POLICE are appealing for information after an assault and robbery on Gilmerton Road on Monday (18 November, 2024).
Around 10.30pm, police and ambulance were called to a report of a 24-year-old man and a 20-year-old man injured after a man entered their Mercedes B-class vehicle on Gilmerton Road and assaulted them.
The injured men got out of the vehicle leaving the suspect within. The vehicle was last seen driving south on Gilmerton Road.
They were taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and treated for their injuries. The 24-year-old man was released after treatment.
Detective Sergeant James Palmer said: “Enquiries are ongoing in and around the Gilmerton Road area to establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident and trace the stolen car.
“I would urge anyone who was in this area between 10pm and 10.30pm on Monday night who witnessed anything relevant to this enquiry or has dashcam footage that may assist to contact us.
“I would also ask anyone who has seen or has any information on the whereabouts of the Mercedes Benz with the registration number YK59 UTX to get in touch. The car may have damage to the front.”
Anyone with information should contact 101 quoting reference number 3801 of 18 November, 2024. Alternatively Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.
Award-winning bar & restaurant, The Botanist, is giving everyone the chance to snap up a Christmas gift on the house this week, in the form of a festive tipple from its brand-new Christmas specials menu … but they’ll have to be quick!
Holding a city-wide race to find the boozy prizes, The Botanist’s elves will hide 10 tinsel-filled Christmas baubles in secret locations near the venue in every town and city it has a site on Friday 22nd November.
Eagle-eyed customers should head to their local Botanist’s Facebook page from 12 o’clock for hints on when and where the prizes can be found.
The lucky winners will find a gift tag attached to the bauble to be exchanged at a Botanist venue for the bar’s showstopping new sharing drink – a Christmas tree holding six Blooming Bauble cocktails for groups of friends to get merry over.
A seasonal fruity cocktail of Beefeater pink gin, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, cranberry juice and lemon with cranberries and rosemary, served in a Christmas bauble, it’s perfect for party season.
Other festive drinks on the new menu include the S’mores Old Fashioned with Maker’s Mark bourbon, orange curaçao, cold brew coffee, orange bitters, and creamy foam over ice with a chocolate & Biscoff rim, topped with toasted marshmallows, and the Festive Sparkler of prosecco with seasonal spices.
Encouraging everyone to share the joy with loved ones this season, The Botanist’s highly Instagrammable Christmas, launching on 20th November includes turkey burgers topped with pigs in blankets, chocolate orange mince pie cookie dough for two and festive cocktail specials.
And that’s not all, the halls are being decked with beautiful decorations and The Botanist’s house bands are ready to let the good times roll until the early hours too, playing live every Friday and Saturday night as guests drinks and dine throughout the festive season.
Head to your local Botanist’s Facebook page for more information on the Bauble Hunt.
Winners of Annual Scottish Chefs Nespresso Professional Student Coffee Challenge revealed
Scottish Chefs, Scotland’s official National Organisation for all chefs in Scotland and member of The World Association of Chefs Societies, has once again teamed up with Nespresso Professional for the student coffee challenge to help find the next generation of culinary stars.
The winning team from Edinburgh College, Milton Campus each received an invite to Scottish Chefs 30th anniversary celebration lunch where they met Andy Cuthbert, World Chefs newly elected President, and were presented with a Nespresso M100 coffee machine for their college.
This year, Scottish Chefs will also release a special anniversary cookbook as it celebrates its 30th year, where the winning recipes will also be included.
Teams were made up of three students, all in full time catering and hospitality college courses, and were given two hours to produce an afternoon tea selection alongside Nespresso coffee.
The judging panel of Joe Queen, Chair of The Scottish Chefs Culinary Committee, Kevin MacGillivray Chief Executive of Scottish Chefs & International World Chefs Accredited Judge, Derek Johnston, the first winner of BBC’s Masterchef: The Professionals and Gary Shanks, Nespresso Account Manager for the East of Scotland were looking for a well-presented table and a front-of-house server demonstrating effective communication and interaction skills with guests.
For the chefs, they sought a display of both modern and traditional cooking methods that showcased a variety of skills, as well as adherence to hygienic working practices.
The winning menu from Jenny MacLeod, Eileen Ingle and Emilia Lawandowska was made up of Leek, Mushroom & Gruyere Tart, Coffee Chicken Pie, Apple & Coffee Meringue Tart and Coffee & Chocolate Choux au Caquelon.
The judges commented on how each element of their afternoon tea was well cooked and was full of flavour which highlighted the coffee and various technical skills which ultimately made the team from Edinburgh College, Milton Campus victorious.
Gary Shanks, Nespresso Account Manager for the East of Scotland, said: “It was a privilege to once again support this competition, and help support the next generation of culinary superstars.
“It was inspiring to see the skills and imagination on display to create incredible menus to complement our coffee. When food is this delicious, being able to offer the best coffee is something we feel extremely passionate about.
“Congratulations to the winners from Edinburgh College, the standard was so high, so they should be incredibly proud of what they have achieved.”
Joe Queen, Chair of The Scottish Chefs Culinary Committee, said: “It was very encouraging to see the interest from colleges throughout Scotland that participated. The support that the young chefs and servers received from their respective college lecturers was fantastic.
And then from the students came the imagination, the innovation and the team work to help produce brilliant Afternoon Teas. Scottish Chefs now hope now that this competition can go from strength to strength and help build up an array of talented youngsters.
Well done to Edinburgh Milton College campus who also were very worthy winners last year, there must be something in the Edinburgh air! We all look forward to next year.”
The Scottish Chefs 30th anniversary celebration lunch took place at Murrayfield recognising 30 years of promoting excellence in all areas of the hospitality industry in Scotland. Mairi Gougeon MSP and Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands joined as guest speaker.
Girlguiding, the UK’s largest youth organisation dedicated completely to girls, has today shared a first glimpse of its new and exciting haul of badges launching next summer. 72 new badges will be available for girls aged 4 – 18 to complete– including a revamped and modern version of the 2018 discontinued ‘Hostess’ badge.
Last year, Girlguiding underwent a huge brand transformation and by adding even more interest badges, the organisation continues its commitment to evolve as the lives and needs of girls change.
The development of new and the evolution of old badges was a response to girls’ requests to add more given the popularity of the first wave of badges released in 2018, with a phenomenal 1,336,656 completed across all four Girlguiding sections since then1.
The old favourite Brownie ‘Hostess’ badge has been given a fresh twist and transformed into the new ‘Celebrations’ badge.
The former badge, first popularised in the 1960s, could once be awarded for playing ‘hostess’ by inviting a friend round and making them a cup of tea, before activities to earn the badge were expanded in 2009 to include party planning so that girls could learn event planning skills.
With the new ‘Celebrations’ badge, Brownies will not only learn valuable event planning skills, they will also explore how people from around the world celebrate special occasions before planning their own.
Girlguiding is consulting with members, and to date has heard from over 20,000 girls, volunteers, and parents about what they wanted to see added to the range of interest badges. Until 30 November 2024, anyone, including members of the public, can still submit their ideas which will be used to finalise the designs and activities that make up the badges.
Alongside the new ‘Celebration’ badge for Brownies (age 7-10), a ‘Bee rescuer’ badge will also be launched for Rainbows (age 4-7) challenging girls to get to know this special insect with activities from investigating bugs and bees, to making a bee rescue kit.
A ‘Thrift’ badge will be added for Guides (age 10-14), encouraging girls to channel their inner eco-warrior and learn how to customise, repurpose, and recycle. Both badges were inspired by girls’ passion for living sustainably and learning to help the natural world. 84% of girls told Girlguiding that it’s important to them to do something about climate change1.
Also launching will be a ‘Nostalgia’ badge for Rangers (aged 14-18). This new badge will not only see girls reflect on their past, but it will also provide an opportunity to talk to someone older than them and hear stories from someone at a different stage of life.
Girlguiding hope this badge will help to tackle intergenerational loneliness with over half (59%) of girls and young women aged 7-21 reported feelings of loneliness in Girlguiding’s latest Girls’ Attitudes Survey and 3 in 4 of them think that younger and older people spending time together is a good way to tackle loneliness2.
Rangers will also benefit from learning valuable relationship building skills and gain a greater understanding of different perspectives.
Sofia, 6, a Rainbow who is passionate about the environment said:“I’ve loved learning about beekeeping at my local beekeepers’ association and am really happy that Girlguiding is making a badge so more girls can get involved in rescuing and protecting bees.
“We need to help protect bees because our environment needs them!”
Sally Kettle, Deputy Chief Guide at Girlguiding said: “I’m so excited about the new interest badges and it’s been inspiring to see the flood of ideas coming from the girls, and leaders too! I have to admit it really got my own creative juices going and I submitted an idea for a sporty badge.
“It’s so important that it’s the girls themselves that have put their ideas forward, because it really reflects their changing interests and shows us what skills they value and perhaps need a little bit of help to obtain.
“It’s such an exciting time in Girlguiding and I really can’t wait to see the new range launch next year. I have no doubt social media feeds will be buzzing with stories of girls earning their new badges!”
Among the most frequently completed interest badges in the programme from the first release in 2018 have been ‘Drawing’ for Rainbows, ‘Aviation’ for Brownies, ‘Mixology’ for Guides, and ‘Self-care’ for Rangers.
The popularity of all kinds of badges highlights the diversity of interests and aspirations among Girlguiding members.
Girlguiding’s programme provides young girls and women with the opportunity to learn invaluable skills in the welcoming fun and supportive environment Girlguiding provides. All girls in Girlguiding are encouraged, and empowered to know they can do anything and become future leaders and change-makers in their communities.
For more information about how to get involved with Girlguiding, the UK’s largest youth organisation dedicated completely to girls, visit www.girlguiding.org.uk.
Scotland’s Migration Service, which provides information and advice for people, employers and investors, has been expanded to offer support to a wider range of individuals.
The service will support newcomers to settle in Scotland, help more people and employers to navigate the immigration system, and attract more working-age people to Scotland – helping address skills shortages and curb population decline.
Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart launched the expanded service on a visit to iGii, a technology business in Stirling that benefitted from advice from the first phase of Scotland’s Migration Service on hiring skilled workers from abroad.
Ms Stewart said: “Population decline is one of the biggest challenges for Scotland’s future, with all population growth projected to come from migration. Expanding Scotland’s Migration Service will help ensure that communities, public services and businesses can access the people and workforces they need to thrive into the future.
“Supporting migration also has significant potential to boost our economy. For example, attracting 1,000 higher rate taxpayers each year for five years could add £98 million to the Scottish Budget.
“Since launching its first phase earlier this year, Scotland’s Migration Service has provided free advice appointments to more than 150 individuals, employers and investors, and service website pages have been viewed by more than 14 thousand users.”
iGii CEO Jean-Christophe Granier said: “Access to world-class talent is essential for a scaling business like ours, which relies on highly skilled experts in technical scientific fields, often sourced from Scotland’s university network.
“We’re growing quickly, so anything that eases our path to hiring quality talent locally and internationally is helpful.
“We expect the new service to make hiring the talent we need to continue to grow easier and more transparent for both employers and employees.”
To deliver Scotland’s Migration Service, the Scottish Government has partnered with the immigration law firm Seraphus and with Citizens Advice Scotland.
Christopher Desira, Director at Seraphus said:“As a partner of Scotland’s Migration Service, we’ve seen firsthand how the partial launch has already provided essential support to employers and investors, simplifying the recruitment of international workers”.
“With the full launch, the expanded resources and webinars will enable even more effective access to crucial information, strengthening Scotland’s ability to attract and retain skilled professionals.”
Citizens Advice Scotland CEO Derek Mitchell said: “Since April, our advisers have supported almost 3,300 clients with immigration advice, a 20% increase on the same time last year. By working with Scotland’s Migration Service, we can provide better support for our network and make a meaningful impact to people’s lives.
“Whether you’re an overseas student navigating an extended stay or have recently moved to Scotland, our network of advisers are ready to help people thrive and settle into their new home.”
· CINEWORLD EDINBURGH MARKS ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY THIS NOVEMBER, ALONGSIDE CELEBRATIONS OF NEW BLOCKBUSTER WICKED
· A DAY OF CELEBRATIONS WILL BE HELD AT FOUNTAIN PARK CINEMA ON SATURDAY 23RD NOVEMBER
· MOVIEGOERS CAN ALSO WATCH A RANGE OF CLASSIC BLOCKBUSTERS FOR £5* A TICKET
Cineworld, the UK’s leading cinema chain, will host an exciting day of celebrations on Saturday 23rd November at Fountain Park Cinema in Edinburgh to mark the cinema’s milestone 25th birthday. It comes as highly-anticipated blockbuster, Wicked, arrives in cinemas that same weekend and Cineworld will go all out to celebrate.
Fans can catch the dazzling spectacle, featuring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande and adapted from the hit musical, in IMAX, 4DX and ScreenX at Cineworld Edinburgh. Cinema-goers will have the chance to win Wickedmerchandise throughout the day including sweatshirts, notebooks, tumblers and t-shirts so they too can dance through life!
For those who book to see Wickedin 4DX or ScreenX during opening week, they’ll receive one free regular ICEE to match the iconic Wicked colours: Elphaba’s Emerald Green (Sour Apple) or Glinda’s Perfect Pink (Strawberry). While stocks last, guests will be able to purchase Cineworld-exclusive Wickedpopcorn buckets, cups and toppers as well as a Witch-hat drink container to enjoy their treats in style – the items are sure to be popular!
As Cineworld Edinburgh prepares for the arrival of Wicked, they’ll be looking back at past blockbusters and an incredible 25 year’s worth of highlights including:
Launching Cineworld’s first IMAX screen in 2011
Supporting EIFF as a major partner for 18 years
Hosting the Toy Story 3 premiere in 2012 with Sir Sean Connery in attendance
Launching our popular 4DX screen in 2017
Hosting the T2 World Premier in 2017 and completing our multi-million pound refurbishment in 2019 which included Scotland’s first Screen X!
Cineworld Edinburgh will also be celebrating the milestone birthday with a selection of popular films from 1999 available to book for the following week such as The Mummy, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, James Bond: The World Is Not Enough and Sixth Sense – all available for £5* per ticket.
Jamie Wiles, General Manager at Cineworld Edinburgh, said: “We are delighted to have reached this milestone, especially in such a competitive market place, and are really happy to be able to celebrate with our valued partners, customers and employees.
“The past 25 years have been a hugely successful time for us; During this time, we have operated as Virgin Cinemas, UGC Cinemas and Cineworld Cinemas with our loyal customer base watching us grow and invest in the customer experience.
“We’re delighted to have become a part of the local community and have had the pleasure of striving to be the best place to watch a movie for our Edinburgh customers.”
Terms & Conditions
*95p online booking fee applies.
Wicked ICEE Promotion Terms & Conditions available HERE.
TUC: Employment Rights Bill is “vital” for women’s pay and equality
TODAY (20 November) is Equal Pay Day 2024. That is two days earlier than last year when it fell on 22nd November. This means that, despite years of slow progress to close the UK’s mean Gender Pay Gap, it has definitively widened for the first time since 2013.
Equal Pay Day is a national campaign led by the Fawcett Society in the UK. It marks the day in the year when, based on the gender pay gap, women overall in the UK stop being paid compared to men.
The gender pay gap is the difference between the average pay of men and women within a particular group or population. Fawcett uses the mean, full-time, hourly gender pay gap for the UK to calculate the gender pay gap for Equal Pay Day which this year is 11.3%, up from 10.4% last year.
Jemima Olchawski, Chief Executive of the Fawcett Society, said: “It’s incredibly alarming to see the mean gender pay gap widen in 2024 and shows that without concerted effort most women won’t see equal pay in our working lifetime.
“Today’s data confirms that the Gender Pay Gap increases with age as women take on more and more unpaid care work for children and older people.
Tomorrow, at her first Budget, our first female Chancellor in history can right this wrong by investing to finally address the motherhood penalty and set the UK on a path to close the Gender Pay Gap for good.
“The draft Employment Rights Bill and commitments to close the gap are important steps but today’s data clearly shows more must urgently be done. Our government must commit to a cross-government strategy to shrink the gender pay gap by 2030 – women cannot wait any longer.”
Commenting on the Fawcett Society’s Equal Pay Day today (Wednesday), the day of the year women effectively stop getting paid because of the gender pay gap, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “Our economy isn’t working for women. At current rates of progress, it will still take 16 years to close the gender pay gap.
“This is why Labour’s Employment Rights Bill is so vital for women’s pay and equality.
“The Bill will require large employers to set out clear action plans on how they will close their gender pay gaps, rather than just report what they are.
“And we know women still take on the lion share of caring responsibilities – a key driver of the gender pay gap – so fixing care is critical to raising their pay.
“The Employment Rights Bill will also introduce a fair pay agreement in social care, to stop the race to the bottom on pay and conditions. This will help recruit and retain staff.”
The TUC says many of the other policies in the Employment Rights Bill – which begins its committee stage on Monday (25 November) – will help close the gender pay gap, including:
Strengthening flexible working rights by introducing a day one right to work flexibly unless an employer can properly justify why this is not possible.
Banning exploitative zero-hours contracts to help end the scourge of insecure work, which is particularly widespread in sectors like social care.
Giving all employees day one rights on the job byscrapping qualifying time for basic rights, such as unfair dismissal, sick pay, and parental leave.
Extending redundancy and unfair dismissal protections for pregnant women and new parents.
Read Fawcett’s explainer on the Gender Pay Gap here:
Food banks in our community gave out just over 1,428,000 emergency food parcels across the UK between April and September this year, charity Trussell Trust reports today.
This includes 508,000 parcels provided for children facing hunger across the UK.
The majority of food parcels were distributed to families with children, with 63% of the total number of parcels going to households with children aged 0–16, the charity reports. More than277,000 people visited a food bank in the Trussell community for the first time between April and September.
The total number of parcels provided across the UK is 67,000 fewer when compared to the same period last year, representing a 4% decrease. Trussell says there are a number of possible reasons for this recent small dip, such as the gradual slowdown in the extortionate price hikes we experienced on food and bills in recent years, and an end to the Local Housing Allowance freeze in April, bringing support for private renters back in line with local rents.
However, Trussell says it’s difficult to say if there has been an actual drop in hunger and hardship. The need for emergency food is still persistently high, and the number of parcels provided is 69% greater than the same period in 2019.
In fact, some UK regions saw a marginal increase in the number of food parcels provided. East of England and London saw increases of 1% and 4% respectively in the numbers of parcels provided.
Trussell says while food banks are a last resort for people who’ve been left isolated, facing hunger, and without enough money to live on, many are at breaking point due to years of growing numbers of people forced through their doors.
Winter is often the busiest time for food banks and Trussell is calling on the public to continue to play their part and support their local food banks to meet this urgent need, by volunteering, donating, fundraising or campaigning to help end hunger in the UK.
Food banks offer hope, dignity and relief to people facing hardship. Many need vital funds to provide services beyond distributing emergency food, such as advice and support that unlocks money someone should be getting and services aimed at helping people out of financial hardship.
Trussell says the evidence is clear that hunger in the UK isn’t a food problem, it’s an income problem. People are being forced to turn to food banks because incomes from work, and social security payments, do not cover the cost of the essentials, such as food, bills, and toiletries.
That’s why Trussell has also joined forces with hundreds of communities, food banks and charities including the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, in calling on the UK government to take urgent action now.
Today, food banks across the UK have joined together to rally for change and are giving out a newspaper, the Hardship Times, in Westminster. The newspaper is made up of messages of hardship and hope, collected from hundreds of food banks across the UK.
The charity says there is hope and it knows we can end hunger, if positive action is taken. The UK government must act swiftly to follow up announcements in the recent Budget, with a clear plan to meet its manifesto commitment to end the need for emergency food and ensure that we do not see even more people facing hunger and hardship on its watch.
This plan should include investment in our social security system, at the very least introducing a protected minimum floor in Universal Credit to limit the amount of reductions that could be applied to a household’s Universal Credit. This would ensure, for the first time, that there would be a real safety net below which no one could fall.
The charity says this would be a low cost but concrete step towards ensuring our social security system protects people from facing hunger and hardship.
Emma Revie, Chief Executive of Trussell, said: “The sheer numbers of people still facing hunger and hardship across the UK is heartbreaking. This cannot go on and we refuse to stand by while so many of us are pushed to the brink, left without enough money to live on.
“Our food banks are a lifeline, offering a warm welcome and space to be heard. They need everyone to play their part to move us towards ending the need for emergency food in the UK.
“You can help make sure food banks can continue to provide warm, compassionate, practical support and advice this winter by volunteering, donating, fundraising or campaigning to help end hunger in the UK.
“Meanwhile, alongside our community of food banks campaigning today in Westminster, we will continue to call for change.
“The UK Government was elected with a manifesto pledge to end the need for emergency food and the time to act is now. There have been promising steps, but we need a clearer plan with more decisive action to invest in our social security system, if we are to end hunger once and for all.”
Number of emergency food parcels distributed by food banks in the Trussell community: 1 April – 30 September 2019, 2023, and 2024:
GRAHAM has enhanced Edinburgh’s skyline with some festivity as the contractor progresses with the transformation of the historic Grade-A listed Jenners building on Princes Street.
Draped in colourful lights, the crane has become a striking feature of the city’s celebrations, towering over the city’s magical Christmas Market in the Princes Street Gardens.
For more information about the ongoing transformation of the Jenners Building, please visit:
Edinburgh’s iconic Christmas tree on the Mound was officially lit last night (Monday 18 November) in a special ceremony led by Lord Provost Robert Aldridge.
He was joined by representatives from Edinburgh Candlemakers, the Norwegian Embassy and the Norwegian Honorary Consulate General, marking the start of the city’s festive celebrations.
The event saw Lord Provost Robert Aldridge, Counsellor Dr. Øystein Lund and Honorary Consul General Professor Julian Jones from the Norwegian Honorary Consulate General, come together to switch on the lights of the stunning 18-metre-tall tree. This cherished annual tradition celebrates the strong ties between Scotland and Norway, honouring the Scottish people’s unwavering support for Norway during World War II.
Gifted by Vestland (formerly Hordaland), the tree stands as a symbol of Norway’s gratitude for Scotland’s assistance during its darkest days. The tradition of gifting the tree began in 1947, and although it has been sourced from Scotland since 2008, it remains a meaningful token of friendship and solidarity between the two nations.
Edinburgh’s Christmas officially opened on Friday 15 November, and following last night’s Mound light night a number of community light switch on events will be taking place across the city.
Lord Provost Robert Aldridge said:“Edinburgh’s famous Christmas tree is a fixture on the Mound every winter and the switch on of the lights not only signals the start for the festive season it is an important reminder of our close ties with Norway and of the strength and universal values of friendship, solidarity and compassion.
“I hope Edinburgh residents and visitors alike will enjoy the opportunity to view this beautiful Christmas Tree in the heart of our city. My heartfelt thanks go to the people of Vestland for their continued generosity and friendship over so many years, as well as to our partners Field and Lawn for their support and Bernard Hunter for their kind donation of crane services.
“As Edinburgh’s Christmas gets underway, the tree’s sparkling lights bring a festive glow to the city centre and with more community light switch-on events planned across the city, Edinburgh is embracing the Christmas spirit, uniting residents and visitors alike in a celebration of joy, hope, and goodwill.”
Honorary Consul General of the Norwegian Consulate General in Edinburgh, Prof. Julian Jones said:“The Christmas Tree symbolises all that is best about what Norway and Scotland, and what Vestland and Edinburgh, have in common.
“Every year Vestland gives a Christmas tree as a gift to Edinburgh, as a ‘thank you’ for the help received from Scotland during the Second World War.
“Norway and Scotland are neighbours, and we have a common history going all the way back to the Viking times.
“There are strong ties between Edinburgh and Vestland, and our culture and our heritage bring us together in our Christmas festivities, with a splendid concert in St Giles cathedral following the lighting of the Tree, with Scottish and Norwegian musicians.
“The Christmas Tree celebrates all that we have done together in past, and all that we will do together in the future.”
