Have you ever wanted to learn the secrets of the forest and brew your very own magical potion?
Join the legendary Befana and her trusty sidekick, Midnight, for an enchanting 60-minute adventure! In this interactive class, your little ones will: • Discover the secret powers of foraged herbs and plants
• Craft and brew their very own magical tea to drink
• Design their very own custom potion recipe page to take home!
Stockbridge Library Mon 3rd August at 3 to 4 pm 7 to 10 year olds
Places are limited. Contact the library to book your free space!
If you live in Edinburgh and have difficulty travelling or receive certain benefits, we may be able to help you visit a family member residing in a Scottish prison or the State Hospital, at no cost:
Dig out your pencils and come out and play for a weekend celebrating nature and art in our community.
Whether you are a keen artist, or last drew at primary school, all are welcome to come and get stuck in with our art materials and activities. Get arty on Saturday and see the full exhibition of works on Sunday.
Activities include:
• Learning plant identification through sketching (workshop at 11am and 1pm)
• Design your own mythical beast of Granton
• Clay creature sculpting
• Ant’s eye view – get up close to tiny worlds
• Get imaginative with our art materials – stay and make for as long as you like
• Add your nature art to our exhibition
• Teas, coffees and snacks by donation
Click here for free Eventbrite booking.
Find us at Granton Hub, Maldevic House, Granton Park Avenue, EH5 1HS (We are wheelchair accessible).
We are very happy to release the last of our special summer events to help you #ReadToTheBeat: “Once Upon a… What?” with award-winning storyteller Danyah Miller.
Using games, sound, movement and a very opinionated magic carpet, we need lots of families along to craft an exciting story with her!
This will be on Thursday 4th August at 2:30pm, for around an hour.
Please sign up on Eventbrite with the following link:
As family meals make a comeback, Scotland’s Cheapest Supermarket invites families to nominate grandparents who never gave up on gathering around the table
As more families choose to cook and eat at home, Aldi is celebrating the generation that has always understood the power of sharing a meal together.
Research from Barclays’ UK Consumer Spending Report for May 2026 found that 42% of consumers are changing their spending habits due to rising costs, and are cutting back on takeaways and meals out.
Over the same four-week period, separate transaction data also recorded a 2.7% fall in spending at restaurants, cafés and bakeries.*
With more meals being enjoyed at home, Aldi believes there’s a renewed opportunity for families to reconnect around the dinner table, and nobody knows the value of that better than Scotland’s grandparents.
Influencer Granny Griggly visits Aldi in Peterhead.
Picture Simon Price /Firstpix Photography
Today (22 July), Aldi launches a nationwide campaign celebrating the grandparents and grandparent figures whose home cooking has brought generations of families together.
Long before recipe apps, air fryers and social media food trends, grandparents were passing down family recipes, cooking from scratch and creating the meals that became the backdrop to family life.
From bowls of homemade broth and freshly baked scones to Sunday roasts that still draw everyone home, they’ve spent decades proving that the best memories are often made around the table.
Now Aldi wants to recognise those everyday family heroes.
Families across Scotland are invited to nominate a grandparent or grandparent figure whose cooking, generosity and love of bringing people together have made a lasting impact on their family. Whether it’s the gran whose soup is famous across three generations or the grandad still teaching grandchildren how to bake, Aldi wants to hear the stories behind Scotland’s favourite family cooks.
As a thank you, Aldi will fund a month’s grocery shop for up to three Scottish grandparent figures.
To nominate, families should email scottishcompetition@aldi.co.uk with a short explanation (200 words) of why their grandparent deserves to be recognised.
Tom Brearey, Regional Managing Director, Aldi Scotland said: “Some of life’s best moments happen around the dinner table.
“As more people choose to cook and eat at home, this is a great opportunity to spend quality time with family, share stories and reconnect with the people around us.
“Grandparents have understood that for generations. They’ve always known that a home-cooked meal is about much more than what’s on the plate – it’s about bringing people together.
“This is our way of celebrating the people who’ve quietly kept those traditions alive for years, and thanking them for everything they do for their families.”
Our Summer Breakfast Club is having a special visit from National Museums Scotland! They’ll be popping by on Wednesday morning 22 July with a box of museum highlight objects for you to explore, touch, and get curious about!
BREAKFAST CLUB runs every morning, 10am–12pm, Monday–Saturday, until 8 August.
Pop by Macmillan Hub for free breakfast, hang out with your friends, and play games. We’ve got cereal, fruit, pastries, breakfast bars and refreshments waiting for you!
For local children and families living in Muirhouse, Pilton, Drylaw and Telford areas
It’s important to talk to children and young people about their safety around water. Have a conversation about it today and explain:
• They should never swim in an unsupervised area like lochs, rivers, sea or ponds where there isn’t an adult to help if they get into trouble
• It’s much safer to go to a swimming pool where there’s a lifeguard on duty
• They shouldn’t play with or touch lifesaving equipment like life rings by the side of waterways. That equipment might be used to save someone’s life.
Edinburgh-based charity SuperTroop, which provides residential breaks for children with learning disabilities, held its eighth successful summer camp on the grounds of Fettes College thanks to a thriving partnership between the two organisations.
Held during the summer break, the week-long ‘incredibly special’ holiday saw nineteen Fettes Sixth Form students and thirteen Old Fettesian volunteers provide round-the-clock, one-to-one personal care and friendship for around twenty young holidaymakers.
This year’s programme was built around a Highlands theme, adding a Scottish twist to established favourites such as trampolining and swimming. New additions included tartan weaving, cupcake and shortbread decorating, and ceilidh dancing.
The group also visited The Yard and the National Museum of Scotland followed by an evening listening to bagpipes, performing in a fashion show and hearing an impressive performance of a new SuperTroop-themed song written by the volunteers involved.
Toby L, a sixth-form student at Fettes College who dedicated time this summer towards volunteering for SuperTroop, said: “My time with SuperTroop, though only my first year as a helper, was incredibly special.
“In my eyes, SuperTroop makes the experience of each kid’s holiday individual to what they enjoy and require – whether this be food or activities, but especially for their additional needs – and all from the perspective of fun, safety, and respect.”
Sue Fletcher-Watson, Founder, SuperTroop, said: “SuperTroop has had another storming year thanks to our extraordinary holidaymakers, invaluable support from Fettes and the blessing of lots of sunshine!
“The ripple effects from this week of adventure will last all year – rested families, disabled young people with happy memories and expanded independence, and volunteers with new skills and lifelong friendships.”
The holiday is also made possible by the support of operational staff who manage accommodation and catering throughout the stay.
Andrew Archibald, Senior Volunteer and Teacher at Fettes College said: “As ever, this holiday is not only an opportunity to give back but a huge team effort to make the week another great success for the SuperTroop holidaymakers and their families.
“From our amazing students, Old Fettesians and staff volunteers who rose to the challenge of one-to-one, 24-hour personal care, to the operational staff who prepared fantastic accommodation and meals, everyone played their part in delivering a magical experience.
“SuperTroop remains a charity that is a very special part of Fettes life and it is a privilege to share the first week of the school holidays with them. We are already looking forward to doing it all again in 2027!”
Toby added: “What really struck me as what makes SuperTroop so special and unique was at the end of the week when the holidaymakers got picked up by their parents. Seeing how much of an impact the week had for the parents of the holidaymakers showed me the true meaning of ‘respite’.
“At the goodbyes it really made me think – all these volunteers give up time and effort for SuperTroop, and I don’t think words really do their incredible effort justice.”
The holidaymakers stay on campus, sleep in dorm rooms with their peers and 1:1 helpers, and eat meals as a group in the dining hall. Fettes provide a high-quality and accessible residence as well as catering and facilities including outdoor spaces, swimming pool and sports hall.
To find out how you can join the troop or lend your support, go to supertroop.org/
Kids’ Hawaiian Party! 
Wednesday 5th August
1:00pm – 3:00pm
Muirhouse Millennium Centre
