trail will give visitors the chance to take on a free eight-hole mini golf experience while discovering facts about local sea life and marine conservation along the way.
Located outside ODEON Cinema, the trail has been created using recycled ocean-inspired materials, including driftwood, netting and bottle caps. Visitors of all ages can take on a series of putting challenges while learning more about the local ecosystem.
Throughout the summer, families can also get involved in the Sea-to-Shore Trail. Trail sheets are available from the Ocean Putt Shack outside ODEON Cinema and will guide families on an adventure around the centre to uncover facts about the natural world and Edinburgh’s oceans.
Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said: “We know it’s not always easy keeping the kids entertained during the school holidays, so it was important to us to offer something free for all of the family to enjoy on a day out this summer.
“The trails are a fun way to spend time together, try something new and learn a little more about marine life and the importance of looking after our oceans. We’re also really proud that the Ocean Putt Trail has been created using recycled materials, and we hope it sparks some great conversations with visitors while they enjoy a day out with us.”
The Ocean Putt Trail is open daily from 11am to 4pm, with times subject to change.
For more information and to plan a visit to Fort Kinnaird, go to:
A consultation on how the Council should shape our communities, and the wider city, to meet the needs of local people and a growing population, is open from today until 30 September.
‘Call for Ideas’ is an opportunity for those living and working in the city to give their ideas and proposals at this early stage in the process to help set the direction of the next local development plan – City Plan 2040. The consultation is asking residents including young people, community councils and groups, businesses, social enterprises, the public and private sector, developers and landowners to share their vision, proposals and every idea will be considered.
Anyone passionate about how their community will look in the future and how City Plan 2040 can help to protect it should get involved. Ideas need to relate to a specific area but can be any size covering a whole district, neighbourhood, a single plot of land or building.
Planning Convener, Councillor Joan Griffiths said:“Your idea could cover proposals for new buildings and homes, improving how you get around, additional spaces for playing, sports or growing food or ideas to reuse important buildings.
“It would be good to know why you think it’s important for your area and why it would a make a difference. Your local knowledge will help us focus on making change where it is needed.
“I’d encourage you to find out what others think by reaching out to your community to find out what is most important to them. You could 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 could be changed.
You could do this through surveys and questionnaires, drop in events, exhibitions and by attending planned local events.
“My vision is that you can help us create City Plan 2040 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.”
Further information:
The Evidence Report outlining the critical information which should be considered to create City Plan 2040, compiled following engagement with residents including young people, government agencies, politicians, and other stakeholders over the last couple of years, was agreed by Council on Thursday 24 June.
The document, which also sets out the implications of the evidence examined, will now be considered by the Scottish Government for ‘Gate Check’.
When the Scottish Government decides there is sufficient evidence, the next step is for the Council to prepare a proposed plan and consult on it.
Members from The Heart Dementia Meeting Centre The Heart of Newhaven have an arts exhibition coming up soon titled Finished Business.
This is a collaboration with the family of the late Kate Sharp whose unfinished canvases have been ‘finished’ by members of the Heart of Newhaven Dementia Meeting Centre.
Kate was an architect who loved to paint and stopped painting when she received a diagnosis of dementia and so our members were encouraged to pick up a paint brush and finish what Kate had started.
See the dates in the flier = we hope to see you there!
Health Secretary Angela Constance has welcomed official figures that show sustained progress in reducing waiting times.
Public Health Scotland statistics published today demonstrate the waiting list for new outpatients is down 12.9% compared to last year, with the number of outpatient waits of more than a year dropping for 12 months in a row.
More people are being treated for cancer on time, within both 62 and 31 day standards, compared to pre-pandemic and to 10 years ago. The median wait for treatment after a decision to treat is just two days – the joint lowest on record.
Ms Constance said significant pressures remain at the hospital front door, with A&E performance requiring improvement and the NHS facing increases in attendances and activity across a number of services.
She highlighted the need to continue to focus on shifting the balance of care into communities, using initiatives like GP walk-in services and Hospital at Home to ensure patients get the right care, in the right place at the right time.
During a visit to Western General Hospital in Edinburgh to learn more about cancer monitoring, Ms Constance said: “These latest official figures illustrate that our exceptional NHS workforce is treating more people across Scotland and dealing with significant pressures in doing so.
“Hospital activity is up and as a result we are seeing long waits for operations coming down. Thanks to our hard-working staff and targeted Scottish Government investment, we are building more capacity. This is surpassing our target to provide 150,000 additional appointments last year and an additional 30,000 procedures in our network of National Treatment Centres.
“We know, however, that delivering better care cannot be achieved simply by increasing activity. Real long-term progress will mean improving access to care on our doorstep and in communities. It requires change in how we deliver social care and address delayed discharges from hospitals.
“In our first 100 days of government we will introduce a new national plan for the flow of patients through hospital. We are investing in more community care, including opening more GP walk-in centres across the country and introducing heart and lung MOTs. Prevention is better than cure and catching problems early saves lives.”
In total, 7,225 cancer patients were treated in the first quarter of 2026 on the 31-day standard, 13.1% higher than the quarter ending 31 December 2019.
Linlithgow Palace and other Historic Scotland sites are offering UK residents the chance to visit for less this summer
Historic Scotland is offering a 20% discount on admission tickets at a range of sites across the country as part of its Historic Summer campaign.
The offer, open to UK residents from 26 June to 1 September 2026, aims to encourage people and families to visit their local historic sites and venture further afield to explore participating locations across the country.
Included in the offer are some of the Scotland’s most iconic historic sites, from Stirling Castle, once the seat of royal power for Scottish monarchs, to Fort George, an imposing coastal fort near Inverness that has served the British Army for almost 250 years.
Linlithgow Palace will also take part, which was the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots and her father, James V of Scotland.
Olivia Devine, Senior Marketing Manager at Historic Environment Scotland, said: “Summer is a wonderful time to visit our sites across Scotland, and we want as many people to enjoy them as possible. We hope the offer will encourage people to rediscover their local landmarks or travel somewhere they haven’t been before.
“We have such rich history at our fingertips in Scotland, and many of our sites can be found within some of the most beautiful landscapes the country has to offer. Historic Summer will allow people and families to make new memories in wonderful places!”
Historic Summer tickets are limited and must be booked online at historicsummer.scot.
Terms and conditions apply. Each ticket provides general admission to one site and cannot be reused at another site. Historic Summer ticket holders will be asked for proof of address when they arrive at the site.
Historic Scotland sites taking part in Historic Summer are:
