SATURDAY 1st AUGUST from 10am – 3pm
Look out for Drumbrae Library’s Family Fun Day on Saturday 1st August from 10am!
There are lots of fun things to do including workshops with Stina Sparkles, a performance by Jed and Jo’s Acoustic Music, craft and refreshments.
Everything is totally free with no need to book, just bring your family along for a great time.
2026 is the National Year of Reading #GoAllIn
CORSTORPHINE LIBRARY – THURSDAY 4 AUGUST at 2pm
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:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/once-upon-a-what-with…
2026 is the National Year of Reading – #GoAllIn
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.
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
Explore other free family friendly activities this summer: https://northedinburgharts.co.uk/summer-2026/
This year’s summer programme is delivered in partnership with Muirhouse Library.
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.
Download our leaflet now: https://rb.gy/oc79bl
More info: https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/outdoors/water-safety/
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/
PICTURES: SuperTroop
EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES AT DRUMBRAE LIBRARY THIS WEEK:
FRIDAY 24th JULY from 2.30 – 3.30pm
Aged 7-12 and looking for amazing art activities to take part in? This animation workshop will be amazing and we can’t wait to see the results!
Places are limited so please let us know if you want to come either by phone or booking on eventbrite:
Dear Editor
Recent statistics indicating that 12,402 pupils have missed at least half of the school year—enough to fill almost 400 classrooms—should concern us all.
While we support mainstream education wherever appropriate, it can only succeed if schools have the staff and specialist support to make inclusion for those with additional support needs (ASN) meaningful.
More than two out of five (43 per cent) of Scotland’s pupils are now identified as having an additional support need, with numbers more than doubling over the past decade. Yet the number of specialist ASN teachers has fallen. Additionally, as the number of those with ASN experiencing greater complexity of need increases, special school provision may be required, yet the number of such schools has declined.
The link between unmet additional support needs and poor attendance is clear. Too many families are waiting for support while schools struggle with shortages of specialist teachers, classroom assistants, educational psychologists and mental health professionals.
Identifying children with ASN is only the first step. They must receive the timely support needed to attend school, achieve their potential and avoid poorer educational and mental health outcomes.
Scotland urgently needs greater investment to deliver genuinely inclusive education. Without it, we risk failing not only children with ASN and their families, but every pupil and teacher in Scotland’s classrooms.
Yours faithfully
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition:
Patrick Gannon, Falkland House School
Lynn Black, LOVE Care
Kenny Graham, Spark of Genius
It’s the fourth week of the summer holidays and we have yet more events on for you. All of them are free and there is no need to book ahead.
If Saturday doesn’t suit you for board games, come along on Tuesday from 2-4pm with your family or friends to play new games and classics with a member of staff available to teach the rules.
We have a special extra Zoo Tails session on at the usual time on Wednesday at 3:30pm. This is a great one for younger children, but everyone can enjoy the stories and activity with a community zookeeper!
If the weather is still good on Thursday afternoon, we have another toddler-friendly event: some parachute songs and games with Emily!
Friday Crafternoon is back for one week during the summer holidays, so come along and get colourful and creative from 2:30pm.
We’ve got Bookbug on this Saturday at 11am, as well as our usual sessions on Tuesday at 11am and Wednesday at 2pm.
Remember to register for the #SummerReadingChallenge and earn your first sticker by coming to a library event!
2026 is the National Year of Reading – #GoAllIn
