Edinburgh Evening News
Young curlers brush up their rink skills
Young curlers in the Capital are being equipped to follow in the footsteps of Olympic heroes Bruce Mouat and Jennifer Dodds. As excitement grows around next month’s Winter Games in Italy, Gogar Park Young Curlers have been awarded £2500 from Aldi...
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‘GROWING PAINS’ TURN OUT TO BE CANCER
An Edinburgh girl who was told by doctors she had “growing pains” and sent home with painkillers turned out to actually have a rare blood cancer. Ava Ferguson, nine, was taken by her mum Samantha to see a doctor in November after she returned home...
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OPPORTUNITY KNOX
Proposed repairs at a landmark Old Town building have been given the go-ahead by City of Edinburgh Council. A planning application was submitted in November for fabric repairs at the late 15th century John Knox House by the property’s owners, the...
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Light fantastic
Scotland was treated to a spectacular view of the Northern Lights – Aurora Borealis – on Monday night. The colours are created by disturbances in the Earth’s magnetosphere caused by particles from the Sun, and are usually concentrated around the...
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King toasts Scottish enterprise on city visit
The King shared a dram with Scotland’s First Minister while hosting Scottish business owners at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The reception brought together various entrepreneurs, business owners, investors and capital investment firms to celebrate...
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REGAN WARNS OF VIOLENCE
There is a crisis of violence against women and girls in Scotland, independent Edinburgh Eastern MSP Ash Regan told the Scottish Parliament as she appealed to John Swinney to back her Bill on prostitution. Ms Regan said latest figures from the Crown...
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RACE TO BRING UP TO 1M FANS
Up to a million sports fans could come to Edinburgh next summer to watch the start of the Tour de France cycle race, organisers have said. Paul Bush, Grand Depart GB managing director for the race in 2027, predicts between 10 and 15 million people...
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BOTANICS COSTS THROUGH ROOF
Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden is looking at having to scale back its once-in-a-generation glasshouse project after costs more than doubled. The Edinburgh Biomes project – described as “arguably the most visionary and exciting project of the...
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MBE strictly for the Bird
Broadcasting veteran Jackie Bird said she was “honoured” to be decorated by the Princess Royal at Windsor Castle yesterday. The journalist, 63, who was the face of BBC Scotland News for three decades, was made an MBE for her services to broadcasting...
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Trump protest at US consulate
Protesters have gathered outside the US consulate in Edinburgh to demonstrate against the arrest and detention of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. People at the demonstration on Regent Street on Saturday called for US President Donald Trump to...
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ARTIST’S BRUSH T
Self-taught Edinburgh artist Joe Capps has seen a significant surge in commissions after wowing TV audiences with his distinctive style. Joe, from Tollcross, recently participated in Series 12 of the prestigious Sky Arts competition, Portrait Artist...
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EPIC CYCLE TO HONOUR VET
An East Lothian vet is preparing for an epic charity challenge in honour of a muchloved colleague who is receiving palliative care. Chris Monk, Clinical Director at Dunedin Vets in East Lothian, is undertaking the Strathpuffer 2026 mountain bike race...
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WALKING OUT ON PEDESTRIANS
Walking campaign group Living Streets Edinburgh has come out against a proposed active travel scheme for Dundee Street and Fountainbridge. It says the plans fail to put pedestrians first, with pavements reduced in width in at least 12 locations and...
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DRINK SPIKING VICTIMS CALL FOR CHANGE
Two Edinburgh women are calling for urgent changes to how police handle drink spiking cases after saying they feel let down by authorities. The women, who both believe they were spiked at two separate Edinburgh city centre bars, have said they were...
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WANTED: HIRED GUNS
Members of the public could be trained to use speed guns to catch motorists who are driving too fast, under a scheme advocated by Edinburgh’s Green councillors. They said speeding is a frequent factor in road deaths but that the police are currently...
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HOGMANAY POWER OUTAGE
Hospitality businesses in one of Edinburgh’s tourist hotspots have warned that the city’s global reputation as the “ultimate Hogmanay destination” is being put at risk by a recent series of power outages – including one they fear will affect New Year...
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CRUNCH PARTY TALKS ON TRAMS
City of Edinburgh Council’s minority Labour administration is expected to seek talks soon with other parties in an effort to secure support for the proposed new tramline from Granton to the Royal Infirmary and beyond. Officials are still analysing the...
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KNIGHTHOOD FOR BOTANICS CHIEF
The Royal Edinburgh Botanic Garden’s chief executive has said it is an “immense honour” to have been awarded a knighthood as he prepares to retire. Simon Milne, Regius Keeper for the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, has been awarded a knighthood in the...
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CHAS HELPS MAKE JOSH PILOT FOR A DAY
Christmas came early for a young East Lothian boy when a leading charity joined forces with Loganair to make his dream of flying a reality. Josh Narrie, eight, who loves aeroplanes and all things to do with aviation and transport, has never been able...
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PHONES BANNED BY END OF 2026
A consultation on banning mobile phones in Edinburgh’s secondary schools will be launched in January – and education chiefs want a ban in place by the end of the year. It is expected to be modelled on the pilot scheme which has been running at...
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The first-ever city derby on Christmas Day, 1875
A century and a half on, many of the details remain shrouded in mystery. And there’s always a degree of doubt when it comes to the exact order of events. But the one thing historians seem to agree on is that, exactly 150 years ago tomorrow, in 1875, a...
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HELPING HAND AT CITY’S CHRISTMAS
Edinburgh’s Christmas is partnering with four charities to help raise their profiles as people enjoy the entertainment in the city centre. Donations and money raised across both Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay festivals this year will be...
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Scottish teachers struggling with growing mental health issues
Scottish teachers took a total of nearly 600,000 sick days on mental health grounds over the course of five years, new data obtained by the Scottish Conservatives says. The party accused the SNP Government of failing to provide the necessary support...
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THE MAKING OF CHRISTMAS
An Edinburgh couple have been left ‘tickled’ after they received a touching Christmas card from a group of schoolgirls. Lee and Kate Frankish were sitting at home on Monday evening when a ‘lovely surprise’ from three local strangers was delivered...
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Call me a sap but tree smell is too strong
Earlier this month I tentatively suggested we change the family tradition of buying a real tree at Christmas. Yes, I freely admit, I was swayed by the daytime telly adverts for fake Canadian Spruces. I worried I might miss the scent of the real thing...
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GUNMAN JAILED FOR 26 YEARS
A gunman who carried out a gangland hit on a man outside an Edinburgh pub on Hogmanay has been sentenced to 26 years in prison. Grant Hunter, 34, fatally shot Marc Webley, 38, outside the Anchor Inn in Granton, Edinburgh, just after 11.30pm on...
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PORTY PARKING PLAN DROPPED
Plans for a controlled parking zone in Portobello have been thrown out by councillors after more than 2,000 residents objected to the move. A long-running local campaign against the CPZ had argued parking pressures in the area did not justify the...
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Let there be light
A stunning multi-sensory experience is coming to one of Edinburgh’s most beautiful buildings next month. The vibrant light and sound show, titled Enlightenment, will come to the McEwan Hall in Teviot Place from January 31 following acclaimed runs in...
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DAD TOLD HE WOULDN’T HAVE SEEN CHRISTMAS
A fit and active Edinburgh dad “may not have been here to see Christmas” if it hadn’t been for a seizure that revealed his incurable brain cancer doctors have said. Jerry Kerrisk, 66, was showing no symptoms when he suddenly collapsed in June during a...
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EAST CITY TO SHARE IN £20M
Communities in the east of Edinburgh have been chosen to receive £20 million of UK Government funding over the next 10 years. Five areas in the Capital had to bid against each other for the cash from the “Pride in Place” programme, aimed at helping...
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PANTO’S COMING
Stars of Jack and The Beanstalk including Allan Stewart, Grant Stott and Jordan Young commandeered the Lothian Christmas Bus to deliver them to the Festival Theatre, where the panto opens tomorrow
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MORE POWER TO YOUR COUNCILS
Edinburgh and its neighbouring local authorities could be in line for more powers to operate as regional partnerships under plans proposed by the SNP. First Minister John Swinney wants to see more cross-border co-operation between councils of the...
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Hearts must sharpen up says Braga
The significance of Hearts’ victory at Celtic Park on Sunday is not lost on Claudio Braga, scorer of the opening goal. He thought he was offside but celebrated regardless before Oisin McEntee’s header secured a memorable 2-1 win. Hearts have now won...
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Your 40ft hedge needs cutting
Anne-Marie McQueen, 82, angered her neighbours with large cherry laurel and cypress leylandii trees put up around the boundary of her home to “protect her privacy” in the Barnton area of Edinburgh. But five neighbours launched an appeal after claiming...
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LABOUR ORDEAL MAKES LIFE HELL
Edinburgh MSP Foysol Choudhury, who was suspended from Scottish Labour amid an investigation into his conduct, has said the allegations have made his life "hell". Mr Choudhury told a newspaper he had not been informed of the reason for his suspension,...
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Merry & bright
Festival of Christmas Trees gets underway at St Michael’s Parish Church in Linlithgow
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TATTOO’S £157K FOR HOSPICE
Ticket sales from this year’s Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo have raised more than £157,000 to support hospice services across Edinburgh and the Lothians. A special fundraising drive to mark the show’s 75th anniversary saw 75p from every ticket sold...
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HELP US BRING KIT HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
The family of a young boy who was diagnosed with an aggressive blood cancer are hoping to give him a Christmas to remember after a “tremendous” community fundraiser. Suzanne and Jonathan Smith were left devastated when their 10-year-old son Kit was...
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‘CASTLE OUR LAST SCOTTISH SHOW’
Iconic alternative rock band Garbage have announced a special performance at Edinburgh Castle next summer. Lead singer Shirley Manson will bring the band to her home town for the performance at Edinburgh Castle on Saturday, July 11. The Scottish-US...
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Digging in for Dunard Centre
First Minister John Swinney yesterday took part in a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction of Edinburgh’s first purpose-built concert hall in 100 years. The Dunard Centre, behind the Royal Bank of Scotland building in St Andrew...
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Greggs launches Christmas cards with gift sausage roll
High street baker Greggs is launching its first range of Christmas cards which come with the gift of a sausage roll. The range - called the Ultimate Secret Santa Surprise - includes a £3.95 card featuring heat-activated ink which, when warmed, reveals...
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Police and docs say please don’t buy your kids e-bikes and scooters for Christmas
Medical experts and police are warning parents to think about the dangers of buying e-scooters and e-bikes for children after an "alarming" rise in the number of injuries. Between May and October this year more than 30 children needed emergency care...
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Peter Capaldi leaves the Tardis to take up rock guitar on tour
Actor Peter Capaldi, better known as the electric guitar playing incarnation of Dr Who and The Thick Of It’s Malcolm Tucker, picks up where he left off 40 years ago when he was a new wave wannabe rock star in a Glasgow band next year, as he hits the...
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Unwrapping the Lidlest prices is More to Value.
Findings based on Independent price comparisons of 70 items by Which? every day in October 2025.
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Doddie’s son Hamish steps up to plate
One of the sons of the late Doddie Weir has said he feels it is time to “step up” as he was announced as captain of the Scotland team in a challenge raising money for research into motor neurone disease. Scotland rugby legend Weir died in November...
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MOTHER AIMS TO HELP SAVE LIVES
A mother whose son died in an alleged stabbing in Leith two months ago is raising money to provide simple “bleed kits” – designed to deal with any severe bleeding – and make them as widely available as possible. Lisa Petrie says things could have been...
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Castle of Light:
More than 4700 people descended on Edinburgh Castle this weekend as Castle of Light: Fire and Ice officially opened to the public
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DEMOLITION VIA NEGLECT
It once lit up the skies over the Firth of Forth with its neon-lit Art Deco frontage and has been at the centre of a near decade-long campaign to save it. But the future of a historic Portobello cinema has been thrown into doubt after Edinburgh City...
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TRIBUTES AS MUM OF SEVEN DIES SUDDENLY
The heartbroken daughter of a West Lothian woman who died suddenly at the age of just 43 has paid tribute to her “absolutely amazing” mum. Emma McGinty was taking her youngest children to bed on the evening of Monday, November 3, when she collapsed in...
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Wreaths laid at Stone of Remembrance
Remembrance Sunday is “ever more important” amid global conflict and the threat to democracy, the First Minister said as he led tributes at a ceremony in Edinburgh. John Swinney laid a wreath at the Stone of Remembrance outside Edinburgh City Chambers...
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I’VE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH CERVICAL CANCER AT 23
A young mother from Edinburgh who has been diagnosed with cervical cancer is demanding change after she had to fight for tests due to her age. Paige McCall, who grew up in Wester Hailes but moved to Doncaster, South Yorkshire, last year, was told she...
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‘WE WILL BRING YOU TO JUSTICE’
Anyone involved in Bonfire Night disorder will be traced and arrested, police have warned after fireworks were thrown at emergency service vehicles and firefighters were attacked. Police Scotland said there had been a “notable” reduction in disorder...
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PRIME SPOT FOR MURIEL
A memorial celebrating Prime of Miss Jean Brodie author Dame Muriel Spark is to be erected in Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens – the first time in the park’s 200-year history that a woman will be commemorated there. The initiative, which is fully...
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HOME TURF
Work is under way at Granton Waterfront to create a new site for Edinburgh’s pioneering Social Bite Village. A ground-breaking ceremony was held last week as the homelessness charity celebrated the start of the process to relocate the community from...
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FANCY A FROSTY ONE?
A Scottish brewer is set to open one of the rarest beers in the world – a 150-year-old bottle once brewed for an Arctic expedition – to create a modern version of the historic ale. Dougal Gunn Sharp, founder and master brewer of Edinburgh-based Innis...
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14 INJURIES EVERY DAY
Shocking statistics have revealed 14 injuries result from violence in Edinburgh schools every day – as councillors are to consider ways to fight it. Data before the city’s education committee this week shows that violence in schools towards staff and...
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NEW LAYOUT AT FOUNTAINBRIDGE
Anew cycleway, better crossings and a quiet route are being proposed for Edinburgh's Fountainbridge area as part of a new scheme to make it easier for walking and cycling, writes Ian Swanson. But the Edinburgh council proposals also include some...
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FEARS FOR GP PRACTICES
Three Edinburgh GP practices currently managed directly by the NHS are set to be put out to tender, sparking fears about the future level of service for patients. Braefoot Medical Practice near Cameron Toll and Links Medical Centre and Mill Lane...
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SERIOUS CONCERNS
Inspectors raised “serious concerns” with both NHS bosses and the Scottish Government after carrying out an unannounced inspection of the maternity unit at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) said staff at the...
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PLEASED AS PIE
The Bathgate butcher behind the nation’s “pie of pies” is tasting success of a different kind this week. Paul Boyle, of Boghall Butchers, has been named this year’s High Street Hero for Lothian by the Scotland Loves Local campaign. The accolade,...
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TIME TO TAKE ON BIKE YOBS
Two men have been charged after police recovered 200kg of potentially dangerous fireworks from a storage unit in West Lothian. Police have seized 200kg of fireworks from an East Calder storage unit and arrested two men, as officers seek to tackle...
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FINE ART OF GIFT GIVING
A son treated his father to an 80th birthday that “helped restore his dignity” as they visited the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where their ancestor was commissioned to create paintings for the building more than 350 years ago. Pierre de Wet, 46, and his...
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STEPPING UP TO KEEP US SAFE ➤ Police bring in more resources than ever before to tackle Bonfire Night crime, warning: ‘If you choose to create fear, you will face justice’
Police Scotland is bringing more resources than ever before to tackle fireworkrelated crimes as Bonfire Night approaches. The force’s effort to curb such incidents, dubbed Operation Moonbeam 2025, will see specialist public order officers join local...
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DIG QUICK OR DIG DEEP
An Edinburgh MP is calling for the city council to be given new powers to tackle the problem of roads being repeatedly dug up and roadworks taking too long. Dr Scott Arthur, Labour MP for Edinburgh South West, wants the Scottish Government to grant...
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NEW ADMISSION AT SICK KIDS
Edinburgh Royal Children’s Hospital is set to install a new meerkats enclosure for patients to enjoy, after the plans were approved by the council. Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (ERHCYP) submitted plans on July 29 to add the...
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‘COST-CUTTING EVERYWHERE’
An Edinburgh Lib Dem candidate has told how her six-year-old daughter’s cancer diagnosis highlighted the “immense pressures” Scotland’s NHS is under. City councillor Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, who is standing in Edinburgh Northern in the Scottish...
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£73.3m ...BUT STILL NOT ENOUGH
Edinburgh’s housing convener says new government funding for affordable housing in the city is not enough. Lezley Marion Cameron welcomed the extra £13.8 million from the Scottish Government, but said more money was still needed to deal with the...
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THUMBS UP FOR COUNCIL AI
Edinburgh social workers have been using an artificial intelligence (AI) programme to help write up reports as part of a trial into the potential benefits of the technology. The pilot project has been hailed as a success by Edinburgh City Council’s...
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CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY
Travellers flying from Edinburgh Airport might be faced with increased wait times when visiting Europe as border changes come into force. Anyone planning to get some autumn or winter sun may be faced with changes in how they cross the border as the...
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DAMP SQUIB
A major fireworks show at the Royal Highland Centre has been cancelled at the last minute due to rising costs, with ticket holders given just a few weeks’ notice of the decision. Fawkes Festival was set to take place at the Ingliston venue, near...
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DISGRACE OF CITY POVERTY
The level of poverty in the Capital has been slammed as an “absolute disgrace” by the city’s council leader as she detailed plans to open new neighbourhood centres to fight the crisis. It comes as around 80,000 people in Edinburgh – including one in...
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City gigs for city stars
Musselburgh singer songwriter Callum Beattie has admitted it’s a “dream come true” to be announcing a headline concert at Edinburgh Castle next summer. Castle Concerts, presented by Seat Unique, has announced that local lad Beattie will be the second...
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FORGING LINK TO THE PAST
A newly opened blacksmith’s forge in Edinburgh has been hailed for its help in unlocking the nation’s history. Work of Iron in Granton is among the innovative projects being celebrated by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) as it marks a funding...
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FIRE STATION SITES IDENTIFIED
Campaigners fighting plans to close Edinburgh’s Marionville fire station say two sites in Duddingston are being investigated to see if they might be viable for a replacement station. Marionville was built using the potentially dangerous RAAC concrete...
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COLD TOWN IS HOT SPOT
Edinburgh’s Cold Town House bar has been crowned Scotland’s Best Beer Destination at this year’s Scottish Beer Awards. The Grassmarket bar was awarded the top accolade by a panel of brewing industry experts from across the country, as part of the...
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