National Museums Scotland listings

Exhibitions & displays 
    
National Museum of Scotland      
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF     
Open 10:00–17:00 daily    
 

Beyond the Little Black Dress  
Until 29 Oct 2023  
Special Exhibition Gallery, Level 3  
Ticketed (concessions available)  

From design classics to cutting-edge catwalk creations, this exhibition deconstructs the little black dress and examines the radical power of the colour black in fashion. The exhibition will chart a century of fashion in a series of themed, immersive displays.

Iconic early pieces by Yves Saint Laurent, Dior and Jean Muir will be juxtaposed with recent looks by ground-breaking contemporary designers and brands like Gareth Pugh, Simone Rocha and Off-White.  

Find out more nms.ac.uk/Beyond-the-Little-Black-Dress 

Rising Tide: Art and Environment in Oceania  
12 Aug 2023 – 14 Apr 2024  
Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3  
Free 

Delve into the most important and pressing issue of our time, humanity’s damaging relationship with planet Earth. This urgent issue is felt especially deeply in Australia and the Pacific Islands where sea levels are rising due to climate change and the oceans are filling with plastic. Rising Tide considers our relationship to the natural environment through contemporary artistic responses to climate change and plastic waste by Indigenous Australian and Pacific Islander artists. 

Find out more nms.ac.uk/Rising-Tide  

Japanese Contemporary Design       
Until 30 Jul 2023        
Exhibition Gallery 3, Level 1       
Free entry        

From striking statement jewellery to prints and porcelain vases, this new free display considers how Japanese contemporary makers have combined innovative and traditional art, craft and design elements over the past five decades.   

The star object is Hitomi Hosono’s A Large Pine Tree Pool, a sculptural porcelain bowl with complex hand-carving made and acquired in 2019. Further highlights include Junko Mori’s intricate New Pinecone Silver Organism, and colourful body adornments by jeweller Suō Emiko’s adapted from metalworking and engraving techniques traditionally used in the making of Japanese sword fittings.       

Find out more nms.ac.uk/Japanese-Contemporary-Design  

Events  

National Museum of Scotland      
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF     
Open 10:00–17:00 daily    

Experts Radio Lab  
8 Aug – 24 Aug 
Various days and times  
Hawthornden Court  
Free, drop in 

Experts Radio Lab and the accompanying Listening Station is a free, drop-in experience, set within our pop-up radio studio at the National Museum of Scotland. Interviews are shared live to an audience of fellow interviewees, their families and anyone who’s curious. Share your expertise with us or come along and learn from the masters! You never know what you’ll learn. A production by Alice Mary Cooper and Company. 

Find out more nms.ac.uk/experts-radio-lab 

Museum Late: Fringe Fridays  
11 Aug & 18 Aug  
19:30 – 22:30  
£16 – £22 

Fringe Fridays are back! Enjoy a unique flavour of the Fringe and explore the museum after hours. From comedy and cabaret to music and magic, handpicked performers will showcase highlights from their acts across two adults-only extravaganzas, alongside bars and entry to our summer exhibition, Beyond the Little Black Dress. Acts across the two nights include the Black Blues Brothers, Sunshine on Leith, Cirque Afrique and many more. 

Book now nms.ac.uk/museum-late-fringe-fridays 

BSL Access Evening: Beyond the Little Black Dress 
15 Aug  
18:00-19:30  
Standard exhibition entry prices apply  

Part of Edinburgh Deaf Festival, join us after hours for a Deaf-led BSL tour of key objects in the Beyond the Little Black Dress exhibition. 

From design classics to cutting-edge catwalk creations, this exhibition deconstructs the little black dress and examines the radical power of the colour black in fashion. The tour will last around one hour with the chance to explore the exhibition independently afterwards.   

Book now nms.ac.uk/bsl-access-evening-beyond-the-little-black-dress 

Morning Curator Tour: Rising Tide  
16 – 24 Aug  
09:15-10:00 (doors open at 09:00) 
Ticketed

Join curator Dr Ali Clark for an exclusive morning tour of our Rising Tide exhibition, delving nto the stories behind the exhibition and explore the innovative and artistic responses to climate change and plastic waste by Indigenous Australian and Pacific Islander artists. Add a voucher to upgrade your experience with refreshments in one of our museum cafés.

Book now nms.ac.uk/morning-curator-tour-rising-tide  

Adult Workshop: Introduction to Fashion Illustration  
09 Sep 
11:00 – 16:00 
Studios, Level 4 
Age 18+  
£45 – £50

Learn the fundamentals of fashion illustration in this drawing class with illustrator, Katie Braid. 

Book now nms.ac.uk/fashion-illustration 

Audio-Described Access Evening: Beyond the Little Black Dress  
12 Sep  
17:30 – 19:00  
Special Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3 
Age 8+  

Explore the Beyond the Little Black Dress exhibition supported by an audio-described tour of key objects, for those who are blind, partially sighted or visually impaired. 

Book now nms.ac.uk/audio-described-access-evening  

Film Screening: Fashion Reimagined  
16 Sep  
14:00 – 16:30  
Auditorium, Level 1 
Tickets £6 – £10 
Age 14+ 

Join us for a screening of this 2022 documentary film following fashion designer Amy Powney of cult label Mother of Pearl, a rising star in the London fashion scene.   Documentary Fashion Reimagined follows designer Amy Powney as she embarks on a three-year journey to create a sustainable clothing collection and transform the way we engage with fashion. 

Book now nms.ac.uk/fashion-reimagined  

National Museum of Flight   
East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, EH39 5LF 
Open daily 10:00 – 16:00 

Big Build Weekend  
26 & 27 Aug 
10:30 –16:30 
Free with museum admission

Inspired by our current Brick History display, take part in our mass participation Big Build alongside LEGO experts Warren and Teresa Elsmore. You will be building part of a 3-metre-tall Saturn V rocket, the only launch vehicle to carry humans beyond low earth orbit to the moon, which will then become part of the Brick History display until November.   

Book now nms.ac.uk/big-build-weekend.

Brick Sundays  
3 – 17 Sep  
12:00 – 16:00 
Free with museum admission  

Inspired by our current Brick History display, each Sunday we will have a different build theme. Choose to make something inspired by the theme or build your own creation. For something a bit more energetic, take part in our speed build challenge and see if you can make it to the top of the champions’ board. 

Book your visit nms.ac.uk/brick-sundays  

Conservation Hangar Tours 
Until 31 Mar 2024  
Free with museum admission  
Booking required  

See behind the scenes of the work carried out in the museum’s Conservation hangar with a guided tour and find out more about objects from the collection that aren’t normally on display.  

Book now nms.ac.uk/Conservation-Hangar-Tours  

National Museum of Rural Life    
Philipshill Road, East Kilbride, G76 9HR   
Open 10:00–17:00 daily 

Nature Track Packs  
Until 31 Aug  
10:00 – 17:00 
Borrow from the ticket desk 
Free with museum admission and Annual Pass  

Explore more at the National Museum of Rural Life this summer with our Nature Track Packs. Each pack contains fun ideas and activities to encourage children to engage all their senses to explore the countryside on a walk up to the farm. 

Read more nms.ac.uk/nature-track-packs 

MooFest  
16 & 17 Sep 
10:20 – 15:30  
Free with museum admission and Annual Pass  

Join us for a celebration of all things cattle at the National Museum of Rural Life.New for 2023, this weekend of cattle-inspired activities, talks and tastings for young and old alike. 

Book your visit now nms.ac.uk/moofest 

Lewis’s Scottish Adventure Trail  
Until 6 Oct 2023  
Trail  
Free with museum admission and Annual Pass 

Go on an adventure around the museum with a new family trail at the National Museum of Rural Life.  

Find out more nms.ac.uk/lewis-s-scottish-adventure-trail 

Follow us on Twitter…twitter.com/NtlMuseumsScot   

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   

New NSPCC and Gas Distribution Network partnership creates an ‘army of safeguarders’ to protect children

A new partnership between the NSPCC and Britain’s four Gas Distribution Networks (GDNs) will deliver vital safeguarding training to more than 18,000 workers across the country.

Half a million children suffer abuse and neglect a year in the UK, and almost 60,000 calls were made to the NSPCC Helpline last year from adults including utility workers* reporting concerns about child safeguarding across the UK.

Everyone has a role to play in safeguarding children, and workers who visit homes have a unique chance to make a difference. This is why gas engineers, including sub-contractors and GDN staff at Cadent Gas, Northern Gas Networks, SGN and Wales & West Utilities, will take part in specialised training developed by the children’s charity over the next two years.

The training, entitled It’s Your Call, will give GDN employees who cross thousands of doorways every day the knowledge and confidence to help support vulnerable families and children in their communities.

It’s Your Call is a simple training package which helps workers who visit homes recognise signs of abuse and neglect and gives them the confidence and knowledge to seek appropriate support, including contacting the NSPCC Helpline. The roll-out of the training with GDN workers across Britain has already begun and will continue throughout the next two years.

Edward Allard, social programmes manager at Cadent, said: “We are delighted to announce our new partnership with the NSPCC. This is a significant and wide-reaching project and will create a real force for good across Britain.

“We visit thousands of homes every day, and thanks to this partnership we can create an army of safeguarders to help identify children at risk of neglect or abuse and ensure our workers know how to help them get the support they need as soon as possible.

“As part of our ongoing commitment to support customers living in the most vulnerable situations, each GDN will also work with the NSPCC’s safeguarding experts to ensure that the safeguarding of children and young people is fully embedded into our organisations.”

This project has been funded by the Vulnerability and Carbon Monoxide Allowance (VCMA) – an Ofgem fund split between the four GDNs to work with partners, charities and organisations to support customers in vulnerable situations.

As well as ensuring thousands of workers across the UK can help identify children at risk of neglect or abuse, the project will offer the chance for a network of child protection practitioners working with the NSPCC to learn about spotting carbon monoxide risks.

The practitioners will have access to free carbon monoxide detectors and will learn about fuel poverty signposting to support thousands of households across the UK, ensuring more families are kept safe and warm in their homes.

Sir Peter Wanless, CEO of the NSPCC, said: “We are hugely excited about this project, and grateful to Ofgem and all the GDNs for supporting this wonderful partnership. Everyone has a role to play in preventing child abuse and neglect. With this training and support, we can create a real force for good and help protect some of the most vulnerable members of our society.

“By working together and sharing our resources, experience and expertise we can help engineers and gas employees across the country play their part in supporting vulnerable families and children in their communities.”

To find out more about how the NSPCC can support professionals to keep children safe, including safeguarding training, consultancy and free resources, go to:  www.learning.nspcc.org.uk/

To find out more about the NSPCC’s work to protect children and young people and support families across the country, go to www.nspcc.org.uk

Healthy Heart Tip: Healthy Happy Holidays

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tip: Healthy Happy Holidays

The summer school holidays are upon us here in the UK and this week’s healthy tip is all about keeping children healthy and happy over the break.

During the summer holidays normal routine is broken and without a robust plan in place, this can result in unhealthy foods and activities creeping in more than usual.

Here we give you some ideas to ensure everyone starts the new school term feeling nourished and healthy, including parents and caregivers!

Super snacking

Anybody who has looked after children will know that you usually hear “I want a snack” about 100 times a day! Add an extra snack section to your shopping list over the holidays and include healthy options such as nuts and seeds (chopped for small children), cheese, rice cakes, yoghurts, fruit, and vegetables to chop into sticks.

Children can feel hungry soon after a meal if it wasn’t nutritionally balanced so make sure you include a source of carbohydrate and protein with every meal and add some heart healthy fibre from fruits and vegetables to help keep them full.

Get active

If you’re a parent or caregiver, your usual exercise routine may be thrown out during the holidays. Thinking about activities you can do as a family to hit those movement goals is a great way to ensure everyone fits that all important exercise in over the summer.

Some ideas include joining your local family parkrun or planning in swimming days each week. Even just going out for a walk or organising a bug hunt to keep the younger children engaged will help everyone get the daily steps in.

Plan ahead

Failing to prepare, is preparing to fail. Sitting down with the calendar for the next month or so and spending some time making plans will make the summer holidays run much smoother and most likely mean everyone eats healthier and has more fun.

Planning activities and meals in advance will ensure you aren’t caught out and end up reaching for the takeaway menu. Keep it simple and follow a similar weekly structure where possible.

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for weekly healthy tips at:

 www.heartresearch.org.uk/health-tips.

Social Security Scotland: School Age Payment update

Parents or carers who get Housing Benefit but don’t receive Scottish Child Payment  need to apply for the School Age Payment as they will not receive it automatically.

Additionally, some young parents, those under 18 or 18 to 19 year olds who are dependent on someone else but don’t receive qualifying benefits, also need to apply for the School Age Payment as they will not receive it automatically.

Anyone who has opted out from receiving automatic awards, or who has chosen not to apply for Scottish Child Payment, will also have to apply for School Age Payment

The School Age Payment of £294.70 is designed to help with the costs of preparing for school. Parents or carers of children born between March 1 2018 and 28 February 2019 can apply online at the Scottish Government website.

Clients can contact a client advisor by calling 0800 182 2222 or by using our webchat.

People must apply before the closing date of 28 February 2024. Parents or carers who defer their child’s entry to school from August 2023 to August 2024 should still apply before the closing date.

More information is available on the Scottish Government website

Letters: Childline Support

Dear Editor,

Eating disorders and body image issues were the sixth most common concern brought up by children and young people in Scotland contacting Childline last year (April 2022 – March 2023), with 273 counselling sessions carried out on the issue.

Childline, the counselling service run by the NSPCC, has also revealed that 40 per cent of counselling sessions with children across the UK about these issues took place in the summer months (June to September).

There are number of factors that make the summer holiday a particularly tricky time for young people struggling with their body image or relationship with food.

For some, the prospect of wearing clothing which shows more of their body can make them feel under pressure to look a certain way, lose weight or change their appearance. 

This pressure can be reinforced by content they are exposed to online that makes them feel negatively about the way they way look.

At Childline, there is always someone to talk to. Our counsellors are there to listen and offer support and advice every day of the year on 0800 11111 or at www.childline.org.uk

Kind regards,

Lauren Burke

Childline Team Manager, Glasgow

Millions of children get access to life-saving defibrillators

Every state school in England now has a defibrillator with 20,376 devices delivered to 17,862 schools

The government has confirmed that all state-funded schools in England now have a life-saving defibrillator, drastically increasing the chances of surviving cardiac arrest for all state school pupils in England.

Following the government’s £19 million rollout, over 20,000 defibrillators have successfully been delivered to almost 18,000 schools since January.

In June, the Department for Education oversaw the successful completion of deliveries of defibrillators to secondary schools. Now, all eligible primary, special and alternative provision schools who did not already have a defibrillator have received deliveries, boosting their numbers in communities across the country.

Today’s milestone marks another step in the government’s commitment to delivering stronger, safer communities across the country.

In July 2022, the government committed to delivering these devices before the end of the 2022 to 2023 academic year to ensure that all state funded schools in England had access to a defibrillator, following the campaigning from Mark King of the Oliver King Foundation to ensure all schools have a defibrillator.

Mark tragically lost his son, Oliver, after he suffered sudden cardiac arrest at school during a swimming lesson when he was 12-years-old.

Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan said: “Having access to defibrillators in schools drastically increases the chance of pupils, teachers and visitors surviving a cardiac arrest.

“Thanks to the tireless campaigning of Mark King, Jamie Carragher and Nicola Carragher we are proud to say that every state-funded school in England now has access to a defibrillator.

“Teachers and pupils across the country can now be reassured that they will have access to one on school grounds should tragedy strikes.”

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, said: ““Having access to defibrillators in schools drastically increases the chance of pupils, teachers and visitors surviving a cardiac arrest.

“Thanks to the tireless campaigning of Mark King and Jamie Carragher we are proud to say that every state-funded school in England now has one of these potentially life-saving machines.

“So however rare these events are, teachers, parents and pupils across the country can now be reassured they will have access to a defibrillator on school grounds, should the worst happen.”

Oliver King Foundation founder, Mark King: “We as a family and foundation will continue to strive for change so no other family has to suffer as we are.

“We would like to say a massive thank you to Nadhim Zahawi, Lord Stuart Polak, Jamie Carragher and the DfE for helping us aim for legislation. Oliver’s memory will live on and lives will be saved.”

Large schools have been provided with 2 or more defibrillators so that they can be strategically placed in areas of the schools where a cardiac arrest is more likely, such as sports halls.

A defibrillator is a machine that is placed externally on the body and is used to give an electric shock when a person is in cardiac arrest i.e. when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body. Prompt defibrillation can help save a person’s life.

The government is also supporting schools in making defibrillators available to the community, with 1,200 external heated defibrillator cabinets being provided to primary and special schools by the end of 2023 in areas of deprivation, where provision is generally lower.

The rollout will build on existing requirements for schools to teach first aid as part of the curriculum, with secondary school pupils being taught life-saving methods such as CPR and the purpose of defibrillators. This rollout will help protect schools and their local communities against cardiac arrest, delivering wider access to these devices.

New rules to crack down on illegal ads and protect children online

  • Crack down on fake celebrity endorsements and illegal weapons adverts as new Government rules safeguard consumers and protect children
  • Ministers will convene a new taskforce to drive industry-led action
  • Proposed rules will strike a balance between internet safety and supporting innovation

Social media platforms, websites and services like advertising display networks will have to take tougher action to stop children seeing age-restricted adverts for products like alcohol or gambling.

Fake celebrity scams and pop-up malware from hackers will also be clamped down on as part of new rules to make advertising regulation fit for the digital age.

The plans are published today by the government in response to its Online Advertising Programme.

Online advertising includes the banners or displays which appear around the content of a website, results prioritised at the top of search engines, and pop-ups on a user’s screen. It helps businesses grow by reaching targeted audiences and can be cheaper and quicker than traditional advertising formats. Last year it accounted for three quarters (£26.1 billion) of the £34.8 billion spent on advertising in the UK.

Its rapid development, combined with changes in technology and complex supply chains between marketers and platforms, make it difficult to stop illegal ads appearing.

People frequently encounter fraudulent celebrity endorsements for financial scams, legitimate-looking pop-ups containing hidden malware, and promotions for products prohibited under UK law – such as weapons, drugs, counterfeit fashion and fake ticketing.

Children can be exposed to ads for age-restricted products such as alcohol, gambling and adult-rated films and games.

Creative Industries Minister Sir John Whittingdale said: “Advertising is a huge industry in which Britain is a world leader. However, as online advertising has taken a steadily bigger share, the rules governing it have not kept pace and so we intend to strengthen them to ensure consumers are properly protected.

“Our plans will shut down the scammers using online adverts to con people out of their cash and will stop damaging and inappropriate products being targeted at children.

“We will make sure that our proposed regulation helps keep people safe while supporting and enhancing the legitimate advertising industry so it can maximise its innovation and potential.”

There is currently a self-regulatory system for the content and placement of online adverts in the UK, overseen by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ASA has a strong record of delivering consistent, effective results and holding legitimate advertisers accountable. However regulators are not empowered to act to address illegal harms in the same way as harmful advertising by legitimate businesses.

The government intends to introduce new rules to tackle illegal paid-for online adverts and increase protections for children. A range of targeted legislative and non-legislative measures will address the most serious risks linked to online advertising. This approach complements the Online Safety Bill, which is targeted at user generated content, and will build on measures tackling fraudulent advertising in that legislation.

The new statutory regulation will put more responsibilities on major players across the online advertising supply chain. As well as online publishers, apps and websites serving ads, ‘adtech’ intermediary services which facilitate the placement and distribution of online adverts will be in scope. Promotional posts by social media influencers where they receive payment or free products will also be covered.

Social media firms, search engines and other websites will be required by law to have proportionate systems and processes to stop people being served illegal adverts, and prevent under-18s seeing adverts for products and services illegal to be sold to them. This will improve safety, transparency and consumer trust by introducing more effective action while supporting industry growth.

In due course, the government will launch a further consultation on the details of potential legislation – including its preferred choice for a regulator to oversee the new illegal paid-for advertising rules. New legislation would not affect the ASA’s remit for the content and placement of legitimate paid-for advertising online.

Ministers will this week convene a new taskforce to gather more evidence around illegal advertising and build on industry initiatives to tackle harms and increase protections for children before the legislation is introduced.

The taskforce will be chaired by Creative Industries Minister John Whittingdale and Mark Lund, the chair of the Advertising Standards Board of Finance and former president of McCann UK and Europe.

The group will include representatives from across the advertising industry, including the ASA, as well as tech trade bodies, consumer groups and the government’s Anti-Fraud Champion, Anthony Browne.

Mark Lund, chair of The Advertising Standards Board of Finance and deputy chair of the Online Advertising Taskforce, said: “UK advertising is a dynamic engine for the UK economy because it’s creative and trusted.

“So, I’m delighted to be helping lead in the task force’s role in strengthening industry’s response to illegal harms advertising and the protection of children online,  building on the long-term success of the ASA and the self-regulation system in keeping both trust and creativity at world leading levels.”

Anti-Fraud Champion Anthony Browne said: “We remain absolutely committed to fighting fraud and this is another example of the government delivering on a pledge from its pioneering Fraud Strategy.

“Eighty percent of fraud is cyber enabled and it often starts with fraudulent posts and adverts on social media. I am therefore pleased to see new measures being introduced to tackle these.

“The government will continue to work with industry, and law enforcement, to prevent fraud from happening and ensure better support is given to the public.”

Free Family Fun Day at Drumbrae Library

FRIDAY 28 JULY 11am – 2pm

FREE FAMILY FUN DAY AT DRUMBRAE LIBRARY

Friday 28 July, 11am to 2pm

– parkour

– VR

– sports

– music workshop

– crafts

– information stalls

– tea, coffee and snacks.

Check other free events & activities at http://edinburgh.gov.uk/warmandwelcoming