Surge Magazine 2025

Surge

Leithers Against Loneliness 18

Jokes FC, the club bringing community together

Shaping Edinburgh 42

A photo story of the city and its streams

Meet the Team

Clifford Heberden Editor

Eline Foulger Deputy Editor

Tim Hoffmann Brand Manager

Gill Thatcher Online Editor

Emilia Lauder Power Editor

Nimer Holguin Quiñones Fundraiser

Gabby Cleveland People Editor

Lottie Tiller Life Editor

Jamie Fawcett Voices Editor

Mark Hooley Reporter

Jodie Danby Social Media

Tom Wilson Photographer

Jed Bowen, Design

Editor’s Note

The inspiration for this year’s edition of Surge came from trying to think of ways to explain what this city represents. There were no clear-cut answers. Edinburgh is very different from the romanticised idea of the castle perched above.

We wanted to portray this city differently. Not for the droves of tourists who crash into the city, but for the people who live here, who live and breathe Edinburgh. Those that roam and wander, who look at their neighbours and feel belonging. For those whose stories make this city what it is, like the Streams of a larger body of water, ever evolving and ever forward.

There is power in the death of Princes Street. What once was is wasting away, leaving a vacuum and a potential for renewal. Edinburgh is ripe for self-determination. We see it in the faces and will of activists fighting global corporations, in demonstrations drumming the streets to the beat of change, young people making

their voices heard through their vote, and community groups breaking old understandings and dividing lines.

The city is built by its people, whether they are innovators, restaurant owners, bagpipers, or poets. Building from the ground up can feel daunting, but in Edinburgh, a sense of inclusion is growing, in the club, on the football pitch. It’s in the flavours of the city’s multicultural and diverse food, in its pubs of folk and tradition. You can feel it breathing life into the Towns, along the Water of Leith, spilling into the Firth of Forth.

While we all see and think of Edinburgh differently, each voice is contributing, even the neighbourhood cat barging through your door.

What moves Edinburgh? The idea that Streams flow through the streets we walk, the people we meet and the relationships we build, coming together as one: this city.

Clifford Heberden

Editor

A City of Streams is a poem introducing the theme for this magazine. Drawn on Emilia’s experience in the city as an Edinburgh native, she discusses the immutable forces that push Scotland’s capital along its course.

A City of Streams

Hidden behind layers of shiny glass cafes with polished tables, and tenements tall, you’ll find the Water of Leith.

Falling upon a hidden part of my city, Edinburgh has never felt more different. There’s a smell of sodden stone amongst the moss and mud; it’s the city above, harbouring remnants of scarring, refusing to fade.

In a city where tides of change rise high, and you can’t help but feel caught in it,

The water reminds me: no matter how fast you go, the stream of time is ever-present.

Suddenly, a slipstream catches me; a subtle but necessary force, like a current of responsibility moving through the city, pushing onward, unrelenting.

I stop and realise; like rivers converging, there is one current running through every stream.

Guiding us through unseen channels of life, these are the streams of hope of carrying onward.

Navigating the currents of political, social and environmental forces in Edinburgh, let Power be your guide. Discover how streams of influence shape our city and your place in it

Power

Changing the Tide Eline and Gill march with Edinburgh’s women - page 10

The Death of Princes Street

The most famous street in Edinburgh, now a shadow of its former self

By Lottie Tiller

Princes Street, often described as the beating heart of Edinburgh, is failing. Vacant shops, litter-covered pavements, and neglected buildings populate the world heritage site that sits under the stern view of the city’s castle.

Once a thoroughfare occupied by high-end shops and successful department stores, is Princes Street still the Edinburgh icon it used to be?

Walking down Princes Street in 2025 tells a sombre story. Although still visited by locals and tourists, it’s undeniable that the retail allure of the street has dwindled in past decades.

Many of the original Georgian and Victorian buildings have been knocked down and remodelled, robbing the street of the elegant uniformity it once had. A new consistent yet not wholly welcome addition to the architecture of Princes Street is wooden boards, as shop after shop closes down.

In 2024, Edinburgh City Council unveiled plans to revitalise the street and make it “a more vibrant and welcoming place.” However, many residents have come forward with criticism, claiming that the plan fails to address the needs of the street itself and contains “no vision”.

The New Town & Broughton, Old Town, and West End Community Councils have jointly called for the city council to rethink the strategy with urgency, as Princes Street “has become an embarrassment for residents and visitors alike” in a statement published on their website and social media accounts.

In an otherwise thriving city, the street can feel a somewhat lifeless disappointment, a far cry from one of Edinburgh’s crucial arteries.

A bus driver and Edinburgh native has been driving down Princes Street for eleven years and has seen its devolution first-hand.

“It used to be the place to go for everything; it used to have a sense of grandeur. Now it’s desolate.”

He noted that his tourist passengers often think of Princes Street as one of Edinburgh’s main attractions, and while he says that used to be the case, it’s no longer somewhere he would recommend, particularly not for shopping.

For him, it was the opening of the St James Quarter shopping centre in 2021 that was the final blow to Edinburgh’s historic retail hub, as many of the high street giants once inhabiting Princes Street have migrated there.

The shops now trading on Princes Street, he added, do not appeal to the majority and mostly sell “cheap gifts targeted at tourists”.

“We need to have fewer of those tartan tatty shops… tourists arrive in the city and think this is meant to be the ‘main street’ in Edinburgh, but it’s nothing impressive anymore.”

Echoing this sentiment, Jim Irvine, who works as a doorman at a prestigious hotel on Princes Street, solemnly pointed out that hotel guests who have known Edinburgh in the past see the difference too.

“The quality of the shops has really declined; it doesn’t attract the same kind of people anymore…”

Peter Williamson, Chair of the New Town and Broughton Community Council, shared his disappointment surrounding the issue. He highlighted that Princes Street is a long-term issue that many of his residents feel has been eminent for at least ten years.

“Anyone who goes there for any purpose is faced with something where the quality of the buildings and how they’re presented is really poor; for what’s supposed to be a world heritage site, it’s in terrible condition. It doesn’t represent Edinburgh well at all.”

Peter acknowledged that the council operates under difficult financial circumstances but is disappointed with their approach – which focuses more on paving stones, benches and cycle tracks rather than the buildings on the street – a feeling reflected by his peers in the local community.

“They need more of a vision; Princes Street is supposed to be iconic, and what they’re proposing needs to match up to its needs.”

Edinburgh City Council have assured that they are unwavering in their commitment to revitalise Princes Street, saying: “Our ground-breaking visitor levy presents another opportunity to invest tens of millions of pounds in preserving and enhancing the features that make our city such a fantastic place to both visit and live all year round.”

In a city known for its beautiful architecture and landscape, residents want to feel proud of each corner, particularly the main thoroughfare – the first place that many people will encounter upon arrival in Edinburgh.

With new hotels and hospitality venues underway and more promised investment from the council throughout 2025, there is hope that Princes Street will become the beating heart of Edinburgh once again.

Photo Credits: Eline Foulger

“It used to be the place to go for everything; it used to have a sense of grandeur. Now it’s desolate.”

Changing the Tide What needs to change for women? Voices from the IWD March in Edinburgh

By Eline Foulger and Gill Thatcher

Women and men, young and old, immigrants and native Scots, marched down the cobbled streets, on the 8th of March, to demand a better world for women.

The IWD 2025 Accelerate Action theme is a worldwide call to accelerate progress towards full gender parity, which, at the current rate of progress, won’t be reached until 2158.

The people of Edinburgh have recently witnessed a wave of shocking headlines from across the globe, raising concerns for women’s safety and autonomy. From the

United States restricting women’s access to abortion, a continuing rise in femicide rates in Mexico, and the still-present gender pay gap that persists around the world, there was plenty to chant about this year.

Gathering at the City Chambers, the diverse crowd marched down the Royal Mile, placards raised high. Their voices rippled outwards across the city and were echoed by groups across the world.

Surge asked the streams of people what they want to see change in Edinburgh and beyond.

Power may reside in the Scottish Parliament, but the real power was flowing through the crowd outside, everyone united together for one simple wish - change.

International Women’s Day in Edinburgh

Photo Credits: Eline Foulger and Gill Thatcher

“Equal pay and equal rights. That’s always been a big issue. Specifically for women working in the care sector in Edinburgh.” - Ann, 70

Protesters outside abortion clinics. “It’s great that buffer zones have been brought in, but it’s something where there still needs work to be done.”Ellie, 25

“I wish that women wouldn’t get killed anymore, that would be a good start.”

- Mint, 23

“Bodily autonomy. As someone who grew up in America, I’m seeing how women’s rights and autonomy are being stripped away day by day. I think it’s very important to be standing out here in Edinburgh today.” - Dee, 38

More women in STEM.

“I work in software development, and there are a lot more men than women. There aren’t enough women in higher positions.” - Pablo, 32

“More convictions for sexual assault, the rates are too low.” - Laura, 25

Greens or Reform? Young Scots could sway the election in 2026, polls show outsider parties rising in popularity

By Eline Foulger

‘

Young people don’t care about politics’ is a cliche that’s reverberated from election to election for years.

As the build-up to the 2026 Scottish Parliament election begins, young people are ready to prove them wrong.

Nicola McEwen, the director of the Centre for Public Policy at the University of Glasgow, tells Surge: “Young people can play a huge role in influencing the outcome of the Holyrood election. The proportional representation system creates more opportunities for individual voters to make a difference.”

A decade ago, the Scottish government gave 16 and 17-year-olds the vote after unanimous backing from MSPs to encourage political participation from the young. And it’s worked. According to a study by the University of Edinburgh investigating

the long-term effects of voting at 16 in Scotland, young people are voting in higher turnouts as a result of the change in legislation.

When called upon by depressing headlines, students head to the high street and march for their future, they post about global issues on social media, and talk about the news with friends in the pub. Political participation among young people is all around us, albeit not always in a traditional way.

For instance, party membership is not something that looms large over the young electorate. Under-30s don’t have the same sense of party loyalty that older generations tend to have; the data speaks for itself, as the mean age of members of the main 5 parties in the UK ranges from 42 to 54.

Lydia, a 29-year-old office worker in Edinburgh, says that she would never join a political party because of how

much they change under different leaders.

“I was a big fan of Jeremy Corbyn and Labour under his leadership, but I don’t agree with a lot of what Labour is doing at the moment. I would definitely never vote for Keir Starmer,” Lydia says.

Fraser McMillan, a member of the Scottish Election Study team, says, “It’s fair to say the under-30s will play an unusually important role in the 2026 election. There’s a whole new group of voters now who don’t remember anything except SNP dominance.”

“We’re still working out how this post-millennial, post-IndyRef cohort of voters behaves at the ballot box,” McMillan adds.

Arguably, the young, most of whom aren’t tied down by mortgages and businesses, are free to engage in politics in the purest way, choosing to vote for and identify with parties and

leaders who they believe will simply make the world better.

Alice, a 19-year-old student at the University of Edinburgh, says that her vote in 2026 will go to the party who shows they care about issues such as inequality and poverty.

“I think it’s such an important issue in the UK right now; it feels like those in government at the moment aren’t doing anywhere near enough,” she says.

Lily, a 24-year-old barista in the Old Town, says that Palestine is a defining issue for her.

“I will only vote for a party who will speak out against Israel,” Lily says. “I will probably vote for the Green Party; some people say that it’s a wasted vote, but I’d rather vote for people with integrity.”

In the lead with young voters, the Scottish Greens are expected to do well in this election. Fraser McMillan states, “Younger voters are by far the most likely to vote for the Scottish Greens. Looking at our most recent Scottish Election Study data from February, they’re the most popular party among 16-29-year-olds in Holyrood vote intention for the list ballot (26% versus the SNP at 23%).”

A Survation poll carried out in March predicted a strong lead for the

SNP, with 34% of the sample group giving the party their vote. The other parties were trailing behind. Labour, Conservatives, and perhaps most surprisingly, Reform, were all within 11% of each other.

The poll also shows strong support for Reform across Scotland by 16-24-yearolds. The most recent election at Westminster showed a similar trend, with more young people voting for Reform than the Conservative Party. There is also a significant gender gap; for every young woman voting Reform, there are five men.

voters, on average, self-identify as furthest to the left.

But polls can only tell us so much. “I think sometimes people overgeneralise from trends; it’s not the case that under-30s are a homogenous bloc with the same views,” McMillan concludes.

“Under 30s will play an unusually important role”

Nicola McEwen says, “Reform UK appears to be making inroads into the youth vote, especially among young men, in ways that right-wing parties have struggled to do in the past.”

Conversely, Fraser McMillan says that their own polling doesn’t show a significant number of young people supporting the Reform Party.

“In our sample, 16-29-year-olds are the least likely to vote for the party.”

McMillan adds that a February survey undertaken by the Scottish Opinion Monitor shows that younger Scottish

It appears the parties most enticing to younger Scottish voters are Reform and the Green Party. At opposite ends of the political spectrum, they have little in common. Is this because they offer something different from the mainstream? The idea of something new and different can be alluring to young people who feel let down or unrepresented by the current political system.

Whilst none of the young people Surge spoke to said they would vote for Reform, it seems they have a quiet chorus of support growing in Scotland. This echoes voting trends that have led to a rise of far-right parties across the world. Will the story be the same for young Scottish voters next year?

McEwen says “Registering to vote – and using your vote when the time comes – is key to having a voice that politicians will listen to.”

Arthur’s Seat overlooking the seat of Scottish power, Holyrood

Photo Credit: Tom Wilson

Grassroots through the Cobblestones

Juliet Dunstone talks about the power in local activism and the Stop Rosebank campaign

By Clifford Heberden

Living in a time of worldwide upheaval and protests erupting everywhere, it may be hard to feel like we’re doing much at home. Edinburgh isn’t widely known for mass mobilisation, nor its activists.

Nevertheless, the city was home to a High Court decision that propelled an environmental movement to the forefront of international climate activism.

In light of the UK government’s recent unveiling of proposals to ease the tax burden on the offshore oil and gas sector, thereby banning new drilling licenses, the debate regarding the future of the North Sea’s energy production has intensified.

In 2023, the then-Conservative government approved the Norwegian oil giant, Equinor, to start developing the Rosebank oil field, 80 miles off the Shetland coast in the North Atlantic. The Stop Rosebank campaign was formed shortly thereafter to stop the new drilling operations.

Juliet Dunstone, a spokesperson for the campaign, says Scottish activism can often feel limited compared to huge protests in London or Bristol, but local activists shouldn’t shy away from organising for that reason.

“Actually, seeing all of the little pockets of resistance that are happening from smaller grassroots groups is also equally important,” Juliet says.

While there is a lot of grassroots activism happening in Scotland and in Edinburgh, she recognises it can still feel hard to get enough people to make a protest feel real.

However, Juliet has found real power in community organising here that’s changed her life and, for the moment, the North Sea’s fate.

“I’ve realised how powerful [grassroots movements]

Marching for Rosebank

Credit: Andrea Domeniconi

can be, especially if they’re really persistent,” Juliet says.

In 2022, she’d been working on her postdoc for almost two and a half years. Juliet was doing theoretical research in psychology, but she couldn’t do it anymore.

“I was just burning myself out because the thing that I felt mattered to the world was the climate,” she says. “The thing that I had to do in my day-to-day life was this work that nobody cared about apart from just other academics.”

She felt her work wasn’t helping people when the climate was calling to her.

“So at the end of 2022, I just, like, lost it to a certain extent,” she recalls thinking she hated her job. “I obviously just had really bad climate anxiety.”

Ailing her fears of climate change, she joined a meeting in Edinburgh called “How to Stop an Oil Field”. Marking the introduction of the Stop Rosebank campaign, the meetings sparked action for what Juliet didn’t know was to become a watershed environmental case.

Her newly found free time led her to join more and more meetings, demonstrations and actions until she gave a speech that landed her on the campaign’s media relations team.

Juliet had entered the campaign with a renewed passion, but the Stop Rosebank campaign was facing what “felt like goalposts changing all the time”. The volatility of the then government was proving a serious hurdle in trying to stop the inevitable approval of the licences.

“It almost came as a shock.”

As a result of the amount of campaigning activists had done, Equinor’s accession to Rosebank and the estimated 500 million barrels of oil it holds came with a huge public outcry.

Lauren MacDonald, Lead Campaigner

Credit: Angela Christofilou

Rosebank was headline news, and the campaign was suddenly in the public eye. Juliet was even invited to appear on that evening’s BBC news bulletin.

“It was encouraging to know that we had had an impact and that people were taking seriously the fact that we were campaigning against it,” Juliet says.

Alongside Greenpeace and UpliftUK, the Stop Rosebank Campaign mounted a court case to appeal the approval of the licenses, which had omitted the extensive environmental impacts new drilling would cause down the line.

Juliet says it was after the approval of the licences that their campaign built momentum to garner support for their court case in Scotland.

“This is a Scottish issue, and it did feel like there was suddenly more momentum because we had this really big goal to fight against,” Juliet says.

On the day of the court case itself, hundreds joined campaigners before the High Courts to echo the sentiments of the almost 100 thousand people who had joined the appeal.

“You’re not going to be by yourself.”

It was a massive win: the campaign successfully stopped Equinor, the Norwegian oil giant, from beginning new drilling operations in the North Sea’s largest remaining oil and gas field.

While the Stop Rosebank campaign fight against the oil corporations in the North Sea is far from over, the win is an energiser for the activists.

“Having that positive history of being able to say we did stop Cambo (2021), we did stop Rosebank, we are a force to be reckoned with,” Juliet says. “I think it will just make people feel good and confident from the campaigning end that we can, and we will, stop more development.”

She recognises more could happen in Edinburgh in terms of grassroots, but also acknowledges there are so many people engaged; it’s more about getting them involved.

Whether it’s an environmental issue, a gender issue, a refugee issue, a war issue, or a housing issue, Juliet says there are so many groups that are organising for so many things that it is impossible for people not to find community.

“You’re not going to be by yourself.”

Juliet advises that picking what you care about the most leads to the most impact, especially in a world where a glance at your phone can fill you with anxiety for the world’s future.

Hibs Memories Easter Road Stadium is bringing communities together over football nostalgia

By Jed Bowen

Walking through the rows of townhouses of Edinburgh’s New Town, amongst the posh Bruntsfield streets, the riches of the capital are evident. But within the city, 12% of the population live in areas considered to be in the 20% most deprived of the whole country – Muirhouse, Niddrie, Pilton… to name a few.

These communities often have an ageing population who suffer from mental health issues, social isolation and loneliness – a far cry from the hustle and bustle of the middle-class, picturesque image of the city.

Community groups outside the city centre are integral to addressing inequality. Every first and third Monday morning of the month, Easter Road Stadium hosts a free social group named Hibs Memories. Their purpose? To discuss ‘the good old days’ over a cup of tea or coffee. Seems simple enough, right? Perhaps that’s the beauty of it. The project is run by a dedicated group of volunteers, led by 77-year-old Tom Wright.

Tom is the Hibernian FC historian. He has written seven going on eight books about the history of the club. Hibernian FC was founded in 1875 and makes up half of Edinburgh’s representation in Scotland’s top league (the other being their fierce rivals Hearts). Whilst the football club was originally formed to represent the Irish Catholic population of the city,

the memory group is inclusive and open to all.

Hibs Memories may have started from humble beginnings, but it’s quickly grown in size.

“Originally, only two or three people attended, but over the years our numbers have increased to around 50 to 60,” Tom says with excitement.

“It initially started after speaking to an ex-Falkirk captain who was suffering from Alzheimer’s,” Tom recalls founding the project with a glimpse of nostalgia. “He saw a photo of his playing days, and his face lit up as he remembered.”

The importance of Scottish football in the community can’t be understated. In proportion to the population, more people attend football matches in Scotland than any other country.

Reminiscing, Tom explains that the project was developed with Alzheimer’s Scotland and several Scottish football clubs. At the meetings, Tom says it’s a pleasure to revisit former glories: “Although the group began with a focus on dementia, [we] quickly realised the benefits for loneliness and depression.”

Hibs Memories is giving older people more than just space for sharing their most vivid recollections of their favourite team; it’s allowing them the dedicated time to connect with one another.

Loyal members of Hibs Memories,

“He saw a photo of his playing days, and his face lit up as he remembered.”

Ali, Jackie, Gordon, John, George, Pat, Margaret, Brian and Brenda began their lifelong friendship at the group.

Pat’s family moved down south, so she visits Easter Road with her friend Margaret, who enjoys the meet-ups so much that she’s also become a regular volunteer.

Brenda, who is married to Brian, said, “Brian came himself first and really enjoyed it, so I thought I would come along too.”

“On our third visit they had arranged a trip through to Hampden to visit the football museum, which was really good,” Brenda adds.

People from all over Edinburgh, including Craigentinny, Pilton, and Corstorphine, come together in the group, welcoming notable guests such as former Hibs captain and manager Pat Stanton. The Hibs legend played 13 seasons and over 600 games and is still a familiar face at Easter Road, regularly in the stands to watch the games.

These social groups foster community and friendship across Edinburgh’s often-overlooked neighbourhoods.

Everyone is welcome at Hibs Memories. Tom chuckles, “Even Gordon, who is a Rangers supporter!”

Credit: Hibs Memories

People

People highlights the vibrant personalities, innovative entrepreneurs, locals and more who have made Edinburgh what it is today

Leithers Against Loneliness

Lottie meets the founder of Jokes FC - page 18

Leithers Against Loneliness Tackling young adult loneliness in Edinburgh

By Lottie Tiller

Being a young adult in a city can be lonely, no matter how many people surround us. The opportunities to socialise at work have diminished, and a decline of social opportunities for those in their mid-to-late twenties, even in major cities, hinders the growth of new connections.

Almost half of Edinburgh’s population is aged 18-44, and despite the city being a hub of culture and creativity, they are not immune to loneliness.

One of Edinburgh’s young adults who has faced loneliness is Jamie Curry. The 30-year-old Leither fell in love with Edinburgh as an undergraduate. She found herself back in the city while working a remote job, and

after two years of spending more time connecting with her laptop than other humans, she took action.

Inspired by a friend who had set up a women’s football team in Manchester, Jamie endeavoured to do the same in the Scottish capital… despite never playing football before.

Jokes FC was born in February 2024, setting themselves out as a ‘Leith-based friendly footy team for women, trans & non-binary people’. Jamie marketed the new club via WhatsApp groups and word of mouth, as well as a shoutout on the radio.

Thinking back to the first session, Jamie remembers having “no idea what would happen”. She was surprised by the number of people who

turned up, initially thinking it “would just be my friends and girlfriend’s friends who’d practically been forced to attend!”

The inaugural session of Jokes FC was attended by a diverse group, all of whom Jamie was quick to point out still regularly attend a year later. Having a sports group exclusively for women and non-binary people was important to her: “Some of my friends wanted to bring their male friends – I politely declined – they have plenty of their own amateur football clubs to go to!”

Jamie wanted to create a place for those who haven’t always felt welcomed in sports.

Jamie Curry, Founder of Jokes FC

“I gave a hockey club a go, as I had played while I was at school, but when I turned up it was quite an intimidating atmosphere; no one really spoke to me, and I could tell that everyone there was playing at a higher level than me.”

When setting up Jokes FC, Jamie didn’t want anyone else to feel like she did: “I wanted something a bit more chilled than that.”

One of the originals-turned-social-media managers for the club, Lauren McCarthy, says that, despite being “categorically shit at football”, she still enjoys going for a kickabout every so often and, of course, having a coffee catch-up afterwards.

“I just remember at the first session

feeling like I hadn’t run around like that since I was a child; it was so much fun,” Lauren said. “I still don’t really know the rules, but that’s the beauty of it – no one minds, and there’s just no pressure.”

Jokes FC enabled her to gain more than just a fun Saturday morning each week, adding a whole new social circle of queer people to her life.

“I had just come out and started dating my girlfriend, so it was nice for me to be surrounded by similar people who I could identify with for the first time in my life.”

The club has created a safe and fun environment for people to come together in a city they may otherwise feel lonely in, make new connections

Smiles between scoring

and also be active on the weekends.

Jamie says, “For me it was important that there was a really low barrier to entry for people; we want to make it easy for them to join and keep coming.”

“But most importantly, we want to create a feeling of community and camaraderie… which we think we’ve managed to achieve!”

In terms of goals, they are trying to keep pressure low but have entered an amateur 5-a-side tournament in the spring. Jokes FC are also fundraising to buy their own training equipment and help members buy football boots.

Photo Credits: Eline Foulger

Meet the City’s Rising Innovators

Edinburgh is a thriving hub for innovation –meet those who are leading the way

Zain Rishi, 25

Interviewed by Emilia Lauder

Zain Rishi is on the cusp of becoming a household name in Scottish contemporary literature.

“Poetry came to me as a means of belonging,” the 25-year-old says, pen in hand, ready to write.

Beginning his journey through Edinburgh’s literary scene on a whim, Zain applied for the Creative Writing Masters at Edinburgh University in 2022, casting ideals of a medical degree to one side.

When he came to Edinburgh, Zain was swept up by the literary history of Scotland’s capital city.

“This is a place where my poetry and my identity have grown very naturally,” Zain says. “I feel like here, I can operate on the same level as my peers and learn so much more from the writers here than in any other city.”

Talking to Surge about his recent recognition in independent literary magazines such as Gutter, Propel and the Oxford Poetry Magazine, Zain speaks with the certitude of a writer well-versed in the world of creativity, community and language.

After years pursuing many different forms of creativity, Zain says poetry and prose are his bread and butter.

“I love to write about my experience of leaving Birmingham and coming to Edinburgh. I’ve been able to look at my life before from a distance, and I see myself so differently now.”

Zain says becoming an Edinburger gave him abundant inspiration in his writing. “That experience of leaving your hometown is so universal and brings up so many emotions; I’ve found people relate to the significant impact my experience has had through my poetry.”

Zain is the name on everyone’s lips in the Scottish poetry scene. His acclaimed poems explore global issues, from the story of his mother’s origins in Pakistan to I Want to Be the Moonlight on Gaza, published by The Poetry Society, in which he expresses his solidarity with the Palestinian people.

There aren’t many young writers out there with the confidence to not only reflect the world at their feet but also find grounding in the process. Zain is a sure-fire face of a modern Scottish writer.

“Feeling a sense of belonging as a person and writer is crucial to me,” he says. “In the creative world, especially in Edinburgh, regardless of who you are or how you identify or where your work ends up, you are still a writer.”

Walking along Victoria Street, Zain slots in perfectly with the rhythm of the city’s long-established literary roots.

Zain Rishi

Credit: Emilia Lauder

Anna Smart Credit: Samuel Turpin

Anna Smart, 24

Interviewed by Gabby Cleveland

At six years old, Anna saw a performance by an established female bagpiper and thought to herself, “This is it. This is what I want to do.”

After her local juvenile pipe band told her she was “too young” and asked her to return in a few years, Anna only became more determined to play the pipes. “I was a determined little girl, so they ended up accepting me early.”

Nearly 20 years later, Anna has become a well-established piper herself. She plays residency shows at popular live music spots in Edinburgh like Brewhemia and Stramash, travelling all over Scotland showcasing herself as a modern face in traditional Scottish music.

Often the only girl among a group of boys in piping competitions, Anna continually inspires women and young girls to pursue their dreams.

“I just want to promote girls in piping – that’s my goal,” Anna says.

For 200 years after the inception of solo piping competitions, it was illegal for women to participate. It wasn’t until just 50 years ago that women were allowed to compete on an equal footing with male pipers.

“It’s so nice to hear mums say to me, ‘Oh, my daughter saw you play, and she wants to learn bagpipes now’,” Anna says.

Although Anna began her piping career surrounded by women, her juvenile group was 70% female and 30% male; this gender balance is not typically reflected in the bagpiping industry.

“I was very lucky to have lots of girls around me at the start of my piping career,” she says. “That fizzles out when you get to your older years. When girls turn 18, they often decide to pursue other career paths.”

Anna added that it can feel intimidating for young girls to continue playing when the bagpipes are considered a “male instrument”.

“You have girls who maybe want to play, but they just see their dad or brother playing the pipes, which can feel off-putting.”

Anna is studying traditional Scottish bagpipe music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She is also the main piper in the Rollin’ Drones, a Scottish bagpipe pop band redefining the instrument by performing renditions of popular rock and pop songs.

Although watching the Rollin’ Drones perform seems effortless, Anna says performing on a stage did not come easy to her.

“I was so nervous when I first performed with them. I didn’t know how to have fun with the bagpipes.”

As an audience member at one of their shows, dancing and singing along to hits like Shania Twain’s You’re Still the One or Bryan Adams’ Heaven, you would never think this is the case.

“Being able to say that piping is my full-time job is surreal,” says Anna. “I hope to keep promoting piping and the creative side of it to more girls.”

Yola Jones, 29

Interviewed by Gill Thatcher

Dr Yola Jones is a winner of the Women in Innovation 2025 award.

At just 29 years old, Yola is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Seluna, a pioneering Scottish start-up developing machine learning models to improve the diagnosis of sleep disorders in children.

With an impressive array of qualifications,including master’s degrees in robotics and software development, as well as a PhD in machine learning for healthcare,Yola tells Surge her passion for technology first began at an early age.

“I was that kid who loved science and maths. I got to spend a week at Strathclyde University’s Space Week and after that I knew I would be an engineer.”

Yola remained dedicated to making engineering her career, leading her to co-found Seluna.

“This is my dream job. I am fascinated by machine learning and wanted to apply it to enhancing and improving access to healthcare,” she explains. It’s such a powerful tool but you have to balance that power with using it ethically and that challenge was the focus of my PhD”.

Yola wants to encourage more girls and women into technology and hopes she can be a role model for future generations.

“My role model growing up was the fictional character Martha Jones, in Dr Who. I couldn’t see any real women that were like her,” says the innovator. “Martha was into science, she trained to be a doctor, and she was strongwilled. I wanted to be just like her”.

The 29-year-old doesn’t believe she fits the stereotype for a business founder and says, “You don’t have to be like the candidates on The Apprentice”.

“I have tattoos and colourful hair. I often sit at home in my pyjamas whilst coding. I am not what most people imagine as a CTO,” she laughs.

Yola is refreshingly true to herself – and her authentic, and humble attitude extends into her leadership.

“I am very lucky, I love my job and I want to do the best for my team so we can have cool people, in cool jobs, doing something that they love”.

When asked her advice for women looking to start their own business, Yola says, “You are much more capable than you think. Women sometimes undervalue themselves, if they haven’t mastered every skill, but I meet so many smart women with the ability to learn. It’s what makes them unique and valuable.”

Yola Jones

Credit: Yola Jones

Meeting Muna If her food doesn’t enchant you, her charm certainly will

By Tom Wilson

You don’t need to be on the right side of the street to hear Muna Dent’s laugh roar across Bruntsfield. Within minutes of walking into Muna’s Ethiopian Cuisine, customers immediately fall for her charm and joie de vivre.

It’s probably why, only six months since opening, you will find folks from all across Edinburgh enjoying a meal there. A far cry from some restaurants in the city, whose customers are simply there to eat and leave, diners at Muna’s seem to be relishing the experience from the moment they sit down.

Their joy can simply be described in one word—comfort.

Eating at Muna’s Ethiopian Cuisine feels less like the standard transactional eating-out experience and more like being invited into someone’s home.

As soon as you walk in, pictures from across Ethiopia make you feel instantly connected with Muna.

In fact, some photos reflect Muna’s life.

“This is the village where I was born,” Muna says, pointing to a painting on the wall. The dining room and the food blend together to reflect Muna’s roots in Ethiopia.

The menu has something for everyone, with beef, lamb, and veggie dishes. Its highlights are the combo dishes, which combine various items on the menu onto injera, a porous and fluffy Ethiopian flatbread with a distinct sour taste that completes the dish. It acts as a plate for various small dishes to be served on it, allowing diners to cut a piece and scoop up their meal. It’s simple, but that’s precisely why it works. And boy, is it good.

The dishes served on the injera are packed with flavour. As each serving is small (if choosing the combo option), one feels the need to take time to finish each dish in order to savour them as long as possible.

For Muna, interactions with her customers are a vital part of her restaurant. She will often come out of the kitchen in the middle of a rush to talk with customers, ensuring that everything is to their needs and making them feel welcome.

For a restaurant so often full, it has a remarkably small staff size. Muna’s daughter, a recent graduate of HeriotWatt University, is the manager, and a local university student is employed part-time as a waiter. Muna her self serves as chef, waitress, and the customer relations specialist.

Her relationship with Scotland started 24 years ago.

She moved to the country after marrying her husband, who was born in Edinburgh. While her restaurant only opened in September 2024, Muna has been working as a caterer for almost two decades.

Throughout this time, she has cultivated relationships

Muna Dent

Photo Credit: Tom Wilson

A Charity Doing Things Right Spend an afternoon with Men’s Shed, bringing the men of Leith together again

By Jamie Fawcett

The door nudged open.

Peering in, the sawdust swelled with the odour of emulsion, and the air hung still, like a freshly built house. The room to my right hummed with the buzz of steady handiwork.

The Men of Leith Men’s Shed isn’t your traditional mental health charity. Its first order of business is to give purpose.

“Hello!” cheered a voice from inside the workshop. “My name’s Eain; let me show you around.”

We entered the kitchenette in the main room. Behind a board: ‘Things to do’. Items including, but not limited to, building tables, finger holders, and fixing bed feet. The air buzzed with the distant vibration of the circular saw they were using next door.

Ken working on his next project

No words of affirmation, no empty tomes on display for a more sentimental audience. Everything in here serves one facet of human interaction: function. Once you know what you’re doing, problems seem a little bit easier to solve. Anxieties begin to dissipate.

Eain went into the electrical workshop. They had inkjet

printers, hoovers, CRT televisions and the like. This was where items are fixed for a fee – materials only. If you have anything extra, you can donate. Everything had a place, from the high-hung shelves of meticulously organised screw sizings to the spare circuitry in the drawers below.

The buzz continued in the workshop. Dougie and Ken were building a pedestal to hold a donation display and card machine for the Playhouse. Ken’s been here a week, and Dougie, at 75, has been here five years. Dougie said they have a contract with Swatch, the watch company. “If anybody needs repairs, they tell them to come to us.”

His smile was one of pride. Dougie was useful. People relied upon him to get things done. Despite his age, he is still so full of youth, and the Men’s Shed has given him a place to thrive.

This feeling can lift any man. According to a study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, the most common words used in suicide notes are ‘worthless’, ‘useless’, and ‘burdensome’.

Working away under grey Leith skies

Photo Credits: Eline Foulger

For lunch, Eain brought in sandwiches, and more folk seemed to trot in. Within moments, they were holding court, discussing the robustness of Dougie’s garden set he built from composite wood and how good the world-champion marmalade maker and his produce were. He was a Men’s Shed alumni.

“One of our old members, who’s passed now, built his own coffin to be buried in!” Eain told me. A jovial reminiscence passed over the men, almost in unison. It was clear they had held him in high regard.

The ruckus continued, and topics flipped and flopped like a jukebox. The variety of viewpoints clashed like waves against rocky beaches. There seemed to be a focus on how much the world had changed. They talked of the SNP, conspiracies about who killed Diana, and what their opinion was of the Sussexes. A small quip here and there lightened the mood.

“Back in the day, you wouldn’t get caught pushing a pram as a man,” Ken said. “It was something you just didn’t do.”

Some of the men just chopping it up

“One of our old members, who’s passed now, built his own coffin to be buried in!”

Subsequent comments alluded to the starkness of the change that they had experienced; one commented on how the world is unrecognisable. The conversation went on to Trump and his foreign policy. The room was split.

Three of the men took to understanding Trump through realpolitik and the laws of power and strength; others lamented him for it. There was no feeling of hostility or incivility. Just men, with an excuse to get together and build, make, connect. Letting men be happy, instead of labouring over their melancholy.

The Men’s Shed project may be unashamedly masculine, but for these men it’s understated, functional, useful, and safe.

The Sheds

Breaking the Waters

LInterviewed by Tim

yndsay Mann is a filmmaker and artist based in Edinburgh and Berlin. In her latest film, As You Were, Mann speaks with NHS maternity specialists about their own experiences of giving birth. Mann uses metaphors such as a women’s rowing team and shows archival footage from the Royal College of Surgeons. Ultimately, the film is about experts becoming their own patients. Surge talks to Lyndsay about the inspiration of Edinburgh as a city, the NHS and how breaking down academic hierarchies can open up new ways of understanding.

TH: Besides the NHS being the British health system, why is it important to show the film in Edinburgh?

LM: “As You Were” was made here while I was lecturer in Fine Arts at the University of Edinburgh. Maybe half of the women whose voices you hear in the film were working in Edinburgh at the time and all of them had a Scotland connection. The rowing team is the second women’s team of the University of Edinburgh and the support network “NHS Lothian” is based in Edinburgh, too. The funding came from Creative Scotland. The Surgeons Hall Museum supported the project by giving me access to archive material of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. There were just so many generous people that were really supportive of the idea and the project. So it feels very exciting that it’s showing in Edinburgh.

TH: For As You Were, you had conversations with NHS maternity specialists and midwives experiencing giving birth themselves?

LM: Yes. In medicine there is this idea of the need to keep a distance when you’re working with a patient. There’s a certain amount of objectivity needed to be able to do your job, to think clearly, to not get kind sucked into emergency situations. I wanted to talk to them about how it feels to work within an institution that has a set of guidelines and a certain set of practices that have to be put in place for everything to keep functioning. But these doctors and nurses can experience what they’re treating. What does it mean when you have direct bodily experience and a so-called “transformative experience”? It shifts the way in which you see the world, how you perceive the discipline you’re working in, and the care and practice that you offer to the patients that you work with.

You can find more of Lyndsay Mann’s work on her website: lyndsaymann.com

Hoffmann

TH: Do you think that being able to gain such a transformative experience makes women better suited as obstetricians and midwives?

LM: I don’t think so, situating gender in that way isn’t helpful in this conversation. There were conversations in the film with an obstetrician who has a very clear idea of how they want their birth to happen. It starts to not go the way they want to happen, but they manage to control the situation through their experience of working in the field and have the birth that they wanted. Those specialists can then come back into practice and perhaps have less empathy with someone in a similar experience with the implication being “well, I managed this”.

TH: One of the scenes shows a women’s team rowing. How does that metaphor work?

LM: In maternal health care after the birth of my daughter it was all women I saw. As an artist I wanted to abstract this personal experience. Growing up and living in Edinburgh near the Union Canal, I’m used to seeing many rowers. Actually, rowing very much reminds me of being literally in the birthing room. The breathing, the being out of breath, the movements, and the cox at the front telling the women where to put your arms and where to put your legs. You need to know how to use your breath to move something forward and to create a shift, create momentum. Besides the rowing, the Union Canal also made me think about the birth canal. I really like these little funny things. I didn’t want this film to show a baby or a birth. So I had this idea in mind of an aerial drone shot off women working together, breathing, moving their bodies and traversing a canal.

Have a look on the Surge Website for more details and the full interview: surgemag.org

What’s the Rave with Femmergy?

Queer DJ Collective say dancing together is more important now than ever

By Emilia Lauder

Edinburgh’s nightlife is fading, but Femmergy is here to reclaim the night. Opting for the quiet comfort of their beds over the thumping bass of the dancefloor, fewer young people are going out clubbing. The challenges of a cost of living crisis, post-pandemic social anxiety, and concerns about women’s safety put pressure on what should be a fun night out.

Yet there’s a beacon of hope, a place where celebration and the queer community thrive in unison. For the creators of Femmergy, one of Edinburgh’s biggest queer DJ collectives, the solution could not be simpler: intentional ticket pricing, ethical values, inclusivity and community. The result? An accessible, open, and undeniably fun club scene.

Femmergy has built a space for queer people, by queer people.

“This space feeds itself,” says the collective’s founder, Annafleur Broekman. “The queer folk attending our raves are genuinely there for the love of dance and community. But it didn’t actually start off this way.”

With a turnout of 140 people at their first event, Femmergy was initially thought to be a one-off event in the memory of Sarah Everard’s shocking murder.

“We honestly thought this would just be something to offer a momentary escape from the tension that Sarah Everard’s murder brought to all of us,” Annafleur reminisces.

Unsure if raving was the right thing to do in such heavy times, Annafleuer and her friends decided to take some action, “We felt that touching base in a space where we could just be and exist for the night as women was what we needed to move forward.”

Nothing could have prepared Annafleur for the attention her first DJ event would amass. “It was amazing to see people from all over Edinburgh; queer people, straight people, young and old, having the best time they could in such heavy circumstances.”

across Annalfeur’s smile, overjoyed with the impact Femmergy has had for upcoming DJ artists.

“We try to platform new and underrepresented voices in the queer DJ scene; they deserve to have their voices heard,” she said. “I think that bridges the gap between people and the music they’re dancing to.”

“We quickly realised how much Edinburgh needs this kind of nightlife.”

“We quickly realised how much Edinburgh needs this kind of nightlife.”

Instead of making a club collective just for women, Femmergy branched out to the queer community, choosing to make their events an inclusive queer hub. “Why exclude people from a space we can all benefit from?” Annafleur asks. “I think we’ve made a community where everyone can be free from traditional expectations.”

At Femmergy’s first event, the air was thick with an undeniable sense of liberation, where every beat became an invitation to momentarily forget the heaviness of the world.

“Everyone was looking for the chance to shed societal constraints and embrace the joy of self-expression,” a glimmer of elation sweeps

On the dancefloor, the thrum of the bass reverberates in your chest. Bodies move together, faces glow with joy and excitement. Drag queens sashay past, their costumes a riot of colour and sparkle, while young clubbers experience their first queer night out.

In a city where inclusivity and acceptance is on the rise, Femmergy is a landmark destination demanding nothing but authenticity.

“Whether it’s someone’s first or fiftieth time at Femmergy, they can expect to meet wonderful people, discover parts of themselves they didn’t know existed, and feel like they’re part of something monumental,” Annafleur beams, her eyes sparkling with the conviction of someone who truly believes in the power of a good night out.

At its core, Femmergy reminds us that freedom is not reduced to fleeting moments; it emerges and evolves in spaces made through the love of community.

A night of Femmergy Credit: Charlotte Cullen

Scottish Writer Feline Good Alex Howard’s book delights cat lovers and history buffs alike

Interviewed by Mark Hooley

Edinburgh author Alex Howard has truly made his mark on the literary world after writing a novel inspired by his cat Tabitha. The Times and USA Today bestselling author, who is also a part-time TikTokker, has been shocked by the success of Ghost Cat. The idea for the book came after his pet cat exhibited some odd behaviour and began hissing just days after moving into a tenement flat in the city, where he lives with his wife and their newborn son.

MH: How did you get your passion for writing and history?

AH: If there was one job that really crystallised my interest in Edinburgh history, it was my time being a tour guide on the Royal Mile. I did history and ghost tours for about 10 years when I was a student, on and off. That job, more than any I’ve ever done, taught me how to tell a story, hold an audience, and capture the magic of history.

MH: How did Edinburgh inspire your book Ghost Cat?

AH: Just the beauty of Edinburgh and the architecture. The “ghost cat” itself came to me when my cat hissed into the void in the back bedroom of our new flat. That prompted me to think, “What is she seeing?” Was she seeing some sort of ghost or “ghost cat”?

MH: How did studying poetry affect your style of writing?

AH: An old French poet said, “Prose is just poetry but drawn out.” I kind of always subscribed to that. I very much work on a sentence level and build up. I studied poetry for my undergraduate degree and my PhD. I just have that obsession with sentence-level magic. Philip Larkin said, “Poetry should be a small pristine shock.” Not everyone likes that in my writing. It polarises people. How I write is a very concentrated and poetic take on history. I was a poet long before I was a writer.

MH: I agree, but there are also broader themes in the book, such as cat companionship, and people can connect with that.

AH: Absolutely. In my day job, I work with people with dementia at the Festival Theatre. I spend most of my week talking to people that have lived in Edinburgh since the 40s, which is a real source of inspiration for me. I’m very interested in that old tradition of storytelling, and they teach me a lot about what Edinburgh used to look like.

Alex Howard

Credit: Alex Howard

MH: Tell us a little about Grimalkin, the star of the novel.

AH: In 2017 I went to Paris and met Aggie, the resident cat of the Shakespeare and Company bookshop on the Left Bank in Paris. Aggie was a soft-natured cat with a crooked tail. But it was her expression that remained with me. A slightly melancholy, sage, world-weary expression. And that’s what I thought Grimalkin would look like.

MH: What are your future inspirations in terms of writing and your plans?

AH: At the moment I’m writing The Ship’s Cat. I’ve always been fascinated with nautical and maritime superstition and history. The trope of a ship’s cat that brings good fortune to sailors is very cherished both in Europe and the Far East. I liked the idea of a cat totally different from Grimalkin – a London alley cat who doesn’t know he has this power and finds himself at sea. This idea stemmed from a cat I saw in the Meadows in a cat rucksack in an orb, and the ship’s cat lodged in my head. I had a job once as a deckhand going port to port in the summer and saw a lot of cats, and they seemed to have a story to tell. It’s important to me that it’s very different from the ghost cat. It’s a more edgy cat.

The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard is available at all good bookshops. Look out for The Ship’s Cat, scheduled for publication in Spring 2026.

Shaping Edinburgh

Tim portrays the streams of Edinburgh - page 42

Investigating the diverse communities and subcultures that make up the city, Life reveals what it truly means to live and breathe

Edinburgh

Where Nature Inspires

A journey along The Water of Leith, a haven for nature, art, innovation and recreation

By Gill Thatcher

From the Pentland Hills to the Firth of Forth, the Water of Leith flows as the arterial lifeline, connecting the people, villages and towns that form our beautiful city.

Taking a wander along its walkway is a welcome contrast to the bustling city around us. It is now the domain of dog walkers, joggers, cyclists, and those seeking a calming stroll in nature or to be energised by the striking and powerful spectacle of its many weirs.

Herons, kingfishers, woodpeckers and sparrowhawks thrive along the riverbank, and a protected colony of terns has remarkably set up home in Leith Docks. A peek beneath the water’s surface reveals brown trout, eels and lampreys swimming against the hidden current, and while we expect to encounter the ‘birds and bees’, we do not often think of a river as a place for art.Take a trip out to the Colinton Tunnel and treat your eyes to a fun and colourful mural by artist Chris Rutterford. Illustrating the story of Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem, From a Railway Carriage, Rutterford’s mural spans the length of the tunnel. The project is a true community endeavour, with local schoolchildren, residents and charities all painting sections of the poem.

The Colinton Tunnel attracts around two thousand visitors each weekend,

with many returning time and again to see if they can spot a new detail on its walls. Bathed in colour and light, visitors can immerse themselves in the story, making every passage a thoroughly enjoyable experience and a stark contrast to the tunnel’s dark and damp past.

Sculpture lovers can discover Turner Prize-winning artist Antony Gormley’s much-loved series of standing figures ‘6 TIMES’, watching over the river as it winds its way from Dean Village to Leith. The Gallery of Modern Art hosts the first figure, who emerges unnervingly from the pavement in front of its gates. The next four figures stand at points within the waters, presiding as silent sentinels over the river, and the final figure rests on an abandoned pier in Western Harbour in Leith Docks, gazing forlornly out into the Firth of Forth.

There are many other beautiful spots along the river, and the popular walled garden at Saughton Park would rank as one of the prettiest. Garden enthusiasts can gather planting tips for their own ‘wee gairden,’ while musicians use the ornate Victorian bandstand as a stunning backdrop to entertain park visitors on weekends.

Step outside the walled garden and experience the river’s immense green power. The Archimedes screw, an innovative hydro-system, uses the energy flow of the Water of Leith to

generate electricity that powers the entire park. While hydroelectric systems are common on waterways, they are usually reserved for huge dams, lochs and reservoirs. Having a miniature one inside a city is a rare find and perhaps hints towards a plausible legacy for the many weirs constructed along the river in the past.

It is widely recognised that being in nature is great for our mental health. For many Edinburgers, this manifests in our love of gardening. However, with real estate at a premium in the city, it is not always possible to have a garden of our own.

The Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) runs the Redhall Walled Garden, a tranquil spot on the banks of the Water of Leith, where volunteers can cultivate their green fingers. The riverbank also hosts many council-run allotments. There is a lengthy waiting list for most, so if this is your vision for retirement, apply early!

While the source of the Water of Leith lies several miles southwest of the city, at the Colzium Springs, Edinburgh is always in its flow.

When we think of the river, we mostly imagine the thirteen miles of walkway that provide a safe and pleasant passage between Balerno and the shores of Leith, but for the communities along its route, the river is so much more.

Taking the Plunge Immersing yourself into cold water to end

Scotland’s self deprecation

By Gabby Cleveland

Picture this: you find the courage to go to one of Edinburgh’s many wild swimming destinations in the middle of January – perhaps you’re at Portobello or Granton Beach, or maybe you left the city to swim at Threipmuir reservoir in the Pentlands. Standing on the water’s edge, feeling that cold Scottish chill, you anxiously think to yourself: “What the hell am I doing?”

For avid wild swimmer and Edinburgh local Elaine Taylor, plunging into one of Scotland’s many lochs is challenging and psychologically demanding, yet incredibly powerful.

“That can only be a good thing for Scottish culture,” Elaine says.

She suggests that those north of the border often feel what they call the “Scottish cringe”. As described in the book, The Eclipse of Scottish Culture, the “Scottish cringe” refers to the overarching feeling that Scots lack personal and political confidence. Elaine thinks that wild swimming has the power to change this.

“That cultural sense of inferiority exists, and it manifests in many different ways,” Elaine says.

She added that wild swimming in Scotland’s cold waters creates a strong sense of community and collective confidence.

“The more people out there not caring what people think of them, doing things because it makes them feel good, capable, and powerful, will have ripple effects in Scottish culture.”

therapy sessions across Scotland – entering seas and lochs never gets easier.

“But putting yourself through that challenge is so addictive,” Shirley says. “The rush of the cold water is what keeps me coming back. Every time I go in, I come out feeling proud and ready to take on the world.”

Watermind’s slogan is “Be part of something greater,” and that’s what Shirley aims to achieve.

“By getting into the cold water, you’re proving to yourself that you can do hard things, which in turn helps you achieve other challenges going on in your life,” she explains.

Shirley created Watermind Scotland four years ago after personally reaping the benefits of cold-water therapy and wanting to share them with others. Yet, the cold-water plunge is just one small part of her wellness sessions.

Elaine has felt the positive effects of wild swimming herself. Before she started, Elaine felt unhappy with her life trajectory.

“I can’t say it was wild swimming that gave me the courage to change my life around, but it was certainly a factor,” shares Elaine. “Once you’ve achieved up to your neck in cold water in the middle of winter, you become confident that you can keep your shit together in other difficult situations as well.”

You start to believe in yourself more.

For Shirley Scott, the founder of Watermind Scotland – an organisation that offers wellness and cold-water

“The full two-hour event helps people push past their fears and become more powerful in their everyday lives,” the cold water therapist says.

A typical Watermind session begins with yoga, breath work, and meditation on the shore, followed by shouting selflove affirmations and dancing. “This is to get our bodies and minds prepared before going into the water,” says Shirley.

“We all experience difficult things –from heartache and grief to mental and financial issues – and that’s why we’re here today: to connect with nature and to push ourselves out of our comfort zone,” she says, getting a Watermind group ready to enter the cold waters at Loch Lomond.

Shirley guides her group into the water, walking fast and with confidence. She tells everyone to keep their arms raised above their heads and to slowly lower into the water as they get used to the shocking temperature.

Once the group are submerged, feeling the cold water on the nape of their necks, Shirley tells everyone to shout affirmations into the vast surroundings, “right into Mother Nature’s ear.”

“I am in charge of creating a life I love,” yells the group. “I can. I will. I am a warrior.”

(Right) Braving the freeze Credit: Gabby Cleveland

Immersed in the Scottish waters Credit: Elaine Taylor

“That can only be a good thing for Scottish culture”

Along

“In one area you can truly reach the four corners of the globe”

By Jodie Danby

It is easy to forget how seamlessly Edinburgh blends its historic charm with its vibrant, multicultural identity. The city glints like a glass mosaic of tradition and modern influences. Each tile represents a different identity, when placed together, they create an image that tells a story of diversity and shared experience.

Walking around Edinburgh, from the historic cobbles of the Old Town to the elegant, charmed streets of the New Town, each neighbourhood showcases a different aspect of the city, through festivals, diverse communities and global food influences.

The annual Edinburgh Multicultural Festival offers a vibrant blend of music, dance and poetry, highlighting how the city welcomes and celebrates people from all over the world. Each area is home to food markets and independent restaurants that showcase traditional dishes from around the globe.

Edinburgh has it all.

There is one street in particular that stretches from the city centre and runs through its namesake neighbourhood, embodying the multicultural vibe that defines the wider area: Leith Walk.

Leith has evolved significantly from a historic working-class port district into a vibrant, dynamic neighbourhood. The diversity is visible in its multicultural make-up and increased commercial and retail activity.

I decided to take a walk down it, to immerse myself in one and a half miles of cuisine from around the world.

Polish Pierogi? Spicy Asian noodles? African Jollof Rice? Leith Walk is an abundance of flavours.

Jodie on an evening restaurant hunt Credit: Eline Foulger

place to visit to experience true authentic flavours of the African coast.

You will soon wander into Taste of Poland, where you are surrounded by hearty food making you forget you are in Scotland’s capital. Rich on savoury flavours, the comforting aromas of meaty soups and stews give you a sense of warmth, especially during Edinburgh’s harsh winter months.

Walk further for five minutes and you will reach the first of three Asian food stores- Starlight Asian Supermarket. The opportunities to expand your palate are endless. The blend of sweet, salty and spicy creates a vibrant fusion of flavour that takes you on a cultural and authentic journey. Every bite is a journey to a new world, rich with history, spices and stories waiting to be discovered.

Immerse yourself in the cuisine of Nigerian descent at Uwagboe’s Kitchen and Grill, where the symphony of spices and seasonings overwhelm the senses. I opted for grilled beef in a peppered sauce, with a side of fried plantain and spicy rice. If you are brave, they also offer fried goat and spice soaked cow foot, it is certainly the

I decided to check out La Casa, a family run Mediterranean Tapas Restaurant.

I opted for garlic soaked prawns, spicy chorizo slices in a tomato glaze and paella steeped in paprika and saffron.

The cuisine was as fresh and colourful as The Mediterranean’s crystal blue sea and sun-drenched beaches, leaving me feeling as though I had travelled to the charming coast, despite the famous Scottish weather pouring outside.

Jane, an Edinburgh local, expressed her surprise at seeing the profusion of international cuisine spots up and down Leith Walk “in one area you can truly reach the four corners of the globe”.

“Living in Edinburgh for over ten years, it is easy to forget how lucky I am to be able to experience the world without leaving one street”.

Edinburgh’s ability to merge the old and the new, the local and the global, creates a dynamic, multicultural metropolis in the heart of Scotland that continues to evolve.

After all, how lucky are we to be able to experience the world without even leaving one street?

The Japanese Gem of Dalry

By Tom Wilson

Acity in constant motion, most commuters in Edinburgh pass through burghs in a rush. Yet, if just stopping for a minute, one can witness small gems from locals that shape each area of town. If walking through the underpass that connects Dalry and Foutainbridge, pause to find Kissa Orwell, a small Japanese coffee hut whose story emerged from a love of a very Scottish treat.

Owned and run by Tetsuya Tada and Yuriko Takara, Kissa Orwell serves coffee, tea, and a mix of Japanese and international pastries. For Tetsuya, a native of Osaka, the hut represents a journey across continents to show his work.

inspiration. As he says, “sometimes it’s Chinese-ish, sometimes it’s my own original [sic], or even sometimes French too.”

The question remained however, why Edinburgh? When asked, Yuriko begins to laugh.

“I love shortbread!” she exclaims. “When I was in Japan, I often ate shortbread and I thought maybe one day…”

The hut represents a journey across continents

“We used to run a cafe in Kyoto for two years,” he says. “I got a two year visa to come here, and it represented an opportunity to try something new. My cafe in Japan was kind of popular actually, but I wanted to see if my food would be accepted in this country.”

The selection of food, while limited due to the small size of the hut, combines Testuya’s roots with European produce. Today, the soup of the day is an Italian Cavolo Nero with tuna; but this changes daily depending on Tetsuya’s

“She’s very crazy about shortbread!” Testuya interjects cheekily. “We had no choice to come here.”

The biggest surprise of their move has been the friendliness and openness of Scots, which they say is in contrast to Japan.

“Scottish people are more open minded,” Tetsuya says. “This is kind of a big difference to most Japanese people who are more shy.”

Kissa Orwell is just a taste of the communities that make up modern Edinburgh. A journey across the world, to a part of Edinburgh that only locals tend to know about. If you have the chance, try and experience this taste of Japan far away from home.

Thinking of shortbread Credit: Tom Wilson

Stand-up is for Life, Not Just August Comedy in Edinburgh is here all year

By Eline Foulger

August in Edinburgh. The streets littered with flyers. The pleading eyes of a man who needs to sell tickets. Tourists everywhere.

Love it or hate it, every summer the Scottish capital plays host to the biggest arts festival in the world – the Fringe. Among the many acts hoping to find their big break, stand-up comedy looms the largest. From pub back rooms to dingy attics, anything in Edinburgh becomes a venue for jokes in August. Comedians flock from across the world for the honour of an hour slot in a stuffy basement. But what about the rest of the year?

Tommy Sheppard started the Stand in Edinburgh in 1995, and in 1998 it became the first dedicated comedy club in Scotland. “We wanted to make a permanent platform in Scotland for comedians. That was our motivation,” Tommy says.

As the industry has grown, there is a surplus of quality Scottish comedians: “We still try to make a priority of showcasing emerging Scottish talent.”

Red Raw, a comedy night for newcomers, is just one of the initiatives the Stand do to help comedians hone their craft. Kevin Bridges, one of Scotland’s most famous figures, did his first gig at a Red Raw night.

“Part of what we’ve done is create the base for other clubs in the city,” Tommy says.

One of these newer comedy clubs is Monkey Barrel Comedy, which opened in 2017.

Undeniably the biggest powerhouse of the Fringe, hosting the last three winners of the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Awards, Monkey Barrel says the Scottish capital should be regarded as a year-round comedy destination.

Ross Foley, the head of marketing at Monkey Barrel, who previously dabbled in stand-up himself, describes the Scottish comedy scene as “really vibrant right now”.

“10 years ago the scene was good but nowhere near as strong as it is now. In terms of local acts who have broken through, it’s phenomenal,” Ross adds. “Obviously, I’m biased, but part of that is because they’ve got places like Monkey Barrel to play regularly.”

As tourism grows, audiences throughout the year are changing. It’s not locals filling out the chairs; it’s the tourists.

Ross acknowledges that crowds during the Fringe and the rest of the year are “different” but insists, “There is still a consistent comedy audience in Edinburgh year-round.”

Monkey Barrel puts on shows from comedians across the world whilst hosting open mic nights and variety shows for up-and-coming comedians. Ross says giving Edinburgh-based acts the opportunities to perform and develop as comics is a core value of the comedy club.

The dominance of English voices at the Fringe can plague the festival. From the acts to the audience, it’s commonplace to hear the phrase “I’m from London” during a show.

Tommy Sheppard says, “One thing that infuriated people when we started was the people from London coming up, taking the money, then leaving nothing behind but some tatty posters.”

“In the beginning we did a lot to platform local acts, who draw inspiration from living in Edinburgh,” Tommy adds.

A lack of Scottish voices in Edinburgh is a criticism that didn’t begin or end in the comedy clubs in the city, but Ross Foley also agrees that “more has to be done in terms of accessibility for Scottish acts.”

“There’s a lot more diversity in the Scottish comedy scene than when I started,” Ross adds. “There could be more still, but I think we’re moving in a positive direction.”

other’s bread and butter. She believes for a small city, Edinburgh is a supportive place for local talent. “I feel like it’s been a welcoming, encouraging scene.”

“I also think we’re seeing a wider range of Scottish voices in terms of race, gender, class and background, which is a huge leap from when I started 15 years ago,” Eleanor adds.

Eleanor says that the Fringe tends to attract more hardcore comedy fans, whilst performing in Edinburgh the rest of the year, the audience is more likely to be ‘casual’ crowds, tourists and locals.

“It’s a well connected, creative city that has plenty going on outside the Fringe.”

Eleanor Morton, a Scottish comedian and writer who moved back to Edinburgh two years ago after living in London, agrees that Edinburgh is a great city to live in for comedy.

“It’s a well-connected, creative city that has plenty going on outside of the Fringe,” she says. “As I prefer somewhere a bit smaller and more intimate, it feels like a good fit.”

Eleanor says comedians and comedy clubs are each

“But that’s the same everywhere – the Fringe tends to be the place to experiment and explore the artistic side of comedy,” Eleanor concludes.

Tommy Sheppard says, “There are enough stages in Edinburgh for anyone to work their craft. As there are now more clubs in the north of England, you can base yourself in Edinburgh and travel around.”

Amidst rocketing rents and tough competition for slots on stage, there is certainly no home advantage for an Edinburgh comedian at the Fringe. But even outside of August, Edinburgh is setting itself out as one of the best comedy cities in the UK.

Jay Lafferty, headlining Red

Nimer’s Picks Edinburgh newcomer Nimer shares some of his favourite places to visit in the city

By Nimer Holguin Quiñones

SCOTTISH NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

The Portrait Gallery is an incredible establishment featuring some truly captivating representations of people, both dead and alive.

The gallery uncovers facets of Scottish history and stories through time. The Gothic building features elaborate murals and sculptural decorations, including constellations of the Zodiac on the ceiling in the main hall. The artwork within its walls narrates, through visual representations, the stories of Scotland and its inhabitants alongside famous historical figures.

It is a true concealed treasure of culture located right in the centre of Edinburgh. After your tour, you can have a cup of coffee inside the gallery at Café Portrait.

The gallery is located at 1 Queen Street and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

ENSIGN EWART

The nearest pub to Edinburgh Castle may be easily overlooked, but its original charm will ensure you remember it the next time you walk by. With a rich history dating back to the 17th century, Ensign Ewart is a must-visit destination while exploring the historical journey along the Royal Mile.

The pub invites you in with its warm and vibrant atmosphere. Low ceilings and a battle-themed mural take centre stage on one wall, while the rest are decorated with Scottish relics all around you.

The Ensign Ewart pub is a nice place to have a dram of whisky from their large selection, including popular distilleries and indie bottlers. You can also find many cask ales if you’re not a whisky person.

The pub is located at 521 Lawnmarket, on the Royal Mile. Its opening hours are 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, with extended hours up to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Photo credits: Nimer Holguin Quiñones

DR NEIL’S GARDEN

This lovely garden lies close to an impressive loch in Duddingston Village, which welcomes you like a breath of fresh air. It is a captivating collection of trees and flowers that offer a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Dr Neil’s Garden unexpectedly contrasts Edinburgh’s tourist appeal of historic buildings in Old Town by offering one of Scotland’s charms: beautiful landscapes. This extensive green space features winding paths, small bridges connecting various spots, thoughtfully located benches and sheltered terraces that let you appreciate the view.

But the garden’s quietness can be disturbed by birds chirping, quacks of ducks enjoying the park, and the sound of trees caressed by the hills’ breezes. Wonderful sounds surround you in your stroll. You can find The Garden Room café at the main entrance of Dr Neil Garden, where you can have a nice cup of tea or coffee with some cake or scones after your visit.

Dr Neil’s Garden is a secret garden that gives visitors a glimpse into a world of wonder in the middle of a capital city.

Entry is free, and the garden is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

TOPPING & COMPANY BOOKSELLERS OF EDINBURGH

The crown for Edinburgh’s largest bookshop belongs to Topping & Company, a UK-based business that opened its biggest store back in 2019. Placed inside a vintage-looking building, the bookshop awes your eyes as you enter through the front door. It features an array of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves equipped with sliding ladders. The building has three spacious floors and thousands of books, which you can spend countless hours exploring.

There are sofas and tables throughout the shop to rest in with a pot of tea while mulling over your potential purchases or your already-favourite books. It’s definitely one of those inviting and endearing atmospheres that make you wish you could stay longer than planned.

Book lovers are welcome at this bookshop, located at 2 Blenheim Place, every day of the week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Searching for Latin America

By Nimer Holguin Quiñones

Living abroad is never easy, and trying the local cuisine can be a cultural shock - especially for Latin Americans. My Colombian stomach can attest to this without hesitation. With food being a passion of mine, I have explored various dishes from different countries since I arrived in Edinburgh. But even a city with such an international essence can make you miss the unmatchable sensation of eating food from your home country. Luckily, there are some spots in the city where you can taste a full spoon of authentic Latin American cuisine that will fill your heart.

PAZ TAQUERIA

Paz Taqueria recently opened in the city centre, and while it may seem ordinary from the exterior, there’s an impressive atmosphere inside the small venue.

Paz Taqueria introduces a fresh perspective on traditional Mexican flavours with a menu created by Chef Daniel. With just seven antojitos (starters) and seven taco selections available, you won’t spend much time deciding what to order. Everything on the menu is ideal for sharing as the tacos are served in pairs, allowing you to order two antojitos and two tacos if you are eating with a group.

One of the starters is frijoles refritos: slow-cooked and mashed black beans with sheep cheese and homemade tortilla chips to dip in. The tortilla chips (called totopos on the menu) are crunchy and perfect for scooping up generous amounts of the delicious beans. You can sense a Latin American hand involved in the creation of that dish.

From the list of options for tacos, there is taco de carne: a corn tortilla topped with confit pork shoulder, smoked chipotle mayo, crispy pork skin, and pico de gallo (chopped tomatoes, onions and peppers with lime juice and cilantro). You can tell a taco is how it should be when the juices start running down your hand while you enjoy it! There are also vegetarian tacos worth trying, one of which is a delicious combination of mushrooms, walnuts and cashew cream. You can enjoy a beer or a tequila-based beverage while indulging in tacos, the proper Mexican way. Every table also has a bowl of freshly chopped lime and two hot sauces to enhance your dish, reminiscent of many eateries in Latin America.

Paz Taqueria offers intense but genuine flavours that can tickle your Latino heart.

It is located at 64 Thistle Street. It is open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

BARUNO

“Authentic Latin Bar” is Baruno’s motto, and they certainly mean it. Situated in a basement at the Charlotte Square end of George Street, it offers dishes and drinks based on different Latin American countries.

Baruno was founded in August 2024 by Camron and Lais, a husband-and-wife team with a vision of creating a place where every Latin American can relate, no matter where they’re from. They’ve created a bar where everybody is uno (one), hence the name “Baruno”.

The bar welcomes its customers immediately to the atmosphere of a party. Loud Latin American music, a bar with countless drink options and a wide space next to the booths and tables emulating a dance floor - as you would see in any disco place in South America.

Although primarily based on Brazilian cuisine, the menu also offers starters and main courses from other countries, such as the Dominican Republic’s national dish, Sancocho (a stew of large pieces of meat, tubers, and vegetables served in a broth), and the only place in Edinburgh to serve one of Colombia’s most representative meals, Bandeja Paisa (red beans cooked with pork, white rice, ground meat, pork crackling, fried egg, plantain, chorizo, avocado and arepa).

Every time you look at the menu, listen to the music, or speak to the staff, you can experience Baruno’s combination of Latin American cultures, which creates a connection from Edinburgh to home for every Latin American person.

Baruno is located at 115 George Street, and its doors welcome customers every day of the week. It’s open from 3 p.m. until 3 a.m., so people can drink and dance all night.

GUAJIRA CAFÉ

Guajira Cafe is the perfect place for a cup of coffee and a slice of Latin American cuisine.

Indhira Fermín from the Dominican Republic opened Guajira in 2022 to achieve her dream of owning a café in Edinburgh. It is a place where you experience the ambience of a French café with the flavours and sounds of Latin America.

The little café with only six tables is decorated with paintings referencing different cultures. You can appreciate the impressive landscape of Cocora Valley (located in Quindío, Colombia), portraits of people from the Caribbean, and even animals from Africa framed on the wall looking at you while drinking a freshly made cup of coffee. All this woven into the design of a traditional French café of wooden tables, books on shelves, exotic pieces of art or decorations, and even macarons displayed on the counter, tempting you to buy one. Different bags of ground coffee are displayed and offered for sale. The origin of the coffee available varies from time to time but usually comes from Peru, Guatemala, Kenya, Costa Rica, Brazil or Colombia.

Guajira offers more than just coffee; it also serves a variety of meals and desserts. From soups, bowls, and sandwiches to cakes and pastries, all inspired by Latin American Cuisine and European desserts. There are also many vegetarian and vegan options to enjoy.

Their Dominican Bowl dish consists of rice, beans, minced vegetables and chicken or beef, and every bite you take is a trip for your mouth to a place full of flavours that any Latin American can relate to. The freshness and savoury taste of the dish trigger the nostalgia of past meals, like a homemade meal at your mum’s house.

You can find Guajira Café at 18 St Mary’s Street. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Top Three: Baruno Credit: Baruno Bottom Three: Guajira Café Credit: Nimer Holguin Quiñones

Shaping Edinburgh These

photogtaphs are a tribute to the life of Edinburgh and its streams.

By Tim Hofmann

Tim’s photos are an homage to Scottish photography and its distinctive style shaped by nature. The landscape’s trees, rocks and streams have influenced pioneer photographers like John Muir Wood (19th Century) and visitors like Thomas Joshua Cooper (20th Century). Their work has recently returned to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery to celebrate 40 Years of Scotland’s Photography Collection. Curator Ben Harman described the interconnection of the exhibition’s images like “Streams that make me think of influence and a flow of ideas: connecting threads from one to another.” Just like that, these photos will draw you in and drive you through the streams that shape Edinburgh.

The photo journey begins in the early morning on the western banks of the Water of Leith, where rare silence lingers. Flowing downstream from the continuous current Princes Street towards the stillness of St. Margaret’s Loch at the foot of Arthur’s Seat. Beyond the rocks, the sea unfolds. Portobello’s expansive coast offers wide views on water soon replaced by the narrow corners and harbours of Leith.

top up (princes street)

flow (water of leith)

margaret + arthur (st margaret’s loch) company (water of leith)

These photographs capture diverse forms of streams, each photographed only once, like a single shot on film, to emphasize the fluidity and uniqueness of their movement across Edinburgh. The imagery reflects water’s essence through its own styles: a floating motion of passersby, a mirror-like stillness of flat surfaces, tight angles on open harbors, and the quiet chaos of a sudden flood. All images show the impactful and long lasting effect of water. They were all taken on one day, using the strength of light to define distinct shapes at specific moments.

flood (portobello)

ebb (portobello)

excerpt (leith)

exit (leith)

subordinate (holyrood)

surf (portobello)

Mapping Queer Edinburgh

More than a history lesson, Desire Paths is a celebration of queer joy

By Emilia Lauder

Ours is a city where queerness exists in every corner, a vibrant and indispensable part of Edinburgh’s identity.

Desire Paths, an exhibition exploring Edinburgh’s history through a queer lens, aims to bring together the current queer networks in Edinburgh through literature, art, and places.

Lavender Menace curated the project. The first Lavender Menace bookshop in Edinburgh gave queer people solidarity in the face of threatening social and political constructs when it opened in 1982. Sigrid Nielsen, a founding member, shares how queerness in the early 80s felt far more isolating than it does today.

queer and trans people’s pain.”

For Lavender Menace, trying to deny queer existence is to erase past, present and future voices from being heard. Desire Paths exhibition is their way of getting queer voices of the past out there.

Sigrid recalls the struggles she faced opening up the first LGBTQ+ bookshop in Edinburgh: “We experienced a lot of vandalism around the time of opening our first shop on Dundas Street in the 80s.”

“But finding the big bubble of the Edinburgh gay network gave me a world to move around in freely,” Sigrid explains that nowadays, those bubbles of queerness have expanded into multiple networks around the city, the main difference being that they rarely interact.

One of the standouts of the exhibition is a feature designed by Ash Alexander, a trans literary academic who has spent months researching the relationship between Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, two of Scotland’s best-known war poets.

Ash explains, “Being part of this exhibition has completely changed the way I see Edinburgh.”

“Just walking down Princes Street and knowing that Waterstones was once home to the most iconic gay nightclub in Scotland reminds me of all the queer joy of the past,” Ash says.

Ash’s archival research for the exhibition has taken him on a deeply emotional journey.

“As a trans person who now lives in a time when old arguments about transgender lives are resurfacing and hurting our community, I see our exhibition as countering

Photo Credits: Emilia Lauder

Ash beams, “We’ve documented how fights for our rights have been fought in the past, and in doing that, I think we’ve managed to give others hope that we can get through this again.”

The exhibition also highlights the power of sharing queer experiences. Printed on the main wall is a map of Edinburgh on which the public are encouraged to mark their personal queer experiences.

“What you see in our exhibition now is how queer people, as far back as 200 years ago, have been forging their own unwritten paths,” Ash explains. “No one gave these individuals the permission to live the way they did. People wanted them to stop. But like a desire path, they just kept on emerging, following their hearts.”

At Desire Paths, everyone can physically see and feel the overlap in queerness on the map. The warmth of queer joy fills the space; you can’t help but feel wrapped up in ardour.

Here lies the evidence of Edinburgh’s unyielding queer joy. Each artefact of queer identity displayed at Desire Paths tells a story of resilience and hope.

While we all share Edinburgh, our experiences are altogether different. Through our stories, we attempt to shed light on this city’s innumerable Voices

Voices

Hilltop Perspectives

Cliff hikes for some clarity - page 50

A Feline Rival to Greyfriars’ Bobby? An inside look into the life and antics of Hugo Sanchez, the West End Cat

By Eline Foulger

Hugo Staring-contest

Credit: Eline Foulger

The doorbell rang.

“I think your cat wants to come in, love”.

“Oh, he’s not actually our – “. A blur of fur races past me through the hallway and I lock eyes with the tabby making himself at home in a cushy armchair.

I thank the well-meaning passerby and accept my new life as a part-time cat owner. And I was not the only one. Hugo, the strong-willed Arabian Mau, had recently been the talk of the local Facebook group.

The residents of the formerly quiet West End of Edinburgh speculate about the presence of this new furry fellow on their street. “Does anyone know this cat?”. “He doesn’t have a collar and has been patrolling William Street all morning”. “He somehow got into my house”. “He’s eating my cat’s food”. Jane Rutherford, Hugo’s owner, set the story straight, “He’s my cat. He has a loving home but has decided to spend his days roaming the West End.”

As the months went on, Hugo became a part of the family. My Dad stopped protesting his presence and started buying him tuna. No longer dependent on passersby to ring the doorbell for him, Hugo started waiting on the wall by our house, jumping expertly to our kitchen window to be welcomed into our home.

The Facebook posts continued, and we knew Hugo went to other houses.

“But he definitely likes us the best,” we told ourselves. Despite his penchant for playing the field (or cobbled streets), Hugo always came back home to us.

In April 2023, I found myself reading an announcement in the neighbourhood group that Hugo had been hit by a car, and Jane had to put him down. Suddenly, the reality that Hugo was not our cat and that he was now no one’s cat hit home. I didn’t know how to grieve when he was never mine to grieve in the first place. I kept expecting to see him magically jump up to the kitchen window.

Almost two years after his death, I meet Jane, to reminisce on Hugo’s antics and the legacy he leaves behind.

Hugo Sanchez (to give him his full name) was a stray cat in Qatar, then a well-loved pet in Abu Dhabi, and a famed rat catcher with locals in Spain before he arrived in the city of Edinburgh.

“Quite the well-travelled cat”, Jane quips.

Hugo arrived on the scene in 2019 and slowly started to explore the city. Jane recalls how Hugo “just suddenly

started staying away longer and longer … It would be for a night, we thought nothing of it … and then suddenly it was a week…

It got to the point where he wasn’t coming home at all and he’d just moved to William Street.”

Jane hypothesises that the Qatari cat (perhaps instinctively) developed a taste for the “posher” side of town, “I wondered if he thought we were too low class for him.”

When the post about Hugo’s death went up on our local group, Jane was overwhelmed by the number of messages she received, as well as the many photos featuring Hugo in all these different homes across the West End.

The anecdotes about Hugo’s antics around town are never-ending.

He was once taken to the Cats Protection League in Leith and advertised as ‘looking for a home’. On another occasion, Jane had to get off the bus mid-journey on Princes Street after spotting Hugo outside Tesco. The cat even made a cameo in a feature film whilst roaming the local Cathedral. He was partial to riding the lift in a local building, and banned from a West End pub after stealing a steak.

Today, a small committee of neighbours are working towards commemorating Hugo with a statue, on the wall next to our house where he would sit and wait. I reminisce about the evenings I spent with Hugo and feel grateful to have been a part of his legacy.

But not everyone remembers him as fondly. A former West End resident tells me how Hugo was a “nuisance”, and allegations of him biting neighbours show a darker side to the well-loved cat.

“Sometimes he’d go a bit Luis Suarez, but he was alright really,” my dad concludes with his tear-jerking eulogy.

Maybe Hugo wasn’t the saintly cat to rival Greyfriars Bobby. He was complicated, unfaithful, and sometimes slightly violent—not any worse than other men commemorated in bronze anyway.

If his statue does get built, I hope the tourists leave his nose alone.

Hugo Sunbathing on Car Credit: Yasmin Cooper

Jane Rutherford holding Hugo’s portrait Credit: Eline Foulger

Edinburgh Cycling : An X-treme Ride

By Tim Hoffmann

I’ve been cycling ever since my German Grandmutter forced me onto my sister’s bike at age three. I loved it straight away. 20 years later, I’m questioning that love. The culprit? Edinburgh.

A stunning city, but a death trap for real cyclists who don’t just ride for “kudos” on Strava. Here, cycling feels like an extreme sport, with death threats at every turn. Edinburgh’s roads are a disgrace. Even standing still, you can feel the bumps coming.

Bad infrastructure is one thing, but in Edinburgh, no one follows the rules. A busy crossroad, neatly sorted by power and colour. How civilis… oh, never mind. No one stops.

sense of this chaos. Put on your helmet and follow this slipstream.

Cycling in Edinburgh feels like Twitter* lately. Once a place for harmless scrolling, but now with Elon Musk behind the handlebars of this BMX, it’s a hell of a ride.

Like rain on cyclists, tweets pour down every minute. Ever since Musk’s (uncool) cold front rolled in, it’s more like snow and hail, blasting straight through your face. Cyclists in Edinburgh know that feeling. Potholes the size of buses turn into lakes; drivers plough through them like sport, and at crossings, frustration levels peak.

Just like Twitter, Edinburgh never

The charity Cycling Scotland follows the peloton of questionable case studies. Their claim that Edinburgh saw a record number of cyclists in May 2024 is backed by an average number of 1,812 bikes passing Leith Walk daily. The reopening of this previously damaged bike lane in 2023 remains a footnote. The pandemic and the emergence of food delivery cyclists? Not even mentioned. But remember, this is not a destructive waterfall; it’s streams. Just like on Twitter, if you spot fake news, get out there and prove yourself better.

When bad weather hits, most people step off their bikes. Likewise, as thousands abandoned the social network for safer alternatives, only a select few still ride on the platform’s streets. And oh boy, they don’t just face bumpy roads. The timeline flips between a thousand sexbots and a thousand dead bodies. On top of the NSFW footage, there is seemingly no end to the extremist ‘opinions’. You follow one post on a German shepherd and find yourself in a racist

The US organisation People for Bikes ranks Edinburgh as the 12th most bike-friendly city worldwide with a population over 300k. However, their ranking is solely based on digital maps, speed limits and access to infrastructure. They ignore cycling numbers, road quality or terrain, all of which are crucial for cycling, but brutal in

But don’t trust politicians. The Edinburgh City Council is still debating the destruction of Roseburn Path, a rare bright spot in the city’s cycling network. Meanwhile, Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop MSP promoted the council’s latest £17 million project. This “active travel route” is little more than an unconnected extension of the (soon-to-be-destroyed) Roseburn Path, featuring a ramp almost longer than the entire overpass itself. Need proof? Just check Fiona’s… Twitter.

The only good thing about cycling in this city is that every steep road is followed by a downhill stretch. Flying without pedalling: still chaotic, still risky, but at least fun. And, more importantly, it is efficient. If more people knew how good that feeling is, there’d be more cyclists braving this hilly hell. More riders mean more visibility, more pressure, and maybe even real change.

If we don’t ride the chaos and make the best of it, there won’t be any improvement, and the ones who stay will keep wrecking the road. Soon enough, no one will want to enter, no matter how battle-hardened they are already from cycling in Edinburgh.

*Editors Note - We are aware that Elon Musk renamed Twitter to X in 2023, but we think this is dumb so will continue to refer to Twitter as Twitter.

LA Love Letter to the Royal Oak

A Scottish folk pub and a Canadian expat - a match made in heaven

By Gabby Cleveland

ate at night, the air thick with mist, the distant sound of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Bad Moon Rising lured us in. We followed the music along the wet cobbled streets until we found the source. People were spilling out of a pub, singing “Don’t go around tonight, well it’s bound to take your life. There’s a bad moon on the rise.”

As these familiar lyrics enticed us in, the long stressful travel day was quickly forgotten.

The pub in question was the Royal Oak. A proper, salt of the earth, 200-yearold pub.

But let’s rewind. How did the Royal Oak become my favourite? How did a pub become such a dear friend of mine?

lagged, soaked by the rain. A glimmer of hope appeared in the form of a friendly neighbour who offered to take our bags while we figured out a way to get a key.

Mum and I made our way down Princes Street dodging hundreds of other tourists. I thought to myself:

like this before. In Alberta, live music means you’re going to watch someone perform on a stage. The Royal Oak introduced me to an entirely new side of it.

Here, music lovers gathered around musicians singing unamplified music from the comfort of their seats. It was intimate, and powerful.

It was the end of August. I had just said a few tearful goodbyes to my family back home in Canada, before embarking on my year abroad in Scotland, not knowing what to expect.

“Four bags,” I kept telling myself on the flight, so I could keep track of all my things. But here I was in the Edinburgh airport with just three bags. After spending hours locating my missing bag, finally, peace.

Or so I thought. I arrived at my new flat only to find that my flatmate had forgotten to leave me a key. There stood my mum and I, in the same clothing we had been in for the past 24 hours, jet

“What the hell have I done? Why did I move here?”

We returned to my flat with a freshly cut key in hand, showered, changed, and decided to turn this day around.

So, we set out again in search of a pub that would bring our spirits up. That’s when we found ourselves at the Royal Oak.

The Royal Oak, along with many other pubs in Edinburgh, are older than Canada itself. Stepping into this historic haven for musicians, poets, and storytellers was, for me, a glimpse into the aspects of Scotland’s culture and traditions that I was so fascinated by before moving here.

In between crowd-pleasing singalongs and ballads, locals sang Scottish folk songs.

Among the many quotes featured on the Royal Oak’s walls, one of them reads “Freenship gies us a delight, Freenship consecrates the drappie, Freenship brocht us here the night.”

Reading this filled me with relief. Though I had just moved to an unfamiliar city where I knew no one, I sensed that nights at the Royal Oak could offer friendship on my loneliest days.

As Bad Moon Rising came to an end, the crowd parted, welcoming us into the quaint pub.

I had never seen live music quite

I sat amongst musicians and music lovers with a Guinness in hand, unsure whether the cold chills I was covered in were from the breathtaking music or the Edinburgh weather.

“Okay, this is why I moved here. This is exactly where I need to be.”

Hilltop Perspectives

Just an hour’s steep hike away, Edinburgh is laid-bare

By Clifford Heberden

Photo Credits: Clifford Heberden

A pile before my feet

Eight months ago, I moved to Edinburgh, but it was only from afar that I saw it for the first time.

A self-proclaimed city person, I never really thought of the importance of taking a break from the cobblestones, the crowds and the grey sandstone of my neighbourhood’s tenements. But this weekend, I felt fed up.

The Pentlands were calling. I’d seen this guy on Twitter* smoking with a cow there. I needed that picture. I got on a bus, walked through Oxgangs, across the motorway, then past the golfers. I went too far and got myself lost. I was east of the hills now; frustrated, I just started going up.

Within a few minutes, I was huffing and puffing through brush at the foothills. The slope was steep, and of course I was slipping with the wrong shoes at my feet.

I kept climbing, weary from the cold, the wind and my burning lungs. The view softened the blow, but it was clear I was out of shape.

On my way up, an older man with two older dogs stopped to chat with me; he looked just about as beat up as I was. The dogs were looking spry, though, another hit to my pride.

The ground was soft, damp and hard on the knees, as I expected Scottish soil would be. Taking a breather, I turned around to see Edinburgh emerging behind Blackford Hill. I couldn’t stop now, without seeing it all.

The weather was turning on me. From the wonder of the sight, I was now alone in the grey, wet. Only the wind and rain hitting my jacket were keeping me company. It was quiet. The kind of quiet I hadn’t had in months.

The Pentland Hills kept coming. In those clouds, I kept trekking from cairn to cairn. I can’t remember a time I’d held a smile that long. Grounded, I broke the damp silence with a single flick of my lighter, hidden away in my cupped hands.

Fully recovered from the unimpressive effort of my summit, my confidence took me off-piste.

I roamed the rolling hills, excited by the long grass that made each step lighter than the last.

There, somewhere between Allermuir and Caerketton Hills, I was staring at a pile that had been dropped by something way bigger than me.

After 30 painful minutes, shaken and out of breath, I finally reached the top, where a cairn was waiting for me. I could see the whole River Forth, Edinburgh’s spires and steeples, its castle, Arthur’s Seat and buildings I’d never noticed from the city’s streets.

They stood out like chess pieces on a board in its endgame.

It was breathtaking, but the view was disappearing.

“There’s no way.” I followed the droppings down a hill, over a slope, and there they were looking up at me.

Highland cows. Clouds were dissipating now, showing the landscape behind them. I’d found myself alone with the herd.

There was nothing original about this experience. Hundreds of thousands of tourists and students have had the same afternoon before me. There was wonder in it, though. I felt lucky to be here in this city I’d felt trapped in just hours before.

I was excited and awed by these cows I’d seen all over the gift shops, the postcards, fuzzy slippers and mugs. They’d made the pain in my legs and feet feel worthwhile.

They were just cows, somehow mystifying to people like me, roaming their land and bothering them for the simple shutter of our cameras.

The Scots may be annoyed by the 2 million annual travellers streaming into their land, disrupting their town, but they don’t spend their pay cheques to come here for nothing.

It means to them as much as it means to the Scottish, even if they’re just cows.

*Editors Note - Refer to page 48.

Never Too Late to Rewrite the Story

Going back to University gave me something I didn’t know I’d lost: myself

By Gill Thatcher

Walking into class on that first day was a whirlwind of emotions; my stomach was swooshing around like a washing machine, and I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. I spotted an empty seat and made my way towards it.

“Hi, I’m Gill. I just joined the course today. Can I sit here?” I asked, my voice a little unsteady, betraying my nerves. A twenty-something replied, “You can, but these desks are for MA Sports. If you’re MA Journalism, you probably want to sit over there.”

Taking another deep breath to steady myself, I picked up my bag, crossed the room, and introduced myself to my new cohort.

The journey to this point was not straightforward. For many years I had said I needed a change. I felt exhausted and no longer enjoyed corporate life like I used to. I wanted to step away but could never quite muster the courage to make the leap.

One day I spotted a Facebook post by a friend in Australia. She had just completed a master’s degree at the age of 51. I started to wonder if I could achieve something like that and, little by little, I began picturing a different life for myself. I even knew exactly what I would study, and it was what I always wanted to do. Over the next few weeks, the same thought kept coming back to me. What if?

To make it happen, I needed a plan!

Armed with a spreadsheet, I sat down with my husband to go over the numbers. He listened quietly for 30 minutes whilst I waffled through the financial forecast I had so carefully constructed. When finished, he laughed, “You don’t need to convince me; I know it’s a good idea. You need to convince yourself.”

That evening, I applied for the Masters in Journalism course at Edinburgh Napier University.

Studying at any age is a challenge, but it definitely feels tougher now that I am older. The journalism course is only one year long, and there’s so much to absorb in that short space of time. Academic essays, Harvard refer encing, media law, ethics, radio, TV, magazines, podcasting, social media production and, of course, writing.

There are days when I think I’ll never keep up, but then I surprise myself with what I manage to achieve. I remind myself almost daily, “I can do this!” I have a renewed appetite for learning, and so far, I have passed my assessments convincingly. It’s taken hard work, effort, and a lot of practice, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.

Unsurprisingly, I’m the oldest person in the class, by over 20 years, but my peers do their best to make me feel included. I do sometimes miss having someone my age to chat to, but that’s usually remedied by a five-minute natter with one of the lecturers or an evening catch-up with my husband or friends.

Going back to study and learning alongside younger people has reminded me of who I used to be, back when I looked ahead in wonder at what the future might hold and was led by my imagination. I feel like that again now, and I’m enjoying being in this moment.

Becoming a student again has given me a lightness that my career threatened to take away. I’m genuinely happy and laugh more effortlessly than I have in years. I even go out for the occasional beer with my classmates - usually just the one so I don’t cramp their style. I enjoy their company, and I am learning from them. Maybe they are learning from me too?

The outside might be a little worn, but inside I’m 25 again, curious and eager to learn.

My mind is open to new ideas, and I’m excited to be growing as a person. I’m looking forward to whatever lies ahead and to my new career in journalism.

Hard at work

Credit: Gill Thatcher

Ask Lottie Our Surge Life Editor gives her advice on living in Edinburgh

Where should I go for a nice, long and scenic walk?

Edinburgh is an extremely walkable city. You can walk from one side to the other within a day and still have time for pit stops and pints!

If you fancy a neighbourhood walk, head from the city centre down to Stockbridge, walk down the iconic Circus Lane, cross the bridge over the Water of Leith and follow the main street (Raeburn Place) through to Inverleith Park.

For something a bit more woodland-y, head south of the city through Marchmont and The Grange to Blackford. From there you can find The Hermitage that sits below Blackford Hill – a lovely walk through these woods will revitalise you before heading back into the city! Head up Blackford Hill for a perfect view of Edinburgh’s skyline.

Finally, one of my favourite walks is from Holyrood Park to Duddingston. Starting at the foot of The Royal Mile near Scottish Parliament works well, or from Newington walk through to the base of Arthur’s Seat and follow the footpath around towards Duddingston. You’ll pass peaceful ponds and views of the South Side of the city before coming to a quaint village, home to Edinburgh’s oldest pub, the Sheep Heid Inn.

Just remember to pack an umbrella, as Edinburgh’s weather is notoriously unpredictable!

I struggle to find good decaf coffee spots as someone who struggles with the side effects of coffee. Any suggestions?

If there is something that Edinburgh knows how to do well, it’s coffee. It’s a necessity for most of the city’s residents. The number of independent coffee shops spread across the city makes finding a good cup very easy. However, just because somewhere has good coffee coffee doesn’t mean that it will have a good decaf option!

After finding myself addicted to caf feine during my undergrad degree, I decided to give myself a break and go decaf for a while, but I didn’t want to give up my coffee catch-ups with friends! So ensued many trips to my favourite cafes, hoping (and praying) that I would like their decaf as much as their caff. Luckily for me, there were plenty of greats …some that I even preferred!

Here are my favourites: Artisan Roast, Twelve Triangles, Ante, Project Coffee, Argyle Place, Milkman, Cairngorm, Room & Rumours, Fortitude.

Are there any clubs or groups I can join if I want to stay sporty as I get older?

Definitely! Edinburgh is full of organised active groups – whether it’s run clubs or recreational sports, there are many options here and plenty of free ones too. Joining a group can be a great idea if you’ve just moved to the city and want an active way of meeting new, like-minded people.

Credit: Lottie Tiller

Cheers

Songs we Stream through Edinburgh

A few songs the team likes to listen to as we walk the streets of this beautiful city!

Emilia - Here’s Where the Story Ends by The Sundays

Jed - Sunshine on Leith by The Proclaimers

Jamie - Candy by Paolo Nutini

Gabby - Honey, I’m Home by Shania Twain

Tom - TV Off by Kendrick Lamar

Lottie - You Get What You Give by New Radicals

Mark - The Lakes by Taylor Swift

Jodie - From Eden by Hozier

Gill - September by Earth, Wind & Fire

Eline - Scott Street by Phoebe Bridgers

Cliff - Ring of Past by Men I Trust

Nimer - Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers

Tim - Ride like the Wind by Christopher Cross

Find our playlist on Spotify for more picks!

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