5,340 people tuned in to the Restart a Heart Live YouTube livestream on Thursday 10th October, smashing the previous GUINNESS WORLD RECORD – 1,500 – for the most views of a CPR Lesson on YouTube in 24 hours.
Restart a Heart Live aimed to train as many people as possible in lifesaving CPR and was pioneered by Lee Myers, a Paramedic Clinical Team Leader at the Scottish Ambulance Service and co-produced with Save a Life for Scotland and Save a Life Cymru. Lee has undertaken in-person CPR training for schools across the Borders and wanted to find a way to make this training accessible to everyone.
Lee said: “I am incredibly proud of the GUINNESS WORLD RECORD achievement, of the entire team behind this concept, but most importantly all the people that we managed to train yesterday.
“Restart a Heart Live has been a tremendous success, and we are grateful for all the support we’ve received. We hope that through this event it’s given people confidence to perform CPR if they witness an out of hospital cardiac arrest. Even if one person survives from someone attending the event, then it has been successful.”
Lee was joined on the day by his twin brother, Liam Myers, Police Scotland Constable, who helped deliver the CPR training.
Liam said: “I am overwhelmed to have been part of a team that has achieved a GUINNESS WORLD RECORD. I believe it is really important to learn CPR as there is no doubt it saves lives.
“The response from the public has been amazing in term of the numbers taking part in the training sessions. I want to thank everyone who tuned in to learn CPR, every little helps when it comes to saving a life.”
Susan Gardner, National Program Manager of the Save a Life for Scotland campaign said: “Restart a Heart has been an amazing event! Working with our local and national partners from across the UK allowed us to highlight the importance of CPR to people right into their homes, workplaces, and schools.
“We need each other to be ready to do CPR if we should ever have to do it. By starting CPR people in Scotland can double or even triple the chances of someone surviving and play an essential part in bringing someone back home to their loved ones.”
Julie Starling, Save a Life Cymru Clinical Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Programme Manager, said: “We are delighted to be a part of this GUINNESS WORLD RECORD and the Restart a Heart Live event. If one life can be saved through this collaboration – that is a mark of success for us.
“It has been a privilege to work alongside our Scottish colleges and other organisations in Wales on this event. CPR is a life skill, and no one should be frightened to give it a go.”
Teenagers in the UK are turning away from traditional news channels and are instead looking to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube to keep up to date, Ofcom has found.
Ofcom’s News Consumption in the UK 2021/22 report shows that, for the first time, Instagram is the most popular news source among teenagers – used by nearly three in ten in 2022 (29%). TikTok and YouTube follow closely behind, used by 28% of youngsters to follow news.
BBC One and BBC Two – historically the most popular news sources among teens – have been knocked off top spot down to fifth place. Around a quarter of teens (24%) use these channels for news in 2022, compared to nearly half (45%) just five years ago.1
BBC One remains the most used news source among all online adults, although it is one of several major TV news channels to reach fewer people in 2022.2 News viewing to BBC One, BBC Two, BBC News channel, ITV and Sky News is now below pre-pandemic levels, resuming a longer-term decline in traditional TV news viewing.
TikTok clocks up millions more news users
Conversely, TikTok has seen the largest increase in use of any news source between 2020 and 2022 – from 0.8 million UK adults in 2020 (1%), increasing to 3.9 million UK adults in 2022 (7%).3 This brings it onto a par with Sky News’ website and app.
TikTok’s growth is primarily driven by younger age groups, with half of its news users aged 16 to 24. Users of TikTok for news claim to get more of their news on the platform from ‘other people they follow’ (44%) than ‘news organisations’ (24%).4
Yih-Choung Teh, Ofcom’s Group Director for Strategy and Research, said: “Teenagers today are increasingly unlikely to pick up a newspaper or tune into TV News, instead preferring to keep up-to-date by scrolling through their social feeds.
“And while youngsters find news on social media to be less reliable, they rate these services more highly for serving up a range of opinions on the day’s topical stories.”
TV news remains trusted
TV news remains the most trusted news source among UK adults (71%), with news on social media considered the least reliable (35%). CNN (83%) and Sky News (75%) are highly trusted by their viewers for news, while the public service broadcasters are also trusted by the majority of their viewers – BBC (73%), ITV (70%), Channel 4 (66%) and Channel 5 (59%). Sixty-seven per cent of newcomer GB News’s viewers trust its news reporting.
Among teens, half of YouTube and Twitter users think they provide trustworthy news stories (51% and 52% respectively). Despite its popularity for news, fewer than a third of youngsters (30%) trust TikTok’s news content.
Decline in print news appears to accelerate
The combined use of print and online newspapers among adults is 38% in 2022, a significant decrease from 2020 (47%) and 2018 (51%).
This is being driven by the substantial decrease of print newspaper reach in recent years, with the trend seen pre-pandemic appearing to accelerate, likely exacerbated by the pandemic.
Less than a quarter (24%) of UK adults use print newspapers for news in 2022, compared with more than a third (35%) in 2020, and two in five (40%) in 2018. Use of newspapers among teenagers fell from 19% to 13% in the last five years.
Two neurosurgeons from Glasgow are swapping their scrubs for the small screen to tell you all about neuroscience.
Aditaya ‘Adi’ Kumar and Mohammed ‘Mo’ Draz host The Neurosurgeons on YouTube, the only place where you will find two neurosurgeons exploring everything about the brain and spine.
Adi and Mo, who are Trainees within the Department of Neurosurgery, at the Institute of Neurological Sciences (INS) at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, let viewers take a fascinating look into a surgical specialty that most have heard of, but few know much about.
They share insights into the workings of our bodies, tell stories of the work they do and the people they care for, and give advice on how you can take care of yourself.
While you may associate neurosurgeons with brain surgery, they do much more. Neurosurgeons diagnose and treat conditions that affect your nervous system, including your skull, blood vessels, and soft tissues.
The Neurosurgeons began when Adi and Mo discovered there was a lack of information available online for members of the public about neurosurgery. Mo, who is originally from Egypt, said: “We found that patients prefer using social media to navigating websites. We started with a video about the common causes of back pain.
“YouTube is competitive, and you need to create up to 100 videos to make an impression. So far, we have had excellent feedback.
“I recently explained a procedure to a nurse at work. They told me it sounded far simpler on The Neurosurgeons!”
Both men conquered any “stage fright” and enjoy being in front of a camera. Adi, originally from Yorkshire, said: “At first, it is hard to talk to a camera without being able to see yourself, let alone doing it with someone you work with, in an unfamiliar setting.
“As time goes by, videos which are less “scripted” convey our personalities, and quirks, best.”
Adi and Mo discovered content ideas came from their experiences in surgery theatres and in talking to families and patients. Families are anxious about their loved ones, whose recovery from surgery can take time.
So far, The Neurosurgeons have brought their camera into the surgical theatre and examined the instruments every neurosurgeon uses during brain and spine surgery. Those include the Mayfield clamp, which pins a patient’s head in place, and the Watson Cheyne Dissector, which dissects around the tissue.
The duo explored how an MRI works, the impact of COVID-19 on your brain, and the causes of, and best medications to treat, back pain.
One of the videos, a critique of hit medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, has been particularly popular for highlighting what would happen in real life, versus a medical drama.
While Adi and Mo are keeping much of their future content under wraps, they will soon show you inside more of their hospital. The Neurosurgeons celebrate the entire neurosurgery team, which includes nurses, porters, and physiotherapists.
The last two years have been hard for everyone working in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and Adi, a husband and dad, recently beat COVID-19. He and Mo recognise the challenges currently facing the NHS.
Adi said: “Day to day life can be difficult and the NHS is very busy. The Neurosurgeons has helped us focus our energy, and any frustrations, into creation.
“Your health is the most important thing you have. The Neurosurgeon explore the most common health challenges you may face.”
The duo’s top tips for tip top neurological health are:
Keep fit and exercise regularly.
Eat healthy food, provide your brain and spine with the supply it needs.
Sleep well, give your brain a chance to relax.
Connect, keep yourself surrounded with people you love.
Watch your back, your spine is your central support.
Craig Broadfoot, General Manager for Neurosciences and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS), said: “The Neurosurgeons is a valuable educational tool for everyone interested in neuroscience and put a human face on what can be a complicated subject.
“We want you subscribe to The Neurosurgeons. Adi and Mo explore common health challenges you may face in an entertaining way, exploring neuroscience with knowledge and humour.”
Don’t miss the online launch of our documentary which tells the story of NHS Lothian’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic through interviews, videos and pictures of our staff.
Please join us to reflect and watch the premiere on our YouTube Channel on Thursday 28 April, 6pm. #pandemic#covid-19
With 850 million downloads last year, TikTok is the world’s most popular app
However, four Facebook-owned social platforms appear among the top six, with a combined figure of more than two billion downloads
This accounts for almost half of the Top 10’s global download figures
A new study shows that while TikTok has been revealed as the world’s most popular and downloaded mobile app, social media giant Facebook dominates the market with four of its platforms.
Research conducted by app development company Bacancy Technology outlines that social video-sharing platform TikTok was downloaded a total of 850 million times last year, receiving 250 million more downloads than the second most popular app on the list, WhatsApp.
However, having acquired Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014, Facebook takes up four spots in the Top 10 most popular apps of 2020, with a combined total of more than two billion downloads. This figure accounts for 46% of the total download figures within the top 10 list.
Following last year’s increase in remote working, conference call platform Zoom – which ranks fifth on the global list – received 477 million downloads last year, coupled with an increase in revenue of 317% over figures from 2019.
Top 10 Global Apps of 2020
App
Downloads 2020
TikTok
850 million
WhatsApp
600 million
Facebook
540 million
Instagram
503 million
Zoom
477 million
Messenger
404 million
Snapchat
281 million
Telegram
256 million
Google Meet
254 million
Netflix
223 million
Assessing a number of the most popular social platforms, the United States – which has the third largest population count in the world – ranks as the country with the highest active user counts for Tiktok, Instagram and Snapchat.
India, with the second highest population in the world, has the largest amount of users of both WhatsApp and Facebook.
Country with highest users counts for Apps (raw user figures)
App
Country with highest user count
# of users, in millions
% of population
TikTok
United States
65.9
19%
Whatsapp
India
390
27%
Facebook
India
320
22%
Instagram
United States
140
42%
Snapchat
United States
108
32%
However, analysing an app’s number of users as a percentage of each country’s population reveals that TikTok has the highest penetration in the Netherlands with 22% of its population using TikTok. This is followed by the US (19%) and Norway (18%).
Seven in 10 Spanish citizens are actively using Whatsapp, while three quarters of the population of the Philippines have active profiles on Facebook – a figure that trumps both America (57%) and the UK (55%).
Half of the Turkish population are active on their Instagram accounts – representing the country with the highest usage, and the same can be said of Snapchat’s popularity in Saudi Arabia, with 50% of the population holding active user accounts.
Naturally, these figures do not factor in fake accounts or users that may have more than one social media account, though they show an interesting indication of each app’s global popularity.
Country with highest users counts for Apps (as a percentage of population)
App
Country with highest user count
# of users, in millions
Population
% of population
TikTok
Netherlands
3.8
17,178,419
22%
US
65.9
333,230,770
19%
Norway
1
5,469,887
18.20%
Whatsapp
Spain
33
46,775,584
70%
Italy
35
60,359,657
58.00%
Germany
48
84,091,604
57%
Facebook
Philippines
83
111,249,116
74%
Thailand
51
70,000,662
72%
Mexico
93
130,486,512
71%
Instagram
Turkey
44
85,379,961
51%
Brazil
95
214,289,417
44%
US
140
333,230,770
42%
Snapchat
Saudi Arabia
19.6
35,433,662
55%
France
24.5
65,439,407
37%
United States
108
333,230,770
32%
TikTok triumphs once again as the world’s highest-grossing app, with reported revenue of 540 million USD last year. Despite lockdown restrictions limiting face-to-face contact, online dating platform Tinder lands in second place with 513 million USD, and streaming video giant YouTube rounds off the top three, snatching up 478 million USD.
Highest grossing app of 2020 (Global)
App
Revenue, millions USD
TikTok
540
Tinder
513
YouTube
478
Disney
314
Tencent Video
300
Piccoma
289
Line Manga
249
iQIYI
240
Netflix
209
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson for Bacancy Technology said: “Lockdown restrictions and the ‘stay at home’ mantra of 2020 caused many of us to turn to the internet and various apps for entertainment and to indulge in some level of human interaction.
“TikTok’s seemingly endless library of entertainment has clearly captured the attention of millions of people, while the staple social media apps continue to be an integral part of our daily lives.”
This research was conducted by app development company Bacancy Technology, an exclusive hub of top software developers, UI/UX designers, QA experts and more, offering development services aimed at the creation of high-end, enviable applications.
Bach is the world’s favourite composer with 5,447,956 monthly listeners on Spotify and 86,400 YouTube subscribers.
Beethoven is the second most popular composer, while Mozart comes in third.
The most streamed song by any of the top ten is Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, with 233 million views on YouTube
Johann Sebastian Bach has beaten Mozart and Beethoven to claim his position as the world’s most popular classical composer.
He has 5,447,956 monthly listeners on Spotify and 86,400 YouTube subscribers, according to a new study by gambling community hub Casino Grounds.
Beethoven follows just behind as the second most popular composer with 5,085,293 listeners on Spotify each month, and 125,000 YouTube subscribers.
Beethoven has the second most streamed song by any classical composer, earning 173 million views on YouTube for his iconic Moonlight Sonata.
Though Mozart comes in third with 5,007,303 monthly Spotify listeners, he has the most YouTube subscribers with 135,000 to his name, providing strong representation for Austria.
Germany may dominate the top spots, but Polish composer Chopin is next in fourth place. With 4,771,732 Spotify listeners each month and 68,400 subscribers on YouTube, he also has the third most streamed song in the top ten across all platforms for Spring Waltz, which has 131 million views on YouTube.
In position five is French maestro Debussy with 3,722,304 monthly Spotify listeners and 29,100 YouTube subscribers. Russian composer Tchaikovsky is next with 2,164 260 listeners on Spotify each month and 34,600 YouTube subscribers.
Italian virtuoso Vivaldi is in position seven with 3,079,070 monthly Spotify listeners and 48,900 YouTube subscribers. He notably has the most streamed song by any of the top ten for The Four Seasons, which has 233 million views on YouTube.
Vivaldi is also the “oldest” composer out of the top ten, born in 1678, a little ahead of Bach in 1685. The two are the only composers on the list from as far back as the 17th Century or Baroque historical period.
Frenchman Saint-Saens is in position eight with 2,689,709 listeners on Spotify each month and 4,280 YouTube subscribers, followed by Schubert – the second Austrian on the list. Schubert has 2,334,386 monthly Spotify listeners and 22,900 YouTube subscribers. He also had the shortest lifespan, passing away at just 31 years old in 1897.
The final spot in the top ten list of most popular classical musicians belongs to Brahms, solidifying Germany as the country that produced the most composers who have remained popular over the centuries. Brahms has 2,153,966 monthly Spotify listeners and 23,100 YouTube subscribers.
A spokesperson for Casino Grounds said, “Most people would expect Mozart and Beethoven to top any list of the most popular classical composers, so it’s fascinating to see Bach in number one here. This could be a result of soundtracks from popular films and TV shows such as The Godfather and The Simpsons favouring Bach’s music for its dramatic impact.”
The research was conducted by Casinogrounds.com, which is the leading online gambling community, which promotes safe and responsible practise and discussions around gambling.
Top Ten Most Popular Classical Composers 2021
Composer
Monthly Spotify Listeners
YouTube Subscribers
Most Popular Song on Spotify
Most Popular Song on YouTube
Lifespan
Country
1. Bach
5,447,956
86.4K
168, 758 083 – Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major
72M – Air
1685-1750 (aged 65)
German
2. Beethoven
5,085,293
125 K
94, 946 611 – The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor (Moonlight Sonata)
173M – Moonlight Sonata
1770-1827 (aged 56)
German
3. Mozart
5,007,303
135 K
50, 489 179 – The Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467
Snapchat, Reddit, TikTok and YouTube partnered with UK government to encourage users to get the vaccine
Collaboration comes as all adults aged 18 and over invited to get a jab
Filters and a range of stickers will be available on Snapchat from today
Other platforms will host live question and answers with medical experts providing vaccine advice
Leading social media platforms popular with young people including Snapchat, Reddit, TikTok, and YouTube, are supporting the vaccination programme by encouraging their users to get coronavirus (COVID-19) jabs.
The partnerships come as all adults aged 18 and over are invited to receive a vaccine in England as the vaccination programme continues at unprecedented pace and scale.
Snapchat users can use NHS stickers, a filter, and later this month, an augmented reality lens that all read: ‘I’ve had my vaccine’ for UK users to share on their accounts.
The platform is also hosting a series of question and answers with medical experts on the Prime Minister’s snapchat account. The most recent took place on Saturday (19 June) with Dr Kiren Collison, the interim Deputy Medical Director for Primary Care for NHS England, who answered questions from the public about the vaccine.
Snapchat has also expanded its: ‘Here For You’ feature which provides in-app resources to people looking for more information around health, mental health and wellbeing.
When someone searches for ‘COVID-19’, ‘vaccine’, ‘NHS’ and ‘vaccination’, they will have access to expert NHS resources on the vaccine to make sure they are well informed, build confidence and tackle misinformation.
The activity supports the NHS ‘every vaccination gives us hope’ campaign encouraging younger people to get their vaccine and join the millions of people who have already received their jabs.
The government met its target of offering a vaccine to the most vulnerable by 15 April and is on track to offer a first dose to all adults by 19 July, 2 weeks earlier than planned. NHS England has extended the offer of a vaccine to all adults.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “With the offer of the vaccine now extended to all adults in England, we are leaving no stone unturned to boost uptake and encourage everyone to get the jab when eligible.
“I am delighted that Snapchat, Reddit, TikTok and YouTube – some of the most influential social media platforms – are coming together to support the biggest and most successful vaccine effort in NHS history.
“We’re accelerating our vaccine programme on the road to recovery and I urge everyone to come forward for the offer, roll up their sleeves and join the millions that already have the fullest possible protection from 2 doses.”
Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “Our vaccine rollout has been a great success story and is now available to all adults.
“We have worked closely with social media platforms throughout the pandemic to promote life saving vaccine information, and this new initiative with popular platforms will help drive take-up even higher.
“We are also tackling misinformation online through our new Online Safety Bill to make sure people are not bombarded by harmful content.”
The community network platform Reddit has hosted 2 live ‘ask me anything’ sessions on its coronavirus forum, featuring experts such as Dr Amalina Bakri answering questions from Downing Street. Reddit will continue to host question and answers over the coming weeks to help people access factual and reliable information from a range of experts.
TikTok’s support for the vaccine rollout includes adding the NHS ‘I’ve had my COVID vaccine’ stickers to its library for users to share, and working with Team Halo – a group of scientists using the platform to provide the latest information on vaccines with entertaining and shareable videos.
Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “I’m thrilled that some of the leading social media platforms are joining forces to boost vaccine uptake among younger people. This is another incredible asset to our vaccination programme, which is already saving lives.
“The vaccine is our way out of this pandemic and we have made incredible progress so far with more than 4 in 5 adults receiving at least one dose and all adults being invited.
“I encourage everyone to get the jab – it could stop you becoming seriously ill and protect your loved ones.”
Ed Couchman, UK Regional General Manager at Snapchat, said: “With Snapchat playing a key part of the lives of young people around the world, we’re thrilled to collaborate with the government to make sure they have accurate and trusted resources to stay safe, healthy and informed.
“As well as creative tools, it’s great to be expanding our in-app health and wellbeing support portal with NHS resources about the vaccine and to host question and answer sessions with key government officials from the Prime Minister’s official Snap Star account.
“As we enter this next phase of the COVID-19 recovery in the UK, we continue to explore new ways we can collaborate with trusted partners and organisations to help support the health and wellbeing of our Snapchat community.”
In collaboration with the NHS, YouTube has rolled out a video campaign with the tagline: ‘Let’s Not Go Back’ to remind its core 18 to 34-year-old audience of the importance of being vaccinated through messaging that speaks to their personal experiences from a year in lockdown.
The campaign is running on YouTube, and on national billboards and bus stop advertising, and on social media. Collectively, these information panels have served over 400 billion impressions worldwide.
Ben McOwen Wilson, UK Managing Director at YouTube, said: “We are delighted to have been able to support the NHS with our ‘Let’s Not Go Back’ campaign to encourage young people to get vaccinated. From billboards to bus stops, online and off, we reached young people wherever they are to raise awareness of the key role they have to play.
“It has been fantastic to witness the public response to our national initiative and to have seen the rates at which young people have stepped up. We will continue to work to combat the pandemic by using YouTube’s extensive reach among young people to help in this critical national effort.”
Dr. Jessica Ashooh, Director of Policy for Reddit said: “Building bridges between policymakers, industry experts, and online communities is central to how we elevate authoritative vaccine information on Reddit.
“Our partnership with 10 Downing Street has enabled us to promote quality COVID-19 resources for Redditors in the United Kingdom.”
Last year Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden and Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock agreed new measures with social media platforms to limit the spread of false vaccine information and help people find the information they need about any COVID-19 vaccine.
At a virtual roundtable, Facebook, Twitter and Google committed to the principle that no company should profit from or promote false information about COVID-19 vaccines, to respond to flagged content more swiftly, and to work with authorities to promote scientifically accurate messages.
The government has also developed a toolkit with content designed to be shared via WhatsApp and Facebook community groups, as well as Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, to tackle false information about the vaccine.
Earlier this year we announced that Facebook and Instagram are backing a new nationwide social media campaign launched by the government and the NHS for people to show their support for the vaccine roll out.
The initiative allows users to update their profiles with a range of specially-designed profile frames and graphics. People can use these to show ‘I’ve had my vaccine’ or make a pledge that ‘I will get my vaccine’.
The government met its target of offering a vaccine to the most vulnerable by 15 April and is on track to offer a first dose to all adults by 19 July, 2 weeks earlier than planned. NHS England has extended the offer of a vaccine to all adults.
More than one million jabs were booked on Friday and Saturday after vaccinations opened to all over-18s in England.
Museums & Galleries Edinburgh have launched ‘Cooking Up the Past’, a new digital series which brings the city’s history to life through cookery during lockdown.
The series is the latest strand of activity as part of the ongoing Auld Reekie Retold inventory project, features videos of staff members cooking up historic recipes at home which have been sourced from digital copies of historic recipe books discovered in the city’s collection.
During lockdown many have tried their hand at new recipes and kitchen skills, from sourdough starters to viral feta pasta bake recipes. ‘Cooking Up the Past’ provides audiences with an opportunity stave off that lockdown boredom and cook up some historic recipes while discovering some fascinating stories from Edinburgh’s history.
The first episode in the series which is available to view via the Museums & Galleries YouTube channel features Curator Vicky Garrington and Collections Assistant Oliver Taylor each attempting to make a recipe for soda scones from a 1932 edition of the book Plain Cookery Recipes from the Edinburgh College of Domestic science.
They filmed their preparation, cooking and tasting from their own kitchens at home.
Commenting on the new series, Vicky Garrington said:“With our venues closed and staff working from home, the Auld Reekie Retold team have been looking for new ways to share our amazing collections with the public.
“When I suggested the idea of filming a recipe to Oliver, he was up for the challenge, and hopefully the film we’ve made will inspire people to explore more of our collections online, and to revisit some old family recipes’.
Vicky and Oliver’s soda scones might not win the Great British Bake-Off, but the pair enjoyed tackling a recipe from the past, and are hoping that the film might inspire others to do the same.”
On researching the new series, Oliver Taylor added:“There were plenty of appetising recipes to choose from in the recipe book, but some were distinctly unappealing!
Alongside a tempting selection of recipes for pies, puddings and cakes were instructions for how to make dressed sheep’s head, raw beef tea to fortify invalids, boiled tongue and ‘Poor Man’s Goose’ which included sheep’s liver and heart.
These recipes show how public tastes have changed over the years, as well as attitudes towards treating the sick. We’d be more likely to tempt a patient with ice cream or fresh fruit these days, than to brew up some raw beef tea!”
The Edinburgh College of Domestic Science began life as the Edinburgh School of Cookery and Domestic Economy in 1875. Its founders, Christian Guthrie Wright and Louisa Stevenson, were heavily involved in furthering the education of women.
In founding the College, they had two aims: to improve women’s access to higher education and to improve the diets of working-class families. They began to hold lectures at the Royal Museum (now the National Museum of Scotland), as well as arranging lectures and demonstrations across the country.
In 1891, the School moved to Atholl Crescent in Edinburgh’s West End, where its main campus remained until 1970. It became the Edinburgh College of Domestic Science in 1930, but to many in the City it will always be ‘Atholl Crescent’. Many developments followed, including a broader curriculum, and the institution eventually became Queen Margaret’s University.
Museums & Galleries Edinburgh holds a fascinating collection of objects relating to the College. It includes text books, millinery samples, needlework examinations pieces, exquisitely embroidered blouses and even furniture.
The edition of Plain Cookery Recipes from which the recipe in Cooking Up the Past was taken is enclosed in a beautiful linen cover, embroidered with strawberries, by a student at the College.
The Auld Reekie Retold team have plans for more cookery adventures as part of the series including: a recipe from the domestic notebooks belonging to Edinburgh suffragist Nannie (Agnes Henderson) Brown and a World War 2 rationing recipe.
Vicky Garrington commented:“A lot of people have enjoyed cooking at home during the pandemic restrictions, and searching our historical recipes adds another layer of interest to this activity.
“We’ll keep searching our stores for new recipes to try out, and we’ll be sure to share our cooking and the background stories of the recipes with the public”.
Oliver Taylor added:“We’d love people to try the recipe with us, and to tag us with the results on social media using #AuldReekieRetold”.
Culture and Communities Convener, Cllr Donald Wilson said:“A lot of people are drawing huge comfort from culture and heritage activities online at the moment. They can help us stay connected with our past and our shared heritage, as well as providing a welcome break from the stresses of daily life.
“As the Deacon of the Baxters (Bakers) which is one of our oldest Incorporated Trades I am aware of both the proud history represented in these collections but also the recent interest which has arisen as a response to the pandemic. This is a fantastic project and I hope it encourages others to try the recipes.
Culture and Communities Vice Convener, Cllr Amy McNeese-Mechan said: “Museums & Galleries Edinburgh have been trialling online talks, craft events, art films, podcasts and more over the last few months, and Cooking Up the Past is another great example of the service adapting what we do during these unprecedented times.”
Episode 1 of Cooking Up the Past can be viewed here.
