THIS YEAR more than half of the world’s population will vote in elections. On 5 November in the United States, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is facing the former President, Donald Trump. The outcome of that election will be pivotal for the world, but here in Edinburgh we also have an election of note. A by election will be held on 14 November in Colinton/Fairmilehead when candidates of all parties are expected to put their best foot forward to fill the shoes of Scott Arthur who resigned last month after being elected MP for Edinburgh South West.
On Page 4 we reprise our exclusive story broken online about council overpayments to staff which the council claim will be fxed with a new payroll system introduced this month - but which has been going on for some five years or more.
On pages 12 -13 Stephen Rafferty writes about the Scottish Veterans Residences’ Whitefoord House, Canongate, and a new video which tells the story of residents there.
On Page 20 in local sport, Bill Lothian has met with a local postie who is aiming for a new career. And on Pages 22-23 we have the usual round up of Hibs and Hearts news while Nigel Duncan catches up on the latest with the Scottish women’s fly fishing team.
There is always a lot going on in the capital - and our front page reflects that change and that nothing stays the same for long. The Scottish International Storytelling Festival which takes place in the second half of the month marks its 35th anniversary since it began in 1989 - the same year that the Berlin Wall fell. During the festival stories will be told on the theme of Bridges Between. It is part of Edinburgh 900 which seems to be gathering pace and will celebrate literature from the last nine centuries.
This year is an important literary milestone - Edinburgh was the first City of Literature in 2004 - and will act as host for the UNESCO Cities of Literature network conference this month.
I hope you enjoy reading our stories here.
Phyllis Stephen, Editor
Planning and property news
New Town Quarter, described as “a prime residential location for both private and rental properties” by developer, Edison, will become purpose built student accommodation if planning permission is granted. Office space would be turned into residential. There are new proposals submitted for 66 build to rent, 1,008 mid market rent/affordable units and 667 square metres commercial space instead of 116-bedroom hotel and 88 MMR/affordable units. A public consultation will be held on 9 October and 27 November (2pm - 7pm)Broughton St Mary’s Parish Church, 12 Bellevue Crescent, EH3 6NE.
Plans have been released for a new coastal neighbourhood at Seafield “transforming” the area.
A change of use application for the former TSB on Hanover Street has been approved. It looks likely to become a sports bar and kitchen BOX.
Plans have been lodged for part of the Portobello Walking and Cycle Route which will include a shared use path next to the Niddrie Burn between Greendykes Road/ Pringle Drive
The Lothian and Greenspace Trust has issued a contract notice looking for a social enterprise to run the pavilion café in West Pilton Park.
Pret A Manger will move into the vacant unit on Leith Walk next to Sainsbury’s Local.
All change here
THE PHOTO from Edinburgh Collected this month shows the East End of Princes Street around 1965 when there were fewer vehicles on the city’s streets. The buildings may have changed but it is still a busy junction today.
This picture memory was contributed by the Living Memory Association to Edinburgh Collected which is the online community photo archive managed by Edinburgh City Libraries. edinburghcollected.org
Planning has been approved for student accommodation at Willowbrae Road following an appeal earlier in the year.
Plans have been lodged to move Cask Smugglers’ Secret Domes from the rooftop on Waverley Market to outdoor spaces at St James Quarter on Levels 5 and 6 from October to March over the next three years.
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Editor: Phyllis Stephen Designer: Tammy Kerr
Photos: Martin P McAdam
roundabout and Hunter’s Hall Park.
Student flats in Willowbrae
Princes Street - the East End
Wendy’s flyer away success
By GEORGE MAIR
A CAPITAL ARTIST has created a unique exhibition of work using discarded flyers from this summer’s Edinburgh Festival.
Wendy Helliwell created the artworks with discarded flyers and magazine pages after being appointed Artist in Residence at Virgin Hotels Edinburgh during the Festival in August.
Pictures depict iconic views of the “Festival city”, including the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle viewed from Princes Street Gardens.
Another, three dimensional, work titled “Festival Lips” is made from a pair of upcycled jeans filled with recycled fabrics and covered with pieces cut out from hundreds of flyers advertising shows at this summer’s Festival Fringe.
The denim lips are covered in brightly coloured cuttings from flyers against a background of contrasting monochrome cuttings, pieced together like a jigsaw.
Wendy, 53, used flyers that had been distributed on the city streets to promote shows and then thrown away, as well as pieces of pages from Festival magazines.
The Festival-themed city scenes were sanded down and layered with acrylic paints, inks, watercolours and pastels while leaving text from the flyers visible.
Wendy then added figures from fashion magazines dressed “paper doll style” in cutout clothing to “bring the artworks to life” and create instantly recognisable bustling scenes from the capital.
She created all of the works in an artist’s studio in the Unicorn Room at the Virgin Hotel in Victoria Street, and even signs her name on her artworks using cutout letters.
They are now being showcased at the hotel before eventually going on sale for around £1,000 each.
Speaking at the launch of her exhibition, Wendy said: “I select flyers where I think the colours will work well and work on top of them with acrylic paints, inks, pastels, layering up until I’m happy with the composition.
“Although I worked on top of the flyers to build up the scene, I always ensured there was enough visibility of their previous life and texts behind the paint.
“The very last piece of the jigsaw is the people who bring them to life.”
Among the works is “High Street Harmony”, depicting a view looking down the Royal Mile towards Holyrood.
Another, “High Street Hustle”, is a bustling scene looking up the Royal Mile towards Edinburgh Castle’s Esplanade and the
LTN delayed amid threat of legal bid
By DONALD TURVILL, LOCAL DEMOCRACY REPORTER
OPPONENTS TO AN EDINBURGH LOW TRAFFIC SCHEME (LTN) raised £5,000 in just 24 hours as they threatened a legal challenge against the council.
Transport officers backed making Corstophine’s LTN permanent, following an 18-month trial - even though it has proved controversial in the community. Councillors had been expected to make a final decision at the traffic regulation orders sub-committee last month, but the report was pulled just hours before the meeting over concerns objections “weren’t clearly being articulated in the report,” according city to transport convener Cllr
Stephen Jenkinson.
Ahead of the meeting Accessible Corstorphine for Everyone (ACE) launched a crowdfunder to continue their fight against the measures introduced, which include traffic restrictions to stop drivers taking short cuts through residential streets.
A fundraising target of £5,000 was reached in one day.
ACE said the money will go toward obtaining legal advice on the LTN and on the possibility of making a successful challenge against the local authority.
The group said that anything raised above the target “will be used either for further legal action/advice or donated to Corstorphine Community Centre”.
Soon after the pilot commenced in
grandstand that overlooks the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo at Festival time.
Meanwhile, “Fountain Frolics” shows the 19th century Ross Fountain in West Princes Street Gardens and the imposing Edinburgh Castle.
“Festival Lips” follows previous three dimensional lips pieces by Wendy, “celebrating fashion and culture with a fun twist”.
She said: “Of course I had to do Lips to celebrate the Festival. I always use a pair of jeans as the shell, filled with recycled fabric, but leave a nod to their previous lifespan as well so you can see belt loops, buttons, pockets.”
Wendy will continue to create artworks at the hotel as part of her residency until October.
She said: “The pictures of Edinburgh show the incredible architecture of the city together
with the hustle bustle and energy on the streets during the Festival.
“It’s the people who bring them to life.”
She added: “I feel like my works captured a moment in time, Fringe 2024, using these discarded items and preserving them.
“But as well as giving a positive message about considering our environment I want it to be in a fun way and for the works to give off a positive energy.
“There seems to be a move towards digital and if we go paperless in the future then maybe they will become even more unique and special.”
Mafalda Albuquerque, General Manager at Virgin Hotels Edinburgh, said: “This is a really exciting time for Virgin Hotels Edinburgh as we showcase our new Artist in Residence, Wendy.
“Wendy is unbelievably talented, and her innovative approach to repurposing discarded materials into unique, three-dimensional art is truly inspiring.
“This residency (has) provided Wendy with a special opportunity to capture Edinburgh at its very best, with many of her new pieces on display taking inspiration from the Fringe.
“Guests and visitors can book in to meet Wendy and go on an exclusive tour of her studio, to see where the magic unfolds until the end of October.”
June last year anti-LTN campaigners told the Local Democracy Reporting Service they were looking at “going down a legal route to see if the council has done this illegally and if there’s a legal fight to be had”.
The plan is not without precedent in the city. In 2021 East Craigs locals raised thousands to fund research
and legal advice, which found use of certain traffic orders for the area’s LTN would be unlawful, and the scheme was scrapped.
Cllr Jenkinson said: “I had a concern that all objections weren’t clearly being articulated in the report being considered by the sub committee on Tuesday and
therefore I agreed with officers that this report should be pulled.
“This is obviously very disappointing for everyone with an interest in this project. I won’t apologise for setting a high bar for officer reports and I expect a new report to be presented at the very next meeting of the sub committee.”
Alan Simpson
Wendy Helliwell
Objectors to LTN at City Chambers
Council overpay staff by £2.4m
Salary crisis continues to worsen with 1,900 staff still due £1.6m to cash strapped city
By STEPHEN RAFFERTY
EDINBURGH COUNCIL employees have been overpaid salaries by a staggering £2.4 million The Edinburgh Reporter has revealed.
At a time when proposed budget cuts are set to cause havoc on vital services, £1.6 million remains outstanding, and the situation has worsened over the last 12 months.
Over a five year period since April 2019, 1,533 staff - a mix of local government and learning and teaching staff - have received overpayments totalled £2,424,000 - with the number of staff overpaid and financial loss to the local authority increasing year on year.
In the period to March 2020, a total of 132 council employees received £227,000 in overpayments, but in the year April 2023 to March 2024 that had more than trebled to £786,000 in overpayments to 611 staff.
In the last 12 months the overpayments have continued to grow - 625 staff received £788,000 more than they should have - and in that same period the council have only managed to recover £580,000 - of which £173,000 was from former employees who have left the council.
Conservative councillor Phil Doggart, a member of the Finance and Resources
It’s
not
By CLLR ROSS MCKENZIE
Committee, said it appears that managerial responsibility is beyond the Councils’ capability and council tax payers are paying the price.
Cllr Doggart said: “The Council has had a long standing problem with over payments to employees. Processing salaries for current and departing employees is a basic managerial function and if managers are unable to perform those basic duties, it would suggest they are far from ready to fly.
“As is usual, getting the nuts and bolts of managerial responsibility in place seems beyond the capability of CEC.
“Once again the report card says - capable of significant improvement. Of course, the ultimate loser in this is the council taxpayer - again.”
Between April 2022 and March 2023 - the worst period of overpayment - 456 staff were over compensated to the tune of £797,000, an average of £1,746 per person. Eighty learning and teaching staff received a total of £244,244, while 376 local government employees raked in an additional £551,373.
A Freedom of Information request revealed that just under 10% of the city council’s 19,355 payroll had received more money than provided for in their contracts. The statistics
show that currently 1,872 staff are due £1,637,324 to the cash strapped council - 293 learning and teaching staff being overpaid £431,488 and local government employees wrongly receiving £1,205,875.
In June it was revealed that in a bid to plug a £110 million budget black hole, Edinburgh’s health and social care funding was to be slashed by £33 million, impacting on many of the city’s most vulnerable residents.
The overpayment revelations is an embarrassment for recently appointed city council chief executive Paul Lawrence, who said one of his priorities was to empower middle and front line managers to “get the job done”, stating: “You can only focus on the basics if front-line staff are empowered to fix them and I want to do a lot on that”.
Council Leader Cammy Day told The Edinburgh Reporter: “Our payroll salary and wage payments are around £620 million annually and on average 99.5% of our payments are accurate every month.
“However, it is important that any errors are addressed so reducing and seeking to recover all overpayments is a key focus for us.
“We’ve specifically brought measures in place to help us strengthen procedures and reduce overpayments, including detailed monitoring and increased training. This will be reinforced by the roll out of our new HR/Payroll system in October.”
Councillor Doggart added: “The Council have not shown the appropriate level of concern about this. If I pay 99.5% of my council tax, will they be happy with that?”
all rubbish down Gorgie Boy racers ‘Ferry fury
STOP PRESS! The City of Edinburgh Council is getting something right: waste and cleansing services have improved in Gorgie over the past two years.
Perspectives vary, and not everyone will agree with that statement. But as someone who regularly checks and reports on streets that previously had chronic issues with overflowing bins, litter and flytippping, my impression is that the introduction of bin hubs and the deployment of daily litter pickers have had a positive impact.
There’s still a lot to be done. Side streets need deep cleaned, gullies need unblocked, and some of the bin hub locations need to be reviewed. There are three or four streets where systemic issues persist. Then there’s the private land that the Council doesn’t touch.
In recent weeks, I have been collecting litter from the wee gardens
in front of Gorgie tenements, where litter has been left to accumulate over a period of years. While some residents have their gardens looking lovely, many are in state of disrepair and quite a few of them are too overgrown to access to remove the litter. I’m contacting property owners to ask what they can do to improve the presentation of these gardens. The vast majority of Gorgie’s tenement flats are owned by private
landlords, and some have replied to say that garden maintenance is the tenants’ responsibility. This may be true in some cases, but I can say with certainty that many of the worst front gardens have deteriorated across multiple tenancies. With one-bedroom flats in these blocks now being let for up to £1,000 a month, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask landlords to give something back.
MORE THAN 100 LOCALS gathered at a public meeting to discuss ways of dealing with an ongoing problem of so-called “boy racers” in South Queensferry.
Local politicians joined residents to demand action from Chief Inspector Trisha Clark, who attended the meeting, and from The City of Edinburgh Council.
Local resident, Andy Scott, has led the calls for action which will improve their lives in the town where they see one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites from their front doors. He said: “One solution - speed bumps in the road and in the car park, would make a difference. But it won’t stop them, the noise, the anti-social behaviour. The only solution that we can see that would have a noticeable effect is to close the car park after 10 o’clock, say, and open it again at 6am.”
Council officers confirmed
speed bumps will be installedbut in the car park only.
Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP raised the matter at First Minister’s Questions. He said: “For four years, my constituents have had their quality of life destroyed by hundreds of high performance, illegally modified cars and motorbikes racing around their beautiful town.
“The drivers of these vehicles will abuse and intimidate anyone who approaches them where they gather, in the car park at the foot of the iconic Forth Bridge. Pets have been killed, hotels have lost trade, nobody is getting any sleep.”
The First Minister, John Swinney, replied he would be happy to meet and “explore all possibilities”.
In an ironic twist, as the meeting was taking place the town was awash with traffic police attending a serious road crash just outside the Community Centre.
Gardens need spruce up
Cllr Ross McKenzie
By-election called for next month
By PHYLLIS STEPHEN
A COUNCIL BY-ELECTION triggered by the resignation of Cllr Scott Arthur, the Labour councillor recently elected to Westminster will be held on 14 November. The vacancy is in the three member ward of Colinton/Fairmilehead.
The other two councillors in the Ward are Marco Biagi, a former SNP Minister, who was elected to the council for the first time in 2022, and Scottish Conservative Jason Rust who has been a councillor for 20 years.
The turnout at the 2022 council election – the second time Scott Arthur was elected, was 59%, and Labour won a third of the first preference share.
Seven parties put forward candidates then, although it is not yet clear exactly who will stand this time.
The current political make up of the council run by a minority Labour administration is
• SNP - 19
• Scottish Labour Party - 10
• Independent - 1
• Scottish Liberal Democrats - 12
• Scottish Green Party - 10
• Scottish Conservative and Unionist - 9
The outgoing Labour councillor said there is a real chance of preserving the Labour position in this ward.
He said: “We have a real chance of holding the seat.
“In 2022 I won with 33.4% of the first preference votes, with the Tories coming
second with 29.9%. The SNP were third (17.2%), and the Lib-Dems came a distant fourth (12.4%).
“Of course, politics has changed since 2022, the recent general election saw Labour taking every SNP seat in Edinburgh, and the Tories come 3rd in Edinburgh South West (12.2%) and 4th in Edinburgh South (8.5%) – the SNP came second in both seats.”
The Returning Officer, Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council, Paul Lawrence said: “Following his election as Member of Parliament for the Edinburgh South West constituency in the UK Parliament, Professor Scott Arthur has formally resigned as a member of the City of Edinburgh Council and I wish him well in the future.
“Voters in the Colinton/Fairmilehead ward now have a chance to make their voices heard again to elect a councillor to take his place to represent them on the City of Edinburgh Council.
“Candidates will be confirmed when nominations close at 4pm on Monday 14 October.”
Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 14 November.
The election will use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system where voters can rank candidates in order of preference rather than using a single cross.
Voters can give a rank to as many or as few candidates as they like.
The ward, which also covers Bonaly, Dreghorn, Oxgangs and Swanston has a current electorate of 19,226.
Festival will cement Edinburgh as global leader on fair trade
By FOYSOL CHOUDHURY MSP
EDINBURGH IS PREPARING to take the spotlight as the host city for the Global Fair Trade Festival from the 29 to 31 of August, 2025. This international event, which will bring together Fair Trade advocates, producers, and businesses from around the world, is a significant opportunity for the city to further solidify its leadership in the global movement. Before arriving in Edinburgh, the festival will first be held in South Africa from 20 to 22 September in Drankenstein. It’s a country where Fair Trade plays a crucial role in addressing systemic poverty and creating sustainable livelihoods. South Africa’s engagement in Fair Trade has set an
inspiring example, one that Edinburgh hopes to build upon when it hosts the event.
The conference will focus on how Fair Trade intersects with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting the importance of ethical trade in achieving poverty reduction, decent work, gender equality, and climate action. Edinburgh’s own contribution to Fair Trade has been growing steadily, and the 2025 festival promises to boost its reputation as a global Fair Trade city. Fair Trade Fortnight is also coming in as it takes place between 9th and 22nd September, 2024 as it commemorates the Fair Trade Mark’s 30th anniversary.
I’ve been a vocal advocate for Fair
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•
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Trade and ethical working conditions. As a key member of the Cross-Party Group on Bangladesh, I was spoken to about the difficult conditions faced by workers as I heard their stories during our trip to Bangladesh. The factories I visited were overcrowded, unsafe, and offered extremely low wages. There is an urgent need for intervention to improve these conditions, and I believe Fair Trade can provide a real
solution as it ensures a minimum price guarantee and promotes transparency in supply chains, protecting workers from unpredictable market fluctuations, and this stark difference was noted in the Fair Trade factories. This would offer stability to Bangladeshi workers, many of whom currently struggle to survive on inconsistent incomes. Additionally, Fair Trade provides a Fair Trade Premium
which are extra funds that are reinvested into local communities for essential projects such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure. This premium could be especially beneficial in Bangladesh, where it could help build flood defenses and improve community resilience against climate change, an ongoing threat to the country. Fair pay for garment workers was on the agenda.
Sheila GIlmore
David Henry
Daniel Milligan
Neil Cuthbert
CANDIDATES
Conservative - Neil Cuthbert
Greens - Daniel Milligan
Labour - Sheila Gilmore
• Lib Dems - Louise Spence
• Independent - David Henry
• SNP - Dr Mairianna Clyde
Scottish Parliament’s joint Cross Party Group on Fair Trade and Bangladesh
History society research puts a name to Colinton’s rich past
By IAN FORDER
EARLIER THIS YEAR, members of The Colinton Local History Society got together to develop a new guide to Colinton’s place names which answers these questions and many others. What’s in a Name: The Story of Colinton’s Place Names covers around 150 street and place names and natural features within Colinton. Some will be familiar, others not so well known. For example, do you know where Adams Well, The Turlies or Chucklie Knowe are located?
Did you know that The Gallolee was named after a field in the Dreghorn estate, that Thorburn Road was built to provide access to cottages built by the Aged Christian
Friends Society and named after the mother of R A Macfie of Dreghorn, or that The Shoot was a short cut to Colinton Station?
What’s in a Name: The Story of Colinton’s Place Names lets you see the history of Colinton through its place names in an engaging and informative way.
It covers the areas of Hailes and Spylaw, The Village and Colinton Road, Woodhall, Bonaly and Laverockdale, Redford and Dreghorn, and Craiglockhart and Redhall. The book also contains a section describing the historical development of Colinton, includes references to notable residents and buildings, and has a full index. It is illustrated with historical photographs from the Society’s
archives and maps have been specially created for each area to show the location of the places mentioned.
What’s in a Name: The Story of Colinton’s Place Names is now available from the Society, from Colinton Post Office, the Swing Café and other local retailers and on Amazon at a cost of only £6.99. Or please do come along to one of our meetings in Dreghorn Loan Hall, take out a membership and qualify for a special Member’s discount.
All profits from sales of the book go to support the activities of the Colinton Local History Society. The society meets regularly to listen to expert speakers addressing historical subjects. In
October there will be two meetings - the first by Bruce Keith - Scotland Beneath the Surface: A Subterranean Odyssey is on 7 October. The second by Bob Cunningham is The history of Morningside from 1800 to 1930: from rural village to city suburb. Both meetings take place in Dreghorn Loan Hall starting from 8pm.
www.colintonhistory.org.uk
Black History Month lectures
Each Friday in October the City Art Centre is holding a lecture (some online and some in person) in collaboration with the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER) marking Black History Month. All lectures are free but booking on Eventbrite is essential.
4 October 7pm - Digital lectureMemory, materiality and the afterlives of British-colonial detention camps in Kenya.
11 October 2pm - Reform in Translation: the travel of peoples, languages and ideas of selfhood.
18 October 2pm - The Black Woman Modernist Muse in Jacob Epstein’s Art 1915-1959
25 October 2pm - Decolonised Transformations: Carter G. Woodson Vision of the Importance of Black History and Anticolonialism.
edinburghmuseums.org.uk
By DAVID J BLACK
A CONCERT will be held in the Queen’s Hall on 28 October to raise funds for the education of Ukrainian music students in exile.
The principal soloist will be the outstanding Ukrainian classical pianist Anna Fedorova, with supporting performances from the Aurora Ensemble. It will be a one-off event with the very specific objective of raising funds for musical education.
Sustainable Summerhall plan Concert for Ukrainian music students
Ambitious project revealed by leading architects to breathe new life into city arts venue and generate income from luxury hotel and student flats which improves financial stability
By PHYLLIS STEPHEN
AN ALTERNATIVE PROPOSAL has been made to develop the arts venue at Summerhall in a way which would give the arts venue a sustainable future. The proposal lodged at the closing date for offers was not a financial bid - but a blueprint for potential purchasers to adopt. The sale of the sprawling venue was announced in May this year by the trust which owns it, Isle of Man-based Oesselmann Estates Limited. Since then, it was revealed that a three year lease is to be entered into with Summerhall Arts and a crowdfunding campaign was set up.
Local architects, Fraser/Livingstone hope that this idea will be adopted by any new owner (the property has a price tag of around £15 million) and will avoid “years and years of uncertainty”.
The Summerhall Arts Proposal “looks to reorganise the creative uses of the building more effectively and release the two unloved Brutalist buildings” to become a hotel and student accommodation. Their plans would also allow
other current tenants to remain on site should they wish to stay.
Malcolm Fraser, a partner in the firm, is clear that the proposal is not an actual monetary offer, but it is an idea which he firmly believes will then attract funding and investment. And it involves the CEO of Summerhall Arts, Sam Gough, whose involvement would hopefully “coalesce around
an arts-led future for the site.
Fraser/Livingstone Architects outlined their ideas for the multi-storey Brutalist buildings: “Both of these will be high-end, with the hotel aiming to attract a guest of the Taylor-Swift-atMurrayfield variety – understanding that the higher end will cross-subsidise the arts best, while all new hotel and student users will gain value from, and add value to, Summerhall’s principal arts use.”
This they hope will enshrine the legacy of Robert McDowell who had the vision to buy and develop the former Dick Vet into an arts venue, it would enshrine the Summerhall Arts Hub, develop a hotel which will support the arts hub and “add to the diversity and glamour of the site”.
The seven storey Brutalist building would be stripped back to its frame and transformed into a hotel with a rooftop “party hat” bar and restaurant – with views to Arthur’s Seat and the Forth. In summary the proposal would yield distinct parts - Summerhall Arts, Summerhall Crafts and The Summerhall Arts Hotel.
Financial contributions can be made by way of Gofundme. It will take up to £10,000 in preliminary funding to “get the show on the road”. Every contribution at this stage would be an immense help. Ticket sales are now live
From an early age, the Ukrainianborn pianist Anna Fedorova showed an innate musical maturity and amazing technical abilities. Her live recording of Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto has had more than 35 million views on YouTube. The performance is highly acclaimed by critics and world-renowned musicians.
Anna regularly performs at the world’s most prestigious concert halls such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, Tonhalle Zürich, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo, and many others.
is enthusiastic about his latest position as Edinburgh Makar. This will be the next chapter in his life story which began when he was secretly penning verses in Scots as a schoolboy.
Pedersen recalled with a chuckle: “I remember hiding my poems in my golf bag at first, trying not to let friends find them. I just loved words.” And he wrote in Scots, so that even if someone did find them they would not be able to understand the words very easily.
His path to becoming the seventh Edinburgh Makar from the beginning of October has not been a completely straight line. In his teenage years at Portobello High School where he had supportive English teachers, he showed a certain zeal for creative writing which his teachers encouraged. But he admits that he didn’t take making a career out of writing for granted. He knew he would always write, but he did not go on to study English at university.
He studied law at Durham to try and appease family concerns, and then took what his father called a “kamikaze career plan” - eventually quitting his job as a London lawyer to pursue poetry full-time. He had enjoyed the legal studies however saying that even then there was a literary angle. He said: “The old cases read like Chaucerian poetry, pretty indecipherable stuff. It takes a pickaxe to get through to the definition underneath it. And then the case names - like
Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co - they all sounded like books. The advocacy was your sort of theatrical thespianic, sort of Shakespearean monologue. I tried to study law with a literary hook in it, and it worked. I really loved it.”
GRIEF
His risk paid off after collaborating with fellow poet, Kevin Williamson, to found Neu!Reekie! a production company which staged more than 200 live shows featuring arts of all genres. The duo also published anthologies of poems under the same name. Far from being centred only in Edinburgh the company spread its wings worldwide to Japan, Indonesia, the US and New Zealand. They hosted an arts festival of scale for Hull City of Culture, and set up twelve months of writing residencies in Northern Ireland.
Pedersen said: “We wanted to be the biggest literary night in Scotland, but appeal to all the music heads at the same time.” It was during this time he met Scott Hutchison, of Frightened Rabbit. When he wrote Oyster it was Hutchison who illustrated it. Following Scott’s death, Michael wrote his book Boy Friends exploring his grief at the sudden loss of his close friend.
FESS UP
He will take over the honorary role from current Makar, Hannah Lavery and, as Makar, Pedersen plans to use his platform to inspire the next generation of Scottish poets. He said: “I want to work with a group of
Women artists not forgotten in Fruitmarket event
THE NEW FRUITMARKET
EXHIBITION celebrates women artists who have contributed to the history of the gallery during the last half century.
Artist Holly Davey was invited in 2022 to look through the gallery’s archives in what is described as a “controlled rummage” before making new work for the significant birthday.
Davey was captivated by Scottish Sculpture ‘75 - an exhibition of eleven men, ten of whom were students at Edinburgh College of Art. Rather than dwelling on the men, Davey wondered who their female contemporaries were who had been missed out on that occasion. Her research led her to sculptor, Ann Henderson, a 1945 graduate, who taught at ECA until her death in1976.
Scottish state schools to get more kids writing poetry. I want to make us ‘fess up’ to writing poetry on a big public scale.”
One of the duties of the Makar is to write some verse about the winner of The Edinburgh Award. This year it is Mel Young, MBE, who is President and Founder of the Homeless World Cup, and co-founder of The Big Issue.
For Pedersen, living in the east of the city gives him an advantage with this particular commission. He explained that he lived round the corner from the Young family while he was growing up, and really wanted to be friends with Young’s two sons who were “super cool”. He used to knock on their door asking if the boys were coming out to play. Now he is busy organising to have a coffee or a beer with their father to write a poem about him.
The first City of Literature is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and Edinburgh is 900. Pedersen also points out that the National Library is 100 years old next year “so maybe there’s a poem to be written about that”.
Currently the Writer in Residence at the University of Edinburgh Pedersen has two events pencilled in this month. The first is on 8 October with Bernardine Evaristo and the second is on 25 October at the Gordon Aikman Theatre with Conor O’Brien of the Villagers and Sad Zahedi. Michael said: “The event will be a “literary chat show of a night”. It’s going to be great.”
www.michaelpedersen.co.uk
“The Unforgetting” is Davey’s way of paying tribute to the 354 women who have shown their work at Fruitmarket since it opened. The work will allow visitors to see and hear about women whose stories could (and in her view should) be part of what we know today. Davey has crafted small terracotta figurines modelled on Henderson’s Little Bather to stand in for the women. She names them in an audio work which runs on a continuous loop with a printed script, and this chorus of women will invite the audience in. Davey said: “It has been a privilege to explore Fruitmarket’s rich history, looking at all aspects of the archive - meeting agendas, exhibition slides and photographs, letters from artists, shipping documents; publications and the gallery’s dynamic exhibition history. It was incredible to pull all these women’s names together in a process of unforgetting. I see it as a celebration rather than a commemoration of women artists, past, present and in the future. I am only able to make this work because of all the amazing women that came before me. Their work made this possible.
Fruitmarket is 50
Looking back in history at some significant dates this month
1 OCTOBER
In 1788 Deacon William Brodie was executed for theft. (Picture above by Alexander Hay Ritchie depicts “The Execution of Deacon Brodie and George Smith”)
3 OCTOBER
In 1477, King James III ordered the provost, bailies, and council to make use of the open spaces in the burgh for regular markets and fairs: hay & straw in the Cowgate between Forrester’s and Peebles Wynds; the fish market on both sides of the High Street from Blackfriars Wynd to the Netherbow, the salt market in Niddrie’s Wynd, the chapman’s stalls between the Tolbooth and the Tron; hatmakers and shoemakers from Dalrymple’s Yard to the Greyfriars, capons and chickens at the Mercat Cross, grain and corn between the Tolbooth and Libberton’s Wynd, all metalwork in the Friday market in front of Greyfriars and butter, cheese and wool at the Over Bow.
4 OCTOBER
In 1989, a gas explosion rocked the heart of the city on Guthrie Street causing the deaths of two people.
5 OCTOBER
In 1785, a balloon flight by the Italian aeronaut Vincenzo Lunardi took place from Heriot’s School, Edinburgh, to Ceres in Fife.
7 OCTOBER
In 1796, Thomas Reid, a joint founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, died.
8 OCTOBER
In 1518, the provost, bailies, and council ordered the inhabitants of the burgh to wash and clean the street as far as the centre of the roadway in front of their houses or booths as well as the vennels in the High Street and the Cowgate from all kinds of rubbish and filth by Monday evenings under pain of a fine of eight shillings.
9 OCTOBER
In 1506, King James IV ratified the Charter incorporating the Surgeons and Barbers. And in 1867, at around midday a fire broke out in the ground floor of the premises of fireworks maker Thomas Hammond, a blaze that would ultimately claim the lives of five people – mostly children, with a further nine badly injured; it was reported that Mr Hammond had been in his shop filling one of his rockets with powder, when a spark from an unknown cause ignited the small missile in his hand and within minutes, the whole shop was ablaze since the shop was packed to the gunnels with fireworks and other combustibles. In 1900, Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE, Scottish character actor, was born in Edinburgh. In 1909, a Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) demonstration attracted thousands of suffragettes to the streets. The procession began at Bruntsfield and ended at Waverley Market via Lothian Road and Princes Street.
10 OCTOBER
In 1802, the Edinburgh Review was first published “to erect a higher
standard of merit, and secure a bolder and purer taste in literature, and to apply philosophical principles and the maxims of truth and humanity to politics”. And in 1900, Alastair George Bell Sim, Scottish character actor, was born in Edinburgh at 94 Lothian Road. He set up a school of drama & speech training in Edinburgh which was attended by his future wife.
11 OCTOBER
In 1511, King James IV’s “Great Michael” (pictured above) was launched from Newhaven Harbour. And in 1593, whilst riding to a meeting concerning the laws of Scotland, King James VI met the excommunicated (catholic) Lords.
12 OCTOBER
In 1907, 20,000 people gathered at the Fit o’ the Walk for the unveiling of the statue of Queen Victoria designed by John Stevenson Rhind.
16 OCTOBER
In 1430, King James II of Scotland was born at Holyrood Palace to James I and Joan Beaufort. In 1774, Scots poet Robert Fergusson died aged 24. Robert Burns privately commissioned and paid for a memorial headstone of his own design, which was erected in 1787. The stone was restored in April 1850 by the poet Robert Gilfillan. In the later nineteenth century, Robert Louis Stevenson intended to renovate the stone, but died before he could do so. The epitaph that Stevenson planned to add to the stone is recorded on a plaque added to the grave by the Saltire Society on the Society’s 50th anniversary in 1995.
17 OCTOBER
In 1548, the French troops in Edinburgh started a fight in Edinburgh over a culverin sent for repair and several Scots were killed on the Royal Mile; D’Essé organised a night raid on Haddington to increase their popularity among their potential Scottish supporters;
the raid was repulsed but while the French were away from Edinburgh the townsfolk killed some of their wounded. And in 1720, Margaret Hall, also known as Ailie, was murdered by her husband Nicol Muschet of Boghall (sometimes Muschat or Mushet); Muschet’s or Maggie’s Cairn is a memorial to her near its original spot in Holyrood Park.
19 OCTOBER
In 1687, Scotland’s first public hire sedan chairs became available in Edinburgh; the new fleet of six hire sedans were plain black with a covered roof and were an alternative form of transport to the horse and carriage. There were two sedan chair shelters, one in Riddles Court in the upper town and one in Tweedale Court for the lower town, which still exists (on the right-hand side coming though the archway).
Edinburgh’s sedan chairs were unique in that the seat was at 45 degrees to the poles so when going up and down a close or the High Street itself you were always sitting straight up.
21 OCTOBER
In 1920, Edinburgh and Leith merged into one metropolitan area.
22 OCTOBER
In 1589, King James VI began his sea journey to Norway, sailing from Leith around ten o’clock at night. And in 1861, the foundation stones of both the main Post Office and the National Museum of Scotland were laid by Prince Albert in his last public engagement before his death.
23 OCTOBER
In 1706, a mob attacked the house of Sir Patrick Johnston, a strenuous promoter of the Treaty of Union; he escaped but the increasing mob rambled through the streets threatening destruction to the promoters of the Union; the riot was eventually quelled but not until the army was called out.
24 OCTOBER
In 1694, Alexander Monteith petitioned the council for a gift of bodies for medical dissection from among those who died in the Correction House and foundling babies who died upon the breast which the council duly granted.
25 OCTOBER
In 1809, the Jubilee of the accession of King George III was celebrated with a series of ceremonies which included laying the foundations of King George III’s Bastion and Military Works to protect the docks, harbour, and the town of Leith.
26 OCTOBER
In 1660, captains and colours were allotted to the Town Companies; citizens aged between 16 and 60 were required to provide sufficient arms and gather when called by beat of drum. The companies had to patrol the streets at night, watch for robberies at burials and public celebrations, and parade at the Riding of Parliament.
31 OCTOBER
In 1923 the last hanging was conducted at Calton Jail. (Photo above shows the new prison and Dugald Stewart’s Monument, Calton Hill, 1887. Credit: The Cavaye Collection of Thomas Begbie/City Art Centre/Capital Collections)
Compiled by Jerry Ozaniec, Membership Secretary of the Old Edinburgh Club, membership@ oldedinburghclub.org.uk
The full list of is published on theedinburghreporter.co.uk
The dining experience embarks on its first Scotland journey this autumn Basil Sybil & Manuel serve up Faulty Towers on tour
By LÍAM RUDDEN
Scottish fans of the ratings grabbing BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers are in for a treat this autumn as Basil, Sybil and Manuel embark on tour of Scotland, bringing culinary mayhem and laughs galore to Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow, St Andrews, Broughty Ferry and Banff in Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience. It was in August 2008 that a smash-hit production, all the way from Australia, enjoyed its UK premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe. An instant hit, suddenly three much loved, iconic sitcom characters were back, live on stage (well, in a restaurant) creating laugh out loud mayhem.
Now, after more than a decade on the Fringe, the production from Interactive Theatre International (ITI), which premiered in Australia 27 years ago, is set to embark on its first Scotland Tour.
A loving tribute to the BBC series from the seventies, dinner and theatre collide like never before in Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience. Take your seats at your table in the “Faulty Towers” restaurant and prepare for a service like no other, delivered by Basil, Sybil
and Manuel themselves. As your starter is unceremoniously plonked before you the chaos begins. Actually it starts even before that but let’s not give too much away.
With an original script woven through a three course meal, watch as the terrifying Sybil rules the roost, as Basil loses it, and as Manuel finds he can’t do right for doing wrong.
With a nod a wink to all your favourite moments from the classic sitcom, Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience is a side splitting evening of food and laughter…and just a bit of audience participation.
After such an impressive run at Edinburgh, Jared Harford, Executive Producer of ITI, explains why, in the post-pandemic landscape ITI have decided the time is right to tour. He said: “With all the data we’ve gathered from the Fringe over the years, we know that people come from all over Scotland to see us. Now it’s our turn to come to them.”
Not that their 11 consecutive years, doing two, sometimes three, shows a day during August in Edinburgh is an achievement to be taken lightly. Indeed, in 2019, ITI even programmed their own venue for the first time.
Harford recalls: “In 2019, we did our
Above - The cast in Edinburgh
Left - Jared Harford
Right - Dave Tremaine and Rebecca Norris who play Basil and Sybil
“massive” Fringe. We had 16 different shows at our venue. It was amazing, something I’d always wanted to do. We were planning to do the same in 2020. We had put down a £40,000 deposit on the venue and then the pandemic hit. We lost everything.”
Although The Dining Experience returned to the Fringe in 2023, ITI soon discovered the landscape had changed and it was time to venture further afield, hence their Scotland Tour, which brings not one but two Basils north of the border.
“Yes, we have two Basils coming to Scotland for the tour,” confirmed Harford, “Jack Baldwin, our Associate Artistic Director who looks after all the shows in the UK will share the role with Dave Tremaine, who has been with us for eight years now.”
A double-dose of Basils, the temptation has to be to go twice and compare, surely?
“Yeah…” says Harford, with just hint of reticence, before adding: “To be honest, they are both just as good as each other, so yes, go and see the one who inspired The Show That Goes Wrong and then go and see the one who wrote a hit show us in Australia.”
The Scotland Tour visits The Scotsman Hotel in Edinburgh, Palm Court Hotel, Aberdeen, Vic’s Cafe, St Andrews, Forgan’s Broughty Ferry, Arta, Glasgow and Fife Lodge Hotel, Banff.
“All our venues are owned by The Scotsman Hotel group, our new partner in Scotland,” revealed Harford. “I’ve only been to The Scotsman Hotel and it is just phenomenal, absolutely gorgeous, so that instills confidence that everything else will be of the same quality. They’re renowned for five star luxury, I believe.”
Having dominated Edinburgh every August for so long, and now embarking on their first Scottish tour, Harford still has great ambitions for ITI outside of The Dining Experience.
“I’ve got this dream that either one day someone will write something for us that involves music, or I just want to stage a musical. The only problem with that is that Australia is such a large country with such a small population that it’s difficult to get around, consequently, people aren’t in the habit of going to see things. That’s why we keep having the same four or five musicals going around and around.
“And, of course, in the UK it’s not really easy to put on a musical, although we are partnering with someone this year for Christmas; putting on A Christmas Carol which I’ve invested in, so we are an official associate producer. It’s good to dip my toe in that area.”
For the time being, however, it seems Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience will remain the jewel in the ITI crown and if you find yourself in London on a theatre break, it’s worth remembering they have a residency there too, at The President Hotel, not far from the new West End stage production. Heaven for any Fawlty Towers’ fan.
“It’s quite exciting to have more than one Fawlty Towers product available to people. If you look at Mamma Mia The Party and Mamma Mia! The Musical and ABBA Voyage, all three happily run concurrently. So there’s no reason why people can’t go and see the stage show, which is obviously John Cleese’s rewriting of the TV show, and then come and sit and enjoy the dining experience, which is a script devised by our company that allows people come along and be involved in creating the thirteenth episode. London is big enough for both of us.”
In the meantime, however, Basil, Sybil and Manuel are heading to a venue near you. Book now. And please remember, no hamsters.
Happily unmarried stars celebrate togetherness
The dining experience share secrets and unexpected mishaps of playing Basil and Sybil in smash hit show as they prepare to tour the country
OFFSTAGE REBECCA NORRIS AND DAVE TREMAINE have been “happily unmarried for 13 years”. Their onstage characters, meanwhile, celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary earlier this year - not that you would ever describe Basil and Sybil Fawlty’s marriage as the most harmonious of unions. Rebecca and Dave are two of the stars of the smash-hit Edinburgh Fringe favourite. Set in the restaurant of “Faulty Towers” Hotel, the dining experience is the world’s most successful tribute to the BBC TV series Fawlty Towers and recreates some of the classic moments from the sitcom using original scripts in a show that’s 70% improvised and fully immersive.
Fire drills, rats (“is hamster!”), chaos and mayhem reign supreme as Basil, Sybil and Manuel serve a delicious seventies threecourse meal to their “guests” as Scottish fans will soon discover. Rebecca, 43, and Dave, 44, have been playing Basil and Sybil in the show for nearly a decade now but the couple, who met at drama school and are both self-confessed Fawlty Towers fans, jokingly reveal playing the fictional couple can prove interesting.
“I get many different husbands in the show but the company do like to keep us together, I think because it brings down costs,” Rebecca laughed. Not that she is complaining. She said: “We do like working together because we work well together, but it’s also nice to work with other people too. That keeps things fresh.”
Playing any couple relies on chemistry and being a real-life couple can have its pros and cons.
“I don’t think it changes the chemistry between Basil and Sybil but there is one point in the show where Sybil has to hit Basil over the head with a tray.
Sometimes that can be real,” said Rebecca before Dave chipped in, “… and in everyday life I do sometimes get ‘the look’ and think, “Oh god, I’ve seen that look before. She’s bringing it home now.” They
both laugh.
For Dave, playing Basil allows him to behave in a way that he never normally would. “In real life I am nothing like Basil. I avoid shouting and confrontation wherever I can, but for two hours as I get to be as rude as possible - for someone who worked in customer service in the past, I now get to say all the things I wanted to say then and get away with it.”
Rebecca said: “The great thing about this show is that we can get away with almost anything if things go wrong, people just think it’s part of the show. For example, we do a fire drill but one night all the fire alarms did go off and the fire brigade were called…
Dave continues: “… and we had to evacuate the hotel and gather on the street outside. Entertaining there was a bit awkward, people kept coming up wanting photographs. In the end we had to hide behind the fire engine.”
The show garnered a few celebrity fans along the way, including the late Geoffrey
and knew Andrew was coming in so I he was pretty nervous, but Andrew really loved the show and it was great seeing the two Manuels chatted afterwards.”
Another night, Dave spotted comedy magician Gerry Sadowitz on the list of diners and mentioned it to Becky.
“I had no clue, Dave had to tell me who he was, so in the show I went up to him as Sybil and said, ‘It’s you, isn’t it? It’s you. It’s you. Look Basil, it’s Brian May’.”
Rebecca effortlessly slips into the shrill tones of Sybil for that last line - it’s uncanny, although she admits nailing her character’s famous laugh, once described by Basil as “someone machine-gunning a seal” - was a bit more tricky.
“The laugh was difficult. Although I could do it, the retraction at the end of it can takes its toll when doing it show after show. I had to find a way to do it without loosing my voice and I did - I can do it all the time now.”
For Dave it’s the physicality between Basil and Manuel that can prove a problem. He recalls one incident: “There’s a lot of slapstick between Basil and Manuel. At one point, I have to push him up against a wall. On this occasion I pushed him a little too hard, unaware that it was only a thin plaster wall. He went right through the wall making an almighty hole.
“I felt so guilty but being in character I had to go with it and spent the rest of the show trying to patch up the wall to make sure Sybil didn’t see the damage.
“Which of course led me to the wonderful line ‘Don’t mention the wall!’ Sometimes however, it’s the audience who force the cast to think on their feet.“
“Audience members can get a bit over excited and forget that we are real people as well,” said Rebecca. “Once a woman got up and threw a glass of wine over Basil who, as you can imagine, was quite shocked.
“I thought ‘I have to handle this one’ and said, ‘The only person who can berate my husband is me’. Unfortunately the chap playing Basil at the time had to put dye in his hair for the role and it slowly began dripping down his face so he also had to cover that as well.”
One thing that has changed in the 25 years since the show had its world premiere in Australia is the ending, Rebecca revealed: “The very first venue in Australia was a restaurant that had a pool area outside and at the end of the night, Basil would walk out the restaurant straight into the pool.”
That certainly won’t be happening on the Scotland Tour assured Dave, revealing that he has, however, invested in a kilt… let’s hope he’s not wearing it when he does Basil’s funny walk.
Veterans’ safe haven provides vital support
Behind the harled walls of historic Whitefoord House, services personnel find home comforts and help in returning to Civvy Street reports Stephen Rafferty
They served the nation - they did the nation’s bidding - and I believe there is a duty to them to make sure they are always safe and accommodated” - the words of Martin Nadin, chief executive of the Scottish Veterans Residence (SVR).
Better known to Edinburgh residents as Whitefoord Hoose, the imposing 18th century mansion near the bottom of the Royal Mile, provides safe accommodation to 85 ex-services personnel who have fallen on tough times and faced difficulties in adjusting to life on Civvy Street.
Built in 1769 as the townhouse of landowner Sir John Whitefoord of Ballochmyle and later owned by High Court judge Lord Bannatyne, registered charity SVR purchased the whiteharled mansion in 1910 when, the chief executive explains, “the sight of Indian Army, Boer War soldiers and discharged sailors sleeping rough in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket concerned Seaforth Highlanders officers so greatly, that they decided to do something about it”.
SVR helps veterans who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or in need, and their work includes tailored one-to-one support, counselling, occupational therapy, an activities programme, and a range of initiatives and partnerships to help them work towards an independent living and successful transition to civilian life.
A powerful new video, produced by Edinburgh film maker Rob Waugh of digital content company Simmerdim, has been launched to raise awareness of the services offered by SVR at Whitefoord House and its two other sites in Glasgow and Dundee.
The video includes interviews with residents and staff, including veteran James, who put a life of crime and substance misuse behind him, with the assistance of SVR. He said: “This place gave me my first chance, and only chance in life to become the person I should have been.
“I’m not a mess anymore, and I’m not doing anything I shouldn’t be doing. I’m not looking over my shoulder anymore, I’m just looking forward. I used this place as a stepping stone - the day that I left, I felt ready to leave.”
Mark Doig, another veteran, arrived at SVR at his lowest ebb, but emerged from crisis to rebuild his life, and now has his own flat. Looking back at his journey, Mark said: “I got into trouble with the police, which led then to the breakdown in my relationship and the breakdown of my mental health. When I first came here I literally have no recollection of the
first few months here. My room became my safe haven, and it became a place where I felt comfortable.”
SVR Counsellor Graeme Dunn, said: “A lot of these men are divorced, separated from their families, who become homeless, they found it very difficult to readjust to society and normal living. They can come and talk to me about intimate things and tell me things in confidence.
“But what’s also very therapeutic is to talk to like minded individuals, men who’ve seen the way of being that you’ve seen, those like minded individuals, this peer group, as it were, they all feed off each other for a therapeutic alliance that’s very, very useful.”
Kirsty Smeaton-Brown, Residence Manager, said: “We will help them to register for housing of their choice, or work on them with financial management and income maximisation. We will assist them to engage with counseling
Right: Established in 1910, Whitefoord House repays a duty to service personnel.
Below: A safe haven in the gardens of the
historic 18th century Royal Mile Mansion.
services if they want to engage with counseling services. We also look at their social networks and their access to services within the wider community, as well as any medical or mental health issues that they may have.”
The charity’s Activities Programme is led by former Royal Marines PT Darren Morgan, whose work was recognised this year at the Scottish Veterans Awards. He said: “The reason these residents have arrived within SVR is that the wheels have come off and one of my aims is to put those wheels back on.
“For someone who has maybe been cooped up for quite a while, not really having any direction, if they are willing to embark on that activity programme just to get them into the outdoors and get some fresh air again, and create some structure into their daily life, it makes them realise that life definitely is worth living.”
Whitefoord House enjoys 85 en-suite bedrooms, all single occupancy, and a fully catered service offers residents three meals a day in its modern dining room. Occupational therapy support combined with a range of
initiatives and partnerships give veterans the optimum chance of working towards an independent life and a successful transition to civilian life.
Chief executive Martin Nadin adds:
“Veterans are all volunteers, they are extraordinary people who have done extraordinary things, but where we can, we should make sure that veterans are never homeless. So our vision is for all veterans to live as independently as they are able, in a place they are proud to call home.”
Mark Doig, who is now employed by SVR helping men like himself, concluded: “My wife, who I still have a great relationship with, had said that before I got here I tried to kill myself.
The SVR literally saved my life, SVR rebuilt me … gave me a purpose. They gave my family back their dad, their grandad, their husband.”
If you are a Veteran who needs help, or know of someone who does, please contact Scottish Veterans Residences at info@svronline.org or visit www.svronline.org
All images supplied by www.simmerdim.co
Top left: SVR counsellor Graeme Dunn.
Far right: SVR chief executive Marin Nadin.
Bottom left: Looking forward – veteran James.
Bottom right: Mark Doig, a veteran helped by SVR and who now works for the charity.
Nation’s storytelling history celebrated in 35th festival
Bridge building develops long tradition of European connections
THE FULL PROGRAMME of events for The Scottish International Storytelling Festival (SISF) 2024, includes events for children and adults. Most but not all, are held at the Scottish Storytelling Centre on the High Street.
The world’s largest celebration of storytelling from 18 to 31 October is organised by Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (TRACS).
Now in its 35th year, the festival has been building bridges between cultures, artists and audiences all over the world through the power of storytelling over the years. This anniversary coincides with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and the festival has chosen “Bridges Between” as its programming theme.
This is also the inspiration for eight new commissions which will be told for the first time during this year’s festival. International storytellers from the Storytelling Arena in Berlin, from Ireland with the support of Culture Ireland, and from India have been asked to participate in this year’s event.
In a programme called GO Local there will be events held all over Scotland from The Scottish Borders to Orkney, both during SISF and also later in the year.
This year the Festival is also part of the city’s Edinburgh 900 programme, celebrating nine centuries of story and literature in Scotland’s capital city.
Festival Director Donald Smith, who is also author of the newly published Edinburgh Our Storied Town, has programmed a series of events showcasing Edinburgh through the centuries and exploring different eras of its history.
These include talks on “chivalry” and the knightly values of the crusades, Edinburgh’s theatres and the history of the festivals, Scotland’s golden age of literature and a conference and “Lit Fandango” with new Edinburgh Makar, Michael Pedersen, to celebrate 20 years since Edinburgh was crowned the world’s first UNESCO City of
Literature.
There will be guided walks through the city to explore Edinburgh’s founding women with Claire McNicol, an after-hours tour of Surgeon’s Hall where tales of chloroform tea parties and grave robbing will be shared, and storytelling sessions at Bridgend Farmhouse, The Balm Well and Edinburgh’s Philosophy Cafe on the Southside.
Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “Scotland is home to some of the best festivals in the world, and Edinburgh is the festival capital of the world.
“There are lots of events in Edinburgh and in the rest of the country. I think it’s a great reminder that we have an amazing story telling history, but that we also have connections to Europe and the wider world, and this festival brings all of that together. I’d encourage everybody go online and see what there is. There’s something for young and old and everybody in between. There’s a series of pieces that are being commissioned especially, and there’s some stories that we may even remember from our childhood.”
New commissions supported by the Scottish Government Festivals Expo Fund
Mending Nets (Fri 18 Oct)
- Palestinian poet and dancer Nada Shawa and Scottish storyteller Janis
present stories of loss, friendship and hope, to help people attempt to retrieve an unravelled sense of identity.
The Bouncy Billy Goats
(Sat 19 Oct) – a sensory version of the traditional tale of Billy Goats Gruff suited to children with additional needs, their families and friends with storyteller Ailie Finlay and artist Kate Leiper.
The Dream of Al-Andulus (19 Oct) Storytellers Sef Townsend and Inés Álvarez Villa accompanied by flamenco guitarist Danielo Olivera and Moroccan musician Omar Afif, transport audiences to mediaeval Spain.
Donald Smith, Scottish International Storytelling Festival Director said: “The festival has lots of activities between festivals. We have a network of storytellers and storytelling projects in every corner of Scotland, and it’s out of that ongoing activity that the ideas bubble up for the next festival.
“This is the city of literature’s 20th anniversary - there’s a lot of anniversaries going on - it’s the 35th year of the festival. It’s 35 years since the Berlin Wall came down, and we’ve got storytellers coming from Berlin to share what that experience was like. It is also 900 years of storytelling and literature in Edinburgh, so we are making a special effort this year.
“But of course, our theme always looks outward to the wider world. So Between Bridges reflects all the divisions we’re facing, the shouting and the shooting. Storytelling is the alternative to that, a shared experience, a sense of sympathy, a bit of connection, that’s what we’re building this year.”
Tickets to family events cost £5 per ticket. For those planning on attending multiple events, the Festival Supporter Pass offers discounted tickets to many live festival events, online and at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, as well as a discount at the Scottish Storytelling Centre’s bookshop, Haggis Box Café and an invitation to the Festival launch event.
sisf.org.uk
The Desperate Battle of the Birds (Mon 21 Oct) Scottish storyteller James MacDonald Reid presents his version of this classic Gaelic folk tale intertwined with live electric cello music by Scottish-Korean musician Ryan Williams. Performed in English and Gaelic throughout.
Òran Mhòir (23 Oct) Costumes, films, field recordings, folk songs and electronic sounds come together in a multi-media performance exploring the Gaelic lore of the intertidal zone. With storyteller Eileen Budd and experimental folk duo Burd Ellen.
Jack and Beggar’s Island (25 Oct) The most powerful freedom story of Scottish oral tradition recreated by storytellers Jimmy Williamson, Claire McNicol and Linda Williamson connected with music from Toby Shippey and friends.
Kanpur: 1857! (26 Oct) Niall Moorjani and Jon Oldfield present a dilemma between a young Indian rebel strapped to a cannon and a British officer for the crimes of Kanpur. Are they a hero or villain?
A Wolf Shall Devour the Sun (30 Oct) Weaving myth from the Celtic Isles, Scandinavia and Siberia, storyteller Douglas Mackay takes a deep dive into the history of our troubled relations with our oldest ally. With Jemima Thewes providing shadow puppet animation and original, dreamlike soundscape.
Mackay
Gruff
Janis Mackay weaves a tale
Ringing the Netherbow Bell
Daniel Abercrombie of TRACS
Neil Hanna
Neil Hanna
Neil Hanna
World’s End heroes
Infamous murders solved
by vision of young forensic scientist and dedicated detectives
By STEPHEN RAFFERTY
ON A CHILLY AUTUMN NIGHT in 1977, two teenage girls went out for an evening in Edinburgh, never to return home. The brutal murders of Helen Scott and Christine Eadie shocked Scotland and sparked one of the nation’s longest-running investigations.
Helen and Christine were last seen alive on the night of 15 October in the Royal Mile’s World’s End pub - a name which still causes a chill in an older generation of Edinburgh residents.
The next day their bodies were discovered several miles apart, dumped on the foreshore at Gosford Bay in East Lothian and in a farmer’s field between Aberlady and Haddington. It would take nearly four decades, significant advances in forensic science, and unwavering determination from investigators to finally bring their killer and notorious sex offender, Angus Sinclair, to justice.
Now former chief police officer Tom Wood has published an updated chronicle of the determined crusade to bring closure for the families of the two girls. The World’s End Murders - the Inside Story - is a story of heroes says Wood - of the dignified families who carried an unimaginable burden over the years, and the police officers, support staff and forensic scientists who never gave up despite
several catastrophic set backs.
The book singles out the then young forensic scientist, Lester Knibb, and his colleagues, highlighting the crucial role their careful preservation of crime scene evidence over a 37 year period played in securing Sinclair’s conviction in 2014.
The case also helped change Scots Law. After Sinclair was controversially acquitted in an earlier 2007 High Court trial, existing legislation under the so-called Double Jeopardy principle, meant he could not be tried again for the same crime.
Wood, the former Deputy Chief Constable of Lothian & Borders Police, was a young CID officer at the time Helen and Christine were reported missing but over time would take overall command of a murder mystery which long troubled Scotland.
He said: “Though not involved in the investigation of the crimes, Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland and Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill played a vital role in bringing Angus Sinclair to justice.
“Following the botched trial of 2007, it would have been easy for both of these men to hide behind legal and political conventions, but they did not. Recognising that a miscarriage of justice had taken place, they went to extraordinary lengths to bring about a change of the law in Scotland in order to see
City of Literature conference
EDINBURGH BECAME the first City of Literature in 2004. To mark this 20th anniversary the capital won the bid to host the UNESCO Cities of Literature network conference in October. In the last two decades the network has grown to include more than 50 cities representing six continents and 30 countries, and all are part of a wider Creative Cities Network.
The conference will mark the achievements of the past two decades and also plan for the next two.
At the time the conference was announced in 2022, then Director of City of Literature Trust Ali Bowden, said: “At the very heart of Edinburgh’s City of Literature status is the idea of international collaboration and sharing. We are very much looking
justice done. The willingness of both men to challenge the status quo in the face of trenchant opposition was instrumental in the delivery of justice.”
The roles of retired Detective Superintendents John McGowan and Allan Jones are also praised in the book, but Wood said that if one man or group could be credited with solving The World’s End Murders, it was Lester Knibb and his forensic laboratory colleagues.
He said: “They meticulously recovered the forensic evidence from the crime scenes and protected and preserved them down the years. It was the scientists who had the vision to see
the potential of what would eventually prove to be crucial DNA evidence.
“Put bluntly, The World’s End Murders would not have been solved and Angus Sinclair never brought to justice without the actions of Lester Knibb and his scientific colleagues.”
Sinclair died in prison in March 2019, convicted of four murders of women and girls, numerous attacks on children and was believed to be responsible for a further four murders.
The World’s End Murders The Inside Story by Tom Wood is published by Ringwood Publishing.
forward to welcoming representatives from literary cities around the world to Edinburgh, to show off our beautiful city, our literary heritage and thriving contemporary literary scene. We want to share ideas, celebrate the achievements of cities across the network and inspire newly designated cities. We want to spark ideas for new crossartform collaborations and new international projects to support writers and readers across the Creative Cities Network.”
The Rt Hon Lord
Provost, Robert Aldridge, said: “The decision to bring this important conference to Edinburgh on the 20th anniversary of the designation of our Capital city as the very first UNESCO City of Literature underlines Edinburgh’s importance as a world-renowned centre for literature. It is an opportunity not only to celebrate our achievements, but also to share experiences and explore future collaborations with other members of the Literary City network.”
Lester Knibb (left) and Tom Wood
Lorem
LOWDOWN COFFEE
By Charlie Ellis
Coffee lowdown
Sleek city centre basement provides memorable flavours
LOWDOWN COFFEE on George Street is regularly mentioned as one of Edinburgh’s best specialty coffee places. The café first opened in 2016 and has built a reputation steadily since. It’s a prime example of consistent coffee excellence.
In the wake of the lockdown there was a sense that specialty coffee places in Edinburgh’s city centre might not have a future. The closure of Castello (Castle Street), Fortitude’s York Place café, Williams & Johnson at Waverley and Cairngorm’s basement place on Frederick Street seemed to indicate some sort of hollowing out.
In contrast, trade at cafés in suburbs such as Bruntsfield, Marchmont, and Stockbridge increased in this period. Lowdown managed to survive the downturn in city centre trade and is now clearly thriving with consistently good reviews (“exceptional coffee shop, a must visit when in the city centre”, “one of the best avocado toasts I had in my life”) and a constant flow of customers.
Lowdown Coffee sits in a prime
tourist and shopping area, on George Street. A café located there that served decent, but not top class coffee, would do perfectly well. Lowdown’s ambition and standards are higher and they want to offer customers something really exceptional.
The various beans which Lowdown use produce really interesting and memorable flavours. Something a little different is served here, something that will surprise your taste buds. This desire to find something new and innovative is a key aspect of specialty coffee culture. It is for example, markedly different from Italian coffee culture which promotes consistency of flavour. Lowdown is consistent in terms of quality, but the flavour profiles of the beans they use vary from month to month.
The sleek basement café is generally busy. When I was last in, the place was packed, though perhaps not quite as hectic as during the August peak: “Even busy days feel quiet after the Fringe”. The calming, minimalist décor helps
CROSSWORD
By Aldhelm
ensure it’s an enjoyable place to sit, even on the busiest days. Despite the flow of customers, they maintain a high standard of espresso. Things are carefully measured and there’s an unhurried precision about the way the baristas work. This is something that is consistent across the very best coffee places. Good coffee is well worth waiting for. Lowdown is reminiscent of some of the best places in London where the barista teams are sizeable. Having a larger team helps maintain the “division of labour” that helps maintain quality. Café owners are only able to afford such a team if they are busy throughout the day.
The baristas at Lowdown work collaboratively and with precision (“how was the shot?” “spot on I think”). There’s a real sense of energy and passion about the team of baristas and the sense that they are tuned in to the Scottish coffee scene. On my most recent visit, some of them were planning a trip to Dundee for a “cupping” (tasting) event. Lowdown themselves also hosts such events, where they offer a chance to
sample brews from beans from their own (new) roastery, Module.
Lowdown Coffee is able to cater to a more mainstream audience, as well as the real coffee geeks. The former can simply enjoy excellent coffee. Those customers who show a real interest in different beans (“this one has rose water hints”) and different brewing methods are welcomed into the conversation, and their feedback sought. “This is proper deliciousvery floral” was one customer’s feedback on his pour over. Because it’s relatively small and in such a busy area, tables are always at the premium. The staff regularly have to tell customers “I’m afraid we’re full up at the moment”. Some will move on to another café (Black Sheep and Starbucks are right beside Lowdown) but many are prepared to wait. As I overheard one queuing customer say to her friend: “We could go elsewhere but the coffee here is just so good”. In addition to the coffee, Lowdown offers a good selection of breakfasts, brunches, pastries and cake. It’s very much not just the location which draws customers in large numbers down the steps to Lowdown.
Singhing the praises of favourite pakora bar and Scotland’s first mango lassi Pale Ale then a Thai master class you won’t Ru-gret
THE PAKORA BAR: A Taste of India
I LOVE CURRY. Maybe it’s in my genes. My mother was born in India, before moving to the UK at nine but it’s a go-to cuisine for all my family when eating out or in. Nothing beats the comfort of a bowl of curry and rice for me. Indian, Nepalese, Thai, or Sri Lankan - I’m not fussy.
So, imagine my delight during the Fringe when I stumbled upon an old favourite – The Pakora Bar. Founded by three Edinburghbased brothers with a vision to share their mother’s exceptional pakoras and curries, this family-run business has grown from a humble 12ft mobile kitchen. They first gained popularity at festivals like T in the Park, the Royal Highland Show, and, of course, the Fringe, which eventually led them to open their first permanent spot on Hanover Street.
I had been a regular at their city centre location – it was a healthier option for soaking up the effects of a late night out. However, after the Hanover Street branch closed, I assumed they’d gone the way of many hospitality ventures. As it turns out, they had simply relocated, and I was thrilled to rediscover them in their new 111 Holyrood Road home, which they opened last year.
During this year’s Fringe, their street food restaurant proved to be my salvation. Nursing a monumental hangover after one of those “just one drink” nights turned 3 am, I needed a rice-and-curry remedy. The Pakora Bar didn’t disappoint. I opted for their fantastic value #FixForOne – three of their delicious pakoras with fresh salad and pakora sauce, and a curry served on rice or naan for just £15, available Monday to Friday, noon until 5 pm.
I spoke with two of the brothers, Mark, who manages the restaurant, and Paul, who handles catering. They were launching their new Mango Lassi Pale Ale, “Chakk De Phatte.” While my fragile state wasn’t up to sampling it that day, I returned a few weeks later to give it a proper try.
On this visit, I dined solo, as my friend had to cancel last-minute. But I was in good hands – warmly hosted by the father of the family, John Singh, a charming turban-clad Sikh, and his wife Rajindar, who couldn’t have been more welcoming, with wonderful tales to tell.
Meanwhile the brothers commanded their own sections, including brother Brian who was hosting the bar, and pulling many a Chakk De Phatte and making some mean cocktails. John’s grand-daughter, Paul’s daughter, was also getting in on the act, running their social media account and capturing customers’ reactions to the new drink.
The idea for “Chakk De Phatte” originated with John. “Chakk De Phatte” – a phrase akin to ‘cheers’ or ‘slàinte’ – is Scotland’s first Mango Lassi Pale Ale. The recipe has been perfected by John’s sons over the years, and it truly complements the rich flavours of The Pakora Bar’s dishes. I might have been slightly overwhelmed by its presentation in a heavy tankard glass, but I rose to the challenge. In fact two pints went down too smoothly! The beer is sweet and fruity, with fresh mango notes, malty undertones, and a smooth finish.
It paired beautifully with the spicy Punjabi Lamb Curry, slow-cooked for four hours, which was highly recommended by John.
Already shortlisted for The Scottish Beer Awards, “Chakk De Phatte” is available on tap and in cans at The Pakora Bar and select restaurants across Scotland. It’s poised to become the new go-to drink for curry lovers. Forget the wine; this beer is the perfect match for pakoras and curries alike.
www.thepakorabar.co.uk
KRUA THAI: A Taste of Thailand in Liberton
CONTINUING WITH THE CURRY THEME, I have a long-standing wish to visit Thailand one day, a bucket-list goal that would allow me to fully immerse myself in learning to cook authentic Thai cuisine. But for now, I found the next best thing - a Thai cooking masterclass right here in Liberton.
The Krua Thai Cookery School is run by the delightful Rujira (‘Ru’) Herd from her home kitchen. Ru’s classes attract students from all corners of the world, including chefs from luxury yachts keen to uncover the trade secrets of traditional Thai cooking. She’s achieved a lot in her life - even cooking alongside the legendary Albert Roux. In just a couple of hours, my fellow two cooking companions and
I learned authentic Thai techniques and recipes you’d expect to find in top Thai restaurants. And for those with a creative flair, you can even learn fruit and vegetable carving!
Whether you’re a seasoned chef or have never wielded a spatula, Ru has a knack for making everyone feel confident. She’ll equip you with the skills to whip up an impressive two-course dinner. We mastered dishes like ‘Laab-e-saan, a spicy, herby salad made with minced pork; Giew Hang, delicate pork wontons with soy sauce; and Kaw Pad, a simple but delicious fried rice with egg. The best part? We got to enjoy our creations in the comfort of Ru’s dining room, making the experience all the more rewarding.
For a truly unique and delicious culinary experience, I can’t recommend Krua Thai enough. Who needs a plane ticket when you can take your taste buds on a journey right here in Edinburgh?
www.kruathai.co.uk
Culinary capers in the capital with Kerry Teakle
Carvery with flair
Mango Pale Ale anyone?
More than just pakora
Ru Herd
There are Baddies and goodies galore head to the capital’s stages this month including hairhoppers, missionaries and a Belgian sleuth on track to expose a murderer
Lots to get through this month with the Playhouse, Festival Theatre and Royal Lyceum all bringing some cracking productions to the Capital.
So without further ado, we start off with a show suitable for all the family, especially the youngest members of your clan, The Baddies (4-20 October) at the Lyceum.
Suitable for three year olds and over and with a running time of less than an hour, the Baddies, based on the creations of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, are funny, silly and really, really bad.
Head to Grindlay Street if you are ready to meet the very worst Baddies in the world; a witch, a troll and an ancient ghost.
The Baddies love being bad. Watch as they
roar, spook and cast wicked spells to try and scare a girl out of her wits but who will succeed? Or perhaps the girl is braver than they think…
With songs by Joe Stilgoe, The Baddies is ‘a laugh-out-loud riot’ for all the family.
Running Time under one hour. Tickets £11£18 https://lyceum.org.uk/events/thebaddies#dates-and-times
At The Playhouse, Hairspray (7-12 October) marks the return of the beat you can’t stop. Starring Strictly Come Dancing favourite Joanne Clifton as the fierce yet fabulous Velma van Tussle, this production sees Hairspray royalty Brenda Edwards
Edinburgh’s Mr Entertainment picks his Hot Tickets to see in the Capital and beyond
Book of Mormon returns to the Edinburgh Playhouse for a three week run
Pitlochry’s Streetcar Named Desire stops at the Lyceum
(famous for her turns as Motormouth Maybelle) making her directorial debut and hoping to bring new energy to the show.
Based on the John Waters film starring Divine, join big-hearted Tracy Turnblad and her new friends the spirited Seaweed and his sister Little Inez, heartthrob Link Larkin and the resolute Motormouth Maybelle as they strive to change the world with their timeless message of tolerance and the fight against racial discrimination.
Featuring the hit songs Welcome to the 60s, You Can’t Stop the Beat, Good Morning Baltimore and many more, Hairspray is always an uplifting night out.
Running Time 2 Hours 30 Minutes including interval. Tickets £28-£83 https://www. atgtickets.com/shows/hairspray-the-musical/ edinburgh-playhouse/calendar/2024-10-07
A week later those musical missionaries are back at the Greenside Place venue as Book of Mormon (15 October-2 November) returns for
a three week run after the sell-out success of its last visit.
Not for the easily offended, this outrageous musical comedy from the creators of South Park, Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Bobby Lopez, follows the misadventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries, sent to a place that’s about as far from Salt Lake City as you can get. Always a hot ticket, the New York Times called it, ‘The best musical of this century.’ See how many musical parodies you can spot hidden in the action.
Running Time 2 Hours 20 Minutes including interval. Tickets £13-£105 https://www. atgtickets.com/shows/the-book-of-mormon/ edinburgh-playhouse/
The following week, head to Nicolson Street, where Murder On The Orient Express (22-26 October) pulls into the Festival Theatre with a mystery to be solved.
Following their sell-out tour of Agatha Christie’s ‘best-selling crime novel of all time’, And Then There Were None, Fiery Angel and Lucy Bailey bring Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of another Christie classic to the stage.
It’s winter 1934 and an avalanche stops The Orient Express dead in its tracks. A murder. A train full of suspects. An impossible case. Trapped in the snow with a killer still onboard, can the world’s most famous detective, Hercule Poirot, crack the case before the train reaches its final destination and discover whodunit?
Michael Maloney stars as the iconic Belgian sleuth and as always there’s a final twist, and this one is considered one of the author’s very best.
Described as ‘gripping, tense and masterfully cryptic’, this brand-new production is a thrilling ride guaranteed to keep you guessing until the end of the line. Please note, it’s recommended for ages 12+.
Last on the list this time around is A Streetcar Named Desire (24 October-9 November).
The Lyceum brings the hit Pitlochry Festival Theatre production of Tennessee Williams’ classic to Edinburgh.
After losing her family home and prosperous life, former southern belle Blanche Dubois moves into the shabby apartment of her younger sister Stella and her husband Stanley Kowalski in a poor neighbourhood in
New Orleans.
Blanche and Stanley take an immediate dislike to one another. The conflict between them heats up as Blanche attempts to convince her sister to leave her abusive husband. Tensions mount with tragic consequences for Blanche.
Be warned, A Streetcar Named Desire contains ‘scenes that some people may find upsetting’, cautions the Lyceum.
Running Time 2 Hours 35 Minutes including interval. Tickets £18-£38 https://lyceum.org. uk/events/a-streetcar-named-desire#dates -and-times
Heading south this month for a theatre break? If it’s something a bit more intriguing than the usual West End musical theatre fayre you’re looking for, the Charing Cross Theatre could be the place to be with a two week run of the Japanese play, Tattooer (14-26 October).
Seikichi is a young tattoo artist and former Ukiyo-e artist of high repute. His longtime wish is to ‘carve his soul into the skin of a beautiful woman’ but he has been unable to find a willing partner.
Tattooer, by Takuya Kaneshima, which receives its UK premiere at the Charing Cross Theatre, explores what happens when Seikichi finally meets his ideal canvas… with audiences able to watch the ‘tattoo’ being applied live, during the interval.
Inspired by a short story by Junichiro Tanizaki, Tattooer is translated by Linda Hoaglund and aims to promote Japanese theatrical culture in the UK.
Running Time TBC. Tickets £12-£40 https:// tickets.charingcrosstheatre.co.uk/ WEBPAGES/EntaWebShow/Show Performance.aspx
Until next month, happy theatre going and keep up to date with all my latest news and reviews at MustSeeTheatre.com
Hairspray returns to The Playhouse
Michael Maloney stars as Hercule Poirot in Murder On The Orient Express at the Festival Theatre
Andrew targets career in darts
EDINBURGH POSTMAN Andrew Davidson has effectively resigned his job to maximise chances of delivering on the major darts stage.
The 29-year-old former George Heriot’s School student has shot to prominence after winning the Welsh Open, an achievement that has just seen him ranked by Mastercaller website as – wait for It – global number ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY - in the World Darts Federation listings. He is also No 33 in the UK and Ireland rankings and climbing.
Winning the Welsh Open from a field of over 500 at Weston-super-Mare last month convinced Andrew, from the Blackford area of the Capital, to see how far his talents will take him on a full time basis.
“Essentially I have six months to prove myself and if it doesn’t work out I will have a job to go back to” says Andrew who started playing seriously aged 18 or, as he puts it, “as soon as I could legally go into a pub!”
By then he had long persuaded his parents to buy him equipment on which be practised relentlessly.
He adds: “It is not easy finding places around
Lothians
TWO LOTHIANS’ GOLFERS have been selected to represent Europe against the United States in the Phoenix Cup, a competition for players with various disabilities to be held over St Andrews’ Old, New and Jubilee courses from October 28-30.
They are amputees Gordon Mclay and Adam Storrie.
Royal Musselburgh life member Gordon is 61-years-old and has been playing golf since aged eight.
However, in July 2007, he had a motorcycle accident in which he severely damaged both ankles.
Gordon said: “After a right ankle fusion in 2010 I was able to get back to some kind of normality and I then became a Tour caddy initially working on the Seniors Staysure Tour with Steen Tinning from Denmark and later on the Legends Tour with
Edinburgh to play with one exception Murrayfield Sports Bar so I compete regularly out of Kirkcaldy and Falkirk while the Ship Inn, Dalkeith, have been kind enough to sponsor me.
“Winning a Super Series event in Portsmouth was a springboard into the Welsh Open and the next step for me will be to chase ranking points in the next few weeks everywhere from Bridlington to Lakeside to Hungary to Latvia so as to try to fulfil my goal of playing in world championships.”
Winning the Modus Super Series netted Andrew £3,000. He reckons he will need to reach the world’s top 64 to make a living, and to give himself the best possible chance he says he will have to defy darts’ traditional image.
“Having a few drinks might be fine for some, but for me I have to go on stage feeling the best I can be. Top darts players are a lot fitter than many people will think and my job as a postman helped in that respect” says Andrew, who reached the final of the first tournament he ever entered, losing to a former Scotland team captain.
THE VOICE OF SPORT
representing Europe
Rog Chapman from England. He was USPGA/US Open champion which allowed me to travel to the US for major tournaments.
“Unfortunately after a few years I started having recurring problems with my right ankle, struggling with severe pain and the onset of arthritis.
“I, along with the medical support team, made the decision
to have my right leg amputated below the knee.
“This was done in September 2022. The year 2023 was an eye opening year as an amputee for me. After just a four month rehabilitation programme I was back out playing golf again.
“I am honoured to have been asked to play for Team Europe.”
Adam Storrie, 69, from the
Greenburn Club, is Team Europe’s co-captain. He is a below knee amputee and says: “I lost my left foot due to an accident at work and found the Scottish Disability Golf and Curling Club by chance. It has enhanced my life and golf.”
Joining Adam in captaincy duties is Jim Gales, MBE, from Fife, who founded the Scottish Disability Golf Club in 2004 and helped generate the Phoenix Cup while blind.
Jim said: “I have had the honour of leading 13 international squads, have played in over 100 Open Championships in fourteen nations, winning 17 individual titles, including the British Open on three occasions and representing both Scotland and Canada at curling internationals. www.scottishdgc.org.uk
golfers
Andrew Davidson is aiming high
East champions Edinburgh South
Gordon Mclay
Adam Storrie
Twins box clever to kick on for world medal haul
KICK BOXING TWINS Freya and Arran Drever have enjoyed double delight at the WAKO World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
The 12-year-old sibling sensations, who train at the Wolfpack Martial Arts Club, Granton, struck individual gold and silver respectively for Team GB in girls and boys categories.
Additionally the twins, who attend Broughton HS, won a team silver in the case of Freya while Arran picked up a team bronze.
Mum Hollie says: “My husband, Cameron, and I wanted the twins to do something sporty just before COVID and it turned out the Martial Arts club was virtually on our doorstep.
“They took to kickboxing straightaway but there is still an element of shock for me at the way they have progressed after only competing for a couple of years.
“There were 40 plus countries in Budapest so to perform as they did was quite an achievement.”
In some ways the success was predictable as Freya had previously excelled at British and European level while Arran is said to have been inspired by his sister’s exploits.
The Wolfpack club are paying tribute to both twins - and their other global representatives.
On Freya the website states: “From battling
through injuries and unsure if you would even be able to compete, Freya has shown amazing resilience.”
As for Arran the club insist: “To say that your improvement over the last season has been phenomenal would be putting it lightly. What confidence you have built, and it’s definitely starting to show on the mats. To medal at such a high level at your first championships is fantastic. “
Next year the prodigies of coach Kevin Baldwin will be aiming to maintain success at European Championships but that doesn’t come cheaply and mum Hollie reckons it has cost around £15,000 for the twins to compete so far.
Hollie is a physiotherapy assistant in the NHS while Cameron works in childcare.
Sponsorship is more than welcome, she says.
Other Wolfpack members excelled in Budapest.
Aidan Lennon proved a double world champion as well as winning an individual and team bronze.
Ciaran Lennon brought back a silver medal Eilidh Moorehead and Maisie Ross also represented the club and Team GB with distinction.
Orienteer does Southern proud
EDINBURGH SOUTHERN
ORIENTEERING CLUB’S Swedenbased Jo Stevenson was on brilliant form when completing the 2024 Dragon’s Back Race, a six day ultra event. Regarded by many as the world’s toughest mountain race it covers 380 km and 16,400m of ascent on the route from Conway Castle in the north to Cardiff Castle in South Wales.
Jo finished seventh woman and runner-up in her women 45 age category. Overall she was 47th after a cumulative 72 hours and 43 seconds of effort.
WEST EDINBURGH STINGRAYS led the Edinburgh challenge as they finished third to an all conquering host side from Dunfermline in The Brian Campbell Autumn water polo cup for under-14s The tournament commemorates a much respected coach from Dunfermine who died in 2019.
Runners up were Stirling with Portobello and Warrender fifth and sixth respectively in the nine team competition.
Murray Simpson from West Edinburgh Stingrays was the tournament’s top goal scorer with an impressive 21 goals from four games.
Organiser Ali Campbell says: “It’s crazy how much the tournament has grown.
“We also have the boys event on November 30th - December 1st where Portobello are looking to defend the title.”
Edinburgh Padel teams lose in finals Water polo cup
BARNTON PARK men made a spirited defence of the Padel Tennis Scottish Cup at the David Lloyd Club, Shawfair, losing out to West of Scotland in the final.
Scott Duncan, Andy Burgess, Dexter Conrad, Luke McFarlane and David Holmes represented Barnton Park, and defeated Edinburgh Sports Club in the semi-final..
Barnton Park took an early lead
thanks to Scott Duncan and Luke McFarlane before David Holmes and Dexter Conrad doubled Barnton’s lead with a 6-4 6-4 win over Eduardo Alonso Fernandez and Antonio Fernandez-Llebrez Martin.
Edinburgh Sports Club women also reached the final but lost out to defending champions West of Scotland playing at David Lloyd Shawfair.
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Jo Stevenson
Barton Park runners up
Arran and Freya Drever
Hamstring injury blow for striker
By JOHN HISLOP
A WAVE OF OPTIMISM amongst the Hibs supporters following a hectic transfer window has turned to despair after the news that big money signing Kieron Bowie had suffered a serious injury playing for Scotland Under 21s.
The talented 21-year-old striker put pen to paper on a four-year deal from English Premier League side Fulham much to the delight of the Hibs fans.
Bowie had several options on the table but chose Hibs and almost made a scoring debut after coming off the bench against Celtic at Easter Road, but his powerful effort rebounded off the bar.
His first goal came against Dundee at Easter Road and looked to have secured the three points but a late equaliser from former Hibs player Simon Murray spoiled the celebrations.
Despite that, Bowie has already done enough to impress not only the Hibs faithful but also Scotland U21 manager Scott Gemmill.
He started twice in five days for the Scotland Under-21s, playing 56 minutes of a 2-1 loss to Spain at Tynecastle before he was forced off with what appeared to be a hamstring issue during the first half of Scotland’s 5-0 victory over Malta.
Initially it was thought that he could be out for up to six weeks, but further scans revealed that Bowie had suffered a serious hamstring injury and will be out for at least four months.
Hibs Head Coach, David Gray broke the news: “First of all, I am gutted for Kieron. I know how hard he worked to come back from his previous injury and how desperate he’s been to impress after joining us, which is something
Injury nightmare for Bowie Hibs honour club legends
HIBS WILL INDUCT six club legends into the official Hall of Fame this month.
The six individuals will write their name into the Hibs history books, following in the footsteps of some of the club’s greatest ever names – that includes the Famous Five, Pat Stanton, Jimmy O’Rourke, Laura Kennedy and Franck Sauzèe to name a few.
The night will celebrate the latest crop of inductees, recognising and celebrating their outstanding contribution to Hibernian Football Club.
The event takes place on Thursday 17 October, with doors opening at 6.30pm for a 7pm start.
he’s certainly done.
“Given his injury history we were conscious of managing his minutes at the start of the season, despite the temptation to play him more because of the positive start he made.
“With that in mind, it makes it even more frustrating that he has picked up a significant injury during this period.
“Now it’s up to us to rally around him, support him with his recovery and make sure he has everything he needs to come back stronger, which I’m sure he will.”
Gray wasted no time in signing a replacement, experienced forward Dwight Gayle on a one-year deal running until the summer of 2025.
Gayle has had an illustrious career to date, with over 300 senior appearances and spending seven campaigns in the English Premier League with Crystal Palace and Newcastle United.
The striker – who has an eye for goal – has two promotions under his belt and has scored over 100 goals - the majority of which have come in the English Premier League and Championship.
Special medals for Spartans
By STAFF REPORTER
LONG-SERVING SPARTANS youth players have been presented with medals to mark 10 years of service to the club.
The group belong to the current Under-17s set-up, having first joined not long after starting primary school.
Les Atkinson is chairman of the youth section and said: “We want to make people feel welcome and create a safe place for them to play their football and enjoy themselves here. It’s the ethos of the club which we work on and testimony to that is the length of time people stay at the club.
“There is a real family feel to the
club, a community spirit to it, and that helps keep players with us as they want to be part of something special. We are always pleased to develop players so they can move to bigger clubs but often they come back to us if things don’t work out for whatever reason.”
Spartans take on Aberdeen at Pittodrie in the quarter-final of the League Cup later this month and Les, who is also manager of the Under-20 Development Squad, added: “We have a visible pathway now which the youngsters can see. At least half a dozen of the first team players have come through the youth section to the U20 development squad and into the top team.
“Now we are in the SPFL, the players have a real target to aim for. The success of the first team filters down to the development team and then through the youth section and creates a real feelgood factor.
“But we have always been about more than just football and winning trophies. A key part of our success is doing a lot outwith the football, helping the local community.”
The youngsters were presented with the medals at half-time of a recent league match at Ainslie Park.
Photo shows back row (l-r): Les Atkinson (Spartans FC Youth
Hosted in the brand-new Famous Five suite, guests will be treated to a welcome drink, before enjoying a three-course meal.
Tickets for the night cost £99, with a full awards presentation and interviews following the meal.
Guests will also have the opportunity to enter a raffle, a live auction and enjoy a Q&A session with the new inductees on the night!
Further information is available at events@ hibernianfc.co.uk or 0131 661 2159. This event is advised for over 12s only.
Long service Spartans honoured
Chairman), Stuart Gray (coach development officer), Daniel Weir, Cameron Findlay, Joe Barry, Josh Smith, Ola Benson, Michael Kiddie, Ford Mills, Tony Lewis (U17s
coach), Paul Woods (U17s coach). Front row (l-r): Hugo Boyle, Charlie Cusiter, Preston Kennedy, Joe Woods, Ben Lewis, Finlay McNally, Chris Mill.
Kieron Bowie Alan Rennie
Aussie Devlin at home at Tynie
Gamble to move to Edinburgh paying off
By NIGEL DUNCAN
CAMMY DEVLIN arrived as a relative unknown from Australian A-League side, Newcastle Jets, in 2021 and, since then, he has become a favourite at Tynecastle.
Fans and coaches love his attitude and his combative midfield play and the 26-year-old is recognised for giving his all in training and in domestic and European matches.
Devlin’s desire to improve himself and the team is well-documented and Hearts’ ex head coach, Steven Naismith, believed that the story of the 5ft 7in player should inspire other young players.
Why? Because Sydney-born Devlin travelled 12,000 miles from home to Edinburgh to establish himself as a player in a new environment. Since arriving, he has earned international recognition for Australia and was picked for the last World Cup.
And who will ever forget that Cammy is the proud owner of Lional Messi’s shift, a ‘trophy’ collected from the great man in the tunnel after Australia played Argentina in the World Cup.
Cammy asked while others dithered.
So, Devlin will be at Tynecastle until 2026 and the player is excited after putting pen to paper. He said: “Everybody knows that I am comfortable and I feel quite at home here at Hearts. I love Edinburgh, apart from the weather, I love the city and I have my girlfriend over here which is amazing and her family.
“Having that family and calling it home over here makes it a lot easier. They have been unreal and the club have made me feel super welcome since I first got here. The fans have accepted me as one of their own and, coming from the other side of the world, you really appreciate that.”
The bubbly player admitted that he gambled in deciding to come to Scotland’s Capital but said: “I knew he club was massive and I felt really lucky. When the call came to say Hearts were interested it was something I jumped at. I told my agent to get it done as soon as possible but there were not many Aussies over here when I first came so I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.
“Now, I feel like I have come a long way as a
player. I feel I was one-dimensional, defensive midfielder. I kind of sat, and that was what I was doing in the A-League, to become a better player and warrant a new deal at a massive football club you have got to be more than that.”
The straight-talking player understands that he still has a massive way to go to achieving his goals as a player but added: “I am not the young player I was when I signed. You can always improve and you always want take your game to the next level.
“The kind of person I am, I wear my heart on my sleeve and I am trying to make myself a better player and make the team a better team. The environment we have is really special and I want to bring that special
Scotland men flying high in Wales
By NIGEL DUNCAN
SCOTLAND’S
WOMEN FLY
FISHING TEAM are hosting a fund-raiser at Pottishaw Fishery near Whitburn on October 20 as they start their preparations for the Home Internationals in Ireland next May.
It’s a costly trip and Kirsty Murray, one of the newcomers in the squad, is already working hard to collect raffle prizes.
She said: “We desperately ned a team sponsor and I truly believe this will be a great opportunity for someone to advertise their business. We will make you extremely proud to be a part of our journey.”
That journey is aimed at taking the team from bottom position last time and into a challenging position in future years.
The situation of the women is in direct contrast to the men who won gold by a distance in the recent Autumn International at Lyn Clywedog in Wales.
The 14-strong team romped to victory hooking into 236 fish on the day for over 484lb to win by a canter. England were runners-up with 159 fish for more than 326lb with Ireland third with 127 fish for 263lb and
Wales fourth with 105 fish for 219lb.
Michael Lowe was top rod with 35 trout followed by Tyler Hay on 27, Thomas McMillan with 21 with Ronnie Gilbert and Ben Robertson from West Lothian netting 20 each.
The victory continues a run of success for the Scotland side who not only successfully defended the Autumn Trophy but have won the last three internationals, the Autumn, Spring and the Autumn again.
Kevin McCabe, who owns an Edinburgh-based construction company and is from Cousland in Midlothian, is a former Scottish National Champion, and he captained the team in his 16th appearance for the national side. Also included were Derek Pozzi (Thalassa AC) from Leslie in Fife. He has won the National Championship on three occasions and is the current holder.
The victory continues a run of success for men’s team as the Stillwater Bank team also won gold at their Home International at Largs last year and the four-strong Menteith Ospreys, with Pozzi, Crieff-based Peter Auchterlonie, Ronnie Gilbert from Crookedhom near Kilmarnock in Ayrshire and Hamilton-based Martin McCafferty (Future FF) recently won
the inaugural Greys Loch Style Championship at the Lake of Menteith with competitors from all over Britain.
Scotland’s squad for the Autumn international included three members from Lintrathen FF near Kirriemuir and McCabe said that this was the best team ever assembled and he was confident of victory.
Scotland: Kevin McCabe (Change FFAC), Derek Possi (Thalassa AC), Peter Auchterlonie (Menteith Ospreys), Martin McCafferty (Future FF), Ronnie Gilbert (Menteith Ospreys), Ben Robertson (Phoenix FF), Scott Aitken (Tartan Tyers FF), Tyler Hay, Kevin Neri and Chris Mccallister (all Lintraten FF), Michael Low (Menteith Ospreys), Thomas
environment onto the pitch and give back to the people who come and watch us play. All the hard work we put in every single day you try make it count (on match day) and we have improved.”
Now, he is desperate to win things with Hearts and said: “Coming third (in the league) is great and we have the European group stage to look forward to and something I want to do in the next few years is win a cup. People who are here at the club and who have done that say it is the best thing. That would be the best thing.”
The way he delivered that sentence underscores the passion he has to win silverware not just for himself but for the club
McMillan (Dalry Garnock AC), Joseph Wood (Bridge of Weir AC) and Grant Sutherland (Perth RASC AC).
In sea fishing, Chris Empson (Dunbar) successfully defended the Summer League title in the ten-leg competition run by the Bass Rock Shore Angling League at various venues including Dnber Harbour, Cockenzie Walkway and Belhaven Beach in East Lothian. He totalled 68 points with another Scottish international, Barry McEwan (Port Seton) second six points adrift and Jamie McHale (Gifford) third on 44 points.
McEwan won the final match at Prestonpans Lagoons with two fish for 39cm.
Dates for your diary if you are a
competition angler. Saturday November 9 and 10 for the Iain Reid Memorial Match at Kirkcaldy (noon to 4pm on the Saturday) and Leven (noon to 4pm on the Sunday) with registration on both days at the East End Car Park at Kirkcaldy Promenade from 10am to 11am. There will be a maximum of 60 pegs and it is lugworm and mackerel only.
The Big Arbroath Winter Open is on Saturday, November 2, and the angler with the heaviest cod receives £1,000. Boundaries are Carnoustie to Ferryden and fishing is from 3pm to 9pm. Registration is at the Victoria Carp Park toilet block in Arbroath from 12pm to 1.30pm. And the St Serfs SAC Open is on December 8.
Nigel Duncan
Nigel Duncan
Cammy Devlin (centre) warming-up with Hearts
Pottishaw Fishery near Whitburn
Kirsty Murray with a fine trout at Morton Fishings near Livingston
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