friendship – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

New Zealand Team gifts silver fern to Glasgow as living legacy of 2026 Commonwealth Games

A silver fern gifted by the New Zealand Team is to take root at Glasgow Botanic Gardens as a lasting symbol of friendship between Glasgow and Aotearoa New Zealand during the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The fern was formally presented to the Lord Provost of Glasgow at Kibble Palace in the Botanic Gardens on day eight of competition of the Games, which is bringing athletes, teams, visitors and supporters from across the Commonwealth to Glasgow.

The gift was made by Te Kapa o Aotearoa, the New Zealand Team, whose New Zealand House has been based nearby at Òran Mór throughout the Games.

The fern and accompanying plaque recognises the warm welcome extended by Glasgow and create a legacy for residents and visitors to enjoy when visiting the iconic Victorian glasshouse.

The plaque reads:

‘During the Games, New Zealand House stood across the road at Òran Mór, where Glasgow welcomed us with warmth and generosity.

‘This fern stands as a living symbol of friendship, unity and shared pride between Aotearoa New Zealand and Scotland.

Ko Tātou Katoa – The Fern is All of Us.’

The fern is an Alsophila dealbata, also known as Cyathea dealbata or ponga, by the Maoris. The silver fern is deeply associated with New Zealand sporting teams and is recognised as a symbol of New Zealand national identity.

It has been planted in the centre of the Kibble Palace glasshouse, home to an internationally significant collection and the Plant Heritage UK National Collection of tree ferns, alongside existing silver ferns that have already grown to more than ten feet high.

Lord Provost of Glasgow, Cllr Jacqueline McLaren, said; “This is a thoughtful and generous gift from the New Zealand Team and a beautiful reminder of the friendships being formed in Glasgow through the Commonwealth Games.

“The silver fern will be a living legacy of these Games and of the warm relationship between Scotland and Aotearoa New Zealand.”

Nicki Nicol, CEO, New Zealand Olympic Committee, said; “This Silver Fern is a small gesture of thanks for the warmth and generosity Glasgow has shown the New Zealand Team throughout the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

“We wanted to leave something lasting that reflects the friendship we’ve shared and the connections formed during our time here.

“As a symbol that is deeply important to New Zealanders, we hope this fern stands as a reminder of the bond between our nations and the New Zealand Team for many years to come.”

New Zealand have put in a solid performance during the Games with a tally of more than 20 medals so far before competition comes in an end today – Sunday 2 August.

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Val McDermid and Nicola Sturgeon bring special festive in-conversation event to Edinburgh’s Christmas

Val McDermid and Nicola Sturgeon bring a special festive edition of In The Company of Books in-conversation event to Edinburgh’s Christmas

Sunday 15^th December | 4pm | 60 minutes

Assembly Hall, New College, Mound Place EH1 2LU

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Join book lovers Val McDermid and Nicola Sturgeon for a special festive in-conversation event as part of Edinburgh’s Christmas
Special festive guests will join in the conversation as Val and Nicola explore the joys of reading (alongside a few glasses of mulled wine!)
Tickets go on sale at noon on Friday 8^th November via the Edinburgh’s Christmas website
In The Company of Books joins stellar line-up of Christmas Shows at Assembly Hall this year including Jason Bryne, The Bubble Show and Swamplesque
Free To Use Edinburgh’s Christmas Images Here
Edinburgh’s Christmas Trailer

Edinburgh’s Christmas is pleased to announce that book lovers Val McDermid and Nicola Sturgeon will bring a special festive edition of their in-conversation event, In The Company of Books, to Edinburgh’s Christmas this year.

This special edition of In The Company of Books reunites friends and book lovers Val and Nicola to discuss all things literary, following a number of sold-out, acclaimed in-conversation events across the UK in recent years.

Joined by special guests to be revealed, Val and Nicola will explore the joys of reading alongside a few glasses of mulled wine and a lot of festive cheer.

Val McDermid has sold over 19 million books to date across the globe and has been translated into more than 40 languages. She is perhaps best known for her Wire in the Blood series featuring clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan, She is the recipient of six honorary doctorates and is an Honorary Fellow of St Hilda’s College, Oxford.

Nicola Sturgeon is the MSP for Glasgow Southside constituency, and the former First Minister of Scotland – the longest-serving and first woman First Minister.

Val McDermid and Nicola Sturgeon said, “Books are magic. Portable magic, according to Stephen King. And like magic, books build bridges. In our case, an improbable friendship between a passionate politician and Scotland’s queen of crime.

“Our love of books is what first drew us together and it remains the mainstay of that friendship. Every conversation we have eventually meanders round to the books we are reading, what we’ve been enjoying, what has been making us laugh or cry, or keeping us on the edge of our seats.

“And now we want to share the love. First up, festive fun at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms with two stellar mystery guests; then off to the Glasgow International Comedy Festival where we’ll be joined by two top names from the comedy world.

“We’ll be interrogating our guests about the books that shaped them and why they love reading. Revelations galore await as we explore the love and laughter between the covers.”

Unique Assembly, producers of Edinburgh’s Christmas said: “We are thrilled to have Val and Nicola bring their in-conversation event to Edinburgh’s Christmas this year.

“This is sure to be a highlight in the Christmas calendar and we invite everyone to grab a glass of mulled wine and settle in for what will be a witty, warm and insightful event.”

In The Company of Books joins a newly announced stellar line-up of performances taking place at Assembly Hall as part of Edinburgh’s Christmas this year.

These include the enchanting and inspiring children’s show The Bubble Show; brilliantly funny stand-up comedy from Jason Byrne in Jason Byrne: No Show; the award-winning, critically acclaimed burlesque and drag show Swamplesque.

For further information and to buy tickets, please go to edinburgh-christmas.com.

Edinburgh’s Christmas attractions are open daily except Christmas Day, with varying opening dates and times available at the official website.

European Movement in Scotland urges Scottish Government to retain College of Europe bursaries

The Scottish Student Awards Agency (SSAA) is proposing to stop providing bursaries for students based in Scotland to study at the prestigious College of Europe.

The College provides post-graduate education and training for high achieving students. Many go on to be senior civil servants at the European Commission or be elected to the European Parliament.

Others become specialists in areas like trade, environmental law and foreign and defence policy with governments across Europe and with international organisations globally.

College of Europe graduates can be found in bodies like the Oragnisation for Economic Development and Cooperation, NATO, UN and World Bank, and holding senior posts in leading private sector businesses.

Chair of the European Movement in Scotland (EMiS), David Clarke, says: “We urge the Scottish government to think again about ending the bursaries for Scotland domiciled students to attend the College of Europe.

“This is a world class training ground for the brightest and the best. Cutting our ties with the College will be another great blow to our talented young people and have a lasting negative impact on Scotland’s relationship with the EU for decades to come. That’s bad for trade, bad for business, bad our universities and for our international relations. And bad for our ties of democracy, culture and friendship.”

The Scottish Government supported three places a year for recent graduates of Scottish universities. The cost is around £120,000 a year. The position is different in England where up to 28 British civil servants can get UK government funds to meet the cost of attending the College of Europe.

EMiS says continuing to support students from Scottish universities will deliver positive benefits for Scotland for decades to come.

Vintage Vibes: Looking for lovely people in North Edinburgh to volunteer

Did you know that Edinburgh is the loneliest city in the UK for older people?

@Vintage Vibes Edinburgh is a charity project that matches you with a wonderful older person who is local to you and has a shared interest, to create a fantastic friendship that meets once a week. It’s flexible, fun and fulfilling.

“You couldn’t have picked a better person, she is a great friend.” – Doreen

Interested? Email hello@vintagevibes.org.uk or go to vintagevibes.org.uk and sign up online

Women Supporting Women: Outdoor Cooking Club’s back!

Pilton Community Health Project’s women’s Garden Cooking Club will be back tomorrow in #GrantonCommunityGarden at 12pm where we’ll #harvest #cook then serve up our famous and delicious #soup with crusty bread!

#WomenSupportingWomen

#FoodShare

Cook and Share to tackle loneliness in Scotland

Brand new campaign from Soil Association Food for Life

A brand new campaign from the Soil Association aims to tackle food insecurity and loneliness, starting this World Food Day on 16^th October.

Anyone can take part in Cook and Share Month and hundreds of events are expected to take place across the UK. From Edinburgh to Inverclyde, people will be cooking and, you guessed it, sharing food in their local communities between 16^th October and 16^th November 2021.

Preparing and eating food is a great way to bring down barriers, so the organisers are encouraging people from all walks of life to take part.

Community groups, schools, children’s centres, faith groups and more will be getting busy in the kitchen and making food to share with each other, and with their local area, both remotely and in person where it’s safe to do so.

Need funding? Grants of £150 are available to help people get their cooking events off the ground, provided by Food for Life Get Togethers (FFLGT), a Soil Association programme funded by the National Lottery.

More details are below.

So why should we share our food?

Research has revealed that the more often people eat with others the more likely they are to feel happy and satisfied with their lives. Yet this year we have seen loneliness rise, exacerbating social problems that were already there.

The Office of National Statistics has published a report saying that loneliness in adults has increased during the pandemic by almost a third. From October 2020 to February 2021, results from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) showed that 7.2% of the adult population (about 3.7 million adults) felt lonely ‘often’ or ‘always’. This is an increase of 1.1 million people since the first UK lockdown in 2020.

Many people have become more isolated as a result of social distancing measures, which can have negative effects on mental and physical wellbeing. Holding a Food for Life ‘Get Together’ is a tried and tested way for people to connect with others in their local communities, through good food, safely.

In a recent survey of Get Together organisers, nearly 90% either agreed or strongly agreed that their activities created new friendships or developed friendships. More than 90% of Get Together organisers also agreed or strongly agreed that these activities supported people’s health and wellbeing.

Helen Browning, CEO of the Soil Association says: “The month is about using the power of great food to bring us together. At the Soil Association, we know that food has got to be good for us, and good for nature and the climate too.

“It has never been more important to create meaningful connections. We have seen over the past year that feeling connected to others is absolutely essential to good health and wellbeing. Food is one of our best ways to unite across barriers – whether that’s the garden fence, cultural or generational divides.”

Dale Cranshaw, Head of Food for Life Get Togethers adds: “Half of the UK population feel that Britain is more divided than ever before. To build stronger communities that can stand up to some of the urgent health, climate and nature crises of our time we need to get together.

“Cooking and sharing food is one of the best tools you have to bring people from different backgrounds or generations together. If you want to bring your community together you can do something about it this month by cooking, and sharing food that’s good for people and planet with your community.”

How can people take part?

Anyone can sign up for free on the website.

There are a range of resources available, helping organisers to cook easy, healthy recipes from scratch. Choose your favourite, from an Eritrean Daal to a simple, home-made bread roll.

Find the perfect recipe.

The charity are also providing grants of £150 to help people get their cooking events off the ground.

Find out more here.

An important part of Cook and Share month is helping people to cook from scratch, which has health benefits and often has a lower carbon footprint than alternative ultra-processed foods.

For more information, read the Soil Association Report on Ultra-processed Foods.

After a year of isolation and worry, it is more important than ever that we connect with the people around us. Whether you’re dishing up daal, sharing a sarnie or passing round the pasta, food is a great way to break down barriers and bring people together.