This year, as part of our Lauriston Castle Lecture Centenary Programme, we have 24 fantastic and varied lectures to tempt you.
Explore them here:
Lauriston Castle Lectures
Improved access to social care
New fund will ensure people have a say
- New funding for independent advocates will help people in need navigate the social care system
New funding for independent advocates will help people in need navigate the social care system. The £500,000 Scottish Government Independent Advocacy Social Care Fund will ensure people can have a say in their care and advocate for their rights.
Twelve new projects will support people with, for instance, chronic health conditions or disabilities, neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s, or older people in residential care and unpaid carers.
A new National Care Service Charter of Rights will help people better understand existing rights, including being treated without discrimination and protection from harm when accessing social care.
Anne’s Law, which comes into force on 31 March, will enshrine the right of care home residents to contact with family and friends.
This includes choosing at least one person who can act as an essential care supporter, with a legal presumption that suspending their visits is likely to seriously harm the health and wellbeing of a person in a care home.
Social Care Minister Tom Arthur visited Partners in Advocacy in Edinburgh to meet staff, carers and advocates. He said: “We are proud to support people across Scotland through this new fund and Charter to access the right support and have their voices heard.
“We know the system can sometimes be complex and difficult to navigate so this is about ensuring there is someone to advocate for some of the most vulnerable people in our community. They deserve to have their voices heard and their wishes acted upon.
“The charter strengthens this commitment by clearly setting out people’s rights and expectations for social care, social work and community health.”
Partners in Advocacy Chief Executive Officer Jess Wade said: “We are delighted to be part of the Independent Advocacy Social Care Fund, which will ensure more people can access independent advocacy, better understand their rights and have their voices heard.”
A code of practice to support implementation of Anne’s Law regulations was published this week, developed in collaboration with those with lived experience and care homes:
Anne’s Law Code of Practice The Care Home Services (Visits to and by Care Home
HMRC names takeaways, convenience stores and a vape shop in latest deliberate tax defaulters list
INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES NAMED AND SHAMED
About 140 individuals and businesses penalised for deliberately defaulting on tax exceeding £25,000 have today (26 March) been named by HMRC.
The latest update includes several takeaways, convenience stores, a vape importer and a vape shop. In every case, those named failed to make a full disclosure when HMRC began its investigation – a step that would have kept their details off the list.
The list covers civil penalties only and does not include criminal convictions for tax fraud. Details remain published for 12 months.
The full list can be found at:
Mayday Announced
A National Theatre of Scotland production
Mayday
Curated and directed by Cora Bissett and Hannah Lavery
With visuals by Lucas Chi-Peng Kao
A one-night-only response to the times we are living through, presented by a host of leading Scottish artistic talent from the fields of theatre, music, poetry, comedy and dance.
On 1 May at Edinburgh Central Hall at 7pm.
Featuring Comedy:Sanjeev Kohli (Still Game) / Tia Rey; Music: Dala by Heir of the Cursed performed by Djana Gabrielle / Cora Bissett, Kathryn Joseph and Joan Clevillé & Kassichana Okene-Jameson of Scottish Dance Theatre/ Kitti / Loud and Proud Choir / Soapbox / Declan Welsh; Poetry: Shasta Hanif Ali / William Letford / Michael Mullen; Theatre & Dance; An artistic response to Talat Yaqoob’s International Women’s Day Speech (2026) – led by Janice Parker / Apphia Campbell / Reuben Joseph / Hannah Lavery / Uma Nada-Rajah / Sara Shaarawi / Dawn Sievewright performing It’s No a Weans Choice
Live band: Isaac Savage (keyboards/vocals) / Adam Scott (bass) / Djana Gabrielle (guitar/vocals) / Signy Jacobsdottir (drums and percussion) / MJ McCarthy (musical direction)
Two of Scotland’s leading artists and theatre-makers, Hannah Lavery and Cora Bissett, join forces to create an urgent multi‐form evening of theatre, music, poetry, comedy, film, dance and collaborative performance at Central Hall, Edinburgh, on 1 May.
Created as a rapid-response theatre project, in direct response to the turbulent social and political climate, they have curated and gathered together a constellation of Scottish artists for a one-night-only flare of short, urgent performances and interventions.
Through new work, unique collaborations and community voices, Mayday meets the “dark times” we are living through with wit, defiance, tenderness and imagination. This collective response honours the theatrical space as a place where audiences can think together, dream together and begin to imagine the futures we are still reaching for.
Co-curators/co-directors Hannah Lavery and Cora Bissett said: “Given the times we are living in—where division is being fuelled by dangerous and deliberately misinformed rhetoric— we feel deeply and personally connected to this Rapid Response Project.
“We are living through an age of fear: extreme racism and anti-migrant sentiment are being normalised, human rights attacked at every level, climate injustice accelerating, and ordinary people struggling to meet even basic needs.
“We’re thrilled to curate an event that will bring together bold, fierce, insightful and creatively galvanising voices from across Scotland – an urgent celebration of our shared humanity that challenges the rising tide of hate, calls upon solidarity, inspires change and imagines a more compassionate future.”
Highlights include:
- Original short sharp plays from playwrights Apphia Campbell (The Official Version), Hannah Lavery (Patriotic Renewal), Uma Nada-Rajah (The Proposal) and Sara Shaarawi (Pandora’s Box)
- Sanjeev Kohli delivers a short sketch on the cultural impact of his character Navid from Still Game
- Live music from Declan Welsh, Soapbox and Djana Gabrielle, who honours Beldina Odenyo’s (Heir of the Cursed) Dala with a powerful, intimate performance that moves between vulnerability and defiance.
- Cross-artform collaborations including Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award winner Kathryn Joseph’s powerful new collaboration with dancer Kassichana Okene-Jameson, visuals by Lucas Chi-Peng Kao, choreography by Joan Clevillé, and direction by Cora Bissett. Joseph’s haunting, fragile songs intertwine with movement in a visceral fusion of music and dance. Created in collaboration with Scottish Dance Theatre.
- Collaborations between professional artists and community groups:
- An Artistic Response to Talat Yaqoob’s International Women’s Day Speech, Edinburgh, March 2026 led by award-winning choreographer and dance maker Janice Parker.
- Loud and Proud Choir
- Dawn Sievewright (Wild Rose) performs No a Weans Choice, the defiant rallying cry from the Glasgow Girls stage show, composed by Cora Bissett
- Reuben Joseph (Orphans – NTS, Hamilton the Musical) performs a new version of Robert Burns’ A Man’s a Man.
Listings information
Friday 1 May 2026, Central Halls, Edinburgh, 7pm (doors from 6.30pm)
2 West Tollcross, Edinburgh, EH3 9BP
Pricing: Pay What You Can
Full info and Box office: https://www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/events/mayday
Running time: 2 hours 50 mins approx. with interval
Edinburgh International Children’s Festival programme announced
Edinburgh International Children’s Festival has announced its 2026 programme, and it’s a brilliant one!
Presented by new Festival Director Adjjima Na Patalung, this year’s 36th edition brings together 15 productions from 9 countries, spanning circus, dance, music, puppetry and theatre, with themes ranging from identity and friendship to grief, the environment and the sheer joy of finding your place in the world.
Highlights include:
Boys Don’t Dance – a poignant new dance theatre show from award-winning disabled choreographer Marc Brew of the Marc Brew Company, reflecting on his journey as a boy who defied expectations to embrace his love of dance
Cringe – a brilliantly funny new play from disabled writer and theatre maker Ross MacKay about surviving the minefield of growing up
The Fabulous Tale of BasarKus – a joyful circus show for little ones exploring identity, cooperation and the wonder of growing up
Island – an intimate performance from Starcatchers celebrating the precious bond between babies and their grown-ups
Toto Kerblammo! – Tim Crouch’s powerful new play, experienced through binaural audio technology, about listening, friendship and finding hope
The Festival opens with a Free Family Day of pop-up performances at the National Museums Scotland on Saturday 30 May, before the full programme runs across Edinburgh until Sunday 7 June
Tickets are on sale now!
Image by Tom Duffin
Monday’s Holyrood Hustings event at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre is FULLY BOOKED
SOLD OUT
Hi Drylaw, Telford and Edinburgh Northern Constituents,
Thank you to everyone that has shown an interest, and to those of you who have your tickets booked, we look forward to welcoming you to our event on Monday evening!
If you have a ticket booked, but can no longer attend, please cancel your ticket, contact us at hustings@drylawtelfordcc.org.uk or message the FB page as we do have a waiting list of people that would also like to attend.
For those that have received a waiting list spot, we will contact you if a ticket becomes available.
ALL those in attendance, must have a valid ticket due to fire regulations.
Thank you for all your support.
Have a great weekend!
Super Saturday in North Edinburgh!
THREE MAJOR COMMUNITY EVENTS ACROSS THE NEIGHBOURHOOD TODAY
- North Edinburgh Film Festival continues at North Edinburgh Arts
- Do You Recognise? event at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre
- North Edinburgh Community Festival launch at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre
Operation Portaledge: Three convicted of wilful fire-raising offences
Three men have been convicted of wilful fire-raising offences linked to Operation Portaledge.
At the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday, 26 March, 2026, Marshall O’Hara, 21, and Fraser Stewart, 22, pleaded guilty to four wilful fire-raising offences. Aiden McLaughlin (pictured above), 21, pleaded guilty to one wilful fire-raising offence.
All three pleaded guilty in relation to a wilful fire-raising at a premises on Wellington Road in Bishopbriggs on Tuesday, 8 April, 2025.
O’Hara and Stewart were also convicted in relation to wilful fire-raisings at a property on Ashgill Road, Glasgow and a property on Meadow Court, Stepps, on Monday, 7 April, as well as a property on Colston Drive, Bishopbriggs on Monday, 14 April.
They are all due to be sentenced at the same court on Wednesday, 13 May.
Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Ferry, Specialist Crime Division, said: “These were worrying incidents for the local community and now those responsible will face the consequences of their actions.
“We will continue to bring those intent in being involved in serious and organised crime to justice.
“These convictions are further examples of Police Scotland’s commitment to the Serious and Organised Crime Taskforce and its national strategy.”
Operation Portaledge is the ongoing investigation into violent incidents in the East and West of the country.
National Museums Scotland: What’s on over Easter holidays
Exhibitions & displays
National Museum of Scotland
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Open 10:00–17:00 daily
Giants
Special Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3
Until 14 Sep
Tickets from £13
Giants showcases the colossal prehistoric creatures that lived after the extinction of the dinosaurs, 66 million years ago. Discover life-sized 3D sculptures, skeletons, and fossils in this immersive, family-friendly exhibition. The Giants exhibition is designed and produced by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.
Book your ticket now nms.ac.uk/exhibitions/giants
COMING SOON Scotland’s First Warriors
Special Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3
Opening 27 June
Entrance into the museum and exhibition is free
Explore archaeological evidence for the origins of organised conflict, from the Neolithic (late Stone Age) to the Romans, through over 250 objects. Scotland’s First Warriors explores how and why people fought, the impact of war, and the legacy of prehistoric conflict. Internationally significant discoveries from Scotland will be on display for the first time, including the Carnoustie Hoard.
Find out more nms.ac.uk/exhibitions/scotlands-first-warriors
Events
National Museum of Scotland
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Open 10:00–17:00 daily
Curiosity Club
Learning Centre, Level 4
28 Mar & 23 May
10:30-12:00
£10 (Members and Concessions £9)
Inspired by some of the museum’s most exciting collections, our Curiosity Clubs are a chance for kids to explore the museum without their adult helpers through games, activities, and gallery visits.
Book now, nms.ac.uk/events/curiosity-club
Relaxed Curiosity Club
Learning Centre, Level 4
28 Mar
14:30-15:30
£10 (£9 Members and Concessions)
Relaxed Curiosity Club sessions are particularly aimed at children with additional support needs, neurodivergent children, or children with disabilities. Parents/carers (up to two per participating child) are invited to stay and either join in with the activities or enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the foyer of the activity area.
Book now, nms.ac.uk/events/relaxed-curiosity-club
Gather Around the Frame: A Celebration of Hand Quilting
Locations across the museum
29 Mar
10:15-16:45
Free drop-in activities, booking required for panel discussion
Join us for a hands-on stitching experience around replica historical quilting frames as enjoyed by previous generations as they sewed together. This event will feature talks, film screenings, hands-on crafts, and our very own quilting bee. All materials are provided.
Find out more nms.ac.uk/events/gather-around-the-frame-a-celebration-of-hand-quilting
Edinburgh Science Festival 2026
Locations across the museum
Daily from 4-19 Apr
10:00-17:00
All pricing and bookings through Science Festival website
Edinburgh Science Festival 2026 will highlight Scotland’s contribution to scientific advances through research, innovation, and its extraordinary people. The Grand Gallery will host family-friendly activities and artwork by award-winning artist, Gayle Chong Kwan.
Find out more nms.ac.uk/events/edinburgh-science-festival-2026
Makkin it!
5-19 April
10:00-2:00 and 13:00-15:00
Free, drop in
Join our Learning Team in the Grand Gallery to discover some incredible Scottish inventions. Get hands-on with some of our favourite inventions, press and investigate your unique fingerprint, then head off and explore our galleries with a copy of our Inventors trail.
Find out more nms.ac.uk/events/makkin-it
Morning Curator Tour: Giants
Special Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3
7-14 Apr
Tickets from £13
Join exhibition curator, Dr Sarah Stewart, for an exclusive early-morning tour of Giants.
Giants celebrates the colossal creatures that roamed the Earth 66 million years ago. Meet ten giant creatures from prehistory. Discover how they were able to grow so large, what advantages their size offered, and why they eventually faced extinction.
The Giants exhibition is designed and produced by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.
Book now nms.ac.uk/events/morning-curator-tours-giants
Gordon Buchanan: Giants of the Land
Auditorium, Level 1
16 May
14:00
Tickets from £12
Join award-winning wildlife filmmaker, presenter and author Gordon Buchanan as he makes his first-ever appearance at the National Museum of Scotland. In this auditorium talk, Gordon will reflect on 30 years of taking part in daring expeditions, pushing boundaries, and raising awareness of the world’s most endangered species and habitats.
Book now nms.ac.uk/events/gordon-buchanan-giants-of-the-land
Creative Workshop: Paper Creations
Learning Centre Studios, Level 4
23 May
10:30-13:00 and 14:00-16:30
Tickets from £45
Join paper folding artist Kate Colin for a bespoke workshop, inspired by our ‘Giants’ exhibition and fossil collections. You will learn paper folding techniques and create a collection of handcrafted paper sculptures inspired by spiral forms and fossil structures.
Book now nms.ac.uk/events/creative-workshop-paper-creations
Museum Socials
Learning Centre Seminar Room, Level 4
Third Friday of the month
10:30–12:00
Free, booking required
Our Museum Socials events are designed for people living with dementia, their relatives, friends, carers, and supporters. Relaxed and informal, each session explores a different museum theme through various interactive activities, including curator talks, object handling, and creative crafts. And tea, cake and a warm welcome are always provided.
Book now nms.ac.uk/events/museum-socials
National Museum of Rural Life
Philipshill Road, East Kilbride, G76 9HR
Open 10:00–17:00 daily
Relaxed Afternoon: National Museum of Rural Life
Last Tuesday of every month
14:30-17:00
Free with museum admission and Annual Pass
Join us for our monthly Relaxed Afternoon for anyone who would appreciate a calmer visit to the museum. This session is primarily for, but not limited to, families with neurodivergent children; neurodivergent young people and adults; adults living with dementia; adults and children with mental health problems; and any other visitors with sensory needs or who may prefer a more relaxed experience, plus their families, friends and carers.
Book your visit nms.ac.uk/events/relaxed-afternoon-national-museum-of-rural-life
Spring Explorers
14–17 Apr
10:30–15:30
Free with museum admission and Annual Pass
Become a Spring Explorer this April at the National Museum of Rural Life. Join us as we dig into all things soil and explore the wiggly world beneath our feet. Take part in a planting activity to learn how bugs and worms keep soil healthy for plants to grow. Settle in for some lively, soil-inspired storytelling in the theatre, then get messy with some hands-on fun at our Soil Exploration Station.
Book your visit nms.ac.uk/events/spring-explorers
Tractor Tots
24 Apr & 29 May 2026
Learning Centre
£25 per child for block of 3, £20 per Member child for block of 3
Running in blocks of three sessions, Tractor Tots offers a fun, focused experience for our younger visitors, introducing them to rural life through interactive creative play. Each session will feature handling objects from our learning boxes, singing, storytelling, rhymes, actions, and sensory play to learn all about life in the countryside
Book now nms.ac.uk/events/tractor-tots
Woolly Weekend
Museum and farm
23 & 24 May
10:30-16:00
Free with museum admission and Annual Pass
Celebrate all things woolly with a weekend of family fun at the National Museum of Rural Life.
See woolly farm friends up close and take part in wool-themed crafts, storytelling, and activities in the museum. Then take a walk to the farm to watch YouTube sensation Cammy Wilson shear our flock. Cammy will explain how, when, and why sheep are sheared, and will demonstrate traditional and modern shearing techniques.
Book your visit nms.ac.uk/events/woolly-weekend
National Museum of Flight
East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, EH39 5LF
Open Weekends only, 10:00–16:00
Flying High
Concorde Hangar
6-10 Apr
10:00-16:00
Free with museum admission
Learn about the Scottish engineering inventions that made international travel possible through fun family activities.
Book your visit nms.ac.uk/events/flying-high
Expert Talks
Concorde Theatre
17 Apr & 15 May
11:00-11:20
Free with museum admission
From April to October, learn more about our collections and the history of East Fortune Airfield with our series of free expert talks at the museum. There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of each talk. In April, join Matteo Randazzo who will discuss ‘Second World War Archaeology at East Fortune’.
Find out nms.ac.uk/events/expert-talks
Relaxed Morning: National Museum of Flight
Every second Sunday of the month, 10:00-12:00
Free with museum admission
Join us for a Relaxed Morning at the National Museum of Flight, for anyone who would appreciate a calmer visit to the museum. Friendly staff will be there to give you a warm welcome and support your visit, as you explore the museum without noisy interactives and videos to create a more relaxed environment.
Book your visit nms.ac.uk/events/relaxed-morning-national-museum-of-flight
Follow us on Facebook…facebook.com/NationalMuseumsScotland
Follow us on Instagram…instagram.com/nationalmuseumsscotland/
For booking, opening times and location details, contact National Museums Scotland on 0300 123 6789
ORGREAVE INQUIRY TO COMMENCE
JUSTICE AT LONG LAST?
“For more than four decades, miners and their families have been forced to live with unanswered questions. Today, I am formally launching the Orgreave Inquiry to uncover the truth of what happened.
“I pay tribute to the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, the National Union of Mineworkers, and all those who campaigned so tirelessly to reach this moment” – SHABANA MAHMOOD, HOME SECRETARY
ORGREAVE TRUTH and JUSTICE CAMPAIGN STATEMENT:
We are pleased that the Government is finally launching the start of the Orgreave Inquiry after their inquiry announcement last July 2025.
While we are disappointed that it has taken so long for the Home Office to come to this stage, we are relieved that work will now begin to establish the truth about the Tory government involvement and police conduct at Orgreave on 18th June 1984 during the 1984/5 miners’ strike.
The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign and supporters have worked hard over many years for an Orgreave Inquiry and it has been a long and difficult journey.
Our determination and tenacity has however received much support from many individuals, organisations and the Labour and Trade Union movement, whose wonderful solidarity has made it possible to continue and be able to come this far.
This is a statutory inquiry, with the Terms of Reference and panel membership established by the government. We have however tried our best to influence the process to ensure this does not become a police-led inquiry but one shaped by the miners and their experiences.
This 42nd anniversary year of the miners’ strike reminds us that we must never forget the importance of that great strike to defend an industry, jobs, trade unions and communities and the fight for all our futures.
We are indebted to the striking miners and their families for their dedication and sacrifice to that year-long struggle that changed all our lives forever.
The 1980s Tory cabinet of Margaret Thatcher, Leon Brittan, Nigel Lawson, Norman Tebbit and others, along with their secret “Misc 101” Committee, planned to destroy the British coal industry and organised labour, the National Union of Mineworkers, its leaders Arthur Scargill, Peter Heathfield and Mick McGahey and the British labour and Trade Union movement.
Kevin Horne, striking miner arrested at Orgreave on 18th June 1984 said: “We know that the Tory Government of the 1980s was directly involved in the miners’ strike while professing ‘non-involvement’.
“The Tory Ridley plan of the 1970s exposes how far they were prepared to go and the 1980s Tory Government put vast amounts of public resources into the implementation of this plan. This was state sponsored organisation against the miners and our livelihoods.
“The Tory’s own archives confirm Parliament and the public were knowingly lied to but their involvement in the strike and the policing of it has never been publicly acknowledged.”
John Dunn, striking miner assaulted by the police and arrested on a Derbyshire picket line said: “The mass media colluded with the Tories by lying in their headlines and reports about what was really happening, or not reporting it at all. Their collaboration in these government and police lies and coverups continues to this day, demonising and vilifying strikers and protesters.
“The raw footage that the many media companies and photographers have of police attacking miners at Orgreave and other footage of police violence and harassment throughout the strike must be handed over to this inquiry.
“The injustice faced by us miners and our communities has never been acknowledged by the state and instead they and the media have lied and covered it up. The right to strike and the right to protest should be a fundamental human right”
Kate Flannery, Secretary of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign said:
“We need answers about the systemic violent and lying behaviour of the police. We need to know about plans of how police officers on the ground were briefed and how that briefing came about.
“We need government and police papers releasing that have been embargoed until 2066 and 2071. The police have recently still been destroying vital evidence needed for this inquiry.
“This is of great public interest and concern and is about a government who actively worked against its own population and handed the police paramilitary powers and destroyed an industry in the process.”
Chris Peace, Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign activist said: “Orgreave marked a turning point in the policing of public protest. With no accountability of policing at Orgreave, a message was sent to the police that they could employ violence and tell lies with impunity.
“This set a culture for violent militarised police to run riot throughout mining communities and villages all over Britain. It also enabled a culture for the police to maintain many lies and cover ups in 1989 at Hillsborough. The Hillsborough campaigners are still fighting for justice to this day”
Chris Hockney, Chair of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign said: “It is important that due to the age and health of many miners we quickly secure a public acknowledgement of why and what the state did to the miners and our communities.
“We have to have hope that an inquiry of full disclosure should influence the future behaviour of the state and public officials and that the inquiry panel and resources committed to this inquiry will establish truth and justice.”
The campaign will be encouraging as many people as possible to come forward with information to submit to the inquiry once more details about how people can contribute has been revealed by the Chair and inquiry team.
otjc.org.uk/orgreave-truth-and-justice-the-case-for-an-inquiry/