Bowel cancer is the UK’s fourth most common cancer and its second biggest cancer killer. We know that one of the ways we can reduce our risk of developing bowel cancer is by taking part in regular exercise.
This April, for Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, Bowel Cancer UK are encouraging people to do something active every day as part of our ActiveApril campaign.
Whether your readers would like to challenge themselves to reach a fitness goal or get active in their own way, every movement they make in ActiveApril will bring us closer to a future where nobody dies of bowel cancer.
The UK is set for a spectacular summer of butterflies – and everyone is invited to take part!
Leading wildlife charity, Butterfly Conservation, is calling on the public to prepare for a bumper summer of butterflies. This year, alongside its hugely popular Big Butterfly Count, the charity is launching something brand new – a vote to discover Britain’s Favourite Butterfly!
Famous for its annual Big Butterfly Count, in which tens of thousands of people spend 15 minutes counting butterflies, Butterfly Conservation is adding an exciting new milestone to the 2026 summer season as it sets out to discover which of the UK’s butterfly species takes the top spot in the nation’s hearts.
The call to action follows scientific evidence that proves counting butterflies boosts how connected people feel to nature and how motivated they are to protect it. Now the charity is encouraging people to vote for their favourite species, then head outside during Big Butterfly Count and see what they can spot this summer.
Kate Merry, Head of Engagement at Butterfly Conservation, said: “Over the last 16 years, more than 1.35 million Counts have been done by hundreds of thousands of people across the UK, spotting almost 13.8 million butterflies and helping us with our vital science and conservation activities.
“This year, we can’t wait to celebrate a bumper summer of butterflies by holding the first-ever vote to discover Britain’s Favourite Butterfly, before welcoming back the 17th annual Big Butterfly Count.
“Will the nation’s favourite species go on to reign supreme in the Count? Save the dates in your diaries to take part and help us find out!”
Britain’s Favourite Butterfly – Friday 15 May – Sunday 7 June
Britain’s Favourite Butterfly marks the first-time UK residents will be invited to champion their most-loved species.
Will the colourful Peacock take the crown? Or how about the understated Small White? Maybe it will be annual visitor the Painted Lady, or hedgerow fan the Gatekeeper.
The highly coveted title is up for grabs. The nation will decide…
Big Butterfly Count – Friday 17 July – Sunday 9 August
The 17th annual Big Butterfly Count is back and better than ever. Following hot on the heels of the first-ever vote to find Britain’s Favourite Butterfly, keen citizen scientists are encouraged to get out for the Count and see what they can spot.
Will the nation’s favourite species reign supreme in this year’s Count? Or will it have to share the summer top spot with another?
The vote to find Britain’s Favourite Butterfly will take place from Friday 15 May – Sunday 7 June, followed by Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count from Friday 17 July – Sunday 9 August.
Strengthened focus on family group decision-making ahead of Bill vote
Clearer access to advice and support, including better information on financial help and allowances are central to a newly-published national ‘vision’ for supporting Kinship Carers who look after children who cannot be cared for by their parents.
The importance of family group decision-making (FGDM) has been underlined in the final ‘Vision for Kinship Care’ that has been unveiled during Kinship Care Week, while Ministers have also lodged proposed amendments to the Children (Care, Care Experience, and Service Planning) (Scotland) Bill to strengthen the role of FGDM.
If agreed by Parliament along with the wider Bill, the amendments would give children and families the legal right to ask for FGDM to be considered as part of agreeing care arrangements for a child or young person where it is in their best interests. Local councils would have a duty to tell families about the option of FGDM during discussions over a child’s care, or during a review of existing kinship arrangements.
Meeting kinship carers at Children First’s offices in Edinburgh, the Promise Minister Natalie Don-Innes said: “Helping children to stay in their families where safe to do so is central to our aims to Keep the Promise, and I am hugely grateful to kinship carers who make an incredible difference by providing stable homes for children within their family network.
“The care, energy and commitment shown by Scotland’s kinship community is truly moving, and their input has been vital in shaping our National Vision for Kinship Care.
“When used in the right way, family group decision-making brings families together, helps children to be heard, and allows wider family networks to take part in planning and decision-making. This can help build stronger, more lasting plans, support earlier and more effective action, and reduce the need for things to be escalated.
“The stronger focus on family group decision-making in the final Vision for Kinship Care reflects what carers and their representative organisations have told us. The Children (Care, Care Experience, and Service Planning) Bill, if approved by Parliament, will further strengthen its place as one of a range of early options when considering how a child should be cared for.”
Chief Executive of Children First Mary Glasgow said: “Children First have supported the development of the Vision and worked closely with the incredible kinship carers we support to make sure their experiences shaped it.
“We were pleased the Minister could join us to celebrate Kinship Care Week and to connect with kinship carers. We warmly welcome the Vision and the plans to strengthen provision of family group decision making which are a crucial step towards ensuring all children can grow up safe, loved and connected to their wider family and community.”
One Kinship Carer, Iris*, said: “I have been a kinship carer for my seven-year-old grandson since he was four months old and I very much appreciate the Scottish Government’s attempt to make life better for kinship carers and the children they care for.
“I am very happy my grandson lives with me and, with help from my husband, my aunt, friends, family and neighbours, I am trying to give him the best possible life. But it’s not easy. Being a kinship carer is hard, often lonely, and involves rethinking your life, your career and your future.
“Kinship carers need, and deserve, all the support that can possibly be provided. Financially, practically and emotionally.”
*Name has been changed to protect the anonymity of the family.
POLICE are appealing for information following a serious crash in Edinburgh early this morning – Sunday, 15 March, 2026.
It took place around 4.20am, on the A71 near to its junction with Addiston Farm Road and involved a blue Renault Wind.
Emergency services attended. The 18-year-old male driver and his two 18-year-old male passengers were taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment. One passenger’s condition is described as critical and the other two conditions are described as serious.
Sergeant Grant Hastie said: “Enquiries are ongoing to establish the exact circumstances surrounding this serious crash.
“We are urging any witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. If you were in the area around the time and saw anything that may be relevant, please contact us. In addition, anyone with dash-cam footage is asked to get in touch.”
Please contact Police Scotland through 101 quoting reference number 0639 of 15 March.
For the first time in over 100 years, the Real Mary King’s Close is offering members of the public the extraordinary chance to spend a night within its walls.
The overnight stay forms the centrepiece of a new campaign at The Real Mary King’s Close, offering visitors the rare opportunity to experience the historic streets after dark. The initiative also supports work to stabilise and protect the site, helping historians, conservators and visitors better understand how people in Edinburgh centuries ago lived and uncover stories that would otherwise remain hidden.
One winner will enjoy the chance to stay beyond visiting hours and experience Mary King’s Close as no modern visitors ever have – after dark, without crowds and immersed in the atmosphere of the streets where people once lived, worked and survived.
The experience includes an overnight stay for two with exclusive after-hours access to the site, a private after-dark tour led by an experienced costumed character revealing stories and details rarely shared during public visits, an immersive one-on-one experience with characters including the Plague Doctor and Dr Arnott, and dinner and breakfast served within The Close.
On top of getting to spend a night on the Close, the winner will also receive guest access for two to all of The Real Mary King’s Close special tours running throughout 2026, including Contagion & Carnage: The Plague Tour, A Dram of History, Pride History Tour, Dr Arnott’s Sampling Sensation, Myths and Legends Tour, Lantern Led Tour, and Victorian Christmas Experience. In addition, 10 runners-up will also receive two standard entry tickets to The Real Mary King’s Close.
Paul Nixon, General Manager at The Real Mary King’s Close said:“This is a truly unique chance to experience The Real Mary King’s Close like no visitor ever has before.To spend the night here after dark, when the crowds have gone and the streets fall silent, is something very few people could ever imagine.
“It’s an unforgettable way to step back in time and immerse yourself in the stories of the people who once lived and worked within these historic streets.”
Entries are open from now until Monday 30 March at 9pm. Entries cost £5 and can be made as many times as you like. The winner and runner-ups will be selected at random and contacted shortly after the draw closes.
The overnight stay will be arranged directly with the winner at a mutually agreed date, subject to availability and site constraints.
For more information about The Real Mary King’s Close, visit:
A financial package worth up to £10 million to help the council, businesses and agencies rebuild and renew the part of the city affected by the Union Corner fire has been announced by First Minister John Swinney.
The Scottish Government grant scheme will support recovery efforts near Glasgow Central station where around 71 businesses were damaged or destroyed by the fire and remain within a safety cordon which is closed to the public.
Glasgow City Council will administer the scheme based on engagement with local businesses to understand how they have been affected.
Additionally, up to £1 million will be made available to help the council with demolition costs and the Scottish Government’s contribution to discretionary non-domestic rates Hardship Relief for those impacted will increase from 75% to 95%.
The First Minister said: “There has been significant disruption for people and businesses as a result of the devastating fire at Union Corner, including through the closure of Glasgow Central station.
“As I made clear in the immediate aftermath of the fire, the Scottish Government is absolutely committed to working closely with Glasgow City Council to ensure financial support was available.
“Some owners have lost their properties, in some cases their livelihoods, and others have been affected by access issues because of safety restrictions around the site.
“I am grateful to Glasgow City Council for talking to business owners about their circumstances, and that important work has established a clearer understanding of the extent of the support that is required.
“Following that engagement, I am pleased to confirm the Scottish Government will deliver a package of financial support, including up to £10 million to help businesses in this important part of Glasgow. The Scottish Government remains committed to working urgently with partners to ensure there is the fullest possible recovery in what is the heart of the city centre.”
Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken has welcomed the financial package announced by First Minister John Swinney to support recovery from the recent Union Street fire.
The First Minister yesterday confirmed cash to cover the cost of ongoing demolition works and a £10 million recovery fund, including support for local businesses.
Cllr Aitken said: “The support Glasgow has had from the Scottish Government since Sunday’s terrible fire has been hugely important – and that is going to continue to be the case as we move on from an emergency response into recovery.
“The first call I took on Monday morning was from the First Minister. He was absolutely clear then that this was an incident with a national impact and that Glasgow wouldn’t stand alone in building back from it.
“So, while I was always sure help would be forthcoming, it is really pleasing to see that starting to take shape at pace, with his announcement this afternoon.
“This is meaningful support, not just for the council and those suffering hardship – but an investment in the future of the city centre.”
Work is taking place to finalise arrangements for the grant scheme.
Grammy-nominated composer Missy Mazzoli and Pulitzer Prize-winning librettist Royce Vavrek both lost immediate family members to drug overdoses. Now Scottish Opera and Opera Ventures Productions are bringing their opera about it to the world stage.
The Galloping Cure, premiering at the Edinburgh International Festival this August, tells its story through a darkly seductive allegory: a mysterious carousel that arrives in a struggling rural town, promising to eliminate all pain. The first ride is free. Getting off is much harder.
Conducted by Stuart Stratford and directed by Tony Award-winning Tom Morris (War Horse), the production reunites the creative team behind Breaking the Waves, the 2019 Edinburgh International Festival hit that toured internationally to critical acclaim. They have collaborated with Opera Ventures Productions and Scottish Opera to create what they are calling an opera for the age of addiction.
It is co-commissioned with NorrlandsOperan AB (Sweden, supported by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond), Edinburgh International Festival, and San Francisco Opera. The production will be co-produced with State Opera of South Australia and Canadian Opera Company, ensuring the work reaches audiences worldwide. This unprecedented international coalition of funders spans three continents to back a brand-new work tackling one of the defining crises of our time.
Missy Mazzolisaid: ‘The opioid crisis is not merely a headline for me and Royce; we have both lost immediate family to overdoses and other drug-related tragedies, and this crisis reverberates through nearly every aspect of our lives.
‘For years we have wanted to write a work about these experiences, and opera provides a large enough palette to create something that is both compassionate and illuminating.’
Tom Morrissaid: ‘Missy and Royce are Titans of the 21st century operatic stage. They take no prisoners and will tear up trees to show the world that opera can tell powerful, horrifying, tender stories that resonate to the core of our age.
‘The Galloping Cure is exactly that and it is a huge honour to work with them on its world premiere production. And it’s not just an allegory about the opioid crisis. It’s a story about existential pain and the allure of shallow instant solutions. Inspired by texts from Kafka and Karen Russell, they have created a world that is both mythic and brutally recognisable. Their visceral operatic language allows us to hold beauty and horror in the same moment, and to struggle with the compulsions caused by both.’
The story follows Dr Theresa Hart as she struggles to ease the suffering of her community in a forgotten corner of the world. When the charismatic Lucky Mack arrives with his carousel, the town is swept into euphoria. But the ride won’t stop turning.
Mazzoli’s score blends orchestral and choral writing with club rhythms and DJ textures, creating what she describes as ‘a dark parallel to our own world, devastating and gorgeous in equal measure. Swirling brass and winds mesh with exaggerated house music beats, Appalachian folk sounds unite with orchestral strings, and operatic vocals soar over a hallucinatory landscape.’
Leading stage designer Rebecca Ringst matches the ambitious score with cutting-edge immersive audiovisual design evoking a post-industrial town transformed into a fever dream.
Scottish Opera Music Director Stuart Stratford added: ‘Missy Mazzoli’s music has an immediacy that connects with contemporary audiences while remaining deeply operatic. After the success of Breaking the Waves, we knew we wanted to continue our partnership with her. This score is thrilling to conduct. It moves between intimate moments of devastating beauty and these massive, visceral soundscapes that put you right inside the experience of addiction. Working with Opera Ventures and our international partners allows us to take risks on work this ambitious.’
The cast is led by Argentinian mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack in her Scottish Opera debut as Dr Theresa Hart, alongside baritone Justin Austin (Rising Star of the Year at the 2024 International Opera Awards) as Lucky Mack, and Susan Bullock as Ivona Kowalski. They are joined by Scottish Opera Emerging Artists Edward Jowle and Luvo Maranti, and former Emerging Artists Catriona Hewitson, Lea Shaw, and Ross Cumming. The role of Noy is yet to be announced.
The production is inspired by Franz Kafka’s 1917 short story A Country Doctor and based on an original tale by Pulitzer Prize finalist and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Karen Russell. She is the author of short story, Proving Up,which was also made into an opera by Mazzoli and Vavrek in 2016.
Opera Ventures Productions has pioneered a new model for creating opera in the 21st century, bringing together international houses and festivals to share resources and risk. Founded by John Berry (former Artistic Director of English National Opera), Opera Ventures has previously commissioned and produced with partners including Scottish Opera, Greek (Mark-Anthony Turnage) and Ainadamar (Osvaldo Golijov), all of which have toured internationally. In an era when commissioning new opera has become increasingly rare, Opera Ventures has proven it is still possible, if you are willing to think globally.
Scottish Opera has been a key partner in this model, bringing seven years of collaboration with Opera Ventures to The Galloping Cure. As Scotland’s national touring company, Scottish Opera’s workshop and production skills are specifically designed to create sets that adapt to theatres of different sizes, making them the ideal partner for international touring productions. This expertise, combined with Scottish Opera’s track record of championing contemporary opera, has been crucial to bringing Mazzoli’s ambitious vision to life.
‘Commissioning new opera is one of the hardest and most essential challenges the art form faces’, said John Berry. ‘Opera can be as immediate and relevant as cinema, and The Galloping Cure reminds us of opera’s communicative power through the combination of music, theatre, and design. This piece exists only because ambitious organisations across continents have chosen to back a brand-new project with something urgent to say.’
Performances of The Galloping Cure are on 9, 11 and 12 August 2026, at Edinburgh International Festival.
Supported by a syndicate of donors including Sarah and Howard Solomon Foundation, Susie Thompson, Eli & Ashley Wald, Malcolm Herring, Sally Groves in memory of Dennis Marks and the New Commissions Circle.
Young Carers Action Day is an annual event that raises public awareness of young carers, the challenges they face and the extra support they need to balance their caring responsibilities and ensure they can have a Fair Future.
The day is led by Carers Trust in collaboration with its network of 135 local services that support unpaid carers. Young Carers Action Day is not only about celebrating their incredible contributions, but also about taking action to make sure young carers are given the support they need to thrive.
This year, young carers across Scotland are highlighting how caring impacts their education and calling for practical changes, including a designated Young Carer Lead in every school, college and university, to help ensure their needs are recognised, supported and understood.
Heavy caring responsibilities for young carers
Across the UK it’s estimated that over one million children and young people have caring responsibilities, with thousands in Scotland supporting parents, siblings or other relatives.
A recent UK wide survey by Opinium, published by Carers Trust, highlights the scale of responsibility many young carers hold; from helping relatives with personal care to managing medication and supporting household tasks. These findings mirror what young carers and services tell us every day.
The same research found almost half (44%) of young carers spend around 3 to 4 hours a day on their caring role, severely restricting the time they have for homework. And over one third (36%) told the survey caring had left them tired or worn out at school.
Impact of caring responsibilities on young carers’ education and attainment
Young carers in Scotland consistently tell us that caring has a significant impact on their learning. Many describe struggling to balance schoolwork with caring responsibilities, often feeling tired, stressed or unable to complete homework because of the demands at home.
Education staff, local young carer services and families also report that young carers may arrive late, miss lessons or find it harder to focus in class, not because of a lack of ability or motivation, but because of the pressures they carry.
These experiences show why greater recognition, flexibility and support in education settings are essential. Young carers are determined, capable and ambitious, but they should not have to overcome unnecessary barriers to succeed.
That’s why young carers across Scotland are calling for a Young Carer Lead; a designated member of staff who identifies and supports young carers in every school, college and university. Evidence shows that a trusted lead in education settings can make a significant difference, ensuring young carers are understood, supported and able to thrive.
Young carers take centre stage at Edinburgh Zoo
Carers Trust Scotland is partnering with The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo to host a Young Carers Action Day Hustings, a lively event bringing together over 150 young and young adult carers from across Scotland.
The hustings gave young carers the chance to speak directly with candidates ahead of the Scottish Parliament Election, ask questions and highlight the importance of Young Carers Action Day in their own words.
Alongside the discussion, attendees can enjoy a well earned break in a fun, supportive setting surrounded by others who understand their experiences. The RZSS Edinburgh Zoo event was the heart of the day, a chance for young carers to be heard, celebrated and connected.
Young carers were also involved in a Scottish Parliament exhibition and evening event. Head of External Affairs, Carers Trust Scotland, Paul Traynor said: “Young carers take on responsibilities far beyond what most of their peers will ever experience. Some of these tasks are incredibly demanding; physically, emotionally and mentally.
“Too often, we assume young carers are coping because they stay quiet, keep going and try to manage as best they can. But behind that strength can be exhaustion, worry and pressure no child or young person should carry alone.
“One of the biggest challenges we see is that many young carers aren’t recognised or identified early enough. When their caring role is invisible, so are their needs, and that’s when young people can slip through the cracks.
“Young carers tell us time and time again that being understood at school makes an enormous difference. When education settings know who their young carers are, recognise the realities of caring and offer flexibility and support, it helps young people feel seen, respected and able to focus on their own futures.”
Erin, a young adult carer, said: “I’ve been a carer from my mum since the age of 8. Young Carers Action Day is such an important occasion for us young carers as it is a day to give us a voice and it can make us finally feel heard.
“What decision makers do on this day has a lasting impact on us and our futures and that is something we are so grateful for.”
For thousands of years, people around the world have used fermentation and pickling to make and preserve food, handing the knowledge down through generations.
Whether you are a total beginner, or already surrounded by bubbling jars, come along to this celebration of human x microbe collaboration.
Edinburgh Agroecology Co-op, Grass Roots Remedies and Rhyze Mushrooms are hosting a fermentation and pickling Tasting Fair, tours and workshops, and opening our brand new food processing space.
The exhibition brings together work by five artists, MV Brown, Nina Davies, Gavin Gayagoy, Hardeep Pandhal and Gregor Wright, who all explore our relationship with technology and the internet and how, as a medium or material, its slippery nature creates spaces of inauthenticity where curated versions of ourselves blur and distort reality, and algorithms and applications construct fictional narratives or environments to play with or react against.
Spanning performance, moving image, sculpture and drawing each artist creates a user experience that highlights the friction existing between our physical body and its digital counterpart, with authorship and representation disrupted or rendered through computer generation.
Rooted in performance, MV Brown’s practice uses the human body and new technologies to explore the tensions that exist for the body within a digital realm.
Using avatars, prototypes, and ‘false-self’ hoods, MV extends and replicates their body to question how technological advances – often framed as enhancing cognitive and bodily capacities – mediate emotion, interaction, and the construction of identity as beings-in-the-world both online and ‘IRL’ (In Real Life).
Nina Davies’ artistic practice is heavily influenced by her former training and career as a professional dancer. Her work looks at how dance is disseminated, circulated, made, and consumed within popular culture with a particular focus on social media, and the dances derived from trends and films made for present-day digital platforms. Much like MV her work touches upon how bodies are evolving in a world dominated by synthetic media.
Multi-disciplinary artist and designer Gavin Gayagoy uses game design elements to explore how digital environments influence perception, truth, and identity as well as highlight the compulsive consumption of digital content and its impact on us.
Visitors are invited to interact with his work in the exhibition and explore a range of both familiar looking and futuristic landscapes. Through these fragmented 3D environments and limited game mechanics, Gavin questions the authenticity of our digital lives and the contradictory nature that being online can bring.
Hardeep Pandhal has also used the visual aesthetics of gaming in his work as a means to comment on cultural production, capitalism and racial stereotypes as perpetuated through everyday popular culture and categorization.
Whilst conservative opinions of gaming often focus on its contribution to societal ills, here the bleed between games and reality could be seen to provide a space where varying forms of alienation can be addressed and co-opted, creating a form of empowerment and a means to comment on societal inequalities in a transformative way.
Also included in the exhibition are a number of works by Gregor Wright. Predominantly a painter, Gregor has created a body of work that looks at current modes of image consumption as mediated by algorithms and advancing technology.
Presented together are a selection of Gregor’s recent drawings made using graphite pencil, crayon, acrylic and oil and one of his digital ‘screen-based paintings.’ With the rise of AI-generated artwork Gregor highlights the tensions that lie between traditional painting and the virtual digital representations that increasingly dominate our lives.
Launching in Edinburgh at the Collective Gallery, Calton Hill on Friday 20 March from 10.30am to 4.30pm, the exhibition will tour to arts venues, community centres, high streets and schools across Scotland.
Louise Briggs, Curator, Travelling Gallery said: “It has been interesting to think about our ever-increasing relationship with technology through the ideas and artworks of the five artists involved in the show.
“The exhibition is not meant as a criticism of technology but takes a closer look at its slippery nature where reality can be blurred and authenticity distorted. A number of the artists in the exhibition play with these ideas, whilst others push against them – but all in some way are using technology as a material or medium.
“The Travelling Gallery team look forward to introducing the artwork and ideas to audiences across Scotland as part of our Spring Tour and seeing how opinions and thoughts may differ geographically, generationally, and culturally.
“Everyone usually has an opinion on technology and its place in the world today, we look forward to some healthy discussions around it inspired by the work of this exciting group of artists.”
Culture and Communities Convener Margaret Graham said: “Featuring work by five talented artists, this exhibition offers an insightful look into our relationship with technology and the internet.
“The Travelling Gallery plays such an important role in ensuring that high-quality contemporary art is not limited to traditional venues. By bringing exhibitions into communities across the city, it helps widen access and encourage new audiences.
“I’m proud to support an initiative that broadens access to culture in such a practical and meaningful way, and I hope people will take the chance to step inside and experience the exhibition for themselves.”
The exhibition will run from Monday 23 March – Friday 19 June 2026. More information about confirmed tour dates and venues can be found here.
