Tag: Murrayfield

Gregor Townsend enjoys friendly rivalry with Fijian veteran at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory

The Scottish Rugby coach chatted with Rav Ravutia about the upcoming Scotland V Fiji match at Murrayfield to be played today – Saturday, November 2 with a 5.40pm KO

Scotland international rugby coach Gregor Townsend enjoyed some friendly rivalry as he chatted with a Fijian veteran, whilst launching the Scottish Poppy Appeal 2024.

The rugby legend was visiting Lady’s Haig Poppy Factory in Edinburgh when he was introduced to staff member, Fijian national Rav Ravutia, ahead of his side’s Nations Series opener against Fiji on November 2.

Aswell as discussing the upcoming match, Gregor was interested to hear about Rav’s story and how he came to serve in Scotland and later work for Poppyscotland.

Rav, 51, was first introduced to Scotland after visiting the capital with the Republic of Fiji Military Forces Band who were invited to perform in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 1998.

Upon returning to his homeland, the following year Rav resigned from the Fijian Army after eight and a half years service and flew to Scotland to sign up for the British Army.

Serving from 1999 to 2023, Rav was a member of the Royal Scots and later the Adjutant General Corps. 

After leaving the Army he was a member of the Royal Scots Regimental Association Fijian branch in Edinburgh but found himself unemployed and with a forces disability was unsure where to turn.

With the help of fellow veteran friends, Rav was introduced to Poppyscotland.

Rav said: “Last year I was introduced to the work of Poppyscotland and very quickly was made extremely welcome. That is when I began my new career here as a veteran poppy and wreath maker.

“It is an absolute honour to work for this charity and goes to show just one of the many ways they can help veterans following service.”

Rav continued: “It was great to meet Scotland international coach Mr Townsend as he launched the Poppy Appeal and in particular ahead of Scotland playing my national team Fiji next month. We spoke about my time in the army and of course had some good chat about the rugby. In fact, I asked him to please go soft on Fiji!”

Gregor said: “It was a real privilege to meet the veterans at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory upon launching the Scottish Poppy Appeal, and great to meet Rav and share some friendly rivalry ahead of our Nations opener with Fiji.

“Every year Poppyscotland supports hundreds of veterans and their families, helping them live life fully after service.

“Show them you care, wear a poppy. Your donation can change lives for our Armed Forces community.”

The Scottish Poppy Appeal is Scotland’s biggest fundraising appeal, with more than three million poppies already being distributed around the country.

The money raised from the Appeal has enabled Poppyscotland to help countless men, women and families with issues linked to their time in the Armed Forces or with struggles adjusting from military to civilian life.People can find out more and support the Scottish Poppy Appeal at www.poppyscotland.org.uk.

Edinburgh care home residents do Memory Walk for Alzheimer Scotland

Residents and staff at an Edinburgh care home have joined a fundraising challenge that pays tribute to people with dementia by walking more than three miles around their gardens.

More than a dozen residents and staff from HC-One Scotland’s Murrayfield House Care Home have teamed up to take part in Alzheimer Scotland’s Memory Walk fundraising campaign.

With the aid of frames and wheelchairs, the residents – aged from 77 to 97 – have been walking around the care home’s gardens and along nearby Murrayfield Avenue, gathering donations in local shops along the way.

Led by wellbeing coordinator Margaret Finch, the walkers aim to complete the 5km challenge in stages over a number of days.

They have already raised more than £1,000 and counting – smashing their initial target of £300 – but hope to raise even more vital funds to support dementia care, research and improvements in brain health.

Margaret, 63, from the city’s Silverknowes area, has worked at Murrayfield House Care Home for five years.

She said: “The residents and staff were keen to do the Memory Walk because so many of us have either had support from Alzheimer Scotland or have a loved one who has been affected by dementia. My late mum had vascular dementia so I’ve had first-hand experience of the impact this illness can have.

“Alzheimer Scotland do such important work – funding research and fighting the stigma around dementia – and we are all determined to raise as much money as we can for them.

“Our manager Fiona Truesdale gave us the idea to organise the Memory Walk and we’ve had such great support for it from the whole team, including my fellow wellbeing coordinator Norma Mackie.

“The residents have loved putting on their purple t-shirts and taking part.”

One of the oldest walkers is 96-year-old retired engineer Douglas Lamond. Douglas said: “I like to keep fit by doing exercises every morning, so I was delighted to take part in the Memory Walk and cheer the group on.”

Other walkers included Doreen Hall, 88, who lives at the home with husband David, 88, and Elspeth Braidwood, 80, a former Sunday school teacher who used to work at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.

Doreen’s daughter Debbie said: “My mum Doreen has dementia and Alzheimer Scotland have been a great support, not just for her but also for my dad David who cared for her when they both lived in their own home.

“It’s wonderful that they have the opportunity to support the charity through the Memory Walk.”

The Memory Walk campaign allows people across Scotland to take part in organised events throughout September, or to complete the challenge at a time and place that suits them by doing Your Walk, Your Way.

Events are taking place in Inverness, Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow. Tickets cost just £10 for adults and children can be registered for free. It’s quick and easy to set up a sponsorship page, which can be shared with family, friends and colleagues.

Every penny raised will help people with dementia and their carers, as well as supporting better brain health for everyone in Scotland.

Lauren Heap, centre manager for Alzheimer Scotland’s Edinburgh and West Lothian Brain Health and Dementia Resource Centre, said: “Alzheimer Scotland is proud to support people living with dementia and their families and carers, from our centre here in Edinburgh.

“Scotland’s Memory Walk has always had a wonderful ability to bring people together. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the lives of people with dementia and walk to remember them. Every pound raised helps Alzheimer Scotland continue to develop and deliver vital dementia support.”

A weekend to remember

Council leader says ‘thank you’ for success of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Edinburgh

Council Leader Cammy Day said: “Edinburgh truly has given Taylor Swift and her hundreds of thousands of fans visiting the Capital from across the globe this weekend a spectacular welcome.

“From everything I have seen so far the atmosphere across the city has been one of fun and celebration as ‘Swifties’ travelled around having ‘The Best Day’ until it was ‘Time to Go’ home. And the event is expected to have injected tens of millions of pounds into our city’s economy.

“Whilst we’re rightly proud to attract the biggest and best events such as these concerts to the Capital I’m also conscious of the impact on our residents. And so I’d like to thank them as well as our partners including Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams and our staff for extending such a warm welcome to everyone who attended the concerts this weekend.

“Our staff have been working round the clock keeping their ‘Eyes Open’ making sure the area in and around the stadium is clean and our marshals have been on hand to help guide ‘Swifties’ to their destination and make sure everyone is safe and well.

“With our world famous summer of festivals just around the corner these highly successful concerts mark a fantastic start to an incredible summer of culture in the Capital.

“This is all another reason why I think Edinburgh is the best city in the world.”

Care home residents host ‘Taylor Swift at Murrayfield’ event

HC-One Scotland’s Murrayfield House care home hosted their very own ‘Taylor Swift at Murrayfield’ event (and avoided the predicted road closures and lengthy queues) before the star arrives for her three consecutive concerts to kick-off the UK leg of The Eras Tour.

The home’s residents and colleagues held their very own Taylor Swift themed event where they sang and danced along to the 14-time Grammy winner’s greatest hits. Edinburgh will be bustling with eventgoers when the concerts take place – especially around the stadium area. The UK leg of Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’ will begin at Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh tonight.

The Edinburgh care home held their own “Swiftie” concert on May 31, prior to the star’s arrival in the capital. The home even had a life-sized Taylor Swift cardboard cut-out to mark the American pop icon’s arrival.

There were also lanyards with passes attached, which were provided to the “Scottish Swiftie” residents to replicate the fans’ experience. Taylor Swift posters were also proudly displayed, and balloons added to the party atmosphere. 

All “eventgoers” were also handed silver pompoms and Taylor Swift masks to immerse themselves in the celebrations at the ‘Taylor Swift at Murrayfield’ event. Murrayfield House colleagues dressed up in costumes to dance along to tracks such as ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’, ‘Shake It Off’ and ‘Love Story’ with a dance group who performed throughout the event.

Residents also enjoyed confectionary, as well as cocktails and mocktails. The American pop icon will play for three consecutive nights at Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium from Friday, June 7 to Sunday, June 9, 2024.

It will be the first time Taylor Swift has performed in Scotland since 2015 and Murrayfield House residents cannot wait to read the media coverage about her tour. The Eras setlist will take fans on a journey through the career of Taylor Swift, beginning with ‘Lover’ and ending with ‘Midnights’. During each performance, Taylor Swift will play two acoustic songs. 

Fiona Truesdale, Murrayfield House’s Home Manager, said: “I was thrilled to host the ‘Taylor Swift at Murrayfield House’ event. Our residents really enjoyed the celebrations. We all sang along to Taylor’s biggest hits with costumes and bunting providing added sparkle – befitting of the superstar.

“We are excited to welcome Taylor Swift back to Scotland for the first time since 2015. All of us Scottish Swifties can’t wait to see her back to perform at Murrayfield Stadium, which is just over a mile away from us at Murrayfield House.” 

Margaret Finch, Wellbeing Coordinator at Murrayfield House, said: “It’s all about having fun and our colleagues and residents had a great time singing and dancing along to Taylor Swift’s songs. All residents had lanyards on as they had been “invited” to the big event – it was brilliant.

“We chose to do this event as many of our residents enjoy entertainment. Everyone enjoys Taylor Swift, and this showed – with wide mouth smiles on our colleagues’ and residents’ faces. The younger generation (including many of our residents’ relatives) are huge Taylor fans and so we felt that our residents should join in on the fun.”

Edinburgh set to be ‘enchanted’ by Taylor Swift

With just over a week to go until global pop superstar Taylor Swift arrives in Edinburgh, the city council has released advice for residents, businesses and visitors.

The three sold out shows taking place at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on Friday 7, Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 June will go down as some of the most significant performances ever seen here in Scotland’s capital city.

To ensure our city maintains its vibrancy we will be ensuring the key areas surrounding Murrayfield will be tidied up all three nights after each show. We will also be dedicating extra litter collectors at Roseburn Park from 4pm – 1am daily.

We request that you only travel to Murrayfield and the surrounding area if you have a ticket.

There will be a number of Council Marshalls on hand to assist Swifities navigate the area.

Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker said: “As we get ready to welcome hundreds of thousands of Swifties to our vibrant city, we are eager for everyone to have an enjoyable experience, not only at the show, but on their way before and after.

“Whilst we relish hosting the biggest and best events and want everyone attending to truly enjoy themselves, it’s important that we’re conscious of our residents.

“We ask that visitors are considerate and respectful of them whilst enjoying our fantastic capital city. These concerts are just the start of an amazing summer of events and culture here in Edinburgh.”

To find out more, and for helpful information in the lead-up to the concerts visit our dedicated Taylor Swift webpage.

Please also check the dedicated webpage of the Scottish Rugby Union with detailed advice for attendees.

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and Scottish Rugby kick off summer collaboration

Celebrating a new partnership between two of Scotland’s most famous landmarks and events, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo performers “try” to impress the Scotland Rugby squad with their skills at the iconic Murrayfield stadium.

This summer the Tattoo Performers will swap Edinburgh Castle for Murrayfield; pipers will provide the rugby players with a very warm Scottish welcome ahead of each of the summer international rugby matches, as well as performing for crowds in the popular Fan Zone areas.

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and Scottish Rugby are also offering a week-long on-air and online competition with Heart Radio, including tickets to see the International France v Scotland Rugby match on Saturday 5 August, transport from Murrayfield to Edinburgh Castle and the Spirit of Scotland hospitality package including premium seating to enjoy the Tattoo.

For further information on how to win the ultimate day out, please visit:

https://campaign.heart.co.uk/royal-edinburgh-military-tattoo-july23.

Staged at the world-renowned Edinburgh Castle, this year’s Tattoo performance, entitled Stories, will run from 4-26 August 2023.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at edintattoo.co.uk/tickets or on the phone on 0131 225 1188. There are also still some tickets remaining for the half price Preview Night on 3 August.

Scotland will face Italy, France and Georgia this July and August in The Famous Grouse Nations Series.

Please visit scottishrugby.org for further information and tickets.

Six Nations: SAS bike squad to be deployed at Murrayfield

Scottish Ambulance Service emergency responders are to be deployed on bikes for this weekend’s Six Nations match with Italy.

Off the back of Glasgow’s COP26 in 2021, where bikes were used at the climate change conference to attend to medical incidents at the event, a team of SAS emergency responders has been recruited and trained for deployment.

The East Region cycle Response Team can be deployed through the Service’s Ambulance Control Centre (ACC).

The squad, which has 11 members and although based in the East at present, can be used anywhere in Scotland if requested. Recently, they attended the Scotland vs Ireland match at Murrayfield, and will also be out at the Scotland vs Italy game on Saturday (March 18).

Last year, they were used at The Open at St Andrews and other sporting events, while they will also be used at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe later this year for the second year running alongside normal ambulance resources.

Andrew Cook, Paramedic Team Leader and lead on the unit, said: “This great initiative has been utilised successfully at various events.

“They can respond easier to busy footfall areas and can be deployed to a range of incidents such as cardiac arrests. If appropriate, they will be backed up with additional ambulance resources depending on the call.

“The idea being that paramedics can respond quicker to emergencies in busy areas that are difficult to travel through in a car or ambulance.  

“The bikes have equipment that will enable them to respond to life-threatening emergencies and we hope that the cycle responder paramedics will be able to treat and triage patients appropriately on scene, which could potentially free up another resource for conveying patients to hospital.

“Another fundamental benefit of the cycle response unit is the reduction of carbon footprint.”

Police appeal for information after campervan stolen in Murrayfield

Police in Edinburgh are appealing for information after the theft of a campervan in the Murrayfield area.

The blue Volkswagen California van, registration VMS 321 was reported stolen from outside a property on Succoth Gardens around 2am on Thursday, 15 September.

Entry was gained to the property and the keys removed before the vehicle was taken and driven away. The campervan remains outstanding.

Detective Sergeant Craig McMillan said: “Our enquiries into this incident are ongoing and I would urge anyone who saw any suspicious activity in the area or who believes they have seen the campervan is asked to get in touch.

“You can pass on information by calling 101, quoting reference 0225 of 15 September.”

Arrests following city road policing operations

On Wednesday (6 May 2020), road policing officers stopped a vehicle on Ellersly Road in Murrayfield. Officers searched the car and discovered a quantity of drugs and an offensive weapon.

Two men, aged 18, and one man aged 20, were arrested and charged in connection with the incident. All three men are subject of a report of the Procurator Fiscal.

A further operation at 10:30pm that night resulted in a 19-year-old man being arrested and charged in connection with road traffic offences in Duddingston Row, Bingham where officers responded to a white Vauxhall Van being driven dangerously.

Officers stopped the car and a 19-year-old man was arrested and charged.

Inspector Roger Park of Edinburgh City Road Policing said: “We will always target road users who are a hazard on our roads and put other road users at risk. Members of the public can be assured we will continue to patrol our roads night and day to ensure they are safe for us all to use.”

Police seek witnesses to Murrayfield attack

Police are appealing for witnesses following an assault and attempted robbery in Murrayfield on Monday night.

The incident happened around 11.35pm on Murrayfield Road and involved a 39-year-old woman.

She was grabbed from behind by a man who demanded she give him her handbag and purse before being disturbed by an approaching car which stopped to help. The woman did not sustain any injury.

The suspect is described as being 6ft tall, of a skinny build and speaking with a local Edinburgh accent. At the time of the incident he was wearing dark clothing, with his hood up and a scarf covering his face. He was also wearing blue, latex style gloves.

Detective Sergeant Tood Rutherford, of Corstorphone CID said: “This was a terrifying experience for the woman involved who was thankfully not hurt during the incident.

“Officers are reviewing CCTV footage in the area to help trace the person responsible for this and I would urge anyone with private of business systems to check their footage.

“We are also appealing to the driver of the car who came to the aid of the woman to get in touch with us to help us with our enquiries.

“Similarly, I would ask anyone who saw the suspect walking in the area prior to, or after the incident or has information which may be relevant to contact police as soon as possible.”

Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting incident number 4038 of Monday, 24 February or alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.