Tag: Children and Families

Dobbies spellbinding line-up of Autumnal events at Edinburgh

Activities for kids, families … and dogs!

This October and November, Dobbies Garden Centres is inviting customers along to its enchanting autumn events at the Edinburgh store, helping kick-start the season.

There’s something for everyone, with events for dogs, kids and families:

Pup-kin Patch

The Pup-kin Patch at Dobbies will be a fun outing for dogs where they can dig into treats, toys, and tail wagging fun. With activities from picking their own autumn themed toys, to enjoying a puppuccino from the restaurant, furry friends are bound to have a paw-esome outing. The event will also have a free digital photo opportunity for dogs to pose in front of an autumnal backdrop at the Edinburgh store, for a beautiful pet ‘paw-trait’.

Tickets to the event will also include special offers in the pet department, one free hot drink and puppuccino with the purchase of any cake from the restaurant, and £5 off £25 spend in store. Dobbies’ Pup-kin Patch will be taking place on Saturday 25, Sunday 26, Friday 31 October, and Saturday 1 November, tickets are £12.50 per dog. Dates vary for each store so please check the website when booking. 

Little Scare-lings – Witches, Wizards and Wicked Treats 

This Halloween, children and families can get ready to take part in some scarily fun activities and afternoon tea at the Edinburgh store Little Scare-lings event. There will be three tiers of savoury sandwiches and sweet treats for the children and spook-tacular tea and cake offers or afternoon tea add ons for adults.

Little ones will get to take part in slime and magic potion making to embrace their inner witches and wizards, alongside other magical activities and games. Dobbies is encouraging attendees to dress up in their spookiest costume as a prize will be awarded during a costume contest. 

The Little Scare-lings – Witches, Wizards and Wicked Treats is taking place on Saturday 18, Sunday 19, Saturday 25, Sunday 26, Friday 31 October, and Saturday 1 November, tickets are £15 per children and from £7.50 for adults. Dates vary for each store so please check the website when booking.

Dobbies’ Events Programme Manager, Ayesha Nickson, is looking forward to welcoming customers, from families, dogs and planting enthusiasts, to Dobbies’ Edinburgh store this autumn. She said: “It’s fantastic to have such a variety of events on offer and there really is something for everyone to enjoy, with fun for all ages. 

“Our Little Scare-lings event is a firm favourite for families, with plenty of action-packed activities, and the Pup-kin Patch is back by popular demand, this year in more stores after it was such a hit last year. We can’t wait to celebrate autumn and Halloween with our customers this spooky season.”

Tickets to all autumn events at Dobbies’ Edinburgh store are now available to book at www.dobbies.com/events.

For more information on Dobbies’ events, visit www.dobbies.com/events

Scottish Book Trust celebrates 10 years of Read Write Count

Scottish Book Trust celebrates 10 years of Read Write Count book gifting with Edinburgh International Book Festival

National charity Scottish Book Trust has partnered with the Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) to host a special free event for 300 school children to celebrate 10 years of Read Write Count, on Wednesday 20 August.

Read Write Count with the First Minister is a universal national book gifting programme for pupils in Primary 2 and 3 all over Scotland. Since 2015 over 2.5 million books have been gifted to children.

The book Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam by Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton was in the very first Read Write Count bag in 2015. The writer and illustrator duo will now host a special event at EIBF tomorrow at 11am. 300 school children will attend the free event with hundreds more watching on live stream across Scotland.

Research by Scottish Book Trust revealed that 85% of parents said that Read Write Count bags helped them to engage better with their children’s learning, while 90% of schools felt that gifting the bags had made a positive impact to their relationship with families.

One parent of brother Ollie, who received the first Read Write Count bag in 2015, and younger sister Elia, who will receive her own bag this year in Primary 2, commented: “We have always loved getting our Bookbug bags so when Ollie got his drawstring Read Write Count bag we were chuffed to have new books and games to use as a family!

“Now Elia will get her own P2 bag this year – we can’t wait!”

First Minister John Swinney said: “Books have the power to open our imagination to new worlds, which makes introducing reading from a young age so vitally important. We also know that nurturing positive relationships with reading supports improved wellbeing and attainment for children.

“Over the past ten years, the Read Write Count programme has played a vital role in supporting more children to access and take joy in reading, and it is more important than ever to recognise and celebrate this incredible milestone.”

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “It is wonderful to mark the milestone and legacy of ten years of Read Write Count.

“Gifting books to children to enjoy with their families and carers is vital, helping to give them not only the best start in life but the lasting benefits that comes with having books at home.”

The event will also launch the books and contents of the 2025 Read Write Count bag, which will be distributed through schools during Book Week Scotland in November. Read Write Count with the First Minister is funded by Scottish Government.

MYDG: All clubs back this week

All of our clubs are BACK and ready to welcome our awesome young people!!

Please note: There are a few changes to where some groups are running from – Don Bosco will be at the PENNYWELL HUB building THIS WEEK (Wednesday 20th August)!

If there are any questions regarding days/times/venues please contact the team on the MYDG Mobile Number – 07960955667

Today: BLAST Boxing at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre

TUESDAY SESSIONS

9.30 -11.30 BOX N’ BLETHER

5 – 5:45 youth boxing and fitness session

6 – 7pm BLAST BOXfit!

All sessions are aimed at mental aswell as physical well-being.

Delivered in a friendly fun but challenging manner focused on having a laugh and building positive relationships within the groups.

BLAST, it’s more than just boxing! 👌🏻💪🏻❤️🥊

Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre gets set to celebrate 30th Birthday

ALL WELCOME AT DRYLAW’s BIG BIRTHDAY BASH!

We are gearing up for our big party day in only 4 weeks!

We have so much planned for the day and can’t wait to have you all there 🎉

Lunch provided by Scran Academy, Bookbug session, Moving Music drumming circle, National Galleries of Scotland art session, Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC) Dr Bike and bike activities (make your own bike-powered smoothie!), Tinderbox Collective are here with their Escape Drylaw game for you to try, Tummies Not Trash will be here with a food stall.

Not to mention fun activities in the garden, face painting and henna tattoos, a bake sale, puppet shows, apple pressing, our famous tombola, and amazing raffle with locally donated prizes… And yes, there is a bouncy castle!!!

Don’t miss out on all the fun on Saturday 13th September! 🤩

Oasis fans ‘Roll With It’ at Fort Kinnaird with free Oasis tribute

Oasis fans flocked to Fort Kinnaird last weekend to enjoy a free live performance by popular tribute band ‘Oasus’.

The event allowed fans who missed out on tickets to the Murrayfield shows to still join in the fun and the gig saw the group perform classics such as Wonderwall, Live Forever, and Don’t Look Back in Anger

Oasis fans of all ages turned up for the tribute, including families and little ones proudly sporting iconic bucket hats

Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said: “There’s so much excitement around the Oasis reunion gigs at Murrayfield, so it was only right that we brought a bit of that buzz to Fort Kinnaird too.

“Oasus are a brilliant tribute act, and their free show was the perfect chance for Oasis fans of all ages to get involved in the action. It was a great way to spend a Sunday – with attendees grabbing a bite, enjoying the music, and making a proper day of it with friends and family.”  

The event was just one of the free events that took place at Fort Kinnaird this summer, designed to offer visitors of all ages memorable, free experiences. The centre also hosted character visits inspired by popular blockbuster films including Wicked and Lilo & Stich.

MSP highlights support for local families as schools return

GORDON MACDONALD HIGHLIGHTS SUPPORT FOR LOCAL FAMILIES

As children across Edinburgh head back to school, local SNP MSP Gordon Macdonald has highlighted the wide range of support available to help families with the cost of learning, including almost 7720 Best Start Grant – School Age Payments worth a total of ££2,132,033 paid out to local families in the last year.

The Best Start Grant – School Age Payment is a one-off payment of £314.45 to eligible families when their child starts primary school, helping with essentials such as school uniforms, shoes, and bags. This is in addition to the Best Start Foods payment card, which supports families with the cost of healthy food throughout the year.

The SNP Government has also expanded free school meals to all pupils in primary 1-5, with plans to extend this to all primary pupils in the lifetime of this parliament. Free school meals save families hundreds of pounds each year while ensuring every child has access to a healthy, nutritious lunch.

To help with the cost of uniforms, the SNP has increased the national minimum School Clothing Grant to at least £120 for primary pupils and £150 for secondary pupils, available through local councils to eligible families.

Commenting, Gordon Macdonald MSP said: “The start of the school year is an exciting time for children, but it can also be a financially challenging time for families. That’s why I’m proud that in the last year alone, 7720 payments worth ££2,132,033 have gone to families in Edinburgh through the Best Start Grant – School Age Payment.

“From the Best Start Grant and School Clothing Grants, to free school meals and the Scottish Child Payment, the SNP is taking real, practical action to support families and tackle child poverty.

“While Labour austerity continues to squeeze household incomes, the SNP is using the powers we have to put money in the pockets of families across the city ensuring every child has the best possible start in life.”

Local authority area [NUMBER]Number of Best Start Grant – School Age Payments[VALUE]Value of Best Start Grant – School Age Payments
Total123,760£34,282,276
Aberdeen City3,835£1,069,876
Aberdeenshire3,680£1,023,971
Angus2,520£701,794
Argyll and Bute1,595£442,300
Clackmannanshire1,390£384,647
City of Edinburgh7,720£2,132,033
Dumfries and Galloway3,390£938,326
Dundee City4,220£1,163,392
East Ayrshire3,550£984,048
East Dunbartonshire1,380£381,962
East Lothian2,290£635,244
East Renfrewshire1,360£375,589
Falkirk3,685£1,021,533
Fife9,345£2,589,965
Glasgow City19,650£5,435,352
Highland4,450£1,235,628
Inverclyde1,965£545,416
Midlothian2,425£671,369
Moray1,820£504,864
Na h-Eileanan Siar370£101,721
North Ayrshire3,920£1,086,398
North Lanarkshire9,810£2,722,056
Orkney Islands295£81,663
Perth and Kinross2,730£760,952
Renfrewshire4,045£1,118,702
Scottish Borders2,285£632,014
Shetland Islands315£86,440
South Ayrshire2,475£681,893
South Lanarkshire7,420£2,057,810
Stirling1,475£408,767
West Dunbartonshire2,825£777,359
West Lothian4,685£1,298,664
Unknown – Scottish postcode75£21,509
Unknown – Non-Scottish postcode650£176,888
Unknown – No postcode115£32,131