A huge thank you to everyone who donated to our Pet Food Drive at Morrisons Granton last weekend!
Because of your generosity, we collected enough food to provide 2,385 meals for pets across East and Central Scotland. 
Pet food banks are a lifeline for so many pet owners.
Thanks to you, we can help keep pets where they belong – at home, with the families who love them 
The winners of this year’s prestigious Gaelic short film competition, FilmG, were revealed on Friday night in front of a packed audience of 500 filmmakers, industry professionals and FilmG enthusiasts at the SEC in Glasgow.
Hosted by BBC ALBA’s Siobhan Sutherland, the 17th annual ceremony showcased an impressive range of films, including drama, documentary, and comedy, in separate under-18 and over-18 competitions.
The competition’s expert judging panel awarded top prizes based on originality, storytelling, technical execution, and overall impact.
Edinburgh-based production company Riochdachadh Rambling Celt (Rambling Celt Productions) won Best Comedy 18+ for their film, A’ Cluich, which sees two musicians compete for a prime spot on an Edinburgh street.
Director, Róise Nic An Bheatha, who hails from Edinburgh, incorporated a number of her family members into the production, with her younger siblings even playing the lead roles. Róise’s recent bilingual Gaelic and Irish short film Le Chèile has also collected multiple awards after being screened at festivals worldwide.
Rob MacNeacail, also from Edinburgh, collected the individual Technical Excellence Award 18+ for his audio production of the film.
Best Drama (-18) went to Parker Dawes for Air Choire, marking another milestone for the young filmmaker, whose first commissioned film, Dà Sgadan, aired on BBC ALBA at Christmas – all while still in high school. Parker is the most successful individual winner in the history of FilmG, with this being his sixth win.
Parker Dawes expressed his excitement: “Winning Best Drama means so much to me. I loved making Air Choire, and to see it recognised in this way is amazing. FilmG has played a huge part in my journey, and I’m grateful for the support and inspiration it has given me.”
In the 18+ competition, the coveted Best Drama award went to AllanWith1Eils for their thrilling short, Falach-Fead, a twist on hide and seek that gripped the audience. Filmmaking couple Allan Crook and Eilidh Johnson are frequent FilmG entrants and similarly collected the top award two years ago.
Eilidh Johnson said: “We’re thrilled to win Best Drama! FilmG gives us a creative outlet, and it’s an honour to be recognised by the judges again. We always try to surprise the audience, so I’m really happy that’s worked, and hopefully, we can surprise them again in the future.”
Public votes determined the FilmG Choice Awards, with Glen Urquhart High School’s Am Blà… taking the under-18 prize for their witty spoof of BBC ALBA’s An Là, while content creator Lauren Smith won in the over-18 category for Gàidhlig, a’ Choimhearsnachd agus Mise, an intimate exploration of her personal connection to the language.
FilmG Project Director Murdo MacSween said: “It’s inspiring to see over 500 attend the awards to help celebrate Gaelic short films, and we’re excited to see what the future holds not just for the winners but also those who might be spurred on by what they saw.”
Maggie Taylor, Head of Publishing at MG ALBA, which owns FilmG, added: “A huge congratulations to all our nominees and winners and a special thank you to Siobhan for keeping the audience captivated throughout the evening.
The FilmG Awards continue to highlight the importance of Gaelic voices in Scotland’s storytelling landscape.”
A complete list of winners is available atwww.filmg.co.uk,and the full FilmG Awards livestream can be viewed on the BBC ALBA YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@BBCALBA/streams
Primary and secondary aged learners along with teaching staff from across Edinburgh were honoured with awards at a ceremony held at the City Chambers on Thursday (6 March).
The awards, now in their third year, encouraged schools to nominate pupils’ work in any art form including the written word, technologies and multi-artforms, inspired by the award themes of equality, inclusion and diversity. Head teachers were also encouraged to nominate a staff team from their school whose collaborative work around equalities has adopted a creative approach and had an impact on the school or in the wider community.
Saroj Lal was one of the first Asian women to teach in a Scottish primary school when she began her role at South Morningside Primary School in 1970.
Her many successes included being at the forefront of race relations during a period of immense political and social change, delivering anti-racism training and starting the first local authority interpreting and translating service in Edinburgh.
Following her death in 2020, Saroj’s many achievements in equality, women’s rights, education, and community work are being formally recognised.
Entries were judged by a panel of esteemed judges including Saroj Lal’s son, Vineet Lal, Ethelinda Lashley-Scott, CEO of the Multi-Cultural Family Base (MCFB), Hardeep Kaur, winner of the 2024 GTC of Scotland Saroj Lal Awards and teacher at Portobello High School, Carol Tuzan, Wider Achievement & Lifelong Learning Manager (CLD youth and children’s work) along with a former Saroj Lal Award staff winner and two student judges, recruited for the first time, via school’s equalities groups and the youth parliament.
The award categories for pupils were as follows:
The winners are:
Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener, hosted the awards and said: “Most of us will be able to recall an inspiring or memorable teacher and Saroj Lal raised the bar in leading the way during her lifetime, and she continues to inspire Edinburgh learners through the legacy she left behind.
“Now in their third year, the awards recognise the work schools and pupils are doing to champion equality and promote diversity. It’s fantastic to see that so many schools have submitted entries this year, from art works, poems, films and animation, the entries this year include a real mix of mediums and at such a high standard.
“I want to congratulate the winners, and acknowledge all those who submitted an entry, for their creativity.
Vineet Lal, said: “The quality of entries this year has been outstanding and I want to thank pupils and staff across Edinburgh schools who have put so much thought and creativity in to their submissions this year. I have been blown away by the different ways that the art works have captured and showcased the themes of equality and diversity.
“Saroj was a force for good in her community and beyond, championing social justice and equality for all. She would be extremely proud to see that the awards in her name are now in their third year and that children and young people continue to be inspired by her pioneering work.”
Judges:
Police have released an image of a 28-year-old man reported missing from Edinburgh, and ask for the help of the public in tracing him.
Kyle Spence was last seen around 6pm on Thursday, 6 March, in the Broughton area.
He is described as around 5ft 10ins, with spiked brown/blonde hair and blue eyes. When last seen he was wearing a black slim-fitting tracksuit with grey speckles and a large grey stripe down the sleeves and black Nike trainers with three air bubbles on the soles. He was carrying four bags and is believed to have access to other clothing.
Inspector Steven Piercy, Gayfield Police Station, said: “We want to trace Kyle Spence as quickly as possible and I would ask anyone with any information to please contact Police Scotland.
“I would ask the public not to approach Mr Spence if you do believe you have seen him and instead call Police Scotland as soon as possible.
“I am also appealing directly to Mr Spence himself to get in touch with the police.”
If you can help, please call Police Scotland on 101, quoting reference number 3693 of Thursday, 7 March, 2025.
Read more – https://orlo.uk/ojiHx
The BBC has announced it’s agreed an exclusive deal to broadcast Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland men’s international football matches in the run-up to the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026.
Rhodri Talfan Davies, Director of BBC Nations, says: “I’m absolutely delighted that fans across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will now be able to enjoy live, free-to-air coverage of all the big international football matches.
“Nothing fires the imagination more than live international sport and the race to qualify for the world’s biggest tournament. It’s going to be quite a ride and I’m thrilled the BBC will be there every step of the way.”
The deal, agreed with UEFA, includes 41 live matches over the next fifteen months – starting with this month’s international ties. It’s the first time the BBC has secured live television rights for all three of the UK’s devolved nations.
The matches will be shown on BBC One in each nation and BBC iPlayer – with key fixtures also being broadcast on network television across the UK – and will add to existing live international coverage on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio Cymru and the BBC Sport app.
In Wales, live match coverage will be available in both English and Welsh.
A new study highlights a significant lack of awareness among university students about the abuse experienced by older people, according to recently released findings from lead researcher Dr Jennifer Storey with support from leading abuse prevention charity Hourglass.
Researchers Dr Jennifer Storey, Rhianna O’Brien and Dr Silvia Fraga Dominguez have found in their work that 25% of those surveyed (predominantly university students) did not view punching, kicking, threats, or theft towards older people as acts of abuse.
Likewise, over 1 in 4 (29% and 28%) respondents did not see taking an older person’s precious items, or spending an older person’s money without consent, both forms of economic abuse, as abusive acts. While 25% did not view sexual advancement without consent towards an older person as abusive.
Hourglass is the only UK-wide charity dedicated to calling time on the abuse, harm and exploitation of older people and the charity is calling for major improvements to the public’s understanding of the abuse of older people.
Recently released research from Hourglass suggests that the abuse of older people costs the UK economy over £16 billion every year and if current trends continue, the figure could rise to as much as £25 billion by 2050.
Danny Tatlow, Research and Policy Officer from Hourglass, said: “A lack of public understanding of the abuse of older people forms a key barrier to help seeking by older victim-survivors. Inadequate support solutions for older people, and a corresponding perception amongst older people that there is no alternative to abuse, or fear they will not be believed, helps continue violence and abuse.
“The abuse of older people continues to remain a taboo policy area, forgotten by politicians and the public. It’s time that we gave older victim-survivors their due and that they receive the same recognition as other demographics”
The study builds upon the findings from Hourglass’ 2020 ‘Growing Old in the UK’ survey, which identified low public understanding of abusive behaviour towards older adults.
Veronica Gray, Deputy CEO and Director of Policy of Hourglass, said:
“Whilst, on the face it, the fact that young people having less of an understanding around abuse of older people seems obvious, this is actually a deeply worrying issue. This shows that the very people we are seeking to educate around this growing epidemic of abuse are less aware than ever.
“However, younger people are not alone. Data from a 2024 follow up to our “Growing Old in the UK” survey, which we’ll release in full in 2025, indicates that awareness and understanding of abuse remains critically low among all adults, not just university students.
“Our report found that 23% of people surveyed across the UK did not view ‘inappropriate or unwanted sexual comments or acts’ as abusive to older people. A quarter of respondents did not find ‘taking items from an older relative’s home without asking’ as abusive either. This is extremely worrying and adds a new level of concern in dealing with the issue.”
Lead researcher on the project Dr Jennifer Storey, Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology at the University of Kent said: “We were taken aback by our findings; everywhere that I have presented them I’ve been met with shock and concern from fellow researchers and practitioners. Knowledge and practice in the area of older adult abuse lags other forms of violence.
“I hope that this study can help to call attention to this issue, the work needed, and the importance of education and safeguarding for the older adults that we care for and will one day become.”
“Where Do We Draw the Line? Perceptions of Abuse of Older Adults and Their Association With Ageism”
https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/80/1/gbae190/7906484
Foysol Choudhury, MSP for the Lothian Region and long-time friend of Sir Geoff Palmer, KT, OBE, CD, is delighted to celebrate that Sir Geoff has been named a recipient of an esteemed Fletcher of Saltoun Awards, receiving the Award for Public Life, from the Saltire Society of Scotland.
Recognised for his outstanding contributions to Scottish culture, Sir Geoff joins an illustrious list of over 65 individuals who have been celebrated in the award’s 35-year history.
Sir Geoff Palmer, a distinguished scientist, human rights activist, and academic, has played a pivotal role in advancing knowledge and fostering dialogue on crucial social issues. As Scotland’s first Black professor, his groundbreaking research in brewing science has earned him international acclaim.
Beyond his academic achievements, Sir Geoff has been a tireless advocate for racial equality, education, and historical awareness, particularly in addressing Scotland’s role in the transatlantic slave trade.
His work has significantly shaped national conversations on inclusivity and justice, with Mr. Choudhury and Sir Geoff working together through various community efforts and as leading members of the Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC).
Sir Geoff’s recognition does not stop at the Saltoun Awards; he has been recognised by ELREC as Honorary President, and in 2014 he was knighted with New Year Honours, a Jamaican Honorary Consul, Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University, Jamaican Commander of Distinction, and more.
Mr. Choudhury is proud to celebrate Sir Geoff Palmer’s remarkable contributions to public life with the Fletcher of Saltoun Award.
Commenting, Foysol Choudhury MSP said: “Sir Geoff has been a close friend and mentor for many years. I am proud to see his groundbreaking work in research and in championing equality recognised.
“His achievements embody the spirit of the award, celebrating those who shape and enrich Scotland’s cultural and intellectual landscape.”
The Glasgow Girls display
Free to visit
National Galleries Scotland: National
Until 8 June 2025
To mark International Women’s Day (8 March) the National Galleries of Scotland is celebrating the acquisition of a painting by one of Scotland’s most accomplished female artists, Olive Carleton Smyth (1882─1949).
“This vibrant work forms part of National Galleries of Scotland’s mission to represent the extraordinary generation of Scottish women who trained and taught at the Glasgow School of Art in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Bacchanale is now on show at the National as part of the free display, The Glasgow Girls, (until 8 June 2025) alongside four exquisite drawings by renowned Scottish artists Jessie M King and Annie French.
Smyth’s work is extremely rare, with Bacchanalebeing only the second painting by the artist to enter a UK museum collection. Described by a contemporary as ‘small, fast talking and tweed suited’, she was an important figure in the Glasgow art world for over 35 years. Smyth was a brilliant and versatile artist and an effective and inspiring teacher for many generations.
Bacchanale is an energetic painting, created in the early 1920s, which beautifully depicts a group of musicians and revellers dancing ecstatically through a mountain forest, sweeping up wild animals in their midst.
The rhythmic, frieze-like composition and use of shimmering metallic paint is typical of a 1920s Art Deco design. The stylised poses of the figures are probably inspired by Japanese prints, as are the intricately patterned textiles they are wearing.
The painting is full of wild, exuberant colour and action, but also has incredible minute details – the dancers’ clothes have flamboyant spots and chevron prints and even the gold musical instruments are covered in tiny, engraved patterns.
It is full of symbols associated with Bacchus, God of wine, theatre and festivity, including gold pinecones, flower garlands and the thyrsus, a wand wreathed in ivy. Smyth may have been inspired by her love of the stage, as themes of Classical mythology were popular in theatre and dance in the early 20th century.
For over ten years the National Galleries of Scotland has been proactive in acquiring more works by women artists for Scotland’s national collection, which spans roughly from 1300 to the present day.
More needed to be done to represent works by female artists in the collection, and to reflect the important role of women artists in the history of art.
The representation of more works by Scottish women artists has been integral to the creation of the Scottish galleries at the National, with Bacchanale the latest to go on display.
Works by female artists pre-1945 are considerably rarer due to the nature of art training and the constraints put on women wishing to pursue art as a profession until well into the 20th century. However, the National Galleries of Scotland is determined to celebrate pioneering female Scottish artists such as Olive Carleton Smyth.
Born in Glasgow, Smyth studied at the Glasgow School of Art from 1899. Joining the staff in 1903, she taught a wide variety of decorative and fine arts courses, including metalwork, woodblock printing, poster design, sgraffito (a ‘scratching’ technique widely used in decorative arts), gessos (a plaster-based substance used for decorative modelling and as a base for painting), manuscript illumination and miniature painting.
Smyth left the Glasgow School of Art in 1915, concentrating on creating work for exhibition and teaching at Westbourne School for Girls in Glasgow. She returned to the Glasgow School of Art as Head of School of Design (Pictorial and Commercial Art) in 1933, teaching stage design and the history of costume.
Smyth’s earliest exhibited works were miniature portraits, soon followed by watercolours and line drawings on vellum. These were described by a critic as ‘about as splendid as Beardsley could have done’.
Her drawings appeared in The Studio, a prestigious fine and decorative arts magazine,and she exhibited regularly at the Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts for over 40 years from 1904. She showed her work internationally at the Paris Salon in 1913 and in Lyon, Munich and Cork.
In 1912 Smyth’s drawing Peer Gynt was purchased by the National Gallery of Canada from an exhibition in Toronto. Her work often combined a strong sense of colour with incredibly precise and tiny detail.
She drew inspiration from a rich range of sources, from Celtic literature and folklore to Shakespeare, Ibsen, Art Nouveau, Leon Bakst’s designs for the Russian Ballet and contemporary theatre design.
Bacchanale was likely exhibited in Glasgow in 1922 and in 1929 was presented to the Paisley Art Institute. The Paisley Art Institute was founded as an artists’ collective in 1876 for the ‘encouragement of Art Studies and the promotion of a taste for Art’ and the Institute continues to champion and nurture contemporary Scottish artists work to this day.
In 2024, the Institute made the decision to sell selected works from their collection, to raise funds to safeguard the remainder of its collection and to create new awards for artists.
Charlotte Topsfield, Senior Curator of British Drawings and Prints at National Galleries of Scotland, said: ‘We are so excited to have acquired this remarkable work by Olive Carleton Smyth.
“A dynamic artist, who worked across so many different media, Olive is an outstanding representative of the extraordinary generation of women who trained and taught at the Glasgow School of Art around 1900.
“Full of colour, energy and amazing detail, Bacchanale is an intriguing and spectacular painting and we hope our visitors love it as much as we do!’
The acquisition was made possible by funds from the Cowan Smith Bequest, the Iain Paul Fund and the Treaty of Union Bequest.
We’re delighted to open Ticket Pre-Sale for Ordinary Members for Heroin screenings in April – make sure to secure your free tickets before 17 March
Join us for the first screening in over 40 years of Heroin, a ground-breaking three-part documentary filmed by Peter Carr in North Edinburgh in 1983. Originally broadcast on UK prime-time TV, these films provide an unflinching look at the realities of poverty, crime, and drug use, told by the community itself.
Each screening will be followed by a discussion with key voices, including Irvine Welsh, Dr. Roy Robertson, and Peter Carr himself.
Wed 23 April – Heroin 1 + Conversation with Irvine Welsh & Zoë Black
Thu 24 April – Heroin 2 + Conversation with Dr. Roy Robertson & Victoria Burn
Fri 25 April – Heroin 3 + Conversation with Peter Carr & Sarah Drummond
6.30pm – 8.30pm each night
Where: North Edinburgh Arts, MacMillan Hub, 12c MacMillan Square, EH4 4AB
TICKET PRE-SALE FOR ORDINARY MEMBERS
If you live in the local community (areas of Muirhouse, Pilton, Granton and Drylaw), consider becoming a NEA Ordinary Member before 17 March to access the pre-sale and secure your FREE place!
Membership fee is £3 for three years and offers a range of benefits
Join now: northedinburgharts.co.uk/get-involved/become-a-member
Find out more & book tickets at: https://northedinburgharts.co.uk/…/heroin-uncut-the…/ (General bookings open 18 March)
The rising cost of funerals, combined with the fact only 1 in 3 people put enough provision in place to pay for them, is leaving some families with debt and impacting their mental and physical wellbeing, according to the 21st edition of the SunLife Cost of Dying Report.
The UK’s longest running report into funeral costs has found that the cost of a simple, attended funeral1 has risen 3.5% in a year to £4,285, while an unattended cremation (also known as a direct cremation) has risen 6.7% to £1,597.
The report also shows that while two thirds (68%) of people do make provisions to pay for their own funeral, only 38% leave enough to cover the whole cost. This lack of provision means that, on average, families are left to cover a shortfall of £1,695.
While it is sometimes possible to release money from the deceased’s bank accounts for funeral costs before probate has taken place, a third of families are still left to cover at least some of the costs themselves, with 10% taking on debt to do so.
Cost of living crisis impacting families’ ability to cover funeral costs
According to SunLife’s findings, 33% of people who recently organised a funeral say the cost-of-living crisis impacted how they organised and paid for it. One in eight (13%) say they had to cut back on certain aspects of the funeral because they couldn’t afford it, and 10% say the cost of living crisis added an extra layer of stress.
One in five (22%) said paying for the funeral impacted their own standard of living, including 8% who had to cut back on essential items and 6% who struggled to pay essential bills.
1 in 5 suffer ‘notable’ financial difficulties paying for a funeral – and are struggling with £240m of funeral debt
The study also shows that for one in five (18%) families, having to find the money to pay for a loved ones’ funeral caused notable financial difficulties. This group have to find an average of £2,370 to cover the cost.
A quarter of those with notable financial concern report struggling to pay essential bills or rent, and 34% have to cut back on essential items such as food. To make up the shortfall, one in four (24%) use a credit card, and 12% take out a loan to cover the cost. On average, this group take on £3,109 of debt.
A further one in four (23%) borrow from a friend or relative, while one in five (19%) sell belongings to cover the cost.
3 in 4 (75%) say paying for a funeral impacted their mental health, while 60% said it impacted their physical health. For some, costs may be recouped from the deceased’s estate once it has been administered. But, as a funeral typically takes place before probate, families may still be left struggling to cover the cost in the short term.
Mark Screeton, CEO at SunLife said: “Funeral costs have risen dramatically in the 21 years we’ve been tracking them. Back in 2004, the average cost of a simple, attended funeral was £1,835. Today, it stands at £4,285 – a staggering 134% increase, far outpacing inflation over the same period.
Couple this with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and the fact that many people don’t leave enough provision to cover their funeral – or even share their preferences – and you have a situation where grieving families can be left struggling with debt at an already difficult time.
“Most of us have an idea of what we’d like for our own funeral, but we rarely communicate it. Our study shows just half of funeral organisers know whether loved ones wanted a burial or cremation, while other preferences are even less known. And with over £1,000 difference in cost between the two options, this can bring an extra layer of financial pressure when loved ones are worrying about ‘getting it right’.
“One of the kindest things we can do for our loved ones is to open up and plan ahead. We need to break the stigma around talking about death, start discussing the kind of send-off we want, and where we expect the money to come from. By doing so, we can spare our families unnecessary financial and emotional stress when the time comes.
“SunLife has a great free tool called My Perfect Send Off, which walks you through various funeral options and lets you record your preferences (or even lack thereof). You can then download and keep your wishes, or share them with a loved one.”
Read the full summary webpage and download SunLife’s comprehensive 2025 Cost of Dying PDF report at www.sunlife.co.uk/funeral-costs
