Entertainment – Page 7 – The NEN

Music students perform exclusive gig for care home residents

ASPIRING musicians from Edinburgh College blew care home residents away during a private garden concert.

The three performers, Nualla Macgregor, Seonaid Wilson and Chloe Mak, visited Mansfield Care’s Pine Villa to deliver an outdoor musical extravaganza consisting of singing, piano, clarinet and clarsach – a Celtic harp.

Inspired by a class project, the group, NCS Collective, chose to play for the Midlothian-based care home after it was recommended to them by a teacher.

Band member, Seonaid said: “After hearing about the concerts our teacher had performed at Pine Villa, and how much the residents loved it, we all decided to perform there ourselves.

“It was our first concert out of lockdown and first concert at a care home so we were especially keen to organise a socially distanced performance to bring some in-house entertainment while venues are still closed.

“It was amazing to finally be able to make music again and perform for other people. It was really gratifying.”

After hosting a successful concert in April, the group were eager to schedule a summer performance in the sunshine.

The band perform a variety of songs from Disney anthems to The Beatles and are all selected by the residents themselves.

Clarsach player, Nualla, added: “It’s important to us that we perform songs the residents want to listen to, so we prepare a questionnaire with lots of different choices for residents to fill out.

“From there, we compile a set list and rehearse together ahead of the concert. Some top picks included Abba, Disney, The Beatles and pop songs – which were all so fun to perform and very different from our usual classical music set list.”

“We’re hoping to keep this going on a regular basis and arrange for concerts every couple of months if we have the time and if the residents want us back.”

Denise Williams, Pine Villa Care Home Manager in Loanhead, said: “It was amazing. We had residents tapping their feet and singing along, they really enjoyed it.

Margaret Morton, resident at Pine Villa said: “It was lovely sitting in the sunshine listening to the music.

Rena Flavell, resident at Pine Villa added: “The harp music was very special, it was all really lovely.”

20 year old Chloe said: “It was a great time! I think both the staff and residents really enjoyed it. The residents loved seeing all of our individual instruments and talents, so we prepared more solos as well as ensemble pieces.

“As classical performers, this isn’t something we usually get to do, so seeing how much everyone at Pine Villa enjoyed our performance was really inspiring and has definitely encouraged us to go back.”

Mansfield Care specialise in small, friendly residential care homes in Edinburgh, Borders and west of Scotland; each designed to an exceptional standard with state-of-the-art facilities.

The Mansfield Care ethos is inspired by the kind of care we would wish for ourselves in later life – supportive, friendly, bright, positive, empathetic, respectful and homely.

Arlene Phillips to direct & Oti Mabuse to choreograph The Cher Show UK & Ireland tour

A brand new production of The Cher Show will open next year, with book by Tony and Olivier Award-winning Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, The Addams Family, Peter and the Starcatcher), direction by Arlene Phillips (Saturday Night Fever, Starlight Express, Grease), choreography by Oti Mabuse (two-time Strictly Come Dancing champion) and costume design by Gabriella Slade (Six, In The Heights, Spice World 2019 Tour).

The tour will open at Leicester’s Curve on 15 April 2022 and will continue through to 1 April 2023.

Arlene Phillips said of directing The Cher Show, “I have been a fan of Cher since I first heard I Got You Babe in the mid-sixties and cannot wait to direct her musical. I love stories about strong inspirational legends like Cher and I am proud to be joined in the creative team by two women who have already made a huge impact in their careers: Oti Mabuse as choreographer of the many different genres in the show and Gabriella Slade for the iconic costume designs.

“This exciting show will be a non-stop journey of Cher’s rollercoaster life, bringing to the audience Cher’s iconic songs, glorious dance numbers, unique costumes and her epic drama. All they need to do is come along and Believe!”

Oti Mabuse said, “I cannot WAIT for audiences to see what we’re doing with The Cher Show. Cher’s music covers so many styles, genres and rhythms, which makes it so exciting to choreograph.

“Every song in the show is a hit and we are going full out with exciting routines and movement. It’s going to be a party! Cher has been such an inspiration to so many people and this musical is going to be a celebration of everything people love about her.”

Gabriella Slade added, “Cher is quite literally a style icon. Her fashion moments pushed the boundaries of the time and continue to do so. I’m so excited to be taking huge influence and inspiration from these looks as I embark on creating the costume design for this new production of The Cher Show.”

From a young child with big dreams, the shy daughter of an Armenian American truck driver, to the dizzying heights of global stardom, The Cher Show tells the incredible story of Cher’s meteoric rise to fame.

Cher takes the audience by the hand and introduces them to the influential people in her life, from her mother and Sonny Bono, to fashion designer and costumier Bob Mackie. It shows how she battled the men who underestimated her, fought the conventions and, above all, was a trailblazer for independence.

The musical is packed with 35 of her biggest hits, including ‘Turn Back Time’, ‘I Got You Babe’, ‘Strong Enough’, ‘The Shoop Shoop Song’ and ‘Believe’.

With over 100 million record sales, an Academy Award®, an Emmy®, a Grammy®, three Golden Globes® and an award from The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Cher has influenced popular culture more than most.

Her on-screen career started in 1971 with her weekly television show that attracted 30 million viewers a week, and went on to include starring roles in iconic films from Moonstruck, for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress, to Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!, which prompted the New York Magazine to realise “every single movie—no matter how flawless—would be infinitely better if it included Cher.”

Her ‘Farewell Tour’ became the highest grossing music tour in history – in true Cher fashion, she followed up her ‘Farewell Tour’ with two further sell-out, worldwide arena tours. She is the only artist in history to have a number one hit in the Billboard chart for six consecutive decades; an achievement that caused Vogue to deem her “eternally relevant and the ruler of outré reinvention”. She became known as the Queen of Reinvention.

In the 1990s, she established The Cher Charitable Foundation to support causes around the world. She has been a long-time donor and supporter of Habitat for Humanity, The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and Keep A Child Alive, an organisation that helps to combat the AIDs epidemic. Most recently, she co-founded Free the Wild to help rescue Kaavan the Asian elephant from Islamabad zoo.

Written by Tony Award-winning Rick Elice, The Cher Show made its debut on Broadway in 2018 in a production that earned two Tony Awards and delighted fans from around the world. This new production will be the European premiere.

The Cher Show UK & Ireland Tour will have lighting design by Ben Cracknell and sound design by Dan Samson.

Website: www.cheronstage.com

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: @TheCherShowUK

SCOTTISH OUR SCHEDULE

27 September – 1 October Glasgow King’s Theatre

0844 871 7615*

www.atgtickets.com/venues/kings-theatre

4 – 8 October Aberdeen His Majesty’s Theatre

aberdeenperformingarts.com

11 – 15 October Edinburgh Festival Theatre

0131 529 6000

www.capitaltheatres.com/your-visit/festival-theatre

on sale now

Further dates to be announced

*Calls cost 7p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge

Hidden Door Festival heads to Granton Gasometer

MAIN PICTURE: Fabio Scalici Photography

Hidden Door Festival 2021 is heading to Granton Gasworks, with the festival taking place in the shadow of the historic gas holder. The site at West Shore Road will be transformed into an outdoor celebration of music, visual art, theatre, dance and spoken word from 15 – 19 September 2021.

Organisers plan on building two stages for music performances, lighting up the gas holder to create a dramatic backdrop, with sculptures displayed throughout the site.

The large, open space will allow Hidden Door 2021 to be flexible, adapting to comply with the coronavirus restrictions in place at the time.

Over five days, the event will showcase the work of at least 30 graduates, four site artists, eight dance groups and two theatre companies, highlighting some of the best emerging talent in Scotland.

An old pencil drawing of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza sitting on their horses, by Wilhelm Marstrand.

David Martin, Creative Director of Hidden Door, said: “Taking on the site of the Granton Gasworks is an exciting opportunity for Hidden Door to adapt, as we need to, in order to start bringing live events back to the city. We are used to working in the nooks and crannies of disused buildings, so moving to a big open site like this is really liberating!

“We are designing the event so that there will be enough space for everyone to be safe and to be able to accommodate social distancing if we still need to work with those restrictions, but the epic nature of the site, with the incredible gas tower landmark looming over us, means we will be able to create a spectacle and an atmosphere, and bring about the wow-factor that our audience expects from a Hidden Door venue.

“We can’t wait to get on site and start turning it into a creative and joyful showcase of Scotland’s emerging talent. Early career artists and performers have been so badly affected by the pandemic, so they are front and centre for this event, and we are looking forward to showing how much talent there is to celebrate.”

Edinburgh College, who occupy the area close to the Gasworks where the festival will be held, are enthusiastically welcoming the festival on to the site. As well as opening the gates to Hidden Door, they hope to use the festival as a training opportunity for students on a number of courses.

Jakki Jeffery, Head of Creative Industries at Edinburgh College, said: “It’s fantastic that Hidden Door have chosen this site close to the iconic Granton Gasworks to host their 2021 festival.

“It will be wonderful to see the space transformed to showcase creative talent which we hope our students can play a part in, and take inspiration and experience from to boost their future careers.”

Tickets

Tickets are available via www.hiddendoorblog.org/tickets or from Citizen Ticket. Once the full programme is announced, ticket holders will be able to select which days they would like to attend.

Edinburgh International Children’s Festival is back!

The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival is back, from 25 May – 6 June.

This year’s hybrid Festival consists of a digital programme (available to watch 25 May-6 June) and a mostly outdoor programme presented over the Festival’s two weekends (29-30 May and 5-6 June).

The Digital Programme includes a mixture of streamed performances which you can watch at any time during the Festival and innovative digital interactions presented live over Zoom (book now).

Family Encounters programme presents FREE innovative performances and activities mostly outdoor.

Events will take place in the stunning Royal Botanic Garden (book now), as well as in site-specific venues (book now).

You can find out what to expect at this year’s Festival here.

News from the Fringe

We are pleased to announce that show registration for Fringe 2021 will open on Wednesday 05 May.

Artists and venues will be able to register Fringe shows right up until the end of the festival. The Fringe’s world-class programme will be available to browse and book at edfringe.com, with tickets going on sale for audiences in early summer.

As Scotland navigates its roadmap out of lockdown, much is still unknown about what the Fringe will look like this August. However, a range of scenarios are being prepared for, from socially distanced live events to digital offerings.

The Fringe Society is supporting artists and audiences to find and book work online across a range of platforms, including the brand-new Fringe Player.

This online platform aims to bring some festival magic into homes across the world, while providing a secure platform for artists, companies and venues to host their shows. The platform is available to any registered 2021 Fringe show or venue to use if they wish.

Any live performance registered as part of the 2021 Fringe will be expected to adhere to public health guidance from the Scottish Government.

Audiences can search, browse and buy tickets to both online and in-person work through edfringe.com. More details on individual shows and Fringe 2021 will be available in early summer.

Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Fringe Society, said: “We’re delighted to be able to open registration for 2021. Of course, we’re still very much in planning mode as we await further updates from the Scottish Government, but this feels like a hugely positive step in the right direction.

“Through the work being created across the various digital platforms, including the Fringe Player, artists have a brilliant opportunity to reach audiences and communities all over the world. I look forward to seeing how our Fringe creatives use these platforms in 2021 and beyond.”

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe will take place from 06 – 30 August 2021.

Thank you for the music

Emergency Scottish Government relief funds reach grassroots music venues in Edinburgh

16 Edinburgh venues have received over £932,000 through the Scottish Government’s Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund delivered by Creative Scotland.

Bannermans, Henry’s Cellar Bar, LaBelle Angele, Leith Depot, Opium, Sandy Bell’s, Sneaky Pete’s, Stramash, Summerhall, The Banshee Labyrinth, The Bongo Club, The Caves, The Jazz Bar, The Mash House, The Voodoo Rooms and Whistle Binkies in Edinburgh are among 82 venues across Scotland which have received a total of £4million.

Aimed at providing grassroots live music venues with emergency support to help address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and prevent closure, the £4million fund closed for the second round of applications on Wednesday 3 February 2021.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “This is an incredibly difficult time for the live music sector and it is important that we support our grassroots music venues – which are key to our rich and diverse music scene – to survive until they can reopen.

“This fund, part of our ongoing commitment to support cultural sectors during the pandemic, aims to do that by ensuring financial support reaches a wide variety of music venues across the country.

“I thank the music sector for continuing to work with us to identify the most effective ways to help it.”

Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotland said: “We’ve now been without live music for much longer than anyone could have imagined. Covid-19 has hit the music industry hard, and we all look forward to the day when musicians and audiences can get back together – in the same place, at the same time – to ignite the special spark of live performance.

“Grassroots venues are where talented musicians test and perfect their original material, where careers are borne and local scenes have their deepest roots. The first round of awards from this fund covered the length of Scotland, from Dumfries to Kirkwall.

“The second round broadens that support, reaching Arran and the East Neuk of Fife. These awards are proof of the confidence that the Scottish Government and Creative Scotland have in our music sector, its artists, its audiences, its technicians and, of course, its much-loved grassroots venues.”

This is the second of two funding rounds. To date, over both funding rounds combined, 85 venues across Scotland have now received a total of £6.2million through the Fund. £2.2millon was awarded in the first round in September 2020.

Rowan Campbell of Summerhall said: “Summerhall is immensely grateful for this award which will help to secure our staff, our ongoing costs while closed and our ability to reopen in the coming months.

“It is a welcome lifeline that recognises our place as an important venue in the live music landscape of Scotland.”

Henry’s Cellar Bar owner/manager, Claire Grandemange said: “Thanks to the Creative Scotland’s Grassroots Music Venues Fund and all the help from the team of the Music Venue Trust, the uncertainty over our ability to carry on paying staff and other fixed costs has been removed, and we are confident about our future reopening as a music venue once restrictions are lifted.”

Recipients of the £4m Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund are:

Venue Name	Awarded Amount	Local Authority
1703 Dunfermline	£35,000	Fife
1807	£35,000	West Lothian
1912	£35,000	West Lothian
Aros Centre	£28,000	Highland
Audio	£32,000	Glasgow City
Backstage Kinross	£40,000	Perth and Kinross
Bannermans	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
The Banshee Labyrinth	£50,000	City of Edinburgh
Beat Generator Live!	£51,608	Dundee City
Berkeley Suite	£57,060	Glasgow City
BLOC+	£66,200	Glasgow City
The Blue Arrow Jazz Club	£66,200	Glasgow City
The Blue Lamp	£9,554	Aberdeen City
The Bongo Club	£50,000	City of Edinburgh
Box	£66,200	Glasgow City
Bridge Street Social Club	£50,000	Aberdeen City
Broadcast	£66,200	Glasgow City
The Bungalow	£38,000	Renfrewshire
Café Drummonds	£60,000	Aberdeen City
Callums Cavern CC’S	£19,298	Renfrewshire
The Caves	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
The Church	£66,200	Dundee City
The Clutha Bar	£45,000	Glasgow City
Conroy’s	£23,422	Dundee City
Cottiers Theatre	£30,000	Glasgow City
The Douglas Arms	£20,000	Dumfries and Galloway
Dreadnoughtrock	£45,490	West Lothian
Flying Duck	£60,000	Glasgow City
Futtle	£22,000	Fife
The Gellions	£50,000	Highland
The Glad Cafe C.I.C	£66,200	Glasgow City
Harleys	£66,200	South Ayrshire
Henry’s Cellar Bar	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
Hootenanny	£66,200	Highland
The Howlin Wolf	£66,200	Glasgow City
The Hug and Pint	£66,200	Glasgow City
The Hunter S Thompson	£21,000	Dundee City
Ivory Blacks	£40,601	Glasgow City
The Jazz Bar	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
King Tuts Wah Wah Hut	£66,200	Glasgow City
King’s	£66,200	Dundee City
The Kings Theatre Kirkcaldy Limited	£30,000	Fife
Krakatoa	£59,500	Aberdeen City
LaBelle Angele	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
La Cheetah Club	£66,200	Glasgow City
Leith Depot	£27,981	City of Edinburgh
Marmions	£35,000	Scottish Borders
The Mash House	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
McChuills	£63,800	Glasgow City
McGeochs	£43,500	Inverclyde
Midnight Breakfast Club	£3,749	West Lothian
Mono	£60,000	Glasgow City
Muckys Bar &	£28,774	Perth and Kinross
Nice N Sleazy	£66,200	Glasgow City
Opium	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
Nicos bar	£40,000	Glasgow City
The Old Hairdressers	£55,000	Glasgow City
The Pierhead Tavern	£30,000	North Ayrshire
PJ Malloys	£52,732	Fife
The Poetry Club	£30,000	Glasgow City
Priory Bar	£45,000	Glasgow City
Purple Orange	£28,524	West Lothian
Room 2	£59,049	Glasgow City
The Rum Shack	£19,251	Glasgow City
Saint Luke’s & The Winged Ox	£66,200	Glasgow City
Sandy Bell’s	£10,000	City of Edinburgh
Sneaky Pete’s	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
The Sound Archive	£34,911	Orkney Islands
Stramash	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
Stereo	£66,200	Glasgow City
The Sub-Club	£66,200	Glasgow City
Summerhall	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
Swing	£50,000	East Dunbartonshire
Temple	£64,200	Falkirk
The Tooth and Claw	£59,996	Highland
Tunnels	£50,000	Aberdeen City
The Twa Tams	£66,200	Perth and Kinross
Unit 51	£50,000	Aberdeen City
The View	£20,000	Argyll and Bute
The Voodoo Rooms	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
Whistle Binkies	£66,200	City of Edinburgh
Woodside hotel	£15,000	Fife
Total

Halloween Drive-in Movies at Edinburgh Airport

Struggling with Halloween ideas? Fear (no) more – Drive-in Movies at Edinburgh Airport offers the best Halloween entertainment for people of all ages in a safe, family-friendly environment!

Book your tickets now: www.edinburghdrivein.co.uk

Sarah Drummond and Louise Montgomery enjoy a Drive-in screening of Scream with the Ghostface himself… PIC: Lloyd Smith

Featuring a spine-chilling selection of family favourites, cult classics and blockbusters, Drive-in Movies at Edinburgh Airport transports its audiences into a fright-filled world of cinema this Halloween!

The event takes place between Thursday 29 October and Sunday 1 November and presents 12 fantastic horror classics to choose from, including The Lost Boys, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Jaws and Scream, plus family favourites Hocus Pocus, E.T, Coco, Ghostbusters and much more – all in a safe, socially-distant, outdoor environment with strict health and safety measures in place.

The pre-screening entertainment includes Halloween-themed sing along, film quiz with spot prizes, competition for best costumes and carved pumpkins displayed on the dashboard, all run by the event’s MC, Edinburgh DJ Stewart Calverto who becomes Count Calverto …

Edinburgh’s Drive-in Movies truly is the place to go for Halloween fun this year!

Ticket and full line-up information available here: www.edinburghdrivein.co.uk

Fore Play Crazy Golf Launches New Edinburgh Pop-Up

Scotland’s most Instagrammable golf course, Fore Play Crazy Golf, opened the doors to its new home in Edinburgh on Friday.

Taking up a yearly residence in the former Steak Restaurant on Picardy Place, the new, exciting over 18s venue has been completely transformed and puts the fun back into going out. Guests can enjoy two stunning bars, street food traders and tee off on a spectacular Auld-Reekie inspired crazy golf course aptly named – Wee Bobby.

Spread spaciously over two floors and packed with fun and bold Instagrammable features, the cool new space offers a safe, comfortable and socially distanced experience for friends or couples to get competitive on their course.

Seating up to 126 guests throughout the venue, guests will love the vivid and industrial interior of Fore Play Crazy Golf, teamed with the bright and colourful umbrella-covered ceiling installation in a nod to golf and Edinburgh’s dreich weather.

There’s also an impressive neon graffiti mural by the infamous Scottish artist Barry the Cat whose work is infamous across the country.

Nothing brings people together like competition, and Fore Play Crazy golf does not disappoint. Their Auld Reekie-inspired course has devious obstacles capturing the sights and sounds of some of Edinburgh’s most loved tourist attractions.

Try your luck on the steep hills, navigate the tricky terrain of the loop de loop and don’t forget to give Greyfriars Bobby’s nose a rub for good luck before tackling the Scott Monument installation.

Once you’ve completed the course, you can visit their photo booth to upload snaps to the gram for a memento of your un-fore-gettable night out. And of course, it wouldn’t be Fore Play Crazy Golf without a photo-friendly golf cart to end your game.

The competitive socialising venue also has a heated outdoor beer garden that seats up to 40 guests. Allowing you to enjoy a bevy inside or outside at one of the venue’s bars, you can wet your whistle both on and off the green.

With table service throughout the venue, you can sample local craft beers from the Edinburgh Beer Factory, a mouth-watering new cocktail menu and a curated selection of gin tipples from Edinburgh favourite – Pickering’s. If you’re hungry, street food superstar The Pitt is on hand to get those taste buds tingling.

With everything you need for fun under one roof, the year-long pop up promises to be one of the best nights out you’ll ever have.

Craig Neilson, Chief Greenkeeper at Fore Play Crazy Golf said: “Our team has worked hard to ensure we create a safe and comfortable environment to give our guests the best experience possible, and we’re so excited to swing open our doors at our new venue!

“Edinburgh is known for its tourist attractions, Instagrammable spots and great foodie finds. At Fore Play Crazy golf we’ve brought together the best bits of Edinburgh all under one roof to make it an un-fore-gettable night.”

Fore Play Crazy Golf Edinburgh is now open every Thursday (5-10pm), Friday (4-10pm), Saturday (12-12) and Sunday (12:30 -10pm).

Tickets are on sale now. Visit their website to book your experience:

https://foreplaycrazygolf.co.uk/edinburgh

Fore Play Crazy Golf’s set to tee off in Edinburgh

Scotland’s top alternative night out, Fore Play Crazy Golf, has announced the launch of their new pop-up venue in Edinburgh city centre.

Set to open next month, Scotland’s favourite adult-only crazy golf haven’t let COVID deter their plans, and they’re bringing their love of crazy golf, great nights out and Edinburgh to the city in a complete transformation of the former Steak restaurant, located at Picardy Place.

The bold new move comes after the team had to close their first ever popup at the Biscuit Factory after only two weeks of trading earlier this year in March.

The new Fore Play Crazy Golf venue promises to be bigger and better than before, with thrill-seekers set to enjoy two floors jam-packed with fun, games and Instagrammable features. The new space boasts 9,000 sq ft and can seat up to 126 socially distanced guests throughout the venue.

Taking centre-stage the Edinburgh course features famous Auld Reekie landmarks paying tribute to some of the city centre’s most instagrammable spots including Greyfriars Bobby statue and the Scott Monument.

With a unique blend of crazy golf, mouth watering street food and cocktails made with local suppliers like Pickering’s Gin and Edinburgh Beer Factory, Fore Play Crazy Golf promises an experience which is un-fore-gettable in every way.

New venue features include a bar on each floor, as well as a heated outdoor beer garden which can seat up to 40 people, allowing players to enjoy table service throughout the venue.

Meanwhile Edinburgh’s street food superstars, The Pitt are on hand to feed hungry putters with a new food menu that boasts plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options.

Craig Neilson, Chief Greenkeeper at Fore Play Crazy Golf said: “COVID might have ruined our plans the first time round, but we’re excited to announce that Fore Play Crazy Golf is here to stay.

“Our new home in Edinburgh city centre is a fantastic location and we’re delighted to be able to provide people in Edinburgh with a different night out to enjoy with friends or on a date. We’ve teamed up with some of the city’s best food and drink suppliers to make sure it’ll be a night to remember.”

Quit wasting time puttering around and sign up for launch updates on Fore Play Crazy Golf! Visit their website https://foreplaycrazygolf.co.uk/edinburgh/comingSoon/

Fore Play Crazy Golf Edinburgh is set to open on Friday, 2nd October 2020 with bookings going live this week.

Care home puts art and soul into recreating Fringe for residents

FUN-loving pensioners who were missing out after the world’s biggest arts festival was cancelled have been treated to a bespoke day of events instead.

Cramond Residence, Edinburgh’s most exclusive care home, hosted a Festival-Fringe-style celebration for its residents since the annual arts event was cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The day-long ‘Cramond Fringe’ saw residents and staff enjoy a celebration of arts and entertainment, while abiding by social distancing rules. It included performances by magicians, jugglers, poets and singers.

Lisa Sohn, Lifestyle Co-ordinator at Cramond Residence, said: “This offered something different for our residents and it was wonderful way to bring everyone together safely.

“While nothing can make up for Edinburgh losing the Festival-Fringe this year because of the pandemic, we still had a brilliant day of entertainment and performances here. The residents absolutely loved it.”

Cramond Residence is a purpose-built care home created at a cost of £8m and opened in October 2018. It combines luxury, five-star accommodation with outstanding clinical standards – with places available from £1850 per week.

The Cramond Fringe event was held in the residence’s dedicated cinema room – a sizeable, multi-purpose space which enabled strict social distancing. The residence also includes a library, hair salon, private, fine-dining space and a physiotherapy room.

Lisa added: “The fringe celebrations started with a ribbon cutting ceremony in the morning, followed by refreshments over a presentation on the history of the Festival and a Fringe trivia quiz for those more competitive residents.

“After lunch we started our afternoon of entertainment which included juggling, magic shows, skits, jokes, and a sing-song. We tried to create the feeling of a variety of acts by switching the chairs around and creating different ‘stages’.

“Speaking with the residents after the event, they told us they’d loved it a really good time and would love for it to happen again – maybe we will need to make the Cramond Fringe an annual celebration due to popular demand.”

Cramond Residence can care for up to 74 older people and has a specialist dementia unit to care for those with an advanced stage of dementia. Each resident enjoys a luxury room with en-suite bathroom facilities. It maintains a care staff to resident ratio of at least 1:4 at all times.

Spread across three floors, it also adopts a small-group living philosophy. That means groups of eight rooms form distinct “houses”, where residents are encouraged to eat and socialise together. This is believed to have played a major role in infection control during the Coronavirus pandemic to date.

Places start from £1850 a week.

To find out more, call 0131 341 4037 or visit https://cramondresidence.co.uk/